From The Smoke (Marvel)

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.

Chapter 20– Making Waves.

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"Wesley," Wilson says, addressing his most trusted confidant.

"Yes, Wilson. What can I help you with?" Wesley responds immediately, not wasting any time. James Wesley was a well-dressed, sophisticated man who appeared to always be in control, which he always wad. But he was in control for Wilson Fisk and helped manage the Kingpin's businesses.

"Have you dealt with the problem?" Wilson said, expecting results. He demands perfection from his right-hand man, and Wesley has always provided before.

"...Problem? There are a lot of them, but we are solving the most sensitive issues one by one. The Stokes have recently been hit by the Daredevil, so I am supplying some men from another gang to tide them over for now. There have also been a few issues with some pro bono law firms in Hell's Kitchen trying to bring a lawsuit against Union Allied Construction, but I have already contacted Parish to-"

"I meant the Batman. Why isn't he dead yet?" Wilson stifled a scoff at the name. Batman. As if there were not enough problems in New York already, but anybody thinks they can put a word before man and change the world. Fisk already knew that the Batman had not been dealt with yet, but he still asked. The man was a master of politics, social interactions and crime. He knew how to command a situation, how to manipulate it to the result he wanted and to intimidate to the precisely needed amount.

"I... He is very capable. As much as, if not more, than Daredevil. His actions are sporadic, and he is not working in an organised way. He is not coordinating his attacks to bring us the biggest damage. He is just attacking seemingly at random. Daredevil is hard to beat, but we can make plans to account for him since he is predictable, but we cannot predict Batman." Wesley explains as if explanations are enough. They are not, not when his business is being attacked.

"That is not what I asked, Wesley. I am asking why this man is still alive. He might not be attacking in a compounding way, but he is attacking multiple rings and damaging them. The sheer amount of assaults had begun to diminish our profits. Not even Spider-Man or Daredevil have affected my empire this much. He has attacked my organisation every night since the day after his raid on the AIM facility for the past month. He should have been dealt with after that attack. Instead, he cost us a source of high-tech weaponry and advanced technology and has continued to attack us." The most stinging act of the newly revealed nuisance is his assault on the AIM facility, which completely destroyed that avenue of resources.

"Sir, I am sure we can reestablish contact with AIM again. After all, we have something they need, and we want what they have to offer. This time our process will be more stringent and secretive. I will make sure of it." Wesley proclaims, eager to find something else to help Wilson's mood and distract him from his failure.

"Do not be foolish, Wesley. I thought you were smarter than that. The service we provided was nothing special. There are innumerous undesirables the world over, and nobody would look twice if they were to disappear. Anyone could have provided them with what they needed, they could have got it themselves, but those scientists don't want to spend time on anything but their experiments. We have permanently lost that avenue, so I want this man dead." Fisk explains and then demands, angry about such a significant loss.