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Lord Wraith
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Bio
Reluctantly retired roleplayer.
Except when I'm not.
Why are you here when you should be writing posts?
You can edit a bad draft, but you cannot edit a blank page.
Except when I'm not.
Why are you here when you should be writing posts?
You can edit a bad draft, but you cannot edit a blank page.
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N O A H G A L L A G H E R
C R E S T W O O O D F O R E S T:
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 06:52 am | Mather Park
The greenery of Crestwood Forest flew past the black dog as he leaped over a fallen log, landing hard on the ground as the leather bag hanging from his mouth fell against the mossy undergrowth. Tossing up leaves and dirt as the animal skidded to a halt, it turned around, open jaws scooping up the bag before it circled around again and continued to run. Dashing between the alternating oaks and maples, the canine skirted the base of an evergreen before emerging into Mather Park as it came into its second wind and bolted towards the school on the far side of the park.
Circling around the back of the school, the dog lowered itself, pushing through a thick shrub until it fell into the building’s boiler room. Landing roughly, the dog spread its limbs as it landed, staggering before it dropped the satchel in front of itself as it sat panting. Turning its head, the animal began to growl before being replaced by a faint whine as the room echoed with the sound of cracking bones. Paws began to spread out the toes lengthening as the fur receded, claws becoming nails as hands appeared.
The face compressed in on itself as the form of the black dog was replaced by the shivering naked body of Noah Gallagher as he quickly reached for his leather bag and pulled on a pair of boxers before continuing to dress. Gasping for breath, Noah slung his messenger bag over his shoulder as he braced himself against a nearby guardrail as he hobbled towards the door. Reaching behind the heavy metal door, Noah wrapped his hand around his hidden crutch as he pulled it out and tucked it beneath his arm before making his way up the stairs and into the school’s main level.
At this time of day, the school was mostly empty with only the instructors and the overzealous roaming its halls. Noah, however, was required to arrive early due to his commitments to the school radio. It would have been a lot harder to pull off his little stunt this morning had Noah not been granted early access to the school yesterday in order to run the radio booth through its pre-startup inspection.
Sliding into the booth, Noah placed his bag on the ground beside his chair before sitting down and placing the headphones over his head. Flashing a quick smile as his co-host, Kim Carlisle, took a seat beside him as Noah queued up the first of many playlists that would echo through the school’s hallways as the student body made their way to their lockers.
“How was your summer, Noah?” Kim asked as Noah looked up from his laptop.
“Never long enough, how about yours?”
“It was alright but like you said, never long enough.” Kim replied as she batted some loose curls away from her dark eyes.
“Did you see that Kaitlyn is still missing?” Noah asked pointing towards the list of approved discussion topics from Principal Fitzgerald.
“That’s really too bad, I didn’t know her that well but I mean she was still one of us.”
“Yeah, I just wish there was something I could do to help.” Noah lied, memories of the previous night floating to the forefront of his mind as he recalled searching the forest as ‘Shadow’. He hadn’t found anything yet, but he also wasn’t quite sure on how to make the best use of the dog’s senses.
If he could maybe get his hands on something that had belonged to Kaitlyn…
“You okay?” Kim’s voice asked as Noah snapped back to the present.
“I will be,” He answered looking at the time in the corner of the screen before turning back to Kim.
“Duty calls.”
Circling around the back of the school, the dog lowered itself, pushing through a thick shrub until it fell into the building’s boiler room. Landing roughly, the dog spread its limbs as it landed, staggering before it dropped the satchel in front of itself as it sat panting. Turning its head, the animal began to growl before being replaced by a faint whine as the room echoed with the sound of cracking bones. Paws began to spread out the toes lengthening as the fur receded, claws becoming nails as hands appeared.
The face compressed in on itself as the form of the black dog was replaced by the shivering naked body of Noah Gallagher as he quickly reached for his leather bag and pulled on a pair of boxers before continuing to dress. Gasping for breath, Noah slung his messenger bag over his shoulder as he braced himself against a nearby guardrail as he hobbled towards the door. Reaching behind the heavy metal door, Noah wrapped his hand around his hidden crutch as he pulled it out and tucked it beneath his arm before making his way up the stairs and into the school’s main level.
