The Fists of the Hand:
New York, Hell's Kitchen, 24th July, 2010:
"I'm serious," Matt said with vigour as he did another handstand pushup. "Sorry, I just find it hard to believe a team of superheroes would choose you as their leader," Lakshmi replied, amidst fits of laughter. Matt decided to visit her in the evening, since he had time to kill. But now it seemed like a bad idea.
Matt scowled, "Why?" He asks, the taste of sweat in his mouth, still doing his handstand push-ups. Lakshmi kept glancing at Matt's glistening torso and shook her head, "Remember that business course we did in school a few months ago?" She asks, turning around switching her laptop on.
"Yeah, we were meant to propose an idea for a new recreational centre in the city. You guys chose me to represent our school," Matt said switching to one arm push-ups.
The young Indian girl cracks her knuckles, "You proposed a sports centre to the board. And remind me, who did you say our primary competitor would be?" She asked trying very hard not to admire Matt's physique whilst he was working out.
Matt hesitated for a few seconds, "The Boogie Bungalow," he said, remembering the long silence that followed when he told the board that.
"And tell me Matt. What was the Boogie Bungalow?" She asked him, with a wide smile. Matt stopped mid push up and turned his head upward. "It was a um… a strip club," he said, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
"We lost the entire competition because of that. Why did you even mention the Boogie Bungalow?" She asked, giggling when repeating the last two words.
Matt stood up and took a towel hanging from the door of a wardrobe. "I broke into that place the night before to beat up a couple enforcers. So when the guy on the board asked me what our companies competitor would be, well, I sort of panicked and it just came out," he said with an embarrassed tone, wiping the sweat off of his body.
Annoyed by the fact that she couldn't stop checking out her friend, Lakshmi picked up a black t-shirt and placed it in Matt's hands. "Please put that on. You being topless is kind of distracting," she said looking away as Matt put the shirt on.
"Sorry, I guess the scars would be pretty distracting," Matt said oblivious to what she meant. Lakshmi looked at Matt with a dumbfounded expression, "Sure, that's what was distracting," she said sarcastically under her breath.
She pulled up some files pertaining to a few criminals and turned to face Matt again. "Who're you tracking this time? Is it a Yakuza guy? Please tell me it's a Yakuza," the black haired girl said, still holding a grudge on the Japanese mafia from when Matt had to save her from them at the mall all those weeks ago
Matt smiled at her. After Lux had discovered his identity, he decided to use her computer skills to his advantage. It started out with her just going through pen drives and disks Matt would confiscate from a few criminals.
She then had the idea of placing bugs in the phones of certain criminals so that Matt would have a better understanding of what they'd be doing and where they were. It was a good idea, with Lakshmi making the bugs and Matt planting them.
When needed, he'd have her find the location of a criminal and he'd go there, saving Matt plenty of time from having to track them on his own.
He points to her computer, "Where's Turk?" He asks. She types in a few commands and some coordinates pop up on her screen, which she enters into a program to find his live location on a map.
"Ok, Turk's phone's at the docks. Let me check CCTV footage to make sure. Hmm… yep, he went in with a couple of guys about a half hour ago," she said, somewhat conflicted about illegally accessing security cameras. Matt pats her on the shoulder, "Good work," he says, making her smile. The blind hero opens her window, ready to leave. "Matt, Be careful. Please," she says, concern dripping from her voice, remembering his scars.
"When am I not?" He asks rhetorically and jumps out the window.
The docks of Hell's kitchen.
For decades criminal organisations and corrupt law officials used them to transport their illicit goods in and out of the city. Anything from drugs and human slaves to weapons and electronics have been brought through here.
Whilst the government controls the docks on paper, in actuality the power over the dock alternates between two primary groups.
The Japanese mafia, AKA, The Yakuza. And the Italian/Sicilian mafia run by a Sicilian crime family called the Bertinelli's.
The Yakuza and the Bertinelli's were at open war over the docks for decades. Even if nothing illegal was being shipped, those who had power over the docks still made income by taking a small percentage out of the legitimate profits made.
By the time both sides realised that the bloodshed was going nowhere it was too late.
The Russian mafia, AKA, The Bratva had taken control over the docks by bribing the right people.
The Bratva however, unlike the Yakuza and the Bertinelli crime family had no interest in having sole usage of the docks. They operated more like a business. They were willing to let each of the other crime syndicates use the docks and keep the cops off their backs when they did so, as long as The Bratva got a 15% cut of the profits.
Considering billions of dollars' worth of illegal goods are transported to the docks each year. 15% is quite a lot.
Tonight, it was the Bertinelli's who were making use of the docks. They were receiving a shipment of some sort. But there have been delays.
And the last thing they want when making a large, illegal shipment were delays.
Matt was perched atop the horizontal steel beam in one of the warehouses at the dock, the shadows concealing his still form. He could hear his targets heartbeat.
Turk Barrett.
Turk was one of those criminals who despite making mistakes that would get others in his line of work killed or arrested, he would get away with since he had the right connections. A few lawyers, a couple lieutenants of the major gangs, some beat cops etc.
He somehow managed to walk the thin line between being absolutely useless and having too much information quite well. He knew just enough information and people so that he could conduct business with relatively ease but he didn't know so much that someone high up would want to kill him to stop that information from spreading.
Matt met Turk during his first week as a vigilante. Four men were assaulting him for selling their leader a faulty gun, resulting in her getting shot and killed. Matt saved Turk from the four and threw him in a dumpster, hoping that maybe Turk would change.
Unfortunately for Matt, he didn't.
The blind vigilante overheard that the Bertinelli's were meant to meet Turk to finalise the payment on some shipment. And judging by Turk's current predicament, he didn't follow through.
Still perched atop the steel beam, he listened in on the conversation.
"Y'see, time for bein' nice is over," a large man said, clad in an expensive Italian, wool suit. He placed his fingers through the hair of a man tied to the chair and pulled, causing his victim to squeal in pain. "The beatin's I gave you so far was me askin' all nice like," he continued.
The large man, clearly working as a muscle man for the Bertinelli's, Matt surmised took a lighter out of his pocket. He flicked it open and lit a cigarette, placed in his mouth by one of his lackeys.
He took a big puff and blew smoke directly into the battered face of the bound man in the chair, the warm smoke stinging his wounds as embers narrowly miss his eyes.
"Now I'm gonna have t' be serious," he continued, slowly removing a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and sliding them onto his right hand. The sound of metal sliding over skin reminded Matt of Bullseye.
