Brett and his partner Thompson arrives at the Hand base and finds the prisoners locked up in cages. Stan is holding his son Daniel and says that they need medical attention. After calling in backup, Brett steps aside and Daredevil secretly approaches him. The vigilante claims that he didn’t see anyone in the basement, but says that the Yakuza may have been involved with the people responsible, Daredevil warns that whatever was being done to the victims may not have ended, and tells Brett that they need to be taken somewhere off the grid. He says to take them to Metro-General because there’s someone there that he knows, and Brett says that he’s on it.
At Metro-General the next morning, Claire tends to the five prisoners. She applies cold soda to get their temperatures down and moves them to a wing being remodeled. Brett says that he’ll put some officers on duty to guard the place, and asks Claire to keep it secret. Claire figures that Daredevil rescued the prisoners, and warns that it isn’t like any overdose that she’s ever seen. The nurses discover that all of the prisoners had their fingerprints burned off to prevent identification.
Matt approaches Claire outside and she says that the prisoners are non-responsive. They talk privately and Matt explains that Nobu is responsible, and somehow he’s alive despite the fact that he burned to death the last time he fought him. He figures that Nobu and the people he represents will come for the prisoners, and he’ll offer all the protection he can. Claire figures that Matt is hurt and checks him, and gives him some catholic morphine for the pain. As she does, Brett’s radio goes off with a report that Frank is out and considered armed and dangerous. Brett orders the police to cover all government buildings, and Matt warns Claire that Punisher has escaped.
Soon, Samantha calls Karen to the courthouse. Agent Gallagher escorts her in past security and has her wait with Foggy. Karen figures that someone helped Frank escape, and Foggy tells her that Samantha called them there to ask who. As Gallagher escorts Foggy in, Matt arrives and Karen reluctantly greets him. She says that she’s good and assures Matt that it’s not his fault that he got them involved with Frank’s case. Gallagher calls Karen in next and she goes inside.
Once Gallagher brings Matt inside as well, Foggy warns Matt and Karen that Samantha figures that they’re involved with Frank Even if they’re not, the lawyers figure the DA will use them as scapegoats. Foggy has reviewed Frank’s transfer record and confirmed that they imprisoned him in the highest-security facility that they had, Cell Block D. Matt notes that Wilson was locked up in Block D, and figures that Wilson made it happen.
Blake escorts the trio into Samantha’s office, and she admits that she’s made mistakes. She warns that they have to get Frank off the streets, and Matt says that she needs to tell them everything she knows. The DA insists that if she had known the Castle family were going to be caught in the massacre, she wouldn’t have had any part of it. Karen knows about the sting, and Blake tells Samantha that they need to know. She agree and Blake explains about the Blacksmith. The Blacksmith was going to flood the market with drugs, and there was no sign of how he was getting product into the U.S. One of their undercover cops got word that the Blacksmith was meeting with the three mobs, and Samantha admits that she didn’t kill the park because she thought it would give them anyway. The sting went south when Blacksmith didn’t show, and the gangs fired on each other. The cop and Castle’s family was killed, and then Samantha tried to kill Frank and ruin the firm.
Samantha She shows them an x-ray of a skull that she found in her daughter’s backpack, and figures Punisher is going after her. Samantha doesn’t know where she is now that she’s in protective custody. Karen insists that Frank wouldn’t target innocents, but Samantha doesn’t believe it. She asks them to let her know if Frank contacts them and says that she just wants to keep her family safe.
As they talk, Matt hears the click of a gun and shoves Karen down. Foggy takes cover, and Punisher shoots through the window, killing Samantha. As the police clear the building, the medics tend to Foggy, who was wounded in the shoulder. Matt prepares to head out and Foggy tells him to stop. His friend insists that he has to find Punisher, and says that he’[s not asking for Foggy’s permission. Karen sees Matt go and asks Foggy where’s he going, and Foggy says that he doesn’t know. Blake joins them and admits that he suspected that Samantha was covering up the sting, and tells Foggy that the cover-up was underway before he started in the DA’s office. He says that Samantha was getting sloppy, and Foggy realizes that he tipped Karen off to the x-ray. Blake tells them that he’s getting out of town for a while and advises them to do the same. Once he leaves, Foggy tells Karen that he doesn’t need her to come with him to the ER, and says that she should watch her back.
