ReFusion: Explosion Ch. 01-02

It is a warm summer evening in Staten Island, a young man closing up a comic book shop for the night ponders going for a late night run to shake the doldrums of a slow Tuesday. As the door is locked, a streak of red and black flashes behind the man in the windows. He turns and looks around, seeing nothing. As if by premonition, he looks up. His eyes are greeted at the rooftop across the street, a large figure looms, long crimson locks blowing in the wind, offset by the equally red glowing eyes.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The young man yells, the empty streets echoing his question. He feels as if this strange being is looking through him. The hairs on his neck stand on end, but stands steadfast. The strange figure begins to radiate a crimson aura outlining his ebon form. The glowing form falls from the rooftop, accelerating faster than gravity. The young man tries to move in anticipation to catch the falling form, and a faint emerald glow seems to follow his footfalls. As the young man races out to the street, the crimson figure rushes along the building, then on the street to him, an evil grin glints from the darkened face. A pair of glowing fingers extend, tapping the young man on the shoulder. As the dark and crimson form turns to run northward, a single word escapes his lips, fading from the Doppler effect...

"Tag!"

The young man is surprised as he's pushed back three steps from the jab, but a smile forms on his face. As he looks around, he sees no one in the area. He begins to accelerate after the strange being, his emerald aura extending as he runs faster than the human eye can see. As he hovers between heartbeats, he changes from his normal garb to a green outfit, flashes of blue and silver burst forth as he dons his polarized goggles. Stashing his clothes in his backpack, the young man disappears in a flash of light and speed. Nitro-G races into the night.

After flying above the city's buildings to get a better view, Nitro sees the crimson blur at street level, zig-zagging in his path, almost as if to be more visible on purpose, heading toward the river. The adrenalized adventurer flies overhead to intercept, believing his flight can beat this strange being. As he lands 200 feet in the path before the speedster, his hands arc with emerald electricity. Nitro-G races toward the glowing man, hand outstretched to tag him.

"Now you're it pal", he exclaims as he tries to touch the living rocket, only to have his touch dodged with surprising agility. As the mysterious figure flips over him, he is tagged on the top of the head. The speedster laughs.

"You're grounded!" The dark stranger cackles, as he continues to run towards the river. Nitro-G follows after, wondering as to the motives of this being. Something about him seems familiar, but be can't put his finger on it. As the stranger leaps a guard rail, he rockets upon the water, running on top of it! Nitro begins flying after the being, following in his wake, but notices he doesn't appear to be as fast as this racer while flying. He approaches the water, and begins to run on top of it as his opponent does. It's a stunt he's never tried before now, but always wanted to. With his excitement as his experiment seems to work with his momentum, he continues his pursuit of the speedster. His course, the heart of Manhattan.

Block after block they run, green and red blurs barely visible to the naked eye, until the crimson opponent reaches the Empire State Building, and runs up the side of it. Nitro-G follows suit on an adjacent part of the wall. Their race comes to an end atop the building, the dark racer's glow faded except for his eyes. Nitro approaches the stranger.

"Okay, you won the race up here. Now who are you? What are you doing in my city?"

The stranger sneers a cheshire grin, as the light in his eyes fades, and the pallor lightens to a more human hue. "To have a race, you must start as equals. We never did that. But as to who I am? Don't you recognize me from Orlando?" He steps forward into the light. His face revealing his long hair and goatee, his dark uniform offset by a symbol of intertwining lightning bolts forming an X on his chest.

"Dave! Dude! It's good to see you bro!" Nitro's glow fades as he shakes hands with the stranger, both reciprocating pats on the backs. "So you've got powers too? Awesome!"

"Thanks man, it's good to see you too. I knew you were in the neighborhood, I had to stop by and see my super buddy. And I'm glad no one else is up here to hear. I have a super identity as well. I am ReFusion."

"ReFusion eh? Cool! I like it! So, what are your powers? How'd you get 'em? I thought you had another idea for the show you were telling me about."

"That's true, I did. But something else happened to me. It's a long origin story, short version is I found a mystic object,. I say a magic word, it empowers me with the powers of...some legendary beings and heroes."

"Oh, like Captain Marvel and Shazam?"

"Kind of a mix between that and Kid Eternity. Like I said, more to it, but I can get into that later. I was in town on a little sightseeing trip, and I thought I'd look you up. Didn't wanna bug you at work, so I waited."

