- "We're going tactical in five minutes."
"No, you're not. Stand down."
"We're going in. We got an active shooter and a hostage situation."
"They haven't asked for anything and one of ours is in there. We need to be careful." - ―Mario Green and Priscilla Ridley[src]
The Attack on Harlem's Paradise was the hostage situation in Harlem's Paradise orchestrated by Diamondback in order to evade New York City Police Department's siege. As a result, Diamondback managed to assassinate Damon Boone and escape while Luke Cage and Shades were arrested.
Background
- "You're the one who's joking if you think that we're escaping here without a plan."
"Later for that pre-written shit. Sometimes, you gotta freestyle." - ―Shades and Diamondback[src]
Returning to Harlem from Georgia, Luke Cage learned from Dave Griffith that he was a public enemy having been blamed for attacking the New York City Police Department while he had been on the run. He learned there was a gathering in Harlem's Paradise where people against his actions were getting together, so Cage and Claire Temple went in to try and get a look first hand at what was happening.
Diamondback attacks Misty Knight
In the club, Mariah Dillard held a massive press conference condemning the actions of Cage. During her speech, Dillard noted that Cage had seemingly murdered Cottonmouth as well as Jackie Albini, calling on all the people to turn against Cage, calling for the police to be armed to protect them, all of which Diamondback watched closely from the balcony without getting involved himself.
Diamondback watched from his balcony as Misty Knight arrived and began making her way towards his location. When Knight stepped into his office. Knight claiming that he was under arrest, Diamondback denied this before drawing his guns and shooting her in the arm. Before he could kill her, Cage arrived and blocked his bullets while chaos unfolded downstairs as the terrified guests ran for cover.[1]
Attack
- "Anybody ain't us is a hostage. Make sure none of them look me in the eye. Lopes, Sugar, you're babysitting. Move 'em up there and face them towards the wall. Anybody resists, blindfold 'em. Too much lip, shoot 'em in the head. The rest will get the message."
- ―Diamondback[src]
Misty Knight urged Luke Cage to rush to the exit, but he told her that he couldn't cover her from every angle. When Cage show an opening, he lifted Knight and headed toward the kitchen as Zip and the other goons continued shooting him. Once in the kitchen, Cage barricaded the door by pushing a large fridge in it's path which could not be moved by any of Diamondback's men.
Shades arrived and advised that they should escape now before the NYPD arrived. Diamondback however refused Shades' advice to leave at all, advising instead that they freestyle the current situation, much to Shades and others great dismay. Shades reminded Diamondback that he only had one Judas Bullet, but Diamondback was not concerned, ordering Lopes, Sugar and Ty to take the remaining guests hostage and execute them if they had offended him, demanding that Damon Boone to taken upstairs to his office and that Zip collect a specific key there. Diamondback explained to Shades that his plan was to frame Cage for the shooting.
Diamondback storms the kitchen door
Checking on Knight's wound, Cage noticed that she was bleeding fast as Diamondback seemed to have shot an artery, so he was forced to push Knight's finger into the wound in an attempt to lose down the bleeding. Knowing that they could not stay there for much, Cage took Knight down a hidden basement in the kitchen. With the hostages in position, Diamondback and Shades moved to the kitchen door where they met up with Zip, who then presented Diamondback with the case that he had asked for which contained a grenade launcher designed by Hammer Industries. He fired a single shot into the kitchen, destroying the door into the kitchen. As his men stepped into the kitchen, Diamondback discovered that Cage and Knight were nowhere to be found. Diamondback then ordered his men to search every inch of the kitchen to finally find them both.
Meanwhile, NYPD led by Inspector Priscilla Ridley arrived to the Harlem's Paradise and cordoned off the area. With Boone in his office, Diamondback held a gun to his head and ordered him to call Ridley and claim that he had been taken hostage by Cage. Before Ridley could ask for his demands, Diamondback snatched the phone away and hung up. Boone tried to offer to help Diamondback get what he wanted.
Luke Cage helps Misty Knight
While bandaging Knight's wounds, Cage watched as Knight called up Ridley, although she soon lost signal before she could explain the situation. Knight told Cage to get out while he still could, but he refused to leave her as she was bleeding out. Being hostage, Temple noticed that Candace Miller hurted her leg. Sugar saw her when she tried to help Miller and ordered her to get back. Temple managed to convince Sugar to let her help Miller. They heard Zip and Sugar's talk about Cage's location. Upon Temple's request, Miller pretended her in agony and Temple said that she needs her medicine from her locker. Sugar ordered Lopes to escort Temple downstairs and while they coming down she pushed Lopes away down the stairs and ran to find Cage.
As situation grown dangerous, District Attorney Blake Tower arrived to the scene. Tower told Ridley that the mayor had sent him as a way of helping both parties achieve a promising outcome. Ridley said that she did not need his help as all, as she was worried about was getting the hostages and her own officer to safety, while also seeking to arrest Cage, who was thought to be the perpetrator behind the recent criminal activities. However, Tower informs Ridley that Dillard has managed to sell specialized weaponry to the police that would be capable of killing enhanced individuals. At that moment, Diamondback had Boone call Ridley again and request a helicopter on the roof of the Paradise and offered to hand over half of his hostages in exchange. Ridley promised to do this and asked if Detective Knight was also still alive, with Diamondback claiming that she was, although he refused to prove this.
Diamondback kept his promise and let several hostages go. Detective Donnie Chang informed Ridley that some of the hostages' statements are not matching up. Most of them said that they saw people inside shooting at Cage, not the other way around. Ridley said that they might have this all wrong but now they need to get control of situation before they could do something.
