THE STREETS - THE PAST

Distant siren wailing

JACK MURDOCK: Move please. Matty. Get out of my way! Get out of my way!

MAN 1: Don't move. Help is coming, kid.

JACK MURDOCK: That's my boy. That's my boy. Matty! Matty!

MATT MURDOCK: Dad.

JACK MURDOCK: Matty! Matty! Don't, don't move, okay? No, no, no! Just Don't move. Somebody get us some help!

MATT MURDOCK: Dad, what happened?

JACK MURDOCK: Matty, it's gonna be all right. Just don't move. Don't move, okay?

MATT MURDOCK: What happened?

MAN 1: Take it easy.

MAN 2: Your boy He pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.

MATT MURDOCK: (Coughing) Oh, Dad! Oh, it burns!
JACK MURDOCK: Oh, Jesus! Close your eyes, Matty.

MATT MURDOCK: Dad!

JACK MURDOCK: Close your eyes.

MATT MURDOCK: Dad! Dad!

JACK MURDOCK: Close your eyes.

MATT MURDOCK: Dad. Dad. Dad. (Stuttering) I can't see. I can't see. I can't see! I can't see! (Sirens approaching) I can't see! I can't see!

CONFESSIONAL BOOTH - NOW

MATT MURDOCK: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been, It's been too long since my last confession. My dad, he used to come to this church back when I was a kid. He was a fighter. Old school. Boxer. Lost more than he won. Had a 24-31 record before he, uh But he could take a punch. Jesus, he could take a punch.

FATHER LANTOM: Language.

MATT MURDOCK: Sorry, Father. Yeah, guys he went up against used to say it was like hitting oak. And nights when he was outmatched, my dad's strategy was to let 'em hit him till they broke their hands. (Chuckles) He never got knocked out, my dad. Knocked down, sure. But he always got back up. He was always on his feet when he lost. Every now and then, though, every now and then, he'd get hit and something inside of him would snap. My grandmother, she was the real Catholic. Fear of God ran deep. You'd have liked her. She used to say, "Be careful of the Murdock boys. They got the devil in 'em." (Chuckles) And you'd see it sometimes in the ring. His eyes would go dead and he'd start walking forward real slow hands at his sides, like he wasn't afraid of anything. (Sighs) And the other guy, he'd see that look, and he'd try to get away from him. Nah. My dad, he'd catch him and trap him in the corner. Let the devil out. Yeah. Now, I didn't understand it, you know? What he was feeling deep inside, I didn't understand it. Not back then.

FATHER LANTOM: But you understand it now? Perhaps this would be easier if you tell me what you've done.

MATT MURDOCK: I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father. I'm asking forgiveness for what I'm about to do.

FATHER LANTOM: That's not how this works. What exactly are you going to do?
THE DOCKS

Russians are dragging girls into a container

GIRLS: Help! Help! Help me! Help! Help me! (Girls screaming)

TURK BARRETT: Hey! Hey! Man, shut up. I'm getting $1,000 a head for y'all. So, you be quiet I let you have a bucket.
You don't - (Crackling)

Girls screaming

RUSSIAN MAN (speaking Russian): No!

GIRL (sobbing): No. Please, no.

TURK BARRETT: Scream all you want. Come on, let me hear you scream. Scream loud.

GIRL: It's okay.

TURK BARRETT: Nobody gives a shit down here. (Laughing)

Matt Murdock appears on top of a container dressed in a ninja suit. Jumps down. Fights Turk and the Russians. They're knocked down. Turk pull out a gun while on the ground. Matt escapes between the containers. Turk looks around. He hears sounds and blindly shoots. Matt appears and throws a stick, knocking down Turk. Picks it up and throws it at a guy sitting in a chair. The man falls into the water. Matt approaches the girls in the container.


MATT MURDOCK: Head towards 48th. Stay in the lights. Flag down the first officer you see.
The girls only look at him frightened

MATT MURDOCK: Now!

The girls scream and run away

Matt hears Turk cock his gun. He does a flip and gets on top of Turk, proceding to repeatedly punch him in the face.


TITLE SEQUENCE

Matt laying in his bed.


AUTOMATED FEMALE VOICE: Foggy, Foggy, Foggy.

