Disruptor

Midnight, a police car was stationed in front of the highest and probably most expensive skyscraper in all New York. Only the richest and most famous, often more infamous than the other way around, have a residence here. Of course nobody can enter there without an invitation from one of the residents, except for Jennifer and Inspector Mendez.

They entered through the main door and headed to the elevator when they were intercepted by a fat and bold manager.

“Hey you! You’re not allowed to enter like that!” Just when he stood in front of them, Jennifer showed him a piece of paper in front of his face.

“Here you have the search warrant written by me and signed by a judge. Have fun with that.” She moved away from the manager but he grabbed her arm not allowing her to reach the elevator.

“You are not a cop! You can’t fool me!” He was clearly ignoring the obvious policeman just next to her and, before this cop could go and stop the fat man, Jennifer picked and showed the manager her prosecutor badge in the same fashion as the search warrant.

“True, I’m not a cop, but if you continue on getting in our way I will get you arrested for obstruction of justice. Clear?” He let go of her after that threat with a horrifying look on his face. His job was more important than guarding the residents’ privacy.

They rode the elevator and pressed the button of the designated flat and the stereotypical elevator music started playing as both occupants looked at themselves on the mirror.

“I don’t mean to question your plan but… couldn’t we do this tomorrow with some sunlight?” Mendez asked in a friendly demeanor but also looking at the hour, missing his bed.

“I rather do everything as soon as possible. Besides, there is something bothering me.” He enquired her for more information.

“Leland Owlsley has been Fisk financial manager even before his political career went public, but before and during this, Leland also managed other people’s money and a certain nickname was repeated in some documents alongside Fisk’s name.” She gave a dramatic pause just to annoy his partner. “Ms. G.”

“Ms. G? Who is that?”

“That’s what I intend to find out.” The doors opened giving Jennifer a great sensation of accomplishment because of the timing. A white corridor invited them to traverse it. The decorative paintings, furniture and carpets were proof of how fashionable and rich people residing here are. In reality this building provides these people an alternative house, considering the paparazzi and the press, they need somewhere to lay low. Run by a private company, the residents are guaranteed safety and privacy in exchange of a price. That means that criminals who can afford this kind of deal are protected from police eyes unless you are smart enough or they are dumb enough.

Passing by a couple of doors the finally arrive at Owlsley’s door. The policeman was going to ask Jennifer how were they going to open it without forcing their way in when they both noticed that the behind the door were sounds of someone inside and since Leland was MIA, it was expected to be a burglar or someone else. The inspector halted the prosecutor’s movement and unsheathed his gun. Jennifer stepped aside and quickly called for backup. Mendez kicked the door and entered the apartment to find the lights on. The entrance was bathed in white paint and complemented with high quality wooden furniture. It really was giving successful entrepreneur vibes. Aiming his handgun at the next door, he could see through a windowed door that the kitchen was lit as well and that it connected to a living room that was surprisingly in the dark and a corridor. The inspector made its way through the kitchen quickly and he was alerted by a sudden movement from within the shadows of the living room.

“This is the police! Come up with your hands up and state your name!” Valiantly shouted the policeman, aiming his gun at the darkness. At first there was no response but when Jennifer crossed the doorstep with flashlight in hand and used it on the darkness, it revealed a person whose face was covered by some kind of scarf or bandanna with something resembling a robe as clothing. In the blink of an eye, the man jumped over one of the couches with great agility. Mendez tried to aim at the guy’s leg and shot him once but in the darkness he couldn’t know if he hit him or not. Judging by the movement it was implied that he failed and both of them saw him run across the room and do something unbelievable. He jumped over the window. The two of them quickly approached it to bear witness of what happened to the person but they saw nothing. Not even a trace that a person has jumped or anything.

They looked at each other completely astonished and speechless. They just saw a man disappear in thin air in the middle of the air! They stood there trying to get a glimpse or a hint of this event even happening and was not a product of their imagination.
They didn’t exchange words. They merely stepped away from the window and started searching their surroundings. The only thing they could do was to wait for the backup and the forensic team that Jennifer called afterwards. The living room, after lighting it up, didn’t strike as unusual to the rest of the apartment. Same fashioned walls and furniture with the addition of leather couches, a giant and expensive television, a chimney, bookcases to decorate the empty spaces on the walls and, of course, a drinking cabinet full of a wide array of alcoholic drinks. The inspector looked at the drinks with lust but his hopes were quickly destroyed with a silent judgment and a killer stare. They started examining the bookcases and found that they were all filled with economic books. If Leland really read all these, no wonder he was such a genius in terms of economy management.

