Disruptor

He was on a bed but facing the floor. How can you be facing the floor on a bed? Then he felt a syringe on the back of his head and the unbearable pain that came with it just urged him to scream and scream with all his strength.

“How is he doing doc?” Jennifer asked sitting in a chair. They were on a typical hospital room all white and with no decorations except from medical instruments and a few chairs for visitors.

“He is going to be fine. Although it would be good if he recovered consciousness soon. We can’t be sure of his condition if he doesn’t tell us.” The prosecutor nodded with a worried look on her face. She could still remember the scene.

A biker on their Honda Shadow traversing the city like a surfer would with the waves of the sea. The streets, the vehicles and the pedestrians looked fascinated, terrified and molested about the reckless yet stylish skills of the unknown rider. Parks and traffic circles were left behind with celerity as the biker reached their destination. A man was unconscious in a small pond of blood flooding slowly through a wound on his arm. The rider took off their helmet revealing a prosecutor with a liking for speed.

“MARK!” Jennifer yelled as she kneeled down and search for his pulse. Weak weak… very weak. She quickly called an ambulance and waited for it and the paramedics to take him in. When asked the only thing she could say is that she was driving home when she stumbled with his friend. Jennifer made sure that Mark got safely into the ambulance and followed them with her motorbike until they reach the hospital only to find herself helpless in the waiting room. She phoned Morgan and then waited for the doctor to tell her if he was going to be fine.

“It would seem that he was cut with some sort of blade on his left arm. He lost some blood but he should recover just fine.” The doctor answered to her endless questions. Unfortunately for her and her feelings, she had to leave because she needed to work the next day. With remorse and guilt, she left the hospital and headed home, not without having the weird sensation that someone was watching her…

Back in the present

“Oh snap! I have to get back to work!” Jennifer said to the doctor like he cared. She grabbed her bag in a hurry and told the doctor to look after Mark before she left. A few hours passed before Mark opened wide his eyes due to the nightmare.

“Oh my god that was painful.” To say the least. He still had the remnants of the dream’s pain on the back of his head.

“Auch.” He complained as always before realizing that he was not home but in a hospital bed. He sat and tried to remember how he got here.

“… Oh yeah… Jennifer.” He rubbed his head and saw the bandages on his arm.

“… Oh yeah… that asshole.” He repeated as he touched it and still felt a sting of pain. Well, he didn’t die at least. That’s a relief. He wondered about what the hell was all that about. Tests… the Chaste… frigging ninjas and frigging katanas. Was he on drugs perhaps? He stayed deep in thought for a few minutes when something unbelievable happened. He glanced through one of the nearest windows which was already opened and an arrow came in hitting the table on his right.

“Holy Molly!” Mark nearly screamed shutting up realizing that someone could come and see it. And indeed, he could sense someone very angry coming through the corridor. He grabbed the arrow and hid it under the bed praying that whoever is coming doesn’t notice.

“Oh! You’re awake Mr. Williams.” A doctor came in with a serious face. This could be bad if he gets all rage on him.

“Y-Yes.” He answered vaguely thinking on a way to approach him. The doctor seemed very professional but Mark knew that he was having a bad day.

“How are you feeling Mr. Williams?” He asked reading the clinical report he brought.

“Fine… a bit dizzy but fine.” He plainly replied trying not to see if the arrow was still well hidden.

“The arm?” The doctor asked ignoring what he just said.

“Good, good.” Mark gulped as the doctor finally stared towards him.

“I need to check the latest tests to see if you can go home or not. I’ll be back.” Mark sighed in relief when the doctor finally left the room. He really tried to play it cool so he appreciated the effort. Now the important thing. He quickly grabbed the arrow and inspected it.

“… A piece of paper?” It would seem that the arrow was not meant to be a weapon, instead his job was to deliver a message. It was too late to look at the window for the culprit so the only thing he has now is the note. He unraveled it and started reading.

“Get the yellow folder inside the next address. Fail to do so and face the consequences. You have until dusk to do it.”

That is bad. This is really bad.

“Oh my god this is bad.”

“What is bad?” Mark jumped and, in a reflex action, dropped the arrow to the floor. Morgan was on the door waving and, apparently, clueless to what happened.

“W-W-Well… I-I…” He couldn’t believe that Morgan didn’t hear the sound of the arrow dropping into the floor.

“Is it the pudding?” Morgan joked as he approached him who was rubbing his head so hard that, in due time, he would be able to find oil.

“N-No, it was just… um… that I had a bad dream. I thought I left the gas on and that my whole building exploded.” He laughed nervously.

“Last time I checked it was there so no need to worry about it.” Morgan comforted Mark as he took a seat near him. “How are you doing buddy?”

“I’m not complaining… even though I could.” Mark joked wondering if the doctor would let him go soon enough to do something about the assignment.

