It's A Small World

Fauna

There was no sleeping for Fauna the rest of the night. She sat on her couch staring at her blank walls. Any moment they would come for her. There was no way she had gotten away with not being recognized. The guard that had kicked her in the stomach and then tried to crush in her skull would give up her name. Now, she was just waiting. They would come and drag her away. No one could stop them. No one would even try.

How stupid could you be?! She thought. Everything's ruined.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't remember when they began. They, now, wouldn't stop. Her plan was to simply go in and get something, anything to hold over their head. Her life was over, she knew that. She would not be able to escape. She would live the rest of her life, however long that might be, trapped in that place. That was okay, she knew that. She accepted it.

She knew there was no going back when she asked for her employer's help. However, she didn't realize it would be this extreme. The things this company did, she didn't imagine. Probably because she wasn't evil, heartless, or soulless like everyone else at that place.

Once she realized she wasn't going to be able to survive she decided she had to get leverage. Something to keep the payments to the Drax Corp going long after her death.

Her chance was gone, taken from her. Daredevil. She scowled. If it wasn't for him showing up when he did. Perhaps she would have succeeded tonight. She would have the information she needed. Now, because of him and the commotion he caused, she had nothing. Because of him, she sat here waiting for them to come, dragging her away. Do their worst. They would probably torture, thinking she was working with him.

Even if by some miracle she wasn't recognized, and the company wouldn't be breaking down her door any moment, what would she do about Daredevil? She was now on his radar. He wanted her to quit her job. He didn't even give her the chance to explain anything. The rumors she's heard about him ranged from everything to savior, to torturer, to beheadings.

How real was his threat, she wondered? Judging by how her arm felt he didn't have a problem hurting her, especially if he thought she was some kind of criminal. Would he take the time to check on me? If Daredevil is focused on the nightly business of Grayson Shipping it was probably only a matter of time before she ran into him again.

No. She thought. She didn't have much to do with that part of Grayson. If she stayed away past normal business hours, he'd never know she was there. After all, he only comes out at night. Fauna concluded. She was rarely out at night. This night just happened to be a fluke.

I'm not a criminal. He has no reason to bother me. I shouldn't have any trouble, right? Somehow, she couldn't believe it. If she didn't make it on his enemy list, he was definitely on hers.

Because of him, she thought as the anger bubbled. My mother… More tears fell. She wouldn't say it. She tried to put it out of her mind, but it was too hard. The image of her mother coughing up all that blood came flooding back. It made Fauna shrink into herself. She couldn't handle going through that again.

She held her throbbing abdomen. And her head hurt. She lowered her head into her hands. She wished she had some pain killers. Her budget didn't allow for such luxuries.

From her clock on the kitchen counter she heard the seconds ticking away, then the minutes. After a while Fauna realized hours had gone by.

A ding came from beside her, startling her. It was her phone. It read 4:45 am. It was from her employer? Anger and hate flooded her system at the thought of him. When her mind went back to the night's activities her heart sank. She clicked on the message:

avoid the offices today

She stared at the message, reading and rereading it again and again. Was this a good thing or bad thing? She wondered. What did it mean? She was stunned, with her employer there was no telling what he meant. There was no way he would want her to stay home if he thought she knew something.

Did he plan to have me killed on the street, make it look like a mugging?

Or maybe at home and make it look like a burglary?

No, she concluded. I know him. He would want to see me suffer in front of him. He would want to watch, that's the kind of man he was.

She continued to sit and stare. What am I going to do? She leaned back feeling hopeless and slipped into darkness.

Only two hours of sleep before the light and busy street noise streamed through Fauna's living room window. She shot to her feet.

"It's late!" She cried, heart racing at the thought of what her punishment would be today.

She began racing toward her bedroom but stopped herself. The events of last night came flooding back. She remembered the text her employer sent. Her hand came up and covered her chest at the location of her heart. She let out a breath trying to calm herself. She sat back down. Her sadness returned. She was still unsure of what to do. There was nothing much she could do.

She let out a puff of air, blowing her long bangs from her eyes. It doesn't matter what happens now. Fauna imagined being stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had a new respect for that phrase.

Even if she happened to escape Grayson, which would never happen, she would have to fend off Daredevil.

"I suspect that would be impossible as well." She said.

