Chapter 11: Seismic Warnings
Starling City's skyline burned under the setting sun, its orange-red glow painting the skyscrapers in hues of fire, a fragile veil over Slade's deadly game. Luke climbed to the roof of a downtown high-rise, the wind sharp with exhaust and the cooling asphalt's bitter tang, his sneakers gripping the edge, their soles gritty with city dust. He fished a piece of candy from his pocket, the wrapper crinkling as he popped it into his mouth, the sugar's sharp burst a fleeting shield against the anxiety knotting his gut. His jacket flapped, the zipper rattling as he steadied himself, the city's hum—traffic, voices, a distant siren—rising like a restless tide. Slade's got bombs, and I'm the flying canary in his coal mine. His fingers brushed his Gadgeteer-crafted augmented reality glasses, their lenses humming faintly, a lifeline to the chaos below.
The System flared, its interface a steady pulse, cutting through his nerves like a blade.
[SYSTEM: DAILY ROLL ACTIVATED: FALCON FLIGHT (FACE 6)]
[SYSTEM: POWER ACTIVATED: AERIAL SURVEILLANCE. STAMINA DRAIN: MODERATE]
Luke launched skyward, the city blurring beneath him, the wind stinging his eyes, tugging at his hair, the air heavy with the promise of rain. His glasses amplified his scan, highlighting structural anomalies, the city's pulse fading as he zeroed in on faint vibrations. The skyline sprawled, its lights flickering like stars in a storm, the distant wail of a police car grounding him as he banked left, his heart racing.
[SYSTEM: GADGETEER SCANS CITY INFRASTRUCTURE.]
[SYSTEM: MASTERY UPDATE: ROCKET GADGETEER +10% (LONG-RANGE SCANNING).]
"Felicity, I've got sonic emitters, low-profile, near load-bearing points. They're networked," Luke said into his comms, his voice steady despite the altitude, the crackle of static sharp in his ear. "I'm a flying earthquake detector, and they're rigged to rip the fault lines."
Felicity's voice was taut, her typing a frantic clatter. "Running your scan against city maps—Luke, it's ugly. They're hitting pillars and tunnels, maximum chaos."
His glasses pinpointed a dense cluster near Isabel Rochev's corporate HQ, its glass tower gleaming like a blade in the dusk. Slade's gutting Queen Consolidated and the city in one swing. His fingers tightened on the glasses' frame, the plastic creaking, his candy wrapper fluttering away in the wind, a small loss in the growing storm. A low thrum shook the air, the ground below quaking, buildings swaying like reeds. He's early. Damn it, Slade.
An emitter overloaded, the freeway below buckling, concrete splitting with a groan, a car plunging, its headlights spiraling. Luke dove, his Falcon Flight a desperate plummet, his stomach lurching as he conjured two Mandala shields, their orange light flaring, not as barriers but as energy brakes, slowing the car's fall. The air burned with ozone, the effort searing his chest, his vision blurring as he gritted his teeth, the candy's sweetness souring.
[SYSTEM: MAGIC STABILIZES. STAMINA DRAIN: HIGH.]
The car landed hard but safe, its driver stumbling out, shouting thanks Luke barely heard. His eyes caught a subway pillar cracking, its concrete splintering, dust billowing like smoke. No time for magic tricks. He phased through the pillar, the cold density tingling his skin, and found trapped workers, their shouts muffled, the air thick with pulverized stone. His heart pounded, his ribs aching from the gala's toll.
[SYSTEM: REGENERATION RESCUES. STAMINA DRAIN: CRITICAL.]
No regen. Just guts. Luke grabbed two workers, shoving them toward safety, their hard hats clattering as debris slammed his side, pain exploding, his ribs screaming. He collapsed, coughing, the taste of concrete dust choking him, his hands scraping the subway tracks' cold metal, their bite grounding him through the haze.
[SYSTEM: STAMINA DEBUFF: SEVERE.]
Oliver and Diggle arrived, their boots crunching through rubble, pulling workers free, their faces grim under the flickering emergency lights. Luke pushed himself up, leaning against the tracks, his breath ragged, his voice a wheeze. "Shake and bake hero moment, check. Can I get a nap now?"
Oliver's eyes flicked to him, a rare spark of respect in his gaze. "Not yet, kid."
The crisis eased, but the city bore scars—cracked streets, shattered glass, the air heavy with dust and fear. Luke, battered, studied an emitter fragment Oliver handed him, its scorched metal warm, humming faintly with residual energy. He slipped into ghost form, the world graying, and audited the collapse sites, the spectral residue revealing a deliberate pattern—targeted chaos, sparing key assets like Isabel's HQ, designed to sow panic, not obliterate.
[SYSTEM: SPECTRAL CHECK CONFIRMS SABOTAGE PATTERN.]
[SYSTEM: EMPATHY SURVIVORS: LOW-GRADE COMFORT.]
[SYSTEM: EVOLUTION POINTS GAINED: +15 EP.]
Luke handed the fragment to Felicity, his hands trembling, his bandage damp with sweat, the air sharp with her coffee's bitter scent. "This isn't random, Felicity. Slade's hitting social pressure points—panic, not destruction. The coordinates form a grid. It's his endgame map."
Her eyes widened, her fingers flying across the keyboard, the screen's glow harsh. "You're right, Luke. It's a blueprint for chaos."
Luke sagged against a crate, its wood rough, splinters pricking his palm. He popped another candy, the sugar a weak comfort, his body screaming for rest. I'm running on fumes, and Slade's got a full tank. The city's pulse thrummed, urging him forward, the weight of the next fight pressing down like the dust still settling around him.
To supporting Me in Pateron .
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