New Markets - 02 (19 page)

The energy fumes were very noticeable coming off my body, especially every time I breathed out.  It was like I was a dragon breathing vapors out.

A news crew took footage of us handing off the people. 
Oh my gosh, this is the best thing ever!  On camera and saving people, woohoo! 
I gave them the thumbs up and smiled.  Several people cheered … they were looking at me.  I grinned and pointed to them.

A woman screamed and pointed up.  Someone had leaped off the safe building and was in a diving position on their way to the ground.  They seemed to skip distances a few times.  It was an odd effect; I wasn’t certain if it was a trick of my eyes or not.  He caught up with something smaller below him.  I realized it was Rael leaping after something.  He caught the object perhaps three floors above the ground, flipped in the air and slammed into a car parked between the buildings.  The windows shattered and popped out of the frames as the roof compacted into the base of the vehicle.  The tires blew out with an explosive noise.   He looked like he tried to land like I do, probably with better form, but he didn’t stay completely on his feet.

I ran over to him, along with a reporter and an officer.  Rael slowly stood up from a crouching position.  He was staring at a laptop computer in his hands.  He looked disgusted.

I asked, “What was that all about?”

He replied, “A lady screamed up there and looked over the edge.  I didn’t think, I just leaped after it thinking a person fell off.”

“So you saved a laptop?”

“Apparently.”

“You okay?  I’ve never seen you fall ten stories.”

“My legs sting, they are feeling better by the moment, though.  Hell of a lot better than this car.”  He hopped down off the top, wincing slightly as his legs absorbed the shock.

“If you’re okay, I have more people to save, talk to you soon.  Nice … laptop save.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He looked up at the rooftop.  A line of people that had been flown off the endangered building stood looking down at us.

Then I looked back up and leapt to the top of the building.  That was the intent, anyway.  In reality I shot past the top of the building and went up several hundred more feet before arcing back down.  Fortunately I landed back on the burning building's far side. 
Raging adrenaline means more strength, which means jumping farther.  Remember that, Spartan.

Stephanie had the building top clear.  I saw her flying around the edges of the building, searching for anyone else at a window.  I jogged over to the nearest edge and yelled out to her.

"Psystar!"

She flew over to me.  Her white costume and tan skin were blackened in areas.  She said, "How's it going so far?"

"Eighth floor is clear of people.  Did you get burned?"

"No, some of the people got near the smoke and were covered in soot.  I got some of it rubbed off on me.  Why are you glowing?"

"Okay, just checking.  I'm not sure about the glow.  My adrenaline is rushing, and I think my hyper strength is active.  I feel like lifting something really big.  Man, I so wish I were about to start a workout, feeling like this."

"We'll probably have to go eat after this then."

I nodded, "Yeah, but that's okay.  Saving people is more important to me than hunger."

She smiled.  "You want me to do anything else?"

"As if you haven't done enough.  Killer idea, by the way, keeping people calm."

"I had to, they started massing up, and I can't be near large, tight groups of people.  So I used the pheromones to calm them down and then get into a big line.  It made it much easier."

"It looked like it.  Listen, I'm going to head back down and help the firemen try to put out the flames.  You might want to keep circling the windows, but don't come in.  The fire doesn't seem to hurt me, but if you get burned, your healing may not take care of it."

She shrugged, "Works for me.  I'll fly down to tell the fire chief that you'll be helping them on the eighth floor and see if he has any other plans."

"Sounds good.  This might take a while for me."

I ran back into the building, the thick cloud of smoke on the stairs from the eighth floor on up made it harder this time.  I knew I was close to the firefighter crew when a blast of water ricocheted off the wall to my right and smashed into me.  I kept walking down, at one point they hit me directly with the water blast, and it felt no stronger than a spray from a water hose at home.

Several men were manning the water hose.  They were clad in their heavy firefighting gear and oxygen tanks.  I passed the front group and spoke to one of the rear men.

“You want me to move ahead with the hose?  The fire doesn’t bother me.”  These firefighters were already brave; I figured preventing any chance of injury would be useful.  He told the front two to let me bring the hose forward, and to guide me

One of them directed me to hold it up front and pointed at the intensity lever.  I nodded and carefully took the hose from him. 
Strange, I figured holding one of these big fire hoses would be something you fight with.  It just feels like a small hose to me. 
 I grinned.

As we worked on the eighth floor I began having doubts that we could control this fire.  It had spread to the entire level, and I wouldn’t doubt that it spread to the floor above in places.

Then the strangest thing occurred.  We were spraying down an area, and all of the flames shifted direction and flowed to our left.  It was downright unnatural.  Then they went out.  The trails of fire wound their way about twenty feet away and disappeared into a woman standing there.  She wore a spandex exercise workout top and shorts.  They were maroon with a flame pattern on them. Her hair was auburn and she wore dirty white tennis shoes.  Her eyes glowed bright orange, backlit like Stephanie’s have in the past but with a different color scheme.

She leaned over panting, then straightened up, looked at us and grinned.  She jogged over to us.  “Hi guys!  I would have come earlier, but I didn’t hear about the fire and then I had to drive here.”

