The Bolt Episode 4 Assassin

My name is Sean White. After waking up with no memory of who I was, I discovered I could do impossible things. Inspired by the heroes around me, I decided to put my powers to use and protect the people of Alter City, and find the missing pieces of my past. I am, The Bolt!

Abigail shut the trunk to her car tight, locking it with her keys. She wiped the sweat from her head with a huff, "Ok, that should be everything," she said, walking over to Olives mother, "Thank you for inviting us, Jessica. To be honest I haven't been on a trip in years."
Jessica smiled, "It was all Olives idea. I'm so happy she's found herself ready to face her old friend. Still, when she told me that she wanted to bring Sean with her, I knew immediately what was going on."
"Oh?" Abigail questioned, "And what's that?"
"I think she just wants to show off Sean to her old friend, show him she doesn't need him anymore," She sighed, "She gave that boy so much. Then he turns around and stabs her in the back. Such a shame."
"'Show off Sean? What does that mean?" Abigail asked. After receiving a look from Jessica, she understood, "Oh, I see," She grinned, looking over to Sean and Olive talking in the driveway.

Olive sighed, stuffing her hands into her pockets, "Next stop Anterior City," She said.
"Olive," Sean said, "I really can't thank you enough for this."
"Of course," She said, not looking at him.
Sean knew what she was thinking. Of course he felt bad. He had gotten angry at her the other night when he shouldn't have. He had just been so lost with himself that he took out his anger on her. The least he could do was apologize, "I'm sorry," He said.
"For what?" Olive asked, finally looking at him.
"For yelling at you last night. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. It wasn't fair. So I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."
She smiled and held his hand, "It's fine, as long as you don't do it again," She scolded, "So, what's your plan when we get to the city?"
Sean sighed, "To start, I'll search the city, one block at a time. With my speed it shouldn't take too long."
"Olive! Sean!" Jessica yelled, "Let's go!"
"Coming!" they both said, and walk over to the car.

Sean stared out the window almost the whole ride. He liked to watch the trees and cars go by. He would sometimes play this game with himself where he would see how many cars they can pass until the next time they stop, almost like it was some kind of race. Olive would just stare at the contents of her phone, specifically at one of the numbers. She debated whether or not she should text Charley and tell him that she was coming. At the same time, it was terrifying, thinking about having to see him again. She could just avoid him, but seeing him again was the whole reason that she was able to convince her mother to bring them to Anterior City. In the end she decided to put her phone away, and look out her window.
About an hour later, they finally enter the city. There were many big lights in this city, even during the day time. There were many large neon signs to light the way for drivers, so lampposts almost seemed irrelevant, "Olive, Sean, we're here," Abigail said, turning to see them in the back seats. They had both fallen asleep, with Olive's head leaning on Sean's shoulder. Jessica and Abigail grin to one another, and turn their eyes back to the road.

ELSEWHERE

The man screamed as he ran, crashing through door after door of the abandoned building. He held his gun loosely in his hand, turning back to shoot at nothing. A grapple shot at his foot and pulled, yanking him to the ground with a thud. A figure lands on him, putting a throat to his throat. "P-please!" the man yelled.
The figure dressed in black and yellow pulls a blade out from his backpack, swinging it back around his shoulder and holding the knife to his throat, "How many?!" he said, his voice distorted.
"Wh-what?" the man asked.
The figure pushed the knife against his neck, "How many innocent people have you killed because they were in your way? How many good officers had to die because of inconvenience to your pathetic lifestyle?!"
"I- I don't know!" He said, shaking his head.
The figure then slit his throat, and stood up immediately as he watched the man die, "That's the point," he said, sticking the knife back into his pocket.
He turned around to see the police enter the room, just in time to see what had happened, "Freeze!" one says. The figure takes off running and they fire off a few rounds at him. The figure leaps and crashes through the nearest window into the streets below. He grabbed the grapple from his belt and shot it for the nearest ledge, which carried him up and to the roof of a small building. He looked back at the window he crashed through to see the officers looking down to the street, wondering where he had gone. He scoffed, and dropped to the buildings fire escape and onto the ground. He let out a sigh and walked further into the shadows of the alley.

"SCREEEEEECH!"

He stopped cold and looked to his surroundings, "What the hell was that?"

ANTERIOR CITY HOTEL

Dropping his bags onto the bed, Sean lied down on the pillow, letting out a big sigh, "I'm glad to be out of that car!" he said.
The room had a TV, three beds and a couch that folds out into a bed of its own.
"Don't be a baby," Abigail replied, setting her bags down, "I can kick you out of this hotel."
"But you won't," Sean grinned, "So when do we get to tour the city?"
"Later," Jessica walked into the room, "Right now, Olive and I are going to make a trip somewhere."
"Yeah …" Olive muttered. This was it, and she was terrified. She almost wished that Sean could come with her, to help her through it all. But this was something she had to face alone, "Can I talk to Sean real quick? Alone?"
"Oh, well sure," Jessica says, tugging Abigail out of the room and shutting the door.
"Olive?" Sean said, standing up, "What's wrong-?"
Olive quickly hugs him as tight as she could, as if her life depended on it. She started sniffling as she held back as many tears as she could, but failed miserably as they traveled down her face and onto his shoulder. She would adjust her hands a few times to keep his grip on him. After figuring out what was happening, Sean carefully hugged her back. With that simple action, she began crying harder, to a point where she just wasn't holding it back anymore. "S-Sean," She choked on her own tears, "-I don't kn-know if I can do this!"
"Hey, hey, it's going to be ok," He tried rubbing her back too calm her, "I still don't know what he did, but I promise you, things will be ok. You can do this. Believe me, If I could, I would come with you. But I can't right now," he sighed, "But tell you what, whatever I'm doing, you just call me once, and I'll race over in a heartbeat. I swear."
She smiled through her tears, muttering something inaudible again before speaking louder, "Th-thank you, Sean."
They spent the next few minutes in each other's arms, sharing each other's pain.

