Simple Unicycle

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

T H E Q U E S T I O N
T H E Q U E S T I O N

I S S U E # 6
I S S U E # 6

D A N N Y B O Y
D A N N Y B O Y

The mayor's mansion is silent this late into the night. An old man is in a room on the ground floor, sitting at a mahogany desk and writing away, occasionally gazing out the window into the rainy night while listening to the crackle of the fireplace. It was typical for him to be awake until almost the early morning, writing a sermon about the fires of Hell or plotting the next heinous deed his associates would enact. He's the Reverend, head of the Gospel of Sinners and the most powerful man in Hub City. And I'm looming in the shadows behind him, watching and waiting.

After getting out of the Lemire Avenue Apartments I gunned it straight for the mayor's mansion. I was covered in bruises, my suit torn and tattered and dirty, but I needed to do this. It was easy enough to break into the mayor's; climb the fence with my grappling gun, take out a few patrolling cops, then slip in through the door to the cellar. After that, it was just a matter of finding out where the Reverend was. I caught one of his thugs heading to the bathroom and began breaking fingers, starting with the pinkie. He caved after the ring finger. "T-the Reverend is in his study! Down the hall!" One knock to the head and he was out like a light.

The door was open and I slipped in near silently. I'm here now, watching and waiting from the shadows, pondering what to do. Am I going to kill him? Maybe. The Man wants it to be done, wants to wring the life out of him. The Butterfly wants answers, wants to know who this man is, why he's been terrorizing Hub City for decades. Spreading drugs through the city, rigging elections to put his men in public office, aggressively shutting down businesses that refused to cooperate. The Butterfly wants- no, needs to know.

"Oh Danny boy..."

The Reverend perks up slightly.

"The pipes, the pipes are calling..."

He begins looking around the room. He doesn't see me in the shadows just beyond the light.

"From glen to glen..."

He looks over to the television by the bed, turned off.

"And down the mountain side..."

"Who is that?"

"The summer's gone..."

He stands from his desk, looking around the room. "Who's there?"

"And all the roses falling..."

I emerge from the shadows and he stumbles away from me with a gasp, falling to the floor in the process.

"Now you must go... Away... And I must bide..."

The Reverend looks up at me with terror in his eyes. The kingpin of the underworld, reduced to nothing but an old man cowering in fear. "You... You are dead..."

"Am I? Then what does that make you?" I lean down, closer to him. He's frozen in place, staring at me with awe. "Dreaming, perhaps?"

"What do you want?"

"I want you, Reverend..." I grab him by the arm and pull him to his feet. "I want you to pray."

Will I kill him? His life is worth nothing but the sins he carries out. The Man is screaming for retribution, to end his life. The Butterfly tries to see the value in him, tries to say that every life is sacred, but it withers away at the almost demonic energy the man carries in the very fiber of his being. This man is demented. He's led to the deaths of countless others.

But could I kill him?

I'm about to answer that question when I hear the door opening behind me.

"Hatch, what's with all the noi-"

I drop the Reverend and twist around at the voice and see her.

Myra.

... She cut her hair.

"Who are you? What are you- where's your face?"

I'm about to answer when I hear the sound of metal scraping against brick. I twist back around to the Reverend just in time to bring up an arm and block a red hot fire poker that would've smashed right into my head. I can feel the blisters already forming as I kick him in the chest, sending him stumbling into the fire place. He shouts in pain and jumps back to his feet but it's too late; his coat's on fire.

He tries to pat it away but the fire just spreads to his sleeve. He panics, looking for something, anything to douse the flames, and after finding nothing he runs straight to the window and leaps out into the rain. As the glass shatters I hear a loud, screeching beeeeeeeeep coming from an alarm on the wall and more coming from down the hall. Shit. I'm gonna have to follow Hatch out that window before every cop on the property comes running.

I'm about to start running when I feel a hand gripping my forearm. I twist my head around and see Myra tugging at me. "Hey, faceless guy. Come with me." She leads me out of the room and down the hall, back to the door I came in from. As she shuts the door, I can hear the sound of running boots and clamoring voices from down the hall where we just were.

