Smith landed in the Fraternity's courtyard with John Wick and Puar, his boots touching down silently despite the speed of their arrival. Helen stood waiting near the entrance, her face pale with barely contained anxiety, her hands wringing together unconsciously.
Smith placed a hand on John's shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. "Go be with your wife. She's been worried sick all night."
John nodded gratefully and moved toward Helen. They collided in an embrace, Helen's face buried against his chest as her shoulders shook with relief. After a long moment, they separated enough to approach Puar together, Helen offering heartfelt thanks to the shape-shifter who'd helped protect her husband.
Smith turned to address the assembled leadership who'd come to meet him, their expressions ranging from curious to concerned. "The Five Fingers are completely eliminated. They won't be coming back, I made certain of that. Spread the word through appropriate channels. The Hand's remaining members will scatter once they realize their immortal leaders are permanently dead."
Murmurs of amazement rippled through the group. Killing the Hand's leadership was one thing; ensuring they stayed dead was something else entirely.
Fox stepped forward, her tactical gear still showing signs of recent combat, powder burns on her sleeves, a fresh scratch across one cheek. "Chief, while you were handling the Five Fingers, they launched a coordinated assault on headquarters."
"Both Hand operatives and Kingpin's forces attacked simultaneously. We were prepared, the ambush positions worked perfectly. All attackers were eliminated, and we captured Wilson Fisk alive during his attempted retreat."
Smith's eyebrows rose, though his smile suggested he wasn't entirely surprised. "The last target on our original list delivered himself to our doorstep? That's remarkably convenient. Saves us the trouble of a prolonged campaign."
He considered Kingpin's fate for approximately three seconds. "Extract whatever financial and operational intelligence he possesses, then execute him. No reason to complicate things with a lengthy imprisonment."
Fox nodded. "I'll coordinate with Wesley on the interrogation. He has a talent on financial investigations."
Smith's mind shifted to the longer-term objective, the resource that had sustained the Hand for centuries. "Contact the Rand Corporation. Arrange transfer of their unfinished building in Hell's Kitchen, Midland Circle. The property should be in their holdings."
"Explain that the Hand has been permanently eliminated by the Fraternity. The current leadership will understand what that means and cooperate accordingly. They've been operating under Hand influence for years; they'll be relieved to have that threat removed."
He paused, ensuring everyone understood the significance. "There are substantial dragon bone deposits beneath that site. Excavating and securing them becomes our next priority operation. That material is too valuable to leave unguarded or allow others to claim."
Understanding dawned across multiple faces. Dragon bone, the substance that had kept the Five Fingers alive for five centuries, that could resurrect the dead and heal injuries conventional medicine couldn't touch. Securing those reserves would provide the Fraternity with resources beyond monetary value.
The following morning, Phil Coulson stood outside Director Fury's office, his tablet loaded with overnight intelligence reports and analysis. He knocked twice, precise and professional.
"Come in."
Coulson entered to find Fury reviewing morning briefings, his single eye scanning documents with practiced efficiency. Coulson approached the desk and launched into his report without preamble.
"Director, last night our New York energy detection network registered massive unknown energy signatures originating from Hell's Kitchen. Multiple readings exceeded conventional weapon thresholds."
He placed his tablet on Fury's desk, the screen already displaying relevant files. "Field agents conducted immediate site investigation and recovered surveillance footage from the surrounding area. Analysis confirms that Smith Doyle, leader of the Fraternity, engaged in direct combat with all five leaders of the Hand organization. He emerged victorious."
Fury picked up the tablet, his expression neutral as he began scrolling through the compiled intelligence. The report detailed the Fraternity's global bounty on Hand members, John Wick's destruction of the heroin processing facility, the subsequent confrontation that drew the Five Fingers, and Smith's intervention. A secondary section covered the coordinated assault on Fraternity headquarters by Hand forces and Kingpin's mercenaries.
