Shock and Awe (Enhanced Book 1)

Chapter 23 - Crimson Current

Crimson Current lets out a scream of frustration. The media surrounding him are so focused on getting a clear shot of his now-covered face that they miss the entire kidnapping for their city's superhero — Flying Awesomeness.

Sage.

Her mental cry had reached him just seconds after the helicopter revealed his face, but it took him too long to find her on the roof of a building blocks away.

He was powerless to help her — unable to fly to her aid as he once had been able to. Instead, he watched with a broken heart as Amazing Man attempted to kidnap her. She held her own well, until the other super appeared. He was clad in all black, seeming to have invisible powers that pinned Awe to the roof.

Crimson saw her fight — hard — but to no avail.

The black super and Amazing Man flew her limp body far, far away.

The electric super's scream — and emotions behind it — trigger his powers. Lightning, stronger than he's ever made, arcs through the air and blazes through every electronic in his vicinity. The reporter's cameras fry and the helicopter begins a descent to the ground.

Crimson couldn't worry less about their safety. The savages snap at any chance to reveal a super's identity with no care for their loved ones in the process. They could burn in hell for all Crimson cares.

Under the cover of his lightning-caused darkness, Crimson leaps from roof to roof until the reporters are well and far away.

Then, he lets himself think.

Crimson thought tonight would go perfectly. The two of them have so much chemistry both in and out of the super roles. This is anything but perfect.

They had blackmailed her — threatened Forrest — and he would have wanted her to expose him if it meant keeping his best friend safe. He had wondered if Forrest possessed the same powers as his sister, but he never told Crimson, so he didn't pry.

Unsure how to follow Awe and the supers, Crimson pulls out his phone and dials the desk at the Cavern.

"Wow, Crim," Trance answers without a proper greeting. "Your face is all over the news."

"Then take it down," he growls. With Trance's abilities, she simply has to have Rad — a new super to join their group with access to different wavelengths — override the signal and she can put a trance on everyone to forget the last few hours. Sure, it's quick and dirty, but efficient for the most part. "Put Hydro on the phone."

Trance lets out an annoyed "okay, okay" before passing the phone off. There is a bit of shuffling before the other super speaks.

"What's the plan, boss?"

Crimson grits his teeth, jumping to another roof despite the difference in height. His teeth still manage to clink together, but he ignores the pain. "They took Awe — probably to the facility just outside the city. We have to go get her."

Hydro snorts on the other end of the line. "Whoah, hold your horses, lover boy. We are not prepared to make that attack and you know it. We're still waiting for more supers to get here, then we still have to fill them in on the plan."

"So?"

"So, it will be a few weeks."

Crimson thinks he might explode. "No. Not going to work." He finally reaches a building where he can climb down easily and foot it to a Cavern entrance. "We can't let her stay in there that long."

His friend pauses a moment, knowing this is a tender subject for him. "I might be able to push it up some, but not immediately. Maybe a week? Or two. Until then, we've secured a position on the guard watch and Plaz is in there with his tracker. You've got to work with us, or you will end up in there, too."

After another block, Crimson spots an abandoned whereas with basement access to one of the underground tunnels leading toward the Cavern. He ducks in, knowing his phone will lose signal any second. "That's a thought, actually. I could get myself captured—"

"Don't be an idiot," Hydro exclaims. He has to admit that idea does sound idiotic. "We need you here. This whole thing falls apart without you."

He pauses at the entrance. "I want to send a message through the guard. Immediately." Hanging up before she can reply, Crimson dives into the tunnel and heads in the direction of their base.