บท 5: Chapter 5 - Maniacal Laughter
3rd POV (Hell's Kitchen, New York January 2nd 3am 2002)
Gansen's Hotel, one of many forsaken businesses driven to ruin by the relentless criminal activity pervading Hell's Kitchen unopposed. It stood a proud seven stories tall, a symbol of the uncontested dominance the Russians retain over the unfortunate people living here.
Operating at all hours of the day it is only after dark that they throw away all pretence and reveal the true extent of their corrupt nature. Kidnapped children are offloaded by the dozen brought into the hotel to be conditioned into "proper product" before being taken away to who knows where never to be seen again.
The first two floors of the building contain many broken windows and other signs of damage, battle scars left to remind others that the Russians didn't rise to power without facing their fair share of enemies. Moving higher to the 3rd floor a group of Russian young men sit around a table playing cards betting what little alcohol and cigarettes they have left after a long night of work. Anticipation building for when they'll finally be let off-duty is the only thing giving them energy to keep playing.
Sitting around a table playing cards, Ivan, a 21 year old young man sat amongst the other new recruits bemoaning their misfortune for having to work the graveyard shift, while eagerly listening to the exciting tales from the more experienced members sitting across from them.
{boom} {crash} {shatter}
Their retelling is abruptly interrupted by a loud impact echoing across the building to all awake ears, a loud declaration of force demanding to be challenged.
"The fuck is making that noise?" "I don't know, go check it out." "Me? Fuck that! why should I go?" "Shut up, I'll check it out." Ivan grumbled about his partner's laziness as he made his way down the stairs towards the lobby. Adrenaline coursing through his veins made every shadow a potential threat and before even reaching the stairs Ivan drew his pistol.
Trying his best to take comfort in the not yet familiar weight in his hand. His journey to the lobby is unobstructed but his nerves refuse to calm as his mind begins to wonder what could have made such a sound. His steps ground to a halt upon his arrival to the lobby. Stunned silence kept him trapped in place as his eyes surveyed the destruction coating the area.
The heavy front doors lay demolished on the ground mere steps away from him, their glass windows now scattered across the lobby in pieces reflecting the moon's light at hundreds of different angles casting the room into an eerie glow. The dim light proved just enough for Ivan to look out into the dark street and see the two huge foot shaped like dents in the ground placed horizontally in front of the door.
Moving slowly, cautiously Ivan made towards the front entrance. Not willing to risk becoming the laughing stock of his clique. Remembering his bosses command to be subtle he adjusted his body angle as he approached, not understanding their worry but having learned better then to disobey. With his pistol now hidden by his looming shadow he finished his approach.
Ivan, so caught up in approaching the wrecked entrance, failed to observe his surroundings. He didn't see the unnatural swirl of dark fog leave the remains of the elevator shaft nor did he see a haunting white mask emerge from the dark swarm slowly pulling itself together until it resembled the imposing figure of a man.
Matching his steps pace for pace Reaper silently shadowed Ivan outside of the hotel waiting patiently until he arrived in front of the indents in the pavement before in one smooth motion a hand came up covering Ivan's mouth while another snaked up behind his head. The grasp gentle, almost delicate in nature attested to Reaper's inhuman strength as Ivan's neck was expertly snapped and his body crumpled to the cold ground.
Without delay Reaper turned away, dismissing Ivan's corpse and continuing on into the hotel. Floor by floor with the ease of the ghostly spectre he had become Reaper covertly and efficiently dispatched every gang member in the building moving ever upwards. The trapped children left in his wake weren't spared even a thought as he continued ascending until he arrived on the seventh floor.
{bang}{bang}
Boring from the lack of meaningful resistance, Reaper discarded stealth and marched up the stairs to the top floor. Startled alert by the loud sound the remaining gangsters pulled out their firearms quickly as they scrambled to form a proper formation.
"Who's there?!" Silence. The loud cry brought a halt to the ascending footsteps. Breathes held in anticipation the gangsters shuffled nervously in their places. Vigilant gazes darting around the floor on the lookout for anything that doesn't belong.
{BANG}{BANG}{BANG}
Without warning the banging restarted at thrice the speed and twice as loud the gangsters were immediately thrown into a panic desperately trying to steady their shaking arms prepared to pump holes into whatever ascended the stairs.
