webboysurf

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

T H E I R O N F I S T

^{Issue #5: A Christmas Gambold}

Chinatown, New York City

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^{December 23rd, 2018 | 11:30pm | The Streets /}

The streetlights illuminated two figures standing in the dark streets of Chinatown. Both outfitted in hoodies and sweats, the two figures stood outside of a luxurious Chinese restaurant: The Silver Lotus. Two men in suits stood outside of the restaurant, seeming to be bouncer-types despite one noticeable distinction: golden gauntlets resembling claws. The unusual weapons were the trademark of Golden Tiger lieutenants, and a target for the two vigilantes watching their moves.

"What is the move, brother?"

"We enter through the back. The Tigers are on alert after someone shot up the only safe location for the Triad to meet. I'll head upstairs to interrogate the owner. I need you to cover my back." Daniel placed his hand on Davos' shoulder, squeezing it as a smile spread across his face. "I couldn't be doing this without you."

The two hooded figures strolled into the alley next to the restaurant as the two guards out front were caught up in a particularly deep conversation. The back door was barely guarded, just one lieutenant. No match for two warriors of K'un-Lun. Danny and Davos fought almost as one unit, striking low and high to knock him out in seconds. With free access, the two slipped into the building unnoticed.

The stairwell had a sanitized, white glow on the harsh concrete. Danny took the lead, heading up the stairs while Davos cracked his neck, standing near the doorway. After a minute, Davos' foot began to tap. He wasn't entirely one to wait around, especially when criminal scum were just inside the restaurant. So the warrior passed the stairs and entered into the kitchen. Two men in suits were observing the chefs and wait-staff, immediately switching into a combative stance once the strange man entered.

Davos' movements were fluid. A stray knife was placed on a metal counter near the doorway, which the K'un-Lun warrior was able to sling into the forehead of one of the lieutenants. The other rushed forward, swinging wide and high. Davos lifted his left hand to block the swing, using his right palm to slam his elbow inwards and fracturing the opponent's left arm. The pain was muffled as Davos' right hand chopped into his neck, cutting off his air, before his left hand quickly tapped along his neck. The Golden Tiger seemed woozy and off-balance as a result, falling to his knees as his eyes began to roll back in his head. He was unable to breathe. The chefs and wait-staff began rushing out of the kitchen, screaming. Five more Golden Tigers rushed in, and a cruel smile spread across Davos' lips.

---

A downward knocked out the last of the guards guarding the upper floor of the Silver Lotus. Littered around the room were assault weapons and drugs, as well as the unconscious bodies of Golden Tigers. A large set of oak doors were all that was left in Danny's way. His hand glew, and the doors flew inwards off their hinges before sliding into the office. A man in a suit had his hands raised already, pleading for his life in Chinese.

With Danny's mask over his head, he lowered the hood down to reveal the ceremonial silken sign of the Iron Fist. Each step carried the weight of a true warrior, and his target shrunk to the ground in fear. "I'm going to ask you this once... Where can I find Chaka?"

"I... He'll kill me if he finds out."

The Iron Fist glew as Danny neared the man, standing right next to his desk. A single punch splintered the desk into pieces, forcing the man to let out a slight gasp. It only took a look. "C...Canal Street. Warehouse 12. O...Our Staging Ground."

The Iron Fist gave a nod, just as he noticed a knife fling through the air and into the forehead of the helpless Golden Tiger. Danny spun around on a dime, seeing a figure in a gray hoodie spattered with blood. Davos stepped forward into the light of the dimly lit office, a grin on his lips. "You were right, brother. We have a lot of work to do."

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

So on that note then, Who is everyone's respective favourite character? And what run of theirs is your favourite to date?

@Lord Wraith

To actual answer this question, and get crucified a little... I'd have to say I'm a fan of Roy Harper as Arsenal and the Arsenal progression from Lobdell's run of Red Hood and the Outlaws in the New 52. I have a soft-spot for the more comical take on the character, while also fleshing out and reworking Arsenal's past as an addict. That being said, I'm not particularly fond of that run of the comics as a whole, just a single character and his role to play in it.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

<Snipped quote by webboysurf>

Oh, really? That's interesting. I presumed because of the references to the Hatchets and the Tigers that you were inspired by the Netflix series more than anything else.

@Morden Man

I’m using those gangs cause I prefer how his early career is handled in the show with Iron Fist handling street crime on his own, though the Golden Tigers and Chaka are more a reference to the comics than the Netflix show.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

As for what run I enjoyed the most. I'd have to say that Ed Brubaker's run(s) on Captain America, Iron Fist, or Daredevil are a real standout for me. If I had to choose between the three, I'd say his work on Iron Fist.

