New Leaf

Fauna

The next morning Fauna checked her itinerary. She had a few errands around the building and then she was to meet with her father in a couple hours. After Daredevil's visit to her mother as a sweet and innocent lawyer, Fauna was more determined than ever to collect anything she could to blackmail her father, take care of her mother, and rid her life of all the bad. Which meant taking higher risks.

She slammed a file down. So far there was nothing, actually there hasn't been anything since that night of the warehouse fire.

She cursed him again. He's been making her job much more difficult. Scooting around Grayson's has been easy. However, it's been impossible to do so around Daredevil.

She picked up her clipboard, it was time for her errands. Luckily for her she was only transferring file boxes from one building to another. Nothing unusual. Hopefully she could spot something of interest. This time she decided to take along the small camera she had hidden under the loose tile located under her desk leg. She had found the hiding spot while retrieving her loose coins that had fallen from her wallet.

"Taking bigger risks." She said. Lately, with her luck it was very possible she'd be caught with it because of some unusual circumstance.

Recently, that's all she felt she was... a victim of circumstance. Today she felt revitalized, it was probably just the extra vegetable broth she forced herself to eat for breakfast and her mother's delicious chicken and tea. She ate everything in sight when she was with her mother. It was the only time she ever gets a meal since working for Grayson. However, she was convinced it was her decision to stand up to...

"Mister Perfect Lawyer Vigilante." Fauna mumbled to herself.

Yes, he just kept knocking her back down, smirking while he did so, but it felt good to try and hit him. She swiped her badge for access into the adjacent building and ran into Ace.

Fauna's heart flew to her throat.

"Ace!" The ceiling light above their heads shattered, hitting Ace's shoulder and littering him with tiny shards of glass. He looked up, brushing the debris off his impeccable blue suit. Then his head tilted toward her, his raven hair shifted.

Suddenly the area between Fauna's breasts, where she had stuffed the camera, grew heavier.

He smiled and stepped closer, "My name sounds good coming from your lips." The glass crunched under his feet. His broad shoulders dwarfed the hallway. Fauna couldn't believe she'd seen some girls giggle at those kinds of lines.

"I have an itinerary to keep up with." She pushed past him. Surprisingly he let her, but caught her elbow before she got too far. He pulled her back into him.

Fauna stiffened. If Ace found the camera on her she was dead. Very dead!

"I'm getting impatient, Fauna. Very impatient. Your debt grows and I'm looking to collect."

Fauna spun around to face him, "What?!"

Her tone surprised him. He stepped back and released her.

Though his expression only lasted half a second, she still caught it. She was surprised she surprised him. His smile returned, Fauna shrank back into herself.

"Just to name a few... the warehouse fire."

Fauna scrunched her face in confusion.

Ace continued, "I shielded that smooth skin of yours from the door when that asshole kicked it in." He reached toward her. Fauna stepped out of reach, just as his finger grazed her cheek.

She needed to get away from him. If he was looking for leverage on her, she was currently being served on a silver platter if he decided to search her. According to her father Ace could seize, search, interrogate, and murder anyone at any time.

He slid his hand back inside his pocket. His smile returned and rocked back on his heels. She had never seen him do that, she thought it looked odd on a cold blooded killer who was kidding himself, she thought.

"You can't hold that against me. I was just in your way as you ran." She really wanted to add, like a coward. She thought better of it. She tried to side step him, but he cut her off.

"or maybe I wanted to feel you under me." The snake-like smile brightened his eyes maliciously.

Fauna cringed. "Ace. I'm going to get in trouble if I don't stay on time. I have to do my job."

"And I have the Job of finding the second assailant."

Her feet felt like lead. She forced herself to keep walking and ignore his comment, but she knew he was referring to her.

"You remember, right? Daredevil had a partner that first night he showed up here. Pretty sure it was female."

Fauna turned. "I don't, sorry." She shrugged and turned to leave again.

Ace nodded. "Rick gave a good description of her before he disappeared."

Her stride staggered. That night's events ran through her head again. Rick must have been that large security guard she encountered and escaped from.

