In New Orleans, the deadliest assassins in the world stay in their tracks, frozen in shock. Belladonna Boudreaux looks so scared it’s like she is about to wet herself, Kaine observes. The Red Death, she murmurs.
Kaine and Wolverine find themselves bound by wispy tendrils originating from the woman they are all frightened of – a not-completely restored Candra (or half-naked zombie lady, as Kaine calls her).
She addresses the Assassins Guild, announcing she has returned and will teach them how to kill. Thought she got put to the ground, Wolverine remarks. She laughs, calling him a silly man. An External lives forever! The X-Men destroyed her body. But not her psyche… not her powers. In time, thanks to her sisters, she learned to take strength from death, enough to slowly pull the pieces of her body back together. A process hastened by tributes from the Assassins Guild.
She senses both men have been touched by death but escaped it. Today they shall know its permanent embrace, she promises. Their essences will be enough to return her to full glory!
This sounds more like a ‘mutants only’ thing, Kaine interrupts. So if she wants to let them go, she can eat Wolverine. Them? she asks dumbfounded. Him and his little friend, he replies and a spider settles down and crawls on her face.
Using her distraction, Kaine blinds her with web-fluid and Wolverine attacks, planning to kill her again. She blasts him away.
Belladonna orders the assassins to kill the two men, meaning Wolverine has to fight them instead. Belladonna blasts Kaine and promises he will die for this. For daring to take care of her problem? he retorts and accuses her of having the Guild work for an addict. If they kill Candra now, Belladonna gets out from under her thumb and can go back to killing people on her own terms. Clearly not convinced, Belladonna fires at him again.
Candra finally tears off the webbing and furiously attacks Kaine, ignoring her own people. She promises him a slow death. Nope, Wolverine remarks behind her and slashes her.
Candra starts taking the lives of her own followers to regain strength. Kaine considers whether he should just leave Wolverine to handle this on his own.
Her people ask Belladonna whether they should fight or run but she is at a loss for words. Kaine tells them they can’t run. Candra knows them all. They have to do something about her now or she will track them down. Several other assassins follow the charge led by Wolverine and Kaine. On the bright side, he won’t be lonely in hell, Kaine figures.
They are all going to die! Candra rants. Keeping back a bit, Kaine notes it isn’t going well. He sees a small chance but is then blasted by Belladonna who accuses him of having ruined everything. She figures if she kills him the Red Death will—
The small girl, Flower, takes her out and orders Kaine to fix things.
Wolverine and Candra are battling each other. Kaine fires a stinger at the back of her head, killing her.
No, Belladonna cries and rants the Red Death cannot be destroyed. She will come back and her fury will be righteous and absolute! She orders her assassins to pray she will forgive them. Their only chance is to kill these defilers.
The assassins surround Kaine and Logan. He up for this? Wolverine asks. Not really, Kaine admits. Suddenly, a man shouts ‘stop.’ Belladonna identifies him as the Arranger. He announces the Assassins Guild is now under the control of Mr. Wilson Fisk and action against these two men is not sanctioned at this time.
He can’t do this, Belladonna protests. He assures her, as the Kingpin’s Arranger, he very much can. Their assets are already under Mr. Fisk’s control and she is in no position to oppose him.
She threatens his life. He tells her he finds that regrettable but it would change nothing. In this matter, Mr. Fisk has the upper hand. Several of Fisk’s people threaten the assassins with weapons.
Wolverine growls he hopes Kaine has a second wind. Kaine tells him not to worry. He called them. Fisk owed Kaine a favor and he called it in. He met with him while he was in New York and cut a deal. In exchange for cancelling all his debts with the Guild, Kaine would make it easier for Fisk to acquire it.
Wolverine hits him and calls him an idiot. Does he know what he has done? Kaine admits to having some idea.
On their way back, Wolverine talks to Beast, who is happy to get rid of Aracely as she is driving him nuts. Kid sounds like a real headache, Logan tells Kaine, but that’s nothing compared to the headache he’s gonna have when doing deals with the devil starts catching up to him.
Kaine doesn’t reply. He believes he did what he had to. He doesn’t care if he’s right. He’s dealt with the devil before. He’s been the devil before. And if anyone else wants a piece of him, they can get in line.
