Impulse and Inertia – First Step.

Here's Chapter 2 and we have seen some intense action so far. What will happen now?

Movement.

As Impulse jumped from one roof to another, his short attention span made his mind wander to Inertia himself. Why was he being like this? He could be on HIS side if he tried…

A twinge of pain from the increasingly throbbing headache hit his brain and Impulse brought his hand up automatically to touch his forehead with a sigh, as if he was trying to wipe away the headache that had persisted since this morning. He thought nothing of it though and shrugged it off. Golden yellow eyes, like drops of pure sunlight, roamed the landscape as he searched for the boy that was making his and Max's life difficult.

"Come on Inertia, where are you?" The young speedster muttered out loud, wondering if he'd EVER find his double. Suddenly, he caught sight of a blurred onyx and lime shape sprinting away through the clustered branches of the woodlands on the quieter outskirts of Manchester, Alabama. Picking up the pace, Bart Allen tore through after him, reaching Inertia in two seconds. He distinctively heard Inertia curse.

"Inertia, this needs to stop!"

"Why should it?! You're annoying me, you stupid little boy and I won't stop until you're eliminated!"

A flying kick was sent Impulse's way and he was forced to leap aside to avoid being hit. Retaliating with a stinging blow to Inertia's arm, Impulse remembered the wrestling video game he had been playing earlier before all of this had started and responded to another attempted attack by blocking it with a solid white arm before grabbing a leg and throwing Inertia over his shoulder. Inertia landed with a thud and rolled over, landing on his back. Leaping up, the other teen growled in annoyance and started forwards, forcing Impulse away from him.

"Fight me!" Inertia taunted. "You're barely even touching me!"

Impulse scowled and made as if to lash out at Inertia. But halfway through, something seemed to distract him as he halted and lurched away, clamping his hands to his stomach. Inertia paused too, surveying his opponent critically before his eyes widened as he witnessed Impulse throw up the contents of his digestive system. As Impulse ceased and wiped his mouth with the back of his left hand, he saw Inertia staring down at him in disbelief.

"What the hell just happened?!"

Impulse could only shrug as he stood, watching the ground spin around him while he swayed. Inertia couldn't take this in. This was his golden opportunity to seize, a chance to finally be rid of Bart Allen and to uphold the Thawne family name. And yet something inside him just refused to do it. Maybe it was honour…

Impulse coughed and brought a hand up to his forehead, seeing perspiration clinging to his fingertips as he drew it away. He'd barely even pushed himself tonight!

What was going on?

Dizziness threatened his vision, making it fray around the edges and Impulse whimpered, now truly scared.

"Max…"

Everything overwhelmed his senses and the whole world pitched. Staggering a little, Impulse took one baby step and crumpled in a heap at Inertia's feet.

Inertia stared.

Impulse had just fainted right in front of him.

Now he had two decisions. One was easy and didn't really have many consequences, unless you counted Impulse dying as a giant consequence. Which Inertia normally wouldn't. But seeing his greatest enemy lying helpless and dead to the world stirred something inside, like his stomach was plummeting out of his body…

And this led to the other, more life-changing option. To save him and take him back to his mentor Max. This hypothesis would surely have greater repercussions.

Inertia squatted on his haunches and thought.

Max rushed through the streets, calling for his protégée. He had waited for at least five seconds before concluding that something was drastically wrong. Normally Impulse would be practically hopping around him by now, excited at the prospect of going home and reminding Max of a small russet, golden-eyed puppy. But there was only a cold wind whipping small dead shells of what had once been fresh leaves into a frenzy, making them dance in the hard grey gutters. Even the streetlamp made the inky blackness look dark and lonely in comparison to the warm, fiery-orange glow. So Max started searching,

And five minutes later, he STILL hadn't found Impulse. He was getting desperate and seriously considered contacting the Justice League (the hierarchy of all superheroes) to get in touch with Wally West, the current Flash. Maybe then they could fan out and conduct a search correctly…

A silhouette outlined by the gentle silver tendrils of the moon.

Max screeched to a standstill as the old sage considered the shape and bulk of the object. World-weary blue eyes narrowed an inch. And as the figure came closer, he could make out-

"Impulse!"

Inertia stepped carefully, almost as if he were afraid of jolting the heavily unconscious boy who lay limp in his arms. He interrupted Max's furious question as he stopped.

"Before you accuse me, I didn't do this. Feel his skin."

Max looked suspiciously at the unusually calm boy for a few moments then took off his dark blue glove and hesitantly touched Impulse's face. No sooner had his tanned hand come into contact with Impulse, it was jerked away again with a frantic hiss. The heat pouring off Impulse was immense, clogging the air closest to him and making it hard for the boy to breathe. The boy's eyes flickered uneasily underneath ashy eyelids and his goggles had been removed; they hung from Inertia's right arm.

"He's ill Max."

And in short, sharp sentences, Inertia sped through the explanation of the past five minutes.

Yay! Another chapter completed! Poor Impulse, what will happen to him? Don't worry, you'll find out in the next chapter. PLEASE review! Or Impulse will be sad.

Impulse: *sniffles with big anime eyes*