One
Into The Darkest Dawn
There are a lot of people believe in, werewolves, aliens, ghosts. That's just kid's stuff basically, but EVO's on the other hand, that's another story. Months has passed since Black Knight made her move and I was on top of the Chrysler Building. Seeing the view of New York is an amazing sight, especially when trouble begins brewing on the east side. I picked up on a police comm saying an EVO was spotted on the east side. I flew in to check it out and it was massive, it took a few seconds to defeat it and cure it. A NYPD detective was watching afar and walked in.
"You're Rex, aren't you?" he asked.
"Don't tell me you're here to arrest me?" I asked.
"Ever since Black Knight took over, it's been a nightmare. One minute, Providence wants to solve the problem by curing them. The next everything change and they seek dominance. You might not remember, but my name is Det. Lou Chen. We met a while back when your boss threatened to blew up the city using a nuke," he answered.
"Yeah I remember you, you were helping out with the cleanup," I said.
"I'll buy you coffee as a way of returning the favour," he said. We headed to a small cafe in Midtown were we drank and caught up on times.
"Thanks for the coffee, Chen," I said.
"Not a problem, given that the NYPD mostly hates you these days, but some of us knew better. I lost my wife when the event occurred," he said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.
"Don't be, at least you brought me some glimmer of comfort. It's at least you can do in such dark times," he said.
The mood changed a squadron of soldiers burst into the shop and I immediately recognised the uniforms. "Oh great, what does the Special Projects want?" I asked.
An agent walks up to me. "I apologise for the inconvenience, Rex. We like you to come with us to Washington, now," he said.
"Not a chance," I yelled.
"In case you haven't noticed, we severed ties with Providence the moment Black Knight took and it's not a request, it's an order. And you know what happens to you if you fail to comply," he said. I have no choice but to go with them to Washington D.C. I was onboard a helicopter heading to the city.
"You still haven't explained to me what this is all about?" I asked.
"In due time, Rex. My people are picking up Dr. Holiday, Bobo, Six and White Knight. My name is Agent Clay Jenkins. Col. Moss apologises for not being here, but he does send his regards," he answered.
"That's reassuring, what about that explanation?" I asked.
"It's better if you take a look for yourself," he asked.
"We arrived at the docks, sir," the pilot said.
"Take us in," he ordered.
The pilot landed the helicopter neared the docks and we got out.
"Okay, that's a huge ship," I said.
"Say hello to the USS Demeter, the latest in the Navy's line of attack ships," Clay said.
Dr. Holiday, Six, Bobo and White Knight arrived at the scene. "Great, I end up with a Special Projects agent instead of Moss. This had better be good," White Knight said.
"The Colonel does send his apologies, but he does request that you lot should take a look into a sudden matter," he said.
"Why, what's happened?" Dr. Holiday asked.
"Several hours ago, the USS Demeter came into dock after completing a tour of duty in the Indian Sea. However, the ship was forced to make an emergency stop in Turkey due to an engine failure," he answered.
"Something happened to the crew after they left Turkey, didn't it?" Agent Six asked.
"Something did happen." Clay nods at one of his agents, wheels in a stretcher and removes the blanket to reveal an injured marine. "This marine was healthy six months ago, but now his blood has been drained completely dried from his body," he answered.
Dr. Holiday takes a closer look at the body and notices the bite marks on his necks. "Are those bite marks?" she asked.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," he answered.
"One word comes to mind, vampires," Bobo said.
"Well, there's a possibility that a vampiric EVO could be responsible," she said.
"That's unlikely," Clay said.
"Can we take a look inside the ship?" Clay then gives a tour of the ship to White Knight and the others. They board the ship and head up to the bridge. "So what're the details so far?" White Knight asked.
"Sometime after the ship left Turkey, the crew, including the marines began to fell ill. In due time, the ship's doctor, Dr. Carmichael began to notice bite marks on the crew's arms and necks. The first casualty according to the doctor's logbook was reported a couple of days after the Demeter passed Malta," he answered.