Nothing could have prepared them for their adversary.
Black Fog in the mocking form of a man rushed up the stairs. Bullets tore through the air in greeting but the spectre didn't bother dodging keeping his pace the bullets passed through his body as if he didn't even exist.
"Shit it's a Mutant. RUN FOR IT." A voice roared from the back of the group stirring the survivors into a frenzy as they desperately pushed and shoved their way past their fellows. Trying to put as much distance between them and the Reaper that hunts them as possible.
"hahahahahhahHAHAHAHHAH" Their desperate flight for survival proved useless as Reaper's body dissolved into shadow before resurfacing in front of them. His white mask unmoving but releasing a sick sound that could only be a demon's laughter from behind its empty shell.
Twin shotguns slowly rose from the fog surrounding Reaper as the gangsters desperately tried to turn and flee once more. But they were far too slow, with mocking slowness Reaper brought his weapons to bear before opening fire into the narrow hallway.
{Boom} {Boom}
The sound of his laughter rang throughout the hotel punctuated with the booming sound of his shotgun firing. The awake children under them trembled and prayed in their beds to remain beneath this monster's notice.
Time lost meaning for those few seconds as Reaper ruthlessly slaughtered the remaining Russians with a manic glee before everything abruptly stopped as the last Russian dropped to the ground. Horror covered his face as he desperately attempted to stop his bleeding, the black smoke leaking from his wounds only scared him further and before he knew it the world began to lose focus. His last thoughts filled with terror as he beheld the blank white mask staring down at him.
Satisfied with his work Reaper turned towards the nearest window watching as the last Russian fled from the hotel as fast as his legs would carry him. Dark satisfaction filling him Reaper idly kicked a corpse out of his way. Climbing onto the roof he took his time trailing the goon in front of him. Looking forward to the crushing despair he would feel when Reaper came for him once again.
20 minutes later, after following his prey through numerous passages and alleys, Reaper came to a stop on top of a container looking down on the docks as his prey desperately banged on the doors of a warehouse. The doors opened with a loud bang that caused his prey to nearly jump out of his skin before he calmed down slightly and began to talk quickly while making wild gestures with his hands. The people who greeted him showed a variety of responses to his crazy story.
A mix between amusement and annoyance graced their features as they led him into the building shutting the doors behind them. Giving his surroundings a brief look Reaper took a few steps back before making an estimate on the distance between him and the warehouse. Satisfied with his analysis he sprinted forward and upon reaching the end of the container leapt across the docks coming down hard on the roof. It collapsed under him and brought him down in the middle of the warehouse.
All around him stunned gangsters and children alike looked upon his form with awe and fear. No longer in the mood for games, Reaper wasted no time. Without any way of causing him harm the gangsters in the warehouse were helpless against his savage assault. No man, woman, or child was spared as Reaper emptied out the warehouse. The loud sound of gunfire rang out for mere seconds before being swiftly silenced.
Exiting the warehouse dripping head to toe with blood, Reaper moved towards where his prey cowered from him. "Eeeek. Please don't kill me! I'l-i'll d..d…do anything man. J…ju…JUST PLEA…huph." Grabbing his face forced his mouth closed as reaper leaned in closely towards the man, his head tilting very slightly as he approached his ear.
"Tell me where else the Russians operate." A low inhuman growl left Reaper's mouth before he slowly stood up to his full height towering over his terrified victim.
"If-f-f if I do you-yo-you'll let me live?" He begged but upon receiving no answer had no choice but to begin. "The–there's another hotel on 5th street, ummm. A-a bakery on Clancy street where we get the drugs…" Like that Reaper silently listened as he in his growing panic continued to talk faster and faster until he finally finished fasting for breath.
Bringing his leg up with lightning speed Reaper shot his foot down snapping the man's neck before turning to leave the docks. 3 hours later Reaper stood outside a parking garage/mechanics shop. The area was bathed in light from several massive led floodlights. Unlike the decrepit state of their other buildings it's clear the Russians value and maintain this area. That alongside the high calibre weaponry being carried around let Reaper know that this location held something far more valuable than his other stops. Instead of charging in head first Reaper decided on a more time consuming but ultimately better method.
