Return of the Shadow
Chapter 4: New Friends
"The school's in complete uproar after Duncan's death. There's been a full inquiry into this tragedy. Obviously, we are now the primary suspects. Therefore, I must know now if any of you have information on this subject." It was the evening after Duncan's murder and the police were out in full force, ready to storm the Institute given the slightest provocation. Inside, the atmosphere was extremely tense. All the students and teachers had gathered in the living room to discuss the incident. Professor Xavier looked solemnly at each of his students in turn. "Please be honest." His eyes stopped on a fidgeting Jean. It didn't take his psychic powers to know she was hiding something, a fact that surprised Xavier. Normally, Jean would have been among the first to volunteer information.
"I know who did it." All eyes fell upon Blade, who stood leaning against the wall, his right hand hidden behind his back. He slowly drew the hand outward. It was dirty, caked with dry blood. "I kind of like the blood on my arm. Makes me remember his expression when I ripped his heart out." All of the students gasped in horror, one or two making retching noises. Xavier stared dumbstruck at the gory hand.
"But Blade...why?"
"He did something..." Jean's head shot up. Why didn't he just tell them what Duncan had tried to do. Everyone would have understood the necessity of the action. But Blade seemed to take an almost sanguine glee in examining his arm, as if he had thoroughly enjoyed the action. "I'll understand if you want me to leave." Xavier shook his head.
"I will not allow you to leave. I have known you for a short time, but I know your actions must have been merited." Jean breathed a sigh of relief. "However, if you do this one more time, you will have to leave."
"I understand."
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"Is it really wahse to go outside of the mansion? We probably won't even be allowed into the movie theater." Scott turned his head and looked at Rogue.
"The Professor thinks we should act as normal as possible, so we won't be suspected. Personally, I agree with him." Kurt spoke up from the back seat of the X-Van.
"Besides, I really vant to see zis movie!" Scott guided the van over to the parking garage, but was stopped by an attendant.
"We're full, son. You'll have to park over there." He gestured towards a shady side street that led to an abandoned lot. Scott heaved a sigh. We'll have to walk quite a bit, he thought to himself as he waved for Jean and Blade to follow in the other cars. They parked and walked briskly to the theater. Jean moved to the ticket window.
"Excuse me sir, I need a bunch of tickets to the 7:00 show of Along Came Polly...." The vender shook his head.
"Sorry, miss. We're all sold out."
"That's ridiculous. You just told the last two people they'd be the only ones in the theater."
"My mistake, miss. Lemme rephrase that. I ain't sellin' tickets to the likes of you. So why don't you just go back home?" Jean angrily walked off back to the group.
"They won't let us buy tickets."
"Oh. Let's just go home then." Blade cast a disgusted look at the vendor before following the others on the long walk back to the vans. As they shuffled into the alleyway, Blade's body twitched. He sniffed the air for a second before stopping and standing still.
"Everybody, run. They're coming." All the teens stared incredulously at him.
"Who?"
"Vas?"
"Blade, you're not making sense." Blade angrily turned on them.
"They're coming!" A gunshot echoed in the air. All the students screamed and dropped to floor. Blade slipped a hand under his right pant leg and snapped out a foot long dagger. He dropped into a fighting crouch, leveling his dagger in front of his face. About thirty men and women came tearing down the alleyway, firing a various assortment of handguns and rifles. High pitched screams rent the air as bullets found their mark into mutant bodies. Kurt immediately grabbed many of the younger students and teleported away. Jean created a mental shield over the remaining X-Men. Kitty ran straight into a wall and phased through. Scott fired his eyebeams left and right, trying desperately to stem the shots. Jean fell to her knees, blood streaming from her nose as she desperately tried to maintain the shield. The constant stream of bullets began to take its toll on her and the shield contracted more and more.
No choice.
The moon gleamed off of Blade as a crimson darkness began to enshroud his body. It coalesced into his NightWalker uniform. Blade's black cloak swirled around him as he lazily opened his eyelids to reveal orbs of the deepest crimson. Jean could swear she saw his teeth lengthen into sharp fangs as he smiled almost demonically. He suddenly disappeared into his shadow, reappearing next to a man with a shotgun. He casually drove his dagger into the man's throat and ripped it out with a brutal tug. He began an intricate dance, blocking bullets with his dagger and moving to kill. Bodies fell around him as he murdered countless humans. But the tide would not stop, despite his efforts.
A terrible shriek tore across the alleyway, driving humans to their knees. As they clutched their heads in agony, three black shadows dropped silently to the ground. The first was a well muscled man, who looked to be about twenty. His short ponytail straightened behind him as he attacked. A large broadsword gleamed in his hand as he hacked and slashed at the people around him. The second became a beautiful girl of nineteen, long black hair outlining sharp, angular beauty. Long thick eyelashes framed her almond shaped eyes as she revealed a silver revolver and began to fire. The third became a small girl of about thirteen. Her shoulder length black hair swayed in the breeze as she grinned impishly at the attackers before she skewered them all with sharp daggers. All wore black clothes, fishnets in the girls' case, and flowing black trenchcoats. Despite the new additions, the flood of armed humans continued, still overwhelming the staunch defenders.
