Cure

Max is on the computer. He looks at the blueprints Kai sent him for a phone design called the Xphone.

Max: Stupid name. Mutants have the x gene, Xphone. Ha ha, so funny. So stupid.

Max walks over to an area he has set up. He starts working on creating the circuit board.

Max: it needs to be small but powerful. It needs to be insanely powerful. I'm going to create all new Hardware for this type of device. This is going to be awesome.

Max starts building the board. After an hour or two he starts melting metal. Onto the circuit board. Once he finishes that he starts building the shell of the Xphone. He starts melting metals together. He puts on a protective mask, and sparks fly everywhere. Someone walks down the stairs.

Remi: Max!

Max flips up his mask.

Max: What?

Remi: First, what are you working on?

Max: I can't tell you this is secret company business happening at the bottom of a basement. You're just lucky you know where I do my work.

Remi looks at Max's computer screen.

Remi: The Xphone. You're working on a phone?

Max: Well since you figured it out through your keen detective skills. Yes, yes I am.

Remi: Is this for Kai?

Max: Stop asking questions!

Remi: Fine, but I need some information on the president.

Max starts laughing.

Remi: What's so funny?

Max: President Bordon is the most secretive President we have ever had. That man is a genius. I can't find you any information on him.

Remi: Do you not want to find information because you can't or because you have a boner for the President.

Max: Both. That man is my hero.

Remi: Fine, go back to working on your...

Max: Xphone.

Remi: Yeah, Xphone.

Remi leaves. Max keeps working on the phone. He starts working on the different parts of the phone.

Max: Cpu, how to make it better. We have to up the cores-

His precision in making the small parts is as flawless as a robot. As he moves on from part to part adding everything he is doing to the blueprints. Hours and hours of work. He has to pull most of the new ways to make technology on what he has already been working on for years. He finishes making everything after sixteen hours of work. Max sits down at his computer.

Max: Now it's time to code this stupid ass machine.

Max has to code in binary to program the device to look just like what Kai has specified in the directions. As Max is looking at the powerful new parts he has created and the user interface Kai has created it really hits him what they have created.

Max: The Xphone really will be something of the future.

Max programs for another few hours until he finishes a prototype version of the device. He turns the device on. The color scheme Kai created shows up. The phone shows a red background and a black X in the middle of the screen.

Max: The colors might just be the colors of Kai's suit but the look fucking cool.

The device finally turns on. Max goes into the home screen.

Max: Yes! It works! Finally! I'm going to bed!

Max puts down the phone.

Max: I need to grab something from home though.

Max leaves the house. Max gets in his car and drives home. As soon as he gets home he lays on his bed and falls asleep. Max wakes up and grabs his old laptop from his room. He gets back in the car.

Max: Now I can grab the old information off that thing.

Max drives back to Kai's house. He walks down into the basement. The phone is gone.

Max: Did Remi take the phone?

Max runs up to the computer. He starts looking around.

Max: No, did I put it somewhere by accident because I was tired? Did I take it home?

He accidentally hits the space bar on his computer. A video shows up. Max sits in his chair and plays the video. A man walks onto the screen. He is wearing a cloak and the hood is on. Then on his face is a white mask with the eyes cut out. Facial features are painted onto the mask so it looks like a fake face.

???: Hello brother.

Max: Virus.

Virus: We can't hold these petty grudges against each other forever brother. It's not healthy. It's time we finally solve our little dilemma. Just us two. No one else will be there. You know me. I don't lie about these kinds of things. It will be you against me. If you win you get your stupid phone back, and you will live knowing that I can't hurt anyone else. If I win well I think you can guess. I keep the phone and take your life. I will meet you at midnight where you tried to stop me before with your stupid mutant friend. Be prepared.

Max: I knew I would have to fight him one day, but I didn't know that I would have to fight my brother now!

Max gets up and starts pacing back and forth.

Max: He might not fight me with other people, but he still has powers. I have all day to figure this out.

Max keeps pacing back and forth.

Max: That's it! If I can get the meta-cuffs then I can use whatever technology they used to make the cuffs in creating a device that turns off mutant powers in my vicinity. Yes! If I can create a device that sends out waves of energy that can disable Virus' powers then I can take him down. I just need to get into the police station to steal meta-cuffs.

Max starts typing on the computer.

Max: If I can send out enough crimes that get all the officers to leave then I could probably just watch out and sneak by everyone.

Max starts creating a program to break into the police servers and send out many different locations of crimes. A few hours later he sets up a timer. In ten minutes the program will launch. Max walks outside and gets into his car. He drives over to a building near the police station. He puts a mask on and his hood up over the mask. It took him fifteen minutes to get to the station.

Max: Alright, if I wait a few more minutes most of the cops should leave the station.

