In more detail:

Billy Lanzig is a freshman STEM student at Harbor City University. He's a damn good student and a lifelong tinkerer and inventor, but what he really wants to be is a superhero. A few years ago, Billy was building a Tesla Coil when the coil shocked him, making his body some sort of living electrical generator. At first using his powers to charge his own inventions, he begand to develop a suit that would use his own body's electricity to power a lightweight exoskeleton. Billy dons the powered suit under the name Blue Lightning, and hopes to fight crime.

This is Billy's third night out with the suit, as the last two had him totally fail to find any people in need of assisstence. He primarily gets around by using motorized wheels mounted in his heels, allowing him to skate through the city at relatively high speeds. Billy's suit also has a wrist-mounted pneumatic grappling hook, letting him latch on to street signs for support in making turns and onto the backs of cars and trucks to gain speed.

As Billy is roaming the city streets, he suddenly sees a purse snatching carried out by a random gangbanger. Using his hook to suddenly brake, Billy fires a knuckle-mounted taser, which nails the hoodrat and zaps the shit out of him. He walks over to retrieve the purse and retrieves it to the lady, all the while gushing about how cool it was that everything worked. When the woman's face lights up in joy, Billy practically melts inside at how good it feels. The woman introduces herself as Cassie Carter, a junior reporter for the Harbor City Standard. In an impromptu interview, Blue Lighting roughly explains his suit and his powers, and that he's fighting crime because "The world could always use another hero." Cassie snaps a picture of Blue Lightning.

The next morning between classes, Billy spots a girl sitting on a bench reading the Standard, with his picture on the front. He awkwardly asks her if he could read her copy, and she obliges him since not too many people are interested in newspapers anymore. Billy admits that he's not one for the news since it's usually so morbid, but the picture of a new hero caught his eye. The girl asks him if he's interested in superheroes, to which Billy sheepishly (he's not exactly mr. social) agrees. She tells him (with some snark) that he's probably the only person on campus who is interested in costumed superhumans anymore. As she says it, the current shot is zoomed out to show that they're in the center plaza of Harbor City University with the HCU Memorial in the center.

Billy is in his physics class taking notes on his laptop when he sees that his battery is dying. Billy laments that when he got home he forgot to plug it into the charger because he was on cloud nine. Quickly and covertly, he slides a finger into the power socket and gives it a little charge. While Billy doesn't notice, this has caught the eye of his professor, John Sakamoto. A shot is shown of professor Sakamoto's desk, which has a water bottle and a current copy of the Harbor City Standard.

After class, Professor Sakamoto asks Billy to stay behind. Billy does, panicking that he's in trouble for something. Mentally he goes over the unscrupulous things he's done, all harmless kid stuff like using the school wifi to torrent music or setting up a pirate cable box in his dorm. Professor Sakamoto asks Billy if he forgot his laptop charging cable. Billy is immediately confused. Professor Sakamoto asks him what dorm he lives in, and Billy reluctantly gives the number. In an instant, the professor vanishes, only to reappear with Billy's cable. In total shock, Billy realizes that his professor has super speed- just like the hero Accelerator. The professor tells Billy what he saw, and that he read the paper while he was out on a morning run. He's put two and two together and knows Billy is the Blue Lightning. He asks Billy to, after all his classes, bring the suit to his office.

Still extremely anxious and unsure about all of this, Billy retrieves the suit, kept in a suitcase underneath his bed, and carries it to the physics building. He considers making a break for it, but remembers that his professor is obscenely fast, and any effort to run would be futile. Billy tells the physics department secretary that he's here for Professor Sakamoto. She informs the professor, and after a second she tells him to go on ahead.

