Daredevil, the fearless!

Prologue:

SPLASH PAGE: Daredevil, perched on the edge of a roof top, observes as police examine a body found in an alley.

OFFICER IN CHARGE: "Both eyes removed. Third one this month. Find out who he was. My money says he’s a low-level public servant, like the other two."

DD: (The third one... I’m surprised I haven’t heard about the others. Perhaps some investigation is in order here.)

PAGE 2

Daredevil, having apparently just come through the window, converses with Ben Urich at the Bugle offices after normal working hours.

URICH: "All three had worked for Gustavo DuValle, the Bronx congressman currently charming his way into the Senate. Now here’s the strange part. Obviously, they were all killed in some ritual manner. But the Coroner’s office ruled the first a suicide, the second -get this - ‘death by natural causes.’ No ruling yet on the third. The particular circumstances of each death were left out of the reports."

DD: "Why would the Coroner’s office cover this up?"

URICH: "I’ve done a little more digging. Apparently, our first corpse, James Latato, was about to go to the feds with something on DuValle. Rumors of some shady stuff have followed this guy his whole career, but he always seems to come out of it smelling like a rose. My gut tells me this guy is dirty, no matter the polls say. Seems like someone wants him to win this election real bad. Anyway, if he is involved, he must have some clout to get the coroner’s office to cover for him."

DD, heading back to the window: "Thanks Ben. Contact me if you find anything else."

URICH: "Will do. Oh, and Matt? I’m going public on the killings and the possible connection to DuValle."

DD pauses on his way out, looks at Urich, then nods his assent.

DD: "All right, Ben. But watch your back. I’ll be in touch."

PAGE 3

Daredevil, in the window, about to make his exit, stops as his hypersensitive ears detect a strangled gasp from behind him. His radar sense outlines the forms of two men, one pinning Ben down, covering his mouth, as the other holds a large curved knife over his head. Without hesitation, DD flings his billy club with devastating force and pin-point accuracy, shattering the forearm of the knife-wielder.

DD: (Why didn’t I hear them?)

The other attacker releases Ben and turns toward DD with a feral growl.

PAGE 4

With teeth gnashing and eyes rolling, the attacker charges DD. Dropping into a leftward squat, DD evades the animalistic charge while simultaneously chopping to the back of his assailant’s neck. But the snarling thug doesn’t seem to feel the blow and quickly rounds on Daredevil again. With unexpected speed, he closes on DD too fast for DD to get out of the way, clutching at him with both hands while snapping his jaws ever closer to DD’s throat.

DD: (His strength is unbelievable! And he’s trying to tear my throat out!)

Using leverage and body mechanics, DD breaks his enemy’s primitive hold and turns it into a throw. The crazed killer is propelled out the window and hurtles to his death.

PAGE 5

Turning, Daredevil expects the remaining would-be murderer to attack but is surprised to ‘see’ him merely staring at his broken arm.

DD: (What the hell... he’s staring at his arm like a kid examining a broken toy!)

As DD approaches, the man looks up, seemingly annoyed that his reverie is broken. His eyes are cold and piercing, the eyes of the dead and soulless.

EVIL MAN, in a rasping voice: "Why do you interfere in our business, mortal man?"

DD: "Why are you trying to kill this man?"

EVIL MAN: "He has interfered in our business, and so he shall die. And so shall you die... Devil-man." He adds the last in a mocking tone. "You have caused my less-articulate brother to lose his host, and now it must be replaced. There shall be hell to pay, Devil-man."

DD, in a low voice: "Just who... WHAT,….are you?"

EVIL MAN, leaning closer, now in a low rasp: "Don’t you know?"

And DD, perhaps recalling some ancient ancestral memory, does know; and his blood runs cold.

EVIL MAN: "We are the Fallen, Devil-man. We are... Legion."

With that, the man slowly reaches up with his uninjured arm, grabs the top of his head, and slowly pulls downward, until his neck cracks loudly.

PAGE 6

Matt Murdock sits alone in a cafe the next day, mulling over the previous night’s events.

MATT: (I’m glad Ben wasn’t hurt. It’s a good thing that he has so many contacts; otherwise, he might not have had a place to wait this out safely. Until we get a solid connection to DuValle, Ben’s going to keep this quiet. According to the police, these men were both former violent offenders ruled "criminally insane." The police are trying to convince Ben and the Bugle they were just two thugs who wanted to rob the place and were surprised to find Ben there, but if what I believe is true, they were much, much worse than mere robbers.)

VOICE (coming from behind Matt): "Murdock."

Matt wheels in his chair to face the source of the voice. His radar sense outlines the form of a man. Onlookers, had they been watching, would have seen a tall, well proportioned and well-dressed man with a strikingly silver full head of hair. A man, to Matt’s hypersensitive ears, with no discernible heartbeat...

MATT: (Who... I didn’t hear him coming! Just like those two last night...)

TALL MAN (as if sensing Matt’s thoughts): "Be at ease, Matthew Murdock. I am not your enemy. But I have come to you with a warning. You have been drawn into an ancient war, one far older than you know. You will be tried and tested, and if found wanting, more than your mortal life will be lost. But if you remain true, great evil shall be overcome."

The man turns, as if to leave.

MATT: "Wait... please, I need to know more."

The tall man looks at Matt, and a look of compassion comes to his face.

TALL MAN: "I cannot tell you more at this time, Matthew. But let your heart hold fast to what is good, and be strong, for you are not alone."

With that, the man touches Matt lightly on the shoulder, smiles faintly at him, then turns and leaves.