LATER

A knock hit the door several times. Then several more after there was no answer,
"Coming!" A boy said, walking over and opening the door, "Yes- "He froze, in seeing who it was.
Olive stood there, her hands held in front of her. She struggled to make eye contact, but managed, "Hey Charley," She said, "Can we talk?"

She held a cup in her hands, sitting forward. The first few moments were spent in silence. Charley just stared at her, waiting to see if she were to say something. It couldn't have been more awkward for them. So, to break the silence, Charley spoke first, "So …it's good to see you," Charley said.
Olive sighed and took a sip of her drink, then set it down on the living room coffee table, "You too," She muttered, then cleared her throat, "I was in town and I just thought …I would see you. Thought it was time that we cleared things up."
"Yeah," Charley agreed, "I just want to start by saying, that I am really sorry that I drove you away. I never meant to hurt you. Really, I didn't."
"I know you didn't Charley," She said, "But after what happened, I just couldn't be around you. My parents had been wanting to move again for months so …I figured I could persuade them. Look, I'm sorry that I just up and left without a goodbye."
"it's at least good to think about how you never deleted my number."
She had thought about doing that on numerous occasions. But part of her always believed that maybe they would be able to fix things. So she never did, "Because I had hope for you. For everything we-…" She stopped.
"For everything we had, you mean," He finished, "I miss it you know. Us, being together, like we used to," He sat back, "You remember the bridge in the park?"
She smiled, "Yeah, the one with the ducks?"
"Mmhmm," he said, "I remember when I first brought you there, you were so surprised in seeing all those ducks in one place, swimming under the river. I remember you said, 'I didn't expect there to be so much life in a city like this.' And then I said-"
"'Just here, everywhere else is garbage,'" she finished, laughing with him for a moment.
"You know, if you want we can go there again. What do you say?"
She quickly stopped laughing and her expression dropped, "I don't know. Look, Charley, I did miss you."
Charley smiles, then she continued, "I said I missed you Charley," He tilted his head, and she continued, "So, before anything happens, I need to know that it's you that I see right now, and not …" she sighs, "The person who hurt me, because I don't recognize him."
The silence grew between them as he thought on his answer.
His phone went off, and he pulled it out of his pocket. "One second," he read the message on the screen, and paused. Then put it back in his pocket, "I …"
"It's ok," Olive stood, "Meet me at the park tomorrow. If you're late, I leave. And I mean leave." She turned around, and headed for the door, leaving Charley to hang his head.

Sean flipped through the channels, stopping on a channel playing a cartoon. He laughed and sat back in the bed.
"I remember this one," Abigail said, sitting down next to him, "Daniel and I watched this all the time when he was younger."
They sat there for a while, watching the television when Abigail spoke up, "Quite interesting that Olive invited you along," She said, "Makes me wonder why, if this whole trip is for her personal business."
Sean cleared his throat, "I-I couldn't say honestly."
Abigail grabbed the remote and shut the TV off, "Sean, I know what's going on here, I'm not stupid."
"What do you mean?" he asked. Did she know? Had she somehow deduced that Sean was The Bolt?
"Olive," She said, "I think she likes you a little more than she lets on, don't you agree?"
Sean laughed nervously, before seeing the grin on her face, and dropping silent, "Wait, are you serious?"
"I am," She said, "I see how she looks at you. You and her spend a lot of time together. And I know you enjoy being around her. The only people who don't see it are you too."
"Abigail," Sean said, "She does not see me like that. We are just friends."
"Good friends," She grinned, "Who spend every waking moment together."
It was only because of their job they spent so much time together. But in a way, she was actually right.