When Billy opens the door, he sees the superhero Accelerator sitting in Professor Sakamoto's desk. Accelerator jokingly tells Billy to close the door behind him. When he does, he takes his mask off to reveal Professor Sakamoto, causing Billy to breathe a sigh of relief. Accelerator is considered to be one of the greatest heroes in all of Harbor City, and has the distinction of being its first. He was also the leader of the Harbor City Sentinels. Accelerator explains that he saw Blue Lightning's picture in the paper and that he was impressed at Billy's display of heroism as well as his impressive interview answers. Starstruck, Billy gives a rough recounting of the events to Accelerator, who smiles warmly at the young boy's eagerness and good nature. Accelerator tells Billy that the Blue Lightning might just be exactly what Harbor City needs right now. At this point a shot is shown of his desk that has the same copy of the Standard from before, his computer, some coffee, and a picture of him with his parents as well as a photo of him with a currently unidentifed friend. Accelerator tells Billy come with him, because he wants him to "meet the family."

Professor Sakamoto (who tells Billy to call him Johnny when they're hanging out) gives Billy a ride through town, regaling him with a story about that footrace he had with Speed Demon. They come to Hoving Tower. Johnny explains that when the tower was being completed, the owner, Mr. Fred Hoving, had his daughter Cynthia kidnapped by some Mafia goons. They go in, and Johnny shows the security guard his ID. They go into the elevator, where Johnny selects a certain sequence of floors. There's a pause before a brief "ding" noise, and the elevator heads up. Johnny explaisn that after he saved Cynthia, he politely asked Hoving to grant him exclusive access to the top floor of the skyscraper. Magnanimously, Hoving offered him two floors, which Johnny took him up on.

The doors open to reveal the Sentinel Safehouse, which Johnny explains was the team's secret base to watch over the city. The Safehouse is a massive multi-story complex, loaded with all sorts of equipment as well as trophies. As Johnny points out all of the features, Billy looks on in awe. As Johnny mentions that the place used to be much more active when the team was together, the shot shows that behind them, above the entrance, is a large empty picture frame.

A funnel-esque drone accosts Billy, which he recognizes as being the Golden Colossus. Johnny explains that "Goldy" makes the safehouse his home, and tells the drone that this is Blue Lightning. The drone flies off, and the Golden Colossus descends the central staircase, formally greeting Billy. Billy is intimidated by the Colossus's massive stature and various surrounding drones, but Johnny explains that Goldy has a bit of a fixation on consent and so he's perfectly harmless. Despite this, Billy still feels uneasy for reasons he can't pinpoint. Acclerator recaps the Colossus's origins, how he was created by Dr. Lycosa to "upgrade" the world, but Accelerator defeated him and taught him that mankind has to willingly accept utopia. The Colossus explains that he's retired from active superhero work to focus on societal engineering and figuring out how to make the world a better place while respecting the will of man.

The Colossus asks Johnny if he informed anyone else about bringing Blue Lightning. Johnny responds that he didn't, and asks why. Suddenly he and Billy turn around to see a very angry Noire. Overwhelmed with inexplicable fear, Billy recoils automatically and looks away. Johnny chides her for using her powers on Billy. Noire concedes and the fear breaks in Billy, but in turn she demands to know why Accelerator brought Billy into the Safehouse without telling her. Johnny answers that he didn't know Noire regularly used the Safehouse, and didn't think to ask. He introduces Billy as Blue Lightning, who Noire immediately dismisses, having never heard of him. Billy protests by mentioning being on the front page of the Standard, but Noire responds by saying she doesn't follow the news. Johnny is frustrated, but tries to hide it.

Noire immediately demands to know if he intends on reforming the Sentinels "since [he] found a fourth member." Billy internally marks the fuck out over being a Sentinel, ignoring the proceeding bitter argument. Accelerator tells Noire that he was just going to float the idea, while Noire reminds him that she works alone. Accelerator demands to know why she uses the Safehouse if she doesn't want to be a Sentinel, to which Noire says that her apartment is in a loud neighborhood and the Safehouse is where she can go to "exercise [her] mind." Accelerator tries to tell her that the city needs the Sentinels, but Noire retorts that the days of posing with the Mayor for a photo-op are long over. Accelerator points out that she was never around for those days, which Noire uses to make her point. Noire also mentions how Bolt Thrower still won't talk to him and El Fuego blatantly told them all to fuck off. The Colossus interrupts, saying that he believes that the time is not right for a Sentinel reformation since Blue Lightning is too untested anyway. Accelerator asks Noire if she'll consider things down the road, to which she tells him to fuck off and floats on to her private chambers.

