New York City. Danny Rand stood before the ruins where the Rand Building once stood. His face betrayed no emotion—just a blank mask. The structure he remembered was gone, reduced to rubble awaiting reconstruction. Yet the surrounding skyline confirmed this was the right place. Workers moved through the debris, building something new where the past had crumbled.
Disheveled and unshaven, Danny looked every bit the vagrant. Security guards eyed him warily from their posts. He didn't react, didn't move. He simply stood there, his gaze fixed on the ruins. Minutes passed before he finally clenched his fists and turned away. Unseen, a dozen pairs of eyes tracked his every movement from windows and doorways.
Each observer meticulously cataloged his appearance, their reports funneling directly to Hong Fei. "Keep watching him," Hong Fei ordered. "Even if he notices you, even if he finds me, even if he comes knocking—don't lose him." It didn't matter if Danny discovered the surveillance. It didn't matter if he tracked Hong Fei down. In fact, it would make things easier. Harold Meachum had spent over a month luring Danny out of K'un-Lun. Hong Fei wasn't about to let him slip away now.
Meanwhile, Hong Fei was in Paris. The City of Light—Notre-Dame, the Seine, the Eiffel Tower—held no interest for him. He wasn't here for sightseeing. A tablet rested in his palm, its screen displaying a red dot tracking his target nearby. Using his psychic abilities, Hong Fei transmitted Yelena's likeness to Big Head, who employed his artificial intelligence to locate her. A signal-monitoring program, built from Melina's intel, narrowed the search.
Hong Fei moved through the city's streets, the crowds thinning until he found himself in a deserted alley. The tablet indicated his target was inside the building to his left. As he glanced up, a black shadow dropped from above.
A dagger flashed toward his face, swift as a viper's strike. Hong Fei's feet shifted, his body gliding backward with effortless precision. The shadow landed, rolled, and surged forward, the blade slashing at his legs in a reverse grip. Hong Fei retreated steadily, his movements fluid, until his back met a wall.
The attacker pressed harder, her strikes relentless. Hong Fei leaped, flipping over her head. She pivoted instantly, refusing to expose her back. Yelena, clad in black, her brown hair tied back, stood poised for combat. Her pupils glowed faintly red, her expression steeped in lethal intent. Hong Fei scanned the area, confirming they were alone. He wasn't in a hurry to end this—he beckoned her forward, a taunt in his gesture.
Yelena let out a sharp cry and lunged, the dagger spinning deftly between her fingers as she thrust it forward. Hong Fei extended his hand, seemingly indifferent to the blade's sharp edge. At the last moment, his palm twisted into a claw, fingers curling downward.
The blade passed through his fingers, and his claw landed on Yelena's wrist instantly. His thumb pressed inward, the pressure sharp and unyielding. Pain shot through her tendons, forcing her grip to loosen. Using subtle, precise strength, Hong Fei pulled and shook her wrist, sending the dagger clattering to the ground. Yelena's other hand darted for the weapon, but Hong Fei was faster.
Hong Fei didn't reach for the dagger. Instead, he jabbed two fingers into Yelena's shoulder joint. Her arm went limp mid-reach, the blade slipping from nerveless fingers. With a casual kick, Hong Fei sent the dagger flipping upward. He caught it by the hilt and pressed the cold steel against her throat. Yelena stilled instantly, chin tilting back in surrender.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Silent, Hong Fei twisted her wrist into a lock with one hand while fishing out a crimson vial with the other. Yelena thrashed violently—until he crushed the glass in his fist. Red mist coiled between them. As the gas hit her lungs, the unnatural glow in her pupils dimmed. Her struggles weakened to tremors.
He released her. Yelena turned slowly, disorientation clouding her gaze.
Hong Fei offered the dagger back, hilt-first. Understanding flashed across her face. Without hesitation, she drew the blade across her thigh, dug out a tracking chip with bloody fingers, and ground it under her boot. Somewhere in the Red Room, a monitor blinked out.
Inside the flying armor, Yelena kept her mouth shut. Not that she had much choice—Hong Fei was carrying both her and the suit through the air.
His nano-armor made for an awkward ride. Slower than proper flight gear, but bulkier models couldn't accommodate passengers. Especially not one with a bleeding leg. At least the armor's life-support systems could stabilize her. The trip from Paris to Sokovia passed in tense silence.
