A New

Kai is in his suit. He is standing on the roof of a building overlooking a factory. Kai taps a com in his ear.

Kai: How many?

Max: Twenty, but they're spread out.

Kai jumps across the street onto the building he was scouting. He tries to open a latch on the roof.

Kai: It's locked.

Max: Just give me a second.

Kai kicks the latch, and it breaks open.

Max: Or do that.

Kai hops down through the latch. He lands on the ground in the middle of the factory. Workers are all around him using the machines.

Kai: Sorry to drop in on you like this. I would have called, but… You know.

The workers charge him. Some of them are grabbing wrenches. A wrench is thrown at Kai. He catches it, and hits a worker in the head. Then he kicks a worker in the stomach. The worker falls over. Two guys try to punch Kai. Kai throws his wrench at another worker. Then grabs both of the workers fists.

Kai: Not today boys.

Kai slams them together. A guy grabs a gun. Kai hears a pop, and feels a bullet go through him.

Kai: No warning?!

The worker holds up the gun. Kai grabs a sheet of metal off the conveyor belt. Then uses it to block the bullets. The man starts reloading, and Kai throws the sheet of metal at him like a frisbee. Kai sees a group of men run out from a room in the back. Kai grabs another sheet of metal. Kai looks up and sees a crate being held up by a machine. Kai throws the sheet of metal, and it cuts through the rope on the machine. The crate falls on top of the group of men. Kai looks around and sees no other workers.

Kai: Max, you said there were twenty. That was ten.

Max starts slurping his slushie.

Max: I didn't say where.

Kai: Basement?

Max: Yup.

Max puts up his feet.

Kai: Stop slurping in my ear or else I'll kill you.

Max: You won't.

Kai shuts his com off.

Max: I guess he won't know that they have guns down there.

Kai walks around looking for something. Kai sees a wooden board out of place. He slides it over and sees a small ladder to a staircase. Kai jumps down. He sees a door in front of him. Kai opens the door. He sees people working with chemicals.

Kai: I wonder what you guys are doing down here.

They take out guns.

Kai: Fine, don't tell me!

Kai takes out his staff. They start shooting and Kai spins around his staff. The bullets bounce off of the staff. Soon everyone starts reloading.

Kai: My turn.

Kai lunges at the first guy. He swings his staff, and his staff slams onto their head. The next gun tried to hit him with his gun. Kai grabbed the dude's arm, and threw him into two other guys. A guy reloaded, and pointed his gun at Kai. Kai jabbed the man's arm with his staff. The man dropped the gun. Kai slid across one of the tables, and punched the guy without a gun. The others finish reloading. They start shooting at Kai, and Kai ducks under the table. Kai turns his com back on.

Kai: No warning about the guns?

Max: You shut off coms.

Kai sighs and turns his com back off. Kai hears the area where the bullets are being fired from. He throws his staff, and hits one of them dead on. Kai jumps over the table, and punches one in the head. The other punched Kai in the back. Kai didn't even move. Kai kicked behind him. One of the workers throws a chemical at him. Kai ducks, and the chemical hits the wall. Kai picks up a metal measuring cup off the table and throws it at the chemical guy. The guy falls over. Kai can hear breathing.

Kai: Where's the last guy?

Kai hears sirens.

Kai: Saved by the police. That's never happened before.

The door to a police car clicks open. A man wearing a white shirt and a tie walks out. He has grey suit pants and a tan open trench coat. The man walks inside and up to one of the officers.

Owen: What's the case.

Officer: Looks like a group of people came in here and took down all these men.

Owen looks around. He sees a metal latch on the ground. He looks up to see the entryway. He sees the conveyor belt has a metal piece every so often, but there is one missing. He looks at the crate on top of the men.

Owen: Hm.

Officer: We're looking for fingerprints now sir.

Owen doesn't even acknowledge the officer. He sees the board missing in the corner of the room. Owen climbs down the ladder. He walks through the open door. He sees officers handcuffing the men. Owen scratches his beard. He sees the guns all around, but no bullet wounds on the workers, only heavy bruising.

Owen: I've seen enough.

Owen leaves the room. and climbs back up the latter. He walks past the officer.

Officer: Did you solve the case sir?

Owen: Yeah. This wasn't multiple guys. It was one superhuman. He kicked open the latch at the top of the building then he took out all the guys. He used one of the metal sheets to cut the crate's rope. That's how it landed on those workers. Then he dodged the bullets and took the guys out downstairs with a blunt weapon.

Officer: How do you know he dodged the bullets?

Owen: Right here.

Owen points to the ground.

Owen: It's blood. If he could bleed from anything in here. Then he can bleed from guns.

The officer looks at him in amazement.

Officer: I would have never put that together.

Owen: I know you wouldn't. It's what I do.

Owen lights a cigarette and leaves. Owen shuts the door behind him. Kai opens up the door to his new house. He walks inside only holding a box of stuff and wearing a backpack. Kai walks into the house. He is in a room with two staircases to a higher floor. He takes a right going into the living room. He sees Max laying on the couch with a pop in his mouth while he is playing on his laptop.

