Born again

Elektra wiggled her hands and feet experimentally, causing a couple of small rocks to dislodge and fall to the ground with a light clatter. Matt's arms were wrapped around her, and she brushed Matt's gloved hand away from her face, replacing the smell of sweat and damp leather with the overwhelming dampness of the tunnel under New York. She wriggled out from beneath Matt's limp body and flipped him over, putting an ear to his mouth. Nothing. Panicking, she pulled off her own glove and held her shaking fingers to his throat. Nothing.

“No,” Elektra whispered, “no. You can't. You can't be.”

She squinted into the blackness to no avail. How ironic. The only person she trusted to confidently navigate this level of darkness had just sacrificed his life for her.

The loss that Elektra felt when she'd started to glean details from her past life was nothing compared to now. She remembered the rage she'd felt when she learned of the circumstances of her death. She died in his arms... he let her die in his arms. But now, there was a glimpse of understanding. There was an aching in her heart that couldn't be compared to the bruises to her ribs during training, nor the cuts from the blades across her chest during that fight in Moscow. The pain was disconcerting. Maybe it was better not to care.

Elektra pushed aside a boulder that was leaning against Matt's head and it rolled away with a clunk. The sound echoed throughout the chamber, suggesting the tunnel hadn’t completely filled or collapsed. Slowly getting to her feet, she walked a few feet towards the hole, arms outstretched. There was a lot of rubble and a few small boulders, but there didn’t seem to be anything major immediately blocking her path back to the hole. Elektra turned back to Matt only to find his body missing. Heart rate quickening, she crawled around, hands outstretched, whispering his name until her hand bumped against his leg. He hadn’t moved. It was just too easy to lose orientation.

With a grunt, Elektra lifted Matt’s limp body over her shoulder and felt for the wall. Tracing the wall with her hand, she wobbled a little as she started to walk in the direction of the hole. She was strong – stronger than she’d ever been, and deep down, she knew the wobble had nothing to do with Matt’s physical weight. Elektra had advanced only a short distance when there was a sound of falling stone to her right. She stopped, barely daring to breathe. What she’d give for even a small share of Matt’s senses right now. She started off again, faster than before, aiming for the reinforced escape pipe that was protected from potential land movements. It was just a matter of finding the entrance.

Elektra ducked and weaved around boulders, trying not to lose direction all the while. Eventually, her shoe scuffed the concrete slab at the bottom of the hole. The center was filled with chunks of concrete, bent metal and glass, but the left edge was clear. She skirted the hole until she came to the reinforced pipe and kicked a boulder out of the way, peering up into the blackness. She clicked her tongue and sighed with relief at the echo. Clear then - at least for some of the way. She pulled Matt’s arms around her neck, but the emergency tube was narrow and his back caught on the edge. Elektra threw him to the ground. She still had no idea why retrieving his body was so important. She didn’t even know him. Not really. She was the Black Sky – a weapon, an emotionless vessel.

Feeling around, Elektra came upon the wheelbarrow holding the last of the precious substance. She stuffed a couple of bone fragments into her clothing, dumped the rest in a pile behind a large rock for safekeeping, and returned to Matt. Unwrapping her armbands, she tied him to her back like an oversized child and started the long climb. One hour, two hours, three hours and they were still climbing. Her hands ached with their combined weight, the metal rungs causing painful blisters. There was no light at the top, so she had to trust that it was an opaque door at the surface, rather than a blockage.

It was Matt’s horns that signaled the top, cracking on the top of a metal hatch. Elektra pushed and then banged on the door, but there was no moving it. There was a slight hollowness on one side, but it barely vibrated. She pushed again, straining with all she had, but it still didn’t budge. Reaching back, she pulled Matt’s billy clubs from his leg holster, using the club as a leaver while she pressed up with her shoulders. Movement, finally. A crunch from above. Pushing again, the mass above her creaked as it moved a little more. Inch by inch, she levered the hatch door open until there was enough room to slither out sideways. Matt’s head banged unceremoniously against the metal and despite herself, Elektra instinctively cringed.

