Issue+42+-+'Fresh+Blood'


 * Issue 42 - 'Fresh Blood' **




 * Plot**

In a flashback to the day before Jess was kidnapped, David is in solitary confinement on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion. He is eating breakfast when he receives a surprise visitor: Maria Hill! Maria asks if she can stay and then pulls over a chair. She commiserates with him over the loss of a soldier, referring to Joni’s recent death. She’s also lost soldiers. She criticizes him over his reaction, however. She says he can’t allow himself to lose control and kill someone as he did. She says that maybe he’ll pay more attention to her e-mails now. David is shocked to realize that Maria Hill is actually Dolphin! She says she thought he’d figure it out, as the secret headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. when she was commander was Credit Dauphin, meaning dolphin in French. She explains that she’s in deep cover now with Nick Fury trying to handle the violent adult mutants on the west coast. She says Dr. Kavita Rao is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. now. She also reveals that David will be getting bail, but Melissa will be denied due to being a flight risk and Cameron has been arrested for using lethal force and will be similarly held. She believes Daisy Johnson is pulling strings to punish David.

Later that morning David indeed makes bail. He is sentenced to home confinement with an ankle tracking bracelet. As Maria suspected, Melissa is denied bail and Cameron is still in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. When David returns to Academy X, Bastienne is waiting for him. He brushes past her and goes straight upstairs. He discovers Mac’s stuff in his room (as Mac gave his room to the vampire hunter, Michiyo, from Hellfire Club: Tokyo) and throws it in the hallway. He then closes the blinds and lays in bed in darkness. Jess is the first to visit. When David won’t open the door for her, she has Santo knock it down. She then yells at him, saying that he’s her best friend and she’s had to defend him all these years – only to find he killed an unconscious enemy! She asks him if he’s trying to turn into his father (referencing Magneto?) and storms off. Dagan overheard the exchange and enters. She says she doesn’t know what to say. In her dimension, it was believed he killed Meghan. Later it was determined it wasn’t really him. Dagan never believed he could kill anyone – until now. She leaves him a DVD of Joni’s memorial service. David throws it to the floor, unwatched.

Throughout the day David has visitors but doesn’t answer the door. Bastienne brings him lunch and Billy brings him dinner. When Billy sees that David didn’t eat lunch, he talks to him through the door. He says that he understands why David did it; if he’d been able to get his hands on Purifiers after Ruth’s death, he would have killed them, too. But he also says he doesn’t want to turn into the future Billy from Dagan’s dimension who became a villain. Late that night Megan stops in and talks to David. He asks how she’s doing with her pregnancy. She asks how he’s doing. He says he doesn’t want to kill anymore. Meghan says she understands and that killing never gets easier. She asks if Cordelia’s influence lead to this, but he says no. She then puts on the DVD Dagan left. The two mutants watch Joni’s memorial service. To the song “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry, Joni’s mother reads Joni’s letters. She says she knows Joni was a hero. They may not have had a close relationship, but Joni wrote to her about saving people at the train derailment and pulling her teammates to safety. Gunther, as one of her teammates on David’s secret team during the previous school year, says he’ll miss her. He also reveals he was secretly her boyfriend. Several staff members also speak. Mac’s words especially move everyone.

Saturday morning is the rescheduled staff meeting. David is the first one there. Bastienne enters. She hugs him and says she missed him. He says he missed her too. She begins to apologize about Jess’ anger but Jess enters and sits as far from him as possible. When everyone is there, David starts by apologizing. He says he won’t allow students to be in danger again – except Dagan, who has proven that she is ready. Matt brings up the topic of vacancies in the student staff. They need a new head girl and prefect. The group agrees to promote Amanda to head girl (at least temporarily) and to add Lisa and Tierra as prefects. Matt also mentions that protestors are outside the school walls again. The topic turns to the vampires and what to do. They invite Michiyo to the meeting. She says that several sects are in the city: the Yikki Onna (Asian snow vampires), Krieger (western warriors), Lunatic Sect (can inflict insanity), and possibly Charniputra (rock-skinned fliers). Each sect has different powers. She’s concerned that they’re working together.

Jess then leaves the meeting early to restock the medical lab with Santo. When discussing how to find the vampires, Michiyo says they are skilled at hiding. The only way to find them is to trace their influence over humans. She makes an analogy to chess – there are sixteen areas vampires try to control human society. They are fighting with Hellfire Club: Tokyo over those areas. The vampires control finance, high society, police, media, bureaucracy, health, and occult. The Hellfire Club still controls church, university, political, legal, industry, street, transportation, and the underworld. Sam wonders if the vampires are feeding at colleges, as binge drinking could hide their activities. They call Agape, who confirms their concern: there has been an increase in college students passing out and possible anemia. She says she’ll keep an eye open at the hospital and at school.

