Danny Rand, AKA Iron Fist, wearing only the trousers of his gi, was surrounded by a dozen knights clad in shining plate armor. The foes drew swords, readied lances and hefted war hammers. Rand could not see the eyes of his enemy, their helmets concealed all expression behind a steel grill.
“This is your last chance, gentlemen. Surrender now,” Danny said.
“Fist, man, will you quit playin’? This is supposed to be serious,” Luke Cage, AKA Power Man, said from the control room of the training deck.
Danny had asked his long time friend, Luke, to fine tune some surprises into the Stark Training Synthetics so he wouldn’t breeze through the trial.
Tony Stark was working on prototypes for SHIELD to use in the training of new recruits. He couldn’t ask the clients to test them out. While it wasn‘t public knowledge that Danny was it wasn’t a guarded secret either. Stark’s people contacted Heroes for Hire and after a pleasant lunch with Tony Stark, Danny agreed to conduct some tests.
“Luke, you need to learn to let go. Live in the moment.” Danny smirked at the one way mirror knowing his friend was watching and likely shaking his head.
“Why did you have them dress up as knights?” Cage asked.
Danny only smiled in response.
The playful twinkle drained from Danny’s eyes and expression was replaced by stoic concentration. Iron Fist took the open snake stance.
“Have fun, Fist,” Cage said through the intercom. “`Lok just buzzed me. There’s a delivery guy at the door or somethin’.”
The knights were already in motion as was Iron Fist.
====================
“Unless it’s from Misty or Colleen, ain’t nobody send me something here. I still have my permanent address listed in New York.”
Luke Cage looked the large package over, which when placed on the floor was nearly at his waist. Deathlok, the half-man, half-machine partner that along with Iron Fist formed the current incarnation of the Heroes For Hire, disregarded the delivery as it didn’t pertain to him. The complex stood at three floors tall and belonged to Deathlok on the outskirts of Chicago.
“The guy said it was for you,” Deathlok replied. “I just answered the door. What’s the inventory slip say?”
Cage slid a hand around the side of the box, inspecting it. “There ain’t one. Hey!” he said to the delivery man as he clasped a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t I sign for this?”
“Wait,” Deathlok said as he looked out the entrance. “There are no markings on that van. What company did you say you were with?”
The man had turned halfway to leave, now held in place by Luke Cage’s firm grip. “I...uh, must have left my clipboard on the passenger seat. I’ll just go grab-”
First, a tiny warble from inside the package caught their attention, and then heat and fire sprung out engulfing them all. Several detonations rocked the foundations of the building, bringing down the front vestibule where they stood. The entire complex shook and began to topple over from the massive explosion that ripped down the interior walls.
The delivery man, along with the Heroes For Hire, were buried completely.
“This is your last chance, gentlemen. Surrender now,” Danny said.
“Fist, man, will you quit playin’? This is supposed to be serious,” Luke Cage, AKA Power Man, said from the control room of the training deck.
Danny had asked his long time friend, Luke, to fine tune some surprises into the Stark Training Synthetics so he wouldn’t breeze through the trial.
Tony Stark was working on prototypes for SHIELD to use in the training of new recruits. He couldn’t ask the clients to test them out. While it wasn‘t public knowledge that Danny was it wasn’t a guarded secret either. Stark’s people contacted Heroes for Hire and after a pleasant lunch with Tony Stark, Danny agreed to conduct some tests.
“Luke, you need to learn to let go. Live in the moment.” Danny smirked at the one way mirror knowing his friend was watching and likely shaking his head.
“Why did you have them dress up as knights?” Cage asked.
Danny only smiled in response.
The playful twinkle drained from Danny’s eyes and expression was replaced by stoic concentration. Iron Fist took the open snake stance.
“Have fun, Fist,” Cage said through the intercom. “`Lok just buzzed me. There’s a delivery guy at the door or somethin’.”
The knights were already in motion as was Iron Fist.
====================
“Unless it’s from Misty or Colleen, ain’t nobody send me something here. I still have my permanent address listed in New York.”
Luke Cage looked the large package over, which when placed on the floor was nearly at his waist. Deathlok, the half-man, half-machine partner that along with Iron Fist formed the current incarnation of the Heroes For Hire, disregarded the delivery as it didn’t pertain to him. The complex stood at three floors tall and belonged to Deathlok on the outskirts of Chicago.
“The guy said it was for you,” Deathlok replied. “I just answered the door. What’s the inventory slip say?”
Cage slid a hand around the side of the box, inspecting it. “There ain’t one. Hey!” he said to the delivery man as he clasped a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t I sign for this?”
“Wait,” Deathlok said as he looked out the entrance. “There are no markings on that van. What company did you say you were with?”
The man had turned halfway to leave, now held in place by Luke Cage’s firm grip. “I...uh, must have left my clipboard on the passenger seat. I’ll just go grab-”
First, a tiny warble from inside the package caught their attention, and then heat and fire sprung out engulfing them all. Several detonations rocked the foundations of the building, bringing down the front vestibule where they stood. The entire complex shook and began to topple over from the massive explosion that ripped down the interior walls.
The delivery man, along with the Heroes For Hire, were buried completely.
Back to GatefoldIssue #25 by D. Golightly & C. William Russette
Featuring the Heroes for Hire! |
"Under Siege"
“Perfect!” a masked figure said as he watched the complex crumble to the ground. “Those fascists finally got what was coming to them!”
Two other masked men sat behind him in the black van, each looking through binoculars at the decimating scene. Their green hoods covered most of their faces. Both sat with their mouths hanging open, seemingly surprised by what they had just witnessed.
“Uh, Buddy?” the closer of the two said. “Wasn’t…wasn’t Rollins supposed to meet back up with us?”
“Yeah,” added the other. “I thought he was meeting us at the stadium and then we were going to-”
“Rollins was an unfortunate casualty,” the leader, Buddy, said. He dropped the binoculars and turned the key in the car’s ignition. “This is war! Some blood is meant to be shed. Rollins served his purpose.”
“Now, hold on! We didn’t sign up to-”
“Silvermane sold me your debt, meaning you work for me. You do as I say. I need both of you, so unless you cross me you don’t have to worry about ending up like Rollins.”
