Haunt

The beginning...

Priest Daniel Kilgore is far from an exemplary person or a "servant of God." Daniel regularly visits prostitutes, smokes, curses, and other bad habits including despising his brother, Kurt. Daniel hates his brother and agrees to see him only during confession. Daniel listens to his brother’s confession but hurries him through it and does not even give him penance, because he does not care. Daniel says he only sees Kurt, so no other "poor priest does not have to carry the burden of my brothers sins". Kurt leads a life of murder and espionage. He works for an organization that provides him with targets and objectives, which usually call for bloodshed. Even though he is a killer, Kurt tries to be a good person and do what is right. While on an important mission, he killed the scientist he was sent to rescue because the scientist was performing cruel and painful experiments on people. Kurt then led the survivors of the experiments to freedom. Daniel leads a life of self-loathing and considers his life miserable. Both Kurt and his mother, realize Daniel is unhappy.

Soon, Kurt is killed by unknown people from his own organization or a competitor. After the funeral, Kurt’s ghost visits Daniel. Kurt begs Daniel to visit his wife, Amanda, because she is in danger. Daniel selfishly refuses to help but he finally agrees when his mother is mentioned. Their conversation reveals Daniel's contempt for his brother began with Kurt's wife Amanda. Kurt asks Daniel to put aside whatever differences between them. Daniel grudgingly agrees. Daniel begins to question himself, as he believes he is talking to his dead brother, but believes he is only imagining the whole incident. Daniel arrives at Amanda's and they share and awkward cup of coffee. As he goes to leave, Amanda asks him to stay because she doesn’t want to be alone. While sleeping on the couch, Daniel is awoken by his brother telling him Amanda is in danger and to get her out. They then hear something at the door. Armed men then burst in. Daniel attempts to stop the men, but they fire at Daniel. Kurt tries to push his brother out of the way, but ends up going inside of him, creating Haunt.

Haunt is Born

When the two united Daniel is overwhelmed, his eyes begin to glow and a white and black substance began flowing from his mouth, eye sockets and ears. The substance stopped the bullets and covered his entire body. He leaped at the two intruders and swiftly and easily decapitated them. Daniel and Kurt are inside one body and "share" control. Daniel is absolutely shocked by his actions but seems to be in control as Kurt tells him to go to the window and before Daniel can ask why, Kurt has them leap out the high raise window in search of the others looking for Amanda. they find them and Kurt's fighting skills take over but Daniel "fights" Kurt so he does not have complete control. They still bicker at each other when they are fused but after killing the men Daniel does not know what to do but Kurt instructs him to call a "cleaner." The cleaner arrives to dispose of the bodies and evidence but first throws Daniel into the wall asking how he got his number and it turns out the cleaner was real close with Kurt and considered him a brother. Amanda awakes to a spotless apartment and shares another awkward conversation she wanted to take him to breakfast but she was late to work. As Daniel leaves to go back to the church Kurt begs him to keep looking out for Amanda in case she is still in danger. Daniel refuses thinking he had done enough and he did not like what happened, he hates them and it was hard to see her again. Since he is the only one that can see Kurt everyone are thinks he is going crazy. Daniel arrives at church to apologize for another night away but the father he was talking to is dead. He finds his colleague gutted he then is confronted by the attacker, a man from Kurt's past named Cobra. Kurt had followed him and in an instant the two fuse in order to fight Cobra. The two brothers bickering confuses Cobra but the fight ends when Daniel/ Kurt slip in blood and by the time he was back on his feet his new enemy had disappeared. Kurt tells Daniel whether he likes it or not he is involved and of course Dan is livid so Kurt has him go to a safe house since Amanda is safe at work. At the house Kurt leads him to the bedroom closet where he reveals a secret elevator that takes him to the headquarters of where Kurt used to work.

