The brilliant explosion did not last long. Once the blast subsided, the air was thick with the acrid stench of flesh scorched by high temperatures. Logan stood in front of the other three, his back a charred expanse of black.
A step ahead of the blast, Peter had released a swarm of nanobots to encase the two soon-to-explode Wolverines, dampening the damage as much as possible. As for the state of those two, it was hard to say, but there had been no way to look after them in that moment.
Well, Daken was likely in better shape than X-23; after all, his entire skeleton was laced with Adamantium, making it unlikely for him to be blown into scattered pieces.
"Careful, it's not over yet."
Logan, despite being nearly half-charred, caught a different scent beneath the smell of blood. The Hand's undying ninjas had been poised and ready for a long time, waiting to harvest heads in the wake of the explosion. Peter scanned the surroundings and made an immediate judgment. He used a massive amount of webbing to coat the ground and nearby objects, then opened a Sling Ring portal, pulling the others through to the other side.
Closing the portal behind him, Peter finally allowed Anti-Venom to recede from his face, drawing in the fresh air of the Academy.
Professor Xavier, having already sensed their arrival, had dispatched people to provide support. When Cyclops found Peter bringing in a scorched Logan, he couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you just going to catch a few ninjas? How did it turn into this?"
"It's a long story, but the short version is: The Hand planted bombs inside Daken and X-23, hoping to blow Logan up. They failed."
As Cyclops nodded, Peter pointed to the two webbed bundles behind him. "Daken and X-23 are in there—at least most of them."
Cyclops: "..."
After "settling" what remained of Daken and X-23, Peter walked out of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. For some reason, Felicia had disappeared again. He checked his phone and saw a message from her: her hair had gotten something on it, so she had borrowed Shadowcat's dormitory bathroom to clean up.
Taking advantage of the break, Peter began to ponder the matter of The Hand. Unquestionably, The Hand did not intend to have a final showdown with the Defenders just yet, let alone the Avengers. While they were relentlessly scouring New York, they were equally focused on erasing their own tracks.
It was conceivable that if the investigation continued, the next target for destruction could be an entire building or a whole shopping mall where they were active. Their message was already quite clear.
Perhaps he should ask Doctor Strange for help, using magic to pinpoint exactly where The Hand was located. Or, he could question the captured Daken once he was recovered—assuming he could recover.
"If they need the Beast to descend, they must be targeting Matt. It's not hard to understand; as a hero with a 'no-kill' rule, if he breaks his principles, it's very easy for him to fall to the dark side and become a vessel for the Beast. And to make Matt kill, they have to give him a reason he can't ignore—Elektra?"
Matt's first love, Elektra, had been brainwashed by The Hand into becoming their assassin. If Elektra were killed, Matt might, in a fit of extreme rage, kill the perpetrator, thereby believing he had shattered his own moral code.
Furthermore, lately, they hadn't heard anything about Elektra from anyone other than Matt.
"Tsk, that's tricky. Just like today's situation, since she's in their hands, it would be all too simple for them to kill Elektra. Or should I let them find another candidate? For example, making me the target? That doesn't seem simple either. Another reason they chose Matt is because he's too weak..."
At this thought, Peter suddenly had a bold idea.
Could they find someone to put on a show? For instance, make The Hand believe Elektra had been killed, and then lead them to believe Matt had killed in his fury? Gwen still had Mysterio's helmet, so it wouldn't be terribly difficult. The problem was that many things could be verified by The Hand—such as how to arrange the "killer" and how to handle the killer's situation.
It would be best to have an assassin that The Hand couldn't control "kill" Elektra, and then allow The Hand to perform an autopsy so they would believe it was real...
Peter grew interested as he considered the feasibility of this. For example, could he hire that kid Deadpool to pose as a famous assassin and act this out?
So, Peter took out his phone and sent Matt a message saying they needed to talk about something urgent. On the other end, Matt simultaneously sent a message to Peter, saying he also had urgent business.
"Oh, I was wondering how long I'd have to wait for you. It looks like you're a bit faster than I thought."
Seeing Felicia emerge, Peter tucked his phone away. Felicia, who was about to tease him, looked at his expression. "What's wrong? Something up?"
"Pretty much. I have a bit of a lead regarding The Hand. I need to go talk to someone."
Hearing this, Felicia couldn't help but sigh.
"Fine, go get to work, big hero. I just hope you can finish before the Homecoming dance. I really don't want you running off in the middle of a dance."
Hell's Kitchen, Nelson & Murdock Law Office.
Peter knocked on the office door and heard Matt say "Come in" from inside. Turning the handle and entering the office, he saw Matt chatting and laughing with a dark-haired lady. Thinking he had come at a bad time, he was about to say something when he heard Matt's laughter. "Please, sit down, Spider-Man. This is—my college classmate, Elektra Natchios."
???
Peter looked at Matt, his mind a complete blank. What is going on with you? On our end, we're fighting for our lives and Logan's whole family exploded, and over here, you've already made off with your girlfriend?
"I'm not wearing the suit, Matt."
Matt fell silent for a few seconds, then gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm a bit excited. I didn't catch the difference in the friction of your clothes. But it doesn't matter. Let me introduce you again: this is Elektra, a warrior formerly of the Chaste. She can help us find The Hand and dismantle it. Elektra, uh, this is Spider-Man."