While they discussed what to do next, Cage heard faint tapping from the walls. Smashing a hole through the wall with his fist, Cage found Temple was still in the club. While Temple went to get some things to help stabilizing Knight's wounds as she insulted the poor work Cage had done, Diamondback was informed by Sugar that Temple had disappeared after attacking Lopes to help Miller, who Shades noted was the one who Dillard had bribed so Diamondback sent him to deal with it. Diamondback made an announcement to Cage through the speaker and ordered him to surrender himself and Knight. As he spoke, Diamondback loaded his rifle with his final Judas Bullet before explaining that if Cage failed to surrender, then he would begin executing one hostage every ten minutes until he finally showed himself, noting he would kill Boone first. Knowing that Diamondback was not bluffing, Cage intended to go after him, although Knight suggested that he did not have to go and fight as Paradise was currently surrounded by the police. Cage, however, still left as he then told Temple to lay low and that he would come back for them. When Cage left, Temple treat Knight medical emergency.
Diamondback was then contacted by his weapons manufacturer who informed him that Dillard had convinced the police to buy all the new Hammer Industries guns from him. Diamondback proceed to continue telling his stories to Boone, explaining how he and Cage had been arrested as young men, with Cage getting off and him being sent to prison before committing his first kill and doing hard time while his mother died of cancer. Meanwhile, Cage made his way to Diamondback to fought against his goons. Cage was forced to listen Diamondback's story how his mother died alone while Stryker was imprisoned, something he still blamed Cage for. Collecting his Judas Gauntlet, Diamondback then hit Boone hard in the chest, throwing him backwards and killing him as his chest was caved in.
Diamondback ordered Shades to drop Boone's outside for the police to collect. Ridley ordered ESU Lieutenant Mario Green to assault the club. Having done the deed, Shades had gone to the kitchen to wash his hands of Boone's blood. While there however, Shades had accidentally discovered the secret loose panel on the floor which he found led to the basement, while going down the stairs, Cage managed to cut the power across the building. The lights in the club were shut off while Shades still continued making his way down the stairs despite the sudden darkness.
Shades fights against Claire Temple
Going down the stairs, Shades discovered Knight clutching her wounded arm which she gained when Diamondback shot her, as well as a large hole in the wall which Cage had used to escape. When Shades proceeded to draw his own gun and prepared to execute her, he was suddenly attacked by Temple, who knocked the gun out of Shades' hands before hitting him repeatedly. Despite being taken off guard, Shades managed to disarm Temple before moving to kill her as she tried to keep him at bay by kicking at her attacker. Before Shades could murder Temple, Knight managed to pull him away from Temple. Due to the dark lighting, Shades struggled to regain control of the fight and before long, Knight and Temple succeeded in ganging up on him before they pulled him across the room and slamming his head hard against a steel pipe, which knocked Shades out cold. Knight then proceeded to handcuff Shades to the pipe and left him there.
Luke Cage is under arrest
At that moment, ESU prepared to storm the building using their new Hammer Industries Assault Rifles with Judas 2.0. Cage managed to reach the main hall where he proceeded to knock out Sugar before he got the crowd of hostages out. Except Miller who still was held by Diamondback with a gun held to her back. Cage tried to talk to Diamondback and convince him to let Miller go free, but Diamondback instead traded insults. Despite Cage's attempts to talk, he was unreasonable. Diamondback forced Cage to choose to either catch him and let Miller die, or save Miller and let himself be killed by the police who were coming in armed with Judas Bullets in their guns. Diamondback dropped Miller off the balcony before attempting to shoot Cage as he caught her; however, Diamondback missed the shot and was forced to run as the ESU stormed the building. While Cage was surrounded and captured by the police, Diamondback collected his equipment and found Zip, who promised to show him a way outside despite being threatened with a gun. Diamondback followed and walked free into Harlem while Cage and Shades were arrested by the police along with Sugar, Lopes and Ty and taken away for their questioning.[2]
Aftermath
- "Listen, Luke Cage is innocent. What you think you saw is not what happened. [...] This mess is Willis Stryker's doing. He's the one who shot me. Listen, his name is Diamondback."
"I believe you, Misty. There are dozens of other people to talk to. And Luke is still wanted for Albini's murder, Cottonmouth's murder and attacking those cops."
"You are not listening to me. Luke Cage is innocent of everything."
"And after we have him in custody, we'll verify it." - ―Misty Knight and Priscilla Ridley[src]
Luke Cage was led out of the club by the SWAT team under the supervision of Tower and Ridley and the rest of the NYPD who were still monitoring the situation. While Misty Knight was taken to Metro-General Hospital, she insisted to Priscilla Ridley that Cage was innocent and tried to insist that Diamondback was the guilty one. Stepping outside, Cage spotted Claire Temple watching from afar and he mouthed her to leave while he was being put into the back of the police van.[2]
Luke Cage taken out from the Harlem's Paradise
As the van drove away, Cage used an opening to break himself free of his chains and made his escape. After running for a short while, Cage reached an alley where he was held at gunpoint by Officer John Polsky. Cage told him that he needed to go and find the man responsible for this and that he would rather die than go back to prison. The cop told him that he heard about the people calling Cage a hero and revealed that he was a frequent of Pop's. Choosing to believe him, the cop let Cage go and urged him to catch Diamondback.
In order to deal with his situation, Diamondback recovered at his hideout and reclaimed all his equipment. Zip informed Diamondback that some of his equipment had gone missing. Diamondback said that Shades had become too much like Icarus by talking back to him. Diamondback explained that he would have Shades freed from the police's lockup in order to have him assassinated, promising to give Zip the job if he wanted it, which he made it clear that he really did.[3]