"Did the captain notice anything strange?" Agent Six asked.
"Let's see, according to his logbook. He mentions the crew are getting anxious and paranoid. Saying that the crew are being stalked by some unknown creature," he answered.
"My money says it's vampires," Bobo said.
"And I think you could be right," he said.
Rex is surprised to hear this. "Wait, you're agreeing with Bobo?" I asked.
"Sometime after the event occurred, the Colonel has a theory that the nanites could awaken long dead cells, particularly surrounding supernatural creatures," he said.
An agent then radios in. "Sir, we found the ship's security footage. Our techs are currently piecing the footage together to find out what's happened. Also, Dr. Maggie Watson may've figured out where the tragedy started. You better meet up with her in the cargo deck," the agent said.
"We're on our way," he said. We head down to the ship's cargo area. In the area, we arrived to meet up with Dr. Watson.
Dr. Holiday then recognises her. "Maggie?" she asked.
"Hey Becky, it's been a long time," she said.
Holiday then notices the wedding ring on her finger. "When did you get married?" she asked.
"Hawaii, it was a year ago. My husband suggested Las Vegas, but I told him that I'm not a fan of clichés," Maggie answered.
"Could we get back to work, please," Clay said.
"Right, sorry. Anyhow, the tragedy first started here because I picked up traces of dirt near the hatch," Maggie said.
White Knight takes a closer look at the dirt. "You said the crew stopped in Turkey due to an engine failure. Did the crew take shore leave in Turkey?" he asked.
"No they didn't," Clay answered.
"Also, this dirt isn't native to Turkey. My best guest would be the dirt came from either Bulgaria or Romania, near around the Transylvania area," she said.
"I got a bad feeling about this. There's one person who comes from Transylvania and it's Dracula," Bobo said.
"Really, it's like Holiday said, it's just a vampiric EVO who was just shortly of their feeding time," I said.
"Listen, I met a few vampiric EVOs in my lifetime and they never leave dead bodies lying around after snack time," he said.
"I hate to say it, but Bobo is right. What kind of creature would do such a thing?" Dr. Holiday wondered.
"That's an excellent question," he said.
"If you don't mind, I like to take one of the bodies back for further analyse," she said.
"Will do," he said.
"Does Providence know about this?" I asked.
"Don't worry, we're giving them false leads to throw them off the trial," he answered.
My cell phone rang and I answer it. "Hello, oh hey Beverly, now's not the best time to discuss. Don't worry; I'll be there like I promise. See you tonight at the French embassy," I said.
I sighed after a moment of relief. "Beverly again?" Dr. Holiday asked.
"Yeah, she's been getting her life back to together and one of her old friends invited her to a ball at the French embassy and she's been begging me to go with her," I answered.
"Then go, she'll love the company," she said. I left the ship and headed back to the base. It was around the evening I got changed into my tuxedo and met up with Beverly at the French embassy.
"You're late," she said.
"Yeah, sorry about that, I was over at the docks investigating a scene," I said.
"Uh-uh, come, there's a bunch of people who're interested in meeting you," she said. We entered the embassy and I was out of place with the guests, until I saw a familiar face in the form of Noah.
"Hey Noah, I didn't know you were here,"
"Oh hey Rex, I'm not here by choice. My aunt works as a diplomat for the American embassy in France. What brings you here?" he asked.
"Her," I answered.
I pointed to where Beverly is and Noah is stunned by her beauty. "Who is that?" he asked.
"That's Beverly Holiday, Doc Holiday's sister," I answered.
"She has a sister and she's on the same level of attractiveness as the Doc is. Is she single?" he asked.
"Nope, she's taken, by me." She waves at me. "And she's calling out for a dance partner," I said. I walked over to her, while Noah leaves the embassy in a fit of jealousy. As we danced to the sonata, a group of mercenaries burst in and took us hostage. The leader then bursts in and walks up to me.
