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| Punisher 2099UG Issue #2 Written by Joey Guerra |
| The 2099 Underground is a project whereby a group of fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from Marvel's fantastic futuristic 2099! Ignoring the ignoble and inaccurate "2099: World of Tomorrow", we're exploring what we feel is the true spirit of 2099 as envisioned by then Editor-in-Chief Joey Cavalieri. Participation is open to all. Comments about this issue should be sent to the author. Or you can visit our message board and post your thoughts on the issue. Anyone wishing to join the mailing list should do so by signing up at Yahoo! Groups. It's free and easy! Simply type in the keyword "Ghostworks" and you're good to go. |
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| It nears afternoon in New York. Outside of the house nothing looks at all of interest, but inside where The Punishers base once lied an event is unfolding. Ten seconds ago Vendetta came through a door, and into the main control room. As she entered that door she was met with a gun in her face, but even more surprising is the man whose carrying the gun, a man she never expected to see alive. "Darryl King?" Vendetta questions. "Oh no, not Darryl King, please call me Fearmaster" "I thought you were dead, The Punisher killed you months ago, didn't he?" "As you can see I'm quite alive, now where is The Punisher? Or do you think he would prefer it if I called him Jake?" "Haven't you been keeping up on news events?" Fearmaster just stares at Vendetta studing her, and then finally comments. "No I've been forced to hide out for a while, just tell me where he is NOW!" "He's dead, SHEILD agents killed him with some kind of weird flying device." "I do not belive you Vendetta, you are much like Gallows, you would lie to me just in hopes of my leaving you alone." "NO," Vendetta screams "he really is shockin' dead, you little ratbitter!" "So if your going to kill me then just do it and shut the shock up!" "Kill?" "You?" "Oh no my dear, you will make a nice beggining for a new collection of pretties for me once I get my organizations back, for now you can live. Just remember I'll be watching you." And with that the Fearmaster vanishes before Vendetta has a chance to pull a gun. "Just shockin great, and I still haven't found Axel yet!" But Vendetta is tired and is starting to belive Axel must be as dead as Gallows, so she lays down and drifts off to sleep, laying a gun under her makeshift pillow. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mysterious man slumbers well tonight. He dreams of a life, a life he must have lived, but cannot remember, much like his dreams when he awakens, his memory has vanished. He rises fully awake now. For the first time since he was placed here he has awakend during the day time. Now for the first time he can clearly see his surroundings, he's in a hospital of some sort. "Is anyone here!" he yells, but gets no answer. For some strange reason he is in an isolated room. He gets up and walks towards the door, his head pounds with pain the second he stands to his feet. Twisting the doorknob, he realizes its locked! "Shock this! I want out of here someone help me!" Suddenly he hears a sound outside of the door, a man appears in the doorway dressed as a doctor. "Aw, I see your finally awake, good." "But I've woken up before but no one was here. How did I get here?" "Don't you remember?" "No I can't even remember who I am, you have to help me." "I was afraid this might happen when I saw the mark on your head." "What?" "You were caught in the crossfire of the Punisher and some SHEILD officers about a week ago, when they were trying to catch him." SHEILD, the Punisher somehow that did all seem familiar to him. "Yes I think I remember that." he says. "But who the shock am I?" "Your name is Jim Craig, you work for the Alchemax Corpration." This information too seemed familiar to him in a certain way. "Yes, was I a research assistant?" "Yes you were, although you do most of your work at home you didn't like being in an office." "How do you know all of this?" "The man who you are an assistant to told me, his name is Bill Smith, you should talk to him." "Can you get him here?" "I'll try but now you should get some rest, I'll check on you later." "OK, I'll do that." The doctor walks out the door locking it behind himself, as Jim, at least he thinks thats his name, walks toward the bed he spots a mirror. He walks over to it and stares at himself, he is a fairly tall man, with a muscular build, and blond hair. "Funny how I don't remember looking like this, oh well." And Jim Craig, happy with his answers, drifts back off to his sleep and dreams of his life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey wake up!" "Are you okay now?" yells Matt Brix. "Huh, where the hell am I!" answers John daSilva as he jumps up from the bed he was lying in. "Tell me who the shock you are or your dead." "Whoa, I saved your life, an old woman flagged me down, and I picked you up, lucky for you I know a little bit about medical care." "But why would you care what happened to me?" "Your a Punishement Police officer right?" "Yes." "Well the Punisher saved the life of a good friend of mine, I'm just returning the favor." John sits up on the bed amazed that anyone would care, but still he feels grateful. "Where's my gun?" "Here." and Matt hands it to him. "I thank you for your help, did anyone see you bring me in here?" "I don't think so, where are you going?" "Don't worry you won't see me ever again, do you mind if I take this?" "Sure, and good luck!" With that John grabs a trenchcoat, so no one will see his tattered uniform, and his gun and runs out the door. "Well that was strange but where the hell do I go now?" "And where is Jake Gallows at?" John still dosen't realize what happened the week he was caught Downtown, he decides to go to his home and get some answers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Its now around four in the afternoon and Vendetta awakens from her slumber. "Well theres nothing for me here I guess I'll go and look for Axel again, where the sock is he anyway? "And should I run back into Mr.Fearmaster he won't get away again!" Vendetta takes a small hand gun from Gallows collection and puts it under her coat. And with that she heads back towards the main area of destruction, the city. But as Vendetta leaves the Fearmaster is still watching her and waiting. "I know your still alive Gallows and when she finds you your shockin dead, and if you are dead then Vendetta will do as a sacrifice for my revenge!