Disruptor

When you live in New York, you have to be brave, you have to disguise yourself as another person in order to survive. At least when you are as peculiar as someone who speaks to themselves in the middle of the street. His life was going through a dark tunnel of uneasiness and new challenges and the light was nowhere to be seen. But the darkness lurking on the weak and innocent was getting stronger. A darkness so dangerous that you don’t know where it comes from until the bitter end.

Most of the people in the city only care about the superficial aspects of their own lives, not caring about hidden secrets and global conspiracies. It’s not a critic, not at all. They choose to live their life however they want. But there are events, situations and experiences which mold you into a new shape, a new perspective. The dilemma comes when you have to choose to ignore the new views for the security of the already known or to place yourself in the middle of the wild lands, risking life and soul in order to uncover the truth.

This could have happened to anyone. Anyone who has lived the same exact experiences that Mark Williams has seen and suffered firsthand. But It would be a lie. Even though the potential of humanity is endless, there are moments of life in which the Universe put a certain individual in the beginning of a dangerous and perilous journey. It’s not a pity. It is not a burden. And you could say that, in perspective, it is a great reveal.

But for him was chaos. The chaos enveloping everything known and unknown to mankind in a sea of blood, life and death.

He is not meant to be a hero. Heroes are what they are because other people say they are when they look at their good deeds. It’s fine that there are Heroes with capital letters, but the world needs also heroes that do little things. A smile on the street can cheer up the unexpected bystander. Manners when you speak to someone may light their lives a bit. Hearing at the moments of crisis can be the salvation for the tortured soul.

And that’s the only hero he achieves to be. The regular and ordinary person that tries to do good in this world. It takes only one individual to change history.

That’s how Mark Williams sees his life and the Universe as a whole. There are many aspects to this, as with everything in life, but that’s the basics.

In an apartment in a third floor, Mark Williams was struggling with getting off his bed as the alarm went off. He punched the alarm with laziness as he fell off the bed.

“Auch” That was the usual word he says every day. A tremendous headache was accompanying him for the past few weeks for unknown reasons. He isn’t prone to illness, on the contrary, he was usually very healthy but this headache always comes the moment he wakes up until later on the afternoon.

After a fast shower he grabbed a deep blue t-shirt, brown jacket and denims alongside blue trainers. One look at the mirror to notice the messy hear from the bed. Always the same problem. He took the comb and started combing until it was decent at least. A 23 year old man who looked much younger than anyone would ever say at first glance. Roundish face, dark and short hair. Medium to big eyes and big ears. His brown eyes scanned the sink for his toothbrush and started brushing. Who would have thought that this man was going to work as a psychologist? He was currently working over the mantle of Sarah Porter, a well-known psychologist expert on third generation therapies.

He prepared some orange juice and some toasts as he looked from time to time to the newspaper that was on the table. At the front page was the photograph of the CEO of Rand Enterprises with the headline: Danny Rand returns from the Dead to take care of his company.

“Seriously…” He grunted as he unleashed a butter wave on the toasts, sitting on the chair with his breakfast done as he glared at the newspaper with a strange look.

“It must be horrible to have survived a plane crash when your parent’s didn’t make it…” He whispered as he took a bite of the toast. In his line of work, tragedies like those are very rare. People often have clinical mental problems or they have dilemmas or they even come without knowing their problems. But something of that magnitude? Oh boy. Of course he didn’t like the idea of treating someone who has been through that, but the reason behind that was that doing therapy to a person just for the excitement to be challenged by such backstory is egoistical and deserves a severe moral judgment.

He finished his food, put the dishes on the sink and left his apartment with his bag on the shoulder. It was a rainy day and after locking the door he had to open up to get his umbrella. Fortunately for him, his workplace is at walking distance, 5 or 6 blocks away from his home. Living in a quite decent neighbor, it is very weird to see a crime unlike in Hell’s Kitchen. That’s why he thanked the opportunity his college gave him for his capacities to work under Sarah.

Walking through the streets he sees the owner of the grocery shop, the hot dog guy, the older Asian lady throwing bread at the birds… Mark sometimes wonder what would his life be in another part of the city. This couldn’t be more idyllic.

