Punisher #5

Punisher (descending from the rafters): HAHAHAHA! Run my little maggots! Yes! The Punisher is here to punish you all for the sins you swore no one would ever know about! Well, I know about them!

BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!!

As the Punisher gets closer to the ground he continues to lob grenades into the crowd.

Joel: (running toward the exit) Man, that was the Punisher out there! It’s like he’s gone crazy!

Kerry: (running toward the exit) I thought he just killed criminals! What’s he doing here shooting everybody?

Joel: I don’t know but that’s the last time I let you take me…mmmph!

Joel falls to the ground and Kerry goes to pick him up.

Kerry: What’d you run into?

Elektra: Me.

The two 19 year old youths look up at the beautiful woman standing in front of them dressed in her trademark red ninja outfit with sais drawn. They don’t know which of those reasons causes them to look at her with jaws dropped and eyes glazed, and Elektra doesn’t care. She is here for one reason only, to stop The Punisher.

RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT

Punisher (landing on the ground firing his machine gun): This will teach you million-dollar players to even think about striking! Yea, baby! Hey Shaq, I’m going to make you a Man Full of Steel! HAHAHA!

The Punisher lowers his weapon and takes aim on the 7 foot plus center of the Lakers and is about to fire when a shiny metal object strikes his gun throwing his aim off and the bullets are fired into the air.

Punisher (turning in the direction the object came from): Ok who’s spoiling my fun?

Elektra: That would be me! Now put the gun down before I put you down!

Punisher (raising his gun to fire at Elektra): You know there’s just something sexy about a woman telling you to put your gun down or she’ll put you down. Maybe it’s just me!

RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT
The Punisher opens fire on Elektra and she easily dodges the barrage of bullets and somersaults to the center of the floor. As she draws his fire the remaining spectators are able to escape.

Elektra: (to self) I always knew that the Punisher was unstable but this is crazy. I’ve been trying to find him and see if there’s any connection between him and the dream I had about him killing Matt…I mean Daredevil.* I was having no luck and I just happen to be here at the game with Mac**, and boom he pops up…literally.

* See Punisher #4 for Elektra’s dream --- Gute Says!!

** Mac is Elektra boyfriend --- Gute says again!!

Punisher (continuing to fire at Elektra): If you would stop jumping around…I might be able to hit you! And say something to me, what’s the matter…I’m not your kind of guy?

RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT RATTTAT
Elektra: (to self) There’s definitely something wrong here. The Punisher I’ve heard about, is a crack shot…he never misses. He’s tagged a couple of spectators with his initial salvo, but since then, he hasn’t hit much of anything. It’s like he’s being controlled!

Elektra doesn’t know how right she is, for at that moment deep inside the Punisher’s psyche, a battle as fierce as the one that is being waged outside is being fought between the Punisher and The Sin Eater.

Punisher: (firing a gun at the Sin Eater) Give me back my mind!

Sin Eater: (Laughing as the bullets pass through him) Why? I’m having so much fun here in your head! Look, over there is the section devoted to shooting people. And over there is that special place you go to when you need to stab someone. Oh, how cute, this is where you store all that lovely data on explosives.

Punisher: (continuing to try and blast him) Shut up! Give me back my mind!

Sin Eater: Temper Temper! What’s the matter you don’t like it when you’re not in control? That’s right…you don’t. What was it yesterday, yes it was. You lost control and shot that tubby partner of yours Microwave…Chips Ahoy..

Punisher: (trying to grab Sin Eater’s throat) Microchip! I only shot him because you were controlling him and he was trying to kill me!

Sin Eater: So know it’s my fault? Just like a Vet…always someone else’s fault!

Punisher: RRRAAARRGGH!!!

The Punisher lunges at Sin Eater and connects with a punch to his head.

Sin Eater: Oh. Where did that come from? I must be letting that vixen on the outside distract me. I’ll be right back.

Punisher: SIIINNN EEEATTER!

Elektra: All of a sudden he’s stopped talking and firing. Now to press the advantage.

Elektra leaps into the air and lands a thunderous kick to the Punisher’s head. To her surprise he just stands there.

Elektra: How…? That was my strongest kick. I’ve knocked down elephants with it!

Punisher: See that’s your problem…do I look like an elephant to you?

The Punisher reaches out with lightning speed and grabs Elektra by the neck. He lifts her effortlessly into the air. Elektra begins to kick at his mid-section and punch at his arms trying to escape.

Elektra: (to self) His grip…is like…a vice.

Punisher: Yes it is. I know what you’re thinking, "Since when can the Punisher read minds?" Well since now, baby! And please stop with that annoying kicking…you’re starting to make me mad. Wait a minute…I am mad.

The Punisher throws Elektra into the stands of the arena. She goes crashing into several seats.

Elektra: AAAHH!!!

Punisher: B%+$@! So let’s see…where was I? Oh, yes I was blasting…hey where did everybody go?

The Punisher looks around and the crowded arena is empty, except for a camera crew that was carrying the shoot out live.

Punisher: Newsman! I hope you got my good side…wait a minute…there’s nothing good about me. Are we still live?

News reporter: Yyyy…yes.

Punisher: Good.

The Punisher blasts the reporter and cameraman. He then slowly walks over to the camera, picks it up from the ground and looks into the lens.

Punisher: New York, you’ve been bad and you must be…punished. HAHAHA!!!

The Punisher slams the camera onto the floor shattering it. He then turns and leaves the arena.

Elektra: (slowly waking up) Arrgg! That’s going to hurt for a week.

Voice: (from behind her) Are you alright?

Elektra turns with the speed of a cheetah, with her sais drawn and ready to strike.

She sees a young man and woman standing there. The woman is dressed in a skintight white outfit and the man is draped in a long flowing dark blue cloak. She recognizes them as the mutant teenagers Cloak and Dagger.

Elektra: What are you two doing here?

Cloak: We saw the Punisher’s rampage on the news and came to help but he’d already left.

Elektra looks at the young man named Cloak, and his voice seems to pierce her very soul.

Dagger: Cloak seems to think that he’s been possessed by a supernatural being that’s from the same dark dimension that Cloak draws his powers from.

Cloak: That is correct. I can almost…feel the creature that has a hold of The Punisher. We would like your help in taking him down.

Elektra: OK. So where do we start?

Voice: (from the rafters high above) How about the beginning?

As the three go to look up, Elektra already knows whom she will see. It’s a voice that she as heard whisper sweet nothings in her ear. It is a voice that has chastised her for her killing ways. It is the voice of her first true love…the blind lawyer by day and costumed "man without fear" by night. Matt Murdock…Daredevil.

Daredevil: (somersaulting to the floor) Like everyone, I "saw" the rumble on the news and came down.

Daredevil and Cloak begin to talk about using his "radar sense" in conjunction with Cloak’s tracking to better hunt down the Punisher. Elektra can just look at Daredevil in his tight red costume and think about the dream she had where a being wearing a skull…kills him.

End of issue 5

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