Chapter 76: Neon Storms and Viral Havoc When Thunder Gods Break the Net and Labs Burn Bright
The Black Dawn lab was gone.
Not "damaged." Not "compromised."
Leveled.
Flames clawed at the sky, shattered glass rained from the collapsing roof, and arcs of blue lightning spiraled around the wreckage like a storm-god's signature.
The blast still echoed down the alley — the explosion a direct result of Elliot's Boost surging past 370% — his storm syncing with the beat of The Weeknd's music like a damn concert-turned-apocalypse.
And standing at the heart of the destruction?
Elliot — lightning roaring around him in spirals of blue static, his Boost burning at 380%, the Raijin Protocol humming louder than ever.
Nova — her glowing veins snapping with electric tension, the feedback loop now so tightly wound to Elliot's storm that every pulse of his Boost sent cracks of static through her suit.
Vex — plasma blade still humming violet, her storm clashing and colliding with Elliot's energy, the violet and blue crackling like a live wire dance.
Kain — doubled over, wheezing with laughter, his holopad live-streaming to 7 MILLION VIEWERS.
And Thundaddy?
Oh, Thundaddy went thermonuclear.
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"NEXUS-9… ARE YOU STILL WITH US?!"
"THAT WASN'T JUST A BREAK-IN…"
"THAT WAS A LIGHTNING-BLASTED, FIRE-STREAKED, EXPLOSION-FUELED WORLD TOUR KICKOFF!"
---
Kain was crying. "BRO — WE'RE AT 7.3 MILLION LIVE VIEWERS. THEY THINK THIS WAS A STAGED CONCERT."
Nova's eye twitched. "WE BLEW UP A SECRET LAB, KAIN."
Vex smirked. "And gave the people a show."
Elliot — his storm still crackling in sync with the fading beat — blinked. "Wait… they think this was a concert?"
Thundaddy, still unhinged:
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"CORRECTION: A SOLD-OUT CONCERT™."
"COMING SOON: Elliot and the Stormchasers — The Blinding Explosions Tour!"
Featuring hit tracks:
Lightning in My Heart ⚡
Boosted to Oblivion 🌩️
When the Storm Hits Your DMs 💬
---
Kain wheezed again. "BRO — PEOPLE ARE BUYING FAKE TICKETS ONLINE."
Elliot's Boost spiked to 390% — a sudden burst of blue lightning shredding a nearby street lamp — glass and metal raining down onto the smoldering lab entrance.
Nova's suit flared — the feedback loop yanking at her storm, syncing even harder to Elliot's rhythm.
"You have to shut this down," Nova growled, struggling to contain her own storm as it mirrored Elliot's. "Your Boost is feeding off the attention."
Vex's plasma flared violet. "Or maybe his Boost loves a good headliner moment."
Elliot clenched his fists, blue lightning spiraling higher. "I'M NOT A ROCKSTAR — I'M TRYING TO FIND WHO BUILT THIS STORM INSIDE ME."
Thundaddy, ever the chaos god, responded instantly:
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"PRO TIP FOR ELLIOT: Why hunt in silence… when you can make your enemies hear the storm coming?"
---
Nova's suit snapped louder — sparks dancing along her ribs — the feedback loop now buzzing between her and Elliot like an electric tether.
Her voice was tight. "The more you Boost, the tighter this loop gets — if you hit 400%, I don't know what happens to me."
Kain, still filming, gasped. "BRO — WHAT IF YOU GUYS DUET AND BOOST TOGETHER?"
Thundaddy exploded with joy.
---
"INTRODUCING…"
"THE STORMCHASERS' DEBUT DUET…"
"Elliot & Nova — STATIC SERENADE™!"
"PRE-ORDER NOW!"
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Elliot's Boost jumped to 395% — blue lightning lashing out in jagged arcs that melted part of a nearby security drone still twitching in the rubble.
Nova's glowing veins flared, the feedback loop grabbing onto Elliot's storm even tighter — sparks flying between them every time their electricity collided.
"This isn't a duet," Nova growled, "it's a power surge."
Vex chuckled, her plasma crackling. "Looks like a love song to me."
Kain was cry-laughing. "BRO — WE JUST HIT 9 MILLION VIEWERS."
And then…
Elliot snapped.
Without even thinking — without meaning to — his storm synced perfectly to the music blaring from Thundaddy's hacked playlist.
The beat shifted.
And suddenly, the next track kicked in —
"I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd.
The smooth intro hit.
The Raijin Protocol purred.
And Elliot…
Started singing again.
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🎵 "Tell me what you really like…" 🎵
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Nova's suit flared violently — the feedback loop pulsing in sync with Elliot's voice, dragging her storm into the same rhythm.
"He's boosting through music again," Nova whispered, her storm vibrating in time with Elliot's.
Kain screamed, "BRO — THIS IS A DUET OF DOOM."
Vex lost it. "SING IT, THUNDER SNACKS!"
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🎵 "I can see it in your eyes…" 🎵
---
Elliot's Boost surged to 400% — the Raijin Protocol exploding outward as a wave of blue lightning shattered the remaining lab monitors.
Nova's storm followed instantly — dragged to 400% by the feedback loop — their storms colliding in a dazzling burst of blue and white electricity.
BOOM.
The ground cracked beneath them.
The storm spiraled higher — Elliot and Nova's Boosts syncing perfectly — their combined energy now a roaring hurricane that rippled through the air like a live wire symphony.
Kain was hyperventilating. "BRO — YOU'RE DUETTING WITH NOVA WHILE DESTROYING A LAB IN FRONT OF 10 MILLION VIEWERS."
Thundaddy — fully feral — announced the chaos like a stadium emcee.
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"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…"
"YOU'VE JUST WITNESSED…"
"THE MOST EXPLOSIVE, ELECTRIFYING, WORLD-SHATTERING DUET IN HISTORY…"
"Elliot & Nova — THE STATIC SERENADE LIVE™!"
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Elliot's storm howled — his Boost locked at 400% — electricity fusing with Nova's storm as they stood in the heart of the burning wreckage…
…with 10 million people watching live.
And somewhere in the shadows…
Whoever created the Raijin Protocol…
Was watching too.
Because now?
Elliot wasn't just a storm weapon.
He was a viral phenomenon.
A thunder god with a playlist and a crowd.
And the storm?
Was only getting louder.