"Ellie, come here." "How are your hands?" "They hurt." "It's 'cause you're bending your wrist." "Hmm." "Make a fist." "Lock your wrist." "All right." "This is a punch." "This is a punch." "This is a punch." "That's shit." "Lock your wrist, breathe like I taught you." " There's a man watching us." " Forget him." "He's not watching them." "He's watching me." "The fight is that way, girl." "Go out and finish it." " She's impressive." " Yeah." "Where did you say you found her, again?" "Box of Cracker Jacks." "Still needs refining." "Perhaps with more discipline or different training." "Left hand up, child." "When the war finally comes, we're gonna need real warriors." "You were saying?" "She's killing him!" "No shit." "Ellie." "Ellie!" "Ellie." "Ellie." "Slow it down." "Drop your breath." "Breathe in your stomach." "Nice work." "You told me to fight." "You told me to finish it." "I didn't tell you to kill him." "He is an asshole, but at the end of the day, he's on our side of the war." "And it's wrong to kill one of ours." "It didn't feel wrong." "Listen." "Whatever it is that you got inside you... whatever it is that burns so hot, that's good." "But you gotta learn to control it." "You said we're going to war." "We are." "And there'll be a time and place for you to turn yourself loose." "But right now, the last thing you want is for everybody here to be... scared shitless of you." "Tame that fire... or they'll tame it for you." "Get me?" " I get you." " Good." "'Cause that was just a warm-up." "Come on out here." "Show me what you can really do." "That the best you can do?" "You haven't seen my best." "Well, what are you waiting for?" "Christmas?" " You tried to have me killed." " You got that right." " Why, Stick?" " It's a long story." "Now, what do you think you're doing?" "You have no right here, Matthew." "Too little, too late, Matty." " Get out or get hurt." " That's not happening, Stick!" " I'm not gonna let you kill him." " Not your choice." "He raised you, Elektra." "Then he tried to kill me!" "I should've done it years ago." "Shut up, Stick." "You're just as bad as she is." "Not quite." "I tried to housebreak her." "Impossible." "You're just another old man jealous of his disciple." "You'd rather see me dead than outgrow you." "Well, guess what?" "When it comes to killing, I've always been better." " Put up or shut up." " No!" "Put it down!" "They're gone." "Yeah." "And they took Stick." "How do they do that?" "Why did you interrupt us?" "Because you would have killed him, Elektra." "Yes!" "Before he killed me." "Is that so offensive to your precious "code"?" "Tell me this." "Why does Stick want you dead?" "What does it matter?" "It matters because Stick never does anything without a reason." "All right?" "And the Hand, they didn't kill him." "They captured him, which means he knows something." "And they're gonna rip him to shreds until they find out what it is." "Good." "Unless..." "Unless we get there first." "You want me to help you save the man who ordered my death?" "Yes." "You really do hate me." "No, Elektra." "This isn't about you, all right?" "This is about Stick." "I need to know why the Hand took him." "And more importantly, what they're planning next." "I'm done fighting his war." "All right, fine." "Then I'm gonna go alone." "You've pushed everyone out of your life... and now you want to put the little you have left on protecting that broken old man?" "That broken old man..." "He gave me a life when I was..." "When I had nothing, when I was alone." "He was the one who was there for me." "He abandoned you." "Just when you needed him the most... because that's what he does." "I don't care what Stick did." "I'm gonna save him." "Not if I get to him first." "I'm going to kill him." "And if you get in my way, Matthew..." "I'm gonna kill you, too." "Ready?" "Yeah." "All right." "Also, uh, let's..." "I know that the fingerprints were probably burned..." "But let's get some prints taken anyways." "You know you can go home now, right?" "Uh, yeah." "You don't need anything else?" "I have your statement." "If I have any more questions, I can track you down." "And don't worry... that so-called "police protection" I gave you?" "They're crossing guards in Yonkers now." "What?" "No." "No, no, no." "Brett, really, there's..." "There's