“What happened? Jennifer called me earlier this morning and told me that you were in the hospital.” Morgan explained remembering how he was mad at Jennifer for not telling him sooner. Mark sweated and doubted for a moment and after the made-up explanation he thanked for his great imagination.

“I was going for a stroll after the party and after a while of rambling about stuff, I think I got a bit lost. My good luck stroke when I asked some guy on the street who revealed himself to be a burglar. He tried to steal my phone and wallet and in return he gave me a knife on the arm. At least I managed to kick him on the stomach before he ran away… bastard.” He explained gesticulating a lot trying to overexpress his words.

“That must have been terrifying.” Morgan said without knowing what to do with the situation. Mark didn’t seem to be upset or sad. On the contrary, he was looking lively yet very nervous.

“No big deal. The problem is that I have no wallet, phone or keys to get to my apartment but…” Mark looked at both sides with narrowed eyes only to beckon Morgan. At close range he whispered into his ear.

“But I don’t think they know about the hidden key in the broken wood at the side of the door.” He finished with a wink and Morgan grinned.

“Smooth.”

“I know.” Mark replied with a smirk. “Could you do me a favor and see if there is anything missing? I don’t think the burglar knows where I live but you can never be too careful.” Mark asked Morgan with reasoning. If everything is fine he could get out of the hospital, check the address, be a burglar himself and then come back home for lunch!

“Sure! Let me handle this. Give me a call when you leave the hospital to pick you up buddy!” He ran away with only a wave as a farewell. Mark smiled at his friend when he realized Morgan was stupid.

“… My phone was stolen…” He said to himself as nobody was there to hear his thoughts out loud. Better for Morgan. After a few minutes and trying to cope up with a professional yet furious doctor, he finally managed to get out of the hospital. Good news? He could fulfill the assignment without worrying to get caught by his friends. Bad news?

“Oh yeah… my wallet is missing too…” He face palmed as he realized the horrible truth. He is in front of the hospital looking for who knows what. He unravels the paper with the address. He didn’t know where it is nor how to get there.

Now is the time where he remembers how he thought Morgan was being a bit forgetful with the calling him. And Mark realizes how Karma is rewarding him for making fun of Morgan for that.

“Karma is a bitch.”

“Oh really? I thought Karma was a good person.” The bad joke came from a voice he remembered faintly. He turned around to see…

“Chris??!!” He yelled as his body grew stiff due to the shocking surprise. Chris’ outfit differed from the one he wore on the pub. Brown leather jacket with a grey t-shirt complemented with denims. At daylight Chris looked a bit bigger and more handsome. Oh no.

“You remember my name! That’s a good start. Mark right?” Mark could only nod while his mind was still realizing what was happening.

“So what are you doing here? Visiting someone?” Chris asked with a smile. Mark needed to think quickly to avoid telling him the truth.

“I was robbed and stabbed and I got out of the hospital today.” Brilliant.

“Wait what?” He stammered as Mark chuckled nervously.

“It’s a long story and you don’t have to take it seriously.” He quickly explained trying to imply that he was joking. Chris just cleared his throat and let it slip by.

“Ok…” Chris replied looking through Mark with piercing eyes.

“And what about you? What are you doing here?” Mark tried to pass the ball onto him.

“Running some errands and going back to the pub.” Oh no. He had an absolutely perfect reason to be on the streets. Why does everyone have a reasonable reason??!!

“So what’s that paper?” Chris asked pointing at the piece of paper with the instructions that Mark had in his hand. He looked at his hand and then to Chris with widened eyes.

“W-Well… I have to do an errand too…” Mark looked elsewhere when, suddenly Chris snatched the paper out of his hand.

“No wait!” He yelled in vain. Chris skimmed through the paper and, for a split second, his expression froze only to chuckle and laugh immediately afterwards.

“Ha ha ha. You must have angered someone really nasty huh?” He kept on laughing as Mark was trying to understand how in the world this situation unfolded like this.

“Y-Yes! Jennifer has a really weird sense of humor” Mark could just chuckle nervously. Chris was lost in thought for a moment before talking.

“Want a ride?”

“What?!”

“I’m in no hurry to go back to the pub and I think you need someone to take you there. It’s a bit far for walking isn’t it?” Mark’s mouth was wide open from the beginning to the end.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” And Chris started walking away without Mark until the latter realized he wasn’t able to reject the offer in time so he chased Chris between complaints and swearing.

They were inside Chris’ car. A dark red Opel Astra which was really cool and fancy. It almost had the typical ‘new car’ scent’.

“Is it a new car?” Mark asked watching the streets through the window.

“I bought it two months ago. I got it from a friend’s friend for a really cheap price.” His replied was answered with a simple ‘oh’. There was an awkward silence before Chris broke it.

“Did you really get stabbed?”

“Yes” Brilliant again Mark. First you try to make it a joke and now you just admitted it.

“Are you alright? Chris asked with concern as he put his free hand on Mark’s shoulder, making him jump due to not being used to being touched out of the blue.

