Knights of the Dark

"He's made another kill, can't tell if this guy's contracted or not yet, he's been taking down high ranking douchebags and giving them a slow painful death, not sure if he's had a bad experience or if he's just another gun for hire." Moon Knight thought sitting on top of the ledge of building, watching the responders wheel out the body. "Witness saw a man with cybernetic enhancements, but he isn't anyone in the system, leaves a calling card too." He said as he pulled out a playing card shaped piece of metal with a V carved into it. "Probably a name I'd bet, but if I ran a search about mercenaries with ties to someone with a name starting with V I'd have over a hundred results just here in New York." He thought tucking the metal card away. "The only thing I can do is stay connected to the police wire and stay on the lookout, don't have a way to find this guy yet." He told himself flinging himself to the next building to look around.

It was late at night as Richard Rider was visiting his mother. "Mom, your still not gonna win this." Richard said with a chuckle playing his mother in a game of cards. "Really? Last time I checked every time we played I still managed to beat you." She said with a smirk. "That's cause I let you win." He said glancing down at his cards. Unaware to either of them a man sat in a tree little far off from the family. He aimed his rifle with the crosshair right into the hero's skull. "I don't think you realize it---" He was stopped as the bullet slammed through his skull, and out the other side of his head. His mother began to scream but the silenced projectile ended her yell. "This is Vertigo, targets neutralized, sending confirmation." The man said, sending a live feed he had been recording. "Next target is who?" He asked coldly, not feeling remorse for what he had just done. "It'll get done, I promise you." He said hopping done, letting the streetlight barely get a glimpse of his half metallic body, and dimly glowing red eye.

"Damn, he hit them hard and quick, merciless, but he couldn't torture this target, would've gotten too out of hand and than the target would've got backup in no time at all." The avatar of Khonshu arrived before the police, looking at the scene recreating what had happened in his head. "Must've been in the trees over there, cause the bullets traveled through that pane windows and into the victims. He put them out without them to ever realize it." He said leaning down to see the bodies. He picked up the round with a his glove. "Sniper, probably silenced, how I would've done it. This kid must've been putting the hurt on some gangsters business, making him hire our friend into killing him." He put the round back down and heard the whine of police cars in the distance. "Time to get going, but now I've got somewhere to start."

Marc Spector settled in to his computer, accessing files he hadn't touched in a while, contact information with West Coast Avengers, one he knew had been a New Warrior, and could help him figure out who Nova had been putting the pound on. "Hello? Who's calling?" He heard on the other end of the line. "Powell, my name is Spector, I need you to let me look at Nova's workspace, I gotta see what he had been working on lately." Marc replied. "Why would I let you do that?" Darkhawk asked. "Cause Richard is dead, and whoever he had been beating on, hired a mercenary to kill him."

Steven Grant entered Nova's office like space inside of the New Warrior's base of operations. "This guy had to be something to take at Richard, must've been superhuman." Christopher Powell said letting Grant search around. "Yeah." He said trying his best to ignore the hero. "You don't know anything about it do you? Like who it could've been?" Darkhawk asked turning towards Moon Knight. "Nope, nothing." He said lying, picking up a paper to better read. "January fifth, I've been tracking down a gang known as The Roaches. I'm close to finding their leader and sending him to prison for a long time." Steven Grant read out loud. Powell came over and pushed the paper down to the table. "What are you not telling me?" Christopher asked annoyed. "How about you let me deal with this and stay the hell out of my way?" Grant replied angered. "No, he was my friend and I am going to take this guy down." Powell said looking to avenge Nova. "I'm not having some teen hero get in my way and jeopardize me catching this guy, now stay the hell out of my way and stay the hell away from me!" He yelled backing up and jabbing his finger in Darkhawk's face.