A Gloomy Port

[kingrico]

And when you have killed all the innocents, Mephisto -- what will then prevent me from exacting my vengeance a thousand times heavier?

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The war of the Hells left everything in the underworld in shambles, although Mephisto claimed the true throne he once more disappeared as quickly as he arrived. The demons from his realm were running free or at the very least moving to a Hell where the leader still existed. The Hellraisers were rather low in team members as well with only Sitoria, Aperture, Danny & Ian officially around though Ian was currently teaching at Strange Academy.

So as Danny sat in the command room Sitoria walked in presenting a new mission to him, “Reports of Satanic Cult with ties to the hand have sprung up in Port Chester just outside of New York, I figured you know someone that knows about the hand since we lack intelligence on the Hand in our database. Report goes on to say a demon-like creature with long tails, 4 eyes and bulky.” Sitoria would go on to say passing him the folder.

“Must be the hand sticking its business in a fragile hell system, the demons are looking for a leader and the Hand is providing it. I know someone though who’s rather familiar with the organization” Danny would reply to Sitoria before pulling his phone out.

“Who?” Sitoria would ask.

“Daredevil…” with that he would shoot him a text to meet him at a bar in Hell's Kitchen. He would move around the command center pulling out his midnight sons bag, he would load it with weapons and mystical artifacts for upcoming battle. Danny would then walk to the closet pulling out his black trench coat, he would cause spikes to pop out before putting on his cowboy hat. “Going kick some ass in style” he would say, letting off a chuckle.

“Be safe Danny! If you need me, call.” Sitoria would say as Danny waved while walking out the room, he went up stairs exiting the mansion getting on his bike. The night was very gloomy. He noticed a full moon out which meant evil was abundant, he turned into the rider blue flames across his body before taking off to Hell's Kitchen.

After a quick 10 minute ride he would arrive at the bar parking the bike in an alley, he would walk to the bar stepping through a puddle reflecting the moonlight in the ripples. He would enter the bar taking a seat before ordering a shot of Jack Daniels, he would now just await for his old friend's arrival.

[webdevil]

When Matt Murdock got a text from Danny Ketch to meet him for a drink, he felt his blood run cold and not because he texted a blind man. It was bad enough with all the madness of recent months of his life as was for someone who also moonlighted in a red Devil suit committing vigilante justice by night (no small feat for a blind man gifted with enhanced superhuman senses and trained by some of the deadliest warriors in known history). Yet here he was feeling uneasy. Between She-Hulk, Black Widow, Moon Knight, Karnak, and the rest of the Defenders that pulled Hell's Kitchen's champion in all directions, but his recent dealings into the supernatural* made him yearn for fighting more Gamma radiation infused meth heads.

He decided to go in the suit. The bar Danny chose, Duke's, a local pool hall at the southern edge of the Kitchen, was far from Josie's, but its reputation wasn't anymore hospitable to a blind lawyer than it was a crimson-clad vigilante, so he decided to forego the pleasantries. Forty-five minutes later, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen darkened the bar's doorstep.

The whole room fell silent immediately save for the old juke in the back, the multiple screens playing the game, the Mets home opener wasn't going to well, and the last of the pool balls clacking as their players look up. Daredevil knew most of these men and women in the bar. Many were Matt Murdock's clients, some were local pool hustlers, a trio of off-duty uniforms from the 17th, and, for a change of pace, a skulking Turk Barrett.

"AWEEE C'MON! ONE NITE OUTTA JOSIE'S, DEE! C'MON!" the grizzled forty-something two-bit thug began to squak, but Daredevil held up a hand that silenced him at once.

"Save it, Turk. I'm not here for you. But unless you want to be smashed through all nine pool tables and then have to pay for them along with Josie's windows and your mounting hospital bills, you keep talking," he snarled. Everybody knew it was a promise, not a threat. Turk knew it too, and with that, Turk went back to his drink with a shrug. Within about ten seconds, the noise level picked up again, tho admittedly more nervous because of the presence of the Man Without Fear. Walking towards a booth he sensed to his left along with the faintest smell of brimstone, he slided in opposite one Daniel Ketch, the Ghost Rider.

