Orange, red and purple light stain the dark blue sky, a sign that the sun is slowly setting. Dusk in Hell's Kitchen is a bit different than dusk in say, the Upper East Side. Now is when the children of the street and other things that go bump in the night begin to stir, flooding out of the tenements, apartments bars and other buildings. At the same time, the few law abiding citizens that reside in this neighborhood begin to make their way inside, wanting nothing to do with the dangerous activities happening outside their home. But what could be so dangerous as to make them want to stay inside? Well, aside from the users and pushers in the drug game, the pimps and prostitutes in the skin trade and the thugs and ruffians living the gang life, there are several other oddities that no self-respecting citizen would want to get themselves near. One such oddity is the man who goes by Bullseye. Hell's Kitchen has an abundance of potential targets and employers for the deadly assassin, and he has been a busy little boy as of late. Not only did he manage to murder a drug dealer and an NYPD police officer (pinning both crimes on one Frank Castle), but just yesterday he caused a disturbance and left Spider-Man, Defense and Echo to clean it up. Now he leans his back on the entrance of a local pool hall, dressed in his inconspicuous trench coat with a floppy old fedora on his head. Just enough to hide his appearance from the man inside he wishes to kill. As he waits, he shuffles a deck of playing cards in his hand.

Last evening was, to say the least, completely interesting. It was the first time in a long time that the woman has seen so much activity on her usual commute from the studio to her home. After all that happened, she's learned that perhaps it is best that she have someone drive her from now on. Maya Lopez, however, is not always a woman to do everything that is best for her. So once again she finds herself walking down the sidewalks of Hell's Kitchen so close the night time hours. As usual, brown eyes are looking around, doing their best to keep alert and to keep her safe. Ironically, she's wondering about the condition of Bullseye, and if she'll see any of the men again.

About four stories above, Hell's Kitchen's resident guardian devil crouches perched atop a convenient piece of cornice, silently scanning the area. The sort of sounds one could expect from what he would consider a quiet night assault his ears... the telltale sounds of a couple making out in an alley, the audio from an American Idol rerun tuned just a bit too loudly, the clatter of billiard balls from the pool hall currently (but unbeknownst to him thus far) occupied by Bullseye. Nothing seems out of the ordinary thus far, but Daredevil knows all too well how things can go from zero to #@^ed up in nothing flat here. Hell's Kitchen didn't get its nickname for being kind.

Crouching down not too far from that guardian devil, the hooded young hero in training known simply as Defense relies on just his eyes to scan the streets below. Keeping quiet, both because he has nothing much to say at the moment and he doesn't want to be an distraction, the teen's mind wanders a bit as he thinks about the previous night. Was Spider-Man okay? What should he do with those ballet tickets? And where did the guy with the target on his head get to? Before Defense can answer himself, he spots Maya down below and arches both eyebrows. He hasn't expected to see her so soon.

'They don't want any survivors. They want it messy, but messy enough to attract any major attention from high-profile law enforcement. Send a message. Live up to your reputation. Cause if you don't-' Bullseye's train of though is interrupted as the door to the pool hall goes flying open and a short, dirty-looking fellow gets thrown out on his ass. "Next time you place a bet with no money, I'ma just tax that ass!" A swift kick to the rear end emphasizes the bigger man's point, and the would-be cheater takes off running, a stream of tears pouring down his face. "Damn softy," Bullseye mutters under his breath. He starts to reach in his coat for a cigarette but stops when he gets a read on the bigger man who did the kicking. Terry "8-Ball" McGraw. A Hell's Kitchen native. Him and his biker gang have been making it difficult for Bullseye's employers to do business in the neighborhood, and have further tarnished their image by expanding their tomfoolery and drunken belligerence to other areas of the city, demanding protection payoffs from people with friends in high places. Guys like that normally don't last too long on the street, a fact Bullseye knows all to well. He has studied these cretins. Taken note on their hangouts, their day-to-day agendas, their girlfriends. Right now, 8-Ball McGraw happens to be with two of his lieutenants, Vinny Pescatelli and Marcus Houston. 'Rare that you see a biker gang with Irishmen, Eye-talians and black fellas all together. Makes no difference though.' Bullseye thinks to himself as he watches the bikers stumble out of the billiards hall towards their bikes, completely unaware of Hell's Kitchen's guardian angels surveying the neighborhood from above. "Say fellas," Bullseye says, moving from his position and stepping towards the bikers with a cigarette in one hand and playing cards in the other. "Got a light?"

