In Hand and Foot

By Michael Weyer

Sorry for long delay but hope to make up for it here.

Elektra leapt forward, her sais flashing in the air. She lunged at Bullseye, who avoided her strikes before lashing out with a punch. Elektra dodged it and then spun to kick him in the face. Bullseye just grinned as he wiped at his chin. "Not bad."

"Oh, just wait," Elektra hissed as she lunged at him. Bullseye took the blow before launching another attack. "Be careful, babe. I kill."

"I've been dead already," Elektra returned as she spun her sais and attacked. Bullseye dodged the blow as they embarked on a deadly dance around the cubicles, trading blows and counters. Nearby, Matt was slowly pushing himself up, trying to regather his bearings. His head was still ringing from the sonic attack but his radar sense was telling him Elektra and Bullseye were giving it their all. He winced as he rose up, grabbing a nearby stapler. He paused to let his sense adjust and then threw it out.

It hit Bullseye in the back of the head, hardly a stunning blow. But it did have the effect of distracting him enough for Elektra to slash at his face. He grunted as he grabbed her, pulling her in to headbutt her. Elektra gasped out in pain at the head that felt like solid steel smashing into her skull. She stumbled back as Bullseye simply grinned to move forward.

Elektra snarled as she rose up attacking once more as Bullseye dodged her attempted blows. Matt was striking back as well, shaking off the effects of the sonic device as he and Bullseye traded kicks. Despite his skills, Matt was rattled by the sonic attack, his senses still off and thus failed to properly prepare for a knife strike that nearly nailed him in the chest. He hissed as he felt the gash falling back. Bullseye was moving in but Elektra's sai blocked the knife blow as they kept up their dance.

She launched a kick at his leg and hissed once more as the blow shook her own foot. Bullseye was quick to grab a roll of paper clips lying on a desk. He sent them flying out with the skill of an array of throwing stars. Elektra's sais flashed as she managed to knock two away but a third pierced her upper arm, another her lower and a third across her cheek. The pain was enough distraction for Bullseye to punch her in the face and throw her over a desk, a hand around her throat as he held one knife up.

"You're good babe. But me? I'm magic."

Before he could bring the knife down, a blast of energy ripped out and a glowing bullet knocked it out of his hands. Bullseye looked to the doorway to see Danny standing there with his special guns ready. Behind him, Luke was charging in, Bullseye throwing another load of paper clips at him. They simply bounced off the hardened skin as if thrown by a toddler and Bullseye barely had time to react before Luke's fist smashed into his face. While he felt the impact, Luke wasn't as affected as Elektra or Matt and able to move in to punch Bullseye again.

The assassin backed up, taking in the group as he saw Colleen appear in the doorway as well. "Another time, Red," he said as he turned and leapt out the nearest window. He managed to spin to catch a nearby flagpole and use it to slow his fall enough to land on a parked car outside. He was already racing down the street as the group watched him.

Elektra was rising up when a flash of steel met her gaze and Colleen's sword at her neck. The woman's face was hard gazing at the other woman, who answered her easily. "Whose side are you on?"

"The one that just saved Matthew's life," Elektra stated. "That should say something."

Colleen was unsure as Matt held up a hand. "Colleen….It's okay. I trust her."

"Not saying a lot there, Matt," Danny intoned.

"Let's put it aside for now." Matt rubbed at his face as the full smell of the corpses around him began sinking in. "We're going to have to figure out more in the future." He shook his head. "It was a nice piece of work, Kingpin. You shouldn't have signed it."

Misty had been through a lot of ugly scenes in her time. But even she had to fight back a wave of bile as she watched the medical examiners and crime scene techs move around the bodies. That several of them looked just as sickened as her said it all. She rubbed at her head as she headed into the hallway where Matt was standing alongside a shaken Karen and Foggy who was giving her a supportive hug. "I won't bother asking if you're okay," she told Karen. "But…if you can tell us anything…"

Karen was shivering, rubbing her arms with Foggy putting a comforting arm on her shoulder. "He just…came out of nowhere. He was moving so fast, grabbing anything in sight, people dying around me and…" She rubbed her face. "I can't understand why…"

"Were you guys working on anything important?"

Karen nodded. "We were looking into this growing gang war, possible connections to Fisk…"

"That explains it," Matt snarled with a surprising venom in his voice. "It's his classic M.O., silence anyone who gets close to him."

"I still don't get it," Danny blurted, standing nearby with Luke and Colleen. "How the hell is he not in prison?"

Misty sighed. "In all the chaos after the Dusting, a lot of the evidence against him 'mysteriously' vanished. Plus, the courts were a mess and the Feds had a hell of a lot more on their plate to worry about than what they saw as just another gangster. Throw in his pack of lawyers and he got himself released and claiming he'd been framed and 'fake news'."