"Dude, you can hang out in the shop any time. How long you here for?"

"Not sure yet, there's something I have to look into about a possible recording job, other than that, I have a few days to kill. In the meantime, I was wondering if you'd like to help me test the upward limits of my powers, and in doing so, yours as well?"

"Well, sure, if I can. But you know, my powers only work on my adrenaline level. I can only help for so long."

ReFusion smiled. "I know, that's why I spooked you first. I figured if I gave you the Martian Manhunter appearance, you'd be up for a little run. Besides, I have a present for ya. Here." ReFusion pulled out a six-pack of Red Bull and handed Nitro a bottle of pills. The label read 'Raw Adrenal'.

"What the!? Adrenaline pills?" Nitro laughed.

"Not exactly, it's raw adrenal gland extract from bovines and such. It's concentrated in pill form to help give an extra boost. I took it years ago, the stuff works to get your energy up, but after a while I seemed to build up a tolerance to it. I figured if you kept them on you, you'd have an extra boost of energy when you needed. Just take one at a time though, you don't want to overload on it, or make your body dependant on an outside source of adrenaline. I think one of those, a Red Bull and looking at how high up we are would give you enough adrenaline for a real race. What do you say?"

"Wow. Sure! Are you sure you want me to have one of these before we run for a fair race? I dunno, I might be juiced up enough for a good run as it is. Where'd you want to run to anyway?"

"Don't worry, all I need is the Red Bull, I have enough adrenaline I think it'll make us even enough. How's this sound: We start here at the top of the building, run south until we hit the water, run one lap around the island, then straight on until we get to the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Sound good?"

Nitro looked at the pills and pondered. "How about three laps?" he asked as he smiled.

"Well if you're feeling froggy enough, how about five laps then? I'm usually a good sprinter, but that was before my powers kicked in. It'll be part speed, part endurance then. And if we see any bad guys or major threats to people, we stop, deal with it, and if we're up to it, we continue the race. Sound fair?"

Nitro paused, then smiled. "Make it four, and you've got a deal! I've gotta admit though, that was the first time I ever tried running on water. I always wanted to try, but since I can fly, I never thought I'd need to."

"I had a feeling if I could build up the momentum to run on water and stay stable, you could as well. Besides, you could use your flight to fall back on. And you didn't wanna be outdone by an over sugared super kid from the Incredibles, right?" Both speedsters laughed. The next few minutes were filled with sharing drinks, enjoying the view, comparing the first times they both used their powers. Comradery and friendship only one superhuman to another can know. With their powers so apparently similar, one can easily relate to the other. A bond is intensified, enhanced just as their abilities are, so too is the connection felt. An unspoken relation as fellow fans of stories involving super powered friends, racing, working together as only they can.

After ten minutes of catching their breaths, drinking energy drinks and Nitro-G deciding to trust his fellow speedster, he downs a raw adrenal pill. He feels his body energize within a few more moments. "All right, let's do this. The Fantastic Four Laps!" Nitro says.

"If only the lady waiting at the end really was the Invisible Woman. Jessica Alba...MMMMmmmm. Don't get me started!" ReFusion chuckles, as both speedsters look over the ledge, seeing the sprawling city outstretched below and around them. Both racers take their positions at the south wall, taking a four point stance as sprinters would. "Your city buddy, you count it down to go." With smiles on both their lips, Nitro readjusts his goggles. ReFusion's skin darkens slightly as his muscles tense.

"All right. On your mark....get set...," Nitro says, both racers poised to launch, their bodies engulfed by swirling auras. The world below seems to go into slow motion as their powers and speed begin to build. "...GO!!!!" The speedsters erupt in light, leaping from the peak as if launched from a cannon. Two glowing meteors in human form touch their feet to the walls of the Empire State Building, then burst down faster than gravity could carry them. Rocketing downward, their feet hit the pavement within seconds and without missing a step, the blurs of red and green hurtle southward, weaving in and out of traffic, running along the walls of buildings, twin living lightning bolts reveling in their race. Onlookers can barely see except for the blurs and gusts of wind in their wake.