At this time of day, the school was mostly empty with only the instructors and the overzealous roaming its halls. Noah, however, was required to arrive early due to his commitments to the school radio. It would have been a lot harder to pull off his little stunt this morning had Noah not been granted early access to the school yesterday in order to run the radio booth through its pre-startup inspection.
Sliding into the booth, Noah placed his bag on the ground beside his chair before sitting down and placing the headphones over his head. Flashing a quick smile as his co-host, Kim Carlisle, took a seat beside him as Noah queued up the first of many playlists that would echo through the school’s hallways as the student body made their way to their lockers.
“How was your summer, Noah?” Kim asked as Noah looked up from his laptop.
“Never long enough, how about yours?”
“It was alright but like you said, never long enough.” Kim replied as she batted some loose curls away from her dark eyes.
“Did you see that Kaitlyn is still missing?” Noah asked pointing towards the list of approved discussion topics from Principal Fitzgerald.
“That’s really too bad, I didn’t know her that well but I mean she was still one of us.”
“Yeah, I just wish there was something I could do to help.” Noah lied, memories of the previous night floating to the forefront of his mind as he recalled searching the forest as ‘Shadow’. He hadn’t found anything yet, but he also wasn’t quite sure on how to make the best use of the dog’s senses.
If he could maybe get his hands on something that had belonged to Kaitlyn…
“You okay?” Kim’s voice asked as Noah snapped back to the present.
“I will be,” He answered looking at the time in the corner of the screen before turning back to Kim.
“Duty calls.”
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 02:30pm | The ‘Loft’
Taking a seat amongst his peers in the previously abandoned classroom, Noah took a look around at the unusual seating arrangement as he tried to sit as close to Ivy as he could without sitting directly beside her. Listening as Jonas introduced himself, Noah pulled a leather-bound book from his back, opening it as he began to joint down a couple of notes. Copying the question from the board to his book, Noah started to write an answer beneath it.
Why would I want anything but what I already have?
Most of the students remained silent, one had even decided to read a book of his own choosing as Noah looked around the room. Allowing his mind to wander, Noah quickly found himself distracted by an enticing aroma as he realized he was smelling Ivy’s perfume. Shaking his head, Noah tried to refocus as Ivy opened her mouth to answer Jonas’ question.
”Uhm… if I could pick my own ability, it would be able to change into an animal.”
Noah felt his ears go hot as his face went flush. Did Ivy know that he was ‘Shadow’? Was this her way of calling him out. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Noah opened his mouth to answer the question only for another student to beat him to it.
"Isn't the whole idea that no one wants to be hype in the first place?"
It was hard to argue with the girl’s point but Noah had to admit that despite the harm his abilities had brought upon his body, he never found himself regretting them. Adjusting his glasses with the back of his hand, Noah moved to answer but paused as he watched another girl hold up her notepad to communicate a counterpoint to the previous girl.
She was cute and Noah couldn’t say he had noticed her before which led him to assume she must have been in one of the younger grades. He quickly found himself nodding in agreement to her written sign as a smile crept across his place as he watched her silently express her desire to fly. He couldn’t help but agree. While he hadn’t spent near as much time in the form of a bat as he had as a dog, flying was a sensation that Noah didn’t see losing its appeal any time soon.
Opening his mouth to finally answer, Noah quickly found the words trapped in his throat as the Prince of Hyperhuman Destruction himself joined in on the discussion. Sneering at Marcus’ answer, Noah retorted with a thought of his own.
“I guess the Hypes can count themselves lucky that you’re not a technopath.” He muttered, “Your dad would have turned you into a weapon.”
“That sort of talk isn’t productive towards acceptance.” Jonas intervened, “Did you have an answer of your own, Mr. Gallagher?” Jonas asked as Noah felt his face flush further.
“I don’t know,” He muttered, “Uh, what Ivy said sounded good to me.” He hastily added as Jonas looked back to the rest of the class, his gaze quickly focusing on Benjamin as he cleared his throat.
“Mr. Hope, if you aren’t interested in participating then perhaps there is a better use of your time.” He snapped as he massaged a temple. “Otherwise, perhaps you’d like to answer the question on the board.” Jonas added, tapping a finger against the board.
