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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:36:14 GMT -5
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:36:45 GMT -5
Titans Resistance [/b] Issue #14: “Cult of Blood” part 3 Written by: Jay McIntyre Cover by: Jina B Edited by: Brian Burchette[/center]
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:37:12 GMT -5
“Vampirism presents us with a bodily double that we can neither make sense of nor recognize as our own.”
Joan Copjec
"We shall live even in this state of living death, we shall love, we shall feel, we shall defy all who would judge and destroy us.”
Anne Rice
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:37:42 GMT -5
The boy had had such promise.
He had seemed an ideal choice, both Bruce and Dick had agreed; he lost his parents young to violence. He was clever, and motivated, and understood what they had to teach him.
But his parents had not been killed by ordinary criminals, or indeed any human agency. Those murderers had not been precisely human.....or precisely alive.
Jason had not wanted to learn how to fight crime. He had wanted to learn how to kill vampires. Natural crime, even Markovian imperialism, was not his concern. The supernatural, things that went bump in the night, vampires and their kin; these were the ones that haunted his thoughts.
He learned what they had to teach him, willingly, eagerly. The criminology they had to teach him did help with his own agenda. But the day came when he had to move on.
It was not that either of them begrudged him his choice. For Dick’s part, he felt that Jason didn’t understand where the greater threat lay; Bruce was more concerned about their identities being exposed. But Jason merely smiled his humorless sad smile, shook his head, and reassured them as best he could.
Then he was gone.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:38:18 GMT -5
Now, Jason and Robin stood staring at each other.
“Do I have to call you Robin?” Jason asked at length.
“Timothy. My name is Timothy.”
Jason nodded. “So, Dick took over the franchise, eh?”
“Bruce remains in an advisory capacity.”
“Of course he does.”
They remained tense for a long moment.
“Why don’t you introduce me to your crew, then....”
Robin led his erstwhile predecessor around, introducing the members one by one. He came to Terra at the last. “.....and last but not least is the ‘inside woman’. She is called Terra. Yes, she is a Markovian. Please don’t do anything stupid.”
Jason smiled thinly. “I think I get it, man. I recognize her from photos. Now, here is my question for you; are you prepared to do what needs to be done?”
Robin was at first surprised, then almost laughed. “We’ve killed plenty of Markovians. Killing vampires would prove even less of an ethical struggle.”
Jason nodded, seemingly pleased. He either missed Robin’s subtle implication that the question was ridiculous, or was deliberately ignoring it. The dead serious nature of the fanatic; something Anarky recognized immediately.
Jason, in turn, introduced his allies; the young, eager hunter named Dorothy, who had lost both her parents to vampires; Alan, the Scottish “old school” hunter from the seventies, and Joshua, the native Londoner who had been a student of all things upernatural....before the vampires decided they didn’t like him looking. One of his arms was artificial now.
“Your team seems to have the powers and skills necessary to deal with what we’re up against,” Jason admitted. “But they have no tactical experience with this kind of thing. You’ll have to follow my lead.”
Ravager and Anarky tensed instantly.
“Within reason,” Robin allowed.
Jason nodded slowly. “Very good. Now, as I said in my message, we know that the vampires are organizing in some larger than normal way; but we know not where or why.”
“How did you come by this information?” Supergirl asked softly.
“Studying the pattern of their attacks, also rescuing a couple of their would-be-victims. And at least one of them died screaming something about a cult.” Jason’s face shadowed. “We lost two of our own during all of this.”
“Where do we begin to search?” Robin asked.
“In Brent,” Jason said. “I’ll show you. But first we’ve got to arm you and your friends with the relevant weapons. The powers some of you have will be excellent, but inadequate for finishing the enemy off. You’ll need stakes and UV packs.”
Anarky and Ravager began to relax. The dispute over territory hadn’t gone nearly as bad as either of them had feared. They began, however uneasily, to mingle with Jason’s fellow hunters....