The two henchmen closed their mouths and didn’t speak again. The van trudged down the hillside back toward the dirt road they had taken to their vantage point. The highway was only a few miles up the road and it wouldn’t take them long to reach their next destination. Buddy McClintok would have enjoyed staying longer to savor the defeat of the heroes he hated, the heroes that had humiliated him. The worst had been Luke Cage, having been the one that had directly assaulted him during a fight with a huge orange monster referred to as Gog.* But the truth was that the Heroes for Hire was only the latest in a long line of people that had never taken him seriously.
* (For that big brawl, check out Heroes For Hire #6! - D)
His entire life had been a joke. His family had let him down and his friends had betrayed him. Buddy had finally found solid guidance in an organization called the Protoclan, a group that had sought to save the planet by stealing dangerous technology that was too volatile for its creators. But, of course, that too had been a joke.
The order and clarity of the Protoclan was a façade. Instead of obtaining technology to keep the world safe they were stealing it to sell on the black market to the highest bidder. Buddy had been nothing but a soldier; a grunt; a blunt instrument that was good for nothing more than its base function.
He had finally found a cause to believe in only to discover that it was all a lie. The mandate that he dedicated his life to, like so many other things before the Protoclan, was flawed. Control only ever led to chaos for Buddy McClintok. And before the day was over everyone else in the country would see things his way.
If fate was so determined to wreck his life and take away any type of control he had, then he was going to spread as much chaos as possible.
“When we get there, don’t call me Buddy anymore,” he said over his shoulder to the two henchmen. “From now on, call me Anarchy.”
====================
Danny’s senses were still drinking in the minutia of his vicinity. One second he was down to two of the medieval armor-clad synths (Stark Training Synthetics), the next, shrapnel from the walls came at him as if thrown by a tornado. The armor plating of one robot protected him from a large sheet of metal. Agility kept him from any other serious harm. Then the ceiling caved in. Had it not been for the decade of training in the mystic city of K’un L’un, and luck, Rand knew he would have been crushed.
The remains of one of the robots sparked next to him. It was a combination of the synth’s armor and sturdy skeleton that held up some of the fallen upper floor creating the pocket Danny lay curled in. Bits of debris settled around him. Nothing large had fallen in a few minutes. There was no way of knowing how long the robot frame could hold the pocket open. It was time to move.
Inching forward Danny saw a hole, a small tunnel that might allow egress from what he guessed was the bottom of the debris. What happened? Was Luke okay? What about Larry? Both were extremely durable. Danny had no idea who was the harder to injure, what their injury threshold was or the nature of the explosion. Was it an attack or...
Luke said something about a package arriving before leaving the control booth. There was no way of knowing until he reached his friends. Calling out would be a waste of energy and foolhardy. As precariously resting as the building now was even the vibration from a shout could cause something to shift and start a new avalanche. Danny eased up onto a high plateau of flooring and waited for a reaction.
Nothing shifted. He spat grit out then listened. Moving slowly, Danny tested each handhold and footstep. A less patient man would tire, lose concentration and suffer for his weakness. Danny found the calm as his teacher Lei Kung, the Thunderer, had taught him. He focused his mind and body in a sea of tranquility and took each moment in time. He was passive but coiled should reflexes be tested.
Twenty minutes later he stood on top of the wreckage. Most of the building had collapsed in on itself. None of the surrounding structures were touched. That was either lucky or intentional, Danny thought. If not luck then we were targeted. But why? More importantly: by whom?
Judging by the devastation and placement of debris Danny could easily determine the point of origin of the detonation. Orienting himself with his surroundings, Danny saw that ground zero was very likely the former lobby.
“’Lok just buzzed me. There’s a delivery guy at the door or somethin’.”
Police and emergency vehicles were arriving at the edge of the decimated building. No vehicles could traverse such wreckage. One patrolman was stringing hazard tape. Others kept the gathering crowd back.
Danny made the best time possible hopping from support beam to chunk of flooring or roof. Someone shouted for him to make his way (carefully!) to the EMTs. Danny barely noticed.
“Luke! Luke!” Danny yelled.
No answer.
“Cage, answer me!”
Finally, twenty feet away, debris shifted. Danny covered the distance in two jumps. In those long seconds Danny tried to recall how much punishment his long time partner and friend could take. Had Luke’s steel-hard skin been up to the challenge? Danny was both desperate and terrified to learn the answer.
“Luke? Where are you?” Danny said.
A restroom sink rose and fell back in place nearby. It was pinned beneath a fire exit door. Danny threw it away with ease without realizing it.
“Larry!” Danny said.
Larry Young, Deathlok, lay in front of Danny. At first Danny thought the cyborg was still half buried. His lower torso was missing. Deathlok’s left arm ended below the shoulder. Thin tubes leaked dark fluid. What Larry used as flesh was completely burned away.
What remained of the man in the machine was still alive. His metal mandible was unhinged on the left side. The jawbone jerked in an attempt to mimic speech but only static came from the voice box. One eye was shattered but the other locked on to Danny unblinkingly.
“What can I do?” Danny said.
Lok’s gray, metal skull clunked and snapped as now ill-fitting vertebrae attempted to obey his command to shake his head.
“What then? Where’s Luke?”
A blackened, metal, skeletal hand extended one finger and pointed behind Danny.
“I’m sure SHIELD is on their way. Just hang on,” Danny said and turned away.
“Luke!”
Danny saw no movement. He slowed his heart, his breathing and opened his senses. Danny analyzed where the lobby had been, where Luke could have been standing to receive a package coupled with Deathlok’s guess. Danny screened out the sirens and the still growing crowd.
Then he saw it.
Dust had settled everywhere. In a small area, the dust was dark and wet. Danny drew closer. Red fluid dripped off a length of pipe that continued out of sight beneath a melted photocopier. Danny raced over, threw the copier aside and gasped.
Luke Cage lay unconscious before him. A six foot length of steel pipe extended from his heavily damage chest. It must have impaled him after the explosion tore him open, Danny thought.
“Luke, can you hear me?” Danny asked.
I’ve never seen him so pale. How much blood has he lost? Danny took Luke’s scarred hand at the wrist. He couldn’t find a pulse but with Luke’s dense skin it might have been impossible under the best circumstances. SHIELD had not arrived yet. No EMT could help. There was only one way to save his friend.
