After the events of last
issue, Daredevil finds himself tied up in a water main. He quickly undoes his
knots, knowing he doesn’t have much time left before he drowns. Daredevil finds
a junction pipe and the current pulls him in. Though a tight squeeze, Daredevil
manages to escape the water pipe which deposits him in the sewers where he
encounters a horde of homeless beggars that single-mindedly ask him for food.
Later, Daredevil finds Turk at Josie’s and Turk fills him in on the entire
situation going on with Kingpin and the other mob bosses. The Kingpin,
meanwhile, wages war on his former lieutenants, disrupting their operations,
while placing suspicion on outside parties. The mob bosses meet to discuss
their recently imploding organization. Bullseye points out that it’s obviously
Fisk’s doing and that if they want him to kill Fisk, then his price has gone
up!
Bullseye makes his way
across the back alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, interrogating anyone he can about
information on Fisk. Eventually, one guy gives Bullseye an address for the
Kingpin’s current sub-basement hideout. Meanwhile, Turk alerts Kingpin about
Daredevil’s return and Kingpin arranges to have his files transferred to a new
location. While the transfer is happening, Daredevil shuts out the lights and
steals the files, using the homeless denizens he encountered earlier to
blockade the Kingpin’s men. However, when Daredevil takes the files to Nick
Manolis, Manolis angrily points out that there’s nothing in the case but
worthless newspapers! The Kingpin similarly remains one step ahead of Bullseye,
for when Bullseye arrives at the address he was given, he finds that Kingpin
rigged the whole place to collapse when entered!
Bullseye angrily makes
his way back to the other crime bosses, just before the Kingpin himself
arrives. Fisk informs them that he has either hired or killed each of their
colleagues, and that the mobs are ready for his return as the Kingpin of crime!
Fisk even sways Bullseye to his side, pointing out that he’s the only with the
power or means left to continue to pay him. Kingpin sets up his former
lieutenants to take the fall for his recent criminal activities, with only one
order of business left. Kingpin calls Lynch into his office. Fisk remains
eerily silent until he suddenly attacks Lynch, revealing that he knows Lynch
was the one who set off the device that killed his wife, with Lynch’s recent
headaches from the sonic device evidence of such. Lynch fires upon his boss but
is easily overpowered. Kingpin savagely beats Lynch to death, in an utter
brutal display of ruthlessness, while mourning his wife, the only person who
ever brought warmth into his dangerous life.
Elsewhere, Daredevil
questions a hooker named Joanie, who tells him about a secret meeting that
several of her criminal boyfriends are attending. Daredevil realizes that the
Kingpin is making his move by holding a conference for the city’s criminal
empire and heads for Fisk’s tower base. Daredevil shuts the lights out in the
building and Fisk sends Bullseye down to the generators, knowing he’ll find
Daredevil there. The two engage in a battle for the ages, Daredevil catches
Bullseye’s shuriken on his club before disarming him, so they can settle this
man-to-man, without weapons. They engage in their most brutal fight yet, going
blow for blow until Bullseye pins Daredevil. He attempts to choke Daredevil to
death, who wraps his own hands around Bullseye’s throat, planning to take him
with him. The seconds drag on, and Bullseye chickens out first, releasing
Daredevil, who continues choking Bullseye until he’s unconscious! Kingpin then
arrives, offering the very files Daredevil had been looking for. He points out
that in using them, Daredevil will essentially eliminate Fisk’s competition for
him. The city will be a little safer while Fisk takes the time to rebuild the
shattered criminal empire with his own men. Daredevil has no choice but to
accept, conceding that Kingpin has won this round.
Finally, in an epilogue,
we see that Vanessa Fisk has not died after all. After the construction site
collapsed, she was dropped into the sewers, where she shuffles off, mind blank
to everything save for the desire for food…