Chapter 42: Run with the Storm Lightning, Lead, and Fury
The subway station was a smoking ruin.
Electricity still screamed through the air — blue lightning snapping off Elliot's skin, slamming into the metal walls, and leaving charred craters in every surface his Boost touched. The storm hadn't ended — it was raging inside him, a raw current of untamed power spiraling at 300% and climbing.
The Raijin Protocol wasn't a weapon anymore.
It was alive.
The factions lay scattered —
The Chrome Reapers were smoking husks, their cybernetic implants fried from Elliot's Stormfall attack. Some of them twitched on the ground, their plasma weapons reduced to molten scrap.
The Spire Syndicate mercs weren't moving either — sparks still bursting from their overloaded energy implants, the green glow of their tech flickering in and out like dying stars.
But the Ashen Blades…
They were still standing.
Matte-black armor crackling from the lingering static, plasma katanas flickering from the last EMP wave, their red visors glowing cold and unbroken.
They weren't retreating.
They were waiting.
For a second round.
And Elliot?
His storm was ready to give them one.
Blue lightning coiled around his arms, snarling like a living thing, his Boost screaming louder with every heartbeat — a pulse of raw energy begging to be unleashed again.
Nova stood beside him — still catching her breath — her bioluminescent suit flaring every time Elliot's Boost snapped too close. The neon lines running down her ribs, back, and thighs glitched in sync with his pulses — the broken feedback loop between them still alive.
Every time his storm flared — her suit reacted.
Every time her suit glitched — his Boost surged harder.
The tension wasn't just electric.
It was physical.
Nova's jaw was tight, her blade still humming. "Rookie," she said, voice low, "if you lose control again—"
"I'm fine," Elliot growled, his Boost flaring brighter — sending a violent crackle of lightning spiraling into a rusted train rail. "I can handle it."
The System buzzed — louder than ever, its voice glitching between battle AI and absolute meme chaos.
---
[New Mission: Ride the Lightning]
Objective: Escape using the subway car Kain's "modified."
Bonus: Power the car using the Raijin Protocol.
Failure: Tunnel collapse, neural burnout… or Nova slapping you.
---
Kain's voice cut through the static storm, his cybernetic arm sparking as he slammed a fist against a rusted subway car near the platform's edge.
The train car was half-destroyed — windows shattered, metal scorched — but Kain had rigged a mess of wires and plasma batteries along the side, every connection glowing faintly with unstable neon energy.
He grinned like a madman. "I hotwired this baby — but she needs a boost."
Elliot blinked. "You want me to power a subway car—"
Kain's smile widened. "You're a walking storm reactor, kid. Time to be useful."
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: Why ride the train… when you can be the train?]
— Thomas the Tank Engine… probably.
---
Elliot's eye twitched. "I hate this system."
Nova didn't hesitate. She sprinted to the side of the subway car, grabbed a Spire Syndicate plasma rifle from one of the fallen mercs, and racked the glowing green charge.
The weapon hummed to life — a sleek, deadly piece of tech that pulsed with plasma energy.
Nova's glowing eyes locked onto the approaching Ashen Blades.
"I'll cover the escape," she said, voice steel.
Elliot swallowed. "You're going to hold off assassins—"
She smirked. "Do your job, rookie."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Electrifying Teamwork]
Reward: +2 Reflex Boost.
Penalty: Unbearable romantic tension detected.
---
Kain clapped Elliot on the shoulder, a violent shock of static snapping between them. "Give her some juice."
Elliot gritted his teeth — the storm howling inside him — and grabbed the tangled mess of wires and plasma batteries rigged into the subway car's engine.
His Boost flared — 310% — and the electricity poured into the machine like a violent flood.
The car screamed to life.
Neon energy burst through the circuits, blue lightning dancing across the metal, the wheels screeching as they snapped into motion.
The subway car jerked forward — slow at first — but the more Elliot fed his storm into the engine, the faster it roared down the tracks.
Nova didn't stop moving.
She raised the plasma rifle — sighting the Ashen Blades — and fired a hailstorm of plasma bolts.
The air glowed green as the rifle unleashed a rapid-fire barrage, sending molten streaks of energy tearing through the platform.
The Blades dodged — moving like liquid shadows — their plasma katanas hissing as they closed the distance.
One of them leapt — a blur of black armor and burning plasma — aiming his sword straight for Elliot's back.
"Rookie!" Nova roared.
Elliot didn't turn.
His Boost reacted.
Lightning erupted from his palm — a crackling whip of blue electricity — and Raijin's Fang formed mid-air, a spear of raw energy that detonated into the assassin's chest.
The Blade didn't just fall — he exploded into a smoking heap.
Nova blinked. "You just killed him without looking."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Reflex]
Effect: Instantly counter incoming melee attacks with a bolt of lightning.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.
Bonus: +2 to badass points.
---
Kain whooped. "The kid's a walking thunder god now!"
The subway car gained speed — Elliot feeding it every jolt of electricity he could muster — the engine glowing blue as the storm-powered machine roared down the tracks.
Nova kept firing — plasma bolts screaming through the air — covering the car's escape as the Ashen Blades sprinted after them.
"Move it, rookie!" she shouted, her glowing suit still flickering with every jolt of static that snapped off Elliot's skin.
He climbed into the subway car — lightning still spiraling from his arms — and grabbed Nova's hand as she leapt in behind him.
The contact was instant.
A violent shock of raw electricity snapped between them — her suit glitching hard — the neon lines down her back and thighs flaring dangerously bright.
Nova's breath caught — half fury, half something else.
Elliot froze. "I—"
The System buzzed — absolutely losing its mind.
---
[Libido Meter: Overload Detected]
Warning: Unresolved tension at MAXIMUM LEVELS.
Solution: Run now. Talk later.
---
Nova's glowing eyes narrowed. "If you shock me one more time—"
Elliot swallowed. "Blame the system."
The subway car roared down the tunnel — powered by pure lightning — as the factions chased them through the ruined station.
Kain laughed. "We're flying!"
Nova checked her rifle. "We're not out yet."
Elliot's Boost flared even brighter.
The storm wasn't done.
And neither were they.