Avenging Shadows - Part 26

Back at the castle, Hank Pym and Barnabas Collins were in Hank's lab, talking.

"So this should be enough of the serum to last you for a good year, Barnabas", Hank said as he handed the vampire a small package.

"Again, I can't thank you nearly enough, Doctor Pym", Barnabas replied. "Though I'm still cursed as a vampire, your serums have given me the ability to live a normal life, without fear of the sun or a need to consume human blood."

"You've been of great aid to the Avengers on many occasions", Pym said. "I'm glad to help... and call me Hank. Besides, your old friend, Julia Hoffman, did all the hard work and research. It was her notes that made this all possible."

"Julia was far ahead of her time and a brilliant woman", Barnabas smiled sadly. "Thank you, Dr. Pym.... I mean Hank. So where is everyone? The castle is strangely quiet today."

"Well, the Vision and I are attempting to track down any sign of a killler-robot called Ultron. And the rest of the team had headed to Wakanda in response to a distress call from Dr. Druid about a creature named Bloodscream."

"Bloodscream?", Barnabas replied. "That name is very familiar."

"You know of him?", Hank asked.

"I'm not sure", Barnabas replied. "Just the name rings a bell. I think it was a mention in one of Angelique's diaries."

"Angelique?", Hank asked.

"She was the witch who placed the curse of vampirism on me in the first place.", Barnabas answered.

"Do you still have access to those diaries?", Hank asked.

"Back at my flat... yes", Barnabas replied. "Angelique gave them to me a few years ago as part of her efforts to redeem herself for her past deeds. I'll head back there now and get them."

"That'd be great. I'm sure that any information they can provide can be of help to the team in Wakanda.", Hank replied.

"One can only hope. It shouldn't take long for me to get them from my flat", Barnabas said. "Could you open the window for me and I'll make haste and return shortly."

WIth that, Hank Pym opened a window leading to the outside of the castle and watched as Barnabas changed form into a large black bat and quickly flew out the open window, headed towards his flat to retrieve the diaries.

**

Back in the village of Kan'ai in Wakanda, Bloodscream laughed hilariously as he blasted home after home with his energy bolts.

"Run! Flee! Prepare to die", Bloodscream roared.

He blasted a home just as a young lady holding a child came running out of the doorway. The woman fell to the ground at his feet.

"Please, sir! Have mercy!", she cried.

Bloodscream looked down at the woman and with a vicious sneer, blasted her and the child, leaving only a smoldering black mark on the ground where the two people once were.

"Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!", Bloodscream laughed.

Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, he was lifted off his feet and sent flying into the remains of a wall he had destroyed only moments earlier.

"Murderer", the Black Panther scowled as he landed on his feet after sailing into the creature with a big kick.

Bloodscream cut loose with a series of energy blasts at his new foe as the Black Panther aptly danced around the beams.

Steel cable came from behind the monster as the Black Widow ensnared Bloodscream with her Widow's line.

With a shrug, Bloodscream broke free of the line.

"More fools come to die", he laughed.

"If anyone is to die, it will be thou, foul killer!", Hercules said as he threw a huge punch at the vicious villian.

Moving with a speed that surprised all, Bloodscream ducked under the wild punch and responded with a blow that sent Hercules flying back.

"Work as a team", the Black Knight shouted as he moved into position. "Union Jack and Sharon... help get the civilians out of here... the rest of you, let's work together and take out this bastard."

Union Jack and Ms. Marvel quickly moved to clear the area of the few villagers that remained. The Black Panther and the Black Widow moved in a criss-cross pattern and nailed Bloodscream with a experimental blaster the Panther had produced. The Widow cut loose with her highest level Widow's sting.

"Aaaaauuugh", Bloodscream roared in pain.

While he was distracted, the Black Knight moved in and nailed Bloodscream with his sword, totally disrupting all of the synapses in Bloodscream's system.

And Issac moved in quickly, blasting the creature with some bio-mystical blasts of his own.

Bloodscream collapsed to the ground for a moment.

"Watch out", Dr. Druid yelled as Bloodscream stood up and cut loose with a big blast that enveloped all of the area around him, sending heroes flying in every direction.

"Now... now you have made me angry!", Bloodscream shouted.

"Get over it!", a voice came from behind.

Bloodscream turned and was nailed by the trunk of a tree being swung wildly by Sharon Ventura, the woman known as Ms. Marvel.

Bloodscream let out a curse and fired a blast of energy at the heroine, who quickly moved to get out of the way.

Dr. Druid cut loose with a psionic blast that ripped the mind of Bloodscream.

"So you still live, Mage?", Bloodscream bellowed. "And you still play these games? Now you die!"

Moving swiftly, Bloodscream grabbed a large piece of debris and hurled it at Druid, who was jerked out of the way by T'Challa, the Black Panther.

"I've got you, Doctor", T'challa said as he set Druid down.

"My thanks", Druid replied.