But then everything changed.
A nod from Blade set the gears of defeat into revolution. All four smiled almost maniacally and opened their mouths, biting down on the necks of the stunned attackers. Blood flowed everywhere as they bit and fought, ripping out the necks of humans left and right. The young girl smiled as she ripped off one woman's head with a great tug and allowed the blood to pour into her mouth. The four wreaked complete havoc until only a disheveled man cowered in fear. The older woman wrinkled her nose as he wet himself in fear and raised her revolver to his head.
"Let me!" The young girl stepped forward and lifted the man off the ground with her hand as if he weighed no more than a doll.
"Kyrina!" The smile disappeared off the girl's face as she dropped the man back onto the pavement. She stepped back and bobbed her head at Blade as he approached.
"You go back to whoever orchestrated this and you give him this message: The mutants are not responsible for this massacre. But those of the Dragon's blood are. Now run back, little human. Run." The man gave a shrill scream and tore off back don't the alleyway. Blade turned to the new arrivals. "Malkios. Kara. Kyrina. My thanks to you all. Please accompany us to the Institute. I believe this night will bear a great deal of explanation.
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The X-Men gathered once again in the living room, their guests preferring to stand in the shadows until Blade switched off the main lights. He too remained standing as the Professor wheeled in with Hank, Logan and Ororo.
"I believe thanks are in order. My students would likely have been killed if not for your aid. But I must ask who you are."
"Malkios." The tall man stepped forward.
"Kara." The beautiful woman stepped forward.
"Kyrina, the talented and beautiful leader of the group." The youngest bowed to the assembly of mutants with a distinct flourish. Malkios began to address Xavier as Kara calmly rapped Kyrina on the head. Blade grinned at the exuberant young teenager.
"We are a race as old as history itself. We draw our powers from the nights. Humans fear us, monsters respect us." At this point, Jean got up.
"Yes, but what the hell are you?" Kyrina gave her a completely innocent look.
"Honey, we're vampires."
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Author's Note: thanks to all who have reviewed. I like reviews very much. Malchiah, I hope you take it as a compliment that I modified your name and used it for a secondary character. Consider it thanks for all of your reviews.
Sayonara
Dark Merlyn
"The school's in complete uproar after Duncan's death. There's been a full inquiry into this tragedy. Obviously, we are now the primary suspects. Therefore, I must know now if any of you have information on this subject." It was the evening after Duncan's murder and the police were out in full force, ready to storm the Institute given the slightest provocation. Inside, the atmosphere was extremely tense. All the students and teachers had gathered in the living room to discuss the incident. Professor Xavier looked solemnly at each of his students in turn. "Please be honest." His eyes stopped on a fidgeting Jean. It didn't take his psychic powers to know she was hiding something, a fact that surprised Xavier. Normally, Jean would have been among the first to volunteer information.
"I know who did it." All eyes fell upon Blade, who stood leaning against the wall, his right hand hidden behind his back. He slowly drew the hand outward. It was dirty, caked with dry blood. "I kind of like the blood on my arm. Makes me remember his expression when I ripped his heart out." All of the students gasped in horror, one or two making retching noises. Xavier stared dumbstruck at the gory hand.
"But Blade...why?"
"He did something..." Jean's head shot up. Why didn't he just tell them what Duncan had tried to do. Everyone would have understood the necessity of the action. But Blade seemed to take an almost sanguine glee in examining his arm, as if he had thoroughly enjoyed the action. "I'll understand if you want me to leave." Xavier shook his head.
"I will not allow you to leave. I have known you for a short time, but I know your actions must have been merited." Jean breathed a sigh of relief. "However, if you do this one more time, you will have to leave."
"I understand."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Is it really wahse to go outside of the mansion? We probably won't even be allowed into the movie theater." Scott turned his head and looked at Rogue.
"The Professor thinks we should act as normal as possible, so we won't be suspected. Personally, I agree with him." Kurt spoke up from the back seat of the X-Van.
"Besides, I really vant to see zis movie!" Scott guided the van over to the parking garage, but was stopped by an attendant.
"We're full, son. You'll have to park over there." He gestured towards a shady side street that led to an abandoned lot. Scott heaved a sigh. We'll have to walk quite a bit, he thought to himself as he waved for Jean and Blade to follow in the other cars. They parked and walked briskly to the theater. Jean moved to the ticket window.
"Excuse me sir, I need a bunch of tickets to the 7:00 show of Along Came Polly...." The vender shook his head.
"Sorry, miss. We're all sold out."
"That's ridiculous. You just told the last two people they'd be the only ones in the theater."
