In the Skin of a Devil
I remember the first time I ever met Elektra, it was at a party that was being held by one of the wealthy friends of ours, the ones that would sometimes joke about being wealthy, but they weren't the kind that made you feel unwelcome. Foggy was the usual object bullying, but I was always there behind the scenes to put it to and end, mostly by delivering a bit of their own medicine. It was charitable balls in which paintings were sold that were painted by students who were holding joint degrees with the arts. She was with one of those rich snobs and from the way she was always in constant movement she felt caged, I think that was when I first ever thought of her like a jungle cat. It was because she was always trying to move forward, trying to get out of the invisible cage that she had imagined had sprung up around her.
Luckily she finally broke away from the rich snob and started to walk around the room ensnaring men with those beautiful looks of hers and somehow, I think if I could see her eyes, I'd see the eyes of a lioness ready hunt a gazelle for herself. I could sense that a lot of men felt a certain arousal from her presence and I could admit that everything I had sensed about her so far had an enticing nature to it, even the rich, strong perfume she wears, and so strong of cinnamon and jasmine that brings tears to my eyes. There is something so sweet about her movements, the way it creates a perfect rift through the air seemingly dancing through the currents of sound waves as I perceive a phantom ballerina transforming in a panther on the prowl. There have been nice girls on the way, but this wasn't one of those nice girls that your mother was trying to introduce you to, she was something else, and I'd like to figure out what that something else is.
She must have noticed that I don't walk like I'm blind; something that I hadn't quite mastered yet at that time, but it was still something subtle, something only trained eyes would pick out. I just wanted to walk past her, see if perhaps she would respond to me and that would lead into a conversation. I don't know how handsome I look, but girls tell me I look handsome, I just hoped I looked handsome enough. She put her foot out to try and trip me, a challenge to see if I was really blind, something that I just barely perceived from the slight adjustment of her body, though I did not correct myself. I would have given away my secret so I allowed myself to trip and to stumble, catching myself before I made it obvious as I didn't want to bring too much attention to myself. Her eyes were looking me over as I started to get up, using my cane to make and hands to try and make sure no was around, sell the act a bit more and hope she bought it. The only person who bought anything was me as she sauntered by me, moving close enough to waft some of that expensive, sensuous perfume into my nose almost like she was spreading pheromones. I could tell by the change in her breathing and the way her heartbeat gave an outline of her body that she turned her head to look back at me over her shoulder. That was the last I saw of her at the party, I later found out we shared two classes together, allowing me ample time to get to know her and she me. She always saw right through me, as if I were made of glass and she never broke me, she treated me gentle except for the nights when she would devour me, but I always welcomed those nights.
She always liked to see my eyes, trying to imagine what they would have looked like if I hadn't lost them in the accident, but them she would kiss each individual eye. I knew even after the words came out of my mouth that I shouldn't have yelled at her at the court house, it was the first time I had ever known her to be hurt and the fact that I was the one to have hurt her stung deep in my chest. After I had finished delivering justice to Fixer I decided to prowl the city and try to find something to get my mind off of Elektra and the smell of her tears. It just wasn't enough as I stopped two muggings and one rape, all three cases the victims were women, but none of them were Elektra. I had to see her, I had to apologize to her, I had to lick those tears away, just as she had done for me when I lost my father. First I decided to see if I could get a better disguise for my break in as the guards to her mansion were trained to remember slight details. I slipped into the bedroom of my home only to find Stick sitting there, waiting for me.
"So you took vengeance this night," said Stick, not really asking, he was stating a fact that he had already known probably even before I had planned the entire thing. "You must be getting sloppy if you didn't know I was there watching the whole thing, even to the moment when you tried to save your enemy's life."
"I went there looking to dispense justice, not play executioner," I said, no, stated with a form declaration of determination backed by a righteous zeal.
"You were stupid in your actions, all the same," said Stick as he got up and used his stick to push off my blindfold. "This doesn't hide much of your face, you're lucky you moved like a blur and half of your opponents were drunk. If you plan on doing this again, I'd suggest finding a better disguise, but at the same time, i'm hoping that I can convince you not to do this again."
