A/N I'm glad I'm back and I hope you enjoy this new book. If you do, please do leave a review. It would make my day and be awesome.

Oliver Oakmen:

I watch as Sammy inhales all the remaining milk and yellow Captain Crunch squares. Hearing her slurp the bowl empty, I push another bowl toward her, this one being cinnamon toast crunch since Sammy finishes off the last of the Captain Crunch cereal.

"Sorry about that," she says, wiping a drop of milk from her cheek. Giggling as she tries to hide it behind her hand, I just smile and hand her a napkin.

"No problem," I reply. "Though, if you're really sorry, you know what you can do?"

"What's that," Sammy asks, already digging into the cinnamon toast.

"You can stay and help me wash all the empty bowls of cereal you ate."

Sammy's head tilting as she looks at me, I nudge my head over to the sink where, for the past 20 minutes, I've been putting the bowl.

"Wow," she screams, jumping up when she sees the stacks of bowls. From small to big, plastic to glass, varying in all sorts of colors, the stack looks a lot like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, only with a little more dried milk trails.

"Wow," Sammy says again, her eyes stuck on the stack. "I ate that much? That can't be right. I don't even feel full."

While she starts to rub her belly, I grab the few empty bowls beside her and place them on the stack in the sink.

"Seriously," I ask, struggling to keep the balance as the leaning stack of bowls starts to sway. "You've been eating non-stop for the last 20 minutes. You ate through three family-size boxes of Captain Crunch and you're still not full?"

"What do you want me to say," she replies, helping unstack the bowls.

"You can say," I interrupt, trying my hardest to sound like Sammy. "Don't worry Oliver. I'll help by washing all of these empty bowls."

"And I am," Sammy yells, turning on the water. We watch as the water pours from the faucet into the first bowl. While Sammy washes, I grab the empty cereal boxes and walk them over to the recycle bin.

"So since you're still hungry," I say, walking back in. "And my parents are just now out of cereal, do you want to head over to Coco's Mountain and have a few things there?"

"Sure," Sammy answers, quickly washing the bowls and putting them away. Sparks of red can be seen as she is putting the bowls away.

"Please be careful," I beg, running over to make sure the bowls aren't damaged or cracked. Making sure there are no red sparks, I take the bowls from her to examine them.

"Hey," she cries, stepping back as I push her away. "You know, just because I use a little 'speed' doesn't mean I'm not careful."

"Oh yeah. You're really careful. You're really careful alright. Especially when you used your 'speed'."

Feeling something in my throat, I cough into my fist.

"Car tires," I cough before pounding my chest.

"That was an accident," Sammy screams, pointing at me. "And you know it! Anyway, I apologized."

"Yes. You apologized and I had to pay for four new tires because you washed my car so fast, you melted the first four."

Sammy lowers and shakes her head.

"All I'm saying is don't use your speed to do chores, please. Just use them how you've been using them for the last six months. To catch bad guys."

Laughing as she keeps on washing bowls, she turns to look at me.

"Hard to believe it'd been six months since the whole thing," Sammy chuckles. "Six months since the accident and the fight with the evil doctor."

"You mean Noose," I ask, the very name sending shivers down our spines. "Yeah, don't say it. I regret it already."

Despite my regret, Sammy still slaps me in the back of the head with a wet hand.

"Nevertheless, it had been a really eventful six months with you being-"

Taking a look around, making sure we are alone and that my parents or anyone else are not here, I go on.

"With you being Red Lighting. Catching all these bad guys, saving all these people, learning how to handle the lighting part of your powers."

Sammy raises her hand and starts to shake it right and left. Within only a few seconds, her hand turns into a blur, and it begins to generate sparks of red electricity.

"Okay," I scream, also shaking my hands left and right. "Okay. Okay. I see it. No need for any electricity right now.

Her hand slowing down, the electricity dying down, I can see her arm as clear as day now. Sammy's arm falls to her side, I wipe some sweat from my forehead.

"Like I said. Six months in and we're still learning how to handle the lighting part of your powers."

"It's not so bad," Sammy adds. "Remember the time I was able to charge your phone simply by holding it. That was neat."

"Yeah," I chuckle. "That was neat, and surprisingly."

The last of the bowls clean and being put away, Sammy and I head for my mustang. We are only about a block away from Coco's when, all of a sudden, I slam on the brakes.

Sammy and I jerk forward, our heads hitting the front window. She looks at me and I point to an oncoming car, one that is smoking and doesn't seem to be stopping despite the light being red.

"Help," the driver yells, his arm waving wildly outside his window. Driving right through the intersection, barely managing to miss a few cars, he is followed by a few police cars, their sirens flashing as they all zoom by.

I look back at Sammy and she nods her head.

"It's in the trunk," I say, finding a parking spot in an empty street. Opening it, we both run out and to my truck. I reach out and toss Sammy a large duffel bag. This time, within seconds, after running in small circles, Sammy transforms into Red Lighting, her new, slick, bright-red, friction suit and mask reflecting the sunlight as she tosses back at me the duffel bag.

"I see you later," I say, Red Lighting shooting me a wave as she runs after the car.

Benefactor:

Just as I planned, Red Lighting is running to save both the driver and the runaway car. Running right past the two police cars, she reaches the driver's side in almost no time whatsoever.

As I watch, I reach into my pocket to pull out the earbuds so I can hear what it is they are saying.

"What's wrong," Red Lighting screams, trying to pull open the door.

"I don't know," the driver screams back, the sound of him stomping on the brakes almost louder than the wind. "One minute, I'm driving to work, everything is normal. The next minute, I'm going down a hill at 80 miles an hour, I can't stop, and the door is stuck. Please help me."

"Stand back," she shouts, raising her arm and breaking the door right off. The police have to swerve out of the way of the broken door. Meanwhile, Red Lighting grabs the driver and pulls him out just as his car slams right into a brick wall, the whole thing squeezing into itself.

"Are you okay," Red Lighting asks, kneeling beside the driver as he pulls himself up.

"Yes," he replies. "I think so. My truck thought."

"Uhh, it's okay. It's not totally crushed. Nothing a trip to a mechanic can't fix."

"I've seen enough," I say, pulling out my earbuds and putting them back into my pockets. Turning away, I walk back into my car, where my partner is waiting for me.

"Did you see it," he asks, starting the engine and driving off.

"Yeah," I answer. "There's potential there alright, but we're going to need to collect some more data first, and quite frankly, I don't think fixing cars and trucks so they're crash will get us everything we'll need."

"Don't worry. That was just one experiment. I have a few more planned but we need some more people."

A/N Enjoy and Please Leave a Review. Thank you.

Sammy Reader:

Despite my grumbling stomach, my weak legs, and everything begin exhausted, I somehow manage to drag myself through the front gate of the Silver State High School. Finding myself a soft patch of dirt and grass under a tree, I fall onto it and start to doze off.

Yawning and getting comfortable, I'm about to nap for a few minutes when I hear an unfamiliar voice.

"Hey," the voice starts, "You okay? Are you dead? You're not dead, are you? Aw wow. My first day of school, and already, I found someone dead. Wow, and here I'm thinking Carson City is going to be boring."

"Please be quiet," I yell from my soft patch of dirt and grass. "I'm trying to sleep here."

Adjusting a bit, I slam one of my ears against the ground and try to sleep.

"Oh thank the lord you are not dead," the voice says, not going away. "Uhh. You know, I have a spare jacket with me. Do you want to borrow for a bit?"

"No. I just want you to please be quiet."

"Got it. I will be quiet. I will not say a word. I will just stand here and not say a word. I will just stand here and stand guard against anyone who comes by."

Only about ten seconds pass by before I hear the voice again.

"Hold up there buddy," the voice starts, "I'm afraid I can't let you come any closer. Girly here getting some much-needed rest."

"Uhh," another voice replies. This voice I recognize immediately.

"I'm friends with 'Girly' over there," Oliver says, "Her name is Samantha. My name is Oliver. Who are you?"

"Name's Miley," the voice, or Miley I guess, says. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Hey Samantha. Did you, uh, skip breakfast again?"

"Yes," I reply, shaking the dirt out of my long hair. Realizing I'm not going to get any sleep, I push myself up.

"Here," Oliver says, reaching into his backpack and giving me some granola bars. Taking them, I rip off the wrappers and start eating.

"Easy there," Miley laughs, hitting me in the shoulder. "Those aren't pudding cups. You actually have to chew."

"Uhh," I start, wiping some crumbs from my mouth. "Thanks for the advice. See you later."

Barely having time to reply before I grab Oliver and the two of us start walking away, I turn back to make sure Miley isn't following us. Thankfully, she isn't. Instead, she is walking in the complete opposite direction as we are walking.

"Who was that," Oliver asks, turning back to look at Miley.

"I have absolutely no idea," I reply, also turning back to look at Miley. About my height, she had very clean, shining skin and long, wavy, brown hair. Wearing a pale pink sweater with a pink shirt and long green pants, she goes on to greet some other fellow students. Waving at them before grabbing and shaking their hands, I turn back.

"So you miss breakfast again," Oliver asks, tossing the wrappers into a nearby trash can.

"No," I answer, hearing some growling coming from my stomach. "I didn't miss breakfast. There wasn't enough."

I think back to earlier this morning when I was trying to pour myself a big bowl of cereal. Upon shaking the box, only dust fell out.

"Shoot," I said, staring at the dust in the empty bowl. My stomach practically yelling at me, I inhale the dust before giving the bowl a quick rinse. There is still some time before mom drives me to school so I decided to try and make some eggs. However, when I opened the fridge, I saw only three eggs. That's when I remember I ate a bunch of eggs yesterday, after doing a few dozen laps outside the city with Oliver watching from a distance.

Letting out both a laugh and a sigh, he starts to guide me to the breakfast line.

"Come on," he says, pushing me up. "Let's go get some food."

Luckily, despite how many students there are, the line moves fast and Oliver and I are able to grab some food and find a table.

"Here," Oliver says, handing me his tray. "I already ate so all of this is for you."

"Thank you," I say, taking his cereal, donut ball, and banana. I dig into the cereal first, making quick work of it before moving to the banana.

"So got any plan after school," Oliver asks, grabbing the banana peel and putting it on his tray.

"Yeah," I reply, ripping the wrapper off the donut ball. "Do over a month worth of homework. I've been doing so much running around, I haven't had time to do any of it. My grades are starting to fall. It's getting really bad. I had a project due but because of 'something', I couldn't do it."

"Well, it's not that bad. You know, at least because of the 'something', you now know you can't run through water."

Shaking my head, the school bell then rings, meaning we have to go to our classes.

"I'll see you later," I say, reaching to grab the trash but Oliver stops me.

"No," he says, pushing my hands. "I got this. I got this. You go. Try and save your grade."

Grabbing, he shoots me a wave with a handful of wrappers before walking away.

"Thanks," I reply, running toward class.

Sprinting to class, careful not to use any of my speed, I make it to class just as the bell goes off again and the other students drop into their seats.

"Whew," I sigh, thankful to make it to my seat even before the professor is in herself. I let my arm fall to my side, my backpack sliding off and falling onto the floor.

"That was a close call," a familiar voice laughs. "So you're one of these kinds of students, uh?"

"What," I say, turning around to see Miley in the seat right behind me. "What the? How? How did you, wait? What do you mean by one of these kinds of students?"

"You're one of these, making it to class just as the bell rings, kind of student," Miley replies, smiling. "I used to be one of these, but after a while, it just turned into too much of a headache. Always having to run through the crowds and if you're late, then everyone looks at you as you enter the class. I prefer being another kind of student. The one where I can just leisurely walk into class. No hustle, no bustle, just a peaceful stroll."

"Okay," I say, nodding my head and turning back in front.

"I mean, there's also the kind of students that get here early and wait either in the classroom or just outside," Miley goes on. "Those aren't bad either, but those kinds of students have a lot of time on their hands. Also, they get here earlier than the students that walk here."

"Please be quiet," I think, trying my hardest not to bang my head against the table. "Please be quiet. Does this girl have some sort of blowhole in her back? Is that how can she keep talking? Does she have a blowhole like a dolphin?"

Only stopping when Professor Lori walks in, I let out another sigh.

"Morning class," Professor Lori starts, dropping the books she was carrying onto her desk. "I hope you're all ready for this morning's chemistry exam."

"Oh my freaking god," I say, only now remembering the exam. "Well, so much for saving my grade."

A/N Enjoy and Please Leave a Review. Thank you very much.

Sammy:

"Uh, Ms. Reader," Professor Lori says, just as the bell rings and all the other students start to leave. "Could you please wait one minute? I want to talk to you about something."

"Uhh," I start, looking around. "Sure."

Picking my backpack off from the ground, I walk up to Professor Lori's desk. Only, I'm not the only one. Miley also walk up to the Professor's desk, and she stood right next to me. I take a quick step to my right.

"Ms. Reader," Professor Lori starts, spreading out some papers onto her desk. Immediately, I recognize all the papers. They're all the assignments and homework I turned over the past few weeks. All of them are incomplete and covered in bright-red marks.

"I have noticed that over the last few weeks, your grade has been slipping dramatically. You're not finishing any assignments, all your homework is coming in incomplete, and you keep failing all the tests. This morning's test is no exception."

Pointing to the test taken earlier, it is covered in red marks, and there is a giant, red F on it.

"You used to be one of my best students" Professor Lori goes on, "And while I don't know what happened, I do believe that you can raise your grade back up. That is why I have asked Ms. Daniel for some help."

"Ms. Daniel," I repeat, looking at Miley. "Oh please no."

"Don't worry Professor," Miley says, shooting Professor Lori a thumb-up, "I got this."

Miley turning to me places her fists against her hips.

"Ms. Reader, I am going to be your tutor. Starting right now. Well, not right now considering I still have things to do, but after school, which is like five hours away."

"Professor Lori," I say, turning to the professor. "Uhh, how could, out of everyone in the class, you choose Ms. Daniel to be my tutor? I mean, isn't she a new student?"

"Well, yes," Professor Lori replies, "Ms. Daniel may be a new student, arrived only today, but despite that, she still manages to get the higher grade in the class, and in her previous class."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Miley smirking.

"I am going to electrocute you," I think.

Jackie Black:

I take a sip of my drink before setting it down. Once down on the table, I then pick up my notebook and pen.

"Let me see here," I start, opening my book to check something. "You're still 500 dollars short, kid."

"I know," Miller replies, "I know. I just need a few more days. A week at most."

One of my bodyguards steps forward and grabs Miller by his shirt collar. Lifting him into the air, Miller's feet dangle as he pleads.

"No," he cries, "No, please. Don't. I can get you the money. I can. I just need a few more days. There's this horse who I know is a sure-fire win."

"It's never a sure-fire win when it comes to you," I say. "Still."

I wave my hand and my bodyguard drops the Miller kid.

"As you have been a loyal customer of mine for a while now, I guess I can give you one last shot. Tell you what. I bet on this horse of yours. The 500 dollars you owe me. If your horse wins, then you're in the clear, but if it doesn't, then you owe me double."

"Deal," Miller cries, clapping his hands together. "I know Golden Striped will win. You can count on it."

"No. You better count on it."

With another wave of my hand, Miller runs like a bat out of hell out of my bar.

"Who's next," I ask, going down my list of names.

"That would be me," a voice answers. "Are you Jackie Black?"

Looking up from my book, I see some guy in a long brown trench coat and pants. He is wearing a brown hat which is covering most of his face.

"Who the hell are you," I ask, my guards stepping forward. Their fists ready, they rush forward when the guy reaches for something in his trench coat. Pulling out wads of cold, hard cash, I stop them.

"I'm a sort of investor if you will," the guy says, tossing all the cash onto my table.

"An investor," I repeat. "What are you talking about?"

"I hear you know a lot of people. People in debt, in need of cash. I want to invest, sort of, and clear their debt. In return, those same people will help me with something my partner and I have been working on."

He then nudges his head toward the cash already on the table.

"Call this the first investment. This is 5,000 in cash."

My eyes moving to the money, I grab it and start sifting through it.

"All 100 dollar bills," I say, not believing my eyes. Taking the cash, I stop myself.

"Before I accept this 'investment', " I say, "Can I ask one question?"

"What's that?"

"I like my returning customers. Most of the time. If I said yes, then what exactly would they be helping you with?"

"Uhhh," the guy replies, taking his time to answer. "Listen, do you want the cash or not? Because if not, then I will be more than happy to leave. Keep the money."

Turning to leave, I get up from my table.

"Calm down trench coat," I say, grabbing the cash and handing it to my guards. "No need to be dramatic. Just make sure my returning customers stay my returning customers."

"I try but I can't keep that promise. So, for my first investment, let me ask you this. Do any of your customers like loud music?"

Sammy:

"I'm sorry Oliver," I say, "But I can't show up tonight. I have plans."

"Plans," Oliver repeats through my cell phone. "With who?"

"I'll give you a guess," I reply. "We just met her earlier this morning, and already, I don't like her."

"Is it because she talks a lot?"

"I guess it."

"Hey," my tutor says, snapping her fingers in my face. "Come on you. Put the cellphone down and get back to your books."

Slamming her finger into the pages of the chemistry book, I shake my head before saying bye to Oliver.

"If something happens," Oliver whispers, "I'll text you."

"Thanks."

I end the call and put my phone back into my pocket.

"So where were we," I ask.

"Let me think," Miley says, tapping her finger against her chin. "If memory checks, then we are here at Coco's Mountain, where I am trying to help you study but you are refusing for some reasons."

"That's because I already know a lot of this," I say, grabbing the textbook and looking over it. "I know about endothermic and exothermic. I know about balanced equations and how to properly balance them. I even memorize the entire periodic table."

"And yet, you failed the exam this morning," Miley adds, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"I was sleepy," I say, "Okay? I had a busy night, and during the whole test, I nodded off a few times."

"I wonder what that loud thud was," Miley jokes.

I let out what must be my 50th sigh for the day, 40 of which were during the last hour alone.

Oliver:

"So far so fine," I say, taking a turn onto another empty street. "You know, maybe I can go home early tonight."

Thinking it over, wondering if there was something I need to do at home, I stop my car when I begin to hear a loud piercing sound.

"Ahh," I say, stepping on the brake to rub my ears. "What is that?"

Despite rubbing my ears, I can still hear the loud piercing sound. The sound stabbing both my ears and brain with a thousand knives, I get out of my car and look around.

"What is that sound," I ask. Looking around, I stop when I see someone standing in front of a store. About to ask what he is doing, he raises his arms and blasts the store's windows open, glass shattering and flying literally everywhere.

Oliver:

Falling to the ground, I look up at the man again as he enters the store, walking through the broken window.

"What in the world," I say, climbing to my feet. "What was that? Am I seeing things?"

I rub my eyes to make sure that what I'm seeing is real and that I'm not just sleep-deprived.

"Broken glass? Check. Broken store window? Check. A very weird, ringing sound is still in the air? Check."

I rub my ears before pulling out my phone.

Sammy:

"To properly a chemical equation," Miley starts, reading from one of the dozen textbooks on the table. "You would need to-"

"Match the elements so that there is an equal number on both sides," I answer, "Because due to the law of conservation of mass, mass is neither created nor destroyed."

I reach for another cookie to nibble on, but the tray is empty.

"Really," I ask myself.

"See," Miley says. "This isn't so hard."

"It's not hard because I already know," I say.

"And yet," Miley adds, pulling a sheet of paper from under the pile of textbooks. Laying it in front of me, it's revealed to be an assignment from two weeks ago. For this assignment, Professor Lori had us balance a bunch of chemical equations. My assignment is covered in red and stamped with an F.

"For the record," I state, putting up a finger. "I was busy and couldn't focus that day."

Miley says something but I ignore it and instead look at my shaking phone.

"Emergency," Oliver texts, "Emergency. Come now. Robbery is in progress. Guy with something on his back."

"Something on his back," I repeat. "What?"

Looking at Miley, I start to grab my thing.

"Hey, what's up? Where are you going? We're not done yet."

"Listen," I start, "I appreciate the help, I really do, but something just came up and I have to go. Maybe we can do this tomorrow night. Until then, see you."

Stuffing the last textbook into my backpack, I toss my backpack over my shoulder and quickly start to walk over.

Oliver:

My back against the wall, I peek around and into the store. Only, it's not a store but a loan and savings bank.

"Where's the alarm," I ask, looking all over the inside. "All I hear is that stupid ringing."

The ringing piercing my brain with hundreds of needles, I slam my hands onto my ears and squeeze. Despite the headache, I still manage to see inside the bank.

The lights are all out so it's dark. I can only make out a shadow, but that shadow just destroyed a window and is climbing through it. He is gone for a few minutes before returning, a heavy-looking bag in his hand. As the shadow heads for the window, I duck under the wall.

"Come on," I say, looking up and down the street. "Come on, Red Lightning. Where are you? Where are you?"

Carefully peeking around the corner, the shadow getting closer and closer, I run down the street and hide behind another wall. Stepping through the window and into the street, he stands under a streetlight and admires his loots. Now that he's under a light, I can see him now.

A medium-height man with short, messy, brown hair, what stands out the most is what he is wearing. It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. It looks like armor, but it's just a bunch of iron bars, all tied together with wires and cables.

I follow the wires and cables, seeing that they lead to a black, metal-looking backpack. Attached to the backpack are thicker bars that line up with his arms.

"Time to go," the guy says, running down the street. About to chase after him, hoping that I can buy more time until Red Lightning gets here, I stop when I see her standing in front of the guy.

Red Lightning:

"What in the world," I say when I see the robber. "Oliver's right. What is that thing?"

Snapping out of it, I put the curiosity in the back of my mind and step forward.

"Stop right there," I yell, putting one fist forward and pulling the other fist back. "Trust me, running is not an option."

"It is with this," the robber replies, aiming his hand at me. On his hand is something round and silver, the thing looking a lot like a speaker. Pushing a button on the side of it, a deafening, ear-piercing boom echoes throughout the night sky. The same boom forces me to cover my ears as I fall to my knee screaming.

Stuck on my knee, I look up and see some sort of invisible waves charging toward me. Before I can run out of the way, the waves hit me and knock me into the air.

Oliver:

"Sammy," I yell, watching as she is blasted into the sky before falling back onto the street. Landing ten feet away, I slam my hand over my mouth.

"Oh my god. What is that thing?"

Turning to the robber, I see a smile spread across his face as he starts to skip toward Sammy.

"Wow," he yells, making more noise. "This Sonic Pack does a little more than break windows. I'm so happy I got it."

"Sonic Pack," I repeat, looking at the metal backpack again. "Is that what it is? Must be, but what does he mean by he was happy to get it? What's going on here? This isn't just some simple robbery. Who is this guy?"

The robber reaching Sammy grabs her shoulder and picks her up.

Red Lightning:

"Considering this revenge for putting me in jail months ago," the robber says, putting the speaker right in front of my face.

The robber moving to push the button, I move faster and swing my arm, punching the robber across the face with a quick right hook. Letting me go before stumbling back, I shake my head to clear out the ringing.

Looking at the robber as he is still stumbling, I run toward him, preparing to take him out with one quick straight punch. Reaching him in seconds, I pull back my fist.

"Take this," I say, shooting out my fist but before it can hit, I hear another ringing sound, and then something hits me and knocks me back to the street instead.

My back bouncing against the street, I push myself up and look at the robber. Just now recovering, still rubbing his cheek from where I hit him, he looks at me.

"That was a sucker punch," he yells, aiming his speaker at me. "Well, let's see how you escape this."

Pushing the button, I cross my arms as more invisible waves come charging toward me. I'm only able to hold my ground for a few seconds before it becomes too much. The ringing in the ears, the waves hitting me, my vision going blurry, it becomes too much to handle and I'm blown off my feet and into the air.

The robber's thumbs are still on the button, more waves still hit me as I sail through the air. Only stopping when I slam into a wall, the robber finally lets go of the button and I drop onto the sidewalk.

Oliver:

Seeing that Red Lightning is done, only laying on the sidewalk now, the robber runs up to her. Aiming his hand at her once more, I couldn't be happier when sirens can be heard. The robber turning his head runs away, grabbing the money bag as he runs.

With him gone and the police still not here yet, I run out from cover and to Red Lightning's side. Thankfully, since she isn't running, she isn't charged and sparking. Grabbing her arm and tossing it over my shoulder, I grab her hip and carry her to my car.

Gently placing her in the front passenger's seat, I jump into the driver's seat myself and slam down on the gas.

"What was that," I yell, my attention turning between Red Lightning and the road. "What in the world was that?"

Replaying everything in my head, everything I just saw, I still couldn't believe it.

"Seriously," I cry, "What in the world was that? Who was that, and what was that metal pack? It doesn't make any sense."

Sammy finally moves, she moans before putting a hand on her head.

"Oliver," she moans. "Oliver. Hello? Hello! Hello!"

"Hey," I reply, waving my hand in front of her. Sammy turns to face me, I still wave at her. "Hey. Hey. It's me. What?"

"Hello," she screams. "Hello! Hello! H-H-H-Hello! Ahh! Ahh! Oh no! No! Oliver. I can't hear anything."

Oliver:

"Sammy," I yell, also clapping my hands and stomping my feet. "Sammy? Sammy! Samantha! Nothing."

Sammy is still facing away from me. I texted her to face me the second she hears something and the fact that she still hasn't said a lot.

"Oh man," I say, running my hand through my hair. "Oh, man. This is bad. Sammy!"

My words fall on deaf ears, literally, I kick up some sand.

After the fight with the "sonic" guy and Sammy yelling how she couldn't hear, I decided to drive out to the city, far from anyone, and see how bad the situation is. Using my phone to tell Sammy to stand here she is, I begin making all sorts of noise in the hope that one of them would get her attention.

I pressed down on my car's horns until my headlights started to flicker. I did donuts in the sand until all the sand was gone. Now, after clapping my hands until my hands are red, stomping until the soles on my shoes are gone, and yelling until I'm hoarse, I'm out of ideas.

Crying as I sit down, blood oozing out of my bottomless shoe, I look at Sammy. She's still staring at the night sky.

"Okay," I say, sucking in a breath. Once again crying when my bare feet hit the sand, I walk up to Sammy and pull out my cell phone.

"It's official," I text, "You're deaf, and I don't know what to do."

"I'm deaf," she yells, "Oh my god Oliver, what am I going to do?"

"First thing first," I text, "Stop yelling."

"Sorry," Sammy whispers.

"Second of all, just tell people you can't hear."

"Just tell people I can't hear," Sammy repeats, "And if people ask me why I can't hear. What is it I'm supposed to tell them? That I lost my hearing because I got into a fight with a robber with a giant radio on his back? Oliver, I can't tell people I lost my hearing. At least, not without an explanation that doesn't involve Red Lightning or 'Radioman'."

"Speaking of 'Radioman'," I text, "Any idea on him? I mean, what are you going to do next time you see him?"

"I don't know. If I remember correctly, he called that thing on his back a sonic pack?"

"A sonic pack?"

"He also said this is revenge for putting him in jail a few months ago."

"Wait," I quickly text, "If you put him in jail, then maybe we can find him. There are dozens of articles online about you and who you put away."

"That can work. Once we find out who this guy is, maybe we can find out how he got something so advanced. I mean, a sonic pack? From the look of it alone, that isn't something you just run into a store to buy."

"Okay, okay, okay. Tomorrow, during lunch, I stop by the school library."

"What about me," Sammy yells. "I still can't hear a single thing. How am I going to go to school like this?"

About to text my reply, I stop.

"Uhhh," I mutter, thinking of what I could text. "How is Sammy going to go to school? She's right. If we tell anyone about her and her sudden loss of hearing, they're going to be asking questions, and there are some questions I don't think we can answer."

Tapping my hand against my forehead, trying to come up with an answer, any answer whatsoever, I finally settle on something.

"I have an idea," I text before showing it to Sammy. "But you're probably not going to like it."

"Oh no," Sammy moans. "What is it?"

Sammy:

"I hate this," I say, looking at the ceiling before turning to look at the clock. My alarm clock telling me it's 11:45 a.m, I grab a nearby pillow and slam it onto my head.

"10 years," I cry, "10 years of excellent attendant gone down the drain. I hate this."

Looking away from my clock, I turn to look at the stack of excellent attendant certificates I have on my wall.

"I can't believe this was Oliver's plan. Pretending to be sick just so I could stay home. What am I supposed to do? Ahh, I am so bored."

I would toss my blanket and get out of my bed, but considering my mother is a stay-at-home accountant and that Oliver told her I was horrifying sick, I have to stay here and fake it. At least rising my temperature isn't too much trouble, but I do have to make sure not to set anything on fire.

"11:46," my clock reads. "Come on. Time never moves this slow when I'm in class. Well, at least I don't have to see that loudmouth. That's at least one perk."

My bedroom door opens and I fake cough into my closed fist. At least, I think I fake cough.

My mother walks in with a tray of steaming soup and places it in front of me. Saying something, all I can do is nod my head and watch as my mother points toward the soup and then toward some pills on a neatly-folded napkin.

Waving at me, she says something before leaving.

"Oh, I really hope mom doesn't say anything important."

Oliver:

As I scroll down the new article, I study the pictures of all the guys Red Lighting caught.

"No," I say, looking at another picture. "No. No. This guy had black hair, not brown. This guy is a lot taller than Mr. Radioman. No. No. Come on, there had to be something here."

"Hey Treeman," a voice says, seconds later, feeling something on my shoulder. Without thinking and somehow on instinct, I scream and jump into the air, falling back onto the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Miley says, shaking her hands all over. "Easy there, Treeman, it's me."

Looking around, seeing the crowd that has gathered around us, Miley calms them all down.

"Nothing to see folks," she starts, "Just helping a friend get his skeleton back into his skin. Here."

Offering me her hand, I take it and Miley pulls me up. Together, we both then sit down in one of the library's chairs.

"For the record," I say, pointing a finger at her. "My name is Oakman. Not Treeman but Oakman."

"Got it, Oakman," Miley replies, also adding a thumb-up. "So what's up? What are you doing here? And where's the redhead?"

"Sammy is out sick today," I reply, "And I'm here doing so important research."

"You're looking up the criminals your famous city's superheroine arrested uh," Miley asks, leaning her head to the side to look at my screen. "What subject is that for?"

"This is just something personal, okay? I need to know something."

About to see Miley open her mouth, I immediately put up a finger.

"And unfortunately, the answer is no. I cannot tell you. Again, it's personal."

"Okay, but I feel you should know something. Being a fan of the weird, strange, and unnatural, I have taken a personal interest in Red Lighting, hence I have memorized a fairly decent chunk of her arrest."

"A fairly decent chunk?"

"A fairly decent chunk," Miley says again, nodding her head. "I'm still having trouble memorizing her most recent arrest, and her most recent loss."

"Most recent loss," I repeat.

"Most recent loss," Miley says, only slowly. "Don't you watch the news? You know, instead of just scrolling down it. Last night, Red Lighting face some guy that could blow off the eardrums of everyone in this city."

"No kidding," I thought.

"Anyway, I recognize the guy. His name is Simon Tumult."

"Simon Tumult?"

"Yup. Simon Tumult. Red Lighting caught him about three months ago after he broke into a car and tried to get away with it. It was awesome, how she ran right after him. The guy was going, at the minimum, 80 miles an hour, and yet, in the span of only nine minutes, she caught him and dragged him out."

Miley talking about Simon Tumult somehow sounded familiar and within seconds, I'm back on the computer looking him up and the story Miley mentioned.

"Here it is," I say, finding the story and scrolling down it as fast as I can. I scroll and scroll until I find what I'm looking for; a picture of Simon Tumult.

"It's him," I say, recognizing the man immediately. "We got you now."

"What," Miley asks, reminding me she sitting right next to me. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all. Just, nothing."

Grabbing my phone, I text Sammy.

A/N Enjoy and Please Leave a Review. Thank you very much.

Oliver:

"Hello, Oliver," Mrs. Reader says, smiling as she opens her door. "Are you here to see Samantha?"

"Yes," I reply, "Yes I am. I have her homework for today."

I reach into my backpack and pull out a stack of homework given to me by Sammy's professors.

"She's in her room," Mrs. Reader says, stepping aside to let me in. "Oh, but please be careful when going inside. I have no idea what my daughter had, but whatever it is, her forehead is burning hot. I think I should take her to the hospital."

"Oh," I accidentally shout, causing Mrs. Reader to jump a little. "Oh, no need. I'm sure whatever it is, it's nothing too bad. Nothing a day of bed rest and some medicine won't fix."

"I'm just so worried," Mrs. Reader sighs, shaking her head. "Ever since that accident at Newman's Chemicals, she hadn't been the same."

"I know," I whisper, "She's a lot faster for one."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I go see her. Thanks for letting me in."

Waving bye to Mrs. Reader, I jog through the living room, up the stairs, and straight into Sammy's bedroom. Shooting up like a rocket the second I entered, she gets up and hugs me.

"I am so happy to see you," she yells, only lowering her voice when she sees me lower my hands over and over. "Sorry. This was just so boring. I don't see how people do this. Fake being sick? Ahh. Just for something to do, I started counting the blades of grass on my front lawn. I literally counted blades of grass."

Grabbing my shirt collar, Sammy starts to strangle me but I calm her down with a quick text.

"Easy there Antsy," I text, "You're killing me."

Apologizing and letting me go, I take in a few breaths before reaching into my backpack and handing Sammy a few things.

"Here's your homework for today," I text, handing Sammy the stacks of papers from before. "And some information about the robber from last night."

Sammy going through the papers stops at the article and picture of Simmon Tumult I've printed.

"His name is Simmon Tumult," I text, "You put him away after he tried to steal a car a few months ago."

Sammy studying the picture of Tumult looks up at me.

"This is the guy alright," she starts, "But did you learn anything else? I mean, according to this article, he didn't even make it through high school before becoming a robber. How does someone who holds up shoplifts and steals cars get something so advanced?"

"I don't know. I did try and look more into Tumult, but this is all I could really find."

"This isn't enough," Sammy says, tossing the article and the picture onto her bed. "We need more. Especially if I'm going to stop him. We need to know more about him, or at least, that sonic pack he had."

"I know," I text, "I know, but unfortunately, none of the articles I've found tell me his exact address. I think the only way to get information from Tumult is to fight him again."

"Shoot," Sammy says, slamming her fists down. "I was afraid of that."

"Hey, at least you don't have to worry about the ringing sounds anymore. Right?"

Sammy looking at me crosses her arms.

"Okay, okay, bad joke. Nevertheless, how are you going to find him again?"

"I'll just have to wait," she replies. "I'll have to wait for you to find him. Thank you for the homework."

"Oh, that reminds me. Miley wanted me to"

Before I could finish, Sammy coughs really loudly before shoving me out of her room.

"To tell you to get better," I say to her door. "And for you to expect to see her the second you are better. Bye."

Waving at the door, I turn around and head for the front door.

Benefactor:

The double glass doors slide open as I approach, they quickly close behind me. Walking down the stairs, I greet my partner as he is in front of a dozen of computers, inputting some variables into a few of them.

"How are things with the first test," I ask, lending to the side as one screen shown the news. In the news, it shows the recording from last night's experiment.

"Not too bad," my partner replies, "Not too bad. Project Sonic Boom is progressing very well. The sonic pack we gave that Simon guy is holding up very well."

"Excellent," I say.

"And you're sure there's no way it can be traced back to us."

"Minus Jackie and his thugs, then absolutely. The sonic pack was developed in one of our secret labs. There are no prints or logos to go off of. Besides, if someone does try to tamper with it, the self-destruction contingency plan will activate."

"Awesome."

"Speaking of 'awesome', how is Project Lighting in a Bottle?"

"That is not going too well," my partner replies, pointing at the screen with the news on. "Simon took down Red Lighting. I guess sound is faster than lighting."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. I hear Simon is planning another score tonight. Let's see how that goes."

Shooting my partner a quick wave, I then turn to leave the lab.

"Another meeting," he asks, the doors sliding open.

"Yes, but this one is with Jackie Black."

"Darn."

Miley:

As I stroll down the street, I take a quick bite of my Crunch popsicle.

"What to do," I ask myself, "What to do? What is there to even do here?"

The cold night sky is keeping my popsicle cold so I don't have to worry about it falling onto the sidewalk. My homework is done, there's nothing worth wild to watch on t.v tonight, and considering I've only been here for less than 48 hours, I do not have any friends. I do however have a lot of acquaintances, one being that sleepy girl and the other being her friend, but I doubt they want to hang with me.

Walking in whatever directions I want, I nibble on my popsicle as I take in the sight. I walk past a watch repairs store, where I hear some guy haggling to get his watch fixed but the man behind the counter is saying it'll take a few days. Past that store is a jewelry store, where a woman in a business suit is showing a diamond necklace to a man and what I guess is his wife. The wife admires it before jumping up and down and kissing her husband.

The next store after the jewelry store is a pet store, where a bunch of puppies all run to the windows the second they see me. Fighting each other as they try to jump onto the window, I smile and wave at them.

"Hey little fellows," I say, crunching down. "Ahh, aren't you all adorable?"

I place my palm flat against the window. The puppies seeing this all crowd around my hands, trying to sniff it. I couldn't contain it anymore. I had to let out a laugh.

"It's too bad I can't take any of you guys home," I mope, "But my dad wouldn't approve. All well."

Getting back to my feet, I'm about to turn around when, all of a sudden, the puppies all start to act differently. A second before, they were happy and all jumping around. Now they running around, barking and howling. It was like something was bothering them.

"Hey," I say, tapping on the window. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

Most of the dogs stop, they drop to the ground and use their tiny paws to cover their ears. It's only a second later when I start to hear a strange ringing myself.

"Ahh, what the heck? What is that sound?"

Rubbing my ears, I fall back to the ground when a window a few stores down explode, glass flying everywhere.

A/N Enjoy and Please Leave a Review. Thank you.

Oliver:

"What in the world," I cry, stomping on the brake in time to avoid crashing into some police cars. The cars zooming right through the intersection, I look at them as they speed down the streets.

"Come on," I say, looking at the red light. "Come on. Come on. Turn green, you stupid light."

The red light finally turns green, I stomp on the gas and quickly follow the cars. Despite turning and disappearing, I can still hear the sirens. I follow the sirens as they lead me to a roadblock.

"I'm sorry," a police officer says as I pull up, "But this street is closed. Please turn away."

"Why," I ask, looking further up the street and seeing a bunch of stores with broken windows. "Is there construction or something?"

"It's nothing too bad," the officer replies, "But this street is closed sir. You need to turn around now."

"Okay."

Doing a U-turn, I eye all the stores again.

"All the windows are shattered," I notice, "Every single one of them. It can't be a coincidence."

I pull out my phone and start to send Sammy a text.

Miley:

"Simon Tumult, you loud, annoying bastard," I say, hiding behind a potted plant. "Oh, I am going to see something awesome."

Carefully peeking over the potted plant, I see Simon using his metal backpack to shatter the windows of the watch repairs store. Jumping in through the windows, the customer and repairman from before run out of the store.

Simon is in there for a few minutes, before he walks back out, a heavy-looking sack of what I can only assume are expensive watches in his hand.

"Oh yeah," he yells into the night sky. Sniffing the bag full of loots, he smiles. "Nothing like a payday."

Moving onto the next store, the jewelry store, a police officer rounds a corner and sneaks up on Simon. Screaming as he charges at Simon, he raises his nightstick and tries to hit Simon, but mid-swing, he drops his nightstick and falls to his knees.

His battle cry turns into just a cry, he slams his hands onto his ears before falling to the ground.

"What," Simon smiles, "Can't handle the boom?"

Two more officers rounding the same corner see the officer on the ground and quickly pull out their pistols. However, before they can fire, Simon aims his hand at the officers. Doing something, a boom echoing throughout, almost deafening me but definitely knocking out the officers.

Something hits the two of them, they fly through the air before landing on the ground with a thud.

"You can't hit me. No one can hit me. I'm invincible."

Simon aims his hand at the sky and fires off another boom, this boom shattering all the windows nearby and knocking around a few trees. The leaves hit me in the face, I split them out as I watch Simon enters the store. Only, he didn't.

Red Lighting:

Seeing Simon about to enter the jewelry store, I waste no time and run right into him. Despite the ringing in my ears, I fight through it and charge right into Simon. Hitting Simon with my shoulder, he drops his bags of stolen things and flies through the air before hitting the ground.

"Back for more uh," Simon asks, pushing himself up.

"Wait," I think, "I just heard Simon, and earlier when I shoulder charge him, I could hear a ringing in my ears. I have my hearing back."

About to celebrate, I stop when I hear Simon's voice.

"Red Lighting," he yells, "You shouldn't have come. It's time to meet your match. The king of sound. The lord of noise. The master of the boom. I will blow your eardrums out, and then your head. Red Lighting, meet Boom Blaster."

Boom Blaster raising both his hands fires the same invisible waves at me from before. Jumping and running out of the way, I start to run circles around Blaster. Despite how fast I can run, I still couldn't reach Blaster. Swinging his hands all over and keeping his thumbs on the buttons, he keeps me at a distance.

The invisible waves hitting everything around the two of us hit a nearby bench and sent it flying toward a down police officer.

"No," I say, skidding to a stop and running to grab the flying bench. Jumping and catching it, both the bench and I hit go through a shattered window and into a store.

Crying as the bench hits me and breaks, I slip off whatever it is I'm on and fall onto a bunch of splinters.

"Ouch," I moan, using an apparent glass wall to help me up. Only, it's not a glass wall but a plastic window. Peeking through the window, I see a bunch of large containers, each holding a different favor of ice-creams.

"Hmm," I think, looking at the ice-creams. "It could work."

Oliver:

"Oh boy," I say, panting as I drop my hands onto my knees. "I guess I need to do a little more running too."

Still panting as I wipe some sweat beads from my forehead, I stop when I hear someone.

"Come out come out wherever you are," Simon says from around the corner. Immediately, I throw my back against a wall and press myself as much as I can into it.

"Oh just what I need. After parking five blocks away and sneaking past a blockage full of police officers, this is just what I need."

Taking a massive chance, I start to slide across the wall, reaching the end and peeking around it.

"It's Simon alright," I whisper, "But where is Sammy? And what happened here?"

Looking around, I see stores after stores with shattered windows, trees and bushes all over having almost no leaves on them, and Miley?

"What the," I say, seeing Miley as she starts to sneak around. "What is she doing here? What is she even doing? There's no way she can beat Simon."

Still watching Miley as she sneaks away, she stops behind a bare tree. I see her looking at something and follow her eyesight.

"What in the world," I say, seeing three down police officers. Looking at her, I realize what she's trying to do.

Wanting to run out and stop her, I turn away from her when I hear Simon scream.

Red Lighting:

"Catch," I say, grabbing a tube filled with melted strawberry ice cream and throwing it at Boom Blaster. Screaming and crossing his arms, Blaster backs away as I throw more ice cream at him.

The lighting from my hands melting all the ice cream, they're lighter and easier to throw as I pick one up after the other.

"Have some vanilla," I say, "Enjoy some chocolate. Here's some rocky road."

Throwing tubes after tubes at Blaster, I start to notice something as the melted ice cream hits Blaster. When the ice cream hits Simon, some of it seems to hit something else before it falls to the ground. It's like he had some sort of shield on him. A shield that makes it impossible to hit him.

"A shield," I repeat to myself, "A shield that makes it impossible to hit Blaster."

I think back to my first fight with Blaster, at the saving and loan bank.

"When I tried to hit him, I started hearing a ringing sound. Then something hit me and knocked me down. That's it. Blaster's sonic pack must have some sort of personal force field around him. A force field that emits a low ringing sound that can push back attacks."

Another thought then occurs to me.

"I can't believe I just said force field. This isn't a futuristic, sci-fi movie. This isn't Star War or Star Trek. It's somehow my life now. Hm."

Blaster screaming snapping me out of my thought, I reach for another tube but the store's cabinet is empty.

"You're out of ice cream," Blaster smiles, snapping his arm and getting rid of the very little bit of ice cream that manages to get past his force field. "And out of space. No here to run."

Blaster is right. I'm in a small store, behind a narrow counter, the only thing between Blaster and me is an empty ice cream cabinet. In only two small steps, my back hit a wall. Meanwhile, Blaster walks in, both his hands aiming at me.

Miley:

As I drag the unconscious police officer away, I see Red Lighting throws melted ice cream at Boom Blaster, the two of them clearly too busy to notice me.

"Wow," I say, placing the officer down near the pet store. "That's a massive waste of food right there."

Leaving him in a sitting position, I run back to help the other officers. Grabbing another one, I jump back when I see Oliver picking up the third.

"Go, go, go," he says, crouching and running with the third officer on his back. Nodding my head, we place the officers down before running back to the ice cream store.

"What are you doing here," Oliver asks, the two of us hiding behind a potted tree.

"Well, half an hour, I was just walking around, eating a Crunch popsicle, wondering how I should spend my night. Now, I'm thinking I should do this."

Out of ice cream to throw, Boom Blaster is cornering Red Lighting in the small store. With nowhere to run, and Boom Blaster aiming both his hands at her, I think fast and grab some dirt from around the tree. Cupping it in my hands and patting it down, I make a sort of dirtball.

"Head up," I yell, hauling the dirtball at Blaster.

The dirtball breaks apart before it could even hit Blaster. Blaster turning around, I quickly duck down, hopefully before he can see me.

Red Lighting:

"What in the world," Blaster says, turning his head as something hits his shield and broke. The second he turned his head, I use it to run past him before he could hit me with some sound waves.

Snapping his head back, he fires and completely destroyed the corner of the store. Luckily by then, I had already run out of the store and was back on the street.

"Okay," I say, ". Think. Think. Think. I can't hit him because of his shield, but wait."

As I keep on thinking, I think back to when I first came. Blaster was about to enter the jewelry store, but before he could, I ran into him and knocked him down.

"I ran into him," I say to myself. "And hit him with my shoulder. I have an idea. I just have to time it right."

I watch as Boom Blaster walks out of the ice cream store, smiling and grinning.

"Neat little distraction," he says, "But nothing, I mean nothing, can hit me. I am invincible."

Blaster walking toward me, I step back.  Stepping back until Blaster is in the middle of the street, I turn to my right and run away.

Oliver:

"She's leaving," I say, watching as Sammy turns to run away. "Why is Sammy leaving? I hope it isn't because she's hungry. I knew that bowl of soup her mother had given her wasn't enough. I know I should've stopped by Coco's and brought her some cookies."

"Is it me or did Red Lighting just leave," Miley asks, her back against the potted tree.

"I'm sure she's coming back," I say, "Don't write Red Lighting off yet."

"Oh, I'm not," Miley replies. She peeks around the potted plant. "I understand that every now and then, you need to catch your breath. I just hope she comes back before he finds us."

 Blaster turning his head, Miley and I squeeze together behind our cover.

"I see you," Blaster yells.

"Oh no," I say, slamming my head over and over against the stone square the tree is in. "Oh no. Oh no. Listen, Miley, I'll distract him, you run. Got it?"

"Uhh, no," Miley says.

Boom Blaster:

With my hand out, I prepare to shoot the two kids hiding behind the bare tree. Walking up to them, my thumb on the button, I shake my head and smile.

"Too easy," I say. About to push the button, I stop when I start to hear something. It sounds like a windstorm, but no, it wasn't just air. There's also a bit of thunder to it. A windy thunderstorm?

Looking all around for the source, I turn my head to the left, where I saw Red Lighting.

Red Lighting:

My body is charged with lighting, sparks are literally flying off of me, I run directly toward Blaster. Blaster seeing me, he aims both his hands at me.

Picking up the speed, I run faster and slam right into Blaster before he can fire. Not even slowing down or stopping, I run right into him, my shoulder and the side of my head hitting Blaster right in his chest.

Breaking through his shield, his "force field", Blaster screams as I sent him flying into the air. Arching through the air, he lands on his sonic pack before rolling over onto his chest.

"Yes," I thought, smiling as I fall onto my knee. Panting and wiping some sweats, I look at Simon as he stays down. "My plan worked. I gathered enough distance to pick up enough speed to break through Simon's shield."

Despite breaking through it, I stay have a slight ringing sound in my ear. Rubbing it with my hand, I shake my head and look back at Simon. No doubt he's unconscious so I take the opportunity to run to him.

Moaning as I reach him, I flip him over and look at his sonic pack.

"What is this," I say, bending down to analyze it.

The sonic pack, overall looking like a black, metal backpack, I make note of a humming sound coming from it.

"What is that?"

Examing it a bit closer, the sonic pack seeming to have no doors or hatches for me to open, I feel around for a bit before I feel something underneath slides.

A piece of the pack slides, the humming then stops. Almost immediately, it is replaced by the sound of a rapid ticking sound. Like a clock.

"Shoot," I say, looking at Simon as he's still moaning. Moving fast, working to unlatch all the speakers and metal bars from him, I toss them aside and grab Simon.

The guy weighing a little more than he seems, I turn around and start to run away.

Miley:

"Holy moly, cows on the freaking moon," I shout, watching as Red Lighting grabs Simon and starts to run. It takes only a second before the sonic pack explodes, an eruption of fire, red, yellow, and orange, shooting into the night sky. Luckily, in the second, Red Lighting manages to get far enough away that the shockwave from the blast knocks her down.

She and Simon fall to the street and Oliver and I run out from cover to help her up.

"Hey," I say, grabbing one arm and Oliver grabbing the other. "You okay? You alright? Are you alright? Can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me? Can you hear me? Can you? Hello? Hello? Hi?"

"I can hear you," Red Lighting replies, shaking her as she pulls her arms free of the two of us.

"Uhhh," she starts when she sees me. "I mean, are you two okay?"

"I'm dandy," I reply, "Fine and dandy."

"Likewise," Oliver says, shooting me a thumb-up. "We're both fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Red Lighting answers, turning back away. "Excuse for that."

"That thing must have been booby-trapped," I say, looking at the pile of smoking, firey, bits. "Lucky you got out of there in time. Else, there would be pieces of you everywhere."

"Yeah, thanks for that images. Listen, I have to go now. Things to do, places to be. Bye, and I guess next time, if you see me, please just run away. I rather you not be in danger."

Shooting Oliver a nod, Red Lighting then runs away, leaving the two of us.

"Wow," I say, turning to Oliver. "This was a fun night."

Benefactor:

"Hey," I say, walking down the stairs and up to my partner. "I just got your message. The Sonic Pack's safety feature went off."

"Yes, it did," my partner replies. He rolls away in his chair to show me his screen. A picture of the sonic pack is on the screen, with the words "Destroyed" on it, in bright and bold red.

"I guess someone tried to tamper with the pack," my partner says, rolling back.

"Nevertheless," I say, "Did the pack capture anything useful?"

"Oh yeah. It captured a lot of useful things. According to sensors installed, Red Lighting ran at a speed of nearly 70 mph, while emitting 120 volts, or 1700 watts."

"Son of a bitch," I cry, holding my hand over my mouth. "That's a lot of lighting right there."

"Oh yeah. With that speed, and that current. Project Lighting in a Bottle will be our best project yet."

An outline of Red Lighting appears on the screen, it shows the speed and voltages Red Lighting used tonight.

"Keep me informed of any more progress," I say. "I have to see Jackie again."

Sammy Reader:

"Yes," I say, clapping my hands over and over. "I can hear again."

I feel tears pour from my eyes.

"I can hear again. I can hear my voice. I can hear myself clapping. I can hear you."

"Awesome," Oliver says, shooting me a thumb-up as we walk around the high school's courtyard. "You know, everyone looking at you."

Stopping with my hands only inches from each other, I look around for a second and realize Oliver is right. Everyone in the courtyard is looking at me. They all stop walking or reading or even napping to look at the loud girl who is yelling and clapping.

"Uhh," I chuckle, clapping quietly one final time before nudging my head. Speedwalking away, Oliver following after me, we walks to a less crowded part of the school.

"Nevertheless," I start, "I can hear again. This feels amazing. I'm back at full health. Simon is behind bars. Nothing can ruin this moment."

"Give it a few seconds," Oliver replies.

"What?"

"Normally, when people say nothing can ruin this moment, something usually comes by and ruin it."

"Oliver, this isn't a t.v show. What can possibly ruin this beautiful moment?"

"Hey Sicky," a familiar voice yells from across the campus. "You and I need to talk."

"Oh no," I say, immediately wishing I was deaf again. "Please no. Please oh please no. Please, please, please let this be anyone else. Literally anyone else in the world."

I hear footsteps quickly approaching me. They start fast, and before I know it, they're running. The second the footsteps stop, I feel my bones go cold. I feel my blood turns into ice. I'm shivering, despite the near 70-degree weather.

"Oliver," I whisper, "Please tell me who is currently right behind me."

"Uhhhh," Oliver moans, looking behind me. "Yeah, I'm not going to lie. Hey Miley."

Oliver then waves at the figure behind me.

"Hey Oliver," Miley yells, the sound of her voice causing the drums in my ears to burst.

"Well, there goes my hearing."

My ear gets a strange itch, I start to rub it.

"Oh no Sicky," Miley says, grabbing my hand and pulling it away. "You listen to me 'cause I'm only going to say this once. You and I have a date."

"I'm sorry," I say, my mind going completely blank. All the gears that normally turn in my brain immediately stop turning, the sound of metal groaning echoing throughout. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm only going to say this once, but I guess I was wrong. Okay, let me try this again."

Closing her hand, Miley then pounds her fist into her chest. She coughs a few times into her fist and pounds her chest again. Taking a deep breath, she then points at the sky.

"You and I have a date," she repeats. "Don't you remember?"

I slowly turn my head to Oliver, before turning back to Miley.

"No."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Miley says, spreading out her arms. "You don't remember Professor Lori saying you need to study more for class."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that."

"You don't remember Professor Lori asking me to help you, and me agreeing."

"Yeah, I also remember that."

"Do you remember what happened last time we saw each other?"

My mind flashbacks to last night, when Red Lighting talked with Miley.

"No," I quickly reply. "No, I do not remember what happened last time we saw each other. What do you remember?"

Miley slaps herself in the face, moans and groans as her hand slide down it.

"It was three days ago when you ditched me because of your 'emergency'."

"Oh that," I smile, feeling a bit of relief. "I thought you were talking about something different."

"What else would I be talking about?"

"Nothing," Oliver answers, raising a hand. "Oh, nothing at all. Listen, Miley."

Grabbing and pushing me behind him, Oliver starts to talk with Miley, her arms crossing.

"For the record, there was an emergency. I texted Sammy that I needed her help with something. That's why she had to leave you."

Miley uncrosses her arms, she looks at Oliver.

"Shoot. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, no problem. It got fixed. Anyway, Sammy and I are sorry for what happened."

I grab Oliver's arm and pull him close to me.

"I am not sorry," I whisper.

"Yes you are," Oliver whispers back.

Oliver going back to Miley, I cross my arms and watch.

"Anyway, Sammy will be more than happy to go on your date."

Without thinking, without hesitation, without so much as a thought about how valuable Oliver's friendship is to me, I raise my foot high into the air before stomping it onto Oliver's foot.

Oliver turns redder than me, or Red Lighting, then seals his lips. His cheeks start to fill up like they're balloons and after a while, he slowly opens his lips. Air leaking through his teeth, it sounds exactly like the air running out of a ballon.

"As I said," he says, smiling a little with tears running down his ballon cheeks. "She will be more than happy to go on your date."

"Awesome," Miley smiles, slapping Oliver on his back. Once again, Oliver turns red and his cheeks filled with air. Also, there seems to be more water in his eyes.

"I will be expecting to see you around 6'o clock at the cafe," Miley says, pointing a stern finger at me. "If not, then Professor Lori will hear about this. She's been harassing me lately, asking me how you've been doing, and frankly, I don't like to lie. It's too much trouble. As Mark Twain once said, tell the truth so you don't have to remember the lie."

Miley turns to walk away. As soon as she does, Oliver lets out a massive gasp.

"Ouch," he yells, turning to me. "Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Why?"

"Why," I repeat, pulling my hair. "Why? Did you literally ask me 'why'? I should be asking you that. Why did you say I would be 'more than happy to go' anyway with her? I am not 'more than happy'. I am not even remotely close to happy. I am the complete and utter opposite of happy, and by the way, it's not sad. I am not feeling sad."

"I am," Oliver says, bending down to rub his stomped foot. "Ouch. Did you use your speed?"

"No, but I should have. Oliver, I don't want to spend time with Miley."

"It's not going to kill you. I mean, come on Sammy, she's not that bad a person. She saved your life last night."

"She threw a ball of dirt," I say, "That's literally all she did."

"Yes. She threw a ball of dirt that distracted Simon and gave you an opening."

"I couldn't have done without that."

"Maybe, but luckily, you didn't have to."

My teeth grinding against each other, I sense there was no way I can get out of this. I'm trapped between Professor Lori and Oliver.

"Okay," I say, putting up my hands, "But you're coming with me."

"Wait what," Oliver says, quickly getting up. "Me? What? Wait, what? I'm coming with you? Why? I'm not taking chemistry class."

"This was your bright idea," I reply, "So get ready, Third Wheel. I hope you didn't have any plans for tonight.

Sammy Reader:

"Why am I here," Oliver asks, lifting his cup of hot chocolate to take a sip. "Like seriously, why am I here? What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to talk with Miley so I don't have to," I answer, lifting my cup of soda to take a sip. I place it down beside three empty cups.

"How many sodas have you have," Oliver asks, stacking the empty cups into one another before tossing them into a nearby trashcan.

"Six cans," I answer, looking toward the front door. "Soon to be seven. I did a lot of running before I came here."

"I knew. I was there. I wrestled you for your mask."

Patting his pocket, he scoots back I try to grab the mask.

"No," Oliver says, pointing a harsh finger at me. "No. You're doing this. You dragged me into this and now I'm making sure you stay here. I'm anchoring you here."

"You're anchoring me here," I repeat, crossing my arms.

"What? Is anchoring not an actual word? I'll admit, it sounds a bit odd, but I think it works."

"What works," Miley says, suddenly appearing beside Oliver.

"Thanks," she says, reaching for Oliver's hot chocolate. Taking a sip, she places the cup back down and wipes her mouth.

"Sorry about that, but I ran here and now I need something to drink before I faint."

Eyeing my soda, I drink the whole thing before Miley could. Throwing the empty cup into a trashcan, I watch as Miley sits down.

"Oliver, right," Miley says, throwing her backpack onto the table. "No offense, but why are you here?"

Oliver's mouth hanging open, I answer for him.

"He's here because he's my ride."

"Oh," Miley says, "If you're Samantha's ride, then can you also drive me home? My dad drops me off just now, and he told me he can pick me up but if you're willing, I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure," Oliver says, waving his hand. "I don't mind."

"Awesome," Miley says, lending in and giving Oliver a quick hug. Patting his back, she pulls back.

"Now, it's just you and me, Samantha. Prepare because I am going to blow out your brain."

I turn my head to look at Oliver.

"I did what I could."

Benefactor:

A pair of headlights turning on in the narrow, dark alleyway, I turn to look at the car as it pulls up.