“And I don’t it’s an issue of nobody wanting to be a Hype, Miss Bronse,” Jonas continued as he turned towards Chloe. “I believe it’s an issue of no everybody being a Hype. We live in a world that is obsessed with inclusivity and creating equality where it can’t. But the minute society feels insecure they create walls to exclude that which it does not understand.” He ranted. “We’ve done it for years, the Crusades, the Witch Trials, the Holocaust, the list goes on and on.” Taking a deep breath, Jonas paused.
“So we need to be better.” He continued. “Social Conscience is defined as being a sense of responsibility or concern for the problems and injustices of society. As Hyperhumans, you more than anyone else have to be responsible and more than anyone else in the last fifty years, you have suffered the worst of society’s injustices. I’m hoping this program can be the first step in changing that.” Turning to the class, Jonas addressed them again.
“If just one rule surrounding Hyperhumans could change today, what would you like to change and why specifically that?” Jonas asked before looking directly at Benjamin. “Mr. Hope, as I so rudely prevented you from answering the previous question, why don’t you start us off?”
Why would I want anything but what I already have?
Most of the students remained silent, one had even decided to read a book of his own choosing as Noah looked around the room. Allowing his mind to wander, Noah quickly found himself distracted by an enticing aroma as he realized he was smelling Ivy’s perfume. Shaking his head, Noah tried to refocus as Ivy opened her mouth to answer Jonas’ question.
”Uhm… if I could pick my own ability, it would be able to change into an animal.”
Noah felt his ears go hot as his face went flush. Did Ivy know that he was ‘Shadow’? Was this her way of calling him out. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Noah opened his mouth to answer the question only for another student to beat him to it.
"Isn't the whole idea that no one wants to be hype in the first place?"
It was hard to argue with the girl’s point but Noah had to admit that despite the harm his abilities had brought upon his body, he never found himself regretting them. Adjusting his glasses with the back of his hand, Noah moved to answer but paused as he watched another girl hold up her notepad to communicate a counterpoint to the previous girl.
She was cute and Noah couldn’t say he had noticed her before which led him to assume she must have been in one of the younger grades. He quickly found himself nodding in agreement to her written sign as a smile crept across his place as he watched her silently express her desire to fly. He couldn’t help but agree. While he hadn’t spent near as much time in the form of a bat as he had as a dog, flying was a sensation that Noah didn’t see losing its appeal any time soon.
Opening his mouth to finally answer, Noah quickly found the words trapped in his throat as the Prince of Hyperhuman Destruction himself joined in on the discussion. Sneering at Marcus’ answer, Noah retorted with a thought of his own.
“I guess the Hypes can count themselves lucky that you’re not a technopath.” He muttered, “Your dad would have turned you into a weapon.”
“That sort of talk isn’t productive towards acceptance.” Jonas intervened, “Did you have an answer of your own, Mr. Gallagher?” Jonas asked as Noah felt his face flush further.
“I don’t know,” He muttered, “Uh, what Ivy said sounded good to me.” He hastily added as Jonas looked back to the rest of the class, his gaze quickly focusing on Benjamin as he cleared his throat.
“Mr. Hope, if you aren’t interested in participating then perhaps there is a better use of your time.” He snapped as he massaged a temple. “Otherwise, perhaps you’d like to answer the question on the board.” Jonas added, tapping a finger against the board.
“And I don’t it’s an issue of nobody wanting to be a Hype, Miss Bronse,” Jonas continued as he turned towards Chloe. “I believe it’s an issue of no everybody being a Hype. We live in a world that is obsessed with inclusivity and creating equality where it can’t. But the minute society feels insecure they create walls to exclude that which it does not understand.” He ranted. “We’ve done it for years, the Crusades, the Witch Trials, the Holocaust, the list goes on and on.” Taking a deep breath, Jonas paused.
“So we need to be better.” He continued. “Social Conscience is defined as being a sense of responsibility or concern for the problems and injustices of society. As Hyperhumans, you more than anyone else have to be responsible and more than anyone else in the last fifty years, you have suffered the worst of society’s injustices. I’m hoping this program can be the first step in changing that.” Turning to the class, Jonas addressed them again.
