The Silver Lotus had a relatively bland interior for the best Chinese Food Place in the whole city. Tan walls lined with red paint, ordinary restaurant booths, and a few fake plants. About the only interesting bits of decor were the red paper lanterns that hung down at various points around the dining area, and those weren't even lit. Instead, light came from the buzzing of fluorescent lights in the ceiling. For a place visited by the Immortal Iron Fist, I was hoping for someplace that looked a lot more traditional and a lot less like just another dive. Jen must have realized it too, because she immediately addressed it once we'd been seated.
"I know how this place looks, but trust me, the food more than makes up for it." She grinned.
"It's just. . ." I frowned, looking for the right words.
"Not what you were expecting?" Offered Jen.
"Exactly. When you said Iron Fist eats here, I was thinking it was more of a traditional place, at least in decor. This place seems to be just another Chinatown corner noodle shop." I shrugged.
"Just wait, you'll see." Grinned Jen.
As the waitress came by to take our drink and appetizer orders, I noticed that for a place that looked like just another Chinatown corner noodle shop, the Silver Lotus had a pretty expansive menu and a lot of it seemed to be the sorts of things you'd find at a more traditional Chinese restaurant. The waitress herself was a forty-something Chinese Woman who spoke broken English with a heavy accent I placed as being from Northern China, though only just, as there was a hint of a southern dialect creeping in. Jiangsu Province maybe? The language was definitely Mandarin, and if I had to guess, I'd say she was from Nanjing. With that in mind, I decided to show off a little in front of my date.
"Pardon, Auntie, but can I ask, are you from Nanjing?" I questioned in Mandarin.
"Ah, your Mandarin is very good. Yes, I was born in Nanjing. You could tell?" Queried the Waitress in Mandarin.
"It was the accent. Northern but with hints of another dialect from the South. I made an educated guess." I nodded.
"You're a smart one." Grinned the Waitress.
"Ah, Auntie, please." I demurred.
"Huh, I didn't know you could speak Mandarin." Mused Jen in English.
"You'll find I've got a lot of talents as you get to know me." I shrugged.
"I'm looking forward to it." Nodded Jen.
"You two on first date?" Asked the Waitress, back to her heavily-accented, broken, English.
"Yes, hopefully, the first of many." I confirmed.
"We'll see. Signs are looking good so far." Smirked Jen.
With that, we placed our orders. I placed mine in Mandarin and helped Jen to do the same, walking her through the process. The Waitress was very patient with the whole thing, even though she didn't have to be. I was definitely going to leave a big tip there. Jen seemed to enjoy the whole experience, though, which was good. By the time we were done, we had three orders of Jiaozi, two pork, and one beef, all pan-fried, along with two orders of Chicken Fried Rice, two of noodle soup, and an order of Peking Duck, easy on the sauce. I also grabbed Oolong Tea for both of us and some Baiju for drinks. As the Waitress took down everything, I could tell that she was pleased. Not only were we making the effort to engage her in her native language, but this was gonna be a big bill money-wise, which meant a commensurate tip.
"I'll put that in. You want something, ask for Auntie Bi. I come help you." Nodded the Waitress, Auntie Bi. As she headed off into the kitchen area to put in our orders, Jen turned to me with an interested glint in her eyes.
"So. You speak Mandarin fluently, play guitar, and are apparently good enough with magic to get a spot on the current Avengers Roster. Do you have any other talents?" Questioned Jen.
"A few. Aside from my more combative abilities, I have a host of crafting abilities. Carpentry, Metalworking, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Brewing, you name it." I answered.
"Cooking?" Queried Jen.
"Why, Jen Walters! Are you fishing for a second date so soon? How scandalous!" I teased.
"Oh shut up!" Giggled Jen, swatting me on the arm.
"More seriously, I haven't tried cooking. Yet, anyway. My ghost butler doesn't like to let me cook for myself if I'm at home. I think he sees it as a snub." I chuckled.
"You have a ghost butler?" Blinked Jen.
"Yeah, Bartholomew. He came with the Tower." I affirmed.
"Right. You know what year it is, yes? A Wizard doesn't always need a Tower these days. Doctor Strange made do with a loft, after all." Snarked Jen.
"Eh, it came with the job. Besides, it comes in handy." I shrugged.
"I'll bet." Snorted Jen.
"What about you? Aside from bench-pressing mountains and being a Super-Lawyer, what does Jen Walters like to do?" I asked.
"I like to dance, hang out with friends, and play cards. In fact, I don't know if you've been told, but there's a regular Floating Super-Hero Poker Game that some of us tend to play in. Most established heroes in the business sit in at least once. You're on the Avengers, so you qualify. I think Ben Grimm's hosting one at the Wallingford Hotel next weekend. You should sit in." Offered Jen.
"Sure, I think I'd like that." I nodded.
"Of course, sometimes these games get crashed or interrupted by a villain, but that's just how things go." Advised Jen.
"Sounds like a story." I prompted.
"Oh, it is. The last time a game got crashed while I was present, it was all Logan's fault. See, he'd just come back from Japan and had literally gone to the game straight from the airport. The only problem was, the Ninjas he'd been fighting overseas had followed him." Began Jen.
