Chapter 26: Kingdom of Crime
Jack felt a shiver shoot down his spine as he walked threw the gates of Bayville maximum security prison. This place had a grim and long history of pain. He remembered hearing story's of people coming here, and returning with a much darker look on life, or missing a limb. Jack looked down at his wrist, where his hand used to be, and took a deep breath.
"Well.. atleast I got a head start." he thought to himself as he was lead to the hospital wing. After dropping off his personal effects and filling out some paperwork, he was strapped down to a medical bed. A nurse offered him cup of water with a straw, which he was thankful for, sipping at it with a thirst he hadn't noticed before. After than he leaned back, sighing as he looked up at the ceiling. The aging ceiling fan creaked as it swayed lazily.
"And what brings such a young man to such a place?" a deep voice asked, one that almost demanded respect. One not unlike James earl Jones or Morgan freeman. Jack turned his aching neck, to see a massively heavy set man looking his way. He appeared to have a broken leg, and was eating an incredibly eligant meal.
"I um... I was accused of murder." Jack said evenly, looking down at his chest.
"I see, some how you do not appear to be thru murdering type." The big man said evenly. Jack nodded, but didn't look up.
"I didn't do it." Jack said in almost a whisper.
"I see, so who did?" he asked. Jack looked up, confused.
"What?"
"Well clearly if you did not do it, someone else must have, am I correct?" Jack nodded, honestly with everything that had happened recently it didn't really run threw his mind.
"May I ask, who is defending you?" The heavy man asked, as he took a bite of what looked to be peaking duck, the sight made jack chuckle to himself, wondering what a certain friend of his would say to that.
"Yeah, murdock, he um.. He took my case for free." The heavy man gave a light chuckle.
"I see, and did he say he believed you?" Jack nodded. "Then there is no dought that you are innocent, and not meant for a life in here." The heavy man sat up, the loud creek of the metal cot he sat on echoed as he shifted. "I would like to offer you protection while your in here, lad." the man said with a smile. Jack was instantly hesitant.
"Why?"
"To be honest lad, I would expect a favor in return one day, however, the biggest reason is that you are innocent and no innocent man should be forced to dwell within these walls." Jack thought about it. If he was at his best he would easily say no, but he looked down at himself, covered in burns, one hand missing, and the fear in his stomach was overwhelming.
"If I agree... Id like to make conditions." The heavy man snickered.
"our bargaining power is highly dubious, but very well, name your terms."
" First, I don't want to be involved in any gang attacking or anything, I wont hurt someone else to save myself." the heavy man seemed to think over it for a moment.
"Understandable, anything else?"
"This favor I owe.. To be blunt sir... Im not proud to admit I already owe tyrant a favor, and to be honest I don't know you, I don't know why your here, so all ill say is that this favor I owe to you, it will have nothing to do with anything illegal or immoral." This demand seemed to surprise the heavy man, but he smiled.
"You are a shroud negotiator boy, verywell, but I have a new condition of my own."
"I'm listening."
"You will not simply hide away in your cell, I simply wish to have a companion, for lack of a better term, a friend. One that does not know of my past and will not treat me differently because of it. I wish for a friend who is honest and treat me as he would any other man." This made jack wonder, but the request seemed very strange, and not the kind a person who was insincere would make up.
"Deal."
"Then it is a bargain." The heavy man said, holding out his hand. Jack reached out... And retracted his arm, all to late remembering that arm no longer had a hand on its end, instead, jack pulled out his remaining hand and shaded the heavy man's hand in an aquward way. "What is your name, boy?"
"Jack Carson sir, and yours?"
"Wilson boy, Wilson Fisk."
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Rogue was still beside herself as she sat in the war room, looking down at her gloved hand. She so so badly wanted to tell someone about how she could touch again, but at the same time... How do you say something like that without sounding perverted. She was shaken awake as the door opened. One by one, Xavier, Cable, jean and Logan walked into the room, followed by the last person she expected to see.
"Gambit?!" she gasped. Gambit gave a smile as she looked up.
"Miss me, c'here?" He asked. He was surprised to see her give him an angry glare.
"How could you attack the courtroom like that?" She asked in a rage. Logan rested a hand on her shoulder, she glared up at him, but then calmed, seeing that it was clear that some kind of meeting was starting.
" Now, Mr.. labeu, we would like an explanation, you should be grateful that we have not called the authority's yet." Gambit gave rogue a final, apologetic look, before addressing the professor.
