Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Colleen Wing, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, and Kara Kilgrave sat on a staircase on the sidewalk a few blocks away from where the man who wasn't Daniel Berkhart had been taken away. There was a moment of quiet between them. A moment of understood exhaustion.
"So," Matt said. "What's our next move?"
"Hey, I've got a better question," said Luke. He pointed to Kara. "Why's she here?"
"It's fine," was all Jessica said.
"What do you mean it's fine?"
"It's fine. We worked things out. Don't worry about it."
"She dropped a building on you and tied you to a chair for four days, what do you mean you worked it out?"
"She did what?" Danny asked.
"Jess," Colleen said. "She's not controlling your brain right now, is she?"
"Wha- That's not how that- No, she's not controlling my brain."
"Why are people having their brains controlled?" asked Danny.
"Sounds like something she'd want you to say," said Luke. "If she was controlling you."
"She's not being controlled," said Matt.
"What?" Colleen asked. "How can you tell?"
"There's a difference in heartbeat. I could hear it on Danny."
"Is that what happened to me?" Danny asked. "I had my brain controlled?"
"Sorry," Kara said.
"Why's everything about heartbeats with you," Jessica asked.
Matt shrugged. "A lot of stuff happens around there."
"Guys, I am so confused," said Danny.
"Danny," Colleen said. "I'll explain it all to you later, I swear. For now though, Matt's right. We need to figure out what our next move."
"There is no next move," Jessica said. "We lost. He got us. He got away with it. Guys like Berkhart get away with shit. It happens. There's nothing to do but put it out of your mind and move on."
"You're giving up?" Luke said. "Just like that?"
"Look, I tried. I honestly did. I tried to fight back, I figured out his whole secret scheme and came up with a plan to catch him in the act, it didn't work. I'm calling it here."
"There's gotta be something we can do," said Colleen. "If you guys worked something out, couldn't she, Kilgrave's kid, testify against him? Tell the courts they got the wrong guy?"
"Not without implicating herself as a conspirator to domestic terrorism."
"We're certain that's a bad thing?" Luke said.
"Yes. It is." Jessica sighed. "The kid's suffered enough, I don't want her to end up in prison."
"Maybe, try and strike a plea deal? See if they'll let you off for giving the name? She is still a minor."
"It's not likely," Matt said. "This is already set to be the trial of the decade. Huge public fiasco. The DA's already set to prosecute, they're gonna wanna put anyone involved in the hole for as long as possible to shore up good will for everyone who had to live through this."
"What if uh," Colleen said. "What if Jessica testified instead? I mean you said you saw him, you could at least get him on kidnapping charges. Just leave out the part with, you know," she nodded her head towards Kara, "if you don't want her to catch heat."
"I just said the DA is going to be prosecuting."
"Yeah, and," said Jess.
"And, lawyers train their whole lives to spot when someone is lying or isn't telling the whole truth. If you go out on the stand, there's a good chance it comes out whether you want it to or not."
"You ever watch the OJ trial?" Luke said.
"Yeah, I have. Pretty sure every prosecutor in the country gets shown the OJ trial with a big fat note that says 'Don't do this.'"
"So..." said Colleen. "So, what, are we just done? Is that it?"
"I'm trusting Jess on this," Matt said. "But in that, you understand that the girl is our only weapon left against Berkhart, that we're choosing not to use. Unless someone wants to go full Frank Castle and punish the guy themselves."
"We could, try to draw him out again. Catch him doing something."
"He didn't fall for this one," said Jess. "What's gonna make the next one different?"
"We- We give it some time. Let him lower his guard."
"His hands are clean on this," said Matt. "Every second he gets harder and harder to pin down because he's so disconnected. We don't even know where he's going to be."
"So we find out." Colleen stood up. "We find where he is and we go after him and we – we..."
"He played us, Colleen," said Jess. "He found out every little thing that could make us tick and used it to make us do exactly what he wanted us to do. He's probably already selling off those buildings and making a fortune while we sit here and cry about it."
"Luke, come on. Back me up here, there's got to be something we can do."
Luke was staring at the ground, rubbing his face. At his name being said, his head jerked up.
"What? No, uhm- I'm- I'm sorry. But, I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm going to call it a day. Maybe... Maybe if I think of something, I'll send a text. Maybe there's something but... I can't see it from here."
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Matt stood up next to Colleen and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It's not a total loss. We stopped people from getting hurt. We got some dangerous people put away, in a more secure facility than they were being held last time."
"But that- that was his plan. The only reason people were in danger to begin with was so we could stop it."
"That doesn't make the accomplishment less."
Colleen sighed. Hands bunched into fists at her side. "Whatever. I'm going home."
"Yeah," Danny stood and ran over to her. "I'll come with."
The two walked off. After another moment, so did Jess, so did Kara, so did Matt, so did Luke. All headed separate ways.
Days passed. Things went back to normal. Jessica Jones found herself where she always found herself, sitting across from a sobbing woman.
"I just- I don't know what happened. He seemed perfectly fine and- and happy just a month ago. Do you think something happened, did one of the- did a supervillain take him?"
She was so tired of this shit. "Ma'am, please just try to calm down. When's the last time you saw him."
"It was – it was a week ago. On the- on the day that those guys attacked uptown. That's why I'm so worried about him, I-"
There was a knock at the door. It creaked open, and Luke Cage's head poked inside.
Jessica gave him an irritated shrug of confusion. "I'm in a meeting."
"Oh. Sorry." His head ducked back out.
Jessica sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. Trying to remember where she was with this woman.
"Does he have a- a credit card or something," she asked. "I can track his most recent purchases to get some kind of an idea where he is."
"There hasn't been any activity on our shared account."
"Does he have a personal card."
"Uhm... Yes, I- I think so but he never uses it."
"Can I have the information for that."
"Well I don't- I don't know it off-hand, and I-"
She kept rambling. Spat off a bunch of useless information about his mood and his behavior. Jessica was zoning out hard. She was curious about what Luke wanted.
Well, no, she knew exactly what Luke wanted. But she was dreading it, and that anticipation made her want to just get it over with and not have to sit here and listen to this woman.
"Okay cool," she just cut her off. "If you want to hire me then I'm going to need you to sign one of these. It's 50 dollars an hour for missing spouses. We'll email you if we have any questions."
"Are you sure you'll be able to find him?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure."
Jessica shoved the contract under her. She wiped away some snot and wrote down her contact information and signed and dated and Jessica was maybe in too much of a hurry to get her out the door.
"Is there anything else I can tell you that can help? I just- I want him to come home safe."
"You're fine. You're beyond fine."
Jessica opened the door and had to stop herself from shoving the woman out. Luke turned and watched her shamble to the elevator in tears.