Oh, innocent Cole. Maya isn't one to just give up on things, or to not be a pain. A deaf woman walking by herself in Hell's Kitchen will certainly prove to be more of a burden than anything eventually. This particular evening she's even without her dufflebag, opting to leave it back at the studio. Hopefully she won't be needing anything inside of it tonight. She actually begins to wonder just how wise of an idea this has been, but suddenly finds a man being kicked out of a pool hall. Directly in front of her. Curious, the brown eyed woman hangs back just enough to observe without actually being in the way. Maya is unable to actually hear what is going down, but she -does- see Bullseye. Remaining on the other side of the building, to the back of the strange man, she watches as best she can. Besides, walking past this scene is far from ideal.

Fortunately, Daredevil has what's going on next to him as sharply in mind as what's happening on the street. His enhanced hearing catches the momentary spike in Cole's breathing upon his sighting of Maya. He remains in his previous position, in case he should have to pinpoint something down below depending on what Cole tells him. Audibly though, the Man without Fear simply asks, "Defense? You spot something?"

Defense jumps slightly. "Nothing much. Just that woman from last night out again, sir," he responds quickly. "Thought she would've started taking a cab or something after what happened," he adds. Glancing at Daredevil for a moment, the goggle wearing teen frowns as he notices what's going on at the pool hall. "And...we might have trouble now. Drunk bikers," he goes on tensing as he awaits instructions.

Completely unaware (or perhaps uncaring) that there are several observers around, Bullseye walks closer to the three bikers with a large grin on his face. "A light? For you, pal?" The heavyset African-American says with a smirk on his face. "No." All three erupt in laughter as they turn their backs on Bullseye and go back to preparing to ride off. "Well, that's not very nice, is it?" Bullseye continues to talk with the same grin on his face. "Shove off already, ya freakin' mook," the Italian biker snarls. "You guys should try to be nicer. Y'know, like quit hassling the boys in Chinatown and Little Italy. And stop being such hard-asses for other folks trying to do business here." Suddenly, all three of the men stop what they're doing. 8-Ball McGraw slowly starts stalking towards Bullseye, who remains still. "Buddy-boy, seems to me like you know a little too much about what you ain't s'posed ta be knowin'. Let's take a lil' ride. You, me, the boys, my Harley and the Brooklyn Bridge. Whaddya say?" The biker clamps a meaty hand on Bullseye's shoulder, squeezing as hard as he can. "Oh," Bullseye says, still grinning. "I was really hoping you'd do something like that." Suddenly, Bullseye strikes, kneeing the bigger man in the stomach, wrapping his arm around his neck in a headlock, and with his other hand, shoving his cigarette directly up the man's left nostril. The other two bikers watch in shock as their leader begins snorting and choking, and eventually hits the concrete, blood streaming from his nose. Dead. After the moment sinks in, the other two reach for handguns holstered under their jackets and draw two pistols each on Bullseye.

Due to the position in which everyone is standing, she cannot understand what Bullseye is saying. She -can- understand what everyone else is, however, and to her it seems like they're simply being mean to the poor man. Slow steps bring her closer to them, and as one dare lay a hand on him, she prepares to attack. Only she doesn't have to. Maya simply watches as the man crumple down to the ground, wondering why she saw nothing of that in Bullseye the night before. The guns are drawn, and here she is, weaponless. Whatever is a woman to do? She keeps walking until she's closer to him and just watches the bikers. Not that she's not well toned and trained, but a certain run in last night gave her some added agility. The guns do not scare her. "I would suggest putting away your weapons," she states calmly as she brushes a few strands of hair behind an ear.

Just as Cole explains his findings, the happenings on the street make themselves clear to Daredevil. His olfactory senses catch the scent of the cheap alcohol, allowing him to pinpoint the location, but what he smells soon becomes moot given that one of the bikers just got themselves killed. His radar sense mapping out the lay of the land, he stands and unholsters one of his billy clubs, before aiming and firing the grapnel into the building across the street. "Get to the ground, shields up, no unnecessary risks, understand?" His instructions to his protege delivered, Daredevil swings downwards towards the fracas. The rush of air past his ears, however, is insufficient to block his hearing from picking up that familiar voice from only days past. 'Maya?!', he thinks to himself.

