Chapter 26 : Robbery in progress

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Enjoy the chapter !

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Even though I don't particularly try to be stealthy, I don't make any noise thanks to a nifty magic bubble surrounding me with one of my enchantments drawn on it. Neither the old floorboards, nor the hinges of Peter's bedroom when I open them, or the stairs as I descend moving as quickly as I can in this form.

Standing under the door frame in front of his wife, Ben Parker has a wry smile on his face as he tries to talk and reason with the robber that has come to their house. It is obvious the man is unhinged and I even wonder if he indeed is suffering from withdrawal symptoms… In any case, given how taut as a bow the man is, it's no wonder a tragedy is supposed to happen, right now.

Still in silence, I spit another glob of ink that falls on the floor in silence. The next moment, it starts to slither on the floor like a snake, in the robber's blind spot. I pray that Ben and May don't see it - or me - and more importantly, if they do, that they don't comment on it ! Anything sudden moves on their part would precipitate the tragedy…

So, the next seconds are like long, unending hours where I feel like my heart will burst out of my chest any moment. For the first time in my life, I feel responsibility… I don't like it ! With great responsibility, comes great stress… But Ben Parker doesn't tell you that !

Perhaps, living and dying as a stranger to all, without leaving a mark on history is actually an enviable fate… I think all this as the snake climbs his way up to the man's arm which is carrying the weapon.

« What the… » He exclaims, finally noticing the strange animated drawing that moved on his sleeve.

He has no more time to react as I will the snake to tighten its hold on his arm and sending its tails toward the left wall in order to have the man miss.

And that's a good thing I did, as the next instant, a loud gunshot rings out in the house. The bullet lands nowhere near the scared couple. Actually, I might have been the most in danger as I gaze at the smoking hole a few feet away from me. At the same time, the robber's eyes land on me and I see them widening in fear.

« What the hell are you ?! » He yelled as he tries to redirect the gun toward me.

However, I will the snake to bite him on the hand. Hard. A shout of pain and the next second, the weapon falls on the ground. Thankfully, no more shots are fired. The snake jumps from his wrist to guard the weapon and raises up with a hiss just as the man tries to retrieve it. He freezes, glances at both the snake and me. The inner turmoil is almost visibly playing out in his eyes. Soon, he turns tail and runs the way he came in.

Silence falls on the house before May Parker yells in fright :

« Ben ! »

When I look at him, seeing him clutch his chest, I panic. Did I mess up ? Was he shot ? I approach and see no blood. Not shot, then… What's happening ? Then, it hits me ! Ben Parker is an elderly gentleman. It's not impossible that he might have heart problem, especially since his generation was never as worried about health as ours is. Nowadays, you can't spend one day without hearing about something not good for your health… In his days, cigarettes, barbecues and fries were the way to par-tay ! Accompanied by a lot of booze, of course.

Not that our generation doesn't do all that too. We even add recreational drugs and weed.

I snap out of it and consider the man… If he's having a heart attack, despite me having no knowledge of medicine, I believe I can help him. I have the magic touch, after all. Or rather ink.

I sit on my boneless knees next to the couple and see May tense. It's to be expected : I don't look much human, really.

« Don't worry. I'm not here to probe anyone. » I try to lighten the atmosphere. Seeing it fail, I say to her : « I can help… I think. Though I would advise calling 9-1-1. »

« Right… » She says, unsure and visibly wary of me. I ignore her reaction and spit ink, willing it to write :

The heart of this man restarts before this text disappears.

In a much smaller cursive underneath, I define what the heart is and what its normal functions are. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure it won't work on the man.

I direct the writing to float down toward Ben, making it land on the skin of his forehead. I really didn't want to strip the man and since I've defined 'the heart' and even enunciated how it worked, there's no reason why it shouldn't suffice.

Ben suddenly gasps slightly, but his eyes remain close. I hear taking a sharp intake of breath and I look up, only to see her clutching the phone tightly. I don't know if it's because of my appearance, my power or her fright of the situation. I look back down onto Ben Parker's face and consider him deeply. Was it truly his fate to die on this night in order for Spider-Man to be born ? If so, have I made a mistake ? I always considered that, maybe, in order to give a bit of a push to Peter and make him his best self, Ben Parker's presence was necessary.

I just need to consider what Ben's last words to him did to Peter : they pushed him to become one of the greatest heroes. But what if he didn't die ? The man would continue to impart words of wisdom to him and perhaps, it would lead to Peter becoming a scientist on par with Reed Richards, who lived off of his inventions or lead him to a dozen other possible scenario where he would have no financial trouble.

Perhaps, his counsel would even help him in his very complicated love life… 'Cause I sure as hell don't want to do it. In fact, I don't really want to create any sort of relationship between Peter and I, beyond an occasional super hero team-up. That's the reason that made me try and save Ben Parker's life, in the end. Not just because I found his death a tragedy : most deaths were. But because I don't think that Peter can reach his full potential without him.

I just have to hope that I haven't taken the motivation he needed for Peter to don the Spider-Man costume and persona… I stay sitting next to Ben's unconscious form as I hear May speak to the 9-1-1 operator. It seems she's told them about the situation with the would-be robber and I. I'm still here, but I don't plan to be when the cops and EMTs arrive. I just want to make sure my actions haven't been for nothing. I don't want to leave and learn that Ben croaked the moment I left him. Sure, it can still happen during his transport to the hospital… But I'll have done everything I can.

I stop to consider for a moment… Was it true ? I can write something that'll prevent him from getting worse. Should I, though ? It's one thing for May and, perhaps, Ben to testify about my existence. A humanoid octopus with magical power ? Yeah, they'll be laughed at by the cops, for sure ! However, if I leave proof on Ben's skin about my magical powers, this is different. Unless… It is unremarkable, or could pass of as an army tattoo or something…

For the next few minutes, I work on the stasis spell. The idea behind it is simple : I just don't want Ben to grow worse than he is until he is in the hospital. I define how it works, associate it with the image of the tattoo I have in mind. The next moment, I spit another glob of ink and stark to imprint on the older man's skin.

« What are you doing ? » May yells in indignation.

I explain to her calmly :

« It is just to keep him stable. It'll disappear once he's in the hospital. »

In the distance, I can hear the sound of sirens. I nod to myself with a last look at my patient before I wave my hand in the air, opening a portal instantly. Before you guys comment, I've been preparing this portal for a while and it just leads back to the rooftop from earlier. I just used the relative peace and quiet of the situation after the robber left in order to prepare it. It took me almost 15 minutes…

With a bow and a parting word, I jump through it just as the first car parks in the driveway.