"She gonna be alright?" he asked.
"I'm more worried about how she's gonna react when I find the guy."
"Sorry for interrupting."
"Yeah maybe you don't know this big shot, but some of us still have to work for a living," she said. "Nah, it's fine, come on in."
She nodded in and went back to her desk. He followed her and took a seat on the opposite side.
"Okay," she said. "Go ahead. Say it."
"Say what?"
"I know what you're here for, just say it so we can get this over with."
Luke sighed. "I think we should go after Berkhart again."
"Yeah, no. I'm not doing that."
"Look, I came to you because- I've got an idea. And if I go to Colleen or Matt, then they'll be on board, no question. You'll tell me if I'm being an idiot about this."
"...Okay."
"I think- I think what went wrong with that last plan, no offense-"
"None taken, it was shit."
"The issue is that we made assumptions. About Berkhart, about what he would want. We thought that what he wanted was attention, that his desire for a good superhero fight would outweigh his good sense. It didn't. The plan wasn't that bad, it just didn't have the right bait. So, what do we know he's willing to put his neck out on the line for?"
"I dunno. Money?"
"Basically. Money, derived from real estate."
"What are you getting at."
"I happen to be in possession of a high value piece of property, that he might be interested in."
Jessica frowned. "No. Luke, no. It's not worth it."
"We need to do something, and quick. Right now, while he's wondering if he made the right choice, tempt him back in with something."
"You can't give away your club just to catch some asshole."
"He terrorized my people, Jess."
"And they're gonna be worse off in the long run if you lose everything."
"I wasn't doing anything with it anyways, okay!"
Jessica stared at him.
"I thought- I thought that place, the money coming from it, was the leverage that I needed to play cards with the big boys. To- To actually do something about crime in this city beyond beating up bank robbers and purse snatchers. But ever since I got back, nobody's giving me the time of day. I can't shake down two bit goons anymore. I'm thinking, I dunno, maybe that place wasn't helping me anyhow. Money's nice, but I need a reputation. I need people to respect me. And that's not working out for me when everyone saw how desperate I was to get back a building that I lost while I was out busy being dead. It's holding me back. What I need right now is a clean start. Tell you the truth, I was thinking of getting rid of it anyways. But if I can use that catch Berkhart, I'm taking it."
Jessica looked up into his eyes. He was serious. He'd have to be for a speech like that. She let a "huh" huff of air out her nose.
"Cool. So do you have any kind of plan, or..."
Luke sighed. "Not much of one. Auction off Harlem's Paradise. Something big, something public, but something short notice. Cause a scramble. It'll make a dust up that Berkhart can slip under but also says do something now if you're gonna do something, you know?"
"You're right. That's not much of a plan."
Luke's next sigh was almost a chuckle. "I'm trying here."
"Your plan is to just sell the place and hope he shows up. We don't even know if he'd have any interest in more money. If you had something to squeeze him with-"
"But I don't know. I don't know where he is or what he has or even if he's in the city anymore. How would we even go about squeezing him, we can't even ask him how he's doing."
A voice called out from the kitchen.
"Hey Jones," Kara said. "You got like a 6-pack of Gatorade in the fridge, can I have one?"
"What's she doing here?" Luke asked.
Jess rolled her eyes. "She needed a place to crash. I'm trying to get her on a Greyhound back to Canada but suddenly she's too good to steal shit and I'm a little under budget this month."
Kara walked in, drinking a Gatorade. "What are you guys talking about?"
Jess looked at Luke. Luke looked at Jess. They both looked to Kara.
"Hey, kid," she said.
"That's not my name."
"Kara. Whatever. You wanna make things up to me."
Kara blinked.
Kara Kilgrave chewed her lip. Her cherry flavor lip gloss was sweet in her mouth but that wasn't like, the reason she was doing it.
"Okay but like," she said. "Do I have to?"
"You don't have to," Jones said. "I'm not gonna make you do anything."
Kara moaned. "You're guilting me, I can tell."
"No, no, of course not. I'm only paying to get you back home and letting you crash in my bed. When you kidnapped me and tied me to a chair for several days."
"See! See that right there, you're guilting me!"
Jones sighed. "Whatever. I don't care. If Berkhart goes free and continues to do whatever the fuck, I don't care. It's no skin off my ass. Just make a decision so I can know to stop waiting."
Kara whined and groaned. Jones' face was unmoving and relentless. So she ultimately sighed and pulled out her burner phone. And then turned back to Jessica.
"I'm not- I'm not gonna like control him or anything."
"You don't have to."
She gave another whine and dialed the number. It rang a few times, she was hoping he just wouldn't pick up, but, he did.
"Kara?" Berkhart said from the other end. "You didn't get rid of your burner."
"Yeah well..." Kara took in a deep breath. "I never got my money so."
"Money? You never asked for money!"
"Well I'm asking now."
"You're kidding me. I don't have money to give you."
"Bullshit, you just came into a couple mil, didn't you?"
"Yes, and most of that went into repaying loans on the properties and paying the people who asked for money up front."
"That's not even like, how a million dollars works. It's a thousand of a thousand, that's so stupidly much."
"Yeah but- I- I did not go through all of... all of that to retire modestly. I'm trying to keep my hands on... a lot of money here."
"You either pay me for my services or I show up and make you pay me."
She heard him groan loudly, away from the receiver but still plainly audible. "How much do you want? Huh?"
"...As much as Burbank got."
"Fuck off."
"As much as Shappe got."
Berkhart took in a deep hiss of breath. "I- Fine. Fine. Whatever. I'll- I'll get something for you. Maybe. Don't get- oh my god, can't fucking believe- Okay. Okay! You'll get your money. Just... give me a few days to get it all together."
"That'll do." She hung up. Kara had actually never had the opportunity to dramatically slam shut a flip phone before. That was empowering. She turned to Jones and Cage. "So... that work?"
"Yeah," Jones said. "That's fine."
"Pretty damn good if I do say so myself," said Cage. "You play the supervillain role well."
"Ugh," Kara grimaced.
"So..." Jones said. "What next?"
Gordon Fraley had a big head. Always got made fun of as a kid for it. Still got made fun of it as a grown ass man, though nowadays it was mostly done behind his back. He had a wide nose and a square jaw, long jaw too, and just enough of an underbite to make him look like he was always frowning. He was an intimidating looking guy, or at least he could be, if his big head didn't make the rest of his body look tiny in comparison. He'd tried working out, bulking up, but it never seemed to be enough. Put on a t-shirt and he looked like a bobblehead. So Gordon had taken to, whenever he was doing something important with someone he needed to make a good impression with, wearing big suits with some padding. Just enough to make the rest of him look as big as his big head. He shifted in his big suit and straightened his tie as he was led up the stairs.
