Previously on The Defenders of Remnant...

"How close are we to finishing, Mason?" Fisk asked.

"We are running final diagnostics now."

"We don't have the time or luxury to conduct safety tests for the next few weeks. I don't want any heroes finding our operation before we are ready. The Punisher is out of prison and the Defenders have been cracking down on this operation since I myself was freed, so we have no more time to waste. If a door really opens between worlds, we will attempt to cross immediately," Fisk said sternly.

"Don't play dumb, everyone knows Wilson Fisk," Daredevil said. "We also know you work for him. We want to know where he is along with all of the stolen tech."

"Oh hey Moony," Spidey greeted him. "What brings you to Brooklyn on this wonderful night?"

"I've been coming across Fisk's men too."

"Where is the Kingpin in Brooklyn? Exact location!" Moon Knight exclaimed.

"H-He's under Brooklyn, not in it! He cleared out a section of the abandoned subway tunnels and turned it into a lab for him and the Tinkerer!"

"If the collider goes out of control, you can say goodbye to NYC."

The Defenders of Remnant

Chapter 2: The Collider

The man looked through the observation room glass at the workers on the collider. They had started to wrap up their calibrations, meaning the collider would be ready to activate within the hour. He wore a metal mask molded like a skull under a white hood. He wore metal combat armor on his entire body, with orange shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, shins and along his collarbone. His torso and legs were painted blue, with the rest of his armor its original silver. On his back was a quiver of arrows and a round shield painted orange and blue. In a scabbard on his waist was a one-hand sword, and on his lower back a collapsible bow was clipped in place. He also kept two handguns holstered, one on each leg.

This man was Anthony Masters, AKA Taskmaster. He had been hired on by Kingpin as his main enforcer, to Bullseye's chagrin. Wilson Fisk wanted to take no risk in the heroes discovering this operation before it could be seen through. He had put Taskmaster in charge of the other super villains in his employ and all of his goons. Taskmaster was surprised by the offer, but was willing to take the healthy sum of cash Fisk had offered.

"What do you think, Mr. Masters?" Kingpin asked as he approached.

"I'll hold my tongue about Mason's worth until after we see if it works. I personally care more about results than paid promises," Taskmaster replies.

"Wise words to live by." Kingpin stood beside him, looking upon the technological marvel before them. "Our time is short. I have no doubt the Devil is looking for us as we speak."

"Forget doubts. I was waiting for you to come up here. Some of your punks topside called in. They're closing in as we speak."

Kingpin took a deep breath. "How many?"

"Enough to make a sweep of this whole operation. Daredevil, Cage, Jones, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Moon Knight. And based on the gunfire I heard from the last ones to call in, Castle might be heading this way too."

Kingpin's grip on his cane tightened. Taskmaster could feel the anger radiating from him like heat from a fire. "They want to lock me up again. Because they have nothing else to take away from me. They already took Vanessa from me. But not again." Kingpin bared his teeth before slamming the bottom of his cane into the ground. "NOT AGAIN!"

The ground shook beneath Taskmaster, making him slightly stumble. Once he straightened himself, he looked up to his towering employer. "I'll tell the others to be ready. We'll show you what you paid for."

"It's not always about the money, Mr. Masters."

"Yeah. Right." Taskmaster walked away from Fisk to alert the other villains under Kingpin's employ; those being Bullseye, Prowler and Electro.

Fisk, however, simply stared ahead, as if he was still staring at the white wall his father would tell him to look at, to look at and to think about what it meant to be a man. The same father he killed to begin his path, the path that led to New York City fearing the name Wilson Fisk. The same path that led him to Vanessa. The same path that led to her death. And now he just might see her again.

"It's not always about the money…"

Whilst Moon Knight and Daredevil walked along the abandoned tunnels, Spider-Man followed from above, crawling on the ceiling. "So, Magoo, how far away are we?" Spider-Man asked Daredevil.

Daredevil took a moment to focus. "The path to the abandoned tunnels isn't much farther. And I hear three heartbeats in the same area. Must be Luke, Jessica and Danny."