"I don't know, I use to believe that justice could always be found in the courts," I said deciding to lay all my cards on the table, after all, this man was my mentor and he already knew so much. "I'll try to fight for justice in the courts, but if the guilty continue to make a mockery of the system then i must continue to act on behalf of justice. Though I need to change the image, I need something that looks more fearsome and does a better job at disguising myself."
"And just how do you plan on acquiring something of that nature, I've never heard of a blind tailor," said Stick as he sat down on the chair in my room.
"Well I could design the suit, but the only person I could trust to sew it together is you," I said as I turned to "look" at Stick as a showing of my absolute trust in him. "I humbly ask you to help me in creating this matter. There is no one else i could trust with this matter, I would only be putting them in danger with that knowledge, but you already know so I need your help. As you said I can't make this on my own, I can't even fix my suits. Please master, help me."
"I'll help you make your skin, but I hope that you think this over seriously," warned Stick as he stood up and walked towards the fire escape. "I'll come back later for the sketch, but I should also warn you about Elektra Natchios. Stay away from her, she's got a powerful anger and if you're not careful she'll suck you into her darkness as well."
With those words he left me standing in the middle of my bedroom, alone with my thoughts, but so many things were rushing by my head, so many thoughts that I felt overwhelmed, much like I did in bars when people talked loudly. I thought about what Stick had said about Elektra and I thought back onto all the times I had seen Elektra's wild side, remembering that fire that was burning inside of her. That fire had started a spark in myself, igniting a fire that drove out a wild side in myself, a fire that nothing of my Catholic upbringing could scorch, though i was grateful for Father Rourke for all the late night confessions and the fact that he kept it all confidential. My dad wouldn't have mind though, he was a strict Catholic when it came to Church attendance and even his lifestyle, but he also knew what it was like to be a young man with so many women chasing after you. I thought of my father and I wonder if he would proud of me and the road that I had taken this night. I imagined that he'd be yelling at me for the things I said to Elektra and I wouldn't blame him.
I thought about designs for my new outfit trying to think of something that would work to my advantage, a symbol that could be used to take by Hell's Kitchen back from the hands of corrupt and the greedy, I needed something to show them that Hell's Kitchen can be taken back and to prove that no one is above the law. The more I thought about it, the more I was certain that my costume would be made from my father's old boxing robes, the ones he had worn when he was killed. The robe was fully red so it limited his range of design choices. He spent an hour thinking before figuring that he should decide a name first for his other identity and let the design center around that.
I better go visit Elektra and apologize for yesterday, I thought, shrugging off the warnings that Stick had given me, i couldn't just leave things at that, not with Elektra. I looked through my trunk until i came over what I was looking for, an old black bandanna that could easily be used for a cowl, covering up more of my face so that I wasn't easily recognizable as I prowled the rooftops, leaping across the distances and running along the telephone wires. It felt good to be right back at the enjoyment that I had always felt when I was waling above the city, jumping freely without a care in the world, interacting with the city on a level that others couldn't. With my mental map of New York City I was at her house faster than i ever could have been in a cab, but the sight of her house didn't bring any of the relief that it usually did.
I could hear the sirens blaring and police officers forming the perimeter around the estate, a sniper team was already getting ready to move in. I listened intently to hear what was going on and from the voice of two officers i could determine that a group of terrorists were holding Elektra and her father hostage, obviously to demand ransom from either the United States government or Greece, who Mr. Natchios was an ambassador for. They were avoiding going in until they had each hallway going in and they were handing out pictures of Elektra and her father to the sniping and SWAT team. The terrorists were keeping them at bay so far and they couldn't get in without risking harm to either Elektra or her father. I couldn't just sit by as she was in danger, i had to act and I did.
