[06th April 2011]

[Bay Central Hospital, Downtown, Brockton Bay, United States of America, Earth Bet]

Horror movie lights going out one after another cliché aside, I felt the dark power manifest in the air, a creeping malice advancing with its friend the darkness...

'Ah, temperature drop as well...someone is far more skilled that we thought' I thought with growing concern, as I felt another chill, somehow separate from the actual drop of a degree or two. It happened fast, faster than I expected in truth as the room was thrust into an odd darkness, a shadowy, inky, gloom that almost sucked the brightness out of the world in a flash. More worryingly the other end of the conversation going on beside me between 'Detective' West and our watcher Dragon cut out, though the equipment still continued to function at least.

I waited a few seconds as the Detective, and then the suddenly very nervous looking disguised local villain, and strode out the open door to the large glass windows out onto the courtyard. Or it should have at least it should have, unto an evening sun, or sunset I decided with a glance at my watch, but instead it was just...blackness, a mirror darkly not even giving off my reflection. Or Jade's I found with a glance, though there was a crude, twisted, reflection of the furniture and walls around us. I forced myself calm, taking in a breath, hearing screams and shouting upstairs, then letting it out as the now freaked out 'Tara' came forward, 'Detective' West behind her fiddling with a phone now.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea" I replied to Jade's question, calm sound, but too calm as I touched the window, pulling my hand back from the...chill?...on it "But I'm reasonably sure it's not good. Detective, the line outside is dead I'm guessing from your look?"

'Tara' answered for him, voice controlled but she was freaking, sort of like I was inside "No he can't, he doesn't know...and you're very concerned...that's not good..." she glared at 'Detective' West a moment "...don't be ridiculous, Grue is across the city, you know this already!"

I glanced at them, at Jade, in direction of the sounds of general panic and attempts of staff to calm people down most likely, then at nearby fire extinguisher on the wall "Permission to try breaking this window Detective? I've..."

'Tara' whirled on me, eyes widening "You...you're worried about property damage when you think we're all about to die! Really?"

"Go ahead"

I nodded at the man, grabbing the fire extinguisher and moving towards the window in a swift motion as I replied "No, I'm hoping I'm wrong, and this isn't necessary..."

Fhuwmp!

"...feckin' piece of feckin shite" I snarled as even with my magically enhanced strength...my blow bounced off the 'window' the moment it impacted. That was bad, potentially very bad I thought as I recoiled with the energy shoved back, staggering back a step and throwing down the fire extinguisher in angry "Dammit, ok, ok...officially not good"

Time to check other things I told myself straightening, calming, and looking up the dark hallway, before striding forward "Okay, new plan...fixed phone hard lines, check exit, grab local supergirl and healer, make good plan there and then"

"Sounds good to me Boss" Jade replied coming in behind me, hand inside her jacket on a gun; followed swiftly by the other two locals as I hoped I was wrong about the potential dimensional fuckery going on here. Because if I was...then I'd, for a start, have to break out my dimensional phone, something that was very, very, secret for one, and it meant pocket dimensions and very dark blood magic on the seriously high-end of sorcery. Nor did it indicate good things about what came next, or what the hell I'd blundered into this situation...like a friggin idiot at that.

"Hmmm?" I asked no-one as lights flickered back on, then off, then on again...

"Endbringer protocols with the generators, some must have hit the alarm..." the 'Detective' supplied as the lights flicker on at a dull florescence from bulbs in the centre of each of the rectangular lights on the ceiling, a very soft humming coming off them as cockroaches scurried out from under the lights "...at least the lights are back on. Now, What. Is. Happening?"

"I don't know, something very bad, which is why we need to gather forces right now, before whatever stage two of the enemy defensive plan is...sorry Ma'am, calm, be calm, PRT, we're getting to the bottom of what's happening..." I replied to 'Detective' West as we came through the doors into the panicking hospital patients and staff, so I put on my best 'official' face, and motioned with hands for everyone to calm down, then gesturing at a nearby doctor and nurse "You, and You! Stop running about and get these patients calmed down and ready to evacuate! Follow your procedures folks, Gods sakes, you've been trained for this people!"

"Who are...what..." came back and I brought a hand into my pocket, still moving forward, and flashed my SHIELD credentials, though they were worthless here, while gesticulating with my other hand. The lights coming back on, albeit clearly effected by this 'gloom' effect as everything seemed...almost black and white coloured, sepia-toned maybe, and draining of brightness. Still it was calming some people, and my words seem to get a few people into doing whatever they'd been trained to do in an emergency, and I ploughed on, seeing the windows here were the same inky black gloom beyond.

"Official business, I need everyone to their jobs and not panicking, we have a situation on hand...now, I need hospital security on the line!" I commanded, stalking forward towards this floors administration desk, waving my useless credentials around at the startled nurse, a woman in her thirties with a shimmering aura of life and fear around her I saw through my glasses "Now!"

"I...I'm, I'm, so-so-sorry! We can't reach the security room downstairs!" the woman gasped back, though she, almost automatically, dialled the phone in front of her and held it up to me and the others "See! No one's answering Officer..."

