[Laura’s Thought]: Avan Oliver doesn't believe in 'recovery time.' To him, if you’re still breathing, you’re ready for a beating. We’re at the West Corp Speed-Track—a five-mile loop of reinforced carbon fiber that circles the city’s industrial core. It’s built for jets. Today, it’s built to break me.
The track shimmered under the midday sun. Avan stood at the starting line, his blue armor crackling with restless energy. He wasn't wearing his helmet, and his eyes seemed to glow with a faint, electric hue.
"The problem with the Cybergem," Avan said, as Laura landed in a blur of green light, "is that it’s too smart. It calculates the trajectory, it adjusts the thrusters, it does the work for you. But Mr. Puppet proved that if the gem is compromised, you’re paralyzed."
"I got out, didn't I?" Laura snapped, her armor humming.
"You got out because your boyfriend shouted loud enough to wake the dead," Avan countered, his voice like a whip. "Today, you stay out because you’re moving too fast for the darkness to catch you. Now, run."
The Trial of Lightning
Before Laura could respond, Avan moved. He didn't just run; he became a jagged line of blue light.
[Austin’s Voice]: "L, watch out! He’s hitting Mach 1 already!"
Laura ignited her thrusters, her boots screaming as she took off. The G-force slammed into her chest, pinning her into her suit. She pushed the Cybergem, the green light flaring behind her like a comet’s tail.
"Too slow, Dawson!" Avan’s voice came from her left. He was running backward, effortlessly keeping pace with her while she was at full throttle. "You’re thinking about the warehouse. I can see it in your rhythm. You’re stuttering."
"Stop... talking... about it!" Laura yelled, pushing her output to 80%.
"Make me!" Avan suddenly veered into her path, his body trailing a wake of static.
He began firing "Pulse-Bolts"—small, non-lethal stings of electricity. Laura dodged the first two, but the third clipped her shoulder, sending a jolt through her suit that made her vision swim.
[Laura’s Thought]: The shock felt like the hypnosis. For a split second, I saw the clicking puppets again. My breath hitched. My speed dropped.
"See?" Avan shouted, banking hard around a curve. "One hit and you're back in that basement. You’re letting the trauma be your master. If you can't outrun the memory, you'll never outrun the Snyderverse."
Breaking the Sound Barrier
[Austin’s Voice]: "Laura, ignore him! He’s trying to trigger you to build your resistance. Focus on my voice. Focus on the track. I’m opening the limiters on your thrusters. On my mark... 3... 2... 1... PUSH!"
Laura didn't think. She didn't calculate. She let out a scream of pure defiance and slammed her will into the Cybergem.
The world turned into a blur of grey and blue. The sound of the wind vanished, replaced by a deep, vibrating hum. She wasn't just running; she was vibrating on a frequency that felt like pure starlight.
She passed Avan.
For a heartbeat, the "Fastest Man Alive" actually looked surprised. Laura felt the weight of the warehouse fall away. She wasn't a doll. She wasn't a slave. She was a streak of light that the world couldn't touch.
[SFX]: BOOOM!
The sonic boom shattered the windows of the observation deck. Laura skidded to a halt a mile down the track, her armor glowing white-hot, steam rising from her vents.
Avan caught up a second later, his armor sparking as he decelerated. He looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time.
"You hit Mach 2.5," he said, his voice unusually quiet. "Without the suit’s auto-pilot."
Laura retracted her mask, gasping for air, her face flushed and her eyes bright. "I told you... I'm not a liability."
Avan offered a curt, sharp nod. "You're a start. But don't get cocky. Speed is a drug, Dawson. Don't let it make you forget that the ground is still hard when you fall."
He turned to the observation booth where Austin was cheering. "Rose! Get her to the cooling tanks. If her core temp stays this high, she’ll melt the floor of the cafeteria tomorrow."
A Moment of Quiet
Later, in the West Corp locker room, Laura sat on a bench, her head down. Austin walked in, carrying a cold bottle of water and a towel.
"That was... incredible, L," he said, sitting beside her.
Laura leaned her head on his shoulder, the cool metal of his watch pressing against her skin. "I didn't feel the clicking, Austin. For the first time since the warehouse... I felt like I was ahead of it."
Austin put his arm around her, drawing her close. "You're getting stronger. But you don't have to outrun everything alone, okay?"
Laura closed her eyes, finally feeling the peace she had been searching for. But in the shadows of the locker room, a small, circular symbol was etched into the back of a locker. A circle with a jagged line through it. The Snyderverse.
They were watching. And they knew exactly how fast she could go.
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and then Add to home screen.