Goldy apologizes to Billy for having to witness the argument, to which Billy shrugs it off since he wasn't paying attention. He shows him to the workshop, which is loaded with all sorts of mechanical devices. The workshop is an absolute mess, and Colossus confesses that the workshop has not been intended for human use since the team broke up, and so it has fallen into relative disrepair. He begins to clean it up, putting things roughly back in the way Bolt Thrower kept them. He asks Billy to please showcase the mechanics of his power suit. Billy first demonstrates the electric lock on his case, which requires that he run a current through in order to open it. The Colossus is impressed by this.

Meanwhile, Accelerator is in the main hall of the safehouse, looking out the window. As he looks over the city, he wonders if he can ever reform the Sentinels and give Harbor City their heroes back. He gives himself some reaffirmation, noting that he trained Noire while he was in a much darker place and dealing with much worse issues. He says that Blue Lightning shows promise and he can also get the kid to be a hero. He tells himself that there's nothing he can't do with enough willpower. He turns around and we see a sepia-tinted flashback shot of the entrance as it used to look, with the empty picture frame showing all four original Sentinels posing as a team: Golden Colossus and Bolt Thrower on the sides, with Accelerator and Nihl in the center. It's followed by a shot of the entrance as it is now, and Accelerator vows to train Blue Lightning and make things right again.

A few days later at school, Billy is on a bench in the plaza with a copy of the Standard reading up on his latest exploits- him and Accelerator managing to successfully stop a break-in at a local drug store. He appreciates how Cassie got most of the details right, and how cool it was that reporters got a shot of him and Accelerator. The same girl from before sits down on the bench next to him. She says it's nice to see a more avid newspaper reader and introduces herself as Mary Ford, an art student. Billy introduces himself as an engineering student. He confesses that he's only started to read the paper because he finds Blue Lightning's adventures to be fascinating. Mary makes her own confession, that she started reading the standard primarily because of the funny pages and that she wants to be a cartoonist herself someday. Billy asks her if she's an artist, and Mary reluctantly showcases some of her art. Billy compliments it, but Mary is sheepish about it. Hoping to change the topic, she asks if Billy is from around town. He explains that he's actually from a small town in PA. Mary admits thats she's always been a Harbor City resident. The two proceed to make friendly small talk.

Later that night, Blue Lightning is out on his own, looking for trouble. He thinks about how Mary and how making a new friend is just the latest in his college life getting better. He notices an alarm going off down the street and speeds off, arriving to see some thugs breaking out of a pharmacy and getting into a car. Rather than try to keep up, he grabs the car with his grappling hook and holds on as it takes off. Mentally he notes that while he didn't get to make too many upgrades or additions in the workshop, a stronger hook and cable has proved to be a good decision on his part. The goons try to lose him, but he manages to hold on to the car, using his suit's wheels to ride behind in a sort of rodeo chase.

Eventually, Blue Lightning catches up to the rear of the car and punches through the glass window. He counts four men in the car. As they go for guns, he fires his knuckle taser, stunning each one. He notes that multiple tasers (four in each hand) was another neat addition he made. Blue Lightning recognizes that stopping the now-runaway car is his next priority, and he climbs over to the front by use of another hook (yet another workshop addition). This time he rips the front door off, and pulls the driver out. He swings into the seat and slams the brakes, setting the car into park. Billy mentally comments on how his adrenaline has been pumping for the entire chase.

