All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Big news here first off, in two weeks (April 15 2020), when chapter 43 is posted, this story will move to the crossover section with Titanfall. For those of you who just read and don't follow or favorite or anything, I'm just giving you fair warning. The reason is that we're taking a bit of a detour from the story of the game to do an original story arc with a few Titanfall elements to the point where I feel the story becomes a crossover. Equally important, if you are not one of those people who want this story to become 'bigger' and stuff, you just want the story of the game, then just bear with me. Once it is over, the story will resume the path set by the game with this story arc having no effects on those events, just the characters. If you want some idea of what's coming, I'll give a hint: 1648.
And no, that's not an April Fools.
Blaze1992: Sable was under orders to secure Devil's Breath and so she did so. In all fairness, I should have made this more clear and I may go back and tweak that chapter to do just that. Again, another fault, Hammerhead followed Cooper when Yuri took him home from the police station after he was arrested, it is mentioned briefly, but I should have made that more clear. Again, I will probably go back and tweak that chapter to make it clearer that he's being followed or Hammerhead has a source in the NYPD for example. Thanks for pointing out those small things that slip through the cracks, I do appreciate it.
Guest: Fair enough, I didn't mind the relationship in game that much even if both do have their pants on head moments. But a choice I made was to follow the game fairly closely and not change something like characterization just becuase I think I could 'improve' it, or, if I did, I would need a good reason for a change. Maybe for them to expierence something that they didn't in the game that might affect them so they act differently. I will now redirect you to the author's note up top.
Inquisitek: Yes, that Roy Benitez. I reallly enjoyed that first game, it's still my favorite virtual New York, and I had to have a nod to it. Expect more cameos like that, Jessica Kandel, Paul Rhodes, and maybe someone to give JJJ a little competition on the airwaves...
A fan: Thanks as always for the kind words, things will be slowing down for a little bit but the stuff on the horizon is pretty good, at least I think so, hopefully you enjoy.
FireandIce4664: Glad to hear it, hopefully that trend continues.
As for the song this week, it's a lesser known track by Creedence Clearwater Revival, better known simply as CCR. Despite hailing from San Fransisco, they have a great 'southern rock' sound and a lot of great tunes despite only being around for a few years. This is one of their lesser known tracks off the 1970 Album 'Cosmo Factory' and it should be a Vietnam war song. Everything about it fits every stererotype about 'Nam, and that was what I had in mind when I picked it, except this time it's an urban jungle everyone is running through. It was even used in films like Tropic Thunder and Kong: Skull Island. Googling it, I read through the Wikipedia entry on it where there's a quote from John Fogerty who claims it was always about the proliferation of guns in the United States. I'm not going to talk politics, but with that being said 45 years after the song was released it feels like a retcon to me. Am I nuts? Give it a listen and decide for yourself.
Power Without Question – Chapter 41: Run Through the Jungle
Whoa thought it was a nightmare
Lord it was so true
They told me don't go walking slow
The devil's on the loose
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries "take aim"
Better run through the jungle
Sleep gradually released its hold on Matthew Cooper as his eyes slid open slowly, his brain quickly spooling up to get ready for the next fight when it reminded itself that for the first time in weeks…there wasn't one. Letting out a breath, the Titan Jockey felt his muscles unwind as he relaxed into the bed and appreciated the feeling of Felicia draped across him, her peaceful sleeping face mere inches from his as he stroked her hair. If memory served then she just had one last heist to pull before they could move on to phase 2 and then after that…he wasn't really sure, but he would have to talk to her at some point, and that was more nerve-wracking then anything they had done the previous day.
How the hell could he admit that he had fallen completely head over heels for her? And not just her body, that would have been too easy, but for everything about her.
Careful not to disturb her, he turned to look at the clock and it read a quarter to four, early to be up, even for him. Deciding he had nothing more pressing to do, he decided to stay in bed as he pulled the sheets up to cover both of them, though he moved his hands to pull the Thief closer to him, the smooth skin concealing powerful muscle beneath. Taut curves mixed with fleshy breasts and an ass that was somehow both at once, every time he experienced her gave him new appreciation for something about her, and the list had only kept growing. For an hour, he wrestled with those musings before he felt her begin to stir before those all-seeing emerald eyes were looking at him with their usual mischievous gleam.
"Morning stud" she purred as she planted a quick kiss on his lips and hit him with that all knowing smirk as she ran her hand along his face, "hopefully you're up for spending all day in bed cowboy."
She shimmied right up to him, closing the gap between them and they shared another deep kiss that served to get his blood flowing so early in the morning. Sadly, he had to pull back again, wincing at the groan of frustration that came from Felicia. "I'll finish you off later darlin" he drawled, emphasizing his accent to make him seem more relaxed than he was. Getting out of bed he threw on some sweatpants, keeping the grins coming as Felicia just glared murderously at him from the bed. "You should know that there's no rest for the wicked."
"Cowboy" she said seriously, "who said anything about resting? I was talking about fucking" she said, exaggerating the last word as she turned around to show off her heart shaped ass and wiggled it enticingly. Biting his lip, the Marauder took a step closer before regaining his self-control and coming to a halt.
"Hold that thought, got word that somebody's been watching me. We both know I don't do my best with an audience" he quipped as Felicia sat back down on the edge of the bed and gave him a questioning look. "Spidey told me about it a while back, but I haven't had time, I need to tie up this loose end first."
The heiress pouted as he caressed her check and tilted her head upwards to look him in the eye. "Hurry back" she commanded, "don't keep me waiting."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Fully armored and loaded for bear, the SRS Marauder came down on the rooftop where Spider-Man had found the 'recon point' as it had been called by his secret admirer. Peter had been right, it did look military grade, and just as his friend had described, the box opened as he approached. "So you finally decided to show up Marauder" said a calm, filtered voice. "I've been watching you, very impressive. Never seen anyone with moves like you before."
"Then you've never seen a pilot" retorted the Titan Jockey mirthfully. "But if you just wanted to talk shop you would've PMed me on twitter" he snapped, there were things he would much rather be doing, mainly Felicia. "You're not an amateur and neither than I, so extend me a professional courtesy and quit the bullshit."
There was a wry chuckle from the box. "Okay Marauder, I'll give you that much. I'm being paid to evaluate you; my employers believe you could be of use to them. If you pass, then there's a lucrative contract in it for you" explained the unknown, though the Texan could only snort in derision.
