Night had fallen, forcing the resistance underground into the sewers. With the vampires stirring and reclaiming the world for themselves from their only true enemy - the sun - the dank murkiness of the unused sewer systems was as safe a place as any to traverse the distance they needed. Silence had fallen over the five beings, each lost deep in contemplation and re-evaluating their position in life. Ororo lead the way, her thoughts her own, as the others followed single-file behind her; the only sounds, their feet sloshing through the inches of putrid sludge that made the sewer floor treacherous.
Occasionally they would come across a body or two. Surviving humans who had not been rescued by the resistance had fled into the sewers only to be hunted down by vampire packs or forced to die out in the filth-ridden gloom. The air was heavy with a year old sense of dread and it only aided in filling Ororo's mind with further depressing thoughts.
Coming to a fork, Ororo paused as she considered which path to take. Suddenly a clattering sound came from the left tunnel which caused her concern.
"A rat?" offered Kat.
"Sounds like an awfully large rat." said Magnus.
Ororo waved for them to be quiet as she listened intently. Her sharp ears pierced the silence filtering through the distant echoes of the surface and the constant dripping of water. Something about that sound had opened up an age old memory...it wasn't so much the clatter, but more so the fact she thought she heard a voice. It was impossible of course - she knew it - but the voice had raised her hopes as she strained her ears to their maximum and peered through the thick darkness.
It was then that she called out.
"Hello?"
Her action confused the others as her voice rippled through the stillness carrying through the tunnels like a disembodied spirit. As she followed the trail of her own voice she strained to hear beyond it, hoping for something more to strengthen the reasoning behind her curious and strange actions. And then it hit her.
It was a smell that was unmistakable. Like damp dog. It was some distance ahead but it evoked a memory - a fond memory.
...It had been a warm, summer afternoon and everyone had been relaxing by the pool on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. As X-Men the act of relaxing was something which they did not get much time to practice but when the chance presented itself it was welcomed. Ororo had been relaxing in the shade watching the younger team members diving in and out of the pool as the others sunbathed or talked quietly. Then the French doors had opened to reveal the blue-furred form of Henry "Hank" McCoy, dressed in black swimming shorts with a snorkel on and an inflatable rubber ring around his waist with a bizarre animal head sticking up to his left. Smiles and laughter washed across those gathered as he charged toward the pool edge and launched himself through the air, cannonballing into the water - dousing all poolside occupants. The action had been taken with fun and as Hank pulled himself from the pool the summer sun quickly began to dry his fur...
Ororo remembered the smell of his damp fur, warming in the sun. This smell was much like it but older, danker and richer. Without a second thought, she tore off up the tunnel leaving her companions puzzled as Kat charged forward after her; the others close behind.
Pressing on, she followed her nose and her heart as her mind raced ahead of her. Though she was running in pitch darkness, she never once faltered or stumbled as her keen vampiric eyes pierced the gloom like headlights. The sound of Kat's voice calling after her went unnoticed as Ororo turned a corner into a large chamber. There she stopped at the site of a huge hulking figure, perched upon an overturned banner with its back to her. As she came to a halt, the bodies of Kat and the others charged up behind her, skidding in the grime and knocking them all to the ground.
The huge figure glanced round sharply as it emitted a huge roar that shook the chamber as it flipped through the air and landed with a heavy thud before the heaped mass of limbs. It prowled toward them on all fours as Ororo sat up coming face to face with monstrous creature that sniffed at her as she remained stock still. The creature sniffed her hair and face before it grunted in surprise and reared back slightly.
"O-Ororo?" the sound of its voice was low and harsh. Far more a growl than speech.
Kat sat up in confusion and retrieved her flare from under her butt, holding it aloft to illuminate the creatures face. He shied away from the harsh light but the mere glimpse was all it took to catch the breath in her lungs.
"Hank?!" She lowered the flare, diverting its light away from his eyes.
Ororo stood up and walked over to him, touching his face and running her fingers through his thick, grey matted fur. She looked into his small eyes which flickered in the dark. Then she embraced him, holding him close and tight.
"We thought you were dead!"
Kat dragged herself up and ran to join the embrace her happiness overwhelming. "What happened to you?"
The man once known as Henry McCoy - the Beast - shrugged off their affection and lumbered away. "I was a coward."
Ororo went to follow him but he extended his long arm and halted her with a display of his huge, clawed fingers.
"Don't. I don't need your pity!"
His words were filled with hurt as he hid himself away from the prying eyes of his old friends. Ororo remained where she was but pleaded with him.
"It wasn't your fault! You couldn't save her anymore than we could. Hank, please. Won't you talk to us? We've found you - can't you understa-"
"No! No one can understand!"
Kat exchanged a troubled glance with Ororo before stepping forward, defying Hank's distance.
"Look at me Hank," she said firmly. "Turn and face me."