[kingrico]

And when you have killed all the innocents, Mephisto -- what will then prevent me from exacting my vengeance a thousand times heavier?

-----------------------------------------

Danny had noticed when Matt walked in the bar, his tone and presence was one to silence the entire bar. He often thought if they knew he was the Ghost Rider the bar would close down, that though was what separated Danny from Johnny. There was no deal with the Devil and the path he chose was one of his own, so once Daredevil came and took a seat he was rather pleased to see his old friend. “ It has been a while my dear friend, it is as always such a pleasure to see the guardian of Hell's Kitchen.” Danny would say as he ordered another shot of Jack Daniels signaling for two for Matt. As the drink arrived he placed it in front of Danny before informing him of the shot he purchased, he would then move on to business as usual.

“Whilst I’m more than pleased to see you Daredevil I come to you on a more serious manner” Danny would say pausing Taking the shot back before continuing. “Normally you wouldn’t need to know this information, but within the past six months the Battle of Hell between Thog, Mephisto, and Nightmares came to an end. Mephisto took the throne back only to disappear once again, leaving his realm more open to attackers. With that an Organization you may be familiar with Aka The Hand has someone stuck it’s nose into his realm, if they get control of demons then you know better then anyone consequences.” Danny would day before pressing another round from the waiter, he let off an internal chuckle of using the team credit card for all of this.

“The team I’ve been a part of the Hellraisers picked up several anomalies in Hell Kitchen centered around Hand's possible headquarters, unfortunately even with all the technologies they possess in the Hellraisers are unable to find the Hand so I need your help.” Danny would say before turning to Matt to let him speak.

“So what do you say, Devil? One more ride like old time sake? I’m rather eager to show you my new powers while we are at it, regardless we must move quickly if we are to get further answers and stop their plans” Danny would go on to say before letting Matt come up with a plan to.

[webdevil]

It has been a while my dear friend, it is as always such a pleasure to see the guardian of Hell's Kitchen.”

"Hello Danny," said Daredevil with a smooth voice. Rather, smooth for a man whose speaking voice sounded like he gargled glass.

He placed his fingertips on the table - which immediately gave him information that the table needed its underside scrubbed, the upholstery changed as the foam rubber underneath the booth seat was wearing threadbare, and the tabletop was only just swiped at with a cloth and cheap cleaner rather than properly done - and gave the Rider a tense look. Danny was a friend, but their friendship always involved exactly what he could sense in the other man's body language: Supernatural power. Danny ordered them shots of Jack Daniels, which after five minutes in silence that grew comfortable as the large analog clock in the corner went by (tick, tick, tick,) arrived by a female hostess getting her fair share of eyeballs but stifled and choked up catcalls as they realized Daredevil was sitting right where she was standing. That didn't stop their body language, grunts, and coughs of embarrassment or anger and even for a blind man, only someone like Daredevil genuinely knew how many and more specifically who tried.

Whilst I’m more than pleased to see you Daredevil I come to you on a more serious manner,"

Danny then took a shot of the whiskey, but Daredevil didn't touch his. He rarely consumed alcohol. This was not a social visit as Danny made clear.

"Normally you wouldn’t need to know this information, but within the past six months the Battle of Hell between Thog, Mephisto, and Nightmares came to an end. Mephisto took the throne back only to disappear once again, leaving his realm more open to attackers,"

Daredevil's expression outwardly was impassive as ever, absorbing every word. To a man who lived in the streets and the human beings, among them, one of them: the Supernatural was often a foreign concept. And with that, came a healthy dose of skepticism as anybody who lived a nine-to-five job would naturally feel. Couple the notion of "Hells" and multiple "Devils" with a lapsed Catholic man whose crisis of faith - or perhaps outward expression of it - manifested itself in the form of him dressing like the Devil himself, and it made for an uncomfortable conversation. His mentor, Stick, would laugh at this contradiction, he knew.