"If they want to offer a contract then they should offer a contract, I've done work like that in the past" replied the Renegade Gunfighter nonchalantly. "But one thing I don't do is play games. I don't have anything to prove to anyone, so if that's what they want then you tell them to take that contract and shove it up their ass" he sneered angrily, not believing he had gotten out of bed for this shit.
Without another thought, he spun on his heel and began to walk away when the mystery man spoke again. "I wasn't finished, you see, my employers believe that to fight at your best you need the proper motivation. I've also been paid to inform you that a group of mercenaries has been paid by a third party to assassinate someone of interest to you: Captain Yuri Watanabe."
The Commando stopped dead in his tracks and began to turn around slowly as the screen had changed to show a ten-man crew that had been paid a generous sum to kill the NYPD officer. "Your mercenaries?" he asked lowly as he memorized every one of their faces, his hands moving on their own as he unslung the R-201 and swapped the magazine to one bearing red tape. "Because if they are…after I deal with them, I'm coming for you" he promised.
"They're not mine" the mystery man responded simply as Cooper loaded another red taped mag into the EPG-1, "and I'm not lying to you…professional courtesy." The Pilot snorted as he shook his head, but his gut said the man was being honest and he was going to take this one thing at a time. "My employer says they were hired by the same party that tried to hire Sable International Operatives to kill you a few days ago…the money originates from the same numbered account."
Which meant they were trying to go after his friends, causing the boiling of his blood to be tempered by the cool surge of adrenaline as he scrolled through the information and learned that they had only just now been given the order to execute their mission. "Then they'll meet the same fate" answered the Marauder darkly as he leapt from the rooftop and fired his grappling hook. Mentally working his comms suite to pull up the cop's phone, he called as he got moving, trying to be erratic to avoid unwanted eyes. "C'mon, pick up" he encouraged aloud as he phase shifted and ducked down into an alley before doubling back and coming out the same way.
"Marauder?" answered a very groggy Yuri, "what the hell? You'd better have a good reason for this, or I swear to god…"
"Someone's put a hit on you" he cut off, causing the cop to shut up instantaneously. "I'm heading your way but get up, get your gun, and get ready, they could be there any minute" he ordered tersely, but calmly. He didn't want to panic her and cause her to make a stupid mistake that could cost the Captain her life and him a friend. "Do you understand?"
There was a moment where he wasn't answered, but he could hear the woman moving in the background. "Yeah, I got it" she answered, her voice more awake and alert as the vestiges of drowsiness were pushed aside. "What's going on? Is it the Demons?" she asked as he heard the distinct sound of a wheel gun cylinder being spun and slammed into place.
"No Captain" he admitted as he began to follow the route on his HUD that would lead to Watanabe's address, "these are professional mercenaries, hired by the same people who tried to kill me." There was a tense silence as the words set in and a pang of guilt cropped up in Cooper. "I'm sorry it's come to this."
"Don't be" responded Watanabe instantly, "it was bound to happen sooner or later." With that statement, and the sense of finality it carried, Yuri ended the call as the Pilot continued to blitz through the city, a man on a mission. In the back of his mind, the Marauder promised himself that when he found who was financing all of this, he would give no quarter, a line had been crossed and it was something that couldn't be forgiven. It had been the same one that the Kingpin and Rawlins had crossed, they had gone after his friends.
Fisk had only gotten away with it because it was clear that kidnapping Mary Jane had merely been a distraction and would likely have been returned after Cinderblock ended. That's why he was in the RAFT, and Rawlins, who had nothing but malicious intent with Felicia, was killed by his hand. Whoever was responsible for this was a dead man, he just didn't know it yet.
Soon he arrived at Watanabe's apartment building, his axe buried in the wall as he called again. Looking up towards the window he knew led into the Captain's apartment, he readied the Carbine when the phone picked up. "Marauder, where are you?" she hissed quietly as the Pilot ascended the building. Slowly nearing the window, Cooper took a second to scan the horizon to look for any snipers that might be watching from other rooftops, thankful the sun was at his back so that their scopes would glint.
Seeing nothing, he answered. "Just outside your living room window, I'm coming in now, don't shoot" he cautioned before opening the window and slipping inside, not surprised to see Yuri watching him, phone in one hand and revolver in the other. Quickly closing the window and locking it, he drew the curtains as Yuri visibly relaxed and pocketed her phone. "We can't stay here, get dressed, grab spare ammo. Three minutes" he ordered as the woman nodded and went back into her bedroom. The Pilot remained on alert in the spartan living room, it had all of the basics but wasn't exactly 'homely' in his eyes. There were a few family pictures and some awards from the NYPD, but the apartment hardly seemed lived in. Considering how much time its occupant spent at work that wasn't much of a surprise.
While waiting he sent a quick text to perhaps the most reliable man he knew. It simply said Need pickup, hit placed on Yuri before giving the address of a back alley not too far and that could be reached while staying out of the open. Safe in the knowledge their ride would be there, Cooper allowed himself to relax for a brief moment before he heard the door open behind him.
In just under three minutes, Yuri had gotten into her trademark flannel shirt, leather jacket, and dark jeans. Her Rhino in hand and her belt fitted with pouches containing speed loaders, she was ready for whatever was ahead of them. "I got point, you stay glued to my ass and don't expose yourself, understood captain?" Yuri looked like she made to argue, but quickly thought better of it, simply nodding once. "Good, now shut up and get behind me…ma'am."
With that, the Marauder shouldered his weapon and slowly opened the door into the hallway, checking to see that it was clear before taking a step and coming to a crouch. Yuri moved outside, quickly locking her apartment before they got moving, staying pressed to the wall. With the Carbine pointed ahead of them and the .357 covering their six, they made rapid progress towards the elevators. "The elevator? That's your exit strategy?" asked a confounded Yuri.
"They know where you are, speed trumps stealth" he explained simply. "Besides, I don't do quiet…you don't want me to do quiet" he quipped dryly as he moved to press the call button, only for the indicator light to ding a second before he pressed the button. Both shared a knowing look before Yuri moved behind him, weapon ready as Matthew watched the floor indicator steadily rise. Rocking on the balls of his feet, the Titan Jockey felt that all too familiar cold surge of adrenaline seep into his veins as the number came to a stop and the door slid open.
