Daredevil

One-shot

"The Devil made me do it."

It turns my stomach when I discover a person like this exists.

Not only did this scumbag embezzle money reaching into the tens of thousands but he used that money to start a child prostitution ring. What in this universe ever made this guy think that was a good idea?

I tracked him to the warehouse where he kept the kids. Disgusting old men, and even a few woman, littered the inside. Children were strapped to leashes and pulled into solitary rooms with whomever was renting them. By "renting", I mean the kids, not the rooms.

The place is barely lit as it is, but I disconnect the power anyway. The less they see of me, the better. I'll show them fear. The darkness won't hinder me at all.

I slip in through a window that opens onto a walkway near the top of the warehouse. The center room is large and mostly empty. A few people poke their heads out from their rooms of defilement to see what happened to the lights. Most of them don't even bother to put their clothes back on.

I leap off the walkway down into the center of the warehouse. It isn't a far drop, but I land with enough of an impact for them to hear my boots slap against the pavement. It startles them. Good.

I smell their sweat begin to build and I hear their hearts begin to beat faster. I can almost touch their fear. They know I'm here but they aren't sure where. They don't know if they should run or if they should give up.

My radar sense tells me exactly where they all are. I can "see" each and every one of the sick pedophiles. One quickly ducks into a room and comes back out again with a handgun, waving it around randomly.

"Hey! I-I know you're…come out here!" he yells. He's panicking and will probably start squeezing off random shots. Judging from the sharpness my radar sense bounces off the walls, they aren't very thick. The bullet would easily go through a wall and could strike one of the children inside.

I sense his exact position and launch a section of my billy club at him. It strikes his wrist with precision and the gun clatters to the floor. He swears and mumbles something incoherent. Even with my enhanced hearing, I don't bother listening. It's always the same.

I cover the distance between us before anyone knows I've left the center of the room. The naked gunman hits the floor, unconscious, even faster. In this part of the warehouse, I can feel a mild temperature change against my skin. Must be light spilling through a window somewhere. I'm visible now and I can sense everyone looking at me.

"You all disgust me. You can try and leave but I'll find you. I'll find every last one of you. Justice is not blind and it will see all of you eventually."

Some lean forward. Others move back into the rooms. None of them are sure what to do next.

Good thing I know what to do.

---

I watch the police arrive about a half-hour later. I called them, but not until after I made sure I left a few bruises on those sick rapists. There were fifteen children in that building. Fifteen young innocents who would have years of therapy to go through. Fifteen lives ruined before they had really started. Some of the kids weren't even ten years old.

If I hadn't been looking into the Gallagher case file last night, I would never have caught the fraudulent company he was using to filter money through. After that money had been cleaned by all the wrong people, the sick bastard had used it to purchase children on the black market. He deserved every broken bone I gave him tonight.

It wasn't always that way of course.

Shortly after my crime-fighting career began, the papers dubbed me the Scarlet Swashbuckler. I guess times were more innocent then. Cute names like those were for characters like Spider-Man or Captain America. I had no need for them. Villains should fear me. Names like those were like a sugar-coating on top of what I do now. I haven't heard that name in years.

Once upon a time, I was easier on scum like him. It's not that I felt more sympathetic to the criminal element or even that I had hope for our legal system to serve justice. Maybe you would call it naiveté. I would probably call it inexperience.

---

Eight Years Ago…

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to the greatest show on Earth!" The announcer's voice was greatly amplified through the bullhorn he held to his mouth (not that I couldn't hear him even if he whispered). In response, the audience that filled the giant tent roared in approval. There were few things that excited people like a circus.

I thought I was going to arrive late. I almost did but the cross-town subway was on time for once. Circuses are great for kids but even better for a blind date. Pardon the pun. Alexandria was a friend of a friend...uh…of a friend. Friend to the third power. Friend cubed. Needless to say, I wasn't holding my breath over this one.

I found my way into the tent and beside the cotton candy stand, where I was supposed to meet Alexandria. That, in and of itself, was no easy task. My radar sense guided me easily through the crowd and I could smell the cotton candy before I was within a hundred feet of it. However, it wouldn't do my costumed alter-ego any good if people saw how easily a blind man navigated his way to a specific spot that had only been erected the day before.

So after bumping into several bystanders and politely excusing myself, I made it to the cotton candy stand. She was already there waiting for me, her heart slightly faster than normal. Must be nervous.

I sensed her notice me as she turned in my direction. "Matt? Mr. Matt Murdock?" she asked.

"Yes, that's me! You must be Alexandria. I think we have some friends in common…uh…sort of."

