The Rand Building in New York once belonged to the Rand Corporation, but the Master of the Rand Corporation was no longer a Rand. Harold Meachum and his children had taken control.
When Alexandra of The Hand seized the Rand Corporation to prepare for their war against S.H.I.E.L.D., Harold, who had been exiled for years, narrowly escaped with his life. His children weren't so fortunate—Alexandra killed them without hesitation.
With The Hand's destruction, the Rand Building became irrelevant. As a former ally of The Hand, nearly all of the Rand Corporation's activities were classified as illegal by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government. The once-massive empire crumbled overnight.
But Harold no longer cared about the corporation. His focus was on the seething hatred burning in his chest—the loss of his children. He didn't know whether The Hand, S.H.I.E.L.D., or those six individuals had been responsible for their deaths. It didn't matter. The footage of Alexandra being taken away by those six was no secret. Whoever they were, Harold believed his enemies still lived. Yet, his current strength was nowhere near enough to exact revenge.
Still, he wasn't without hope. The day after the great battle, he learned of a place that could help him achieve his goal: K'un-Lun. Driven by vengeance, Harold didn't question who had given him this information. He remembered the location where Danny Rand's family plane had crashed—a tragedy he himself had orchestrated. Combined with the details provided by his mysterious informant, he was confident he could find and enter this mythical place.
After preparing for over a month, Harold left New York. Around the same time, in Sokovia, Hong Fei received word of Harold's departure. K'un-Lun, an interdimensional space, historically appeared on Earth once every fifteen years. However, as the TV series revealed, it wasn't strictly tied to that timeframe. The fifteen-year interval simply made it easier for people to enter and exit.
Hong Fei had learned the method to access K'un-Lun directly from Alexandra. The information Harold received? That was Hong Fei's doing. His goal was simple: lure Danny Rand out of K'un-Lun early. It was far more efficient than infiltrating K'un-Lun himself to defeat Danny and claim the Dragon Power. Aside from that power—and perhaps Shou-Lao the Undying—Hong Fei had little interest in K'un-Lun. Alexandra, unwittingly, had done him a massive favor.
As for Harold, his silver tongue was legendary. He'd been a business partner of Danny Rand's father and had masterminded the downfall of Danny's entire family. Now, fueled by the desire to avenge his children, Harold would stop at nothing to persuade Danny to leave K'un-Lun. And Danny? He wasn't the type to remain secluded forever, dutifully fulfilling his role as the Iron Fist. This time, Hong Fei was certain of victory.
Above the Earth's surface, Hong Fei arrived at the agreed-upon location with Natasha and began his descent. The air roared as he cut through the atmosphere.
Natasha looked up and saw a black shadow fall from the high altitude with a clang, displacing a spray of white snow. Hong Fei stepped out of his flight armor. Natasha greeted him with a nod. "You came quickly."
"As long as I'm not late," he replied. "Where's the prison?"
"On an isolated island not far from here, buried under deep snow in the middle of the sea."
Hong Fei nodded. "Do you have a plan?"
"I already sent a headset to Alexei." Natasha gestured toward the armed helicopter behind her. "If we leave now, we'll arrive just as he receives it. Then we can coordinate from the inside and out to get him out."
"Solid plan. Mind if I add something?" Hong Fei offered praise before posing his question.
"Go ahead," Natasha replied, her tone serious.
"How about this: you stay here and build a snowman while I go in, grab him, and we all leave together on the helicopter. Get us out of this frozen wasteland in one piece."
Natasha frowned. "You really think that's the best approach? If I'm not there, he might not trust you."
"I can always knock him out."
She shook her head. "That's not going to help our future cooperation. I need him to find critical intel about the Red Room."
"Complicated," Hong Fei muttered, strapping his armor back on. They boarded the helicopter, with Natasha taking the pilot's seat. The rotors roared to life, scattering the snow in wild gusts as they lifted off. Soon, they left the barren landscape behind, soaring over the icy ocean.
Before long, an island appeared on the horizon. It wasn't large—mostly snow-covered mountains with a single flat area at the base. That's where the prison stood, a square fortress surrounded by watchtowers. Both Natasha and Hong Fei wore headsets as they approached.
Inside the prison, a disheveled middle-aged man—Alexei—had just snapped someone's wrist. He received a package from a guard, who'd already opened it. Two guards were happily eating the food meant for him, too distracted to mock him further. Alexei remained calm, taking the pile of opened boxes and paper bags. He sat down and pulled out an action figure modeled after the Red Guardian.
