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Detective Morrisey was leaning on his car when Elektra arrived at the address he gave her. A non-chalant expression adorned his face, but fidgeting hands gave away the distress he looked to be in. The cop she knew him for was never this nervous. What's more, he cut straight to the case when their eyes met, crossing the street and marching towards an abandoned factory. Elektra recognized it as Streit's Matzo, a long since closed down factory that produced unleavened flatbread for the Jewish community of New York City. Back when Elektra was employed by Kingpin, it was used as a stash spot for illicit goods. Morrisey ducked under a line of yellow police tape and held it up for Elektra to follow him through.

"Welcome to my world for the past 24 hours," The distraught detective finally uttered before opening the door.

The interior was as one would expect, dusty and gloomy with unused machinery everywhere. But the first thing Elektra's senses detected was the metallic stench of blood. The crime scene had been cleared of bodies, but the familiar scent seemed enhanced. Going off the sea of chalk outlines on the factory floor, it must have been a bloodbath.

"Two nights ago, we received reports of gunshots and screaming coming from this factory. When police arrived, the place was dead silent. Nothing but corpses greeted us. Armed corpses, a couple of known faces from our database. Kingpin's people."

Elektra took a few steps away from Morrisey to assess her surroundings. "They used the factory to store surplus guns and ammunition. It was a holdout in the case that there was a conflict and the docks were inaccessible." She stopped in front of a chalk outline surrounded with numbered markings for shell casings. "Was this a trade deal gone wrong?"

Morrissey returned to her side, offering her a stack of photos. "If only it were as simple as that. Take a look at the first few at the the top."

Upon examining the police's photography, Elektra's theory of a bloodbath took a whole new meaning. Elektra had seen many bodies in her life. Bodies torn apart by gunfire, shredded by knives, convulted into unnatural positions by falls. But she had never seen a corpse with its blood [i]frozen in mid-air[/i]. One man's chest had been opened by a vertical slash, the blood pluming out like an ice sculpture. Another man's arm had been cut clean off, but the stump was encased in a layer of red ice. And a third laid on the ground, crimson hands futilely covering a stab wound. But the blood, and his body, looked as if they had been discovered in a walk-in freezer.

"Whoever these guys were fighting against was wielding a sword and the power to turn people into popsicles. Positions of the bodies indicates that only the Kingpin's men suffered casualties, so whoever did this was also an ambush artist. This wasn't a trade, it was a raid, but who would have the balls to move against the Kingpin?"

One obvious answer immediately jumped to Elektra's mind. "This looks like the work of The Hand." They were the only ones she knew who could execute an attack as efficiently as this armed with melee weaponry. The ice would be a new addition to their deadly arsenal. "Although, the last time I checked, The Hand and Kingpin had a truce."

Morrisey nodded his head in agreement. "They still do, or at least neither side has ever taken moves against the other. Everyone else thinks that this was The Hand's work, but I think there's more to the story. Which is where you come in. I was hoping I could grab some insights from you."

Elektra crossed her arms and closed her eyes, pondering his thoughts. [i]More to the story?[/i] the heroine thought about the shadowy organization and their M.O. They're a ninja clan and a cult, who wish to spread their dark influence over the world. But why would a death cult need guns and ammunition? They had an entire horde of the undead to use as foot soldiers and assassins, so why would they be strapped for money? Currency was merely a means to an end for The Hand, they had no use for the trappings of wealth. Elektra faced Morrisey once more. "I agree with you, blaming this on The Hand is a bit too hasty. It's been some time since I've been embridled in New York's underworld, but if I look hard enough, I might find someone who has a clue."

For the first time since she had seen him today, Morrisey's expression lightened up a little. But as soon as it did, his eyebrows furrowed again. "When elephants fight, it's the grass that suffers. If this is the start of a war between Kingpin and whoever is strong enough to challenge him, then it's gonna be hell on the streets. We gotta deal with this fast, before he starts pointing fingers and retaliating. If you find anything, let me know ASAP."

Elektra took in his troubled disposition. This certainly was a serious matter, which was a good thing that he let her know about it. Already, Elektra was consulting her mental rolodex of names and their usual hangouts. "I'm on it," She declared, giving the area one last look before turning to the door and letting herself back outside. But as she took her first few steps back in the sun, something gave her pause. Despite the time of day and the sun's presence, a cold wind passed over her. It was as if a cloud of winter settled over her for a moment before moving on. Elektra hastened her steps and strode away from the factory, in the opposite direction of where the sudden cold came from.

...

[i]Empty your mind. Let go of the knot of emotions. Release the tension in your forehead.[/i]

One bus ride later, Elektra was now at Marcus Garvey Park, sitting under a tree. Her trenchcoat laid neat folded next to her as she gave meditation another shot in a different location. It was her hope that the change in scenery would give her a better chance, despite the abundance of tourists and passerbys who patronized the park. [i]Inhale, exhale, inhale...[/i]

[b][i][u]*CRASH!*[/u][/i][/b]

The smashing of metal on a material equally as hard and the sound of glass shattering not only broke Elektra's focus, but prompted her predatory assassin instincts to kick in. She rose to her feet with a start, reaching for the sais holstered on her thighs. Brown eyes darted to and fro as she looked around herself for any signs of danger. As she turned in a fluid 180° motion, Elektra found the source of the sound, a fallen lamppost. Already, civilians were swarming to the area, curiosity getting the better of them. Some moved towards the lamppost, while others turned their attention to a particular tree. Still heavy cautious, Elektra began to creep towards the tree, still on the lookout for what could have caused the commotion. It was then that what prompted so many people to flock to the tree was visible. A woman was floating in mid-air under a tree, a cat with a quickly fading green glow in its eyes perched above her. Elektra jostled through the crowd so she could get to the front of everyone else. And considering she was wearing her costume, it wasn't too difficult of a task. She didn't recognize the woman, but by her ability to levitate, it looked to be like some sort of super-powered situation.

"I'm guessing you have the situation in hand up there?" Elektra inquired after spending a few seconds deciding on how to approach the situation.