A rusted piece of junk, the car is a combination of brown, green, and gray. It coughs and sputters as it pulls up to me. The driver opens his door, and I see that the window is gone and replaced with a piece of cardboard.

The driver, a tall, thin, bald man with pale skin and a wrinkled suit, walk up to me.

"Are you him," the man asks.

"That depends," I reply, "Did Jackie Black send you?"

"Yes. My name is-."

Putting up my hand and coughing, I stop him before he can finish.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I say,  "I don't care. In fact, don't tell me. This is for you."

Handing the pale man a briefcase, he takes the briefcase and looks at me.

"Have fun tonight," I say, clicking my tongue and turning around.

Adam Wynd:

The man leaving, I watch as he gets into his fancy car and leaves the alleyway. All alone now, I drop to my knee and open the briefcase.

"I don't know what this is," I say to myself, "But if it's going to help me get out of debt."

Both the latches snapping open, I flip the case open. Once I see what it is, and the notes in the case, I smile.

Oliver Oakman:

"Something, something, something else," Miley says, showing her textbook to Sammy. "It's not that hard. Something, something, something about chemicals."

"Of course I know it's not that hard," Sammy replies, shoving the book back. "This something is something about an acid, and this something is about a base, and something, something else." 

"Maybe I should've taken chemistry," I think to myself, "Instead of auto shop. At least then, I could understand what these two are saying."

The two of them talking non-stop, or in Sammy's case, shouting, I roll my eyes before getting up.

"I'm going to order a slice of cake or something, something," I say, the two not even looking at me as I get up. Shrugging my shoulders, I walk into Coco. Walking out of the exit a few minutes later with a slice of banana and walnut cake in a bag, I stop when I start to hear something weird.

"What the," I say, looking around for the source. It sounds like a humming sound, but nothing around me is humming. The only sounds around me are the cars, people walking, and Sammy and Miley shouting at each other.

Spinning around and accidentally making myself dizzy, I stumble a bit but manage to catch myself by gripping onto the front door. As I shake my head and look up, I see the strangest thing. At least, the strangest thing this week.

Sammy:

"The equivalence point in which acid and base are the same is 0.7," Miley says, showing the picture in the textbook. "In order to reach the equivalence point, the acid and base have to be equal. They have to be able to cancel each other. They have to be neutral."

"And in order to be neutral," I start, "In order to reach the equivalence point, you would have to keep adding a base, such as baking soda, or an acid, such as vinegar. It's only when there is a drop of acid or a drop of base difference that you know you've reached the equivalence point."

"Exactly," Miley cries, her cries so loud everyone turns to look at us.

"Howdy," Miley says, shooting the surrounding crowd a wave. "How's life?"

"Peaceful until you started talking," I whisper.

"Hey," Oliver says, appearing out of nowhere and knocking against the table. "So I'm guessing things are going okay."

"Yes," Miley answers, "Sammy finally knows what the equivalence point is."

"For the record, I already know what the--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Oliver says, cutting me and knocking on the table. "Awesome. Swell. Listen, it getting kind of late so why don't we all just go home now?"

"Late," I repeat, "It's what, barely 9'o clock? It's not too late."

Coughing suddenly, Oliver looks me in the eyes. His eyes looking down, I follow them to his hand knocking against the table. Only, his hand is behind and his finger is pointed up.

"Anyway Miley," Oliver starts, his cough gone. "Come on, my car is this way."

As Oliver starts to push Miley away, I look up at the night sky.

"What are you pointing at," I ask, scanning the sky. I didn't see anything out of the usual, at least not until I see what look like a giant man with wings flying through the sky.

"What in the world," I say, quickly getting up. However, as I rocket up, I accidentally bump into the table and once again, everyone turns to look at me.

"Uhh," I say, looking at all the eyes as they stare. "Hey everyone. How's life?"

Oliver:

"I like your car," Miley says as soon as she sees it. "I'm not much a car person, but this is a mustang, right?"

"Yeah," I say, laughing a little. "And she's all mine."

"No way. This car looks super fancy. How can you afford it?"

"Easy. I got it very cheap from a friend of the family junkyard, and spend the next five years fixing her up. She didn't even come with tires when I brought her."

"But look at her now."

Letting out a long whisper, she smiles and looks at me.

"You know," Miley starts, tapping her chin and pointing at me. "I can't say what it is, but there's something really odd about you and Samantha."

"Odd," I repeat, stepping back. "What, what are you talking about?"

"I don't know," Miley replies, "But from the moment I met the two of you, I sense something off. Something that isn't normal."

Beads of sweating forming on my forehead, I chuckle.

"There's nothing off about the two of us," I reply, "We're just two normal high school students. That's it. We hang out a lot. We help each other when we need it. Again, that's it."

"Maybe," Miley says, taking a step toward me. "But my gut is saying something else, and at least 70% of the time, my gut is right."

"70%," I repeat. "That sounds kind of bad."

Miley replies with a shrug of her shoulder.

"It's not totally bad. Overall, it's okay. For example, my gut is telling me to do this."

Without any warning whatsoever, without so much as a head-up, Miley then steps forward and kisses me on the lips. Her hands wrap around my head and her lips meet mine.

Oliver Oakman:

My hands somehow find their way onto Miley's back. Somehow, I don't know how I find myself hugging Miley, pulling her in closer. I also kiss Miley back. I kiss her deeply, practically tasting the cookies she ate while teaching Sammy.

I don't know how long we were like this. It could have been for a few seconds, it could have been for hours, I honestly can't tell. All I know is that eventually, Miley steps back.

"Well," Miley says, her cheeks bright-red and smiling end to end. "That was something."

"That was something," I pant, more beads of sweat forming on my forehead. "That was something alright."

Stepping back, I wipe my forehead and snap my sweat-covered hand.

"Are you okay," Miley asks, stepping forward and putting her hand against my face. "Oh shoot, was that something I shouldn't have done?"

"No, no, no," I say, rubbing the back of my head. I'm rubbing it so fast I think I'm about to set it on fire. "That was just, unexpected. Unexpected, and very surprisingly."

"A bad surprisingly or a not so bad surprisingly?"

"A not so bad surprisingly."

"Yes. Thank you gut."

Miley and I are now just staring at each other, smiling and laughing nervously. At least, I think Miley is laughing nervously. I know I am.

"Hey," Sammy says, grabbing our attention. Both of us looking as she runs toward us, I wave at her.

"Hey Sammy," I say.

"Hey," Miley says, also waving.

"Uuhhh, listen," Sammy starts, "It's late so why doesn't Oliver just takes you home? I'm going to stay here for a little longer."

"Oh, are you sure," Miley asks. "I don't mind staying here a little--"

"No, no, no," Sammy yells, cutting Miley off. "Just go home. Oliver, before you go, I need to get something out of the trunk of your car."

Her head bouncing up and down, I nod my head.

"Yeah," I say, taking Miley's hand and guiding her to my car. "Come on. Let me take you home."

"Sure," Miley replies.

"By the way," she whispers, leaning toward me. "I saw you nod your head. I don't know what's up, but if you need me out of the way, then I'll go."

Miley taking the front passenger's seat, I jump into the driver's seat and start the car. Before driving off, I reach down and open the trunk.

Sammy reaches in and pulls out the duffle bag, she nods at me and I drive off.

Razor Wings:

"Finally," I say to myself, "Finally, after all these years, I will have my revenge."

Looking down at the city below, I dive down toward it, only to shoot up a few seconds later. As I shoot through the empty sky, gaining speed, I see my target in sight.

"Newman's Chemical," I say, seeing the building only a few miles away. "Neil Newman. I will end you for what you did."

Once more, diving through the sky and shooting back up, I smile as I rocket toward the chemical plant.

Neil Newman:

As I look over the terms and conditions for the company's newest business contract, I reach over for my cup of coffee. Taking a quick sip, I place it back down and go back to read over the contract.

"This works," I say, flipping through the contract. While reading, I reach over for a cracker on a plate beside the coffee. About to take a bite of the cracker, I stop when I start to feel uneasy for some reason. It's like something is trying to tell me to watch out.

I put the cracker down and starts to look around. Standing up from my chair, I spin around and look out my window. As I look out the window, I see a man with wings flying through the sky.

"What in the world," I say, jumping out of the way as the winged man breaks through my office window. Glass breaking and flying everywhere, I watch as the winged man slices my desk with one of his wings. Landing on the ground with a loud thud, he turns and looks at me, a sharp-edge wing pointing at me.

"Remember me," the winged man yells, "Remember me? Boss?"

Red Lighting:

Skidding to a stop, I couldn't believe my eyes. Rubbing them to make sure I'm not seeing things, I then blink a few times just to be extra sure.

"No way," I say, looking at Newman's Chemicals. The massive stone building, stretching over five blocks, and with hundreds of giant metal containers, each filled with different chemicals behind a bared wires fence, brings back so many memories for me. So many bad memories. Hence, why for the past six months, I've been avoiding the place.

"It still looks the same," I say, preparing to run inside. From where I'm standing, I can see the same sliding glass doors as before. I can see the same lobby from when I worked here as an intern. The only difference is now, instead of one security guard, there are two. Two security guards that should be sitting behind the front desk.

"Where are the guards," I ask myself, only to forget about them when I hear someone screaming. Looking up, I see the window to Mr. Newman's office shattered. It's only a second later when I see the same winged man from before dragging Mr. Newman out of his office. Carrying Newman as he flies through the night sky, I wipe some sweat from my forehead.

"Oh thank you."

I look at the Newman building before running after the two.

Mr. Newman:

I couldn't believe my eyes. I really am flying. I really am in the air, being carried away by someone I've fired over two years ago.

"I hope you're not afraid of height," Adam Wyne laughs, shaking me all over as he swings his wings.

"What are you trying to prove here," I yell, looking at the thousands and thousands of lights below me. They're nothing more than tiny dots, meaning I'm really high in the sky.

"I'm trying to prove that you, Mr. Neil Newman, are a coward."

 Diving down and swinging up back, he tosses me in the air. I flip around a few times before Adam catches me again.

"I'm trying to prove that you, Mr. Neil Newman, are a theft."

Now, spinning around, the world around me turning into a blur, Adam stops.

"And finally, I am trying to prove that you, Mr. Neil Newman, will perish in a horrible way."

Adam finally stops, we hover in the air for a bit.

"Bye-bye," Adam smiles, letting me go.

I scream as I hear the wind rushes past me. Somehow flipping over, I see the lights as they quickly get closer and closer. 

Red Lighting:

Following the two the best I can, having to take countless turns and twists, I pick up the speed when I see the winged man lets go of Mr. Newman.

"Shoot," I cry, watching as Mr. Newman hauls toward the ground. He's moving fast, but so am I.

"I have to time this right," I tell myself, "I have to time this just right. Or else."

Running onto a car and jumping onto the ones behind it, the owners yelling at me as I do, I jump as high into the air as I can. Catching Mr. Newman in time, I shield him as we both fall onto a car, the window cracking as I hit it.

"What," Mr. Newman says, getting off of me and looking around. "I'm alive. How--Red Lighting!"

Mr. Newman helps me to my feet, I dust off the bits of glass on my shoulder.

"Are you okay," I ask.

"Of course I'm okay," Mr. Newman says, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

Hearing someone yelling, I look up and see the winged man now heading for us.

"Watch out," I scream, pushing Mr. Newman out of the way and stepping back as the man shoots past us.

"Newman," the man yells as he flies by. "And you."

Stopping and hovering in the sky, he looks at me.

"So you're Red Lighting," the man starts, literally feeling the anger as he stares at me. "Well, your speed is nothing compared to my new suit, and once you're out of the way, I finish you off Newman."

Red Lighting:

"Get out of here," I say, pushing Mr. Newman back as I step forward. Pointing my finger at the flying man, I pull it back.

"Listen up 'Birdman'. If you want Mr. Newman here, then you have to go through me."

Turning around, I meet Mr. Newman's gaze. His eyes are wide as they switch between Birdman and me. Eventually, he stops on me and I look right at him.

"Go," I say, pointing behind him. Nodding his head, Mr. Newman turns around and starts to run.

"Not so fast," Birdman shouts, flying toward Mr. Newman as he runs down the sidewalk. However, before he could grab Newman, I jump into the air and swipe him away.

"Back off Birdman," I say, landing on my feet.

"My name is not Birdman," Birdman replies, "It's Razor Wings, and you just made a big mistake. You can't catch me."

Birdman or I guess Razor Wings turns around, he starts to fly away. Wasting no time, I follow him.

"This is not going to be easy," I say to myself as I watch Razor Wings fly through the night sky. Unlike the streets below, Razor doesn't have to keep an eye out for oncoming cars or buildings. Eyeing Razor as he flies, I hear a car honking and look back down.

Seeing the headlights of a car as it's about to run right into me, I try to stop but my feet only skid against the street as the car hits me and I fall onto the hood.

"Sorry about that," I say, waving at the driver as he stares with wide eyes. An old man with glasses and aging white hair slowly waves back at me. "Uhh, also sorry about this but I don't have insurance, and there isn't much damage."

Pushing myself off the hood, I shake it off and run after Razor Wings. A dot in the sky now, I do the best I can to keep him within my sight.

Having to dodge more oncoming cars and do some quick turns around some buildings, I'm more than happy to see Razor Wings land on the top level of a parking structure.

"Yes. Time to clip some wings."

Charing right into the parking structure, I run from the bottom floor all the way to the top in a matter of seconds.

Once more, my feet are skidding against the parking lot's floor as I enter the top floor. Looking all around, I don't see Razor anymore.

"Where are you," I say, scanning the floor. "Where are you? Shoot, where are you? Did you leave?"

Looking behind me, all I see is an empty parking lot. Looking up at the sky, hoping to see some moving dot, something hits me in the back and knocks me to the ground. I scream as I hit the ground.

"Feet can't beat wings," Razor Wings says, raising one of his wings. As he raises his wing, I can see the tip of it shining in the moonlight. Bringing it down, I slam my hands together and catch his wing.

Struggling to keep his wing, he uses his free wing to attack me. Raising it, he slams it down toward me. Moving to the right just in time, I barely dodge it. Spark flying as his wing hits the ground, it startles me and I accidentally let go of his wing. Free now, he jumps back into the night sky.

While he flies back into the sky, I get up and look at where he hit. On the ground, there is a line as clear as day, and at least a few centimeters deep.

"I guess now I know why you're calling yourself Razor Wings," I say, looking back at Razor Wings as he circles me. "I have to watch out for those."

"Catch me if you can," Razor Wings mocks, turning to leave the parking structure.

"Oh come on," I say, running back onto the ramp. Running down it and in circles until I reach the first floor, I stop in front of the gate and turn to look at the sky.

"Where are you," I say, looking all over.

"I'm right here," Razor Wings yells. Turning around, he is heading right for me. Before I can run out of the way, he grabs me with his feet and lifts me into the sky. It's not long before I find myself high in the sky, the lights from the city below looking like nothing more than dots.

I feel my throat starts to close as the wind is hitting me. I can barely hear Razor Wings laughing at me as the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat, beating faster and faster. Like me, it must be beating faster than a normal human.

"What," Razor Wings laughs, flying left and right before doing some sort of fancy turns. "Don't like height! Ha!"

I couldn't control myself. My body is stiff. It is frozen. My head and my body aren't linked anymore. No matter what I am telling my body to do, it's not doing it. Instead, my body is closing my eyes and slapping my hands over them.

"I guess it's true," Razor Wings says. "Chicken really can't fly."

Without so much as a second thought, Razor Wings kicks me away and before I know it, I'm a couple of hundred feet in the air and rapidly falling toward the ground.

Oliver Oakman:

"Wowww," I say, slapping myself a few times to make sure I'm really not hallucinating. "This is where you lived?"

Upon entering the code into the keypad, the massive iron gate swings open. Miley quickly jumps back in, she nudges her head and I step on the gas. Driving further up the driveway, it's only a few minutes later when I see a massive mansion. The mansion looks like it is made completely from polished, white, marble, and there are lights all over. From top to bottom, from left to right, there wasn't so much as a shadow anywhere on the wall.

Still driving on the driveway, I circle around a foundation before stopping at the front door.

"This is a little more than a house," I say, looking at the front door. "You're rich?"

"More or less," Miley replies, "When this company offered my dad a job, this house came included."

"This is not a house. Sammy and I lived in houses. This is a freaking mansion."

"Really," Miley asks. "How exactly would you define a house?"

Looking back at Miley's mansion, and thinking back to my parents' house, I turn to Miley.

"Well for one," I start, "At my house, I can't run a one-mile lap on the inside. I mean, I can but I would have to do a few laps before I hit the one-mile mark."

"Yeah, I don't know for sure, but I think one of the rules the company told us when we moved in was don't break anything. So I can't test that theory."

"What company does your dad work for?"

"It's called Syndrome's Company."

"Syndrome's Company," I repeat.

"Yeah, I know. It's an odd name, and I don't think a whole lot of people know about Syndrome's Company, but still. It's not a bad place. I mean, they wanted my dad to work for them so badly, they offered him and me a place to stay while he work for them."

"Your dad and you," I say. "Wait, what about your mother?"

Somehow, as soon as I said those word, I feel a cold runs through me. It started in my chest before shooting outward, freezing every part of me. Miley must have felt it too since she stops smiling. Instead, she just turns to look at the doors.

"Well anyway," she says, "Thanks for the ride. See ya."

Without another word, she opens the door and gets out. Slamming it close, my mustang shaking as she slams my doors, she turns and runs up the stairs.

"What in the world," I say, looking at Miley as she disappears behind the doors. Hearing the doors as they too slam, I turn back and start to drive out.

"Okay," I say, slowing down so I can look back. "Uhh, that was something."

Thinking back to our conversation, just before Miley started to slam everything, I pause just before I felt the cold.

"What about your mother," I say to myself. "Oh. Shoot. I'm so sorry Miley."

Red Lightning:

"What is that sound," I ask. My eyes trying to open but all I can see are blurs in between the blinks. "What is that sound? It sounds like the wind why does it sound so loud?"

My eyes are finally open, and now all I can see is the night sky and some stars.

"What," I cry, remembering what happened. Razor Wings had just snatched me off the street and after a roller coaster of a ride, he threw me into the air. I must have fainted.

"Shoot," I cry, "I'm falling!"

Looking below, I see the ocean of bright lights getting closer and closer.

"What do I do? What do I do!"

I start shooting out my arms in all sorts of directions but there isn't anything I can grab.

"Come on," I say, "Come on! Think! What can I do? What can I do?"

Looking back below, I see where I'm going to "land" in less than 50 feet. It's directly on a street, but adjacent to the street seems to be a large apartment building.

An idea rushing to my head, I look at the building as I fall.

"I have to time this right," I say, counting the feet as I approach the building. "Just right. 20 feet. 15 feet. 10 feet. Now!"

Shooting out both my hands, I start making circles as fast as I can. Besides turning into blurs, my arms also push me closer to the building, acting as a sort of turbine-like the ones on planes. I watch as, while still in mid-air, I push myself to the side and right into the building, missing the rooftop!

I slam into the brick wall before falling again. As I fall, I see a railing and grab onto it. Grabbing onto it, I swing forward and drop onto what I think is a fire escape.

The sound of my body hitting metal echoes throughout my ears as I lay where I landed.

"Ouch," I moan, trying to get up but falling back down. Slowly falling back down, I start to stretch out my arms and legs. Having to endure a little as I reach into my pocket to get my cell phone, I raise my head and dial Oliver's number. Oliver picks up almost immediately.

"Oliver," I moan, "Help."

"Hold on," he replies, "I'm coming. Where are you? And what happened to that Birdman?"

"He got away."

"Darn."

"Also," I say, "Please brings ice."

Ending the call, I let my hand fall to my side. The second my hand hit the metal though, the nerve shoots up and my hand practically jumps onto my stomach by itself.

"Oh no," I cry, realizing something. "I never told Oliver where I am. Shoot."

Oliver Oakman:

"By the way," I say, handing Sammy a giant bag of ice I brought from a gas station. "Thanks for the directions."

"Sorry," Sammy replies, taking the bag of ice and placing it on her body. Letting out a sigh, Sammy goes on. "But I couldn't exactly see the streets' names from where I was laying."

"It's okay," I say, putting my car into drive and driving away. "On the bright side, I learned I have more upper body strength than I thought."

I think back to when I found Sammy after nearly 40 minutes of driving mindlessly around. Finding herself near unconscious on a fire escape, I thought about running inside and asking a resident if they would give me access to the fire escape but then when they would most likely ask why and honestly, I couldn't think of an answer. Instead, I parked my car under the ladder and jump up and down a few times.

"And to think," I smile, "Just last year, I couldn't even do one pull-up."

Expecting to hear Sammy says something, I turn my head when all I hear is silence.

"Oh," I whisper, seeing Sammy asleep in my front passenger seat. "Okay. I guess no point in complaining about the new dent in my roof."

First driving back to Sammy's house, I wake her up. I think I hear some of her bones crack as she changes back into her normal clothing. Walking into her parents' house, still holding the bag of half-melted ice, I then drive to my parents' house.

As I prepare to go to sleep early, one thought keeps playing in my mind.

"I hope Miley is okay. What I said before, I didn't mean to make her mad. Or sad. Or whatever it is she's feeling right now. I didn't know. I mean, I still don't. What happened with Miley's mother?"

Splitting out the mouthwash and rinsing the cup, I quickly clean the bathroom before heading into my room.

"I hope I see Miley tomorrow."

Samantha Reader:

"Wait," I say, adjusting the bags of ice so they would stop sliding off. "Wait, what? Why would she call me? In fact, I hope she doesn't call me."

"I'm serious Sammy," Oliver says. "I'm getting a little worry about Miley. I didn't see her today at school."

"So? That's amazing. It means you can hear the birds and the winds and whatever else you normally hear when she isn't talking. Or better yet, you can enjoy the peace and quiet."

"Speaking of peace and quiet," Oliver says, "How are you doing? Are your bones feeling any better?"

"More or less. I can move without crying."

I rotate my shoulder but almost immediately stop. My shoulder suddenly feels like it catching on fire, and the fire is spreading throughout my arm and body.

"Nevermind," I say, "Still hurts."

Shortly after dropping me off, I slowly and very painfully prepare for bed. I ate a quick snack, brushed my teeth, and changed into my pajama. All while trying not to make too much noise. I hardly slept last night and when I woke up, I was too tired and in too much pain to get out. Once more, I had to skip school.

"I'm surprised you haven't healed yet," Oliver says. "Didn't you tell me once you stepped on a nail?"

"Yes, I remember that. It was just before my big fight with Dr. Morris. I stepped on a nail and somehow, after a little bit of clean-up, my foot had completely healed. This, however, is a little worst than a nail in the foot. I must have broken at least a dozen bones last night."

"Speaking of uh, last night," Oliver says, "I don't suppose you know anything about why Birdman snatched Mr. Newman right out of his office?"

"Razor Wing," I reply. "Birdman called himself Razor Wing, and I don't know. Honestly, I haven't even thought once of Mr. Newman or Newman's Chemical. You know, not since--."

"The fight with Dr. Morris," Oliver says, finishing my sentence. "Okay, I guess I'm skipping lunch again. Hey, before I can go, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well, are you okay?"

"I'm missing school because a flying man dropped me from the sky," I answer. "Besides all of that, I'm fine."

"No, not that. I was referring to something else. Mr. Newman?"

"What about him?"

I hear Oliver sighs through the call.

"Sammy, are you okay? I mean, after having to save your old boss? Are you okay? You're not feeling, I don't know, a little regretful? I mean again, having to save the man who fired you."

"I'm fine," I declare, now sighing. "I don't have any regrets about saving Mr. Newman. Honestly, I don't have any feelings toward Mr. Newman at all. I mean, it was just an internship and I was there for only about a year. Yes, I knew Mr. Newman. He was a fine boss, but now, he's just someone I knew."

"Okay. Get better soon. I'll try and find something about, what did you say, Razor Wings?"

"Yes. That's what he told me to call him. Before dropping me from a few hundred feet in the air."

Oliver:

I end the call with Sammy and go back to walking to class. As I walk past all the other students, I keep an eye out for Miley.

"Does Miley even have a class here," I ask, "I don't know what classes Miley had, or her schedule." 

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize I know nothing about Miley at all.

"Let me think. Let me think. I know Miley recently moved here. I know she lived in a mega-mansion. I know she is into the strange and the paranormal. I know I shouldn't mention anything about her mother."

While still thinking, I accidentally walk into a door. I scream as I stumble back. While some laugh at me, and a few ask if I was okay, I shrug it off and open the door.

"That's it," I say. "That's all I know about Miley. Hmm. Maybe I'll see her again during lunch."

I cross my fingers.

Oliver Oakman:

As I type away on the school's computer, I keep looking around. Eventually, it reaches the point where my neck aches.

"Ouch," I say, rubbing the back of my neck as I turn it back around. "Miley still isn't here. I guess she must be absent. Or she's avoiding me."

I think about driving up to Miley's mansion and asking to see her, but I decide against it.

"That would be weird. Then again, I'm trying to find out information about a flying man who dropped my best friend who can also run at super speed. Is this my new life?"

I shrug my shoulders and go back to researching. However, as the lunch period comes to a close, I sigh and let my head hangs.

"I can't find anything on this guy."

Rising my head, I pull out my cell phone to check the time.

"I have to make this a quick call."

Samantha Reader:

"Finally," I say, fully rotating my arm without hearing anything crack. Letting out a sigh, I get up and walk over to my desk. Placing down all the melted bags of ice, I look at my phone as it rings.

"Hey," I answer. "What's up? Did you learn anything about Razor Wings?"

"Nothing more than what the news already covered," Oliver replies. "Listen, Sammy, I've been thinking about something."

"What is it?"

"For some reason, Razor Wings attacked Mr. Newman last night. He grabbed him right out of his office and then dropped him from the sky."

"Yes, I remember all of that. I was there"

"My point is, maybe Mr. Newman knows something about Razor Wings. Maybe you should talk to him."

"Are you crazy," I say. "Oliver, I can't ask my former boss something like that. Are you sure you can't find anything? I mean, you find Simon kind of easy."

"I had help," Oliver says.

"Help? Who? You didn't tell anyone my secret, right?"

"Of course not. I just told Miley it was a personal--"

"Wait, wait, wait," I repeat, cutting Oliver off. "Miley. You had help from Miley? How did Miley even help you?"

"She was the one that recognize Simon. Apparently, she's a big fan of yours. Well, not yours exactly."

"Wonderful. I have a stalker. Is she there right now?"

"No, she is not, and Miley is not a stalker."

"No, she just really likes the sound of her own voice."

"Samantha," Oliver yells, his sudden outburst almost knocking the phone out of my hand. "Listen to me. Okay. As much as you may not like Miley, she is an important ally."

"An important ally," I repeat.

"Yes, an important ally. Sammy, Miley isn't here to help me and I have absolutely no lead on Razor Wings. You may not want to but I think talking to Mr. Newman may be our best, possibly our only lead, on finding out who he is."

Without saying bye, Oliver ends the call and I am left staring at my black screen.

"What in the world," I say after a few minutes. My mind is completely empty, and it takes some time before I remember what just happened.

"Why is Oliver defending Miley? He hardly even knows her, right? Did I miss something? Ahh, I have to forget about that for now. Right now, I have to focus on something else."

I take in a deep breath and start to rub my face.

"Is Oliver right? Is talking to Mr. Newman our only lead to finding anything about Razor Wings? I don't want to doubt him, but I also really don't want to talk to Mr. Newman."

I remember what I said last night, about not having any regret or feeling about saving Mr. Newman. Still, catching and saving him is different than having to talk to him.

"Would Mr. Newman even bother to talk to me? I mean, I was an intern, not an employee. Other than occasionally handing him stuffs like cups of coffee and reports, I hardly spoke to Mr. Newman. Aww, what am I supposed to do?"

I put my overwhelmed head on top of my desk and let it rest there.

"Maybe there's a way I can learn what I need," I start, "Without having to talk to Mr. Newman."

An idea forming in my head, I go over to my cellphone to check the time.

"It's nearly 1. Oliver should be out soon."

Oliver:

"This sure brings back a lot of memory," I say, looking out my window at Newman's Chemicals. "Explain to me again, why you cannot just talk to Mr. Newman?"

"Because that would be a waste of time," Red Lighting says while sitting in my front passenger seat. "Mr. Neil Newman is a high-class businessman. He's CEO of not just this company but a bunch of other companies over the world. He doesn't have time to talk with an intern. Especially one he hasn't seen in six months."

"Okay," I say. "I know why Mr. Newman won't talk to Samantha Reader, but you think he's going to talk to Red Lighting."

"No," Red Lighting answers. "What Red Lighting is going to do is sneak into Mr. Newman's office and access his computer. Hopefully, I can find something out about Razor Wings."

"You know," I start, clearing my throat. "When you put it like it, that sounds a lot like breaking and entering! Sammy, that's a crime. You're making yourself a criminal, and considering where I'm sitting right now, I'm already an accomplice!"

"Calm down," Red Lighting says, patting my shoulder. "I use my speed to sneak, get what I need, and run out of there."

"Yeah, that doesn't really help. We're still criminals. You're breaking and entering at super speed."

"Thank you for your vote of confidence," Red Lighting says, opening the door and getting out.

"I'm not giving your my vote of confidence," I say, only one second before Red Lighting runs away.

"I hope our prison sentences move at super speed."

Red Lighting:

I watch from around a corner as the last of the employees leave through the glass doors. It's late in the day. The sun is setting. The blue sky is turning orange.

"I should be thankful the schedule hasn't changed since I left."

A security guard in a white shirt with long black pants walks up to the glass door, he locks the doors and checks to make sure they're locked. As I watch the security guard, I couldn't help but think of Mr. Boxwood.

Letting out a sigh, I look around to make sure there isn't anyone around. Pulling out a paper bag from underneath my shirt, I start to rub my fingers together. Moving at super-speed, I generate a spark and light the paper bag on fire.

Running past the glass doors, I throw down the burning bag and hide behind another corner. Watching as the bag catches completely on fire, I then look to the security guard as he opens the door and charges out.

"What the heck," the security guard yells, stomping on the fire. Despite his best attempt, the fire won't die out.

"Hey," he yells, turning toward the glass door. "Hey, there's a fire out here. Grab the extinguisher. Hurry."

A second security guard in the same uniform runs out, he is holding a fire extinguisher in his hands. Pulling the pin, he aims it at the fire and shoots. While the two are putting out the fire, I use my speed to quickly run in before they even notice me.

As I run in, I take a few seconds to look around.

"Everything looks the same," I think, looking at the desk and the chandelier, and even the floor. It's still shiny as ever. I can see my reflection so well. I can count my fingers in my reflection as I move them up and down.

"Uh," I say, turning around when I hear something. It's the two security guards from before. They're cheering as the fire is finally out. Turning back, I run to a door and slam it open.

"The stairs," I say, looking at the stairs as they turn the higher they get. "The last time I was here was when I fought Dr. Morris."

Thinking back to when the Noose and I fought on the stair when he kicks me off and I almost fell to my death, I shake my head.

"The stairs will be faster than the elevator."

Wasting no time, I rush up the stairs, running and running until I'm on the top floor. Skidding to a stop after slamming open the door, I find myself in front of the doors leading to Mr. Newman's office.

I open the door and walk in. Expecting the office to be empty, I freeze when I see Mr. Newman sitting at his desk. Mr. Newman looking up from a stack of papers on his desk freezes when he sees me.

"You," he says.

Mr. Neil Newman:

Hearing someone opens my door, I look up to see Red Lighting, standing in my office.

"You," I say. Getting up, I stand and stare at Red Lighting. Red Lighting stares back at me. We stand and stare in silence. Eventually, Red Lighting is the first to break the silence.

"Mr. Newman," Red Lighting starts, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answer, shaking my head. "Thanks to you, I'm not a stain on the sidewalk."

"Happy to help," Ms. Lighting says.

Looking past me, I turn my head to see an opening where my window should be. There are yellow tapes covering the opening but even then, the night wind is making it difficult to work.

"I had my maintenance workers take away the shattered window," I start, "However, it'll take a few days before my new window gets here. Possibly a week. I made sure to have the window reinforced, of course."

"Speaking of your shattered window," Ms. Lighting says, "I was wondering if you might--"

"Know something about the winged man that carried me out of my office," I finish. "Yes. I have already given that information to the police, but I getting a feeling I should also give you a copy."

I reach down and pull out one of my drawers.

"Here," I say, offering Ms. Lighting a thick folder. "This is everything I have on Adam Wynd."

"Adam Wynd? That's Razor Wings's real name."

"Yes," I answer. "Razor Wings's real name is Adam Wynd."

Ms. Lighting takes the folder. She opens and studies it before nodding.

"Thank you," Ms. Lighting says, before running out of my office. Kicking up a windstorm as she leaves, I watch as all the paperwork on my desk flies everywhere, despite the stapler and empty cup paperweight. I hear the tapes rip themselves off the opening in my window and I feel the night wind against my hair.

Waiting, just to be sure Ms. Lighting is out of my building, I press a button on my phone.

"Mr. Drummond," I say, "Mr. Payne."

"Yes Mr. Newman," my security guards answer.

"I need access to the building's security footage," I reply. "Please prepare it for me. I'm coming down now."

"Is there a problem," Mr. Drummond asks. "Sir?"

"No. No problem at all. Just need to clear something for someone."

Once I end the call, I walk around and pick up the papers from the floor. I neatly stacked them and place them on my desk before placing my stapler and my coffee cup on them. As I walk toward my door, I stop for a second to turn away.

"My office is a little cleaner," I think before leaving.

Oliver Oakman:

Screaming after jumping up and hitting my head on the roof of my car, I rub my sore spot as Sammy makes herself comfortable.

"Sorry about that," she says.

"It's fine," I moan, seeing a few floating lights. They disappear after I blink my eyes a few times over. "No, it's fine. Really. I should be used to that by now. You suddenly appear out of thin air."

"I'm not appearing out of thin air," Sammy says, "I'm just running. Really, really fast. Anyway, look what I got."

Holding up a thick folder, Sammy places it down in between us.

"Turned out Razor Wing's name is Adam Wynd," Sammy starts, "And turned out, he used to work with Mr. Newman."

"Again," I say, "Seriously? First, the Noose and now Razor Wings. No offense to your boss or anything--"

"Former boss," Sammy interrupts. "Mr. Newman is my former boss."

"No offense to your former boss or anything," I say again, "But he really needs to pick better people. Speaking of your former boss."

Opening the folder, Sammy starts to grab the papers inside and look at them. I grab one.

"You got this from him, didn't you?"

Freezing up, Sammy looks at me.

"How did you know?"

"All of these look like really important documents," I answer, flipping around the sheet of papers I grabbed. They appear to be about health insurance coverage plans.  "The kind of documents only a boss should have access to."

Sammy's silent answers for me. Despite still holding some documents in her hands, she stares into space.

"Was it that bad?"

Sammy stays silent for a while. She stays silent and just stares into space.

"Sammy," I say. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sammy says, snapping out of her trance. She turns her head left and right before turning to face me. "Yeah, I'm fine. No. No, it wasn't bad. It was just, awkward and uncomfortable."

"I'm surprised he still working this late," I say. "I mean, considering what happened last night. I'm also surprised he didn't recognize you."

"As I said before, I was just an intern. Mr. Newman and I weren't close. Anyway, according to this, Adam Wynd actually never worked for Newman's Chemical."

"What? I thought he was an ex-employee."

"He is. He just didn't work for Newman's Chemical. He worked for Newman's Technology, in Columbus, Ohio."

"Columbus, Ohio," I repeat. "Wait, what?"

"He worked at Newman's Technology in Ohio until Mr. Newman cancel the project he was working on. Out of anger, rage, or something else, Adam Wynd flew out here to confront Newman."

"Let's me guess," I say. "It didn't end well."

"Wynd was not only fired by Mr. Newman personally, but also charged with trespassing, breaking-and-entering, and blackmail. He apparently lost his saving trying to sue Mr. Newman."

"Ouch. What was the project Mr. Newman canceled?"

"Uhh," Sammy says, having to dig around. Finding something toward the bottom of the folder, she pulls up a stack of papers. "According to this, the project Mr. Newman canceled was referred to as the "Robin Project"."

"The Robin Project? Like a bird?"

Sammy hands me a photo under the stack of paper and on the photo is a picture of a painted robin. The robin looks like it was painted on a jet turbine.

"The Robin Project was focused on designing a new kind of plane's turbine," Sammy says. "Apparently, these new turbines would not only fly faster and run cleaner but could withstand extreme conditions. Like stormy weather and higher attitude."

 "That sounds amazing. What went wrong? What was it canceled?"

"It was because of Wynd. He, and a few of his fellow engineers, were conducting unsupervised experiments behind the company's back. They tested the turbine one night without any safety restraint, and it lead to a major accident."

"Wow."

"Thankfully, no one lost their lives, but everyone was badly injured. They spend two whole years in body casts, and almost blown up the building."

"Hmm. Well, I guess now we know how Razor Wing is after Mr. Newman."

"He must want revenge after being fired," Sammy answers.

"Between almost blowing up his workplace, putting most of his workers in body casts, and then threatening Mr. Newman, I said he's lucky just to be fired. Still, there's one problem."

"What's that?"

"This whole time, we still haven't learned where Razor Wings could be, or anything about how Adam Wynd become Razor Wings. You said he was working on a project for a new turbine, but a turbine isnt' a pair of wings. So where did Razor Wings gets his wings?"

"I don't know," Sammy says, flipping through the folder a few more times. "The folder ends with him being fired. It doesn't really go beyond that."

"Shoot."

I check the time on my car's dashboard.

"Hey Sammy," I say, nudging my head toward the clock. "It's late now. We spend the whole evening reading this. Come on, change and I'll take you home."

"Oh my god," Sammy says, finally realizing what time is it. "Yeah, it's late. Give me a minute."

Stepping out of my car, Red Lighting changes into Sammy Reader before stepping back in.

"Let's go," Sammy says, throwing the duffle bag into the backseat."

Benefactor:

"Hey," my partner yells as I run down the stairs. "Are you an idiot?"

"Excuse me," I say, crossing my arms as I walk up to him. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you're an idiot," my partner says. Scooting to the side, he shows me his computer screen. "Our secret asset almost died last night. That flier dropped her from right out of the night sky."

"What," I say, lending in to look at the new clip. "Damn it."

"Project Lighting in a Bottle won't be a success without Red Lighting," my partner says, returning to his computer screen. "We need her alive."

"I know," I say, swinging my fists.

"Are you going to take back the suit?"

"No," I say after thinking it over. "As bad as this sounds, I think it can works. Red Lighting will have to fight harder and run faster in order to take him down. This could actually help to speed up the project."

"Okay," my partner says. "If that's what you want."

Sammy Reader:

"Excuse me," Professor Lori says, stopping me before I could leave the class. "Before you go, I was hoping to talk to you."

"Of course Professor Lori," I say, stepping aside to let the other students leave.

"Samantha," Professor Lori starts, "I am wondering if, by any chance, you have seen Miley?"

"Uhh, no," I reply. "No, I haven't seen Miley for a few days now."

"That's strange," Professor Lori says. "She had been absent for the last three days."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I say, "I mean, she's probably sick. Like how I was sick a few days earlier."

I rub my arm. The same arm I landed on when Razor Wings dropped me.

"I hope not," Professor Lori goes on. "Your grades are improving because of her. They slowly climbing back up."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," I say, "I think with or without Miley's help, I could have risen my grade just fine."

"Nevertheless, your grades are getting better. Thank you, Samantha. You can leave now."

I nod my head and leave the classroom.

"Did Professor Lori have a talk with Oliver or something," I think as I walk through the hallway. "I mean, what is going on? Both Oliver and the Professor are worried about Miley. They shouldn't be worried. They should be happy they can hear their thoughts. I know I am."

However, as I stroll on down the hallway, I can't help but think of Miley.

"She's an important ally," Oliver said.

"That's why I have asked Ms. Daniel for some help," Professor Lori said.

"Lucky you got out of there in time," Miley said, "Else, there would be pieces of you everywhere."

"Come on," I say, slapping myself in the face and shaking my head left and right. "Get out of my head. You're so annoying."

Despite my best efforts, pictures and images of Miley still cloud my head. The final image of Miley is when she got in the car with Oliver and the two of them drove off. After that, nothing.

"Nothing," I repeat to myself. "Nothing. Professor Lori said Miley had been absent for three days. She's probably sick, but maybe not. I guess it wouldn't kill me to check up on her. You know, just to give myself and everyone else a clear piece of mind."

Stopping, I let my hands fall to my sides and let out a sigh.

"Wonderful. Now I have to find out where Miley lived. It shouldn't be too hard. Oliver should know."

Adam Wynd:

As I study the blueprint for the Razor Wings suit, I compare them to the old blueprint for the Robin Project's turbine.

"This could work," I say, looking between the two blueprints. "This could actually work. I just need to get a few things. And I know exactly where to get them."

As I roll up both blueprints, I put on the Razor Wing suits. I zip up the jumpsuit. I attached the razor-sharp wings to the sleeves. I toss the propulsion pack on my back. Once I'm ready, I open the door to my motel room and jump into the air.

My propulsion activating launches me into the air and I fly through the sky.

"You're not going to survive this time," I think, quickly making my way through the city. "Once my suit is upgraded, I'll be even stronger. And faster."

Samantha Reader:

"You can't be serious," I say, my eyes scanning the mega-mansion as Oliver pulls up to it. "This is where Miley lives? Are you serious?"

"This is where she lives," Oliver replies, taking off his seat belt and getting out of his car.

"No way," I say, lending back. As I lend back, trying to view the entire mansion all at once, I stumble but quickly regain my footing. "Miley lived here?"

This mega-mansion, the one where Miley supposedly lived, its easily longer than a football field. It looks to be a hundred feet tall and made from polished marble. There are hundreds of lights covering the mansion, and in the front yard with us is a foundation and a lush garden.

"What exactly do her parents do," I ask Oliver as we walk up a flight of stairs to a wooden door twice as tall as us.

"I'm not sure," Oliver answers, "But I do know this. Sammy, please, whatever you do, don't mention anything about Miley's mother."

"Her mother? Why? What happened to Miley's mother?"

"Again, I'm not sure, but I think it might be a sore spot for her. Again, please, just, don't mention it."

I nod my head and watch as Oliver knocks against the giant wooden door. We have to wait a while before someone finally opens the door. A man in a plaid shirt and jeans greets us. He had long brown hair and a goatee.

"Hello," he says, "Can I help you? Wait, how did you get in here? How did you get past the security gate?"

"Uhh, I know the passcode," Oliver answers.

"You know the passcodes," the man repeats, "Boy, who are you?"

"I'm Oliver," Oliver slowly answers. "I'm a friend of Miley. Your daughter I assuming."

"You know Miley," the dad says. "And you're a friend of hers? An actual friend of her?"

Oliver turns to look back at me and all I can do is shrug my shoulder.

"Uhh, yes," Oliver says. "I, we are friends of Miley."

"Acquaintance," I say. "I'm just an acquaintance."

"Oh boy," Miley's dad says, rushing forward. He grabs Oliver in his arms. I prepare to use my speed to run up and punch the dad, but stop in time when I realize Miley's dad is just hugging him. Well, hugging and lifting Oliver off his feet.

"Help," Oliver yells, his feet dangling as Miley's dad raises him up. "Help! I'm saying help here!"

Finally letting Oliver go, Oliver's feet are back on the floor.

"Oh I was so worried about Miley," Miley's dad says, holding his hand over his chest. "The two of us having to move here so suddenly. I was worried she would have a hard time making friends. Am I glad to be wrong?"

Miley's dad smiles and tries to hug Oliver again but he quickly back away.

"No, no, no," Oliver says, "I'm fine. I am really, really fine. Listen, Mr, uh, Mr..."

I grab Oliver by his arm and pull him to the side.

"Miley's last name is Daniel," I whisper. "Wow, I can't believe I know that."

"Mr. Daniel," Oliver says, "We're here to see Miley."

"Wait," Mr. Daniel says, his smile disappearing. "What? What do you mean by you're here to see Miley? Wasn't she at school today?"

"No," Oliver answers, "She hadn't been to school in the last few days. That's actually why we're here. To see her."

"That can't be right," Mr. Daniel says. "Every morning, she's been telling me she's going to school. If she's not going to school, then where is my daughter going?"

Miley Daniel:

I take a sip of my orange juice before I close the bottle and put it back in my pocket. Once back in my pocket, I let my hands hang while I scroll through the streets.

I don't know where I'm heading or even which ways to take but all I know is that I just need to walk for a while. I need to walk to clear my head. I stare at my feet while I walk.

"Left foot," I say, my left foot taking the lead. "Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot."

I spread out my hands and pretend to be on a tightrope. As I walk alongside the tightrope, my foot directly in front of the other, I stop when I see a mother and her daughter walk out of a store.

The mother is holding her daughter's hand as they make their way to their car. While helping her daughter into the car, the mother spills a few of her groceries onto the parking lot.

I watch from a distance as the mother scrambles to pick up the groceries. A can of corns rolling near my foot, I kick it back toward the mother before turning to leave.

Sammy Reader:

"Where in the world could Miley have gone," Oliver asks, looking all over as he drives down the street. "Seriously, where in the world could Miley have gone? And why would she lie to her dad about going to school every morning? It doesn't make any sound."

"What doesn't make any sound is why we're searching for her," I ask, sitting in Oliver's front passenger's seat. "Her dad said Miley normally comes home around four or five. If we just wait one more hour, I'm sure we'll see she is fine."

"Sammy, I rather not wait," Oliver says.

Taking a turn, Oliver keeps on looking around while I lay back.

Miley Daniel:

"Come on," I say, looking at the annoying red hand. "Come on. Change."

Finally, the red hand turns into a person walking. Stepping onto the street, I start to walk across it but stop.

"What in the world is that sound," I say, looking around. It sounds like a humming but nothing around me should be making a humming sound. I spin around and try to find the source of the humming as it seems to be getting closer.

"Hey," someone says, getting out of a black limousine. The someone is an old man, dressed in a fancy and what I'm guessing is an expensive suit. He had grey hair but smooth skin.

"Are you okay," he asks. 

Before I could answer, someone screams and we all look up.

"Newman," a guy with metal wings yells, flying down from the sky. Looking at him, I watch as he dives down and tries to swing one of his wings at the old man. The old man, despite his grey hair, moves fast. He jumps back into his limo and slams the door shut.

"Newman," the guy screams again, walking up the limo. Not wasting a second, he brings up his wing and slams it through a window.

"Oh screw this," I say, running.

Mr. Neil Newman:

Adam's wing breaks through the window, I jump back.

"Drive," I yell, looking at my driver as he turns around. He steps on the gas and the limo moves forward but as it does, Adam pulls out his wing. A second later, I hear something pops

My limo sinks and I start to hear a flapping sound.

"He cut the back tire," I say, watching as Adam returns to my window. His wing swinging around wildly, I have no choice but to stay back.

Adam's hand finding the door's handle, I prepare to open the other door and drop out. Reaching for the handle, I stop when I hear Adam and someone else screaming.

"What," I say, crawling to the broken window to look out.

Miley:

Running up to the winged man, I jump and kick him back. Screaming as he falls to the ground, he growls like a dog as he looks at me.

"What are you doing, stupid girl," he says as he pushes himself up. "Are you blind? Can't you see? I'm armed."

"Congrats on your giant chicken wings," I say, bringing up my fists. "They look very frightening, Chicken-Man."

"The name is Razor Wings," Chicken-Man says, lunging at me. Stepping back as he swings his wing, I reach into my pocket and pull out a half-empty bottle of orange juice. Thinking fast, I wind up like a baseball pitcher and throw it at Chicken-Man.

Screaming once more and stepping back, I watch as the bottle opens and some juice spills all over the back of Chicken-Man.

"Noo," he cries, the two of us watching as something on his back start to sizzle. "You stupid girl. You damaged my pack!"

"Suck," I say, looking at sparks start to fly off the pack. His teeth grinding against each other, steam shooting out of his ears, he starts to run to me but halfway through, the limo's door snaps open and hit Chicken-Man.

Stumbling away, the same old man from before steps out.

"Get in," he says, pointing inside.

Looking at him, and then at Chicken-Man as he dances, I shrug my shoulders. Running to the old man, he steps in while I jump in.

"Drive," he yells. His driver nods his head, and despite the flat tire, the three of us zoom through the interaction. Luckily, since everyone is frozen, there were no moving cars.

Oliver Oakman:

"Hey," I scream, stomping on the brake as a limousine cut us off. Almost crashing into us, I point at the street light. "Red light! Red light!"

Looking at the limousine as it drives away, I notice how lopsided it is. It looks like it had a flat tire, but that can't be right.

"Who drives with a flat tire," I say, before hearing a familiar humming sound. Right away, I know what that humming sound is and look up. Not too high in the sky, his shadow looming over as he flies past us, apparently chasing the limousine with the flat, is Razor Wings.

"Sammy," I say, turning to Sammy as she eyes Razor Wings. Turning to me, we both nod our heads and look for a place to change.

Razor Wings:

"Run all you want," I say as I follow after Mr. Newman. "With this suit, you can't escape me. That girl may have damaged it, but it still had more than enough power leftover."

Watching from above as the limo turns left and right, trying desperately to escape me but failing horribly, I smile as I flap my wing before diving down.

Miley:

We hear a loud thud on the top before a wing slices its way through the roof. Chicken-Man cutting the roof, he then tears it off.

"Newman," Chicken-Man yells, pointing a wing at the old man. "It's time you pay for ruining my career. For destroying my life work. For everything!"

While Chicken-Man and the old man are staring each other down, I see out of the corner of my eyes a construction site. A construction site with a thin metal fence.

Slamming my fist against the wall of the limo, everyone turns to look at me. I just needed the driver's attention.

"Sharp turn," I yell, "Into the construction site!"

Pointing at the fence, the driver nods his head and takes a sharp turn, I can hear the tire comes off and the rim skid against the street. Knocking Chicken-Man off the roof, the driver then breaks through the fence.

"Hold on," he says as he tries to steer on the sand. Despite his best attempt, however, we still crash into a large stone block.

Blinking my eyes a few times, just to make sure I'm awake and not having an out-of-body experience, I look around to see the old man on the floor.

"Oh shoot," I say, shaking off a headache. About to check his pulse, he moans and pushes me away.

"Are, are you okay," he asks, pushing himself up.

"Yeah," I answer, "This is nothing. I've been on roller coasters more intense than this."

Slapping his hand away, I pick up Grandpa and carry him out. As we exit the limo, we immediately get ambushed by a bunch of construction workers.

"Are you okay," one of them asks. "What happened?"

"Is he okay? Do you need help?"

"I got the driver! He's okay. Someone call 911."

"We're fine," I yell, dusting some metal shards out of my hair. "We're fine. We're--."

I hear a humming sound among all the construction workers and look up.

"Watch out," I yell, watching as Chicken-Man close in on us.

Red Lightning:

Running as fast as I can, I follow the street until I see a broken fence leading to a construction slide. Sliding across the street, I then enter the site.

As I enter, I see Miley.

"She's alright," I say. "Oh finally. Oliver will be happy."

About to run up to her, I see Razor Wings closing in on her and Mr. Newman?

"Newman," Razor Wing yells as he dives toward the two.

Wasting no time, kicking up a sandstorm as I launch myself forward, I run and jump. Crashing into Razor Wing before he can hurt either Miley or Mr. Newman, we both fall to the ground.

"Red Lighting," Miley yells. "So glad you're here."

"Mil--You," I say, "My word, you, you look bad. Get out of here. I can handle this."

Nodding her head, the construction workers help the two of them out of here, leaving Razor Wings and me alone.

"Give it up," I say, "I know who you are, Adam Wynd."

"Adam Wynd is nothing more than an idiot," Razor Wing says. "An idiot who gambled everything away after his idiot boss fired him, but now, as Razor Wing, I have the chance for some revenge. Speaking of revenge, I planned in case you came."

"What," I say, as Razor Wings shoots out his wings. As he does, fire shoots out from beneath them, and he shoots up into the air.

Red Lighting:

Jumping back as a wave of sand hits me, I raise my arms and brace myself. The sand hit me dead on, I have to split a lot of it out.

"What in the world," I say, having to rub the sand from my eyes as I look up. Razor Wings is flying through the sky at an increasing speed, and trailing behind him is a smoke trail. "No way. How can he been moving so fast?"

Looking around, I see a staircase nearby and run to it. Running up one flight of stairs after the other, I make it to the top floor in only a minute. Running up the ledge, I look around for Razor Wing.

"Noo," I say, "He's gone again, but where?"

As I keep on looking around, I hear both a humming sound and what sounds like a rocket taking off. Turning around, I see Razor Wings as he flying toward me. Bringing up his feet, he kicks and knocks me off the ledge, and once more, I find myself falling.

Screaming as I fall, I land and crash right into a mobile building.

"Come on," I say as I push myself up. "Again."

Sucking air through my teeth, I open the door to the mobile building before running out. The second I'm out in the opening, I look toward the sky.

The sky is clear, but once more, I hear the familiar sound of humming and a rocket blasting off. Turning around, I see Razor Wings as he tries to cut me with one of his wings. Jumping to the side, I dodge the attack and watch as Razor Wings flies by.

I chase after him but there are a pair of rockets on his wings that wasn't there before. They made him faster and even with my speed, I couldn't catch him. He flies back into the air and out of my reach.

"I have to wait until he comes back down," I think, keeping an eye on him. "That's my only chance."

Watching from the ground as he circles around, he disappears behind the building.

"Wait, what," I say, still watching the building. I expected Razor Wings to come out from behind but he didn't. It's like he just disappears.

"Where did you go," I say, running to the half-constructed building. I quickly find myself a flight of stairs and run up it. Running up to the second from the top floor, I look around.

"He couldn't have just disappears into thin air," I think as I carefully walk away. "He must have landed here, but where exactly."

I scan the area. There are tools everywhere, and frameworks all over. There are only a few finished walls. I approach one of them carefully before running behind it with my arm pulled back.

"He's not here," I say. As I look around some more, I start to think.

"There's no way he would come in this far. It's too small, too crowded. He wouldn't be able to fly. Think. Think. Think. He vanished from sight when he turned around a building. People don't just vanish like that, so he must have landed here, but here is too crowded for him. Unless he didn't land here exactly."

Looking around, I run through the floor until I reach the ledge.

"Found you," I say, seeing Razor Wings standing by the floor's ledge. He seems too busy focusing on one of his wings.

Not wasting the chance, I run right up to Razor Wing before he can even notice me.

"What," he says, turning around. As he turns around, I spin around and hit him with my fist. I knock him to the floor.

Screaming as he falls, he gets up and looks at me.

"Let's see how you do when you're grounded," I say, bringing up fists.

Razor Wings wipes his mouth after pushing himself up. He spread his wings, and I can see the sunlight reflecting off of them. Razor Wings angles his wings and shines the light right in my eyes.

Screaming and putting up my hands, I have no choice but to step back. As I step back, I hear a humming sound mixed with the sound of a rocket. Blinking my eyes, I look up to see Razor Wings running toward me.

He swings his metal wing down but I jump back and he misses. A second after landing on my feet, I run toward Razor Wings. He raises his other wing just as I charge into him. The impact knocks him back to the floor.

Sliding across the floor, he tries to get up but I follow after him and stomp on his wings.

"You lose," I say, pinning his wing to the floor. "Last time I checked, you need two wings to fly."

I thought Razor Wing would give up, but instead, he starts laughing instead.

"You're right," he says, turning back to face me. "I do need two wings to fly, but unlike before, I have a little more than just two wings."

"What," I say, before hearing the sound of a rocket again. Only, it's just the sound of the rocket. There's no humming sound. Looking behind me, I see fires shoot out from beneath the wings again.

Before I could react, Razor Wings shoot out from beneath me. I watch as the whole world spins around before I fall onto the floor. The wind beings knock out of me, I can only watch as Razor Wings slams himself into many unfinished walls.

Miley Daniel:

"What in the world," I say, stopping just before I leave the construction site. Hearing something, I look up and see one of the floors of the construction site burst with dust and smoke.

"Red Lighting may need my help," I think, looking at the construction workers as they all leave the site, the old man and his driver with them as they leave. Watching as they all leave, I run back in.

"I can't fly," I think, "And I can't run at super speed, but I can sure as heck do this."

Running and reaching a door, I swing it open and start to climb up.

Red Lighting:

Shaking my head to get rid of the blurriness, I push myself up and look around.

"Come on," I say, still looking around. "I lost him again. Ahh, I really starting to hate this guy."

Seeing a giant hole in a half-completed wall, I follow the trail past more holes and bend metal pipes. The trail leads me all the way to a ledge. I reach the floor's ledge and look over. All I see is an empty sky and an empty construction site.

"Where are you," I say, looking down. As I look down, I see the ledge and immediately know what is going to happen next. Turning around and then back, left and right, I start to hear the sound of humming quickly approaching me.

Looking up, I see Razor Wings diving toward me.

Razor Wings:

Flying toward Red Lighting from above, I spin around and slice her as I pass.

Red Lighting:

"Hey," I scream, barely having enough time to jump out of the way as Razor Wings flies past me. His wings cutting my suit as he passes, I examine the tear. It's a long tear on my left hip. Luckily, my suit comes with a white shirt underneath. Unlucky, Oliver and I have to fix this, so we just lost our weekend.

Looking at Razor Wing as he glides on top of the ground, he bends his arms, flaps his wings, and takes back up to the sky.

"How," I think, "How can I beat someone who can fly? How can I beat someone I can't catch? Think. Think. Think."

As I think it over, I replay what happened during our fights. I managed to hit Razor Wings a few times but that's only because he was within reach.

"Wait," I say, thinking back to every time Razor Wing had hit me. "I can only hit Razor Wings when he is in reach, but the exact same apply to him. He can only hit me, or grab me when I'm in reach. I can use that."

Still watching Razor Wings as he flies through the construction site, he turns upward and flies high into the sky before turning over and diving down. Diving behind a half-finish building, I stretch my fingers as I run down the stairs and into the same building.

Finding myself on yet another floor with unfinished walls all over, I carefully walk around and keep an eye out.

"What's that old saying," Razor Wings says, his voice echoing throughout the floor. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and you're gone."

Looking around, spinning all over, I can't seem to pinpoint where Razor Wings is. Strangely, it's like his voice is coming from all over.

"How is he doing that," I say. I spin and spin around, trying to find where Razor Wings is hiding but his voice seems to be echoing. It bounces all over and makes it impossible to pinpoint.

I hear something behind and swing my fist, only to hit the empty air.

"Miss me," Razor Wings laughs, his laughs bouncing all over and sending shivers down my spine. Stepping back, I stop when I accidentally hit something. Looking down, I see an opened can of white paint.

"Surprise," Razor Wings screams as he jumps out from behind a tarp. Flying toward me, I grab the paint can and throw it at Razor Wing. The can hit Razor Wings on his arm and causes him to fall to the floor.