If this was the end, she would at least go for a visit. Since she supposedly had the day off, she would go to the one person she felt safe with. The one person that made her smile. The one person that didn't frighten or trap her. Even here, at her apartment…well not hers, it was Grayson's, was not a place she liked to stay. This place was cold and suffocating. It had two small rooms. The first room, the kitchen and living room, wasn't much bigger than a standard size bedroom. There was only one window, a single pane, adjacent from the kitchen area. Sadly, it was the only view to the outside. Even that was blocked by the fire escape.

The second room made up her bedroom and bathroom. Fauna believed it must have once been a walk-in closet. She was only allowed the simplest furniture. Pictures around or hung on the wall were forbidden. She wasn't allowed a television, not even a radio. Unfortunately, her flip phone, which was also not hers and was sure it was from 1998, didn't offer any form of entertainment or comfort.

Fauna spent as little time in this place as possible. During her days off, which were far and few in between she went for a visit or a walk around the city. Fauna loves being outdoors, especially when the sun is shining. Nowadays the sun just didn't seem to shine as bright. Too many clouds blocked its view. Most nights if the weather allowed, she was on the roof enjoying the night sky. She loved to fall asleep looking at the stars. It may seem like a small thing, but the fresh air made her feel free and limitless.

She looked at her wardrobe, which hung on a short wire in the corner of her bedroom. She couldn't go in her normal work wear. Earlier she had taken a quick glance out the window and it seemed like it would be a warm day. She needed to feel the sun on her skin, so she chose a blue, strapped sundress with a daisy print, it fell just above her knees. She slipped into her white flats as she headed out the door.

"Fauna" came a familiar voice as she locked her door. It was Mrs. Carmichael. Her lovely, sweet old lady, next door neighbor. Fauna deflated a little. Most of the time she gets stuck in awkward conversations with the 70 something year old and today she just wanted to get away.

"Could you be a dear and help me get the stupid door open. The lock won't turn." She complained, wiggling her keys in the lock.

"Sure Mrs. Carmichael." Fauna took the keys from her. And began to struggle with the lock. She quietly said a prayer that she could open it quickly. To her amazement the door popped open. "There you go." She smiled sending a quiet thank you to the heavens.

"Oh, thank you." She returned the smile. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

"No thank you Mrs. Carmichael, I'm headed out."

"Oh, that's a shame, Where to, dear?"

Fauna hated answering questions about her agenda. Her hesitation must have been noticeable.

"I'm sorry dear, I don't mean to pry." She grabbed her bags and waddled into her apartment. "You know I'm just an old lady, gotta find my entertainment somewhere."

Fauna offered her a smile as the old lady turned to face her again. "Oh, that's okay. I'm just off to visit my mother."

"That's wonderful dear, you know when I was a little girl my mother—"

Oh no, thought Fauna. Every time Mrs. Carmichael starts off a sentence like that it's never good and usually keeps her there for an hour and ends with some point that Fauna needed a man in her life to fulfill some kind of purpose. All she wanted to do was leave.

"—had this boyfriend, he had this big—"

"I'm sorry" Fauna interrupted. "I am running late this morning. I've really gotta go." She said backing away toward the elevator. As she stepped in, she could still hear Mrs. Carmichael.

"Now, they say a man with big—"

Fauna let out a breath waiting for the doors to close, very thankful she didn't hear the end of that story.

It took roughly 30 minutes to walk the distance between her apartment and her mother.

"Mom?" She yelled as she opened the front door. "It's just me."

"Hey, honey. I'm in the kitchen."

As Fauna walked through the hallway, she could hear a man's voice flowing from the kitchen.

"Alright, Mrs. Bosk," The voice said as Fauna entered through the doorway. "If you will just—" He paused when he glanced up at Fauna. "Hello" A smile crept across his face.

"Hi" Fauna offered a weak smile. She didn't like a stranger being in her mother's house.

"Fauna" said her mother, motioning her to sit down at the round table with the two of them. "You're just in time, the tea is almost finished."

Fauna's tongue danced at the thought of her mother's tea. She sat down as her mother stood and turned to the tea pot on the stove. She clanged some dishes around looking for cups. Fauna took her eyes from her mother and looked back to the man sitting across the table from her. Another smile slithered across his face when their eyes met. It made Fauna uncomfortable.

