Chapter 7: Enter Red Hood 2 

Hell's Kitchen, New York.

Volume 1:Origin 

Daredevil

Daredevil staff slammed into the hand of the armed man threatening the Mishimoto siblings, sending the automatic rifle across the floor. He planted the Bo staff into the ground and wheeled his lithe body around, kicking the man bodily away; while still airborne, he continued his circuit, kicking the man holding the suitcase in the temple, and dropping the man into a state of unconsciousness. Red Hood reacted in a seemingly planned fashion as a black armored boot slammed down on the automatic rifle.

Red Hood [9mm Dual Glocks] thundered in the enclosed office. Bullets hammered into the powerfully built body of El Uno who had crossed his arms, protecting his face as Red Hood rained him in hot steel.

"Gorgon, this ends here!" the Daredevil voice boomed over the sound of the gunfire. He flipped toward the Gorgon, his heels slamming down on the taller man. He landed on his back and converted back to his feet as he spun and sent a devastating kick into Gorgon's unprotected abdomen. Gorgon began trading blows with Daredevil. 

The battle was intense as the two showed their martial prowess to an extreme degree, but every impact on the Devil was harmful. The crimson-suited man grimaced as he slid back, utilizing the staff to the right himself as the Gorgon bloody smile sent chills down the man before. He couldn't take any more of the blows. He would have to end this quickly. 

He chuckleDo you think I'm the Kingpin? Do you truly believe we're equals? He ripped his suit jacked off and rolled up the sleeves of the expensive dress shirt.  

"I learned to speak in sentences before my first birthday, I walked before my third, I was solving equations before I was eight, and at eleven, I held a Ph.D. And you think a monkey in a red suit can defeat me? I'm The Gorgon; I'm destined to battle Gods!" He roared in anger as he lunged forward. 

"You're right. This does end here!" Gorgon said as he and the daredevil began trading blows once again. He lashed out his kick, clipping the side of the Devil's head and sending the man reeling to the side. 

"You think we didn't know you were monitoring the family? He clamped down on the staff as the Devil tried to defend himself.

"You're a fool to go against The Hand," he said coolly. He pulled the man forward and kneed him in the gut before grabbing the barely standing man by the head. 

"How you managed to defeat the Kingpin is lost to me."Said Gorgon as Daredevil hung loosely in his grip. Gorgon threw the man forward with enough strength to obliterate the office's single desk.

Cole Stephens 

Cole's guns clicked. Magazines spent. The pistols winked out of existence  as he kicked the powerful automatic rifle up into his waiting hands. He ignored El Uno as the man crouched on one knee, grunting painfully from the low-caliber gun, his skin red with wasp-like welts. 

The man he now knew as The Gorgon, a mutant of the same caliber as Wolverine turned around with unnatural speed. Cole was slightly slower as he heard the crashing sound of a Daredevil being thrown through the desk.  

Gorgon grabbed the automatic rifle by the nozzle and turned it away from him as Cole's finger pressed down on the trigger. High-caliber rounds shredded the wall as wood chunks, and plaster rained down on the crouching Mishimoto siblings. 

Dana Mishimoto flung her body over her little brother as bullets and debris rained down over them, both screaming over the sound of the high-caliber rounds. Cole inwardly chastised himself. His situational awareness was off. Gorgon's smile was bloody, attesting to his battle with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. He shifted his eyes to the still form of the Devil. 

Gorgon offhand lashed out. Cole dodged easily before countering and connecting, causing the Gorgon's Head to jerk to the right. The bloody smile turned into a frown as the blow was felt. Gorgon pulled the rifle, causing Cole to stumble before he planted his feet down, forestalling the man from decreasing the distance between them. He would never allow his weapon to be controlled by another. Cole's leg arced up and slammed into the man's rib. Gordon grunted but didn't budge. He released the weapon, and his speed increased explosively as he grabbed his throat. 

Startled at the mutant's speed and ferocity, Cole was caught off guard as their exchanges were happening at a hyper pace. He slammed his armored knuckles into the man's wrist, hitting a pressure point that made the man grip slacking enough for him to loosing the choke hold. 

