When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 31 -- That went well

The moment lasted an eternity. No one, hero nor villain, knew what to do in this situation. My best friend was passed out on the floor and the villain's leader could potentially be dead.

Thomas is the one to break the silence, and quite possibly my arm. He jumps up, pushing me off of him to go to his brother's side. I take the opportunity to run to Ash.

Her eyes are wide open but she looks sickly. I wave my hand in front of her face and she begins to gasp for air.

"Ash?" I'm ashamed to say I don't know CPR, but Mason pushes me to the side before I can help her in any way. I suppose there's nothing my brother can't do.

Jonas comes running up to me to embrace me in a tight hug. Behind him, the doors to the warehouse have busted open. News crews flood the building, the sounds of their high-dollar cameras clicking from every corner of the warehouse. Before Jonas says one word to me, I'm bombarded by people in suits and tons of questions. How did they get here so fast?

Jonas is whisked away to be interrogated as well. I look back at Ash and Mason to see she's awake now and Thomas is having a difficult time snapping Mickey out of whatever coma he's in. Even though Mickey's my ex and a villain, I don't want him to die. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"Rapid Glare, can you tell us how you found Red Raven's hideout?"

"Is it true there are really two Red Ravens?"

"How does your decision affect your friends?"

The last question I heard stuck out to me. My friends? Were they implying Ash who was clearly lying on the floor? The press wasn't the brightest pack of lightbulbs.

"My decision to strike Red Raven may have caused my friend to be electrocuted, but she's awake now." I'll be honest, I'm going to sound like a terrible hero in this interview.

"As for Red Raven, yes, there are two of them, and I was not the one to locate the hideout. My sidekick was the one to identify this building."

I hate to walk away at this point, but I don't think they realize that the scene isn't over, that there's still a mess to clean up. The cops haven't even arrived yet.

I make my way over to Thomas, who is frantically shaking his brother in an attempt to wake him up. I crouch down next to Mickey's face as Thomas looks at me curiously.

First I check his pulse, which seems to be something Thomas has not done yet, because Mickey is, in fact, alive. His chest barely rises and falls.

"If he's not awake by the time the police show up, you're dead meat." Thomas growls at me and pushes me away.

An idea comes to me, but I can't believe I'm even considering helping either of the Red Ravens. If I rub my hands together at a rapid speed, perhaps I can create enough of an electric current to jolt Mickey's heart. His heart may not be out of rhythm, but an electric cardioversion may be what he needs to wake up. Surely he'll be okay, though.

Don't take any chances. Don't let him die. I didn't die when I was struck by lightning, but I also wasn't linked to anything metal at the time. I sigh, and bring my hands together. As I rub my hands together, I look over to see Mason and Jonas helping Ash stand to her feet. This is all my fault. I could've killed both Ash and Mickey.

My eyes wander back down to Mickey as sparks have started to occur between my palms. I gently place my hands on his chest and allow the energy to shock him. Thomas is watching intently as nothing occurs.

Before Thomas can scold or threaten me, I try the process again. Mickey's body jerks, but his eyes are still closed.

"Rapid Glare! Can you explain what you're trying to do to Red Raven?" The press has followed me over to the corner of the warehouse to watch me fail at saving Mickey. I sit back on my heels, trying to think of a way to save him.