"Oh crud," Defense pretty much gasps when he sees everything happening. "Yessir," is his response to Daredevil's instructions as the hops back onto the roof and towards the fire escape. Sure, he'd been given one of those clubs but he was very not ready for that grapple-line stuff. "Hope this works," Defense states to himself as he forms a shield under his feet. Using it much like some kind of skateboard, the hooded teen rides down the fire escape and to the ground below. Shield under feet fades and Cole brings one up around his chest and head. "Here's hoping it's better than last night," he says to himself, running to get into position.

It's hard for Bullseye to resist the urge to break out laughing as the fearsome biker falls down dead. However, he doesn't have much time to find the humor in the situation when he's got two pairs of twin Glocks pointed at him, ready to turn him into Swiss cheese. "Alrighty, boys... come and get- wha?" Suddenly, the bikers twirl around to face the direction of the voice that came from behind them. "The hell?" the black man wonders out loud. "It's just a chick," answers his Italian counterpart. "Maybe they're workin' together?! Waste 'em!" For Bullseye, this whole scene plays out in slow motion once he gets a good look at Maya. 'It's... HER! The girl from yesterday!' Suddenly, Bullseye is at a loss for words or actions as he tilts his head and sighs slowly, completely enraptured by the sight of the woman. Seems like the assassin's got himself a little crush. But as the bikers train their weapons on Maya, he lets out a melodramatic, "NOOOOOO!" and dives at Maya, hoping to knock her out of the line of fire just as the bikers start shooting their weapons.

She'll likely feel a lot better when she learns that the one known as Defense is around, although that likely will not change the situation. Also, having not interacted with Daredevil, she likely will have about as much confidence in him as she did Spider-Man. Speaking of the Spider, she's about to use a trick or two that she's recently learned, but finds herself being tackled instead. "Ack!" Maya falls to the ground with the weight of Bullseye on top of her, more surprised than hurt. Hopefully he actually moves quickly, because she's trying to, but isn't going much of anywhere with him attached to her. Again.

Flying upward off the upswing, Daredevil tucks and rolls for a flip before descending to the sidewalk. His gloved hands plant themselves on the concrete behind the two bikers, causing his legs to swing forward into a double kick aimed at the bases of each of the men's spines. Any banter he might have thought up gets silenced... after all, there's already one corpse on the ground. Bullseye's behavior towards Maya isn't immediately apparent as of yet, as the new gun-wielders have his immediate attention.

"Oh you have gotta be kidding me. Him too?!" Defense exclaims as he runs forward. Lacking his mentor's acrobatic abilities, the teen just runs. Eyes lock on Bullseye for just a moment as the teen approaches before returning to the task at hand. Coming to a stop in the street, he holds up a hand and projects a shield between the bikers and Maya and Bullseye. "Sir! The guy in the coat! He's the psycho from last night!" the sidekick calls out.

"I keep trying to tell you- this neighborhood is _dangerous_!" Bullseye's fedora goes flying off as he hits the ground with Maya, revealing the target on his forehead and the face that he is masked. Soon after landing, he whirls around with two playing cards between his fingers, ready to send them flying when Daredevil makes his grand entrance. "The hell...?" The bikers both collapse to the ground from the pressure of the kick, but manage to hold on to their weapons. The Italian man quickly rolls over on his back and squeezes off a few rounds in Daredevil's direction, while the black fellow simply lies there for a second groaning. Bullseye narrows his eyes, watching Daredevil operate, but his attention is soon focused on Defense, and the words he yells out. "Little snot," he mumbles under his breath. Part of him wants to draw his own weapon and split the boy's melon, but he figures it'd be best to wait and see what the guy in red is really up to first.

Well, at this point, were Bullseye to attack Defense she would actually know that he isn't a quality individual. As of yet, due to the worst timing ever, she still believes he's just an innocent. Only part of what he says is heard. "I live here. Would you prefer I just -move-?" Men. Scrambling to her feet, Maya braces herself to fight if need be. But she only finds the other men to be on the ground. Defense is finally noticed, causing a bit of a smile. Hoping that the one left moving is distracted enough by -new- man in costume, Maya charges full blast, fist raised high. Her aim is to hit him, but with all the confusion, she's not exactly sure what will happen. Hopefully the target man will just keep himself safe for now.