He opened the door of the crystal building and greeted the guy in the reception. Sarah’s workplace was in a company building. Rand Enterprises to be precise. Even though she mainly works with the people of the company, they let her attend to private clients that have no relationship with the company itself. He pushed the button of the elevator and waited for it to open and, once inside, pushed the 34 floor. As the door was closing, a hand stopped the doors and opened to the new visitor.

“Made it in time” Mark jumped at the sight of the owner of Rand Enterprises.

“G-Good morning Mr. Rand” He greeted his superior looking at the wall of the elevator, avoiding eye contact with him. A young man with brown, curly hair and beard. And by young it means mid 20s. His family has been running this company since they founded it and now that he is back in New York, he is the one in charge. He has a long way to go.

“Good morning Mr…?” He asked in a subtle way. Mark blushed as he stood in place looking elsewhere.

“Williams, sir” With curiosity satisfied, they waited for the elevator to take them to the upper floors without exchanging more pleasantries or trivial topics such as the weather and the news. Mark risked a peek and saw that Mr. Rand was a bit anxious for something. Moving his hands on his back. It was floor 30… Could he have the guts?

“Excuse Mr. Rand…” He looked at him and they exchanged stares. For a couple of seconds Mark couldn’t say a thing.

“… If you need any help… I can lend an ear” At first Mr. Rand looked at his talker perplexed but his features soften.

“Thanks Mr. Williams” And then the floor 34 was reached. Mark left the elevator and turn around.

“I hope you have a good day sir” He managed to say before the door closed. He let a sigh come out of his mouth as he walked the corridor towards Sarah’s office.

“Good morning Sarah” He greeted seeing his boss on her desk looking at some tests she was holding.

“Good morning Mark. Do you still have headaches?” She asked with a caring tone.

“Yeah, it’s not fun to have a 24/7 drill into your skull” She chuckled as she was writing something on a piece of paper.

“This should sound a bit off, coming from me at least, but did you consider it might be somatomorphic?” He looked at his mentor with a weird looking face.

“No I didn’t… why should I consider that?” Mark went to his desk on the other side of the room. It was apart from the rest of the furniture due to being a mere observer in the therapies. It’s best for the client not to feel the presence of the observer even though they know he is there taking notes.

“I’m a firmly believer of the idea of the body that tries to give messages by giving pain signals to the part of the body that has something to do with the problem” His coworker rose his eyebrow as he grabbed his notebook and pen, sitting on his chair. Hearing her talking about it reminded him about how many times he went to the doctor and he was only rewarded with painkillers…

“I can’t say it’s not a way to see it but… I have my doubts” She got up and stood next to Mark’s desk, leaving a note next to his hand.

“This man could help you with that. He is a martial arts teacher but learning and practicing these kind of things are known to have a positive effect on both mind and body. It’s worth a try right?” Mark grabbed the note and read it. Bakuto. Is that an anime reference or what?

“Maybe, but who has time?” Sarah was going to argue but someone knocked at the door before a secretary came in.

“Excuse me Mrs. Porter, but your first client has arrived”

“Thank you Clarissa” The secretary left the door open before leaving. Mark and Sarah exchanged stares before she went to the door to greet the client.

His job was really to learn how psychologists work in real work. Theory applied to the test. Sometimes Sarah would ask for Mark’s opinion on the subject or the way to deal with the therapy to evaluate how his critic view is developing. What you learn first is that the client comes in a defensive stance and that you have to take his defenses before they expose their real problems.

It was a busy morning but after lunch their work was done. They had a flexible schedule due to the importance of appointments. Nobody can come there without an appointment. So when all of them are finished, they can have the luxury of free time until their legal work time is completed. At this time, teacher and student go separate ways.

For what Mark knows, Sarah goes to visit some friends at one of the lower floors. As for him, Mark was already at the phone.

“Hey Jen!” He said in a cheerful voice.

“Marky! What’s up?”

“Want to grab a coffee at the usual?”

“See you in 15 minutes” She hanged up. He has known Jennifer since middle school. They were best friends alongside Morgan. They separated ways at college but they still maintained communication even after they started working.

