Domestication

Sitting at the command pulpit of the Helicarrier, Director Fury frowned at the reports coming from the city below. By now there had to have been a dozen Wendigo rampaging through the city and their numbers were increasing. Shaking his head, he looked over the return reports from the SHIELD agents who came back with prisoners. For the most part, these creatures were mindless, berserkers, and it took almost 10 heavily armed men each to bring down. And not all of them made it.

“Fuck me…”

Not only that, he also got reports back of a group of Wendigo heading into the city from the dock works, unlike the odd ones causing trouble in the city, these were acting co-ordinated, using tactics like pack animals. Deep down he knew what they were and who was leading them. Leaning back in his chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his gloved hand, Nick Fury sighed. This was all his fault. He played right into Taranaq’s hands; he should NEVER have let Reed take those samples. But the deed was done now, and now he was going to have to take drastic steps to stop this crisis before it got far worse. Looking over to the reports of the SHIELD crew left behind at the Richards family home and their update on how they escaped. It made the man wonder if he had been too harsh on them, venting his own failures on the family he unintentionally doomed.

Interrupted from his rumination, the fire warning alarm blared off, sending the command crew into a frenzy over the radio chatter and alarms. “COMMANDER! Flight deck reports a Wendigo attack.”

“An attack on my ship? How? All of them are sedated!”

*

“OPEN FIRE!!!”

Pandemonium erupted on the flight deck of the Helicarrier as every armed SHIELD agent, pilot, and guard went into a panic when one of their owned turned into a hulking man-eating monster. Bellowing out a guttural howl and charging towards the closest thing that moved, the Wendigo practically ignored the gunfire piercing its tough hide. Blind gnawing hunger fueling his rampage as he charged towards the nearest guard emptying the clip of his weapon into the creature before the weapon was swatted out of his hands. Grabbing hold of his arms and hoisting the screaming man up with the ease of lifting a sack of potatoes, the Wendigo opened his jaws wide, ready to bite the man’s head clean off. That is until an orange stoned fist struck the monster across the face hard enough to chip teeth and **** the Wendigo to drop his prey and stumble back.

“NOT TONIGHT UGLY!” Raising his fists, ready for a fight, Ben Grimm sneered as the former SHIELD pilot quickly righted himself to all fours and wiped the blood from his blackened lips, his teeth already growing back when he gave off a roar of rage that caused everyone within earshot to cover their ears. “Oh yeah? Well get yer dukes ready pal, IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME!”

Roaring out to the challenge, the Wendigo charged forward like a rampaging grizzly bear towards the Thing. Wild eyed with hunger and rage, the monster made to make a mauling strike, only to get a mean right hook with Ben’s granite fist in the eye so hard, the beast looked stunned. Raising his clenched fists, Ben began to pummel the Wendigo one jab at a time. The flight deck trembled with each strike, just as he wound up for a punch that sent the beast tumbling back into the harrier transport, causing it to lurch with the impact. Not giving him a chance to regain his footing, Johnny Storm was already on fire and building a ball of intense heat in his hands, tossing it like a softball into the transport where it instantly exploded from the inside out. “Everyone get back! I don’t think that’ll stop it!” Called out the Human Torch, the rest of the team stepping back to keep an eye on the vessel burn.

Backing away from the flaming wreckage, the SHIELD security retrained their weapons on the Fantastic Four while crews scrambled to get fire suppression equipment out. “Are you kidding me?!” Balked Tigra, **** to bring her hands up as the guards aimed their weapons up at her head, along with She-Hulk and Ben while the two stepped back to rejoin the group.

“You’re making a BIG mistake pal.” Warned Jennifer, keeping her eyes on the fiery wreckage and back at the idiot guard still pointing a rifle at her head. “Even I know I can take an exploding plane to the face, and these things are as tough as Ben and I.”

“SHUT UP!” Cocking his rifle back, the guard sneering back at the towering green woman. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU GODDAMNED FREAKS! It’s YOUR fault we have this shit storm on our heads in the first place, and it didn’t start with these damn man-eaters either.”

“Officer, these people HELPED us.” Defended officer Ramirez agent who was being patched up, only for the guard to snap his weapon back at him. The rest of the SHIELD crew stepping back and being herded to join the Fantastic Four and Avengers.

“You’re the reason you brought one of those freaks up here too! As far as I am concerned, you’re just as guilty!”

“His NAME was Carl! Asshole!” Barked officer Sara, joining the others as the guards circled them to keep them all contained. While behind them the harrier transport flames were being put out.

