the gardens
Iron Fist, Colleen, Misty Knight, and Moon Knight attend the gardens.
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"Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Colleen, and Misty were standing on a busy Chinatown street outside a small shop called The Oriental Gardens. It was obviously a place where gardening supplies could be purchased. Beautifully sculpted bonsai trees were arranged in a large window at the front of the store.
A pretty young woman was watering the trees in the window, when she noticed the heroes and motioned for them to come inside.
When they entered, the pretty young woman continued to work in the window but said, 'Hello, my name is Linda Fong, how may i help you?' the neon lights shining through the glass reflected prettily off the soft features of her face.
"We're here to speak to Mr. Fong." Misty announced.
"I'm sorry, but father is in the garden and cannot be disturbed." Linda apologized.
"We must speak to him right away, your father may have an assassination contract on his head." Misty demanded.
"Father knows of the threat. He is currently meditating on the best course of action to take to avoid an open confrontation with the White Dragon." Linda snapped coolly calm and collected.
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Screeching tires and screams of fright from outside brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Linda turned to stare out the window in terror. A long black limousine came hurtling down the street. Hammerhead was leaning out the rear window, and in his hands he cradled a vintage Tommy Submachine Gun...which was pointed directly at the store front and Linda.
Bullets crashed through the windows and ricocheted crazily around the shop. No matter what they thought to do, the black limousine disappeared into the twisting streets and alleys of Chinatown --Hammerhead escaped. Suddenly, the heroes are distracted from thoughts of giving pursuit by a black van that had been speeding right behind the limo. It squealed to a stop in f ront of the store. The doors flew open, and four of Hammerhead's goons came filing out. They were armed with submachine guns. The bla-blam-blam and Rat-atat-atat of gunfire echoed through the street as the thugs sprayed the shop with bullets.
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While the heroes battle the armed thugs in the street, a loud crash is heard coming from within the shop. Moon Knight now realized that the goons were merely a distraction. A Dreadnought fighting robot had burst through the rear wall of the garden. It battled Wu Fong and 9 other members of the Tiger's Claw. Wu and his allies are essentially helpless against the murderous machine. As Moon Knight battles the robot more and more Tiger's Claw are killed, until Wu Fong fled into the shop. The Dreadnought attempted to follow and trash the shop.
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Once the robot is defeated it dropped to the ground and began to twitch and spark. With its head slumped to one side, an automated booming voice rang out "60 seconds to self-destruct...59...58…".
The robot was a walking bomb, that the heroes now had to dispose of in some fashion before its detonation. The Dreadnought, having been seriously damaged during the battle, was susceptible to the control panel in its lower back being accessed. Inside Moon Knight spies a confusing knot of colored wires and electrical circuitry. Nestled in the middle of the electrician's nightmare was a black box with a flashing red light. Two wires were connected to the box, a blue and a green. To deactivate the bomb one of the wires had to be disconnected. If the incorrect wire were cut before the correct one, the bomb would immediately detonate. If both wires were removed at the same time, the bomb would immediately detonate. The black box, which held the explosive charge could not be successfully removed from the robot's back without both wires being severed.
Moon Knight successfully disarms the bomb, recalling his similar experience with Black Widow when they had investigated Johnny Bifrost's apartment weeks ago. After disarming it, Moon Knight intended to discard the device in the East River.
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Wu Fong was nearly hysterical, with his own daughter having been shot at and members of his Tiger's Claw clan murdered by the Dreadnought. After being given a few moments to calm down and collect himself, Wu Fong is plied with questions by the gathered heroes. "Why is Hammerhead trying to kill you?" Misty asked.
"Hammerhead has allied himself with the White Dragon and the Dragonlords. I believe Hammerhead has agreed to kill me as a show of good faith in their evil union." Wu answered.
"Why does the White Dragon want you dead?" Colleen then asked.
"Because i am the leader of the Tiger's claw, a Chinese-American organization that keeps the peace in Chinatown by opposing gangs and the Triad. The White Dragon's gang, The Dragonlords is the largest and most inhumanly cruel street gang in the area. The Tiger's claw has thwarted them countless times, but it seems now the tables have turned." Wu explained.
"Why have Hammerhead and The White Dragon joined forces?" Misty wondered aloud.
"I'm not certain, but i believe this could have something to do with Hammerhead's Maggia family's continued conflict with The Faces of Fear. Hammerhead could be seeking help in eliminating his new rival." Collen surmised.
"Do you know where we can find the White Dragon?" Misty asked of Wu.
"He is elusive." Wu answered simply.
"Have you heard anything about religious statues being stolen from the pier, or a book being stolen from the met?" Marc interjected with a question of his own.
Wu simply shook his head in the negative. Then, Wu pleads with them for assistance "We in Chinatown, and The Tiger's Claw, do not normally seek the help of outsiders, but The White Dragon has already done so. Therefore, there is no dishonor if i ask you for your assistance. Will you help us?"
When the Heroes For Hire accept, the franchise becomes a part of The Tiger's Claw and the two organizations begin exchanging information. It becomes crucial for both agencies to patrol the streets of New York at night and stop gang violence for the continued confrontations escalate into a full-scale gang war. The Heroes For Hire agents are equipped with a walkie-talkie with a 12-mile range that will allow the Tiger's claw information center to contact the Heroes For Hire when they are alerted of gang activity.