Unlike his other destinations this one was likely equipped with cameras to serve the Russians in legal cases and such matters. Unwilling to be caught on camera, Reaper stealthily positioned himself on the opposite building's roof readying himself to sneak inside. Compared to the rest of the building the rooftop security was much more lax. With only 3 men gathered around a table near the door responsible for patrolling every few minutes.
With nary a thought Reaper allowed the shadows to absorb his body. Feeling himself sink into the familiar realm of darkness he directed himself forward picturing the poker table they all sat around. A nostalgic pull in his stomach was all the confirmation he needed of his success. Emerging from the centre of the poker table Reaper lashed out with his clawed hands slicing through the necks of the two nearest him. Sending them crashing onto the ground frantically trying to stop the blood from leaving their bodies.
"What the shi…HEY, He…keuk." The last thug made a last ditch effort, trying to shout for help while pulling recklessly on the gun stuck in his waistband. Plunging his arm into the man's chest, Reaper enjoyed the warm liquid pooling over him as he covered the man's mouth with his other hand.
Removing his arm and giving it a slight shake Reaper moved himself in front of the door stopping for a moment as he listened intently. When no sounds worthy of concern came in the next few seconds he dematerialized becoming a swirling black fog and slipped past the door. Reforming again at the top of the stairs he discreetly made his way across the complex. Silently taking down anyone he passed it was when he reached the first floor that something unexpected happened.
The once bright building fell into complete darkness as the power shut off. A spark of curiosity held Reaper in place as he hid away waiting to see what came next. Whoever had shut off the power had just made his life much easier, with the camera's disabled he didn't have to trouble himself with remaining unseen.
{swoosh}{slam} {bang}{bang}{bang}
Soon the distinct sound of something heavy hitting a person reached Reaper's ears alongside a hail of gunfire. He shifted to the left to give himself a wider view of the floor below and finally found the cause of all the ruckus. A man in a red devil's suit was jumping in and out of the darkness down below. Wielding two short sticks he struck at random ruthlessly dismantling each person before he dragged them farther into the darkness. Panicked shouts sounded out from the remaining Russians as they gathered together in one big group sporadically shooting into the expanse of blackness enclosing in on them.
The two men protected at the centre of their little circle drew Reaper's attention. He had it on good authority that it's these two brothers running the Russian gang. No move in the city was made without the consent of one of them two. All of a sudden, the formation changed as the two brothers sprinted towards a Ferrari F50 tucked away in the corner of the garage surrounded by their loyal bodyguards who continued spraying into the night hoping to end the devil attacking them. Unaware of the real threat unhurriedly moving to intercept them.
Cutting his way around the garage killing any thug that got in his way it didn't take long for both sides to recognize that a new player had joined the game. "Hey. Another one over there. Shoot him!" As bullets started to fly at him in earnest Reaper continued forward unfazed. "Dermo (Shit)! He's after the boss. STOP HIM!" Just as he was about to reach the brothers Reaper was forced to stop when a Metal baton ricocheted off the wall and nearly slammed into his chest.
Forced to dissipate his body to avoid the impact Reaper couldn't stop the brothers from speeding away. Making to follow them, Reaper is once more interrupted by the masked Daredevil who had tried to attack him. Deciding to deal with this first Reaper turned his focus away from the car 'they won't last till dawn away.'
"What are you?" His voice though low seemed to echo around the garage before sinking into the darkness around them.
"Huh?" Not expecting such a question Reaper nonetheless decided to humour him if only to attempt and learn more about the so-called "Mutants" the Russians had mistaken him for. "I'm afraid I don't understand. You'll have to expand on your question."
"Your heartbeat. It's not human" 'hmmm so he can hear my heartbeat, interesting.' Examining Daredevil more closely Reaper took notice that his eyes were covered in a material that hardly seemed transparent. Also his gaze wasn't focused on any part of Reaper's body but was locked on in his general direction instead. 'I've dealt with similar types before. How intriguing to see something similar here.'
"So, you're blind then." Watching him flinch at his words, Reaper confirmed his guess "But instead of just losing your sight you suddenly had all your other senses heightened. So heightened you can hear heartbeats."