MATT MURDOCK: Yeah, yeah.

AUTOMATED FEMALE VOICE: Foggy.

MATT MURDOCK: Hello.

FOGGY NELSON: Good morning, sunshine!

MATT MURDOCK: What time is it?

FOGGY: Half past get the hell up. Let's go. We gotta meet - the real estate agent in 45.

Matt groans

FOGGY NELSON: What was that? Was that a moan? Do you have somebody in bed with you? (Matt groans) The paralegal? Is it the para over at Never mind, I don't wanna hear about it. No, I do wanna hear about it! What was she like?

MATT MURDOCK: (Exhales sharply) Violent.

FOGGY NELSON: I gotta get the blind thing going. It's so unfair. Oh, hey! Real estate agent, not your type. Very homely. Might be genetic. No need to be charming. And she kinda told me she thinks blind people are "God's mistake.

MATT MURDOCK: That's a horrible thing to say, Foggy.

FOGGY NELSON: I know! In this day and age? All right, shake it. I gotta go bribe a cop.

MATT MURDOCK: Ah, Foggy.

FOGGY NELSON: Kidding, NSA, if you're listening. But seriously, yeah, I gotta go bribe a cop.
Officer of the law.

Cop walks up from a subway station. Foggy awaits him.


SGT. BRETT MAHONEY: Defense attorney. We're supposed to be enemies.

FOGGY NELSON: First off, we've been enemies since we were four, Brett, so let's not blame it on career choices. Secondly, I'm not a particularly good defense attorney, so helping me is like helping yourself. And finally, these are for Bess.

Foggy hands Brett a bag.

SGT. BRETT MAHONEY: Please stop giving my mom cigars, Foggy.

FOGGY: What? She'll outlive us all. Look, I'm not asking you to do anything immoral. Just give me a heads up if something, you know, interesting walks through the door. You're right. It ain't the careers.

FOGGY NELSON: Thanks, buddy!

Brett walks away. Foggy walks in the opposite direction

OFFICE

SUSAN HARRIS: (Sighs deeply) You've got a reception area, a conference room and two offices.Corner suite has a view of the Hudson. You can flip a coin with your partner for it.

MATT MURDOCK: Uh, he can have the view.

SUSAN HARRIS: I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to

MATT MURDOCK: Of course not.

SUSAN HARRIS: (Chuckles) Susan Harris. Midtown Property Solutions.

MATT MURDOCK: Matt Murdock.

Susan Chuckles.

FOGGY NELSON: She just curtsied. It was adorable.

MATT MURDOCK: Well, it's nice to know chivalry isn't dead. Susan, would you mind walking me around the space?

SUSAN HARRIS: Of course. My pleasure. As I was telling your associate, this office was barely touched by the incident, which is why it's on the market already. The neighbors weren't so lucky.

MATT MURDOCK: "The incident"? Is that what we're calling it now?

SUSAN HARRIS: Well, it sounds so much better than "death and destruction raining from the sky, nearly wiping Hell's Kitchen off the map.

MATT MURDOCK: Shorter, too.

FOGGY NELSON: Owner figuring in the delightful view of cranes and scaffolding? Feels like we're getting pre-incident prices.

SUSAN HARRIS: They're a quarter of what they used to be. Hell's Kitchen's on the rebound, Mr.Nelson, and in 18 months, you won't be able to rent a broom closet at this price point.

MATT MURDOCK: We'll take it.

FOGGY NELSON: (Chuckling) We will talk about it. Because we're not sure we can afford even this palace, unless we make some changes to our current clientele policies.

MATT MURDOCK: My partner and I are having some disagreements over the direction of Nelson and Murdock. I believe we're here to defend the innocent.

FOGGY NELSON: And I believe the innocent includes everyone not yet convicted of a crime. You know, as the law states.

MATT MURDOCK: He tends to use fancy terminology.

FOGGY NELSON: And my partner fails to recognize that, as defense attorneys, we're never gonna be able to keep the lights on, waiting on a horde of innocent souls to stumble into our loving arms.

MATT MURDOCK: At this point, I'd settle for just one.

AN APARTMENT

Girl on her knees with a bloody knife in her hand. We see a dead body in front of her. Cops kick down her door.

COP: Drop the knife!