Out stepped two men pushing a cart with a large box on it wearing deliveryman's uniforms. Cooper was about to relax and spit out a canned apology when the closest one turned to look at him. There was a millisecond of standoff as the two recognized one another, but the SRS Pilot was faster when he realized this was one of the mercenaries and snapped his rifle up. Teeth grit and mouth set in a snarl; the gloved finger squeezed the trigger. The first 8.19 mm round entered up through the man's jaw and exited the top of his head, killing him instantly even though three more bullets made sure of that fact.
The second one barely had time to register what had happened before he too was cut down by the long burst of fire, the chatter of the assault rifle serving as more than one tenants wake up call. Without spending a second to look down at the bloody bodies, Cooper dragged Yuri into the elevator and quickly hit the button for the basement as he let out a deep breath. "Two down" he grunted as he dropped the half-spent mag and slammed in a fresh one, "eight to go." With the descent going smoothly, Yuri seemed to start having nerves, something the Pilot hadn't expected. "You good Cap?"
"Yeah" she answered quickly, "it's just…do you know who's behind this?" she asked finally, her brow furrowed as it always was when she was trying to figure something out.
The skull adorned helmet shook, "No I don't Captain" he admitted truthfully. "But when I do, they're going to wish they had never crossed me" he vowed.
"Marauder, listen, a few days ago…" began the Captain when the elevator ground to a halt, causing both to have to fight to maintain their footing. Trying the buttons, Cooper realized that someone had locked down the elevator and that they would be sitting ducks if they stayed here.
"Shit" he cursed, "hold that thought Captain, we're taking a detour" he said calmly as he jumped up and punched out the emergency escape hatch. Hoisting himself up and out of the elevator before extending a gloved hand to pull Watanabe out into the elevator shaft. "My kingdom for Cat's rappelling gear" he grumbled as his mind raced to formulate a plan. Suddenly, he felt the elevator beneath them lurch uncertainly. "Shit!" he shouted and wrapped his arm around the Captain's waist.
"Wait, what are you…" began Yuri before Matthew fired his grapple to pull them off the elevator as it fell away suddenly and the two were pulled to a wall and hung there, Cooper's boots braced against the concrete. "What the hell?" she shouted in shock, still holding onto her pistol.
"They must have a man in control of the elevators, which means they probably have cameras and other utilities too" supposed the Commando, the fact that this made their escape that much more difficult went unsaid. "We still need to get down this shaft. Hang on tight" he said simply before he released the hook and the pair dropped, freefalling down the blackened space.
While Yuri clung onto the Pilot with all she was worth, the Marauder raised his grapple and fired it again, pulling them across the way and bringing them to a stop once again. Repeating this process, the pair soon made their way all the way down to the basement level, where the Marauder pried the doors open to enable access into the sublevel. If the elevator shaft was hard to see in, then the basement was downright impossible. It was diabolically hot from the steam lines, and some of that steam filled the air, making it impossible for NV to punch through, and the hot pipes diminished the value of thermal vision too.
It was the perfect place for an ambush.
If he could see it, then he was willing to bet the mercenaries had seen it too, so the pair was making haste. Only pausing every so often to hurl out a pulse blade and see if someone was stalking them through the blackness and obscuring steam. Coming up to a corner, he came to a crouch and drew the pulse blade. "Wait one" he whispered as he activated his cloak and slipped out into the open before flinging the kunai down the corridor. Muscles tense, he watched the orange pulse grow until it deformed to show two figures holding guns pointed down the hall. "Gotcha" he whispered as he sighted up the nearest one when his world turned white.
He had inadvertently triggered a flashbang mine, and the devices assaulted him even through his helmet, his ears ringing as he staggered and tried to get out of the corridor, placing his hand on a pipe and using that to guide himself out while cursing himself for forgetting to check for booby traps. Gunshots registered to his overwhelmed mind as he dove to the floor and half crawled, half scampered back around the corner. Once back around the corner he stuck the carbine out and sprayed a short burst to try and keep their heads down when the situation got even worse. "Behind!" called out Yuri as more bullets filled the air, buzzing like angry hornets.
The Captain raised her .357 and returned fire, the heavy handgun thundering in the confined space. The Texan raised his own rifle and tried to draw a bead through the smoke. Despite the gunfire and the muzzle flashes, he couldn't see any persons until he saw a faint shimmer. "They're cloaked!" he realized in shock as he decided to fire at the muzzle flashes before realizing that they couldn't stay here any longer. Pulling out an electric smoke grenade, he tossed it down the corridor around the corner before yanking Yuri up and pulling her back as he fired rapid single shots at the cloaked assailants, "Move it, move it!" he barked before both turned and sprinted away.
Running through the maze of the basement, it was clear that they were being hunted, but, Cooper decided, it was time to set an ambush of their own. "Get down, cover that way" he ordered quickly as Yuri crouched down in a small alcove and reloaded her Rhino as the Marauder set to work. Taking out a frag grenade, he pulled the pin but kept the spoon clamped down as he wedged it between two pipes on the wall. Then he found a spare pipe and carefully guided it in so that it was between the same two pipes and in the same position across the wall. As a result, when someone came up the hallway and tripped on the pipe it would knock the grenade out, releasing the spoon and igniting the fuse.
Now that the trap was set, all that they needed was the bait. "Captain" said the Marauder as he joined her in the small alcove, "I need you to fire a shot, get their attention" he said simply. Yuri complied, nodding as she poked her head out and fired a single shot. After that, the SRS Pilot forced her back down and shielded her as he readied his own rifle. The seconds crawled by with agonizing slowness, the only thing that reminded Cooper that they were both alive were the sounds of deep but hurried breaths.
But the silence was soon shattered by the sound of someone tripping to the floor and the metal pipe clanking on concrete with a muttered curse before a much louder "shit! Grenade!" Gritting his teeth, Cooper heard the explosive detonate, knowing that there was no way for the mercenaries to escape the 10-foot lethal radius and absolutely no cover in the narrow corridors. Activating his cloak, the Pilot slipped out and confirmed what he had suspected, finding two shredded bodies lying in the hallway, but only two. There were still two more out there, and he didn't want to use the same trick twice.
Decloaking and beckoning the Captain to her feet, the two moved swiftly, doubling back the way they had come in hopes of finding their original route through the maze. For a while it seemed to be smooth sailing, and Matthew hoped they might, just might, be able to get out without running into any more trouble. Heading back up the corridor where they had been stopped the first time, the Pilot was reminded that the only easy day was yesterday.
