Back in the cave

It wasn't long before the Jet landed in the cave and Bruce together with Alfred abandoned the docking station. Only here, in his house, Bruce allowed himself a sign of weakness. Even though Alfred had repositioned his shoulder, he could hardly suppress the pain, even though it was slowly improving. He couldn't help himself but it felt more like a rupture than a dislocated shoulder. And then there was the chest pain. If this woman, who had once been Dr. Mendez, had really been a vampire, then he could prepare for heavy and long battles. However, he was **** to inform the League before he had more information. Not only did he not like it when one passed on only half-baked information, it was more that he had something against the league romping around Gotham. Not that he had anything against them, but that was his town. He would defend it alone. However, he still had no exact idea how he would handle this. Until that time he had really fought against all kinds of strange creatures but had never heard of a vampire or something. However, the whole appearance and the powers of her corresponded exactly with the usual vampire legends. It was now up to him to find out what knowledge legend and what knowledge fact was.

Maybe Zatanna could help him in an emergency.

"What are you going to do now, sir? "

"First, something to eat and some painkillers would be a great thing Alfred. I'll be at the computer. "

"Sir. I appreciate you're badly hurt. I strongly advise you to go down the tube so we can x-ray her?" Alfred said and was not at all surprised that Bruce completely ignored him and left.

When Alfred came back Bruce was already sitting at the computer and had established connections to all networks known to him. However, it was quite pointless. As it turned out, neither the Justice League nor any other source really had anything on vampires. At least the League had never met a vampire before. Many beings with similar powers were either gene experiments or mutants. The Internet itself offered the usual suspects. The most frequent hits were Count Dracula and a man named Blade. It took Bruce a little while to realize that Blade was a fictional character of a movie and he could ignore everything out of it. Unfortunately, the topic was so over-represented that even for him it was difficult to separate facts from myths. But he was used to searching in shadow networks and other organizations and historical sources were also not ignored by him.

Only a few hours later, Bruce felt amazingly good thanks to the painkillers, he had finally found something. A pattern! Satisfied with himself, he hit the console and clapped in a good mood, which led Alfred to come to him. He knew this reaction only too well. Even as a young man Bruce had always clapped his hands when he had succeeded after long rehearsals.

"Did you find anything, Master Wayne? "

"Yes, I certainly did! And before you say anything. No! I haven't read Bram Stoker. "

Alfred had to smile. "Too bad! A very good book. "

"Maybe! But to my surprise it even fits into the pattern."

Now, however, Alfred became alert. He knew only too well how easy it was for Bruce to recognize and correctly interpret even the most complex patterns.

"The first real legend about a creature that could be attributed to the vampire comes from Mesopotamia and is about 5000 years old. It sure is. "Bruce lifted his finger to warn. "it turns out there's an unusual thing. The legends are extremely limited as far as the place is concerned. Then there is a time span between about 50 and 200 years until a similar legend emerges in another place. Only from a certain point in time, namely from late Rome, does the myth of the vampire spread throughout the known world."

"Are you saying the vampires have been around for 5,000 years, sir? "

"Maybe. But if there had been several of them spread all over the world then the legends would have appeared everywhere in a relatively small window of time. This looks more like a wanderer. "

"Wanderer sir? "

"Yeah. One vampire who had to change his background over and over again after his predatory behavior was discovered. Then he moved on and could move for some years undetected among people until his predatory behavior became noticeable there too. This is how it goes through the centuries. Thousands of years later, with the emergence of the first real great powers, his myth was spread all over the world and he no longer needed to hide his traces, as he had long since become a legend or a dark dream.

"But, sir. That would mean Dr. Mendez is over 5,000 years old! "

Bruce bent over and leaned on the console and made a serious face.

"No. It doesn't. She's not even a week old."

"What makes you say that, sir?"

"Quite simply Alfred. First of all, she was still a simple person at the party. And she especially praised your garlic soup, which was disgusting, by the way! "

Alfred just sighed and then nodded.

