Chronicles of the Night
When we last left off, everything plummeted to the bottom. Jane's real power is the absorbing of energy from people with her lips, granting her strength and resistance at the cost of that person's life. Night-claw, upon hearing her confess that she did this to all of those who ever abandoned her, is now left with no choice but to fight her.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel comic elements present in this story, I do own the characters and plot.
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Heartbreak pt. 2
Night-claw and Jane maintained fighting poses as they circled around the warehouse, Jane's eyes drying up having finished crying, and Night-claw's eyes only now watering up. "Why Jane?"
"I told you… because they abandoned me. Just like you are." Jane said, with a cold voice devoid of anything Night-claw ever heard her sound like before. It was almost like the Jane he knew never existed.
"Jane… but was killing them really the right thing to do?" Night-claw asked.
"They left me all alone… alone, frightened, unable to reach out to anyone. And anyone I did reach out to just put me through it all over again. I grew tired of feeling that pain." Jane said coldly.
"Jane… it… it wouldn't have to end like this…"
"You're right… it didn't have to… but you chose to abandon me too." Jane said.
"I'm sorry." Night-claw said.
"That isn't going to do anything anymore!" Jane jumped forward. Night-claw rolled under her as she sailed overhead. The moment Jane landed, Felix flipped back towards her ready to kick her from behind, however she raised her arm to block his kick and he flipped back off of her arm.
"…" Night-claw looked at her. "She's weakened since we first met… I could probably hurt her… but… oh damn it all…" Night-claw thought, letting his head sink low. Jane ran at him with a fist drawn back ready to punch him. "DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!!" Night-claw shouted.
"!!!" Jane was caught off-guard as Night-claw back-flipped only a small distance and landed on his hands on the top of her head, causing her to lose her balance. Night-claw was then behind her ready to deliver a roundhouse kick to her spine. "RAH!" Jane wheeled around and caught the kick and sent him flying across the warehouse.
"Hmph…" Night-claw flipped through the air and landed against the wall with ease. He jumped off of it with his claws revealed, lunging at her. Jane threw a fist forward that Night-claw dodged close-quarters and scratched at her face and stomach. Both claws left visibly red, but not bleeding cuts on her skin.
"Ha!" Jane threw a kick that Night-claw dodged. He countered with a few punches that Jane took easily. He flipped over top of her as she threw a punch, delivering a kick to the back of her head as he did so. He landed and was immediately forced in to dodging a series of punches and kicks. Night-claw weaved to the side to avoid a punch that hit a metal beam behind him and caused it to bend well out of shape.
"Ha!" Night-claw went for the joint behind the knee, but it had little effect on her, and she retaliated with a simple kick to Night-claw's chest that sent him soaring a small distance where he landed on all fours, skidding to a halt. "Ugh…" Night-claw spit out a small bit of blood and looked at her. "Jane… please let's stop this…"
"SHUT UP!!!" Jane shouted angrily. "Can you imagine what it's like to live through life without ever being able to kiss someone? Not your parents, not your boyfriend, grandparents, or anyone for that matter?!"
"Jane…" Night-claw said, standing up erect.
"Such a little thing, but I can't ever have it! While anyone else in the world can enjoy it! Kissing each other as long as they want to. It's not fair! And it's only worse when they leave you behind because of it! YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!!" Jane shouted. She slammed a foot down, causing large unsightly cracks where her foot landed.
"Jane… please…" Night-claw begged.
"It's too late for words Night-claw… the Jane that believed she loved you is gone now." Jane said. She dashed forward for Night-claw again while Night-claw did the same, tears trailing from his eyes. Night-claw ducked under a kick and thrust his foot at her stomach. Jane caught his foot and swung him over her head to slam him in to the ground.
"Sorry." Night-claw said sadly. He landed on his hands, barely stopping his head from hitting the ground, and thrust his free foot in to her stomach before springing off of his foot and hitting her in the chest, causing her to stumble back a bit.
"Ah!" She gasped. Jane glared at him fiercely, and the next instance he was close to her she landed a solid punch to his cheek.
"GAH!!!" He cried, he ignored the intense pain in his cheek, ducked the next punch, and jumped the next kick, retaliating with his own kick. Jane took the kick and threw a punch that would have struck him square in the forehead had he not ducked it, grabbed her arm, and then used the momentum from her own punch to toss her over his head.
