Partners

Kai walks inside the house later at night. He hears the TV in the living room. Kai goes into the basement and changes back into normal clothes. When Kai comes back upstairs he walks into the living room. Remi is passed out on the couch. Kai lifts Remi up, holding her like a bride. He brings her upstairs. Genki is out of his room looking at Kai.

Kai: Shhh.

Kai walks inside his bedroom and puts Remi down. Kai walks back over to Genki and shuts the door.

Kai: What do you need lil' man?

Genki: Where were you? Mom was waiting for you in the living room.

Kai: I was just catching up with an old "friend." Your mother just doesn't like him very much. Why don't I tuck you in and we can all go to bed.

Genki: Okay.

Kai and Genki walk to Genki's room. Genki gets in bed and Kai tucks him in.

Kai: Goodnight.

Genki: Goodnight.

Kai leaves the room and shuts the door. Kai walks back to his room. He sees Remi sleeping. Kai gets in bed and lays there. He tries to fall asleep, but he stays wide awake. Kai gets out of bed and walks down stairs. He walks into the basement and grabs his staff.

Kai: I can't take three people anymore. It's been too long since the last time I had to fight. It's time to clean off the rust.

Kai trained all night. The next morning, he is more tired than he has ever been. Kai's clothes are drenched. His moves are slow and inaccurate. Kai still swings the staff around. He hears the furnace move. Someone walks down the stairs as the furnace door shuts.

Remi: When did you get home?

Remi looks tired. She sits on one of the steps.

Kai: I don't know. Definitely late, and you were obviously passed out.

Remi: Are you working on losing your dad bod? Guys normally just go to the gym for that.

Kai: I don't have a dad bod!

Remi: Yeah you do. I love you anyway though.

Kai: I'm just training.

Remi: What are you training for?

There's a moment of silence between the two of them. All they hear is the sound of Kai swinging his staff.

Remi: I forgot, you won't tell me. Have fun training then.

Remi starts walking upstairs.

Kai: Remi, I don't like keeping secrets from you. You know that.

Remi: Then tell me!

Kai: Can you promise me that, no matter what it is, you won't help?

Remi: I just wish it didn't have to do with fighting. I'm making breakfast. What do you want?

Kai: Just my regular breakfast please.

Kai walks upstairs once everyone has left. He stood in the shower for a while. Then once he got out of the shower he put on clothes and heated up the breakfast Remi made. Kai sits down on the couch eating food watching TV.

Kai: Back into the swing of things.

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Shi sits on the edge of the theatre. Soul Master and Carlos are walking around the stage.

Carlos: You're supposed to be leading us. What are we doing?

Shi: There's still one more light left.

Soul Master: Obviously. The light is on.

Soul Master points to the theatre lights. Shi and Carlos ignore Soul Master.

Shi: I still need to find him, and I don't need anyone interrupting me. Carlos, you and Soul Master will keep the Crimson Dragon busy while I find him. I'll leave tonight. He'll be searching for me. He's as persistent as they come.

Carlos takes out his gun.

Carlos: I'll blast him.

Soul Master: That can be your name! Soul Blaster!

Carlos: Soul?

Soul Master: Nevermind.

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Remi drives to work. She pulls up and stops in the parking lot. Remi rushes inside with her bag. She sits down at her computer and starts typing away about the stories going around about the woman who attacked the NYPD. The female reporter from before walks up to Remi.

Remi: Hello, Leah.

Leah: I wanted you to know that when you fail at finding a story about a mutant. I'll be replacing you.

Remi: I thought you were nice.

Leah: I'm nice so I can get a promotion. You don't need the job. Your husband is rich.

Remi: I'm a good reporter. I like to give people the news they should be hearing.

Leah: You gave up on that when you waited years to come back to reporting.

Remi: I came back once my kids were in school! I had twins.

Leah: During a civil war. When New York was destroyed. What were you doing?

Remi: I'm a reporter too. You're not getting answers out of me.

Leah: I just wanted to tell you not to rush to get a story out or anything. You can take as much time as you need. If you want to go over the deadline, that's fine with me.

Leah walks away. Remi mumbles under her breath.

Remi: Bitch.

Later that day, Remi picks the kids up after school. The twins are in the back seat, rowdy as ever. Genki sits moderately still.

Caleb: Oh, we're not going anywhere fun.

Remi: Why do you think that, Caleb?

Rachel: Only Dad picks us up for fun things.

Remi: What?!

Caleb: Yeah, like the museum and when we were going to go to the zoo.

Remi: I drove you to the zoo.

