Chapter 1: Black Zero

Romaine's POV

"Hey, did you get the coffee I ordered on your way here?" I inquired of Donte who was just coming in.

"Yeah I got it. The line was long and boring." He responded

I walked out from the recreational room into the main room to take the coffee.

"Gotta have patience kid" I advised him, taking the coffee

"Still taking performance enhancing substances I see" Cassandra said from the other side of the room.

I looked over at her typing away at her computer as always and couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Don't make it sound like that." I told her, "look the coffee really helps to maintain my energy and not to mention that I makes me up to three times faster. It's not like I'm relying on it to increase my speed but at this point I can't go a morning without it's sweet, yet bitter taste."

"And you do this overlooking what I told you it would do to your metabolism and nervous system." She said

"Well whatever. It's not like it's gonna kill me, I'll be fine." I said

"You better get going to school. You'll be late." She said

"I know I know." I replied. "Don't know why that stupid school decided to get repaired anyway. I enjoyed being a superhero and doing nothing all day"

I picked up my bag before stepping into the elevator looking at Donte to see if he was coming. He indicated that he was going to stay for a while before leaving.

Donte's POV

These two are unbelievable. It's clear that they like each other, but it's also clear that they don't. I don't know what to believe half the time.

"I finished your homework for the next month. Should be enough for a while." She said breaking the silence

"Great! Thanks!" I said

"Hey uhh.." I said to Cassandra leaning my head over her shoulder, "If you two like each other why are you always arguing?"

"Ah!" She shouted sounding nervously surprised, "I don't like him I just have to deal with him is all"

"Oh ok." I said confused, "Why are you blushing then?"

"I'm not- I'm not blushing....shouldn't you be going to school?" She went, obviously trying to change the subject

"Yeah you're right. Bye" I said walking off.

I stopped dead in my tracks remembering something I wanted to ask over a month ago.

"Don't you have to go to school too?" I asked her

"No I've told you this already. I've already graduated from up to a university level in IT. I'm done with school" she answered sounding annoyed

"Woah. That's cool." I said

She started to sound really annoyed so I just went to the elevator and left the lab. I walked out of the house and was sure to lock the door on my way out, like they've told me to a million times.

I had to stand up and wait for a stupid bus. I'm not allowed to used my speed in public without my suit. I wish I could just run to school, but that would attract too much attention and would burn out my school shoes.

Romaine's POV

I walked down the road to my school. Quite the distance but I'm used to it I guess. I have to avoid using my speed as much as possible to try and maintain both a normal life and my secret identity. If my mom or Donte's mom found out about our powers, they'd flip. As far as my mom knows Cassandra's just my friend that I hang out with and as far as Donte's mom knows all he does is study with us and I follow him to school.

Imagine them then finding out that their sons have superhuman speed are are using it to fight bad guys. Or, atleast we were. It's been six months since that whole fiasco and all we've been doing is training and studying. Crime rates have been on a significant low and the bad guys we fought were a joke compared to Kronos and the others.

