The Royal Dragon

- - - - -

"Hey, over here."

Ana followed Danny's lead and observed the lone Chinese restaurant that was open at this time of night, the Royal Dragon. It was a few blocks away from the Midland Circle. The five stormed through the door, startling the owner who was just about to lock the doors and call it a day.

He whipped around to face the intruders. "We're closed."

"We need to kill the lights." Matt pointed out, ignoring the owner.

Jessica scoffed at him, "How do you even know they're on?"

"Can we please hurry." Ana rushed out, "I think they're onto us." She glanced over her shoulder and pulled apart the blinds at the front of the door, her eyes sweeping up and down the road for anything that looked like it wanted to kill her and her new friends.

"Hey, I said we're closed!" The owner stressed, before Danny approached him. "We need to stay off the streets." He told him, trying to buy themselves some time.

"Well, stay off them somewhere else. I'll call the police." The owner countered.

Ana scoffed while Luke spoke up, "You can't do that. You'd be putting the cops in danger." He said.

"I'll put you in danger." The owner sassed back, jabbing his finger at the Power Man. Jessica lifted a long side table and shoved it in front of the door, not even waiting for Ana to move out of the way. The brunette stumbled back, and glanced at Jess, "A little warning would've been nice."

"I'll tell you what's also nice? Not being hunted by freakin' ninjas." Jessica replied.

Ana blinked, taken aback, as Jessica walked past her. "It's not my fault." She mumbled.

Matt, who still had a scarf around his head, tried to bargain with the owner. "Sir, this is for your protection. We need this place to look closed." He began walking around and turning off the lights.

Danny consoled the nervous owner in Mandarin, while Ana trailed around the restaurant mindlessly. She was here for Danny and Matt, that much was clear. She remembered the way Danny spoke to her about the Hand, and now she knew just how ruthless and dangerous they really were. She wanted to help a few friends out. After all, fighting martial artists was a favourite thing to do to pass the time. And forget the bad things.

"Alright, back door is clear. Everything is locked. I think we're safe... for now." Matt stopped beside Ana, causing her to stop walking. She still couldn't believe how cool it was joining up with the Daredevil. She was a huge fan of his work.

"So, we're just gonna wait it out here?" Luke questioned.

Ana shrugged, looking around. "I've seen worse."

"You got a better plan?" Matt countered at Luke.

"Is there a plan where I get my scarf back?" Jessica questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just need it till this is over." Matt replied, trying his best to take all the attention away from him.

"Okay, he says we can stay." Danny had finished with the owner and proudly walked up to the four, grinning at his accomplishment.

"What did you tell him?" Matt asked, suspicious.

"Or give him?" Ana rose an eyebrow.

"Uh, I just gave him my black card, agreed to pay the rent for the next six months." Danny chuckled, waving Ana off when she shook her head.

"Hey, I'm... uh, I'm Danny." He extended his hand towards Jessica, who shook it. "Jessica."

Ana waved at Luke, "I'm Ana. Nice to meet you."

Luke nodded. "Luke. You've got some weird moves."

"Thank you."

Jessica motioned to Danny and Ana, noticing how relaxed they were around each other as if they were familiar with one another. "You two together?"

Ana snickered while Danny rubbed the back of his neck, turning pink. "No. He's my friend. Known him since college."

"Right." Danny agreed. "And you are?" He looked to Matt, as well as the others. Ana lightly slapped him, "He's wearing that for a reason." She whispered, referring to the scarf.

"I'm not doing this." Matt motioned to the other four, insinuating the way they were exchanging names.

"Doing what?" Luke asked.

"Whatever happened back there, we did what we had to. We got out alive." Matt explained, "The less we know about each other the better. This is too much already."

"Okay," Jessica went to snatch her scarf from Matt's head, but he instantly blocked her hand by raising his forearm. "Don't! There are people I need to protect." He bit out.

"You're not the only one." Luke remarked.

"And the organisation we just fought are powerful." Matt went to add on.

"Yeah, who are they?" Jessica asked.

"They call themselves the Hand." Danny answered for her and Luke, since the Harlem resident had no clue as well.

"What are they really called?" Jessica wasn't buying anything.