“Oh.” Mendez said briefly when he found something on the floor near the electric chimney. He crouched near the columns that decorated it and found that there was an unusual carving on it but a closer inspection revealed that it was in fact the bullet he shot at the mysterious man. Jennifer approached the inspector to bear witness of the discovery.

“Great aim inspector.” She praised looking at the bullet. At first Mendez assumed that she was saying that because he found the bullet but when he took a more thoroughly look, he was surprised to find that there was blood at the tip of the bullet. It would seem that he actually hit him and, from the position of the carving and the angle from where he fired, he must have hit him below the knee.

They looked around the place some more, managing to locate the rest of the blood on the red carpet. That mystery was solved but there were many more waiting inside the house. They didn’t wait for the forensic team to come and, instead, continued investigating the apartment in order to find the answers to why a robed man was inside, what did he do, who is this Ms. G and, of course, about the stolen documents. Their search didn’t bear fruit at first since the place was pretty clean, maybe a bit too clean. Both investigators entered a lounge room that was next to Leland’s own bedroom. There is a huge, black piano on one of the corners, another bunch of bookcases, a game of pool at another alongside a dart game and stuff you would find at the nearest pub. Also there is an additional space disguised as a balcony in which there are chairs and a little table, fancy enough for a cup of tea. The walls of the lounge are decorated by realistic paintings of people and landscapes which added to the concept of artistic lounge.

“I wouldn’t mind having all these at home.” The inspector joked around at the same time that Jennifer was checking one of the cabinets on the kitchen after giving up on that room.

“I prefer my house to be humble.” She replied as she was looking at some ornamental cups of tea and kettles. They seemed way too oriental for being part of this occidental apartment. She carefully opened the cabinet and examined the cups with suspicion. When she grabbed the third cup, a piece of paper fell from it. She left the cup on its place and took a look at the tiny paper. There were no words or numbers; instead there was a drawing of some kind of lizard in red. She picked up her notebook from her pocket and made a draw of the lizard.

“The forensic team is here.” Jennifer nodded to Mendez and headed to the entrance in order to supervise the investigation.
This promised to be a long night…

“Auch.” Mark yelled after punching the alarm to turn it off. With drowsy eyes he headed to his bathroom to have a shower and prepare to go to work.

“Hi Mar-“

“AHHHHHH” A few seconds passed before Mark remembered that Morgan stayed for the night. He was brushing his teeth on his bathroom like he was at his own home. Time passed in which Mark overcame the scare and managed to shower while Morgan made himself useful by making waffles for breakfast.

“Are you Ok?” Morgan asked dipping his waffles on syrup.

“My hair just turned white because of your scare so no.” He sentenced half joke half serious.

“I meant about yesterday!” Mark looked elsewhere thinking that he should have known what he meant from the beginning.

“My hands still hurt as hell and I can’t bend without crying out of pain so… fine?” He joked in pain as he touched his hands. “What about you?”

“Better than you it seems. I still scare myself with the thought that someone is going to cut my throat though…” Morgan got the chills as he was answering the question. They ate some waffles in silence before Mark broke the silence.
“I’m sorry Morgan. It was my fault that you got kidnapped.” He apologized in a way that Morgan felt uncomfortable.

“It’s not your fault. If you were the one to come home you would have been the one to be kidnapped… and I don’t think I could have saved you…” Mark was surprised for his friend’s statement.

“Don’t say that! You would have showed up with your army of fireworks and saved me in the most amazing way ever!” He said trying to cheer him up. On the other hand… he actually thinks it would be more awesome with Morgan saving him. His friend chuckled with the mental image.

“I would have burnt the whole place.”

“The most cooked Asian food in the world.” They both laughed at the witty and racist comment Mark did. They enjoyed their breakfast and after finishing it, Morgan asked the question dreaded by his friend.

“Do you know what is going on?” Mark gulped. Seeing it from outside it sounds really surreal and, at first, he thought Morgan wouldn’t believe his story. Morgan listened to it, changing his facial expression as Mark was narrating and, at the end, he could only wonder.

“So this Hand… seems to be the same people that kidnapped you and the others?” He was referring to the day Mark was captured and that man started saying shit about tasks or whatever.

“It may be, so these Asian men I’m assuming they work for them.” Morgan nodded agreeing with that reasoning.

“Somehow I have the impression that they knew what I was capable of. The problem is that there are more people like me who are like me, or even better.” They both were lost in thought. Neither of them knew anything apart from what they’ve experienced.

“At least you are now one step closer to becoming a super hero.” Mark narrowed his eyes looking at Morgan with disgust.

“I’m sorry but I’m not going to fight aliens or anything like that.” He stated with a wry smile.

