My back slams against brick with enough force to rattle my teeth, the impact sending pain radiating through my shoulder blades. Taskmistress's forearm presses against my throat, just enough pressure to remind me she could crush my windpipe if the mood strikes her. The skull-faced mercenary looms over me in the narrow Manhattan alley, her white hood catching the faint moonlight filtering between buildings.
"So what's your deal, golden boy?" she demands, her voice muffled slightly behind that expressionless mask. "Tell me how your powers work."
My heart hammers against my ribs like it's trying to escape. I'm acutely aware of how vulnerable I am right now, Ellie's still battling Big Wheel six blocks away, completely unaware that I've been snatched.
"Are you going to kill me?" I manage to choke out, my voice embarrassingly thin beneath the pressure on my throat.
She sighs, the sound unexpectedly human coming from behind that skull face. "No," she says, easing the pressure slightly. "I'm just here to bring you to Fisk."
My brain stutters to a halt. "Fisk? The Kingpin?"
Taskmistress scoffs, her head tilting slightly. "The Queenpin," she corrects me. "And yes."
My mind reels, trying to process this information. The most powerful crime lord in New York wants to meet me? This can't be good.
"Why?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine.
Taskmistress loosens her grip slightly, allowing me to breathe more easily. "Her daughter wants to meet you," she says matter-of-factly.
I blink in confusion, memories of that chaotic night flooding back. The young woman I pulled away from Taskmistress's gun.
"I didn't hurt her, though," I say, bewilderment evident in my voice.
"Exactly." There's something like amusement in Taskmistress's tone. "She wants to meet the man who saved her from me. Apparently, you made quite an impression."
"Oh." It's all I can manage as I try to wrap my head around this bizarre turn of events.
Taskmistress leans in closer, her skull mask inches from my face. "So tell me," she says, voice dropping lower, "how do your powers work?"
"I teleport," I reply automatically, gesturing vaguely with my hands.
She makes an exasperated sound. "No shit, idiot. I mean the other thing." Her voice hardens. "The thing that made me almost rape you in that alley."
My face heats up beneath my mask as I remember how she reacted to my powers, how quickly our confrontation had shifted from combat to something else entirely.
"When I teleport," I explain reluctantly, "my body releases pheromones. It's a side effect."
"Oh, that's all it is?" She sounds almost disappointed. "Just pheromones?"
"Yeah, but it gets bad if I teleport a lot." I swallow hard, uncomfortable discussing this with someone who'd tried to kidnap me just minutes ago. "It builds up in my system."
She nods slowly, seeming to process this information. For a moment, neither of us speaks, the distant sounds of the city filling the silence between us.
"Well," she finally says, "since you're going to meet Fisk, I might as well see your face." Her hand moves toward my mask. "We should present you to fisk properly."
I jerk back instinctively, my head hitting the brick wall behind me. "Wait, I don't…"
Her hand moves faster than I can react. In one fluid motion, she rips the gold mask from my face, cool air hitting my exposed skin. I flinch, bracing for whatever comes next.
But nothing does.
Taskmistress freezes completely, her body going rigid. Through the eyeholes of her skull mask, I can see her eyes widen in shock. She quickly shoves my mask back onto my face, adjusting it with surprisingly gentle fingers.
"You know what…," she says, her voice suddenly different, almost casual, "I forgot to mention something before." She glances around the alley nervously, checking our surroundings. "While I was hired by Fisk, I was also hired by someone else... to protect you."
"What?" I stare at her, completely blindsided.
"We're going to keep your mask on, alright?" She steps back slightly, giving me space to breathe. "And I'll be by your side when we're up there. No one's going to hurt you."
"Huh?" I'm struggling to keep up with this sudden change. "I don't understand."
She sighs, shoulders dropping slightly. "Look, I'm actually on your side, alright?."
"You're a villain for hire," I counter, skepticism dripping from every word. "You had a gun to that woman's head."
"I sure am," she agrees with a casual shrug. "And someone definitely hired me to protect you. So I'm on your side, whether you like it or not."
My mind races, trying to make sense of this revelation. "Who hired you?"
Taskmistress shakes her head. "Can't tell you that. Client confidentiality and all that jazz."
I stand there, my mind reeling as I try to process everything she's just told me.
Before I can formulate another question, Taskmistress's gloved hand clamps around my upper arm with surprising gentleness. Her grip is firm but not painful as she starts guiding me toward the end of the alley.
"Come on, golden boy," she says, her voice softening slightly. "Time to meet one of the most dangerous woman in New York."