Chapter 60: Zero Percent When the Storm Runs on Empty
The plasma mech was nothing but a smoking crater now — blue and violet lightning still crackling over its melted frame. The last echoes of Elliot's storm hung in the air, hissing like an angry god denied its kill.
The alley was silent.
But Elliot wasn't moving.
His Raijin Protocol — seconds ago a roaring 50,000% Boost — suddenly cut out.
Not slowly.
Not with a warning.
It just… crashed to 0%.
His entire storm blinked out like someone had yanked the plug.
The crackling lightning on his skin disappeared.
The glow in his veins fizzled.
His Raijin's Fang — once a spear of white-hot energy — shattered into thin air.
And then—
Elliot staggered.
The sudden emptiness hit him like a punch to the gut — a sharp, gnawing ache that started in his core and radiated out to his limbs. His vision blurred at the edges, and his legs felt like concrete blocks.
His stomach growled.
Loudly.
The System — StormGPT (Thundaddy) — buzzed in his head, but this time, there was no combat analysis or danger alert.
Just… unhinged mockery.
---
[ALERT: Boost Crashed to 0%]
Status: You are no longer a storm — you are a sad, hungry cloud.
Energy Source: Adrenaline reserves depleted.
Pro Tip: Turns out, lightning gods still need lunch.
---
Elliot blinked. "...What?"
Another violent growl from his stomach echoed louder than his Boost ever had.
Nova's glowing gaze snapped to him — her suit still flickering with residual static from the feedback loop — but now…
The neon veins running along her ribs and thighs were fading.
The link was breaking.
Her voice was sharp. "Your Boost — it's gone."
Vex cocked her head — her own storm of violet plasma shrinking back into her suit — the crackling energy in her hair finally dying out.
She smirked. "Did the thunder god… run out of batteries?"
The System lost it.
---
[Pro Tip: You can't spell "electrifying" without "eating."]
— Nikola Tesla… allegedly.
---
Elliot's legs buckled — he caught himself against the Stormchaser's side panel — and blue static fizzled uselessly across his fingertips.
His Raijin Protocol wasn't responding.
"What the hell is happening?" Elliot snapped.
The System buzzed — absolutely feral now.
---
[Diagnosis: Critical Power Failure]
Cause: Severe caloric deficit.
Last meal eaten: 3 days ago.
Pro Tip: You can't power a storm on vibes alone.
---
Nova blinked. "You haven't eaten in… three days?"
Kain — still leaning against the driver's seat with a massive grin — clapped his hands together. "The mighty Raijin Protocol — defeated by low blood sugar."
Vex burst into laughter. "Oh, this is amazing."
The System wasn't done.
---
[Emergency Solution: Get this man a sandwich.]
Boost will not recharge until caloric intake is restored.
Warning: If you pass out, I will livestream it.
Pro Tip: Even Zeus ate breakfast.
---
Elliot's head spun — not from the Boost… but from sheer, brutal hunger.
Nova grabbed his arm, her suit's glow now faint as the feedback loop dissolved. "Your adrenaline kept the storm going — but now that it's gone…"
Vex, still smirking, leaned on her plasma bike. "Your storm's running on fumes."
Kain reached into the Stormchaser's side compartment — digging through spare parts and stolen tech — before pulling out a crumpled protein bar.
"This all we got," he said, tossing it to Elliot.
The System buzzed.
---
[Item Acquired: Suspiciously Old Protein Bar]
Calories: Enough to power a small breeze.
Flavor: Dust and regret.
Pro Tip: Bon appétit, Thunder-Broke.
---
Elliot ripped the wrapper open and devoured the bar in seconds — barely chewing, just desperate for anything.
Nova looked both horrified and mildly impressed. "You fought at 50,000% Boost… with no food for days?"
Vex's smirk grew wider. "Guess he's more stubborn than smart."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Pro Tip: Great power requires great snacks.]
— Albert Einstein… allegedly.
---
Elliot wiped his mouth, his storm still dead quiet inside him.
No flicker of Boost.
No crackle of lightning.
Just… emptiness.
"How long until my Boost comes back?" he growled.
The System pinged.
---
[Energy Restoration: In Progress]
Boost Recharge: 10% per meal.
Pro Tip: Want 1,000,000% Boost? Eat a million calories.
---
Kain doubled over laughing. "Guess you're not a lightning god — you're a hangry cloud."
Vex snorted. "Or a thunderstorm on a juice cleanse."
Nova didn't smile. She was too busy staring at Elliot's hands — at the complete absence of static around him.
Her voice was quiet. "I've never seen you without your storm."
Elliot felt the same way.
He wasn't used to the silence — the lack of the ever-present hum of electricity under his skin. The storm had always been there, even when it was out of control — a constant growl in the back of his mind.
But now?
Nothing.
It felt wrong.
The System buzzed again — this time, its voice shifting to something more sinister.
---
[Warning: Power Vacuum Detected]
Status: With your Boost offline, your neural link is vulnerable.
Threat Level: Extreme.
Pro Tip: If the storm isn't protecting you… something else might step in.
---
Nova's head snapped up. "That's not good."
Vex tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
Kain's grin faded. "It means he's wide open."
Before Elliot could respond—
A sharp pain jolted through his skull.
Not his Boost.
Something else.
Something foreign.
Like a hand reaching into his mind — claws dragging along the circuits where his storm used to be.
The System screamed.
---
[ALERT: Neural Invasion Detected]
Source: Unknown.
Status: Another presence is trying to hijack your Raijin Protocol.
Pro Tip: You're not alone in your head anymore.
---
Elliot's vision blurred — the hunger, the emptiness, the invasion — all slamming into him at once.
Nova grabbed his shoulder. "Elliot — stay with me."
Vex's smile was gone. "What the hell is in his head?"
And in the middle of the chaos—
With no Boost.
No storm.
No power.
Elliot realized the truth.
The Raijin Protocol wasn't just his.
It was something else's too.
And with his storm gone…
That something else was waking up.