[A guy dressed as the devil showing up is probably weird enough but he hears the way Jim's heartbeat jumps as 2 and 2 are put together in an instant. It's not really the kind of conversation that he can have right now because, for one thing, there's an emergency going on and for another, they have an audience with the driver present. Secret identity and all.
Matt surveys the street around them and the sounds that map the world for him. A path comes to focus.]
I'm going to get you to the subway--
[He doesn't finish the thought before he hears something barreling down the below them, presumably in the tunnels, and it very much is not a train. Jim and the driver would hear nothing.]
Nope, reverse that. That's where the monsters headed. So. New plan. We're close to Clinton Church. It'll be safe there. Stay close to me.
[With that, Matt starts to move with his attention on the two men with him. He's going to have a lot of explaining to do but he can do that after Jim and the driver are safe in the basement of the church.]
[See the thing is, Jim's too busy noticing that this guy's mask has no possible way for visibility. What means he wasn't lying about the whole being blind thing. Which means Jim isn't crazy for recognizing Matt's voice. Or what little of his face that can be seen.
The driver might ask if Daredevil is certain given the subway entrance is Right there. But Jim just makes a soft, noncommittal sound in the affirmation and falls into step. The last half hour has been a Lot for him to take in.]
[He doesn't really have a good way of communicating 'we'll talk about this later' to Jim in the presence of the driver so he just goes with the next best option, which is to get them safe and deal with the weird fallout that monsters or aliens or...whatever this is...is going to bring to his personal life.
The streets are a maze of broken glass, destroyed cars and wreckage. Not ideal. He tries to keep them close to the buildings so they're not just walking down the middle of the street as open targets. It means dodging the occasional bits of falling debris and glass but Matt moves them to-and-fro, telling them to stop or to move to the right and left to avoid danger. When they're in what is essentially a straight shot down the block to the church, Matt hears the rumbling under the sidewalk. Shit.]
Run. As fast as you can.
[He gets the words out just before the concrete behind them buckles]
[It's uncanny. Is the thing. Matt grabs hold of Jim's arm before anyone can hear a stoplight shorting out and collapsing in what would have been right in their path. Or out of the way of a shower of broken glass coming from a shattered window a few stories above. Jim feels almost like he's in a dream, but knows deep down that's shock talking.
Best to keep moving. All the while it's his blind 'It's complicated' who's stepping through this chaos as though he were on a sunday morning stroll. Easily. Sure footed.
But Jim knows he can't ask. Even a man from Bumfuck, Iowa knows you can't ask a Suit about anything safely. Not the ones that don't get their faces plastered all over the news as a matter of public record. And maybe all of this won't occur to him later--when they're sitting hunkered down in the Church basement with anyone else who fled there. Time's got a way of feeling bigger than it is in moments like this.]
Wait, what about you--?!
[Jim doesn't turn back to look, even after the words are out of his mouth. Swallowed up by the chaos surrounding them. He has his orders and a civilian to save. Training takes over from there. His hand closes around the driver's upper arm and he half drags the man with him to the church like a man possessed.]
[He knows that he's freaking Jim out and anyone would be, considering the circumstances. Matt just tries to keep them going around the various obstacles that he picks up along the way because he will eventually explain all of this. He doesn't really have a choice. He'd had absolutely no intention of letting Jim know about how he spends the nights when they're not playing pool together and that whole plan at pretending at normal just got royally fucked up.
He's got some explaining to do. Big time. Assuming he doesn't die on the street as a monster emerges from the tunnels under the ground.
Jim heeds the warning and starts to run for the church as the ground behind them gives way and Matt darts back across the wreckage of the street.
Whether this arachnid creature is an alien or some other brand of monster conjured from god knows where, its attention is on him and that's what he wants since it allows Jim and the driver to make a break for the church. The problem becomes that he doesn't quite know how one goes about killing something like this and maybe that's a job better left for the Avengers sorts, but he doesn't really have a lot of options while he's darting first across the street, then an alley and up the fire escapes. The monster follows him to the left, away from the church.
Of course the fucking thing can climb walls. And a little faster than Matt would like as he breaks for a rooftop so he goes for the retractable club and makes a good throw at one of the thing's eyes. It shrieks and skitters and that seems to be a plan.
His attention shifts only momentarily to listen to a distance to confirm Jim and the driver have gotten to safety. He'll be back for them once he finishes the other seven eyes.]
[Let's just say it's a bad idea for someone to try and Make another Spider-Man. It's how you get a Man Sized Spider instead, berserk and wreaking havoc while it tries to find a suitable place to turn into its lair.
It's going to end up a lot easier to take down than Daredevil is without its sight however.
Back at the church Jim has taken up position by the entrance and ushered in anyone running by so they could get off the streets and into someplace relatively safe. He doesn't mention how that thing could buckle concrete and burst through walls because that's not going to do anything but cause more panic. Now the basement's full and he's lingering up by that door mostly on the look out for signs of Matt.
