Slightly calmed down, I climbed into the driver's seat and inserted the keys into the ignition. The van creaked slightly and started only on the fifth try. Nighttime speedsters whizzed past, but so far, they all reasonably respected my hazard lights and managed to change lanes. Fortunately, no one else seemed to have noticed the incident.
At low revs, I gently rolled the van closer to the curb and turned off the suspiciously sputtering engine. I got out and kicked the dented hood. This kind of thing couldn't be fixed in the field. Hm, what was it that Erika told me to do?
Back in the cab, I eyed the ancient-looking dash cam with suspicion. This thing resembled a webcam more than anything else. Where's the screen? How am I supposed to check the recording? Hm. The cab was integrated with the main cargo-passenger compartment, so I managed to squeeze into it and take a closer look at Erika's vampire-hunting supplies.
I'd noticed the old laptop before but had mostly ignored it. Now, it was clear that it was connected to the dash cam via a thin cable. Lifting the lid, I turned it on and quickly figured out the operating system. Clearly not Windows, but some local equivalent. The basics were similar enough, though—just different icons and layout. After quickly scanning the footage, I found a good frame and took a screenshot.
Next, how to contact Obra? I still hadn't gotten around to buying a cell phone. Turning my head, I was surprised to spot a satellite phone. It's like looking for a pen that's already in my hand. I remembered the number, and in a few minutes, I was explaining everything that happened to the old hunter.
She gave me instructions on how to email her the photo of the suspected vampire and promised to come by in about an hour to tow our van. But first, she'd check the archives to see if the face showed up.
Once I hung up, I thought about how strange it was that vampires could actually be caught on camera. Isn't that a violation of genre laws? If this keeps up, I might find out they also reflect in mirrors. But then, Erika does use mirrors. Alright, I'll chalk this up to local quirks.
Waiting was boring, so I took full advantage of the fact that Erika is such a naïve fool who doesn't set a password on her laptop. The van was equipped with a system that allowed direct internet access, and the last time I surfed the web was back in my previous life.
The technological progress in the Naruto world had followed its own confusing path, and there was no global network at the time of my death, nor did many people have access to expensive tech.
Things were much better here, but the internet speed was killing me. Images barely loaded, and videos were out of the question. Social media was non-existent. But I did find a forum dedicated to heroes and villains in New York.
The most popular thread was titled "Spider-woman." Internet trolls of all ages shared their impressions of the superheroine who had recently made a name for herself in an epic fight with Doctor Octopus, or rather, Doctor Octopus (female version). They had practically destroyed an entire district, and the city authorities were furious at both of them. Still, people on the other side of the monitors seemed to like Spider-woman slightly more, and I could understand why.
Half the forum consisted of photos of Spider-woman. Her tight-fitting costume was... just too much, but at the same time, it perfectly accentuated everything, leaving very little to the imagination!
Why did I even check out this forum? Well, when I stepped out of the van to follow Erika and looked up, I clearly saw someone swinging down the street, spraying webs, in a very characteristic suit. Anyway, Spider-woman was linked to a vampire I'd heard of back in my world.
A certain Michael Morbius was a brilliant young scientist who, due to an experiment, turned himself into something resembling a vampire. According to a cartoon series, he and Peter Parker worked at the same university and were well-acquainted. In that series, Morbius wasn't a bad guy or a vampire; he simply succumbed to the instincts and needs of his new body and started causing trouble. Over the course of the story, though, he turned things around and even became a vampire hunter alongside Blade.
So, that's why I warned Erika to be a bit softer with the new acquaintance. It would be a shame if she accidentally chopped his head off. Although, I could be completely wrong, and in this version of Marvel, Morbius might just be a psychopath. Oh well, no point in guessing—presumption of innocence and all that.