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:38:54 GMT -5
David, now Dagon, was curled up alone in a room that had been given to him by the vampires. He was shivering and shuddering his way through the after effects of his halfway transformation. When the sun rose, he’d be able to walk out in it without fear; his stated mission was to find the hunters, spy on them, and report back with whatever information he thought would be useful for luring them into an ambush.
Already it felt so strange to him; the world of light would be alien to him, he knew; he would be walking in a world he was no longer truly part of, only a visitor. A stranger. An alien.
A parasite.
He shook himself. One thing they didn’t control was his mind. He was not merely their mental thrall. As the one that had captured him had indicated, he could destroy himself if he so chose. As he was a Dhampir, it wouldn’t be a simple walk in the sunlight that would kill him. He was still mortal in that sense.
But he had no intention of killing himself. Not, at least, going down alone.
He had to do something; but what? How could he warn anyone?
They wanted him to find these hunters, eh? Well, he would. Oh, he would.......
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:39:37 GMT -5
Ravager was most comfortable with the stake; just another weapon to her.
“The range is too short,” she complained. “Too bad you don’t have anything longer.”
“Your katanas are wicked,” Dorothy said. “Authentic?”
Ravager normally would be offended by such a question, but could tell the girl’s interest was genuine.
“Straight from Japan,” she smirked. “I got contacts there.”
“Stakes are our business, of course,” Dorothy answered. “But I prefer explosives. It’s why I like our ultraviolet blast packs so much.”
Rose nodded. “Trouble is making them go off when you want to. A real consideration with weapons on my fleet.”
“Having your own fleet must be wicked,” Dorothy breathed.
Rose smirked. “It has its advantages. Now, about your explosives?”
“Oh, I’ve been experimenting with Nitro....”
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:40:06 GMT -5
“Do you ever regret it?” Jason asked Robin.
“What?”
“Not fighting the real enemy.”
Robin shrugged. “We’re fighting them now. And probably will again in future. Do you ever regret limiting your targets?”
Jason shrugged back. “It’s what I do, and what you and Batman should, too.”
“Only as one thing amongst many.”
Jason shook his head angrily. “This is the real threat, can’t you see?”
“I see that you’re too angry about it to think straight. Not that I blame you. But we’re helping you now, aren’t we? Take it and be grateful for it.”
Jason turned and walked away, muttering.
“I wonder if he was always that way,” Terra said softly.
“From what Batman told me, probably.”
“I’ve never heard you be so free with your secret identity before.”
Robin shrugged. “Circumstances warranted it. And it’s not like he wasn’t already in the know.”
“And Anarky? I’m not sure you want to share that information with him.”
Robin nodded sourly. “He had to hear sooner or later. I honestly believe that so long as the Markovians are ruling the world, he won’t try to expose us.”
“And if.....” Terra faltered simply visualizing it. “If we win through and end my family’s tyranny?”
Robin smiled, visualizing that day, too. “Then,” he said, “Anarky is welcome to face off against us.” His smile turned a shade dangerous. Terra smiled softly and took his hand.
“We’ll move soon?”
“We’ll have to. From what Jason said, it won’t be long before the vampires find us here. And certainly I trust his expertise in his chosen field.”
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:40:45 GMT -5
Dagon stepped out into the sunlight, squinting.
The world was indeed changed. His heart ached for the mortal world that was no longer truly his.
Despite his newfound agility and awareness, he kept his wits about him well enough not to scurry along with vampire speed or climb walls; he walked normally, amongst the humans, head hung low, trying not to attract attention to himself.
The Cult had some idea of where the hunters were, but not specifics; there were a number of locations suitable for bases. Certainly the hunters would not use all of them at once, and some of them they might not use at all. He would have had to search methodically. All while not attracting the attention of the Markovian security patrols; itself no minor consideration. While the Cult fully intended to rule the world, going head to head with the Markovian Empire was not something they were yet prepared for.
It was not unknown for Markovian soldiers to demand identification from a citizen. He still had his papers as David, but his behavior pattern was unusual.
