They stand in unison as the glass windows break and dark figures leap into the room. The front door is also kicked in and a few more rush inside. They all seem to be female and wear dark brown ninja-like uniforms. They surround the four and take battle stances as they hold daggers and swords menacingly. A closer inspection reveals yellow eyes and the skin around them is grey.
"Who are they?," Danny asks.
"The Daughters of Crane Mother," Orson tells him.
"All these chicks have the same mother?," Misty asks, "Must be a popular girl."
Danny turns to them, "Misty, Colleen, I need both of you to get to the dojo. We'll try to hold them off here."
"We got this!," Misty says defiantly.
"No, we don't," Colleen tells her and quickly pulls her away.
One of the Daughters growls viciously and lunges with her dagger ready. Danny grabs her by the forearm and flips her over his shoulders. Another advances but he spins in a hurricane kick, striking the Daughter twice, sending her into the wall. Orson ducks under a blade and rises, giving the Daughter a kick to the chin. Meanwhile, Colleen and Misty race down the hall and enter the dojo with a few Daughters in hot pursuit.
Misty runs past a punching bag and shoves it, striking one of them in the face. She then delivers a flying knee that takes her out. Colleen makes it to the bamboo sword against the wall and turns, slapping it against the forehead of a Daughter before swiping it across her face. Another Daughter attacks, bringing her sword down and chopping the bamboo stick in half, but Colleen drops into a sweep-kick, taking the legs out from under her and as she begins to rise, she uses what's left of the bamboo sword to knock her out.
In the living room, Orson sidesteps a swinging blade, slams his forearm into the stomach of his attacker to make her double-over, then hurls her into a second one. Danny takes one out with a palm thrust, then reaches back to elbow another. "Are they after me or you?," he asks. "Me," Orson replies as he catches the sword-arm of a Daughter before headbutting her, "But they probably don't care too much for you, either." One of the Daughters leaps in front of Danny with a long spear and twirls it overhead before taking a thrusting stance. Danny pivots back on one foot and summons the Iron Fist. Undaunted, the Daughter flies forward and Danny does likewise. As the spear is thrust toward him, he strikes, slamming his fist against the tip. It all happens in a split-second: the blade bends before shattering completely, and then sends a shockwave along the spear, ripping it to splinters until it reaches the Daughter at which point, the force of the explosion sends her flying back where she ends up hitting two of her allies, knocking them over. With his opponents out of the way, Danny turns and races for the dojo. Orson begins to follow but he's kicked to the ground by a Daughter. Once he is on his back, he has to roll to the side to avoid being skewered by a sword. He stands on the palms of his hands and gives a spinning kick to her before standing up, "I'm getting too old for this," he mutters.
In the dojo, two Daughters have Misty cornered while Colleen rushes to her rescue, only to have a third pop out of nowhere and hold her at bay with a knife to her throat. Danny races inside and leaps into the air, performing a split-kick between the first two Daughters. The third takes her attention away from Colleen and throws the knife across the room, but Orson catches the blade at the hilt. He summons his own Iron Fist and the energy is soon transferred into the knife. From there, he tosses it to the floor, causing a small explosion that's just big enough to send the Daughter flailing against the wall.
"What the hell was that?," Danny asks.
"Like I said, there's a lot about the Iron Fist you don't know," Orson tells him as he catches his breath.
Misty wraps her arms around Danny, "Thanks, baby." He holds her and kisses her, not seeing the Daughter rising off the floor below them. She quickly pulls a small razor out of her wrist band, just in time for Misty to spot her, "Danny, look out!". Danny pulls Misty away to protect her but ends up getting sliced across the shoulder for his troubles. Before she can press the attack or Dany can retaliate, she disappears in a dark cloud of black smoke and a strange gust of wind. Danny and Misty stare curiously, only to see the unconscious Daughters disappear around the dojo in similar clouds of smoke. In the living room, the remaining Daughters also disappear in rapid succession.
"What were those things?," Danny asks.
