Marvel : the Author

Hello guys and gals ! Hope you're having a good one ! This chapter (or rather chapter 77 from my Patréon) has been a nightmare to write : no time because of work, no ideas, no passion. Forgive me if it's crappy. This situation has been going on for a while but as a writer, I've been experiencing a fraught of ideas and motivations. No… not ideas. I have them, though they tend to be disjointed : ideas about tons of stories and stuff. Anyways, sorry again !

Now for the minute culture : I've been binge watching The Rookie with Nathan Fillion on Netflix. Love the actor and the série though as a cop show, I guess there are better. Still the characters and situations are often hilarious.

Enjoy the chapter !

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I wake up suddenly at my desk, feeling stressed about work. I still haven't finish that report for my boss and god knows how much of a bitch he can be ! It's simple, really : he's one of those guys who like to lord their power over others even though they're inept themselves. It pays to have relations…

I look around and… yeah, I fell asleep. My colleagues are all riveted to their screens. Eerily silent. Seemingly unmoving. Although I can't seem to be able to focus on anyone's faces, they don't look like they're blinking their eyes.

Then, I look toward my boss' desk… He's not there. He's always there, playing the latest online game with his gaming buddies, while his subordinates are hard at work. The fact that he's not here only means…

I turn around and he's there, looming over me like some kind of bird of prey. For just a moment, the background flashes red. Is it a trick of the light or are his hair forming horns ? As soon as the thought forms it's dispelled by the annoying voice of my boss…

« Feeling sleepy~ ? » He says in a sing-song voice. I hate that tone. The false-friendly tone, almost as if he understands our plights… He doesn't. And he doesn't care, either. Suddenly, his tone changes, as does his voice. It's more hurried, louder :

« You should WAKE UP ! »

* * * * *

I wake up once more to feel a warm fluid flow down the side of my face, getting into my eyes. It stings. I feel woozy, confused. For a minute I don't understand where I am, what I'm supposed to do. Am I still on a deadline ? Really don't want to hear anymore of my boss' voice…

Slowly my mind clears up slightly. I notice how uncomfortable my battles robes are… Like they're filled with sand.

« Right… » I mutter in realization. We were just about to finish up our fight when… I got knocked out ? Who were we fighting again ? Oh, right ! The Sinister Six. Sounds like the name of a metal band… Wonder what their greatest hit is ? Probably my face, into the concrete building.

I get up, trying to shake up how out of it I am. Meanwhile I hear sounds of fighting around me. Wasn't it already over ? How come it has started up again ? I look up only to see a formless thing pouring an unknown liquid on Doc Ock's restraints. A few seconds later they… dissolve ? The pain is confusing me, but I still don't think that I'm wrong in this. How's this possible ?

My friends are trying to fight off parts of Sandman while the other members of the criminal group are… helping each other ? Who says there's no honor among thieves ?

« I think I have a concussion… » I comment to myself uselessly.

Confusion, blurry vision, nausea… I feel all this and if I'm not wrong, those are all symptoms of a possible concussion. Another sign that there might be something wrong is the fact that I can't shape my ink with my intent. It feels like there's this… wooly barrier between my mind and my ink, and it dampers or attenuates my commands.

In fact, even my handwriting - or rather, tentacle-writing in this case - will suffer from it. I feel… Clumsy, slower than usual, almost diminished in some way. Guess that means my power's a no-go. Which leaves my body… Wonder how I'll fare.

I get up on wobbly tentacles, and start to head toward the blurry place my friends are… all 6 of them ! Wait, what ?! And the Sinister Six are twelve ? Do I also see double ? I guess I am. Hm… That'll make things a bit tricky. Let's aim for the middle between the doubles, then ! Hopefully, I'll strike something.

Alternatively, I could just lash out, whip around like I just don't care… Which, I don't at the moment. A little hard to care, when your mind's all over the place.

A birdie in a man-suit suddenly dives towards me and I react… Almost too late. Thankfully, the birdie isn't very tough : my tentacle, as badly aimed and timed as it is, still sends him crashing into the pavement. In exchange, Toomes… I think that's his name, but, again, can't be sure of anything right now. Anyways, the birdie cut me pretty bad. It's a good thing that sensation are dulled, except for the throbbing pain in my head… This one's dialed up to eleven !

I look toward the downed birdie for… I don't know. Some time ? I might have blanked out making sure he stays down.


From the corner of my eye, I spot someone dressed in an ugly green suit with a bad monk hair-cut and Morpheus glasses without the cool factor tipping a vat of liquid onto the street. Below is… A rhinoceros ! What's it doing on the streets of New York ? Oh, wait ! I remember this… It's not actually the animal. It's a thug. A man in the costume of a Rhino… Though even at the moment, it's unclear whether or not he can take it off. The suit, I mean. And if he does, he'll still be a massive dude ! How did his mother give birth to him ? Must have hurt and required stitches…

The next moment I'm somewhat lucid, I see the guy with the mechanical arms and harness, as well as the animal-man help each other. It makes me think of those dope moment on TV when the people act bravely to save the planet and shit… Only in this case, the planet can go to shit ; all these guys care are themselves… And apparently, a little bit of their team.

That's when it hits me. Thankfully, this is not as painful as the building that crossed the street to end up in my face… These guys were my opponents. Still are, in fact. I can't just stay idle and let them get away or worse, now can I ? Let's ruin their day !