“A bit jumpy huh?” Chris mocked him while Mark’s face was turning into a living tomato.

“It’s not like that!” He complained loudly, making a pouty face as Chris chuckled.

“So let’s change the subject. What do you do for a living?” Chris asked after seeing Mark like that.

“I’m a psychologist.”

“Should I worry about my mental health then?” Chris joked.

“Don’t worry; you’re not the only mental case in the world.” Mark replied with sarcasm. Chris could only laugh.

“I’m currently working in Rand Company” He states glancing through the windows looking how the bystanders are walking.

“Rand? As Danny Rand? He seems to love being on the spotlight huh?” Mark nodded in agreement. After all the scandals one could think that everything was really orchestrated to put the company on every newspaper’s front page.

“Well…” Mark then had an idea born out of hormones and hopes for Chris to swing his way.

“At least he is handsome” Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait!

“Reasonable. He has features that people would consider to be handsome such as his cheeks, curly hair and, in a more general way, the combination of those aspects.” He imagined as Mark was crying on the inside. This was the seventeenth time that a guy he likes to come as a straight person.

“And if I somehow bump into him someday… I would totally hit on him.” Mark couldn’t prevent a gasp as an angelic chorus started singing inside his head.

“That sounded a lot more perverted out loud than in my mind.” Mark laughed noisily partly for Chris’ comment and partly for the joyful discovery.

“Do not worry. I share your taste.” He laid his card on the table. “I even run into him in the elevator sometimes.”

“Oh! And how is he in person and working for him?” Chris asked stopping on the traffic light.

“I don’t personally work for him but he gives me the impression that he is very naïve and innocent. He is no executive leader of a grand company even though it’s ‘his job’.

“So he just comes back from the dead to inherit one of the most important companies in the world and… he forgets to get a degree on economics?” Mark snorted at Chris’ witty response.

“Pretty much, although I’m nobody to judge his situation or anything.” That statement piqued Chris attention.

“How so?” He enquired Mark proceeding with the driving.

“Everyone is so eager to express their opinion that they all forget that their words have power. Whether it is to praise or to hurt. It is something nobody should underestimate…” The copilot explained with a more serious tone than usual. Chris wondered and dared to ask about it.

“Is it something personal?” Mark looked surprised about the question.

“What? No, in fact it doesn’t have anything to do with me.” The driver was going to enquire even further but unfortunately for him and fortunately for Mark, they arrived at the destination.

It looked like your average street. The only thing that was different to the others was the location within the city. Hell’s Kitchen. Its name could easily come from all the BBQ establishments that are located there. Another, more plausible explanation is that a lot of nasty criminals lurk from within the shadows to steal, murder and burn things. A more poetical way to express it would be that they feast on the others well-being leaving only the husk of their former selves. The Devil himself would be delighted to witness such a display of malevolence. The building itself seemed like it was renovated not too long ago in comparison to the neared buildings.

“So is this the place?” Chris asked after both of them got out of the car and stood in front of the main door.

“I think so… probably?” Mark wondered as he didn’t give any thought on how to proceed with this. The message wasn’t clear enough except for the address and on what to retrieve. Asking for a picture of the place may have been a bit too much.

“So what is this errand about?” Chris asked the one million dollar question putting Mark in a tight spot. Now what lame excuse should he use this time?

“I don’t rea-“ Mark was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise. Judging by the actual sound some kind of window or mirror has been shattered into a million pieces. Was it an accident? Or was it something else?

“We should check it out.” Chris suggested already willing to enter the building but Mark grabbed his arm stopping him on his track.

“Erm… I will go!” He shouted out of the blue and without a proper reason. He dashed to the front gate and before continuing inside he turned around to face Chris.

“If I don’t come back in ten minutes call the police.” Mark didn’t let him reply because he went inside at full speed. Luckily for him the front door didn’t require previous unlocking for his part or else it could have been a pretty awkward moment with Chris after acting so recklessly. He bolted inside to find a small entrance with a long corridor leading towards a pair of elevators and a staircase going upstairs. He took a quick look to the elevator and noticed that one of them was on the ground floor with him and another one on the 2nd floor.

“Worth a shot.” He rode the elevator and pressed the corresponding button. He was waiting inside with no elevator music to soothe his nerves and way too much time to reflect on how everything escalated so quickly and so badly. Why the hell did he go inside? Mark started to believe that he was going crazily reckless. The door opened revealing another corridor with many doors. One of them was wide open letting out the noisy ruckus that was happening inside. A sudden fear overcomes him as he approaches the doorstep. What if they had gun? Mark can defend himself in hand-to-hand combat to some extent but he was no bulletproof.

He gulped as he slowly and carefully entered the residence. For the look of it, it served more as a warehouse rather than an actual house. The amount of boxes, filing cabinets and disarray of documents, folders and papers in general made Mark wonder if a tornado hit the house. It would be a fair assumption.