"You gave me and my men the slip back in Dublin, if it hasn't been for your Providence allies. Now the game has changed and you're still a catch worth catching," the leader said. Suddenly, the lights went out and something attacked the mercenaries in the dark. The lights came back on to my shock that the mercenaries are dead. Beverly is in a state of shock as she sees the bodies. I get my cell phone and rang White Knight.
"Knight, it's me. We got a problem and its related to our current assignment regarding the Demeter," I said.
Outside the embassy, Noah is mumbling that he hasn't got a girlfriend, until a stranger arrives. "You seem to be upset?" he asked.
"Yeah I am, my friend gets a date, while I stuck being the single guy," Noah answered.
"I see, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.
"No, not at this moment," Noah said. He looks at the stranger and he then hypnotises him into become his servant.
"Listen to me carefully, I'm a stranger in this foreign land and I need your help to gather information about what goes on here," he ordered.
"Yes my master," Noah answered.
"If you do well, I will give you whatever you desire," he said.
"Yes my master," Noah said.
Hours later, Six and Bobo arrive and were in awe when they saw what happened.
"Holiday has taken Beverly home. It didn't do anything, I was standing still after the lights went out and after the came back on. The Syndicate squad was already dead," I said.
"What makes so sudden that the thing from the Demeter was behind it? Six asked.
"The bite marks are a dead giveaway," I answered.
"I knew we had problems with these guys before, but what happened to them is a bit extreme," Bobo said.
"Something tells me this ain't over, not by a long shot," Six said. The next day at a lab, Holiday was examining the body of the dead marine.
"The victim appears to have his blood drained completely dried and there's the bite marks. Something doesn't add up, and there's the nanites in his vessels. Where did they come from?" As she heads to the sink, the dead marine is suddenly revived as a vampire. He goes in for the attack and she is scared. Luckily, a Special Projects was on site and shoots the thing in the head. "What was that?" she asked.
"A vampire by the looks of things, you were lucky to be alive," she said.
"It nearly frightened me. I hate to imagine what would've Beverly become if she stayed a bit longer," Dr. Holiday said.
"Yeah, the whole crew just suddenly jumped up and nearly took a bite out of us. Fortunately, we shot them down, mostly," she said.
"Mostly?" she asked.
"Some of them kept coming right up," the agent said.
"The nanites must've revived them. If that's the case, we got a problem, a serious problem," she said. Over at the Lincoln Memorial, the stranger and a hypnotised Noah stood at look at the statue.
"I can't believe it's been over a hundred years since my defeat. So much has changed," the stranger said.
"It sure has, my master," Noah said.
I showed up at the memorial as part of a sightseeing session with Bobo. "Hey Noah, I didn't know you were here and who's your friend?" I asked.
"Allow me to introduce myself; I am Count Lazarus Vann, at your service. Your friend was kind enough to show me around this beautiful country of yours," he answered.
"You're from Eastern Europe, aren't you?" I asked.
"Close, but I'm actually from Romania. My father recently died and I came into a huge inheritance. So, I decided to treat myself to a around the world trip. Starting with America," he answered.
"That's great; let me know if you need any help." I left the memorial and head back to headquarters. I arrived to find the place fill with stench of undead corpses. "What is that smell?" I asked.
"Dead vampires," Bobo answered.
"The base was overrun with them. But we managed to get them all," Six said.
"Hold on, is this what happened to the crew of the Demeter?" I asked.
"Apparently so." Maggie then enters the room. "I just got a report from NCIS, saying they have a witness who saw someone leave the Demeter after it docked," she said.
"That's not all, the vampires all have nanites inside them," Dr. Holiday said.
"So they're part EVO, part vampire?" I asked.
"Yes, just be careful," she answered.
Six and I head over NCIS headquarters to talk to the witness. "Are you Providence?" the witness asked.