A cup was placed in front of her with another clang. Fauna looked up and smiled a silent thank you.

"Fauna, this is Mr. Androle" her mother sat back down. "He's from Anderson and Associates."

"Oh" Fauna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was her mother meeting with a lawyer?

"Mr. Androle is here because—"

"Mrs. Bosk, I would recommend that we continue in private."

Fauna was a bit insulted by his suggestion.

"Oh, that's okay" Her mother smiled. Fauna's heart melted. Her mother always had the warmest smile. "This is my daughter. I will be discussing this with her anyway."

Mr. Androle smiled, "of course." Turning back to Fauna.

"Well, we're finishing up anyway." He said as he shuffled some papers back in front of my mother. "Just sign here, and everything will be finalized." He sat a pen down as he clicked it open.

Louisa picked it up.

"Mom?" Fauna began putting her hand out toward the papers, hoping to cause some hesitation. She was sure she heard a groan as Mr. Androle sat back in his chair. "What, exactly, is going on here?"

"Well, I was going to surprise you, and take you to a fancy dinner." She smiled. "Then I thought we could—"

"Mom, just tell me what's happening here."

"Macfinn Distribution is offering me a large amount of money because of my condition."

Fauna sat back trying to comprehend what exactly is happening.

"Like I was saying, I thought we would celebrate by going out to dinner and then maybe we could take a small trip out West. We've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon –"

Her mom continued to talk about their immediate future, but all Fauna could think of asking why. Ever since she's been immersed in the world of Grayson, she's learned a few things about how bad and manipulative people can really be.

"—Can you afford the time off from your studies to go?"

"Wait… Mom. Exactly how much money are they offering?"

Her mom shifted through the papers, then handed her a smaller note. Fauna's eyes widened in response.

"As you can see it's very generous." Mr. Androle suggested. Fauna's eyes climbed to his from the paper and saw another one of those creepy smiles.

Fauna shook her head. "Did you ask why they're giving you this?" She looked back to the paper.

"Well… no. They just want to help me out. After all, I have worked for them since I was sixteen."

"Mom, nobody just helps people out these days." She crumpled the paper in her hand, not meaning to. She was just so frustrated.

She turned back to Mr. Androle. "Why does Macfinn want to do this?"

His jaw was clinching. "Like your mother said, she's worked for the company for a long time. They want to see she's taken care of for a while."

"No, I'm not buying that."

"Honey—" Her mom began.

"No, mom" Fauna grabbed the pen. "You're not signing this. What are her other options?" She turned back to the lawyer.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Androle's eyebrows flew up his forehead.

"I mean what else can we do?" Fauna looked back to her mother and felt a pang of guilt. Louisa's excited state had deflated. "From what her doctor said…"

"Fauna –"

"No, Mom. Macfinn could very well be the reason you ended up this way. All those chemicals you were around." Fauna sat up closer to Louisa. "Think about it, I mean, you even said it yourself."

Silence momentarily filled the room. Fauna and Louisa stared at each other. Fauna wished her mother could hear her silent apologies. Apologies for everything, being rude and interrupting her, not visiting as often as she used to, and not letting her sign that paper. That money could certainly help, but it wasn't significant enough to make a lasting impact. Sure, she had no idea how long her mother had left. As long as she kept up with the treatment from Drax Corp. Her mother should be fine.

The money Macfinn was offering wasn't enough. They needed more. Her mom lowered her head. Fauna took that as a sign of defeat. She wasn't going to sign.

"Well, Mr. Androle?" Her mother lifted her head up. "Looks like I won't be signing."

"Mrs. Bock, it would be in your best interest to sign."

"What?" asked Fauna. "Aren't you supposed to do what we ask, support our decision?"

"I think you have the wrong idea here, Fauna." She didn't like the way he played her name on his tongue.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm not your mother's lawyer."

Fauna, confused, looked to her mother. Louisa gave her a shrug. Oh, mom. She thought in frustration.

"Who's lawyer, are you? What's the next step?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Wha—what does that mean?" Fauna began to get angry.

"Look, I think you should sign the papers." He pushed another pen toward her mother.

"No!" Fauna grabbed it up. "What happens if we don't?"

The man stayed silent for a moment, staring at Fauna.

"Who is doing this, who sent you?" She questioned.

