Actually...
If it were purely to obtain information, Locke didn't need to consume a [Health Potion] to resurrect Jeff Martin. He could have used other methods.
This was just an excuse he made for himself. The truth was simpler: from a certain perspective, Jeff Martin had helped him.
Locke's memory had always been sharp. Initially, Jeff was just another victim to himāan innocent man killed by a copycat. Locke was furious at the imposter, but he didn't have much connection to the victim.
That changed when he saw Jeff's photograph in the Martin home. He finally linked the face to the officer from the night of the promāthe one who had pulled him out of the car after the crash and then angrily pointed a gun at the SHIELD agents to protect him.
Before tonight, Locke remembered the act, but he hadn't known the man's name was Jeff Martin.
Now?
Locke watched the glowing liquid flow into Jeff's mouth. "You treated me like one of your own because of George," Locke murmured. "And this mess started because of me. I don't like owing favors. I save you, you tell me who the killer is, and we're even."
He was no saint, and he had no desire to save the world. This was the first time, and it would be the last.
Recalling the image of Jeff's wife and those three children, Locke shook his head as he visualized the grim future he had just averted.
'I really am too kind.'
Locke put away the empty vial and watched the man on the table. Suddenly, there was a faint, shallow, but unmistakably real breath.
Just thenā
"Hey!"
Jason Brent appeared at the door, handgun drawn. He looked at the unconscious lab assistant on the floor, then at Lockeāwho was standing over Jeff's "corpse" in a suit and sunglasses. "Don't move."
Locke turned toward the sound, looking at the man who resembled Jason Statham, and let out a light chuckle.
Jason aimed steadily at Locke as he walked in. "Are you the Legendary Assassin?"
Locke thought for a moment and shook his head. "My name is Peerless. But I am no assassin."
He had given himself the code name "Peerless." Just two words.
Jason's voice was low and dangerous. "Did you kill Jeff?"
Locke smiled and took a step forward.
"Don't move!"
*Bang!*
Locke's expression didn't flicker as a spark erupted near his feet.
"One more step and I shoot to kill," Jason barked.
Locke looked at him. In the next split second, golden light flashed. Jason's pupils constricted.
*Bang!*
"Ah!"
Jason's right hand snapped upward. *Clang!* A hole was punched clean through the slide of his pistol. The weapon flew from his grip, spinning across the floor.
"Shit!" Jason clutched his throbbing wrist and looked up. "Where did he go?"
The morgue was empty.
...
Moments later, a team of officers burst out of the elevator.
"Brent!"
"Jason!"
Kate rushed in, gun held in a two-handed grip. She saw Jason holding his wrist and ran over. "What happened?"
"Peerless!" Jason gritted out through the pain. "He was just here."
"What?" Kate signaled her team. They fanned out immediately, calling for reinforcements. But despite the exits being blocked by officers, Peerless had vanished as if he'd turned into mist.
Jason hissed in pain as he picked up his gun. Looking at the hole through the metal, he realized something. "Jeff wasn't killed by Peerless."
Kate frowned. "He told you that?"
Jason shook his head and held up the ruined pistol. "He only said one sentence. This gun said the rest."
Kate stared at the bullet hole, her eyes narrowing.
Just then, a soft groan echoed through the room. Jason and Kate froze. They turned, looking at the exam table with expressions that suggested they were questioning reality itself.
That groan... it came from Jeff Martin.
'Did the Assassin leave a device on Jeff to mock us?'
They shared a look and rushed to the table.
"Holy shit!"
"Fuck!"
"Jeff?"
Kate spun around, screaming with every ounce of air in her lungs. "Get a doctor! Get a doctor in here NOW!"
...
*Ring, ring, ring!*
Late at night. George, Gwen, and Helen had returned home after parting with Locke. They were wide awake, discussing how to support Doris and the children.
As Helen lamented the cruelty of fate, George's phone shrieked.
'Kate?' George's heart hammered. He looked at his wife and daughter. 'Another case?'
He answered with a trembling voice. "Hello, Kate?"
Before he could finish, Kate's voice practically exploded through the speaker. "Jeff's not dead! George, hurry! We're on the way to New Amsterdam Hospital. Get here now!"
George was stunned. "What? Not dead? That's impossible."
Gwen and Helen shared a look. Kate's voice had been loud enough for them to hear the core message.
Jeff is alive?
Before they could even process it, George had leaped off the sofa. Helen followed him instantly toward the door. Gwen stayed behind to watch her three younger brothersāif Child Protective Services found out three kids under twelve were left alone, they'd have a field day.
However, that didn't stop Gwen from calling Locke.
On the other end, Locke sounded like he'd just been jolted awake. "Hello?"
"Locke!" Gwen's voice was bright with excitement. "Uncle Jeff isn't dead!"
There was a pause on the line before Locke's voice cleared up. "What? But George said..."
"I don't know the details! Mom and Dad are racing to the hospital!"
"My god, that's wonderful news," Locke said, sounding genuinely thrilled.
"Yeah," Gwen whispered. "It must be a miracle. Jeff's family are devout believers; God must have been watching over them."
'My name isn't Yahweh' Locke thought with a smile as he stood on his balcony.
Jeff Martin definitely needed the hospital. The [Health Potion] didn't come with automatic skin-whitening or scar-removal features. Its only function was to give you life when you had none and lock your health status for twenty-four hours. If you didn't receive medical treatment to stabilize your vitals within that window, you'd just die again.
Hearing Gwen's happiness through the phone, Locke felt his own mood lift. Doing good deeds really did lead to a pleasant state of mind. He leaned back in his lounger, listening to Gwen talk about the history between the Stacys and the Martins.
...
New Amsterdam Hospital.
By the time George, Helen, and a shell-shocked Doris arrived, the surgical corridor was packed with armed officers.
Doris looked like she was in a trance. Understandably. A few hours ago, she was told her husband was murdered. The bereavement unit had literally been at her door. Then George had knocked again to say, "Wait, he's alive."
As the elevator doors opened and she saw the "In Surgery" light and the sea of blue uniforms, the final thread of her composure snapped. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
Chaos erupted in the hallway for a moment.
Eventually, George left Helen to look after the fainted Doris and returned to Kate and Jason. "She's okay, just overwhelmed. How's Jeff?"
Kate struggled to find the words. "The doctor came out once. They're still working on him. But... he said he can't believe Jeff is still alive. His will to live is 'impossible.' George, Jeff has two bullets in his heart, and it's still stubbornly beating."
The doctor's expression had been that of a man seeing a literal medical miracle.
George blinked. Jason, standing nearby, added, "Yeah. Jeff's gonna pull through. Son of a bitch... he literally crawled his way back from Hell."
The officers in the hall who knew Jeff let out a cheer. A few nurses tried to shush them, but one look at the sheer number of armed men made them choose silence.
George focused on one thing: 'He can be saved.' But after the initial joy, confusion set in. He looked at Kate and Jason. "What exactly happened?"
Jason composed himself and recounted the encounter. "I ran into the Legendary Assassin in the morgue."
George: "..."