After Abigail had fallen asleep, Sean quickly got into his suit and took off for the streets. He would sometimes look at the people as he zoomed by, remembering that none of them were familiar with a speedster running around their city. And the city was very different for Sean. It was bright, even as the stars came in. Neon signs all over. It was almost difficult to see where he was going, but he managed. He honestly wasn't too sure what to be looking for. He just hoped he would eventually hear the creatures famous screech. But even if he finds it, what will he do? The only time he ever had a chance fighting this Meta-Mutant was at the harbor, and even then, he isn't entirely certain what it was that happened. All he remembers is the adrenaline going through his blood, and sparks of lightning flying everywhere. The memory was a painful one for an unknown reason. Whatever he did, he wasn't sure if he was capable of doing it again.
As he came to a skidding stop, he heard the large screech he was looking for. "There you are," He sped across the street and into the park, where he saw the creature, walking around aimlessly, screeching only if any random civilian got too close, "Oh good, it isn't hurting anyone," he took a step forward, "Hey!"
The creature turned around and stood in a defense position, "Seeeeeaaan!" It yelled.
"Easy, easy, I was hoping we wouldn't fight this time," Bolt said, "Look, I get that you scare easily, so let's just not fight. Let's just talk like civilized …beings."
The creature took a few steps back, but began to calm down, "Much better," Bolt said, "Now, why don't we just-"
A sharp grapple shot into the creatures back. Pulses of electricity shot through the metal tether and shocked the creature with several hundred jewels of energy. It fell to its knees, struggling to keep itself up. Bolt looked up and saw the figure standing a few yards away, holding the other end of the grapple in his hand. He pulled don't the tether and the creature went down. Grabbing a knife from his backpack, he starts walking over to the fallen creature, "You're a new one," he said in a distorted voice, and lifting the knife.
Bolt sped over and grabbed the figure, pinning him to a nearby tree. "What are you doing?!" Bolt said.
"Ending a monster before it hurts someone!" Said the figure, then took notice of Bolts outfit, "You …you're that speedster from Alter City. What the hell are you doing here? And why did you stop me?"
Bolt tightened his grip, "That monster used to be human. It can still be helped, you don't need to kill it!"
He was about to retort, when he looked passed Bolts shoulder, "Look out!" He pulled himself and Bolt to the ground, dodging a ball of fire that hits the tree, setting it ablaze. "Staaaaaay awaaaay!" It yelled.
The figure stood up and pulled out his gun, firing off a few rounds at it. He quickly stopped in seeing the bullets bounce off of the creature, "That's new," he said.
"I'm calling it a 'Meta-Mutant,'" Bolt says, "Guns and normal weapons don't work."
The creature leaped into the air and landed on a nearby roof, running off out of sight. Bolt stopped the figure before as he tried to follow, "Hey!" Bolt said, "You can't fight this thing! Let me handle it."
The figure grabbed Bolts arm and pushed it aside, "My town, my rules," He started walking away and pulled out his grapple.
"Who do you think you are?!" Bolt yelled.
The figure stopped after pointing his grapple in the air, "They call me The Assassin," He said, as he shot his grapple, and let it carry him into the night. Bolt watched as he vanished into the night.
"The Assassin?" He wondered, "Oh boy."

With a huff Sean had shut the door behind him. He looked around to see Abigail still sleeping away the night. He sighed in relief, then sped over to his bag and pulled out a laptop and placed it on the desk, opening it up, "Ok, 'Assassin', let's see what you're all about."
After typing in the name, immediately the first several links were about the guy he met. Each one talked about him like he was a vigilante. Apparently, he started 'fighting crime' around fourteen months ago. For the first few months he seemed innocent enough, looking out for the little guy. But then he started taking on bigger figures of crime, really making a dent in crime. Several organized crime gangs have been put out of business since he started taking the streets into his own hands. But then it's like he just suddenly changed. He started counting bodies. Ever since the sixth month, he had been killing the people he takes down. From crime lords to simple bank robbers. And he always does so with a knife. He either slit their throats or stab them in the chest. Either way, the scene was always bloody. He became just as much a villain as the people he fought. Sean came here to take down the Meta-Mutant. Now he thought that it may have to go beyond that.
Olive and Jessica came through the door, Olive slowly falling behind. "We're back," Jessica said.
Sean quickly exited out of the website and stood up to see Olive, who sluggishly walked toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm guessing it didn't go like you wanted," Sean said, patting her on the back.
"She said that he doesn't seem like he's changed. They're going to meet again tomorrow," Jessica said.
Sean understanding, wrapped his hands around her shoulders, "There, there little Olive garden," Sean said, making her laugh and hug him back.
Abigail stirred awake and sat up, "Oh, sorry, I must have dozed off," She yawned, "How did it go?"
"As expected," Olive muttered into Sean's shoulder.

They left the TV on for Olive, while the rest of them went to sleep. Except for Sean, who just laid in his bed, while Olive took the couch bed. Sean would look back at her, seeing that she had a lot on her mind. Eventually he couldn't take it and he carefully got out of his bed, grabbing Olives attention as he sat next to her, "Yo," he said.
"Yo," She responded, "Can't sleep?"
"Mmhm, same as you. A lot on your mind?"
She sighed, "Charley. Can't stop thinking about him, and not in the good way."
"That must suck. When was the last time you thought of him in a good way?"

She groaned, "Months."
"Olive, are you going to tell me what he did?" He asked.
She is silent for a moment, before she moves closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, "I find it funny you are the only person I feel comfortable talking to," She said, "He changed. At the beginning, he was sweet. He was kind. But then one day he suddenly became a different person. It scared me. And the worst part was that he expected me to get over it, to just accept it. He made me feel like I was the bad guy. It wasn't fair. So, I finally agreed with my parents for us to move away, and we moved to Alter City. Five months later, I met you," She smiled, looking at him, "You're like him, or, like he used to be. Except better."
Sean smiled back, "I'll take that as a compliment," He rested his head on top of hers, "Do you want me to come with you tomorrow?"
"Kind of," She said, "Just …wait nearby until I signal you, then you can come by. Not saying you'll have to but-"
"I'll be there," He said, "The Meta-Mutant can wait if my friend needs me."
Though he didn't see, her face turned red, and deep down she didn't really mind. Sean started making her feel the way Charley used to. It was strange, but not unfamiliar, "Goodnight Sean."
"Goodnight Olive Garden." He said, earning an elbow to the gut.