"Not just that," Luke intoned. "Seems his wife was killed in a crash when her pilot vanished." He shook his head. "Without her…Kingpin has gotten even worse. He's not even hiding what he is anymore, modern-day Capone."

"And now he's crossed a line," Misty related. "Problem being, any links he has to do this are already covered up." She looked around and lowered her voice. "Where's that…Elektra lady?"

"Trying to get a lead," Matt intoned. "She'll be back though."

"Wasn't she trying to kill us before?" Danny asked.

"At this point, taking whatever help we can," Luke intoned. "So, now what?"

"Now?" Matt looked over at the room, even though he couldn't actually see the carnage there. "Now we hit back."

Jessica sighed deeply as she hung up the phone. "It's pretty damn bad."

Castle grunted as he checked over his guns. "Should have put a bullet in Fisk a long time ago."

"I get the feeling," Jessica said. "Matt doesn't want to cross the line."

"There are no lines, not anymore," Castle retorted. "Red should learn that. Sometimes you gotta put the beasts down."

Jessica leaned in across the small table inside the sewer base. "I killed a guy once. A monster, a complete and absolute monster. He deserved it, he truly did." Jessica's face soured. "And it didn't help. It didn't make me feel better, it just sent me deeper into a bottle. He deserved it and he still haunted me."

"That's the difference between us," Castle growled. "They never haunt me. I send them to Hell. I sleep just fine."

Between the duo, Squirrel Girl was looking from one to the other. She was once more wearing her costume as she and the Turtles were taking in this unique debate. "Um, you know, I kinda thought this was a hero team and the killing thing sounds…icky."

Castle fixed her with a glare as Doreen held up her hands. "I'm just saying, maybe tone it down a little, catch more flies with honey and all."

"The girl speaks true." The Punisher spun around, his guns raised while Jessica moved into a fighting stance. Elektra was stepping into the room, looking as calm as ever and not bothered by the weapons pointed at her. While Jessica and Trish were thrown, the Turtles actually nodded in appreciation of how well she handled the stealth. She looked over them all, not seeming that bothered but then, when one came back from death, twice, it broadened one's horizons.

"You don't have to try to kill me, Mr. Castle," she said in a cool tone.

"I'll decide if I wanna kill you."

"I said you'd try." It was the certainty in her voice that made Frank slowly back down with his guns lowered. Jessica was still glaring at her. "Last time I saw you..."

"I was not in my right mind then," Elektra brushed off. "The Dusting aided me in recovering my true mind. I stayed away for a time but kept an eye out on Matt. A good thing to help save his life." She crossed her arms. "I don't expect you to trust me but we do have a common cause. The Hand used me and I intend to make them pay."

Jessica was doubtful but Castle nodded. "Revenge? I can get that."

Elektra's lips turned inward. "My name isn't just for show." She looked at Castle and for a moment, it almost seemed like each shared a flash of understanding of the other. Jessica took in the looks and groaned. "Oh, God..."

"Huh," Michelangelo noted. "Weird but we've seen odd love connections on our world..."

"I will punch you and I can break your shell."

Before the turtle could reply, there was a rush of movement as Donatello raced in. "Guys! Guys, I think I know what Shredder is planning!"

That got everyone's attention as he held up a small pad. "Okay, been noticing the patterns of robberies and why Stockman would be wanting more high tech stuff so hit me how if the dimensional barriers are weaker, it can cause some problems and-"

"Donny!" Raphael snapped. "Break it down!"

"If he can get enough power going and Krang can sure supply that…" Donatello gulped. "He's going to try and raise the Technodrome."

"But that trick never works!"

"Quiet, Mikey!"

"The Techno-what?" Jessica asked even though she was positive she was not going to like the answer.

"It's Krang's headquarters," Leonardo explained. "A massive alien base on treadwheels about the size of a skyscraper. It's been buried underground on our Earth but he keeps wanting to bring it out."

Jessica winced, hating being right. "Can he do it?"

Donatello scratched his head. "Alone, no but with Stockman giving aid and the right power, it's possible."

"Makes sense," Leonardo remarked. "Getting it up in our world is tricky but Krang gets a new Earth to conquer and Shredder gets back to ours."

"How bad if this thing lands here?" Doreen asked.

"They have EPCOT Center on this Earth?"

"It's just Epcot…."

"That big huge golf ball attraction? Imagine it on treads and firing off laser cannons as it lands in New York City."

Jessica rubbed her face. "We gotta get to the rest of the guys."

