MCU: Skull and Bones

Chapter 58: Extermination

2013

Hell's Kitchen, New York City

Warehouse District

(Omniscient POV)

Moving quickly through the shadows as the sun sets overhead, seven armed gunmen approach a large warehouse located at the edge of the district. Two of them carry assault rifles slung casually across their backs while the others hold submachine guns holstered securely beneath their jackets.

Purple flashes of light leak from the building as they slowly continue to creep forward cautiously. As they draw nearer, they notice large steel doors of the warehouse were latched shut and secured with a thick lock. A sign hanging over the doorway reads 'NO TRESPASSING' in bold red letters.

"Looks like nobody wants anyone getting in," One of the men jokes loudly as he peers closely at the property. "Must be something good inside."

His companions chuckle at his words. There's no doubt that whoever owns this particular piece of real estate must be very important indeed if they were willing to spend thousands of dollars securing it with such expensive-looking locks.

"How do we get in?" His friend asks curiously, cocking his head sideways and squinting suspiciously at the steel door.

Another man laughs humorously. "Simple fellas, we find a window, bust it open, climb in, grab whatever we want, and run like hell before anybody notices what's missing."

They all burst into laughter as they exchange glances amongst themselves excitedly. Their faces brighten as they envision how much money they could possibly get once they gain entry. It would certainly help ease the financial burden brought onto their rackets by the recent increasing appearances of costumed vigilantes roaming the streets.

Suddenly, a loud buzzer sounds from somewhere within the building which causes them all to pause awkwardly. Looking around anxiously, they listen intently for any further alerts. After waiting for a few seconds, however, nothing else happens besides more silence.

"Well, looks like somebody may be home after all," The leader remarks thoughtfully, scratching his chin as he ponders whether or not to proceed with their plans tonight. "Guess we better take a peek inside first."

The rest of his crew agree enthusiastically nodding their heads in agreement. With weapons drawn and raised in readiness for anything, they spread out around the perimeter of the building, looking for any potential avenues of ingress.

After checking every corner of the warehouse carefully, none of them could locate any possible entrances aside from the locked double doors directly in the front.

Restlessly pacing back and forth along the walls, the group continues to debate among each other as they decide on what their next course of action should be. Before finally deciding on trying to blast through the hinges using their weapons, they regroup at the front of the building and stare silently at the massive steel door.

Each man points his gun at the door and aims it squarely at the hinges.

"Ready lads?!" The leader shouts impatiently.

One by one, they cock their weapons as the leader begins to countdown.

"Three..Two...O-"

The leader's words are suddenly cut off as the large steel doors begin to slide open. The men look startled as a figure emerges from within, the bright light emanating from the interior silhouetting him against the darkness of the night. For a moment, he stands there motionless, red glowing eyes peering back at the group menacingly.

Then, before any of them can react, he leaps forward landing atop two of the gunmen and knocking them unconscious in a matter of instants. Just as swiftly, he grabs another gunman by the throat and slams him violently into a nearby wall.

"Fire!" The leader yells sharply as he swings his weapon around and prepares himself for battle. "Everyone fire! NOW!!"

The remaining members of the group begin firing rapidly in succession as bullets fly in every direction. Most of them miss but some manage to strike the intruder solidly, only to ricochet harmlessly off his exposed flesh.

"What the fuck?!?" The leader gasps incredulously, watching in horror as the man effortlessly moves through the hail of bullets without suffering so much as a scratch.

The man charges furiously toward the four remaining gunmen. He lunges forward, striking one of the thugs square in the face and sending him flying backward crashing hard to the ground where he lies unmoving. Another thug rushes toward the attacker and attempts to tackle him to prevent him from moving, but just barely misses grabbing onto him as the assailant swiftly dodges his grasp and lands a powerful blow onto the back of his neck, snapping his spine instantly and causing him to fall lifelessly to the floor.

"Fuck!! What kind of freakish mutant shit is THIS!?" The leader roars angrily under his breath as he watches in disbelief and utter fearful awe.

With lightning speed, the lone attacker turns abruptly toward another member of his team and delivers a swift kick to his head, crushing his skull easily.

"Fuck this!" The leader mutters quietly and pushes the last remaining gunman roughly towards their assailant as he turns and tries to flee.

The gunman falls forward and glances back angrily at his cowardly leader, "You fuckin' bastard!!", he growls viciously at the leaders fleeing back.

A shadow looms ominously over him and he turns his head just as a pair of strong hands wrap tightly around his head. In an instant, he feels a sharp stinging sensation erupt through both sides of his scalp as the man pulls forcefully upward. Blood starts to gush freely from his neck as the man rips his head clean off while simultaneously kicking downward at his torso.

The head rips from the body followed by a bit of his spine as the body drops limply to the ground. Then, with inhuman strength, the attacker tosses the decapitated head toward the fleeing leader's back. Like a bullet, the severed head strikes the man full force between his shoulders, making him slam painfully into the concrete pavement below.

Staggering from the impact, the leader of the group manages to regain his composure long enough to reach down and retrieve his pistol from its holster on his hip

But even then, he hesitates when faced with the sight of the stranger standing calmly amidst the carnage surrounding him. Without warning, he raises his arm up and fires repeatedly aiming randomly toward the man, hoping desperately that somehow he might hit him with a stray shot. Sadly though, most of his shots go wide and end up hitting random objects scattered about the area.

