Chronicles of the Dusk
When we last left off, Felix shares the good news of getting a new teaching job with Joseph and Lisa and his new girlfriend Elaine. We also meet a teenage girl named Stacy and her friend Myra, and we also meet Traxon's newest henchman, a mercenary named Simon Boulder. What role will they play? And what of Joseph's new plan for Floyd Traxon.
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Comics, I do own my original characters and the plot.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faces
"I don't know about this guy." Two security guards were walking down the hall leading to the room where Traxon left Simon the night before.
"I'm not so sure about this guy either, but he is a mercenary." The other guard replied.
"True, I guess as long as his paycheck is getting signed he won't try to pull anything." The first one agreed. The two opened the door and looked in the room. "Whoa..."
"About time you guys came around, I was getting bored." It was easy to tell that Simon was in a fight, however he wasn't sweating near as hard as the four martial artists were, and they were also considerably more bruised than he was.
"Don't these guys know Chinese Martial arts? And you beat all four of them?" The guard asked, completely stupefied.
"Not as impressive as you think, I fought them one at a time at first, but I only fought all four at once in the last hour." Simon said, grabbing a sweat towel. "Now unless Mr. Traxon needs me for something right this second, I'm going to catch a nap." Simon told the guards.
"Uh well uh..." The guards weren't sure what to do at first. "You guys, just go see the accountant about your pay." One of them said before walking out of the room.
"Oy... he was pretty good at the start." One of them moaned.
"Yes, but after he fought all of us he became absolutely incredible." Another groaned.
"He must have been going easy on us at first at the beginning to test us or something."
"I don't know... it felt like he was going full out near the start but... who can tell these days?"
Meanwhile...
"..." Stacy was in her car on her cell phone waiting for the other end to pick up. "Myra?"
"Hey Stacy. Boy yesterday was something else huh?" Myra started on the other end.
"Boy was it..." Stacy said. "Anyways, did you catch the news this morning?"
"About the Night-Hunters?" Myra asked.
"Yeah!" Stacy said excitedly. "I mean wasn't that awesome! I mean first the museum, and then they take down a major drug deal."
"Stacy..."
"I mean, seriously where would this city be without those guys."
"Stacy..."
"Oh and I know this sounds odd, but that girl on the team just seems soooo cute..." Stacy continued.
"Stacy you're still day-dreaming of being a super-hero aren't you?" Myra asked.
"What? You have to admit that'd be cool." Stacy said. "And what about you? You're probably the smartest kid in school. I mean, I think we could totally pull it off."
"Stacy, I worry about you sometimes…" Myra sighed on the other end.
"Well, I'm right outside the flower shop, I have to go. Can I call you back after work?" Stacy asked.
"Sure. See you later Stacy." Myra told her before hanging up the phone.
"…" As Stacy got out of the car and walked in to a flower shop with a sign that read "Nox's Florist.", a man with a goatee in completely white clothing was across the street munching on a slice of pizza watching her. A smile crossed his face before turning to walk down the street.
Meanwhile…
"Here you go Lisa, new formulas for you." Felix said as he handed her a very large number of cylindrical cartridges.
"…" Lisa looked at them curiously. "How do I use them?"
"Hm?"
"These don't have needles." Lisa said.
"Oh right, I forgot to give you this." Felix handed Lisa a small tube shaped thing. "Needles are a thing of the past Lisa, it's now been upgraded to an inhaler."
"An inhaler…" Lisa looked at it slightly confused.
"Yep. They're just as good as those old vaccines, and they're more compact, and you can carry a fair bit more of them." Felix told her.
"That's pretty cool." Lisa said. "Say I've been meaning to ask…"
"What?" Felix asked as he and Lisa walked towards the stairs.
"Elaine… isn't really prejudiced is she?" Lisa asked.
"Well… it's complicated…" Felix said. "She isn't about to go join the nearest human supremacist group but… well Lisa it really isn't for me to tell you."
