Now.

"Avengers assemble." Hawkeye dropped the radio receiver back into its cradle and leaned back in his seat. He looked at the Wasp and Spider-Woman. "Iron-Man is on his way."

"Small miracles." Janet murmured, flying the quinjet. "The Society always was organized but this..." she trailed off. "Jesus."

"We gotta get organized Janey-baby. We've been getting hit from all sides, everybody quitting, leaving, I-"

"Clint."

"Jan?"

"After this, I'm done."

"What?" Hawkeye looked at her in shock. Spider-Woman whistled.

"Awwwkward."

"Quiet Jess. Jan, baby?"

"Hank's in the middle of a breakdown Clint. And I only came out here to help you temporarily. It's turned into one hell of a temporary is all I can say. Hank's hurting." she said. "You saw his workshop didn't you? Saw what he was building?"

"I-I-"

"Ultron, Clint. He's rebuilding Ultron. God knows why. I'm getting him away from here. Away from everything. Somewhere where it's just the two of us. Can you understand that?"

"I-yeah. Yeah." Hawkeye looked away. "Jesus Jan. Deja vu. The Avengers West is going down again. Probably for the last time."

"Hell if it is." Drew leaned forward. "Still got me bossman. I was just getting to enjoy this whole team thing. And what about Iron-pants and the kid?"

"Four members do not a team make."

"Iron-Man. Thor. Giant-Man. And me." Jan held up four fingers. Hawkeye grinned slowly.

"Yeah. Foot in my mouth hunh?"

"Don't worry, you still look stylish."

"Well as long as the important things are taken care of." Hawkeye rubbed his jaw. "Besides, the Avengers tend to attract strays right?"

"We got you that way."

"And I'm the best you've ever had."

"That's up for debate."

"We'll table a committee when we get done." Hawkeye gestured to the window of the quinjet. "Our back-up is here." Iron-Man hurtled up and around the vehicle, buzzing them. "Lets get him aboard and go smash some serpents kiddies!"

Darkhawk landed in the middle of what had once been a nice brownstone by the Bay. Now it was just so much crumbled brick and fire-charred timbers. He looked around.

"Well?"

Start digging.

"Where?"

Right here.

"So how'd you get here? I was under the impression that the Avengers had their own cemetery. And that you were buried in it."

Ah. So you know who I am now...

"Hard to miss what with you yelling it in my head for the past fifteen minutes."

I do apologize. But it was imperative that you get here before midnight. Before it's too late...

"For what? What the hell is going on? Is it something with these Society guys?" Darkhawk focused the beam from the gem on his chest into the ground. The earth ruptured, cracking and exploding as the alien energy penetrated it.

Indirectly. Ingenious use of your abilities lad.

"I-yeah. Thanks." Darkhawk shook his head. "So, you are dead aren't you. You're a ghost."

Not quite. Death is simply not the end for one such as I. The Avengers buried me true, but my...servants uprooted me. At my behest of course. To bring me here to one of my sanctum sanctorums.

"Your what?"

A sacred place. A place of power. Here I've...gestated if you will. Preparing for my next turn on the Wheel of Souls. But this place is dying thanks to that creature's rampage. Equinox weakened the mystical bonds and wards of this city. And now an old prophecy is about to come to pass...

"I hate prophecies."

I know. Me too. Step away lad...my time is now!

Darkhawk cut the power to his beam and hopped back. Smoke and dust rose out of the hole he'd carved into the earth. And something else. Something not quite dead, not quite alive.

Doctor Druid.

Ragged purple robes clung to a befouled crimson bodysuit, all of it covering a skeletal creature, yellowed bones clad in rotting flesh. Glowing eyes alit on Darkhawk and a rictus grin split the horrible face.

"Well. Nice to see you face to face finally Chris. I am Anthony Luddgate Druid."

"Are you gonna try and eat my brain?"

"Maybe." Druid laughed, a harsh croak. "But I'm not quite that peckish yet. Come boy. We must away!" He held out a dessicated hand, the fingers more bone than meat. Darkhawk hesitated for a minute, then took Druid's hand.

Twelve captives in total were bound to the floor of the church. DuBois made thirteen. Unlucky number. Fetch hefted her by her throat and tossed the whimpering woman on the altar.

"For God's sake Zelda, show some spine." Asp hissed. A little too loudly evidently as the vampires around the Society members flinched and snarled. Fetch turned and shook a warning finger.

"Keep your brood quiet Voelker. Please."

