Disclaimer: I don't own anything and thus you can't sue me! (I think)
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
On top of the ship loading crane.
The rain seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. It was really pouring now. There was already a few lightning bolts flashing in the distance and the sound of thunder rumbled in the air from time to time. But even as the downpour reached its fuller strength, the master thief ignored the cold water that drenched the outer surface of his suit.
He was too focused on the task at hand: surviving.
Without a doubt, this creature—this Kapre—was one of the most ferocious enemies that Red X has ever faced. And he's been around the block a lot. Not even the Titans, all of them combined, were ever this much of a hassle. Red X could count the times were he faced true fear in battle in one hand and two fingers were already gone to this thing.
But somewhere, on a level that even Red X couldn't define, he was enjoying this. This is the kind of moment that he lived for. The kind of moment that took him to the edge and gave him a chance to laugh back at death. He will survive.
The creature charged at Red X with a flurry of hand swipes that threatened to rip the head off of the master thief with just one hit. Red X was nimble enough to continuously evade all these attacks while moving backwards, urging the creature forward. Red X waited until an opportune moment arrived when the creature awkwardly fell forward in a wide slash with its wrist blades.
Red X changed direction and jumped over the creature by pushing the creature's head down into the metal with one hand and shot an x-taser with the other straight into the creature's back.
Red X cleared the creature just as the x-taser on its back activated sending thousands of volts into the creature's flesh, enough to boil the skin off a man but only enough to cause some considerable irritation to the creature. Red X flipped with gymnastic expertise and stopped in a crouch. Instantly he generated three more x-tasers in one hand.
"More where that came from, buddy," wryly commented Red X.
He threw the rest of the x-tasers towards the creature. This was part of his new strategy now: try and overwhelm the creature. He knew this thing could recover from serious injuries, but from what he saw in the past hour, that process still took time. Something he could take advantage of and Red X had plenty of xenothium energy stored in the core before he needed to let the suit recharge itself.
The three x-tasers hit the creature and delivered more and more volts of pure electricity into the creature's system. The creature was having a hard enough time getting up because of this and instead, while on its knees, started to rip the x-taser odd its skin. Red x followed up by throwing more of the electrified projectiles until the creature was literally cooking in its own body. But red X knew this wasn't enough. He needed to drive a more aggressive punch.
"You feel that, buddy?" asked Red X.
The creature only returned a look of contempt.
"No? well you're definitely gonna feel this!"
Red X charged head-on towards the creature with the speed of a professional Olympic sprinter. He jumped into the air and delived a very powerful spin kick straight into the creature's jaw. The creature, stumbled back a few feet. Red X didn't stop. He kept on charging, jumping, and kicking until the creature was all the way to the edge of the crane's boom. With one last kick, Red X sent the Kapre over the edge and falling over three stories down onto the cargo ship's metal deck somewhere near the bow.
Red x could've sworn he heard bones break even from way up there. But now was not the time to dawdle. Red X turned on his cloaking device and disappeared into thin air. Meanwhile, the creature was struggling to get back up, its regenerative abilities already mending its multitude of wounds. It managed to get back up on its two feet. It was breathing heavily, tired and irritated. The healing process was not working fast enough for the creature's preference as he could still feel the pain of all that hurting.
"Hey!"
The creature turned his head in time to see Red X swipe away with his hand. The attack caused a deep gash to form on the creature's chest and as it looked at its supposed prey, it found out why. Spinning off the top of Red X's wrist were twin x-blades rotating like buzz saws. Red X charged again, slashing at the creature once more, driving it towards the very bow of the ship, just as Red X planned.
The creature made some attempts to counter-attack. It swiped at Red X twice with its massive claws. The first strike was low and was evaded by jumping over. The second strike went high and was evaded by ducking down. While crouched, Red X swung his buzz saw x-blade upwards and slashed the creature's arm with a deep gash.
The Kapre howled in pain and drew its arm back as the gash sprayed blood all over the deck that washed away with the rain water. Red X finished it by suddenly launching the two large spinning x-blades at the creature and both blades dug deep into its flesh driving the creature towards the bow even more. The creature stumbled back right onto the port-bow anchor chain and nearly tripped backwards.
Red X watched as the creature came to a stop, panting and heaving in pain trying to recover from its wounds, Red X could already see some of the gashes sealing themselves up. However, he also saw that one of the creature's legs somehow managed to step inside one of the massive chain links holding the anchor to the ship. In an instant, an idea flashed in the master thief's mind.
Red X threw both his hand forward and shot out a number of sticky-x projectiles that hit the part of the leg where the creature was stepping through the chain link. The sticky-x's melded together in a gooey red solution that formed arounf the leg and the chain link before solidifying into a compound harder than the steel around it.