He had been cordially invited by Luke Cage to a private meeting up in the club's VIP room. Felt like a kick in the dick all things considered, but hell. He was curious. Maybe even hopeful. He missed this old girl. Coming in as a client just wasn't the same as coming in as the boss.
Luke Cage sat behind his fancy desk. He wore a black suit with gold accents. This brother just loved to wear yellow, didn't he?
Cage stood up and extended a hand.
"Fraley," he said.
Gordon took the hand and shook. "Cage."
He gestured to the couch across from him, Gordon took a seat.
"Sure hoping you ain't just bring me here to gloat some more."
"No, no, nothing like that," he said as he sat back down. "You doing okay for yourself? I'm in a bit of 'giving back to the community' mood, so if you need anything."
Gordon cracked a smile. "I'm not one to say no to an offer but, I'm also not one to ask for handouts. Sorry."
"Want something to drink?"
"It's a little early for that, I think. You just want to reminisce on old times or something?"
Cage sighed into his hands. He looked up at Gordon and said, "I'm selling Harlem's Paradise."
Gordon leaned back. "No shit?"
"I'm not looking to close the deal right here. It's – It's going on auction. In two days."
"You ain't told anyone yet?"
"No one who's looking to buy. You're the first. Felt I owed it to you."
Gordon's brows furrowed. He hadn't trusted a free lunch this big since he was 14, and he wasn't about to start now.
"What's the catch?"
"There's no catch."
"Eh, I doubt you just need the money that badly."
"I have motives for doing this. I'll admit to that. It's nothing you need to worry about, though. I'm just looking for a change in career, is all."
"Being a crime fighting superpowered hustler ain't good enough for you now?"
Cage leaned forward. "I'll tell you what it is. Ever since I got back in this chair, hell ever since I got hit by that damn car, I've only heard one thing. Luke Cage went soft. Luke Cage got beat, Luke Cage died, Luke Cage did jack all for 5 years and then came back and got the feds to make a brother hand over his rightfully earned property."
He looked at Gordon. Gordon put his hands up. "I'm not touching that one."
"I don't know if it's right or not. I know there wasn't a damn thing any of us could do about it, but still. They're right. I got beat. I died. And now I'm trying to pick things up here like none of it happened, like I wasn't gone, doing nothing for nobody, and it's just not working."
"You're making money, ain't you?"
"Some of us are asking for a little bit more than that."
"That's y'all's problem, you're never satisfied with what you got."
"Y'all?"
"You. Your type. Heroes."
"Let's-" Luke Cage gave an awkward laugh. "Let's keep that word off the table. I'm starting to get sick of people calling me that."
"Sure. Let's move on and back to business. Why are you telling me this?"
"Because, speaking frankly, you did a damn good job keeping this place up and running while I was away. Took her through some tough times, times that not every black-owned business survived. I think if anyone deserves a second chance at running things, it's you."
"Damn. Nah, keep going."
"I'm not giving you the place. I'm just giving you a heads up."
Gordon scratched at his chin and thought about it. Thought about coming back, and thought about if he could even afford it.
"Will I see you there?" Cage asked.
"...You said it's in two days?"
He nodded. "You'll hear an official announcement soon."
"Ah... Well... You might. That was a pretty inspiring speech you gave there."
"Yeah. I'm sure you're just happy to get talked up."
"It's hard to get tired of it."
A chuckle grew against Gordon's lips.
"Man," he said. "I don't get you at all, Luke Cage. But damned if I'm going to complain about a chance like this."
He put out a hand. Cage took it.
"Well, that's what I live for. Giving people chances."
The press gathered at the doors of Harlem's Paradise, barred entry by the bouncers who were doing their job very well, but desperate for answers from the slow but steady stream of people entering the building. Luke Cage announcing an impromptu auction at his club, only days after ending the attacks on Harlem, featuring several pieces of art, paintings and sculptures, some rare automobiles, and at the end of it all, Harlem's Paradise itself. Luke Cage was selling off Harlem's Paradise, and everyone wanted to know why.
The man of the hour himself stepped out, dressed sharply in what had become his signature black and yellow. Immediately the questions began to pour out.
"Mr. Cage, Mr. Cage, is there a reason you're selling Harlem's Paradise?" "Mr. Cage, does this have anything to do with the recent attacks perpetuated by Mysterio?" "Mr. Cage, Mr. Cage-"
"If you'll give me a moment, to make a comment," Luke said. "I can clear up your questions."
The reporters went quiet, all mics were aimed at him.
"I want this to be stressed first and foremost: this is a charity auction. To answer the question on everyone's minds, yes, this does have to do with the recent attacks. At the end of tonight, all the money raised here will be put back into the community, to help with repairs and support those affected. It's been a tough time for those living here, and I want to do more than just punch the bad guys and leave.
"But, I'm sure that doesn't answer all your questions. It's a bit of a... drastic move. The short of it is, I'm looking for a change in career. The long of it is, if I don't give all I have to give, then I'm not doing as much for the community as I could be."
He sighed.
"Maybe that doesn't make sense to everyone. But it's my decision, and it's what I'm going through with. Harlem can rest easy, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just... moving back into my old neighborhood."
And with that, he turned and walked back inside. The reporters started throwing out questions again, hoping to get a little more from him before he left. Luke didn't pay them any mind. He was quick to nod and wave his way through the crowd inside back up to his private office.
Once the door shut behind him and his security took their place at the door, he pulled a walkie talkie out from his coat.
"Everyone good?" he asked into it.
Luke had asked everyone to dress up a little, to help blend in with the bougie crowd he was attracting with a high-end event like this. Matt had responded by dressing in his finest and only padded devil-themed body armor. "No sign of him yet. I'm keeping my eyes open."
"Your eyes, huh," Jessica refused to dress up for anything. Instead she'd gotten a black hat and a shirt that said 'Security' on it. She moved around the back areas of the club, disguised only by acting like she was supposed to be there and the aura she gave off that anyone who said otherwise would be in trouble. "Everything's clear in the back. Nothing that's not supposed to be here."
Colleen and Danny, being the only team players in this group, had in fact dressed up and came in with the rest of the guests. Danny had plenty of suits to go around, and Colleen had gotten a white and black cheongsam top on short notice with a loose skirt. It was a good idea to keep mobile. "I haven't seen him yet," she said. "But we'll do some mingling. And Danny might buy a car, heads up."
"Hey," Danny said. "It's for a good cause."
"Alright," Luke said. "Keep your eyes open. And remember, this is a honey pot. Even if you see him, we don't make a move until he does. Got it?"
"Aye aye Captain," Jess said. "If I spot the guy I'll try to resist the urge to beat the shit out of him."