"I think I can already guess where Red is," the Punisher grunted. "Guy has to be a cliché…"

The sun was starting its descent as Matt Murdock, in his costume, stood atop the roof of Patrick's Cathedral. He gazed at the sun he could not truly see, his hands tight and his breathing hard. The Defenders and the Turtles had gathered behind him, Michelangelo lounging next to one of the large statues lining the edge of the church of a winged figure lounging out. A few others littered the edges with various poses that fit into the New York skyline. In the distance, the familiar sight of Fisk Tower dominated.

"What are you thinking, Matt?" Colleen asked.

He was silent before answering. "I'm thinking…. that just maybe…arresting isn't enough this time."

Castle's lips tugged outward. "Huh. You finally getting it, Red."

Danny frowned deeply. "Matt…If you're talking about just killing him…"

"Gotta agree with Danny on that," Luke added. "You've been lecturing me on crossing the line too much handling the mobs. Now you're going to turn and try and take out Fisk?"

"What else can be done, Luke?" Matt snapped. "He's skated out of jail twice. He buys or kills his way out of any justice. Even if he could be put in jail, how do we know it can hold him and he won't be back worse than ever?"

"Murder isn't justice," Colleen said.

"It's close enough," the Punisher intoned.

Casey held up a hand. "Listen, I know this isn't our world and all but…Kinda feel like this is going too far."

"Maybe it's what's needed," Matt snapped as he faced them. He waved to Elektra, who was leaning against a large statue of a darker creature. "You know that, Elektra."

"And I know you hated it when I did that," she replied in her smooth voice. "You hated where it sent me. Into pure darkness, a darkness that warped my soul." She shook her head. "I died, Matthew. And all that good hope and beliefs and all that? It didn't help me at all."

"Wait, you died?" Michelangelo said in confusion. "I mean…died, died? As in Grim Reaper and…."

"Mikey," Leonardo warned.

"Dude, she's talking about dying and coming back, I'm supposed to ignore that?"

Elektra moved to put a hand to Matt's shoulder. "I tried to bring you to my side. I know that's wrong now. I can't change what I am but you...you could have changed me." She shrugged. "It's too late now but you...You can still belong to the light, Matthew. Your father would feel the same."

Matt brushed her hand off. "Playing by the rules didn't help my dad."

"It was standing up for a principle that cost him his life. And he would have preferred it that way."

"You didn't know him."

"Don't I? Because I think I see him every time I look at you."

Jessica was shaking her head. "Look, Matt, I'm with you on taking Fisk down and getting the goods on him. But I crossed that line and I can tell you, it's damn ugly once you do it. I can barely handle it, I can't imagine how you could."

"I can handle a lot," Matt said. He could feel a coolness on his skin indicating the sun was almost completely set. "After what Bullseye did on Fisk's orders…"

"Need I remind you I'm still a cop?" Misty interrupted, waving a hand. "It's hard enough not to be hauling in Castle but if you think I'm turning a blind eye to you openly murdering anyone, even a scumbag like Fisk, forget it."

Trish was standing next to a smaller statue as she looked to Squirrel Girl. "You're not going to chime in?"

"Well, I am the new one on the team…"

"We're not a team!" Jessica yelled.

Doreen went on. "Plus, ya know, squirrels can be surprisingly violent and opening my eyes to just how nuts the animal kingdom is."

"Okay, who had an hour in the 'Squirrel Lady makes a nut joke' pool?" Michelangelo said in an attempt to break the tension.

Danny rubbed his face. "Look, Matt, I know about having to blur the lines, I've done it enough times. Hell, all of us here have." He pointed at Matt. "But there has to be a code, there has to be a limit or we're no different than Castle."

The other man snorted. "Not taking that as an insult."

"Fist-boy has a point," Casey stated, his mask up to show his features. "Even when I started out, I just wanted to rough guys up, maybe went a bit too far. But I wasn't gonna go killing anyone, even in self-defense. And this ain't it."

"Matt, dude, when the guy dressed like Jason Vorhees who hangs out with talking turtles is making a rational point..." Jessica began.

"All those people died who didn't have to," Matt snapped. "Because I didn't stop Poindexter."

Splinter spoke up now. "Mr. Murdock, many is the time I had a chance to dispose of the Shredder. I did not. And those who died at his hand afterward...did not die because of me. Those people did not die because of you. Taking responsibility is one thing but taking all the responsibility is much different." He pointed his stick at the lawyer, knowing Matt could still sense it. "Those madmen are to blame. Do not let them further warp your soul by bringing you down to their level."

Luke shook his head. "Matt, you go down this path, it ain't' gonna be pleasant. I've been in prison, I can already tell it'll be nasty for you. You'll be on the run, hiding out, you think the Feds don't have units ready to take folks like us down?" He waved a hand around the roof. "What are you gonna do? Hide out here with these freaky statues and try to protect the Kitchen? That's no way…."

