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.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
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 authorjames2002@yahoo.com
Thank you and enjoy.
Author's Note: This storyline will be the final installment for "Marvel Knights". I hope you have enjoyed the run as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Many issues that have come up in the last storyline will be resolved in this story line. Again, I hope you have enjoyed its run. Thank you.
Chapter 4 Virus
The doctor finally allowed the Knights to leave telling them that they were not infected in any way.
"Can we see Davey now?" Tandy asked.
The doctor nodded and took them to the room where Davey was being quarantined. There was a large glass window that separated them from the junior member of the group. For the most part, Davey looked okay. He looked a little tired, but none the worse for wear.
"Davey!" Tandy said as she ran up to the glass. "How are you feeling? How did you get this?"
"Let the boy be," Whistler said. Everyone took up a place on one side of the glass while Davey sat down on a chair on the other side. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm tired. I didn't sleep well. My muscles ache."
"When did this start?"
"A few weeks ago, but it wasn't this bad. I would have stomach pains. I thought it was the flu. Then, I started throwing up. This is the first time it has been blood."
"Have the doctors talked with you yet?"
"All they said is that it's a virus they haven't seen before. Did you guys get checked out?"
"Yeah. We're all fine."
"Good. I'd hate to think I gave something to you."
"Oh, Davey," Tandy said wiping a tear from her eye.
"I'm not dead," Davey exclaimed. "Sheesh, you guys act like I'm dying. All I have is a virus. It will run its course, I'll be miserable for a while, and then I will be okay. No big deal."
"Did you run into any vampires or demons while you've been patrolling?"
"Are you kidding? When on patrol we always run into vampires and demons, especially after the Vampire War."
"Did any of them prick you or poke you?"
"Not that I can remember."
"It may be of mystical origin. We'll go and see what we can do. Hold tight, Davey. We'll get to the bottom of this. You'll be out giving us hell in no time."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, boss."
Whistler smiled at Davey.
"We'll be back, Davey," Tandy said.
"Hey, guys? I left the research I was doing on a table in the study. If one of you doesn't have anything to do, could you look through the info for me?"
"Of course," Whistler answered.
As the group headed to the Suburban, Whistler said, "I want a blood sample."
"Do you want us to steal a vial from the lab people?" Michael asked.
"No. I'll have Black Widow and Moon Knight do it."
"I could teleport them in," Ty replied. "I've gotten control of my powers."
"But the people that go through experience their worst fears."
"Then send Punisher and I," Blade said. "We can do it."
"I want you masked."
Blade nodded affirmatively.
That night, everyone gathered in the lair. Blade and Punisher wore black masks. Cloak and Strange were preparing a spell to help with the infiltrators' concealment as well as protect them from the teleportation effects of Cloak's mutant powers. They nervously stood side-by-side waiting for what was to come.
"We're ready," Strange said.
"Get a vial and get out. No ifs', ands', or `buts'. Do you understand me?"
Blade and Punisher nodded.
Strange held up his hands and muttered the incantation. Cloak held up his hands and muttered his part of the incantation. Then Strange resumed. Cloak moved into the circle and threw his arms out. Instead of seeing his costume and the inside of his cape, a gaping black hole stared out of him. Suddenly Blade and Punisher were sucked inside...
...and emerged in the laboratory of the hospital. Punisher quickly went to the charts and looked up Davey's name. "Vial number 334927-556," he called out.
Blade went to work and found several vials with that number. "Got it," he replied.
Punisher pressed a button on the communications device he carried. It sent a signal back to the lair letting everyone know they were ready to return. Seconds later, a black gaping hole appeared and the two jumped inside...
...only to emerge in the lair.
"Did you get it?" Whistler asked.
Blade held up the vial of blood and handed it to him. Whistler took the vial. "There's nothing more you can do except wait. I suggest you make yourselves more useful than that. Davey had done some research on the girl that committed suicide. You might want to check things out." And he went to the lab and began running tests on it.
