The moment the cargo plane's wheels slammed into the tarmac, the whole metal beast shuddered like it was about to fall apart. Kai felt the impact vibrate through his spine - and that was all it took.

He kicked the steel container door open with a sharp crack, the hinges screeching in protest before the slab of metal slammed against the plane's inner wall. The sudden rush of cold air hit him like a blessing.

They'd been sealed inside that damned box for what felt like an eternity. The stench of oil, metal, and recycled breath clung to the back of his throat. Kai stepped out and inhaled deeply, his chest rising as though he'd just surfaced from deep underwater.

For a moment, he didn't even realise how tightly his fists were clenched or how much his pulse was hammering. After months locked in a cell, that suffocating darkness had done something to him. It wasn't exactly claustrophobia, but enclosed spaces made his skin crawl and his blood stir.

'Never again,' he thought, running a hand through his damp hair as the rest of the group clambered out behind him.

The rear hatch of the plane groaned open a few minutes later. Daylight poured into the cavernous hold, cutting through the dust and gloom. Kai squinted, eyes adjusting, and then-

A familiar voice cut through the sound of creaking metal and roaring engines.

Kai's lips curved into a sharp, predatory grin. "If it isn't the Black Fang."

The nickname rolled off his tongue like an old habit. His muscles tensed, the monster inside him perking up at the scent of a potential fight. His fingers twitched at his side, craving to slice, to spill, to feed.

Being trapped in that metal coffin for thirteen hours hadn't just irritated him - it had starved him. Every nerve in his body burned with the urge to unleash his bloodlust, to cut loose until the hunger quieted again.

There was no thrill like a battle between mutants. No rush like testing himself against something that could actually fight back.

And right there, standing at the base of the cargo ramp, was a perfect target.

Zeke - the Black Fang.

He hadn't changed much. A lean, tanned frame wrapped in a black tank top that showed off the scars littering his forearms and shoulders like roadmaps of violence. His short, messy hair hung over half his face, shadowing the sharp lines of his jaw and those watchful brown eyes that always seemed to be sizing up a fight before it started.

Every movement was tight, controlled - a coiled spring waiting to snap.

When their eyes met, Zeke sighed heavily and muttered under his breath, "Not this monster again…"

He glanced at the crates being unloaded behind him, muttering something about "just being here to pick up a shipment," but even he knew how pointless that excuse sounded.

Kai took a step forward, the grin widening. "Come on, Zeke. You're really gonna pretend this is just a coincidence?"

Zeke's expression soured. "I'm not here for a fight, Red Eyes."

"Yeah?" Kai tilted his head, the faintest hint of crimson flickering in his eyes. "Then you'd better start running."

Because deep down, they both knew the truth - even if Zeke wasn't looking for trouble, Kai was.

And after a flight that long, the monster in his chest was roaring for release… There was no way he was walking away quietly this time.

-

The air hummed with tension like a wire about to snap. Zeke planted his feet, knuckles whitening around the handle of a shipping strap, and the ground at his heels suddenly shivered - a low, crawling vibration that rolled out like the growl of some subterranean beast.

Crates rattled; loose grit danced across the concrete. The five men with him froze, instinctively feeling the change in the yard.

Zeke's power wasn't subtle. He could take a single kick against a steel beam and send that energy humming through the ground, turning pavement, metal and even air into extensions of his fists.

In skilled hands, it was a battlefield orchestra: concussive punches, redirected blasts through walls, ground swells to launch yourself like a cannon. He could ride the vibration like a surfer rides a wave - vanish from one spot and land at impossible speed somewhere else.

Kai remembered facing him in the snake pit very clearly. Zeke wasn't using his ability to its full potential, and be it a lack of mutant maturity or simply inexperience, Kai bested him easily. That was even after Zeke used those cheap mutant enhancers.

He definitely didn't forget that.

So when Kai saw him now - lean, scars all over, and shockwaves ready to - he couldn't hold back. Whatever patience he'd had while in the shipping container evaporated. He lurched forward before anyone could stop him, muscle memory and fury coiling into motion.

'Here we go again,' Nadya breathed, more amused than worried. 'We might not even make it to the Pentagon in one piece at this rate.'

Kai struck first.

He launched himself forward in a blur, the concrete beneath his feet fracturing from the sheer force of his takeoff. Zeke met him head-on, his muscles tightening like drawn cables as he threw a punch of his own.

Their fists collided.

The impact wasn't just loud - it was catastrophic. The air between them warped from the shockwave, the blast of compressed energy ringing out like an explosion.

Kai's knuckles connected with Zeke's - the sharp crack echoing like splintered wood. But before the momentum could carry through, Zeke's ability ignited. The vibration started from his wrist, humming violently through his arm, and then-

Boom!

A shockwave wrapped around the impact like an echo made solid. The collision was brutal.

Metal groaned in the background as if the world itself had taken the hit. The asphalt under their feet split open, spiderweb cracks racing outward. The shock buckled Kai's forearm in a way that should have turned it into a mangled mess of shattered bone.

He felt it - the sweet, gut-twisting crunch of his arm breaking apart. White-hot pain flared through him, but beneath it was something else. Something hungry. The familiar pull of blood responding to his will, like a crimson tide.

His lips curved into a smile.

The shattered pieces of bone began to shift under his skin, writhing back into place as blood surged to knit the damage together. Flesh rippled as sinew reattached, tendons rewove, and crimson threads stitched the break closed. Within moments, his arm was whole again - smooth, pale, and perfect.

The agony faded, replaced by the calm hum of power in his veins.

Around them, the five dockworkers who'd been loading cargo were flung aside like ragdolls, the shockwave tearing through the air and sending a forklift tipping onto its side. Crates burst open, spilling metal scraps and tools across the tarmac. The air was thick with dust, diesel, and the sharp tang of oil spreading in a slick black sheen.

Kai flexed his newly restored fingers and grinned. "Not bad," he said casually, as if discussing the weather instead of the fact that his arm had just been obliterated. "Last time you didn't even get an attack off - even with your enhancer. That one really messed you up, didn't it?"

He tilted his head, crimson eyes glinting. "But it looks like you've improved."

Zeke's jaw tightened. His fists trembled at his sides, not from fear but from barely restrained fury. He locked eyes with Kai - the ghost of a shudder running through him as he remembered the last time they fought.

But there was no retreat in him now.

He drew a deep breath, shockwaves pulsing faintly across his forearms like living veins of thunder. Then, slowly, he raised his fists again, his voice low but steady.

"Don't get too cocky, Red Eyes."

The air between them thrummed with killing intent. It was clear - a fight was unavoidable.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.