"How exactly do we take the war to Hunger?"

Words spoken by Mosha. She's one third of this little unit. The other two thirds are her twin sister, Mikado (who also happens to have a kitsune demon inhabiting her body), and myself. My name is Elisa Hill, or Blade as I've taken to calling myself these days. But you already knew that.

"What?" I ask.

"How are we supposed to take the war to Hunger?" asks Mosha. "We have no way of finding him. Scab was our only lead, and now he's dead."

"Hmm... good point..." I reply. "Guess I was just trying to sound dramatic and intimidating."

"It was a nice try," says Mikado. Probably the first time I've heard her say anything in English since we first met.

"Thanks," I say. "I've been practicing."

"Do we have any leads whatsoever?" asks Mosha.

"Doesn't look like it," I reply. "So it looks like we'll have to find some."

"How?" asks Mikado.

"We split up," I reply. "Stake out the local vampire hangouts. See if you notice anyone familiar."

"It's not even sundown yet," says Mosha.

"Some of these underground places go all night," I say. "Do whatever's necessary to try and find out some information."

"Should you check with Sharpe?" asks Mosha.

Vincent Sharpe. A vampire who operated as a drug dealer in Seattle. Once Carlos Drezan died, Sharpe inherited Drezan's company, Corinston International. They deal in imports and exports, but they also handle the accounts for the vampire nations. Help to keep the peace as such.

"Sharpe said he doesn't know where to find Hunger," I reply.

"And you believe a vampire?" asks Mikado.

"Yes," I say. "Unlike Drezan, we can control Sharpe. He's nothing more than a bookkeeper."

"Then the plan is just hit the vamp hot spots and hope that something turns up?" asks Mosha.

"Basically," I reply. "We'll keep in touch via cell phones."

"Actually, I think I have a better idea."

Oh great... I recognize that voice.

"How you doing, Dallas?" I ask.

"Just peachy," he replies as he steps out from the shadows in full uniform, with a trench coat over it.

Commander Frank Dallas. Director of Silvereye, a special branch of SHIELD designed to deal with the growing vampire threat. During our first meeting, he tried to abduct me for a vampire ritual. He tried to arrest me on vigilante charges in our second. This is our third encounter.

"So, you three want to take on Hunger, huh?" he asks, folding his arms across his chest.

"So what?" I ask.

"But you don't know where to find him, nor do you know how to kill him."

"We can find him," I say. "As for the killing thing, we'll just keep trying until we get it right."

"Please," says Dallas. "He's a telepath and a telekinetic. He'll know your next move before you do, and you'll never be able to get close enough to him."

"Are you going to arrest us or what, Dallas?" I ask.

"Maybe later," he replies. "I think I know how we can take down Hunger, but I need your help."

The large, double doors leading to the spacious office of Vincent Sharpe are suddenly forced open. The figure hovering there is a vampire with long, silver hair, and dressed in robes. A petite Asian woman in business attire stands behind him.

"Mr. Hunger, I said Mr. Sharpe is not seeing anyone."

"Is that true, Vincent?" asks Hunger, as he stares at the man sitting behind the desk, with a phone held to his ear.. Vincent Sharpe sighs.

"I just had a surprise visitor, can I call you back?" he says into the receiver. "Thank you."

"Mr. Sharpe, should I call security?" asks the woman.

Sharpe hangs up the phone and stands. He circles to the front of his desk and holds up his hand.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Yotyio, but thank you," he says. "Just allow me to confer with my client in private, as I'm certain this concerns his account."

Yotyio nods with a smile, and closes the doors. Sharpe leans against the large, oak desk and flashes a smile at Hunger.

"Would you like a seat?" he asks. "Or something to drink?"

"No thank you," replies Hunger.

"So what brings you to Corinston?" asks Sharpe. "And in person no less. That's quite impressive. Usually all our work is handled through middlemen."

"My accounts are frozen," replies Hunger. "I need another loan."

"Hunger, didn't we discuss this already?" asks Sharpe. "I can only loan you so much, you know the rules. Everyone, mutant vampire or not, needs to adhere to them."

