Kovitlac

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, New York June, 2010 Bzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzztt!   The mobile phone buzzed harshly against the locker room bench, loud enough to make even the normally unflappable Agent Romanov jump. She finished toweling off her hair and shook it out, before taking a moment to stare at her reflection in the shower room mirror.   She’d had yet another satisfying afternoon breaking in the new batch of S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees. She’d started the session with a brief introduction of herself, and of her specialty. She ignored the small handful of younger guys who stood in the back, sniggering amongst themselves. She’d tea

Roma January 2, 1503 Claudia Auditore took her seat alone at the cramped dining room table. Not that the brothel house had any true dining space to boast of (what they did have was combined with the equally cramped kitchen), but what they did have was adequate enough to support them and, thankfully, private. The Madame sighed and dropped her chin into her cupped hand. A soft scuffle sounded just outside the kitchen door, and her eyes drifted to the shadows which mingled just on the other side. Claudia knew her girls, and knew precisely which two were responsible for the object of her misery, even if it was unintended of them. Claudia pres

Krook. The main buildings and two of the dormitories were built in late ’56, but the infamous Krook Hall had been around since the mid ‘20s. The students enjoyed telling and retelling the popular myths and legends surrounding Krook Hall (or simply Krook), but in truth no one knew exactly what it was that happened nearly forty years ago. The nuns of the small Catholic school were reluctant to discuss it, but that did little to thwart the spread of rumors across the smallish 52-acre campus. The schools’ location didn’t help any, either. Located on the edge of the Covington forest, St. Joan’s University was about as far

Unholy Allies Clint felt his body being dragged over what had to be concrete as he began to come to. He groaned, or rather, he felt himself groan, but the sadly familiar sound never reached his ears. Which, in and of itself, was also sadly familiar.   Thin, barely noticeable vibrations through the ground informed him someone – likely multiple someones – was speaking. His hand went to his head;  first his right ear, then his left. His aids were in place, but something was very obviously wrong. A heavy, calloused hand smacked his arm back down before roughly yanking him vertically. His head swam and stars dotted his vision as the h