Marvel: The Awakened One

When Vampire Queen Katherine got involved, it didn’t take long at all to find out what ”Blood Apocalypse” really was—and who the vampire behind it all was.

Deacon Frost.

A vampire...

A vampire who called himself the leader of New York City’s new generation of bloodsuckers.

He belonged to Dracula’s lineage. Within Dracula’s bloodline, there were purebloods and halfbloods.

Purebloods referred to vampires personally converted by Dracula himself.

Halfbloods were those converted not by Dracula, but by the purebloods he’d created.

The purebloods considered themselves superior, their bloodlines noble, their lives precious. They called themselves purebloods. Thirteen of them had formed something called ”The Council of Elders” here in New York.

And Deacon Frost was a member of this Council of Thirteen Purebloods.

If the thirteen pureblood vampires were a parliament, then Deacon Frost was the figurehead leader they’d pushed to the front.

The ”Blood Apocalypse” cult—designed to lure in humans with a few screws loose—was his creation, operated from the shadows.

He was also responsible for the blood servants currently embedded in New York’s law enforcement system—humans who envied vampires’ immortality enough to become their willing slaves.

Most importantly, This halfblood Deacon Frost was incredibly ambitious. He’d been secretly working to decipher the ”Book of Blood,” planning to summon the Blood God’s power, become the Blood God himself, and overthrow the Council of Elders.

Of course, That last part wasn’t something Katherine had discovered. That was information Hawk had pulled from his memory palace after hearing Katherine mention Deacon Frost’s name.

For good reason.

Deacon Frost was a character in the Marvel Universe.

And there was one other name that appeared alongside his.

Blade.

Though, Once again, at Hawk’s current power level, Blade didn’t even qualify to have a conversation with him.

...

Katherine, standing nearby, finished speaking and looked at Hawk, who stood quietly. She asked in a low voice, ”Do you need me to—”

”No.”

Hawk shook his head again, glancing at George—who had just hung up his phone and was walking back over as if nothing had happened—then at Gwen, who was still playing her role, holding her two younger brothers Howard and Simon while wearing an expression of deep sorrow. He smiled faintly. ”She wants to play. Let her play.”

Since Gwen didn’t want him interfering, he wouldn’t interfere.

Hawk had asked Katherine to gather intel mainly as insurance.

In case—

His fiancée decided she didn’t want to play anymore, or realized she was in over her head. Then he could step in immediately and catch her.

Hawk replayed the phone conversation between George and that vampire in his mind. His gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, fell on his still-acting fiancée. His eyes took on a hint of amusement, and his lips curved upward slightly.

For one simple reason.

His instincts told him it wouldn’t be long—probably tonight at eleven—before Gwen’s little game would blow up in her face, and she’d have to ask him to step in and flip the table.

Hawk had a feeling he could negotiate several new outfits and positions out of this.

His appearance fee was quite high, after all.

Hawk smiled to himself.

And then, that evening, while the two of them were having dinner at 521A Bleecker Street, Hawk mentioned to Gwen that a vampire had called George during the fake funeral this morning, inviting him to pick up a ”gift” tonight.

Gwen, who had been portioning out steak onto Hawk’s plate, blinked.

”Dad didn’t tell me about that.”

”Really?” Hawk raised an eyebrow, smiling. ”I thought you knew. Looks like your dad’s leaving you out of the loop, Gwen.”

Gwen shot Hawk a look.

”Dad’s worried about me. That’s why he didn’t tell me.”

”Alright, my mistake. Sorry.”

Hearing that, Hawk’s expression cleared. His mouth twitched, he offered an apology, and then fell silent.

Standing at the kitchen island, Gwen placed the portioned steak on Hawk’s plate, then looked at him—now completely quiet. Her mouth opened, then closed. Finally, she also chose to say nothing, pulling the vegetable salad bowl in front of her and beginning to toss it.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Swoosh—

CLANG!

Gwen took a deep breath, set down the salad tongs, and looked up at Hawk. ”Where is Dad going tonight?”

Hawk smiled internally but kept his expression neutral as he looked up and blinked.

”What?”

”Where’s Dad going tonight?”

”Hudson Meat Factory.”

”Hudson... what is that place?”

”It’s a pork slaughterhouse near the Hudson River. But inside, it’s a gathering spot for New York’s vampires.”

”Jesus—”

Gwen sucked in a sharp breath. ”Dad’s going there tonight?”

Hawk nodded, looking at Gwen with a faint smile. ”Yes. That vampire said he sent George a gift. But George can only receive the gift if he shows up. Then the vampire will meet him face-to-face.”

Gwen looked at the half-smile on Hawk’s face and got a bad feeling.

”What’s the gift?”

”No idea.” Hawk shook his head. ”You said it yourself. Until you asked me to step in, I shouldn’t interfere with your game.”

Gwen’s mouth twitched.

