The Stakeout (June-July 1983)

Renee’s cheeks colored even more in embarrassment but she knew this reaction was a possibility. “I’m...sorry Isabella. I didn’t mean...I...friends? I do consider you a friend Isabella. I just...wanted you to know how I felt,” she said. “I would like that,” She said in response to her suggestion about her extra room.

On the way over in the car Renee unloaded some of her unspoken baggage upon Isabella. She went into how hard it was to hide who she really was in order to be a successful woman. To live a lie even to her own parents.

----------- 1 week passes

Isabella, Renee, Alonzo and Daniel were called to another mass shooting. This time however it was Russians. Demitri Ventrovski was one of the victims and both the FBI and CIA were in the process of gathering evidence to convict him of sex trafficking, extortion, and 2 murders. There were other heavy hitters in this group of 9 that were found dead on Pier 19 on the docks. Full automatic small arms fire and hand grenades this time. And once again the white skull, which was now known as the sign of The Punisher, was all over the crime scene.

Another case Isabella had been given involved another high level russian named Alexander Federov. They were operating out of an office building in Brooklyn, Crown Heights. But since this latest shooting everything had gone eerily quiet. Federov was wanted for questioning involving several murders and is a known Heroin smuggler. Isabella got a tip about a possible shipment that was supposedly coming, they came every week, but each time they tried to stake the place out they appeared to never come which likely meant that they just did the transaction elsewhere. This time she decided ‘not’ to use any other agents. Alonzo suspected that there might be someone on the take in the NYC field office and they were feeding them information about the CIAs activities. This time no one knew but her, Lauren. Renee and Alonzo. They were in an unmarked, black Lincoln Navigator parked down the street from the office building. ALonzo was in the drivers seat, Isabella was in the front passenger and Renee was in the back looking at her laptop that had all the street camera angles available for the building on the screen.

“Hey Alonzo I heard you met Tony Stark yesterday,” She said with a chuckle. “Sure did, I shook his hand to. I think he’s a friend of the deputy director,” He said. Renee grinned. “I guess as long as you make weapons for the home team you’re considered one of the good guys,” Renee said in a dry tone. She knew full well that Stark’s weapons have killed more people than she could count. That and quite often they’ve been falling into the wrong hands. The CIA has even committed a special task force to try and recover those weapons.

Isabella was doing everything she could to locate Frank. He had committed another mass murder on a group of Russians but by the time she got there he was long gone. She didn’t want to let Lauren down and now that she knew that she had been used as a scapegoat on this investigation she was pissed and wanted to actually prove them wrong.

She had a suspicion that Frank would target Alexander Federov because of the heroin smuggling he was involved in. Because of the possibility of insider information being passed to those involved, Isabella had kept quiet about this stakeout. It was just Alonzo, Renee, and herself and even Alonzo did not know the true reason for the stakeout. He thought they were there to bust Alexander.

She took a sip of her coffee as she watched out the window. However, she did glance at Alonzo when it was revealed he had met Tony Stark. She of course knew who Tony Stark was...everyone did. She had mixed feelings about the man. He was incredibly handsome, yes, but his womanizing and what he did for a living did not give her a good impression of him.

“Is he as full of himself as he appears to be?”

Alfonzo chuckled at that as he looked through a pair of binoculars. “Well, some women like a confident man. My girl certainly does,” he said. “I thought Lauren was going to jump him right there in the hall,” He said with a smile. “That woman definitely needs to get laid!” He added. Alonzo was half black and half Puerto Rican and very good with the ladies. Quite often when Isabella or Renee struck out during questioning when a female was involved they’d send Alonzo in and he’d often get a different result. Whenever he used the term ‘my girl’ it usually meant for this week or flavor of the month.

“Why you asking Isabella, you thinking of arm wrestling Lauren for him? I heard he has a private jet with flight attendants and everything and the last time the deputy director was on it he said it was the best service he’d ever had,” he said. “Well I hope his wife doesn’t know that,” Renee said.

“Ok, we might...yes, there is a brown panel van coming toward the building from Hilton Street,” Renee said.

Isabella couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head at what Alonzo said. Alonzo was charming and he had flirted with her enough, especially now that she was single. It was harmless but she enjoyed the attention. She couldn’t help but wonder about Tony though and all the good he could do if he put his mind to it.