The creature looked down noticed that its foot was now stuck onto the chain link. It looked back up to see Red X move to another part of the anchor chain so that the creature was in between Red X and the edge of the ship. As Red X looked back at the creature as if he was grinning at it, the creature soon realized what its prey was up to. In that same instant it was already trying desperately to yank its foot out of the chain and it even tried to claw away at the xenothium based cement that was holding its foot in place but the material was too tough, even for it.
Red X took his time, allowing himself a small bit of pleasure at watching the creature squirm where it stood. He placed a hand on the chain link in front of him and a pulse of xenothium energy fluctuated through the chain link. The creature looked up as this happened. Red X also looked it straight in the eye.
"Say hello to Davy Jones for me," Red X off-handedly commented
The creature gave out an angry growl.
The large metal link disintegrated a second later. With nothing holding onto the ship any longer, the port-side anchor plummeted into the deep waters of the bay, the chain that held the creature followed soon after. The creature's feet were naturally pulled from under it and it fell forward on its face. It tried to stop itself by clawing at the deck as it slid but the weight of the anchor and the rest of the chain could not be stopped. It slipped right out of the hole where the chain was fed and the creature plunged into the deep waters of the ocean below.
The commercial bays of Jump City were famous for the fact that the waters around it were very deep unlike most other ports where the water was shallower as it reached land. This fact made docking extremely large ships lick cargo ships and merchant vessels a much easier task. The way down all the way to the bottom was well over fifty stories down.
As it plunged deeper and deeper into the dark and murky waters, the creature felt the increasing water pressure start to crush its body. Every second of its trip down only multiplied the agony. There was no way for it to escape, after about half-way down, the creature's lungs gave way and what ever air it was holding was al gone, replaced by seawater.
For tonight, its hunt was over.
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
On the docks.
The rain was finally subsiding. And, for Derek's sake, the paramedics have also finally arrived. The haul his unconscious body onto the plastic spine board for fear that he might have broken his back. With sirens wailing, the ambulance sped off to the nearest hospital. Han was left there, standing in his drenched clothes. He watched as his friend and colleague be taken away in an ambulance, something no cop ever wants to see.
Without really thinking about it, Han reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number. The phone rang twice before the recipient answered.
"Hello?" came Jill's voice.
"Jill," he said with a shaky voice. "It's me, Han."
"I know it's you, Han. I read the caller ID."
Han didn't respond in any way to that. He remained silent but his heavy breathing was transmitting through the phone's receiver. Something Jill picked up on.
"Han, is there something wrong?" she said with a more serious tone.
"It's, um…It's Derek."
"What happened?"
"He's hurt."
"…How bad?"
Han didn't answer back. But that in and of itself was all the answer Jill needed.
Above, standing on top of the cargo ship's crow's nest, Red X watched as this scene unfolded right in front of him. Whatever he was feeling, he wasn't all that sure about it anymore. Was it guilt? Did he feel guilty about this? Or was it just grief?
He didn't know and he didn't care. All he knew was that that cop didn't deserve what happened to him. He was not supposed to be there when that thing came. There was nothing that could make him deserve such a fate. It wasn't that guy's fault. Was it Red X's? That was the question he wanted answer then and there. Could he have prevented this? Did he have the ability? Or was it just bad luck?
"Dammit!!" Red X cursed loudly. But at the distance he was at, nobody on the ground heard him.
He slammed his fist at the rail of the crow's nest repeatedly in frustration until his hand hurt. He breathed heavily. "Why did this have to happen?" he asked to no one in particular. "This was supposed to be my fight and my fight alone, right? Why the hell is there a fight for me in the first place?"
He calmed down somewhat. He looked back down at the scene bellow. The cop was now joined by a few other cops that just arrived. Probably to secure the area and collect some sort of evidence. Unlucky for them but the rain probably washed away most, if not all, the evidence by now. They won't find anything here tonight wo0rth looking at. But Red X on the other hand already had something.
He reached with his hand and patted the pocket of his belt which contained the dried blood sample of the creature. It was enough to go on for now.
Someone was behind this. He was sure of that now. Someone was pulling the puppet strings backstage. He had to know who and he had to finish this before it gets more out of hand that it already is.
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
In the distance.
Perudo, sitting on top one of the loading cranes in the middle of the port, zoomed in with his hi-tech goggles/mask. He watched Red X as he now stood at the crow's nest of the cargo ship still continuing to look at the scene where the cop was taken away by the ambulance. A satisfied smile curved from Perudo's lips.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
Red X didn't answer since he was at about a hundred meters away.