Elektra stretched as she awoke, momentarily panicking as her elbow came in contact with Matt’s thigh. Her eyes drifted up to his face, which was pale verging on grey, and she turned away. She was only a few meters away from the hatch door, having collapsed from exhaustion almost immediately after surfacing. The tiny metal disk in the floor seemed so disproportionate to the epic climb.

Hearing movement to her left, Elektra untied Matt and skirted through a tunnel in the rubble, searching for the source. No one could get to Matt before she’d worked out how to bring him back. Before the sound source could be identified, however, there was a grinding sound from behind. Dashing back to Matt and the hole, she saw Madam Gao slowly shifting Matt’s body towards the hatch. Energy renewed, Elektra ran at Gao and kicked her hard in the chest before the old woman had the chance to summon her chi.

Madam Gao was thrown into a pile of twisted metal and concrete. She paused for a moment then smiled sweetly. “Alexandra was wrong about you… but I already knew that.”

“She thought she owned me,” Elektra snapped. “No one owns me.”

Gao smiled again. “And what do you think you’re going to do with him - The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

“You’re going to help me bring him back,” Elektra said, returning a smile that went no further than her lips.

Madam Gao slowly got to her feet and said calmly, “bring back someone who wants to kill me and take down the Hand? I don’t think so.”

“Do it. Or else.”

“Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll get nasty,” Elektra said with a snarl.

Gao chuckled. “You think you’re the first to threaten me like this?”

“No, but in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s one of me, and one of you, and we’re not exactly an even match.” Elektra took a step forward, and Madam Gao shot out and forced Elektra across the room. She hit a piece of metal, the crash reverberating throughout the space.

There was a shout from afar, “I hear something. This way.”

“Idiot,” Elektra whispered. Madam Gao got to her feet and whipped right through a gap in the concrete. Hauling Matt over her shoulder, Elektra followed, winding her way after the one known survivor who knew the resurrection process. Their tunnel opened up into a larger cavern and Elektra stopped short. The casket. It was still here.

With her back to Elektra, Madam Gao walked slowly towards the casket, her footsteps reverberating around the concrete space. “You know, the process hasn’t changed in thousands of years,” she said slowly, teasingly. “Only the five of us knew the entire process. We protected it, knowing full well what would happen if we shared the secret. That’s how our resources lasted so long – until you came along, that is.”

“Well, I got you more, didn’t I?”

“It’s buried under a skyscraper of rubble, along with the majority of the Hand.” Madam Gao paused. “Even if it were possible to excavate without being noticed, it’d require the manpower and the resources that we just don’t have at the moment.”

“Quite a bind,” Elektra said with a smirk. “And if I told you I salvaged some?”

Madam Gao turned around to face Elektra. “I would tell you that the negotiations have begun.”

Elektra remained stone faced. This was too easy. She dropped Matt to the ground and said, “okay.”

“You want him, and I want the substance,” Gao summarized. “You will also abandon any intention to take over the Hand.”

Elektra crossed her arms. “Too late. I already lead the Hand.”

Gao chuckled. “Do you? Who do you lead? What do you lead?”

“They all know of Black Sky,” Elektra replied. “They’ve been taught to follow Black Sky from the start of their training, and they will. The five leaders of the Hand may have been in New York, but there are still warriors distributed throughout the world. They need new leaders, and you’re just a lone finger in an amputated organization.”

Gao raised her eyebrows and took a single step towards Elektra. “Maybe you’d be happier as the visible leader. After all, you know little about the organization and its capacities. You will need help.”

“Visible leader,” Elektra repeated with a huff. “I am no puppet. I think Alexandra learned that, don’t you?”

“I think that you do not understand the Hand. You are young, foolish, unpredictable, ill-disciplined-”

“Okay,” Elektra said.

“Okay what?”

“We will co-lead.”

“And he will join us,” Gao said, gesturing to Matt.

In a low voice, Elektra said, “of course.”

Madam Gao looked at her through narrowed eyes. “And what will your precious Devil have to say about that when he wakes up and discovers this deal?”

“That’s not your concern,” Elektra dismissed. “I will make sure he doesn’t remember.”

Gao raised her eyebrows, but didn’t comment. She limped over to the casket and pushed the top aside, before gesturing Elektra over. Elektra went to pick up Matt’s body, but Gao gestured to stop. “We need to move this first. It would not be wise to leave it in the open.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Tonight. We move it. There’s a compound not far from here.” She smiled. “With the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen gone, it will be safe from prying.”