They touched down. Hong Fei stepped aside as the armor hissed open. Yelena emerged to face three familiar strangers: Natasha, Melina, Alexei. Natasha's guilt was palpable—she'd assumed the Red Room's fall meant freedom for her sister. Instead, Yelena had endured years of enhanced conditioning.
Melina's eyes shone wet. She knew every component of the mind-control chemicals—had designed them herself, never imagining they'd be used on her daughters. Alexei just beamed, prison years having sanded down any capacity for remorse. To him, both girls represented resounding success stories.
"Finally!" Alexei boomed. "The whole family together!"
Natasha avoided direct eye contact. Yelena stood frozen.
"You..." Her voice cracked. "You came for me?"
Natasha forced a smile. "Yeah. Welcome home."
Melina turned into Alexei's embrace, prompting a gold-toothed grin from the Russian. Yelena didn't cry. Her narrowed eyes tracked between them like a sniper assessing targets.
"I thought you forgot about me," she said at last, lips quirking.
Natasha shrugged. "I did."
"Mm. Found yourself a capable boyfriend though." Yelena's gaze flicked to Hong Fei.
Hong Fei blinked.
Natasha shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you we were enemies last week."
"Who won? You or him?" Yelena's smirk widened. "Let me guess—he did."
"Good call. Remind me why I bothered tracking you down?"
"Ha!"
The moment shattered as five figures emerged from the castle, armored up and lining before Hong Fei. Even Abomination had squeezed into a hulking black battlesuit.
Hong Fei surveyed them. "Keep it simple."
"Remember four words: Quick victory!"
"Frank, you take Abomination, Ivan, and Jessica—flank from multiple angles to draw and suppress fire. Watch for hostiles unaffected by the chemicals."
"Kill any male enemy on sight—no verification needed. Big Head, you're in charge of breaking the Base system and spraying the inhibitor through the pipelines. I'll go straight for the old man's throat. The whole operation shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. And Abomination—don't let me see anything falling from the sky. Got it?"
"Understood!" the five replied in unison.
Yelena's eye twitched. "What are they talking about?"
"Attacking the Red Room," Natasha said. "Didn't you hear?"
"Just the five of them? Twenty minutes? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. Every one of them is a powerhouse."
Alexei rushed forward to Hong Fei. "Take me! I want in!"
Hong Fei glanced at him. "Old man, how old are you?"
Yelena burst out laughing. Alexei's face twitched, but he pressed on. "I can follow orders. Just tell me what to do. I'm a Super Soldier—I need this fight!"
Hong Fei stopped teasing and looked at Ivan.
With a gesture from Ivan, four armors of varying sizes flew over. The family stared, stunned.
"Hurry up!" Hong Fei barked. "I don't have time to waste—I want to be back for breakfast!"
The four exchanged glances, then scrambled into the armors.
"You four, follow Frank's orders." With that, Hong Fei climbed into his flying armor and took off.
Nine armors followed close behind, moving in perfect unison. They flew northeast, ascending diagonally as they approached the Red Room Base, which loomed tens of thousands of meters above. Soon, they leveled out. Crossing national borders and entering the sky above a barren wasteland, the Base came into view, perched above the clouds.
It was an odd structure—a central cylinder surrounded by three layers of protruding horizontal bars, four on each level. Each bar housed a cabin, while the top featured a runway. The layers rotated slowly, giving the Base an eerie, mechanical grace. It hovered steadily in the air, clouds swirling beneath it.
As they drew closer, the sheer size of the Base became overwhelming. They could see people scrambling on the runway, fighter jets preparing for takeoff.
"Dreykov's at the very top," Melina said.
Hong Fei accelerated, breaking formation and charging toward the top of the cylinder.
Frank's voice crackled through the team channel. "Big Head, start cracking the system now. Ivan, take out any fighter jets with pilots. Jessica, get under the Base and recover any falling debris. I'll provide remote support from outside."
He paused, then added, "The rest of you, spread out and attack from different positions. No wasting time, no giving the enemy openings. I'll say this once: Subdue all women. Kill all men."
Others, disperse and rush in from different positions. To avoid wasting time and leaving flaws for the enemy, I will say the next words only once. Subdue all women! Kill all men!"