KAREN PAGE: No, no, I didn't

COP: Drop it!

KAREN PAGE: I didn't do this! I didn't I didn't do this!

COP: Get on the ground!

KAREN PAGE: I didn't do this!

COP: Now!

KAREN PAGE: Oh, God! (Sobbing) Oh, God! (Sobbing) No, I didn't do this. Oh, God! I didn't do this! Oh, no! I didn't do this!

OFFICE

Cell phone ringing.

FOGGY NELSON: (Chuckles) - Hey, buddy.

SGT. BRETT MAHONEY: Homicide. Female suspect found at the scene. Definitely qualifies as interesting.

FOGGY NELSON: She's been charged yet?

SGT. BRETT MAHONEY: Assistant DA hasn't made the call yet.

FOGGY: Do you have a name on the suspect?

SGT. BRETT MAHONEY: Yeah. Page. Karen Page.

INTERROGATION ROOM

Karen sits at the desk. Door opening.

FOGGY NELSON: Okay, can we please take the handcuffs off the 110-pound woman?

DETECTIVE BLAKE: Miss Page, can you tell me who these men are?

MATT MURDOCK: We're her lawyers. Uncuff our client and give us the room, please.

Detective Blake uncuffs Karen

MATT MURDOCK: Thank you, Detective.

Detectives leave the room. Door lock buzzes.

MATT MURDOCK: Miss Page, my name is Matt Murdock. This is my associate, Foggy Nelson. Do you mind if we sit down?

FOGGY NELSON: She gave a vague shrug. I say we go with it.

MATT MURDOCK: We understand you're in some trouble. We, uh, may be able to help.

FOGGY NELSON: Can you tell us what happened? Why don't we start with what we know, then? (Sighs) You were found in your apartment with one Daniel Fisher.

MATT MURDOCK: Who appears to be the victim of a homicide, and currently, you're the only suspect, Miss Page.

KAREN PAGE: Who the hell are you guys?

MATT MURDOCK: I'm Matt. He's Foggy.

KAREN PAGE: Who sent you?

MATT MURDOCK: No one sent us.

KAREN PAGE: So, what? You're just a couple of Good Samaritans? Today's just my lucky day?

FOGGY NELSON: I bribed the desk sergeant with a box of cigars for his mom.

MATT MURDOCK: Our practice is relatively young, Miss Page, and we are aggressively pursuing new clientele. You gotta stop giving Bess cigars.

FOGGY NELSON: She likes to smoke, Matt. It's a free country.

KAREN PAGE: So how long have you been practicing law?

MATT MURDOCK: What time is it?

Foggy checks his watch.

Foggy NELSON: It's 12:22 AM.

MATT MURDOCK: About seven hours.

FOGGY NELSON: (Scoffs) Well, if you go from when we passed the bar.

MATT MURDOCK: I was going from when we got our own desks.

FOGGY NELSON: Oh, then, yeah. Seven hours.

KAREN PAGE: You've never done this before?

MATT MURDOCK: If you were to hire us, then, yes, you would be our first client.

FOGG NELSON: Technically. Yeah.

KAREN PAGE: Well, I don't I don't have any money.

FOGGY NELSON: Well, it was lovely to meet you, Miss Page.

MATT MURDOCK: (clearing throat) You don't have any money and we don't have any clients. Maybe we can help each other. Tell me, how did you know Mr. Fisher?

KAREN PAGE: We worked together.

FOGGY NELSON: (Sighs) And your place of employment?

KAREN PAGE: Union Allied Construction. I'm a secretary. Daniel worked downstairs in Legal. (Stuttering) I didn't know him very well. But he was always nice, you know? But it's hard to meet people in the city, so I asked him if he would have a drink with me.

MATT MURDOCK: You asked him?

KAREN PAGE: (Voice breaking) Like I said, he was a nice guy. We met at the Three Roads bar, on 49th Street. We had a few drinks, and the next thing that I remember is waking up on the floor of my apartment covered in blood. His blood. No, I'm not stupid.
I know how that sounds. But I am telling you we met at the bar. We had a few drinks. And I don't know what happened after that. It wasn't me. Please. (Heart beating steadily) Please, you have to believe me. (Sniffles) I didn't kill him.