"Why are you helping me?" I ask. Myra didn't have any reason to help someone that had just broken into her family's home, it didn't make sense.

"Because you can help me," she says, leading me down the stairs and into the cellar.

"Help you do what?"

"I overheard a conversation between Hatch and my brother... I..." She takes in a deep breath before she continues. "Hatch moved in a month ago. My brother, Wesley... He's working with him. I... I didn't want to believe it. Wesley said that Hatch is threatening him, that Hatch would have my daughter killed if he doesn't work with him."

The Man wants to snort a resentful chuckle at the idea of Wesley Fermin only working with Hatch to defend his sister's daughter. The Butterfly processes what she said. Daughter.

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes. She lives at St. Catherine's Home For Orphaned Children. Wesley had me give her up for adoption, said that if anyone found out about her it would ruin his chances to become mayor."

I want to pry, find out more about this daughter of Myra's I had never heard of, but now isn't the time. "The conversation you overheard. What was it about?"

"Hatch wants to get William Spencer out of the picture."

"Spencer? The superintendent for the Hub City Unit School District?"

Myra looks up at me, widening her eyes slightly in amazement. "You know who he is?"

I nod. "Why do they want to get rid of Spencer?"

"Spencer's been trying to launch a political career. He wants to challenge Wesley in the next election. Hatch doesn't want that."

"What are they planning to do?"

"They're going to rig a school bus to explode."

"What? When?"

"Today."

I look down at my watch. 5:09 AM. The school buses would be departing in just under an hour.

"Thanks for the help."

"Don't mention it. Now get out of here and save those kids."

I climb out of the cellar and start sprinting back to my car, hidden in the woods past the fence. I fire my grappling gun at the fence and zip up and over it, landing on two feet and continuing to sprint to my car. I hop in and start it up, pulling out of the woods and back onto the road like a bat out of hell.

This night was turning out to just be one long day. Haven't slept since about this time yesterday. And I won't get any more sleep for the rest of my life if I don't get to the bus depot in the next forty-seven minutes. I slam my foot even harder onto the gas pedal.

I'm not letting any kids die today.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

@webboysurf@Simple Unicycle

I would be down to have Deadpool interact with either Daredevil or Punisher. If you guys are up for it of course.

@Eviledd1984

I would love to have Punisher shoot Wade in the face.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

T H E P U N I S H E R
T H E P U N I S H E R

I S S U E # 4
I S S U E # 4

R O O M S E R V I C E
R O O M S E R V I C E

Dave and I had spent the rest of last night poring over all the files the NYPD had on the Saint family: known members, safehouses that had been raided, any businesses owned by the organization. We were hoping to find out who had pulled the hit on my family but our efforts seemed fruitless. Then, after two hours of scrolling, we found a place: the Royal Palace, a hotel in lower Manhattan owned by Howard Saint. Reading the name of the place made me remember something I heard as I laid bleeding out on my kitchen floor...

"Get me a room at the Palace."

I had Dave hack his way into the Royal Palace's guest list and cross reference that list with the list of known and suspected members of the Saint family. Finally, we got a hit: Timothy De Luca, a hitman who was linked to the murders of several cops and journalists, staying in room 417. It only took one look at his mugshot for me to confirm it was him.

That was how I found myself strolling through the front door of the Royal Palace Hotel just after midnight, walking past the receptionist, who didn't even look up from her phone, and into the elevator. I hit the button for the fourth floor and pull out my pistol as the elevator closes, checking to make sure it's fully loaded. The door opens with a ding and I step out into the hall. Not a soul in sight. I walk down the hall, checking the room numbers as I go.

Room 417.

I knock on the door.

Silence.

I bang on the door.

"Who the hell is it?"

Same voice. It's him.

"Room service."

"What? I didn't order any room service."

"Compliments of Mr. and Mrs. Castle."

"... Castle?" I kick the door open and aim my pistol at De Luca's head. "Oh fu-" The gunshot echoes throughout the entire building. His brains splatter against the window and his body slumps to the floor. I take in a shuddering breath, then turn away and walk back to the elevator. I hit the button for the ground floor and the door slides shut.