"Oh…"
"Hey guys." Joseph said, coming down the steps and practically bumping in to them.
"Whoa…" Felix was surprisingly caught off guard by this and revealed his claws to grab the wall, unfortunately he revealed his claws on the other hand and scratched Lisa on the arm.
"Ow…" Lisa winced as she grabbed her arm.
"Oh jeez! Sorry! Huh?" Both Joseph and Felix said the exact same thing at the same time.
"Well… the claws work Felix." Lisa sighed sheepishly as she showed them her arm. None of the claw marks were healing very quickly.
"Uh… oops." Felix said.
"You okay?" Joseph asked. "You need disinfectant?"
"Dad, I'm a vampire… I can't get infected."
"Right." The three of them went back upstairs and sat down at the dining room table. "Okay… I was going to tell you that I've got the bugs all programmed." Joseph said. He pulled out a small black box. "There's discs in there for the computers, and small microchips to insert in to the phone lines."
"How exactly are we going to get the information from them though?" Felix asked.
"These things all have a completely untraceable signal that transmits to my computer upstairs." Joseph said. "I'll get all the e-mails, and all of the phone conversation will be converted to text. We'll be able to keep track of everything that Traxon is doing."
"But now we have to put them in the phone and computers right?" Lisa asked.
"She's right, and that place has tight security. Almost as tight as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security." Felix added.
"That's the tricky part." Joseph said.
"Maybe you could use those new nanobots of yours?" Felix suggested.
"Excuse me?" Joseph asked.
"You know, last year how you built nanobots to maintain your gear while it's active? You could use those." Felix said.
"Felix, they have limited energy supplies, and they can't leave my suit, they have to regularly go back to the backpack module to recharge themselves." Joseph said.
"It was a thought." Felix sighed. "Well, guess I'll do it the old fashioned way. Sneak in without getting caught." Felix said.
"Wait… what about me?" Lisa asked.
"Hm?"
"I could do it, I broke in to Magneto's cell by myself once." Lisa said.
"You did what now?" Felix asked.
"Never mind that." Joseph sighed. "Yeah… you did but… Traxon knows your weaknesses and none of his men are afraid to exploit them." Joseph said. "I don't want you to take that kind of risk."
"…" Felix thought about this as well.
"I could still do it. I could get rats to bug the phones… and I'm sure I can find out where to put the discs." Lisa said.
"I think this could work." Felix said. "But sneaking isn't easy Lisa. I mean if it were Spider-Man or someone it might be a different story."
"Um… well…"
"What?" Joseph asked.
"You know how I could climb surfaces before?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah." They both said.
"Somehow it's… well." Lisa got up from her chair, put a foot on the wall and walked straight up the wall as if she were walking on the floor, she even did this with the ceiling. "I don't know how I do it… but I can do this even in my shoes." Lisa said.
"…" Both Felix and Joseph stared at her.
"Man, first Spider-Man, and now this… how come I don't have sticky fingers? Or feet?" Felix sighed.
Meanwhile…
"I'm surprised…" Traxon said as Simon unloaded packages Traxon ordered for him. They all had a variety of weapons. "Swords, knives, and several other weapons, but not a single gun among them?"
"Guns are too much upkeep, and they have no style." Simon said. "I've never needed one, and don't intend to get one."
"Most interesting." Traxon said.
"But anyways… Titanium swords plated with silver… similarly made knives and throwing weapons, and all sorts of weapons I asked for." Simon said. "You really want me to take these guys down don't you?"
"Any expense is well worth it." Traxon told Simon. "Whatever you need, it will be provided." He said before walking out of the room.
"Heh…" Simon looked at the assortment of weapons before him. "I'll show those guys."
Meanwhile…
"I've told you once and twice now, and my answer is still the same. We're not selling." Stacy's mom told some man at the desk while Stacy was watering a few of the flowers.
