The Rise of Quake

Within days of having gained his powers. Quake has begun wreaking havoc upon the inhabitants of Centurion city. Assaulting banks, science facilities, and police stations. He's killing anyone who get's in his way. Quake has been declared an enemy of the public. A military response is brewing alongside the fear of the public, and for good reason. Surge, the cities mysterious protector has been nowhere to be seen since the villainous Quake's appearance.

Speaking softly over the off sync beeping of the heart and oxygen monitors shoved on top of the dresser next to him. Peter Mayfield leans forward nudging his friend saying. “Ed...hey, Ed? You finally with me buddy?”

“What? Ugh. Where am I?” Edgar says lifting his upper body up with his arms. Still shaky. Ed lowers himself back down onto the white cot that reeks of disinfectant.

Peter stands from the side of the cot where he had been sitting. Scratching his head nervously. He paces around to the other side where a metal stand rests with a full I.V. attached running a thin tube down into Edgar's arm. Peter rubs his hands together saying. “Okay. So. When we lost contact the second time. I sped off to find you, but you were in pretty bad shape. Whatever hit you, broke two ribs and cracked your skull like a melon.”

“So that's why I feel like I got hit by a car.”

“Did you?” Asks a tall woman dressed in scrubs striding through the doorway.

Edgar flashes Peter a very disapproving glance saying. “What did you tell her?”

Clearing her throat, she pushes her stylish glasses up the bridge of her nose. “She...is right here. And can answer for herself. Thank you very much. Oh, and I believe I'm the one who patched up that head of yours. So try to be a little nicer.”

“So...that's Daisy.” Peter sheepishly says.

Glancing angrily between the two of them, Edgar asks. “So, Daisy. What do you know?”

“You don't remember me? Do you? You saved me from my apartment building three weeks ago. I was so sure I was going to die trapped by all that fire on the fifth floor. Then you pop up. Literally out of nowhere like some sort of comic book or movie. You swept me up and within a second I was standing outside with the firemen. I know how fast you can run, and how strong you can be. I know you're Surge.”

Thinking twice about being so harsh to her. Edgar takes a deep calming breath, puts his hand out to her and smiles. “Well, Daisy. I guess the secrets out, so you might as well keep it for me.” Wincing behind his broken ribs he shakes her hand then asks. “Peter, what's happened while I've been out?”

Twiddling his fingers together. Peter nervously looks at Daisy for approval but with a shrug of her shoulders he decides to clear his throat and mumble the answer.

Frustrated Edgar asks. “Come on? I mean...how long was I out for?”

“Okay a lot has happened. Just remember to take it easy. You're still healing.” Daisy blurts out while checking the bandage on the back of Edgar's head.

Peter scratches his head and chuckles saying. “You've been out for five days.”

“Five days...” Edgar mumbles to himself then says. “Tell me. Everything that's happened.”

“So. That guy Marcus. Or Quake? Whatever his name choice is. His body was mutated by the same type of radiation emitted by that strange purple gas. You were plain old lucky the suit material I used somehow kept the mutation from occurring in you a second time. At least that's my current theory. You could have also gained an immunity to it...I suppose you could have an exposure limit and the mutation could be stimulated to occur twice?”

Daisy slaps Peter on the back of the head. “What are you doing? What is that? That's not helpful. Fill him in.”

Confused, Peter looks about laughing and says. “Sorry. So much has happened. So much to discover. Anyways. She's right. Sorry. So, that Quake guy. He's been nonstop assaulting the city. He's even managed to get the Red Lights gang on his side. I'm telling you Ed. Whoever this guy was before. Is gone. He's gone completely mad with power. He's killed so many police they've become afraid to respond to his attacks. The news says the military is supposed to be coming in any day now. We're about to deal with martial law.”

Noticing a television in the far corner of the room tucked away inside a closet filled with boxes. Edgar blinks three times in quick succession. The television turns onto a static filled channel with the first blink. The second and third blinks flip through channels. Stopping on a live news reporter from a helicopter flying overhead the edge of Centurion city. Resting in the sky somewhere between a power facility and the local prison. The camera moves away from the reporter, down to the ground below. Taking a second to focus the lens shows Quake sticking strange metal rods around a crater in the ground. A few unmarked black sedans sit down the hill just a ways. Red lights shining over the crater, the gang members wait patiently toting their guns in protection of their newfound leader.

With a heavy sigh, Edgar grunts pushing himself up out of the cot. He swings his legs to the side and stretches out saying. “Ugh. I can't just lay around knowing he's out there terrorizing everyone. It's my fault he's become this way.” Horrible piercing pains radiates from the two broken ribs on the right side of his body. Difficult to ignore it he takes a few beats to fully sit up. The throbbing crack in his skull shoots needles into his eyes. Standing up with a little stumble Edgar sits back down.