Max: Nice house.

Kai: Thanks, why are you here?

Max: Y'know, help you unpack.

Kai: I have one box.

Max: Sounds like a job well done to me. Imma lay on the couch.

Kai: Why are you enjoying the mansion more than me?

Max: Because it's not my mansion.

Kai: Fair enough.

Kai leaves the room and walks upstairs. He walks down a corridor, and then opens a door. He walks inside the room. The room has a king sized bed and a tv hung on the wall. Kai puts his box on the floor.

Kai: I'll unpack later.

Kai puts his backpack on his bed and walks back downstairs. Kai sees Max is still laying on the couch.

Kai: Get up!

Max: Why?

Kai: I gotta show you something.

Max gets up and follows Kai to the room in the back of the house. Kai leads Max to a fire place.

Max: Kai.

Kai: Yeah?

Max: I've seen a fireplace before.

Kai sighs and shakes his head.

Kai: Not the fireplace.

Kai takes one of the bricks out of the fireplace. The fireplace slowly moves to the side showing stairs. They start walking down the stairs. Kai puts the brick back in the place it was. The fireplace closes after them. As the fireplace closes the lights on the stairs turn on. They hit the last step, and the lights turn on downstairs. They are in a dome. The bottom of the dome is a platform, and the top is rock from the ground below the house. Max looks in front of them to see a bunch of different things. On the right side is an armory. Then on the left side looks like spots for vehicles. Then the last thing Max sees is a computer. Max goes over and sits in the chair. The computer has six different screens.

Kai: Had to get something for the lookout.

Max: About being lookout I thought about it, and-

Kai: You're not quitting?!

Max: No. You just shouldn't call me Max over coms. So I think you should call me Code.

Kai: Kinda bland, but it works.

Max: How are you just going to talk bad about my name?

Kai: Whenever someone comes up with a name it is absolutely necessary to make fun of them.

Kai gets a text from Remi.

Kai: Remi's here. I just told her to go to the fireplace. Let's see if she is surprised.

Remi walks up to the fireplace.

Remi: Why the fireplace?

The fireplace starts moving to the side. Kai and Max walk out from the stairs. Kai puts the brick back, and the fireplace starts closing.

Remi: That's one hell of an entrance.

Kai: Thank you.

The fireplace finishes closing.

Remi: You can't just show me a secret passage and not let me see what's down there.

Kai: That's exactly what I'm doing.

Kai leads them to his backyard. There is a pool, and a porch with a grill on it. On the grill is a wine bottle.

Kai: It's time to chill.

Kai starts cooking on the grill as Remi and Max are swimming.

Remi: Max, I didn't know you even went outside.

Max: I don't. The sun hurts my eyes.

Remi: And a computer screen doesn't?

Max: Yup. That's exactly right.

Kai: The foods done!

Everyone sits at a table that's set up. Remi and Max have towels under them.

Remi: You really need more friends Kai.

Kai: Nonsense. That's crazy talk.

Max: It's been a year since Cal. Haven't you moved on?

Remi: Max!

Kai: Nah, it's fine. I have moved on. It just seems like so much work to get more friends.

Remi: It's not like you are going to tell them that you are a vigilante. Y'know what? Tomorrow I'm bringing you to a club.

Kai: If I have to go then Max has to go too.

Max: You're lucky you even got me to go outside!

Kai sees a patch of grass off to the side.

Kai: Wait, Remi?

Remi: What?

Kai: Do you wanna spar?

Remi: What? Sure, I guess.

They both get up.

Max: Kill each other!

They both stand ten feet away from each other.

Max: 3… 2… Go!

Kai: No one?

Remi kicks at Kai. Kai blocks the kick. She goes for a punch, and Kai grabs her arm. Kai flips her.

Kai: You've gotten better.

Remi: Not by much.

Remi gets back up.

Kai: You are facing a man who has been training since he was thirteen, can lift up a car, and can dodge bullets. You're not exactly on equal terms.

Remi goes for another punch. Kai blocks it. She kicks Kai in the stomach. Kai doesn't even move. Remi punches at Kai with her other hand. Kai grabs her hand and pushes her back. Remi catches herself.

Remi: It's not even fun sparring against you.

Kai: That's because I try not to hit you.

Remi: Can't you weaken your punches?

Kai: I'll try.

Kai rushes up to Remi. Kai tries to punch Remi. She blocks the punch then she punches Kai in the jaw. Kai knees her in the stomach and she goes down.

Kai: If you had super strength this would be more fun for you.

Remi: But I don't.

Kai: Yeah. At least you know what going up against a meta will be like.

Remi: Like that helps.

Max: By watching this fight very closely. I have deduced Kai as the winner.

Remi: Shut up Max. I'm not sparring with you anymore Kai. It just sucks.

Kai: I need to find you a good sparring partner.

Remi: This is why you need more friends.

Kai: Just eat your burger.

Remi: I was planning on it.

They both sit down.

Max: Now, when do I get to go back inside?