There were two reasons why Mark knew that there were people inside, apart from himself of course. The first one was the noise that they were actually making. Boxes violently being opened and teared apart and at the same time papers were being skimmed and thrown into the air. The second one was the current feelings they were having at the moment. Anxiety were running through their veins and it was easily noticeable by his ‘new superpowers’ which was just a funny way to call them. From a rough glance of the house structure, the presumably bad guys were in a near room next to what would be the kitchen. Also the entrance was connected to the left with a living room and a tiny little bathroom to the right. Since there was nothing that could prove useful to Mark on the entrance he silently entered the living room which was even messier than the previous room.

What was different was that there were glass shards on the floor, presumably from the broken window that faces an interior courtyard. A quick glance made him discover that there were also shattered crystal on the rug of the room but this time its origin was a broken display that is on the wall. Mark approached in silent the display to see its content careful not to step on the shards only to see that it contained a newspaper clipping about the detention of the infamous Wilson Fisk. He frowned as he remembered how everything turned upside-down when it was discovered that this man had three quarters of the city in his pocket. Jennifer had really bad headaches during all this scandal because of this corrupted prick.
“Mm?” Something caught his eye. There was a funny yet disturbing relief behind the newspaper. It looked almost like a hand. He reached the newspaper with his hand when a noise made him look at the door. Three Asian men looked at him with angry faces which made Mark put a surprise yet scared face. He started backing up as they were entering the room clearly with no intention of resolving this ‘misunderstanding’ peacefully.

Mark looked at his side grabbed a box full of documents and threw it towards the angry Asian men. The first on the line didn’t foresee that attack and was launched into the floor thanks to the weight of said box.
The other two men managed to dodge the box and tried to grab Mark. A well done kick to the stomach persuaded one of them not to attempt that again. The one left succeeded in grabbing Mark by the neck of the shirt and hit him on the face quite hard. Mark stumbled backwards, leaning on one of the cabinets as the punching man was on course of dealing another blow but, instead, it was welcomed by a well-timed duck, resulting in the man punching the filing cabinet. The scream of pain resonated the room at the same time the first downed enemy got up willing to get his revenge.

The man jumped on the top of the table and sprinted towards the reckless psychologist. At that moment Mark wished the table had a table cloth so he could just pull it off and make him trip and fall. But there was none, so Mark just took the nearest chair available and smacked him in the legs. Obviously he fell on the side eliminating one enemy from the list. After the chair attack he was left with two wooden legs which were the perfect weapons for the not screaming man who was still doing his job, which was shouting. On the contrary, the standing man recovered from the stomachache and was ready to attack. It was really unlucky for him that Mark decided to be rude to him with a pair of new legs to the face. Now truly was that the last man was the furious broken fist man. He got up and punched the psychologist on the face with his unharmed hand.

Mark fell backwards to the floor a bit stunned. His enemy took advantage of the gained momentum and grabbed Mark only to violently throw him to the table afterwards, landing on the other side of it and ultimately falling over one the KOed enemies. People don’t make the best cushions but the worst part was for the man underneath him. Mark nearly trips when he stepped on the downed man in an attempt to get up but the punching man didn’t give him the chance to stand up and strike back. He grabbed a wooden plank which was lying around uncovered from within the mess and hit the psychologist with all his strength in the head. Mark could only see how the floor hit his body when he tried to hug it.

“This is a nightmare.” Jennifer complained after revising hundreds and hundreds of documents lying on her desk. After one or four cups of coffee, the drowsiness was getting the best of her. Now her workplace was not as pretty as it seemed the first time she set foot there. A wild and naïve attorney who quickly managed to climb up the ladder proving some of the veterans that she can handle all kind of cases and succeed in the end. That doesn’t mean that nowadays things are better. She has to investigate the mysterious document thieves, prepare and win a bunch of easy yet time consuming cases and also she was more stressed out than usual due to what happened to Mark.

“Want more coffee?” Inspector Mendez entered her office with a beverage display in hand.

“Please no, if I drink more I will start climbing the walls.” She joked with a tired smile. She put aside the papers in front of her just to see that there was a desk underneath.

“Maybe you should go home and get some rest.” The inspector suggested as he drank from his coffee.

“Only if I could… Evil doesn’t rest and someone has to put them behind bars.” She replied continuing her document reading. She was not stupid to think that she is the solution to all criminals and even superheroes need to rest, but she was still not happy with those facts. Every time she enters the courtroom is to put the culprit in jail but when she leaves with a verdict, she finds ten more cases resting on her desk. Those criminals always come back and ruin innocent lives. It is a tireless and, sometimes, hopeless job. Jennifer always have to cope up with these ugly feelings and she manages to fend them off by enjoying a nice and comfy hang out with Morgan and Mark.

“Did you hear the rumors of the Black Rider?” He suddenly asks with a bit of guilt since maybe it is one of her pending works and he just reminded her of more work.

