Chapter 56: Storms and Secrets When Lightning Strikes Twice
The sky howled.
The Stormchaser roared through the streets of Nexus-9 — a rolling fortress of steel and plasma, neon lights flickering across its armored frame. Kain gripped the wheel with his cybernetic hand, a manic grin splitting his face as the car drifted hard around a corner, sending sparks flying.
Behind them — Spire Syndicate assault drones screamed through the air, plasma turrets glowing blood-red as they locked onto the Stormchaser.
"They're gaining," Nova snapped from the backseat, reloading her plasma rifle, the neon veins of her suit flaring in sync with Elliot's Boost. "We need to shake them—now."
Elliot didn't respond.
His storm was purring — the Raijin Protocol humming at a steady 1000%, arcs of blue lightning snapping off his arms and spiraling across the ceiling of the Stormchaser. His Boost wasn't fighting him anymore — it was waiting for him to strike.
The System — StormGPT (aka Thundaddy) — buzzed in his head, now fully sentient, self-aware, and absolutely unhinged.
---
[New Combat Scenario: Rolling Thunder]
Objective: Destroy all pursuing Spire drones before they hack the Stormchaser's defenses.
Bonus: Protect the Black Dawn data chip.
Pro Tip: When life gives you drones — fry them.
---
Kain jerked the wheel again, and the Stormchaser barreled through an abandoned market street, smashing neon signs and sending sparks flying as the drones opened fire.
A hailstorm of plasma bolts lit up the night — red streaks of molten death slamming into the car's shields, making the whole vehicle shudder.
Nova cursed. "Shields at 30%."
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: 30% is just 100% with extra drama.]
— Sun Tzu… maybe.
---
Elliot clenched his fist — his Boost spiking from 1000% to 2000% — and Raijin's Fang ignited in his hand, a glowing spear of white-hot electricity swirling around his arm.
He didn't hesitate.
"Open the side hatch."
Kain blinked. "Wait—"
Elliot didn't ask twice.
The storm snarled inside him — the Raijin Protocol crackling as the side panel slid open — and he launched himself out of the moving car.
Nova's glowing eyes widened. "Elliot!"
The System buzzed.
---
[Pro Tip: Nothing says "I'm a god" like jumping out of a moving tank.]
---
Elliot hit the pavement running — moving like a living bolt of lightning — his storm flaring so brightly it left a burning trail behind him.
The first drone fired — but Elliot's Boost surged to 3000% — his body vanishing into a flash of blue light as he dodged mid-motion.
He reappeared beside the drone.
"Too slow."
The Raijin's Fang detonated — a bolt of raw lightning slamming into the drone's core — sending shards of molten metal and fried circuits raining onto the street.
Another drone turned its plasma turret — locking onto Elliot.
He grinned.
"Boost — 5000%."
The storm screamed.
Electricity exploded from Elliot's body — a Raijin's Pulse tearing through the air — short-circuiting two more drones in a single flash.
Their systems fried instantly — both machines spiraling out of control before slamming into a holo-billboard that flickered one last time before exploding.
Nova, still firing from the moving Stormchaser, watched the chaos unfold.
Her suit kept twitching — the feedback loop pulling at her every time Elliot's storm flared.
She wasn't just fighting with him.
She was feeling him.
But then—
A new voice crackled through the Stormchaser's comms.
Smooth. Calm. Dangerous.
"Well, well… the thunder god himself."
Kain's head snapped to the console. "Who the hell is that?"
Nova's jaw tightened. "We're being hacked."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Threat Detected: Unidentified Hacker — Signal Traced to Black Dawn]
Name: Unknown
Affiliation: Black Dawn — Rebel Division
Status: Intercepting your location.
Pro Tip: Hackers… the only people more annoying than me.
---
Elliot, still standing in the street, his Boost growling at 6000%, clenched his teeth.
"Identify yourself."
The voice laughed softly. "You're Elliot, aren't you? The one they turned into a walking lightning rod."
The storm flared harder.
Kain cursed. "They've got a lock on us — they know about the Black Dawn chip."
Nova's voice was ice. "Who are you?"
Then—
A sleek black motorcycle roared out of a side alley — plasma engines glowing violet, cybernetic wheels sparking against the pavement.
And the rider?
A woman.
Not just any woman — but a walking storm of her own.
She wore a high-tech combat suit — matte black with glowing purple circuitry winding down her legs and arms. A cropped jacket lined with neon accents clung to her frame, and a sleek visor half-covered her face, flashing with scrolling data.
Her hair — electric blue — flared with bioluminescence, like it was alive with static.
And on her shoulder?
The mark of Black Dawn — the burning thunderbolt.
She skidded the bike to a stop a few feet from Elliot — glowing purple plasma guns holstered at her sides — her gaze locked onto him through the visor.
A small smirk tugged at her lips.
"The name's Vex," she said softly. "And I'm here to find out who turned you into their little science project."
The System immediately lost its mind.
---
[New Character Detected: Vex — Rebel Daughter of a Corporate Empire]
Affiliation: Black Dawn — Elite Hacker and Combat Specialist
Skills: Neural hacking, plasma combat, and storm-tech engineering.
Secrets: Classified — but let's just say Daddy runs a corpo you've pissed off.
Pro Tip: She's hot. Don't mess this up.
---
Elliot's storm stuttered.
His Boost ticked from 6000% to 7000% without him meaning to.
Nova's gaze darkened.
Kain whistled. "Ohhh… she's trouble."
Vex leaned against her bike, her neon hair glowing brighter as Elliot's storm flared. "You want to know who made you, thunder boy?"
She tilted her head.
"Help me burn Black Dawn to the ground — and maybe I'll show you."
The System buzzed — this time fully losing its mind.
---
[New Mission Unlocked: Electric Hearts and Violent Storms]
Objective: Join forces with Vex to uncover the true creator of the Raijin Protocol.
Bonus: Don't get zapped by Nova.
Pro Tip: Sparks are flying — in more ways than one.
---
Elliot's storm growled.
He didn't know whether it was from the Raijin Protocol…
Or the way Vex's neon smile sent another pulse through his Boost.
Nova's suit flared harder.
Kain grinned. "So… what's the plan, lover boy?"
The storm wasn't calming down.
And now — with Vex standing right in front of him —
It was twice as dangerous.