| “ | You think the four of you can save New York? You can't even save yourselves.
— Stick
|
” |
Formed in New York, the Defenders was an alliance of street-level heroes against the common threat of the Hand. The group consisted of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, who were all drawn together through separate run-ins with agents of the Hand, with Matt Murdock (the secret identity of Daredevil) being called in to defend Jessica following her arrest while investigating the group while Cage and Rand clashed when they both broke up a drug operation being run in Harlem. Initially refusing to work together, the quartet finally came together when Rand stormed Midland Circle, the center of the Hand's operations, and was swiftly overwhelmed by their agents, only to be saved by Cage, Jones, and Murdock, leading to a massive fight in which the group narrowly escaped, pursued by Elektra, the Hand's greatest assassin and Matt's seemingly dead ex-girlfriend.
After the battle, the group took shelter in a Chinese resturant, where they were approached by Stick, Matt's mentor, who explained the Hand's leadership, the Five Fingers, were going to destroy New York to access the source of their immortality, and that the Defenders were the only hope of stopping them. The group agreed to work together, investigating the Hand's efforts into New York and protecting each other's loved ones, but briefly fractured when they discovered that as Iron Fist, Danny was key towards helping the Hand access the source, which was hidden behind an indestructible wall under Midland Circle. The infighting distracted the group long enough for Elektra to stage an ambush, and she effortlessly defeated the Defenders, killing Stick and kidnapping Danny before leaving the others to get arrested.
While the rest of the Defenders escaped from the NYPD, with allies Colleen Wing, Misty Knight, and Claire Temple in tow, Danny was lured into the catacombs by Elektra, who had usurped the Five Fingers as leader of the Hand, and tricked into using the Iron Fist to destroy the wall, enabling the Hand to access what it protected: an ancient dragon skeleton whose bones had regenerative abilities. Setting explosives to level the building and trap the Hand once and for all, the Defenders stormed the catacombs and battled the Fingers, killing or defeating all of them save Elektra, who Matt stayed behind with to try and redeem while the others escaped. Having saved New York, the group disbanded, but resolved, in Matt's honor, to stay in touch, helping each other whenever they needed it.
Battle vs. Umbrella Academy (Netflix) (by BeastMan14)[]
For the first time in a long time, Matt Murdock genuinely smiled as he entered his office. Foggy and Karen had gone home for the night and the last of the clients had finally shuffled, leaving just him in the new Nelson, Murdock, and Page offices by his lonesome. It had been an uneventful few months, but after everything with the Hand, Fisk, and Pointdexter, he had more than earned “uneventful”.
Which is why he tensed when he smelled the scent of cigarettes and lavender in his office. Gripping his his cane and preparing himself for the worst, Matt spoke, breaking the attempt at silence with a commanding, “I know you’re in here, so whatever you want, come out before I call the police.” The order earned a laugh, one devoid of any real joy outside of a sick amusement, and the sound of a cigarette being gently snuffed against the desk. Matt grimaced.
He’d have to clean that later.
Finally, the intruder spoke, her tone arrogant and playful.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here for your daytime services, mister Murdock. It’s the nighttime services that intrigue me.”
Matt’s palms began to sweat as he thought her response over. How could she know? Who was this woman? What exactly did she want from him? Trying to read her pulse didn’t help, as it stayed perfectly calm.
Stammering, he replied, “Well, ma’am, I’m afraid I don’t-“
She laughed again, cutting him off.
“Matthew, honey, I’m from the future, and despite all the implications of that, I really don’t have time for this, so I’m just going to make this very short and relatively sweet: the apocalypse is coming to New York, and I’m afraid you’re the only that can stop it.”
Matt gasped as he realized her pulse hadn’t sped up. Either she was an absolute lunatic completely convinced what she was saying is the truth or she was telling the truth. The former was manageable, the latter was deeply frightening.
“What? The apocalypse? First, I’m just a lawyer, and second, even if I could help you, you seriously expect me to stop it alone?”
The woman scoffed, and the scraping of chair across floor indicated she was standing up. Try as he might, Matt couldn’t ignore that her presence was just…off.
“Of course not, Matthew! You’ve got that little team of yours, don’t you? What were they called? The…Champions? Superhero Squad? The Offenders? Something like that, but I’m sure they’ll be a big help.”
Matt rubbed the back of his nervously as he thought about the others. He hadn’t actually seen any of them since Midland, and Foggy and Karen both assured him that they (and Frank) all mourned him. Of course, this woman shouldn’t know any of this, so he played dumb.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Despite being blind, Matt could somehow tell she was rolling her eyes at him, and she leaned on his desk before replying, “Matthew, I really don’t think you have the time to be screwing around, seeing as how the bringers of the apocalypse will be arriving in exactly...”
Matt heard the click of a watch opening, and counted each tick in his head, before the woman broke the silence with a curt, “…ten seconds.”
Ten seconds later…
An orange tabby cat, fur covered in a mixture of pebbles and mud, stopped to rest, taking a break from it’s late night prowl. Resting against atop a trash bin, it curled up in a ball, purring as a breeze of cool air brushed across it’s fur. Before it could get too comfortable, the cat’s ears perked at the sound of crackling, and it reluctantly opened one eye to see a small blue light forming above the can. The cat stared in awe as the light grew larger and the crackling grew louder before the entire thing split open into a spinning blue vortex that spit out a hulking brute directly on top of the bin, with the cat yelping and leaping out of the way just in time to avoid the impact.
Shifting on top of the crushed bin, the man groaned, before crying out as a smaller, less muscular man fell from the portal and landed on top of him, followed by a scrawny man, and then a well-dressed child who landed on the heap feet first.
As Five’s shoe drove his face into Diego’s stomach, Klaus mumbled, “Had a dream like this once. Of course, Diego looked more like John Stamos in it.”
Wincing in a mixture of disgust and pain, Luther pushed himself to his feet, knocking everyone off of him and onto the ground as he looked around in confusion. He turned to look at Five, who dusted himself and surveyed his surroundings.
“Where the hell are Vanya and Alison? Where the hell are we? Five, what-“
Five held up a hand, silencing him, then sighed in frustration.
“Please, I need a moment to think.”
Diego scoffed and shoved him before snapping back, “Think? Well, maybe you should’ve taken a moment to think before, I don’t know, sending us back to New York and losing two of our siblings?”
Five scowled and shoved Diego back before snapping, “Oh, my apologies. In case you haven’t noticed, you knife throwing simpleton, time travel isn’t an exact science!”
While the other three bickered, Klaus, watched by the concerned spirit of Ben, managed to wrangle the frightened cat into his arms, gently moving his head to avoid it’s angered swipes at his face. Ben rubbed his temple in frustration.
“Are you really focusing on the cat right now?”
Klaus gasped in mock-hurt, then cooed to the cat, which settled slightly, before replying, ”Well, seeing as how the little one has stranded us in the timeline, I may as well make a new friend. Isn’t that right, Claws?”
“Did…did you give the cat your own name?”