His blood started to boil. 'Calm down and listen,' Matt reminded himself, using every ounce of self-control he had, stopping himself from leaping in the middle of these thugs and taking them down.
He needed to get as much information as possible.
The large man hits his captive in the gut, the brass knuckles grinding against his bones. "Where's the shipment of computer chips from Korea, Turk?" he asks, blowing smoke onto his face once more.
Turk splutters blood from his mouth as he struggles to talk, "You didn't say nothing about no coded boxes of chips. It weren't on the manifest," he said making direct eye contact with the man interrogating him.
He breaths in another gulp of smoke and flicks the still lit cigarette in Turks face, giving him a small burn.
'These Bertinelli thugs are a bit too violent for their own good,' Matt thought as he made his way closer to the part of the warehouse where Turk was being tortured. He senses another steel beam twenty feet in front of him. After making sure no one was looking he leaped towards it and grabs the edge with the tips of his fingers, barely grabbing onto it.
Matt groaned quietly as he brought himself to a perched position on the beam, his chest had impacted the beam quite hard when he made his jump. Luckily for him, Bertinelli's men were too preoccupied with Turk to see his stumble.
Hearing the sound of a fist pounding flesh, Matt became red alert once more. He heard the men's heartbeats. They were right below him.
He quickly analysed the situation once more. 'Large warehouse with many containers to hide behind and run across. Four men, larger than me, all armed with handguns and knives which are all holstered thankfully and Turk tied to a chair. Should be fine,' Matt thought as he removed his Billy clubs.
Before the head honcho could hit Turk again the lights above suddenly burst, the glass raining onto the ground. The four men huddle closer to each other, instinctively reaching for their guns. Matt used this opportunity to strike.
He hits the two taller members on the head with his billy clubs, the sound of a familiar 'CLUNK' followed by the two falling to the floor told Matt that they weren't getting up for a while. The red clad hero kicked the man directly in front of him in the knee, causing him to stumble forward, Matt used this opportunity to deliver a kick to his face. Third man down and out.
The fourth man, the one who interrogated Turk was furthest away from Matt. He pulled out his gun when Matt was taking out his 'co-workers.'
"I kill you and I'm gonna get made," he said out loud as he took aim at Matt, hoping to God he would be able to hit the vigilante in the poor light. Without even turning his head in the man's direction Matt threw his Billy Club at his gun, disarming him. The large man pulled out the knife from his suit and charges towards Matt. He throws his remaining Billy Club into the man's temple whilst casually walking towards Turk.
Matt hears a loud thud and then a groan.
Hearing this he makes a beeline towards the still conscious mobster. 'These idiots think they're so scary,' he thinks, grabbing the man by the ankle and dragging him across the floor.
'Let's see him last ten minutes with me,' he thinks to himself, dragging the Bertinelli thug halfway across the warehouse, ignoring his pleas for forgiveness. He starts to move behind a container out of sight from Turk. The Sicilian mobster claws at the floor trying his best to move away from Matt but to no avail, he's too dazed to put up any real resistance.
Turk looks at the container where Matt and the man hid behind and closed his eyes, after hearing ear shattering screams.
"THAT'S IT, TH…THAT'S ALL I K..NOW. PLEEASSEE, JUST LET ME GO!" the Bertinelli thug yells out, his expensive Italian wool suit pants were now stained with urine and his face was wet with a river of tears.
'Tough guy barely lasted two minutes before he talked,' Matt lamented as he went over the information he just received.
The Bertinelli's were meant to receive a shipment of missile guidance chips for the Yakuza, with Turk being the middleman between the two. But thanks to Matt's actions from weeks prior, the Yakuza had lost interest in said missile chips.
Not wanting to waste an expensive investment, The Bertinelli's decided to sell the chips to the highest bidder. But they didn't appear with the shipment.
Naturally they blamed Turk, assuming that he had something to do with the guidance chips going missing. Matt wanted to investigate further.
Daredevil walks towards Turk, causing the battered crook to panic. He struggled against his bonds but the rope was digging into his skin, making any kind of escape attempt very painful. The vigilante holsters his Billy Clubs and pulls a small knife from his belt.
Turk closes his eyes and hyperventilates. Ready to be tortured again.
But much to his surprise he felt a sense of relief. The feeling of cold air against his once bound skin. Matt had sliced off the ropes that tied him to the chair. Turk went to stand up but Matt pushed him to the ground, somewhat gently so that he didn't break something in the fall.
Turk was a very, very skinny man of African American descent. He sported dreadlocks that would make Snoop Dogg blush and his once bright orange shirt was now torn and stained with blood.
Matt obviously didn't know this since he was blind but he did touch Turks face, feeling the large bruises and swollen left eye.
"Listen man, I don't know nothing about those chips. I thought this was just a routine arms shipment, you feel me?" Turk blurted out after Matt touched his face.
Despite his heart rate being extremely elevated from Turk panicking and being terrified, Matt knew he was telling the truth. His body language revealed that.
Matt grabbed Turk by his torn collar. "Do you know where those missile guidance chips are? And don't even think about lying, I'll know," he says in a steady, deep voice. Turk, remembering the screams of Matt's previous victim decided it'd be wiser just to tell the truth.
"I don't know man. They never showed up. Guess someone stole them or something."
Matt raised an eyebrow under his mask, "Stole the shipment before it reached the dock? The Bertinelli's were here half an hour before the ship even arrived," Matt yelled out to Turk as he relayed the information he had received.
Turk put his hands up in the air, "Listen, maybe it was swept away at sea or something, I dunno. Just let me go man, I ain't done nothin'."
Matt smirked, "If you give me one more piece of information, I'll let you leave this dock with both legs functioning. Seem fair?" he asked rhetorically.
Turk nodded, just wanting to get back home.
"The heads of the three biggest crime families in New York are meeting up. I wanna know why," Matt said putting his hands on Turk's shoulder, reminding the skinny criminal who was incharge.
"Look, I ain't got anything concrete, but word on the street is that The Russian guys granddaughter went missing. Some dudes in ninja gear turned up and demanded a ransom. But mind you, I heard that from some stoned security guard," Turk said meekly, his eyes fixed on Matt's.
Daredevil let him go. "Ok," he said simply after hearing his heartbeat.
"Wait. That's it?" Turk asks in disbelief, unable to believe his luck. Matt turned his face towards him and with a patronising smile he punches Turk in the jaw making him slump to the floor.
