_In another world_

______Billy stands in the middle of the room, cold hands in the pockets of his black combat pants, straight, eyes fixed on the dusty floor, as if his life depended on it. The sound of three people's footsteps going up the stairs echoes in his ears. There are only two floors to the building, an old, abandoned, unsanitary building. He turns slowly, the sound getting closer and closer. He can hear the jabbering of only two of his men, accompanied by fat laughter. However, it is indeed the steps of three people that resound. Passing some wooden crates, garbage and old plastic dummies, Billy can finally see them. His eyebrows furrow. They are holding a woman, pushing her unceremoniously, a bag over her face. Billy never asked for a hostage, he seemed to have made it clear that they were not to make any waves. And then where did this person come from exactly?

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William Russo is not a lucky man. His definition of life is somewhat flawed as he has only known survival up to this point. Abandoned by his mother in a fire station, he was never the adopted boy and learned too early to trust anyone. Everything that once belonged to him has been violently torn away. His mother took away his freedom, other children took away his kindness, adults took away his ability to love and be loved, a good Samaritan took away his innocence and the system took away his hopes. He entered this world with nothing, and yet he never intended to leave it the same way. Because William Russo is an ambitious man.

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He shouldn't be here but his employer insisted and Billy never turns down money from this man. This is not the kind of mission he usually faces. A few of the men he hired are stirring on the floor below him. They've been asked to stay in this building and keep a low profile, there are no drugs going around and no contraband. All they have to do is wait. He was caught off guard, asked to show up at this specific address with five men, to give him the details of a mission. He hates it. Not being organized down to the last detail, not knowing what to expect and having to show up with people he doesn't trust. Because Billy doesn't trust any of his men. They're all fighters, ex-military, or great shooters, but he knows that the only thing keeping them on their toes is the lure of money. If things go wrong, it's every man for himself. He is tense, as always, on guard.

"Boss, look what we found."

One of the two men pushes the young woman they are holding firmly as if to show off their find. They smile like children in a candy store. Billy clenches his jaw.

"Who is this?"

"We found her lurking around the building, so we thought you'd want us to bring her to you."

Billy deliberately leaves a heavy pause. He looks at them with contempt, as one looks at someone watering plastic flowers.

"Next time, don't think. I thought I made it clear, we're not to be noticed."

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As soon as he learned about the American forces, Billy had one thing on his mind: to be a part of it. But if things were easy for him, he'd know. Of course, he never achieved that dream. He had to find a quick and efficient way to make money. Money, the only thing he cares about. His whole life revolves around this little thing that rules the world. Because a little wealth makes you powerful and power makes you greedy, Billy always wants more. Some might say that's not what makes true happiness, but he's not interested in true happiness.

He ended up like everyone predicted he would and if that didn't make him hateful, it would probably made him sad. He went into crime like he should have gone into the military. Billy became a soldier, an unrecognized soldier, a soldier of the shadows. He knows how to fight, aim, shoot and kill like a true Marine, the only thing that differentiates him from them is that he is not one. His charisma and adaptability have made him a born leader. But Billy is vain and vicious, and he steadfastly refuses to fall into the cliché of mobster or petty thug. He doesn't want to answer to anyone, much less expect it. He's not looking for a "family" like most mafia gangs boast of having formed, just looking for big money to cash in. Over time, he managed to make a name for himself and now thrives as a hitman or mercenary. He is hired for various missions, security for people who would not like to attract attention, espionage, settling of accounts, etc... Most of the time he carries them out alone, but sometimes he hires some contacts. He never has a fixed team, he is silent, vicious and invisible. He is the most feared criminal of his generation who doesn't even have a criminal record. His activity could be likened to running a business, an illegal business. He is a ghost in the night, who knows how to show himself when he can and hide when he has to.

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Billy's piercing black eyes make them automatically shudder, they've lost their cheerful air in less than a second. But they don't give up.

"Yes, we know that but... come on, we've been waiting for hours, no one will know..."

"Yeah, right, can we keep her? She's super hot... she'll help us wait."

Billy swallowed loudly, officially disgusted.

"Did you think you were in a brothel? We're paid to stay here until we get new orders. If you can't even wait, I don't know what the hell you're doing here."