" Ah sorry professor, ah simply lost control when ah heard da verdict, I see now ah made tings worse, and ah want ta make up fur it." he said with a weakness in his voice. Xavier gace jean a look, she simply nodded, and then he finally spoke.
"Very well, for the moment you will be an x-man, under supervision, however I recommend you be on your best behavior, we have a zero tolerance for such rash behavior." Gambit nodded, and smiled. The smile quickly faded when he saw the stern look on both Logan and cables faces.
"Tank ya professor, ah will do ma best." He said, and nervously stepped out of the room. After the door closed, rogue started to stand, but Logan kept her from standing. She looked to Xavier who motioned for her to stay a moment.
"you can come out now." Suddenly a hidden door opened from the far end of the room, and magneto, now in his new x-men uniform, stepped out.
"What do you think, Eric?" Xavier asked.
"He is hiding something. With gambit there is always something hidden, he is the type of man who enjoys keeping information hidden, he believes it gives him ... For lack of a better word, an ace in the hole." Xavier nodded.
"I got that sense too, I do not like to read peoples minds without their consent, but we are running low on options, he is clearly hiding something, but he has had great mental barriers implanted. What worries me is who would take the time or even know to do such a thing." Xavier asked as he looked up at cable.
"Cable, your thoughts?"
" Well... Spider-girl and I can't give any future info... Even if we wanted to... We've been noticing that things are different than the history we are aware of, that would mean one of two things. 1. There things that were recorded wrong in history, or... 2... History has changed." Xavier didn't know if he liked the sound of that. He gave a sigh, as he turned to Logan and rogue.
"Rogue... You have a small history with gambit, what do you think." rogue thought for a moment, trying to go threw the memory's she had taken by when she touched him, years ago.
"Ah don't know, but ah don't think we can trust him... Not completely." Jean and Logan seemed to have the same feelings.
"Well, for now any feelings we have about him we have to put aside for now. Even if he is lying, he may know something about why jack has been framed. In the meantime, we need to find this Mojo gentleman, as well as find out what happened to officer Hammond." The meeting ended there, and everyone started filing out. Rogue, please wait a moment." Rogue stopped, and when he last of the others had left, Xavier wheeled over to her.
"Rogue, you seem distracted child, is it just because of jack's incarceration?" rogue thought for a moment. She wanted to wait to tell anyone, but other than jack, Xavier was the most trustworthy person she knew.
"Well professor... Its like this..."
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Night had fallen over the streets of bayville, and it was a cold one when officer Stacy stepped out of her squad car. Her partner, officer carter, climbed out alittle slower, a half doughnut still being devoured as she slipped out of the car.
"So why are we out in the slums on a Tuesday night at 4 in the morning Stacy?" Carter asked as she stretched her arms out.
"Well, the captain said they got a tip off of a murderer hanging out here, said he was longshot." That got carters attention.
"Longshot, he's been on the F.B.I.s most wanted for months now, why would he be out here just... Waiting for us.." Carters words fell as she looked over Stacey, Stacey followed her gaze, to see the famous criminal, longshot, hanging upside down, wrapped up in a cocoon of what looked like webbing, his mouth gagged but his eyes were bugging out as he moaned and struggled. It took the two police women an hour to cut him down, and when he finally fell to the ground in a heap, a small piece of paper dangled from the webbing. Stacey leaned over and snatched the paper. It was a small note, with a silly looking logo at its end.
"Courtesy, your friendly neighborhood spider-girl."
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Jack felt terrified as he walked down the prison halls, clutching at his bedding as the guard led him to his sell. The cheers and yells from other prisoners making him tremble in fear. He felt like he was in a nightmare. It felt strange at the same time. He had literally walked threw hell and it wasn't half as bad as this. He wondered if that was the intention, but decided to keep it all to himself.
He bit his lip as he was shoved into his cell, the clashing of the closing door slamming behind him. He took a deep breath as he looked over his cell. It was cold and empty, and it felt very very bone chilling. He slowly walked over to the bottom bunk, and set his things down, and sat down on the rusting cot beside it.
"That's my bunk." a voice said from above him. Jack leapt up and walked back undid it hit the far wall. There on the top bunk, lay a massive man, like all he ate for food was steroids and other people.
"Um... That's OK.. I can live with the top bunk." He said with a shiver.
"Nope, That's my bunk too." The man said.
"B... But why do you need both beds?" Jack asked nervously. The man turned his head. One eye was missing, and a torn up bandanna was acting as an eyepatch. He gave jack a death scare that almost made jack wet his pants.