THE NEXT DAY

She stood on the bridge, looking down into the water and watched the ducks swim about in groups. Every few minutes she would throw a piece of bread, and watch them all race for it. She always put a personal bet on the smallest duck. She always liked an underdog, it's what brought her to Charley in the first place. But in watching the ducks swim, she made herself sad. She thought on the days past that would never come again. She always told herself that she could fix things with him, she always had hope. But a small part of her didn't truly believe in that. No, part of her knew that what they had could never be repaired. Maybe it could be replaced? Maybe they could start over? Try things again. Perhaps he could change.
But as she looked up at the sunlight, and the clouds traveling across the sky, it hit her. How much time had she wasted every day thinking about what could be, but might not be? How much time had she put into debating whether or not to forgive and forget? If she truly still cared enough for him, forgiveness should come easy. It should have come months ago. Instead, she replaced him with someone else. Then she realized, she replaced him. She found someone better. Someone to make her smile, to make her laugh. Someone who she could rely on, and trust like she used to with Charley. And last night, when she spoke with this other boy, with Sean, she felt it. That surge of happiness in hearing his voice, the same feeling she once felt with someone else. Was it really time to forgive and forget? Or maybe, she was here for a different reason. Maybe It was time not to just forgive, but to move on.
As Charley came and stood beside her, he locked his fingers together, and waited to see if she would respond to his presence. She knew he was there, and she was done being scared.
"Olive," He started, "I-"
"I can't do this anymore," Olive interrupted.
Charley blinked and asked why. "Charley," She started, giving Charley butterflies in his stomach, "I spent so much time thinking about you. I thought about whether or not this was right. You and me. I thought I wanted to forgive you. But I can't deny what you did. It's not something I can just forget, especially if it isn't going to end."
"I can be better," he said.
She finally turned to face him, "That's just it. I don't know if you can. I gave you chance after chance but it never ended. You never changed. In fact, you became worse, and the worst part is that I did nothing to stop it. I didn't stop the person you were becoming. That's my fault. That's something I have to live with."
Charley's expression dropped, "This is about your new friend isn't it?" he asked, "So he's just better for you? Is that it?"
Olive thought about slapping him, but didn't, "Yes," She said, "He's different than you. But this isn't about replacing you with someone else. This is about me being fed up with …this. Charley, I'm done. I'm sorry, but I'm done."
She tried to turn away, but Charley grabbed her hand, which she yanked away quickly, "Don't text me. Don't call me. It's over," she said, and walked away, leaving him there alone.
Charley kicked the ground and grunted in anger, leaning on the edge of the bridge and huffed.
"You can't blame her."
Charley turned to see Sean walking toward him, standing beside him as he stopped, "You hurt her pretty bad."
"You," Charley started, "You're her new friend aren't you? What ideas are you shoving into her head?!"
"That's just it," he replies, "I'm not. I'm letting her make her own choices. I let her help me. I listen to her when she sees that I'm not myself. She told me you changed, and didn't stop. She didn't do enough because she believed in you. And you let her down."
"You know nothing about me-"
"So the feeling is mutual," He said, "Charley. I know what she said, but if you really want her to forgive you, begging won't help. You have to show her why she should forgive you."
"And what would that take?" he asked.
Sean walked passed him, "Not my place to say," he said, then left the bridge.

Sean walked beside Olive as they strolled through the park. "What did you say to him?" Olive asked.
"Just what I thought of him, that's all," he said, "You told me to speak the truth."
"I did," She sighed, and walked closer to him, "I just want to go home now."
"Almost," Sean said, "Tomorrow morning according to your mom. Which means I have one day left to find that Meta-Mutant."
Olive smiled, "I could always pretend to get hurt so we have to stay."
"Well that's one plan."
They laughed, and continued to walk for a while. Sean quite admired the park. While everything else was fueled with technology, this one area in the city was so full of life. Tree's, birds, rivers. It's almost like this place was the forest and this one area was the one spot they didn't turn into a city. It looked better than the park in Alter City. He was quite jealous. But he didn't have all day to be sight-seeing. He had to find this Meta-Mutant and he didn't have any real clues. Every time he's found this thing, he's either run into it, or they used Peter's satellite. Unfortunately, that satellite is only registered for Alter City, so it can't be used anywhere else. "So, how do we find this thing anyway?" Olive asked, referring to the Meta-Mutant.
"I don't know," Sean said, "I guess I can only hope on running into it. Even then, every time I tried reasoning or fighting with it, I usually lost."
"What about that thing you did at the harbor?" she said, "With the lightning?"
Sean chuckled, "I actually have no idea how that happened, nor if I am able to do it again. But it does seem that pure energy is its only weakness. It's been the only thing I've seen so far that really hurts it."
"So our weapon is luck. Yay." She laughed, making him want to join along.
The two of them approached Jessica and Abigail, who waited patiently in the car, "We better get going. What's your plan on getting away from our mum's?" She asked.
"I was thinking I would just wait until nighttime, when everyone is asleep."
"Good," She said, "That'll work."

Abigail smiled as she watched Olive and Sean walk, "I think you're right, Jessica," She said, "I definitely see chemistry between them."
"Right?" Jessica said, "He makes her so happy. What do you think? Should we push it?"
"Heavens no," Abigail said, "These things should happen on their own."