nothing they could do." "It wasn't their fault." "Frank followed me." "He kidnapped me." "Well, thank Christ you managed to get away." "Not many people can say that about the Punisher." "Seriously, go home." "Get some sleep." "Ambien's the real deal." "Look..." "I know what you're thinking." "Maybe Castle survived." "Maybe he's still out there." "He ain't." "How can you be sure?" "You ID him yet?" "There's 20 burned bodies." "It takes time." " So there's a chance." " You saw the same explosion I did." "You're safe, Karen." "That nightmare you've been living, it's over." "Frank Castle's a dead man." " Thompson!" " Huh?" "Get her a lift." "Wherever she wants to go." "Get out of here, Karen." "Hey." "Sorry, just, uh, research." "Looking for something." "I paid the electric bill through the end of the month, so... enjoy it while you can." "And then what?" "And then it'll be cold and dark." "It's really over, huh?" "Nelson and Murdock?" "You told me to move on." "That's what I'm doing." "Look, Foggy..." "I'm sorry I never made it to the hospital." "It's been..." " a crazy couple of days." " I heard." "Marci came by, though." "Some of the higher-ups at her firm were impressed with my opening argument in the Castle case." "Yeah, I'm not surprised." "Neither am I. Not anymore." "Castle case was in many ways a disaster, but... it made me realize I'm really good at my job." "Nelson and Murdock was never just your job." "It was you." "You're there for every client who comes through the door." "Rich, poor... doesn't matter." "You're the heart of this place." "You gonna try to convince me it's worth another shot?" "No." "Oh, hey, look, I'm..." "I'm done here anyway." "So... you stay." "I'll go." "What are you looking for?" "You really wanna know?" "Sure." "Well, there's this..." "group that I've been following." "They move through the city, and then they just... disappear." "Like magic." "The last place I had a fix on them was 49th and 10th." "Then they were gone." "I thought maybe they might be using the subway tunnels." "Only if they're idiots." "Subway tunnels are heavily patrolled and dangerous as shit." "My grandfather used to tell me stories about abandoned railway tunnels." " Abandoned?" "Why?" " They kept caving in." "Cost a ton." "The city just finally threw in the towel..." "Gated them up." "Best thing to ever happen to bootleggers like Grandpa." "Said he could go for miles without seeing daylight." "Whoever this group is... forget magic." "Look for manhole covers." "Yeah, that's..." "Thank you, Foggy." "That's really good work." "Thank you." "That's what I do." "Hey, you, uh..." "What?" "Did you want me to convince you?" " Of what?" " This." "Us." "You know, giving Nelson and Murdock another shot?" "I was hoping you would." "Relieved when you didn't." "Last step was us both admitting it." "Now... we're done." "Hey." "Hey, I've got a guy on the scanners here." "He tells me 20 people are dead." "Yeah, well, I wasn't one of 'em." "Yeah." "Well, thank God." "Huh?" "So, uh, what, that's... the third time you've been in Frank Castle's crosshairs and escaped?" "Just lucky, I guess." "Yeah, well, we both know that's a load of shit, but, you know, just in case I'm deposed one day, we'll say you're the luckiest lady on the planet." "Deal?" "Great, great." "How's the, um..." "How's the story coming?" " There isn't one." " How do you figure?" "Because everyone is dead." "Reyes, Blacksmith, Frank Castle." " They're all dead." " Mmm-hmm." "So anyone who was involved in the cover-up, or screwed over by it, is gone." "So there are no more stakes." "There's no reason to write it." "So what am I supposed to fill Sunday's paper with?" "Crossword puzzles." "Look, look, Karen, Karen..." "I understand that this whole journalism thing is new to you, but a real journalist doesn't just up and quit." " Well, that's not fair." " That's exactly fair!" "Stories don't disappear, they... they change." "They become different stories." "Change?" "I'm exhausted." "I need to go home." "I need..." "I need a shower." "I need to eat, I need to sleep." "I..." "Why do you care so much about Frank Castle?" "Hmm?" "I mean, maybe once upon a time this was about whether or not he was innocent or some sort of, you know, psycho murderer, but