“So what are we going to do?” Mark was surprised by Morgan’s question.

“We?”

“Yeah! We have to gather information about these guys and bring them to justice!” Mark thought Morgan didn’t hear him the first time so he insisted one more time.

“We??!!”

“Do you really think I will not participate after almost being murdered in cold blood?” He was going to reply but he stopped, thinking on how he was going to convince him.

“They will go after you if you get into this mess with me.” Morgan raised an eyebrow thinking that his argument stinks.

“You do realize that they already targeted me right?” Mark was going to reply again but he found himself lost at words.

“I’m still against it.”

“I don’t care.” His friend stated which didn’t make Mark happy at all.

“If you insist… I will check again that place in Hell’s Kitchen. Maybe there is a clue somewhere.”

“If that’s the case I’ll pick you up after work.” Mark suspected something weird about his offering.

“… Are you going to leave work earlier than you’re supposed to?” He asked in an accusative tone.

“Maybe?” Mark judged him as he was picking his wallet and phone.

“You better not stand out at work, who knows if those assholes have eyes and ears in your workplace or something.” Mark stated opening the door and letting Morgan out first as a true gentleman. He agreed with Mark on that argument and promised him that he will play it cool.”

“I will call you when I finish so wait for me ok?” Mark nodded and bid his friend goodbye when he left on a taxi. Now all he had to do was to return to the daily routine. In the subway he could not stop thinking of Chris even though that your friend almost gets murdered in front of his eyes should prevent that. It was certain that his priorities sucked right now. If nothing happens today, he will visit him at Devil’s Disruption. He crossed the doors of his workplace and greeted the receptionists before riding the elevator to his floor. The elevator music managed to soothe his stress for a bit only to be welcomed by an annoyed, quite angry and origin of great stress also known as Sarah Porter.

“S-S-Sarah! H-Hi!” Mark stammered before being violently dragged into the office, disappointing Clarissa in the process who wanted to learn what happened.

“Why didn’t you come to work Williams?!” Her voice was strong and angry and it scared Mark a lot which didn’t let him think of an actual excuse and used the one he used with Jennifer.

“I was at the hospital Ms. Porter. I got stabbed.” Surely those weren’t the most appropriate words to use, and Sarah’s freaking out clearly was the proof of that.

“Are you kidding me?! Are you alright?!” From angry to caring. That sounds like a motherly thing alright. It was good to see that there was something behind the strict yet kind master psychologist with this display of emotions.

“Y-Yes, that sounded way too serious but it was nothing.” Sarah urged him to tell him everything so he told her that he was mugged and when he defended himself he got a stab in the arm.

“Don’t play hero Mark! There are policemen for that!” She briefly scolded him. He wanted to escape the situation but the only plausible option was to jump out of the window and he valued his life a lot.

“Sorry Ms. Porter…”

“Don’t call me Ms. Porter! I’m in my thirties for the love of god!” She complained noisily as Clarissa was spying by the door.

“Ugh… Williams, you better call me when something like this happens. I may only be your boss but I care about you.” Mark widened his eyes by the sudden appreciation remark.

“As a student you silly.” The student sighed in relief much to her annoyance.

“Now let’s get to business shall we?” Mark nodded as Clarissa quickly ran to her desk when she heard Sarah going to the door. He went to his seat as he heard Sarah scolding Clarissa for eavesdropping and for not having something better to do with her life.
The clients came one after one, talking to both psychologists about the problems they were facing and how their therapy was developing. It was refreshing and cheering to see that almost all of them were improving their lives. At the same time though, a black cloud came to mess with his head. These people are regular and ordinary people with first world problems and now he wasn’t one of them. There is an evil organization behind his back, threatening him and his friends and if he fails, he won’t get another chance to save them. After the last client and that Sarah was called again to go to 10 something floor, Mark went straight to the bathroom to clear his thoughts and also his face with cold water.

One look at the mirror was the only thing he needed to say that he is under stress. He really is a little kid against the world right now and that hit him like a truck. Mark spent long minutes in there, frustrated and minute after minute, pissed off. He started breathing faster thinking about how mad he was with the whole situation. It was like seeing that man with the knife going to slice Morgan’s throat…

He punched with all his rage the sink, destroying it without any effort. His yellow eyes saw his deed and didn’t care. Something in his own gaze gave him determination and confidence, like they belonged to someone else and was trying to encourage him, and he bought it. Mark went out of the bathroom with a new resolution at least in a personal level.

Back in reality he still had to wait for Morgan to investigate the storage apartment and since he had to kill some time, he decided to take care of a problem that has been bothering. Mark took the subway and in the metro he took the chance to actually look at his phone because from the moment he recovered it he didn’t have time to actually care about it.

