Chapter Eleven — The Gathering of the Defenders
Daniel had stopped doing night shifts lately. The reason was fear. The crew Wilson Fisk had assembled was powerful and dangerous. Daniel didn't have the strength to face them. He thought he would lose if he tried to fight.
That morning he returned to work after two consecutive absences. He hadn't told his boss; he couldn't bring himself to say the word "absent."
His workplace was a small video game company, with open-plan desks and rows of monitors, office chairs dusted faintly from constant late-night work. In one corner a display platform held a half-printed 3D character model, and on the wall were posters of design teams and game ideas scrawled in colored markers.
The hum of the computer fans made a constant low buzz, the stale smell of coffee hung in the air with a clinging steam, and all of it made the morning feel a little cold but familiar.
Mr. Nelson, the manager, stood before him with anger plainly dimming his eyes; his brows were tight, his arms folded for a moment before he spread one hand and pointed sharply.
To his right, Jason, Daniel's colleague, watched with a rigid face, his lips pressed into a single taut line of resentment. Jason always carried the shadow of jealousy — his gaze clung to any motion that exposed Daniel to respect or praise.
Today his bitterness showed in every twitch of his face and in the way he smoothed his shirt with one careless hand.
The manager began loudly: "Daniel! You were absent for two days without notice. What do you think this behavior means? We don't accept absences like this here."
The tone of his words was sharp, cutting through the screen noise for a few seconds as if the wall itself had gone quiet to listen.
Daniel answered quickly, trying to sound reassuring: "I can make up the days. I'll work longer hours and make up for what I missed."
Jason's voice stabbed into the conversation: "Huh? Make up with a few hours? He always has dreams. We slave here day and night, and he disappears and comes back and then says he'll make up a few hours!"
His mouth moved fast, his tone rising and falling with condescension, as though each word raced to wound before it landed.
Mr. Nelson exploded with anger he didn't bother to hide: "You think it's a matter of making up time? That doesn't concern me. You don't take your responsibilities seriously. And if you're that confident in yourself — go work from home. Make your game from scratch. Write its story and program it yourself. Show me how you'll do that."
He spoke the last sentence with a voice full of scorn and resolve, as if lecturing someone reckless.
Jason sneered: "Yes—if he's so talented let him prove it away from us. We're not here to be a fueling station for his dreams."
At that, ideas swarmed inside Daniel: (Why hadn't I thought of this before? I have so many fantasy stories in my head from all the reading. Maybe being a novelist is the best thing for me now — even if it would be my first time, I would succeed for sure.) (Yes, I even have Luna; she knows all my memories and so I can simply transcribe what she tells me!!) (Luna, will you help me with the book or what?)
He heard Luna's voice inside his head: Luna said, [Hmm... that might work if you give me one Gem of Story.]
Daniel replied: (Really? A whole gem for just one story — do you expect me to find those gems on the ground and pick them up?) (Would you die if I gave you something for free?) — questions crowded his mind like small birds.
When the people before him remained silent, Jason's resentment rose and he snapped: "Look at him now, saying he can make it up — he can't even focus with us now; he's asleep in his imagination."
His tone brimmed with clear contempt, and his hand pointed at Daniel as if casting him out of the circle.
Mr. Nelson pressed his hands together for a moment, then struck the desk in front of him to pull Daniel's attention and force a decision, then said more coldly: "Two choices: stay and commit to our hours, or leave. If you leave, I don't want to see you back — I don't raise small children here."
The sound of the door and the air in the room grew heavy for a brief moment after those words.
Daniel stood up slowly. A calm, unexpected smile spread across his face — a smile that unnerved Jason and Nelson. He said quietly: "Then I resign. I'll try something different now. I'll write fantasy novels, and thank you for your time."
The manager looked at Daniel, his eyes showing shock. He hadn't intended to push Daniel out of his job; he had wanted to awaken a sense of responsibility.
His manner softened from anger to something steadier, and he said, "Wait a moment, Daniel — I'll tell you this: if you cared for your work a little more, that could be a convincing reason for a promotion, nothing more." His hand touched his chin in slight puzzlement, as if reason had replaced tone.
Jason wanted to intervene and say something to the manager, but he didn't finish his sentence: "Manager, this isn't—"
The manager cut him off firmly: "Jason, get out of here now." Jason was stunned by the change, and when he realized his boss wasn't joking, he turned and left.
Outside, he looked back at Daniel with hatred and resentment; he saw Daniel smile faintly and think to himself (see the difference between you and me). He couldn't stand it and slammed the door as he left, the sound of the close like a small slap in the room.
The manager ignored the scene and then said more softly to Daniel: "If you must be absent, at least tell me, and if you plan to make it up later that's fine."
Daniel shook his head firmly: "No, I resign." Then he left.
So Daniel walked out of the building after giving Jason a farewell worthy of him. He walked down the street where sounds rose — a vendor murmuring to draw attention, cars passing, people in a hurry.
He passed a small sidewalk café, its window steamed with coffee, a handwritten sign on the wall reading: "Coffee and Writing." He went in, sat at a table by the window, opened his laptop, and hesitated.
Then he began to write a single title: (Let's Begin, Luna) — the word felt like a key unlocking a closed room.
[All right].
... Three days passed.
Daniel arrived at Matt's law office and entered an inner room. Inside he noticed Foggy and Karen, and his eyes also caught Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. Their presence was not accidental — they carried a weight of experience not yet erased.
Daniel recognized them immediately and remembered their pasts and how they had gotten their powers:
Luke Cage — real name: (Carl Lucas). Power: unbreakable skin and body + superhuman physical strength. He had been imprisoned in Seagate Prison for a crime he did not commit. He agreed to take part in a secret scientific experiment in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The experiment aimed to repair cells and accelerate healing. But during the experiment there was a malfunction in the equipment, causing an explosion of bio-energy around him; the result: his skin transformed into a material stronger than steel, and he gained strength beyond that of humans. The experiment used technology partly derived from Project Rebirth (the same program that created Captain America).
Iron Fist — real name: Danny Rand. Power: the ability to concentrate chi energy into his fist to strike with extraordinary force, and sometimes to heal himself. He gained his power after his parents' plane crashed in the Himalayas, and he was rescued by the people of the legendary city of K'un-Lun.
He was raised there and trained in martial arts for years. He took part in a sacred challenge to fight the legendary dragon Shou-Lao the Undying; he defeated the dragon and placed his fist on its burning heart, and the power of the "Dragon's Fist" was transferred to him. Since then he has been known as Iron Fist.
Jessica Jones — real name: Jessica Campbell Jones. Power: superhuman strength + high physical endurance + limited ability to fly/jump great distances. She obtained her power as a teenager when her family's car collided with a truck carrying experimental chemicals from the Roxxon company.
Her family died, but she survived and fell into a long coma. Upon awakening, she discovered her body had changed and become much stronger than normal humans, with the ability to leap far distances. In the comics it has been noted that the chemicals resembled those that affected Daredevil as well.
....
Daniel finished his memories tangled with faces, then entered and introduced himself plainly: "Hi, I'm Daniel Adam."
Luke Cage said directly: "If you're the one who wants us to join you in fighting Wilson Fisk."
Someone present said: "I came here because Matt invited me, but after hearing what he said I regret coming."
Daniel walked to a chair and sat, and asked Matt: "Hey, did you tell him everything?" Matt shrugged and said: "No, you came in the middle of the conversation."
Then Matt spoke to the three of them only: "Listen to the end of what I have to say, then decide for yourselves."