27 A talk with Andrei, The Hand?

Dan sighed, he'd done a lot of sighing recently. Come on, there's no point in withholding this from Andrei, I have the feeling that he'll know something about this. Dan quickly took the elevator, he didn't feel like climbing the stairs right now, he needed to clear his head. Once he arrived, he walked through the door, and unlocked the apartment door. Andrei was already there, looking out the window, he seemed troubled.

When he saw Dan, he breathed a sigh of relief, "So you're safe Dan, I was worried about you, I saw you heading out towards Central Park. Not even an hour later, I saw the cops driving in the same direction. Dan? What happened to you? Are you alright?"

Andrei noticed the slight changes in Dan's physique, almost all of the excess weight was gone now, and he seemed taller somehow. He decided to ask about that later, it was clear that his friend had just experienced something scary. "There was a man dressed all-in-black at the park Andrei, he looked like a ninja. I managed to anger him enough so that he wouldn't think rationally. He was prepared to rob and kill me."

Dan took several breaths, and Andrei quickly poured a glass of water, handing it to him. Dan downed it in a flash before continuing on. "He was furious, and he charged at me with a knife, I stepped to the side, he clearly wasn't expecting me to dodge. He was going too fast to stop and tripped over a park bench, and hit his head. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised he didn't injure himself on his own knife, it must have been flung away in the chaos.

After that, I ran over to check if he was unconscious, and I kind of panicked for a few minutes after I realised that I could have died. After I calmed down, I was about to call the cops but then I noticed something on his hand, it was some kind of symbol that looked like a hand. After that, I called the cops, they arrived, I gave my witness report, and they found the evidence of him attacking me. Andrei, who was that guy? What gang did he belong to? You know more about these things."

Dan's gaze had been downcast, but when he looked up, he saw something he'd never seen his during all the time they'd been friends. A horrified expression was plastered across his face, and his hands were shaking. Andrei quickly seemed to calm down though. "Dan, are you sure it looked like a hand? Are you sure you saw that?"

Dan nodded, from his friend's reaction, he could tell that this was a lot more serious that he thought it was. "Yes Andrei, it was definitely a hand, it just seemed evil somehow, I wasn't really thinking straight at that point. But now... I remember it clearly, he seemed way too confident in himself too!"

Andrei quickly sank into a chair, covering his mouth with his hands. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? I know it was him who tried to kill you, but they won't see it that way. This isn't just a regular gang we're talking about. They call themselves The Hand. The Hand is a group of highly skilled ninjas involved in various criminal activities, such as assassinations, smuggling, and extortion.

They are known for their expertise in combat and stealth, operating in secrecy to carry out their operations."

Andrei paused in order to gauge Dan's reaction. "So, they really are ninjas, so what the f*ck am I supposed to do about this? That guy was barely a grunt after all."

Andrei nodded, "yes, he was just a grunt but that doesn't change the facts. There is only one solution, I remember saying that I would introduce you to my parents one day. I didn't for one moment think that it would have to be this way. We need to leave right now, anyone who knows you isn't safe at this point unless we leave. I know you may not want to leave, but if you don't, everyone who you know here will be killed."

Dan threw up his hands. "Woah, woah! This is all happening too fast! Alright, I guess I don't really have any choice in the matter. Can I at least call Angela? She can take care of herself. She also has Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and a ton of other people she can rely on for backup!"

Andrei sighed, "fine, but you can phone her on the way, it's a good thing that your phone is practically impossible to trace or hack into. This is why I never bought a smartphone, too easy to trace. Pack whatever you need, and let's go!"

Dan started to pack whatever he felt he needed, Andrei helped him to remove any unnecessary items. Dan knew that he felt a little too calm about all of this, but the reasons were pretty obvious at this point, he was simply adapting way too fast for him to even think about panicking. Andrei noticed all of this but said nothing, he was a little surprised but then he remember Dan describing his ability, and it all made sense.

They both left the apartment as quietly as they could, Dan did his best to mimic Andrei's way of walking, and he more or less got the hang of it. They were taking the stairs very slowly, since the elevator would make too much noise. Dan was slowly able to increase his pace as he adapted to the stealthy way of walking that Andrei was using. Once they exited the apartment, they walked more briskly towards the carpark. Thankfully, it seemed that The Hand hadn't made a move just yet.

They both got into Dan's car, Andrei took the wheel. Dan quickly told F.R.I.D.A.Y that Andrei could be trusted. "Understood, adding the user 'Andrei' to the list of trusted users."

Andrei stared at the hologram that had appeared, and then at Dan. "You didn't tell me you had Stark Tech in your car, I'm hoping that this'll make things much easier."

"If you are seeking to escape detection, I suggest activating 'Stealth Mode'."

Both Dan and Andrei stared at each other, barely suppressing excited laughter. Dan then decided to go ahead with this suggestion, "FRIDAY, please activate 'Stealth Mode'!"

Dan quickly got out the car to see what had happened, and then he blinked. He could see the inside of the car, but the rest of the car was invisible. Dan got back into the car and shut the door, and stared at Andrei. "I don't think we'll have to worry about anyone seeing us Andrei."

Andrei's mouth dropped open, "we're invisible? This is insane, Stark went a little too far don't you think? Wait a moment, FRIDAY! Please take us to 237 Dante Street!"

"Awaiting confirmation from Dan Montgomery..."

Dan was quick to respond, "Confirm!"

"Engaging auto-cruise, all safety systems engaged! We will arrive at your destination in approximately 3 minutes..."

The car started to slowly drive towards their destination. Dan then pulled out his phone and called Angela. It rang for a few seconds, and then Angela accepted the call. "Dan? Why are you calling me so late? Did something happen? I was about to go on hero duty."

"Hey Angela, I'm sorry for calling you, but this is an emergency! Please call Luke, Jessica, Daniel, and anyone else who might be helpful. I won't be able to attend work for a while because of this. I was recently attacked by someone from an organisation called The Hand. Maybe you've heard of them, I wouldn't be surprised if you have. My friend told me about them already, don't worry, he's a good friend. I would trust him with my life, it may be a while before we see each other again.

I'll be going into hiding for a little while, please let my family know I'm alright, I'm sorry if this seems like a lot, but I don't really have a choice."

The line went quiet for a few seconds. "I know about them, whisperings here and there, Danny definitely knows who they are. I didn't think you'd ever get on their wrong side though, I'm sure that your friend told you about the details. It looks like I'll have to get everyone together, it's been a long time since heroes have banded together like this. Stay safe Dan, we'll handle things while you're gone. Goodbye for now, I'll tell your family that you're safe if need-be."

"Thank you! Really, thank you! Good luck out there, I hope that we'll meet again at some point soon! Goodbye Angela."

Dan ended the call, Andrei was staring at him in admiration. "That was amazing Dan, you've really grown-up haven't you! Just to let you know, you'll probably be undergoing some pretty brutal training soon, my father isn't exactly what you'd call a normal guy, it looks like we're here now."

Andrei pulled out the cheap burner phone he had with him at this moment. He then dialled in a number, and pressed the call button. Whoever was on the other end answered. "Andrei? Is that you?"

"Yes batʲka, it's me, can you open the door to the garage, it's important!"

There was a moment of silence of the other end before the man on the other end replied. "Very well, it's opening!"

The garage door began to lift almost silently, and after it was fully open, they drove in.

2 longer chapters this time because of obvious reasons I hope, there's still a second chapter on the way too. Be prepared for actual fight scenes, now that Dan's unintentionally made himself an enemy of The Hand. This is where it really begins!

Just a quick update! The chapters won't be released today since I've decided to write 4 or 5 at once and then mass release them tomorrow!