Cole's warning gets filed away for future reference, but the two bikers are what have his notice at the moment. He backflips behind a couple of parked Harleys, the tailpipe of one of which takes the Italian biker's bullets. "God, I hope that was your bike you just shot," he remarks. He then dives to the side, intending to fling one of his clubs towards the Italian, but the sight of Maya attacking him makes him pause. 'Guess you do a lot more besides dancing, Ms. Lopez,' he thinks to himself, analyzing her form as someone who has at least some training in unarmed combat. Still, there's one more biker still with a gun that Maya isn't focused on. The club intended for the Italian is then aimed at the back of the other one's head, and sent flying in a spinning motion towards it.

Defense resists the urge to facepalm as he sees Maya charge into battle. "Crazy woman," he grumbles, running to the sidewalk. He quickly takes in the club going for one of the bikers and Maya engaging the other. A glare is sent towards Bullseye before the costumed teen moves to help Maya. "Ma'am, have you considered taking the bus home?" he offers as he moves to but himself and a shield between Maya and the biker.

With his focus on Daredevil, the Italian biker is caught completely unawares by Maya's attack. The impact of her fist on the back of his head is jarring to say the least, and he stumbles forward, staggering and attempting to regain his balance. The black man on the ground slowly starts pushing himself up, trying to get on his feed, but when Daredevil's club strikes him, he falls back down, completely unconcious. Meanwhile, the Italian manages to regain control and fires with both pistols at Maya, only his target is blocked when Defense jumps in the way. Undaunted, he squeezes off at least five rounds from each pistol, driven into a mad stupor by the flurry of attacks and the death of his friend, who lies in a puddle of blood just a few feet away. The entire time, Bullseye sits back watching, unsure of what to do. These costumed nutjobs appear to simply be trying to disarm and incapacitate the other two bikers, which is fine by Bullseye, but in order to collect on his contract, all three men need to be dead. At the same time, who's to say that the do-gooders (not to mention Bullseye's little crush) wouldn't suddenly turn on him if he were to attempt to finish what he started. He slinks off towards the shadows, intent to watch the end result of the fray, shuffling the playing cards in his hands. Decisions, decisions...

One of these days, people will learn to speak directly at her. She just isn't going to be much good to anyone if she remains so confused. She barely feels the strike that she lands on the biker, and is fully prepared to follow up as best as she can. Before she actually can land another blow, Defense is saving her. Again. This is made obvious as a flurry of bullets go bouncing off of his shield. "Doesn't anyone actually fight anymore?" Not that she doesn't have a gun of her own. She -does- live in this area. Realizing that there is little more that she can do, the woman begins to back up. "Where... ?" She looks around for the reason she initially got involved in the altercation, wanting to make sure he's safe. This leaves her completely unaware of the rest of the scene with the bikers.

Cole has Maya protected, one less thing Daredevil has to worry about. One biker remains, one's out cold, and one's dead. Preferring to handle the investigatory bit of this situation after people have stopped shooting, Daredevil takes advantage of the Italian biker turning his back to him and rushes straight at him. Both arms are pulled back, hands balled into fists. When within range, he brings both fists forward in an attempt to clap them against the ears of the gunman. Not the most honorable means of incapacitating him, but it should put at least this piece of the puzzle to rest.

Defense keeps his shield and arms up, gritting his teeth as the bullets bounce off it. He nods as he sees Daredevil moving in for a strike and glances over his shoulder at Maya. "Ma'am! Stop! Stay close!" he calls, hoping she can read atleast half his lips.

Running across the street into a phone booth, Bullseye dials 911 and prepares to do his best Jewish grandmother impression. "Hullo, 9-1-1? Ohhh my gawwd... this is terrible! Awficer, dere's three men being murdah'd right in front of me ... can't you hear the shots?" Simultaneously, the last biker standing continues to fire randomly until the two fists slam into his ears and he drops to his knees. He passes out with his face on the ground and his rear end sticking up in the air. Not the most impressive position. "Yes, I can see the criminals now, they're both wearing costumes ... one looks like a great big devil, oh my gawwwd, please, hurry!" When the dispatcher informs Bullseye that police are on the way, he casually steps out of the booth and turns a corner. He begins to scale a fire escape, heading for the rooftops.