Danny sat cross legged next to Luke. He closed his eyes and began to focus his chi. When he was ready, Danny took Luke’s hand in his. His teacher taught Iron Fist the merging of chi years ago. To heal in such a manner was not easy or safe but it was the only miracle Danny had available. Danny would give his will power and life’s energy to Luke’s damaged body. He might be too far gone to heal back to perfect health but Danny was confident he could keep his friend’s body alive until SHIELD’s doctors arrived.
The flow of chi was interrupted almost immediately. Something was wrong somewhere. Either Luke was too far gone or the error was within Danny. The clock that measured Luke Cage’s time left on earth had just sped up.
===================
“Please…just don’t kill us.”
The horrified maintenance worker, wearing a uniform that identified him as being an employee at Wrigley Field, home to the famous Chicago Cubs, had finally mustered the courage to say that sentence, only to now wish he hadn’t. The green armored monstrosity that stood on the other side of the room, the announcer’s booth, slowly turned to look at him. It wasn’t the attention he wanted.
“You’re asking me not to kill you?” Anarchy said. “You want to have some measure of control over your fate. I understand that. Really, I do. But you need to realize that life will never allow the balance to be tipped in your favor.”
The two henchmen at his side finished what they were doing at the console where the radio broadcasts of the games came from. That console was connected to a satellite system that relayed the games to all the affiliate radio and TV stations across the country. At anytime that feed could be broadcast, and it looked as if the henchmen had prepped the equipment for airtime.
“We’re ready here, Bud…Anarchy.”
“Good. Take up position at Camera One. And you,” he said, pointing to his other compatriot. “Make sure the explosives are primed. I want everyone to know that we’re serious. Dead serious.”
===================
“Just take it easy and let the medic do his job, Luke.”
“Danny, the guy can’t even get an IV in my arm! How is he supposed to do his job? I told you I’m fine, now let’s move!”
Luke Cage had never been one to sit around while a case was underway. Especially when that case had involved dropping a building on top of him. He ripped his arm away from the SHIELD medic that had him strapped to a monitoring device, which was a simple task since Danny had partially resuscitated him.
The building had been leveled. There was no one wall left standing on its own. The scene was total chaos, brandished by not-so-subtle violence. Whoever did this had wanted them dead. There was absolutely no question about it.
Deathlok was recovering, but he wouldn’t be able to go with them. The first thing Luke had said upon getting his breath back was that they were going to track the guys down and put some royal hurt on them. He had said “Sweet Christmas” at least a half-dozen times since Iron Fist had helped pull him out of the debris.
Danny waved his thanks to the SHIELD medic as they sauntered off. “Luke, we don’t even know where to start,” he said as he caught up. “Hell, I don’t even know what I did to you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Danny. What do you mean you don’t know what you did to me? You’ve done that magic stuff before.”
“Yeah, but something felt…off. Different. Like my chi is out of whack.”
“I’m breathing, and I’m pissed off. Your chi has plenty of whack.”
Luke stumbled and was caught by Danny. He shook his head and met his partner’s raised eyebrow with a cold gaze. “Okay,” Luke said. “Maybe some of the whack fell out.”
“Sir!” a new voice said.
Iron Fist helped his friend stand up straight again and looked over his shoulder to see another SHIELD medic run over to them. “Sir!” he repeated. “The commander on site said you should see this.”
“See what?” Luke asked.
The medic produced a small, portable television set and showed the screen to the two Heroes For Hire. The miniature picture showed a man in green armor, his face mostly covered. Behind him was a room full of hostages, all bound and gagged.
“I am Anarchy,” the man said. “I have just destroyed the headquarters of the Heroes For Hire. If city hall is not similarly destroyed by the local authorities in one hour, I will detonate the explosives I have placed around the Chicago subway system.”
“That’s the guy…” Luke said through grinding teeth.
“City hall must be decimated by its own public servants. This will be a symbol of the end of law and order. I am Anarchy, and I will lead you to chaos.”
The digital recording ended. The pair of heroes looked at each other, each knowing that the other was thinking the same thing. At once, they both asked the medic, “Where was that coming from?”
===================
“You sure you're up for this, Luke?” Iron Fist asked.
“Fist, you worry too much. I got this covered.” Luke Cage ran to the stadium. He knew Iron Fist was watching him but did not look back.
He was not okay. Since the experiment he volunteered for as an inmate Cage’s body had been blessed with a super-human strength, steel hard skin and he healed a little faster than a regular human. The blast he endured pushed everything he had to the max. If Iron Fist had not been there to work his K’un L’un magic on him he would not have made it. The Heroes for Hire had saved each other’s lives so many times there was no point in keeping track. Cage would have done the same for Danny were he able.
Cage had seen Iron Fist work his chi-sharing, healing bit before. The others recovered as expected. Something was different this time. Cage’s body was stiff like he just worked out hard after a long period of being bedridden. Also, his limbs were leaden. That had never happened. Did Danny notice? Probably. His partner was very attentive to body language
Did Iron Fist mess up the process? He said something was off. Danny felt strange about the merging of their life forces. My symptoms don’t really line up with what could be a screwed healing. Maybe my accidental powers might not mix well with that chi-voodoo.
Do they have people on the security cameras, Luke wondered. Like I even know where half of them are. We don’t know how many guys they got in here or what they’re packin’. If they ain’t seen me yet there’s no reasons to set off alarms by tearing off the doors.
Cage ran twenty feet down the North Clark Street side of Wrigley Stadium and charged through the wall.
“I guess an alarm might make less noise. Good thing no one was posted nearby. Ain’t like I can jump over the wall...” Cage began his jog to the playing field of the Chicago Cubs.
===================
Cage emerged from the dugout and scanned the field. It was deserted. SHIELD said the signal was coming from the stadium but had trouble locking down exactly where, Cage thought. Fist was checking out the logical lead. Cage headed out to center field. They have got to be able to see me now, he thought. When the pitcher’s mound was underfoot he stopped.
“Where the cowardly-ass fools that tried to blow me up?” Cage shouted, “Step up! I ain’t dead yet and I got somethin’ for you!”
Cage folded his arms.
He did not wait long.
===================
“What in the hell? The Heroes for Hire building did collapse on Power Man? I did see that, right?” Anarchy said.
“Ya, boss. We all saw it,” henchmen Baird said.
“What does it take to kill this idiot? Can we hear what he’s saying?” Anarchy said.
“No, boss. The playing field isn’t wired for sound,” henchmen Ogden said.