"Well that's too bad… our offer is only good for about twenty more hours." The man told Stacy's mom.
"And in twenty hours it'll be the same." Stacy told the man. "Now have a nice day."
"Very well." The man said walking out of the store.
"He still bugging you mom?" Stacy asked.
"Yeah but… it doesn't matter, we won't be selling this flower shop." Her mom said. "Stacy I hate to ask but could you stay late and lock up?"
"Sure mom… I'll just call Myra and tell her not to wait up." Stacy said.
"Oh and… there's a package in the back that's too heavy for me to lift, could you put it in storage?"
"Sure." Stacy said. She walked in the back while touching the tip of her finger to one of her diamond earrings.
That night…
"Okay, I managed to find the blueprints for the building Night-Princess." Night-Roller said in to the radio. "Based on your signal… you need to go up two more floors."
"Okay." Night-Princess responded in to the radio.
"You sure you guys don't need me over there?" Night-Claw asked over the radio.
"Just go on your normal patrol, but stay close enough to where you can get here in a few minutes." Night-Roller said.
Inside…
The security guards were sitting at their monitors keeping vigilant watch on the monitors. One of them couldn't stop staring at the screen that had Simon practicing with each of his weapons in the gym. Suddenly a few monitors went static. "Oy… maintenance… we need you to check on the cameras on the twenty-seventh floor." One guard said in to his walkie-talkie.
Elsewhere in the building…
A mist like substance crept out of the vents in front of a door and then crept under the door. Night-Princess then rematerialized on the other side of the door. Her eyes were red at this point, she pulled out her new inhaler and took it.
"Hm? Hey!"
"!!!" Night-Princess in her thirst only just now noticed the man in the room. She quickly took off her shades and looked in to his eyes with glowing orange and red eyes. "There is nothing to report… now go to sleep." Night-Princess said quietly.
"…" The man stared hypnotically for a moment before he passed out. Lisa then pulled a disc out of her pocket and set it in the nearest slot. "Okay Night-Roller… now just help me set it up." Night-Princess said.
"Okay… first thing you do…"
Elsewhere in the building…
"How is everything this night?" Traxon asked an employee that was walking behind him.
"Well, the business is profiting still and… OH JEEZ!!!"
"What?" Traxon asked.
"A r-rat…"
"A rat?" Traxon turned down the hall and briefly saw something scurry around the corner. "…" He got a suspicious look in his eyes before pulling out a small talkie. "Security, what's your status?"
"A few of the monitors on the twenty-fifth through twenty-ninth floors went out, but maintenance is on it."
"…" Traxon thought for a moment. "Simon…" He said in to a walkie-talkie. "Head to the twenty-seventh floor. And arm yourself."
"Why just twenty-seventh? And you're sending the mercenary?"
"The only thing that could be of interest to the Night-Hunters is on the twenty-seventh floor." Traxon growled.
A few minutes later…
"Okay done." Night-Princess said.
"Get out now. I just intercepted a walkie-talkie transmission… They're coming for you now. Oh! And bring that disc with you, we can't leave evidence of what we were doing." Night-Roller said as calmly as he could.
"Okay." Night-Princess quickly walked out of the door and turned to run down the hallway when a figure stepped out of the elevator. "Hm?" He was bald, had on a belt with a few pouches on it over a black coat.
"Hello…" Simon told Night-Princess. "So you're the vampire girl? Nothing personal, but I've got a job to do."
"…" Night-Princess backed away slowly. Her eyes suddenly glowed and Louis came out of her shadow. "Get him boy!"
"ARF ARF!!!" Louis barked ferociously as he charged at Simon.
"Feisty aren't we?" Simon reached in to a coat pocket and pulled out a sai. He quickly threw it and it flew in to Louis' gaping jaw and pierced out the back of his skull.
"AR!!!" Louis yelped as he vanished in to mist.