Once hitting the waters, two large wakes form both behind and in the path of the speedsters. Nitro tries to keep his footing, hovering and traveling with the momentum, stamping his feet to run, but unable at first to change direction to turn. Running straight on water is one thing, but trying to make a sharp turn was a challenge. Looking up, he sees ReFusion leaning into the turn hard into the forward wake. As he begins slowing, he begins pumping his legs from side to side, mimicking a speed skater. With this high speed footing allowing enough surface tension, he begins to rocket left upon the water. Nitro seeing this, uses his momentum in flight to alter his path, then running to catch up. Just as he gains ground, ReFusion returns to running on the water's surface, pulling ahead. Looking back, his glowing eyes and cheshire grin flash at Nitro as he utters, "C'mon slowpoke!" ReFusion turns his attention forward, and both explode forward on the water.

Around ever sharp turn, both living lightning bolts vie for the inner positions, trying to gain some advantage. Nitro pulls ahead, then ReFusion at the next turn. Lap after lap, the pace of the race keeps swaying to each speedster. Before rounding the last corner, ReFusion has taken the lead. Nitro tries to find a way around, but ReFusion blocks his path. Both racers are nearing the end of the hyper dash, with the Statue of Liberty 200 yards ahead. Their speed building for the final run, both near the speed of sound. Victory seems apparent for the crimson speedtser as his final burst of speed creates a sonic boom. Just as Mach 1 is achieved, Nitro burst forth, directly behind ReFusion. As the racers slice through the air at the base of the statue, Nitro bursts forth, leaping over ReFusion, slingshotting over him! With the lead and a final explosive blast of speed, Nitro-G races up without stopping, being the first to reach the torch of Lady Liberty! Both heroes fly up from momentum, then land again at the top of the torch.

"Hahahahaha!!!! You drafted me! I can't friggin' believe you used my own speed and wake to get a boost! Congratulations bro!" ReFusion exclaims as he shakes the winner's hand and gives another shoulder hug. Both competitors are adrenalized, smiling at a race well run.

"Dude, I though you had me beat for sure. Then it came to me to try it. If you hadn't been that fast, I'd never have been able to boost like that! And I NEVER would have tried running on water! We've gotta do this again man, this was too fun!!"

"Yeah, definitely. But maybe some other night, we both gave a crapload of energy on that one," ReFusion says, both racers trying to catch their breaths, their sweat well earned. ReFusion pulls out another Red Bull, as well as an apple. "I'm glad I could help. Want one?"

"What, are you the Supermarket Man or something?" Nitro asks, taking the Red Bull.

"Not really, I just like to be prepared. And the apple helps me for some reason, it gets my energy back quick, even heals me if I get hurt or sick," he says after taking a bite of a red delicious.

"Huh. Maybe Creature was right after all." ReFusion smiles at Nitro's comment. Both heroes continue to get their breaths and energy back, talking about places to see in the city as well as other locations.

"So, are you the only superhero in the city?"

"The only one I know with real powers so far. I've heard stories and rumors, but haven't teamed up with anyone like you. Plus my powers are hit and miss with my adrenal level, so I do what I can, but I can't clean up every part of the city by myself. You know, I don't wanna sound like an ass, but I need to get home and wind down, I have a test tomorrow morning. I was doing some studying at the store, but I need to get some more cramming in and sleep."

"No problem man. Need me to give you a lift to get your stuff? I'm feeling better now," ReFusion says, as his apple is eaten, his hand glowing red, and the leftover core incinerated and vaporized in a flash.

"Nah, I have enough in me for the trip back. After tonight, I should be able to crash easy enough. See you at the store tomorrow? We could catch up, hang out, go bust some crime as a tag team..."

"You got it bro. I'm gonna chill here a bit, check the view, then see what I can find to help put an end to around here."

"Sounds good bro," Nitro says as they shake and shoulder nudge hug once more. "Try not to get into too much trouble, all right?"

"We'll see," ReFusion says, smiling. With their goodbyes of the night spoken, Nitro-G lauches off the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Halfway down, his aura flashes emerald, and begins to fly back toward Staten Island. ReFusion smiles and waves to his friend until the glow fades into the distance. With that, the second speedster's expression changes to a somber one.

"I'm sorry brother," he says out loud to himself. "You should have made me promise not to get into trouble tonight." With those words uttered, his skin darkens, eyes and body glows crimson once again. He hovers above the torch, glowing brightly, more brightly than witnessed, as if to illuminate the torch itself. With a burst of speed, the stranger flies straight on in the midnight sky to Rikers Island.

