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Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Final Preparations to Take Down Fisk
Daniel woke to the morning light that shyly pierced his window, and for a moment he felt as if the whole city were holding its breath with him. He rose slowly, washed his face, then stood before the mirror and stared into his own eyes, as if reminding himself that today was not an ordinary day.
He made a simple breakfast — a slice of toast, eggs, and a strong black coffee — and sat down to eat in silence. He wasn't truly hungry, but he had to wear this anxiety down with something. He lifted the coffee cup and stared through the window at the quiet streets of New York: few cars, a light mist, life that seemed normal even though tomorrow would not be.
He muttered to himself, "All right… today we prepare properly to finish this."
He stood, took his jacket, and went out to meet everyone at Matt's office.
Daniel pushed open Matt's office door. The room beyond was familiar, yet today it hummed with a strange tension… something between danger and readiness. Everyone there was focused on something different, but Daniel felt the instant his foot crossed the threshold that all eyes met him for a second — a silent confidence, an unspoken bond.
Matt sat behind his desk, spine straight, hands folded on the table, senses tracking every move with a precision only a man who has lived through darkness and pain could possess.
Foggy sat beside him, reviewing papers and scribbling notes, but he looked up and waved lightly:
"Daniel… good you came."
On the opposite couch, Karen and Foggy sat with notebooks and pens, watching the atmosphere as if recording history being written before them.
The three other defenders — Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist — occupied another couch, warm drink cups in hand, their faces tense beneath a veneer of calm.
But what caught Daniel's eye most was the man standing apart from everyone else… tall, dressed in dark clothes, carrying a thick file. His features were set, immovable, as if he inhabited a different world. None of them had ever seen him before, but when Daniel entered Karen raised an eyebrow and nodded toward him, indicating she already knew him.
The man placed the file on the table without greeting, without a word. Just the heavy sound of paper hitting wood.
When Karen saw Daniel enter she said clearly, "Now… everyone is here."
Then she nodded toward the mysterious man: "This is Eddie Harvey… the man who collected all these files. To most of you he's unknown, but I know him well. He knows a lot about Fisk's corruption… more than you can imagine."
Eddie Harvey lifted his eyes and met them with a calm look that carried weight:
"I'm Eddie Harvey. I used to be a member of Parliament… before Wilson Fisk became the city's mayor. I opposed him always, rejected his authority, his dirty deals… and the result? I was expelled. His men threatened me. I lost my job, my political life, almost everything."
He stepped closer to the table and pushed the file toward them a little: "But I did not stop following him. I collected everything I could reach."
Karen added, "Eddie is not just an ordinary witness… he watched Fisk build his empire from the inside. He knows who bought him, who threatened him, who was killed."
Eddie took a deep breath, opened the file, and revealed multiple documents: photos, financial transaction records, gang names, secret transfers, account numbers… evidence that could not reasonably be disputed.
"But these are only copies," he said steadily. "The real evidence… the evidence that will bring Fisk down for good… is inside his private office. Hidden well. And we will not reach it easily."
Silence fell. The weight of truth settled into the room.
Luke Cage was the first to speak: "If all this is true… it means we finally have a real chance to take Fisk down."
Matt said in a low, confident voice: "That is our objective tomorrow."
After Matt's words, the discussion took on a graver tone.
Jessica leaned forward and said, "Okay… what's the plan? Going through the front door isn't going to be smart."
Foggy sighed. "We need something… something to distract."
Matt nodded. "Yes. We'll split into two teams: one will cause chaos outside… and the other will sneak into the municipal building and reach Fisk's office. The evidence is there, and that's what we need."
They looked at one another, tension and seriousness growing heavier.
Then Daniel spoke, his voice clear: "I… will be with the team that sneaks inside."
Jessica glanced at him sharply and said, bluntly, "You? With all due respect… you only have metal gloves. This isn't the time for showmanship."
Iron Fist raised an eyebrow in agreement.
Luke shrugged: "We need someone who can move quietly… not someone who smashes everything with giant fists."
A brief silence followed… Then Daniel smiled faintly.
He raised his hand… and a soft intake of breath escaped Karen.
Energy began to coil around his body. A dense blue light wrapped him; his body began to change… his shoulders broadened slightly, his muscles became more defined, even his stance shifted into that of a fighter.
On his face… a dark crimson band appeared over his eyes in a style reminiscent of the monks of Ionia. His clothes remained the same, but everyone could clearly see how his body's structure itself had altered, as if he had become a true incarnation of Li Sen.
Matt, though not looking directly, suddenly lifted his head and made a low sound. He felt the energy like a wave of heat across the room… and this time he sensed something different: Daniel's body itself was changing. He had never felt that before in his life.
Jessica murmured, "What is that…?"
Iron Fist half rose, eyes widening: "That's… chi. But not like the chi I know. Where did you get this? Who trained you? Did you learn this the same way I did, or from the same place? Are you… also someone who trained in the same way I did?!"
Foggy, beginning to look unsettled, muttered fearfully: "No… it's possible he's… a mutant!"
Daniel breathed slowly and said confidently, looking at them all: "I will answer all your questions… of course Daniel will not tell anyone who sees him the truth — all he will have to do is invent a simple story. Charles's case before was a special case, and Daniel asked Charles to erase this information about Beast and Sycop who heard about his truth, and Charles agreed to that indeed."
Then, in an even calmer voice, he continued: "No one taught me. I did not meet your masters, nor do I belong to your school. What I have… is my own power. I cannot fully explain it, but all I can say is that I have a private past… like you do."
Daniel looked at the four defenders and added: "I came to help you, not to become a burden… or to frighten you. I am not a mutant either. And if everyone who has power is considered a mutant… then I would say you are mutants as well."
Silence followed. No one found a reply.
After a few seconds Matt said with conviction: "He's telling the truth."
Iron Fist smiled faintly this time: "Then… I will not argue anymore."
The transformation faded, the energy dissipated, and Daniel returned to his normal form.
He said, "The infiltration requires agility… not force. In the form you saw me in a moment ago… I am almost blind, but I have heightened senses like Matt. That's why it's better that Matt and I be on the second team. The two of us have the greatest ability to sense what's around us."
Before the others could respond or agree, Daniel added, "Now listen to me carefully because I know a little about Wilson Fisk's team — the Thunderbolts. I know some of their capabilities."