Young Justice: Red Comet

Chapter 14 - Fire

"Can I run fast enough? Magma, please," He laughs and he zips away. I turn and watch the fire ripple as he passes through and I follow after him. The flames flick at my skin, but it's just heat that I enjoy. I get a glimpse at Red holding a women in her arms as she exits through a window.

I find Impulse at the top floor, the fire taking place down the right hallway. I look over him to see he's sweating terribly from the fire, but he's alright.

"Go check the rooms on the left, I've got the right." I tell him, about to walk away when I'm stopped by his hand in mine.

"Be careful," he says, his green eyes set intensely on me.

I smile at him, "Fire can't hurt me, Impulse."

"I know, just be careful." He says before letting go of my head and racing into a room.

I stand a moment, remembering the warmth that he gave to my hand and noting how it feels much stronger than this fire burning the building away.

Facing the fire, I step through it, heading for the first room. It tries to eat my skin, but it does nothing. I push open the door and step inside. Smoke and fire fills the room, and I call out to see if anyone is there. I get in and check the bed and bathroom before feeling satisfied that it's empty.

Exiting the room, I head to the next, and have to melt the door handle away for it's stuck. I get in and the fire is just filling the room with ash and smoke. Whimpers come from deep within the room, and I push through the flames.

"Where are you, I'm here to help!" I yell through the smoke. The whimpers grow louder, and I jump over fallen pieces of the roof to get to the bathroom. I find a little girl, huddled in the bathtub, coughing and crying.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" I tell her. She looks up at me with big brown eyes, afraid.

"It's okay, it's okay." I tell her, reaching out for her. She looks at my hands warily, but lets me scoop her up. She couldn't be more than six years old.

I turn around to try and go through the bedroom, but the flames has taken it over. Turning around again, I feel the bathroom walls, trying find the closest point to get outside.

A rafter beam falls and nearly hits us, but I jump away in time, keeping the little girl tucked in my arms. She lets out a scream but I hold her tighter.

"It's okay, I'll protect you." I tell her and she buries her head against my chest. I look up and place a hand against the back wall. I can't turn it to lava, it's not earth material, but I can melt it away. The problem is I can't heat up without hurting the little girl in the process.

"I need to put you down for a moment, okay? I need to melt the wall away but I can't do it if I'm holding you." I tell her, kneeling on the ground but still holding her in my lap.

"No!" She gasps, clutching my clothes in her small fists. "Don't leave me!"

"I won't, I promise. You need to be brave, okay? Can you do that for me?" I ask. She stares up at me, her brown eyes consuming me but she nods and sits on the floor. I get up, taking a step away from her to keep her safe, and let my body heat up.

I feel the heat, the energy come from within myself. This power is nothing like the flames consuming the building now. It's stronger, more controlled, mine.

I place both hands against the wall, letting my skin turn from yellow, or orange, to bright red. I feel the girl stare up at me, and the wall begins melting at my touch. Soon, I get a glimpse of the outside world, and widen the hole even more. Once it's big enough to get the little girl through, I stop, calming myself down back to my tan skin color.