Dave woke up to the ringing of his phone. As he picked it up and placed it near his ear, he mumbled lazily, "Heeey," while gently nudging Trish aside as she lay half on top of him.
They had returned to the Marvel world just last night and had fallen asleep after an intense exercise.
"You're still asleep? Shouldn't the CEO of a company be a bit more responsible?" Dave heard as he glanced at the phone, recognizing the bald eagle logo on the screen.
"What's up, Fury?" he asked lazily.
Nick Fury's sigh echoed from the other side. "There's an urgent matter I need your help with—and by urgent, I mean demonic matter," he said, before abruptly cutting the call.
Dave yawned. "A demonic matter, huh? Am I finally going to Hell?" he muttered, scratching his head as he stood up and stretched. After getting ready, he stepped out of his building and got into the car waiting for him.
"Yo, Phil, you're alive," Dave said, looking at him with a relaxed expression.
Phil raised an eyebrow. "You don't look all that surprised."
Dave smirked. "Hmm, with SHIELD having access to all that alien tech, I wouldn't be surprised if this was your clone."
Phil chuckled, arms crossed. "And what makes you think I'm not a clone, but the real deal?"
Dave yawned and stretched lazily. "I'm part demon now—half, at least. I can see people's souls. Yours hasn't changed since the last time I saw it."
Phil blinked, then smiled knowingly. "Seems like you were working hard last night."
He reached into the car fridge and handed Dave a can of coffee.
Dave took it with a grin. "Yeah... four kittens nearly drained me dry last night," he said with a chuckle, leaning back as he cracked the can open.
Phil just smiled in response, choosing not to ask for details.
The coffee barely had time to cool in Dave's hand before Phil nodded toward the exit.
"Come on. We've got a ride waiting."
They stepped into the early morning haze, the city still half-asleep. A sleek black SUV awaited them at the curb, engine humming like it had never been turned off. Dave climbed in, lazily sipping his coffee.
"You could've just sent the chopper to my balcony," he muttered.
Phil smirked. "Yeah, and scare the crap out of your neighbors? SHIELD's trying to stay low-profile, remember?"
Dave rolled his eyes. "Says the guy walking around after being stabbed through the chest."
The SUV reached the airstrip within fifteen minutes, escorted the whole way by unmarked vehicles with tinted windows. A matte-black helicopter waited on the tarmac, rotors already spinning, its SHIELD insignia barely visible under the moonlight sheen.
As they approached, an agent handed Phil a tablet. He scanned it briefly before waving Dave in. "We're heading to a black site. Off the radar. Not even most of SHIELD knows it exists."
"Ooh, secret secrets," Dave teased as they climbed aboard. "Lemme guess—underground bunker, creepy lighting, people in lab coats doing questionable science?"
Phil gave a sideways glance. "Not far off."
The helicopter lifted off smoothly, blades slicing the sky as they disappeared into the clouds. Dave leaned back in his seat, resting one arm behind his head.
"So, this demonic matter... It's not just a containment issue, is it?" he asked, eyes half-lidded.
Phil's jaw tightened. "No. It's something older. Older than Earth, maybe even older than hell itself. And somehow, it's waking up."
Dave sat up, interest piqued. "Now that's more like it."
As the landscape below turned to barren wilderness, the chopper began its descent. A flat, empty plateau greeted them—until a patch of earth split open with a mechanical hiss, revealing a landing pad. The helicopter descended smoothly into the dark.
They had arrived at the hidden SHIELD facility.
Dave stepped out, cracking his neck. "Alright, let's see what hell spat out this time."
"It's not something Hell spat out," Phil corrected, his tone more serious now. "It's something Hell is after."
He handed Dave a tablet. On the screen was an image of a disturbingly intricate, worn-out book—its cover looked like it was stitched together from shadow and flesh, pulsing with faint red glyphs.
Dave's eyes narrowed slightly. "Darkhold, huh?"
He leaned back on the bench, resting his arm along the backrest as if they were just talking about the weather.
Phil raised an eyebrow. "So... you know about it?"
Dave smirked. "Probably more than you guys do."
Phil frowned but kept listening as Dave lazily scrolled through the images and data.
"SHIELD calls it the Book of Sins, right?" Dave said. "But that's just the surface. It's not just a grimoire—it's practically a living entity. A demonic construct that holds a twisted archive of ancient dark magic. Forbidden arts. The kind of stuff that could turn your average demon into a god, if they ever get their hands on it."
He tapped the screen. "That's why Hell wants it. With the Darkhold, even dimensional barriers wouldn't mean much. They could bypass Earth's natural defenses and walk right in like they own the place."
Phil's expression turned grim. "We thought it was sealed, or at least hidden. Now it's active again—and something's drawing power from it."
Dave nodded slowly. "Yeah... that's the thing. The Darkhold isn't just dangerous because of what's in it. It's a trap."
Phil blinked. "A trap?"
Dave leaned forward, voice dropping into a more serious register. "It's more of an infection machine. Like a magical Trojan Horse. You think you're using it, mastering it—but in truth, it's writing back into you. It was created by Chthon himself, the Elder God. That book is his tether to Earth."
Phil's eyes widened. "You mean... he can possess anyone who reads it?"
Dave nodded. "Or worse. Rewrite them. Twist their soul into something new. This isn't even the original copy, either."
Phil's voice dropped, cautious. "The original?"
Dave gave a half-shrug, lips twitching into a mysterious grin. "Let's just say... I shouldn't tell you that. Not yet."
A heavy silence settled between them, broken only by the quiet hum of the facility's lights.
Phil finally said, "If Chthon is reaching through the Darkhold again... we might not just be facing demons anymore."
Dave stood up, cracking his neck. "Then it's a good thing I'm not just human anymore."
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