Los Angeles
Within Permanent Night Field

In all the years the New Warriors had been together, those original and most active older members, could say that they had seen just about anything. They had traveled the world and worlds not their own to save the day. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four fought giant threats everyday that astonished the world. Yet the sight of Silhouette that was about to greet them would haunt their minds for nights to come.

As the ex-lover of Night Thrasher stood in the middle of the park, Justice, Firestar, and Nova surrounded her. The four had just finished cleansing the park of the Vampire infestation. A hiss erupted from the shadows and a pale skinned man leapt from the bushes. Knocking Silhouette to the ground, his head surged down right at her neck. Rushing forward Nova grabbed at the creature and, tapping into his vast store of energy to do it, tossed it away. Microwaves slammed into the flying man, singing his skin but not killing him. The body of the vampire tumbled into the bushes as he hissed at the burns.

Turning back towards Silhouette, the visible parts of Nova’s face instantly paled. “Oh no…Sil…”

A foot surged out and sent the space hero tumbling away. Crutches were dropped as she rose to her feet. The once healthy looking skin was paler, almost sickly looking. Kind and warm eyes were now cold and heartless. Blood ran down her neck, as fangs poked from her lips. Silhouette was now one of them. Hissing she leapt forward and slammed Firestar aside as she grabbed Justice, and went right for his throat.

Only a split second of thought saved another of the Champions from joining the ranks of the living dead. A telekinetic field met the fangs, as a frustrated growl ripped through the dark woman’s throat. Clawed fingers scraped at his belly meeting another field. Before she could try and bite him again, a concentrated blast of microwaves sent the woman flying. Reeling the power in, so as to not kill her friend and teammate, Firestar stood holding her throbbing head slightly. A blow from the ground had dealt her quite a bit of pain. “Vance you alright?”

The man nodded as he rubbed at his neck, feeling phantom pains of a bite that never happened. “Fine. Though curious as to why it was decided I was the first quick meal to have. Don’t know if I should be relieved I survived, or offended she went for me first as weakest.”

“I’d go with relieved buddy. One vampire teammate is far too many.” Nova lowered down from the sky, having flown back over to his friends. Glancing at the bushes he saw no sight of the vampire that had turned Sil. “Damn it, the vampire got away. Not sure how many of those old lore legends are true, but supposedly if you slay the vampire that turned a person they will be freed. Well unless they’ve tasted blood.”

As Silhouette began to stir, a telekinetic cage suddenly sprung up around her. Holding the cage steady, Vance nodded. “Well then I guess we better find that other vampire before she gets free and makes a meal out of us or some other person.”

“I’ll find em.” Before they could agree, Nova was up into the air and across the park searching for a true needle in a haystack.

Sighing, Vance shrugged at his fiancé. “Be nice if he waited to see what happened. I mean yeah we need Sil back quickly, but leaving us alone? Good thing nothing worse can happen at this point.”

Ears perked up as a group of hisses filled the air. From all around they came, moving easily through the shadows. The shadows were their terrain, their secret to hold. From all around the vampires approached, blocking the heroes from all sides. With a frustrated sigh the red head glared at her fiancé. “Okay so maybe I spoke too soon. Things can always get worse. Sometimes I really hate this job.”

A Threaded Moon Tie-In

NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRES

By Scott Redmond

Steady breaths pushed in and out of the semi open mouth. Hands clenched and unclenched by her side as the moments went by. An air of quiet had settled upon the room, almost unsettling with the dangers known to be roaming the halls. Two fingers remained on the trigger to the wrist-mounted turbines, ready to activate the weapons at any moment. With the building in lock-down there wasn’t much that could be done. Not without the access codes of Dwayne.

“Damn it Dwayne.” Muttering, eyes swept across the hall peering into each shadow. With Bill and Jessica secured in the War Room, she had chosen to head out to check on the situation and grab a few supplies. “Your anal behavior is gonna get us killed this time.”

A hiss came from behind as a figure leapt from the shadows. Whirling around, a solid wall of air was blasted from the wrists to send the creature hard against the far wall. Bright eyes glowed in the shadows as the creature’s friends came out of hiding. The small pack caught the scent of their prey and they sure as hell weren’t going to let go anytime soon. Cursing in Japanese, the path towards the War Room was taken quickly.

The sound of pounding feet upon the floor could be heard behind as she took each step. The suckers were fast. Then again they were undead and had augmented senses and abilities. Just her luck being one of the few in the building that wasn’t enhanced in some way. “Lucky me.”

Fists pounded upon the door as she reached it, knowing it was locked from within. “Bill! Open the door!” There was no response. The vampires came around the corner spying her. Turbines whirled as air was built up and ready to fire. “Bill, really. I kind of need this door open now.”