“If just one rule surrounding Hyperhumans could change today, what would you like to change and why specifically that?” Jonas asked before looking directly at Benjamin. “Mr. Hope, as I so rudely prevented you from answering the previous question, why don’t you start us off?”
<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>
Enough already about your Thor bein' a ranga, @Lord Wraith...
I don't even remember writing that.
Boop. Checking in.
My post will be coming tomorrow whether Roman and Eleven have posted or not.
@Byrd Man's Luis for New Best Character.
Location Marville - Oklahoma
Issue #2.04: Weirdness on the Edge of Town
| The Present
The welcoming aroma of freshly brewed coffee washed over Barbara like a warm summer’s breeze as she entered the kitchen. Blake was already seated at the island, sipping from his own mug as he looked up from the tablet in front of him, greeting his fiancé with a smile before rising to flip the bacon cooking on the stovetop.
“Eggs?” He asked as he began to pour her a cup of coffee, stirring in her preferred portions of cream and sugar before passing her the mug. Sitting down on one of the barstools arranged at the kitchen’s island, Barbara cupped the warm drink between her hands, fending off the chill of the winter air.
“Eggs sound perfect,” Barbara replied with a smile as the freshly cracked eggs fell into the pan with a satisfying sizzle. “Over easy though, please.” She added in her sweetest tone as Blake put two pieces of toast down.
“So…” Blake mused aloud as he gingerly flipped the eggs in the pan. “The Mayor wants you to take ‘Thor’ down.” He chuckled as Barbara crossed her arms defensively.
“You don’t think I could?” She asked as Blake turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised in an exaggerated arch. “Fine, but look, the Valkyrie isn’t supposed to ‘take down’ Thor.” Barbara explained as Blake slid her plate of food in front of her, resting an elbow on the opposite side of the island as he chewed on a piece of bacon.
“The Mayor’s idea, at least to my understanding,” Barbara continued, picking up a piece of her own bacon. “Is for Valkyrie to tackle the threats before Thor can. The Mayor doesn’t so much want to take you down,” She paused, a small laugh escaping her, “‘Cause I’m pretty sure most of the world doesn’t think that’s possible after the fight at the Raft,” Barbara scoffed as she continued. “But, I do think he does want to make it clear that Marville doesn’t need or want Thor here.”
“So Mayor Thomas wants to drive ‘Thor’ out of town?” Blake laughed as he dragged a piece of toast through the yolk of his egg, shoving it into his mouth as he swallowed before continuing. “Does he think Thor will just pack up and leave out of boredom?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Barbara retorted, her tone playful, “But I do think that’s the end goal of his ‘devious’ plans.”
“It’s a solid plan.” Blake scoffed as he finished the mug in his hand. “So does the Mayor then expect you to do something about the Dire Wolves?”
“Undetermined at this point, will I need to?” She asked with an amused tone.
“No,” Blake replied with a chuckle, “Heimdall and I are going to track down the rest of the pack later. He said they come from Vanaheim, so if we can lure them into a trap, we should be able to send them home through the Bifrost.”
The phones atop the island suddenly came to life almost in unison as Blake reached towards the vibrating device while Barbara held up her ringing phone with a forced smile.
“Roy,”
“Lamb,” Blake replied with a forced smile of his own as the pair leaned over the island, touching lips before nodding their goodbyes as both answered their phones.
“I can be there in ten,” Blake replied as he placed his phone to his ear, Sheriff Lamb’s voice detailing the situation in his ear on the other end of the line as he nodded along.
“Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are,” Barbara responded to her own conversation as she caught the leather jacket tossed her way by Blake, watching as he slid into his own suede jacket before holding the door for her. Walking out ahead of Blake, Barbara dialed Agent Perry, putting the phone up to her ear as she waited for the line to pick up before speaking.
“I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be there.” Came the Agent’s reply as Barbara ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket. Nodding to Blake, the pair climbed into their respective vehicles before quickly pulling out of their driveway.
“Eggs?” He asked as he began to pour her a cup of coffee, stirring in her preferred portions of cream and sugar before passing her the mug. Sitting down on one of the barstools arranged at the kitchen’s island, Barbara cupped the warm drink between her hands, fending off the chill of the winter air.
