Anarchy | Book Two, The Genesis Series

Four

Kai loathed getting injured.

Wincing in his seat, he massaged his bruised, bandaged abdomen with his calloused hand.

While a speedy recovery was just around the corner-especially since his healing factor seemed work in tandem with the medication provided to him by the nurses in The Infirmary-the pain wasn't going away any time soon. Even though his cells repaired themselves at a faster rate than normal, sometimes he wished that he could forget how vulnerable he was underneath that impenetrable skin of his.

The fact that he wasn't completely indestructible wasn't something he enjoyed thinking about; it only made it worse that entire world knew. In his mind, his injuries revealed weakness, and the tiniest sliver of vulnerability could end up serving as a catalyst for failure.

All throughout his childhood, his army captain and former marine of a father had instilled in him that failure was unacceptable out on the field, and to a certain extent, he'd been right. Even after all these years, the advice still held up. People were depending on him. The mere thought that a single mistake could result in catastrophe-or even death-practically nauseated him.

He'd never be able to forgive himself if someone died on his watch.

A rapid, repetitive tapping sound assaulted his ears, knocking his train off thought off the tracks. He cut his eyes over to Dylo, who was tapping his finger on the metallic, charcoal-colored table. While the blond had been hyperactive for the entire time they'd known each other, today he seemed to have a bad case of the jitters.

"Everything alright, man?" Kai asked, arching an eyebrow. "You've been acting weird all morning."

"Weirder than usual, you mean." Eliza added, smirking.

Dylo scratched back of his neck. "I'm fine. Just a little... jumpy, that's all."

"Oh really?" Eliza said in a sickly sweet, accusatory tone. "Because if I didn't know any better, Dylo, I'd say that you had a bit of coffee. You know, that stuff we specifically made an agreement to keep you away from because you start bouncing off the walls?"

"What is this 'coffee' you speak of? Never heard of it. You know, I think you got the wrong guy." Dylo said, denying the accusations as he shook his head. Suspiciously, he swiftly hid his arm under the table in an effort to conceal his vibrating hand.

"Look at him. He's vibrating involuntarily." Leo chuckled as he adjusted his glasses, peering underneath the table at the blond's vibrating hand. "He definitely had some coffee."

"Nobody likes a snitch." Dylo grumbled, glaring at the electrokinetic as he ruffled his hair, wisps of yellow energy radiating off of his body. "Besides, where in the rulebook does it say that a superhero can't enjoy one-or six-good cups of coffee every once in a while?"

"We're not superheroes, Dylo." Kai interjected.

"Oh sure." Dylo chuckled. "We're a group of super-powered people who fight evil on a daily basis and wear colorful, tight suits in a multimillion dollar, high-tech military base, but no, we aren't superheroes."

"He's got you there." Bianca chimed in, much to Kai's annoyance.

Sighing, Kai folded his toned arms as he slumped back in his seat, pursing his lips and stroking his chin as he slipped back into his own thoughts. His striking brown eyes averted themselves to the black, reflective surface of the lengthy, rectangular table they all sat at.

During the beginning stages of The Surge, millions all across the globe had been quick to dub them 'superheroes', but he certainly didn't think of himself as one and he probably ever would. Though he was heroic, and possessed capabilities that vastly exceeded those of any normal human, he was nothing more than a glorified soldier in his own eyes.