"Not exactly, but we're an interested party. You were at the docks a couple of nights ago?" Six asked.
"I work at the docks as part of the maintenance crew. I was doing the nightshift when the Demeter docked. There wasn't anything unusual at first, but I did see one person leaving the ship," he answered.
"Was it a crewmember?" Six asked.
"No it wasn't, but there was something unusual about him. He was wearing odd clothing, most likely from the Victorian era," he answered.
"This can't be a coincidence." Six's cell phone rang. "Would you excuse me for a second," Six said.
He leaves the interview room. "What happened after this gentleman left?" I asked.
"I resumed work for a while, but I soon discovered a stench coming from the ship. I went to check it out and that's where I discovered the bodies of the crew," he answered.
Six then enters the room again. "That was White Knight. He may've found something interesting," Six said.
Back at the base, we were sitting at a conference table, going through our findings so far. "I put in some calls to Interpol and I found an unusual case they took on a few years ago. Shortly after the event, a castle in Transylvania was vandalised and one of coffins in the crypt was smashed open from the inside," he said.
"That's definitely Dracula all right," Bobo said.
"Please, there's no such thing as Dracula," I said.
"We're not playing the scepticism game again," Bobo said.
"Come on, I've just seen every known EVO out there," I said.
"Well, there are EVOs that're still unaccounted for. Who knows, there may be an EVO who's tapped into the powers of the universe. I'm not saying there's such a thing, but it is a possibility," Dr. Holiday said.
"Does the Interpol report mention any victims or witnesses?" Six asked.
"There have been a few victims, most of which have suffered from some minor blood loss," White Knight said.
"It's obvious that whoever did this to the crew of the Demeter is still evolving. Or may has already evolved to the highest peak," she said.
Clay then enters the room. "If that's the case, then we need to setup patrols around the city," he said.
My cell phone rang, I answer it and it was Clare. "Hey Clare, is something up?" I asked.
"Something did come up. It's Noah, I'm worried about him. He hasn't been acting his usual self," she answered.
"In what way?" I asked.
"Well for starters, he's been hanging around some Romanian count and he's been seeing some brunette I never seen or recognised," she answered.
"Where were they heading?" I asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine. He did mention about going to the Smithsonian," she answered.
I put my cell phone away. "Where do you think you're going?" Dr. Holiday asked.
"To the Smithsonian and there's a chance that Beverly might be in danger," I answered.
"Just be careful," she said.
I head over the Smithsonian and headed to where the turn of the century exhibition was. I then see Noah and Beverly. "Okay Noah, no more games. Tell me who your new friend is or I'll." I walked up to them to find it was an illusion. "Where the heck are they?" I wondered.
"Aren't you the curious one?" I turned around to find Lazarus standing near the entrance. "And to answer your next question, they're safe for the moment," he answered.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I guess that's fair, it's time for me to reintroduce myself. Others called me Vlad the Impaler, but you can call me Count Dracula," he answered.
Now I really owe Bobo an apology. I used my goggles and I picked up a lot of nanites, but no heartbeat. "This is impossible, but how?" I asked.
"I should thank your science for reviving me. I gave me the opportunities I never had back in my day. The ability to walk in sunlight and more importantly, it evolved my powers." He then changes into a giant bat. "Now then, time for a game of cat and mouse," he said. He flew in and abducts a little girl. I went into pursuit, we left the Smithsonian and I chased around the Washington area. After a while, the girl was dropped onto a roof. I landed safely and walked up to the little girl.
"It's okay, everything will be all right," I reassured her.
As I walked up to her, Dracula teleports in, grabs me and throws me to the ground. He grabs the girl. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked.
I then get up. "Now you mention it, I didn't," I answered.
"Do you really think that she and the human race would care for our kind? Look at us, we're the next stage of human evolution and yet, you choose to deny your purpose, why?" he asked.
"I don't deny anything, Count. I'm proud of what I am, but you're an undead creature, given unnatural power," I answered.