Jennifer Sanders was an excellent prosecutor. She managed to put in prison some wanted criminals without breaking a sweat and she is a lovable and caring person. On the streets she is kind, funny and friendly and on the courtroom she is a beast that won’t flinch at the sight of problems.

They always meet up in a cafeteria that is at the same distance from the two workplaces. The best part is that they counted the number of steps taken to go there and it was the same number.

Mark entered and sat down on the usual spot waiting for Jennifer to come up. He ordered some chocolate milk and coffee for his friend and at the same time the waitress was serving it Jennifer appeared through the door. A dark, long haired lady in her mid 20s. She appeared a bit mature for her age but still had some features that depicted her youth. A bit long face with medium sized eyes. Her light brown eyes looking directly at his friend, drawing a smile on her face. Her garment was a white shirt with a black blazer in combination with black trousers.

“How is it going Marky?” She asked as she thanked the waitress for the coffee and took a seat.

“It could be worse” He answered expecting his friend to fin-

“It could be raining” Exactly. That’s her Jen.

“I’m fine. Heads still pounding but I’m surviving.” He took a sip of his chocolate milk before asking her about her day.

“Nothing important. Just a bunch of regular cases that end up in agreements before going to trial. A bit boring to be honest” She drank a bit of her coffee before continuing.

“Inspector Mendez is trying to hit on me” Mark put down the milk with drama on his face.

“Wait… WHAT? What do you mean by ‘trying’?” Jennifer chuckled before answering.

“He tried talking to me and the guy didn’t notice the banana peel on the floor and he slipped on it. It was so hilarious I couldn’t stop laughing” She was laughing remembering the whole scene, failing miserably at staying serious as she was explaining it to Mark. They both laughed for a bit until he asked.

“Who is this Inspector Mendez fellow by the way?”

“He helped me with a few cases. He got the promotion a month ago and still is better than some veteran inspectors I know.” Mark nodded as he was looking at how much chocolate milk he had left.

“The important question. Is he hot?” Jennifer gave him that look.

“As a matter of fact he is decent, but no, I’m not interested in him” Mark hid his face in shame. And he thought he could finally attend a wedding.

“Someone interesting in your life Mark?” He looked at the window blushing for a bit, provoking a gasp on his friend.

“Tell me EVERYTHING” She got up and leaned to Mark in a terrifying way that made him jump off his seat.

“W-Well… I encounter this person from time to time.” Jennifer gasped again.

“But we are so different it’s not going to work” She immediately overruled the statement.

“You can’t know until you try! You have to do a leap of faith Mark!” He looked away, not convinced about it.

“I don’t think I should. I have other thinks to care about.” Jennifer was going to reply but her phone started buzzing. She picked it up and after a few words she sighed.

“Ok, I’ll be there ASAP” She hung up. “Sorry Mark, something came up” She got up, drank the rest of the coffee and left the money for it.

“Today I invite. And don’t you dare forget that you owe me an explanation. See you later!” Jennifer left as Mark waved at her and said goodbye. At least she couldn’t interrogate him about the subject... for now. He sighed as he left the cafeteria and returned to his office. On the way there nothing interesting happened so he was bored enough to play Solitaire until his boss got in.

“Is your headache better?” Asked Sarah as she got to her desk.

“Not really” He answered as he rubbed his head in pain. Sarah looked at the clock.

“How about you go back home and I finish everything? You have to take care of yourself” Mark was going to complain when she was already opening the door and waiting for him to get out.

“Don’t give me that look. It’s not like we have work left. Don’t worry, nobody of the higher-ups will notice your absence. And if your head is still hurting… you should maybe go to the doctor or something” Sarah pushed him out through the door and slammed the door shut.

“… That was weird” He mumbled as he looked perplexed at the secretary who was as puzzled.

“Well… See you tomorrow Clarissa” He waved at her, going to the elevator as she said goodbye to him. On the elevator he sighed heavily as he looked at his phone. He was going to meet with Morgan after work to show him some new fireworks.
Morgan Turner was also a friend from middle school. He works as a pyrotechnician, the people who makes fireworks and operates with them. As a kid he tried to make his own brand of fireworks but he instead managed to set his garage on fire. His dream is to make people forget their problems for a couple of minutes by seeing blazing stars on the sky. He can be quite romantic about it.

