The Punisher: Vendetta

I've been worried about Lacey all day. I wondered if I should have left her alone. After she had been released from the hospital, they expected her to stay on the same heavy doses of antidepressants and mood stabilizers. But she couldn't function. I did my research, and the prescribed dosage wasn't correct. She wasn't a danger to herself or anyone else. She was in pain...she still is.

Looking back, I wondered if Cerebus somehow found a way to facilitate her treatment to keep her docile. The main reason we decided to hold off was because of how ill she'd become when we had to wait for a refill. Her mental state deteriorated for a while. The pills were doing more harm than good. So we set up a check-in system...and I should have done it.

We'd found her on the floor crying, huddled up in the kitchen. Frank was gone. I knew his intention wasn't to hurt her, but oddly enough, I knew why he gave her a choice. He wants her to be sure that she wants this. He needs to be sure that he's ready for it. With the unresolved pain between her and Dean, the doubt could ruin them.

We don't necessarily like or trust Dean, but he had been her husband. She had lost him and had moved on from the relationship. He hadn't. That child had been his, too. He needed to know...pain that deep changes you.

I also knew how Frank felt about marriage and family. This was about second chances, even at the expense of his own. It depends on what Lacey decides. When she told me that she didn't have feelings for Dean, she didn't think about it. I believe that she does. There's too much history there.

She's loved him since high school. Do I believe that she feels the same way now as she did back then? Do I think she loves him like I know she loves Frank? No, not at all. I feared she'd let the past dictate her decision, not her feelings. She could miss out on something special. I was also worried about the possibility of Dean playing her.

He knows her better than anyone. He knew what buttons to push. As vulnerable as she's been, he can easily manipulate her. She's a badass, but the strain of the war we've found ourselves in has been stressful. She never opened up about what had happened to her with Billy. I didn't want to push her, but maybe I should have.

I decided to call Noah as I headed out of the office.

"Hey," he greets me warmly.

"Hey," I reply giddily. Focus, woman. "Um, have you heard from Frank?"

"No, why?" He asks.

"Uh...things have gotten complicated," I sighed. "I've got to find Lacey."

"What happened?" He asks, all serious and badass and hot and-

I mentally shake myself so I can explain the situation and my concerns.

"I found a possible lead," he tells me after I'm done. "The vets from Curtis' support group have been secretive, and Valhalla activities have ramped up. We can check it out, and maybe I can get some insight."

"Thank you," I replied with feeling.

"Of course," he answers softly. "Oh, check the fridge. I left something for you. I love you."

"Okay! I love you, too."

I feel better as I hang up. I also wonder what he made for me. I'm not a helpless cook, but I'd be lying if I didn't enjoy his cooking more. I took the subway today, wanting Lacey to have the car.

The car was dimly lit, and there weren't many people in it. Something felt off. I slip my hand into my bag and clutch my retractable baton. Ever since I started working with Micro and since Noah returned to the States, I've felt like I'm being watched.

I haven't had time to think about retribution from the Triad. I threw myself into the Cerebus conspiracy and kept Lacey above water. I don't regret it, but I should have been more vigilant. I think they're here...

The car stops, and I'm the only one left, with two men. I don't stereotype them, but I knew what they were. Oddly, I wasn't afraid. I'm angry. Gangs and secret organizations think they can play with our lives. I've had enough.

"You thought you could escape," one of them mocked me.

"Noah Chen will pay for his crimes," the other informs me. "But first, he'll pay with your life!"

I drop my purse and pull out my baton. It crackles with electrical energy. Look...I'm obsessed with Natasha Romanoff, okay?

"Wǒ yào tī nǐ de pìgu," I toss back. "I'm going to kick your ass!"

I square my shoulders and loosen my wrists. I remember everything Noah taught me. After Lacey and I had been kidnapped, I knew I needed to learn to defend myself. Lacey had been outnumbered, and I felt useless. Micro wasn't much for violence, either. I'll do both. I'll be both...and I'm gonna take down everyone who thinks they can hurt me or the people I care about!

The first man's face contorted with rage as he sprang towards me. I duck under his arm and strike him with the batons across his sternum, and I take out one of his knees. The second one had his own weapon, and I had to use mine to block his attack. The train kept moving, and I had to struggle a bit to maintain my balance.

I used the momentum of blocking his weapon to give myself an opening and land a solid kick to his sternum before I pivoted to thrust my foot again under his jaw. The other man recovers from my strike to his knee, and I narrowly avoid being hit with a knife. I felt it graze my shoulder, and I had to fight through the pain to get off of this train alive.

I was thrown off by it, and I took a few more blows. I had to drop the batons and go with hand-to-hand combat. Fine. He outweighs me, but I'm smaller and faster. He slams into me, and my back is rammed into the window, knocking the wind out of me.

Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as I choked him out. I endure him slamming me to the floor, but I hold on until he stops moving. I'm sure I'm banged up, but all I feel is anger and adrenaline.