@Morden Man

That's exactly what inspired me to put up the Iron Fist CS (Totally not that all my actual favorite street level heroes were taken... not at all... nervous laughter). Don't want to spoil anything, but if I make it to next season with Iron Fist still going strong, maybe you'll see a little more of his inspiration and story coming into play.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Well, tossed up a rather hasty post to move along the story I have planned. Should have better posts up after I get back from Vegas.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

T H E I R O N F I S T

^{Issue #4: My Services are Bound}

Chinatown, New York City

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^{December 22nd, 2018 | 11:58pm | Chikara Dojo}

The floor-space of the dojo was open, and Colleen was finishing rolling up the mats. She had decided to grab a late dinner as soon as her class had ended, and was now wrapping things up before retiring into her bedroom. That is, until the stairs leading up from the street creaked. Within moments, Colleen's instincts kicked in as she was near the door. She flicked the switch off, turning off the lights, before making two quick steps over to the wall to grab her sword. The family heirloom was a ninjato, and Colleen held the sheath with her left hand as her right was at the ready. The footsteps stopped as the handle of the door was jiggled. She was glad she locked the door.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop them. The door was kicked in, breaking the cheap lock, and their silhouettes filled the doorway. Colleen responded swiftly, slashing at the arm of one of the burglars. He recoiled in pain, and the fighting truly began. The three Golden Tigers entered into the dojo slowly, doing their best to dodge Colleen's adept swings and kicks. Yet, as they tried to circle the grad student/martial arts teacher, they found that they were falling right into their trap. Two came swinging at her, and found her blade meeting their legs and forcing them to their knees. Two thuds filled the dojo as the scabbard of her blade met their heads with a powerful force, knocking them unconscious.

The last Golden Tiger raised his hands in the air as Colleen's blade lightly pressed against his chest. She gave a small smile. "Tell Chaka that if he wants protection money, he's going to have to come here himself."

---

---

Danny was surprised by the ring on his door. His family's home in Staten Island never got visitors, let alone this late at night. The "prodigal son" of NYC was in the middle of his nightly meditation session in the middle of the parlor close to the foyer. A shirtless Rand opened the door, the symbol emblazoned on his chest. Standing on the porch was a man wearing simple rags, Danny's height and just as well defined. Their eyes met, and it took only moments before the two embraced, laughing and smiling. Davos broke the hug first, taking a step back and looking Daniel over. "Davos... where have you been? I thought you stayed in K'un-Lun."

"I left after you did. Getting to... New York City is harder than I could have imagined. This world is not kind to those who reject material wealth."

Danny gave a small smile, motioning for his friend to enter his home. "No... sometimes I miss K'un-Lun."

"You and me both, brother."

---

After twenty minutes of reminiscing, the two found themselves sitting in the living room sipping on tea made from plants from their extra-dimensional home. Danny set his mug down on the coffee table as he leaned back. "So what brings you here, Davos? Why did you come to Earth, let alone K'un Lun?"

Davos followed Danny's lead, finishing his tea and slouching slightly before realizing the posture was uncomfortable, instead sitting up straight in his chair. "When I lost to you in our duel, I swore to fight alongside the Iron Fist. You left K'un-Lun to bring balance and protection to Earth. So I followed you here."

Danny gave a small smile. "Good. Our work starts tomorrow. Now let's get you settled upstairs."

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

I tossed up a kind of shit post last night, just trying to shake the formula up a bit and show some actual repercussions for Danny’s actions. Expect some more ass kicking and character interaction this weekend.

Star Wars: The Beat (closed)

Callus Orson

Callus Orson

"You break it, I'll fix it."

Identification/Serial Number: SN-7739

Sex: Male

Age: 22

Homeworld: Tatooine

Rank: Private

Role: Engineer

Callsign: Fixer

Appearance:

Standing in at 6' 2" and weighing in around 170 lbs, Callus can pose a rather intimidating figure. His years of working in the garage enhanced his physique to be muscular, minus his core. His hair he keeps relatively slicked to the side thanks to the natural grease he usually works with, and he keeps a light stubble due to his aversion to constant shaving and intent on making himself appear older than he really is. Callus lacks scars and scarring as a result of his relatively sheltered lifestyle and lack of prior combat experience.