Ogden heard Anarchy’s armor charging as their leader glared at the monitor. He hoped the boss wasn’t going to do what it looked like he was going to do. Power Man was strong, everyone knew that. He just survived an explosion and a building falling on him and there he was, standing on the mound calling out the boss. Could the Anarchy armor take that on? Power Man had to be hurt. He had to be. Ogden did not want to go back into the joint. Anarchy didn’t say nothing about fighting super-types.
“Maintain watch over the detonators and the hostages. If I fall, collapse the subway and kill them.” Anarchy motioned towards the captured Wrigley Field ground crew.
“Broadcast everything.” Anarchy attached his helmet and dove out the announcer’s both window. His back-rockets fired lifting him to the field below.
“`Ey, if he goes down, how’re we getting paid?” Baird said.
“I dunno. Let’s hope that doesn't happen.” Ogden joined Baird at the smashed window to watch their boss’s armor at work.
“Doesn’t Power Man have a partner?” Baird said.
“Yes, he does,” said an unfamiliar voice behind them.
“Damn it.”
===================
“I was hoping I’d get the chance to-”
Power Man’s fist crashed into Anarchy’s chest plate before his jade feet set on the ground. The armor clad terrorist bounced once before landing on his back. His limbs shuttered then went limp.
“Not much for banter right now.” Powerman jerked Anarchy up by the head and fired a roundhouse.
“Shoulda got lasers or somethin’ with your suit, green-jeans.”
Anarchy raised both palms and fired energy bolts launching Power Man into the air.
“I did.” Anarchy rose to his feet and followed the descending hero.
Power Man landed hard. The fall only hurt his pride, the blast-much more. He tried to rise but was frozen on all fours. His joints locked in place. Icy spikes tore through his body. The enemy approached and Power Man was helpless.
“I am called Anarchy now though when we last met I had another name.”
“I beat down a lotta guys named chump. Which one were y-”
Anarchy drove a shin into Power Man flipping him onto his back, intensifying his pain.
“A chump am I? At least I stand for something. At best I am trying to help the people see the lies they perpetuate. Today is the first day of tearing down the walls of that sham we call society.”
Power Man lashed out with a leg-sweep but Anarchy was faster. The armored terrorist released a volley of laser fire. Power Man sluggishly tried to rise.
“You should have stayed buried, Power Man. The day belongs to Anarchy.” The terrorist opened fire on his helpless target.
===================
“All clear, agent. Send your bomb squad. This mess is beyond my abilities.” Iron Fist looked over the mass of electronic components and wires while speaking into his walkie-talkie. “Threat level near hostages is zero. No serious injures, no fatalities.”
Sounds of impact on metal came to Iron Fist. That would be Luke pounding the bad guy to paste, Fist thought. These two aren’t going anywhere. Unconscious at Iron Fist’s feet were two men in green SWAT-style gear and green hoods. They weren’t much trouble. Two strikes a piece and both-
-energy blasts?
Iron Fist stepped to the shattered window facing the playing field and his heart dropped. There was only one foe facing Luke. He wore green armor of a configuration Iron Fist did not recognize. Luke tried a leg sweep that was just too slow or too weak. What was the matter with him? Why was he so enfeebled? Iron Fist flipped through the broken window avoiding the glass with ease.
A sea of stadium seating stood between Iron Fist and his long time partner. Seeking the stairs would take time. Luke might not have any to spare. Iron Fist closed his eyes and focused his life’s energy-his chi. One in body, mind and spirit-he leapt.
The ball of his right foot landed on the first seatback and he leapt again. Four rows lower his left foot perched on a second seat. Another four rows raced by beneath him and he leapt. The rhythm came easily and Iron Fist sank into it.
What was wrong with Luke? What went wrong with the healing? It seemed right except for the odd anomaly floating somewhere just out of reach. Like a stone in a river of his fast moving, focused chi. Iron Fist searched as he drew closer to the playing field.
What was a stone was now a divide deep within his spirit. It could in time become an obstruction. In a brief lapse of attention Iron Fist slipped on the railing. He did not have the focus, the control, that he should. What have I done to my best friend?
Iron Fist rolled as he fell and landed in a crouch on the field. The armor wearer did not notice. Iron Fist broke into a run straight at the armored attacker. How would his control deficit affect his other abilities?
Cage no longer struggled under the energy bombardment.
Control be damned, Iron Fist thought.
He called up his chi, focused it into its most pure, most raw state and centered it into his right fist making it unto like a thing of iron.
The armored terrorist was unaware of the danger until suffering the full fury of the iron fist. The blow sent him into the air in an explosion of metal, bleeding energy. When he landed he did not move.
“Luke! Luke, talk to me!” Iron Fist said.
Iron Fist didn’t like the way the armored man lay so still, so corpse-like. The thought of whether or not he killed the man flitted across his mind for only a moment.
For the second time in a day Danny stood over his fallen friend. He couldn‘t find a pulse. He didn’t know when medics would arrive. I should never have allowed you to come! Forgive me but I have to do this.
Iron Fist took his friend’s hand in his and again, merged their chi.
===================
42nd St and Madison Avenue, Manhattan, NY
Four Freedoms Plaza
77th Floor
“I feel fine, Sue. You don’t need to keep me here,” Cage said.
“You’re only fine because of the treatment regiment Reed has you on, Luke,” Sue Richards said.
Cage woke in the Fantastic Four’s medical center a day after being flown there on SHIELD’s dime. He was told Iron Fist maintained the lock on the their chi the entire trip and only released his friend once Reed was certain he had the equipment in place to keep him stable. Twenty Four hours later Cage awoke to a very tired Iron Fist sleeping in a chair nearby. With Reed’s reassurance Iron Fist left soon after.
“Reed wants you monitored for another day at least. This is an experimental procedure you’re undergoing after all.”
“I’m good to go and I doubt my insurance-”
“Luke Cage! I can’t believe you’re thinking about the cost of all this. We’re talking about your well being,” Sue said.
“Sue’s right, Luke.” A hologram projector silently generated an image of Dr. Reed Richards standing next to his wife. “There is no price too high to keep a man as brave and good as you around, fighting for our side against people like this Anarchy person. I would feel much better if you allowed me to observe your healing for another twenty-four hours.”
“Why do I need to be monitored? Should I be worried here?” Cage asked.
