C64: Regroup
"I've found a new lead on the Hand's activities..."
While Li Ran's scheme to harvest Tony Stark's legend had yet to begin, the Defenders' investigation struck first.
After nearly a week of scouring Hell's Kitchen and its underbelly, Matt Murdock—aka Daredevil finally hit on something substantial.
"Technically, I found it first," Jessica Jones muttered as the crew gathered at Nelson & Murdock, the law office Matt shared with Foggy. "The guy who hired me to find his missing cousin? I dug into his study, found a string of odd messages and an unlabeled image buried in his hard drive. Followed those crumbs and traced the photo's location."
Matt followed up quickly, tapping the desk. "At the same time, I noticed something off. The usual street supply of synthetic heroin in Hell's Kitchen's been drying up fast—suspiciously fast. I tracked where it was being funneled."
"Upper New York Bay," both he and Jessica said in tandem.
Upper New York Bay also known as Upper New York Harbor isn't just a waterway. It's the historic gateway to New York City, encompassing Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Governors Island, right at the mouth of the Hudson River. It's one of the busiest ports in the world and also a well-known smuggling hotspot in the Marvel Universe, notably used by organizations like HYDRA, Maggia, and the Hand.
Li Ran's clone, assuming the form of the pastry chef Ah Xing, blinked blankly. "New York Bay again? What kind of cursed hotspot is that supposed to be?"
"It's a port," Luke Cage explained plainly. "Ships, containers, warehouses... good place to hide a lot of dirty business."
He continued, crossing his arms. "But why would the Hand converge there of all places?"
"I haven't confirmed their exact motive yet," Matt admitted, furrowing his brow behind the red-lensed glasses of his civilian disguise. "But all signs point to an illicit drug shipment. Ever since we took out Madame Gao's old operations, they've gone underground more careful, more surgical."
Jessica nodded, her voice low and edgy. "I don't know who they're dealing with now, but I got a whisper about a meet tomorrow night. Same port."
"How reliable's the intel?" Matt asked, raising a skeptical brow.
Jessica shrugged. "Can't say. Picked it up through one of Trish's former sources—someone deep in NYPD's Narcotics, who's been off the grid. It's not airtight."
Silence followed her statement as Matt weighed the risk. After a pause, he looked up at his fellow Defenders. "If this is a trap, it could be worse than anything we've faced so far."
Ah Xing broke in, righteous and upright as ever. "You don't enter battle thinking about retreat. If we're serious about stopping the Hand, we fight. That's what we promised."
Li Ran, watching through his clone's eyes from the antique store, detected the hint of something deeper in Jessica's and Matt's reports a setup maybe, or a diversion. But instead of pulling back, he directed Ah Xing to commit to the plan.
Luke Cage nodded, his jaw set like concrete. "We've been chasing shadows for too long. If this is real, even a trap—it's our best lead. We go in, eyes open."
Despite their strengths, the Defenders were still a patchwork team—more vigilantes than operatives. They lacked the coordination of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the training of the Avengers. But Jessica, Luke, and Matt shared something more crucial: conviction.
"I'll go alone if I have to," Jessica said flatly, tired of the debate.
Her determination made Matt relent. "Fine. Tomorrow night, we hit the docks."
Tomorrow could change everything.
From his antique store in Chinatown, Li Ran leaned back and smiled slightly. Things were getting interesting.
---
The following night.
The Upper New York Bay bustled even under darkness. Cranes moved silently in the distance. Piles of Maersk and Stark Industries containers towered like fortresses. The air smelled of salt, steel, and secrets.
Bang—
A faint thud echoed as Jessica landed atop a container. Her boots scraped the metal as she crouched, eyes scanning. "Nothing. This area's clear."
"Same here," Ah Xing replied through the comm link, crouched behind a line of tarped crates.
"Maybe it was a dead lead," Luke muttered as he moved past stacks of containers. "No signs of movement. Could've been a setup."
"Impossible!" Jessica barked, her voice laced with frustration. "The intel may have been secondhand, but it felt solid. It matched previous Hand patterns."
"You said it was secondhand," Luke countered. "Hell, for all we know, you were baited. The Hand's smart, and you're... let's say, confrontational."
"Unless that snitch had a death wish, he wouldn't lie to me," Jessica growled. The others could feel her temperature spike through the comms.
Then Matt's voice crackled through the earpiece, sharp and focused. "Quiet. East side. I hear something."
He was already on the move, his heightened senses picking up hushed movements—dozens of footsteps, but no industrial noise. "Too quiet. It's not dock workers. Someone's staging."
Jessica and Luke froze.
"Confirmed. It's the Hand. They've brought reinforcements."
Suddenly, the comms filled with the unmistakable sounds of hand-to-hand combat—thuds, grunts, metal clanging.
The east dock exploded into motion.
Without hesitation, Jessica vaulted off the container and sprinted toward the sound, her boots clanging on metal. Luke followed, fists clenched. Ah Xing pivoted and darted through the maze of crates.
The real fight had begun.
---