“Eggs sound perfect,” Barbara replied with a smile as the freshly cracked eggs fell into the pan with a satisfying sizzle. “Over easy though, please.” She added in her sweetest tone as Blake put two pieces of toast down.
“So…” Blake mused aloud as he gingerly flipped the eggs in the pan. “The Mayor wants you to take ‘Thor’ down.” He chuckled as Barbara crossed her arms defensively.
“You don’t think I could?” She asked as Blake turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised in an exaggerated arch. “Fine, but look, the Valkyrie isn’t supposed to ‘take down’ Thor.” Barbara explained as Blake slid her plate of food in front of her, resting an elbow on the opposite side of the island as he chewed on a piece of bacon.
“The Mayor’s idea, at least to my understanding,” Barbara continued, picking up a piece of her own bacon. “Is for Valkyrie to tackle the threats before Thor can. The Mayor doesn’t so much want to take you down,” She paused, a small laugh escaping her, “‘Cause I’m pretty sure most of the world doesn’t think that’s possible after the fight at the Raft,” Barbara scoffed as she continued. “But, I do think he does want to make it clear that Marville doesn’t need or want Thor here.”
“So Mayor Thomas wants to drive ‘Thor’ out of town?” Blake laughed as he dragged a piece of toast through the yolk of his egg, shoving it into his mouth as he swallowed before continuing. “Does he think Thor will just pack up and leave out of boredom?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Barbara retorted, her tone playful, “But I do think that’s the end goal of his ‘devious’ plans.”
“It’s a solid plan.” Blake scoffed as he finished the mug in his hand. “So does the Mayor then expect you to do something about the Dire Wolves?”
“Undetermined at this point, will I need to?” She asked with an amused tone.
“No,” Blake replied with a chuckle, “Heimdall and I are going to track down the rest of the pack later. He said they come from Vanaheim, so if we can lure them into a trap, we should be able to send them home through the Bifrost.”
The phones atop the island suddenly came to life almost in unison as Blake reached towards the vibrating device while Barbara held up her ringing phone with a forced smile.
“Roy,”
“Lamb,” Blake replied with a forced smile of his own as the pair leaned over the island, touching lips before nodding their goodbyes as both answered their phones.
“I can be there in ten,” Blake replied as he placed his phone to his ear, Sheriff Lamb’s voice detailing the situation in his ear on the other end of the line as he nodded along.
“Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are,” Barbara responded to her own conversation as she caught the leather jacket tossed her way by Blake, watching as he slid into his own suede jacket before holding the door for her. Walking out ahead of Blake, Barbara dialed Agent Perry, putting the phone up to her ear as she waited for the line to pick up before speaking.
“I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be there.” Came the Agent’s reply as Barbara ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket. Nodding to Blake, the pair climbed into their respective vehicles before quickly pulling out of their driveway.
Location Morton Estate - Marville
A black sport utility vehicle sat parked on the side of the road as Barbara pulled her truck over, coming to a stop just behind the other vehicle. Climbing out of her vehicle, Barbara quickly zipped her jacket up as a cold Northerly wind blew over the flat plains on either side of the road, whipping around the long tails of Agent Perry’s peacoat as she climbed out of her own vehicle and walked towards Barbara, her hands buried deep into the pockets on the exterior of the coat.
Withdrawing a hand, Agent Perry held a small package out towards Barbara as the deputy reached out to accept it. Turning the black metallic case over in her hand, Barbara ran a finger along the seam before slowly lifting the lid to reveal a small subtle earpiece and contact lens inside. With a nod from Agent Perry, Barbara fitted the earpiece to her ear before placing the lens in her left eye, blinking a few times before looking back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.
“I’ll be on contact with you the whole time you’re in Lady Elaine’s home,” Perry stated matter of factly as Barbara heard the earpiece come online, “The minute you’re near the signal, I’ll let you know. Work it into your conversation, see if you can find out how much she knows but make sure you get a good look at the asset. At a minimum, if we get visual confirmation, my agents can move in for extraction.”
“Understood,” Barbara nodded as she turned to walk back to her truck before Agent Perry spoke again.