that ship sailed a long time ago, along with your career at Nelson and Murdock." "So..." "So why do you still care?" "Because he is not a psycho murderer." "He wasn't a psycho murderer." "I don't know how you..." "He killed 30-something people." "His family was gunned down in front of his face." "Now, what he did was wrong... but no one, including your paper, ever mentioned the fact that he was a father... and a husband, grieving, looking for answers, and you, more than anyone," "should understand why that matters to me." "So you're..." "you're saying there's more to him." " Yes." " So is this story over?" "Fine." " You're right." " Yeah, I know." "Get used to it." "So, what?" "So, it's not... it's not an exposé anymore, it's what?" " It's a... profile?" " Yeah." "Which means..." "I need more sources." "Uh, like personal contacts, right?" "Like someone who knew him outside the trial?" "Tick-tock, tick-tock." "Sunday's coming." "Okay, okay, okay." "Um..." "I might be able to get someone." "Maybe." " Okay." " Uh, leave it." "It's time to face the truth, Karen Page." "This is your home now." "Go." "Thank you for seeing me so late." "I hope I'm not disturbing your family." "Oh, no, no, no." "I have teenagers." "They haven't been home on a Friday night in years." "Can I get you some coffee?" "You know, no, thanks, I'm ten cups in already." "Ah, Castle would call that "a good start."" "I know I'm old." "My wife calls me cranky." "All the violence these days, the media would have you believe that that's all there is in the world." "I'm glad you're writing this article about Frank." "The real Frank." " Well, that's the goal." " Uh-huh." "To show people that Mr. Castle wasn't just the Punisher." "Right, although... how is it a lawyer is writing for a newspaper?" "Uh, no." "I was a legal assistant." "Past tense?" "Uh, turns out, I just have a knack for this." "Oh, I see." "Uh, may I?" "Oh, yes, of course." "That's what they're there for." "Thanks." "During the trial, you talked aloud about Castle as a Marine." "Our primary bond." "Mmm." "Talked about respect and gratitude." "You know, honestly... you're the only person I can find that has anything kind at all to say about him." " Mmm." " So I, um..." "I guess my question is... did you like him?" " Like him?" " Well, like, um... as a man?" "As a... a friend?" "You know, it's funny." "When you're fighting a war, you don't really make friends." "At least, not if you're fighting it the right way." "Mmm." "I suppose you don't want to get close to anyone, because, hey, you're... you're not all coming back." "But at the same time, you... you have to feel something, don't you?" "Otherwise, what are you all fighting for?" "I remember Frank used to sing this horrible little song." "He had, uh, picked it up, I think, from one of his kids' TV shows when he was on leave, and he brought it back to Afghanistan with him, and it was infectious." "It went through everything like a virus." "Worse than malaria." "Used to crack him up." "I don't know..." "I don't know that I ever saw Frank like that." "You probably never saw him do impressions, either." " Impressions?" " Yes." "Of, like, famous people?" "Uh, well, I only ever saw him do me, but he had a knack for it, really." "A sixth sense about ticks and subconscious behaviors, and the way a brain works." "It was spot-on, really." "Unnerving, the way he could look into a person's soul." "I think I know what you mean." "Well... wherever Frank is now, I hope he finds that better part of himself again." "Uh, Colonel... did you happen to catch the news last night?" "Um, there was a shipyard explosion." "Yes." "Yes, I think I did hear something about that." "A drug deal gone south or something?" " Right." "Yes, something like that." " Mmm-hmm." "Uh, well, just between you and me, um... the NYPD's keeping things under wraps until the investigation is complete." "But..." "Frank was involved." "Oh." "He was on the ship when it went up." "Police are sure?" "Uh, well, they don't have an ID yet, but..." "Sorry, I just..." "You know, I was at the docks all night, into the morning, watching them just pull bodies out of the water, and there's no way anyone could've..." "After a war, some men turn their backs on you." "They want to forget." "Not