The Surge

As Eleanor and Noah sat in the center of Downtown San Antonio, they contemplated every experience that had led up to their plan. Every choice that made this possible.

“Okay … let’s go.” Noah stood up and walked over to a small run down building across from the park they were sitting in. “Now … Pulse Electric is the powerhouse. Remember that. We need to get their so you can absorb everything. I want everything within a 15 mile radius to be pitch black.”

The siblings quietly walked twenty minutes to a strip of abandoned clubs on a street named Home Place. This town felt like anything other than home. “Shit get down!” Eleanor spotted eight security guards standing outside Pulse Electric armed with guns. “God dammit … these humans have to have EVERYTHING under surveillance.”

Noah looked at his sister and asked, “Do you have any juice? We can take them all out and get to the control room.” Eleanor snapped her fingers and a small spark fell out of her hand. She smirked and grabbed Noah’s hand sending veins of glowing lights into him. She stood up and ran off as Noah walked up to the guards.

“Hey Kumquats!” he called out to the guards and the puffed their chests out. He clapped his hands, sending a beam of electricity into the sky. It spread across the clouds like roots of a tree spreading across the ground. The guards pulled their guns to their chest and screamed, “GET ON THE GROUND”. He looked at the eight red dots on her chest and laughed, “Awh … that’s cute.” He threw his hands out and light flew across the air taking out three guards. The remaining five were disarmed and ran after him.

As Noah distracted the guards by taunting and assaulting them, Eleanor ran into Pulse Electric and down to the basement. It was completely empty, but she could still be caught at any moment. This particular building was a battery for the entire town. It was usually under constant surveillance, but ever since superhumans were discovered and 30% of the country was held captive, the job was left to whoever the state chose to guard it. Eleanor’s job was to gather enough power for the storm, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted it all.

While Eleanor was navigating the building, searching for the control room, Noah used his gift and inhuman strength to bring the guards down. It was if he were fighting small children. Within minutes, all the guards were either dead or unconscious. “Piece of cake.” Noah kicked a fallen guard and walked off, wiping blood from his lip.

Eleanor slammed the basement door open and light ran across her face. There were columns of machines, computers, and other various electrical devices. Eleanor slammed her hands onto a three foot transformer and the lights began to flicker. Her hands lit up in a bright shade of blue as the current was being transferred from the town into her body. Blue raced from her hands, up her arms, and into her torso. She stood there for five minutes before Noah came crashing in. He was bloody but that hadn’t slowed him down. He watched Eleanor for a few more minutes and watched the computers shut down one by one. When he felt there was enough power, he grabbed Eleanor’s shoulder, looked her in the eyes and said, “Let’s do it.”

When Noah and Eleanor walked out of the building, they noticed four of the guards getting up and looking around. They turned their heads and saw the siblings standing and staring straight at them. They waved and Noah whispered, through clenched teeth, “Fuck .. I thought they were dead.”

Eleanor took one small step back and muttered, “Run.”

Eleanor ran first and Noah threw a ball of glowing light at the guards. He managed to hit one and he ran off as they fell to the ground. Eleanor led Noah through downtown, running between buildings, through abandoned parks, and into a tunnel near the highway.

“God damn, where did all this energy come from?” Noah was panting and sweating while Eleanor chuckled.

“I’m an Altilium. Mom didn’t call me the energizer bunny for nothing!” Eleanor snapped her fingers and sparks fell to the ground, igniting the small patch of dry grass. They rested for a few minutes when Eleanor asked if they should just go home. She started to walk out of the tunnel when her brother slammed his arm against her neck and pulled her back.

“Wait … look … it’s coming.”

Eleanor and Noah peeked their heads out of the tunnel and could see the clouds rolling in from the south. You could smell the rain as it began pouring down over the town.

“We have to be quick. You know you can’t hold this in for long. We need to get to the King Center!”

As the storm got closer and the rain got harder, Eleanor and Noah ran straight to the King Center, the arena for local superhumans to train. Even though superhumans were still relatively new, they weren’t feared and this meant they could be trusted. They ran into the arena, and took the elevator to the top floor. There were some people still training since the arena ran on it’s own generators. They tried asking what was going on, but all the two could say was, “Justice.”

From the top floor, they climbed a ladder up to the rooftop. From the top of the King Center, they could see nothing. Complete darkness for miles. Eleanor slapped her hands together a few times and lights flew in every direction. She grabbed Noah’s hand and the current she stole from the transformer was finally being shared. They both have each other a cold stare and raised their hands above their heads.

The winds picked up, the clouds grew darker and the rain got harder. They waiting for the perfect moment and then …. ZAP!

