Father

Kai gets in a private jet. He sits down in one of the booths on the jet. One of the pilots walks over to Kai.

Pilot: The Jengish Chokusu mountain. Why do you even want to go to Kyrgyzstan?

Kai: Someone I have to see.

Pilot: Okay then. I'm taking a nap. Gotta be ready when it's time to switch with the other pilot. This is a day long flight.

The pilot leaves the room. Kai takes out his staff and looks down at it.

Kai: The best gift I was ever given.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Remi is cooking breakfast for the kids. Caleb and Rachel sit at the counter watching Remi cook.

Remi: What are you guys doing at school?

Caleb: At recess we played tag, and I tagged like everybody!

Remi: Wow, good job.

Rachel: You only tagged everybody because you always got tagged first.

Caleb: No! You don't know. You don't even play tag.

Remi: No fighting.

Caleb: Rachel started it.

Remi: And I finished it.

Remi finishes making waffles. She hands them both a plate.

Caleb: Can we watch cartoons before school?

Remi: Do you really want to?

Caleb: Yeah.

Remi: Then go watch cartoons.

Remi follows them into the living room. Caleb and Rachel walk into the living room and sit on the floor with their plates. Remi sits on the couch. She looks at them zone out of the world. They both look happy. Remi smiles.

Remi: What is even going on?

Rachel: Shhh, there fighting the bad guy.

Remi: Did she just shush me?

Remi shakes her head.

Remi: Kids.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Shi, Carlos, Soul Master, and Adam all stand in the theatre.

Adam: Why do you even need our help? I took the weakling down myself. He's nothing.

Carlos: Soul Master and I took him out too. Why have you even called us?

Shi: You don't understand.

Adam: I think you were just afraid to take him on, or maybe you don't want to.

Shi: No, that's not it.

Soul Master: She's a chicken!

Soul master starts clucking. He gets the crowd of people there to cluck along with him. Shi quickly punches Soul Master in the head, knocking him over.

Shi: I don't think you know who the Crimson Dragon is. He took out one of the Generals during the Mutant Meta Civil War. He has regeneration that stops him from being easily killed. He even has some kind of way to power himself up, but I have no idea what it is.

Adam: He was able to take down a general. How?

Shi: I don't know, but he did it. The next time we see him, we'll all be fighting him. We'll need to be ready.

Carlos: What do we do until then?

Shi: Find a bigger base. Try to find somewhere open and secluded. We don't need B.L.A.D.E. soldiers intervening in our plans.

Soul Master: And no snitches!

Shi: Sure, no snitches either.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Kai is sitting on the plane. He looks at his phone. Kai lightly throws his phone to the other side of the plane. Kai lays back in his seat. Soon Kai falls asleep. Kai hears a voice.

Slade: Hey kid.

Kai opens his eyes. Kai is holding a chess piece in his hand.

Slade: I don't have all day.

Kai puts down the piece and moves another chess piece.

Slade quickly moves a chess piece.

Slade: You're getting better.

Kai: And there is still so much I don't know.

Slade laughs.

Slade: What don't you know? You know about Hell, war, being a soldier, having a family. You have the family I always wish I had.

Kai: I'll probably just fuck it up.

Slade: Look at how much I fucked up. I did everything wrong in my life, but I raised you. I might not have been much, but I can be proud that you did what I wanted to.

Kai: How did you do it though? How did you just completely give up fighting to raise a son?

Slade: Haven't you already done that? Your youngests are seven years old and they have never seen you fight.

Kai: I don't know if I can do it forever.

Slade: Nothing is forever, Kid. Even the gods don't live forever.

Kai: I won't have to stop fighting then?

Slade: You'll still have to make a choice, but this time you're just decided what you want to do for now.

Kai: I love Remi, and I love my kids. I don't want to give them up for fighting criminals.

Slade: Then don't.

Slade moves a chess piece.

Slade: Checkmate.

Kai: It's been fourteen years since we played chess, and you still beat me.

Slade: Unfortunately, you always sucked at chess.

Kai laughs.

Kai: At least I picked up your fighting skill.

Slade: You know why I always played chess with you, right?

Kai: I thought you were just a chess addict. No, I have no idea why you made me play chess.

Slade: I always knew you were going to have to fight when you got older. I wanted you to be ready to make quick and clever decisions. I wanted you to be able to make a plan. I was afraid you were going to die before me. Most people in our line of work don't live long. You have to be special, some kind of lucky bastard to survive.

Kai: Thanks for always looking out for me Slade.

Slade: From beyond the grave.

Everything turns red and absorbs into Kai. Kai wakes up. He looks out of the window to see snow.

Pilot: You've been sleeping forever. You slept through the stops and everything!

Kai: I wasn't sleeping. I was meditating.

The plane lands at an airport.

Kai: Return in a day. I'll be back by then.

Pilot: We'll be here.

Kai walks through Kyrgyzstan. He walks through the snow until he reaches the mountains. Kai rubs his hands together and breaths on them. Kai starts climbing up the mountain. As he holds onto the rocks, some pieces break off. As he climbs up the mountain, many times rocks break off and he has to teleport back to the mountain. As Kai gets higher and higher up the mountain, he gets more tired and it gets harder to breath. Kai eventually sees the mountain's peak. Kai teleports to the top. He climbs up the ledge. Kai walks through the heavy snow.

Kai: Wow, it's kind of cold. I don't remember it being this cold the last time I came here.

Kai hears running. A snow storm picks up. All Kai can see is the white from the snow. He sees something moving in the snow.

Kai: Not this again.

Kai takes out his staff.

Kai: If there's two of them, then…

The two wolf bear hybrids walk up to Kai.

Kai: You cubs grew up!

One of them nuzzles Kai.

Kai: I'm surprised you even remember me.

The polar bears walk off. Kai follows them into Slade's old cave. Kai sees Slade's swords still in the ground. Kai walks over and picks up Slade's mask.

Kai: I would have loved it if the kids could have met him.

Kai brushes the snow off the mask and sets it back down in front of the swords.

Behind Slade's grave the father bear lays. Kai walks up to the bear. He pets the bear, and puts his hand in front of its nose.

Kai: I hope you find the cub's mother in the afterlife.

When Kai turns around the bears are gone. Kai sits in the snow in front of Slades grave. Kai starts meditating. Kai breaths in.

Kai: It's time to train.

Kai gets up from the ground. He starts swinging his staff. The snow kicks up from under him with every move that he makes. Kai's hands slide up and down the bo staff as he swings it around. When the staff slams against the ground and the caves surfaces a crack can be heard across the entire mountain. Kai trains like this for hours on end. One day later, Kai is still training. The bears quietly walk inside the cave. Kai can clearly hear every step they make. The polar bears walk up to Kai.

Kai: I wish the best on you two.

Kai pets the two bears.

Kai: I couldn't be happier to see you two are still alive after all these years. It's like seeing family.

Kai walks outside of the cave and over to the edge of the cliff. The polar bears stand and watch him.

Kai: Thanks for the send off.

Kai jumps off the mountain. The wind feels like it is trying to force him back up to the mountain as he falls faster and faster. As Kai gets close to the ground he runs along the bottom of the mountain. He runs from the mountain onto the ground, using all the force of his fall to push him forward. Kai runs to the airport going faster than he ever has. He stops at his plane. Sparks fly off his feet as he stops. He gets in the plane and the pilots are sitting there.

Kai: Well, get to flying the plane!