“Not another god damn word!” Stepping back, the guard called for additional security to arrive to the flight deck to deal with the fire and the intruders. Looking over to the caged and contained Wendigos already being moved to avoid the fire, the man glared back at the Fantastic Four. “I swear, if it were up to me, I’d put you ALL into cages like the rest of those animals and throw away the…”

Just then a bellowing roar exploded out of the wreckage, sending fire suppression crews back and collapse as the burning form of the Wendigo charged out, fully engulphed in flames and heading straight for the guard who looked over his shoulder just in time to look into the yawning jaws of the beast… And his head to be bitten clean off his shoulders. Backing away from the sight, the Avengers and Richards family watched on in horror as the creature suddenly stopped burning. His massive, charred body rapidly healing his burns and injuries with every bite of flesh he tore from his prey. Ignoring the gunfire piercing his back and sides, the creature continued to regenerate, rapidly healing smooth skin over charcoal black flesh and regrowing snow-white fur. Dropping the remained of the guard on the flight deck floor and wiping the blood from its fanged lips, the creature finally took notice of the rest of the SHIELD security firing on him.

“Wen…deee…goh…”

Leaping towards another hapless SHIELD agent, the Wendigo made ready to claim another victim when it found a ribbon of light bind around his waist and wrap around his arms and legs. Struggling against the bonds, the beast growled and roared, looking up to see the sorcerer supreme mutter an incantation and gesture with his outstretched hands while he conjured magical bindings to contain it. Watching the Wendigo struggle, everyone looked back at Stephen Strange as he continued his incantations, his eyes closed as if he needed to concentrate everything, he had to contain the creature.

“How long can you hold that doctor?” Asked Reed, getting up to his feet and looking between the struggling monster and the sorcerer holding him in place. “He holds… So long as I hold…”

Darting his attention back to the Fantasticar and the Wendigo struggling to break free, Reed got an idea. “Try to keep him contained, I’ll be right back.”

Nodding back as best he could, it took everything Doctor Strange had to compete with the raw strength the creature possessed. Devoid of thought or will, all that was left of the former SHIELD agent was raw hunger and blind rage, so explosively powerful it rivalled the Hulk in both strength and intensity. Even now he could feel the bindings fail, fraying and tearing like fabric to the beast’s thrashing. Some relief came at last when Valaria raised her hands and bound the creature in her **** fields. Like rings of invisible metal clasped around its arms, legs, and waist. The monster raged and roared like a rapid bear; its roars almost deafening as it continued to struggle. Nearby, crews of SHIELD agents gathered their equipment to put the Wendigo under like the others in containment, watching the sight of the Richards family and Doctor Strange keeping it in place.

“Daddy! He’s too strong!” Whimpered Valaria, her will faltering as she tried to contain the monster thrashing against her and Doctor Strange’s efforts. With a bellowing roar, the Wendigo was too much for the two to keep contained, exploding out of his bindings and landing on his feet, sneering down at the prone little girl just getting back up to look back at the growling monster that now charged towards her with blind hunger in its red eyes. Grabbing hold of her waist and hoisting her up, the monster opened its jaws to bite, until he and everyone else heard a metallic ‘click’ and electrical hum fill their ears. Blinking his eyes and looking down to see a blue and white glove holding a metal collar at his neck, his eyes followed the arm outstretched almost meters in length from the blue metal flying machine across the flight deck.

At that moment, the creature looked around in confusion and down at the frightened little girl in his hand staring up at him, just as the outstretched hand expanded and pulled her free of his grip while the beast stood there confused and disoriented, watching the blue arm retract back to Reed Richards who by then had closed the gap and fell to his knees with his daughter in his arms. Looking down at himself and all around, the last 15 minutes were a blur to the creature. Staring down at clawed hands and padding down his barrel chest and arms, the Wendigo blinked again and spoke. “Uhm… Where am I?” He asked in a deep voice, proportionate to his size. Turning around, he found dozens of SHIELD agents aiming weapons at him along with the attention of the Fantastic Four and Avengers.

“Carl?” Called out Sara, propped up by Ramirez as the two approached the now tame looking Wendigo who scratched his head and realised, he had horns now. “Is that you? Are you back?”

“Back from what? I blacked out after the flight back to… Wait… Is that our transport?” Carl pointed back at the burning wreckage of the harrier transport being put out while more and more SHIELD crew arrived to contain the situation.

Sitting on the flight deck cradling his daughter, Reed sighed in relief as he found his hunger inhibiting collar had worked. Franklin quickly joined his father and sister on the ground, hugging the two as the others quickly joined him, watching as the wendigo cursed SHIELD agent quickly sat on the flight deck himself, taking in everything that has happened. “Well… It worked…” He sighed, holding Valaria close after the traumatic event.

“Indeed, perhaps we may have a way of combating this curse after all.” Smiled Doctor Strange, floating towards the family and keeping his eyes on the Wendigo as his compatriots explained to him what had happened, picking at his collar and hinting to leave it be.

“Yeah Stretch, good job.”

“Yes… But that was my only prototype.” Looking out across the flight deck to the rest of the city, Reed breathed a sigh of concern as he and the others could still hear the roars of Wendigo still rampaging out across the city.