Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. It has no intentions of resembling any real persons dead or alive. This is entirely from my imagination, with a little help from already established sources. This story is based loosely on the comic book character "The Punisher" from Marvel Comics. Other characters may appear from Marvel comics as well as DC Comics.
Punisher and all related characters copyright Marvel Comics.
Blade and all related characters copyright Marvel Comics.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel copyright Joss Whedon, United Paramount Network and Warner Bros. Respectively.
I have written another story on nifty entitled "Tales of a Real Dark Knight". It is in the Celebrity/Boy Bands section. Batman may appear in this story once or twice, as the Punisher may appear in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight". Any comments may be sent to jmsotc1@yahoo.com
This chapter was co-authored by Leo, author of "Tales of a Superhero Band" found in the Celebrity section of the Nifty Story Archive.
Thank you and enjoy.
Chapter 11 New Encounters
Cloak and his newfound friends turned as the vampire leapt over the edge of the building hefting a lead pipe.
"You cannot stop us, wizards," the vampire snarled.
"Kindred, actually. Heard of us?" Dylan taunted the vampire.
The vampire looked upon the group in surprise. Fear was easily detected in his eyes, which surprised Cloak. Hardly anything caused a vampire fear. Before he knew it, the lead pipe was heading toward his head. He jumped out of the way in the nick of time.
"Spread out!" Reuben said, taking command. "Dylan, size him up."
"Above average," Dylan said, using his powers to read the vampire's powers. "This should be fun."
Melvin raised his arm out, fingers spread facing the vampire. His brown hair fluttered in the wind, making his gesture look more intimidating. A blast of blue light shot out from his palm, hitting the vampire square on the chest. The vampire's face changed back to his normal human one, a look of extreme terror on it.
"Ancient ones," he pleaded, "I did nothing to anger you. Please..."
"Save it," Reuben cut him off harshly. "Melvin, couldn't you have at least knocked him out?"
"Sorry," Melvin grinned sheepishly. "It was cooler to see him beg."
Dylan rolled his eyes. "Are we going to finish him off, or just stand here and talk? I know we're used to fighting a group of them, but at least put this one out of his misery."
Reuben rushed at the vampire and began kicking it. Snapping out of its terror, the vampire began fighting back. With a quick kick and a throw, Reuben slammed the vampire to the floor. The vampire flipped up, then fell to his feet as Melvin stunned him with a green blast.
"Okay," Reuben said. "Joy, finish him off."
"Righto," Joy said, pulling out a stake. She held it in her open palm, then shot it into the vampire's chest with her powers. The vampire burst into dust, screaming the whole way.
Cloak watched the battle unfold before him, amazed at the powers these people contained. He had only heard of kindred. After seeing them in action, he was even more amazed at who and what they were. This determined him to research the kindred and find out more about these amazing, supernatural beings.
"Took us long enough," Dylan said sarcastically.
"Like you helped much," Reuben argued.
"Well, my powers are meant for stealth and protection, remember?"
Cloak pulled himself to his feet. "That was amazing," he said.
Dylan jabbed a thumb at Cloak. "Now he, on the other hand, could have helped out a lot. But I doubt he's even competent with his own powers if he couldn't kill the vampire faster."
"Maybe he needs a spell to make his reflexes faster," Melvin said, his voice full of contempt. "Didn't you see him almost get hit by that pipe?"
"What is with you guys? Why don't you like wizards?" Cloak asked.
"It's not a kindred thing, if that's what you're thinking," Dylan said. "Melvin and I are witches. That should tell you enough about why we don't like you."
Cloak just stared with a blank look on his face.
"He doesn't even know about his own kind," Melvin said, eyes widened in surprise. "Did he never question his powers? Doesn't he know where they come from?"
"I know that there have been some evil wizards in the past! But there have also been good ones! It is the same as witches! It all depends on the person using the power! Since you don't know jack shit about me, you don't have any reason to treat me the way you do! And as far as my power goes, I have been on the run for the past twenty-four frickin' hours because of bigoted ass wipes who want to discriminate against mutants! You don't know me! You don't know anything about me! So you can't assign me to whatever stereotypes you have in your minds about wizards!"