“What Black Rider?” Jennifer asked tilting her head.

“There is someone in a totally black attire with a motorbike of the same color that drives through New York some nights exceeding the speed limit. A total beast that manages to elude us every time we try to catch them.” Jennifer was speechless. That sounded really weird, out of the blue and, top of all, unbelievable.

“Never heard of it. Sounds way too serious than it seems to be.” She expressed deciding that she really needed another shot of caffeine, grabbing one of the cups that the policeman brought and taking a sip.

“Well, they are breaking the law and endangering other people’s lives with their risky driving.” He insisted, remembering how he saw the Black Rider in action once, almost ending up in a big, noisy accident.

“So what leads do you have on this Rider?” Jennifer enquired discarding the idea of focusing on her investigation if Inspector Mendez continued talking about this topic.

“Aside from their outfit and bike, nothing. It’s practically a ghost.” He rubbed his chin cluelessly and a bit ashamed of his incompetence.

“No license plate?” The inspector shook his head as he tried to hide his shame behind the beverage he was drinking.

“You can always narrow down the areas where the rider has been seen so you can expect them the next time they appear.” Jennifer suggested hidden behind some documents she was trying to read even though she initially desisted on trying. As she was laying down the papers back to the desk, she witnessed how the inspector was taking notes, presumably of what she just suggested.

“…” She decided not to judge him and keep on reading until a name rang a giant and noisy bell inside her head.

“Leland Owlsley… Wasn’t he the financial genius behind Fisk’s scandal?” She quickly dashed towards a pile of papers at the other end of her desk with Mendez looking surprised and a bit scared due to her sudden reaction.

After a couple of minutes in which she was grabbing a bunch of documents and piling them up in a corner, gathering a quite amount of papers, she sighed with satisfaction.

“Now that I have a lead…” She got up and fell on her leather couch with all the accumulated tiredness she could muster.

“Close the door on your way out and thanks for the coffee.” She said before falling into Morpheus’ embrace, leaving an astonished inspector speechless before leaving with an awkward look on his face.

Mark got up with a terrible headache and had to take a few minutes to remember what happened before he collapsed which only gave him the scare of his life when he woke up on an unknown bed. He quickly got up and nervously looked around him. It seemed to be a bedroom with dark walls and a bunch of posters of famous rock groups. There were also some pictures of a young boy with his parents in very typical environments such as birthdays and holidays. After a closer look the boy somehow seemed familiar to him. He was trying to remember when the door opened, Mark quickly adopted a defense stance as the intruder was entering the room. Who could have imagined it was Chris?

“Wait what?” He stammered as Chris was surprised by his pose and general response to his arrival.

“So I get you are better now?” Chris asked with a funny tone with a slice of pizza in his hand.

“Erm… erm… where am I?” Mark asked after relaxing a bit.

“You are at my place. I know it can be a bit spooky but…” Mark was still getting his surroundings so Chris continued talking. “When you entered the building and after some time, a group of three people left in a hurry and I feared the worst. I must admit that you seemed to be in a pretty bad shape. I’m glad that’s not the actual case.” He grinned as Mark rubbed his head still in pain.

“Does something hurt?” The host asked approaching Mark with a concerned look on his face. Mark trembled a bit as Chris moved away his bang, revealing a small wound on the side of the forehead with a bit of blood coming out.

“Mmm. Give me a sec.” Chris walked away and Mark followed. The living room has a long sofa with a TV attached to the opposite wall. There are photos of Chris with some people and the background was very similar to Chris’ bar, which is weird since he recalled Morgan saying that the Devil’s Disruptor was fairly new. The kitchen is at the end of the room. A small yet typical kitchen with all the essential tools for cooking. From the door on the right of the kitchen emerged Chris with cotton on one hand and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on the other.

“Didn’t I tell you to make yourself at home? Well, go for it!” Chris said as he wet the cotton with the contents of the bottle. He approached Mark and ignored his complains when he started disinfecting and cleaning the wound in a way that would remind Mark as a mother but… somehow… it felt like something deeper.

“It’s fine, please st-auch!”

“Next time don’t go recklessly towards danger. I was worried you know.” He stated in an accused him but in a worried tone instead of a blaming one, which threw Mark off. They merely know each other yet he really is preoccupied for him. Both of them went silent for a moment until Mark whispered an apology.

“Sorry.”

“The important thing is that you’re fine. Just so you know, I called the police after I found you so maybe they will sort everything out.” He didn’t seem convinced but he did not care about it. Mark didn’t really want to talk either so he let Chris finish his nurse role-play to make a witty comment.

“Nice flat.” So witty. Chris snorted at the sudden remark.

“Why thank you. This was not the way I thought you would end up on my bed but I’m not complaining.” That really freaked Mark out. What did he just say!? Mark’s face was a mix from Munch’s Scream and a cartoon character’s scream with their arms extended to impossible lengths.