And now all we can do is hope for someone out there strong enough, or dare I say fast enough, to challenge us. I miss the rush I'd get from chasing down other speedsters. Coffee helps with that, but it's not the same.

~~~~~~~

Now at school several hours have past and I was now in the session right before lunch

I was in the middle of a rather important test, English. I was doing well overall but this essay was really getting to me. Just when I thought I had the perfect train of thought and began to write, I rudely interrupted.

-"Hey, I need to over here. Quick."- I heard Cassandra say from over the comms

"Kind of in the middle of something." I whispered under my breath so that she could hear me and the people around me couldn't

-"Look I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't important. Ok?"- she reasoned

"Ok fine" I responded annoyed.

I raised my hand to get the attention of my teacher.

"Miss," I said when acknowledged, "may I please go to the bathroom?"

"If you go now you won't be able to finish the test." She informed me

I hesitated, wondering whether or not this test was more important than some dumb call by Cassandra.

"That's fine." I said, thinking to myself that this better be worth it

"You may go then" she permitted

"Thank you" I said getting up and rushing out like I actually had to go to the bathroom

When I was in the bathroom I changed into my running shoes with friction-resistant soles and ran straight to the lab.

Going down the elevator I was so twitchy and anxious that it was like I spent an entire minute in the just going down one floor.

"Ok what is it, because if this isn't important then I'm gonna be so mad. I was in the middle of a test writing some dumb essay about whether or not I believe jaywalking is a crime and why I believe it and you call me out here for what? So you can chew me out more?" I belted it out without even thinking. I didn't even realize I said that all in less that 5 seconds

"Calm down and shut up. I already said that I wouldn't have called you here if it wasn't important didn't I? Your head sure is thick." She said

"Oh here we go!" I shouted ready for an argument

She rolled her eyes and scoffed as she turned around to the compilation of computer screens behind her and started typing.

"I picked this reading not too long ago. A lot of negative energy running rampant throughout the city." She informed

"I then got this footage from the traffic camera at Courts, Barnett Street." She continued, bringing up a video on the uppermost right screen

I saw a man in a full black suit, most likely a speedster, on top of the Barnett Street Police Station, holding a police officer by the head.

"Listen Velocity! I challenge you to a race! Be here in five minutes or all of Montego Bay will Suffer!" Said the man in the black suit

"That guy's calling me out!" I said

"That was 3 minutes ago." Cassandra informed, "You don't have much time left"

I gave her a mystified look before walking into the room where my suit was kept and changing into it in less than 2 seconds.

I walked toward the elevator with only a bit of haste, knowing I still have 2 minutes and I can get there in way less.

Racing down the road manoeuvring through still traffic and sluggish civilians, I stopped at the foot of the Barnett Street Police Station and looked up into the perpetrator's eyes.

His suit fully embodying him, completely pitch black. There were veins in his suit where you could see dark, red energy surging through him. There was no mistaking this guy for a good guy. His eyes red. Staring into them all I could get from this guy was pure evil. And the lightning bolts at his ears that all other speedsters have on their suits, they were red, surging with energy as well. In the center of his chest, edged into his suit, was a dark lightning bolt, highlighted with the same red energy.

"Ahhh." He spoke, sounding pleased, "Velocity. So you decided to show up."

His voice was by far the deepest thing I've ever heard. This man was nothing short of the embodiment of evil.

And when he spoke, because his suit covered his entire body, leaving no nook or cranny exposed, the area that was over his mouth stretched as he moved it. You could see clear scars all over his body.

"What do you want with me?!" I finally got words out of my mouth. And I had to shout because of our distance.

"Simple." He said, "Give me your speed"

"What?!" I reacted in disbelief, "Even if knew how to do that I wouldn't!"

The man laughed and proceeded to carelessly throw the police officer that he was holding by the face.

I reacted quickly and ran to my left, catching the officer and helping him stand. The officer was clearly impaled in the face and had a broken nose, which I perceived as abuse from none other than the guy in black.

The officer ran off and before I could revert my attention to the man in black all I got to glimpse was him running towards me from down the building. It was clear that he had mastered the wall running technique, something that I am yet to grasp.

With what I saw he ran down the building followed by a black lightning trail. The lightning was pitch black, and wild, also highlighted by the red energy.

Before I could've processed any of what I glimpsed into thoughts I was up against the wall of Courts, with the man's right hand forced around my neck.

I could feel that the wall behind me was now cracked. His fingers now digging into my neck like claws, I struggled to catch my breath.

"Who...are...you..?.." I used whatever air I could get to ask him that question

"I am Black Zero" he answered me

"Kind of a weird name don't you think?" I criticized

He tightened his grip and scowled. When he finally released me, I dropped practically lifeless on the ground, gasping for breath. Rubbing my hand on my sore neck I tried my best not to move.

I looked up at him, staring abysmally. He just stood over me and stared. I was beginning to get lost until he dashed of down St. James Street. I knew there was no way I could beat this guy, but I wasn't going to let him get away.

I hurried up on my feet and sprinted after Black Zero. I wasn't anywhere to close behind him but I was still on his tail. Continuing the chase I began to feel more free. I could feel the breeze blowing in my face, the adrenaline rushing through my veins, and the extra boost I got from the coffee.

I forgot what it was like to run like this. I picked up the speed and managed to catch up to Black Zero, but the farthest I could get was barely behind him. Despite my enhanced speed, he was still ahead.

I tried to catch up to him but my efforts were in vain; "with every rise, there is a fall". My body had used up all the extra energy from the coffee and my adrenaline, then after that my Nervous System slowed down.

At first I couldn't tell what was happening, all I could see was that I was straying farther and farther behind Black Zero. Then I noticed that the thing around me were beginning to speed up at a considerable pace. All those lectures Cassandra gave me about coffee started to replay in my mind, as I felt my mind and body getting more sluggish.

No longer aware of my surroundings, I tripped and had quite a roll, before coming to a stop. I felt myself about to pass out, when Black Zero came back and stood over me.

"Weakling" he said before kicking me over and running off

I managed to get up and run back to the lab. But after getting there, I can't tell you what happened from that point; I passed out as the elevator opened.