”This isn’t a game. It’s a case. Dad’s case.”

”To me, it’s a game.” Hawk shrugged, then changed the subject, glancing at Gwen. ”If I had to guess what gift the vampire prepared, I’d say he’s probably inviting George to dinner.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow.

”Dinner?”

”A vampire’s idea of dinner.”

”...”

Gwen fell silent for a moment. Then she pressed her lips together, looked at Hawk—who had gone back to eating the steak on his plate after saying that—and reached out to pull his plate away.

Hawk, fork in hand, looked up at Gwen, who had just stolen his food.

Gwen’s smile was radiant.

”Hawk.”

”Yeah?”

”What time is Dad going?”

”The call said eleven.”

”Can you take me there?”

”You want me to step in?”

”What?”

Gwen looked shocked, then immediately shook her head at lightning speed. ”No, no, no. I just thought—we could go watch. Just in case Dad gets in trouble. If you could—”

Before Gwen could finish, Hawk had already given his answer with a smile.

”Sure.”

”Uh...”

Hawk’s straightforward response—without trying to negotiate—completely threw Gwen off.

Gwen looked at Hawk suspiciously.

”Don’t you need me to—”

”Nope.”

Hawk’s smile was bright as he looked at the deeply suspicious Gwen. ”We’d better eat fast, though. Otherwise, we’ll miss the show.”

Gwen snapped out of it and handed Hawk back the plate she’d just taken.

Hawk reached out, accepted it, and politely thanked her like a gentleman.

Gwen, eating her vegetable salad, still looked suspicious.

She’d been fully prepared to pay him with three outfits just now.

But Hawk hadn’t asked for anything.

That was very un-Hawk-like.

And... Gwen had a feeling Hawk’s smile today looked a little strange. Like a cat watching a mouse. Like he had her completely figured out.

’Ugh, no. I’m not the mouse here.’

Gwen thought to herself.

...

Finally—

On the way to Hudson Meat Factory, Gwen—sitting in the passenger seat—couldn’t hold back anymore. She looked at Hawk, who was driving.

”Hawk, aren’t you supposed to ask me for a few outfits?”

”Huh?” Hearing that, Hawk glanced at Gwen. ”I told you—if you ask, I’ll help. You should have more faith in me.”

Gwen’s mouth opened.

”Sorry?”

”Apology accepted.”

Hawk smiled, withdrew his gaze, and focused on driving.

You’ve got to be kidding.

If he asked for payment now, how could he ask for more later?

Everyone knew, Free things were always the most expensive.

Free now meant maximum price later.

...

Soon enough, On the riverbank across from Hudson Meat Factory, Hawk glanced sideways at the weathered gate and the 1990s-era building behind it.

”We’re here.”

”Uh...”

Gwen looked around, then at Hawk—who had just parked the car directly across from the factory. ”Won’t they notice us if we park right here?”

Hawk shook his head. ”No.”

With the Reality Stone’s power, he’d already reduced both his and Gwen’s presence—along with the car—to nearly zero.

If he wanted, he could drive this car straight through someone, and to everyone else, it would look like that person had encountered a paranormal event and flown through the air on their own.

So—

Hawk was thinking this when he sensed George’s presence.

”George is here.”

”...Where?”

Gwen’s eyes lit up. She followed Hawk’s gaze, and soon spotted George—who had taken a taxi to get here.

Hawk was a little curious. As he opened the car door and stepped out, he asked Gwen, who was climbing out of the passenger side, ”George came over here now. What about Howard and Simon?”

Getting out of the car, Gwen kept her eyes on George, who was walking toward the meat factory. After confirming that George really couldn’t see her or Hawk, she finally looked at Hawk. ”You forgot. Dad sent them both to Long Island.”

Hawk’s expression cleared.

”Your mother went too?”

”No.”

Gwen shook her head. ”Dad’s worried these people are still watching him, so Mom’s staying at Detective Hale’s place.”

Hawk nodded.

”Hale’s good people.”

”I know.”

Gwen walked over to Hawk’s side, linked her arm through his, and watched her father George—who was now barely ten steps in front of them—knock on the factory’s main gate. Her voice automatically dropped to a whisper. ”You’re sure Dad can’t see us?”

Hawk didn’t answer, because a small door to the right of the main gate had just opened.

The person who appeared was a muscular, bald Black man.

After opening the door, the bald man scanned the area, his gaze sweeping right over Hawk and Gwen without hesitation before landing on George. His eyes held a trace of wariness.

”Who’re you looking for?”

”Cole invited me.”

”Cole?”

Hearing George mention that name, the bald man’s wariness vanished instantly. He fully opened the door.

George walked in.

The bald man looked around outside one more time, confirmed no one else was there, and closed the door again.

Gwen—who had followed George inside—looked at the bald Black man standing right in front of them, seemingly unable to see them at all. She looked at Hawk in shock. ”He really can’t see us.”