“I can give you a full diagnosis after I run some more tests. When you have a moment, Sue?” Reed said.
“On my way, Reed.”
The hologram disappeared.
“I know that look, Sue. What’s the deal here? I feel different, I got that. What’s Reed found?”
“When I know something, you’ll be the first to hear, Luke.” Sue headed for the door. “Is your partner due back today?”
“Naw, Fist said he needed to go on a pilgrimage or something. I dunno.” Luke sighed.
Sue smiled and left he room.
“Said he’d check in when he got where he was going... dang, I’m bored.”
====================
Bleecker Street, the West Village
Multi-millionaire Danny Rand, Iron Fist, the Living Weapon of K’un L’un, is lost. He has money and influence, the respect of his peers and is regarded by many to be a hero.
None of this matters to him.
Iron Fist spent the last twelve hours in a deep, trance-like meditation that only a handful of practitioners on earth can achieve. He sought an answer and finally, he found it.
His wa, inner harmony, is shattered. Iron Fist doesn’t know how it happened but he must restore the balance. Iron Fist wields too great a power. Without complete control over his chi, and by extension the iron fist, he is a danger to himself and all around him.
Iron Fist stood on the sidewalk in front of the three story townhouse. K’un L’un only appears on earth once in a decade. It will be years before I can see Lei Kung about this matter. Unfortunately, there are too few that could be of aid to me in this. Fewer still that I trust enough to ask for help.
Luke Cage would give his life to help him, Danny knew, but he did not know what perils lay ahead. Luke was already hurt because of Danny’s failings.
This was a road for Iron Fist alone.
Iron Fist walked up the steps to the townhouse and raised his hand to knock on the door. It opened before he could.
“Good day, Mr. Rand,” the bald Asian man said, “We have been expecting you.”
====================
Author’s Notes:
On behalf of CW and myself, thank you for reading this. Iron Fist is a character we both enjoy immensely, and we’re excited to wrap up some of the hanging plots around him at M2K. Plots I created and abandoned…but thanks to CW, that’s no longer the case! He’s cleaning up after me, and since he’s a much better writer than I am, I couldn’t be happier. Now I can be lazy again.
The plots in question were left over from the M2K Heroes For Hire series. Buddy McClintok, now called Anarchy, was a throwaway character I never got around to bumping off. This story is fairly close to what I intended to do with him, and CW managed to make him interesting. Buddy is a lost cause, a devotee that was lied to one too many times. CW expanded on that personality and created a pretty cool original character.
So where do we go from here? Well…you’ll have to wait and see. Obviously that bald Asian man is someone we know. Danny is about to undergo a bit of a journey in order to discover something about himself, and that discovery will either cure him or kill him.
Thanks again for checking out the story!
-D. Golightly
Two other masked men sat behind him in the black van, each looking through binoculars at the decimating scene. Their green hoods covered most of their faces. Both sat with their mouths hanging open, seemingly surprised by what they had just witnessed.
“Uh, Buddy?” the closer of the two said. “Wasn’t…wasn’t Rollins supposed to meet back up with us?”
“Yeah,” added the other. “I thought he was meeting us at the stadium and then we were going to-”
“Rollins was an unfortunate casualty,” the leader, Buddy, said. He dropped the binoculars and turned the key in the car’s ignition. “This is war! Some blood is meant to be shed. Rollins served his purpose.”
“Now, hold on! We didn’t sign up to-”
“Silvermane sold me your debt, meaning you work for me. You do as I say. I need both of you, so unless you cross me you don’t have to worry about ending up like Rollins.”
The two henchmen closed their mouths and didn’t speak again. The van trudged down the hillside back toward the dirt road they had taken to their vantage point. The highway was only a few miles up the road and it wouldn’t take them long to reach their next destination. Buddy McClintok would have enjoyed staying longer to savor the defeat of the heroes he hated, the heroes that had humiliated him. The worst had been Luke Cage, having been the one that had directly assaulted him during a fight with a huge orange monster referred to as Gog.* But the truth was that the Heroes for Hire was only the latest in a long line of people that had never taken him seriously.
* (For that big brawl, check out Heroes For Hire #6! - D)
His entire life had been a joke. His family had let him down and his friends had betrayed him. Buddy had finally found solid guidance in an organization called the Protoclan, a group that had sought to save the planet by stealing dangerous technology that was too volatile for its creators. But, of course, that too had been a joke.
The order and clarity of the Protoclan was a façade. Instead of obtaining technology to keep the world safe they were stealing it to sell on the black market to the highest bidder. Buddy had been nothing but a soldier; a grunt; a blunt instrument that was good for nothing more than its base function.
He had finally found a cause to believe in only to discover that it was all a lie. The mandate that he dedicated his life to, like so many other things before the Protoclan, was flawed. Control only ever led to chaos for Buddy McClintok. And before the day was over everyone else in the country would see things his way.
If fate was so determined to wreck his life and take away any type of control he had, then he was going to spread as much chaos as possible.
“When we get there, don’t call me Buddy anymore,” he said over his shoulder to the two henchmen. “From now on, call me Anarchy.”
====================
Danny’s senses were still drinking in the minutia of his vicinity. One second he was down to two of the medieval armor-clad synths (Stark Training Synthetics), the next, shrapnel from the walls came at him as if thrown by a tornado. The armor plating of one robot protected him from a large sheet of metal. Agility kept him from any other serious harm. Then the ceiling caved in. Had it not been for the decade of training in the mystic city of K’un L’un, and luck, Rand knew he would have been crushed.
The remains of one of the robots sparked next to him. It was a combination of the synth’s armor and sturdy skeleton that held up some of the fallen upper floor creating the pocket Danny lay curled in. Bits of debris settled around him. Nothing large had fallen in a few minutes. There was no way of knowing how long the robot frame could hold the pocket open. It was time to move.
Inching forward Danny saw a hole, a small tunnel that might allow egress from what he guessed was the bottom of the debris. What happened? Was Luke okay? What about Larry? Both were extremely durable. Danny had no idea who was the harder to injure, what their injury threshold was or the nature of the explosion. Was it an attack or...
Luke said something about a package arriving before leaving the control booth. There was no way of knowing until he reached his friends. Calling out would be a waste of energy and foolhardy. As precariously resting as the building now was even the vibration from a shout could cause something to shift and start a new avalanche. Danny eased up onto a high plateau of flooring and waited for a reaction.