"Oof." Jane landed roughly and turned around to find Night-claw ready to kick her.
"…" Night-claw paused, standing on one leg with the other poised to kick and watched as she stood up. "Damn it." He said under his breath. Jane jumped at him with her hands clasped together, ready to bash Night-claw over the head. Night-claw jumped back and avoided the potentially lethal slam as it instead left numerous cracks in the ground.
"…" Jane caught her breath and looked at Night-claw.
"Jane… don't make me do this. I don't want to hurt you. Don't the last several times we've spent together mean anything? I still care about you damn it!!!" Night-claw shouted, pulling off his mask and letting it hand around his neck, showing the purple bruise on his cheek.
"…" Jane looked at Felix. She stared at him coldly and then said, "I don't care anymore."
"…" These words were like a bullet that had pierced him in the chest. Felix stood there, numb with the pain of these words. Felix didn't cry out, but he still did nothing to stop his tears from falling freely. "You… you really are long gone… I'm… sorry I hurt you…" He uttered out, using all of his effort to keep from wailing.
"I told you already that words won't matter. I'm done with talking Felix." Jane said. Jane ran at Night-claw yet again with a fist drawn back. Night-claw dodged the punch half-heartedly, and he continued to do so with each subsequent punch she threw. "HAH!!!" She lunged in to tackle him, but Felix was faster.
"RAH!!!" Felix ducked her under her stomach, and then jumped up with all of his force.
"AH!!!" She went sailing pretty high in to the air, Felix jumping right after her. As Jane fell, Felix also fell to the ground, and the moment she landed on her back, Felix landed over her, pinning her to the ground. "…" She looked in his angry and hurt eyes as he drew his fist back, aiming for her face.
"…" Felix continued to hold his fist behind his head, staring her in the eyes, ready to put his all in to that fist, a fist that was strong enough to kill a normal human being if he put all of his force in to it. However he couldn't bring his fist forward, no matter how much he wanted to throw it at her face, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"…" Jane watched in shock and awe as Felix lowered his fist in shame and just stayed in that position, panting and breathing and letting his tears fall. Jane then got an angry look in her face, she pushed upward and head butt Felix in the forehead with incredible force.
"AUGH!!!" Felix shouted, she then back handed him in the chest and sent him sprawling across the warehouse floor. Jane then walked over and looked at Felix, his crown bleeding, and the wind knocked out of him.
"Now I want to see… just how much energy you'll give me." Jane said. She rolled him over on to his back, and hoisted his head closer to her lips.
"Whatever you're doing… stop it right now." Came a voice that was assertive, yet trying to keep calm.
"How… did you know we'd be here?" Jane asked Night-roller coldly.
"Night-claw flicked on his radio, that gave me the hint to trace his signal to here. Why Jane? Why do this to him?" Night-roller asked.
"He's done me wrong… and now he'll pay for it." Jane said, still hanging over Felix's semi-conscious body.
"What has he done to you? Felix isn't perfect… but he's a good man. He's helped Lisa in many ways even if he doesn't realize it himself." Night-roller said. "He's also been a great friend to me, someone who at least tries to do the best he can for others."
"No… he's abandoned me… and now…" Jane's lips made contact with Felix's own.
"!!!" Felix's body began twitching and convulsing violently as her lips kept contact with hers.
"STOP!!!" Night-roller charged and knocked her away with a swipe of his hand, knocking her away pretty violently. "Felix!"
"Ah… ah…" Felix gasped for breath.
"Amazing…"
"Hm?" Night-roller looked at Jane.
"I only kissed him for a short moment… and I've already gained… an incredible amount of energy from him… so this is what it's like to absorb energy from a super human…" Jane said. She stood up, and to Night-roller's shock, the part of her face that he hit was barely even pink.
"No way…" Night-roller said.
"I want more energy from him…" Jane whispered.
"Over my dead body…" Night-roller said.
"We'll see if I can make that happen." Night-roller rushed up to her with fists drawn back. The first punch he threw, she caught easily, as if he only threw a very light jab. Night-roller then caught a punch aimed at his gut. The two struggled against each other for a brief moment when Night-roller suddenly skated backwards and caused her to fall forward.
