Acceleration

Chapter 18: The Revnid

A shot of adrenaline surged through Hypersonic's veins. He ignored the pounding in his ears and focused on the figure standing just a few feet away. The suit was clearly modeled after his own—an altered knockoff—but something about it felt entirely different. Hard pads protected the man's shoulders, knees, and elbows. His gloves ended in sharp, clawed fingers. In the center of his chest was a lightning bolt—mirrored, facing the opposite direction of Hypersonic's.

The mask lacked a mouth opening. Instead, a long, jagged cut stretched from where the bridge of his nose would be to his chin. Two smaller cuts adorned his cheeks beneath glowing, bright red eyes. Where Hypersonic's cowl bore wing-like accents, this one displayed two red lightning bolts that arced back toward the rear of his head.

The color scheme was wrong. Hypersonic's hopeful white had been replaced by a voidlike black. His signature gold and blue were now a grim crimson and lifeless gray.

"Who is that?" Tom asked over the comms. Erin flinched slightly at the sound of his friend's voice.

"Hopefully a friend," he replied, though uncertainty edged his words.

Hypersonic took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Hello, sir!" he called, waving. "Nice to meet another speedster. Maybe we could go inside and talk? Are you the one who took our fabricator?"

He barely had time to react.

The man blinked forward, fist already swinging toward Hypersonic's head. Erin threw up an arm and deflected the strike, though the attacker's fist grazed the wing on his cowl.

He's fast.

Hypersonic leapt back, the man in black following immediately. He ducked beneath another punch—only to meet a padded knee with his face. Pain exploded through Erin's mouth as his teeth slammed into the plastic of the knee pad.

Recovering quickly, he launched himself upward, fist rocketing into the enemy's chin. The blow sent the attacker sprawling. Hypersonic seized the opportunity, diving at the fallen figure—but the man rolled, caught his arm mid-air, and hurled him into a nearby light pole.

Hypersonic ripped a manhole cover from the ground and flung it like a discus. Before it could reach its target, a red lightning bolt surged from the man's hands, reducing the metal to dust.

Erin vaulted up the side of a building. The villain followed, and their fists collided against the glass walls as they scaled higher. Hypersonic slammed the man into a pane, which shattered beneath the impact. They fell together. The villain caught one of Erin's punches mid-air, using the momentum to send them both crashing back to the ground.

Now on top, Hypersonic delivered a rapid-fire barrage of punches. His knuckles struck the villain's face through the mask, flesh and bone yielding under each hit. Suddenly, two boots slammed into Erin's stomach, launching him skyward and through the building's roof. The other speedster was right behind him.

Erin snatched a stapler and hurled it. The man ducked; the metal projectile tore through four walls before vanishing outside. Chaos erupted—desks flew, screams echoed, and the war between white and black ravaged the office space.

They exploded out of the skyscraper, landing on a neighboring rooftop, ripping into the building's side. Windows shattered beneath their feet as they sprinted. Reaching the top, Hypersonic grabbed an AC unit and flung it at his pursuer. The claws shredded through the metal mid-air as the villain lunged.

Pain shot through Erin's chest—the claws had pierced his suit. Then the ground disappeared.

Hypersonic tried to propel himself, but there was nothing to push off. He could only watch as they plummeted, locked in mid-air combat.

Still clinging to him, the attacker swung wildly. One strike slashed Erin's cheek. He retaliated, shoving the man away and breaking free. As they fell, Hypersonic clasped his hands together, charging electricity.

Then he saw the other speedster doing the same—only different. He formed a strange hand symbol: middle and pinky fingers pressed together, ring and index fingers folded down, thumbs forming two small circles.

For the first time, the man spoke:

"Chorus of Lightning."

Black smoke poured from the gaps between his fingers, engulfing them both and blotting out the sun. Then—stillness. Hypersonic wasn't falling anymore. He wasn't even touching anything. He just... was.

So was his enemy. The man faced him with a sinister focus. Sparks danced in the black mist. Hypersonic watched in horror as his opponent reached into the smoke and grasped the red lightning like glowing ropes. He pulled them toward his chest.

Pain exploded from every nerve in Erin's body. Crimson bolts erupted from the fog and tore into his skin. He tried to scream, but his voice was caught in the electric convulsions. The pain was unbearable, pushing him in and out of consciousness. He was trapped—mute, motionless, and burning alive.

The man stared at him, lightning still in hand. But then... something changed.

He faltered. Just for a moment. His grip loosened. The pain lessened.

Hypersonic moved—instinct taking over. He shot forward faster than ever before. Through pain, lightning, and darkness, he became a blur no eye could follow. Light struggled to catch him; the space behind him was filled with ghostly gaps, photons failing to keep pace.

He collided with his enemy. The impact scattered the smoke, dispelled the lightning, and gravity resumed its hold.

They fell—through the rooftop, through floors, and out the other side to the street below. Colors flashed in Erin's vision as he landed. Blood was everywhere. It painted the street, the shattered windows—everything.

His white suit was now soaked in red.

Then he saw him—the other speedster, kneeling. Blood pooled around him, seeping from massive gashes. Erin's gaze dropped to the man's torso—an arm jutted straight through it. Blackened by burns, yet unmistakably once white, with traces of blue and gold.

Erin looked at his own right side.

His arm was gone.

Only his upper bicep remained. The bleeding had stopped, but the agony was coming.

A scream pierced the air—not from Erin, but the villain. He was missing fingers, patches of skin... maybe even an eye. Police surrounded them. The man wailed, then disappeared in a streak of lightning, vanishing around a corner.

Hypersonic lit up, ready to follow—but collapsed.

Pain overtook him. He whimpered, his ruined limb a fiery brand of agony. He saw his own arm lying nearby, torn from his enemy's body. He grabbed it, pulled himself up, and staggered after the villain—at a pace slow for any speedster.

He burst into the lab.

His aunt stared at him in horror, security footage of the battle playing behind her.

"I got my arm!" he quipped weakly.

Then he fell, the pain finally winning.