With Razor Wings on the floor, I run toward him but jump back when he swings his metal wing. Growling at me, like some sort of dog, he gets up and starts to run away. I chase after him for a while but stop when I see him jump into the air and fly away.

Watching as Razor Wings flies high into the air, I can't help but notice the construction crane starts to move.

"What the," I say, stepping back, "Who's driving that?"

Miley Daniel:

"Do this," I say, grabbing a lever and pulling it down. "Push this. Turn this."

Staring at the crane's control in front of me, I start to push the buttons and turn the dials. I have no idea what they do, but so long as they can help Red Lightning, I'm sure it will be fine.

"Son of a," I say, after grabbing two levers and pulling them apart. The crane suddenly turns without warning, and I almost fall out. Luckily, I remember to close the crane's door.

"Okay. So that's how you turn. I have to remember that."

Looking at the two levers, I snap a mental picture of them before looking up at the rusted hook. It's hanging not too far from where I'm sitting.

"How do I lower that thing," I ask myself, looking at all the buttons and dials in front of me. "Aww, man. Why couldn't there be an instruction manual in here?"

Shaking my head, I push a few more buttons and turns some more dials. Since nothing happened at first, I grab some nearby levers and move them back and forward.

"Bingo," I say, smiling as I see the hook goes up and down. My smile disappears when I see Chicken-Man fly out from one of the construction buildings. He seems to be covered in white paint, and I'm guessing because of the paint, he can't see too well and that's why he's shaking as he's flying.

"Watch out for the swinging crane," I say, grabbing at the lever and lowering the hook. Once as low as it can go, I then grab the two levers from before and pull them apart. Once more, the crane swings again, the hook following after it.

Watching as the crane hits Chicken-Man dead-on, it knocks him out of the sky.

"Yeeaaahhh," I shout, standing and shooting out my arms. "Take that Chicken-Man!"

Red Lightning:

"Miley," I say, watching from below as the construction crane suddenly swings and hits Razor Wings. Though I can't be sure, I think I can hear Miley yelling.

"Only one person's voice can give me such a bad headache."

Shaking my head, I watch as Razor Wings fall from the sky. He's shaking uncontrollably and his back seems to be smoking, a trial of black smokes falling with him. Looking behind me, I run through the half-constructed floor and down the stairs.

Making it all the way outside, I look up to see Razor Wings still falling. I jump into the air and catch him before he can fall to the ground. As I catch him, I then scream and throw him to the ground.

Pushing himself off the ground, he then looks behind.

"My pack," he screams, the pack now badly smoking. Even from where I'm standing right now, I can make sparks as they fly off. Razor Wings jump into the air but he didn't fly away. Instead, he drops back down.

"No. My pack. It's damaged. I can't fly. I can't fly."

"Awesome," I say as I step forward. Razor Wings remembering me steps back.

His grinding teeth shining in the light, he brings up my metal wings.

"Maybe I can't fly," he starts, "But I am still Razor Wings."

Running toward me, pulling one of his arms back, he swings it down but using my speed, I jump out of the way. Stumbling forward, he turns around and tries swinging again but once more, I jump back.

Now, shooting out his wing, he tries to stab me but I step to the side and pull back my arm. Charging my fist, I sent it flying into Razor Wings. Hitting him right in the head, his helmet comes flying off as Razor Wings himself falls to the ground.

"Grounded," I say, shaking my fist.

As I shake my hand, I look over at Razor Wing's unconscious body. A little curious, I walk over to him and flip him over.

"Strange," I think, examining his wings and the pack on his back. "This looks so familiar, but why?"

It only takes me a second to realize where I've seen a pack like this before.

"Boom Blaster," I say, also realizing what happened right after I defeated Simon. I examine the pack and sure after, I start to hear a ticking sound.

"Come on," I say, moving as fast as I can. "Come on. Come on!"

Razor Wings's suit is more complicated than Boom Blaster's. It takes me longer to take off the pack and throw Adam on my back. As soon as he's on, I run away, just as the pack explodes.

Oliver Oakman:

"Sammy," I say, pulling up to the construction site just as an explosion shoots up into the air. Getting out, I run through the fences and into the site. Skidding to a stop, I look around for a bit before seeing Sammy laying on the ground, with an old man beside her.

"Sammy," I say, running and dropping to my knee. Grabbing her arm and placing it around my neck, I help her up. Moaning as she shakes her head, she looks at me.

"Oliver," she moans, "Uhh, what took you so long? You miss the whole fight."

"The police blocked the road," Oliver answers with a shrug. "I had to drive through a few blocks. I mean, literally, I had to drive through some blocks to get here. Come on, let's get out of here."

Carrying Sammy out of the construction site, I place her in the front passenger.

Miley:

Watching from above as Oliver places Red Lightning in the front seat of his car, the two of them then drive off.

"Okay," I say as I start climbing down the ladder. "There's something I didn't expect. Oliver knows Red Lighting."

Sammy Reader:

"Thank you so much," I say, biting down on the hamburger. Taking a massive bite, I then reach for the soda.

"Don't mention it," Oliver says, closing the trunk after putting my suit back in it. "After your fight with Razor Wings, I figure you would be out of energy. Luckily for us, we're never too far from a McDonald's."

Nodding my head, I put down the soda and take another massive bite.

"So do you really think there could be a connection between Boom Blaster and Razor Wings," Oliver asks. "I mean, I guess it does kind of make sense."

"Right," I say, nodding with a mouthful. Pounding my chest, I swallow before talking again. "Two supervillains, one week apart. Both of them are equipped with some sort of technology-advanced pack, unlike anything I've ever seen. Packs that also explode with tampered with. That is way too similar. I'm telling you. There is a connection somewhere."

"But where," Oliver asks, "I mean, as far as we learned, Simon was a petty criminal you put away a while ago. Adam was a disgruntled employee. What's the connection?"

"I don't know," I reply, "I don't know, but I'm telling you. I think there's more here than meet the eyes."

I flip open the box of chicken nuggets and grab one. Dipping it in ranch sauce, I throw the whole thing into my mouth.

"Also," Oliver says, putting up a finger. "All Simon cared about was money. He used his sonic suit thingy to rob some stores. Adam on the other hand used his bird suit to try and destroy Mr. Newman. The two have nothing in common."

"Nothing in common except for their suit," I say, grabbing the empty chicken nugget box and throwing it into the empty paper bag. "Those suits can rival my speed. In fact, they more than rival my speed. The power they give was like something in the comics. There is no way whatsoever that Simon and Adam could have just found those suits. Someone had to have given it to them. Someone with technology expertise."

 "And someone who really wants to stay a secret," Oliver adds. "Considering if it wasn't for you, both Simon and Adam wouldn't exactly be in one piece."

"Thanks for that imagery," I say, pausing with the burger a few inches from my mouth. Putting the half-eaten burger back into its box, I reach for my soda and take a sip.

"So assuming that there is a connection," Oliver says, "What do we do? I mean, it's not like we can interrogate them."

An idea forms in my head, I'm about to say it out loud but Oliver stops me.

"Sammy," he says, "Unlike Newman's Chemicals, you cannot just run into prison and get what you need. At least, not without the chances of also being in a firefight."

"Shoot," I sigh, snapping my fingers. "Well, the only thing I can think of now is to try and study one of those packs."

"One of those packs," Oliver repeats, "You mean the packs that have already exploded? I guess, but I think the police have already collected the parts. You can try running into the police station, but again, I think you might find yourself in a firefight."

"I wasn't telling about Blaster's pack of Razor Wing's pack," I say, "But whoever it is that comes next."

"Oh boy," Oliver says, his shoulders dropping.

"Yeah," I say, looking down.

Miley Daniel:

"Red Lightning," I type into the search bar.

Hitting the enter key, I watch as countless upon countless stories and new articles about Red Lighting stopping various crimes come up. There's one where she stopped someone attempting to rob a man. There's another where she jumps and saves a woman before she can be hit by an oncoming car. There's even one about a supposed fight between Red Lightning and someone who can stretch his arms and legs.

"Wow," I say after reading the news article. "Why couldn't I have here for that?"

As I scroll down further and look at the picture, I finally see what I'm looking for; a blue mustang somewhere in the background.

Clicking on the picture, I look closely at the blue mustang. It's blurry so I can't make out the license plate, but still, this blue mustang looks very familiar. I download the picture before scrolling down even further.

Finding more pictures of Red Lightning, all of them mostly just her running, I focus on each and every one of them. Most of the pictures online appeared to be taken with phones, so the quality isn't the best, but still, I find more pictures of a blue mustang somewhere in the background.

"Well Oliver," I say, putting all the pictures I downloaded on my screen at once. "Either you're a big fan, or you somehow know Red Lightning."

I think it over for a bit.

"And every time I see you, you're usually hanging around one person. Samantha."

Putting the pieces together, I get a completed puzzle in my head.

"Samantha Reader is Red Lightning. The girl who can't seem to get higher than a C on a test is Red Lightning. Hmm. Still, a few pictures of blue mustang and seeing Oliver help Red Lightning isn't enough to confirm this. I have to gather hard proof."

I save all the pictures into a folder before leaving.

Jackie Black:

I place my glass of gin down after taking a sip through a straw. The sound of ice cubes hitting each other in the glass echoes in my ears as I grab my pen and write down some numbers.

"The Miller kid is short again," I say, checking the number in my notebook. "This time, it's nearly a thousand dollars."

"Do you want us to pay him a visit," one of my guards asks.

"Yeah," I say, "Pay the kid a visit. Tell him I want my money. I've given him more than enough time."

"Understood."

My two guards leave, they reach the door but stop when it swings opens by itself. There, standing in the doorway is Trench Coat.

Walking past my two guards, Trench Coat pulls from his trench coat some stacks of cash and places them down in front of me.

"For the record," Trench Coat says, sliding the bills toward me. "That last guy was bad. I need someone else."

"Shove off," I say, closing my notebook and putting it down.

"Excuse me?"

"Shove off," I repeat, standing up. "You don't think I've heard. About Simon. About Adam. It may not looks like it, but this bar does get wifi."

I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. A minute later, I show him my screen. It's a news article only a few hours old.

"Adam Wynd was arrested," I say, pulling back my phone. "That means he won't be returning anytime soon. Do you remember what I said? I like my returning customers."

"Most of the time," Trench Coat says, "I remember the whole thing just fine. You like your returning customers most of the time. Well, I like you too. Most of the time. "

"Flattery isn't going to get you very far with me," I say. "Now, get out of my bar before another one of my customers disappears."

Trench Coat staying still, I snap my fingers and my two guards walk over to him. Directly behind him, one of them grabs his shoulder.

"Fine," Trench Coat says, putting up his hands and leading my guard pull him away. "And here I thought you enjoy the extra cash from my investment. Let me ask you something, Jackie Black. From my money alone, how much of a profit have you gotten? I'm guessing more than half the names in that book of yours?"

I clench my fist at Trench Coat's words. As much as I hate to admit it, he's not entirely wrong.

"So fine," Trench Coat goes on, "Throw me out of here. Enjoy the cash while it's still there. I'm just going to another bar filled with sad sacks."

My guards are about to push Trench Coat out of the bar, I shoot out my hand and stop them.

"Hold on," I yell, cursing myself as I lower my head and cover my eyes. "Darn it. Fine."

With my head lowered, I see the stacks of money.

"But I want more money," I say. "If I'm going to keep losing customers for this, then I want more money."

"No problem," Trench Coat answers. He pulls free of my guards and reaches into his coat once more. Pulling out three more wads of cash, he throws them onto the stacks already on the table.

"I need someone new in about three days. See you then."

Trench Coat nods his head and leaves. Meanwhile, I pocket all the cash.

Dr. Earl Morris:

Stepping off the bus, I look up.

"Finally," I say. "I'm back."

Miley Daniel:

"Hey," someone yells from behind me. Turning around, I see Oliver running up to me. He bends over when he finally reaches me and starts panting like a dog.

"Not much of a runner, are you," I say, laughing and smiling.

Still panting, Oliver puts up a finger. I stare at Oliver's finger for 30 seconds before Oliver pushes himself up and sucks in a breath.

"Hey," he pants, "I'm glad to see you're back. What happened? Why were you gone for so long?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I say with a wave of my hand. "I just needed some time to think about something."

Oliver Oakman:

"I just needed some time to think about something," Miley answers, waving her hand.

I can't be sure, but I feel like that's just a lie for some reason. Like there's a voice in the back of my head that is shaking its head and telling me Miley is one heck of an actress.

"Sure," I say, nodding my head. "So where are you headed? Do you want some company?"

"I'm fine. I still need some time to think about something."

Miley nods her head and leaves. Meanwhile, I stand where I am and rub the back of my head.

"I'll see you later."

For the whole rest of the day, I did try to see Miley later, but I never did. Even after school, I tried to find Miley and talk to her but Sammy told me she saw her leaving a few minutes ago.

I let out a sigh as I pull to a stop.

"Why are you so sad," Sammy asks. "Is this because of Miley? Oh, man."

"It's not because of Miley," I say, "I'm glad to see she is okay and coming back to school. I'm just still a little worried about her."

"You just said it's not because of Miley," Sammy says. "It is because of Miley. You're feeling down because of Miley. Okay, at this point, I have to ask. Did something happen between you two? What, did you two share a passionate kiss or something?"

As soon as I hear the word, I think back to when Miley and I kissed a week ago. It felt so strange those first few seconds but as Miley and I stayed together, it started to feel right. It was like trying to put two pieces of a puzzle together. They don't fit at first, but after a few turns, they worked.

"Oh my god," Sammy yells, snapping me back into reality.

"What, what, what," I say, looking at Sammy.

"Oh my god," Sammy repeats, "Did you two actually share a passionate kiss?"

"What," I yell, "No. We did share a passionate kiss. Okay? It's just, while yes, Miley may not know Red Lightning is, she is still a valuable part of the team."

"The team," Sammy repeats.

"Yes, the team. You, me, and Miley. Team Red Lightning."

I draw a lightning bolt with my finger but Sammy looks at me with a confused look.

"She helped us found Simon, and even more, she helped you take down Adam."

"I'm surprised she knows how to operate a crane," Sammy says.

About to say something, the driver behind us slams on his car honk and waves his arm high in the air.

"Green light, moron," he yells, slamming on his car honk again. "Green light!"

"Okay," I say, waving back at the driver. "Sorry."

Pressing on the gas, we drive forward and head for Sammy's parent's house. As we drive up the street, we pass a small store and I see someone running out of it. He is holding a bunch of bags and the second he can, he throws them in the trunk of his car. As he returns to the store, someone in a vest approaches him. Even before they can say whatever it is they want to say, they punch across the face and knock to the ground.

"Hey," I say, pointing at the scene as the attacker step over the fallen worker. "Trouble."

"On it," Sammy says. The two of us nodding our heads, I pull into a parking lot and hide behind a store. Without stopping, I open my own truck and Sammy steps out.

Red Lightning:

Running to the worker, I drop to a knee and help him up.

"Are you okay," I ask, the young man rubbing the side of his face.

"I'm fine," he says, moaning. "Red Lightning. Oh, thank you so much. Please, stop that man. He came into the store and started stealing products. He must already have more than over 200 dollars worth of products in his trunk."

"Go," I say, pushing him away. "Call the police. I can handle this."

Turning to the store as the pair of glass doors slide open and a tall man with a coat, hat, sunglasses, and a bunch of bags leave, he stops the second he sees me.

"Okay," I say, pointing a finger at him. "Give it up buddy. Place everything back now. You don't want to fight me."

"You're right," the man replies as he lets the bags slide off his arms.

"What," I say, stepping back. "That voice. I know that voice, but why? It sounds so familiar."

"I don't want to fight you," the man says, stepping forward, "But that's not because I'm scared of you. That's because I have something to do. However, I do have a score to settle with you."

"A score to settle?"

Before I can figure out the man's message, his hand starts to stretch, far beyond that of a normal human. His hand is now about the size of a tire. Pulling it back, he sent it swinging through the air and right into me.

Flying through the air, I only stop when I hit a car, the window shattering and glass getting all over me.

"What," I say, shaking my head to clear the blurriness. Now that my vision is back to normal, I see the man walking up to me. He takes off his hat and pulls off his sunglasses, revealing his face.

"You remember me now," a bald man with thick black hair surrounding the sides of his head and mustache asks. "You little brat."

"Dr. Earl Morris," I say, pushing myself up.

"To you," Dr. Earl Morris says, "It's Noose."

Putting his tire-sizes hands together, he raises them high above his head and slams them into me. I scream as Noose crushes me further into the car. Raising his hands, I try to use the opportunity to get out, but the Noose moves faster than me. He wraps his fingers around my foot and tosses me from the crushed car to another car.

I shield myself as I am thrown through the back window, the window shattering once more and glass getting all over me. My head on the floor and my feet on the seats, I try to turn around and get out but I feel the Noose starts to pull me out.

"No," I scream, charging my hand with electricity. Grabbing a stretch-out finger, I can see the electricity travel from Noose's finger through his arm and out of the car. It's only a second later when I hear Noose screaming and his fingers retracting.

Screaming as I turn myself around, I grab the handle and open it. The door swinging open hits the car next to it and now, three cars' alarms are going off.

"Yeah," I say, pulling myself out and up. "That's what I need."

Looking at Noose as he examines his hand, he growls like a dog as he looks up at me.

"Thanks for the reminder," Noose says, both his hands stretching out. "That trick won't work on me again."

Swinging both his arms, I jump over the first swing and duck under the second one. As soon as the arms are clear, I launch myself off the ground and run toward the evil doctor.

Oliver Oakman:

"You have to be kidding me," I say, watching from behind a corner as I see Red Lightning dodging a swinging, stretch-out arm. Following the arm, I see it leads back to only one person; Dr. Earl Morris. 

"He's back. No way. We haven't seen him in nearly six months. Where did he go, and why is he back? He couldn't have stayed away."

I watch as Red Lightning charges toward Noose. Her body charging with electricity, she not only shoulder-charges Noose but even electrocutes him and knocks him.

"Suck doesn't it," Red Lightning says, "Get knocked into a car."

"This is no time for gloating," I think, "Come on Sammy. Finish the bastard before he recovers."

It's too late. In that one second, Noose raises his leg and shoots it out. It launches like a rocket, hitting Red Lightning directly in her chest. Pushing her back, Noose climbs to his feet but then gets down on a knee.

"What," I ask, watching as he starts to spin around. As he spins, his leg stretches out, and even from where he's kneeling right now, he still manages to hits and knocks Red Lightning down.

"Now what," I ask, watching as instead of fighting, Noose runs away. He climbs into a car and backs up. As he backs up, he hits Red Lightning. Once more, knocking Red Lightning down, he drives off, leaving Red Lightning in his dust. Driving without stopping, he turns onto a street and drives away.

The second the Noose is gone, I run out from cover and pick Red Lightning up. A crowd forming around us, I place Red Lightning against the trunk of a car with a broken window.

"Hey," I say, lightly tapping her on the face. "Hey. Hey! Uhh, Ms. Red Lightning, are you okay?"

It takes a while but finally, Ms. Red Lightning answers me. Her eyes snap open and immediately, she moans and places her hand on her head.

"Ouch," she says, looking around. "Uhh, hello young boy."

"Young boy," I repeat. "Really? Young boy?"

"Yes," Red Lightning says through her teeth. "Young boy."

She pushes me back and gets up.

"Where did he go," Red Lightning asks, looking around.

"He disappears," I answer, looking at the crowd. "The thief disappeared."

"He was a little more than a thief," someone from the crowd yells, "Did you see him stretching his limbs? What was that?"

I ignore the comment and point up the street.

"I saw him driving that way. Maybe you can still catch him."

"Thank you, young boy," Red Lightning says, nodding her head before chasing after Noose. In only a few seconds, Red Lightning also disappears. Meanwhile, I push my way through the crowd and run back to my mustang. Moving as fast as I can, I swing open the door, turn the key, start the ignition, and stomp my foot on the gas.

"There's a chance," I tell myself, "There's a chance I can still catch them."

Red Lightning:

Looking up as a pair of headlights approach me, I push off the wall and walk toward the car. When the front passenger's door opens, I hop in.

"Really," Oliver asks, stepping on the gas. "Young boy? Young boy? You couldn't have said, I don't know, young man. Come on, I'm in high school."

"I know you're in high school, but Red Lightning doesn't. As far as she knows, you're a young boy."

"Yeah, I think if I was a young boy, I wouldn't be able to give you a ride."

"Let it go," I say, taking off my mask.

"Fine," Oliver sighs. "By the way, how was the chase? Normally, I try not to assume, but considering you called and asked me for a ride, am I right in assuming you lost the evil doctor?"

"Yeah," I say, shaking my head. "I can't believe it. Dr. Morrois, or as he wants to be called now, The Noose, is back."

I think back to the last time I saw him. It was at Newman's Chemicals, shortly after Mr. Boxwood's death and Mrs. Wane's very helpful advice. We fought. He stretched his limbs like they were made from plastic. I ran all over. It wasn't until Oliver had frozen him with liquid nitrogen and I embraced my powers and punched him at super speed that we were able to finally defeat him. However, he did escape in the end, and despite the police's best efforts, they couldn't find him.

"So the question is," Oliver asks, "Why is the Noose back here in Carson City?"

"That's the big question isn't it," I say, thinking back to when I helped the store worker. "Or is it? Here's another question. When I saw Noose, he was walking out of the store with a bunch of shopping bags."

"Shopping bags," Oliver repeats. "Well, I guess even supervillain need to do a little shopping even now and then."

"No offense Oliver, but I seriously doubt the only things in those shopping bags were canned meats and vegetables."

"So besides his dinner, what else could have been in those bags? I mean, it wasn't exactly a superstore. It was just a store. What's in there could've interested the Noose?"

Dr. Earl Morris:

Opening the door and walking into the empty house, I throw everything I stole onto the table. Seeing a chocolate bar slide across the packages of wires and tapes, I grab it and rip off the cover. Taking a bite, I start to organize everything.

"This time," I say while chewing. "This time, speed won't be enough to save you, you little brat."

I grab and open a box of liquid rat baits.

Benefactor:

"Do you have the pack," I ask as I walk into the lab and down the stairs. "Jackie Black got us someone new."

"It's ready," my partner says, turning in his seat and nudging toward a metal briefcase. "This suit should more than give Red Lightning a run for her money. Assuming the user is actually smart and not just some idiot."

"That's hoping for a little too much," I say, walking over to grab the briefcase. "May I remind you that most of our white rats are gambling addicts? If they were smart, they wouldn't be gambling?"

About to leave, I stop when I see something on my partner's screen. It looks like the news, and there seems to be a story about Red Lightning on.

"What's going on," I ask.

"There was a fight about an hour ago," my partner replies. "Between Red Lightning and get this, someone else with powers."

"What," I say, running forward. Pushing my partner out of the way, I look at the news story. He's right.

"Red Lightning fight against shoplifter," the news story says. From the quality and the angle of the video, it's clear it's from a security camera, but even with that, I can see a man fighting Red Lightning. What makes this man so interesting is that his limbs seem to be stretching far beyond that of a normal human being.

"Did you already capture this video," I ask.

"Of course," my partner replies. "Captured and analyzed. It's being processed as we speak. We learned this person's secret as well."

"Excellent," I say, looking at the screen a little bit more. "Now we have two reasons to stay."

Mr. Neil Newman:

"This is a chilling story," the news reporter says to her fellow reporter. "This is the third supervillain in only two months."

The t.v's screen switches from the two reporters to footage of Red Lightning battling a man. The man swings his arm and his arm stretches and hits Red Lightning, knocking her back into a car.  Immediately, I recognize the man. I would recognize that man anywhere. Especially when it comes to his newfound stretching ability.

"Morris," I say, putting down my cup of gin with ice. "Dr. Earl Morris. The Noose is back."

I watch the news story until the end when the footage showed both the Noose and Red Lightning disappearing from view. The reporters go on to say that after an extensive search by the polices, they failed to find the "stretching man", but they did put an APB on him and anyone with information on him should report him to the police immediately.

A commercial coming on, I turn off the t.v and think.

"I can't believe he's back," I think. "Is he coming for me? Is he coming back to finish the job? I can't just stand here. I have to do something."

I pull out my cell phone and start to dial. However, before I can push the call button, I stop myself. My thumb hovering above the button, I try to push it but I can't.

"The last time Noose attacked, he killed someone. Even if I warn my security guards, even if I tell the police, what can they do? I doubt their guns will do much against Morris's rubber body. Most likely, the bullets will bounce off of him and hit the officers themselves. I don't want that to happen, but what other choices do I have? I could hide, but I have a company to run. It's my job to make sure my employees are fed."

As much as I don't want to, I cancel the number and put my phone back into my pocket.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do? How can I possibly defend against Dr. Morris and his power? There's only one person who managed to take him down. Even if he did escape afterward. There's only one person in the whole city who managed to defeat the Noose."

Grabbing my gin and ice on the way, I take a sip before placing it back down. Turning my laptop on, I click on a folder and bring up some old surveillance footage. I watch as Red Lightning entered my office the day after Adam Wynd broke in. We talked for a while before I handed her the file about his past employment.

"Now," I think, taking another sip. "How do I find you?"

Red Lightning:

Today is Saturday, and the sun is high in the cloudless, blue sky. I place my mask on and look at Oliver as he prepares himself. Throwing and catching some baseballs, he narrows his eyes as he looks at me.

"Are you ready," he yells.

"I'm ready," I yell back.

Throwing and catching the baseball one last time, Oliver winds it up like a pitcher, before throwing the baseball at me.

I watch as the baseball flies toward me. It spins through the air as it sails. I watch as it gets closer and closer before using my speed to dodge it. The ball flies past my head and lands on the desert sand.

Turning back to face Oliver, I watch as he grabs the rest of the baseballs and throws all of them. I jump and dodge each of the baseballs, watching as they land on the sand. Eventually, the baseballs stop coming.

"Hey," I say, spreading out my arms. "Oliver, what's up? Why are you stopping?"

"I have to stop," Oliver yells, "I'm out of baseballs. I need you to collect them."

"What," I say, looking at all the baseballs in the sand. "Shoot. I knew we should've brought more."

Once more, using my speed, I gather the baseballs and run over to Oliver. I place them on the ground in front of him before running back to grab more. The whole process takes only a few minutes.

"I think we should call a day," Oliver says as I drop the last two baseballs onto the pile. "I'm starting to smell bacon, and I don't think it's from a barbecue."

Oliver then smells his arm before pulling back.

"Fine," I say.

Oliver nods his head and opens the truck. This time, I use my speed to put all the baseballs inside before closing it.

"Besides," Oliver says as he looks away while I change my clothes. "I have work in a few hours."

"Yeah, that reminds me," I say, taking off my suit and replacing it with a yellow shirt with jeans. "How is your job going?"

"It's not bad," Oliver replies.

Sammy Reader:

Throwing the duffle bag into the trunk of the car, Oliver and I climb into his car before he steps on the gas and drives us back toward the city.

"So any plan for today," Oliver asks. "Maybe something like finds Noose and takes him down before he had a chance to hurt someone. Someone like Mr. Newman."

"You're getting way ahead of yourself," I say.

"Am I really," Oliver asks. "Do you really think the Noose is just going to ignore Mr. Newman? Do you really think he just came back after all these months because he was a little homesick?"

"Of course not," I say, "That's not the part I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is finding Noose. How am I supposed to find him? Where would I even start? I can't run from building to building. I need something to go if I'm going to find him."

"Basically," Oliver sighs, stopping at a red light. "It means we got nothing. The next move is Noose."

"Yeah," I say. "As much as we hate it, we can't do anything until the Noose makes his next move. I only hope we can stop it."

"Fingers crossed," Oliver says, bringing up his crossed fingers. As he shows me his crossed fingers, his phone goes off.

"Miley," Oliver says, staring at his phone's screen.

"Miley," I repeat, grabbing and looking at Oliver's phone. It did in fact shows Miley's name. "Wait, since when does Miley have your phone number?"

"I have no clue," Oliver replies, looking at me. "I don't remember giving it to her. I mean, besides meeting at the cafe and driving her home, we never really got close. At least, close enough to exchange phone numbers."

"So how did she gets your number," I ask, "And what does she wants?"

"Only one way to find out," Oliver says, pushing the answer button. "Hello, Miley. It's Oliver. What's up?"

Miley Daniel:

"Where's Oliver," I ask, looking around as Samantha approaches me.

It's late into the day, the sun is now starting to set. Sitting on a table near a public park, one leg on top of the other, I wave at Samantha.

"He's working," Samantha replies, crossing her arms as she stops in front of me. "What are you doing here? Why did you call Oliver? Also, how did you get his phone number?"

"I asked around," I reply, "And I called Oliver hoping to get in touch with the two of you. I figured he was with you. Was I right?"

I smile and nod my head at Samantha. She replies with a pull of her head.

"What? What are you talking about? Why did you want to get in touch with Oliver and me?"

"Take a seat," I say, nudging my head toward the other seat. I turn around and place my elbows on the stone table. Samantha is slow to take a seat at the opposite end. However, once she takes her seat, I reach into my backpack on the table and pull out papers and pictures.

"Can you take a look at these?"

"Sure."

Samantha takes the pictures and looks them over.

"What is this," she asks.

"It's a picture of Red Lighting," I reply.

Sammy Reader:

I feel my hands shaking as I stare at the picture of Red Lightning. I feel my chest tightens as Miley spreads out all the papers and pictures she has. They're all of Red Lightning. There are pictures of me running and fighting. There are printed stories and new articles about various crimes I have stopped. I feel like I'm suffocating.

"Does Miley knows? No! She can't know. Can she? There's no way, but then why? Why would Miley call Oliver and me all the way over here to show me pictures of me?"

I swallow a lump in my throat and, as calmly as I can, gently place the picture down.

"What's this about," I ask. "Why are you showing me these?"

"Do you know what these pictures are," Miley asks, smiling as she puts her hands together and places them in front of her. "Do you know who these stories are about?"

"Red Lightning," I answer. "It's kind of obvious."

Out of nowhere, Miley burst out laughing. She tried to hold it back at first but eventually, her shaking lips gave in.

"Yeah," she laughs, "Yeah, I guess it is super obvious. That was a dumb question."

I let Miley laughs and slams her hand against the table for some time. It's a little strange seeing her like this, considering the last time I saw her, she was seeing a little sad. Now, she's laughing uncontrollably.

"Talk about mood swings," I think.

It takes a few more minutes but finally, Miley is able to regain some control.

"Anyway," she cries, "I've called you and Oliver here because of this."

Miley sorts through the pile of new articles before pulling one out. She hands it to me and I read it over.

"The Noose," I say after quickly reading the new articles.

"Yeah," Miley says, "That's the guy Red Lightning fought only a few hours earlier, right? The man with the stretching limbs?"

Before I can answer, Miley pulls out her cell phone and taps it. She shows me a video clip of a fight between The Noose and myself. I feel my bones hurt when I see myself being thrown into a car.

"I've been doing as much research on this guy as I can," Miley says, putting her phone away. "Of course, it's a little difficult because none of these articles actually give me his name. They've only been using other names."

As I look at all of the pictures and articles about Red Lightning, I look at Miley.

"Why are you telling me all of this? What does any of this have to do with me?"

I fear the answer.

"The reason I'm telling you this," Miley starts, "Is because. Well, at the moment, you and Oliver are kind of the only people I know and trust. I mean, you two went to see me when I was absent from school. That means something. Right?"

I hope Miley doesn't hear me sigh.

"Yeah," I say, nodding my head. "That means something."

"Well, also, there's one more reason."

"Of course," I whisper.

"From what I've heard," Miley starts, "You used to work at Newman's Chemical. Is that right?"

"Well, kind of. I used to intern at Newman's Chemical. Not work, but interned. Why?"

"Truth be told," Miley says, taking a breath. "I was wondering if you could get me to talk with the guy."

"Excuse me," I say. Leaning back, I stare at Miley.

"The guy," I repeat, "You mean Mr. Newman? Mr. Neil Newman? The CEO?"

"Exactly."

"Okay. First thing first, I interned at Newman's Chemical over six months ago. You said it yourself. I used to work at Newman's Chemical but was fired because of an incident."

"Yeah. I heard a little about your incident. You got into a fight with an intruder at the company. You and Oliver, right?"

"Yes. The company was in trouble and Oliver and I tried to help, but something happened along the way."

"Who was the intruder," Miley asks. Suddenly, I feel like Miley is holding a pen and notepad and is looking at me through a magnifying glass.

"He was a former employee," I reply. "Listen. Let me finish. Second, even if I did still intern, intern, at Newman's Chemical, I doubt I could get you an appointment with Mr. Newman. Again, for what must be the 50th time, I was just an intern, not an actual employee."

"Right, right, right," Miley says with a nod of her head. "Well, in that case."

With a swing of her arm, Miley grabs all the pictures and printed stories of Red Lightning and throws them into her backpack.

"Thanks for the meeting. I really appreciate the time. See ya."

Miley nods her head and shoots me a wave before getting up and walking away. Meanwhile, I'm still sitting on the bench, wondering what happened.

"What did happen," I think. "Miley showed me a bunch of pictures of myself. She then asked me to make an appointment with Mr. Newman. What was that all about? She is weird."

As I think a little more, my head starts to hurt. Letting out an ahh, I shake my head and get up myself.

"Shoot. I can't call Oliver. He's busy. I'm getting I'm walking."

I stop walking for a bit and turn away.

"There's a chance Miley getting a ride herself. Maybe I can ask her, but if it's a yes, then it would mean having to be in a car with her."

I shiver at the thought, my whole body shaking and freezing. Shaking my head, I take in a breath before starting the long walk.

Jackie Black:

"Layla Phoebe," I say, looking at her name in my notebook. "You got my money?"

Layla rubs her arm and looks away. She looks toward the door but stops when she sees my guard.

"Sorry Jackie," Layla says, turning back to me. "I'm short. This month as well."

I shake my head and let out a sigh.

"Three weeks in a row," I say, adding a few more zeroes to Layla's growing debt. "I'm starting to run out of space here, you know."

Layla steps back. It looks like she wants to run but once more, my guards stop her. They block the exit so Layla had no choice but to stay.

"Where is my money," I yell, getting up from my table. I reach into my jacket.

"No, no, no," Layla yells, shaking her hands and stepping back. "I'll get you the money. I promise. I promise."

"You promised to have my money ready for me two weeks ago," I say, pulling out another notebook and another pen. Layla sighs when she sees the book and pen. I snap my fingers and my guards appear by her sides. Once again, Layla is shaking.

"This chewed-up straw is worth more than your promises," I say, pulling my straw from my drink.

"Please," Layla says, slapping her hands together and begging. "Please. I just need a little more time."

"I've given you nearly a month," I reply. "And yet, nothing."

I open my notebook and look over a few numbers. As I scroll down the lists, I see all the extra money Trench Coat paid. I stare at the extra money for a bit before looking at Ms. Layla.

"Layla Phoebe," I start, "I have a friend, a new friend, who is looking for someone to do some work for him. What do you say?"

"Uhhh," Layla says, her arms falling to her sides. "Sure. What kind of job?"

"It's a job that pays well," I answer. "Believe it when I say this. This 'benefactor' pay quite well."

"Okay," Layla says after swallowing a lump in her throat.

Oliver Oakman:

"That will be 30 dollars in total," I say, the large man handing me the money. As soon as I get it, I open the register and put the money inside.

"Here you go."

I grab the bags of chips and bottles of soda and give them to the man.

"Did you remember the gas," he asks.

"Of course, sir," I answer with a nod of my head. "20 dollars on pump six. I got it. Don't worry."

"Thanks."

The man leaves the store and it's only a few minutes before another customer walks in. An elderly woman with dark skin smiles when she sees me.

"Hello, darling," she says, lending on the counter.

"Hello, Mrs. Wane," I say with a laugh. "Your usual?"

"Yes. My usual."

Mrs. Wane reaches into her purse and pulls out ten dollars in singles. While she pulls out her money, I turn around and reach for some one-dollar scratcher. Pulling out and ripping out ten of them, I give Mrs. Wane her scratchers and she gives me ten dollars.

"Best of luck," I say, waving while showing Mrs. Wane some crossed fingers.

"Thank you, darling," Mrs. Wane says as she leaves the store. The second the door closes after Mrs. Wane leaves, it reopens and another customer walks in.

It had been a busy night here at the gas station. There had been a ton of customers, strangely more than normal. It's the evening shift so most of the customers are coming back after a long day at work but still. I haven't gotten a moment to myself in nearly three hours.

"Bye," I say, the customer quickly paying before leaving, almost running out of the store. Once the customer is gone, and the door stays closed, I let out a sigh.

"Finally. I can catch my breath. Well, that and restock the coolers."

Leaving the register, I start to cut open some packs of Gatorades and put them in the cooler. It takes a while but as I put away the last bottle of Gatorade, I hear the door open.

"Please give me one mom--"

Before I can finish, someone shoves and knocks me to the floor. Falling over, I look up to see someone reaching into one of the coolers. He grabs an armful of drinks before turning around and heading for the door. Walking right past the register, he pushes open the door.

"Hey," I say, getting up and chasing after the thief. The second I yell hey, the thief runs. He runs around the store and disappears from sight. Running as fast as I can, I turn the corner myself and run right into the thief. We both fall onto the street and he drops all the drinks he stole.

"Get off of me," he yells, kicking me off of him before getting up and running away.

"What the," I say while still on the ground. "Why did he leaves all of these behinds?"

I look around and see all the drinks rolling around on the cold street. One bottle, in particular, a bottle of lemon-favored Brisk rolls and rolls until it hits someone's foot.

"I'm so sorry about this," the woman says, "But I need to do this. I do."

The woman, with long orange hair, is wearing a metal backpack. As she said sorry, she raises her hand. Despite how dark it is, the next thing I see is a bright light.

Sammy Reader:

I put down my pencil and rub my tired eyes. A yawn creeping its way out, I stretch my arms and bend my back, the sound of my bones breaking echoing in my out.

"Man," I think. "Homework had never been this exhausting."

Since Miley's short absence from class, Professor Lori had given me extra homework in the hope that I can raise my grade. So far, I think I'm doing okay, but right now, considering I haven't eaten anything in a while, I'm feeling a bit drained.

My eyelids feel heavy, and my stomach is growling.

"Don't eat," I think, "Don't eat. I can't eat anymore. Mom and dad have started to notice my 'increased' appetite, and are wondering. Also, we're out of eggs. Man, I could go for some scrambled eggs right about now."

While thinking about scrambled eggs sprinkled with salt, pepper, and maybe even a little bit of parmesan cheese, I stop when my cell phone goes off. The music snaps me out of it and I look at the screen.

"Oliver," I think, seeing the caller ID. "Weird. Why are you calling me? I thought you had work right now."

A little confused, I answer the call and another voice answers.

"Hello," a woman's voice says, "Hello? Is this Samantha?"

"Yeah. Who is this? Where is Oliver?"

"He's in trouble," the woman yells. "I'm taking him to the hospital now, but for some reason, he really wanted me to call you. I don't know why."

"Hospital," I repeat. "Ma, I'm sorry to ask this but what is your name?"

"My name is Mrs. Kimbery Wane," Mrs. Wane answers. "Your friend, Oliver, he was attacked by someone and now he's blind."

"Mrs. Wane," I repeat. "Attacked? Blind? Wait, wait, wait, what's going on? Nevermind. I'll learn everything I need at the hospital. Thank you, Mrs. Wane."

I end the call and get up. Running down the stairs, I head for the front door. Opening it, I almost run straight out but stop.

"Mom," I yell, "Dad! I'm going to see Oliver for a little bit. I'll be back."

With that, I close the door shut and run straight to the nearest hospital.

"If he isn't at that one," I think, "Then I'll run to the next one, and if he isn't at that one, that I'll run to the next. I'll run all over the city until I find Oliver."

Mrs. Kimberly Wane:

"Are you Mrs. Wane," a young man and woman ask. The young man steps forward and holds out his hand.

"I am," I say, stepping forward to shake his hand.

"Thank you so much for helping my son."

"Yes," Oliver's mother says, also stepping ahead. "Thank you so much for helping our son. We can't thank you enough."

"Don't thank me yet," I say, looking at a pair of doors. The doors swing open and a tall doctor with long grey hairs step out. He looks around for a bit before noticing us and walking over to us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Oakman," the doctor starts, "Also, Mrs. Wane. I have something important you must hear."

"What is it," Mr. Oakman asks.

"How is our son," Mrs. Oakman asks, stepping forward. "Is he okay?"

"He's okay," the doctor slowly says. "But his cornea appears to be damaged."

"What do you mean by damaged," a young girl's voice asks. The Oakman and I turn around to see a teenage girl standing in the hallway. I almost didn't recognize the girl but the second I see her burnt shoes, I recognize her immediately.

"I remember you," I say, "Your name is Samantha, right? It was about six months ago."

"Hello Mrs. Wane," Samantha says, walking up to me. "Long time no see. Listen, I don't want to be rude, but as much as I want to catch up, I have to know how Oliver is doing."

"You know the young man who was attacked," I ask.

"Oliver was attacked," Samantha asks. "By what?"

"Not by what but by who. A woman wearing some sort of metal backpack blasted poor Oliver with some sort of bright light. It blinded him."

"Wait, are you telling me that Oliver is blind?"

Oliver Oakman:

I turn my head when I hear the door open and a familiar voice.

"Oh my god," Sammy says, "Oliver. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say. Despite the bandages wrapped around my eyes, I can still push Sammy away. "Wait, Sammy. How did you get here? Please tell me you got a ride from your parents. You did get a ride from your parents. Right?"

"Uhh," Sammy replies while clearing her throat.

"Give me a second," I sigh. I feel around the cabinet near my hospital bed for a bit before finding my wallet.

"Here," I say, handing Sammy a bill. "I think that's ten dollars right there. Go on. Take it."

I wave the bill for a few seconds before Sammy takes it.

"Thanks for the ten dollars. One question. Why are you giving me ten dollars?"

"Sammy. You ran here. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I imagine you're hungry. There should be vending machines around here. Go and buy something to eat."

"Yeah, I will. After I ask what happened! And more importantly, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm more or less okay."

"I'm thinking less. A lot less. Oliver, according to the doctor, you're blind. Your corneas were damaged. What happened to you?"

"The third supervillain," I answer. "Well, not counting the Noose."

"The third supervillain," Sammy repeats. She stays quiet for only a few seconds before gasping. "The third supervillain. You mean the one after Razor Wings. You ran into him?"

"Not him, but her."

"It's a woman?"

"Yeah. She had the same backpack as Adam and Simon. Unlike Adam and Simon, her backpack can blind people. It blinded me."

"What happened exactly," Sammy asks.

"During work, someone shoved me and stole something. I chased after him. I thought I caught him but he must have run into the woman. He dropped the drinks he stole and ran away. I, on the other hand, didn't."

As I replay everything that happens, I remember something.

"Wait. Before the woman blinded me, she said sorry but she had to do it."

"She had to do it? Why did she have to blind you?"

"I don't know but Sammy. I doubt this is it. I don't know what she's after, but whatever happened, please be careful."

"I think I'm the one that supposes to be saying that to you. Oliver, can you really not see?"

I point to the bandages.

"Uhh, yeah. Sammy, these bandages are real. I'm blind. I mean, I overheard the doctor. He said the damage wasn't too bad, but that I should still be careful. Honesty, I'm a little more worried about you. If she blinds you too, then how are--"

Sammy Reader:

"She's not going to blind me," I say, cutting Oliver off. "She won't get the chance. Stay here for now. I'll come to visit tomorrow."

"Hey wait," Oliver says, clapping and waving his hands. "Don't forget about the vending machine."

"I won't forget," I say before leaving the room. As I leave, I run right into Mrs. Wane.

"It is a small world after all," Mrs. Wane says as soon as she sees me.

"Oh no," I think, "Was Mrs. Wane listening to our conversation? Shoot! Why weren't we more careful?"

"Uhh," I start, searching my mind for some sort of answer or explanation. "I can explain Mrs. Wane."

"I hope you can," Mrs. Wane says. "Your shoes are gone and your feet are black again. At the very least, I'm glad you didn't step on any nail."

"What?"

Mrs. Wane looks down which makes me look down. Looking down, I remember my burnt shoes.

"Ohh," I say, looking at the shoes and then at Mrs. Wane. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

"What happened now, dear," she asks, "Do you need another prep talk?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"No, Mrs. Wane. I really appreciate what you did before and even more, what you did now, for Oliver, but I think now it's my time to do something."

I look around for a bit and notice Mrs. Wane is by herself.

"Hey, where are Mr. and Mrs. Oakman? They're not here?"

"No. They're gone but only for a little bit. They're calling others, telling them what happened. They're asked me to stay for a little while."

"Okay. Thank you again Mrs. Wane but I have to go now. It's late and I have school tomorrow."

"Understood dear," Mrs. Wane says with a nod. "School is important so don't be late. Where is your ride?"

Mrs. Wane then looks right and left.

"Where are your parents?"

"At home. It's fine. I ran here. I can just run back."

"Oh no. You said it yourself. It's late. Here. Give me a second. I'll give you a ride."

Once more, Mrs. Wane looks down at her purse. While she's digging through it, I step back before walking away.

"Sorry about this Mrs. Wane," I say, remembering what Oliver said. I stop at some vending machines and brought a few drinks and bags of chips. I quickly devour all of them before throwing the empty cans and bags into the trash. "But I'm not going home. Not yet anyway."

Walking out of the hospital, I look around and see a lot of people coming and going. I shake my head before walking a few blocks away. Once I'm alone, I run to the gas station where Oliver worked.

Layla Phoebe:

"So the debt is clear," I ask Jackie over the phone. "It's really clear. I don't owe you anything."

"Yeah," Jackie says. "Your debt is clear. Your bill is paid. You don't owe me a dime."

"Yes," I cry. Looking up at the ceiling, I rise my arms. "Yes. I'm free. I'm free. Now I can take this stupid thing off."

Ending the call with Jackie, I start to unlatch the light pack.

"I can't believe all I had to do to get rid of my money problem was blind that kid. Sorry kid, but you should be back to normal in a few days."

As I push down on a button and the final latch unbuckle, I start to hear a strange beeping sound.

"What is that? Where is that beeping coming from? Is it, is it coming from the pack?"

Throwing the pack on the table, I start to look it over. I can't seem to find where the beeping is coming from exactly but I did find something like a small opening. About to open it, a voice stops me.

"Open that and you die," the voice says. As soon as I hear the voice, I jump back and fall down.

"What the heck?"

"Opening that and you die," the voice repeats. "Hello, Ms. Layla Phoebe. You may not recognize me because we only met for a very short time but I do recognize you."

I search my memory for what the voice is talking about. It takes a while but finally, I recognize the voice. He's right. We did only meet for a very short time. When he gave me the light pack.

"It's you," I say, pushing myself up and looking at the light pack. "It's you. The one that gave me this light pack thing."

"I'm also the one that pays off your debt," the voice goes on. "You don't owe Jackie anymore but you do owe me now. Luckily for you, it's not money I want."

"What do you want," I ask, slowly creeping up toward the light pack. Looking over it again, I try to find out where the source of the voice is coming from. Despite my best effort, I can't seem to find anything like speakers or cameras.

"I want you to fight Red Lighting," the voice answers, "Or else. I activate the light pack's self-destruction sequence and kill you."

"Wait what," I say, stepping back from the light pack. I turn around and prepare to run but once more, the voice stops me.

"Take one more step and you will die. And, let's just say you somehow managed to survive the blast, I have video evidence of you attacking that young boy and blinding him. One anonymous tip and you'll be serving 25 to life in prison."

I grind my teeth as I turn around. Swallowing a hard lump in my throat, I curse myself as I put the light pack back on. The beeping stops the second I finish putting the light pack on.

"Okay," I say, "But after I fight Red Lighting, then I'm free. Right? After this, I'm free. Right? Right?"

Benefactor:

"Of course," my partner says, speaking right into the microphone before turning it off. Once off, he spins around and faces me.

"I'd be careful with that one," I say, crossing my arms as I look back at him. "She isn't like the others."

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out. Speaking of which, how is the project progressing?"

"Slowly, unfortunately. We need more information about Red Lighting if we want the project to be completed."

"I'll do what I can. How's the other thing going?"

"Fine, I think."

"You think?"

"It's not for certain, but I think I may have found a lead on where exactly our stretching man is heading."

"Where?"

"A place called Newman's Chemical."

Samantha Reader:

"Ahh," I say, skidding to a stop when I see police officers surrounding the gas station. There are officers all over the gas station, taking notes and pictures. They sealed off the area with yellow crime scene tape.

"There's no way I can sneak by all these officers," I think, peeking from around a corner. "And if I can't sneak by them, I can look around."

Slamming my fist against a wall, I regrettably turn to leave while shaking my hand. I don't know where to go exactly or what to do next.

"Oliver is in the hospital," I think, "And there's some crazy supervillain out there with what I can only assume is another pack. Apparently, this one can blind people."

As I walk away from the crime scene, I start to think more about Oliver.

"Why Oliver," I ask. "Why attacked Oliver? It doesn't make any sense. The others, we knew what they wanted. It was clear from the start, but this person, what could she want? What does she gain from blinding Oliver? It can't be about the money. I mean, according to Oliver, she blinded him when he was outside the store. If she wanted to rob the store, wouldn't it have been better to blind him inside? I don't know. I don't know!"

I feel my fingernails digging into my palm.

"What can I do? What can I do? How do I stop her?"

The more I think, the more I feel a headache coming in. I sigh as I lower my head.

"There's only one thing I can do. I have to wait until the woman shows herself. That's all I can do. That's all I can literally do. Just wait. Just wait for this crazy woman to strike again."

I sigh again and run home.

Layla Phoebe:

It's the next day.  I clutch the zipper of my jacket as I through the busy city street. Wherever I look, I see people. They're walking all around me. They're talking on their cell phones, buying whatever, doing whatever. They don't even notice me.

"It's not the money I want," the man told me. "I want you to fight Red Lighting."

I repeat the man's words in my head over and over to myself.

"I want you to fight Red Lighting," he said. "He wants me to fight Red Lighting. If I don't, then I'll go to prison. Or worst."

I squeeze my jacket's zipper even more.

"I don't want to do this," I tell myself, "But I have no choice."

I unzip my jacket and throw it down.

"Bring me Red Lighting," I shout, raising the flashlight on my hand. "Or never see again!"

My pack powered up, I slam the flashlight and unleash a blinding bright light.

Oliver Oakmen:

"Ouch," I scream after accidentally hitting something hard with my toe. Lifting my foot, I jump up and down for a while before falling onto the ground. "Ouch. Ouch."

Still blind, I feel around for the bed. As I stumble around, I hear a familiar voice.

"Mr. Oakmen," Dr. Goodwin shouts, the door to my hospital room swinging open. From the sound of his feet stomping, I'm guessing he isn't too happy with me right now.

Grabbing my hand, he leads me to my bed and orders me to sit down.

"I have told you this many times," Dr. Goodwin says. "You are not allowed to leave this bed. I mean it. I do not want to get security guards to watch over you, but if you continue to ignore me, then I will."

"Doctor," I say while sitting down on the bed. "Calm down. I'm fine. A stubbed toe, yes, but other than that, I'm fine."

"You're fine," Dr. Goodwin repeats. You're fine? Mr. Oakmen, I feel like you're missing the most obvious thing. You are blind. Your corneas were damaged, and it will take more than 12 hours for them to properly heal."

I can't see Dr. Goodwin but for some reason, I picture him swinging his hand and pointing down.

"Stay in bed," he orders. "Do not move."

He grumbles as he closes the door.

I roll my head and feel around for the remote control.

"I wonder if I can find something like music on t.v. Is there even a music channel?"

"Breaking news," the t.v. screams as soon as I turn it on. "A woman with long orange hair is attacking bystanders!"

"A woman with long orange hair," I repeat, rising my head.

"According to reports, there have been no casualties so far, but many people, including a few police officers, are apparently suffering from blurry vision. Officers have managed to evacuate the reminding civilians and have sealed off the area. Attempts are being made to negotiate with the woman, but her only demand seems to be the appearance of Red Lighting."

"Oh no," I say. I drop the remote and feel around for my phone.

"This feels like a trap but that woman needs to be stopped. I hope this isn't a bad time."

Miley Daniel:

"The elements on the periodic table are divided into certain groups or sections," Professor Lori goes on, showing us a picture of the periodic table on the screen. "The names of the main group are the alkali metals, the transition metals, and the noble gases. Each of the elements in the group shares similar properties. Can anyone name one of the properties that all the alkali metals share?"

Professor Lori scans around, seeing a few raised hands, including mine. For some reason, she ignores all of them and instead says, Samantha.

"What," Samantha says, her head jerking up. "What? What's going on?"

Professor Lori's sigh of disappointment echoes throughout the whole classroom.

"Samantha, please pay attention. As I said, the elements on the periodic table are divided into certain groups or--"

The sound of a phone going off cuts the Professor off.

Oh sorry about that," Samantha says, reaching into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. "My bad. My bad. Uhh, sorry Professor but I have to take this."

"I'm sorry Samantha but I'm afraid your personal call will have to wait."

The professor crosses her arms and I can see a vein or two pulsing on Samantha's head.

From my seat, I can barely make out a name on Samantha's phone.

"Oliver," it reads.

"Hey Professor," I shout, getting up from my seat. As I get up, all eyes turn to me, including the Professor and Samantha. "I'm sure Samantha wouldn't take a call during class unless it was important. Just, let her take it outside. Please."

Professor shakes her head but she agreed. Samantha takes off and a few seconds after she takes off, I have the sudden urge to use the restroom.

"Excuse me, Professor," I say, walking rapidly toward the door. "But, uhh, 'nature' is calling."

I leave the classroom before anyone could say anything. I can't be sure what I was expecting, but an empty hallway isn't high on the list.

"Shoot," I say, looking up and down. "Where did Samantha go? Man, she does move fast. Okay. How do I catch up?"

Red Lighting:

"Red Lighting," the woman with the long orange hair and flash pack yells as she slams her fist onto the ground. As she does, a bright white light appears. I have to stop and raise my hands.

"Ahh," I say, stepping back. It takes a while but finally, the white light fades and I can see again. Only, everything is blurry.

"Oh no," I say, rubbing my eyes. I rub and rub my eyes but the blurriness doesn't go away. Everything is a mess of colors. Nothing is a human, place, or thing. It's all one mess of colors.

"Oh no," I say again.

Layla Phoebe:

I turn my head when I hear someone stumbling around. There, I see the fierce Red Lighting standing in front of me. Only, she's not really standing. It looks more like she limping around. She drags her leg as she comes to a stop. Also, she can't seem to stop shaking her head.

"Red Lighting," I shout, pointing one of my flashlights at her. "I'm sorry about this. I'm so sorry about this, but I have to do this. I have no choice. I have no choice!"

I pull back my hand and slam the two flashlights together.

Red Lighting:

The woman slams her hands together and unleashes some sort of bright light. A light so bright I have to step back, but not because the light is hurting my eyes. It's because the light is burning my skin. It's so hot, I feel like I'm standing right next to an open oven, with the oven on high. Luckily, thanks to my enhanced speed, I'm able to turn around before the light can blind me. Turning back to the woman once the heat dies down, I can make out a blur of orange hair.

"That must be her," I think. Leaping off the street, I run toward the blue of orange hair. Pulling back my fist, I send it flying forward, only to hit what feels like a brick wall. I cry as I pull back my shaking hand.

"What?"

I shake my head and narrow my eyes. My vision is still blurry but I can see that the blur of orange hair hadn't moved. Still confused, I place my hand on the blur. It's flat and hard as a rock.

"Shoot," I think, slapping myself on the head. As I realize what I looking at right now is a wall with some sort of poster or art design on it, I hear something to the side of me. I turn and see another blur, this one a mixture of black and orange.

I can't be sure but this blur doesn't seem to be standing too far from me. It moves a little and as it moves, I hear something else. One second later, something hits and knocks me to the ground. Screaming and I fall to the ground, I rub my burning chest.

"What hit me?"

I don't have much time to wonder. While pushing myself up, the black and orange blur appears directly in front of me. She kicks and knocks me back to the ground before pinning me down. While pinned down, she moves and aims something at me.

"I didn't want to do this," she says.

The thing still in front of my head, I think fast and shake my hand as fast as I can. My hand turns into a blur itself, a sparking, electrifying blur. With this blur, I grab the woman's leg and shock her. She screams and swings her hand away from my face. Using my other hand, I hit her on the same leg and knock her to the ground. Now free, I push myself up and run back a little.

"I hate this," I cry, rubbing my eyes but the blurriness still stays. "How can I fight when everything looks the same?"

Rubbing my eyes one last time but everything staying the same, all I can do is bring up my fist and prepare. I hear the woman gets up. I can hear a beeping sound, a familiar beeping sound.

"Wait," I think, replaying something in my head. "That beeping sound. I heard the exact same beeping sound before. It was just before-"

I realize what the beeping sound is and quickly jump out of the way. Just as I thought, the beeping sound is coming from the woman's pack. Whatever she hit me with, a beeping sound will happen.

"Her pack! Her pack needs to power up before it can attack!"

Miley Daniel:

"Thanks for the ride," I say to the uber driver. "Definitely four stars."

I smile as I give the uber driver a thumb-up.

"Four stars," the driver repeats, looking at me.

"Word of advice," I say before closing the door. "If you want really that fifth star, please buy some air fresher. No offense or anything, but it's really hard to enjoy the ride when your car smell of beans burrito."

He eyes the half-eaten burrito in his cup holders.

"I knew I should've just put over."

With that, the uber driver eats his lunch while driving away. I make quick work of his review, giving him four stars and a decent tip. Once done, I pocket my phone and run toward the scene of the current crime. As I approach, I see police officers pushing people back.

"They already sealed the area," I think, stopping and looking around. "Shoot. I need to find another way in."

 As I look around some more, I see a locked-up ladder on one of the sides of the stores. I follow the ladder up and see how all the stores are low and connected.

"That works," I say as I run up to the locked-up ladder. Seeing a simple lock but no key, I reach into my pocket and pull out a pen. Pulling off the cap, I stick the cap in the lock and jiggle it a bit. A few seconds later, the lock unlocks and I climb up the ladder.

"I can't believe I still remember how to do that," I tell myself as I climb up. Reaching the top, I run from rooftop to rooftop until I reach the fight. There, in the center of the street, are Red Lighting and Flashlight Lady. For some reason, Red Lighting isn't running circles around Flashlight Lady. Instead, she's walking around very slowly, holding out her hands.

"What are you doing?"

As I keep watching, I see Flashlight Lady aiming her hand at Red Lighting. Before I could scream, Flashlight shoots out a white beam but Red Lighting manages to dodge it.

"Laser! Flashlight Lady had lasers! What is this? Star Wars? And what is up with Samantha? She's acting like she's--Oh no."

A literal lightbulb turns on above my head.

"Samantha is blind!"

I slap myself on the head.

"That's why she's moving around so slowly and holding out her hand. Flashlight Lady must have blinded her like she did Oliver! Oh, I am going to make you pay for that!"