A call from Jessica’s phone interrupts the meeting. When Bastienne answers, she’s shocked to hear that vampires have abducted Jess and Santo. The vampire says that unless they trade Jubilee, they’ll turn Jessica into one of them! The group discusses bringing Jubilee. Billy is shocked they’d consider it. He runs off with her. The group makes a quick plan. David says Sam and Dane are co-team leaders now. Since David can’t go, Medic drains energy from him. Michiyo agrees to pretend to be Jubilee. Dane fakes a stake in her heart and Sam will enter her mind and broadcast “Jubilee’s” thoughts. The team (Bast, Panzer, Phantasma, Medic, Glimmer, and Michiyo) hurries to the given address. It’s an out-of-business bakery. Inside it seems deserted.

Phantasma senses vampires, humans, and Santo and Jess in the back. She realizes they’ve seen through her ruse of faking Jubilee’s thoughts when six vampires and four familiars burst into the room and attack. Three are dressed as hospital workers and carry guns (Lunatics). Three look like gargoyles and carry a bow and arrows (Charniputra). Bast reacts first, badly injuring one of the Charniputra. But the Lunatics have mentally affected many of her teammates. Glimmer, Phantasma, and Medic are all confused. Medic, believing the injured Charniputra to be Phantasma, heals him! Phantasma shakes off the control and deflects the gunfire from the Lunatics. Despite their resistance to bullets, one of them is knocked unconscious. Michiyo leaps into combat and shows her skill. She quickly decapitates one and then finishes the unconscious one on the ground. Panzer, still free of mental control, is surprised when a vampiric X-23 emerges from the shadows and injures him. He grabs her and throws her outside into the sunlight. Badly burned, she escapes into a building before she turns to dust. Meanwhile, Bast drops another Charniputra and Glimmer takes out several familiars.

Bast bursts into the back room to find that one last Lunatic is in the process of turning Jess. She stabs the vampire, forcing it to drop Jess. Santo, mind controlled, attacks Bast. Bast’s teammates enter and knock out the familiar guards. Phantasma frees Santo from his mind control. Bast is relieved that Jess is okay – until she sees that she recently underwent surgery. Medic tries to heal her, but the bite wounds will not heal. Meanwhile, the rest of the team stops Michiyo from killing X-23. Medic gets the idea of “jump-starting” X-23’s regeneration with his mutant power. It works! X-23’s regeneration fights off the vampirism and she’s human once again! Back on the Blackbird, Sam tries to enter the unconscious and staked vampire’s mind, but can’t break through. Dagan (borrowing her powers) is able to do so with Sam’s help. They accidentally activate the mental trigger that erases its memories, however. Michiyo beheads the vampire. The group discusses what to do. They think that if they can find a way to give Jubilee regeneration, she could be cured! Michiyo is less than convinced. The group then turns its attentions to Jess. What happened?

Sam goes into Jessica’s mind and finds that two weeks ago Joni told her about the group’s suspicions that X-genes are being implanted into adults. Jess found one of the underground clinics where the procedure was done. She paid a large amount of money to have a water-controlling mutant’s X-gene implanted. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The Hope in her system deactivated the new X-gene, as well. Lucius later tells David and Dane that genetic testing has revealed that Jessica’s new X-gene actually belonged to Washout – a deceased Weapon X member and Rafé’s cousin!

On Monday, Dane calls X Corporation: Los Angeles and asks Heather (“Lifeguard”) Cameron if they can loan any help when needed. Heather says Thornn would be grad to help. Then, suddenly, Dr. Strange appears! He says the Avengers are back and he’s there to help. Dane tells him about Jubilee. Dr. Strange says he’ll come up with a ritual to transfer X-23’s regeneration to Jubilee. It takes all week. On Sunday he tries the ritual. It works – but it won’t cure Jubilee! Vampirism keeps a body in stasis. X-23 already had regeneration, it just had to be activated. Jubilee never had that ability and vampirism won’t allow it to function. There is no cure. He says he can create a safe cell for her where she can attempt to struggle with her vampirism and gain control of it. Dane agrees. A week later, the section of the Danger Room with Jubilee’s cell is nearly complete. New prefect Tierra breaks in over the comms with news – Meghan is in labor! Meghan tells Dane that she’ had testing done; like Dagan, the boy is the son of both David and Dane. On March 15th, she gives birth to a boy: Davan. Dane is in the room. Later everyone visits. Then, on the 16th, Bastienne is knocked out when visiting Meghan and the baby. David hears her scream and rushes in. He is shocked to find Dr. Doom holding Davan. Doom thanks him and teleports away!

**Previous:** Issue 41 - 'The Curse'
 * Next:** __Issue 43 - 'Forget Me Not'__