Matt sighs, "That was far too satisfying."
As Matt made his way up a building he noticed something out of the ordinary. His radar picked up something moving away from him. Jumping between rooftops.
Ignoring the pain in his chest he runs after the figure. He picks up a scent, a human fragrance. Matt then picks up on the sound of a breath, and another. He was getting closer. Now he could hear a heartbeat, strong and steady and footsteps that were light as a cats. The footsteps take a sharp left and Matt follows suit.
He could detect her scent again, 'Definitely not a man's scent' Matt thought to himself as he became closer and closer to the footsteps.
Suddenly Matt felt something move through the air at blinding speeds. A foot. 'Whoever she is, she just tried to kick me.' he thinks to himself.
With Matt distracted by the kick, she takes one of Matt's Billy Clubs from his belt and wacks him across the face, cutting his cheek.
Much to the girls surprise, the guy in red smiles. And she does as well.
'She can fight. This might be interesting,' he thought to himself as he slowly moved towards her. She mirrors his movements, pacing herself.
He throws a jab, she parries it. She tries to sweep him off his feet with her leg but he leaps backward to evade it. Matt rushes towards her and jumps into the air, his knee extended aiming for her torso. She rolls sideways to evade the attack at uses the stolen Billy Club to strike at Matt again.
But Matt was ready this time, he grabbed the weapon and pulled the girl close.
Her breathing seemed restricted, Matt could feel fibres in the air next to her face. Probably some cloth to conceal the lower half of her face. And judging by her heartbeat she must be around his age but Matt couldn't tell for sure unless he spent a few more seconds analysing her.
The girl runs her hand across Matt's face, flustering the blind teenager slightly but was soon brought out of the trance after her knee was driven straight into his groin. Matt winced in pain, his grip on her loosening enough for her to break free. She drops the Billy Club to the ground and leaps off of the building that they were on.
Matt runs and tries to grab her, but manages only to grab the cloth on her face. A scarf. This throws off her timing and she misses the ledge to the next building. Her left shoulder grazing the concrete as she fell down the side of the building.
She grabs onto the fire escape that was attached to the building, breaking her fall. She drops to the ground and runs into the street.
Matt could taste the blood in the air from her shoulder wound but he didn't want to run into the streets chasing after some girl. The teenager then remembered he had her scarf in his hand. He scratches his head in confusion.
'Who was that?' he thinks to himself
He put his finger to the wound on his cheek and sighs.
"How am I gonna explain this one?" He asks.
Mark was out for a few days, negotiating his fight with the heavyweight champ. Leaving Matt home alone.
The apartment was a mess. While Matt did simple tasks like cleaning the dishes and taking out the trash in his brother's absence, using the washing machine was a little above Matt's skill set. Being blind and all. As a result, the floor was covered in dirty, and occasionally blood stained clothes.
Matt took off his helmet, enjoying the feeling of his hair straightening out from its compressed state under the head gear. After taking off his utility belt and placing his Billy clubs on the ground he went to take off his armour, an aching pain filled his chest.
After taking a painstaking minute to slowly remove the tiresome piece of clothing he put his fingers against his sides to check for any broken ribs. He then breathed in and out, checking for any pain.
"No broken ribs tonight," Matt said to himself, relieved. He went to the bathroom and took out some pain relief cream for his bruised chest. As the chemicals in the cream stung his skin Matt promised himself he'd never jump into a steel beam again for as long as he lived.
He thought of applying the cream to small cut on his face, courtesy of the mystery girl on the roof but decided against it. Not wanting to apply stinging chemicals to an open wound.
The teenager was about to plop into bed when he heard his phone vibrate.
'Britt...Britt...Britt,' the monotonous voice on his phone said as Matt groaned. He begrudgingly picked up his phone and answered the call. 'This better be important Britt,' he thought to himself as he placed the phone to his ear.
"Dude, I've been waiting outside your place for like five minutes, where are you?" the young millionaire to be asked, Matt hearing the hum of an engine through the phone. He concentrated slightly and heard Britt's heartbeat and the engine just a few floors down.
"Um, why?" was all Matt could muster wondering if he missed something.
Britt sighed, "Remember, the party at my Dad's place. You promised you'd tag along so I wouldn't hang myself listening to old, rich white guys drone on and on about polo."
"Oh yeah," Matt said, remembering the conversation the two had the other day.
The blind teen rubbed his chest, 'A few hours of idle chit chat with the 1% can't be as bad as fighting Italian mobsters,' Matt thought to himself. Realising he was just wearing his boxers and socks, Matt sheepishly asked Britt to wait another few minutes whilst he got ready. To which Britt agreed to.
After rummaging around the mounds of clothing he finally found the suit he wore to his father's funeral. It was second hand and a little smelly but it'd have to do.
After wearing the suit pants he layed out the white shirt and gave out a loud sigh. He'd have to put on a shirt and hurt his chest doing so.
"Great. Well at least there won't be any criminals to beat up over there."
'The universe loves to prove me wrong,' Matt thinks to have himself. He recognised the heartbeats of the head of the Russian Bratva, Anatoly Knyazev, the head of the Bertinelli's, Sal Bertinelli and the head of the American division of the Yakuza, Nobu Yashida.
Anatoly was a slightly overweight man with a bald head and was wearing a black suit and red tie. He had a grand white beard and a friendly smile. His voice reminded Matt of his own grandfather, if he had a Russian accent. No one would ever expect Anatoly to be a violent criminal at first glance.
Sal Bertinelli was a tall man, well over six feet tall. He had slicked back black hair and wore a cream coloured Italian suit with a blue tie. Matt could smell the cigars in his pockets. He looked like he'd fit right in a Martin Scorsese movie.
Nobu was the only man in the entire mansion to not wear a tie or bowtie. He wore a grey blazer with a white shirt, the top buttons being opened, showing a hint of his tattoos. He had a steely expression on his face, which didn't change no matter the circumstance.
Matt rubbed his back, remembering the beating he received from Nobu the last time they met. The three mob heads were making casual conversation to the rich and vapid men and women present at the party. According to Britt they weren't invited but Matt figured that men of their stature didn't care much for invitations.
The blind teen rubbed the sweat that was pouring on his face, hissing slightly as he accidently rubbed his wound on his cheek.
"How'd you get that?" Britt asked.
