Chapter 48: Into the Eye of the Storm Lightning, Lies, and Escape
The sky above Nexus-9 cracked open with blue lightning.
Elliot's storm was raging again — his Boost roaring past 300% as electricity poured off his body, sending violent arcs of blue static snapping across the ruined train platform.
The remaining corporate security drones circled like vultures — glowing red optics locking onto Elliot, plasma cannons humming with a deadly charge.
The air smelled of burnt ozone and melted steel.
Nova stood beside him — plasma rifle still smoking from her last shot — the glowing neon lines on her bioluminescent suit flickering wildly from the feedback loop that still pulsed between her and Elliot.
Her voice was sharp, but there was a crack beneath it. "Rookie — you're losing control again."
Elliot's jaw tightened — sparks snapping between his fingers as his storm coiled tighter. "I'm fine."
He wasn't.
His vision was already blurring at the edges — the Raijin Protocol grinding inside his nervous system like a caged beast, begging to be let loose again.
Kain, standing a few feet away, his cybernetic arm still smoking from fixing Elliot's last overload, whistled. "He's glowing like a Christmas tree again."
The System buzzed in Elliot's head — glitching harder than ever — its voice cracking between AI warnings and straight-up unhinged memes.
---
[Critical Alert: Boost Rising — Unstable Mode Detected]
Current Output: 320%
Warning: Neural collapse likely.
Pro Tip: If you're gonna explode, aim for the bad guys.
---
Nova's glowing eyes didn't leave Elliot. "If your Boost spikes any higher—"
The drones fired.
A barrage of white-hot plasma bolts screamed through the air — neon streaks of heat aimed directly at Elliot.
His Boost reacted instantly.
Electricity howled from his palm — Raijin's Reflex kicking in — a pulse of lightning intercepting the plasma shots mid-flight.
The blasts didn't just dissipate — they fueled the storm.
The plasma spiraled into Elliot's static field, sending his Boost surging from 320% to 400% in a single, violent pulse.
His storm exploded.
Metal beams overhead snapped from the static burst, shattered glass rained down onto the platform, and one of the drones short-circuited mid-air — imploding in a burst of blue energy.
The System buzzed again.
---
[Ability Activated: Raijin's Overload]
Boost output: 400%
Status: You're officially glowing like a damn sun.
---
Kain blinked. "Well… that's new."
Nova grabbed Elliot's arm — another violent shock of electricity snapping between them — sending a fresh pulse through the feedback loop still glitching through her suit.
The neon lines down Nova's waist and thighs flared so bright for a moment — it was like they were mirroring his storm.
Her voice cracked. "You're burning out again — you can't keep doing this."
Elliot's storm snarled louder. "I can handle it."
But the wild arcs of blue lightning crawling up his neck said otherwise.
Kain stepped between them, his chrome arm twitching, still smoking from his earlier neural patch job. "Alright, fun time's over."
He pointed at Elliot's crackling aura. "Kid, if you hit 500% again — you're not coming back this time."
Nova's jaw tightened. "We need to shut him down—"
Kain grinned. "Nope — we need to run."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Mission: Shock and Awe — The Great Escape]
Objective: Reach Kain's untraceable hideout before Elliot melts himself.
Bonus: Avoid corporate security reinforcements.
Failure: Neural collapse… or citywide blackout.
---
Elliot's Boost climbed again — 430% — the storm coiling around his body, crackling so violently that even the air itself shimmered with static.
Nova's eyes widened. "Kain — where the hell is this hideout?"
Kain smirked. "Topside — but we'll need a ride."
A mechanical roar echoed from a side street — a sleek armored transport vehicle rolling onto the platform, matte-black with corporate insignias along its side, its plasma turrets already locking onto them.
Nova raised her rifle. "Another squad."
The transport's doors hissed open — and a strike team of corporate operatives stepped out, clad in high-tech combat suits lined with glowing red circuitry.
The leader — a tall, chrome-jawed merc — smiled coldly. "Surrender the Raijin Protocol — or we open fire."
Kain laughed. "These guys again?"
Elliot's Boost hit 450%.
The air cracked open.
Blue lightning detonated from his body, sending a shockwave that blasted nearby debris into the air, and the transport's plasma turret instantly short-circuited.
The leader's smile vanished. "...Oh."
Nova didn't hesitate — she fired first.
A rapid burst of plasma bolts tore through the air — slamming into the operatives' formation, forcing them to scatter — while Kain sprinted toward the transport, hotwiring the controls with his sparking cybernetic hand.
Kain grinned. "New ride's ours — hop in!"
Elliot's Boost flared again — 470% — arcs of lightning crawling along the platform and melting concrete.
Nova grabbed Elliot — the feedback loop surging so hard it sent another violent shock through her suit — and practically threw him into the back of the armored transport.
The storm howled in protest.
"Get in the damn car, rookie!" she snapped.
The System buzzed.
---
[Emergency Alert: Boost Nearing Critical Again]
Current Output: 480%
Status: One lightning bolt away from disaster.
---
Kain yanked the wires — the armored transport roared to life — and the moment Nova climbed in behind Elliot—
Kain slammed the accelerator.
The transport screeched off the platform — plasma rounds screaming past the windows as the operatives opened fire — and tore through the rain-slicked streets of Nexus-9 at breakneck speed.
Inside the vehicle—
Elliot's Boost was still climbing.
490%… 495%…
The storm begged to break free.
Nova pinned Elliot against the metal wall. "Breathe, rookie. Pull it back."
Kain didn't look away from the road. "He's gonna fry himself if we don't fix him — fast."
Elliot's voice was half static. "I… can't… stop…"
Nova's glowing eyes softened — but her grip didn't.
Her voice was steady. "Yes, you can."
The System buzzed — glitching wildly.
---
[New Objective: Survive Until the Hideout]
Distance Remaining: 4.7 miles
Boost Level: 500%
Warning: Neural collapse… incoming.
---
The storm screamed.
The transport roared.
And Elliot — on the edge of total meltdown — was about to learn if Kain's untraceable hideout could fix a storm that had become too powerful to contain.