She was pulled away from this thought by Renee announcing that a brown van was approaching the building. She pulled out her own set of binoculars to watch what was happening.

Two men exited the van and two more came out of a side door. All of them looked big and they wore leather jackets, blue jeans and lots of jewelry. The four men began bringing out others who had black hoods on their heads and their hands tied behind their backs.

“Holy shit, are you seein this?” Alonzo said surprised. “There’s another car, a blue lincoln coming in,” Renee said. The blue Lincoln pulled up along the curb near the front of the large building. The biggest man yet got out of the front and he shifted and opened up the back door. Isabella recognized Federov almost immediately. He was an older man, balding with large sunglasses.

“What do we do?” Renee asked worriedly. “There’s the 4 men from the van, 2 more, that’s at least 6,” Alonzo said. “Do we wait, go in or call for backup?” Alonzo asked.

Isabella’s breath caught in her chest as she watched what was happening. They had hostages but at 3 to 6 they were out numbered. She didn’t want to put her team at risk, however by the time she called for back up those men would be dead.

She pulled her firearm and exited the vehicle but then some movement on one of the roofs caught her eye. She looked up and saw Frank.

“Of all the places!” Frank muttered as he lowered his infrared goggles. He viewed 2 women and 1 man in their navigator then shifted to the office building. It had 5 floors, a subfloor and a basement. He lofted ipnthe goggles then looked through his monocular. He saw her exit the vehicle and then the other 2. The CIA agents had on their vests but alot of good that would be if they were shot in the face. These russians were serious business.

The front door to the office building was unlocked and as soon as they entered the ‘desk person’ a woman cursed in russian then drew a pistol from behind the desk.
.

Isabella exited the vehicle with Renee and Alonzo and she flipped off the safety on her gun. She glanced back up to the roof where Frank had been a moment ago and he was gone. She entered the office building, going in first, and spotted the woman behind the desk. She saw the woman draw a pistol but she got off a shot first. She shot the woman in the right shoulder. She wasn't looking to kill unless she had to. She moved further into the building with her pistol raised and ready to fire.

She fell back and her weapon went flying. She clutched her ruined shoulder as they all pressed forward. A man who was kneeling shifted from the wall and fired. The shot hit Renee in the chest and she shifted sideways to make as small a target as possible. She fired back and the man did not poke his body out again. From the opposite side of the hall a large man, rushed toward them unarmed. Alonzo didnt let him close he shot him twice in the left leg and the large man fell forward. “Fuck!” He said. Once they made it to the first hall intersection someone opened up with a full auto sub-machine gun. Renee shifted left as Isabell went right. Alfonzo dropped down onto his belly and returned fire. It looked like he hit the shooter several times and the shooting stopped as the man fell back. Alonzo reloaded.

They cleared the first floor and made their way down to the sub level using the stairs. Just as they hit the door to the level more shots rang out toward them.

Isabella's heart was pounding in her chest and her adrenaline was pumping. She remained calm and steady though. All of her training had kicked in and she knew what to do and what not to do. She saw Renee get hit in the chest, but thankfully they all were wearing bullet proof vests and Renee was alright. Next, they encountered an unarmed man who rushed towards them. Alonzo took care of him and they pressed on. However, as they neared a hallway intersection someone began firing at them with a fully automatic sub-machine gun. Isabella immediately shifted to the right as Renee went left and Alonzo dropped to the floor and returned fire. Alonzo managed to hit the guy several times and he went down. Once they knew he was down they continued on.

With the first floor clear they made their way downstairs. However, as soon as they reached the door more shots rang out. Isabella pressed herself up against the wall with Renee and Alonzo. She waited for a pause in the firing and nodded to the others before bursting through the door. She began firing at the man who had been firing towards them.

She struck the man in the side, arm and then the right side of his face. He went down but not quietly and he began to moan and cry though it sounded odd coming from a ruined face. Isabella needed to reload. As she did someone bounced a can of smoke at them from further down the hall. It began to spray gray smoke everywhere and it quickly filled up the halls. “You stupid cops, who are you, FBI? CIA? I shall take your badges as trophies,” a man said from down the hall. It was then that they heard more gunshots and yells from above. However when they tried the door it was locked and the bar handle could only be accessed from the other side.

