Foggy sat in the corner of Josie’s, sipping away at his beer. Shaking like a frightened animal whenever he saw someone with large muscles move. He never felt as comfortable at Josie’s as much as Matt did. A cramped bar full of men with hard expressions and scars, the tension felt like dynamite with a short fuse. If it wasn’t for Josie, Foggy was pretty sure this bar would be the subject of various assault cases every night. Foggy didn’t know why he frequented this bar and at this point it was habit so he wasn’t going to stop frequenting it anytime soon.

After having a few solid drinks (some of them tasting a lot like bacon) he left the bar and he noticed in the corner of his eye a few big dudes in leather jackets suddenly getting up.

Foggy quickened his pace outside the bar as around 3 burly dudes in leather jackets followed behind. Unfortunately, they were faster and they pushed him into an alleyway.

“You’re the suit that let old Grotto out of the slammer, aren’t you?” said a man in the middle whose bald head reflected what little light there was in the alleyway.

“Yeah, that’s the fat one,” said his friend who had a dragon tattoo that curled around his ear. “There was a blind one too.”

“Where’s your blind friend fatso?” said the man on the right who had a big bushy beard. “Huh?”

Foggy remained silent.

“You see this scar on my stomach?” Baldie said, pulling his leather jacket up. “Old Grotto was the one who put a knife in my gut. Beat the shit out of some of my boys too. Y’know the Sunnyside Biker Gang, counsellor?”

Foggy shook his head.

“Well, we don’t forget shit easily,” Baldie said. “And now we hear the lawyer that let the bastard that gave us grief out is walking into Josie’s without a care in the world. How’d you think that made us feel, eh Fatso?”

Foggy didn’t have any answer to that. Instead, he thought back to college where him and Matt were out late, blitzed and they ran into some assholes who wanted to fight. Things escalated but Foggy being as drunk as he was started to dance, those assholes were confused and decided to leave him and Matt alone.

So maybe, Foggy thought. Just maybe he could dance right now and things would de-escalate. He took and deep breath and…

Found himself knocked out with a bruised face lying in a pile of trash without his shoes and suit jacket. Damn you Matt, Foggy thought.

…

Matt pushed Sergei aside and leapt to the side as Gladiator charged at them like a rampaging bull. He heard the sniper reloading and ducked out of the way as a bullet ricocheted off the walls. But the bullet wasn’t aimed at him. No, it was aimed at…

“Elektra!”

Elektra brandished her Sais and deflected the bullet with a deft flick of her wrist.

It was at that moment Gladiator charged straight for the wounded Sergei who was trying to escape the room. Matt sprinted towards him and leapt, putting all his weight into a tackle diverting Gladiator’s path. Gladiator stumbled. Matt almost collapsed but picked up the sound of the gun being reloaded just in time for…

“SERGEI GET DOWN!”

Sergei ducked on the ground as the bullet grazed the spot where his head would have been just seconds ago. Gladiator regained his bearings and let out a roar of anger. Matt kicked him across the face. Gladiator fell backwards and Matt used the opportunity to bound of the wall and kick him across the face.

“Elektra get Sergei out of here!” Matt shouted.

Another bullet was fired, this time at Gladiator. Gladiator let out another roar, blood running down his mouth as Matt tackled him to the ground, the bullet grazing through his back. He heard Elektra leave the room with Sergei. Pain burned through his back but he had no time to pity himself as Gladiator grabbed him by the arms and ran with him through the walls like a battering ram.

The walls splintered around them. Matt’s body felt like hell. Gladiator’s grip loosened around Matt and he crumpled to the ground trying his best to fight the exhaustion spreading through his body. Just then he heard the gun load through the blood rushing through his head.

Matt sprinted and grabbed Melvin by the throat. Melvin writhed, trying to rip him away. He twisted his body around and pulled him down as the bullet bounced off Gladiator’s armour. Matt’s grip loosened around the Gladiator and he fell to the floor. He could hear his heart pounding like a drum playing in his body and his body crying in protest at the burdens he placed on it. He almost didn’t hear Melvin raise his fists in anger and his heart booming with rage.

Elektra led Sergei through the worn hallways, narrowly avoiding bullets. Sergei let Elektra pull him around until a bullet grazed her shoulder.

Elektra keeled over. Sergei took this opportunity to elbow her in the gut and ran away from the scene. Elektra grabbed one of her Sais, trying to ignore the pain flaring through her arm. She threw one of them at Sergei, it missed him by inches and clattered on the floor limply. Elektra took the second one and threw it and it hit Sergei’s arm. Sergei screamed in pain and stumbled, tripping on the floor. Elektra quickly ripped a piece of her red suit and wrapped it around her bullet wound. Elektra walked to Sergei and before she could reach him a bullet exploded through the splinters.

Matt rolled out of the way as Gladiator’s fist met the empty spot he once lay.