ALTER CITY: LIGHTSPEED LABORATORIES

Everyone in the boardroom waited for Peter to enter. They had been curious to the progress of project S. Some were thrilled, and others were less than happy. In fact, most of them were far too worried about this mutant running about. It's the main reason they met that day. This threat had been growing and it needed to be dealt with. As Peter entered the board room, one man spoke up, "Peter, your late. This is a very serious situation."
"Yes, yes, I know," Peter said, sitting down, "The Meta-Mutant, as my college has named it, is still out there. Project S has gone on his own against my orders to hunt it down. All we can do now is hope he succeeds and this …situation as you called it, will be resolved quickly."
"And what of project S?" A woman asked.
"My assistant Rose will explain that. Rose?"
Rose entered the room, clicking on a remote and letting a large hologram of Sean appear, "His connection to the speed-force is strong for the average speedster, but it is nowhere in comparison to what we have seen of The Flash, or any other speedster that has been sighted since the particle accelerator explosion 3 years ago. However," She pressed a button, the statistics next to the words 'speedforce' suddenly spike, "The other night when project S encountered the Meta-Mutant, he was hit with a shock of adrenaline that boosted his connection to the speedforce. I don't believe he has noticed, but since this event, he holds the capabilities of running twice as fast as he currently thinks he can, estimating as a possibility of Mach 2 at a maximum. However, since he is currently unaware of his enhancement, his mental blocks still keep him at a speed of 756 mph," She pressed the button again to bring up a simulation of Sean running, "During the shock, his vitals had immensely improved. We believe that if we can somehow trigger this event again, we can allow project S to take his speed to new heights."
"Will he be able to surpass The Flash?" One asked.
Rose sighed, "That is yet to be seen," she said, "The Flash has publicly encountered four other speedsters. While each time they were seen as faster than him, he eventually overcame them, though those final encounters were never seen. But through everything, even to now, The Flash has shown incredible potential that has never been seen out of not just other speedsters, but other Meta-Humans. Project S shows similar potential but not on the same level. Since the Flash turned down working with us, this is the next best thing. Be thankful it's as good as it is."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Peter said, "So that's why I am allowing project S, or as his public name goes, The Bolt, to encounter the Meta-Mutant again. We hope that perhaps the same event that shocked him into adrenaline with occur once more."
"And what about the Meta-Mutant?" Another asked, "After its captured?"
Peter grinned, "I've got a few plans."

ANTERIOR CITY

Assassin was the name people gave him, and he more than embraced it. As he landed on the next rooftop, he looked down to eye his next victims. A duo entered the Anterior Bank Tower. They wore trench coats, igniting the possibility of armed weapons. It called for justice, and it would be served. It was almost like a game to him. It was almost like a hunt he was obsessed with. He liked playing predator. Which meant he stalked his prey. Setting his backpack down, he grabbed a set of binoculars from the back pocket, and kept an eye on the windows. The hunt had begun.

The hour went by quickly. He found ways to pass the time by simply watching people in the windows, counting the ways he could take them down should he have to, should they become a threat at any time. Other times he counts how many could be victims, and how he could save them in every possible scenario. He then started thinking about how many people he's killed over how many saved. The ratio was less than plausible.
He stopped and looked as he saw the men at the top floor windows. He put his binoculars into his bag and grappled across the sky.

The men began to set down devices near the windows a pillars, arming them with a techo-sounding ding. "That's all of them," a man said, "Is the floor clear?"
"Check," another man said, "We're good to go. Let's hurry before that vigilante shows up."
"Too late."
Assassin came crashing through the window, glass went flying everywhere. He landed on one knee and held a knife backwards in his right hand, "Hands up, or your next appointment is with the ground," he said.
One of the men pointed a gun at him. Assassin leaped quickly into the air, kicking the gun away with one foot and kicking him down with the other. He leaned down and held the knife to his neck when he heard another gun click behind him.
"Don't move," the man said, keeping his gun pointed as Assassin slowly turned around and stood.
"If you even have a single IQ point," Assassin said, "I'd put the gun down."
"Then let's call me stupid then," the man took a step forward, "They say you're smart though. You know my name?"
Assassin takes a step forward, "Gavin Wilbur. Convicted of several counts of assault. But this is taking it to a new level. Stop now before I have to-"
"Kill me?" Gavin said, "I hear that's your favorite pass time, I guess we have something in common," he began firing.
Assassin rolled out of the way and hide behind one of the pillars, "Lousy shot, this one is!" he said, dodging as more bullets came his way. He rolled behind a desk.
"If I go down!" he pulled out a remote, "You're going with me!" He pressed the button.
Assassin leaps out, "No!"
The explosion takes out the front of the building floor.

ANTERIOR CITY HOTEL

Sean and Olive sat in the couch bed, laughing at the television and ate popcorn. Sean had spent the whole day searching and he decided he needed a break. For Olive, it was an excuse to be around him. It made her smile, "So hang on," Sean said, "I don't think that's how physics work. A smack to the face with an iron doesn't leave a dent, it would break your nose wouldn't it?"
"It's a cartoon Sean, it doesn't have to make sense."
"Yes it does," he laughed, "Mind if I check the news real quick? I want to see if there's anything on the mutant. I'm thinking of heading out one kore time."
"Sure," She said, handing him the remote.
As he turned to the news channel, he was in shock.
The newswoman was standing in front of a building where fire fighters were, "Just a few moments ago, the Anterior Bank Tower was just bombed by a suspected group of terrorists, where several casualties have already been counted."
"Olive," Sean said, and she handed him his watch, as he raced out of the hotel room.