"What was that, meat?" the man asked.
"W... Why do you need both beds?" jack asked again. The man leapt down, jack could swear the floor cracked under his feet. He slowly stepped over to jack, leaning in deep, their noses barely inches apart. It was impossible to ignore the four blackened marks of ink on his cheek that were meant to be tattooed tear drops.
"Do we have a problem, meat?" He asked in a low, growl of a voice.
"N.. No, no problem, I um, I can sleep in the corner." Jack said with a trembling voice.
"Good." The monster said with a twisted smile. Then the turned to head for his bed, but then froze when he saw a guard standing at the door. Suddenly the man seemed more terrified than jack had been, and seemed to shake alittle when the guard opened the door.
"Crusher, is waiting for you in the yard." The words chilled the monster man to the bone, and he seemed like he was glued to the floor. "Come on Hogan, don't keep the big man waiting." The massive man slowly stepped out, and the cell door slammed shut behind him. The guard motioned for the man to walk, and the monster man walked off, out of view. The guard looked at jack, and smiled. "Mr.. Fisk sends his well wishes, help yourself to ether bunk." the guard said, as he followed Hogan.
Jack didn't know how to feel about that, but for the moment he was glad to be alone, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, and slowly slumped onto the bottom bunk again. After about ten minutes, he heard a gunshot go off somewhere far off, and a loud scream. Jack leapt to his feet, and ran to the cell door. A moment later the same guard walked passed jacks cell.
"Guard... What was that gunshot?" Jack asked in a panic.
"Oh that... Well, your cell mate, crusher Hogan, he tried to escape, so he had been shot down. You can't simply let prisoners do as they please... Right Mr. Carson?" the guard said with a small smile that made jack shiver.
"can you give Mr.. Fisk a message for me?" The guard nodded. "Tell him I would like to talk to him as soon as possible, alone."
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Matt murdock sat at his desk, furiously hunting threw his papers for something that could help in his case for Jacks murder charge. After a moment there was a buzz coming from his phone. Matt tapped the button at the end of the phone without even trying to find it.
"Yes ms. Foster, what is it?" He asked, still sorting threw his papers.
"Ms. Walters is here to see you sir." the secretary said in her almost angelic voice. Matt's head lifted in suprize.
"Ok... Go ahead and send her in, Jane." There was no response, but the door at the far end of his office opened, and the jade giantess known as Jenifer Walters stepped in.
"Jennifer, it's a pleasure to have you here again, what can I do for you?" Matt asked with a charming smile. Jennifer smiled as she brushed a stray hair from her face and stepped over with her sultry walk, and took a seat at his desk.
"Matt, We need to talk about this report you sent over. If it were any other lawyer id have called the judge immediately, but you... This is a new move for you." Matt sighed as he set his papers down and gave her a very serious look.
"Jen... I clearly know who you are... In both of your lives, and you know both of my lives. We are who we are... And I can tell you, I would put my reputation on the line, that testimony is the truth." Jennifer gave an irritated sigh.
"Come on matt, an alien world, a super human smackdown war?"
"As I understood not everyone involved was super human." Matt said as if in jest.
"Matt, why did you submit this, there's no way this is true." Jean grumbled.
"Jen, I assume you asked him to talk before you even read the papers, right?" Matt asked, jen nodded, but then remembered he was blind.
"Y, yes I did." She said sternly.
"and when you asked where he was at the time of the murder, what did he say?" Jean looked down.
"he said he wouldn't believe me if he told me." Matt sat back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"And was he right?"
"Yes... Yes he was." Matt didn't have time for this, but he had to find a way to make this work.
"Jen, if not for my lil... Second sight, I wouldn't believe it ether, but I know its true. He believes he was on an alien world, and I will... I WILL prove it." Jennifer sighed and stood up, and walked to the door. As she half walked out the door, she stopped, and looked back.
"For both you and your client's sake, I hope your right matt... I really do."
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Jack walked into the prison courtyard. He expected to see it filled with other inmates working out on weight equipment or playing basketball, but there was only one person there, and he was hard to miss.
"Come over Mr.. Carson, it is far to hot to waist such valuable time outdoors." Jack gave a nod, and walked over to the bleachers that the heavy man sat on, and stood in front of him. "You wished to speak with me, young man?" Jack took a deep breath.
"Mr.. Fisk, tell me my cell mate died from trying to escape, tell me the truth sir. If you tell me its true that he simply tried to escape, ill believe you, and we are fine." Jack said evenly. Fisk looked down.
