Creature (CENTURIES series: Book #7)

10

• Amazing covers made by randomsweetstuff - thank you, self-proclaimed bff, lmao. Bless you •

I had been on the phone most of the next day.

After having comforted Charlie and apologized immensely, I'd promised him that that had been the last dose of that drug he'd ever get. I couldn't even imagine what his head had to feel like now. Every time he tried to think about something, his brain fought against the drug. We were back to square one when I met him in the lab, his replies having slowed down and his apprehension drastically decreased.

I was fuming mad. Hence the reason I had been on the phone with C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S most of the following day, laying my case down for them. Finally, after nearly three hours of negotiating, we had come to an agreement. Making headway with stubborn scientists was a near impossible task, but this wasn't my first rodeo. And for Charlie... there was no way I was losing my case.

So I had signed a deal with the devil. They were sending over paperwork one of the following days to confirm that, but until then, all I could do was wait. And then wait some more.

They'd informed me that the drug they had given him lasted a whole month. Charlie had gotten his first shot before he got here, and had over the past month slowly been wearing it off. After getting this shot, it would take another full month until he'd be back to where he was before; regaining his true self. I was at my tethering point, but sadly, what was done was done. All I could do was work with- and make the best of it.

And try and ease Charlie's discomfort in the meantime.

"So," I said as I came into the living room a few days later and found him lying on my couch with his prosthesis standing next to it, his one foot slung up and his blunt leg resting comfortably on the couch cushion. At the sound of my voice, he pulled his head out of his Spider-Man comic book and blinked at me. "It's a lovely day outside today. I was wondering if you wanted to come out with me to play some ball in my garden?"

His brows creased ever so slightly and he slowly sat up. "Play some ball?"

"Yeah. Remember how we talked about the different types of sports there are, that we humans play?" I reminded him, referring to one of our many conversations where I had introduced him to sports. "Most of them involve some sort of ball, but you don't have to be professional to play. A lot of humans throw a ball around in their yard for pastime, but also for the amusement – especially if the weather is nice. So what do you say? Are you interested?"

Charlie looked at me, fighting with his slow brain for a moment, but then nodded, swinging his leg down and reaching for his prosthesis. "Yes."

"Alright then," I smiled brightly while he quickly secured his mechanic leg and smoothed his trousers down over it. "I figured we should throw a ball instead of kicking it, you know, since we haven't fully found out how strong you are. Did they ever test that in the facility?"

Charlie stood up to his towering height and frowned a little again, thinking. "I am... strong." He replied, carefully.

"How strong?" I asked, raising a brow. "Can you give an example?"

He thought again for a moment, but then looked down at the comic book in his hand. He opened it and slowly begun leafing through it until he stopped at a page. He held it out for me to see.

The image was of Doctor Octopus with one of his many mechanical arms bashing about, one of them picking up a car he was throwing after Spider-Man. It wasn't a small car, but I think what Charlie tried to convey was that he... well, he had enough strength to lift a motorized vehicle.