As soon as his rifle went past a corner a pair of gloved hands grabbed the fore of the weapon and twisted it before trying to rip it away. But the Pilot had trained for this, his hand sliding down with practiced ease to the angled magwell to push back against the rotation as he stepped forwards and levered the gun around to bring it to bear on his attacker. Instead, he found himself facing both, their nearly invisible forms shimmering as the smoke surrounded them and the second holding a pistol.
The handgun barked twice, both 9-millimeter slugs slamming into his chest plate, knocking the wind out of him as he fought to hold onto his R-201, but he could no longer claim to be in control. He was less in control when the one holding his gun followed up with a kick that knocked one of his legs out from under him as he ripped the rifle upwards while the other prepared to put a pistol round through his helmet when the man's head exploded.
Yuri, her revolver still smoking, stepped fully out to take down the second man when he swung the Carbine, knocking the gun from her hands. But the Captain was unfazed as she ducked the return swing and lashed out with a kick that pinned the rifle to the wall before throwing a punch across her body into her assailants' nose, snapping his head back. In the narrow passage, Cooper was reduced to a spectator as Watanabe pulled her foot away before slamming it down, probably breaking the man's hand and causing him to lose his grip on the SOAR.
Still cloaked, the mercenary tried to tackle her, but the Captain swiftly danced around him and hooked his arm in hers and spun to redirect him into the wall as he other drew her knife from her boot. When the cloaked man spun around to face Yuri the blade was jammed into his throat, leaving him gasping for breath he would never get before his neigh invisible body slumped to the floor. "Fucking assholes" spat Yuri as she wiped the blood off on her sleeve and sheathed the knife. "You good?" she asked as she kicked him his rifle.
"I'm good" he assured as he gave the weapon a once over and got to his feet, taking a good long look at the camouflaged men lying dead on the floor. Despite their wearers being deceased, the poncho like gear still made them difficult to spot, even camouflaging the blood that was around the bodies. Shaking the sight from his head, the Marauder turned to the Captain, "Just remind me to never piss you off" he deadpanned as they got moving again. Not long passed when they moved out of the steam filled basement and found themselves in the storerooms for adjacent shops. With alert eyes and rapidly beating hearts, the pair soon made it through those without incident.
They were almost home free.
Despite the steady hands that held the Rhino Revolver, the steely eyes that looked down the sights, and the measured strides that kept it moving forward, Yuri's mind was racing at a mile a minute. Had Osborn really sent these men after her? If so, was it because she had looked into him after Felicia Hardy had delivered that flash drive to her? If not, then why? Even so, this was the Mayor, what would have happened if they were successful? The thought that what she had would simply be buried caused her anger to spike because those who ran the system would likely manipulate it to their own ends.
Shoving those thoughts aside, she followed the Marauder as he led her up a stairwell and opened the door at the top, the chill of the November air smashing her in the face before he stepped out slowly. Taking a second to survey the surroundings, he deemed it safe as he turned back, "C'mon, not much further to go" he revealed as Yuri came out and closed the door behind her.
"Thank god" she muttered back, her nerves starting to fray, she was used to waking up and the worst thing she would see would be an angry email from her boss, not a call from a far future soldier that a hit squad was coming to kill her. "Who are we meeting again?" she asked, though she needn't have bothered as they rounded a corner to see a black van sitting in the alleyway, back doors facing them. "You've got to be shitting me" muttered the Cop.
"'Fraid not" drawled the Marauder calmly as he stepped up and knocked on the back doors of the Battle Van. "Open up Frank, we gotta go" called the Pilot as the doors opened to reveal none other than Frank Castle himself, fully armored and holding an AA-12 at his hip.
"You're late" he greeted gruffly as Yuri stepped forwards and the Marine helped her up into the van.
The SRS Commando wasn't fazed by the Punisher's foul mood, "Yeah sorry about that, we ran into some trouble" he explained casually. "Listen, get her to ground and keep her there until I sort this out" he ordered before rattling off an address and instructions to getting into one of his safehouses that was there. "These guys are well trained and well-funded, one group had some fancy cloaking tech, don't underestimate them. I'll call when it's all clear" he said before slamming the door.
Castle then slid into the driver's seat and started the van, the big 427 cubic inch LS7 motor thundering to life as Yuri got in the passenger seat and the van moved out slowly, Castle seemingly taking it slow in an effort to not draw attention to the heavily armored vehicle. There was an uneasy silence between the two as the van soon got bogged down in Manhattan traffic. "You know" said the Marine suddenly, causing Yuri to snap her head over to look at Castle, who had one hand casually on the steering wheel as he spoke, "I don't usually ask for favors, but since I'm helpin' you out, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to arrest me Captain" he said in his gravelly voice.
Yuri couldn't help but shake her head, "Sure, why not? Not like I've aided and abetted two vigilantes in the past. What difference would a third make?" she muttered as much for her own benefit as the Punisher's. If her friend Jean DeWolff wasn't the acting interim Commissioner after Benitez's death in the City Hall bombing, then she probably would have been tossed out on her ear already. "But don't think that I owe you after this Castle. Soon as we part way's I don't have to do shit for you" she spat.
The Punisher turned and offered her a wry expression and matching chuckle. "From the way the kid goes on about you I wouldn't expect anything less Captain" he said honestly before adding his horn to the symphony of them sounding around them. "But when you do it, make sure, and I mean really damn sure that you want me gone. You know why? 'Cause people like me, like the kid and his girl, we don't grow on trees. The type that will do anything that has to be done and don't give a damn. And you might say that you don't need people like us, and that's true…right up until it isn't."
"That's bullshit" spat Yuri angrily, though it didn't seem to faze the Marine in the slightest. "We never needed people like you, it's why we have a system. And it's a good system" she argued. "The Marauder is working within it now; he gave up his outlaw streak and went clean Castle. You think that your way is the right one? Killing whoever you think deserves it?" she sneered Yuri, thought all her harsh words seemed to bounce off the Punisher's tough exterior.
"Yeah, sure" he responded as he fought his way through traffic, "not like the system has failed anyone before. Let murderers and rapists and drug dealers get off without so much as a slap on the wrist or anything" he answered calmly. "And by god, it's not as if the system isn't worth a sack of shit if you have people who run it without a shred of integrity, taking bribes and what not" he said pointedly, not even needing to look at the Captain next to him to know his words had gotten under her skin.
