Chapter 16: Chapter 16

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

 

Chapter 16– Aimed Experiments.

 

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Now having passed the first measure of security, I hunker down on top of the white truck full of prisoners and wait for the truck to come to a stop at its destination. But, of course, there is no way that checkpoint back there was the only security measure they had here, so I am keeping my eyes peeled for anything and everything that looks the tiniest bit suspicious in case a turret might suddenly pop out of a wall and start blasting at me.

 

Thankfully there are no such things as the truck moves, and I remain hidden until the truck finally comes to a stop at a location that is reminiscent of a loading bay with oversized doors and even garage doors. While I have no doubt they receive materials and resources here, they also receive people as well. I watch from atop the truck as the double doors in the wall suddenly open, and two AIM soldiers walk down the ramp towards the truck, stopping a distance away and holding their weapons patiently.

 

As if on cue, the two men in the front of the truck hop out and walk around to the back of the truck, and start opening up the rear. No doubt this is as far as the truck, and these thugs will go, and these prisoners will be passed off to the two AIM soldiers, and they will forever disappear behind those double doors. Unfortunately, I did not have the forethought to have any trackers made, so I can't track these two thugs after they leave, and they will be in the wind, but that is just something I have to accept, as this AIM facility is way more important.

 

But now the question is, how the hell am I going to sneak in there unseen, right now I am only hidden because I am flat against the roof of the truck, but if I were to get up, then the two soldiers would spot me since they are just stood there as silent guards. I cannot move from this position as I will be seen by them, not to mention the guards behind us at the last barrier that may spot me as well. So I can do nothing but watch for the moment as the thugs force each person out of the back of the truck.

 

I observe as the final prisoner is pulled down and out of the truck, and then one of the thugs grabs the first prisoner in line and starts to drag him over to the AIM soldiers. And since all the prisoners are cuffed and chained together, the others are pulled along after them, too tired and weak to resist, plus the other thug is forcing the one at the back forward. So it is like one sick fucking conga line, all of them being forced along by their chained wrists and ankles.

 

And then, the front thug stops and allows one of the AIM soldiers to take over, grabbing hold of the front prisoner and dragging him along, the other one taking up the other thug's position at the back of the line. The thugs, having done their jobs, quickly rush back into the truck, not wanting to be there any longer. They hurriedly start their engine and start U-turning, anxious to leave as soon as possible.

 

Clearly, this is a regular thing as the Soldiers don't react and simply keep the line moving towards the double doors, and I know if I don't act soon, then all options for stealth will be out the door, and I will be forced to go guns blazing. As each prisoner walks through that doorway, I find myself getting a bit more panicked, but I know that if I act too soon, then I will blow my cover and ruin anything, so I have to wait.

 

I have to wait for this truck to do its multiple-point turn so that the driver is no longer looking at the mirrors and I can act. Still, with each second, another person enters the facility, and I begin to lose my window of opportunity. Finally, the truck has finished and now pointing towards the exit so that it is also blocking the barriers view of me, so I quickly seize the moment and jump down to bolt towards the double doors just as the last soldier walks through it, and presses a button which makes the doors slowly close.

 

Sensing that I will not make it in time, the doors being automatic and too fast, I reach down and draw out a Batarang before flinging it forward, where it is caught directly between the closing doors, preventing it from closing and leaving a slight gap. However, I can already see the Batarang begin to bend, so I leap forth and slide forth through the opening and snag the Batarang as I do so, allowing the door to close. With a quick scan, I immediately used my strength to jump up towards the ceiling and stick on it, having confirmed no one was watching and staying on the floor would be pretty conspicuous.

 

Man, am I glad I took the time to actually try practising with these things. Well, more like playing around with them, but same difference. Thankfully because I did so, I learned that my aim, in general, is quite excellent because of my superpowers plus all my experience shooting my webs. Due to that experience, I was pretty good at timing as well. So I threw my Batarang, fully intent on it getting stuck between the two doors before they closed. Still, I merely thought it would get trapped between the doors just before they closed, leaving the door open so I could push it and enter, like putting tape on the inside of the door, so it doesn't close properly.

 

For some lucky reason, the Batarang spun so that it perfectly fits in between the doors leaving enough space for me to slide into, which I had to do before the Batarang snapped. Of course, I never intended for that, but since it happened, I am wondering if I can get very skilled at this in the future. I can't keep pining after web shooters, after all, and it would be nice to have a new tool to focus on.

