Luke’s Bar had become a bit of a tourist attraction in the years since he first opened it, it was an unremarkable establishment nestled between a seafood joint and a coffee shop in Manhattan. He wasn’t expecting patrons on a Monday morning, so with the bar clean Luke made himself something to eat and watched television on a recliner. The media was covering Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s press conference after the attack on Ryker’s Island, and his announcement to fund the creation of a prison that specialized in containing superheroes. “Good idea.” He thought to himself while reminiscing about the time he broke out of Ryker’s a decade earlier.
A loud knock on the door startled Luke out of his thoughts,
“So the rumors are true…” a familiar voice spoke. “You lost your hair.”
Luke Cage was a massive individual, he stood at six foot four and had broad shoulders and biceps. At forty, Luke’s hairline started to recede so he shaved it all off. He kept the beard, even if it started to gray. Luke had a dumbfounded look on his face when he saw Misty looking at him through the glass door.
“Misty?” Luke responded.
“Yep. It’s me.” She smiled at him.
Luke motioned for Misty to take a seat at the bar, “It’s been forever, how you been? I heard you’ve been doing a lot of great work since you left us.”
“Yeah, but the press doesn’t talk about the nights I spent being dirt poor and eating ramen noodles every night. Things only started to pick up when I moved to LA.”
“Aren’t The Avengers over there?”
“Yep. I haven’t had the chance to chat with them though. Want to know a secret?”
“Of course I do.” Luke grinned.
“Sam Wilson is going to be given the magic frisbee and made the new Captain America.”
“No shit. It’s good to see a brother winning out there.”
“Yeah, especially him.”
“Okay but if things are so good, why are you in New York again?”
“The shit that’s all over the news. Jean asked for my help.”
“Figures. ”
“Yeah. I can’t talk too much about it but… there’s this guy. He’s a newcomer in the criminal underworld, and everything I’ve heard and everything I’ve seen has me…”
“Scared?” Luke interjected.
“Not necessarily. Worried maybe? It’s just that he’s got the kind of power you’d see an Avenger have, or a member of the X-Men. And he’s smart, resourceful.”
“You’ll stop him. You always do.”
“I hope so Luke.”
“So I have to ask… Are you here just to catch up? Or did you come to ask me for help?”
“A bit of both. I’ll admit.”
“Misty, I’m retired.”
“I heard, I know you and Jessica said your vows and everything. Still, things are bad and I don’t think I can do it with just the police force and a rookie superhero on my side.”
Luke sighed. “What is it?”
“We found a guy in one of Tombstone’s hideouts trying to destroy evidence, took him to HQ and he told us something interesting. He said that Tombstone and the guy I’m after met in this place, a secret bar without a name.”
“So it's real?” Luke raised an eyebrow.
“Yes! But get this Luke, he told me that The Wrecking Crew is there too. They’re hiding there until the whole hospital situation dies down.”
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about going after them.”
“I am.”
“Misty I know what happened didn’t sit right with you but, you shouldn’t do this.”
“Luke, this is our chance to make things right.”
“Stopping them won’t fix what happened. That’s what therapy is for.”
“Don’t lecture me about therapy Luke, I don’t need that shit from you.”
Luke got quiet, he wasn’t much for talking anyways. Instead he made Misty a shot of whiskey and slid it across the counter to her. She looked down into the liquor and saw her reflection staring back at her. The ripples in her drink caused an old memory to flash into her mind.
----
Six years earlier Misty stood on a rooftop that served as the agreed upon meeting spot for the group. She waited there with her lover Danny Rand, who was better known for his superhero identity ‘The Iron Fist’ and her closest friend Colleen Wing. Colleen was a swordsman from Japan, but these days the two formed a detective agency together called Nightwing Restorations Ltd. Danny was of average height, but his body was conditioned to peak athleticism. He wore a green jumpsuit with a yellow dragon symbol on the chest, and a yellow mask covered his face and blonde hair. He leaned against a wall and shrugged.
“Luke said he’d come, he’s true to his word. I dunno about this Daredevil guy.”
“He’s a good fighter.” Colleen remarked.
“Aw Danny, don’t like there being another ninja in New York?” Misty teased.
