Luke Cage's small restaurant was surrounded by a military convoy, green vehicles forming a steel wall around the humble diner. The air was tense, full of the heavy metallic scent of ammunition and oil.
Inside the convoy, a former gang member sat uncomfortably, sweating in his seat as he spoke to the commanding officer. "The guy you're looking for is inside. He goes by Luke Cage now, but I recognized him right away. He hasn't changed a bit."
The officer stepped forward, shouting into a loudspeaker: "Carl, or should I call you Luke Cage! Come out! This is the U.S. military! You need to come with us. Stop hiding."
For a long moment, silence.
Then, with a heavy rumble, the restaurant's rolling shutter lifted.
Luke Cage stepped out slowly, wearing his trademark hoodie, his face calm but resolute.
"I was wrongfully imprisoned," he said, his voice deep and unwavering.
"That's not our concern," the officer replied sharply. "You accepted a classified military enhancement program. Your body belongs to us now."
"You ran off after benefiting from government resources. That's unacceptable."
Luke Cage's eyes narrowed. "I accepted the experiment, but they tried to kill me. I had no choice but to escape."
The officer didn't blink. "You won't be harmed now. You're valuable. We're here to protect you."
Luke Cage slowly shook his head. "I won't trade my freedom for protection."
In the next instant, Luke exploded into motion, charging toward the military blockade like a battering ram.
"Suppress him! Open fire!" the officer bellowed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A storm of bullets rained down on Luke Cage. Sparks flew as rounds struck his body, tearing his clothes apart, but not drawing a single drop of blood.
Though unharmed, Luke flinched and grimaced. The kinetic force still caused pain, even if his skin remained unbroken.
With a roar, he rushed headlong into the military formation, sending soldiers and vehicles flying.
The officer's face twisted in shock. "Disperse! Open a path!"
In a stunning tactical pivot, the soldiers pulled back instantly, clearing a straight escape route for Luke Cage.
He paused, stunned. He had expected resistance—not retreat.
Seizing the opportunity, he dashed toward freedom, planning to vanish into the night. He would abandon the restaurant, find a new identity, and start over—again.
But just as hope lit in his chest, the officer gave a cold new order:
"Deploy the ultrasonic suppression vehicle. Bring him down!"
Moments later, a large armored vehicle rumbled forward, mounted with a massive soundwave emitter shaped like a satellite dish.
This wasn't just any weapon—it was developed by Stark Industries, strong enough to suppress even the Hulk.
A chill ran down Luke's spine.
He tried to flee.
But the emitter activated.
BUZZZZZ!
A wave of ultrasonic sound surged through the air like a tidal force, distorting space and battering everything in its path.
The crowd watching from afar saw visible ripples in the air, like heatwaves intensified a hundredfold.
The sound hit Luke like a hammer. He screamed in agony, clutching his ears and dropping to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.
The officer sneered. "If this can stop the Hulk, what chance do you have?"
"Consider yourself lucky. You're not even getting one-seventh of the treatment the Hulk would receive."
---
Meanwhile, bystanders had gathered nearby, murmuring in awe and fear.
"Holy crap! What kind of person needs the whole army to arrest him?"
"Isn't that the diner owner? He's a superhuman?"
"Dude, he flipped a truck earlier! And those bullets did nothing!"
"And look at that weapon—it cracked the pavement!"
"He's a superhuman for sure!"
---
Among the crowd, Nathan stood silently, observing everything.
He wore a low-profile hoodie and a hat, arms crossed as he watched Luke writhing in pain.
"That tech… is no joke," Nathan murmured, frowning. "They're really taking him."
He remained motionless. Challenging a military unit head-on, even with his abilities, would be suicide.
Just then, Nathan sensed something—someone was watching him.
He turned, meeting the gaze of a sharp-eyed man in the crowd—Shin, the head of the Hand's New York branch.
Nathan instantly recognized him from intel. Shin was an influential figure among underground factions, a scavenger of chaos who thrived in the dark corners of superhuman politics.
