Genesis | Book One, The Genesis Series

TWENTY-ONE

"You're really getting the hang of your staff." Kai complimented, swinging his sword at Leo's head, encouraging the boy to block the blow.

Leo rapidly brought up his staff in a sideways position, deflecting the attack as he swiftly spun around, attempting to knock Kai's legs out from under him.

He must've anticipated this, seeing as he lightly hopped over the attack with ease, landing a spinning kick straight to Leo's chest and knocking him backwards.

"But don't forget to keep your guard up." Kai continued, chuckling as he pulled the boy to his feet.
"Your enemies will see that, and use it to their advantage. Don't let them."

"Yeah....alright." Leo panted, sweat pouring down his face. He had a strained expression, and Kai knew that something was bothering him. He'd been distracted throughout his entire training session.

"Hey, you good? Your head's been in the clouds all morning." Kai asked, slowly realizing what the problem was. "You're still thinking about Amber, aren't you?"

Leo couldn't beat around the bush this time. "Yeah. I just...I just hope she gets well soon, you know?"

"You and me both." Kai replied, mounting his sword onto the back of his shirt and hearing the low hum of the magnet. Dr. Matthews had designed training gear for the teens that mimicked the capabilities of their bio-suits, but were much more comfortable. "But with the technology they have here, I'm sure she'll have a quick recovery. She's tough."

"Yeah.." Leo's voice trailed off as he began to walk to the door, but Kai placed a firm hand on his shoulder. The guy's grip was reminiscent of steel. Leo didn't try to move, because he feared that he'd dislocate his shoulder if he did.

"Listen, man, when something's bothering you, you can come talk to any of us, alright? We're not just your teammates, we're your friends. Remember that."

Friends. Leo's eyes were nearly engulfed within a pool of tears at the sound of that word. He'd had acquaintances and partners in the past, but never friends. A smile peeled at his lips as he tried his best to conceal it.

He'd never realized how much he needed a friend until after they were abducted by Primus.

"Oh...thanks, man." He replied, smiling as Kai did the same. He then strolled out of the Battleground, intending to go straight to Amber's room to deliver her newly designed trick arrows to her.

Kai walked into the elevator on the other side of the Battleground, intending to descend down into The Crypt to guard Ajax. Director Callan had pulled him aside shortly after the mission, putting him in charge of guarding Elias and prevent him from escaping.

He was required to check up on him once every 2 hours. To anyone else, it would've appeared to be a tedious schedule, but to a workaholic like himself, it was just another day at work. Whenever he wasn't watching over his mortal enemy, he was training.

He'd never obliged to something so quickly. Besides, there were a few questions he wanted to ask the guy. Adam's telepathy wasn't powerful enough to work on him yet, so hopefully he'd be able to extract some information from him.

As the lift moved down the shaft, it suddenly jerked to a stop as the young hero exited. He looked around him at all of the blue containment units, almost feeling as if they were guarding him.

Detained, hopeless Primus soldiers resided inside of them, banging on the glass barriers. Their faces, once carrying nothing but fear and rage, were now dull and heavy with the weight of failure. Kai fought the urge to smile. They could rot in there for eternity for all he cared. After all of those deaths-all that bloodshed-they deserved it.

He inserted his red and black identification card into the slot, feeling the buzzing vibration as the new AI-known as PAL-registered his ID.

"Agent: Kai Brandson. Codename: Guardian. Identification verified."

He was greeted by the cold air whipping past his face as the doors slid open.

Kai clenched his fist. His icy gaze settled on the cylindrical glass containment unit in front of him. Through the thick air circulating around inside, he could still make out Ajax's maniacal grin.

"Ah, the man of the hour." Elias taunted as he leaned up against the transparent barrier. "Guardian himself. You know, you really could've chosen any name and that's it."

"Shut up." Kai growled, hovering his hand over the hilt of his weapon in case things went south. While that didn't seem likely, it was always better to be prepared. The man was trying to get under his skin.

"Are you still planning to release the Genodium into the atmosphere?" He interrogated, watching the man's every move. The man's blue irises-which had once been crimson-stood out from his pale exterior like a red dot on a white canvas.

"Oh, is that what he told you?"

"Would I be here if it wasn't?"

"That couldn't be further from the truth." Slowly standing to his armored feet, Elias glared at the boy before him, gritting his teeth.

His elevated voice pierced through the blue barrier and entered Kai's ears, much to the boy's entertainment.

He chuckled. He didn't believe a word of what the man was saying. For a genius, the guy must've been incredibly stupid if he thought anyone would believe the heap of crap spewing from his mouth.

He furrowed his brow as he slowly neared the man's position, his face flustering further with every step. He clenched his jaw with enough force to break it as air shot out of his nose. He would've been no more than an inch away from Elias if it weren't for the thick, transparent barrier separating the pair.

"Look, I don't know what you're planning, but I will defeat you." Kai hissed, just loud enough so the menace in front of him could hear the determination in his voice. His unwavering persistence plagued his next sentence. "You won't win."

Elias smirked as his every muscle in his face relaxed simultaneously. His blood-colored eyes narrowed as his veins bulged throughout his toned arms. Taking a deep breath, he gazed at his younger adversary with a calm demeanor.

"I only have to once."

The man's tranquil voice only made Kai's blood boil more. He felt his hand tensing up for some odd reason, gazing down to find that he'd unconsciously drawn his sword. His hand was clasped around the hilt of the weapon, his fingers compressed so tightly that they looked as if they'd soon crush one another.

As his brown, rich eyes swiftly cut over to the face of the man standing before him, his brain began to realize that there was nothing holding him back from killing Elias at this moment. After all, he didn't have his sword, and the chamber he resided in nullified his superhuman abilities.

He could end it all in one swing.

No.

He couldn't be like that monster.

Once he did that, there would be no going back. He couldn't allow himself to stoop to that man's level. If that were to happen, not only would he be no better than Ajax, he'd be no better than the person that murdered his father.

He'd never disgrace his father like that.