"With that an Organization you may be familiar with Aka The Hand has someone stuck it’s nose into his realm, if they get control of demons then you know better then anyone consequences.”

Daredevil narrowed his eyes. The Hand. Eternal enemies of his mentor and clan, the Chaste, this shadowy organization of ninjas sought order and control via power thru demonic magicks. More specifically, one Demon in particular: The Beast. He hated getting involved in the holy war between the rival ninja factions, yet always ended up siding with the Chaste as the Hand could not be allowed to run roughshod over his city nor the greater world at large. Yet, despite his best efforts, the Hand always found a way to re-enter his life and cause all manner of torment from their hand in the resurrection of his former lover, Elektra Natchios, to the death of his mentor, Stick, and their various mercenary actions working for the various organized crime factions of Hell's Kitchen in their eternal search for their Demon Lord. Daredevil hated them with every fibre of his being for this.

He tensed his hand on the table as Danny pushed the hostess for another round.

“The team I’ve been a part of the Hellraisers picked up several anomalies in Hell Kitchen centered around Hand's possible headquarters, unfortunately even with all the technologies they possess in the Hellraisers are unable to find the Hand so I need your help."

Daredevil merely grunted in acknowledgement. He guessed the Midnight Sons were disbanded again but even then, the team names the supernatural heroes often branded themselves with made him think of Jessica Jones, his own Defenders teammate. The absurdity of their line of work sometimes. It was this particular wing of the "superhero" community that made him see her point.

“So what do you say, Devil? One more ride like old time sake? I’m rather eager to show you my new powers while we are at it, regardless we must move quickly if we are to get further answers and stop their plans”

Daredevil didn't answer right away. Before he did so, he picked up the glass of whiskey, still untouched. He could smell the alcohol freshly poured even amidst the thousands of other aromas the bar had to offer. Gas, body odour, grease, charred meat, pool chalk, old wood, rot, bathroom ooze, and more stale booze.

"You do not find the Hand; they find you," he said slowly, making sure Danny heard every word even amongst the din of the pool hall.

"If you want to get their attention, you need to piss off a client of theirs enough to hire their services. Defeat enough of their Genin they send, and they will send their Chunin. You take him down, you invite their Jonin's wrath. And if you invite their wrath, I'm sure you'll find what you need," he added, allowing Danny to understand how the Hand operated.

"The alternative is to bring a member of the Chaste out into the open. Seeing as their order is few and have gone to ground, that option is even less likely," he added. He couldn't see the liquid he toyed in his hand, but he could feel the contents of the glass swirl dangerously by design, allowing the brown liquid to give both emphasis to his words but also the air of a man you didn't want to meet in a dark alley to any onlooker. To a Ghost Rider, this would seem absurd to do, but to the initiated, invoking the name of the Hand invited their eye. And to a man like Daredevil, the Hand knew he was a man to fear.

[kingrico]

And when you have killed all the innocents, Mephisto -- what will then prevent me from exacting my vengeance a thousand times heavier?

-----------------------------------------

Of course things wouldn’t be as easy as Danny would hope for, unlike his usual victims the hand wasn’t very public or easy to find. Daredevil made that crystal clear as spoke , mentioning the Hand finds you not the other way around, unfortunately for Danny he was not well connected in the criminal underbelly of New York City to know any clients of the Hand to preview. “Genin… Chunin… Jonin… sorry there Man of Fear I don’t know much about Japan stuff, but I’ll take a wild guess and assume those are the ranks of the members.” Danny would say raising an eyebrow as he raised a finger for another drink, of course carrying on listening to what his old friend had to go on to say.

“So we need a plan, do you know any clients we could provoke? I have time to spare if it means we have to wait all night, the issue is we just can not allow them to access anything from Hell.” Danny would say taking a moment to think of other options, “Unless we can trick the hand into believing they can control one of his beings without going into his realm, this might be a long shot but I may be able to draw their attention with a little help from a friend.” Danny would go on to say.