MATT MURDOCK: I believe you, Miss Page.

THE PARK

Mr. Farnum sits on a bench. James Wesley sits next to him.

MR.FARNUM: (Sighs) There's plenty of room over there. Do you mind?

JAMES WESLEY: 28 957.

MR.FARNUM: Tell Rigoletto he'll get his money.

JAMES WESLEY: Mr. Rigoletto has retired. His books have been acquired by my employer.

MR.FARNUM: Ah. Well, you tell him the same thing.

JAMES WESLEY: I'd like to show you something. Do you have a moment?

James turns on his laptop. We see a video of girl sitting on the grass.

JAMES WESLEY: What is it about college girls and Monet T-shirts? Open composition and the spontaneity reflecting this transformative time in their lives, perhaps? Or maybe they just like the color blue. Call her.

Line ringing. The girl picks up her phone.

MR.FARNUM'S DAUGTHER: Hey, Dad, what's up?

MAN: Hi, baby, I'm just checking in. You need anything?

MR.FARNUM'S DAUGTHER: Uh, yeah, I actually have a ton of laundry. I was gonna swing by this weekend and use the machine. And then, maybe we could catch a movie after your shift? Yeah, yeah.

MR.FARNUM: That'd be great. Uh, look Baby, I got I gotta go. I love you, baby.

MR.FARNUM'S DAUGTHER: Love you, too. Bye, Dad.

JAMES WESLEY: Now, you see this man here? If we're being honest with each other, Mr. Farnum, I find his methods unpleasant. But such are the times we live in. Give us a wave, Mr. Rance.

Mr. Rance waves. He sits on a bench nearby Mr.Farnum's daughter.

MR.FARNUM: I told you that I will get you the money.

JAMES WESLEY: Such a small sum is of little interest to my employer. Your position, however, that's something we can work with.

MR.FARNUM (sighs): What do you want me to do?

OFFICE

FOGGY NELSON: I'm friends with Gary Feinstein in the DA's office. I'll give him a call first thing in the morning, see where their heads are at.
I'm guessing they're gonna puff their chests, but they have to know murder two's a risk. We end up at manslaughter, we get the right judge, - maybe she's out in five to 10.

MATT MURDOCK: We're not taking a deal.

FOGGY NELSON: No, this is why they have deals, Matt. So the straightforward cases don't waste everybody's time.

MATT MURDOCK: I don't think she did it.

FOGGY NELSON: She's the sole suspect, found at the scene, covered in blood, with the murder weapon and no defensive wounds. If they offer anything it'll be a gift, and we will take that gift. We do not want this to go to trial.

MATT MURDOCK: They don't want this to go to trial, either. Why hasn't she been charged yet?

FOGGY NELSON: They have 24 hours. And it's the weekend. They're gonna take every last second to collect the evidence before they move.

MATT MURDOCK: They've got the evidence. You just laid it out yourself. This is a good arrest, Foggy. We should already be reading about it in the papers. There's something not right about this case. I can feel it.

FOGGY NELSON: You can feel it? All right, I'm just gonna say this once, and we can move on. You don't necessarily show the best judgment when beautiful women are involved, Matt.

MATT MURDOCK: How would I even know if she's a beautiful woman?

FOGGY NELSON: I don't know. It's kinda spooky, actually. But if there's a stunning woman with questionable character in the room, Matt Murdock's gonna find her and Foggy Nelson is gonna suffer.

MATT MURDOCK (chuckling: All right, I don't disagree with anything you're saying.

FOGGY NELSON: Thank you.

MATT MURDOCK: But I need you to back me, anyway.

FOGGY NELSON: (Groans) All right. Fine. Let's start with the obvious, then. If she didn't do it, who did? We're dead in the water if we don't give them an alternative.

MATT MURDOCK: Agreed.

FOGGY NELSON: We need to take another run at our client. She may not be guilty, Matt, but that doesn't mean Miss Page is telling the truth.

JAIL CELL

Karen is laying in her prison bed. A cop covers her mouth and attempts to strangle her. The man is Mr.Farnum.

MR.FARNUM: I'm sorry.

Karen fights back and pokes his eye. She screams for help.