There were a dozen of messages from Sarah asking him about why he missed work. He now understood why she was like that and decided to ignore those since everything was made clear. His attention was grabbed by the group he has with Morgan and Jennifer. He remembered Jennifer telling him by phone that she suggested to have dinner together and Morgan not answering because of the kidnapping problem. Mark couldn’t answer to that either because he was dealing with saving Morgan so he thought he should say something so he texted that he was super busy yesterday and that next time he will join for sure.

There was still time until his stop so he had the stupidest idea. He googled the Hand and had, in return, a great and beautiful image of a human hand. Mark facepalmed clearly knowing that he deserved that. Finally he reached his stop and went to the surfaced. He started walking, trying not to think about how was he going to deal with it until he found himself at the front of Devil’s Disruption.

Mark was unable to think of a way to enter and talk to Chris about what happened. He still thought that it was not the most gentlemanly thing to say but in the end he knew he didn’t meant the things he said. With shaking determination, he knocked on the door believing in his ability to improvise. Mark wasn’t the kind of person who actually thinks his movements unless is really important. There was no response at first but when he was about to knock for a second time Chris opened the door.
“We’re not op- Oh… Mark…” Chris noticed Mark after actually paying attention to who knocked the door. He looked a bit moody and pained which was suddenly confirmed by Mark’s senses. He actually forgot he had those since he has to focus to actually feel them.

“Do you need something?” The bartender asked with a low tone. Mark nodded still trying to come up with words. Chris stepped aside, inviting him to come inside. The pub felt different at day light and not with the neon and the artificial illumination running. Mark took a seat on a stool and Chris occupied his position at the other side of the counter.

“You want something to drink?” Mark nodded once more in a shyly demeanor. He still couldn’t erase his thoughts in order to actually improvise, having a hard time to actually say a simple yes or no. Chris prepared him another San Francisco which reminded him of the good time he had with him the night he met Chris.

“A San Francisco for the non-alcoholic.” Chris gives him the orange drink forcing a funny tone.

“Thanks” Mark finally whispered the word, taking a sip of the beverage. A couple of seconds passed before Chris broke the silence.

“I’m sorry about what I said yesterday. I swear that I don’t know why I did it and I apologize for offending you.” Mark looked down at the glass with guilt. He knew that Chris was telling the truth and it fell awful the fact he treated him like the worst shit in history.

“I… want to apologize too. I was under a lot of stress and I took it on you. Sorry.” Chris was surprised because he thinks Mark was right to be mad at him. Mark extended his hand in sign of peace.

“Are we good?” Chris nodded and happily shook hands with him. Mark had to endure the pain in the hand when he shook his hand tightly since they were not healed at all.

Nonetheless, this was a great feeling. It felt like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders and now was in a good mood.

“You know… on my way home I realized that I actually felt complimented by your comment.” Chris widened his eyes at those words. “But… well, my insecurities wanted to come out for a bit. That’s partly why I got angry with you.” He explained as the bartender was washing some glasses.

“I’m sorry that your ex hurt you in such a way. It must be tough.” Mark puts a weird expression on his face. It was kind of unbelievable for him to see that other people could think that he has an ex.

“No no, I…” He gulps as it’s kind of embarrassing because of social standards to say that at his age he’s still a virgin. “I have never been in a relationship with someone…” Chris almost drops one of the glasses. How could that be?

“I would have never thought that you… well… that?” He was afraid of saying anything that could upset him, again.

“Don’t trust on looks.” Mark took a sip of the orange drink actually seeing himself as the stereotypical drunk man who is complaining about his problems. That is funny.

“But you are handsome though. And I trust you.” Chris smoothly says trying to make up for yesterday.

“Sure, you say that to every man.” Mark joked as he took another sip. Chris chuckled drying the cutlery.

“And I’m still single.” That caught Mark off guard and provoked a dual laughter. It appears that they returned to the status quo and for that he was grateful. His phone started buzzing clearly ruining the moment. With an annoyed face he looked at it and obviously it was Morgan.

“Sorry, duty calls. Sort of.” Mark said drinking the remnant of the San Francisco and standing up.

“How much I owe you?” Chris shakes his head, leaving the counter and standing in front of him as Mark was getting his wallet.

“Nothing at all, although you can always come back tonight… if you want of course.” Chris answered with a charming smile which was corresponded by a nervous witty remark.

“Only if nobody tries to attack me.” They both chuckled. “See you tonight!” He waved at Chris as he was leaving with another wave as an answer. He leaves the bar with joy in his heart. Back outside he grabs his phone and calls Morgan.

