Brooklyn, New York
Matt crouched on the roof-top of the condo, his senses attuned to the stressful pacing of the man inside. This was the address that Slither had gave him, but it didn’t look like the home of a crime boss who could hire a pair of super human mercenaries. Silently he dropped down through the open window and heard the man spin round and the safety removing of a handgun.
“Who…who are you?” The man stammered as Matt walked out of the shadows. “Please, please I don’t have anything to take.”
“Not what I heard from you wiping boy Slither.” Matt replied, as he focused on the man’s shaking hands. “Mr Fraley.”
“Are you one of Slither’s Serpent Society goons?” The man gulped.
“Aren’t you?” Matt asked. “He said you were Gordon Fraley AKA Puff Adder, a known mutant and hitman for the Society.”
“That’s what Purcell thought as well, I’m not a killer, I just share my name with one. I paid Purcell what he wanted, but when he came back I couldn’t pay anymore.” Fraley replied as he sat down and cradled his head in his hands, the gun known on the kitchen table. Quick as a flash Matt reached out and removed the magazine. “That’s when he sent Scourge to bomb my family, I lost the love of my life and my son. And when I learnt that the Scourge who threatened me was a fake, I couldn’t believe how bad my life sucked.”
“I don’t see how falling to Purcell’s con-game leads to hiring a pair of mercenaries, a pair of mercenaries that are responsible for the deaths of at least three people whilst in your employ?” Matt asked as Fraley shook his head in disgust.
“I never ordered Slither to kill, as for the woman he brought with him, she was working on her own project. I don’t even think Slither knew why she was here.” Fraley explained. “I don’t condone any of their actions while working for me.”
“None of this explains why you tried to blackmail two lawyers for the prosecution into throwing the Purcell case, especially considering what he did to you.” Matt stated, as he studied Fraley.
“Money, Purcell’s money was never found, but I was sure that with a little persuasion that I could convince him to tell me where he hid it.” Fraley explained as he shot Matt a look. “I’m willing to cut you in for any assistance.”
“Three families lost people because of your actions.” Matt hissed as he walked towards the window he had entered through. “Slither is in custody, if I were you I would go to the local precinct and turn yourselves in, get your side of the story out before your mercenaries sell you out.”
**
North Investigations, Midtown, New York
“And in super-human news the super criminal known as Slither was assassinated at Police Plaza by an individual police are calling the Midtown Sniper’.” Trish Tilbry announced, as she stood just outside Police Plaza and the crime tape cordoning off the front of the building. “Many eyewitnesses mention the lack of the sound of a gunshot, which leads many to theorize that advanced technology may have been used in this attack. In what some are considering a related attack, local businessman Gordon Fraley was found dead in his home. Fraley left a signed confession on his desk stating that he and Slither had been trying to free ex CIA agent Dwight Purcell, whose court case is ongoing.”
Muting off the TV, Dakota North tapped her fingers on the desk for a few seconds as Matt Murdock sat down in one of the chairs in her office. “Busy day for the police huh, a suicide and another murder related to the Purcell case.” She mused before pulling out a file marked with the Interpol seal. “Speaking of busy I had to promise a lot of favours to get Lydia van Klien’s Interpol file unsealed.”
“She’s known to them?” Matt asked, surprise evident in his voice.
“She worked for them.” Dakota replied as she flipped the file open. “On something called operation Conflict. It involved tracking down diamond smugglers bringing weapons grade Type IIb diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Amsterdam, London and Brussels and onto New York. It was suspected that AIM was behind it, but nothing was proven due to one Matthew Gilden AKA Goldbug.”
“Goldbug was covering up for AIM?” Matt asked, his surprise resurfacing.
“Unknown, Klein simply stated that the contact responsible for buying the diamonds simply disappeared, apparently because the operation was risking exposure thanks to super-human interruption.” Dakota replied before folding the file over to reveal a medical check-up. “Personally I think Klein tipped them off, and this is why.” She added as she ran her hands over the file. “She was suffering from terminal throat cancer two years before Operation Conflict began, her check-up after Goldbug’s robbery revealed that the cancer was in remission. There was something else as well, Klein had extensive amounts of MGH in her bloodstream, something AIM was working on at that time.”