Nothing shifted. He spat grit out then listened. Moving slowly, Danny tested each handhold and footstep. A less patient man would tire, lose concentration and suffer for his weakness. Danny found the calm as his teacher Lei Kung, the Thunderer, had taught him. He focused his mind and body in a sea of tranquility and took each moment in time. He was passive but coiled should reflexes be tested.
Twenty minutes later he stood on top of the wreckage. Most of the building had collapsed in on itself. None of the surrounding structures were touched. That was either lucky or intentional, Danny thought. If not luck then we were targeted. But why? More importantly: by whom?
Judging by the devastation and placement of debris Danny could easily determine the point of origin of the detonation. Orienting himself with his surroundings, Danny saw that ground zero was very likely the former lobby.
“’Lok just buzzed me. There’s a delivery guy at the door or somethin’.”
Police and emergency vehicles were arriving at the edge of the decimated building. No vehicles could traverse such wreckage. One patrolman was stringing hazard tape. Others kept the gathering crowd back.
Danny made the best time possible hopping from support beam to chunk of flooring or roof. Someone shouted for him to make his way (carefully!) to the EMTs. Danny barely noticed.
“Luke! Luke!” Danny yelled.
No answer.
“Cage, answer me!”
Finally, twenty feet away, debris shifted. Danny covered the distance in two jumps. In those long seconds Danny tried to recall how much punishment his long time partner and friend could take. Had Luke’s steel-hard skin been up to the challenge? Danny was both desperate and terrified to learn the answer.
“Luke? Where are you?” Danny said.
A restroom sink rose and fell back in place nearby. It was pinned beneath a fire exit door. Danny threw it away with ease without realizing it.
“Larry!” Danny said.
Larry Young, Deathlok, lay in front of Danny. At first Danny thought the cyborg was still half buried. His lower torso was missing. Deathlok’s left arm ended below the shoulder. Thin tubes leaked dark fluid. What Larry used as flesh was completely burned away.
What remained of the man in the machine was still alive. His metal mandible was unhinged on the left side. The jawbone jerked in an attempt to mimic speech but only static came from the voice box. One eye was shattered but the other locked on to Danny unblinkingly.
“What can I do?” Danny said.
Lok’s gray, metal skull clunked and snapped as now ill-fitting vertebrae attempted to obey his command to shake his head.
“What then? Where’s Luke?”
A blackened, metal, skeletal hand extended one finger and pointed behind Danny.
“I’m sure SHIELD is on their way. Just hang on,” Danny said and turned away.
“Luke!”
Danny saw no movement. He slowed his heart, his breathing and opened his senses. Danny analyzed where the lobby had been, where Luke could have been standing to receive a package coupled with Deathlok’s guess. Danny screened out the sirens and the still growing crowd.
Then he saw it.
Dust had settled everywhere. In a small area, the dust was dark and wet. Danny drew closer. Red fluid dripped off a length of pipe that continued out of sight beneath a melted photocopier. Danny raced over, threw the copier aside and gasped.
Luke Cage lay unconscious before him. A six foot length of steel pipe extended from his heavily damage chest. It must have impaled him after the explosion tore him open, Danny thought.
“Luke, can you hear me?” Danny asked.
I’ve never seen him so pale. How much blood has he lost? Danny took Luke’s scarred hand at the wrist. He couldn’t find a pulse but with Luke’s dense skin it might have been impossible under the best circumstances. SHIELD had not arrived yet. No EMT could help. There was only one way to save his friend.
Danny sat cross legged next to Luke. He closed his eyes and began to focus his chi. When he was ready, Danny took Luke’s hand in his. His teacher taught Iron Fist the merging of chi years ago. To heal in such a manner was not easy or safe but it was the only miracle Danny had available. Danny would give his will power and life’s energy to Luke’s damaged body. He might be too far gone to heal back to perfect health but Danny was confident he could keep his friend’s body alive until SHIELD’s doctors arrived.
The flow of chi was interrupted almost immediately. Something was wrong somewhere. Either Luke was too far gone or the error was within Danny. The clock that measured Luke Cage’s time left on earth had just sped up.
===================
“Please…just don’t kill us.”
The horrified maintenance worker, wearing a uniform that identified him as being an employee at Wrigley Field, home to the famous Chicago Cubs, had finally mustered the courage to say that sentence, only to now wish he hadn’t. The green armored monstrosity that stood on the other side of the room, the announcer’s booth, slowly turned to look at him. It wasn’t the attention he wanted.
“You’re asking me not to kill you?” Anarchy said. “You want to have some measure of control over your fate. I understand that. Really, I do. But you need to realize that life will never allow the balance to be tipped in your favor.”
The two henchmen at his side finished what they were doing at the console where the radio broadcasts of the games came from. That console was connected to a satellite system that relayed the games to all the affiliate radio and TV stations across the country. At anytime that feed could be broadcast, and it looked as if the henchmen had prepped the equipment for airtime.
“We’re ready here, Bud…Anarchy.”
“Good. Take up position at Camera One. And you,” he said, pointing to his other compatriot. “Make sure the explosives are primed. I want everyone to know that we’re serious. Dead serious.”
===================
“Just take it easy and let the medic do his job, Luke.”
“Danny, the guy can’t even get an IV in my arm! How is he supposed to do his job? I told you I’m fine, now let’s move!”
Luke Cage had never been one to sit around while a case was underway. Especially when that case had involved dropping a building on top of him. He ripped his arm away from the SHIELD medic that had him strapped to a monitoring device, which was a simple task since Danny had partially resuscitated him.
The building had been leveled. There was no one wall left standing on its own. The scene was total chaos, brandished by not-so-subtle violence. Whoever did this had wanted them dead. There was absolutely no question about it.
Deathlok was recovering, but he wouldn’t be able to go with them. The first thing Luke had said upon getting his breath back was that they were going to track the guys down and put some royal hurt on them. He had said “Sweet Christmas” at least a half-dozen times since Iron Fist had helped pull him out of the debris.
Danny waved his thanks to the SHIELD medic as they sauntered off. “Luke, we don’t even know where to start,” he said as he caught up. “Hell, I don’t even know what I did to you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Danny. What do you mean you don’t know what you did to me? You’ve done that magic stuff before.”
“Yeah, but something felt…off. Different. Like my chi is out of whack.”
