Beating A Virus

Kai is at Natalie's funeral. The pastor starts talking, but Kai spaces out looking at Natalie's casket. Kai comes to his senses once he hears everybody get up. They all get up to put a flower on Natalie's casket, and Kai does the same. After Kai puts the flower on the casket he stares at the casket for a minute. Then Kai leaves the funeral as Natalie's casket is being buried. Kai gets home. Kai sits down on his couch and just watches tv. Kai looks over to Cal's old room.

Kai: I need to move.

Kai keeps watching TV. Kai turns on the news and starts watching. Two criminals are trying to steal from the bank. The cops can't do anything about them. The two criminals are two white men. One of them reminds Kai of someone.

Kai: Should I even save anyone?

Kai gets up, and pours some old fashioned. He sits down with the drink.

Kai: I tried to stop detective Steel, and it just ended in more death. The same might happen if I try to just go around taking down criminals.

Kai gets a text from Max. Max tells Kai they need to meet at the office. Kai finishes his drink and leaves the house. Kai drives to the office, and sits down with Max at the table.

Kai: What's going on?

Max: I finished the blueprints for the glasses that will go out to the public.

Kai: You added the time, and all that?

Max: Yeah, but we are going to have a problem with selling.

Kai: For the people that need glasses.

Max: They won't want these.

Kai: Can you make a website where they could order special glasses?

Max: I can, but I'm only working on one thing at a time. This website or the military.

Kai: We are still working on producing the first set of glasses for the military. You can take a break with that.

Max: I need help with something else too.

Kai: What?

Max: I know you take down people with powers. Your that "Crimson Dragon" that's all over the news.

Kai: What about it, and how did you figure it out?

Max: Your power level is superhuman, and you got more depressed with every murder. Kai, I need you to help me with some… family issues.

Kai: Isn't that more of a personal matter?

Max: My brother has powers. I can't fight him, but I can still help you.

Kai: How are you going to help if you don't have powers?

Max: I can hack into any security camera, electric lock, anything. I could help you find him with facial recognition, or use security cameras to figure out how many people he has with him.

Kai: Now that you explain it sounds a lot more useful. You find out where he is, and I'll help you take him down. That's it though. I don't fight anymore.

Max: You just got noticed by the people, and you already want to quit?

Kai: You wouldn't understand. Call me when you find him.

Kai goes back home. Remi is meeting with her manager. Remi nervously sits down on the chair. Remi has pale skin, and long full brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She has black pants on with a white and black striped t-shirt. She has a white open jacket over her t-shirt.

Remi: Why did you call me in?

Manager: That story that you release… It was amazing. Now people are going to think that the cops aren't doing enough. You even gave the people a folk hero to believe in. I have been trying to get other reporters to make a story, but they are all scared of those crooked cops. I want you to report everything that the vigilante does. I want him to take down criminals all the time. When we report what the cops are doing, and then report what this hero is doing it will only make the cops more irrelevant.

Remi: If you don't mind me asking. Why do we want the cops to be irrelevant?

Manager: If superheroes are doing what the cops are then we'll really be in business. Try your best to not be around the cops. If you get thrown in prison it could stop this whole revolt against the cops.

Remi: Got it. You'll have every story that he does.

Manager: Good.

Remi leaves the room, and sighs a breath of relief. Remi texts Kai if they could talk, and Kai gives Remi his address to meet him at. Remi drives to Kai's apartment building, and finds his room before knocking on his door. Kai opens the door and lets Remi in.

Kai: What up?

Remi: Guess what?

Kai: Do I care?

Kai walks over, and pours another drink.

Remi: Yes you do.

Kai turns to Remi with the drink in his hand.

Kai: Then what?

Remi: I've been assigned to report on all the criminals you take down from here on out. It would be nice if you could tell me when you take down a criminal.

Kai: That's not going to happen.

Remi: Can't you be helpful?

Kai: You want a drink?

Remi: No, I want you to help me tell the world about the criminals you takedown.

Kai: I don't do that anymore.

Remi: Are you just doing this to spite me? Just the other day you took down Cal Steel!

Kai: The only thing left to do is help fight Max's brother, and then I'm done.

Remi: Who's Max?

Kai: A friend.

Remi: You'll help him out, but not me?

Kai: He is asking for me to fight one last time. Your asking me to fight forever.

Remi: Kai, I almost just got fired, and now I have nothing to keep my job.

Kai: Life lesson. Don't bank on other people. They'll always let you down.

Remi: Well fuck you!

Remi storms out of the room upset.

Kai: Sorry.

Kai finishes his drink, and pours another one. Max calls Kai. Kai answers the phone.

Kai: Yo.

Max: I found where he is.

Kai: Go on.

Max: He's at a drop off location.

Kai: Like mail?

Max: No. I'll text you the coordinates. He's meeting up with a diamond dealer. He's probably going to job him. He has three goons, and it seems like a superpowered friend.

Kai: I'll go once it becomes dark.

Max: Be quick.

Kai hangs up, and looks at the address. Kai changes to his sweatshirt, and waits till dusk. Kai then teleports to the roof of his apartment building, and starts running across the rooftops. Kai runs to the address, and jumps off the roof he's on. He sees a man pull up in a truck. The man walks out of the truck, and Kai sees that the two supers are the guys that attacked the bank.

Kai(in head): That's why that guy reminded me of Max. He's his brother.

The man with the truck talked for a bit, and then went to pop the trunk open. Kai walks over to the truck. The goons get ready for the fight, but the two supers walk up to him.