"And if they're not?" Spidey asked.

"Then that means they're Fisk's lackeys, and we beat their ass. Simple as that," Moon Knight replied.

"We should also keep an eye out for Frank. Chances are, he's hunting Fisk too," Daredevil added. "And the last thing we need is the Kingpin pumped full of lead."

"Well, that and an underground experimental super collider going kaboom and taking the big apple with it," Spidey remarked. "But yeah, the Punisher's bad news."

"Y'know, you guys see Frank as a common criminal, a cold-blooded killer. But we all know what drives him," Moon Knight said.

"Yeah, we do know. But we've all lost people. That doesn't make him special," Spider-Man replied. "Just because he lost his family doesn't mean he has the right to take the lives of others."

"Yeah, your whole 'great power' thing," Moon Knight remarked. "Look, I know we have to follow our moral codes. I don't kill anymore either, but you can't treat him the same as a common crook with a gun."

"The way he treats crossing that line? He's worse," Daredevil added.

They soon reached a crossroads, with two tunnels staying level, but one going deeper underground. Standing at the tunnel going lower were three people, three more heroes. One was a large black man built like a mountain. He was bald with a full goatee and wore a yellow t-shirt with dark jeans, brown boots, fingerless gloves and a belt that said "Cage" on it. This was Luke Cage.

The second was a woman with black hair and slightly pale skin. She wore a gray scarf over a leather jacket and white t-shirt and pale blue jeans with steel-tipped black boots. She had a slight shadow under her eyes.

The third and final person was a man wearing a yellow mask with white eyes outlined by black, a green bodysuit sporting a thin, curving black design of a dragon on the torso, yellow boots, and a yellow sash around his waist. This was Danny Rand, AKA the Immortal Iron Fist.

Spider-Man leapt down from the ceiling, landing in front of Luke Cage. "Heya, Luke. How've you been?"

"Good enough. How 'bout you, Pete?" Luke replied.

"Could be better," Peter shrugged. "But it could be worse." He then looked at the other two. "Danny, Jess, long time no see."

"Are introductions over?" Moon Knight asked dryly. "Or should I keep standing here waiting for you as Kingpin tears a hole in reality downstairs?"

"And what is Moon Knight doing here?" Jessica said with a similar attitude.

"Fisk's men crossed his board, so he wants him locked up too. Doesn't matter, we need as many hands as possible if we want to stop Fisk," Daredevil answered. "Let's go." Daredevil then led the way down the tunnel that led deeper underground, the others following close behind.

Frank Castle had barely made it out of prison this time. But he knew it would be worth it to finally put a bullet between the eyes of the Kingpin. And he was already so close. He had infiltrated the underground facility for whatever Kingpin had started to make, whatever it was he didn't care. He was now positioned on the highest catwalk in the testing chamber, with an assault rifle on a strap around his torso as he finished loading a mag for a .50 cal sniper rifle, and the dead body of a crook next to him.

Frank wore a black leather coat over his bulletproof gear, on the torso of which was painted a white skull; the sign of the Punisher.

The radio on the dead man's belt goes off. "This is Taskmaster, asking all patrols to check in."

"Section 1, clear."

"Section 2, clear."

Then a pause. And Taskmaster's voice comes on the radio again. "Section 3, do you copy?"

That was when Frank realized the man he killed was section 3. He plucked the radio from his belt and answered. "Affirmative, just thought I saw somethin'. False alarm. Section 3 is clear."

"Section 4, clear."

Section 5, clear."

Then another pause, which Frank notices immediately, wondering if he had been made. He slightly reached for his assault rifle before Taskmaster came back on. "All sections are clear. Next check will be in fifteen minutes." Then the radio fully cuts out and Frank takes a breath, before loading the mag into his sniper and setting it to the side. Now he would wait until Kingpin entered the test chamber again, then the mob boss was a dead man.

