The Unwanted

Kain’s descent is scorching hot, and the impact he makes against the surface of the planet makes the ground tremble even if its gravity is much lighter to what he’s accustomed to. His gray clothes and cape, made from extremely resistant material, seem unaffected by his emergency landing and no pain can be felt on his body either. Overall, Kain considers himself lucky, trying to concentrate on the fact that he managed to find a peaceful planet, if the reports he stole were correct, as he rises from the dirt and rubble he caused.

Unfinished constructions and metal contraptions of archaic design surround him, the objects closer to him seem the most affected of all, broken and destroyed, smoke coming out of tubes and screams in languages he doesn’t understand. People. People screaming, running from him, wearing yellow helmets and vests that make them highly noticeable. Kain wonders if those clothes are some sort of uniform as his thoughts get lost in the adrenaline rush that the surprise, and possibly fear, causes him.

An apology for the mess would be adequate, he thinks, and extends a hand in the direction of a man sitting on the floor trembling. The man looks at Kain with panic plastered on his face, but Kain, in his confounded state, supposes the man might be cold and starts concentrating plasma energy on the palm of his hands. He reaches for the man, walking slowly and trying to show that he means no harm. when a body clad in blue and red appears between them.

The aura coming from the broad shouldered man wearing blue is strangely familiar for Kain, and when he looks into the man’s eyes, his brows furrowed, he knows. Images from a life past flash before his eyes, the cries, the applause, the blood, all the blood he spilled for a thirsty multitude under the command of a cruel being that traded entertainment and lives in exchange for monetary gain. The Coliseum and the many battles Kain remembers winning at the cost of his own person-hood, one of those had been against a man similar to the one in front of him, the same energy, the same abilities.

A Kryptonian.

Formidable foe, the only one that had gotten the closest to killing him. Before, he’d been a friend, before he’d punched right into the Kriptonian’s chest and pulled his still beating heart from it. Kain never learned his friend’s name, there was no point in naming dead men. And yet, one stood before him, speaking to Kain with words he could not make sense of. He remained in place, frozen by the memories and the coppery taste of blood. This is what he was running from, and it found him once again.

Kain flexes his knees, all of his movements closely watched by the Kryptonian, and jumpes up high into the sky. The man follows him effortlessly, his voice rising in volume. The planet’s only sun shines bright above them, and clouds pass them.

“I won’t go back!”, Kain cries out, putting his warm hands forward, palms accumulating heat. The Kryptonian frowns even deeper, if possible, and speaks slower in other languages, maybe trying to find one he could understand. “I won’t be a slave again!”.

He shoots a ray of plasma from his hands that the man eludes by practically disappearing mid air, Kain blinks and hears the ruffling motion of fabric blowing in the wind. He turns his head fast enough to catch sight of the man trying to grab him from behind, and with a twist Kain evades quickly, but his own cape gets caught and the man pulls on it to get Kain close. The cape gets unclasped from Kain’s shoulders, a mechanism designed for that, and the freedom from the piece of clothing allows Kain to escape.

He can’t fly fast enough, as he’s still getting accustomed to the planet’s gravity, and his maneuvers are clumsy at best. He shoots again, plasma flowing from his hands in swift motions that the man counters with laser beams that come from his eyes. Their attacks clash and explode, blowing gusts of wind and smoke around them. Kain’s metal headpiece disarranges and some of his silver hairs get in his eyes. The distraction is enough for the man to fly right at Kain, punches extended forward and hitting Kain right in his jaw

Pain blooms under his skin, triggering memories he wished to forget and making Kain get into his old head space of fighting for his life. He gets thrown back but recovers with admirable speed, something his opponent wasn’t expecting, and kicks him on the hip to destabilize him. The man grunts and grabs Kain by the ankle, and Kain turns upside down to kick him again with his heel, landing the hit right besides the man’s ear and freeing himself.

Another plasma beam gets shot right into the man’s chest, over the strange symbol on his blue clothes, burning just some of the fabric away. It must be made of a similar fabric to the one he’s wearing, and Kain is surprised to see such material in a remote planet. Concentrating hard, he makes his skin more dense and resistant. The man speaks again, more languages, more sounds that fall deaf in Kain’s ears, and sighs. “I won’t go back”, Kain says as a reply to whatever he just heard, and his tone causes a reaction in the man’s expression, but he closes his mouth and prepares for another attack.

To the death, is what they used to say before a fight started back at the Coliseum. “To the death”, Kain murmurs, sad at the prospect of fighting for his freedom once again.

