A red sports car raced down the city street. Shang-Chi's agency had received a call about Sentinels attacking midtown and set out to assist. Katy drove as Shang put on a set of ring-like bracelets. Danny, meanwhile, was hanging on for dear life in the backseat as Katy swerved through traffic like a Nascar driver.
Suddenly, she brought the car to a screeching halt as they came upon one of the mechanical monstrosities. It was tearing through traffic, knocking over cars at random and shooting lasers at the fleeing citizens. "Katy! You and Danny help with evac!!" Shang called, leaping out of the car and sprinting towards the robot. "On it!" She replied, grabbing a bow and a quiver full of arrows from the trunk.
"Fist! Get on that side of the street," called Katy, running to help an elderly man get to his feet. "Set up a perimeter like we talked about!" "Right!" Danny nodded, and rushed to help however he could. "Everyone back! Not so fast, we're all leaving the same place! Ma'am, please watch your elbows!!" He ushered the crowd towards the sidewalk, taking care to ensure nobody was being knocked over in the process.
But as he worked through the pedestrians, Danny felt a sudden chill down his spine. A blood chilling yell echoed from the nearby alleyway, one blocked off by a white van. For everyone else, it was just another scream lost in a sea of chaos. But Danny froze in his tracks. He rushed over and stared down into the dark alley.
Something was down there, much further away. The boy couldn't tell what, but he felt a dark, murderous presence and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Going off a hunch, Danny broke open the rear door of the van, his eyes widening at the arsenal within. It has to be... Adjusting his mask, Danny squeezed past the van and rushed into the darkness.
Within the dark alleyway, a pair of figures stood in the right enclosure. One of them held a crowbar, dripping with blood. He was wearing black and had a white skull on his chest. "So damn noisy out there," muttered the Punisher, briefly glancing down the alley. "Brings out all the fakes, doesn't it?"
He turned back towards his victim; a man dressed in a green suit with lighter green gloves and webbed boots. He wore a frog mask that obscured everything except his eyes. A fitting suit for the aptly named Frog-Man. "I'll take care of them later. Right now, you have my undivided attention," Punisher addressed the hero. His legs were bleeding and mangled.
"Y-You bastard," Frog-Man said through gritted teeth. He was in a ton of pain, but he refused to let his foe have the satisfaction. "What'd you do to me?" "A bit hard to do that leap-frog crap when your legs are broken, right?" Punisher grunted, tossing aside the crowbar and pulling out a knife. "If you have any last words, now's your chance."
But then, a noise caught his attention before he could use the weapon. Turning quickly, he narrowly avoided a kick from the charging Danny Rand. Punisher, on reflex, swung his knife upwards, splitting part of the boy's shirt from mid-torso to his neck. The suddenness of the move caught Danny off guard and he fell over backwards.
Punisher's eyes widened as he regarded the intended attacker, Some kid playing dress up? Who the hell's this? "You tryin' to get yourself killed!? Get lost, this is no place for kids!" he said gruffly. The boy glared through his mask, taking in the person standing before him.
"Black body armor, a white skull on his chest, I take it you're the Punisher," Danny retorts, bracing his hands on the ground. "Providence is kind to me. I've been looking for you, but I didn't think I'd find you so quickly! I'm-" He's cut off by the man's blade pointed at his throat.
"Those eyes of yours..." Punisher said. "I see 'em every time I look in a mirror. You're out for revenge, ain't ya? Be careful what you say next. I don't go after kids, but if you get in my way..."
Danny clenched his fist, "Are you saying... I'm not worthy to be considered a target? Then listen carefully!" From his position, the boy kicked the hand holding the blade upwards and away from his throat, getting to his feet in the process.
"I am the student... no, I am the son of a hero you crippled! A man more righteous than you and I could ever hope to be!! You nearly ended his life, and he will never be the same again!!!" Danny's right fist began to glow brightly, "I am here to stop you in his place! I want you to remember this name, for as long as you live!!! I am proof that despite your best efforts, his legacy will never die!! I am the Immortal Iron Fist!!!!"
Punisher stared at the raw conviction emanating off the boy as brightly as his golden hand. Clearly this kid had some kind of death wish. And the fact that he hadn't even checked on the Frog-Man was proof enough that he was off the path of heroism. He was just another half measure. "I see..." he muttered. "Well then, guess I'll have to test that name of yours..."
Spider-Man swung through the city, looking around frantically for the flipped over bus. Damn it, I'm lost!! He thought to himself. I've never been to this part of the city before, I have no idea where I'm going! Stick, I hope you're alright...