INTERROGATION ROOM

MATT MURDOCK> I'm gonna make this easy, Detectives. Get the ADA in here to release Miss Page and we'll recommend to our charming, media-friendly client that she not plaster the airwaves with how she was nearly killed in your custody.

FOGGY NELSON: And I'll agree not to make cooing noises for the rest of this meeting when I think of the civil suit that we have on our hands.

DETECTIVE BLAKE: How do you know they're not charging her?

MATT MURDOCK: Besides the fact that you were required to do so four hours ago if you were gonna do it at all?

FOGGY NELSON: That's an excellent question. Along with how the security cameras on Miss Page's detention area went on the fritz right before the assault.

MATT MURDOCK: Yeah, we'd like to speak to Mr. Farnum about that, as well as what..

DETECTIVE HOFFMAN: Get in line. He'll be arraigned in the morning.

MATT MURDOCK: Get my client released. Don't make me ask again.
Detective Hoffman whispers to Detective Blake

DETECTIVE BLAKE: I'll call the ADA. But you take that tone with me again, I don't care if you're blind, I'll kick the shit out of you.

FOGGY NELSON: Really? We're going there?

The detectives leave the room.

FOGGY NELSON: (Scoffs) That was pleasant.

MATT MURDOCK: It doesn't make any sense. ADA had everything they needed. Unless they had too much.

FOGGY NELSON: What? What am I missing?

MATT MURDOCK: Maybe someone else was in her apartment that night. Maybe they have evidence.

FOGGY NELSON: That's Brady material. They'd have to turn that over.

MATT MURDOCK: Only if she were charged. She hangs herself in her cell, this all goes away.

FOGGY NELSON: (Exhales sharply) Let's get her some clothes and get the hell out of here.

OFFICE

FOGGY NELSON: Couldn't find any milk. I hope it's okay.

MATT MURDOCK: We have tea now?

FOGGY NELSON: I stole it from the financial office next door.

MATT MURDOCK (Sighs): How are you holding up?

KAREN PAGE: Better. Thanks for getting me out.

FOGGY NELSON: Don't thank us yet. Just because they released you doesn't mean they won't eventually bring charges.

MATT MURDOCK: Which means it's crucial you don't speak to anyone other than the two of us about what happened.

KAREN PAGE: I don't have anyone to talk to, anyway.

MATT MURDOCK: Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?

KATEN PAGE: My apartment's not far.

FOGGY NELSON: You can't go back there.

MATT MURDOCK: Miss Page, our immediate priority is to keep you safe. And in order to do that, we're gonna need to have a frank discussion.

KAREN PAGE: Okay.

MATT MURDOCK: Do you know who's trying to kill you?

KAREN PAGE: No.

MATT MURDOCK: Do you know why they're trying to kill you?

KAREN PAGE: Yes.

Recording machine turns on

KAREN PAGE: I, uh, work Worked in the financial department at Union Allied. They're overseeing the bulk of the government contracts for the West Side reconstruction.

FOGGY NELSON: I've seen their signs all over Hell's Kitchen.

KAREN PAGE: The last two years have transformed the business. There's new owners, new grants, new contracts.

MATT MURDOCK: Yeah, the world watched half of New York get destroyed. That's a lot of sympathy.

KAREN PAGE: And Union Allied benefited from every dollar of it. I was the secretary for the chief accountant. And one of my jobs was to coordinate the pension claims for the company. About a week ago, I was emailed a file called, "Pension Master." It must have been meant for my boss, but I made the mistake of opening it.

MATT MURDOCK: I'm guessing it wasn't the pension fund.

KAREN PAGE: It wasn't the size of the pension fund. I couldn't believe the numbers. But it was still being designated as company pension. And it was constantly adjusted. Money coming in and money going out.

FOGGY NELSON: Going where?

KAREN PAGE: I don't know. It was coded routing numbers, but we are talking a lot of money.

MATT MURDOCK: What did you do with the file?

KAREN PAGE: Well, I told my boss, Mr. McClintock, about it, and he laughed it off. He said that it was a theoretical model that they were screwing around with. I knew something was wrong. I just I thought maybe it was just him, you know? Embezzling or whatever.

MATT MURDOCK: So, how did Daniel Fisher figure into this?

