Tower of Light (Under The Cowl Book #2)

CHAPTER 19

     Michael couldn't stop his eyes from squinting. He also pursed his lips, flexed his jaws, and tightened every muscle on his face as much as he could while flying against the wind.

He kept his arm pressed against his sides and stiffening his body from head to toe. Like a bullet, pointy and sharp, had to if he wanted keep up with Mary's pace. Michael trailed behind her as she flew across the sky. Mary moved at a speed almost impossible to keep track unless you're Superman or the Flash. Luckily for Michael he knew where Mary was going. It also helped that he enhance his suit before this mission started. He had been on desk duty at headquarters ever since Stephanie Brown's escape, punishment for his failure.

"You're moving pretty fast, you sure you won't miss her?" he spoke to her over their two-way com device.

"What did you say?" Mary asked while barely able to hear him and keep her eyes focused on what's in front of her.

"Do you think you'll miss her? You're going pretty fast!" he screamed.

"How else are we going to get to her in time?"

The way she asked her question, Michael could hear the pleasure in Mary's tone of voice. It's the harsh winds pressed against his face, likely illustrating a comedic expression his face normally doesn't make. Michael could see Mary trying her best not to laugh at how ridiculous he probably looked every time she turned around. "How much longer, it's getting kind of cold being up here."

"Not much longer now."

Forced to accept what he could not change, a spring of light below and quick to vanish caught Michael's eye. "Hey, did you see that?"

"See what?"

"On the ground, something moved."

"What do you mean?"

Up ahead the spring of light returned like a bolt of lightning stretched across the horizon. "You see that?"

"I did."

Further ahead the light reappeared in the shape of straight lines and hard angles, only to then disappear equally as fast. "What is that?" he asked himself.

Mary descended at a speed hoping to catch up. Michael struggled to keep up. 

Closing his eyes for only a moment, Michael felt the collar on his suit suddenly tighten. It was Mary and her hand. He felt Mary raised him up and yank him in close, moving faster then he knew he could move when on his own. "What are you doing?" he frantically shouted.

Lunged over Mary's head and towards the trees into the woods,  Michael headed straight for the fork in the road. 

He cut through the branches and leaves to intercept the bolt of lightning.

A couple of feet away from a crash landing, Michael pressed a button on his belt as the ground suddenly softened underneath his feet. If not for his suit he'd hear bones breaking. Instead he listened to gravel and dirt crumble under the weight of a ballooned force field expelled from his belt. With seconds to spare Michael held out his hands to fire a second wave in the shape of a rippling sphere. 

The flash of lightning appeared again, revealing what's come to a forced stop inside the sphere.

"Velocity," Michael said with a slight disbelief, "It was you."

"A speedster." Mary confirmed as she dropped to stand beside Michael. "Judging by the dopey look on your face, you know him."

"He's a former Collector of the Fifty-Two, Alexander Rupert."