This was crazy.
Elektra didn’t do anything as childish as tap her leg. Nervous tics like that were something her training had long since allowed her to overcome. Yet the stillness and calmness of her body failed to translate to her mind.
A glance across the room only sent her head spinning even more.
The supposed Iron Fist was conversing quietly with her… subordinate? Protector? Elektra hadn’t exactly had time to ask about their relationship after their whirlwind introduction.
She had heard tales about the Iron Fist and the wonders of K’un Lun for years. Everyone in Chaste had. The stories whispered of the Iron Fist as a paragon among men, a warrior of untold power, while K’un Lun itself was supposedly home to Elders who had mastered chi like nothing ever seen before.
Which, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had kind of thought was an exaggeration.
She was good. Damn good at manipulating her chi. There were others in the organization who were slightly better, but that was simply a gap in experience due to age.
Elektra had long thought she had figured out everything about chi and simply needed a few more years to polish her skills, but now…
She had to restrain herself from twitching as she remembered the crackle of thunder and the sheer, overwhelming speed.
Taking measure of an opponent was a fundamental aspect of martial arts. Despite how much it burned her to admit it, she had no chance against him.
The realization tasted like ash in her mouth, especially because this “Jack” hadn’t even bothered to use martial arts when fighting her. Obviously, he was such a powerful chi master, with such speed and power, that he hadn’t even seen fit to dignify her with any legitimate moves.
Still, something in the back of her head insisted this felt… off.
But what other answer could there be?
They knew of K’un Lun and even the Chaste. Was she supposed to think they were something ridiculous, like aliens?
Maybe it was the timing. She would see if she could ask why now, after all this time.
“I apologize for the delay,” Anna said, and Elektra answered with as much respect as she could manage.
If the Iron Fist’s subordinate was already powerful enough to overwhelm her, then she struggled to imagine how terrifying the Iron Fist herself had to be. Anna had taken her down with a single touch before conjuring those strange bindings.
“It’s no issue at all.” Elektra nodded.
“After some long discussion, we’ve decided to put our original mission on hold,” Jack said. “As such, please explain to Lady Iron Fist what you’re doing as a Hand agent.”
Elektra frowned at the command. All her training about mission infosec recoiled at just… telling someone.
Plus, she very much wanted to know what this original “mission” was. But a quick look at Anna had her burying her doubt. Extraordinary circumstances required extraordinary measures.
“Are you aware of the Hand’s recent actions?” Elektra asked.
Both of them simply shook their heads.
“In the past few weeks, Hand activity has spiked all of a sudden. They’re like a kicked hornet’s nest. Weapon smuggling, mass liquidation of funds, anything illegal you can name.” Elektra frowned. “But we have no idea why.”
“No luck with your infiltration?” Anna asked.
Elektra’s frown deepened. “None of the rank and file have been brought in. The whole reason I impersonated this agent is because we intercepted a message from one of their leaders about the importance of retrieving this ‘asset.’”
“Do you even know what he was capable of?” Jack asked curiously.
“No.” Elektra shook her head. “The orders were simply for me to lie back and wait for Lao to hit him with a drugged needle before he could say a word.”
“Interesting…” Jack said as he and Anna shared a look. “What were you going to do after?”
“Once we captured him, we were supposed to take him and hand him off somewhere in the Seaport District.” She thinned her lips. “My original plan was to try and trace things from there, but… obviously.”
“Ah, well… don’t worry.” Jack patted Anna on the shoulder. “She’ll show you some of K’un Lun’s secret methods.”
Anna just twitched at the comment. Elektra didn’t know what that meant between them, but before she could think on it further, a door clicked open.
Her training kicked in instantly, one hand already reaching for a blade as Kilgrave walked through the door.
He opened his mouth, but didn’t get to finish the sentence.
Jack disappeared.
A fist slammed into Kilgrave’s face like lightning, and the man collapsed as if someone had cut his strings.
Elektra stared.
What? How did he even—
“My victory this time!” Jack raised two fingers at Anna.
The supposed Iron Fist just rolled her eyes. “Show-off.”
Elektra’s mouth opened and closed.
“A little help here?” Jack asked as he dragged the groaning, unconscious target.
“...Right.” Elektra hurried over to help. “Is everybody at K’un Lun capable of that?”
Jack paused and looked at her.
“The heavens are high, young one,” he said with a stern look before turning away.
Anna just palmed her face.
Elektra felt her cheeks burn a little. Did they think she wasn’t capable enough to master such things?
She would show them!—“Ughhhhhh.” Anna groaned into my shoulder. “I fucking hate yooouuu.”
I snickered. “What? Not enough respect for Lady Iron Fist?”