This should be where I stop. The man who killed my family is dead. I've avenged them, haven't I? There's no reason to go gunning for the Saints anymore. In fact, there's no reason for me to keep going at all. I look down at the pistol in my hand, thinking about how easily I could stick it under my chin and end it all. Finish what Howard Saint started. Reunite with my family.

But I can hear a voice howling my name. Screaming that it isn't over yet, that it will never be over. I can't back out of this. The police will review the camera footage, see me gun down De Luca, and launch a manhunt for me. I had already left behind my family's apartment in anticipation of this. No. There is no going back. Frank Castle is dead and something terrible has taken his place.

The elevator opens with a ding and I look out into the lobby to see the receptionist cowering behind her desk. I stop in front of it on my out and she looks up at me with terror in her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Cops on their way?"

She doesn't respond.

"Tell me. Now."

She nods rapidly, shivering in fear.

"Good. Tell them that The Punisher did what they couldn't."

I stalk out of the lobby and onto the streets, getting in my car and driving off into the night.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

Not gonna lie....The idea of The Punisher and Squirrel Girl interacting makes me giggle like a school girl at the absurdity of that.

In other words, I'd love for this to happen! (Got a little more solo Squirrel Girl stuff I wanna write first, admittedly, but that'll handle itself lol)

@Mintz

She'd probably try to talk Punisher out of shooting some schmuck and he wouldn't do it just because he doesn't want to traumatize a teenager by blowing a guy's brains out right in front of her.

... Then he'd blow the guy's brains out after she's left.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

Hey, we have no quarrel. Us normal people need to stick together.

How do you feel about a heavily armed and armoured suit?

@Lord Wraith

Okay, for that Frank would probably look the other way.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

How much will it cost to put a hit on the iron dick?

@Sep

He'd do it for free.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

I cannot.

Edit: Well, okay, I can promise he won't murder them, but I can't promise he won't try.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

Since the topic of interaction has come up, just wanted to say that once I wrap up these initial arcs with Q and Punisher (should only take another two or three posts per character to finish them up) I plan on opening myself up to crossovers. With Q, I'll have him go to whatever city in his day job writing about some big event, while with Frank I am 100% down to interact with any of the other characters based in NYC.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

T H E Q U E S T I O N
T H E Q U E S T I O N

I S S U E # 5
I S S U E # 5

H O U S E O F B A L L O O N S
H O U S E O F B A L L O O N S

I put my car in park and cut off the engine before stepping out, taking in the sight of the Lemire Avenue Apartments: a four story brick tenement building situated between a drug store and an empty building with a torn and yellowed "FOR LEASE" sign plastered on the window. The facades of all three buildings are lovingly decorated with gang tags and other graffiti.

The place was built in the late 60s, originally meant to house single young professionals with its studio and one bedroom apartments. Then the Gospel of Sinners closed in on the property in the early 80s, purchasing the property and driving the residents out in order to house their members. Ever since, the place has been a safe haven for the Sinners.

And I'm about to march right in through the front door like an idiot.

No. The Man is simple, brutal. He charges headfirst into battle with no thought, no plan of attack. He's just here to crack skulls. The Butterfly is here to get answers. It thinks of how to approach the problem. And the problem is that if they were to walk right in, they'd get killed. So instead, it will find an alternate entrance.

Walking around the corner of the building, I find that entrance: a fire escape in the alleyway. I could kick off the wall and pull the ladder dow-wait. The grappling gun. I almost forgot about it. Taking it out, I take aim and fire at the railing, the cord shooting out and the hook latching onto the railing. I retract the cord and zip up into the air, landing on the platform. I tuck the grappling gun back into my coat and step over to the window, finding it unlocked. It barely budges when I try to push it open, but with a bit of elbow grease I force it open and slip inside.

The apartment I've entered is barren save for a dirty mattress on the floor and a pile of used needles next to it. I can hear music cranked so loud that the bass is shaking the walls, even though it sounds like it's coming from several rooms away. No one in this room, so I head to the door and open it slowly. The hallway is empty. Small blessings. I walk past a few doors, the music getting louder and louder as I approach the end of the hall. Apartment 210. There's got to be someone in there.