"No, he's... he's right." Matt murmured, hands on hips.

"You crossed paths with them before?" Danny asked, surprised at the fact that the Hand were going after people other than himself.

"Yeah."

"When?" Danny and Ana asked.

"It doesn't matter." Matt dismissed.

"Bullshit it doesn't matter!" Jessica yelled, glaring at Matt.

Ana instantly held out her hands, stepping forward with a stern expression on her face. She did not appreciate they way they all acted towards each other. She guessed it was because she was used to being around people who knew what the real world was like. By her being back on her Earth, it made sure that any extraterrestrial beings who wanted to cash in on that bounty, could find her, and potentially hurt those around her. So if she was going to be selfish and stick around to help a friend out with his enemies, she needed them to move faster.

"Okay, that's enough." Ana began, "We all need to take a breather. The five of us, on purpose or not, were involved in what happened at the Midland Circle. Now I know some of us aren't believers, but I think it's safe to say after today, you might just begin to look at things at another angle. As for me, I've seen some things you guys can't even dream about, and that's taught me to always take a leap into mystery. So I'm gonna go ahead and say this: take a damn leap. If you're too stubborn," Her eyes landed on Jessica, "Or just that thick..." She pointedly glanced at Luke, "Then let's agree to disagree. I'm not even supposed to be here in New York, it's too dangerous for me. I'm taking a huge risk... but I'm here for one reason and one reason only, and I'll kick anyone's ass if I have to, to protect this guy right here."

Daniel and Ana glanced at each other, the former smiling in gratitude from her words.

"Wow," Danny mumbled after a few seconds, impressed by her conviction. He was reminded again just how much she had changed from her college days. He admired her. "That's one way to get the message through to their heads."

"Fine," Jessica drawled, squinting at Ana. "I'll humour you."

"These people, they're dangerous." Daniel told them seriously.

"So am I." Jessica fired back. "Now, somebody tell me what I need to know about the Hand so I can be on my way."

Luke pulled a face and gestured at the chefs that brought in plates of food, "What is that?"

"Oh, uh, as part of the deal, he made me order five of everything." Danny said.

"We're not here to eat." Luke argued.

Ana patted her roaring stomach, laughing lightly. "I sure as hell am."

"Uh, are those pork?" Danny asked one of the chefs.

"No, they're shrimp." Matt corrected. After a few more seconds, he said, "Oh, this guy's got pork." He pointed at the last man to exit the kitchen. The five of them took a seat around the table and awkwardly began to eat the provided food.

"The Hand is an ancient criminal organisation." Danny said in-between taking bites of his food.

"Define ancient." Luke sighed.

"They live forever." Danny elaborated.

"They use magic to do that? 'Cause I've witnessed that sort of stuff." Ana engaged in conversation with Danny, and the other three watched, absurd, at how causally they spoke of immortality and magic as if it were everyday things.

"Not sure if it's magic, or sorcery, but they do these weird rituals. It's kinda hard for me to explain since I don't even understand it fully." Danny informed her.

Jessica scoffed. "You wanna try that again?"

Ana rose an eyebrow her way, and Jessica rolled her eyes, "Fine. They live forever. What's next? We live among gods?" She poked fun at, smiling sarcastically to the brunette on her left.

Ana smiled to herself, nudging her nose with her thumb lightly. "Ten points to the woman in the leather jacket." She murmured and reached for the noodles Danny handed her in his spot next to her, noticing the way Matt frowned at her from across the table, tilting his head as he put the two together.

"They live by a fanatical ideology, and every member is willing to die to protect it." Matt explained.

"So they're terrorists?" Luke tried to make sense of it.

"No." Matt shook his head. "Terrorists want the world to know what they're doing. This is something more secret, more evil."

"Like a cult." Ana quipped.

"And they're global." Danny added.

"So what do they do?" Luke asked.

"Everything." Danny told him.

"Including the recruitment of young men in Harlem?" The Power Man countered.

"Apparently. They're in New York for a reason, but I don't know why." Danny said, looking at the group.

"What do you mean, 'fanatical ideology'?" Jessica wondered.

