#0 - The Fall of the Midnight Sons

By Taylor Knock

<6 months ago in New Orleans...

"He's here, he has to be," says a black man carrying two swords with crosses on the ends. "I saw him out front."

"Oh maybe it was just some other vampire guy who heads a guild," says another man who has long brown hair.

"I think you need to take the situation more seriously King," says a man with flames on his head in the shape of a skull on a large motorcycle. "Tonight, we shall defeat Bloodstryfe."

"Lighten up G.," says another man who has long blonde hair. "This is the most dangerous thing we've ever done. We can make a few jokes." He suddenly looks around and says, "Hey, where's Mike?"

"He's scouting the area," says the black man again. "Seeing if any vampires are lurking around outside. Suddenly a powerful wind comes over them and lands on the ground. It is a sound they are all familiar with.

"There's no one," says the man who is the star of the title. "I checked the outside of the whole compound. They all must be inside." These are the men who make up the team known as the Midnight Sons. Hannibal King, a man who can transform into midst, has vampiric powers, has long brown hair, and can crack a joke at anytime. Frank Drake, the man with long blonde hair, has a gun that can do anything he wants it to do. Then, there's Blade, the man who has committed his life to slaying vampires and has hardly ever made a joke in his life. The last member of the Midnight Sons, is Dr. Michael Morbius. He has pale skin, long wings, and red eyes. His curse is that he must feed off the blood of others. The Midnight Sons has no leader, but if some one had to be named, Morbius and Blade do most of the leading. The last character, is Ghost Rider. He is not a member of the Midnight Sons, but he agreed to face them against the enemy they now face. He no longer has a skull enveloped in flames. Now there is no skull. The flames create the shape of where the skull once was.

"Ghost Rider," says Blade, "We must thank you for coming to our headquarters in New York and telling us of the rumors that Bloodstryfe had been spotted here. This could possibly be the final showdown."

"Doubtful," says Hannibal King, "but we can sure hope so."

"I disagree with going in," said Morbius," I think it's a trap."

"You're not the only one here Morbius," says Blade," You don't make the decisions."

"I know Blade," says Morbius," but I thought I could express my opinion."

"Your opinion is...,"begins Blade angrily. "Hey guys," says Frank Drake. "Let's not get into it right now. In case you hadn't noticed, our greatest enemy is inside that building, and we have to do something about it. And since you two will never agree on a decision, what do you think we should do Ghost Rider?"

"We have no choice," says Ghost Rider," we must go in. Bloodstryfe must face vengeance."

"I still have a very bad feeling about this," says Morbius.

"Yeah," says Hannibal King. "You and me both, but we've gotta go in."

Meanwhile in New York...

"Yessssss," says a large demon looking figure, "I am returned. And my target, Morbiussssss."

Back in New Orleans....

"Everybody have your earpiece on," says Blade. "We're going to have to split up." He says this because they have just come to a place in the building where there are five different ways to go. Since there are five of them, they must each take a separate path.

"Yeah, we got 'em," says Hannibal King. "Let's just get this over with. I don't know about you guys, but I'm freaked out."

Farther within the building...

"They're at the hallways Bloodstryfe," said a servant of the villain of this story. "Good," says Bloodstryfe, "make sure they receive the proper greeting."

Beside the building...

A man draped in black arrives after being informed Morbius is here. He plans to make him pay for past deeds.

Back inside...

"Morbius," says Blade over his head piece. "I think you might've been right. It's too quiet in here. Something's not right here."

"Ah," said Morbius," so me and you agree for once."

"Don't expect it to happen too often," says Blade. "What's that I detect," says Frank Drake, "are Mikey and Blade talking kindly to each other? That's a first, ain't in King?"

"I'd say so," says Hannibal King, "They haven't talked kindly to each other since....ever."

"I think we should celebrate," says Drake. "Who's up for sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows?"

"Shut up, Drake," says Blade.

"Please," says Morbius.

"And they agree again," says Hannibal King. "Will wonders never cease?"

" Silence everyone," says Ghost Rider, "anybody find anything yet?"

"I did," says Hannibal King," someone left a dirty magazine on the floor."