"It's probably a good idea to get out of here first," Colleen tells him, "Whatever they are, they know where you live. We need to go. Orson can explain on the way."
"No way," Misty says, "When zombie ninjas crash through your front door, you're owed a pretty immediate explanation."
"Colleen's right," says Danny, "Those things will probably be back. We need to stay on the move."
"I'm afraid someone will eventually find us," Orson tells him, "But we can at least make it difficult for them. Is there a place we can hide out?"
"We have an office," Colleen explains, "We can stay there."
Moments later, they drive through New York. Colleen is at the wheel, Danny is in the front seat, while Misty and Orson are in the back. "So where was I?," Orson asks. "Zombie ninjas and something about a tournament," Misty answers.
"The Tournament of the Immortal Weapons. It's a fighting tournament held once every 88 years. It's between the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven… One of which is K'un Lun."
"So there are other mystical cities out there?," Danny asks.
"Yes. They all have their own champions, too. They're called the Immortal Weapons. Anyone who has the power of the Iron Fist is the champion for K'un Lun."
"Wait, you mean Danny's involved in a tournament he knows nothing about?," Colleen asks.
"Yep, like it or not, the Iron Fist is considered an Immortal Weapon. Since Danny is the latest user of the Iron Fist, it means he has to take part in the tournament."
"Lei Kung never told me about any of this," Danny says quietly.
"The rulers of the Seven Cities aren't the most upfront people in the world."
"What's this tournament for?," Misty asks, "These people all live in magical kingdoms. I'm sure they have better things to do."
"When the cities are alligned, the cities merge with the Earth to create what's called the Heart of Heaven. There, they have the chance to compete in the tournament and the winner gets to come back every decade. The losers have to wait for fifty years before they return to Earth. As you know, K'un Lun has been appearing regularly every ten years for a while now."
"I guess they have a winning streak?," Danny asks.
"Except for the last tournament," Orson explains as he recounts his past one more time, "It didn't happen."
The young Orson stands in the Heart of Heaven alongside the king and adult prince. He is wearing a costume identical to Danny's, and has the Mark of Shao-Lou on his bare chest.
"Not long after I left K'un Lun, I was brought back for this tournament."
He pulls off his mask as someone approaches. A tall, thin woman with long, white hair and grey skin stands before him, surrounded by the Daughters of Crane Mother and a mad in a black costume complete with a full face mask.
"Crane Mother is the ruler of K'un Zi, one of the Seven Cities," Orson narrates, "She was eager for the tournament to begin."
The young Orson shakes his head and turns away from her.
"I refused. I left K'un Lun behind and saw no point in getting involved in other epoples' fights."
The Crane Mother grits her rotted teeth angrily as she watches him go.
"The Crane Mother was not too happy about that. Without all seven champions, the tournament could not happen."
Crane Mother, the king of K'un Lun, and five other royals sit around a table, discussing the situation. Crane Mother seems much more upset than the others.
"The rulers of the Seven Cities debated what to do with me. It was eventually decided that I shoudl be forced to compete."
The Young Orson crawls through a sewer grate, entering into the desert.
"I escaped before they could force me to do anything."
Now on Earth, Orson finds himself surrounded on a mountaintop by Daughters of the Crane Mother. He begins to kick and punch as they advance.
"Crane Mother sent her Daughters to kill me. She even sent her own Immortal Weapon..."
The large man in the black costume approaches. His body emits a strange violet glow as he prepares for an attack.
"... the champion of K'un Zi."
Orson ignites the Iron Fist and attacks in a blinding flash of light.
"I killed him."
In the present, Orson concludes his story, "I ended up laying low in Thailand for years. It wasn't until I sensed your presence that I decided to seek you out."
"You can do that?," Danny asks.
"Yep. You'll learn how to lock onto chi energy soon enough. That's how they keep finding us."
"Is there anyone else after us?"
"Just one."
As the car drives down the street, a green mist quickly follows.