"Gonna sound crazy-" Matt went to say, but Luke was frustrated, and wanted to know more. "What do they want?" He stressed.

"Immortality." Danny said simply. "They want power and influence at every level across the world. And I think they want me." He stated softly, looking down coyly.

"For your money?" Matt asked.

"No." Danny denied. "I'm the Immortal Iron Fist. Sworn protector of K'un-Lun." Luke openly rolled his eyes while Jessica exhaled heavily, finding it difficult to take the leap. Ana caught her eyes and shrugged a shoulder,

"Not the craziest thing you guys are ever gonna hear, trust me."

- - -

The five started to get less cautious of one another, and ate while they conversed. Earlier on, Matt had tried to leave, unable to trust them with the information of his identity, though believing in Ana to leave his name out of the topic. Jessica had convinced him to take the leap, much to Ana's amusement, persuading him into giving her back her scarf and revealing his name to the others, and gaining their trust in the process. They sat down, and spoke more on what to do to take care of the Hand and solve their problems.

"Look, guys, we need to come up with some kind of plan here." Luke began, opening his hands out on the table.

"The only plan is how do we get these people off our backs? Ideally, in a way that doesn't incriminate us." Jessica sneered.

"Not one prison can hold me." Ana chuckled, "They haven't made one yet."

"Incriminate us? What are you talking about?" Danny wanted Jessica to shed some more light on the subject.

"None of us are on police payroll." She remarked, "What we did back there was trespassing, aggravated assault, and vigilante bullshit."

"Don't forget property damage. I broke a table." Ana winked, stuffing another dim sum into her mouth.

"Guys, there's one cop I think we can trust." Luke said with Harlem's very own detective, Misty Knight, in mind. "I think we should bring her in."

"No." Matt instantly hated the idea. "You'd be putting her in danger."

Danny nodded along, "As will anyone who goes up against the Hand. And as for doing this any 'legal' way... well, look, you saw what happened when we tried that."

Ana opened up her fifth box of noodles. "Nobody ever wants to talk about it these days."

"Is that what that was?" Luke rose an eyebrow.

"It started that way. Look, I even put on a tie." Danny lifted the tie and flicked it with his fingers, scoffing.

"I promise you, you cannot fight these people. Not even with whatever it is your hand can do." Matt told Danny.

"It's chi." He reminded him.

"It's not." Jessica snarked.

"What I'm saying is, going at them head on, that'll get you killed." Matt added.

"Only if we do it alone." Danny motioned to the group, referring to them teaming up again. Luke shifted his faze from Danny, to Ana, to Matt while Jessica looked at the Iron Fist incredulously.

"No."

"Look, these people took everything from me. I'm gonna take them down, one way or another." Danny said strongly.

"I wanted to help one kid. One family." Luke told the four, shaking his head at what he had put himself into.

"I'm the first to admit when I'm in over my head, and this is way past my threshold." Jessica let them know.

"What are you talking about? Bulletproof." Danny looked to Luke.

"Blind ninja." To Matt.

He turned to Jessica. "Whatever it is you are."

"Classy." Jessica narrowed her eyes.

Danny turned to Ana, a lightness in his eyes as he gazed at her. "A heroine with strength and knowledge of the Mystic Arts."

Ana smirked, crossing her arms. "And a kid with an Iron Fist. You're not so bad yourself, Danny boy."

"I tried being a one-man army, and it failed." Danny sighed with a shake of his head, before glancing at the group with a smile, "But this... this feels like something else is at work here. The five of us show up to fight a criminal organization at the same moment? How obvious does it have to be? This cannot be an accident."

"I know you mean well, but we're not whatever you think we are. All right? We're five very different people, and while we might all have been trying to do some good, we need to be rational about how we proceed." Matt informed Danny.

Ana started buzzing. All eyes were on her as she patted down her pockets, trying to find the source of the noise. She couldn't remember having her phone on her, and that was when she realised it was the Skrull's transmitter. She grabbed it and jumped out of her seat at the same time, hand flapping around since it wouldn't get free of her jacket pocket. She wrenched it out and looked at the screen when a dot blinked on it. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it looked like a GPS program. And it was tracking her. It was also alerting incoming targets.