“I prefer to keep this lowkey, it’s not a usual sight to see a rider handling criminals like the hand. I fear if they get even a hint that I’m with you they may try to run, so I won’t be able to be in rider form all the time.” Danny would say before taking his last shot.

[webdevil]

“Genin… Chunin… Jonin… sorry there Man of Fear I don’t know much about Japan stuff, but I’ll take a wild guess and assume those are the ranks of the members.”

Daredevil grunted in acknowledgement. He found it amusing that even supernatural entities like the Rider still occasionally remained ignorant of other cultures.

"So we need a plan, do you know any clients we could provoke? I have time to spare if it means we have to wait all night, the issue is we just can not allow them to access anything from Hell."

Daredevil's Radar Sense began locating Turk again. Turk was trying to talk in a hushed whisper but that meant squat to the Man Without Fear:

"He needs me, man. I got vision. Slaughter's just a fall guy in case it all goes south,"

"I can think of a place to start," he said slyly.

“I prefer to keep this lowkey, it’s not a usual sight to see a rider handling criminals like the hand. I fear if they get even a hint that I’m with you they may try to run, so I won’t be able to be in rider form all the time.”

"Uuhhhhhhhuh," said Daredevil absent-mindedly, as he began to get up and walking over towards Turk. Turk must've sensed him coming because within seconds he hunched his shoulders and began a quick bolt to the door, but Daredevil was far too quick for the ol' mugger as a simple hook to the back of his jacket and shirt underneath held him in place. Turk made a move to struggle out of his jacket, but it was no use.

"Relax, Turk," said Daredevil calmly and began dragging him towards the door. He nodded to Danny to follow him outside and around the alley in the back.

"Besides, I'm not the one you should be scared of this time,"

"LIKE HELL!" cried Turk indignantly; Turk had taken more beatings from Daredevil than what should be physically possible and yet despite this, he never got use to it.

[kingrico]

And when you have killed all the innocents, Mephisto -- what will then prevent me from exacting my vengeance a thousand times heavier?

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If it was one thing Danny was sure about was that Matt could get a lead on anything rather quickly, so when he heard him say he might have known where to start it wasn’t too surprising especially considering where they were at. As Danny watched Daredevil do his thing he waited for the signal and headed to the alley with them, “Yes relax Turk” Danny thought to himself as he prepared to scare the living hell out of Turk. Danny would slowly walk up the dark alley with steam coming out of pipes. It felt straight out of an 80s horror movie, he would then drop his chain out from under his trench coat dragging it.

“Devil… Angel… names I’ve received over the years… but for you Turk you can call me the Ghost Rider” Danny would say before lifting his head up and tilting his hat a bit showing his blue flame Skull face. He would grab Turk from Matt lifting him up with ease Eye to eye, “Tell me insect… how long do you think it will take me to send you to hell?” Danny would say as he performed a fake Penance stare on the man, making the man briefly see certain crimes again before stopping.

“Now… we have questions and you have answers. Now the choice is to answer them correctly, or I’ll give you something Way worse than he could ever do.” Danny would say before dropping the man to the ground stepping to the side, questioning people wasn’t his sort of thing but he knew the scare would work against someone as weak as him.

“Floor is yours Daredevil…”

[webdevil]

Turk saw the biker in the leather jacket tailing Daredevil and knew immediately something was wrong. He knew many bikers - dangerous homies indeed; he never messed with bikers - but this one was not flying any colours he recognized. This dude was in black from head to toe, the jacket far too nice for any one of the gangs of NYC. Not even Hell's Angels dressed this fine yet still clearly looked like a biker.

Then the dude's head lit on fire and his face became a skull.

"G-G-G-G-G-GH-GHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST!" he cried in horror and began to hoof it... Until he realized his feet were not touching the ground. Seconds later he was slammed into the wall.

“Tell me insect… how long do you think it will take me to send you to hell?”

Turk tried to look away at the empty slots where there should have been eyes, but he couldn't. Within moments he began reliving some of the horrors he witnessed: Bullseye offing a couple of useless woke college fools; him and Grotto dressed as fake Santas and stabbing a ginger wino; holding up a liquor store after the owner showed him immense kindness.