Slamming my fist into my palm, I look around for something I could use to help Samantha.

"I can't risk exposing myself. I have to help without being seen."

I look and look around but the rooftop is bare. There's literally nothing up here I can use. Nothing at all. Literally, the only things up here are a spinning air vent and some tiles. I slap myself in the face and turn back around.

Samantha is still feeling her way around. She's holding out her hands while stepping around. Flashlight Lady must have also noticed Sammy's current condition. She starts to tiptoe around. I watch as she fires a laser at a window. The sound of the window shattering makes Samantha turns her head. The second Samantha's head is turned, Flashlight Lady raises both her hands and fires dual lasers at her. She screams and falls back.

"Okay," I say, pounding my head for anything like an answer. "Plan. Plan. Plan! I need a plan! Wait, I got a plan."

Red Lighting:

"Ahh," I moan, putting my hand on my aching head. Every time I move, it feels like my brain is hitting the inside of my skull. As painful as it is, I shake my head and look around. "Shoot. I still can't see."

Everything is still a mix of colors. All I see are blurs as they move around. One particular bunch of blurs seems to be moving closer and closer toward me.

"The lady," I think, watching as a pair of black blurs raise up. Before the lady could shoot or even before I could move, we hear someone screaming and look up.

"Watch out," someone yells from somewhere. I look around and see something brown and blurry fly out from the rooftop. Only, it's not one something. It's a lot of them.

"What in the world," the lady screams as the things start to hit her. She screams and backs away, accidentally pulling back her arms to shield herself.

"Ouch," I cry when one of the brown and blurry things hit me. Pushing myself up, I grab one and examine it. It's small, rectangle-shaped, and feels a lot like sandpaper. I think back to what I saw before.

"Is this a rooftop tilt? Who's throwing rooftop tilts?"

I look up at the rooftop but I don't see anyone up. As I keep looking around, I hear a familiar beeping sound and turn to see the lady blur.

"She's about to fire!"

Seeing some white lights coming toward me, I jump out of the way and run toward the lady. Running fast, I run right into the lady before she could shoot again. The lady yells right in my ears as I keep on running. I run straight ahead, and without realizing it, the lady and I run right through a window and into a store.

The sound of glass breaking is added to the lady's scream as we both fall. The lady falls somewhere else while I fall against a cold floor and roll around. As I roll away, I hit a bunch of things and a bunch of things fall on top of me. Something like a blanket falling right on top of me, I scream as I try to take it off.

Miley Daniel:

I look from the rooftop and see a large broken window with broken glass laying all around it.

"They disappeared into a store," I say, checking the store's name. "No. Not a store. A restaurant. An Italian restaurant. Aruffo's Italian Eatery. I wonder how the risotto is."

I jump from the rooftop onto the sidewalk beneath and run over to the broken window. Making sure to stay out of sight as I approach, I drop to my knees and peek. There, I see Samantha screaming as she throws a red and white tablecloth off of her.

Surrounded from all sides by broken wooden chairs, smashed plates, and knocked-over tables, Samantha pushes herself up and shakes some cheese powder from her hair. She then looks around for Flashlight Lady.

"Where is Flashlight Lady," I ask, looking around myself. I see a trail of broken chairs and knocked-over tables, similar to the one Samantha is standing in, but no Flashlight Lady. "Where did she go? There's no way she would have left things like this. She must be nearby."

As I keep looking, I hear the sound of plates breaking.

Red Lighting:

I turn around when I hear the sound of plates breaking and see a familiar mix of blurring colors. I jump and run out of the way before the lady could hit me. Stopping after I see something tall and white, I place my hands on them. They feel very smooth and flat.

"Plates," I think, "These are plates!"

Immediately, I start to throw the plates at the lady. I place my hand on the plates and, using my speed, fling them at her.

Despite being only a blur, I can see the blurs hiding as I throw plates at her. She screams and tries to shoot me but with the number of plates I'm throwing, she's forced to stay behind a table. I keep on throwing plate after plate until my hands hit wood instead of ceramic.

"I'm out!"

The lady must have realized I'm out of plates as well. I hear the beeping sound a few seconds later. Before I could run out of the way, she hits me with her pack. The hit knocks me over a table and I fall to the ground.

Moaning as I push myself up, the lady screams as she stomps on my back.

"I have no choice," the lady says over the beeping sound. The beeping sound grows faster. It grows so fast even I can't keep track of it anymore. "I'm so sorry, but I have no choice. I have to do this! I have to!"

I feel my back start to warm up. It only warms up for a few seconds. Very soon, it starts to heat up. It feels like I'm standing right behind a massive campfire.

"I'm so sorry," the woman repeats. "I have to do this! I have to do this! I have--"

Something happens and the woman's foot is taken off my back.

"What," I say, turning around and now seeing another blur of colors fighting against the lady.

Miley:

Sneaking behind Flashlight Lady as she warms up her lasers, I grab a tablecloth and throw it over her. She screams, shakes, and tries to throw the tablecloth off but I throw my arms around her and stop her.

"What," she screams as she shakes. "What is going on? Who are you? Let go of me!"

My fingers start to slip, I remember something I used to do. I raise my foot and, like Flashlight Lady, stomp it against her. Unlike Flashlight Lady, however, I stomp against the back of her knee instead of her back. Hitting the bend, Flashlight Lady is forced onto her knee.

Still wearing the tablecloth, I turn her around and punch her as hard as I could across the face. Almost screaming after punching and knocking her down, I manage to keep my voice down. Instead, I bite down on my tongue and shake my hand.

"Ow! Oh boy, that hurts! That hurt a lot! Ah, wow. Been a while since I last fought someone!"

I inhale through my teeth as I keep shaking my hand.

"Hey," Samantha yells as she pulls herself up and looks right at me. "Who's there? Who are you?"

"Oh shoot! I don't want Samantha to know it's me. She'll ask why I help her, and I can't let her know I know who she is!"

Moving fast, I grab a nearby tablecloth and throw it at her. She screams and stumbles as she tries to take it off. While she does that, I take the chance to run out the broken window and down the street.

"I'll tell her and Oliver later," I think as I run around a corner. "For now, I think it will be for the best if they don't know."

Red Lighting:

"What in the world was that," I say as soon as I throw the tablecloth off of me. When I threw the tablecloth off, I notice how things aren't blurry anymore. I can everything so clearly now. Everything isn't just a blur. I can tell the clouds in the sky apart. I can see all the broken pieces of plates everywhere. I can even see the lady on the ground.

Running over to her, I drop to a knee and throw the tablecloth off of her.

"She's unconscious," I think, hearing her breathing. "And she's still wearing that strange pack. It looks exactly like the one Boom Blaster and Razor Wings had."

I think back to what happened before when I try to take the back off.

"They exploded," I told myself. "I can't disarm it. I have to leave it. At least, for now."

I look around for a bit and see a notepad with a pen right beside it. I run over to grab them before returning to the unconscious lady. On the notepad, I write "please do not remove the backpack. Will explode if you do".

With that, I rip the note and place it in the woman's hand. I then run away.

"Shoot! I hope I didn't miss all of the class! If I do, then it means Miley will have to tutor me! And the last thing I need is to be around her!"

Benefactor:

It's late into the night when I walk into our lab. My partner, as expected, is sitting at his desk, working away on his computer. As I walk down the stairs and toward him, he turns around to face me.

"So," I ask, "Anything new?"

"A few new things but not a lot," my partner answers. He pushes himself to the side and shows me his screen. "Judging by the last bit of footage, Red Lighting's eyesight seems to have come back. Despite being blinded by our flashbang pack."

"Okay," I say with a shrug. "Yeah. We already know that."

"That's the problem," my partner goes on. "I think we learned about as much as we can from watching her. If we want project lighting in a bottle to process, we'll need more."

"What do you mean by more?"

"We'll need a DNA sample of Red Lighting herself to know how she works."

Samantha Reader:

"So right in the middle of class, you just decided to leave," my mother asks, "Just like that."

"Samantha," my dad says with a shake of his head and a sigh. He falls slightly into the chair in the principal's office.

I open my mouth, wanting to say something, but I couldn't. I couldn't think of anything to say. I mean, how could I tell my parents, the principal, and my teacher the reason I miss the other half of chemical class is that I had to go and fight some lady with a pair of laser shooting gloves?"

"Well," my mother says, looking at me.

I sigh and lower my head. My mother snaps her fingers and my head shoots back up.

"Answer me," she says, "Look me in the eyes and tell me what happened."

"Something came up," I answer. "That's it."

Like my father, my mother sighs deeply.

It's only a few hours later but honestly, I wish it was the end of time. As it turned out, even with my super speed, I couldn't make it back to class in time. By the time I did arrive, the class had already ended, and since I was nowhere to be found, Ms. Lori contacted the principal who contacted my parents. The five of us agreed to a short meeting in the principal's office after school. Dad had to leave work early in order to come.

"I hate to add this," Ms. Lori says, bringing up a file and pulling out some papers. "But this isn't my only concern for Samantha. Lately, she had been failing many of her quizzes and tests. She also hadn't been turning in some of her homework. I was able to convince another student, Miley Daniel, to tutor her, and while her overall grade did raise a bit, it's still not enough."

I watch as my parents' eyes go wide and their jaws drop. Ms. Lori places only a few of my past quizzes and tests all over the principal's table, and they're covered in red marks. The highest grade out of all of them is a C minus.

"Speaking of Ms. Miley Daniel," the principal says. "Am I to believe she is missing as well?"

"Yes," Ms. Lori says with a nod. "She told me she had to go to the restroom and never came back. I imagine she is skipping school as well."

"Ahh. I'll have to call her father as well. For now, Ms. Lori, Samantha is your student. I let you decide how to handle her. Mr. Reader. Mrs. Reader."

The principal gets up and offers my parents his head. They smile weakly and shake the principal's hand before leaving with me following them. My parents stay silent until we all get into the parking lot.

"Samantha," my dad says. "I can't believe you skip school. Why?"

"Something came up," I choke.

"What does that even mean," my dad says while shaking. "Something came up? What came up? What was so important coming up that it may you skipped class during the middle of class?"

My mother interrupts.

"Is this about Oliver? Honey, I've already been told by his parents. Oliver is doing fine. He can see again and he's scheduled to be released in a few hours."

I raise my head when I hear the news.

"Really? Oh yes. Can we please go see him?"

"No," my father answers, putting up a finger. "No Samantha, we will not go and visit Oliver.  Samantha, until you get these grades up, you are not allowed outside the house."

"What? But dad--"

"Samantha," my mother says, cutting me off. "I agree with your father. Until you get your grade back up, I don't want to leave the house. You're grounded. Now, please get into my car. Your father had to back to work."

There's nothing I can say. There's no argument here. All I can do is lower my head in shame and get in my mother's car.

"I'll see you at home," my mother says.

"I'll see you at home," my father replies before looking at me. "And I expect to see you in your room tonight."

With that, my parents share a quick kiss before separating.

Oliver Oakman:

"The fugitive, identified as Ms. Layla Phoebe, had been arrested and is in police custody, following a fight with Red Lighting."

The news story then shows a mugshot of Layla Phoebe. It stays on the screen for a few minutes before switching to a helicopter view of Layla Phoebe in handcuffs and being escorted into a police car. As I watch this, I couldn't help but jump up and down while swinging my hands.

"Yes," I cry. "Yes! Yes! Way to go Sammy!"

I dance for a little bit before stopping. Out of breath and panting a little, I wipe some sweat from my forehead. I go back to watching the news feed, and when I do, I notice something.

"The pack," I say, getting as close to the small t.v. as I can. "She still wearing the pack. Sammy doesn't try to take it off. She must have left it because she didn't want it to explode. Still, it's insanely risky to leave that thing on her. I hope Sammy knows what she's doing."

I turn my head when I hear the doorknob turning. Immediately, I run and jump back into bed and turn off the television.

"Hello, Dr. Goodwin," I say with a wave as the door opens. Only, it's not Dr. Goodwin that enters but Miley.

"Hey Oliver," Miley says with a wave as she enters. "How are you doing?"

"Uhh," I start, trying to piece together sentences in my head. "Fine. I'm doing fine. Miley? What are you doing?"

"I came here to see you," Miley answers. "I just came to deliver some news. I don't know if you saw it or anything."

Miley reaches over and grabs the nearby remote control. She presses the power button and on comes the news, still talking about Red Lighting and Layla Phoebe.

"But Red Lighting fought yet another supervillain and won. Congrats to her."

"Thanks for the update," I say. "You came all the way here to tell me that?"

"Yeah," Miley says before she turns around and leaves. She opens the door but before she leaves, she turns around and runs toward me. She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before running out.

She disappears before I could do besides blink. I can feel my mouth open but the only things to come out are part of some words.

"Whhhh-aaahhhh--peennn-ahhh--mmmmyyy."

While I 'talk', I rub the cheek that Miley kissed. It feels very hot.

"Now that I think about it, Miley looks way better when she smiles."

Miley Daniel:

As I sprint down the hospital's hallway, I couldn't help but think of only one thing.

"He looks so adorable when I kiss him. His wide eyes. His blank expression. How he tries to say something but can't."

I laugh at the thought as I press the elevator button and go to the first floor. Leaving the elevator and going to the parking lot, I stop when I see Oliver's blue mustang parked nearby.

"Bingo," I say, running over to it.

As I run over to the car, I turn and spin around to make sure there aren't any people with watchful eyes.

"Oliver's mustang," I think as I approach it. "I figure it would be here. You never seem to be too far from your car. God, I hope you're not planning on driving after you get released."

Doing one last quick scan, I bend down and pull out a tracker from my pocket.

"Hope this works."

I tape the tracker in the curve above the back right tire and then pull out my cell phone. With one tap on an app, I can see exactly where Oliver is and where he will be going. And very soon, where Red Lighting will be going.

Dr. Earl Morris

I tip my cap at the receptionist as I enter the lobby.

"Hello there," I say, bringing up the package and putting it on her desk. "I have an order here for Mr. Neil Newman."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the receptionist says, putting down her phone. "But I don't believe Mr. Newman is expecting any package today."

"Oh, believe me, miss. This package right here is meant to be a surprise for him."

Mr. Neil Newman:

“Excuse me,” one of my receptionists says as she opens the doors to my office. “Mr. Newman? May I please come in?”

I stop typing and look up from my computer.

“Of course,” I answer. “What is it?”

My receptionist walks in with a small package in her arms. She walks up to my desk and places it down.

“I got this package for you,” she answers. She reads the label on the side of the box. “It’s from one of our suppliers.”

“One of our suppliers,” I repeat. I look at the small package before looking over the label myself. It is indeed from one of our suppliers but why did they send me a package? Besides, I haven’t needed to order anything from them for a while now.

“I’ll check it out later,” I say, grabbing the whole box and putting it on the floor beside my foot. “You can go now.”

My receptionist nods her head and leaves my office. While she leaves, I return to reading blueprints for my office.

“This could work,” I say, studying the design for the barrel of the cannon. “But the question is, will it? If something happens, I need this to work. I may not get a second chance. Especially with him back in town.”

I chew on my finger as I look over the blueprints again.

Oliver Oakman:

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say as I walk out of the hospital with my mom and my dad. “You’re grounded? Like grounded, grounded?”

“What other kind of grounded is there,” Sammy asks through my cellphone. “I’m grounded because I, well, left in the middle of class and basically disappeared for the rest of class.”

“You disappeared,” my mother repeats. “Samantha, why did you even leave class?”

“Uhh, mom,” I say, putting my hand over my phone. “Please. Private conversation.”

My mother’s eyebrows form a V as she looks at me. Feeling like a knife is begin driven into my chest, I clear my throat and look away.

“I’ll call you later,” I whisper to Sammy before ending the call and putting my phone into my pocket.

The three of us stop when we reach the bottom of the stairs and find ourselves standing in the parking lot.

“I’m going to Sammy,” I say. “I’ll see you guys at home.”

I turn around and try to walk away but I barely take two full steps before someone grabs my shoulder.

“Oliver,” my dad says, his hand turning me around. “Maybe it would be for the best if you stay away from Samantha for a bit.”

I shake my dad’s hand off of me.

“What are you talking about?”

My dad takes a deep breath before talking.

“I know Samantha is your best friend, Oliver, but lately, her grades had been slipping. Her parents told us. Anyway, until her grades come back up, I really do think it would be in her best interest just to stay away from here. Besides, you just got released from the hospital. Don’t you want to go and celebrate with us? We can go to Sonic. You like the milkshakes there. Right?”

I don’t waste a second. I don’t even have to think about it. I shake my head.

“I’ll pass,” I answer. “I want to go and see Samantha.”

“Oliver,” my dad says but I quickly step back and turn around. “I’ll--I’ll give Sammy her homework. After that, I’ll leave. For now, bye mom. Bye, dad. I’ll see you later tonight at home.”

“Wait,” my mother yells. “You can’t drive! You just got your sight back!”

My parents yell a few more things but I ignore all of them. I just run to my car and turn the key. I back out and drive to Samantha. I run through a few red lights so I can get to Samantha’s house faster. I pull up in front and get out.

As I walk up to the front door, I stop and shake my head.

“Ahh,” I cry, seeing a blurry stone pathway. A quick shake of the head and a few blinks later and my vision returns to normal. Once I see a normal, non-blurry door in front of me, I knock. The door opens halfway after a few minutes and there, standing behind the door is Mrs. Reader.

“Oliver,” Mrs. Reader says. “Hi.”

“Hello ma,” I say with a nod of my head. “May I please see Samantha?”

“I’m afraid not,” Mrs. Reader answers. “Samantha is grounded. She’s not allowed to leave her room until she gets her grade back up. She’s also not allowed to have any friends over. I’m sorry Oliver, but I’m afraid I need to ask you to leave.”

Mrs. Reader moves to close the door but I shoot out my hand and stop her.

“Hold on,” I shout. “I, uh, have Samantha’s homework. Yeah, I have some of Samantha’s homework. Be right back.”

I run back to my car and start to look around.

“Find it,” I say, finding my backpack shoved underneath the front passenger’s seat. I open the backpack and pull out some unfinished assignments.

“They’re not chemistry but hopefully, Mrs. Reader won’t notice.”

Seeing a pencil on the bottom, I grab it and write a quick note before handing the papers to Mrs. Reader. She smiles, thanks me, and closes the door. With the door in front of me closed, I have no choice but to return to my car and hide around the corner.

Samantha Reader:

“Samantha,” my mother says, her head poking in after knocking. “Your friend, Oliver, just delivered this for you. It’s assignments you missed.”

I look up from my chemical book and see a stack of papers in my mother’s hands.

“Thank mom,” I say, taking the stack of missed assignments. She leaves the room while I look through the mountain of forgotten assignments. “What? These aren’t mine.”

I hold up one of the assignments and read it over.

“What is the purpose of a catalytic converter? Where is a catalytic converter in a car? Below is a diagram of an engine. Is it a v6 or v8 engine?”

I throw this assignment to the side and read the others.

“These are all mechanics questions, for a mechanic class. I don’t have a mechanic class, but Oliver does.”

Looking at the stack, I start to throw one assignment after the next to the side. It’s not until I reach the bottom that I see one assignment with a message on it.

“Coming up to your room,” the message reads. “Please open the window fast before someone sees.”

I turn and look out my window. Right away, I open the window and look out. There, I see Oliver laying on the ground.

“Oliver,” I shout. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting eaten by ants,” Oliver replies, pushing himself up. He pats his legs down and I see some ants fall off. After a quick dance and a rub, he climbs into my room.

“Hey, hey, hey,” I say, still seeing some ants on Oliver. “Don’t dance in my room! I don’t want any in here!”

“Well, I don’t want ants on me!”

Oliver breathing in and out his teeth picks the ants off of himself and throws them back outside.

“Happy,” Oliver asks while panting.

“Yes,” I say. “I have some snacks hidden in here I rather the ants not find. Anyway, Oliver, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to ask you the same thing,” Oliver replies. “What are you doing?”

“I’m grounded. As I’m sure you’ve been told.”

I step to the side and show Oliver the mountain of assignments and homework I have to do.

“Until my C minus turns back into at least a B minus, then the only two places I’m allowed to go are my room and the school.”

“Okay. Sammy is grounded but what about you know who else?”

“What about her? She’s grounded too.”

“What happens if there’s an emergency? You know, a ‘pack’ emergency?”

“There shouldn’t be any more emergencies. I mean, the lady-”

“Laya Phoebe,” Oliver says. “According to the news, her name is Laya Phoebe.”

“Right. Laya Phoebe was just taken down. It means there won’t be another pack for a while.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“A simple pattern. First Simon, then Adam, and finally Laya. They all come one week apart.”

“And because of said simple pattern, you’re not worried.”

“Of course I’m worried, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Listen, for now, for now, I’m just going to stay here and study the best I can. Okay? If there’s something, then I guess I can sneak out but until then, I’m grounded.”

Mr. Neil Newman:

“This should work,” I say, putting the final adjustments to the cannon. Adjusting the barrel so it would aim upward, I set the chamber. “It’s loaded. Okay. This is it.”

I step back and look at the new cannon I installed. A simple cannon with a long barrel and a chamber, it stands proudly on the roof of my company.

“I only hope it works.”

With the cannon ready, I walk down the stairs and back into my office. As I push open the door and enter the hallway, I stop.

“What the hell?”

For some reason, there seems to be smoke coming out from behind the doors of my office. Seeing the smoke, I immediately turn and run back to the roof.

Samantha Reader:

“Hydrogen,” I start. “Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. Boron. Carbon. Nitrogen. Oxygen. Fluorine. Neon. Okay. I think I got the first ten elements memorized.”

I take a deep breath before closing my eyes and reciting the elements.

“Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. Boron. Carbon. Nitrogen. Oxygen. Fluorine. Ne--”

Before I could finish, my cell phone goes off, startling me. I recover and grab my phone after screaming and knocking my textbook to the floor.

“Oliver,” I read. “Why is Oliver calling me? He just left a few minutes ago.”

I realize there’s only one reason why Oliver would call me. I get up from my chair and check my door. Opening it a crack, I look for my mom.

“I don’t see her anywhere. She must be in her room.”

I answer the call and put it close to my ear.

“Oliver,” I whisper, “What? What is it? Another emergency?”

“I can’t be sure,” Oliver answers.

“What? Oliver, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m grounded. I can’t be answering calls from friends.”

“No, no, no, Sammy. I just recorded something. I think you really need to see this.”

My phone then goes off. A text message with an attachment gets through. I open the text message and watch the video Oliver sent.

It showed me an evening sky. A cloudless orange, evening sky. Nothing out of the ordinary. At least for the first few seconds. Without any warning, I then see what looks like flares being fired into the sky.

“What in the world?”

I keep watching as three bright red flares are fired into the sky. It’s hard to see flares go off since I’m watching through a video and it’s evening, but I think it supposes to be some kind of signal.

“Three flares,” I say.

“Yeah,” Oliver says. once more startling me. I forget I never ended the call with him. “And here’s the kicker. I think the flares are coming from Newman’s Chemicals.”

“Newman’s Chemicals,” I repeat, slapping myself on the face. “Of course. Newman’s Chemical.”

“And if it’s Newman’s Chemical,” Oliver goes on. “Then there’s a chance it’s--”

“The Noose,” I say, looking out the window. “But wait, Oliver. I can’t leave the house. My parents are mad at me. If I sneak out now, they may not let me out of the house again until I’m college bound!”

I stop talking when I hear footsteps. I throw my phone onto my bed and slam my pillow on top of it. I then drop back into my chair and read my chemical textbook.

“Samantha,” my mother says, her head poking into my room. “Samantha. Did I hear you talking on your phone?”

“No,” I say, turning away from my books. “No. I do not talk on my phone.”

My mother shoots me a look.

“Where is your phone,” she asks, stepping into my room. She stands in my room and looks around.

I clear my throat before I answer.

“My phone is right here.”

I turn around and, with a heavy sigh, I raise my pillow.

My mom grabs my phone and checks it.

"I’m so dead."

“Sorry,” my mother says, my head snapping up. “It looks like you weren’t calling someone.”

She hands me my phone. As I slowly take it back, I check the screen and see only my homepage.

“Still,” my mother goes on, “I hope you know you can’t call anyone.”

“I know,” I say with a nod. “Uhh, I have to, uhh, study.”

“Of course.”

With that, my mother leaves my room. I wait a minute or two after my mother closed the door to check my call log.

“Oliver ended the call. Oh no. If Oliver ended the call, then it means only one thing.”

Oliver Oakman:

I end the call and shove my phone into my pocket.

“As much as I hate to do without you,” I say, stepping on the gas. “I have to.”

Driving to Newman’s Chemical, I park right outside. Practically jumping out of my mustang, I charge through the front door.

“The lobby is empty,” I say once inside. I look around and see flashing red lights along with a loud blazing alarm. “Shouldn’t there be security guards around? Where did they go?”

About to leave the lobby, I stop when I hear something.

“Is that moaning?”

I look around for a bit before following the sound. The moaning seems to be coming from behind a security desk. Walking right up to it, I stand on my toes and peek over. There, I see two security guards on the ground.

“No,” I say, running around the desk. I drop to my knees and check their pulse.

“It’s weak but I definitely feel something.”

Looking behind me, I see cameras and videotapes. Getting back to my feet, I stand in front of the control.

“How does this work?”

It takes a few tries but after a minute or two, I finally can see what’s happened here.

Shortly after the alarms go off, the two security guards rush all of the workers out of the building. Once they’re cleared, one of the guards gets a message on his radio. He taps the other guards and they are about to run somewhere. However, they only take a few steps before pair of arms shoot out from off-screen. The arms wrap themselves around the guards and throw them into the wall, knocking them out. Immediately after the guards are taken down, I see the Noose walk onto the screen. He takes the elevator and disappears.

“There’s no way I can fight the Noose,” I say, looking at the elevator. “But there’s no way I’m letting him do whatever it is he wants.”

As I look around for something I could use like a weapon, I see something and I think back to six months ago.

“That’ll work,” I say. I walk up to a fire extinguisher and pry it off the wall. Now, armed, I take the elevator and push for the top floor. “I can only think of one place the Noose would bother to go. Hold on.”

Oliver Oakman:

As the elevator dings and the door opens, I rise the fire extinguisher and look around. With one eye lined up with the nozzle, I’m preparing for the Noose in case of an attack.

“He’s not in the hallway,” I whisper to myself as I quietly tip-toe into the empty shining hallway. Taking only a few steps toward Mr. Newman’s office, I stop almost immediately when I see smoke leaking out of it. “What is that?”

Before I could wander anymore, the doors to Mr. Newman’s office come flying out their hinges. The doors hit and knock me to the floor.

“Ahh,” I cry as I hold my head. Shaking my head left and right and trying my hardest to ignore the thudding headache, I look around. “Shoot.”

The doors did more than me to the floor. They almost knock the fire extinguisher out of my hand. Reaching over to grab it, I cry again when someone stomps on the door and me.

“I remember you,” Dr. Morris says as he stomps on the door again, squeezing the breath out of me. As he stomps on me again, I can see the evil doctor wearing what looks like a homemade gas mask. I also notice folders with papers in them in the doctor’s hand.

“You were with Red Lighting six months ago. You helped her freeze me. Well, I guess now I have a score to settle with you too.”

A hand stretches toward me, I look at the extinguisher.

“I just need a little more room,” I tell myself. Putting whatever strength and energy I have, I’m able to push the door off of me. I didn’t knock Dr. Morris over because he simply steps off the door but I’m still able to free myself.

With the door off of me, I can jump and leap for the extinguisher.

“Not so fast,” Dr. Morris shouts. Shooting out his hand, he wraps it around my feet and pulls me close. My fingernails scratch against the floor as I try to grab the extinguisher.

Using his other arm, he wraps it around me and pins my arms to my sides.

“Who are you,” Dr. Morris asks. “Answer me, or you’ll learn firsthand what I sometimes refer to as The Noose.”

Dr. Morris tightens his grip around me. I scream as it feels like my bones are being crushed.

“Tell me now,” Dr. Morris demands. By this time, Dr. Morris had tightened his grip so much, I couldn’t answer. Even if I wanted.

“Hey,” someone yells. Dr. Morris looking past me screams as someone shoots him in the face with the fire extinguisher. Force to step back, he accidentally lets me go. Falling to the floor, landing on my arms and legs, I choke as I try to regain my breath.

“Are you okay,” someone asks. Grabbing my arm and pulling me up, I couldn’t even my eyes. The person who saved me is Mr. Newman. He’s still shooting the fire extinguisher. A cloud of thick white smoke filled the hallway as the two of us run back.

“Wait,” Mr. Newman says, looking at me. “Don’t I know you?”

I sigh as I roll my eyes.

“I really should wear my own mask,” I think.

Mr. Newman and I make it back to the elevator. Pushing the open, the elevator’s doors open and the two of us jump in.

“I’m out,” Mr. Newman yells, the fire extinguisher barely gushing out any more white foam. Since the extinguisher is empty, Mr. Newman had no other choice but to throw the extinguisher itself. Meanwhile, I spamming the close button, trying to close the elevator’s doors. They finally close after what feels like an eternity. With the elevator doors closed, I feel like I can take a breather.

“Hey, Mr. Newman says, looking at me as I crouch down. “We’re not moving.”

“What?”

“You’re not moving,” Mr. Newman yells. I look at the buttons on the elevator’s control. All of the buttons are flashing, waiting for me to push a floor number.

“Shoot,” I say as I push the button for the first floor. However, as soon as I push the button, the elevator’s doors ding, and long fingers stretch through. The fingers pry the door open and we see a foam-covered Dr. Morris with a red head, steamy ears, and two very long arms.

Dr. Morris’s arms shoot toward us, I raise my arms and prepare for the worst.

Red Lighting:

Screaming as I shoulder charge through the door, I see Dr. Morris shoots out his arms toward an elevator. Pushing and launching myself off the floor, I run toward the arms before they can get inside the elevator.

Grabbing them and throwing them into the wall, I look back and see both Oliver and Mr. Newman inside the elevator.

“You know,” I say, watching as Oliver taps a button over and over. “80 percent of the close door button on elevators are broken, right? You would probably have an easier time just pushing a floor.”

“Uhh,” Oliver says, stopping. He lowers his finger and pushes another button. “Thank you.”

I nod my head. The elevator doors closed and now, it’s just the Noose and me.

“Red Lighting,” the Noose says, retracting his hand and shaking it.

“Dr. Earl Morris,” I say, noticing some folders in one of his hands. “What are those?”

“Just some things I want to look at. Listen here, Sparky, as much as I want to throw you around, there are still a few things I need to do. So bye.”

With that, the Noose turns around and starts to run.

“What,” I say, watching as the Noose disappears into a smoke cloud inside Mr. Newman’s office. About to chase after him, I stop when I see the smoke.

“The Noose was wearing a gas mask when he entered,” I think. My memory shows me the Noose wearing some sort of homemade gas mask. As I focus more on the mask and look up, I have no choice but to stop.

“All of this was for some folders? What were in those folders?”

Oliver Oakman:

"Yeah," Mr. Newman says, shaking his finger at me. "Yeah, I do know you."

"No, you don't, I say, trying my hardest to stay calm. "I can't let Mr. Newman remember who I am. It could blow Sammy's identity."

I turn and look around, trying to hide my face.

"No," Mr. Newman says. "I do. In fact, I think the last time I saw you with also the last time I saw Dr. Morris. Yes, it was about six months ago. Now I remember. I saw you on the cameras helping Red Light--"

The sound of the elevator dinging as it reaches the first floor interrupts Mr. Newman.

"Oh, thank you," I think as I suck in my guts and squeeze through the doors. Running out into the lobby, with Mr. Newman chasing after me, we both only take a few steps before stopping.

"What is that sound," Mr. Newman asks.

For some reason, there's some sort of weird, tapping sound echoing throughout the lobby. It starts off quiet but is getting louder and louder with each second.

Following my ears, I look toward a hallway. Slowly and carefully running toward the hallway, I look into it only to see a metal door come flying off. It hits the wall with a loud, echoing thud.

"What was that," Mr. Newman asks from a few feet away. I don't answer Mr. Newman. His answer comes running down the stairs and through the hallway. Sparking as she runs right through the double glass doors, she keeps running down the stairs before disappearing.

"Uhh," I say, looking at Mr. Newman as he looks at the double glass doors. Well, not the double glass doors exactly but the shattered glass that used to be the double glass doors.

"Uhh," I say after clearing my throat a few times. "Uhh. I'm sure Red Lighting is sorry about breaking your company's front doors. And also, the door to the staircases."

"What," Mr. Newman says as he walks past me and looks down the hallway. While he looks down the hallway, I subtly and quietly step back.

"Time to go," I say as I turn and quickly walk away.

Red Lightning:

Skidding to a stop right in the middle of the street, I look up and around. Despite how dark it is, I can still see the Noose as he shoots out and stretches his arm. Using his arm as a rope, he slingshots him across the rooftops.

"You're not getting away a second time," I shout as I run after the Noose. Running down the street and taking a sharp left turn, I leave behind a quiet street and enter a busy street with dozens and dozens of cars.

Looking up as I see a tiny Noose shoots his arm across the rooftop, I then hear a car's horn goes off and look back down.

"Shoot," I scream as a car is about to hit me. Still running, I jump into the air and onto the roof of the car. Stopping for only a second, I launch off the roof of the car and back onto the crowded street.

"Sorry! Excuse me! Pardon me! Watch out!"

I do my best to keep up with the Noose while running through the moving maze of cars. Getting a lot of honks and swears as I run through, I somehow managed to keep up with the Noose as he travels throughout the city. Looking up one more time as the Noose shoots out his arm and flies through the sky, I lost sight of him when he disappears onto the rooftop of a large building located near the outskirt of the city. 

Making sure he doesn't throw himself onto another building, I stop after I run circles around the building.

"What is this place?"

The large building the Noose disappears into seems to be abandoned. The walls are all rusted and the windows are all shattered. It's pitch-black inside with no sign of activity in years. Also, it's surrounded by a rusted chain-linked fence.

Looking at the abandoned building one more time, I then look down at the chain-linked fence. Vibrating my hand until it turns into a blur, I slowly cut an opening in the fence. The chains are melted away due to my fast-moving hand and the extra lightning it's processing.

Carefully stepping through the opening and into the area, I run toward the building. Running right up to what I think is the front door, I throw my weight against it and push it open. The tall rusted doors creaks and screams as I push them open.

"Well there goes the element of surprise," I tell myself as I walk into the nearly pitch-black room. Since most of the windows are shattered, there is a little bit of moonlight coming into the room but not enough to fully see what's around me or where I'm going.

"Hello," I say as I slowly enter the room. Upon realizing what I said, I roll my eyes and slap myself in the face. "Why did I say that? I mean, yeah, I already lost the element of surprise, but still. What was I expecting? For the Noose to say hello back?"

I shake my head and run around. Running throughout the building, I discovered a set of stairs and run up them. Now, on a higher level, I can see things a little better.

The Noose appears to be living in an abandoned factory. There's rusted machinery everywhere, covered in nothing but dust and webs. I can't be too sure what kind of factory this is, but judging from the few pieces of machinery I can see, it appears to be some sort of smelting factory. I see a large metal container hanging in mid-air by two chains. The container is hanging directly above some even larger metal containers. 

I can see molten metals being poured out from the hanging container into the large containers below as if the factory wasn't abandoned.

"Strange place to come home," I think. "Why set up here? Even if it's abandoned, there are still bound to be traces of metal in the air which can lead to metal poisonous."

As I ask myself this question, I notice a small, flickering light coming from behind a wall.

"Noose," I say, clenching my fists as I quietly but quickly run to the wall. Throwing myself against it, I place my ear against the wall and listen.

"I don't hear anything."

I listen for a bit longer but still don't hear anything. The light flickers once more and I see a shadow. A hand!

Screaming as I push myself off the wall, I run around it and hold up my fist.

"What the hell?"

The shadow isn't Noose. Instead, it's a wooden hand. Like the one artists would use as references. The wooden hand was placed in front of a flickering lamp, the two on an empty table.

"Surprise," someone yells from behind me. I turn around only to see the Noose jumping out from the shadow. He flings himself toward me, kicking me into the table with the lamp and wooden hand.

Before I could push myself up, the Noose pulls back his arms. His arms fling back to his side for only a second before he throws them back out. I follow his arms and watch as they wrap around a beam between two supports.

The Noose pulls the beam out from between the supports. It causes a chain reaction that knocks not only the supports but also some of the machines around down. Even with my speed, I couldn't do anything except curl into a ball, hoping not to get crushed.

The sound of everything crashing around me is louder than my screaming. I cover my head and squeeze my eyes shut. By the time it's over and I can open my eyes again, I see the Noose standing before me, through a pile of fallen metals. In his hands are the folders he stole from Mr. Newman.

"You're not going to survive this," the Noose says with a disturbing smile. He pulls out from behind him the same gas mask as before. He throws it on before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bunch of what looks like plastic water bottles. Only, instead of water, it looks like there's something else in the bottles. "Take a deep breath, Red Lighting!"

Opening the bottles, smoke immediately starts to fall out from them. The Noose opens more bottles before throwing all of them at me.

Red Lighting:

I slam my hands over my mouth as the smoke reaches me. I don’t think I inhale any of the smoke but it still burns my eyes. I feel tears form and run down my face. I have to fight the urge to scream. I don’t know what this smoke is but I know if I scream or cry, I’ll accidentally inhale and it will be worst.

“Come on,” I think as I try to push all this stupid stuff off me. “Come on! Come on! Ahh!”

I can’t do it. It’s too heavy. I was given super speed, not super strength!

As I keep trying to push it all off, I lift my hand a little to catch my breath.

“Idiot,” I say, slapping myself on the forehead with my other hand while slamming my hand back on my mouth. It was too late. In that one moment, when I needed to catch my breath, I inhale some smoke. Almost immediately, I start to feel some strange effect.

My inside starts to hurt and burn. I feel myself coughing. As I cough, it feels like sand is scrapping against my dry throat. Besides the burning inside and dry throat, my vision starts to go blurry. Once again, I see everything in front of me turns into a mess of colors.

“Oh come on,” I cough. “Not again.”

It somehow gets worst. The smoke is somehow draining my energy. My arms feel incredibly heavy all of a sudden. I can barely keep my hand over my mouth.

“I need to do something,” I tell myself. “I need to do something before it’s too late. But what? What can I do? What can I possibly do?”

As I look around for something, anything even remotely useful, I see my hand. Somehow, my hand, despite not vibrating, is sparking. There’s a little bit of red electricity shooting out from it.

“It must be the smoke,” I think, “It’s causing some sort of chemical reaction with the chemicals already in my body. Wait! This gives me an idea.”

Using whatever strength I have left in my body, I shake my hand back and forth. I vibrate it at a high frequency. As I vibrate my hand, it starts to produce more power. Unlike before, this power isn’t localized only to my hand. The bolts that appear are shooting outward in various directions. They hit the metal beams on top of me and almost instantly melt them.

“Shoot,” I cry as I move out of the way of the molten metals. The molten metals hit the floor and burn right through it. “Come on! Come on! Come on!”

Covering my eyes as I keep vibrating my hand and generating more lightning, I pull back my hand before swinging it forward.

It was like a scene from an old kung-fu movie. I literally chop through everything on top of me. All the extra lightning turns my hand into a burning axe. As I chop and cut my way through all the metals, some of the molten metals accidentally fall onto me. It lands on my legs and burns.

I scream once more while kicking back some of the stuff and pulling myself out. Finally, I’m free. The second I’m freed, I kick off against the rusted metal floor and run right out of the abandoned factory.

As I run, I notice I’m still generating an increased amount of lightning. With all this extra lightning, I run right through the chain-linked fence, burning a human-size hole in it before running away.

Oliver Oakmen:

“Where are you,” I say. I walk in circles while holding my phone in my hand. I check the messages on my phone again but see nothing but the message I’ve sent. “No new message from Sammy. Where is she?”

I turn my head and look out my bedroom window. It’s late into the night. Immediately after leaving Mr. Newman and his company, I got into my car and drove around, looking for any sign of Sammy or the Noose. However, after almost an hour of driving and non-stop phone calls and text messages, I had to give up. I stopped by a gas station to buy some snacks and gas before heading home.

Heading straight into my room with a plastic bag, I call and message Sammy a few more times.

“Pick up,” I say, putting my phone to my ear. “Pick up. Pick up.”

As I repeat, I start to bounce up and down. About a minute later, my call goes to voice mail. It tells me to leave a message but instead, I hang up. As I push the red, end call button, I hear a loud thud and see a bright light right in front of the house.

“What in the world,” I shout, looking out the window again. There, laying on the hood of my Mustang is Sammy. She looks unconscious, and she’s not moving.

“What was that,” my dad yells, his voice echoing throughout the house.

“I don’t know,” my mom says, “But it sounds like it comes from the outside.”

I start to hear footsteps. They sound like they’re coming from the living room and are heading for the front door.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Literally running out of my room, I run and jump down the stairs and through the living room. Just as my little brother reaches for the doorknob, I appear from the side and grab it first.

“I got this,” I say, opening the front door and exiting. “I got this! I’ll check it out! If I need any help, I’ll call! Don’t come out! Do not come out!”

I slam the door shut before running toward my car. There, I find Sammy still on the hood.

“Sammy,” I say, shaking her. Sammy doesn’t reply, nor does she move. I shake her once more but when she doesn’t move, I grab her wrist and check her pulse.

“It’s weak, and her breathing doesn’t sound right. It sounds shallow and irregular. Oh man, Sammy. What happened?”

I rack my brain and try to come up with an idea, any idea of what I could do.

“I can’t take her to a hospital, but it’s clear she needs to see a doctor. What to do? What am I going to do?”

I place my hands on the sides of my head and try to squeeze out an idea but all that comes out is blank. However, as I try to think of anything, I start to hear voices. I look around and see lights above the front doors come on. The front doors then open and the neighbors start to come out. Even my own parents and my little brother come out.

“Oliver,” my parents yell. “Oliver! Where are you? Did you find out what made that sound?”

"Oh come on,” I yell in my head. ”I don’t have time for this."

With Red Lightning unconscious and on the hood of my car, and my neighbors coming out, this is one talk I really want to avoid. Luckily, Red Lightning is on my car.

I reach into my pocket for my car keys but the only thing I find is my phone.

“What?”

I pat all my pockets but don’t find my car keys. I curse and slap myself on the forehead when I remember leaving my key in the kitchen after coming home.

“What to do,” I repeat, “What to do? Everyone is coming out. They're going to see Red Lighting!”

I look around, spinning in circles until I look down. When I do, I finally get an idea.

“I'm sorry about Sammy," I say, grabbing her. "But I need to do this. If you weren't unconscious, you would understand.”

Oliver Oakmen:

Just as my parents, my little brother, and all our neighbors approach me, I push myself up from the street and pat my hands together.

“It’s okay,” I yell, putting up my hands. “It’s okay. Nothing to worry about! Nothing at all.”

“Oliver,” my little brother says as he walks right up to me and looks around. “What happened? What was that loud thud we all heard?”

By now, everyone had gathered around me and my car. I do my best to keep calm but feel sweat running down my forehead. I swallow some split before clearing my throat and speaking as loud as I can.

“It was a raccoon,” I shout. I put up my hands and spin around for everyone to see. “It was just a raccoon everyone. Nothing special. You can all go back inside.”

“A raccoon,” my brother repeats. He tilts his head as he looks at me.

“A raccoon,” he repeats, “A small, little raccoon made that loud thud?”

“Yes,” I say with a nod. “A raccoon made that loud thud. It threw a rock at my car before I chase it off. It ran that way.”

I point behind me at some bushes.

“Why would a raccoon throw a rock at your car to start with,” my annoying little brother asks.

I rack my brain for an answer, but after a few seconds, all I could do is answer with a shrug. Thankfully, after a few more minutes of talking and looking around, the neighbors started to leave. One by one, they all disappear back into their home. The last ones to leave were my own family.

“But what about the raccoon,” my brother asks as I push him toward the front door.

“It’s gone,” I answer quickly. “The raccoon is gone. I shoo it away. It’s gone! Now it’s time for you to be gone! Bye-bye!”

Pushing my brother toward the front door, I then slam the front door shut before returning to my car. I drop onto the street and look underneath my car to see Sammy still laying there. I give the surroundings one last look before reaching and pulling Sammy out from underneath.

“So sorry about that,” I say as I pull Sammy out and gently lays her against the door. Sammy is still breathing strangely. I check her pulse and it’s weak.

It must be because of what happened before, but strangely enough, I feel a little bit calmer. I still have no idea what I’m going to do, but at least I can think a little more clearly.

“No hospital,” I think, “No doctor. What can I do? What can I do?”

I tap my fingers against my head before finally coming up with something that could be remotely considered a plan. I look around once more to make sure there’s no one around before leaving Sammy. I run straight into my house and toward my room. On the way back out, I snatch my car key.

“Hey,” I quickly say. “I’m going out! Don’t know when I’ll be back but I’ll be sure to call! Bye!”

I close the door before I even hear a reply. With the push of a button, I unlock my car and gently place Sammy laying down in the backseat. I then jump into the driver’s seat and stomp on the gas. A few minutes later, I pull into a Rite-Aid’s parking lot.

I make sure to park a safe distance from the front door and the sidewalks. Before I leave, I take off Sammy’s mask and shove it into my pocket. I then throw a jacket I have in my car over Sammy.

“Now, if anyone sees you, they’ll just think you’re sleeping.”

I nod my head before leaving my car and entering the store. As I stand before all the different medicines, I read what’s written on them and try to pick out the best options.

“Running nose,” one box reads.

“High fever,” another box reads.

“Cough,” a third says.

“Sammy doesn’t have any of these,” I shout at myself. “No, no, no. These won’t help, but what will?”

I hold my hand over all the boxes of medicine but don’t grab any.

“All of these are for common colds, flu, sore throat.”

My hand still hovering over the medicine, I turn my head toward the in-store pharmacy. A scenario in which I break the glass window and steal some of the medicine plays through my head.

“No,” I say, sharply turning my head away. “I can’t do that. I can’t.”

“Someone’s sick,” someone asks. I turn my head and jump a little. There, standing before me, is Miley in long pants and a jacket.

“Hey Oliver,” she starts, nodding her head. “What’s up?”

It takes a while for me to answer. I’m clutching my heart, making sure it doesn’t jump out of my chest.

“Nothing much,” I answer after clearing my throat. “Just picking up some medicine. Trying to find out which one is best.”

I look at all the boxes of medicine again, and once again, I hold my hand over them.

“Here,” Miley says. She pushes me to the side and grabs an assortment of medicine. She grabs and hands me a combination of cough syrup, aspirin, and even a nasal spray. “I don’t know what sickness your friend had, but these should help. Believe me. I know a thing or two about over-the-counter medicines.”

“How,” I ask, “And what are you even doing here?”

“Oh, I’m, uh, I’m also picking up some medicine. My dad had a slight cold and ask me to grab some.”

Miley quickly picks up a box with a bottle of cold syrup.

“Come on,” she says with a nudge of her head. “We should move before there’s a line.”

I look at Miley as she walks toward the register before looking down at everything she handed me.

“What,” I ask, shaking my head as I feel a headache coming on. “Ahh, my head.”

I follow after Miley and together, we drop everything in front of the cashier. He scans everything quickly before putting it all in a bag.

“I got this,” I say, reaching for my wallet. As I spread it open, I let out a sigh. “My last 20. Aw, man.”

I give the cashier my last 20 and he gives me the bag. I take the bag and walk toward the sliding doors with Miley by my side.

“Hey,” I say after digging through the bag. “Here. For your dad.”

I find the cough syrup Miley grabbed earlier and give it to her. She smiles as she takes it.

“Thanks,” she says as the two of us exit the store.

“Hey listen,” I say, stopping Miley before she walks or drives away or whatever. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for this. I mean, I had no idea what--”

Miley puts her finger on my lips and shuts me up.

“Don’t mention it,” she says, pulling her finger back. “I’m glad I could help. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” I say, turning and running away. “I’ll see you later too.”

Miley Daniel:

“Oh,” I say, slapping myself on the head. Oliver stops and turns back to me. “And Samantha. Chances are, I’ll see her later too. Until then.”

I shoot a wave at Oliver as he smiles and runs away. The second he’s gone, I throw the bottle of cough syrup into the trash.

Samantha Reader:

“Ahh,” I say. I open my eyes but have to close them almost instantly. It takes a few more tries but after a while, I can finally open them without blinking. “Ahh. What happened?”

My head is pounding as I push myself up. It feels like my brain is on fire, and with every move I make, the fire intensifies. “Ahh.”

I shake my head but immediately regret it. Now my burning brain is sliding around the inside of my head, pounding against the sides. I steady my head as I look around. It takes a minute since it’s so dark but after that minute, I realize I’m in Oliver’s Mustang. Not only that but while I’m sitting in the back, Oliver is sleeping in the driver’s seat.

“Oliver,” I yell, hitting Oliver. Oliver screams and shakes as he wakes up. He pushes himself up and looks around.

“What,” he shouts. “What! What! Oh. Sammy. Oh, I am so glad you’re awake.”

“So am I. Ahh, Oliver what happened to me?”

“You tell me,” Oliver says. He resets the driver’s seat so it’s upright. “The last time I saw you, you were chasing after the Noose. That was seven hours ago.”

“Five hours,” I scream. “Oliver, please tell me you’re kidding! I haven’t gone for five hours! Right?”

Oliver slowly shakes his head. He pulls out his cell phone and shows me the time.

“2”, it reads. The time is 2:25.

“Oh god,” I say. I cry as I lend back and curse myself. “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

I slam my fist into the backseat over and over.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Oliver shouts, reaching and grabbing my fist. “What are you doing?”

“Oliver,” I say, shaking his hand off. “I snuck out of my house! Okay? I snuck out of my house to chase after the Noose and almost died due to some mysterious gas when I should have been studying! Damn it!”

I slam my fist into the backseat one more thing.

“Damn it. There’s no way my parents wouldn’t have noticed I’ve been gone almost all night. I mean, what are you even doing here? Why are we in your car?”

“I called my parents, and unfortunately, only my parents, and told them I’d be out late.”

“Out late,” I repeat. “Past midnight?”

“Yeah,” Oliver says with a sigh. “You’re not the only one in trouble, but for now, let’s forget about all of that. We have bigger issues.”

“Bigger issues,” I repeat with a shake of my head.

“Yes,” Oliver says. “Bigger issues. You know, the evil doctor that can stretch his arms longer than the Empire State Building. Dr. Morris, better known as the Noose. You mentioned something about a mysterious gas. What’s that about?”

“I chased Dr. Morris all the way to what looks like an abandoned factory,” I start, “However, as it turned out, the factory was a trap. Once inside, he buried me under some beams and railing before opening these bottles filled with some sort of white running smoke. I don’t know what the smoke is but I do know it seems to somehow mess with the chemicals in my body. I started making more lightning than normal.”

“Doesn’t sound so bad,” Oliver says, “I mean, begin about to shoot more lightning bolts. That’s never a bad thing. Right?”

I eye Oliver and Oliver put up his hands.

“Well besides the extra bit of lightning, it also started to cause some other symptoms. Blurry vision. Dry throat. Muscles weakness. I was beyond lucky I was able to escape in the first place. After I did, I ran over to your house, and that’s the last thing I remember. What happened after I reach your house? I mean, the last thing I remember before falling over is seeing your car.”

“Oh nothing much,” Oliver answers with a shrug. “You know, I found you. I roll you underneath my car so no one would see Red Lightning.”

“You roll me underneath your car,” I repeat.

“Yes,” Oliver states, “And because of my quick thinking, none of my neighbors, my parents, or my little brother know Red Lightning’s secret identity. Anyway, after that, I brought you some medicines and fed them to you. Thankfully, they seem to be working. We owe Miley a big thanks.”

“Miley?”

Oliver puts his hand again and shakes both his hand and head.

“Anyway, now that you and I are fully aware of what happened, let’s move on to the bigger questions. What did the Noose steal and why?”

“I don’t know,” I answer as clearly as I can. “I chased after the Noose, but I never got a chance to see what it was he stole from Mr. Newman. Did you?”

“Kind of. From the looks of it, the Noose stole some sort of files or folders right from Mr. Newman’s office. Of course, I have no idea what it was. Do you? I mean, what file does Mr. Newman normally keep in his office.”

“All sorts of files,” I answer. “Mr. Newman is the CEO of the company. Everything from project records to shipment orders is kept in his office.”

“So no clues,” Oliver says.

“No clues,” I repeat. I lower my head. “We have no idea what Dr. Morris is after.”

Dr. Earl Morris:

I kick the front door close before walking over to my desk. Once at my desk, I take a seat and turn on a nearby lamp. I then open the folders I stole from that stupid, stupid Mr. Newman’s office. Spreading out all the order forms in front of me, I read over each and every one of them carefully.

“No,” I say, going from form to form. As I read over the forms, I throw the useless ones behind. “No. No. No. Yes. Here it is. A shipment of 1,1,1-trichloroethane is due to arrive at Newman’s Chemicals in five days. That’s more than plenty of time.”

I read over everything to make sure I know all the exact details. Once I do, I reach into my desk and pull out a printed map of the city. Circled in bright red is Newman’s Company. Using push pins, I place the printed map of the city right against my wall. I then look at all the roads and streets that lead to the company. After memorizing most of them, I grab the order forms and re-read the details.

“The shipment truck is coming from here,” I start. I put my finger on a road that leads from the outside of the city to the company. I follow the road for a while until I find what I want. An excellent spot for an ambush. I pick up a blue marker and circle the spot.

"Five days," I tell myself. "I have five days."

With that, I prepare some more bottles.

Oliver Oakmen:

I rub my eyes and take a drink of my soda.

“Ahh,” I moan, my head accidentally falling but my hands catching it in time. Despite feeling horrible, I know Sammy is feeling worst. Her head is lying on the lunch table, in front of two empty lunch trays. Surrounding her head are stacks and stacks of books and homework.

“Sammy,” I say, lightly tapping Sammy on her head. “Hey, Sammy. Come on. I know we had a late night and a painful morning.”

I flashback to earlier this morning when I arrived at my parents’ house. To say they were mad would be an understatement, and I can’t even imagine how bad Sammy got it. Especially considering she was originally grounded. Frankly, I was worried if I would see her today at school but I guess school is the one other place she can go right now.

“Sammy,” I yawn. I tap her on her head once more but she stays down. “Sammy!”

I give Sammy one last tap, a hard one this time, and her head shoots up like a rocket

“What,” she yells, papers flying and books falling. As the books fall over, they collapse toward me and I almost fall out of my seat. “What? What’s going on? Who’s there?”

Sammy snaps left and right with her hands in front of her like she’s in a kung-fu movie. When the other students see this, they laugh and point at Sammy. A few even copy her, turning their bodies left and right while holding out their hands in a karate chop. Despite all of this, Sammy and I ignore them. When Sammy realizes she’s Sammy and not Red Lightning, she calms down a bit. Only a bit though.

“Ahh,” she moans, her head falling onto one of her hands. She must eye my soda because she starts to grab it.

“Oliver, can I--”

Without even thinking, I put up my hand and nod my head.

“Go ahead,” I say. “I can always buy another.”

Sammy wastes no time. She takes the bottle and takes the cap off. With a single gulp, she drinks the whole thing. I may have drank some of the soda but the bottle was still over half full.

“Do you want me to buy another one?”

“Yes, please.”

With that, I nod my head and grab the empty soda bottle. Throwing the empty bottle into a trash can, I stop in front of a vending machine. As I stare at the vending machine, I start to feel dizzy. My eyelids feel heavy and I almost fall over when my right leg stops working but I catch myself in time.

“Ahh,” I say, shaking my head. Holding out my hand and leaning against the machine, I slap myself in the face a few times. I then rub my eyes. Giving my head one last shake, I breathe and look back at the machine. Picking one for me and one for Sammy, I open my wallet.

“Oh yeah.”

I shake my head but this time, it’s not because I’m sleepy. It’s because I’m broke. Again. With my last few dollars, I push the button and grab the soda bottle. I then return to Sammy.

“Here,” I say, slamming the bottle down in front of Sammy.

“Thank you so much,” Sammy says. She takes the bottle and once again, down the whole thing in two gulps. She sighs with relief as she puts down the empty bottle. “Nothing for you?”

“I’m fine,” I say, putting up my hand. “I’m fine.”

Sammy licks her lips after finishing the bottle. With the very little bit of energy she got, she starts to read her books. Meanwhile, I put my arms on the table and put down my head.

“Wake me up when something happens,” I say, yawning before resting.

Dr. Earl Morris:

I watch from the sidewalk as two large trucks, one with the cargo and one armored drive down the street. They drive under the bridge. The moment they do, I kick the shopping cart onto the road. It rolls and rolls until it stops in the middle of the street. The truck in front, the one with all the cargo, honks its horn and tries to stop but fails.

They crash right into my shopping cart, the shopping cart flying into the air.

“Hey,” the driver shouts as he opens his door and exits. “What the hell! Why did you do that!”

I don’t answer. Instead, I smile as the shopping cart crashes onto the ground. When it does, the bottles I placed inside break. In less than a minute, smokes start to rise from the broken bottles. The idiot driver, too busy cursing me out, doesn’t see the smoke until it’s too late.

“Hey,” he says, turning around and seeing the smoke. “Hey! What is that? What is--”

Before he could finish, the pathetic driver starts to choke. He grabs his throat as he falls to the street. He starts to cough, and a second later, he falls over.

About to take the truck and leave, I hear the sound of a door opening. I turn to see men in body armor and machine guns running out of the back of the armored truck. They quickly surround me.

“Surrender now,” one of the men shouts. “We have you surrounded!”

As I turn around, looking at all the guards Mr. Newman must have hired, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You think those guns can hurt me,” I ask in between laughs. “Oh wow. You all are beyond foolish. You all are pathetic.”

I grab and throw my stain-covered jacket off. With my disguise gone, I yell as I stretch out my arms.

“Prepare to see my brilliant in action!”

Mr. Newman’s guards fire their guns at me but the bullets deflect off my rubber skin. They fly off and hit the very guards that fired them. Already, two guards are on the ground, holding their legs as they shake.

“Everyone,” the guards scream. “Everyone! Stop shooting! Stop shooting now!”

They drop their guns and pull out batons. This made me laugh even more. I shake my head and click my tongue as two guards charge toward me.

“I don’t even need to move my whole hands,” I say, stretching my fingers along the sidewalk. My fingers move fast. They wrap and grab the two guards and lift them into the air. I slam them into each other before throwing them to the side.

“Pathetic,” I say. I watch and smile as the other guards back away, their hands shaking. I shake my head at this. “I don’t have time for this. Move out of my way!”

I pull my arms in before shooting them out again. Stretching over a dozen feet, I then spin around. My stretched-out arms hit the guards and knock them to the ground. Some managed to dodge the attack, they try to charge me but I pull one of my arms back in and slap them away. Flying into pillars, the wind being knocked out of them, I watch all the guards fall.

