Chapter 174 - My SI Stash #74 - Blueman by Pro-man (MCUXDC) (2/2)

Stamping my foot down hard the phone booth's floor… I heard a rather loud crack spread from my feet. I flinched, closing my eyes hard enough that I would be surprised if they disappeared into the recess of my sockets.

”Just what I need.” I opened my eyes and stared at the ground that had dared to break because I put my foot down on it too roughly. ”To be arrested for destruction of public property.”

That was when I noticed the sign I was standing on, a crack running through the form of what looked like a steel sign saying: ”Out of Order.”

Taking a deep breath, I was about to turn around and leave the booth… till it started to ring, the chime an alien sound to my ears, like something I'd expect a xenomorph to make before leaping at their prey.

”It's ringing?” I glanced left, I glanced right, hoping that someone would run up and reveal that it was for them, because the only other option was that someone was watching me at this very moment. That was when… the numbers on the phone changed into letters, going from a soft blue to a sinister green.

ANSWER THE PHONE

My heart skipped a beat, my mouth dropping in surprise. So I picked it up, letting the speaker touch my ear slowly while letting the mic come to be about a cm away from my mouth.

”Hello?”

There was no response, not even the sound of heavy breathing to signal that someone really was on the other side of the call. But there was an odd electronic w_h_i_n_e on the other end, something that was sending a chill that crept up my spine.

”Listen carefully,” The voice was distorted, making the voice unrecognizable barring that upper-class style accent. ”There's an alley to your left, go down it. If you do not, people will die.”

”Wai-” I was interrupted by a click and then another electronic w_h_i_n_e that told me that they'd hung up on me. I glanced back to the number pad, the symbols once more becoming normal lettering. It was only then that I finally looked down the alley, watching as a very suspicious-looking man walked down, looking like some mix of a terminator or Kyle Reese with the large coat that could hide weapons.

I knew that it was a bad idea to walk down there, especially in a city like New York, and having already been told that there was trouble about to go down there. It was just I couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going to happen down there? Would it answer how I got here? Why I was here?

But there is just as likely that it was some sort of trap, laid by the people that had put me here. I don't know why they'd let me go and then set up a situation to recapture me. It could be to let me panic, see how I'd react.

This all could be some kind of sick experiment.

Deciding to take a chance on it, I walked down the alley with a keen eye for any funny business. It was a massive alley, at least to my small-town sensibilities, so much so that I could probably have a game of soccer comfortably here with two full teams. At the center of the alley, two guys were standing all their lonesome.

One was a black man, at least close to middle-aged, with a close beard, wearing a black coat with his hands stuffed into the pockets while a plaid shirt was barely peeking out from beneath. Also on his face, I could see the thick black rims of his glasses.

The other man was in a large beige coat with a tall collar covering the bottom of his face. While the other man had dark hair this one's hair was red, with the grey creeping up from the roots, giving him a far older appearance dispite the fact that his face had fewer wrinkles than the other man.

They hadn't noticed me, or at least I was far enough away that they didn't take any heed that I was here. It was odd looking at them though, as if I could see them better than I would normally from this distance, even making out the lip movements that the black man was using as he talked to his friend.

But I didn't know how to read lips, so that was useless to me.

That was when I heard the screeching of a pair of tires, causing me to snap my head away from the two men. It was another pair of men, one riding on the back of a motorbike while the other one drove it, this time wearing all black and with helmets that obscured their faces from view.

My heart metaphorically exploded in my c_h_e_s_t as the one with their hands free raised up a gun, some sort of automatic weapon from what I could tell. Without thought, I screamed, my left arm reaching out as if it would warn the pair better.

”LOOK OUT!”

But the first two men were turning to face me rather than the oncoming threat aiming at them with each passing second. Adrenaline must have started to rush through my veins as the world slowed down and even though I knew it wouldn't make a difference, I ran towards the duo as fast as I could.

My feet slammed into the pavement with loud clacks as the world blurred around me, the muzzle from the gun flared.

But the sound of the gunfire didn't come yet, instead, it slowly moved in the air. It was like a miracle from the Lord himself, letting me slam into the two none-motorbike riding men though letting the bullet hit my body.

