"You heroes," Dr. Atomic shook his head, disapprovingly, "That's what you call yourself. But you can't even defeat me. I have no powers. Simply the technology I developed. But I can give people powers at will. I can create an army of Alpha Humans. After today, you won't be so special. Everyone will be and Alpha Human. So what sets you apart from them?"
"I don't care about being special," Samantha scoffed, "I care about keeping this city safe!"
"Very well," Dr. Atomic shrugged. The golden atom around his head grew, then exploded into a shower of gold.
The gold spray began to settle over the city. Suddenly, a blue streak shot by Samantha at speeds she couldn't comprehend. The streak passed by people, and the people disappeared. Another villain? Samantha saw the streak approaching from afar, and sent flames down where it would arrive. The streak hit the flames, and stopped in its tracks. Samantha saw a tall figure tumble to a halt. They were wearing a blue hoodie with silver athletic shorts. The hood was pulled closed around their face. They quickly got back up, and continued taking away citizens. Then she realized what the streak was doing. Taking people away from the golden spray. She quickly joined in, escorting people away from Nova City.
Silver Skull took cover in the pizza shop he had crashed into, and began firing at Dr. Atomic. The bullets disintegrated when they got close.
"I got this," Eric said, firing missiles at Dr. Atomic.
"That didn't work last time-" Silver Skull began.
Dr. Atomic contained the explosions from the missiles, then amplified it, sending it towards Eric. Eric and Silver Skull were seared with the fury of a thousand suns. The building around them almost immediately melted. Eric only survived thanks to his suit, but Silver Skull didn't fair quite as well. He struggled to breathe as smoke clouded his windpipe.
"Skull?" Eric coughed, "You there?"
"Holy shit," Silver Skull groaned, "That hurt."
"Seriously," Eric nodded, "Let's kick this guy's ass."
"That's what we've been trying to do," Silver Skull said, "Look where that got us."
"Just don't let that golden mist touch you," Eric instructed.
"It'll give us powers," Silver Skull countered, "What's so bad about that?"
"This guy has got to be smart enough to hand out powers freely," Eric explained, "I'll bet the mist will put anyone it touches under his control. He managed to make all of his gadgets by himself, so what's to stop him from making a mind control mist?"
"Point taken."
"Boys, a little help?" Samantha asked as she swept by with a boy in her arms.
Eric pointed to his suit, which was mostly melted. His chestplate remained mostly intact, but his right arm of his suit had been completely incinerated. The left leg was hanging loose, and only part of his beak-like mouthpiece was left.
"I'm not fit to fly!" Eric complained.
"Flying isn't our biggest issue right now," Silver Skull said, pointing to an approaching woman. She had stark white hair, with icy blue eyes. But here eyes had a certain... evil to them. She rose her palms, and shot daggers of ice towards Silver Skull and Eric. Eric dove out of the way, but Silver Skull wasn't able to react in time. The flames from Dr. Atomic had injured him too much. One dagger pierced his chest, and came out his back. He collapsed.
Alec Myers was racing around Nova City quicker than he ever had. Granted, he hadn't really used his super speed much. He wanted to fit in. He didn't want to be an Alpha Human. He wanted to be Alec Myers. Just a regular Sophomore at Nova City High. But no... Apparently, some psychopath in a weird red suit decided to go all cray-cray on Nova City and unleash a mist that turned people into Alpha Humans. Alec knew that many people might be scared with new powers, so he decided to try to save the day. He knew he could. He shot by Flare, and gave a quick wave. He was basically working alongside Nova City's protector. He scooped up a small boy, and rushed him out of the city. On his next run through Nova City, he saw Silver Skull on his knees, with a shard of ice sticking out of his back. He raced over, and saw a beaten up Midnight Owl staring at a woman with white hair.