"Statues?" Matt frowned. "What statues?"

The others exchanged confused looks. "Um, these weird things?" April said, hitching a thumb at one behind her. She winced as it hit her she was making a hand motion to someone who was blind.

Matt cocked his head. He'd been so lost in his thoughts and problems that it had taken him a few moments to realize what other shapes were around the group. "There have never been statues atop Patrick's Cathedral."

Before anyone could reply to that odd line, Matt's eyes suddenly picked up as he heard a scraping sound. At the same time, Elektra stiffened, her eyes wide as she yanked out her sais. "We have company!" Before the words were out of her mouth, nearly two dozen forms seemed to appear out of nowhere, their dark hoods and masks mixed with gleaming swords "For the Gorgon!" one yelled, the others taking up his cry as the Hand attacked.

Luke winced as a sword shattered on his chest. "These dudes know we didn't kill him?"

"Um, maybe technically, I sorta did?" Squirrel Girl yelped as she barely dodged a swinging sword. "By accident, totally by accident!" she chirped at one Hand who didn't seem to care as she leapt over his attack. Tippytoe was leaping off her shoulder to scratch at another ninja.

Trish yelped as a ninja thrust his sword at her, barely dodging it. She grabbed him by the arms and pulled, surprising herself at her own strength as she sent him flying off the roof. She could barely grasp that before another attacked and she somersaulted backward, thankful for her mother insisting she take a few stuntwork classes. Jessica was punching a ninja away as she snarled "I fucking hate ninjas!"

The Punisher had his guns out but the chaos of the fighting made it harder to draw a bead on his targets. Colleen and Elektra were fighting back to back, swords flashing and neither struck by how odd working together was. The Turtles were right in the mix of it as Matt threw out his billy club, letting it strike one ninja and then another. He grunted as one kicked at him as he was still feeling the effects of the fight with Bullseye. He was pushed backward, knocking against one of the statues.

It was at that moment that the sun finally set and night fell upon New York. As soon as the last rays vanished, a sound began echoing from one of the statues, a sound only Matt could hear although his mind couldn't seem to process it. A sound that most definitely should not have been coming from a stone decoration.

The sound of a heartbeat.

It began with a single crack running down one statue's face. It grew into another and another, the stone covering with cracks and creases. Then, in an eruption of rock and dust, the statue transformed into a living creature. It rose up, its gray skin perfect for the night, clad only in a simple loincloth with a belt. Its powerful face had nobility mixed with the ferocious expression, short black hair mingled with a pair of small horns. It drew itself up to a full height and behind it expanded a pair of powerful ebony wings. It let out a bellow of a creature rising to the surface with a long tail flicking behind him.

Around the roof, the same transformation was happening to the other statues, each blasting out of stone and into a new form. One resembled an older man with long white hair and a beard mixed with tan skin, wearing a leather jerkin and trousers with a large belt. A trio of horns littered each side of his head, orange wings behind him and his left eye milky and blind in contrast to a brighter right one.

A trio of figures appeared younger although varied in appearance. One was thin with red skin, a large beak-like nose, and white hair, long horns sticking out, and seemed to slouch even as it rose from a crouching position. The other was a larger figure, very stout with a large belly, completely bald, his aquamarine wings longer than the others while he seemed to have, of all things, an underbite. The third was the smallest, khaki-colored skin and its wings appeared attached to his arms rather than his back. With a bald head and loincloth, he almost seemed like a child rather than an adult.

The final statue looked less like the others and more like a cross between a very large Doberman and some demonic creature. Its greyish-blue skin with sharp spike upon its back was highlighted by its face, the solid white eyes without irises focused on the stunned group of humans and turtles and instantly let out a savage growl.

For years, the Turtles had to put up with people reacting in varying degrees of shock and disbelief upon first meeting them. For the first time, they finally realized exactly how that felt. All fighting on the roof stopped as the two sides stared in disbelief at the creatures awakened before them.

"Sweet Christmas," Luke whispered.

"Dude, what does that even mean?" Raphael blurted for lack of anything else to say at the moment. Jessica was clearly wishing to hell she was having a drunken hallucination and for once, Trish was right there with her. Even Squirrel Girl was thrown.

The Hand was quick to recover with one slashing at the leader of the creatures. He easily caught the sword in one hand, his eyes narrowing with anger. "You're trespassing," it growled in a deep and booming voice. He lifted the sword up, the attacker yanked off his feet before the creature sent him flying off over the edge of the roof. The elder of the figures had unsheathed his own sword to block a blow before unleashing a punch that nearly took the head off of the ninja to knock him out.

