Avenging Shadows - Part 3

"So there haven't been any more attacks", Widow asked the figure on the video screen in front of her.

"No", said Allistaire Stuart, head of the "Weird Happenings Organization" and liason to the Avengers Europe, said from his office in downtown London. "And we've sent out alerts to all of our agents to report anything at all, ASAP to the office, so I can forward it to you."

"That's much appreciated", Widow said. "The sooner we find out what exactly those creatures are, the better."

"I agree!", Stuart said. "I'll be in touch, Widow. I've got a report on poltergiest activity in Dublin to go read."

"Well, have fun. Widow out!", Widow said, hitting the button to disconnect the communications. It had been a couple of weeks since her team, along with The Human Torch and Hank McCoy, of the X-Men, had fought and defeated a large number of vampire-like creatures in downtown London, only to have them vanish without a trace. This was a loose end and a mystery and the Black Widow didn't like mysteries or loose ends.

Natasha left her office and decided to walk around the castle a bit and check on her team. Her first stop was the library where Dr. Druid had all sorts of books and mystic tomes, searching relentlessly in his efforts to find out more about these strange creatures.

"Any luck, Doctor?", Widow asked as she entered the room.

Druid looked up and rubbed his eyes as she approached.

"No, and frankly, that worries me", the mystic said candidly. "I've tried all sorts of tracing spells, only to fail at every attempt. Something, or someone is cloaking these creatures and preventing my magic from finding them."

"Is that possible?", Widow asked.

"Possible, but very rare. After Doctor Strange, I am arguably one of the most powerful mystics on the planet. The strength and power it would take to mask so well an army of unholy creatures of that size would be tremendous. If nothing else, I should be seeing a big void or blind spot that would be an obvious indicator because of it's emptiness or lack of power. But I'm not getting anything."

"Is it possible that the creatures were all destroyed when they vanished and that's why you're not able to get any kind of reading or trace on them", Andromeda said, walking into the library.

"Possible, but highly unlikely. Even in destruction, there would be some sort of trail, some sort of remains to be found. I'm getting absolutely nothing at all.", Druid said.

Suddenly an alarm rang out from the Communicard in The Widow's pocket.

"Widow here! What's up", she quickly replied, answering the electronic summons. "OK, I'm on my way to the Quinjet. Summon the others. I have Druid and Andromeda here with me. Widow out!"

"What's up?", asked Andromeda as she and Druid quickly followed the Widow out the door and towards the Quinjet area."

"In three words, The Incredible Hulk, ", Widow said.

"I had to ask!", Andromeda said as they came to the Quinjet where Spitfire, Iceman and Mantis were waiting. The Living Lightning and Hercules were coming in through another entrance.

"Let's get going people!", Widow said as her team boarded the Quinjet. "This is going to be a mess", she thought to herself.

**

Minutes later, the Avengers Quinjet was flying towards their destination.

"Quickly! Swerve", Widow cried out as a huge piece of concrete came flying through the air, narrowly missing the Quinjet as it made it's approach.

Down below, the Avengers could see the rampaging figure of The Hulk as he tore through a small park and slammed a car out of his way.

"Hulk Smash!", the monster bellowed.

"Mantis, Spitfire - on crowd control. Get those civilians out the area. The rest of you, let's see if we can take down Dr. Banner. Druid, land the Quinjet. Let's move people!", the Widow shouted as the Avengers exited the still hovering Quinjet and descended on the monster below.

"Have at thee, Green Giant", Hercules said as he landed hard literally on top of Hulk. "Prepare to recieve the gift!"

WHOOOM!

A big fist by Hercules sent the stunned Hulk backwards into an old, deserted building.

"Hulk remembers funny talking man", Hulk said. "Hulk smash!"

The green monster moved forwards towards Hercules, only to be quickly enclosed in a big block of ice.

"I've got him imobilized, but this won't hold long", said Iceman, as he used his mutant powers to keep building and adding to the icy prison.

"Maybe I can use the ice as a conducter and stun him into unconsciousness", Lightning said as he unleashed a furious blast of electricity into the ice.