I climbed up the backside of the mansion, keeping out of sight from any of the sniper teams less they think I was one of the hostage takers trying to make an escape. I slipped into the top floor of the mansion finding that it was only guarded by three men, all heavily armed with assault rifles from the sound of the rate of fire. The first one was isolated and easy to take out, i just up behind him and slammed his head into the door frame. The other two were close to each other and I could take them out easily with my billy club, the only problem was that I didn't have my billy club on me. instead i had to improvise using the magazine from the downed hostage taker's assault rifle, sneaking slowly towards to the other two. I pounced on the first one knocking him down while throwing the clip at his compatriot, striking him right in the head, the terrorist reflexively squeezing off two shots. Suddenly it became apparent that someone else was in the mansion, a fact which caused the terrorists to split up the main group that was watching Elektra and her father come looking for me.
I perched on the top of one of the railways on the floor above, waiting for them to burst through the door, which they didn't disappoint me. They even made the stupid mistake of not looking up, instead sticking close tot he believe that their attacker would be on the ground in front of them. They had no idea I was coming as I pounced at them, kicking one down while turning wrench the rifle out of one's hands and throwing it at another. Because I was so close they decided to go for hand-to-hand combat, something that they were passable in. They had never attacked one man at the same time, especially one who could move like me.
The first punch was easily dodged and countered with a punch to the throat that took the terrorist out of the fight. One of his friends decided to rush me from behind, but I easily flipped over him, pushing him forward while I delivered a back kick to one of his friends. A fourth terrorist tried to punch me but i easily caught it and brought my arm up right behind his elbow, pushing it forward till it was wrench out of it's joint. At this time the one who had rushed me had picked up a chair and was about to hit me with it before I rolled right through his legs and kicked him right in his left cheek, sending him right into the terrorist with the broken arm. The one that I had back kicked had gotten to his feet and started to come at me with a few well thrown jabs at me, but I managed to block each one thanks to having a former heavy weight champion for a father. He threw a haymaker trying to knock me out, but I ducked under it and delivered an upper cut that took him off the ground a few inches and landed him on his back. That was all for this crowd.
What I heard next still plays in the back of my mind whenever I think of the good times me and Elektra had, I think of the moment when she was lost to me. There was the panicked cries of police officers saying that the terrorists were throwing hostages out of the window and the sniper captain giving the order to fire. I heard shots ring out and i ducked as they began to tear through the windows, I head Elektra scream for her father. I rushed through the door only to find Elektra holding her father, blood flowing everywhere and i knew that it wasn't her blood. His heart was slowly stopping and even though I knew it wouldn't do any good I called for a medic to the outside. We watched as her father died and I took off the jacket I was wearing and gave it to Elektra to put it over her father. The sound of a gun clicking came from behind me, in all the excitement we had overlooked one last attacker. I could tell he was armed with only a revolver, the distinctive sound of the cylinder revolving gave it away.
"Who the devil are you," he asked me as he kept the gun trained at me, though I could tell it was shaking, the slight sound of metal gave that away as well, plus the loud sound of his heart beating. He turned the gun towards Elektra making it clear he was going to shoot her if I tried anything.
"Exactly that," I said adding a bit of menace to my voice added by the anger that this man was partially responsible for her father's death, i could smell the used gunpowder from the gun.
"Well then here is the deal, you're sued to making deals, aren't you devil," taunted the man as he nodded towards Elektra. "Now I won't hesitate to gun you btoh down, but you managed to get in here without either the police or my men noticing, I need you to show me how, so I let the girl stay here and you and me walk out of here, then i disappear and you two never see me again."
"I can't do that," i said as I took a step forward, prompting him to cock the hammer back further in warning. "I'm here to take you to hell and it would be embarrassing for me to tell Lucifer that I let you go."
'You think you're funny, numb nuts," shouted the man in anger, his heartbeat accelerating and adrenaline pumping through his body. This time he trained the gun on me. "You want to take me, go on I dare you! I double dog dare you! Come on I dare you devil. Come on daredevil, let's see you take this gun from me."
"Daredevil, i rather like that name," I said as i let the chair leg I had under my sleeve loosen as I got ready to throw it. "I don't want to kill you so put the gun down and no one else has to get hurt."
"You see that's where you're wrong, you have to be hurt for being so god damn stupid," roared the man as he started to pull the trigger, but the gun fell from his hand as his head jerked back from the blow of the chair leg right to the middle of his forehead. He was knocked out cold.