"Eight o'clock, Fauna. Saturday. I'll inform Grayson you'll be out that night."

She kept walking, tears about to explode from her eyes. She wouldn't cry. Not anymore. She decided this morning she had been crying too much. Saturday was four days from now. She had four days to get what she needed and get the Hell out of there. For now she had to push Ace from her mind and keep focus.

As she exited one building, carrying her files, she noticed something new by the docks. At the excitement of finally finding evidence and having her camera, the threat of tears quickly faded.

She put the boxes down by the door and stepped to the edge of the alley to take a peak. Six large, unmarked trucks were lined up near several small fishing boats. Armed guards stood by. It was odd for two reasons. One, she had never seen fishing boats docked at Grayson's shipyard before. And two,the guards were not Grayson's. They're uniforms were different, something else she'd never seen before. Something familiar poked at her, but she quickly pushed it away.

Thanks to Ace she only had a few seconds. She double checked her surroundings to make sure she was alone, she slid the camera from its hiding spot and snapped a few photos, then slid the camera back.

Fauna opened the door to her father's office and stepped inside. Grayson was talking with a man, his back was turned to her. She stayed silent and invisible until she was told otherwise, that was the rule.

"The container's cargo has been loaded on the trucks." The strange man said.

Fauna sighed. She had just missed what was on the trucks.

Grayson smiled, "Well, that's fantastic."

"However, my employer was not happy about the sudden changes in delivery that occurred and the price of our extra security measures."

"With a certain individual making life difficult for most of us, I'm sure your employer understands." Grayson suggested.

"He can be a patient man, but does expect the problem to be dissolved."

"Plans are moving forward in that regard. He won't be a problem for anyone much longer."

"And you can give me your word on that."

"Of course."

Fauna knew they were talking of Daredevil, but what did they mean? Were they planning a trap, going to kill him, did Grayson already know who his true identity was?

The man stood, bowed his head, and turned, walking past Fauna without acknowledging her. She took a quick glance at him, then lowered her eyes once more. It was all she needed to store the man's face in her memory.

Grayson cleared his throat.

She raised her eyes to him, her father stared at the chair in front of his desk. That's the way things were between them. He never acknowledged her directly, unless she did something wrong.

She moved quickly to sit down, as soon as she did, Grayson opened a desk drawer and took out a manila envelope. There was no "hello, how are you" greeting or a warm hug. Nothing like what should be between a father and daughter. Just a cold emptiness. Would she ever have the courage to ask why, she wondered.

"You are to deliver this envelope to precinct 15 today. Tell the clerk at the front desk, Davis. Then they will tell you what to do."

He handed Fauna the envelope. She wondered, hoped and wished he had just handed over everything she needed. Her heart pounded at the prospect as she took it from him.

"This envelope is sensitive. If anything happens to it, I will be holding you personally responsible."

She nodded. Could it really be that easy? After all the trouble she has been through the last few months and it's just being handed over. No, no, she stopped herself. You can't get excited, not yet. She had to see what was in that envelope.

"Well..."

Fauna blinked out of her thoughts at the sound of her fathers voice and realized she had sat there too long.

"Get going!" He demanded.

"Yes. of course." She stood and left.

Fauna ran back to her office.

The envelope was light and thin and most importantly it was unmarked. Which meant it could be replaced. Unfortunately, she didn't have any in her office and because of the tracking Fob she was forced to carry, she couldn't go too far out of her way to find one. It would look suspicious. That left out the only store she was sure that carried a similar envelope.

The day was already half over and the 15th precinct was in the heart of Hell's Kitchen. She grabbed her bag and headed out, trying to calm her excitement and anxiety.

She grabbed her phone to ring her mom, taking full advantage of Grayson's new Daredevil rules he placed on her and allowing one quick phone call daily.

A few rings in, her mom picks up.

"Hello."

"Hey mom, just checking in."

"Hi honey, you sound peppy this morning. Those tests go okay for you?"

"I am feeling better." She replied, purposely avoiding the question about school work and ignoring the pain of her forearm from carrying the file boxes.