Elektra stirred from her drowsy sleep and instinctively stretched out her arms, expecting to feel someone beside her. But the space was empty—she was alone in bed.
She sat up abruptly, fully awake now, and looked around the room. Seeing no one, she quickly threw on her silk pajamas and stepped out. As she descended the staircase, she spotted Daniel sitting on the sofa, calmly going over some intelligence files.
Elektra still found it hard to believe that the enigmatic "Puppeteer" was actually Daniel. That title always sounded like a cheap stage name he had come up with on a whim. But it was exactly because he was Daniel—grounded, composed, and quietly intense—that she couldn't help but fall for him.
What truly moved her, though, was the way he once said, "Two lonely people hold each other to stay warm." It was a simple truth that pierced straight through her guarded heart.
At the moment, they weren't in Paris, or anywhere in France, nor had they returned to Greece. They were staying in Berlin, Germany, at the Plaza Hotel—specifically in a penthouse that, officially speaking, didn't even exist in any records.
Daniel was reading a report detailing the Bakshi family's recent efforts to recruit and infiltrate Berlin-based operations. It also contained an overview of the current Hydra structure.
Even now, the Bakshi family remained isolated from other Hydra branches. Daniel had strictly ordered them to hide their affiliation. No one outside the inner circle was to know they were Hydra.
The current Hydra leadership was fractured. Baron Strucker held the most power, followed closely by Viper. Sebastian Shaw was trying to challenge Strucker's authority. The Zemo family had gone off the grid. The Malik family had retreated from global affairs. On the surface, Alexander Pierce seemed like the most prominent figure, but there were two other secret branches so well hidden that even Daniel hadn't been able to identify them yet.
SHIELD remained strong, and until Hydra could regroup, none of its factions dared to act openly.
Not long ago, the World Security Council rejected Nick Fury's Avengers Initiative. Hydra's shadow loomed heavily over that decision.
Nick Fury was a sharp, cautious man. During WWII, he had predicted the failure of the Maginot Line and staged a drunken brawl as a cover to escape the frontlines. Though it landed him in military court, it also saved lives. That same gut instinct was flaring up again—he saw in SHIELD the same weaknesses the Maginot Line had.
But none of that mattered to Daniel. He had no intention of working with Hydra in its current form. After SHIELD's collapse, most had written Hydra off as irrelevant.
Eventually, Daniel would round up what was left of Hydra's usable assets—but it wouldn't be easy. Besides Strucker and Pierce, the rest were either too cautious or isolated.
The Malick family still existed, even though Malick himself was gone. Daniel would also have to watch out for the otherworldly Hydra monstrosity that had returned from another dimension. And then there was Sebastian Shaw—whatever fallout Magneto planned for him was Shaw's problem. As long as the Hellfire Club remained useful, Daniel didn't care whether Shaw lived or died.
Hydra had become too fragmented to be useful. Without a common enemy to unite them, the factions had turned on each other. To approach them now would be foolish—no telling who might betray whom.
At present, the most influential Hydra branches were still operating inside the United States. Under Pierce's leadership, they were carefully hidden and shielded from SHIELD's surveillance. But once Hydra was exposed, those same branches would be hit first and hardest.
In Germany, apart from a single loyalist Malick, Hydra had no real presence.
That wasn't surprising. On the surface, Berlin looked peaceful, but it was a strategic hotbed. Both the U.S. and Russia watched it closely. The CIA's European HQ was based here, and even the slightest misstep could attract attention. Only rising anti-American sentiment had allowed the Bakshi family to creep into Berlin undetected. Their influence was spreading, just as Daniel intended. Since SHIELD's collapse, this city was one of the safest places to operate.
Daniel's focus now was on a highly unusual material: iridium.
After mastering spatial magic, he'd been trying to build a stable space gate. He'd created a functioning magic circle for it, but every material he tried disintegrated under the force of raw spatial energy. Iridium, however, might be the exception.
This rare metal had been used by Dr. Selvig to construct the portal for the Chitauri invasion. That alone proved it could handle massive spatial strain. A stable gateway powered by iridium might actually be possible.
Kamar-Taj could open dimensional portals using their signature Sling Rings, but stealing one wasn't an option. Not while the Ancient One was still alive. Anyone who stole a Sling Ring would be exposing themselves to the wrath of Earth's magic guardians, and likely die before using it.
That left iridium as his best shot.
Daniel's goal was to intercept the metal before Selvig got to it. Ideally, he would swap part of it out, weakening the structure of the portal. If he could sabotage it just right, maybe the portal wouldn't open at all. And if it did, maybe it would only be large enough for one Chitauri at a time to squeeze through.
Just imagine: a full invasion force waiting on the other side, only to find a portal the size of a bathroom window. That image alone made Daniel smirk.
The target had already been located: the Berlin Grand Museum, in the heart of the city. He planned to act tonight—before Loki found a way to interfere. With Loki, anything was possible. Waiting would only make things worse.
That's when he looked up to see Elektra standing on the second-floor railing, wearing only a sheer silk nightgown. A gentle smile played on his lips.
"You're awake. Come down—I made dinner," he called.
A short while later, the two stood on the rooftop of a high-rise across from the museum.
Elektra looked at Daniel with confusion.
"What are we doing here?" she asked.
"We're taking something. Stopping a crime. And watching a show," Daniel replied with a strange, cocky grin beneath his mask. The dark blue trench coat he wore fluttered like wings under the moonlight. He looked less like a magician from hell and more like some kind of phantom—like the twisted Night Baron.
"Elektra, sweetheart, stay here. Don't get spotted. Watch how the professionals do it," Daniel said. Then, without waiting for her response, he leapt from the rooftop.
Elektra reached out instinctively, but he was already gone. His coat stretched out like a wingsuit, letting him glide silently across the gap and straight toward the museum's upper levels.
She exhaled in awe.
'What was I even worried about?' she thought.
This man wasn't normal. For a magician like him, even a fall from this height wouldn't leave a scratch.
Daniel landed soundlessly on the reinforced glass, then sent a tiny bolt of lightning into the building's internal switch. The window quietly slid open.
Though this was a museum, not all floors were for public display. Most of the real valuables were stored underground. The upper floors held low-value pieces and fakes, along with staff offices for curators, handlers, maintenance, logistics, finance, and administrators.
Normally, modern museum design would prohibit outward-opening windows and include alarm systems on every panel of glass. But this building, despite its shiny exterior, was over two decades old. Its systems were outdated and unreliable. No central air, no integrated security—it ran on duct tape and budget cuts.
Daniel moved undetected, heading straight for the underground vault—the so-called "treasure house."
It was protected by two heavy doors with a decontamination room in between, meant to prevent contraband from being smuggled in or out. Just unlocking it triggered the alarm system. And guards were patrolling both sides of the building.
None of that mattered to Daniel.
He slipped past one of the guards without even being seen. The cameras were already disabled—he'd cut the power. He made his way deeper into the vault.
And he wasn't alone.
Outside the museum, Hawkeye (Clint Barton) had arrived with his own team. Unlike Daniel, Barton didn't bother with finesse. His approach was direct—and deadly. Within moments, the place was a bloodbath.
Daniel had been careful. Barton… not so much.