With the mystery solved Reaper didn't bother sticking around; he dealt with dozens of people with similar abilities years ago and he wasn't going to waste his night out fighting another. Yet the second he began to leave the garage another baton flew at his head. Sighing in annoyance, Reaper turned around. He'd teach this fool a lesson in knowing his limits before continuing the chase.
Scattering his body into immaterial pieces that floated in the air hid him from the boy's senses. Freezing in place at Reaper's sudden disappearance Daredevil had no way to prepare himself for the kick Reaper launched at his chest. It was only thanks to years of training his instincts that daredevil managed to respond. Bringing both his arms up to absorb the blow while loosening his body to roll with the impact.
Immense force hit his arms slamming them painfully into his chest as he rolled backwards to disperse the remaining power. Immediately upon regaining his footing he launched himself left barely dodging a fist that cratered the ground he'd been upon moments prior. Breathing heavily as he tried to regain some semblance of where Reaper is. Daredevil pushed his senses to their limit. Tuning out all irrelevant sounds he focused only on trying to find Reaper.
Another kick impacted his side sending him flying across the garage. His dented body armour, the only thing saving his ribs from powdering under Reaper's barbaric strength. Diving in random directions to try and buy himself time Daredevil did his best to find Reaper only to keep coming up blank. How could you find someone who seamlessly merged with the air? Who had no heartbeat or breath to track. Can such a being even be considered human anymore?
It was overwhelming, never before had he been forced onto the backhand in such a manner. Without warning his body was suddenly caught in an iron grip before he was thrown unceremoniously into a wall. "If you want to live, stay down. I don't have the patience to deal with you." Turning away from Daredevil Reaper made to once again chase after the brothers but he stopped when he felt movement behind him.
"Sigh. You know you should really listen to the advice of your betters." Not expecting a response. Reaper was slightly surprised when Daredevil managed to open his mouth "Why are you after the Russians? What does someone like you gain from something like this?"
Aware that Daredevil was trying to distract him so that he could recollect himself and strategize. Reaper with renewed curiosity chose to humour him. "Hmmm. Well let's just say they got on my bad side is all. What about you? Why are you standing up again? Why choose to continue fighting an unwinnable battle?"
"Winning or losing isn't important. I will protect my city from any scum seeking to exploit its people." Passion oozed from Daredevil's voice even as his body swayed on the verge of collapse held up only by the strength of his will. His unending mission to protect his city gives him the strength to stand up once more.
"You aren't the first to make such grand proclamations in front of me. Many before you who thought themselves heroes have tried to stop me. No one's succeeded yet. You won't be any different." Reflecting for a moment on his past Reaper noted that he could no longer hear the brothers Ferrari. 'The night's entertainment hasn't finished yet.'
With his next action clear he resolved to end this farce in their next clash. Walking leisurely towards Daredevil who had done his best to get in a proper stance even while nursing numerous broken bones. Reaper planned to slit Daredevils neck and be done with things when suddenly Daredevil turned and settled into a stance facing him.
'How? How can he find me with nothing to track? Is he capable of detecting the wind shifting around me? Is hearing of this level even possible?' Shock coursing through him Reaper began to rapidly shift around. Watching Daredevil closely clarified what was going on. 'He's only capable of tracking me when I keep my pieces closer together. Once they spread over an area he loses me.'
While not as impressive as he first believed Reaper still couldn't help the awe he felt. For someone so weak to take such a major step forward so quickly is immensely impressive. Even if his development is behind his and Morrisons. But if all "Mutants" had as much potential as he did then. This new world is going to prove itself to be very fun.
His adrenaline started pumping at the thought of what other secrets this world could be harbouring. Thankful to Daredevil for giving him something to look forward to, Reaper decided to show him mercy. He'd carve into this cripple just how much farther he'd need to go before he could ever stand in front of him again.
Pushing his body to the limit. Reaper blitzed forward at untraceable speeds, appearing behind Daredevil in the blink of an eye, grabbing his left arm before throwing him into another wall. The impact significantly stronger this time cracked the concrete as Daredevil collapsed onto the ground. Grabbing his leg Reaper turned and launched his body out a window onto the streets of Hell's Kitchen. Standing at the exit of the compound Reaper clicked his tongue as he watched Daredevil try to stand up only to fall back down pathetically.