The text portion painted a clear picture, but the video footage was what made Fury's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.
Despite SHIELD's enhancement algorithms, the recovered surveillance remained grainy, the cameras hadn't been designed for combat documentation. But the key details were unmistakable: Smith Doyle appearing mid-air above the battlefield, descending like an avenging angel. His hands gathering visible energy, glowing spheres of what appeared to be raw power. The explosive impacts when those energy blasts struck the Hand's leadership, creating craters in reinforced asphalt.
Fury watched the footage three times in silence, his expression growing progressively more serious.
"Upgrade Smith Doyle's threat assessment to S-rank," he finally said, his voice carrying absolute authority. "Effective immediately."
Coulson nodded, already making notes.
"Intelligence Division needs to conduct a complete background investigation," Fury continued, setting down the tablet. "I want everything. Childhood, adolescence, educational records, medical history, psychological profiles. Most importantly, I want to know when these abilities manifested and what triggered their development."
He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Previously, Smith Doyle registered as a significant concern, leader of a powerful organization with enhanced physical capabilities. But that fell within manageable parameters. Enhanced individuals exist. We have protocols."
His eye fixed on the frozen frame showing Smith charging a ki blast. "This changes the entirely. These energy projection abilities put him in a completely different category. The destructive capacity exceeds military-grade grenades, and he deployed them with casual ease."
"Factor in his background, raised by assassins, trained from childhood to kill without hesitation. If he decides to use these abilities for criminal purposes, the potential damage is catastrophic."
Coulson understood the unspoken concern. Security checkpoints could detect conventional weapons. Metal detectors, X-rays, chemical sniffers, all useless against someone who was the weapon.
"We also need to establish his limits," Fury added. "Can he generate more powerful attacks? What's his maximum output? How many times can he deploy this ability before exhaustion? Does he require external energy sources, or is this entirely internal?"
"Without understanding his capabilities' full scope, we can't develop effective countermeasures."
Coulson nodded again. "Director, I'll coordinate the investigation personally. We have several agents embedded within the Fraternity's peripheral operations, they're gathering intelligence under the guise of documenting Smith's heroic actions."
"Regarding his rescue of Tony Stark in Afghanistan, I'd originally planned to investigate through Pepper Potts, looking for inconsistencies or impossible elements in the story."
He gestured to the tablet. "Based on these demonstrated capabilities, the rescue as described is entirely plausible. Flight capability, enhanced strength, energy projection, he could feasibly extract Stark from a fortified terrorist compound."
"Additionally, the Fraternity has begun commercializing wax bath treatments. The timing suggests they're concerned about operational funding, possibly due to their recent laboratory construction and scientific equipment acquisitions."
Fury processed this information, strategic wheels already turning. "The wax bath technology isn't as advanced as our own regeneration research, but it has practical applications. Reserve several treatment slots for SHIELD use, emergency medical situations where conventional options are inadequate."
"Also send some of our injured personnel for treatment. We'll verify efficacy claims and attempt reverse-engineering the process."
His expression sharpened. "What's the status on their research laboratory? Have we identified the lead scientist or research team?"
Coulson shook his head, frustration bleeding into his professional demeanor. "We've conducted extensive investigation, both surveillance of the Fraternity's facility and background checks on every scientist working in relevant fields. No prominent researchers have joined their operation. They haven't even recruited junior laboratory personnel through conventional channels."
"However, financial intelligence shows Fox has established multiple investment teams. They're shorting Stark Industries stock aggressively and positioning for acquisition opportunities once the price bottoms out."
"The financial operations suggest someone with exceptional strategic insight is guiding their investments."
Fury drummed his fingers on the desk, a rare display of uncertainty from the normally decisive director. "We need an agent embedded deeply enough to access their inner circle. Someone who can get close to Smith Doyle personally or integrate into their financial operations."
He looked at Coulson directly. "Your assessment, who's better suited for this assignment? Mockingbird or Black Widow?"