Talking with Fists – Part 2
Danny charged at Owen and jumped, throwing a punch with his golden fist. Owen stepped to the side, letting the chi-charged strike of Iron Fist brush past his flank. Danny moved quickly, following up with an elbow, which Owen stopped effortlessly with one hand. At that same moment, another punch from Luke came in from behind, forcing Owen to tilt his head aside.
Danny spun rapidly, striking exactly where Owen had dodged, proving that he was not only a master of martial arts, but an extremely experienced fighter.
Owen struck Danny's wrist, knocking the golden fist upward, while at the same time driving a punch straight into his ribs. Danny reacted on instinct, twisting his body so the blow would not land cleanly, but he was still sent flying several meters backward.
In that instant, Jessica took his place with a flying kick aimed straight at Owen's chest, while Luke advanced with something resembling a Spartan kick.
Owen made a half turn and deflected both attacks with ease. In the same motion, he drove an elbow into Jessica's chin, knocking her unconscious instantly. Using the momentum, he struck Luke in the face; the impact sounded like metal being hit, and Luke was sent flying several meters back.
Owen shifted to the side again as Danny attacked from behind with his golden fist, followed by a quick kick.
Owen stopped the attack once more, but Danny, as before, spun in midair. This time it was not to throw another kick, but to use the momentum to focus even more power into his fist, which he launched straight toward Owen's head.
Owen raised his hand and deflected the chi-charged punch upward again. His expression was no longer one of distant calm; he was clearly losing his patience.
Then Danny saw everything as if it were moving in slow motion.
Owen took a step back and, for the first time, assumed a real fighting stance. Danny could see a red energy descend from the tip of Owen's supporting foot and rise through his entire body, growing more intense with each passing moment. When it reached his upper back, Danny could feel with absolute clarity that all that power was being funneled into a single strike.
Danny managed to raise both arms to shield his chest, watching the red fist approach, unable to do anything else.
When the blow landed, he felt for an instant as if his arms were about to break. Then he was sent flying at such speed that he practically vanished from human sight. A thunderous crash echoed against one of the walls of the abandoned factory, and Danny appeared there, embedded in the metal, covered in blood and unconscious.
"Aaarg!" Luke roared at the sight, hurling himself at Owen in pure fury.
Owen turned and drove a hook into Luke's stomach, lifting the massive man off the ground for a moment. Before he could be sent flying, Owen grabbed him by the head and slammed him into the floor, causing cracks to spread across the concrete.
Luke braced himself with both arms, trying to push himself up again, but Owen punched him straight in the head, widening the fractures in the ground even further.
Even so, Luke still seemed determined to get back up.
So Owen delivered several more blows, slowly driving Luke's body deeper into the floor, until he finally left him unconscious.
Owen straightened up, completely unharmed, and looked over the three unconscious heroes scattered across different parts of the factory. He let out a tired, irritated sigh.
"It is harder to hold back than to kill them," he muttered, making a gesture as if wiping his hands clean after the job, while bringing one hand to his ear.
"Anyone who is free, come with a containment transport for three enhanced individuals," Owen said in a serious tone.
"Oh, you are already done?" Nicolas' voice came through the earpiece. "I thought it would take you longer, at least," he added.
"I wanted to make it louder, but they chose a pretty isolated location, and it would have been too noticeable if I dragged them somewhere with more witnesses," Owen replied, glancing at the three with mild irritation.
"Well, we can always do something later," Nicolas said. "I will send the soldiers now, and Pietro too, since he is free." He paused before hanging up, as if remembering something. "Oh, right. The DODC accepted the transfer of that guy. They are just waiting for us to give them a date, but they seem really eager to take him."
Owen let out a mocking laugh.
"Obviously, they rushed to create a law without having the proper infrastructure," he said calmly. "That is fine. It is better for us. We do not know what the government might plan with people whose DNA is that valuable to them, so it is better if we keep most of them locked up for a while, especially the most powerful ones."
"Mmm… do you think they will use the prisoners as guinea pigs?" Nicolas asked, somewhat surprised.
"It is not just a guess. It is obvious they will. They will not let others hold that much power without trying to take it for themselves," Owen replied.
"I see. Then I will not bother you with your work. In the meantime, I am off to a date with some lovely ladies," Nicolas said with a laugh on the other end of the line before hanging up.
Owen rolled his eyes briefly before looking back at the three unconscious bodies. He crouched slightly to grab Luke, who was the closest.
But he stopped just a few centimeters away, straightened up again, and turned around.
In the air, a man was floating, staring at him intently as he entered through one of the ceiling windows. He looked first at Luke Cage, then at Owen.
"I am sorry, but would you mind letting my neighbor go? After all, he is not a bad person," the man said seriously.
Owen let out a half-smile as he recognized him. "I thought you were busy protecting civilians, after the president himself practically begged you," he said, meeting his gaze.
"That is exactly what I am doing. Protecting civilians," the man replied. "And as a soldier, that should be your job too," he added.
"My duty has always been with civilians. That is why I do what I have to do," Owen said calmly.
"Even so, I think you are misusing that registration law, putting far too many lives at risk. It does not look like you are protecting anyone, if you ask me," the man answered.
"We are soldiers, Mister Brashear. In any confrontation, there can be civilian casualties, even if I always tried to minimize them during my missions," Owen said, staring straight at the man known as Blue Marvel.
Adam watched him in silence, floating in front of him.
"Looks like we will not reach an understanding today, right?" Adam asked.
"Oh, but all men have a perfect way of communicating in situations like this," Owen replied with a smile. "And that way is with fists," he added, as a violent grin spread across his face and red energy surged over his entire body.
In response, Adam enveloped himself in a completely blue energy field.