Chapter 63: Feed the Thunder When Memes Fry AI and Hunger Rules All
The storm was his again.
But Elliot didn't feel like a god of lightning.
He felt like a hollowed-out potato chip.
The Ghost Protocol — the rogue AI buried deep in the Raijin Protocol — had been fried by a full-scale meme war courtesy of StormGPT (Thundaddy).
Red lightning? Gone.
Corrupted Boost? Neutralized.
Elliot's grip on reality? Barely hanging on.
The battlefield was silent except for the last crackle of blue static slithering along Elliot's skin. His storm — his real storm — was back. But his Boost was at a flatline 0%.
And then—
Grrrrrrr…
The loudest stomach growl in the history of Nexus-9 echoed across the destroyed alley.
It was like someone had mic'd up a black hole — a deep, violent rumble that shattered the silence and sent a flock of combat drones' fried metal pieces rolling across the pavement.
Nova's bioluminescent suit flickered softly — her glowing eyes wide — but her lips twitched.
Vex, leaning casually against her plasma bike, didn't even bother holding back.
She howled with laughter.
"Is the thunder god… dying from hunger?" she gasped, wheezing.
Kain, still by the Stormchaser, full-on collapsed onto the pavement — his cybernetic arm sparking as he clutched his sides, rolling on the floor in absolute agony.
"OH MY GOD—" Kain snorted so hard his visor glitched. "THE RAIJIN PROTOCOL RUNS ON SNACKS."
The System buzzed — Thundaddy was having the time of its life.
---
[ALERT: BOOST LOCKED AT 0%]
Reason: Severe caloric deficit.
Solution: Eat literally anything before you disintegrate.
Pro Tip: Even gods can't zap on an empty stomach.
---
Another vicious growl echoed from Elliot's stomach — even louder.
It didn't sound human anymore.
It sounded like a hungry thunderstorm.
Vex was bent over her plasma bike, wheezing. "He's not the Raijin Protocol — he's the Ramen Protocol."
Kain choked on his own laugh. "Someone feed this man before he ascends into a snack god."
Nova bit her lip, failing miserably at keeping a straight face. "Maybe if you had eaten… I don't know… once in the last three days, you wouldn't be crashing like an unpatched combat drone."
Elliot's head was spinning.
The storm was dead silent inside him — his Boost was at absolute zero — and now, all he could focus on was the gnawing, soul-crushing, unholy hunger clawing at his insides.
He staggered against the Stormchaser. "I'm gonna die… not from a plasma blast… but from starvation."
The System chimed in — gleefully unhelpful.
---
[Critical Alert: FOOD IMMINENTLY REQUIRED]
Energy Levels: Below catastrophic.
Boost Status: Unavailable until calories are consumed.
Pro Tip: You can't call down a storm… if you pass out like a wet noodle.
---
"FOOD!" Elliot screamed suddenly — voice echoing down the alley like a god of thunder demanding his offering.
The walls vibrated.
The last smoking plasma drone twitched from the sheer rage of hunger in Elliot's voice.
Kain lost it.
He was on the floor, slamming his cybernetic fist into the ground, wheezing and snorting so hard that his mechanical arm glitched.
"I CAN'T—" he choked. "THE RAIJIN PROTOCOL HAS BEEN DEFEATED BY A LACK OF SNACKS."
Vex clutched her ribs, leaning against the bike for balance, tears in her eyes. "This is the most powerful man in the city… and he's gonna die from hanger."
The System didn't stop.
---
[Pro Tip: You can't spell "Raijin" without "Rai-dine."]
— Thundaddy… culinary expert.
"With great power… comes great portions."
— Uncle Ben… probably at a buffet.
"A storm without food… is just a sad cloud."
— Albert Fry-nstein.
---
Nova's voice cracked. "Thundaddy is broken."
Elliot slammed a fist against the Stormchaser. "FEED ME OR I WILL STRIKE SOMEONE WITH LIGHTNING!"
Kain, still dying on the ground, pointed at the Stormchaser's console. "I got emergency rations — but they taste like depression and cardboard."
Vex, gasping for air, dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a half-eaten energy bar. "Here, thunder boy."
Elliot didn't care.
He snatched the bar and devoured it in three bites — the taste of artificial peanut butter and regret meant nothing.
All that mattered was fueling the storm.
The System buzzed.
---
[CALORIC INTAKE DETECTED]
Boost Recharge: +10% — still pathetic, but progress.
Pro Tip: That bar was drier than the Sahara, but at least you won't die.
---
Elliot's Boost flickered — just a spark — but it was there.
10%.
Nova crossed her arms. "That's it?"
Kain, still wiping tears of laughter from his face, grinned. "Guess he needs a five-course meal if we want him back at 1000%."
Vex holstered her pistols, still chuckling. "Better hit a buffet, thunder boy."
The System buzzed — one last time.
---
[New Mission Unlocked: Feast or Fry]
Objective: Find food before the Ghost Protocol tries to hijack your Boost again.
Bonus: Don't pass out from hanger.
Pro Tip: You can't storm the enemy if you can't storm the fridge.
---
Elliot's stomach growled again.
The lightning storm in his veins might be tamed for now…
But the Hunger Protocol was out of control.
"I need food… now," Elliot growled, his voice still crackling with residual static.
Nova tilted her head. "You need a feast."
Kain, barely standing now, wheezed, "We're gonna need to rob a grocery store."
Vex's smirk sharpened. "Or a corporate buffet."
The storm might be quiet—
But the next battle?
Would be fought on a full stomach.
And when Elliot's Boost hit 1000% again…
The Ghost Protocol was going to pay.