Capítulo 4: In The Dark.
Rhan sat on the edge of his bed, the dim city lights barely slicing through the shadows in his room. He preferred the darkness to the clamor in his head. The knock on his door was sharp, shattering the heavy silence.
It was Giaus.
He didn't answer. The silence returned, heavier this time, like it knew the words he kept swallowing down. With a sigh, he rose and grabbed his uniform from the chair. The V8 emblem on the chest glared back at him, like it was daring him to live up to its weight.
...
The briefing room was colder than usual, or maybe it was the tension hanging thick in the air. Rhan slipped in quietly, hoping to avoid the stares, but the eyes that met him were filled with suspicion, maybe even disgust. He could feel the weight of his failure bearing down on him with every step. They knew about the mission. They knew what he had done.
At the front of the room, the lead operative, a woman with silver hair pulled back in a severe bun, began the briefing. "We've got intel on Ernesh's movement. There's a suspected hideout on the outskirts of the city. We need surveillance, quick, quiet, and invisible." Her steely gaze landed on Rhan. "Velocity, you're up. Speed and precision. Get in, get the intel, get out. Don't engage unless you have to. You're the fastest one here… don't mess up."
I thought about It, I may be the fastest, but there are others who have super speed, and some who can even become invisible, yet they choose me? The unstable wild card? This is a set up.
A figure near the front shifted uncomfortably. "Can he handle it? After… last time?"
The question cut through the room, sending a ripple of tension through the ranks. Rhan met the operative's piercing gaze, swallowing the fire rising in his chest. He forced his voice to steady. "I can handle it."
The lead operative didn't soften, but she nodded. "See that you do. We can't afford any more mistakes."
I felt their eyes on me as I left the room, every step heavy with their distrust. They don't think I can do it. Maybe they're right. But I have to prove them wrong.
...
The city was still when I arrived, every shadow hiding something, every sound amplified in the silence. The abandoned warehouse loomed ahead, its structure crumbling and shrouded in darkness, a place even daylight feared. Perfect for hiding something.
I slipped into the shadows, moving quietly, each step sending a wave of unease through me. Too fast, and I'd risk losing control again. Too slow, and I might be seen. I was all focus, until I felt it, a tingling heat in my chest, spreading like wildfire beneath my skin.
Not now.
I pressed back against the wall, breathing shallowly. Across the entrance, a lone figure stood, frozen as if waiting. For a moment, I thought they'd sensed me. But then they vanished into the darkness.
Fuck. I pushed forward, ignoring the ache in my chest, slipping through a side door and into the decaying interior of the warehouse. Flickering overhead lights cast everything in a sickly yellow glow, throwing grotesque shadows over graffiti-covered walls.
I found them huddled at the far end, voices low and conspiratorial. Their leader, a man with a harsh, twisted face, was speaking in a gravelly tone.
"Ernesh wants everything ready by the end of the week… no mistakes this time. We can't afford any slip-ups."
I felt a surge of urgency. Whatever Ernesh was planning, it was close. I had to get out and report back. But the tingling was intensifying, the heat spreading up my neck and down my arms. My skin felt like it was tearing apart. I took a step back-
CLANG.
The metal under my foot clattered across the floor, and all eyes snapped to where I stood.
Why didn't I stop it?? I have super speed!
"Who's there?" one of them barked, stepping forward.
Rhan didn't wait for them to find out. He bolted, his speed kicking in as he dashed for the exit. But as he ran, the tingling sensation turned into searing heat. His vision blurred as the walls around him seemed to warp and twist, the air shimmering with a faint, radioactive glow. He could feel the energy radiating off him, uncontrollable, dangerous.
Just a little further-
I crashed through the exit as the warehouse collapsed behind me in a roar of steel and concrete. Gasping for air, I looked back at the ruins, feeling my stomach twist. I had done that. My powers had done that.
I am a monster.
...
...
The reprimand was swift and merciless. The lead operative's voice was cold, her words slicing through me like knives.
"We can't afford mistakes like these, Velocity. You're a liability. Until you learn to control yourself, you're off active duty."
Her words echoed as I left the room, their weight pressing down on me like stones. My team, V8, even Giaus, they'd all seen what I was capable of. I didn't need to see their faces to know the disappointment etched in their eyes.
I'm falling apart. I can feel it creeping through my veins, a darkness too heavy to ignore. When Thorne tried to talk to me, I brushed him off. His worry was real, but what could he do? I'm slipping, and there's no way to stop it.
I told him I just needed rest. He didn't believe me, but he let it go. He knew, like I did, that some things you have to face alone.
The city became my escape. I moved through the streets, fast enough to blur the world around me. I didn't care where I was going. I just needed to run. To feel something other than guilt and fear.
I stopped on a rooftop, the city stretching out beneath me, vibrant and alive. But that life didn't reach me. My skin prickled, tight and alien. I looked down at my hands, dark, nails elongated and sharp, like claws. This wasn't just in my head.
I'm changing.
I'm scared.
For the first time since I got my powers, I'm really, truly scared.
What if I can't stop it?
What if I don't want to?
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