"Walked into a pole," Matt said almost immediately. Britt eyed his friend, "Really? Well that pole must have been coming at you really fast to cut you like that." Matt rubbed the hilt of his cane, Britt's mom was a doctor and he's a junior MMA fighter. He knows his wounds.
The older teen put his shoulder on Matts, "Most guys I know usually just have a new shirt whenever I meet then. You're the only one I know who has a new bruise every day. You can't expect me to believe that you walk into poles this often."
Matt adjusted his bow tie, not sure how to respond to his worried friend.
Britt turned Matt around noticing his bow tie was askew. "I swear to God I know how to tie these things," he said as he adjusted the fabric. Matt smiled, "Dude, you spent the whole ride here trying to do my bow tie. Not sure you're gonna get it in the next two seconds."
The taller boy let out a grunt, a vein popping out as he tried remembering where each loop went. "Maybe, just maybe I'm pretending to suck at this to avoid talking to the boring grown-ups here," he said, trying to justify his incompetence with the bow tie.
Sensing this Matt replied with, "Is that why you spent twenty nine minutes and forty three seconds on it in your car on the way here? To avoid talking to the grown-ups?"
Britt looked at Matt with a puzzled look. "You timed that?"
"Yeah, it took that long," Matt said, taping his braille watch. "So, where's your dad?" Matt asked. He knew where he was but he needed to keep up the pretence that he was a regular blind guy.
The tall teen turned Matt a few degrees to his left. "He's there, trying to smother the guests with the grand tales of how he exposed Nixon in the watergate scandal."
"He did?"
Britt shrugged, "Ours was one of the first papers to report on it I guess." Matt stopped prying further after hearing the tone in Britt's voice. He and his father don't get along very much.
"Britt?"
"Yeah?"
"You said there would be girls here. You know, around our age. So far you haven't seen a single one."
Britt looked at Matt with a confused expression on his face, "How do you know there aren't any girls our age here?"
Matt hesitated a moment, trying to best word his response. "Because if there were, you'd ditch me and run towards her the first chance you get. Especially if she were hot."
Britt looked at Matt sheepishly, "I wouldn't ditch you immediately. But I mean..." his sentence trailed on. His head turning in a certain direction.
"Earth to Britt, earth to Britt. Wake up," Matt said knocking his friend on the head. Britt ignored him and turned Matt's head to where he was looking. "Look."
"I can't see," Matt said, annoyed at how often people seem to forget that.
Britt composed himself, his eyes still fixed on what he was looking at. "You wanted girls. Well there's one now."
Matt listened for her footsteps. They were slight, concentrated. She was wearing heels, her gait suggested she was in her teens. Around Matt and Britt's age. Focusing even more Matt could detect her scent, a very powerful perfume. Orchid flavoured.
Straightening his hair Britt asked Matt, "How do I look?"
Matt raised an eyebrow, refusing to even respond to the question. Britt seemed too flustered to even correct himself.
"I bet you ten bucks the conversation doesn't last two minutes." Matt told his friend.
Britt cracked his knuckles, psyching himself up for the confrontation. "You're on."
The girl went to the bar and ordered some cranberry juice. With every step Britt took towards her, Matt could hear his heart beat become faster and faster. Matt suppressed a laugh. "He is going to screw up so bad," the blind teen said tapping his cane on the floor in anticipation.
The girl took a sip of her juice. She had olive brown skin and emerald eyes, her hair was long, reaching her shoulders and she was wearing a sleeveless red dress that was an inch past her knees. Her arms and legs were well toned and she has a slight figure. Admiring the beautiful girl, Britt casually leaned on the counter to deliver his line. "So," he said, trying to deepen his voice. "Rich people, am I right?" he asked rhetorically.
Without even taking a glance at him, she takes her drink and walks away in the opposite direction. "That went well," Britt said to himself sarcastically.
He slumped his shoulders as he walked back towards Matt, who had a smile on his face the size of the moon. "Thirteen seconds. That's shit even by your standards."
"Shut up," Britt said sulking slightly.
Matt covered his mouth, as a laugh slowly releases itself in spurts. "Please tell me you didn't use the 'Rich people' line!" he said tapping his foot trying to dissipate the energy from the laughter.
"It's bound to work eventually," Britt muttered.
Not being able to contain himself Matt started laughing out loud. His chest felt like it was on fire when he was doing it but he didn't care. This was too funny for him.
Britt squared up with him. "Ok wise guy, let's see you talk to her."
Kneeling over, Matt banged his chest as the last of the laughter was out of his system. "Alright, where is she?"
"There," Britt said turning Matt in her direction. 'Next to the staircase,' Matt thought as he recognised the outline thanks to his radar sense. Extending his cane, Matt shot a brash smile at Britt. "By the way, you owe me ten dollars," he told his rich friend, reminding him of their bet.
Matt tapped his cane, side to side as he approached the staircase. People gave way, seeing a blind kid walking through the crowd. "Man without fear. Man without fear. Man without fear," he repeated to himself, the slogan in the newspaper fresh in his mind.
But as Matt walked closer he heard something familiar. Her heartbeat. 'It's the same as…no. No way. Roof top girl?' The girl glances at Matt, the cane and glasses tend to make him stand out. She was about to alter her gaze till she notices the wound on Matt's cheek.
Before Matt could analyse her further and vice versa, a butler rang a bell.
"Would you all kindly make your way to the ballroom? The dance is about to begin," the butler exposited as all the party goers made their way to the adjacent room.
In all the commotion, Matt lost track of the girl. 'She was right there. Where's her heart-beat? ' Matt then feels a light but tight grip on his shoulder. The hand glides across from his shoulder, to his neck and finally reaches his cheek.
"Shall we dance?" an English-French accent asked, her silver tongue sending shivers down Matt's spine.
He smirked, "Why not?"
They walked to the ballroom, arms interloping so as to guide Matt. Britt looked at the two and whistled. "Damn. I should really get the blind thing going."
Matt took some time to get further details about "Roof top girl." 'Let's see. She's 5 foot 5 inches tall, 124 pounds. She's in amazing shape and still has that wound on her shoulder from earlier. Her accent seems English but with a hint of French. Maybe Greek as well. Her wrists have minute scars, probably not visible. Presumably from harsh conditioning, also from knife and sword fighting.'
The girl seemed to realise that Matt was analysing her. She slowly placed his right hand on her waist and she intertwined her left hand in his. This distracted Matt long enough for her to get a word in.