"We'll keep careful watch," Colleen said. "Not my first infiltration and spying op. I'm gonna turn my com off for now though, so my purse doesn't start talking locations and strategy at me."
"Go ahead," said Luke. "If anything happens, I'm sure you'll be the first to know."
"Hang on," Matt cut in. "Check the entrance."
Luke stood and moved to the window overlooking the ground floor. The crowd was becoming sizable, it was a little difficult to see through. But Luke didn't have that much trouble spotting what Matt was talking about. If he wasn't looking, this would just be another face in the crowd, wearing a suit that he wanted everyone to think was as expensive as the next guys. But Luke remembered his face, from when Jessica had given them the rundown.
Daniel Berkhart had entered the building.
Luke watched him as he went. Immediately, he absorbed seamlessly into the crowd and began mingling. Chatting with people, laughing, buying drinks. A performer to the end, Luke supposed. Still, the odds of him just showing up to honestly bet on some high price items were pretty slim. He was here, he wasn't hiding the fact, so he had to be up to something. It was just a question of what, and when.
Luke's eyes didn't leave Berkhart for a second. As he tucked the walkie talkie away, left his office and walked slowly downstairs. The crowds below saw him, saw him heading towards the stage, and broke out in polite clapping. Luke forced himself to stop staring at Berkhart, give a smile and a wave as he made his way to the microphone.
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you all. And a round of applause for yourselves as well. This wouldn't be possible without your generosity, and I thank you for rolling with things on such short notice. I've always been a firm believer that support can't wait. The people are suffering now, so help needs to arrive now."
Luke paused. Chuckled to himself and looked back over the crowd.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you've all heard enough of my speeches by now. Just a tone setter for the rest of the night. With all that horror behind us, the only thing left to do is rebuild."
He put a fist in the air to cap it off. And with that, stepped away from the mic and let his master of ceremonies, Leila, took over.
"Thank you so much for that word to start us off, Mr. Cage. Our first item for auction tonight is this provocative Basquiat. Betting starts at 25 thousand."
Luke stepped off the side of the stage. A few people approached him, offering condolences or support or just to say hi. Luke did his best to be the humble and approachable host. Yet every few seconds, his eyes darted back up, through the crowd, to Daniel Berkhart. A man who seemed, genuinely, to be admiring the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Jessica Jones was really thankful that she had rich friends.
Not for their money. They never gave her money, and she never asked because she didn't want to rely on people like that. But they were very good for, say, being present at the face of a high-class charity auction while she stayed in her comfort zone of skulking around the back areas. She was already pretty bored circling around through the same employee only areas for an hour or so. She couldn't imagine being out front, sitting through all this in a stuffy suit while rich people said numbers she'd never see in her life over art she didn't get.
Skulking is where she wanted to be. And Danny and Luke and Colleen could handle the arduous task of being wealthy beyond her comprehension.
She stepped out from the kitchen, into the hallway that connected a lot of the back areas. And there she saw a guy in a black suit walking away from her. She slipped back into the kitchen before he could spot her.
That was definitely... not a worker here. None of the servers wore jackets. And all the back end people dressed for their positions, it wasn't really a tuxes and bowties affair back here.
Jessica pulled up her walkie talkie and whispered into it. "Do you have eyes on Berkhart?"
There was a moment of quiet. Then Luke responded. "No, I don't see him. Is he back there with you?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Is he in the suit?"
"He's in a suit. The suit he came in with."
"Huh... Can you follow him? Without him knowing?"
"I'm not exactly the Devil of Hell's Kitchen over here... I'll try, but no promises."
Jessica turned her walkie talkie off and poked her head back out. With more than a glance she could tell, that was Berkhart alright. The dorky bowl cut really gave him away. He kept his head on a swivel, looking up and down the hallway. Jessica was tucked just a bit too far in to be seen, ducking back in all the way when he looked down to her. Berkhart was acting like he was in a hurry, and didn't want to be seen. He slipped into a room. Slowly and cautiously, Jessica stepped out into the hallway to follow him.
The room he went into... was a dead end. It was the electrical room, a tiny little water closet full of breakers and boxes. So 1) she wasn't gonna be able to follow him without him noticing for much longer, 2) he was absolutely about to pull some shit.
Fuck this. Jessica pushed the door open and stepped into the electrical room. It was small, cramped, and not meant to accommodate two people. Berkhart had the main breaker box open and was looking through it. But as soon as he heard the door open, he spun around on his heels.
He gave a big smile and shrugged in a way to try and look innocent. "Would you believe I got lost on my way to the bathroom?"
"Somehow," Jessica said, giving Berkhart ample opportunity to see who she was. "No."
"Ms. Jones, please. I've done nothing wrong."
"I've at least got you on trespassing. And conspiracy of something or another. A lawyer can figure that one out."
She put a hand on his shoulder, to keep him from going anywhere.
In one quick, fluid motion, he slipped out from her grasp and got behind her, closer to the door. She made to grab at him again, but her arm was stopped.
She looked down. Her hand had been handcuffed to a cluster of thick wires on the wall.
"So sorry to cut our reunion short Ms. Jones," Berkhart said, pushing back out the door. "But I'm needed elsewhere."
No way was Jess going to let this creep go anywhere. She reached out again, with the strength to easily snap these metal cuffs. But that didn't happen. Instead the wires tore from the wall.
The lights overhead immediately shut off, and Jessica was left in pitch darkness.
"Sold," Leila called over the crowd. "The Tony Stark customized Maserati GT is sold to Danny Rand for 7 million."
Danny pumped his fist and cheered under his breath.
"Danny," Colleen slapped him on the arm. "We're not here to have fun, remember?"
"Yeah I remember," he whispered back. "It's more convincing if we actually win something, though."
"Do you even know where Berkhart is right now?"
"Uh..." Danny turned and not so subtly scanned the crowd. "Shit. You think he just went to the bathroom?"
"And now," Leila continued. "For our final auction of the night. Harlem's Paradise itself. Betting will start at 5 million."
At that moment, all the lights in the building shut off. Colleen could still see, but just barely, from the lights streaming in through the windows. Didn't look like a complete blackout, just this one building.
A spotlight came on, shining onto the front stage. Leila staggered to the side as now, taking centerstage, was Mysterio. In his emerald suit and fishbowl helmet.
"Yes, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring."
Muttering rumbled from the crowd, not quite sure what was going on.
"I don't think he's in the bathroom," Colleen whispered.
"But, ah," Mysterio began patting down his pockets. "I seem to have forgotten my wallet. Perhaps we can, ahem..."
His wrists flicked out, and now held squarely in each hand was an uzi pistol.
"Negotiate a lower price."
