The Healing Fist: Richard Walter

Chapter 5 — The Crimson Fist

Rain softened to mist as Richard and Lina reached the old quarter. The narrow streets here looked abandoned shuttered windows, neon signs half-dead, the faint hum of forgotten power lines overhead.

A flickering sign read: “Harlow’s Remedies Open 24/7.” The front display was nothing but dust and cobwebs. A plastic skeleton grinned from behind cracked glass.

Richard frowned. “This is your idea of safe?” Lina’s voice was steady, but her eyes scanned the street like a soldier checking exits. “Safety isn’t about walls. It’s about who’s watching the doors.”

He followed her in. The bell above the door didn’t ring, it had been gutted. Inside, the smell of antiseptic cut through mildew.

“Don’t talk,” she whispered. “The walls have ears.” They passed through the dim front room to a back corridor lined with medical posters curling at the edges. A rusted cart held syringes that didn’t belong in any legal hospital.

Richard stopped. “You sure this isn’t another Genesis lab?” Lina didn’t answer. She knocked three times on the far wall rhythmic, deliberate.

A hiss, then a section of wall slid open like a hidden door. Behind it, warm light spilled through. Two figures waited inside.

The first was tall and broad-shouldered, his face hidden behind a half-mask of steel and crimson paint. The second, a woman in a lab coat far too clean for this place, leaned against a table of humming equipment.

“Welcome back, Lina,” the woman said. “You brought us trouble.” Richard stiffened. “Who are you?”

The masked man’s voice was gravel. “We’re the reason you’re still breathing.” Lina stepped forward, cautious. “He’s not a threat, Maren.”

“Everything’s a threat until proven otherwise,” Maren replied coolly, eyes sliding to Richard. “Especially one with a Genesis signature pulsing through his veins.”

Richard took a step back. “So you know who I am.” “Of course,” she said. “The city’s surveillance burned for an hour when your tracker died. Dr. Frost doesn’t lose assets that easily.”

He clenched his fists, the faintest gold shimmer flickering at his knuckles. “I’m not her asset.” Maren’s lips curved in a knowing half-smile. “That’s what they all say at first.”

Lina’s tone sharpened. “Ease up. He saved my life.” “And you think that makes him safe?” The masked man crossed his arms, voice low. “You forget how many of her creations said the same before they turned.”

Richard’s patience snapped. “You want proof? Test me.” Maren raised an eyebrow. “That can be arranged.”

She gestured to a circular scanner mounted to the wall. “Step into the field. If you’re lying, the system will know.”

Lina shot her a warning glare. “This isn’t necessary.” But Richard nodded. “It’s fine.” He stepped forward. The device hummed, bathing him in pale blue light.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow. His pulse raced. The light flickered between gold and crimson, then steadied white.

Maren blinked. “Neutral reading.” “That’s impossible,” the masked man muttered.  “No Genesis subject reads neutral.”

Richard swallowed hard. “Guess I’m the first.” Maren studied him like a specimen. “What did Frost do to you?”

He met her gaze. “I don’t know. And I don’t want to.” The masked man chuckled darkly. “You don’t get that choice, kid. Whatever you are, Frost made sure it isn’t simple.”

Lina stepped between them. “Enough. You said you could help us.” Maren’s expression softened just enough to show exhaustion beneath the precision. “We can hide him. But that’s all. The Crimson Fist doesn’t shelter anyone without a purpose.”

Richard frowned. “Crimson Fist. You people fight Genesis?” “We were Genesis,” Maren corrected quietly. “Until we saw what it really was.”

The lights flickered. Somewhere behind the walls, machinery clicked like mechanical teeth. Richard felt the tension thickening the air. “You have a leak in your system.”

Maren’s gaze snapped to him. “What do you mean?” “I can feel it. Qi distortion someone’s channeling power nearby.”

The masked man drew a blade from his belt, its edge faintly glowing. “We’re not channeling anything.”

“Then something’s wrong,” Richard said, scanning the room. “It’s… close.” Lina moved to the door, gun drawn. “Could Frost have traced us already?”