Max waits for five more minutes, and then he gets out of his car with his head down. He walks over to the back of the police station. He puts gloves on. He sees the back door has a lock on it. He opens his phone and looks at the layout of the police station one more time. Max grabs a rock off the ground and smashes the handle. He pushes the door open. He creeps through the hallway. He hears footsteps quickly approaching. He hides in a doorway. A cop walks into another room. Max quickly slides his feet past that room avoiding the police officer's gaze. Max sees the door to the police items is locked. Max smashes the lock with his rock. He quickly opens the door and slides into the room. He shuts the door quietly. The cop from the other room walks out into the hall. Max sits down below the door so the cop can't see him through the window. The cop looks in the room and walks away. Max gets back to his feet and looks around. He goes through items until he finds a pair of meta-cuffs. Max slides out of the room. He walks down the hallway.

Cop: Hey.

As soon as he puts his hand on the door to leave a cop is at the end of the hall.

Cop: Bobby you getting another donut.

Max: Yup.

The cop is looking at the newspaper in his hand. He isn't even looking at Max.

Cop: get me glazed.

Max: I'm on it.

Max leaves the building. Max keeps his head down until he gets in his car. He takes off his mask.

Max: My heart stopped when the cop spoke. Thank god he was an idiot. Now time to go back to the house.

Max drives back to Kai's house. He goes into the basement and starts testing what makes the meta-cuffs work. Once he figures it out he instantly starts working on making a device that can emit waves over a wider area.

Max: Damn. The cuffs aren't supposed to spread the disabling property over a large area. They won't be able to handle any longer than fifteen minutes. It will have to do.

After a few hours Max creates an item that looks like a watch. It has one button on it.

Max: As soon as I press this button it will disable any powers, and I can't turn it off. It will go until I completely waste the battery.

Max looks at the time.

Max: It's time to go.

Max drives to the area that Kai helped him take down Virus. Max parks his car and walks out into the open. Virus walks out from behind a wall. They both stare at each other.

Virus: It's funny. After all this time I just have nothing to say to you. We know both sides of the story, and we both still don't agree.

Max: You always looked for a way to step over people to get what you wanted. In school you had our friends take the blame when we were sneaking into the computer lab to learn how to hack.

Virus: And you never wanted to do anything. If I hadn't forced you to go to the computer lab you would never be coding today!

Max: I'm thankful for that, but then when you decided to start attacking people. You wanted to steal from the bank, steal from other people. There were no limits to what you wanted to do, no morals!

Virus: Look at high and mighty over here! You had a debt to pay and you left! I got you the computers we bought for coding at home. I got you to come into the computer lab. You owed me! Where was your sense of morals there? You just left after everything I did.

Max: Because you wanted to hurt people!

Virus: For our benefit!

Max: Why do we need to trade ours for others?!

Virus: That's life!

Max: No it's not!

Virus: Grow up!

There is just silence.

Virus: I might have been able to get over that, but then I was imprisoned. You never even thought about helping your big brother.

Max: I didn't know you were captured!

Virus: Where else would I be?!

Max: I didn't know where you were before you were captured!

Virus: You never thought to look for me?

Max: No, you wanted a criminal's life and I didn't! I didn't want to be dragged into your business.

Virus: And that's why I will never get over it. You think you can just bail on someone if you feel like you don't want to do something anymore. It doesn't matter how much they help you. You're a leech, and that's why I will kill you.

Max's head starts to hurt like hell.

Virus: If you betray someone that you pay back with your life.

Max presses the button on his watch. All the pain goes away.

Virus: What happened?

Max: Your powers don't work anymore.

Max shows his watch.

Virus: I don't need powers to kill you.

Virus runs at Max. Virus swings on Max. Max gets punched in the face. Max stumbles back, and punches Virus in the gut. Virus holds his gut and backs up. Max steps forward and punches Virus in the head. Virus hits the ground. Max walks up to Virus. Virus kicks him in the knee. Max kneels on the ground holding his knee. Virus runs up to Max and kicks him in the head. Max hits the ground. Virus picks up a rock and walks over to Max. He smashes Max's watch. He drops the rock on the ground. Then Virus gets on both knees. Each knee on one side of Max. Then Virus picks Max up by his collar.

Virus: Now that you don't have your device I'm going to make you feel real pain. The pain that I felt when I was in the slave camp.

Max picks up the rock Virus dropped, and slams the rock against Virus' head. Virus hits the ground with his head bleeding.

Max stares at Virus. A debate going on in his mind.

Max: I can't let you live. You will never leave me alone. You will never leave this world alone.

Max gets up. Virus wakes up and starts making Max feel the pain in the head he felt before. Max holds his head.

Virus: You can never beat me!

Max stumbles forwards and hits Virus in the head with the rock crushing his forehead. Max stares at Virus' body as he sees Virus laying there dead.

Max: I'm no hero.