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Posted (edited)

Wednesday, May 28, 07:06hrs Local Time, 2025

 

Janice Roberts had been a nurse a long time. Almost thirty years on the job and she'll tell you all about it. She was proud of what she did, she did it as well as she could and tried to be kind to junior nurses coming up. In 2017 she had been approached by Longbow, on recommendation of the chief of staff for Paragon City Hospital. She largely dealt with wounded soldiers, operatives and the occasional meta-human. She knew this patient was special. She could tell, the air felt warm.

 

She heard the clicks before she smelled the cigar.

 

"Ladies, stand up straight, please!" She chirped and nurses Philomena and Krystal stood up from their filing duties as a man in a flat black suit strode around the corner and approached the nurses station. Double-breasted with burnt orange pin-stripes, shirt to match. Black tie, black fedora and burnt orange, opaque shades. And the black, leather loafers.

 

"Mornin', erm... Nurse.... ?" He grinned as he stopped. "Roberts! Janice Roberts, innit?"

 

"Yes, sir, Mr. McRae." She smiled.

 

"Grand, a pleasure tae see ye again, Nurse Roberts." He replied with a nod. "Would ye be so kind as tae direct me to where I may visit a patient?"

 

"Of course, Mr. McRae. I assume you're here to - " She waved her hand backward at the two junior nurses who were now gawping. "Composure, ladies, please." She whispered.

 

The Man in Black pretended not to notice.

 

"Aye, Miss Park. If'n ye'd be so kind as tae direct me tae her room?"

 

"Of course, Mr. McRae. Miss Park is in room 308, just up the hallway there, follow the blue line painted on the floor. Okay?"

 

He smiled and nodded. "Thank ye, Nurse Roberts. Ye'r very kind." And with that plucked an already lit cigar from his breast pocket and jammed it between his molars and headed up the hallway, following the blue line painted on the floor.

 

"Excuse me, Sir!"

 

Nurse Roberts turned to find Nurse Philomena with her hand up. "Sir! You can't smoke in here!"

 

The Man in Black stopped and turned, the hard-soled loafers grinding against the floor. He took the cigar from his mouth and dropped his hand to let it hang between his fingers. A coil of blue smoke wound its way around his arm, over his shoulder to encircle his fedora like a halo.

 

"Aye? Is that so?"

 

"Yes, sir. You can't smoke that in here!"

 

Nurse Janice Roberts was horrified and it showed. She grasped her clutched hands to her chest as she stared at her Junior. "Nurse Philomena! Mr. McRae is well aware of the rules! We will speak about this later!" She turned her head to address The Man in Black but the only evidence of his presence was a thin cloud of cigar smoke hanging in the air.

 

---

 

Sergeant Chris Williamson of the PCPD heard the clicks too and he began to smile.

 

"What?" Asked Constable Barry.

 

"I'm about to introduce you to a friend, Todd." Chris replied, motioning down the hallway to indicate a man in a flat black suit striding towards them and smoking a cigar.

 

"Hey, he can't smoke that in here."

 

"Shut up, Todd. Just keep your mouth shut."

 

"Alright, then?."

 

"Hey, Liv."

 

"Who's yer mate?" Asked The Man in Black, motioning to the young Constable.

 

"Oh, I'd like you to meet Constable Todd Barry. He's been with the PCPD for about three years now. He's doing well and he's up for promotion shortly so he needs to know what it's like to do this sort of thing."

 

"Aye, I reckon that's because some day he'll have tae be ye, standin' there with yer chevrons introducin' me tae some new youngster, aye?" He puffed his cigar.

 

"You ca-"

 

"Shut up, Todd!"

 

"How's the missus an' the wee ones?"

 

"Sylvia's great and the boys are growing like weeds."

 

"Ach, that's brilliant, mate!"

 

"Thanks. Would you like to see Miss Park?"

 

"Aye, mate, if'n ye'd be so kind."

 

Chris punched the assist button and the door swung open and The Man in Black entered as quietly as he could, a trail of blue smoke in his wake.

 

-------

 

The doors hissed closed behind him and he tucked the cigar into his breast pocket. He rounded the bed and stood a few feet away from the foot before crouching down to read the chart.

 

June Park. A.K.A. Jump-Around. Female, 23 years old, meta-human - Teleportation. She had been shot twice, full penetration through the right shoulder and one grazing wound to the head resulting in a hairline skull fracture. Heavy bruising to her abdomen and extensive bruising and lacerations to her knuckles and elbows. She hadn't just transported the Longbow team into battle, she had joined them.

 

He stood and looked down at the sleeping girl. What showed of her face between the bandages was purple, the same purple he has seen from the skies over Cape au Diable. He knew a warrior when he saw one. Her eyes fluttered and opened slowly before settling on The Man in Black as he stood at the foot of her bed and froze.

 

"Who are you?" She asked calmly. "Why are you in my room?"

 

"I have many names." He grinned at her warmly. "Me mum called me Fergus. Me Granda calls me Angziel. Mortals call me The Legendary Living Hellfire, which is a wee bit embarrasin' tae be honest." He chuckled to himself "Me mates call me Liv. Everyone else calls me Mr. McRae."

 

"You saved us."

 

"Ach, I wouldnae put it that way. More like I aided ye whilst ye saved yerselves."

 

June smiled despite herself and winced.

 

"I jes' wanted tae say that I was impressed an' tae give ye this, fer when ye've a need." He held up an alabaster card and laid it next to the water bottle on the rolling tray by June's bed before moving toward the door.

Edited by Living_Hellfire

-The Legendary Living Hellfire

"The newest person in the room is always the most important person in the room"

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