Marvel's The Punisher

Who is it?

New York Bulletin.

I don't need a subscription.

Come on.

Let's talk about Lewis Wilson.

You offered him a job. That right?

Not the job he wanted.

He came to me looking to get into contracting work. I said no.

I didn't think he could handle it. Mentally.

So I offered to find him something else. As a favor.

Because you had a relationship?

Favor wasn't for Wilson. I didn't even know the kid.

Mmm.

Check our records.

You'll see we very clearly evaluated him as unfit during the hiring process.

I'd say I made the right call, wouldn't you?

That same unfit kid breached your security.

Yeah. Yeah, he did.

And I'll find out how soon enough.

Maybe I can help you with that.

Homicide picked up a dead body. One of yours. Isaac Lange?

Shot dead in his apartment.

I guess Wilson just turned up, took his shit, easy as that, and then...

Sergeant, Senator Ori is alive.

I just lost four guys, and you're implying... what?

Negligence?

Wouldn't be the first time an outfit like yours

got paid for a job it wasn't qualified to handle.

'Cause you guys...

NYPD, you're blameless, right?

I mean, you guys never get shit wrong.

You ever serve, Sergeant?

I wear a shield...

every day.

Well, in the military, we expect to lose people.

Our goal is to achieve the mission. My mission was to keep Ori alive.

He's alive.

Two experienced, well-armed professional soldiers

pulled off a surprise attack and it failed.

Far as I'm concerned, this...

this is a win.

You gotta admit, though, I mean, the coincidence is huge, right?

Wilson was known to you, and you served with Castle for years...

You wanna arrest me for something, go ahead.

Otherwise, we're done here.

I got families to call.

Why don't you talk to the senator?

Ask him what happened.

- I intend to. - Good for you.

When is the last time you talked with Frank Castle?

The last time?

Couple years now.

Up until yesterday, I thought he was dead.

This look like the work of a dead man to you?

No, I wanna do the interview downstairs, somewhere visible.

Let people know I'm not intimidated.

If you weren't intimidated, sir, I wouldn't be here.

By the way, you should be. Makes you smart.

- It doesn't project the right image, Mr. Russo. - I'm not here to protect your image.

I'm here to keep you from getting your ass shot off.

Excuse me.

Russo.

Can you talk?

Uh... yeah. Yeah, hang on.

Heard you got a new client, huh?

Business must be good.

If I believed everything I read, that's all down to you.

Wouldn't put too much faith in that.

Hope you're calling because you're reconsidering my offer.

Still stands.

There's a lot of heat on you, brother. We gotta get you out of this city.

12 hours, I can have you anywhere you wanna be.

Lewis Wilson, he's coming after Ori.

He's got no intentions of letting him make that speech.

Okay.

And how would you know about something like that?

Told me as much.

What is it with you and this kid?

We have unfinished business.

Yeah, well, we know how you feel about that.

Kid's got delusions of grandeur.

You gotta get the senator out of there, but tell no one.

Make sure you keep the appearance that he's still in that hotel suite.

You set the trap, I'll spring it.

You're here.

Frank, this is my work. I can't just...

Listen, tell me where you are.

Meet me. We can do this together.

Look, you just keep your team out of my way.

Miss Page. Billy Russo, Anvil.

- Hi. Hmm. - Pleasure.

I appreciate you doing this.

I know it isn't easy, but if you walk me through the scene, the, uh...

the details, they tend to be clearer.

Yeah, whatever helps most.

Looking at this...

it's a wonder any of us survived.

Those men died saving my life.

Hell of a thing to know, Detective.

All this, uh...

kind of thing, it's new to me.

I'd never even held a gun before today.

Seeing that kind of violence...

up close, being...

part of it...

makes you reassess...

think on what kind of man you are.

Have you ever been shot at?

Yes, I have.

How did it feel?

At the time, uh...

like it was happening to someone else.

Afterwards, that's... It's different.

Seemed so fast.

And now...

now it... it plays like slow motion...

in my head.

The regulations I'm pushing for

aren't about taking certain guns away from all people.

They're about taking all guns away from certain people.

And you really think that's possible?

I have to, Karen.

Karen! We... Move! We have to move!

I'll get help!

That's what he said?

Ori told you that he went for help? Wow.

Well, that is total, unadulterated bullshit.

Straighten me out, then, Karen.

Tell it like you saw it while it's fresh in your mind.

And before I have a chance to, uh, call the office?

What's more important, huh?

Catching the guys who did this,

or your exclusive?

First time I hear your story,

I don't wanna be reading about it on the front page.

Well, the story that you're subscribing to...

that Castle and Wilson worked together, is a complete fiction.

So why does all the evidence says Wilson came up one stairwell

and Castle came up the other at the exact same time?

A classic pincer movement with this room right in the middle.

Jesus, Brett, you worked the Castle case the first time around,

you know the guy.

I am not saying that the stuff that he does is right,

but bombing innocent civilians?

Come on, we both know better than that.

It's funny how you and Castle keep, uh... bumping up together.

Okay. All right, in your opinion, why was he even here?

I think he was looking out for me.

Frank Castle's not a terrorist.

Even your own paper says different.

Look, I was in this room...

and I am telling you, if it were not for Castle,

the senator's brains would be splattered all over this place.

Not what he told me.

Ori is a craven political animal who would say anything to improve his Q-rating.

Believe me, the truth does him no favors.

Shooting a senator over a political opinion...

does that really sound like Frank Castle to you?

Castle is crazy. You tell me why crazy does anything.

Miss Page. Billy Russo, Anvil.

- Hi. - Pleasure.

Anti-gun senator being interviewed

by a journalist with a concealed carry permit.

Life is full of little ironies.

You checked me out.

I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't.

I am expecting my weapon back when this is done.

Well, you can never be too careful, Miss Page.

I'll make sure you get it back as soon as you're downstairs.

Please.

Anti-gun senator choosing a military contractor for his personal security?

That's another of life's little ironies, isn't it?

Can't wait to hear what he has to say about that.

Hopefully he'll say that if you want the best,

Anvil is the only choice.

And if he doesn't, you can quote me on that.

I bet I can. So where'd you get your sales smarts? Wharton?

Afghanistan.

Wharton was my safety school.

Five will get you ten, the senator's using taxpayer money for all of this.

Am I right?

Can I ask, how did it feel...

on the radio, when Lewis Wilson threatened your life?

Both our lives?

Not good.

But that's another degree of living in this city, especially as a woman.

No, look, honestly, I... I can appreciate what you're doing here, but...

rhetoric and real lives, those things are worlds apart.

They don't have to be.

Oh, says the man who in an hour will be downstairs with New York liberals

who paid $10,000 a plate to support his campaign.

Uh, to be clear, not my campaign.

The funds raised are for the families of the victims of the bombings.

Fair enough.

Money that would not need to be made

if there weren't victims of this senseless violence.

Sure, but a gun is just a tool, isn't it, Senator?

That can't be the only place the problem lies.

Couldn't agree more.

But you can't give a six-year-old a chainsaw.