Gorgon winced. This armored crimson-cowled man was lethal and held no qualms about causing bodily harm. He liked him.

The two men were quick, inhumanly quick as their exchanges were happening in under seconds. Gorgon's surprise showed on his face as the rifle vanished from his Hand and appeared in the other. The damaged rifled was used as a blunt instrument as Cole hit him across the face with it before slamming his elbow into the powerful grip on his neck. Cole now Free used the gun's stock as a club and slammed it into his face sending the man stumbling backward, gripping at his wrecked nose, his shades shattered on his face following the floor. 

Violence thrummed inside Cole's veins as he exploded forward. He took a step back slightly, and front kicked the man, sending Gorgon stumbling back further. 

Gorgon was stunned. He shook his head as the spots cleared and his mind churned. His green-tinted eyes angrily rose and landed on the armored man. Cole stood where he was regarding him, wanting him to come forward and try again. He twisted his neck and lowered his center of gravity.

The two stared at each other for seconds before each of their original opponents recovered and returned with a vengeance. Daredevil grappled Gorgon from the back in a back-clinch position. Cole moved to assist his body, still churning with violence. 

Back by supernatural strength, momentum, and the sheer weight of a small compact cart El Uno slammed into Cole's side, shattering his ribs and rupturing organs; even his spine was damaged. If that were the Devil, El Uno would have pulverized him. Thankfully, Cole had the armored costume even sturdier than Batman's standard suit. 

The two bodies crumbled Into the floor, El Uno landing atop Cole, causing more damage as the man roared indignation. El Uno grabbed the red armored helmet with two meaty hands. The metal squealed, but the Wayne tech R&D proprietary polymer formula was extraordinary. 

El Uno was a savage of a man. He seldom lost battles. His name would send cartels scrambling from his sight; even the government feared him, and this little man dared shoot him. The veins on his arms grew taut and pronounced as he increased the pressure and began pulling the mask or his head, whichever gave first.

Cole screamed in protest as the pain drew him back from unconsciousness. He weakly grabbed at the man's arms. El Uno slapped his right arm away, snapping it at the forearm and eliciting more pain from the superhuman brute. Cole buckled underneath. El Uno's weight and position left no room to leverage.

He slammed Cole's head into the cemented floor, making him blackout again. He renewed the devastating blows that rocked Cole's head into the cement. 

Cole gasped at the tiny vestiges of conscious thought. He wouldn't remember, nor would he recall how but he focused his healing factor on his head and forgoing his body healing. With a high-powered taser from his inventory and slammed into the man's armpit as he raised both his hands overhead to bring a down life-ending blow. El Uno's body shook as the current traveled through his buddy unimposed. 

Cole's worst wounds had healed. [Inhuman Healing Factor] keeping him in the game. He continued to electrify the man until he smoked rose from his body. 

He couldn't recall the El Uno power set earlier. He had a great guest now after experiencing the man firsthand. Cole jerked his hips, shifted to the left, and switched positions. He pounded into the man's face with a savage vengeance as his rage grew at a steady pace. The man was strong, had some durability, and could heal. Cole summoned his [Combat Knife] and slammed it into the man's unprotected chest. To his amazement and surprise, the blade snapped, drawing blood but managed to pierce a meter into flesh. 

El Uno was hurt. The little one was a ferocious fighter. The blows dulled as his pain index increased, and subsequently, his powers worked better. That was his secret. The pain gave him strength; that's why prolonged battles worked in his favor, and torture was all but useless. His pain index wasn't unlimited, he had a ceiling and a threshold before he couldn't take more, but only one man ever got him to that point. 

His thoughts vanished as pain blossomed in his chest as the blade pierced an inch into the flesh above his heart. He roared and lashed out in anger. 

Cole slid across the floor, his back slamming into crates, destroying process artifacts before stopping against a metal shipping container. 

Daredevil x Gorgon 

Back inside the offices, the Devil and Gorgon battle ensued. 

Daredevil's back exploded in pain, and his grip slacked before the man grabbed him like a small child and slammed him into the floor.

