Hell's Kitchen.
The Defenders were down to three.
Daredevil, Matt Murdock, was dead. Iron Fist, Danny Rand, was seriously injured. And the survivors were now officially labeled as federal fugitives, with warrants publicly calling for their surrender.
Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, and Luke Cage gathered together to discuss what came next.
Luke Cage said firmly, "We need to avenge Matt. We can't just walk away from this!"
"Revenge? On who? The federal government? The military? Or are you planning to go after that guy Rory? Even the strongest Avengers teamed up and couldn't beat him. What chance do we have?"
Nick Fury had countless agents under his command, with backing from the World Security Council and the Avengers. Direct conflict was unlikely, but things would definitely not go smoothly for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers going forward.
"So Matt died for nothing? We're just gonna sit here and do nothing?"
"Of course not. But with just the three of us, there's not much we can do. Let's wait for word from S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers."
Danny's arm still needed time to heal. Whatever they planned to do, step one was recovery.
Jessica walked behind the bar and opened a bottle of whiskey, ready to drown her sorrows.
Meanwhile, Danny and Luke left the restaurant. At the corner, they split up and went their separate ways.
But on Luke's way back to his apartment, something felt… off.
Too quiet. The street was unnaturally silent. He picked up his pace instinctively.
After a few steps, Luke suddenly stopped.
Two men in tactical gear blocked the road ahead, he recognized them. Super soldiers. The same ones who had attacked the military base last night.
He looked around. Front, back, left, right, surrounded.
Luke had learned his lesson from yesterday. No more brute force. He shifted gears immediately, charging forward in an attempt to break through the encirclement and escape.
Boom! He knocked one super soldier aside with a punch and continued sprinting forward, leaving the other behind.
He thought he was in the clear, until a golden glow lit up the dark street ahead.
Crash!
A massive golden greatsword, over two and a half meters long, materialized out of nowhere and smacked Luke back the way he came.
In just three seconds, Luke had broken through the encirclement. And in one second flat, he flew right back in the other direction, crashing to the ground.
Five or six super soldiers immediately dogpiled him, pinning him down hard.
Sure, Luke Cage had unbreakable skin and incredible strength. Against a hundred normal soldiers, he'd be untouchable. But against these elite supers? All his advantages evaporated.
Rory stepped out from the shadows, the golden sword fading away. He looked at Luke indifferently.
"Tie him up. Bring him in."
If not for the presence of Thor and Captain Marvel, Rory would've already led these super soldiers into open combat with the Avengers. But with those two heavy hitters in play, Rory opted for a more cautious approach, take them out one by one.
The soldiers restrained Luke with reinforced bands, mummifying him in restraints, then slapped on heavy vibranium cuffs and shackles.
Several military trucks rolled up. They loaded Luke aboard and drove off.
Not far away, Danny Rand, still close enough to hear the commotion, rushed over just in time to witness Luke's capture.
But with his arm broken, he couldn't summon the Iron Fist. And even if he could, it would've just been suicide.
As the trucks rolled away, Danny hurried back to the restaurant and told Jessica everything.
"I'm going to S.H.I.E.L.D. They need to step in and get Luke back."
…
Back at the military base, the convoy drove straight into a large warehouse.
"Hang him up."
Chains hooked onto Luke's arms, suspending him midair.
Luke Cage, unbreakable as ever, wasn't too worried. He didn't struggle. Didn't yell. Just waited.
Rory walked up to him. "Where did you get your powers?"
"Heh. You really think I'd tell you?"
Among the four Defenders, Rory was only interested in Luke.
Danny's powers came from training. Daredevil had enhanced senses and radiation-tuned perception. Jessica Jones' blood had already been tested. That left Luke as the only worthwhile subject.
"Your mouth really that tough?" Rory asked.
"Hmph. Try me and find out," Luke scoffed.
"Alright then."
At first, Luke didn't understand what he meant, until he saw Rory walk in with a jaw-spreader.
"Mmmmf!"
Rory twisted the crank. Bit by bit, Luke's mouth was forced open wider and wider.
"I heard your skin's as hard as steel. But your tongue, your tongue's still soft, right? Or is that iron too?"
Taking a vibranium syringe from one of the soldiers, Rory unceremoniously jammed it into Luke's tongue.
"Aaaaaarghhh!"
He extracted a full vial of blood and sealed it.
Looking at Luke, who was now trembling in pain, Rory asked, "What do you do if you get sick and need surgery? Would the pain just kill you on the table?"
He shrugged. "Maybe I should run some experiments. Pour in something that corrodes organs? Try some cancer cells?"
"Rrrrghhh!" Luke shook his head violently. His mouth was too wide to speak clearly, but Rory understood the gist: You're a monster.
"No, no. You attacked a military base. You're the fugitive terrorist now."
Luke forced out a few garbled words: "It was S.H.I.E.L.D., not me…"
"Oh? So you're willing to testify against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s illegal activities?"
Luke fell silent.
Rory smiled. "I'll give you one night to think about it. Agree, and I'll let you go. Frankly, I'd prefer you say no. That gives me a solid reason to send you straight to the lab."
With that, Rory turned and left, leaving two super soldiers behind to keep watch.
Back at his quarters, Rory received a call from Secretary Ross.
"Rory, we found the Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes."
"Where?"
Rory hadn't forgotten his promise, if he said he'd send Bucky down to reunite with Steve, then that's exactly what he'd do.
"He went to Wakanda last night with Black Panther, T'Challa."
Wakanda. A hidden nation with world-shattering tech, the only source of vibranium on Earth, and enough power to fend off Thanos' vanguard army on its own.
Rory frowned. "Any way to get him back?"
"I'll try applying diplomatic pressure, but I can't guarantee Wakanda will hand him over."
Rory sneered coldly.
This is just the beginning. Not a single one of them is getting away.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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