[Matt feels pretty confident by the time this is done, he'll be able to add 'defeated a monster spider' to his list of accomplishments on his CV. Or at least blind the thing via blunt force blows to its eyes so it's unable to target anyone else before the Avengers can come in and clean up the mess. Problematically, Matt's a blunt instrument kind of guy and this thing probably requires decapitation or something similar to really put it down.
Still, 8 eyes later and Matt leaves the thing disoriented in the alley in some state of weakness. There are sirens approaching and he uses that as his excuse to exit and rush for the church.
He can hear the collection of heartbeats gathered in the basement and he makes his way to the door. He's unable to hide a smile when he finds Jim there, waiting and safe.]
I got it knocked down. Should be safe soon. Everyone should stay here until it's all clear but it should be okay.
[In his periphery, he hears the voices of the nuns calming the crowd gathered inside and in there is a familiar tone, strong and authoritative as she commands that everyone stay still and quiet.]
No, I'm still waiting on someone I know is out there.
[Jim lies because he knows Matt is here. That he's talking to him, even. But he can't say a damn word to this Suit he's not supposed to know. So Jim keeps his thanks perfunctory and forces himself not to look Daredevil over checking for injuries more than a glance here or there.]
Everyone in the basement's fine though, if that's what you're asking. Sir.
[Matt can't quite stop the little quirk of a smile that comes from that. It's difficult to talk around this but he appreciates that Jim is willing to try.]
I'm sure he's safe. He might not be out in it. I'd hope that a lot of people had the good sense to stay home when the reports started to come out. Maybe check in at his place when it's over and you get the all clear.
In the meantime, thank you for getting everyone down here and safe.
[Matt listens at a distance; sirens and even the sound of a helicopter filter in. Gunshots and radio chatter.]
It should be over soon. Then you can check on your friend.
Yeah well, I thought so too. Unfortunately he's a dumbass.
[Hmph. Okay so Jim's a little miffed.
Like he GETS it??? He has no idea what the story is or how the hell they got to this point, but he understands that Matt Murdock, guy Jim has been meeting for beer and pool and was hoping for a bit more than that has the mother of all side hustles. One that would prrrrrrrrrrobably definitely end with his career shot if word got out, if not out and out jailtime or worse.
But it makes sense. So Jim's not mad, but he is having a Hell of a day.]
I'll do that though. Thanks. Maybe I'll get lucky. Stay safe out there.
Only a dumbass would intentionally go out in something like this.
[Matt gets it. He's gotten it plenty in the past too; he knows that keeping this secret is a weight and that it has a spectacular tendency to fuck up his personal life. There's the aspect of worry about the whole secrecy part of it and then there's the lies. The lie is always the part that really seems to be difficult for people to get over. Matt having an entirely separate different life and that it's this is sometimes a bridge too far.
From a distance, he hears the police radios and the status reports crackling across them. It sounds like the beast has been destroybed but Matt isn't quite willing to direct the civilians out of the basement just yet.]
I hope you do get lucky.
[Matt gives him a little bit of a smile that, at a distance, would just be seen as encouraging to a civilian and nothing more. He heads back to street level to make sure everything is clear. Word will trickle out across the city, including to the church, that the threat has been contained. He does wonder if he'll ever hear from Jim again, all things considered.]
no subject
Matt surveys the street around them and the sounds that map the world for him. A path comes to focus.]
I'm going to get you to the subway--
[He doesn't finish the thought before he hears something barreling down the below them, presumably in the tunnels, and it very much is not a train. Jim and the driver would hear nothing.]
Nope, reverse that. That's where the monsters headed. So. New plan. We're close to Clinton Church. It'll be safe there. Stay close to me.
[With that, Matt starts to move with his attention on the two men with him. He's going to have a lot of explaining to do but he can do that after Jim and the driver are safe in the basement of the church.]
no subject
The driver might ask if Daredevil is certain given the subway entrance is Right there. But Jim just makes a soft, noncommittal sound in the affirmation and falls into step. The last half hour has been a Lot for him to take in.]
We're with you. Uh. Sir.
no subject
The streets are a maze of broken glass, destroyed cars and wreckage. Not ideal. He tries to keep them close to the buildings so they're not just walking down the middle of the street as open targets. It means dodging the occasional bits of falling debris and glass but Matt moves them to-and-fro, telling them to stop or to move to the right and left to avoid danger. When they're in what is essentially a straight shot down the block to the church, Matt hears the rumbling under the sidewalk. Shit.]
Run. As fast as you can.
[He gets the words out just before the concrete behind them buckles]
no subject
Best to keep moving. All the while it's his blind 'It's complicated' who's stepping through this chaos as though he were on a sunday morning stroll. Easily. Sure footed.