Klaus shrugged.
“Why mess with perfection?”
He stopped and chuckled at his own joke.
“Hah. Purrfection.”
After a near scuffle, Luther separated Five and Diego, easily pushing the two back as they took a second to collect themselves, then yelled, “Enough! Fighting isn’t getting us anywhere, so let’s just take a second and think about a solution.”
Diego waved his arms sarcastically, voice dripping with condescension as he snarled, “Oh thank goodness, the leader has stepped up! I’m certain you’ll come up with an idea as good as “lock our unstable sister in a padded room while she cries and begs for help” if we give it time.” Luther balled his fast, fully intending to knock the smug look off his brother’s face, only for a concerned Klaus to interrupt the argument with a quiet, “Hey, guys, can you come make sure I didn’t hit my head too hard?”
Confused, the trio followed him out of the alleyway and onto the street, jaws all collectively dropping as they saw, in it’s former glory, the Hargrevees Mansion. Klaus pointed at it and mumbled, “Didn’t that, you know,” then mimed an explosion with his hand, while Five paced up and down the street, rubbing his chin in contemplation.
“So, I appear to have taken us back to, at the very least, before Vanya’s incident. This could be a way of preventing the apocalypse, or the timeline intentionally pushing us away from preventing the apocalypse, or a scheme by the Commission to stop me from hurting the timeline.”
“Five.”
“The Handler did say she was working on something that could enable the hijacking of the timeline and prevent unwanted interventions, but that tech was still in a very experimental phase.”
“Five.”
“Of course, between us and Hazel, there’s a chance her plans are so utterly foiled, she’s resorted to-“
“Five!”
The repeated yells snapped Five out his contemplation and he angrily replied, “What?!?” before both Luther and Diego pointed at Klaus as he happily crossed the street, humming as he nuzzled Claws. Cursing under his breath, Five teleported in front of him, stopping him as he approached the steps to the door. Smiling to hide his annoyance, Five asked, “What in god’s name do you think you’re doing?”
Klaus shrugged.
“Knocking on the door, duh. The worst person we’re gonna see on the other side is us or dad, so why not just go for it?”
Five groaned and put his head in hands before responding, “The worst that could happen is we crack the timeline like an egg! I really don’t have the time to explain the seven stages of Paradox Psychosis to you, so just…stay here!”
With a sigh, he teleported back across the street to Luther and Diego, who had watched the lecture unfold with quiet amusement. Brushing himself off, he shot them both a dirty look and inquired, “And what exactly are you two smirking about?”
With a chuckle, Diego pointed to Klaus, who had continued his stroll and was now knocking on the door. Yelling in frustration, Five teleported once more and yanked Klaus away. After several seconds, Five looked at the mansion in confusion, then knocked on the door himself. Joining them after crossing the street, Diego looked the mansion over.
“Awful quiet. Maybe the old man hasn’t croaked yet?”
Five considered it.
“Well, it would explain the lack of noise. Lord knows you guys could never keep quiet.” Before Luther could try the door for himself, a voice, harsh and instantly recognizable, answered from behind the door with a simple, “Hello!”
All four of the group jumped back, startled and at a loss for words at the sound of their late father. Diego spoke first.
“D-dad? H-h-holy shit, you’re-“
The voice continued, silencing him.
“If you are hearing this message, know that it is pre-recorded. I have left for a conference in Malta alongside my assistant Pogo, so if you are in need of reaching me, you can set an appointment for proper channels. Otherwise, go away.”
The voice cut off, and Luther laughed and pointed at an embarrassed Diego.
“Ha, you thought it was Dad!”
Ignoring him, Diego crouched down and picked the lock, pushing the door open after a minute of work.
“Dad’s security was always shit.”
Entering the mansion, Diego gestured for the others to follow him.
“What are ya waiting around for? If we’re gonna figure out how to fix this, we should do it somewhere besides an alleyway.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the others stepped inside, with Luther gently shutting the door behind him.
Yo, yo, yo, yo!
A catchy beat echoed through Harlem’s Paradise as a man with an afro and a disheveled suit bobbed his head to the tune on-stage, the crowd dancing and watching in awe as the man launched into his rap, crouching to eye-level with the crowd.
We've got 5 million ways to kill a CEO
Slap him up and shake him up and then you know.
For his part, Matt Murdock ignored the performance, as pleasing as the tune sounded, and pushed through the crowd, bobbing and weaving with a level of an agility not matching a blind man. He had a meeting with the owner, and he didn’t have time for dancing. Not that he was any good at it anyway.
Let him off the flo', then bait him with the dough
You can do it funk or do it disco (Yo, yo, yo, yo!)
Pushing his way to the bar, Matt leaned in when he felt the bartender get close and shouted, struggling to be heard over the music, “I’m looking for Luke Cage! He’s the owner?”
The bartender set his glass down and pointed towards the staircase leading back, then sheepishly lowered his hand when he saw Matt stare blankly at him.
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Just take a right and head up. Power Man ain’t gonna wanna see ya without an appointment.”
Matt smirked.
“I should be alright. I’m a friend.”
Y'know how this go
We've got 5 million ways to kill a CEO
Slap him up and shake him up and then you know
Stepping towards the stairs, Matt stopped as a meaty hand blocked his path, and he sensed the presence of a much larger man stepping in to block his path.
“You got an appointment with Mister Cage?”
Matt rolled his eyes, then replied, “No, but he’ll want to see me. I represent-“
The man snorted.
“Gonna need more than that. Turn around, man, and I’ll tell Mister Cage somebody came around to-“
“Let him through, Sugar. We go way back.”
Luke Cage, dressed in a jet-black suit with a yellow tie, descended the stairs and placed a reassuring hand on his bodyguard’s shoulder. After a few seconds, Sugar nodded and stepped back, and Luke led Matt up the stairs up by his arm.
And for the record I ain't called it a gat
But tuck this in the small of your back
The music became much more quiet, blissfully, as they entered Luke’s new office. After helping Matt find a chair, Luke sat at his desk, leaned forward, and coldly asked, “Were you ever gonna tell me you were alive? Or was I just supposed to find out when some nutcase dressed like you shot up a newsroom?”
“He didn’t shoot them.”
“Not the point. How exactly did you survive, y’know, a goddamned building falling on top of you?”
Matt paused to think about it. Come to think of it, he had never really put it together beyond assuming Elektra had saved him, but he also hadn’t seen or heard from Elektra since.
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Besides, you’ve been busy. Kingpin of Harlem, huh? How’d that happen?”
Luke laughed, then responded, “I’ll let you know when I figure that one out. But something tells me that if you’d wanted to visit, you’d have done it sooner. So, what’s up?”
He leaned back in his chair and rested his chin on hand, and Matt rubbed his cane nervously as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to explain the apocalypse. Finally, he decided to just be blunt. From what he knew about Luke, he’d respect that.
“Okay, so I’m just going to come out and say it: we need to get everyone back together to stop the end of the world, which is going to happen in 48 hours.”
