She didn’t seem to think he was insane, though Danny supposed his story was easier to believe when there was concrete proof of its truth. Davos’s Fist wasn’t something easily denied, and it was clear that it had come from somewhere. There were probably tests to prove that it wasn’t mutant DNA or Terrigenesis that made his brother who he was, so… Why not a ritual? Why not a competition? There was still some relief that came with being believed, of course, and Danny’s posture relaxed slightly with the realization that the agent in front of him wouldn’t think him insane if he continued. “No,” he replied quietly, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think it’s anything anyone needs to be concerned about. The things someone needs to complete the ritual are… specific. And the place they’d need to go to learn about them is gone. There are only two people alive who know anything about it.” Danny and Davos. That was all that was left of K’un Lun now, just them. And they were both broken. Maybe it was fitting that the only ones left to carry K’un Lun’s legacy were two boys broken beyond repair by its teachings. “More than one person can hold it at a time,” he said, a little cautious. “But… It gets complicated.” He didn’t know why his Fist had returned to him, didn’t know why Colleen’s had split itself between her and Davos or if his power would last. There was so much they didn’t know, so much they’d likely never know now that K’un Lun was gone.
Her eyes flickered down to his leg, and Danny suddenly felt a little self conscious at the cast encasing the limb. He shifted a little, uncomfortable in his own skin. Did she know just how much damage was under the plaster? The expression on her face told him that she probably did. It was almost a relief when she spoke again, if only because Danny wanted so desperately to get away from the subject of his injury. Of course, her question wasn’t any more enjoyable to answer than thoughts of his leg were. For a moment, he was back in the warehouse — the first time Davos performed the ritual. Drugs still hazing the world in and out of focus, pain sharpening his senses as the Crane Sisters drug their blade across his chest, confusion clouding his mind again as Davos cupped his face in his hands almost gently before beginning the process of bleeding him far more than necessary. “Yeah,” he replied quietly. “There’s a way to get it out. But it — It’s brutal. And you have to have somewhere to put it. Someone has to take it to get it out of him. And I don’t — I don’t think there’s anyone to give it to.” Colleen didn’t want it, and the more Danny considered it the more he suspected that taking on that much power would rip him apart. And there wasn’t anyone else he trusted with it.
It was stupid, asking about Davos. Danny knew, logically, that he shouldn’t care if his brother was comfortable. Davos had made it clear in that warehouse that he wasn’t worried about Danny’s wellbeing, had put that knife to his chest with all the determination of a man prepared to use it. Without hesitation, he’d said when Danny questioned if he’d truly kill him, and Danny knew it hadn’t been a lie. If he hadn’t acted when he did, Davos would have killed him. Would have killed them both, most likely, and Colleen by extension. And yet, the worry gathered like a pit in his stomach, eating away at him. He loved Davos. He didn’t know how not to. He swallowed as Melinda continued, nodding his head. “That’ll keep him from using the Fist,” he said quietly, remembering how he’d struggled to call upon his own Fist through the haze of drugs clouding his mind. It had been impossible. “Good. That’s good.” He paused for a moment, not meeting her eye. “I know what you must think. What it must look like. But he… My brother isn’t a bad person. He’s not. He’s been hurt by everyone he’s ever cared about. He just… He doesn’t know how to cope. He isn’t a bad man. He’s just lost.”
Listening to each detail carefully, it only raised more questions for Melinda. But the way that Danny was speaking, it made her wonder if he even knew the answers or if he was just as lost as she was. After all, Danny Rand had gone missing for fifteen years, and she suspected that wherever this place was that they stayed --K’unLun, it was where Davos was from. But they were the only two people that Melinda had encountered that knew of that place... and Davos was in no condition to answer the questions, but would he even have them? “Complicated is my job,” Melinda reminded him. “Whatever it is, however ridiculous you might think it sounds, I’ll listen.” There was some relief in the idea that someone couldn’t walk into Birch and take the Iron Fist from Davos -- but push and shove -- if someone wanted to, they could. And that was important to note. “Two people with a secret, it’s only a matter of time before three know -- and then four -- secrets have a nasty way of getting out when we least expect them. Are you sure?” The last thing that she wanted to do was instill more doubt in him, but this was a serious matter. They couldn't leave this to chance.
“So, it’s not an option then,” Melinda replied quietly. What were their options if he gained control of himself and ended up hurting someone? Without the Raft there were few options and Davos was being kept in a civilian facility. But Danny... he didn’t need this extra worry on his plate. All he needed to worry about was the information, Melinda would worry about how to act on it. “You might want to think about having a list of people then, just in case.” Melinda didn’t want to alarm him, but Melinda needed all options on the table. Even the ones that Danny didn’t want to think about. And it was clear that he didn’t want to think about options that put Davos in a tighter spot, given the fact he was concerned about his brother despite everything that had been done to him. Melinda put her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. “I had... someone who was on my team, who was like that. I trusted him... and eventually, he showed us who he really was. And his family -- they were terrible people. But I have seen people who suffered the same way he did and they found a way to make something good out of it. I’m not asking you to change how you think of him, he’s your brother and you care about him. But, I need to ask you not to make excuses for him. He might be lost, but I’m not so sure he wants to be found.”