She laughed. "Yes, I suppose we do. Bit of a distance between them I guess, but that's okay." She stepped a little closer as the people remaining between us moved on. Her dress came to her knees and her hair was pulled back and tucked underneath a sun hat.

"How about some cotton candy before we go inside to see the show?" I asked.

"Oh, no thank you. Too sugary for my taste."

"I know what you mean. Well, then. How about we find our seats and enjoy the show?"

She took my arm and we made our way to the seats. Another hard thing to do is not to lead someone. Again, I could get through this crowd easily, but with Alexandria on my arm and me waving a stick, it wouldn't have looked quite right. I let her lead the way. I never know what people think when they meet me for the first time. I have no idea if her friends told her I was blind. Maybe she felt a little weird leading me to our seats.

"Here's a good spot," she said as we sat down. "Close to the popcorn vender. So tell me about yourself, Mr. Murdock?"

"Well, I'm a lawyer, but don't hold that against me." I can hear her facial muscles tense a little bit as she smiles. Smiling is good on a first date. "A buddy of mine from college and I have our own firm. I like scrambled eggs, no cream in my coffee, and long walks on the beach."

"How cliché," she commented, still smiling.

"I'm not one to break such a lovely tradition. How about you? I was told you're an avid reader?"

Thanks to my enhanced hearing, I know what Alexandria's response is, even if I'm not paying attention to it. In fact, no one in the entire circus is paying attention to anything but the large explosion on the other end of the big top.

Smoke billows out from the large hole in the side of the tent and a lone figure walks through. His large top hat is almost comical. Rings circulate in front of the hat and his voice booms into the quieting circus. "This circus is now under the control of the Ringmaster! None of you can resist my powerful hypnotic rings! You will all give me your valuables immediately or be punished!"

I can't help but wonder why the bad guys always talk so much. My radar sense tells me the Ringmaster is here by himself. I've dealt with him before and I shouldn't have any problem taking him down. At least, if I can get away to change into my costume and make my move before he controls every person in the place. My lack of sight enables me to avoid his mind control. Small favors, I suppose.

"Alexandria, I have to…" but before I can come up with a good excuse to disappear, I shift my sense back to Alexandria and notice she's completely still. It appears as if she's been hypnotized already. That means the rest of the audience won't be far behind and I have to move fast.

My senses tell me that most of the people in my area are under the Ringmaster's control, so I don't bother with the poor blind man routine. Leaping off the wooden bleachers, I run to one of the Porta-Potties and make a quick change of clothing.

My crimson uniform still hasn't been broken in yet. It wasn't that long ago that I had yellow and black threads, and this costume still feels like when you buy a new dress shirt from the tailor. Sure, it fits great, but it's a little itchy.

With my billy club in its holster, I leave the portable bathroom and leap on top of a stack of crates that apparently have peanuts in them. At this point, the entire place has emptied out. My radar sense reaches back into the big top and tells me that every person at the entire circus has gone to the center ring. At least I don't have to worry about someone spotting me leaving the Porta-Potty.

From the top of the crates, I grapple onto a support beam and shimmy up to a walkway that ranges across the whole tent. This must be how they set up all the high wire acts. I can hear hundreds of feet shuffle around far beneath me as the mid-controlled people try to get close enough to give the Ringmaster all their wallets, purses, and jewelry.

From my vantage directly over the villain, I have a perfect shot. I cock back my arm and then let my club fly. My aim is true and the Ringmaster gets hit square in his jaw, forcing his body to the ground. With the other section of my billy club, I attach a drop cable to the walkway and leap off. Sailing through the air, I pull back the slack at the last instant and safely dangle a few feet above the ground. With a flick of my wrist, the cable retracts and I drop the remaining feet.

"You're finished, Ringmaster!" This early in my career, I still feel the need to give witty banter. I don't want people to be terrified of me, after all. "Release your control of these people and surrender!"

The Ringmaster lets out a crooked smile. "Daredevil! How wonderful of you to drop in. Get him, my slaves! Your will is my will, and I command you to attack!"

The crowd gathers around me faster than I anticipate. Fists cross against my jaw and my ribs, pelting me from several directions. I push them away, not wanting to fight back with full force. They are merely pawns of the Ringmaster and are truly innocent. I shove several away and pull myself over top one of them. "Give it up, you fiend!" I flip in the air and land on another's shoulders, using the man as a springboard to leap clear of the gathering crowd.