"Im afraid I can not do that son. For some reason you were made room mate to a very violent man, and I had to take action." Jack looked down, biting his lip. Suddenly jack was partly responsible for a mans death. The thought sickened him. That man was someone's son, someone's family. He knew first hand what it was like to be on the other side of that and the thought make his stomach twist.
"Mr.. fisk, I have to end our deal, sir." Jack said evenly.
"Do you realize what you are asking boy?" Fisk asked.
"I do sir... But I can't be responsible for someone's death... I will still hold up what I agreed to, but I'm asking you to lift your protection on me." Fisk sighed.
"Are you not afraid boy? This is not a simple hotel, this is prison, people die in here, and not always by my hand." Jack held his hand on the nub where his other hand once was.
"Im terrified to be in here sir, I am, but id rather die than be responsible for another man to loose his life." Fisk sighed, looking up at the sky, and wiped his neck with a handkerchief.
"Mr.. Carson, I must admit I wish I had men with your determination in my employ, if I thought you had the stomach for such work id offer you a job, however I believe you have some idea of the type of man I am, and would never take such a job." Jack stood his ground.
" no sir, I wouldn't."
"Well boy, despite your poor judgment I must respect your courage, very well, my protection has been lifted. But be warned, this is not a place for the timid, be on your guard." Jack nodded and turned around, and headed back to the building. The guard stood over him as he walked up.
"Please take me back to my cell now." Jack asked. The guard nodded, and motioned for jack to walk inside, but as he walked off, the guard watched him go, the guards eyes shifting from a light blue to a brilliant gold for a fraction of a second.
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Darkness fell over bayville yet again. But one wouldn't tell from looking inside the bayville police station. Cops were running in all directions as if school had just gotten out. The whole building was alive with work. In fact the one place that was almost dead in the building, was the station jail. There, alone in the small cell, sat longshot, his hands behind his head as he rested against the stone wall.
"who killed o'maley?" A voice asked, a dark, srcappy voice. Longshot jumped up, shivering at the tone.
"Who's that, who's there?" He yelled out. Then he saw a shape in the barred window, and looked into it. The darkness outside was so thick he could only just barely see the outline of the man.
"Answer the question." The shape asked. Longshot laughed as he stepped back, twirling as if it were all a game.
"What makes you think I know, who are you anyway, sound like you think your batman." Longshot joked as his eyes returned to the window. His eyes widened when he shape was gone. He snickered, wondering if it was just some loon, or if it was just his imagination. As he turned he was shaken alert as a strong leather glove wrapped its fingers around his throat. Threw the bars stood a man all in red leather, his eyes a blank bright red, and a set of small horns on his head.
"Im no bat, I'm the devil himself." The man said, his voice like that of a demon. "Who killed o'maley, I wont ask again." the devil said, his grip tightening around longshots throat.
"It... It was mimic..." Longshot coughed, air leaving his lungs.
"Where is mimic now?" the devil demanded.
"dead... I.. I killed him." Longshot gasped, fighting with the grip of the demonic man. He was jerked forward into the bars.
"Why, who is the mastermind?" Longshot asked, coughing.
"It... It was... Was Creed... w.. Wanted revenge... P.. Bayed me to... To frame... Carson..." Longshot stumbled to fall on his back as the grip on his neck released. He coughed as he rolled to the back of the cell, looking up in shock, to see no one there, nothing behind but a burn on the floor, no bigger than a quarter, two small letter d's burned into the floor.
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The city morgue was cold and smelled of death as matt murdock stood over the body of the man called o'maley. His body was limp and cold. Murdock winced as the smell almost overtook him. He nodded to the examiner who stood at the other end of the table, as he examined the body. Murdock also seemed to be looking over the body, but that seemed unlikely with him being blind. After a moment, something seemed to murdocks attention.
"Is... What is this?" murdock asked as his gloved hand ran over the hole in the chest, concealed behind what was thought to be a tattoo. The examiner looked it over.
"Well That's strange. This was thought to be a tattoo but... Its some kind of bizarre patch, covering up a bullet wound. How did that get there?" the examiner asked.
"How indeed... Is there still a bullet in that wound?" Murdock asked. The examiner grabbed a pair of tweezers and examined the hole in the flesh.
"No... And there's clear signs of one being removed." Murdock groaned as he took a step back and peeled off his gloves.
"This is getting very interesting." Murdock said as his finger stroked the top of his walking stick, the odd image of a decorative engraved devils cafe on the hilt of the stick.
End of Chapter
Next Chapter: The verdict