Not long after Natasha left, the Punisher arrived at the alley. He looked down at Bullseye, who was still unconscious on the pavement, and nodded.
"That's him, all right. How did you catch him?"
"A welcoming gift from the Strategic Homeland whatever-it's-called," Luke replied casually.
He knew Frank Castle and Nick Fury were acquainted, so he wasn't worried about Frank leaking this information and causing trouble with Coulson.
"It makes sense that S.H.I.E.L.D. would notice you, but they aren't exactly easy to deal with," Frank warned, his tone gruff. "Still, their position on our little crusade is probably awkward..."
"They don't encourage it, but they won't stop it," Luke finished for him.
Frank shot him a surprised look. "Seems like you're on pretty good terms with them."
Luke chuckled. If he had actually killed innocent people, Coulson wouldn't have shown up with a polite smile and a job offer. He would have woken up to a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team kicking down his door screaming, "FBI, open up!"
Frank loaded Bullseye into the trunk of his van and drove them to an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the city. He dragged the unconscious assassin inside.
Choosing not to witness whatever eye-scarring torture was about to happen, Luke stayed outside.
After waiting for a few hours, Luke sighed as he looked at his phone's dying battery. He was just about to go inside and ask Frank for his car keys to use the charger when the shack door opened.
Frank walked out, casually dragging a barely breathing Bullseye by the collar.
Bullseye's entire gimmick was his impossibly lethal throwing accuracy; beyond that, he was just a regular guy. Luke had always wondered why, in the movies and comics, heroes would struggle so hard to beat him and then just... leave his hands perfectly intact so he could inevitably escape and kill again. It made no sense.
But reality was different. Luke looked at Bullseye's violently mangled, deformed hands and nodded in approval.
'Good to see the heroes in reality actually use their brains.'
Frank explained his plan: they were going to use Bullseye as bait to set a trap and see if they could draw the Kingpin out of hiding. Luke completely agreed.
He wasn't a comic book superhero who was willing to play a cat-and-mouse game with a villain for years. He believed in immediate revenge. It had already been three days since his apartment was bombed, and he was getting impatient. He wanted Fisk dead now.
After driving Bullseye around a few known mob hangouts to make sure word got out, Frank brought them to an abandoned industrial factory. He suspended Bullseye high in the air from a rusty crane hook, and the two of them settled in to wait.
With nothing else to do, Luke started scrolling through his phone. A news notification popped up on his screen:
[The Annual Apogee Award will be presented tomorrow night in Las Vegas.]
'Looks like I need to wrap this Kingpin business up today. At the very least, I need to hit him so hard he never dares to mess with me again.'
Luke showed the notification to Frank. Based on the MCU timeline, Tony Stark would receive the Apogee Award, fly to Afghanistan the next day to demonstrate the Jericho missile, and then get ambushed in his "Fun-Vee."
If Luke wanted a front-row seat to the birth of Iron Man—and the chance to secure a massive payday—he had to move immediately.
"Why the rush?" Frank frowned. "We aren't going to be able to permanently deal with Fisk today."
Even though they had captured the Kingpin's top enforcer, Frank didn't actually believe Fisk would show up in person. Having fought the crime lord for years, he knew exactly how cold and calculating the man was.
"I have something far more important to do next," Luke explained simply. "Killing Fisk will get me a few million bucks, sure. But the guy I'm going to meet next could fund my entire lifestyle for the rest of my life."
If he saved Tony Stark's life in the desert, the billionaire playboy philanthropist would definitely cover all his living expenses forever. If Stark refused, Luke would just toss him back into the cave!
Frank looked confused, but before he could ask, a Shadow Ninja melted out of the darkness in front of them.
Enemies approaching.
Frank immediately moved to a high vantage point to scout. "A massive force is advancing directly toward the front of the factory."
At the same time, Luke received a mental ping from his hidden scouts.
"There's a smaller, elite squad flanking us from the rear," Luke relayed. "They're wearing high-tech exo-suits."
Luke didn't hesitate. He summoned ten Razor Claws and dispatched them to the rear to slaughter the elite squad.
Taking his remaining 100+ Shadow Ninjas, he moved to the front to intercept the main assault force.
Looking out over the yard, he estimated there were roughly 200 mercenaries. They were significantly better trained and equipped than the previous squads. They had several armored vehicles and were carrying heavy weaponry that distinctly bore the Stark Industries logo.
If he just sent the regular ninjas to grind them down, it would take far too long, and he had a flight to catch tomorrow.
Luke cracked his knuckles. He completely suppressed his dark energy, allowing his body to melt flawlessly into the pitch-black shadows of the night.
He shadow-stepped directly underneath the lead armored vehicle. Channeling dark energy into his fist, he punched straight up into the reinforced undercarriage.
CRUNCH!
The explosive kinetic force literally flipped the massive armored vehicle into the air, crushing several unlucky mercenaries who were marching beside it.
Luke prepared to do the same to the other two vehicles, but they suddenly accelerated, ignoring the chaos and ramming straight toward the factory doors. The surviving mercenaries roared and charged in behind them.