Hank's hulking shoulders slumped as he turned around slowly. Through the half-light of her discarded flare she looked into the face of her old friend. He had changed a lot since his days as the lovable blue-furred X-Man. His body mass had doubled and beneath the thick mats of his shaggy grey fur she could still see the definition of his massive muscles. His face was almost dwarfed by a huge mane of long hair and his face had become more feral, with his upper and lower canines peering out beneath his lips. But none of that mattered as she stared into his eyes. Slowly she moved forward until she framed his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. The act alone melted his stern heart as his arms gently wrapped around her and held her close.
"Welcome back." Kat whispered into his fur.
Hank smiled and opened his arms, offering a hand to Ororo who took it and squeezed it gently before he led the way into a secondary chamber. The others followed close behind, stepping into what was a crude living quarters, scattered with the tinkerings of Hank's inquisitive mind.
An hour later, after introductions and serious discussion, a sixth member of the resistance had been recruited as they sat around a barrel fire eating rat. Dracula and Ororo ate theirs fresh, Rayne rare and the rest medium rare.
"Hardly the Ritz," said Hank. "But if you don't think about it, it could be a hamburger from Harry's Hideaway."
Kat laughed at the cutting whit that she had missed so in recent years; feeling days of tension ebbing away. Ororo sat quietly watching the gathering as Rayne decided to familiarise herself with things a little more.
"So you guys were all part of a team?"
"Yes," said Hank solemnly. "The X-Men."
"And you say that you helped protect humanity even when most of them would see you dead? Sheesh; let the bastards save themselves. I would have."
Magnus shook his head with a wry smile. "And to think, I was their greatest foe."
"You have a high opinion of yourself," said Kat exchanging a quick glance with Hank.
"Feel the tension in the room guys." commented Rayne.
Everyone feel silent momentarily before they shared an unspoken joke and laughed quietly amongst themselves.
"So what is your plan?" enquired Hank.
"We fight and we die." offered Dracula plainly.
"So the future's not rosy?" enquired Magnus with an arched eyebrow toward Dracula.
Kat swallowed the last of her meal. "Basically we storm the vampire capital. Dracula knows where it is; once we're in we head for the top dog. Ororo thinks with him gone, Dracula should be able to seize control as the Lord of the Vampires again and bring about a new order."
Hank cautiously glanced across at Dracula. "How do we know he can be trusted?"
"We don't," admitted Kat. "But if you know a better way, we'd like to hear it."
Ororo watched silently as she witnessed old rivalries dissolving and new friendships being forged. But at the back of her mind she couldn't escape the fact that the world shouldn't have been this way...humanity should have still existed as the dominating species on the planet - hating and fearing that which it didn't understand - with people like the X-Men always present to save them. If only she hadn't made the mistakes she had - if only there was a way to put things right.
But she was forgetting herself. She was going to put things right. The Age of the Undead was over. In twenty-four hours not a single vampire would be left in the world...not one.
To Be Continued...
Occasionally they would come across a body or two. Surviving humans who had not been rescued by the resistance had fled into the sewers only to be hunted down by vampire packs or forced to die out in the filth-ridden gloom. The air was heavy with a year old sense of dread and it only aided in filling Ororo's mind with further depressing thoughts.
Coming to a fork, Ororo paused as she considered which path to take. Suddenly a clattering sound came from the left tunnel which caused her concern.
"A rat?" offered Kat.
"Sounds like an awfully large rat." said Magnus.
Ororo waved for them to be quiet as she listened intently. Her sharp ears pierced the silence filtering through the distant echoes of the surface and the constant dripping of water. Something about that sound had opened up an age old memory...it wasn't so much the clatter, but more so the fact she thought she heard a voice. It was impossible of course - she knew it - but the voice had raised her hopes as she strained her ears to their maximum and peered through the thick darkness.
It was then that she called out.
"Hello?"
Her action confused the others as her voice rippled through the stillness carrying through the tunnels like a disembodied spirit. As she followed the trail of her own voice she strained to hear beyond it, hoping for something more to strengthen the reasoning behind her curious and strange actions. And then it hit her.
It was a smell that was unmistakable. Like damp dog. It was some distance ahead but it evoked a memory - a fond memory.
...It had been a warm, summer afternoon and everyone had been relaxing by the pool on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. As X-Men the act of relaxing was something which they did not get much time to practice but when the chance presented itself it was welcomed. Ororo had been relaxing in the shade watching the younger team members diving in and out of the pool as the others sunbathed or talked quietly. Then the French doors had opened to reveal the blue-furred form of Henry "Hank" McCoy, dressed in black swimming shorts with a snorkel on and an inflatable rubber ring around his waist with a bizarre animal head sticking up to his left. Smiles and laughter washed across those gathered as he charged toward the pool edge and launched himself through the air, cannonballing into the water - dousing all poolside occupants. The action had been taken with fun and as Hank pulled himself from the pool the summer sun quickly began to dry his fur...
Ororo remembered the smell of his damp fur, warming in the sun. This smell was much like it but older, danker and richer. Without a second thought, she tore off up the tunnel leaving her companions puzzled as Kat charged forward after her; the others close behind.