"Come on, we covered her eyes, she didn't see anything, we play with her and let her go."

The young woman gets agitated at his words, obviously they have also gagged her since all that comes out of her mouth are incomprehensible moans. Anger quickly runs through Billy's veins. His blood runs cold as he approaches the man, his gaze murderous. He keeps his calm because Billy has great control over his emotions. His voice is deep, ominous, threatening.

"If you can't keep your dick in your pants, you can kiss the money goodbye, am I clear?"

Billy holds his gaze until the pressure forces the other man to lower his, before he himself pulls away a little to give weight to the rest of what he's about to say.

"You get her far enough away and let her go, if either of you touch her for even a few seconds, I'll shoot him in the head. You do what you want, once the mission is over. In the meantime, you do what I tell you to do, am I clear enough?"

The two exchange a worried look. They know that Billy's threats are not to be taken lightly. He has built up quite a reputation. When one of the men he hires strays too far out of line, he doesn't hesitate to put a bullet between their eyes in front of witnesses. They nod before walking away with the young woman, this time treating her a little more gently.

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For the past few years, a certain someone has been hiring him on a regular basis, a man who is anything but respectable, but a man who has a lot to offer. Billy hates him but he has become his favorite client. It would be indecent to say how much money he has received with his missions. However, he is well aware of the dangerous game he is playing. Because the man in question is not only despicable, he is also very important. This man is the Director of Covert Operations for the CIA and the founder of the Cerberus Squadron. But all these twisted titles don't interest Billy in the slightest. He refuses to be kept in the loop on any state secrets or to get involved in the tricks and manipulations of these important men in the eyes of society. He never paid any attention to them, as long as he received the full payment for the work he offered. That's how quickly, despite his deep dislike for the man, he became William Rawlins' favorite mercenary.

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Billy sighs, nothing good is to be expected. He is unable to stop thinking that something is going to go wrong. Like a bad feeling. Usually he never deploys the same men twice but this time he didn't really have a choice, because of the lack of time. They've been waiting too long, this doesn't bode well. They are unarmed and not at all ready for a fight, they are only here for information and his men obviously have other thoughts. He should have been more careful. But what else can he do? He's just a pawn in this big chess game and all he does is cash the big checks from his clients.

Billy goes back to his thoughts, looking for any other movement. His client should be here any minute, he's not a man who is unpunctual.

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Russo hears about the Punisher. This man, a former soldier, who lost his entire family and went crazy. But more importantly, this man who has become the worst nightmare of men like Billy. Yet, despite what they said in the newspapers and on television, Russo didn't see him as a threat. Billy has never killed an innocent or unproblematic person, he only kills despicable people and in his mind that only makes him less interesting to Castle. Besides, not once has he ever been caught or even come close to being caught by the police. He's not even a wanted criminal. Russo was always confident about his safety.

The Punisher was not a concern for him, at least not until he got dangerously close to his business. Recently, Russo learned who was the man behind the massacre of his entire family and that Rawlins wants to take out Castle before things get out of hand. Billy still doesn't see what this has to do with him, but for some reason, Rawlins wants to keep him under his thumb, more than usual. Since Castle came back to life, Russo's has only been shattered.

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Russo was convinced he was not a target for the Punisher, until this very moment.

"The Punisher, Billy, fuck, the Punisher is here."

Shit. Billy starts hearing gunfire, from his men and Frank Castle. The guy who came to warn him is running away at the speed of light. He's probably going to die. He's too conspicuous. Billy analyzes his options. He's at the very top of the building and there's only one exit, located at the very bottom. All he has on him are a few knives, a gun and a grenade. He has no bulletproof vest or protection and his men downstairs are dropping like flies. He wasn't prepared for an ambush, no one was prepared for it , so inevitably, the Punisher takes a bite out of his team.

This is the moment he's been dreading. He's not going to try to kill him, this is not the time and he's clearly not prepared for this kind of fight. A face-to-face with the Punisher will have to wait. He has to get to the cars parked on the other side of the building. He pulls out his gun and clutches it tightly between his fingers then slowly makes his way down the stairs. He can still hear the gunfire, it's reassuring, he is clearly occupied by other men. The shooting stops. Reaching the first floor safely, he hides behind a pole as soon as he can. He spots two of his men behind him. Billy moves out of the way slightly to find their enemy's position, but the second he reveals his head, a bullet passes through the room. He narrowly avoids it and reposition himself. Shit. He didn't get a good look at the Punisher but obviously he has a better angle than he does. Maybe he's even on the move.