KAREN PAGE: Danny worked in the legal department. And I didn't know him very well. But he was nice, so I asked him to meet me after work. I don't know how they knew. They must have people watching me. They must have people everywhere. All I did was ask him for a drink. And I start to tell him about what I found and things got blurry. Like I was drugged. And the next thing I know, I wake up back in my apartment, covered in blood. They killed him because of me. And he had a family. A little boy. I need to get out of here I'm sorry.

FOGGY NELSON: We can't advise that, Miss Page.

KAREN PAGE: No, you don't understand. Either you're with them or you're not. And if you're with them, then I'm dead already. And if you are not, then I cannot have anybody else die because of me.

MATT MURDOCK: We can protect ourselves, Miss Page.

KAREN PAGE: No, you can't. Not from them.

FOGGY NELSON: Miss Page

KAREN PAGE: No.

FOGGY NELSON: We can't let you go home.

KAREN PAGE: Please, just (Sobbing)

MATT MURDOCK: She can stay with me. Just for tonight, until we figure something out. I'll keep you safe, Karen.

MATT'S APARTMENT

MATT MURDOCK: I don't have much in the way of food, but there's a Thai place on the corner. If we order now, it should get here by the time I make up the bedroom for you.

KAREN PAGE: It's a little dark in here.

MATT MURDOCK: I never uh, light switch is on the wall to your left. So, uh, (sighs) want some food?

KAREN PAGE: Uh, no, I'm not.. Would you have a shirt I could borrow, maybe? This one's a little wet, and I'm a Hellions fan.

MATT MURDOCK: (Chuckles) Then don't tell Foggy. Let me grab something for you.

KAREN PAGE: And, really, I can't put you out of your bedroom. I'll be just fine on the couch.

MATT MURDOCK: From what I understand about my living room, that might not be true.

KAREN PAGE: Holy shit!

MATT MURDOCK: Went up a year ago. I'm told the co-op nearly rioted, some oversight from the developer's agreement. Upside is, nobody wanted it and I got a corner apartment at a hell of a discount.

Matt hands Karen a shirt.

KAREN PAGE: Thanks. Can I ask a personal question?

MATT MURDOCK: I haven't always been blind.

KAREN PAGE: I guess that's what everyone wants to know.

MATT MURDOCK: That or, "How do you comb your hair?"

KAREN PAGE: How do you comb your hair?

MATt MURDOCK: Honestly, you just You hope for the best.

KAREN PAGE: Thank you.

MATT MURDOCK: You wanna sit?

KAREN PAGE: How did it happen?

MATT MURDOCK: Car accident. When I was nine.

KAREN PAGE: Must have been rough.
No.

MATT MURDOCK: I made it through.

KAREN PAGE: Do you remember what it was like To To see?

MATT MURDOCK: I, um.. Yes, I remember.

KAREN PAGE: I can't imagine what that must be like.

MATT MURDOCK: (Chuckles) You know, I'm supposed to say I don't miss it. That's what they teach you in trauma recovery.
Define yourself by what you have, value the differences, make no apologies for what you lack. And it's all true, for the most part but it doesn't change the fact that I I'd give anything to see the sky one more time. Do you mind if I ask you some questions now?

KAREN PAGE: Uh - Go ahead.

MATT MURDOCK: You just nodded, right?

KAREN PAGE (Chuckles): Uh, yeah.

MATT MURDOCK: Okay. Here's what I don't understand. (Clears throat) I'm the man in charge of the pension funds and I find out one of my secretaries has discovered my illicit activity. To make matters worse, she's now telling people about said activity. Which, obviously, I can't have. So I decide to take action. But why don't I kill you?

KAREN PAGE: They tried.

MATT MURDOCK: Yeah, the second time. In the jail. But the first time, they left you alive. Why? What were they trying to do? Frame you? Now, the second time, maybe that's a change of plan. Something doesn't go their way, something sloppy at the crime scene. Two lawyers show up out of the blue before their people can get to you. So they figure, okay, maybe Karen hangs herself in her cell, and this thing gets swept under the rug. But the first time The first time, they're not trying to kill you. They're trying to discredit you. They're trying to scare you. And the only reason that they would do that is if you have something that they want. So, I've been trying to think about what that could be, and the only thing I've come up with (Heart beating) is the Union Allied pension file. Did you keep the file, Karen? (Beating grows faster) No.

