CH48: PREDICAMENT

" I know who you are Max Lin, or should I say, fireman."

[Fire arms activated]

" Well since you know, I can't let you reveal my secret."

[Fire walk activated]

Max didn't want to take any chances with this person. If someone was able to easily find out his secret then there must have been something wrong. Max ran to the stranger and got his fist ready to deliver a punch. When Max got into range, he threw out his fist as fast as he could but the stranger moved aside, let Max's body get bast him, and tackled him.

" Please, I'm not here to fight you. I have a...." Max cut the stranger's words short with yet another punch but the stranger moved aside and tackled him again but this time, instead of allowing Max to fall to the ground, he held him by the collar and said, " Listen, I'm putting my life on the line to help you. You either listen or suffer the consequences. The stranger's words sounded serious so Max deactivated his firearms and raised his arms in a sign of surrender. The stranger gently lifted Max and said, " My name is Damion. I was sent here by King Bear after he had a little scuffle with you. He sent me to...."

" How do I know this isn't a trap?" Max asked.

" Listen, you'll ask questions later. King Bear sees you as a threat. He sent me to find out who the fireman was and I made a mistake telling him that you were the fireman. He wanted me out of this place by Friday, he says there's something that's going to happen here. Listen, fireman." Damion got closer to Max. " I know my boss very well. If he says that something is going to happen, it always ends up in blood. Do whatever you can to save yourself and this town. I've done my part, now you do yours." Damion left Max to ponder on his warning while he headed back to his apartment. He knew he betrayed King Bear but seeing the fireman's identity changed something in him.

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In a mansion somewhere in Posh town, a family of four were having dinner at one of their many large tables. KC, Cia and CJ were asked to share a meal together by the man of the house, AJ. AJ spent too much time in his work so whenever he got some free time, he always decided to spend int with his family and little did they know that the man they call father and husband was one of the Four Kings.

The Four Kings were four of the most powerful and influential people in Raid City. AJ was in charge of the legal business world while Lidong, Bruce and Slider secretly run the underworld selling drugs, weapons and mutant trade between cities. Lidong was the leader of the Dong dynasty, the largest and strongest gang in Raid City and even further. His gang would handle the more sinister things that happened while also making sure that things stayed in the order of the Kings. Bruce, or King Bear, was the leader of the Big Dog Gang, His duty was to control all the public places like clubs, bars, betting hauls, shopping malls, and all the other types that made money from doing nasty stuff. Bruce was a very conscious person who made sure to keep his position. Any one or anything that presented itself as a threat to him was destroyed immediately.

Slider, the only female of in the Four Kings, was the leader of the Grey Cobra Gang. Although her gang was small during the time before Max's father was killed, she slowly increased and inched her way up to the top, making her a member by default. Lidong and AJ controlled the center of Raid city while Bruce controlled the first circle and slider controlled the second circle. The third and fourth weren't controlled by anyone but they were just places, breeding with wanna-be gangsters.

" Family, I wanted us to share this meal together. I've got a small announcement to make." AJ said. His wife and children looked at each other for a quick second before sitting down and eating.

" So dad, what is it that you wanna tell us?" CJ asked.

" Yeah, couldn't you tell us over text or something?" KC asked as she stared at her phone.

" No," He sturdily replied. " And besides, not all of you have phones."

" Get on with it, dear. Some of us had the stuff to do." His wife insisted. AJ placed his chin on his hands and begun to speak. "It has come to my attention by an anonymous source that Raid Town is now the fire mans' territory. Given how this gang is drawing too much attention, I've decided that we are all moving back to Raid City."

" WHAT!!!!" The other three said out loud. CJ stood up, pointed at his dad and said, " Are you crazy? Raid City is full of gangs way worse than the cold flames. If we go back there, something worse may even happen."

" Yeah dad," KC interjected. " We...I was finally starting to like it here. Now, here you are, telling us that you want us to leave, that's not fair."

" The kids are right, AJ. We were all settled here. KC had made some friends, CJ's got a job and I've gotten the time I needed away from paparazzi."

" You don't understand what I'm trying to say." AJ said. " Something's gonna happen to Raid Town, I have a really bad feeling about it."

"So you, want us to leave because you have a bad feeling?" Cia asked.

" Its just gas man. You need fresh air." CJ joked, making him receive a cold stare from his father.

" Listen, we have till the end of this week to make a decision. If all of you fail to do so, I will take force and we'll all return back to the city, understood?"

" Understood." KC and Cia got their plates and went to eat from their rooms. CJ was left on the table with his dad, who was starring at him.

" What's this I'm hearing about you getting a job?" He asked.

" Umm, it's nothing, I just work short shifts at a club for...."

" A club!!! What are you doing at a club. You're not yet even sixteen."

" It's not that kind of club, dad. Its just a place for young people to chill."

" How much do they pay you?"

" That is private. My earnings are my business." CJ replied in a deep, fatherly tone. With that said, he too left the dining and went outside where Harvey was. The two were spending a lot of time together, ever since Harvey learnt about CJ's engagement with the fireman. He used to give the young lad fighting lessons and once in a while, they would verse each other to see who was stronger.

" So, what was your father telling you guys?" Harvey asked.

" Blah, he's doing his 'we're leaving this town' business again."

" But what about you and the fireman? Won't this affect you?"

" Yeah," CJ replied. " He desperately needs me. The fireman can't do anything without me." CJ bragged but Harvey wasn't buying any of it.

" Man, I had no idea your red hair friend was going to become this popular. You and the others have to help him. I once got involved in that stuff and trust me...it will drain him.

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Sunrise. The new day had begun and everyone was back to their daily routines. CJ ran to school, Harvey drove lazy KC and AJ flew back to the city to handle some 'business' issues. Back in Raid Town, the whole warehouse district had been changed drastically. Thanks to Phoenix, the once terrifying area was now becoming a beautified region, attracting a lot of attention. Most of the building were completed. The others had minor finishing touches but otherwise, they were ready to be used. Phoenix, however, was on the other end of the town for he was supervising the final stage of the Mutant Academy. The building was grand, having many floors, three main blocks and a lovely yard. This was his idea of having the whole town slowly accept the fireman, by buying their trust and affection.

" Mr. Phoenix." the head engineer said. " Construction is already done and all we have left is setting up a few more rooms. We'll be done by the evening."

" Excellent news my friend." Phoenix cheered.

" May I ask, why are you doing this, especially with the fireman?"

" Oh, this isn't my project," He replied. " The fireman asked me to 'help him' since he had other things to attend to." The engineer looked at Phoenix in a suspecting manner before heading back to work.

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As Phoenix was supervising construction, a certain someone was at the petrol station waiting for a bus. Damion decided to leave the town earlier so that he could at least try to convince King Bear not to go on with whatever he had in mind."At least I warned the kid. Let's see what he'll do. about it." The bus arrived a few minutes later and Damion left Raid Town for good. Max was hiding as he observed the bus drive off in a distance. He knew that this gang business was dangerous but he never knew that one of the rich tycoons was already after him.

" I don't know if I can do this by myself." Max got his phone and sent a message to Phoenix that read * Gather all the mutants by the end of the day. Something's up and I have a bad feeling about it.*