The Anthem Force Chronicles

Betrayal

::Keith::

Monday after school, I've barely set my backpack down on the kitchen table when Damian comes waltzing in, a grin on his face.

"Yo baby bro," he says, "I heard about you stopping that bank robbery the other day, or I mean you let that ninja girl save the day."

I grit my teeth. "She got a few lucky shots."

My brothers been in town two weeks and all he's done is belittle my team and make fun of me. I'm starting to reach my breaking point.

"That's not what the newspapers said," he grins, his face twitches to the side suddenly as his right eye blinks rapidly. It happens at super speed, almost too fast for me to catch. Weird.

"Yah... are you okay?" I ask, my anger quickly fading to worry. Damian keeps twitching.

"I feel great," he says, zooming over at super speed, "Fantastic."

"You sure? You seem a little..." And that's when I notice it. A subtle black goo seeping out his pores and running down his skin. "Gah! Formula X!"

Keith looks taken aback. "You know about Formula X?"

"Yah it's a huge problem right now in Anthem," I almost shout, "How do you know about it and better yet, why are you on it?"

"Ran into it awhile back in Shore City when the Ultraleague was busting up a crime there," he explains. He's acting really weird now, jumping around the room at super speed, his eyes wide with crazed excitement, "So I took some, it advanced my speed. How do you think I went from a normal super to world's fastest speedster?"

I take a hesitant step back. "You took Formula X? No, you wouldn't."

"I'm still on it," he grins, "Not that I would ever tell you that. Can you imagine if people found out? What would mom and dad think? I'd be kicked off of the Ultraleague."

He's acting full crazy now. "Ok Damian, I think you're being mind controlled. There are nanites in Formula X that brainwash you."

"Me? No I feel fine. Better then fine. Super."

"Damian, listen to me. I'm going to take you into Anthem Force headquarters and we're going to fix you."

Damian scowls. "Fix me? I don't need to be fixed. I like being like this. I'm more powerful then ever. More powerful then you."

I stand up, fists clenched. "I can't let you stay like this."

Damian grins. "Try and stop me."

And then he attacks, zooming over at superspeed and punching me in the face, sending me flying through our kitchen wall and into the street.

Uh oh. I quickly pull out my Anthem Force communicator. "Alert guys, I'm in trouble. My brother just went crazy. I need help now."

I need some serious backup right now. I can't take Damian all by myself. Andy is my best hope, she's the only one who can get here fast enough. I know she's grounded but she'd make an exception for me, right?

Damian zooms over at super speed again, "How does it feel, never being good enough?"

A few rapid punches in my side. He's just a blur. "Always living in my shadow."

"Come on, snap out of it!" I shout. But Damian keeps coming at me.

I reach deep inside me and then I explode with energy, everything i have, sending electricity out in a force field around me. Damian is sent flying back, but lands on his feet, grinning. "You're going to have to do better then that."