Still In the MCU...They Can't Get Rid of Us (Follow up to story Into the MCU)

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen

"So, our man is dead and the company no longer exists."

"Not as Union Allied at least. We have reason to believe that equipment and assets were being bought out by the same guys, or whoever is in charge. They shuffle some papers, and on the surface it looks like Union Allied and all the shady stuff they stood for is disassembled and justice is paid."

"Things are rarely so neat."

"Exactly. But it begs the question of who is actually running the joint?"

"I'll admit, it does seem rather elaborate for a few suits of a construction company. How do we know it isn't just that, though?"

"Well, mafia dealings and money laundering is a problem regardless of who it is."

"Yes, but, again, not necessarily an avengers-level threat. Why hasn't Stark put men onto it?"

"What do you think we're doing here?"

"You know what I mean."

"There's something bigger. Something worrying Tony. With his resources, it shouldn't be hard to find the answers he's looking for, but that's just it. It is. Whoever is behind this is clever and well-protected. Everyone is uncharacteristically tight-lipped. Trails are running cold everywhere, nothing but dead-ends. It's driving Tony crazy. If it were just money and suits, that would be one thing. But whoever these people are, we think they run deeper than what we're seeing. Tony hasn't been able to turn up much, but it could be that the Russians are running a human-trafficking center out of here," you gestured around you, not that Loki could see it.

"And the Russians and tracksuits are working for the same group? Same man?"

"I don't know. But ever since the Union Allied issue, the Russians have been getting sloppy. Flustered. Apparently, Daniel Fisher died soon after alerting Ross. Was presumably murdered by a colleague of his, Karen Paige."

"They were too late to silence him."

"Yup. But Ms. Paige was apparently aware of the dealings as well, or so her story goes. She was cleared of all charges in the end, the murder exposed as a setup. She had two assassination attempts on her."

"And the men responsible?"

"One was a guard in the prison Karen was being held in early on. Tried to strangle her in her cell. The other attacked her at her apartment. The guard, Farnum, was found by his daughter at home with a bullet in his head. Suicide they say. The second hitman, Rance, hung himself in his cell. Seeing the pattern?"

"This implies whoever is behind all of this can get to guards in the police force."

"Which, I mean, I'm not shocked officers or government officials are bought off by people. But the whole situation being so easily overlooked? Like no one in the NYPD cared to examine further? This could be a deeper level of corruption than we think."

"The tracksuits, possibly Russians, and now potentially the police department."

"Quite a list."

"The makings of a more severe problem than a few suits laundering money. Someone's personal little empire."

"Exactly. An empire growing rich off of assassinations, human-trafficking, and who knows what else."

"Situation is delicate as well," Loki noted.

"Unfortunately. It isn't something we can blast our way through. If Tony goes barreling in, whoever is behind this will clamp up. Another series of other people taking the fall and conveniently dying."

"Hence why Stark hasn't just sent the officials to this little rendezvous tonight."

"Yeah, we don't know for certain if the tip is accurate either. Again, no one seems willing to talk, and these guys are good at covering their tracks. Cops seem to be missing an entire trafficking gig in their district."