Daredevil: Man Without Fear

"Ben Urich"

See me in my office Urich, as soon as you get this.

    Ben crumpled the paper in his palm, and trudged over to Jameson’s office. The door was open. Ben looked at him. The office smelled of trashy cigars. Jameson was too cheap to buy anything else.
    "Have you heard the news today Urich?" Jameson asked.
    "No, Sir I just got up less than an hour ago."
    "Well, it seems as though your friend, the Daredevil, shot some innocent person in an alley last night, and two kids found him in the street a few blocks away, all bruised, and battered. They said they knew it was Daredevil because he was dressed in red and as soon as they woke him, he sprinted off, probably afraid of being caught or something..." Jameson hissed, "But I don’t have a story on it for the Evening Edition because my reporter got up less than an hour ago!"
    "I’ll get right on it, Sir," Ben responded.
    "You better Urich. I don’t want to see your face in this office until that story is written, or you’re fired!" Jameson yelled as Ben hurried out of his office.
    "I will...I will."
    Ben pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He needed to smoke, to think. There was no way Matt Murdock, the Daredevil, had shot someone in cold blood. Hell, he was blind, he couldn’t even aim a gun, much less kill a man with one. The story just didn’t fit together. He would have to find Matt in order to get his article.
    On his way to the law offices of Sharpe, Nelson, and Murdock, Ben’s mind wandered through the endless conclusions that could be drawn. The sun burned Ben’s neck as he made his way to the doors of the building. He stopped, pulled the half burnt cigarette from his lips, and ground the butt of it into the sidewalk with his shoe. Matt hated it when he smoked, so Ben was always sure to leave a cigarette at the entrance every time he visited. It was his calling card.
    Inside, the room was cool, and dimly lit. The front desk was empty, but the quiet clicks of typing came from an office in the back. Ben followed the noise, until he found himself at the foot of the desk of Franklin Nelson, who sat, eyes fixed on a computer screen. Nelson had been roommates with Matt while he had attended Harvard Law School. After Harvard, they opened a law firm in New York. Nelson also knew that Matt fought crime as the Daredevil, and was used to working alone most days.
    "Hey Foggy, has Matt been in today?" Ben asked.
    "No, I haven’t seen him," Franklin responded.
    Foggy was a nickname that Matt had given Nelson a while back.
    "Have you heard from him at all today?"
    "No, I haven’t. Look Ben, all I know is that he better show up today because I can’t handle all of this work on my own."
    "I wouldn’t count on that Foggy..."
    "Why."
    Nelson looked up from his computer at Ben. The look on his face was inquisitive yet cocky, the kind of look only a lawyer could give. It was apparent that he had not heard the news.
    "Matt supposedly shot someone last night," Ben said.
    "With what?"
    "With a gun, what the Hell do you think."
    "Did it kill the person?"
    "Of course."
    "Wait a second," Nelson rested his face on his hand, "Did Matt supposedly kill him, or did Daredevil supposedly kill him?"
    "Daredevil," Ben replied.
    "Oh shit," Nelson murmured, "I bet Jonah is having a field day with this. He’s always hated the Daredevil. Now he is going to milk it for all it’s worth. If there’s any evidence around the crime scene they could link it back to Matt."
    "Your right," Ben said as he headed for the door, "I’m going to Matt’s apartment to find him before the cops do. Are you coming with me?"
    "I can’t, I’ve got too much work to do," Nelson said, as he turned his attention back to the computer screen.
    Ben heard the soft clicking noise start up again. The cold office had refreshed his senses. As he stood outside the building, he lit a fresh cigarette. He was once again ready to work.

Copyright 2000 James Reeves
Daredevil and Bullseye Copyright Marvel