After his defeat by
Bullseye last issue, Daredevil awakens in the back of a garbage truck.
Realizing it must be late, he heads home to try and salvage a bit of sleep.
Meanwhile, the Kingpin tracks down one of the men who had been sent to ambush
him and tells him to relay to his bosses that he’s willing to make a deal for
his wife. The next day, Matt meets Heather in Central Park, with the whole
situation with the Kingpin very much still on his mind. Heather breaks him out
of the shop talk so the two can enjoy their time together. That afternoon, the
mob bosses meet to discuss what to do about the Kingpin and decide that they’re
safe so long as they have Vanessa. They propose to trade Vanessa for the
Kingpin’s files on them and send Bullseye to relay the message any way he sees
fit. Bullseye, meanwhile, is beginning to have doubts about his current
employers, frustrated at being used as an errand boy and unimpressed with their
general disorganization.
That evening, Matt goes
undercover at Josie’s to see what he can learn about the Kingpin. He’s
approached by Turk and a number of the Kingpin’s guys when he starts asking
questions, resulting in a full-on bar brawl (and Josie’s window getting smashed
once again). After nearly the entire room is unconscious, Turk decides to take
Matt to see the Kingpin. They lead him down into the sewers where they make
their way to one of the Kingpin’s secure hideouts. Matt encounters Fisk for the
first time, shocked at just how big his radar tells him he is, and pretends to
be a hitman looking for a job. Fisk is unimpressed and tells Lynch to shoot
Matt, who then casually throws a pen right into the gun barrel without even
turning around! Fisk hires him on the spot. Just then, one of Kingpin’s men
arrives with a message from Bullseye to meet the crime bosses at a construction
site the following night. The henchman then dies from a slow acting poison and
Matt feels responsible, now that Bullseye has killed again. Lynch sees this as
the Kingpin’s opportunity to regain control of the mobs, but Fisk makes it
clear that he’s only interested in rescuing Vanessa. Lynch decides maybe a
little shock treatment is necessary, to get the Kingpin back on the right
track…
The following day, poor
Becky is swamped with calls, as neither Matt nor Foggy have shown up to the
office that day. Foggy then stumbles in but collapses dejectedly at his desk,
something obviously wrong. Back at the Kingpin’s hideout, Matt tries to get into
the Kingpin’s vault but discovers there’s no lock. The only defense is the fact
that the door is so heavy, only the Kingpin has the strength to open it.
Despite this, Matt pulls with all his might, unwilling to give up. It takes a
long time, and his muscles pushed to their breaking point, but Matt is finally
able to open the Kingpin’s vault, feeling exhausted afterwards. Before he can
find the files, the Kingpin returns, having deduced that Matt wasn’t who he
said he was. The two battle for the first time in the Kingpin’s vault, with
Daredevil finding that he has a hard time really hurting the Kingpin, who is
much more muscle than his appearance would suggest. Daredevil is exhausted from
opening the vault door, and beats himself silly against a barely moving Fisk,
allowing Fisk to knock him out in one punch. Fisk then decides that he can’t
afford to let Daredevil live.
That night, Fisk arrives
at the construction site and tells Lynch to wait in the car. The mob bosses
show Vanessa tied to a nearby girder and offer to free her in exchange for the
files, while Bullseye secretly waits above to kill Fisk once the transfer has
been made. Meanwhile, another mysterious figure nearby enacts plans of his own,
preparing a powerful mortar device. Fisk activates a sonic device in his
briefcase, deafening and incapacitating all nearby save himself. He makes his
way to Vanessa, when the mysterious figure, far enough away to remain
conscious, fires his device, collapsing the entire construction site on top of
Kingpin and Vanessa! Fisk digs himself out, and slowly and painfully realizes
that Vanessa has seemingly been killed! Lynch convinces Fisk to resume his
mantle of the Kingpin and make them pay as they drive off, with Lynch subtly
rubbing his temples in pain. Meanwhile, Turk and Grotto aim to take care of
Daredevil by stuffing him into a water main, leaving him for a watery grave! To
be continued!