"How about anything someone else besides you would look at, King," says Morbius sarcastically.

"Oh," says Frank Drake," Now Morbius is joking, we must be under some sort of mind control."

"There's no one here," says Blade," they must've slipped out."

"That means we're home free, and we're not gonna die," says Hannibal King. "That's cool."

"Yeah," says Frank Drank, "Now I can sleep good....tonight." He suddenly pauses and says, "Who the heck are you supposed to be?"

Over the ear pieces all the others could hear someone say to him, "Your executioner." Suddenly they hear a small scream and Drakes earpiece go fuzzy.

"DRAKE," says Hannibal King," DRAKE!!! Come in."

"I'm going for him," said Morbius who is in the hall right beside Frank Drake. He'd heard gun shots from Frank Drakes area so he wanted to hurry.

"Go," says Hannibal King, "Go...find him. Oh man. Guys, IT'S A TRAP. I JUST FOUND BLOODSTRYFE!!!!"

"And that shall be the last thing you ever find," says Bloodstryfe to Hannibal King.

"I'm Coming, King," says Blade who is then grabbed from behind and slung down to the ground by a vampire.

"No, you're not going anywhere," says the vampire. Blade suddenly sees that there are numerous vampires all around him.

"Ghost Rider," says Blade, "I need a little help."

"So do I," says Ghost Rider, "many vampires just arrived out of nowhere." So Morbius was right. It was a set up.

With Morbius...

Morbius flies and breaks through the wall in front of him. He flies over to where Frank Drake is. He suddenly sees a dark figure draped in the shadows holding Frank Drake by the neck. He sees Frank Drake's gun lying on the ground, broken in half.

"Who are you," says Morbius.

"Don't you recognize me Morbius," says the figure that then stepped into the light. "Don't you remember me?"

"YOU," says Morbius loudly as he recognizes who it is. He charges at the man, but the figure grabs Morbius and throws him to the side.

"Fortunately for you I did not come tonight to kill you. Only to kill your heart." says the man. Morbius was about to ask what he meant but then the figure lifted Frank Drake in the air with both hands and smacked his back as hard as he could against him knee. He then grabs his neck, and twist it, causing it to crack. "I have done what I came to do. Without hardly touching you, I have killed you. Goodbye Morbius." The figure then flies away quickly, and Morbius loses sight of him.

"I'LL GET YOU ONE DAY. DO YOU HEAR ME? I'M GONNA GET YOU," says Morbius. He rubs up to Frank Drake and looks at his face. It was pale. Morbius could hear that there was no more heart beat. The figure from Morbius' past had killed Frank Drake. And the worst part of all was that it was to get to Morbius. Morbius wanted to mourn, but suddenly Hannibal King was thrown through the wall and landed on top of him.

Meanwhile...

Ghost Rider fights as hard as he can against the vampires. He whips them with his chain and stabs them with stakes Blade let him borrow. He does what he can do, but there are too many. They are over powering him. At one point, he is riding his motorcycle towards one. The one he's going towards dives to the side and sticks his arm out in front of Ghost Rider. This knocks Ghost Rider off of the motorcycle.

"What are you going to do now spirit of vengeance," says the vampire. "Use that penance stare of yours?"

Ghost Rider was about to respond, but he suddenly felt a surge of energy go through his mind. He suddenly said," Oh no...Basilisk?" He then thinks back to the battle and says, "You vampires so easily forget, I no longer need the penance stare. I now have the Penance burst." Suddenly, Ghost Rider rises to his feet and pulls a knife out of his pocket stabbing the vampire in front of him right in the heart. Suddenly white flames come out of Ghost Rider's body. Immediately, the entire room is enveloped by the pure white flames. It has the noise of a choir rejoicing to it. When it went away all that remained was Ghost Rider, and large piles of ashes all around him. "I have just received new information. Morbius must be notified as soon as possible." He then began to slowly head towards the others as to ensure there isn't anything that they missed. Meanwhile...

"Hey, how you doin' Mikey,"says Hannibal King rising to his feet. He was in his werewolf form and has a large gash in his right arm. "Having fun yet?"

