Spaces Between

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•Chapter Thirty•
The Warrens
(NEW AVENGERS FACILITY)

Tony Stark's face was a blank mask; nearly as white as a ghost and his jaw set hard as he pulled his phone from his ear. Natasha caught his look, turning towards him.

"What's wrong?"

Clicking something on his phone, he settled down onto one of barstools next to him. An image pixelated on the screen and Tony pushed the device across the counter to Natasha.

Natasha's emerald gaze took in the horrific imagine in front of her.

Two bodies. Both almost mutilated beyond recognition—but Natasha could still pick out the long, tangled hair of the young female on the right and the strong jaw of the older male on the left. Both were slumped over two different chairs, burn like markings around their wrists and ankles.

But Natasha could barely see them over the blood and long, deep slashes covering them.

Natasha knew what she was looking at—she knew it all too well.

They had been tortured.

"That is David and Ana Warren. The father and daughter owners of Warren's Ice Cream." Tony drawled, something dark in his voice.

"Their bodies were found early this morning in the back storage room of their shop. The employee that found them nearly fainted before she could call the police. Coroner said they died of over exertion and that the slashes were done after, most likely to cover up what had actually been done to them."

Tony braced his temple between his fingers, "and get this, those slashes? They were done with swords."

Natasha's brow furrowed and understanding swept across her face.

"Most likely Asgardian then," Natasha murmured. For a split second, her brain jumped to the Lady Koa. But she quickly rid her mind of that thought.

"It looks like Koa wasn't the only Asgardian tracking down Lorien and Alrekr," Tony started, "however the hell they managed to track her extensively enough to know she stopped there, I haven't got a single clue. But that just means we might not be as safe here as we first thought."

Natasha ran her fingers over her mouth, "tell the others, heighten security. But whatever you do, do not tell Lorien."

~*~

Lorien Fury did not notice the extra armed guards roaming the halls of the compound at first. Years of living on the Heli-carrier—and just as much time exploring the Triskellion—had nearly left her immune to the presence of S.H.I.E.L.D agents. If they were really called S.H.I.E.L.D anymore; they didn't wear the small eagle symbol on the the upper arms of their uniforms.

She just assumed that they were there for training, or missions of their owns.

Not that they were there for her and Alrekr.

Lorien did notice that all the adults seemed way more tense that they already were. But again she just brushed it off as nerves—and besides, for the first time in nearly a week, she had finally started to calm her head.