“You’re out?”

“Yes, finally. I was bored to hell.”

“Sure, sure. I’m at Devil’s Disruption.”

“Ok, but why are you there?”

“Erm… I was doing some errands.”

“I’ll be there in half an hour.” Mark hangs the phone and wonders about how is he going to spend that time.

“Ms. Sanders?” Inspector Mendez is whispering in fear of Jennifer’s wrath if she wakes up from her nap in a ‘terrible’ mood. But she didn’t wake up and still looked very comfy in her couch, so he insisted but to no avail. Which is why in his third attempt, something unexpected happened. Someone opened the door of Jennifer’s office and, with a lack of tact, the man in uniform that entered said in a loud voice that some documents have arrived. The inspector tried to silence him by gesticulating with his hands but some movement behind him stroke him as the most terrifying feeling ever.

“Thanks John.” The female voice said from the couch. The policeman steps aside, looking at the prosecutor who had her hair messy and a face depicting a horrible night at the workplace. John left the papers at the side of the door and closed it.

“Inspector Mendez.” He turned to Jennifer who was still drowsy, thinking that she was going to kill him in cold blood for the sudden wake up.

“What is your first name?” That came as totally unexpected. He blamed the lack of proper sleep.

“It’s… Carlos.” She then shook his hand without hesitation.

“I’m Jennifer. Nice to work with you.” Carlos was uncomfortable with the situation so he went to the coffee machine at the end of the corridor, leaving the prosecutor to get her bearings, and came back with one hot and tasty coffee. Jennifer by that time was already sitting in her chair at the desk, combing her hair with the hand.

“Another day at the office…” She states with a drowsy and sleepy voice. Jennifer started organizing the documents on her desk when Carlos brought her the new papers that John delivered.

“So these are the preliminary results…” She gave her partner some of the documents and both of them started reading them.

“There are no traces of this mysterious robed person. There was not enough blood there to make an analysis either.” Carlos nodded in disappointment. After shooting them he expected more blood but it appears the bullet didn’t hit any major vein or something.

“But it’s weird. There are no traces of Owlsley either and it’s his own house! No hair, no skin, no nails… nothing.” She made a pause thinking about how that could happen. Maybe the robed person was a cleaner?

“What does the manager say about Leland’s apartment?”

“Since his disappearance nobody has entered or left the apartment. Adding to the weird stuff, not even the cameras at the entrance captured our robed guy or anyone carrying a suspicious bag. Jennifer enquired about that strange thing with the bag.

“To change clothes afterwards.” The prosecutor wasn’t so sure about that. The strategy would be to enter the place and then change clothes so nobody can say that it was you. But that means that he or she was caught on camera and Jennifer had the hunch that this person is way too professional to be that sloppy.

“This is going to sound far-fetched but what if this person climbed all the way to the apartment?” Carlos believed that the prosecutor was still in her dream world. Leland’s apartment is in one of the upper floors and the building isn’t small.

“I think it’s more probable that they were disguised and entered without attracting any attention.” Jennifer still had her doubts about that theory. She at least wanted to discard her own before moving on to Carlos’ so she came up with an idea.

“I would like you to check the cameras that could be in the vicinity of the building, may it be from shops or traffic. Surely one of them captured something.” The prosecutor orders and the police obey. The inspector left after saying goodbye, leaving Jennifer with the documents. She sighed. This is going so slow that she fears that the trace disappears in front of her nose. She feels frustrated about all this. Many times terrible thoughts about how useless her job is in the end comes to her mind and she can’t deny that she believes that sometimes. But she has to prevail. There are many prosecutors and attorneys here and out there, but she isn’t the type of people to delegate work to others. The criminals will be put on jail by her own hands.

With her conscience eased, she decides to take a quick look to the letters that sometimes comes from the Prosecutor’s office. There are two ways of receiving messages, one is the old fashioned letter that a delivery woman is tasked to give and the other is, of course, the internal message service. But Jennifer prefers the old school ways of communication when leisure is available and time isn’t a hindrance.

Two of the three letters were about some annoying burocratic crap that Jennifer didn’t care at all. On the other hand we had an invitation. She remembered that some attorneys were talking about a gala for charity. All members of the prosecutor’s office and some major firms of lawyers are invited.

“Argh… I’m sure Jeri Hogarth will be there…” Jennifer didn’t have fond memories of her meetings with Hogarth. She is a veteran in terms of complicated cases and she is famous for being a shark in the business. She is one of the few people that manage to make her nervous in court and she always tries to avoid her in a personal level.

