Chapter 9: Pandemonium

Romaine's POV

It's been about two weeks since the whole Melissa situation. Mom's been working even later than usual. I logged into the school's online learning system.

Life's been going great lately, other than the fact that now because of my super high metabolism I have to eat more often. Nothing to do at home but watch TV and chat with friends, other than the daily hour that I have to log into the school's website.

I was actually kind of missing the action. You can't blame me can you? I mean, I've always been into the superhero fiction stuff, and then I become a hero, you can't blame me for missing the mind blowing action can ya?

Oh whatever. It was getting closer and closer to my favorite holiday, My Birthday! Oh let me guess, "Birthdays aren't holidays", well guess what, it is to me, and that's all that matters.

Anyway, It was a normal day at home, me lying in the couch watching TV. Then Cassandra called me on my phone. I honestly didn't know that she even had my phone number, but who cares; action baby! Action!

**Phone Call**

Romaine: -Took ya long enough to call ya know-

Cassandra: -Oh shut up. I got a lead on your missing friends-

Romaine: -Huh?-

Cassandra: -Ugh. You're unbearable sometimes you know that? I used all the traffic cameras in the entire country to track your friends. I found one, identified as Kyle Forlurne.-

Romaine: -Yep, that's Kyle alright-

Cassandra: -Great. Now get over here immediately.-

Romaine: -You got it!-

**End of Phone Call**

I ran over to the lab using my speed, causing my shoes to burn out.

"What's up?" I lead with that question to avert her attention from my smoking shoes.

Her eyes scanned me from top to bottom. I could see the displeasure in her expression from seeing my shoes.

I walked over to her and looked over her shoulder. "Here" she said to me pointing to a frozen image on her tablet. It was Kyle, he seemed to be trying to keep a low profile.

"What's he doing there?" I inquired of Cassandra.

"I don't know, but he doesn't seem to be traveling alone. In all his appearances, he's shown to be followed by this individual." She replied to me while pointing out a peculiar person in one of the images.

I scanned all the images and realized that Cassandra was right. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Hold up" she responded to me frantically tapping at her keyboard. Abit later she filled me in on what she was doing, "I'm using the satellites to highlight and transpose locations of all the sightings in order to form a pattern."

"Ok." I replied

"I'm not really picking up much of a pattern." She said under her breath uneasily.

I looked over her shoulder again to see what she was doing. "Mm. Try creating contemporary connections between all of the transpositions then find the point of concentration." I suggested.

I then turned away nibbling away on the chocolate bar that I carried along as a snack. After listening to her typing for a few more seconds, "I-It worked. It worked! Wow. I might've underestimated you." She admitted.

"Eh. Don't sound surprised." I said with my mouth full. "So what we got?"

"It's your favorite, a dark Alley." She informed me.

"Aww man!" I moaned. "Alright I'm on it."

I went to the next room to get my suit and changed into it in a record of 3 seconds then went back to Cassandra.

"Location?" I inquired

"Upper Barnett Street, Opposing Bascho" she responded

"A'ight" I confirmed quickly then ran to the location.

Besides all the surprised people and the ones attempting to video me on their phones, I only spotted one significant person, Kyle. We made eye contact, he then broke it by turning around and running into the alley.

In the blink of an eye I was infront of him thus blocking him from proceeding. I'm guessing he was distraught saying as he didn't know my identity.

He was wearing an adult sized coat for some reason. The sleeves were longer than the length of his hands, and the bottom of the coat surpassed his knees.

I was practicing that trick of vibrating my vocal chords to disguise my voice.

"Kyle Forlurne. I'm gonna need you to come with me." I said disguising my voice.

"Not Today." He responded to me. He peeled his right sleeve back enough for me to see up to his wrist. His right palm then began to shine.

The light was so bright that I couldn't see anything...

I woke up, finding myself on the ground in the alley. Kyle was gone, infact, everyone was. There was no one in sight. Except, for some guy standing at the entrance of the alley.

I couldn't really make anything out because everything was fading in from the white light. I slowly stood up as my brain began to put in the details.

I was Abit dizzy, but when I regained my proper sight, the guy I saw was in a suit; A speedster suit.

His suit was crimson and his cowl had only eye holes and a nose hole. A Crimson aura was kind of ebbing from him. In the center of his chest he had a Sun emblem.

But that's really all I got to see, because then he ran off to his right. Obviously I chased after him.