They heard another can of smoke being tossed and the rush of more smoke filled the area. Renee had trouble controlling her breathing. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she was near to hyperventilating. She stayed low but it was difficult to navigate when she couldn’t see anything. The hall seemed to open up but before she could even call out, suddenly loud, blaring music began to play. She cried out for Isabella but she didn’t know if she even heard her response.

Isabella’s worst nightmare was realized when the music began to play. It was so terribly loud and she thought she heard Renee’s voice but after a few steps it all seemed to blend into the blare of the discordant music coming from all around them. Suddenly there were loud, bright gunshots fired toward her and then she heard other shots coming from both ahead and behind her. Some aimed in her direction and some not. In this smoke she couldn’t tell if she was shooting at her own or one of the russians.

Isabella tried to remain calm, but it was difficult. The smoke was quickly filling the area and she couldn't see Renee or Alonzo, nor could she call out to them over the loud music. She could hear gun fire, but it was difficult to tell where it was coming from. She remained on her stomach on the ground with her gun in her hand. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe in the air under the smoke, but soon the smoke was at the bottom and as she breathed it in she began to cough. She began to try and crawl through the smoke in an attempt to locate Renee and Alonzo.

Isabella felt the air shift near her and just in time she twisted onto her back and fired at a russian who had a gas mask on. She felt two, hard impacts on her chest but she managed to fire back, although erratically do to the pain on her chest. She finally put him down but she had expended her entire magazine and had to reload again. Once she went through this one she’d be out of ammunition. She heard full auto fire further in and also pops from pistols that sounded like the 10mm rounds they carried. When she inspected the russian she saw that he didn’t have the same kind of ammunition she had but his gas mask worked just fine. As she pressed forward she heard Alonzo cry out as more gunshots were exchanged not far from her. Without the caustic smoke affecting her she was able to stay low and yet move. She nearly ran into another russian who appeared to be looking for Alonzo. She felt just as much as heard him shift to face her and loud shots and bursts from his gun barrel fired very close to her ear as she returned fire. The man was so close he extended his arm past her but she didn’t. She shot him in the chest and groin several times before he fell in a heap. She heard Alonzo groan from the floor near her.

Not being able to see who was in front of her was terrifying. However, she was able to see the smoke shift and know that someone was there. She put down on Russian and then reloaded her pistol. She wasn't just aiming to injure at this point. This was now a life or death situation and she was prepared to kill. She pulled the gas mask off of the dead man and put it on. Now that she was able to breathe she felt slightly less panicked. She still needed to find Renee and Alonzo. She heard Alonzo cry out and she moved towards him. However, before she got to him she encountered another Russian. He got too close to her for comfort, but she managed to shoot him before he shot her. She pulled off his gas mask and moved towards Alonzo with the intention of putting the gas mask on him.

She did find Alonzo, alive but he drew her hand down toward his leg. He had taken a bullet there and blood poured from the wound. The man she had just killed had a belt she felt and she unbuckled it and used it as a fast tourniquet in hopes that it would slow down his blood loss until help arrived...if it arrived. She heard more shots in the distance and then the music suddenly stopped. As it did Renee screamed and she heard something big crash through glass and land hard. The smoke to was beginning to clear and she could almost make out the definition of walls and the hallway. Renee’s voice definitely came from the hallway. The moment she moved though gunshots rang out very close to her. As she rolled she fired back and though it took too many shots the man who shot at her was down. As she got back to her feet though she suddenly felt a hard push that forced her forward off of her feet. Instinct caused her hands to brace her fall and she felt her weapon leave her grip as she hit hard on the tiled floor. She saw her weapon skid away toward the wall.

“Get her you fool! I’m going to make her suffer!” Alexander said. Before she could get her wits about her large hands grabbed her and hauled her up.

As Isabella felt the hands on her back shove her forward she had to drop her gun in order to brace herself from the fall. She watched as her gun slid across the floor away from her. She started to scramble up onto her feet to get it but before she could she felt hands grab her and pull her up. She was now unarmed and her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest with how hard it was pounding. She actually began to fear for her life, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She began to fight back against the man who was holding onto her. She was trained in martial arts and though she surprised him with her skills he still managed to keep a hold of her.

