Perhaps because they set no appointed time to rendezvous, it only took moments for each of the members of this motley crew to assemble the next evening at the office of Patsy Walker. For some, it seems as if an eternity has past. For others, there simply wasn’t time enough to prepare for tonight. Whatever the feeling, each of them felt the pressure of what they had decided to do: jump into the unknown for the fate of a planet.
The problem of transport to Mesa Nueva was swiftly solved by Baron Zemo, who had given considerable thought to the logistics involved in traveling to New Mexico from New York, and in the quickest manner possible. Ushering the heroes up to the rooftop, his private helicopter shuttled them in twos and threes to JFK airport, and Baron Zemo's private jet.
Within mere hours, the plane had landed in Arizona, and a van was leased to begin the long drive out to Mesa Nueva, conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. Driving through the plateaued region, Mesa Neuva came steadily into view. The car stopped so that the occupants might survey the tiny town, nestled in a type of valley among the plateaus, and although no one knew what quite to expect, this certainly wasn’t it-- a small town of triple-digit population, quietly asleep in this after-midnight hour.
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, nor did anything give any indication of extraterrestrial activity… almost eerily normal. Could Venom’s “contacts” have been wrong?
Moon Knight cleared his throat, looking out the window with everyone, his glow a trifle diminished tonight as the moon has begun to wane. “Well, any ideas?” he asks, and then adds, with a sardonic smile, “aside from the obvious Norse battle cry, of course...”
Thor looks over the tiny desert town. He's been coughing all night from the dry desert air. He fingers his rune-carved cudgel and stares down at his newly polished chainmail and spit-shined leather boots. Things attended to that kept his mind busy during the long day. Somehow he's managed to go all day without drinking, but he could feel the inner cravings calling to him, and felt that his giving in to their demands was only a matter of time. He felt the heft of the fifth of Scotch in his raincoat pocket. Glen Morangie. He coughs dryly. These kids were depending on him he thought, willing himself to take his hand from his raincoat pocket.
"*Hack* -*Hurm* . . . Uhm, dese space phantoms, dey ver inside us, no?" Thor's voice is a dry croak, "Perhaps de space phantoms are dwelling in the bellies of de sleeping people in dis little hamlet? *hoark *henh* Or den again maybe ve just need to get outside and call attention to ourselves and draw dem out? *Cah!* *Cak!* Or maybe ve should go see de police, report seeing a phantom, see what dey say?"
"Wot was that old boy?" the Black Knight responded, sarcasm lacing his accent " Walk down the middle o'the street and call, 'Here phantoms, here phantoms!'? We had some trouble with that last bunch of four, now this town aren't too big, but still seems like there's bound to be more than four o'them buggers herebouts. I suggest we do a little scouting and reconnoitering as such before we announce our presence? Coppers might be space phantoms too for all we know!"
The Black Knight gazed out at the his compatriots, and down at himself, encased within a protective yet imprisoning sheath of metal. This is not a team built for stealth, he thought wryly,and continues "Fortunately it's night and we don't have to be seen if we don't want to. I used to work in the special service before I got this bloody armor, so I think I can scout the place out a little. Anybody else up for a little reconaissance?"
"I'll go. Let's see if we can isolate someone in the town. I can scan their mind and find out what's going on," offered Hellcat.
"I'll go, too, " added Venom. " I have what you might call a sixth sense for when trouble's going to flare up. Besides, skulking on rooftops is my specialty. But since our reconaissance force is everyone but Thor, I guess we ought to split up and meet back here in, what, two hours?"
"I'll stay here with Thor" comments Rick. "I've never had any training in stealthy reconn, and since I'm sort-of a target for these people, I might stick out like the proverbial sore thumb."
"Besides, we might want to use me as bait, later" he added bitterly, in a low voice.
The town appears to be set up like any small boonie-town, with the main drag just off the highway and containing all the main stores and businesses. Branching off from this is the more suburban areas. Baron Zemo and Moon Knight elect to take to the air above, while the rest approached the town on the ground
"I'll take to the rooftops of the shopping district" said Venom, turning to go. She stops, and looks back. "Any one of you makes a crack about 'just like a woman' and I'll pound..." she says, looking from Black Knight to Zemo to Thor, "...Moon Knight!"
Rick and Thor stand by the van (conveniently stashed behind a low-to-the-ground billboard advertising a future building project just outside of town), and waved goodbye as their compatriots split up and moved towards the town of Mesa Nueva. Supposedly Fire-Ant was to meet up with the group at some point in Mesa Nueva-- but perhaps he left too hastily to get any details. Rick and Thor stood side by side in silence for a few awkward seconds, unitl Rick coughs... "So.... you want a Fresca?"
Thor grimaces at the thought of the sweet bubbly beverage, but something to drink is better than nothing at all, and it is low in calories, after all. "My thanks, Rick," he says popping open the slender bottle. Settling in for what might be a long wait, he cocked an ear to the wind and waits for the inevitable sounds of mayhem from his companions.