"Cassandra! I'm in pursuit of a speedster, I got temporarily blinded by some kind of light from Kyle." I said pressing on my earpiece to communicate

"..." No answer

"Ok then" I thought out loud.

I was still in pursuit of that Crimson guy, his lightning was Crimson, I tried my best to avoid it.

He seemed to be making some weird turns. This guy's fast, I don't like it. I accelerated to top speed. I was within an arm's length behind him, as I reached to catch him, he blasted away, with a Sonic pulse that was created by him breaking the sound barrier.

I was thrown back and lying in pain and he was gone. If my Max is 360, I'm definitely going to need a lot more to catch this guy.

I laid in my current spot for a few minutes getting my head straight.

The fact that I know that Cassandra is always monitoring me with the satellites, I just assumed that she saw what happened.

I then pressed on my earpiece asking, "Cassandra, ideas?..." And I got no answer. "Fine" I thought out loud.

I didn't know where that Crimson guy was. So the best thing to do was just go back to the lab.

On my way there, everything was completely deserted. There was noone at the lab either. I was starting to wonder if that Crimson guy might've had something to do with it.

~~~~~

So far, it's been 5 hours. I've been adamantly trying to track down the speedster and everyone else.

I just decided to call the speedster Crimson. And he's been laying low for a while. I couldn't find any traces of electro-kinetic energy, which is what's left over by a speedster's lightning trail.

I also couldn't find anymore breaches of the sound barrier. That is, until now....

"Bogue Hills?" I questioned myself, "Why would he be coming to B--" I was interrupted by my brain figuring out the disturbing answer; He was coming, here.

But how could he have tracked me? By time I was done asking that question, I felt a massive gust of wind from my back. I basically froze and slowly turned around.

There he was, at the entrance, Crimson.

"I've seen you on the television." He stated, "You need some straightening out kid!" He shouted right before charging at me.

I swiftly shifted over to the my left, causing him to hit into the computers behind me. While he was Abit distorted I took the chance to run out.

In less than a second he was on my tail. I tried losing him by swerving around some obstacles. Granted I nearly broke my legs multiple times, but at least it slowed him down abit.

I don't know how but I managed to outrun him, so I stopped to take a break. I could feel that I went past my Max. I was getting faster. But It definitely won't be enough to catch a guy that broke the sound barrier.

If he did that again, I wouldn't be able to hear him coming, but I'd still be able to sense him. My speedster sense picks up when other speedsters are nearby.

I mean, usually I'm filled with ideas, but now, I'm completely point blank.

Just as I was about to go back to the lab, he was running up toward me from behind.

He swung his fist to hit me in the back of my head. I instinctually went into the limbo position in order to dodge it. After his punch completely missed, I stood back up as fast as possible, grabbed his right hand by the wrist, being the one he attacked with, held it behind his back, and then grabbed his left hand as well.

Now that I had him in such a position that would retrain him a while, I felt to take the opportunity to question him.

I felt him trying to escape, so I tightened my grip. "Who are you?" "Where is everyone?" "How did you get your speed?" I questioned him.

He didn't respond. "Crimson!" I shouted out the name I gave him, "answer me!"

He kept quiet and continued attempting to escape. I remembered that I had the magnetic ring on my finger.

I charged the ring and formed a magnetic barrier around him thus restraining much movement. I ran past him and went about 150 meters.

I stop, and then turned around to look at him in the distance. The left over electricity from my trail got amplified by the magnetic barrier and redirected to Crimson, basically causing him paralysis.

I took a deep breath and relaxed my mind. Then, I ran. I headed straight for him at 600 kmph, which is my new current Max.

At about 100 meters away from him, I held up my right fist beside my head facing him. I then began to vibrate my hand. By time I was near him my hand had reached up to 300kmph. You could clearly see the air being split by it as I ran. Electricity that of my trail was produced as well.

When I was going to make contact, I broke the magnetic barrier restraining him. Then...PUNCH

I could've swore I heard his skull crack or something. He flew back over a thousand meters. I stood in place of where I punched him, exhausted.

I then became dizzy and Abit distorted. I heard Cassandra calling me echoing in my ear. I then passed out.

"Romaine... Romaine!.... ROMAINE!"

I woke up from Cassandra shouting my name. I was on the ground, in the same alley where I encountered Kyle. There were people inquisitively looking at me.

I didn't have the energy to get up, much less try and understand what the heck just happened. So I just rested my barely raised head back on the ground and closed my eyes.