She then launched into a story about a group of Non-Hand-Affiliated Ninjas crashing a poker game that involved her, the Thing, Wolverine, Gambit, Hawkeye, and Johnny Storm. Cue the Ninja assault team getting their asses royally kicked for interrupting the Poker game. Of course, that one never got finished, which was a good thing for everyone not named Remy Labeau, because Gambit was cleaning everyone out. I shrugged at that, what else could you expect from a guy like that? Apparently, he hadn't even been cheating, they'd triple-checked, just to be sure. By the time Jen had finished her story, the drinks had arrived, along with Soup and Jiaozi. I tucked in and began to tell Jen a story about my very first Occult Studies exam at the University of Chicago.
Jen listened intently as I relayed the time I'd been told to summon a lower-level Fae from Otherworld and had instead wound up accidentally summoning an Ogre, something my Freshman capabilities had a hard time dealing with. The ritual chamber that had been prepared for me by my Professor had been wrecked in the fight as I tried to deal with the Ogre, and the Professor had to step in. Of course, I failed the exam because I had used too much power in the summoning and accidentally violated the first and most important rule of Summoning Magic. Don't call up what you can't put down. I had to retake the exam during the weekend, which completely ruined my day, as I'd had tickets to a Lila Cheney Concert that I'd had to scalp to at least get my money back. Jen seemed just as interested in that story as I had been in hers, which was a good sign.
Unfortunately, things would only devolve from there as our evening would be interrupted by an unexpected complication. . .
XXXX
Parker Robbins, AKA the Hood, had been a thief most of his life. With a Mom with so much Medical Debt that it wasn't funny, he'd had to drop out of High School to work to pay off the debts. That, it turned out, hadn't been doable, and he'd had to start stealing to make up the difference. Not that he minded, of course. Ever since he'd seen Electro fight Daredevil in his Freshman Year of High School, he knew that a life of Crime was for him. When he'd had to drop out during his Senior year to help his family out, it had just been the perfect excuse. Of course, things hadn't really kicked into high gear until a little over a year ago, when he'd found the cloak, boots, and book.
They'd been just lying on the floor of a warehouse he'd broken into, looking to steal some cheap guns he could flip to the Maggia for a quick buck and found the Magic Items instead. Parker had quickly found out that the boots let him walk on air, while the cloak let him turn invisible by holding his breath and fry electronics with electric blasts. Those alone would be perfect tools for any thief, letting him glide over floors invisibly and soundlessly, while frying any cameras or electronic locks, but the Book had also been an eye-opener. The Liber Dormammu was a book that had let Parker in on a secret, that the Cloak he wore was invested with a fraction of the essence of an Extradimensional Demon Lord named Dormammu. The book also taught him how to control the powers of the boots and cloak more.
Now, instead of having to hold his breath to go invisible, Parker could simply focus. At the same time, the boots offered true flight while the electric blasts could be selective in what they scrambled. Furthermore, by drawing on the essence of Dormammu within those items, Parker could conjure bolts of Hellfire capable of burning through steel, while also enhancing his speed, durability, and strength to the kind of levels where he was effectively bulletproof. The only catch was that the longer he enhanced himself, the more likely it was for Dormammu to grab hold of him and possess him. Parker, though, had figured out a workaround for that. He only enhanced his body the moment before he threw an attack or had to dodge or block. Little moments at a time were fine.
Naturally, with skills like those, he'd been snapped right up by the Kingpin once Fisk had gotten released from Jail. He'd been in Ryker's for a few months awaiting trial when he'd put out the call to hire Parker to force the DA to toss the case. Parker had shown up at the DA's house in the middle of the night, appearing out of thin air in the Man's bedroom and hovering above him while the electric power coursed through him. He'd demanded the DA drop the case against Fisk and told him he could get anywhere the DA tried to hide. Since the DA had armed guards patrolling the grounds of his mansion and a state-of-the-art security system, it'd proved the point. The case against Fisk had been dropped and now Parker was on the fast track to Upper Management in the Maggia!
Unfortunately, phasing out of seemingly nowhere while hovering above the floor and sparking with electric bolts hadn't scared the Old Man who ran this place into paying up. That usually worked, but not this time. The Old Man had insisted the Iron Fist would protect him if you can believe that. Parker had to laugh, with his powers he was so far beyond the Iron Fist's level it wasn't funny. He'd told the Old Man that, but the damned Guy was insistent that the heroes who ate at his restaurant would show up to help him out. It was ludicrous, but the Old Man's mind was made up. That being the case, Parker had his orders. He sent a page to Hammerhead in the car and headed out for the main dining area.
It was time to show the Silver Lotus just what happened when you didn't pay protection. . .
XXXX
Jen and I had just gotten into our Peking Duck when a Man in a red cloak that stank of demonic magic strode out into the dining area. I recognized Parker Robbins, the Hood, from Siege back when this had all been a comic book. I'd thought he didn't have his cloak and boots until two thousand or so and was still just a strictly small-time thief right now. Something must have changed there and in a big way too. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to question what that change might have been or who precipitated it, because no sooner had he emerged from the rear of the restaurant, than a group of suited thugs with Honest-to-Gods Tommy Guns stepped into the restaurant. They were being led by a suited, Man in a Trenchcoat and fedora.
