Chicago Iron Hall
The former Commander in charge of the hall kneels in front of the Supreme Commander in tears. Monitors in Iron Halls across the globe activate to show the Supreme Commander standing behind the sobbing soldier with a sword. He looks to the camera, "From this point on this is the penalty for any successful attack on one of my Halls."
He beheaded the man with a single stroke and turned back to the camera with a cold stare, "Your failures will no longer be tolerated. The creature that was tearing my city apart has gone underground. I want it found and killed. Terrorists have attacked the Waterloo armory, I want to know who and why and I want to know now."
The soldiers who watched were unnerved, they had grown used to his fits of rage in the last few months but the eerie calm of his voice and actions was somehow worse. General Helfitta stared at the screen and then looked to his lieutenant, "That's not a good sign."
The lieutenant turned to the General, "What do you mean."
Helfitta started walking toward his office as he spoke, "You're too young to remember the last time he had that look, that look has killed more people than cancer."
Near Austin, Missouri
Agent Morton sits by a fire with his field cooking equipment making something David referred to as road stew. The rest of the group gave the two men dubious looks as they added squirrel meat into a concoction of beans and wild plants. David looked over to Morton, "How do you know how to make road stew?"
Morton pulled up his sleeve to show a small spider tattoo on his wrist, "My mom was a Spider intel runner."
Magni looked into the pot, "Are you sure that actually qualifies as food?"
Morton kept stirring, "Sorry your highness, all our civilized food got blown up. Just feel lucky we had a couple of Creeds to do the hunting for us so we don't have to worry about running out."
Magni looked to 7, "Couldn't find anything more edible?"
He dropped by the fire, "This is Krang country, all the more appetizing animals couldn't escape in the trees."
Magni nodded, "Perhaps we could eat one of those."
David made a disgusted expression, "You ever tried Krang meat? Its like eating a leather sack full of lard and rope."
Quartermain planted a stake in the ground with a blue light on the top, "All clear."
He then took a bowl from Morton as he sat. He made effort to keep himself from looking at the stew as he ate, he then looked over to Magni, "Tastes just fine as long as you don't think too much about it."
Molly and 7 let the rest of the crew have their fill since they'd had a more fresh meal while hunting. 7 looked over to them, "We sleep in shifts, we guard in pairs."
Walker pointed out, "The array Quartermain set up will warn us long before anyone finds our camp."
7 shook his head, "That reads heat signatures, it will tell us of any warm blooded or armored intruder. The four hundred pound lizards that live around here may as well be invisible. I'd rather not be eaten if I can avoid it."
She nodded, "You make a fair point."
Fry leaned up to a tree with his stew, "Must suck to be edible."
***
As the group got to sleep 7 and Magni had chosen the first shift because they needed less sleep than the rest. 7 looked across the fire, "So do you plan on explaining how you managed to come back from the dead?"
Magni stared down at the fire, "My sister cast a spell that caused me to switch places with my brother. I went to Asgard while that filthy Scalphunter killed him. I've been trapped there for months but my sister and I managed to find a way back."
7 gave him a wary look, "Seems to be more to the story, but I'm not one to pry."
Magni kept his stare to the fire, "Why do you quest for the cannon?"
7 made himself comfortable, "My friend is being used as a battery for it, originally the whole idea was to save him but then some idiot from Chicago freed a creature that exists only to kill that can only be harmed by your father."
Magni looked back, "Those are Shield agents, why didn't they just bring Sable to transport you."
7 shrugged, "This isn't really a sanctioned mission and even if it were, I was told Scalphunter eliminated her as well. The man is quite prolific it would seem."
Magni became visibly angry, "I assure you, my next encounter with him will be the end of that."
7 hushed him as he sniffed the air, "Damn it."
Magni stood as 7 grabbed a light. He shined it over to reveal several large krangs tromping toward the camp. Magni hurled his hammer smashing the skull of the nearest creature. 7 charged his gauntlets but Magni stopped him from firing, "I am in need of some distraction."
He caught Mjiolnir as it flew back to him and placed it by the fire as he charged the animals. The first to attack was killed in one blow from the fist of the young god. He then kicked another in the ribs making a loud crack. He then caught a third by the neck and hurled it into a tree. The rest stopped and retreated to avoid the fight as 7 came up behind Magni with a pair of shovels, "Impressive, but now we have to bury them. They eat their own and it won't be too long before the smell of blood overpowers their fear of you."
***
Molly and Walker awoke for their shift as 7 and Magni finished filling in the krang grave. The women looked them over as Walker gave an annoyed expression, "Can't even go a week without catching someone filling a grave."
Magni looked back, "He said no to the pyre."
She nodded,"Fair enough. Well boys, nap time."
***
A sewer outlet just outside Chicago
Abbadon wandered out of a large pipe feeling drawn west.
(To be continued)
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