There was a long pause, and Matt noted with some relief that Luke’s heart rate didn’t spike too much at the news, before Luke burst out laughing, trying to get himself under control before looking at Matt, who didn’t join him, with concern and a quiet, “You’re serious, aren’t you man?”
Matt nodded, causing Luke to massage his temples with a weary sigh and quietly ask, “Is it ninjas again? I’m sick of ninjas, man.”
Matt shook his head, then simply replied, “Superpowered family. They’ve got a mansion in Brooklyn. A woman told me, even though she didn’t exactly feel human.” which earned a weary laugh from Luke, who mumbled, “Coulda swore I was done with this superhero stuff, man.” before perking back up and saying, “Alright, so if we gotta get everybody back together, we need Danny and Jessica. Have you talked to them?”
Matt shook his head, which made Luke threw up his hands.
“So your first reaction to the apocalypse was to come to me? Why?”
“Luke, I was dead and we’ve got 48 hours! You were easiest to find!”
Nodding in annoyed agreement with the logic of the answer, Luke reluctantly stood and gave a glance out at the club before walking towards the door.
“Well, if we don’t got much time, we should grab Danny. He just got back from China and he’ll be happy to see you. Kid was pretty banged up about what happened, ended up getting us in all kinds of trouble over it.”
Matt followed close behind as Luke walked down the stairs, giving a nod to Sugar, and asked, “Trouble?”
“Kung-fu vampire nonsense. Long story, I’ll tell it over drinks some time.”
Taking the sudden existence into the undead into account, Matt forced the idea into the back of his mind before adding, “And what about Jessica?”
Luke smirked, then replied, “She’s her usual self, so let me handle that.”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
Jessica slammed the door, battered and chipping away after being slammed countless times before, in Luke and Matt’s face, and a mildly amused Matt mumbled, “Seems well-handled.” Luke sighed and knocked again, waiting for a response, before raising his voice to be heard through the door.
“Jess, I know you said you were done with superhero stuff-“
“Because I am done, Luke!”
“-but this one’s important, end of the world kind of deal.”
“Great, go get one of the assholes that loves doing that stuff, because after Trish, I’m done with it!”
Luke leaned against the door, trying to figure out the right set of words, while Matt leaned in and replied, “I know you’re done with this stuff, but if you don’t help us, a lot of people are going to die. And I know, despite everything, that you’d never forgive yourself if that happened.”
There was a long pause, and then a weary sigh, and finally the door unlocked and swung open, revealing Jessica, an annoyed expression across her face, throwing her jacket on and gesturing for them to lead the way.
“Fine, but you’re telling me how exactly you’re alive.”
“If you tell me what happened with Trish, sure.”
“…It’s a long story.”
“Yeah, I’m hearing that a lot tonight.”
Diego nervously wandered the halls of the mansion, peeking into room after room, while the others were talking out a plan downstairs. He’d join them in a minute, but there was something (technically someone) he needed to check on. If he could just find her in this damned labyrinth. Frustrated, he slumped against the wall and ran his hands through his hair, so annoyed he didn’t notice his quarry until she was standing next to him and looking him over with a confused, “Diego?”
Grace’s voice snapped Diego out of his brooding and he grinned from ear to ear before pulling his nanny in for a hug, all while happily greeting her with a genuine, “Oh my god, I missed you so much.”
Confused, but happy, Grace patted Diego on the back in a reassuring manner and asked, “What are you doing here, Diego? I thought you said you were never coming back.”
Pulling away from the hug, Diego replied, “Me and the others came to, uh, visit. We just…missed you and dad, is all. When does he get back from his conference?”
Diego’s excuse didn’t seem to register, and Grace simply responded “Well, I’m glad you boys decided to come by. I’ll cook dinner.” then walked back down the hall, humming to herself as she did so. Diego’s smile vanished as a confused Luther passed her, stopping to say hi before looking at Diego and asking, “What are you doing up here? Five needs you downstairs.”
Diego shrugged, then responded, ”I was just doing a perimeter check, making sure we’re all good.”
Skeptical, Luther thought about pressing the issue, but decided to drop it, and the two headed towards the dining room.
Matt Murdock had expected a lot of things when he ran across town, reassembling a team of super-powered vigilantes that had all assumed he had died, but he had not expected Danny Rand to happily pull him into a hug as soon as he saw him. Beaming from ear to ear, Danny invited the trio of Matt, Luke, and Jess into his apartment, which was, from what Matt could sense, smaller than he expected.
Still smiling, Danny went over to the fridge and pulled out a water before gesturing for everyone to have a seat at the couch.
“Coleen’s out doing Iron Fist stuff right now, but she’s gonna be so happy to know you’re alive, Matt! When I heard about the Bulletin massacre, I knew something was up, because no way was the guy who told me to protect his city gonna kill-“
“Wait, Coleen is Iron Fist? I thought you were Iron Fist.”
Holding up a glowing fist, Danny shrugged.
“Well, I gave her the fist, and then I went to China and got the fist back from another Iron Fist that everyone thought was dead. It’s actually-“
“-a really long story? I’m getting that a lot tonight.”
Danny laughed, then leaned back in his chair.
“So, I assume you guys just haven’t come to visit out of kindness.”
Luke nodded, and Jessica sighed in annoyance, eyes glancing over at the clock. For a supposed apocalypse, these attempts to get everyone back together sure were taking a while. Clearing his throat, Matt leaned on his cane and spoke plainly.
“The apocalypse is coming, Danny, and if we don’t stop it tonight it could destroy everything we’ve ever fought for. Now, I know you’ve been through a lot, and I’ve put us all through a lot, but-“
“I’m in.”
Danny grinned, and Matt paused, baffled, before replying with a confused, “W-what?”
“I said I’m in. Apocalypse is coming so we gotta stop it. That’s what heroes do, right? Besides, ever since Luke became the big boss of Harlem, I haven’t gotten a chance to go out and do superhero stuff.”
Satisfied, Luke smiled then looked at Matt and asked, “Alright, gang’s back together, so where to?”
Tapping his fingers on his cane, Matt thought it over, confident now that everyone was together, and replied, “Have you guys ever heard of Hargreeves Mansion?”
“So, let’s not be too optimistic here, but I may have found a way to get everyone back together,” explained Five as he sat at the dinner table, arranging a variety of condiments for some sort of presentation. Leaning in his chair, Diego raised a quizzical eyebrow, but (blissfully) kept quiet, and Five continued, gesturing towards the combined six condiments.
“Suppose these are us.”
Klaus, excited, perked up and asked, “Am I the cumin?” which earned a groan from Ben, who had been intrigued thus far.
“…Sure. Anyway, now-“
He held up a salt shaker and a pepper shaker before moving them away from the other condiments.
