"to burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves."
- Federico García Lorca
Staying out of trouble is not Frank Castle's strong suit. But is Jenavieve Howlett more trouble than The Punisher can handle...
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"fire on the ground got 'em running for cover, better watch out i'm about to take over." - Take Over, Hidden Citizens, ft. Ruelle
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"I have a demonstration for you, of what you are to become." Stryker informs me, his tone thick with sinister cheer.
He stands in the middle of the sidewalk, roughly five metres ahead of me. Civilians pass us by none the wiser, going about their innocent days.
Stryker takes a step to his right, revealing another person behind him. The man stiffly steps into line beside Stryker, his face expressionless and his eyes holding no recognition. My face falls and my heart drops.
Evan.
Rather, what once was Evan.
The Evan before me is void of his good nature and his anxious fear of Stryker. And when I focus and isolate the sound of his heartbeat, it's slow. Calm. Almost robotic. Any emotions Evan used to possess are gone, and his eyes are cold and blank.
"This is your future." Stryker says, his voice at a low volume. Anyone walking by would assume he's just talking to Evan. But my keen hearing picks it up like he's right beside me. "This is how you reach your full potential. Free from emotional attachments, from emotions altogether. Except rage." he continues, like a proud salesman. "Take out any adversary, any rival with ease. Starting with your Punisher friend, I think." he snickers. "You and I are going to change the world, Howlett. We have worked so hard to get here. Let us finish what we've started."
My face of shock melts into a deadly glare.
"You killed my family." I tell him. I have nothing else to say, except to remind him of one of the reasons I'll be ending his life.
"No." he chuckles. "You did." A menacing look returns to his eyes. "It's funny how good, innocent people tend to die around you."
My eyelashes flutter and my nostrils flare as I try to force myself not to react. Because it's not just his words that fill me with anger. It's the truth in them. Even Frank said something similar before I left.
Filled to the brim with anger, shame and guilt, I stalk forward. But Stryker only smirks at my approach.
I close in, clenching my fists, ready to strike. I'm a metre away when Evan swiftly draws a gun and fires it into my shoulder. The bullet connects with my metal skeleton and the close range impact knocks me off my feet.
Choruses of screams erupt as all the people in the street scatter in a panic.
The bullet pops out of my shoulder, and as I try to sit up, Stryker steps forward, shooting three serum darts into my stomach.
I reef out the darts before all their green contents can completely empty, but the three combined have already injected more than enough to dull my healing.