“Mmmm although… there may be someone interesting.” She turned on her laptop and quickly typed something on the search browser. Wilson Fisk’s case was undertaken by Nelson & Murdock. From what she could remember, they’ve separated and Nelson is now with Jeri’s firm and Murdock is by himself. She took a quick look at the email version of the invitation and found an email address and a telephone number to make enquiries or to ask about details.

“This… is going to be REALLY interesting.” Jennifer was conscious that what was she planning was really against the law but she didn’t care. The solution to this case could rest in what she was about to do. A phone call later and a success afterwards left the prosecutor with a sense of accomplishment and progress. Now she deserves a good night sleep so she took her things and drove her way home to fall on her bed.

Mark and Morgan managed to get into the apartment. It remained the same as Mark remembered which was a good sign. Both of them headed directly to the living room. The room was a witness of the battle that took place there and, of course, how a lot of people moved a lot of boxes on its insides.

“You made a great mess eh?” Morgan said looking at the state of the place.

“I just threw a couple of boxes and a chair. Nothing too special. Besides, I lost.” Mark replied not having fond memories of that particular event and Morgan shutting up after that last sentence. They started searching the current room they were in. Inside the boxes were documents regarding all kinds of stuff such as buying/selling furniture for order and deliver transactions. Morgan rubbed his temple and Mark started wondering about the newspaper clipping framed on the wall. He then noticed, once again, how there was a relief behind it depicting a hand.

“This can’t be so easy.” Morgan turned around when those words were spoken. Mark took the frame and carefully removed the clipping revealing a secret panel at the back. Excited, they opened it and discovered a photo of a woman, another newspaper clipping and a note. Starting with the photo They looked at it, wondering who could she be. A beautiful woman with long, dark hair…

“She is beautiful.” Morgan said with a nodding Mark as a testify of what he said was true. Mark then decided to take a look at the newspaper. Murder on the Metro-General Hospital. Both friends looked at each other scared. Was the woman in the photo the victim? The news didn’t shed any light on that matter so the only thing remaining was the note. Mark unfolded it and read it out loud which gave them the creeps.

“Find her and kill her??!!” They freaked out, looking at each other astonished.

“What the hell is going on here?” Mark couldn’t answer and Morgan was incapable of finding an answer himself. The only thing that they knew for sure is that if they want her dead… she must be alive.

“So… how are we going to find her?” Morgan was shocked by his friend’s question and he quickly clarified. “To save her Morgan! Don’t be silly!” Mark smacked him weakly only to mock him for a bit. He grabbed all the papers and kept it on one of his pockets.

“You’re going to judge me…” Morgan started saying.

“Too late for that.” Mark made his witty reply before his friend could finish the sentence.

“Why was all these in that frame? Is it important that it was behind a newspaper with Fisk’s imprisonment or something?” Mark was really surprised by Morgan’s smart and thoughtful remark. Was there a connection between these two things?

“We will have to investigate…”

“Let’s look on the internet. Maybe some online news has more information about this.” With that settled, they went back to their respective houses to turn on their computers and look for valuable information on this matter. Mark got himself a bottle of water and the remote control to have the television on the background.

Many of the local and national newspapers didn’t shade any new light and the official website of the hospital didn’t have a list of all their staff. Mark rubbed his temple realizing that he is making a mistake. He was assuming that the woman worked in the hospital. Maybe she was a patient at the time of the murder or even, in the unlikely scenario, she faked her own death and now is living in Hawaii.

“… Does my water have alcohol?” He wondered in a jokingly demeanor. Time passed and Mark was stressed over the lack of progress as the night fell to Earth. Laptop on the table and owner on the sofa, he kept on thinking of other lines of investigation he could follow but to no avail. Mark got up and looked through the window of his living room. The life of this city was overwhelming sometimes. You could see a lot of people during day time and then find out that they also traverse through the streets at night with even more energy than on the mornings. The human beings were fascinating and intriguing creatures indeed.

He starts tidying the mess he made on the room while searching information thinking about how he got into this job. Part of him always wondered about how humans really work in a psychological way and biology always succeeded in removing the charm or poetry behind human emotions. He always considered himself somewhat weird which was also one of the reasons he got into that career.

“Helping people in need.” That was his motto when he was learning. His aim was to ensure people had the support they needed to continue on growing up and overcoming their problems and fears. A noble cause people might say, but there is nothing noble if it’s so deep in your mind that you don’t even reason why you want to do that. It’s more natural than noble. In one seminar he assisted, the speaker was Sarah Porter talking about how workers could improve their lifestyles and performance at work by ensuring that their problems are shared with a person of value in the business. The logic behind this is that the workplace is a physical location in which you are not supposed to do anything less than work and as such, there is no space for personal conflicts or matters so if the individual lacks a way to release steam and unwind, it will affect negatively in their work, which is why it’s important to have a caring yet professional psychologist to help these people to get themselves up and be efficient.

