• Thunder Grippers

    The sound of thunder filled the dry, parched air. Dark clouds completely blotted out the sky. Bolts of lightning continuously streaked across the heavens, which provided the only illumination to the vast sea of sand below. This shadowed desert is the Saharan Thunder Plains.
    Centuries of desertification and climate change engulfed the continent of Africa in a desert that never saw the sky. In time, civilization learned to harness the limitless energies of the endless lightning storms and flourished.

    Desert life lacked zest in that there was no sunshine, beauty, or thrills to be had. Growing listlessness led to the development of technologies capable of channeling lightning. Special suits were designed with these electrical properties imbued within them. While the extraordinary suits that covered the entire body had their practical uses, thrill seekers saw them as a way to attain the ultimate rush.

    A new sport was created and quickly became popular amongst the youth of the sands. Wearing the electrical gear allowed an individual to latch onto thunderbolts as they arced across the sky. At the end of the bolt, the rider would be launched at impossible speeds through the air until another thunderbolt came within reach to grab onto. Due to the sport’s countless dangers and risks, the suits came with electricity dispersal units that kept the user from being electrocuted, as well as a hover mechanism that activated within so many yards of the desert floor to save thrill seekers from a fatal fall or crash. They called these amazing suits Grips and their daredevil users Thunder Grippers, and so began the age of the lightning riders.




    “Look at Nyne go! This newcomer looks like he has something to prove! Do we have a future champion on our hands?!” The announcer’s voice rang out to all the spectators watching the Thunder Gripping Preliminaries Match.

    The crowd was a roar of cheers and excitement as the “Nyne” in question flew from bolt to bolt high above them. His aerodynamic, blue Grip gleamed with a dull, metallic sheen in the brilliant illumination of the pure energy he rode, showing off his lithe, powerful build that came with years of gripping. Spiraling up one last thunderbolt straight into the sky, Nyne was catapulted towards a glowing, neon green balloon. Whoever attained the balloon first would be the victor of the match.

    The floating ball almost in his grasp, Nyne’s focus was entirely on the balloon. To him, it was as if just he and his goal, inside the giant cumulonimbus that surrounded them, made up his entire world of existence. However, this was not the case as Nyne soon found out. His opponent, who had been biding his time, was launched, from what seemed like nowhere, and smashed into Nyne like a flying boulder. Nyne crumpled from the blow and was sent reeling through the air and away from the glowing balloon.

    Both thunder grippers were freefalling through the air. Nyne’s opponent, clad in a green Grip, regained his senses first and made his body less wind resistant in order to dive after Nyne for another attack. The Green Gripper was known for winning his matches by default, and it appeared he intended to win this match in the same way. First gripper to have his or her hover mechanism activate was declared the loser. Nyne, still dazed from the previous assault, barely saw the green gripper falling towards him before a firm kick was planted into his torso, sending him flipping, head-over-heels, further down.

    Hurt and quickly becoming disoriented, Nyne was still aware of his circumstances and searched for an escape route as he tumbled ever closer to the sands below. When failure became eminent and Nyne and all the spectators knew what was coming, a bolt of lightning flashed out of the corner of Nyne’s eye and streaked a path beneath him.

    Nyne instinctively reached out his grip arm, just far enough, to latch onto the bolt before falling below the match’s boundary line, which would have activated his hover mechanism. Using the saving streak of energy before it faded away, Nyne rocketed up the shaft of light. The Green Gripper, having assumed his victory assured, didn’t see Nyne coming. As both grippers passed through the air, their intersecting paths brought Nyne within reach of his opponent. Somersaulting to give his body a downward momentum, Nyne brought the heel of his outstretched leg down upon his opponent’s head with a crack almost audible over the thunder. Rippling through the Green Grippers body, the blow sent him into unconsciousness.

    His opponent falling helplessly back to earth, Nyne caught another lightning bolt to easily grab the waiting green balloon, unabated.

    “What a match! Can you believe it?! When things looked their bleakest for Gripper Nyne, he made a miraculous recovery to take the win,” the announcer exclaimed, his contagious excitement spreading to the chaotic spectators.

