Power

The city of Stratum Prime never slept. Neon lights flickered in the distance, casting eerie glows across the rain-slicked streets. The alarms still wailed, an urgent, unrelenting shriek that echoed through the Null Sector. Aero and Kai sprinted through the alleyways, their boots splashing through puddles of grime.

Behind them, the Stratum 4 Hunters weren't far behind.

"They're tracking us," Aero panted, his body still tingling from the recent awakening of his ability. "How do we shake them?"

Kai darted around a corner, barely slowing. "We don't."

Aero shot him a look. "We don't?"

Kai's expression was grim. "Not unless you can control that power of yours."

Aero swallowed. The thought of using Apex Override again terrified him. He still didn't understand how it worked. But if they didn't stop running, they'd eventually be cornered.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

Kai cursed and grabbed Aero's arm, yanking him back just as a kinetic round blasted past where Aero had been a split second earlier. The shot struck a metal barricade, sending shards of metal flying.

"They're already locking down the sector!" Kai hissed. "We need to go higher."

Aero scanned the environment. The towering slums of the lower strata were built haphazardly, with makeshift bridges and ladders leading toward rooftops. His eyes landed on an old fire escape clinging to the side of a crumbling building.

"There!" he pointed.

Kai nodded, already in motion. With his Phantom Stride, he blurred forward, grabbing onto the rusted ladder and vaulting upward. Aero followed, but he was slower. His muscles burned with exhaustion.

The enforcers weren't far behind.

One of them raised a gauntlet, activating a built-in energy launcher. A surge of blue light crackled at his palm.

Aero's instincts screamed at him.

The moment the blast fired, time slowed.

Or at least, that's what it felt like. The energy bolt crawled through the air. Aero could see it—every crackling detail, every volatile spark. And then… he understood.

He could change it.

Something in his mind clicked, and before he knew what he was doing, his hand reached out. The very laws of motion twisted in his grasp.

The energy bolt stopped mid-air. The enforcer's visor flickered in confusion.

Then, with a flick of Aero's wrist, the energy reversed, shooting back toward its sender. The enforcer barely had time to react before the blast struck his chest, sending him crashing into a pile of debris.

Aero's breath came fast. "I… I just—"

"Later!" Kai shouted from above. "Move!"

Shaking off his shock, Aero scrambled up the ladder, his fingers scraping against rusted metal. He reached the rooftop just as another kinetic round blasted into the building's side. The force nearly knocked him off balance, but Kai grabbed his arm, steadying him.

The two sprinted across the rooftops, leaping from building to building. The Null Sector stretched beneath them, a maze of crumbling infrastructure and neon-lit markets.

"We need a plan," Aero said between breaths.

Kai gave him a sideways glance. "You're the plan."

Aero clenched his fists. "What does that even mean?"

Kai didn't answer immediately. They reached the end of the rooftop, where a massive gap stretched between them and the next structure. Kai could easily clear it with Phantom Stride, but Aero wasn't sure he could make the jump.

Kai turned to him. "You said your ability is called Apex Override?"

Aero nodded.

"Then override this." Kai pointed at the gap. "Figure out how your power works. Right now."

Aero's stomach twisted. "What? I don't—"

"You don't have a choice!" Kai snapped. "You either jump and use your ability, or you die when those enforcers get here."

Aero's pulse pounded. He had no idea how to activate it. But… wasn't that what had just happened earlier? When he reversed the energy shot?

He forced himself to believe. To trust that his power would work.

He ran.

The wind roared in his ears as he leaped. His mind screamed that he wouldn't make it.

And then…

Reality shifted.

The space between buildings bent—just slightly, but enough. Aero felt the world accommodate him, as if the rules themselves had changed in his favor. His feet landed on solid ground.

He made it.

Kai smirked. "Told you."

Aero barely had time to process his success before the sound of engines filled the air. Above them, two black hovercrafts appeared, their floodlights sweeping across the rooftops. The Hunters weren't giving up.

Kai cursed. "They're pulling out all the stops."

A voice boomed from one of the hovercrafts. "Aero Vance. Surrender now, and we will show mercy."

Aero's hands clenched at his sides. He was done running.

He looked at Kai. "Can you take care of yourself?"

Kai snorted. "Obviously. What are you planning?"

Aero exhaled, steadying himself. "I think… I think I can take them out."

Kai's eyes widened, but then a grin spread across his face. "Now that, I have to see."

The hovercraft's weapons powered up. But before they could fire, Aero reached into the fabric of reality.

His mind grasped the idea of gravity—and twisted it.

The hovercraft on the left lurched violently. Its engines sputtered as its weight suddenly quadrupled. It dropped out of the air, crashing into a nearby building in a fiery explosion.

The second craft veered away, trying to adjust. The pilot was shouting orders, but Aero was already moving.

He extended a hand, overriding the momentum of the hovercraft's missiles. Instead of launching forward, they froze in place… then reversed, slamming back into the vehicle that fired them.

The resulting explosion lit up the night sky.

Kai let out a low whistle. "Damn."

Aero fell to one knee, exhaustion catching up to him. His head pounded, but despite that, he grinned. "I think I'm starting to get it."

Kai clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's get out of here before more show up."

Aero nodded, pushing himself to his feet. He could feel it now—the power to change everything.

And he wasn't going to waste it.