[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/8T07SSq.png[/img][/centre] [h3][COLOR=#70C26B]Reprise of Destruction[/COLOR][/h3] [color=#884CA6]1.04: The other side of the trees[/color] Dr. Walter Langkowski breathed raggedly as he followed behind Agent Payne, the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative exchanging gunfire with the squad of unknown soldiers. The Canadian scientist took cover behind a large redwood tree, as he wondered why he hadn’t been assigned a gun. Granted he had never fired a gun before, but Walter would’ve felt better with a weapon of his own. As the pair of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives fled the mystery gunmen, Payne tried to call for an extraction, only to discover that something was jamming all the cell signals in this area. As he went from tree to tree, shielding Walter’s body with his own, Payne told the scientist his plan. There was a nearby town called Ferndale where the jamming might not reach to, or if needed they could find a hard line. “How much farther to town?” asked Walter as he cowered behind a redwood. “Not sure,” replied Agent Payne in between reloading his gun, “I sort of lost track of distance once we started zigzagging.” “Great,” responded Walter through gritted teeth. The pair continued to move among the trees, bullets landing not far from behind them. As Agent Payne poked his head out to try and spot their assailants, he could see a road cutting through the forest. Motioning to Dr. Langkowski, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent fired a few shots before dashing toward the road. Walter did his best to keep up with Payne, pure adrenaline taking him to the thin road. Once the pair cleared the tree line, they began heading west down the road, hoping to reach the nearby seaside town. “Not to call bull on your plan, but aren’t we sitting ducks out here?” Walter asked Agent Payne. But before the agent could respond, the sound of sirens roared up the road. Looking down the road, Walter and Payne could see a police car approaching, its red and blue lights spinning. The car would stop a few meters away from the pair, a sheriff getting out and drawing his weapon. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but drop your weapon!” shouted the sheriff. “Alright, be cool,” replied Agent Payne as he placed his gun down on the road, “We’re with S.H.I.E.L.D., and I’ll prove it by showing you my ID.” As Agent Payne slowly took his ID, Walter held his breath as the sheriff kept his weapon pointed at them. But once the sheriff did get a look at the ID, he lowered his weapon. “What the hell are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents doing out here?” asked the sheriff as he holstered his gun. His answer came in the form of gunfire striking the road near the three assembled men, the sheriff exclaiming, “God dammit!” “Do you mind driving us to town,” asked Agent Payne as he picked up his firearm and returned fire. “Sure,” replied the sheriff as he too shot at the soldiers in the trees, “Just pile in.” Walter did need to be told twice as he opened the rear door and took refuge in the backseat. In between shots, the sheriff and Payne got into the front seats. Taking the wheel, the sheriff spun his squad car around, and bolted back toward Ferndale. “So why are we being shot at?” questioned the sheriff. “Not sure,” answered Payne, “Why were you here?” “Responding to reports of gunfire, and before that someone reported an explosion,” stated the sheriff. At the mention of an explosion, Walter’s ears perked up, “What kind of explosion?” “I don’t know. A driver apparently heard it coming from the forest as he was driving down this road,” responded the sheriff. “Well that’s why we are here,” explained Walter, “We detected a gamma radiation event.” “Radiation?” asked the sheriff, his face very concerned looking, “Do we need to evacuate the town?” “I don’t think so. It seemed to be a small, controlled explosion, probably some kind of experiment,” theorized Walter. “Isn’t that against the law? How the hell do you even make gamma radiation?” asked an incredulous sheriff. “Well clearly these guys don’t care about the law,” interjected Agent Payne, “And these guys have some kind of backing. Those guys shooting at us were clearly military trained.” The three of them didn’t talk for the next few minutes, still in shock from the battle that they had just escaped. Off in the distance Walter was able to see the first few buildings of Ferndale. But as they got more into focus, Walter could see that the road was barricaded, vehicles and soldiers blocking any further driving. Seeing this, the sheriff attempted to reverse his vehicle, only for more vehicles to pour out of the woods, blocking their escape. Walter started to panic as he realized that they were surrounded. A group of soldiers with rifles in hand then approached the squad car, forcing the three men out onto the road. “What should we do with them Captain Blonsky?” asked one of the soldiers. “Well, I’m all for killing them,” replied the Captain with a sneer. “Wait a minute,” said a voice from within one of the military jeeps, “I recognize one of them.” A man with a thick beard got out, Walter recognizing him as well, “Dr. Crawford? Why?” “Yes it has been awhile Dr. Langkowski. You should spare him, he’s an expert in the study of gamma radiation,” stated Dr. Crawford. “So the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and the cop are fair game?” asked Captain Blonsky. “Sure, go ahead,” answered Crawford as he had soldiers pull Walter away from the other two men. “In that case, I’d like to test my new powers,” said Blonsky as he dropped his rifle. The Captain’s eyes flashed green as his body began to ripple. In a few seconds his musculature doubled in size, as his skin turned gray in color. Blonsky’s tactical gear began to rip as his body grew, some pieces falling to the floor, others just dangling onto his massive frame. In thirty seconds, where once the Captain stood was now an Abomination of some kind. “Alright, who would like to be smashed first?” asked the massive creature. Dr. Langkowski looked back in horror as the Abomination raised both fists. But before he could see what happened, a bag was placed over his head. “Please ignore that brutality Dr. Langkowski,” said Crawford, “You’ll be coming with me. We have a lot to discuss.” Walter began to hyperventilate in the small confines of the bag. This whole life or death situation had brought on a panic attack, his first one in years. As Walter struggled to breath, he felt himself being placed in the back of a jeep. “What the hell is going on?” asked Walter through the bag. “Simply survival,” muttered Dr. Crawford. Walter had no idea what that meant as he felt the jeep begin to move. The presence of Dr. Crawford here perplexed him, as he had been told that the gamma radiation studier had retired. Yet here he was with these mystery soldiers.