CHAPTER 25

Madison honestly had no idea how much worse her day could get. From turning invisible in front of her family to running around town and school the same way. Then, when she finally, finally, seemed to have some sort of control over it, a bunch of thugs burst into the warehouse with guns. Fortunately, her need to hide kicked in and activated her invisibility. Now she just had to keep it up.

Thing was, she had no idea how she was doing it in the first place.

"Whoa, what the hell happened here?" one the thugs asked, looking down at the crater Franklin had made.

"Probably some stupid kids playing with firecrackers or something."

The first thug gave him a look. "The hell kind of firecrackers you playing around with? That looks more like a legit bomb went off. And there's a lot of new cracks and holes in this place too."

Madison's eyes widened. They couldn't possibly think…no.

"An earthquake then."

"Maybe," the thug said, looking around. "I don't know."

"Who cares? Just load those crates up over there and get ready for when he arrives."

The thugs went to do just that while Madison remained frozen where she was. She kept expecting them to suddenly look over at her and then pull out their guns and shoot. But it never did. They just kept moving around, bringing in some large crates and setting them up.

Even so, Madison's blood remained ice cold. It was only when a thug got too close that she let out a small gasp and quickly backed away into the corner. She'd thought she'd given herself away with her quick and, to her ears, loud exit but the thug had only blinked a little before continuing on.

Not that much comfort though as she was still trapped with all of them.

"So when's this guy supposed to get here?" one thug asked.

"Soon," another replied. Madison had to assume he was the leader as he stood in the center of the room and the others seemed to defer to him.

"What's in those crates anyway?" the first thug asked.

"A bunch of materials and shit. He just needs it for some experiment or something, I don't know. I didn't pay attention. Point is, he was willing to deliver a bunch of our goods free of charge in exchange, so…" the thug shrugged.

"Huh. Weird."

Madison didn't know what to make of any of this and she didn't care. She just wanted to get the hell out of here. She was currently hunched in the corner of the room, trying to sink into the walls. She should have just left behind her damn phone. Now, not only had it gotten her trapped in here, she still didn't know where it was. If she had it, maybe she would be able to call for help or even just text. But, the only option she had was to escape.

Which was impossible as they had closed the door.

She could always open it again but it opening to some invisible force would probably just freak them out and she really did not like the look of those guns. She could only just wait next to it, wait for one of them to open it, and escape that way.

Now she just had to get over there without making a sound or bumping into anyone. Sounded easy enough. So then why were her legs trembling so much?

She managed to make it a few steps before one of the thugs nearby suddenly stretched, startling so much that she dashed back into the corner.

Come on, Madison, she berated herself. She had to move. As much as she wanted, she couldn't stay in the corner. She didn't know when her powers might give out and there was no place to hide. This was her only option.

She walked a few more steps, sticking close to the wall. She moved slowly, trying to make her footsteps as light and quiet as possible. She also continually checked her hands and feet to make sure she couldn't see them. So far so good, though it did mean she had to move even more carefully as she had no idea when she might bump into something.

She walked a little further, her heart beating so erratically that it was a wonder no one else could hear it. But she was still good. Unfortunately, now came the hard part. One of the thugs stood between her and the door. And near him was a whole pack of them. There was only one route to take, right between them. It was a large space so she should have no problem with it.

And yet her stress just got higher the closer she stepped.

"So who is this guy anyway?"

"Some weird scientist of some kind. Got this freaky mask and shit on him and everything."

"Mad scientist type, huh? Hey, think he's going to start his own drug empire like that show, Going Bad?

"Breaking Bad, you moron. And who cares what he's doing with it? What I want to know is what's up with his arms."

"His arms? What about them?"

"He's got some sort of weird power."

Madison stopped, her heart skipping a beat.

"Power? What do you mean?"

"You didn't see what he did but it was freaky. He had this crazy looking stuff all over his hands and then it just sort of…reached out and he tore open the door like it was nothing."