"HEY! PRT GUYS!" loud, belligerent sounding voice, demanded as...I growled as a Charm spell, or something similar, pressed at my mental defences as a blonde girl in white, gold trimmed, clothes and white cloak floated towards me, another girl in white behind her "What's going on? Is it an attack? Who do I need to punch?"

"Firstly, stop whatever you're doing with your powers..." I replied...calmly, eyes continuing to watch, waiting for the axe to fall as she hovered right into my face doing that looking down at mere mortal things despite being shorter than me, as I turned me gaze on the other white clothed girl "...and secondly, Panacea, right?"

"Yes I'm..." came back the whispery mumble, before Power Girl or whatever her name was, planted her hands on her hips, glaring at me and the others...

"Hey mister, I asked you a question..."

"And I'm busy, get in line and help calm down those people over there, look heroic and stuff..." I snapped back taking the phone off the nurse and then dialling lines out of the building based on the phone book in front of me "...we have a crisis to handle, so stay...fecking, hell, no dial tone out...Bethany?"

The nurse whose name I read off the name tag shook her head frantically in the negative, so I reached out with my hand and patted her arm, the other offering back the phone "Now Bethany I need you to keep trying the outside lines and the security desk for me, after you ring the other floors to see if everything is okay. Do you understand?"

"Yes...yes, of course..." came back from the woman and I nodded, turning away, looking around before I reached into my jacket and pulled a phone out of a 'pocket' within leading to a personal dimension. Options were limited and the very air reeked of dark power now; I was going to get an earful for this, but it was essential we get in contact with the outside "... if you'd excuse me"

Fingers moved over the smartphone's keys, moments later starting to dial as the annoying girl, 'Tara', gave me a startled look as I brought to my ear and a voice came on the other end "Jason, we have a problem"

"Hmm, indeed, all communications just ended with the hospital you were in, and myself and Mr. Crane have been bundled into secure room. You are using your powers to contact me I assume?"

"Magic smartphone, rings across dimensions, Director Waller knows about it..." I replied calmly feeling a prickling at the back of my neck as I knew dark things were about as the light just stayed dim and gloomy. Thankfully 'Detective' West was calm, waving off the flying girl, even getting her to stand like a normal person in a building with reasonable height ceilings "...right I've some sort of...I don't know, Darkness Effect? Dimensional fuckery? But when I look out the windows, which we can't break open by the way, it's just darkness, and there's a...lot of dark energy in the air and..."

I froze, eyes catching sight of a threat striding up the hallway distant "...I'm going to pass you over to a local Jason, get the Dragon person on the line, or someone else. We have hostiles incoming..."

I shoved the phone into 'Tara's' hands, my free hand reaching into my jack and pulling out a pistol, stepping forward in an easy manner as someone screamed in fear "You, coordinate and relay information, I'll summon that phone if I need it. Two hostiles sighted directly up the hallway, I need someone to get patients and staff out of the way! Everybody, please evacuate this area, Police business! Police! Out of the Way! Police!"

Jade had drawn her weapon as well, as had 'Detective' West who was trying to say something to me as I felt the fear fill the room, though it was a Gotham-like reaction as people simply started to GET OUT OF THE WAY rather than stand around screaming or sobbing. Good survival instincts really I thought coming forward, gripping the pistol two-handed as I aimed at the approaching undead "Down on your knees! Police! Get Down, hands behind your head!"

Somewhat silly to say, and the lead vampire, an attractive young woman with long blonde hair, sneered, fangs showing and a fear aura kicking in as the male vampire just behind her threw his head back and laughed as they advanced on me. I waited a moment, silently casting improved haste on myself, letting out a breath to centre myself as the woman made to do a lunge...

Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.

...and walked into two alchemically and magically enhanced bullets. One shot to the face, another to the hearts, causing her to shriek in absolute agony before been flung backwards; she'd expected regular, useless, bullets and the police shtick had slowed reactions. Slowed the male as well, the first bullet catching him in the shoulder as he moved unnaturally fast...

Then misting before the second bullet caught him, but I got him with the sixth shoot as the two creatures retreated as the crowd behind me fled away from the coming battle. They were coming from the lower levels part of my mind helpfully supplied, probably from that Emergency Shelter, or the underground car-park, and it was somewhat of a concern my bullets hadn't killed the woman vampire outright. It should have killed weak undead, which indicated...bad things as I emptied the clip with carefully aimed shots that managed to clip the clearly injured duo four more times before reloading to stronger ammo...

"More coming, other way, up the stairs..." Jade informed me, gesturing to the left at the other end of the administration-reception area as I reloaded "...doors slamming open on the floor-cams, nobody there"

"Right, here..." I tossed her my pistol and some clips of my precious anti-undead, then reached into my Magic Murder Bag, opening it and pulling out a shotgun and another pistol, then pressing the pistol into 'Detective' West's hands as I watched 'Glory Girl'...yeah, that was the name...apparently ripping the big heavy desk off the floor for some reason as...

...were those cockroaches making a symbol on the wall?

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