Punisher War Zone Part 2
The next day after Frank's accident, the broken antihero secretly went to Nick's funeral. Blade and his Vampiress sisters stayed at his hideout because they didn't want to draw attention to themselves just yet. Frank waited for everyone to leave before he went to the graves of his wife and children before trying to clean it as best as he could, all the while remembering the horrible day his wife and kids were killed before his eyes, which caused his transformation into the Punisher in the 1st place. Frank couldn't take it and just broke down in tears as he remembered that awful and tragic day.
Later in the city
An FBI agent named Paul Budiansky was making his way to the 12th police precinct, intent on joining them in hunting down Frank Castle and bringing him in. He'd promised Nick's wife and little girl Grace that he'd get Castle and bring him in for Nick's murder and he intended to keep that promise. He entered the police station and walked up to the Captain, who was getting a report from Soup's partner.
"Agent Budiansky, I was told the Bureau was sending a babysitter." The Captain said, having heard that the FBI agent was coming. "We have a certain way of doing things around here, as you can plainly see."
"Like letting mass murderers ran free?" Budiansky asked with with his arms crossed. "4 years this Punisher's been wreaking havoc, and you haven't once caught a break."
"I'm waist-deep in shit around here, as you can plainly see. Your buddies from the Bureau told me that the cities under a terror threat. New Yorkers are a bit sensitive about that, if you know what I mean. I've got all my men trying to figure out what your late colleague came across when he went under. Maybe if you feds allowed us lowly cops in on your undercover ops once in a while, all this could've been avoided." The Captain said, telling the agent that his department was already trying to find out what Nick found when he went undercover and cursing the agent for not letting him in on the operation, knowing that Nick's death could have been avoided if the Bureau had told them.
"With all due respect, Captain, that...is BULLSHIT!" Budiansky yelled, getting everyone's attention. "What if it had been your man laying there in a pool of his own blood? You crispy-creamed motherfuckers would be beating down every door in this city looking for that bastard!"
That was when Soup's partner spoke to his captain, having an idea for getting the rightfully mad agent off their back. "Captain, you know what? The Punisher Task force could use an extra man."
This got the police captain thinking for a moment before he directed Budiansky to where the Punisher Task force was located. "Room 12. The Basement." He informed the agent, who immediately walked through the door that led to the basement. But as soon as he closed the door, the Captain and Soup's partner had a good laugh, knowing that Budiansky was going to get more than he bargained for.
Budiansky went to the basement and found Martin Soup sitting at a desk. "Ah, Agent Budiansky, I get that right?" The detective asked, making the FBI agent nod before they shook hands. "Captain told me you were coming. I'm detective Martin Soup. Make yourself at home."
"You have a degree in behavioral psychology?" Budiansky asked, looking at Soup's behavioral psychology degree hanging on the wall.
"Surprised? That's ok, most people are."
"What exactly do you do here?"
"Here? This is ground zero. I've studied his every move for the past 5 years. I've documented every murder that fit his profile and I've collected intelligence on all known associates. Take a look at this." Soup said, revealing everything he'd learned about Frank Castle and showing Budiansky a presentation on the Punisher. "6 years ago, Castle was a Special Forces instructor...and a simple family man. 1 day, he takes his wife and kids out for a picnic in Central Park and by chance or fate, depending on what you believe in, they witnessed a Mob execution. When they were discovered, only Castle survived. Since then he's been taking out 1 crime family after another. I'm close, Budiansky. Only thing getting in my way is bad luck, but I got a feeling that's about to change. You know I've been waiting for someone like you."
So which one?" Budiansky asked, looking at the boxes on the shelves, hoping to find information on the Punisher murders. "The alleged Punisher murders.
"All of them." Soup answered, revealing every box on the shelves around the basement had the alleged Punisher murders inside them.
Later at night in Frank's hideout
Frank was rounding up some money he'd taken off of scumbags while Blade and his Vampiress sisters were watching. "Frank, are you sure about this? I know what you're feeling right now, more than anyone, but you can't just quit and be done with it." Blade said with sympathy, knowing what his old friend was going through and trying to talk him into reconsidering leaving his life as the Punisher, as he knew that the city and the world still needed him.