Max's brother: You're wearing red so I would assume you're the Crimson Dragon.

Kai: Would I be right to assume your Max's brother?

Max's brother licks the front of his teeth without opening his mouth.

Max's brother: You can call me Virus. My colleague here calls himself Brawn. Now that we've all met. Get him.

The three bodyguards run at Kai. They look muscular. Kai sweeps the legs of the first's legs one with a low kick. Then while he was falling Kai uppercuts his back. The man falls to the ground. The next bodyguard goes for a punch. Kai catches his fist, and pulls the bodyguard to him. Then he punches the bodyguard in the jaw. He falls to the ground. Then the last bodyguard tried to kick Kai. Kai blocks it, and kicks the guy in the stomach. The guard falls down with the wind knocked out of him.

Virus: Didn't think that would work, but it was worth a try. Brawn, it's your turn.

Brawn looks like he's concentrating. Then brawns legs look like they gain muscle mass per second until his legs look like he's a soccer player. He runs at Kai with extreme speed. Then As he gets close to Kai his muscle mass changes to his arm, and he punches Kai. Kai blocks the punch, but gets sent back. Brawn runs over to Kai with extreme speed again. Kai starts to focus and watch as Brawn runs. When Brawn runs he stops right before he winds up the punch. The muscles transfer, and then he winds up the punch and throws it. Kai blocks the punch.

Kai: You had me worried for a second, but really your just putting up a front.

Brawn: This "front" just got two strikes.

Brawn runs at Kai, and does the same thing. When Brawn takes that moment of hesitation Kai elbows Brawn right in the stomach. Brawn falls down to the ground.

Kai: Your only strong in one area, remember. I bet that hurt like hell.

Brawn barely manages to pick himself up.

Brawn: I'm not done just yet.

Brawn concentrates, and then his whole body starts to gain more muscle mass. His whole body becomes that of a bodybuilder.

Kai: Shit.

Brawn runs at Kai, and uppercuts Kai in the stomach. Then as Kai bends over to holds his stomach Brawn slams his elbows on Kai's back. Kai falls to the ground. Brawn goes to kick Kai while Kai's on the ground. Kai sweeps Brawn's other leg. Brawn falls to the ground. Kai gets up, and slams his leg onto Brawn's stomach. Kai tries to do it again, but Brawn catches Kai's leg. Kai jumps back, and Brawn gets off the ground. Brawn runs at Kai, and Kai kicks him in the stomach. Brawn stumbles back, and Kai goes to elbow him. Then Kai feels extreme head pain. Kai missing his elbow, and starts holding his head.

Kai: AHHHHH!

Brawn gets off the ground.

Brawn: You didn't need to do that. I have this covered.

Virus: You had losing covered. Now finish him.

Kai: WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

Virus: That's my power. I control nervous. I can make you hurt to the point that your brain shuts off from experiencing to much trama.

Brawn: What if I thunder clapped his ears.

Virus: Probably won't hurt as much as the pain he's going through now.

Brawn goes to slam his hands on each side of Kai's head. Kai quickly blocks it, and knees Brawn in the stomach. Kai takes out his staff, and teleports to Virus. Kai slams his staff on Virus' back, and the pain quickly goes away. Kai starts taking deep breaths, and looks as if he had been drained. Brawn runs up to Kai. Kai thrusts his staff into Brawn's stomach. Then Kai kicks out Brawn's leg. Brawn drops to one knee, and Kai baseball swings his staff. It cracks as his slams into Brawn's head. Brawn falls over. Kai walks over to Virus, and slaps him to wake him up.

Kai: You are pretty weak.

Virus: Why are you after me?

Max walks up to them.

Max: Because of me.

Virus: You little shit!

Kai puts his foot onto Virus to hold him down.

Kai: What's going on?

Max: This is my brother. The only family I have.

Virus: Then you betrayed me. We had been hacking anyway possible to stay alive. Then you betrayed me, and decided to go be society's perfect little angel!

Max: I didn't betray you. We never did anything that bad. Then when you wanted to go steal from people using hacking I left.

Virus: And then I was put in a camp! Some people saying they were the government kidnapped me, and put me with their other meta slaves.

Max: What?

Virus: And you never wanted to help.

Kai and Max both feel extreme head pain. Kai stumbles back off of Virus. After a few minutes, the pain stops, and Virus is gone.

Max has his head down as he walks away.

Kai: It wasn't your fault. There was no way you would have been able to figure out that would happen. You wouldn't have been able to help him. He needed guards not family.

Max: Thanks Kai, but I need to think things over.

Kai(in head): Maybe I should give myself that same advice.

Kai goes home and sits on his couch. Kai pours a drink.

Kai: I can't blame myself for my friend's deaths. I accidentally killed a man almost ten years ago. It's time to move on. The city needs me. The cops can't protect this place, and I need to know about these, metas. Now I need to apologize to Remi.

Kai pours the drink out into the sink, and then he calls up Remi. The call almost instantly gets declined. Kai calls again, and the same thing happens. Kai calls one more time, and Remi picks up.

Remi(Phone): I don't want to talk to you Kai.

Kai: Remi, I was being an asshole, and I'm sorry. You were right. I have to help take down these new criminals because the cops can't do it.

Remi(Phone): I was being a little selfish too. I wasn't really thinking about anyone other than myself. I was just so excited to finally be reporting something important.

Kai: We both learned something today, but now its time to talk about the mission I did today.

Remi(Phone): Do tell.