“E-E-Excuse me??!!” He finally spoke. Chris changed his facial expression from overall happiness to awkward, guilty face.

“Oh my god. Sorry! I sometimes talk without thinking!” He was going to approach Mark but he stepped back when he saw Chris come near him. Mark stood there looking at Chris astonished and for a few seconds, loss at words until his emotions started to flourish from within.

“Why did you say that then?!” He asked really pissed off.

“I’m sorry I was not thinking straight!”

“Nobody says things like that without thinking you pervert! So all this time you were only thinking to fuck me?!” Chris was trying to calm him down with hand gestures but Mark was only increasing his voice volume.

“That’s why you were so nice? Give me a ride and then get me to bed?” He punched the wall which cracked it and made Chris jump and widen his eyes astonished.

“You know what Chris? Go fuck yourself!” Mark invited himself out making a huge noise when slamming the door behind him. He went downstairs from where he was and found out that Chris’ flat was actually the second floor of his own bar so he took the chance and slam the door of his bar too just to release some steam. His house was a bit far for walking but it was achievable. After all it was a subway station away so he walked there and tried to calm himself down. It was not a good moment to reflect but he needed it.

He was not the kind of man to easily lose his temper but this topic touched a hundred of nerves at the same time. In high school he had to lay down due to the fear of the consequences of coming out and, in reality, he didn’t have the need thanks to Jen and Morgan’s support and also because there wasn’t anybody interesting enough. At university things didn’t go as good as the American films show you. He had problems with some of his classmates who he tried to hit on because he thought they would fall for him or… well… hormones. All these made him decide to settle down and only focus on graduating, find a job, a house and then he would worry about love. This is why all his romantic life could be summarized in two words: non-existent. And after the few failures he had with men, he decided to not look for it.

Thinking it coldly, he was actually complimented by Chris’ unfortunate comment but his issues bloomed, partly thanks to everything that has happened in the past two days to him. He didn’t want to think Chris is that kind of guy but a voice in his head kept reminding him of his previous interactions.

Mark wiped out a tear with his sleeve at the moment of reaching his doorstep. He didn’t even notice how he got there, mainly because he was in his own world and he just automatically walked home. Mark mindlessly opened the door and walked in and it took him a few seconds to realize something potentially dreadful. The door was opened without the need of keys so maybe… just maybe there was a burg-

“Oh wait… Morgan!” He shouted ashamed of his memory and to see if he was home. After all what happened it was understandable not to remember everything, but it was not excusable.

“It’s not excusable that he didn’t lock the door on his way out either.” He continued his train of thought as he traversed the rooms and saw no sign of Morgan. He noticed a suspicious looking box with a paper attached to it. He grabbed the paper and read it.

“Hi Mark! I hope you read this before you try to put the box in the bin. It’s a gift to light up your moody days. If you catch my drift.” Mark narrowed his eyes not trusting Morgan one bit. He carefully opened the box and understood the pun.

“… Light up my moody days…” He whispered looking at the content. Fireworks. Morgan should know that this is probably illegal or something. Inside the box are roundy kind of fireworks, firecrackers, the FW launcher he invented and some more. Mark started developing the idea of Morgan using him as a warehouse or to get rid of evidence. He sighed loudly leaving the box on the living room table.

Mark was eager to have a shower and be comfy and maybe jump into his bed and sleep for eternity so he went straight to his bedroom to prepare for the first step of his foolproof plan when something shook him. There were some items on the bed which, at first, gave him a bittersweet surprise. His wallet and mobile phone were such items. Mark checked that everything was correct when a phone call from an unidentified number came in. He answered it with all the neutrality in the world.

“Yes?”

“If you want to see your friend again come to the address you will receive on your phone. Don’t keep us waiting.” They hung up and left Mark in a state of shock. He had still the phone on his ear but he was completely frozen in place, processing what he just heard from the other end of the line. The buzz coming from the phone made him return to the real world. The address was the message he received, but before he cared about that he called Morgan. But it seemed that he was out of reception so afterwards he tried to call Jennifer and, thankfully, she answered.

“Mark? Is that you or the thief I will have to put behind bars?” She asked with a threatening voice.

“Jen! Are you ok?”

“That’s what I should be asking! How did you get your phone back?” Mark shook his head even though she couldn’t see him.

“Not important right now! Have you heard from Morgan?”

“Nope, he hasn’t answered about the dinner plans. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing. See you!” He hung up before she could reply and tried to call Morgan one last time but in vain.

Mark started to panic, walking through the rooms on the verge of tears. The stress was finally catching up and he found himself finally crying in the living room, crouched in a corner for a long time. He took a look into the box Morgan left him. Morgan was counting on him. The police would only make things worse… if they appeared at the place they would kill Morgan or get him somewhere else… He was the only person who could save him right now.

