Chapter 8 - Chapter VIII

Wesley's Perspective

It had been a long time since he had seen his employer so angry. The Kingpin was literally foaming with rage; his office was in utter chaos, with a man sitting like a trophy among scattered papers and broken furniture. This unfortunate soul had the audacity to upset Fisk while he was already furious.

As usual, Wesley remained calm, waiting for the storm to pass. As Fisk's right-hand man, he couldn't afford to lose his cool, no matter the situation. He hadn't reached this position by acting impulsively. Only fools and those of a certain stature, like his employer, could afford to act emotionally.

"Wesley..." Fisk called in a gruff voice. "Do you realize how much this little shit is making a mockery of us?"

"Certainly, but it turns out he's more dangerous than shitty," Wesley replied.

Since Wesley wasn't known for his sense of humor, Fisk wasn't sure how to take this response. In the end, he let it slide.

"You're right. It seems we need to revise our plans. Hunting him like an animal might be more detrimental than anything else," Fisk said.

"Indeed, sir. Sending armed men, who are noisy, traceable, and indiscreet all over the place would be counterproductive even in the short term for our business. I suggest we send people of his own caliber after him."

"I suppose I need to use my contacts. And God knows I hate dealing with those damn condescending mutants, full of their powers."

"So do I, sir. But time is against us. Settling this matter is becoming more than urgent," Wesley replied.

"In addition to losing a lot of money, dealing with these people is like having a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. But I can manage," Fisk declared, a bit calmer and more confident.

Bribing all of New York to track this guy was really costly. But cleaning up after him, while trying to mask the Kingpin's involvement, was much more expensive. And some people were starting to either become too greedy or impatient with all th Alex's Perspective

Rapid healing, no matter the person, was always fascinating to watch. Just last night, Jessica was badly injured. And this afternoon, she was as fresh as a daisy. Superhuman genes are an absolutely fantastic cheat code. Too bad I got mine in a survival game, I thought bitterly.

"I guess you're more affected than it seems," Jessica said, looking at me.

"Despite being near death, you're still a pain in the ass," I replied, bored.

"I even annoy death. The proof, I'm alive," she retorted.

In my previous life, I don't think I ever met someone as annoying and cynical. Well, given what she's been through, it's entirely understandable.

"After the butcher shop debacle, what's the new plan of action?" I asked.

"It was a hell of a mess indeed. I'm surprised we don't already have the cops on our tail."

After taking a moment to think, she replied, "Investigating is going to be really difficult now, if not impossible. However, I won't let my friend's death go unpunished. If I do nothing, it will haunt me."

"We don't know where Fisk is hiding. Even if we did, we can't just show up and kill him," I replied.

"True, he's well-protected, powerful, and so on. I thought of something: we could negotiate your freedom with Fisk. Daredevil and I will manage to take him down," Jessica replied.

"Huh?" I asked, puzzled.

"No need to be surprised. Although you manage to hold your own in fights, it's clear as day that this life is not for you. For now, you're holding on, but you could quickly fall without realizing it," she warned me.

"Aren't you presuming too much? And what will you negotiate with?"

"Think about it. If we can't attack him head-on anymore, we'll go after his associates. That way, we can negotiate."

"It's not a bad idea, even if I find it a bit borderline."

"Ha," she laughed at my words. "You're new to this world. Manichaeism is for the general public. Behind the scenes, we sometimes do things that disgust us to achieve our goals."

"Of course," I retorted.

"And this time, we'll leave that part to Daredevil. He already has his target. You and I will hide during this time and especially train. I need to review what you did there."

"Aren't you a bit of a voyeur?" I said, teasing her.

"Shut up, I'll do what I want."

Daredevil's Perspective

Usually, he didn't stray from his principles. But for Alex, he had to, planning to negotiate with Fisk. God, he hated that man. He was a real cancer for New York City. Every time they pushed him back, he spread elsewhere.

Given the man's tenacity in getting what he wanted and especially Alex's determination to defend himself, no matter the consequences, he couldn't let this conflict continue. Fisk held Alex by the balls through his influence, and Alex also held Fisk by the balls because of his abilities. One misstep, and cops or civilians would die, and everything would go to hell in an instant.

And he didn't know why, but he had an inexplicable sympathy for Alex, his story triggering an inexplicable altruism. And that annoyed him a bit.

His firm had been investigating an ally of Fisk, responsible for laundering his money, for some time. Legally, they were on the right track. However, given the situation, he now had to intervene directly to use this man and the evidence they had gathered against him, to force Fisk's hand.

As he fiddled with the lock, a satisfying click reached Matt's ears. "Alright, time to get to work," he thought.

SHIELD Base

"Boss, you called for me," said Barton as he entered Fury's office, followed by Natasha.

"Indeed, Agent Barton," Fury replied. "I have a mission for you."

"I see. What's it about?" Barton replied.

"You see this man?" Fury said, placing a photo in front of Barton. "He killed two men recently. This week, he massacred about twenty."

"Nothing extraordinary if you ask me," Barton replied with a smile.

Fury's dark look didn't seem to faze Barton at all.

"Among his victims, Agent Barton, was the mercenary Bullseye."

At the mention of Bullseye's name, Barton's face became deadly serious.

"I see I have your full attention now. This Alex seems to have some abilities, namely enhanced strength and the projection of flames produced by an unknown energy. The force of his projections is simply dangerous."

Giving his two agents some time to digest the information he had just given them, Fury continued, "It seems he is in an open conflict with Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, since all the dead men were under his command. Fisk has launched a manhunt against Alex, involving mercenaries, local police, and the media," Fury added.

"And what is our mission, sir?" Natasha asked.

"Your mission is to find out what caused this situation. Intervene with Alex to see if he can be useful or if he is a hindrance. And remind Fisk that he is not untouchable, to stop messing things up everywhere."

"And if Fisk doesn't want to cooperate?" Barton asked.

"Nature abhors a vacuum, Agent Barton, and New York even more," Fury replied bluntly.

As the two agents prepared to leave, Fury stopped them to add something. "Observe and approach Alex, but do not engage him in any way if he becomes dangerous. I've sent you a video. Watching it will enlighten you."

"Oh!" Barton replied, a bit surprised.