He tries to think fast but he doesn't have much of an option. It's a rat trap, there's no other way out, he has to cross the room. He hears shooting again, then the groan of one of his men. He takes advantage of this moment to rush silently to another hiding place where he will have a better view. He runs and slips behind some kind of metal plate in a few seconds. Now he knows where Frank is. If he is still where he executed one of his men, he is only a few steps away. Billy gets up and fires several shots in the direction of the Punisher. He's right where he thought he was but he didn't manage to hit him. He lowers himself again to load his gun. As he looks for a path to follow, his gaze is caught by the sight of a dead body. His heartbeat quickens. He has taken out at least two of his men. He knows there's one left who hasn't moved since earlier, but for how long. He has to leave.

As soon as the shooting stops, Billy disengages from the plate and shoots blind, he takes advantage of it to move forward, when he has no more bullets, he takes cover behind a post again. A heavy silence settles, Billy only hears his heart beating in his chest. He's made quite a bit of progress, now Billy is past the Punisher, he can see the stairs to the last room that leads to the exit, at the far end, on the other side of the room. He's still a long way from it, but at least no one is standing between him and the exit. When suddenly, a shot accompanied by a cry of pain extirpates him from his thoughts. He clutches his gun, squeezing it so tightly that it hurts his hand. Then two shots in a row sound. He is dead. Billy and the Punisher are the only two survivors in the room. Shit. He has a clear advantage, Billy has no protection, only a gun and very little ammunition left. He can't afford to waste them like he did before to keep going.

The adrenalin allows him to think quickly but well. He recovers a piece of broken mirror on the ground to be able to see what is happening behind him without uncovering himself. He positions his weapon next to his ear, only the tip protrudes. His eyes are locked on the reflection of the mirror in his hand. As soon as he sees a bloody white skull, he fires. Billy is an excellent shot. He hits him, even if it's just the body armor and he knows it, it may leave him a window wide enough to try to jump to another pole. Unfortunately, he has overestimated his time, a bullet just grazes him and he is forced to back up. He almost trips and gathers all his body parts towards his center. There is no room for error. If a bullet hits him, it will pierce him, he doesn't have the same vest as his opponent.

Billy considers his options again. He has little ammunition, no way to see the enemy and no freedom of movement. He taps his belt. A grenade. Yes but it would be stupid to throw it, they are too close, it would hit him too. He really has no option. Billy pulls his hood down over his head and grabs the grenade in his hands but does not pull the pin. He would have prayed if he thought it would do any good. He slides the grenade to the Punisher's feet. The Punisher, thinking that it will go off, jumps up to get away from it, thinking only of saving his own skin. Billy takes advantage of the subterfuge to run and cross the whole room. He has to go to the other side, where the stairs are located. The room is very wide, he runs with all his strength then reaching several objects piled on top of each other, he throws himself on the ground to hide behind. But Frank is faster. As soon as he realizes that it is only a decoy, he points his gun at the tall, slender figure in motion and fires. The bullet goes through the room in seconds, faster than a man's legs, bursting through Billy's skin and lodging in his shoulder, mid-air. A cry of pain and surprise comes from his mouth. He falls to the ground. Fortunately, he has reached his hiding place. He automatically places his hand on the wound, blood spreading rapidly over his fingers. He retains his groans between his teeth then plates his back against what hides him. He blows gently, closing his eyes for a moment. It could have gone better, but it could also have been worse. At least now he is on the right side, even if he still has many meters to go.

"It was clever, it's a shame it didn't work."

Frank Castle's deep voice makes Billy's whole body twitch.

"I disagree, still breathing. I think it worked very well on the contrary."

Frank smiles. He has found a worthy opponent. He was sure he would be done in a matter of minutes. There were only six of them, and they weren't expecting him to show up.