Without pausing, the powerful stranger simply steps forward smoothly, until eventually reaching the fallen leader lying prone on the ground.

*Click*

*Click*

The leader futilely tries to shoot the man point blank, but still fails miserably again and again as the clip of his weapon has run dry. Reaching out elegantly, the mysterious killer grasps the leader by the collar and lifts his body from the ground.

In spite of himself, the wounded leader struggles feebly, attempting unsuccessfully to free himself from the grip of death. Finally realizing his defeat, he releases a sad sigh knowing fully well that he has lost as the powerful stranger drags him along mercilessly into the depths of the warehouse.

*********

Hell's Kitchen, New York City

Warehouse District

(Brock POV)

"Nice work, Boss." Zeru greets me as I step foot into our warehouse after dispatching the intruders successfully.

He peers down curiously at the wounded man hanging limply in my hand. "What are you going to do with him? Are we keeping him alive?" He inquires nervously glancing briefly back at me questioningly.

"I have a few questions I'd like answered regarding who sent these guys for us," I explain as I toss the man roughly to the cold floor of the warehouse.

"Arragh!" The man whimpers weakly as he hits the ground heavily.

"How's Ava doing?" I ask Zeru, ignoring the man's cries of pain. "Is the procedure done yet?"

Zeru shakes his head sadly, "We're almost finished, but it's taking longer than I expected for her to recover. Her body seems to be fighting the cure."

I nod and look over toward the large glass tank sitting near one side of the room. Inside, Ava drifts peacefully in the liquid as she sleeps soundlessly, undisturbed by the carnage that just happened outside.

"Alright, guess all we can do is let her be for now," I say softly as I bend down to grab the whimpering man at my feet. "If she makes it, she makes it. Either way, we'll know soon."

Turning away from the tanks, I drag the man toward a room we had set up specifically for interrogations. "Oh right," I add, turning back momentarily to address Zeru seriously. "I almost forgot, there're two more of these guys I left alive outside. Take care of them then get rid of all the bodies."

"W-what?" Zeru responds uncertainly. "You want...me to do it?"

"Is that a problem?" I ask as I study his expression closely.

I knew he was just a kid, but if he really wanted to keep working with me, he'll have to get used to these things sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he won't survive here.

Zeru just stands there for a moment, frozen stiff as he contemplates my orders gravelly. But ultimately, he nods and answers firmly: "No sir. I'm on it.."

"Good," I reply approvingly before turning back to leave. Dragging the prisoner behind me, I enter the interrogation chamber quickly closing the heavy metal door shut.

Inside the small dark room, lit dimly by a few flickering fluorescent lights, I set the captive down harshly on the metal tabletop and release him slightly and allowing him freedom of movement. As he slowly gets his bearings, I turn back around to see him staring blankly at me expectantly.

"So..you gonna tell me why you tried breaking into my place?" I inquire as I lean casually against the wall. My tone remains calm despite being quite annoyed at having been interrupted during such important business.

For a brief second, the young man stares uncomprehendingly at me, unblinking. Fear flickers across his eyes as the realization of his situation sets in. His gaze darts wildly throughout the small room searching frantically for something, anything, that could save his life.

Suddenly, fear gives way to panic as he realizes no escape exists beyond the confines of the room. Realizing the futility of resistance, he takes in deep shuddering breaths and forces himself to remain composed as he replies shakily, "N-no one gave us the order... We just wanted to c-check what was going on..."

His voice trails off hopelessly and he lets out a resigned sobbing gasp unable to continue speaking aloud due to his terror. I approach the man calmly as he instinctively recoils backward and reflexively raises his arms defensively. "P-please! That's the truth!!", he pleads pitifully as he shrinks further away from me.

Noticing how frightened he appears, I pause briefly and ponder whether or not torturing him would yield any useful information anyway considering his current state of mind. "I'm guessing you guys were affiliated with one of the gangs in the neighborhood?"

At first glance, I don't think any of those thugs looked particularly tough nor did they seem too experienced fighters. They definitely didn't stand a very good chance against someone like myself who possesses considerable combat skills.

The man nods shyly, confirming my assessment. "Yeah....". Tears rolled silently down his cheek revealing his vulnerability. Allowing him time to collect himself once again, I wait patiently before continuing to speak directly to him.

"Which gang?" I ask as I take note of his reaction. If he doesn't answer honestly, I will make sure he experiences excruciating physical torture until whatever secrets lie hidden spills forth willingly.

"T-the Irish mob," he answers timidly, wiping the wetness from his cheeks using his sleeve as he continues to tremble uncontrollably.

My eyebrows rose slightly. It wasn't exactly surprising since I knew many criminal organizations stayed around here, earning money by selling drugs and other illegal merchandise. However, none of them ever bothered approaching this district before.

A sigh escapes my lips as I realize how small of a matter this whole thing really was, and Indignation began to rise within me at the boldness of these men.

Seems an example needed to be made.

"Tell me everything you know about your organization," I demand sternly as a plan begins to form in my head.

*************

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