"Aaaaaaaaggggghhh!", the Hulk bellowed.

"Keep pouring it on!", the Widow said to Lightning as she swept down on her widow's line to pull some cililians out of the line of fire.

The Hulk kept screaming in pain and agony before flexing one last time and totally decimating the icy block. Chunks of ice went flying and pummeled the Iceman and Living Lightning.

The Lightning, stunned by the force of the blow, reverted back to human form as he slammed into a wall and into a hole created by the antics of the big green monster. He did not come back out, vanishing from sight.

"I guess it's our turn, Herc", said Andromeda as she landed a big left hand across the head of the still dazed giant.

"Indeed", agreed Hercules as he also moved forward and began peppering the green goliath with super-strong punches.

"Bah! Hulk tired of blue woman and man in skirt!", the Hulk said as he leveled Andromeda with a backhand that sent her flying several hundred feet.

"Andromeda?", Hercules shouted, distracted by the sight of his ally being knocked away.

"And now Hulk smash Skirt Man", the Hulk bellowed.

A huge right by the Hulk caught Hercules flush on the jaw and Hercules was sent flying backwards, stunned.. As the Hulk bellowed in triumph, Spitfire moved quickly into the scene and began to run in circles around the monster, creating a vortex that sucked the area and oxygen from the area around the Hulk.

"What yellow girl do? Hulk can't breathe!", the Hulk yelled.

The Hulk reached out and clapped his hands together, creating a huge concussive force that caught Spitfire as she circled him, stunning her and slamming her against a nearby building.

"All Hulk wants is to be left alone!", the Hulk bellowed.

"We can't do that, Dr. Banner", the Widow said as she swooped in on her widow's line, landing a kick across the head of the monster. "Not while innocents are in danger!"

Hulk didn't even feel the kick, but turned to the Widow.

"Hulk knows Bug Lady!", the Hulk said.

"Yes, Hulk. We're friends! We want to help you!", the Widow said.

"Bug lady lies. Hulk crush stinky bug!", the Hulk bellowed angrily, reaching for the Widow, who quickly moved out of his reach.

As the Hulk reached for the Widow, he was immediately covered again by a blast of ice and cold. Iceman was back in the game.

"Yahoo, big Green", Bobby Drake said as he continued to pour on the cold engulfing the ice.

"Hulk not like cold! Hulk crush Ice Cube and then crush Bug Lady!", the Hulk screamed.

And then, too fast for the eye to follow, a blur of motion as Mantis propelled herself into the scene and lept on the masive block of ice engulfing the still-frozen monster.

"Let this one help you", she said quickly and quietly as she mady physical contact with the Hulk's head, one of the few parts of his body not held still by the ice.

Mantis's eyes began to glow and she began to project her empathic thoughts into the mind of the Hulk's mind.

"What plant girl do?", the Hulk yelled as he attempted to break once more from his icy prison. "Hulk's head feels funny."

"This one is only trying to bring the peace and harmony to the forefront", Mantis chimed. "Allow this one to take away the rage and anger."

"Hulk feel... tired. Hulk want to sleep", the monster said, his eyes becoming heavy.

Suddenly, the monster's eyes popped open with rage and anger. He flexed once more and the ice prison crumbled. Mantis wasn't quick enough to react and was knocked across the street.

"Plant girl try to trick Hulk! Try to bring back puny Banner! Hulk not happy! Hulk smash!"

In a quick and fierce motion, the Hulk quickly again clapped his hands together, creating a concussive force that sent Iceman, The Black Widow, Spitfire and the returning Andromeda all flying in different directions.

The Hulk bellowed in rage. All looked hopeless for the Avengers.

"I say thee, Nay!", a voice bellowed out.

The Hulk turned to see Hercules standing there with a lightpole in his hands, as if it were a club. In one quick motion, Hercules batted the Hulk and sent him flying several hundred yards into a nearby park, where he landed just feet from the meditating body of Doctor Druid.

Druid's eyes glowed as he telepathically began to batter the mind and spirit of the fallen Hulk.

"What bald man do? Hulk smash! Hulk....", the Hulk fell to the ground unconscious.

