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It's on about quarter to three, and Luke Cage is, as per normal for this time of day, in his office — it's a couple blocks from the Apollo, a two-room storefront with a handpainted sign, yellow on brick red, over the door:
Luke Cage
Hero for Hire.
A second sign, simply reading 'Open', hangs on the window, and through the plate glass one can see the front room. It's well-lit, the carpets an ugly shade of mustard yellow, bordering on orange; it likely hasn't been replaced since the 20s, given how worn it is in places. There's an orange vinyl couch against one wall, a wooden desk toward the back of the room with an ancient typewriter centered upon it. Behind the desk is a love seat in the same violent orange tones as the couch, and upon this love seat is the man himself. Luke Cage. Poking with two fingers at the typewriter, muttering every time his thick fingers hit more than one key and he has to back up and correct things with a little tube of Liquid Paper, and occasionally unstick the keys. The reason for the love seat should be obvious: Luke could not actually fit into a normal sized office chair.
Settled on the desk before the typewriter, readily visible to anybody who walks into the room, is what might have been a name plate, but it doesn't bear a name. Instead, it just reads:
THE HERO IS IN.
*
People who make decisions about what other people should do would say that Danielle Rand has exactly no business here. Not in this part of town. Not in this office. Then again, Danny doesn't care in the least what people who make decisions about what other people should do think.
Dressed in a pair of wide-legged gray trousers and a white blouse, she has her sunglasses hanging from her collar as she steps up to the office door, knocking on the frame. "Heroes for Hire," she grins. "I like it. It's got a ring to it."
*
"It's open!" calls Luke's deep voice from the back of the main office. He's got a smaller room behind where he deals with private matters, and only after he's turned the second sign on the door to 'Closed'. The man looks up from where he's typing to regard the blonde woman in the doorway, one eyebrow rising on his forehead. It's not that she doesn't belong her — just that she's not a common sight in his office. Young white women don't often come down to Harlem on their own. "Can I help you, miss?"
*
"I hope so." Typically this would be the dame part. The one who shows up in every detective flick. The dame with…something to die for. Danny isn't much of a dame, though. Instead she steps forward, holding out a hand that could probably fit comfortably around one or two of Luke's fingers.
"I'm Danny Rand, of Rand-Meachum Enterprises." Which explains some of the being here on her own. It's no secret that she keeps the tabloids in print with her escapades. "I'm not sure if it's a hero I need, but I was looking to hire an investigator. Someone relatively local. Saw this place in the yellow pages and I have to admit, the name caught my eye."
*
Luke rises from the desk to take the woman's hand, shakes firmly, but carefully — if he weren't careful, he could easily rip a person's arm from their socket, and he's going to assume the same applies to Danny. "I do investigations," he says, "though I won't claim to be the best in the business. I'm also superhuman, so I can do more than the usual PI. I thought the 'Hero for Hire' thing sounded pretty good, so I went with it." He also does a lot of pro bono work for his neighbors. So 'hero' tends to fit.
*
"Well, that's admittedly part of the charm," Danny nods when he mentions superhuman. For a small woman, her grip is…surprisingly firm. For as much as she's able to get a grip, at least. "See, I'm looking at buying some property in Hells Kitchen, but the way I hear it, there are some unpleasant people who've been making moves on he neighborhood."
Stepping back, she drops into the nearest chair, tucking one leg beneath herself. "Now, I'm not afraid of unpleasant people. But before I go picking fights, I like to know who I'm picking fights with."
*
The corner of Cage's mouth rises at this. "There's unpleasant people all 'round this city, Miss Rand," he notes. "But I'm sure that's no surprise to you." He settles back at his desk, pushing the much abused typewriter aside and rummaging in a drawer for a moment before he finds a notepad and one of the comically oversized pencils that are often sold for exorbitant prices at tourist attractions. They're somewhat more useful to him than the ones they sell for kids in school and pens that wind up shattering if he squeezes just a little too tight. "Any particular address we're lookin' at here?"
*
Danny rattles off an address: a tenement building next to an empty church that hasn't quite been condemned yet. "It's Hell's Kitchen," she shrugs. "So I'm sure there's nastiness going on there. Given the state of the place, whoever's running it certainly isn't doing it for the benefit of the people who live there. I'd like to change that."