"You looked better in red," she said quietly, her voice sounding like velvet to Matt's ears. Knowing it was futile to outright deny what she was implying Matt decided to play along.
"Funny, I thought the suit was yellow," he sad with a charming smile. The girl let's out a small laugh.
They continued to dance, with Matt surprising the girl with his near perfect sense of rhythm. "Before you say anything else, no one here is going to believe you," Matt said with a stern tone, a smile still on his face.
She raises an eyebrow. "You mustn't be a very good judge of character if you think I'd claim that a blind teenager is capable of jumping across rooftops," she said in a matter of fact manner.
"I know plenty about you," Matt said. She gives him a faux-sincere look. "Please, elaborate," she says.
"Well. I know your beauty is a problem, gets you some unwanted attention. A lot of older guys are turning their heads, looking at you right now. But you don't seem to mind. Probably because you know you can take care of them if they try anything. The bones in your hands and wrists are heavily calcified, meaning you've extensive training in hand to hand combat. I'm also guessing you're a bit of an adrenaline junkie, since you like jumping on rooftops," Matt surmised, hoping to invoke a reaction in the mysterious girl.
She grabs his hand tighter and pulls him closer to her. "You've a second hand, unwashed suit, meaning you're relatively poor. So you're only here to accompany your idiot friend. You keep tilting your head towards the Japanese fellow a few feet to the left, meaning you know him and are perhaps cautious of him. You also understand various languages, seeing as though you can follow the conversations of the Russians over there and the Sicilians behind them. And yet you waste your talents punching low lifes in this city. I wonder why?" She asks in a slow but deliberate manner making Matt's facetious smile morph into a real one.
She continues, "Perhaps you want to feel some purpose in this world. And instead of utilising your abilities to help yourself, you choose to hunt criminals to feel better about your life. Now, your mind is racing, wondering what you could possibly say to keep my interest."
Matt tilts his head closer to hers.
"You know what I think?" Matt asks.
"Hmm, do tell," the girl says. "I think you're bored," Matt whispers into her ear, making her apathetic facade fade away slightly. This urges Matt to continue.
"Cus, despite your holier than thou attitude and charm school manners, you're bored. So bored you'd spend time your valuable time looking at a guys suit and the way he moves his head. Because, in spite of having all the riches in the world there's one thing daddy's money can't buy you," Matt said, whispering in an enticing tone.
She looks at him, curiosity filling her eyes, "And what's that?" she asks, her breath flush against Matt's face, their lips barely an inch apart.
He lets go of the grip she had on him and walks back. "The unexpected," he says in a sly tone, reaching for the cane he placed near a pillar and walking away. Leaving the mysterious girl speechless and more curious than ever.
"Probably should have gotten her name," Matt says, scolding himself as he climbs onto the roof of the mansion. He heard the three crime bosses make their way to an empty room in an isolated part of the mansion and he wanted to be away from the crowds.
Matt hears the doors being locked and he peers in on the what was taking place. The three men stood around a table, no one willing to be the first to sit down. Anatoly stepped forward, "Gentlemen," he said in an almost parental tone. "We all know why we have come here tonight."
Sal Bertinelli removes a cigar from his silver container, and his attendant lights it for him. "Yeah, we do, your granddaughter's been nabbed. But I think we can safely assume who our, lets say, culprit is," he said looking at Nobu. The still faced Yakuza head glares at Sal, making him alter his gaze. "You dare accuse me of such a dishonorable act. Unlike your organization, I have no interest in harming children," he says, his deep voice penetrating the room.
The Sicilian mobster laughs amidst coughing fits, exhaling smoke. "Word is some shit-heads dressed like ninja's did the deed. Last I checked, those guys came from your part of the world."
Nobu slowly makes his way to Sal. His bodyguards stand in front of him and point their guns at Nobu. The Yakuza leader makes a gesture and his own men stand down, holstering their guns. "If I were to undertake such a task, I would see to it myself. Not employ some boogie men," he said, his eye's never moving away from the Sicilian's. Sal simply blows some smoke in Nobu's face, knowing full well the smaller man could easily overpower him and his men.
"Gentlemen, please. Let us not resort to our baser instincts and let us discuss the matter at hand like civilised men," Anatoly says. Sal and Nobu stare at each other for what seemed to be an eternity but they straightened their suit jackets and moved away from each other.
The elderly Russian sits down in his chair and Sal and Nobu follow suit. Anatoly looks at the two with a fatherly expression. "I know that the two of you would never have the audacity to perform such an act. We are all old enough to remember the blood shed by your two organisations twenty years ago."
Sal leans forward, "Then why'd ya call us here for?" Anatoly snaps his fingers and his men place glasses in front of the three mob leaders. One of the Russian men, holding an expensive Russian Vodka pours its contents into the glasses, Matt held his nose to block out the scent.
"Whomever is responsible for kidnapping my granddaughter will face justice. That I can assure you. I just wanted to ensure that our business with each other would not be affected by the actions of a third party," the elderly Russian said. Nobu nods, clinking his glass with Anatoly's. Not wanting to seem disrespectful, Sal does the same.
"Za zdorovje," Anatoly said, making a toast. The three men drink and stand up, shaking each others hands. Nobu graciously bows before Anatoly before exiting the room.
Matt hears the Japanese man's fingers touch the screen of his phone. "I request a meeting with her. Yes, in regards to the kidnapping," Nobu said in a hurried tone, which struck Matt as unusual. 'Maybe he knows more than he's letting on,' the teenager thinks to himself.
Whilst Nobu was waiting for his driver, Matt changed into his 'work clothes,' hiding his suit and bowtie in a backpack he brought to the party. The red clad hero tailed Nobu's driver and slid underneath the large limousine, clinging onto its bottom.
The vehicle was driven to Nobu's location and made its way to his house. 'At least this things a hybrid,' Matt thinks to himself, grateful for the lack of fumes.
Half an hour later and the car stops in front of a gate which an elderly Japanese man opened. Matt could perceive the outline of the house via his radar sense and was surprised by how compact it was.
He could sense that it was only a storey tall, a large living room, two bathrooms, a room filled with computers and another filled with exercise equipment and weapons. There were a dozen guards present on the premises, excluding the elderly man.
Matt let go of the underside of the limo and rolled into the nearby foliage. He stayed crouched down, hidden amongst the shrubbery.