Stepping out from the car, Blue Lightning goes back to check on the driver he through out. Relieved that he's still alive, he takes him back to the car, noting that the caper has taken him to the rough-and-tumble Newbank neighborhood. There's a zoomed out shot, showing that a shadowy figure is watching Blue Lightning from the rooftops. He starts thinking about if the police will even show up to claim the thugs, when all of a sudden a fist drop from the heavens knocks him down. Still laid out on his back in a daze, Blue Lightning looks up to see El Fuego standing over him. She says something in spanish that he doesn't understand. He tries to prop himself up, asking her for the number of the truck that hit him. She responds by grabbing him by his costume and yanking him up to face her. She repeats herself in english. "I told you all: stay the FUCK out of Newbank."

Thinking there's been a misunderstanding, Blue Lightning introduces himself as a superhero and explains that he apprehended the thugs in question. Unimpressed, El Fuego knocks him back with a palm strike. Assuming that she's a villain, he fires a knuckle taser at her, only for her to dodge, move around to his rear, and deliver a teardrop suplex. Blue Lightning gets up and goes for another punch, only for him to totally wiff it and eat a superkick to the face. El Fuego squats over the downed Blue Lightning and introduces herself, making it clear that Newbank is HER territory, doesn't belong to Accelerator or any other hero in Harbor City.

Later that night, a beaten and sore Billy Lanzig makes it back to his dorm, still feeling like crap. He decides that if he's still sore tomorrow he'll skip class and take a cab to the Safehouse to get looked at. He closes his eyes for a moment before an unseen voice comments on how El Fuego totally kicked his ass. Waking up all startled, Billy sees Bolt Thrower standing over his bed. Bolt Thrower talks about how he bugged the workshop before leaving the Safehouse before expressing his amusement with Billy's ingenuity. Billy mentally notes that Bolt Thrower is a former Sentinel who has since switched over to lethal force. He asks Bolt Thrower how he found out if El Fuego is so territorial. Bolt Thrower laughs and explains that he trained her and so sometimes stops by to check in. For a brief moment, Billy thinks that El Fuego could have killed him if she thought he was up to no good. Recognizing the fear, Bolt Thrower assuages Billy by pointing out that he's not allowed to *do* anything in Newbanks, and El Fuego "didn't want to be exactly like me." When Billy calls Bolt Thrower a murderer, he responds by saying he doesn't kill every criminal he sees- he just applies lethal force for "particularly heinous individuals." He comments how silly it is that in the wake of "you-know-what" everyone else refuses to use any sort of lethal force, but he mentions that it was Accelerator's refusal to "put his rabid puppy down" that sparked his revelation.

We cut to a brief sepia-tinted flashback: an orange jumpsuit-clad figure wearing some sort of protective headgear being lead outside of a courthouse, with the press taking all sorts of photos and protesters jeering the crook. Bolt Thrower is watching from across the street, aiming at the convict. We see that the bolt in his bow has a sharp, lethal point. He fires the bolt, only for Accelerator to grab it out of the air. Bolt Thrower stands dumbstruck at what just happened as the unidentified criminal is loaded into the armored car.

Back to the present, Bolt Thrower gets to the point. He says that Accelerator is a failure. He goes over what Accelerator has produced: "A robotic shut-in pencil-pusher, a woman with the world's largest chip on her shoulder, and, well, you know..." He tells Billy that he has potential and with his training he could actually do some good for the city. He sticks out his hand and Billy takes it, but tries to run a powerful current through Bolt Thrower while telling him to essentially fuck off. The attempt fails though, and Bolt Thrower notes that he's got rubber in his gloves. He tells Billy that he's disappointed in him, and that he'll regret his decision eventually, leaving through an open window. Billy's suitemate knocks and asks if everything's okay, Billy tells him that it was just a bird that flew in before collapsing back into bed.

The next day an obviously sore and stiff Billy is in the workshop. He's a bit frustrated- At no point did he take any serious damage, but Colossus has told him not to overexert himself. He had asked Goldy about any sort of advanced medicine, but the robot had just handed him some tylenol. Billy has spent most of the day working on putting armor in his suit so he won't get his ass kicked nearly as hard next time. He doesn't get why everyone in the city is so on edge if they're all after the same thing. He understands that Bolt Thrower takes things a little too far, but he doesn't get El Fuego's territorial nature or Noire's bad atitude. Part of him knows that he wants the Sentinels to reform just so he can be a part of them, but at the same time it seems so obvious that a unified team of heroes could do some real good for the city. There's a knock on the workshop door, and Billy answers it to see Johnny. He says that he saw that Billy had called in sick, and was going to drop off his homework. Billy laughs, but takes a break to tell Johnny that they need to talk.