The big man that had to be 6’-5” tall slapped her face hard though he grunted when she hit him. And then with a fling of his arm she felt herself being flung through the air. She hit the wall hard and felt the wind go out of her as she fell to the floor. As she struggled to breath he picked her up again and tossed her again. This time she hit a table and vaulted over it and tipped it over as she slumped to the floor all the while Alexander laughed gleefully. Finally the big man tried to pick her up again but she pulled her buckle knife and sliced at his arm. He yelped but a hand with fingers as thick as sausages gripped her hand with the knife and began to squeeze it. She felt the side of the blades cut into her fingers just as he grabbed her throat with his other hand. As she let go of the knife he did as well and it fell to the floor and bounced away from them. With a hard flip she was flipped through the air and onto her back on another table. Alexander’s smug and quite pleased face looked down at her as he began to roll up his sleeves.

“Oh I’m going to enjoy this...whoever you are, stupid Americans, think that they call the shots,” He said then pulled his own knife out. As she kicked the big man shifted so one hand held her by the neck and the other held her legs down by her shins. Alexander showed her the short, thin blade and it gleamed brightly in the dim light. “I think I want your eye first,” he said and even as she fought there was little she could do to stop was about to happen. Just as she felt the tip of his blade touch her flesh however Alexander was hit by a rather large caliber rifle bullet. It blew him back ten feet and she saw the round impact the wall behind him. No body armor in the world would have stopped that and she saw Alexander’s eyes roll up into his head. She didn’t have long to rejoice though as she was jerked up from the table and used as a human shield.

“You not come close, I break neck!” the back man said and she began to see a silvery light with black flecks in her vision as her airway was constricted. “You, put down gun or I break!” he growled threateningly.

Frank wasn’t certain who was who down here but when he was certain he had just reacted. However he could see Isabella was in trouble and this guy was a few can short of a six pack. “Alright, alright,” He said as he held up his hands. He dropped the large rifle. “You don’t hurt woman, I throw down guns alright?” Frank said. Frank was a large man in his own right but no where near that big. “I tell you what, we’ll fight for her,” Frank said. “No guns,” Franks said and dropped his other rifle that was slung on his back and pulled his pistol from its holster and dropped that to. Once he did he put up his hands like he was going to fight the big man. The big man smiled and dropped Isabella like a sack of potatoes then engaged Frank in a brawl.

Truly for the first time in her life Isabella thought she was going to die. She tried to fight, but the man holding her down was just too strong. She couldn't hide the look of terror in her eyes as the saw the knife tip draw closer to her eye. She thought about not being able to see her parents again...not being able to see her brother again...of not being able to see Noah again. She would never be able to get married or have children and watch them grow up. She didn't know where Renee or Alonzo were at this point, but she knew she had failed them. They had trusted her and she hadn't been able to keep them safe. She wished she could tell them that she was sorry.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a gunshot and before she realized what was happening Alexander was thrown backwards. As she looked back she could see where the bullet had gone through the wall. It was a large caliber round and she could already see that Alexander was dead. She moved to try and get off the table but before she could the large man grabbed her and yanked her off the table and shoved her in front of him as a shield. She felt his hand on her neck and he began to constrict her airway. She feared he was going to break her neck. She looked up to see Frank Castle standing there and she could see in his eyes that he was truly concerned for her safety. He actually dropped his rifle and pistol and then told the man that he would fight him for her. The large man dropped her onto the ground and then lunged towards Frank. Isabella moved out of the way as the fight began. She saw the rifle on the ground and she knew what she needed to do. She picked it up and took aim. She didn't want to hit Frank and so she knew she would need to wait for the right moment. She was patient, but ready to fire. Then, she saw Frank shove the Russian off of him. He was clear of her shot and she took it. She hit the Russian in the chest, straight through the heart.

Frank’s nose was bleeding and he had taken several hard hits from the fight but he was still on his feet. Renee finally staggered out into the hallway and had already told her Micro, his ‘friend’ had already dispatched an ambulance and police.

“Well, I think that’s enough fun for one day,” Frank said as he began to take up his weapons but then noticed that ‘she’ still held his rifle. He paused in collecting his equipment to look at her. “You’re not going to turn me in are you Agent Corsetti,” he asked. He did not put up his hands or even appear as if she had threatened him which up until now she hadn’t.

The reality of everything that had just happened was slowly starting to sink in. Isabella stood there still holding Frank's rifle. She knew that she needed to take him in, but she found that she just...couldn't. She knew the police would be here soon and he needed to leave. She slowly walked over to him and handed him the rifle. She was trembling ever so slightly, though she attempted to remain strong.