Pressing on, she followed her nose and her heart as her mind raced ahead of her. Though she was running in pitch darkness, she never once faltered or stumbled as her keen vampiric eyes pierced the gloom like headlights. The sound of Kat's voice calling after her went unnoticed as Ororo turned a corner into a large chamber. There she stopped at the site of a huge hulking figure, perched upon an overturned banner with its back to her. As she came to a halt, the bodies of Kat and the others charged up behind her, skidding in the grime and knocking them all to the ground.
The huge figure glanced round sharply as it emitted a huge roar that shook the chamber as it flipped through the air and landed with a heavy thud before the heaped mass of limbs. It prowled toward them on all fours as Ororo sat up coming face to face with monstrous creature that sniffed at her as she remained stock still. The creature sniffed her hair and face before it grunted in surprise and reared back slightly.
"O-Ororo?" the sound of its voice was low and harsh. Far more a growl than speech.
Kat sat up in confusion and retrieved her flare from under her butt, holding it aloft to illuminate the creatures face. He shied away from the harsh light but the mere glimpse was all it took to catch the breath in her lungs.
"Hank?!" She lowered the flare, diverting its light away from his eyes.
Ororo stood up and walked over to him, touching his face and running her fingers through his thick, grey matted fur. She looked into his small eyes which flickered in the dark. Then she embraced him, holding him close and tight.
"We thought you were dead!"
Kat dragged herself up and ran to join the embrace her happiness overwhelming. "What happened to you?"
The man once known as Henry McCoy - the Beast - shrugged off their affection and lumbered away. "I was a coward."
Ororo went to follow him but he extended his long arm and halted her with a display of his huge, clawed fingers.
"Don't. I don't need your pity!"
His words were filled with hurt as he hid himself away from the prying eyes of his old friends. Ororo remained where she was but pleaded with him.
"It wasn't your fault! You couldn't save her anymore than we could. Hank, please. Won't you talk to us? We've found you - can't you understa-"
"No! No one can understand!"
Kat exchanged a troubled glance with Ororo before stepping forward, defying Hank's distance.
"Look at me Hank," she said firmly. "Turn and face me."
Hank's hulking shoulders slumped as he turned around slowly. Through the half-light of her discarded flare she looked into the face of her old friend. He had changed a lot since his days as the lovable blue-furred X-Man. His body mass had doubled and beneath the thick mats of his shaggy grey fur she could still see the definition of his massive muscles. His face was almost dwarfed by a huge mane of long hair and his face had become more feral, with his upper and lower canines peering out beneath his lips. But none of that mattered as she stared into his eyes. Slowly she moved forward until she framed his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. The act alone melted his stern heart as his arms gently wrapped around her and held her close.
"Welcome back." Kat whispered into his fur.
Hank smiled and opened his arms, offering a hand to Ororo who took it and squeezed it gently before he led the way into a secondary chamber. The others followed close behind, stepping into what was a crude living quarters, scattered with the tinkerings of Hank's inquisitive mind.
An hour later, after introductions and serious discussion, a sixth member of the resistance had been recruited as they sat around a barrel fire eating rat. Dracula and Ororo ate theirs fresh, Rayne rare and the rest medium rare.
"Hardly the Ritz," said Hank. "But if you don't think about it, it could be a hamburger from Harry's Hideaway."
Kat laughed at the cutting whit that she had missed so in recent years; feeling days of tension ebbing away. Ororo sat quietly watching the gathering as Rayne decided to familiarise herself with things a little more.
"So you guys were all part of a team?"
"Yes," said Hank solemnly. "The X-Men."
"And you say that you helped protect humanity even when most of them would see you dead? Sheesh; let the bastards save themselves. I would have."
Magnus shook his head with a wry smile. "And to think, I was their greatest foe."
"You have a high opinion of yourself," said Kat exchanging a quick glance with Hank.
"Feel the tension in the room guys." commented Rayne.
Everyone feel silent momentarily before they shared an unspoken joke and laughed quietly amongst themselves.
"So what is your plan?" enquired Hank.
"We fight and we die." offered Dracula plainly.
"So the future's not rosy?" enquired Magnus with an arched eyebrow toward Dracula.
Kat swallowed the last of her meal. "Basically we storm the vampire capital. Dracula knows where it is; once we're in we head for the top dog. Ororo thinks with him gone, Dracula should be able to seize control as the Lord of the Vampires again and bring about a new order."
Hank cautiously glanced across at Dracula. "How do we know he can be trusted?"
"We don't," admitted Kat. "But if you know a better way, we'd like to hear it."
Ororo watched silently as she witnessed old rivalries dissolving and new friendships being forged. But at the back of her mind she couldn't escape the fact that the world shouldn't have been this way...humanity should have still existed as the dominating species on the planet - hating and fearing that which it didn't understand - with people like the X-Men always present to save them. If only she hadn't made the mistakes she had - if only there was a way to put things right.
But she was forgetting herself. She was going to put things right. The Age of the Undead was over. In twenty-four hours not a single vampire would be left in the world...not one.
To Be Continued...