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Head leaned up against the cool glass of the window, Flame watched the city slowly pass them by, towering structures of concrete and glass decorated with neon signs. Hanging from the side of a highrise apartment building was a huge billboard, which read: ”New criminal redemption program sparks controversy in the HCA. Call here to petition for its removal!”
The scene changed as they entered a small tunnel, for a moment shrouded in darkness. From the dim lighting, Flame could see graffiti on the concrete walls. ”Death to terrorists! Death to Croupier! Death to the Immortal Demon!” Though, someone had scribbled out the “Im,” so it just read “Mortal Demon.”
He looked away. The scene inside of the bus wasn’t much better. Some people were arguing in the back, occasionally shaking the whole vehicle, while others tried to keep the peace. A few had somehow managed to fall asleep. Parrot, notably, looked completely konked out on some guy’s shoulder. That one made sense, actually– The guy took a crazy amount of night shifts.
Universal Agency wanted all their top heroes to go out on “company sponsored group cohesion trips” as a “bonding exercise,” whatever that meant. All Flame knew was that he had to listen to Spoke prattling on and on about how cool Parrot’s latest mission was the entire half hour drive to some mall. Even Zam, for as performatively upbeat as she was, looked ready to throttle the kid after his fifth time ignoring her.
When the bus finally stopped, Flame was the first off it, activating Inertia to push himself out of the stuffy vehicle. The rest of the team followed close behind, some looking excited for what was basically a day off from work, and others like they would rather be doing literally anything else.
“Wow, traffic was crazy today,” Lomedy said, hand raised to shade his eyes from the sun as he observed the huge building ahead of them.
All of the support crew had been invited as well, however since for them it wasn’t required—unlike for heroes—most had stayed behind. Lomedy was one of the few that came, alongside some Wifies guy from communications. Flame had never spoken to him, he only knew his name because comms officers were required to wear nametags.
Parrot stretched his arms casually. “It’s probably because of us. Word got out about our trip today, but no one knows exactly where, so there’s just paparazzi like, everywhere.”
“That’s a security hazard, you know,” Wifies commented.
In response, Parrot just laughed. “You think the agency cares? They’re probably having a field day with all the media attention.”
Despite being off duty, Parrot was wearing sunglasses and a face mask to disguise himself, obscuring his whole face. What a weird guy. Even Flame only bothered with glasses and a cap, and a certain few people wanted him dead for some shit he did in the past.
Zam clapped her hands together, interrupting any ongoing chatter. “Now that we’ve arrived, I’m so thankful to all of you who could make it! Remember team, we’re here to build bonds, work on our team synergy, and most importantly, have fun!” His smile as he spoke could outshine the sun. Flame almost shaded his eyes too. “Let’s make the most of today, everyone!”
Just a few words from the great number one hero Monarch had the whole vibe shifting, people who had before been grumbling about required trips being unlawful now cheerfully yapping about what they planned to do, and where they wanted to go. Slowly, small groups of heroes who commonly worked together peeled off from each other, making their way into the mall.
Flame just watched, unsure what they were meant to be doing and hesitant to do something so… normal. He used to just steal anything he wanted. What did normal people even do at malls?
Surprisingly, Zam seemed to notice this hesitance, walking over with far too much confidence. She seemed to believe it was her job to guide him through being a hero, since Flame was the agency’s new “project,” and she was their poster girl. Apparently that made her his mentor or something. Was her ego really that big?
Before he could react, two hands grabbed Flame’s face, squishing him something akin to how you would a puppy. “Aw, I know it’s scary being the new baby hero, Flame, but it’s okay! Everyone here is very nice, so don’t worry about it!” Zam comforted, face far too close. “You don’t need to be so nervous, haha!”
Yanking himself away, Flame took a step back to steady himself. His skin burned where she had touched him. Not literally, but it certainly felt like it. The touch was uncomfortably familiar.
“What the–” He shut his mouth. Lomedy would definitely be disappointed in him if he crashed out over something like this. “Whatever, bro.” The uncomfortable attention at least encouraged him to make his way inside, to escape more than anything else. Lomedy followed just a step behind.