Genki: Yeah, but Dad picked us up.

Remi scoffs.

Remi: You think I'm not fun.

Caleb: Yeah!

Remi: Then where do you want to go?

They sit there in silence.

Remi: Do you want to go to the park?

Caleb and Rachel both get excited.

The twins: Yeah!

Genki: No.

Remi: They have you outbeat Genki. I guess we're going to Central Park.

Remi turns up the radio and they drive to Central Park. They walk through the green scenery. Remi sits on a bench and the twins run around.

Remi: Don't run too far!

Genki stands there awkwardly.

Remi: C'mon, sit.

Genki sits down on the bench.

Remi: You're fathers the same way. When I brought him here, he just let me talk on and on about how much I loved nature. He didn't care about it at all. You don't have to love nature to enjoy it. Look at everything here in Central Park. All of New York city had to be rebuilt, but not this place. Everyone left it untouched.

Genki: But what are you supposed to do?

Remi: You don't have to do anything Genki. You could sit down by the water and watch the ducks. You could sit here on the bench with me. You could run around with the twins. Anything you want.

Genki: Alright.

Genki walks over to the pond. He watches the ducks swim around. Remi sees him sit down and start watching them.

Remi takes a deep breath.

Remi: I need this break.

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That night, Kai puts on the crimson dragon suit. He stands in the basement, with his staff on his side. Kai teleports outside of his house. He runs down the street and teleports on top of the building. Flashes of red appear as Kai teleports from one place to another. Then Kai hears a gunshot. From another rooftop, Soul Master and Carlos stand. Carlos is wearing black and white military gear armor. He even has a helmet.

Carlos: You make it pretty obvious where you live. You don't even try to hide that you come from the mansion.

Kai: Didn't think I had to. Especially since Shi already put a bloody sword in my house.

Carlos: That was a threat. This is a murder.

People come out of the houses.

Kai: What are they going to do? We're on roofs.

Soul Master: Is that what you think?!

The people just stand there looking at Kai.

Kai: Not much of a murder.

Kai teleports next to Carlos, and superman punches him. Carlos grabs Kai's arm, and throws him into the crowd. Kai hits the ground and picks himself up.

Kai: You know their punches don't do anything.

Kai hears Carlos right next to him.

Carlos: They aren't supposed to.

Kai gets blasted back by shotgun bullets.

Kai slams into the building. The people grab Kai and pull him up. Kai throws their arms off of him. As Kai gets his bearings another shotgun blast hits him. Kai slides on the ground. People swarm him as he gets up. Kai teleports to the roof where Soul Master was, but Soul Master is gone.

Kai: Where the hell did he go?

Kai hears Carlos behind him.

Carlos: Are you going to fight?

Carlos kicks Kai off the building and into the people. Kai gets back up.

Kai: If I can't see them. Then I have to hear them.

Kai concentrates on listening. He is overwhelmed by the sounds of the people swarming him. Kai opens his eyes and sees Carlos' smile. Kai gets blasted back by another shotgun shot. Kai drags across the ground. He has shotgun bullets stuck in him. Kai's whole torso is bleeding. Some parts of his legs were hit by stray bullets. The people stop swarming Kai, and Carlos walks up to him.

Kai: You won.

Carlos: I want to kill you so badly, but you're not my kill.

Kai: Then why fight me?

Carlos: To buy time. We couldn't have you searching the city while Shi was busy. We'll fight you again. Next time, you'll die.

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Shi walks inside an old pharmacy. She sees broken supplies everywhere. Somehow the lights are still on. Shi walks inside a door in the back. She sees a silver haired man working on a body. He cuts off an arm and replaces it with a robotic limb.

???: My work is very delicate. Please, wait your turn.

Shi: I'm not here for your medical expertise. I heard you were attacked by shinobi, Adam.

Adam: What do you want to know about them? Hurry it up. I must finish this before the patient wakes up, or else they will be in extreme agony.

Shi: What if I could tell you there's a way that we could work together to stop them from ever being a problem.

Adam walks over in almost a slither. He stands in front of Shi.

Adam: Everything comes with a price. What do I have to give to get rid of the shinobi that attacked me?

Shi: Nothing. I want to kill their leader for my own reasons.

Adam quickly backs up and turns around to walk back over to the body.

Adam: I'll help you, but only because those ninja want me to become a tool. I will not become a tool again. Like I was for Integer.

Shi: You won't be. We're partners.

Adam starts working on the body again. As shi leaves the room she hears the noise of tools cutting and drilling into the body.