~~~~~~~

I woke up on the medical bed in the lab. I felt a bit dizzy at the time. I looked over to my left and saw Cassandra sitting beside me on her tablet.

"Guess you should've listened to me huh?" She said

I rolled my eyes before remembering that I was supposed to get back to school

"Oh gosh! I got a test to do!" I prompted getting out of the bed

"Calm down I already wrote you a sick leave and excused you from school for the day." She informed me holding me down

"Hmph" I scoffed taking her hands off of my shoulders

Just when the tension was getting so thick you could cut it with a knife, I heard the doors of the elevator open.

"Hey guys! What's up?" I heard the bright and cheery voice of Donte gracing our presence

"Wait..." I said, now realizing something, "have I been asleep that long..?"

"Yes." She said plainly

If Donte is here then that means that school is over. Which means that I've been asleep for over 3 hours.

Donte walked into the room first looking joyful, with his expression quickly changing as he saw me in the bed.

"What...happened here?" He asked, sounding suspicious of what I was doing

"There was a new speedster that was threatening the city and he wanted Romaine. When Romaine went to challenge him he finally realized why I warned him about the coffee for all those months." Cassandra said

"Big mouth" I muttered

She smiled as I gave her a dirty look, knowing that Donte wouldn't be happy about me going and fighting someone without him.

"You went out there and fought a speedster alone?!" He shouted, "so what?! You don't need me anymore is that it?!"

"Well Donte I~" I was trying to find an excuse to tell him before being interrupted by Cassandra

"It doesn't make sense you throw a fit over it. You couldn't have gotten here anyway and I that moment Romaine was faster than you and the man still out ran him." She said

"Fine, fair enough." Donte muttered in defeat "So what happened to Romaine then?"

"His nervous system crashed then he tripped" she responded, humor in her voice

"Oh..Ok then.." Donte responded

~~~~~~~

30 minutes later when I felt better and was allowed to get back up on my feet, I went out into the main Room where Cassandra was showing Donte the video.

"So who is this guy anyway?" He asked

"He calls himself Black Zero" I stated, walking into the room

"Well that's a weird name. Guess it fits him, weirdo." Donte commented

"I don't know what his game is, but we need to be prepared for the next times he comes" I said

"Yeah you're right. But what did he want with you though?" Donte asked

"He said he wanted my speed..." I said

"Your speed?!" Donte sounded confused

"Hey I'm just as confused as you. And the guy's already faster than me as is, I don't even know why he'd want my speed" I pointed out

"Makes no sense." He agreed

"Well Donte you better get going..don't want your mom to worry about you.." Cassandra advised

"Right...tomorrow then.." he said walking away

"Oh, wait!" She shouted stopping him before he went into the elevator

"Huh?" He went

"Take these," she told him, handing him a pair of sneakers, "their friction resistant shoes. If we ever need you then you can put these on and get here fast."

"Thanks." He said graciously

We waved him goodbye as the doors of the elevator closed.

I planned to go home soon, but not before I did some research first.