"This guy's good!!!" Night-Princess thought in surprise. Simon drew another sai in one hand and grabbed a handful of shuriken from one of the pouches in the other hand. He first threw the multitude of shuriken down the hall at Night-Princess. "They smell like silver." Night-Princess jumped and did a barrel roll flip to avoid the shuriken.
"Gotcha…" Simon ran forward quickly with the sai ready.
"!!!" Night-Princess saw that he was about to thrust that right through her head. Right as she was about to descend to the floor, she suddenly landed on the ceiling instead.
"What?"
"Ha!" Night-Princess dived downward, grabbed Simon by the shoulders and the moment she landed, she hurled him over her head down the hallway.
"Grrr…" Simon managed to readjust himself and land in a crouch right before throwing the sai. Night-Princess didn't expect this and not sure what else to do raised her hand up.
"AH!" The sai pierced her hand through and got stuck there. She pulled the sai out and threw it to the ground.
"…" Simon drew a katana about three feet long from under his coat and took his first swing at Night-Princess. Night-Princess narrowly dodged the sword and began stepping backwards. Simon's swings were getting more varied, rapid, and far more well timed and aimed as she backed down the hallway.
"It's almost like he knows how I'm moving." Night-Princess ignored the pain as the sword left a cut in her shoulder and she instead jumped as far back as far as she could. She ducked a swing that nearly decapitated her. She then moved in for an uppercut.
"Not bad…" Simon brought his free hand up to block the punch, though it still hit his chin, it did soften the blow. "But not good enough."
SHING
"AH! ARGH!!!"
"…" Quick as a flash, Simon hacked off Night-Princess' arm and nearly decapitated her again, but she jumped back enough to reduce it to a mere cut on her neck. "Got her!" Simon lunged forward as Night-Princess jumped against the window and hit it.
"!!!" Night-Princess barely moved to the right fast enough to prevent the blade from piercing her heart, instead piercing her lung. "I… I nearly got killed… right there…" She thought in shock. The sword had gone all the way through her to pierce the safety-glass window behind her and leave a slight crack.
"You're not half-bad kid." Simon complimented.
"I'm not finished…" Night-Princess let her shades slide down to reveal her eyes, she stared in to Simon's eyes with an orange and red glow. "Leave me be… and go to sleep…"
"…" Simon looked in to her eyes. He began to sweat profusely. "N… no… NO!!!" Simon backed away, drawing his blade out. "I have too much to prove!"
"What willpower!!!" Night-Princess thought in shock. Simon was about to slice her in half with a vertical slice, but she suddenly summoned a swarm of bats that flew right at Simon.
"Whoa!" This surprised Simon and distracted him long enough for Lisa to sublimate and slip through the crack in the glass. Not having a lot of energy, she reformed almost as soon as she got out and free-fell through the air. "NO!!!" Simon dropped the katana, and pulled out a moderately sized club, jumped and spun twice in the air before striking the window on the crack with the club.
CRASH
Simon shattered the window, dropped the club, pulled out a few small throwing knives and hurled them downward.
"…" Night-Princess had to use another inhaler, she watched the throwing knives come down. She then transformed in to a swarm of bats and flew off.
"Grrrr…" Simon growled at this. He was about to turn away from the window when he noticed something far down below. He looked out the window and thought he saw a kid in completely white clothing looking up at him from a rooftop. Simon blinked once and the kid was gone. "Damn… I'll be lucky not to get fired." He groaned.
Meanwhile…
"Yeah, I'm finally done Myra." Stacy said as she walked out of the store and got in her car. She braced the phone between her head and shoulder as she turned the key. "Hm? Oh man… my car isn't starting!!!"
"Can your mom pick you up?" Myra asked.
"No… she's too far…" Stacy sighed.
"My parents would be willing to come and pick you up."
"Oh thank god…" Stacy sighed. "I'll call you later. Kay?"
"Okay, later Stacy." Myra said.
