Days Later…
"I didn't realize Banner had a cousin." I said as I leaned against the counter in the kitchen.
"Neither did we. I don't know exactly what he's up to but he's been in Los Angeles for a couple weeks now." Sam stated. Bucky nodded his head in agreement.
Bucky took a sip of his coffee, "So where's Bruce and Dick? I didn't see them this morning." Bucky asked me.
"They're checking out the museum again. People are still staking it out hoping another Avenger will show up so I decided not to go." I stated. Sam nodded abenstmindly as he scrolled through his phone.
"What the hell?" I heard Sam mutter. He stopped his scrolling as he frowned looking at his phone.
"What?" I asked him. Sam looked up at me in alarm. I grew concerned seeing the seriousness in his face.
"See for yourself." He handed me his phone. I took the phone from him and turned to the screen to face me. My eyes slowly widened reading the heading of the news article.
"Ryan Hayes/Cyclone Released from RAFT on Parole"
"Oh my god." I muttered under my breath. Ryan's out? Bucky leaned over to read over my shoulder. He about spit out the coffee he just took a sip of.
"The hell? Since when do Raft prisoners get parole?" Bucky questioned.
"Does that psycho even qualify for parole? He killed over forty people in a single day." Sam questioned. I handed back Sam his phone before walking around the kitchen counter.
"Where are you going?" Sam questioned me.
"To have somebody who's an expert in the law to take a look at this." I answered as I activated the Voltess suit on me. Bruce had taken my car to get himself and Dick to the museum. My nano board formed as soon as I stepped onto the outdoor courtyard of the compound.
Ryan had practically disappeared after we took Joker back to Arkham. I had gone back to the mansion but he was gone at that point. Martin and Gordon kept tip lines opened to find him but no luck. Bruce and I kept a constant alert out for him. Ryan's obsession for me was dangerous. Especially for Bruce. When Ryan is unhinged he's completely unpredictable. It's safer for the general public that he stays behind bars. How he was able to get parole is beyond me. Typically when somebody is sent to the Raft prison, there's no coming back.
I walked up to the door that had signage of the glass door that read "Nelson, Murdock and Page. Attorneys at Law". I turned the door handle and opened the door. The bell above it jingled, signaling somebody had walked into their law firm. The secretary looked up from her desk and gave a polite smile.
"Good morning. Do you have an appointment?" The woman asked. I walked up to the desk.
"No but I need to have a word with Matt Murdock. Is he in?" I asked the secretary.
"I'm sorry ma'am but if you wish to meet with Mr. Murdock you need to make an appointment like all of his other clients." The woman refused.
I gave a small huff, "I'm not a client, I'm a friend. I need to speak with him now. It's urgent." I stressed to the secretary.
The woman gave me a look that said she was losing patience, "Ma'am, I'm not going to repeat myself any further. I can make an appointment now otherwise I'll have to ask you to vacate the premises." She said sternly.
I glared at the woman and opened my mouth to speak but was soon interrupted.
"Mel. I thought I heard your voice." I turned my head to see Matt Murdock standing just outside his office. He had his red shades on and his white cane in his hands.
Matt gave a smile, "It's alright, Joyce. She's an old friend." He told the secretary. Matt gestured to me with his hand to come forward. Joyce gave me an agitated look as I walked by her.
I walked by Matt and entered his office. He closed the door behind him.
"Well this is an unexpected visit." Matt started out. He folded up his cane and walked over to his desk without the guidance of his cane.
"Believe me, I wasn't expecting this either." I agreed with him as he sat down. He gestured to one of the two empty chairs in front of his desk.
"Is this Avengers related by chance?" Matt asked as I took a seat.
I gave a deep sigh, "In a way. Do you know the name Ryan Hayes?" I asked him.
Matt's brows raised, "I have. He's your former colleague isn't he?" He questioned.