"Just hurry up Fetch. We have places to be." Sidewinder said, arms crossed. He glanced carefully around. Too many to fight in these close quarters. Voelker was a skilled diplomat and had a nose for treachery. Fetch stank of it. He should've known better than to deal with the undead. He happened to glance up as the moon peeked between the clouds. Ah. A white knight. Voelker smiled inwardly as he watched Moon Knight prepare himself for something foolish no doubt, but useful all the same. He nudged Asp and winked at her. She smiled in return. Cleo could always be counted on to be prepared.

Moon Knight readied himself, throwing darts held between his knuckles. The Society looked ready to bolt. Or fight. All it would take was one...good...

Hiss.

He turned slowly. The bats were looking at him. Far, far too intently. The vermin leapt as one, leather wings cutting the air, eyes burning. Moon Knight fell backwards, hurling the darts as he went. Several bats were sent tumbling from the air. Moon Knight landed smoothly atop the altar over DuBois' prostrate form. He felt the moon shining down on him, filling him with Khonshu's grace.

Fetch laughed and clapped his hands. "Mana from Hell."

"But not for you. Society...STRIKE!" Voelker snapped. He lashed out with his cape. It engulfed several vampires, causing them to vanish before they could cry out. The other Society members acted accordingly, lashing out at the undead closest to them. Puff Adder's expelled a cloud of gas that reduced several of the creatures to shrieking skeletons and Asp's bio-electric stings made three more dance like birds on a live-wire. But the Society was fighting a losing battle.

The bats and other vermin flooded the church, shapes changing, altering, becoming yet more vampires, all hungry for blood. Dozens. More than that. Fetch watched the Society struggle and turned back to Moon Knight. He held up a cracked and distorted skull in both hands, turned upside down like a makeshift goblet.

"Isn't it lovely? The last earthly remnants of our lord and master."

"Good for you."

"You mock us. But it doesn't matter. I've taken the blood of the twelve Voelker brought me-and a heady mixture it was-and now all I need is hers. Just a dollop, a drop even and our master will return to us from Hades. And then he will feed on these offerings of ours and even you." Fetch licked his lips. "Take him!"

Moon Knight whirled, cursing. Distracted. Fetch's voice...his eyes...didn't matter now. Several vampires bowled him over, knocking him from the altar and to the ground. Claws shredded his outfit and fangs snapped at his throat. Fetch swooped forward and slashed a thin claw across Zelda's belly. She screamed as he held the skull to her belly to escape the thin trickle of blood.

The skull began to tremble in Fetch's hands and he dropped it as it began to bulge and crackle obscenely. A vile smoke issued from the pores in the bone, a stinking fog that blanketed the area. Moon Knight brought his truncheon across a vampire's jaw, sending it sprawling and then hurled it at the skull, sending it flying. Fetch screeched and dove after it.

A burst of solar energy punched through the vampire's chest, turning him to ashes and dust. Genis-Vel floated gently towards the ground, eyes blazing like the sun, a corona of cosmic energy surrounding him. The vampires cowered away.

"Where is she?"

"To whom do you refer whelp?" a smooth voice, like oil spreading over water, inquired. There was a snap, like the flap of great wings and a foetid wind rolled over Genis. "For all here belong to me."

"And you are?" Genis peered into the gloom. A laugh, as chilling and deep as the grave echoed in the church and the fog that clung to the floor rose, turning from urine yellow to blood red. A mass of something horrible rose from the ground at Genis' feet and a clawed hand with impossibly long fingers closed on his throat, hurling him straight up, back the way he had come.

"I? I am DRACULA!"

"Jesus!" Janet yelped as a veritable cloud of bats engulfed the quinjet and caused it to shake. "What the hell?"

"Bats sir! Thousands of them!" Spider-Woman peered over her shoulder. "All heading right toward Moony's signal by the looks of 'em!"

"Oh that's not good." Hawkeye muttered. Iron-Man looked over at him.

"Clint."

"What?"

"Vampires."

"No! I refuse to believe we gotta deal with some reject from Fright Night on top of everything el-" Hawkeye turned. "Who the hell are you?"

"Just a concerned party." the immaculately dressed dwarf grinned, his too-wide smile showing disturbingly white teeth. He straightened his tie and smiled at each Avenger in turn. "Wow. Colorful bunch. Not my kind of crowd normally but hey, we all gotta adapt right?"

"How did you get aboard this vehicle?" Iron-Man snarled, stepping forward. The dwarf shook a finger at him.

"Settle down robo-cop. Don't blow a gasket." He ran stubby fingers through his oily hair. "Simple fact kiddos. I can't let you get where you're going. Not if the boss' plan is gonna succeed y'see. So you gotta go. All of you. Sorry, but them's the breaks."