He heard Nobu enter his quarters and Matt rushes past the guards, the darkness concealing his movements. He walks behind a guard who was entering via a back door of the house and moves into the next room the moment he enters.
Matt had to move in such a way that the security cameras wouldn't be able to spot him. He walks across the hall, making no noise but stops when he hears footsteps. The blind hero waits behind the corner and the moment the guard passes it he grabs him and chokes him out.
After gently placing the guard to the floor he goes towards Nobu's room. Matt put some oil on the hinges in order to open the door a bit more quietly. He could tell that when he entered the room Nobu would be facing away from him.
"Yes. Of course...can I help you?" Nobu said, a phone to his ear, turning around. "No, I was not referring to you," he said cutting the call. "I wasn't expecting to meet you again under such circumstances Akuma-San." Nobu said, impressed that Daredevil had been able to enter his house without him knowing.
Matt maintained some distance, he knew he couldn't beat Nobu in a fight if it came down to one. He needed some other avenue to get the information he wanted.
"What do you know about the kidnapped girl?" Matt asked bluntly. Nobu looks at the red clad vigilante with a cold gaze. "An overzealous colleague of mine saw fit to apprehend the child. He did not even bother to consult me," the Yakuza boss said in a bitter tone.
Nobu removes his coat and folds his sleeves up, showing off part of his dragon tattoo. Matt knew this was a power play, the Japanese man could beat him whenever he wanted. But he was going to give him some information anyways.
"Hagabe no hebi, is what he calls himself," Nobu said writing something on a piece of paper, tossing it to Matt. He catches it, "Steel Serpent," he said, translating the Japanese Nobu just used.
Nobu sits down, calming Matt down somewhat. "That paper contains the address of where the girl is being kept. I trust you'll find her in time, Akuma-San," he said almost graciously.
Matt gave him a snide smirk, 'This has to be a trap,' the blind hero thinks to himself before disappearing from Nobu's sight. The Japanese man sighs, hoping that he did the right thing.
"It's definitely a trap," Lakshmi said over the commutator as Matt swung between buildings. "Yeah, but he was telling the truth and besides, a kid's life's at stake," He said, not able to believe that he was trusting the word of Nobu of all people. Matt leapt onto the building neighboring the one Nobu told him about.
He concentrated, trying to detect anything that might be a threat in the building. There weren't any windows, judging by the lack of air flowing through the place. The entire structure smelt of rot, the wood and concrete were ancient. Matt could hear the heart of a six year old girl but little else. The blind teen turned around, thinking he felt something move behind him.
But he detected nothing and turned his attention back to the building. "I'm getting nothing," Matt informed Lakshmi. The young Indian girl put her hand to her brow. "Please tell me you're not going in there," she said.
Matt nodded, "Haven't got much of a choice," he said over the communicator. "I'll call detective Blake if you don't respond in the next hour," she said reluctantly, knowing the drill by this point
"I'll be fine, don't worry. It's me remember," Matt said somewhat jovially in an attempt to make Lakshmi more at ease. She sighs, an exasperated look appeared on her face. "No offence man. But you gave up your secret ID to flirt with a girl. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the whole Sherlock Holmes - Irene Adler thing that you guys had going on, but still. Kind of shows how careless you can be," she said, recalling the events at the party.
"Wait, you heard that?" Matt asked in an alarmed tone. "You forgot to turn off your communicator," she said finding her friends current tone amusing.
The blind hero rubs his head, "We'll talk about the girl at the party, after I save the kid." Matt says before jumping off of the building he stood on and walks through the front entrance of the target building.
"Good luck Matt," Lakshmi said before cutting the call.
Matt removed his Billy clubs and joined then together to form a bo-staff. He had a feeling he'd need the range that the weapon provided. The building had three floors. He was currently making his way across the first floor trepidatiously.
He taps the staff on the ground, sending vibrations through the floor, with Matt feeling the reverberations. He detected something coming towards him. The air moved towards him, shapes forming in his mind, looking vaguely humanoid.
One of the figures unsheathed a sword and swung at Matt, who blocked it with his staff and struck the figure in the chest, breaking multiple ribs. The other two assailants attack simultaneously and Matt blocked both attacks and struck them both in the head.
Smoke emits from the fallen attackers and they evaporate into green mist, making Matt cough. "What was that?" He asked himself. The blind hero examines the clothing of his attackers, "Ninja garb, feels like training gear," he says outloud, recognising the fibres.
This worried Matt since he barely detected these trainees and he suspected that the more experienced fighters would be up on the higher floors. He kept tapping his bo-staff, feeling the vibrations.
The only good news was the he didn't have to hold back against these undead Ninja.
He made his way up stairs, turning his head, trying to analyse every part of the second floor. Matt felt something come towards his head at great speed. 'Arrow,' he thinks to himself using his bo-staff to break the shaft of the projectile.
The arrow head fell to the ground and Matt felt a heat being emitted from it. 'Oh shit!' he thinks to himself, jumping away from the arrow head.
The projectile explodes, sending Matt flying to the other end of the room, his armour absorbing most of the impact. His head feels like it was split in two, Matt could hear nothing but ringing. He felt warm blood leaking from his nose and mouth, he definitely had some internal bleeding.
He tried getting up but felt a sharp pain in his chest, 'Great, now I've got broken ribs. Wait, are feet meant to be in that position?' he thinks to himself, feeling his foot dislocated from his leg.
Matt grabs his foot and twists, a pain burning across that area of his body as he put it back in place. He snaps his fingers but hears nothing. He feels around for his staff and picks it up, using it to stand himself up.
He takes a step forward but falls to the ground. 'Did someone hit me?' he thinks to himself, the explosion throwing his senses off. His question was answered when he felt a foot kick him across the face, blood flowing out of his mouth.
Multiple attackers hit Matt, who was unable to defend himself. One of the ninja picks him up, getting him into a choke hold. Matt felt the air leaving his body. 'Can't...die...tonight,' he thinks to himself, removing a knife from his belt. Matt stabs the man behind him in the eye, the ninja disintegrating.
Matt stumbles back, using the wall to help him stay up. A sword was deflected against Matt's shoulder, giving the teenager the ninja's location. Matt stabbed the swordsman in the heart, smoke entering his nostrils.
Breathing heavily Matt picks up his staff and hits thin air, missing the two attackers in front of him. They kick him in the chest, making Matt fall on the floor. The teenager sweeps the ninja using his bo-staff and uses it to crush the attackers skull.
