Author's Note and Disclaimer:
An idea I came up, when reading Marvel's Shadowland. I do not own Defenders or anything in Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Matt entered a tall building as he entered the room, where were men and women waiting at the round table. "Welcome to our ivory tower, Mr. Murdock. As requested, wehave provided your legal team with details from our holdings, front companies and legitimate enterprises, here in the U.S. and worldwide. If you would require, we can provide Braille copies…"
"There is no need." Matt said as one of the clerks handed him a document as Matt ran his fingers down the paper to read from the ink imprinted on the sheet.
"I see that we have already underestimated you, Mr. Murdock." Another official said. "For this, we apologize on behalf of…"
"I am not looking for apologies from your organization." Matt sneered. "However, I must say, I am impressed by your reach. Banking. Shipping. Energy futures." He said, intrigued.
"Our grasp is inescapable."
"A lot of information to entrust to your enemy."
"Former enemy." Another official corrected. "Our leaders are dead and there is no reason for us to pursue you or your friends. However, we would like you to consider our offer…"
"I am certain I can imagine what would happen, if I declined." Matt said bluntly.
"Believe me, Mr. Murdock, you cannot imagine." The man said with the same blunt tone as Matt seethed, listening to the man's leveled heartbeat. "You are aware of certain… stipulations that our organization may require. Sacrifices that must be made."
"I know everything about sacrifices." Matt snapped, remembering how his best friends had alienated themselves from him, thinking of Karen and Foggy. "Let's get this over with."
"Very well."
Daredevil was chained as one of the elder members of the Hand was cutting into his flesh as he grunted. "Yield and the pain shall end. Yield and you may return to the comforts of your old life."
Daredevil groaned as they were slicing into his flesh, smelling his own blood and feeling the cold sweat on his skin. "I… will… not… give in!"
The elder member sighed as he freed Daredevil from his chains. "You have passed the Trial of the Torments, Devil."
"So, that's all? It's over?" Daredevil groaned in pain as he got up.
"No. One last trial." The elder member shook his head. "The trial of combat. Slay our champion before he slays you."
A taller and more muscular member of the Hand entered with a large sword in his hand.
"I… I will never kill!" Matt snapped.
"Then you're already dead! We are the Hand!" The champion shouted. "We are death! What are we, if we renounce killing? We are no…"
Suddenly, a dart hit the champion in his neck as he fell down on the floor, dead as Daredevil sensed above him his former enemy in black suit. "Sorry for cutting in but can't let a ninja rip-off take away the satisfaction of ending you, D."
"Dex!" Daredevil snarled.
"Intruder!" The ninjas shouted as they pulled out their weapons.
"Oh, so the big bad devil is a leader of a ninja assassin death cult but won't kill himself? You're a coward! I do my own killing instead of hiding behind an army of faceless goons! That's right, hornhead! Face me like a man! One-on-one, no one else around!" Dextaunted.
Daredevil seethed. "He's mine. Don't interfere."
Dex ran across the rooftop as Daredevil was trying to catch up with him as they faced each other. "Just like old time, is it, D? Another day, on a Hell's Kitchen rooftop."
"And every time we fought on one of these rooftops, I beat you." Daredevil challenged. "What makes you so sure this time it will be different?"
"Because the rules are different this time." Dex laughed. "I never said anything about actual fighting. I just wanted you to see what would happen to the condemned building nearby."
"What are you on about?" Daredevil demanded, smelling some explosive contents and a trigger in Dex's hand as a few blocks away was a condemned building full of people protesting as the police was trying to force them out.
"Over a hundred of protestors in that building and you could have saved them, if you had ended me, while you could." Dex raised his hand with a trigger as Daredevil lunged at him.
"No, don't…"
But Dex pressed the trigger as an explosion and a shockwave followed, knocking Daredevil off the roof.
As Matt came to, he was recovering in one of the Hand's hideouts as he sighed. "All those people… because of me…"
"You wield the force to make a difference, master." One of the ninjas said. "We are yours to command."
Matt remembered Frank Castle's and Elektra's words as he decided to take more extreme measures before the ninjas had Dex chained up in another room.
"You killed hundreds of innocent people to prove a point." Daredevil glared. "Here's something I finally realized. Sometimes, the only way to win is with no compromises. I let you live far too many times and yet you came back and took more innocent lives in the process. Never again."