"Are you sad that that guy took a beating?" Perudo continued. "Well it can't be helped can it? He was not a player but he tried to get into the game anyway. You even told him not to come but would he listen?"
He giggled to himself in a twisted sense of amusement. Red X continued to simply look down onto the ground where a growing number of officers were gathering. Perudo decided to follow Red X's lead and look down onto the scene below as well. He recognized Han among the officers. Han seemed shaken. Perudo seemed to take humor in this.
"Well…then again, what's a game if not for a few non-player characters here and there?" He chuckled to himself.
Perudo then turned his sight back to where Red X was standing. The smile on his face quickly faded. Red X was no longer looking at the scene on the docks. Instead, Red X was looking right at him.
At first, Perudo simply thought that Red X was only looking at something else in between them or maybe even behind him but the more he looked the more he was sure it was him that Red X was looking at. A drop of sweat formed on his temple. Red X seemed to pierce him with his stare. Perudo found that he couldn't move form his spot.
Perudo saw Red X bring a hand to his belt then activate his cloaking device and disappeared into thin air. Perudo quickly switched vision modes on his mask to try and find Red X but he was no longer there to be found. Perudo had a feeling that the master thief has retired for the night.
Perudo laughed nervously. "What a guy…hehe…what a guy…"
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
Later, in the emergency room.
The mood in the room was beyond Hectic. Derek's body laid on the operating table, bare-chested and unconscious. Around his body, dozens of people on green gowns, caps, and face masks frantically went back and forth across the room getting whatever tool for what ever reason, all of which was aimed to save his life, or what's left of it.
"Where's my blood!" exclaimed the head doctor. "This guy is drying up!"
"Here it is, doctor!" exclaimed a nurse as she hooked up the fresh blood pack to the IV.
"How's his breathing?" asked the head doctor.
"What breathing?" asked another nurse sarcastically.
"Quick, put him on the respirator!"
"Got it!"
The nurse turned to a machine at the corner of the room and pulled it next to the operating table. She took the face mask at the end of a long plastic tube and pressed the mask against Derek's nose and mouth. She turned the machine on and pumps started to bring fresh oxygen into Derek's lungs y force, keeping him alive.
"We need to close up these gashes," said he head doctor. They all started to work on the deep gashes in his chest, checking for internal injuries, then stopping the blood flow by quickly stitching up the gashes. Suddenly the vital signs monitor next to Derek let out a long beep. The doctors looked up and were alerted immediately.
"He's flat-lining!" exclaimed the head doctor. "The defibrillator, quickly!"
The defibrillator was next to him in an instant. The doctor took the two paddles while a nurse turned on the machine. The doctor put the two paddles onto Derek's chest.
"Clear!"
A massive shock was delivered to Derek's body. His heart beat once but flat-lined again.
"One more. Clear!"
Another massive shock. This time, three irregular beats, then nothing.
"C'mon…Clear!"
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
Outside the operating room.
Han was sitting on the bench, nervously clasping his hands together and rubbing his thumbs against each other. The tension he was feeling was incomparable to anything he had ever felt before. Not even those crazy hostage situations were like this. And he could only imagine how more tense he would feel when Jill arrived. A moment after he thought that, Jill did arrive.
The doors in the hallway bust open and Jill walked in dressed in what she wore to the mall earlier that day and carrying a paper shopping bag. It was more than obvious that she was out of breath. Han stood up to greet her as she ran up to him.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I'm not really sure, Jill."
"Weren't you there?"
Han sighed in frustration. No, he wasn't there, at least not with Derek. "Derek ran off by himself while I stayed with that truck driver to see if he was okay. I tried to go after him but I lost track of where he was and where I was. By the time I saw, he…"
Jill was holding back her nervousness. Her lips were visibly shaking.
"There was something there, Jill," continued Han.
"Something?"
"Something not human. I'm not sure what it was but…It did this to Derek. And it almost hurt a civilian. This is not as simple as it looks, Jill."
"A meta-human?"
"Meta, yes. Human, I'm not sure anymore."
Just then, the doors to the operating room opened and the head doctor walked out. Han and Jill were both considerably alarmed by the amount of blood on his gown. The doctor was no longer wearing his cap and face mask. That meant the operation was over and that there was nothing else he could do. That meant either a bad thing or a good thing and Jill prayed it wasn't the former.
"Are you his family?" asked the doctor.
"I'm his friend," answered Han. "She's his sister." He pointed to Jill.
"How's my brother?" Jill asked in the calmest voice she could manage.
"He's fine," said the doctor, "but that's relative. The way he came in here, he could have ended up a lot worse."