“Deputy,” She called as Barbara paused, turning to look back at her, “Good luck.”
“Appreciate that,” Barbara replied as she climbed back into the truck, pulling away as Agent Perry watched her tail lights disappear. Returning to her own vehicle, she activated the satellite uplink watching the ominous, blinking, red dot staring back at her from the screen as it hovered over the Morton Estate.
Continuing on her own way, Barbara approached Lady Elaine’s home, the automated gates opening for the large pickup truck as she slowly drove up the cobblestone driveway towards the pristine Colonial-style home. The cobblestone path led up a small hill into a roundabout that circled around a large fountain decorated with the smiling stone forms of several cherubs. Four white pillars suspended a balcony above the large double doors as numerous windows stared out of the white siding-clad walls towards her. The black shingled roof was adorned with two dormers on either half of the front facing slope as Barbara marveled at the sheer size of the building.
Marville proper was filled with a few small apartment buildings, nothing beyond three stories. Several townhouses dotted the town and the suburbs were filled with split-level bungalows. Outside of the town, two-story farmhouses made up the majority of the buildings with barns being far and wide the largest structures in the small mid-western community.
But the Morton Estate easily dwarfed all of the aforementioned as Barbara put her truck into park, climbing out of the vehicle and standing in front of the mansion. In front of her truck sat the Mayor’s BMW as Barbara quickly looked around for the Mayor, the sound of the door opening caught her attention as she turned her head to notice Roy as he exited the house through one of the large adorned double doors. Walking out onto the porch, the Mayor lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling as he, in turn, looked around before glancing at his watch, obviously waiting for her.
“Mr. Mayor,” Barbara greeted Roy tipping her head forward before lifting her sunglasses up from her face, placing them atop her head. The Mayor in turn nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face her. Roy had obviously been here a while and looking at the Mayor, it was becoming clearer to Barbara by the second why Lady Elaine was putting up for the funds for Valkyrie.
The Mayor’s hair was ruffled and lipstick had stained the collar of his otherwise cleanly pressed shirt that was peeking out from beneath his blazer. The black tie around his neck had been hastily tied as he quickly took another drag of the lit cigarette before returning Barbara’s greeting, extinguishing the butt as he moved towards her.
“Mornin’ Miss Norris.” The Mayor replied as he extended a hand, grasping Barbara’s as he gave it a shake while reaching into his jacket for a second cigarette. “Glad you decided to accept my offer.”
“I have two conditions though,” Barbara stated as she pulled her hand back, holding up two fingers. “One, this will be my squad, I will call the shots, not Lamb, not you and definitely not our ‘generous’ sponsor.” She smiled as Roy’s face flushed slightly at the mention of Lady Elaine, his hand moved to his belt as he shifted his pants.
“Second condition,” Barbara continued, holding her finger up to Roy as he opened his mouth. “I’m choosing my team and it’s not going to be an all-female team. I don’t care how clever you and Lamb think naming the unit, Valkyrie, is.”
“So you aren’t using the name?” Roy asked, pausing as his hand wrapped around the doorknob.
“I am going to use the name.” Barbara smiled, “But only because it’s kickass.”
“Hell yeah it is.” Roy scoffed opening the door as the pair entered into Lady Elaine’s home.
Withdrawing a hand, Agent Perry held a small package out towards Barbara as the deputy reached out to accept it. Turning the black metallic case over in her hand, Barbara ran a finger along the seam before slowly lifting the lid to reveal a small subtle earpiece and contact lens inside. With a nod from Agent Perry, Barbara fitted the earpiece to her ear before placing the lens in her left eye, blinking a few times before looking back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.
“I’ll be on contact with you the whole time you’re in Lady Elaine’s home,” Perry stated matter of factly as Barbara heard the earpiece come online, “The minute you’re near the signal, I’ll let you know. Work it into your conversation, see if you can find out how much she knows but make sure you get a good look at the asset. At a minimum, if we get visual confirmation, my agents can move in for extraction.”
“Understood,” Barbara nodded as she turned to walk back to her truck before Agent Perry spoke again.
“Deputy,” She called as Barbara paused, turning to look back at her, “Good luck.”