Daisy places her hands onto Edgar's shoulders and rests him back into the bed saying. “Unfortunately for you. I don't think you'll be going out there just yet.”

“Seriously. It's okay let the military handle this in a few days.” Peter says chiming in.

Determination strikes Edgar's facial features. His eyes narrow like that of a hunting predator and says. “No. No. I can't just let him get away with acting like this, and whatever he's doing. I bet it has something to do with the gas.” Forcing himself back up against his bodies desire for rest. Edgar swings his legs from the cot and stands. Focusing his breathing, he sends surges of electrical energy from his chest outward throughout every limb. Clenching his hands in fists Edgar exhales deeply saying. “Where's my suit? I'm going.”

Peter points outward down the hall and into the living room of his house. “It's in the bathroom across the hall. But, Ed?” Walking between both Daisy and Peter, Edgar looks back at his friend. Peter continues saying. “Be careful. I'll go boot the computers up.”

Confused and concerned Daisy gives Peter a light shove. “You're just going to let him go fight in this condition? What's wrong with you?”

Peter sighs watching Edgar stride down the hall into the bathroom and says. “He's going out there no matter how we feel about it. Least I can do is be ready to help.”

Feeling hopeless. Daisy sits down on the cot as Peter leaves the room. Going downstairs, Peter starts the variety of computers and police scanners they managed to scrounge up together. Edgar really was a wiz when it came to electronics, and his powers just made things easier for him. Peter was always a little tech savvy, but Ed puts him to shame. This setup can calculate spikes in the electrical grids, tune in on police frequencies and more. Getting everything ready, Peter puts a virtual reality headset on. The custom program streamlined important data directly into the visors feed.

Edgar dressed head to toe in his sleek green suit with yellow accents looks over his new helmet. The golden visor made of a thicker material to keep it from cracking and a reinforced metal plate wrapping around the skull note the major differences. Sliding it on, Edgar notices its a perfect fit. The cushions wrap around his ears sealing his head inside without diminishing his ability to hear. Peter definitely has a way of crafting armor that Edgar appreciates. Stepping out of the bathroom, Ed catches sight of the distraught Daisy on the cot.

Snapping his fingers together Ed shoots a little bolt of static electricity her way. Zapping her fingers she pulls her hand back in shock and stares at him. With a big smile Edgar flashes her a thumbs up saying. “Hey. No need to worry. I'll be back in a jiffy.”

Leaving the house. Edgar steps outside and takes a deep breath of the evening air. Charging himself up. Electricity flows up and down his body. Arcs spring off around to the ground around him in a circular pattern as he kneels down into himself in a runners stance at the start of a race. Tapping his helmet opens the communication system and Edgar asks. “Peter? Give me the fastest route to Marcus.”

Static fills the line for a beat, then Peter replies. “Sending route now.”

As the guidance system opens a small map with a detailed route in the corner of his visor. Edgar is already on the highway leaping onto a power line and grinding along the electricity arcing between his feet and it. Speeding along as a green blur, Edgar switches power lines to one heading out to the prison. Stopping short of the Red Lights gang and their cars at the bottom of the hill. Edgar zooms in with his visor, surveying the area before approaching.

Quake pierces the ground with the sixth and final metal rod and each device actives. The tops shift open revealing mysterious purple lights emanating trace amounts of gas. Collecting the atomic structuring of random debris from sand, dirt, rocks, and gravel around himself. Quake levitates feet off the ground and floats into the center of the metal rods. Holding his hands out with a pulse of energy. A harmonic chorus of tones echo from each rod. After a few seconds, a wave of energy bursts forth disrupting all electronics within the area. The nearby power facility shuts down causing blackouts across the edge of Centurion city including the prison.

Charging himself up, Edgar sends a full body surge of electricity into his suit. The root menu pops up on the side screen of his visor. Sifting through a series of boot menus the system restarts. Noticing the helicopter plummeting toward the ground as it's systems fail to restart. Edgar summons energy from the palms of his hands. Converting into an unsteady stream of lightning with a little focus the beams arc into the helicopter and it's blades. It dips and swings to the side as both turbines kick up and the helicopter regains control just a few hundred feet off the ground. This sends the news caster flying from the open door.

Edgar zips over past the Red Lights thugs standing on the hill then leaps from one of their cars into the air. Catching the woman, Edgar spins around a few times to slow his descent and touches down in the field far away from the commotion. Setting her down, Edgar winces holding his right side for a moment then straightens up and pulls the ventilator from his belt saying. “Have a nice flight? Ma'am. I'm going to need you to head toward the prison. They have a landing pad where your crew can pick you up.”

Clicking the mask in place against his visor and the sides of his helmet. Edgar gives her a thumbs up dashing off toward Quake as she mumbles. “Thank...you.”