“Except for Daredevil, but he is on retirement or something…” Mark, with his personal humor and wit back, grabbed some of the fireworks from the box, a hoodie and set off to save his friend. He didn’t want to risk being caught by the subway security personnel so he called for a cab instead. After paying the driver and leaving him there he focused on the strategic aspects of the building in front of him which, presumably, was the location of Morgan.

An abandoned building which provided hints that, in other times it was a bar. With neon decayed signs and bolted windows from where you could peek inside, the interior was dark but one could appreciate the silhouettes of stools, a counter and many chairs and tables alongside a big stage at the end of the bar. It reminded him of Chris’ except for the obvious difference… This was abandoned and his was newly opened.

The only light that shined through the bar was from the clear night sky. The moon bathing Mark’s surrounding and creeping through the bolted windows. It was not enough for him so he leaned on the wall and tried to focus. He closed his eyes and, for a moment, he caught a glimpse of what was going on there. Three people were inside right now. One who was overcome by fear who had to be Morgan. One of the men were with his friend and the other one a bit close to them. Maybe separated by a room or two.

He opened his eyes and breathes for some time, trying to calm himself. It was probably an ambush and if he did something wrong it will cost him… Mark didn’t want to think about that exact consequence. It’s not like he could sneak out and take them down. He is not prepared for those kinds of things and also he was pretty sure that they were aware of his presence outside. With fake determination he opened the door with a kick and entered. The darkness swallowed him but his phone’s illumination casted it away letting him advance unharmed by the traps laid by time and wood.

“Welcome Number 5.” A couple of spotlights blinded Mark for a couple of seconds. “We’re afraid that your assignment ended up in failure.” His eyes finally adjusted to the sudden light and saw two people on the stage.

“You didn’t recover what you were asked for and now… you will have to face the consequence.” Morgan was gagged and tied up to a chair next to the man who is talking who he recognized immediately for being the guy who punched the crap out of him.
“Who the hell are you and why are you after me?” He simply asked omitting how was he going to kick his ass.

“We are part of the test you didn’t past. Which means that your friend…” He then took a knife from his pocket and threatened Morgan by putting it near his throat. Mark’s blood started pumping out of anger. Who the hell did he think he was to toy with his life like that?

“But you can save him under one condition.” Mark raises his eyebrow as he finishes the sentence. Out of the blue or, at the exact time it was expected, a great buffed, muscular man came out from behind him. He was really big in height and weight. If he was more calmed or, at least not pissed off, he would wonder how the hell he gets inside any building at all.

“Entertain me.” Morgan was emitting sounds as he frantically was trying to free himself. Mark wasn’t afraid at all which he recognizes as a symptom of recklessness but he had something far more important to care about at the time.

The big man advanced enough to be at a safe distance from Morgan and his buddy and stood there with confidence and unaltered demeanor. Mark didn’t give it any thought and immediately punched the man in the torso.

The pain coming from the knuckles were enough to force a tear out of his eye. Big Guy laughed before grabbing him easily and tosses him to a bunch of stools like he was a ragdoll. Morgan screamed soundlessly as his friend was trying to recover from the throw. The man approached Mark unrelentingly until he grabbed one of the downed stools and hit the big guy in the legs. The stun gave Mark enough time to fully recover and to develop a strategy. If mere force is not enough, get and use things from the environment to help you. He took a chair and threw it with all his strength towards the big guy but he rendered the attack useless by only covering his head with his bulky arms.

Mark took a quick look around and since he was scarce on resources, he used a chair against his enemy but to the same result. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a third chance when his adversary arrived in front of him and decided to be rude by landing a punch to the stomach that sent him rolling a couple of meters. He gasped for air, cursing that bastard as he approached him only to start kicking him on the floor repeatedly. The pain inflicted to him was almost unbearable as he was struggling not to pass out when the man grow tired of it.

“You are a disappointment.” The man next to Morgan shook his head in shame. “I’m afraid your friend’s life is forfeit.”

“N-No… P-Please…” Mark muttered as he fell completely powerless and useless. He was angry at himself, at the situation and especially at those people. After the kidnapping, the stupid task and those stupid asshole people who are there just to torture and feel joy out of the suffering of others. He could only watch as that piece of shit was getting his knife closer and closer to Morgan’s throat.

Something lit a fire inside him. His hatred reached heights beyond measure and he didn’t feel the pain that has been wearing him down. He didn’t have any sensation at all except for anger. He was not going to let any of those bastards lay a finger on his friend. He reached for his pocket and, with incredible aim, used the FW launcher towards the man trying to murder his friend. The firework hit him straight in the forehead, igniting his hair and dropping the knife as a consequence.
The burst of energy born from the anger within let him stand up like he had fully recovered from the beating and gave the big guy a stare of: Come at me. The challenge was accepted. Mark’s enemy quickly answered with a combination of punches aiming to obliterate him but, much to his surprise, he found out that his attacks weren’t landing at all. Mark was dodging everything with relatively ease and when he saw a moment of tiredness on his rival he did his move. He threw a punch to the face that stunned him for a few seconds and linked it with a kick to the stomach. The guy was launched a few meters away like he was made of cardboard.

