On the top floor of Fisk Tower, Kingpin found himself in quite an unexpected meeting. He'd dealt with many kinds of people over the years, from mutants to ninjas, but the group he was meeting today was one even he actively tried to avoid.
An organization that should have long been gone but had somehow stuck around like a leech that one couldn't let go. Hydra.
"And so… you are asking me to help you set up my new business partner? You should know if this got out I'd lose a fair bit of reputation," Kingpin said, his massive frame leaning back in his chair, fingers steepled.
The one sitting before him recognized what Kingpin was alluding to. He didn't actually care about the potential loss of reputation, as he could easily cover it up and protect his interests. What he really wanted to know was what was in it for him.
"Well, surely a sacrifice like that does deserve a certain gratitude. If you do this for us, we will not only help keep S.H.I.E.L.D. out of your business, but we're also willing to offer you a place in this city—not just in the underworld, but in actual politics."
Kingpin began rubbing his chin, genuinely intrigued by the deal. He could have expanded long ago, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was always there, limiting him from the shadows. With them out of the way, there would really be no one to stop him because everyone else was already in his pockets. Finally, having a political placement in this city had always been a dream of his since he was young. With that, he could make a change in this city.
"I think I can work something out. Is there somewhere you specifically want him to be?" Kingpin asked, eyes narrowing as he calculated the potential gains.
"Yes, but you can leave that to us. Just make sure he takes the job we have prepared" the Hydra agent replied with a smile.
"I'll make sure it happens" Kingpin replied happy with this outcome. He didn't need to personally handle Michael nor did he have to handle the clean up. Instead, he just needed to give him the mission while receiving the benefits. If this wasn't a beautiful situation then he didn't know what was.
As for Michael, he did have some regrets. He could tell that the young man had some potential but in the end, it was just business.
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"Wow back so soon, I thought our new millionaire would take a month off at least." Weasel said when he saw Michael enter the building.
"I thought so too but turns out like a couple million isn't actually that much money."
It really wasn't Michael had checked out the prices for a lab facility, the cost of equipment, supplies, ingredients, and what he saw was astronomical. What he currently had was a lot of money but clearly not enough for everything.
"Really now? I know plenty of guys who can disagree with you on that one but hey who am I to complain? Besides, it looks like you're here right on time. A job came in for you and I was about to call"
"For me?"
"Yeah, it came from your new big friend" Weasel said while making dramatic hand movements.
A big friend was enough for Michael to realize that he was referring to Kingpin. It also explained why he had a job already lined up despite being a new mercenary but still it was kind of off. Usually, you wouldn't get a new job so quickly. Especially after handling a pretty big one like the Italians.
'Well, I am new to all this so I could be wrong.'
"Alright I'll take it"
"Perfect I think you'll like this one it's simple and easy, completely different from your last one" While saying this Weasel took one of the files on his desk and passed it over to Michael who quickly began reviewing it.
Rank: B
Job Type: Security
Task: Guard the transport that will be getting shipped out of New York Harbor.
Time: 2 AM
Location: Dock 27
Reward: 9 Million
Client: Kingpin
'Wow Weasel is right this is pretty chill but that's the problem… Why would Kingpin want me to do something like this?'
First, there was the issue of how soon he got the job and now there's this? Honestly, he shouldn't need him for a security thing. This sort of job should be reserved for grunt work. The only reason he could see Kingpin hiring him for something like this is if the cargo was special in some way.
Looking through the paper with X-ray vision Michael began to examine Weasel and didn't find any signs of him making a trap. No accelerated heartbeat, no perspiration, and even his smell remained the same. This eased some of his worries but Michael still felt himself questioning this whole thing. It just didn't feel right.
'Sigh I won't figure things out here, I'll just play this safe'
"Thanks again for the job I'll be back once it's done" With the listing in hand Michael turned around and left the building but his day was far from over. The job wasn't till a couple of hours so he had time to get some things he might need.
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The docks were dimly illuminated, casting long shadows over the water as Kingpin's men loaded the ship. Security personnel patrolled the area, making sure nothing illegal occurred all while Michael waited from the sky above.
Watching from the sky made protecting the cargo much easier. He figured that if anything happened it would occur on the ground or on the ship. So having a bird's eye view with his enhanced vision gave him a certain advantage for such scenarios.
However, this wasn't the main reason he did this. The weirdness that alerted him earlier about this task was the main reason. If there really was something fishy going on then having a clear view would help him be ready at all times for whatever may happen.
"Fortunately nothing has happened, maybe this really will be a simple job." Michael murmured to himself while floating in place.
'If anything at least I got some new things even if I didn't really need it this time.' Michael thought to himself as he checked his appearance. His clothing consisted of black tactical gear not that he needed the protection but he figured if he was going to do security then he might as well look the part. Besides that, he also wore something to cover his face.
Previously he hadn't done anything about his identity but it would be foolish to continue to do that so he grabbed something while he was at the store. Ironically the covering made him look like another character…
"This red hood basically makes me look like Brightburn… maybe I should have picked up something else," Michael said while adjusting the mask but while doing so he noticed something going on.
