When the treaty was first signed, Nick Fury had been nothing more than a low-level agent—no power, no say. But things were different now. As Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had both the authority and the firepower to intervene in any war between humans and vampires.
The moment he hung up on Natasha, he dialed another number.
"What is it?" came a low, gravelly voice from the other end.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Fury said coldly. "You had Daredevil bring up the vampire issue to me."
From Natasha's report, Fury had already pieced it together. Matt's visit to Lucas hadn't been just a friendly favor. His words were far too deliberate—clearly meant to reach Natasha's ears, and through her, Fury's.
A rough chuckle answered him. "You're still as sharp as ever. You're right—it was for you to hear. Those bloodsucking leeches have broken the truce. Since war's inevitable, why not use the chance to wipe them all out? You've got the means now, don't you?"
In a pitch-black room cluttered with weapons and ammunition, a man in a black combat vest with a white skull emblazoned on his chest was speaking into a phone—Frank Castle, the Punisher. And yes, he was talking to Nick Fury.
This was something Frank and Matt had agreed upon beforehand. Vampires were far beyond what two street-level vigilantes could handle. Matt might not have known the political backstory, but Frank did.
As a former Level 10 agent, Frank knew all about the existence of vampires—and the ancient treaty. He also knew which side Fury had stood on back then: the hardliners, the ones who had wanted them exterminated.
Fury hadn't had the power to do anything about it before. But now? As the head of a UN-sanctioned organization armed with helicarriers, S.H.I.E.L.D. could easily make the old truce irrelevant.
"So," Fury said after a pause, "what's your plan?"
That alone was enough to show his tacit approval.
Frank smirked. "Heh. You really haven't changed, Fury. Still the same man you were back then."
Fury frowned. "No. I'm not the same."
Frank's voice dropped, quiet but firm. "We both know I'm not talking about that. You're still you, and I can count on that."
The two men fell into silence, a heavy understanding hanging between them.
"I interrogated one of the vampires," Frank finally said. "They've got a nest in Hell's Kitchen. I'm planning to hit it—flush out the rest of those parasites."
Fury leaned back in his chair. "What do you need from me?"
"Keep the cops off our backs. Handle cleanup after. And…"
"And cover for you, right?" Fury finished dryly.
They both knew the game. Officially, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't break the truce. The existence of vampires was still off the books, and if S.H.I.E.L.D. openly moved against them, it would mean open war. Fury couldn't risk that.
But unofficially? He could—and would—pull the strings from behind the curtain.
Frank didn't deny it, just gave a short, knowing laugh.
"Location?" Fury asked.
Frank rattled off an address, then added, "Not confirmed yet. We move tomorrow night. I'll send the signal when we've got visual."
The line went dead on both ends—two men who didn't need to say more.
Fury pressed a button on his desk communicator. "Get Coulson and Barton in here."
Moments later, Agent Phil Coulson and Clint Barton—Hawkeye—walked into the office.
"Tomorrow night," Fury began, "you two will lead a covert op in Hell's Kitchen. Mission's classified. No outside communication, no leaks."
He pointed to a red-marked spot on the holographic map. "This is your position. You'll stay put until you get the signal."
The two agents exchanged a brief glance, then nodded. They both recognized the location.
"I need you on cleanup duty," Fury continued. "No witnesses, no press, no local law enforcement. No one gets in or out."
"Understood," Coulson said simply. Barton gave a silent nod beside him.
They didn't ask for details. If Fury said "classified," they knew better than to dig.
"Go get ready," Fury ordered.
The two agents left without another word. Fury remained seated, staring down at the old-fashioned pager on his desk—the same one that had once called Captain Marvel back to Earth.
For a long time, he sat in silence.
---
The next morning, Lucas opened up the office as usual. Skye was there too, tapping away at her computer. She didn't have combat training with Natasha today, so she decided to spend the day helping with paperwork.
"Where's Natasha?" Lucas asked casually. "She's skipping fight class now?"
"She said she's got a mission." Skye didn't even look up, her eyes glued to the screen.
"What's got you so hooked?"
Lucas leaned over her shoulder—and saw the headline splashed across the news site:
> "Mysterious Night Creatures Sighted — Two Corpses Found Drained of Blood! Are Vampires Real?"
Lucas snorted. "What kind of tabloid garbage is this?"
The article read like a bad horror novel—no facts, no evidence, just pure clickbait.
"Do you think vampires are actually real?" Skye asked, her tone half joking, half curious. The way she was staring at the screen, you'd think she was reading a thriller.
Lucas smirked. "You want to find out?"
Her eyes lit up. "Yes! Absolutely!"
"Alright," Lucas said. "Then tonight, I'll take you to see for yourself."
"Wait, seriously?" Skye jumped to her feet, so fast her laptop nearly went flying.
"Relax," Lucas said, chuckling. "But you'll have to follow a few rules first."
"No problem! Lay them on me—I can handle ten, twenty, whatever you've got."
"First: safety comes first. Second: follow my lead at all times. We'll have two more people joining us tonight. And third…"—he smirked—"don't freak out."
Skye crossed her arms. "Pfft. Come on! I'm an Inhuman, remember? You think I'm scared of some bloodsuckers?"
Then her confidence wavered slightly. "…They don't actually look like the monsters in movies, do they? With the fangs and the wings and everything?"
Lucas grinned. "You'll see soon enough."
Truth was, vampires in this world didn't look that different from humans—at least, not the smart ones. Only the mutated breeds, like the Reapers from Blade II, had those split jaws and grotesque features.
But he wasn't about to spoil the surprise. Tonight, Skye would find out what real monsters looked like.
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