“Appreciate that,” Barbara replied as she climbed back into the truck, pulling away as Agent Perry watched her tail lights disappear. Returning to her own vehicle, she activated the satellite uplink watching the ominous, blinking, red dot staring back at her from the screen as it hovered over the Morton Estate.
Continuing on her own way, Barbara approached Lady Elaine’s home, the automated gates opening for the large pickup truck as she slowly drove up the cobblestone driveway towards the pristine Colonial-style home. The cobblestone path led up a small hill into a roundabout that circled around a large fountain decorated with the smiling stone forms of several cherubs. Four white pillars suspended a balcony above the large double doors as numerous windows stared out of the white siding-clad walls towards her. The black shingled roof was adorned with two dormers on either half of the front facing slope as Barbara marveled at the sheer size of the building.
Marville proper was filled with a few small apartment buildings, nothing beyond three stories. Several townhouses dotted the town and the suburbs were filled with split-level bungalows. Outside of the town, two-story farmhouses made up the majority of the buildings with barns being far and wide the largest structures in the small mid-western community.
But the Morton Estate easily dwarfed all of the aforementioned as Barbara put her truck into park, climbing out of the vehicle and standing in front of the mansion. In front of her truck sat the Mayor’s BMW as Barbara quickly looked around for the Mayor, the sound of the door opening caught her attention as she turned her head to notice Roy as he exited the house through one of the large adorned double doors. Walking out onto the porch, the Mayor lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling as he, in turn, looked around before glancing at his watch, obviously waiting for her.
“Mr. Mayor,” Barbara greeted Roy tipping her head forward before lifting her sunglasses up from her face, placing them atop her head. The Mayor in turn nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face her. Roy had obviously been here a while and looking at the Mayor, it was becoming clearer to Barbara by the second why Lady Elaine was putting up for the funds for Valkyrie.
The Mayor’s hair was ruffled and lipstick had stained the collar of his otherwise cleanly pressed shirt that was peeking out from beneath his blazer. The black tie around his neck had been hastily tied as he quickly took another drag of the lit cigarette before returning Barbara’s greeting, extinguishing the butt as he moved towards her.
“Mornin’ Miss Norris.” The Mayor replied as he extended a hand, grasping Barbara’s as he gave it a shake while reaching into his jacket for a second cigarette. “Glad you decided to accept my offer.”
“I have two conditions though,” Barbara stated as she pulled her hand back, holding up two fingers. “One, this will be my squad, I will call the shots, not Lamb, not you and definitely not our ‘generous’ sponsor.” She smiled as Roy’s face flushed slightly at the mention of Lady Elaine, his hand moved to his belt as he shifted his pants.
“Second condition,” Barbara continued, holding her finger up to Roy as he opened his mouth. “I’m choosing my team and it’s not going to be an all-female team. I don’t care how clever you and Lamb think naming the unit, Valkyrie, is.”
“So you aren’t using the name?” Roy asked, pausing as his hand wrapped around the doorknob.
“I am going to use the name.” Barbara smiled, “But only because it’s kickass.”
“Hell yeah it is.” Roy scoffed opening the door as the pair entered into Lady Elaine’s home.
Location Golden Age Trailer Park - Marville
”Sheriff Lamb,” Blake said with a forced smile as he climbed to the top of hill, wading through the waist-high yellowed grass as the crisp snow crunched beneath his boots. “Is this going to become a regular occurrence?” He asked lifting the aviator style sunglasses from his face as he pulled the sherpa covered collar of his suede leather jacket tighter around his bar neck.
“Only when fuckin’ weird animals keep causing trouble in my jurisdiction, son.” Lamb responded as he motioned for Blake to follow him.
“Couple of the residents reported hearing howls the last couple of nights.” Lamb started as he nodded his head back down the hill towards the trailer park. “Last night we down at the station got a call from one concerned resident who felt the howls were getting a little too close for comfort. Nonetheless, we didn’t respond. Had hoped the last wolf was something of a freak incident, but I did some digging on the internet there and found that er, giantism-”
“Gigantism,” Blake corrected as the Sheriff chuckled.
