Luke Cage stands once again before the judge, the same one who sentenced him five years earlier. The courtroom is empty save for the two men and the parole board who sit behind him, "Mr. Lucas, after discussing the matter with the parole board and in light of your recent service to society, we have decided that, upon completetion of your parole, you will be available for early release of your sentence. The only provision being that you remain employed. Do you have a source of employment?"
"I do, sir. Even though John McIver has been incarcerated, I have continued my services as a private business. I hope to continue working with law enforcement as well as the citizens of New York in keeping them safe."
"Well, that's all we needed to hear, son."
Luke Cage smiles brightly as the judge dismisses him. He steps outside the courtroom where Jessica waits nervously. She shoots to her feet as he passes through the double doors, raising his hands, "It's done." She rushes to him and wraps her arms around him, giving him a kiss.
"Hey, look who's a free man."
They turn to see Burstein approaching them, now with a crutch and a brace on his leg. Cage shakes his hand, "All thanks to you, Dr. Burstein." Burstein gives him a pat on his back, "And thanks to you, I can continue to work in peace." Jessica puts her arm around him, "I think this calls for a celebration."
Suddenly, Cage's phone rings. He raises a finger, "Hold on," and answers, "Hello?" He listens for a few seconds with Jessica and Burstein waiting, "... So the police can't manage to find these guys?... Okay, let me know the address and I'll be right over." He hangs up and turns to them, "I'll take a raincheck on that celebration. Some store owner keeps getting knocked over by gang members. I'm gonna check it out." Jessica gives him another kiss, "Good luck." Cage kisses her back, "I think I have all the luck I need."
He turns, walking down the hall towards an open door which is aglow with sunlight. Jessica and Burstein proudly watch him leave. Cages steps out of the courthouse, placing sunglasses on the bridge of his nose; ready for the next adventure.
The Stinger
Danny Rand stands in the middle of a darkened dojo, alone and wearing his traditional green and gold gi from K'un L'un. The shirt is sleeveless and open, exposing the chest which has a black dragon tatto: the mark of Shaou-Lao. He takes a yellow cloth skull cap in his hands and pulls it over half his face, revealing two black eyeholes, and ties it behind his head. He takes a martial arts stance, breathes for a moment... then explodes in a fury of punches and kicks. Finally, he does a reverse sommersault across the room, back flips, lands, and ignites his right fist with the explosive Iron Fist technique. He spins and leaps around, a trail of golden energy following his hand with every movement as he strikes. Finally, he punches the air, releasing the Iron Fist in an explosive burst of energy around his fingertips.
A few minutes later, he leaves the dojo, which is revealed to be a single room in a much larger house. Despite his lavish living conditions, there are few decoratiosn in the house, a result of very simple living. He walks into his massive kitchen, opens the refridgerator, and removes a bottle of water. He takes the bottle of water to his study where he plops down in fornt of a desk and starts working on his computer. He performs a websearch on "current medical studies" and soon finds a link to the Pulse. He brings up Jessica Jones' article on Burstein's nanobots. He takes a swig from his water bottle as he reads.
END
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