Buddie, The Vampire Slayer
By Brian Kelly

"This place gives me the creeps." said Nash Gorey. "Could we hurry this up?"

"Relax." snapped Vanessa Warfield. "We'll be out of here soon."

The VENOM agents continued walking down the long, dark hallway. Somewhere in this Transylvanian castle was a secret treasure with mysterious properties. It was no secret that they wanted to get it and get out as soon as possible.

"Uh, I think we found it." said Cliff Dagger upon seeing something ahead.

"Yes, that's it." said Miles Mayhem. "Let's get it out of here. Dagger, Gorey."

Dagger grabbed one end and Gorey grabbed the other. "Powerhouse, on!" said Gorey activiating his mask and increasing his strength. The two of them carried the large statue out of the catacombs and into the next hallway.

"Coast looks clear." said Floyd Malloy.

"Looks can be deceiving." said an ominous-sounding voice. "You of all people should know that."

"Who's there?" yelled Dagger as he dropped his side of the statue. Gorey lost his grip on the other side and it fell on his foot. Gorey cried out in pain as he tried to work his foot free.

"My name is not important, Mr. Dagger." said the voice.

"Hey, how do you know my name?" asked Dagger.

"You will know eventually." said the voice. "Now, be a dear and return that statue to its previous location."

"Not bloody likely!" said Malloy. "Buckshot, fire!"

His mask then fired a shotgun blast at the mysterious stranger. The stranger looked at the wound in his chest and watched it close up. He then walked over to Malloy and picked him up by the throat.

"Can't we talk about this?" shrieked Malloy.

"I like your spirit." said the stranger. "You will be first."

"First for what?" said Mayhem.

"You'll see." said the stranger as he leaned in closer to Malloy's neck.

Meanwhile, the agents of MASK were on their way to the castle. Matt Trakker in the Thunder Hawk flew ahead while Dusty Hayes in the Gator and Buddie Hawkes in the Hurricane followed on a mountain road.

"That's where the informant said they were going." said Matt.

"It looks abandoned." said Bruce Sato.

"Not quite." said Brad Turner. "VENOM vehicles." he continued pointing out the Jackhammer and Manta parked outside.

"It looks like they're still here, mon ami." said Jacques LaFleur.

The Thunder Hawk landed and Matt and Bruce got out. Dusty and Brad got out of the Gator and Buddie and Jacques got out of the Hurricane.

"Buddie, this place is a maze." said Matt. "The VENOM agents could slip right by us."

"So you want me to stand guard?" asked Buddie.

"That's correct." said Matt.

"Alright." said Buddie.

"And if we're not back in two hours, come after us." said Matt as he, Bruce, Dusty, Brad, and Jacques headed for the castle entrance.

"Well, this is officially the creepiest building I have ever been in." said Dusty.

"Doesn't even look like VENOM's here." said Matt.

"Hey, guys. Did anyone see that movie on t.v. last night?" asked Brad. "These four kids went into this strange house and...uh, never mind."

"Welcome, MASK." said Malloy from practically nowhere. He was dressed in clothes at least a couple of centuries old and his skin was rather pale. "It's nice to see some familiar souls around here."

"I see your fashion sense has improved, Malloy." joked Bruce.

"Why thank you, Mr. Sato." replied Malloy. The MASK agents gasped. No VENOM agent, especially Floyd Malloy, was supposed to know the MASK agents' identities.

"How did he know your name?" asked Jacques.

"Why, it's perfectly clear, Mr. LaFleur." said Vanessa as she stepped from the shadows. She was wearing a dress at least as old as Malloy's outfit. Her skin was rather pale as well. "We have gained the ability to read minds."

"That would be a minor miracle." said Matt.

"It would be a greater miracle if some VENOM agents gained minds." joked Dusty.

"Enough!" yelled Floyd. "It is time for you to join us."

"Why would we want to join you?" asked Matt.

"Who says you're getting a choice?" responded Vanessa.

"Enough of this foolishness." said the stranger. "Take them now."

"Who is that?" asked Dusty.

"I have a feeling he's the one behind all this." said Matt.

"I am Sir Lucas." said the stranger. "A knight of the Second Crusade."

"Hey, Matt." asked Brad. "You buying this?"

"Not a word." said Matt. "Not a word."

"Floyd, Vanessa, why don't you bring them to our side?" asked Lucas.

"With great pleasure." said Floyd revealing a pair of fangs. Vanessa did the same.

"Do they believe this will scare us?" asked Bruce.

"Wait a minute." said Matt. "Spectrum, on!"

The visor on his mask started to glow. He looked at Malloy, Vanessa, and Lucas and saw that all three were rather cold.

"Their body temperatures are in the forties!" said Matt.

"You're saying they're real vampires?" asked Jacques.

"Exactly!" said Matt.

Vanessa grabbed Brad and started to bite his neck. Brad couldn't do anything but scream in terror.

"Backlash, on!" said Dusty. A beam of sonic energy went from his mask to Vanessa and knocked her back.

Bruce tried to help Brad up. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so." responded a very dazed Brad.