Cloak turned and walked back to the edge of the building. Maybe he shouldn't have blown up at them the way he did. Maybe he should have been more open-minded to hear whatever concerns and issues they may have had. But he was tired physically and mentally. His day was long and weary. The last he needed was to deal with opinions of others.
In a matter of moments, Cloak was zooming up the highway toward the group's new base of operations. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open but he managed to get to the building safely.
As he entered the apartment chosen as the command center, he saw Blade standing at the window keeping watching. "Where is everyone?" he asked.
"Asleep. Speaking of which, you look like hell."
"If hell means sleep deprivation, I'm there. Did I miss anything while I was gone?"
"Not really unless you count Davey and Harris falling in love."
"Really? So the little shit finally did something about his feelings. It's about time."
Blade just nodded in acknowledgment. "How did things go with the vampire?"
"Oh, it went okay, I guess. I followed it to the Axis. I found him dancing among the clubbers. There were several people there more than willing to help me slay the demon."
Blade shook his head. "Why do humans want to get involved in something that is going to kill them? It's beyond me."
"They had power, Blade."
"What?" Blade asked, his eyebrows crinkling together. "What kind of power?"
"At first I wasn't sure. I thought they might have been wizards or mutants. Turns out they are kindred."
Blade became thoughtful.
"They helped me slay the vampire, but they didn't like me, either. They have lots of issues, I guess."
"From what little I've heard, kindred are very powerful beings, dating before written record. There is even rumor that they predate the Vampire Slayer."
"That's what they said."
"Since both came before written record, it's virtually impossible to know."
The room was quiet for a moment.
"Blade, I'm getting concerned."
"About what?"
"About what is happening at the Axis. Things are getting out of hand. Vampires are going there way too much. It is almost as if the club is a haven for them or some type of open feeding place. No matter how many times we hit that place, they always come back."
"I guess we'll have to hit them a bit harder. We don't expect vampires to succumb to reason. The ones we deal with on a nightly basis are demonic. They don't care. They will just keep coming."
"I suppose you are right."
"Go get some sleep. I won't be too far behind you. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
"You're right."
Blade watched as Cloak left the room and disappeared around the corner. Considering Cloak's words, he knew the young man was on to something. He did not want Ty to worry, though. Blade had suspected for a long time something was brewing at the Axis, something very powerful that he didn't think Tandy, Ty or Davey could deal with since they were so young. But with Ty reasoning things the way he was going, it wouldn't be too long before he would figure things out.
The sun rose over Columbus, Ohio. Punisher slowly awoke from his light sleep. Being in the Marine Corps, Punisher was used to getting up at the crack of dawn regardless of when he got to sleep. Last night, he stayed awake until he had an idea of the timing of the guard change and when the commandos came and went. He figured on hitting the mall sometime today around noon when the place would be full of shoppers. Punisher didn't want any innocent people hurt. His job was to punish the guilty. But he hoped the foot soldiers of the F.O.H. would think twice before firing into a crowd of innocent citizens. If they did, the citizens of this city would rethink the Friends of Humanity's tactics and perhaps their motives as well.
Punisher started up his Suburban and drove down the road. He needed to clean himself up a bit before going shopping.
"'It all depends on the person using the power.' What a moron," Melvin muttered, mimicking Cloak's last statement before his abrupt departure.
"Look, just forget it for now, okay?" Joy sighed. "He obviously doesn't think the same way you do, is that so wrong?"
"He's an enemy of our enemy, so that would make him a friend," Reuben said.
"Not to me," Dylan growled. "He's also an enemy of my friend, so he's my enemy too. He has no idea on the consequences of his power. He may mean well, but he doesn't see the harm in his actions, no matter how well intentioned."