Equipment:

Stormtrooper armor
E-11 blaster rifle
SE-14r light repeating blaster
Thermal detonators

Mechanics Tool Belt
Q-1041 Plasma Cutter

Psychological Analysis:

Callus is someone who tries to see the bright side of everything. He doesn't see a point in moping about or debating over politics, and instead would rather do something productive or at least something interesting. He has an addictive personality admittedly, meaning he is easily swayed into a bout of drinking or gambling without hesitation. In the field, Callus' personality shifts to something professional yet snarky. He's had protocol drilled into his head, but believes in the occasional quip tossed into team communication. To put it simply, Callus is the poster child for a bright-eyed recruit fresh out of the academy... and one who never really thought too hard about what he signed up for.

Backstory:

Callus Orson's childhood nickname was "Junkrat," and that should give good insight into the kind of life he lived as a youth. His father was a mechanic working out of Anchorhead on Tattooine, often fixing up land speeders for commercial use. Callus only had two other brothers, both of whom showed no interest in their father's craft. Callus never knew his mother, and his father never really explained what happened to her (especially if she died or left). He never really cared, though, and was content with his father's parenting skills. Callus was the eldest child, and was close to his father due to his affinity for the mechanical.

By the time Callus was 12, he was already fixing up land speeders with his dad professionally. The garage even took the name "Orson and Son" as the two developed a better working relationship. Of course, things could never last that simply. By the time Callus was sixteen, he knew he wanted to be an Imperial. He wasn't necessarily into the idea of bringing "order to the galaxy," he was just rather interested in developing his skills as a mechanic (and a field mechanic at that). The Empire had the skills and resources to teach him things his current mentor was just incapable of. So he trained harder than he ever trained before. He absorbed all of the knowledge he possibly could from his father, and then left for the academy.

At the academy, Callus was run of the mill among cadets. He was relatively skilled in being an engineer, but was about average as a combatant among his peers. Callus' skills and focused developed as a field mechanic, and his affinity for the Outer Rim placed him in Bravo Company of the 121st. Only time would tell what he'd accomplish and where his true loyalties would lie in the end...

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

T H E I R O N F I S T

^{Issue #3: To thy law...}

Chinatown, New York City

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^{December 22nd, 2018 | 7:34pm | 5th Precinct Station, NYPD}

Detective Bard stood on the other side of the glass, staring at the individual in the interrogation room. He tapped his right foot nervously, as he always did. He always got antsy when things didn't quite add up. Rich guy shows up out of nowhere after being gone for over ten years. Around the same time, a guy stalks Chinatown with a glowing fist and taking down the Triad... the Tigers in particular. Same person? It's got to be... With a brief sip of his coffee, Bard eyed over Daniel Rand carefully.

It was a breath of fresh air when Detective Santiago entered into the viewing room with Bard, holding a file in hand out towards her superior. "Tested negative for the metagene. He doesn't have powers." The elder detective gave a nod at the news while taking the file, setting down his coffee to examine the test results personally. The lab had gotten the result back quickly on this one. It's not every-day that you have to bring in a millionaire through the back door secretly to question him, especially when you have suspicions he's a super-human vigilante. Best to get him checked out as quickly as possible.

The news wasn't exactly what Bard expected. Certainly Daniel Rand had to be the same powered individual. A series of alternate theories ran through his mind. Could just be some monk from the monastery he stayed at. Somehow came back at the same time, has powers. Or it's some sort of magic. Or maybe it's just coincidence... Bard knew that dwelling on it would only lead to complications. He stepped out of the room before circling over towards the interrogation room, entering in with a swift motion before slamming the door behind him. His gray suit still had a bullet hole through the lapel from a case worked seven months back. The edges and seams were somewhat frayed. Bard wasn't paid enough to afford new suits, so he made due with what he had.

The person sitting across from him... Bard could tell he wasn't comfortable wearing his suit. Rand's skin was practically crawling. He couldn't find a comfortable position. Bard took a moment to take a seat across the cold metal table from Daniel, leaning back and looking his suspect over again. The millionaire's nervousness drove him to break the silence. "I'm not fully confident I understand the legal system, but I've been watching some Law and Order and I'm fairly confident that I have a right to have a lawyer in here with me."

Bard gave a nod and a smile. "Of course, Mr. Rand. Your lawyer is on his way. But we both know the longer you're in here, the better the chances are that someone's gonna start talking to the media. And I don't think that's going to go over well with the investors in your company."