“Suppose these are Alison and Vanya. Clearly, at some point in our trip, they got separated, possibly due to the interference of Vanya’s powers or because-“
Diego quipped, “-you screwed up?” which earned a chuckle from Luther, who quickly took a serious expression and shook his head when Five glared at him. Gesturing back to the remaining four condiments, Five continued, “Now, these are us. Whatever the reason may be, we have ended up back in New York for the time being, ‘’’but’’’ assuming I can get my hands on a Commission briefcase, we can go back, find our sisters, and prevent the screw-up from ever happening.”
Luther, curious, raised his hand, causing Five to stare at him, baffled, before finally pointing at him and saying, “Luther, you have a question?”
Lowering his hand, Luther replied, “Uh, yeah, a big one: how exactly are we going to get our hands on a Commission briefcase? Last I checked, you only had one if, y’know, you were part of the Commission?”
Five smirked, satisfied with himself, and answered, “Well, Luther, seeing as how we’re all loose ends, it should be fairly easy to get their attention. All I have to do is send a signal to them and they’ll-“
A firm knock on the front door cut him off, and all four of the siblings gave each other wary looks before getting up from the table. Drawing a knife from his belt, Diego whispered, “Old man expecting company?”
Klaus shook his head, then replied, “Have you met the old man? He didn’t exactly make himself appealing.”
Hand nervously resting on his gun, Five squinted as he saw four silhouettes waiting at the door, quietly talking amongst themselves. He prepared himself as the quarter inched towards the door, silently debating whether to open it or not.
“Why the hell did you knock?”
Jessica glared at Luke, who threw his hands up and snapped back, “It’s called being polite. I know you’re not too familiar with it, but I was told we knock before charging in.”
“Well, we’re already running late because someone needed to go back to the office and grab their suit, so enough of this weird polite bullshit.”
Danny laughed and chimed in with, “I missed this.”
Matt, clad in his proper black suit, tilted his head at the sound of feet shuffling from behind the door and shushed his bickering teammates.
“Four different sounds of footsteps. One is big, one is very small, other two seem to be about normal?”
Taking the information into account, Luke nodded, then asked, “Alright, what’s the play here? We going in, or taking this to the-“
With a mumbled “fuck this”, Jessica answered the question by kicking the door, knocking it off it’s hinges and sending it crashing into the mansion. Annoyed, she gestured for them to go in, and the group reluctantly moved through the rubble, coming face to face with the cause of the apocalypse, which appeared four men, one a hulking brute in a trenchoat, one a man in all-black tactical gear, one a scrawny hippie type, and the last a child in a school uniform, who all quickly overcame their shock and took a fighting stance.
Luke slowly raised his fists and leaned over to Matt before mumbling, “You sure we got the right place?”
Matt replied, “Well, I don’t know. What were you expecting, four horsemen?”
Sheepishly, Luke admitted, “Kinda.” before looking back to the group assembled in front of them. The staredown felt like hours, with both teams looking each over, before Diego mumbled, “For someone with all the plans, you’re awful quiet, Five.”
Nodding coldly, Five whispered, “I was thinking of an ideal strategy. Luther, you take the big one, obviously, Diego, you’re on the ninja, I’ll take the one with the glowing hand, and Klaus can handle the girl.”
Klaus frowned.
“Must I really hit a woman? Feels a little misogynistic, no?”
Five sighed, then snapped, “Then just let her hit you until she gets tired. Lord knows that’s more your speed.”
Klaus smirked.
“Yeah, that I can do.”
“Excellent. Now, Luther, if you could land the opening blow-“
He nodded towards the coffee table separating them, and Luther grumbled, “Always hated that table anyway.” before kicking it and sending it flying towards the Defenders, who ducked behind Luke as he smacked it aside, shattering it into pieces. With a cry of “Scatter!”, Five teleported forward, landed on Danny’s shoulders, then teleported them both away as Danny gave a surprised shout. Before he could react to the surprise disappearance, Luke staggered back as Luther connected a blow with his jaw, sending him staggering, while Diego hurled a knife at Matt, who easily leapt over it only to cry out in pain as it re-directed into his shoulder.
As the skirmish swept around him, Klaus waved at Jessica, then ran deeper into the hallway. After a moment’s hesitation, Jessica sighed and ran after him.
Can’t believe how much time I spend chasing nutbags.
Danny hit the floor with a hard oomph as Five let go of him and landed gracefully on his feet, turning to look the fallen Iron Fist over with a smirk. Leaping to his feet, Danny ignited the Iron Fist and smirked back before charging, only for his fist to connect with nothing as Five vanished in a flash of blue light. Confused, Danny cried out in pain as feet connected with his back, sending him sprawling down the hallway, then turned to look at a smirking Five as he adjusted his tie and quipped, “I was hoping they’d send superheroes a little bit more competent, but I suppose it’s hard to find good help these days.”
Pounding his fist into the ground, Danny took a deep breath and stood up, closing his eyes and taking a disciplined stance as he faced a surprised Five. Old teachings ran through his head.
Let the words flow off you off like water. Release the rage but keep the determination.
Waiting a few seconds for an attack that didn’t come, Five vanished again, and Danny felt it. The brief shimmer in the air, the increase of heat, the quiet ‘’shoom’’ before the boy appeared next to him, lashing out with a kick that hit air as Danny ducked, then connected a firm blow to his gut, sending a shocked Five crashing through the wall.
Five hit the wall of Vanya’s room and clumsily bounced off it and onto her bed, swearing to himself as he fell to the floor. Wiping rubble out of his hair, he looked up to see a smirking Danny stepping through the hole in the wall before taking a fighting stance. Maybe he needed to fight a little smarter here. Drawing his gun, Five fired, forcing Danny to leap out of the way, then teleported away, leaving his foe alone. Danny tensed, waiting for the signs, then relaxed slightly when they didn’t come, only for a bullet to rip through the door behind him and graze his leg. Whipping around, he pushed the door open just as Five vanished again, reappearing in the hall and firing three more shots through the wall. Danny rolled to avoid them, then activated the Iron Fist and punched the desk clean through the wall, sending it smashing clean through the wall and into Five.
Leaping through the newly created hole, Danny kicked the gun out of Five’s hand as he tried to fire it again, then swung his fist forward, wincing it as it collided with wall, the target gone. He whipped his head up at the sound of Five whistling, then teleporting further down the hallway. Scowling, Danny ran deeper into the mansion.
Diego nodded, mildly impressed, as Matt managed to avoid a re-directed knife, turning his head just as it embedded itself in the wall behind him.
“Not bad.”
Pulling the knife free of his shoulder and dropping it to the ground, Matt ignored the compliment and lunged forward, throwing a jab that Diego blocked and responded to with a kick, which Matt ducked under and landed a blow to his gut. Circling each other, Diego grinned.
“And you can box? You really are a ninja.”
Both men leaped back as Luther and Luke stumbled past them, both men firmly locked in a grappling match as they staggered into the living room. After a moment’s pause, Matt and Diego lunged towards each other, trading blows that each man easily blocked until Matt managed to land a clean blow to Diego’s side, winding him, then roundhouse kicked him, sending him sprawling to the floor. Rolling out of the way of a follow-up kick, Diego quickly threw a knife into Matt’s leg, earning a hiss of pain as he limped back.
