Marvel Template System:Spectrum

 What was that all about? - Jessica was surprisingly thoughtful in escorting Chris to his own apartment. Just as uncharacteristically for a selfish alcoholic, she helped him wash up and change his shirt while Chris struggled to realize what had happened.

- I don't know," Chris shook his head slowly. - But I think I've been shot ...

- Not seemingly shot, but shot," Jessica corrected him sternly. - And you were bleeding like hell.... But then you--

- Я... - Chris gently lifted his shirt, slowly probing the unbroken skin. - Healed? No... Not healed. Something much cooler.

- That's a good ability," Jessica squinted at him approvingly. - So you're ....mutant....?

A nasty barely audible squeak suddenly emerged at the edge of his consciousness. Chris could still hear Jessica's voice, but with each word he spoke, the squeak grew louder and louder, bringing with it a growing migraine.

SNNCHRONNZACYA: 2%

- Mu... kha.... - Chris urgently cleared his throat due to an uncomfortable throat constriction when speaking. - ... tant?

- Well these what's-his-name," Jessica waved her hand dismissively, as if Chris should have realized it himself. - Radioactive people...

- This is the first time I've heard of them," Chris frowned with an incredibly contradictory and strange feeling. On the one hand, Jessica's certainty scratched his consciousness as she spoke of "mutants" as if they were an everyday phenomenon, even though Chris didn't know what she was talking about. On the other hand, at every mention of this unknown phenomenon, the migraine and discomfort in his body and mind increased. It was as if his body was telling Chris that it would be better to take the dialog in another direction.

- There's no such thing," she grinned condescendingly. - They made so much noise in the eighties that half the world was on its ear. They almost provoked World War III. And even now, rarely, but something about them appears ...

- I don't know what you're talking about," Chris muttered under Jessica's inquisitive gaze. - All I remember about the eighties from the history books is the sexual revolution that led to the spread of HIV, coupled with the discovery of hard drugs. No mu... ahem. radioactive people I don't remember.

- Okay, I guess that's how old people feel when they see young people who don't know what to do with vinyl records.... - Jessica muttered. Though the girl, as a pretty good detective, felt some impropriety in her liver. - Listen, do you even know who Steve Rogers is?

- Sure," Chris answered instantly.

"So why don't you know anything about mutants?" Jessica muttered in confusion. "Did something happen to your memory? Let's do a basic check. Bro?" 

"Don't snitch," Chris automatically replied. 

"Hip-hop?" 

"Love it." 

"New York Knicks?" 

"They suck." 

"Los Angeles?" 

"Screw L.A.!" 

"Alright," Jessica nodded wisely. "Habits and attitudes drilled into you since birth are working like clockwork. Typical New Yorker. Let's ask something harder… Pythagorean theorem?" 

"Uh…" 

"Number Pi?" 

"Yeah…" 

"Great," Jessica nodded to herself. "Harlem upbringing's intact. Steve Rogers?" 

"Captain America." 

"Tony Stark?" 

"Lucky son of a bitch." 

"I don't get it," Jessica mumbled under her breath. "How can you not know about mutants?" 

**BYPОНИpАWBя: 2$** 

The pain in his temples was becoming almost unbearable. 

If Jessica hadn't been so caught up in her own mini-investigation, she would've noticed the capillaries bursting in Chris's eyes. 

"Well, maybe you know about, what's it called…" Jessica snapped her fingers a couple of times, trying to grab the word on the tip of her tongue. "The X-gene?" 

**????Х???D??99: 5555*** 

**??R???&??????: 5JPI/** 

**Ъ??J???"???(??: 238]** 

As soon as Jessica finished saying the word, which was incomprehensible to Chris's mind… 

"HOLY SH*T, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" 

From Chris's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears… 

"Now I'm covered in this crap!..." 

Streams of blood sprayed out. 

***** 

"What the hell was that?!" Jessica, visibly pissed, furiously scrubbed her face, trying to wipe Chris's blood off. "Why is it that every time I try to have a conversation with you, you… you end up spraying me with your blood?!" 

"Sorry," Chris said automatically, distracted as he checked his face for any signs of damage. "I have no idea what just happened…" 

**God's Hand: Twelve Great Feats [10/12]** 

**SYNCHRONIZATION: 2%** 

Jesus… 

He died. 

Again. 

And it hasn't even been an hour… 

"You know," Jessica said, pursing her lips in displeasure. "I think I've come up with a name for you to use while protecting the streets of our undoubtedly wonderful city! Beware! Tremble! For standing guard is… *Corpse Man*!" 

"Pfft…" Chris couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the whole situation. 

"I mean, I'm a goddamn comedic genius, what can I say, I was born this way," she shot him a sharp look. "But don't you think dying twice in a row is kind of a red flag?" 

"Was it really death?" Chris asked, not entirely sure. 

Yes, the sensations were unmistakable, but it's one thing to assume and another to seriously claim that he died twice in a row and came back to life immediately. 

"Your eyes exploded, for f*ck's sake!" Jessica yelled at him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. It was clear that the close encounter with what was practically a head explosion hadn't improved her mood. "They popped like lightbulbs right in front of my face! Like someone shoved a high-voltage wire up your ass and cranked it to the max!..." 

"I don't know," Chris shook his head. "I just… I don't understand what's happening. But the last death happened because we were talking about, what's it called… something with an 'M'?" 

"'M'?" Jessica raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?" 

"What do you mean?" 

Chris stared at Jessica in shock. She had literally just been talking about some radioactive people a minute ago! 

"We were trying to figure out where your powers came from…" she cautiously reminded him. 

"And what were the theories?" Chris asked just as cautiously. 