“So AIM dosed Lydia with Mutant Growth Hormone in return for what sabotaging Operation Conflict?” Matt asked, “Is there any proof for that?”
“None whatsoever, but I did a check on Ms Caroline Lynch’s financial background and it looks as if she has a lot of money for a supposed clerk at a jewellery store, even a high end one.” Dakota explained. “The accounts it comes in from are for shell companies, as are the accounts that supply them with money. The chain goes back too far, it’ll take time to work out where the money is coming from.”
“That’s fine, I’m sure Lynch or Kiein can wait.” Matt stated with a sigh. “Wherever she is, we’ll catch up to her eventually.”
**
Undisclosed Location
Silencer walked down the steps into the basement, a guitar case slung over her back. She was wearing a T-Shirt emblazoned with the SHIELD logo crossed out with a big red X and a pair of jeans torn at the knees. All in all she looked like anyone else, albeit somebody with shocking cyan hair, although even that wasn’t too unusual. Getting to a door, she knocked three times, before stepping back and watching it swing open to reveal a wide-screen computer monitor and a row of seats in-front of it, with a number of desks behind them. While there was enough room to sit an entire cinema audience, only two were occupied at the moment.
“You’re back.” A sadistic voice sneered, as silencer walked over to one of the desks, unzipped her bag and placed the sniper rifle inside on the desk, before disassembling it expertly. “Any reason why we shouldn’t kill you?”
“None.” Silencer replied, as she watched one of the figures get to his feet, a packet of chocolate coated peanuts in his hands. “Or none save the reason why he doesn’t kill you.” She added, as she jabbed a finger at the seated figure.
“Our employer then, I really wish he’d just let us go at ole horn-head. All this waiting makes me feel…” He stopped as he removed a peanut from the bag and flicked it through his fingers. “…bored.”
“And here I thought you were going to say ‘psychotic’.” The seated man stated before letting out a short snort of laughter. “Not that’s any different from usual.”
“One day spark-plug, one day.” The standing man hissed, as the screen flickered before revealing the image of a cartoon Scops Owl perched on a tombstone.
“Gentlemen, lady, I assume the first step in our operations against Daredevil has been successful?” The voice being transmitted with the image of the owl asked. “The Van Klein bait has been planted successfully.”
“Yeah, his lawyer friend Murdock fell for it.” The seated man announced. “Got one of my lady friends to tell the sob story whilst I gave her a jolt every time she had to lie. Not that I believe all that human lie detector bull-shit people sprout about him.”
“And this girl, where is she?” The voice asked, as the seated man stood up to reveal a star shaped halo of energy crackling around his head.
“In the morgue, let’s just say it’ll look like natural causes for the coroner.” The star headed man buzzed.
“I will continue to lead Miss North along the garden path, and with her Murdock, Nelson and the Devil himself.” The voice stated before turning to Silencer. “And what did you learn Silencer, where can we effectively engage him?”
“Hell’s Kitchen is a no go just like we thought.” Silencer replied as she stepped towards the screen. “Outside that though he struggles, he relies on his hearing more than his eyesight.”
“Very good, and the killing of Slither, you made it look authentic?”
“It was good enough, although I’m a bit of a snob when it comes down to longshots.” The first man stated, as he twiddled three peanuts around the fingers on his left hand. “It’s realistic to believe that it’s my handiwork.”
“Then Mr. Poindexter, the next move is yours.” The voice ordered. “Go pay New York’s Finest a visit.” He added. “Mr Dillon, Miss Bell, shadow him and be ready. In a few short weeks I will have my revenge, and you will have yours.” It added before the screen faded back to black. Turning to the side, Poindexter flicked the peanuts at a poster on the wall, each nut hitting the person displayed there in the head.
“I can’t wait.” Poindexter hissed in a voice that caused Silencer and Dillon to shudder slightly, as he stepped out into the half-light produced by the computer monitor, a ring of white concentric circles on the forehead of his black mask. “Sleep well Daredevil, because your days are numbered.”
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