"Jacques, get Buddie and call for backup." said Matt.

"Oui." said Jacques. "Maraj, on!"

As soon as he said that, he disappeared from view. However, Malloy found him almost immediately and grabbed him.

"Thought you could escape my mind scan?" asked Malloy.

"Enough of this!" called Lucas. "Put the MASK agents in the dungeon with the other future recruits. Dagger!"

Dagger walked up to him and said "Yeah, whadaya want?"

"As the only one under my command who is still human and sunlight resistant, I want you to go outside and take care of this one they call 'Buddie'." said Lucas.

"Duh, okay." said Dagger.

"As for you," said Lucas to Malloy and Warfield, "finish your meals."

Outside, Buddie was getting restless. He finished another in a series of Tic-Tac-Toe games in the dirt.

"Right hand wins again." he said. "I wish Matt and the others would get back soon."

"Are you Buddie?" asked Dagger. Buddie didn't even notice him until now.

"Dagger!" yelled Buddie.

"Time for some fun." said Dagger who then tried to tackle Buddie.

"Penetrator, on!" called Buddie. Dagger then passed through Buddie's intangible body and flew over an embankment. He landed on the ground a few feet below where Buddie was standing and knocked himself out.

"Something's wrong." said Buddie. "How did he know my name?"

He then looked to the castle and thought "Did something happen in there?" He then ran towards the castle while trying to tell himself that the worst hadn't happened, but he feared it had. He slowly opened the door.

He entered and looked around. "Is anybody here?" he yelled. "Hello?"

"Buddie!" yelled Brad. "It's nice to see you."

"Good to see you too, Br..." said Buddie before he saw how pale Brad was. "What happened?"

"Warfield did this." explained Brad. "Do you believe in vampires?"

"I used to, and then I learned how to ride a two-wheeler." said Buddie sarcasticly. "You don't mean..."

"Yeah, it turns out they're real." said Brad. "And Warfield, Malloy, and Jacques have become them."

"You?" asked Buddie.

"I haven't got too long." said Brad. "Matt, Bruce, and Dusty are still human and being held in the dungeon."

"Can you take me there?" asked Buddie.

"Follow me." said Brad.

Buddie followed Brad down the stairs. A few minutes later, he was in a small room with iron doors lining the walls. "Guys?" called Buddie.

"Over here!" yelled Matt. "And Mayhem's cell is over there! Within earshot."

Buddie ran over to the door and looked through the barred window. He looked at Matt, Bruce, and Dusty who were looking back at him. "How did you find us?" asked Bruce.

"Brad directed me here." said Buddie.

"Uh, did he say 'Brad'?" asked Dusty. Suddenly, the entrance to the dungeon closed and the room started filling with water.

"You didn't trust Brad by any chance, did you?" asked Matt.

"Is something happening that I should know about?" asked Buddie.

"Well, except for the fact that two of our teammates are now vampires and fully under evil control, no." said Dusty.

"He really tricked me. Great!" said Buddie. "Now, I'm trapped. The water's up to my knees."

"It's perfectly dry in here." said Bruce. "The door must be watertight."

"It is?" said Buddie. "Penetrator, on!"

He phased through the door and found himself in the cell with his friends.

"Good thinking." said Matt.

"Hold it, I've been tricked once!" said Buddie. "How do I know you're not vampires?"

Matt responded by putting his hand against Buddie's neck. "Normal body temperature." said Matt. "Vampires have cold bodies."

Buddie responded to him by feeling his forehead. He did the same with Dusty and Bruce. "Okay, you're alright." said Buddie. "Now what's going on?"

"I didn't quite believe it at first, but it would appear that vampires are real. It would also appear that one of them lives in this castle and didn't like that VENOM was stealing one of his treasures." explained Matt.

"So he intervened and made more vampires out of Warfield and Malloy." said Buddie.

"Exactly." said Bruce. "We had the misfortune of encountering them and they attacked us, turning Brad and Jacques into...into..."

"I know." said Buddie. "And there's nothing we can do to bring them back."

"Actually," said Dusty. "if you kill a vampire less than 24 hours after he creates more vampires, then those vampires, as well as any vampires they've created, return to human form."

"How do you know this, Dusty?" asked Matt.

"I watch a lot of movies." said Dusty.

"Where on Earth is all this water coming from?!" yelled Gorey from the cell across the room.

Bruce looked out the barred window. "It's almost up to the window." he said. "We've got to stop this immediately!"

"I guess I've got to do it." said Buddie.

"Yeah, you're the only one who can get out of this cell." said Matt.

"Right." said Buddie. "Penetrator, on!"

He stepped through the wall. Shorty afterward, Mayhem was heard to yell "No, Gorey, I will not use you as a floatation device!"

Meanwhile, Dagger was just coming to. He picked himself up, dusted himself off, groaned, and said "That MASK guy must've gotten into the castle. I've got to go after him." And with that, he ran into the castle.