Taking off the fedora revealed the Man's unusually large head was also unusually flat, which revealed who I was dealing with. Hammerhead was a Maggia Capo, one who regularly worked under Wilson Fisk while Fisk was out of jail and being the Kingpin of Crime. Was Hammerhead working for Fisk? Had he teamed up with the Hood to overthrow Fisk? The Hood had done that a couple of times in a future that might have been altered, after all. Were they both working for Fisk, or even worse, working on opposite sides? All these questions flashed through my mind as Hammerhead sent goons to point their Tommy Guns over the diners while other Goons headed out back.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sorry to say that Old Man Lau hasn't been paying his dues to the Kingpin. Since he's not been doing that, we've gotta get creative with how we make up for lost revenues. One of my associates here will be coming around with a bag. You'll put your wallets in there if you know what's good for you." Proclaimed the Hood.
As he spoke, one of the other Henchmen removed a literal burlap sack with a dollar sign on it from inside his trenchcoat. On seeing that, the Hood made an audible sound of disgust, which prompted one of the other Hammerhead to growl at the Bagman, a look of frustration etched across his wide, craggy, face.
"Frankie, ya couldn't've grabbed anythin' more inconspicuous?" Demanded Hammerhead.
"Sorry, Boss. Didn't have time to grab nothing else. I hadta stop along the way to the meet at a costume shop." Apologized the Bagman.
"You can't do this! We're not even affiliated with the restaurant!" Snapped a woman.
"Shaddap!" Demanded the Gunman, firing a warning shot from his Tommy Gun into the ceiling.
"My associates are right. If you wanna blame anyone, blame Old Man Lau. Who knows? Maybe he'll pay you back? I doubt it though. After tonight, he'll have medical expenses to take care of." Sneered the Hood.
I'd had just about enough of this, and so did Jen it seemed. We looked at each other and nodded once, then sprung into action. Jen Hulked out, busting the straps of her yellow dress and turning it into a sort of tube top as she grew in size and musculature. As for myself, I immediately lashed out at the Hood with a blast of Hydrokinesis, flinging an orb of hard water at him that knocked him down where he'd been hovering above the floor. One of the Gunmen opened up on Jen with his Tommy Gun at the same time, only for the bullets to slam into her green skin and do no damage. Jen strode up to the Gunman and grabbed the Tommy Gun's barrel before bending it in a perfect right angle and rendering the gun useless.
"I liked that dress!" She growled before flicking the hapless thug in the forehead. Her She-Hulk strength sent the man crashing into the ground unconscious.
"Ya damn bitch!" Roared Hammerhead, as he ran for Jen, intending to headbutt her with the Vibranium plates in his skull like a battering ram.
Just as she turned around and Hammerhead was about to hit her, though, I yanked on him with Force-based Telekinesis, sending him flying into the Hood who had stood back up after the sudden blast of hard water to the face. The pair went down in a tumble, Hammerhead knocked out cold while the Hood struggled to his feet again. This time, though, he flung a blast of blazing Hellfire at Jen and I, forcing me to put up a mystic shield to block. The Hellfire ate into the shield but spent itself to break it. The Hood followed that up with electric bolts, forcing Jen and I to dodge away. As we landed from our dodges, I landed next to Frankie the Bagman while Jen landed near one of the other Gunmen. Another short, light, blow from Jen knocked out the other Gunman, while I hit Frankie the Bagman with a Chi-disrupting strike to the temple that knocked him out cold.
"Handle the Goons, I'll take on the Warlock!" I called out.
"You know, as first dates go, this wasn't what I had in mind, exactly!" Smirked Jen.
"I'll make it up to you later!" I insisted.
"Promises, Promises!" Retorted Jen.
Then the Hood attacked me and there was no more time for talking. . .
XXXX
AN: The next chapter is already up on my Patreon, so check the link in the threadmarked post if you guys feel like throwing me a couple bucks to get chapters in advance. Everyone who does is super appreciated and I can't thank my patrons enough.
So yeah, it's a date between Superheroes in New York City of Earth Six-One-Six. There was no way in Hell this was going to go smoothly for Jan and Jen. Fortunately, it's just Hammerhead, the Hood, and some Goons and not, say, Doctor Doom or Loki. Hammerhead's effectively just a guy whose cybernetics let him headbutt folks with super durability real well, while the Hood is entirely reliant on his Cloak and Boots to do anything superpowered.
The circumstances surrounding the Hood's early appearance will be covered in the future during another dream-space talk with the Beyonder. He definitely shouldn't have the Cloak and Boots yet, nor should he have enough power over them to do the stuff he can with them. Suffice it to say, similar things are happening here that happened with Bastion. The Beyond Corporation is meddling with things again. The reasons why will be made more clear during said dreamscape discussion with the Beyonder.
At any rate, the next chapter will be the fight with the Hood.
Stay tuned. . .30