Chapter 115: Hide and Seek

If Nightcrawler knew the ins and outs of Dimensional travel as well as Magik did, the journey to Chernobyl would've been nearly seamless.

But he didn't.

And the seams in question were beyond frayed.

Worst case scenario was they teleported right in the middle of a Mutant-Vampire stronghold.

Thankfully it wasn't the worst case scenario. But it also wasn't much better as they fell from the silent sky.

Being atop the spire seemed to have a one to one connection in terms of elevation with the real world this time…

They were out in the open and preparing for a noisy slam in enemy territory.

Storm got to work, pulling a cloud around them to stay hidden as Brother Voodoo controlled the winds and brought them together.

Magik didn't need any looks to know it was her turn.

She teleported the group to a nearby rooftop.

They all stayed low, breaths visible in the air as the densest layer of fog possibly ever descended over Chernobyl.

"Rooftops are a bad idea but the ground is somehow infinitely worse…" Storm commented, causing everyone to look out over the streets.

Vampires in the hundreds moved down desolate beat in streets. The cracked earth somehow fit the aesthetic of dead looming buildings and fog.

All manner, all species, joined under one banner.

Neyaphem. Morlocks. Cheyaraphem. Even a couple hybrid giants. Dogs. Tigers…. A bear White Widow seemed to recognize. All given the gift of Vampirism to follow Varkis.

"We need to retreat—"

"No." Nightcrawler interrupted his mother, "We have a mission. This makes it that much more important. Daken is mobilizing his forces, if we can come back with valuable information it could save our friends. It could save everyone. We don't have the time to try this again. Plus, he already knows we're coming."

"Hey— look around. This isn't superhero time!" Mystique whispered angrily, "This is war and we will die here very fast if given the chance. You will die."

Nightcrawler's white teeth gleamed in the night, "It almost sounded like you cared there."

"It did almost." White Widow agreed randomly.

"Focus." Storm interrupted, "Watch the waters…" Storm referred to the surrounding lakes beyond the concrete and metal abandoned city.

"There's something in there…."

"Keep it at the back of your minds. Like Nightcrawler said we won't be able to do this again, so let's get all the info we can…. Maybe take down an unsuspecting general, and get the hell out of here." Brother Voodoo interrupted.

Everyone slowly agreed. Some more hesitantly than others. But they agreed nonetheless.

Since the grounds were full of undead troops on the move, they stuck to the rooftops to take note of everything. Anything and everything at all.

In their search they didn't find Daken.

But they found a number of Generals.

At the helms of each differing Vampiric squad, barking orders like they were in a rush to be somewhere fast.

Among the undead animals was a man who would've looked comical in any other context. He wore a leather suit meant to look like a bat fit with comically large ears and underarm wings. He was out of shape. Both skinny and flabby to the point where everytime he yelled a command at one of the Tigers or Hounds his stomach bounced.

"That's Baron Blood." Magik told them, "He's not as old as most old vampires but he's old by human standards. He fought on Red Skulls side of history once upon a time against Captain America. Now he's just a follower. He likes turning animals… obviously."

Stationed near the Vampiric animals were the morlocks, partially filling up a street of the next block over.

Their leader was the Morlock leader they'd known previously.

Callisto. Sensory adept swordsman with a pension for cruelty and violence.

"Good idea with the fog. If you didn't put that down when you did, she probably would've tasted the Brimstone dimension dust on us." Mystique commented in a whisper.

"She still might." Storm thought before it started to rain.

As they continued searching, they found no more. Leading them to push deeper into Chernobyl….. to try harder to find an advantage for their people.

Their game of dancing around the domains perimeter granted them no such reward.

But Nightcrawler knew what could. It would just take some convincing and out of character moments.

Thankfully she was committing the most of those as of late…

"The hell are you staring at, boy?" Mystique whispered to Nightcrawler as they all crouched on the railings of an empty shed. The windows above the massive shut garage door were busted and old, giving them a clear view of the horde still.

"You."

"Well, stop. It's making me itch." Mystique demanded.

"You're welcome to avoid my stares the most obvious way." Nightcrawler shrugged.

It didn't take long for him to feel the silenced end of her handgun pressed to his temple.

"Funny. I meant the other obvious way." Nightcrawler said aloud.

"You want me to go out there? This level of punishment for bad parenting is too harsh, in my opinion." Mystique lowered her weapon. Nightcrawler noticed she never had her finger on the trigger.

How deprived he had to be for such a thing to brighten his spirits…

"This is what you do." Nightcrawler replied after clearing his mind, "You were chosen for this mission— for this exact reason. You can get closer than any of us. Even with White Widow's cloaking tech, she can't do what you do."

