A/N: Hey guys, I had a week to crunch on this chapter so I hope you guys like it. Btw I was wondering if you guys wanted me to write a fight scene. I'm not bad with them, its just been a while since I've written one. Feel free to send me some plot ideas or anything you wanna see, I'll have fun finding ways to incorporate them into the story :)
Eggs. Coffee. P...pancakes? Carmalized...fruit? What?
The sounds of pots and pans, sizzling and steaming was so foreign to Matt's ears that for a split second he believed he was in a stranger's home. Taking a deep breath, Matt stilled as he heard singing coming from his kitchen. Matt pushed himself out of the bed to make sense of what his ears were telling him.
"Ah! Hola, amigo! Rise and shine! Up and at'em! How many more ordinary things do I have to say to get that frown off your face, Villy?" Josie's voice seemed to be strangely bright and ready for this early in the morning, very similar to what Matt remembered of the sun.
"How did you get in? Again?" Matt sat down at the dinner table where a teeny voice from the laptop was telling him to buy mattresses.
"Picked the lock, and stayed quiet," a plate of pancakes and a fruit concoction was set in front of him and another at his right seemed to have eggs.
"You must've been as quiet as the dead," Josie placed a cold glass against the back of his hand before taking a seat herself and digging in.
"I was as quiet as the non existent," her voice seemed distracted and Matt assumed she was absorbed in the laptop, evidenced by the clicking of her typing.
"Why are you here, Josie?" The clicking ceased for a moment and the swaying of the air told Matt that she had turned to look at him. Matt heard the slightest sound of pressure being applied and assumed that Josie had bitten her lip.
"Andrew Singh, his campaign starts today and I wanted to see his grand speech. The box I slept in has a painful lack of wifi." Josie's heartbeat had spiked and Matt could tell that she was hiding something but decided not to push it. "You've got half an hour before the speech. Go get ready for work." Josie took Matt's dishes and began washing them in the sink as the coffee machine puttered.
"Exactly, how much do you know about me?" Matt could feel the tension in his voice, Josie's offhand comments made Matt feel as if he was making a mistake in trusting her.
"More than you would like me to, Murdock" her voice was soft and sad as Matt's blood ran cold. Matt reminded himself to breathe and trust her as he headed to his bathroom and got ready for work.
Twenty minutes later Matt found himself sitting in front of a cup of coffee in his office clothes next to a very subdued Josie. The laidback attitude from earlier had slowly dissipated and a solemn, quiet and anxious Josie remained. Matt pretended to ignore the quiet gnawing he heard next to him as Josie bit her nails to the nub. She had already paced the length of his apartment until Matt had forced her to sit down and drink her coffee. Josie's breath caught in her chest and Matt opened his mouth to ask if she was alright when he heard it.
"Good morning, citizens of Hell's Kitchen!" his voice was boisterous, friendly and... kind. Matt could detect the faintest accent, which he assumed was from an Indian background. For a moment, Matt wondered what danger this man could possibly be and if Josie's accusations were wrong.
"... it brings me great honour to stand before this magnificent city. I can see you all looking at me with those questioning eyes, yes, yes this city is magnificent. You have all fought tooth and nail to ensure justice and equality in your home and I can see it, I can see the love and determination these buildings were made out of. I only ask that you, fellow citizens, see me fit to stand with you and to nurture and grow this city along with you. I believe that each and everyone of us can create something beautiful out of this city, together." The crowd erupted into applause and Matt could hear Josie's rapidly beating heart match the rhythm of the cheers.
"He's... he's something," Matt could hear the awe in his voice and ground his teeth together in annoyance.
"Yeah," Josie's voice was simply a breath of fear. Matt placed his hand on her shaking shoulder.
"We'll be fine, don't worry," Josie took a deep breath then nodded, squeezing the hand on her shoulder.
"I have to go, I'll see you later." Within moments she packed her things and left, as if she had never been there in the first place.
Matt rested with his back against a cargo container reading the note Josie had left for him in his mail box. She had written on expensive, absorbent card stock paper that made it easier for Matt to feel the words and "read" them through his fingertips. A quiet swishing sound, a strong tapping sound and rose scent alerted Matt to a presence making its way towards him.
"How you doing, tiger?" It had been nearly two weeks since Matt had last heard that voice, the rustling of fabric and the clatter of a cane continued until Matt felt a heat source settle down next to him.
"What are you doing here?" He could hear the anger in his voice and attempted to calm himself, there was very little Matt could do now since she was already here.
"Checking up on you, giving you an update on the situation." A strong peppermint scent filled Matt's nose as he realized Josie was offering him a candy. Shaking his head, Matt poised himself to rise but Josie's hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him back down. "You'll want it," she offered the candy to him in her hand.
"Why?" He asked accepting the candy and popping it into his mouth.
"They're gassing them, the...uh...the cargo. Some kind of coma inducing chemicals, menthol is the neutralizing compound." Matt felt his mouth open in shock and accepted the extra candies she handed him, delicately placing them in a hidden pocket.
"Thanks," he whispered quietly.
"Anytime," she lightly patted his knee before pulling him close. "They're bringing in limited cargo and equipment. You take down the baddies and I'll sink the boat. Deal?" She grabbed her cane and began to rise, Matt grabbed her elbow and turned her to face him.
"You're going to sink the boat? How, exactly?" He hissed into her face, Matt couldn't comprehend how careless Josie was with her life.
"Villy, don't worry, this isn't my first rodeo." She then left him standing there and walked back the way she had come from. Matt took a deep breath and launched himself at the top of the cargo container, standing on top of it and breathing the fresh air. He was determined to end the fight and take care of the cargo ship before Josie even lifted a finger.