"What'sgoingonhere?" Alec asked, not realizing he was still operating at extreme speeds. The Midnight Owl didn't understand him. The woman took this time to send a barrage of ice towards Midnight Owl. Alec sped around, collecting the ice shards, and laying them down on the ground harmlessly. He stopped going at super speed, and he crossed his arms, giving the woman a disapproving look. He wagged his finger. Suddenly, he was hit from behind by a beam from Dr. Atomic. He slammed into the woman. She formed ice claws around her fingers, and slashed at Alec's chest. He rolled off of her at super speed, and threw a quick punch at her stomach. It easily knocked her out. He turned, and raced towards Dr. Atomic. A red pulse fired from Dr. Atomic's helmet, and Alec felt sluggish. He realized that he was no longer moving at super speed. He was moving slower than normal people.
"You entertain me," Dr. Atomic smiled, "Your futile attempt to defeat me. I am Dr. Atomic! I can't be defeated!"
Dr. Atomic snapped his fingers, and everyone within ten miles of Nova City fainted.
Alec woke up next to Midnight Owl, Silver Skull, Mayor Ignus, and a non-flaming Flare. They were all trapped in a small golden sphere hovering off of the ground. He recognized Samantha Shields as the Flare, and Eric Lange as Midnight Owl. Dr. Atomic was standing on the steps in front of City Hall. He had a crowd of citizens in front of him, bowing to him. He turned to see Alec, awake.
"Alec Myers!" Dr. Atomic called, "Glad to see you awake!"
"Let me out," Alec ordered.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Dr. Atomic clicked his tongue.
"What did you do to them?"
"The golden mist," Dr. Atomic explained, "They're all under my control. I guess it didn't work on you five considering you're all already Alpha Humans. But that's okay. I'll kill you soon enough."
Dr. Atomic returned to addressing the crowd, "Already, I have managed to conquer Nova City. No force can reach us here. I've set up an impenetrable force field around the city. But staying here is not an option. We must expand. We must take over the world!"
"Oh puh-leeze!" Alec groaned.
"Excuse me?"
"That's the lamest goal a villain has ever had," Alec complained, "It's so clichéd, you know?"
"No, I don't," Dr. Atomic sighed, shaking his head.
"Almost every villain these days has the same goal," Alec said, shaking his head in disapproval, "They all want to take over."
"I don't think you understand how dangerous of a spot you're in," Dr. Atomic said, "I could kill you right now."
"Do it," Alec dared.
"Not yet," Dr. Atomic growled, "I want you to see your world collapse. I want your hope to dwindle. Once you realize that no one can stop me, you will have to stand by helplessly as I conquer the world. Then, I will kill Eric Lange. Then Samantha Shields. Then Jason Locke. Then Mayor Ignus. After witnessing their brutal deaths, I will grant you your wish of death."
"Ha."
Dr. Atomic raised an eyebrow. Was that really the only comeback Alec had?
"What's so funny?" Dr. Atomic asked.
"The fact that you'll lose."
"How can you be so sure?" Dr. Atomic inquired.
"That's how it always works," Alec shrugged, "Big villain captures heroes, reveals their end game, then the heroes defeat them. Simple."
"This isn't a movie," Dr. Atomic said.
"Doesn't make a difference to me."
"And how will you escape from your prison?" Dr. Atomic asked, gesturing to the sphere around Alec and his other captives.
"Heroes always find a way to defeat the villain."
A few hours had passed, and Samantha, Eric, Silver Skull, and Mayor Ignus had all woken up. They were all going through plans of escape in their heads. But Alec, being an absent-minded teenager, was thinking of other things.
"So Eric," Alec began, "You're not an Alpha Human. You just have an awesome suit. So how come you weren't mind-controlled?"
"Really kid?" Eric sighed, "You want to talk about that right now?"
"Yes, actually."
"My best bet is that my mouthpiece combined with the ash blocking my windpipe kept the gold mist from controlling me. Happy?"
"I'm satisfied with that answer, but I have a few other questions," Alec said.
"If you don't shut up I will kill you," Silver Skull said with an unnerving calmness.
"Got it," Alec nodded.
"Everyone quiet!" Samantha ordered, "I think I've got something!"
"Tell us quick before Dr. Atomic comes back out," Ignus said.
"I'm gonna need you to explode Mr. Mayor."