"Three fingers." Night-roller aimed both of his hands at her, putting together three fingers on both of them, he then fired fairly large bursts of energy at Jane. Jane however took the blasts as if they were nothing, simply charging forward. Night-roller avoided a punch aimed at his head, and then gut-punched her as hard as he could.
"Omph!" She only grunted slightly in pain from this punch, and then received a left hook to the cheek.
"She's taking my punches with barely a problem." Night-roller thought, skating backwards to avoid a retaliatory kick. "I don't like this but…" Night-roller put together all five fingers on his right hand gloves. "Five fingered blast!" A massive ball of energy flew forward, tearing up the floor as it flew.
"AH!" Jane gasped.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM
That large burst of energy blew through the wall of the warehouse and continued out to sea, sending up a large spray of water as it flew.
"I… missed." Night-roller said. "Wha? Where'd she… NO!!!"
"MMMMM!!!" Felix groaned loudly as Jane continued to kiss his lips, absorbing more energy from him. Night-roller dashed over, grabbed Jane and hurled her with all of his strength in to the metal beam she bent earlier, causing the beam to snap. "J…j…" Felix gasped.
"Don't talk." Night-roller told him.
"Hm hm hm hm hm hm…"
"What?" Night-roller wheeled around and saw Jane standing up, looking no more hurt than before she was thrown in to the beam. "No way…"
"I don't think even you could hurt me at this point." Jane said with a smile.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Night-roller zoomed forward as fast as he could from a stopping position with his fist drawn back.
"HA!!!" Jane punched him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards, his force-field flickering briefly.
"AAAAAHHH!!! OOF!" Night-roller went sailing over Night-claw, his helmet flashing.
"Force field down. Force field down. WARNING WARNING!!!"
"With… just one punch…" Night-roller thought.
"You know… you yourself might not be superhuman… but I bet you'll still give me a good bit of energy." Jane said with a smile, looking at Night-roller. "First…" Jane said, walking towards Felix, gasping for air, and too weak to move.
"Jane…"
"Hm?"
"How could you… how could you hurt him like that?" Night-princess stood at the entrance to the warehouse, looking at the scene before her, looking at Felix in so much pain. She stood there, trembling, not believing any of this at first.
"Oh… Lisa. Can't say I expected you." Jane said, standing up.
"Why? You said… you said you'd be good to him? Was that a lie?" Night-princess asked.
"It wasn't meant to be a lie… but in the end, he did me wrong, and he'll pay." Jane said coldly.
"What? Felix wouldn't do that…"
"He did… and he'll give me energy… that's that." Jane said.
"Listen!" Night-princess yelled angrily. "He's already lost enough! He lost his friends and family… he feels like he's done terrible things to me when it wasn't his fault… he's been through enough of this! Don't you get it!?" Night-princess yelled, her voice growing softer.
"…" Jane walked closer to Night-princess and looked at her, after they weren't more than six feet away, Jane uttered. "I don't care anymore."
"…" Night-princess looked at Jane. Maybe if it were a few days after she was bitten, she wouldn't have let this anger her too much. But here and now, these words made her furious. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!!!" Night-princess lunged at Jane and kicked her in the stomach, doing absolutely nothing to her.
"RAH!" Jane backhanded Night-princess and sent her shades flying off. Night-princess' blue eyes winced in pain as she felt the powerful blow strike her across the face. Jane then picked Night-princess up by the throat. "You know… I bet you'll give me plenty of energy as well." No matter how much Night-princess struggled, she couldn't break out of Jane's grip as Jane brought her lips closer and closer.
"…" Night-princess closed her eyes and felt Jane's lips press against her forehead.
"Hm?" Jane withdrew her lips immediately and looked at Night-princess with frustrated bewilderment. Jane tried kissing her again, and then tried another time. "What? Why am I not getting anything from you? Y… you should be having the life drained out of you."
"You… you can't take life from me…" Night-princess whispered.
"Hm?"
"Because I'm already dead." Night-princess whispered as her body dissolved in to a swarm of bats.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Jane shrieked. The bats fluttered around her wildly, swooping in and out and all around her. "STOP!!! STOP STOP STOP STOP!!!" Jane shrieked fearfully. The bats all came together and formed Night-princess' body again, her eyes purple in color now. "Ah… ah…" Jane caught her breath, looking fearfully at Night-princess. "What are you?"
