NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Stolen Stuff
Rain slashed sideways in razored sheets, turning the East River into a seething, inky-black beast.
Chitauri wreckage loomed in the distance like the carcass of a beast, its jagged hull half-submerged in the water, leaking tendrils of blue oil that hissed as it met the rain. SHIELD's yellow hazard tape flapped uselessly in the gale, guarded by two agents hunched under a flickering sodium lamp, their silhouettes blurred by the storm.
Perseus crouched behind a rusted shipping container, the prototype Erebus Suit's exoskeleton turning into a small drum under the constant downpour of rain. Rainwater sluiced down the ballistic mask and helmet combo he'd repurposed as a visor, enabling his view of the docks. His breath fogged the makeshift display on the left and right corner of his eyes, mingling with the occasional static from Cero's neural feed.
*Thermal scans confirm two guards. Heart rates: 68 BPM. Distraction protocol ready.*
"Light the fuse," Perseus muttered, teeth chattering as the suit's climate controls flickered.
A holographic projector hidden in the rubble of a collapsed crane flickered to life 80 meters away, casting a pulsing red glow that mimicked the flashing light of a bomb. The guards snapped to attention, radios crackling to life as they bolted toward the decoy.
*Guard 1 (over comms):* "Sector 7 anomaly! Possible looter! Request backup—"
*Eight-minute window. Target: Underbelly alloy plating. Radiation exposure projected at 0.4 Sieverts.*
"Tell my future self to sue SHIELD for workplace hazards," Perseus hissed, triggering the thrusters.
The modified Hammer Industries tech sputtered, its lacking powersources uneven lift sending him skimming across the river's surface like a stone. Icy water sprayed his legs, seeping through the suit's yet-to-be-sealed seals. The Chitauri wreck grew larger, its jagged edges glowing faintly through the storm. Up close, the alloy plating pulsed with a blue light, fused to the hull like a scar from the Battle of New York.
*Leverage point: 37 degrees northwest. Pry bar required.*
Perseus unclipped the carbon-fiber bar from his belt, jamming it beneath the plating. The metal screamed as he threw all his against it, a sound like someone tearing a subway car in half.
*Guard 2 (shouting over the storm):* "Hey! Freeze!"
A flashlight beam cut through the rain, illuminating Perseus's hunched form. He gritted his teeth, heaving harder.
*Muscle strain at 92%. Adrenaline override recommended.*
"Do it."
A surge of synthetic adrenaline flooded his veins. The alloy tore free with a shower of sparks, slamming into his chest hard enough to crack the suit's breastplate.
*Move!*
Bullets ricocheted off the wreck as he lunged sideways, clutching the plating. A SHIELD quadcopter descended through the storm, its spotlight pinning him like a specimen.
*EMP charge primed. Detonation in 5… 4…*
Perseus quickly grabbed a small cylinder attached to his shoulder that was glowing white, then hurled the charge into the drone's rotors. It detonated in a burst of blue static, sending the quadcopter spiraling into the river with a metallic shriek.
*Radiation exposure: 0.42 Sieverts. SHIELD pursuit imminent.*
He didn't wait. His lungs screamed as he vaulted onto a nearby rooftop, the alloy plating clamped under his arm. Behind him, shouts and sirens dissolved into the storm.
*54 seconds until power recovery*
He kept running until he reached the edge of the roof, vaulting down with one arm onto a trash bin, then bouncing off that and making a beeline for the subway system.
*21 seconds*
He heard shouting in the distance, footsteps hidden by the rain.
"Cero! I told you I should have finished the gun modifications first! I'm gonna be cheese before I can even build anything cool!"
He made it to the entrance to the subway before flying down the stairs, vaulting through the ticketer, "Hey! You gotta pay!"
some worker shouted after him.
*Power online*
He didn't hesitate, jumping in front of a subway pulling into the station, he pushed the thrusters to their fullest, an echoing roar filling the subway as he barreled into the dark subway tunnel like a fireball.
"We need better exits Cero, that was like 4/10 on the S.L. Coolness scale."
*… I am unsure of your Stan Lee Coolness scale as a proper metric Professor.*