But Jim knows he can't ask. Even a man from Bumfuck, Iowa knows you can't ask a Suit about anything safely. Not the ones that don't get their faces plastered all over the news as a matter of public record. And maybe all of this won't occur to him later--when they're sitting hunkered down in the Church basement with anyone else who fled there. Time's got a way of feeling bigger than it is in moments like this.]
Wait, what about you--?!
[Jim doesn't turn back to look, even after the words are out of his mouth. Swallowed up by the chaos surrounding them. He has his orders and a civilian to save. Training takes over from there. His hand closes around the driver's upper arm and he half drags the man with him to the church like a man possessed.]
no subject
He's got some explaining to do. Big time. Assuming he doesn't die on the street as a monster emerges from the tunnels under the ground.
Jim heeds the warning and starts to run for the church as the ground behind them gives way and Matt darts back across the wreckage of the street.
Whether this arachnid creature is an alien or some other brand of monster conjured from god knows where, its attention is on him and that's what he wants since it allows Jim and the driver to make a break for the church. The problem becomes that he doesn't quite know how one goes about killing something like this and maybe that's a job better left for the Avengers sorts, but he doesn't really have a lot of options while he's darting first across the street, then an alley and up the fire escapes. The monster follows him to the left, away from the church.
Of course the fucking thing can climb walls. And a little faster than Matt would like as he breaks for a rooftop so he goes for the retractable club and makes a good throw at one of the thing's eyes. It shrieks and skitters and that seems to be a plan.
His attention shifts only momentarily to listen to a distance to confirm Jim and the driver have gotten to safety. He'll be back for them once he finishes the other seven eyes.]
no subject
It's going to end up a lot easier to take down than Daredevil is without its sight however.
Back at the church Jim has taken up position by the entrance and ushered in anyone running by so they could get off the streets and into someplace relatively safe. He doesn't mention how that thing could buckle concrete and burst through walls because that's not going to do anything but cause more panic. Now the basement's full and he's lingering up by that door mostly on the look out for signs of Matt.
Of Daredevil. Fuck that's weird still.]
no subject
Still, 8 eyes later and Matt leaves the thing disoriented in the alley in some state of weakness. There are sirens approaching and he uses that as his excuse to exit and rush for the church.
He can hear the collection of heartbeats gathered in the basement and he makes his way to the door. He's unable to hide a smile when he finds Jim there, waiting and safe.]
I got it knocked down. Should be safe soon. Everyone should stay here until it's all clear but it should be okay.
[In his periphery, he hears the voices of the nuns calming the crowd gathered inside and in there is a familiar tone, strong and authoritative as she commands that everyone stay still and quiet.]
Is everyone okay? All things considered.
no subject
[Jim lies because he knows Matt is here. That he's talking to him, even. But he can't say a damn word to this Suit he's not supposed to know. So Jim keeps his thanks perfunctory and forces himself not to look Daredevil over checking for injuries more than a glance here or there.]
Everyone in the basement's fine though, if that's what you're asking. Sir.
no subject
I'm sure he's safe. He might not be out in it. I'd hope that a lot of people had the good sense to stay home when the reports started to come out. Maybe check in at his place when it's over and you get the all clear.
In the meantime, thank you for getting everyone down here and safe.
[Matt listens at a distance; sirens and even the sound of a helicopter filter in. Gunshots and radio chatter.]
It should be over soon. Then you can check on your friend.
no subject
[Hmph. Okay so Jim's a little miffed.
Like he GETS it??? He has no idea what the story is or how the hell they got to this point, but he understands that Matt Murdock, guy Jim has been meeting for beer and pool and was hoping for a bit more than that has the mother of all side hustles. One that would prrrrrrrrrrobably definitely end with his career shot if word got out, if not out and out jailtime or worse.
But it makes sense. So Jim's not mad, but he is having a Hell of a day.]
I'll do that though. Thanks. Maybe I'll get lucky. Stay safe out there.
no subject
[Matt gets it. He's gotten it plenty in the past too; he knows that keeping this secret is a weight and that it has a spectacular tendency to fuck up his personal life. There's the aspect of worry about the whole secrecy part of it and then there's the lies. The lie is always the part that really seems to be difficult for people to get over. Matt having an entirely separate different life and that it's this is sometimes a bridge too far.
From a distance, he hears the police radios and the status reports crackling across them. It sounds like the beast has been destroybed but Matt isn't quite willing to direct the civilians out of the basement just yet.]
I hope you do get lucky.
[Matt gives him a little bit of a smile that, at a distance, would just be seen as encouraging to a civilian and nothing more. He heads back to street level to make sure everything is clear. Word will trickle out across the city, including to the church, that the threat has been contained. He does wonder if he'll ever hear from Jim again, all things considered.]