Fortunately, for him Reaper had gotten careless for a moment in his excitement and Daredevil had landed directly under a brightly shining street light. No way to hide from the camera's over there even if he wanted to continue bashing Daredevil. Watching his struggling form for a few more seconds Reaper silently turned around and faded into the night around him. He wasn't ready to come out into the light just yet
… … …
3rd POV (St. James hotel January 2nd 6:30am)
15 Kilometres away on the edge of Hell's Kitchen where the perpetual state of decay starts to give way to the middle-high class areas of New York in a high-class hotel we see the two Russian brothers rushing around in a desperate bid to gather their belongings and escape from Hell's Kitchen.
"Hurry up Anatoly, we need to leave now. Fisk has already arranged a villa for us in Brooklyn. We just need to lay low for a while then get back to work and have our revenge on those two freak bastards." No response. Confused, Vladimir stopped packing and went out into the hallway looking towards Anatoly's room to his left. "Anatoly!" No response again.
Worry gnawing at his chest Vladimir made his way down the hallway towards his brother's room. As he approached the sound of running water reached his ears and the worry was quickly replaced with burning anger. 'Are you kidding me?! This tupoi(Idiot), doesn't he understand how serious? And he thinks now's the perfect time to shower.'
Storming into the room furiously Vladimir slammed open the door to the bathroom and started yelling "Anatoly you bastard get out of the shower we have to go now!" No response. Vladimir, blinded by his rising anger, ignored the warning bells beginning to sound in his head in favour of ripping the shower curtain open and dragging his little brother out.
"Anatoly you... !" Vladimir froze in horror as he gazed upon his brother's body dangling in the air. His neck wrapped in the shower cord, his eyes without light staring down into Vladimir's own, judging him for failing to protect the only family he has left. Stepping back on shaky legs Vladimir saw a flash of black out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the bathroom mirror.
Forcing himself to look past his little brother's dangling corpse he spotted a vague black smudge in the bottom corner of the mirror. Instinct had him reaching out to wipe it away. But just as his sleeve brushed the glass the smudge expanded and latched onto his arm. "What the fuck is this?! LET GO!" Helplessly caught he continued to pull and jerk his arm trying to free himself to no avail. So caught up in freeing himself he didn't even notice the person who entered the bathroom.
{click}
Hearing the sound of a lock Vladimir whipped his head around only for despair to overtake him at the all black figure standing behind him. "No.No NO STAY AWAY! Get AWAY FROM ME!" screaming loudly Vladimir thrashed violently, nearly ripping his arm out of its socket as he fought against the inevitable. Slowly with silent steps Reaper walked up behind Vladimir allowing his other arm to strike uselessly at his form. Latching one gloved hand onto Vladimir's head, Reaper forced him to look into the mirror as his other arm slowly rose and began to push against his back.
"PLEASE WAIT STOP! I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING PLEASE" But he would receive no mercy.
{splat}{cough}{cough}
Vladimir coughed blood helplessly as he watched Reaper's arm puncture through him before withdrawing. Now assured of his death Vladimir stumbled forward using the wall he slowly crawled his way forward. Upon reaching the bathtub his strength finally gave out and he slowly fell onto his back. Staring up at his little brother's face Vladimir felt peace in his final moments. Looking forward to their next reunion
Meanwhile Reaper had silently slipped out of the building through a ventilation pipe and moved off into Hell's Kitchen feeling his time approaching. He still had some plans to make.
Author Note:
Alright, so we have the first fight scene. Let me know what you think about how I wrote it. Regarding Reaper's powers The attacks he ignored are due to Reaper's body being made up of chemicals and that his body is constantly in a state of regeneration and disintegration. So, a passive intangibility only makes sense with that in mind though it is only immunity to purely physical attacks.
I'm not sure if i want to give him a complete intangibility wraith form this time. I think I'd rather keep his powerset to what's been shown in this chapter. Complete control of his weird ass body and teleportation + being a super soldier should be more than enough of a threat. Let me know your thoughts on his abilities.
Also sorry for so long without an update I'm really disappointed with myself for not updating more consistently but at the same time it's hard to find time for what is admittedly a hobby with very low priority in my life. I'll keep putting out chapters whenever I can. I don't plan to drop one of my books without extreme circumstances forcing my hand
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