"There's stipulations." Mystique started, "Like Callisto. I can't change my scent so I'd be walking in there as Mystique no matter what I look like. Not to mention they're all huddled up where the hell would I come from? You guys are infatuated with terrible plans."

Everyone stared at Mystique.

"Right…. It's raining."

"And if you needed an in, you could've just asked." Storm pointed to the sky.

A bolt of lightning crashed into the Morlock Mutant-Vampire faction. The blast went off like a bomb, sending Vampires flying and exploding into flaming clusters of bats.

"Dammit. Do it correctly or I swear I'll—"

"Quiet." Magik grabbed Mystique's arm and pulled her through a teleporting disc.

In the distance, Nightcrawler watched the two reappear in an alley beside the faction lining the street.

A Vampire lay burning at the helm of the alley amidst the chaos. Magik grabbed him and jumped through the teleporting disc. At the same time Mystique took on his form. Tall, muscled, pure black reptillian skin and white eyes.

Magik reappeared on the railings beside them holding a burning, convulsing Mutant-Vampire by his only non-burning arm.

Storm removed the flames. And just as he was about to scream, Brother Voodoo took away his mouth.

They all watched in horror as the Vampire healed from his injuries like….

"They're feeding on Varkis' blood." Magik thought just as the Vampire's eyes burst open.

Brother Voodoo stuck his hands out to the Vampire and began shaping him with fingers that bent and slithered inhumanely. Folding him in on himself and smoothing out the shape until a smoking scaled ball sat in Magik's hand.

"That is….. grotesque." Nightcrawler mumbled.

"My power over the dead makes me a useful foil to Vampires. Even if they've been…. upgraded. Similarly to your mother."

Everyone looked out the window to watch Mystique as she joined the ranks of the Morlock Vampires.

They'd all retreated into the surrounding buildings after the blast, probably fearing what they thought was the beginning of an enemy Mutant invasion.

If Daken told them about Storm.

The rest of the time was spent as a waiting game.

They played it to the best of their ability. As well as their own anxieties would let them. Even when it felt like eyes burned into their backsides and breaths from watchers below warmed their feet.

They waited.

And waited….

"It's been an hour, what's going o—"

Mystique came rolling out of a window of the building she entered in the distance. She waited casually in the alley for a moment before signaling to Magik.

In two blinks, they were back and Mystique was shifting back to her normal self.

"So…?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Morbius and Deacon Frost. Those are the only other two I heard of the high ranking Vampires." Mystique explained. "And no, I'm not going back in there. Something's off."

"Well of course. Many things are off." White Widow attempted to reassure Mystique in the coldest way possible.

"No." Mystique said instantly, "I mean like….. I don't know. Their shadows…. had eyes. Can we leave now?"

Nightcrawler swallowed audibly.

"We need a location on Dracula." Magik interrupted.

"Ok. You're all insane." Mystique snapped.

"There's no way Daken killed him. He's too useful. For any new Vampire, Dracula is your ticket to everything. He's got to be a general."

"You think Daken convinced him to step down?" Nightcrawler questioned.

"No." Magik replied, "I think he either beat Dracula or wagered his blood. Every Vampire wishes to see the light. Part of why the myth of Varkis is so strong is because through him they can."

"Then where is he?"

"Der'mo!" White Widow cursed as she looked around at everyone.

"What is it?" Storm questioned.

"….. I think we're missing a SHIELD Agent." White Widow stated.

"How the hell did a grunt sneak away from us? We would've heard him."

"Brother Voodoo." Storm regarded him warily as she stood beside him. "Do the runes and spells you applied to one earlier have a part to play in this? Say the wrong thing and I'll take your breath away. Or absorb the electrical charges running through your body and shut down your brain."

Brother Voodoo held his hands up, "Now h—"

"Please don't kill each-other when you can fight me. Pretend I did it. Everyone focus your anger on me instead!"

Everyone turned to face the SHIELD Agent.

His eyes were completely black.

"Mole." Mystique raised her handgun and fired. The bullet smacked right between his eyes as the other agents backed away with their weapons raised.

He didn't move.

Storm took the wind from his lungs and Brother Voodoo manipulated the threads of his gear, imprisoning him in his own clothing as it grew knotted like unkept hair.

He remained.

"You're all fighting as one again. I take it that means you're ready." The soldiers eyes returned to normal and he fell from the railing.

The shadows of the shed below twisted and stood up as if it was just a dark figure laying down.

The thing wasn't human. It had black skin and a head like a dragon with a mouth full of pointed teeth. Its protruding spine and horns gave it a jagged shape as it caught the shield agent and absorbed his life force in a spiral of dark magic and crunching bone.

He dropped the armored husk and looked up at them.

"Yelena."

"Chernobog."