"Go."

Frank took the weapon from her but he noticed the small cut near her left eye. He also felt her hand tremble when she handed him the weapon. “You’ll all live and you saved 4 people Agent Corsetti. Any day that you can do that and still come home is a good day,” He said as he lit his cigar. He was still very worried about her, sometimes being in situations like those changed people. And she was one of the good ones. He smiled, waved then moved in a brisk walk down the hall and out of sight.

The police and medics arrived and it appeared that Alonzo was going to be alright. After she was checked out by the medics she was released though both Alonzo and Renee needed more care. Lauren had arrived and spoke with her for a good long time about the incident and she gave her leave to go home and try to get some rest and to write her reports tomorrow. When she tried to argue Lauren just did that thing she does with her finger that would brook no argument.

Frank had picked the lock, relocked her door and prepared her a stiff drink. He cleaned himself up in her kitchen sink as he waited for her and he relaxed on her couch in his black, combat pants, boots and white tank top. He held some ice up to his nose as he kicked back to wait for her.

Isabella watched Frank leave and did not expect to see him again...at least not anytime soon. She was relieved to know that Renee and Alonzo were going to be alright and after she was checked out by the medics she was released. She told Lauren what had happened (leaving out the part about Frank) and was finally convinced by Lauren to go home and get some rest.

She walked down the hallway to her apartment, trying to block out the images of the knife coming towards her eye. As she reached the door she realized her hands were shaking as she tried to put the key in the lock. She finally managed to get the door open and she walked in and closed the door behind her. She re-locked it and started to walk past the kitchen when she saw a glass of bourbon sitting on the counter. She knew that she had not poured it and she immediately looked over towards the living room when she saw movement and was shocked to see Frank Castle there. She just blinked at him.

"W-what are you doing here?"

Frank honestly didn’t know what he was doing in her apartment. He had long since thought that small part of him that held feeling, compassion and kindness had long since been burned from him. What was taken could never be replaced and the only thing that gave him hope and comfort was the thought of vengeance. True and just and without mercy. He shifted and picked up the glass he poured for her.

“I don’t know why I’m here to be honest. But we won't know if they’ve identified you until they either don’t come or do. If they have it wouldn’t matter to them who you were,” he said. His face had a large bruise forming on it as well as the bruises, cuts and abrasions that were on his shoulders and arms. He extended the glass out to her as she set her things on the table. He saw her hesitation and he frowned. “Do you really think I mean you any harm Isabella?” he said as he looked at her.

Isabella looked at Frank. She could see the cuts and bruises on his arms, shoulders, and what parts of his chest she could see. When he asked her if she thought he meant her any harm she looked up into his eyes for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "No, I don't," she responded as she took the glass from him. She took a sip of the bourbon and let the liquid warm her mouth and throat. She hoped it would start to relax her. Her muscles all felt tense and she could feel herself pushing down all the emotions that threatened to burst out from everything that had occurred tonight.

She put the glass down and then looked at him again. "I...I have something for those cuts." She disappeared into her bathroom and then returned with a First Aid kit. She opened it up and took out a tube of antibacterial ointment. She had him sit down on the couch and she sat down next to him. She put a little on her fingers and then began to gently rub it into the various cuts he had. Her fingers were soft, but Frank would be able to feel her trembling slightly as she applied the cream.

Frank needed the confidence of this woman. He did not like the thought of using her but he knew that there was a good chance that her office could lead him to those ‘fat cats’ who thought that they could get away with anything. Normally he would have planted a bug but with cell phones he’d need to get her password to unlock her phone in order for Micro to be able to listen in on it. He was content on letting her do what she needed to do for him. Possibly out of some misguided need to repay him for saving her life. And she was beautiful, any as disheveled as he, himself must be.

He felt her hands tremble as she rubbed the ointment into his wounds and he watched her face and saw that she was withdrawing more and more inward. He knew from experience that bottling up his emotions only made him crazy and so he did the only thing he felt he could do, help her unleash them. Gently he reached up and took her hand into his. She had been rubbing the ointment into the same spot for too long anyway as if the act of doing it was no longer even on her mind. “It’s alright to feel fear Isabella,” he said softly. Well plainly as well as soft. There was nothing truly soft about Frank Castle though he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb right then as he looked into her eyes.