Maren shook her head. “No signal breach on the network.” Then the lights died.

Darkness. A hum like distant thunder.

The scanner in the corner sparked, and for a split second, Richard saw a shadow flicker across the wall human-shaped, but hollow, as if made of smoke.

“Lina,” he whispered. “We’re not alone.” Her breath caught. “Everyone back now.”

The masked man swung his blade in a tight arc. It passed through empty air, slicing nothing but vapor. Then the shadow lunged.

Richard reacted on instinct. Golden light flared from his hands, illuminating the room in a blinding pulse. The figure hissed a distorted echo and vanished. When the light dimmed, the clinic was silent again.

Maren was the first to move. “That wasn’t a person.”  “No,” Richard said, chest heaving. “That was a projection. A remote construct.”

 “Genesis?” Lina asked. He nodded slowly. “Frost found me.” Maren cursed under her breath. “Then you’ve led her straight to us.”

The masked man slammed his fist against the table. “We should’ve killed him the moment he walked in!”

Richard glared at him. “Try it.” The glow flared again, gold and dangerous. Lina grabbed his wrist. “Stop. That’s what she wants.”

Richard’s breathing slowed, the light fading reluctantly from his hands.  Maren stared at him with something new in her eyes respect mixed with fear.

“You’re stronger than the others,” she said softly. “And that means Frost won’t stop.” Lina lowered her weapon. “Then we move now. You said the Crimson Fist could hide him.”

Maren hesitated, then nodded. “There’s one place left off-grid, deep under the old transit tunnels. But if you go there…”

“What?” Richard asked. “You’ll meet our leader,” she said. “And he’ll want to see what you can really do.” The masked man grunted. “And if he doesn’t like what he sees”

Lina cut him off. “He’ll have to go through me.”

Maren sighed, rubbing her temples. “You always were too loyal for your own good, Lina.”  “Loyalty’s all we have left,” Lina replied quietly.

Maren gave a thin smile. “Then pray it’s enough.” She motioned toward a narrow staircase hidden behind a curtain of surgical sheets. “That door leads below. Once you’re down there, I can’t protect you.”

Richard took one last look around the clinic the broken instruments, the shadow-stained walls, the faint hum still whispering from the scanner.

“Then let’s go,” he said. “I’m done hiding.” 

The stairs dropped into darkness. The air smelled of rust and old disinfectant. Flickering bulbs ran along a tunnel ceiling, casting gold and red pulses across cracked tiles. Lina led, gun drawn but lowered. Richard followed, every sound echoing like footsteps behind them.

At the bottom stood a metal door, embossed with a faded insignia a fist wrapped in flame. Lina rapped twice, paused, then once more. Bolts clicked. The door opened.

Inside waited a cavernous chamber lit by strings of bare bulbs. Makeshift tables, maps, and surgical trays covered in notes filled the space. A dozen people moved quietly  soldiers, medics, hackers  all wearing a crimson armband.

At the far end sat a man in a tailored black coat, calm amid the noise. His hands were clasped, expression unreadable.

“Welcome to the Crimson Fist,” he said. His voice was smooth, cultured, but cold beneath the surface. “I’m Kael.”

Lina stiffened. “Commander.” Kael’s gaze shifted to Richard. “And the stray you dragged in?” Richard met his eyes. “Name’s Richard Walter. Genesis experiment gone wrong.”

Kael smiled faintly. “Wrong depends on the result.” 

He motioned them to sit at a metal table scarred with burn marks. “Tea? Or do you still distrust anything brewed underground?”

“No tea,” Richard said. Kael poured himself a cup anyway. “You’re tense. You think this is an ambush.” “Is it?”

“That depends on your answers.” Lina glanced between them. “He’s not your enemy.”

Kael sipped slowly. “That remains to be seen. Dr. Frost’s subjects tend to explode figuratively or otherwise when stressed.”

Richard leaned forward. “You seem to know a lot about Frost.” Kael’s eyes glimmered. “Because she used to sit where I’m sitting.”