“I’m breathing, and I’m pissed off. Your chi has plenty of whack.”
Luke stumbled and was caught by Danny. He shook his head and met his partner’s raised eyebrow with a cold gaze. “Okay,” Luke said. “Maybe some of the whack fell out.”
“Sir!” a new voice said.
Iron Fist helped his friend stand up straight again and looked over his shoulder to see another SHIELD medic run over to them. “Sir!” he repeated. “The commander on site said you should see this.”
“See what?” Luke asked.
The medic produced a small, portable television set and showed the screen to the two Heroes For Hire. The miniature picture showed a man in green armor, his face mostly covered. Behind him was a room full of hostages, all bound and gagged.
“I am Anarchy,” the man said. “I have just destroyed the headquarters of the Heroes For Hire. If city hall is not similarly destroyed by the local authorities in one hour, I will detonate the explosives I have placed around the Chicago subway system.”
“That’s the guy…” Luke said through grinding teeth.
“City hall must be decimated by its own public servants. This will be a symbol of the end of law and order. I am Anarchy, and I will lead you to chaos.”
The digital recording ended. The pair of heroes looked at each other, each knowing that the other was thinking the same thing. At once, they both asked the medic, “Where was that coming from?”
===================
“You sure you're up for this, Luke?” Iron Fist asked.
“Fist, you worry too much. I got this covered.” Luke Cage ran to the stadium. He knew Iron Fist was watching him but did not look back.
He was not okay. Since the experiment he volunteered for as an inmate Cage’s body had been blessed with a super-human strength, steel hard skin and he healed a little faster than a regular human. The blast he endured pushed everything he had to the max. If Iron Fist had not been there to work his K’un L’un magic on him he would not have made it. The Heroes for Hire had saved each other’s lives so many times there was no point in keeping track. Cage would have done the same for Danny were he able.
Cage had seen Iron Fist work his chi-sharing, healing bit before. The others recovered as expected. Something was different this time. Cage’s body was stiff like he just worked out hard after a long period of being bedridden. Also, his limbs were leaden. That had never happened. Did Danny notice? Probably. His partner was very attentive to body language
Did Iron Fist mess up the process? He said something was off. Danny felt strange about the merging of their life forces. My symptoms don’t really line up with what could be a screwed healing. Maybe my accidental powers might not mix well with that chi-voodoo.
Do they have people on the security cameras, Luke wondered. Like I even know where half of them are. We don’t know how many guys they got in here or what they’re packin’. If they ain’t seen me yet there’s no reasons to set off alarms by tearing off the doors.
Cage ran twenty feet down the North Clark Street side of Wrigley Stadium and charged through the wall.
“I guess an alarm might make less noise. Good thing no one was posted nearby. Ain’t like I can jump over the wall...” Cage began his jog to the playing field of the Chicago Cubs.
===================
Cage emerged from the dugout and scanned the field. It was deserted. SHIELD said the signal was coming from the stadium but had trouble locking down exactly where, Cage thought. Fist was checking out the logical lead. Cage headed out to center field. They have got to be able to see me now, he thought. When the pitcher’s mound was underfoot he stopped.
“Where the cowardly-ass fools that tried to blow me up?” Cage shouted, “Step up! I ain’t dead yet and I got somethin’ for you!”
Cage folded his arms.
He did not wait long.
===================
“What in the hell? The Heroes for Hire building did collapse on Power Man? I did see that, right?” Anarchy said.
“Ya, boss. We all saw it,” henchmen Baird said.
“What does it take to kill this idiot? Can we hear what he’s saying?” Anarchy said.
“No, boss. The playing field isn’t wired for sound,” henchmen Ogden said.
Ogden heard Anarchy’s armor charging as their leader glared at the monitor. He hoped the boss wasn’t going to do what it looked like he was going to do. Power Man was strong, everyone knew that. He just survived an explosion and a building falling on him and there he was, standing on the mound calling out the boss. Could the Anarchy armor take that on? Power Man had to be hurt. He had to be. Ogden did not want to go back into the joint. Anarchy didn’t say nothing about fighting super-types.
“Maintain watch over the detonators and the hostages. If I fall, collapse the subway and kill them.” Anarchy motioned towards the captured Wrigley Field ground crew.
“Broadcast everything.” Anarchy attached his helmet and dove out the announcer’s both window. His back-rockets fired lifting him to the field below.
“`Ey, if he goes down, how’re we getting paid?” Baird said.
“I dunno. Let’s hope that doesn't happen.” Ogden joined Baird at the smashed window to watch their boss’s armor at work.
“Doesn’t Power Man have a partner?” Baird said.
“Yes, he does,” said an unfamiliar voice behind them.
“Damn it.”
===================
“I was hoping I’d get the chance to-”
Power Man’s fist crashed into Anarchy’s chest plate before his jade feet set on the ground. The armor clad terrorist bounced once before landing on his back. His limbs shuttered then went limp.
“Not much for banter right now.” Powerman jerked Anarchy up by the head and fired a roundhouse.
“Shoulda got lasers or somethin’ with your suit, green-jeans.”
Anarchy raised both palms and fired energy bolts launching Power Man into the air.
“I did.” Anarchy rose to his feet and followed the descending hero.
Power Man landed hard. The fall only hurt his pride, the blast-much more. He tried to rise but was frozen on all fours. His joints locked in place. Icy spikes tore through his body. The enemy approached and Power Man was helpless.
“I am called Anarchy now though when we last met I had another name.”
“I beat down a lotta guys named chump. Which one were y-”
Anarchy drove a shin into Power Man flipping him onto his back, intensifying his pain.
“A chump am I? At least I stand for something. At best I am trying to help the people see the lies they perpetuate. Today is the first day of tearing down the walls of that sham we call society.”
Power Man lashed out with a leg-sweep but Anarchy was faster. The armored terrorist released a volley of laser fire. Power Man sluggishly tried to rise.
“You should have stayed buried, Power Man. The day belongs to Anarchy.” The terrorist opened fire on his helpless target.
===================
“All clear, agent. Send your bomb squad. This mess is beyond my abilities.” Iron Fist looked over the mass of electronic components and wires while speaking into his walkie-talkie. “Threat level near hostages is zero. No serious injures, no fatalities.”