Cut to the Safehouse Lounge where Billy finishes recapping the previous night's events to Accelerator.  Billy is sitting in a recliner obviously trying to relax his aching body, while Johnny sits on a couch off to his side. Johnny apologizes for not telling him to avoid Newbank, not expecting him to ever wind up there anyway. He explains that while he can't figure out precisely how El Fuego's powers work, he suspects that her mask is what gives her superior speed, strength and agility. He also apologizes for not warning him about Bolt Thrower or explaining what his deal was, but Billy answers that he's more than familiar with his behavior after seeing the reports on TV. Johnny says he's incredibly proud of Billy for not taking Bolt Thrower up on his offer. There's a pause as Billy thinks for a moment, but then he asks Johnny what the deal was with the Sentinels breakup.

There's another pause, and Johnny decides that he might as well tell Billy. He says that he's not sure where it started- there were plenty of warning signs he should have noticed, like Jason being more moody or withdrawn, or David not speaking up when there were arguments over interrogation methods. However, all of these are just distractions in Johnny's mind, and he tells Billy that he assumes he just wants to hear about "the day it all fell apart." Billy tries to stop him saying that he doesn't have to say anything, but Johnny continues.

Cut to another flashback, this time in black and white. Accelerator mentions how there had been a break-in at the particle accelerator the previous night and was investigating it out of costume. He had assumed it was Professor Photon or some similar villain from his rogues gallery. That's when he heard the campus's emergency alert.

NOTE: The following is all black, with nothing but text boxes. The symbolism here is that the events are incredibly traumatic and Accelerator still is trying to suppress the exact memory of them. The other reason is that I want the viewer to imagine the horror rather than describe it. Alternatively, this monologue can be shown as Johnny describing it on the couch. The important point is that there's no flashbacks showing what actually happened.

"My first thought is that it was a gunman, one of those crazy school shooters."

"In my mind, that was the worst case scenario."

"I remember thinking to myself- please god no, not at my school, not on /my/ campus."

"I sped off to the hall that they told me to stay away from, hoping I could get there in time to take down the gunman and save some lives."

"That's when I got there, and that's when I saw the carnage.

"I knew right away that it wasn't a gunman, it was something far worse."

"And so I kept searching the halls, trying to ignore the dead and dying, hoping I could just stop the source of all of this, that's when I found him."

(from Billy) "...Nihl?"

"In spite of everything, I hesitated."

"I should have known something was off."

"Sometimes, he would project his feelings in this way around us so everyone felt what he felt."

"Normally it was negative emotions."

"Resentment."

"Misery."

"Hate."

"But this time there was something different."

"It was an overwhelming feeling of relief, like pure bliss washed over me when I saw him."

"I thought, you know, here was my friend, my partner, here was Jason, Nihl, the hero I had trained, already on the case."

"Then I watch him kill a girl in cold blood."

"That's when I scream out."

"That's when he notices me."

"That's when he takes the time to tell me everything."

"About how he was tired of not being as well-liked or respected or treated properly."

"About how he gave in to his hate for me and every single other person on this panet."

"About how he had finally found a purpose in his life."

"About how he duplicated my origin with the particle accelerator."

"About how he was finally better than me, and was going to kill every person on the planet."

Cut back to Johnny sitting on the couch, head buried in his hands. He says he's still not sure how he stopped Nihl, and figures it chalked up to his psychosis as well as his inexperience with super speed stopping him from getting the most out of his powers. He mentions how in the end he was lucky to have been the one to stopped Nihl, since it meant that the city still trusted him. But the Sentinels as an institution were done for.