Taskmaster turned off the radio and looked up at Fisk, who locked eyes with him. It didn't matter if he played it off, they both recognized the voice that had come through the radio. "So he's already here…" Fisk said.

"I'll alert Prowler and have him quietly close in on Castle. The other two will be on guard for the rest of the heroes to show up. Then when we activate the collider, we can hold them all off at once," Taskmaster said.

"Good. Because I can't stress enough, Mr. Masters, I will not tolerate failure today. You make a mistake tonight, and it will be the last thing you do."

"You can say whatever you want. But unlike everyone else you hire, you don't scare me." Taskmaster then got on comms as he walked away from Fisk. "Prowler, Castle is here, Section 3. Get close, but wait to engage."

Fisk gave an annoyed glare to Taskmaster, but then turned his view back onto the testing chamber. I'm so close, Vanessa…

Moon Knight smashed a guard's head into the wall and watched him slide to the floor, then turned to the others, who were staring at him. "What?"

Daredevil brushed past him. "The testing chamber isn't too far ahead. I can hear them working on machinery, and all the heartbeats. And…" he pauses and tilts his head.

"What is it?" Iron Fist asks.

"Frank's here. We don't have much time. Marc, I need you to make sure Frank doesn't kill Fisk or damage the collider. That thing blows, Brooklyn goes with it."

"Got it," Moon Knight responded.

"Jessica, Spider-Man, Danny, you three will need to run interference; draw the main attention of the security and the hired villains to you. You'll be the main draw of the battle. Luke, you and I will take care of Fisk."

"We got your back," Spider-Man said.

Daredevil nods. "Alright Defenders, let's work for a living."

"Mason, are we ready?" Kingpin's voice came over the loudspeaker into the testing chamber.

"Just about yes, just double checking our calibration data," the Tinkerer responded.

"Good. Then come to the observation room and begin activation."

The Tinkerer, with a tablet in hand, ascended the stairs and entered the observation room. Meanwhile, the Punisher looked down into the test chamber, his sniper rifle set up in one hand until Kingpin showed himself. Until he realized he was made.

"I hope you're watching, Mr. Castle. I am about to make history." Frank's eyes widened and he tried to reach for his assault rifle, but an armored hand grabbed his arm, and another in the form of a fist caught his jaw. Hunched above him as he was sprawled out was the Prowler.

The Prowler punched him again in the face, breaking his nose and drawing blood. The Punisher drew a handgun from his side and shot three rounds at Prowler's chest, all three of which bounced off his armor. Prowler knocked the handgun away and delivered a blow to Punisher's stomach, winding him before hitting his jaw again. Prowler then hauled him up and threw him face-first into a wall, then quickly grabbed and slammed his skull on the same place.

"Mason, activate the collider," Kingpin ordered. The Tinkerer pressed something on the tablet and the machine began to whir to life. "Finally… we're almost there…" Fisk then saw as a wall into the chamber was broken, and through stepped the Defenders, Moon Knight and Spider-Man. He scowled and felt a well of anger start to fill. "Taskmaster! Kill them all! Kill all of them! Do not let them stop my machine!"

Spider-Man swung in and landed on a wall adjacent to the collider. "Guys, we have a problem. The collider's already activated. We need to stop it before it builds up too much energy."

"And how do we do that?" Luke asked.

"Find the deactivation switch. If we destroy it, the energy surge will kill all of us."

"It'll be in that observation room with Fisk and Tinkerer. So that's on you and the Devil, Cage," Moon Knight said. Then a large group of armed thugs started entering the room. "Time for some distraction." Moon Knight then threw two sharp crescent moon-shaped objects at the group of thugs, hitting two in the shoulders. He then grabbed the same two thugs and smashed their skulls together before kicking another one in the stomach, sending him flying back.

"Moon Knight, move!" Iron Fist called. He leapt towards the group, pulling back his right hand and forming a fist, a yellow glow emanating from under his skin.