KAREN PAGE: No. As soon as I asked my boss about it, he took it away from me. The IT guys, they came and they wiped the computers. Believe me, a part of me wishes I'd made a copy for myself but I guess I'm just not that smart.

MATT MURDOCK: Ah, well, it was just a thought.

UNION ALLIED BUILDING

LELAND OWSLEY: It's freezing this high up. Next time we're meeting at Per Se. I'll domesticate you boys yet.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: This would be a balmy day in Samara, Leland.

LELAND OWSLEY:Yes, it's perfect Chechnyans-kidnap- a-preschool weather, Vladimir. (Sighs) Can you at least pretend to be cold? It's unsettling.

MADAME GAO (Laughing): Speaking Mandarin

LELAND OWSLEY:Anyone here speak Chinese? Nobu?

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: The man is Japanese.

LELAND OWSLEY:I know, I know. I just thought that.. Forget it.

Elevator door opens.

LELAND OWSLEY: Oh, please tell me he's right behind you.

JAMES WESLEY: Unfortunately, my employer is attending to other matters. He apologizes to you in particular, Madame Gao.

Anatoly says something in Russian

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: We do not deal with lap dogs. Tell Mister.

JAMES WESLEY: We don't say his name.

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: Woof, woof.

JAMES WESLEY: He would like to know why you're short on the cargo totals.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: There was a problem on the docks.

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: Barrett and our men were attacked. Some moodak in a black mask.

LELAND OWSLEY (Laughs): And you bought that?

Vladimir says something in Russian

LELAND OWSLEY: Okay, calm down. Fine, we'll go with the man-in-black story.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: Our men would not lie.

LELAND OWSLEY: I said I'm on board. I'm glad to hear there's some new blood running around out there. Heroes and their consequences are why we have our current opportunities. Now can we review the latest numbers and..

JAMES WESLEY: Tell me more about this man.

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: Took Barrett and our guys out while they were loading the container.

Madame Gao speaks in Mandarin

JAMES WESLEY: (Chuckles) She wants to know if this man stole the shipment for himself.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: No. He let the women go.

JAMES WESLEY: He took out your men. How?

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: Caught them by surprise. Beat them. With his bare hands.

JAMES WESLEY: Four men with his bare hands?

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: That is what we were told.

JAMES WESLEY: Perhaps you should have been there yourself.

LELAND OWSLEY: (Scoffs) Again, I have to ask, why do we care? Every time one of these guys punches someone through a building, our margins go up 3%. We should be celebrating.

JAMES WESLEY: This is different. My employer will be displeased we're being inconvenienced by a lone vigilante.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV: Then he should tell me to my face.

JAMES OWSLEY: This is on you. Deal with it. Quietly.

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV: We must be quiet, yes. We would not want another Union Allied situation, would we? Big, loud, lot of questions.

JAMES WESLEY: We're handling it.

VLADIMIR RANSKAHOV:Like you keep saying you're handling Prohaszka?

JAMES WESLEY: We're in the process of negotiating with Mr. Prohaszka.

ANATOLY RANSKAHOV:Negotiating? Maybe we handle our problem same way. Sit down with this man in black, break bread.

LELAND OWSLEY: I think what Anatoly's trying to say is that it would be in our best interests for Union Allied to be tidied up as expeditiously as possible.

JAMES WESLEY: As I said we're handling it.

MATT'S APARTMENT.

Karen leaves Matt's apartment while Matt sleeps on the couch. He wakes up as she closes the door on her way out.

THE STREETS

Karen walks to the other side of the road.

KAREN'S APARTMENT

Karen enters her apartment. She looks at the blood on her floor. She grabs the flash drive she hid in the vent. Mr.Rance was hiding in her apartment comes out and attacks her. She looses the flash drive. He picks it up. He pulls out a knife and walks towards Karen who is sitting on the floor. Matt enters the apartment in his ninja suit and attacks Mr.Rance. They fight. They throw each other out of the window. Matt lays on the ground.

FLASHBACK - MATT IS A KID - IN HIS APARTMENT.

JACK MURDOCK: Get up, Matty. Hey. Let's go, finish up.

MATT MURDOCK: I'm tired, Dad.

