Acceleration

Chapter 14: Overgrowth Part 5

Erin walked right past his friends the moment school let out.

He ignored their calls after him. Liz wasn't in her usual parking spot, which filled him with a pang of guilt—but today, nothing could stop him.

He climbed into the back of the van and slammed the doors shut behind him. Hotrod handed him a tightly folded white bundle, no bigger than a beanie.

"What's this?"

Hotrod grinned. "Your new suit."

Jess spoke from the driver's seat, glancing up in the mirror. "There's a handheld electric pump in the back. You can vacuum out the air from the suit and compress it into a tiny, easy-to-hide package."

Erin stuffed it into his pocket.

"Any luck with the plan?"

Hotrod shrugged. "He didn't exactly volunteer to be bait." He opened a trunk, revealing the businessman bound at the wrists, blindfolded and gagged.

Erin nodded. "Perfect. Let's get this done—I've got finals tomorrow."

***

Hypersonic crouched on a rooftop, inspecting the freshly printed suit. It gleamed under the city's evening light: a sleek blue upper body that transitioned to a brilliant white, sliced through by gold lightning streaks. His gloves and boots mirrored the white-blue-gold motif, and his new helmet—a smooth, form-fitting polymer shell—covered his head completely. Two gold wings flared from behind his temples. No goggles needed anymore; the helmet's eye protection was built-in.

"Comms check—one, two," Jess called in his ear.

"Confirmed. Comms work."

"Any sign of Vacstal?"

Erin peered across the skyline. Four buildings over, Hotrod and Jess had left their "bait" tied down. Sure enough, vines were slithering up the side of the building.

"He's here."

Before he could blink, something slammed into his back, knocking him off the roof. Erin grabbed the ledge mid-fall and pulled himself back up.

Plants wrapped around his legs.

"You really think I wouldn't spot a trap?" Overgrowth climbed into view, glaring down. "You thought I'd just stumble into this?"

His vine-arm whipped forward, aiming straight for Erin's face.

Hope I practiced this enough...

Erin focused, vibrating the molecules in his head. A deep warble filled his ears—and the vines passed cleanly through him. His hand shot up, slicing the plant limb apart.

"Surprise!" Erin shouted, phasing his legs through the twigs pinning him. His fist slammed into Overgrowth's face, sending moss flying.

A towering wave of plants erupted from the street below.

"Oh, now he's trying."

Lightning surged from Hypersonic's suit as he sprinted up a vine. Two tree branches reached for him—he smashed through both and dropped through the vine itself, landing squarely on Overgrowth's shoulders.

He raised both arms. Vines tried to entangle him again, but he phased through them and brought both fists down on the doctor's skull.

Vacstal dropped, but was quickly caught by his plants and carried away.

"Nope!"

Erin leapt onto one of the vines and rode it toward him. A thick root tried to crush him—he dove into it, detonating it with a burst of energy.