"Please, no," Ignus shook his head, "I don't know if I can explode ever since you gave me the CCH. Plus, the pain I go through when exploding is awful."
"We need you to," Samantha said, "The world needs you to."
"I can't," Ignus said.
"All I need to do is shut down the CCH temporarily," Samantha explained, "There's a small panel hidden on the back. Then, when you're about to explode, the kid will use his super speed to make a vortex to direct the explosion towards the top of the sphere. The pressure is sure to break whatever strange prison this is."
"Fine," Ignus sighed, "Turn off the CCH."
"For Nova City."
"For Nova City," Ignus nodded.
Ignus turned so that the back of his head faced Samantha, and Samantha pried off a small sheet of metal covering a mess of circuits. She twisted one wire, and Ignus collapsed, whimpering. His head began to swell, and glow orange.
"Uh, is that my cue to start running?" Alec asked.
"Don't screw up kid," Silver Skull said.
Alec nodded, and sped around Ignus as quickly as he could. He had a bit of trouble considering they were all confined within a small sphere, but he made it work. He saw Ignus starting to tear apart, flames shooting out from his insides. Alec kicked it into high gear, speeding around Mayor Ignus faster than he had ever run before. He funneled the explosion into the top of the sphere, shredding the golden prison. They all fell to the ground, free of the sphere. Ignus reformed. He was a sobbing wreck.
"You did it Mr. Mayor," Samantha said, shaking Ignus. She turned him around, and twisted the wire back into place.
"We-We're free," Ignus panted.
"All thanks to you Mr. Mayor," Samantha smiled.
"And me," Alec added, "But you know, whatever."
Eric sighed, "Let's just get out of here."
As Eric said those words, Dr. Atomic came out City Hall, with his army of mind-controlled soldiers following him. He spotted the freed Alpha Humans.
"GET THEM!" Dr. Atomic roared.
"Let's get out of here!" Alec yelled. He grabbed Ignus, who was considerably lightweight, and sped off. Samantha picked up Eric, and began to fly. Silver Skull hopped into a red sports car that had been abandoned when the owner had inhaled the golden mist. They all got away from the Atomic Army, but they were all separated.
"I don't care about being special," Samantha scoffed, "I care about keeping this city safe!"
"Very well," Dr. Atomic shrugged. The golden atom around his head grew, then exploded into a shower of gold.
The gold spray began to settle over the city. Suddenly, a blue streak shot by Samantha at speeds she couldn't comprehend. The streak passed by people, and the people disappeared. Another villain? Samantha saw the streak approaching from afar, and sent flames down where it would arrive. The streak hit the flames, and stopped in its tracks. Samantha saw a tall figure tumble to a halt. They were wearing a blue hoodie with silver athletic shorts. The hood was pulled closed around their face. They quickly got back up, and continued taking away citizens. Then she realized what the streak was doing. Taking people away from the golden spray. She quickly joined in, escorting people away from Nova City.
Silver Skull took cover in the pizza shop he had crashed into, and began firing at Dr. Atomic. The bullets disintegrated when they got close.
"I got this," Eric said, firing missiles at Dr. Atomic.
"That didn't work last time-" Silver Skull began.
Dr. Atomic contained the explosions from the missiles, then amplified it, sending it towards Eric. Eric and Silver Skull were seared with the fury of a thousand suns. The building around them almost immediately melted. Eric only survived thanks to his suit, but Silver Skull didn't fair quite as well. He struggled to breathe as smoke clouded his windpipe.
"Skull?" Eric coughed, "You there?"
"Holy shit," Silver Skull groaned, "That hurt."
"Seriously," Eric nodded, "Let's kick this guy's ass."
"That's what we've been trying to do," Silver Skull said, "Look where that got us."
"Just don't let that golden mist touch you," Eric instructed.
"It'll give us powers," Silver Skull countered, "What's so bad about that?"
"This guy has got to be smart enough to hand out powers freely," Eric explained, "I'll bet the mist will put anyone it touches under his control. He managed to make all of his gadgets by himself, so what's to stop him from making a mind control mist?"