“You’re getting weaker, Devil,” Gladiator said. “I can see it in your movements.”

“Melvin,” Matt said through breaths that felt like fire. “Get out of there. I know that this isn’t you. I don’t want to do this to you.”

“I told you, Melvin isn’t here anymore,” Gladiator said. “It’s only the Gladiator.”

Matt sidestepped as Gladiator let out another punch.

“I don’t want to do this Melvin,” Matt said. “Betsy doesn’t want me to do this. She told me about your dad.”

Gladiator roared. “Don’t you dare speak about this.”

Matt raised his fists to block the second punch.

“That Gladiator came about to protect you,” Matt said. “From your dad. From those fights he made you do.”

“SHUT UP!” Gladiator roared. “DON’T SPEAK ABOUT STUFF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND.”

Melvin got a punch under his arms, directly into his stomach. Matt coughed up air and keeled over.

“I want to know if Melvin is still there,” Matt said, blood pouring out of his mouth. “So, I know if I can let loose.”

Gladiator threw another punch but Matt dodge it with ease, pressing a pressure point on his arm that caused Melvin to let out a scream as his hand hung limply at his side.

Matt grinned despite the blood pouring out of his mouth. “Cause right now, Gladiator. I’m starting to have a little fun.”

The bullet hit Elektra’s leg. She fell on the floor, blood running down her thigh.

The assassin was reloading. He was a damn good shot, if her and Matthew weren’t as trained as they were they’d have neither of their heads right now. Sergei ripped the Sais from his shoulder and made a slow jog away from Elektra. She tore another piece of her outfit and wrapped it around her leg. She picked up her two Sais, dragging herself across the wall she got up.

This man was obviously trained. A master of firearms, he was a worthy adversary and a powerful challenge to overcome but Elektra, Elektra loved challenges. As the assassin reloaded, she ran through her mind the intervals at which he shot. Trying to determine their trajectory and where the bullets landed. She didn’t have Matthew’s special senses to guide her so she would have to rely on her instinct.

The assassin was skilled. He only fired at specific intervals. Elektra assumed to get a perfect shot so that he could kill his target. It would’ve worked on typical targets. They weren’t typical targets. It would seem he had limited resources otherwise the assassin wouldn’t be so deliberate with his shots.

With those factors into consideration Elektra had to deal with each bullet as if it was the assassin’s last. The assassin fired once, Elektra flicked her wrist and deflected the bullet to the side. Reloading and a five second wait. The assassin fired again and this time Elektra was clumsy and the bullet grazed her shoulder. There was a long pause before the third shot. Elektra thought the assassin would shoot her. She thought wrong.

The bullet was headed for Sergei.

Gladiator swung his other arm clumsily. He got up and swung his body around like an elephant but his movements were clumsier and his occasional hits were flimsy.

Gladiator placed all his strength into one swing which Matt easily dodged. He ducked underneath it and punched Gladiator in the jaw. Gladiator stumbled backwards but Matt was relentless, he swung his leg across Gladiator’s face.

“Stop it,” Gladiator growled as blood ran down his face. He swung out desperately but Matt ducked and punched him across his face. “STOP IT!”

Gladiator swung again and Matt dodge easily and tackled him across the floor. Gladiator held out his hands but Matt punched through, pummelling him repeatedly in the face.

“Stop it,” Gladiator please. “Please stop!”

Matt punched over and over until Gladiator’s face bloodied. Gladiator tried defending himself but Matt ignored it and kept punching across the face until…

“Please stop,” Melvin cried. “Please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

The cold eyes of the Gladiator were replaced by the bloodied tears of Melvin Potter. Matt, realising this rolled to the floor. Blood was pounding in his head and all he could see in Melvin’s face were bruises and tears. Melvin looked at his fists, blood dripping down from his fingers and onto the floor.

Matt got off Melvin as he choked on his tears and leaned on the wall, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” Melvin cried. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Elektra would’ve let Sergei die. The weak should defend themselves, she thought. But if she didn’t, she’d lose Matthew’s trust and she couldn’t have that, at least not yet. It would be the tactical decision too as the assassin wouldn’t be so desperate as to kill a person that wasn’t their target unless he was running out of options. The world felt slow, the bullet zoomed through the window. Elektra threw her Sais at the bullet. It wouldn’t reach the bullet in time. The bullet broke through the Sais as it dangled on the floor. The bullet ricocheted and struck Sergei…

In the leg.

Sergei collapsed on the floor, cursing in Russian. Elektra rolled on the floor, picking up her broken Sais. She needed every advantage she could get. She waited as Sergei groaned in pain. She waited and waited. Body tensed and breathing controlled. When the assassin didn’t fire, she assumed the assassin left.

She was right this time but being an assassin herself she knew one principle from experience.

An assassin never leaves a mark alive.