“Zam is right though,” Lomedy said, entirely unhelpfully. “You’ve been acting off all day, man. Are you sure you’re good?
“Not you too, bro,” Flame groaned. “What, are you tryna repair me now too? Like one of your little machines?”
Once they reached the center of the mall, where the huge skylight above let in the sun, Lomedy grabbed his sleeve, stopping him. “Flame. Seriously, dude, I just wanna help. I know that I won’t ever really get it, but you can talk to me, okay?”
When Flame first joined the agency, Lomedy was the first person to talk to him like he was a human being, a hero, rather than some feral dog they were collectively putting up with. Apparently, the last hero team he had supported died in the field, which was why he had been assigned to Flame’s case despite being an experienced engineer. He did feel a little guilty wasting his time. Lomedy shouldn’t have to be putting up with someone like him.
“Yeah, bro, okay,” Flame agreed halfheartedly. “Seriously, I’m fine dude. Just go do what you wanna do.”
Lomedy gave him a meaningful look, but let go. “Okay, Flame. Meet me back here in an hour?”
“Sure. Hour’s fine.”
The busy mall quickly swallowed up Lomedy’s retreating figure in a crowd of strangers. Flame sighed, keeping to the center, where there was the least amount of people. Someone shoulder checked him, and he barked out a ”Hey–!” to no avail.
Grinding his teeth together, he did his best to resist the urge to burn this whole place to the ground. It wasn’t even that he wanted anyone dead, really. He was just… on edge. Every little sound grated at his already fraying nerves. He wished he hadn’t told Lomedy to leave.
Whatever. He should probably make the most of this trip, like Zam had said. Not doing team building or whatever, but finding stuff he might need in the future, like for his apartment or hero work. Flame wasn’t sure what malls even had, but this place seemed pretty big. Surely he could find something useful.
Flame started walking, avoiding people as much as he could and hoping something would catch his interest. He wondered—
A hand clamped over his mouth, smothering an instinctual yelp and yanking him back against someone. Someone skilled, for sure, judging by the fact he didn’t notice them approaching, and at least decently strong. A villain? But why would–
“Don’t scream.”
Flame went stock still, any words leaving him in that moment.
“I’ve got enough energy stockpiled to blow this whole building up. I’m sure you’ll survive, but all those civilians you care so much about now– Eh, they might not be so lucky.”
He scanned the mall, watching passersby loiter about, recognising not a single face among them. Everyone must’ve wandered away, including Lomedy. Nobody noticed what was happening. Nobody was coming to intervene. Even if they did, that might only set the villain off.
Slowly, with no sharp movements, Flame looked over his shoulder. He just had to be sure this was who he thought it was.
Wemmbu smiled, the expression crinkling the edges of his eyes. “Let’s talk, bro.”
The last time he saw Wemmbu, Flame had almost died.
To be honest, Flame didn’t remember how the fight started. He wasn’t sure it even mattered at this point. Maybe to Wemmbu it did, but to Flame, all that mattered was how it ended. How he lost to someone he used to think of as a brother.
Their scuffle had destroyed a whole city park. Trees were toppled, the earth scorched and scraped raw. It was mostly Wemmbu’s fault, the villain constantly raining down explosive attacks with no regard for how other people might be injured, all because he was spiteful that Flame actually wanted to do something with his life.
Flame was breathing heavily, various cuts and burns stinging with each small movement. They had been fighting for ages, and with Wemmbu’s power, there was no way he would win a battle of attrition. He needed to end this now.
“What are you even doing here bro? I told you, I literally told you that I was leaving. Why are you here, bro?” Flame questioned, buying time as he looked for an opening to attack.
Wemmbu laughed harshly. “Oh, forgive me, I thought this– We actually meant something to you. Whoops, guess I was wrong!” He brought his mace down, quick and hard, but Flame easily blocked it with his shield, the heavy attack sliding off of it with a screech of metal, Inertia keeping him steady.
Something panged in Flame’s heart, but he ignored it. “I didn’t want to– Like, I tried to talk to you, bro, you just wouldn’t listen!” he argued, slashing at Wemmbu in an attempt to disarm him. The villain dodged deftly to the side.
