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Chapter 41 – Into the Shadows
The man in red straightened, fists still clenched, his breathing steady.
"What plan are you talking about?" Mayura asked, her voice low, her visor reflecting the dim light.
"You should introduce yourself first," he said, his tone edged with suspicion.
She tilted her head. "I'm Mayura. Now, who are you?"
His brow furrowed. "Wait… you're the peacock lady. From the New York war."
Natalie gave him a flat look and didn't bother answering.
Silence stretched between them until he finally said, "I'm Daredevil. And I was planning to take down the head of this operation. These bastards are kidnapping people—running drug experiments on them."
The way he said it was laced with fury, but his voice stayed level.
Natalie folded her arms. "Then let me help."
Before he could argue, she stepped closer to the unconscious leader. Her hand hovered near his temple, her eyes flickering faintly.
"What are you doing?" Daredevil demanded, moving as if ready to stop her.
"Reading his mind," she replied calmly.
He stiffened, cautious. "And ,did you find anything?"
Natalie straightened. "Nothing concrete. Just a drop point—where they planned to move these people."
"Then we go there. Now," Daredevil said sharply.
She shook her head. "Not yet. First we free the captives here. I already called the NYPD—they'll be here any minute. And I need to contact someone."
---
Far below the city, Adrian stood in his training room. Sweat rolled down his brow as he steadied his breathing. His fist glowed faintly with chi before he drove it into the practice dummy. The impact sent cracks through the reinforced shell before it shattered completely.
His phone buzzed. He grabbed it, still catching his breath.
"Master," came Natalie's voice, firm but rushed, "I might be late."
Adrian's posture snapped upright. "Nat, what's going on? And I told you—call me by my name."
"There's a trafficking ring near Hell's Kitchen. I'm with someone called Daredevil. They're kidnapping people for experiments. I'm going to stop them."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "I'll be there in a second—"
"No," she cut in sharply. "You're still healing. You can't."
The room was silent for a beat. His knuckles whitened around the phone.
"Mayu—"
"I said no." Her tone softened slightly. "I can handle this. You need to recover."
Adrian exhaled slowly, frustration simmering. "…Fine. You win. But send me everything you've got. I'll make sure none of them crawl out of this."
"Already sent," she replied.
He ended the call, his expression grim, and walked deeper into the base. Past a reinforced door of vibranium and other alloys enchanted with rooster miraculous lay the supercomputer—and Natalie's amok.
He sat before the massive screen, fingers hovering over the controls. "Let's make them pay."
---
Natalie lowered her phone with a sigh.
Daredevil, standing a few feet away, spoke dryly. "So that fan of yours doubles as a phone. Clever. And that was Guardian, wasn't it? He sounds… young."
She tensed, then steadied herself. "Your senses are sharper than most."
"I get by," Daredevil said flatly. "But chatter can wait. If there's another location, we move. Once word spreads, they'll clear out like roaches.Can you use your portal. "
Natalie nodded. "I can't open portals now, but I can teleport us there."
Before he could object, the air shimmered—and the docks vanished.
They landed at another pier, abandoned and quiet. The smell of salt and rust hung in the air.
Daredevil's head turned slightly, listening. "No one. Not even heartbeats."
"Of course not," Natalie said, arms crossed. "They're not due for three hours."
He stiffened. "Three hours? By then, this will hit the news. They'll scatter."
She smirked faintly behind her visor. "Guardian is already handling that. The news won't spread. Police communication is… limited."
Daredevil paused, then gave a short, humorless laugh. "Guess this is going to be interesting."
---
Elsewhere in the city, inside Stark Tower, a calm voice echoed.
"Sir," JARVIS reported, "I've caught glimpses of Mayura on CCTV. The footage is being erased almost instantly."
Tony Stark pushed his chair back, already moving. "JARVIS… where's my suit?"
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End of Chapter 41
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