"And villain to Voltess. He killed forty people in one day. Myself and Tony took him down years ago. He's been in the Raft prison ever since but I just found out this morning he somehow got offered parole. He's loose right now and we have no idea where he's at. Can somebody from the Raft prison really get paroled like that out of the blue?" Matt sighed and leaned his elbows on his desk.
"It's certainly possible. Scott Lang and Clint Barton were able to take plea deals and get out of the prison back in 2016." I shook my head.
"But their cases were active. Ryan has been in Raft since 2013. His case has been closed since his sentencing. He was sentenced to life in the Raft for the forty counts of murder." Matt hummed in thought.
"Who handled the case back in 2013?" He asked me.
"The DA's office here in New York." Matt nodded and stood up.
"I'll look up the case records and anything else I can pull up while I'm there. Give me some time to research. I'll see what I can do." I stood up and had a grateful smile on my face.
"Thanks, Matt. I owe you one." Matt smiled and nodded his head.
"You're welcome. How have things been by the way?" He asked.
"Really good. What about you? Anything interesting happen on your late night "excursions"?" I asked with a small smirk on my face.
A smirk formed on Matt's face, "Nothing new in Hells Kitchen. Same old mob activity. What brings you back here?" He asked.
"Family trip. My son wanted to see the world I came from." Matt's brows raised in surprise.
"Son? I didn't realize you had a kid. You mentioned a husband the last time we spoke." He commented.
"It surprised me too when I went back. His name is Dick. Bruce had adopted him while I was away." Matt smiled warmly.
"Adoption is always a good thing. Let me get started on looking into the Ryan Hayes case. You still have the same number?" He asked me.
"Never changed."
"I'll give you a call as soon as I find something out." I nodded and headed for the door.
I put my hand on the handle, "And Mel," I turned to Matt, "Congratulations by the way." I gave a wide eyed stare to Matt.
"How'd you-?"
"-I can hear two sets of heartbeats coming from you." Matt interrupted my question.
I shook my head as I opened the door, "That still amazes me how you can hear that." I muttered. Matt gave a soft laugh.
"I'll be keeping in touch." Matt said as I stepped out of his office.
"Thank you again, Matt." He gave a brief nod and I fully walked out of his office. Now to meet up with Bruce and tell him exactly what's going on.
"What? Can they even do that?!" Bruce exclaimed as he stared at me in disbelief. I shrugged my shoulders. We were back in the Avengers Compound. Bruce and Dick had just come back from the museum. Dick was in his room at the moment while they two of us talked.
"I don't know. I have a friend that's a lawyer looking into it now. He said he'd give me a call once he had an answer." I answered. Bruce sat down on the couch. He huffed and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Here I thought I heard the last of Ryan Hayes." Bruce muttered. I sat down next to Bruce and placed a hand on his knee.
"So did I. I knew after the reverse snap that Ryan was right back in his cell where he belongs. My best guess is he's out looking for me as we speak. He doesn't know about America which means he doesn't know that I can go to and from the multiverse now." Bruce had a look of agitation on his face.
"Why now? Why when we're actually here and not back home? This is a wrong time, wrong place scenario. If Ryan really is looking for you then that means Dick is at risk." Bruce's face suddenly paled as he looked at me.
"The baby is at an even higher risk. If Ryan finds out you're pregnant with our child…I don't even want to begin to think what he might do." I took Bruce's hand in mine and shook my head.
"He won't find out. I'm only nine weeks along. I'm not even showing yet. He'd be none the wiser if it came down to the worst case scenario. If Ryan really is out to find me then it's just inevitable that he will. He knows that I stay here. Right now, the safest option for you and Dick is stay with Pepper and Morgan." Bruce shook his head with a frown on his face.
"Out of the question. We are not separating." I gave Bruce a pleading look.