“Tell Mr. Newman Thank you for the shipment,” I say, stomping on and over a few guards as I make my way to the cargo truck. Pulling out my gas mask, I put it on before taking the driver’s seat. I open the window and wave at everyone as I drive away.

Samantha Reader:

“When eating your food,” Professor Lori starts, “You may not be thinking much. To you, you’re eating a hamburger, or a Lay potato chip, or a salad, but here’s a question. How well do you know your foods?”

Professor Lori steps back and reveals the electronic board. On the board are the words “Chemicals in Our Everyday Foods” and surrounding the words are a bunch of fruits, vegetables, and even some candies.

Professor Lori starts going on about everything in the new chapter. She gives a few examples of chemicals in the foods, such as vitamin C in potatoes, potassium in carrots, and even a few metals in moods. While the Professor is talking, I try to focus but for some strange reason, I can’t seem to stay still.

My hands are shaking. My legs are tapping. I feel like I’m hopping up and down in my seat.

“Hey,” Miley says, leaning over. I ignore Miley at first but she doesn’t get the message.

“Hey. Hey. Hey Sammy. Hey Sammy. Hey Sammy. Samantha. Samantha. Samantha.”

“What,” I say, yelling through my teeth. “What? What do you want?”

“Do you know you’re shaking,” Miley asks.

“What?”

“You’re shaking,” Miley whispers. “You’re shivering. No. No, you’re just shaking. Why are you shaking like that?”

“What?”

I look at myself and realize, as much as I hate to even think it, that Miley is right. I am shaking. It’s not just my imagination.

My leg is tapping so fast, I accidentally generate some red sparks.

“Shoot,” I think. I slam my hands on my leg and push it down. “What’s going on? Why can’t I stop?”

I put my whole weight on my leg but even it’s not enough. As my leg keeps tapping and more sparks appear, I start to see holes in my pants. The sparks I’m making are burning right through my pants. At the rate I’m going, I’ll either start a fire in the classroom or burn right through my pants.

“Stop,” I beg, pushing down on my leg. “Come on! Stop! Stop! Please stop!”

Another hole burns in my pants. It starts to smoke. As the smoke rises, I do the only thing I can even think of.

“Ouch,” I say, closing my eyes as I start to stomp on my leg. I bite my tongue and hold my breath as I kick myself over and over in the leg.

“Hey,” someone says. “Does anyone smell that?”

“Yeah,” someone else says. “Is that smoke? Where is that coming from?”

“Ouch,” I cry after again, kicking my own leg. I look down and while the fire is gone, there’s still smoke rising into the air. Everyone in the classroom is looking around, trying to find the source. Even Professor Lori. A few heads are slowly turning toward me. As they do, I look around myself, pretending to find the source.

“Yeah,” I say clearly. “I do smell smoke. Where is that coming from?”

My teeth chatter as I look back at the staring heads. I don’t know if they’re buying it or not but it’s all I can do.

“Fire,” Miley shouts. Immediately, all heads turn toward Miley as she stands by the fire alarm. I didn’t even see her get up.

“If there’s smoke,” Miley says, “Then there’s fire! Everyone, time to evaluate!”

Miley then pulls down the fire alarm. Instantly, not just the room but the whole school rings. Flashing red lights spin and everyone gets up from their seats. They all speed walk out of the classroom and down the stairs to the open field. Once there on the open field, I sneak away to try and find Oliver.

Hiding behind some students as they talk about what happened, I pull out my cell phone and text Oliver.

“Oliver,” I start, “S-O-S!”

“Sammy,” Oliver answers. “What’s happened? What’s going on?”

“I accidentally started this fire.”

“What? Why!”

“There’s something wrong with me. I keep making sparks. Even when I sit down. My leg was tapping so fast, I lit my pants on fire and it started to smoke!”

“You lit your pants on fire? Wait, there was actually a fire. This isn’t a drill.”

“This is not a drill. And I can’t stop moving! Even now, I’m walking in circles. Help me!”

“Okay. Okay. I’m coming. Where are you?”

“By the library.”

It doesn’t take long for Oliver to find me. By the time he does, I walked in so many repeated circles, the grass is as flat as paper.

“Hey, Sammy,” Oliver says, waving as soon as he sees me. “So, uh, I guess you weren’t lying. You really can’t stay still.”

“I really can’t,” I say, still walking in circles. “If I stay still, then the sparks come back. This is the only way I can stop them.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Oliver says, shaking his hands. Oliver steps back and pulls out his cell phone. “Okay. I just re-read what you texted me. You told me the reasons you started the fire-”

“I did not start the fire,” I say. “At least, not on purpose.”

“The reason all of this happen,” Oliver rephase, “Was because you were tapping your legs. If movement makes sparks, then shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, sitting down?”

“I can’t sit down,” I say. “Oliver, I have a theory. Hear me out.”

“Okay, sure, but you should know. Chemistry and science are not my strong points. Go easy on me.”

I nod my head.

“All these extra sparks, all this extra lighting, happen because I breathe in whatever gas was in that bottle from the Noose. Traces of that gas must still be in my body. It must be messing with the chemicals that give my power.”

“I guess that does make some sense,” Oliver says. “But what about the walking in circles?”

“Whatever is going on within me, it somehow creates extra energy. When I was sitting down, I must have bottled up all that extra energy, creating so much pressure, it had to find a way out. However, when I move, like I am right now, I am putting all that extra energy to use. Hence, no sparks or lighting.”

“Hold on. Assuming what you said is create, then why now? Why didn’t you light my car seats on fire? Or your bed?”

I take a few seconds to think about it.

“The chemical reaction must only now be taking effect,” I state. “This whole morning, it was brewing, in the process. Only now are the effects becoming clear.”

“So what exactly are the effects?”

“I have no idea.”

I can’t be sure but I imagine my face is very similar to Oliver’s as he sighs and rolls his eyes.

“So now what,” Oliver asks. “I mean, according to you, you can’t stop moving. Otherwise, you’ll start sparking and who knows what you’ll light on fire this time. What can we do about that? Especially now. When we’re both in school! And, are there any other effects we should know? What if this isn’t the only side effect? What if, by the end of the school day, you throwing up lighting bolts?”

“Oliver,” I say. I have to turn a few times to face Oliver. “Please, just stop talking! I’m trying to figure this out! You know, come up with a plan.”

“Well, you better hurry. We won’t be out here for long, and the second we’re back in class.”

“The second we're back in class," I say, hitting myself on the head. "I will be throwing up lightning bolts.”

Samantha Reader:

“No, no, no,” I say while still walking in circles. “Oliver, I can’t do that.”

“Sammy,” Oliver says. “You don’t have a choice.”

Oliver looks left and right to make sure no one is eavesdropping on our conversation. Luckily, it seems everyone is either focus on their cell phones or the bright-red fire trucks pulling into the school. As the firetrucks stop, firemen get out and are almost immediately greeted by the teachers and principal. The teachers and principal are explaining what happened, though I doubt they can say a lot.

“Sammy,” Oliver repeats, pointing at the firemen as they enter the school’s science building. “The second those firemen are done and leave, we are going back to class, and the last time I checked, you can’t run around in chemistry class.”

“Oliver,” I say. I have to turn my head non-stop while walking in circles in order to make sure I use the extra energy and don’t make any more sparks.

“Oliver,” I say again. “Oliver. Aww. Give me a second. It’s a little hard to face you.”

Oliver nods his head and gives me the extra time.

“Oliver,” I repeat. “I cannot ditch school!”

“Sammy, you don’t have a choice. This isn’t even about keeping your secret identity. It’s about you not accidentally setting fire to the whole school! If what you say is correct, then by sitting down, even for a little bit, you’ll be like a shaken soda bottle. One turn and then, boom!”

I lend my head back as Oliver shouts boom and raises his arms.

“You need to get out of here while you still can.”

“Oliver,” I say, turning my head since my back is now facing him. “I cannot ditch school. If I do, then my parents are going to have jets of steam shooting out of their ears. They’re going to be redder than me. The veins on their foreheads will be as visible as the sun.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Oliver says, putting up his hands. “I get it. You can stop with the cartoon references, but still. Sammy, you cannot stay here. At least, not while you can’t stay still.”

“I know, Oliver,” I say. I rub the sides of my head as I try to think of something, of anything I could do. “I can’t go back to class but I can’t leave school either. What can I do?”

As Oliver and I rack our brains, a familiar voice calls out to us.

“Hey guys,” Miley says, running over to us. As Miley approaches us, she then stops. “Samantha, what are you doing?”

“I’m, uhh, walking in circles,” I answer, looking Miley right in the face.

Miley stares at me for a few seconds before she shrugs her shoulders and pulls out her cell phone.

“Okay. Sure. I know some people who like to pace when they’re waiting. They can’t stay still for too long and it gives them something to do. Anyway, Oliver, you need to look at this.”

I watch from a few feet away as Miley shows Oliver something on her phone. I can’t be sure but judging from the sound, it’s a news video.

Oliver Oakmen:

“No way,” I say. My eyes are glued to the screen as I watch the news video.

“A shocking heist today,” the news anchor starts. “A shipment headed for Newman’s Chemicals was just attacked.”

“Newman’s Chemicals,” I repeat. Instantly, I think of only one person.

“According to footage from body cams on the security guards, the villain, named still unknown, attacked the shipment with both his stretching powers and what appears to be bottles of smoke. The smoke however only affected the driver. The security guards were all taken down by the stretching man. He was last seen driving away in the truck, down Hummingbird Drive.”

“Wait, Hummingbird Drive? Did he just say Hummingbird Drive?”

I tap the screen and rewind it ten seconds back.

“He did say Hummingbird Drive,” I say, turning to look at Miley.

“Yeah,” Miley says. “So?”

“Nothing,” I say. “It’s nothing.” I nod my head and smile at Miley. “Thanks for this.”

“No problem,” Miley says, nodding her own head. As she walks away, I walk to Sammy.

“Sammy,” I say, “Miley just show me a new video. Apparently, the Noose just robbed a truck meant for Newman’s Chemicals.”

“The Noose,” Sammy repeats. “Newman’s Chemicals?”

I snap my fingers when I realize something.

“That must be what he stole from Mr. Newman’s office. Shipment details. Records of incoming orders. Something like that that would have told him everything he needed to know about that one shipment. Sammy, according to the new video, the Noose was last seen driving away on Hummingbird Drive.”

“Hummingbird Drive,” Sammy repeats. “So?”

“Sammy, Hummingbird Drive is only a few miles that way. You could easily run there and back before anyone even noticed you’re gone.”

“Oliver, have you been listening to me? I cannot leave the--”

“Sammy,” I say, cutting Sammy off. “Before you finish, listen to me. In order to keep from generating any extra sparks, you have to keep moving. Right? Well, instead of just walking in small circles, what about running over to take down the Noose? You can run there, beat him up, and then run back here. With all of that running, it should drain all that extra lighting from your body. At least, until school is over.”

I can see the gears in Sammy’s head turn as she thinks it over. I give her a few minutes before Sammy looks back up at me.

“Okay,” she says with a nod of her head. “That could work, but Oliver, the second the firemen are clear and everyone can go back inside, text me. Alright? Alright!”

“Alright,” I say. I look around again to make sure no one is paying any attention to us. I then reach into my pocket and hand them over to Sammy. She too looks around before running away at normal speed.

“Wow,” I say after watching Sammy turn a corner and disappear. I’m looking at where Sammy walked in circles. The grass is more than flat. It’s practically mixed into the dirt, making a sort of green-brownish color.

“Hey,” Miley says after coming back. As she approaches me, she then stops. “Where did Samantha go?”

“Uhh, the restroom,” I answer.

“Oh. Okay. Hey, that’s neat. I like the donut in the grass she made.”

“Oh really. Yeah, it’s not bad.”

“Hey, you know,” Miley says, bumping me with her elbow. “If we flatten the grass in the center, it would look a lot like one of these UFO landings in cornfields.”

“Hmm,” I say, pulling back my head. “You’re right. It really would.”

“Well, I guess I know what I’m doing until they let us back in.”

“Wait, what?”

Miley doesn’t answer me. Instead, she starts to walk in the center, flattening the grass.

“Okay,” I say, watching her. “Sure. What not?”

Dr. Earl Morris:

“Move it,” I yell. I turn the wheel of the truck and ram it into the police car on the side. The truck hits the police car and knocks it off the road. It drives on the sidewalk for a bit before crashing into a streetlight and stopping. With one police car down, I look in the rear-view mirror at the second car.

“That damn Newman couldn’t afford a faster truck,” I say, stepping on the gas. However, even after stepping on the gas over and over, it barely breaks 60 miles.

Driving through the busy city’s streets, taking countless turns and swerves, I still couldn’t shake the police off.

“They responded faster than I planned. I need to do something.”

As I look at the speed gauge, the arrow barely jumping past 60 and the police cruiser as it rams into the back, I get an idea.

I scream as I stomp on the truck’s brake. The truck screams as it stops, the sound of tires screeching beating all other sounds in the city. The sound of tires screeching is followed by the sound of a car crash.

I look behind me to see the police car crushed and smoking. The two police officers inside slowly get out. They shake their heads and point their guns at me.

“Freeze,” they say, stumbling around. I roll my eyes and pull back my arm. Shooting it forward, my arm stretches out far enough that I could stay in the driver’s seat while punching and knocking out the officers.

With those annoyances out of the way, I climb back into the seat and prepare to drive off.

“Noose,” Red Lighting shouts. “Talk about road rage.”

Red Lightning:

Using my super speed, I run to the right and dodge the Noose as he drives past me. Driving right past me, the Noose shoots out one of his legs. His leg stretches out as it launches toward me but I once again use my super speed to dodge the incoming attack.

Watching as the Noose drives away in the truck, I kick off the ground and run after him. Taking a sharp turn into traffic, I watch from behind as the Noose starts to throw more bottles out the driver's door.

"Noo," I cry, watching as the bottles break apart after hitting the street. Almost as soon as they break apart, the bottles start to unleash the smoke. As a wall of smoke forms directly in front of me, I try to stop, my feet skidding against the street but I trip and start to slide toward it. Thinking fast, I shoot out my hands and dig my fingers into the black tar.

Stopping just as my feet enter the strange smoke, I cover my mouth, push myself up, and quickly get away.

"How do I get around that?"

I look to the side but the smoke had already spread. There's a thin layer on both sides but after what happened before, I don't want to risk exposing myself to any more of the strange smoke. Standing in the middle of the street, looking at the smoke cloud as it grows, I hear something coming from inside the smoke.

"What is that? It sounds like...tires? And lights?"

Before I can react, a car comes screeching out of the smoke. It hits me, knocking me onto the hood of the car before pushing me down.

"Ahh," I moan, holding my head as I push myself up. As I push myself up, I hear the screeching tires of another car and look to my left. Another car is driving through the smoke toward me. Immediately, I run out of the way as the second car crashes into the first car. It's only a few seconds later it turns into a whole mess.

"The smoke must have blinded all the people. Or it somehow messes with them, causing them to drive without realizing it. Either way, I have to do something. The traffic jam is getting out of hand."

I look at the massive traffic jam right in front of me. Easily 20 cars, all slammed together and stuck. Thankfully, most of the people seem to have regained their senses. They slowly climb out of their cars, either through the door or the windows. However, as I look around, I see a woman near the center of the traffic jam.

"She's not moving. She's not moving!"

From where I'm standing, the woman looks fine. She's not laying on the steering wheel so it seems she didn't bump her head on it. Also, I don't see anything like cracks on her window, meaning it doesn't shatter and throw glass everywhere. Despite all of that, the woman isn't moving.

I get a bad feeling and run toward the woman, jumping from car to car until I reach her.

"Hey," I say, knocking against the window. "Hey! Ma. Ma! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The woman doesn't answer me. It's light, almost inaudible, but I can hear her breathing.

"Something is wrong. She's breathing but barely."

I check again and this time, because I'm closer, I can see a big red bump on her head.

"She did hit her head! Her head must have bounced off after hitting the steering wheel. Shoot."

I take a step back and try to open her door but it's stuck by another car.

"Come on," I cry, putting my foot on the side of the woman's car. "Come on. Come on! Oh no."

As I try to pull the door open, I see sparks coming off of me. The sparks fall from my arms toward the street. I look at them as they fall toward a puddle on the street.

"No," I say. I try desperately to catch the falling spark but as I do catch them, I accidentally generate more sparks. These new sparks fall into the puddle and explode, unleashing a fireball.

Oliver Oakmen:

I pull out my cell phone and check it again.

"No new message," I sigh. I shake my head and put my phone back into my pocket. Feeling a bit uneasy, I start to tap my foot.

"Come on, Sammy. Where are you?"

I look to the side and see other classes walking back into the building. Quicker than Red Lightning, the students and teachers all disappear, walking back into their classroom and shutting the doors.

"Oh no," I say. Before I knew it, my teacher told all of us it was time to go back to class. Most of the other students were happy since it means they could now get out of the sun. I wasn't.

I pull out my cell phone again and sent Sammy a quick message.

"GET BACK HERE NOW!!! OUT OF TIME!!!"

I stare at my phone's screen and wait for Sammy's reply. I wait and wait but there is no reply. I look back up and I'm standing alone in the school's field. Practically everyone is gone. Only a few students are left. One of the students still on the field is Miley.

"Hey," she says, walking up to me. Bumping me in the arm with her elbow, she looks around before turning back to me. "Hey, have you seen Samantha anywhere? The firemen gave the ok, and now we're all heading back in."

"Sammy, yeah. Uhh. No. No, I haven't seen her around. Uhh, I, uhh, I think she went to the restroom. Yeah, the restroom. That's where Sammy is."

"The restroom," Miley repeats. "Samantha is in the restroom."

"Yes," I say with a nod. I feel something forms in my throat but quickly swallow it.

"Oh okay. Well, I'll be sure to tell the teacher that. Samantha is going to be a few minutes late. If chance, if you see her, can you tell her to hurry?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I'll do that."

Miley gives me a quick nod before walking away. She joins her class as they all walk into the school's science building. As soon as Miley and her class are gone, I pull out my phone again and text Sammy.

"Sammy! Answer me! Time is out! Time is out! Sammy! Sammy! Sammy!"

Red Lightning:

"Ahh," I say. At first, I see nothing but darkness, but after a few seconds, I start to see some colors. I blink my eyes a few times and finally, my vision returns to normal.

"What--What happened?"

I try to get up but an aching headache knocks me back down. I hear a thud as I land against something and slide down. Holding my head, I look up and see a massive fire. The massive fire is right next to a woman who is trapped in her car.

A/N Happy Thankgiving, everyone. I hope you all fall into a food coma because of a belly full of turkey. Of course, only after reading this chapter of Red Lightning.

Red Lightning:

“No, no, no,” I say, fighting through my headache and pushing myself up. As I stand up, I almost fall over but somehow catch myself.

“The fire,” I say, looking at the massive fire as it spreads toward the woman still trapped inside her car. The fire is less than a few feet from the car’s gas tank. If I don’t move fast, the fire will reach the gas tank and explode, and the woman inside will die.

“No,” I scream, using my super speed to run to the woman. My headache is still aching, and I couldn’t stop. Running right into the woman’s car, I bounce off of it and fall back down. Screaming as I hold my arm, I push myself back up and look at the woman.

She’s screaming for help and tapping against her window. She’s moving almost as fast as I can.

“Hold on,” I shout. I look to the side and see the fire still spreading. It moves up from the street and onto one of the back tires. In only a few seconds, the tire pops, and the whole car sinks a little.

“Back up,” I shout, pointing behind the woman. “Back up now! I’m going to break the window!”

The woman nods her head and climbs over the gearshift and into the front passenger’s seat. Once she’s as far back as she can go, I pull back my arm and, using my super speed once more, I throw it forward. The woman screams and covers herself as the window breaks. Clearing away some leftover shards of glass, I reach into and offer the woman my hand.

“Come on! Take my hand!”

The woman grabs my hand and I pull her out. Pulling the woman out through the window, I grab her and run just as the gas tank catches on fire. The whole car explodes, knocking both me and the woman to the street.

I cover my head as burning pieces of scrap metal rain through the sky. Staying down until the last of the scrap metals fall, I lower my hands and raise my head.

“Oh man,” I say while looking around. As if all the car crashes aren’t enough, now there are little bits of fire and scrap metals everywhere. Almost every window is broken and the smell of smoke and gasoline is enough to choke on. Biting my inner lip as I push myself up, I feel a sharp pain in my waist. Letting out a small cry, I look down and see some of the scrap metals along with some cuts.

I sigh as I breathe in and out. Giving myself a few minutes to catch my breath, I look down at the woman. She’s not moving a whole lot, but I can hear her breathing.

“Hey,” I say, dropping to my knee. The pain in my waist gets worst when I do and I have to bite down on my inner lip again but I still do it. I drop onto my knee and shake the woman. “Hey. Are you okay?”

The woman doesn’t answer me so I have no choice but to feel her pulse. Brushing aside her long brunette hair, I place my fingers on her neck and feel a steady pulse. Smiling a little, I pick the woman up. I throw her arm over my neck and carry her out of the traffic jam. The crowd gasps as I approach them. They all step back and clear away as I gently lay the unconscious woman down.

“Call,” I say, having to stop to catch my breath. “Call 9-1-1.”

With that said, I use whatever I have left to run down the street. As I run through the streets, I take a sharp turn back toward the school.

“There’s no point in chasing after the Noose,” I think. “That traffic accident took too long, and even with my speed, I doubt I can catch him again.”

As I run up the street, back toward the high school, I start to notice something.

“What,” I say as I slow down. “Why-Why am I slowing down?”

I try to pick up speed but it’s no use. As I slow down, the electricity running throughout my body dies down, and before I know it, I’m not even running anymore. I’m out of breath and gasping for oxygen. Choking on my dry throat, I lean against a wall for support.

“I--I can’t keep running,” I say, coughing. As I cough, I feel my heart set on fire. “I need to rest.”

I look around and see myself on a public street. Already, there are people staring at me.

“I can’t rest here. I have to find somewhere else to rest for a while.”

I push myself off the wall, and despite the dry throat, the relentless coughs, and the heartburn, run off to find somewhere to rest.

Oliver Oakmen:

“So Samantha is in the restroom,” Ms. Lori asks. She crosses her arms as she looks at me.

I swallow a lump in my throat before clearing my throat.

“Yes,” I answer, looking right back at Mrs. Lori. “Sammy is the restroom. She told me she would be in there for a while, uhh, doing girl stuff, and asked me to tell you.”

“And that’s why she isn’t in class right now. Is that right?”

“Yes,” I say with a nod. “Speaking of in class right now, I really should get going myself.”

I turn to leave but before I can, Ms. Lori turns first.

“Joannie,” Ms. Lori says. A second later, a thin girl with very long, wavy blonde-brownish hair stands up. She is wearing a short beanie with a light-green jacket and short tan pants with large pockets on both sides.

“What’s up,” the girl named Joannie answers.

“Please go to the restroom and check on Samantha. Tell her to please hurry. Class is about to end and I still have much to go over.”

“Sure.”

Joannie nods her head and heads for the door.

“No,” I think. I do my best to stay calm but I look at the girl the whole time as she walks toward the door.

“Uhh, excuse me,” I say, putting up a finger. “I have to--”

“Oliver,” Mrs. Lori says, stopping me with my foot still in the air. “Please stay here.”

“No, but, you see--I have to get back to class. I mean, I’m already late and coming here--”

“Oliver,” Mrs. Lori says, cutting me off. She shuts me up. She freezes me in place. All I can do is watch as the Joannie girl disappears through the door. I can literally hear the sound of my teeth chattering as we all wait for Joannie to return. She comes back after a few minutes and looks at Ms. Lori.

“No Samantha,” Joannie says. Immediately, Ms. Lori looks at me. As I look back at the teacher, it feels like her eyes are staring right through me. I feel around my chest but thankfully, don’t feel a hole anywhere.

“Uhh,” I say, looking away. “Uhh, Sammy isn’t in the restroom by the field. She, uhh, went to the restroom by the front gate! Yeah! The front gate! The restroom by the field was crowded!”

“No way,” Joannie says, shaking her head. “None of us use that restroom. It’s close to the planters and because it’s close to the planters, it draws bugs.”

“Will you please go and sit down,” I say, turning to face Joannie. Joannie doesn’t answer me, nor does she sits back down. Instead, she crosses her arms and sticks her tongue out at me.

“Oliver,” Mrs. Lori starts, grabbing not just my, but everyone else’s attention. “I’m only going to ask this once before I have to call both the principal and Samantha’s parents. Where did Samantha go?”

All eyes are now stuck on me. They look at me and push me against a wall. I try to come up with another explanation, any explanation at all, but nothing comes to mind. Nothing but the truth and no matter how bad the situation may be or how much worst it can get, the truth is I cannot and will not tell.

“Sammy--” I start, looking down at the floor. I struggle to say the right words as they get stuck in my throat. “Sammy. She--She ditched school.”

Dr. Earl Morris:

With that damn superheroine gone, I can quickly drive the rest of the way to my abandoned motel. Turning into the parking lot with dozens and dozens of potholes, I drive right over them and into the garage.

Getting out of the trunk, I walk to the garage door. I shoot out and stretch my arm, grabbing the door handle and slamming the door shut. Now that I’m alone and have privacy, I grab one of the barrels of 1 1 1-trichloroethane and carry it through a hole I punched out into one of the empty motel rooms. I do this over and over again until I have all the barrels in my makeshift lab. Once the barrels are all inside, I unroll the plastic sheets that act as protective walls. I then grab my lab coat, my safety goggles, and my gas mask and put them on.

“Time to begin,” I say after putting on my gas mask. Carefully, I open the first barrel of trichloroethane.

Oliver Oakmen:

Despite the stares from everyone, I look them right in their eyes. I fight through the pressure and stand my ground.

“Oliver,” Mr. Reader says, crossing his arms as he looks at me. “Where is Sammy?”

“I told you,” I say, facing Mr. and Mrs. Reader. “I don’t know where she is. She asked me to cover for her and I tried.”

I pull out my cell phone and hand it to Sammy’s parents.

“I tried calling and texting Sammy but she hasn’t replied.”

“So you really have no idea where Samantha is,” Ms. Lori asks. She lowers her head and shakes it. “I still can’t believe Samantha ditched class. She used to be one of my best students. Now, it’s like she changed.”

“She did,” I say. As soon as I say those words, all eyes turn back to me. “She had changed. Sammy isn’t the same person she once was.”

“We know,” Mrs. Reader says. “Even since that accident, she--”

“She had become a better person,” I say, finishing the sentence.

“How,” Mr. Reader yells. “She left in the middle of the school! She’s not doing her homework and her grades are falling! How exactly had my daughter become a better person?”

“I can’t explain,” I say, closing my shaking hands. I turn my head but snap it back forward. “But she had! I know it doesn’t seem like it but Sammy has become a better person! Her only problem is that because she had become a better person, she also got a lot more responsibility.”

“Responsibility,” Mr. Reader repeats. “Oliver, what are you talking about?”

“Damnit,” I whisper. I grind my teeth when I realize my mistake. “Nothing! It’s nothing.”

As I take my phone back from Mr. Reader, it shakes and a text message appears.

“Shoot,” I think. I pull back my phone as fast as I can and shove it into my pocket but it’s no use. Mr. Reader looks at me with V-shaped eyebrows.

“Oliver,” he slowly says, holding out his hand. “Give me your cell phone.”

“Do it,” my own dad says.

“Oliver,” my mom adds.

“Oliver,” Mr. Reader says again, shaking his hand. “Give me your cell phone. Now.”

I sigh and lower my head. As I pull out my cell phone, I turn the screen on and quickly read the message. When I read it, I let out a different sigh.

“Here,” I say, giving Mr. Reader my cell phone. With my phone in his hand, Mr. Reader reads the text message I got.

“Hey Oliver,” the message starts. “It’s your little brother. If Mom and Dad are with you, please remind them to buy some milk and paper towels on the way home. Thanks.”

“Mom,” I say, looking at my parents. “Dad. We’re out of milk and paper towels.”

“We’ll buy some on our way home,” my dad says, turning around. He and Mom head for the front officer’s doors. Without even looking back at me, they leave the school. Meanwhile, Ms. Lori gets up and leaves. I guess she’s heading back to class.

“Please call us when Samantha calls you,” Mr. Reader says as he and Mrs. Reader walk out themselves.

“Yeah,” I say. “Of course.”

The front door closes before I finish talking. I wasn’t even sure if Mr. and Mrs. Reader heard me. Finally, the only people left are me and the principal.

“Just go back to class,” the principal says. He leaves and shuts the door to his office. The second I’m alone, I look at my cell phone. Swiping away the fake text, I read the real text I got from Samantha.

“Need pickup,” the message reads. The message is followed by an address.

“Oh wow,” I say after looking up the address. “That’s quite a long drive. Oh, screw it! I’m going!”

Not wasting even a second but thinking carefully, I walk out of the front office and back into the school. Once outside, I run to the nearest exit and into the parking lot. Running through the parking lot toward the car. Reaching my car, I search for my car key but remember something.

“Dammit,” I cry, slapping myself on the forehead. “I gave Sammy my car key. How do I get in now?”

Samantha Reader:

“Hmm,” I moan. My eyes flicking at first, they slowly open fully, and I see myself sitting between a stone wall and a metal dumpster. Despite the headache making it hard for me to think, I still remember why I threw myself in here. Pushing out the dumpster, I peek over to make sure no one is around. There is one person, but he’s safe.

“Oliver,” I yell, waving my hand. Turning around, Oliver sees and runs over to me. Joining me in between the wall and the dumpster, Oliver helps me by pushing it out. Once there’s enough space, I throw myself onto Oliver.

“Easy there,” Oliver says. “Easy. I got you. I got you.”

Oliver grabs both of my hands and wraps them around his neck. He then carries me out from behind the dumpster and to his car.

The second I’m inside, Oliver practically stomps on the gas. He launches us forward, almost causing a traffic accident as we drive away.

“Slow down,” I say, painfully pushing myself up as I quickly take off my mask and hide it. Looking around Oliver’s car, I see a jacket lying in the backseat. Reaching and grabbing it, I throw it on, covering my suit. “I’ve already seen one traffic accident today. I don’t want to see another.”

“A traffic accident,” Oliver repeats before sighing. “Do I even want to know?”

“No,” I say. “But I’m sure the news will cover everything tonight. Including how the Noose was able to get away.”

“Shoot,” Oliver says. “So much for a quick victory.”

“Yeah. So much for a quick victory.”

As Oliver drives me, I realize something.

“Is your window open?”

Oliver looks to the left and sees his opened window.

“Not exactly,” Oliver says. He looks down at his steering wheel as he starts to explain.

“I gave you my car keys,” Oliver starts. As he says this, I tap my pocket and realize Oliver is right. He did give me his car keys so I could grab my suit from his truck. I was in such a rush, I didn’t even give them back.

“But wait. If I had your car keys, then how did you--”

Oliver turns and looks at me. He nudges his head and points down. Looking down, I see little shards of glass in the cup holders.

“Oh,” I say.

“Yeah. Luckily for me, I know how to start the engine without the key. Unfortunately, I never learned how to unlock the door with them.”

Knowing how much Oliver loves his car, I also know it couldn’t have been easy to smash the window open. I turn away from Oliver. Despite not looking at Oliver, I still had to ask an important question.

“Am I in trouble?”

Oliver doesn’t answer at first. It takes a few minutes of awkward silence before Oliver finally speaks up.

“Yeah,” Oliver says. “You’re in trouble, and not just with Ms. Lori. Your parents know too.”

“Oh no.”

“I tried to cover for you but it didn’t work.”

“What did you tell everyone?”

“I told them you ditched school.”

“You told them I ditched?”

I wanted to yell at Oliver but I stopped myself. I remember the shard of glass in the cup holders. I also remember what time it was. Both Oliver and I should be in school right now, but we’re not. We’re driving in the middle of the day.

“I guess we’re both in trouble. I'm sorry, Oliver."

Samantha Reader:

I sigh as I stare at my dinner plate. Under normal circumstances, or at least what is considered normal nowadays, I would've eaten my whole dinner and already be on the fourth or fifth plate. Now, I'm just poking at a drumstick and drawing in my mashed potatoes. I look at my parents while keeping my head down.

Dad and Mom are doing the exact same as me. They're just staring at tonight's dinner.

"I guess none of us are hungry," I think. I look toward the pot of chickens in the middle of the dining table. Before, it was hot and smoking. Now, it's just cold and sitting there.

Despite my lack of appetite, I know I still have to eat. Between running to face the Noose, chasing after him, saving that woman from the middle of the traffic accident, and then running away, I not only burned through all that extra energy from before but also whatever energy I had left.

I sigh again as I grab my drumstick with both of my hands and eat it. While eating my drumstick, my dad swallows before clearing his throat.

"After dinner," he says, pointing right at me. "I want you to go straight to your room and do your homework."

Staring at my dad, I put down my drumstick.

"Yes Dad," I say, nodding my head.

My Dad nods his head as well and we go back to eating. Mom and Dad finish their plates and get up to put them in the sink. Meanwhile, I finish my first plate and a second before putting it into the sink too. While Dad clears the table, Mom tells me to go to my room while she washes the plates.

Now, sitting alone in my room, and with no cell phone, I stare at my textbooks and blank assignments.

Oliver Oakmen:

"Are you going to eat that," my little brother asks, pointing at my meatball sub with mac and cheese.

"Nah," I say, sliding over my plate. "You can have it."

Almost instantly, my brother starts to dig into the mac and cheese. I let out a sigh before pushing out my chair and getting up. 

"Don't think you're going anyway tonight," my Dad says from the dinner table.

"Your father's right," my Mom says, joining in. "You're staying in your room tonight, Oliver, and that's final."

"Actually Mom," I start, "Dad. I have work tonight."

I eye the car key hanging from the hook right behind my Dad. Thanking my parents for tonight's dinner, I grab my car key and head out. Already working my uniform, I step on the gas and head to my bowling alley for my shift.

Stepping through the double, glass doors, and into the bowling alley, the first few things to greet me are the sound of pins being knocked down, bright, flashing lights, and the smell of greasy, fried foods. Considering I didn't eat any dinner, my stomach rumbles as I walk past some cheesy French fries with meat.

"Hey Oliver," Melissa says, shooting me a wave as soon as she sees me. She smiles and leans on the counter, her long black hair flowing all over it. "I got some awesome news. Get on this side!"

"What's up," I say, walking around the counter to Melissa's side.

"We finally got some extra help," Melissa answers. "I can finally give you some extra days off."

"Oh no," I say, waving my hand. "I told you a bunch of times. It's okay. I kind of need the cash anyway."

"Aren't you a little too young to have debt," Melissa asks with a laugh. "Anyway, too late. My dad and I hired someone this afternoon. You know, the funny thing, she also goes to Silver State High School. Maybe you know her."

"I doubt it," I whisper. "I don't exactly have much of a social life."

"Oh, there she is," Melissa says, nudging her head to the side. "Hey, help her out, give her some lessons, and then check the back. The pin machines on lanes 7 and 8 are squeaking again."

With that, Melissa disappears behind a pair of swinging doors. While she goes to help in the kitchen, I turn toward the new girl.

The new girl is bringing some customers their fried foods. She's trying to balance all the foods and drinks but she's leaning to the left and right.

"Hey, hey, hey," I say, running to save her. Catching a large soda cup and cheeseburger, I look at the girl as she thanks me. The girl is thin with long, wavy blond-brownish hair. Besides the blue and black uniform we have to wear, the girl is also wearing a greasy apron.

"You," I say, stepping back.

"Oh, it's you," the girl named Joannie says. "Wait, what's your name again?"

The Benefactor:

Pulling to a stop, I grab the gear shift and put the car in park. Before getting out of my car, I open the glove component and pull out my modified handgun. Opening and getting out, I close the door. When I see the place, I pull out my cell phone and call my partner.

"Hey," I say, looking around the abandoned motel. The place is covered in trash and spray paints and practically every room has lost its door. Most of the windows are broken and the signpost is rusted and on the ground. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"It's the place," my partner answers. "The drones followed him all the way here from the city. He's in there somehow. Are you sure you didn't want a power pack? From what I found, this stretching guy, he's very dangerous."

"No," I say, checking the modified handgun. I hold it out and look down the top of it, making sure the sight is right. "If this handgun does what it's supposed to do, then I'll be fine. Besides, we only have one left, and I'd rather save it."

"Fine then," my partner says. "Bye."

"Bye," I say, ending the call. Placing my phone in my pocket, I hide my handgun behind me as I start to search the hotel.

Walking around the giant, empty pool, I start to check the room, one after another. Minus a few differences, all the rooms are the same. They're small, covered in different-colored stains, and have only a few of the furniture leftover. As I keep checking the rooms, I stop when I come to a locked door. Grabbing the doorknob, I try to turn it but it won't move.

"A locked door," I think. I turn the door knob again but it still wouldn't move. As I shake the doorknob, I hear the sound of footsteps and step away.

Dr. Earl Morris:

I look up when I hear the sound of someone trying to open my door.

"What," I say, stopping with test tubes in my hands. The doorknob shakes again and I quickly put down the test tubes with the chemicals. Walking through the plastic sheet and out of my makeshift lab, I take off my gas mask and head for the door. As I approach the door, the doorknob stops shaking.

Stopping when I reach the door, I look out the boarded-up window. I look left and right but don't see anyone.

"Could it be Red Lighting? No! It can't be. According to the radio, Red Lighting is supposed to be busy dealing with a traffic accident. Even with her speed, she can't chase after me and save those people. It had to be someone else but who? Maybe some stupid punks looking for a look to hang out. Well too bad. I found this place first. It's mine."

Stretching out my hand and fingers, I enlarge my fist and open the door. Stepping out, I snap my head left and right. I look all around but I don't see anyone.

 "What," I say again. I look all around again but still don't see anyone. "That couldn't have been the wind. I know there's someone out here."

Closing and locking the door behind me, I start to search the nearby rooms. Looking through the broken windows, one room right after the next, I stop when I hear a sound from a room I've already checked.

Running back toward it, I take a sharp left and enter one of the rooms. Running right into the middle of the room, I spin in a circle as I look around.

"What was that sound?"

As I keep spinning, I stop when I see a bunch of empty cans on the floor. While half the cans are still standing, the other half is knocked over. I remember the cans from before. Only two or three of them should be down. Not half of them.

"Still. The empty soda cans are light. The wind could have knocked them over."

I shake my head and walk back out. However, as I step foot outside the room, I hear a voice, and then I feel something press against the back of my head.

"It wasn't the wind," a man says. I roll my head and shake my head.

"If you know what I can do," I say, "Then you should know some stupid handgun can't hurt me."

"This isn't a normal handgun," the man answers. "But don't worry. This isn't a mugging or anything. This is more of a proposal."

"A proposal," I repeat. "What are you talking about? And who are you?"

"You can call me the Benefactor," the Benefactor answers.

"The Benefactor?"

Listening to his footsteps and hearing the "Benefactor" back away, I turn. Prepare to punch this Benefactor and throw him into the air, something hits and stops me. Whatever it is, it electrocutes me and forces me onto my knees.

"Like as I said," the Benefactor says, kneeling in front of me. "This isn't a normal handgun. Now. To business."

Samantha Reader:

Walking through the front gate of my high school, I can't help but feel like something is off. I can't describe it, but it didn't feel right for some strange reason. I take a quick look around but don't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Wait, is that it is? Is that why it feels like something is off?"

I take another look around and again, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. I see students walking, not running. I hear them talking, not screaming. I even hear the sound of birds chirping. There's no loud ringing sound. There's no blinding, bright light. Everything is normal.

"Normal," I repeat to myself. "Everything is normal. Oh my god!"

I can't be sure, but I think I'm smiling.

"I can be Samantha Reader, not Red Lightning. I can focus on my schoolwork and study, not stopping some supervillains. I can walk, not run everywhere. Oh my god. Oh my god! Where's Oliver?"

I speed-walk through the courtyard, searching for my best friend. I almost accidentally used my speed a few times but I managed to slow myself down. It takes a while but I finally see Oliver lying on top of a bench, his head resting on top of his backpack.

"Oliver," I shout after running over to him. Grabbing and shaking him awake, his eyes snap open and he shoots up.

"What," Oliver yells. "What! What's going on?"

Oliver grabs and swings his backpack but I catch it.

"Calm down, will you? Oliver. It's me."

"Oh. Sorry, Sammy."

Oliver yawns and rubs his eyes.

"Not getting enough sleep," I ask. "Well, now you can. Oliver, listen."

"Listen? To what?"

"Just listen."

Oliver, though still confused, wraps his hands around his ears and listens.

"Again. What am I supposed to be hearing?"

"Oliver. What you're supposed to be hearing is peace and quiet. There's no crazy person with a super-powered pack causing chaos."

It seems Oliver finally understands what I'm saying. His eyes go wide as he looks away.

"You're right," Oliver says. "There hadn't been another power-pack user in almost two weeks now. And the Noose. What about him? We haven't seen him since he made off with that truck full of chemicals."

"I know, right? Oliver. We finally have our lives back."

"Our lives? I'm sorry. What?"

"Oliver. We don't have to chase after and fight supervillains anymore. We can do normal things now. I can focus on my schoolwork and getting my grades back up. You can work on your car."

"Wait, wait, wait," Oliver says, shaking his hands. "Sammy, aren't you even a little worried? For the past month and a half, there had been supervillains, actual, real, supervillains, attacking the city. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Noose of all people returned."

"Yeah, I know. I was there for all of it. What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is why did it all stop of a sudden? There hadn't been another person with one of those 'super-backpacks' in almost a week now. Also, it's almost like the evil doctor just disappears. Why?"

"I don't know," I say. I turn and walk around in small circles. "Maybe he just wanted the chemicals, and once he stole them, he was happy and left. Oliver, why aren't you happy?"

Oliver pulls back his head when he hears this.

"Because I doubt things are going that smoothly."

I sigh and shake my head.

"Oliver," I yell, "There are no supervillains. There's no need for us to risk our lives anymore. We shouldn't be doing this kind of thing anyway. For crying out loud, we're not even old enough to drink alcohol, let alone fight people with sonic death pack and razor-sharped flight suit. These are the-the forgotten days!"

"Forgotten days," Oliver repeats.

"The forgotten days," I say again. "The days before I became-"

I stop and look around. There are a few other students walking around. I hadn't realized it before because I was talking with Oliver but one or two students were looking at us. It looked like they were trying to eavesdrop on our conversation but I guess they had other things to do because, after a few minutes of silence, they left. I make sure no one is within earshot before I start talking again.

"The days before I became Red Lightning," I go on. "Back before I had super speed. Back before I had all this extra responsibility. We can just be us again."

"Sammy," Oliver says. "Are you saying, no you can't be saying that, but are you saying...you don't want to be Red Lightning?"

"No," I say, shaking my hands. 'Well, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Sometimes. Ahh, Oliver, don't you sometimes wish things were a bit different?"

"What exactly do you mean by 'different'?"

"Hey, uh, ahh, never mind."

I turn to walk away but Oliver grabs my hand and pulls me back.

"No, no, no. Sammy. I want to know. Please enlighten me. What exactly do you mean by 'you sometimes wish things were a bit different'? Please, tell me."

I try to get out of it but Oliver isn't letting me. He keeps his grip on my hand.

"Oliver, please don't make me say it."

"Say it," Oliver demands. "Come on, say it. Say it. Say it."

With all the commotion, a lot of eyes are turning to us. I even recognize some of the students from before. It seems now we have their interests again.

"It's nothing," I say, pulling free of Oliver's hand. "I'm just a little happy, and I guess I'm the only one."

The Benefactor:

"Interesting," I say, looking at the computer as my partner moves the side, his chair rolling out of the way.

"I know, right," my partner says. "This is incredible. Imagine what we could do if we could re-create it."

"I wouldn't rather it," Dr. Earl Morris says after taking off his test suit and hanging it on the wall. A pair of glass doors opens and Dr. Morris walks in. He raises in before being decontaminated. Once decontaminated, my partner pushes a button and opens the second pair of glass doors. He walks into the control room and joins us.

"It may have worked for me, but that doesn't guarantee a 100% success rate. When I experimented with this, a lot of white rats died."

"We don't have to," my partner says. "Move."

I step back and cross my arms as my partner rolls him back in front of the computer. With a few types, he switches from the test results of Dr. Earl Morris to a digital blueprint. The digital blueprint shows a person with another power pack, the design very similar to our previous ones.

"There are still some flaws here and there, but using Dr. Morris as inspiration, I designed this particular power-pack to stretch as well, and best of all, it can resist high voltages."

"Meaning Red Lightning won't be able to electrocute her way out."

I smile as I lean in closer.

"How long before it's ready?"

"About two more weeks. We'll need to order another battery from Daniel."

"Until then," Dr. Morris says, turning to walk away. "I have other things to do."

As Dr. Morris is walking away, I grab him by the arm and pull him in close.

"How's all the new, shining lab equipment treating you," I ask.

"Not bad," Dr. Morris answers, stretching his arm so he can slip right out of my grip. As he leaves the room, my partner taps on my arm.

"What," I ask.

"Are you sure this is the smartest move," my partner asks. "I mean, giving that guy all new lab equipment? Showing him our lab? Showing him our faces? All our plans?"

"No need to worry about that."

I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. I tap in a few commands before showing my partner the screen. On the screen, there is a red dot representing Dr. Morris. Underneath the red dot is a single word, in a blue box.

"Denonate," the screen read.

"Oh."

"Like I said, there is no need to worry about our 'friendly' stretching doctor."

Miley Daniel:

I watch from my seat as Ms. Lori hands Samantha her last night’s chemical homework.

“Another excellent grade,” the teacher says with a huge grin.

“Thank you,” Samantha says with an even huger grin. Somehow, seeing the two grins makes my stomach turn upside-down.

“Ahh,” I moan, holding my stomach. “Thanks god I had a small breakfast today.

“I have to say,” Ms. Lori starts, “I am very happy with you recently. You’ve been turning in all your assignments on time and completed. You haven’t walked out of my classroom, and it seems like you’re not in a rush anyway. It’s like you returned back to normal.”

“Okay, now I think I’m going to puke.”

I pull one hand from my stomach and hold it over my mouth.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Samantha replies, looking at the homework in her hands. Even from my seat, I can still see a bright red 100. “But yeah, things are a bit different. I’m not running around as much as I did.”

“Uhh,” I say. “Hold on there, ‘Madame Curie’. It had been a while since I cleaned my ears so there’s a chance the buildup of wax is messing with my hearing, but did you say you’re not running around as much as you did.”

Upon hearing my voice, Ms. Lori and Samantha turn to me. It looked like they had forgotten I was even here. The question marks floating above their heads are bold.

“I mean,” Samantha says, “I’m not running around as much as I did anymore. I can sit down and study now. In fact, I don’t think I really need your help anymore. No offense.”

“A ton taken,” I say, crossing my arms. I shake my head and turn to Ms. Lori.

“Ms. Lori, as Samantha said, she thinks she doesn’t need me. So can I leave? School ended 15 minutes ago and the only reason I’m still here is because you asked me.”

I look around the classroom and see nothing but a bunch of empty seats.

“Of course,” Ms. Lori says. She turns to Samantha. “Samantha, is there anything you want to say to Miley?”

“Uhh,” Samantha says, her mouth hanging open. “Uhh, yeah. There’s something I want to say. It’s, uhh...it’s uhh...uhh.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, finishing the conversation. I turn to grab my backpack and leave the classroom. While walking through the empty hallways, I push open a door and exit the science building.

Despite how warm and comforting the sun feels, I can’t help but feel a deep coldness in my chest. I don’t know what it is or why I have but it’s there. It’s there the whole time I walk back home. Through the front door and into our mansion, I stop when I see Dad walking around.

“Hey sweetie,” my Dad says when he sees me. “You’re home early.”

“Hey Dad,” I say, shooting my Dad a quick wave. “Yeah. The student I was tutoring, she doesn’t need me anymore so I got some extra time now.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Do you have anything you want to do now that you have some extra time?”

“Nah,” I answer, shaking my head. “No plan. For now, I think I’m just going to head into my room. Bye, Dad.”

I wave at my Dad again before running through the house, up the stairs, and into my room. Closing the door and dropping my backpack, I then fall onto my bed. Stacking my pillows into a tower, I lean against it while sitting on my bed.

Digging underneath the pillow at the very bottom of the tower, I pull out the old family album. It's small, barely 4 by 6 inches, with a brown leather cover. Going through the first few pages, I stop when I come to an old family picture.

“Hey Mom,” I say, staring at my mother. “Oh boy, do I have something to tell you? I can’t be sure, but I think Ms. Lori may have fired me as Red Lightning’s tutor. Yeah, wait until I told you the whole thing.”

Oliver Oakmen:

Yawning as I stretch my arms and crack my back, I inhale deeply before going back to restocking the shelves. Grabbing some more boxes of instant mac and cheese, I line them up on the shelves. As I’m lining up the boxes, I hear the familiar squeaking of a shopping cart. I turn around and see an elderly couple slowly heading toward me.

I smile when they look at me and nod my head. They smile back at me before reaching for some packages of instant mashed potatoes. The woman, holding about two or three of them, accidentally drops them.

The man and woman try to pick them back up but I stop them.

“No, no, no,” I say, running over to them. “I got this.”

I pick up the dropped packages and hand them back to the woman. She and her husband smile and thank me. As they’re leaving and I’m going back to work, I hear a very familiar voice.

“Well, aren’t you the grandson all grandparents want?”

I turn around to see Miley behind me, leaning against the shelves.

“Miley,” I say, not believing my eyes at first. “Wow. It has been a while since we last seen each other.”

“It only been, what, two weeks? It hasn’t been that long.”

I shake my head and go back to work.

“I’m sorry Miley, but I can’t talk right now. I’m in the middle of work.”

I put up a few more boxes of mac and cheese. I don’t know how, but for some reason, Miley doesn’t leave. Instead, she waits for a few minutes before talking again.

“Is this normal for you,” she asks.

“What?”

“Is this normal for you,” Miley asks again, this time a little slowly.

“What do you mean by ‘normal’? Of course, this is normal for me.”

“Working at a supermarket?”

“What’s wrong with working at a supermarket?”

“Oh, nothing. There’s nothing wrong with working at a supermarket. I’m just wondering why you, a high schooler, are working at a supermarket, a bowling alley, and a gas station.”

I freeze when I hear this.

“Ho--How did you hear about that?”

“I have ears,” Miley starts, turning her head to show off her ears. “And people around here like to talk. Out loud. I don’t know why.”

I shake off the freeze and go back to restocking.

“So? So what if I have three jobs? I’m a busy person. Always on the move.”

“Always on the move,” Miley repeats, trying to hide a laugh. Again, I freeze when I hear this.

“Wha--What are you doing here, Miley? Sammy told me a few hours earlier. Her grades are back to normal so she doesn’t need a tutor anymore.”

“Yeah, that sucks. I was really started to bond with that girl. I would’ve liked to gotten to know her a little better.”

“Okay, seriously. What could you possibly mean by that? We all go to the same school. And you two even have the same class!”

“Yeah, but I get the feeling she isn’t exactly a big fan of me. Like me, she should’ve gotten to know me just a little better. She might’ve learned something else about me.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“I’m not a bad person to have around,” Miley answers. “Especially when you need help.”

“What?”

Miley just smiles as she leans toward me. Her face is only inches from mine when she stops. I think she’s about to kiss me but she doesn’t. Instead, she reaches and grabs one of the boxes I stocked.

“Thanks for this,” she says with a smile. “Hey, where are your hotdogs?”

Samantha Reader:

“Oh wow,” I say, tapping my fingers on my desk. As I repeatedly tap my fingers on my desk, I also stare at the stack of homework and assignments.

“I’m...done? Is that right?”

I stop tapping my fingers on the desk and start going through the stack. I look over everything; all the questions, all the equations, and everything else.

“It’s done,” I say, putting the last homework assignment on the top of the stack. “I’m...done. But how? According to all my teachers, this amount of work should have taken me at least a week to do. Not a few hours. What happened?”

Thinking back to a few hours ago, right after Ms. Lori congratulated me, I see myself falling right into my chair and doing all my late homework assignments. I remember telling myself over and over not to stop until it was all done.

“Of course, I didn’t actually mean that," I tell myself. "I didn’t think I could have gotten all of this done in only a few hours. What happened?”

As I ask myself this again, I remember something important. I have super speed. I have super speed, and because I have super speed, things will never be normal ever again.

Samantha Reader:

"Darn it," I say, looking down at my shoes.  In my hurry to get here, I used my super speed and ran all the way. However, since I didn't bother to go and see Oliver, and he's the one with my super suit, I accidentally burnt through my shoes. Again.

Sighing as I raise my feet and kick them against the street, I start getting rid of the burnt wool stuck on my bare feet. Once I'm done, I look ahead. Directly in front of me is a familiar house. A light yellow-colored, one-story house with a stone walkway and a beautiful green front lawn.

Taking in some deep breaths, working up the nerves, I take in one last deep breath through my nose before walking up the driveway. My legs are shaking as I walk from the empty driveway onto the narrow stone walkway. I consider myself lucky I didn't fall onto the driveway. I consider it a miracle I didn't fall or turn back when I was walking on the walkway.

Freezing up slightly when I reach the front door, I have to shock myself before I can knock on the front door.

It takes what feels like an eternity before the front doors open. The person to open the doors is an elderly woman with dark-skin and long, wavy grey hair.

"Uhh," I say, clearing my throat. "Hello, Mrs. Wane. I know it's really early in the morning, and I came here unannounced, and you have no reason whatsoever to see me, but I could really use some earthly wisdom. Do you at least have 30 seconds? I can stand out here if that helps."

Ms. Kimberly Wane, who is wearing a red robe, stares at me. I can't tell if she is mad or confused but all I know is she hasn't turned me away. At least, not yet.

"You're lucky I'm a morning person," Mrs. Wane says with a smile. "And that I'm live alone. Come on, child. Have a seat. You remember where my dining table is. Right?"

"Of course," I say, nodding my head. I practically jump into Mrs. Wane's house. About to walk to the dining table, Mrs. Wane shoots out her hand and stops me.

"My god, child," she says.

"What," I say, looking around. "What? Did I do something? Oh god, I am so sorry."

"No, you didn't do anything! Well, no. You did do something! You did!"

"Again, I am so sorry! I--I'll just leave! Thank you for taking the time!"

I turn to leave but again, Mrs. Wane shoots out her hand and stops me.

"You're not taking a step out of this house," Mrs. Wane says. "Not like that."

I look at Mrs. Wane as I try to figure out what on Earth she is talking about. Mrs. Wane looking down, I follow her gaze and see my blackened feet.

"Ohh," I murmur. "Uhh, just like before."

I clear my throat before letting out a small chuckle. Mrs. Wane shakes her head as she guides me to the dining table.

"Where are your shoes? Why are you always barefoot? I need to talk to your parents about this."

"Please don't."

Neil Newman:

Adjusting my necktie as I walk through the sliding glass doors to my company, I see the receptionist at the lobby's front desk.

"Hello, Ms. Lydia," I say, waving at Ms. Lydia as I walk past her.

"Hello, Mr. Newman," Ms. Lydia says, waving back at me. "Oh wait. Sir! You have some messages."

"Messages," I repeat. "This early? Hmm. And here, I thought I was the only early bird."

Ms. Lydia laughs as she hands me a note. Taking the notes, I read them over while walking over to the elevator.

"Strange," I think. Ms. Lydia handed me three notes. On the first two, they're reminders of important meetings coming up later this month. It's the third note that I can't figure out.

"Can't wait to see you," the note says. It's handwritten in bold, black letters. Almost like a permanent marker. On a blank postcard. I check both sides of the postcard but I don't see anything besides the written note, my name, and a stamp.

"Who sent this?"

As I examine the postcard, flipping it over and over again, I start to feel something on my fingers. Holding the postcard with one hand, I pull back my other hand and see something on my fingertips.

"What the--," I say, rubbing my fingers together. As I rub them together, I see something like a white powder falling. "Oh no!"

Immediately, I throw the postcard to the floor and examine my other hands. There, I see white power on it as well.

"No, no, no," I shout, thinking what to do. Not wasting a second, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. As I dial in 9-1-1, I already begin to feel dizzy. The walls around me start shaking. My legs go numb and I collapse onto the floor. Using whatever strength I have left, I hit the green call phone.

"911," the operator says. "What is your emergency?"

"Sent an ambulance," I beg, my fingers going numb and my phone falling out. I try to pick it back up but even my arms go numb and I can't raise them.

"Sir," the operator says. "Sir! Hello? Hello! Can you hear me?"

Mrs. Kimberly Wane:

"I hear you," I say, sitting back in my chair after hearing everything little Ms. Samantha said. "For the record, I know you're hiding more from me."

"What," Samantha says, pulling back her head. "I'm not hiding anything from you! No! No! No. No. Nothing at all."

She quickly takes a sip of the chocolate milk I gave her. I roll my eyes and take a sip of my coffee. I take a small sip but Samantha drinks the whole cup of chocolate milk in only a few gulps. When she is done, I get up from my chair and go to my refrigerator. Getting the carton of chocolate milk, I pour her another cup.

"Thank you," she says, reaching for the new cup.

"Go easy, girl," I say, pouring a third cup. "My grandson isn't here so I don't have a reason to buy any more chocolate milk for a while."

"Sorry, Mrs. Wane," Samantha says. "I, uhh, have a fast metabolism. A very fast metabolism. Lightning fast."

I nod my head as Samantha drinks another cup. Pouring the rest of the chocolate milk into her cup, I throw the empty carton in the trash. Taking my seat again, while Samantha already finished half her cup, I tap my fingers on my table.

"So things are changing for you," I say, repeating everything Samantha told me.

"Not just things," Samantha says. "Everything is changing for me. Everything is changing for me, and I just feel like I'm just being dragged through it all."

Samantha lets out a deep sigh as she goes on.

"I remember what you said to me before. That I can't control everything but I can control what I do in my life. But at this point, I feel like everything is just out of control, and no matter what I do or don't do, it will just keep spiraling out of control."

Samantha lets out another deep sigh. When she is done, she takes her cup of chocolate milk and down the whole thing. I'm grateful I don't have any alcohol in the house.

"I mean again, I know what I can control and what I can't, but still, at what point does it all feel...normal again?"

I almost spit out my coffee when I hear this. I have to cover my mouth and bite my lips so I don't accidentally spit at Samantha.

"What," Samantha asks. "What's so funny? Wait, you're laughing? Right? You're not choking?"

"I'm not choking," I say. I swallow the sip of coffee before talking again. "Samantha. What exactly is normal nowadays?"

"What?"

"What exactly is normal nowadays," I repeat. "Samantha. Everyone will feel like they're in control when things are at their finest. They'll feel better and happy because nothing is wrong. It's when things go wrong that you learn who you really are. And that is when you have control again."

I can tell my words are sinking in. It may look like Samantha is just staring at the squares of my tilted floor but I can tell the gears in Samantha's brain are turning.