"Daredevil, you simple fool. Mine is the power to command! These people are now in my grasp you'll have to force me to let go, Scarlet Swashbuckler!" The huddled mass of the Ringmaster's controlled minions shift to face me. Several hundred blank stares turn my way.

I do a few back handsprings to add some more distance between the crowd and me. While I don't want to seriously harm any of them, I may have to. The key here is to get Ringmaster's control broken. That means separating him from his hat. Easier said than done.

"I'll do whatever I have to, villain!" The line feels corny to me even as I say it, but I let it out of my mouth nonetheless. Like I said, this early in my career I feel the need for witty banter. It seems to work for Spidey.

The crowd gets too close for comfort and I turn to run over to the large cannon. I assume later in the show, someone would have shot themselves across the big top from the cannon. Right now I'm satisfied to use it in order to elevate myself higher than the controlled audience. Once I leap atop the long metal cylinder, I can easily "see" the entire area with my radar sense. Ringmaster has turned his attention back to a section of the audience and is happily relieving them of their valuables.

Several of the audience members reach up to the cannon and a few even manage to pull themselves up onto it. One grabs my foot but I easily shake him free. I run down the long shaft, jumping with all my might into the air once I reach the end. I'm not airborne long before I shoot my grappling hook out from my billy club and latch onto the trapeze. Retracting the cable as I swing across the circus, I soar higher into the air. Once my momentum stops me from swinging I climb up to a ledge that the aerial acrobats use to stand on while they wait for their turn on the trapeze.

No sooner do I have my feet firmly in place then I feel a powerful force slam into my lower back. Sent flailing forward, I somehow manage to grab the support beam the ledge rests on, stopping my fall. Focusing my radar sense behind me, I "see" a man cutting through the air on the trapeze. Must be one of the acrobats under Ringmaster's control.

The acrobat gracefully flips through the air to grab another swinging bar, his momentum bringing him back to me for another attack. Leaping straight up at the last moment, I avoid another painful kick and deliver one of my own to the acrobat. The trapeze artist falls down through the air but is caught in the folds of the safety net. He's upset but he'll be okay.

I start to think of ways to separate Ringmaster from his hat. Getting around the couple hundred enthralled people would be tricky, and even then, I would still have trouble getting the hat off him. If memory serves, his hat is practically cemented to his head. I won't be able to just knock it off with a swing of my club. However, maybe I can short out his hat's systems, effectively shorting out his control over the people.

So now I need an electrical charge of some sort. My radar sense pings back to me from all over the circus telling me there's a large metallic box at the base of a nearby support beam. I can hear a loud hum emanating from within the box. It must be a generator. Gasoline powered from the smell of it. If I walk the tightrope across to that beam, I can slide down and figure out how to short-circuit Ringmaster's hat.

Years of training show as I carefully balance on the slender tightrope. Starting out slow, I build up to a steady trot across the line, trying to get to my destination as fast as I can. I think to myself that I probably could have been a fairly successful circus performer if I had been so inclined.

Reaching the other end of the line, I pause before sliding down the support beam. My radar sense tells me the audience was following my progress and is seemingly still under command from Ringmaster to stop me from doing whatever it is that I'm doing. Most of them have gathered below me while Ringmaster continues to move among them, taking their possessions.

I grip the poll and begin to slide down. I quickly approach the mad mob waiting to pound me into oblivion. About ten feet above their heads, I apply pressure to the poll with my hands, causing me to slow down. The building friction hurts but it enables me to keep from falling into the mind-controlled people's grasp. Pushing off the support beam, I manage to clear the pack of people and land on top of the generator. Feeling around the top of the metallic box, I grab an electrical wire and yank it free. Sparks lightly drizzle into the air.

The crowd gets to me faster than I anticipate, pulling me off the top of the generator and causing me to drop the electrical wire. "Stop! You don't know what you're doing! Fight it! He's controlling you, can't you see?" I yell.

"Of course they cannot see that, Daredevil. They see what I allow them to see," the Ringmaster says. "Only a fool like you would think he could stop me. Mine is the power to command!"

The people pull me down to the ground, again beating me with their fists. If I survive this, I'll have bruises all over my body, which will be fun trying to explain to Foggy at the office. A few blows to the head and I'm reeling, fighting now just to stay conscious. I have only one chance left.

"Ringmaster! Give up now and I'll put in a good word for you with the District Attorney!"

Ringmaster throws his head back in laughter. "And why would I do that, Daredevil? You can't stop me. No one can!"

