Convergence III: Fulfillment In Becoming

Chapter Fourteen: Nerves and Elevator Shafts

It is July in the year 2061, and it is the end of Nick Althorne's life.

"Come on, Jackie!" Nick's arms flailed up, and they were almost smiling indignantly. "Don't you hear me? Don't you see me? I feel the most me I've ever felt in my whole life."

Jackie moved Ella back further. "You don't know what you're doing!"

What was visible of their expression fell, their eyes going squinted and their mouth a twisted frown. "Oh, I know what I'm doing."

Somehow, with this new appearance, Nick's powers were amplified.

Throwing those hands up, those hands that seemed to have claws, Jackie and Ella were thrown back, and it seemed that just being around made things collapse under their feet.

Ella, feeling the sting of the concrete on her arms, quickly stood upright. "How do we stop this?!"

Creaking of the buildings above made ringing in Jackie's ears, and they almost weren't listening. "I-I don't know! I've never seen anything like this before!"

It seemed that Nick, or whatever had control of them, was throwing whatever they could pick up from their destruction and tossing it directly at Ella and Jackie.

"Is there anything you remember before this?!" Jackie, in their panic, was pushing an entire panel of glass back with just their mind. "Anything they said?!"

"They—" Ella was breathing heavily, the scrapes on her arms stinging with the beating wind. "They talked about trying to stop it, and I helped them!"

"Did you reach any conclusions?!" Jackie, kinda forgetting they had powers now, kicked the glass as it shattered on the ground.

Ella waited before responding, her eyes darting to the street behind her. "The office! We'll find something there!"

"Then let's go!" Jackie ran to her, grabbing her hand, and dashing the other way.

Nick watched them leave, huffing angrily as they grimaced. "Oh, no, you don't!"

As Ella and Jackie ran, things started to fall in their way. Vehicles and streetlamps were thrown at them, trying to make them stop. A sheet of metal very clearly dashed past Jackie's face, and as they stopped to grab their arm, Ella nearly tripped over a giant boulder landing at her feet.

"Fuck!" She gasped, adrenaline pumping through her body.

"Is there any way to—to make this go faster?!" Jackie had their hand gripping their shoulder tightly. "Like, can't we do something?!"

Ella exhaled, bringing a hand up to touch her ears.

She was still bleeding, but she'd be fine for now.

So, she exhaled sharply. "Hold on tight."

Jackie, ignoring the pain, grabbed Ella's hand, and just as quickly, they shot into the air.

It wasn't like they were floating at all. In Ella's anxiety, it felt more stuttered and quick, shooting through the sky like a rogue meteor.

Jackie was practically screaming. "WHAT THE SHIT?!?!? Where did you learn how to do this?!!?"

"Brace yourself!" Ella called, pushing her feet ahead of her, and breaking into the window.

As Ella and Jackie tumbled into a floor of the office building, the glass spread all throughout the room. Ella now had a gash down her cheek, but hadn't felt it yet.