"I'm…" Night-princess swallowed. "I am a vampire." Night-princess whispered. Her eyes glowed orange and red once more, and the shadows of bats fluttered out from her own shadow, forming several vampire bats, all of them swooping in towards Jane.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Jane shrieked once more. The bats swooped in around her more as Night-princess walked forward, with an uncharacteristically cold look in her eyes. "NO!!! STAY AWAY!!!" Jane shouted fearfully, making a futile effort to swat the bats away from her.
"You hurt the only two people left that I care about…" Night-princess said, clutching her fists and walking slowly towards Jane with a menacing look in her now light purple eyes.
"Night-princess…" Night-roller groaned.
"…" Night-claw looked at Night-princess, seeing her like he never imagined seeing her.
"You've nearly taken away my best friends… the ones who've made so much difference to me and helped me…" Night-princess said, her voice growing every more fierce.
"Please… get them away… get them away…" Jane whimpered, now on her knees. She couldn't get the fluttering of their wings out of her head, nor the sound of their squeaking or silhouettes. "Please stop…" Jane begged, too terrified to scream.
"How could you? HOW COULD YOU!?!" Night-princess yelled angrily, demanding an answer.
"Please… I'm scared… please make them go away…" Jane whimpered, unable to fight back those tears of fright.
"I don't care anymore." Night-princess whispered, echoing Jane. She looked Jane in the eyes as her eyes glowed red and orange, and her orange pupils growing cloudy and swirling.
"…" Jane couldn't remove her gaze away from Night-princess', and she felt compelled to obey when Night-princess said.
"Don't move…" Night-princess flipped Jane's head and was behind her back, her eyes now red as she bared her fangs. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Night-princess then bit down on Jane's neck, however her fangs could not get through her skin, but Night-princess kept trying to bite down nonetheless, now tightly gripping Jane with her hands as she kept trying to bite through.
"AH!" Jane snapped to her senses. "Get… off of me!!!" Jane shouted. "AH!" However before she could pull Night-princess off of her, a bat swooped in and startled her. "AAAAHHH!!!" Jane's screams still pierced the air as Night-princess held on and the bats swooped in. Jane tried to slam Night-princess in to a wall or metal beam, anything to shake her off and make the bats go away.
"…" Night-princess fought the intense pain she felt whenever she was slammed against the wall. She clung tightly and kept trying to bite harder and harder. Night-princess no longer cared how much she hated being a vampire, she no longer cared that she was resorting to this, all that mattered was getting rid of the one who hurt her friends as she did.
"Please stop… stop…" Jane begged. Her life of loneliness, betrayal, payback, and murder was flashing before her eyes. She was afraid, she was afraid of dying.
"Hrrrrrrrrrrrrr…" Night-princess groaned as she kept trying to bite in to Jane's neck, her fangs would not give, though her mouth bled slightly.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!" Jane shrieked.
Night-claw and Night-roller could do nothing but watch the horrors Night-princess was subjugating Jane to. Night-roller could barely move, and Night-claw couldn't even move.
"AH!" Jane squealed. Night-princess' fangs finally pierced through her skin. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh…" Jane could not do anything now, her eyes grew pale, looking at the sky in bewilderment as the bats still circled her, albeit with some horrific elegance. Night-princess continued to drink Jane's blood, swallowing it down and letting it run down her throat. "I… can't… die… alone…" Jane gasped. After several minutes, Night-princess removed her bloodstained fangs and mouth from Jane's neck, and let her fall to the ground.
"…" Night-princess trembled as she looked at this with her blue eyes. Only a few drops of blood trickled from the holes in Jane's neck. Her vampire bats disappeared in puff of smoke, and Night-princess looked at her two teammates, tears streaming down her face.
"Night-princess…" Night-roller gasped out in pain.
"I… I'M SORRY!!!" Night-princess cried, burying her eyes in her hands as her body dissolved in to bats before flying away in to the night.
The next day…
It was a very cloudy and rainy day, Joseph sat on the couch of the living room by himself, burying his face in to the palm of his right hand. His left hand was holding the phone he just used to call Mr. Cole and tell him not to come today. He listened to the news on the TV.