The dog-liked creature snarled before leaping forward, tackling one of the ninjas down, its claws and teeth rending the man. The larger of the figures saw a ninja leaping at him with a flying kick. It hit him in the rather ample stomach only to bounce off. The red-skinned figure was quickly moving, a smile on his face showing he was enjoying getting into a fight. The smallest floated into the air before striking quickly with a strength belying his size.

"What…the shit….is happening?" Misty asked, wishing once again that she'd taken early retirement when she could.

Squirrel Girl winced as she dodged an attack. "Seeing as I'm new to this, is it common to keep running into folks during a fight? Cause it seems how you guys meet people..."

"I hate to say it but for once, this lunatic has a point!" Jessica snapped. "I mean, the Midland Circle thing, then the New York Battle and other stuff, why does this keep happening?"

Splinter was moving faster than a creature his age, striking with expert blows to remind the Turtles why he was their sensei. "Destiny, like music, loves to repeat the rhythms that are most successful."

Trish shoved another ninja back. "The rat is sharing fortune cookie sayings, my life..."

"Makes no sense, join the fucking club!" Jessica yelled.

Ralphael was slicing a ninja down as another tried to attack him. A red-skinned appendage wrapped around its neck and yanked back, sending him flying off. Raphael nodded to the winged creature who gave him a matching smile as they waded into the fight. Raphael quickly saw an eagerness in the creature not different from his own as he fought away.

A normal force, seeing the odds against them, would have called for a tactical withdrawal. For the Hand, they had seen enough failure already with the Gorgon gone and knew to retreat would forfeit their lives anyway. Thus, they continued the battle, ignoring the way the grey-skinned creature shrugged off any blows while his comrades cut down others. The Defenders and Turtles aided, Casey laughing as he smashed his stick on one ninja's face as the dog-like beast continued to attack while the Punisher fired away with several bullets. He was drawing a bead when a hand yanked it away. The Punisher looked into the larger winged creature, a normally friendly face clearly scowling as he crushed the fun in his hand. "I don't like guns," he growled.

Matt launched a spinning kick to take the last of the Hand down. He could hear heartbeats from a few but, without warning, they ended as the bodies began erupting and then dissolving into smoke. "The hell?" April gasp.

Danny was confused to. "Since when does the Hand self-destruct?"

"That...is new," Elektra said, baffled by the sudden disintegration of bodies.

The humans, turtles and rat focused their attention on the newcomers into their sordid drama. The former statues had pulled together, a few in fighting stances. "Hold on, let me try something," the largest of the group said. He stepped forward, waving his hands and he spoke in an attempted spooky tone. "You're having a really weird dream…This isn't happening..."

"Yeah, don't think that's gonna work, Broadway," the red-skinned figure dryly said.

"Um, maybe we should try talking before another fight?" the smallest of the pack intoned in a high-pitched voice. "Because I'm wondering just how we got a bunch of ninjas on the roof."

"A good idea," rumbled the eldest in a deep voice. "Last thing we need is some misunderstanding conflict."

"Agreed." The obvious leader of the group stood, his wings managing to fold behind him as he crossed his arms. "We should take this outside, away from prying eyes." He motioned to the stairs leading back into the church.

"You guys live here?" Matt blurted.

"Father Jordan was quick to befriend us," the figure intoned. "He said he's….good at keeping secrets." He looked to Matt with a knowing expression. The creatures led the way into the stairway with the Turtles and Defenders exchanging uncertain looks. Finally, Squirrel Girl practically skipped to follow them before the rest fell in behind her.

The upper rooms of the church were mostly clear but what was usually a large storeroom had been converted into a command center with an array of electronics the only furniture. Donatello's eyes lit up. "Wow, not bad."

"Yeah, folks donate stuff to the church so we, ahem, borrowed some of it," the smallest of the creatures explained. "Then rummaged around, including when we busted this drug gang a few weeks back and used some more of it. Oh and we keep finding this cool stuff just left lying by something called SHIELD."

"You'd think a super-spy agency would be less lax with their garbage," Donatello mused.

While Donatello was looking at the array, Michelangelo was more interested in the large cartons of food in a corner. "Oh, yeah, Broadway has an appetite," the red-skinned figure intoned as the larger fellow just shrugged. "Have to admit, pizza here is better than in our world."

"So," Squirrel Girl began in a friendly tone. "Who are you guys?"

Trish leaned in. "Are you sure they're okay?"

"Oh, yeah, Tippytoe is a great judge of character!" The squirrel on her shoulder let out a bright chirp. Trish decided it was best not to press the point.

Splinter stepped forward, making a respectful bow of his head. "I am Splinter. There are my sons," he waved, introducing each of the Turtles. "And these..."

"We know," the figure interrupted. "We have been keeping up on the news and heard the rumors of the Defenders of this neighborhood."