Welcome to the Agency

The elevator is actually only one of eight entrances to the HQ. After going down eight stories Daniel is "greeted" by Kurt's old co workers. The group of people have Daniel surrounded, as they aim their weapons at him. Daniel is warned by Kurt not to make any sudden movements and as he asked for help he ends up getting shot with a tranquilizer dart. Dan wakes up in a prison cell with Kurt at his side but they are not alone in the cell, several homeless Bolivians are being held there too. The homeless Bolivians that were subjected to Dr. Shillingers in the cell are only a few of the group that Kurt saved on his last assignment (issue #1) but those being held somewhere else in the facility are much worse or dead. A crazed Bolivian woman tells Daniel she sees his brothers spirit next to him and she is the first to call them "Haunt." She explains that their blood keeps them connected and instead of passing on completely and letting his essence move on Kurt became spiritually tethered to Daniel. Daniel's spirit is somehow protecting Kurt from the other realm to which he should have passed on to. She ends her speech by saying, "Haunt. That is what you are. You keep this one here. His life depends on you. But I think, very soon...your life will depend on HIM." Daniel is then questioned by Kurt's former associates Director Stantz and Beth Tosh, they have kept tabs on Daniel for a long time, they know about his frequent visits to a prostitute and that he killed multiple assailants and then called a cleaner. They want to know how he got in the top secret facility and how he knew how to contact the cleaner so Kurt advises him to tell them everything, so Daniel starts with the missing notebook of Dr. Shillinger and how Kurt "helped" him kill the intruders. Of course Beth does not believe this and punches him in the face, he is then escorted back to the brig so he can finally get some sleep but he is paid a very unwelcome visit. Kurt screams and tries to wake his brother up while a big burly guy injects him with a sedative in order to take him and get answers. Dan only wakes up when Kurt makes him transform into Haunt. The big guy is actually one of the freelance agents who killed Kurt, but he was not the person who had it ordered. Of course his transformation and beatdown of the mystery guest draws attention. As the agents again have their weapons trained on him, as Dan say please don't shoot, he finally succumbs to the sedative. He again is questioned by Beth and Santz this time he is not punched but they still do not believe him. Beth requests proof Kurt is with Daniel so Kurt has Daniel say "Autumn Leaves," this shocks Beth and she begin to cry as she leaves the room. Daniel is furious with Kurt because he assumed Kurt had an affair with Beth and before Kurt can explain himself Daniel breaks down and begins screaming at Kurt. Daniel accuses Kurt of stealing Amanda and tells him how much he loved her, how special she was to him and happy they were but Kurt took her even though he could have had any woman and said Kurt was not even happy. Daniel tries punching Kurt's ghost, obviously not hitting him, ghost saying "You ruined my life!" "...you wanted her. Amanda...MY Amanda." He repeatedly screams "we were happy" until he cries too hard to finish his sentences and recoils in a corner of the interrogation room. This proves Daniel began to hate his brother because of Kurt's relationship with Amanda and that is probably why Daniel hates his life, himself and is genuinely miserable. While Beth, now begging to believe Daniel, and Director Santz watch Daniel and wait for Assistant Director Rhodes who is actually just arriving at the location to enter the facility. It is revealed Rhodes is the one in charge of the investigation into Kurt's murder, she is actually the person who gave the orders to kill Kurt if he did not know anything about Dr. Shillinger's missing note book (issue #1) . As she exits her vehicle she is actually talking to her boss on the phone, the man pulling the strings and searching for the doctors notebook. Their short conversation reveals she is betraying the agency, provided access to the facility for the interrogator to drug then kidnap Daniel and she spoke to Cobra (seen in issue #2) after he tried getting answers from Daniel.

Problems Arise

Kurt and Daniel "make up," sort of, Stantz shows Daniel one of the Bolivian s Kurt rescued on his final mission; a young mutated boy. The little boy has the strength of 10 men and the odd growths on portions of his body feel no pain. Shillinger had been attempting to reanimate dead cells in cadavers, eventually and secretly he began experimenting on living people after seeing the deformities Shillinger caused is why Kurt killed the doctor. While Amanda Kilgore is brought into protective custody their vehicle is attacked. The agents are killed and Amanda is taken, upon seeing this Daniel transforms to Haunt and rushes to save her. Using an agency car Stantz guides Haunt to Amanda's location while the chase occurs Daniel and Kurt's conversation Daniel will try to let Kurt take over. They crash through to where Amanda is being held then killing multiple men guarding her but after freeing her and telling her to run Haunt is attacked by Cobra, again. While the two men grapple Kurt mentions Daniel is actually helping him and that he is getting the hang of their abilities. Shortly into the fight Daniel starts to become slower and weaker but does not know why. Kurt apologizes for getting Daniel into their current predicament because in Daniels weakened condition Kurt can not stop Cobra. As Cobra lunges for the final kill in a last ditch effort Haunt hits Cobra in the face with a bladed tendril, which luckily causes him to retreat. Amanda, who of course did not run, is barely able to help keep her savior on his feet until the agency arrives to which Haunt says, "Help.." and passes out. Daniel wakes in the medical wing of the headquarters a doctor advises him to rest because Daniel was suffering from severely low blood sugar and iron and he was not absorbing enough oxygen through his lungs. Though his body was returning to normal, the suit is what had been draining him and the doctor advised against long term use. Though devastating to his health Dan still intended on being Haunt.