"This is different, I have the last Daywalker on my trail."

"And quite an attractive one at that," says Sharpe. "Alongwith two stunning associates. Twins, right?"

"They're a thorn in my side."

"I still haven't seen any proof of your progress," says Sharpe.

"The Daywalker destroyed my specimen."

"Then make another."

"I don't have the funds. Now are you going to approve my loan?"

Vincent Sharpe sighs, then walks back over to his chair. He pulls it out and sits in it, reclining ever so slightly. He props his feet up on the desk, then looks at his visitor.

"I'm sorry Hunger, but the answer's no."

"...what?"

"Before you came barging in here, I was on the phone with some of my investors," he says. "They helped me realize that, despite your past business with Corinston, you've become too much of a liability."

"You treacherous bastard..." mutters Hunger.

Sharpe smiles ever so slightly.

"I take it you just read my mind."

The bookcases along the wall suddenly fall to the ground, and Blade, Mosha, and Mikado stand there with their weapons ready. Each of them wears a device of some sort with blinking lights on their heads.

"Neural inhibitors," says Blade, tapping the device. "Blocks your telepathy."

Earlier

The Silverfang. Similar to SHIELD's Helicarrier, although a bit smaller in scale. The last time Blade was aboard this vessel, she was being chased by several Silvereye agents. Now, she comes onboard as a guest. She sits between Mosha and Mikado at a long, metal table, and Dallas sits across from them, a cigar dangling between his fingers.

The feeling is a bit odd, to say the least.

"How did you find us?" she asks.

"Scab," he replies.

"Scab's dead," says Mosha.

"I know," says Dallas. We first found him there, and we thought you might show up. Decided to hang around for a bit. Looks like my instincts were right."

"How did you know we'd go to Scab?" asks Blade.

"Simple," replies Dallas. "I heard about your encounter at Corinston. You were marked for death by Hunger, and that means you've decided to take this personal. I have a thought, but it requires your full support."

"After our last meeting, what makes you think I'll help you?" asks Blade. "You know, the time when you threatened to arrest me for obstruction of justice?"

"I'm aware of what I said, but I was under the impression that you were nothing more than your predecessor with tits and PMS," replies Dallas. "I spoke to Sharpe."

"Vincent Sharpe?" asks Mosha. "The man in charge of Corinston?"

"What does Sharpe have to do with this?" asks Blade.

"Nothing," replies Dallas. "And everything."

"You're speaking in riddles," says Mosha.

"Not really," says Dallas. "We've been trying to lean on Sharpe to get him to give up Hunger."

"Bullshit," says Blade. "Hunger and Sharpe don't have any personal contact."

"That's right, they don't," says Dallas. "But Sharpe and Corinston International handle vampire accounts, including Hunger's. Now, where do you think all that money comes from to pay for these vampire henchmen? Or the equipment needed to perform this gene splicing?"

"The vampires are paid?" asks Mosha.

"Even vamps need to make a living," replies Dallas. "Who do you think takes most of the night security jobs?"

"What's your plan?" asks Blade.

"We can't find Hunger, we already know that much. So we have to find a way to lure him out into the open. Best way to do that is to freeze Hunger's accounts."

"But doesn't he operate through Corinston?" asks Mosha. Dallas nods.

"How do you plan to convince Sharpe to freeze Hunger's accounts?" asks Blade.

"Make him a better offer," replies Dallas.

"Like what?" asks Blade.

"Immunity," replies Dallas. "Hunger's going down, and if Sharpe sides with us, we can ensure that he doesn't go down as well."

"So Hunger finds out his accounts are frozen and goes to Corinston," says Blade. "Then what?"

"You three take him out," says Dallas. "What do you say? You in or out?"

Now

"What's wrong, Hunger?" asks Blade with a mock grin. "Have some trouble with your ATM card?"

"You..." he mutters. "You did this..."

"Guilty as charged," she says. "Now, be a good little mad scientist vampire and die quickly."

She pulls the trigger on her gun and a silver bullet erupts from the chamber. It cuts through the air quickly, and Hunger lifts his hand out. As he does, flames seem to appear out of nowhere and grip the bullet.