"Mortal man," hissed the Gorgon, mouth red with his blood." 

Daredevil coughed but didn't move as the man reached down and grabbed him from the floor with a single arm. 

"Such talent inside of a mere man. You have done yourself a disservice in not accepting The Hand invitation." Gorgon sneered as the Devil's pathetic blows landed against him, each more of an annoyance than pain.

He pulled him closer. "Who is the mutant you're working with?" His grip tightened as he remembered their clash. Daredevil flailed and beat at the more muscular man's arms to no avail. 

He cocked his head to the side as if listening for something before his head jerked in the direction of the red helmed man and Tarantula bruiser El Uno. "It seems our time is about to come to a close.” 

The Devil's body slumped in the man's grasp as supernatural scenes began to shut down, his consciousness slipping away for the second time tonight.

“Tonight has taught you a valuable lesson about limits. Once you hit the ceiling, that's it. I'm that ceiling, and none is more unique and worthy than me!" He said teasingly to the barely conscious Daredevil.

He walked toward the hole in the side of the entrance. "Next we meet, do remember I bested you, tell Electra her head belongs to me." He tossed the Devil through the hole El Uno made before slowly following behind.

Cole Stephens x El Uno

Back outside on the spacious floor of the warehouse surrounded by crates and shipping containers, Cole and El Uno's battle ensued. Cole stood on wobbled legs and leaned into the wall to reorient himself. He grabbed the mask from his face and removed it, his head down underneath the dim light. His locs splayed across his bloody, battered face. He spat out blood and teeth on the floor. 

The damaged Red Hood Cowl vanished from his Hand, appearing into his storage. He resummoned it again and winced at the repair cost. He placed the helm back on. He removed his tattered black reinforced leather jacket and put it in storage. 

He heard a muffled gasp and turned to see the Mishimoto duo staring at him. He knew they didn't see his face beside the silhouette, but he still chastised himself for the mistake, but it was one he had to do so his head could heal without being pierced by the sturdy armored helmet of the Red Hood. 

"Leave. Get a room. I can't afford to be distracted, and I'm not positive I can defeat him and protect you both." He felt sick inside, but he had to be honest. He was woefully underpowered. 

He had a sudden thought to remember something crucial. He called to the siblings who were beginning to inch away ever slowly, undoubtedly terrified of today's events. "I recommend Barrow Motel. It's in Harlem. I will get your father out and bring him to that location. Leave the light on." 

He felt and heard his ribs reconfigure. He grimaced in pain and leaned into the wall before pushing himself forward, putting the family behind him as the bottled-up rage threatened to be free. He removed money from his system bank and tossed it behind him, uncaring as his action may seem to them. 

The rage roared internally like an undammed river, and he throttled it. He didn't know where it came from but welcomed it when he needed it and would soon let the river flow unsuppressed. 

His anger seemingly fueled him, clearing his mind. Here, in the now at this moment, he didn't need to hold back. He didn't need to hide or worry about his identity being exposed. He grinned underneath the mask. 

He hoped the Mishimoto siblings listened to him for the sake of his mission and the rewards. He needed some form of compensation for helping them and for the money he lost.

El Uno stared at him, approaching from the path of destroyed crates. 'He's a mutant for sure.' El Uno said internally. He had nearly killed him, but the guy could summon weapons, what an extremely unpredictable foe. He stood to his entire height and charged forward, slamming wooden boxes out his way with swipes of his massive arms. 

El Uno hit the man with everything he had at the peak of his great strength. Who was this guy? He almost faltered in his charge when he saw the repaired armored helmet. His brutal charge and beyond-human momentum allowed him to barge through the mishap. 

"Predictable!" Cole Roared, meeting the man halfway. He thought he was the Juggernaut aimlessly charging his victims. Cole met the man halfway. The man dwarfed him in size and stature. Yet, Cole screamed in rage as he planted his feet underneath the man and sent a thundering uppercut that stalled the brute in his tracks. Cole felt his knuckles crack and forearm fracture. He disregarded the pain and allowed the rage to fuel him. His arm dropped uselessly to his side, and he sent another vicious hook into the man's jaw.