"Shit-!" Moon Knight quickly grabbed a grappling hook and fired it at the ceiling, but Iron Fist brought his blow to the ground, shattering the top layer of the floor and sending a shockwave of force towards the thugs and, unfortunately, Moon Knight, who was unable to escape the shockwave in time and was sent flying into the opposite wall, winding him before he even reached the ground.

"Dammit, sorry!" Iron Fist called.

Taskmaster dropped from above and quickly got low and kicked the back of Iron Fist's knee, sending him down onto the joint before spinning the other way and kicking the side of his skull, sending him toppling over. Taskmaster quickly leapt back onto both feet before dodging a punch from Luke. Spider-Man started to web swing from the wall to help Luke, but then a knife went through his webbing mid-swing, causing him to plummet to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and looked up to see Bullseye and Electro staring him down. Bullseye was a man in a black outfit with a white utility belt, white gloves and boots, and a white bullseye on the forehead of his mask. Electro was a man with closely-shaved hair and slightly scarred skin wearing a yellow shirt under an electric worker's jacket, dark jeans and black boots.

"Hey, Max! Long time no see! Nice glow up. Where's the mask? I almost didn't recognize you." Spider-Man said.

"I'm done with the silly gimmicks and getup. Now I'm just gonna kill you and make New York my personal stomping ground," Electro replied. He then shot his hands forward and a storm of electric energy shot towards Spider-Man, who quickly moved out of the way and shot web into Electro's face, catching him off guard. Bullseye pulls out a handgun and starts to take aim, but Daredevil throws one of his escrima sticks, hitting the gun and knocking Bullseye's aim off long enough for Spider-Man to web Bullseye by his feet and pull his legs out from under him. Spidey then hauled him and threw him into a wall across the room.

Electro ripped the webbing off his face, then fired electricity at Daredevil and Spider-man, both of whom quickly cleared out of the way.

Punisher was smashed flat into the catwalk by Prowler, and he spit out a mouthful of blood. "I'll be a king in the underground when everyone finds out I'm the one that killed the Punisher," Prowler said, a voice changer in the suit making his voice deeper and distorted. He gripped Punisher's skull tight and lifted him up by his head. "Plus I'm sure Kingpin would give me a hell of a bonus for your carcass."

"I'll sure feel good creating yours!" Punisher replied as he shot his elbow back and connected with Prowler's throat, causing the villain to let go and stumble. Punisher landed and combat rolled over to his assault rifle, which he picked up and immediately aimed at Prowler, who was still stunned. He pulled the trigger, but a pair of arms wrapped around him and pulled upwards just before the burst started, making every bullet miss Prowler.

"No, Frank!" Moon Knight yelled over the gunfire.

"Get off me, Spector!" Punisher tried to headbutt Moon Knight and missed, and Moon Knight gave a punch to the side of Punisher's jaw. Punisher grits his teeth and uses his left arm to elbow Moon Knight's ribs again and again. Eventually, Moon Knight gives and lets go, holding his rib cage slightly, but quickly throws another crescent moon at Punisher's rifle, hard enough to cut the barrel off. Punisher growled and tossed the rifle aside before pulling a combat knife off of his waist.

"C'mon, Frank! Give this up! Kingpin will be behind bars again," Moon Knight said.

"So what?! So that fat sack of shit can break out again? No. No, he dies tonight with a bullet in his skull." Punisher flipped the knife in his grip and went to stab Moon Knight, who crossed his arms in front of him to stop the blow. "Don't act like you're innocent, Marc. You got blood on your hands just like me."

"Who doesn't?" Moon Knight replied before kicking Punisher back and delivering a blow to his jaw. "But I'm done killing. I'm not a soldier or a merc anymore, it was about time I started acting like it."

"Don't kid yourself." Punisher charged him, slashing back and forth, putting Moon Knight on the defensive. After being pushed back a few meters, he blocked one knife swipe only for Punisher's free hand to punch his right cheek hard and fast, putting him off enough for Punisher to thrust the blade forward, but Moon Knight caught the attack. "You lived and died that life, Spector. Your fake god won't change that."