“Could you be any more freaking obvious?” Anna knocked her forehead against my shoulder. “I felt like I was going to die trying to keep the act up with all your nonsense. The heavens are high? Why did you have to quote your weird books?”
She proceeded to spam light slaps against my arm.
“Hey, it’s not stupid if it works, right?” I grinned.
Anna gave me a flat look. “Are you asking for a beating?”
“I mean, if you’re into that…”
Anna recoiled in mock disgust and threw her hands up. I giggled as I turned and looked below us.
The warehouse stretched out beneath us. Dim yellow light barely illuminated the dirty floor below, leaving most of the open loading area swallowed by deep shadows. Anna and I crouched on one of the crossbeams above it all, with a perfect view of everything below.
They really couldn’t have picked a more cliché location for evil deeds, but I guess clichés had to be born from somewhere.
Elektra had gone ahead and was waiting down below with a bagged Kilgrave passed out beside her. Hopefully, she would be able to con the Hand leader just as successfully as we had conned her.
Worst-case scenario, Anna and I would simply jump them too and see if she could safely gain something from there. After a bit of questioning Elektra, we had learned that the Hand was pretty mundane on this Earth, so her mutant power should work relatively safely without any fear of demon bullshit.
Which was all well and good.
Plus…
[Feat Achieved! Gaslight Technique]
[+1 Silver Gacha Ticket]
I ripped the silver ticket.
[Rolling Silver Gacha Ticket]
[Sensor]
|Uncommon Trait|
You have always had a knack for sensing and locating energy/mana/chakra etc. Your ability to sense and locate energy, as well as your Thinker abilities, are enhanced.
Oh hell yeah.
The next second, the world felt more… open. I could feel Anna’s presence much more clearly now, although I wasn’t really sure how to describe what I was feeling. Still, any sensory boost against esoteric bullshit was welcome.
“They’re here,” Anna whispered.
The door opened, and another red-clad ninja walked in. Several more fanned out behind him.
The man’s gaze swept over the warehouse before settling on Elektra. “Where is Lao?”
“Dead,” Elektra said, beginning their prepared lie.
“Explain,” the ninja said roughly.
“The target resisted the needle,” Elektra said. “The drug didn’t take fast enough. The target managed to speak before we could gag him. Lao jumped out of a window before I could react.”
The man stared at her for a long moment before scoffing and muttering something I couldn’t hear.
I guessed he might have been Nobu, or maybe some other Hand higher-up. It was hard to tell under the outfit, and I didn’t know the Hand leaders’ personalities well enough to make a solid guess.
“And the target?”
“Unconscious,” Elektra answered. “Bound and ready for transport.”
The man’s gaze stayed on her.
Elektra lowered her head slightly. “Lao moved too slowly. I corrected the situation before it became worse.”
For a second, I wondered if he saw through it.
Then he shook his head and scoffed. “Join the rest. I will censure you later for your sloppiness.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The ruse had gone successfully, so all we needed to do was follow them to wherever they took Kilgrave.
Easy peasy.
Well, that had been the original plan.
As the minutes passed, the Hand agents very much did not leave. If anything, they seemed to be preparing something here. More men spread through the warehouse, checking doors, clearing space, and moving crates out of the open loading area.
I frowned as a bad feeling settled in my gut.
Then engines rumbled outside.
Several black cars pulled into the warehouse a moment later, their headlights cutting through the dim yellow light before the doors opened. A squad of people in black combat gear stepped out, faces hidden behind masks and tactical helmets.Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Did Hydra have a finger in every form of evil bullshit on Earth?
The lead Hand ninja strode forward, and one of the black-masked soldiers moved to meet him.
“You have the subject?” the masked man asked.
The ninja nodded tersely. “We do. Where are the Black Sky candidates?”
The masked man raised one hand.
One of the cars opened.
My stomach twisted as damn near a dozen kids were dragged out, bound and blindfolded, their small bodies limp and obviously unconscious as the soldiers dumped them into a pile.
Oh, those motherfuckers.
“Change of plans,” I whispered to Anna. “I’ll get the kids out first, keep the rest off me. We need to–”A red-and-blue blur swung through the warehouse, wearing a costume anybody from my world would recognize in half a second. White strands of webbing snapped out, grabbed the bound kids in one clean sweep, and yanked the whole damn group away from the Hand and Hydra agents.
Even to me, the move was fast.
The kids flew deeper into the warehouse, dragged along in a bundled pile as the web line trailed behind him.
For one long second, everyone below just stared in disbelief.
Then a scarlet orb of energy smashed through the warehouse ceiling.
Screams erupted from the Hand and Hydra agents as dozens and dozens of bodies burst into motion, weapons rising, orders being shouted, everyone reacting at once.
“Spider-Man!?” I gaped.What the fuck.***Back in business Baby!