 

I quickly shake those thoughts off in favour of scanning my new surroundings, something I should have done the very moment I entered. Still, it seems like these Parker genes are a bit difficult to shake off, including the negatives like luck, a big mouth and a tendency to get distracted. Roving my eyes around the facility, I get a very clear picture of this place and precisely what is happening here, and it is not pretty.

 

It is a massive room with a very high ceiling, so high in fact that they were able to add a metal walkway halfway up along with some extra rooms, and it is this walkway that I slid onto before jumping high onto the ceiling which is high up enough that no one will stop me. The double doors are actually opened up to this pathway, and I can see the two AIM goons leading the prisoners down the metal stairs.

 

Ignoring that, for now, I pay close attention to this upper floor since the people on this floor or the most likely to spot me, which will make things difficult for me and make it harder to rescue all the possible victims here. But, on the other hand, observing the rooms and practically all of this facility is not very hard because everything is pretty open plan, and there are a lot of windows, even in what seems to be the administrative rooms and the break rooms.

 

But as I watch the AIM personnel in those rooms sit close to the window, occasionally stopping what they are doing, whether that be paperwork or having some coffee and a scone, and they look down to the bottom floor, I realise why. These evil fucking scientists don't want to take their eyes off their work and their sick experiments. This place is so open plan and visible so that they can regularly look down at the labs and check on the gruesome events happening. However, there is a silver lining because, at the very least, it means that they won't be watching me and that gives me the opportunity to free the poor souls down there.

 

I clench my hands tightly as I look down and watch as the two AIM assholes start forcing the prisoners into a big cage in the middle of the floor, and they start to take them out of their chains and take the bags off their hands, granting them back their mobility and sight, yet their freedom is still restricted. The prisoners look around wildly in fear, and their reactions vary as they catch sight of the companions they have that are already sitting in the cage.

 

There were people already in the cage, and they had been there a while, by the looks of it. So they sit there leaning against the bars of the cell, dejectedly looking at the newcomers before ignoring them, their eyes full of terror but their faces too tired to express it, and there is no hope in them whatsoever. And as the new prisoners start to look around their new surroundings, they get an idea of why.

 

All around the floor are multiple glass rooms, rooms full of AIM scientists doing experiments and tests, and due to the see-through nature of the rooms, the experiments are in clear view of the prisoners, who are surrounded on all sides by these disgusting rooms. In each of these rooms, there are multiple horrific experiments going on, people being cut open, injected with mystery solutions and all sorts of weird things. There is even a room with a dead, tied-up captive who looks to have been shot to death and a bunch of experimental-looking weapons lying on a nearby table.

 

I can only be thankful that the scientists seem to be in between experiments right now. Otherwise, I would have had to leap down and immediately go into action. But even so, it is no wonder why the prisoners are so dejected and lifeless right now, having been subjected to these sights on all sides and hearing it all the time. For some reason, the prisoners still look well-fed after being here for quite a while. The scientists must be forcing them to eat somehow because I know I would not have an appetite in their situation and knowing that I would eventually be in one of those rooms.

 

The new prisoners start to shout and scream, but the AIM goons just walk away. And so, with no other target in sight, the new prisoners begin to cry and get angry at the old captives, who hardly do anything even as they are gripped by the new ones. The sheer amount of AIM personnel around and prisoners locked up is making me rethink my original plan; there are just too many of them for me to take on alone without things getting messy.

 

Working my way across the ceiling, I hunker down in the corner of the room and dive into my utility belt for my burner phone, wanting to call some backup. But when I look at the screen, I have no signal, none at all, and so I start to quickly and quietly crawl around the ceiling looking for a signal, even dropping down in some secluded spots before I confirm that there is no signal here, the base being too far underground. Shit, I can't do this alone without some prisoners dying or me getting seriously injured trying to protect them, I would rather call in the police, and they hopefully get some super help for me.

 

Frustrated, I look around the room again, trying to make a plan so that I can help someone get out of there with a good result at the end of the day. And that is when I look back into the administrative room, where there is just one yellow hazmat guy who seems to be the leader of this facility. And right there, on his desk, is a phone, one of those ones that nobody really has anymore since it has a base and an answering machine. And since it is in that office, then it must work, and I can use it.

 

Acting on my new plan, I start to move along the length of the ceiling toward that room. Thankfully all of these guys are too obsessed with their experiments and projects as they only ever look at the labs. Meaning that I easily reached directly atop the entrance to the room, and a quick glance around reassured me that no one was looking, so I quickly dropped down onto the pathway and gently opened the door enough that I could slip in. Then, acting swiftly, I spring forth towards the singular AIM guy inside who hadn't noticed me yet, wanting to take him out quickly before he spotted me.