“There’s nothing to listen to! Either you come back home, or I kill you right here,” Wemmbu snarled. An explosion to Flame’s right emphasized his point, narrowly—intentionally—missing him. “We started this together! We did– Everything I did we did together, and now you get to turn around and– and be the good guy?”
“It’s not about– Bro, it’s not about that, it’s–”
Not giving him time to speak, Wemmbu lunged forward, knocking them both to the ground. His mace landed heavy right besides Flame’s head. “What is it about, then? Tell me Fl– No. Phoenix. What is it about? Is it about how you left me? Is it about how you left Mane–”
“Do you think this is fucking easy, bro? Do you think it’s easy for me to just, like, start over?” he shouted desperately. “No bro! So stop acting like this is about you. It’s not about you. It’s about me, bro. It’s about what I wanna do, and I don’t wanna– I don’t wanna do this anymore! It’s not right, bro.” Flame’s voice cracked a bit on the last part, but he managed to keep his composure.
In response, Wemmbu raised Flame up by the shoulders, before slamming him into the ground, Flame’s skull knocking against pavement. The attack was stupid and childish, and his ears rang in the aftermath. Flame kneed him straight in the gut—Inertia making sure it landed swift and vicious—before grabbing Wemmbu by the hair to yank him off, rolling out of the way just as Wemmbu’s stupid mace smashed into the ground. The sound of it cracking concrete rippled like a shockwave through the area.
Flame got back on his feet nimbly, Inertia carrying him forward, meanwhile Wemmbu was still trying to tug his mace out of the earth. It must’ve gotten stuck with his reckless strike. Now was the perfect time to attack, while he was distracted, and end all of this. Flame raised his sword–
“True heroes don’t kill,” Lomedy said solemnly.
–and he hesitated.
Wemmbu’s mace slammed into his chest at full force, smashing him into a brick wall with a sickening crack of his ribs. Flame coughed violently, falling to his knees, barely managing to catch his collapse by scraping his hands against the rough pavement. It hurt. Everything hurt.
“Fine then. Go play hero, Flame. See if I care.” Wemmbu tossed one last scornful glance to his shaking body, standing tall and proud. “Some Mortal Demon you are, traitor.”
Flame dug his fingertips into the ground, feeling them scrape against the cracked concrete. A fiery rage built up in his chest and burned at his eyelids. This wasn’t fair. He was doing the right thing, he was being good– Why was he being punished for it?
Slowly, Flame staggered to his feet, holding his side and taking deep, measured breaths. The sound of Wemmbu’s retreating footsteps stopped. Yet, he didn’t turn around.
“Flame, if you attack me one more time, I will actually kill you. Learn when it’s time to give up, buddy,” Wemmbu said calmly.
The hero took one, single step forward, before his legs collapsed underneath him, and he blacked out from the pain.
With an arm around Flame’s shoulder and a threatening smile which very clearly meant “If you do anything fishy, I’ll blow this whole goddamn building up,” Wemmbu led them both to a secluded section of the mall, right around the corner in an employee only hall. Strategically, it was pretty smart. The area allowed Wemmbu to see most of the mall’s central area without anyone seeing them.
It also meant Flame was fucked.
“Why are you here, bro? What do you want?” Flame hissed, trying to keep his voice low.
“Aw, am I not allowed to talk to you anymore, now that you’re the high and mighty Phoenix?” Wemmbu taunted, pulling him closer into a weird half hug, which felt more restraining than friendly. Despite that, he could feel himself leaning into it. It had just been so long. “Don’t be like that. Let’s be chill, bro.”
Flame did not have time for this. “That doesn’t answer my question like, at all, dawg.”
Wemmbu’s smile dropped, just like a curtain at the end of a show, announcing that the play was over and it was time to return to the real world. “Mane misses you,” he said simply.
The words were indescribably painful. Flame would honestly rather Wemmbu have just punched him in the gut and called it a day. He took a sharp breath in.
Mane missed him.
“He asked me to come get you,” Wemmbu explained. “Figured now was my best chance, since you guys’ little field trip got leaked. Personally, I think you’re a lost cause, but… Whatever, bro. He’s giving you another chance.”
