Chapter 64: Even the Toughest Exteriors Have Weaknesses Within
Hell's Kitchen
Only three of the four Defenders remained. Daredevil Matt Murdock was dead, Iron Fist Danny Rand was seriously injured, and the surviving members had been designated federal fugitives with public notices ordering their immediate surrender.
Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, and Luke Cage gathered at Josie's Bar to discuss their next moves.
Luke Cage slammed his fist on the table. "We have to avenge Matt. We can't just walk away from this!"
"Revenge? Against who exactly? The feds? The military? That Ryan guy?" Jessica took another swig from her bottle. "Even the combined might of the Avengers couldn't take him down. What chance do we have?"
Nick Fury commanded a vast network of agents backed by the World Security Council and what remained of the Avengers Initiative. While open conflict might be avoided, life was about to become significantly more complicated for both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the superhero community.
"So Matt died for nothing? We're supposed to just sit here and do nothing?" Luke's voice cracked with frustration.
"Of course not, but charging in alone is suicide. We wait for word from Fury and whatever's left of the Avengers," Jessica replied, refilling her glass.
Danny winced as he adjusted his medical nanomesh arm brace. Whatever they planned to do would have to wait until his shattered bones healed properly.
After drowning their sorrows in whiskey for another hour, the group decided to call it a night. Danny and Luke left Josie's together, separating at the intersection outside.
Luke walked through the familiar streets of Hell's Kitchen toward his apartment. He'd just crossed Malcolm X Boulevard when his enhanced senses detected something wrong.
The street was unnaturally quiet - no late-night pedestrians, no traffic, even the usual sounds from apartment windows had ceased. He quickened his pace.
After a few more steps, Luke suddenly stopped.
Two figures in military tactical gear blocked his path ahead. He recognized them immediately - the same enhanced soldiers he'd fought during yesterday's disastrous assault on the military base.
Luke scanned his surroundings. He was completely surrounded - soldiers emerging from alleys and doorways, cutting off every possible escape route.
Having barely survived yesterday's encounter, Luke knew better than to engage them head-on. Without hesitation, he accelerated forward, hoping to break through the encirclement with brute force.
WHAM!
His punch sent one super-soldier flying backward into a parked car, but as Luke continued running, hoping he'd created an opening, golden light suddenly illuminated the dark street.
BOOM!
A massive golden energy blade, over eight feet in length, materialized from nowhere and slammed Luke backward with tremendous force. His invulnerable skin absorbed the impact, but the kinetic energy still sent him tumbling across the asphalt.
Before he could recover, five enhanced soldiers swarmed him, their combined strength finally overwhelming even his superhuman capabilities.
Luke Cage was indeed bulletproof and possessed incredible strength - a hundred normal men couldn't harm him. But facing multiple opponents at his own power level, Luke's advantages evaporated completely.
Ryan dismissed his energy sword and stepped out of the shadows. He glanced down at the restrained Luke with clinical detachment. "Secure him and move out."
Without Thor's godly strength or Captain Marvel's cosmic power backing them up, Ryan could have led his enhanced soldiers in a direct assault on the remaining Avengers. But now that both powerhouses had returned to Earth, Ryan opted for the more tactical approach of eliminating threats individually.
The super-soldiers wrapped Luke in specialized restraints designed for enhanced individuals, then added heavy vibranium-laced shackles to his wrists and ankles.
Several black SUVs arrived within minutes. They loaded Luke into the lead vehicle and disappeared into the night.
Danny Rand, who hadn't made it far from Josie's, heard the commotion and immediately doubled back. He witnessed the entire capture from behind a dumpster. Unfortunately, his broken arm prevented him from channeling his Iron Fist power, and even if he could access the mystical energy of Shou-Lao, he would have been hopelessly outmatched.
After the military convoy departed, Danny immediately returned to Josie's and found Jessica still nursing her bottle.
"They took Luke," he said breathlessly. "Ryan's soldiers ambushed him three blocks from here."
Jessica's glass shattered in her grip. "I'm calling Fury. S.H.I.E.L.D. has to mount a rescue operation."