"Blade, I've made up my mind and you can't change it. What I did was unforgivable and inexcusable. You'd feel the exact same way if it had been you out there in my place." Frank countered, knowing that his Vampire friend would feel the same way be was if it had been him in his place at that plaint.
That was when Frank's friend who supplied him with military grade weapons and Intel about criminal activity, Micro showed up and was surprised to see a tall human looking raccoon in shades and a trench coat and 2 lovely women in his friend's hideout. "Uh, Frank, who are they?"
"Introductions can wait. But who are you and how did you find this place?" Selene demanded while pointing 1 of her guns at the human.
"Easy, Selene, that's Frank's ally Micro. He supplies him with Intel on the criminal underworld and provides him with military grade hardware for his missions." Blade informed his Vampiress sister, having been told about Micro the last time he and Frank last saw each other years ago.
"And the raccoon talks, too, can't get any weirder." Micro said with a freaked out face. Frank handed him an envelope with a lot of money inside it, which he noticed was more than his usual amount. "Frank, that's too much."
"Consider it a retirement package. I'm done, I can't do this anymore." Frank said, saying he was finished with battling the criminal underworld, due to accidentally killing an innocent man.
"Look, I know this thing with the Red is eating you up inside, but that doesn't mean you pack up your tent. We all make mistakes, Frank. In any war, there's collateral damage, you know that." Micro told his friend.
Frank said while scoffing at his choice of words. "Collateral damage? I killed an undercover agent in the field. One of the good ones. He had a family."
Micro said softly, as he realized he said the wrong choice of words. "You didn't know."
Blade also offered his friend/ally comforting words as well. "You're not a mind reader Frank. It was an accident...a tragic accident. You thought that man was just another mobster."
The Punisher stated softly to the raccoon/vampire hybrid. "It still doesn't change the fact that I killed an innocent person, Blade...and as I said before, I've made up my mind. I can't do this anymore...I swore I would only punish the guilty and never harm the innocent...and I broke that oath. Please...just leave me alone."
Frank's friends looked at him with sympathetic eyes before honoring his request for privacy. "I've got to find a way to get some sense into him." Blade thought.
Meanwhile in another part of the city
Pitsy and Ink were at the hospital that the police took Billy to...as he had somehow survived after falling inside and being greatly disfigured from the glass grinder. They went into the room where Billy was waiting for his plastic surgeon. "Where the fuck's Nicky?" Billy asked his hentchmen.
"He... didn't make it." Ink answered.
"Nicky was a fucking rat for the Feds." Pitsy informed his boss.
"What about my money?" Billy asked, angered after hearing the man he entrusted with his money was actually a 'rat' and wanting to know where his money was.
"We already went to his place and tore it apart. We didn't find anything, not even a safety deposit key." Pitsy answered.
"He got any family?"
"Yeah. Paper said something about a wife and little girl."
"Good. Let's look there." Billy said before his surgeon came in.
After his doctor entered the room and they made small talk, he warned him that the damages to his face were impossible to repair, especially with plastic surgery as every nerve ending and muscle tissue were damaged beyond repair. After he removed the bandages from his head, Ink puked at the horrible sight. After seeing for himself...Billy asked Pitsy and Ink to leave the room so he and his doctor could 'chat'. Once outside their bosses room, Pitsy angrily berated his son for throwing up after they saw how disfigured Billy's face and reminding him how sensitive Billy was to his good looks.
After they stepped back inside the room, Pitsy asked his boss if he was alright...and was surprised as Billy had killed his doctor by impaling a pair of scissors through his forehead!
Billy, whom had been looking at slide shows of jigsaw puzzles answered casually. "Okay, thanks." They casually left the doctor's office, got into the car and drive off before Billy spoke again. "No more distractions, we need to focus on my goals. 1: We get my money back. And 2: we're gonna get rid of Frank Castle."
"You're kidding. He took out a small army. How are we gonna kill him before he'll kill us?" Ink asked, wondering how they would kill Castle, while pointing out that the Punisher had killed a small number of their hired help without breaking a sweat.
"My brother will take care of that." Billy answered.