"We're taking it to him, but not having much luck", Union Jack whispered to the Black Widow as they ducked behind wall to avoid the wild blasts of energy that Bloodscream was projecting in every direction.

"We can't give up", the Widow replied. "Hercules is preparing to attack him again."

Hercules moved quickly and, coming up behind Bloodscream, grabbed him in a massive bearhug.

"Now I have thee, base villian", Hercules yelled as he tightened his grasp on the writhing Bloodscream.

"You have me, but can you hold me", Bloodscream gasped as he clawed and raked at Hercules arms in an attempt to escape Hercules' strong grasp.

"None can escape the son of Zeus", Hercules proclaimed.

"Forgive me for having my doubts", Bloodscream laughed as he began to morph and shift and transformed into a cloud of dark smoke that easily slipped away from the enraged man-god.

Resuming his normal form, Bloodscream shot forth a blast of energy that caught Hercules squarely in the chest, knocking him high in the air and out of sight.

"Hercules? My God!", Sharon Ventura shrieked as she dove at Bloodscream, attempting to bring him down by knocking the knees out from under him.

As Bloodscream's knees buckled, Union Jack cut loose with a perfectly thrown dagger that went deep into the shoulder of the enraged villian.

"Auuugh!", Bloodscream screamed in pain as he grabbed Ms. Marvel and tossed her directly into the approaching Union Jack, stunning them both into unconciousness.

"He's injured", the Panther said. "We have to take him down now!"

The Black Widow cut loose with another series of Widow stings that Bloodscream simply ignored as he attempted to flee.

Issac Christians attempted to cut Bloodscream off by flying down in front of him and unleashing several of his bio-electrical blasts, which sent Bloodscream recoiling in the opposite direction, right into the sword of a waiting Black Knight.

"Aaauuuggggggghhh! Cursed mortals!", Bloodscream shrieked."I will dance on your graves! I will devour your souls! I will...."

"Thou will surrender and fall", Hercules bellowed as he dove into the scene once more and landed on Bloodscream with a sickening thud.

With great effort, Bloodscream reached upwards and grabbed Hercules, tossing him to the side into the approaching Dr. Druid and Ms. Marvel.

"You may have won this battle, mortals... but you will all die! You will all die!", Bloodscream said bitterly as he transformed into the dark smoke once more and vanished up into the sky.

"No!", T'Challa said as he leaped forward, attempting to stop the drifting dark cloud that quickly vanished.

"Damn it", the Knight said. "He got away!"

"But he'll be back", the Widow said. "And when he does return, we'll be ready!"

"So what now?", Sharon asked.

"Recon the area", the Widow said. "I doubt we'll find anything, but we have to try. And then we'll go back to T'Challa's to regroup."

"We will find this Bloodscream. He killed several of my citizens and they demand vengence", the Panther added.

"And they'll have it", Hercules proclaimed. "The son of Zeus swears thus!"

**

After a quick debriefing, the Avengers bid T'Challa farewell and, accompanied by Dr. Druid, boarded their Quinjet and headed back towards their castle in England.

"I've just spoken to the Vision and filled him in on our encounter with Bloodscream", the Widow told her teammates. "He's informed me that Barnabas Collins may have found a reference to Bloodscream in an old diary belonging to an ancient associate, who also happened to be a witch, and will meet us at the castle."

"Good", the Knight said. "Maybe we can find a way to track down and actually defeat this Bloodscream next time."

"We will find and defeat that vile creature", Hercules proclaimed. "So vows the Scion of Olympus."

"We didn't do a good job earlier", Sharon commented.

"We were unprepared", Druid said. "Knowledge is power and perhaps, after reviewing whatever information Mr. Collins may be able to provide us and doing some research, we can take Bloodscream down."

"My knife actually injured him, so we know he has vunerablilities.", Union Jack added.

"And Druid's mind-blasts did some damage as well", Issac added.

"So did those bio-mystical blasts that you project, Issac", the Knight added. "So he has weaknesses. We just need to be able to figure out how to best exploit them and use them to defeat Bloodscream."

"I can't help but think that the artifact that Druid discovered, the one that obviously imprisoned Bloodscream before, is the key", the Widow said.

"I've got it with me", Druid said. "And once we return to the castle, I'll do everything I can to find out what answers this artifact holds."

"We'll find Bloodscream again, and next time, we'll take him down", the Widow said quietly.

"Any word from the Vision about tracking down Ultron?", Union Jack asked.

"He said that there has been no sign of Ultron yet", the Widow answered. "He and Hank have been using every available resource to attempt to locate that robot, but so far, Ultron has stayed off the radar."

"Good", Sharon said. "After that battle we just had, I'm not quite ready to battle an insane robot just now. I just want a long, hot bath!"

"I hear you", Issac agreed.

"Now sit back everyone", the Black Knight said. "Let's see how fast we can get back to the castle and maybe all enjoy a hot bath before everything goes crazy again."

And with that, the Black Knight hit the turbo-engines on the Quinjet as they headed back towards their castle headquarters, just outside of London.