I walked away. I was going to keep walking. My time here, done. Something brought me back. Not fate. My own choice. Mine. The game’s not done. Not yet. And I’ve got time for a little more death. And death is the only fate that matters.
As they continue to battle the Asgardian forces, Bullseye yells to Daken that they’re getting slaughtered. They need to get out of there. After Daken tells him no, Bullseye says to him that this is not worth his life. Kissing a surprised Bullseye on the mouth, Daken tells him that he’s in charge. This is his show and they stay. When Daken releases him, Bullseye looks at him with disgust, wipes off his mouth and orders the H.A.M.M.E.R. troops to pull back, they’re retreating.
Looking up at the Asgardian warriors perched on the wall above them, Daken thinks to himself no they’re not. Noticing a nearby sewer pipe, Daken knows that one person could certainly slip away if this one person went now. Right now, and didn’t look back. Except... he’s never been called a coward. He doesn’t know if he could handle that. All a man has is his pride. All of them looking down on him. The snot-nosed, undie-wetting, bad-tasting weaklings (Bullseye). He doesn’t think so.
Observing Daken engaging the Asgardian forces rather than retreat, the Fates mention that is an unexpected choice. Another replies that his pride will be his downfall and theirs…
Attacking the Asgardian forces, Daken asks them that they call themselves gods? One of the warriors tells him no – they do. Slashing away at the warriors, Daken thinks to himself that they call them god. But not him, not ever. There is no god above him. And below him are only corpses and converts. As Daken battles the warriors, the H.A.M.M.E.R. agents escape into the sewer pipe. While they do, they thank Daken.
Backing into the sewer pipe, Daken dares the warriors to follow him if they dare. Reaching the other side of the wall and the sewer pipe, Bullseye asks Daken what he’s waitin’ for, let’s go. Daken tells him to go on. He needs to savor the moment just a little longer. Perching himself on top of a wall overlooking the Asgardian warriors entering the sewer pipe, Daken sees that they are poor scared babies. Maybe he should put the rest of them down. Leave one alive, like they used to do. One alive, to tell the others about the man who made an army bleed. Him. Godslayer. He likes the sound of… that.
Turning around, Daken sees a gigantic man standing before him carrying two axes. After Daken tells him hello, the large man mentions to him that he had feared the days of great battle had passed, never to return. He had feared being forever unable to enter Valhalla. When Daken asks him if he’s ready for Valhalla, and the man tells him yes, Daken informs him then today is his lucky day. Ducking the large man’s axe blows, Daken stabs him in the stomach. Walking away from him, Daken says he’s a merciful god, within reason of course.
Catching up to the H.A.M.M.E.R. agents and Bullseye, Daken witnesses Bullseye pointing to another grate and saying that’s their ticket out of there. Once they get the bars off, they should be able to follow the tunnel to some safe place out of sight, out of mind. They’ll rest there, wait for reinforcements. Descending upon them, Daken asks what happens if those reinforcements don’t come. If they’re simply forgotten, who will look for them then? Standing between them and the sewer grate, Daken says to Bullseye that he thinks he already knows the answer to that, doesn’t he?
Bullseye tells him whatever you psycho. You don’t scare me. And he’s lucky he’s so forgiving. Daken replies that he was very forgiving when he stuck his tongue down his… Bullseye angrily tells him to shut up. If he wants to play games, do it when they’re not dying. Bullseye adds that reinforcements are coming and they are going to hide until they do. Their unit doesn’t have any fight left in them. They’re exhausted, wounded. Seeing one of the agents crying, Daken says you don’t say. But that doesn’t change the situation. They’re in enemy territory. Outnumbered, and yet they made the other side run scared. They’re still scared and if they don’t act now, they lose that advantage.
Bullseye tells Daken for him to go fight them since he seems to enjoy it so much. He tells him to play hero all he wants but don’t pretend that’s what he is. He just wants more blood. He doesn’t care which side spills it. Daken thinks to himself that’s true but tells Bullseye that’s not true. They have a chance to make a difference. So many sacrifices have been made already, and he wants to stop now? He knows they’re tired. They’re hurting, they’re scared, they think they’re done. He tells them they’re not. Nothing’s been decided. They’ve gone up against gods, monsters, and survived. And now they can do better than that. They can win. The strong determine their own destinies. He then tells them to control their own fate or someone else will.
After a brief moment of silence, Bullseye tells Daken to go to hell. Shocked at first, Daken angrily asks go to hell? Really? Kicking the crying agent in the back of the head Daken tells them to go to hell first. He calls all of them ungrateful sons of bitches. They will fight or he’ll kill them himself. Bullseye tells him that he’s out of his mind and goes to raise his fist to Daken.
Just then, the Iron Patriot arrives on the scene and asks what’s this? Standing around, when there’s a battle that needs to be fought? It can’t be. His men are better than that, stronger, braver. They received their call for reinforcements. There are none. Everyone is fighting. No one can be spared, none of them especially. He saw the trail of bodies they left behind. Inspiring. He tells them to hold on just a little longer and they can win this. They’ll be legends, masters of destiny. Now come on and follow him. As they follow Osborn, Bullseye tells Daken that he talks big, he acts big, but it’s all an act and everyone knows it. Everyone but him. He tells Daken that he’s a joke. He’s nothing and no one will ever follow him or respect him.
Once Daken is alone, the Fates inform him that “they” will not follow him because they do not know what he is. Daken says that he saved them, bled for them. The Fates tell him that he thinks he did. They utter the word hero but say that’s not his nature. And so they do not trust him. Daken asks why they showed him all this. They’re saying he should have left them burn? The Fates reply that is a question he must ask himself. Does he want them to burn?
Daken wonders if he wants them to burn or if he wants them to die. His whole life he’s been shown no mercy. Trained, molded, to be one way – one way only. Anyone else would have broken but not him. The pain made him stronger. The pain he gave others gave him pleasure. Pain and power and control. Control over his life, control over the world around him. The only pleasures he was allowed, his only pleasures now. Fate is not quite as strange as it appears. What a man thinks of himself is what determines his life.
Sneering, Daken tells the Fates that he wants them to burn, just tell him what to do. The Fates tell him there is no need. His heart knows. His heart has brought him there, now, to the crossroads. And he has chosen his fate allowing all other possibilities to fade. He will set the world aflame.
Back on the battlefield battling the Asgardian warriors, Daken hears Bullseye exclaiming that they’re getting slaughtered and that they need to get the hell out of there. Smiling, Daken knows that character and desire are fate and they are each their own architects.