ANTERIOR BANK TOWER

Assassin crawled from the rubble, pushing a massive chunk of debris off his back. He blinked twice to get rid of the dust in his eyes. The fire around him caused him to couch several times. The destruction was horrible. He was surprised that this floor was still standing considering the bombs blew a hole into the next floor down. Assassin looked around for Gavin but didn't see him anywhere. He must have taken off when Assassin was down. It didn't matter. It just meant that the hunt would last a bit longer. Though the flames made it slightly tougher to find any clues as to where he went. He looked down into the next floor through the massive hole and saw citizens cowering in fear, or rather the ones that were left. Several of them were dead, by fire, debris, or falling out from the window. It was a shame. But these people were innocent. Even if they feared him, they deserved to live.
Assassin leaped down to the floor, scaring the nearby people, "It's ok," He said, "Everyone make their way to the fire exits, quickly!"
At first, no one listened out of fear. But eventually common sense started to kick in and they slowly moved to the door. But they weren't moving fast enough and the place was ready to collapse, "Move it! Let's go!"
An orange blur came speeding in, grabbing each and every civilian one at a time and dragging them through the exits. Assassin watched as the floor was emptied of people, all except him, and the blur then stopped and stood before him.
"Bolt," Assassin said, "You're still here? This is my city remember?"
Bolt clenched his fists, "Wasn't going to let anyone get hurt. Now what the hell happened?" He asked.
Assassin shrugged, "Bombers. I tried to stop them but I was too late. Not all of us have super-speed you know."
Bolt glared at him, "Who did it?"
"A man named Gavin Wilbur."
"Where is he now? Did the explosion get him?" Bolt asked.
Assassin shook his head, "There would be bodies."
"Bodies?" Bolt stepped forward, "As in plural?"
Assassin took a look out of the destroyed window, staring into the night as the wind was against him, "Yeah. I knocked out his buddy. And since neither of them are here, he would have had to carry him. Which means he shouldn't have gotten too far yet. On your way up, did you see a man carrying another man?"
Bolt shook his head, "Just scared people. So how else would they have escaped?"
The edge of the destroyed window caught their eyes. As they both moved toward the only remaining piece of wall left, that's when they saw it. A large mechanism was drilled and attached to the wall, and shooting out of it was a zip line, one that lead to the buildings below. Assassin immediately spotted Gavin carrying his comrade on another roof, "There they are," He said, pulling out his grapple, "Keep up, junior Flash," He shot his grapple and zipped away.
"That is not my name and you know it!" Bolt said, speeding away and down the massive staircase of the building.

Gavin found it difficult to continue running, having to carry his injured comrade with him. Several times he considered just leaving him behind and making a run for it himself, but if the situation were reversed, he would carry Gavin all the way to safety. He looked behind him several times to see Assassin just behind him, chasing him down. Given that Assassin was most likely younger, he had much more strength and was likely to catch him soon. He tried reaching for his gun but in doing so he almost dropped his friend, so he just kept running. But Assassin grappled his legs and pulls on the rope, knocking both of them down. Gavin reached for his gun, but an orange blur zoomed in and took it from him, dropping it over the edge, "Hi," he plainly said, watching as Assassin picked up Gavin by the shirt.
"Why did you attack the Anterior Bank Tower?! You could have easily broken into the bank, stole some money and left. But you didn't. Why?!" He shook him to push fear on him.
"To send a message," Gavin said, "The people of this city are in fear because of you. So why not push it further? Take away what little hope they have left! And this is just the start. We'll target every big industry building until people are so scared, they'll fire on one another. Instant war. Thanks to you."
Assassin tightened his grip, "That's not going to happen," He walked over to the ledge and held him over the side of the building, Gavin started screaming in terror.
"Please! Don't do this!"
"Hey, hey!" Bolt said, taking a step forward, "You don't have to kill him!"
"He killed dozens of people!" Assassin argued.
"So have you!" Bolt yelled back. He understood the situation was difficult. If Bolt said the wrong words, Assassin would drop Gavin and he would die. He had to be careful, because this vigilante was cruel just like the people he hunted, "Assassin, listen to me. Don't kill him. I did research on you. You used to just look out for the little guy. You used to protect those without protection. Then you moved to bigger things and really made a difference. But for God's sake look in the mirror! Look at what you have become because of this city. You slit throats, stab people, drop them off ledges! You are no different than the people you fight against. You have a body count. There is no way you sleep well at night."
Assassin looked at him slowly, "I don't have a choice," he said, "Sometimes only darkness can fight darkness."
"But this doesn't have to be one of those times," Bolt said, "You don't have to be so far gone. You can come back from this, and be better. Killing people, it isn't the only way to get justice. Every time you take a life, you take some of your humanity away too, until killing is a second nature. And I know it isn't for you, because you save people too. You protect them. You don't have to save this man. Just spare him, and show everyone in the city that you aren't just some assassin. Please."
Assassin's grip loosened for a moment. His words hit him deep. He glanced over at Gavin, and watched him squirm in terror. There was hope in his eyes that he might release him.
And he did.
He watched as Gavin went falling out of sight, and hit the ground way down below.
"No!" Bolt yelled, zooming down the buildings staircase and arrived outside on the ground. But he was too late. Gavin was dead, face up and eyes open, unmoving. Bolt couldn't look at him, but at the same time he couldn't look away. He slowly kneeled down to the man, closing his eyes shut, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said.
Assassin grappled down to the ground where Bolt was, holding a knife in his right hand. "That man was a criminal, you need to understand that." He said.
Bolt slowly stood and turned around, "I thought you could change. But you are no different than any other criminal out there," he said, "I'm taking you in!" Bolt zoomed toward him and punched his jaw, sending him flying into the wall. He zoomed in again and picked him up, continuing to beat on him at super-speed.
A car pulled near them, and Olive stepped out of it to observe the fight going on, "Oh my god, Sean," She said.
Assassin quickly rolled away and threw a flash grenade that exploded, blinding Bolt. "Agh!" Bolt yelled. He receives several punches during his blind state, "This job takes maturity!" Assassin yelled, delivering a kick to Bolts gut, "It takes dedication, and sacrifice," He threw Bolt to the ground, "Something that you don't seem to understand yet. Or maybe, you never will," He picked up Bolt and set him on his knees, standing behind him, and placing a knife to his throat, "I can't have you in my way. So I am very sorry."
"You …are a monster …" Bolt said quietly.
"I know," He said. He gripped the knife's handle tightly and winded his elbow.

