MARVEL: CARD EXTRACTION SYSTEM

Toc… Toc… Toc…

This unmistakable sound echoed throughout the chamber, making Gwen and I practically freeze.

Slowly, I turned in the direction the sound was coming from. From where the brightness of the monitors couldn't reach and the darkness of the maintenance floor continued, we saw a shadow emerge.

First I saw a long cane touching the ground and then the man holding it. He was dressed in an immaculately clean blood-red suit and wore dark glasses that hid his eyes but not the wicked smile on his face. He was young, probably in his thirties, with brown hair carefully parted to the right.

"I wasn't expecting company," Matt Murdock said in a mischievous tone. "But how nice that the mice decided to come to the cat's house."

His words made me feel fear for the first time. A drop of sweat dripped from my forehead onto my nose, but I didn't move.

Gwen, on the other hand, reacted almost instantly and shot a web in the man's direction, perhaps intending to trap him before he could try anything.

With a movement so fast that my normal eyes could barely keep up, he slid his left hand over the cane, revealing it to be nothing more than a 'scabbard' for a sword. The blade of that sword sliced right through the net, and Murdock didn't even make a visible effort to do so. Only his arms had moved.

He tucked the blade back into his cane in an instant, looking again like a simple man in a red suit who had stepped out of the shadows, but his smile was even more ironic now.

"You should think twice before you fight me, because I'm not alone."

At that moment, Gwen's Spidey sense seemed to go haywire, as she began to look around the room, and in every corner she looked, another shadow emerged from the darkness. They were all ninjas dressed in red robes. Their faces were covered by masks and you could only see their eyes.

Within seconds, we were surrounded.

I counted at least a dozen of them scattered around us. They didn't seem to be able to make a sound, not a thought, not a breath.

Murdock swung his cane casually in his right hand, as if at ease.

"You're tense. I understand why. After all, I'm the villain of the piece to you, right?"

Murdock didn't seem to be in any hurry, and that made me even more nervous. I looked around, trying to assess the situation.

If we moved too fast, I knew the ninjas would attack us. But none of them had acted yet. They were waiting.

Gwen stepped forward and stood beside me. Whatever would happen, we would face it together.

"I know what you're thinking... You think I want to fight like my predecessor." Matt Murdock sighed, almost in disappointment, and slowly raised his left hand in a gesture of peace. "But no. It's not that."

"Then what do you want? Why did you try to capture me the other day?" asked Gwen.

"I want to give you a chance, Spider-Woman. I mean you no harm. In fact, I want us to be partners."

"Partners? You think I trust you, Murdock?"

"I understand how you feel, girl. You only see me as someone who spreads violence in the city. But I'm more than that. I'm the one who brings order here. Being the Kingpin isn't about committing crimes, it's about power, influence and management. Compared to Mr. Fisk, the murder rate in the most dangerous neighborhoods in this city has been cut in half under my watch, and corruption has never been so controlled."

"Look around you, Murdock. Not up here, but down there. Where the city burns every night. Do you really think you're doing what's best for this city?" Gwen asked. "I would never trust you."

"Trust, Spider-Woman, is something you build over time. I'm not here to fight you. That would be a waste... of our talents."

"I'm not interested in your games."

Matt Murdock just smiled wider. "This is no game, not for me. The politics of this city are not what you imagine, and there's no talk of common law. There's a lot worse than me out there. So what I offer you is something no one else can offer you. Protection. Not only for you, but also for Police Captain Stacy, what do you think?"

Gwen froze for a moment. I noticed the subtle movement of her head as she gave me a sideways glance, as if she wanted to make sure I'd heard what he'd just said. I didn't know how to react. Should I try to play dumb and somehow show that I hadn't been able to make the connection between Police Captain Stacy and Gwen Stacy's identity as Spider-Woman, or should I act as the surprise of a breakthrough? In the end, I chose to maintain the same expression of seriousness that was on my face, so she turned to face me.

"Captain Stacy is in a... difficult position. He's been given the impossible task of capturing Spider-Woman. Something he and I have tried and failed to do together."

I could feel Gwen tense up beside me, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were probably turning white.

"If he carries on like this, the authorities will begin to question his competence. And eventually he'll be removed from office. Maybe even expelled from the police force. He'll lose everything he's worked his whole life for, just because he can't catch someone who's... closer to him than he realizes."

I saw Gwen flinch slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"But I can stop that. I can make sure that Captain Stacy remains untouchable, that he never has to worry about his position or the consequences of not fulfilling his mission. In return, all I ask is that you reconsider your fight. By my side, you would no longer have to be a fugitive. You can protect your family, you can live without fear. And you can finally make a real difference in this city from the shadows."

I looked sideways at Gwen. She was listening. I couldn't help it. She looked at me again, and this time I realized it was a different look than the others. So I sighed loudly and got up from the chair.

"Sorry, man, but she's already got a partner. I don't know if you're aware of it, but watch pairs work like corporations with two majority shareholders: one doesn't make decisions without the other's approval. And you can be sure I don't approve of this partnership between you."

Murdock's smile faded, and he clenched his teeth. "Put yourself in my shoes, Lucas Hayes..."

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