When the time came, Madam Gao stood at a good distance, her head down in reverence. Elektra held her breath as she slid the top of the casket aside. It was odd to think that she’d been through this entire process only a short time earlier. She had vague memories of the confusion, the disorientation, the sense of not knowing, and she was prepared for that and more from Matt.

There was a gasp from inside and Matt sat up straight, gripping the edges of the casket. Elektra moved back quickly as Matt instinctively tilted his head, listening to her movement. The spell might have returned Matt’s life, but he was still blind. He flipped out of the vessel, spraying burgundy liquid across the floor. He stumbled as he landed and his feet slid out from underneath him. Letting out a roar, he got into a crouch and paused, listening to his surrounds. Elektra took a step forward and he launched at her. She kicked him away with force and he crashed into a pillar. Matt gave a small whine and cowered behind the pillar.

“This is your brave Devil,” Madam Gao said with a leering smile. “I hope you’re not regretting your decision.”

“You wish,” Elektra snapped. “He just needs time.”

“You know the deal,” Gao reminded her.

Elektra pursed her lips. “I do.”

She took a couple of steps towards Matt and said, “I won’t hurt you.” She clicked her fingers a few times and Matt twitched, listening to the sound waves bounce off the objects around him. He gripped the pillar, but quickly drew away with a gasp when he received a splinter from the roughly hewn wood.

“Can I see?” Elektra said. “I can help.” She walked a little closer and put out her hand, gently touching the back of his fingers in warning. He twitched but didn’t move away. She took his hand and pried out the loose splinter. “There,” she said. “All gone.”

“All gone,” Matt croaked, and Elektra huffed in amusement.

“Can I-” Elektra moved a little closer and gently wrapped her hands around Matt, just like Alexandra had done to her. Matt threw a punch, cracking Elektra in the jaw before skittering off into the corner.

Madam Gao laughed derisively. “I’ll leave you to it. Have fun.” She bolted the door behind them.

Elektra felt her jaw. She had little patience for this. She needed Matt back in fighting form, preferably with no memory of his life beyond her. Having Matt attack her was not part of the plan.

She padded towards Matt, grabbing a blanket along the way. He was still cowering in the corner, but he had his fists up and ready. Elektra had no doubt that he’d attack again if she got too close. “Here,” she said, throwing him the blanket. “Wipe yourself off.”

Matt frowned and reached for the blanket. It was the softest Elektra could find, but he still screwed up his face and shuddered as he wiped the liquid from his skin.

It was food that finally convinced Matt to come out of his corner. A couple of Elektra’s new assistants brought clothes and a meal for Matt, and while he threw away the clothes with an angry huff, he scarfed down the food with both hands without taking a breath. Elektra stared at him with disgust. For the first time since she dragged him out of that hole, she had a tinge of regret. This wasn’t the Matt she wanted. The Matt she wanted was charming and flirtatious, not this naked man-child on the floor in front of her.

The sun was setting by the time Matt relaxed enough to sit down. Elektra started talking to him, telling him about their relationship and the Hand – the organization he served. As she talked, Matt started to creep closer, inch by inch until he was standing only feet away from Elektra. “W-w-” Matt started.

“You’re Matthew. I’m Elektra.”

“Matthew, Elektra,” Matt parroted.

“You serve the Hand.”

“You serve the Hand,” Matt repeated.

“No, you say I serve the Hand.”

Matt gave a small whine of confusion, and Elektra rolled her eyes. “What do you know already?” Matt tilted his head, and Elektra muttered, “and can you stop doing that already.”

“Stop doing that,” Matt said with a nod.

“So you do know what that means?”

“Mmm, yes.”

“What else do you know?”

“Matthew, Elektra. You serve the Hand.”

“And so do you. Your name is Matthew and you serve the Hand. You say it this way though: my name is Matthew and I serve the Hand. Got it?”

Matt tipped his head back and groaned. He scratched lazily at his chest and gave a small stomp of his feet.

“And now you’re acting like a caveman,” Elektra said to herself. She put out her hand. “Come, you need to sleep.”

