Chapter 7
Matt was not stupid; he knew when he was way in over his head, and he knew when to ask for help. (Even if Foggy would laugh at such a statement and call it an outrageous lie.)
Matt knew that Fisk was a powerful man with deep pockets and a long reach. He knew that he would drown in this rushing river if he dived into the water without knowing how to swim.
So, knowing that he alone could not take on the Kingpin on his own, he reluctantly made the decision to ask a curtain PI for help.
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Let it be known, that Jessica Jones is someone with many layers, almost like a jawbreaker.
She's not one to mince words or sugarcoat things. She's tough, smart, as stubborn as an ox, and she couldn’t give half a shit about what people thought about her. Matt is not easily intimidated, but he will swear in a court of law that Jessica is one of the most intimidating people he has ever met.
Matt also knew that those layers were to shield her from breaking under the weight that she had to carry around. It’s a hard exterior that she had built around herself for protection against those who wanted to take a bite.
But, in that same breath, Matt would like to add that, just like a jawbreaker, once you have worked your way through the hundreds of layers, you end up with a soft gum. It’s caring and sweet, patient and warm. Matt is one of the few lucky enough to have wormed his way into that soft spot, even if sometimes he’s met with jagged comments and hard barriers.
Jackie, unsurprisingly to Matt, also found a soft spot in Jessica’s heart without any real effort. From the moment they met, the then-toddler had wrapped Jessica around her tiny finger, much to Matt’s amusement. Jessica’s usual sharpness took on a softer edge when it was directed at Jackie, and while she would never admit it, she had developed a maternal streak that was as surprising as it was endearing.
Now Matt wouldn’t really describe Jessica as motherly—well, not to her face at least. She wasn’t the kind to coo over babies or play peek-a-boo (Matt does very well laugh his arse off imagining what it would look—or rather sound—like), but she had a way with Jackie that was surprisingly gentle. Maybe it was the way she talked to her, with the same bluntness she used with everyone else, but somehow it didn’t come off as harsh when it was directed at a four-year-old.
It’s nearly noon. Matt slipped out of the office for his “lunch break” and was now on his way to Jessica’s office.
He had two sandwiches with him. One for him and the other for Jessica, so he wasn’t utterly lying when he told Foggy he was going on his lunch break. The sandwich also served as bribery, if needed.
Jessica’s office was located in a part of town that looked like it had seen better days. The door was old, the paint chipped away, and there was a neon sign that flickered every few seconds. But it was her place of business, and she liked it that way. It was not to intimidate people, but rather to let them know she was the real deal. No fancy office could give you street cred like a building that had been through hell and back. Or that’s what Jessica told Matt and others when asked.
Matt knocked twice, firmly, and waited. He heard the muffled sound of footsteps approaching, and the door was jerked open. Jessica stood there in all her glory, her hair tied back in a messy bun, wearing a leather jacket over a white tank top that showed off her muscular arms. She had a look that said she had just rolled out of bed, but the dark circles under her eyes, the way she was holding a half-drank cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of files in the other suggested she had been working for hours.
"Matt," she said, her voice gruff, not entirely unfriendly but definitely not welcoming. She looked him up and down. "What's the occasion?"
“What I can’t just pop in for an impromptu lunch date?” He asked jokingly, holding up the bag with the sandwiches in it.
“Date? Ha!” Jessica snorted, “I’ve got better taste in men than that, Matthew,” she quipped as she took the bag and pulled out a sandwich for herself.
She stepped aside, to place down the files she was holding, and allowed Matt to step inside. The office was small, cluttered with files and newspapers, with the smell of old coffee and a hint of something that could either be a forgotten meal or a new case lingering in the air. There was a desk, two chairs, and a couch that looked like it had seen more than a few late nights of paperwork.
“Where’s Malcom today?” Matt questioned as sat down on the couch, narrowly missing a few stray pieces of paper.
“Out sick, the flu,” her answer came. She took a large bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully before continuing. “So how’s your mini demon?”
Matt chuckled. “Jackie’s fine; thanks for asking. She’s entered the phase where she asks why about everything. It’s like living with a pint-sized Socrates.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I can only imagine the chaos that’s gonna cause. She’s got your stubbornness and your wits. That’ll be a deadly combination in the future.” She took a sip of her coffee before gesturing to the files scattered around. “What’s going on, Murdock? You’re not here just to update me on your kid’s vocabulary.”
Matt swallowed the bite he took from his sandwich. He looked down as if inspecting it, though Jessica could see those unfocused eyes drifting over the floor. Matt sighed and looked up, his expression turning serious. “I’ve been having trouble with a few gangs in the area lately. They have these weapons—something straight out of a science fiction movie. Not the kind of tech you usually find on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow, setting her sandwich down. “Laser tag gone wrong?”
“Pretty deadly lasers nearly blasted my shoulder off one night. But that’s not the worst part.”
Jessica leaned back in her chair, swivelling it to face him; her curiosity piqued. “What’s worse than laser-shooting thugs?”
“A few nights ago, I got the name of the supposed supplier.”
There was a pregnant pause until Matt finally spoke, his expression dark.
“Fisk”
"Shit,” Jessica hissed through her teeth.
It wasn’t the simple mention of the name that made Jessica curse, but the knowledge of the man who carried it.
Jessica ran a hand over her face, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information. "Fisk," she murmured, the name rolling off her tongue like a curse.
It was like the world had been muted for what felt like a really long period of time. Neither knew what to say next; they just sat there, facing each other.
Jessica was the first to break the silence. She leaned forward, setting her sandwich aside, and the look on her face grew more intense. "What do you need from me?" she asked, her voice low and serious. “You’re probably telling me this for a reason, so...”
Matt took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his decision. "I need your help, Jess. These weapons—they're not just a problem for me as Daredevil; they’re a problem for everyone. And if Fisk’s behind this, it’s going to get a whole lot messier before it gets better or it’s going to be like the calm before a storm and this is the calm."
Jessica stayed silent for a moment, then spoke again: “This makes things a hell of a lot more complicated.”
Matt tilted his head questioningly.
“There’s this case I’m working on at the moment. A mother came in, asking me to find her missing son. She had reported him missing; the cops have written him off as just another junkie who OD'd in an alley somewhere, but she says there's more to it. So, I naturally start digging, and what do I find? A pattern. 33 missing persons, all with the same MO. And guess who's at the centre of it all?”
Matt waits for her to continue, but he has this sinking feeling that he already knows what links those cases together.
“Fisk,” Matt sighs.
Jessica nodded gravely. “Yep, our favourite billionaire philanthropist turned criminal overlord.”
“You think that those missing persons and the weapons are linked somehow?”
“More than likely.”
Jessica’s voice was grim, her eyes focused on the far wall as she spoke. The cogs in her brain were turning, piecing together the puzzle that was Fisk’s plan.
Matt had a feeling that this was bigger than him, but now he thinks it might be bigger than both of them. It gives Matt something to think about as he walks back to the office, with way more questions than he has answers to.
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