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Chapter 42 – Cracks in the Dark
The docks at night were never silent. Even abandoned, the water slapped against the wood, chains clinked in the wind, and somewhere far across the river, a horn blared. Yet here, among the forgotten warehouses and rusting containers, the air felt too still—like the city itself was holding its breath.
Natalie stood near the edge of the pier, visor gleaming faintly as she scanned the shadows. Daredevil lingered beside her, posture loose but alert, head angled slightly as though listening to something no one else could hear.
They had been waiting for nearly two hours.
Finally, Daredevil broke the quiet.
"So… how'd you even get on these guys' trail?"
Natalie's voice came steady, clipped. "It was my first holiday. I was heading home after a short trip. When I returned, I saw them snatching someone off the street. I followed."
Daredevil tilted his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "First holiday, huh? Guess your boss isn't the greatest. Never lets you take time off?" He let out a low chuckle. "If that's the case, I know a good lawyer."
Natalie shot him a flat look. "It wasn't like that. We were preparing for the invasion. We didn't have time for trips."
The smile drained from his expression. His jaw tightened. "You knew about the invasion beforehand?"
Natalie's lips parted, but the sudden hum of engines cut her off. She turned sharply. A line of headlights rolled down the road leading into the docks.
"We'll talk later," Daredevil muttered.
Natalie nodded.
Four vehicles came to a grinding halt near the warehouse entrance. Men spilled out—two dozen at least, all armed with rifles that didn't belong on any legal market. Sleek barrels glowed faintly with pulsing energy. Their leader climbed out last, boots striking the ground with deliberate weight. His arms were sheathed in massive gauntlets humming with stored power.
"Where's the shipment?" the man barked, his voice sharp, impatient. "These delays are wasting my damn time!"
Natalie and Daredevil crouched behind a shipping crate, watching.
"Twenty men. Plus the leader," Daredevil murmured. His head shifted slightly toward her. "How many can you handle?"
Natalie's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "All of them."
Daredevil gave her a long, doubtful look. "Right. Sure."
She only shrugged.
"Fine," he muttered, adjusting his grip on his batons. "I'll deal with the big guy. You clear the field."
She didn't answer. Instead, she raised her hand—and the world warped. In an instant, both of them vanished from the crate and reappeared above the crowd, suspended in a shimmer of light.
Natalie dropped first, boots striking the ground with a resounding crack. Daredevil landed beside her, already in motion.
The leader snapped his gaze toward them, his gauntlets flaring with raw power. "What the hell—?"
Daredevil didn't give him time. He lunged, batons flashing, striking for the gauntlets' exposed seams. Sparks flew as steel met reinforced alloy. The man—Shocker—roared and swung. The ground exploded where his fist struck, sending concrete shards spraying.
Meanwhile, Natalie moved like a phantom through the goons. One blink—she vanished. Another blink—she reappeared, palm striking a man's chest, sending him crumpling to the ground. Gunfire erupted, streaks of green light searing through the night. She twisted, shimmered, and ghosted behind the shooters. A flick of her wrist sent another sprawling.
Daredevil's fight was less clean. Shocker's gauntlets pulsed with every swing, the shockwaves rattling the dockside. Daredevil darted, rolled, ducked under another devastating punch that tore through a steel container like paper.
"You slippery bastard," Shocker growled, voice echoing under his mask. "Let's see how long you can keep dodging!"
He slammed both gauntlets down. The pier shuddered, boards splintering as a shockwave rippled outward. Daredevil staggered but stayed upright, his expression tight with focus.
Across the yard, Natalie's smirk never wavered. The men were panicking now, firing wildly. She moved through them with surgical precision—one blink, one strike, one man down.
In the chaos, Daredevil called out between dodges. "Uh… you want to trade?"
Natalie knocked a rifle from a man's hands and sent him crashing into a crate. "You wanted the boss," she said coolly.
Another thunderous punch from Shocker cracked the asphalt where Daredevil had stood a second before. The masked vigilante rolled to his feet, breathing steady, refusing to yield.
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Far away, in the fortified depths of the Guardian's base, Adrian leaned over the supercomputer. Streams of data scrolled past, maps overlaying the city grid. His fingers flew across the controls, pulling surveillance, cross-referencing financial trails.
His eyes narrowed. Too many names appeared in his searches—officers, inspectors, men sworn to protect the city. Bought, compromised, assisting the ring. His jaw tightened as he stored every piece of evidence, catalogued, encrypted.
A notification pinged. One of the satellite cameras caught a streak of red and gold cutting across the night sky. Adrian's stomach sank.
"Iron Man," he muttered.
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Back at the docks, the fight had turned. Shocker's rage mounted with every missed strike. His gauntlets whined, brighter, more unstable. Each blow carved deeper into the ground, collapsing crates and warping steel.
"You think you can stop me?!" he bellowed, swinging with bone-rattling force. "I'll tear this whole place down!"
Daredevil ducked low, sweat streaking his brow. His movements were still sharp, but Shocker's power was overwhelming. One misstep and he'd be paste on the pavement.
Natalie, having finished with the last of the goons, turned toward them. Her visor caught the glow of the gauntlets, her eyes narrowing.
Shocker lunged, fists raised. Daredevil twisted aside—barely. The gauntlets smashed into a container, caving it in. He stumbled, balance faltering for just a moment. Shocker's next punch was already arcing toward him.
Then Natalie was there.
She blinked between them, her palm meeting Shocker's chest with precise force. The impact cracked like a gunshot. His body launched backward, crashing into a stack of steel drums with a deafening clang.
Daredevil blinked, chest heaving.
"Told you," Natalie said calmly, dusting off her gloves. "I can take them all."
He let out a rough grunt, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Rub it in later. Let's find where they're keeping the rest."
He stepped forward, raising a baton to jolt Shocker awake, but Natalie cleared her throat. Daredevil paused, gave a sheepish grimace. "…Right. You do it."
She knelt, placing her hand lightly against Shocker's temple. Her visor dimmed as she sifted through his mind. Seconds later, her shoulders stiffened.
"I found it. Their main base. But…" Her voice grew cold. "There are more victims in one of the vans."
Daredevil's expression hardened. "Then we start with them. Transport the civilians first."
Natalie nodded and moved swiftly, teleporting unconscious captives one by one toward safety.
The night air vibrated with a low, mechanical hum. Daredevil's head turned sharply toward the sound, his face tightening.
High above, red and gold light streaked closer.
"Sir," JARVIS reported in Tony's ear, "the energy readings have stabilized again—one hundred and twenty-seven meters east. Magical energy is active."
Tony Stark angled his descent, eyes narrowing inside the HUD. "Finally. Let's have a chat with the mystery peacock lady."
He touched down near the edge of the docks, his repulsors humming. The sight that greeted him was strange—Mayura flickering back into place with another unconscious captive in tow, Daredevil standing off to the side, arms crossed.
Tony raised his faceplate. "Been trying to find you and your boss for a long time." His gaze swept her up and down, sharp but curious. "How about we have that talk?"
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End of Chapter 42
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