Escanor(Marvel)

I came to my senses, feeling myself lying on a soft bed. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Above me was an ordinary concrete ceiling. Looking around, I realized I was in what seemed to be a basement. Everything around looked like an improvised base: equipment, weapons, a small computer on the table, and a board with notes.

Instinctively, I reached for my head with my left hand, but something else caught my attention my hand. More precisely, the absence of fingers. Memories rushed in all at once: I had lost them. There was no miracle. This wasn't just a bad dream.

"You're awake?" a rough voice came from nearby.

I turned my head. The Punisher was sitting in a chair, a beer bottle in his hand.

"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice weak.

"You lost a lot of blood," he replied, taking a sip. "Two days unconscious. Any longer, and you wouldn't have made it. Needed a blood transfusion."

"What about our mission?" I tried to sit up, but my body was still too weak.

The Punisher frowned, set his bottle down on the table, and walked closer. He was holding a folder in his hands.

"Getting intel wasn't easy, but I found something," he said, handing me the documents. "Bolivar Trask. A scientist deeply involved in mutant research. Even someone as dumb as me can see his results are too detailed for him to be just a researcher. If he's not behind the abductions himself, he's definitely connected to them."

Bolivar Trask.

I tried to jump out of bed, but my legs gave out, and I collapsed back down.

"You're not fully recovered yet," the Punisher observed. "You should be careful. I only have canned food and frozen meals here. If you're hungry, help yourself."

Hunger hit me all at once, and I decided to take him up on the offer. I quickly heated up some instant noodles and a couple of sausages. After eating, I felt a little better. Now it was time to get to work.

I sat down at the computer on the table and started searching for information on Trask. The name sounded familiar, but I didn't have the details. A quick search confirmed my suspicions.

Bolivar Trask lead scientist of Trask Industries. The company specialized in cutting-edge technologies, including treatments for rare diseases and military projects. Their funding came directly from the government.

The latest news about Trask was especially interesting. It turned out that in a day, he was scheduled to speak at a conference in Washington, unveiling a new development that, according to him, would provide a "new level of security" for the country.

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Trask wasn't just connected to the experiments on mutants he was the one behind them.

"I need to get to Washington," I said, standing up. It was time to put an end to this. The objective was clear. Only one step remained.

The Punisher looked at me and shook his head.

"You're on your own from here. I can't leave New York," he said, looking me straight in the eye.

"I understand. I wouldn't ask you to," I replied. Despite everything we'd been through, we were still strangers to each other. We didn't even know each other's names.

"But I can at least gear you up," he added, walking over to a cabinet and opening it. He pulled out a bag and a thin suit full-body.

"Wear this under your clothes. It's a ballistic suit made from ultra-light material. It'll protect you from medium-caliber bullets. Take this Glock 17. Simple, with a suppressor. I'd give you a sniper rifle, but I'm guessing you don't know how to use one," he added, handing me the weapon.

"You're giving me all this just like that?" I asked, eyeing the gear with suspicion.

"Of course not. You'll return it when you're done. And don't die, kid. Take a night bus less chance of getting caught with unlicensed weapons."

"Got it," I replied shortly, accepting the gun and suit.

"Then good luck," the Punisher said, patting me on the shoulder.

He helped me gather my things and saw me off to the exit. Time was running out, but I was determined. I had to make it to the conference. I didn't know exactly where Trask would be or if I'd get to him immediately. But if a chance presented itself to take him out before or after the event, I'd take it no matter what.

Luckily, my phone was still working. A few messages were on the screen one from Josie, a couple from Colleen, and an unexpected one from Foggy. I hesitated for a moment before ultimately turning the phone off.

After buying a bus ticket, I sat on a bench in the waiting area. Closing my eyes, I tried to get some rest and regain some strength. But I was interrupted when someone sat down next to me.

Opening my eyes, I saw an elderly man. He looked unremarkable, but something about his demeanor put me on edge. Damn paranoia still had me jumping at nothing.

"An accident?" he asked, nodding toward my hand resting on my lap.

I quickly pulled my sleeve down, hiding it from his view.

"Yeah," I answered shortly, trying to make it clear I wasn't in the mood to talk.

Paranoia wouldn't let me relax. Even now, I sensed something off about him, though it was probably just innocent curiosity on his part.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I got off the bus and stretched my stiff body. I never thought a bus ride could be so exhausting and torturous hours of sitting in one place without being able to move around properly.

Checking the time, I realized I had a few hours before the conference began. That was enough to get to the venue and scout the area. But I wasn't planning on getting too close better to observe from a distance.

Walking past a store, I caught my reflection in the window and froze for a moment. A tired, worn-out man stared back at me missing fingers, unkempt, exhausted. It was hard to believe that I was once someone else. Once confident, full of hope for a bright future. Once proud so proud that it led me here, shattering everything.

I clenched my teeth. The past was gone, but the present could still be fixed.

Adjusting the backpack on my shoulder, I moved forward. No time for regrets. As long as I was alive, there was still a chance to make things right.

To my surprise, there were far more people here than I expected. Wasn't this supposed to be just a small presentation? Where did this crowd come from? A faint feeling of unease crept in, whispering that things weren't as simple as they seemed.

The heavy police presence didn't help. Officers had cordoned off the area, and it looked like federal agents were here too. They were controlling everything, checking anyone who got within a hundred meters of the stage. I kept my distance, blending into the crowd as best I could.

The conference location was a small park, surrounded by trees. No buildings nearby.

But what truly caught me off guard was Hank. And then, moments later, I spotted Ororo and the Professor. At first, I didn't pay them much attention, but then I noticed Hank fully in his beast form. The crowd around him froze, staring in awe.

A memory surfaced the words of that girl: "The extermination of mutants will begin at the conference."

Suddenly, everything started to fall into place. Looking at those gathered here, I realized something was very, very wrong.