Watanabe grit her teeth and held her tongue, not rising to the bait about her father. He had been one of those who took bribes from the Maggia for years and let them have free reign in the city. If he hadn't been killed in Rikers almost a decade ago then she was sure he would have wound up on Castle's list. Despite all of that swirling inside her head, Yuri maintained her placid calm outside, though it seemed as if the Punisher couldn't seem to care less about her turmoil as he leaned forwards and looked up, "The fuck is that?"
The Captain gave him a confused look before she too leaned forwards over the dash and peered up to see what had enraptured the Marine before she too could only respond with "The fuck is that?" Her graceless words were the only ones that came to mind as she looked up at the spectacle in the sky above. Pulling out her phone she dialed up their overwatch, "Are you seeing this?" she asked.
"Hard to miss it Captain" replied the Marauder, his drawl as dry as ever. "I've never heard of anything like that" he admitted. Yuriko had to agree, above the streets, circling around the buildings and swooping down on the rooftops and streets, were four men standing on flying wings of some sort. The wings themselves were unpainted, shining metal that glinted in the sun, the users wore all black tactical clothes as they continued to scythe through the skies with a lethal edge to them. "I don't think they're out for a joyride, look alive people." The Punisher grunted in response as he began to fight his way through traffic to get off the main road, seemingly desiring to wait it out instead of taking on the unknowns if the worst-case scenario turned out to be true.
But once Castle pulled the van off the road and put it in neutral, it became clear that something was wrong. The four flying unknowns didn't move on, instead continuing to circle the area lazily. "Any ideas Marauder?" asked Yuri after a few fear strewn minutes, her nerves were starting to get to her, and judging by the way he was anxiously tapping the steering wheel with one hand while the other rested on an Uzi submachine gun, the Punisher's were too.
"Just the usual one" replied the Renegade SRS Commando as if the answer were obvious. "I'll engage, try and draw them away. When I hang up, you need to turn your phone off and pull the SIM card Captain. Frank, give her your phone, hopefully that'll allow you to slip away unnoticed." As soon as the words were out of his mouth the line went dead as Watanabe did as instructed, cursing herself for not thinking of the possibility her cell was being tracked sooner.
As soon as her smartphone was disabled, the Punisher reached into his jacket and tossed her his phone. Catching it, Yuri looked down at in disbelief before giving its owner an incredulous look. "A flip phone, seriously?" she asked as she opened up the ancient device and fumbled her way through the contacts.
"It works" he grunted back simply, the dismissive shrug that accompanied the response indicating that there wasn't much more to the Marine's logic. Though Yuri wasn't stupid enough to think that there wasn't more to it, the nondescript device was nearly impossible to track since it wasn't personalized in any way. The Punisher kept his eyes on the sky as the Captain looked up to see that while those flyers were up there, they definitely didn't seem to have the same focus they had earlier, stopping and looking around a lot more than they had been.
Eventually, Yuri managed to get the Punisher's phone to call the SRS Pilot. "RTR you two?" asked the Titan Jockey as soon as the call connected, causing the Captain to recoil back at the phrase.
Yuri's eyes blinked furiously, "What?"
There was a filtered sigh on the other side, "Ready to rock" he said tiredly, "RTR means ready to rock" he explained. "Never mind that, let's get this done and get you out of here. I'm going to take down one, get their attention and lead them away. When I do you two need to haul ass outta here. Don't worry about me. Any questions?" he asked. The two occupants of the battle van exchanged looks without saying a word. After a few moments of silence, the filtered voice came back on the line. "Alright then, showtime."
The first thing they could hear were the gunshots as they saw the Marauder leap from a rooftop above them, muzzle of his assault rifle twinkling as he charged out at the nearest flyer. 8.19mm rounds ricocheted harmlessly off the hover board…thing before they were walked onto the man controlling it and had greater effect. From the ground Yuri could see the stricken flyer keel over and slam down into a rooftop as the dead man's companions turned their attention towards the Marauder.
Two dipped over and dove down on the Pilot as he streaked away, blue contrails emanating from his body and jump kit as he bounced between buildings in his mad dash to stay ahead of his pursuers. At the same time, Castle put the Battle Van back into drive and surged forwards, weaving through the gaps made by those who stopped to watch the spectacle in sky above. Their sudden charge got some unwanted attention of their own, the fourth and final flyer spotted them and dove down on them like a bird of prey. Like a swarm of angry hornets, a barrage of bullets rained down on the roof of Castle's vehicle as Yuri ducked reflexively while the Punisher only pushed the Van harder. Taking it up on the sidewalk and plowing through mailboxes, newspaper stands, and trashcans without slowing in the slightest, the Marine continued his headlong charge.
"Look out!" called Watanabe as she looked up ahead to see the man in all black line up directly ahead of them and swoop in, a machine pistol in each hand twinkling angrily. Despite her warning, the Punisher didn't flinch, only putting his foot down as the Battle Van weathered another storm of hot lead, chipping the paint off the hood and spiderwebbing the bulletproof glass windshield. "Had enough of this shit" growled the Captain angrily as she pulled out her .357 and checked that it was loaded before she began to roll down the window. "Hold it steady" she demanded as she began to hoist her upper body out to get a clear shot.
Only for a big hand to yank her back down inside the armored box, "No heroics today Captain" growled Frank angrily, though it was incited by their assailants and not her brash actions. "It's you they're after" he reminded as he swerved through more traffic, the horn sounding almost constantly as he threw the 2 tons of Van around a corner and blew through a red light on the other side while checking his mirror. Finally, he grabbed the sub gun and turned to look at the cop, "but I've had enough of this shit too" he admitted as he rolled down his own window.
Shooting back out into an open space alongside a park, the Punisher kept his eye to the sky and soon narrowed them at a silver shine above as it turned to head down at them. Instead of turning in to throw of the attacker's aim, Frank held his course until the last possible second as he switched his foot over to slam down on the brake and turned the car to the outside. His Uzi held outstretched and chattering angrily as it spat out ten 9mm rounds every second, not letting up until the 32 round magazine was empty. If the stream of bullets didn't kill the man on the flyer, then the faceplant did as the craft flipped over and sent its operator face first into the concrete and separating the wing from him, both going in opposite directions.
Just as Castle was about to drive away, Yuri's curiosity got the better of her, "Stop the car" she demanded angrily as she unlocked the door and jumped out. Running over the scratched and scuffed up but still surprisingly intact wing, she picked it up and found it incredibly light before rushing back to the van and throwing it in the back. Getting back inside with it, Frank didn't wait before stamping the accelerator and getting back on the move. "Now just what the hell is this thing?" she wondered aloud.