"Second, she jumped after me voluntarily. That means she didn't know how she would react to the water. With a being that has survived 5000 years without problems, such a thing is inconceivable. At least if my theory so far is correct. "

"Is there any doubt, sir? "

"There are other possibilities to consider. It could be some kind of mutation that resembles the vampire or a biological weapon that changed it. I'm just reminding you of Glayface who's been through this. Furthermore, it could also be that it is not one and the same person who has been moving around the world for 5000 years but followers. In some legends, vampires age mortally but only in a fraction of a human being. I'm afraid that as long as I don't have any new information, I can only guess. But please make an appointment with Zatanna tomorrow. If anyone could know anything about a magical being like a vampire, it's her. "

"Sir. You forget tomorrow is the meeting in Gotham Libary Archive. You' re supposed to be there. And in the evenings, Miss Zatanna has her weekly performance. You know how mad she gets when she shows up. "

"Oh... yes... I remember that. How long was I a pig last time? "

"Three hours, sir! And I strongly recommend not to take the chance again. "

"Yeah. Yeah, all right. I'll probably wait a day. I take it you've already informed Nightwing and Barbara? "

"Of course, sir. You're both informed. What do they intend to do now? "

"I'm going to bed. Except for this stupid Dracula story by Bram Stoker, vampires cannot survive in the sun. So I can crash the day, too. You make sure we have all this in stock, please. "

"Sacred Water? Garlic? Wooden stakes? Perhaps I should call Mr. Helsing? "Alfred laughed and then nodded. "Do you have faith in things like a cross?

"It's not about what I believe. He's afraid of that, so it's an effective weapon! How it works, to be honest, doesn't matter as long as it helps me against this woman. I can't get through another fight with her without something like that! Now I'm going to lie down! "

As soon as he lay in bed he was asleep and dreamed of a city overgrown by a jungle... He could see that it had once been Gotham..... Wild, untamed and conquered by nature. And he smelled his prey!

Meanwhile in the hiding place of the Riddler

Speak ****! And beware of coming back to me with your foolish riddles! I got tired of them!" growled Dracula and poured herself a wine. Even though he did not need food or drink, from time to time he enjoyed both. And he had to admit that this wine was really very good.

"Of course, master. But as I tried to explain, I'm not an expert in the field. I'm not familiar with magic and witchcraft." He answered submissively, but when he saw the threatening face of Dracula, he hurried on talking. "But to my knowledge, there is a powerful mage in Gotham. Her name is Zatanna. She is, to my knowledge, a very capable sorceress. However, I personally believe that these are all just tricks! Magic doesn't exist!"

"What you think doesn't matter to me. Your intelligence may be immense, but it is that very knowledge that blinds you and makes you stupid! Where can I find this Zatanna? I'll give myself an overview!"

"She's always in an old theater tomorrow. Seven o'clock every night. I can easily arrange a map for you. Oh Master! Your consort has just returned."

Before he could finish the sentence completely, the door and its hinges were torn out of the wall and crashed into the wall on the other side of the room. In the door frame stood a creature that was strange to look at. It was clearly feminine and visually similar to Dr. Mendez but her beautiful dress she had worn was full of blood. So is their skin. Actually, she was completely covered in blood and as it dripped off her she started screaming angrily. Dracula could see this behavior exactly. His bride was in a blood ecstasy. She had consumed far too much blood. Whyever she had done it right now, she wasn't his bride anymore. Her body was now ruled by the beast. And that meant she didn't recognize anyone in the room. Even his power over her mind was gone. He'd have to bring her down.

As Enigma threw herself behind his desk, Dracula went amused into the middle of the room and looked at her. He would have to do enormous damage to her. Only if he could get her sedated, she'd come back to her sense. She was like a **** addict in a frenzy now. And that intoxication would last for some time. While he was still thinking about it, she was already jumping at him. Even though her physical strength and her speed were extremely increased like an adrenalin junkie, she could not even hope to take up his power. With a speed the Riddler could not even see, she jumped at him. Your fingers pointing like claws at his face. Dracula just grinned in amusement and just before she reached him he stepped aside and grabbed her wrist. He could still see the horrified amazement in her face as she realized what was about to happen. With a powerful twist, he used her own speed and his own to hurl her into the wall like a bullet. For Enigma not even a second had passed and before he understood what had happened he saw the wall to his right pulverized. When the dust had settled, Dr. Mendez lay on the ground in the middle of rubble and debris. She didn't look like a single bone in her body was intact. And yet she gasped and hissed angrily. However, she was helpless and when Dracula came to her he kicked her with brutal **** against the skull. The cracking of the bones could be heard throughout the room.