Billy must not waste any time, he would never be able to reach the door that would take him to the last room before the exit without taking another bullet, this time a fatal one. There is another door right next to him, he is not sure where it will lead him but one thing is for sure, if he stays here, he will die too. He silently crawls towards the door, he gets in within seconds, pressing himself against the wall on the other side. Billy's hands go up at the sight of a man pointing a gun at him. It's just another one of his men. Billy sighs silently in relief before sliding a finger in front of his lips, signaling him to be quiet. The other nods and slams himself against the wall on the other side of the door. It is bad luck, this room is only a dead end.

Frank gets impatient, he moves closer to where he thinks he'll find Billy, but there's no sound coming from there. He slowly moves around the obstacle, his gun raised, he sees a door open and a bullet comes out just as quickly. Frank has just enough time to duck and hide.

They are trapped, they have very little ammunition left and if they come out of their hole, they will be shot. Billy quickly examines where they are. It looks like a storage room, there are a lot of old things piled up and damaged. Billy's eyes are drawn to a plastic dummy. Suddenly, an idea occurs to him. He looks at his comrade, and nods his head to signal him to cover him. The man understands the intention and starts shooting at the Punisher to prevent him from coming out of hiding, emptying his last clip. Billy rushes in, grabs the dummy, takes off his vest to put it on the object and then stays at the back of the room, hiding as best he can thanks to the walls but he's not as safe as he was in his old position, a plastic dummy dressed in his hoodie now between his arms. The shooting stops and the other man looks at him incredulously. What exactly is he planning to do? Billy closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. As soon as Frank isn't assailed by gunfire, he fires back, turning around in one swift motion. Billy reveals the dummy he's holding, revealing only a figure in the same clothing as him. Frank doesn't think, as soon as he sees a movement, he shoots. The bullet goes into the dummy and Billy screams in pain. He drops the dummy further and drops his gun on the ground. He gives Frank the illusion that he has been seriously injured.

Billy is very convincing, moaning and breathing hard as if he had just been shot in the stomach while striding towards the door, brushing against the wall so as not to be spotted, masking any sound with his cries of pain. Frank, convinced that Billy is alone, falls into the trap again, he heard the sound of the gun falling to the floor and assumes Billy wounded and unarmed. He advances towards the room, Billy had recovered his weapon and as soon as Frank crosses the step of the door, he throws himself on him, giving him a violent blow to the head. He would have liked to kill him with a bullet, but neither of them had one yet. Frank falls to the ground but does not drop his gun. Billy swears inwardly, pushes him in even harder and takes advantage of the Punisher's confusion to get the hell out of there. The two men leave the hideout, closing the door and quickly positioning something to block, then they start running for the exit. Billy is injured but still faster. They finally enter the final room, Billy runs without thinking, the building is large and they can hear Frank trying to escape.

A sharp, dull, singular pain settles heavily in his thigh. Billy collapses to the floor, on his knees, cut off dead in his tracks. He has been shot. A cry of pain escapes him and his breathing becomes ragged. He turns around, looking mad but completely lost. He had just been betrayed.

"Sorry, I need to buy some time."

Billy looks at him in complete despair. Without Billy's help, he would be dead. And yet only seconds later he decided to betray him, preventing him from getting away too. Billy feels a million emotions per second, hate, pain, fear, sadness, loneliness and anger. It's over? so this is how William Russo's sad life ends? No, he refuses to believe it. Billy comes to his senses, in a few seconds the Punisher will have joined him. He painfully gets up and rushes to a closet right next to him. He hides in it, keeping his breath short. All he has to do now is play hide and seek and hope to survive. But the truth is that despite this ultimate effort, he has no chance and he knows it. He is bleeding. From his shoulder and now from his leg. He leaves trails behind him like Tom Thumb leaves bits of bread. Shit. Billy closes his eyes, his face tense. Is he really going to die now? After all he's survived? After all, it seems like a pretty honorable death, killed by the Punisher, having fought to his last breath. He really had a shitty life from start to finish. In the end, he dies in the image of his life, betrayed by one of his men.

A jerky and weak breath brings him out of his macabre thoughts. It's not coming from him. He frowns before turning his head. A woman sits in the far corner. A bag over her head. Billy recognizes her instantly. It's her, the woman they found lurking around. A tiny smile appears on his lips, he has never been so happy to be disobeyed. He approaches her, removing the veil from her head. He reveals a young blonde woman, her eyes shining with a piercing blue, contrasting instantly with the darkness of Billy's. He gently undoes the gag and immediately puts his hand over her mouth.

