Hello! This is for the people who've fav'ed or followed me! I figured I ought to give you another story, so here it is!


The citizens of Shuggazoom could not remember being at the mercy of a more terrible storm. Was it an assault by the Skeleton King? Possibly, for the corrupted soul's fortress stood across the bridge, taller than any skyscraper, darker than the clouds above and the water in the deepest depths of the lake. But dealing with the enemy was the last item on everyone's list — at the top, surviving the hurricane. Great billowing black clouds consumed the sky, shrouding the grand city in darkness, sucking the life from the vibrant colors. Gales of wind blasted through the city streets, ripping roofs from their structures, light poles from the pavement, children from their families. Debris was carried off in the wind and hurled into inanimate objects and people alike, producing more damage, further arming the vicious winds like swords and battering rams. But what made the storm truly horrible was the floodwater filling the streets, urged on by the torrential rain, rapidly rising above doors and windows. The water rushed around in a frightening mess, pushing and pulling debris along in one massive deathtrap. Avoid one collision, you'll end up in the next one.

"Heave!" Antauri heard a human yell on the rooftop. He saw two men struggling to hoist a third by his arms back onto the crumbling platform that was quickly detaching from the building. Antauri would've helped, but as it were his mind was stretched between five civilians, who had been forced along down the raging manmade river. He focused on their energies, levitating them out of harms way and setting them on a nearby roof. He almost needn't have worried; Chiro had just arrived, soaked to the bone and flying by jet-pack up to the balcony, when the man finally slipped from the others' grasps, flailing desperately as he attempted to grab onto something, anything. One story. Another story. Chiro just barely managed to grab the man by a wrist. The two of them continued downward as Chiro strained to change direction. Wobbling violently in the fierce winds, the pair managed to fly back through the sliding door. Antauri let out a breath.

Relief slipped its way into his veins, but there was not a moment to waste, there was still work to do — the hurricane had come about in an instant, allowing no time for the people to seek shelter. Those on the ground were in particular danger, having been swept away in the flash flood. The mere thought sent shivers coursing down his spine — the team might not, and probably wouldn't, rescue everyone. Death was coming.

A shockwave flowed through his soul and not a second later a scream pierced the air. Antauri launched himself at the water, letting the Power Primate guide him. The water rushed, swirled crashed and thrashed below him. It was no match for Antauri, however, as his target came into view: a young girl, perhaps seven years old, who had just been dragged under the unrelenting waves. Stretching a hand out, he smacked into the river, nearly being pulled under as well, yet reemerging, tearing upward and ripping the girl away from the might of the current. He jet-packed higher and higher, then finally landed rather ungracefully on the roof of an office building.

"Are you all right? Are you injured?" he asked as he steadied the girl. She sputtered out water as she latched onto Antauri's wrists and leaned into his chest, harshly sucking in lungfuls of air between sobs. Sensing no immediate danger in the area, he permitted himself to comfort the girl. He easily wriggled a hand free and patted her on the back. But anything could happen at any moment, he reminded himself, best get moving.

"I'm going to take you someplace safe," he said in a strong voice, a voice he hoped brought comfort, "then I'll have to leave you. Understood?"

The girl nodded nodded shakily, but did not look up. Antauri felt slightly guilty as he could sense her reluctance of him leaving. He resigned himself to picking up her small form and zipping through the rain over to a door. Thrusting it open, he flew inside, grateful for the reprieve from the freezing wind and icy downpour. Even as a robot, the weather and task at hand were wearing him down.

There had to be people in there, as it was a weekday. He preferred to return the girl to her family, but the office workers would have to do. He couldn't imagine the panic families everywhere were experiencing, especially those who'd been separated during the storm. Zig-zagging through the building, he quickly came across a gathering of sophisticates hunkered down behind some cubicles. He landed before them and ordered, "Take care of this girl. Make sure she finds her family when all this is over."

A friendly-looking woman, whose hair was in a sagging wet bun, stretched her arms out and pulled the girl into a hug. Satisfied, Antauri spun around and whipped his way back though the halls, out the door and into the storm, the rain and hail wasting no time in striking him with all their power. Quite suddenly, the wind snatched him up and tossed him through the air, straight for another building. A spark of panic ignited in his chest, but he swiftly extinguished it as he focused on his own energy, finding himself back in control. Gradually, he slowed down and sprung the opposite way as if bouncing against an invisible cushion.

Unproductive thoughts continuously ate at his determination. He had lost a great deal of strength, and was finding it more and more difficult to reach out for the energies of other beings. Simply reaching out to others in his area had become an arduous task that left him gasping. They might not save everyone. His own teammates might be injured, or captured by the Skeleton King. Perhaps both. But he was trained to deal with thoughts like these, and so plucked the doubt from his mind like petals off a flower and tossed them away. There was a job to do, no time to dwell on what-ifs. The knowledge, however, remained — he might be just a little too late for some innocent bystanders.

Though a machine, Antauri could feel his face set in a hard frown and the rain running down his body. His eyes scanned the water and the buildings for signs of trouble while his mind reached out with the Power Primate for the people not within his line of sight. He jet-packed over to Chiro's last known location. A spike of worry jolted him when he did not see the boy, but only for a moment. Chiro was fine, he always was...

"Chiro," Antauri demanded over the communicator as he landed on a balcony. "Antauri to Chiro. Come in, Chiro."

The device crackled in his ear, but Chiro's voice did not follow. Antauri would've wondered if the storm had disrupted the signal, but he was a highly-advanced robot and could tune to whichever frequency he wished whilst tuning everything else out. Why wasn't Chiro answering? He felt a prickle of annoyance at the young leader.

"Chiro, come in," he called harshly. Nothing. He tried again. Crackling. Once more, though he was beginning to feel angry. "Chiro, now is not the time to be headstrong. If you can hear me, meet me at town hall at once!"

He gave up on the communicator. The beginnings of fear were stalking toward him, but he shunned the feeling. Fear gets you nowhere. Besides, Chiro was fine. The team had trained him to be.

Antauri glanced around the rooftop, the pools of water pushing at his feet and trying to drag him over the edge. He reached with the Power Primate, the only other way to contact the boy. Nothing. That can't be right, he thought. He tried again. And again. Forcing every thought out of his head, he attempted a quick meditation, telling himself that he was just panicking too much to make a strong connection. Breath in. Breath out. Come on, quickly now. In. Out. He stretched forth his energy, searching for Chiro's, for an energy onto which he could latch his own.

Come on, Chiro, hear my voice, feel my soul...

Nothing. There was nothing. He could feel person after person, but none felt like the boy he loved —

The wind picked up and lightening struck nearby. Breathing was too difficult, relaxing was impossible. He had to keep going, continue saving people. Chiro had to be okay, there was no other option. Treacherous thoughts filled his soul, but this time he could not remove the doubt that plagued him.

Chiro, where are you?


A/N Posted July 30, 2015

So, I have several ways in which this fic could continue, and I want your opinion:

1) Chiro dies, the team finds his body (or maybe they don't! Muhahahaha!) (Three-shot)

2) Chiro is perfectly fine, he just got lost in the storm. (Three-shot)

3) Chiro is struck by lightening, which heightens his already electric-themed powers, making him almost god-like (Definitely a multi-chap fic, though I'm not sure how I'd go about it)