Flame straight up laughed at him. “Last time we talked, you literally tried to kill me bro! Why would I come back with you? No way, bro, there’s literally no way.”
Wemmbu jabbed a finger into Flame’s chest. Flame had forgotten how touchy feely this guy was. Forgotten what it felt like. “Hey, I left you alive, I just had to make sure you knew your place, little bro,” he said, smirking.
“Don’t fucking call me that, you don’t– You’re not– You don’t get to call me that,” Flame stammered, trying not to let on how much the words affected him. “You’re not even– I’m older than you!”
“You are not older than me.”
“Yes I am! Yes I am-!”
“No, no you’re not– you are not, no way–“
“I am older than you,” Flame said resolutely. He refused to budge on this.
“Whatever! That’s not the point! Stop distracting me!” Wemmbu kept an arm around Flame’s shoulder, shoving him up against the wall in something he thought was meant to be threatening. However, the person trying to threaten him was Wemmbu, so it had no effect. “Your big brother Mane misses you, and for some reason that means it’s my job to bring you back, since apparently he can’t be bothered to do it himself. Are we doing this the easy way, or the hard way?”
“Hard way,” Flame answered immediately.
“Oh my god, you are so annoying,” Wemmbu whined.
“What did you expect? What did you actually expect, bro?”
The villain scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe that you would come to your senses and realise how stupid this is?”
Why wouldn’t anyone believe Flame when he said he wanted to do better? “It’s not stupid! I’m being serious, you just won’t listen to me!”
“And I told you, there’s nothing to listen to! Oh my god, dude, why are you so stubborn?” Wemmbu complained, like this was all just an inconvenience to him.
“Why am I-? Bro. When this all started, I said I would only fight out of self defense. Okay? I was doing it because I had to,” Flame insisted, desperate to convince both Wemmbu and himself. “But that’s not true anymore! I don’t need to be– We don’t need to be doing all this!”
“Yeah you didn’t need to, because we had everything! We finally got what we wanted! Everyone respected us, we didn’t need anything, we had everything, and you just threw it all away! Was it worth it? Leaving us, giving up everything, to go play hero. Was it really worth it, Flame?” Wemmbu interrogated.
Flame thought back to every person who had looked at him with fear, then gratitude. How Lomedy grinned so stupidly when Flame successfully brought a villain in unharmed. He remembered how, as the Immortal Demon, people had run at his very presence, refusing to even speak with him.
That name meant everything to him. It defined who he was as a person, how people viewed him, and understood his strength. He had spent years building that name up from nothing. Losing it was like carving out a piece of himself. Now Flame just felt empty, lost, and directionless.
People smiled at him.
“Yes,” he replied.
Clearly that was the wrong answer, judging by the punch to the gut that forced a rough wheeze out of him, fulfilling his earlier wish. Flame would’ve doubled over if it wasn’t for the fact Wemmbu was still weirdly half-hugging-half-choking him. Oh, he would kill this guy right now, if not for stupid fucking morals. At least reeling from the blow gave him a good excuse to lean on the villain.
Damn though, when did Wemmbu get that strong? Clearly he must’ve been doing some kind of training with Mane, because Flame had never felt him punch like that before, and he and Wemmbu have had their fair share of fights, in practice and for real. He was still sure he could take Wemmbu in an actual melee fight—without him holding a building of civilians hostage—but it was a surprising improvement.
“Is your head full of rocks?” Wemmbu snarled. “Or are you actually just delusional, you asshole.”
“Maybe I just actually give a shit about other people,” Flame bit back.
Wemmbu laughed derangedly. “Clearly you don’t! You abandoned your brother, and you’re not even sorry about it! Don’t pretend you give a shit now.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t sorry,” Flame said.
“You said it was worth it! You don’t regret what you did at all!”
“Yeah, because it was, and I don’t,” Flame stressed. “That doesn’t mean I’m not sorry. But you guys are the ones who decided to stay behind, that’s not on me!”
Wemmbu roughly grabbed the collar of Flame’s shirt with his free hand, yanking him upwards. It was hard to tell if Wemmbu was preparing to kill Flame, kidnap him, blow up the mall, or, special option D: All of the above.
“You’re sorry,” Wemmbu ground out.