"I'm sorry about your father, I wish I could have stopped this man earlier, before he killed him," i said, trying to comfort her, the smell of her tears was like a melancholic cloud that had appeared over our horizon and it marked the beginning of the end of our relationship.
"He was shot by the police snipers," she replied as she looked at the window. "I managed to slip out of my bindings and started to take out the terrorists to get my father to safety, but I accidentally knocked one out of the window. The police must have thought he was a hostage and started firing at whatever they could see, which incidentally was my father."
"Om my god, I'm sorry," I said, I truly was sorry and I felt that once again, the system had let me down. "I'll stay with you if you want."
"No you should go before you get roped into this," she said and I knew she didn't really want me to go, but I had to respect her wishe because after all, it was the right thing to do. If the police found me there they would have begun to question who a blind guy had taken out so many armed combatants single-handedly. I needed the world to think me blind if I hoped to carry on another fight for justice under the alias that had been given to me...Daredevil.
I didn't realize it would be nearly a week before I saw her again, she wasn't in her mansion and I was having a hard time finding her, the only time I can across her scent or that jasmine perfume she wears was...at all the wrong places. Crime scenes in which thugs were found brutally murdered. I had started to really worry about her and what she was becoming. More than ever I needed to find Elektra and keep her close, keep her safe from all these things in her head and external forces that were changing her. Stick had told me there was darkness in her, but I believed in Elektra more than anything, and I wasn't about to let me faith dwindle. I loved her, after all. The next time I saw her was at her father's funeral, there were still so many unresolved issues. I could hear her sobbing softly as they buried her father's remains in a mausoleum they had built for him. Despite him beign a Greek diplomat, her father had fallen in love with America and maintained duel citzenship.
"I'm sorry...if it ended like this," I said in a soft whisper right by her ear. I could sense her security guards watching me, their bodies' tensing at the sight of me being so close to the only daughter of the revered diplomat. "I shouldn't have interfered with the police matters...it's my fault that your father died... they would have just gotten their ransom money and let you g-"
"Don't," she warned, her voice was not in anger directly at me, at least not fully. "You saved my life by interfering and I'm sure that my father's death wasn't entirely an accident. Besides, I was wreckless when I threw the man out of the window, even though he was already dead. I've always had a whicked streak in me, one that my father had always tried to estinguish, butthis time it only help to give an excuse for his enemies to kill him."
"Elektra, I...something of me tells me that it might have been just police panicking," I told her, trying to fight my own doubts about the corruption of the system. I knew it was a losing battle because I too had those thoughts and I knew that Elektra's father, God rest his soul, was just another thread in this puzzle of corruption that I had discovered when my father was murdered. All of this was pushed in the back of my mind as there was something more important in my mind as I analyzed what Elektra had said. "You don't have a whickedness to you. You did only what you felt was necessary to protect your father, even if you killed someone you only did it to protect your father from danger. I know you Elektra, I've felt what's inside you, known your every intimate thought, and I believe in you."
"Oh Matt,my love," she said, that melodic tone to her voice, but there is something else to her voice as well, something that sounds like the undertones of regret that makes me clinch up inside a bit in fear of what might come next. "You really are too good for me. I don't deserve someone as pure as you, not someone like me."
I was taken aback by her words before responding,"but you are a nice girl, I mean sure not nice by conventional means, but you are a caring person. You've been caring to me."
"Matt, do you know what I did after I left crying from the courthouse," she asked and a bit of me doesn't want to hear the answer, afraid of whatever dark deed that my Elektra had committed would drive a wedge between us, something I didn't want to happen. "I killed three people in an alleyway, three men bums who looked at me with lustful eyes, wanting to do dirty things to my body and I enticed them by undressing. I was like the spider setting out my web and all the flies came eagerly, knives in hand to cut at my underwear, my words enticing them furhter before I sprung the trap. This is what I am Matt, everything i touch i destroy and I'm afraid that if I keep you in my graps I might try to destroy you too and I don't want to drag you into this mess."