[Hey Morgan. My boss just sent me home and I still have this terrible headache so do you mind if I go see your fireworks another day?>]  

He sighed again. He was sure that the headache would turn into an exploding brain or something like that. The door opened and he was going to cross it he encountered with the unexpected.

“Mr. Rand?” He asked as he was entering the elevator. Did he go out of the building and now he’s back?

“Hi there” He said as he pushed the button and entered. Mark looked at the floor screen.

“… Oh, I didn’t push the button. Silly me” He said out loud. He suddenly raises his head slowly and then turns it towards his boss.

“… You didn’t hear anything at all…” Mark stated as he narrowed his eyes into a suspicious stare. He was answered by an awkward smile. Damn it Mark. You have to control yourself.

A couple of minutes later they arrived at the first floor. Mark stepped aside so his boss could get out first. Was it because of good manners or so he don’t have to be besides him, witnessing how he judges him? Fortunately for him he just said goodbye and left in a hurry. He walked off the elevator and waited for a couple of seconds before starting walking home. The phone buzzed.

[Hey bro! Don’t worry about it. We have to still test it before it goes to the market. Get better!] 

With that settled up, he went to the grocery shop near his home to buy food and finally at home. His head was still pounding in pain. Seriously, it’s like his head is being hammered with that Nordic god hammer. He fell on the couch and stayed there until his consciousness fades away.

It was a strange dream. Or was it a nightmare? He was on an underground hallway, being transported on a stretcher to someplace. He was able to see the barely illuminated lights on the ceiling and he could see one or two people around him, presumably the ones who were moving the stretcher. After a blackout he was in a surgery room of sorts. They had these tools that are often depicted in movies and there were a bunch of people in white coats with masks.

“He is getting worse”

“Increase the dose and…”

Can consciousness fade when in a dream? Mark couldn’t know but it was happening even though he was struggling. And then he woke up.

He was on the couch, sleeping in a weird pose. He yawned as he shivered because of the dream. He looked at his phone and saw a few messages from Jennifer. It would seem she wants to hang out tomorrow. Wait. What time was it?

“… How did I sleep 3 hours?!” It was late evening. He looked at the clock of his phone with anger as he threw it to the armchair. He wanted to watch a tv show he was hooked up with.

“Shitty life” It was like the fourth time it happened to him. The longest naps ever done in New York City. That would be his super power! Anyway, he got up with difficulty, having a strange pain at the back of his head but almost no sight of the terrible headache he had this morning. A nap cures more than a visit to the doctor.

He put everything that was on his pockets inside the table of the dining room and head to his room to change to more comfortable clothes. Now with all the comfort he could get from his home, he turns on the television to watch a show that could drive him away from reality for a couple of hours. After 10 minutes or so, he looked down at the table. What was that paper?

He grabbed it and read the name Bakuto. Oh yeah. This was Sarah’s idea to help him with his headache. He played with the paper on his hand. Putting the whole headache aside… he always wanted to do learn to fight. You know, being those kinds of people that kick ass and drink cups of tea. Was that the reference?

Mark grabbed his phone and dialed the number on the paper. After a few tones the other end picked it up.

“Hello?” A man’s voice could be heard through the phone.

“Hi. I’m Mark Williams. Am I talking with Bakuto? This is going to sound awkward but my boss gave me your number.”

“Oh! You must be Porter’s student” Mark felt relieved. For a moment he thought that it was an elaborate prank.

“The one and only… I think” Did she have more students outside her work? She never mentioned anything but now he was curious.

“So you want to study the martial arts. Before that I would like you to come to my office so you can see for yourself the entire facility and how do we work. Tomorrow at 5 is a good time for you?”

“Make it 6 and then I can. You know schedules…”

“We can make the arrangement! If there is nothing more to discuss, see you tomorrow!”

“Thanks! Good bye!” And Mark hung up. He seemed friendly at least. He was not sure about this whole new experience of learning a martial art but you have to step out of your comfort zone from time to time and if he gets the headache out of his life, better for him.

He yawned once more after a couple of episodes of a tv show and decided to call it a night.

Meanwhile

There were two people on a rooftop of those skyscrapers. A middle aged man and a younger looking one. They were staring at the city with a sense of tension in the air.