I said, “Hi, I’m Spartan.”

“I’m … uhh, I know!  Firebane!”

I grinned, “You’re a new super from this last weekend?”

She looked off to the left.  “Uhh, nooo.  I, uh, just, uh, moved here.”

“It’s okay, I’m new too.  You seem more effective than the hose, feel free to continue.”

“Oh, right!  Sorry!”

She walked toward the next section, held out her arms, and again the flames shifted direction and flowed to her hands.  I felt the temperature drop in the room as well.  She continued at that until the flames had disappeared in the section.

At this point her skin had small trails of energy vapors coming off from it, much like mine did.  Mine were at an all time high at the time though.  She continued on to the next section, absorbing the flames and heat from that section.  The level was almost clear of fire now.  Her hair showed vapors coming off it at this point, and her eyes, nose and mouth all had streams of energy flowing every time she breathed.

I looked at a firefighter and asked, “Does my energy look like that?”

He looked back and forth at us and nodded.  “Her vapors are more reddish orange, where yours are yellow though.  What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.  It’s like adrenaline to me, I feel strong, energized.”

She leaned over panting, hands on her knees.  I stepped over to her and knelt down to be near her height.  “Hey, are you okay?”

“No.  I feel like I’m going to hurl, like I’ve eaten way too much.  I’m keeping it in, but I don’t know how much more I can absorb.  There’s only one more area, I’m going to get that done.”

She grit her teeth and stepped closer to the last area on fire.  Again she held out her arms and the flames flowed to her.  I chuckled momentarily; she almost appeared as though she were against a wall waiting to be frisked down.

I looked at the firefighters.  “How about you guys check the ninth floor to see if you need to spray anything down?  I’m not sure what would need doing.”

“Good idea.  She’s definitely a new super.  Having someone who can put out fires like this would be awesome.”

Firebane dropped to her knees after absorbing the last of the flames.  Her hair was now on fire, and her hands and forearms had small flames licking off them.  She looked like she was in pain.

I asked, “Can I do anything?”

“I don’t feel like I can hold this in.  This fire wants back out!”  Her eyes glowed like flashlights around the iris, and her hair was actually on fire at this point.

Crap.  She might explode or something.

I scooped her up in my arms and ran for the stairs.  I yelled, “MOVE!  Clear the way now!”  I sprinted up the stairs with her, taking half a flight at a time.  Once I reached the rooftop I leaped hard into the air.

I yelled to her, “Now!  Let the fire out now!”

She squirmed in my arms and screamed, then hugged my neck like she was afraid for her life. 
Hmm, maybe she’s afraid of heights.
  We continued up into the sky, it looked like we’d end up miles above the city.

I said, “I’ve got you, I’m a jumper, this is what I do.  You’re safe.  Just let the fire back out while we are up here.”

Flames erupted around her and exploded into a fireball around us.  The energy went around and through me.  My adrenaline surge hit yet another new high.  I knew I’d have to avoid actually grabbing her on the way back down or I’d crush her.  She stopped releasing all the pent up energy after a few seconds.  I looked below us; we had a long fire trail marking our upward arc into the sky.

She slumped then; either the energy release or the fear of heights had wiped her out.  This was by far the farthest jump I’d done yet, and the fastest.

I noticed movement off to my left, and Stephanie flew close and hooked my arm.  “Hey, handsome!  What, am I being replaced already?”

I laughed.  “You could never be replaced, ‘star.”

She grinned.  “Well, that’s good to know.  You want me to fly you two back down to the fire scene?”

I nodded, “Great idea, I believe we’d land miles away at this angle.”

She guided our direction back down by hanging onto me under my arms.  She stared at me.  “Why are you so hyped up?  I’ve never seen you glow so much.”

I looked at myself, and the yellow energy was more pronounced than ever.  I felt juiced enough to possibly lift that entire locomotive, not just the back end.  “I don’t know, the more I stayed in the fire the stronger it’s gotten, and when she let off all that fire it got stronger.”

It took a short time for Stephanie to fly us back down to the scene.  Firebane began moving again when we were near the ground.  Stephanie landed us near the Fire Chief, and apparently in full view of the news crews monitoring the scene.  We were all dirty from the smoke, but I felt great, even discounting the mad rush of energy in me.

I lowered Firebane's feet to the ground and prepared to release her, but she appeared wobbly, so I kept my hand on her back.  She was taller than Stephanie, perhaps 5'8" or so, and in the better light outside had the typical body definition of a super.  In other words, she was in unbelievable shape.  Her auburn hair was dirty from the smoke in the building though.

Rael walked over from a group of officers questioning people we rescued from the fire.  Our common contact, Agent Carson was there, along with the Fire Chief and Chief of Police.  The Chief of Police shook our hands and went back to directing his men.

Fire Chief Hansen walked up to us and shook our hands.  "Good to meet you all, I'm Fire Chief Tully Hansen.  Our men say that the fire has been put out, and the temperature is down as well, so we should be safe from any outbreaks.  Great work!"