The Agency receives an anonymous tip about the sale of the notebook, possibly to the people responsible for Kurts death. Director Stantz is worried about Dan's health due to the suit's affect on him and refuses to let them go but Kurt lashes out and has Dan inform him that they are going. it is discovered the tip came from an ex-agent known as Mirage who Kurt was close to. Kurt refuses to reveal how they are connected even after multiple inquiries made by Dan. The exchange is to occur at a mall the sale is to be between Mirage and an unknown buyer. While observing Mirage at the mall they see the buyer, a man Kurt does not even recognize Mirage refers to as Hurg. The two know one another and Hurg is aware that Mirage alerted her ex-employer and once the sale occurs they are surrounded by agents and Hurgs gun men. To Dans surprise Kurt goes to protect Mirage rather than pursue Hurg, since Kurt has said she is not important. Once Mirage is safe and able to escape they pursue Hurg but the confrontation does not go too well. Dan is shot in the side at close range by one of Hurgs security women and unable to breathe allowing Hurg to escape but without the notebook, which Dan recovered. Back at medical wing at the Agency Dan is treated for broken ribs, meaning they are not as invulnerable as once thought. Dan eventually gets Kurt to reveal his relationship with Mirage after realizing he had an affair with her too. Kurt explains he loved Mirage and they had planned on having a life together. Their plan revolved around Kurt's final mission, she was to recover the notebook after he rescued Shillinger. They were going to sell the notebook in order to quit working for people like the agency. Daniel of course was angered to hear this because of his feeling for Amanda and Kurt knew this. Kurt could not understand why Dan was so angry at him but each began to understand when Kurt said if Dan loved Amanda as much as he loved Mirage he was sorry. While this happened Assistan Director Rhodes is revealed as a double agent. While she looked at the notebook she is overheard by Director Stantz who she kills. Tosh attempts to initiate a lock down but an explosion destroys the headquarters. Haunt rushes in but finds Tosh in tears while cradling Stantz body, she is worried that Rhodes betrayal is part of something bigger.

New Job and a Fresh Start

Dan later meets with acting Director Tosh days after the explosion. They had still not found Rhodes or Hurg and fear she was a mole the entire time she was there. She explains that due to Kurts importance and Dans budding potential she has him join the Agency officially. She plans having him trained to perform better and gain a better sense of control and balance as Haunt. Becoming an agent actually makes Daniel smile.

Daniel begins his training as an agent and before long is deployed in the field to find out what happened to a lost group of Agency troops. He also meets up with the prostitute, Charity, and asks her if they could become more than "business acquaintances," but she is hesitant. Her pimp then attacks Daniel, who turns into Haunt and kills the pimp and his lackeys. Daniel quickly leaves afterward.

Meanwhile, Cobra, his face having undergone reconstructive surgery since his last battle with Haunt, plots vengeance. Haunt manages to capture Hurg, but super soldiers designed via Shillinger's Research rescue him. Haunt then embarks on a mission to recapture Hurg, which proves successful.

Shortly thereafter, Charity, revealing her true name as Autumn, agrees to become Daniel's girlfriend and start a new life together with him. Dan and Kurt agree that the former's life is finally starting to look up.

Creation of Haunt

After daring Todd McFarlane at a convention panel Robert Kirkman & the Spawn creator teamed up to do a new book. Out of this collaboration came The HAUNT. Greg Capullo will do the layout for the panels after that Ryan Ottley will do the drawing and McFarlane will do the inking and coloring. The book is planned to hit the shops in June 2009.

Powers & Abilities

• Daniel and Kurt merge which causes a living white and black substance (that is spiritual and magical in makeup) to erupt from Daniels eyes, ears and mouth. The substance is actually ectoplasm, Daniel is engulfed with the ectoplasm but he has to share his body with Kurt while they are Haunt. Daniel seems to be the "captain" and Kurt the second in command. Kurt will sometimes guide his brother but Kurt takes over during fights and risky situations. He is also trained as the top Agent in his agency, and having his brother lend him his skill adds to his already impressive Hand-to-hand combat.
• While in the suit Daniel/ Kurt has/ can:
• Razor sharp claws
• Cling to walls
• Agility
• Create long spikes/bladed weapons and tendrils, similar to the alien symbiotes of Marvel fame.
• Invulnerability
• Shoot the symbiotic-like substance
• Super Strength