This guy’s gonna kick my ass if I keep trying to get-up close. Gotta get somewhere where I can pull a few tricks.
Jumping up, Diego charged forward, then connected a headbutt with a surprised Matt, who staggered backward before Diego landed a clean kick to his chest, knocking him into the wall. Gasping for breath, Matt paused to pull the knife out of his leg, then decided against it before realizing that Diego had vanished. Slightly tilting his head, he could hear the clomp of military boots heading right, then quickly gave chase.
Luke and Luther’s wrestling match came to an abrupt ending as the two slammed into the couch, with Luke using the momentum to throw Luther aside. Surprised, Luther grabbed a chair and hurled it at Luke, who blocked it, letting it smash into splinters.
A grim expression on his face, Luke advanced, ignoring the second chair Luther picked up and smashed into him before finally throwing a punch that Luke easily caught and countered with a blow to the gut. Luther gasped, wind knocked out of him, then tumbled to the ground as Luke backhanded him into the kitchen table. As Luther groaned, Luke looked up and grinned as he saw Danny watching from the railing overlooking the living room.
“What happened to your guy?”
Danny scratched his head and shrugged.
“I…uh…kinda lost him.”
“Man, how do you lose a kid?”
“I don’t know! He can, like, teleport and-“
The distinct whoosh gave Danny pause, and he turned just as Five landed a kick to his chest, sending him over the railing. Luke yelled in surprise as his friend hit the floor with a hard thud, and Danny struggled to his feet just as Five appeared above him and smashed a vase over his head, knocking him out cold. Satisfied, he teleported to Luther and kicked him in the side, stirring him.
“Get up, you big idiot. I thought you were stronger than this?”
Luther groaned, pulling himself to his feet, then replied, “Guy hits like a mack truck, Five.”
“Have you ever been hit by a mack truck?”
“More than you’d think.”
As Luther readied himself, Luke charged, throwing a punch that he narrowly avoided as Five teleported behind Luke and shot him in the back, looking at his gun in bewilderment as it bounced harmlessly off of his skin. Ducking to avoid another punch, Luther landed a series of strikes to his opponent’s gut, grinning as Luke grunted with each blow. He turned as Five appeared next to him and ordered, “Get him back in the entrance, I’ve got an idea.”, then quipped, “Man, I just got him out of the-“ before Luke punched him in the side of the head, knocking him into the doorway.
Ears ringing, Luther stumbled back, narrowly avoiding another hit from Luke as he tried to steady himself. Fumbling, he grabbed for the desk nearby and brought it above his head, only for Luke to grab his arm, visible annoyance across his face.
“Man, enough with the furniture.”
He brought his fist up and uppercutted Luther, lifting him off the ground and sending him crashing to the floor. Dusting himself off, Luke tapped Luther with his foot to make sure he was out, then looked up at the sound of tinkling to see Five sitting on top of the chandelier, furiously pulling out the screws holding it up. As it came free, Five smirked, then teleported away. Seconds before it crushed him, Luke mumbled, “You gotta be-“, his complaint lost in the thunderous crash that echoed through the mansion.
Satisfied, Five reappeared, briefly checking on Luther and nodding upon feeling a pulse. He was down for the moment, and Diego and Klaus were likely further in the mansion. Suddenly, the chandelier moved, and Five turned, shocked, to see Luke, clothing torn and scratched but otherwise seemingly unharmed, push it off of himself and turn to look at Five, eyes full of rage. Five quickly teleported away and Luke groaned.
“I’m already sick of this kid.”
Klaus yelped as he ducked and weaved through the various hallways of the mansion, Jessica hot in pursuit. Slouched against a wall, Ben watched him in confusion before asking, “Do we have a plan here?”
Not breaking stride, Klaus replied, “Yes, it’s called “don’t let the scary lady catch you”, and it’s going swimmingly.” Turning a corner, he dashed down the stairs to the kitchen and locked the door behind him, ducking behind the table as he heard Jessica try to turn the knob. He smirked and gave Ben a thumbs up, getting an eye roll in return, then frowned as he heard Jessica whisper, “Fuck this.” and kick the door open.
Looking over the counter to see Jessica advancing towards him, Klaus quickly popped back down, rooting through the cabinets for various pots and pans, then popped back up and tossed his makeshift weapons at her. Jessica swore as a frying pan collided with her forehead, then caught a colander out of the air and tossed it back, Klaus narrowly ducking to avoid it as it smashed into the wall behind him. As he went back behind the counter, he turned to see Ben looking at him skeptically.
“Not gonna lie, Klaus, this plan sucks.”
Klaus threw his hands up in frustration and yelled, “Well, you do something then! Do the tentacle thing that you did in the theatre!”
Ben massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed.
“First of all, please don’t ever call it “the tentacle thing” again. Second, you need to channel me, idiot.”
Klaus looked over the counter to see a thoroughly annoyed Jessica advancing on him. Sensing an impending beating, he screamed, throwing his hands in front of his face, then heard a crack of lightning, followed by a hard thud. Opening one of his hands to look through it, he saw Jessica, struggling against an enormous tentacle that pinned her to the wall. As the tentacle protruded from his chest, Ben grinned triumphantly at Klaus clapped his hands excitedly.
“You did it! The tentacle thing!”
“No, Klaus, ‘’you’’ did it. Told you channeling was easy if you really tried.”
Klaus paused, stroking his goatee as he thought of the options, then said, “You know, you’re really right. Maybe if I do try harder, I can really do something. If I-“
Ben’s smile dropped as he felt his form waver, and he desperately snapped his fingers at Klaus, trying to grab his attention.
“Hey, Klaus, focus before I-“
Ben returned to his ghost form and Jessica dropped to the floor, gritting her teeth. Klaus looked at his ghostly brother in confusion, then gave a final yelp as a chair collided with his head, shattering into splinters and knocking him out cold. He hit the floor with an unceremonious thud, and Ben sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose with disappointment as Jessica walked over and tapped his face with her foot. Satisfied that he was out cold, Jessica grabbed him by the pant leg, then dragged him towards the entryway.
Matt walked slowly and cautiously, head tilted at every possible noise as he tried to find Diego. He had heard his distinct military boots going up the stairs, but he’d lost him after that. Passing by an open door, he stops at a slight, nearly imperceptible creak of floorboard, then leaps back, narrowly avoiding a knife as it whizzes by his face and into the wall ahead of him. He barely has a chance to register as Diego launches himself from the shadows, throwing a punch that Matt blocked, then counter with a strike to the throat. Wheezing, Diego staggers back, throwing a kick that Matt ducks under, then follows up with a clean hit to the chest, pushing Matt back.
They circle each other for a moment, and Diego smiles in spite of himself.
“You’re not half-bad. Nobody’s ever dodged one of my knives.”
