Chapter 75: Black Sky
Damon Dran-Indestructible Man
Undercity, New York
Damon Dran's huge clasped hands creaked like metal in a grinder as he sat at his desk still in the dimly lit room. The flickering light, by design, cast shadows across the room each time his face caught the light. A new twist marred his features as he corralled what made him the Indestructible Man.
None had succeeded. He doubted himself. He should have sent officers and not placed his faith in fodder. Their losses are staggering enough that The Hand gripped had to be removed from specific organizations' necks.
'The impact of tonight will cause problems. The mafia would buck like a wild stallion at the first sign of weakness. I have to hide this failure or mitigate it somewhat. Another underground war that transpired before would end them.'
Damon Dran was a shell of his former self, but he still held capabilities beyond the average man. He growled, displeasure evident. "The fact you got here without notice only shows your insane potential. Our illustrious leaders were not wrong in favoring you." He said sternly as the woman exited the shadow.
"I simply just walked in." The lethal crimson assassin said, stepping from the shadows, her deadly sharp sais strapped to her waist.
'Was she here to replace him?' Dran thought, his pale blue eyes measuring the woman. He hated doubting himself, but it came with aging; he was not the man he once was which was shown as he clung to life daily. His success here would determine his afterlife or his revival.
Elektra Natchios remained where she stopped, the dark, dank room shrouding her figure as the two Hand leaders glowered at each other.
The council has seen fit to send their best and brightest. It was slightly against his honor not to be notified, but he knew the long-awaited plans had been altered.
He would have to reign in one glaring flaw shown in her. He hoped her revival had dulled that part of her; he'd hate to break her.
"I hope your dalliances of your past life have no more bearing on you?" He asked, his facial features sinister. He was aware of what led to her death. Izo was blamed, but he knew her feminine weakness led her astray.
Elektra didn't show any visible reactions. " I serve The Hand entirely."
Elektra's primary abilities are a strong knowledge of martial arts and weaponry. Elektra learned the ancient martial arts of China, Siam, and Japan. Elektra is an Olympic-level athlete, strong in gymnastics and swimming, with a high level of athleticism, human strength, speed, stamina, agility, dexterity, reflexes and reactions, coordination, balance, and endurance. She is resistant to pain, extreme heat, and cold. She can also keep to the shadows and move with such speed that she can remain unseen even in daylight.
As a prospect to become Black Sky, Elektra can mesmerize others and make them see illusions or other phenomena. Elektra can also "throw" her mind into those of others. For instance, she could track down her enemies by temporarily "borrowing" people's minds and acting through them. This temporary mind control enables her to sniff out her targets' psyche, metaphorically or intentionally.
Elektra can communicate telepathically with individuals with similar mental discipline levels, such as the Chaste. Cole would be aware of all this from past knowledge. He might not remember his life, but he still holds memories of other things.
He would react differently if he were aware of her being alive. Elektra was a masterful assassin; her attacks almost ended in a kill; her memories of her lover and Matt's development since Cole had seen him allowed him to escape her.
Elektra revival had also come with further training, another notion that would raise Cole's brows. Elektra had mastered her telepathic abilities during her re-training with The Hand; she was now mentally linked to The Beast, the demigod of The Hand, making her number one prospect to be the demonic being host. She can also shield her mind from others; not even Xavier would sense her approach. She can see glimpses of future events across precognitive visions, making her an enemy few would want to have.
Damon knew a lot about her, nowhere near as much as Cole; only The Hand leaders knew her significance.
'Elektra being here had complicated things.' He thought.
He knew how the fingers favored her. Having had the privilege to be taught by each of the fingers, she now had the blessing to be allowed a resurrection—something he was working tirelessly to achieve in the eventuality of his death due to his deteriorating body.
'Should I arrange her death?' He thought. The last thing he needed was her here. Meaning Reid wanted insurance by sending her. He inhaled, eyes closing as he reigned in his intrusive thoughts.
Sometime later...
His anger grew as he read the after-mission reports. How? How were they so incompetent? His success should be simple; they were so entrenched that uprooting them would cause the collapse of numerous sectors, and they still couldn't stop these nuisances.
Punisher had killed an entire mafia family down to the children. He crumbled the papers in his hands as he began a throaty growl. He needed an outlet lest he strike out incorrectly. The desk splintered on the blow.
The Indestructible Man edged out of the haunced elder. The shadow of a once feared man across numerous country's lines, wanted by countless agencies, stood on once powerful legs that would carry him leagues across the land, and he straightened to his full height.
The Indestructible Man grumbled indignantly, his metal plates echoing his ire as they rubbed together.
"Incompetence. You fools can't even capture an orphan." He screamed.
Immediately, the hand soldiers fall to their knees in supplication. He leered, white teeth flashing under the dangling dim light in the darkroom as countless soldiers of The Hand prostrated before him.
Tarantula was amongst a few that hadn't taken a knee, including Elektra, Gorgon, and El Uno; the twins had neared one another for protection. He had seen it all, and his younger self would have ripped half the room to pieces before his anger was quelled.
"His new look isn't just cosmetic. His methods and capabilities have changed. I need-" Tarantula spoke up first, unafraid to risk the man's ire; he knew Dran wasn't the man he was.
"Failure." He growled out, his voice coming out like creaking metal.
Tarantula stood straighter. The South American villain's eyes matched his own. Dran wanted the man to attack, test him with those beams his grandfather was fond of. He would hurt, but he would kill the man, and he was still capable of Dran hands unclenched as the two stared each other down.