"I imagine you remember when your friend, that young boy, what was his name again? Oliver! Yes, Oliver. Remember when that woman attacked him and he went blind?"

"How can I forget that? Oliver is my best friend. I was so worried back there."

"So was I. I mean, I didn't know him at all. I mean, sure I brought my lottery tickets from him, but other than that, I didn't know him from Adam or Eve. Nevertheless, when that woman attacked him, and he was screaming in the parking lot, I made it my responsibility to take him to the hospital. I even stayed there afterward to make sure he wasn't alone. Now, I could have panicked. I could have just run away. I didn't have to stay with Oliver, but I did. And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because it was my choice, and I like to think that I'm a person people, and maybe even strangers, can rely on. Kind of like that Red Lightning girl."

"Red Lightning?"

"Yes. You know, the super-fast girl. Always running everywhere, saving people. My god, child. I know not many people read newspapers nowadays, but at the very least, watch the news. Either on TV or on the internet. Red Lightning. She's a hero. A person people can rely on. Especially with all these crazy, super-powered people running around. Let me tell you. It's easy to panic. To run away, and no one would blame you if you did, but it takes a special someone to run toward danger and help those in need. Even if she had super power. Hmm. A girl with super speed running toward a bunch of supervillains. My, my. Almost sound like something out of a comic book."

As I say this, I see a smile grow on Samantha's face. She looks up at me.

"Yeah," she says, "Thought I never really read comic books before. I have read The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I really appreciate the assistance. And the chocolate milk. Thank you for everything."

With that said, Samantha stands up. She starts heading for the front door but I stop her.

"Stay here," I say, leaving Samantha for a few minutes. Before she disappears from view, I lean back and point right at her. "Don't go anywhere!"

Going to my closet, I grab an extra pair of shoes before giving them to Samantha.

"These are a loan," I say, "I want them back. Promise me you will give them back to me."

"I promise," Samantha says, putting the shoes on. A little too big for her, Samantha still put them on before heading out. She smiles, thanks me again, and leaves. I shake my head as I watch her walk down the street.

"Oh my god. I'm never going to see those shoes again. I like those loaners."

Miley Daniel:

"Samantha Reader," Ms. Lori asks. "Samantha Reader? Samantha!"

"What the--," I say, looking around myself. As I look around, I see an empty seat not too far away from me.

"Oh god," Ms. Lori sighs. Her head falls onto her hand as she shakes her head. "Samantha is not here."

"Samantha is not here," I repeat. "Samantha is not in class. Why?"

Oliver Oakman:

Stomping on the brakes, I get out of my car and run over the crowd of people. Having to push my way through them, I get to the front and see it with my own eyes.

"Clear out," one of the paramedics yells as she and the other paramedics carry both Mr. Newman and a woman out on stretchers. Mr. Newman and the woman lying on the stretcher appear to be unconscious but despite it, are still coughing badly. Mr. Newman himself almost launched off his stretcher as he started coughing.

"What happened," someone in a business suit asks. "I was running late and just got here."

"I don't know," another person in a suit answers. "All I heard was that our receptionist and Mr. Newman fell over coughing. Apparently, Mr. Newman called the paramedics from the elevator."

"Really? Damn."

While all of the employees are watching Mr. Newman and the receptionist get push into the paramedics' van, I look slightly to the left and see someone in a cap and coat walking into the empty lobby.

I don't even need to see the person's face to know who it is. After all, there's only one person in this whole world who seems to have a grudge against Mr. Newman. And whom Sammy hasn't stopped yet.

Everyone is too focused on watching the paramedics try to help Mr. Newman and the receptionist with their coughs to notice me leaving. I push my way out of the crowd and toward the company's front door. Exactly like Dr. Morris, I easily walk through the glass doors and into an empty lobby.

Hearing the sound of elevator doors closing, I run through the lobby and into a hallway. Seeing only one set of closed doors, I look up at the numbers above.

"What the," I say. I first see a light-up 1, then a light-up 2, and all the way up until it stops on a light-up 14. "14? Mr. Newman's office is on the 20th floor. Why stop on the 14th floor? What is the 14th floor even?"

I look to the side and see an open elevator. Wasting no time, I run in myself and push the button for the 14th floor. As the elevator carries me to the 14th floor, I breathe in and out. I jump up and down. I trying to prepare myself for the worst-case scenario.

"I got nothing," I remind myself ."I don't have super speed, or stretching power, or even a powered pack. I have to be careful. I have to be careful. I have to know what Dr. Morris is doing but I have to be careful."

I almost jump out of my skin when the elevator dings and the doors open. Quicking behind inside the elevator, I cover my mouth and wait until I'm sure the coast is clear. Just to be sure, I slowly and carefully peek out, leaning out from behind the elevator. Thankfully, I don't see Mr. Morris anywhere. I quietly let out a sigh before tip-toeing inside. As I tip-toe onto the 14th floor, I look around.

"What is this floor?"

The 14th floor doesn't look like an office floor. There are no cubicles, no desks, no computer. Nothing that would be in a typical office. Instead, there are rooms with glass windows everywhere. I take a quick look inside the rooms and see a bunch of long metal cabinets.

"Is this sort some of filing room? Filing floor? How many files are there that you need a whole floor for them? I thought computers were invented so there would be fewer paper files."

I keep looking at metal filing cabinets, wondering what could be on them until I hear the sound of metal hitting metal. The sound is coming from further down the hallway. Staying low, crouching so I'm just below the window, I carefully follow the sound. I don't have to go far.

In one of the rooms, I see Dr. Morris without a baseball cap going through one of the filing cabinets. He had it open all the way and is grabbing at a bunch of files. Quickly reading through them, he shakes his head and throws them to the floor.

"Wow," I whisper, seeing a floor covered in empty folders and papers. "What are you looking for?"

After throwing the folders and papers onto the floor, Dr. Morris grabs another file and reads over them quickly. He throws them to the floor after a few seconds. He repeats this process over and over again until the drawer is empty. When he sees it's empty, he opens another drawer and repeats the process.

I keep a constant eye on Dr. Morris. I don't know what he wants or what he's looking for but I do know I need to know what is it. When I learn what is it, I can tell Samantha. Of course, that's assuming she still cares about any of this.

It takes a while, and about four drawers later, but finally, it looks like Dr. Morris finds what he wants. Smiling when he opens a certain folder, Dr. Morris holds up some papers. I can't tell what they are from where I am, but a few seconds later, Dr. Morris reaches in again and pulls out what looks like a key card.

The key card is blue and white and has a logo on it. The logo isn't the same as the company.

"Why is there a key card for a different company here? What's going on?"

I look right at the key card, more specifically, the logo on it. I brand the logo into my mind, making sure not to forget what it looks like. When I'm sure I have it memorized, I duck my head just in time to not be seen by Dr. Morris.

He takes a quick look around before pocketing the key card and papers. He throws the empty folder to the floor and leaves the room. He slams open the door and stomps his way toward the elevator. I decide it's best to stay and wait until he's gone before I move. However, as I take a deep breath, I hear a familiar sound. It's the sound of an elevator dinging, followed by the doors sliding open.

"Hey," someone yells, "Who are you? Freeze. Freeze--"

I lean out and see Dr. Morris up against a security guard. The security guard, looking barely any older than me, is shaking as he raises his weapon at Dr. Morris. Dr. Morris, however, doesn't even seem fazed.

He's walking toward the security guard, ignoring all the warnings the guard is giving him.

"Stay back," the guard yells, "I don't want to do this!"

"I don't have time for this," Dr. Morris yells, raising his foot. Shooting out his foot like it's a rocket, Dr. Morris knocks the guard into the wall. The security guard screams as he hits the wall. Almost peeling off of it, he drops his weapons.

I watch with horror as Dr. Morris starts to slowly wrap his arm around the guard's neck.

"No," I shout, running out from cover. Running as fast as I can, I run right into Dr. Morris, knocking him away from the guard. He hits the same wall but unfortunately, he isn't knocked out. Turning around, Dr. Morris has red in his eyes.

"You again," Dr. Morris shouts. "Who are you! Why do you keep following me!"

I don't have time to answer the evil doctor. Instead, I try to grab the guard's weapon but Dr. Morris moves faster. He kicks and knocks me onto the floor. He then picks up the weapon and throws it.

Samantha Reader:

Bursting through the classroom's door, out of breath and slightly sweating, I wipe my forehead before meeting everyone's eyes.

"Sorry," I say, waving at everyone. "So, so sorry I'm late. I-I had to see someone. Excuse me."

Bending down slightly, I run from the door to my seat, moving fast but not too fast. I reach my seat in only a few minutes and quietly sit down. As I sit down, I pull out all of my notebook and textbook and prepare myself.

"Hey," I whisper, leaning over. The girl I'm whispering to moves her long brown hair out of the way to talk to me.

"What's up," she asks.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing much," the girl answers me. "Ms. Lori just took attention, wondered where you were, and then now is wondering where Miley is."

"Miley isn't here?"

I turn around and look at where she should be sitting but I only see an empty chair.

"Where did Miley go," I ask.

"No clue," the girl says with a shrug. "She left for the restroom about ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes ago," I repeat. "Oh god. That sounds like something I would say. Assuming Miley isn't just sleeping in the restroom, I wonder where she really is."

Miley Daniel:

"Thanks for the ride," I say, shooting my Uber driver a wave. The driver smiles and waves back at me before driving off. Making sure to give him five stars and a big tip for running through a few red lights, I pocket my phone and quickly walk up to the company.

"According to the news article," I think, "Mr. Newman and one of his employees were taken to the hospital earlier this morning. And both Samantha and Oliver aren't in school today."

The glass doors slide open and I walk into an almost empty lobby. The only other person besides me in the lobby is a security guard sitting behind a large stone desk.

"Hello," the security guard says when he sees me. "Who are you?"

The security guard, a tall but thin man with very short brown hair, stands up. He's looking right at me. I can tell he's trying to intimidate me but he's not the first person to try that move.

"Hello," I say, waving at the guard when I reach the stone desk. "I'm here to see my Dad. His name is John Henson. I think he worked on one of the top floors."

"Sorry kid," the guard says, "But for the time begin, this building is closed. There are no employees here at the current moment."

"I know," I say, lying. I nod my head. "My dad is back at home right now, but he forgot something and asked me to get it for him."

"Oh. Sorry, but I'm not allowed to let anyone upstairs. I can get it for you though. What is it?"

"It, uhh," I say, clearing my throat. "It's, uh, not something, no offense or anything, it's not something a strange should get."

I wave my hands, motioning for the guard to come closer. He leans in, and I whisper in his ears.

"It's his wallet," I whisper, "It's filled with a lot of personal items. Personal items that he rather people not know about."

I lean back and wink my eyes. The guard, not looking so intimidating anymore but now just confused, reaches down.

"Okay," he slowly says, handing me a guest pass. "Just hurry up."

"Thanks," I say, taking the guest pass and running over to the elevator. The second I'm inside the small elevator, I push all the buttons. Going from floor to floor, I quickly walk out and listen.

"Nothing," I say after checking the second floor. "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing."

I repeat this floor after floor until finally when the doors open on the 14th floor, I see a security guard lying on the floor.

"Something," I say, running over to the security guard. Flipping him over, I place my fingers on his neck and check his pulse. "Woo. He's okay. He's just unconscious."

As I gently place him back down, I hear the sound of something breaking and someone screaming. Getting up, I walk down a narrow hallway with rooms filled with filing cabinets on both sides. It doesn't take long before I see someone throw Oliver through a window.

"Ahh," Oliver moans, shaking as he tries to push himself up. However, the man, a tall man with a bald head, bushy hair on the back of his head, and a mustache walks out of one of the rooms. He shoots out his arm, and it stretches! His arm stretches and wraps around Oliver's legs, pulling him in. When Oliver is at his feet, the man picks up Oliver and brings him face-to-face.

"Who are you," the stretching man asks.

It takes a few seconds but I recognize the stretching man from before. He and Red Lightning have some history.

"Well now," I think, reaching into my pocket to pull out a ski mask. "He and I are going to have some history!"

Oliver Oakman:

Struggling to catch my breath, I look at the Noose as he shakes me back and forth.

"Tell me," he yells, "Who you are? Otherwise."

Stretching his fingers out, I feel them wrapping around my throat. They tighten for only a second before the Noose screams and lets me go. Falling onto the floor and some broken glass, I scream.

"Ahhh," I moan. As I lay there, trying to figure out what happen, I hear a voice, and then a hand on my back.

"Are you okay," someone asks.

"Ahh," I moan. It takes a minute or two but I can open my eyes again. When I do, I see someone in a black ski mask. The person, whoever he is, is wearing a dark blue shirt and jacket with jeans. "Who-Who are you?"

I found it a little funny how now I'm the one asking this. The person doesn't get the chance to answer me, however. We hear screaming and turn around. Despite rubbing his head, the Noose is pushing himself up. Back on his feet, he looks at us.

"Oh come on," he shouts. "Who are you now? Ergh! Nevermind. Both of you are finished."

Shooting out both his arms, the Noose stretches them out like a freaking octopus.

"Run," I say, pushing the person back.

"Yeah, I will," the person says with a higher-pitch voice than I thought. "But not now."

The person gently lays me against a wall before standing against the Noose.

"No way," I think. "Is he going to fight the Noose? He can't! The Noose is too strong!"

The Noose's long arms shoot toward the person, stretching from one end of the hallway to the other.

"Watch out," I shout, trying to get up but falling back down.

Ducking underneath one of the arms, the person grabs Noose's other arm and slams it against the floor. He then stomps on Noose's arm and twists his foot. The Noose screams and drops onto his knee.

"Oh, what the," I think. "That was...unexpected."

While stepping on the Noose's long arm, the person then launches himself. He takes off, running toward the Noose. The Noose pulling back his arms, brings them together and makes a sort of wall. Despite holding up the wall, the person doesn't stop. He runs until he's only about a few feet from the Noose. Jumping all of a sudden, the man throws both his feet into the air.

Doing a flying double kick, at least I think that's what it's called, he knocks the Noose off his feet again. However, because he threw his feet into the air, the person also fell to the floor. Despite being the first to get back up, the Noose shoots out his arm and punches the person right in the face.

He screams and stumbles back but doesn't fall. Instead, as the Noose shoots out his arm again, the person grabs a door and swings it open. Noose's fist goes right through the window of the door. The second it does, the person grabs the Noose hand and ties it to the door.

"What the heck," the Noose yells. He tries to pull his hand back but before he can, the person slams the door shut. He pulls the Noose to the floor and crushes his hand.

"Have to be careful when closing those doors," the person says while the Noose screams. He runs toward me and picks me up.

"Come on," he says. "We're leaving now!"

As the man carries me out, he sees a fire alarm and pulls it.

Samantha Reader:

Skidding to a stop, just right outside Newman's Chemical, I start looking around.

"Oliver," I whisper, "Oliver! Where are you?"

Still looking around, my head snapping right and left, I hear moaning coming from around the corner. Despite the short distance, I still use my super speed to run around the corner. There, I see a beaten-up Oliver sitting on the ground. Looking up at me with one black eye and a swollen cheek, Oliver tries to push himself up but he falls back down.

"Oliver," I shout. Using my super speed again, I run to grab Oliver and gently set him back down on the ground. As I slowly help Oliver sit back down, I see purple bruises all over his arms. "What happened to you? Who did this!"

"The Noose," Oliver answers, breathing in through his nose while holding his waist. "He-He broke into Newman's Chemical again. Stole something. A keycard."

"A keycard," I repeat. I immediately race to think why Dr. Morris would go through so much trouble just for a keycard.

"With his stretching powers," I think, "The Noose should have no trouble breaking in anywhere. So why would he even need a keycard? A keycard? A keycard?"

Thinking back to my time as an intern, I try to remember when I heard something, anything about a keycard. As I search through my memory, trying my hardest to remember, something sparks inside my head and I remember walking in on Mr. Newman while he was on a phone call.

It was late into the day, I think a little under an hour before it was time for everyone to leave. I had some reports and forms for Mr. Newman to see. I had knocked on his office door and he said come in. I came in but froze the second I saw Mr. Newman on his phone. I turned to leave but Mr. Newman motioned for me to stay.

"Just give me a few seconds," he said to me before returning to his call. "Yes, yes. Thank you for the keycard. I really appreciate it. I'll be sure to keep it in the company's cabinet in case I ever need to visit the plant again. No, everything is fine."

Mr. Newman's phone call went on for a few more seconds before he finally hung up. When he was finished, he waved at me and I gave him the form.

"The plant," I think. "But what plant? I doubt Mr. Newman is referring to a plant that grows on the ground."

Still trying to think about what plant Mr. Newman could have been talking about and why the Noose stole a keycard from it, I remember Oliver and shake my head.

"Not now," I say, grabbing Oliver's arm and throwing it over me. "Come on! We're leaving! Where did you park?"

"Over there," Oliver answers, raising a shaking finger. Pointing to his Mustang, parked on the street, around the corner from the entrance, I waste no time and run us over there. As I run Oliver over there, I think I accidentally shock Oliver. He screams a little before falling onto the hood of his car.

"Sorry," I say, looking at my hands as red sparks burst off of them. "You still have my suit."

"I do," Oliver says, pushing himself up. "Thought, I'm not sure if you want it!"

"Oliver," I say, but Oliver cuts me off.

"No," he shouts. He holds his waist as he slowly pushes himself up and onto his feet. Now, back on his shaking feet, Oliver tries to walk around his car to the driver seat. "Listen, thanks for the help, but you can go now! Go! Enjoy your life!"

"Oliver," I say again but again, Oliver cuts me off.

"Enjoying the 'forgotten days'? Uh? Before you 'got fast'! Before you had to fight supervillains with sonic death pack or razor-sharp wings or stretching limbs? Oh yeah, I'm sure you're enjoying begin normal! Because being normal is so freaking wonderf-Ahhh!"

"Enough," I shout. Vibrating my hand, generating more red sparks, I place my hand on Oliver and electrocute him. Oliver screams and jumps before falling over. As Oliver falls over, he shuts up, and now I can talk.

"Listen to me," I say, showing Oliver my still-sparking hand. Seeing Oliver with wide eyes, I let out a sigh before dropping my hands. "Oliver, please listen to me. I'm...I'm sorry about what I said before. About not wanting to be Red Lightning. I mean, yeah, there are moments where I hated being Red Lightning, but there were also moments where being Red Lightning was the best! I mean, come on! I could run at super speed! I can generate my own electricity! Remember that time I charge your phone simply by holding it! I-I-"

As I think about the best moment of being Red Lightning, I start smelling smoke and look down. As I look down, I see the shoes I'm wearing on fire!

"Oh come on," I cry. Stomping my feet on the ground, I try to put out the fire but after a few tries, I have no other choice but to quickly take them off and throw them away. "Oh shoot! Those were Mrs. Wane's shoes."

I slap myself on the face and shake my head. While shaking my head, I hear someone laughing. Turning, I see Oliver laughing slightly.

"I'm guessing this isn't one of those 'moments where being Red Lightning is the best'," Oliver says with a smile.

Seeing Oliver smile and laugh, I feel a little better. Not a whole lot but still, a little. Helping Oliver up back onto his feet, he searches around his pockets for a bit before finding his car key and opening his car. Once unlocked, I place Oliver in the driver's seat before running around and hopping into the front passenger's seat. As I fall into the front passenger seat of Oliver's familiar Mustang, I can't help but think something.

"The forgotten days."

I smile as I look around for a bit before stopping.

"Sammy," Oliver says. I turn to Oliver.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"How did you know where to find me?"

"You...texted me."

Oliver looking at me, I pull out my cell phone and show him the text.

"I...texted you," Oliver says. "But wait, I don't remember texting you."

"Well, you did. In your text, you said it was an emergency and to get to Newman's Chemical as fast as you can. I did by the way."

"I didn't text you," Oliver says. "It must have been that person!"

"That person?"

"Someone saved me from the Noose! He fought the Noose before carrying me out!"

"Someone saved you? From the Noose? He fought the Noose? Did he have...anything?′

"No. He just fought the Noose. No super speed. No fancy pack. Just fists. It was kind of awesome."

"Okay," I say, snapping my fingers in front of Oliver's face. "Well, thank you to that mysterious person for saving you, but from the sound of it, he didn't stop Dr. Morris, meaning Dr. Morris is still out there somehow. And with a keycard for something that had to do with a plant."

"A plant," Oliver repeats. "Wait, keycard."

All of a sudden, without any warning, Oliver starts acting crazy. He jumps up and down, twisting and turning all over the car. He opens the glove component and starts throwing a bunch of things out of it.

"Oliver, what are you doing?"

"Give me a second," Oliver begs, pulling out an empty envelope. "Give me a second!"

Still jumping all over, Oliver reaches behind his seat and slams his hand all over the floor. A few seconds later, he returns with a pen in his hand. Oliver then starts drawing something on the envelope.

"Sammy, a little head-up. I'm not the best artist but I think this should still work. Here."

Oliver pulling back, hands me the empty envelope. Slowly taking the envelope, I look at it. Written on the envelope is some sort of sloppy, messy drawing of a ten-point shape with what looks like a tree in the middle.

"What is this?"

"Sammy, on the keycard the Noose stole, it had this logo. Whatever this logo is, it's where the Noose is heading."

"This is a logo?"

"Again, I'm not the best artist, but still, do you, in any way, recognize this logo?"

"Hmm."

I look at the logo again, tilting and looking at it from different angles. I imagine the logo with cleaner lines. As I do, I start to see something.

"Decaos," I slowly say.

"Deca-what?"

"Decaos Corporation," I say, lowering the envelope. "It's a company Mr. Newman does business with."

"What does the company do?"

"It's not the whole company," I say, trying my hardest to remember what exactly Decaos is. "Just a branch of it is here in the city. The Decaos Chemical Plant. Wait, plant. Chemical Plant! The Noose stole a keycard for the Decaos Chemical Plant!"

"A chemical plant," Oliver says.

"Ahh," I cry out, slapping myself on the face again. "I should've known! Plant! Chemical Plant! All the Noose cares about are chemicals! He stole the keycard to break into the chemical plant!"

"But why? What's at the Decaos Chemical Plant?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

I push open the door and try to get out but before I can, Oliver grabs my hand.

"No," Oliver says. "You're not going to find out.

"Oliver?"

"We're going to find out. You and me. Together. Now, get back in."

Oliver Oakman:

As I step on the brake and my Mustang comes to a stop, my already burning waist burns even more and I have to bite my tongue from screaming.

“Oliver,” Sammy says, leaning over. She places her hands on my back and chest and pushes me back.

“It’s fine,” I say, breathing in and out. Taking the next few minutes to breathe in, my burning waists calming down, I turn to the Decaso Chemical Plant.

Located a few miles outside the city, the Decaso Chemical Plant is massive. Stretching further than I can see, it’s almost like a small city with giant white tanks instead of buildings and large metal pipes all over. The plant is surrounded by both tall metal fences and brick walls and it seems the only way through both of them is a small narrow paved road. As I lean in closer, I see a booth beside the road, and standing right outside the booth is a guard with a gun.

“Uhh, Sammy,” I slowly say. “What the heck is this place?”

“It’s a chemical plant,” Sammy answers, putting on her mask.

“Yeah, yeah, I know that. It’s right there in the name, but I mean, what the heck is this place? Sammy, that isn’t a pistol. That’s like, a machine gun! A freaking machine gun! What kind of chemical plants need guards with machine guns?”

“The ones that you can’t break into without a keycard.”

“Okay. Well, if the Noose needed a keycard just to get into this place, it begs an important question. How are you supposed to get in without one? I mean, maybe there’s a chance there’s another keycard back at Newman’s Chemical but with getting beaten up by the Noose, I didn’t get a chance to check.”

Opening the car door and getting out, Sammy starts looking around. Luckily for her, I parked a far distance from the plant. So, hopefully, Sammy can look around without drawing anyone’s attention.

Letting out a moan as I push open the door myself, I hold my waist and slowly hop over to where Sammy is. Holding her hand over her eyes, she’s still scanning the plant.

“Maybe you could try melting your way through,” I suggest. “I mean, I’ve seen you vibrate so fast that you practically turned yourself into a lightning bolt.”

“Yeah, but that was only for an already broken chain-linked fence,” Sammy says. “That fence was thin. Those metal fences down are thicker. Besides, even if I could do that, those stone walls would require more heat. I’m not sure I can vibrate that fast. At least, not without drawing some unwanted attention.”

“True.”

“Besides, this is a chemical plant.”

“So?”

“A chemical plant,” Sammy repeats. “Oliver, there are a lot of raw chemicals in there. Chemicals that can easily catch on fire or worse, explode when they come in contact with ‘lightning’.”

“Oh yeah,” I say, slapping my forehead. “Oh man, this is bad.”

“Yeah. I can’t get in, and even if I do, I can’t use my full speed. Otherwise, I might accidentally start a dangerous reaction.”

“Yeah, let’s avoid that.”

Together, Sammy and I scan the whole plant. We looked for any way in that didn’t involve Sammy using her speed. At least, not too much of it, but no matter where we looked, we couldn’t see one.

“No wonder why the Noose went through so much trouble to get a keycard,” I say, eyeing the bared wires on top of the walls and fences. “Even with his stretching power, this place is also impossible to break into.”

Eyeing the bared wires on top again, an idea sparks inside my head and I start looking down.

“There,” I say, hitting Sammy with my elbow.

“What?”

“There,” I say again, pointing at a large pipe with water pouring out of it. The large metal pipe is halfway exposed, halfway buried. The other half is buried in the land, just beneath the chemical plant.

“How do you wanna bet that lead inside,” I ask with a smile. I turn to Sammy, expecting her to smile slightly but instead, she looks at me with V-shaped eyebrows.

“Really,” she says, “Really? How much do you wanna bet that’s sewer water?”

“Sammy, it’s an entrance. Just take it.”

“Ahh,” Sammy moans as she reaches into my car and pulls out the duffle bag. Using her speed, Sammy runs into circles, lightning shooting out her as she does. Taking a step back, I smile when I see Sammy in a bright red jumpsuit.

“Take him down, Red Lightning,” I say, nodding as Red Lightning runs toward the pipe.

Red Lightning:

Vibrating my hand at super speed, I heat it, turning it into a sort of blade. Slowly and carefully, I slice the bars off before crawling into the sewer pipe.

"Oh god,” I think, a horrible smell immediately hitting my nose. Smelling like rotten eggs mixed with spoiled milk, I take one last breath of clean before climbing further up the pipe. Thankfully, the pipe isn’t at an angle, so I can crouch-walk instead of crawl. As I crouch-walk through the pipe, I hear something.

"Is that...splashing?"

I turn around but all I see is water flowing down an empty sewer pipe.

"Must have been me. Ahh, this smell is messing with my head! I have to get out of here!"

It seems my wish was granted. I quickly see lights and practically run to it. The light is coming through a grate with metal bars. Having to vibrate my hands again, I quickly cut through the bars before crawling out of the sewer pipe.

“Oh god,” I say, taking in a deep breath of fresh, clean air. “This is definitely one time when I rather not be Red Lightning.”

Shaking off the water from my feet, I look around. I’m surrounded by four large white tanks, each filled with some dangerous chemicals.

"I have to be careful," I tell myself, ”One spark and I could turn this whole place into a fireball."

Running at only half-speed, generating only little sparks of lightning, I run around the whole chemical plant looking for Dr. Morris. Running around the large tanks and along the pipes, I search for him while avoiding the employees. Seeing a few people with hard hats and yellow vests, I quickly step back and hide behind a wall. Hiding until they walk away, I step out and search.

Skidding to stop after a few laps, I look around and see myself surrounded by the same four large white tanks from before.

"I’ve already been here!"

I stomp my foot as I spin around.

"I searched the whole compound but still no Dr. Morris. Where could he be? Where haven’t I searched? Come on. Think! Think!"

Hearing footsteps, I quickly run away. Hiding behind a stone block, I peek out and see two more employees walking by.

“Come on, come on,” an elderly man with an orange vest and stubble on both sides of his face says. “We have to hurry! We have three more shipments due today!”

“I’m hurrying,” the other worker, a slightly younger man with a yellow vest and no facial hair yells back. “I’m hurrying! But even if we do get the chemicals out, it won’t matter if the people in the office don’t move fast.”

"The office,” I think. I roll my eyes and slap myself on the face. ”I never check the office or the main building! I only checked the compound."

I wait until the two men are gone before stepping up. About to run to the office and the main building, I stop myself.

"Wait! I can’t just run into the office or main building! There are people there. Too many people. They would notice me right away."

I sigh as I pull my feet back together.

"How can I search the buildings without being noticed?"

Thinking about the situation, and any solution, I stop when I hear alarms go off.

"Shoot! Was that me?"

My head snapping left and right, I wait for those armed guards to be storming in. I can already see them charging toward me with their guns pointed, yelling at me, demanding to know why I broke in here in the first place. Only, it never happened.

My head still turning, I don’t see any armed guards. In fact, when I listen closely, the alarms are coming from somewhere else. Following my ears, I run to where the alarms are coming from. The alarms seem to be coming from a large, circle-shaped building. Hiding behind a corner, I see lots and lots of people running out from the building. Some of them are wearing vests but most of the people running are wearing white shirts with ties.

"I think I’ve found the main building.”

Waiting until the last person runs out, and then waiting a few more minutes, I run toward the building. Running up the stairs and through a set of double doors, I find myself in a room with pipes, values, control panels, and a stone floor. Looking up, I see a flashing red alarm.

Wondering if I should be running too, I hear another footsteps. Turning around, the Noose wraps his arm around my throat.

Miley Daniel:

Letting out a moan after I hit him, the security guard drops to his knees before falling flat onto his face. Quickly taking the keycard from his belt, I let myself in through the gate before looking around.

"Okay,” I think, “If I was a speedster or a stretching guy, then where would I be?”

I think about it for a second before I hear alarms going off. The ringing echoes throughout the whole plant, I then hear the sound of people screaming and yelling mixed with running footsteps. Looking around again, I take a few steps back and hide behind a large, sand-colored pipe. Carefully peeking out, I see a bunch of people running by. They run out of the plant and through the gate before gathering on the outside. The second the gate is closed, I step out.

Following my ears, I turn to what looks like the main building. Considering it’s right in the middle of the plant and it’s where most of the people were running out from, my theory is only confirmed when I see a red blur run into it.

"Man. You are not subtle."

Unfortunately, I don’t have super speed, so it takes me a while to reach the building. Running up the metal stairs and into the building, the glass doors open for me and the first thing I see is the stretching guy with his long arms around Red Lightning’s throat.

Not wasting a second, I scream as I run, charging into the room and jumping at “Arm-Stretch”.

“Arm-Stretch” screams as I kick him in the back. He pulls back his arm and falls onto the floor. While Arm-Stretch kisses the floor, Red Lighting holds her throat. Running and jumping over Arm-Stretch, I drop onto my knees and slide along the floor, stopping by Red.

“You okay,” I ask.

Coughing at first, Red looks at me.

“Who--Who are you? Listen! You need to get out of here!”

“Uhh,” I say, turning around. “Too late.”

Seeing Arm-Stretch get back onto his feet, Red does the same and gets back on her. While Arm-stretch stretches out his arms, Red lowers herself, getting into a running position. Meanwhile, I just bring up my arms and spread my legs out.

“You,” Arm-Strecth yells. “I remember you! You fought me at Newman’s Chemical!”

“You did,” Red asks, turning to me. “But how?”

“I don’t know,” I answer. “I punched and kicked and I think somewhere along the way, I slammed his hand in the door.”

“What!”

Before I can answer, Arm-Strech pulls back his arm before shooting it at us. While Red runs out of the way, I roll out of the way. Landing on my feet, I reach into my pockets and pull out a lighter with some firecrackers.

Lighting the fuse, I throw it at Arm-Stretch.

“Head up, Stretch,” I yell. The firecrackers I threw land near Arm-Stretch. They explode, unleashing a loud banging sound, flashes, and smoke. Arm-Stretch screams and steps back. He pulls back his hands to wave the smoke away.

“Red,” I yell, Red Lighting stopping and looking at me. I point at Arm-Stretch and punch my palm with my fist. Thankfully, she gets it. Running toward a still-distracted Arm-Stretch, Red uses her super speed to punch him. I watch with a smile as Arm-Stretch flies into the air. He flies and flips through the air before landing with a loud thud.

“Ouch,” I say, hiding a laugh. Laughing for a bit, I stop when I see Arm-Stretch stretching along the floor. It moves like a snake, slithering toward Red and grabbing her foot. Red screams as she falls to the floor.

Seeing this, I run to Arm-Stretch and jump. While in mid-air, I bring my feet together and stomp on Arm-Stretch. Landing right on Arm-Stretch’s stomach, he screams as he lets go of Red. Pushing herself up, Red is back on her feet in less than a second.

“Watch out,” she yells. Pointing behind me, I turn around and see a stretching foot. Throwing his foot into the air, it curves backward toward me. Arm-Stretch ‘kicks’ me in the face, knocking me off him and onto the floor.

Holding my head while pushing myself up, I look up to see a steamy Arm-Stretch.

“Enough of this,” Arm-Stretch yells, his voice echoing throughout the whole building. Swinging his arm, it stretches out and wraps around a large pipe in the ceiling. Arm-Stretch pulls it down, and some strong-smelling chemicals pour out from the broken pipe.

Red Lightning:

As the room quickly fills with the chemicals, I look at the person helping me. Not wasting a second, I run over to the person and grab him.

“Come on,” I yell, pulling him up and away from the approaching chemical. Once we’re a safe distance away, the person gets back on his feet. “Are you okay?”

The person nods and gives me a thumb-up. Hearing screaming and shouting, we turn and see Dr. Morris breaking off more pipes. Even more chemicals pour into the room from the broken pipes. They all mix together, and it isn’t long before the smell becomes too much.

My nose starts to burn, and my throat goes dry. All of us, even Dr. Morris, start to cough. We cough and hold our chests. My chest feels like someone set it on fire. My vision goes blurry and I can’t see anything properly. I can barely make out Dr. Morris. Using his stretching power, Dr. Morris uses his arms and legs to climb up onto a pipe he hasn’t broken yet. Standing on the pipe, Dr. Morris throws his fist and breaks a window near the ceiling. He jumps and climbs out of the window, leaving me and the masked man behind.

Fighting my burning nose, dried throat, and fiery chest, I walk over to the masked man and grab his shoulder.

“We need to get out of here,” I yell. The masked man nods his head and together, we leave the room. With the entrance blocked, the masked man and I have no choice but to take an alternative path.

Rubbing my itching eyes, I scream as they turn into burning eyes.

“Ahh,” I cry out. Stopping immediately, I blink a few times and tears pour out. Feeling tapping, I turn to the masked man. He’s holding his hand over his mouth and is giving me something like a rag. Placing the rag over his mouth, the masked man then holds it out again. I realize what’s he trying to say and take the rag.

“Thanks,” I say, placing the rag over my mouth. It helps slightly, my nose and throat feel better, but I know it won’t last long.

"Whatever these chemicals are,” I think, ”They’re dangerous. Every second we’re here, we’re putting ourselves in more and more danger."

As I look around some more, I feel the masked man tapping me again.

“What,” I ask, my voice sounding a bit muffled because of the rag. The masked man points to a wall. “It’s a wall. What?”

The masked man shakes his head. He then places his hands together and rubs them.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but I can’t do it. We’re in a chemical plant, and worst, in a room filled with chemical gases. One spark and I could cause a massive explosive!”

Despite my explanation, the masked man still rolls his head. He then flicks me on the side of the head.

“Ouch. Why!”

The masked man grabs my hand and pulls me toward the part of the wall he pointed to. Once there, he slams his fist against it. As he slams his fist against the wall, I hear something.

“Wait,” I say, slamming my fist against the wall. Immediately, I feel something different. “This isn’t a wall! This is a door! A metal door!”

Just to be sure, I slam my fist against it again. When I do, I hear a loud ding. I also feel the smooth, metallic touch.

"It’s a door alright!"

Looking around the door, I find the masked man still next to me, pointing at something. Stepping back as I approach him, I see a keypad with numbers 0-9. Looking at the masked man, I nod my head before quickly tapping away at all the numbers. I don’t know the code but still, I quickly hit all the numbers over and over again.

Over and over again, I see a red light. It's still red until finally, it turns green. The second it turns green, the masked man and I run through the doors. Once on the other side, we slam the doors shut.

Oliver Oakman:

"Oh boy," I say. I hear very loud alarms and, despite the bright afternoon sun, I can still see some flashing lights. Leaving my car, I hold my hand over my eyes and look at the chemical plant. The gate at the front slides open and hundreds of people run out.

The people who ran out all gather about a mile from the chemical plant. I keep watching them as some talk to each other while a few pull out their cell phones and call someone. A few minutes later, I hear sirens.

Turning around, I see bright red fire trucks driving down the nearby road.

"Shoot," I think. Thinking fast, I hide behind my car and watch the fire trucks drive past me. Thankfully, I don't think they notice me. I keep watching as they drive up the crowd of people. Getting out, the firefighters in their bright yellow uniforms start talking with the workers. Whatever they're talking about, it doesn't last long.

The firefighters leave the workers and head inside the plant.

"Oh boy," I say again. "Sammy. Whatever you're doing, please do it fast! Because you're about to have company."

Red Lightning:

"Ahhh," I cry, wiping tears from my burning, itching eyes. Even with the doors closed, the fumes are still getting through. Besides my burning eyes, there is still my dried throat, firey chest, and red hot nose. Every time I sneeze, it feels like my nose is about to explodes and rockets off my face.

"Achoo," I shout, slamming my hands over my nose. "Ahh!"

Through my watery eyes, I see the rag the masked man gave me falls to the floor. It's a blurry brown color but turns into a whole blurs of colors as it hits the floor.

"Shoot!"

Dropping to my knees, I search the floor for the rag. Feeling around, my fingers bouncing up and down, all I feel are cold stone. However, the cold stones are quickly turning hot.

"It can't be me," I think. "I haven't been using my super speed that much. My hands can't be that hot. It must be the chemical! We have to get out of here."

Swinging my arms as far as they can go and a few seconds later, I feel something soft, light, and slightly wet.

"The rag!"

Grabbing it, I place the damp rag against my mouth and nose, and immediately, I feel a bit of relief. Feeling a little better now, I look around and see the person, the masked man, on his knees and a hand. He too is keeping the wet rag against his mouth and nose, but as I look closer, I see the hand he's using to hold the rag shaking.

His hand is shaking. A few seconds later, his hand falls slightly, and the second it does, he coughs and gasps for air.

"Hey, hey, hey," I say, dropping to my knee. Grabbing the man's hand, I place it back against his mouth. I listen to him as he breath deeply. He's still coughing but it's not as bad as it was a few seconds ago.

Helping him up to his feet, I look around for a way out. Thankfully, because of the woman with the flashbang power pack, I have some experience in navigating half-blind.

Seeing something a different blurs of colors from everything else, I narrow my eyes and see what I think is a metal staircases.

"Hey," I say, hitting the masked man in the arm. The man turning to me, I point at the staircases. "This way! Follow me."

Guiding the man away from the door and hopefully, away from all of these chemical fumes, we run down the metal staircases as fast as we can. At least, the man did. I still have to make sure I don't use too much of my speed. Otherwise, I'll spark, and with all these fumes, I could cause a massive explosion.

Still running down the staircase, floors after floor, the man stop all of a sudden. Accidentally bumping into him, I almost fall onto my butt but manage to grab onto the staircase's railing.

"Hey," I shout. "A little warning next time!"

The man turns to me and points at something. Following his finger, I see some light shining through a door.

"An exit," I say, realizing why the man stopped. "Awesome job!"

The man waves his fingers before leaving the staircase. This time, I follow him as we both run for the door. The first to reach the door, the man tries to open it but the door won't budge. He throws his weight against the door but the door stay closed.

"Move," I say, pushing the man out of the way. Placing both my hands on the handle, I step back, and prepare to throw my own weight against it. Even with the mask on, I can still feel the man's eyes on me.

"Something I can do that you can't," I say with a smile. "Throw my whole weight, plus a little super speed."

With that said, I throw my whole weight against the door. With the extra plus, the extra force, the door moves. It moves but it still wasn't enough. Pushing myself back, until my arms are fully stretched out, I throw my weight against the door again. This time, the door moves. It opens all the way, allowing both me and the man to get out.

As we run through the door and out of the building, the man and I find ourselves in what look like a ledge a few stories up. The second I'm hit with fresh air, and see sunlight, I take in a very deep breath.

"Oh boy," I say. "That feels amazing."

As I breathe in and out, I feel a cough coming up and raise my hand. As I cough into my hand, I hear something buzzing and it makes me jump.

The masked man turns to me and sees me rapidly patting my chest.

"Don't judge me," I say, turning away so the masked man can't see me. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my cell phone and see Oliver calling me. "Excuse me."

Taking a few steps away from the masked man, I answer the call.

"Hello," I whisper, looking at the masked man. He doesn't seem too focused on me anymore, but still, I try to hide my cell phone from him.

"Sammy," Oliver shouts. "Listen to me! You need to get out of there! Now! Now! Now! Now!"

"Hey, hey, hey," I say, "Oliver, relax. I already got out. And so did my...uh...partner?"

"Partner?"

"Don't ask. I'm still a little confused myself. Some guy just showed up and--"

"No time! Sammy! There are firefighters here! They're entering the building now!"

"What! Oliver, they can't enter the building! The whole building is filled with chemical fumes! I barely got out myself. Tell them they can't enter!"

"It's too late! Like  I said, they're already entering the building! You have to stop them!"

"Shoot!"

Ending the call, I shove the phone back into my pocket.

"Listen," I start, turning to the masked man. "Thank you for all the help but now I've got to--What?"

Turning to the masked man, I jump back a little when I see no one. The masked man is gone. I look left and right for him, but as far as I can tell, he's nowhere. It's like he vanished into thin air.

"Whatever," I say after looking over the ledge and still not seeing him. "I need to stop those firefighters!"

Looking over the ledge again, I take a deep breathe before jumping off. Crying and screaming as I hit the solid ground, I push myself up and run to what I think is the main pathway. Since I'm outside again, away from the fumes, I can use my super speed again.

Charging myself up, I run through the whole courtyard and reach the pathway in only a few minutes. Skidding to a stop on a wide blacktop pathway, I see workers on the other side of a metal gate. Turning my head and looking the other way, I see a group of firefighters about to open a large metal door.

"Noo," I shout, running to the firefighters as fast as I can. Running along the pathway, almost melting the blacktop and turning it back into tar, I try my best to reach the firefighters but as I shoot out my hand, I see them sliding open the doors.

"Don't do it!"

Running up the staircase, I see my arm sparking with red electricity. As it sparks, chemical fumes run out.

Red Lightning:

I can't see anything but I can still hear. I hear screaming. People are screaming for some reason. They're yelling something but I can't be sure what it is.

I try to listen to what they're all yelling, but an explosion cuts them all off.

"An explosion? What's going on? Where am I?"

I try to look around but it feels like my eyelids are squeezing against each other. I want to open them but they don't listen to me. They do the complete opposite. They keep themselves shut.

It's not until I hear my name that they flutter, opening for only a few seconds before closing again.

"Sammy," someone shouts. "Sammy! Samantha!"

"Ahhh," I moan, feeling a sudden rush of fire. I'm burning up. Everything feels hot, especially my legs. Even when I'm running, they never felt like this before. What happened to me?

It takes a few seconds but I can finally open my eyes. When I do, I see Oliver running toward me. For some reason, he's holding the spare jacket he usually keeps in his car.

"Samantha," Oliver shouts. "Roll! Roll! Stop, drop, and roll!"

"Roll," I repeat. "What do I need to roll?"

Oliver is pointing toward something as he yells roll over and over. I look toward where he's pointing, only to see part of my arm on fire!

"Ahh," I scream, seeing a large blaze on my right arm. Screaming and crawling away, the fire follows me. I start hitting the fire with my other hand, hitting and rubbing it. The fire does die down but only a little.

"Hold on," Oliver says, reaching me with the jacket in his hands. Throwing the jacket over the fire, he keeps it wrapped around my arm. A few seconds later, Oliver takes the jacket off and shows me my arm. Thankfully, my arm appears to be fine. The fire ate the whole sleeve of my suit, but the heat-resistance fabric must have protected my arm.

"Oliver," I say, Oliver giving me his hands and I taking them. "What's going on? What happened?"

"You tell me," Oliver yells, pulling me back up onto my feet. "The last time I saw you, it was when you were crawling into the chemical plant through that pipe. Now, the whole plant is on fire and exploding!"

"What!"

"The whole plant is on fire and exploding," Oliver slowly shouts. "Everyone already ran off! How do you think I was able to run in here? Come on! We need to get out of here!"

Taking my hand, Oliver starts pulling me away. Pulling me toward the gate, something explodes near us. It makes both Oliver and I jump. Oliver almost falling over, I quickly grab and pull him up.

"Thanks," Oliver says.

"Don't mention it! Now run!"

Oliver nods and together, we run around a series of flames and past dozens of small explosions. Having to jump over some small fire and even pools of unknown chemicals, we're about to reach the gate when I see a firetruck parked nearby.

"A firetruck," I think. "The firefighters!"

When I see the bright red firetruck, I remember what I was trying to do.

"Don't do it," I screamed, just before the firemen opened the doors and all the fumes inside came running out. The fumes ran into my sparking arms, and that's what caused all of this.

"Oliver," I shout, stomping my foot on the ground and stopping. Oliver who is still holding my hand almost trips as he is pulled back.

"Sammy," Oliver asks. "What! We need to get out of here before this place blows up!"

"Oliver, listen to me. Did you see any firemen at all?"

"What?"

"Think Oliver! Think! You said you ran in here when you saw all those people running away! Did you see any firemen among those people?"

"Uhh, no. As far as I can tell, I didn't see any firemen."

"Oh no. Oliver. The firemen! They must still be inside somewhere! I have to rescue them!"

"Firemen? Oh no. The firemen! Okay. Okay! Go back and get them! I will---I will do something!"

"What can you do?"

Looking around for a few seconds, Oliver then runs off. He runs into the building where the security guard was standing.

"Sammy! Help me out here!"

Not sure what Oliver is hoping for, I run to him and see Oliver trying to break down a door.

"What are you doing?"

"I have an idea, but first, I need you to break down this door."

Still not sure what Oliver is hoping for, I run to him and push him aside. Pulling back my hand, I use my super speed and break open the door. The second the door is open, Oliver runs in. He runs back out in a few seconds, holding a fire extinguisher.

"I'll stay here at the gate and buy you as much time as I can."

I look at Oliver as he proudly holds up the fire extinguisher.

"Oliver, you can't be serious--"

"Sammy, just go! And be careful. Your right sleeve is burnt off."

Looking at my burnt right sleeve and then at Oliver, I nod my head and run back into the burning chemical plant. As I run back inside, I take a quick second to look behind me. Oliver isn't running off. He is staying by the gate, using the extinguisher to put out nearby fires. He's clearing a path for me to run out.

Putting my super speed to full use, I refresh my memory and run back up the metal staircase. At the top of the staircase, I see large fires inside and outside the main building. The room where my mystery partner and I fought the Noose is completely filled with fire. Seeing the pool of chemicals flowing closer and closer toward me, I take a step back.

As I step back, I look around but don't see any firemen anywhere.

"Think," I tell myself, "Think. Come on, Samantha. Think! If the firemen aren't here, then where are they?"

Replaying the events in my head, I stop when I realize something.

"Oliver didn't find me here. He found me over there. The explosion must have knocked me over there! Meaning it could have also knocked the firemen somewhere around here too! But where?"

Slamming my hands on the railing, I look around hard but quick. I see giant flames growing even bigger. I see pools of chemicals spreading around everywhere. The chemical pool meets the flame and unleashes a massive explosion, pushing over a large metal tank. It makes cracks in the ground after it falls.

"There!"

Near the fallen tank, I see an unconscious fireman lying on the ground. Thankfully, his long yellow pants crash with the white stone ground.

I climb up onto the railing and jump off it. Hitting the ground running, I run to the fallen fireman and pick him up. Throwing him on my back, I run back to the gate. There, I see Oliver shooting a chemical pool with the extinguisher. Seeing me running toward him, Oliver steps to the side and waves his hand.

"Go," he yells, "Go! Get them out of here!"

I do as Oliver yells, running past him and to the firetruck. Gently placing the fireman down, I run back inside and look for another fireman.

"If I remember correctly, there were three firemen that opened the door. I got one, but where are the other two?"

Running to where I found the first fireman, I snap my head left and right, looking for another fireman. Looking up at the staircase, I compare it to where the first fireman landed and where I landed.

Mentally drawing myself a map, I give myself an estimated distance and run along it, checking behind every flame, in between every tank, and around all corners. An explosion happening near me, I scream and cover my head as I crouch down.

The sky turns black as explosions happen more frequently. Pushing myself up, I start running again. Checking everything, I finally found the second fireman. He's lying in between two leaking tanks. Running over to the down fireman, I see that his face is slightly red and part of his fireman suit is burnt. However, the fireman is still breathing.

Grabbing and picking him up, I carry him all the way to the firetruck. Gently placing him down right next to the other fireman, I run back in.

"Just one more," I shout, nodding at Oliver as he keeps the fire and chemical pools away from the gate.

"Okay," Oliver shouts back. "But hurry! I'm not sure how much foam I have left!"

I nod again and run off.

Running to where I found the second fireman, I quickly skid to a stop.

"What was that?"

Thinking I heard something, I look around, twisting and turning my body. This wasn't the sound of an explosion. It sounded more like a voice.

"Heelppp," the last fireman says, dragging himself toward me. Wasting no time, I run over to help him. Falling into my arms, I steady him.

"Easy there," I say, "I'm here to help. Come on. Hold on."

Slowly easing him so he falls onto my back, I immediately start running.

Red Lightning:

Screaming as another explosion literally shakes both me and the unconscious fireman, I somehow manage to stay on my feet as I keep running. By now, the whole chemical plant is on fire. There are chemical pools everywhere, and tanks are exploding all over.

Keeping myself down while covering the fireman’s head, I use my super speed to run out of the chemical plant. With everything going on around me, I can’t just go straight to the gate like I did before. I have to take an alternative route in order to escape.

Screaming again when I run around an exploding tank, it knocks me into a wall. Slamming into a stone wall, my whole body scrapping against it, I fight through the hot-burning pain as I push myself up and keep running.

Running through a maze filled with fire and explosions, I jump over a large green, bubbling chemical pool before finally reaching the closest thing to a main road. Looking straight ahead, I see the gate, Oliver, and someone else. It was the masked man from before.

The two are working together, shooting the fires and chemical pools with fire extinguishers.

“Sam,” Oliver starts before looking at the masked man. “Sssshheee---Hheee--Ahh! Forget it! Red Lightning! Over here! Hurry! Hurry!”

Throwing a hand into the air, Oliver waves it at me. The masked man, whoever he is, starts copying Oliver. He too throws his hand into the air and waves it. Using one hand to keep the fireman on my back, I use my other hand and cup my mouth.

“Get outside,” I scream, pointing at the exit. “Get outside now! I will be right behind you!”

Pointing and yelling, Oliver gets the message and drops the extinguisher. He hits the masked man on the arm before the two turn around and starts running.

Breathing in and out, in and out, in and out, I spread out my feet and position myself in the best way possible.

"I only got one shot at this,” I think, ”Running at this speed, I generate a lot of sparks. Those sparks will fall into the chemical pools, and it’ll start a massive chain reaction. This whole place will be destroyed, and everything inside of it. Including me and the fireman if I don’t run fast enough. I only got one shot at this."

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I take one last breath in and let it out before pushing myself against the ground. Running in a straight line to the gate, it happens just as I predicted. While running, I generate sparks that drop into the chemical pool. Once coming together, they into a series of fireballs that chase me.

"Don’t look back,” I tell myself as I outrun the fireballs, the only confirmation they begin so close is the heat as it burns my arm. ”Don’t look back! Don’t look back!"

Running all the way, not stopping or even slowing down for any reason, I reach the gate in time. Taking a very sharp turn, skidding against the ground first before being able to turn, I run out of the way in time to turn around and see a mixture of bright red, yellow, and orange shoot out of the gate. The fire is so intense it melts part of the parking lot, turning the black rock back into black tar.

Dropping to my aching knees, trying to catch my breath, I watch as the whole Decaso Chemical Plant is eaten by giant flames and never-ending explosions. Wiping my sweat-covered forehead, I jump when I hear someone shouting my name.

“Red Lightning. Red Lightning!”

Turning around, I see Oliver running over to me. Reaching me, he drops to his knees and places his hand on my shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

I try to answer right away but instead of words, the first thing to come out of my mouth is black smoke. Coughing up a whole cloud of black smoke, I finally feel well enough to answer Oliver.

“I’m fine,” I say, “But...But Oliver...Look at all of this.”

I point at the burning chemical plant.

“I did this. I did all of this. I destroyed a whole plant and put so many lives at stake. I...I did this.”

I keep looking at the chemical plant as more and more of it disappears behind the wall and darker, black smoke shoots into the air. It doesn’t take long before the blue sky turns black.

“Come on,” Oliver says, tapping my shoulder. “We need to get out of here!”

Hearing this, I push myself up and turn to Oliver.

“We can’t leave these firemen,” I say. “Being this close to a burning chemical plant is dangerous. The fumes alone can cause serious damage.”

“Yeah,” Oliver says while nodding his head. “That makes sense.”

Turning his head around, Oliver points at the firetruck where I left the other two firemen.

“There,” Oliver says, “We can use their own firetruck. There isn’t enough room in my Mustang to load you, me, and three unconscious firemen.”

Looking at the firetruck, I nod and together, Oliver and I run over to the firetruck. We then work together to place the unconscious firemen in the front of the firetruck before Oliver squeezes into the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, the front of the firetruck only had enough space for four people so I was left outside.

“Do you know how to drive a firetruck,” I ask.

“Uhhh,” Oliver says, looking over the controls. I look at Oliver and he looks back at me. “What? I’m a high school student. What high school student would instantly know how to drive a firetruck? Give me a few seconds. There are a few extra controls but I think I at least can drive this.”

It takes Oliver a few minutes, not seconds, to start the firetruck but he finally starts it. The engine roars to life, and the second it does, Oliver starts driving away from the chemical plant. I stay by the side of the firetruck, running alongside it. As I run alongside the firetruck, I count the number of heads inside the firetruck and realize something.

“Wait,” I shout, “Oliver! Wait!”

Using my speed, I get in front of the firetruck and hold out my hands. Oliver stomping on the brake is barely able to stop in time.

“Sammy,” he yells, sticking his head out the window. “Why?”

“Oliver,” I say, running up to the window. “Where is he? That masked man? The one that helped you earlier? I don’t see him anywhere!”

“He’s....gone,” Oliver says slowly.

“What?”

“I don’t know what happened to him,” Oliver answers. “He just left. After clearing a path for you to run out of the plant and running out ourselves, he just disappeared. I don’t know where he is now.”

“Oliver! Are you telling me we just left him behind? I have to go back!”

Turning away from Oliver, I prepare to run back to the chemical plant but Oliver gets out and stops me.

“No,” he shouts, wrapping his arms around me. “Sammy! You can’t go back! It’s too dangerous!”

“Oliver, let me go!”

“No! Sammy, it’s too late! I’m sorry but it’s too late! I know you want to go back to save that person! Even I think you should, but it’s just too late! Look at the plant! The whole place is on fire! There are explosions still exploding! And don’t even get me started on the black rain cloud! Sammy! We have three firemen we need to get out of here right now! So come on!”

Throwing me away from the chemical plant and back in front of the firetruck, Oliver stands in my way.

“Sammy. Come on. Let’s go.”

I look at Oliver and then at the chemical plant. As much as I hate to admit it, Oliver is right. Even with my power, my super speed and quick healing, I doubt I can survive something like a chemical plant on fire. Grinding my teeth together, I turn around.

“Come on,” I shout. “We’ll drive a safe distance away before leaving the trucks and the firemen.”

“Of course,” Oliver says, jumping back into the driver’s seat. Waiting until Oliver drives the truck past me, I run alongside it, leaving the Decaso Chemical Plant. Or what’s left of it.

Miley Daniel:

"I can’t believe I have to do this again,” I think, using the wire I kept in my pocket to unlock the door to Oliver’s Mustang. The little thing popping up, I open the door and jump into the driver’s seat. Now reaching down and taking off the cover, I carefully peel the cover off a blue and red wire before tapping them against each other. It takes a few taps but I finally jumpstart the car.

Stomping on the gas, I drive away, leaving the chemical plant behind. As I drive without a license and over the speed limit, I look at myself in the rear-view mirror.

"So much for change. I thought I could change but I guess not. Getting into fights, breaking into cars, stealing them. Way to go"

Taking off the ski mask, I throw it to the front passenger seat. As I throw it, I see another mask on the seat.

Oliver Oakmen:

"Go," I say, waving Sammy away. "Go. I'll be fine."

"You're lying," Sammy says, crossing her arms. "You won't be fine! You'll be stranded!"

"Well," I say, shaking my hands and shrugging my shoulders. "Then I'll be stranded! It's fine. I can walk. You on the other hand need to head back home now. Your shirt and pants were left inside my car that we left at the chemical plant. You need to change. Before someone sees Red Lightning with Oliver Oakmen, and wonders why the two are talking so casually."

Sammy opens her mouth to say something but I stop her.

"Go," I shout, pointing with my finger. "Go! Come on! You know I'm right! Go!"

Grinding her teeth together, Red Lightning cuts the air with her shaking hand before turning around and running away. She leaves me in her dust, and I have to spend the next few minutes splitting all of it back out.

Once I get the taste of dirt and dust out of my mouth, I sigh and shove my hands into my pocket. I then start walking back toward my parents' house.

It kind of sucks having to walk all the way back to my parents' house but considering I left my Mustang back at the chemical plant and had to leave the firetruck with the three unconscious firemen, all I can do is brace myself and cross my fingers I don't get any blisters.

As I keep walking, block after block, step after step, I can't help but think about the Noose.

"According to Sammy, the Noose escaped without anything. He went through a lot of trouble; breaking into Newman's Chemical and stealing that keycard, only to get nothing out of it."

It reminds me too much of what happened six months ago. The Noose tried to kill Mr. Newman, and we managed to stop him. We managed to stop the Noose but he managed to escape.

"We keep barely managing to stop the Noose but in the end, he always escaped. Is there something we're doing wrong? Is there something we can do better? Maybe Sammy can get faster. Maybe if I could actually fight."

As I keep asking myself these questions, I only stop when something hits my head.

"Ahh," I cry out. Stumbling forward a bit, I almost trip but manage to catch myself. Holding the back of my head, I turn around.

"Hey," I shout. "What was that fo--What?"

Turning around, I expect to see someone standing there. I'm going to yell at them, ask them why they threw something at me, but instead, I don't see anyone. I'm all alone.

I'm all alone, on an empty street. I turn around and all I see is an empty road, some bushes, a few trees here and there, and an ocean-blue Mustang.