"Must you insist on calling me that ridiculous name," says Morbius, "you should've notified us when you found Bloodstryfe."

"He...didn't give me..time," says Hannibal King, "Hey, what happened to Frank?"

"Someone from my past," says Morbius angrily," and someone I suspect is working for Bloodstryfe."

Bloodstryfe smiles. Bloodstryfe has hair that stands up and is mainly black, with streaks of silver throughout. He is draped in leather and Shadows appear to be swarming around him. He's a very dangerous vampire with many followers. "Though I would like to take credit for your friends death, I cannot," says Bloodstryfe. "Whoever that was was acting on their own."

"Why should we believe you," says Morbius, helping Hannibal King rise to his feet. "You have shown us no reason to believe you in the past."

"True," says Bloodstryfe with an evil glare in his eyes. "But I have not shown you any reason not to either. Frank Drake is dead, but not by my hands."

Elsewhere...

"That must be the last of you bloodsuckers," says Blade as he puts his sword through a vampires chest, "now for the main event."

Back with Morbius...

"King, how's your arm," asks Morbius.

"I'll live," says Hannibal King.

"Oh, I doubt that," says Bloodstryfe. "Now lets finish this."

Suddenly Blade shows up from behind Bloodstryfe. He was calmly walking, but then he saw Frank Drake dead on the floor, and assumed it was Bloodstryfe. He becomes extremely angry and raises his sword in the air saying," MURDERER!!! HIS SHALL BE THE LAST LIFE YOU EVER TAKE!!" He then began to charge at Bloodstryfe, but right before his blade touches Bloodstryfe's back someone grabs him from behind and throws him back down to the ground.

"Blade," says Bloodstryfe. "You're only human. You aren't even worth my time. My humble and greatest servant shall take care of you."

"Whether a skilled vampire or a stupid one I slay you all the same," says Blade.

The vampire he was to face then took a knife, and stabbed it through Blade's hand. "You shall find I am not one so easily killed," says the vampire. He then attacks Blade. This vampire had long golden blonde hair, and is dressed in leather just as Bloodstryfe is. Blade has heard of this vampire. Knows that some believe he is as strong as Bloodstryfe. He is about to find out.

Meanwhile...

"Where do your loyalties stand Morbius," says Bloodstryfe. "With Blade or Hannibal King?"

"Blade can take care of himself," says Morbius. "Hannibal King is hurt."

"And do you have any wonder where your other teammate Ghost Rider is," says Bloodstryfe.

"He can take care of himself," says Morbius. "A couple of vampires won't hurt him."

"Okay you two," says Hannibal King rising to his feet. "Lets stop side stepping, and really dance." Morbius then charges at Bloodstryfe. However, Bloodstryfe dodges, grabs Morbius by his wing, and slings him towards Hannibal King. By instinct Hannibal King turns himself into mist to avoid the collision. Morbius instead hit a wall with great force and is knocked down extremely dizzy.

"Now's your chance Hannibal King," said Bloodstryfe. "Prove your worthiness among the others." Hannibal King charges at him in his werewolf form and slashes him right in the chest. He then hits him with an uppercut in the chin. He pounces on him and on top of him on the ground. He says, "this one is for what you took from Morbius." He then raises his open hand in the air and began to charge it at Bloodstryfe's throat, intending to slash it. Unfortunately, Bloodstryfe grabs his hand. He bends it backwards putting Hannibal King in pain. Hannibal King tries hitting him with his other hand, but Bloodstryfe also grabs that arm and twist it. He rises to his feet still holding onto Hannibal King. Hannibal King kicks Bloodstryfe in the stomach but it has no effect. Bloodstryfe head butts him and knocks King out. King reverts to his human form after this. Meanwhile, Morbius is rising to his feet just in time to see what's going on.

At that time....

"So who are you," says Blade as he charged at his vampiric foe.

"I have no name," said the vampire, "Bloodstryfe is the only one of us with a name. But if you must call me something, my human name is Christian."

