Chapter 31: The Puzzle Is Gone - Frank Is Depressed, Ryan Is Relieved
Frank shoved Bennett into a corner, then vaulted through the second-floor window, preparing to flank the incoming hostiles in a classic pincer movement.
CLINK!
Ryan pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade. Hearing heavy boots on the stairs, he didn't hesitate—he cooked the frag for two seconds and lobbed it down the stairwell.
The four contractors entering the villa immediately spotted the bodies on the stairs and shifted to tactical formation.
Bounce... bounce... clatter...
The grenade rolled across the first-floor hardwood.
"FRAG OUT!" one of them screamed, diving behind the leather sofa.
BOOM!
The explosion left the room in shambles—plaster dust, shattered glass, and ringing ears—but unfortunately, all four contractors survived behind cover.
BRRAP! BRRAP! BRRAP!
Ryan opened up with his AK-74 on full auto, laying down suppressive fire that kept the contractors pinned while he advanced down the stairs.
Simultaneously, Frank breached through the front entrance, immediately dropping two targets with precise double-taps from his assault rifle.
Ryan reached the first floor just as his magazine ran dry—thirty rounds of 5.45mm Soviet ammunition expended in seconds.
One contractor, seeing Ryan's weapon click empty, immediately rose to engage. But instead of reloading, Ryan gripped his rifle by the barrel and lunged forward.
CRACK!
The wooden buttstock exploded against the man's skull, dropping him instantly.
Three of the four hostiles were neutralized. The sole survivor, clearly rattled by Ryan's berserker tactics, hesitated a fatal second too long.
Ryan kicked the heavy sofa with superhuman strength, sending it—and the man hiding behind it—flying across the room to land directly at Frank's feet.
"Evening," Frank said conversationally.
BANG!
Headshot. Center mass through the tactical helmet.
The last contractor's eyes held disbelief in death, but something about his face looked familiar to Frank.
Reaching down to remove the tactical mask, Frank staggered backward in shock.
"Billy?! Jesus Christ, no..."
"Don't thank me yet. We need to move!" Ryan grabbed Frank's shoulder, snapping him from his stunned paralysis.
Frank mechanically retrieved Bennett from upstairs, carrying the bound man to street level before heading straight for David's waiting vehicle.
Back in the car, Frank remained catatonic with shock.
David expertly navigated back roads, narrowly avoiding a police cruiser responding to reports of automatic weapons fire.
At the crime scene, NYPD officers quickly identified the deceased and the kidnapping victim before immediately transferring jurisdiction to federal authorities.
Senior Homeland Security agent Dinah Madani nearly collapsed when she arrived at Bennett's villa.
Among the dead was her boyfriend, Billy Russo—the man she'd been dating for three months. Her professional composure cracked as grief and confusion overwhelmed her.
Madani knew Frank Castle had to be responsible, but why would he kill his former Marine brother-in-arms? What was Billy doing at Bennett's residence in the first place?
Devastated and confused, Madani uploaded the case details to the federal database that evening.
The moment her report entered the system, it automatically synchronized with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence networks.
The information filtered up through various security clearance levels until reaching Deputy Director Maria Hill. After cross-referencing with active threat assessments, Hill compiled the materials for Director Carter.
"Director Carter, this is priority intelligence we just received: Ryan was captured on traffic surveillance cameras, and a firefight occurred at a residential location in the same area."
"The villa's owner is identified as Bennett, but his body wasn't recovered from the scene. He appears to have been extracted alive."
"Scene analysis suggests Ryan had backup—at least two additional operatives using Russian military hardware."
Carter reviewed the classified files while listening to Hill's briefing.
After a moment, she issued orders: "Assign separate investigative teams. I want to know everything about this Bennett character and trace the source of those Russian weapons."
Both inquiries were well within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities. Answers would be forthcoming within hours.
Meanwhile, David drove Bennett to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Queens.
Frank had emerged from his shock but remained visibly shaken, rage simmering beneath his tactical composure.
He dragged Bennett from the vehicle and delivered two brutal punches before Ryan intervened.
"Frank, remember you're not operating with baseline human strength anymore. That next hit will kill him."
Frank backed off with visible restraint, still seething.
Ryan crouched down, patting Bennett's bloodied face with mock gentleness. "Wakey-wakey. If you're not dead yet, time to answer some questions. Give me what I want, and you walk away from this."
Bennett's mouth leaked crimson as he struggled to focus on Ryan's face.
Ryan smiled without warmth. "Tell me who's pulling the strings. This 'Agent Orange' everyone keeps mentioning?"
Bennett, clearly a bureaucrat rather than a soldier, lasted exactly two seconds before breaking completely.
"Rollins! Agent Orange is William Rollins! After returning stateside, he became a high-level CIA section chief!"
Hearing the name, Frank's expression shifted as pieces fell into place.
Ryan nodded approvingly. "Second question: do you have any final words?"
Bennett blinked in confusion. "What? I thought—"
"Sorry. Wrong answer."
BANG!
Ryan drew his Makarov and put a 9mm round through Bennett's forehead.
"Time to find this Rollins character. He had the audacity to bomb my laboratory. I don't care what his government clearance level is—I'm going to scatter his ashes."
With Ryan committed to the hunt, everything became simpler and considerably more violent.
They returned to the safe house, where Frank immediately asked David to pull everything available on Billy Russo.
David's fingers flew across encrypted keyboards, accessing classified databases. "Billy Russo operates Anvil Security Services. Wait... he's also listed as a subcontractor for that overseas PMC that hit your lab."
Frank finally understood the complete picture. Billy Russo had been working with Agent Orange from the beginning—possibly for years.
No wonder Billy had been at Bennett's residence. He'd been there to eliminate Frank personally.
Ryan approached with a bowl of instant ramen, eating while he talked. "That man was there to kill you, Frank. Why the emotional attachment? You developing some kind of masochistic complex?"
"Billy was my squad mate. My brother."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "If that's your definition of brotherhood, you deserve everything you get."
Turning to David, he continued, "Any luck tracking down Agent Orange?"
"Still working on it. The whereabouts of CIA section chiefs are compartmentalized beyond my current access level. I need more time to crack their security protocols."
Ryan slurped his noodles. "Better make it fast. I'm not a patient man."
After the night's violence, Ryan felt exhaustion creeping in. He collapsed onto the safe house's single bed and immediately fell into deep sleep.
Several hours later, someone shook him awake.
Opening his eyes, he saw David's anxious face. "Did you find Agent Orange?"
"We have a lead. Agent Orange—Rollins—maintains a secure facility in the Westchester suburbs. I hacked the traffic surveillance grid and tracked his convoy leaving Manhattan an hour ago. Frank and I believe he's headed to that location."
Ryan sat up, instantly alert. "Then what are we waiting for? Time to finish this."
End of Chapter 31
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)