    Nyne’s hover mechanism activated and he slowly floated down inside a green orb projected by the suit. Illuminated by the persistent rays of light that filled the sky, he looked like a gripper idol young children and teens dreamed of becoming.

    Upon reaching the ground, Nyne was rushed by countless fans and reporters. Now that he had won his match, he would be allowed to compete in the largest gripper competition, worldwide: The Thunder Gripping Cup. Large men in suits, wearing optical devices that hid their faces, came to Nyne, and parted the crowd for him to reach the stage where the announcer was waiting to interview the winner.

    "Wow, Nyne! You definitely put on a show up there. The tension and incredible speed of your display was like a majestic aerial dance. Tell us, did your performance have something to do with ‘Gem the Defiant’?" the announcer asked interrogatingly of Nyne.

    "Well uh...you see...the truth is I...uh...” Nyne struggled to speak, knowing that millions of people were watching him at that moment around the world, including the individual mentioned by name. He was never much for words, especially around people he didn't know, and stage fright was setting in. Nyne's only relief came from the fact that he was still wearing his visored, Grip helmet that hid his blushing face from the audience.

    The veteran announcer immediately picked up on Nyne's sudden weakness and came in to save him saying, "No matter. You are an official competitor in the Thunder Gripping Cup. That makes you elite in the sport of Thunder Gripping. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we can't wait to see some more of you in the coming event. Good luck, Gripper Nyne!"

    A deafening roar went up from the crowd that was heard over the constant thunder. Some were cheering for Nyne, an up and coming gripping star who seemed to have come out of no where, while others were simply excited about the coming Thunder Gripping Cup. The Cup was the most extreme sport in existence and sure to bring non-stop excitement and entertainment to spectators worldwide.

    The shock that he had actually won and would be competing soon didn't hit Nyne until he was home. Unlocking the door and walking in, Nyne stood alone in the central room of his apartment. It was a simple home with the bare minimum of necessities. Clothes and emptied pizza boxes littered the floor and furniture, giving the place a “lived-in” feel to all who entered. Also noteworthy were the Thunder Gripping merchandise and gear that decorated the walls.
    While going to his room, Nyne removed his blue gripper suit and hung it up in a closet next to a red one. Nyne stared, a blank expression on his pale face, at the red suit before him. It was his twin sister’s grip. The hanging red suit meant his sister was home.

    Before Nyne could turn around, a heavy-handed slap was placed in the center of his back, pushing him staggering forward. The long, stressful day and surprise attack were too much for Nyne. His knees buckling beneath him, Nyne was sent crashing to the carpeted floor. Nyne knew who it was before his attacker even spoke.

    "I heard you won, loser. Never saw that coming, but then again, it woulda been kinda embarrassing if you lost, considering that I'm your sister," she said cruelly to Nyne, with no pity in her voice despite what she had just done to him. Standing over him like a conqueror over the conquered, Nyne's sister was the mirror image of him. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes like most of the other sand dwellers, but like her twin brother, she had a lean but firm body sculpted from years of gripping. Unlike Nyne, her eyes burned with defiance and her mouth was nearly always twisted into an overconfident smirk. Her words were always boasts or taunts of some form or another. Overconfidence and skill at Thunder Gripping had made her very popular, and she had competed in the Thunder Gripping Cup twice already. Although she had yet to win the Cup, she was belligerent as always and received the nickname Gem the Defiant.

    "Gem, I'm not a loser...I won, so...stop calling me that..." Nyne said quietly, picking himself up to stand before his sister but unable to meet her unrelenting gaze. Gem had always surpassed Nyne at everything. Although they both had a passion for Gripping, Nyne just Thunder Gripped for fun, while Gem went further and turned it into a career and became a superstar. Her dominance clearly obvious, Gem took it upon herself to routinely insult Nyne and shatter his self-esteem and any confidence that may have developed since the last berating.