Danny knew that the detective across from him was right. Joy, Ward... they would have a heart attack if they found out where Danny was at this moment. "I get that detective... what is it you want to know?"

Bard had to keep himself from cracking a smile. This was almost too easy. He was fighting the clock, but there was a good chance he'd be able to get genuine information as long as Rand was alone. "You walked into a Chinese restaurant right next to a Community Center your company owns earlier this afternoon. What happened in there?"

"I heard a noise coming from the kitch-"

A loud banging nearly shocked Danny and Bard out of their seats, with the detective reaching for the sidearm at his side. Standing in the now open doorway was a 5'7" man in an italian suit, carrying a briefcase and a set of glasses. Jerryn Hoggarth was not the most athletic man, but he knew how to sprint when he needed to. After taking a moment to pant heavily, he made his way to Danny's side, tossing a briefcase onto the table and wiping his sweating forehead with a handkerchief. Bard got up to close the door, grinding his teeth at the realization that he was less than a minute away from getting exactly what he needed. Hoggarth raised an eyebrow at Detective Bard. "I'll have a suit in by the morning if you even thought of questioning my client without me being in the room. Did you bother to inform Mr. Rand that he had the right to an attorney?"

Clearly, Hoggarth was not going to be a fun individual to deal with. Bard sat back down and spoke, "I did, in fact, inform Mr. Rand of his rights. That was clarified moments ago, after which I asked him a question which he clearly only had to answer if he felt he needed to."

"I'm going to answer the question." Danny's tone was harsh and authoritative, and Bard was surprised by how quickly the disposition of the man he was interrogating shifted. Hoggarth found himself unable to speak against his client, which was certainly a first. "I wanted to look in the restaurant and see what it was like. I've been here for two months but never bothered to grab take-out. Figured today might be a change. The sign said 'Open' but I couldn't see any servers or patrons. I heard a sound coming from the kitchen, and wanted to investigate..." Danny's voice trailed slightly, his eyes turning up towards Bard and Hoggarth to connect with them and see their reactions.

Bard was impossible to read, and Hoggarth was rather shocked and was planning his next words carefully when he felt it important to interject. "I saw... criminals beating up the store owner. They turned their attention my direction and tried to attack me. I-"

"Mr. Rand found himself in a hostile situation in which the chance of serious bodily harm was beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore invoked his right to self-defense when attacked. Is that what you're trying to say, Mr. Rand?"

Hoggarth's intent was clear, and Danny knew what that meant. "Yes. I defended myself. Once I was out of danger I left the restaurant."

"You didn't bother to wait for authorities to arrive on the scene to give a statement?" Bard's voice had an edge. He was pressing into Danny, hoping to elicit a reaction.

"I called the authorities, informed them of the situation, and told them that I would be able to stop by the station-"

Hoggarth interjected, giving a smile towards Danny as he did so. "My client deescalated the conflict, as is his right under the law, and went out of his way to ensure that the NYPD would be able to get his statement while preserving the best interests of both the business owner who was victimized by criminals, but the lives and well-being of the thousands Rand-Meachem Inc. employs. We both know, Detective Bard, that Mr. Rand staying at the scene of the crime would only hurt the comp-"

Bard raised his hand, staring daggers into Hoggarth. It was almost supernatural the effectiveness it had in cutting off the prestigious lawyer. Bard's voice relaxed slightly, seeming to be more questioning than interrogating. "Which the NYPD understands and appreciates. We just have one more question before we let you go, Mr. Rand: One of the individuals we apprehended at the scene claimed that you broke a table with a 'glowing fist.' You wouldn't happen to know anything about that accusation, would you?"

Danny's eye twitched subtly, and Bard's lips curled into the tiniest of grins. He knew the truth, even if Danny wasn't going to give it freely. Bard didn't even listen as Hoggarth stood up and spat out some excuse and right Danny had to not answer "baseless, slanderous rumors." Bard didn't have enough evidence to convict Daniel Rand of any crime, let alone make a charge stick with Hoggarth's legal team on the case. All the detective wanted was to know that he was right. Daniel Rand wasn't a metahuman, but he was certainly more than a rich kid who finally returned home. He was a vigilante. Bard stayed seated as Rand and Hoggarth left the room to get Danny out of the station as quickly as possible. The detective needed to relish the small victory for just a moment longer. A millionaire with a glowing fist... we supposed to throw him in a cell with the Devil or the Spider? Feels sometimes like we're fighting the only people trying to save this city.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

I have a post in the bank, just gotta do final read-through.