Unfortunately for Cole, Maya isn't paying attention to him. She's looking for the crazy target guy, afraid that he may have been shot. When a quick scan of the scene turns up empty, the woman is outwardly confused. Slowly she turns to look back at the fight, finding it different yet under control. Slow, confident steps bring her to back up to the back side of Cole. At least she's not getting too close this time. Instead she watches this new costumed man. At least he is a step above Spider-Man. She can see his mouth.

Daredevil frowns as he hears Bullseye's call to the police. "Dammit." He glances to Defense, expression grimmer than normal. "The nutcase bolted. I heard him call the police and tag the two of us as the perps." He glances over his shoulder to the fallen bikers. "The two there are still breathing, the third isn't. Our target-headed friend's handiwork, it'd seem." He looks back to both Defense and Maya, scanning them briefly for injuries. Directed towards Maya, "Can you make it home safely from here?"

"I am so hitting him in that target head several times next time see him," Defense grumbles after hearing what Daredevil has to say. He may seem annoyed but he's rather worried. Moving to stand next to his mentor, the goggle wearing teen looks up at Maya. He stays quiet, trying to plan while Daredevil speaks to Maya.

Silence is the key here... no nosy neighbors, no barking dogs, no investigating superintendents, just professionalism at its finest. For any noise made on Bullseye's way up the fire escape could result in a failure of his mission, and, well... that just doesn't happen. As Daredevil, Maya and Defense begin talking, Bullseye reaches the rooftop of a tenement and makes his way to the edge, drawing the .380 holstered at his side. A quick replacement for the Desert Eagle destroyed yesterday by Spider-Man, this newer weapon should to the trick just fine... "Wha... what happened?" The black biker stirs, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Where's Ter-" BLAMBLAMBLAM. Three shots turn the man's head into a pile of blood, brain matter and skull fragments on the sidewalk. Just as fast, another three shots ring out, penetrating the Italian biker's back with three holes that form a perfect triangle. Bullseye holsters his gun and ducks down on the rooftop, waiting to see the reaction of the heroes as sirens wail in the distance...

The dead man holds her attention for just a moment. He really is dead, isn't he? This doesn't frighten the woman, but it doesn't sit well with her, either. Eyes sweep back to Daredevil, even as Cole moves to stand beside him. "I believe so. I'm not exactly an easy victim." Obviously. "Even if I do seem to be surrounded by costumed people and violence these days." A glance is given to Defense. "Thank you." If Cole is standing beside Daredevil, he must be a good person. Hopefully. The gunshots are not heard at all, obviously, but she -does- notice the sudden and almost disturbing death of a second biker. Immediately Maya turns and looks in the direction that she thinks the cause of his death may have come from.

The gunshots have Daredevil lunging for Maya, forcing her to her knees and her head down from any possible follow-up fire. "Defense! Shields, northwest, four stories up!" His cowled ears perk, pinpointing Bullseye's location, but also the incoming sirens. The dilemma is not lost on Daredevil, but he has Cole and Maya to worry about, and at present that takes precedence over nabbing Bullseye.

Defense gasps at the first death, feeling his stomache lurch at the sight. Punisher was bad enough but he didn't cause that much gore. Snapping out of it and ignoring what the still innocent parts of him are telling him, the hooded teen nods. "Yessir!" he says, turning and throwing his hands up. A half-dome shield forms between himself, Daredevil, and Maya and the direction Daredevil had pointed him in.

Unfortunately, the young man's shields have been formed all too late. Bullseye already has what he wanted: the lives of three men. He holsters his gun and watches Daredevil tackle Maya, watches Defense put his shields up, watches three NYPD squad cars arrive on the scene. Tires squeal, sirens blare and radios crackle as the officers- two in each car- hop out with their guns drawn, using the car doors as cover. "FREEZE!" Bullseye covers his mouth to conceal his laughter, staying long enough to witness the cop's arrival before starting to take off, heading for an adjacent rooftop.

"Wha..?" She doesn't even get out her question before she's tackled from behind. He may be covering her, but at least he isn't on top of her. Figuring that this is being done for a reason, Maya doesn't fight against him. She does try looking around, and all she can see are squad cars and angry looking police. This is not going to end well. At least that other man got away, so she can feel better about that. Now all she's going to need is a good lawyer.