PAGE 7

The offices of Gustavo DuValle, Bronx Congressman. DuValle, a tall, dark haired man with the bearing of nobility, lounges in a large chair, stroking his neatly trimmed goatee, watching videotape of himself campaigning.

DUVALLE, on the video: "They tell us that we must return to the failed policies of the past to get this nation back on track. But I say we must move forward, ever forward, and to do that, my friends... we all must do our part and sacrifice. I know that’s something no one likes to hear. I know how you’ve struggled and I’ve shared those struggles. I’ve lived among you, been one of you. (DuValle’s voice grows softer, a suddenly pained expression, full of compassion, comes over his face, and his dark, penetrating eyes stare into the camera) You are my neighbors, my friends... my family. I have hurt as you have."

DUVALLE, watching: (The pathetic, simple fools. They devour this fluff I spout at them. Even without the help of my… associate, I could easily sway these gullible sheep.)

DuValle flashes back to an earlier time, when his political career was just beginning, and he was considered a rising star in his party. His flashy smile, his noble bearing and his inexhaustible charm combined to make him nearly unstoppable in the polls. But then had come a night of celebration, a night of over indulgence, that became a night of tragedy. The result? A young woman’s death. DuValle, after emerging from his drunken haze, did his best to cover his tracks, but the family of the victim was persistent. DuValle’s career was all but over when the media broke the story, and he would likely have faced criminal charges and certain conviction. But then, along came his "partner," whom he knew only as a disembodied voice named Mr. Sharp. Mr. Sharp made DuValle an irresistible offer: in exchange for solving all of DuValle’s legal troubles and guaranteeing his success in the political arena, DuValle would use his power to implement certain policies favorable to Mr. Sharp’s interests. DuValle knew, of course, that Sharp was something other than human but that did not prick his conscience in the least. As long as Sharp kept his end of the bargain, DuValle would keep his. And Sharp had certainly fulfilled his part. DuValle, cleared of the charges, resumed his rapid ascent of the political ladder. Sure, occasionally he had to surrender his will to Sharp and allow Sharp to directly operate through him, which was a tad unpleasant, but that was a small price to pay for all Sharp had helped him accomplish.

People were often hurt by the policies DuValle put in place at Sharp’s behest, but that didn’t matter to DuValle. Sharp, literally whispering in DuValle’s ear, proved to be the ultimate spin doctor. It never ceased to amaze DuValle how every loss of freedom, every denial of responsibility was reframed as "the will of the American people" and "in the best interest of America" and yet the people would accept it without question. Those who did question it would be vilified. If they persisted, they would mark themselves for elimination. DuValle marveled at the number of corpses left adrift in the wake of his political success.

PAGE 8

DuValle’s reverie is broken by the entrance of a small nervous looking man.

DUVALLE: "Andrew, my friend, what can I do for you?"

ANDREW, staring at the carpet: "S-sorry to interrupt you, sir. But I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. The Urich job was unsuccessful."

DUVALLE, without shifting position, in a deceptively soft voice: "Oh? How so?"

ANDREW: "It seems that we had - ah - interference, sir. From Daredevil."

DuValle briefly reflects on the irony of a man dressed in a preposterous red devil costume interfering in his and Mr. Sharp’s business.

DUVALLE: "Well, we can’t have that, now, can we, Andrew?"

ANDREW: "Sir? Shall I send out the wolves again?"

DUVALLE, seemingly lost in thought: "The wolves? No, no Andrew, we’ve lost two already. Send the hounds this time. They won’t cease their efforts until they’ve found and destroyed our esteemed Daredevil."

DUVALLE: (Besides, it’s harder to replace living hosts than dead ones.)

ANDREW: "Will you be contacting Mr. Sharp, sir?"

DUVALLE: "No, I believe we’ll handle this little problem ourselves, Andrew."

PAGE 9

Night. Three would-be muggers lay unconscious on the sidewalk. Foiling their attack on a young couple, Daredevil is in the process of taking out their last remaining comrade, a husky youth wearing extremely baggy pants. The young hoodlum wields his weapon of choice, a short baseball bat with protruding nails near the top. He aims a mighty swing at Daredevil’s head, but DD steps just beyond the arc of the swing. As the breeze from the bat brushes his face, DD explodes into a side kick that connects forcefully with the punk’s midsection, knocking him back and to the ground. The young punk, now retching, attempts to run away but trips over his too-baggy pants, landing on his chin and knocking himself unconscious.

DD: (Next time, wear the brand that fits.)

DD hears the sirens of the approaching police in the distance. But then, he hears something else… a shuffling, shambling sound made by five pairs of feet, but no heart beats. DD turns toward the sound just as they call to him.

VOICES, raspy, slow, sepulchral: "Red-man, Red-man, we have come for you."

As they surround him in a semicircle, DD fleetingly thinks that these are the same as the men who made the attempt on Ben’s life. But then he notices something else, something that was not present with the other two: the vile stench of decaying human flesh.

DD feels a chill settle into his bones as he realizes that these are not possessed men like before, but animated corpses…

Next: The Last Temptation of Daredevil

Dare-ing to be different C/O "[email protected]"

Hey Ralph! Well, my email has been down or I'd have mailed you the comments sooner! Great issue buddy! I love the give and take between the Kingpin and Matt. I'd really like to see them forced to get along for a while socially after seeing the chemistry in those scenes in this issue. Too bad Rosalind Sharpe had to die. I thought she added some interesting conflict to the series. Of course, I don't think that it matters much, because I'm still fascinated with what's goign on in these character's lives. Keep up the good work buddy!

Thanks TJ! I hope you liked what Brother Ron has cooked up here, it's going to be something both torn from todays headlines, as well as eerily creepy , and downright scary too!