Silence settled like dust. “She was Crimson Fist?” Lina asked. 

Kael nodded. “Founder, in fact. Back when we believed we could harness Qi without losing our humanity. She lost faith… and took half our research with her. Genesis was born the next day.”

Richard exhaled. “So you’re at war with your own creation.” “Not war,” Kael corrected softly. “Surgery. We’re cutting out the cancer we created.”

He studied Richard. “Tell me, what do you feel when you use your power?” Richard hesitated. “Pain. Control. Both.”

Kael smiled, almost kindly. “Then you understand Frost better than you think.”

He set the cup down. “You have potential, Richard. Enough to shift balance. We could teach you discipline how to separate healing from destruction.”

Lina frowned. “You’re recruiting him?” Kael didn’t answer her. “Imagine ending Genesis in one strike. Every lab, every file erased. You could do that.”

Richard’s jaw tightened. “And then what? Replace them with you?” Kael’s amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “We’d restore order. Someone must decide how far humanity should go.”

“That’s what she said,” Richard shot back.

Kael stood, pacing slowly. “Dr. Frost will not stop until she reclaims you. Protocol Seraphim is already in motion.”

Richard frowned. “How do you know that name?” 

Kael’s voice lowered. “Because we wrote it. Seraphim was our contingency to recall every subject through neural resonance. If Frost activated it, you’ll start hearing her soon.”

Lina tensed. “That’s impossible. His tracker’s gone.” Kael shook his head. “Seraphim doesn’t need hardware. It lives in his blood.”

Richard’s breath quickened. “So I’m already connected to her?” “Not yet,” Kael said. “But the signal’s coming. And when it does, you’ll feel her inside your thoughts.”

Lina stepped closer to Richard, protective. “We’ll stop it.” Kael’s gaze softened briefly on her. “Still the idealist.”

“Still alive,” she countered. He turned away, studying a holographic map of the city. “Frost built an army out of guilt. I build one out of choice. The difference matters.”

Richard rose. “You said this was a negotiation. What do you want?”

Kael faced him. “Your power  and your loyalty. Join us, and I’ll help you sever the link before Seraphim awakens.”

“And if I refuse?” Kael smiled thinly. “Then I’ll hand you back to Frost before she burns half the city to get you.”

Lina’s hand went to her weapon. “You wouldn’t.” Kael’s tone was mild. “You forget your place, Lieutenant.”

Richard froze. “Lieutenant?” Lina’s eyes widened. “Kael, don’t”

But he was already speaking. “Didn’t she tell you? Lina Moreau was Genesis security my inside contact until she defected. The day Frost abandoned us, Lina chose survival over loyalty.”

Richard’s stomach turned. “Is that true?” She didn’t answer. The silence said enough.

Kael watched them, patient as a doctor observing a reaction. “You see, Richard, everyone here carries contamination. Even your savior.”

Lina took a step toward him, desperate. “I never meant to hide it. I thought” “That I’d kill you if I knew?” he said quietly.  She flinched. “I wanted to protect you.”

Kael interjected smoothly, “And perhaps yourself.” Richard’s fists glowed faintly gold. “You’re both using me.”

“Maybe,” Kael said, unafraid. “But which cage would you rather choose? Hers… or Frost’s?”

The chamber lights flickered; somewhere above, the hum of generators deepened into a low, rhythmic throb. The sound crawled into Richard’s skull like a heartbeat not his own.

Kael glanced upward. “Too late. Seraphim’s signal just reached the grid.”

Richard’s vision blurred. He heard whispers Frost’s voice, soft and cold, “Come home, Richard.”

He staggered. Lina caught him, shouting for Kael to help. Kael only watched, eyes gleaming crimson in the low light. “Now we’ll see which side of you survives.”

Richard’s glow surged, gold fracturing into white and black threads spiraling around him. Energy cracked the floor, lights exploding overhead.

Lina shouted his name again. He looked up, voice not entirely his own. “She’s here.”

Kael stepped back, smile razor-thin. “Then let the war begin.”