Chapter 2

The being known as ReFusion flies over Rikers Island in seconds, hovering a mile over the prison island. He stares down at the penitentiary, pausing for minutes as he ponders his next move. In trepidation turns to pleasure on his face as he locates the maximum security wing of the facility. He begins to freefall toward the ground, picking up speed as his eyes and body glow, offsetting his now ebon skin. Within one thousand feet, he sees a glint moving northward towards him, a familiar emerald glow intercepts his descent.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Nitro screams at his fellow speedster. With a look over his shoulder, ReFusion points to North Brother Island, an abandoned location nearby. Both superbeings hurtle towards the island, ReFusion pulling forward as if not to hear his friend screaming in his ears. As they land near the shore by a patch of forest, their glows fade, but Nitro's anger and confusion do not. "Since when is skydiving into a prison island at night sightseeing? What, are your powers fueled by adrenaline too, so you figured a drop into a jail from a mile up would give you a jump? PLEASE don't tell me you were planning on breaking into there."

"All right. I was in the process of free falling, and recording it for a video file. You don't get to see that kind of view, so I was going to upload it, along with a few other choice scenes, and see if anyone was interested in buying them. Here," ReFusion says as he reveals his camera phone. Flipping it open, he plays back the fall, up until the point where Nitro-G interrupted.

"I didn't see a camera or a phone in your hand, this looks...this looks like it was straight from your point of view." Nitro looks puzzled as he utters it. "Look man, we've talked a lot online, in person...this doesn't seem like the guy I know. Maybe you should tell me more about how you got your powers and what you can do."

"What about your test in the morning?" ReFusion asks.

"I was heading to get my stuff when I saw an explosion of red over the torch. Then I saw you take off like a bat out of hell. I thought there may have been some trouble, so I caught up. Then I see you hovering over the prison, you falling, and I have NO idea why you're doing it! Why? Would you rather I was out of here so you can continue? Oh...PLEASE don't tell me you planned this all out to wear me out so I couldn't stop you!"

"All right! Calm down, and I'll tell you!" ReFusion bellows. "My meeting you, the race, it's exactly what it was. Fun between two super-bros! Personally I'd have loved to hang out with you some more, but YOU had to call it quits early, remember? So it looks like you had plenty of adrenaline after all. Looks like that pill helped.

"Dude, I spit it out."

"WHAT!? When?"

"When I first popped it in my mouth, I took a swig and let it backwash into the can. I don't know how you like to party, but when you meet a friend and he offers you a drug, I don't like doing it, no matter what the cover story is for it." ReFusion begins to anger.

"Is that what you think? Do you REALLY think I'd slip you a mickey or some crap for recreation or to influence you!? HELL no! I meant it as I said it! You need adrenaline, it could help you if you needed it! What about that device Feedback was working on to help you monitor your levels?"

"He's still working on it. Now stop changing the subject! I let the pill thing go to see what you were up to, and to enjoy my bro. But there's something different than the last time I talked to you, man! And I don't just mean the powers! You want my trust, you want to stay friends, talk to me man. What happened?" A long pause of silence was broken when ReFusion nodded and spoke.

"I won't lie to you, man. I respect you too much. And I don't lie unless it's someone I don't respect. I give you my word on that."

"So how'd you get your powers? You said you found a magic object, were you on a treasure hunt or something?"

"Kind of. You'd be surprised at what you can find on Ebay,." ReFuson says. Nitro laughs at hearing that.

"Come on, are you serious?"

"I swear! I was browsing along, and I found something that promised to be a piece of...a very cool object, I'll tell you in time. I managed to be the high bidder, though I noticed the first weird thing was the total price. Not many people seemed to be looking for it, and I found it by accident. With shipping, the total came to $6.66. A little ominous, but I wasn't going to let religious superstition sway me. The item arrived, and shortly after, I started getting weird thoughts. About magic, comic books, and I started thinking about a certain sorceress who could do ANYTHING simply by saying it backwards. It made me start thinking of the potential power of our words. So, I started watching a recording of the show connected to the object. Just for the hell of it...okay, bad pun under the circumstance. But anyway, I watched the show, and wrote down some choice words from it. And when I wrote down one certain word backwards, then said it out loud, there was a rumble of thunder and a flash of light from the object. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, I DO live in the lightning capital of the U.S. Maybe it was just a fluke, a reflection on the shiny little item. I picked it up, and it felt slightly warm. Warmer than the things around it. So for the ...sake of disputing it, I held the item in my hand, and said the word."