10 Chapter - 010
- New York -
[Ethan POV]
Sitting in Johnny's penthouse, I look at the TV with a stunned face. Looking at the news coverage of the now-established Von Doom Company, a thought crosses my mind. Are new plots suddenly going to keep merging with this reality?
I mean, there was no news about the child prodigy Reed Richards till now so where is Dr. Doom suddenly popping up from? If exists, then that means the fantastic four will exist. Will it be X-Men next? No! I have to check.
Getting up, I quickly rush out, ignoring Johnny's call. I have to check whether that sick professor exists or not. Rushing into an alley, I transform into Moon Knight and fly straight toward Westchester.
After looking around for a while, I finally find the place and sigh in relief. Instead of the mansion, there is a rose garden built there. I don't want to meet that Baldy. Though he has good intentions, he hides every bad thing he does behind them. Who mind r*pes someone just because the person had a bad childhood, or the person may have a tendency to dark nature hidden in them?
I'd rather not meet him and seeing the rose garden lifts a heavy load from my heart. I want to enjoy the scenery more but seeing the police car coming, I make my way back home. I will apologize to Johnny later.
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A year has passed since then and it's currently February of the year 2003.
Not much has happened for my Moon Knight persona.
S.H.I.E.L.D. has been actively searching for me but with no reason to show up, they are hitting dead ends. I had also been once approached by Fisk's men. I had tried my best not to laugh seeing them jump around when my eyes met them. Anyway, Fisk was asking for coming to some compromise with each other.
"As long no violence is used and public safety is guaranteed, you can do as you like." was the message I had sent, and Kingpin did it brilliantly. I knew he was bright in the criminal mind but I did not know he was such a genius. He brought the gang lords to their knees by economically drying them out. They either joined him or had to move away.
Even the activities of Hand had been reduced to zero. They were still involved in their drug business but violence had been mostly cut out of it. The same thing happened with other criminal activities in Hell's Kitchen.
The public was very happy when they found their safety had increased and Fisk's popularity increased in the city. By extension, my, Moon Knight's, popularity too increased when Fisk attributed half of his credits to me.
There may be some people out there who will question my decision of cooperating with a villain like Fisk but in my defense, my job is to save people's lives from others, not from their stupid decision. If they still go for drugs even after knowing the risk, it's their choice.
Also, I still have to leave some jobs for other neighborhood heroes who will make their presence known soon. Heroes like Daredevil and Iron Fist. Sorry to Spider-Man but I do think Fisk's presence is necessary.
For my life as Ethan Sinclair, much has happened.
First, cheers to me as I have successfully taken Tony's title as the youngest CEO for myself by becoming a billionaire as I had said before. Tony had attended a party hosted by me and congratulated me for it all the while grumbling.
Victor Doom also contacted me asking for cooperation with his company for making software for some of his tech products. Giving some light on this area, I opened a software development branch for my company.
By the end of the year, my attention was drawn to the uproar caused by a possible Iraq War, which lead me to remember the struggling Maximoff twins and similar cases of children in Sokovia. Taking this chance, I opened the Sinclair Foundation which did charity toward orphans not only in Sokovia but all places where I could reach.
I did make it so that other people could also donate through my Foundation because otherwise, I would have been left broke. My act did show immediate results around the world as a large number of letters had been sent to me by the people expressing their gratitude.
This was especially the case for Sokovia. I even have the Maximoff twins' letter still kept with me.
"Ack!!"
I look towards the ring where Johnny is fighting. He had started to get irritated easily whenever he was near a person with blood on his hands and the more they had killed the more irritated he would get in their presence.
I don't know where he got the idea to fight in the ring to keep his anger levels in check but it was helping him. His getting exhausted keeps the ghost rider away but not for long. It should be any month now and I will have a superhero friend.
Dragging the now-unconscious Johnny down the ring, I pour water on his face, jolting him awake. He looks around first and then stares dumbly at my face. I nod and he covers his face with his hands.
"Damn! How do you fight these guys? I can't even last ten minutes against the weakest of them."
"Well." I shrug and seeing his expectant, "They look easy to me."
"Arghh!" He shouts and throws a jab at me which I easily dodge.
"Come on. Let's take you home."
As both of us moved toward the exit, I quickly notice one of Fisk's men who seemed to be waiting for me because the moment he saw me, he started walking towards me.
"Good evening, Mr. Sinclair. My boss would like to meet you. He is waiting upstairs"
"Do you need any help?" Johnny asks to which I just shake my head.
"Don't worry about me. I know the guy. You just wait here." I quickly make my way upstairs to a room on the far end.
Entering it, I find very minimal but expensive decorations.
"Fancy place you got here." I say to the big man sitting by the table drinking whiskey.
"Still not fancy enough for the one to who I owe my gratitude." Kingpin says as gets up and invites me to sit with him.
"So, it happened, huh.." I sigh.
"Yes." Fisk says in a grave voice. I had warned him about Hand acting against him or someone close to him during one of my parties to which he was invited.
He was skeptical about it at first and had even threatened me to know how I knew his dealings with them. What could I say? That I saw on TV, him joining hands with Hand and them poisoning the love of his later. I just randomly came up with some fake old grievances with Hand and told him a bit about how they operate.
He did not trust me but kept up his guard against them. Giving protection to Vanessa was the most important thing he did and from how he is speaking, I guess Kingpin owes me one.
"It's good if no accidents happened." I say. "But I do hope you will still try to keep the city as stable as you have kept it till now." I turn toward him and see him sigh.
I know he is angry but he is a bit too afraid of my other persona to act on it. Seeing him like this, I decide to give him some slack.
"You know, I don't think a small number of accidents happening where some shadows get stuck in will bring Moon Knight down on you. As long as the bystanders stay safe, you too will."
I do know I risk getting my identity found by saying this to him but denying some revenge against the people who poisoned his love when this same man was willing to destroy half the city just to bring them back, in an alternate universe is unfair.
"Well, you do you. I will go now."
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Hello, my dear readers,
There is not much happening during this time according to Marvel's timeline, so consider it as a filler chapter that shows the general direction of how the MC is progressing in the world so far. Also added a bit of starting plot for the ghost rider. so expect him in a chapter or two.
Tell me how you feel about MC's intervention in Fisk's plot. From my POV, Fisk was a necessary evil. His presence alone had controlled the underworld. When Spider-Man put Fisk in jail whether in games or comics, it always leads to higher crime rates around the city with people trying to become the new king. And with MC saving Venessa (she would have still lived but Fisk doesn't know that), he can use the favor he got from Fisk for some future plot.
Anyway, do tell me how you feel about it.
Ciao~