“Sleep,” Matt repeated. He hesitated then grasped her hand, feeling the callouses on her fingers and palms with his thumb.

Elektra led Matt into a small windowless unit that had a bed and a bathroom. She patted the bed. “Sleep here.” She took his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom. “Ergh, I’m not teaching you how to-” She petered off as Matt pissed into the toilet in front of her. Evidently, he retained enough basic memory to remember the function of a toilet, but not enough to recall social norms.

With a look of disgust, Elektra said, “do you know that everyone else isn’t blind?”

Matt just grunted.

“Right,” Elektra said, rolling her eyes. “I give up. Just go to sleep.” She pushed him towards the bed.

Matt may have rejected the clothes, but the silk sheets she’d bought him appeared to meet his standards. He pulled the sheets over his head and curled up in a fetal position, one arm over his exposed ear.

Elektra couldn’t figure out what was going on. She knew she’d have to jog his memory a little, teach him a few words, but the Matthew Murdock in front of her, the Matthew that shunned clothes and was now curled up in a silk cocoon, was just pathetic. She backed out of the room and locked the door behind her. It was tomorrow’s problem.

The next day, Elektra unlocked the door to a wild and furious Matt. He had scratches on his chest and jaw from trying to escape. The walls and door had dents and holes, but the soundproofing Elektra had installed during its construction had unintentionally served the dual purpose of keeping Matt in. She caught him as he tried to barrel out through the door, and kicked him back against the bed. He whimpered a little before flipping forward and kicking her in the groin. Clearly his muscle memory and martial arts training hadn’t been lost during the resurrection process.

Matt made another dash for the door, but Elektra jumped on him and pinned him to the floor. He tried to flip backwards to escape her grip, but being familiar with Matt’s fighting style, she was prepared and simply dug her knee deeper into his lower back. “Now listen here, you shit of a man. I’m trying to help you,” Elektra hissed. “Stop fighting.”

Matt stilled. “Elektra,” he breathed.

“Yes?”

“I’m hungry.”

Elektra rolled her eyes. “I’ll get you food on two conditions: one, you put on some clothes; and two, you stop trying to fight me. Do you agree?”

“Yes,” Matt muttered into the carpet.

“Are you going to try and run away?”

“If you l-lock me up… then yes,” Matt replied. His words were slow and clumsy, but she could glimpse a little of the former Matthew Murdock, the gifted yet stubborn lawyer who could verbally destroy a witness on the stand. She smiled and let him go.

Half an hour later, Matt was sitting at a table wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited to eat.

“Tell me again who you are,” Elektra said.

“I want food,” he replied.

“It’s not ready yet,” she said through clenched teeth.

“My name is Matthew and I serve the Hand,” he said in a bored tone.

Elektra clicked her fingers at a waiting guard and said, “can you get him some bread or something.”

The reward of food arrived and Matt demolished the bread roll in under ten seconds. “That’s disgusting,” Elektra said.

Matt tipped his head, confused.

“You need to take your time. Eat slowly. There’s a knife and fork beside the plates.” She added, half to herself, “if you can remember how to use a toilet, I’m sure you can remember how to use a knife and fork.”

Following the meal, Elektra wasted no time in testing Matt’s martial art skills. After an hour in the dojo, it was clear that Matt was as good as he’d always been. Better even. She brought in increasingly large groups of the Hand’s warriors, and Matt flattened every single one.

After a week of absence, Madam Gao arrived to watch a session. She limped up to Elektra, who was standing at the edge of the mat, her arms crossed. “He’s a skilled fighter,” Gao said to Elektra with a nod. Matt stopped at the sound of her voice, and one of the fighters used the opportunity to flatten him to the ground. “But distracted,” Gao added. “He needs time to mediate and study. He needs to focus solely on the task at hand.”

Elektra tapped her foot with irritation, and yelled for the rest of the warriors to get out. She ran at Matt, who somersaulted backwards into a standing position. He ducked as she ran at him, weaving out from beneath each kick and blow. Elektra threw a stick at him, which he caught with glee. She smiled. This was the Matt she wanted. They sparred until Matt was once more pinned to the floor.

“You are his distraction,” Madam Gao called over her shoulder as she left the room.