The lead creature leapt forward, fangs bared, right towards her. The air blasted out and sent him flying up into the ceiling. Two more leapt in right at that moment. Claws ripped into the turbine housing, sending sparks up. Curses emerged, as the other arm smashed into the other vampire’s jaw and sending her sprawling. The one that clawed the glove prepared to strike just as a concentrated burst of light slammed into her body. As the skin flaked away and the creature burst into flame, it was clear that it was sunlight that had done the deed.

Turning around brought the sight of Bill and Jessica standing in the doorway, strange weapons in hand emitting light at the scurrying away creatures. “How?”

“A bit of tinkering in the room here. I was able to cobble something together along with a miniature sun like replica with artificial sunlight.”

“I’m so glad you’re on our side.” Pushing through the door, making sure to seal it behind herself.

Location Unknown

Heavy breaths echoed through the room, as a shiver rolled down his body. The lights seemed too bright for any normal lights. Yet upon closer inspection they were just that. Normal every day, run of the mill table lamps. The mind was playing tricks as the withdrawal symptoms kicked into high gear. The yelling and cursing had ended sometime before, only to be replaced with the begging.

Just over a week before while investigating the drug ring of Lady Octopus; Chris had been injected with the drug MGH. Giving him extraordinary powers on top of those he already possessed as Darkhawk, it had also come with a deep addiction. Curiously when affected by the drugs when he had changed to Darkhawk, instead of the usual android body coming from Null Space to replace his own he had stayed as Chris Powell only within the armor. Not much attention had been paid to the new status quo. Breaking him of the new drug habit had been task number one.

“Please. Just one hit. I… I can handle it. I promise.” Jittery hands reached out for the other figure in the room. In order to help him someone hard had been needed. Someone that cared but would do all they could to help kick the habit. Enter Nita. Leaving California in order to do the deed had been her only stipulation. Thus the unknown room they now found themselves far away from the others.

Standing regally tall, Namorita crossed her arms in exasperation. “No.”

“Nita… I need it!”

Steely eyes slid away from his pathetic display of begging. “No.”

“Gah, god damn it you fucking Atlantean bitch, give me the fucking drug!” Rage seethed from his every pore. Luckily the Darkhawk amulet had been removed from his possession before the impromptu detox session.

“No.”

“I swear to god I’ll rip your head off!”

“No you won’t.”

Groaning as tears poured from his eyes, fingers pulled at his hair as he sank to the ground. “Please Nita. I can feel it eating me from inside. I just need one hit. That’s all. I promise that will be all. I just want to go home.”

Kneeling beside him, a delicate hand reached out to grasp his chin. “You can go home, when you stop asking me that question. No sooner. No later.”

Downtown

The human rocket soared over the streets, eyes fixated on the moving target of a teammate. Without the crutches and with the power of a vampire surging through her Silhouette was faster than he expected. She was booking it through town at a much greater pace than possible. A glance at the watch showed the time to be well into daytime. If the obvious spell that held them within the darkness lifted anytime soon she would become little more than dust like all the other undead creatures. The only chance of saving her was to reach her before then. Her and the one that sired her.

Sure it was urban legend about most vampires and the things that one could do to take them down or save one from a bite. But at the same time it was all they had to work with. If that didn’t work, at least he would get to take down a shitload of bloodsuckers in the meantime.

“It’ll work. It has to. Sil’s too strong to just give in.” Muttered assurances to himself was about all he had left.

The shadow that was Silhouette ducked into a doorway and vanished. No doubt this was one of the vampire nests. Settling to the ground, the hero took a good look around before heading for the door. He would have to be at the top of his game at this point. The door opened easily revealing a massive lobby of the office building. The small hallway by the doors was situated where it obscured most of the view of the lobby from that spot. With each step deeper the sense of danger seemed to increase. “Where is Spidey when you need him?”

The doors slammed shut, and his head whirled around to catch sight of those that closed it. Most were wearing nicely tailored suits and other clothing showing they had no doubt been those that worked in this building. Upon the falling of the eternal night they ended up as easy feasts being in a building that had no protection like a home. Public spaces were wide open to Vampires with no need to be invited in. Poor souls.

Hisses came from the lobby as he realized the entire room was full of Vampires. They had tricked him right into a massive trap. The grinning Sil stood in the center of the room. “Mmm, I brought home takeout food. Enjoy.”

“Oh shit.” Power flared through his body as the first swarm of vampires raced right for him. Concentrated energy of the Nova Force blasted out, catching most of his attackers off guard. It wasn’t sunlight, but it did the job. It didn’t’ kill them but it sure as hell knocked most out of fight out of them.

A hand caught his throat and squeezed, as the hero was stopped right in midair. A slightly burned and scarred face stared back at him. The burns were slowly healing, but it was clear t hey were recent and fresh. The one that had bitten Sil. Her sire. “Well what do you know, it is a small world after all. I was just looking for you, sparky.”

“You have a death wish, human?”