“How much do you want to keep us waiting?” The young man asked.

“It’s necessary to make the proper arrangements for this task. This project could lead us to total control of the world” The middle aged man stated with joy on his voice.

“I still don’t get how she approved of this. We already have the world in the palm of our hands”

“When we get the best subject, believe me, you won’t regret the effort put into this project. We will be able to subdue anyone who is against us and join our cause. A war without blood” The younger man wasn’t convinced about his idea. This war has been present for centuries and now he pretends not to spill more blood? Innocent fool.

“When are we going to begin the tests?”

“We finished with the injections so in 1 month we should be able to see if there is any progress on the subjects.” The younger nodded in agreement before picking up his phone and dialing a number.

“In a month we have to finish the trials. Tell the others to hurry up” He hung up.

“Auch” Mark said as he destroyed his alarm clock with his fist as he always does every morning. Really, he had to stop doing that. He took a fast shower, prepared his breakfast and looked at the same newspaper he had since a couple of days. Maybe he should stop torturing himself, but he doesn’t gather enough courage to throw it to the bin.

Sighing hard, he finished with his breakfast, grabbed his personal belongings and headed to Rand Enterprises building.

“I don’t want to run into Mr. Rand” He mumbled as random bystanders looked at him as he was crazy. They wouldn’t be so wrong since that kind of behavior was often associated with people with mental problems.

“Silly people, just because someone acts weird through your eyes doesn’t mean they have mental problems.” He keeps on mumbling as he was entering the building and the elevator. He pushed the 34 floor and waited. But a hand stopped the door from closing.

“Aaaaand of course” He said out loud. Mr. Rand was the owner of the Hand. In capital letter.

“Hi there” He greeted like he didn’t hear the latest statement from Mark.

“Good morning Mr. Rand” Mark replied in the formal manner, looking away like the last time they met.

“Please, just call me Danny” He stretched out his arm to do a handshake. Mark raised his head surprised and with his eyes wide open. He stood there for a few seconds before shaking his hand, not altering his facial expression.

“If that’s the case, call me Mark” He added as the other end of the social convention.

“Nice to meet you Mark. What are you doing in this company?” Is he seriously interested in what is he doing here? Was he disguised as a peasant to know what his people think of his king?

“I-I’m a psychologist. I care about our coworkers mental health… and stuff” He answered blushing and looking away. For the love of God Mark, get a hold of yourself.

“That means that you treat Joy and Ward?” Mark was perplexed about the question.

“N-no. Is my master, Ms. Porter, who talks with the higher-ups.” Please floor 34. Why are you so high up in this building?!

“Your master?” Oh snap! That’s how he refers to Sarah when he talks with Jennifer and Morgan.

“She teaches me soooo…” Finally the elevator reached the floor and Mark unconsciously jumped out to safety... literally. Realizing this with a horror face he turned around only to see Danny laughing while the elevator door was closing.

“See you later Ma-“And the door closed before he could finish the sentence. Mark just sighed heavily, putting his hand on his heart.

“I hate myself”

“That’s worrisome” Mark jumped at the voice of Sarah behind him.

“You know you can enter my office if you want to talk right?” She offered her assistance.

“You know that we share office right?” Mark replied knowing fully that Sarah knew that. She just chuckled as she greeted Clarissa.

“Come on, we have work to do. How is your headache?” She asked opening the door and waiting for Mark to cross it.

“Surprisingly well. It’s still there but now it’s more bearable.” He answered heading towards his desk.

“Did you call Bakuto?”

“Yeah. I’m meeting with him at 6” Suddenly his headache got seriously worse. In a matter of seconds the pain was so unbearable that he lost his ability to see even though his eyes were wide open. Tears were crossing his face as he put his hands on his head in a vain attempt to somehow ease the pain. He could feel that Sarah was talking to him but no words reached his ears.

After a minute which felt like an eternity, Mark’s head stopped hurting and he regained consciousness. Not like he fainted or something but that was the most accurate way of describing it.

“Mark! Mark!” He shook his head wiping the tears. He lifted his head and saw Sarah and Clarissa near him with a worried to death face.