"…you sure you're alright buddy?"

"Trust me, you'll see soon enough. That guy loves showing it off."

"Enough!" the thug leader called out. "He'll be here soon."

The mutterings went down after that but not by much. Madison stayed where she was, not believing what she was hearing. There was…someone else out there? Well, it she and Travis and Franklin could have powers, why not others? But, where the hell were they coming from then?

Not the time, she thought to herself. She had to stay focused.

She started walking forward again, reaching the gap in the thugs. She stayed a little closer to the lone guy by the wall as he seemed less likely to move then the others. Still, it was freaking her out how close she was to him. If he just took a few steps forward, he'd run right into her.

Don't focus on him, she thought, looking towards the door. That was her goal. In one or two big steps, she'd be away from this guy and that much closer to escape. She raised her foot and stretched it out a little, making one big step. She was now a little ahead of the guy and he still showed zero interest in anything. So far so good.

She raised her foot again, ready for the last big step when disaster struck.

She heard tires screech outside and everyone was instantly alert, startling her. Her leg had still been up and she had to bring it down hard, wobbling on the ground to keep her balance.

"Alright," the thug leader called out. "Stay on guard but make no threatening moves, got it?"

"Yes sir," they all replied before all moving at once.

Madison had exactly one second to turn in horror as the thug by the wall suddenly walked forward, moving right for her. She let out an 'eep' of fear as he brushed into her, backtracking quickly.

Too much! She slipped and fell, her butt plopping on the floor. "Ow," she mumbled.

Before she could even blink though, a shadow fell over and she looked up in time to see another thug walk right up and trip over her knees. She could only stare in absolute terror as he tried to catch himself, fail, and fall heavily to the ground.

"Whoa, bud, you ok? Little trouble with your balance?"

"I tripped," the thug said in surprise, looking directly at Madison's knees in confusion. "But there's nothing there. Weird."

"Come on man, get up. You don't want to make the boss look bad."

Madison could only watch in silent relief as they walked away. That had been the most harrowing few minutes of her life. She swiftly walked back to the corner. Screw making it out like this. She would just have to wait for them to leave and hope her invisibility lasted that long. She wasn't going to risk something like that again.

Before she could think on it further, the doors opened up and a dark cloaked man in a metal mask walked in. Just looking at him, Madison couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear. This guy certainly had bad guy vibes or whatever Travis would wall them.

"You have the merchandise?" he asked and Madison blinked, surprised that the voice actually sounded vaguely familiar to her but she didn't know from where.

"Yes, right in those crates. You're free to check for yourself."

The man did just that, though in a way that shook Madison to her bones. She was watching as his arm lifted up and then…something emerged from within. It was dark and shiny, like a black metal. Except it seemed to grow right out of his arm, elongating and reaching out in the span of seconds. As it did, Madison saw it forming what looking like fingers. All the thugs gasped at the sight, stepping back as the man used whatever it was to grab hold of the crate and rip off its top easily. He then walked forward and looked at what was inside. He nodded and then proceeded to rip off the tops of all the other crates as well, checking their contents.

"Very good," he said after a minute. "You kept your word."

"I always do with people like you," the leader replied, folding his arms. Madison was shocked to hear not even a trace of fear in his voice. All the others looked terrified of the man but the leader just regarded him calmly.

"Ah," the man nodded. "You are one of the Awakened. Interesting. So how many others of my kind have you met?"

Awakened? Madison thought. What did that mean? The other thugs looked confused as well.

"Enough to know not to cross you," the leader said. "Well, you've done us a favor and we've paid it in full. I assume that means our business is concluded."

"For now. I may have need of your service in the future. Though I wouldn't mind some help loading the crates in my truck."

The leader nodded and gestured to his men. "Get on it."

They moved without complaint, lifting up the crates and carrying them outside. Madison let out a soft sigh of relief. It was almost over. This whole terrifying ordeal was almost over.