The crowd let out a collective scream as everyone scrambled down and towards the door. A rapid burst broke the air as Mysterio sprayed. Not aiming at anyone in specific, just trying to incite a panic.
Danny and Colleen jumped from their seats and made for the stage. But Luke got their first. He crashed down from the second floor balcony and made himself wide, absorbing and rebounding the hail of gunfire.
"Ah yes, Luke Cage, the unbreakable man." Berkhart stopped his firing but kept a gun up and pointed at him. "I thought long and hard about how to overcome your unique sturdiness."
His other hand shot up, now holding a can of pepper spray. "That was a joke it was really easy." An off-white cloud shot directly into Luke's face. He cried out, staggered back, hands covering his eyes, then lashed out blindly with a wild charge.
Berkhart easily slipped under his arms and aimed a kick at his off balance leg. Luke faceplanted down into the stage and struggled to get back up.
With that obstacle out of the way, Berkhart turned for a side door off the stage and ran. It wasn't exactly like he was fast, though. Danny and Colleen were able to very easily intercept and cut him off. He threw his hand back up and sprayed. Danny bat it aside and knocked the pepper spray to the ground. Colleen, holding back some coughs from that near miss, stepped into Danny's momentum and slammed a palm into Berkhart's gut.
He staggered back, thoroughly winded. A hand went up in surrender. "Wait. Please."
Danny stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. "Yeah, I don't think so, 'boss'-"
Danny gave a grunt and went stiff. His legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to the ground. Berkhart straightened up, where Colleen saw the taser held in his other hand.
His newly free hand flicked and had an uzi in it again. He wasted no time point and spraying, not even bothering to aim for Colleen or Danny, but forcing her to dive for cover. After a second the hail of bullets stopped. Colleen peaked out, Berkhart was gone.
"Shit," she muttered. She ran over to where Danny was. "Danny, Danny are you okay?"
He groaned as he sat up. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine."
With Colleen's help, and a bit more than a grimace, he pushed himself back to his feet.
"C'mon, we're not letting him get away again."
Jessica charged through hallways. As soon as the lights went out, she was pretty sure that she had lost Berkhart. A few minutes later the lights came back on, which all but confirmed it. She didn't see him anywhere, didn't hear him anywhere, there was gunshots and screaming from the main room, but Jess didn't really know her way around this place. So when she rounded a corner that she thought would lead back to the stage, she instead saw a dead end with a couple closets on either side.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered. She backed up, ready to backtrack her way to somewhere she recognized, and instead bumping into another person. She spun on her heels and cocked a fist back. "Son of a-!"
Matt stood there, plainly and stone faced.
"God dammit, Matt," Jessica let her fist drop. "One of these days I'm actually going to punch you."
"I got a bead on Berkhart," he said. "He's made the move we were waiting for."
"Yeah, no shit."
Matt nodded his head and took off running. Jessica followed.
"Where's he at," Jess asked.
"Backstage. Looking for an exit. Held up by something."
"How fortunate. Either that or it's a ploy to kill us."
Matt didn't say anything else, just led Jessica back down the way she came and in the opposite direction of the first fork she'd come to. Jess also didn't say anything, especially after realizing, she was just going to let that one go.
They quickly found themselves entering the backstage, a great big, poorly lit, wooden room full of scattered musical and sound equipment, a few sparse doors to other places in the building, and one wall just being a massive curtain.
Berkhart was here all right, it was hard to read his intention, behind that fishbowl helmet, but it looked like he was looking for something. As soon as, or maybe even before Jessica registered this, Matt threw one of his clubs which struck Berkhart in the gut and sent him staggering into an unplugged speaker.
Jessica crossed the gap between them immediately. Grabbed Berkhart by the lapels of his stupid fucking costume suit and lifted him off the ground.
"Alright asshole," she said. "No more running."
There was a clicking, sparking sound and a tingling sensation on her stomach. She looked down and saw Berkhart holding a lit taser to her abs.
She tossed him, like a sack of flour, across the room and crashing into a drum set, with all the noise you'd expect a gaudy wannabe supervillain crashing into a drum set to make.
Berkhart went limp, his helmet lolling against the side of the bass drum.
"Well," Jess said. "That's that."
She started towards him, ready to haul him over her shoulder and take him to the cops. Matt, however, put a hand over her chest to stop her.
"Hang on." He cocked his head and listened intently. "He's not out yet."
"What do you mean yet."
"I mean he's faking it."
"Okay so, what's he gonna do."
Berkhart suddenly lurched up and pointed an aerosol spray can at the two of them. She hadn't even seen where it came from. A chill mist shot into Jessica's face.
A fog washed over her brain. It felt not wholly dissimilar from being drunk but like, really drunk. Her steps became unsteady and slowed.
"Lay on the ground and stay there," Berkhart commanded. It wasn't a clear and precise command in her brain, not like when Kilgrave or Kara told her to do something, but she still felt compelled to do it.
Jessica fell to a knee. Half of her wanted to stand up and take some of the panicburbling back up into her chest out on him, the other half was perfectly content to do what Berkhart asked and lie face down on the ground.
Jessica looked up at Matt. He was also clearly struggling with whether or not to listen to this man who he had no reason to listen to. But apparently he had a bit more in him than she did.
He gave a moment of hesitation, and then a roar, and then he charged. Berkhart stumbled back, clearly shocked, but his hands still moved quick and precise. The aerosol can was dropped to the floor and a small bowie knife replaced it. He swung to his side and sliced at a suspended rope. Once the tension was released it flew up and out of sight.
Matt faltered and tilted his head up. Jessica followed his line of sight until she saw what the rope had been holding up, a sandbag that was now falling directly onto her head.
Jessica couldn't move from where she was kneeling. She still couldn't even decide whether she wanted to stand up or not. Matt faltered for just a second, then rushed back towards Jessica. Berkhart took his opportunity to make his escape. Matt lunged into the air, above Jessica's head, and slammed the sandbag away with an awkward half-kick, then tumbled in the air and landed in a crumpled heap.
"Shit!" Jessica shook the fog from her head and ran over to him. "Are you okay?"
Matt's lips went taut as he got to his feet. He took a few steps, obviously limping very hard. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll walk it off." He took a few deep breaths. "Any idea what that spray was?"
Jessica looked over at where the can sat on the ground. Unmarked grey aluminum. "Got me. Best guess is that he bottled up some of the air that Kara was giving off." She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. Whatever it was, it was already giving her a migraine. "Please tell me you still know where Berkhart is."
Matt paused, angled his head in the direction Berkhart left in, then said, "Yeah, I got him."
Immediately he walked off, not ran, but walked as fast as his limp would allow. Jessica followed. As they walked, Matt's limp evened out, though never really went away.