"Some fancy high-tech gizmo" grunted the Marine flatly, dismissive of it as Yuri began looking for any distinguishing marks. Her search was soon rewarded as she saw a faint stamp, faded, obviously someone had tried to remove it, but the ubiquitous design was unmistakable: Oscorp. "Just try not to make it explode, ok?" Castle asked in his gruff and gravelly tones, wholly unaware of her findings and the corresponding revelations, "and hope the kid's doing just as well as we are."
About a mile away, the Marauder had decided he far preferred to chase rather than be chased. He had also decided that these flying fuckers were annoying as all hell as he was forced to stay low and preferably in narrow alleys, weaving through fire escapes and other obstacles. But his pursuers were still doggedly following while their prey searched for a way to turn the tables. Dropping from the fourth story wall and taking cover behind a dumpster, he reloaded his rifle and looked down to either end of the alley to see one of the flying wings at each end.
Slowly, an idea began to form in his head as he collapsed the Carbine and drew the EPG. "What the fuck are you doing Cooper?" he muttered as he checked that the energy propelled grenade launcher was ready to go and drew a gravity star. Picking one at random, the SRS Commando sprung out and fired his jump kit, throwing him up onto the opposite wall before he sprinted towards his target. Bouncing back and forth between walls, he gained more altitude and activated his STIM as he bore down on the black garbed wing operator.
The flyer charged in head on as the two fighters rocketed towards the merge, the plan going even better than the Renegade Gunfighter could have hoped. As bullets began to snap past the Pilot, he slung the gravity star across his body and into the opposite wall as he activated his phase shift, ripping him from his dimension as everything went greyscale. Inside the alternate dimension, the Pilot used his grapple to pull himself up and away as he turned around, engaged his jump kits hover, and took rough aim with the EPG. With a crackle, he was brought back to his Manhattan as he adjusted his aim with the EPG as the flyer fought against the gravity well. If he had another two seconds, then he might have broken free…but he only had one.
The trio of blue energy blasts were pulled towards the center of the gravity well before impacting the hover board and exploding in brilliant displays of blinding blue light. The extreme heat melted through the metal one of the shots struck something vital as the entire alley was filled with a fireball that consumed the flying wing and its operator. "Splash 2" whooped the Marauder happily, but there was no time to celebrate as the final flyer was descending down on Matthew from six o clock high.
The sight of familiar blue tracers streaking overhead was the first warning the Pilot got as the hover ceased and he plummeted straight down, twisting his body and firing his grapple to yank himself in the opposite direction and force the attacker to overshoot. Wasting no time, Cooper craned his neck back and looked over his shoulder to see the flyer shoot skywards, meaning the SRS Commando was in his blind spot. With this brief opening, Matthew slipped into a window and lay in wait. After a full minute of nothing, he slowly drew the pulse blade and hurled it out, watching it stick in the opposite brick wall and emit its pulse.
Scanning with his helmet, it was clear that his pursuer had seen the blade and moved to investigate, putting him in perfect position with his back to the Pilot. Seeing an opportunity to take the mercenary alive and interrogate him, the Marauder stowed the EPG, drew his Axe, and activated his cloak before pouncing on the predator turned prey. When he fired his jump kit to close the distance, the sound gave him away as the flyer turned and tried to jerk away. When the axe swung it might have missed the operator, but it connected solidly with the wing and stuck fast.
The Marauder held on with all he had as the wing accelerated and climbed up despite the thin wisp of white smoke coming from the sci fi device. In seconds the Pilot found that they were well above the rooftops as he held on through the array of acrobatic maneuvers. With ease, the operator put the flying wing through its paces, looping and rolling in an effort to shake his unwanted passenger. But the Marauder had to simply grin and bear it as he looked for some way to disable the wing.
Trying to pull himself up, he noticed a gap in the top of the leading edge and quickly identified it as an air intake. Without hesitation he pulled out a pulse blade and jammed it into the slot, the device getting chewed up in the process as the internals of the flying wing tore themselves apart. While the wing sounded like it had a fork in the garbage disposal, the loss of propulsion allowed the Pilot to focus on the mercenary perched atop the wing. Firing his grapple into the wing, he yanked his axe out as he let the line extend until he was 10 yards behind the man.
When the hit man noticed what the SRS Pilot had done, he deftly spun the wing as it continued its steady descent as the Commando reversed the direction of the hook and bore down on the mercenary, axe raised. Frantically, the black clad mercenary tried to raise his machine pistols, but it was a futile effort as the boots of the Titan Jockey slammed into his gut and knocked him back off the glider. But he didn't fall to his death as Cooper spun the axe and slammed the pick down, hooking it in the gaps in his ribs as the Texan planted his feet on the falling silver wing and leaned in close to the dying man. "Who hired you?" he snarled, twisting the axe for added effect. The mercenary didn't respond, and the Marauder didn't want this to end without a name.
But they were out of time, the ground rushing up at them too fast. The Marauder had to bail from the doomed flyer, but as he yanked the axe back, he made out something gurgled from the mercs mouth, "Os…" before it became a scream, or as close as the man could manage as he plummeted to his death with the damaged flyer not far behind.
Rolling to a more or less controlled stop on a random rooftop, the Marauder allowed himself two minutes to catch his breath before slowly getting to his feet, distinctly appreciative of the sensation of standing atop solid ground once more. Checking that he was clear, he reloaded the R-201 and made a phone call. "Marauder? You alright kid?" asked the rough voice of the Punisher.
"I'm fine old man" answered the Marauder with a small grin. "How about y'all, run into any trouble?" he asked, immensely relieved to hear the Marine's voice. If he was still drawing breath, then chances were good that his charge was doing the same.
That still didn't make the Pilot any less uneasy when Castle gave an affirming grunt, "Sure did kid, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle" he assured gruffly. While Cooper doubted it had been that easy, if Frank said they were able to handle it, then they were able to handle it. "I got Wata-whatshername to your place and got her settled in. I'm a block away keeping an eye on the perimeter."
"Well you don't have to do that anymore; I just took care of the last of them" explained the Pilot as he looked off to the small pillar of smoke from the wreck of the last flyer. "And they sure as shit won't be getting up anytime soon." But in the back of his mind, he was trying to figure out the meaning for all of this, what was the end? "Thanks for the help Frank, I owe you one. And take care of yourself."
