Chapter seven
1218 Words
Rain lashed against Ethan's mask as he tore through the night.
The city blurred beneath him.
Each rooftop landing fed kinetic force into his body.
Impact.
Absorb.
Redirect.
Launch.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The blue lines across his suit pulsed brighter with every movement.
This felt different.
Cleaner.
Controlled.
The first time he'd crossed Ashbourne using his powers, it had been panic and guesswork.
Now there was rhythm.
A system.
The suit responded with him, stabilizing each burst.
For the first time since the accident, Ethan wasn't fighting his own momentum.
He was moving with it.
His comm-link crackled.
Maya's voice came through, sharp with static.
"Status?"
"Still airborne."
"That's not a status update."
"I'm heading west over Lexington."
A pause.
Then:
"Multiple emergency feeds confirm Breaker's still at the financial district. He's targeting Apex transport carriers."
"Any idea why?"
"Working on it."
Ethan landed hard atop a glass office tower.
Blue energy rippled across the rooftop beneath his feet.
Three blocks ahead, smoke rose into the storm-dark sky.
Flashes of orange lit the rain.
Breaker.
Maya spoke again.
"Ethan."
"Yeah?"
"Don't rush him."
He stared toward the destruction ahead.
The memory of their first fight still sat heavy in his ribs.
The helplessness.
The humiliation.
The ease with which Breaker had crushed him.
His jaw tightened.
"I know."
"Do you?"
He exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then:
"Good. Because if you try the heroic flying punch thing again, I'm deleting your playlists."
"That's harsh."
"It's necessary."
Despite everything, he smiled.
Then he jumped.
The financial district looked like a war zone.
Apex Dynamics transport vehicles littered the street.
Some overturned.
Others split open.
Concrete was fractured in jagged lines across the intersection.
Police sirens wailed from every direction, but no one dared move closer.
At the center of it all stood Breaker.
Rain rolled down his broad frame.
Orange fractures burned across his arms and neck.
He was crouched beside the shattered remains of an armored carrier, pulling a metallic container from its reinforced interior.
Even from thirty feet away, Ethan could tell it mattered.
Whatever was inside, Breaker wanted it badly.
Ethan landed on the hood of a wrecked police cruiser.
The impact rang through the street.
Breaker froze.
Slowly, he turned.
And for the first time, there was no amusement in his expression.
Only recognition.
"Well."
His voice cut through the rain.
"You came back."
Ethan stepped down from the cruiser.
Blue kinetic light glowed faintly along his suit.
"Thought I'd give this another shot."
Breaker's gaze traveled over the mask.
The suit.
The brighter control lines.
He nodded once.
"Looks less pathetic."
Ethan almost smiled.
Almost.
"Thanks."
Breaker set the container down carefully.
Interesting.
He was protecting it.
That meant leverage.
The larger man rolled his shoulders.
Orange fractures brightened.
"Let's see if the costume came with skill."
And then he moved.
Fast.
Much faster than someone his size should have been.
Breaker slammed his fist into the pavement.
The street exploded.
Concrete surged upward like jagged waves.
But this time Ethan was ready.
He launched sideways.
The suit's stabilizers adjusted instantly.
He twisted midair and landed on a rising slab.
Used its momentum.
Redirected.
And shot forward.
Breaker's eyes narrowed.
Ethan ducked beneath the first swing.
Too close.
He felt the vibration pulse skim over his hood.
That would've shattered bone.
He countered with a sharp kinetic jab to Breaker's ribs.
Blue force detonated on impact.
The larger man staggered half a step.
Not much.
But enough.
Enough to matter.
Breaker grinned.
"There you are."
Then he retaliated.
A brutal backhand laced with seismic force.
Ethan crossed his arms.
Absorbed part of it—
but the rest launched him through a storefront window.
Glass erupted around him.
He crashed through a row of display counters.
Pain shot through his shoulders.
His comm-link crackled instantly.
"Ethan!"
"I'm fine."
"You went through a building."
"Occupational hazard."
"Not funny."
He pushed himself upright.
Outside, Breaker was already advancing.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Destroying the pavement with every step.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Ethan exhaled.
Think.
The first fight, he'd met force with force.
That had nearly gotten him killed.
Maya's words echoed in his head.
Effort isn't strategy.
Breaker entered the ruined storefront.
Orange light illuminated shattered glass.
"Running already?"
Ethan's eyes flicked upward.
Steel support beams.
Glass display panels.
Weak structural points.
An idea formed.
He sprinted.
Not toward Breaker.
Past him.
The larger man frowned.
Then understood.
Too late.
Ethan planted a foot against the wall.
Launched upward.
And drove both fists into a load-bearing support column.
Blue force erupted.
The beam snapped.
The ceiling collapsed.
Tons of steel and concrete crashed down.
Breaker roared as debris buried him.
Ethan hit the street outside hard.
Absorbed the impact.
Stored it.
Held it.
His charge meter flared bright blue.
The rubble shifted.
Then exploded outward.
Breaker emerged through the debris cloud like a tank.
Blood trickled from his forehead.
He was smiling.
Actually smiling.
"Better."
Then he slammed both fists into the ground.
The entire block shook.
Ethan lost footing.
Bad.
Breaker was already moving.
He closed the distance in two steps.
Shockwave punch.
Ethan twisted.
Not enough.
The hit clipped his side.
Agony tore through him.
He flew backward—
but this time, instead of resisting, he absorbed every ounce of the momentum.
Stored it.
The charge meter screamed.
Blue-white.
Critical.
Pressure built through every nerve.
Too much.
Maya's voice blasted through the comm-link.
"Ethan, discharge now!"
He hit the ground rolling.
Breaker charged.
Fist raised.
Ethan saw it all at once.
The opening.
The timing.
The line of attack.
He planted his feet.
Drew his right arm back.
And released everything.
The kinetic burst wasn't wild.
Wasn't explosive.
It was focused.
A single concentrated strike.
Blue energy ripped through the rain.
Breaker's fist collided with Ethan's.
For one suspended second—
orange and blue force locked.
Then the street beneath them shattered.
The shockwave blew out every nearby window.
And Breaker was launched backward.
He crashed through an armored transport truck hard enough to fold its steel frame around him.
Silence.
Rain hissed against broken pavement.
Ethan dropped to one knee.
Breathing hard.
Smoke curled from his glove.
Across the street, twisted metal groaned.
Breaker staggered free.
Barely standing.
His orange fractures flickered weakly.
He stared at Ethan.
Long.
Measured.
Then, slowly—
he laughed.
Not mocking this time.
Respectful.
"You learned."
Ethan forced himself upright.
"Told you I'd give it another shot."
Breaker nodded once.
Then glanced toward the metallic container still resting near the wreckage.
Distant sirens were closing in fast.
He clicked his tongue.
"This isn't over."
Before Ethan could react, Breaker slammed a final pulse into the pavement.
The street erupted in dust and fractured concrete.
Visibility vanished.
By the time it cleared—
he was gone.
Again.
Ethan stood alone in the rain.
Victorious.
But uneasy.
Because this time, he'd noticed something.
Breaker had every opportunity to kill him.
Twice.
And chose not to.
Which meant one thing.
Breaker wasn't trying to destroy him.
He was testing him.
And Ethan had no idea why.
His comm-link buzzed.
Maya's voice, breathless with relief:
"…Okay."
Ethan blinked.
"What?"
"That was insanely cool."
He laughed.
Despite the pain.
Despite the rain.
Despite everything.
For the first time since becoming Pulse—
he'd won.
- Writer