Gosnell." "No." "He took the worst part of an IED on a recon, north of Kabul." "Left half his face on a dirt road." "Spent the better part of a year in a hospital... but that kid never gave up." "Never gave in." "It's late." "I'll get out of your hair." "I think I have everything that I need." "Once he got out, he tracked me down." "Asked me how he could serve me again." "That boy was the definition of "loyal."" "Or was." "Before Frank Castle murdered him." "Colonel, please." "I just..." "I just think I should go." "I'll walk you out." "You're doing it wrong, kid." "If you can hear me, we got a shot." "He's delirious." "Then we change tactics." "I give you one last opportunity to keep this conversation civilized." "Listen very carefully." "You've been tracking their weapons." "So they dropped 'em." "Tracking heartbeats is kids' stuff." "Time to go deeper." "Track their breath." "Sooner or later, they gotta... exhale." "When they do..." "Where is it?" "...kick their ass." "Nice work, kid." "He leaves us no choice." "Sit back and relax." "Relax, shiro." "The answer will come to you soon, I am sure." "Listen, I won't write the story." "I won't write anything." " Shut up." " I'll..." "Look, no one will be suspicious, I'm not even a real reporter." "Just get in the car." "Start the car." "Where are we going?" "Start the goddamn car." "Keep your hands on the wheel." "Don't make any..." "Start driving." "Drive!" "Turn that shit off." "Could've been smart." "Could've let the story go down with that boat." ""The real Castle."" "Like you cared about him." "Yeah, pull over here." "Pull over." "Is he close?" "Perhaps." "It does not matter." "We will continue until he breaks." "Only thing gonna crack tonight is your skull... asshole!" "You okay?" "I've been better." "Come on." "You did good, kid." "You did good." "No, I just..." "I just did what you taught me, Stick." "Matty, I'm... proud of you." "Come on, old man." "Let's get you out of here." "Hello, boys." "Do you remember when we met... you told me you'd never abandon me?" "It's funny." "For the life of me..." "I can't remember being so naive I'd believe you." "But I did." "And now here we are." " Elektra." " Don't be a bore, Matthew." "Why don't you scurry out of here and let me finish what I came to do?" "I told you, I'm not gonna let you kill him." "And I told you, too bad." " You let her track you." " She's not gonna hurt you, Stick." "You have no idea what you're talking about." "Look at that." "After all you've done, you're still a disappointment to Daddy." " I'm getting him out of here." " He's not going anywhere." "Neither are you, child." "They got you right where they want you." "It's painful, raising children." "We spend our lives teaching them to be strong, to be independent." "Not realizing that once we have achieved that... they are no longer in our control." "Nobu." "Tell them." "Tell them why we're all here tonight." "You... the loyal one... and it." "I'm sorry about before." "I should've stopped, but..." "Did you really think you could get away with bringing it here?" "Your kid attacked her." "You've endangered all of us." "You know what they'll do to you when they find out?" "There are larger pieces at play here." "Oh, you're out of your mind." "You know what it is, what it can do." "Stop." "You've gone soft for that thing, Stick." "If you won't kill it..." "I will." "Just stop." "You're right." "She's my responsibility." "I'll take care of her." "Gotta go." "Nobu, you let these two go... and you can have me." "I need it." "Call me "it" again and I'll cut you in half." "You are right, Elektra." "You're not a girl anymore." "But now, seeing you fight, seeing you with the man who saved your life..." "I'd know you anywhere." "Do you know who we are?" "You call yourselves the Hand." "Do you know who we serve?" "Yeah." "Some mythical piece of shit called the Black Sky." "What is this?" "The end of the war you don't believe in." "We just lost." "The Black Sky... is not a myth." "We have wanted you since you were a child." "You were taken from us... but now you have returned." "What the hell are you talking about?" "It's you, Elektra." "You are the Black Sky." "Our greatest living weapon." "No." "Elektra, do not listen to him, all right?" "It's a trick." "It's another