The military convoy returned to the reconstructed base and drove directly into a secure warehouse facility.
"String him up."
Heavy chains were attached to Luke's shackles, suspending him several feet off the ground.
Luke Cage, possessing his trademark unbreakable skin, wasn't particularly worried about physical torture. He didn't struggle or protest - just hung there with stoic determination.
Ryan approached his captive and asked conversationally, "How exactly did you acquire your superhuman abilities?"
"Ha! You really think I'd tell you that?"
Of the four Defenders, Ryan was currently only interested in Luke Cage's unique physiology.
Danny Rand's Iron Fist powers came from mystical K'un-Lun training - interesting but not reproducible through science. Daredevil's abilities were enhanced senses from radioactive exposure - useful but limited in scope. Jessica Jones's blood had already been extensively studied by various organizations over the years.
Luke Cage's unbreakable skin, however, represented something potentially revolutionary.
Ryan studied his prisoner with scientific curiosity. "I wonder just how uncooperative you intend to be?"
"Try me and find out," Luke replied with defiant contempt.
Ryan nodded approvingly. "I appreciate the challenge."
Luke didn't understand what Ryan meant until he saw him retrieve a specialized medical device - a mouth spreader typically used for dental procedures.
"Mmmph!" Luke tried to protest as the device was forced between his teeth.
Ryan slowly turned the adjustment screw, gradually forcing Luke's jaw open wider and wider.
"I've heard your skin is as hard as steel and completely bulletproof. But your mouth, tongue, and internal soft tissues should still be vulnerable, correct? Otherwise, how would you eat or speak?"
Ryan retrieved a vibranium-tipped syringe from one of his soldiers and, without hesitation, inserted it into Luke's forced-open mouth.
"ARGH!"
Several vials of blood were extracted directly from Luke's tongue and inner cheek tissues.
Looking at Luke, who was now shaking with pain and rage, Ryan asked with mock concern, "I'm curious - if you became seriously ill and required surgery, would you simply die from being unable to receive proper medical treatment?"
Ryan shrugged with false sympathy. "Perhaps I should run some medical experiments. Maybe inject some flesh-eating bacteria into your mouth, or perhaps introduce some aggressive cancer cells to see how your enhanced metabolism handles them."
"No, no, NO!" Luke shook his head frantically, his jaw stretched so wide he could barely form coherent words, but Ryan could clearly read the terror in his eyes.
"Ah, but you attacked a federal military installation first. You're the terrorist fugitive here, remember?"
Luke's expression changed as he tried to speak around the device. "It was... S.H.I.E.L.D.'s... operation. Nothing... to do... with me."
"Really? Then would you be willing to publicly testify against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s illegal activities? Provide evidence of their unlawful assault on American military personnel?"
Luke fell silent, understanding the impossible position he was in.
Ryan smiled coldly. "I'll give you one night to consider your options. If you agree to cooperate, I'll arrange your release. Though honestly, I'd prefer you refuse - it would give me legitimate justification to send you to the medical research division."
With that, Ryan turned and departed, leaving two enhanced soldiers to guard their prisoner.
Back at his private residence, Ryan received a secure call from Secretary Ross.
"Ryan, we've located the Winter Soldier."
"Where?" Ryan hadn't forgotten his promise. He'd sworn to send Bucky Barnes to join Steve Rogers, and he intended to keep that vow.
"He's in Wakanda. King T'Challa granted him asylum after the events in Vienna and Siberia."
Wakanda - the secretive African nation with the world's most advanced technology. They possessed Earth's only vibranium deposits and had single-handedly repelled Thanos's initial assault forces during the Snap.
Ryan's expression darkened. "Any way to extract him?"
"I can try diplomatic pressure through the State Department. Whether Wakanda will actually surrender him... that's another matter entirely."
Ryan's laugh held no warmth whatsoever. The reckoning had only just begun. No one involved in Steve Rogers' death would escape justice.
Not even if they hid behind Wakanda's energy shields.
End of Chapter 64
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