Darkhawk #9 (V1)

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The issue begins with the Punisher using a scope and taking out to scummy drug and weapon dealers. Just as he’s packing up, Savage Steel shows up to put an end to Punisher. Punisher, however, as experienced as he is, manages to escape Savage Steel.

The scene then shifts to the hospital where Steve is kept. Cheryl and Chris are visiting him and happy to see that he is recovering, though still heavily medicated. He manages to mutter that he wished Darkhawk had been there, because Darkhawk could have saved him; clearly unaware, that when he was struck by a bullet, it had been a stray bullet that had ricocheted off Darkhawk’s armor.

Cheryl and Chris leave the hospital and head for a mall, where Chris thinks about telling Cheryl his secret of being Darkhawk; yet he can’t stop thinking of Allegra and that look she had given him (as Darkhawk) and how she had helped Darkhawk escape her own father’s ploy to use Lodestone. Just as they’re walking around, they find themselves in the middle of a shoot out as Punisher bursts through the window. Having escaped Savage Steel, the weapons dealers spotted Punisher and were using the chance to catch him off balance to put an end to his life.

Chris tells Cheyl to get out of there and that he’s going to find a phone and call a special swat number (since he is the son of a cop) – when in truth he uses this chance to transform himself into Darkhawk and helps Punisher against the weapons dealers. He tries to talk Punisher out of killing the mobsters, since his dark force blast can take care of them – but Punisher doesn’t listen. Several weapons dealers get the drop on Darkhawk and shoot him from behind. Punisher continues fighting them as Savage Steel joins the fight. Savage Steel sees that Darkhawk is wounded and tells him to lay low and after the fight he will help Darkhawk. Savage Steel and Punisher join up to get rid of the weapons dealers. But then Savage Steel turns on Punisher. Darkhawk tries to help Punisher escape, so Savage Steel grabs Darkhawk and shoots off Darkhawk’s hand. Punisher and Savage Steel continue to fight as Darkhawk crawls away, concerned that his hand has been blown off – unsure if when he switches back to Chris Powell if he will have a hand. He discovers that as Chris he has his hand – and he switches back to the Darkhawk armor and finds his hand healed – just as his armor had healed before by switching back and forth.

Savage Steel gets the drop on Punisher and seems as though he’s about to kill him when Darkhawk nails him with a dark force blast. The blast surprises Savage Steel who releases Punisher to go after Darkhawk. Punisher manages to get his hands on one of the weapons the arms dealer dropped, and uses it on Savage Steel to drop him. Darkhawk recovers and stands between Punisher and Savage Steel, explaining that there’s been enough killing. Punisher explains that he can’t let someone like Savage Steel live to continue to hound and impede his work as Punisher. He takes a shot at Savage Steel to finish him off but Darkhawk takes the brunt of the blast. Savage Steel recovers just as officers of the law arrive and realizes he must flee. Both Punisher and Darkhawk quickly flee as well.

The scene shifts and we see a mysterious figure talking to Harry Lennox. The person is none other than Mike Powell!