"Bruce, please. You know exactly how much Ryan hates you and how he acts when you're around me. He's far more predictable when it is just him and me. I already proved it years ago in Gotham. Ryan won't hurt me. Until we get an answer back from my friend regarding his parole. It would be much safer for you two not to stay here. We need Ryan to believe that I'm still stuck here and can't get back to you. It'll keep him in the dark and we head back home in two days anyway. Once we're home, we won't have to worry about him." I pleaded with Bruce.
Bruce gave me a long hard stare before finally sighing in defeat. "I hate it when you're right. Promise me that you'll stay safe…for both of you." Bruce pleaded with me. He placed a hand over my flat pregnant belly.
I nodded, "I will. I'll do my best at keeping contact with you and try to sneak away at some point." I said gently. I grasped his hand on my stomach with mine. Bruce leaned forward and captured me in a loving kiss.
He pulled back, "I love you." He whispered.
"I love you too." I whispered back to him.
Bruce gave a small smile before standing up, "I'll have Dick pack his bags. We'll leave for the cabin now." I stood up and nodded. Bruce leaned over and gave a final kiss on my cheek before walking down the hall.
I gingerly placed a hand on my stomach and looked down, "Don't you worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise." I muttered under my breath.
"You sure about this, Mel?" Sam's voice came through my phone.
"I don't have a choice, Sam. I know Ryan pretty damn well. He's out looking for me and he has no idea about America. He doesn't know I can travel the multiverse at will now. I need to pretend that I'm going about my day to day life here. Which means pretending to work back at the lab." I told Sam over the phone.
"And you really think Ryan would be dumb enough to trespass onto the Avenger Compound?" He questioned.
"I wouldn't call it dumb. More like desperate. Ryan thinks that Bruce and I are finally separated because of the reverse snap. I have two more days until Wong shows up and takes us to America to send us back home. We just have to last until then. I have Matt Murdock looking into his parole in the meantime." I informed him.
"The same lawyer that defended Spiderman?"
"That would be him. I gotta go, Sam." I told him as I approached my lab.
"Call me if you need anything, Mel." With that Sam hung up his end. I placed my palm on the scanner and the glass door opened as I stepped inside.
I grabbed my lab coat that still hung off to the side. I put the coat on as all of the equipment and computers turned.
"Athena, alert me if there's any movement in the outdoor courtyard." I informed the AI.
"Yes, Mel." Athena responded.
I pulled up the hologram images of the project I had been working on prior to being sent back to Gotham. I sorted through a couple of the files before my phone vibrated on the glass panel. I tapped on the screen to see I had received a text from Bruce. I picked up the phone and unlocked the screen to read it.
'Anything?'
I leaned against the glass of the console while typing back a reply.
'Not yet. Athena will alert me if there's movement outside.'
I set my phone back down and continued to go through my last research files. I paused mid swipe hearing a noise come from behind me. I cautiously turned around and walked up to the glass of my lab. My eyes scanned the area trying to find the source of the noise. Nothing seemed out of place.
I gave a sigh, "Now I'm hearing things." I muttered to myself.
"Mel, security cameras have detected movement." Athena's voice suddenly sounded.
"Where?" I asked immediately.
"On the roof." I tilted my head up and looked at the ceiling. I walked out of the lab and made my way to the locked door that led to the roof stairwell. I punched in the code before opening the door. I hurried up the three flights of stairs before opening the roof access door.
My feet crunched on the gravel of the roof below. My lab coat blew slightly from the breeze. I frowned not seeing anybody up here. The motion alarms only go off with something big moves by like a human. Nothing small like a bird or a squirrel could set it off.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were expecting me to find you." My body froze hearing Ryan's voice come from behind me.
I took a step back as I turned my body. My gaze hardened seeing Ryan standing in front me. He had a cocky smirk on his face. What got my attention was a brand new suit he was wearing. It consisted of black and dark teal material. The pants and shoes of the suit were completely black. The torso of the chest piece was the dark teal color and the long sleeves and gloves were black. The chest piece had a swirl pattern engraved into the material that resembled a symbol of a twister. Where the hell did he get this from?