"Maybe a lab, maybe you're the descendant of some vampire or mummy," Jessica shrugged indifferently, wincing from a sudden headache. "I have no idea where your powers come from…" 

"What the hell…" Chris muttered in shock. "What's going on here?!" 

He was absolutely sure they had been talking about… What *were* they talking about? 

Chris had never considered himself the most talented, athletic, or smartest person. 

But for some reason, he was 100% sure that if you put anyone far more talented in his place, the result wouldn't change. 

Honestly, his "calmness," albeit mixed with a fair amount of confusion, was commendable. 

Though maybe the "resurrection" mechanism was somehow dulling his emotions. 

Chris wasn't sure about anything. 

The ringing of the phone snapped both Jessica and Chris out of their not-so-simple thoughts. 

Picking up the phone, Chris was surprised to see the only contact saved in his phonebook. 

"Mr. Kramer is calling…" Chris nervously pursed his lips. "He probably came back because of the gunshot. And when he got to the store, he didn't find me, the gun, or the money in the register… I need to get back and explain the situation." 

"Alright, it's been fun, all that, great host, interesting games, but…" Jessica wearily grabbed her worn-out clothes and headed home. "I think I'm gonna head home." 

"Home?" Chris was slightly taken aback by Jessica's decision. "But I thought you…" 

"Chris, you're a decent guy," Jessica sighed, turning to face him. "But I don't need trouble. And today's 'hangover' just took first place on my list of the most godawful, teeth-grindingly terrible 'hangovers.' And trust me, with my *extremely* rich experience, the situations I've been in were just… Well…" 

"What's in second place?" Chris's playful curiosity kicked in. 

"Once in Vegas, I got drunk and married some dentist, and during the ceremony, I knocked out his tooth, as it turned out later…" 

"And then what?" 

"I woke up, freaked out, and knocked out a few more of his teeth," Jessica shrugged. "There was also a lion, some Asian stoner, and Mike Tyson for some reason. Don't ask," she raised her hand, anticipating the endless stream of "how." "I still can't piece all those events together." 

"Tell me more about it later," Chris muttered. "Maybe I'll write a script and get rich… What should I call it? Maybe *Hangover in Vegas*? Sounds pretty good!" 

"Who the hell would watch that crap?" Jessica snorted. "Pretty lame ideas you've got…" 

*"I'll cut you out of the movie, dammit!"* Chris thought to himself, offended. *"I'll replace you with some random hooker! That'll teach you to disrespect my ideas!"* 

A brief pause filled the air, but Jessica decided it was time to set clear boundaries between them. 

"Chris, I usually avoid trouble. Well, when I'm sober," she corrected herself under Chris's ironic gaze. "But today, after going out for one stupid bottle of beer, I ran into the Irish mafia in f*cking Harlem, watched you get shot, and then experienced the concept of 'face-spraying straight out of a Hannibal Lecter wannabe's wet dreams.' I'm not the smartest or most educated person, but even I can see that being 'friends' with you is a bundle of nothing but dark, bloody problems. So…" She awkwardly shrugged. "Sorry." 

- Я... - Chris took a deep breath, trying to quiet the frustration in his chest. - I understand.

He himself tried to avoid trouble and keep a low profile. Well, until the moment he picked up a gun and followed in the footsteps of the two gangsters.

Of course, Chris hoped that from that moment will begin at least some, but friendship ...

But the circumstances are really not favorable.

He has no right to pick on Jessica. After all, he's nobody to her.

- Bye," Jessica turned around awkwardly and walked out of the apartment....

Or rather, she was kind of about to.

Jessica froze on the doorstep and looked back at his hopeful, naive, fawn-like eyes a couple times. She mentally berated herself for being too sympathetic and....

- Okay," Jessica sighed, ignoring the smile that grew to Chris's ears. And we can't forget that in the last half hour he's been shot and his head almost exploded. - Now I can see why you were in a mental institution....

- Thank you, Jessica," Chris said the only thing that came to mind.

All he got in response was a tired sigh.

*****

- Anyway," Chris sat down across from his elderly boss and awkwardly confessed. - I've been shot.

And silence...

Mr. Kramer looked at him with an unspeakable expression on his face.

And Jessica...

- Y-di-ot... - She moaned through her palms.

- You... - Kramer began cautiously. - Shot?

- Yeah," Chris nodded like a dummy.

- Where?

- Right here," Chris showed his unharmed belly. - And I'm dead.

- You're dead," the unflappable Mr. Kramer asked or confirmed.

- Uh-huh.

- Are you taking pills?

- I don't take pills! - Chris was insulted.

- You should...

Silence fell once again on the small back room that served as the store's workroom.

And so it would last until Jessica decided to take custody of the young and inexperienced superhuman.

- In fact, he was still under the impression, for.... - Jessica bit her lip, trying to think of an excuse on the fly. - I fucked him!

Silence would become a tradition in their not-so-standard company....

- You fucked him," the unflappable Mr. Kramer nodded again.

- Yes, yes," Chris cooperated under the menacing gaze of his new and only friend. - We're straight... that... that. Fucked really hard like!

Jessica, cursing to herself in the foulest of foul language, decided to take matters into her own hands.

- When he chased after those bandits, I got a new look at him! - Jessica continued excitedly. - He failed to find these scum of the earth, but after catching up with my savior, I gave myself to him in gratitude! And then the boring part, consisting of hot and unrestrained sex.....

- I even blew on her face.

And again that damn silence, broken only by Jessica, who looked like she was about to wipe her teeth into dust with anger. Apparently Chris's last remark didn't sit well with her.

And Mr. Kramer commented on it with only one word ....

- ... okay.