The detective just stood there initially, confused at the man's offer. Here was not a reporter, but the man who actually ran the biggest newspaper in the city, wanting to help her somehow. Why would he want to come himself instead of sending an active reporter?

"What do you mean you can help me?" she asked.

"Well, and forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear you and your captain's argument," Robbie explained. Detective Lee's face flushed red with embarrassment rather quickly; the man must have noticed this, because he then hurriedly got to the point: "I understand you're looking into L. Thompson Lincoln."

At that, the detective glanced towards her right and left before quickly heading down the hallway, where he followed her. They then entered what appeared to be an interrogation room, where she grabbed the device to control the security cameras within, shutting them off.

"Okay, let's be clear," the detective began, "right now, I'm in about as hot of water as it gets because of him, so I'm going to need to see that you have something before we go any further."

Robbie then pulled out his phone, opening it and scrolling to look for something. He then held up the screen to show her something.

"I've been doing some digging on his businesses," he explained. "Please, just scroll through and look at what I have."

Detective Lee glanced back at him momentarily before taking the phone, turning and taking a few steps around the room as she examined the information that Robbie was offering. It was mostly data regarding the numbers each one was bringing in; the rate at which they were increasing regularly certainly looked suspicious, but it wasn't something she believed would be the hard evidence she would need to really get back on the case in full force.

"I'm sorry," she said with a sigh, handing the phone back to its owner. "What's here is just not enough for me to be able to do anything with right now. I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I really have to..."

"That's not all though," Robbie insisted, drawing her attention back to him before she could exit the room. "But some of these places have also been where multiple crime deals have been reported."

"And most of those people tend to get off like nothing happened," the detective countered. "Listen, Mr. Robertson, believe it or not, I actually appreciate what you are trying to do. I have my suspicions about this man as well, but after the chewing out I got from my boss that you and probably everyone else in here heard, I can't afford to just go after him right now. Frankly, if the chief hadn't stood up for me, I wouldn't even have my badge right now, so unless you have something solid and concrete to make a case against him with..."

"I know what I have is minimal," Robbie explained, "but I believe I can get him to talk."

"Really?" she questioned, crossing her arms. "Why is that exactly?"

The man hesitated, glancing towards the floor for a moment like he was gathering his courage before finally meeting her gaze once more.

"Because I know him, or at least I used to."

Okay, NOW he had her attention.

"How's that?" Detective Lee asked.

"It's a long story, but we used to know each other when we were young," Robbie explained. "He's recently approached me a couple of times and tried to use our history against me, so I know that he'll see me."

"See you?" the detective questioned, starting to dread where this was going. "What exactly are you suggesting, Mr. Robertson?"

"You can hook me up with a wire, listen to everything that he says," the man explained. "I can confront him, get him to slip up and admit with his interference with the trial, then you'll finally have what you need."

The detective just stared at him for a moment, uncertain of what to make of this proposal. Her logical side told her that this was likely a terrible idea for several reasons, but then again, if it did work...

"Mr. Robertson, the fact is, we still don't know the full extent of how dangerous this man is," she explained. "We don't know exactly how deep his pockets are, who he has connections with, or even what he himself is capable of. Why would you even want to do this, anyway?"

Robbie hesitated for a moment before looking at the detective, his eyes filled with conviction.

"Because, it's the right thing to do. Lonnie has spent his whole life hurting people, and if I can help put a stop to it, I will."

Detective Lee sucked in another breath, her mind swirling. Was she really considering doing this?

"Let me make a couple calls first," she finally said.


Peter entered the building via the window, with Matt coming in right behind him. It was rare that the man appeared in his Daredevil armor before anything less than nightfall, but he'd been keen on coming along when Peter had told him about the location that he'd finally gotten from Detective Lee, and he was happy to have the help. While his senses were better than most and his spider sense was never to be underestimated, Matt's especially heightened senses might come in handy as well in a situation like this.

A quick look around revealed nothing at first, the whole thing seeming like a dead end. Peter wasn't giving up in a hurry though; from the scenario the detective had described, Mark came here not just to hide, but likely to get something that gave him his powers. Though the place certainly appeared empty, there had to be something there they could use.

"You having any luck over there?" Peter questioned as he closed the door back to a deserted closet.

"Nothing yet," Matt replied from the other side of the room.

"There's got to be something," Peter insisted. "I know people like Tombstone usually clear places out pretty well, but there has to be a clue in here somewhere."

"I hope you're right, otherwise..." Matt paused, with Peter observing as he was leaning his head in the direction of the wall closest to him. He fired a web, yanking himself over so that he was next to his ally.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"I hear something that sounds like elevator cables," Matt explained. "It's coming from behind this wall."

"Can you tell if it's going down or coming up?" Peter asked.

"Definitely coming up," Matt replied. "I'm picking up a heartbeat now."

Peter leaned in too, and after a moment, he could also hear the elevator as its doors opened, with footsteps soon headed their way. The two men then hid themselves from view as the wall suddenly slid in a couple directions, making a way for a man in a lab coat. The wall soon began to slide back into place, so Peter and Matt quickly but discreetly made their way inside the small room as their entry point sealed back behind them. They then walked up to the elevator, stepping inside once it opened for them.

"Guess we should probably go down," Peter remarked, pressing the button for the only level lower than they were already were on. Almost as soon as they began their descent, he noticed a sudden shift in Matt's demeanor, the man seemingly picking up something else.