"I'm not at liberty to say." He said. "Attorney-Client privilege prevents me from disclosing any information."

"Attorney- Client?" questioned Fauna.

"I understand your situation; these people are powerful." He brought up his hands and placed them flat on the table. Was he threatening us, wondered Fauna. And what is attorney-client privilege?

"If you don't sign…" he stopped himself. "I can assure you the best thing to do is take the money."

"Who says?" Fauna asked again. But he stayed silent.

Louisa stood, her chair scooted back in response, making a squeaking noise. "My daughter's right. We need to look into this in more detail. You should leave."

Her mother looked strong. Fauna felt proud seeing her mother like that. He gathered the papers and put them inside his briefcase. She followed their conversation as Louisa led the man down the hall.

"It's my professional opinion you're making a mistake." She heard the front door close and lock. What was going to happen now? A bus falling on my head? I kill somebody? She wondered. Is there anything else that could go wrong in my life?

Matthew

Matthew stood on the rooftop of his apartment building listening for any other signs of criminal activity that he could involve himself in. The air was crisp and cool. He felt rejuvenated when he drew in a deep breath to relax and listen. When he could relax and focus, he was able to stretch his senses even farther.

Satisfied with the lack of activity, he descended the stairs into his living room and slipped the mask off his head. The night had not been as successful as he thought it would be. Grayson Shipping has been involved in some questionable activity for a while. He just hasn't had the time to deal with them while taking down Fisk and his empire. Now, Wilson Fisk is behind bars, some of his competition has risen to new heights. A few have been trying to become the new Fisk. The people behind Grayson Shipping are one of them.

That's not going to happen, Matthew decided.

He would make sure no one like Wilson Fisk would ever come to power again. He went to Grayson to scope the place out. Look around. Before he knew it, guards were swarming him. How they realized he was there, he was unsure. Then, she was there. His curiosity got the better of him and he lost focus.

There, with her in the dark alleyway, he was unprepared. Intimidating people and hurting them was a part of his alter ego. Dealing with men was easy. He could beat them, torture them, and break them until he was satisfied. Something inside him even enjoyed the thrill, though he tried to deny it. Women were more difficult. Threatening and becoming physical with someone much smaller, fragile, and weaker was something he was not keen to do. Fortunately, he's not come across many in this line of work. He couldn't just punch or break bones if they didn't talk. He wouldn't.

She kept lying to him. He had never seen or felt anything like her.

Fauna, was her name.

He had her in his grasp trying to question her without hurting her and being unsuccessful. Guilt and shame swept over his emotions. He had needed answers from her. He thought a little more pressure would get her to talk. She was scared, so scared. Another pang of guilt pulled at his consciousness. His skin was still buzzing. He couldn't explain what had happened in the alley way. One moment he had her, the next he felt like he'd been shocked with a bolt of electricity. It must have been a coincidence.

He splashed soapy water on his face. Stinging pain throbbed the left side of his face, making him wince. He hadn't noticed the cut from his temple to his jaw line. The blood streamed down his neck. Another visible reminder for people to think he's just a helpless blind man that may or may not be an alcoholic.

Least this won't scar. He thought as he dabbed away the dried blood.

Matthew only had a few hours before his alarm would be sounding for work. He lay there struggling with himself. He was exhausted, his body ached and moaned for sleep. But his mind was reeling. He couldn't get the image of Fauna out of his head. Her scent was still lingering all around him. He couldn't place it, he couldn't even describe it. It wasn't like anything or anyone he has been around before. It was frustrating not knowing details. He was used to knowing the details. Where people had been, what they ate, who they had been around, whether they stopped for coffee or not.

He decided that his non-detailed read on Fauna was only because the shock of seeing her was different than he saw everyone else. Next time he'd be able to read her like a book. Those shimmers of light trailing along her figure were mesmerizing. It even took Matthew a moment to register that what he was seeing was real. She was breathing. Moving. Alive. Her heartbeat gave her away. And something else, something more he couldn't put his finger on. He could sense it but couldn't explain. It troubled him, not being able to solve her. He wouldn't be seeing her again though. There wouldn't be a next time. Even if he wanted to or desired it, Matthew wouldn't even admit that.

He realized he was fixated on her again, he pushed her out of his mind, rolled over and tried to sleep.

