-THE MOJAVE DESERT-
The shuffling noises that one would hear in the heat of the Mojave are not what you'd expect to hear at the moment. The crunching of straw, as if something was shuffling along, made entirely of dried straw.
One would also not expect to see the creature shuffling and shambling along in the desert. Both because of how unfitting it is for the environment, and because of what exactly it is in the first place.
The cryptic creature known as the Scarecrow Searching for Wisdom to some lumbers along through the desert. The Scarecrow sought wisdom, and in the form of attacking people for it, but right now it's running into the problem that there's no one to find. The city of Las Vegas was far away - the entire reason the facility that had held it was out here in the desert.
It turns around as it senses something. Living people. Wisdom. It was time to search-
"Ah, at least it's just you. You're an old friend, Scarecrow. You're easy to handle."
"This is Evangeline, reporting in. I've located Scarecrow. Commencing suppression."
The Scarecrow promptly lunges at Evangeline, attempting to claw at her with its long, rake-like arms as it tries to claw her into submission so it can drain her body after doing so. It's a slow monster, and Evangeline's surprisingly fast, bringing up a glowing sword to skewer the strange creature with. Despite her efforts, though, a good strike manages to clip her, causing the agent to stumble.
That's when the mad, gleeful cackle comes in, and an axe swings right into the Scarecrow's back. It doubles over, currently incapable of movement, and Evangeline stands up.
"I had it well in hand."
"Yeeeeah, but if I believed that, I'd have to sit by the whole time!!"
"Carmine. Stop assuming the worst of me just so you can attack the abnormalities."
"Awwww, but you don't let me attack anything else... I've seen how annoyed you get by Raquel's false reports. Just a swing and a slash and you'd be fiiiiine!"
"I'm going to report you to the suppression pickup as well if you keep that up."
"Killjoy!"
Evangeline sighs. As... unstable as Carmine was, she was the one agent who really kept up with Evangeline, thanks to her bond with the artifact known as the Red Shoes. It was a worthwhile tradeoff... though she had her suspicions the real motive for the partnership was that they didn't think anyone else could hold Carmine back if she ever tried to go on a rampage.
And they were probably right. Evangeline allows herself a smile at this thought, as a truck pulls up. A couple other uniformed men emerge from the truck, wrapping up the defeated Scarecrow and tossing into the back. One of them looks at Evangeline and nods.
"Ma'am. They've got a major assignment for you. A large number of abnormal reports coming from a place known as Whalestrand Point."
"I've heard of that place... isn't it full of zombies and vampires? Is this just another set of false reports. If it is, Raquel, I'm letting Carmine have some alone time with you."
"Hee hee! I'm down for that!"
"N-n-no! Not at all, ma'am! These are reports of locations and creatures suspected of being abnormal for Whalestrand Point, considered to exceed the Baseline Rate of strange phenomena for the location!"
"...Hmmmm. Alright. Give me your documents, and I'll take a look."
As they ride back to base, Evangeline begins to review the documents, Carmine whistling as she plays with the blade of her axe. Halfway through, a name catches her attention. Moving to a clipped picture... Evangeline's eyes widen.
"...Oh. I didn't expect to see you here."
Evangeline picks up the picture for a closer look. Yep. A few more lines in the face than she remembered, but...
"It's been a long time, Edgar."
COMING 2024
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