Thunderstorms (Fortnite Collection)

Testing The Limits

In light of the strange storm that has enveloped the island, Midas sets on a mission to test his limits. It turns out, spending more than ten minutes in a radioactive storm isn't the best idea.

~•~

He needed to get answers.

Studying was one thing, and accompanied by his younger sister, whose brain had no boundaries, he could admit it was a nice pastime that temporarily soothed his own mind which craved for those answers. But studying alone couldn't solve all of life's mysteries, and if there was anything he had learned from Jules, sometimes you had to get hands-on experience to really find what you sought.

That's what brought him here, staring up the translucent purple wall which kept them trapped on this strange island. This place was home, yes, but strange was a bit of an understatement.

It had been here for a few months, never daring to advance closer. Just from the outside, he could see wild strikes of bright lavender lightning flashing at irregular intervals. Purple lightning means high humidity and lots of precipitation in the atmosphere. Either way, it's most common, Jules had told him. But there had to be more to it inside that strange storm, right? It wasn't just a storm.

The strange people of Athena had warned him of it. They had warned him and all of the island's inhabitants of the storm's danger, but not one person had elaborated. He supposed it was obvious just from looking at its looming figure that the storm would cause harm, but today, it wouldn't stop him. So long as he had the correct resources packed into his boat, he could tolerate it. He would see just how long he could last inside its raging winds and rain. He would test the storm's limits, and he would determine what exactly this storm was and what made it so dangerous, besides the unstable waves that likely matched those of a regular storm.

He needed to get answers, so he started up the boat's engine again and drove inside, slowly but surely.

That was all he remembered, and the rest was an orchid-shaded haze.

He couldn't feel anything. He could barely comprehend the movements of his own arm as he reached forward. The grass was a blinding bright green, and the sun shone as usual, as if the storm didn't exist. So long as he wasn't inside, its effects didn't exist. But, they had already taken their toll on him... and it hurt to move. He winced with every strained movement of his body, and as his vision blurred in and out with red spots. His golden arms had lost their polished shine.

The motor of his boat still purred somewhere off to the side. He couldn't drive the damned thing if he tried, but he needed to get home. He needed to get his findings to Jules, and he needed to decipher them himself or with her. There was no time for rest; with a weak grunt, he found his phone from his pocket and dialed the first contact down. "Midas?" Responded a gruff voice, which was amplified ten times by his pounding ears. "Jules said she hasn't been able to reach you."

"Yes, the... the connection was muffled," he said. His voice was slightly hoarse, but to him, it was hardly noticeable. He rested his head in the grass and closed his eyes. "I have some research to get to her... tell her I'll... nngh... be there soon."

Silence. "Midas, where are you?" Brutus's voice was distant and muffled. "What did you do?"

Midas mustered a pained smile. "I tested the storm."