Sure enough....
“Ho, there, citizen,” a patrolman demanded, smug and well armed. There were three of them. “Your papers.”
Dagon handed them over. In truth it was more like a passport than papers.
“You’re out early in an odd part of the city,” the patrolman decided. A true Markovian by blood; his bright eyes and fair hair declared that. Not that it mattered. “Come with us.”
This moment had been prepared for. “That won’t be necessary sir,” Dagon replied, looking in his eyes. “I’m no trouble to you, and I’ll just be on my way.”
“Yes....of course....” the guard’s hands faltered, and he gave the papers back.
“Sir?” one of his fellows asked. Dagon switched his gaze to that one, then the other. They both subsided. Tucking his papers away, Dagon vanished into the crowd.
He felt he should hurry.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:41:23 GMT -5
They would, of course, move during the day; it would be suicide to wait for night. Jason and his group had fought them during the night, of course, but when trying to take them out, it was best to seek them when they were vulnerable.
This left the difficulty of the Markovians, but Jason had that covered too. He had been at this game for along time, sneaking around Markovian occupied cities undetected. In addition, Green Lantern’s ring could disguise them all and make them inconspicuous.
Well, inconspicuous to Markovian eyes, anyway.
“Someone is watching us,” Supergirl said softly.
“The Markovians haven’t detected us,” Green Lantern assured her.
Supergirl shook her head. “I very much doubt it would be any human agency.”
“Are you sensing something? Hearing something?” Robin turned to look at her.
“It’s what I’m not sensing...what I’m not hearing,” she answered. Nearby there is someone who’s humanity is....weakened. Lessened. Partially absent.”
Jason frowned. “Could a newly turned vampire stalk us in sunlight? That is troubling; but it would explain a great many things.”
“I’ve never heard of any vamp surviving daylight,” Alan said. “In fact, the fresher they are from turning, the quicker they burn.”
“Clearly, someone is watching us,” Argent put in.
“Can you tell the direction?”
Supergirl shook her head. “No, but whatever it is, it’s coming closer.”
“One, on its own?” Dorothy smirked. “We can handle it.”
“In the midst of all these people?” Robin countered. “Even through Lantern’s shielding, people would be bound to notice.”
“Perhaps of some people, Markovians included, realized vampires were real, they’d get their priorities straight,” Jason pointed out.
“And perhaps the Empire would attempt to turn vampires into weapons for their army of conquest,” Terra put in before Robin could reply. “Can we please save the one upmanship for after the crisis, thank you?”
There was a long pause.
“Awesome,” Ravager finally said, thumbs up. “I knew ya had it in ya.”
Jason harrumphed, but did not argue further.
“In any case, I doubt one alone came to fight,” Anarky put in.
“You are correct,” said Dagon’s voice.
They turned to look at him. They could see he wasn’t truly human, but only because they knew what they were looking for. His skin was too pale, and his eyes seemed bloodshot, as though he’d had a sleepless night. But in truth his irises were orange. They reminded Supergirl of a race she’d studied in the databanks back on Krypton. The notion unnerved her a little, and Earth, while fascinating, had not disquieted her before.
“They know you are looking for them,” Dagon said quietly. “They made me some sort of half-breed....hoping I would find one of your bases and lead you into a trap. For all I know, it still is. But I doubt they expected me to find you so fast.”
“And how do we know you aren’t part of the trap?” Anarky snapped.
Dagon shrugged. “You don’t. You could kill me now, of course.”
Anarky made to speak again, but Jason waved a hand and he subsided. Everyone was amazed; Anarky never deferred to anyone.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you lead us to your precious masters are hiding, and we’ll decided what approach best to take.” Jason looked around, and got nods from Robin, Terra, Ravager, Anarky and Supergirl on that one.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:41:50 GMT -5
The hunters followed him at a respectful distance.