From a pragmatic perspective, this meant a lot for the businesses in general, but for Mark it was more of the ‘natural’ way. So after the seminar finished, he dared approach Sarah and ask her about her research and work which she found amusing and promising. After exchanging emails about ideas and hypothesis, she offered him the chance of his life after finishing college.

Which ended up in Rand Enterprises and since then she has been his mentor and master. Caring yet professional. That was she said in the seminar and that is what she embodies. If she were here, Sarah would give him the hint he needed to reveal the truth about all this.

“Argh, I hate feeling powerless.” He confessed to himself as he finished with the broom. Taking a look at the hour on his phone, he remembered that he promised Chris that he would visit him and since he was not making progress, it was the best excuse or moment to do it. He changed to a darker attire, with a dark brown jacket, black t-shirt and jeans. With everything ready, he headed to the subway station and arrived at Devil’s Disruption. The bar that night was really packed and Mark had a hard time reaching the counter and then finding an empty space to occupy it.

There were a lot and different people inside now enjoying their drinks and company with hundreds and hundreds of different topics and even more opinions. It was overwhelming but also refreshing to see this life. Turning around to the counter he saw Chris standing really near him on the other side drying some glasses. He lifted his head enough to see that the seat was occupied and they didn’t have any drink served.

“What can I get you?” Chris said distracted by the ordeal of surviving a night full of work. Mark couldn’t resist making a dirty remark.

“A hot and muscular body please.” Chris raises his head with the most awkward look on his face which gives Mark a hard time containing his laughter.

“Mark! You came!” He shouted to make himself heard by Mark. That’s one of the problems you have with a lot of people in your establishment, that it’s very noisy.

“Yeah! I had to disconnect for a bit and remembered that you were here so… two birds with one stone?” Chris smiled as he grabbed a couple of bottles and started mixing.

“Busy work huh? I thought you would come here to unwind with your friends.” Chris continued on making the mix while signaling one of the waiters to come there.

“You wouldn’t know. Morgan and Jen couldn’t afford to come tonight.” Mark expressed with a sad tone, looking at the counter. He often feels a bit down when he has nothing to do or he is alone. Which is why he tries to be busy all the time. Thinking about it, he didn’t know what Jennifer was doing since she didn’t say anything via messages or anything and about Morgan. He knew so why bother?

“Then it’s just us… and of course the rest of the clients.” Mark nodded disappointed. Of course he didn’t want Chris not having clients but he clearly didn’t like crowds when he was with someone he liked… He already had his share of humiliation. After leaving the counter to help the waiter deliver some drinks he came back with Mark.

“So how is life going? Beating bad guys on the streets?” Chris joked with him.

“Ha ha. Who do you think I am? The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?” Both of them chuckled as the bartender was preparing some more cocktails.

“I would pay to see you in red tights.” He continued joking while Mark was picturing himself with those. He didn’t like it at all.

“I would have to pay for everyone’s therapist after the horrible image.” Mark stated clearly disagreeing with Chris’ preference. “On the other hand, seeing you in those would be a more pleasant view.” Chris laughed but Mark knew he hit on an awkward spot as he looked a bit embarrassed.

“Are you saying that I could be Daredevil?”

“I said you would fill them better. I think you lack what it takes to be a hero.” Mark replied in a funny way. Chris showed his disappointment by serving him a glass of water.

“Thanks!” He said happily only to annoy the bartender. Chris spent some minutes serving and preparing drinks, time Mark spent by wondering about one of his most polemic issues. The good and carefree time he was spending with Chris… how his heart pounds, or at least he feels it pounding, and the stupid smile he makes just by standing in front of him. Was he making a mistake? He didn’t want to repeat his past failures with Chris but… it doesn’t have to end it like those… right?

“You seem worried.” Chris suddenly appeared at the other side of the counter. Was he a magician?!

“I… was wondering if Daredevil was handsome.” He lied but, at the moment of mentioning it, he actually gave it some thought.

“I think he is, and from what people say, you are stunned by his mere presence.” Mark could have sworn that Chris had a crush with the superhero. Although he wasn’t nobody to judge since he kind of agreed with him.

“Maybe he hides behind a mask because he is ugly.” Mark kept on joking having terrible mental images in which the real identity of Daredevil is hearing their whole conversation and proceeds to beat the hell out of him.

“Have you seen any superhero that is ugly?” Chris made a good point. That’s kind of discrimination towards ugly people.

