DISCLAIMER: I own Derrick Bolris. Althea Delgado/Wavedancer belongs to Red Witch, as does the Misfitverse this fic is set in. Everything else (except Dracula, I think) belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 8: And Some More Plot Spinning
The Daily Bugle, New York's local newspaper, was well-known for its accusatory jabs at the hero calling himself Spider-Man. This, in truth, was on account of the editor-in-chief having a hatred for the web-slinger that no one save himself understood.
"PARKER!"
And that same editor made certain that the Bugle's offices never experienced a quiet day.
A teenager with brown hair and glasses barged into the room, gasping for breath.
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Jameson?" asked Peter Parker, photographer for the Bugle.
"Who else would I want to see, the Avengers?" snapped the flat-haired J. Jonah Jameson. "Anyway, Parker, another vampire attack happened last night! That makes it the fourth one this week and the ninth one this month! I need you to get down there and get some photos of the latest victim, and maybe some of the police investigation, too! Anything to discredit that blasted wall-crawler!"
"Okay, sir," Peter nodded, despite Jameson's shots at his alter-ego.
****
News of the vampire attacks had spread over New York rather quickly. Even the Xavier Institute caught wind of the news, one member in a particular rage. Having once dated Dracula himself, this member of the X-Men found herself staring at the television.
"I can't believe this!" growled white-haired Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm. "I thought Dracula would know better than to indiscriminately attack people like this!"
"A vampire's a vampire, Storm," Logan said simply.
"We may have to take action," Xavier said. "Kitty is still recovering from when she lost control of her abilities. Logan, I'll want you to stay here and keep an eye on her."
"Better than puttin' up with the kids' insanity," Logan muttered.
"Ororo," Xavier said, turning to the African-American woman, "I'm afraid you will have to go, as you know Dracula best. Rina and Scott will accompany you."
"Rina can track him and I can blast him," Scott nodded. "That makes sense."
"We move out tonight," Xavier stated. "For now, we prepare. This is one of the quieter days in the Institute."
A loud explosion quickly proved Xavier wrong.
"You were sayin', Chuck?" Logan said.
****
News of the vampire attacks had quickly spread over New York, but there were places where such news was only briefly heard. One such city was across the entire country.
Within the bowels of Los Angeles, California, a lair beneath the La Brea Tar Pits Museum was no different. Four teenagers and one eleven-year-old gathered around a table, a game of Monopoly in its preparation stages.
"I call the dog!" cried a brown-haired eleven-year-old girl wearing a pink hat.
"Whatever, Mol," replied a blonde-haired teenager whose shirt claimed that he did his own stunts. "I'm taking the shot glass."
"Chase, honey, that's not a shot glass," corrected a purple-haired girl with glasses, "that's a thimble."
"Figures," groaned Chase Stein. "I can't believe we've got a broken time machine in this joint—all thanks to Trinity and Spyder from those psycho Misfits—and we don't have one freakin' bottle of—"
"Hey, no fair, K!" snapped the eleven-year-old. "I called the dog!"
"Molly, I was getting it for you," replied Karolina Dean.
"Oh," Molly Hayes said. "Sorry."
"This is what we do when there's nobody making a move for the power vacuum," groaned a girl with black hair tied in a wild ponytail. "Play Monopoly and get into fights about the pieces."
"Better than nothing to do," Dagger's voice rang.
In an instant, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Molly Hayes, Karolina Dean and Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes sprang from the tables, Gert's brown dinosaur named Old Lace quickly bounding to their aid. Cloak and Dagger warped out of nowhere, standing in front of the group.
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" a mechanical voice echoed. "BE ADVISED. SECURITY DAEMONS ACTIVE."
"You talking to me?" Chase asked.
"What's a 'security daemon'?" Karolina asked.
With a poof, several creatures resembling a hybrid between a bat and a pink-nosed wolf appeared on the table.
"Guess there's no such thing as a quiet game of Monopoly where the super-powered are concerned," Nico said. She then lightly pricked her finger with a switchblade, and began to speak strangely. "When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge!"
Nico pointed her staff at the daemons.
"Sorry, everybody," she said. "This looks like one of my parents' old defense spells. Acid rain!"
With the staff's magic, a dark cloud appeared over one daemon's head, releasing a stream of acidic raindrops onto it, melting it near-instantly.
"You sure, Nico?" Molly asked, eyes glowing pink as she punched a daemon, the result being the daemon sailing into and through a wall. "These guys might be mutants, you know!"
"I doubt it," Gert said as Old Lace chewed up a daemon, revealing sparkling machinery, "unless mutants are normally born with internal organs of steel."
"I know Mol's got fists of steel," Chase agreed, incinerating a daemon with fire from his metallic gauntlets. "Besides, these are just my folks' gizmos. Nothing to freak out over."
"Wow," Dagger said, eyes wide. "You guys have gotten a lot better than when we last saw you."
"Yes, my friends," Cloak agreed. "Your skills have matured exponentially."
"Save the 'friends' bull, Spooky," Chase spat, Fistigon gloves still at the ready.
"Yeah," Gert nodded, Old Lace growling, "last time we met, you guys promised to send us backup. We ended up having to take on the Pride by ourselves."
"Blame your elders," Cloak responded.
"A couple of your parents erased our memories of you just as we were about to head back to New York," Dagger explained. "We're not here to fight, honest. We just want to make things right with you guys."
"Right," Nico said skeptically. "We'll think about it. After all, we don't have a lot to do as of late."
"Perhaps I can change that?" a Romanian-accented voice came from the shadows.
A bat suddenly flapped down from the ceiling, but to the surprise of all present, it morphed into a man in a suit with a flowing cape.
"Cool!" Molly cried.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Nico demanded, aiming her staff at the latest newcomer.
"I am Dracula," the man said. "Oh, and could you please keep the blonde girl away from me? I have issues with sunlight."
"Seriously?" Chase said. "You're Dracula?"
"Yes, the very same," Dracula sighed. "Can we please get on with business?"
"That kind of depends on what that business is, actually," Karolina said.
"If that 'business' is biting people, try someone else," Dagger said, holding some light knives.
"I…need your help," Dracula said.
"With what?" Chase snapped.
"In New York, a vampire has been going around attacking people," Dracula explained. "And, for future reference, I have been nowhere near there in months. I wanted to clear my name, so I came to the famed children of the Pride to ask for help."
"How come you can't ask the X-Men or somebody?" Molly asked.
"Er…I have had…how shall I say, uh, 'differences' with one or two X-Men," Dracula admitted, remembering his date with Storm. "I came to you because I heard that you…how does the expression go? Take what adults say with a grain of sugar."
"Salt," Gert corrected. "And we do, which is why we're not a hundred percent with you."
"If I was going to bite any of you, I would have done it already," Dracula sighed.
"Never thought I'd say something like this, but Drac's got a point," Dagger said.
"If someone is impersonating him," Cloak said, "he merely wishes to clear his name."
"So how exactly do we get there?" Nico asked.
"I'm not sure the Leapfrog can handle cross-country," Chase said, jabbing a thumb at a large device resembling a mechanical frog.
"I can provide transportation," Cloak offered.
"Thank you, but I already have something in mind," Dracula said, removing a bottle of powder from his cloak. "I had an old friend of mine make this dust. It can take us to New York instantly."
"Eh, beats flying America West," Gert said.
****
I didn't want Cloak to bring the Runaways to New York, so I had Dracula get his magic bottle of dust. Just to clear things up if anyone's wondering.