illusion, another game." "He wants something from you." "He told me I was out of control." "They don't get to tell you what you are." "But you said the same thing." "Well, I was wrong." "No one gets to tell you." "But it makes sense, right?" "No." "Only if you let it." "It explains everything." "You knew all along." "Yeah, I did." "That's why they hated me." "That's why everyone eventually does." "Elektra, you still have a choice." "The woman I know is still in there." "Is she?" "You are home now." "We live and die to serve you, Black Sky." "No, Jesus." " Elektra." " If what they say is true..." "I studied it, as a child, with the Chaste." "I committed it to memory, so I could fight it one day." "But there's no fight anymore." "The Black Sky is destiny." "No." "Elektra." "Elektra." " Leave me." " I'm not gonna leave you, I..." "Leave!" "Why are they taking so long?" "This Ambassador and his wife, the only thing they can't have is a little girl of their own." "Now, they'll have you." "They'll never have me." "Kid, use your head." "Watch these people." "Watch everything about 'em." "How they walk, how they talk, how they eat." "All of it." "Playing someone else, someone fancy... that's a good skill to have in your pocket." "Why can't I stay with you?" "'Cause we'll be hunted the rest of our lives." "We can take them." "Ellie..." "I haven't told you everything, but... someday, someone will come for you." "And everything will change." "I'm gonna make that as far off as possible." "You'll train someone else." "I know you will." "You..." "You'll forget about me." "Forget my Ellie?" "Never." "I pretended my whole life." "I tried." "I tried to control this inside me." "Maybe I don't have to anymore." "Maybe this is my chance." "To what?" "To be loved?" "Yes." "Then don't let me get in your way." "I am the enemy of the Hand." "So kill me." "It's too late." "Let me go." "Now you could either try and kill us, and prove them right." "Or you could save Stick... and prove them wrong." "You never know when to give up, do you?" "No." "And neither does he." "Ahh!" "Frank." "You should be at the bottom of the Hudson." "Losing $100 million in heroin would've been worth it to take you down." "But here we are, huh?" "You could've been part of it, like Gosnell." "You could've been rich." "And maybe you could've taken your family to the Bahamas instead of Central Park, huh?" "You think this... all of this... is about a bad drug deal?" "That's what you see." "You're losing your touch, Frank." "Your kids, at the park?" "Nah." "Who cares?" "That's never what this has been about." "It's about what happened with you." "With all of us." "Kandahar." "You think they would ever let that go?" "Frank, stop." "You don't have to kill him." "Go back to the car." "What's he talking about?" " Kandahar, what's that..." " What happened?" " Go." " Did you do something?" "If they come after you..." "Just tell me." "Tell me the truth." "I'll help you." "I'll help you figure it out." " Just tell me the truth." " Yeah." "Tell her the truth." "Tell me for Maria." "Tell me for Lisa." "Tell me for Frank, Jr." " Tell her what you did." " You shut up!" " Tell her." " What happened?" "Please, we'll figure it out, but if you kill him, you will never know." "No, no, no." "Frank!" "Listen to me." "Frank!" "You do this, and you are the monster that they say you are." "Do you hear me?" "You do this, and I am done." "That's it." "You're dead to me." "Do you hear me?" "I'm already dead." "It's like a candy store in here." "Go ahead." "Go ahead." "I had to teach you how to hold a gun." "You remember?" "Eighteen, and you'd never held a piece before." "Come on." "They call you "the Punisher." Prove it." "Prove you don't need me anymore." "One shot... one kill." "You taught me that." "You stupid son of a..." "Come on." "Come on." "Still want to kill me?" "Yeah." "But he'd be pissed." "I just saved your ass..." "and you're worried about what he thinks?" "Matt didn't come to rescue me." "He came to save you." "I don't need to be saved." "From yourself, girl." "He knew that killing me would've been your point of no return, so he stopped you." "He thinks you're worth saving." "Earn that." "It will be ours." "You cannot stop what we've started." "Watch me." "Daredevil must die."