The communications system reboots, passing through a series of checks before giving the green light. Static fills Edgar's ear for a beat, then Peter says. “Are you there? Ed? Comms are back. Do you read?”

Stopping a few bus lengths away from Quake floating in the center of the six strange devices. Edgar says. “Yeah. I'm here buddy. Whatever he's built, they released an e.m.p. Over.”

“Ed. You've got to stop him. Whatever made that crater. Well. I think it might be the source of the gas. The monitors we placed all over the city are going nuts, specifically in your area.”

Members of the Red Lights gang notice Edgar on top of the hill near Quake. Positioning themselves defensively behind open car doors and trunks they open fire. Focusing his breathing. Edgar surges electricity through his arms into the copper wire lining the inside of his gauntlets. Manifesting an electromagnetic field Edgar redirects the bullets around him into the ground at his feet. Holding his hands together powers a bolt of lightning straight into the engine block of one of the cars. Hitting it with enough force the gas tank explodes forcing the car onto it's side. Dodging the car and it's explosion. The Red Lights gang starts to disperse, most dropping their guns in the act of running away. Edgar stretches his hands outward with lightning flowing from each finger tip. The individual bolts flying off shift into a paper thin tendrils that gives a shock of incentive to the remaining gang members. Some pile into the remaining cars and peel out, others just run away.

Shifting his attention back to Quake. Edgar notices him clapping. Staring right at him, Quake says. “Well. If it isn't the fairy. I thought that punch killed you.” Floating down from in between the metal rods he lands gently and releases his mental hold on the debris gravitating to him. Walking toward Edgar. Quake's lifeless gray eyes look to the sky then he glances to the crater behind him. Cracking his knuckles. “Guess. I'll just have to see how many hits it takes.”

Stretching his hamstrings and loosening up. Edgar speaks through his ventilator, calmly breathing through every word. “You don't have to do this. We don't have to fight. We both want the same thing. Right? We both want to know where the gas comes from. Marcus, let me help you.”

With a violent twitch, Quake screams. “Do not. Do not say that name!”

Lunging forward in attempt to tackle him. Quake falls to the ground grabbing onto the afterimage of Edgar. Fully charged with electricity surging from his chest into every limb. Edgar puts Quake into a full nelson hold saying. “Calm down. Don't make me hurt you. Work with me here Marcus.”

Tripping himself. Quake falls to the ground on top of Edgar elbowing him in the ribs on his right side. Gasping for breath Ed lets go. Grabbing at his side in pain Edgar rolls away as Quake does the same. Both men stand facing the other. Lifting his hands Quake summons a cloud of debris from all around and sends it flying at Edgar. Short on breath, Ed turns the valve on his oxygen up. With every breath the electrical stimulation sends shivers up and down his body. Placing his hands up defensively brings forth an energy shield redirecting the debris like the bullets through trace amounts of metal. Less effective then with bullets, Ed only protects himself from the largest chunks flying through the cloud.

Quake leaps in the moment the cloud disperses swinging wildly at Edgar. Dodging easily at first. Edgar gets slower with every breath and movement. Even with the increased oxygen his years of neglecting a physical routine are coming back to haunt him. Dipping underneath one punch Edgar stops an incoming knee with his hands, he leans up and backwards away from another hook and steps back. Stepping to the side away from a lunging punch Ed trips up in the grass and slips right into an uppercut that sends him flying into the air. Chipping a few teeth as they clack together. Edgar shakes the incoming darkness away and does a back flip landing on the ground closer to the power facility. Lights flickering in the distance of the facility signals power returning to the grid as Quake flies through the air toward Edgar.

Taking a martial stance that must have come from somewhere in his youth. Edgar grabs Quakes incoming fist and flips him through the air slamming him into the ground. Angrier then before. Quake screams closing his fist around some invisible object as a large chunk of earth tears itself from the ground. Waving his hand the boulder simultaneously flies toward Edgar. Barely dodging Ed speeds off to the side as Quake levitates from the ground. Dashing at each other. Quake sends rock after rock at Ed forcing him into one spot. Then with a final blast of dirt in front of his visor. Quake punches Edgar so hard in the ribs it sends a shockwave out kicking up dust all around the two. Within a beat Ed is sent flying from the impact hundreds of feet back into the power facility. Tearing through the steel fence, Ed skids against the road and bounces punching a hole in the concrete wall of the facility landing somewhere inside.

Laughing Quake turns his attention back to the metal rods. Having completed their task of extracting a meteorite directly from the depths of the crater. Levitating in place among the six rods the meteorite sparkles with strange purple crystals. Small pours along the surface continuously release the purple gas into the air around it. With a devilish smile and grin, Quake runs his hands along its surface saying. “We're about to get very close. You and I.”