Prowler recovered and saw Punisher and Moon Knight battling, then took advantage of the distraction and leapt over the edge of the catwalk, digging his clawed armored fingers into the wall to slow his descent, coming down right next to Bullseye, who was recovering from being launched by Spider-Man.

"Having fun?" Prowler asked snarkily.

"Shut up." Bullseye replied. "Move it!" Both villains then moved out of the way before a stream of electric energy hit the wall they had been right in front of.

"Hey, Fisk, tell zappy down here to hold back before he fries us and your machine!" Prowler exclaimed.

Fisk scowled then looked at the Tinkerer. "How much longer?"

"Only a few more moments. It needs a full charge before it can activate," Tinkerer responded.

Fisk seemed to think for a moment. "Dillon, I want you to supercharge the machine."

Tinkerer gave a confused glance at Fisk. "Mr. Fisk, the supercharge could-"

"I don't care for any more of your commentary, Dr. Mason. Electro, you have your orders."

Electro then flew upwards, to the same level as the machine and started to charge his power for an attack on the collider.

"No!" Spider-Man exclaimed before shooting webs towards Electro, but Taskmaster threw his shield to cut the webs off mid-travel, before leaping over Luke and catching the shield off the ricochet. Electro had then fully charged up and fired a massive storm of electrical energy into the collider.

Punisher was knocked flat onto the floor of the catwalk, landing right next to his discarded assault rifle. He then saw the launcher under the barrel was undamaged. He quickly grabbed the rifle and aimed up at Moon Knight, who kicked the rifle just as he fired it, firing the grenade over the railing of the catwalk, and right into the collider, where it hit and exploded dead center.

"NO!" Fisk exclaimed. The energy burst from the collider as it tore itself apart, and exploded, the energy forming a giant wormhole, that soon began to suck everything in.

Spider-Man fired webs to anchor himself down. Prowler, Luke and Jessica all used their strength to dig into the floor beneath them. Bullseye, however, could not grab onto anything, and was soon pulled through. Taskmaster took his sword out and dug it into the floor to anchor himself. Iron Fist was starting to be pulled, but Luke grabbed him and held on tight.

"Hold on, Danny!"

"I'm trying!" Iron Fist responded.

The catwalk began to tear apart, and Punisher soon slid off. "Frank!" Moon Knight exclaimed as he quickly also fell. He pulled another crescent moon from his belt and tried to dig it into the floor, but it wasn't enough. He started get pulled in. Daredevil grabbed his arm, but instead of stopping his flight, he was instead pulled with Moon Knight. Both them and Punisher were pulled through the wormhole. Electro soon followed, his flight ability no longer holding against the pull of the wormhole.

"We lost the schizophrenic!" Jessica called.

"And Matt!" Luke exclaimed.

Spider-Man was caught off guard when the floor panel his webs were attached to tore off, and he was pulled towards the singularity. He webbed both walls to hold himself in place again. The glass wall that separated the observation room from the rest of the area soon broke apart, and both Kingpin and Tinkerer were quickly pulled out of the room and into the wormhole.

"This isn't worth dying for!" Prowler exclaimed, as he tried to claw away from the singularity, but was just pulled into it as soon as his grip was lost. Taskmaster growled and pulled his sword from the ground and quickly flew towards Luke, Jessica and Iron Fist, who were behind him. He kicked Jessica hard, making her lose her grip.

"Jessica!" Luke and Danny both tried to reach for her, but one bash from Taskmaster's shield sent the two of them, along with Jessica, through the wormhole. Before he was pulled through he stuck his sword back into the ground to anchor himself.

"It's just you and me now, Spider-Man! So who falls first?" Taskmaster yelled. Then Spider-Man took a deep breath, and let go of his webs, then webbed the hand Taskmaster had on his sword. "Shit…" Spidey then yanked his arm, pulling Taskmaster's sword out of the ground, letting both of them fall through. Within moments, the wormhole closed, leaving only the destroyed lair in its wake, and the heroes and villains just present had been taken.