The wind blows against his face, and it makes the cape on the shoulders of the man in blue dance menacingly. His imposing pose, shoulders squared and chin raised, legs brought together. The silhouette of an arrow pointing down. Without changing his posture, the man floats in the direction of Kain and speaks in a tone that he can understand enough to know that the time for talking is over, and before his phrase could end, Kain frowns and concentrates

Twin rays of plasma jump from his eyes while heat accumulates in the palm of his hands once more. He shoots from them, too, in all the directions he can manage while flying in a strange planet. Kain knows he’s fought in worse conditions than these, but is still impressed at the other’s sheer velocity in his movements. The man in blue gracefully avoids each and every one of his attacks, seems even unfazed by them.

Kain considers changing his plan, he’s going to need to think before he attacks, and flies over a couple of dense clouds that could work as a cover, for which his own grayish uniform would do wonders. Using the commotion he caused, Kain hides between the cold clouds and waits in the dreadful silence, a thought nagging in the back of his mind. He’s forgetting something.

A hand grabs him by the back of his neck and pulls back, and in less than a second, Kain is looking up at a fist descending quickly upon his face. While the newly added density of his skin absorbs most of the impact, the sheer strength of the hit is more than enough for him to feel a bit of pain, and if his suppositions are correct, the man could hit him even harder. But how had he found him? Then, Kain remembers that the Kryptonian he fought decades ago had heat vision.

Shit, Kain thinks, still a bit dizzy from being punched right in the face. He flexes his body inwards and brings a knee to the other man’s head, hitting him as hard as he can from the position. Kain is free again but the man in blue wastes no time in attacking again with fists glowing red in color. Two can play that game, Kain thinks as he concentrates plasma in his own hands. They throw punches at each other, clashing, hitting, almost bone breaking.

The force of their fight drives the wind to blow clouds away from them, the expansive wave of their combined strengths clears the sky and even ruffles the top of nearby trees. Kain’s fist connects with the man in blue’s chin, and his feet kick Kain’s chest. A lesser being would have their ribs crushed irreparably, but a lesser being would have also missed the chance to counter the attack, as it is an opening to the man in blue’s vulnerable sides.

Kain opens his palms and places them at each side of his enemy’s chest and starts pushing plasma into his system. The man draws an alarmed expression on his face and flies away with a quick flourish. The plasma still comes out of Kain’s hands, and its shot at a structure made of concrete below him. The surprise leaves Kain frozen for a second until he starts hearing more screams and cries for help.

He looks down and finds people running from the destruction he just caused, people that will be crushed by the building he just shot. Kain forgets about his enemy and flies down as fast as he can, forgetting completely about his enemy. He might be many things, but even after all that he’s suffered, his priorities remain the same. There’s no time to even consider another course of action that’s not saving the lives of the people he’s almost ruined.

Falling rubble gets pushed away before if falls, structures get put back in place and fused together with his plasma vision, people get carried away to safety even if Kain can’t understand their thanks. A couple of men, one already hurt, can’t move, and before Kain gets the chance to assist them, the man in blue destroys the rocks over them and carries them to a safer place. He joins Kain’s efforts to attend the catastrophe with ease, not questioning not trying to stop the other.

They fall into a comfortable rhythm, their similar abilities complimenting each other, covering contrasting tasks. While Kain holds metal bars and stone, the man in blue rescues the inhabitants of the planet and calms them in their language. And when the man in blue is the one to hold still some weakened structure, Kain pulls people from a guaranteed death with a gentle hand. He believes might have just learned the words for ‘thank you’, as it seems to be the logical thing to say after being saved.

When there’s no one else left to rescue, the man in blue floats proudly on the air, looking at Kain with a smile. He takes a small device from his yellow belt and extends it to Kain, then, he points at his ear. Kain, with cautious movements, complies with the man’s request and puts the device on the place signaled. Then, the man speaks and Kain understands.

“Thank you”, he says in a clear voice. “These universal translators should clear some misunderstandings”.

Kain lets out a sigh, relaxed at the sight of his now ally, “my name is Kain O'Kura. I come in peace. Even if it didn’t seem that way moments ago. Thank you for your assistance, Kryptonian”. The man looks surprised at the mention of his species. “I had the… pleasure of fighting alongside one during my years in slavery, he fell with honor”. That much Kain could allow himself to say. “I myself am Targothan, we’re not so different”.

The man in blue considers his words for a minute and then extends an empty hand. “I believe not, Kain the Targothan. The people from this planet, the Earth, are called humans, and they refer to me as Superman. I have swore to protect them as they’ve given me a home, and I’d like to extend that to you as well”.

With a smile and feeling as if a heavy weight had just been lifted from his shoulders, Kain shakes Superman’s hand. For the first time in decades, he dares to feel hope.