"Charley, no!"

For that moment, it seemed that everything froze. Assassin stopped and looked up, seeing Olive standing a few yards away. " …Olive?" he said.
"Wait," Bolt said, "…Charley?!"
Assassin let Bolt go and moved passed him, walking toward Olive, and pressing a button near his neck, "Olive?" he said, his normal voice heard, "What are you doing here?"
Olive by this point had begun crying, "Please, don't kill him. Don't kill my friend."
"Your friend?" he looked back to Bolt, then back to Olive and understood, "Bolt is that friend of yours."
Bolt stood up on one knee, "Assassin is your friend Charley?!" He said.
"Charley," She said, ignoring Sean for the moment, "He's a hero, and you know it."
"He was in my way. I didn't want him hunting me down," he replied.
"So this is your solution?!" She yelled, crying harder now, "You kill now because of convenience?! You are no better than those scum! You hunt them like animals! What is this to you now?! Sport?!"
"Of course not! I'm doing what I have to!"
"Not to him," She pointed to Bolt, "You won't touch him. I already lost you. I refuse to lose him!"
Assassin stared at her for a moment, "So that's why you really came to Anterior City isn't it? To help him hunt that creature. You didn't really come to see me!"
Olive slapped him across the face, "I help him because I trust him. I don't trust you because you aren't you anymore!" As he recovered, she slapped him again, "As far as I am concerned, Charley Andrews is dead. All that remains is the assassin that killed him."
She walked past him and then ran to Bolt, holding him up. Assassin looked back at her, who gave him a sinister glare. He was overrun with guilt in seeing the hatred in her eyes. Any hope he had of forgiveness had just been thrown out the window. Was she right? Did the assassin in him really take over completely?
"Olive …" he said quietly, but not loud enough to be heard.
"Get out of here, Charley!" She yelled.
With guilt as his guide, he turned around and started walking away.

"SCHREEEEEEEECH!"

The Meta-Mutant landed with a thud between Olive and Assassin, the ground cracking beneath his feet. He extended his claws and scratched at the ground, looking at everyone in his surroundings. No one moved in the fear of provoking the creature. When Olive saw Assassin pull out a grenade, she yelled, "No! Don't! You'll just provoke it!"
Assassin slowly puts the grenade back in his backpack, slowly trying to move toward it. The Meta-Mutant saw him move and turned to him, getting ready to attack. With a screech, Assassin froze in his place. The creatures four eyes glowed, and changed color for each eye.
"Charley," Bolt said, "Move over here, slowly."
Taking his steps lightly, Assassin began to move around the creature, keeping a knife in his right hand. The creature took sight of him, and screeched, making Assassin cover his ears.
"Watch out!" Olive yelled, as Assassin was delivered a swift punch from the mutant, sending him into the nearby wall. The creature kept him pinned as he continuously attacked him out of impulse. "DIIIIIIEEE!" It yelled.
One of its claws stabbed Assassin directly into his side, making him grunt in agony.
"Charley!" Bolt speeds over and grabs Assassin, zooming him back to Olive and placing him in her care, "Stay here," he said, then stood to face the mutant, "Come on ugly!" He sped past the creature and down the streets.

The streets filled with lightning as Bolt passed by, running as fast as he could to avoid the creature chasing after him. The mutant leaped from building to building, screeching every few moments. Bolt attempted to lose it by making more frequent sharp turns but to no avail. "If I can't shake him, I'll have to take him down," Bolt said, speeding for the park and skidding to a stop by the bridge. He looked down into the water and immediately knew what he had to do, "I am not going to like this," He said to himself.
With a thud, the creature landed on the bridge, and screeched, "Seeeeaaaaaan!" it yelled, stepping toward him.
"You wanted me," Bolt said, "Here I am. So come and get me!"
With a screech, Bolt was tackled into the water, and completely submerge with the creature. He attempted to fight it off with kicks and punches, but the Meta-Mutant was stronger than him. Bolt had taken a look at his neck and noticed something. Four lines on each side that resembled …gills?
He understood, and was immediately terrified. Drowning it was useless as the creature slammed its fist into Bolts face. The air was lost to him, and he struggled like a scared animal.
But then he stopped, and closed his eyes carefully. He attempted to calm his nerves, and let go of his fear. "I can do this," he thought, "I can do this!"
Opening his eyes, he launched his hands at the creature's throat and covered his gills. Electricity started sparking off of him and it spread to the water. The civilians in the park watched as electricity started flying out of the water. The Meta-Mutant screeched in pain as Bolt attacked it with powerful punches. With every punch, an image flooded his brain.