"Very well, Christian," says Blade. "Let's end this fight." Christian then flies at Blade, and Blade dodges out of the way and hits him on the back with his fist. He's knocked down to the ground and quickly rises to his feet. Blade then takes out a stake and throws it at Christian. Right before it reaches his eyes Christian grabs it in mid air. He charges at Blade, stabbing him in the leg with the stake.

"If I have to vampire slayer, I will take you apart piece by piece," says Christian who crushes the wooden stake with his hand. Blade then takes his sword and swiftly hits it at Christian's head. However, Christian ducks under it and hits Blade in the chest. Blade falls backwards, but is able to keep his balance. He then makes a grave error. Blade runs at Christian in anger and swings his sword at his side. Christian stops it, and grabs the sword. He rips the sword out of Blade's hand and hits him in the head with the back of it. Blade falls down to the ground and is unable to recover. Christian rest his foot on top of Blade pinning him down with it.

"Now vampire slayer," says Christian. "You shall learn that all of your kind reach certain death." He then raises the sword in the air.

Back with Bloodstryfe...

"No Bloodstryfe, STOP," says Morbius. "If you must kill someone this night then let it be me. But leave Hannibal King alone."

"Ah, you would sacrifice yourself to save your unconscious friend," says Bloodstryfe. "How noble of you. But the sad fact is that I have no interest in killing you. I want you to be servant, and take Christian's place as my most loyal servant. Though I would rather kill your friend now."

"I beg you Bloodstryfe," says Morbius in fear, who only doesn't attack because he knows Bloodstryfe has the advantage. "Don't do this.."

"Okay," says Bloodstryfe. "Let's make a deal. How about you leave me alone for the rest of time?I'm a happy guy. I enjoy being with your ex, and I've killed many in my life. I will spare your friend if you leave me in peace. Deal?"

"There's one problem with that," says Morbius, "you can never give back what you've taken from me."

Bloodstryfe then let out a heavy sigh and says, "very well then. Say goodbye to your friend." He then began to move his teeth towards Hannibal King's neck.

"NO," says Morbius. He then flew in the air, and through the roof above him. He came back down to the spot directly above Bloodstryfe. He expected to suprise Bloodstryfe. He didn't. As soon as Morbius came back through the ceiling Bloodstryfe hit him with an uppercut and knocked him backwards. Then Bloodstryfe turned his head towards Hannibal King, and sank his teeth into his neck. Hannibal King began to scream in pain. Worse than that, he eventually stopped screaming.

With Ghost Rider...

Ghost Rider heard where the battle was coming from and quickly moved in that direction. When he arrived he saw Blade pinned down on the ground and ready to be stabbed. He quickly Ghost Rider whipped out his chain and screamed out, "BLADE," and threw his chain towards Blade. This distracted Christian. Blade was able to grab the chain, and whack Christian right in the face with it. Christian fell down to the ground and dropped Blades sword. Blade then picked up his sword.

"Die with honor bloodsucker," says Blade," you one of the worthiest opponents I've ever met." He then stabs his sword right through Christians chest and instead of burning to ashes, he simply died. So Blade kept the sword in his chest. It was no loss, for he just took another sword out of his pack and said," Alright Ghost Rider, let's go fight Bloodstryfe."

Back with Bloodstryfe...

Bloodstryfe continued to feed on Hannibal King until Morbius once again rose to his feet. Bloodstryfe then drops Hannibal King to the floor and says, "your friend died satisfying others."

"I'm...not dead...just yet," says Hannibal King grabbing his neck because it was badly bleeding. He then sent a swarm of rats at Bloodstryfe. They began to bite at his ankle and everywhere on his body.

"Get these filthy creatures off of me," said Bloodstryfe who quickly got rid of all the rats that attacked him. This small distraction gave Blade and Ghost Rider just enough time to arrive. Blade went at Bloodstryfe and stabbed him right through the lower side of the right side of his body. Blade expected this to kill Bloodstryfe, and was hopeful, since he wouldn't be able to fight because of Christian stabbing his leg. Bloodstryfe instead stood there smiling. "Vampire slayer," says Bloodstryfe. "You will find it takes much more than that to kill me." He then ripped the sword out of his side and turned around. He hit Blade right in the face causing him to tumble down to the ground and fall unconscious. Ghost Rider then took his chain, and wrapped it around Bloodstryfe's neck. Bloodstryfe simply put a finger up to it and slightly scratched it. The chain shattered in pieces. Suddenly the shadows that dance around Bloodstryfe wrapped around Ghost Rider. The shadows covered him up to the point that he could no longer be seen. Suddenly, the shadows let his go, and when Ghost Rider was next seen, he was unconscious. While Bloodstryfe had his attention towards Ghost Rider Morbius flew at him, and hit him in the back. This knocked him down to the ground. He then turned him around, and put his claws right on Bloodstryfe's face and said," now Bloodstryfe, you shall fall."