"Wait, what?"

Running over to it, I then run all around it. As I run around this Mustang, I see a lot of familiar things. For one, there's the Carson High School's mascot, a horse, sticker on the lower left corner of the front windshield. Two, there's a lightning bolt hanging from the rearview mirror. Normally, I wouldn't give it a second thought except, this lightning bolt is red. It's red because I painted it red. Third, I recognize the license plate.

"No way, no way, no way," I tell myself, "But it's truth. This is mine. This is my Mustang."

Wrapping my hands around my head, I take a quick look through the window, and when I see what's inside the car, it only confirms my theory.

"The duffle bag with Sammy's clothes and her Red Lightning suit. It's right there. On the front passenger seat."

Without thinking, I reach for the door handle. Pulling it back, it opens. The car door opens immediately and it's only a few seconds later when I see my car key on the driver's seat.

Picking up my car keys, I shove them into my pocket before looking left and right. Again, I don't see anyone.

"Who's there," I shout. "Did you...bring me my car? Were you there? At the Decaso Chemical Plant?"

I wait for a response. I don't know what I was expecting but I guess I shouldn't be surprised I didn't get a response. As I keep waiting for a response, something dawns on me.

"Is it...you? That person who helped Red Lightning? And me?"

Again, no response. Nothing but the winds and some early crickets.

"Did you follow us here? Do you know who Red Lightning is? Please, don't tell anyone. If you do, you'll be destroying her life. And the life of anyone who knows her. Listen to me, if you know but you're not going to tell anyone, give me a sign. Knock three times. I'll turn around so I won't see where the noise is coming from."

Miley Daniel:

Watching from the bushes as Oliver turns around, I look around for a bit before finding some rocks in the bushes with me. Picking up three of them, I throw them at Oliver.

When the third and last rock hits the ground, Oliver turns around and nods his head.

"Thank you," he says. He then gets into his car and drives off. The second he's gone, I stand up and dust myself off. Walking onto the sidewalk, I pull out my cell phone and call an Uber.

As I stand around, waiting for my driver to arrive, my phone beeps and I see a notification appears across the top of the screen.

"Oh no," I say after tapping and reading the notification. It was breaking news, and it was Red Lightning.

Samantha Reader:

"Red Lightning blow up chemical plant," the news anchor says.

"What," I think. Almost choking on the ham and cheese sandwich I'm eating, I get up and turn around. "Dad! What did he just say? Can you turn that up?"

My dad, though clearly confused, turns the volume up.

" According to various sources and witnesses report," the news anchor starts, "Red Lightning was at the Decaso Chemical Plant earlier today. There, she used her 'super speed' powers to blow the whole plant up! Putting the lives of all the employers and firemen at risk!"

The new anchor, and the person sitting beside him, go on and on about other things but I don't pay attention to any of it. Instead, I lower my head.

"It was...an accident," I tell myself. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it. It just...It just happened. I tried to stop them. I tried to stop the firemen from opening that door but...but it was too late."

I raise my head when I hear more.

"Because of this," the woman news anchor says, "Executives of Decaso along with the police are now looking to apprehend Red Lightning for the destruction of property."

Samantha Reader:

"Don't panic," I remind myself. "Don't panic. Do not panic. Whatever you do, do not pan--"

The door opens all of a sudden and I jump up.

"Ahhhh," I scream, closing my eyes and raising my arms. I wait to hear the words. I wait for the police or the army or who knows who slaps handcuffs on me and reads me my right. Assuming I even have rights. My eyes stay closed and my arms up but I hear a familiar voice.

"Uhh, sorry," someone says. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Slowly opening my eyes and lowering my arms, I see one of the students, Joannie actually, standing in front of the door.

"My mother forgot to refill her car so we had to stop for gas," Joannie starts, looking at me with one eyebrow up and one eyebrow down. "That's why I'm late. I didn't open the door too loud. Did I?"

"Mmmnnn," Miley answers, tilting her hand. "Sort of but not really."

"Samantha," Ms. Lori says, all eyes turning to the teacher. "Please sit down. Joannie, please take her seat."

Joannie nods and quietly runs to her seat. Meanwhile, I spend the whole class looking out the window, expecting to see attack helicopters any second. By the time the bell rings, I nearly tell everyone who I 'also' am but thankfully, I slow myself down. Instead, I speed-walk out of the classroom and down the hallway. As I speed-walk through the hallway, I pull out my cell phone and start calling Oliver.

"Come on," I whisper, "Come on! Oliver! Pick up! Pick up!"

"Hello," Oliver says. "Sammy, what's up?"

"Help me," I loudly whisper. I look around but thankfully, no one is looking at me. Looking around a little more, I see a quiet corner and run to it. "Oliver. I can't do this! I can't! I don't know how bad guys do this! Every second, I'm expecting cops to break in through the doors and windows and arrest me. What do I do?"

"Okay, Sammy," Oliver starts, "First, calm down. Seriously, calm down. I can't see you but judging from the sound of your voice, you're jumping up and down and sweating. Just, calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm down," I ask. "Did you not hear what I said about cops breaking in through the doors and windows? Oliver. I am a wanted woman! No, I'm not even a wanted woman. I'm a wanted girl! I'm too young to go to jail! Or some secret lab where evil government scientists run tests on me. Oliver, we need to escape! Quickly, grab whatever you can! I'll meet you in the parking lot. Once we meet up, we can disappear together. Head east! Find new lives! Oliver! Oliver?"

For some reason, Oliver isn't talking anymore.

"Oh my god! Oliver, they already got you! Don't worry! I'm running to where you are!"

"No, wait! What? Sammy, do not run to me."

"Oliver? Oh my god. I thought you were arrested."

"No, I was waiting for the end. Sammy, listen to me, and I really mean listen to me. We can't meet up because it would take too long and we can't be late for class anymore but still, listen to me. You are not going to jail. We're not going to head east. We're not going to 'find new lives'. You just need to calm down. As far as we can tell, no one knows who Red Lightning is."

"As far as we can tell," I repeat. "Oliver, while I don't fully believe in ghosts, I don't think it was a ghost that drove your car and then left it for you! Someone is messing with us. They could know our secret. And what's stopping them from telling everyone?"

"I--I don't know," Oliver answers with a sigh. "I really don't know what's stopping them, but I also know they didn't tell anyone. I mean, if they did, then all that stuff you said about police breaking in and arresting us would be happening right now, and it's not. I don't know who the person is or why they're messing with us, but I do know, at the very least, they can keep a secret."

Listening to Oliver, taking a breath, and really listening to what he is saying, I do feel a little bit better.

"Okay," I say, swallowing a hard lump in my throat. "Okay. I feel calm now. You're right. Oliver, you are right. Everything is okay. For now. I don't hear any sirens. The principal hasn't called me or you into his office yet. I don't see any helicopters outside, or guys jumping out of them."

"I thought you didn't like action movies," Oliver interrupts.

"I don't," I say. "They're all...fake. I mean, one person can't take out ten opponents at once. It's impossible."

"Yeah, fake," Oliver repeats. "This is coming from the girl with super speed."

"The girl with super speed that, still, can only fight one person at a time."

"True. Okay. Well, classes are about to start again so we should go. See you soon."

"See you soon."

I end the call with Oliver, pocket my phone, and head to my next class.

"Oliver is right," I tell myself. "He is right. Everything is okay for now. Yes, I am wanted by the police, but that is okay. Sort of. I just need to stay calm and don't panic. Stay calm. Don't panic. Do not panic."

As I remind myself over and over not to panic, something else creeps into my mind.

"Dr. Earl Morris. Where is he?"

Dr. Earl Morris:

Dropping to my knees, I squeeze my head and scream.

"Ahhhh! Wha--What are you doing to me!"

Looking up with grinding teeth, I wipe the sweat already pouring down my forehead.

"I'm telling you who's in charge," the benefactor yells at me. The benefactor then winds up his leg. Shooting it forward, he kicks me in the face, knocking me to the floor. This somehow amplifies my headache, and before I realize it, I'm drooling.

"Who told you to destroy the Decaso Chemical Plant?"

"I--I wasn't---I wasn't me," I say, barely able to get the words out. "It was---Red Lightning!"

"It was you," the benefactor yells, kicking me again. "It was all because of you! Don't think I didn't know you were trying to break into the chemical plant!"

Reaching down, the benefactor grabs me by my shirt collar and lifts me up.

"Why," the benefactor screams. "Why did you try and break into Decaso? What were you looking for? What did you try to steal?"

"Cya--cyanogen," I say weakly.

"Cyanogen," the benefactor repeats. Letting me go, I drop like a sack of potatoes onto the floor. Not even able to lift a finger, I watch as the benefactor pulls out his cell phone again.

"Nooo," I shout before everything goes black.

The Benefactor:

Pressing the button on my cell phone, I activate the microchip in Dr. Morris's head. I think about ending him but change my mind and instead, just knock him out. With Dr. Morris drooling on the floor, I turn to my partner.

"What on earth is cyanogen?"

"Cyanogen chloride is a man-made chemical," my partner answers. "Its most common uses are fumigation, metal cleaners, and electroplating. However, the military had used it before in chemical warfare."

"Chemical warfare," I repeat. "Hmm. I wonder what our drooling doctor could have wanted with that."

"Who knows," my partner replies. "But whatever it was, he caused you a few million dollars."

"I know," I say, grinding my teeth. "But for now, let's forget about him. Let's focus on our main project."

"We still need a sample of Red Lightning's DNA to process any further, but unfortunately, we're out of power packs."

"No," I say while thinking it over. "We're not out yet. Shouldn't we have one left?"

"One left? Wait, are you talking about the prototype pack? You can't be serious. The engineers haven't gotten it to work properly yet. Besides, the pack had no power. We still haven't gotten that upgraded battery from Daniel yet."

"We can use some of the battery Daniel had previously sent us. They do work. I've seen it before."

"Yes, they do, but not for long. The prototype pack draws more power than those batteries can supply."

"Then I guess I'll have to work fast."

"You're going out? You're not going to ask Jackie Black guy?"

"No. This time, it's going to be me."

I crack my knuckles and neck.

"Besides, I have always wanted to try one of my packs. Let's see how Red Lightning handles me."

Miley Daniel:

“That’ll be 275 dollars and 35 cents,” the cashier says, putting the ultra-thin body armor into the bag with everything else.

“Here,” I say, handing the cashier my credit card.

“Thank you,” the cashier says, smiling as he takes my card. While swiping my card, the cashier looks all over my things again.

“Ha,” he laughs, “Aren’t you a little too young to go to war?”

I chuckle and smile as I take both the bag and my credit card back.

“You’re never too young to do the right thing,” I answer. “Thanks.”

“Come back soon,” the cashier says, waving at me as I head for the store’s exit.

“Will do,” I say, nodding at the cashier as I leave. As I walk away from the store, I open my bag and make sure I got everything.

"Body armor,” I say, ”Shoulder pads. Elbow pads. Knee pads. Helmet. Goggles. Purple spray paint. I’ll need a few more things but have to buy them somewhere else."

Looking inside the bag one more time, I close it up and look around. A few minutes later, I see the Uber driver I called pulling up. Waving at him, he stops beside me and I get in.

“The Home Depot please,” I say.

“Of course,” the driver says, nodding as he steps on the gas. Driving me from the outdoor store to the Home Depot, I ask the driver to wait for a little bit while I do my shopping. Leaving his car, I walk into the Hoem Depot and look around. It takes me a while but I find what I’m looking for. Buying about a dozen PVC pipes, I walk out of the Home Depot with them in a shopping cart.

“I’m sorry about this,” I say to the Uber driver as we work together to fit all the plastic pipes into his car.

“Uhh, no problem,” the Uber driver says, scratching the back of his head. “I’m just surprised you need so many pipes. Plumbering issues?”

“No,” I answer. “Just a little art and craft project.”

“A little?”

It took a bit longer than we expected, and a big tip, but finally, the driver and I managed to get all the pipes into his car. Cheering a little at the accomplishment, the driver then drives me home. Paying him for the ride, and giving him 5 stars, I carry everything with me as I walk up the driveway and up the stairs. Unlocking the door with my key, I push it open and walk in.

“Dad,” I yell, my voice echoing throughout our mansion. “I’m home!”

“I’m in the lab, honey” my Dad yells back, his voice echoing throughout the mansion.

“K!”

I nod my head and start heading to my room.

“Dad! Do you want Chinese for dinner tonight?”

“That sounds wonderful! Thank you!”

Stopping for a second, I place everything I brought down and rush into the kitchen. Going through a few drawers, I find the drawers with the Chinese take-out menus and lay them all over the counter. I then run back and grab everything before running back into my room.

Once in my room, I flip the bags over and dump everything out. All the armor and pipes I brought litter my bedroom’s floor.

“Okay,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Where to start? Where to start?

Looking down, I see one of the PVC pipes rolling. It keeps on rolling until it hits my shoe.

“I guess I’ll start here.”

Taking a seat, I cross my legs and grab two pipes, one small and one big. Slowly and carefully, I slide the big pipe into the smaller one.

Oliver Oakman:

Checking the time on my cell phone, I see it’s almost 9. Putting my phone back into my pocket, I tap the shoulder of Joannie.

“Hey Joannie,” I say, having to raise my voice slightly because of all the cheering, cursing, and balls hitting pins. “I’m going to go fix the arcade machine. Can you handle the counter?”

Joannie nods her head.

“Yeah,” she answers. “Wait, you can fix the arcade machine?”

“Yes. Well, sort of. I can’t, like the games themselves, but I can fix the machine. I’m a surprisingly skilled engineer. See you.”

I nod my head and grab the small toolbox underneath the counter. I then speedwalk through the crowd toward the arcade machines.

The arcade machines are packed with people as they play a few racing games, some shooting games, and even try their luck on the coin games.

“Excuse me,” I say, squeezing past a small family as they watch their dad play skee ball.

“Go Dad go,” the two little kids yell, shooting their hands into the air.

“You got this honey,” the mother shouts.

“Wish me luck,” the dad says as he winds up his arm before throwing the ball. Judging from the sound of all four of them, the dad made the shot.

Finding the game I’m supposed to fix, the infamous claw machine, I immediately drop to my knee and flip open the toolbox. Grabbing a screwdriver, I unscrew the cover before digging in.

"Everything seems okay. Nothing seems out of place. At least as far as I can tell. Wait, hold on."

Pushing my way through some colorful wires, I reach for a small flashlight and shine it.

"I think I found the problem. The gears are stopped."

I try to turn the gears with my fingers but they’re not budging. They’re staying firm in places.

“Ahh,” I say, pulling out my hand and sore fingers. Shaking it until the soreness goes away, I grab my screwdriver and reach in. About to remove the gears and examine them, I stop when I hear police sirens.

“What the,” I say, pulling back. Dropping the tool, I push myself up and rush to a window. Getting there in time, I see five, maybe six police cars zooming past the bowling alley.

“What’s going on?”

Looking around to make sure no one can see me, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. Tapping away, I search the news and the internet for what could be going on. It doesn’t take long for me to find a live feed, shot high from a helicopter. Not wasting another second, I call Sammy.

The Everything Man:

The night sky is cold as I step onto the street. Despite there being no stars or moon, I can still see as clear as day. The lights from all the flashing police sirens are making it hard not to see.

“Put your hands in the air,” an officer with a microphone demands. “We have you surrounded! Either put your hands in the air, or we will use force!”

Closing my hands as I raise them, I check the power bar hidden on my wrist.

"Full power,” it reads. The bar shows three colors; red, yellow, and green. Just above the flashing green bars is a bold, bright green 100%

“Officers,” I say, putting my hands in the air. “Know that I am sorry for this, but in the name of science and human advancement, I must do this.”

When my fists are in the high, I jump back as I punch the ground. The police officers surrounding me order me to stop what I’m doing but it’s too late. With a solid punch to the ground, combined with the power of the sonic pack, I unleash a powerful shockwave that shakes everyone and everything. The sirens and windows of all the police cars shatter into millions of tiny pieces. The police officers scream as they fall to the ground. A few managed to get some shots off but with the sonic shield, their bullets stop in mid-air before falling to the ground.

“Everyone, open fire,” the leading police officer yells as he climbs back onto his feet. Once the officers hear that, they begin shooting at me. However, I stay unharmed, completely safe inside my sonic shield.

“That’s enough of that,” I say, raising my arms again. Charging my pack up, I fire a light beam at one of the officers. He screams as I hit him in the shoulder, kicking him into the air.

“Cover,” someone yells, “Get into cover! Now!”

While most of the police officers dive into covers behind the destroyed cars, a few stay up and keep shooting at me. I see the tiny sparks flash as the bullets fly toward me.

"Dammit,” I say, looking at the battery bar. ”That one light beam blast already lowered me by 15 percent. I have to be more careful when using it."

Begin a bit more energy efficient, I return to using the sonic attack. Punching the ground again, I unleash another shockwave that pushes everyone off their feet. As the leading officer rushes to get up, I stomp on him and force him down.

“Again,” I say, shooting out my gauntlet. “I am sorry about this.”

Samantha Reader:

Taking a massive bite of my ham and cheese sandwich, with six slices of ham and six slices of cheese, I look down when my phone starts ringing. Seeing Oliver's name, I chew fast and swallow before putting down my snack and answering the call.

"Hey, Oliver. What's going on?"

"Sammy," Oliver starts, talking a little fast. "Listen to me. I just saw half a dozen police cars drive past me. I think there's trouble!"

The bite of the sandwich comes up and almost chokes me but I hit my chest and force it down. Looking around, making sure my parents aren't within earshot, I lean in.

"Oliver," I whisper. "I can't! You saw the news article! Red Lightning is a wanted fugitive! She can't go and save people anymore! At least, not for a while. We both agree she needs to lay low for the time being."

"I know, I know, but that was before this! Something big is happening right now!"

Oliver stops talking. The sound of police sirens can be heard during the call.

"Another three cars just drove past! Sammy. This is not the time to be lying low! Red Lightning is needed! She is needed!"

Oliver's words hit me like a brick. As much as I don't want to do this, as much as I want to lay low and stay out of trouble, I know I can't ignore this.

"I'll be right there," I say.

"That's awesome," Oliver replies. "I'll be there too! I'm nearby!"

"Okay. See you there."

"See you there."

I push the red button and end the call. Getting up, I head off but remember something important. Turning around, I look at the ham and cheese sandwich still on the plate. Looking around again, making sure my parents aren't here, I use my speed to quickly eat the sandwich. Red sparks jump from my hands as I eat. They melted the cheese and fried the ham slices. My cold ham and cheese sandwich turned into a grilled ham and cheese. Once I'm done eating, I wash the plate before leaving.

"Oh woww," I think. "That was delicious. I have to try that again one day."

Licking my lips, I leave my parents' house and run out of the front door.

Red Lightning:

Taking my mask from Oliver, I place it on my face before tying the straps around the back of my head.

"Be careful," Oliver says, looking at the street leading ahead. "I can't help but get a very bad feeling about this."

"I'll be careful," I nod. "Stay here!"

This time, it's Oliver who nods. A second after Oliver nods, I push against the ground and run toward all the flashing police sirens. Reaching a whole blockade of them, I stop when I see a man with a power pack standing over a downed police officer.

Screaming as I charge toward the man, I run right up to him and pull back my arm. About to shoot it forward, something hits and stops me. Now screaming in pain, I drop to my knees while slamming my hands against my ears.

"Arrggghhhh!"

All of a sudden, it feels like my head is on fire. It feels like millions of red-hot needles are poking my brain. My ears alone are trying to pull themselves from my head.

"I know this," I think, slowly falling over and barely catching myself with my hands. "I know this. I...remember this! Boom...Blaster! His sonic pack."

Seeing a shadow climb over me, I struggle to look up and see a tall man standing over me.

"Wh---Who are you?"

The man doesn't answer me. Instead, he reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. The sound is messing with my visual so I can't be sure but I think the man pulled out a syringe.

"A syringe? What is he going to do with that?"

The man answers my question when he grabs my head and pulls me up. Holding me so I'm looking up, I see the syringe right next to my face.

"I need a sample of your DNA," the man says. He tries to inject me but before he can, I vibrate my hand as fast as I can. Generating sparks, I shoot my hand forward, hitting the man. My lightning charge hand hit the man. He screams and shakes before jumping back.

The noise stops when the man jumps back, and I can finally get back on my feet.

"Ahhh," I say, rubbing my burning ears. "That...That's a sonic shield! The same one as Simon. Who are you? How did you get that power pack?"

"Power pack," the man repeats. "Is that what you're calling them? Hmm. That's actually a better name than what we called them."

"What we called them? No way. Is it...you? Are you the one who has been giving out those power packs to Boom Blaster? And Razor Wings? And even 'Flashlight Lady'? Why? Why are you doing this?"

"I did it in the name of science," the man answers, screaming into the air. Pulling back both his arms, he then throws them forward. Running out of the way, I watch as the police car that was behind me shake and break. All the windows and even the sirens on top shatter.

"Sonic gauntlets," I say, turning back to the man. "That's Simon. Unfortunately for you, I beat Simon."

Putting my fingers and toes on the ground, I put myself into a running position. Throwing myself into a sprint, I run circles around the man. By running circles around the man, I quickly pick up enough speed to break through the man's sonic shield. Taking a sharp turn, I break through the sonic shield and run toward the man. About to punch him, the man shoots out his arms again but this time, he shoots them to the side, not forward. Inches from hitting him, I stop when I see metal wings spread out from behind him.

"What the!"

Before flying into the air, the man raises his leg and kicks me back. Using me as a platform, he jumps off of me and into the air. Falling to the ground, I hold my stomach and watch as the man flies circles above me, exactly like Razor Wings.

"Metal wings," I yell, pushing myself back onto my feet.

"I also have this," the man shouts from high in the sky. Hovering in the air, the man aims one of his hands at me. Before I can run out of the way, he unleashes a bright light that blinds me. Screaming as I go blind again, I cover my eyes and step away.

"I am the Everything Man," the man shouts from somewhere. Judging from his voice, he landed back on the ground. I throw a bunch of punches but don't hit him.

"I am the Everything Man," he shouts again, "I have all the powers of your previous foes. Including this one."

While still blind, I hear a very familiar beeping sound. A few seconds later, something hits and knocks me to the ground. The beeping. The hit. The burning. I recognize it all.

"Flashlight Lady's power pack. It could fire some sort of beam, like the ones from comic books."

Laying there, rolling back and forth on the ground, I hear another beeping sound, but this one is different.

"Son of a," Everything Man says. Though my vision is still blurry and I can't see things properly, I do see the Everything Man reach behind him and pull something out. He examines the thing for a bit before putting it away.

"I have to move fast," Everything Man says. He walks up to me and grabs my shoulder. Lifting me up, I then feel a sharp sting in my arm. I recognize this sting anywhere. I get this same exact sharp sting around flu season.

"The syringe. He got it. He got my blood. He got my DNA."

Once Everything Man has my DNA, he pushes me back onto the ground. Turning around, he spreads out his arms, calling forth his metal wings again. Jumping into the air, I watch as a blurry Everything Man flies and disappears into the cold night sky.

I have to wait a few more minutes before I can push myself up into a sitting position. However, as I do, the first things I see are police officers approaching me.

"Red Lightning," one of the officers says. "You are under arrest for the destruction of the Decaso Chemical Plant. Please, don't make this any harder for you. Put your hands up."

"You're starting to make me regret coming here," I say.

Red Lightning:

As the police officers approach me, getting closer with each step, I slowly raise my hands. The officers stop when I do this. They must not have expected me to do this.

"Don't worry," I say, "I am escaping. Sorry."

While my hands are in the air, I shake them as fast as I can. Vibrating them into electric blurs, I then clap my hands. Looking away, I hear the police officers all scream and yell as I blind them. With all the police officers temporarily blind, I push myself up and run away.

The officers yell at me. They ordered me to stop running but they didn't even get to the end of their sentences before I was already out of earshot. Running at least a dozen blocks away, I turn a corner and hide behind a building.

"Ahh," I moan, tapping my neck. When I look at my fingers, I see a little bit of red. "Oh no. He did it. He took my blood, but why? And who was he?"

Staring at the red on my fingers, I reach down and pull out my cell phone. I don't even hear the full ringtone before Oliver picks up.

"What happened," Oliver asks. "Is everything okay? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Oliver. Are you busy right now? Can we meet?"

"Of course," Oliver answers. "Just give me a time and a place."

Oliver Oakman:

Taking a turn into a narrow alleyway, I keep driving until I reach a parking lot surrounded by some tall buildings. With the headlight on high, I find Sammy sitting against one of the walls.

"Sammy," I yell. Jumping out of my car, I run over to check on Sammy. Dropping to my knees as soon as I reach her, I start checking up on her. I place my hand on her forehead. I check her pulse. I check her for anything like cuts or bruises. Sammy is breathing heavily but as far as I can tell, Sammy is fine. Unless.

"Oh no," I say, "Sammy! Are you poisoned again! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! I need to call Miley!"

I pull out my cell phone but before I can dial Miley's number, Sammy grabs my wrist.

"Don't call Miley," Sammy says. "Wait! Why do you even have her phone number?"

"Forget about that for now," I say, grabbing and pulling Sammy's hand off. "Sammy, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Sammy says in between large breaths. "Just a little bit tired. And hungry. And slightly deaf."

"Deaf?"

Sammy's stomach answers before Sammy can. It growls and the noise echoes all around the parking lot.

"Give me a second," I say. I run back to my car to fetch some emergency granola bars. I tap my foot while waiting for Sammy to finish eating. Luckily, despite my tapping foot, I don't have to wait long.

"It was the Everything Man," Sammy yells, throwing the empty wrapper to the side.

"The-who?"

"Everything Man," Sammy repeats. "And there's a reason why he called that. Simon. Adam. Layla. He had all of their power packs. Combined into one."

"Boom Blaster," I think. "Razor Wings. Flashlight Lady. All of their power packs Combined into one."

I try to make sense of what Sammy is saying. I try to imagine all of their power packs pushed into one power pack but I just can't.

"What," I yell. "Wha-What are you talking about?"

"The Everything Man! He must have been the one who built the power packs and gave them out. His power pack had all the power of Simon, Adam, and Layla. He hit me with sonic waves! He jumped and flew into the air! He even blasted me with a light beam!"

I still couldn't believe it. Red Lightning finally meets the madman behind all the power packs, only to be knocked around like a rag doll.

"I took everything I had just to beat them the first time," Sammy says, shaking her lowered head. "How am I supposed to beat them again? Especially when they're all combined together?"

Sammy lowers her head even more. She hides her head between her hands and knees.

"Sammy," I say, grabbing her hands. "Sammy! Come on! You can't do this. Not now."

I pull Sammy's hands apart and raise her head.

"You can't do this," I repeat. "Not now. Not when this madman is out there with a syringe full of your blood."

"Oh my god," Sammy yells. She pushes me back and starts walking in circles.

"He stole my blood," Sammy says. "He stole my blood! What is he going to do with my blood? Is he going to use it find find out my secret identity? Is he going to expose me to everyone? Worst. What if he used my blood to somehow create another power pack? One with my speed and lightning! Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!"

Sammy goes on and on, panicking even more and more. She's running her hands through her hair. She's starting to shake which is causing her to generate some electricity. Sweatbeads are practically jumping off of her. I jump when her sweat beads hit me.

"Ouch," I say, stepping back. "Ouch. Ouch! Sammy, stop!"

I grab Sammy's shoulders but because she's still shaking, I accidentally electrocuted himself. Screaming as I step back and shake my smoking hand, I look at Sammy.

"Sammy," I say, pausing to blow on my hands. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down," Sammy repeats.

"Yes," I cry, fighting through the tears in my eyes. "Calm down. I know that sounds like bad advice, but right now, it's all we can do."

"All we can do," Sammy repeats. Sammy looks at me before letting out a sigh.

"You're...right, but still, even you have to admit it. It's very worrying what the Everything Man can do with my blood."

"Yeah," I say, lowering my hands. "I'll admit it. I am worried too. This guy, this 'Everything Man', clearly wanted your blood for something but the question is what?"

The Benefactor:

Unlatching the straps and taking the power pack off, I leave it on the table before walking through the door.

"Anything," I ask, walking down the stairs while rotating my shoulder.

"Plenty," my partner says. He turns to me and his smile turns upside down. "What are you doing?"

"I got electrocuted by Red Lightning. Note to self. We have got to add some armor next time. Something electricity resistance."

Rubbing my sore spot, the spot where Red Lightning electrocuted me, I push my partner aside and look at the computers.

"You can read this, right?"

"Of course I can," my partner says. He rolls back to the computer, pushing me aside. "Remember. I'm the genius. You handle the money."

"Okay. So what does the blood sample say?"

"The computer just started reading the sample," my partner states. "Not much had been read yet, but one thing is for certain. Red Lightning's blood is full of chemicals."

"Chemicals?"

"Mostly catalysizes. They're the chemicals that can speed up chemical reactions."

"Chemicals that speed up reactions," I say, "Is that where Red Lightning's speed comes from? From the chemical in her blood? From the catalysizes?"

"Possibly. Normally, the human's body wouldn't be able to withstand all of these catalysizes reacting at once but somehow, they seem to be working within Red Lightning. I can only imagine what other secrets her blood will tell us once the computer fully reads it."

"I can't wait," I say, letting out a small laugh. "Once we learn the secret behind Red Lightning's speed and voltage, we can use it to build our most powerful power packs."

As soon as I hear the words "power packs", I remember something else very.

"Son of a--," I say.

"What? What is it?"

"I just forget about something. Even with my Everything power packs, Red Lightning almost beat me."

"She did? How?"

"I almost ran out of power mid-fight," I answer. "Had Dr. Daniel delivered the new battery yet?"

"No. Not yet."

"Son of a-" I say again, slamming my fist down. "Okay. While the computer reads Red Lightning's DNA, I'll talk with Dr. Daniel. The second the computer is done reading, I want that battery! I want to build an even stronger, more powerful power pack!"

"In the name of science," my partner says.

Samantha Reader:

"You're getting better," Miley says, looking over my homework. She smiles and hands me it back. "Five full days with no skipping classes and turning in all your homework. I'm not going to lie. I am really surprised."

"So am I," I reply. "I am still really surprised you somehow found me during the lunch break and decided to have this talk now."

Taking a quick bite of my chicken burger, I unwillingly listen to Miley as she goes on.

"A 100 percent," Miley starts. "A 100 percent. 98 percent. 97 percent. A 100 percent. Not bad. Really excellent. See, you are smart."

"I know," I say with a mouthful of chicken patty and hamburger bun. "I'm smart but I'm also really busy. It's not about brain power, it's all about-"

"Speed," Miley finishes. "No matter how fast you run, you just can't do anything. Am I right?"

Miley laughs as she taps my head with the paper's corner.

"Right," I answer slowly.

Miley leans in close to me. Way too close to me. She then looks me in the eyes, very creepily.

"Sammy," Miley starts.

"Don't call me Sammy. Only Oliver can call me Sammy."

"Sammy," Miley starts again, ignoring what I just said. "Can I offer you a piece of advice?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You can run and run all you want," Miley says, answering my question. "But that's all you're going to do if you don't think. It's not just about speed. It's also about brain power."

As Miley says that last part, she taps her forehead.

"Speed and smart," she goes on, still tapping away.

"...Okay," I say, slowly backing away. As much as I want to leave, I can't. I'm still hungry and besides the chicken burger, I still have a small bowl of mac and cheese, some potato chips, and an orange.

"I guess I can just take the tray and walk away."

Putting down my burger, I'm about to walk away when Oliver appears out of nowhere.

"Hey Sammy," Oliver says, giving me a nod as he takes his seat. "And Miley. Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for her," Miley answers, pointing at me. Oliver turns from Miley to me. I shrug my shoulders, pick up my chicken burger, and take another bite. While eating the burger, Oliver reaches into his backpack and pulls out some granola bars. He then drops the granola bars onto my tray.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"You have a really big appetite," Miley says, staring at the extra granola bars. "Do you want some of mine too? I'm not really hungry at the moment."

Grabbing her tray from the side, Miley pushes it toward me. On her tray are a small Hawaiian pizza and some green peas. I look at the food for a few seconds before reluctantly taking it. I eat the chicken burger and half the pizza slice before Miley says something.

"So I have to ask you two something."

"Sure," Oliver says. "What is it?"

"Let me think. Let me think. How do I say this? How do I say this? Uhh, have you been keeping up with the news lately?"

Oliver and I look at each other before looking at Miley.

"Uhhh, kind of," Oliver answers. "Thought there really hadn't been anything worth wild."

"I know," Miley says, cutting Oliver off. "Did you see the news last week? The one about Red Lightning?"

Hearing the name Red Lightning, I cough and almost choke on the pizza. Seeing this, Oliver starts patting my back.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answer. Miley is getting up from her seat but I put my hand up and signal her there's no need. Still coughing a little, I take a quick sip of my chocolate milk. Oliver and Miley wait until I'm done before talking again.

"Anyway," Miley continues. She stops, looks down, and pulls the tray with the half-eaten pizza away from me. "What I was talking about early. I was just wondering what happened to that guy who attacked all those police officers. I mean, he attacked a bunch of police officers, fought Red Lightning, and then just disappeared. And that was over a week ago. What happened to him?"

While Miley is talking about this, I notice Oliver playing with his hands. His thumbs are constantly rubbing against each other, looking like they could start a fire any second.

"We don't know," I answer.

"Yeah," Oliver says. "Hey, Miley. I know this is a bit sudden but can you leave for a little bit?"

"Sure," Miley says without so much as a second thought. "I'll need a drink anyway. Where's the nearest vending machine?"

I watch as Miley gets up and leaves Oliver and me alone. It's like she isn't even bothered in the slightest way that Oliver asked her to leave. Watching as Miley leaves, Oliver turns to me.

"Miley is right," Oliver whispers. "I don't like this."

"What? Are you talking about the 'Everything Man'?"

"Yes! I am talking about the 'Everything Man'. He goes through all the trouble of stealing your blood and then just disappears into thin air. No. No! Something is wrong. Do you remember when Dr. Morris disappeared for a while? He went through all that trouble to steal a shipment of chemicals from Mr. Newman and then disappeared. When he reappeared, he poisoned Mr. Newman to steal that keycard. Well, what if that is happening again? What if the reason the Everything Man disappeared is because he planning something big? Something dangerous?"

I think it over, letting Oliver's words sink in, I start losing my appetite. Seeing me not eating, Oliver must have realized what he had done.

"Come on," Oliver says, bumping me with his elbow. He grabs Miley's tray and pushes it toward me. "Eat up. You're going to need the extra energy."

"Why," I ask.

"Because after school, you and I are going to train. We're going to prepare for when we see that bastard again."

I feel a smile growing when Oliver says this. I think it grows even bigger when Oliver punches his palm. Grabbing the pizza slice, I start eating it again. While I'm finishing the pizza, Miley comes back and place a soda bottle in front of me.

"Here," she says, opening her own. "I hope you like Coco-Cola."

Taking a drink of her soda, Miley sits back down.

"So. What did I miss?"

The Everything Man:

"I'm telling you," my partner says, watching from behind the glass with crossed arms. "You're crazy."

Nodding my head as I strip down to a basic, no-sleeved shirt and long pants, I look at the power pack in front of me.

"You're telling me I'm crazy," I say, "And yet, it's your invention."

"Exactly. It is my invention so I know the risk better than anyone else, and I really think we should wait a little longer before stripping the power pack on. I still haven't figured out how Red Lightning's body can handle all the extra catalysts. No living thing should be able to handle all of that. It would be too much for anyone."

"I'll be fine," I say. Hearing my partner sighs, I walk toward the power pack. Grabbing the pack off the table, I slowly put it on. I place the straps around my shoulders and the metal bars along my arms. Once they're tightened and secured, I look to my partner.

"Do it," I yell.

"It's your funeral," my partner says. Pushing a series of buttons, I watch as tiny, almost invisible needles appear from the metal bars. They pierce my skin, the sharp needles going into my skin. I squeeze my teeth against each other as the needles enter me.

Looking at the tubes as the experimental serum flows from the back of the pack, I prepare myself.

"RL-0926 serum insertion now."

Hearing the sound of a button being push, I then feel the serum enters my body. Immediately, my body feels hot. Like it had been sitting in the sun for days. My arms and legs somehow go numb and are burning up at the same time.

Screaming as I drop to my knees, I grab my sweating head with my burning hands.

"Heart rate is at 110 bpm," my partner says. "Wait, no it's climbing. Now, it's 120! No! Now it's 140!"

I twist and turn and scream as my whole body is set on fire. My vision constantly flashes. I scream and scream until my throat goes dry, and even then, I still scream.

The Partner:

The benefactor disappears as he falls to the floor, screaming and shaking. About to get up and see if he's okay, I stop when I hear a long, beeping sound. Turning, I see a solid green line on the heart rate monitor.

"Dammit," I say. Putting my hands together, I tap my thumbs against my face. "I told the idiot I needed time. Just a little more time. Why didn't he listen to me?"

Shaking my head, I get up from my seat. Getting ready to clean the mess up, I stop when I hear something. Turning around, I see a hand shoot up and tap on the glass.

Red Lightning:

Screaming as something hit the back of my neck, I turn around and look at Oliver.

"Surprise," Oliver says, lowering the gun in his hands.

"What in the world!"

Jumping at first, I use my speed the second I land back on my feet. Running to Oliver, I grab the rifle in his hands and push him back.

"Oliver? What is this? How did you get this?"

"Sammy," Oliver says, pushing himself up from the ground and dusting himself off. "Calm down. It's not real."

"It's not?"

Oliver shakes his head and points at the end of the rifle. Looking down at it, I see a bright orange tip.

"It's a paintball gun," Oliver says, taking the rifle from my hands. "I brought it because I figure, this is faster than me just throwing a bunch of tennis balls. Also, this way, there will actually be some consequences if you're not fast enough."

Oliver then holds up the paintball gun with both his hands and looks through the sight on the top of it.

"What do you think?"

"I think I like the tennis balls," I answer, rubbing the back of my neck. As I rub my newly sore spot, I feel something cold and wet and bring my hand back in front. When I do, I see some red paint on my fingertips. "Oliver! This better be washable! I do not want to have to tell my parents why I am covered in red paint!"

"Get ready," Oliver says, grabbing some extra magazines and a bag of pellets and walking away from me. I watch as Oliver walks about 10 feet away from me. When he stops, he turns around and aims at me.

"You ready," he yells. I nod my head and bring up my mask. Spreading out my feet and hands, I watch as Oliver starts shooting at me. Pushing myself off my back foot, I run through the blazing hot desert. The sand beneath my feet either turns to glass or is kicked up into the air as I run at super speed.

Despite not being able to see the paintball pellets, I can still estimate where they are judging by where Oliver is aiming. He's trying to keep his gun aimed at me but is having trouble because I'm running around him too fast and also because there is too much sand in the air. Practically shooting blind, I run to Oliver's right and charge toward him.

About the push him over, already pulling back one of my arms, I scream when Oliver turns to me and fires a bunch of pellets at me.

The pellets hitting and blinding me, I stomp my foot on the ground and try to stop. I hear Oliver also screaming but only for a second. Still trying to stop, I skid against the desert sand until I hit something and fall. Now, I'm rolling in the sand. Finally, stopping, I push myself up and spit out a mouthful of disgusting, soggy sand.

"Sammy," Oliver shouts. "Sammy! Are you okay?"

I feel Oliver grabbing my arms and pulling me up.

"Are you okay," he asks again.

"Just fine," I say, still spitting out some sand. As I spit out the sand, I also rub the red paint out of my eyes.

"Damn," Oliver says, "I can't believe I hit you. I'm a better shot than I expected."

Oliver lets out a little chuckle. When he does, I turn to him. He stops chucking and pushes himself up.

"Okay. A little beaten up but still not in bad shape. Are you ready for round 2?"

"No," I answer, pushing myself up. "No, I am not. I want to go home. Come on, we have homework to do anyway."

I start heading for Oliver's car but stop when Oliver grabs my hand.

"Nope," he says with a shaking head. "Sammy, I still have two fully loaded magazines and a whole unopened bag of pellets. Which I think is equal to one-and-a-half-loaded magazines. We're not driving out of here yet."

"Oliver, we have homework. We can't stay out here for too long."

"We won't," Oliver states. "We'll just stay out here for a little longer until I run out of the pellets, and then we will go. Come on, Sammy. We can't leave yet. You need to get better! What if I was the Everything Man? I would've blasted you with deafening sound waves or burning light beams."

"That was a lucky shot," I say. "You caught me by surprise."

Since Oliver is still holding onto my hand, I shake him off and pull it back.

"Sammy," Oliver says, turning and walking back. "That was more than just a lucky shot."

Shaking my head, I run ahead and walk side-by-side with Oliver.

"Sammy, you move fast but that's about it. You have to do more than run fast and punch people with your 'electro-fist'."

"My electro-fist?"

"Your lightning-charge punch. Seriously, you should name your attack."

"This isn't a video game, Oliver. I don't need to name my attack and put them on a combo list."

"True, but what I said is true too. You can't just expect to win every fight with your super speed and electro-fist. Besides running fast, you also need to think fast. I think I told you this before."

"Yeah, well with everything going on, I'm lucky I remember to change clothes between identities."

"Just try and remember it's not all about speed. You're forgetting more and more to use that big brain of yours."

Oliver reaches over and rubs my head. I laugh as I slap his hand away.

"Okay," I say. "Stay here. Oh, and I'm not sorry about the sand."

"The sand," Oliver repeats.

Pushing myself off the ground and into the air, I kick up a sandstorm as I run 10 feet away and brace myself for round 2.

Miley Daniel:

"Ouch," I scream after being hit in the head with the PVC pipe. Shaking my head and rubbing my sore spot, I sigh and put down the two PVC pipes. Switching from them to my pen and notebook, I study the design again.

"How come this didn't work? It should work. The cable should have shot the pipe out but not launch it. At least, not so much that I have a bruise on my forehead. Maybe I need to move the ends closer. That way, there isn't so much potential energy."

I first draw two Xs before drawing in some new aspects. I keep drawing, trying to make my design work, only stopping when I hear the doorbell rings. Putting my pen and notebook down, I run out of the room, down the stairs, and to the front door. Opening it, I see a medium-height man with short brown hair and a black-blue business suit.

"Oh," I say, giving the man a quick nod. "Hello, Mr. Nedry."

"Hello, Miley," Mr. Nedry says with a nod and a frown. "I would really prefer it if you called me by my last name."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Uhh."

I close the door on Mr. Nedry. I then open it a second later.

"Hello, Mr. Dodgson. Are you here for my Dad?"

"Yes, Miley. I'm here for your Dad. Is he here?"

"Yeah," I say. This time, I'm the one who's nodding. I step back and hold the door open for him. "He's in his lab downstairs. I can lead you."

"Thank you," Mr. Dodgson says. "You don't have to lead me. I know the way."

"Nah," I say, this time shaking my head. "It would be rude of me. Please follow me."

I close the door and wave my hand. Mr. Dodgson shrugs his shoulders and follows me. As I lead him through the hallway and kitchen, toward the stairs, I turn back to him.

"Hey," I start, "I just wanted to say thank you again for giving us this mega-mansion. It's amazing."

"Don't mention it," Mr. Dodgson answers. "Besides, it's the least I can do. Especially considering your father's contribution. His batteries are very essential for my and my partner's work."

"Speaking of 'work', I hope I'm not intruding or anything, but I've been wondering this for months now. What is your work exactly? How can you afford to just give my Dad and me this whole mansion? I mean, it comes with its own foundation and driveway."

Mr. Dodgson smiles before replying.

"My name is a secret so unfortunately, I can't really tell you. But I can tell you this. We are on the verge of completing our latest and most grandest project. We just made a massive breakthrough and are about to make so much more. We are about to break through so many barriers and achieve things never thought possible before."

"Okay," I say slowly. "If you can't answer me, then it's okay. You don't have to tell me, and you especially don't have to talk to me in riddles."

Stopping at a set of double doors, I knock on them.

"Dad, Mr. Dodgson is here. He wants to talk with you."

"Thank you, sweetie. Please let him in."

I turn back to Mr. Dodgson and nod. Opening the door, I watch Mr. Dodgson walk into my Dad's lab. Seeing Mr. Dodgson and my Dad greet each other, I close the door. As I walk back to my room, I can't help but think about one thing and one thing only.

"I hate riddles. What was all that talk about? "Break through barriers and achieve things never thought possible before?"

Oliver Oakman:

“So wait,” I say, uncrossing my arms and placing one of my hands on my shaking head. “What is this again?”

Sammy sighs as she points at the cube-shaped thing sitting on the hood of my car again.

“This is a battery,” Sammy answers. “At least, I think it is.”

“You think?”

“I can’t be sure because I’ve never seen a battery design like this before, but I think this is, in fact, a battery.”

Still in the desert, just as I finished putting away my paintball gun, Sammy showed me something. She said she got it from the Everything Man. When he stole a sample of her blood, Sammy grabbed him all over. She felt something loose and pulled it out, just as the Everything Man pushed her down.

“So wait,” I say, grabbing and holding up the stolen battery. “If you did steal this from the Everything Man, then how did he still escape? Without this, his suit shouldn’t have any power.”

“He must have had multiple batteries built into the pack,” Sammy answers. “Still, I considered it lucky. It means he didn’t notice this battery is missing.”

Holding the battery with both hands, I do my best to examine it. However, I can’t really make sense of any of it. I think Sammy is right thought. This is a battery but it’s unlike anything I have ever seen before.

“One thing is for sure,” I say, putting the battery back down on the hood of my car. “This thing must be able to hold quite a charge if it can supply enough power for the Everything Man’s super suit. I mean, sonic blasts, metal wings, and even flashlight blasts. I can’t even imagine how much power it would take to run that thing.”

As I say this, I turn to Sammy and see her staring into space. Her eyes are wide and she’s doing the one-thousand-yard stare. Thinking she might actually be looking at something, I follow her stare for a bit before giving up and waving my hand in her face.

“Hello,” I say, “Anyone in there?”

A few seconds later, Sammy smiles as she turns to me.

“Oliver,” she starts, “You’re a genius!”

“Uh, thank you. Not that I’m complaining but why?”

“Because you said you can’t even imagine how much power it would take to run that power pack. Oliver, the pack had multiple batteries built into it. It was big. It was bulky. None of the other packs were like that. Simon. Adam. Layla. Their packs were all smaller. I bet their power pack had only one battery, but not the Everything Man.”

“Okay,” I say slowly. Still a little lost, I just nod my head.

“That’s how I can beat him,” Sammy goes on. “The batteries. I bet if I can grab and pull them out, I can disable the power pack.”

“Or maybe even run them out of electricity,” I say. I slap my own forehead and feel a smile growing. “I am a genius! Yeah!”

Raising my hand, Sammy sees it and raises her own hand. We then five-high each other before getting back into my car and driving back to the city.

Miley Daniel:

“Thanks,” I say, taking the Chinese food from the delivery man. Handing him the money, he nods and smiles

“Thank you,” the delivery man replies, counting the money before folding and putting it in his pocket. He nods again before turning around to leave. Closing the front door, I carry the Chinese food to the kitchen and start unpacking it.

“Let me see, let me see. What do we have here? Some beef and broccoli. Some kung pao chicken. Oh, my favorite. Eggrolls!”

Finding a small paper bag with some eggrolls in it, I grab one and take a bite of it. Smiling as I eat the delicious eggroll, I swallow the first bite after a few minutes and then yell to my Dad.

“Dad! The food is here!”

Taking another bite, I lay out all the food on the kitchen counter. Grabbing two plates and a pair of forks and spoons, I place all of them together near the kitchen counter with the Chinese food.

With everything ready, I turn back, expecting to see my Dad walking out of his room. However, the only thing I see moving around in the hallway are the dust bunnies in the air.

“Dad! Dad? Hmm.”

Getting an uneasy feeling now, my gut telling me something is off, I put my half-eaten eggroll on one of the plates and walk toward my Dad’s lab. My gut is still telling me something is off so I stop before leaving the kitchen. Eyeing the drawer closest to me, I grab and pull it open. Going through it, the kitchen junk drawer, I find a hammer.

Walking through the hallway, down the stairs, and stopping at the double door, I knock on them.

“Hello,” I say, “Dad? Can you hear me?”

I don’t hear anything. About to charge in with the hammer high in the air, I stop when I see the doorknob shaking. Moving fast, I hide the hammer behind me as the door opens.

“Miley,” my Dad shouts. Without any warning or head-up, my Dad lunges for me with open arms. He grabs and hugs me tightly. If I didn’t think fast, he would have found the hammer I brought with me.

“Uh,” I say, my eyes darting around. ”Am I missing something?"

As I think this, I see Mr. Dodgson standing in my Dad’s lab. He’s bent over at my Dad’s desk. Looking closer, I see Mr. Dodgson signing what looks like a check. He rips the check off before leaving it on my Dad’s desk. When he’s done, Mr. Dodgson then turns to something else on the desk. It looks like a large, flat, rectangle-shaped box.

Mr. Dodgson opens the briefcase he brought with him. Carefully placing the box in the briefcase, Mr. Dodgson closes it before walking out.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” Mr. Dodgson says as he walks out.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” my Dad says, letting me go to wave off Mr. Dodgson.

“Here,” I say, turning around. “Let me show you out.”

“No need,” Mr. Dodgson shouts. “I can show myself out. You two enjoy your dinner.”

My Dad, still jumping for joy, smiles as he turns to me.

“Miley,” he says while laughing. “I did it!”

He lunges for me again. Putting his hands under my arms, my Dad tries to lift me like when I was a kid, but almost immediately stops. Now, he’s crying out loud.

“Ouch. Ouch! Ouch!”

Falling over slightly, my Dad places his hand on his back.

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Just, a little back pain.”

“No kidding. Dad, the last time you did that, I had just learned the first half of the alphabet. Come on. Let’s go sit down and eat. I ordered your favorite.”

Patting my Dad on his back, my Dad screams out loud and I jump back.

“Sorry,” I say. “My bad.”

“Miley,” my Dad says, slowly walking up the stairs. “Can you please go to the pharmacy and pick me up some back pain medicine?”

“Are you talking about painkillers?”

“No. I’m talking about one of those heating pads.”

“Sure,” I say with a nod. Escorting my Dad up the stairs and into the living room, I gently lay him back on our sofa.

“If you feel better, you can start eating without me,” I say. “I’ll go and get those heating pads.”

About to leave, my Dad stops me.

“Miley, wait.”

“What’s up?”

“Quickly. Go into my lab and grab Mr. Dodgson’s check. Please deposit it into my bank account.”

“Sure,” I say with a shrug. I run back to my Dad’s lab and grab the check Mr. Dodgson wrote. As I turn to leave, I see one of my Dad’s blueprints, lay out across his workstation. A little curious, I look it over.

“Wow,” I say, looking at the check in my hand. “A million dollars just for a battery. Shesh, Mr. Dodgson, what are you building?”

Mr. Nedry Dodgson

While driving out of the Daniel’s mansion, I pull out my cell phone.

“Hello,” my partner answers.

“Hey, it’s me,” I start. “I got the battery from Daniel. Do you have the finished power pack?”

“It’s on the way. It should be here in two days.”

“Fine. Once we have the power pack, you’ll need to install the battery.”

“Is it everything Daniel promised?”

“Oh yeah. The battery is everything he promised. Small and compact but can hold a much bigger charge than the previous model. With this, Red Lightning won’t stand a chance.”

“And Project Lightning in a Bottle can be completed.”

“Imagine it. What we can learn from her? What we already learned from her blood alone. We will unlock secrets that will change the scientific world forever.”

Samantha Reader:

“Well, well, well,“, Ms. Lori says, going through all my past assignments and tests. “I must say. You have certainly improved.”

Ms. Lori smiles as she lays down all the papers and grade them. Standing on my tip-toes, I try to sneak a peek but someone grabs my hand and pulls me down. Turning to the right, I see Miley shaking her head. I roll my eyes and also shake my head.

A few minutes later, Ms. Lori gave me everything back. Quickly going through all of it, I see nothing but A pluses and 95. Mentally dancing inside my head, I look at Ms. Lori.

“Thank you,” I say with a smile. “I know before, uhh, well, actually more recently, I wasn’t exactly the best student. I was always running off and disappearing somewhere, but now, I feel like back to before. Before before. You know---”

“Yes, I know,” Ms. Lori says, putting up her hand and nodding. “But aren’t you forgetting about one person?”

Ms. Lori tilts her head to the side. Looking to the side, I see Miley standing there, looking at me with a smile. Almost immediately, I stop dancing.

“Yeah, thank you too,” I say.

“Don’t mention it,” Miley says, putting her index and middle fingers to her forehead and shooting them out. “Glad I could help.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I say, dropping to one of my knees. Opening my backpack, I put all the assignments and tests inside. “Well, my parents will be happy. Bye, Ms. Lori. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Bye Samantha,” Ms. Lori says, waving at me. “Bye Miley.”

“Bye.”

Opening the door and walking into an empty hallway, I turn around and see Miley walking toward me. As much as I rather walk alone, I sigh through my nose and hold the door open. Miley walking through it, I close the door. As expected, Miley slows down so we can walk side-by-side.

“So,” Miley says, stretching out the ‘O’. “Got any plan for the weekend?”

“Uhh, no,” I answer. “As far as I know, I don’t have any plans for the weekend.”

“What about Oliver? Does he have any plans for the weekend?”

“I wouldn’t know,” I say with a shrug. “You would have to ask him.”

“Ohh. Want to hear about my plan for the weekend?”

“Sure,” I say half-heartedly. Frankly, I doubt saying no is an option.

“Well, my Dad just got a major paycheck,” Miley starts while I mindlessly nod. “So I figured he and I could go and celebrate somewhere. It had been a while since we last did anything together so maybe we could go to a restaurant. I’m thinking not a fancy restaurant but something a little more casual. Maybe an all-you-can-eat buffet. Hmm, maybe not. I don’t have anything against all-you-can-eat buffets, but we usually eat take-out so it wouldn’t be anything special. Instead of eating, we could try doing something instead. What’s around here?”

Talking and talking the whole time, somehow managing to go without stopping to catch her breath, I almost cry when I see Oliver sitting in his car in the parking lot.

“Oliver,” I shout. Miley finally shutting up, I use a little bit of speed to run to him. Hitting the hood of his car, I fall onto it.

“Sammy,” Oliver screams, getting out of his car. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, “I’m fine.”

“Well, in that case, hey! Be careful, will you?”

While I run around the hood and jump into the front passenger seat, Oliver climbs out.

“Wait,” I shout, “Oliver! Come back!”

Oliver ignores me and runs over to where I hit his car. He bends his knees and examines the hood before looking at me.

“Why,” he asks.

Shooting out my hand, I point right behind him. Turning around, Oliver sees Miley walking up to him.

“Nooo,” I shout.

Oliver Oakmen:

“Nooo,” Sammy shouts from inside my car. Looking back at her, I turn around and look at Miley.

“Hey,” Miley says, waving at me as she approaches. Leaning to the side, she looks past me at Sammy who is still stretching out the ‘Noo’.

“What’s up with her,” Miley asks.

“I don’t know,” I answer with a shrug. “Hey, Miley. How are you--”

“Hey,” Miley screams, cutting me off. Scaring me a bit, the smile on Miley’s face turns upside down, and her eyebrows tilt. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

For some reason, Miley then pushes me back. As I fall back, Miley walks past me and toward the driver’s seat. Seeing something is up, Sammy locks the doors. Miley tries to open the driver’s side door but can’t so instead, she wraps her hand around her face and presses them against the small back window.

“That’s one of my Dad’s batteries,” Miley says, pulling back and pointing at my backseat. Looking at where Miley is pointing, I see the battery Sammy stole from the Everything Man. Just sitting in my backseat after I threw it there yesterday.

“One of your Dad’s batteries,” I repeat. “What?”

“Why do you have one of my Dad’s batteries? How did you even get it?”

Miley goes on and on but I clap my hands and this time, I’m the one that cut her off.

“Your Dad’s batteries,” I repeat. “That’s one of your Dad’s batteries? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Miley says. “I would recognize my Dad’s batteries anywhere. They have a unique design to them. It may seem random but they’re designed like that to help generate and hold more electricity than regular batteries.”

"More electricity than regular batteries,” I think. ”I would recognize my Dad’s batteries anywhere. I can’t be sure because I’ve never seen a battery design like this before."

“Miley,” I shout.

“Oliver,” Miley shouts back. “Where did you get my Dad’s battery? How did you even get it in the first place?”

“I, uh, found it.”

“You found it,” Miley repeats. “Oliver, if you’re going to lie, do better.”

“Okay, fine! I’m lying! I lied! We didn’t just find your Dad’s battery!”

“We?”

Turning around, Miley looks at Sammy with red eyes.

“Miley, your Dad made this battery. Your Dad is what? An engineer? An inventor?”

“I’m not telling a pair of thieves what my Dad is. And now I regret talking to your partner in crime earlier.”

“Miley,” I shout, clapping my hand in her face. Her eyes go wide and she leans back. “Listen. You know you have no reason to believe me and Sammy. You have more reason to call the police now than to stand here but right now, before you go and call them, listen to me. Sammy and I are not thieves. We did ‘steal’ the battery but it’s not in the way you’re thinking.”

Miley’s eyes slowly go back to normal as I go on. I stop talking for a bit and pull out my car key. Unlocking my car, I lower the driver’s seat. Grabbing the battery, I give it to Miley.

“Here.”

Looking at me, and then at the battery, Miley slowly takes it.

“Now, please, tell me. Your Dad. Is he an engineer or an inventor?”

“An inventor,” Miley answers. “A few months ago, my Dad invented these new, larger batteries. They could hold massive amounts of power and even generate their own.”

“That’s amazing. How come I’ve never heard of these before.”

“It’s because shortly after getting the patent for the batteries, a company reached out to us. They offered us a lot of money and a mansion so they could be the sole buyer of my Dad’s batteries.”

“A company? Miley, I don’t know if you can tell me this or not, but do you know the name of the company buying your Dad’s batteries?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Miley answers, nodding her head slowly. “The company’s name is BTB Industry.”

“BTB Industry?”

“It’s this big-time company. I think they have branches all over the world.”

“Ohh,” I say.

“Anyway, BTB Industry was the company that contacted my Dad. As I said before, they offered him money and a whole mansion for being the sole buyer of my Dad’s battery. That’s why my Dad and I moved here.”

I turn my head and think over everything Miley told me.

"BTB Industry? Are they the ones who have been making those power packs and giving them out? If so, then why?"

“Hey Oliver,” Miley says, snapping me out of my trance. “Listen. I’m..not going to call the police. Okay? And sorry I called you and Sammy thieves.”

Holding up the battery between us, Miley nods her head.

“Thanks. I'll see you two later. Bye."

I watch as Miley puts the battery in her pocket and walks away. Watching until she disappears, I open the car's door and slide into the driver's seat.

“That was a long talk,” Sammy says, sighing. "I'm sorry. I don't know how but that girl can talk and talk. It's actually really amazing."