As Nathan scanned the area, he spotted another presence—a large man wrapped in a hoodie, half-hidden behind a building.
It was Colossus, the veteran mutant from the X-Men.
"Still alive…" Nathan whispered. The old guard of mutants had largely perished in the chaos of the past year. Colossus was one of the last survivors.
Despite his metallic skin, Nathan dismissed him. Colossus's power came from complete transformation into steel—a full-body elemental shift.
What Nathan wanted was different. A cellular evolution. A human body hardened from within.
Still, Colossus's biology might be worth examining later.
Nathan looked around again.
On a nearby rooftop stood a figure with silver hair and a black bodysuit—Black Cat.
At the edge of the alley, leaning on a cane and wearing dark glasses, was Dr. Matthew Murdock—Daredevil.
Though blind, he sensed everything through sound.
Nathan's eyes lit up. "That's it. I'll replicate his enhanced hearing first."
Super hearing could change the game. Daredevil's perception covered entire neighborhoods. Eventually, even cities.
---
Back at the frontline, the officer waved again.
"Bring the secondary suppression unit. Noise wave weapon—paralyze him completely."
A smaller vehicle rolled out. Its device wasn't ultrasonic, but rather a 172-decibel noise generator.
The military turned off the ultrasonic emitter.
Luke collapsed further, groaning but still alive.
The noise emitter engaged.
Zi—Zi—Zi—
A violent burst of sound struck Luke's nervous system, sending him into convulsions.
His eyes rolled back.
With a thud, he collapsed face-first to the ground—unconscious.
Nathan's jaw tightened. "It's over. They got him."
He clenched his fist, then relaxed.
No point in charging in now.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small mechanical button.
He flicked it with his finger.
Whoosh!
It flew low, bouncing under the feet of the crowd, and latched onto the underside of the military truck carrying Luke Cage.
It was a tracker, not a bomb. Nathan wasn't ready to wage war. Not yet.
"Now I can find out where they're holding him."
---
Meanwhile, Shin stared at another nearby figure—a tall man wrapped in cloth, steel-like in appearance.
Suspicious, Shin activated his beast-sense, granted by an ancient dark ritual.
He listened to the man's heartbeat—it wasn't human.
"Monster…" Shin whispered.
Then, without hesitation, he called the Hand's headquarters.
"I found the mysterious masked man. He's here. Send the others."
---
Deep beneath the city, in a dark cavern, a group of ninjas gathered.
At the center stood the Black Void Girl, the Hand's most feared high priestess.
Her red eyes gleamed as she stepped out of an ornate coffin.
"You found him?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Good. Prepare for combat."
She stepped forward and blessed each ninja with her cursed hand, turning their eyes pitch black as power coursed through them.
"You are now strong enough to fight the masked man. Go!"
The group vanished in silence.
---
Back aboveground, the military convoy began to retreat, Luke Cage secured.
Nathan remained in place.
But he could feel it—danger was approaching.
He turned his head slowly, meeting the gaze of the ninjas who had trailed him.
No sign of Shin among them—just enhanced killers, now bearing fiber-reinforced weapons, a counter to Nathan's electric arsenal.
One ninja stepped forward.
"Come with us. Surrender, and we won't harm you. You're outmatched."
Before Nathan could reply, a red blur landed between them.
Daredevil.
"I sensed you were in trouble. They're stronger than last time. They're close to your level now—we need to retreat."
Daredevil's words were genuine, but Nathan only gave a small smile.
He reached for his gun.
"A gun?" a ninja scoffed. "You think that'll work on us?"
Nathan clicked off the safety.
"Nine enemies. Nine bullets. Plenty for everyone."
Enraged by his arrogance, one ninja rushed him.
But Nathan's body moved faster than anyone anticipated—the result of his Spider-enhanced physique.
In a blink, he appeared in front of the attacker, raising the gun to his forehead.
"Close range. Can you dodge this?"
BANG!
The bullet tore through the ninja's skull.
"One," Nathan said coldly.
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