"It's amazing how much folks talk when they never think of looking up," the smallest figure related.

The leader of them stood by a large map of New York, his arms and wings crossed. "I am Goliath. My clan and I are what you would call Gargoyles. We are not of your world."

"No shit," Jessica snorted.

The red-skinned figure rolled his eyes. "We're not aliens, that's stupid!"

"Brooklyn," the figure said in a tone that instantly silenced the other creature. Returning to the group, the figure spoke. "To put it simply, on our Earth, in what would be the 10th century, we protected a kingdom. But circumstances caused us to be cast under a spell and not awakened for over a thousand years, into modern times. Since then, we have attempted to help those in need."

Trish leaned toward Jessica. "That's simply?"

"In this life, yes."

He waved to the elder figure. "This is Hudson." He nodded to the red-skinned creature. "Brooklyn." The stouter member gave a friendly wave. "Broadway with Lexington." The smaller creature likewise waved. "And this is Bronx." The dog-like creature growled.

Misty blinked. "Um, those names…"

"We did not use titles as you humans do," Goliath explained. "When we came into the present, it was suggested we change that so we adopted names based upon New York locations."

Jessica looked to Bronx. "So you got the Bronx? Sucks, dude." The dog creature actually seemed to give a small shrug, indicating it was far more intelligent than it seemed.

"Let me guess," Leonardo spoke up. "Few months back, you guys get turned to dust and then find yourselves here?"

"It was more us," Lexington said, waving to himself, Brooklyn and Broadway. "Not…very fun…"

"I still can't believe it didn't get Demona," Brooklyn grumbled. "Talk about unfair..."

"It took a while to find them," Hudson explained. "We had to call in a favor from an…associate." It was obvious whatever relationship this was was not pleasant. "We followed them here but the ability to return proved more difficult than anticipated."

"I told you Puck would screw us over," Brooklyn muttered.

"Thus we have been stranded in this reality and unable to properly return."

Jessica rubbed her forehead. "Seriously. What is wrong with going to the Avengers?"

"We considered it," Brooklyn explained. "But then we saw that Stark guy on TV and he reminds us waaaaay too much of this guy on our world called Xanatos and we're not trusting someone like that again."

"Seriously, it's right down to the goatee," Lexington added as Hudson nodded.

"So, you guys just hang out here?" Luke pressed.

"We aid where we can while staying to the shadows," Goliath intoned. "The fact we must be stone during the day does cut into our time."

"Is that biological or magic?" April asked. She stopped and frowned. "And wow, it says a lot about my life that can be a reasonable question."

"It is just how we are," Goliath noted.

"Yeah, kinda sucks," Lexington noted. "But did have that charm of Puck's that could let us be flesh in daytime!"

"Which can only be used twice, three times at most," Goliath warned. "We cannot waste it."

Matt was still adjusting to this, particularly how the forms of these creatures were throwing off his sense. "How much do you know about this whole gang war going on?"

"We have been more concerned finding a way back to our world," Goliath confessed. "Plus, we have learned that revealing too much of ourselves to humans tends to go...poorly."

"Speaking of going poorly, what the hell was all that above?" Brooklyn asked.

It took a few minutes to explain the rather complex story of the gang war and the threat of the Technodrome. Hudson grunted as it finally finished. "And here, we thought Demona and Macbeth were as bad as things could get..."

"Damn, ninja clans, mobsters, super-powered freaks, remember the good old days of the Vikings?" Brooklyn mused.

"Those days were never that good," Goliath growled. "They just feel simpler today but mankind was just as bad in most any century." He shrugged. "But also just as good."

Michaelangelo was frowning at Goliath, leaning toward Raphael. "Is it me or he sound like the guy from The Cape?"

"The what?" Luke blurted.

"Oh, hit super-hero TV show on our world, six seasons and a movie!"

Luke looked at Danny, who appeared bemused by this. "Tell me you're not just accepting these freaks."

"Hey, watch it with the f-word!" Brooklyn snapped as Bronx's growl reminded Luke how sharp those teeth were.

Danny shrugged. "I punched a dragon once."

"Dude, no one believes that story!"

Splinter had been standing silently for some time as he took in the group. "I have never been a subscriber in the idea of odd coincidence," he declared. "I believe such accidents can happen…but something on this scale is more than just random. That we find you…merely proves that destiny had planned for this."

The Gargoyles frowned while Broadway leaned toward Brooklyn. "So….on this world, the rats walk and talk? Weird, but ok." His friend rolled his eyes.

Trish rubbed her temples. "I should have listened to you and just stayed home, Jess."

"See, I can be sensible!"

Misty closed her eyes as if in pain. "Oh, God…now we're working with some…living statues?"

"We're only in the day!" Lexington blurted.