"Point taken."
"Boys, a little help?" Samantha asked as she swept by with a boy in her arms.
Eric pointed to his suit, which was mostly melted. His chestplate remained mostly intact, but his right arm of his suit had been completely incinerated. The left leg was hanging loose, and only part of his beak-like mouthpiece was left.
"I'm not fit to fly!" Eric complained.
"Flying isn't our biggest issue right now," Silver Skull said, pointing to an approaching woman. She had stark white hair, with icy blue eyes. But here eyes had a certain... evil to them. She rose her palms, and shot daggers of ice towards Silver Skull and Eric. Eric dove out of the way, but Silver Skull wasn't able to react in time. The flames from Dr. Atomic had injured him too much. One dagger pierced his chest, and came out his back. He collapsed.
Alec Myers was racing around Nova City quicker than he ever had. Granted, he hadn't really used his super speed much. He wanted to fit in. He didn't want to be an Alpha Human. He wanted to be Alec Myers. Just a regular Sophomore at Nova City High. But no... Apparently, some psychopath in a weird red suit decided to go all cray-cray on Nova City and unleash a mist that turned people into Alpha Humans. Alec knew that many people might be scared with new powers, so he decided to try to save the day. He knew he could. He shot by Flare, and gave a quick wave. He was basically working alongside Nova City's protector. He scooped up a small boy, and rushed him out of the city. On his next run through Nova City, he saw Silver Skull on his knees, with a shard of ice sticking out of his back. He raced over, and saw a beaten up Midnight Owl staring at a woman with white hair.
"What'sgoingonhere?" Alec asked, not realizing he was still operating at extreme speeds. The Midnight Owl didn't understand him. The woman took this time to send a barrage of ice towards Midnight Owl. Alec sped around, collecting the ice shards, and laying them down on the ground harmlessly. He stopped going at super speed, and he crossed his arms, giving the woman a disapproving look. He wagged his finger. Suddenly, he was hit from behind by a beam from Dr. Atomic. He slammed into the woman. She formed ice claws around her fingers, and slashed at Alec's chest. He rolled off of her at super speed, and threw a quick punch at her stomach. It easily knocked her out. He turned, and raced towards Dr. Atomic. A red pulse fired from Dr. Atomic's helmet, and Alec felt sluggish. He realized that he was no longer moving at super speed. He was moving slower than normal people.
"You entertain me," Dr. Atomic smiled, "Your futile attempt to defeat me. I am Dr. Atomic! I can't be defeated!"
Dr. Atomic snapped his fingers, and everyone within ten miles of Nova City fainted.
Alec woke up next to Midnight Owl, Silver Skull, Mayor Ignus, and a non-flaming Flare. They were all trapped in a small golden sphere hovering off of the ground. He recognized Samantha Shields as the Flare, and Eric Lange as Midnight Owl. Dr. Atomic was standing on the steps in front of City Hall. He had a crowd of citizens in front of him, bowing to him. He turned to see Alec, awake.
"Alec Myers!" Dr. Atomic called, "Glad to see you awake!"
"Let me out," Alec ordered.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Dr. Atomic clicked his tongue.
"What did you do to them?"
"The golden mist," Dr. Atomic explained, "They're all under my control. I guess it didn't work on you five considering you're all already Alpha Humans. But that's okay. I'll kill you soon enough."
Dr. Atomic returned to addressing the crowd, "Already, I have managed to conquer Nova City. No force can reach us here. I've set up an impenetrable force field around the city. But staying here is not an option. We must expand. We must take over the world!"
"Oh puh-leeze!" Alec groaned.
"Excuse me?"
"That's the lamest goal a villain has ever had," Alec complained, "It's so clichéd, you know?"
"No, I don't," Dr. Atomic sighed, shaking his head.
"Almost every villain these days has the same goal," Alec said, shaking his head in disapproval, "They all want to take over."
"I don't think you understand how dangerous of a spot you're in," Dr. Atomic said, "I could kill you right now."
"Do it," Alec dared.
