echos of the Grid

The night exploded into chaos. Bullets ripped through the air, sparking off the chain-link fence as Kai dove behind a rusted car carcass. Red Hood was already moving, a blur of red and black, pistols barking with precision. Two of the masked goons dropped before they could even aim, but the other two fanned out, shouting into comms strapped to their ears. Professionals. Not street trash—this was a hit squad.

Kai's armor hummed, the visor flooding his vision with data: trajectories, heat signatures, a dozen things he didn't have time to process. The morpher's voice cut through the noise, cool and insistent. "Engage. Neutralize. Protect."

"Working on it!" Kai growled, rolling out from cover. A goon swung a rifle his way, and he reacted—faster than he meant to. The armor amplified his reflexes, propelling him into a slide that took him under the gunfire. He sprang up, grabbing the rifle barrel and twisting it free, then slammed the butt into the guy's mask. The goon crumpled, out cold.

Red Hood whistled, mid-spin as he kicked the last thug into a heap. "Not bad, glowstick. Where'd you learn that?"

"Uh… instinct?" Kai said, shaking out his hand. The armor retracted with a soft hiss, leaving him exposed again, heart jackhammering. He wasn't lying—those moves felt like muscle memory, but not *his*. Kaelric's shadow lingered in every punch, every dodge.

The van's engine revved, tires screeching as it peeled out of the lot. Red Hood fired after it, clipping a taillight, but it vanished into the dark. "Dammit," he muttered, holstering his guns. He turned to Kai, helmet tilting. "They're not done with you. Whatever that thing is—" he nodded at the morpher, "—it's got a price tag."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Kai said, wiping sweat from his brow. The crystal pulsed faintly, like it agreed. "You know who they are?"

"Not yet. But I'll dig. You—" Red Hood paused, head snapping up. Kai followed his gaze—something moved on the rooftop above, a flicker of shadow against the gray sky. "Aw, hell. Company."

Before Kai could ask, a figure dropped, landing in a crouch with a thud that echoed through the lot. Black cape, green boots, a red tunic with an *R* stamped on it. A sword gleamed at his side, and a domino mask framed eyes that glared like they could cut steel. Robin. Damian Wayne, if Kai's comic nerd brain was right. Smaller than he'd pictured, but the vibe? Pure menace.

"Identify yourself," Robin snapped, voice sharp and clipped. He straightened, hand resting on his katana's hilt, sizing Kai up like a bug under a microscope.

Kai raised his hands, morpher glinting. "Uh, hi? I'm… Kai. Just passing through."

"Passing through with stolen tech and a body count?" Robin's lip curled. "Unconvincing." He flicked his gaze to Red Hood. "Todd. Explain."

"Easy, demon brat," Red Hood said, crossing his arms. "Kid's not the enemy. Those clowns were after him, not the other way around. He's got some fancy toy, sure, but he's green. Barely knows what he's doing."

"Hey!" Kai protested, then shut up when Robin's glare swung back to him.

"Fancy toy," Robin repeated, stepping closer. His eyes locked on the morpher, narrowing. "That's no STAR Labs prototype. Where did you get it?"

"Found it," Kai said, which wasn't a lie but sounded lame even to him. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble—"

"Too late for that," Robin cut in. He drew his sword in a fluid motion, tip hovering an inch from Kai's chest. "You've got ten seconds to convince me you're not a threat, or I disarm you. Permanently."

"Disarm me?" Kai's voice cracked. "Like, my arm or the—"

"Five seconds."

Red Hood snorted. "He's a peach, ain't he? Back off, Damian. Kid's not worth the paperwork."

Kai's pulse spiked, the morpher flaring green. "Threat detected," it chimed. "Morph?"

"No!" Kai hissed under his breath, but the armor snapped on anyway, visor clicking into place. Robin reacted instantly—sword slashing down, aiming for the morpher. Kai yelped, dodging back, and the blade grazed his armored shoulder, sparking off the plating.

"Stand down!" Red Hood barked, stepping between them, but Robin was already lunging again. Kai stumbled, instincts kicking in—Kaelric's instincts. He caught the sword mid-swing, metal clanging against his gauntlet, and shoved Robin back. The smaller figure flipped midair, landing in a crouch, unscathed but pissed.

"Impressive," Robin said, cold as ice. "For an amateur."

"Dude, you attacked me!" Kai snapped, armor retracting. "I'm not the bad guy here!"

"Then prove it," Robin said, sheathing his sword but not relaxing. "That device—its energy signature's off the charts. If it's a weapon, it doesn't belong in your hands."

"Maybe it picked me," Kai shot back, surprising himself. The morpher pulsed, like it approved. Robin's brow twitched, but before he could retort, a comm in his ear buzzed. He tapped it, listening, then scowled.

"Father's calling. This isn't over." He pointed at Kai. "You. Stay out of trouble. I'll be watching." With a grapple line's *thwip*, he vanished into the night.

Red Hood chuckled. "Welcome to Gotham, kid. You just made the Bat-brat's shitlist."

Kai groaned, slumping against the car again. "Great. Just what I needed." The morpher dimmed, silent, but its weight felt heavier now. Robin's words gnawed at him—*energy signature*. Someone else had noticed it too. The goons, the van, now this. Whatever the Grid was, it wasn't letting him hide.

And deep down, in that echo of Kaelric's voice, he knew: running wasn't an option anymore.

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