“I just don’t trust him.”
“Same to you.” A voice replied from above them.
Misty looked up to see a man dressed from head to toe in red armor, armed with batons on his back and covering his face with a devil mask. The man was perched on a ledge and jumped down with a backflip, landing between her and Danny.
“Glad you could join us.” Danny greeted with sarcasm.
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“Now all that’s left is Luke and Jessica.”
“They’re coming up the elevator now.” Daredevil informed the others.
“How do you know that?” Misty asked.
“I just know things.” Daredevil dodged the question.
The elevator door opened and from it Luke and a brunette woman in a leather jacket stepped out. She was short, “Is everyone here?” Luke asked, glancing around at the group.
“Yep.” Misty answered. “All that’s left is to take Wilson down.”
----
That same evening Wilson Fisk was eating a late dinner in his lavishly decorated condo. Suddenly a door swung open and one of his men rushed inside.
“Mr. Fisk, we’re being attacked.”
Fisk wiped his mouth and stood up from his seat. “Follow me then.”
Fisk opened a secret door in his bedroom, it was made of solid steel and led to a safe room with computer monitors and weapons on the walls. From the hallway security camera, Fisk and the man watched as Luke Cage withstood a flurry of bullets from several pistols. Jessica and Iron Fist, who stood behind him for cover, charged at nearby goons when they ran out of ammunition. Danny delivered a spinning kick to a man’s jaw, knocking him out with ease. Meanwhile Jessica charged at another man and slammed his head into a wall, which got the job done too. Together the three of them beat down every guard in the main lobby of Fisk Tower.
“Tell our friends that they have company.” Fisk ordered.
“Okay sir.”
Fisk’s bedroom was guarded by six men armed with pistols, who waited for the intruders with their fingers ready to shoot. Suddenly the lights shut off, and in the dark the guards listened helplessly as each of them was taken down one by one. Colleen took her target’s legs out with a judo throw and tackled him to the floor, while Daredevil took down several men with swift baton strikes to the temple. Misty kept her distance from the fight, she could see with the aid of night vision goggles, and so she fired a stun gun at the remaining guard to subdue him long enough for Colleen to finish the job.
“I know where Fisk is.” Daredevil announced.
“How?” Colleen asked with a baffled tone.
“I can sense him.”
“Oh great.”
Then a loud boom interrupted the hero’s conversation, as the front door to the bedroom was kicked down by four men. Light from the hallway poured into the dark room, exposing the heroes. The leader of the four criminals was armed with a crowbar, which he pointed at Daredevil, Colleen and Misty with a grin on his face.
“The Wrecking Crew are here.” Misty spoke on the radio to Luke and the others at the lobby.
Luke made a worried expression, realizing the strength of the men they were dealing with. “Get to the top floor as fast as you guys can.” He ordered.
Daredevil readied himself for a fight and Colleen unsheathed her glowing katana to cut her opponents down with, but the gang of men in front of them weren’t afraid - they were eager for a fight. The leader Wrecker, charged at Colleen and swung his crowbar. She blocked the swing with her sword, but the force of his attack knocked her off balance. Misty switched from a stun gun to an actual pistol and unloaded it into the man, only seeming to damage his jacket. Meanwhile Daredevil narrowly jumped out of the way as the massive Bulldozer charged at him like a raging bull seeing red. He counterattacked but his punches felt like they hit concrete, leaving Bulldozer unphased.
Colleen desperately avoided the murderous crowbar swings of her opponent, she focused her willpower into the blade of her katana to imbue it with magic and swung at Wrecker’s weapon to slice it in half. When her steel connected with the crowbar it stopped with a loud clang, and didn’t cut through the crowbar’s metal. Her eyes widened with shock and fear.
“What! How is that possible?” Colleen thought to herself. “Unless his weapon is magic too?” In her confusion, Colleen took an uppercut to the chin that sent her into the air. She landed on Fisk’s glass dining table, shattering it with the impact and laid there completely dazed. Daredevil was fast enough to avoid Bulldozer’s slow but powerful punches, but was caught off guard when Piledriver grabbed him by the throat and began to strangle him.