"Shh... Will you promise not to scream? Please..."

The young woman nods her head gently. She is very bold. Billy is surprised by her calmness. He slowly removes his bloody hand from her mouth and she keeps her promise.

"Who are you? What's your name?"

She looks at him but answers nothing. Billy tenses up, takes his gun and points it at the young woman. The magazine is empty but he is the only one who knows it. She panics a little at once. Billy gives her a murderous look and she freezes in place.

"Do I look like I have time to play this?"

"Page... my name is Karen Page."

Billy's eyes go wide. He's heard that name. He can't quite remember how she's related to Castle, but one thing is for sure, she's related to Castle. Who said Billy wasn't a lucky man again? Screw the hide-and-seek game, he's got something better now.

"Miss Page, I'm going to need your services."

He forces the young woman to stand up, her hands tied behind her back. He comes out of the closet violently with her, holding her ruthlessly. Karen struggles a little but she stops abruptly when Billy seizes her by the neck, placing her against his chest and pressing without restraint the end of his weapon against her temple. Billy limps painfully to the middle of the room to be as visible as possible. He breathes hard and harshly into Karen's ear, which twitches slightly under his grip. Billy shouts in a deep, threatening, terrifying voice.

"Castle. I know you're in there. Come here, I have a surprise for you."

No one comes. He's sure he heard Frank manage to escape though.

"Come on sweetheart, beg the brave Punisher to come rescue you."

Karen says nothing. Billy tightens his grip and yells in her ear.

"I said : beg!"

She closes her eyes, now shaking slightly.

"Frank...Frank please..."

Frank's face instantly goes pale. A few seconds later, he emerges from his hiding place, a gun pointed at the man clutching the pretty blonde tightly in his hands.

"No closer. If you try anything, I'll blow her head off, is that clear?"

Frank seriously wonders if this is just talk, if he really has a bullet left but he won't risk putting Karen in danger. They face each other. Frank imposing, the hard eyes, the strong and powerful build, exchanging a tender look with her. Billy keeps her back pressed to his chest, one hand on her neck, the other holding the gun to her temple. Billy is in very bad shape. He's down to one leg, but adrenaline is improbably keeping him upright.

"Here's what we're going to do, you're going to drop your gun, unload it and slide it far away, and slide the magazine away from the gun, or I'll blow her pretty head off. I'm going to leave with her and you're not going to follow us or I'll blow her pretty head off, once I'm in one of the cars I'll let her join you. If you do anything stupid, you know the drill by now, I'll blow her pretty head off. Are we good?"

Frank nods despite himself. He doesn't really have a choice. He can't believe he'll let her go, but he's sure he'll kill her if he doesn't do as he says. He obeys, throwing away everything he asked him to throw away exactly as he asked him to do. Then Frank glares at him.

"You're a smart kid."

Billy looks at him, slightly honored.

"Thanks."

Despite the situation, it wrings a tiny smile from Frank, he didn't expect that answer, or that way of responding, a smile accompanying the promise not to miss him next time.

Billy limps back, still staring at the Punisher until he is far enough away. He turns away from the young woman slightly but keeps his gun to her head. Billy does what he can but he walks quite slowly, limping very seriously. They walk to where the cars should be but nothing. No cars are parked there.

"Shit! Fuck... fUck!"

When is this nightmare going to end? Will he make it through? Billy sighs loudly, also letting out a few groans of pain that he's been holding back for a while.

"And now?"

Billy looks at the young woman at the sound of her voice. She would almost feel sorry for him. He's worked so hard to survive, to get out of the building. His face is so expressive and so marked by pain. But she quickly remembers that he is just a criminal who threatened to blow her brains out. Billy plunges his eyes in hers, formulating another plan.

"Now? Now we're going to go get my own car. It's a lot farther, we'll have to walk. After you, Miss Page."

Karen turns away and continues on her way to whatever Billy has indicated. She seriously wonders how he keeps walking. He has lost so much blood. The whole way she mentally prays that he will pass out.

"Stop, we're stopping here."