Beams of electricity flew from Eleanor’s left hand and Noah’s right. It went straight into the sky and spread throughout the clouds. It was as if the lightning in the sky was dancing and jumping in time with the thunder. Sparks began to fall from above as the clouds were growing heavier and brighter. The area looked as if God had taken his own personal flashlight and shined it down on San Antonio.

Noah looked at Eleanor and screamed through the sounds of electricity crackling, “You go first! Do it for mom!!!”

His sister fought back tears and with one loud scream, she pointed her palm towards the city floor. The electricity hit the ground and the gravel exploded. She created a pothole the size of a car. After the ground, she shocked a building and took of an entire wall. From there, the building crumbled and the people inside were either killed or trapped and left to die. Noah followed his sister and sent electricity flying in every direction. They made sure to destroy as many buildings as they could and then they targeted people. Anyone that was caught in the rain was immediately struck down and burned. Nobody was safe.

From inside the arena, people were scrambling to figure out what was going on. The walls were shaking, the power was gone, and the people outside were screaming in horror. Finally a girl screamed, “They’re on the roof! The two that ran in here! There’s light flying everywhere. They’re killing people!” With that, the local face of superhumans, Tyler, decided to go outside. He was an Aviator, meaning he could fly. He zoomed up to the roof and saw the two siblings throwing streams of hot light across the sky. “What the hell are you two doing?! STOP IT!”

Eleanor whipped around, still holding Noah’s hand and formed an electric ball in her hand.

“Leave. Us. Alone.” She lifted her arm to throw the ball but Noah yanked her back and the ball disintegrated.

“Hey! No superhumans! This is a lesson for mortals. Supers have nothing to do with this!!”

Tyler jumped off the roof and flew to the Downtown Police Station. Reports were coming in from social media about a terrorist attack, but Tyler explained exactly what was going on. Within seconds, all the officers in the precinct were running to their trucks.

The storm started slowing down and Eleanor’s power supply was dying. She was feeling dizzy. She dropped her hands and Noah grabbed her before she could pass out. “Ellie, hey, don’t do this. You got this.” The power drain was too much and she almost passed out. Altilium’s were human batteries and just like regular batteries, they died. Eleanor stopped herself before she completely ran out of electricity because if she hadn’t, she would’ve died.

“Come on. It’s done. I don’t see anyone else. We got to get home.” Noah picked his sister up and they walked inside.

As they climbed the ladder back into the top floor, they could hear commotion from down the hall. It was coming from the stairwell. All the superhumans were herded in there like sheep.

“You.” Eleanor pointed. “What the fuck? What’s going on?”

“It’s them!” a voice echoed through the stairwell. Everyone to face the soaking wet figures standing on top of the stairs.

Tyler walked out of the crowd, drying his hair and explained the situation. “You. You’re what’s going on. The cops are looking for you. What have you done? Superhumans don’t do this.”

Eleanor stepped down a few stairs and said, “No, superhumans don’t. But WE, Noah and I, do. This was to prove that you don’t fuck with us and get away with it. Besides, we can do what we want. They can’t prove who it was or arrest us. It’s the law.”

“It’s the ‘law’ to protect innocent supers being persecuted without reason. YOU will be prosecuted for murder. You must have electrocuted over fifty people and destroyed eight buildings. You ruined this for all of us … and you’re gonna pay.” Tyler and several of the other superhumans grabbed Eleanor and Noah and carried them out of the building.

The clouds were still rolling through, the air still smelled like rain, and there was a cluster of red and blue lights illuminating the damage that was done. Cops had surrounded the building and were armed and ready for whatever was going to come at them. Tyler and the rest of the superhumans busted through the front doors of the King Center and threw Eleanor and Noah onto the cement in front of the building. Several cops ran and threw handcuffs onto the sopping siblings.

“You’ll pay for this! You all will! You humans don’t deserve us!” Noah screamed into the night sky, thrashing about trying to escape. He was too weak. Being a transmitter was too much on him.

Eleanor banged her head against the car window and yelled, “We’ll be back! You’ll all see! Superhumans will rule!! There’s more where we came from!!”

The boy and girl were injected with enough sedatives to knock out a horse, the car doors slammed shut and everyone dispersed. Tyler sat on the sidewalk in silence until Mallory came and asked him what was wrong. “I’ve got to go back. I have to alert Thomas and Caroline.” He turned to Mallory and whispered, “They’ve started a fire. It’ll spread from here and take out entire cities. There’s more out there just like those two.”

Mallory hugged Tyler and said, “The Eclectics will stop them. Now go. Be safe. We’ll be here when you get back.” Tyler kissed Mallory and moved his head down to her stomach.

“Daddy loves you. We’re going to change the world.” He kissed Mallory one more time before flying into the night. His work had begun.