JACK MURDOCK: Hey, I don't want you to end up like your old man. I never studied. Look where it got me. Come on, Matty. Get to work.

Jack takes Matt's hand and puts it on his own face for Matt to feel it.

JACK MURDOCK: Come on, Matty. Get to work.

PRESENT DAY - MATT GETS UP FROM THE GROUND.

Mr.Rance walks down a staircase. Him and Matt start fighting. Matt chokes him with chains and falls to the ground. Karen arrives to the scene.

KAREN PAGE: Who? What the hell?

Matt picks up the flash drive.

MATT MURDOCK: I'll get this into the right hands.

KAREN PAGE: No, you can't. You can't take it to the police. You can't trust anyone.

MATT MURDOCK: Then we tell everyone.

POLICE STATION

Matt drops off the man with a package.

IN THE CAR

JAMES WESLEY: DNA evidence will put Rance at the murder scene. B and E gone sideways, his records altered in support. Mr. Farnum's bail has been arranged for through the usual channels. Leland's to cover our exposure on the financials and McClintock takes the fall for Union Allied.

MAN ON PHONE: We can't have McClintock speaking to the authorities.

James Wesley: Pills. He overdosed less than an hour ago. The remaining concerns will be attended to shortly.

MAN ON PHONE: Rance was a professional. How was he subdued?

JAMES WESLEY: I'm looking into it. What about the girl? Should I make the appropriate arrangements for her, along with the others?

MAN ON PHONE: No. Everything she knows is already in the papers. Her lawyers, Nelson and Murdock.

JAMES WESLEY: Ambulance chasers. They're clean.

MAN ON PHONE: Start a file. They may be of use.

JAMES WESLEY: Understood.

OFFICE

KAREN PAGE: Here you go. So I know it's not much in the way of repayment. But it is, um, my grandmother's recipe, and she made me promise only to serve it to my future husband. (Matt chuckles) You know, it's, like, filled with virtue or something.

MATT MURDOCK: I thought I detected a whiff of virtue in there.

FOGGY NELSON: Not that I'm complaining, but you really should be thanking the nut in the mask.

KAREN PAGE: He's not a nut. I mean, he's a little weird, maybe

MATT MURDOCK: We're just glad you're okay.

FOGGY NELSON: Hear, hear!

KAREN PAGE: Well, if it weren't for you two, I'd still be in that cell.

MATT MURDOCK: Job's easy when your client's innocent. All you did was tell the truth.

KAREN PAGE: Yeah, but you listened.

FOGGY NELSON: Oh, and don't get us wrong, we're still gonna bill you. Just as soon as we figure out how to make bills.

KAREN PAGE: I did notice that you could use some help around here. And I owe you. Maybe I could clean the place up a bit.

MATT MURDOCK: Is this place messy?

FOGGY NELSON: Our firm is very prestigious and discerning, Miss Page. Do you have any prior experience hiding electrical cords (chuckling) up in ceiling tiles?

KAREN PAGE: Uh, no, but I'll work for free.

MATT MURDOCK: Yeah, you're hired.

Karen chuckles

FOGGY NELSON: You just got hired!

GYM

MATT MURDOCK: You can leave the lights off.

Matt punches a punching bag

IN A ROOM

Leland transfers money.

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

SOMEWHERE ELSE A GIRL FINDS MR.FARNUM DEAD AND SCREAMS

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

CUT TO PRISON CELL - MR.RANCE IS HANGING.

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

WAREHOUSE

Blind Chinese people are preparing drugs. Madame Gao inspects

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

CUT TO NOBU LOOKING OVER CONSTRUCTION PLANS

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

CUT TO TURK BUYING GUNS

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

CUT TO THE STREETS

A van pulls over next to a car.

MAN: Hey, come on.

The Russian drag out the man in the car and beat him him. His son is in the car watching.

THE KID: Ahh! Daddy! Daddy!

The Russian kidnap the kid and put him in the back of their van

THE KID: Daddy! Help! Daddy!

They drive away with the kid leaving the father on the ground.

CUT BACK TO MATT PUNCHING PUNCHING BAG

CUT TO MATT ON A ROOF IN HIS NINJA SUIT

Matt listens to everything happening in the city. He overhears the kid being kidnapped.

THE END