Ryan smirked seeing me eye the suit. He held his hands out, "What'd ya think? Pretty cool right?" Somebody made this suit for him…why?
"Since when do you wear a suit?" I asked him cautiously.
Ryan's smirk grew, "Curious aren't we? I'd tell you but I don't even know what I signed up for. All I know is that in exchange they got me out of that damn cell. This suit was a bonus." Sign up?
"What do you mean by signed up? What's going on, Ryan?" I demanded from him.
Ryan held up a finger and shook it at me, "Tsk, tsk, Mel. We haven't seen each other in what? Almost seven years? No, how are you's? I'm a little hurt. I'd think you would have missed me by now." I glared at Ryan.
"You thought wrong. The last time I saw you, Ryan, you refused to help locate my friends while Joker had them strapped to bombs." Ryan rolled his eyes.
"Are you still on that? That's long in the past now. Besides, I recall going along with the whole fake your death plan. I even saved you." Ryan reminded me.
Ryan took a couple steps towards me. He glowered at me, "And how did you repay me? By marrying him." Ryan whispered angrily. I could here the venom in his tone when mentioning Bruce.
"I told you back at the abandoned mansion, Ryan. I love Bruce, not you." Ryan glared darkly at me.
"Really? Even now? We're not in Gotham anymore, Mel. We're back home. There's no Bruce Wayne here. I've noticed that you haven't bothered to change your legal name. It's still Moser which tells me that deep down, Mel. You know you're never seeing him again." Ryan taunted me.
"You think you know what I'm feeling? Then explain this," I held up my left hand where my wedding ring sat, "Why am I still wearing this? I haven't given up hope. I made Bruce a promise I'd find a way back to him." I told him
Ryan gave a dark chuckle, "Don't make promises you can't keep, Mel. Public knowledge of the multiverse isn't even out yet. Developing technology to one day travel it is hundreds of years away. You'll have to face reality one day, Mel. You're never seeing Wayne again. You might as well accept that fact and move on with your life." I narrowed my eyes at him.
"And let me guess, you're offering yourself when I do?" Ryan's smirk returned.
"You're the genius, Mel. You tell me." I crossed my arms over my chest.
"We would never work, Ryan. I told you back in Gotham even if we had a clean slate, I wouldn't want anything to do with you. I can't oversee that you killed forty people without batting an eye. There's a reason why you were sent to the Raft Prison. A prison that you weren't supposed to leave…ever. You mentioned you signed up for something. Something that in exchange for you got put on parole when that was never originally part of your sentencing. What is going on, Ryan?" I asked him again.
I expected Ryan to get angry again but instead his smirk grew, "You really want to know?"
"What do you think?" I fired back at him.
"Fine, I'll tell you." His smirk grew a coyness to it, "I'll tell you…over dinner." My eyes widened. He did not just do that.
"What?" I asked in shock.
"You heard me. I'll tell you what you want to hear, but if you want to hear it then you have to agree to dinner. It's not like you'd be cheating. You're legally not married here and Wayne is a universe away." My jaw clenched as I glared at Ryan.
I wanted to know more but this was going too far. There is no way in hell I am going on a date with Ryan. I would never do that to Bruce. Rather he's physically here or not.
I took a step forward to be face to face with Ryan, "Get the hell off this roof before I flag down the other Avengers." I threatened him.
Ryan's smirk faltered slightly, "I'll take that as a no then. Fine, I'll leave but if you change your mind." Ryan fished a card from his belt and handed it to me.
"This is where I'm currently staying. I'm in room 602." I grabbed the card between my index and middle finger. Ryan took a few steps back. Air currents developed in his palms and below his feet as he took off into the sky.
I looked back at the business card. I looked at the card in surprise reading the name of the hotel. Lotte New York Palace. That hotel is one of the most expensive in all of New York. Over five hundred dollars a night. Whoever was responsible for getting Ryan out of Raft and made his suit also made sure his living arrangements were set. What the hell is going on here?