The Kingpin's designs

Two weeks later, Gwen was still gathering information about the prototype that had been stolen from ESU. It was an amazing piece of technology, using a unique AI capable of performing complex surgical functions that could rewire the human brain, curing it of addiction. If the prototype worked as intended and become mass produced, it would have massive ramifications on the illegal **** and gambling markets... and there were plenty of people out there that would prefer not to see that happen, so Gwen had to cast a wide net.

As a result, she found herself working overtime looking for leads, leaving her love life as a rather low priority. Still, she missed MJ. She'd supported her move to Los Angeles and wished her the best, and MJ felt the same, but neither woman felt a long-distance relationship was a good idea. At least not now, anyway. Gwen still held out hope that they had a future together, but as of right now, she was single.

And then there was Felicia, who came back into Gwen's life just as MJ left. She always had the best timing. Or worst. Gwen could never really figure out which it was. Then again, there were a lot of things she could never really figure out when it came to Felicia. Whenever it seemed like she'd gone straight and given up the thief life for a more heroic one, she'd pull off some sort of heist and disappear. Whenever it seemed like she couldn't be trusted or had double crossed Gwen, she'd show up when Gwen needed help most, either fighting at her side or providing her with crucial information. As infuriating as Black Cat could be, she was also so much fun, and Gwen certainly could have used some fun at that time.

And now, there were two of them. Felicity Hardy. Night Cat. A thief, like her twin sister. And, much like Felicia, seemingly smitten with Gwen as well. As if things weren't complicated enough between Gwen & Felicia. Still, twice as complicated, twice as exciting, twice as fun... maybe later, Gwen thought. She had to focus on the case.

As it often did, the trail led to Wilson Fisk, who had apparently shown considerable interest in investing in the prototype, but had been refused by its creators. That certainly gave him motivation for stealing it, but Gwen needed more information to go on. Gwen discovered through some quick research that Fisk had recently purchased a small AI research firm, so she decided to pay their offices a visit.

She wasn't the only one visiting the offices. Reporter Ben Urich, well known for his stories exposing the criminal underworld, was also there, interviewing the company's founder for a story he'd been pursuing about AI created art forgeries. He'd found the timing of Fisk's new investment to be awfully convenient.

Ben walked out of the firm, frustrated with the lack of information he'd gotten from founders and employees -- either they didn't know anything, or Fisk had made sure they'd keep quiet.

"Could't find anything, could you?" Gwen asked, hanging upside down from a webline."

"Was I that obvious?" Ben answered. "Nobody working there is talking. I'm sure they're hiding something in there, but I can't get in there to find out."

"Pretty sure I can. Want me to snoop around for you?" offered Gwen.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Ben said, handing Gwen a flash drive. "Plug this into the computer in the lead scientist's office. It should run a program automatically that'll bypass security and download the contents of the hard drive onto it."

"Sounds easy enough," Gwen said. "I'd ask you where you got this, but I know you journalists don't reveal your sources without permission."

"Smart woman," Ben nodded. "Feel free to copy the data for yourself. And remember, you didn't get that from me."

"Gotcha. I'll be back soon," Gwen said, heading towards the office building. She successfully evaded the security cameras and quickly found the office she was looking for, downloading the data and leaving the building with little trouble. *Apparently security at the office hasn't been upgraded to Fisk's usual standards yet,* Gwen thought. *That was a lucky break*.

Gwen copied the data to a flash drive of her own and took the original drive back to Urich. "That was easier than I thought. Kingpin's getting sloppy."

Urich had his suspicions. "Fisk is usually very thorough. I doubt he just got sloppy and failed to cover his ass here. We should be careful with this data -- this could be a trap."

"You're probably right... Still, this is the best lead I've got now. Thanks, Ben -- I'll be sure to stay on my toes," Gwen said, swinging away.

Gwen looked over the data -- apparently Fisk's men had dismantled the prototype, separating the AI from the machinery it controlled. The data had the location of the machinery -- an underground warehouse beneath a Fisk construction site -- but no information on the AI itself. This seemed all too convenient for Gwen -- did Kingpin want someone to find this? This was almost definitely a trap.

Still, the data confirmed that Fisk's men were behind the robbery of the prototype. Of course, Kingpin had made sure that it the robbery couldn't be traced to him -- he always did -- but Gwen was familiar with the names. And at least she knew where she could find part of it. Now, she needed some help stealing it back. Luckily for her, the best thief she knew had just come back to town, and she'd brought another master thief with her. Taking a deep breath, Gwen pulled out her phone and dialed Felicia's number.

*This'll be an adventure,* she thought.