“Hmm me? No, just a wish to free my friend from a dead piece of crap like you.”

Glass rained down as the upper windows shattered, a beam of pure light shining through. The beams of light ripped through the vampires, sending most scattering and screaming. The power may not be pure sunlight but it was close enough for Julie. “You owe me one rocket boy.”

“Add it to my tab.” Feet shot out to catch his captor in the gut, doubling the man over. A blast to the upper torso finished the job and sent him tumbling away. “Shoot that one! It’s the only way to save Sil.”

A weight appeared upon his back, as the once member of the Champions attacked her teammate. Clawed hands tried to tear through his uniform, only stopped by the quick formation of an energy shield around his body. Hissing, Sil tried for the throat before being repelled away.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Pity I don’t return the sentiment Richard.”

A pained hiss filled the air as the one that sired Sil, leapt away from one of Julie’s beams. Scurrying across the ground he tried to loose her in the crowds of surging demons. Cursing she dived into the group, just as Sil leapt for Richard once again. A blast of energy connected with her chest and sent her flying once again, as a surge of regret and guilt flooded his heart.

An inhuman wail echoed through the room as the waves of vampires moved aside, revealing the slowly dusting body of Julie’s target. A look of defiance and hatred colored his face for a moment before it all just vanished. As they turned to see if their friend was returned to normal, the world changed in an instant around them as pure sunlight suddenly flooded the room. The night was over.

Champions Building
Ten Minutes Ago

The doors to the War Room buckled under the force of numerous fists. The vampires that escaped before had brought back reinforcements it seemed. The door was designed to stand up to many things, but apparently the power of a pack of vampires wasn’t one of them. As the edges of the door began to bend, they could see claws and glowing eyes through the growing cracks.

“Can’t you just fly us up through the roof or something?” Jessica stood firm with one of the modified light weapons in hand, clearly trying to stay calm in the face of all that was going wrong around them.

“No power, remember? The back-up generator doesn’t power the retractable roof. Wasn’t deemed one of the required systems when Thrash retrofitted the place. Makes you wonder what he did consider important at this point.”

The screech of bending metal filled the air as the door began to buckle even more. With enough of a gap the creatures began piling over one another to reach the room.

“Conserve your shots, the batteries won’t last long. Go for the face or near the heart. It’s all we have.” With the final words, Bills gun hummed as beams of pure light shot out.

Turbines charged and began turning as torrents of air blasted out towards their attackers. Light and air made their final stand. It seemed that an endless supply of the creatures had made it into the building before lockdown, as they kept pouring forward.

“There is no end to them!”

Ignoring Jessica’s cries, the two heroes kept pouring on their attacks. Sparks appeared from the recently damaged glove, shutting the turbine down completely. “Shit, I’m only down to one glove.”

As the creatures poured through the now broken doorway, there seemed to be little resistance coming their way. They had won. They were almost upon their pray as suddenly a light filled the room none of them were expecting. Sunlight. Screams of agony filled the entire building as light slammed in through every window, reducing the creatures to nothing more than piles of dust within moments. The nightmare was over.

The Roof

Streams of sunlight lit up the streets of Los Angeles, as those below seemingly tried to get back to their lives. Some would never forget the frightening night, forever haunted by dreams and thoughts of the blood sucking entities. Others would repress it all and just continue to live whatever life they had before.

“So, no more crutches?”

Dark eyes turned from observing the city to take in the new companion upon the rooftop. “No…it seems that the bite of the vampire left me something. The doctor says there is no telling how long it will last though. There is a possibility of it reverting to like before.”

Reaching the edge, Rich settled his arms across his chest. “At least you’re alive though. We cut it close that time.”

“Yes we did. The others?”

“Mickey was able to hold the building along with our new tech guy and apparently our new public relations lady. Didn’t even know we had one; guess it was something Thrash set up. Julie is helping them clear out each floor to make sure all the vamps are dead. Chris and Nita are still away for his detox thing. Vance and Anj just reported in that they finished cleaning up the park and are heading back in. All in all the team fared well. Thrash would be proud.”

“Speaking of Dwayne…”

A shrug was given. “Still no word from our illustrious leader. Though I’d be hard pressed to believe any harm came to him out there. Does beg the question though why no word from him. Doesn’t seem like him to not come barreling in at the last second with the answer to save the day.”

“Sounds like Dwayne.”

The silence filled the air for a moment, as the sounds of a city returning to life hit their ears. Turning slightly, Rich looked his teammate dead on. “Where do you think he is?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know, and that’s the part that scares me.”

NEXT: The fate of Nova upon the team is finally revealed, as the Terrible Trio pulls the Champions into the bigger game set into motion. Everything changes here. Then join us back here for the next issue that kicks off a mini arc that could only be called “Deep Blue Sea”, as the Champions come up against some of the biggest villains of the past. Also what do Hercules and Angel have to say about the return of the Champions?