"I used to be human, but I renounced God and made a deal with the Devil instead. I was staked, eventually. But now, I'm revived and fully healed. Join me and together we'll rule this world," Dracula said.
"Here's my answer to every would-be world conqueror and despot who asked me that question, the answer is no," I said.
"Pity, I'll be in touch," he said. He let's go of her and she's falling. I leaped off the roof, grabbed her and the taxi cab broke my fall.
"That's got to hurt, are you okay?" I asked her.
She steps onto the pavement and reunites with her mother. "Need a hand, Rex?" a stranger asked.
He grabs my hand and I stepped onto the pavement. "Thanks for the help." I looked at the stranger and it was Col. Eli Jamieson Moss. "You," I asked.
"I know you got a lot of questions, but how's about lunch, on me," he said.
Minutes later, we were in diner having lunch. "I don't know whether I should punch you or shake your hand," I said.
"I can't say I blame you for that. The last six months haven't been that kind. I was made a fugitive by the government and there's a huge bounty on my head," he said.
"I got so many questions I been meaning to ask you since our last encounter in South Africa," I said.
"Since I'm no longer working for government, I guess that's fair. What is it you want to know?" he asked.
"Did you always know Dracula existed?" I asked.
"I did, but the British are reluctant to share that kind of information. So I deduced, I saw that little chase throughout the city and boy, Dracula made you look like a girl scout selling cookies before the Super Bowl," he answered.
"Thanks for the words for confidence, Colonel. What do you know about Black Knight?" I asked.
"All I know is she was appointed not long after they evicted White Knight from the post. I knew they would turn their backs on you, White Knight and me," he said.
"You knew that was going to happen. And who's they?" I asked.
"The Consortium, my relationship with them has been complicated, since from day one of Providence's foundation. At first, they weren't getting the results that they wanted. Then you came along and soon, they declared you a threat. Then you vanished for six months and now they resumed their purpose," he answered.
"The Meta-Nanites," I said.
"Correct, but I also have a suspicion that someone is pulling the strings, not the Consortium. Sometime after your disappearance, I want summoned by them to hand over all the documentation surrounding the Nanite project and its sister projects. But I detected a huge amount of dark energy and I was confronted by a being of unknown origin. I was thrown out of the window and landed on the hood of a car," he said.
"Wow and I thought I have it hard," I said.
"Yeah well, I always knew your brother would be easily swayed. Given that he's a bit unstable," he said.
"It looks like you knew my brother," I said.
"I did, I also knew your parents for that matter," Col. Eli Jamieson Moss said.
"What were they like?" I asked.
"Your parents were good people. To tell the truth, they were working for me as double agents, trying to expose the Consortium's plans to achieving godhood after they have some concerns over the direction of the project. I was on my way to arrest them when the event happened. A few months later, I reached a compromise with the Consortium if they set up Providence, I'll make sure that I don't release the information about their members and rotation," he answered.
"I never knew," I said.
"I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not sorry for your brother," he said.
Eli's cell phone rang and he answers it. "Sir, its Jenkins here. We got a problem, Providence is starting to see through the false leads," Jenkins said.
"All right, switch to the backup plan and unleash the Grimalkin virus on their software," he said.
"Yes sir," Jenkins said.
Eli then puts his cell phone away. "Listen, if you're going to save the world from Dracula. You're going to need my help, meet me over at the industrial complex in several hours," he said.
Over at a house, Dracula looks down on a sleeping Beverly as Noah enters the room. "All the arrangements have been made, my master," Noah said.
"Good, see to it that no one follows us. It's time to leave," he said.
"Of course, my master," Noah said.
Hours later, I was in a industrial complex when Eli arrived. "You're early," he said.
"And you're late. What do I need to do in order to defeat Dracula?" I asked.