"Not yet," Dr. Atomic growled, "I want you to see your world collapse. I want your hope to dwindle. Once you realize that no one can stop me, you will have to stand by helplessly as I conquer the world. Then, I will kill Eric Lange. Then Samantha Shields. Then Jason Locke. Then Mayor Ignus. After witnessing their brutal deaths, I will grant you your wish of death."
"Ha."
Dr. Atomic raised an eyebrow. Was that really the only comeback Alec had?
"What's so funny?" Dr. Atomic asked.
"The fact that you'll lose."
"How can you be so sure?" Dr. Atomic inquired.
"That's how it always works," Alec shrugged, "Big villain captures heroes, reveals their end game, then the heroes defeat them. Simple."
"This isn't a movie," Dr. Atomic said.
"Doesn't make a difference to me."
"And how will you escape from your prison?" Dr. Atomic asked, gesturing to the sphere around Alec and his other captives.
"Heroes always find a way to defeat the villain."
A few hours had passed, and Samantha, Eric, Silver Skull, and Mayor Ignus had all woken up. They were all going through plans of escape in their heads. But Alec, being an absent-minded teenager, was thinking of other things.
"So Eric," Alec began, "You're not an Alpha Human. You just have an awesome suit. So how come you weren't mind-controlled?"
"Really kid?" Eric sighed, "You want to talk about that right now?"
"Yes, actually."
"My best bet is that my mouthpiece combined with the ash blocking my windpipe kept the gold mist from controlling me. Happy?"
"I'm satisfied with that answer, but I have a few other questions," Alec said.
"If you don't shut up I will kill you," Silver Skull said with an unnerving calmness.
"Got it," Alec nodded.
"Everyone quiet!" Samantha ordered, "I think I've got something!"
"Tell us quick before Dr. Atomic comes back out," Ignus said.
"I'm gonna need you to explode Mr. Mayor."
"Please, no," Ignus shook his head, "I don't know if I can explode ever since you gave me the CCH. Plus, the pain I go through when exploding is awful."
"We need you to," Samantha said, "The world needs you to."
"I can't," Ignus said.
"All I need to do is shut down the CCH temporarily," Samantha explained, "There's a small panel hidden on the back. Then, when you're about to explode, the kid will use his super speed to make a vortex to direct the explosion towards the top of the sphere. The pressure is sure to break whatever strange prison this is."
"Fine," Ignus sighed, "Turn off the CCH."
"For Nova City."
"For Nova City," Ignus nodded.
Ignus turned so that the back of his head faced Samantha, and Samantha pried off a small sheet of metal covering a mess of circuits. She twisted one wire, and Ignus collapsed, whimpering. His head began to swell, and glow orange.
"Uh, is that my cue to start running?" Alec asked.
"Don't screw up kid," Silver Skull said.
Alec nodded, and sped around Ignus as quickly as he could. He had a bit of trouble considering they were all confined within a small sphere, but he made it work. He saw Ignus starting to tear apart, flames shooting out from his insides. Alec kicked it into high gear, speeding around Mayor Ignus faster than he had ever run before. He funneled the explosion into the top of the sphere, shredding the golden prison. They all fell to the ground, free of the sphere. Ignus reformed. He was a sobbing wreck.
"You did it Mr. Mayor," Samantha said, shaking Ignus. She turned him around, and twisted the wire back into place.
"We-We're free," Ignus panted.
"All thanks to you Mr. Mayor," Samantha smiled.
"And me," Alec added, "But you know, whatever."
Eric sighed, "Let's just get out of here."
As Eric said those words, Dr. Atomic came out City Hall, with his army of mind-controlled soldiers following him. He spotted the freed Alpha Humans.
"GET THEM!" Dr. Atomic roared.
"Let's get out of here!" Alec yelled. He grabbed Ignus, who was considerably lightweight, and sped off. Samantha picked up Eric, and began to fly. Silver Skull hopped into a red sports car that had been abandoned when the owner had inhaled the golden mist. They all got away from the Atomic Army, but they were all separated.