I extend my billy club and hook the end of it around the electrical wire. It isn't easy with several fists pounding against my ribs. Taking aim, I fire my grappling hook from my club. The cable speeds toward Ringmaster, bringing the electrical wire with it. I can hear a barely audible four-letter word escape from Ringmaster's mouth as he realizes what is about to happen.

Ozone races up my nostrils as the wire connects with the Ringmaster's hat, instantly frying the circuitry. The mental connection is broken, and the people under his control soon ease up their grasp on me. Several shake their heads as if to clear their thoughts. I rub my abdominal muscles, feeling a few cracked ribs. The Ringmaster falls to his knees, defeated.

"No…no, no, no…" is all he can say now that his power over these people is gone.

"What's going on?" asks one of the audience members.

"Who's that guy with the smoking hat?" another questions.

His control is definitely gone now. I stand up and begin to move toward the Ringmaster, preparing to take him into custody and notify the authorities. Maybe I can even salvage my date by offering to take Alexandria to dinner.

I stop when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"What's happening here, buddy?" a man asks me.

"Everything is under control now, sir. Just return to your seat and the police will be here shortly to take this madman to jail."

"I don't remember how I got out of my seat in the first place! Cough it up! You took my wallet, didn't you?"

My radar sense tells me more and more of the crowd is shifting uneasily on their feet. I hear murmurs from among them questioning who I am and whether or not I had anything to do with what transpired here today. Maybe I shouldn't wait for the authorities to show up. This crowd is getting restless.

"Sir, just return to your seat and everything will be sorted out shortly," I say, raising my hands, palms open to try and get the situation under control.

"Yeah, right! And then you'll make off with all my dough!" He throws a right cross at me, which I dodge easily. Instinctively, I push him while he's off balance and he falls to the ground. I imagine how the scene must look from the other people's perspectives. Not good.

"Hey! He can't do that!" someone yells.

"Yeah, he just wanted his wallet back!" another chimes in.

"He'll make a break for it! Stop him!" Mob mentality. They'll be all over me in a second.

My concentration is all centered in front of me, so I don't notice the rock thrown at my head from behind. It hits my skull, causing me to buckle forward. I regain my composure quickly and shift my senses to extend all around me again. I locate the person who threw the rock a short distance behind me. I instantly recognize the heartbeat. It's Alexandria.

I admit, I was caught off guard. I hardly knew her, but from our brief encounter, she hadn't seemed like the kind of person that would throw rocks around when a riot was about to break out. I kind of liked her, too.

Other people began to throw things and not all of them are missing. I jump back on top of the generator and fire my billy club once again to grapple onto a support beam. I swing away from the maddening crowd, shocked and slightly appalled about what had just happened.

I had no witty banter to accommodate the situation.

---

I remember escaping the big top and finding my way home on top of a nearby subway train. I checked my police scanner when I got home and found that not only was the Ringmaster apprehended shortly after I fled the scene, but I was wanted for questioning. Wouldn't have been the first time I had heard that, but this time I was sure they wanted to discuss something other than how I caught the guy.

I didn't wake up to the cold reality of human nature right then. No, it took years and several other experiences to show me how twisted people can be. Experiences just like these pedophiles I encountered tonight. But that maybe have been the first time I gazed at the dark part of humanity with open eyes.

I've heard every excuse imaginable from criminals. "He forced me to," or maybe "only way to make a buck," or my personal favorite "the Devil made me do it."

I'm the Devil as far as these lowlifes are concerned.

I never make them do anything except confess.

---

Author's Notes

That wraps up my little DD one-shot. Hope you enjoyed it! There's a little story behind this issue I feel I should make known to you. Think of this as a DVD Special Features Behind the Scenes kind of thing:

Gary Jones made the comment on his LiveJournal that he preferred the older, classier, more classic DD stories. Several people, myself included, pointed out that the character didn't become popular until after the dark persona took over Matt Murdock. It would be very difficult for the earlier Stan Lee-esque stories to be accepted by readers.

I took this one-shot as a little "challenge" to try and show the difference between the two types of Daredevils. First we have DD bust up a child prostitution ring (not something you would ever see back in Stan Lee's day). The scene is obviously very dark and it's taking on a subject that people don't like to talk about, yet happens regardless.

Then the flashback scene at the circus. I based this scene on a very old Daredevil story I read when I was a kid (don't ask me to cite it). This scene is a lot more innocent until the crowd goes against DD. You can see I tried to even make the dialogue sound like something Lee or Kirby would have written (using "villain" and "madman").

I think it came out all right.

Maybe I'll build on this some more. Hopefully this little "challenge" of mine will inspire some people out there to do the same.

Get writing, folks!