His spider sense went off as the boy noticed another Sentinel attacking indiscriminately within a crowded city block. Getting closer, he saw a hero wielding some kind of projectile weapons on his wrists fighting the robot. A bit further back, a woman was shooting red tipped arrows, trying to hit the less armored parts of the Sentinel's body. She also doubled as crowd control, keeping the citizens back from the fight.
"Damn, this thing's durable!" She yelled over to her apparent partner. "Where the hell's Fist? His Quirk would be pretty useful right about now!!" The boy looked around, Danny was nearby somewhere. Which means the man with the rings was Shang-Chi, whom he was supposed to be mentoring under. But where was Danny himself?
"Katy, incoming!!" Shang yelled, as the Sentinel's lasers made it past the shield he made with his rings. It hit the ground, and subsequently a gas main, which exploded. The force of the impact knocked the heroes over and the nearby building caught on fire. "Crap!!!" Katy exclaimed, rushing over to a fire hydrant as Shang struggled to get back up and fight.
She struggled with the hydrant, but she wasn't strong enough to break it off, nor did she have the tools on hand to activate it. Spider-Man swung down, "Stand back!" Katy looked up, seeing the boy in red and blue descending from the sky and jumped out of the way as he landed. "Who the hell are you?" She asked, bewildered.
"Right now, I'm help," he replied, using his enhanced strength to open the valve on the hydrant. Water began to rush out of the side, "We've gotta put that fire out. Is there any way to direct the water?" "Shang!!" Katy called, "We need you!!" The Asian hero looked over and nodded. Getting the 10 Rings on one arm, he punched forwards and they impacted the Sentinel's head, knocking it backwards, but not off its feet.
He rushed towards Katy as Spider-Man swung past, "I'll try and contain it, but it won't hold for long!" "Be careful!!" Shang called back, activating his rings to launch himself over to the hydrant. Making a wheel motion with his arms, the rings spiraled around the water, controlling the flow and blasting it onto the fire.
Spider-Man, meanwhile, used his webs to swing around stunned Sentinel. He wrapped it up around the arms a few times before focusing on the legs. Eat your heart out, Skywalker, he thought. The Sentinel struggled to move forwards, finally toppling over and landing on the pavement hard. Spider-Man shots various webs, connecting the Sentinel to the surrounding buildings.
"Nice one, kid!" Katy said as the boy swung back over. "The fire's just about out, I can take it from here!!" Shang said appreciatively, launching back towards the robot and slamming it with the rings, actually damaging it this time.
"Where's Danny??" Asked a concerned Spider-Man. "You're one of his classmates?" She looked worriedly at him, "We got separated when the crowd rushed us. I have no idea where he wound up!"
"Speaking of, where the heck am I? I was separated from my own mentor," The boy said, looking around for street signs. "East Harlem," Katy replied. Peter's eyes widened under his mask, this was the area where Punisher was last sighted. If Danny wasn't around in spite of a crisis like this, that could only mean one thing...
Oh God... The boy thought, shooting a web-line and yanking himself into the air. "Hey wait-!" Katy tried to call after him, but by that point, he was too far away to hear. "Stay safe..." She said quietly.
In another part of the city, Hobgoblin zipped through the streets with several of his armed associates. He threw a pumpkin bomb at a jewelry store, which explodes the wall apart with a loud "OW!!!" The criminals rush in and loot the place as alarm bells ring.
"Ok boys, have at it!" Their leader called out. "We've got plenty of stops to make, so don't take too long!" He pressed a communication device attached to his large ear, "Vulture, report."
From up in the sky, the bald man scans the city through his helmet. "Two Sentinels being engaged by pros, one currently unaccounted for, think it was shot down in the water. The three others are spread out across the 5 boroughs. Emergency services heading towards the fighting to fight fires and treat the injured. You're clear to engage the Southeast area as planned."
"One's down already, huh?" Hobgoblin muttered, looking around for his next target. "No matter, which heroes did you see?" "So far, I've got Ghost Rider and a kid fighting one," Vulture replied. "Shang-Chi and his partner were taking on another. Think they had some help though, some guy in red and blue just swung away from them. As for-"
"Hang on a second!" The villain froze, nearly dropping the pumpkin bomb he was about to throw. "You said he 'swung away'?" "Yeah," said Vulture over the coms. "Shot something out of his hands, and like ropes or something."
Hobgoblin grit his teeth angrily, it was him. "Change of plans, Toomes. Monitor the position of the web slinger. As soon as you get a chance, you grab him!!!" From his position in the sky, Vulture looked uncertain, "You sure? What about monitoring for cops and heroes?"
"Do as you're told!!" The villain threw his pumpkin bomb at an apartment building, watching it explode and collapse amidst several screams. "I've got unfinished business with him..." He said darkly.
