I feel like I'm getting better at writing action, hopefully everyone agrees. Mostly I just had fun writing a story that gave me an excuse to talk about superpowers. Enjoy.
Conduit
I knew I was in trouble when my
fingers started smoking.
That's the problem with
absorption powers.
Some bruiser with
super-strength? They can just keep
hitting. Sure, a speedster can run out
of breath. But physical powers don’t
have a limit.
Mine do.
I dive to catch another blast
from Firecracker, letting the force of the fireball drive me back as I suck in
the flames.
The block had already been
shredded by our fight. I roll behind an
impact crater and punch a loose slab of concrete back at my opponent.
Channeling some kinetic energy
makes tossing the fifty pound block easy, I add some thermal to make it a
miniature meteor. But I'm still running
hot.
Literally.
Firecracker dodges aside and
tosses a few softball sized bursts at a car some pedestrians are using as
cover. I throw myself in the way and as
I take in the excess energy my arms burst into flames, all the energy pouring
out of my skin.
I see a blur behind me,
Lightspeed must have grabbed the civilians.
See, the problem with fireballs is
that they aren’t just heat. They’re
essentially explosions, combustion plus concussive, with a few extras thrown in
for good measure.
When I fought Brutus last week,
all I had to worry about was the kinetic energy invested in his punches. But with a blaster type like Firecracker,
throwing explosions everywhere, I hit my limit that much faster.
Especially since he likes to
target bystanders.
As it stands I have to ignore
the sound waves and the light show his blasts give off.
Focus on the essentials. Make sure no one burns, no one gets blown
apart.
Light gives me the signal, for a
speedster the son-of-a-bitch took his time clearing the area.
I use the stored power to launch
myself at Firecracker, closing the distance before he can dodge. The sonic boom I give off nearly knocks him
over. I drill a fist into him and blow
him through the wall of a parking garage.
As the rubble collapses around
him I thrust my hands forward, palms out, and cut loose with all the fire he’d
fed me.
The debris soften into tar and
slag, entombing the homicidal bastard.
Light skids to a stop next to
me. “…You didn’t kill him did you?”
“Of course not,” I say. “He’s immune to heat.”
“Is he immune to punches?” An arched eyebrow
clearly visible through his windshield.
“...Or concrete?”
I just gesture to the sludgy
mess as Firecracker claws his way to the surface, gasping for air.
“Would you do the honors?”
Light shrugs and twirls his
arms, generating a small tornado which cools the mess and traps Firecracker
with only his head clear.
“Why not just absorb the heat again?”
I flex my fingers, working some of the
remaining heat out as the adrenaline fades.
“I’ve hit my limit for the time being, I need to have a cool down period
or I’ll risk going nuclear.”
“Wouldn’t you have to absorb nuclear radiation
for that?”
“Technically it’s more of a Big Bang. But nuclear gets the point across better to
most people.”
Light is about to say something
more but our comms buzz. Bank robbery
with a getaway car chase already in progress.
Light nods, “I’ve got this one,
more my speed anyways. You mind
babysitting until transport gets here?”
I wave him off, active pursuit
isn’t my game. I’m more of a damage
control specialist.
Behind me a storefront
collapses, filling the street with dust as Light blurs away.
Usually.
Like I said. Comic book. Dooooo it. :-)
ReplyDelete