Matt felt that two more attackers were left in the room. He tapped his bo-staff on the ground to see if his hearing was getting better, but all he heard was a muffled knock.
Another arrow hits Matt in the back. A second ninja threw a shuriken at Daredevil. The teenager was being bombarded with multiple projectiles, his skin being bruised and pierced in the barrage despite his armour.
He knew he couldn't take much more punishment. The blind vigilante felt a shuriken come towards him, Matt catches it and throws it at the archer, pinning him in the chest. Daredevil throws his staff like a javelin into the last remaining ninja, the final two undead warriors disintegrate.
Matt coughs out some blood and collapses into the ground, crawling towards his staff. His hearing was still muffled, he struggled to hear his own breathing.
His eyes widened when he suddenly hears a small heart beat. He slowly gets up with his staff, Matt had a child to save.
The red headed teen could vaguely hear a set of large footsteps. He remembered that Nobu warned him off a 'colleague.' Taking a deep breath that made his ribs grind, Matt slowly walks up the stairs to the final floor.
His final challenge.
After five agonizing minutes of missed steps and the occasional crawl, Matt finally made his way to the top of the stairs. The man waiting for him wasn't a particularly patient one. He sat cross legged on the ground, in the middle of the floor.
Matt stood a dozen feet behind the man, who stood up and faced him. The man was short by American standards, standing at five foot seven. He had a purple cloth mask with pointed black and white eyes, and a purple sash around his waist. His chest was bare, a v-shape gap across the cloth that covered his torso. An 'S' shaped snake tattoo was emboldened on his chest.
"You are just a child. Nobu said you were young but I wasn't expecting this," the man said in a disappointed tone. Matt cracked his neck, "Let's just get this over with," he said, wanting to end this as soon as possible.
"You westerners have yet to learn the value of patience and discipline. But very well. I am Davos, the Steel Serpent. Son of the Thunderer and rightful heir to the Iron Fist," the shorter fighter said, placing his right fist in his left, bowing to Matt.
Daredevil rolled his eyes behind his helmet, 'I thought they only did this in movies,' Matt thinks to himself. "Um… I'm Daredevil. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the heir to...well, Hell probably," he said, trying to stall for time in order to recover as much energy as he could.
Davos smirked, "I have defeated a westerner who held the title of Iron Fist in the past. Killing you shouldn't be a problem," he said. Matt put his hand in front of him, "Wait, before we start just tell me, why'd you kidnap the girl?" He asked, wanting to stall some more.
The Steel Serpent looks at him, knowing what Matt's intentions were but deciding to humour him regardless. "To test you of course," he said.
Matt gave him a confused look. "What?" Davos frowns at the vigilante, "Enough! You have wasted enough time," he said getting into a combat stance. Despite his senses not being at their peak Matt could tell that his opponents stance resembled Wing Chun Kung Fu.
He tries to rush the older fighter but his right leg froze, swollen from the previously dislocated foot. The Steel Serpent uses this opportunity and lunges forward delivering three quick punches to Matt's face.
The teenager, dazed from the speed of the attack swipes at Davos' head, who simply ducks under the sloppy attack. He drives a knee into Matt's broken ribs, making him drop his staff and clutch his side.
Unable to stay standing, Matt falls to the ground. Four precise strikes and the injured hero was down.
Davos grabs Matt by the throat and contorts his free hand into the shape of a leopard's paw. Daredevil could vaguely make out the outline of the attack with his now hazy radar sense.
Instinctively, when Davos lowered the leopard's paw to Matt's head, the teenager grabs him by the wrist and pulls him towards his helmet. Matt moves his head forward, headbutting Davos.
The Steel Serpent lets go of Matt's throat and moves back. His hand goes to the blood that was now present at his nose.
Davos forms a fist, which was shaking in anger. Matt felt an immense heat being emitted from it, like Davos was holding the fires of Hell itself. His fist glows a bright purple and he slowly raises it.
Knowing an attack was coming, Matt ducked, feeling a wild punch being thrown at him. Davos missed, hitting the wall behind him, destroying it, sending vibrations throughout the building.
'That would have hurt Superboy,' Matt thinks in an alarmed state of mind, not expecting Davos to have such power. The purple light disperses and Davos' arm starts to shiver. 'My body likes to remind me that this power is not mine to use,' he thinks to himself.
Matt tries to choke the purple masked fighter whilst he was still distracted but Davos uses his good arm to grab Matt and throw him to the ground. He raised his hand, about to charge his fist again till he sees something in the corner of his eye.
Davos puts his hand in front of his face and catches an incoming blade. Whoever threw it did so via the large hole he punched into the wall. Matt could just about make out a silhouette on the opposite building. 'Roof top girl?' he asks himself mentally.
Ignoring this, Matt pulled a knife from his belt and stabs Davos in the knee and swipes down, cutting his thigh as well. The Steel Serpent yells in pain falls to his knees and Matt stands up in a small pool of his opponents blood. He picks up his staff and separates it into two Billy Clubs.
Matt presses a button and the second half of one of his Billy clubs propels itself at Davos' face, knocking him out. He uses the cable to bring the club back to normal and concentrates on the opposing building, to see if his mysterious girl was still there.
Much to Matt's disappointment, she wasn't. "Why did she help me?" He asks himself. The injured teen spits out a final few drops of blood and removes his helmet. The child needed to see a normal looking face when being rescued.
The teenager opens the door that separated the young girl from her freedom. Matt heard her heartbeat and gave her a large, warm smile. "It's ok, you're safe," he said in his normal voice, crouching down despite the pain.
The girl, recognising the costume runs towards Matt, who embraced her and lifted her up. "What's your name?" he asked, using his free hand to put his helmet back on.
"Rose," she said quietly. "I'm here to take you home Rose. Would you like that?" Matt asks, still smiling. She gives him a small nod, Matt made his way to the door, carrying her.
Matt walks out the door and discovered that Davos was no longer on the floor. He could taste a trail of fresh blood that indicated that he had left the building.
'Why were they after me?' he thinks to himself. The little girl curls up in his arms and he was brought out of his own head. "Time to get you home," he said.
Anatoly sat on his leather chair, behind his mahogany desk, drink in hand. His granddaughter, his little Rose. She was one of the few things in his life that gave him a purpose outside of business. He longed to hear her laugh fill his house again.
He stood up and picked up his gun, hearing his window being opened. The elderly Russian lowers his weapon upon seeing who it was that entered the window. A bruised and bloody Daredevil, carrying his granddaughter.
