Wolverine straddles Daredevil, his fists held against his face at the chin and temple. He says that he’d normally give Daredevil a moment to say a final prayer before popping his claws, but that he isn’t that sweet anymore. Wolverine recounts Daredevil’s abilities and his deep history with the Hand. Given his power levels, he’s not the most obvious target for the Hand and Hydra’s current efforts. But his long history with the Hand makes him the perfect choice. As Wolverine pops his claws, a target can be seen on the window.
On a rooftop across the street, Elektra and a team of SHIELD agents have Murdock’s apartment staked out. Elektra commands a SHIELD agent to call for all the back-up SHIELD can muster now that Wolverine has taken the bait. She aims her rifle and shoots into the window of Matt Murdock’s apartment. Wolverine is surprised by the gunshot, giving Daredevil a moment to react. He kicks Wolverine off of him and into a glass wall. Wolverine thinks to himself that this must be the work of Elektra just as they anticipated. Wolverine notes that while Daredevil himself has moved on after Elektra to date other women, Elektra has only really fallen in love the one time.
Daredevil leaps over his couch, turning it over to provide cover from the volley of arrows that the Hand ninjas let fly. He then uses the couch as a battering ram, driving it into the crowd of ninjas. He grabs a sword and wades into the sea of ninjas. As Daredevil makes short work of the ninjas, Wolverine wonders how Murdock has managed to get so much romantic action over the years.
Across the street, Elektra is shocked that she missed her target. As it fully registers, a voice from behind expresses her thoughts. It is the Gorgon who mentions to her the last time she missed a shot, when she aimed for the right eye of a drug kingpin and hits his left instead. Without fully turning around, Elektra shoots at the Gorgon.
He leaps through the rain of bullets, chopping down SHIELD agents with his sword as he advances towards Elektra. The Gorgon warns Elektra to shield her thoughts more thoroughly, he can “see” her fear and the images of Daredevil and her father’s death in her mind.
Elektra orders the remaining SHIELD agents to fire. The Gorgon spins his swords in front of him and deflects the bullets.
He then skewers two SHIELD agents before informing Elektra that SHIELD is stretched too thin guarding the “heavy hitters” and that it will be eighteen minutes before help will arrive. He warns Elektra to close her eyes as he removes his glasses. His eyes glow a bizarre yellowish-green and the SHIELD agents flanking Elektra turn to stone.
He replaces his sunglasses and notes to Elektra that she is not here merely for the exorbitant fee she is being paid by SHIELD. He encourages her to settle her “unfinished business” with Hydra and the Hand right here and now. He tosses her one of his swords and drops the other.
Inside Daredevil’s apartment Wolverine rises and advances as Daredevil finishes off the ninjas. Logan thinks to himself that SHIELD has it all wrong. It’s the street level heroes who have the sharpest skills. Without immense powers to protect them, they have to be the best in order to stay alive in this business.
Daredevil flings his billy club at Wolverine and misses by a few inches. It hits a ninja in the face and rebounds to hit another before returning to Daredevil’s waiting hands. He then hurls it again and takes out another pair of ninjas as he urges Wolverine to break free of Hydra’s brainwashing. He charges Wolverine and they both break through a door and roll down a flight of stairs into Daredevil’s workout room.
Wolverine thinks to himself that it’s Daredevil who is deluded, preaching justice in the courts by day and playing vigilante at night.
Murdock warns Wolverine that the place will be crawling with SHIELD agents in a matter of minutes. Wolverine’s Hydra programming kicks in to quell Logan’s most minor thoughts of hope that SHIELD might help.
Daredevil takes out another pair of ninjas with a couple of screwdrivers just as Wolverine lunges at him with his claws. Daredevil catches Wolverine by the wrists, again urging him to shake off the brainwashing from Hydra.
Wolverine’s Hydra-inspired thoughts mock Daredevil, suggesting that the reason he never got asked to join any of the big league teams is that he’s handicapped and the butt of other heroes’ private jokes. Wolverine kicks Daredevil away and finally connects with his claws, ripping into Daredevil’s stomach.
Daredevil falls back but manages to grab a heavy hand weight, which he brings down across the bridge of Wolverine’s nose. Wolverine is dazed and falls backwards onto the blade of a katana.
Meanwhile, Elektra presses her attack against the Gorgon who easily evades her strike. She launches a series of acrobatic maneuvers and slashes at the Gorgon, but he easily sidesteps them all.
The Gorgon comments on how fun this has been but that time is running out. Finally, he catches her sword in his gloved hand and bites down on it, breaking it into several pieces. Elektra looks shocked and lunges with the remaining piece of sword in her hand. He attacks Elektra, catching her first with a kick to the stomach followed by a punch to her kidneys. He does a chop on each wrist before catching her with a “clothesline” maneuver and driving her down onto the snowy rooftop.
He comments that the Baroness von Strucker is pleased and that she has promised him leadership of Hydra if her husband fails in this gambit. He notes that they plan to use Reed Richards’ stolen device to make man as free as he was before birth. He then delivers a final series of blows that render Elektra unconscious.
Daredevil is shocked and concerned to see Wolverine with a sword slicing through his back and out of his stomach. The shock and pain help to clear Wolverine’s mind, much to the dismay of the Baron and Baroness Von Strucker who are remotely observing the entire operation.
Baron Von Strucker contacts his technicians to pull Wolverine out of there. Using the moment of clarity, Wolverine gives a message to Daredevil to deliver to Nick Fury. He tells him they’re going after “potus” tomorrow night and that Wolverine is being sent to take him out. He confirms that Hydra has allied with the Hand and the mutants of the Dawn of the White Light and that Strucker and his new wife are behind it all. Logan tells him that they’re going to use Richards’ device and that they have to believe how sorry he is about all of this. He adds that he did his best to make sure they didn’t get their hands on another hero tonight. Daredevil is confused and says that they didn’t succeed since he managed to defeat Wolverine. Wolverine shakes his head and explains that Daredevil was merely the bait.
At that moment, Wolverine is teleported away. The von Struckers are relieved to know that their pawn is safely back at base. The Baron comments on the Gorgon’s success at attaining his target and confirms their plan to use Wolverine against “potus” tomorrow evening. For a brief moment, Elsbeth is confused until remembering that “potus” is an acronym for President of the United States.
Daredevil makes his way upstairs, clutching his wounded abdomen. He surveys the damage and runs his hand across the windowpane that was shattered by Elektra’s gunshot. He wonders if it was Elektra.
Elsewhere, Elektra lies naked on a dais with a white cloth draped over her body. A handful of Hand ninjas watch anxiously as a Hand mystic hovers over her lifeless body in preparation for the arcane ritual that will resurrect her as their latest pawn.
