When his Hero for Hire service falls short, Luke Cage goes looking for an office. While searching, he is attacked by hit men hired by Diamond Back! Luke Cage exacts revenge. If he can bring Diamond Back to the authorities, he may be able to wipe his record clean and live as a fully free man. But Diamond Back won't go down without a really good fight!

The story starts with Luke Cage in a phone booth, checking his answering service to see if he has any new clients waiting for him as a Hero for Hire. Seeing him, two of Willis Stryker’s goons try to attack Cage. After being shot by one of them, Cage quickly deals with the two and goes on his way. However, a passer-by named Clair Temple wants to help Cage tend to his bullet wounds (They are mere bruises) and she brings him to her clinic. Upon arrival, they see that the place has been attacked by more of Willis’s goons and that her co-worker is under a filing cabinet. Cage lifts the cabinet to see that it is in fact Doctor Noah Burstein, the man whose experiment granted Cage his incredible abilities.

After a quick recap of Cage’s origin, the story shifts to Cage leaving Clair and Doctor Burstein, leaving them with his card should anything arise. Infuriated that his operations are being interfered with, Stryker, as Diamondback, tests out his new throwing knives, including a gas knife, a sound-emitting knife, and an exploding knife!

Switching back to Cage, we find that the Hero for Hire is looking for an office space to rent. He finds one, in the back of a movie theater and makes friends with Dave “D.W.” Griffith, the nephew of the theater owner. He decides to rent the offices after a quick tour and immediately receives a call from Doctor Burstein to come quickly.

Upon arrival, Cage and Burstein have words and acknowledge the past and Cage quickly goes off, as Diamondback has kidnapped Claire. Arriving where Diamondback instructed the Doctor to send Cage, a car speeds and hits him, knocking him down. However all is not as it seems, as Cage awakens and takes out Diamondbacks goons and sends Claire off to safety. Pursuing Diamondback, he reveals he is actually Carl Lucas, the man whom Willis framed. After being attacked by the sonic knife, the gas knife, and a failed attempt to use both the explosive knife and a crowbar, Cage appears to have the advantage after taking the fight to a rooftop. However, all is not as it seems as Willis runs over and picks up the explosive knife. Backing up to put room between himself and Cage, Willis falls through a skylight onto his back. The knife swiftly follows and lands on the tip, triggering the explosives and causing his own death.

Dissatisfied, Cage acknowledges the irony of the situation and deems it justified that Willis fell by his own hand. However, as Cage looks off of the roof, he sees that Claire has returned, with Doctor Burstein and the police in tow!