Loony Bin Jim?"
That caused Ink's father to snap angrily. "Shut the fuck up!"
Billy angrily snapped himself while turning around to face Ink and grabbing him by the throat. "His name is James! Not Loony Bin Jim! Not L.B.J! James!"
Ink apologized for running his mouth and calling himself an idiot, with his father agreeing and also apologizing to Billy. But their boss replied while renaming himself. "Billy is dead. From now on...you call me...Jigsaw."
Jigsaw and his men broke into the mental asylum where his brother was being held the next day, with Billy snapping the neck of the doctor in charge of the institution and freeing his mentally insane brother, who thought his disfigured brother looked 'fantastic'...and letting him attack/kill the orderly, disemboweling him alive and eating his organs while watching in amusement!
Meanwhile with Frank
The broken antihero arrived at Nick's house with a bag full of money to give to his wife and little girl. He was about to knock on the door when said little girl spoke to him. "You're in my light." Grace said, looking up for her coloring book at Frank.
Frank kindly knelt down and gently gave her a flashlight. "For the next time someone gets in your light." He said gently as he saw the sweet little girl shine her new flashlight on her paper, making Frank smile gently.
But the gentle moment was interrupted when Angela came out and pointed a gun at Frank's head. "Step the fuck away from my little girl!" She ordered.
"Mommy, that's a bad word." Grace said.
"Go inside, Grace." Angela told her daughter, making her do as she was told. You're messing with the wrong family on the wrong day, asshole." She said as Frank looked at her. "It's you. What are you doing here?!"
"You'll scare the girl.
"Shut up!"
Frank stood up while looking sadly at the widowed mother. "I'm sorry."
"I said shut up!" Angela said before looking down at the bag. "What's this?"
"Something to help out." Frank answered.
Angela looked at Frank in disbelief, angry that he'd give them money after killing her husband. "No. No, you don't get to do that! You don't get to shoot my husband in cold blood and then stop at the ATM."
"It's for your daughter." Frank said, trying to reason that the cash was for the sweet little girl.
"This is what you deserve. What you did to Nick." Angela cried, not being able to finish the words. "Who punishes you!?"
Frank looked at the grieving widow with sad eyes, as it reminded him of the broken husband and father that he still was. But he knew that she was right. Dying was what he deserved. "He taught you how to shoot. A good agent keeps his family safe. He knew he couldn't always be here for you both. He took you out to the range, showed you what to do." He said sadly as he lowered the gun to his chest where his heart was. "This is where you do it. Squeeze, don't pull." He advised as he still had sad eyes, ready to accept death.
But before she could pull the trigger, Grace came out and tapped her mother's arm gently. "Mommy, I can't find my red pin. I need it for my coloring paper." She said gently, making her mother look at her before heading inside with Grace. Frank picked up the bag and left the house, but not before looking sadly at the flashing light in the dark window before walking away.
The next day
After the not so happy and failed attempt to apologize to Nick's wife, Frank met up with Micro at his home address and meeting his source on the street: a reformed gang member named Carlos, along with Blade, Selene and Amelia, who explained to Micro and Carlos that they were vampires, much to their great disbelief but they showed them their fangs as proof.
"Easy you 3, don't want any of them having the wrong idea about you." Frank said as he walked in and put a hand on Blade's shoulder.
"Well, your other friend wanted an explanation of who we were and I felt like now was the right time." Blade said while looking at his friend.
"Anyway, you know how the cops are always interested in those gun buybacks, except they never work because what banger would ever trust a cop, right? But they just love Carlos here. They get 1 look at that ink and they know he's for real. And we get the guns off the street...to you." Micro said while opening a hidden containers with guns from off the streets.
"It's actually a work of genius, Micro. Even some of our old covens thought of that at 1 point." Amelia complemented with a smile.
"Thanks, Miss Amelia." The informant said while smiling back before looking at his non-moving mother.
"So Blade, why are you and your Vampiress friends in New York? I didn't expect you to be here for awhile... unless something came up and you needed my help." Frank said, wondering why his friend was in New York right now.
Blade explained for his two vampire friends. "We're here in New York, because an Existence member is operating here in New York City."