"…" Stacy got out of her car and sat at the bench right outside the flower shop. "Hm?" Her earring mysteriously fell off and bounced down an alleyway. "Hey! My dad gave those to me before he died…" She got up and walked down the nearby alley. The earring was right in front of a manhole that was partially open. "There it is…"
"…"
"Is someone there?" Stacy thought she heard breathing and was so shocked by it that she accidentally knocked the earring down the manhole. "Nooooo…" Stacy looked around and sighed. She took the cover off the manhole cover and climbed down.
A little while later…
"Whew…"
"Wow… that guy got you pretty good." Night-Claw winced as he looked at Night-Princess. "Just take a bit more formula. You heal faster whenever you're less thirsty."
"You're right." Night-Princess sighed. All three of them were in the same alley Stacy was in a moment ago.
"We need to find out more about this guy… which we can probably do now. Thankfully the bugs still got planted." Night-Roller said. "Come on guys, we've had enough for one night."
"You're right." Night-claw said. "Hm? It smells like another person climbed down here…" Night-claw said.
"Don't worry about it." Night-Princess sighed. "If we see anyone I can make them forget about us."
"You sure you're all right with that?" Night-Roller asked.
"Yeah I'm sure."
"Okay then." All three of them climbed down the manhole.
Later…
"Found it…" Stacy had been trudging through the sludge of the sewer to find her earring. "Ew…" It's as if she just now realized where she had been. She climbed up on to one of the walkways for the sewer workers. "Great, now I'm going to need one heck of a shower." Stacy sighed as she leaned against the wall. "Hm?" The section of wall her shoulder leaned on sunk in a little bit and soon the whole wall moved. "No way…" Stacy looked at this in bewilderment. "This is awesome…" Stacy walked in and soon the wall shut behind her.
"I could have sworn I just heard something." Night-Claw said as the three of them came around the corner on the walkway a few minutes later.
"You smell anything?" Night-Roller asked.
"Only Night-Princess' blood sadly, and this sewer."
"Sorry…" Night-Princess said as Night-Roller pushed on a section of wall that caused the whole wall to slide open. The three of them walked in.
A few minutes later they were at the small rail car that would take them to Joseph's house. Felix lowered his mask while Joseph took off his helmet. "Okay, strap in you two." Joseph said as the three of them took their seats. Joseph hit the start button, and soon the rail car started. They sat silently for a few minutes.
"…" Felix suddenly looked out the front. "Joseph… is that someone on the rails…?"
"What? That shouldn't be… Oh shoot…"
"Hm?" Stacy wasn't sure how to work the rail car from earlier so she instead opted to walk down the rails, which seemed to go on forever. "AH!" Stacy turned around to see the rail car approaching.
"No!"
"Stop it dad!" Lisa shouted.
"I know!" Joseph pulled a lever that read "EMERGENCY BRAKE". "We're not slowing down fast enough!"
"We'll hit her!" Felix shouted.
"…" Stacy looked around desperately before she noticed the railing. She leaned down and touched it with her hand.
"What's she doing?" Felix asked.
BAM
"WHOA!!!" The car slowed down drastically before stopping.
"What was that sound?" Lisa asked.
"It sure didn't sound like us hitting a human being…" Joseph said. The three of them got out of the car. "More like hitting a solid chunk of…"
"Metal…" Felix said. All three of them stared at the body on the ground. A teenage girl in a florist's outfit was lying on the ground, and she was completely made of metal, her hair, her eyelids, her nails, everything. "What the…"
"A… metal woman?" Lisa asked.
"At any rate… we better bring her back to make sure she's okay." Joseph sighed. "Oy what a night…"
"Got that right…" Felix said as she stooped over to pick the girl up.
"What are we going to do with her?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know… she's kind of heavy." Felix sighed.
"Come on… let's go." Joseph said as they all climbed back in to rail car.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With so many things happening in one night, what are the consequences? Leave a review.
