The three women didn't say much—though Natasha did pause for a moment to glance at the man in the red suit before quietly leaving.
"The woman in black," Matt said after she was gone. "She's with S.H.I.E.L.D., isn't she?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"
Matt shook his head. "Not personally. But I've heard of her. The Black Widow of the Red Room—a double agent. My advice? Stay clear of people like that."
Lucas chuckled. "Relax. I know who she is, and I know she was sent here on assignment. But for now, she hasn't done anything against me or anyone close to me. More importantly, she's got a moral line she won't cross. That's enough for me."
He shrugged. Natasha might be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top spy, but she wasn't a heartless puppet. Lucas had seen it—she followed orders only within reason, and he trusted her… mostly.
Matt didn't push further. If Lucas had made up his mind, there was no point arguing.
"Alright," Matt said, setting his cup down. "Let's get to business. I came here because I need your help."
Lucas tilted his head. "Trouble again? Don't tell me it's those Hand ninjas."
He remembered their previous encounter with the ancient assassins who wouldn't stay dead. Between the Hand and Kingpin, Daredevil's life was basically one long headache.
But Matt shook his head gravely. "No. This time, it's worse. We've come across something… else. Vampires."
Lucas almost choked on his drink. "What?! Vampires?!"
His voice shot up an octave. Of all the weirdness he'd seen in this world, actual vampires were still a curveball.
Matt nodded. "Yes. Vampires. The Punisher and I ran into three of them. We killed two and managed to capture one alive. The bodies turned to ash the moment they died—no blood, no traces left behind. That's when we realized what we were dealing with."
Lucas blinked. "Holy hell…"
"At first, we thought they were just lunatics playing dress-up," Matt continued. "But the way they moved, the way they smelled—it wasn't human. When the sunlight hit the first one we shot, he burst into dust. That's when we knew."
He took a sip of tea before adding, "During interrogation, the one we caught mentioned a place in Hell's Kitchen—a hidden bar that serves… blood drinks. The Punisher and I are planning to raid it."
Lucas didn't even hesitate. "Count me in. When do we move?"
He owed Matt and Frank a lot already. Friends helped each other—it was that simple.
"Tomorrow night," Matt said. "Same safehouse as before."
"Got it. I'll be there."
Matt nodded, then rose to his feet. In seconds, he melted back into the darkness, vanishing as silently as he'd come.
Lucas sighed. "Alright… you've been eavesdropping long enough. You can come out now."
From the corner of the room, a shadow shifted—Natasha stepped forward, her expression unreadable.
"So it's true?" she asked. "Vampires actually exist?"
She'd seen and survived all kinds of missions, but this was new. In her mind, vampires were just bedtime stories or Eastern European myths.
Lucas leaned back. "Oh, they're real all right. And powerful. Ask your boss—the one with the eyepatch. He knows. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a copy of the truce agreement between humans and vampires."
Natasha's brows lifted. "Fury knows about this? Then I definitely need to have a word with him. Can't believe he's been keeping something this interesting from me."
She pouted mockingly, though her eyes glimmered with genuine curiosity.
Lucas smirked. "Whether he lets you 'work properly' or not, I don't know. But go ahead and report it. In fact, that's exactly what Daredevil wants you to do."
Natasha blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You really think Matt didn't notice you spying? He sensed you the moment you moved. Hell, he probably knew you were here before you did. The guy's basically sonar with legs."
Lucas crossed his arms. "He didn't expose you on purpose. He wants this to reach Fury. If vampires are feeding again, it's not just a vigilante problem—it's a national security issue."
Natasha frowned but nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll make the report… and maybe squeeze some answers out of the Director while I'm at it."
She turned and left, disappearing down the hall toward her own apartment. A few minutes later, the encrypted line to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters went live.
Fury hadn't gone to bed either. As Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., paperwork and strategy never seemed to end. At the moment, he was buried in his latest obsession—the Avengers Initiative.
Holographic screens floated in front of him, displaying profiles of potential recruits: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Skye—and Lucas himself. Practically everyone connected to Lucas was flagged as a person of interest.
Then the comm line buzzed. Fury tapped it. "Talk to me, Romanoff."
"Sir," Natasha's voice came through, calm but firm. "Daredevil visited Lucas tonight. He reported vampire activity in Hell's Kitchen—confirmed kills, one captured alive."
There was a long pause. Then Fury erupted.
"Motherf—They broke the truce? Those bloodsucking bastards! What, did they think the treaty was a damn pizza menu?!"
His voice thundered through the comms.
"So it's true then," Natasha said. "Vampires really exist."
Fury exhaled sharply. No point hiding it anymore. If word was already spreading among the vigilantes, secrecy was pointless.
"Yeah," he admitted. "They're real. The bloodsuckers and I go way back. Years ago, there was… an understanding between our governments and their elders. A ceasefire. They don't hunt humans openly—we don't burn their nests to ash. That was the deal."
Natasha was stunned. "You negotiated with vampires? That's insane. What kind of logic is that?"
Fury gave a humorless laugh. "Wasn't my call back then. I was just a field agent. The higher-ups thought peace was cheaper than extermination."
He rubbed his temple, remembering.
"But don't get me wrong," he added. "I never trusted them. You can't reason with something that sees humans as food. It's not peace—it's containment."
And for once, Natasha agreed completely.
Humans had spent millions of years climbing to the top of the food chain—from prey to predator. The idea that another species existed above them, feeding on them, was fundamentally unacceptable.
Fury's stance made sense. Whatever "treaty" the world's leaders had signed, he'd always been on the side of eradication.
Because some monsters didn't need diplomacy. They needed sunlight—and a stake through the heart.
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