Travis came to a stop in front of his house, the world once again speeding up. He didn't think he'd ever get over that sensation. It was just as perfect as he'd imagined it would be. Everything about his powers went beyond his wildest dreams. And now he had a new one? It just got better and better. The speed and electrical combination actually made sense to him seeing as Flash actually had some lightning powers and Sonic definitely did. Whatever the case, it was awesome, although he was a little concerned of it going a little haywire. While he now felt he could effortless control his speed, this new one might take some getting used to. But the training had definitely helped.

And now he was back here. To reality. He sighed, looking at his home. He hadn't been here since this morning. Truthfully, he didn't really want to come back. He just wanted to run and run towards the never-ending horizon, see how far he could make it. What was waiting for him here? Nothing. Just a boring life with nothing that really mattered. What he had now, that mattered.

"Might as well get it over with," he mumbled to himself before walking inside.

"Ah perfect timing," his mother said, popping her head from the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready. We're having frog chicken."

Travis smirked a little. "Great," he told her as he tucked away his shoes. Frog chicken. What they called a specific type of chicken ever since he'd seen it as a kid and remarked how it had looking like a frog. His one main legacy in this family, it seemed.

He walked into the dining room and saw his sister Sarah on her phone and his dad reading a book. No surprise there. What was surprising was seeing Andrew slumped in his chair, glaring at the wall.

"Ah, I see you've deigned us with your presence at last," he said to Travis sarcastically.

"I see you still haven't gotten over getting shown up by two freshmen," he replied.

Andrew's glare got darker, looking like he wanted to punch Travis.

"Wait, what?" their dad said, looking up.

"Football tryouts didn't go exactly the way Andrew hoped they would."

"Shut up," Andrew glowered at him. "It's nothing."

"What happened at football?" their dad asked.

"Noth-"

"Dinner is served," their mom announced excitedly, bringing in the chicken and placing it on the table alongside bowls of rice, broccoli, potatoes, and sauces. Travis took his seat and started to fill his plate. He'd had so much junk food and chocolate today as well as plenty of other food. He'd even ordered a large pepperoni pizza from Dominoes. And he still felt like he was starving. Both an upside and downside to the speed. It was a hassle to get that much food available and eat it all the time, but he did like eating and now he could as much of it as he wanted to with no repercussions.

"Pace yourself Timmy," Andrew snapped.

Travis almost flinched but he caught himself. No, he refused to let that bother him anymore. Nothing Andrew or any of them said anymore mattered. He had his powers. That was all he needed. With them, he could do whatever he wanted.

"So, what happened at football?" their dad asked again.

"I told you, it was noth-"

"My new friend Franklin showed Andrew how to play properly," Travis said. "And Luke helped show him up too."

"Shut up!"

"Andrew!" their mom snapped. "That's enough."

Andrew glared fiercely at Travis who just smirked back. He didn't know why his brother felt the need to be a jerk to him all the time, or a jerk to anyone really, but seeing Franklin put him in his place and felt so good. Almost as good as the superpowers.

Though it would have been better to see before Franklin got his strength.

Just before Travis could dig into his food, he felt a sudden buzz from his pocket. He reached in and picked up his phone, seeing he got a new message from Franklin.

"Travis, no phones at the table."

"Sarah's got her phone," he said without looking. Why was Franklin texting him? Was it something important?

"Sarah, no phones at the table."

"Ugh, fine. Thanks a lot Travis."

"You're welcome," he said without looking up. Instead, he began to put his phone away but tapped on the text message, opening it up first. Then he entered speed mode.

The world slowed down instantly, his family frozen in the middle of eating dinner. Travis glanced up once and snorted. It would be so easy to draw fake moustaches on all of them. Another time, perhaps. He looked back down at the message.

HELP. CRIMINALS AT WAREHOUSE.