"What do you mean?"
"He has some pretty deep gashes on his chest and he lost a lot of blood through them. So much that he went to cardiac arrest at one point. He also sustained some internal injuries and some broken ribs. We have managed to stitch up all his wounds though so that stopped any hemorrhaging. But he still went through a lot of trauma. For now, his condition is stable and it looks like it'll remain that way for a while. I can't tell you when he'll regain consciousness but you should be at least thankful that your brother is alive."
Jill didn't know if she was more relived or more worried. Han felt relived. After seeing what that thing could do, Derek was lucky enough as is.
"Will keep him here," said the doctor. "We'll monitor his vitals and keep you updated."
The doctor went back into the operating room. Han and Jill were now along in the hallway again. Jill suddenly collapsed to her knees. Han quickly noticed and knelt down himself so that he could support her. He noticed the shopping bag as well and took a quick peek. It was instantly obvious what it was.
"I was supposed to give this to him tomorrow," said Jill, referring to the bag. "Right after the ceremony." She was holding back tears now.
"Don't worry, Jill," said Han trying to comfort her. "We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise."
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
The next day.
Murakami High School was one of the most prestigious schools in the city and thus had some of the best facilities a student can ask for. One kind of facility worth mentioning was the science labs where students taking science classes spent half their class time in. The labs were packed with high-tech equipment that was either donated by other people or bought by the school.
There were three labs in total: Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Each lab had different instruments to suit that particular field the lab served for. For now, there were no classes and the labs were supposed to be empty.
Supposed to be but not empty.
Normally, students aren't allowed to use such advanced facilities without the direct supervision of a teacher and with good enough reason. However, Nick had sort of developed a reputation being the top-ranking genius student that he was without him intending for it to happen. He really didn't care so much that he was generally labeled as such as his smarts come natural to him but every now and then there come times when Nick was happy about this reputation of his. It allowed him to get away with some minor stuff.
Under the guise of working on an independent science project, Nick managed to get permission from the faculty in charge to use the Chemistry lab. Nobody questioned him on it since they all trusted him. So there he was in the chemistry lab, sitting in front of the table with two instruments on the table: A microscope and a spectroscope.
He took the plastic test tube from his pocket containing the dried blood of the creature. He took a glass test tube from a nearby rack and transferred some of the fine grains of dried blood into it. Then using a set of solutions on hand Nick turned the dried blood sample into a liquid sample that he could work with. He put a bit of the sample onto a glass slide to be used on the microscope. He looked through the eyepiece at the scope's lowest level of magnification. From that point the blood looked similar to animal blood except for the pigment giving it a darker rust color. Nick turned the objective turret to a higher magnification. Now he could see individual red blood cells in a little more detailed. They were weird, just as he suspected in that they were bigger than the average human or animal blood cell. He also didn't see any white blood cells instead he saw small dark red cells. He concluded that these weird cells were probably responsible for the dark color.
He focused on one of these unknown cells and switched to a higher magnification. He could see the cell was almost hexagonal in shape with straight cell walls. Cell walls?This struck hum as weird. Cells like this are not found on animals. They are only found in plants. They couldn't be foreign debris either.
He needed to find out what these cells were. He turned his attention to the spectroscope. But first he needed to do something in order to isolate the cells. He turned to another machine at another table, a centrifuge. He put the test tube in the centrifuge and turned the thing on. It started to spin at a rapid pace, using centrifugal force to separate the different substances based on mass. In a matter of minutes he sample was ready again.
Nick carefully took out the tube and looked at what happened to the liquid. It had separated into different layers and he found what he needed at the top layer. He extracted that part and that part alone using a special pipette and then moved the sample into a small, square, glass cuvet. He then put the cuvet into the sample compartment of the spectrometer.
The spectrometer was computerized so all Nick had to do was to tweak a few settings and turn the machine on. Within a minute, the work was done and the machine sent the data into a printer. The printout came slower than the actual results which made Nick a little bit anxious.
"Now, let's see what you're made of…" he said off-handedly.
He took the printout and read the results. His eyes went wide. He almost dropped the paper in shock.
"No way…!"
He knew it would come out as something different, something unusual. But what he saw in the results blew his mind away. If anyone else looked at what he was seeing all they would see was a bunch of graphs and numbers that were the chemical signature of some unknown molecule. But to Nick, it was no unknown molecule. He knew exactly what that chemical signature was. It was something he found out from a test he did months earlier before this whole fiasco started.
The chemical signature was that of xenothium.
/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\/X\
Author's note: Not much to say except please R&R. But I guess we revealed one of the Kapre's mysteries. Hope this keeps you guys interested. See you next time.