He felt it. It was coursing through him like a current. He buckled the man with a vicious haymaker, his arm all but healed, and followed up with a mean jab to his throat. El Uno gagged but recovered out of sheer ferocity and brought his hands down in a double-handed blow to end the fight, but Cole crossed his arms and took it in a guard position. His legs buckled, and his armor squealed in protest, but he did it. He pushed back up, sending the man stumbling backward. 

His body burned with energy as his healing factor healed his muscles and fatigue. He flowed toward the man as fear sparked in the larger foe's wide eyes by the increased strength and ferocity. Two unnatural knives appeared in his hands. Cole lashed outward, stabbing and cutting into the man as he tried to defend himself. Blood and flesh flowed around, but he didn't let up. 

"Heal from this!" Cole roared as he brought his off-handed blade and stabbed the man in his armpit, the serrated hook latching onto the bone. El Uno screamed in pain, his face of a mask of horror. El Uno backpaddled, cradling his dangling arm, which was barely connected to hishoulder. Cole looked at the blade and smiled underneath the mask. Well worth the money! The man was all but defeated. 

Cole went forward to finish the ruffled man, but he stopped as the daredevil body was tossed from the second floor. He moved quickly, sliding across the ground, catching the incapacitated hero, raising his pistols, and angling them at both men. 

Gorgon landed in a predatory crouch, his green eyes not leaving Coles. The violence exuded from them both, each a creature brutality. The warehouse became nearly silent besides the heavy panting of El Uno and the ever-nearing police sirens in the distance growing closer to their location. 

Gorgon's eyes dimmed, and he rose from his predatory crouch. He removed a red scarf from his destroyed tailored suit and wrapped it around his eyes. 

"What is your name, boy?" He said smoothly, his earlier aura switched off and barely discernible. 

Cole remained protectively crouched over Daredevil, his guns still trained on the two. "Red Hood," Cole replied. What should he be called? He never thought about that. 

Gorgon smiled at the name. "Young indeed. Your expertise and martial prowess aren't to be looked down upon," he said, adjusting himself before walking toward Cole, disregarding the gun following him. 

He removed a card. It had a Gorgon on it. "I gave your friend the offer once. Join us. This is the one time that I'll offer it. Next, we meet. You die." He said callously 

Cole felt the anger rise inside him as his muscles tensed, ready to continue. He stared at the man but didn't move to take it. Gorgon chuckled before flicking the card at him. Cole pressed the trigger, the gunshot echoing around the warehouse. The man moved to the side almost unnaturally, and then he was back standing, adjusting the remains of his suit. 

"You're making an enemy you can't hope to defeat. But I see in your eyes that we already made one of you," he shrugged. "You did good beating the Tarantula's man, but do you think that's all The Hand has to put you down?" He smiled. 

"Your abilities are unique but not insurmountable, young mutant. If I so choose, I could end you now and the policemen that are coming toward us every so quickly." 

"Tarantula isn't as forgiving nor relatable as me, my young American mutant friend." He walked off as Cole turned and followed the two men, the police sirens growing louder still. 

Name: Cole Stephens

Known Name: Jeremy York

Alias- Red Hood

Alignment: -Neutral

System-Bank: $767

Persona(s)Jason Peter Todd- Red Hood 68%|100%

Attributes 

Intelligence- Potential Tier 2

Strength- Potential Tier 2

Speed- Potential Tier 2

Durability- Potential Tier 2

Energy Projection- Potential None

Fighting Skills- Potential Tier 2

Gear-Inventory

Red Hood Costume

Titanium Knives

Dual Pistols [9mm Glocks]

Smoke Grenade

Pocket Explosives

High Powered Taser

[Holder of the Hero-Villain System

[Limited]-Enhanced Investigation.

[Limited]-Skilled marksman and expert tactician

[Limited]-Skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant

[Limited]-Understanding and Utilization of high-tech equipment and weapons

[Limited]-Enhanced strength, speed, and durability due to exposure to the Lazarus Pit

[Inhuman Healing Factor, due to being the holder of the System.