"I think not," he says.

"Shit..." mutters Blade. "That's not good..."

Flames surround Hunger, and begin to extend in a circular fashion. The three hunters do their best to absorb the flames. The fire begins to become hands that reach for them.

"Someone get Sharpe out of here!" orders Blade. She fires off several rounds towards Hunger, yet all of them seem to be deflected. She grits her teeth and draws her sword and attempts to cut through one of the flaming hands. Naturally, it has no effect.

Mikado feels the kitsune within her rising up, attempting to take control. She tries to force it back down, and it is that instant of hesitation that allows one of Hunger's pyrokinetic hands to grip her. Mikado tries to cry out in pain, but no sound comes from her throat. She then begins to feel her world fade to black, and her eyelids close. When they reopen, her eyes are those of a fox. The kitsune demon takes over her body, and pulls away from the flame hands. Mikado leaps towards Hunger. She brings her claws down towards his head, and hits some sort of invisible barrier.

"You stand no chance, little demon," he says, and mentally forces her through the large double doors that lead to the lobby.

Yotyio stands and walks over to the double doors. Her eyes turn pitch black.

"Mr. Hunger..." she says. "Mr. Sharpe does not tolerate such rude behavior in his office."

Hunger flinches as the flames begin to retreat back into his body very forcefully and very painfully.

"This is a place of business, sir," continues Yotyio as she steps into the office. "If you cannot conduct yourself in an appropriate fashion, I must ask you to vacate the premises immediately."

"What are you doing?" asks Hunger. "My powers don't affect you..."

"Of course not," replies Yotyio. "Do I look like a mortal to you? Actually... don't answer that."

"What are you?" asks Hunger.

"Phelos demon," replies Yotyio. "We possess certain mental abilities as well. For example, I just shut off the part of your mind that allows you access to your mutant abilities."

"Impossible..." says Hunger.

*CHK*

"Hi, remember me?" asks Blade, as she presses a handgun to Hunger's temple.

*BOOM*

Silverfang

"I wanted to thank you three," says Dallas. "You helped us out down there today."

"Dallas, what's this all about?" asks Blade.

"What do you mean?" asks Dallas.

"We sucked down there," replies Blade. "If not for Sharpe's assistant, we'd be dead."

"You could have easily sent in one of your units," says Mosha. "Why us? Was it because of Mikado's kitsune abilities?"

"No, that had nothing to do with it," says Dallas.

"Then why?" asks Mikado.

"Consider it a test," replies Dallas.

"A test for what?" asks Blade.

"You three are good at what you do, and frankly, we could use you," replies Dallas. "You'd be a lot of help to us."

"You can't be serious..." says Blade.

"I am," says Dallas. "Together, the three of you would be just as skilled, if not more so, than any agents I currently have. Your individual strengths would be a great asset to Silvereye. You'd basically continue to do the job you've been doing, except this time you'd have Silvereye resources to back you up, not to mention a steady paycheck. What do you say?"

Blade glances over to Mikado. She offers a solemn nod, and then Blade looks towards Mosha. The young woman smiles slightly, a smile which Blade returns before looking back at Dallas.

"We're in."

"Good to hear," says Dallas. "Welcome to the Nightstalkers unit."

"Whistler?" asks Blade as she lightly knocks on the door to his workshop. "You in there?"

No answer is forthcoming, so Blade opens the door and steps inside.

"Whistler?" she asks once more.

Still no response.

"I've got some good news," she says. "We stopped Hunger. You might not like exactly what we did, but hey, it worked."

She glances around the workshop and notices the door next to his bench. It leads to the bathroom, and it's slightly ajar. She slowly opens it.

"Whistler...?"

She steps inside.

*CHNK*

The sound of a metal object striking the marble floor startles her. She slowly moves closer to the curtain covered bathtub and picks up the small object that fell to the ground.

It's a knife.

Plastic handle.

Silver blade.

Silver bloodstained blade.

She pulls back the curtain and gasps.

Whistler lies in the tub, still wearing his jeans, but with no shirt. There are cuts all along his upper body, and the water he lies in is stained red.