"Go ahead Morbius," says Bloodstryfe. "Stoop down to my level. Give in to the urge and kill me in cold blooded murder."

"This isn't cold blooded murder, Bloodstryfe," says Morbius. "Letting you go would leave you open to be able to go another night and kill another man."

"But killing me," says Bloodstryfe. "would make it impossible for you to ever find my base. Or my other bases. Where there are millions upon millions of vampires who would happily fight in my name. For without me there would be no more missions of conquest. They would hardly ever leave the base and you would never win. In death, I would be the victor and many more would die. Go ahead, do it. And seal the fate of the woman you love along with it."

Morbius' eyes then widened. He let out a heavy sigh. He lets Bloodstryfe off of the ground and says, "Get out of my sight."

"Smart move Morbius," said Bloodstryfe, "and though I lost all the troops I brought with me this night I brough them knowing they were expendable. You, however, can still join me whenever you wish." He then flies away, and his silent laughter utters throughout the night. Morbius held up Hannibal King.

"Your going to be okay King," says Morbius. "I'll just take you to my lab and patch you up." Hannibal King's neck was bleeding so badly, that Morbius was already soaked from the blood.

"We..both know..that isn't true..Mikey," says Hannibal King. "Looks like this time...the bad guy finally got me."

"NO," says Morbius, "I refuse to believe it. You are my only comrade of this world."

"I know Mikey," says Haninibal King still holding his neck. "You are..my greatest friend. There is...no better...man in this world...then you. You do not...deserve the suffering you've been...put through over...the years. Tell Blade..to lighten up."

"I give you my vow my friend," says Morbius. "Your death shall be avenged."

Hannibal King then forced one last smile and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way." And with those last words Hannibal King's eyes closed, he stopped breathing, and his heart stopped.

Inside Morbius something began to build up. He screamed, but no normal scream. He screamed the scream of a creature that had just been stabbed through the heart. He will never recover.

5 minutes later...

Blade rises to his feet after regaining consciousness. At that same moment Ghost Rider also rose to his feet. Both of them then began to charge where the battle was believing Bloodstryfe still remained. They instead discovered Hannibal King lying on the ground surrounded by blood, and dead.

"Bloodstryfe did it," said Morbius surprising them and coming out of the shadows," Bloodstryfe killed the best of us, and then he fled."

"Why that stupid son of a..." says Blade. "He set us up." Suddenly, all were silent.

Twenty minutes later...

"Frank Drake, you were the heart of the Midnight Son's, and Hannibal King you were truly its soul," says Morbius. They had just gone outside and buried Frank Drake and Hannibal King in appropriate spots.

"Those were two great fighters," says Ghost Rider. "Though I didn't know them well I will surely miss them."

"As shall I," says Morbius. "If it wasn't for those two Blade would've never been convinced to let me on the team even after all the times I saved their butts." He laughs, and then says, "Blade, I was able to see them in their passing moments, I shall give you the honor of being able to say a few words in their honor." Blade says nothing to Morbius, but begins to speak. "Frank Drake, Hannibal King, I could not miss anyone more than I'll miss the two of you. You were the heart and soul of this team, and no one would deny that. Hannibal King, you, as it's humanity, and Frank Drake, you as its stability. May you rest in peace. But before that, I wanted to let you know that you shall be avenged. We will find Bloodstryfe and whoever it was that killed Frank, and they will be sorry they were ever born. You two were the heart and soul of this team. This night, was the last ride of the Midnight Sons. Let's face it, without the two of you Morbius and me would never agree on a plan of attack and nothing will ever get accomplished. We'll fight better alone. You'll be dearly missed. We shall all cherish the memories of the once great Midnight Sons."