The four friends were trying to relax after the relatively horrible night they'd had at the club. They had gone to the mall for some "real fun" as Joy put it, carefully avoiding Justin's and Dylan's earlier argument over the club incident. Justin was upset that Dylan had left the club so quickly and not even making a show of enjoying himself before that made the matter worse. The vampire incident had in truth been a real relief to all those involved.
"I still don't understand what your problem with him is," Joy rolled her eyes. "He's a good guy, and kinda cute at that."
"I wouldn't know," Reuben said, a grin forming on his lips. "I'm not even remotely attracted to guys."
"I wouldn't date him, he's a wizard," Melvin said, still upset. Dylan just noted Melvin's lack of defensiveness to Reuben's teasing, as well as his strange statement. Dylan, Reuben and Joy had begun to notice Melvin's apparent bisexuality and were constantly trying to discover more about their theories regarding their secretive band mate. Melvin was about to continue, oblivious to his friends' observances when Joy interrupted him.
"Look, will you just tell us once and for all why you and Dylan dislike the poor guy so much?" She paused and looked at a particularly interesting blouse with a pale shade of pink, her favorite colour.
"Because he upsets the balance in Nature," Dylan and Melvin said in unison. They looked at each other, then Dylan continued. "He uses forces that defy Nature and forces it to submit to his will. That is dangerous as others can be affected by the repercussions."
"Isn't that what you and Melvin do?" Reuben asked.
"No!" Dylan shouted, ignoring the stares of some of the other patrons. Lowering his voice, he continued. "We don't control Nature, we ask for the desired effect, but we do not infringe on the free will of Nature. If the elementals refuse our request, they can provide other options. We work with them on terms of mutual benefit."
"But what about evil witches?" Reuben asked. "He did bring that point up."
"Melvin and I are faery witches," Dylan explained. "Or we could be considered Druids. Whichever definition you choose to take, our code of ethics and relationship with Nature is the same. Other witches have other sources of power, and may not subscribe to our laws."
Reuben was about to open his mouth to argue when Joy stopped him. "Look, infighting isn't going to help us here. We know that by now. Besides, while you two were butting heads, I happened to observe that guy over there."
"Caught your attention because he's cute?" Dylan asked, letting his anger fade.
"No," Joy laughed. "Well, he is cute, but that's not why I was watching. He seems suspicious."
Immediately slipping into professional mode, Reuben turned to observe the man. "Hmm. He looks like he's looking for something, and I don't mean for shopping either."
"Well duh," Joy said. "Didn't I already say I found him suspicious?"
"Way to break his ego, girl," Melvin laughed as Reuben frowned. He gave Joy a high five while Reuben just rolled his eyes.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Dylan asked, keeping an eye on the stranger. "Follow him and see what he's up to?"
"Good idea," Reuben said. "Be as inconspicuous as possible. That means acting like a normal group of teenagers."
"Oh, sorry, then Dylan and I are out," Melvin laughed. "We hit twenty a while back."
"But you two are nowhere as mature as you should be," Reuben said.
Davey and Harris awoke as the sunlight streamed in. Harris looked around to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He wasn't sure where he was at first. Then, seeing the empty apartment and Davey beside him he realized where he was and why. He stood, stretched, and went into the bathroom to empty his bladder. He washed his hands, taking the soap that he had gotten from Blade last night before going to sleep. He came back out and looked out the window. His stomach growled a little. He was hungry.
Davey stirred behind him and opened his eyes. He looked around and found Harris standing by the window.
"Good morning," Davey said with a smile. His hair was rumpled from sleep.
"Good morning," Harris replied.
"I'm a little hungry."
"Me, too."
"I'll go check on Blade, see if we can get something to eat."
Davey stood up and went into the bathroom. After a few moments, he came out and left the room. Walking down the hall, he found Blade in the makeshift command room.
"Good morning," Davey greeted.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?"
"Okay. Is there anything to eat?"
"Yeah, I think so." Blade went over to a cupboard and pulled out a box of dry cereal. "We don't have any milk."
"This will be okay. Do we have any towels? Some of us need to shower."
"I'll see what I can do. If we can't find anything, Ty may be busy either doing cleaning spells or drying spells."