    Through all the mental anguish he was forced to endure, Nyne occasionally surpassed his sister's forecast of failure and proved her wrong. Escaping his cruel sister, Nyne always found refuge in the skies while gripping. His years of experience made his recent victory possible and proved that his Thunder Gripping was in a league of its own. Now that Nyne had reached his sister’s level, and in such a short time, it was clear that Nyne wasn't as worthless as Gem made him out to be. She knew this too, but her treatment of her brother was exceptionally cruel that night despite the fact.

    Stepping forward quickly, Gem put her right leg behind her brother's left while her hand sharply pushed against Nyne's chest. Falling backwards and without a leg to catch him, Nyne fell helplessly to the hard floor. Regaining his senses, Nyne looked up at his sister who now glared down at him angrily.

    "Stay down! It suits you better. See you tomorrow, loser!" Gem told him before leaving Nyne on the floor to go to her room. The competition would start in the morning and Gem knew the importance of a good night's rest like all the other competitors. Her participation in past Thunder Gripping Cups gave her the right to an automatic invitation without having to participate in the preliminaries. This meant that Nyne would be facing his sister, as well as all the other veteran grippers and newcomers who made it through the qualifying round. Sleep would be very important that night.

    However, too depressed to pick himself up, Nyne quietly sobbed to himself, saying, "I won. I'm not a loser... I won. I'm not a loser... I won.... I'm not....." He wept himself to sleep, not making it to his bed, and woke up the next morning cold, sore, and groggy. Nyne ate breakfast and suited up in his Grip in a hurry. Angry at himself for letting his sister get to him again, Nyne was quickly transported to the Gripping Championship location. He was the last to arrive.
    Nyne stood tall and straight in his blue Grip suit and visored helmet that gleamed in the lighting. He was in a ring with the rest of the competitors with backs to the inside of the circle. Robotic Filmers made rotations around the group of athletes broadcasting their images around the world. It was customary for all grippers participating in the cup to be shown before the competition and the sponsors would pay outrageous amounts of capital each year to make it happen. While the sponsors had their own financial reasons for this, it gave the grippers the opportunity to size up their competition before the match began. Looking at the others, Nyne didn't see anything exceptional. They all wore full body grip suits with visored helmets that concealed the face. The only differences between them were the builds the Grips fit, their color, and the various forms of aerodynamics implemented into them for improved performance. The red grip suit of his sister’s, dull and marred from countless Gripping matches, caught his attention. She didn't look around at the other competitors. She never did. Perhaps it was because she knew what to expect already. She stood confident and firm, while Nyne couldn't help his quivering knees.

    From that point on, the events passed Nyne in a blur. The announcer spoke, wishing everyone the best of luck. The crowd grew more excited and chaotic. There was a countdown on an enormous, hovering screen before the glowing, green balloon was launched into the dark sky. All Grippers readied themselves and finally an artificial lightning bolt was created so they could ride it into the sky. The Thunder Gripper Cup had begun.

    The more the match progressed, the more elusive Nyne proved himself to be. In the beginning of the competition, most of the grippers were occupied with making each other fall from the sky. The balloon was unattainable due to the harsh competition that grew more intense the closer the Grippers flew towards it. Gracefully riding the lighting, Nyne was too fast and reckless to keep up with, keeping him in the game longer than many of the other competitors.
    Nyne had mixed feelings about how he would fair. He didn't believe he could be the last one standing to win it all, but he wasn't about to quit and had decided to do the best he could. Proving his sister wrong was important to Nyne. He also wanted to see just how skilled he actually was after hearing all his life that he wasn't good at all.

    As the day continued, the competition had been thinned greatly. Gripping another lightning bolt and firing himself through another dark layer of clouds, Nyne saw an opening to grab the balloon. For a small moment, Nyne let himself hope that maybe, just maybe, it was possible for him to win. He gripped the nearest bolt of light to pass near him and shot towards his goal like an arrow.