"Elektra, I-"
"Do you remember when I first showed you I was interested, not at the party, but when I snuck into your room," she asked and I nodded. It was true that I remembered that because, embarrasingly enough, it was the first time I had ever been that intimate with a woman. Being raised Catholic I had been taught to save sex for marriage, a thought that I hadn't put too much faith in, but I tried to keep that idea. Then I met Elektra and i couldn't deny that fire that she had turned on inside of me. I let it consume, let myself burn in it's heat, melting under the hot touches of her skin as she melted with me, two liquids mixing in the same cup. "I went there after I saw you fighting those bullies, the ones that were picking on your friend Foggy, and just seeing how strong you were, the power in your stride and grace, I began to feel hot. I was aroused from seeing how beautiful you were when you fighting and so I followed you to your dorm and watched from afar, using binoculers to view you from afar. You had tried to see me earlier that day, at least I guessed you were the same intruder that my father's guards shot at. Your face was so handsome as you smiled in triumph as you assured Foggy he didn't have to worry about Brad giving him another broken jaw. The caring look on your face made my heart swoon, I had never seen anyone else so sincere in the way that you were. I love that about you, you are always true in your feelings to everyone around you, even when you tell me you love me, I can tell that it is true because those words are coming from you."
"I'll always be honest with you Elektra," I promised her and I felt the radience of her smile, some would say it was the like the sun radiating on the garden, but I knew she was more like the moon, lighting the path in the dark, helping the lost to the promise land. I was like the wolf basking in the brightness of the full moon and I wanted to howl for her.
"i know you will, lover, but I always break the things I love the most," she said and I felt the moon set, the tears come back to her eyes and i felt tears in my eyes as well. "As long as I have this whickedness in me, I don't know if I should be involved in your life, which is why I'm going to be leaving America...and I won't come back until I'm sure that it would be safe."
"If you're afraid for your life I could protect you," I said as I put my arm around her, wanting so badly to keep ehr close, i had already lost so much I didn't want to lose her, not her.
"I don't mean safe for myself, I mean safe to allow you to love me," she replied, the tears now falling like the rain and as if her eyes were the skies, the rain began to fall on all of us. I think of all the things that were heartbreaking to "see," my father lying dead, the poor lying dead in the streets, a raped little girl crying in the rain,...and the woman I loved crying because she had to exstinguish the fire so she didn't burn my soul.
Stick was waiting in my living room, just as I expected him to be since I had sent for him just before I left to gather the materials needed. He was looking over the sketchbook that I had set out and the red boxing robe that was laid out on the table, my father's boxing robe, the one he had died in. At first, neither of us said anything as I laid out the materials on the table, locking the door to my father's house, my house, closing out the rest of Hell's Kitchen while their salvation was being made. I had chosen the name, now all I needed was my skin. I was thankful that my father had worn the red robe that night instead of the yellow, brown and red one. Not that there was anything wrong with the yellow one, it's just that for the devil's skin you had to go with red, it would look better piercing the night.
"Are you sure about this," asked Stick as he looked at me, I couldn't see his eyes but I knew he was eyeing me, just as he must have been eyeing Elektra when he saw the darkness in her, trying to see if she had...passed any to me. I refused to believe that she was whicked, even if she had killed people, I knew that there was more to her than that. I still beleived in her and I was going to find the one responsible for her father's death, the center of all the thread, the one that had bailed out Fixer. I had promised her that.
"I've already made a promise to wipe the corruption from this city," I told him as I sat down in my father's chair, taking in the lingering sent of the late great "Battlin" Jack Murdock. "I still beleive that the system will prevail so I will continue to be it's advocate, the one who helps the innocent be saved and the guilty be punished. I'll continue to be a lawyer, but then there are the times when the guilty hide under the blind spots of justice, they try to blame things on the innocent and oppress them while they pay corruption to false truths. For them, I will punish as Daredevil, and thorugh this skin of the devil, Hell's Kitchen will be saved. They've tried to make it a hell for good an honest people, but now I'm going to make them rot in it."