Erin's phone buzzed violently, pulling him from the inky abyss of sleep. Two weeks had passed since his catastrophic charisma failure with Elizabeth, and the idea of seeing her again made his stomach churn.
Another buzz. Whoever it was, they weren't giving up.
He cracked an eye open and groaned—Jess.
"GET TO THE LAB NOW. THE FABRICATOR IS GONE."
Gone?
In 30 seconds flat, Erin stood in the lab, panting slightly.
"What happened?"
Jessica sat hunched at her desk, scrolling through security footage. "I don't know. One moment it was there, and then... it just vanished."
Erin looked over her shoulder. The timestamp read 4:03 AM. The camera flickered for half a second—and the massive machine was gone.
Jess added, "The original suit design files and material are missing too."
Erin walked to the now-empty corner. Dust had been disturbed, and faint lines were etched into the floor—like tiny fractures.
No... not fractures. Burns.
"Electricity," he muttered.
Jessica knelt beside him and snapped a photo of the marks.
"You're right. Someone like you took it."
When she turned back—Erin was gone.
***
Dan opened the door in his robe, eyes puffy.
"It's eight in the morning. What—"
"Did you take the fabricator?" Erin interrupted, panic flaring in his voice.
Dan blinked. "What?"
"Someone took it. In under a second. If it wasn't you—"
Dan's face darkened. "Then someone else is out there. Another speedster."
A voice cut through the air.
"What's going on?"
Elizabeth appeared behind her grandfather.
Both men flinched like they'd been hit with cold water.
"Erin wanted to ask you to take a walk," Dan blurted, grasping for a cover story.
"I did?" Erin whispered in horror.
Liz's face was unreadable—but there was a glimmer of something behind her eyes. Hope?
Erin grimaced as he followed her outside, shooting Dan a daggered look.
They walked in silence until Erin finally spoke.
"So... how've you been?"
Her glare was instant. "You ditch our ride, then ignore me for two weeks, and now we're just 'cool'?"
"I—I thought you were mad at me."
"Being disappointed doesn't mean I hate you, dumbass."
"Oh..."
A reluctant smile pulled at her lips. "You don't talk to girls often, do you?"
He shook his head.
"Well, I'm not just going to drop you for making a mistake."
Before Erin could respond, a heavy arm dropped across his shoulder, nearly crushing him.
"What's up, nerds!"
YOU ARE READING
Acceleration
ActionThree weeks after being stuck by lightning and gaining supernatural abilities, Erin Evidrone decides to become his city's local Superhero. With his aunt and best friend backing him, Erin must navigate his last year and-a-half of high school while ke...
