Natasha had never bought into any dreamlike, Disney narrative that had been rolling on TV screens for years. There stories they told, Natasha could enjoy on a superficial level, but when you took them apart, she could tell you a thousand different ways that would make it more realistic. But there was one thing that they had gotten right. It was a small world. Even out on the Russian tundra. Even in the mountains that outlined countries and provided a natural defense — even on paths that were well hidden and could only be found if you knew where to look.
And in those strange corners of the world, in those darkened corners where people didn’t venture because it was dark and scary, and they were worried about frostbite or starvation. People who knew they wouldn’t make the trek because it was challenging. It wasn’t meant for anyone. It was meant for people like her. And a man named Randall. He had been drunk when she met him, battle worn and tired, and the way he carried himself she would have thought that he was a master of Zui Quan. But he had a tattoo. A dragon. It was on his chest and the second she spotted it; he had moved his shirt. Kept it hidden and told her to leave.
Seeing that tattoo though, it had touched on a memory. Tucked away in her consciousness. Locked away with so much of what she had learned in the Red Room. Information her mind didn’t need, so it stored it and let it collect dust until something brought it forward. And when she finally came to New York, there was open talk about someone with a glowing fist fighting in the streets. An anonymous registration with the name Iron Fist. He was here.
She was pulling on a memory that had lingered for years. Wondering what else talking to him might reveal if he decided that she was worthy of being spoken to. But when she stepped out in front of him after luring him there — a few men who had been robbing a small shop in Chinatown — it seemed to be his preferred location — but when he came around the corner, Natasha knew immediately. This was not the man she had been looking for.
Her head took a sharp turn, angling to look at him as if that would change what she was seeing. “You’re the Iron Fist?” A beat. “You’re astoundingly sober.” Another beat. “And you’re a long way from home.”