Tandy and Ty went upstairs to find Marc looking through the reports Davey printed out the night before. He looked up when he heard the door open and saw the two youths coming in. "How's Davey?"
"He's doing okay," Tandy said. "He looks weak."
"What did the doctors say?"
"So far," Ty answered, "they think it's some kind of virus, but they haven't seen one like it before. Whistler is down in the lab looking into it. He's no doctor, though. So who knows what he may or may not find. I think he's concerned with it being of mystical origin."
Hearing footfalls on the steps, everyone looked to find Dr. Strange coming down. He nodded their way and then continued down.
"Evidently Whistler thinks he's found something to call in the big mystical guns."
"You are just as big," Tandy said to Ty. "Okay, that came out wrong."
"Don't worry," Marc replied. "I know what you mean."
"Davey asked that we look through his report. Did you find anything?"
"Nothing of consequence yet. But I'm sure in time, it will be revealed. I sensed the darkness that he's looking for. I think it is the same thing that I was warned about, the same thing that brought me here."
"And whoever sent you didn't give a name to it?"
"Only that it brings despair, which is why anyone would want to kill him or her self."
"Maybe we should look up despair in the computer to see what it finds."
The three headed downstairs and found Whistler talking to Professor Charles Xavier on the computer screen.
"Hello, Professor. Dr. Strange thinks you might be able to help us with this virus seeing as how you and Dr. Grey are very knowledgeable in the sciences. I've looked at it and so has Strange, and we haven't seen anything like it before."
"Transmit what information you have, as well as any image of it."
Whistler pressed a few buttons and the information was sent.
"Stand by," Professor Xavier said and the screen went blank.
Whistler turned to Tandy and Ty. "We haven't found anything yet. It isn't mystical, that's for sure. It's attacking his body but going after specific parts of his body, specific genes, but I don't know why."
The screen blinked back on and Professor Xavier looked very concerned. "Whistler, we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Davey does have a specific virus. There have been few cases of it springing up, but there is a doctor working on it, Dr. Moira McTaggert. From the information she's gathered, this virus was created to target specific persons, those with the X-gene."
"Mutants," Tandy whispered.
"That's right," Professor X said. "What it does is cause nausea and vomiting first. As it progresses, blisters and other lesions appear. Pain increases in the stomach and moves to the entire body, and finally, death. There is no cure."
Tandy's hand went to her mouth.
"Oh, man," Ty whispered.
"Is there a vaccine of any kind? I have two mutants here who, as far as I know, haven't been exposed to the virus."
"Get them checked out as soon as possible. And sterilize anything Davey may have touched."
"How is it transmitted?"
"From what Dr. McTaggert seems to have discerned, it is transmitted through bodily fluid, mostly blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Cuts, needles, sexual intercourse, any contact that would expose the inside of the body to the virus are modes of transmission."
"Thanks, Professor."
Professor Xavier nodded and the screen turned off.
Moon Knight quickly moved away from Tandy and Ty and threw the papers onto a table.
"I'll take them to the hospital," Michael said, "so they can be checked out."
"What do we tell Davey?" Tandy replied.
"The truth," Whistler replied. "That's the only thing we can do for him."
The others nodded. Michael took Tandy and Ty upstairs so they could go to the hospital. Marc made himself busy with decontaminating the study where he found Davey's report while Dr. Strange went up to Davey's room to decontaminate that area. Blade and Whistler decided to decontaminate the downstairs. When they were alone, Whistler was the first to speak.
"You know, when I took the job as Watcher, I knew that my charge would eventually get killed. The Council always taught us that. We weren't supposed to become too emotionally attached to our charges. You know, lose too many people you grow fond of and you'll snap. I've lost Slayers before. Not many, but I have lost some. And there would always be a replacement. And in some way, the void would be filled. But what about now? There isn't a replacement Marvel Boy waiting in the wings. No one is being trained to take up Davey's place.
"As a Watcher, I'm supposed to prepare Slayers to fight demons and vampires. I train them to stay alive, prepare them for the battles ahead. How do you prepare someone to die?"
To Be Continued...