”Shit,” I swore rolling on to me side as the world speed back up and the motorbike ran off into the distance. My hand went to the newly made hole my jacket, trying to keep the blood that would no doubt be pouring out of the bullet wound. ”F_u_c_k.”

”Jesus Christ!” The white man of the two men I'd saved swore as well. His hands coming down to hold my hand, the one already covering the hole. ”You going to be okay kid?”

His words broke me out of a haze, letting me realize something important.

”I feel fine?” I replied, confused by my own statement, my hand pulling away from my jacket, much to both men's horror, to reveal that there was no blood. ”Did they miss?”

”No,” The greying-red-head answered, his now free hands coming up from the ground to showcase something trapped between the sleeves of his coat. ”The bullet flattened against your skin.”

None of us spoke for a while after that, not sure if it was because they were as gobsmacked by this as I was or if they were just waiting for me to speak up about how such a thing was possible.

”Holy shit? Am I bulletproof?”

I must have worn an expression that was far too expressive for the two men not to take the connotation that my words gave. The black man took his friend to the side.

”Hey,” he said in a low voice, keeping his mouth close to the other man's ear. ”The kid is okay, but we need to get out of here,” his eyes glancing over to me. ”And with what this kid just did… he needs to get out of here, before someone calls the cops about the gunfire.”

The white man sighed, his eyes briefly looking at me.

”Fine, but I can't take him, Ben,” he said, revealing the black man's name as Ben as he started to walk away. ”Ain't got anywhere to put the guy and I've got my own family to take care of. ”

I'd noticed that the redhead looked almost regretful as he left like it was painful for him to turn down trying to help the man that saved his life. At least that was what impression I got off the man, I could've easily been wrong.

”Right,” Ben smacked his lips together, grabbing my attention as he did so. His left hand came down to lift me to my feet, then nearly pushing me forward as a loud set of sirens started blaring ”We need to get out of here.”

I followed along with the man, not making a single noise as I did so. Too shocked at what was happening to question this man dragging me out of the alley with a grimace on his face.

”You know,” he grunted, his eyes glaring. ”You could start moving, I'm not the best guy around to be lifting a fully grown man.”

”Sorry,” I muttered, making sure that I was actually following along with the man rather than being carried by him. Glancing at his face I couldn't help but think that the man was oddly familiar to me like I'd seen him somewhere… I just couldn't place where?

”What's your name kid?” Ben asked me, his tone light as we changed from walking at a fast to a slow pace away from the scene. I pondered the man's question carefully, thinking about the answer with all that I currently knew in mind.

”Pat,” I said, continuing the lie I'd told the young girl earlier. ” Pat Doyle, and you?”

He paused mid-step, his eyes glancing at mine like he was surprised that I hadn't recognized him. Meaning that my familiarity with the man would have easily been placed on him being some kind of famous person, which would at least explain that drive-by earlier.

”Suppose your not a big print man?” Ben asked me, resuming his strut alongside me with a small confident grin. ”I'm Ben Urich, a reporter for the New York Bulletin.”

”Thought you looked familiar, must have glanced over your paper at one stage or another,” Saying this I noticed that Ben was now fully taking in my appearance, I think for the first time. Looking at my disheveled clothes, my dirty face and even the unkempt hair Ben seemed to have decided something.

”You homeless?” There was a light air to his tone, like what he had asked me wasn't a big deal. I couldn't disagree, part of me was deeply ashamed that I was in such a state that someone could even make such an assumption… but then… it did seem to be true.

”Yeah, woke up homeless a while ago,” I replied, letting my eyes drop to my dirty shoes. Looking at the dirty stains that littered the surface, stains that I wasn't used to seeing. My mind still questioning how I'd gotten into this state. ”Don't actually remember when I got to this state though.”

Ben cast a glance towards me again, one that started out amused and slowly shifted into one of concern and sympathy. Eventually, he patted me on the shoulder, trying to give some small measure of comfort.