"And it's not as fun as it sounds!" Brooklyn snapped. "A thousand years of birds crapping on you, think about it!"

"Rather not," Jessica intoned, reconciling herself to how she was never going to have a normal life.

"Well, this is...interesting," Leonardo began. "But we need to concentrate on stopping Shredder from bringing Krang into this world."

"Even if he shows up, we can handle it," Luke waved off.

April gawked at him. "Are you kidding? A massive alien fortress shows up out of nowhere and leads an army of other-dimensional warriors to ravage this city?"

"That would be, what, the fourth or fifth time that's happened in the last few years?" Luke asked Danny.

"Well, I missed a few of the first ones..."

"Still sucks for anyone caught in its path," Danny pointed out. "I agree with them, stopping this thing is better than letting it run wild on our city."

"If you require aid, we will supply it," Goliath spoke up. He glanced at a nearby clock. "We must act swiftly before daylight." He glanced over to see Broadway and Michelangelo sharing some pizza. "Which means no snacking time."

"Come on..." the pair whined in surprising matching voices.

"If it means busting some heads, I'm there," Brooklyn remarked with a grin. "Been getting tired cooped up constantly, I want some action!"

"I know the feeling," Ralphael grinned.

Lexington was typing on one of the computers. "Hmmm...you know, I've been fiddling with this scanner, maybe if I can adjust it, we can get a better lock on these guys."

"Oh, the other-dimensional vibrations?" Donatello asked.

"Bingo. It's weird, how folks from other realities seem to have their own aura." Lexington's claws were soon clicking on the keys. "Hmmm...might be trickier but at least have a line into this world's NYPD so maybe figure out the pattern of those robberies."

Donatello moved to type a few keys as well to aid in the search, impressed by how well the Gargoyle was using the computer. "Huh, seems you can handle it better."

The Gargoyle smiled as he waved a clawed hand. "I do have the advantage of extra fingers."

"Lucky."

Hudson rolled his eyes. "The young, always so eager to enjoy the new tech."

Splinter smiled at him. "Yet it's easy to forget we were that age ourselves." The elder figure had to nod.

Leonardo looked to Goliath. "Leadership is that tough?"

"It can be," he allowed. "But we consider ourselves more a family."

"Ditto for us," Leonardo noted. "Probably why we can drive each other so crazy but push comes to shove..."

"Always there against a common enemy."

Trish looked to April. "Is this a normal day for you?"

"Actually, even by my standards, this is pushing it," the reporter confessed.

The Gargoyle and Turtle were both studying the computer's intel. "Hmmm...does seem that they've been hitting some labs on the East Side," Lexington said. "Including one owned by that Fisk guy."

Matt's face turned angry. "Great, he's still getting involved in this."

"Brings us back to your good idea to kill him," Castle noted.

"Again, stop talking about murder in front of the cop!" Trish snapped, waving at Misty.

Matt was silent before looking over at Castle. "They're right." He cut off the man's protest. "Push comes to shove...I can't do it. I can't cross that line. And I won't let you do it either."

The Punisher snorted. "Should have known you'd wuss out at the end."

The black woman nodded. "Once again, Castle, I'm still this close to hauling you in, you're not helping by wanting to put a bullet in Fisk!" She moved in, her bionic arm pointing at his face. "I swear, you and Murdock try, I am cuffing you both and screw the consequences!"

Hudson smirked at Goliath. "I think we've just met this world's version of Elisa." The other figure had to smile softly at that.

"Getting Fisk is key," Matt argued. "Maybe not kill him after all but we can't handle him as well as this threat by Shredder."

"Maybe they'll just kill each other?" Jessica suggested. She shook her head. "What am I saying, we're never that lucky."

Squirrel Girl cocked a head as Tippytoe chirped. "I agree. This is getting really, really...awesome!" Her cheery grin did not make Jessica feel any better.

Talking about Wilson Fisk behind his back was never a good idea. Yet the buzz among his underlings had grown in the last few months. Vanessa Fisk had been the one shining life in the Kingpin's dark life, the tether to his humanity. With her gone, he was more ruthless and horrible than ever and it was getting worse. Which was why the grown man in a suit was swallowing as he stood in the main office of the tower to give his report.

"And...according to the survivor...sir...Bullseye fled and...and they are suspecting your involvement. As well as concerns over the...ahem...thefts and the...conflict on the streets with that other group and some in City Hall are...wary of your involvement." He tugged at his collar as if trying to release some of his fear.

The Kingpin was very intimidating as he stepped forward, towering over the man, who was in a futile battle not to openly cower before him. "So...you're telling me we still have people waging war upon me? And Poindexter couldn't kill the one person he was supposed to?" The fact his voice did not rise above a conversational tone made his words all the more terrifying.