It occurred to Dagon even as he led them on that perhaps this was exactly what his masters had intended, that his surviving humanity and conscience would lead him to call to the hunters to attack when he thought it was early, but in truth was right on time. But some how he doubted that; and certainly he did not think his masters knew how many allies the hunters had. These folk in bright costumes; could they be the freedom fighters he had heard about? Hope kindled in his breast. It may be so.
The ordinary folk noticed neither them nor him. In his case it was the dhampir gift, of course; he suspected one of the heroes was concealing the presence of the group.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:42:18 GMT -5
Vampire sleep is hard to describe to one that has not experienced it. It is not a normal sleep, nor in most cases do they dream (though occasionally they experience prophetic visions of awesome power in sleep). It is more the deep sort of exhausted collapse that one falls into after a hard day’s work; and rises utterly refreshed from.
It is somewhat difficult, though not impossible, for a vampire to be roused prematurely from their rest. It is a survival trait they learn; after all, hunters, coming after them during their period of daylight vulnerability, are nothing new. Some vampires have it....some don’t.
The leader of the Cult of Blood certainly had it. The vampire who had personally recruited Dagon was also alert in such ways. Most of the others were not.
But vampires had certainly not survived this long without secondary means of defense for their lairs. The Cult of Blood, in particular, had devised a number of defenses. One of their reasons for creating Dagon in the first place was to facilitate daylight warriors who could defend them; but there were other means.
Old, rusty, steam-powered war machines from the early days of the Markovian Empire and before. Also, there were a few hypnotized humans, armed with various weapons.
Magic was also not unknown; vampires were supernatural creatures, after all. Aside from the blood manipulation abilities the leader of the Cult himself had, there were several spells contained in crystal balls
Finally, while the vampires did expect Dagon to find and lure hunters back to them in a misguided attempt to stop them, they did not expect him to have managed it nearly so soon; nor did they expect the Titans, with all their special abilities.
All of which was to say that neither side was fully prepared to face the other.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:43:05 GMT -5
The leader of the Cult’s eyes snapped open and he rose from his personal resting place, as he heard distant rattling from the primary entrance way to the lair.
“So soon?” he muttered to himself, frowning. “He found them so soon? And they were ready to face us?” He wanted to scoff, but he was over 800 years old, and he had not made it this far, nor formed the cult, by underestimated hunters. He wanted to believe the hunters were attacking before they were ready. Wanted to believe it, yes. But he was not quite so arrogant as to make that assumption.
Sarin, he telepathically sent. Awaken and hear me.
I have already felt it, Sarin answered. He was the vampire who had recruited Dagon. I had hoped Dagon would have more sense.
There is only one way for a child to learn of our superiority. The defeat of the hunters should be sufficient.
Even if we lose some of our own?
That is why you need to wake as many of the others as you can. One to one we are superior to any human. Move!
Sarin wasted no time on replying. The Cult leader felt his movement and urgency. He continued his own race, with all the unnatural speed at his command, to the main blood pool.
He wasted no time on drinking, but began to conjure structures from the blood to do battle.
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:43:42 GMT -5
Sarin led a quartet of groggy, half-awake vampires to the main entrance.
“Dagon,” he shook his head. “I had such hopes for you.”
“Gee, how nice of you to ask me first,” Dagon sneered back.
“These are the hunters, then?” Sarin frowned. “I rather thought we’d killed more of them than that.”
“You’re not the only ones who can recruit,” Jason answered, hefting his crossbow.
“Such....colorful costumes,” Sarin shook his head. He gestured to the other three vampires behind him, and they hooked their claws and hissed. “Last chance, Dagon; don’t make this mistake. The leader is prepared to forgive you; I am not.
“My name was David before you did this to me. And I do not forgive you.”
“So be it.” Sarin crouched to leap, and Dagon mirrored him.
“Lantern!” Robin shouted.
Sarin was blown back by a blast of emerald light....
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Post by starlord on Feb 19, 2008 21:44:27 GMT -5
To Be Continued
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