The Invisible String: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil

14

When Annalise dropped through the roof access door and into the stairwell of the apartment building, she was breathing hard, exhilarated, flushed, maybe even a little proud of herself. She was two floors down from the roof already, grinning to herself. That ladder trick had been pure gold.

Her boots echoed on the concrete steps, and her heart pounded in sync with the rhythm. She reached the hallway, rounded the corner toward the apartment—

And stopped cold.

Matt was already leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. Calm. Composed. 

She froze, mouth open. "No. Absolutely not."

"You pulled the ladder up," he said casually, like they were discussing the weather. "I still beat you."

"How?" she demanded. "You were at least forty seconds behind—"

"Shortcut," Matt said, unlocking the door and pushing it open with the smoothness of someone who had planned this victory.

"What shortcut? You're blind."

He tilted his head, smug. "Exactly. You rely on your eyes."

Annalise stared at him, flabbergasted. "You're the worst."

"You love it."

She shoved him lightly in the shoulder as they stepped inside. 

Foggy was in the living room, crouched over a stack of documents, a half-eaten sandwich in one hand. He looked up, expression shifting when he saw their faces. "Wait, what happened? Where's Karen?"

Matt's smirk dropped.

Annalise closed the door quietly and locked it.

"She's gone," Matt said. "Fisk has her."

Foggy dropped the sandwich. "What?"

Matt paced a slow circle. "We went to the café to check in before she left. Three men showed up. One of them had a phone, showed us a photo of Karen. Tied up. Bruised."

Foggy stood up slowly, the color draining from his face. "Jesus Christ."

"Fisk left a message," Annalise said. Her voice was low, but steady. "Matt turns himself in by sundown... or Karen dies."

Foggy looked between them. "How does Fisk even know where she is? Or what she's doing?"

Matt hesitated, then spoke quietly. "That's not the only thing he knows."

Annalise exhaled sharply through her nose. "He knows me, Foggy."

Silence dropped again, thick and heavy.

Foggy blinked. "Knows you... how?"

"He knew about the orphanage. He called me 'the empath', said I came back to life. He's been watching Matt, digging into his past, everyone he's close to. He found me."

Foggy ran both hands through his hair, stepping away like the weight of it physically pressed him down. "This can't be happening."

"I've kept off the radar," Annalise said, voice tightening. "I've spent years staying low. No paper trail, no heat, no interviews. And somehow, he still found me."

"Because he doesn't need headlines," Matt said. "He just needs one thread. And once he has that..."

"He pulls until everything unravels." Annalise finished.

Foggy slumped onto the arm of the couch, his voice low. "So he has Karen. He knows who Annalise is. And now he's baiting you, Matt."

"Exactly," Matt said. "This isn't about leverage anymore. It's personal."