“Are you ok Mark?!” Sarah asked looking to his eyes.

“I will get a glass of water” Clarissa offered before leaving the room. Sarah kneeled to Mark’s head and touched his forehead.

“At least you don’t have a fever” She sighed in relief as Mark sat on his seat properly.

“I-I’m sorry…” He managed to say stammering.

“Nonsense! Don’t you apologize for something you didn’t have control of!” She raised his voice like she was lecturing him.

And then something weird happened. Sarah was bringing a chair to put it in front of him with the intention of using it herself when suddenly Mark had this sensation. He knew she was worried about him, but somehow that sensation he was having would be the ‘exact’ sensation she was having. The same degree, the same intensity… her own personal feeling and experience.

“How are you feeling?” She said in a more tender tone. Mark shook his head. Now the sensation was of intrigue. He looked at her with a perplexed look on his face.

“I don’t really know…” At that moment Clarissa came back with the glass of water and handed it to Mark.

“Thanks Clary” He whispered, drinking half the glass in one go. He couldn’t let go of the sudden emotions that he was sensing outside of him. Is that even possible? One can be empathetic to the point of feeling the emotions the others are feeling but this?
“Maybe you should go home and get some rest” Sarah suggested.

“No. I’m fine, really” She raised her eyebrow, standing up in front of him. That was a scary image.

“Are you REALLY sure about that Williams?” Her serious tone made him shiver.

“Y-Y-yes?” Mark stammered as Sarah was approaching his face with narrowed eyes. A couple of seconds later she backed off and headed to her chair.

“Ok, fine. But if I see that you are in pain or anything I’m sending you straight to your house. Understood?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Clarissa sighed as she left the room, welcoming one of the coworkers who was waiting patiently outside.

Surprisingly for the two psychologists, they’ve been working until the very end of their work time. Mark didn’t seem to have experienced any sort of pain or uneasiness during the labor, leaving Sarah less worried than she was at the moment of his ‘sudden pain attack’ as she called it.

“Any change Mark?” She asked putting her belongings on her bag.

“A bit of pain but nothing serious” Mark replied as he was opening the door for his master.

“Thank you. Don’t do anything stupid and if you have that pain again call me immediately” Even though she started saying it with a serious tone, Mark could feel the kindness and protective significance behind her words.

“Sure Sarah. I hope you have a good day” He bid farewell to her on the elevator since she always have to hand out a report on one of the higher floors before actually going home. Now outside with the chill and wind, he was at peace. Mark was quite fond of winter due to the icy wind. He could find respite by opening the window and putting his head outside, feeling the wind on his face.

“Well, that is that.” He whispered to himself after a minute enjoying the wind. Checking his phone he found some messages from Jen about hanging out.

[Sorry Jen, I have to go somewhere. Talk to you later!] 

“And… that is that… again” He proceeded to go home and prepare to meet Bakuto. He didn’t recognized the address so using the map application found out that it is a bit far for mere walking. With this in mind he called for a cab and enjoyed the views as he was traversing the many streets of New York.

“This is the place” Mark paid the cab and left it to witness the campus of some kind of institution. Is this were Bakuto teaches martial arts? Seeing the teenagers and young adults he felt really old in comparison even if the difference of age was between 1 and 5. And the worst of all is that they were more active than him. When did he become the lazy person he is now? He could remember perfectly the times he would run to every place and how he could be jumping for about 2 or 3 hours before his parents wanted to give him in adoption.

“That was weird” He said to himself due to his thoughts as he wandered through the campus. It was very lively with youngsters.

“Yes, I use the term youngsters when I’m a few years older than them.” A jogger looked at him weirdly as he continued jogging. Not that he cares. After walking for a bit he felt something weird on his back. Like someone was looking at him with… expectation? He turned around to see an older person, at least older than the people around, approaching him.

“Is it safe to assume you are Mr. Williams?” That someone called him Mister even though they can be older than him always shocked him at first. For what he cares he is a teenager in the body of an adult.

“Please, just call me Mark” He stretched his arm for a handshake which was welcomed in the same fashion.

“You can call me Bakuto, but if you agree to the training I will ask you to call me sensei” He said in a friendly tone even though Mark could sense that he was being serious about the last part.