As they walked, a frown began to grow across Matt's face. And as the frown grew, he slowed down in his hurried walking.
"What," Jess asked. "What's going on."
Matt growled, "Shit," and barged through a nearby door. Looked like an employee lounge. It was also, completely empty.
"Where... What?"
Matt limped his way over to a table and picked up from it, a flip phone. Jess got a bit closer. It was faint to the point she could barely make it out, but the phone was currently playing the sound of a heartbeat and heavy breathing.
"Are you kidding me," Jess said. "Are you fucking kidding me. Are you saying you lost him!"
"...I can't - The crowd's too thick, too loud. I can't find him."
"It's a fucking theater kid, how is he playing us like this!"
Luke Cage, still rubbing his eyes, tried to lead the rest of the crowd out of Harlem's Paradise safely. This was more control over a situation than he usually got, Berkhart wasn't trying to kill anyone he was here to spook people. Not a great situation but it meant so long as he could keep people from trampling each other no one would get hurt.
"Quickly and calmly, y'all. Quickly and calmly."
He took up the rear of the mob, confident that people would feel a lot better if he was there to absorb any stray bullets still coming in, even though Berkhart had scrammed from the main floor minutes ago.
Outside, as the people crowded out into the streets and jammed themselves into taxis going anywhere but here and the sound of sirens grew louder and louder, Danny and Colleen had taken to perching themselves on the nearby buildings to try and spot Berkhart if he came out.
As Luke ushered the last of his guests out, he looked up and called at them. "See anything?"
"No," Colleen shook her head. "Nothing."
"I didn't really get a good look at his face," Danny said. "When we were, uh, 'working together'. But I haven't seen anything out of the-"
There was a crashing from the alleyway next to Harlem's Paradise. A car screeched and roared onto the road, nearly running more than a few people over as it bolted away from the building.
And not just any car, either. It was a red and gold Maserati GT convertible, that instead of blasting smoke from its tailpipe, emitted a soft blue glow.
"You're kidding me," Luke said. "He took the car?"
"Hey," Danny said. "That's my car!"
He and Colleen jumped to the ground.
Colleen gave Luke a pat on the chest as she watched it go. "You fancy trying to chase him down on foot, Mr. Usain Bolt."
"I'm not- We'll take my car."
"Wait, why your car?"
"Because," Luke was already getting into the milk chocolate sports car parked directly in front of the building. "I have the best parking."
"Alright," Colleen said. "I call shotgun."
"Wait," said Danny. "We're just going?"
"Don't exactly have time to argue it." She was already pulling open the passenger side door.
Danny couldn't exactly disagree, so he climbed into the back. Luke put his foot on the gas before he even had the door closed all the way. The three sped off into late night New York traffic.
Luke swerved through the occasional car before they managed to catch back up to Berkhart. He wasn't exactly hard to miss. But finding him was one thing, getting him to do anything was quite another. On the plus side, he wasn't going to be stopping before losing them. On the negative, the longer this chase went on, the more danger they put everyone around them in. And Luke Cage's high end consumer model wasn't going to be able to catch something made by Tony Stark. The only thing he could do was stay on him. But Berkhart was driving recklessly, he was desperate to get Luke off his tail, and everyone around him was sure to notice.
"Don't suppose either of you brought a gun to my auction," Luke said.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Danny asked.
"All I've got is this." Colleen reached into her purse and pulled out a short dagger.
"You brought a knife to my nightclub?" Luke said.
"I don't like going into things unarmed, okay?"
"Hold on," Danny said. "That could work."
"What, you want me to throw it at him?"
"Yeah."
Danny looked at Colleen expectantly. All she gave back was a blank stare.
"You can infuse your sword with chi, can't you?"
"Oh. Right!"
Colleen took the dagger in one hand, unbuckled her seatbelt and rolled down the window with the other. She pulled herself out and sat in the window. Right hand cocked back with the dagger, left hand forward to help her aim.
Aiming a throwing knife at a car swerving through traffic, while the car you were in also swerved through traffic, it was not easy. Colleen was using most of her focus and core strength to just stay balanced and not go toppling out onto the street.
She couldn't let herself get lost in the maze of other cars and traffic violations. The situation, whatever it may be, was where she was now, and she was the one with the power to change it. She took a deep, steady breath. Let everything fade from her vision except for the car in front of her. She saw the patterns in Berkhart's wild careening, saw the moments of calm, and saw where he would be next at every second.
Chi flew from her breath, through her chest, towards her hand, and into the dagger. It lit up with raw energy.
She whipped it forward and the dagger flew forward like a streak of light. It struck the car on its rear bumper, carved through the metal of its undercarriage until it pierced the rear right tire. Berkhart swerved, fishtailed, and crashed into the corner of a building, his car slipping into the alley next to it from the momentum.
Luke slammed on the brakes. Colleen held onto the rim of the car with both hands to keep herself from flying away. He put the car in park, right next to the wrecked remains of the GT. Berkhart was already scrambling away from the crash and down the alley. Luke, Danny, and Colleen hopped out and were on him in a second.
Berkhart, his helmet now cracked a little on the side, stumbled away with a hand in his jacket pocket. Luke didn't like that, he didn't want anything more to do with what came out of those damn pockets.
"No more tricks, Berkhart," he said. "Hands where I can see them. And nothing up your sleeve, either."
Berkhart slowly withdrew his empty hands. That he could do so without saying anything was perhaps too much to ask.
"You've caught me fair and square, Mr. Cage," he began. "I should've known better than to tango with the likes of you."
"Yeah..." Luke was cautious. Nervous. Trying to ready himself for whatever trick Berkhart would pull next. "Give in quietly. No one else has to get hurt."
"I should've known it would come to this. I tried my best, but despite my machinations and scheming, I'm simply just too..."
A small, round object fell out of Berkhart's jacket.
"...clumsy."
Berkhart turned and ran. Luke wanted to chase him, but then he saw what Berkhart had dropped.
Egg-shaped and muddy green, with a distinct lack of a pin. That was a live grenade.
"Get back!" Luke yelled to Danny and Colleen. He charged forward, slid to the ground, and wrapped up the grenade with his body. Not a moment more passed before it blew. A fireball followed up by hot shards of metal crashed into Luke's chest and gut and arms. None of it pierced. Pierced his skin at least, he was pretty sure that was another suit down the drain.
But the explosion was contained. The danger has passed. And, as he stood, Berkhart was nowhere to be seen.
"God dammit," Luke growled under his breath.
"Come on," Danny put a hand on his shoulder. "He couldn't have made it far. We can still catch up to him."
He ran for the other side of the alleyway. Luke and Colleen quickly joining him.