"Let me go!"

He threw a punch.

"You don't even realize how special you are."

He threw another punch.

"Power is at 110%!"

And again.

"Incredible …"

The entire area is engulfed with electricity.

A man treaded carefully over the burnt, sparking bodies and approached now empty chair, "This is a strange turn of events," he said.

Bolt threw one last punch and the creature went flying out of the water, crashing through the bridge and hitting the closest tree, falling unconscious. Bolt climbed out of the water on his knees, gasping for air, and using the remains of the bridge to hold himself up. He looked to the creature and walked over, kneeling down, "Sorry," he said, "But now you can't hurt anyone."
Several trucks start pulling in around Bolt and the Meta-Mutant. The trucks had the Light-Speed Labs logos. Men climbed out with guns and kept them pointed at the creature, "Keep aim and be ready to fire!" One man said.
"Whoa, whoa," Bolt said, "What's going on here?"
A man walked up to him, wearing a badge that identified him as the squad leader, "Peter Morrison has instructed us to take this creature in. We don't want it getting lose and hurting someone."
"Peter Morrison?" He asked, "What does he want with the Meta-Mutant?"
The man laughed, "Is that what your calling it? Peter hopes to use his resources to cure this creature of its illness. Men, load it up."
The men came over and started carrying the creature into the back of a truck. Before they closed the door, the creature looked to Bolt with a scared look, "Sssssseeeeaaaannn…" it said as the doors closed and the truck drove away."
"You better not hurt him," Bolt said.
"Wouldn't dream of it," The man said, "Men! Move out!"
With that order, each of the men climbed into the trucks and drove away, leaving Bolt there alone.
Immediately after, he remembered, "Olive," He sped away from the park in a flash.

Bolt stopped with a skid in front of Olive, who held Charley up as best as she could. "Olive," Bolt asked, "You ok?"
"I'm fine," she said, "But Charley needs help."
"I'll speed him to the nearest hospital."
Bolt reaches for Assassin, but Olive swats him away, "We can't take him to a hospital or people will know who he is!"
"Then where should we take him?!" He asked.
Olive looked between her two friends and sighed, "I know a place," She said.

Bolt stopped in a dark room, almost hitting a table as he let Olive go. "Hit that light switch," She said.
Bolt walked over to the wall and hit the switch.
The lights came on and illuminated the entire room. There were tables of gear, and an empty case for a suit. Several computers hung from the walls, showing newscasts of the recent events. There was a motorcycle in the corner, with colors resembling Assassins suit. Bolt took a moment to walked around the room, as Olive laid Assassin down on a table, and rushed for a nearby drawer. "Come on, come on," She said, pulling out rubbing alcohol and bandages. Bolt watched as she rushed through the cabinets without hesitation, as if it was familiar, as if she knew it.
"Olive?" Sean said, taking off his mask.
She ignored him and continued to dab a cloth in the rubbing alcohol, and press it against his wound. He winced. "Easy, it'll only hurt for a second," Olive said.
She finally turned to Sean with sad eyes, "I get the feeling you already figured it out. And before you say anything …I wanted to tell you, so badly."
"You worked with him?" he said, "Is that why you left? Because he started killing people?"
She began tearing up, " … Yes."
"Do your parents know?" he asked.
Olive shook her head, "No. They never, nor will ever know. I started working with Charley when he told me he was Assassin. But then he started killing and ….I just couldn't be around him anymore. I know you must be mad at me."
Sean stood there silent for a moment, turning his back to her as to let himself think. She had kept this from him, but he could see it was for good reason, "… What do you need me to do?"
"There's a med kit upstairs. Can you go get it?"
He nodded slowly, and sped up the stairs. Olive kneeled before Assassin, taking his mask off slowly, and placing it on the table, "Charley," she said, "I'm sorry."

THE BOLT

Peter stood behind the glass window, and watched as his men dragged the Meta-Mutant out from the truck. He smiled, "Rose," he said, calling over his assistant, "Cancel my appointments today. I'll be busy with something."
"Of course sir," She said, "If I may ask, what do you plan to do with the creature now that it is in your possession?"
Peter never answered her, he simply left the room.

They strapped the creature to a table, keeping him down with sedatives. Peter approached the creature, circling it as it struggled to keep consciousness, "Sssssseeeeeaaaaaan," it said quietly.
"Oh I'm afraid he isn't here," Peter said, "it's just you and me today."
In seeing him, the creature starts to struggle viciously, screeching as loud as he could, as if crying for help, "SEEEEEAAAAAAN!"
"Oh, that's cute. You miss him. It's too bad your animal instincts kick in when he tries talking to you. Well, too bad for you. Now you're here, and you won't be going anywhere for a long time," he heads for the door, "Start the experiments on Mr. Randolph," he said, leaving the room and shutting it tight. The creature screeched louder, becoming muffled when the doors closed completely.

Written by Timelord2024

I do not own The DC universe. This includes the CW Television shows, ARROW, THE FLASH, LEGENDS OF TOMMOROW, and SUPERGIRL.

All Original characters are owned by Timelord 2024

THE BOLT created by Timelord 2024