”It's been a tough year for a lot of folks,” he said, his tone serious, from what I could recall, mostly because the Financial Crash would've happened recently, and even years after it, it was still affecting my family. ”You ain't got any family that could help out?”

”No,” I shook my head, thinking of the people that I hadn't tried calling yet but realizing that I didn't actually know any of their numbers. I'd never really needed to call other people and given that lack of any real response from the numbers that I had, thought that it might be better not trying. ”I've been by myself for the last four years.”

It was really just a guess based on the length of my hair and counting backward from the last year that I could remember with any real detail.

”You don't have anywhere to stay then,” Ben continued, this time muttering to himself rather than asking me a question. We continued walking towards some destination, Ben eventually hailing a cab that the two of us stepped into. It was only then that he spoke once more. ”You can stay with me, I've got a guest room in my apartment.”

I wasn't sure how to take that, I could tell that he hadn't made that offer all that lightly, he'd tried finding somewhere else for me… not sure why he didn't offer to take me to some sort of shelter though.

”You offer hobos a place to stay often?”

”Just the ones that save my life.”

It didn't take long for us to arrive at the apartment building, just twenty or so minutes which was a surprise to me, given that it was such a busy city. It wasn't a bad apartment either. It was clean, lacking any graffiti or any other kind of markings that would tell me we were in gang territory.

It was as we entered the door to his apartment, on the second floor, that Ben broke the silence that had enveloped us since that brief conversation in the cab's backseat.

”Doris!” Ben called out, his voice loud but soft. ”I'm home… and I've got a guest.”

There was a rather loud sigh from a room nearby, a small black woman walking out from behind a wall. Her face had a rather annoyed expression on it as if Ben had angered her.

”Ben,” Doris m_o_a_n_e_d, throwing her hands down. ”What have I told you? If someone's coming over, I need to know in advance or I won't be able to cook enough food for dinner.”

”I'm sorry, it was rather sudden,” he responded sheepishly, his shoulders making a shrugging motion. ”Guy's helping me with a little something, nothing that'll cause any trouble but… as you can see,” Ben pointed over at me, his arm waving up and down my frame showcasing the rather dirty state I was in. ”Kid needs a place to stay… you ok with that?”

Doris gave me a look, her eyes staring into mine with such an intensity that I couldn't help but look away from her. I was now only looking at the woman from the side of my vision, glancing as her expression softened even as her eyes stayed piercing.

”First… he takes washes and you lay out some clothes for him.”

With those words, Doris turned around and left the hall. Ben moved to face me again, a slight apologetic grin on his face as he ushered further into the apartment and stopped at a brown door.

”Showers in there,” he said, his other hand pointing at a radiator to the side. ”I'll leave clean clothes that should fit outside.”

That was when I was left alone, truly alone for the first time since waking up in that alley this morning. Alone and with a real mirror, looking at my face, I noticed that my face had aged by years since the last time I had a good look at it.

The hair that I used to guess my age previously seemed to be the least noticeable signifier. My face, while clean of spots, was now covered in dirt from the street, in some of the cheese and pasta sauce that I'd eaten earlier. I'd lost all the baby fat that I was known for during secondary school, my cheeks looking like I'd lost a full stone.

Even though I could tell by the sound of my footsteps that I'd gained about two stone.

I could make out the back of my hair, peeking out from the sides. I'd somehow lost my infamous cow's lick that I had holding up my fringe for most of my life. If I didn't know better, I'd wouldn't be able to tell that I was the same person anymore.

It was only the shape of my nose, the shape of my eyes, and the small scar that I had above my left eyebrow from picking at a chicken spot that came together to form my unique face. Suddenly, a knock at the door shook me out of my thoughts.

”Hey,” Ben's voice came through the brown door, light and full of cheer. Something that did a great deal to put me at ease, which only meant that I felt numb… rather than shocked. ”I've left some clean clothes out for you, they might be a bit short on you, but they're at least clean.”

”Thanks,” I replied, robotically, while I turned on the electronic shower. ”I really appreciate you doing this for me,” Speaking louder to overcome the sound of the shower. ”Not many people would.”