The man swallowed, his throat going dry. "Mr. Fisk...please, sir, I...I had nothing to do with any of this! I..." He winced. "I drew the short straw."

Fisk's face glowered further. "That is why you're telling me this?"

"Yes...yes, sir."

For a long, terrifying moment, Fisk was silent before nodding. "Your candor is refreshing. Who was in charge?'

"...Fredericks, sir."

"Tell him to come in here. You may leave." The man could barely keep from bursting into a flat-out run as he exited the office. Fisk turned to gaze out the window as he heard some raised voices outside. After a moment, the doors were pushed inward as a dark-haired man was almost literally thrown inside by several others who then slammed the door shut behind him. The man turned to pound on the now-closed doors. "You bastards, after all I did..."

"Fredericks."

The man froze before slowly turning to find Fisk standing before him. "Mr. Fisk, I-" It was all he got out before Fisk's hands smashed him downward. On the other side of the door, the men winced at the sounds of flesh pounding flesh and the gurgled cries of Fredericks echoing. It took a long while for both to die down as Fisk opened the door, blood staining his knuckles and shirt. "Call a crew to clean up," he intoned. "Organize a meeting of the board, I need to change."

No one even thought of standing in his way as Fisk made his way out of the room and to his quarters. He moved to a nearby cabinet to pour himself a drink and downed it quickly. As always, his eyes fell on the portrait of the beautiful woman hanging on the wall. Once more, he felt the sense of melancholy at the loss of his love. His world. Taken from him by harsh chance. He survived but she was gone and Wilson Fisk knew in that moment that any happiness aside from power would be forever denied him.

He brushed it off as he concentrated on changing his shirt and musing over what would happen next. He felt a presence and turned to see a figure sitting in a chair, just hidden in the shadows of the room. Fisk stiffened but kept himself calm. Clearly, if whoever this was had planned to attack him, he would by now. "My compliments," he grumbled. "I'll have to have my security chief replaced again."

"No need to waste manpower," the figure said in a deep and accented voice as he rose to his feet. He was an Asian man who appeared to be in his 70s, his face lined and wrinkled with long whitish hair and a thin but long mustache and a short beard. His clothing was ornate, more like robes with a cap on top of his head. For some reason, the entire image was familiar to Fisk but he couldn't quite place it." I assume you represent the Hand?"

The figure let out a chuckle. "Represent? Mr. Fisk, I am the Hand." He rose up, folding his hands into his robe. Despite his age and manner, Fisk could sense this man was very dangerous and best not to underestimate him. "Much as with Hydra...a Hand may lose a finger but still has more left."

"So, you are the...head of the Hand."

"To use a poor turn of phrase, yes." The man looked Fisk over. "We are caught in a conflict. I had preferred to stay to the shadows as ever but recent events have forced me to step up." His face scowled. "That includes the idiocy of the handlers Reid and others." He shook his head. "Trusting a woman, especially an Occidental...It was a foolish move, a combination of both could only be incompetent."

Fisk let this combination of racism and sexism pass by as he carefully moved back, ready to fall into a fighting stance. "If you're here to kill me, I suppose I should be honored. Taking out your chief rival by yourself is a strong message."

That thin smile returned to his lips. "Chief rival? Mr. Fisk, you are barely an irritant to me." He moved back, carefully pacing. "We are slated to continue to be rivals, Fisk. Make no mistake, New York will be ours. However, the arrival of this...Shredder is a complication neither of us wants."

"Are you proposing an alliance?"

"More a cease-fire," the man corrected. "My men are no more likely to work with yours than yours with mine. However, I have fought a war on two fronts before and it rarely ends well. No, I believe we are both better off halting our attacks on one another and each concentrates on this interloper. Then, we may reassume our clash."

Fisk hated to admit but the man brought up an excellent point. This Hand was bothersome enough without dealing with this Shredder and those foolish vigilantes. "Very well. We'll cease our battle for now." His eyes narrowed. "But when he is taken care of...we will settle this."

"Oh, we very much will." The man turned to begin walking away. "Hey," Fisk called out. "Who are you? Really?"

"I've used many names in my lifetime. The one I currently go by is Zheng Zu. However, you may be more familiar with the name one of your writers gave me long ago." He paused by the doorway to look back at Fisk with that odd smile. "Fu Manchu."

And before Fisk could react to that, the man had vanished, leaving him alone in his room and the sudden chill that filled it.

Again, so sorry for the long delay and hopefully not another year before more of this. The complications are deepening and it was established the Hand had a much darker master. As for Zheng Zu, who else but Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa?

The Gargoyles entering was a late idea but hit me as they and the Turtles actually more in common than it seems so hope you enjoy.