"Ana?" Danny mused, "Is something wrong?"

Ana looked over her shoulder and shook her head, making sure the alien tech was out of their sight. "No, Danny, everything's fine." She assured, planting a fake smile on her lips.

Jessica narrowed her eyes.

"You're lying." Matt pointed out.

"Matt, keep your ears to yourself." Ana retorted. She turned back to the transmitter, gulping nervously. The device could be useful in alerting her of any incoming hostiles. Unbeknownst to her, it had scanned her fingerprint, analysed her DNA, and confirmed that the holder was not a Skrull, and therefore a hostile. The bounty on her head, from wherever it came from, ensured that her life would be at danger for a very long time. And those around her would also be caught in the crossfire. She knew she couldn't stay in one place for long, otherwise enemies would come in from every side.

She had a difficult choice to make.

"Guys," Ana spun on her heels. "I need to step out for a bit. I'll be back soon to help."

She grabbed her jacket and patted Danny's shoulder as she passed him by, heading straight for the door. Danny sat up and looked in her direction, curious and confused at her departure. "Wait, what? You're just gonna leave?"

"Where are you even going?" Jessica deadpanned.

Ana paused, her hand on the doorknob. "I need to take care of something."

The four watched as she left without any other explanation.

- - -

"Okay... where's the trouble?"

Ana let her feet do the walking as she focused on getting closer to the targets on the Skrull's transmitter. Since it didn't belong to her, it could mean reinforcements. She was closing in at a bridge, or more specifically, under one. It was way too dark to get a clear look at her surroundings, so she had called to her Sword of Light that was currently strapped to her belt incase of any surprise attacks.

The air was thicker as she advanced towards the bank of the river, and the wind wasn't as aggressive. It was deserted and quiet. A little too quiet for Ana. She put away the transmitter when she heard a shriek behind her, whipping around to face the noise. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, and she was afraid of what was coming for her.

Another shriek, this time to her left. She patted around the dewy grass, spinning in circles as the shrieks became more frequent and louder. Then all of a sudden, they stopped. Ana released a large breath. Suddenly, without warning, a body crashed into hers.

She was sent headfirst into the ground, and her body collided against the mud. It began to trickle with light rain, making the ground more slippery than it already was. She groaned, turning on her back to try and get a better look at her attacker.

And what she saw made her eyes widen with pure fright.

It had been invisible so she couldn't spot it in the dim light. The being reminded her of the xenomorphs from all the Alien films. It had six limbs, four of which were arms that sported four fingers on each hand. It had no eyes, just a sharp row of teeth that dripped with saliva as it growled at her. And it's body was a sleek black, with golden armour around it's torso and arms.

This was an Outrider. A genetically engineered humanoid that served it's maker, the Mad Titan, Thanos. It could change it's density, Ana realised, as it increased it's mass to crush Ana's chest. She couldn't shake the damned thing off, and struggled to get free. When it raised one hand, and moved it closer to her head, she cursed at it.

"Hey! What the hell? Get off me!" Ana cried, panicking when she could feel it's hand on her forehead. The next thing she knew, she was watching it's memories, as it's hand sunk further inside her skull, phasing all the way down.

"Find the girl."

Thanos was sitting down in his throne, though this time he wasn't on the planet Sanctuary, but in a large spaceship, one that was similar in design with the Dark Aster. He wore his gold armour, and headpiece. His purple lips turned upright as he began to chuckle deeply, sharing looks with the soldiers at his sides.

Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight showed their amusement by grinning devilishly. They had a run in with Ana before, though they were unaware who her father was then. The Sentinel. Once a thorn in Thanos' side. Word spread through the galaxies of her true parentage, and it seemed as if most of the species who resided in the stars were after the bounty someone had put up anonymously. Proxima and Corvus didn't like the way she had left so soon, and quickly let their father know of their encounter the moment they returned to their ship.

"The Outriders have been capable in bringing me what I desire in the past. And their failure this round will not be tolerated." Thanos declared, curling the magnificent golden gauntlet on his hand.

Corvus hunched in his cloak, peering at his father. "She has proven worthy in combat. Her strength knows no bounds."