"What is it?" he asked once more.

"I think we're going to have company when we get down there," his friend answered. "I'm picking up... eight different heartbeats."

"I mean, I still like those odds," Peter said.

"There's something else about them though," Matt explained, "something unusual."

"Unusual like Molten Man unusual?" Peter questioned.

"No," Matt said. "This is something else. Their hearts sound... strong, stronger than a normal person. I'm not sure how enhanced they'll be though."

"Guess we're about to find out," he said. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Matt replied.

Sure enough, the doors opened almost immediately after that, where several men turned to face them, all heavily muscled like they'd been on some of the steroids Ivan Drago had been on in Rocky IV and then some. They all immediately got into aggressive stances, every one of them looking eager to fight.

"Well, here goes nothing," Peter remarked. He then lunged out first, spinning through the air and knocking a couple of the men down right away. Matt joined in the fray as well, and soon, the room was chaos. It wasn't exactly the most wide-open space given how many individuals occupied it, so there wasn't much to work with, but Peter and his horned ally quickly sought to use this scenario to their benefit, working off each other to avoid blows while looking to strike some of their own.

However, at one point, Peter glanced over in Matt's direction just in time to observe him try to strike a man in the face point blank, only for the man to stand there and just take it like it was nothing. Matt tried twice more, but again, the man was not phased, instead picking his opponent up and slamming him into a table, breaking it and causing Matt to collapse on the ground.

Working quickly, Peter intervened, webbing the guy's fist before he could strike and pulling him back to him. He then delivered a more powerful strike to the man's head, slamming him into the floor. This gave Matt a chance to get up and, grabbing his Billy club, he turned and launched it past Peter's head and near where two more of their opponents were. The grappling hook then clamped down on a fire extinguisher, and Matt gave a good yank, sending it to the floor and causing it to release its contents, which quickly filled the room.

With the newfound lack of visibility to all but the ones with enhanced senses, Peter and Matt quickly made short work of the remaining few men, with the latter especially making a point to use equipment around the room to take them down rather than his fists now. Once the job was done, the two men reconvened.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked.

"I will be," Matt replied, still flexing his fingers of his right hand. "When I punched that guy though, it felt like I was hitting a brick wall."

"Yeah, I noticed they didn't go down as easy too," Peter said. "What happened to them down he..."

He then paused, him and Matt turning around as footsteps could be heard. Soon, the same man they had seen leave the area had returned, carrying a couple pieces of equipment in his hands, looking around the room. When he saw the two vigilantes in front of him, he froze, the contents of his hands falling to the floor. He then tried to make a run for it, but Peter quickly shot a web that stuck to the back of his coat, holding him in place.

"Woah, slow up there, pal," he said. "We've got some questions for you."

He then gave a good yank, bringing the man right to Matt, who grabbed him firmly by his jacket.

"What is this place?" the horned figure questioned. "What have you been doing here?"

"Nothing," the man insisted. "I'm just a researcher, honest!"

Matt then pulled him closer so that the man was looking right into his mask.

"That's definitely not what it looks like, considering the welcoming party we just got done dealing with," Matt explained.

The man still refused to talk, so Peter stepped up, placing a hand on Matt's shoulder to indicate he should back down for the moment, wanting to try a new approach.

"Okay, first of all, I can't hold my friend here back forever," he explained, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the doctor. "Second, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that your work here is part of some new drug operation led by a particularly tall, albino looking gentleman. Am I getting warm?"

The man didn't respond, but his nervous swallow and the sweat starting to form on his face told Peter what he needed to know.

"Look, let us help you," Peter said. "If you cooperate with the police..."

"No," the man insisted. "I do that, I'm a dead man."

"Something tells me that, once your benefactor gets word of this meeting of ours, that might be the case already," Matt theorized. "At least this way, you have a chance."

"You guys have no idea who you're really dealing with, do you?" the man said, looking back and forth at both like they each had grown a second head. "He has connections everywhere. You'll never be able to bring him down!"

Peter then turned, glancing around the room and particularly the work desk right next to him. There was a small formula vial there, which he took in his hand.

"Maybe," he said, "but I have a feeling that this might be useful in at least figuring out exactly what it is you're up to in here."

"No, you can't do that!" the doctor shouted.

"Save it," Peter said. "Come on, DD, let's show this gentleman where he'll be staying for a little bit."


Tombstone hung up the phone, inserting it back into his pocket. Rising from his office seat, he strolled over to the window behind his desk, gazing out towards the city. For so long, he had wanted nothing more than to run the city, not in a political capacity, but from the shadows. He'd achieved that goal, and for the last few years, he'd managed to remain hidden, but now, things were beginning to unravel, with the head scientist of his latest project, the one he'd expected to bring in more money than any of his previous operations, now in police custody.

To be fair, he could likely get the man out, but the police weren't especially what he was concerned about. Rather, Spider-Man, and now Daredevil as well were onto him like never before. They were likely to figure out what he'd been working on, and when they did, they were going to do everything in their power to stop him. When that happened, he would need to be ready. However, just as he had begun to plan his next move in his head, the secretary for the building came into the room.

"Mr. Lincoln, you have a visitor."

"I'm not expecting anyone," he explained. "May I ask who it is?"

"Mr. Robertson from the Daily Bugle, sir," the woman answered.


Hope you're enjoying it as we near the finish!

Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11