I woke up to a knock at the door. I cracked my neck and headed to the door and threw it open to reveal a man in his mid thirties with blonde hair holding two cups of Al-Mar coffe
“Good morning” he said
“Morning” I replied “I didn’t order room service...did I?”
“In this neighbourhood” he laughed “You’re more likely to get stabbed than a cup of coffee”
“So you’re going to stab me?”
“Ahh no” he handed me a cup “I’m Craig”
“Daniel and thanks. What can I do for you Craig?”
“Can I come in?” he saw what the room looked like and quickly changed his mind “Want to go out?”
It sounded like a date to me but it was too early “Sure man. Let me get my stuff”
So I grabbed my bag and headed out into the city with Craig who hands out coffee which may be a date or not. We chatted about stuff as we walked along the harbour which was like an aquatic version of my hotel room, just outdoors and more seagulls
“So this is nice and everything but what’s all this” I asked
“The Doc said you may not remember who I am”
“Craig...oh my god Craig Hollis! I’m supposed to find you”
“Well you’re terrible at hide and seek so I came out of hiding to find you”
“I’m sorry”
“That’s quite okay; it was nice to see Stephen again”
“So Doctor Strange came and saw you too?”
“Yeah him and Brother Voodoo, Madame Web and Walter”
“The roller skating horse?”
‘Do you know another Walter?” laughed Craig “He said you were looking for me and I’ve been hiding like a coward for far too long”
“You’re not a coward, as far as I know”
“I watched the original Spider Man, Peter Parker, get killed in Times Square and did nothing”
“You could’ve been killed” I said trying to be diplomatic
Craig looked at me “I need you to promise and to actually do nothing to help or save me in about five minutes okay?”
“Sure man, not a problem”
“The Doc warned me you’re pretty powerful so I need your word that you won’t do ANYTHING to help or save me”
“I promise” It was like talking to my little cousins back in Arizona
“Stay here and close your eyes, I’ll tell you when to open them”
“Whatever” I closed my eyes and put my hands over them, then peeked as Craig entered a building across the street and disappeared inside. This was dumb. But I kept my promise
“NOW!”
I took my hands off my eyes and opened them to see Craig go splat on the pavement next to me
“CRAIG!” I ran to him and my hands started to hum with a spell
“...don’t!” he gasped as he lay dying on floor before me. Slowly he died and seven seconds later he got up from the pool of his own blood
“I’m immortal; I can’t die” he said “I’ve been shot, electrocuted, burnt, blown up, stabbed, drowned, crushed, poisoned, hung, you name it”
“Don’t ever do that again!” I thumped Craig in the arm “You could’ve just said ‘I’m immortal’ without me watching your little freak show!”
“Sorry Daniel”
“So you’re immortal, anything else and please don’t show me; just tell me” I said
“That’s it I’m just immortal”
“So why are you a coward, so you say?”
“I could’ve saved him but I stood there and did...nothing” He began to cry
“Hey, hey you’re not a coward man” I said as I wrapped him up in a big hug “It’s okay”
As I held the sobbing Craig I noticed an Iron Soldier heading our way, great
“Can I see your I-dent cards ladies” he said
“Gay joke” I snapped “Really? Can we have a moment please?”
“Cards first then you two can do whatever you like”
“Look I don’t...” I started and Craig interjected
“Get lost tin man!” he growled as he broke the hug and shoved two cards in his face. The Soldier scanned over them and walked off
“Was that so hard you pair of fairies” he muttered just loud enough for earshot
“I’m sorry” said Craig wiping his face “I get like this every now and again. Compounded with that I saw Stephen for the first time since his death, I’m a little shaky”
“So you really can’t die?” I said
He nodded
“That’s cool”
He smiled “Thanks Daniel, you’re a really nice guy”
“Thanks. Now are you hungry?”
“I'm always starving after I die”
“Well you’re like three hundred years old you should know of a few great places to eat”
“Bit of a walk but there’s a great place on 52 nd street”
“Nope not there, bad experience”
“Okay there’s a great bar in the Latverian quarter”
So Craig and I headed off and talked about his old and my new friend Stephen Strange
**
From across the street a wizened old man watches the pair walk off. Every step is agony, each time something happened with the Iron Army or Ferrum he got a pain or twinge or a cut on his body. He stared at Daniel intently as he could feel the prescience of his property. He looked down at his gnarled right hand. Upon it there were two ornate and very expensive rings
“Gimme yur wallet!” The voice came from behind him as he slowly turned to the voice “You deaf you old bastard?” he saw a young man holding a taser rod and shook his head
“I am old, I have no wealth” he sang
“Gimme your rings old man! Now!”
“These are trinkets, baubles, not for you”
“Now!” The young man jabbed the taser rod at him but the old man moved with a speed that seemed impossible for one that old. The old man smiled and pointed his right ring finger at the man and a beam shot out from it and into his chest. In a few seconds the man was reduced to dust via the disintegration ray
“I am getting very tired of people telling the Mandarin what to do”
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