“Yes bro! I’m sorry!”
“Gah!” Wemmbu abruptly dropped him, walking away with his head in his hands. He muttered something to himself, running a hand through his hair like a stressed out soccer mom.
“Why are you even mad?” Flame half questioned, half laughed. He might be losing it. He might also wish Wemmbu would punch him again, because at least he would be touching him. “You got what you wanted, bro. You’re the strongest. The best villain there ever was. What are you so mad about, bro?”
Now that set Wemmbu off. He whipped around, face red with rage. “Oh, so now I get to be the strongest, now that you’re gone, living out some– Some, happy fantasy life as a hero? Parading around a mall with all your new friends? How is that fair!?”
“They aren’t my friends! They’re just–”
“Coworkers, right? Like we were just temporary allies? How’s that working out for you, Flame?” he snarked. “You two were the ones who took me in, and now you’re acting like it meant nothing to you! Well I’m not fucking having it!”
Flame flinched, then looked to the side, unable to meet his eyes. “What, so you’re just mad because you feel like I’m replacing you? Are you jealous, Wemmbu?”
“Yes! Yes I am!” Wemmbu yelled.
The admittance actually stunned Flame silent. He stared, jaw dropped, as Wemmbu looked like he was trying not to cry, face screwed up in frustration. The guy was being serious, genuinely. Flame… Well, he felt bad, but also…
“...Dude. You broke my ribs because–” Flame cut himself off with a laugh. “What is actually wrong with you? Is this how you treat all your friends?”
Wemmbu rubbed at one of his eyes, teary. “Are we even still friends?” he asked, quietly.
“We could be, maybe,” Flame said, offering an olive branch. “If you stopped tryna– Jump the gun and blow up a bunch of innocent people. And kill me. Then maybe we could be friends again, bro.” He felt kind of stupid, with the reality of their situation, talking like this was some kind of schoolboy squabble. Then again, this was their normal.
“Eh… I’ll think about it.” Wemmbu finally cracked a smile. Genuine as it was, it only lasted for a second, before dropping into something meaner. “Fine. If you’re not coming back on your own, then I’ll just have to–”
Right. Well, that was his cue.
Flame used the distance he had annoyed Wemmbu into putting between them to bolt towards the corner, Inertia letting him catch speed faster than humanly possible. If someone could just see him–
Bang.
A heavy weight slammed into his back, Wemmbu grappling him to the floor. Flame twisted, trying to throw the villain off of him, but the guy was stubbornly clinging. “How the fu-“
“Propelled myself with the blast.” Wemmbu grinned. “New trick I learned. Mane is all about speed, you know? Fight to kill and all that.”
Flame elbowed him in the gut as revenge for earlier, and their scuffle continued. For a bit, Flame was winning, since he had the advantage in hand to hand, but after a few moments of them roughhousing on the marble floor, Wemmbu stopped, a killer glare on his face.
“Flame. If you get me caught, I will kill whoever finds us right in front of you, and it will be your fault.”
“…That’s real friendly of you,” Flame goaded, smiling shakily. If Wemmbu was already letting him get away with this much bullshit, everything he said was probably just empty threats- But on the off chance they weren’t, Flame took a moment to breathe, pretending to surrender.
For a moment Wemmbu looked relieved, before his gaze hardened. The guy had always been like that, Flame guessed, flipping between emotions like a ping pong ball. “Here’s what’s gonna happen, alright? There’s a back door through the employee only room. We’re gonna go through there, quietly, that way none of your new friends see us and get suspicious. Then, my–” Wemmbu cut himself off, spotting something out of the corner of his eye.
Zam meandered by their little hiding spot, looking left and right, clearly searching for something– Or more like someone. It seemed the others had finally noticed Flame’s disappearance. Lomedy making him promise to meet up in an hour must’ve come in clutch. He held his breath for the hero to spot them, but she walked straight by.
Wemmbu forgot everything he had been saying, eyes locked onto the space Zam had just occupied. “You didn’t tell me she would be here,” he said icily.
“You didn’t ask,” Flame said, smirking.
