Trinity/FreakAngels AU: A Heart as Cold as Ice.

[aeons_crackshot]

Time has passed, as it tends to do. The Æon Society has recently received word of people going missing in Greenland, and not the kind of people you'd expect to go missing, either. Natives and experienced trackers and wilderness experts have simply gone missing for no readily discernible reason.

That's why Annabelle Newfield and Connor are here to investigate. Mysterious disappearances tend to be their kind of trouble, one way or the other.

A friend of Jake's has dropped them off in a remote village with his plane before haring off on another errand.

Comments

[leadinghome]

Connor watches the plane go, then glances at Annabelle. "Well, where we should start, you think?" He made sure to be wearing warm clothes; metabolism control or not, it is better to not abuse his limits.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle has no metabolism control at all, so she looks a bit like a marshmallow at the moment.

"Asking around town probably wouldn't hurt," Annabelle suggests after a moment of thought. "Something may have changed since they contacted us last."

One of the joys of 1920s communication technology. It takes days at best for information to make it to Chicago from such a remote area.

"How are you feeling about your first mission?" she asks with a smile.

[leadinghome]

"I hope to not mess it up..." Connor sighs a bit. "Hm, lets go find whoever is in charge here?"

[aeons_crackshot]

"You won't," Annabelle tells him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

It doesn't take long to find the man in charge, as the town is both exceedingly small and expecting visitors. A bear of a man makes his way toward them, his voice booming out a welcome in accented English.

[leadinghome]

Connor greets the man with a smile and nods, offering a hand. "Hello, I'm Connor, this is Annabelle. We came to help."

[aeons_crackshot]

The man takes his hand, engulfing Connor's comparatively dainty mitts. The handshake is firm but not crushing. "Thorin Stevenson," he replies with a smile. "We're glad to have you. I don't know what's happening to folks around here, but it seems...uncanny," he adds with a frown.

Connor is attracting a certain amount of interest from the younger female population. The village is very isolated, so a new face is a very rare event. In addition, by local standards, he's quite exotic looking. The locals are largely of northern European ancestry, with the coloration to match. Whether he picks up on this or not....

[leadinghome]

When you are an emphatic, it is impossible to not notice those things, but he will keep focused on the real reason why they came. "When it did start?"

[aeons_crackshot]

If it's any consolation, Annabelle is attracting her share of attention too.

"Three months ago," he explains, solemn. "Thomas Erikson was the first to disappear, and we just lost Karl Thorinson last week."

"That makes eight that have gone missing, all men who were experienced at surviving out there," he says gesturing to the wilderness. "No sign of a struggle, nothing stolen, just....gone."

[leadinghome]

"And all went missing in the same area, or...?" Connor will not comment on the attention Annabelle is getting, either.

Even if he understands, his girlfriend is hot and awesome.

[aeons_crackshot]

Thorin shakes his head, "No, they were all taken from different places. Some from their cabins outside of town, some out in the woods, and one down by the stream."

His expression turns bitter, "We wrote to the capital to request some assistance. They sent a few fellows down alright. Wandered all over creation and didn't find a damn thing," he growls. "The day after they left, we lost another man."

And faintly terrifying. There's an undercurrent of nervousness in the male population. They're not quite sure what to make of her.

[leadinghome]

Silly people.

"Hm... show us the spot by the stream, please."

And then he reaches for Annabelle mentally. It stopped when investigators came. It seems to me it is something intelligent.

[aeons_crackshot]

He nods. "Certainly. If you'll just follow me, I can show you easily enough before it gets too dark to see."

He'll lead the way to the stream, which is a couple of miles distant.

So do I. Which means it's either some strange creature, or a human. Possibly one of us, if they're covering their tracks so well.

That last is not a pleasant possibility, not at all.

[leadinghome]

Connor follows along, silently most of the way.

At least it's better than another otherworldly thing we can not even understand what is...

Once there, e will try to feel the place, a talent he has been practicing with: residual emotions, sensations, anything of possible significance.

The actual chances of finding something useful are slim, but it is worth the trying.

[aeons_crackshot]

I suppose. I just wish....well, that there wasn't cause for that thought to immediately spring to mind.

The traces are faint by now: whispers of fear, worry, and near panic. There is, however, almost no trace of physical pain.

Thorin watches the proceedings curiously, standing at a respectful distance. Annabelle is likewise standing back a bit, so as not to contaminate the scene too much with her own emotions.

[leadinghome]

Connor gives Annabelle a gentle, comforting mental 'touch', then sits down where the emanations seem to be the strongest.

A soft glow wraps around his body as he focuses, then reaches out to track an origin, search for a trail left by those distress signs.

[aeons_crackshot]

The glow is going to provoke a certain amount of surprise from their guide, but he doesn't say anything.

There is a faint, sketchy trail to be followed, leading almost due north. Alas, about 10 miles away, the trail disappears into the 'background'. Still, it's a place to start.

[leadinghome]

Once they have more information. "What there is, that way?" Connor points the heading he got, getting up.

[aeons_crackshot]

Thorin blinks, puzzled. "Not much of anything, so far as I know," he explains. There was an old cabin that way that a hermit used to own, when I was a lad. I don't know that anyone's lived there for years."

He struggles to see if he can bring anything else to mind. "I think there might be some caves up that way too, now that I think about it."

[leadinghome]

"Hm. I guess we will have to take a look that way." He looks back at the man. "How far? We will probably need some supplies."

[aeons_crackshot]

He nods. "Too far for you to get there before dark," he replies, giving the position of the sun an appraising eye.

"I can have my son take you that way in the morning with his sled and dogs, if you'd like?"

[leadinghome]

"Works for me." He nods, glancing at Annabelle.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle nods in agreement. "That sounds good to me too. Is there anywhere we can stay tonight?"

Thorin nods. "Mrs. Edelson has two rooms, what with her children being grown. She's offered to put you up for the night."

Once they're alone, Annabelle will ask Connor what he found.

[leadinghome]

Once they are back, and alone, he will share what he tracked, just in a softened way.

No reason to make his girlfriend uncomfortable with a full exposure.

[aeons_crackshot]

"It sounds like it's not hurting them where they are, but taking them somewhere," Annabelle replies quietly.

"I just wish we knew more about what we were dealing with, and why its doing what its doing..."

[leadinghome]

"There are many reasons for whatever or whoever is doing it, to be doing it. None of them good..."