“Touché.” He accepted Chris’ argument. That means that if he ends up with nobody, he can always try to hit on the God of Thunder or someone else.

They continued talking from time to time as Chris’ work allowed him until it was almost closing time. The waiter started cleaning up the tables as Chris was washing dishes and glasses. And in the middle was Mark who was just enjoying a cool and fresh glass of plain water. Mark felt awkward because Chris didn’t give him any hint on when he is supposed to leave the establishment. Even since the clients left, Chris was feeling a bit anxious and nervous. He hides it well but not enough for Mark’s superpowers. Mark was troubled due to not having a clue why was he feeling like that until Chris approached him.

“I’ve… been meaning to ask you something.” Mark’s heart pounded faster. Why the hell is it pounded faster?! Chris is surely asking him to pay the bill.

“Was this a date?” Mark froze in place. That was totally unexpected and caught him completely off guard which translated in physical symptoms such as general body shaking and sweat.

“I… I don’t know? Do… you think it is?” Mark threw the ball on his court not wanting to answer the question.

“We had a great time. It would be a weird date but… “He made a pause in which he looked at the floor and then switched to Mark’s eyes. “I want to know you better.” He widened his eyes like never before. Did he really just say that without any kind of warning?! His hormones started running through the bloodstream resulting in an incapability to think straight, which is funny because he isn’t.

“I-I want to know you better too.” He stammered all that sentence which provoked a contained chuckle by the bartender.

“Tomorrow I don’t have work. Will you want to go out for lunch or something?” Mark didn’t expect a date… ANOTHER date so soon and the thought of going somewhere with him at the moment was very tempting. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he remembered his important quest to save the mysterious woman from certain doom.

“I don’t think I can. I have some… unfinished things to, you know, finish.” He answered not believing his own words. It would be easier to tell the truth but he wouldn’t believe it and then he would have a real problem if the organization finds out. That was not a risk he was willing to make.

“Ok, here is my number so we can hang out or something” Chris hands him a handkerchief with his number on it. Mark grabs it and keeps it on his pocket.

“T-thanks.” Chris leaves the bar and approaches Mark and, for a moment, he hesitated in front of him until he gives him a hug. Surprised yet happy, Mark answered with the same move and they embraced each other with something called potential love. For Mark this was a new thing. Hugging a man whom he has a crush so he took every piece of consciousness he could achieve to really feel this. The muscular arms that wrap his body are warm, strong and comfy. Chris’ hug is tight but gentle and his smell of alcohol due to his job and a bit of sweat is surprisingly pleasant. The silk of his t-shirt feels soft to the touch and he can feel every single fiber of his muscles which turns him on in every way possible. He didn’t want to let go but everything has a beginning and an end. They separated with a blushing expression on Mark’s face and a radiant smile on Chris’.

“Good night Mark.” Both looked at each other right in the eyes and sensed a burning passion in each other.

“Good night Chris.” Mark turns around still in his bubble, leaving the bar with a stupid smile drawn on his face. As he reaches the subway and gets back home, the only thing that he could think of is for the sensation to never end.

In a lab somewhere, two people were discussing about a polemic topic.
“This was a total failure Steven! We lost about ten subjects on your tests! Your idea turned out to be a complete shit.” The man in a suit stated in a mood far from happy. The other man in a white coat shook his hand in disagreement.

“Mr. Johnson. You have to agree that the remaining subjects made splendid in their tasks. One of them even managed to defeat the punishment team and get back in the game!” The young man replied in excitement in his voice, flipping his brown hair.

“You’re compromising the organization with your ‘game’. Even if Alexandra gave you an opportunity, don’t think that you’re indispensable.” Mr. Johnson warned Steven with a very angry tone and an accusative finger pointing at him. The scientist went to one of the tables with some charts, chemicals and test tubes. He picked up some of the papers and handed them to the suited man.

“Thanks to our test subjects we were able to recover precious information for the Hand unnoticed. The Chaste is oblivious that rescuing the subjects were part of our plan. Who would think that the kidnapped work for the kidnappers?” Johnson could not prevent a smile after hearing that sentence. He really loved playing with other people and even if it wasn’t entirely his doing, he took satisfaction of that fact. Thanks to that trick, their enemies were too focused on them, leaving the door wide open for the subjects to finish their assignment.

“So are they in phase 2?”

“I’ve already gave them the information for their next assignment. This time we will reveal what’s behind the veil and, as I stated before, we will kill several birds with one stone…” Johnson was a bit skeptical but even though he complained about Steven’s methods, he could not deny that everything went according to his plan, without caring about the lost subjects of course. Time will tell if everything goes well or not…