Sonatorrek: Reginsmál - 1

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

Kane gets a new assignment from Fred Duncan regarding strange events in Minnesota.



"Sit." Duncan walked through the door of his office with Brand and Kane in tow, and pointed to the chairs in front of his desk. He went around the back, tapping a file with his fingertips as he circled and sat. He touched his computer and rotated the screen around, which was filled by an old oil painting of a Norseman with a hammer on the prow of a long boat.

"Anyone know who this is?"

"Family photo? Grandpa looks good for his age."

"Did Cassidy take your brain along with her other luggage when she left?" Fred said sourly. "Brand, anything slightly more intelligent?"

"Thor. Norse God of Lightning." Brand sounded bored, although that could never be trusted. "Also mythological." She turned to Garrison. "That means pretend, Boy Scout."

"I've heard you categorize mercy, empathy and due process the same way." Kane said drily. "So it's a Norish God. What does that have to do with us? Did he knock over a liquor store of something?"

"Funny. I should book your guys for a stand up act. You can be 'Dumb and Dumber'."

"It's all about context, boss. She didn't even know who Fergie Jenkins is. I think that earns her the -er part. Right, she's -er?"

"Shut up, Kane."

"Shutting up sir."

"As much as I enjoy watching Kane get his smart mouth handed to him, he does have a point, sir." Brand nodded at the image. "What does an ancient Norse myth have to do with us?"

"I'm not sure yet. ATF office in Duluth called this one in. According to the office, there's been an escalating gang war between a pair of rival biker gangs - the Valhallas and the Sons of Hel." He picked up the file and tossed it to their side of the desk. "The twist is that one of the heads of the Valhallas seemed to believe himself to be the actual Norse God of Thunder, and we've had some pretty solid reports that he's exhibited actual powers."

"Such as?"

"Took a shotgun blast in the back, got back up and threw a car at the guy who shot him."

Brand arched one green eyebrow. "Interesting." She picked up the file. "What's our angle? It seems more like a SHIELD issue to me."

"Organized crime is still the Bureau's bailiwick, regardless of how many attempts that Fury makes to erode it. The bikers run guns, dope, all sorts of shit. Which is why the ATF screamed for help. Your job is determine that this joker is a mutant."

"And if we do, does SHIELD come in and steal the case and our pants out from under us?" Kane groused.

"Inter-departmental cooperation, Boy Scout," Brand replied sweetly. "We're all on the same side, after all." She glanced over the first page of the file. "Aitkins, Minnesota. Why can't we ever go somewhere fun? Like Vegas?"

"Because you never notice anything weird in Vegas. Vegas is where weird goes to fit in and feel well adjusted."

"Who is our Thor?" Brand ignored Kane.

"Donald Blake. Son of the club President."

"Valhallas?" Duncan nodded, and Kane looked annoyed. "What if he turns out to not be a mutant, Dunc?"

"Then things are going to get a lot more interesting." He sighed. "Confirm the reports first. Make sure he's more than just some leather jacket with delusions of grandeur. Once you do that, then we'll deal with the mutant angle."

"And if he's not delusional and he's not a mutant?" Brand asked innocently.

"Then according to the books on Norse mythology I've been reading, so long as the department gives you to him in marriage, he's stuck defending us against all foes. So make sure you pack your most fetching frock and hair ties, Abigail." He waved them out. "Go, go. Between the pair of you and the Cubs, I have quite enough to be depressed about for now."