Punisher #4
"Tortured Soul" part 1 of 2
Story and Script by: Richard Gutierrez
Punisher, and all prominent characters, TM and © copyright Marvel Entertainment Group 1998, all rights reserved, used without permission.
New York City, Central Park, 11:30pm Saturday, November 28th, 1998.
The mercury dips into the low 30’s on this chilly evening. A group of 5 female joggers are in the middle of their nightly ritual. They have been jogging these paths for years and, despite the occasional wino or vulgar male comment, their runs are usually without incident. This night will be different…
Patty: Come on guys! We’re almost to the park entrance! Just another 100 yards.
Jenny: Yea whatever.
Carol: Come on Jenny, cut Patty some slack.
Nancy: That’s right. We all know she just wants to get home to that new man of hers, Carl.
Jenny: Like I said…"Yea whatever".
Beth: RRREEEEOOWWW!!
Patty: If you guys spent has much energy on working out as you do on my love life…
Carol: …we would have a love life!
Beth: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Patty: That’s not what I … meant…BRRRR.
As the 5 women run down the path, Patty feels a sharp "chill" coarse through her body. Her body then begins to tingle….
Beth: Patty, are you all right? You know we’re only playing cause half of us are jealous.
Patty: (voice crackling):
Of course you are jealous, you fat cows! Carl is a wonderful man and he’s with me not you…especially you Jenny! But I see the way you look at him…longing for him…leering at him…no more!
The 4 girls look on in horror, as Patty’s face seems to twist into an almost inhuman shape. Patty jumps at Jenny and starts to pummel her.
POW! POW!
Patty:
Take this!Jenny:
Get…her…off of…me. Aw! She’s hurting…me! Aw! Stop! Stop!Beth: Patty, please stop! You are going to kill her.
Patty (turning toward Beth, her eyes flaring red): That’s the idea!
Patty beats Jenny till she is nothing but a bloody pulp. The other girls try and grab her, but she grabs Beth and throws her against a tree…snapping her back…
SNAP!!!
Beth: Arrgh!!!
…next she pulls a chunk of Nancy’s hair out at the roots and punches her in the face with enough power to shatter her skull!
POW!
Carol: (to self, running away toward the park exit) Oh God! Please help me! Patty’s gone crazy! What came over her? It’s like she’s possessed!
Carol runs out onto the sidewalk and finds a policeman sitting in his patrol car a short distance away. She runs up to the passenger side of the car.
Carol: (franticly) Help me! Officer, she’s trying to kill me!
Officer: (exiting the car): Who’s trying to kill you miss?
Patty: (coming up behind Carol, grabbing her neck)
I am.
Patty grabs a hold of Carol’s neck and squeezes it, crushing Carol’s windpipe.
Officer: (drawing his gun): Freeze!
Patty: (dropping Carol’s lifeless body to the cold sidewalk):
Yes…it is a might…chilly? Where am I? What happened?Officer: Keep your hands where I can…
see them!
Patty looks down and sees Carol’s body on the ground…
Patty
(cradling the body): Carol! Oh my…! Someone help her! She’s not breathing!! Officer please help my friend!Officer (Holding his gun at Patty’s head): Sure thing sweetness.
BANG!
Officer:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Exquisite! Wait a minute…I just thought of something. This isn’t any fun. This cop will probably get a promotion for killing the "deranged woman in Central Park" all by himself. That won’t do. HMMMM Let’s see what I can do to change that. Ah I know! This will do two things…set up this fool and draw out my real target…Frank Castle, AKA the Punisher. HAHAHAHAHA!
Meanwhile, a few blocks away…
Punisher (to self, driving in his battlevan): Now that that whole alien thing is over*, I can get back to my war on the streets. I hate to say it but I’d be happy to have a good old fashion gun fight with some human scum…instead of alien scum.
*Check out the goings on in Sensational Spider-Man 1-4 for the details*
And almost in answer to his request…
BBBBOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
Punisher: What the hell was that? It sounded like an explosion from Central Park! Hey, Microman…
Microchip (over radio): Yea Frank?
Punisher: Do we know if Hollywood is in town shooting another movie on the destruction of New York? I just heard a big bang from Central Park.
BBBBOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
Microchip: If I didn’t know better…I’d say you just made a joke. See what hanging out with Spider-Man will do to you.
Punisher: …
Microchip: Oooookay…I just picked up a report off the police scanner that someone called 911 reporting a manic firing a grenade launcher into the high price condos that line the Park.
Punisher: Obviously. I’m going to check it out. See ya.
BBBBOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
Officer:
Yeaaa Baby! Yeaa! Now this is destruction! This "peace officer" had this little toy in the back of his patrol car with enough ammo to level several city blocks. I don’t know how he got it...I don’t really care! It’s mine now baby!
BBBBOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
Punisher: (pulling up behind the officer, over the his van's loud speaker) I’ve got something for you!
Officer: (turning around to face the battle-van):
Frank! That was quick! I’m disappointed! I was hoping to destroy at least a couple more blocks before you showed up. Oh, well…you’re the one I want anyway!Punisher:
Do I know you?Officer: We’ve only meet a couple of times…but you made a big impression on me.
The officer fires a grenade at the van…
BBBOOOMMMM!!!
Officer:
HAHAHAHA!!! You blow up my car…I blow up…yours?
The smoke from the explosion clears…and the Punisher revs his engine.
Punisher: I hope that’s not your best shot!
The Punisher steps on the gas and heads at the Officer.
Punisher: (to self) This guy keeps talking like he knows me…I’ve never seen him before. But if he’s killing others…he will be punished.
Officer:
That’s it Frank...come and get me. Run down this bad old officer with that big…old…van of yours! HAHAHA!!
The Officer doesn’t move as several tons of metal hurls toward him.
Officer: (Just before the van hits him)
Good boy Frank! I knew that you were the perfect vessel for…me? AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!Punisher: What the…?
The Punisher tries to turn the wheel to avoid the officer…but it’s to late. The massive battlevan plows into the man…throwing his body several feet into the air…he is died before he hits the pavement.
Microchip (from radio): Frank what happened?
Punisher: Something weird. This officer was in front of my van and talking like he knew me. He was daring me to hit him. Just as I got close enough to see his face…his expression changed. I’m heading back. I hear sirens approaching and the police and I don’t need another confrontation. Punisher out.
The radio falls silent, as the Punisher turns and heads back to his warehouse base. As he speeds away, a "ghost like form" sits in the back of the battle-van.
Sin Eater (to self): I have searched high and low for such a killing machine like Frank Castle here. The way you took down the one I had possessed to kill those priest was masterful. You were merciless in taking done those priests that molested him.*
* Check out Punisher #1 and #2 …wait you already read it. Right?*
Meanwhile in an apartment across the city, the night breeze slowly caress the silky form of one of the deadliest females…humans on the planet. If you saw how she is sleeping now, you would never guess that she has killed and maimed more people then you’ll ever meet…in 3 lifetimes. And for the assassin named Elektra, she knows about lifetimes.
Elektra (sleeping): Oh Matt! The ring is beautiful…of course I’ll…wait…who are you? What are you…doing? Put the gun down! Skull…gun…no…don’t shoot! Noo…Noooo!!! (snapping awake) NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! What was that all about? (sitting up in bed, to self) Okay Elektra, no more sushi pizza before bed. I can’t believe I was dreaming about marrying Matt…and then this guy showed up with this skull on his chest and shoots Matt. I wonder what all this means?
Later as the Punisher pulls into the warehouse….
Punisher : (getting out of the van): Hey Micro...I was taking the off ramp and I think the brakes are going out. You might want to…check it…out. Microman? Where are you?
The Punisher looks around and the warehouse seems deserted but, things are not always what they seem.
Punisher: (to self, pulling out two .44 caliber pistols) I don’t like this.
Microchip:
What’s the matter Frank? Can’t do anything yourself?Punisher:
Micro?Microchip: Yes…and no. Hi Frank do you remember me yet?
Punisher:
Who…what are you? What have you done to Micro?Microchip: You know who I am…you called me a Sin Eater back when I was hanging out with that priest killer. Now I’m hanging out with Linus here…and boy does he have something for you.
Microchip grabs a hold of a lead pipe and swings it at the Punisher.
Punisher:
(dodging pipe): Come on Micro fight this…thing! I don’t want to hurt you!Microchip: Will guess what…to save your "friend" you will have to hurt him, I fact you'll have to kill him!!!! HAHAHAHA!
The Punisher continues to dodge the pipe and resist his natural argue to fight back. Then Micro nails him in the back of the head with the pipe. The Punisher falls to the ground.
Microchip: (holding the pipe over his head about to swing it down on the Punisher)
This is it Frank. Are you ready…I know I am.Punisher :
Micro…forgive me.
BANG!
The Punisher raises one of his guns and shoots Microchip in the shoulder. Microchip laughs. The Punisher shoots him in the other shoulder but Micro continues to hold the pipe and laugh. He fires a 3rd round into Micro’s leg…nothing.
Microchip: Come on baby….
Punisher:
…
The Punisher fires another round into the right side of Micro’s chest.
Microchip: Finally…arrgghh! (falling to the ground) Frank…why?
Punisher: Because he had no choice….HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
End of issue 4
Next Issue…the Punisher is possessed by the Sin Eater! Elektra joins the fry with Cloak and Dagger!
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