"My mistake, miss. Lemme rephrase that. I ain't sellin' tickets to the likes of you. So why don't you just go back home?" Jean angrily walked off back to the group.
"They won't let us buy tickets."
"Oh. Let's just go home then." Blade cast a disgusted look at the vendor before following the others on the long walk back to the vans. As they shuffled into the alleyway, Blade's body twitched. He sniffed the air for a second before stopping and standing still.
"Everybody, run. They're coming." All the teens stared incredulously at him.
"Who?"
"Vas?"
"Blade, you're not making sense." Blade angrily turned on them.
"They're coming!" A gunshot echoed in the air. All the students screamed and dropped to floor. Blade slipped a hand under his right pant leg and snapped out a foot long dagger. He dropped into a fighting crouch, leveling his dagger in front of his face. About thirty men and women came tearing down the alleyway, firing a various assortment of handguns and rifles. High pitched screams rent the air as bullets found their mark into mutant bodies. Kurt immediately grabbed many of the younger students and teleported away. Jean created a mental shield over the remaining X-Men. Kitty ran straight into a wall and phased through. Scott fired his eyebeams left and right, trying desperately to stem the shots. Jean fell to her knees, blood streaming from her nose as she desperately tried to maintain the shield. The constant stream of bullets began to take its toll on her and the shield contracted more and more.
No choice.
The moon gleamed off of Blade as a crimson darkness began to enshroud his body. It coalesced into his NightWalker uniform. Blade's black cloak swirled around him as he lazily opened his eyelids to reveal orbs of the deepest crimson. Jean could swear she saw his teeth lengthen into sharp fangs as he smiled almost demonically. He suddenly disappeared into his shadow, reappearing next to a man with a shotgun. He casually drove his dagger into the man's throat and ripped it out with a brutal tug. He began an intricate dance, blocking bullets with his dagger and moving to kill. Bodies fell around him as he murdered countless humans. But the tide would not stop, despite his efforts.
A terrible shriek tore across the alleyway, driving humans to their knees. As they clutched their heads in agony, three black shadows dropped silently to the ground. The first was a well muscled man, who looked to be about twenty. His short ponytail straightened behind him as he attacked. A large broadsword gleamed in his hand as he hacked and slashed at the people around him. The second became a beautiful girl of nineteen, long black hair outlining sharp, angular beauty. Long thick eyelashes framed her almond shaped eyes as she revealed a silver revolver and began to fire. The third became a small girl of about thirteen. Her shoulder length black hair swayed in the breeze as she grinned impishly at the attackers before she skewered them all with sharp daggers. All wore black clothes, fishnets in the girls' case, and flowing black trenchcoats. Despite the new additions, the flood of armed humans continued, still overwhelming the staunch defenders.
But then everything changed.
A nod from Blade set the gears of defeat into revolution. All four smiled almost maniacally and opened their mouths, biting down on the necks of the stunned attackers. Blood flowed everywhere as they bit and fought, ripping out the necks of humans left and right. The young girl smiled as she ripped off one woman's head with a great tug and allowed the blood to pour into her mouth. The four wreaked complete havoc until only a disheveled man cowered in fear. The older woman wrinkled her nose as he wet himself in fear and raised her revolver to his head.
"Let me!" The young girl stepped forward and lifted the man off the ground with her hand as if he weighed no more than a doll.
"Kyrina!" The smile disappeared off the girl's face as she dropped the man back onto the pavement. She stepped back and bobbed her head at Blade as he approached.
"You go back to whoever orchestrated this and you give him this message: The mutants are not responsible for this massacre. But those of the Dragon's blood are. Now run back, little human. Run." The man gave a shrill scream and tore off back don't the alleyway. Blade turned to the new arrivals. "Malkios. Kara. Kyrina. My thanks to you all. Please accompany us to the Institute. I believe this night will bear a great deal of explanation.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The X-Men gathered once again in the living room, their guests preferring to stand in the shadows until Blade switched off the main lights. He too remained standing as the Professor wheeled in with Hank, Logan and Ororo.
"I believe thanks are in order. My students would likely have been killed if not for your aid. But I must ask who you are."
"Malkios." The tall man stepped forward.
"Kara." The beautiful woman stepped forward.
"Kyrina, the talented and beautiful leader of the group." The youngest bowed to the assembly of mutants with a distinct flourish. Malkios began to address Xavier as Kara calmly rapped Kyrina on the head. Blade grinned at the exuberant young teenager.
"We are a race as old as history itself. We draw our powers from the nights. Humans fear us, monsters respect us." At this point, Jean got up.
"Yes, but what the hell are you?" Kyrina gave her a completely innocent look.
"Honey, we're vampires."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Author's Note: thanks to all who have reviewed. I like reviews very much. Malchiah, I hope you take it as a compliment that I modified your name and used it for a secondary character. Consider it thanks for all of your reviews.
Sayonara
Dark Merlyn