Behind the wall, Buddie found the mechanism for the water trap. He pulled on the wooden rod and got the valve to close. The wooden rod broke off into a stake-like thing. He realized what he had in his hand and said "Hey, this could come in handy." He then started climbing through the pipes until he could go no further. He said "Penetrator, on!" and phased through the wall again. This time, he found himself in some kind of room.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Welcome to the dining room, Hawks." said Vanessa.

"Stand back, Warfield." said Buddie. "My fight is not with you, and how did you know my name?"

"We can read minds, mon frere." said Jacques who was nowhere to be seen.

"Show yourself, Jacques." said Buddie. "We're friends, remember?"

"Don't bother with your friend." said Sir Lucas. "I'm the one you want."

"Will you fight me?" asked Buddie. "Are you man enough?"

"Of course." said Sir Lucas. "You might be my biggest challenge."

Elsewhere, Mayhem and Gorey managed to escape from the dungeon.

"Let's get that statue now." said Mayhem.

"Uh, Mayhem, don't you want to find out the identities of the MASK agents?" asked Gorey.

"I'll find out later." said Mayhem. "I don't want to lose that statue again."

Back in the dining room, Buddie and Sir Lucas prepared for battle.

"I see you've brought the weapon my kind most fears, young Hawks." said Lucas as he eyed Buddie's wooden stake.

"Wouldn't dream of fighting you with anything else." said Buddie. "Let's begin."

"Very well." said Sir Lucas. He screamed as he swung his sword at Buddie. Buddie said "Penetrator, on!" and the sword passed through him harmlessly. Lucas looked at the sword with a confused look on his face.

"Very good, young one." he said. "You will be a challenge."

"I hoped so!" said Buddie.

"Did I miss anything?" asked Malloy as he and Brad entered the room.

"Not yet." said Jacques.

Buddie tried to attack Lucas with the stake, but Lucas was too fast for him. He landed on the floor and rolled some distance, but returned to his feet. He made another attempt at a staking, but this time, Lucas grabbed him by the throat.

"I think I'll play with you a little more before I get tired." said Lucas. He then threw Buddie at the wall. Buddie said "Penetrator, on!" and passed through the wall. He then rolled across the floor to his feet and ran back into the room.

"You've got a handy weapon, Mr. Hawks." said Lucas. "But you can't use it forever."

"He's right." thought Buddie. "I've only got one use left."

He tried to charge Lucas again and this time found himself narrowly missing his sword. He got back up and tried to drive the stake through Lucas' heart again. Lucas responded by backhanding Buddie and knocking him to the floor. He then took his sword and tried to drive it through Buddie's heart. Buddie had other ideas. He said "Penetrator, on!" and rolled away after the sword passed through his intangible body.

"Will you stop that!" yelled Lucas.

Buddie jumped to his feet and pointed the stake at Lucas. "This is where it ends." he said.

"Oh, I don't intend to lose." said Lucas as he swung his sword and knocked the stake out of Buddie's hand. "It's time for you to join us, Mr. Hawks." he continued.

Suddenly, Dagger burst through the door and said "There you are!" Buddie and Sir Lucas looked at him. "I've got you now!" said Dagger. "Torch, fire!"

A burst of flame came out of Dagger's mask. Buddie immediately hit the floor and rolled out of the way as the fire engulfed Lucas. The extremely flamable vampire started writhing in pain as Buddie picked up the stake and calmly thrust it through Lucas' heart.

"Uh oh." said Dagger.

All of a sudden, Brad, Jacques, Vanessa, and Malloy collapsed. Buddie noticed the color returning to their skin.

"Oh." groaned Brad. "What happened?"

"Are you alright?" asked Buddie. "Do you remember anything?"

"All I remember is Warfield coming at me with a pair of fake vampire fangs." said Brad.

"Uh, they weren't fake." said Buddie. "Wait, you don't remember anything of the past hour or so?"

"Squat!" said Brad.

"Then our identities are safe." said Buddie.

"Not quite." said Dagger. "I know your name, Mr...uh...um...uh, on second thought, never mind."

In the catacombs, Mayhem and Gorey returned to where they found the statue.

"What happened to it?" yelled Mayhem. "It used to be glowing and charged with energy. Now, it's practically useless."

"I don't know." said Gorey. "It's almost as if the energy was sucked out somehow."

"Or it was infused with the same energy that kept our cell door closed." said Matt as he, Bruce, and Dusty stood in the doorway.

"MASK!" called Mayhem. "You've escaped!"

"And we're guarding the only way out." said Bruce.

"Then we'll go down fighting." said Mayhem.

"Mayhem, I've found a secret passageway!" said Gorey.

"Or maybe we won't have to." said Mayhem. "Viper, fire!"

A stream of acid shot from his mask and burned away the support pillar. The ceiling collapsed and separated the two parties.

"He got away again." said Dusty.

"Let him." said Matt. "At this point, I'm just glad to be alive."

Later, the team regrouped and compared notes.

"I did what?" said Brad.

"Strange but true." said Buddie.

"You can be a pretty nasty guy when you're a vampire, Brad." said Matt.

"I think we can cross this place off the list of return trips for VENOM." said Bruce.

"Thank goodness for that." said Matt. "Let's go home."

THE END