Daredevil, meanwhile, who could not see (unless you counted the flickers of Holy flame that briefly ignited from the Rider before vanishing into the shadow of his Radar), merely sensed Turk's brief window of terror as he struggled briefly against the Rider's grip before going limp. For a fraction of a second, he envied the Rider's ability to literally stare a man down and confess his sins. He wasn't fond of the killing part, but Danny wasn't Johnny nor was whatever made him a Ghost Rider the same thing that made Blaze the same either. It was why he considered Danny a friend whilst he still considered Johnny Blaze a threat: Restraint.

And that restraint came to the forefront when Danny dropped Turk. Daredevil could smell the familiar scent of the man's urine and sweat as he shuddered on the ground. Clearly his soul was not burnt out as he was still cursing his way into something like a coherent sentence:

"God in %&$^ heavin', Mama. I #$#!^ dun do. Ooooh Lord in heavin', peeease gimme'a sign..."

Daredevil kneeled over and picked up Turk, which only made him jump in fright even more at seeing the horned cowl.

"Turk. Real simple: Who hired you on the Devils job a few weeks ago?" he asked, referring to the time the mugger tried a B&E to take out a suspected ring leader of the Devils gang - an ultra-militant and violent mob wearing bad versions of his suit who attacked civilians and criminals alike if they had even the slightest connection, no matter how indirect, to Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin - and got interrupted by Jack O'Lantern. This of course did pave the way to his latest showdown with Bullseye, but he was getting ahead of himself.

Turk took a moment of incoherent prayer before looking up and Daredevil and then away.

"S-Slaughtah, Dee," he breathed before working to go limp and heavy. Daredevil let him go to wallow in his misery. He'd probably lay there an hour or two til Grotto tried to fetch him and put him in a cab home for the night, but otherwise he'd be okay.

Daredevil grimaced.

"Eric Slaughter was a low rent hitman-turned-mob boss who tried to pick up the murder racket when Wilson Fisk briefly retired to Japan," Daredevil explained to the Rider.

"If he's out of retirement, then that means he's got money. And if he's got money, he's got a backer. You don't just raise capital in the murder trade unless somebody above you needs you as a front. And before you ask: Fisk hates Slaughter so none of the organized operations like the Maggia, Triad, Yakuza, et al will touch him. And it's not Bullseye either, even though he's got more money than probably Tony Stark given how many people he's murdered. Still, he ended up killing most of Slaughter's men last time they worked together too so that's out. Which leaves only one possible point of contact for income..."

[kingrico]

And when you have killed all the innocents, Mephisto -- what will then prevent me from exacting my vengeance a thousand times heavier?

-----------------------------------------

“Sounds like a nice guy…” Danny said, cracking a smile as the pair discussed where to go from here, “Hmm so you think the Hand might have him hired? For what reason though?” Danny would go on to say as he walked through the alley. “As far as Fisk you know I would gladly help him remember his Sins if you wanted, you guys back and forth are like Spidey and Goblin.” He would go on to say before whistling for his bike to come, the bike would come roaring through the alley speeding past the frightened man on the ground.

“So Man of Fear, where do we find this Eric Slaughter at?” As he spoke he would pause, smelling brimstone in the air, the winds slowly shifting before unnaturally pausing. “Head up behind us Daredevil, I think either your friend is losing his shit or Hell is here.” Danny would say pausing before dropping his chain out of his trench coat, the fire turning blue but maintaining his human form.

“A man in Red will soon lay dead… a rider doom for hell… no mercy will be shown when I use my Hand to conquer this earth”, a dark shadow beast would say further away in the alley. Only his red eyes would appear in the darkness before disappearing once more, the weather would return to normal as Danny would look towards Matt.

“Well that was weird… though I guess he has given us a clue if you can cipher the mess he was spewing. Regardless, we probably best get going before we draw more unwanted attention” Danny would say before getting on his bike.