Chapter 12: The Otaku Makes the Watch Lists
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The morning after the Vampire Lord's visit, Meliodas woke to the smell of pancakes and the sound of Tandy arguing with Miguel about something unimportant.
Normal. Comforting. The exact opposite of the previous night's chaos.
He stumbled into the common room, grabbed a pancake, and sat down.
"You look better," Tandy observed.
"I feel better. Mostly." He chewed thoughtfully. "Did I really make friends with a twelve-hundred-year-old vampire lord last night, or was that a dream?"
"It happened." Miguel shrugged. "Word travels fast in certain circles. Anastasia has apparently made her intentions very clear to anyone who might be listening."
Meliodas groaned. "I don't want to know."
"Probably for the best."
---
Three Hours Earlier - A Rooftop in Harlem
Anastasia stood in shadow, watching the safehouse.
Beside her, Marcus fidgeted with his clipboard. "So, about that bakery—"
"Not now, Marcus."
"But I found a really promising location—"
"NOT NOW."
Marcus subsided, muttering about storefront dimensions and foot traffic.
Anastasia's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. She could feel it—a presence watching. Not human. Not vampire. Something else.
"My lady," another vampire materialized beside her. "We have a situation."
"Report."
"There's a human in the area. Not SHIELD—different. He's been observing the safehouse for hours. Taking notes. Recording."
Anastasia's lips curled. "A spy?"
"Possibly. He's good—very good. But not good enough."
"Where is he now?"
"Third rooftop east. He's set up observation equipment."
Anastasia considered. The human was clearly investigating Meliodas. That was unacceptable. But killing him outright might draw attention—the kind of attention even vampires preferred to avoid.
Then again, these humans had already seen things they shouldn't.
"Remove him," she said calmly. "All traces. Make it look like he was never there."
The vampire smiled—a predator's smile. "And his equipment?"
"Gone as well. I want no evidence that anyone was watching tonight."
"As you command, my lady."
The vampire vanished.
Marcus looked up from his clipboard. "Should I be taking notes on this?"
"No, Marcus. You should be quiet."
"Right. Quiet. Got it." He paused. "The bakery really does have excellent natural light, though."
Anastasia closed her eyes and counted to ten.
---
Three Rooftops East
Agent Keller adjusted his binoculars, completely unaware that his career—and possibly his existence—was about to end.
The footage was good. Really good. Clear visuals of the woman on the throne, her entourage, the boy. This would make his career.
He reviewed his notes. Timestamps. Position coordinates. Estimated number of hostiles.
He never heard the vampire approach.
One moment he was sitting comfortably, the next—nothing.
The vampire caught him before he hit the ground, moving with speed that human eyes couldn't track. Keller's equipment followed a moment later, scooped up by a second shadow.
Within thirty seconds, there was no evidence that anyone had ever been on that rooftop.
The two vampires melted back into the night.
Keller would wake up hours later, three blocks away, with no memory of the past twelve hours and a splitting headache. His equipment was never found. His footage was never recovered.
Hydra would never know what he'd discovered.
---
Present Day - A Secret Hydra Facility
"Sir, we've lost contact with Viper-7."
The section chief looked up from his reports. "Explain."
"He was supposed to check in four hours ago. Nothing. His tracker is offline. His comms are dead. It's like he vanished."
"Surveillance footage?"
"We've reviewed everything in the area. Nothing. No sign of him leaving, no sign of struggle, no sign of anything. He's just... gone."
The chief was silent for a long moment.
"Pull the team. We're done in Harlem."
"Sir?"
"Whatever's there, it's above our pay grade. We'll let SHIELD deal with it." He smiled coldly. "And if they lose people too, even better."
---
Meanwhile - SHIELD Headquarters
Coulson's report on the Harlem incident was thorough, professional, and deeply unsatisfying.
SUBJECT: Anomaly-1 (Harlem Safehouse Resident)
Name: Meliodas (presumed alias, no matching records)
Age: Appears 18-20 (actual unknown)
Origin: Unknown. No records exist prior to approximately two months ago.
Abilities: Unknown. Witnesses report superhuman agility and combat skill. Carries three swords.
Status: Resident of Harlem safehouse for "unusual cases." Allies include multiple individuals with apparent abilities.
NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
- Subject encountered by unknown hostile force. Footage obtained from anonymous source shows subject apparently interacting with hostile leader.
- Hostile force consisted of approximately 50 individuals, all displaying superhuman capabilities.
- Hostile leader appeared to change intentions upon seeing subject, based on body language analysis.
- Subject and hostile leader reached some form of agreement before hostile force withdrew peacefully.
- At least one member of hostile force has been observed in Harlem expressing interest in opening a bakery.
ANALYSIS: Subject appears to possess significant social influence or some form of persuasion ability. The peaceful resolution of a potentially catastrophic encounter suggests either exceptional diplomatic skills or a previously unknown ability. Recommend monitoring only. Do not engage.
ADDENDUM: The anonymous source of the footage has since vanished without trace. All attempts to locate them have failed. Their disappearance coincides with the timeframe of the incident.
Fury read the report twice.
"Coulson."
Coulson appeared. "Sir?"
"This source that vanished. Any idea what happened?"
"None, sir. It's like they were never there."
Fury's eye narrowed. "Our unknown players cleaned up after themselves. They noticed someone watching and removed them."
"That's our working theory, sir."
"Which means they're organized. Disciplined. And willing to make problems disappear." Fury tapped the report. "This isn't some random gang. This is a real organization."
"Yes, sir."
"And they made a deal with this boy."
"It appears so, sir."
Fury leaned back. "Keep watching. But stay far back. I don't want to lose any more people to whatever's in Harlem."
"Understood, sir."
---
That Afternoon - The Harlem Safehouse
Meliodas sat on the rooftop, unaware of the chaos his existence was causing.
Tandy joined him. "You're brooding again."
"Thinking."
"Same thing."
They sat in comfortable silence.
"Meliodas?"
"Yeah?"
"That woman from last night. The one on the throne. Do you think she'll be back?"
"Probably. We have a deal."
"A deal about what?"
He shrugged. "She wants to get to know me. I want her to leave Harlem alone. Seems fair."
Tandy stared at him. "You made a deal with an ancient powerful being based on 'getting to know you'?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
She shook her head, laughing. "You're impossible."
"Thanks. I think."
---
In the Shadows
Anastasia watched them from her usual spot.
The girl again. Always the girl.
'Patience,' she reminded herself. 'He doesn't know yet. But he will.'
Marcus appeared beside her. "The bakery location—"
"I will end you, Marcus."
"It has a back room! For storage! And the rent is reasonable!"
Anastasia closed her eyes.
This was going to be a very long century.
---
Elsewhere in Harlem
Blade stood in an alley, reviewing his notes.
The vampires were organized. Disciplined. They'd noticed the human observer and removed him without leaving a trace. That wasn't typical vampire behavior—these weren't mindless predators.
And they were focused on one building. One person.
The boy.
Blade had seen the footage—not the original, but descriptions from sources who'd heard about it. A boy with swords. A vampire lord. A deal.
'I need to talk to this kid,' he thought. 'Before someone else does.'
He melted back into shadow.
The night was young. And Blade was patient.
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[END OF CHAPTER 12]