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Craig awakens from what seems like a nightmare, yet he cannot remember it. He stands up and walks towards the door, he twist the knob but its still locked. "Why are they locking me in, I'm not a dangerous person, or at least I don't think I am." Jim pounds on the door and the doctor appears again. "How are you doing Jim?" "Okay I guess, when will I get to go back home?" "I'm afraid your home was destroyed by a falling EMP, but Alchemax has provided a new place for you to live." "But when will I get to go there?" "I'm afraid not for a while yet, but soon." "Well it can't be soon enough for me thank you doctor, I'll try and get some more rest." And with that Jim is left by himself again, pondering his thoughts and trying to remember. And just then like a white hot flash through his brain it hits him, a memory, a memory the doctor never described to him, a memory of a family! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John daSilva enters his apartment quickly he worries someone is following him. He flips on his vid screen and orders the computer to give him recent news uploads. "NO!!" John screams as he watches the screen he sees The Punisher killed in a blinding flash of light. "Not the director, not Jake it can't be true!" "I swear Jake I will find the people responsible and give them the Punishement they deserve!" And with that John daSilva grabs his gun and trenchcoat, and runs back out the door. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vendetta walks through the streets looking for any sign of Matt Axel she can find, so far shes found none. She's been walking for what seems like hours, and she is now becoming frustrated. But just as she is about to give up all hope she sees a man wearing a trenchcoat and a hat, and she dosen't believe it but it looks like Matt Axel! "Axel, is that you stop!" But as soon as the words are spoken the man turns and runs. Vendetta starts after him as quickly as she can. She watches as he turns down an alley, an alley Vendetta knows is a dead end. "Gotcha now Axel!" "Just leave me alone!" the man yells. But Vendetta closes in and rips the mans hat off. "I knew it was you why did you run?" "I don't want anything to do with you or anyone else Jake ever knew, now leave!" But Vendetta isn't going anywhere and neither is the Fearmaster who stands on a rooftop above watching and waiting for the perfect chance to strike. "Oh goody two for the price of one, I do so enjoy this!" he comments to himself, but he still hasn't seen what he wanted, where is Gallows? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "COME BACK HERE!" yells Jim Craig. He desperatly wants to talk to the doctor who has been visiting him. Just seconds ago a flash of memory hit him like a hot poker in his brain. He remembered his family, or at least part of his family, he can't remember what they looked like but he can recall at least one woman and at least one man. But the memory seems painful to him. Why? He wonders, this should be a glorious thing but it seems like something bad, or terrible will come from it. "COME BACK AND TELL ME ABOUT MY FAMILY!!" he demands, his fist pounding the door. But no one comes this time, but unknown to him certain people are watching him, and they are very interested in this deveolpment. "Are you sure you did your damn job right?" ask one of the observing men. "Yes, this is just a minor setback trust me, I'll fix the problem tommrow." "You had better, if the boss finds out he's acting this way, he'll have our shockin' hides!" "Don't worry I said I'll fix it and I will." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darryl King aka The Fearmaster watches as Vendetta talks with the recently discovered Matt Axel, but Fearmaster is not alone this time, this time he has a couple of low life friends with him. It was a simple task to convince them to help him out, just promise some credits and a way Uptown and they were hanging on his everyword. Now they watch waiting for the perfect moment to strike- "Axel you've got to help me, is Jake still alive?" "I don't give a shock if he is, the bastard went insane and I'm through with him and you." "I think not." and Vendetta pulls a gun out from under her coat. "Matt you have to listen to me." At that moment the two men with Fearmaster make themselves known. They jump down from the roof above, one of them snatches Vendetta's gun before hitting the ground. "What the hell? Are these friends of yours?" Axel questions. "No", one of the men comment,"Were friends of the Fearmaster, and we have a message to deliver for him.' The thug raises his gun towards Axels head, while the other watches the helpless Vendetta, her gun taken away, and her bag to far away to reach. "Time to say goodbye buddy, this is what ya get fer being a friend of The Punisher." Matt pulls his eyes closed as he waits for the inevitable, and at that moment a shot rings out into the dimly sunlit sky, but much to Matt's surprise he isn't dead. Matt opens his eyes and just as he does he hears another shot, he looks down to see the two thugs dead, and Vendetta still standing next to him, and as he looks towards the shadows at the end of the alley he sees the figure of a man. "Jake?" he ask. "No, not Jake", the man comments as he steps into the light,"the names John daSilva, and you two look like you could use some help." Up above the Fearmaster watches and sees what has transpired down below. "Damn him, whoever he is he's just bought himself more trouble than he can handle!" And at that moment The Fearmaster swears that by tommrow night, all three of the figures below will be dead..... NEXT ISSUE- The conclussion to the "Revenge And Redemption" storyline! Now that the Fearmasters out for Vendetta, will she be able to survive his attacks? And just what's up with Jim Craig? All this and the setup to issue 4 where the Punisher will begin anew!! |