Travis wasn't quite sure what do with the sudden rush of emotions flooding through him as he read the text. Criminals. Actual criminals. Real life criminals were threatening his friend right now. The fear for Franklin, the worry about the criminals themselves, the rage at them for doing this, and the last one: the joy in being able to fight criminals. And on his first day!

Don't think like that! he told himself sharply. Just because he had powers, he wasn't immortal. He had to treat this carefully. First priority, make sure his friends were safe.

But first thing, he had to get out of dinner. Though, he did have a plan for that.

After he finished, he exited speed mode, letting things return to normal.

"So, I actually have quite a bit of homework, so I'll just head on up there and get to work on that," he said, rising.

"Hey, you know the rules," his father said. "No leaving the table until you finish your dinner."

"Oh I know," Travis said, showing them all his almost-empty plate, the only thing left being the gnawed chicken bone. It was a little funny to seem them gape but he had to get moving, now. "It was delicious. But I've got to go, so bye."

"Travis, wait…" his mom said, but he was already moving. He moved to the steps until he was out of sight before entering speed mode again. Then he was gone, faster than lightning.

He raced hard down the streets, speeding up as much as he could. The air whizzed by him, everything else a blur. He had worried about running into things at this speed but as he ran, it was like his awareness of his surroundings tripled. He could move and dodge with ease. Which was good, because there was no way he was slowing down now.

"Don't worry guys," he said. "I'm coming."

"Before we go, one last thing," the leader said to the masked man. "We've been given a report by one of the higher ups in town. Apparently he's looking for others of your kind. New ones with, as he said it, great power. Heard or seen anything?"

Madison's breath caught. New ones? Great power? Did…did that mean her and Travis and Franklin? Were they talking about them somehow?

"I have not. But I will keep an eye out. New ones only ever bring nothing but trouble to our world," the masked man said.

"Agreed. Well, if that's everything, then-"

"Wait!"

They all turned at the voice and Madison gasped again, seeing the thug that had been leaning against the wall. The one that almost bumped into her.

"What is it?" the leader asked.

"If you're looking for new ones, you should start here," he said and Madison noticed he was staring directly at where she had tripped before. Her breath caught and she did her very best to sink into the wall.

"What do you mean?"

"One of these new ones might be in this very warehouse, unseen. I did brush up on something earlier and distinctly heard it as well. And Rick over there tripped over nothing we could see."

"Hey, that's right. I did!"

"Unseen, huh?" the leader said, scratching his chin with interest.

"Not for long," the masked man said, raising his arm threateningly.

Madison only had one thought going through her head at that moment. Stay hidden, stay hidden, stay hidden, stay hidden, stay hidden.

And then she felt it. Her power lurking inside her. She felt her fear and anxiety wash over it, overwhelming it. And then she felt it go pop!

Her invisibility vanished instantly, leaving her stranded.

"There!" a thug yelled and they all pointed their guns.

Madison shrieked and cowered down. She wanted to yell 'don't shoot' or 'please don't' or literally anything. But her throat wouldn't let her, constricting her voice. All she could do was stare.

"It's just a kid," the leader said.

"…Madison?" the masked man suddenly asked, surprising them all.

"You know her?" the leader asked him.

Madison stared up at the masked man, hoping in some way he would take pity on her. She still didn't recognize the voice but if it was someone familiar, then…

Her hope died as he walked forward menacingly. "It doesn't matter. There can be no witnesses. Sorry kid, but you picked the wrong place for an evening stroll."

"N-no," she mumbled, raising her arms, tears streaming down her face. "P-please, no."

"Goodbye," he said and the metal thing shot from his arm right for her.

At that second, two things happened. The back wall suddenly exploded, sending dust and debris flying as a figure emerged from behind it with a thick hoodie. The second thing was a loud booming noise followed by a large gust of wind before another figure appeared directly in front of Madison, lightning sparking down his entire body.

"Have no fear, the Thunderbolt is here!" Travis cried out and Madison couldn't help but smile and cry in relief.