Monarch’s ability, Siren, was an almost perfect foil to Wemmbu’s. Zam could calm anyone within hearing range, even putting them to sleep if she put enough power behind it. Meanwhile, Wemmbu’s ability to accumulate energy when he was attacked was completely useless against an ability that soothed rather than hurt. That, alongside some more personal feuds, had fueled a strong enmity between the two.
Cursing under his breath, Wemmbu stood to his feet, dragging Flame with him. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“Hell we are, bro.” Flame yanked his arm back, wrist burning. “You know what, Wemmbu? I’m calling your bluff, you don’t have enough energy for this, do you bro?” He grinned. “If you did, you wouldn’t be that scared of Zam.”
Wemmbu looked downright murderous. “No. No, I don’t,” he admitted. “But I do have enough to take you down, right here, right now. You wanna try me, little Flamy?”
They stood on opposite sides of the hall, glaring at each other silently. Flame shifted his weight into a fighting stance. Wemmbu copied him. It was quiet.
“What’s going on over here?”
Both of them whipped around. Parrot stood at the opening of the hall, Wifies beside him. The hero looked between the two of them. Underneath the mask, his expression was impossible to parse, but it couldn’t be good. “Flame?”
Without missing a beat, Wemmbu closed the distance to sling an arm over Flame’s shoulder, the clingy motherfucker he was. “Oh, so you’re his friend? Hello! I was just guiding my buddy here back after he got lost,” he explained. Well, lied.
“Uh... yeah.” Flame just went along with it.
As Wifies typed something into his phone Parrot observed Wemmbu critically. “You’re an employee?” he questioned, suspicious.
“Yep! But-“ Wemmbu checked an imaginary watch. “Whoops, looks like I’ve gotta get back to work, wow, I didn’t even realise I was gone for that long!” He backed off, waving. “Well, I’ll be back later, Flam. Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”
Just as Wemmbu took his leave, around the corner came Zam and Lomedy.
“Flame!” Lomedy shouted excitedly. He was holding his phone, but pocketed it after rounding the corner, when Flame came into view. That must’ve been who Wifies was texting.
Zam, meanwhile, looked confused, like she wasn’t sure whether or not she was hallucinating. “Who was that?” he asked, pointing to where Wemmbu had just been.
“No one,” Flame said, too quickly. “Just… Someone I haven’t seen in a while, I guess. I didn’t expect to run into him here.”
Parrot stared at him—too long for it to be anything but knowing—and for a moment Flame was worried the hero was going to out him for lying. They had never gotten along, and it wouldn’t be below the guy to do something that petty. It wasn’t even really petty. A villain using leaked information to track down a hero was probably a security issue, or something. Flame looked to the side awkwardly, waiting.
Only, Parrot said nothing. He just turned away. Flame breathed out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Lomedy slammed into him, hugging him tightly. “Flame, I was so worried, bro! Do you know how long it’s been?”
“Like– No?” he answered truthfully.
“An hour and twelve minutes dude, I thought you like, died!” he wailed. “Never do that again bro, seriously.”
“A whole twelve minutes late, huh?” Flame slowly returned the hug, leaning down. It was nice. “I won’t, bro. Sorry uh–” his voice cracked. “I’m sorry.” For some reason, he was feeling a little emotional.
Flame looked up, to the people around him, who had searched for him when he went missing. New friends. That was what Wemmbu had called them. He wasn’t so sure about that—aside from Lomedy—but if it was true, then Wemmbu had done the same thing, hadn’t he? He had looked for Flame when he went missing. Maybe they wouldn’t ever have what they used to again, but they could still be friends.
New friends.
He let go, pulling back from the hug with Lomedy before it became awkwardly long. “Guess I lost track of uh, time.”
“Well, I’m glad we found you!” Zam said, pulling back to his upbeat self. “There’s still a few hours to spare, so why don’t we just stick together for the rest of it, right team?”
The phrasing was a little corporate, but nonetheless, Flame just shrugged. “Sure.”
Parrot seemed to side eye him through his sunglasses– Which was honestly impressive. “You don’t have a problem with that, solo hero?”
“Nah.” He didn’t really want to be alone right now. “Team bonding exercise or whatever, right?”
Zam clapped her hands together. “Exactly!”