A strange and disturbing change came about as the body of the Hulk began to glow and shrink, leaving laying there in it's place, the body of Dr. Bruce Banner.

The rest of the Avengers gathered and regrouped around the fallen Banner.

"What did you do, Druid?", Widow asked as she checked the pulse of the fallen scientist.

"I bided my time and took my best shot, telepathically allowing his Banner personality to overcome the Hulk persona and temporarily regain control."

"If it's so easy", Iceman asked, "Why didn't you do it sooner?"

"Because it's not easy, especially when a will and mind is as enraged and brutal as that of the Hulk. If he hadn't been so totally bewildered by that last blow of Hercules, and if Mantis hadn't allowed the spirit of Dr. Banner to begin to assert itself earlier with her empathatic powers, I wouldn't have had the power or strength necessary to mentally shut down the monster, " Druid explained.

"Well, you managed to get it done so that's all that matters", the Widow said.

"Say, where is the Lightning?", Andromeda asked, suddenly realizing that their young team-mate had not rejoined them.

"I don't know", Widow said.

Suddenly, her communicard buzzed. It was the Living Lightning!

"Yes! Manuel, where are... I see. We'll be right there!"

"What's up", Iceman asked as the Widow put away her card.

"That was Manuel. He's found something we should see. Mantis and Andromeda, keep an eye on Dr. Banner and keep him sedated. The rest of you, come with me."

***
(Three Minutes Later)

The assembled ranks of the Avengers Europe gathered to see what The Living Lightning had discovered.

"The Hulk knocked me through that wall, stunning me. And when I pulled myself together, I discovered... this."

A small, dark room with nearly a dozen bodies, slaughtered and lifeless, in various states of decomposition, laying about, as if they had been dumped.

"Oh my God!", Spitfire said quietly.

"This is... horrible!", Iceman agreed.

"This is definitely... unexpected.", the Widow agreed. "It reminds me of a slaughterhouse I once uncovered in Berlin several years ago."

The Avengers stood around, surveying the sickening scene.

"Any theories, Doctor?", Widow asked Dr. Druid, who was kneeling by and examining one of the bodies.

"Nothing I can confirm, but I have some theories that I'll have to research when we return to the castle. But I have noticed one thing on this body, and I suspect we'll find the same true with every other body if examined closely enough. No apparent obvious sign of trauma or death, but I've noticed that there two small wounds on the neck of this corpse."

"Vampires?", Widow asked.

"So it seems", Druid agreed.

"London and Europe in general, are well known for their vampire stories", Lightning mentioned.

"Not just stories and myths", Spitfire said. "Vampires do exist. I know that from my own personal experiences... My uncle... my son!".

"Do you think it may be them, involved", Iceman asked the blond battler quietly.

"No, they're as dead as dead can be, for a vampire anyhow. Captain America destroyed my Uncle, and I personally desroyed my son just last year... for good! I don't think it's them."

"We encountered Dracula when I was with the X-Men. He had the major hots for Storm. Could it be him?", Iceman asked.

"He is indeed a foul and evil creature", Hercules agreed. "I myself have also encountered the Dark Lord and he is a force to be reckoned with."

"For some reason, I don't think Dracula is involved", the Widow said. "Disposing of bodies in this manner isn't his style", she said, remembering her own encounter with the evil vampire back in the late sixties.

"I don't think it's Dracula either", Druid agreed. "I'll make some inquiries to make sure though. I've sensed an aura of uncertain origins about this place that lead me to believe that this may involve the same creatures we fought a few weeks ago, that vanished so abruptly. And that we may be fighting someone new."

"I'll allow you to see what you can learn, Doctor, so we can hopefully discover who's responsible for this and put an end to their evil", the Widow said. "As for now, I guess we should summon the local authorities to deal with these bodies and this scene. And we still have Doctor Banner to deal with as well."

"Yeah, we don't want to go another ten rounds with a rampaging Hulk, do we", Iceman quipped.

"No Robert, we don't", the Widow said. "So let's take care of what we must do so we can head back to the Castle."