LIGHTNING ✔P.M. ₁

chapter forty-one

WHAT THE TWO BOYS FOUND Asteroid doing wasn't expected. Of course, Robin expected something similar, knowing that the man was evil and all, but Pietro was certainly shocked.

Archie was speaking sharply to his troops, arguing with them about being more subtle. A little hard to be subtle when you have an army attacking a city with loud and obvious weapons, but whatever.

"You has one job! I'm this close to having these heroes wrapped around my finger, and then I'll be able to eliminate them!" He snapped. "As soon as the Avengers are gone, we can finally destroy humanity!"

Pietro made the mistake of gasping, alerting the man of their presence. He snapped his head over, an angry look on his face, his fake eye flashing red. He ordered his monsters - the remaining ones - to back down and return to their base while he dealt with the boys.

Pietro and Robin glanced at each other and ran. Robin sent a spark at a red open-roofed jeep's door, managing to break into it. He got in the drivers seat while Pietro quickly got in the passenger seat. Robin immediately set off, but Asteroid also got in a car and followed them.

"Why did you steal a car?" Pietro asked, yelling over the wind from the open roof. He held onto the handle above the opening where the window would be to keep himself from falling.

"You can't run forever!" Robin replied, swerving out of the way of other people and buildings. "Besides, you have that stupid blue streak that follows you!"

"You're one to talk, you have pink hair!" His friend said, ducking as the man chasing them shot at them. "When did he get a gun?"

The demigod reached behind him, taking his eyes off the road, which left Pietro to have to take the steering wheel. Robin took out a pistol, and handed it to the blonde before taking back control of the vehicle.

"Same place I did, probably," The son of Zeus said, replying to his question. "This is America."

Chuckling quietly at the comment, Pietro leaned out the open window, shooting behind him. The bullets bounced off their enemy's car. Cars swerved to avoid getting hit by the two rogue ones, who were now driving against traffic.

The blond fell back into the car when they made a sharp turn, going off-road. They drove through the tall grass, almost not able to say anything. Unfortunately, Asteroid followed relentlessly.

Robin stepped on the gas, going as fast as the terrain would allow. He drove in odd patterns, trying to throw off his pursuer. Nothing worked. Car following car, one might expect a police chase. This, however, was just a villain following hero situation.

Pietro went back to shooting behind them, the loud bang of the gun resounding in their ears. Robin prayed to every god he knew, but none of them came to help him, as expected. There wasn't much they could do in this situation. There was no one else he could reach. His phone was back at the compound, and anyone he could call wouldn't get there in time. He was running out of places to go.

Soon the pistol was out of ammo. Pietro cursed and got back in his seat, throwing the weapon into the back, seeing as there was no more clips in the vehicle.

"What now?" Pietro asked, glancing behind them to see Asteroid ready to shoot again.

"Grab the wheel," Robin said, and leaned out he window as his friend did before him. With the point of his hand, a spark hit the man's hand, making him drop the gun. He sat back down, winking at the other boy. His hands found the wheel once more, and he made a sharp left, driving towards a shaded area, surrounded by trees.

Robin maneuvered through the terrain, avoiding crashing into any trees. Not far behind the two heroes, Asteroid followed flawlessly. Robin bit his lip. He forgot that the man could control plants. He probably had a deeper connection with nature as well, which gave him an unfair advantage.

They drove back out into an open field, where there were no buildings in sight. It was just an open field, with nothing more than some tall bushes every once and awhile.

The son of Zeus glanced at the gas meter, seeing that it was almost at empty. He cursed. Pietro looked over to see what he was annoyed by, while Robin leaned out the window and shot sparks at the other car's tires. It spun around.

Robin sighed in relief, only to drive right into a large tree that definitely weren't there before. The boy tried to avoid the collision, but still hit the side of the car against the plant. The Jeep crashed, sending both boys flying out. The car kept spinning, but neither boy noticed, seeing as they were both unconscious. Robin landed in the field, taking a harder blow, while Pietro landed in some bushes.

Archie managed to get out of his car before any further damage could be made. He stalked towards the tree he grew, looking for the two boys who had been in the car. He found the car flipped over, but no one was inside. He looked around, and quickly found Robin laying out in the open, his body resting in a position that would surely be uncomfortable and painful if he was awake.

The brunette grabbed him, and searched for the other boy, but couldn't find him. He didn't look very hard, either. He decided to leave before the young demigod woke up, and called upon his army to bring him a car, one he had at the base, and they quickly arrived.

Using rope he had in the backseat, he tied the young boy up and sped off towards his base. He didn't dare return to the compound. They would ask questions, the Avengers, or fight him if the other boy managed to get there already. Archie knew he had super speed, so he wouldn't be too surprised. Or, if luck was on his side, he was dead in the bush.

Luck wasn't on his side. As if Tyche was still favouring the Avengers, Pietro was, in fact, alive. Hurt, but alive. Maybe the Fates weren't too cruel as to kill him, or maybe they had a plan for him.