”Hey, you did me a massive favor, the least I could do is help you get back on your feet.”

And so I was once more left alone, this time I didn't dwell on my thoughts but instead focused on washing the dirt of New York off.

I got dressed in a plaid shirt, the sleeves of which were barely enough to reach my wrist, and a pair of jeans that were somehow too tight but just about long enough for my legs. The only real issue I had now was just how long my hair had become, with it cleaned the damn thing straightened out and was over my eyes now.

Blocking me from seeing anything if I didn't swipe it the side.

”Mr. Urich!” I spoke, only slightly loud. ”I'm out now. Where should I put my dirty clothes?”

”There's a basket by the bathroom door!” Ben yelled back, his voice coming from a room down the hall. I put the clothes where he mentioned and went off towards where his voice was coming from.

”Hey,” I said as I approached the frame of the door, a jaunt in my step that felt like it hadn't been there in a long time. ”Thanks again for doing this for me, I've been in a bit of a spot of late and really needed the help.”

After my eyes caught Ben, I took in the rest of the room. What I found was like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream, there were playing cards set up on several wooden boards attached to the furthest wall. Each one had a name, with a red string poked into the center of one and into another.

”That's what I wanted to talk to you about,” Ben told me, sitting on a chair with his left foot resting on his knee. ”Tell me, what is someone like you doing living on the streets?”

”Someone like me?” Was my response, feeling confused by the statement.

”You're young, powerful,” he pointed at me, his index finger pointing at me as if it would prove his point. ”You're also obviously an Irish National based on your accent. So I don't know why you're living on the streets of New York.”

I explosively sighed, my whole body seemed to sag as my earlier thoughts came to mind once more. Spotting a free seat across from Ben I took it before shitting my eyes and rubbing my forehead to get the hair out of my eyes once more.

”You'd have a much better idea of that than I would at this point. One day, I was just studying for my leaving cert and then…” I clapped my hands together, causing the man to jump. ”Bamm, I woke up in an alley with my face in a puddle and about four years added to me face.”

”You have amnesia?”

”And I'm bulletproof now,” I sighed once again, something that I was doing a lot lately. ”That's a recent thing.”

”They could be linked,” Ben scratched his chin, turning his chair around to face his desk and grab his notes. ”Some sort of super-soldier experiment, like with the Hulk.”

I let the name drop of another Marvel superhero go, not wanting to draw any attention to the fact that it was a surprise that he was treating a fictional character like they were real. Because I had my own bombshell to drop.

”The last time I checked, it was 2012,” That caused Ben to spin around in his chair, facing with this expression that fused disbelief and confusion into one perfect blend. ”Now, it's 2008.”

Ben suddenly licked his lips, taking his glasses off his face with his left hand while he once more scratched at his chin. It was only after a few seconds had passed that Ben spoke again, it was after his black-framed glasses touched the table that he said something.

”If you weren't bulletproof I'd think you were just crazy,” he gave me another small smile while reaching over to pat me on the shoulder. ”I'll help you get to the bottom of this Pat.”

And with those words, relief filled my heart. It felt like the first time for hours… I could breathe again.

”Thanks.”

”Hey, don't thank me, you saved my life,” he responded, putting his glasses back on his face and removing his tie from around his neck. ”And there's a story here, one that needs to be discovered. That's interesting….”

Author's Note: Hello true believers, here we've got the result of the vote over on the old thread. I decided that it would be better, and easier on me in terms of not needing to reorder all my old threadmarks. The old story is still in my sig so if you want to check it out if you hadn't read it yet, feel free.

For those of you that have read it, I'll say that this version will be a lot different in certain aspects, the same in other aspects. His supporting cast will be the same while I'm going to speed up the development of other things. The time period has been pushed back, to around the end of the first Iron Man movie, rather than the messed up version of the last story... where Daredevil season one was somehow happening after Civil War when it was supposed to be well before that.

Here things are better constructed so I don't make that sort of mistake. I've also decided to introduce certain elements earlier, as you've seen in both this chapter, and will see in the next.

Now, the next chapter should be both bigger than this one but I doubt it will come out till after Christmas.