“Agh!” Daredevil struggled for air.
“What? Can’t speak?” Piledriver taunted.
The first person to reach Fisk’s bedroom was Jessica, who could jump the entire flight of stairs in a single bound. She delivered a superpowered punch to Piledriver’s gut, which caused the villain to clutch his stomach and release his grip on Daredevil's throat. Iron Fist and Luke Cage raced up the stairs as fast as they could to help their friends in the fight, but couldn’t get there quick enough.
Wrecker stood above Colleen and raised his crowbar to execute her with a single strike. Misty dropped her empty pistol and aimed her stun gun, firing it at him with the hope that a shock of electricity would give Colleen enough time to escape. The stun gun was enhanced from a standard model to better combat superhumans, but it wasn’t nearly enough to affect Wrecker. He grabbed the stun gun’s electric wire and pulled Misty towards him. Desperate to inflict some damage, she activated her kinetic gauntlet and swung at Wrecker with superhuman force. He easily caught her wrist before the strike could land and tore her arm off with ease, throwing her into a bookshelf and leaving her a broken, bloody mess.
“Misty!” Danny screamed in a furious rage.
He sprinted at the man responsible for hurting his lover, charged his fist with glowing energy and hit him with an explosive punch. The power was enough to knock Wrecker’s teeth out and send him flying back. Luke came into the room to join the fight but was hit by Thunderball’s demolition ball, which landed with enough power to send him through a wall.
Wrecker wiped the blood from his mouth with a sadistic smile. “Finally, someone who can throw a punch.”
Iron Fist was done talking though, his hands erupted with energy as he wailed on Wrecker with viscous ferocity. Wrecker couldn’t land a hit on the monk, who dodged his counters with ease and continued beating on him. As his opponent dropped to a knee, Danny grabbed him by the throat and punched him repeatedly in a blind fury. The Wrecker’s face was beaten to a bloody pulp, and he was losing consciousness fast.
“You really love her.” He managed to spit out between swollen lips. “So much that you spent all your energy.”
Danny realized what Wrecker meant, as his fists weren’t glowing any more. In that split moment Wrecker swung his crowbar at Danny’s head and sent him flying back across the room. Colleen lunged at him with a second wind and drove her sword into the man’s chest, but it wasn’t enough to kill him. Wrecker swiftly snapped Colleen’s neck, killing her instantly. Misty screamed in horror as the people she loved were being attacked and she was powerless to stop them. She went unconscious soon after that, as the blood loss was too much for her.
Later Misty woke up in a hospital bed with critical injuries, Luke and Jessica sat by her bedside and explained everything. They told her that they managed to take down Fisk, Wrecker and Piledriver but Bulldozer and Thunderball made an escape amidst the chaos.
----
Misty downed the shot of whiskey and let out a long, tired sigh. “It’s not fair, you know?”
“What?” Luke asked.
“All these horrible people out there, with so much power. They can do whatever they want, hurt anyone they want, and everyone has to just deal with it?”
“It’s not your responsibility to stop them Misty.”
“Yes it is. If I don’t try, I’m letting them get away with it.”
“You’re putting the world on your shoulders. Why does it have to be you?”
“Because I’m stupid enough to care.”
Now it was Luke’s turn to sigh. “You know Danny’s in New York right?”
“How is he?”
“You should talk to him and find out for yourself.”
“Alright alright. I’ll talk to him.”
“Good. I can’t convince you not to go after them can I?”
“You know me well.”
“I’ll tag along, for old time’s sake. Just let me call my wife.”
Misty smiled, deep down she didn’t know if Luke would join her in this fight or not. She understood why it may not be worth it for her, but she felt a sense of relief knowing her old friend had her back even after six years. Luke was sturdy like roots in a tree, someone you could depend on no matter the circumstances. Despite his checkered past, Luke was an exceptionally good man. On the other hand she felt unsure about speaking to Danny again, since things ended painfully. In her grief she said a lot of things to him that she didn’t mean, and who knows if he’d forgive her for that. Still, things were bad enough that an uncomfortable conversation with an ex was worth it. Misty raised her glass to Luke, who smiled back and clinked hers with an empty glass.