(Some of the things in this chapter I completely came up with, I don't believe these are actual 'things')
Plasma57: thank you
Ilikehats2: thanks
Songbird73: I'm just trying to do the best I can
Chapter 29: A Dead Man's Tale
(In Avengers' Tower)
Everyone was speechless, they didn't expect to hear what Hannibal revealed about the man in the first memory the group witnessed. Everyone present saw that all the color had drained from the Nighstalker's face. Blade was most confused by this. He thought he had met every Nightstalker before. Hannibal hadn't mentioned this unknown man before. This put a new kink in the chain, and everyone present wanted to know who that guy is.
"Who is that guy?" A-Bomb asked. "How do you know him?" Iron Spider said. "And what do you mean: he's dead?" Ant-Man asked.
Hannibal snapped out of his state of mind. But his eyes still showed signs of worry. But he started to explain.
"He uh… He and I were partners originally in killing vampires. We met during one of my hunts. I was after some vamp, a nasty one. The guy was one of his next victims. After I killed that vamp, he wanted to join me. I was reluctant at first, but I agreed. After doing the gig for some time, I realized I needed help." Hannibal said. "What's his name?" Widow asked. "I don't know… We didn't reveal each others' names incase people went hunting for us. We came up with 'codenames'. I was called Silver Shot, he chose the name, The Ripper." Hannibal answered.
Some present shuddered at the name, thinking of what the man would do. Others weren't so… shocked. Fury was unimpressed, but he and the others needed to know more.
"Why did he call himself that?" Fury asked. "I asked him the same thing… He told me he'd show me why on our next hunt. After finding another vamp… Ripper proceeded to gut the vamp when we immobilized it. He took his time, savoring the moments of cutting the vamp apart. I didn't know what to think, but I didn't mind it since it was a vampire." Hannibal said.
White Tiger snarled at him, horrified that the man didn't care because the victim was another species. Hannibal was a little unnerved, but returned to his memories of the Ripper.
"Over the next few years we fought and killed a countless number of vampires. But as time went by, the more vamps died… the more I thought they'd come looking for us… But Ripper assured me we'd be ok. Strange enough, we were. There weren't any signs of vamps tracking us. I was at first overjoyed, that we were winning our war with vampires." Hannibal said. "War?" Cap said, an unamused look on his face. "… But I eventually started questioning how we were able to stay clear of vampires before hunting them." Hannibal said.
Blade was surprised. In his years of killing vampires, he'd face those who were able to track him. Those were vampires who would be called in human terms: contract-killers. Those vamps were savage and brutal fighters. Some battles were more costly than others, sometimes leaving him with a broken arm or leg and a lot of scars. But hearing Hannibal and Ripper evaded vampires with great success piqued his interest even more.
"How were you able to evade them for so long?..." Blade asked. "I eventually saw Ripper pull out this strange looking trinket from his coat. He did something, some kind of incantation. When he saw what I witnessed he explained he found this years ago." Hannibal said. "And this didn't… make you wonder?" Falcon asked. "It did for a little bit, but he revealed the day we met he was actually pretending to be a victim of that killer vamp. He was just waiting for the right moment to kill it. I was aggravated at first for him not telling me, but I calmed down. But something… strange started happening." Hannibal said. "What? What happened?" Coulson asked.
Hannibal rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how the next part would affect everyone present.
"When we tracking vamps to one of their… hideouts… We found a building full of them… But not your normal vampires… These were pure-bloods, born from two vampire parents. We heard one of them talking about the next generation that was downstairs. We thought they were experimenting on other vamps, using science to make stronger vamps. After killing all those present on the ground level and upper floors, we headed downstairs…." Hannibal said. "What? What did you find?" Fury asked.
Hannibal sighed.
"It turned out there weren't some super vampires in test tubes in a secret lab… They were actually children... Literal vampire children. They all looked anywhere from 4 to 6 years old. I could tell they were actual children because they were awkward about using their abilities. At first I didn't know what to think… But what I ever planned to do didn't come to pass…. Ripper just killed them all. The kids screamed for help… Apparently many of their parents were in the same building." Hannibal revealed.
Everyone's faces had looks of horror and disgust on them. A few were furious.
"And you just stood there?" Cap hissed. "You let him kill a bunch of kids!" Hulk snarled. "I didn't know what to say… He reasoned with me those 'kids' would become the things we hunted. So I went along with it." Hannibal said. "You… you sick…" White Tiger growled, her anger boiling. "But that wasn't the worst part…" Hannibal said. "What could possibly be worse?!" Werewolf by Night bellowed, a savage growl thick in his already furious voice.
The others looked at the Nightstalker with furious expressions.
"After a little time… More of his beliefs on vampire hunting surfaced. After killing a vamp in its lair we found prisoners. People who'd been strung up for feeding time…. As I was about to release them… Ripper killed them…. I was horrified that he killed them… Ripper said that they could've been turned and that we couldn't allow any more vamps to roam free." Hannibal said.
Werewolf by Night grabbed Hannibal by his throat and held him against a wall. He readied his free 'paw' to strike the man. The other Nightstalkers were about to rush to Hannibal's aid, but some of the heroes blocked their path. White Tiger walked up to stand beside Jack, who growled with anger at Hannibal.
"What else?" Tiger hissed. "Eventually I got tired of his methods and said we should split ways. But he begged me not to, that he'd change his ways… I gave him a second chance…" Hannibal coughed.
Werewolf by Night tightened his hold on the man's throat, not happy with the man's sentence.
"How'd he… die?" Fury asked as he came to stand beside Tiger and Jack. "On a hunt, we tracked some vamps to an abandoned warehouse. We found nothing, and when I exited the building… It exploded… I saw Ripper still inside… Before I could run in to help, the fire had already spread through the exits before the explosion occurred. The last thing I saw was Ripper standing there before the fire blocked my vision of him… Please… let me go…" Hannibal hacked.
Jack looked at Fury, who nodded at the lycan. Werewolf by Night looked back at the Nightstalker and growled right in his face, before letting him go. Hannibal dropped to the ground, he grabbed his throat. The man let out a terrible bit of coughing and hacking.
"When this is all over… I'm putting you and your group under arrest. I'll let Blade put you in cuffs. Understood Blade?" Fury said.
The Nightstalkers looked at him, with hope in their eyes. Blade was horrified at what Hannibal revealed. While he killed vampires, he couldn't fathom the thought of killing a human. He was most angry. So he nodded at the Director of SHIELD.
"B-Blade?!" Hannibal gasped. "Sorry… but you don't deserve freedom after the mission is complete. There's no telling what you haven't told me, King. And that goes for the rest of you." Blade snarled in response. "But... why?" One of the Nightstalkers started to say, but Fury interjected by remarking, "Why keep you on mission?... We need the bodies." Fury said, before walking off.
The Nightstalkers were shocked, but admitted defeat. They didn't have much hope for freedom in these circumstances.
"So that's a dead man's tale huh?" Iron Man said. "Indeed, but apparently this dead man... isn't dead." Widow growled.
To be continued…