"He's a hybrid between a vampire and an EVO. He is also an excellent strategist and swordsman, who led his armies to victory over the Turks over three and a half centuries ago. The real problem is overcoming his swordsmanship and his highly evolved powers. But I can help you become a better swordsman." Eli then draws his sword out. "You're ready?" he asked.
I then morphed my hand into a sword. "I'm ready," I answered.
"You better be sure?" We began our training session by locking blades in a mock battle. "The first rule of a sword duel is to be prepared for any known case scenario. It could be anything, from the environment to the weather conditions," he said.
"How does that help me?" I asked.
"It doesn't, the duel can go either way." We let go and I headed in for the attack, but Eli dodges the attack. "Second rule, your enemy isn't going to play fair," he said.
I tried to attack him again, but he counterattacks and I was thrown to the ground. "Okay, fair point." I then get up. "But what if I'm the one who's playing dirty," I said.
"A real swordsman knows honour and respect. A swordsman who doesn't know either of them is more likely to play dirty, let's continue. Third rule; be prepared to anticipate anything, from defence to launching an offensive." He lunges in for an attack, but I dodge it and counterattack him. "Now we're getting somewhere and finally, don't blink," he said.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said.
Eli's cell phone rang and he answers it. "Sir, this is Jenkins here. We got some good news and bad news," he said.
"All right, let's hear it," Eli said.
"The good news is we tracked Dracula to an airfield outside Washington. We got confirmation that he's got a hostage or two. The bad news is that Grimalkin virus didn't work, it looks like Cesar made some modifications to Providence's computer systems. To make things worse, Black Knight and her goon squad are on their way to put one of those mind control devices on him," Clay said.
"Hold position and wait until we arrive," Eli said.
"Will do, sir. I already forwarded the coordinates of the airfield to your phone," he said.
I took a quick look at the coordinates and I make a call on my cell phone. "Hey Knight, we tracked Dracula to an airfield. I'm sending the coordinates now," I said.
We met outside the airfield some time later. White Knight isn't happy to see Eli. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here," he said.
"Now's not the time to get into a fit about it. Has there been anything further development?" Eli asked.
"The plane Dracula boarded has already left. Also, Providence showed up seconds before it departed and they never stood a chance against him," Clay answered.
"We better go in and take a further look," White Knight said.
We made out into the airfield and what we saw was shocking. "Man, you weren't kidding about them never having a chance against him. Spread out and search for survivors. If you see any Providence agents with bite marks, put them down," Eli said.
Special Projects agents arrived and began searching the airfield for survivors. One of the agents finds and palm print on one of the survivors. "Sir, I got a survivor, but he's barely conscious," she said.
Eli takes a close look at him. "It looks like he drained the life-force out of them. Get a medic here," he ordered.
I then managed to find Black Knight, unconscious, but alive. "Knight, Colonel, I found Black Knight," I yelled.
The others rushed over to me and Eli notices the palm print on her chest. "Just like the agent, get a medic here also. The last thing we want to be responsible for all of this," he said.
"Hey guys, I found Cesar in the hangar and he's traumatised," Bobo yelled. We headed to the hangar to find more Providence agents lying on the ground, either dead or alive. Bobo then picks up Cesar and walks him over to us.
I then comfort him. "It's okay, Cesar, it's okay," I said.
"Well Jenkins, what's the body count?" Eli asked.
"We got at least twelve dead, to which we managed to put down. And twenty injured, including Black Knight," he answered.
"Sir, I just looked at the flight schedule and it looks Dracula has booked himself and a couple of guests a flight," an agent said.
"Where he's heading to?" Eli asked.
"He's heading to England, London," he answered.
"That's not good," Eli said.
"What's not good?" White Knight answered.
"We have no time to lose. I'll explain everything during the flight to London. Agent Poole, get Cesar to the hospital. Jenkins, get us some transportation to London, England," Eli said.
"Right away, sir," Jenkins said.
We left the hangar, boarded the aircraft in front of us and flew over to London, England.