Oliver Oakmen:

"BTB,” I think. ”BTB."

I tap my fingers as I look at the company’s website. I stare at it. I read the page over and over again.

"One of the world’s leading innovators in engineering and technology. Built over a hundred different machines that almost changed the world. Founded in 1900s. Current CEO is someone named Nedry Dodgson."

I move the mouse and click on Nedry’s highlighted name. The link takes me to his bio page. According to his bio, Nedry Dodgson inherited the company from his father, who inherited it from his father, and so on, and so on.

"A family lineage thing."

I try to explore more about who Nedry Dodgson is or what BTB is but unfortunately, there isn’t much more than what I already learned from BTB’s homepage.

"Nedry Dodgson had multiple diplomas from a bunch of different universities and colleges. Mainly focus on business and engineering. BTB had different branches in various states and countries. Their most recent is right here in Carson City. Wait, wait, wait! Their most recent branch was right here!"

My head shoots up and look at the list of branches BTB has. At the very end of the list, built about five months ago, is BTB’s latest branch. The branch’s main focus seems to be manufacturing and selling home applications.

The imaginary lightbulb turns on above my head and I go back to typing away at my computer. Looking up more about BTB’s latest branch, I cheer when I find the address. Turning around, I grab my cell phone and begin calling Sammy.

While waiting for Sammy to answer, I turn off my computer and walk down the stairs. Snatching my car key from the hook, Sammy also answers.

“Hey Oliver,” she says. “What’s up?”

“Sammy, do you remember what I told you? About the BTB company that Miley’s dad worked for?”

“Yeah. I’ve been doing research on it since you dropped me off at home.”

“But let me guess. You didn’t learn much. Other than the fact that BTB is a long-established company and the CEO has a few dozen diplomas.”

“Yes,” Sammy answers. “Did you learn anything important?”

“Maybe,” I answer. “Listen, I’m heading to your house now. Get ready to leave.”

About to end the call, I stop when I remember something important.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, putting my phone back against my ear.

“What,” Sammy asks.

“You did your homework, right?”

“Yes,” Sammy answers. “I did my homework. I have tonight free.”

“Awesome, because I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

“Gone,” Sammy repeats. “What exactly will we be doing?”

Red Lightning:

“No, no, no,” I say, shaking my head. “Oliver, this is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy.”

“I know,” Oliver states. “You have been saying ‘This is crazy’ and ‘No’ for the past 40 minutes. Basically, the whole car ride over here. Sammy, you did this before. Remember? You broke into Newman’s Chemical and got the file on Razor Wings?”

“I broke into Newman’s Chemical but I didn’t get Adam Wynd’s file! Mr. Newman gave it to me. In other words, I got caught!”

“That’s one way to see it,” Oliver says. “But anyway to see it is like this. We got information on Razor-Wings. Sure, it wasn’t exactly useful but we still got it. Listen. Sammy, I’m telling you. Something in there is going to tell us more.”

Oliver points over to the BTB’s building, a large, tall, rectangle-shaped building with glass windows and doors. As far as Oliver and I can tell, the building is empty. There are no cars in the parking lot and no lights turned on anywhere inside the building.

“Miley’s Dad is building super batteries,” he starts. “The same super battery which you pulled from the Everything Man’s pack, and according to Miley, the only people who know anything about those batteries are the people that worked in there. Besides, it can’t be a coincidence. Just five months ago, BTB built its latest company right there in Carson City, Nevada. Meanwhile, six months ago, you started making a name for yourself. Well, not you exactly but--”

“Red Lightning,” I say, nodding my head.

“Exactly. A one-month difference. As I said, it can’t be a coincidence.”

“Okay,” I say, nodding my head again. Putting on my mask and typing the straps behind my head, I turn to Oliver.

“What’s the plan?”

“Uhhh...”

“Oliver! You don’t have a plan.”

“Of course, I have a plan. Use your super speed and your ‘red lightning’ to break in and look through everything.”

“Look through everything? Oliver, even with my super speed, I can’t just ‘look through everything’. Assuming the ‘important stuff’ is on paper, I could accidentally set it on fire, and assuming it’s on the computer, it’s probably password-protected.”

“Well, yeah, but still. There had to be something in there. Something that can tell us more. Just run through the building and see what you can find.”

I look at Oliver.

“I’m wearing a mask so you probably can’t see it but I am angry right now.”

“Yeah. I can tell. Go.”

Pointing at the building, I shake my head and get out of Oliver’s car. Running to the building, I stop and run back to Oliver’s car. When he sees me, Oliver jumps and hits his head on the ceiling.

“What,” Oliver screams while rubbing his head. “What! What is it?”

“That was for having no plan,” I say before running off again.

Running to the front doors, I grab and pull the silver handle. As expected, the door is locked. Raising my right hand, I vibrate my hand, turning it into a hot blur. Slowly stabbing the glass door, I melt the glass, and my vibrating hand goes right through. Slowly moving my hand, I cut a circle, with the door handles inside them. When the circle is fully drawn, I pull out my hand and push the door handles. The handles fall and with another push, the door opens.

Walking into the dark, empty lobby, I look around. While still walking around, I hear music and jump.

“Ahh,” I scream. I look around but it seems the music is coming from me. Looking down, I see lights coming from inside my pants. Hitting myself on the head, I reach down and pull out my cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Sammy, it’s Oliver.”

“I know. I saw the caller ID. Why are you calling me?”

“I’m your backup,” Oliver answers. “Anyway, what do you see?”

“Nothing too special. A receptionist desk. A sofa. A glass table. Some potted plants.”

“So a typical lobby. Okay, nothing too special. Do you see a sign anywhere?”

Looking up at a wall, I see a sign with different department names and arrows.

“Yeah. I see a sign. One of the arrows points to a room that says record.”

“Follow the arrow. Go and check it out.”

Nodding, I follow the arrow and run through the hallways. Taking a bunch of turns, I skid to a stop outside another set of double doors.

“I found the record room,” I say. “But the doors are wooden. I can’t melt them like I did the glass doors.”

“So you can’t get in?”

“No. I just can’t melt them.”

Lowering the phone, I grab one of the door handles and shake it. Using my speed, I shake the handle at high speed, causing all the parts to come loose. A few seconds later, the whole handle breaks off and I can push the door open.

Walking into a large room, I see dozens of computers and even more filing cabinets.

“Paper and computer,” I say. “Interesting.”

“I don’t suppose there’s a label that said evil plan written on one of the cabinets,” Oliver asks.

“I’ll check but I doubt it. Seriously though, what should I start with? Paper or computer?”

“Paper. Call me old-fashioned but I think paper will be a little better. Start with anything like blueprints or money.”

“Money?”

“Someone at BTB is paying millions for Miley’s Dad’s batteries. Unless they’re paying out of pocket, they have to be using the company’s money.”

I nod my head and place my phone down. Making sure it’s far enough away so I don’t accidentally short-circuit it, I start running circles in the room. Opening cabinet after cabinet, checking the labels before closing them, and running to the next one, I stop when I find something interesting.

Running and grabbing my phone, I walk over to the cabinet.

“Oliver, are you still there?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“I think I’ve found something. Here.”

Putting my phone down, I spread the folder open and spread everything out.

“What is it,” Oliver asks. “What did you find? Blueprint? Money?”

“Blueprints,” I answer. “Sorry. Nothing about money.”

“Darn. What’s on the blueprint?”

Too dark to see, I raise my hand and start shaking it. Charging my hand with electricity, I light up the room.

“Design for a power pack.”

Red Lightning:

“Design for a power pack,” Oliver repeats. “Are you sure?”

“I think so,” I answer, looking over the blueprint.

“Sammy, it’s a yes or no question. Did you find designs for a power pack? Yes or no?”

“Yes,” I answer. “At least, I think so. Oliver, I can’t read blueprints and schematics like you, but I still think this is the design for a power pack.

“Okay. Well, I’ll admit. I’m surprised you found something so easily. Whose power pack is it? Boom Blaster? Flashlight Lady? Razor Wings? Everything Man?”

“It’s none of theirs. It’s a new one. A new power pack.”

“A new power pack? Oh boy. I’m not going to like the answer but I have to know. What can this power pack do?”

“I have no idea. I’m reading the notes but there’s no mention of anything like sound waves, light beams, or even large knives. As far as I can tell, this is only a basic pack. No ‘powers’ are added yet.”

“So what? You have the basic design for a basic, non-power pack?”

“Basically, yes. This is just the pack. The powers must be somewhere else.”

“Well, before you go looking again, study the design for the pack. Maybe you find something like a weakness or flaws. Something that could be useful.”

“Yeah. Useful. Thanks.”

Putting down my cell phone, I grab the design and read it over.

“Sammy,” Oliver yells. “Tell me what you see. What does the design say?”

“Uhh. The pack’s main purpose is supposed to hold enough power. I think I see the slot where Miley’s dad’s power is supposed to go. Once inserted, it can power almost anything added.”

“Where is the battery inserted?”

“Lower back part of the pack. Once the battery is inserted, it’s not supposed to come out. If anything is altered, then the electricity in the pack will build it. When it does, the pack--”

“Explodes,” Oliver finishes. “Hmm. Oh my god!”

All of a sudden, I hear the sound of crashing and thudding coming from the other end of the line.

“Oliver,” I say. “Oliver! What’s going on? Can you hear me? Oliver. What is going on--”

“Sammy, get out of there! Now!”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Before Oliver can answer, I see flashing blue and red lights and hear sirens.

“Attention Red Lightning,” someone yells through a microphone. No doubt a police officer. “We have the building surrounded. Come out with your hands up immediately!”

Before I “can come out with my hands up”, I hear a loud crashing sound coming from down the hallway. Walking to the door, I peek through the window and see flashlight beams running all over the place. Taking a step back, I hide behind the filing cabinet. A second later, a small group of police officers burst into the room. Wearing body armor and armed with batons and shields, they shine their lights all over the room.

“Clear,” one of the officers says, lowering his flashlight.

“Clear,” another officer says, also lowering his flashlight.

“Clear--Wait,” the third officer says. She raises her flashlight and shines it at the opened cabinet. “What’s that?”

The two officers stay behind while the third and last one slowly walks toward it. I slap myself on the face and slowly step back. Backing up all the way to the opened cabinet, I grab what I can and hide around the cabinet’s corner.

The female officer reaches the cabinet and searches around. When she’s about to look around the corner, I vibrate my hand. Charging it with electricity, I then jump out.

The officer screams as I jump out. I grab her flashlight and overcharge it, causing it to break.

“It’s Red Light--” the officer yells before I push her back into the filing cabinets. Hitting and sliding down them, I then run before the other two can process what happened. Pushing them out of the way, I run down the hallway and back into the lobby. Running out of the lobby and back outside, I skid to a stop when I see all the surrounding police cars and police officers.

“Red Lightning,” someone with a microphone, the captain I’m guessing, yells. “You’re under arrest for trespassing. Put your hands up in the---”

Before the police captain can finish, the car’s horn roars through the night. It grabs all our attention, and the police captain turns his head. The second he turns his head, I run away, disappearing from sight before he or anyone else can even realize it.

Oliver Oakman:

Keeping my hand on the car’s horn, distracting all the police officers, I watch from a distance as Red Lightning runs away. She runs right through the crowd and out of sight. The second she’s gone, I stop honking the horn and stomp on the gas. Backing up, I grab and move the gear shift. Putting my car into drive, I turn around and drive away fast.

Chasing after Red Lightning, I look right and left as I drive down the road, eventually seeing her walking on the side. Pulling to a stop, Red Lightning gets in the front seat and takes off her mask.

“What was that,” Sammy screams. “How did the police know I was in there?”

“I don’t know,” I answer, shrugging my shoulders. “I was keeping an eye out the whole time. No one even walked by. It was just me and you there.”

“Well, unless one of us calls the police, then there must have been someone there!”

“Maybe you accidentally triggered a silent alarm,” I suggest.

“Maybe but still. They came in full-body armor, batons, and shields. They would only come with all that equipment if they knew the threat was something serious. Not just a quick smash-and-grab.”

“Yeah,” I say, slowly pulling over to the side of the road. “That does make sense.”

“Oliver. What are you doing? Why are you stopping!”

“I’m curious. Before you ran out, did you grab anything? Did you grab the blueprints? I can read blueprints better than you. Maybe I can look at it.”

“Sorry but I didn’t,” Sammy says. Sammy then raises her hand. Lowering her sleeves, she pulls out a piece of paper from underneath it. “This was all I could grab before the police entered.”

“What is it,” I ask, taking the paper.

“I don’t know. I was in a rush. I didn’t even have time to look at it. What is it?”

Unfolding the paper, it turns out to be a whole sheet. A whole sheet of paper with money transferred on it. I read the transactions over but as far as I can tell, there’s nothing suspicious about any of this. Except.

“Hmm,” I say, checking the names again.

“What,” Sammy asks, leaning over. She tries to grab the paper but I pull it away. “What is it? What was that ‘hmm’ about?”

When I’m finished, I give the paper to Sammy.

“Check this out,” I say, leaning over. “This name came up a few times. Some guy named Jackie Black. For some reason, he got paid over 50 thousand dollars.”

“Why is that odd,” Sammy asks.

“It’s odd because look at the name of his ‘workplace’.”

“The Cue Ball,” Sammy reads. “Wait, cue ball? Like the game where you hit balls with sticks?”

“For the record, that also applies to baseball and hockey, but yes. The cue ball is the white ball used for pool. I think you’re supposed to use it to knock the other balls into the pockets. I can’t say for certain but don’t you think it’s a bit odd that 50 thousand dollars went to someone named Jackie Black who worked in a company called the ‘Cue Ball’.”

Seeing a thought bubble slowly appear over Sammy’s head, it disappears when we hear sirens. Turning around, I see flashing lights.

“Oh shoot,” I say. About to step on the gas, Sammy puts her mask back on. “Wait, Sammy. What are you doing?”

“Go without me,” Red Lightning says, getting out of the car. “I’ll catch up with you at the Cue Ball!”

“Do you even know the way?”

“No, but I do have super speed. See you there.”

Slamming the door closed, Red Lightning runs toward the police. She stops in front of them before taking a sharp right. The police waste no time and follow her. It seems like they forget about me.

Watching as the red lightning bolt and flashing sirens disappear, I pull out my cell phone. Bringing up the map app, I type Cue Ball into the search bar.

Nedry Dodgson:

Walking underneath the yellow tape and into the record room, I examine the cabinet Red Lightning opened. She left the folder and papers shattered all over the place. Looking down, I see the blueprints for one of my power packs. Looking around, making sure there are no detectives or officers anywhere, I pick up and hide the blueprint in my jacket. I then pull out my phone.

“Hey,” I say, “It’s me. You were right. Red Lightning was here in my building. She went through the record and found a folder. I can’t be sure what she learned but I say this requires action. Prepare the cell. I think it’s time for another fight."

Oliver Oakman:

Slowly pulling to a stop, I turn off the ignition and get out of my car. As I get out, I look in front of me and see the Cue Ball

“This is the Cue Ball?”

The Cue Ball wasn’t some office building. It’s a bar. A small bar with a neon sign that read ‘Cue Ball’ hanging from the side. Underneath the two words is a small white ball hitting another red ball.

A little hesitant to enter the bar, I look left and right for Red Lightning but don’t see her anywhere.

"She must still be trying to lose the cops."

Letting out a breath, I jump up and down, hyping myself up.

"You got this, Oliver! You got this! You got this!"

Breathing in and out repeatedly, I stop and inhale through my nose before walking into the bar. However, the moment I walk into the Cue Ball, I immediately regret it.

The bar is quite clean. There are a few stains here and there but they’re very small and aren’t so bad. The tables and chairs in the bar are small, round-shaped, and look surprisingly decent. Also, in total, I count about a dozen pool tables, every single one sparking in the lights. The ones without people playing on them are neatly organized, with the balls all lined up in a triangle. Despite all of this, what made me regret walking in here by myself was the crying teenager on the floor holding his stomach.

“I can get you the money,” the teenage boy, looking barely any older than me, cries. “I can get you the money. There’s this horse--”

“Another horse,” a man sitting on a table says. Wearing a red suit, this man has a black mustache and medium black hair. He’s holding a notebook and pen in his hands and at his sides are two, very big, muscular men.

“You know, I bet on that horse you mentioned earlier. What was his name? What was his name? Oh, yes. Golden Striped. I bet on Golden Striped, and do you know what happened?”

“What happened, ” the teenage boy moans.

“He lost,” the man yells. As he yells, the teenage boy screams and crawls back. The two men besides the red-suit man rush forward and grab the boy. They drag him back before letting him go.

“He lost and now,” the red-suit man says. “Now you owe me 1,500 dollars.”

“Wait, what? No! You said if Golden Striped didn’t win, I would owe you double. Not triple!”

“You owe me triple because you tried to hide from me.”

Snapping his fingers, one of the thugs reaches forward and grabs the teenage boy by his shirt. Lifting him into the air, his feet dangling, the thug and the boy turn to the red-suit man.

“Did you really think you could hide from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding,” the boy shouts. “I swear, I wasn’t! I was just trying to make some extra money! Betting on some more games!”

“Yeah. And how is that working?”

The teenage boy opens his mouth but no words come out.

“I figured.”

“My sister is working,” the teenage boy whispers. “She’s going to help me with the money.”

“Your sister is going to help you,” the red-suit man asks. “Really?”

“Yes! Yes, she is! She got a new job at a---”

Feeling something getting stuck in my throat, I cough and clear my throat. However, when I do, the red-suit man, the teenage boy, and the two thugs stop what they’re doing and turn to me.

“Uhhh,” I say after clearing my throat. “Hello.”

“Who are you,” the red-suit man asks.

“Uhhhh, are you Jackie Black?”

“Yes, I am,” the red-suit man answers. “Listen, kid. If you wanna place a bet or want to borrow some money, just give me five more minutes. I’m in the middle of something.”

“I’m not here to place a bet or gamble,” I answer. “I just wanted to know if you’re Jackie Black.”

Jackie Black’s eyes narrow as he looks at me. He nudges his head toward me and his two thugs walk toward me.

“Don’t move,” Jackie Black says, pointing at the teenage boy. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Despite wanting to turn around and run away, I stay firm for some reasons. Instead of running away, I put up my hands and allowed the two thugs to surround me. Pushing me forward, I come face-to-face with Jackie Black.

“You’re either really brave, kid,” Jackie Black says, “Or really stupid. Why did you want to find me?”

I hide my hand behind my back and cross my fingers.

“I just want to know if someone from BTB is paying you.”

“BTB,” Jackie Black repeats. “What the heck is BTB?”

“A...home applications company,” I answer. “According to their records, someone from BTB had been paying you.”

Jackie Black looks at me before turning to his two thugs. His thugs shrug their shoulders before looking down at me. I shrug my shoulders and look back at Jackie.

“Seriously kid. Who are you? Search his pocket!”

Before I can stop them, the two thugs grab and search my pockets. They pull out my cell phone, car key, and wallet.

“I just want to know who paid you the 50 thousand dollars,” I shout.

Jackie Black raises his head when he hears what I said. Eyeing one of his thugs, Jackie Black raises his arm. His thug gives Jackie my wallet. Meanwhile, the other thug holds onto my wallet and key. Opening my wallet, Jackie pulls out my ID.

“Oliver Oakman,” he reads. “18 years old. A school ID? You’re still in high school? You’re a little young to be walking into bars now. Of course, Miller’s the same so I guess I really shouldn’t be saying anything.”

“Miller?”

I turn to the boy still crunching on his knees.

Jackie Black puts my driver’s license and school ID back into my wallet. He then closes it and throws it back to me.

“Kid,” Jackie Black says, leaning closer to me. “I’m only doing this because I’m getting the feeling you aren’t here to place a bet. Meaning you’re wasting my time. So to get you out of here, I’m just going to tell you this. I don’t know anyone from this ‘BTB’ application company you mentioned. Someone asked me for my help and they paid me for it. That’s it.”

Turning to his other thug, Jackie nods. His other thug then shoves my key and phone into my chest.

“Now get out of here,” Jackie orders. “Oh, and don’t come back here. Because if you do, I won’t be so polite.”

Jackie Black turns to his thugs again. Nodding their heads, they pick me up with almost no effort. They pick me up, walk me to the door, and throw me out. Screaming as I fly through the air, I hit the sidewalk hard.

Rubbing my head as I push myself up, I see a flash of red lightning.

“Oliver,” Sammy shouts. Rushing to help me up, I shoot out my hand and stop her.

“You’re still charged,” I say, holding out my hand.

Looking down at her arms, Sammy realizes little lightning bolts are coming off of her. She rolls her eyes and steps back. While Sammy waits for her charge to die down, I push myself up and dust myself off.

“Are you okay,” Sammy asks. “What happened?”

“I went inside,” I answer. “I went inside and I met Jackie Black. And also his two hired muscles.”

Rubbing my slightly sore chest, I wait for Sammy to say something. When all I hear is the wind, I turn to her and see her looking at me with a red face and tilted eyebrows.

“Are you still charged,” I ask. “The electricity should’ve died down by now---”

As I’m talking, Sammy swings her hand and slaps me on the back of my head.

“Ouch,” I cry, now rubbing the sore back of my head. “What was that for?”

“What was that for,” Sammy repeats. “Oliver, what were you thinking? Why did you go in there by yourself?”

“Because you weren’t here,” I answer. “Naturally, I assume you were still being chased by the police.”

“I was but still! Oliver, you going in there by yourself is crazy!”

“Sammy, our lives for the past two months have been ‘crazy’. Honestly, compared to everything, this is nothing.”

As I say this, I look at Sammy and realize something.

“Shoot,” I whisper. I run ahead and push Sammy back. Spreading out my arms, I try to cover Sammy.

“Oliver, what are you--”

“Sammy,” I whisper, looking away and making sure no one is around. Thankfully, no one is around. At least, not yet. “You’re still in uniform.”

Turning around, I see Red Lightning’s eyes go wide as she realize what I’m talking about.

“Red Lightning can’t be seen talking so casually to Oliver Oakman.”

Reaching into my pocket, I press the button and unlock my car.

“Get in now! I’ll tell you what Jackie told me.”

Moving fast, I run ahead and open the door. Practically jumping onto the front passenger’s seat, I run around and jump into the driver’s seat. Stomping on the gas, we speed forward.

“We are not done talking about how crazy you are for walking into a bar by myself,” Red Lighting states. “Especially to talk to Jackie Black about BTB!"

"I agree," I say, looking around and keeping an eye out for any roaming police car. "We are not done talking."

Oliver Oakman:

"Someone asked for Jackie's help and they paid him for it," Sammy says. "That's it? That's all Jackie Black said?"

"Yes," I answer with a nod. "That's all Jackie Black told me while he and his thugs were searching through my wallet. Jackie Black doesn't know anything about BTB. He just told me someone paid for his help."

"Yeah but help with what? What did Jackie Black do?"

As Sammy asks this, I freeze. My hand stops in mid-air when I realize what is it Jackie Black is 'helping' with.

"Are you okay," the employee asks. Blinking my eyes and shaking my head, I snap out of it and look at the employee.

"Yeah," I say, "I'm fine. Thank you."

Taking the bag of burgers, I smile and nod before driving away. Leaving the drive-thru, I drive for a few blocks before pulling over at the side of the road. Handing the bag to Sammy, I watch as she eats one and a half cheeseburgers in only seconds. I decide to wait until Sammy is done before talking.

As soon as Sammy is wiping her mouth, I speak up.

"I know what Jackie Black did. He gave names."

"What," Sammy asks after wiping her mouth and throwing her napkin into the empty bag.

"The guy who gave Jackie Black money, the, uh, benefactor I guess. That's what he paid for. Names! This benefactor, someone from BTB, paid Jackie Black for the names of people who owe him money. The benefactor paid off their debt to Jackie and in return, he get people to use those power packs."

"No way," Sammy says, shaking her head. "Oliver, that's--"

"Sammy, think about it! I mean, I don't know about Boom Blaster or Razor Wings but what about Flashlight Lady? According to you, when you were fighting Flashlight Lady, she kept on saying sorry. She was saying sorry but she didn't have a choice. What if that's what going on here? The benefactor paid Jackie Black for the names of people who owed him money. He's cleared their debt but now they're indebted to him, meaning he can make them do whatever he wants."

"Like put on a power pack and fight me," Sammy finishes.

"Exactly."

"Still beg the question. Why do all of this? Why pay thousands of dollars to clear the debt of people only to have them fight me? It doesn't make any sense."

"It will when we go back to BTB."

Sammy snaps her head. She looks at me with widened eyes and an open mouth.

"Are you...serious," Sammy asks slowly.

I nod my head.

Sammy's eyes narrow and her eyebrows tilt.

"Oliver, you can't be serious. I can't go back to BTB!"

"The answers we need are in there. We don't have a choice."

"Oliver, I can't go back to BTB. We tried once already."

"Yes! We tried and that's how we learned about Jackie Black."

"We tried and we failed."

"We tried, we failed, but that doesn't mean we give up. The answers are in there. Somewhere."

Sammy sighs and shakes her head.

"Oliver, as much I want to know why I am being targeted all of a sudden, it still doesn't mean I can just go in there. Remember? I'm a wanted fugitive."

As Sammy "reminds" me she's a wanted fugitive, I rub my chin and try to think of an idea.

"The last time you went," I say out loud. "You tripped a silent alarm. That's the only explanation of how the police could have been contacted. It means in order to get in there, you'll have to go when the silent alarm is turned off."

"Go when the silent alarm is off," Sammy repeats. "When would the silent alarm be off?"

"During the day," I answer. "When the building is full of employees."

I turn to Sammy in time to see her rapidly blink.

"I'm sorry, Oliver, but I'm lost. What are you talking about?"

5 Hours Later

"Oliver," Sammy starts, "This is even crazier than last night when you went into the Cue Ball! Why are you doing this?"

"Because again," I say, holding my phone between my ear and shoulder. "You need to search the building while the silent alarm is off, and I'm thinking the only time the silent alarm is off is when there are people inside."

My phone about to slide off, I stop and put the empty box on the floor before re-adjusting the phone. Holding the phone with one hand, I then look around the BTB's lobby.

The BTB's lobby is filled with people coming and going. The desk had two receptionists behind it, the two of them typing away at computers while answering phone calls.

Coughing into my hand, I lower the front of my cap before grabbing the empty box. I carry it over to the receptionist's desk and place it on their desk.

"I have a delivery here for, uh, a, uhh, Mr. Oakman?"

"Who," one of the receptionists asks.

"Mr. Oakman," I repeat. "Uhh, Timothy Oakman."

"Really," Sammy asks. "Oakman. Timothy Oakman. Your Dad's name."

"Shut up," I whisper.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist says. "But I don't think there's anyone here by that name."

"Are you sure," I ask. "Because I have the name and address right here."

Pointing to the name, the receptionist leans in close to look at it. As she does, I look around again and this time, I spot the fire alarm.

"Shoot," I think. "The fire alarm is behind the receptionist's desk. I can't pull it without either of the two receptionists seeing me. I'll need to distract them somehow."

"Hmm," the receptionist says. Turning back to her, I see her holding out her hands. "That's odd. Okay. Please hand me the box. I can have it delivered."

"Uh, sure. Thanks."

As I hand the box over, I "trip" and the box falls. It flies past the first receptionist and almost hits the second as it heads for the floor. Lowering my head, I smile as the empty box opens up and a bunch of packing peanuts run out.

"I'm so sorry," I say. "I'll clean it up."

Running around the receptionist's desk, I walk by the fire alarm. As I walk by it, I grab the handle and pull it down. The second I pull the handle, lights in the building start flashing and alarms ring.

People look up at the flashing lights before leaving the building. Stepping aside to let the two receptionists leave, I follow them for a bit before seeing something.

"What in the world," I say, looking down at my hands. On my fingertips, I see what looks like a blue goo. I try to wipe it off but when I do, I instead turn my whole hand blue. "Hmm. I guess that whole 'ink inside the fire alarm' myth is true."

Looking around, I hide my hands in my pocket as I walk out the lobby's doors. Getting outside, mixing in with the crowd, I turn to my car, parked a block away on the opposite side of the road. Nodding my head, I watch as Sammy gets out with a duffle bag on her back.

Running across the street behind some bushes, I then see a flash of red lightning.

"Move fast," I say, looking around and making sure no one saw her. "Move fast."

Red Lightning:

Placing my hand on the emergency back door, I shake it, my hand turning into a blur in seconds. As my hand turns into a blur, it also generates lightning and gets hot enough that I can make a hole in the door.

Stopping and sticking my hand through the door, I push it open and walk in. Walking back into the BTB building, I run up a flight of stone stairs and into what looks like an office space. An empty office space with cubicle walls.

"I can't believe Oliver's plan actually worked," I say, looking around. "Okay. Now, where do I start? Where do I start?"

Looking around again, I spot a glass office in one of the corners of the office space. Running over to the glass office, I check the name.

"Nedry Dodgson," it reads. "CEO. Might as well start at the top."

Opening the door to the CEO's office, I see a small office with one desk, one computer, and two chairs.

"This is the BTB's CEO's office. It's a lot smaller than I expected."

Walking over to the computer, I turn it on.

"Shoot. Password protected. I can't get in. I can't just type in anything and press enter. Too many fails will lock the computer, and it's not like I can short-circuit the computer. That'll destroy it."

Shaking my head, I leave the computer. As I'm walking back outside, I hear a loud boom. The loud boom shakes my head. It forces me onto my knees and my hands against my head. My vision goes blurry and everything around me turns into a mess of colors.

"I...I know this...Boom Blaster...No. Not Boom Blaster. The Everything Man..."

As I think this, I see someone walking toward me. Despite my blurry vision, I can still tell it's the Everything Man.

"Hello Red Lightning," the Everything Man says.

Oliver Oakman:

"Come on," I say, looking at my cell phone as it bounces up and down on the palm of my hand. "Come on. Come on! Where are you, Sammy? Why haven't you called?"

I look up at the BTB building. I guess I'm hoping to see Red Lightning in the window but with the sun up high in the sky, the light is bouncing off it and blinding me.

Slowly walking in small circles, I keep waiting for Sammy to call me. However, as I keep waiting, I hear a loud boom.

The crowd screams as we all hear the loud boom. We scream and cover our ears while dropping to our knees. As the boom rings in my ears, punching my brain, I fight to keep my eyes open.

"Oh..no! Boom Blaster...Wait, no! He's still in jail! This had to be..."

When the noise stops, we all lower our hands and push ourselves up. While all the employees wonder what happened, I push my way through them and look up.

"Everyone," I shout, grabbing everyone's attention. "Look!"

Pointing up at the BTB building, I see shards of broken glass raining down. Looking at where they're heading, I grab and pull a woman out of the way. She screams as I pull her away and the two of us barely manage to dodge the falling glass.

"Get out of here," I yell, pushing the businesswoman into the crowd. "Run!"

The employees all scream as they turn around and run. Hearing more loud booms, the crowd covers their ears as they run. Stopping and turning around, I look up and see more windows breaking and the glass shards raining down.

Screaming and jumping when a chair falls out and almost hits me, I look up again and see the windows only breaking on one floor. Looking down at the lobby, I wait for an opening, when no shards are in my way, before running inside. Running back into the lobby and through it, I reach the elevator.

Red Lightning:

Running through the walkway between the cubicle walls, I look at the Everything Man as he follows me, swinging his arm and destroying everything behind me. As I run, I grab an empty cup from a small cubicle office and throw it at the Everything Man.

"Ahh," the Everything Man screams, crossing his arms as a cup flies toward him. About to hit him, the cup breaks into tiny pieces before it can hit him.

Skidding to a stop, I look at the Everything Man.

"Ahh," I yell. "I hate that freaking sonic shield!"

Looking around, I grab a bunch of things from all around me; a vase, a stapler, a second cup filled with pens, and start throwing them at the Everything Man. Even with his sonic shield, the Everything Man is force back. Eyeing an office chair, I grab and throw it at the Everything Man.

The chair rolls across the floor. It almost hits the Everything Man but he shoots out one of his arms and fires. A loud boom echoes throughout the floor, causing a bunch of windows to break and the chair to jump into the air. The chair jumps into the air before falling out the window.

"Who are you," I ask. "Why are you giving out power packs to people? Why are you doing any of this? What are you after!"

"I am after information," the Everything Man answers. He shoots out his arm and fires another loud boom. I run out of the way and the window behind me shatters in millions of pieces.

"Information," I repeat. "What kind of information?"

Pulling back one of his arms, the Everything Man then shoots both of them out. As he does this, metal wings, exactly like Razor Wings, shoot out. Jumping into the air, the Everything Man flies toward me. He raises his legs and kicks me back into some wall, knocking all of them over.

"Scientific information," I repeat, holding my chest as I push myself up. However, as I push myself up, the Everything Man stomps on me, knocking me back down.

"Yes," he says, "Scientific information. The information hiding in you. The super speed. The quick healing. The lightning charge! I know it! I know to know everything about it!"

Pulling back his metal wings, the light bouncing off it and hitting me in the eyes, I watch as the Everything Man throws it forward. Clapping my hands together, I catch his wings in my hands. The Everything Man gasps when I catch his wings. His eyes widen and his mouth falls open. Seeing an opening, I shake my hands, charging them with electricity.

"Ahhh," the Everything Man screams as the electricity from my hands travels up his metal wings. He jumps back and gives me room to get back up. Pushing myself up, I look up and freeze.

"No...way," I say. I rub my eyes. I hope it was a trick of the light, or maybe a hallucination, but no. I am seeing the Everything Man healing.

The Everything Man's left arm is slightly burnt. It's redder than normal and smoking. Also, there's a cut on his forehead. When I electrocuted him and he jumped back, the Everything Man accidentally jumped into a desk. He must have gotten the cut from one of the sharp corners. However, despite a burnt arm and a cut, I watch as they both quickly heal.

The cut pulls itself together and the Everything Man's left arm is changing color before my eyes. It doesn't take more than a minute for his red arm to turn back to its original color.

"H---Ho---H---How," I say, barely able to say the word.

"From one syringe of your blood," the Everything Man answers, smiling as he rubs his clean forehead. "And if I got that just one syringe, imagine what I could learn from a whole body full?"

I couldn't believe it. Even though I saw it with my own eyes.

"The Everything Man has...He has my power...Quick healing."

I couldn't move. I feel stuck. No matter what I do, I can't move. I can only watch as the Everything Man pulls back his arm again. Throwing it forward, the Everything Man fires a beam of light at me. I scream as the beam of light hits me. It kicks me into the air and I must have hit a hundred things as I fly through it.

Landing on a broken desk, I hold my burning chest as I look up. The first thing I see when I look up is the Everything Man standing over me.

"In the name of science," the Everything Man says, bending down and picking me up by my neck. Choking me out with his bare hand, the Everything Man and I turn our heads when we hear a door bursting open.

"Let go of her," a delivery man shouts. He runs toward the Everything Man.

"Wait," I say, holding out my hand. "Don't. Stay back!"

Oliver doesn't listen to me. He keeps charging toward me and the Everything Man. Grabbing an empty paper bin as he keeps running, Oliver pulls it back. Oliver swings it forward and tries to hit the Everything Man with it but the Everything Man only smiles.

He drops me and shoots out one of his metal wings. Swinging his metal wing, the Everything Man hits Oliver with it. Oliver drops the paper bin and falls to the ground.

"Who the heck are you," the Everything Man asks, now bending down to pick up Oliver.

"Bite me," Oliver says, his feet shaking all over as the Everything Man holds him up.

"How about I just end you," the Everything Man says, throwing Oliver to the floor. Raising his metal wing into the air, the Everything Man then throws it down.

"Noooo," I shout, watching from the floor. "Ahhhh!"

Slamming my fist onto the floor, I push myself up and look at the Everything Man. Shooting out my arms, I prepare to fight the Everything Man. However, when I'm back on my feet, I see someone else. Someone else besides the Everything Man.

"What the," the Everything Man says.

"Who are you," Oliver asks, still on the floor. Standing between him and the Everything Man is someone in what looks like purple and black armor. This person, whoever he is, has short brown hair and is wearing a black mask. Also, in his hands, is a long purple staff. Looking closer, I see the masked man using his staff to protect Oliver.

While the Everything Man is pushing down with his metal wing, this "purple man" is pushing back against him. As the two struggle, the purple man raises his foot and kicks back the Everything Man.

The Everything Man screams as he stumbles back. When the Everything Man does, the purple man grabs Oliver. He pulls him to his feet and pushes him back. The purple man then turns back to the Everything Man. He spins his staff around before grabbing, catching, and pointing it at the Everything Man.

"Do you really think you can beat me with just a staff," the Everything Man shouts.

"No," I say, running to the purple man's side. "I'm here too."

Red Lightning:

"Watch out," I shout, watching the Everything Man pulls both his arms in. Whatever he's about to do, I don't want it to hit Oliver. Grabbing and pushing Oliver out of the way, the purple man jumps and rolls into cover, hiding behind a desk.

Turning around to see what the Everything Man is doing, I see him shooting his arms back out. As he does this, the Everything Man unleashes a bright light.

"Get down," I yell. I kick out one of Oliver's feet, knocking him to the floor. I then jump onto Oliver and act as a shield for him. "Don't look!"

Since Oliver and I weren't looking, we were blinded by the bright light. However, the light is still strong enough to feel the heat from it, burning my back.

"The battery," Oliver whispers. "Take the battery out! Drain the power from his power pack!"

"Got it," I say, nodding my head. "Now get out of here!"

Pushing myself up, I turn around and charge toward the Everything Man. Thankfully, I'm not the only one. Jumping and flipping over the desk, the purple man shoots out his staff. Somehow, when the purple man shoots it out, the staff expands and is almost double its original length.

Swinging his staff over and over, the purple man forces the Everything Man to raise his arm to shield himself.

"Keep that up," I shout, running past the two and around the Everything Man. Standing behind him now, I look over his power pack but can't find the battery.

"Where it is," I think. "Where is the battery? It's not where it was the last time!"

Still looking for the battery, I feel someone looking at me and look up. I meet the Everything Man's gaze and he must realized what I'm trying to do. Keeping one arm up to shield himself, the Everything Man points his other arm at me. He pushes a button on his gauntlet and fires a boom that kicks me back. Flying through the air, I land on something before breaking it.

Letting out a moan as I push myself up, I see the Everything Man fires another boom at the purple man. The same thing happens to him. He flew through the air before hitting the ground with a thud.

"I don't know who you are," the Everything Man says as he walks over to the purple man. "But I don't need you!"

Raising his arm, a metal wing shooting out, the Everything Man slams it down.

Violet:

Turning to the side, I dodge Crazy Guy's attack. His metal wing goes through the floor and gets stuck, and so does Crazy Guy. Struggling to pull his wing out, I swing my makeshift staff. It hits and knocks him back. As Crazy Guy stumbles away, I pull myself up and spin my staff.

Charging toward him, trying to hit him, Crazy Guy turns around fast and fires a light beam. Barely stopping in time, I jump out of the way and watch as all the desks, chairs, and walls behind me are destroyed. Jumping and rolling to the floor, I land on my feet and run away.

While running away, I skid to a stop when I see Oliver helping Red Lightning out of a broken printer. Turning my head, I see that Crazy Guy is aiming both his hands at the two. His gauntlets warming up, on the verge of firing, I run to the two as fast as I can. Wrapping my arms around the two, I push them out of the way and the three of us fall to the floor. Pushing myself up, I move fast and search my pockets for something.

"Come on," I think. "Where are they? Where are they? Yes!"

Finding a lighter and some firecrackers in my pockets, I light the firecrackers' fuses before throwing them at the Crazy Guy. His scream gets mixed with the sound of exploding firecrackers. Peeking over the wall, I watch as Crazy Guy is swallowed by a smoke cloud.

Panting like a dog in the summertime, I lower myself and hide behind a half-broken desk. Again, feeling like someone is staring at me, I turn around and see Red Lightning and Oliver.

"Shoot! I can't let them hear my voice. Here's hoping the 20 bucks voice changer I brought works."

Pressing a button, I then speak up.

"Don't worry," I say, the voice changer making my voice deeper. "I'm a friend. I'm here to help you beat, uhh, Crazy Guy."

"Crazy Guy," Red Lightning repeats.

"He called himself the Everything Man," Oliver answers. "Because his power pack had all the powers of the previous packs. The loud boom. The sharp wings. The blinding lights."

As Oliver lists the powers, I turn back to the 'Everything Man'.

"Oh yeah. Hmm. I can't believe I didn't notice that before."

"Who are you," Oliver asks.

"My name is Violet, and again, I'm here to help."

"I'm sorry," Red Lightning says, "But even with your help, I don't think we're strong enough to beat the Everything Man."

"What about the battery," Oliver asks.

"Battery?"

"I looked but the battery wasn't in the same place. He must have moved it. I have no idea where to look."

"Battery," I think to myself. "Battery."

I think about the battery in Oliver's car and then about the new battery Mr. Dodgson brought a few days ago.

"They can't be connected, can they? Mr. Dodgson wouldn't use my Dad's invention to build power packs? No, that can't be right. It had to be a coincidence."

I tell myself this but even I don't believe it. Thinking back to the day when Mr. Dodgson brought the battery, to when I went into my Dad's lab and saw the blueprint, an idea sparks inside my head.

"If this really is my Dad's battery, then this should work."

I turn to Red Lightning and Oliver.

"I have an idea," I say. "Red Lightning, can you generate an EMP field?"

"Can she generate a what," Oliver asks.

"An EMP field," Red Lightning says. She looks down as she thinks about it. "Yeah. Yeah! I think I can do that. I can't believe I didn't think of that before."

Red Lightning then slaps herself on the forehead.

"But wait, in order for me to make an emp field strong enough to short-circuit the Everything Man's power pack, I need to run at least 100 circles around him. There's no way I can do that while he hit me with boom and light."

"You can if he's not focused on you," I say, raising my staff. "I'll cover you! Stay right behind me!"

"Wait," Red Lightning says. "What are you---"

"Stay right behind me," I repeat as I roll out from cover. Landing on my feet, I charge toward the Everything Man.

"Found you," the Everything Man shouts, aiming one of his hands at me. However, before he can fire, Red Lightning runs out from behind the broken desk. She reaches him before I do and starts running circles around him.

Immediately, a windstorm appears that kicks a bunch of scrap papers into the air.  Having to grab a throw away a sheet that clings to his face, the Everything Man takes aim at Red Lightning.

"Hey," I shout, still running toward him. Jumping through an opening, I pull back my staff before throwing it forward and hitting the Everything Man. Screaming as he stumbles back, the Everything Man growls as he looks at me.

"Focus on me," I say, pointing at myself. "Focus. On. Me!"

Running toward the Everything Man again, I swing my staff and try to hit him but Everything Man blocks it with his metal wing. He then tries over and over to cut me but I either dodge his attacks or block them with my staff.

Slamming my staff down, I block another swing before raising my foot and throwing it against Everything Man's chest. He chokes and gasps as he stumbles back, holding his chest. Raising his hand, he fires a loud boom. It doesn't hit me but it does hit Red Lightning. The windstorm dies down as Red Lightning is thrown across the office floor.

"Red Lightning," I shout. As I watch Red Lightning fly away, I hear the sound of something warming up and turn around. This time, Everything Man is aiming at me. Before I can run out of the way, Everything Man fires and hits me with a light beam.

Flying through the air, I land back on the floor with a burning chest.

"Ahhh," I moan.

Oliver Oakman:

"Even with the two of you," Everything Man says, walking toward Violet and Red Lightning. "You can't beat me."

Still hiding underneath a broken desk, I watch Everything Man stomp on Red Lightning, forcing the air out of her. She groans and holds her stomach as she turns left and right.

"You can't beat me," Everything Man says again. He bends over and grabs Red Lightning by her neck. Lifting her up with almost no struggle, he shakes her.

"You can't beat--"

Before he can finish, I run out from behind the broken desk and run toward Everything Man. Screaming as I run, I jump onto Everything Man's back. Wrapping my arms around him, I grip my hands tightly, my nails digging into my skin.

"What," Everything Man yells, dropping Red Lightning.  "Ahh! Get off of me, you little punk!"

Despite his metal wings, boom, and blinding lights, I still manage to hold on. As I hold onto Everything Man, I also keep him off balance.

"Do it," I shout, "Do it now! Come on!"

I watch as, despite the two of them being hurt, Violet and Red Lightning push themselves up. They push themselves up and resurrect the plan.

Red Lightning starts running circles around the three of us. The wind picks up and the floor is burnt as whole lightning bolts jump off her. Meanwhile, Violet starts distracting Everything Man. He hits him all over, and every time he tries to raise his hand, I grab and pull it back.

"Get off me," Everything Man shouts, hitting me with his elbow. After hitting me with his elbow, Everything Man grabs one of my hands and throws me forward. Falling to the ground, Violet kneels and helps me up.

"Are you okay," he asks.

"No," Everything Man answers. "Neither of you are okay!"

Walking toward us, Everything Man aims at us with both his hands. Getting in front of me, Violet holds out his staff. Everything Man pushes the buttons on both his gauntlets but whatever he was hoping for, it doesn't happen. Instead, both his gauntlets start to spark. The sparking travels from his gauntlets, up his arms, and to his power pack.

  "Wait---what? No. No! No!"

The sparking gets worse. Everything Man's power pack starts to smoke. He pushes the button over and over again but nothing happens.

"It's working," I shout. "His power pack is breaking!"

As Red Lightning keeps running, Everything Man's power pack worsens. It goes from starting to smoke to thick black smoke flying out. The sparks jumping off the pack also electrocute him. He screams and yells as he tries to take off his power pack. Unlatching the gauntlets and removing the metal bars along his arms, Everything Man tries to reach for his power pack but by the time he's reaching for it, the pack is shaking.

"It's getting ready to explode," Violet shouts.

"Get back," I yell, pushing myself up. Red Lightning skidding to a stop, Violet and I join her as the three of us run.

Running away, getting as far as we can, I turn around in time to see Everything Man finally grabbing his power pack. Pulling back his arms, Everything Man throws it but the pack explodes and we hear Everything Man screaming as we are all thrown into the air.

Red Lightning:

Hearing a loud, annoying ringing in my ears, I think it might be the Everything Man but this ringing isn't the same. It's loud and annoying but it's not deafening. Scratching my ears, I push myself up and look around.

"Ahhh," I moan. Everything hurts. Everything aches. Everything is burning. Biting my tongue as I push myself up, I stop when I'm on one knee and take some breaths. While on the one knee, I look around again but can't see Oliver or Violet.

"Ahh."

Rubbing my eyes, I push myself until I'm standing fully. Dusting myself off, I hold my hip while slowly walking around. As I walk around, stepping over fallen cubical walls and broken office furniture, I stop when I hear someone yelling.

"Ouch," a voice shouts. The voice causes me to jump back and look down. There, on the floor, I see a dusty hand. A very dusty hand that is moving. It moves back until disappearing beneath another fallen cubical wall. The cubical wall rises. It falls to the sides a few seconds later and there, standing in the pile is Oliver.

"Ouch," he says, rubbing his hand. "Did you step on my hand?"

I ignore the question. Instead, I run away and hug Oliver.

"Ouch," Oliver cries. "My...everything."

Pulling back, I look at Oliver again.

"Are you okay?"

"Nooo," Oliver answers. "I'm in pain, and unlike you, I don't heal fast."

Looking down, I realize my hip doesn't hurt anymore. Slowly letting it go, I let out a sigh of relief. While I'm sighing, Oliver's head is twisting right and left.

"Where is Violet," he asks. "Did you find Violet?"

Hearing the sound of coughing, we both turn and see Violet waving his way through the smoke cloud. Spinning his staff in his hands, Violet stabs the floor with it, and one-half of it slides into itself.

"I'm okay," Violet answers, walking up to us. "So glad you cared."

"Are you okay," Violet asks.

"I'm fine," Oliver answers. "A little bruised, but still fine."

"I have to say," Violet says, "For just a random civilian, you sure did a lot for Red Lightning. Grabbing a man with a power pack, holding onto him, helping us fight him."

"Oh, uhh," Oliver says, looking at me. "I--I just---wanted to help out. It looked like you two needed help. Just glad I was here. Thought, I regret being here without something like body armor."

Rubbing his chest, Oliver lets out a little moan. As he keeps rubbing his chest, Oliver turns his head.

"Where is he? Where is the Everything Man?"

"We should find him," I suggest. "Make sure he's alive before turning him over to the police."

About to start searching for the Everything Man, Oliver and I freeze when we hear police sirens. Violet leaving us to check one of the broken windows turns back to us.

"I don't think we need to turn him over to the police," Violet says. "They're already here. I count at least a dozen uniforms, all rushing in here. Oh, and here comes the SWAT team. I count about a dozen more. We should go."

Not wasting a second, Violet runs through the wreckage of the office floor. Reaching a steel door I never noticed before, Violet pushes it open and reveals a stairwell.

"See you at the bottom," Violet says, running down the stairs.

Oliver and I look at each other while Violet disappears.

"He can't be serious," Oliver asks. "Can he?"

"That depends," I answer. "Do you want to share an elevator filled with police officers wondering why you're here in the first place?"

Oliver lets out a long sigh before heading for the emergency escape stairs. Reaching the stairs, Oliver lets out another sigh before running down it.

Reaching the stairs myself, I see a long spiral staircase, going over and over in squares. Looking over the rail, I see Oliver five floors down and Violet already nine floors down. Running down the stairs myself, I grab the two and carry them to the first floor.

When the three of us are on the first floor, Violet pulls his arm back.

"Thanks for the lift," Violet says. "I have to go now. I have plans."

"Hey," I say, grabbing Violet's hand before he can get away. "Why did you help me? Who are you?"

"My name is Violet," Violet answers.

"No, what is your name? Your actual name. It's not Violet, is it?"

"No, it is," Violet answers with a shaking head. "But a lot like you, I would rather keep my name a secret."

"Okay," Oliver says, "That's one question answered. What about the first one? Why did you help Red Lightning?"

"It's because I have a personal stake in this. Well, a personal and business stake. Now, if you would please excuse me."

Pulling his arm free, Violet walks away. He pushes open another emergency door and disappears. About to follow him, Oliver stops me.

"Uhhh, Sammy," he says, grabbing my shoulder. "I think we might have bad news."

"Bad news," I repeat. "Oh, come on. We just beat the Everything Man, and now this. What is it? What could be worse than the Everything Man?"

"School," Oliver answers, showing me a text message he got on his phone. "We, uhh, missed some classes and now, the principal, your teacher, and our parents want to see us."

"Oh no," I say.

"Yeah," Oliver says, nodding. "Come on. You can change at the school."

Samantha Reader:

"You were doing so well," Ms. Lori says, shaking her lowered head. "Why didn't you show up to class?"

"I was busy," I answer. Despite looking down at the floor, I can still feel everyone's gaze. All their eyes, pushing against me, I feel like a pancake.

"We were busy," Oliver says, standing up.

"This doesn't concern you," Ms. Lori says.

"Actually, it does a little," the school principal adds. "Mr. Oliver Oakman, according to your teacher, you were absent almost the whole morning too. Where were you?"

"Sammy and I were busy," Oliver answers.

"You already said that," my Dad says, his voice sounding almost like a shout. "What we want to know is why you were busy. Where were you two?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Oliver," Oliver's Dad says. "You will tell us."

"Dad. Mom. I'm sorry but I can't. We can't."

Hearing a collective sigh from everyone, I finally raise my head when the school principal calls my name.

"Samantha Reader," the school principal says. "Oliver Oakman. I am sorry about this, but if neither of you can tell me where you were this morning, then I will have to expel both of you. Both of you have been absent for too many classes now. Both of you have been missing homework. Both of you have been less than cooperative. I'm afraid unless you tell me right now where you were, you two are both---"

Before the school principal can finish, Miley bursts into the room.

"Sorry I'm late y'all," she says, smiling as she nods to everyone in the room.

"This is a private meeting," the school principal says.

"Yeah," Miley says, still nodding. "I know. That's why I said sorry, I'm late."

"I'm sorry," my Dad says, looking at Miley. "But who are you?"

"She's Miley Daniel," Ms. Lori answers. "She's a new student of mine."

"Why is she here," my Mom asks.

"Because besides being Ms. Lori's new student, I am also your daughter's tutor. Assigned by Ms. Lori. Wait, you're Samantha's parents, right? Or is it you two? I don't know."

"We're Samantha's parents," my Dad says, pointing at himself and Mom. "They're Oliver's parents."

"Okay, so I'm facing the right people."

"Miley Daniel," the school principal says, grabbing all of our attention. "Why are you here?"

Miley turns to Oliver and me. She smiles before turning back to the grown-ups.

"I'm here for them," Miley answers, almost proudly. "They were with me all morning."

"What," the grown-up all asks. Looking at each other and then at us, Ms. Lori is the first grown-up to say something.

"Now that you mentioned it," Ms. Lori says, "You too were absent all morning."

"Yes. Yes, I was. Samantha, Oliver, and I were all at my house this morning. Unfortunately, we weren't studying for anything. We were just hanging out. We ditched and we are sorry for it. Don't be mad at them. Be mad at me. It was my idea. I figured after catching up with all her missing assignments and homework, Samantha could use a little break. And for some reasons that I still don't really understand, Oliver was there too."

Again, all the grown-ups look at each other.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask my Dad. He'll vouch."

Turning back to us, Miley nods and then turns around.

"Samantha and Oliver are amazing people. Sure, these last few months, they haven't exactly been the 'best' people but they are still amazing people. You shouldn't expel them."

Miley nods her head one last time before turning away and leaving the principal's office. After leaving the office, all of us, grown-ups and kids look at each other.

Miley Daniel:

Leaving the principal's office and then the front office, I take less than ten steps before hearing some familiar voices.

"Wait," someone shouts. "Miley, wait!"

Turning around, I see Oliver running up to me. Reaching me, Oliver slams his hands on his knees and catches his breath. It takes a minute or two before Oliver pushes himself up and looks at me.

"Why did you do that," he asks. "Why did you--"

He pauses for a second and looks around. When he sees we're alone, he goes on.

"Why did you lie to everyone to protect Sammy and me?"

"Again. It's because you and 'Sammy' are two of the most amazing people I have ever met."

"How can you even be sure of that? You've known Sammy and me, what, less than six months? You know we're 'amazing' people based on the few times we're all together?"

"Yes," I say, trying to be as straightforward as I can. "Anyway, if we're done talking, then I really do have plans."

I turn to walk away but before I can, Oliver reaches out and grabs my wrist.

"Ouch," I cry. I turn around and look at Oliver.

"Oh man," Oliver says, stepping back. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answer, rubbing my wrist.

"Sorry," Oliver says again. "Just wanted to say thank you, and if there's anything you ever need. Well, I guess Sammy and I owe you."

"Don't mention it," I say with a smile. I turn to go to my next class. "See ya."

"See ya," Oliver says slowly. He waves his hand also slowly, the whole time staring at me as I walk away. While I walk to my next class, I rub my wrist.

"Ahh," I quietly moan. I stop walking and reach into my backpack. Pulling out an ice pack, I place it on my wrist. As I give myself a few minutes with the ice pack on my wrist, I think about my suit hidden in my room at home.

"Not bad for my first time as a vigilante. Thought, I might need something more than a homemade PVC staff and firecrackers."

A/N I want to say a big thank you very much to all of you for reading my book, Red Lightning Wrath of the Benefactor. It was a long journey. It wasn't easy, but nevertheless, we did. Thank you again for choosing my story to read. I hope you enjoyed the book. I hope you leave a review. I hope you read my other books.

Firefighter:

Grabbing what I think was a cubical wall, I lift it up, all the debris sliding off and hitting the burnt floor.

“Hey,” I shout. When I shout, all the other firefighters and police officers turn to me. They rush to my side and crowd around me.

“What,” a police officer asks. “What is it?”

“What did you find,” a firefighter asks.

“This,” I say, dropping to both my knees. Grabbing something heavy and made of metal, I scream, drop the thing, and pull back.

“What,” another firefighter asks, catching me before I can fall back. “What happened?”

“That thing,” I say while blowing on my hands. “It’s hot!”

Cupping my hands together, I blow into them. Finally feeling better, I shake my hands before looking at the thing again.

“What is that thing?”

“It looks like one of those metal backpacks those crazy supervillains have been wearing lately,” a police officer answers.

The second I hear the police officer say this, I slam my fist on the floor.

“Yes,” I shout, pointing at everyone. “I told you! I told all of you! There is no way Red Lightning would destroy a whole office floor. At least not without one heck of a reason. She was fighting one of those supervillains.”

“Cody,” one of my fellow firefighters starts, “I know Red Lightning saved you and your brother from the chemical plant fire but that doesn’t excuse the fact that she still started the fire.”

“It was an accident,” I say. “I’m sure of it! If she really did start the fire for no reason other than destruction of property or arson, then why did she stay behind to save me, my brother, and Maya? She almost died!”

“Listen,” a police officer says, stepping forward. “I’m trying not to judge myself, but we know two things for sure. One, Red Lightning was there at the Decaso Chemical Plant and two, she was here. Besides, if she was fighting someone, if someone really was using this power pack, then where is he?”

As soon as I hear those words, I look around myself.

“You’re right,” I say. “We looked through this whole floor but didn’t find anyone. Where is the person who used that power pack?”

The Partner:

“And so, with CEO Nedry Dodgson unable to run the company due to his car accident, his vice president, Atten John Borough, will be acting president and will handle the company’s operation until his recovery. Do I hear any objection?”

“No,” the board members answer, most of them shaking their heads. “No objection. Please tell Mr. Nedry Dodgson we hope he recovers soon.”

“I will,” I say, nodding my head. “I am sure it won’t be long before Mr. Nedry Dodgon is taking his seat as CEO again. A pleasant afternoon, everyone.”

“Bye,” the board members say before ending the online meeting. Ending the online meeting myself, I get up from my seat and walk over to the clean room. There, on the other side of the clean room, is Nedry lying on a table.

With skin both blacker than charcoal and redder than tomatoes, I turn my head and check the monitor. It shows a slow but steady heartbeat. Turning my head back, I see Nedry’s new healing factor already at work, his skin slowly turning back into its regular color. Hearing a small gasp, I push a button on the intercom.

“Don’t move,” I say. “The Everything pack exploded. You were caught in the blast. Luckily, I found and pulled you out before the police or firemen arrived. You’re back at the lab, in the clean room.”

Nedry turns to me and says something but I don’t hear a word of it.

“Don’t talk. Save your strength. Just listen to me.”

Nedry closes his mouth and looks at me. When I have his full attention, I speak again.

“Project Lightning in a Project is on hold. At least until your recovery. For the time being, I’ll rebuild all the power packs and maybe build a few new ones. We still have Jackie Black so we can still get names, and the Noose is still under our control. I’ll have him break the previous three out of prison.”

Letting go of the button, I nod at Nerdry. Nerdy looks at me before nodding. He then closes his eyes and goes back to sleep. While he sleeps, I go back to my workstation. Grabbing a screwdriver, I start working on my power packs.