Hawk smiled helplessly. ”Do you really have that little faith in me?”

Gwen shook her head.

”No, I have complete faith in you. It’s because I have faith in you that I didn’t want you to step in. Because with you backing me up, I can afford to make mistakes.”

”Then why are you—”

”I’m providing you emotional value. Can’t you tell?”

Gwen tilted her head, her expressive green eyes blinking at Hawk as she looked up at him.

Hawk’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t find a single point to argue against Gwen’s answer.

Just then—

The bald Black man, having closed the door, walked right past the two of them and stopped in front of George. He glanced at George, then started walking. ”This way.”

George acknowledged him and followed the bald man.

Hawk and Gwen followed close behind.

The two of them—presence reduced to near-zero—and George followed the bald man through a brightly lit frozen pork processing area. Gwen’s gaze fell on the five or six people operating cutting machines at the workstations.

”Those people aren’t vampires?”

”No, they’re vampires too.”

Hawk glanced over and immediately understood what Gwen was asking. ”But they’re bottom-tier vampires. We saw vampires like Stefan back in Forks—he’s been around for hundreds of years. And Katherine—five centuries of accumulation. Even though she was on the run, she still achieved financial freedom.”

Every species had a bottom rung.

Vampires like Stefan, who owned their own estate, or Katherine—they were upper-tier elite within vampire society.

And not like Wall Street types, either. More like the people who controlled Wall Street.

As for these vampires busy cutting up pork—

Let’s put it this way.

They were the equivalent of... not even Queens. They were like the homeless people living in Brooklyn’s parks and forests.

The only difference was that now they were immortal homeless people.

Hawk explained this, then seemed to think of something. He looked at Gwen.

”Is this also you providing me emotional value?”

”What?”

Gwen looked up, smiling at Hawk. ”I really don’t know what you mean. But you’re amazing, Hawk. I feel like you know everything.”

Confirmed.

Gwen was playing dumb to give him emotional value.

Hawk’s mouth twitched.

Just then—

The bald Black vampire leading the way stopped in front of a cold storage room. After entering a passcode, the door opened with a heavy THUNK.

But what appeared wasn’t a freezer. It was a staircase leading underground.

George looked at the bald vampire.

The bald vampire said nothing, just gestured for him to proceed.

George took a deep breath, looked at the stairs descending into darkness, and stepped forward.

Gwen saw the bald vampire preparing to close the door. She quickly grabbed Hawk’s arm and followed George inside, slipping through just before the door shut behind them.

Walking ahead, George heightened his senses. Over the past week, his increasingly refined perception allowed him to see clearly even in the dark. He could also hear what sounded like a nightclub’s chaos coming from behind the wooden door at the bottom of the stairs.

Soon—

George reached the door. He placed his right hand on it and pushed it open.

The next second, It was like entering another world.

Pounding, wild music.

Multi-colored lights flashing everywhere.

And in the dance floor not far away, a mass of vampires writhing together like demons at a rave.

George’s pupils contracted instinctively.

God.

There are this many vampires here?

Gwen, following behind, stared at the sea of vampires before her, completely stunned.

”Holy crap. There are this many vampires?”

”It’s not that bad. One Phoenix Beam would take care of them.”

Hawk also glanced around, his tone flat. Forget this many. Multiply it by ten, and it would still just be one sweep of a Phoenix Beam.

”Hahaha!”

”Captain Stacy!”

”Hawk, look!”

Gwen pointed ahead at a Black man in a black suit with a white beard on his chin, laughing as he walked toward them. She tugged on Hawk’s sleeve.

Hawk looked at the Black man and nodded.

Soon, Hawk and Gwen followed the seemingly enthusiastic bearded man—who had his arm around George’s shoulder—through the wild, chaotic dance floor, up a set of stairs, and onto a second-floor balcony overlooking the entire club.

The bearded man led George to a private room guarded by two stone-faced vampires.

After the door closed, all the noise from outside vanished.

George, at the bearded man’s invitation, sat down on the room’s couch and looked at him.

”You’re not the one who called me.”

”What?”

The bearded man paused, then seemed to catch on. He offered George a lit cigar. ”I’m just a bar owner, Captain Stacy. I’m only following orders.”

George looked at the cigar the man held out. He didn’t refuse. He took it.

”Orders? Whose orders?”

”You’ll find out soon enough.”

The bearded man smiled faintly, then leaned back on the couch and pulled a camcorder from his jacket.

Just then, A knock came at the door.

Hawk and Gwen—who had also entered the room but hadn’t sat on the couch, instead standing off to the side—turned toward the sound.

A Black-haired woman with a voluptuous figure and revealing clothing walked in.

The female vampire seemed to know exactly what she was here for. She gave George a seductive smile, then walked straight toward him.

The next second, The woman gathered her long Black hair, swept it aside, and reached for George’s pants.

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