Chapter 1 Picking up the Pieces

The rain made a constant beat against the windowpane. The sudden and unpredictable flashes of lightning showed momentary flashes of a young mans face inside the car. His face was puzzled, he couldn't figure out what he was doing here. He never liked even leaving his own borough, let alone the entire city.

"Soap! Where the fuck are you?" the radio crackled to life.

Soap didn't like his job. He didn't know why he had become a cop in the first place. Maybe somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind he had wanted to help people. But how was chasing down a vigilante who could take him down with a look, going to help the common person?

"I'm on my way to the Crime scene. Gonna see if it's my boy or not."

"Your boy? If you were doing your job he'd be your case. Not 'your boy'."

Soap had the unfortunate duty to track down and stop the man who had labeled himself 'The Punisher'. Soap knew a lot more about him than anybody else. He was one of the only people who actually talked to him. The Punisher or 'Frank' as Soap called him, was the epitome of a man pushed to the edge.

His family had been murdered in front of his eyes. He had been spared by pure chance. Like any other man, he swore revenge. But he had taken a different route than any other man. In his own twisted mind, the idea of revenge became distant. He wanted the men who murdered his family to be punished. Like a fallen angel of death he doled it out to whoever had escaped the legal system, as flawed as he knew it to be. He wasn't dealing with street crime. He only dealt with the part of humanity that believed it was above the law, untouchable he would put it. Like so many other men, he had trained in the marines and knew combat well. He put this to use as he systematically eliminated his self-proclaimed enemies.

"You know it's him. Otherwise you'd be stuttering and blubbering like usual. When you get there the Lieu. Is gonna have a few words with you."

'Damn' Soap muttered to himself. He was gonna be in shit… deep shit.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Didn't you go through the academy like every other cop on this damn force?"

Soap kept his face down. He hated it when people yelled at him. He felt so much smaller than he really was.

"Everydamn cop on this force KNEW that Punisher was gonna hit this place! We all hate this dead piece a shit too but we do our jobs!"

They were on the Upper East Side. It was a lot different that Hells kitchen… A lot of high level corporate officers lived here. They were in the apartment of one of the Late Senator Woden's Assistants. The building had recently been renovated due to a terrorist attack. no sooner than it had been finished that The Punisher came to exact his retribution on one Dan Drake AKA Slobodan Draculic. A Serbian immigrant who had met Senator Woden through a common aqaintence, the also late Vladimir Lem. With his training in accounting he served the Senator quite well until his untimely death.

After that, he used his skills for other high ranking corporate officials. But now he had a 9 inch combat knife drilled through the bottom of his head to the top. So much blood had drained out of him it was leaking into the room beneath him. One of the Punishers Interrogations no doubt.

He had been 1 of 4 assistants that got off due to lack of evidence in the cover-up surrounding both Alfred Woden and Vladimir Lem's deaths. There were 2 others also involved but they were convicted. Max Payne and Mona Sax. Both were serving twenty-five to life sentences.

"Well you see… the thing is… I didn't really… I mean I couldn't have…"

"Enough! This is the last bloodbath you don't prevent. You're being reassigned, I heard Ohio's looking for a nice pencil pusher."

Soap couldn't believe it. After all this time they finally tell him to get lost, permanently.

The ecstasy in his mind almost prevented him from believing it.

"Who's taking over?"

"Ha… someone who knows the score. He's retired. I think you might know him."

The lieutenant looked at Soaps condescendingly.

"Max Payne."

Soap's mouth opened slightly. His eyes glazed over. Max Payne. New York's Finest turned into a vigilante. A slight chuckle came out of his mouth as he remembered that Max's body count matched up to Franks.

"Isn't he in jail?"

"That isn't your concern anymore. I want you at the station tomorrow ready to sign all the paperwork to get you out of here."

Soap looked up at the lieutenant and stared for a second. Then he turned and walked out of the expensive but bloodied up apartment. He'd have to tell Frank. He owed him that much.

Max leaned forward as he sat on his bunk. His hands pressed against his face. An inmate across the floor looked at him and thought he looked like a religious statue. Then again he was used to him looking like that. But the man in the dark suit standing in front of Max was something new.

"So Mr. Payne… What do you think of our little arrangement?"

"I think you're one of them. I think you just want to use me against the only other force out there that can stop you."

"I won't lie to you like all the others Mr. Payne. He is part of what we want you to do. We can help you Max. All you have to do is pull the trigger one more time."

"Two."

"What?"

"You said he was only part of what you wanted me to do. I assume you want me to eliminate someone else."

"I wouldn't put it like that. But you are right. His name is Ivanov."

"Should I know him?"

"You should, you killed his brother. Mike."

"Hm… my old deputy… It felt good putting a bullet in his brain."

"You've changed. Woden told us about you, You aren't like what he said."

"3 years can change a man."

"… you've only been here 2 years."

"I've never been the same ever since you killed my family."

"I didn't kill them. You know what happened. We all deeply regret that incident."

"You may not have pulled the trigger. But you loaded the gun. If it wasn't for you and your damn secret society I wouldn't be here now. I'd be at a park with my little baby dau…" Max choked. "My baby daughter. She's gone… and so am I."

"What do you mean?"

". . . Sign me up. But I have one condition."

"Very well. What is it?"

"You get Mona out as well."

"You know how we feel about her. She's a danger to us."

"She's a danger to YOU. So am I but you're coming to me for help. You know nobody can take Punisher out but me. So you're stuck in a bind now."

"Fine. But we'll only accept with a little condition of our own."

"What?"

"You get out of this state, you head for Mexico or Canada. Just don't stay in the States. After this if all goes well, you'll never hear from us again. We'll make sure you get a good start but that's it."

"Deal. Now get me the fuck outta here."

The man in the suit knocked on the bar of the holding cage and a guard opened the door.

Max contemplated what had just gone down. A tear built up in his left eye as he realized he had just sold his soul. Was it worth it? Could 2 more bullets be worth a life for him and Mona? Could they even have a life together after all they'd been through? What kind of family could he have? Would the Inner Circle keep their promise? All these questions floated around in what was left of his bullet ridden mind. He scratched the scar he had above his left temple. Where Vlad had shot him. Could he even stay alive? Was he even alive? He buried his face in his hands as he silently wept for his and his love's lives.