Matt ignored the compliment and threw a punch that Diego blocked and then spun on his heel for a full strike that he ducked under, using the momentary weakness to draw a knife and drive it into Matt’s side. He hissed in pain and Diego carried himself forward, wrapping his arms around his foe’s waist and tossing him down the hall. Matt manages to recover, catching himself and flipping to his feet, as Diego tosses another knife, Matt rolling out of the way of this one, then crying out as it reverses direction and stabs into his shoulder.
Diego follows up the knife with a knee to the face, sending Matt reeling. He spits blood, then practically roars, charging forward and countering Diego’s next punch with two hits to the gut. Diego goes for another knife, but Matt catches his hand and hits his ribs. He keeps pushing, forcing Diego back, refusing to let him use his range advantage. He manages to grab a knife and stabs out, but Matt leans back, ducking under it, then darts to the side, pushing off the wall and kicking into Diego’s side, pushing him against the other wall.
Landing quickly, Matt uppercuts Diego, stunning him, then grabs his head and drives it into the wall, leaving a dent behind it. Diego’s eyes glaze over and Matt lets him fall. Panting, he crouches down, trying to catch his breath. With a groan, he pulls the two knives lodged in him free, then picks up Diego, hoisting him over his shoulder and heading back to the entryway.
Jessica tossed the unconscious Diego on top of the similarly knocked out Luther, then turned to see Matt descending the stairs, and he wearily nods in her direction before doing the same with Diego. She inspects his wounds, shocked.
“Jesus. What happened?”
“My guy’s got a thing for knives.”
“Well, mine had a tentacle ghost, so I might have you beat.”
Matt laughed, then winced at the pain of laughing, before stopping to listen to the sound of only three heartbeats in the pile.
“Where’s the fourth one? And Luke, actually.”
Jessica started to reply, only for the sound of a crash and yelling to stop her. She gave Matt a nervous look, and they both followed the noise upstairs and into the area overlooking the dining room to see Luke staggering around, flailing as Five futilely punched him in the head. With a grunt, Luke grabbed Five’s legs and tossed him off, Five vanishing in a burst of light in mid-air. Jessica stared at Luke in bafflement, before saying, “They have a fucking teleporter?”
Luke wearily nodded, then tried to yell in alarm as Five appeared behind Jessica and swept her legs out from under her. Matt turns quickly, trying to punch, only for him to appear behind him and smash a vase against him before vanishing again. Pulling a piece of the vase out of his back, Matt groaned, “Well, that’s annoying.”
Luke nodded, then ordered, “Everybody get back to back. This kid’s gonna try and ambush us and we’re gonna wait for him this time.”
Luke quickly helped Jess up, pushing her behind him, and she turned on her heel, back facing to him and Matt, who tensed and tilted his head, waiting for Five to re-appear. He paused, listening closely, at the sound of a small pop, and he quickly turned as Five appeared and landed a kick to his chin, staggering him. Luke swiped, but the punch hit the air as the child vanished. Jessica scowled, clenching her fists, and Matt jumped as heard the second pop, throwing his fist and connecting with Five’s jaw just as he appeared in a flash of light.
Five winced, falling back in a mixture of pain and shock. How had he known where he was coming from? He lunged towards Matt, quickly teleporting behind him to land a surprise hit, only for Luke to grab him by the collar and toss him over his shoulder, sending him into the wall so hard he leaves a dent. He groans, trying to stand, and Jessica swiftly knocks him out with a kick to the head. Luke pointed at Five’s prone form, shocked, and said, “Christ, Jess, that’s still a kid.”
She rolls her eyes and replied, “That is not a normal goddamned kid.”
Holding his side, Matt leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths, before asking, “Well, apocalypse averted. Wake Danny up, then we’ll talk to these guys once we get him secured.”
Five was awoken by a light slap to the face, and he squinted at the light as he saw the four attackers surrounding them. He glanced over his shoulder to see his other siblings tied down to chairs with ropes, save Luther, who was bound with what appeared to be metals chains. With a grunt, he attempted to teleport, only to struggle vainly against the ropes binding him to the chair. He struggled a few more times, then settled, glaring at the group, earning a laugh from Diego, who quipped, “Well, good to see Five has joined us.”
Jess stepped out of the shadows, leaning down to look at Five, and looked him over before asking, “Alright, so you guys are the apocalypse, huh? How you gonna do it? Bombs? Super-virus? Some sort of mystical bullshit?”
Five stared at her as though she had grown two heads, and the others joined him, Klaus awkwardly craning his neck to join in, his face one of bemusement.
After a few awkward seconds, Five snorted, derisively replying, “Hold on, you morons think we’re starting the apocalypse?”
The Defenders gave each other confused looks, then nodded, causing Five to laugh coldly before furiously trying to break free of his tree while yelling, “We’re trying to prevent the fucking apocalypse, you idiots! Perhaps if you had waited even a moment before storming our home you could’ve realized the error!”
Jessica looked at Matt, who nodded, then said, “Heartbeat’s steady. Either he’s telling the truth or he really believes it’s not their fault.”
“Technically, we did cause the apocalypse, but that little mess hasn’t happened yet.”
“Klaus, shut up.”
Five looked towards the group and inquired, voice filled with annoyance, “Who, pray tell, told you we were the cause of the apocalypse?”
Matt sheepishly rubbed his head and answered, “A woman, said she was from the future. Told us, or, well, me that she was trying to stop you.”
“Did she have a voice like a cat walking across your grave, by any chance? Being around her gave you a vague sense of nausea?”
Matt mumbled, “I guess. Little bit specif-“
The four siblings laughed, with Diego stopping first to say, “You dumbasses got played by the Commission.” before joining back in on the laughter.
Luke furrowed his brow, then asked, “Who the hell is the Commission?”
A bright blue flash drew everyone’s attention to the area overlooking the dining room, and Five’s eyes widened as he saw the Handler, accompanied by two dozen well-dressed, well-armed, men and women. She took a drag of her cigarette, then snuffed it out on what was left of the railing before saying, “That would be us, sweetheart.”
The Defenders turned, taking cautious fighting stances, and she smirked, then continued speaking.
“To be honest, I’d been hoping for more bloodshed, but you four were nice enough to giftwrap them for us, so that will make killing them a bit easier.”
Danny made the first move, activating the Iron Fist and standing in front of the bound siblings, face grim with determination. After a few seconds, the others followed, with Jessica rolling her eyes and stepping in last. The Handler watched them, intrigued.
“You four are really willing to risk your lives for people that tried to kill you?”
Luke cracked his knuckles and snapped, “Frankly, I ain’t a fan of getting played for a fool, so it’s less about helping them and more about getting even with you.”
From behind them, Klaus leaned forward and chimed in, awkwardly clearing his throat to draw attention to himself.
“Hey, I don’t mean to be, like, pushy or anything, but could you possibly cut us free so we’re not just sitting here like targets?”
Diego grinned.
“Already on it.”