"You too kid" replied the Marine, "now I gotta get back to work. There's still a lot of mopping up left to do" said the Punisher before the call clicked and ended. Frank Castle was about to resume his war on crime, and while his actions hadn't garnered much attention, he too had been having a busy few weeks. Cooper had advised the Marine to stay away from the Demons, both to avoid tangling with their superpowers but also to keep that low profile while dealing with the disorganized common criminals.
The result was the Punisher racking up a body count just as high as his initial rampage a few years prior but without him getting any trouble from the Police, Spider-Man, or Sable International. Of course, he never had anything to fear from the Marauder, who was content to let the Marine work, there was only one thing that could change that and she was waiting for him at home, and they had lost time to make up for. With that enticing thought, the Texan began to get moving back towards his hideout and the heiress there waiting for him.
Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, Cooper would curse himself for being distracted like this and not noticing that he was being tracked. The 'Recon Points' were more numerous than he had realized and had been around for weeks, his movements had been tracked and the patterns had been noticed. While those tracking him didn't know where he lived, they had deduced the routes he traveled most often, including the one he was using now, and were ready.
A series of odd pops and crackles caught his attention as the Pilot's progress ground to a halt to look for the source before seeing small plumes of smoke from a nearby building. Reluctantly, the Renegade Gunfighter moved to investigate the disturbance, thinking they might be gunshots, but they didn't sound quite right. Rifle at the ready, the Titan Jockey scanned around for something, anything, that seemed amiss and found nothing.
Just as he began to back up slowly, the trap was sprung, bolas leapt out form concealed launchers and ensnared the Marauder from shoulder to knee, his rifle clattered to the ground as he snarled in pain, the electric shocks racking his body. His vision pulsed as he struggled against the binds, it was a fruitless endeavor, but he fought on nonetheless, his breathing strained as he fell to his knees. Trying to play his final trump card, he squeezed his left hand, trying to activate his phase shift and escape, but the bolas gave off some kind of interference, meaning all he got in response was a buzz of static.
As quickly as the Marauder had been ensnared, the bolas fell away and the electricity ceased and Cooper threw his hands out to catch himself as he caught his breath and took stock of his surroundings. The rooftop was just as it should have been, with one notable 6-foot 2-inch, heavily armored, and skull masked exception. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?" asked the Marauder as he got to his feet and turned to face this new arrival, hands down, but body tensed and at the ready.
The unknown chuckled wryly as the two sized each other up, to the untrained eye it would have seemed that the SRS Pilot was outclassed. This new figure was taller and heavier, wearing thicker navy-blue armor with orange accents and brandishing a wicked looking straight edged sword coursing with red-orange energy. None of that worried Cooper though, what stood out most to him was the large pack on the man's upper back and strapped over his shoulders, the canted nozzles coming out the bottom of it giving away what it was, or at least what it was trying to emulate. "You can call me…Taskmaster" revealed the unknown in a filtered voice, the dry tones reminded the Marauder of himself as he watched Taskmaster twirl his sword. But the Texan's eyes narrowed on the licks of red flame that shot out from the nozzles from the pack on his back.
In response, the Commando drew his Smart Pistol from his chest rig and his tomahawk from its sheath on his left thigh, the Jump Kit on his lower back flaring blue angrily as he bent his knees and leveled the pistol. "So you're trying to be a Pilot huh?" asked the Marauder as the two began to slowly circle each other, looking for an opening, "you look like you have the toys…let's see if you have the moves" taunted Cooper.
Taskmaster seemed to go deathly still for a second before he charged in, the rocket pack flaring as his 220 pound bulk was thrown upwards and he spun to deliver a crushing kick that the Pilot instantly recognized. Leaping back, the Marauder's kit got him out of the way just in time, but as soon as he skidded to a stop a grappling hook slammed into his armor. Trying to collect his bearings, he saw that red sword slash down and cut into his armor, but not piercing it as the wind was knocked out of the Titan Jockey. While he was focused on getting off the sword, the mercenary got behind him and rammed two punches into his midsection before turning the Marauder around and throwing an uppercut into his chin, snapping his head back as he stumbled to the ground while Taskmaster was able to grab and yank the sword out from the damaged Dragon Scale armor. "I have a photo-reflexive memory" explained Taskmaster as Cooper rolled away and came into a crouch, "Your moves are my moves. Face it, I know your playbook."
Cooper grit his teeth as he raised the MK6, "looks like it's time to turn a new page" he snarled as he pulled the trigger and a trio of smart rounds slammed into the mercenary, one in the knee, one in the gut, and one in the chest. The latter two had no effect, either ricocheting off or being absorbed by the armor, but the first one did the job, staggering the skull masked man and giving the Pilot an opening. Activating his STIM, he shot forwards and slid into his legs, shooting up as he made contact and swung the axe upwards, burying it in the armor plate on his chest. But Taskmaster countered quickly, his jump jet pulling him away from the Marauder. Cooper soon figured out a strategy as they began to circle once again. While he had some of his toys, Taskmaster didn't have all of them, so the Pilot would work around the ones the mercenary didn't have.
Smirking, the Pilot activated his Holo-Pilot and Cloak simultaneously, sending the hologram forwards as he sidestepped and waited for an opening. However, Taskmaster recognized the ploy and tossed out an emp grenade, the pulse shorting out the cloak and turning the tables in favor of the mercenary as he slid forwards, his jump jet boosting his speed. Trying to counter, Matthew leapt skywards but Taskmaster used his grappling hook to yank the Pilot back to the rooftop, slamming him down and knocking the wind from the Renegade.
Rolling onto his back, Cooper pulled his knees to his chest as the skull masked mercenary came down on top of him, planting his boots into the armor plate before throwing him back and snapping off a shot with the MK6. The dumb fired round found a gap and sliced through the unarmored arm of the mercenary as he grit his teeth before going back on the attack. Raising that glowing sword, the Marauder's eyes widened behind the x shaped visor as he rolled away, the blade clanging off the concrete of the roof and blackening the spot it hit. But the Pilot countered, his axe burying itself in Taskmaster's sword arm as he followed it up with a brutal kick to the mercenary's wounded knee.
But Cooper didn't let up, jamming the MK6 into the unarmored forearm and firing two rounds that shredded the bone, causing Taskmaster to roar in pain as the sword fell from his hand. Despite the beating, the skull masked man answered, his free hand reaching across his body to grab hold of the Smart Pistol as his jump pack flared to life, throwing him up and yanking the weapon away with him. The Marauder sprung back up, filling his empty hand with an arc grenade as he smirked at the mercenary holding his pistol and pointing it at him.