Just why a businesswoman - or rather, a young woman who happens to have ownership of a business that, to all accounts, she has no hand in running - wants to help out a tenement building in the kitchen is less than clear. "I figure asking certain questions could put a person at a little bit of a risk of reprisal. So I'm willing to pay for someone who can take it."
*
"You've come to the right place," Luke agrees. There aren't many in the city who can give him any real trouble. He knows of a few out there, but certainly not your usual class of gang-bangers. He gives his rates — not at all unreasonable, all things considered. A little higher than the average. "You want the nastiness run off? Or just find out who's there and how they're best dealt with?"
*
Danny tilts her head slightly at that question, really considering it. "That's a hell of an offer, Mister Cage," she replies. Rather than answer, though, she leans forward, setting her elbows on her knees and giving him a serious look. "Do you think you could follow through on chasing a gang or two out of the neighborhood? Even if they had a serious bankroll behind them?"
*
"Depends on what they're spending that bankroll on," replies Cage. "Far as I know, nobody in Hell's Kitchen's got the kinda weaponry that can actually hurt me. There ain't much that'd do the job." He considers this for a few moments. "Now, they bankrolled enough to hire one of the few people that can cut my skin, that could be a problem — but most of them are pretty expensive."
*
Danny smiles slowly back at him until it's a grin, the corners of her eyes crinkling with it. "Mister Cage," she laughs, "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Yeah." She nods, leaning back in her chair again. "Yeah, I'm in favor of pushing some of the nastier elements back out of the neighborhood. Give people a fighting chance at holding on to a decent life. But I wouldn't ask you to do it on your own."
*
"It's easier with more," says Cage, shrugging. "I know a couple people might be able to help us out, but if you've got names in mind… well, there ain't many people I won't work with, long as they don't mind working with me. Given the crowd you're tryin' to remove, we probably ain't doing anything illegal removin' them from the property. Especially if you buy it before we go in."
*
"Tell you what." Danny claps once, rubbing her hands together. "You start the investigation. Let's see what we're up against before we call in the cavalry. Could be they all run off when the building's not on the market and you're sniffing around. You look suitably intimidating, after all. But if it looks like they're going to be trouble? Well, then we renegotiate and look into bringing in the troops, so to speak."
*
"Intimidating is the least of my skills," replies Cage, his mouth forming a tight grin. He is not in the least bit fond of most gang members - he's had plenty of experience with that world. "That sounds like a perfectly good plan, Miss Rand."
*
"Excellent." Danny stands up, pulling a business card from her pocket and offering it over between two fingers. "There's my number if you need to call. And…" Pausing, she pulls a folded up check out of her pocket as well, looking around for a pen. "Let's get you settled for the initial investigation." No fear. Never mind the very large man on the other side of the desk. "I heard there's some vigilante activity in the area," she notes. "Sounds like good kids, though. Maybe try not to chase them off."
*
"I'm in favor of vigilantes, in general. They usually do a good job." He pushes a mug full of cheap pens toward her, then scratches out a receipt and hands off his card along with it — again, Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, this time along with his own phone number and address. The former she might need.
*
Danny writes out the check - with atrocious handwriting, by the way - before she drops the pen back into the mug and passes the check over. "Kind of sad the city has to rely on it for some people to get the protection they deserve," she admits. "But that they get it is more important than where it comes from. So. Let's make the world a better place, shall we?" Grinning, she holds a hand out once more.
*
Luke takes the hand. His grip is still careful, but he knows by now that she's stronger than average herself, and he's got a pretty good idea that he won't be accidentally pulling a limb off of her. "The city doesn't care about some people," he observes. "Most of the country don't, either. I'm happy to lend a hand to those who need it. And you, Miss Rand, you seem to have got the right idea."
*
"I hope so, at least." Danny steps back with a rueful smile, taking her sunglasses from her collar. "I'm not due for a confused board meeting for at least another three months, and that's what I'm in for if this doesn't work out. Which is…considerably less than the neighborhood's in for if it doesn't work." She nods once, as if settling the matter. "I'll look forward to hearing from you, Mister Cage."
*
"Pleasure meeting you, Miss Rand. I'll be in touch," Luke replies, rising from his desk again to see her to the door. It occurs to him that he has had an incredible amount of luck today — he's going to do his damnedest to make sure Danny gets what she needs out of this job, because, if nothing else, she's probably got friends who could use his services too. Time will tell.
*