Prelude-The Screaming Heartbeat of a Killer
CHACHUNK. The bullet entered the barrel of the thugs pistol. Locked and Loaded. To anyone else on the street that night, the sound would have been no louder than a pindrop; they all had more important things to talk about. They all had more important things to think about. They had more important things to focus on. They had their lives. To the Daredevil, however, nothing was more important. To most, the click of the man wrapping his bony, pale fingers around the trigger was no louder that the sound of a spiders leg twitching. Not to Matt Murdock. To most, the sound of the madman's heart beat increasing in speed as the adrenaline struck his veins was impossible to hear. Not to Hell's Kitchen's Guardian. To him, ever breath, every twitch, ever heartbeat, every bullet echoed around his head like gunfire, shaking him to the center of his stone-cold core. He leaped from his rooftop perch to the center of the pathway both as elegant and and silent as a feather, but with the speed of the eagle it had fallen from. At an instant the Man Without Fear withdrew his Billy-Club from its red-leather hilt, extending its wire to a length the size of his fore arm, pulling it taught. By now the entire street had their eyes on him; though he could not see them, the brief silence from the lack of blinking had been more than noticeable to his super-human hearing, and the erratic heartbeats alerted them too their fear.
Good
They should be afraid
They are only human
Its natural
One heartbeat, however, screamed above the rest. The Daredevil recognized it at once; the louder the heartbeat, the guiltier the victim; this heartbeat belonged to his target. He listened through the silence...Nobody dared to breath...Cars had stopped dead in their tracks... Even the crows of Hell's Kitchen had long since fled after his disturbance... Only the wirr of engines and heartbeats for the next couple of feet... Perfect. It only takes 3 seconds for the average human heart to make 2-3 heartbeats. In fear, this heart rate doubles. In a mix of adrenaline and fear, this heart rate doubles again. Regardless every heart rate is unique; taking all of these features into account, he was able to identify his target: Joseph Stykes, one of the kingpin's personal Hit-men after the "Incident" with Bullseye. Murdock had analysed his heartbeat before, when he had came to his attorney office looking for legal advice in regards to an "Injury" he had "Sustained During a Car Accident". An easy target; his leg wasn't even fully healed yet; all the adrenaline in the world couldn't help him escape.
With a flick mere of his wrist the wire was around his targets neck, strangling him. In the hopes of getting him out of public view, he grabbed the chocked man by the ruff of his duffle coat, pulled him into the shadows, and vanished.
8:39am
Joseph awoke with a start, to find the view of the Hell's Kitchen streets beneath him. They were rather beautiful this morning; there was very little traffic, and the road works had been completed only the night before. At least, the scene would have been beautiful if the criminal hadn't been raised 100 feet above the tarmac by a man dressed as the devil.
"Beautiful night, isn't it, Mr.Stykes. You really get to appreciate the city from this high up, don't you?"
Murdock was toying with the man, as he always did. He felt the crooks heartrate double as fear gripped his very soul. This interrogation was going to be easy.
"L-L-Let me down, please...I'll do anythin'!"
"You want me to put you down? If you insist..." The Daredevil loosened his grip on his 'client' letting him slip several millimeters closer to the street.
He screamed
"
What's wrong? Don't like feeling weak? Helpless? Just like all your targets? You are hunting down innocent people Joe, and we both know who you are doing it for." Tell me where the Kingpin is hiding"
He screamed again, causing Matt to loosen his grip again. He had broken the man already...
"I'll tell you! Okay? I'll spill!"
"Oh, you will either way, but different kinds of spilling. Do you understand, me Joe?"
"It's the factory"
He loosed his grip, dangling the man from two fingers
"Which one?"
"BlueBottle's Packaging! He said that the noise would keep you away, that you wouldn't come looking..."
He effortlessly threw the man back onto the building. The Kingpin was both right and wrong about his plan; the noise would be a major issue, but it wouldn't deter him; he would not allow the man who killed his father in the name of "Business" to roam free as if he were an innocent man. He would have to bring justice.
He heard another heartbeat approach the rooftop, near silent, unshaken by fear. Only one woman in the world could lower her pulse to such a level; Eletra Nachios. He knew she was still alive. He had known ever since she returned to his city. He didn't know how, but she would always come back.
"Nice to see you again, Matt"
"Nice to see you alive, Elektra. What brings you back to Hell?"
"The same thing that brings anyone back, "Daredevil"; Revenge"
"No clients then? Makes a change."
She smiled at him. He could hear the screaming wind bending as it hit her face, mapping out every feature for him; he knew. She pulled her hair back behind her ear, adjusting her black wristbands; she was still morning her father by the looks of it; its a petty the Devil couldn't see the color
"I know what type of revenge you seek; you want the Kingpin gone. You know I do too"
"Then you'll help me?"
Matt Nodded, running towards to edge of the building.
"Doesn't Hell make you feel so alive?"
He jumped, his companion, ally, and lover closely following.
*****
8:40am
*****
Both of the Guardians of Hell's Kitchen leaped to their feet. They were in a manor house. A silent house. There were several more people around them, many of which were dressed as knights and Mages; it looked like a Halloween Party.
"We've been Drugged" Elektra cried, grasping both her Sai. "It's the Kingpin. He's drugged us!"
Within moments, their allies clambered to their feet, each starting conversation with the next. This was no good at all; the Daredevil needed silence.
"Everyone shut up! Hold you breath and remain calm! I need to focus!"
Within moments Elektra and some of the others did so, clearing the path for Matt's super senses to take control. He listened...
...
...
...
"We're not alone. I can hear over 50 heart beats in this place, just faintly, and from what I can tell they're just as confused as us. We weren't drugged; our heartbeats don't level out that way. Luckily, the Kingpin's heart isn't one of the ones I can hear, but something is stopping me from focusing in too intensely... it sounds like drumming... or machinery...Besides, this isn't the Kingpin's style; he said he wanted to fight me in my prime, and that would mean no loud noises and no allies."He faced Elektra"
It isn't his style either; He was never one for fine carpets; only ones soaked in blood"
****
In a far off room he heard someone call his name, but only for a moment; he must have been imagining things
*****
Elektra turned to the collection of Knights, Mages, and Children at her feet
"Do any of you know what's going on? Do you know where we are?"
"
You got names?"
@Group 2
@DapperDogman
@Crimson Spartan
@Saint Guillotine
@Hospes
@Archwar
@Nater Tater
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty
@coralprime
@Anyone Else I have Forgotten