Matt arranges with Donovan to meet with Wilson, and the lawyer has an affidavit in Braille ready for Matt to sign. Donovan insists on being present and will only allow any questions that he approves. Once he’s with Wilson, Wilson points out that they met once before at Vanessa’s art gallery. Matt says that he knows he arranged for Frank’s escape. Wilson claims that he had nothing to do with the escape, and Matt mentions Vanessa wanting to come back. Wilson dismisses Donovan and Matt says that he can send a letter that will get Vanessa’s visa pulled. He can prove that Vanessa was an accomplice to every one of Wilson’s crimes, and Wilson will never leave New York because it’s his blood. Wilson releases the handcuffs that were never locked and starts slamming Matt’s head into the table, The guards don’t respond, and Matt figures that Wilson is running the place. Wilson promises that when he gets out, he will dismantle Matt and Foggy’s lives. Matt says that Foggy had nothing to do with it, but Wilson promises that they’ll both take the blame. He insists that the one thing that keeps him warm is that he’ll look down on the city with Vanessa, the woman he loves. Compared to Frank, Wilson promises that he’ll be much worse. Donovan comes in and tells Matt that his time is up, and Wilson suggests that they do it again sometime.
At the Telegraph, Mitchell is coordinating the reporters about Samantha’s shooting when Karen comes in. She tells the editor that she was there and figures that Punisher will go after Tepper next. Karen plans to go over to check on the ME, and Mitchell insists on going with her.
That night, Elektra prepares to board her private jet and gets a drink while she waits. A man, Jacques Duchamps, sits down next to her. They discuss skiing and Jacques flirts with Elektra. He finally says that he knows who she is and who she’s killed, and admits that he’s there to kill her. Elektra prepares for battle and tells him that it’s rude to keep a girl waiting.
Karen and Mitchell arrive at Tepper’s hotel room and discover that somebody already shot repeatedly through the door, killing the ME. Karen doesn’t think that it’s Frank’s style, and Mitchell tells her to focus on facts rather than her feelings. The editor figures that she projected, and tells her to get the names of anyone else Punisher will go after so they can provide the information to the NYPD. Karen agrees and Mitchell has the officers to go with her. When Karen says that she can take care of herself, and Mitchell tells her that he’s not going to make the same mistake after Ben died. She gives in and says that she’ll be back at the Telegraph in an hour.
Stan’s son Daniel wakes up at the hospital and Claire tells him where he is. She confirms that Daniel is doing better as Stan comes in. Stan insists that he’s to blame and assures Daniel that he’ll make it up to hm. Claire goes up to the roof with coffee and finds Matt waiting for her. He’s listening to Foggy in his friend’s hospital room to make sure that he’s okay. Claire assures Matt that Foggy will be released the next day and suggests that he pay his friend a visit. Matt says that it’s his fault because he dragged Foggy into the whole mess, and Claire tells him to stop blaming himself for everything. She then tells him that all of the prisoners have unidentified organic substances in their bloodstreams. They were used as human chemical farms to incubate the substances. Each of them was systematically bled for several months, and Matt blames himself for not stopping it sooner. Claire advises him to go home and get some sleep, but Matt figures that Nobu will show up to get the prisoners back. He worries that everything he’s done is being undone and it all means nothing, and figures that it’s best if he’s done with the law and his friends. Claire warns him that he’s isolating himself, and advises Matt to say hi to Foggy. Matt considers and then thanks Claire for the coffee... and stays where he is.
The officers make sure that no one is in Karen’s apartment, and she gets her files. She has them wait outside and hears then hears a muffled thud outside. Karen grabs her gun and Frank comes in, unarmed. He insists that he didn’t shoot Samantha or Tepper, She has him put his hands on his head, but then shoves Karen to the ground as someone fires repeatedly through the window. Once they stop, Karen admits that she believes Frank, and he gets her out.
Wilson is in his cell eating and has his man Miguel contact Donovan to bring him the file on Matt.
In the hangar, Elektra and Jacques fight. He draws a pair of sai but she disarms him and rams a sai through his back. She tells him that she doesn’t want to fight the Hand, and Jacques says that Stick sent him . Shocked, Elektra finishes him off.
Matt hears a ninja fire a grapple gun and land a line on the roof.
The hospital alarms go off as more Hand ninja climb up the walls. Claire goes to the ward and finds the five prisoner standing over Stan’s corpse. They stare at Claire and she quickly leaves to get help. They walk to the window and watch as the ninja approach.
Foggy gets out of his bed and goes to the window, and sees the ninja climbing past.
Daredevil goes to the edge of the roof as the ninja approach.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 3, 2016