 

This was the only option I had or that I could think of in this stressful situation because the front of the room was entirely see-through, and I didn't want to draw attention to myself by having a fight with the guy, so I will take him out and then hide him from sight. Lunging forward, the AIM soldier only has enough time to lift his head so that I can sock him hard in it with my fist, knocking him down to the ground. I could have gone for a more silent takedown, but I was unsure of how much protection these yellow suits gave them or if it was reinforced, in which case I wouldn't have been able to force him unconscious with a chokehold.

 

I grab hold of the chair before it can fall with the man, eliminating some of the noise, but the sound of the AIM leader's body hitting the floor still sounds out, though I am hoping that everyone will just ignore the thump or even not hear it because they are so focused on the labs. Not having time to worry about that, I quickly get on top of the man and grab hold of his wrists, holding them to the side as I slowly lower my head to his, trying to listen with my ear.

 

Without knowing how much protection their uniform gives them, I can not be sure if he is appropriately knocked out, but with my sense, I can tell that he is. And just for future knowledge, I reach down and feel the fabric of the suit around the neck area and discover that these things are basically just hazmat suits, and I could have used a sleeper hold on him. I guess they care more about the scientific aspect of their organisation.

 

Grabbing ahold of the unconscious man or woman, I don't know who is underneath that suit. So I quickly worked on dragging them behind a desk so nobody would be able to see them. With that done, I then pick up the phone from its stand and also go and take a seat on the floor behind the desk so I can stay out of sight while I make my phone call. I quickly think about who exactly I am going to call, and I contemplate calling Felecia for a second before I realise that is a dumb idea. There is nothing she can do here, and there is no reason for her to risk herself when she is just a regular human.

 

I can survive this if things go wrong. Unfortunately, she can't, so it is better if I call some superhuman help, but I don't have any of their numbers. So right now, my best bet is to call the police and hope that some superhero somehow hears it and comes to assist. Surely there will be at least one listening to a police radio scanner. Dialling 911 into the phone, I bring the phone to my ear and wait for the call to be picked up.

 

"911. What is your emergency?" I hear a dreary voice come through the speaker after the ringing stops. Clearly, someone experienced at their job.

 

"Yes. Alright, listen. I need to speak to the police, a detective or something since I-

 

"Transfering you over now. Please remain patient and wait. An officer will pick up your call as soon as they can."

 

"Wait, don't! This is urgent-" I am cut off by the sound of music coming from the phone, waiting music. Shit, I have basically just been put on hold. I should have thought more clearly about what I was going to say. The operator that picked up my phone was obviously someone who had been there a long time and just wanted to do his job and nothing else. The minute he asked about my emergency and I said I needed to talk to a detective, he assumed I didn't have a life-threatening emergency and just past me off. Shit, well, all I can do now is hang up and try aga-

 

"This is Detective Philips. Who is this, and what do you want?" A voice comes through just as I take the phone away from my face and plan to hang up, and I stop my thumb from doing so immediately. I whip the phone back up to my face and press it against my cheek, and I go to speak before calming down and stopping myself. I have a theme to stick to, a calm, stoic and dependable superhero, and I can't mess that up by being a mess on the phone.

 

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"Detective. I called in to report the building filled with criminals, two being unconscious in the open garage. Hell's Kitchen, 32nd street." So I say, my first thought is to solidify my trustworthiness first so they will believe me later, and I do so by talking about that house which they should have found by now.

 

"What!? You did!? That means you are- HEY JACOBS, I GOT DAREDEVIL ON THE PHONE HERE!" I hear Detective Philips call over to his fellow detective, assuming me to be the wrong hero, which means that things are looking good. The fact that he is calling me Daredevil means he knows about the earlier call I made to report that building where the prisoners were held, where I said I was Daredevil hoping the name would make them move urgently.

 

And since he just called over Philips with such urgency, I can only assume that the place has been searched and raided by the police, meaning that they found all of the unconscious thugs with their illegal firearms. And most likely, their point of infiltration was the already open garage with two dudes knocked out, which means they saw the open cellar and probably investigated to find evidence of people being chained and held there. No doubt they are treating this with the utmost importance. Putting an impede on personal freedom is a very serious thing in America, the land of the free.

 

"Listen carefully. The people that were being held in the basement were picked up and transported to another facility. I followed them." I begin to speak, trying to outline the situation when the detective tries to interrupt and ask some questions.

 

"Wait, what do you mean? Just hold on a minute Daredevil, we ca-"

 

"I have tracked them to a secure AIM facility, in which these people are being experimented on and ultimately tortured. There are around forty hostages. I can not get any closer to confirm if the others are dead or alive." I say, trying to stress the urgency of the situation, so he shuts up and starts trying to help.