"Dedushka," Rose cries out. Matt lowers the girl and she runs towards the old man, who lifted her up and spun her around. He tears up, not caring that he might look weak in front of the vigilante behind him.
Anatoly looks at Matt's injured state and nods, "The Bratva are forever in your debt," he says with the utmost sincerity. Matt nods, not knowing how to respond to a major gangster thanking him. He leaps out of the window, just aching to get home.
New York, Hell's Kitchen, 27th July, 2010:
It was a bright morning in New York. Unfortunately Matt couldn't enjoy it as he spent the past three days in bed, trying to recover. Even with Claire patching him up and his healing meditation it would be some time till he was in peak condition. 'At least I won't get any new scars,' Matt thought, willing to accept any relief in his current condition.
His hearing was almost at full capacity. He made a mental note to brace himself when he suspected any loud noises in the future, he's been trained to deal with such things after all. "Why did those Ninja want me?" He asks for the hundredth time. He wondered if they worked for the League of Shadows but last time he checked their ninja don't disintegrate when beaten.
Matt was about to go back to sleep but he heard a set of cat like footsteps on his roof. He groans, getting off of his bed and picking up a walking stick.
Him and the aptly named 'Roof top girl' had much to discuss.
Matt could hear her long hair flutter in the wind, he could taste the cornflakes she had this morning. And her orchid flavoured perfume was driving him insane. He snapped out of his trance, 'Get answers first,' he told himself mentally.
The girl turns around, "I was beginning to wonder if I had the right house," she said playfully, walking towards Matt, her hips moving gracefully.
The movement momentarily distracts Matt but he recovers, "How'd you find me?" He asks. She gives him a puzzled look, "I followed you. Just like I followed you that night you saved that girl," she said, her tone of voice more serious now.
"Why help me? Who were those people?" Matt asks, inching closer to her. The girl says nothing, she gently grabs Matt's hand and places it on her back.
The red headed teens eyes widen as he felt what was scarring her skin. Whip marks.
"I know what the Hand does to little girls. Helping you, put a wrench in whatever they were planning," she said as Matt slowly removes his hand from her back.
Matt laughs when hearing the name, "The Hand? What, was the Foot taken?" He asks rhetorically. The girl lets out a laugh of her own, understanding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference.
"But why did you come here to my place?" He asks gently. She puts her head next to Matt's ear, and tenderly places her hand on his chest. "You're a smart guy. Figure it out," she whispered seductively.
She was about to leap off of the roof till Matt opens his mouth. "I never got your name."
"Elektra. Elektra Natchios. Yours?"
Matt raised an eyebrow at the unique name, "Uh...Matt. Matthew Murdock," he says with a slight stutter. "We could talk more about the um...Hand. Over a cup of coffee," Matt offered a bit too quickly.
She gives him a surprised look, "Matthew. Are you asking me out?" She asked in a mock-offended tone of voice.
Matt shrugs, "That depends on the answer."
Elektra faces Matt. He closed his eyes behind his glasses, expecting a slap. But instead, he felt her lips pressed against his for a brief moment.
She moved back and gave him a final smile and jumps off of the building.
Matt's face glows a bright red and he scratches his head. "That's a yes, right?" he asked himself, thinking about the kiss they just shared.
Davos limped past the rows of red clad, elite undead warriors with his head held high, he may have lost against that child but he wouldn't show the troops any sign of weakness. Though he wished he had used men from the elite guard, perhaps they would have faired better than the trainees against the Devil. He growled, not willing to think of hypothetical situations. He had failed and he had to pay the price.
When he entered the large, ornate room Davos did not expect who he saw. "Nobu," he said bitterly. "Davos," Nobu replied in kind.
Davos removed his purple mask and bowed towards the woman sat before the two of them. She waves her hand and the two warriors sit down.
"State your grievance," she says addressing Nobu. A small bead of sweat fell from his head but he spoke all the same, "Davos should have consulted me before kidnapping the girl. There is a proper chain of command that was to be followed," Nobu said looking down upon Davos like a spoilt child. "If you had, I would have told you that trying to lure Akuma-San with such tactics would only end in failure."
The woman considers Nobu's words and looks at Davos, he knew it was his turn to make a retort. "With respect Nobu, I would have defeated the boy. If it weren't for someone intervening," he said, aghast that Nobu could refer to a Western warrior with such respect.
"Could you identify who intervened?" The woman asks, her steely voice put both men on edge.
Davos gulped, "It was Elektra." Nobu stood up, "Are you positive?" He asks, his deep voice reverberating across the room.
"I saw her. I'm willing to bet that her and Daredevil know each other," Davos said, addressing the women in front of him.
She gets up. There wasn't much that could make Lady Shiva herself move from her post. "We are going to have to accelerate the plan. The Beasts return mustn't be affected," she said making both Nobu and Davos nod in agreement almost immediately.
She turns her back and gives a small sigh, removing a small, tattered photograph from her pocket. "Welcome back, little sister."
That's a wrap. Final chapter of the year. Probably won't update till January.
Elektra is a tough character to write. She's been written as a lovestruck college kid. A heart broken lover. Cold blooded assassin or a woman who seems to take a bit too much...pleasure when killing people.
So I decided to go for a flirty version with a troubled past. Hope you like it.
Also I'm struggling to figure out major characters to add to the Hand. I've already got Nobu, Lady Shiva and Steel Serpent. I'll need a couple others.
Any suggestions will be helpful.
Anyways, comments:
longbowchris50: Did I see an Avatar reference
Me: Yes you did. Love that show.
PandakaiLove:
I love this chapter! I think this was very good and I liked the changes you made. I also like that you don't make Matt a saint because the thing that makes him such an interesting charcter is that he isn't. Anyway I do think that Matt would act well as a leader btu I honestly imagine him as the dad of the group. Anyway is the important character going to be elektra? or stick? (that was his name right?) I can' wait for the next chapter!
Me: Matt's self imposed misery is one of his defining character traits. And yes, it was Elektra. Hope you liked the chapter.
Shadowwalker0:
An excellent chapter my friend. I do not know if you answered this question already or not, but what is the pairing for this story?
Me: Matt X Elektra is the pairing. And thanks for the feedback.
Have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and a happy new year everyone.
Next chapter is episode 5 of the show but with a slight alteration.
Any comments or followers are all welcomed.
See you all next year/month.