Seeing them breach the factory, Luke decided not to chase them from behind. Instead, he shadow-stepped directly to the center of the factory, hiding in the darkness right beneath the dangling, unconscious Bullseye.
Since Bullseye was the objective, Luke figured he'd just charge up an attack and obliterate the vehicles the moment they arrived.
While Luke waited in ambush, he ordered the Shadowkhan stationed outside to launch their assault.
The mercenaries charging down the factory access road suddenly found themselves surrounded. The ninjas struck from the shadows, instantly inflicting massive casualties. However, these were elite mercenaries; they quickly regrouped and organized a defensive perimeter.
Using their Stark-tech weaponry, they managed to lay down enough suppressive fire to banish dozens of ninjas back to the shadow realm. Still, their ammunition was limited. It was only a matter of time before the endless tide of shadows consumed them.
Meanwhile, inside the factory, the two armored vehicles screeched to a halt beneath Bullseye.
Before the back doors could even open, Luke dropped from the steel rafters high above. He channeled a massive burst of dark energy into his fist and slammed it directly into the engine block of the first vehicle.
The reinforced steel crumpled like tin foil, the engine completely destroyed in a shower of sparks and oil.
The driver of the second vehicle panicked and floored the gas, attempting to run Luke over.
Luke focused his remaining dark energy, forming a dense, pitch-black shield in front of him.
BANG!
The armored vehicle slammed into the shield. The sheer force shattered the dark energy barrier, but the vehicle's momentum was instantly killed, bringing it to a dead stop.
Several Shadow Ninjas immediately materialized around Luke. They leaped onto the stalled vehicle, driving their katanas deep into the engine block. With a few swift, terrifyingly precise cuts, the ninjas carved open the heavy steel doors and flooded into the passenger compartment, slaughtering everyone inside.
Luke didn't bother joining the close-quarters massacre. Fighting inside a cramped metal box was a great way to get his clothes ruined with blood, and he didn't want to pay for dry cleaning.
He threw a few punches in the empty air, grinning as he recalled the sensation of reinforced steel crumpling beneath his knuckles. 'Man, once my energy pool gets bigger, I can just blast my way through everything. This is awesome.'
While he waited for the ninjas to finish clearing the vehicle, the ten Razor Claws returned from the rear of the factory.
Seeing the fresh blood dripping from their conical steel legs and spiked fingers, Luke figured the elite exo-suit squad had met a gruesome end. Hearing the gunfire still raging outside, he sent the Razor Claws to assist the main force.
With the factory secure, Luke was just about to head outside when the radio inside the ruined armored vehicle crackled to life.
"Is this Mr. Luke?" a smooth, professional voice asked through the static.
Luke picked up the bloody radio receiver. "Speaking. Who's asking?"
The line went silent for a moment before a deep, impossibly commanding voice took over.
"Greetings, Mr. Luke. I am Wilson Fisk."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Fisk? Don't tell me you're still trying to offer me a job."
"No," the Kingpin replied, his voice completely calm despite the massacre occurring outside. "I believe it is time we called a truce."
Hearing the absolute confidence in Fisk's voice, Luke had expected him to issue a terrifying threat. Instead, the man was essentially surrendering.
"I am willing to wire you five million dollars in compensation," Fisk offered smoothly. "Furthermore, I will cease all hostilities against you. I hope we can put this unfortunate misunderstanding behind us."
"Oh? How generous," Luke sneered. "And what about Bullseye? How much are you willing to pay to get him back?"
Honestly, he didn't have the time to keep fighting Fisk anyway. He'd just leave the Kingpin alive for future street-level heroes like Spider-Man to deal with.
"Bullseye?" Fisk's voice lacked any emotion. "He failed his mission. He is no longer of any use to me."
"Cold. I guess they don't call you the Emperor of the Underworld for nothing."
"Your strength is equally formidable, Commander of the Shadowkhan."
Having thoroughly exchanged villainous pleasantries, Luke tossed the radio aside.
"What did he say?" Frank asked, walking out from the shadows.
With the Razor Claws joining the fray, the battle outside had ended almost instantly, and Frank had moved in to secure the objective.
"He called a truce. He's paying me back for the money he blew up, and he promised not to bother me again."
"I see." Frank didn't look particularly surprised. "Fisk is a pragmatist. Your capabilities have consistently exceeded his expectations. Since he doesn't know the true limit of your power, he won't risk an all-out war of attrition."
Luke smirked. His limits? The only person who could force him to his limits right now was Dormammu.
"Well, that's that. Looks like our partnership ends here for now," Luke said, dusting off his hands. "If you ever run into something you can't handle, feel free to give me a call. You can do whatever you want with Bullseye."
With that, Luke turned and vanished into the shadows.
As he walked down the quiet street back in the city, his new phone buzzed. It was a text from a blocked number asking for his bank routing information so the five million dollars could be wired.
Luke stared at the screen, freezing mid-step.
"Crap. I don't even have a bank account yet!"