Morning reports.

Breakfast ended up being an interesting affair just as yesterday’s breakfast before it. When Valaria and Franklin woke up to get ready for school and eat their morning meal, they found their mother in front of the skillet frying eggs and bacon for breakfast… All of it. The smell alone was what brought them out of bed, rubbing their eyes when they found their mother standing with an apron in front of the oven. She could hardly wait to eat after scooping the sizzling bacon and scrambled eggs onto the plate she was picking off from and putting on the table. Spotting her kids at the dining room entrance she smiled back at them.

“Morning kids, ready to eat?”

“Wow… Is that for us?” Asked Franklin, a little stunned to see so much fried bacon before the plate was pulled away from his hand.

“Oh no dear, this is MY plate.” Susan pipped up when she sat at her seat and began eating her meal, pausing with her fork only briefly to point over to the two plates nearly with toast and jam. “There you go kids, got some… ‘Gulp’ some fruit there too, always need vitamin C to start the day.”

Sitting up at the table and plucking some slices of orange and apple from a nearby plate, the two children watched as their mother practically ate a pound of bacon and what had to have been all the eggs from the refrigerator, the carton was still left on the kitchen counter left splayed open.

Eating the fruit and toast from their plates and drinking orange juice to wash it down, the two kids found their mother even more pale than the yesterday, almost white in complexion, even her hair was a platinum blonde. All of this went unnoticed by Susan Storm who by now was completely driven to emptying her plate one mouth full of meat and eggs at a time. Not wanting to interrupt their mother eat, the two children sipped at their drinks and finished their breakfast just a few minutes before their mother did with hers.

Getting up to take her kids plates, they were both shocked again to find that their mother seemed taller, her blue shorts and top looked almost painted on her toned and athletic frame when she reached for their empty plates and set them in the sink for HERBIE to clean. Wiping her hands and wiping her lip of anything she missed, she gave her son and daughter a smile with her hands at her waist after pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

“Okay kids, brush your teeth and hair, I’m taking you to school in five minutes.”

*

Meanwhile at SHIELD headquarters…

Looking over the two reports given by Reed Richards and Stephen Strange, Nick Fury had gone over their findings for the better part of an hour, the two doctors standing in front of the director’s desk patiently while they explained what was in their findings.

“As you can see, many of my findings and research came up negative; no cellular mutations or unusual biochemistry to be found, as far as I’m concerned all of Mr. Richard Smith samples are human.”

Pausing in his review, Nick Fury looked up at the doctor scratching at his bearded chin with a raised eyebrow. “Mr. Smith?”

“Yes, that’s the identity of the Wendigo you have in custody, he apparently was the cause of the outbreak prior to his capture.” Reed explained, going over another folder in hand and offering it to the SHIELD director.

“Then what you’re telling me is I have someone in my custody who is probably charged with second degree **** and the third-degree **** of at least 5 other people…Prior to his capture of course.”

Breathing deeply, a heavy lump formed in Reed’s chest at that admission from the man, just as he read over the second folder Reed had given him. Trading a look with Doctor Strange, Stephen decided to speak up now that the director was looking over his own findings. “From the research I have gathered, whatever happened to Taranaq, he no longer exists in the spiritual plane, or in the realm below all. The source and cause of the wendigo curse is nowhere to be found.”

“And yet, the 900-pound animal man strapped, chained and doped up in the Raft says otherwise.”

“Curses tend to linger even after the gods or spirits who created them Nicholas fury.” Replied Strange. “Thor and his people often must deal with the Ragnarök every ten thousand years and the god responsible for that has been long dead for millions of years.

Scrunching his face from the answer, Fury was not too keen on listening. Closing the one folder, Nickolas Fury lifted the thin document Reed had given him previously, making a face of confusion as he lifted it up for both men to see. “What’s this?”

“Well, after I did research on the samples you gave me, I traded notes with another colleague who has some knowledge in the wendigo personally; Dr. Walter Langkowski.”

“Right… The Sasquatch… Alpha Flight’s personally attack dog.”

Grimacing at the moniker Director Fury gave, Reed continued. “Dr. Langkowski has had several encounters with Taranaq, AND being a wendigo also, he currently has a microchip in his skull that maintains his higher brain functions while in that bestial state.”

“And?”

“Well… I was offering to fabricate something like a patch or collar, something that would get the same desired effect, maybe bring back the man in the monster so he can stand trial, or…”

“I like him better as he is now.” Answered Fury, snapping the folder shut and tossing it to the pile on the desk. “Dumb, chained up and pumped so full of morphine he can’t tell what the colour of the sky is anymore, he can be contained THAT way.” Getting up from his seat, Nick Fury frowned at the results he was given as he led the two men out of his office. “Thank you both for your time gentlemen, if I’m in need of a shock collar for a rabid animal I’ll give you a call.”

“PLEASE Director Fury, if you let me, I can give you the means to bring Mr. Smith back.”

“Sorry Doc, but I’m no longer in the business of caretaking monsters, learned that lesson after the Hulk, just step out to your right and one of my secretaries will guide you to your vehicles.”

Seeing the door close on them, the two doctors looked to each other and made their way down the hall with a look of disappointment. By the time they turned a corner, the two stopped and looked out the window to the rest of the city below from their 50th floor vantage point.

“He’s willing to condemn a man to being an animal in a cage… Because now he IS one.” Exhaling a breath, he did not know he was holding, Reed looked to Doctor Strange, finding the man equally disturbed by the decision.

“It might be far better than what he would have done.” Answered Dr. Strange. “SHIELD has a long history of manipulating people to get results, that’s why the Avengers stopped working for them. Could you imagine that man’s fate if Fury would have found a use for him? **** to do missions with a proverbial gun to his head?”

“I’m just grateful they never came to MY door to make such an offer, the thought of Johnny, Ben or so help me God SUSAN were ever used as weapons… I don’t know what I would have done.”

Hearing Doctor Strange chuckle, Reed found the man smiling while rubbing the bridge of his nose in thought. “It’s because you’re too public, if you and the rest of the Fantastic Four dropped off the face of the Earth to do ‘secret missions’, the world would notice. And after the whole Hydra incident they have been trying DESPERATELY to rebuild their image, I can understand why he did not accept your proposal.”

“It’s still wrong…”

“Do you still intend to make your ‘inhibitor device’ as you offered?” Dr. Strange asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Of course! He may be a monster NOW, but he still deserves the right to personhood, hopefully I can have SHIELD change their minds.”

Smiling warmly back to the man in blue spandex, Dr. Strange offered his hand whom Reed openly shook. “It is ALWAYS an honour to work with such an esteemed colleague Doctor Richards, good luck to you.” Stepping aside, Strange made gestures with his hands, causing the air in front of him to bend and twist until it formed a fiery circle large enough for the man to step through. On the other side of the fiery ring was the interior of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Queens. Giving Reed Richards a nod, the sorcerer Supreme stepped through and disappeared.

“Hmm, show off!”