Daniel Berkhart ran as fast as his legs would take him. His chest heaved with the effort, he was panting like a dog, his breath burned and the sweat made his hair stick to his forehead. He had no hope of outrunning the Daredevil and Luke Cage, his only hope was to get out of the Mysterio costume and blend in with the crowd. Escape. Disappear.
He was, in potentially every single way, completely outmatched with his opposition. He, a normal man, superior in no clear physical way, with nothing but his wits, up against enhanced superhumans whom he had now made personal grudges with each and every one of.
He had lost a great deal of what he wanted in this encounter. He failed to get Harlem's Paradise. He failed to keep the car. But he did come away with something. He patted his pocket, paranoid that it would somehow fall out. An arc-reactor, barely larger than a credit card, pulled from the heart of Tony Stark's own creation. This alone could set him for life, even after paying off the mercenaries.
Daniel Berkhart, and truly Daniel Berkhart, not Mysterio, slipped into the crowded city streets. When he felt he could risk it, he shot side glances over his shoulder. Up to the rooftops. They could descend from anywhere, and for most of them, there was not a chance that Daniel could ever see it coming.
"Hey boss," came a voice. Berkhart nearly jumped. Leaning against an alley wall, stood Kara, hands in her pockets.
"Kara?" he said, out of breath. "What are you- what are you doing here?"
"Well... I dunno. I heard that things might get sketchy so I felt like – I felt like I should at least be nearby. When it went down."
Daniel's brow creased. His teeth tightened as he realized what she was saying.
"You... You backstabbed me. You sold me out!"
"I mean, um," Kara scratched at her head. "Kind of? Sorry."
"After everything I did for you. You're gonna sell me out to them? To the person who killed your dad?"
"I mean- I-"
Daniel had come far, very far. Months of planning and weeks of perfect execution. If he let this girl turn on him now, it'd all come falling down at the very last second.
He didn't have much left on him, but he had enough. One last step. One last bad act. Then he'd be free.
Daniel moved towards Kara.
"Stop," she said weakly.
Daniel fully expected to be thwarted here, without his helmet he had no protection from Kara's virus. But something in her voice lacked power, lacked the right intent. He pushed forward, she started walking backwards, into the alleyway.
"Stop!" she said again.
Nothing. He reached into his suit jacket pocket, where he kept his knife.
"I said stop!" Her face hardened as she yelled.
Then it happened. Daniel's feet ground to a halt. He was filled with not a single desire other than to stay in this exact spot.
Kara scowled. "Let's get one thing clear. You didn't do a damn thing for me. You used me. You used me for what I could do for you."
"It's what you wanted," Daniel growled.
"It's what you wanted! You found a girl with superpowers and you found out she had some fucked up baggage and you tried to use that to make a quick buck. You brought me into this! You pushed me to follow the plan and wait for revenge! Well – well it's not happening. I'm not gonna let it happen."
"Why? What does it matter to you!"
"Because-... Because I met someone who seems deadset on making me a better person."
Kara shoved him out of the alley, back onto the light of the street.
"And you're not going to hurt anyone else."
As if on cue, the Defenders rained down on him. Daredevil jumped from a rooftop, landing in a low crouch, batons at the ready. Both of the Iron Fists vaulted over nearby cars and concrete barriers and landed, lighting their respective fists up. Luke Cage brought up the rear, and blocked any exit he might've had, crossing his arms and taking up space.
And Kara Kilgrave stepped back to join them.
Daniel put on the best smile he could muster and lifted his hands up. "Maybe... we can talk this out?"
In response, Jessica Jones walked up and punched him across the face. Everything went black.
"What," Jess said. "I fucking hate that guy."
"So... we got him," Luke said. "Next question is, how do we make it stick."
"What are you talking about?" Colleen asked. "He shot up your nightclub in the exact same Mysterio costume, then stole a car. And wrecked a car."
"Mysterio did, yeah. This guy ain't in the Mysterio costume though. From outside, we just punched out some random joe who was at my auction."
"You saw him cut the lights, didn't you?" Danny asked Jess. "That's suspicious enough to be circumstantial, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Jess said. "Well, no, I mean, he didn't exactly-"
Matt walked up to the unconscious body and knelt down next to him.
"God, don't tell me he's faking it again," Jessica said.
"No, he's not," Matt said. He pulled back one of the lapels of his suit jacket. The interior was an emerald green. Reaching further in, he dug into his pocket for a moment, and pulled out a glowing blue disc. "Will this help?"
All eyes were wide. Police cars were beginning to circle.
"Yeah," said Luke. "Yeah that'll do it."
Berkhart was dragged off by the cops, at least he was as soon as they bothered to point him out, statements were made, statements were taken, Matt somehow disappeared before anything happened, the usual. Luke, Colleen, Danny, Jessica, and Kara made their way back to Harlem's Paradise.
It had already been blocked off by a police barricade. Looked like the investigation was already underway.
"Are you even going to be able to sell this place still?" Danny asked.
"Eh," said Luke. "It's not her first set of bullet holes."
"Did I hear that right?" A new voice came up from behind. The group turned to look. Some guy with a really big head.
"Fraley," Luke nodded.
"Cage," Fraley nodded back. "Looks like you had a hell of a night. You saying you ain't sold her yet?"
"Yeah. We didn't manage to get far enough in things before it uh... hit the fan."
"I'm taking a wild guess that this was your reason for doing this to begin with."
"Like I said, one of them."
"Well," Fraley looked at Luke expectantly. "Is the offer still open?"
Luke sized him up. Took a moment to think and then spoke. "10 grand."
Danny gawked.
"I'll take that," Fraley said.
"Sold." The two shook hands and Fraley walked away.
"Luke, are you crazy," Danny said. "You basically just gave this place away."
"It's like you said my man," Luke said with a smirk. "Who else was gonna buy it?"
The days passed. It was a struggle for Luke to call up everyone who bought something during the auction and make sure that they paid for what they bought and then got it, but eventually all his work was done. And that included passing on the ownership of Harlem's Paradise to Gordon Fraley for 10,000 dollars. And like he promised, every single cent had been donated to reparations following the Harlem attacks.
And with that, he moved back into a small apartment on 128th.
He was in the middle of setting up his bed when a knock came from the door. He opened it, and Detective Misty Knight stood there, smiling at him.
"Detective Knight," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'd like to thank you personally for helping bring the New Mysterio Case to a close," she said, stepping in. "But mostly I just wanted to check out your new digs."
She let out a whistle as she looked around at the pale blue walls.
"It's uh... Well I won't lie to you, it seems like an objective downgrade."
"That's kind of the point," Luke said. "A little humility does us all wonders."