Two hours in and his alarm clock blared. He reached to turn it off. Almost simultaneously his phone began calling out.

Really Foggy, thought Matthew.

His friend often called as soon as he knew Matthew would be awake. Often, he'd talk about nothing in particular. Matthew was pretty sure Foggy was calling just to check up on him, the habit got worse after Foggy found out how Matthew spent his nights.

"Hello" Matthew said as he tapped the screen. Trying to focus and shake the sleep off.

"Hey Buddy!" Foggy's familiar morning tone sounded extra lively. Matthew wondered what he was up to. "You alive? Well… I guess if you weren't this would be a pretty rad conversation."

"Don't worry, Foggy. I'll be there today."

"Cool, cool. I just wanted to make sure you're not laying in a gutter somewhere, or on a rooftop half dead."

"I'm fine."

"Awesome, listen… I'm headed to the police station."

"Anything wrong?" asked Matt.

"Dude… like everything!"

For a moment Matt's heart beat a bit faster, but quickly realized how over dramatic Foggy could be sometimes.

"We got like… no clients, Matt. Our firm is going down the drain, man. Pretty soon we won't have any lights to turn on. We can't afford to pay the rent. The worst part is we won't be able to pay Karen, let alone ourselves."

A smile crossed Matthew's face. "It's not that dire Foggy. Not yet anyway."

"I'm just saying, if Karen goes, just dig a hole and throw me in."

Matthew laughed.

"I figure if I hang out there long enough, there's bound to be someone who needs defending."

"Well, good luck."

"Yep. See ya."

The phone clicked, and Matthew was left alone. He closed his eyes. Just a few more minutes. He thought. Then I'll get up. He closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, it was many hours later.

"Eleven forty-two, AM" announced the automated voice on his clock after he pushed the button.

Matt jumped to his feet. Foggy won't like this.

Twenty minutes later Matthew was walking down the hallway to their office. A strange buzzing noise filled his ears. And a heart, frightened and verging on terrified, pounded in his ears.

Matthew reached for the door knob and froze when he heard a newly familiar voice coming from the other side. He cursed himself for not tuning in from the street. Matthew's own heart began to beat faster.

"I'm so sorry, th—this was a mistake." The girl said. Fauna, realized Matthew.

"Well, perhaps we could try –" said Foggy, he was anxious for some reason.

"No, I'm sorry, I—I'll tell my friend about your advice." The door opened, and Matthew's eyebrows shot up as cascading shimmers forming Fauna's figure began backing into him.

Knowing Karen was near, and he was supposed to be blind, Matthew forced himself to stay put as Fauna's body collided with his. The energy around them pulsated when his skin brushed against hers.

For the second time in less than twelve hours Matthew had her in his grasp as she spun and gripped his forearms. He grabbed her elbows in return. And they stumble into each other. His senses went haywire and his hair stood up.

"Oh," Fauna called out. She pushed away from him as if Matthew was trying to attack her. He let go and stepped back, feeling as if she was on the verge of trying to strike him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said.

Her face heated, and eyes widened when she realized he was a blind man. "Oh my. You're blind!" Her hands came up and covered her mouth. "Great, I knocked over a blind man. Things could get worse." She whispered in a soft voice, he was sure only he could hear her.

"This is Matt, he's the Murdock portion of Nelson and Murdock." Foggy said, jumping out through the office entryway before Matthew could respond.

"Mr. Murdock, I'm so, so sor—" Fauna's words abruptly ended as he noticed the location her eyes became fixed on. Matthew could sense her panic rise. The catch in her breath and the hard swallow in her throat. He felt the vibration from her skin as she began to quiver. She stared at the cut on the left side of his face. Dread struck him when he realized what she must be thinking.

"I—I'm a – I got to um… go" she stammered as she backed toward the exit.

Matthew stood, not moving as different scenarios ran through his head of what could happen now that she could identify him. Before he realized Fauna was gone and his name was being called.

"Matt!" yelled Foggy. "You okay?" His friend was concerned. Matthew realized he wasn't interacting much with the situation. He hadn't even said one word.

"I forgot something, I'll be back." Matthew turned on his heel, stretched his cane in front of him and began following Fauna.

A sigh from his friend told Matthew he'd have to explain to Foggy later and probably add another lie where Karen was concerned.