"I thought you wiped all those demented bastards out back in Asia and Europe?"
Micro asked bluntly. "What the hell is Existence?"
After explaining to Micro and Carlos that Existence was an organization of genetically enhanced vampires formerly led by Deacon Frost, Selene revealed to the Punisher and his contacts. "This Existence is an operative of the North American branch."
Frank asked as he couldn't believe it. "Those sons of bitches have a cell of agents here in America?"
Amelia added for her brother and lover. "This agent is masquerading as a Russian business man, doing a business transaction between that man that Frank killed, Billy Russoti."
Micro stated nervously. "Um, correction: Russoti isn't dead."
Blade asked surprised. "What?"
Selene asked, just as surprised alongside her lover. "He survived? But that's impossible! We were there when Frank activated that glass crusher! There was blood smeared all over in that container holding the glass!"
Micro stated. "I don't know how he survived either, but he did...and I just heard over the news that Russoti and his men had just broke his brother out of a mental asylum."
Frank said, showing he wasn't interested in going after Russoti. "He's not my problem anymore. Blade can take care of him...or the cops can."
Selene asked while scoffing in disgust at how pathetic Frank was being. "So that's it then. The almighty and feared vigilante, Frank Castle throwing in the towel over a simple mistake?"
Frank stated while growling angrily at the female vampire. "You better watch that tone, lady...I'm done hunting down criminals!"
Amelia stated as she immediately knew that her Selene was merely using aggressive therapy to snap Frank out of his guilt trip and instinctively backed her up. "Or what, Frank, huh? You going to do something about what my Selene said?"
The human vigilante snarled softly as he slowly reached for a customized S&W Model 500 revolver but chose not to draw it out. "I'm warning you two vampires right now, back the fuck off."
The former Elder asked as she and her lover felt that Frank almost changed his mind and needed more motivation. "So that's it? You're just going to quit, Frank?"
Frank attempted to walk for the door, only for Carlos to stand in his way. "The lady asked you a question Frank."
Frank snarled underneath his breathe. "I'm only going to say this once kid: get the fuck out of my way."
Blade followed Selene's and Amelia's lead and demanded while slamming Frank into a wall. "No Frank, you answer that!"
Frank couldn't take it anymore and broke down while sliding down to the floor. "Yes! I am quitting! But I deserve to die for what I did. I...just...miss my family. And after everything I did to help innocent people, I destroyed a family myself. I took a husband and father away from that woman and that...sweet little girl. Don't any of you get that?!"
Blade knelt down and softly placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and stated softly. "Well, now's your chance to make things right, Frank. The only way to make amends with Donatelli's family is by protecting his wife and daughter from Russoti and his crew. They're in danger as long as Russoti and his scumbags are alive. And with Vladimir with them, that sweet little girl will know that real monsters do exist. Help me and my friends out, and that family will be safe and that sweet little girl will still have her innocence."
Frank stated as he finally realized how Blade and his vampire friends convinced him to stop Jigsaw. "Blade...thanks."
Blade smiled and helped his friend up before Selene and Amelia handed him 2 semi automatic pistols, which he put into hoisters on his waist. "Russoti's the last 1, then I'm done."
"From your lips to God's ears." Micro said with a smile.
"Know where we can find him? We find Russoti and his scumbags, we find Vladimir and his monsters." Amelia said to Micro.
"Well, I don't have a fix on them. Frank wiped out his associates that are known to me." Micro answered.
"I saw him with some new guys. Leader was black and had dreadlocks. Did some kind of acrobatic stuff over the roofs." Frank said, remembering the acrobatic gang members fleeing over the roofs that night.
"That's Maginty and his urban freeflow gang. He's on a constant meth high. Come on, I'll help you guys and ladies find the mean bastard." Carlos said before walking out the door.
Blade and Frank looked at each other and smiled, knowing that working together again would be great for the both of them, making Selene and Amelia smile as well before all 4 of them left to head back to Frank's hideout to get him suited up and ready for his next mission.
"You ladies and gentlemen play nice." Micro said with a smile.
There you go, my friends, part 2 of Punisher War Zone is complete. Rate and review. See you soon, my friends.