"Today, High Roller has cancelled a small concert he was to perform tonight at…" There was some slight static at this part. "… reports say it is because his adoptive daughter, Lisa Braveheart, has been in an unreported incident and wanted to be there to support her. In other news…"
RING
"Hello?" Joseph answered the phone sadly.
"Joseph, what did happen with Lisa?" Mr. Roberts asked from the other end.
"Her and Felix… well… they both got badly hurt last night… I just feel like…" Joseph started to say.
"Joseph don't let it get to you… they'll be alright. I support your decision to cancel the concert… just… don't let it get to you okay?" Mr. Roberts said in a calming tone of voice.
"Yeah… okay." Joseph answered sadly.
"Was it something with Felix's girlfriend?" Mr. Robert's asked.
"… bye Mr. Roberts." Joseph said before hanging up abruptly.
Meanwhile…
"…" Mr. Roberts looked at his phone for a moment before dialing a number. After a small conversation with someone else, the one he wanted on the other end finally answered. "Yeah, General Fury. I have reason to believe that the latest person besides Joseph and Lisa that associated with Dr. Thomas has died."
"What reason?" General Fury asked on the other end.
"There was no answer when I asked if it had something to do with her. What do you make of it General?" Mr. Roberts asked.
"…" There was a bit of silence on the other end before Fury spoke up. "Try and keep a closer eye on all of them." Fury instructed.
"Understood sir." Mr. Roberts said before Fury hung up on the other end.
Meanwhile…
"God… if only I could have stopped her sooner… it wouldn't have come to this." Joseph said, the TV was turned off, and he was clearly hitting himself hard for all of this.
"Joseph…"
"Felix… you sure you're okay to be moving?" Joseph asked Felix, who was hobbling towards the couch, wearing only a light T-shirt and loose pants.
"Yeah… most of my energy is back… I'll be able to move perfectly in another day." Felix said a little sadly. "…"
"…"
Neither one of them said anything for a minute; they only occasionally passed glances at each other, wondering what they'd say to each other. "How is she?" Felix asked.
"Lisa… she's… still crying." Joseph said. "That's… the first time she's ever… you know…"
"Did it willingly… I know…" Felix said sadly.
"I talked to her… and… she opened up a bit but I just… wasn't much help at all." Joseph said, feeling as though someone had just gut-punched his self-esteem, bringing him down even more.
"Joseph… you did the best you could. I… it's time I did something." Felix said. He weakly stood up and slowly walked to the stairs.
A minute later…
"How could I… how could I…" Lisa cried in her room. She was in a blue nightgown, sobbing in to her pillow when she heard a knock on her door. "Please… please leave me alone…" Lisa cried.
"Lisa… please I want to talk." Felix said from the other side of the door.
"…" Lisa continued to cry, but she still thought about it for a minute. "Okay…" She whispered. If not for Felix's superhuman hearing, he would not have heard the signal to come in.
"Lisa…"
"Felix… I'm so sorry…" Lisa cried.
"Lisa, don't apologize. You saved my life after all and…" Felix began to say.
"But I killed her Felix… I killed her with these fangs… just like anyone else with this curse would… just like them…" Lisa cried. "And… and she… she meant so much to you…"
"Lisa…" Felix tried to interrupt, even though he could feel tears welling up in his eyes too.
"But… seeing you lying there… dying I couldn't just stand there and… oh Felix I'm so sorry…"
"…"
"She… she made you so happy… and I killed her… I'm so sorry…" Lisa cried.
"Lisa… come here." Felix grabbed Lisa's shoulder and gently pulled her off of her pillow. "Yes… she did mean something to me… but I wouldn't…"
"…" Lisa continued to whimper as he talked to her, but still she remained attentive.
"I couldn't trade you guys for her… I just couldn't…" Felix said.
"Oh… oh Felix!" Lisa buried her face on to Felix's shoulder and continued to cry.
"…" Felix looked at her sadly, one or two tears falling down his cheeks as well. "My… my mother always said that you shouldn't cry too often, it was okay to be sad but to try and hide your tears… but Lisa… just cry… I'll be here for you." Felix said, gently putting his arms around her as she cried in to his shoulder.
"Felix… you and Joseph… you'll be here for me won't you?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah… you bet we will." Felix said, holding her close and letting her cry all she needed to.
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Well guys… this ends the Love and War story arc. Leave your comments behind for me.