The guy with the knife managed to extinguish the fire of his head and quickly grabbed his weapon but immediately afterwards he was welcomed with a table thrown to his face. Morgan’s eyes were wide open as Mark was delivering such a display of strength. The big guy got up and was running towards his adversary with all the speed he could achieve, ready to tackle him as if it was a football match. Mark stood his ground and intercepted his enemy with his hands. There was a moment when they both struggled with their strength trying to move each other culminating in Mark giving the big headed guy a good headbutt which made kiss the floor and, before he could stand up, Mark jumped to his head and started punching him with all the wrath he could muster until plastic surgery became the only option for that man to have a regular face.

Mark got up with his knuckles bruised and bloody but the most fearful aspect of his was his stare. His yellow eyes were transmitting uncontrolled rage and the knife dude was tremblingly picking up the knife and unwillingly decided to attack him. His arm was stopped in the middle of the thrust and a loud cracked hinted how his limb was broken. A scream left his mouth as Mark grabbed his head and crashed it into the wall.

“If you dare come after us again I will crush you to pieces. Is that clear?” He said in a deeper and louder voice than usual. The man was crying and laughing at the same time out of desperation but the words that came out of his mouth were different than the ones Mark was expecting.

“You have no clue at all… The Hand won’t let you go and you will suffer the consequences!” He finished with a mad laugh which was rewarded with his skull hitting the wall again.

“Who is The Hand? What do they want from me?” Mark’s hands were shaking as the man laughed and laughed.

“Your worst nightmare.” Mark punched him in the face so hard that his nose broke as well as passing out. Morgan at this point was trying to turn around with little jumps on the chair when he finally reached to see his friend Mark. The knife guy’s body fell to the floor as Mark was panting with his eyes focused on the body. He was ready to start punching him when he saw Morgan on the corner of his eye and suddenly dropped to his knees, panting harder than before.

It took him a few seconds to get himself up and hurry to his friend in order to free him. He first ripped the rope tying him up and then the gag.

“ARGH! That hurts!” Those were his first words after hours and hours. Morgan got up from the chair and the first thing on his to do list was to hug his dear friend.

“I’m so sorry Mark! So sorry!” He cried as Mark started crying as well. The hugged each other for many minutes weeping and crying until their eyes grew dry.

“How did you do all that Mark? When did you turn out like the green big thing superhero?!” Morgan asked still shaking and stammering.

“I-I don’t know…” He stepped away from Morgan after the hug. Mark started staring at his trembling knuckles. He didn’t know if he had more blood from those two or from himself. Mark hided his hands on his armpits as if he was cold and looked around him.
“I think w-we should run away f-from here.” Morgan nodded as his suggestion and they quickly get away from that place unaware that his escape was being filmed by a couple of hidden cameras on dark corners of the abandoned bar.
Mark called a cab to take them home but when they arrived at Mark’s house and was leaving he turned around to Morgan.

“Hey buddy… do you want to stay at my place?” Morgan didn’t hesitate to say yes and after paying the driver, they both entered Mark’s apartment. A safe haven finally. Mark went straight into the bathroom to disinfect the bruises on his knuckles as Morgan went directly to the kitchen and grabbed a sandwich. Mark looked at the hurting wounds with a painful expression. He suddenly jumped when he saw something yellowish on his mirror but he was astonished to see that it was his own eyes. He approached the mirror with a mix of fear and fascination as the reflected yellow eyes followed every move.

“You have to explain me that too.” Morgan commented on the doorstep making Mark jump again.

“Morgan!”

“Sorry, sorry.” He apologized with a chuckle.

“So… do you know anything about what happened?” Mark washed his face as Morgan asked.

“I’m… not really sure…” He stated drying his face with a towel.

“I think we should call the police.” Mark shook his head with energy.

“We better not. I believe there is something really wrong with all these…” Morgan frowned and put a more serious face.

“What is going on Mark?” He asked in an accusative tone.

“It’s a bit difficult to explain. Can we talk tomorrow?” He was heading outside the bathroom but Morgan’s arm stopped him.

“Please Morgan. I had the worst day of my life and I saved you. Please wait one night I beg you.” He breathed and sighed in resignation, leaving the way free for Mark to traverse.

“Thanks.” He stated as he went to his bedroom. Morgan looked at him from the corridor and a light bulb turned on on Mark’s head. He quickly grabbed a chair and put it on the front door alongside something heavy. Like the toaster.

“If somebody comes in we will hear it.” Morgan approved of his plan and headed to the bed-couch on the living room.

“Good night Mark.”
“Good night Morgan.”

And both of them went to sleep after the most stressful day of a lifetime.