An hour later...

Morbius, Ghost Rider, and Blade sit in a bar reflecting on the past.

"Remember that time," says Blade. "That King bought some fake blood and put it all over his lips and Frank put it on his neck, and they pretended that Hannibal King fed off of Frank?"

Morbius started laughing and said. "Yeah, Frank acted like he was dead. You freaked out."

"With good reason," says Blade. "How about when you walked up to Frank Drake he sprayed you with silly string?"

"I'd prefer to forget that," says Morbius. "Because then Hannibal King attacked me. Then they started singing happy birthday."

"Yeah," says Blade. "Never did figure out how they found out it was your birthday."

"Those two knew a lot of things we didn't think they would," says Morbius.

"I remember," says Ghost Rider,"that they threw a dummy of Bloodstryfe on me and said,' boo.'"

"Yeah," says Morbius, "you jumped off of your bike and tore that things head off with your chain. We were all laughing for a week."

"Yep," said Blade with depression in his voice. "Those two had the best sense of humor. And they sure made quite a tag team." The mood was killed after that and after a long moment of silence Morbius finally spoke up.

"What are we going to do now," says Morbius. "The Midnight Sons fell tonight."

"I'm gonna stay in New Orleans," says Blade. "I'm staying to find Bloodstryfe's base. I'm going to find him, and then I'm going to kill him."

"Call me if you need any help," says Morbius.

"Don't hold your breath, Michael," says Blade. "This is a solo mission. I won't ask you for help, unless I absolutely have to." They all then got up, paid for their drinks and walked out. They smirked because the cashier didn't even give them a second glance.

"I'm going to be around everywhere," says Ghost Rider. "I'm going to travel and wreck vengeance on all those around me that terrorize the innocent. Perhaps we'll meet again one day."

"I hope so," says Morbius.

"Before I go," says Ghost Rider. "Morbius, Basilisk is back. Find him, and give him hell."

"I'll do that," says Morbius. Without saying goodbye Ghost Rider gets on his bike and speeds away.

"Could never figure that guy out," says Blade. "So what are you going to do Micheal?"

"I'm going back to New York," says Morbius. "You are staying here. Ghost Rider is traveling. But more creatures of the night stalk in New York than even here. The city needs a protector. I shall take the job, and find the one who killed Frank Drake."

"Sounds good," says Blade. "Listen Morbius. I'm going to be straight with you since you've always been straight with me. We don't get along. Basically, I don't like you because you are a bloodsucker yourself. So be warned, when next we meet, it could possibly be as enemies."

"I know," says Morbius who then flew up in the air and " goodbye Blade. He then flew off and out of New Orleans to go and forever be the immortal protector of New York City. However, there was one thing he feared. When he saw Frank Drake and Hannibal King killed he felt something rise up in him. When he was forced to let Bloodstryfe go he felt it even more. Something he could not tell the others about. Something uncontrollable. Something evil. Not just a blood lust. The need to kill.

Epilogue 1

"So was the mission a success," says a woman to Bloodstryfe who had just returned to his base.

"Half way," says Bloodstryfe. "Martine, I was able to slay one of their ranks. A mysterious figure killed the other. They were Hannibal King and Frank Drake. However, I lost all my followers."

"And what happened with Morbius," says Martine.

"I sense some feelings of care in your voice, Martine," says Bloodstryfe. "Do you perhaps still love the man?"

"Of course not, Bloodstryfe," says Martine. "I am here only for you. I was simply wondering how it went with him."

"He almost killed me," says Bloodstryfe," and he continues to avert me. His alliance would increase our power by thousand fold."

"There's always another chance," says Martine.

"Yes Martine there is," says Bloodstryfe. He smiles. "Come to bed with me now Martine."

End Epilogue

Epilogue 2

In the abandoned warehouse where the battle took place with Bloodstryfe, Christian's body lies on the ground, with the cross-shaped sword stuck in his heart. Suddenly his eyes snap open.

End Epilogue

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