Misty's fake smile dropped, and she looked Luke dead in the eyes. "Are you sure that this is what you want?"
"I'm sure. What I need right now isn't money, or influence, it's a new start. I don't want to be up there if I can't still feel connected to everyone down here."
"It's admirable. Really. But you sound like a martyr."
"Hey come on," he chuckled. "It's not totally like that. I kept a little bit of my savings, I'm not gonna become a starving monk or anything."
"Well, I can't say I'm totally disappointed to have you working the streets again."
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "And it feels nice to be back in my old neighborhood."
Colleen pounded into her training dummy, with a flurry of punches and kicks, blocks to stop the swinging parts from returning which led into more strikes. Her form was practiced and perfect, this was mostly just an exercise in working up a sweat than proper training.
A rapping came from her window in the bedroom. She jumped and spun to look, and saw Danny hanging out on her windowsill as a branch of her training dummy swung back and smacked her in the temple.
She hissed at the pain and then grumbled. Walked over to where he was waiting expectantly and pulled the window open.
"Danny," she said.
He smiled up at her. "Yes?"
"What are you doing in my window?"
"I dunno, it's kind of nostalgic, isn't it? Breaking and entering? With permission, of course."
Colleen couldn't help but laugh. She stepped away from the window and waved him in.
"Thought about bringing flowers," he continued as he hopped through. "But I thought maybe that would give the wrong, uh, signal."
Colleen gave a sigh and collapsed back onto her bed. "Yeah, we haven't really had a chance to talk about where we... stand."
"That's kind of what I wanted to ask. Where do we stand?"
"I don't know. I don't know, Danny. I've got a lot of... weird, complex feelings about it. I guess where I come down is that... I want to be your friend. I don't really want to be your girlfriend."
Danny nodded. His gaze lowered as he sat down next to her. "Okay. Okay."
"Is that alright?"
"I mean... I'm sad about it. I'm sad that we don't get to... pick up where we left off, I guess. That things just can't go back to the way they were. But I am still your friend, I'm never going to not be your friend. And you get to choose what you are, and what we are."
Colleen gave a soft smile, pulled Danny next to her in a sidelong hug. "Thanks."
"And if you ever wanted, we could... push our relationship to the next level... crime fighting partners?"
He gave a sly grin. Colleen laughed back. "What, like, you want us to be like Batman and Robin?"
"Yes. I'm Batman, you're Robin."
"No way. I have been in this city way, way longer than you. I've been the Iron Fist in this city way longer than you. I get to be Batman."
"Look I don't want to pull rank here, but I was the Iron Fist first. And I've been the Iron Fist longer. I'm Batman."
"Alright, alright. Compromise. Batman and Batman."
The two of them broke into full on laughter.
"Ah..." Colleen sighed. "It's good to have you back, Danny."
"Yeah, you too."
Matt tapped his way into Nelson Murdock & Page with a bright smile. The reactions to seeing him were not so pleasant.
"Matt?" Karen asked. It didn't look like she was going to freak out again, but she seemed... cautious.
"Morning, Karen," he nodded to her. "What's on the docket for today?"
"Um... This isn't another, work for a day back to... Daredeviling tomorrow, is it?"
"I promised you that I'd try to put the office in more of a priority, and I meant it. I'm here for the foreseeable future."
"And how long is that going to last?" Foggy asked from the doorway of his office.
Matt pushed the smile for one last second before letting it drop. "I know I haven't been the most reliable recently."
"Recently being, the entire past year, yeah."
"Yeah. I put a lot of weight on my own shoulders. And I'm sorry. I want to make amends now."
"Matt, I..." Foggy walked forward, hands in his pockets. "I don't know. I appreciate the gesture, really. But... I'll believe it when I see it."
"I'll do whatever I can, whenever you need it. I'm here Fog, I mean it this time."
"You do know that, if there's a situation out there that maybe needs a Daredevil. Don't feel bad if you need to change and ditch us."
"I think right now what this city needs is Matt Murdock's help, more than it needs Daredevil's."
"Alright," Foggy nodded and left it at that. "Karen can give you the caseload we're working on right now."
"Yeah," she said. "Yeah I got it right here."
"Thanks, Foggy," Matt said.
He took the stack of files from Karen, the fact that she'd still bothered to print copies of them all in braille really told him that he was still wanted here. Which was a nice feeling at least. He sat down at his desk and got to work.
Not 20 minutes later, a store window shattered 8 blocks north.
A woman in an armored bodysuit, strangely high heartrate, with two large metal gauntlets holding two... strange feeling clubs.
She whistled out. "Hey! Hero guys! I know Manhattan's crawling with you, how about someone come out and play a game with me. If not, I start playing with whoever I can find."
She swung one of her clubs into the wall next to her. A section of the brick exploded out.
"And I play rough."
That caused people to start making space, if not running away entirely.
Matt bit his lip. He wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to go after another overeager villain looking specifically for a hero to fight. But he didn't want someone to end up getting hurt.
Matt released his breath when Spider-Man swung in.
"Hey, you know they make, like, video games these days. You can just play by yourself," he said.
The woman smiled wide. "Just who I was hoping for."
The two lunged at each other. In just a few minutes, Spider-Man had her wrapped up in webs and dangling from a streetlight.
So Matt Murdock could get back to the work where he was needed.
Jessica Jones and Kara Kilgrave sat next to each other on a bench at the Greyhound bus station. Staring ahead, in silence.
"So," Jess eventually said. "Canada, right."
"Yep."
"Toronto. Just making sure I'm sending you to the right place. Not paying for a second trip."
"Yeah it's in Toronto. I can make my way home from there."
"Mm-hmm..."
Kara swung her legs a little.
"I mean if you wanted to, you could like, I dunno, visit sometime. I could show you around, I guess."
"I'm flattered, really," Jessica said. "But uh, I kind of never want to see you or speak to you or be around you ever again."
"Oh. I mean, yeah. Yeah, same."
Jessica gave a long sigh and took a sip from her pocket flask.
"So," she said. "What are you... planning to do about uh... your... shit."
"My shit?"
"Your powers. Seems to me like you've got more control over them than... your dad did. You just gonna go back to using them for free bus rides and McD's."
"I mean... I haven't thought about it much. But, I mean I don't think so. After being in your head I- it feels weird to just throw them out at people like that. People who don't deserve it at least."
"Well, that's good to hear." Jessica kept her eyes ahead, not keen on showing any actual enthusiasm for this girl's life.
"But, on the other hand, I dunno. Seeing you guys do what you do, seeing how you guys handled Berkhart and his goons and stuff, I- I dunno, I've kinda been thinking about doing what you do."
"What's that, alcohol and isolation."
Kara shook her head. "Being a hero."