 

"Oh, Jesus... Okay, um, how many AIM guys are there?" The detective asks, and I take a moment to ponder it since I didn't count them all. I just took a look and confirmed there were too many for me to fight and protect the hostages at the same time. Thinking it through, this place is quite massive, and there were around thirty to thirty-five labs down there on the floor. From what I remember, there appeared to be between three to five AIM goons in each one. So let's say there are thirty-three labs, each with four AIM scientists in each, giving us one hundred and thirty-two of them, not to mention the couple of them elsewhere in the facility and in the break room.

 

"I estimate there to be one hundred and fifty AIM scientists in this facility. They are wearing yellow hazmat suits with some protection, and they have high-tech weaponry." I say calmly, since if there is any superhero that picks up on this, then they will need the details to help out. But, on the other hand, I don't want some inexperienced idiot running down here or someone with the wrong powerset to help. Sadly I don't have any influence on which super is going to come running.

 

"One hundred and fifty, man, that is... a lot. And high-tech weaponry to boot, damn. I guess we will have to make do with the rifles and guns we have on hand here, and we have around-" The detective goes on about the weaponry for a moment before it finally clicks on that he plans for the police force to come to help.

 

"No, you will not be doing that. The police force is not equipped to handle an organisation as powerful and large as this. Talk to your boss, call in whatever organisation is actually equipped to handle this. Now, grab a pen and paper, and listen carefully to what I say and write it down." I hear some scrambling around on the other side of the phone before the detective gives me the affirmative to start talking, and I begin to explain where I am.

 

"Once you get to the office building, you then go to the other side of the building and drive down into the underground parking lot. The first barrier will be the shutters in front of it that will prevent you from going further. They are remote-activated, and there are cameras. Past that, once inside, you move to the back of the parking lot, and go to the parking spot to the left of the sixth pillar. The wall in front of the parking spot is a secret passageway that spirals down towards the facility." I tell him the specifics and what to watch out for so that he can write it down and pass it on to whichever organisation handles AIM stuff.

 

Obviously, it will probably be Shield, which will be good since they will be appropriately equipped to handle this situation. However, I will also be revealing myself in turn, though I suppose it doesn't matter since I am Batman right now, not Ben Reilly. My plan at the moment is to let them come in blasting and draw everyone's attention, and when the AIM grunts go to fight, I will sneak down, free the prisoners and help get them to safety.

 

"When the passageway levels out, you will see a checkpoint, there are guards manning it, and they scan everything that passes through. Further on is the entrance to the facility proper. Make sure that whoever is coming is properly informed." I hung up the phone straightaway, seeing no reason to dally any longer, having said what needed to be said. The fact that they have already found the hideout, as well as the fact that they called me Daredevil and were preparing to come themselves, assures me that they are taking this seriously.

 

Now all I have to do is wait here for the noise to start happening, and then after all these guys go out to defend this place, I will free the prisoners and then go out and start taking these guys out from behind, making it easier for the good guys to clean up. So I wait for a few minutes and occasionally peek over the desk to keep an eye on the opposition, seeing if anything suddenly changes.

 

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

 

The phone I just used begins to ring, and I wonder if they traced it and are calling back to inform me of the situation. So I pick it up again and bring it to my ear.

 

"You need to pack up and move your facility elsewhere. Shield is coming to raid your location, so pack up and find somewhere new to set up shop. Inform me of your new location as soon as possible, and I will keep sending you the resources in exchange for weapons and technology, according to our arrangement. Nothing changes." The unmistakable voice of Wilson Fisk rings through the speaker. Having just heard him a few days ago, I have not forgotten it. Damn, was that quick. The Kingpin must have someone high up to know about this in the five minutes after I made the call.

 

"Fisk... I am coming for you." I speak in my modulated voice, not having the sheer brilliance of Christian Bale to pull off the guttural tone myself. I thought about speaking for all of two seconds before I decided to open my mouth. Right now, my ultimate objective is to cause enough trouble for Fisk that he can't focus on Felecia, so revealing myself as someone who is coming for him will definitely distract him. Especially because I am about to shut this place down, and this seems to be pretty important to him, I will be cutting off his supply of high-tech weaponry and technology.

 

"... Who is this?" He speaks calmly, even when I just made a blatant threat, as well as revealing that I am inside this facility. As to be expected of a man who controls almost all crime in New York with an iron fist.

 

"... Batman." I slam the phone back onto the receiver, ending the conversation there.

 

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