The following message was received at the Justice League's communication's center 24 hours after Daredevil was publicly outed by the Bugle. The message was a voice transmission sent on the frequency reserved for Daredevil's *old* JLA communicator. The voice has been clearly identified as belonging to the Patchwork Man.

    Here is the message:

    "I can not tell you how pleased I am with your progress. You're almost ready. You're so very close now.

    "You've taught me wonder, Matthew Murdock, and that is not easily done. For I underestimated how far you have come in such a short time. I did not conceive of how quickly and eagerly you would accept the gift of freedom I offered you. The freedom from yourself, from the cage that has been built for you, from the inconsequential morality of an obsolete age.

    "You didn't even need to find the body, and I sincerely thought you would. I happily admit my error. The least I can do now is tell you where your friend is. In Hell's Kitchen there is a condemned apartment building at 4456 Herzog street. You stood in front of it briefly one day shortly after you returned. You almost went in, but other events proved more pressing. In the basement, behind a sealed steel door is the corpse of Peter Cross. I killed him. I enlisted False-Face to impersonate Matt Murdock while you were a guest of Magneto. I confess this freely. Along with the body, you'll find evidence that implicates Matt Murdock in the murder. It is, of course, fraudulent. Again, I planned that you would find the body first, and I wanted to see how you would react. Would you destroy it? Tamper with the evidence? Give it to the authorities? But such matters are no longer important. You've shown me that you are now far, far beyond that level--far, far beyond my expectations. You no longer require such gentle nudges in the right direction. You are well on the path on your own.

    "But having done the wise and mature thing, by ending your juvenile pretense so completely and with so little hesitation, what now? How long can you walk among them, now that they are aware that you also walk above them? How long will they tolerate that? How long until you tire of their puerile efforts to stop you? How long until you realize that you have the power, not them?

    "How long until you are truly a man without fear?

    "Your first response, I suppose, will be anger and denial. It always is with you people. And if you must, you may again use me as a convenient surrogate--a focus for your impotent rage. Feel free to blame me and seek revenge against me. Yes, rededicate yourself to bringing me to justice; confront me, show me how wrong I am about you. Expose the fallacies of my perception.

    "Come. I await you.

    "Catch me if you can."