Spiderman, under the guise of a new suit, had defeated Tarantula. Tension was thick. Dran wanted Tarantula or any of the defeated leaders of their respective organizations to rebel.
Tarantula's eyes shifted, and the spider-themed villain's eyes focused on the darkness behind Dran. Damon nodded, allowing the leader some face, and stared at the newly arrived woman. Daredevil had escaped unscathed from Elektra.
Damon dismissed all but Elektra. Dran was aware of the Black Sky prophecy. Inwardly, he sneered at the mere mention of Black Sky. He was not a believer, but he learned to school his face long ago. The noble clans that made up The Hand, especially Snakeroot, believed that an individual would be born capable of harnessing the power of The Hand's ancient benefactor.
He couldn't help but wonder if Jeremy York was working with the Red Hood. Coincidences seldom existed; there was something there, and he had understood there was more to the boy; he still felt like he was missing something.
Elektra began speaking, telling him things he was now being trusted to know.
"What?"
"Jeremy York is a prospective Black Sky. The Hand wants him captured for re-education." She repeated. Damon Dran scoffed at that before asking for clarification on what she said before.
Yuki Amatsu-Kami? He had heard that name before. Wasn't that a Shinto goddess of Ice? And she was the wife of Baptise York, the former C.E.O. of York Enterprises. Our illustrious leader, for some reason, had cornered and killed them both. He still hadn't been resurrected for his slights.
Dran couldn't believe it. The orphan boy's mother was a member of The Hand.
"We suspect her time with The Hand goes back further than that. She is possibly an Immortal of some kind." He wanted to groan but held still as his mind worked out the details.
'Immortal of some kind? Damon knew some members were ancient, and The Hand had a long history. She could be one of the original or something more, something he doubted; no goddess would allow herself to die in such a way.
"If you knew this, why did you let me see the mangy mutts after him."
"Black Sky wouldn't fall to those two." She reassured him.
"I will monitor them. If he shows promise, I will capture him. Without worry, you may focus on the other thorns in our hands; I will not interfere in our command."
'Our? He had heard rights.'
He schooled his emotions and thought about what he heard. 'Black Sky nonsense, Jeremy York is a mutant.' He just knew it. He just had to determine how he and Red Hood came together.
Armacham Building
Harlem, New York
Inside a spacious room equipped with high-tech training equipment from different eras and centuries, some even looked alien, at least that was what the two ladies had thought entering the once empty room. Cole silently sat, legs crossed, as he seemed to be meditating.
Kaecillus had arrived in a blood-red portal, his overcoat billowing as he stepped through. He stared at Jeremy briefly. The women had opposite reactions. Miranda paled her mind, already coming to terms with the fact that she knew too much.
Cole had Kryptonian weights attached to his limbs as he pulled and pushed; each time he could go further, he had Kacillus to increase the weight. He was oblivious to Jeremy York's past simply because Jeremy needed to be older to ask questions. His only recourse is the system explaining things and him getting his hands on the right people.
Cole pulled his arms toward his chest, the advanced weight force pushing against him. He was at Ten Tons. Which is equivalent to Twenty-Thousand pounds or about Nine thousand kilograms. To put that in the picture, he was flexing the weight of a small mobile crane without amps.
As he sought higher limits, the designation Black Sky was revealed. It was great that Jeremy York's spirit wasn't omnipresent; the following volcanic eruption would potentially burn the city to the ground. The hate the by had for The Hand transcended death and time. ll
Black Sky was a body with a physique capable of holding the demon that the genuine members of The Hand had worshipped since ancient times. It was pretty funny because Cole had a body that could hold fantastical beings; he was, in fact, a true Black Sky.
Angelica Jones: He's not answering me. What's going on?
Kaecillus scanned around, noting a camera moving around the room. His eyes squinted annoyingly, showing rare emotion on his stoney face at the apparent prying of the girl.
He didn't understand what Jeremy had seen in the teen. She was giving stuff that would make half the world go to war over, and she refused to do more than assist, but that's only when she deemed it Nobel.
Kaecillus: An attack happened. He handled it himself. Don't worry.
Angelica Jones: Portal me!
Kaecillus: No. You're not needed here. You distract him!
He hated the Intrusive messages but was glad he could block them from bothering him. He closed his end of the connection, only keeping the enhanced optics activated and the essential functions that made his duties smoother.
Angelica Jones: I'll ask for a ring, too. -_-
He closed his eyes to not explode in anger. Nobody but the boss knew it, but he often had problems with his rage. It was only minor when he was near the boss. He exhaled softly, not to distract his boss, as he continued to practice.
Tears poured from the mother's eyes in a corner of the newly equipped room. She was relieved. The weight and tension had fled from her with the waterworks. She dropped to her knees and cried, her savior's silence seemingly brushing away everything. Her hands holding her head as she poured out years of worry and pain.
Kaecillus had yet to acknowledge the women. Whatever the new woman's issues were, she would unfortunately be helped or empowered enough to handle her issues. He looked around the room and walked over to an assortment of swords. He and Cole's connection was more than telepathic, so he knew everything Jeremy allowed him to know. He could even share his sight with his liege.
Cole had tuned out the world as he allowed his new parameters to adjust. Mammoth had a personality to match his incredible strength. He stood and moved through various katas, again adjusting and regulating his equilibrium.