Acceleration

Chapter 8: The Terror of the Skies

"So what, he's like a super cool 'Nam vet?" Tommy asked as he helped Erin load a sheet of polymer into the fabricator. The pair had met up with his aunt at the lab. They'd finished their design for the super-suit and had delivered it to Jessica. She gave them the heat-resistant material and told them to fix it up themselves.

"What are you going to do?" Erin asked her.

Her response was, "Figure out a way to justify spending thirty thousand on a bunch of one material for my boss."

Erin pressed the start button on the machine, and it began to buzz.

"Yeah pretty much. I don't think it could've been luckier that he's Liz's grandpa."

"Liz?" Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah she told me to call her that," Erin said, "Also she's coming to hang out with us today."

"Oh for real?" Tommy smiled. Erin couldn't help but feel a grin cross his face as well. Tom reached across the machine and gave his friend a high five.

Jessica sprinted into the room, seemingly horrified.

"What's up auntie, you good?" Erin asked, concerned. His aunt simply picked up the remote and turned the television on.

"Hello everyone, I'm Melissa Garth. Right now we have a terrible sight in Richmond Park. It appears a massive bird is pulling trees out of the ground and throwing them at people- what? Wait, I'm receiving word, that it's not a bird. It's a man flying around in a bird costume-"

The television shut off. Tommy and Jessica turned toward Erin, who was already dressed in his track suit.

"Already on my way."

***

The laughter of the bird-man echoed between buildings. He dropped another oak tree onto the ground. People ran screaming. A flash of blue lightning carved through the tree as Erin appeared on scene.

"Dude!" He shouted. The man above him looked down while flapping his wings.

The suit he had on was metal. A flight helmet and goggles were on his head. The suit had massive talons that were powered by hydraulics. A blue tinge covered most of the black armor. He screeched.

"Seriously man?" Erin threw his arms up, "Why can't we talk like normal people."

The bird dived at him. Erin quickly jumped out of the way, and the lightning from his body quickly latched onto the suit. The bird-man crashed to the ground, but was back on his feet.

"Listen man if you don't talk to me I'm going to punch you really hard."

"So you're one of those disgusting do-gooders?"

Erin slouched, "Hey, being a hero isn't that bad you know. I get to take pictures with people and-"

"I don't care about your heroics!" The man spat, "You're one of those ECO-FRIENDLY BASTARDS!"

Erin was frozen with shock.

"You- You seriously attacked me because you thought I was an activist and not because I'm a hero. Dude you need help."

"The king of animals needs no help," The man sneered, "The RAPTOR NEEDS NO HELP."

With the beating of synthetic wings, the Raptor had taken flight again. Erin jumped for him, but didn't make it past twelve feet. He hit the ground and watched as a tree was thrown directly at him.

"I hate to break it to you man," Erin said as he dodged another lump of wood and leaves, "but the king of the animals is typically the lion."

A boulder was thrown at him next. Erin threw a punch, and shattered the boulder into thousands of pieces.

"Also, raptors are dinosaurs. I get what you're going with, you know, bird raptors, but there isn't a bird that is specifically called a raptor, only dinosaurs."

Erin's remarks were met with a shriek.

"Alright guys I'm not getting anywhere with this guy and he's just making a mess," Erin tapped his foot impatiently, "How do I get him down?"

"It looks like your lightning shorted his wings out for a bit."

Erin pressed the mic in his ear, "Yeah it did, but he's not getting close to me anymore."

The Raptor circled overhead, occasionally grabbing things from rooftops to throw at Erin.

"Any ideas?"

Tommy chimed in over the mic, "Can you like, throw lightning?"

"Like in comic books?"

"Duh."

"Let me try," Erin turned and sprinted in a circle three hundred times. When he finally stopped, he thrust his arm forward. Nothing happened.

"Yeah no I can't."

"I have an idea," Jess said over the microphone, "When you run, you build an electric charge. That's why it jumps around you when you stop. The charge needs to disperse. The faster you move the bigger the charge."

"What are you getting at, he just threw a really nice looking Benz at me."

Jess shouted through the mic, "Rub your hands together really fast!"

Erin shrugged and did as he was told. As his palms slid together, more and more electricity began to build up on his forearms. Once he could barely see his hands, he stopped.

"What now?"

"Transfer all of that electricity to one fist, I repeat, FIST. Close your hand when you transfer it!"

Erin wiped his hand into the other, closing his fist in the process. The energy transferred. The light coming from his arm hurt his eyes.

"When you open your hand, the charge will have no choice but to disperse in the direction you're pointing. The stronger the charge the more it will behave like a projectile."

"Alright COD aiming, don't fail me now," Erin raised his arm. He lined the lightning up with the Raptor in the sky. Erin held his breath as he opened his fist.

A honk from behind him caused him to jump in terror.

"YOU'RE IN THE ROAD IDIOT."

VWA-BOOM

The bolt of lightning flew from his arm and into the road. The concrete evaporated instantly. A massive crater sat in the street.

"YOU BROKE THE ROAD IDIOT!"

Erin dashed back to the park, avoiding a fridge that was tossed at him.

"Okay, less charge, I don't want to vaporize this guy."

He rubbed his hands together until sparks of electricity danced over his fingers. He pointed his hand to the sky, and let go.

ZAP

The streak of lightning flew into the sky and attached to the Raptor's armor. He shrieked in horror as he came plunging to the ground. Erin jumped from his position and caught the falling man.

As the pair hit the ground, Erin tore his helmet off. An older man, maybe fifty, was underneath.

"Seriously dude, why wreck the park?"

"GLOBAL WARMING DOESN'T EXIST BASTARD, LEARN THE TRUTH!"

Sirens came from the broken road.

"Oh boy," Erin muttered, "They don't like me."

He looked down at the Raptor's broken armor.

"Here let me just..." Erin bent the Raptor's wings around his wrists.

"There we go."

A crowd from the park approached him, cheering and shouting.

"I love you Lightningsonic!" Someone screamed from the group. Erin raised his hands.

"Okay everyone, calm down. I'm just doing what I can," Erin pointed at the girl who shouted his false name, "and the name..."

"Is Hypersonic."