"When she comes to, she should have fresh blood around her. No more than 3 adults. You shouldn't be in the room. Do you understand?" Dracula asked and the Riddler nodded eagerly and intimidated.

" Everything you command, master... But don't you think it's too flashy? When you get the attention of the Justice League or worse Batman... it could be a problem."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS WORM! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHICH ENEMIES I FOUGHT AGAINST! THIS WORM IS HARMLESS!" Dracula thundered at him. He could barely stand that cowardly whine. Batman here, Batman there! Perhaps he should have chosen a more capable servant. Unfortunately, this wretched worm was necessary in this strange world.

"And now I will clean up the mess my wife has made. I expect a success with this magician when I return!" With these stern words, Dracula left the safe house and returned after a few hours. He had made sure that the guardians of the law would sweep the slaughter under the carpet. Swearing, he had to agree with the Riddler. His mate was a bit of game. He would soon have to have a serious talk with her. However, it would take her a few more days to heal her wounds. Even with the accelerated healing of a vampire body, she had suffered catastrophic damage. He hadn't held back and risked killing her. No matter what he told her..... He had had hundreds of women in his millennia, but he had only felt true love once. And that woman was dead. He kept a harem of brides just to satisfy his carnal lust and to have confidants he could trust.

His newest wife, however, was the wildest wife he had ever had. She enjoyed drinking like no one before her and the impressions of the night were like a **** she could not stop taking. He just didn't know for sure if she was an obstacle to his plans or not. Time would tell. Besides, his brides were a unit. As long as she was alone, she could let herself go. In the trio they were able to support each other. Maybe it would help her. But now he had no time to worry about it. He would have to use the day to regenerate. He knew much better than Enigma. His veins were filled with ancient blood of dark power. Even if he had powers no man should ever have, he was never able to work true pure magic. You had to be born with the talent and unfortunately he wasn't: He had mastered his own kind of magic by tapping into the power of blood but that was something completely different. Once upon a time, a long time ago, he had fought a magician.

As he looked out the window at the city skyline, he remembered. It had been Rome. About 60 years after Christ. One of the emperor's seers had tracked him down and tried to put an end to his hustle and bustle. I don't think Emperor Nero tolerated any powerful creature next to him in Rome. The fight with the magician was an hour-long battle in which he had summoned titanic forces. Dracula had been in the world for three millennia at that time and had had much time to study his own dark forces. Without this power, he could never have defeated the fight against the magician. Unfortunately, the fight got a little out of control and they set the whole town on fire. Until this fight he had always thought to be the strongest and most powerful being in this world. But in that one night he had to learn that there were other beings like him. Beings with enormous powers. The fight against the werewolves had been a terrible fight but in the one-to-one fight even a werewolf could not harm him. But this ridiculous mortal, whom he would have torn apart under normal circumstances, could indeed become dangerous to him. Although Dracula, then called himself Khaine, won the fight, he was critically wounded. Even by his standards, the wounds had been terrible. He had to hide in the catacombs of Rome for a full 10 years in order not to be discovered. In this one fight he had learned the most important lesson of his long life. That there was always one that could become dangerous.

With slow steps he left the window and looked briefly at the magic box that showed the cell in which Dr. Mendez lay. Even though her bodies were still shattered, she breathed more calmly. Like him, the body would first regenerate the most important organs so that it would survive. She was newborn and therefore not yet as resistant as he was. It was quite possible that they could be destroyed with enough physical ****. It had taken Dracula over 3,800 years to attain some sort of immortality. Even the complete destruction of his body could not necessarily stop him. Under very special circumstances, he was able to regenerate himself from his own ashes. However, this was something he had never tested and did not intend to test in the near future.