Dracula lies dying
from an arrow in his heart on Quincy Harker’s floor; Quincy has also learned
that if Dracula dies, Rachel van Helsing will also be killed. His mind in
turmoil over such a hideous dilemma, he thinks back to his daughter Edith, whom
he promised would never become a vampire and that is the very fate she suffered
(in issue #12). His mind goes back further to 1945, when Quincy and his wife
Elizabeth were at the opera when Dracula found them and attacked them in their
box. Dracula threw Quincy to the stage, breaking his legs and carried off
Elizabeth. She was found two days later with massive blood loss; they saved her
life but she was never the same and several years later, after a bitter
nightmare, she took her own life. So, Quincy pulls the arrow out of the
villain’s heart and he is restored to health. And Dracula keeps his word and
his minions release the captive Rachel. The two foes discuss the matter of the
vampire’s losing his powers; in two weeks Dracula will be helpless against
being hunted down and slain. Dracula vows to recover and promises to return in
three weeks to kill Quincy. On his way out, he hurls the urn containing Edith’s
ashes to the floor….
Interlude: In India,
Taj Nital and his wife Jyota stand by their son’s grave full of sorrow—and
relief that his ordeal and theirs is over….
Dracula looks back
over recent events and identifies moments when he realized his powers were
weakening. And he sets out to identify his enemy….
Lonely and in
despair, Quincy Harker goes to his solicitor to draw up a new will, as he fears
he is going to die soon….
At a Soho pub, a
fellow named Snitch gets drunk and starts spreading tales about vampires trying
to take over Parliament. When he leaves he is stalked by a vampire (later
identified as Deacon Frost) and killed….
At this point
Dracula realizes his unseen enemy can only be Doctor Sun, as his power drain
only started after he was placed in the mental transfer device at Sun’s
lair (issue #21). He flies South, mentally commanding his last stooge in
Parliament to recover the dossier on him from Lord Singleton’s office (and he
murders a police officer in the process). Meanwhile, Dracula is spotted in flight
toward Parliament and Inspector Chelm is notified and he prepares for a
showdown, loading silver bullets into his revolver….