With that, he burst free of his ropes, revealing a hidden knife before cutting Five and Klaus free, then turned to look at Luther, who sheepishly struggled with his chains, mumbling something about how they were stronger than anticipated, then finally broke free, standing triumphantly as the chains broke apart and tumbled to his feet. All free, the siblings stood side by side with their former foes, Five and Luke giving each other understanding nods, before turning to look to the Handler, who sighed.
“Really? Must we insist with the superpowered beat-em-up nonsense? I was hoping to be back at the Commission soon, filing my report over dinner and a cocktail, but I suppose I can let these fine agents wrap things up.”
The Commission agents stepped forward, raising their weapons and training them on the assembled team, and the group tensed, Diego breaking the silence with a genuine, “Anybody got a plan?”
Luther smiled and answered, “I dunno, winging it seems to be our style.”
Jessica groaned, grumbling, “Really should’ve just stayed home.”, then joined the others as they charged towards their would-be assassins.
Epilogue[]
A small tranquility had settled on the Joker’s hideout. The boss was asleep, his girl snuggled tightly against him, and, save for a small few on patrol, the gang had largely packed it in and gone home. While they hadn’t beaten Crowder, it had been enough of a draw to ensure that they wouldn’t hear from him for some time, meaning the chance of a threat was low.
One clown, clad in a white mask with red diamonds on the eyes, took advantage of this, quietly humming as he poured himself a drink before continuing his patrol. Mixing the vodka and ginger beer together, he smiled. Sometimes, working for the scariest gang in town had it’s perks. After he gently set a mint leaf atop his drink, a bright blue flash distracted him from the finishing touches. He looked up to see a child, clad in some sort of school uniform, sitting across from him with a cocky smile.
“Don’t suppose you could mix me one?”
The clown tried to give a shout, but Five grabbed him by the ears and smashed his head into the bar, letting his body fall into an undignified heap before taking a sip of the drink. He winced at the taste. Too much ginger and not enough vodka.
He poured the drink out and leapt over the bar, pausing to see if the brief scuffle had alerted anyone. No one stirred, and he gave a satisfied nod, sidling over to the table and grabbing his objective: a small, strange package hidden behind a hand scanner. He looked it over, then tucked it into his coat pocket before heading for the door.
When Elijah had given him the details on his mission, he had assumed it would’ve required a bit more effort, but it had been a simple infiltration, one of dozens performed over his life. After all, he’d been approached to investigate the mysteries of the city he and his idiot brothers had been dumped into, which sounded like it posed more of a threat. He opened the door to the warehouse and stepped outside, coming face to face with another clown, this one wearing a mask with an LED smiley face across it. They stared at each other for a moment, and Five went for his gun moments before the clown’s head burst as a sniper round tore it apart. He put a finger to his earpiece and whispered a grateful, “Thanks for the back-up.”
Atop a crate further down the docks, a grim-faced Thane Krios reloaded while Pete Wisdom, watching through binoculars, whistled, impressed, then turned on his communicator.
“Clean kill, Krios. As for you, Five, quit faffing about and get over here before we gotta pop someone else.”
There was a blue flash, and a smirking Five landed behind him, startling him, then nodded towards Thane, who slung the rifle over his shoulder and nodded in return. The trio climbed down from the crate and moved towards a waiting car, Pete sitting down in the driver’s seat while Five climbed into the passenger seat and Thane sat in the back. Switching it on, Pete pulled away, grinning cockily as he used a hot knife to light a cigarette.
“All in all, not a bad mission, eh?”
Five pulled the package from his suit and looked it over, then replied, “I suppose. Could’ve gone without as much bloodshed, but that’s the job sometimes. A shame Detective Goro couldn’t join us on this one.”
Taking a drag of his cigarette, Pete shrugged.
“Eh, kid’s busy. Told Elijah something about billiards with an old mate of his.”
Five tucked the package into the glove compartment, chuckling.
“Well, that’s surprising.”
“What, that he blew off Elijah?”
“No, that Detective Goro has friends.”
They both laughed at this, and Pete gave a glance to the backseat, where Thane whispered a quiet prayer, eyes closed and hands clasped together. He watched the drell for a few moments, before getting his attention with a wary, “Thane, mate, you do know the one you popped is coming back, yeah?”
Thane simply replied, “The damage inflicted upon his body will heal, but the damage upon my soul will not. And so I will make my prayer regardless.”
Five and Pete gave each other skeptical glances, then shrugged and left him to his prayer, turning the car away from the docks and towards the 1% district. Elijah had ordered them to get it to him ASAP, and they were gonna do just that.
The heavy rain beat down on the city, creating a layer of fog that made it hard for one to see even more than a few feet in front of them. The downcast weather, combined with the late hour, made the streets relatively empty. The citizens of DFederal knew better than to be out past midnight. Well, most did, anyway, save for those out on business.
One such person was Elijah Snow, who leaned against a light pole, inspecting the package as he waited patiently. He held the object close to his ear, shaking it and hearing something rattle inside, then shrugged, tucking it back into his coat. His earpiece chimed, and he put a finger against it as Pete spoke.
“I got visual on him, Elijah. He’s turning the corner now.”
Standing up straight, Elijah adjusted his coat and stepped out into the rain, seemingly unaffected by the downpour and thick fog.
“He got backup? Roughnecks? The assistant?”
“Nah, appears as though he’s left the eye candy and the jackboots back at the office.”
“Understood. How about on our side of things?”
Pete chuckled.
“Thane’s on a rooftop about two blocks out and I got Five in a sewer grate about twenty feet away. Of course, Sypha, Zuko, and I are waiting right around the corner, and if it really goes tits up, Goro, Faden, and MacGrath are on stand-by, though it’ll be a few minutes ‘fore they’ll be here.”
Elijah squinted as he saw a figure appear in the midst, nonchalantly whistling. He headed towards the figure and whispered, “Alright, Pete, I’m going in.”
“Watch your back, boss.”
“You watch it. It’s why you’re here.”
Elijah stepped through the fog, stopping as Beast, clad in his trademark green suit and wearing a pair of black sunglasses, appeared, standing a few feet from him. Hands in his pockets, he smiled politely at Elijah and asked, “So, I assume there’s a good reason you insisted upon meeting at this ungodly hour?”
Elijah pulled out the small box, setting it at his feet and kicking it over. It slid across the pavement, stopping at Beast’s feet, and his mouth curled into a small smile as he looked down at the apparent gift.
“Ah, so you’ve retrieved my package. Thank you. I was truly worried I’d lost this forever.”
Elijah glared at him as he picked up the package and held it close.
“I’m not here for your thanks. You promised me information, per our usual arrangement.”
Beast nodded, reaching into his suit and pulling out a crinkled up piece of paper and instantly teleporting it into Elijah’s hand. Unfolding it, he looked at the quickly drawn numbers and the two words at the bottom: “Sewer Depths.” His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“What is this? Coordinates? I’m not sending my people into something with this little information.”
Beast chuckled as he took a step back into the fog.
