[center][img]http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/Carnage27/ironfist02_zps70jajrxi.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b][color=forestgreen]HEROES FOR HIRE
in
A SNAKE IN THE GRASS[/color][/b][/center]

Bullets rip through the air as I scramble for cover behind a row of shipping containers inside the warehouse. The machine gun fires ricochets off the cement, shooting fragments and dust into the air. Windows shatter as errant shots blast their aging glass. Being in a firefight is never fun, especially when all you’re wearing is something that looks like it came out of an old Jackie Chan movie.

Luke, being the lucky bastard with unbreakable skin, just laughs and rushes the armed men. Power Man lives up to the name, that much is certain. Luke is strong, nearly invincible, and can rip through thugs like a tiger through tissue paper. Higher caliber bullets would be able to put him out for a while, but thankfully these guys are packing some smaller arms.

Either way, I’m not bulletproof. My course of action in situations like this is usually to allow Luke to draw the attention while I circle around and find my own opening. 

Luckily, it doesn’t take me long to spot one. A container looms over the gang of thugs firing at Luke. I take a moment and focus my chi, allowing it to flow through me. When I’m centered and ready, I spring like a rocket off the warehouse floor and at the shipping container. My foot begins to glow with the power of the Iron Fist as I soar through the air. As it connects with the metal, the sound of a crack of thunder ripples through the building. The container springs off its moorings and comes crashing down towards the aggressors. They scramble out of the way, but the damage is done. They’ve been scattered.

Luke and I waste no time in taking advantage of that fact. I slide towards the nearest gunman and cut through his weapon with the Iron Fist. He’s surprised as the weapon shatters in his hands is palpable. I give him a small smirk before grabbing him by the shoulders and tossing him at one of his compatriots. The two men slam together with a dull thud before falling to the ground.

“You know,” Luke grumbles as he slams two of the men together, “you’d think they’d learn they can’t shoot me.”

“I’ve never found the criminal element of New York to be particularly bright, so let’s not expect too much of them!”

I flip out of the way of a spray of bullets from one of them, roundhouse kicking another across the chin in the process. I disarm the now unconscious one, and fire a shot that knocks the first man’s weapon to the floor. He turns and flees, which I now notice a lot of his compatriots are doing as well.

“Uh, maybe we want to go follow them?” I motion to Luke, who’s already in pursuit. I take off to follow him, but as soon as he passes through the warehouse door, it comes crashing down behind him. Now cut off from Luke, I spin around to find Copperhead standing in the middle of the warehouse behind me.

“Miss me, Iron FIst?” she smiles deviously. “I must say I’m surprised to see my poison didn’t kill you. At least not the first time.”

“It’s not going to happen the second time either,” I smirk at the assassin. She returns the smile and falls into her offensive stance. Taking a deep breath, I decide to push the offense this time. I move in, making sure to keep my eyes focused on her hands. As long as I can stay away from them, I should be good. She swipes at me once I’m in range, but I expect that. She thinks that I’m scared of the toxin. That’ll be her undoing.


Her first slash comes at me, and I flow like water underneath it. The Thunderer had always said that once you know your enemy’s strategies you’d be the air rushing through their fingers. You’d never be able to be caught, and you would whip them off their feet.

So far, that’s working well. Each attack seems to miss only by inches, but to me it might as well be miles. I flow underneath a swipe, sensing my opportunity to strike. I drive a palm into her side, sending her spiraling off her feet. She lands hard on one knee, and sneers at me, “Well, you do learn fast.”

“You don’t become the Iron Fist overnight,” I shrug at her.

That just makes her mad. Good. An angry opponent is an easy opponent to beat. She comes at me with ferocity. She slashes at me, but I manage to grab her hand. I manage to grab it and pull the claws off, tossing them across the warehouse. The other hand swings around to try and catch me off guard, but Copperhead fails at that too. Now completely disarmed, she kicks off me to make space between the two of us.

“Impressive, Iron Fist,” she smiles a wicked smile. “My master was right about you. Surviving the cobra venom is amazing. But to defeat the Copperhead afterwards? Impressive indeed. When you meet your end by my master’s hand, I await you in the space between.”

“What the hell are you-Oh SHIT!” I yell as she pulls a detonator I failed to notice off her belt.

As I run towards the closest exit, I hear her yell, “Praise be to Kobra!”

Copperhead explodes, along with the majority of the warehouse. I’m flung through the exit, splashing down in the river hard. The fire from the explosion throws heat over the river, and its light illuminates it in a glowing red burn. 

As I tread water, I see the silhouette of Luke standing in front of the fire. I swim over. When I’m close enough he jumps with surprise, “Damn man! I thought you were in there!”

“Nope,” I sigh as I climb out of the water, “but hell did that hurt. You get the others?”

“Negative,” Luke grumbles. “Got away in a speedboat. Copperhead?”

“Blew herself up. Religious fanatic is what we got on our hands,” I confirm what we had thought. “Said something about ‘Cobra’ being her master. Whatever that means.”

“Well, it’s a start,” Luke responds. “Come on man, let’s go get a drink.”

“Yea...yea...I could use that.”