I observe the two men knocked out below me as I pick up my Captain America messenger bag and my weapons, storing them inside. The train stops, and the door opens to a small group of shocked people.

Amid the flash of phone cameras, I let out a dark chuckle, and a smirk stretched across my face.

"What happened in there?" A teenage girl asks with wide eyes.

"They tried to sell me something, and I said I wasn't interested." I quipped.

I head out before the cops arrive and make a few calls. We had to deal with this before I helped Lacey and the others. I make it home, and the adrenaline fades. Every part of my body feels like it's on fire, and the fear that I'd have been killed if Noah hadn't been working with me sets in. I sink to the floor and remember nothing else.

"How long has this been going on?" Micro asks Curtis.

"Not long," he replies. "But for the past week or so, the group has complained about not getting what they deserve, and then it stops. They're secretive. Some stop showing up altogether."

"Wasn't Russo donating to the group?" I ask him.

"You think he's leading Valhalla," Micro surmised.

"It makes sense," Curtis mutters. "The way they knew how to get to Frank in that warehouse...Frank? Where you at, man?"

He's been silent the entire time, deep in thought. I knew what it was about and briefed the guys about it. If he flew off the handle tonight, they deserved to understand why. I tried Erykah, but it went to voicemail. I hoped she was alright. I sent Sarah a text to check in on her. Sometimes, Erykah gets into her work or a video and avoids her phone.

"Right here," Frank grunts. "And if that's true, he's got everyone fooled."

"You fucked him up pretty good," Micro comments. "I'm willing to bet that he might have lost his memory at first, but he realized it gives him cover."

"Except that he's under hospital surveillance," I point out. "And Madani isn't gonna let up."

"Then how is he doing this without tipping anyone off?" Curtis wonders.

"Have you met his shrink?" I asked. "Maybe she has some-"

"It's a woman?" Frank cuts in.

"Krista DuPont," I replied.

"Shit," Frank spat. "Alright, let's go see what we can find."

"Nathan is going to meet us there," I tell them.

"He's a cop," Curtis comments. "I'm surprised he's on board with this."

"Considering the lengths these assholes have gone through to evade the law, he's willing to do the same to protect it. And after he helped us out, he got a straight shot into Homeland Security with Madani," I reveal. "The new director doesn't have an issue with how we do things."

"Well, ain't that lucky," Frank quips as we load up the van.

"How has she been?" I ask him, deciding to cut the small talk. "I've been so worried about fixing things with Erykah, and I've meant to check in."

"Ah, she's...doing her best, considering," he sighs.

"I get that," I contribute. "Erykah asked me to train her-"

"Oh, I bet she has-" Micro chuckles.

"Ah," I lost my thought because he made me laugh. "But yeah, she felt shitty about not being able to help Lacey more when Billy's men kidnapped them."

"And to think," Frank mutters. "She's already got a mouth on her. Now she can back it up? Maybe we ought to call her out here!"

We chuckled briefly, but it didn't last long. Resigned energy fell over him, and I think I'm about to get to the bottom of his mood.

"...I told her that she needs to talk to him," Frank surprised me by admitting. "If she decides to make a break for it, it needs to be clean."

"And if she chose him, you found an out," Micro sighs.

"It's not like that," Frank insisted. "Not really. I want her to be sure. You cross over to my side of the line; you don't get to come back from that. Not ever."

"...That makes sense," I admit. "I kept her at arm's length for so long because I didn't want to bring her down with me. But at the same time, I didn't give her a choice, which was a mistake. I understand your reasons, but I hope you didn't fuck up."

"We don't trust him," Micro points out. "If she chose him, and it turns out that he's a part of this, then we'll have another set of issues."

"You don't think I fucking know that?!" Frank demands. "I didn't give a shit about a lot of things till she came around, alright? It's put a lot of shit into perspective, but at the same time, she's gotta resolve that shit. It's tearing her apart, and this is the only godamn thing I can do about it!"

Aside from the sound of the engine, there was a heavy silence. I hoped that they'd get the ending they deserved. There's been pain, fear, and unrequited love for both.

"We're here," Micro announced.

We grab our comms and weapons as we meet Nathan.

"What's the situation inside?" I ask him.

"There's been chatter about a huge shipment coming in, but we haven't figured out what it is," he answered.

"Either they've figured out that we're onto them, or they're smuggling something new," Madani adds.

She looks over at Frank and says, "Have you checked on Lacey? I'm sure Russo has gotten to his therapist, and she had to interview him."

"She had to what-"

But he didn't have time to say anything else because a large boat pulled into the dock, but there weren't any of the usual crates onboard.

"What the hell are they doing?" Curtis mutters, pulling out binoculars.

The rest of us fan out and form a perimeter. This was purely a recon mission; we will only engage if necessary. We crept in as close as we could as the gang gathered around the boat. Two men disembarked, and I almost felt a ripple within our team...

