"The patient has no heartbeat, no respiration, and weak brainwaves!"
"What happened to him? He's completely unscathed, yet critically injured and on the brink of death?"
"His skin is too tough, the needle—"
"Forget the damn needle! Get the defibrillator ready!"
Late at night, the emergency department of Metropolis Hospital was in utter chaos. Luke Cage lay on a gurney with his eyes tightly shut, as doctors and nurses ran alongside him toward the operating room, desperately trying to resuscitate him.
Jessica Jones sat on a hospital bench, a denim jacket draped over her shoulders. A strand of her hair had been singed into a dry, matted clump by the intense heat, but she didn't care at all. She just covered her mouth, watching as Luke Cage was wheeled into the operating room.
She had absolutely no idea what had happened. This was supposed to be just another ordinary night for the couple.
As she sat on the bench, a nurse stopped by to ask if she needed medical attention, but Jessica just shook her head, indicating she was fine.
After ten minutes or so, three police officers in uniform stood before Jessica Jones with solemn expressions.
"Are you Miss Jones? Jessica Jones?"
"I am," Jessica Jones said, looking up at the officers from the Manhattan Police Department.
"We just came from your apartment. We need to ask you a few questions." An officer with a thick, sandy-brown beard spoke, his mouth moving as the words clipped out bluntly.
Jessica Jones pulled her denim jacket tighter around herself and looked at the officer who had spoken.
"Was anyone else in the building hurt?"
The officer on the left looked relatively young and had dark green eyes.
"Fortunately, no. Your neighbors were shaken up at most. The blast was contained entirely within your apartment—it was a directional explosion."
The officer on the right was clean-shaven, but a scar etched across his face gave him a fierce look, though his tone turned out to be the gentlest of the three.
"Their descriptions were precise. The explosion caused minimal damage to the other units; the blast radius was highly concentrated... and your boyfriend, Luke Cage, happened to be right at ground zero."
"We haven't determined the exact cause of the explosion yet. Is there anything you can tell us?"
"Have you two crossed any gangs in Hell's Kitchen, or anyone else for that matter?"
Jessica Jones shook her head. She couldn't recall her or Luke Cage ever offending anyone.
The explosion had been far too bizarre and violent. Every time Jessica closed her eyes, horrifying images flashed through her mind, forcing her to strain to keep them open.
"Your boyfriend, Luke Cage, exhibits two completely contradictory physical conditions: he's on the brink of death, yet physically unscathed. Can you explain that?" the scarred officer asked again.
"I... well, I..." Jessica Jones found herself at a loss for words.
Although she and Luke Cage didn't wear masks to hide their identities like Batman or Daredevil, that was mostly because they rarely displayed their abilities in front of others.
"It's alright, just try to remember," the officer said, his voice gentle but firm.
Panic surged within Jessica. She knew that even if she told the police about Luke's superhuman strength and impenetrable skin, it wouldn't necessarily give them any real leads.
Instead, it would only bring an endless amount of trouble for her and Luke.
Just as she was hovering in indecision, the sharp click of leather shoes echoing against the floor came from the far end of the hospital corridor.
Jessica instinctively looked up. Obstructed by the police officers, she could only faintly make out several men in suits carrying briefcases.
These suited men were heading straight for Jessica Jones, who was surrounded by the officers. After one of them quickly sized her up, he extended a hand, subtly placing himself between Jessica and the police.
Jessica had no idea who these people were. She watched blankly as the situation spiraled further and further away from anything resembling normal.
Before the officers could speak, the man who had stepped forward preempted them:
"Apologies, gentlemen. We are the legal counsel representing Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Until Mr. Cage regains consciousness, my client and I reserve the right to remain silent."
"My client requires rest and a psychological evaluation to assess her mental state. As of right now, she is unable to cooperate with the police investigation."
The man in the suit rattled off a long string of words, half of which consisted of legal jargon that Jessica couldn't quite follow.
But the three police officers clearly understood. They merely gave Jessica a long, hard look before turning and walking away, pressing no further.
"Thank you, thank you so much... But I don't recall ever hiring a legal team," Jessica Jones said, thanking the lawyers repeatedly.
"We belong to the legal department of Parker Industries. I am Ellington," the lawyer introduced himself. "Miss Alice dispatched us to Metropolis Hospital immediately after the explosion occurred. She said you would certainly need assistance."
"Parker Industries? Alice?" Jessica Jones was stunned.
She didn't remember ever having any dealings with this company... Could this legal team's fees be outrageously exorbitant, and they were trying to muscle their way in? Some kind of predatory firm?
"Please rest assured, Miss Jones. We are members of Parker Industries' in-house legal department," Attorney Ellington emphasized once more. "Therefore, there will be no charge to you whatsoever."
Jessica shook her head, clarifying that she didn't know any Alice from Parker Industries.
However, she was deeply grateful to these lawyers for their timely intervention. It slightly lifted her grim mood, which had been weighed down by the sight of Luke Cage blasted into a comatose state.
The lawyers exchanged glances. Attorney Ellington remained by Jessica's side, while the others walked over to wait outside Luke Cage's trauma room.
It wasn't until half an hour later that the door to the room was pushed open from the inside.
"Family of the patient..."
The moment the doctor opened his mouth, the lawyer cut him off.
"Is the patient out of critical condition?"
The doctor froze for a second.
"Yes. Because his skin is incredibly dense, we could only administer medication through a respiratory tube. Fortunately, he's not an insulator—the defibrillator successfully saved his life."
Without saying another word, the lawyer opened his briefcase right there and pulled out a stack of documents.
"This is the authorization form to transfer Luke Cage to another hospital. Please review it."
By then, Jessica Jones had made her way to the door of the room. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Luke Cage lying on the bed with tubes hooked up to his nose and mouth.
Before she could even register what the lawyers were talking about, she saw another medical team of doctors and nurses rush in dynamically with a gurney, lifting Luke Cage out along with all his tubes, IV lines, and monitoring equipment.
The staff at Metropolis Hospital stared at each other in utter bewilderment. Only then did Jessica Jones snap out of it, hurriedly chasing after Luke Cage.
"Where are you transferring Luke?" Jessica Jones asked urgently as she noticed Attorney Ellington and the others following closely.
"A private hospital under Parker Industries. The facilities there are far more advanced than those at Metropolis," the lawyer replied.
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