Sounds of impact on metal came to Iron Fist. That would be Luke pounding the bad guy to paste, Fist thought. These two aren’t going anywhere. Unconscious at Iron Fist’s feet were two men in green SWAT-style gear and green hoods. They weren’t much trouble. Two strikes a piece and both-
-energy blasts?
Iron Fist stepped to the shattered window facing the playing field and his heart dropped. There was only one foe facing Luke. He wore green armor of a configuration Iron Fist did not recognize. Luke tried a leg sweep that was just too slow or too weak. What was the matter with him? Why was he so enfeebled? Iron Fist flipped through the broken window avoiding the glass with ease.
A sea of stadium seating stood between Iron Fist and his long time partner. Seeking the stairs would take time. Luke might not have any to spare. Iron Fist closed his eyes and focused his life’s energy-his chi. One in body, mind and spirit-he leapt.
The ball of his right foot landed on the first seatback and he leapt again. Four rows lower his left foot perched on a second seat. Another four rows raced by beneath him and he leapt. The rhythm came easily and Iron Fist sank into it.
What was wrong with Luke? What went wrong with the healing? It seemed right except for the odd anomaly floating somewhere just out of reach. Like a stone in a river of his fast moving, focused chi. Iron Fist searched as he drew closer to the playing field.
What was a stone was now a divide deep within his spirit. It could in time become an obstruction. In a brief lapse of attention Iron Fist slipped on the railing. He did not have the focus, the control, that he should. What have I done to my best friend?
Iron Fist rolled as he fell and landed in a crouch on the field. The armor wearer did not notice. Iron Fist broke into a run straight at the armored attacker. How would his control deficit affect his other abilities?
Cage no longer struggled under the energy bombardment.
Control be damned, Iron Fist thought.
He called up his chi, focused it into its most pure, most raw state and centered it into his right fist making it unto like a thing of iron.
The armored terrorist was unaware of the danger until suffering the full fury of the iron fist. The blow sent him into the air in an explosion of metal, bleeding energy. When he landed he did not move.
“Luke! Luke, talk to me!” Iron Fist said.
Iron Fist didn’t like the way the armored man lay so still, so corpse-like. The thought of whether or not he killed the man flitted across his mind for only a moment.
For the second time in a day Danny stood over his fallen friend. He couldn‘t find a pulse. He didn’t know when medics would arrive. I should never have allowed you to come! Forgive me but I have to do this.
Iron Fist took his friend’s hand in his and again, merged their chi.
===================
42nd St and Madison Avenue, Manhattan, NY
Four Freedoms Plaza
77th Floor
“I feel fine, Sue. You don’t need to keep me here,” Cage said.
“You’re only fine because of the treatment regiment Reed has you on, Luke,” Sue Richards said.
Cage woke in the Fantastic Four’s medical center a day after being flown there on SHIELD’s dime. He was told Iron Fist maintained the lock on the their chi the entire trip and only released his friend once Reed was certain he had the equipment in place to keep him stable. Twenty Four hours later Cage awoke to a very tired Iron Fist sleeping in a chair nearby. With Reed’s reassurance Iron Fist left soon after.
“Reed wants you monitored for another day at least. This is an experimental procedure you’re undergoing after all.”
“I’m good to go and I doubt my insurance-”
“Luke Cage! I can’t believe you’re thinking about the cost of all this. We’re talking about your well being,” Sue said.
“Sue’s right, Luke.” A hologram projector silently generated an image of Dr. Reed Richards standing next to his wife. “There is no price too high to keep a man as brave and good as you around, fighting for our side against people like this Anarchy person. I would feel much better if you allowed me to observe your healing for another twenty-four hours.”
“Why do I need to be monitored? Should I be worried here?” Cage asked.
“I can give you a full diagnosis after I run some more tests. When you have a moment, Sue?” Reed said.
“On my way, Reed.”
The hologram disappeared.
“I know that look, Sue. What’s the deal here? I feel different, I got that. What’s Reed found?”
“When I know something, you’ll be the first to hear, Luke.” Sue headed for the door. “Is your partner due back today?”
“Naw, Fist said he needed to go on a pilgrimage or something. I dunno.” Luke sighed.
Sue smiled and left he room.
“Said he’d check in when he got where he was going... dang, I’m bored.”
====================
Bleecker Street, the West Village
Multi-millionaire Danny Rand, Iron Fist, the Living Weapon of K’un L’un, is lost. He has money and influence, the respect of his peers and is regarded by many to be a hero.
None of this matters to him.
Iron Fist spent the last twelve hours in a deep, trance-like meditation that only a handful of practitioners on earth can achieve. He sought an answer and finally, he found it.
His wa, inner harmony, is shattered. Iron Fist doesn’t know how it happened but he must restore the balance. Iron Fist wields too great a power. Without complete control over his chi, and by extension the iron fist, he is a danger to himself and all around him.
Iron Fist stood on the sidewalk in front of the three story townhouse. K’un L’un only appears on earth once in a decade. It will be years before I can see Lei Kung about this matter. Unfortunately, there are too few that could be of aid to me in this. Fewer still that I trust enough to ask for help.
Luke Cage would give his life to help him, Danny knew, but he did not know what perils lay ahead. Luke was already hurt because of Danny’s failings.
This was a road for Iron Fist alone.
Iron Fist walked up the steps to the townhouse and raised his hand to knock on the door. It opened before he could.
“Good day, Mr. Rand,” the bald Asian man said, “We have been expecting you.”
====================
Author’s Notes:
On behalf of CW and myself, thank you for reading this. Iron Fist is a character we both enjoy immensely, and we’re excited to wrap up some of the hanging plots around him at M2K. Plots I created and abandoned…but thanks to CW, that’s no longer the case! He’s cleaning up after me, and since he’s a much better writer than I am, I couldn’t be happier. Now I can be lazy again.
The plots in question were left over from the M2K Heroes For Hire series. Buddy McClintok, now called Anarchy, was a throwaway character I never got around to bumping off. This story is fairly close to what I intended to do with him, and CW managed to make him interesting. Buddy is a lost cause, a devotee that was lied to one too many times. CW expanded on that personality and created a pretty cool original character.
So where do we go from here? Well…you’ll have to wait and see. Obviously that bald Asian man is someone we know. Danny is about to undergo a bit of a journey in order to discover something about himself, and that discovery will either cure him or kill him.
Thanks again for checking out the story!
-D. Golightly