"Madam Gao! There's an intruder!"
The urgent report echoed in the damp stone chamber. Madame Gao didn't spare a glance at the three prisoners. Her priorities were absolute: protect the excavation. The prisoners were leverage; the intruder was a threat.
"Watch them," she barked at a lone guard, then swept out of the room, her robes trailing in the stagnant water. The heavy iron door slammed shut, but the lock didn't click. In her haste, or perhaps arrogance, she had left it unlatched.
Danny Rand, kneeling in the muck, focused. He pushed his Chi outward, enhancing his hearing. He heard Gao's footsteps fading. He heard the guard's nervous heartbeat.
"She's gone," Danny whispered.
"Good," Luke Cage grunted.
He flexed his massive biceps. The heavy iron chains groaned, the metal screeching in protest.
SNAP.
The links shattered like glass. Luke rubbed his wrists, then stood up, towering over the terrified Hand guard.
"You want to open the cell?" Luke asked politely. "Or do I walk through it?"
The guard dropped his keys and ran.
The estate was plunged into darkness. The ancient wiring of the castle had failed, leaving only flickering oil lamps to light the corridors. Madame Gao walked briskly through a makeshift command center. Bodies of Hand ninjas littered the floor.
She knelt beside one, inspecting the damage.
"Broken jaw. Shattered ribs. Concussion," Gao listed clinically. "No lethal wounds. Blunt force trauma caused by a dual-weapon... likely billy clubs."
She stood up, her eyes narrowing. "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen."
It was an old rivalry. She knew his methods. He didn't kill, which made him predictable, but he was relentless, which made him dangerous.
"Murakami," Gao spoke into her radio. "The intruder is Daredevil."
"Understood," Murakami's voice crackled back. "I am securing the perimeter."
"Keep him away from the inner sanctum," Gao ordered. "Alexandra is with the Black Sky. We cannot have interruptions."
She looked at the unconscious guards. If Daredevil was here, the police weren't far behind. They were excavating Dragon Bones using slave labor. If that got out, their operation would be swarmed by authorities.
"Time is running out," Gao muttered. "We must find him before he finds the Pit."
The radio hissed again. "Found him! He's in the Underground Utility Tunnels!"
Gao's face darkened. The Utility Tunnels connected directly to the Dungeon.
"To the basement!" Gao commanded. "Now!"
[The Underground Tunnels]
It was pitch black. The air was thick with dust and silence. Danny, Luke, and Jessica moved cautiously through the narrow corridor. Danny led the way, his Chi sensing the flow of air.
"Stop," Danny whispered, throwing an arm out to halt the others.
Ahead of them, in the absolute darkness, a figure stood motionless.
"Who's there?" Luke called out, his muscles tensing.
The figure didn't answer. He simply shifted into a combat stance. To Danny's eyes, it was just a shadow. But to Matt Murdock, the world was on fire. The sound of Luke's heartbeat, the smell of cheap whiskey on Jessica's breath, the hum of Danny's Chi—Matt saw it all in a topographic map of sound waves.
"Three bogies," Matt muttered to himself. "Defensive formation."
He tightened his grip on his billy clubs.
"Wait," Jessica squinted into the gloom. "Those horns..."
She stepped forward, lowering her fists. "Red suit? Horns? Attitude problem?" Jessica smirked. "You're Daredevil, aren't you?"
Matt paused. He tilted his head. "And you are?"
"The welcoming committee," Jessica quipped. "Relax, Red. We aren't the enemy."
"We're here to take down The Hand," Danny added, sensing the man's hesitation. "We can help you."
Matt lowered his weapons slightly. He recognized the tone of truth in Danny's voice.
"I don't need help," Matt said coldly. "And this isn't a team-up. This is a war zone. Get out while you can."
"We're not leaving," Luke crossed his arms. "Not until we shut this place down."
Matt sighed. Stubborn amateurs. "Fine. But stay out of my way."
He turned, tapping his cane against the wall to gauge the distance. "Follow me. There's only one exit."
The unlikely quartet moved through the tunnel—the Devil leading the Defenders. They reached a junction. Suddenly, the heavy steel door at the end of the hall swung open. Beams of harsh white light cut through the darkness.
"There!" a voice shouted.
Six Hand soldiers rushed in, tactical flashlights mounted on their submachine guns.
"Freeze!"
For Danny, Luke, and Jessica, the sudden light was blinding. They shielded their eyes, disoriented. For Matt, it meant nothing. He didn't need to see.
Whoosh.
Daredevil moved before the soldiers could pull their triggers. He threw his billy club. It ricocheted off the wall, the ceiling, and then cracked the first soldier in the temple.
Thwack.
Matt dove into the light. He was a blur of red motion. He swept the leg of the second man, elbowed the third in the throat, and flipped over the fourth. It was a masterclass in violence. In ten seconds, five men were on the ground, groaning.
The sixth man, the squad leader, scrambled back. He fumbled with his radio, pressing the transmit button.
"Found him!" the man screamed into the mic. "Sector 4! Underground!"
Click.
Matt kicked the radio out of his hand, then knocked him out with a swift kick to the jaw. Silence returned to the tunnel. Matt picked up his billy club, wiping it on his leg. He turned to the stunned Defenders.
"Well," Matt said grimly. "They know we're here."
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