I'm gonna kick the door down, charge in and-

No.

I knock.

After a few moments the door opens and I throw my fist into a man's face. He stumbles back and trips onto a glass table, shattering it and sending a cloud of white powder into the air. I step into the room and take it in as quickly as I can: two men sitting on a couch, their heads snapping in my direction. A third standing by a large speaker, eyes wide. The fourth and last one is writhing in pain on top of the shattered table.

I slam the door shut behind me and lock it, still facing the men. "Where's Mulligan?" I ask.

The two guys spring up from the couch and charge straight at me. I duck into a crouch and deliver a sweeping kick, knocking them to the ground. I stand and kick one in the crotch while he's down, then pick up the other one by the collar. I slam a palm into his nose as I let go of my grip on his shirt and he slams his head on the ground. Blood streams out of his nose and he blinks rapidly in a daze.

The third man screams in a battle cry as he rushes to meet me. I duck under a wild haymaker and slam a palm into his gut before sending the palm up into his chin, his head snapping back. I throw a flurry of punches, onetwothreefourfive into his ribs before finishing off with a one inch punch straight to the sternum. He struggles to keep to his feet and I send him to the floor with a high kick straight to the face.

I take a moment to catch my brea

Arms wrap around my neck. Shit, I forgot about the guy on the floor! I try to elbow my attacker off but he stays firm and squeezes my neck as tight as he can. I find myself struggling to breathe, my elbow jabs to his gut growing weaker and weaker. I throw myself back and slam him into a wall, his grip loosening enough that I can slip out of it and twist around with a punch to the side of his head. He's sent reeling and I slam my fist into his head once, twice, three times. A tooth goes flying out of his mouth with the fourth punch and he collapses.

I walk over to the first guy, the one who's still laying on the shards of glass and groaning in pain. I take in his features: a face like a bulldog, a red mullet... Wait. He's one of the guys from the docks that beat me to near death. Is this Jake Mulligan?

I grab his shoulders and pull him up. "Jake. Long time no see."

"You're supposed to be fucking dead... We killed you!"

"Not well enough. Now let me ask you a question. Where can I find the Reverend?"

"You think I'd tell you, you faceless fuck?"

"No. I don't think you will..." An idea strikes me. "Question: how did I lose my face?"

"What?"

"Answer: a freak chemical accident. A cloud of acidic gas that caused my flesh to melt over my features." I lower a hand to my belt buckle and press one of the tiny buttons on it before bringing it back up to Mulligan's shoulder. Slowly, a thick yellow gas begins to emit from one of the cartridges hidden within. There were three types of the gas: the bonding gas, the removal gas, and one without either component that Tot developed for me specifically for a situation like this that required some fear.

"W-what the fuck!? NO!" Mulligan is squirming in my grasp, trying to escape as the gas slowly creeps up to his shoulders.

"Trust me, you'll look better without that ugly mug."

"OH GOD DON'T PLEASE!"

Tears stream down Mulligan's face. I can pick up the scent of urine too. "Where is the Reverend?"

"THE MAYOR'S PLACE! HE'S STAYING THERE!"

I perk up a bit at that. "Is that so? Are you lying to me, Jake?" The gas is up to his neck now.

"NO! LET ME GO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LET ME GO!"

"Fine." I shove him away from the gas and he stumbles backwards, falling on his ass and slumping against the wall. I kick him in the face and it's lights out.

Looks like I'm going to make one more stop tonight. The mayor's mansion is on the outskirts of the city limits, kept under guard by the police. The Reverend would be there, if Jake wasn't lying to me. But I trust his word. Whatever loyalty he has to the Reverend wasn't enough for him to keep his mouth shut when faced with losing, well, his face.

I open the door of the apartment and see a crowd of about a dozen men, all lined up and waiting for me with bats and pipes and crowbars.

"Aw shit..."

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

Out of curiosity (and boredom), I tallied up which concepts on the roster belong to DC or Marvel. Found that we're slightly lopsided on the Marvel end.

DC
11

Amalgam
1 (Hex Rider my beloved)

Marvel
16

Does anyone care? No. But I thought it was kinda interesting.