    "...I can do this. I can win..." Nyne fervently thought to himself as he neared the balloon. Unfortunately for Nyne and his wishful thinking, two other muscular, male Grippers saw the same opportunity he did. Realizing that they weren't alone in their attempt at the balloon, both grippers changed their direction of launch so that they would smash into Nyne. Nyne couldn't help but cringe at the sight of the two men rocketing towards him. The damage dealt from their attack would more than likely leave him too injured to continue even if he could recover from the fall that would follow.

    Just then, a red blur streaked down from above and hit one of the male Grippers. The Gripper was instantly shot down into an unrecoverable dive-bomb that made his hover mechanism activate. Immediately after hitting one of the grippers, the red flash careened into the other male Gripper like a bullet, ricocheting off its original target. This knocked the last male Gripper off his original course, causing him to miss the balloon and Nyne, flying over harmlessly with no quick way back. The second impact had slowed down the red streak enough for Nyne to recognize what it was. It was Gem.

    Gem flew over Nyne and caught an arch of light that sent her high into the dark, chamber of cloud that they both were in. Nyne realized that going straight for the balloon right now would result in the same outcome that had befallen Gem's previous two victims. He knew, now, that it was time to face his twin sister. Nyne readied himself for what was coming. Until he gripped another bolt, he would be sailing through the air and be vulnerable to attack. She came swiftly and without warning, dropping out of the dark masses of clouds above Nyne like a diving hawk towards its prey. However, aware of what would happen and prepared for it, Nyne grabbed his sister's booted feet before they could smash into his head, and using her momentum against her, threw her downward. Like a longtime veteran of the sport, she spun her body end over end like a gymnast and was able to move within reach of a lightning bolt that took her back into the dark clouds overhead. Although not rid of his sister yet, Nyne was able to grip a lightning bolt and launched himself upwards to where he assumed his sister would be. From the billowing, dark masses, Gem emerged again and was flying directly at Nyne as he flew towards her. The siblings collided into one another, producing a loud, thudding sound. Instead of instantly bouncing off each other, Gem locked her legs around her brother’s waist and began to viciously strike Nyne’s helmet with open palms, each blow sending his head bouncing backwards like a punching bag.

    “You just never learned your place, didja? Maybe this will be the last time I have to put you down where you belong!” Gem screamed at Nyne. Both siblings were sent into a downward spiral. The desert sand quickly flying at them, it appeared as if Gem intended to bring both of them down. However, Nyne's dazed and beaten mind knew that she would pull away at the last second, leaving him to go down alone. Waiting until her legs unwrapped from his waist, Nyne grabbed his sister's wrists. Surprised that her brother was still conscious, Gem was helpless to escape her fate as Nyne positioned her above his head, which put her between him and the ground. Still holding her wrists, Nyne flipped over so he could place his feet on his sister’s shoulders, and moments before the hover mechanisms would activate, Nyne used Gem like a platform and leaped off his sister to the only lightning bolt within reach.
    Looking back down below, Nyne watched as Gem’s red Grip was suddenly engulfed in the green hover mechanism. In that brief moment, he couldn’t help but remember better times and wonder how things had come to this.



    “Sis, Sis! Look’it what I can do!” Nyne called down to Gem.
    “Be careful, Nyne!” she replied, looking up at her brother Thunder Grip for the second time in his life. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the young Nyne and he plummeted to the earth below. Although, saved from electrocution, Nyne’s Grip’s hover mechanism had a malfunction and didn’t deploy. “Nyne!” Gem screamed, rushing over to her unconscious brother’s side where he lay sprawled in the sand.

    Nyne woke up weeks later in the hospital. He found out that while he was asleep, Gem had become a professional Gripper in order to cover his medical expenses. Nyne was proud, thankful, and wanted to be just like his sister and told her as much the next time she came to visit him.

    “No, you are done Gripping. It’s just not your thing. Besides, it’s dangerous. You belong on the ground,” Gem promptly responded to her brother’s wistful thinking. It was years before Nyne obtained the courage to go against his sister and Grip again. His actions only made Gem tougher on him though, and the higher he climbed the more she tried to force him back down.



    "Sorry, Sis. This is where I belong," Nyne said through tears that ran down his cheeks as he raced up his lightning bolt to his future and ultimate victory.