“You really want me to spoil the surprise? Trust me, your people will like this. Now, if you excuse me, I need to get this out of the rain. Have a pleasant evening.”
On those final words, Beast stepped into the fog and vanished, and Elijah sighed, tucking the paper into his pocket and heading back to where the rest of the team was waiting.
Beast appeared in his office in the blink of an eye, the rain instantly gone from his clothing. Ramona had gone home for the night, leaving him on his own until the morning. With a smile, he stepped towards his bookshelf, pulling one, a black and red book labelled “A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason”, out, and stepping back as the shelf pulled away to reveal a small hand-scanner. He placed his hand against the scanner, and it beeped in affirmation, causing a section of the wall to push back, revealing an elevator.
Beast stepped into the elevator and pressed the lowest button on the control panel, and the door slid closed, quickly dropping down in a matter of seconds. The door re-opened, revealing a small lab, and Beast stepped out, setting the box onto a table and flicking a switch, causing a table with a black-armored man strapped into it to emerge from the shadows.
Struggling vainly, the man snarled at Beast, who leaned against the table and watched him in amusement.
“Release me, you idiot! I will make you suffer for this!”
Beast chuckled coldly and turned back to the package, calmly responding, “I’m far stronger than you, my friend, so no, quite frankly, you will not.”
He placed his hand on the scanner, and it quickly clicked open, revealing a small, metallic rod that hissed with an ominous energy. Beast grinned as he inspected it in his hands. The rod had, seemingly, been a simple prop for the scrap between MacGrath and Faden, but it’s creation served a dual purpose: showing him how the Hiss worked and giving it a way to channel it. Once the match had ended, he simply reloaded it, then brought it into reality with him using his own considerable abilities. He turned to the bound Kai Leng, who tried to hide his fear, and snapped the rod in two, taking a deep breath as he watched the red mist leak from it and envelop him.
He felt it almost immediately, the auditory overload as the Hiss swarmed his brains, his waking thoughts, probing and trying to find a weak point to push in through, but it was stymied at every turn, each apparent opening slamming shut as they tried to reach it. After a few moments, it did the unthinkable, backing away, seemingly cowed in the face of true power.
Having lost it’s target, it moved to Kai Leng, who yelled in terror as it overwhelmed him, squirming and fighting against his restraints before going limp, a small red mist surrounding his head as his eyes went blank. Looking over the Hiss’s handiwork, Beast smiled. So, it would work. He hoped not to use it, of course, seeing as how little fun there was to be had if all his subjects were forced into loyalty by an otherworldly abomination, but it would be handy for ensuring the co-operation of the more unruly citizens, and if Leo were to use his own little project, he’d be able to have a countermeasure.
He reformed the rod and whistled, and the Hiss abandoned Kai Leng, repossessing the small tool, which Farouk tucked back into the box and locked tightly. Kai gasped for air, eyes wide in horror.
“What did you do to me?”
Farouk waved his hand, reducing Kai to dust, then stepped back onto the elevator, whistling calmly, and pressed the button, signaling it to return to his office. He’d have to file a revival request later, but something told him there was no rush to bring back the cybernetic moron. He looked at the package and smiled.
Everything was working exactly as intended.
Deep within the recesses of the sewers, a small rat, much of it’s hair missing, dragged a small finger with it’s teeth. Stopping by a steep incline, it paused, nibbling on it’s prize. Moments of peace were few and far between, so it needed to eat quickly before it would be disturbed again. Suddenly, it stopped, ears twitching as it heard an ominous buzzing heading it’s way. It quickly grabbed the finger and fled deeper into the sewers, seconds before a pair of white shoes landed where it had been resting, followed by three more pairs of feet.
The owner of the shoes, Elijah Snow, cursed to himself, running as fast as his legs could carry him, with his team, Sypha Belnades, Zuko, and Pete Wisdom, not far behind him. And not far behind them was thousands of enormous red wasps, buzzing angrily. Pete quickly turned on his heels, hurling three knives of pure energy into the swarm, but the handful of insects cut down were quickly replaced. He keeps running, ducking as several divebomb him, then gives a grateful nod to Zuko as he cuts them down with his swords.
The team turns a corner, and Elijah pointed towards a door at the end of the walkway and yelled, “Through here!”
He reaches the door and pulls it open, and the team stops to stare in awe at the enormous, entirely white space that stretched for miles. Elijah squinted as a cloaked figure, far in the distance, turned at the sound of the door and began walking towards it, growing larger and larger. As it drew near, it began to shed it’s cloak, Elijah’s eyes going wide as he saw a glimpse of a writhing mass of tentacles underneath it, and Sypha quickly pushed him aside and slammed the door shut, shaking her head furiously.
“Definitely not through there.”
A shaken Elijah nodded, then ran again as the wasps drew closer, the buzzing almost overwhelming in it’s intensity. As the group turned into a narrow hallway, he nodded to Sypha, and they both stopped, putting their hands on either side of the wall and quickly creating a thick wall of ice. The last pieces of it came together just as the swarm reached it, and Pete winced, jumping back as dozens of stingers embedded themselves into the thick barrier. After a few moments, the sound of the swarm subsided, growing quieter, and the four breathed a sigh of relief.
Elijah’s relief turned to annoyance, and he reached out and smacked Zuko across the back of his head, causing the boy to hiss in pain.
“And that-“
He pointed to the still embedded stingers.
“-is why I said not to torch the goddamned nests.”
Rubbing the back of his head, Zuko mumbled an apology, while Sypha and Pete looked around, Pete sighing in annoyance as his electronic map glitched out, just as lost as they seemingly were. They both looked to Elijah for guidance, and he gestured for them to follow.
“Beast’s coordinates lead a little bit ahead here. We should be close.”
After a few minutes of walking, the quartet found themselves at a large steel door, protected by a keypad. Elijah looked to Pete, who looked over the keypad before simply stabbing a hot knife into it, causing it to spark and whine, and the door slowly opened, revealing a walkway. Taking point, Elijah cautiously stepped onto the walkway, Sypha close behind him and Zuko and Pete behind her.
A thunderous roar gave them all pause, and they all took cover behind the railing, Sypha peeking over and staring in amazement. Below the walkway lay dozens of skyscraper-size glass cages, each containing an enormous beast. One, the source of the roar, roared again and let loose a stream of blue fire, which hit the cage vainly and subsided. In another, a massive, tentacled beast roared in return and slammed against it’s cage before sinking back beneath the water. In another, a writhing mass of plants and vines sat, seemingly waiting it’s time.
Elijah stared in awe, quickly taking notes in a small black book, before mumbling, “Well, it appears we’ve found where they keep the kaiju.”
Expert's Opinion[]
The Defenders lacked the fantastical abilities of the Umbrella Academy, but they made up for it with vastly superior experience and teamwork. While the Academy's members are powerful, they've never really been put up against the same level of threats, nor are they particularly effective at working together without bickering. The Defenders were able to work as a cohesive unit and had a better understanding of their own abilities, enabling them to win this one.