Davey laughed and headed back to Harris. "This is all we have," he said as he entered the room.
"Looks like a feast."
The two sat down under the window and shared the cereal.
"Where do we go from here?" Harris asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do we go steady or just remain secret boyfriends?"
Davey looked at Harris, looked deep into his eyes, and smiled. "Let's take things one step at a time. If we think about things too much, it will only get confusing."
Harris nodded and put a few morsels of cereal in his mouth.
Punisher made his way down to the first floor of the three-floor mall. He had business to attend to. As he walked, he observed the people going about their lives as if nothing was wrong. No one seemed to care of the persecution of mutants. Many didn't seem to care about gay people, either. "How can people be so apathetic about the persecution and discrimination against others? It's beyond me," Punisher thought.
As he walked, Punisher noticed Jerry walking through the mall as well. Part of him wanted to go over and talk to Jerry, to have a normal conversation with him. But he couldn't. It did not matter what Weatherby wanted. He was too involved now in something bigger than himself, bigger than his own life and his own happiness. It was like serving in the military. Only this was a 24/7 job. In the military one got time off. In the military, one could still have a family. Weatherby couldn't. He wouldn't want anything to happen to someone. Besides, human emotions, as much as he understood them, knew that they were a luxury he couldn't afford. He had to focus solely on his job.
Across the crowd Jerry happened to look up and saw Weatherby looking at him. Jerry gave him a smile. The corner of Weatherby's mouth curled ever so slightly and his finger went up to wipe a tear from his eye. Jerry could not understand why Weatherby would be crying. A crowd of people walked in his line of vision of Weatherby. As the people passed, Jerry could not find Weatherby anywhere.
Punishers headed toward the security office knowing full well it would house some kind of access or have information on accessing the F.O.H. headquarters. That was his destination.
As he walked, he noticed a group of kids who had followed him from a distance. "They know I'm not here to shop," Punisher thought. "The only question I have is are they on my side or not."
Punisher continued on toward the Security offices.
"Davey," Blade called in.
"Yeah," Davey answered.
"We need you to go into town to get us some supplies. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Sure. Why can't Ty or Tandy go?"
"Ty was in a battle last night and needs his rest. I need Tandy here to help me get things sorted out. That leaves you and Harris."
"Sure thing. Do we get to take the car?"
"I know you know how to drive so, yes, I'm letting you take the car."
"Yes," Davey said under his breath. He had a year to go before he could get his drivers license. But being in the superhero gig, he had to drive often. Because of that, he has learned how to drive quite well.
"We need to get cleaned up first," Davey said.
He ran to the bathroom to shower. Fifteen minutes later, he came out and Harris went in.
"Blade, do we have any extra clothes?"
Tandy walked passed the door and tossed in a duffle bag of clothes. "There should be enough for you and Harris."
"Thanks," Davey replied. He closed the door and changed before Harris came out.
The bathroom door opened and Harris exited with his old clothes on. "Here is a change of clothes. Get dressed and we'll get going."
Harris took the duffle bag and went back into the bathroom. In a few minutes, he came out dressed.
"You look great," Davey said with a grin.
"Thanks. So do you."
"Come on."
The two young men drove back toward Columbus. Blade had given Davey a list of things they needed. Davey decided on getting some of the things in downtown Columbus. As they passed the mall, Davey and Harris decided to go in.
"They won't be able to recognize us in such a huge crowd," Davey reasoned. Harris reluctantly agreed.
To Be Continued...
A second chapter co-authored by Leo and myself. Next chapter, Punisher meets the kindred.
I'm sorry it has been a while since the story was last update. I have written up to chapter 15. At the end of Chapter 15, this story crosses over with "The Real Dark Knight" storyline. Unfortunately, where I am with "Real Dark Knight" is a bit behind. Since I'm almost finished typing "Real Dark Knight", I'm going to post every two or three days to catch up. The next chapter in "Punisher" should be out next week. Thanks for your patience and understanding in this matter and your continued support in reading the story.
Questions and comments welcome. More to come!