“Yeah that, gargantuism, I read it’s a possible mutation. Figured the wolf was a freak of nature and why not? Y’all got mutants runnin’ around New York, why not here?” Lamb shrugged as Blake motioned for him to get to the point. Waving a hand dismissively, the Sheriff continued.
“Couple of kids were up here playing, told their parents what they found and well,” Lamb paused lifting the broad-brimmed hat off his head and placing it against his chest before nodding forward with his head. “Probably just better if I just show you.” The Sheriff said as he placed his hat back atop his head as Blake followed behind him. Walking through the snow, a foul scent washed over Blake’s nose as the pair walked several yards, the snow turning from white to a glistening red in the morning sunlight.
Laid out on the ground in front of Blake was the remains of the rest of the Dire Wolf pack. Their bodies maimed and dismembered as they were laid out dead across the cold ground. Each carcass nearly as big as the first, easily rivaling the size of the bison they had originally attacked.
“There’s always a bigger fish,” Blake muttered nearly beside the nearest carcass as the Sheriff scoffed behind him.
“I don’t know if y’all do much fishin’” Lamb retorted, “But ain’t no fish did this.”
“Figure of speech, Sheriff.” Blake replied in a flat tone as he hovered a hand above the wound. Deep lacerations covered the creature, fur and flesh cleaved apart but the bones still held despite showing signs of repeated damage. Standing, Blake walked to the next carcass finding the wounds consistent with the first as he knelt down to examine it. Each subsequent wolf carcass showed the same injuries as Blake shook his head, over the course of his schooling and his career he had never seen injuries consistent with these.
But Thor had.
“Only when fuckin’ weird animals keep causing trouble in my jurisdiction, son.” Lamb responded as he motioned for Blake to follow him.
“Couple of the residents reported hearing howls the last couple of nights.” Lamb started as he nodded his head back down the hill towards the trailer park. “Last night we down at the station got a call from one concerned resident who felt the howls were getting a little too close for comfort. Nonetheless, we didn’t respond. Had hoped the last wolf was something of a freak incident, but I did some digging on the internet there and found that er, giantism-”
“Gigantism,” Blake corrected as the Sheriff chuckled.
“Yeah that, gargantuism, I read it’s a possible mutation. Figured the wolf was a freak of nature and why not? Y’all got mutants runnin’ around New York, why not here?” Lamb shrugged as Blake motioned for him to get to the point. Waving a hand dismissively, the Sheriff continued.
“Couple of kids were up here playing, told their parents what they found and well,” Lamb paused lifting the broad-brimmed hat off his head and placing it against his chest before nodding forward with his head. “Probably just better if I just show you.” The Sheriff said as he placed his hat back atop his head as Blake followed behind him. Walking through the snow, a foul scent washed over Blake’s nose as the pair walked several yards, the snow turning from white to a glistening red in the morning sunlight.
Laid out on the ground in front of Blake was the remains of the rest of the Dire Wolf pack. Their bodies maimed and dismembered as they were laid out dead across the cold ground. Each carcass nearly as big as the first, easily rivaling the size of the bison they had originally attacked.
“There’s always a bigger fish,” Blake muttered nearly beside the nearest carcass as the Sheriff scoffed behind him.
“I don’t know if y’all do much fishin’” Lamb retorted, “But ain’t no fish did this.”
“Figure of speech, Sheriff.” Blake replied in a flat tone as he hovered a hand above the wound. Deep lacerations covered the creature, fur and flesh cleaved apart but the bones still held despite showing signs of repeated damage. Standing, Blake walked to the next carcass finding the wounds consistent with the first as he knelt down to examine it. Each subsequent wolf carcass showed the same injuries as Blake shook his head, over the course of his schooling and his career he had never seen injuries consistent with these.
But Thor had.
Deleted
This little group looks like it could use an engineer/mechanic type. I'll start working on a sheet and see if I can't fill that hole.
Welcome! Hope you find what you're looking for and enjoy your stay here!
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Hmm. I feel like I don't know all the characters well enough yet, not even my own, to answer this. It's a great question, but I have to answer it a bit later, further down the line. Or maybe I just need to think on it a bit more.
That is a far counterpoint. Perhaps this would be best revisited once we hit a bit of a stride.
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