Iron-Man lunged forward even as the dwarf snapped his fingers.

"Toodle-ooh kids."

The quinjet exploded and tumbled from the sky, a burning ball of wreckage. The dwarf watched it fall from a nearby rooftop, his eyes shaded. He laughed. "Oop. I did it again."

Iron-Man stumbled forward into Darkhawk's arms. The Wasp, Spider-Woman and Hawkeye were equally caught off-guard, falling to the floor. Hawkeye looked up at Chris.

"What the hell? Chris wha-"

"I'm sorry Clint. But there's little time. I will explain in due course, but not right now." Doctor Druid said, bits of him falling to the floor as he raised his arms. "Chris! We have one more stop to make!"

"I-yeah. I'm with you Doc!" Darkhawk glanced at the other Avengers, then leapt towards Druid, both of them vanishing in a burst of light.

"What the hell just happened?" Hawkeye glanced at the others.

"Vampires. Now zombies." Iron-Man shook his head. Hawkeye glared at him.

"Stop it. Just...stop it."

Dracula pulled Zelda into the air, claws around her throat. "Hello my sweet. It was your blood that has returned me to this harsh realm. A bit more and Dracula shall be once more at his peak." he purred, narrow features grimacing in pleasure. He was nude, his body an ugly shade of pale in the moonlight. Moon Knight staggered upright. The vampires that had survived Genis' arrival were busy with the Society.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Moon Knight leapt forward, truncheon slashing through the air. Dracula caught the weapon without turning.

"You stink of the grave, warrior. Begone." Dracula thrust forward and Moon Knight found himself hurled backwards, his back scraping across the floor. "Dracula has no time for revenants."

"How about Kree warriors?" Genis said as he slammed into Dracula from above. Zelda was flung aside as vampire and alien smashed through the floor into the tunnels below. Dracula arose from the sewage, snarling like a wolf. Genis swung a glowing fist at him and Dracula exploded into a mist, reforming behind him. Claws tangled in Genis' hair and he was yanked backwards into Dracula's arms. Fangs darted hungrily for his jugular.

Dracula shrieked and stumbled back, mouth smoking, seconds after biting Genis. The alien fell to his hands and knees, shaking his head, trying to clear it.

"Auhghk! Your blood burns like the sun creature. Dracula shall not sup on you. Nor shall he waste anymore time upon you! Minions!" Dracula shrieked. A dozen vampires tumbled through the hole even as Dracula leapt upwards. The creatures swarmed over Genis, biting and clawing. Dracula landed gracefully, crimson eyes looking eagerly over the bound forms of his victims.

Sidewinder watched the creature stalk towards the closest of the people he had procured for the now deceased Fetch and decided that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance. Most of the vampires that had been tangling with his people had leapt on the Avengers' resident alien at Dracula's command. If there had ever been a time to leave, it was now.

"Gather round gentlemen and ladies. It is time for us to cut our losses and leave."

The Serpent Society vanished in a flash of light, barely noticed by either Dracula or Moon Knight. Dracula had lifted the unconscious form of Hank Pym from his feet, long tongue licking over his grotesque fangs. Moon Knight, for his part, ran towards them, knowing in his heart he was too slow. Too late.

A burst of eldritch energy struck Dracula in the chest, flinging him backwards.

"No creature. You shall find no repast here." Doctor Druid said, his eyes glowing eerily. "Though we arrived too late to stop your re-birth, I shall make it as brief as possible." Darkhawk stood beside him, ready to attack the vampire at a moment's notice. Moon Knight too had drawn closer, truncheon in hand. Dracula stood with a hiss but before he could say anything an explosion of solar fire erupted from the hole in the floor where Genis had been buried in undead flesh. Genis floated upwards, his eyes flashing as he caught sight of Marlo's unconscious form. Dracula looked around at his enemies and with a roar, crouched and threw himself upwards, his form twisting into that of a demon-bat, which soared into the sky and vanished before anyone could react.

"No!" Druid said. Genis swooped towards Marlo, scooped her up, and vanished in the opposite direction silently just as swiftly. Druid slumped.

"Doc. Doc, what's wrong?" Darkhawk looked at him. "We won didn't we?"

"No. No my boy, we've failed. Failed. Dracula has returned...and Cthon is not far behind!"

Next Issue: Whaaaa? Cthon? Dracula? Yep. You read that right. Be here in thirty for the start of a new storyline in 'BLOODY DAYS'!