A frown plays over the face of the Man without Fear. Not good, he thinks. Still, he does his best to try and defuse the situation. "Defense, keep your shield up for a moment." Better that the police can't get close while he tries to explain. "Officers," he says loud enough for them all to hear, "the man you're looking for is on that rooftop." He points to the rooftop Bullseye sniped the bikers from. "We're unarmed, and your forensics people should be able to determine the angle of gunfire. The boy and the woman took no part in this."
Whether the cops decide to listen or go Dirty Harry's up to them, as he says to Maya, "You can come with us or you can speak to the police, either way, it's up to you."

Cursing slightly as the cops show up, Defense extends his shields to cover them from all sides. "So not good," he says, not liking conflicts with the cops. "Got it, sir!" he calls to the order to keep the shields up. Glaring up in the direction the shots had come from, the teen waits for his mentor to give orders to run or fight or whatever he wants done.

The cops actually listen to what Daredevil has to say, and for a few moments it seems as if none of them know what to do. But that pause is short-lived as an older-looking officer yells out, "Sorry, pal, but we got a call about three murders, and you fit the description of the perp to a T! If what you're saying is true, we'll work it all out! But first, I'm going to need you to get on your knees with your hands above your head or we WILL open fire!" Sweat beads down the faces of the cops, this standoff making each and every one of them uneasy. At the end of the block, Bullseye has finally made it to the last rooftop and begins his descent down, just in time to hear the distant sound of a helicopter growing closer and closer. Halfway down, he drops to the ground, falling with a grunt. Standing and dusting himself off, he flips back his cowl, revealing his blonde hair, and buttons his coat all the way up, walking with his hands in his pockets whistling.

Once she has the opportunity and feels that it is safe, she stands, doing her best to keep up with the situation. For a moment it appears as if she is outwardly nervous, but she pushes that aside. Maya glances to Daredevil, as he is closest to her, looking for answers. "I have nothing to hide. Make your escape. I can keep them occupied." As soon as she says this, she turns away from him, focusing only on those she is preparing to turn herself in to. Both hands are raised as she takes a few steps forward. Then the woman drops to her knees and places her hands behind her head. "They'll go easy on me, or else." These words are said softer, although she's not sure if she'll be heard. She -is- confident that, considering who she is, she will be let go eventually.

Daredevil nods grimly. He whispers softly, fully aware she can't hear him, "I will make this up to you. God help me, I promise." He looks to Cole and sighs, letting his next words hang in the air. "Understand, Defense... I hate doing this. Keep us shielded and hold on tight." He grabs hold of Cole's waist and fires his club grapnel to the nearest building ledge, then clicks on the ascender winch, which lifts the two of them skyward along the face of the building. Though he can't see her in the strictest sense, he glances back at Maya, remembering his promise to her.

Defense frowns as Maya moves to turn herself in. "Ma'am..." he trails off, knowing he won't be heard. Looking over as Daredevil speaks to him, the hooded teen is confused at first. "Alright, sir..." he trails off, quickly adjusting shields. As he's grabbed, the boy lets out a little squeak but does indeed do as told, keeping them shielded and holding on tight. While he's sure he can shield against the impact of hitting the ground...he doesn't wanna see if his shields bounce.

A barrage of bullets deflect off of Defense's shields as the police open fire. But as the two crimefighters make there exit, there isn't much left to do for the cops but scratch their heads in bewilderment. "Must be some of those damn mutants or somethin'," one of the officers speculate. They approach and handcuff Maya, leading her to a squad car and eventually speeding off. In less than a half hour, the crime scene will be a circus of suited detectives, aggressive newspaper reporters, neighborhood yokels offering eyewitness accounts, yellow tape and blue and red sirens. Just another night in Hell's Kitchen. Blocks and blocks away, far from the chaos, Bullseye smirks as he sees the spotlight of the NYPD helicopter circling the neighborhood. He steps into a nearby liquor store, grinning. "Lemme get a pack of Lucky Strikes and a fifth of Wild Turkey." Looking at his strange customer, the store clerk asks, "You celebratin' tonight, buddy?" Bullseye grins, sliding a few crumpled bills across the counter. "Oh yeah..."