Darkness of the Mind

"Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them."

-Alice Sebold

Hyperstorm coughed violently as he untangled himself from the railing that was wrapped around him. He pushed his hair back with his hand, and then rubbed his cheek. He forced the railing up and down deep into the ground with rage.

Hyperstorm turned and stormed away from the hole. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his arm, it was obviously broken. Hyperstorm touched it, and a warm glow flushed over the wound, and suddenly Hyperstorm felt better.

Hyperstorm looked at his surroundings. He was near central park, where all the mutants were being kept. He grunted angrily and had the sudden urge to blast the entire park away.

JOHNATHAN Hyperstorm heard inside his head. GET HERE NOW.

Hyperstorm hunched over like he was in trouble. He sighed and snapped his fingers, suddenly being pulled into a strange blue and purple void and traveling at high speeds. Hyperstorm suddenly flew out of the void and overtop the nearly destroyed New York. Hyperstorm went down at high speed towards a decrepit skyscraper a faint blue color. Half of it was missing and was apparently cut in half, diagonally.

Hyperstorm leaned backwards and landed on the top of the building. A large gust of wind blew out from under him as he landed. He walked towards the makeshift stairs, but suddenly someone blasted out of the staircase, an eggplant colored streak coming from his feet. He flew past Hyperstorm, and he fell back onto his behind. He looked back and glared at the man, who was already out into the night sky.

Hyperstorm sighed and got up, brushing himself off. He looked up, and there was Onslaught.

Onslaught rarely got up from his throne, but when he did, he looked godly and menacing. The shadows covering his face from his mask gave a terrifying idea what Onslaught's real face looked like. His cape flowed behind him and his outfit gleamed in the moonlight.

Hyperstorm stumbled back with fright and pressed up against the wall that only went up to the middle of his back. Onslaught walked calmly over towards him, then stopped a few feet away.

"Johnathan." Onslaught's voice boomed throughout the night. "Have you retrieved the children?"

"Master Onslaught, I… I couldn't." Hyperstorm said hesitantly. "Nathaniel Grey, he's….he's way too powerful."

"Oh you poor, poor thing." Onslaught said with a strange hint of sympathy. "Nathaniel managed to beat you?"

Hyperstorm nodded.

"Oh, don't worry, I've sent Jetstream to deal with Nathaniel." Onslaught said. He suddenly brought his hand up and Hyperstorm felt hands wrap around his neck. It curled around his neck tightly and pulled him up and over the wall, over the streets of New York.

"Because he isn't a pathetic piece of garbage like you." Onslaught hissed. "You, a weak brainless fool who can't simply receive a boy who's only six years younger than you."

Onslaught turned, putting his hand down. Hyperstorm was still in the air being choked, the grasp getting tighter by the moment. Onslaught folded his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

"I am ashamed of you, Johnathan. Really ashamed." Onslaught said calmly. He looked back at Hyperstorm, who suddenly flew into the room and onto the floor, sliding across it and slamming into the wall on the other side of the room. Onslaught looked over at Hyperstorm, feeling his angry presence rush coldly over him.

"I'm going to give you one. Last. Chance." Onslaught growled. He walked up and grabbed Hyperstorm by the collar, pulling him up face to face. Onslaught pulled his helmet off and looked Hyperstorm right in the eye.

Onslaught had a grotesque face. His skin was a pale color of a dead person. His face was monstrous, with cheekbones that dug deep onto his face. His smile was inhumanly stretched all the way to where his ears should be. His teeth jagged and long, and his tongue long and scaly. His eyes were as big as golf balls and were a bright blue color that pierced deep into Hyperstorm's soul and strangled its neck.

Hyperstorm was frozen with fear and his eyes as big as saucers. Onslaught opened his mouth to a sickening and vicious smile, his tongue running over his top set of teeth.

"Listen to me very closely." Onslaught hissed. "I want you to go get your son, and bring him here. If I don't see you with Franklin after you leave, I will rip you limb from limb. Understand, you incompetent buffoon?"

Hyperstorm escaped Onslaught's gaze and nodded quickly. Onslaught gave a cheshire grin.

"Good." Onslaught growled. He tossed Hyperstorm at the staircase, and he tumbled down them and hit another wall. "Now get out of my sight."

Hyperstorm scrambled up on his feet and down the staircase. He managed to make it two floors down and ran into a room.

"Serving your boyfriend again, Johnathan?" Hyperstorm heard someone say. He turned and saw a woman wearing a lab coat. She had her hair in a bun and wore glasses. She was called the Mad Thinker, but her real name was Rhona.

"Shut up." Hyperstorm said.

"Good thing you're here, I want you to test something for me." Rhona said. She turned around and pushed a button. There was a set of armor there, a futuristic design of it. There were blank iron plates that shifted around. There were a set of gauntlets with a green gem on it. There were large boots that would go up on Hyperstorm's knees.

Rhona pressed another button and the suit cruised over to them. A small set of stairs folded down to the floor. Hyperstorm sighed and stepped up onto the platform.

"Alright, now." Rhonda said. The suit opened up and formed over Hyperstorm. The gauntlets and boots flew out and latched onto him. Hyperstorm curled his fingers. He smiled.

"Feels great." He said. He stretched his arms back, cracking his back.

"The suit is supposed to improve your strength and powers by 75%." Rhona said. "But it's just a prototype."

"Alright, this is looking good." Hyperstorm said. Suddenly, the suit changed color to a jagged red design that looked like a vest, which covered up like a vest. The rest was a navy. The boots turned grey with a gold lining. The gauntlet turned to a blue color, with red lining. A cape collapsed from the back and spilled onto the floor.

"Wow, I didn't remember doing that." Rhona said, with surprise.

Hyperstorm smiled. "Hm, this is interesting. Mind if I take it for a test drive?"

Rhona looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"If I took this to retrieve someone." Hyperstorm answered calmly. He started walking towards the door, but Rhona stopped him.

"Johnathan-" She began.

"No, not Johnathan, Hyperstorm." He said, and put a finger on the middle of her chest, and pushed, causing her to fall back onto her back. She sat up quickly as Hyperstorm flew out of the room.

Just some small exposition. The design that Hyperstorm has on his armor is based on his original design. Hope you enjoyed!