In that moment, the anger buried deep within him seemed to dissolve. His tense, almost manic demeanor softened. His fingers traced the figure's body, pressing the five-pointed star on its chest. Lights flickered on, and a short tune played. He pulled the thin string on the figure's back, and a voice declared, "The Red Guardian forever, the horn is calling."
For a second, he forgot he was an old man locked away for decades. In his mind, he was the agent and warrior who'd once charged fearlessly for the Soviet Union. But then, the figure's head popped off its neck. He caught it deftly, and upon closer inspection, found a small headset stuffed inside.
Shock, surprise, regret, and disappointment flashed in his eyes. But there was no time for sentiment. He glanced around—the guards were too busy eating his food to notice him. Quickly, he put on the headset, and Natasha's voice filled his ears.
"Today's your lucky day, Alexei. Head to the south wall door, and keep it quiet."
Alexei looked toward the south. The iron gate, previously shut, swung open. He stood and walked toward the guard post without hesitation.
One of the guards scowled. "What are you doing here? Can't you read the sign?"
Before the guard could react, Alexei thrust his arm through the circular hole in the glass frame, grabbed the man, and yanked him forward. The glass shattered, and the guard collapsed, unconscious.
The second prison guard barely had time to react before Alexei yanked him forward and smashed him into the window frame, knocking him unconscious. Without hesitation, Alexei turned and bolted. He hadn't made it more than a few meters when the prison erupted with flashing red lights and blaring alarms. Natasha and Hong Fei heard the commotion simultaneously through their headsets.
Natasha's voice came through with a mix of exasperation and resignation. "Well, you managed to cause a scene after all, didn't you?" Hong Fei glanced down at the prison yard where a massive iron gate had been ripped from its hinges. "He's got some serious strength," he remarked. "How did someone like him end up locked away for so long?" Natasha replied dryly, "That's about all he's got left."
Outside the cells, Alexei sprinted wildly along the path between the cages where prisoners took their outdoor activities. His hair whipped back, revealing a receding hairline. His thick beard couldn't hide the weathered lines etched into his aged face. Beneath his black jacket, a gray vest failed to cover the tattoos sprawling across his body, and his once-defined abs had merged into a single protruding bulge.
Hong Fei couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "After all those years locked up, he's really let himself go, huh?" Below, a flood of prisoners and guards poured out of the cells. Armed guards appeared on the high platforms, swiftly taking strategic positions and firing indiscriminately at the prisoners below.
Natasha's voice crackled through Alexei's earpiece. "Head to the upper level." Alexei obeyed, sprinting toward the wall. With a leap, he cleared nearly two meters, finally showing a glimpse of his former super-soldier prowess. But just as he reached for the ledge, a guard jabbed him hard with an electric baton.
Alexei's hands slipped, and he tumbled backward, landing flat on his back from a height of over three meters. Though unharmed, he lay sprawled like an overturned turtle. Natasha sighed heavily. Before she could speak, Hong Fei interjected, "I'll handle it. You stay back for now." "Got it," Natasha replied, retreating further into the shadows.
She knew Hong Fei could fly now, and he had his armor. As the aircraft cabin door opened, Alexei's eyes lit up with hope from where he lay on the ground. But his expression shifted when he saw Hong Fei standing at the doorway. First, Hong Fei removed his flight armor, then he touched his wrist lightly. Instantly, a sleek layer of black light enveloped his body.
Within seconds, a brand-new suit of armor materialized, identical to the one gifted by Chen Qi. Its design mirrored the contours of human muscles, exuding power while allowing complete freedom of movement. Though it lacked the heaviness of metal, it radiated formidable defensive strength.
The armor was pure black from head to toe, without a hint of any other color. The black crystals at the eye sockets were particularly striking, deep and endless like bottomless voids.
Hong Fei retrieved a sword from the flight armor and slung it across his back. Stepping to the edge of the cabin, he spread his arms, leaned forward, and let himself fall in a perfect cross shape. Below, the prisoners and guards scattered in panic, scrambling for cover.
Moments before impact, Hong Fei twisted his waist and landed with a resounding thud. The Leap of Faith, executed flawlessly. He rose to his feet, scanning the stunned faces around him. The Leap of Faith was undeniably stylish—no haystack needed, no fear of pitchforks, just pure, unadulterated coolness.
Hong Fei sprang to his feet and launched himself skyward, his boots barely grazing the heads of prisoners and guards alike. He moved with the effortless grace of a dragonfly skimming a pond's surface, leaving no more disturbance than a passing shadow. In three swift bounds, he landed before the stunned Alexei.
"Old age makes men weary," Hong Fei said, tilting his head, "but unless you're dead, I suggest you get up."