"Guess I was wrong" Looking down Michael saw a bunch of people moving around in the docks. It was already unusual considering what time it was but their all-black clothing basically sealed the deal.
Michael descended quietly, controlling his movements to avoid alerting the new arrivals. He landed softly on one of the many cargo containers, his eyes scanning the area below. He observed as the group, dressed in all black, converged on the ship.
"12, 14, 20, 26… looks like there's a lot of them here," Michael murmured. "And by the looks of things, they're after the cargo. No surprise there."
With a careful gaze examined their weapons, noting that they seemed fairly standard and unlikely to pose a significant threat to him. However despite this Michael didn't want to risk anything and chose to head in fast to end things quickly.
"Show time," he whispered.
With a burst of super speed, Michael launched himself into the fray. His movements were a blur as he struck down the intruders one by one, using his enhanced strength and agility to dominate the fight. The first man went down with a single punch, sent flying into a stack of crates. The next two were disarmed and incapacitated in quick succession, their weapons clattering uselessly to the ground.
Michael's fists and feet moved like lightning, each blow precise and devastating. He spun and kicked, sending another attacker crashing into the dock. Another tried to take aim, but Michael was on him before he could fire, wrenching the gun from his hands he punched right through his head splattering brain matter everywhere.
As he continued to decimate the intruders, Michael noticed something strange. The way the group moved, their aim, and most of all the whole vibe surrounding them. They didn't feel normal and acted as if they didn't care when one of their own died.
Then there was the crew of the ship. None of them seemed panicked by the arrival of the attackers. No, they look like they expected them.
'Kingpin… so this really was a trap'
"This can't be good" Michael didn't want to find out what they had planned so he proceeded to fly up into the sky.
"Fire!" The moment that command was shouted Michael felt something powerful slam into him that actually hurt!
BRR!
"Ahh! What the—" Michael tried to stabilize his flight but was hit with another heavy blast that sent him crashing down into the ground. However this time the blast shook him to the core as he felt something dripping from his ears.
BRR!
BOOM!
"Ugh, cough cough" Glancing down at his hands he saw something he didn't think he'd seen for a long time. 'Blood' His blood to be exact.
'What's happening… what is that?' Looking up from the ground Michael saw the containers on the ship wide open with large weapons. At first, he found them strange but then he recognized what he'd seen this from. A sonic cannon from the Hulk movie. Usually, he didn't remember Marvel stuff like this but this one left a bit of an impression on him.
'No wonder this thing hurts. It was used on the Hulk!' If this wasn't bad enough Michael also recalled that high-frequency sound happened to be one of Homelanders weaknesses. Which would explain the ear bleeding and disorientation.
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While Michael slowly got back up the soldiers spread around and watched with a bit of surprise. They knew Subject 101 was tough but they never thought he'd stay conscious with not just one but two attacks. The weapon used was something Hydra rarely used and was specifically made by Stark Industries.
"Fire again and don't stop till the target is incapacitated!"
With a nod, the Soldiers pressed the charge once more to unload another hit but Michael was unwilling to go through that again. Two hits were more than enough for him.
BRR!
'Not this time' Using his full strength Michael launched himself out of the way and barely dodged the blast. However, the Hydra soldiers were undeterred and had more than one Canon.
BRR!
BRR!
With agile movements, Michael continued moving around the blasts. Each one barely missed him but defense was something Michael didn't plan on continuing. Looking at the group Michael allowed his eyes to glow red for the first time since the start of the fight. Previously he hadn't used heat vision to not damage the transport but clearly, this job was canceled.
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"Hurry hit him again!" The leading officer shouted the moment he saw those crimson eyes.
Before attempting this mission he and all the men had a debriefing detailing everything they knew on subject 101 along with footage from his escape. Among everything they saw, Heat Vision happened to be one of the main things they had to look out for.
In terms of destructiveness, it was top class and Hydra had little to no way to defend against Heat Vision. Their scientists theorized that a powerful enough force field could block it but they didn't have that sort of technology. Vibranium was also an option but that material wasn't exactly lying around.
BRR!
The sonic blast released quickly but their adversary was too fast. Their attacks had worked when he was unprepared but that was no longer the case and by the looks of things he was mad.
ZZM!
Before his men could react the red lasers blasted out and cut through multiple men before ultimately destroying one of their canons. Every time they tried to get him he would just disappear and kill more men. However, they refused to give up but it wasn't long before the leading officer realized that things wouldn't work out as planned.
Starting from the initial shockwave attack it only took Subject 101 30 seconds to decimate his men.
"What in the world did they create… He's a-AGH" Feeling a hand on his throat the officer looked straight ahead into the red eyes in front of him.
"Any last words"
"H..a..i..l"
Crack!
"No need to finish that sentence. At least it explains who is really behind all this." Michael said before looking around at the corpses and fire that littered the ship.
"Hydra… I can't do much about them right now though the same can't be said for my big friend Kingpin"