Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 22 The Return Of Marcos Dias

When the scarred man told Hart Turner about his conflict with Ryan, Hart went into a rage. He jumped up, kicked a chair across the room. “Did you mention to him that I am your brother?” he shouted.

“I told him that I am under your protection,” the scarred man replied. “But he doesn’t respect you at all. He said that if you had been there, he would have broken your legs…”

Hart was the head of the underworld, so most of the people in Edmonton knew who he was. Not only was he dangerous, but he was also as rich as Mooney. Thus, he was well respected in the community. It surprised him to hear that someone had spoken about him in this manner. He looked at his brother and said, “Ryan sounds like a brave young man. I can’t wait to meet him.”

The scarred man frowned. “There is one more thing,” he said.

“What is it?”

“That bastard is the owner of Forest Creamery. He knows many powerful men. If we hit him in public, the police will arrest us.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Hart chuckled and said, “I have an idea.”

“Great!” The scarred man lifted his fist triumphantly. “We must make him pay!”

Hart took out a package filled with powder and passed it to the scarred man. The scarred man took it, gave it a suspicious once over, and then he asked, “What is this? Do you want me to put it in his ice cream?”

“Yes,” Hart responded with a faint smile. He said, “It is not deadly, but it will make people vomit and s**t themselves. Just put it in the ice cream.”

The scarred man nodded, and as he was leaving, a grey-haired man with bright piercing eyes entered the room. He was wearing a loose suit and he looked ghostly. He was Hart’s master, Marcos Dias.

Hart had been out of town for the last few months, and his business had been Marcos’ business. They had a relationship that went back many years, and they had been working together to prepare for Marcos’s triumphant return.

Their relationship began after Marcos lost land to Mooney Wood. Marcos had fled the country so that he could accumulate a fortune and improve his fighting capabilities. Hart had remained and acted as his eyes and ears in Edmonton. Now that Marcos had returned, he hoped to deal with the Wood family and regain his proper place in the city’s hierarchy.

“You are finally here, Mr. Dias.” Hart showed the utmost respect for Marcos. Without getting up, he invited the man in and offered him a chair.

Marcos smiled and said, “I am proud of all that you have accomplished in my absence.”

“I’m not as good as you, though…” Hart said humbly. He felt that he was not worthy of such compliments, but he was wild with joy over having received them.

Marcos nodded, and then he slowly elevated from the chair and hovered over the table.  

Everyone was astonished. “That is really impressive!” Hart exclaimed. “One day, you will be the most powerful man in the world.”

“This is nothing,” Marcos argued. “This is the smallest fraction of what I am capable of.”

Hart knelt to show his respect. In his book, Marcos was as powerful as a supernatural being.

Marcos touched his head and said, “Get up. It takes time to learn these things, but it is possible for everyone. All you need is time, patience, and a learned teacher.”

Hart nodded. He considered Marcos’ remarks as a promise to teach him everything that he knew. “What do you need from me now?” he asked. “What is our next step?”

“I need you to keep a low-profile,” Marcos replied. “And don’t mention our relationship to anyone.”

***

The scarred man was preparing to sneak into a Forest Creamery with the powder. It was midnight but the shop was still noisy with customers chatting and eating ice cream. He walked very slowly, and he cast the occasional furtive glance behind him to ensure that he was not being followed. He could easily imagine what Ryan would have done to him if he were caught.

In the end, everything went off without a hitch, and when he was done, he took a seat in the corner of the shop and ordered a cup of ice cream. He would not have been caught dead in the original store, but this branch was far enough away from that one that it was highly unlikely that he would be recognized.

As he ate, he chatted with the waiter, and whenever the water was distracted, he poisoned the cups of the customers around him. There was a steady flow of traffic, and the place remained relatively full. Thus, the scarred man did not think it would be long before people started to get sick. Time passed, though, and nothing happened. What’s wrong? – he wondered – Is there something wrong with the poison?

To test his theory, the scarred man put a small amount of powder into his own cup. He finished his ice cream and in no time at all, he began to feel acute pain in his stomach. Before long, he was clutching his gut and moaning in agony. “Help!” he shouted. “The ice cream is poisonous.”

When the other customers heard this, they gathered around him to see what all of the ruckuses were about.

***

By now, Phil had been given his own franchise to run. This one happened to be his, and when he saw what was happening, he took charge of the situation. He looked at the scarred man and asked, “Are you okay. Please stand up. You are causing a scene.”

“Shouldn’t you be worried about my stomach?” the scarred man snarled. “Your ice cream is poisonous. I will sue you.”

Phil became vexed when he heard this, and he called Ryan for help.

At the time, Ryan was at the hospital tendering his resignation. He had decided to quit the job when he realized that he could do more good somewhere else, where his creative thinking would be appreciated.

His phone rang, and when he saw who was calling, he knew that there was a problem. He accepted the call, and without any preamble, he said, “Phil, what is wrong?”

“I n-n-need your h-help,” Phil stammered.

When Ryan heard how afraid Phil was, he wasted no time. He dropped everything that was going on at the hospital so that he could rush off and help his most cherished employee.