"You wouldn't…" Dex challenged.
"A year ago, maybe I would not." Daredevil said as he picked his batons and connected them into a staff. "But now I know that people like you are mad dogs that need to be put down."
He grabbed Dexin chokehold with his staff before there was a loud sound of 'crack' as Dex'slimp body collapsed to the floor.
Colleen and Danny were sleeping in bed before her phone rang and she reached for it on a nightstand. "Yeah? What…" Her blood ran cold as she hung up and shook Danny.
"Danny, wake up. Danny!"
Danny came to as he turned to her, still half-sleep. "What…"
"It's Matt. He took over the Hand." Colleen said bluntly.
"What?!" Danny exclaimed, jumping up.
"And it's not the bad part yet." Colleen said quickly.
Later, Danny, Luke, Colleen and Jessica entered Matt's hideout as he was kneeling and meditating.
"Matt. Can we talk, please?" Luke asked.
"I don't think there's anything to discuss." Matt said bluntly.
"Bullshit!" Jessica snapped. "You play this ninja dictator, kicking every cop out of the center of New York, pushing your friends away and you say that there's nothing to discuss?"
"I think what Jessica is trying to say is that we're worried." Luke said calmly. "We're your friends, man, we care about you and we don't want to see you go down the wrong path."
"There have been rumors of dead mob coming up in Hell's Kitchen by dozens." Danny said. "How could you side with your sworn enemies?"
"I'm trying to turn it into a force of good, Danny." Matt snapped back. "It's something Colleen would understand."
"Or maybe you're turning into who your lover became." Danny shot back as Matt fumed with rage.
"Look, Matt, this isn't who you are." Colleen pleaded. "You're not a judge, jury and executioner, you're a lawyer."
"That's not what I'm doing, Colleen." Matt shot back. "Look around. The Avengers are scattered because they were trying to do what was necessary and the world they vowed to protect, put a leash on them. Someone needs to make hard choices to save lives without any major power trying to control them."
"There is right and wrong, Matt. This is wrong and you know this. I thought you believed in justice..." Luke tried to reason.
"I am justice and I'm not looking for an intervention, Luke!" Matt snapped. "Look around! The Avengers have been dismantled because of the Accords! The U.N. made sure that they can't do what's necessary anymore! And now I see that I should have ended Dex long ago! I now have the force to do whatever it takes to protect innocents and I'm the bad one here?"
"It's not like that, Matt." Luke said calmly. "You used to be the most moral man we knew. But…"
"How many people have died because I held back?! There's something someone once told me. What I do, is half-measure and either I'm willing to do whatever it takes to save lives or I don't deserve this mask!" Matt shot back, remembering Frank Castle.
"At what cost?" Jessica demanded. "At the cost of losing your own soul?"
Matt sighed. "My soul was lost long ago." He said sadly, thinking of Elektra as no one could come up with a counter-argument.
Later, Luke, Danny, Colleen and Jessica were in a bar, talking. "Look, I think he's a lost cause. Broken." Jessica grumbled.
"Or maybe disillusioned." Danny sighed. "Just like I was with K'un-Lun."
"And me with the Hand." Colleen nodded. "I'm not sure if we can help Matt. But here's what I think we should do." Everyone turned to her as she got their attention. "If Matt ever goes over the edge, we need to be there to stop him. No matter what happens, he'll always be our friend."
Somewhere else, Frank Castle was reading news about ninjas in Hell's Kitchen lead by the Devil, taking out brutally the thugs as he smirked. "Not bad, Red. Not bad."
Foggy and Karen watched the news, thinking about whether them alienating themselves from Matt had pushed him over the edge, feeling ashamed and guilty, hoping to some day make amends with their old friend.
Claire returned to the hospital, working overtime on the brutalized lowlifes from Hell's Kitchen.
As Matt was training in his room, a servant entered. "Mr. Murdock, you have a visitor."
Matt sensed the smell and familiar heartbeat and grace in her walk as the woman entered. "Hello, Matthew. It's been a long time. I see you've finally come to your senses."
Author's Note:
So, what do you guys think about it?
Please, let me know in review if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
Bl4ckHunter