"So all those people inside were gangsters… and you were avenging your wife and kid?"
Rory let go of Frank, who turned without a word and walked away.
That was so 'Punisher'.
Watching his retreating back, Rory casually said,
"If you want vengeance, and to find the one pulling the strings behind all this, I can help you."
Frank stopped.
He turned, stepping right up to Rory.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" he growled.
Rory shrugged.
"Exactly what I said. I can help."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
The way Frank phrased it sounded like Rory was the one begging him for the favor.
But that was typical of capable people, arrogance came standard. Just like the stubborn ice-block Steve Rogers, who underestimated Rory… and got thrashed for it.
Rory didn't answer. He reached for a metal pipe on the wall.
With barely any effort, he twisted it free, squeezed it in one hand, and crushed it into a lumpy metal ball.
Frank was stunned.
Rory smiled.
"Does that count?"
Frank smacked his lips, pausing for a moment.
"How do I find you again?"
"You don't. Unless you come with me, right now."
Frank said nothing. He just followed.
Two silhouettes vanished deeper into the alley.
Meanwhile…
Wilson Fisk had just finished a meeting with Madame Gao of The Hand.
The talks had gone well. In exchange for peace, Gao only asked that once Rory completed the super-serum, he deliver a sample to her.
Fisk's plan was simple: let Rory strengthen him first, then turn on Rory, using him to mass-produce super-soldiers.
But when Fisk returned home, he discovered Rory's lab had been sealed off, and Rory himself was missing.
Frustrated, he poured himself a glass of whiskey.
He turned, and nearly spilled the drink.
Rory was sitting on his living room sofa.
Right next to him, drenched in blood, sat Frank Castle.
"Oh my God, you're alive! That's a relief… and this is, ?"
Rory didn't even look up from the laptop he was fiddling with.
"Don't worry about him. Just tell me what's going on."
Fisk knew he meant The Hand.
"I spoke with them. They won't bother you again."
Rory closed the laptop and looked up.
"That's it?"
Fisk hesitated.
"Rory, The Hand is one of my most important business partners. And so are you. This puts me in a difficult spot. I mean, they lost two men. You didn't lose anything. Maybe we can just… let this go?"
Rory narrowed his eyes. Thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Got it."
He didn't agree, but he didn't argue either.
Still, The Hand had just been added to his internal blacklist.
Frank watched the two silently. He didn't fully understand, but it sure smelled like trouble.
Rory shut the laptop and continued,
"That lab's burned. I need you to find me a new place, more secure. And get me a fresh batch of equipment. Discreetly. Preferably from out of town. No paper trails."
S.H.I.E.L.D. had already traced his last lab. He couldn't afford another breach.
Until the Gene Reinforcement Program was complete, he needed peace and quiet.
Fisk didn't hesitate.
"Of course. I'll handle it."
He immediately called Wesley, his most reliable fixer.
True to form, Wesley quickly found a suitable spot.
Rory grabbed his serum samples, motioned to Frank, and the two of them left together.
As they walked through Hell's Kitchen, Frank broke the silence.
"That guy back there… doesn't have good intentions."
Rory smirked.
"Of course I know. But I still need him. So I play dumb."
Then he turned to Frank, his tone serious.
"Frank, when you have absolute strength, all those little schemes and betrayals become as fragile as paper."
Frank grunted.
"Maybe. But I still like doing things my way."
The two zigzagged through the alleys until they reached a narrow, half-hidden entrance.
Opening the door revealed a stairwell leading even further down.
Frank scouted the place and came back.
"It's a two-level underground setup. Very well hidden. But we're going to need two beds."
Rory nodded, pleased.
"You'll handle supplies then?"
"What about you?" Frank asked.
"I'll be doing research. And helping you get stronger, sooner rather than later."
S.H.I.E.L.D. was still sniffing around. Rory planned to give them something to chew on so they'd stay off his back.
The next morning, Frank got busy. He made repeated trips, stocking the hideout with food, supplies, and, importantly, everything in double.
He was fully committed to this weird cohabitation with Rory.
Three days later, the lab equipment arrived.
Rory prepped a needle.
"Let's get a blood sample first. Then we'll do your first round of enhancement."
He'd used Steve Rogers' serum on Fisk.
This time, he'd use Jessica Jones'.
That way, he could observe the differences in genetic enhancement between the two.
Frank stared at the needle being inserted into his arm, clenching his fist.
"Is this how you enhanced yourself?"
"Uhhh… kind of. But mine was a bit more… intense."
Fisk and Frank were using enhanced human serum. But Rory's transformation was fundamentally different.
He had rewritten his own genetic code using the Eternals' DNA hidden in Thanos' blood.
In other words, while Steve, Jessica, Fisk, and Frank would remain biologically human, Rory was evolving into something… beyond.
A true Eternal.
That was something only the Celestials could do.
Which reminded him, if the Celestials were involved, then that meant the Six-Eyed Celestial and his ten Eternals stationed on Earth were also part of this story.
Rory drifted off into thought.
"HEY!" Frank shouted.
"How much blood are you planning to take?! You trying to drain me dry?!"
Snapping out of it, Rory gave him an apologetic grin.
"Just being thorough. The better the prep, the stronger you'll become."
Frank's lips were pale.
"You sure? 'Cause I'm feelin' kinda lightheaded over here…"
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