Karen frowns, there is no car where they are. Billy positions himself in front of her, gun pointed in her direction.

"You think I'm stupid? I'm not going to take you to my car, you might see my license plate or something else that will lead you to me. We part ways here. It's far enough away that you won't be able to guess where I'm parked. We are never too careful, are we?"

Karen looks at him concerned. This may be the last moments of her life. She doesn't trust him, she doubts he'll let her go like he promised he would. Billy positions the tip of his gun to Karen's forehead, a smile on his lips. She panics.

"No, wait..."

He fires. Karen closes her eyes with all her might but nothing comes out of the gun. Silence. When she opens them again, she can see Billy smiling machiavellianly.

"I'm out of bullets...for a while now."

Karen can't help but laugh with nervousness and relief. She looks at Billy in disbelief.

"And now?"

"Now? Now I'm going to hope to run faster than you."

This man is not just anyone, Karen thinks, half admiring, half angry. He has a certain class despite his condition and an undeniable charm. He does not look like a trafficker or a dealer as his presence here implies. A certain presence, elegance emanates from him. Let's put it more simply, he doesn't really look like the villain of the story. And yet.

"See you never, I hope, Miss Page."

She watches the limping man turn away. His feet move past each other in a jerky motion, then the pace picks up awkwardly before his long legs take a long stride, his feet pounding, this time, the ground steadily and relentlessly. He gives himself up to run in a deep groan. Karen suffers for him. She watches as he runs away quickly, running even though he has taken two bullets. What tenacity, if it wasn't terrifying, it would be impressive. Nevertheless something is bothering her, she spotted a knife hanging from his belt. He certainly didn't have any bullets left to execute her, but he obviously had enough to stab her. He left her alive by choice.

Karen quickly joined Frank, who had already moved a little closer. The face of the terrifying Punisher changed in a split second when he caught sight of the pretty blonde in good health, without a scratch. He hugged her before pulling away to look her straight in the eye, a sturdy hand delicately placed on her cheek. What was she doing there? The risks were too great. Before Frank could say a word, Karen smiled, guilty but proud of it.

"I wanted to write an article."

Frank grunts, exasperated, but says nothing.

______They went back to Micro's hideout. Frank and Karen told him everything and Curtis joined them for the evening. Two men had gotten away, but only one had really gotten lucky. The other one, Karen said, was very resistant but still had lost a lot of blood. Frank wanted to execute all of them, if the smart man hadn't been there, he would have succeeded. Lieberman managed to hack a phone that informed him that a group of killers were in this abandoned warehouse. They knew they were connected to Rawlins, and they also knew he wouldn't be there himself. It was the perfect time for the Punisher to make his entrance, do what he does best and leave a meaningful message to the man: Frank is not far away and will not leave anyone alive.

Throughout the evening Frank thought about it and refused to admit defeat. He finally compelled Lieberman to do his thing on the computer to find out the identity of the man in question. He agreed, snooping around for several minutes leaving the others chatting away.

"I found him."

All eyes turn to Micro and Frank is the first to rush to his side. Lieberman points to a picture on the screen of a man, younger than the man Frank fought today. Raven black hair slicked back, a well-groomed beard, black eyes, the pupil barely distinguishable, a face with fine but severe features. No doubt about it, it's him. Frank nods and Karen moves closer, curious.

"Yes, it's definitely him, the clever kid... so?"

Micro quickly types a few incomprehensible things and the photo is replaced by an official document and then a few more quickly pile up.

"Let's see... there's not much about him, pretty low-key guy... he's been seen a few times doing security for rich but not very respectable men... he doesn't look like a smuggler, dealer, or mobster... I guess he must be some kind of hitman."

"And that's it? What the hell were they doing there if they weren't dealers?"

"That I don't know... Look at this, apparently he wanted to be in the military, he almost enlisted, he started the process... and then overnight he dropped off the radar... Let's see, that gives me some more info... Orphan, grew up in the system, never adopted, criminal record still clean, a real ghost..."

Frank and Karen exchange a curious look. Karen moves closer to Micro, looking more closely at the information on the screen.

"What's his name?"

Micro swivels in his chair having completed his mission, he looks around at everyone with a satisfied look.

"William Russo."