Then it fired.
The round slammed into him, the shock that the mercenary had been able to fire it doing more than the impact. Shaking that off, he activated his phase shift and vanished from existence, pulling the pin on the grenade and getting ready to drop it at his foe's feet. Only when he was snapped back to reality, he found that Taskmaster had dodged preemptively as Cooper had to toss the grenade, the delay giving Taskmaster enough time to bring his sword up and slice the ordinance in two, rendering it useless. As the Smart Pistol was turned back towards its owner, the Titan Jockey dropped an A-Wall and three of the remaining five shots slammed ineffectually into the orange light wall.
A gravity star shot through the tactical in reply, the gravity well ensnaring Taskmaster as Cooper seized the opening, tossing an electric smoke into the mix as he grit his teeth and rushed forwards into the maelstrom. With a pulse blade to highlight the flailing mercenary, the Gunfighter leapt into the fray, ramming a knee into the skull mask and bringing the axe down and ripping through the large boxy jump jet just as the well collapsed and both shot out and over the edge. However, both reacted the same way, raising their left hands and firing their grapples to pull them back to the rooftop. Now however, the Marauder had the edge as he used his kit to open up the distance.
But Taskmaster would still know what was coming, and Cooper didn't have many cards left to play. Looking down at the ground between the two, the Texan had an epiphany. Grinning evilly, he charged forwards before sliding and scooping up Taskmasters blade, a weapon he had no idea how to use and now clue what to do with, meaning his foe wouldn't know either. Jumping up, he raised the blade to bring it down on the side of the mercenary's wounded arm only to tuck the blade down at the last second and shoulder check the merc. Taking the opening he slashed wildly, grazing Taskmaster at best before throwing caution to the wind and trying to spear the tip of the blade through him. But the skull masked man dodged, but got himself off balance as Cooper reverted to the classic Pilot kick, jumping up and slamming his boot into the merc's chin to send him into a chimney where an armored knee slammed into his face and the sword jammed into his good side's shoulder.
Ripping the Smart Pistol away and leveling at the defeated mercenary, Cooper's finger poised to squeeze the trigger, but held just short as he eyed the vanquished Taskmaster wearily. "What are you playing at you sumbitch?" snarled Cooper. "Your employer is trying to make Pilots, aren't they?" he deduced, "and wanted to see how they're doing? Tell me I'm wrong" he challenged in a sneer.
"You're not wrong" revealed Taskmaster. "My employers wanted to see if their project was complete…and if not then I'm to offer you a deal to come and work on the project" explained the mercenary far too calmly considering the injuries he had sustained. Cooper didn't even give the offer a thought, snorting in derision as he looked down at the beaten mercenary.
"For fucks sake" muttered the Gunfighter as he crouched down and jammed the MK6 under Taskmaster's chin as he tilted his head threateningly. "Let me be clear: You can't replicate what I am, and I sure as shit aren't gonna help you. So, tell your employers to take that job offer and shove it up their ass" he enunciated lowly before standing and holstering the weapon, "and if they don't get it then I'll come do it myself."
The Skull masked mercenary shrugged, "Your loss, they pay six figures" he said calmly before jumping up and slamming his head into the Pilot's chest, sending the Marauder staggering back as he tried to get the Pistol back out, but a cloud of smoke covered the rooftop. When it cleared, Matthew found himself completely alone as he did a sweep before holstering his weapon for the last time that day.
Taking a deep breath, he took a second to consider what could come of the revelation someone was trying to make Pilots and the offer he had just gotten. "Six figures?" he mused, that wasn't chump change, and while he was far from poor the money would have been nice. "Nah, I'd want at least seven" he decided finally.
Though there was one other thought that wormed his way into his brain, if he would be facing Pilots in the future, then it might be nice to have a few friendly pilots of his own…
Cooper's Logbook – Grenadier: EPG-1
This 'Energy Propelled Grenade' launcher is a highly advanced plasma anti-personnel weapon with an explosive edge. As a first-generation weapon it has a few…well I'll be kind and call them 'quirks' instead of those unkinder than I who call them 'faults.' The ergonomics are unusual to say the least, and while the side loading magazine is undeniably cool, it can get caught up or snag on things. Perhaps worse, the weapon is quite costly, requiring specialized manufacturing capability to produce both the weapon and its ammunition. There are a lot of moving parts that are somewhat fragile, too many hard knocks and its enough to 'jam' the weapon. Usually a manual reset of the firing mechanism will set the issue right since the weapon is designed in such a way as to power down to prevent a catastrophic failure. Still, more than one wielder has gotten killed because he dropped his gun and when he needed it to save his life, it merely beeped angrily and needed to have its plasma field generator cycled to restart.
These quirks have, unsurprisingly, caused the weapon to garner a somewhat unflattering reputation on the Frontier. Not only from those who wield it, but those who are unfortunate enough to have it brought to bear against them. If one were to walk through a hospital treating those wounded in a battle, those who have been hit by an EPG are easy to spot. Skin peeling off, the flesh beneath seared and charred to solid black, these are the marks of an EPG wound, and that's if you're lucky. Those hit by direct shots tend to be completely mauled, limbs blown off and severe burns over the rest of the body, or just vaporized outright.
The end result is that this is a weapon that attracts a lot of attention, so when one is brought out and those bright blue plasma shots start to fly, accompanied by that shrieking report, people tend to sit up and take notice.
Closing notes: Remember how I said way back that there wouldn't be many side missions in this story? That really didn't age well. Taskmaster was one of the better fights in the game, plus his look and demeanor were very cool. I do wish that when he was depicted in other media, he kept this same look instead of going with a knock off ODST helmet or something equally stupid, just a thought. I do want feedback on that fight from anyone who has some since it is probable that Taskmaster will appear again at some point down the line.
What did you all think of this reimagining of the Taskmaster side quest and fight? I could not for the life of me come up with a decent reason to have the Taskmaster challenges as they appear in game in this story. I also went with this route because I got to include one of my favorite little bits from Halo CE, specifically the level 'Truth and Reconciliation' and I'm curious if anyone spotted that, mainly because I missed a golden opportunity for a Terminator line to put it in.
Also, those flying wings should seem familiar to many who are Spider-Man fans, though it's very much a tease, don't get too excited.
Next week is, well, more filler to be honest. But it should be a lot of fun in the Badlands.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.