"Son of a bitch..." Curtis swore.

"I'll be damned," Nathan comments.

"I've got a clean shot," was all Frank had to say.

"Don't," Madani advised him. "We need their intel to take down their operation first."

Rawlins and Schoonover have come back to New York. Shit was about to get heavy.

"Wait, there are others here," Curtis reports.

"Who-"

"Noah..." Nathan nudges me.

It's the Triad...what the hell is going on here?! I knew they'd been watching us, but I thought we'd beaten them back...

"I have to go," I tell them. "They're still after Erykah and I. I haven't been able to reach her all day-"

Frank pulls out his phone and dials Lacey. No answer. We haul ass to get out of there and to track down the women we love.

The first place we check is their apartment. The door was ajar, and there were drops of blood. Noah and I head inside, guns first. I see a small form on the floor and kneel beside it.

It's Erykah! I motion for Noah to tend to her while I search the place. I'm too pissed off to feel anything else. Pissed-off beats scared every time. And if I see whoever fucking hurt her in this apartment, I'm blowing them away.

...It's clear...where the hell is she? I head back into the living room, and I notice that there's no sign of a struggle. What the fuck happened in here? Noah had helped Erykah to the couch, inspecting her wounds.

"What happened?" He asks her gently.

"You should see the other guys," she quips.

"The other guys?" He echoed.

"Two members of the Triad tried to attack me on the subway," she grunts. "I made it here, and I guess I passed out."

"Was this your first fight?" I asked.

"No," she shrugged. "Well, I had my moments in high school, but they weren't out to kill me. Was this my first serious, life-or-death fight? Yeah."

"Not bad," I murmured.

"I channeled my inner Romanoff," she quips.

"I'm glad you're alright," Noah tells her, gently pressing her ribcage. "It's gonna get worse from here."

"Wait, why-OW, SON OF A BITCH..."

"Cracked ribs," I rattle off.

"Why is it gonna get worse?" Erykah grimaced.

"They're working with Valhalla and Cerebus now," he informs her. "Rawlins and Schoonover are back in the city."

"We have to tell Lacey," she groans, holding her ribs.

"She wasn't with you?" I asked.

"No," she sighs. "I haven't seen her since this morning...after you left. I should have gone with her."

"Where could she be?" I wondered.

I searched for clues as Noah patched up his girl. There was an envelope with an address in Manhattan.

"What's this?" I ask her, holding it up.

"A brownstone that's been passed down in Dean's family," she explains. "Dean moved back into it. Maybe she went to him... as you wanted her to..."

I caught her snide tone, but I didn't comment on it. I know she's pissed at me. I'll avoid the cast iron while I'm around her. Envelope in hand, I head out. I have to find her, even if she's been with him.

I waste no time knocking on the door. It opens, and as much as I don't care for Dean, I'm thrown by how haunted he looks. It's as if he's slowly burning alive and cannot stop the flames. So she's told him. I also note the livid handprint on the side of his face.

Wordlessly, he lets me in, and I take in my surroundings. The life they led was all over the place. But I only cared about one thing—one woman, who, to my relief, was asleep on the couch.

"What the hell happened here?" I asked him.

"She came over and told me everything," he croaked in a hollow voice. "She didn't look well when she got here. She's crying, and that fucking broke me because I saw the damage I'd done. I had no right to come at you the way I did. I'm the one who hurt her in my misguided attempt to protect her from this-"

"-Why did you run? Why didn't you take her with you?" I cut in.

"I didn't want to uproot her life," he answered. "Imagine her dealing with a pregnancy on the run? She doesn't deserve that, and I was selfish. I wanted to see her one last time. If I hadn't poked around, maybe Madani wouldn't have found me, and I'd have been left dead."

"Okay," I nod once. "So what else happened?"

"I try to calm her down, and I kiss her-"

Son of a bitch...

"She pushed me away. She said that I'd lost my right. She moved on, but she needed to have this conversation with me. I saw it...she's closed off to me now. I was naive enough to think I could fix this and get her back. I was wrong. Anyway, I'd gone to get her some water, and she'd fallen asleep. This shit is getting to her, Frank. When this is over, I'm leaving the city. I have to grieve as she was able to move on. I never gave myself the chance."

"I still don't fucking trust you," I warn him. "And if this turns out to be some mind game, I will kill you. But for now, we have other problems. Valhalla and the Triad are working together...with Rawlins and Schoonover."

"They're back in the city?" He murmured.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Wait," he realized. "I just told you that I'm not going to stand in the way of the two of you anymore, and you went straight to business?"

"If we don't handle this, I won't have anyone to return to," I tell him. "Keeping her safe is my priority right now. They've already attacked Erykah."

"...I have the feeling that she kicked their asses," Dean mutters.

"Yeah, but she got hurt in the process," I inform him. "We've got to rally everyone we know. We're at war."