“Fair enough”

“Please accompany me to my office” Mark nodded. They went through the campus and some corridors until they arrived at the office. It was decorated with weapons on cases stuck on the walls and some bookshelves full of… surprise! Books. Bakuto invited Mark to have a seat and he complied.

“Your teacher told me about your… situation, but I rather know about it from you if you don’t mind.” Mark closed his eyes. Where to start?

“Well… it all started some weeks ago. After waking up I start having these headaches that don’t want to disappear and it lasts until later in the afternoon. And today I had a blackout in the office so I would say it’s getting worse. I tried going to some doctors but after some tests they can’t explain what is happening so I’m on thin ice…” He sighed at the end of his explanation. Bakuto was touching his temple deep in thought. Somehow… he believed it? But there was some aspect that didn’t fit in.

“I can’t guarantee that it will work, but maybe is your inner chi the cause of all the problems. From what I can tell there is turmoil in your mind and body. And it translates as a disarray of the soul.” Those words could come as the kind of thing they tell you at the online store to make you buy unnecessary things but even though it was kind of preposterous… He felt that he was right.

“So how do you suggest I can mend that up?” Bakuto crossed his fingers in a very enigmatic way.

“It will take some time, discipline and training but I can teach you how to put order in your chaos” Mark felt uneasy when he said the word ‘chaos’. It was a term that served him to explain all the possibilities in this world and except a few people he knows, nobody is familiar with that concept.

“Mark?” He snapped out of his thoughts.

“Oh sorry. If you can help me I will gladly accept it. How much will it cost me?” Bakuto chuckled at the question.

“Do not worry about money. Sarah has helped me with some important problems in the past and I believe this is one of the many ways I can repay the help she lent me” Mark widened his eyes on surprise. It was not the kind of response he expected at all.

“W-well” He stammered. “How are we going to work then… sensei?” Bakuto smiled for the title.

“You will come here every day and we will train for 3 or 4 hours. No excuses” Mark gulped at the sound of that. “We start tomorrow at 6. I expect that you see changes… in a month or two.”

“That was quick” He expressed his thought out loud.

“If you need anything else…”

“No, thanks a lot for your time Ba- I mean… sensei” He bowed after he stood up.

“I have to warn you. It will not be walk in the park and I demand that you take it seriously. This is not a game… this is real life” That sounded way too serious but Mark could understand why he says that.

“Understood. Sorry If I have offended you in any way” He apologized.

“No harm done. I hope you have a good evening” Bakuto said as a goodbye. Smooth.

“Thank you again and see you tomorrow… sensei.” He left the office and left the main building to the campus. He still had some time before going home so he decided to search for a nearby metro station.

“There is one!” He yelled with excitement, scaring the bystanders nearby him. “Oh yeah… I have to keep it down…” He whispered. With that problem solved, he used the recently discovered metro to his home and afterwards he turned on his computer to analyze some data before going to bed. Tomorrow he will tell Jen and Morgan about his afternoon hobby. It wasn’t a hobby but he can’t say anything before starting.

“Off to bed. Tomorrow promises to be a loooong day.” With his headache gone and his mind full of thoughts, after a whole hour of trying to get to sleep… he managed to get to sleep.

-1 month later-

A man in a black hood was riding an elevator, clearly impatient after one single minute on it. Finally the doors opened and the man went through it only to find four men on suits with nightsticks on their hands clearly with the intentions on using it for violent purposes. The man faced them and in a blink of an eye started fighting with them. With no weapons to defend himself, he stopped every nightstick that was directed to any part of his body with relatively easiness while striking punches and kicks to reduce them. When all the men in suit were on the floor unconscious, he bowed to them and whispered a sorry.

“Who are you?” The man in the hood jumped and turned around.

“Not you…” He said out loud making sure the hoodie and the scarf he was wearing protected his face.

“Are you working for the Hand?” The hooded man shivered and was about to answer that raising his finger but in a second he thought about it.

“Yes Danny Rand. And you have something the Hand wants.” The man in the hood grabbed something from his pocket and showed it to Danny. It was a spherical object with a button.

“Do you believe in magic?” He pushed the button and threw the object towards Danny.