When Stripes tossed Warren, Warren hit one of the walls before falling to the ground and throwing up whatever lunch he had eaten that day. Neither of those blows could have been taken without serious injury. Stripes' arms shot out, the Speedy fat kid closed in, and a mean looking kid turned into a large monster with scythes for limbs. They were all converging on Warren, and Chaney, though she had ample amounts of power left, could barely focus.

"Warren…" she whispered the warning. She watched as Warren pushed himself to his knees, slowly, looking as though it hurt to keep breathing. He moved one arm to hold his side, and looked up. He met her eyes, and a look of surprise covered his face. She had no idea what he was looking at…until she felt her hair yanked back, and her head was twisted up to look into the face of Phaden. He gave her hair another yank, and she was alternately shoved and yanked back onto her feet.

No. This is not how an agent goes down. Chaney snapped down the mental barriers she'd been trained to keep in place and dissolved his hand. She didn't have to see his hand to watch the millions of microscopic atoms break apart and dissolve into the air, leaving his arm bereft and bleeding. She even watched as the blood that poured out lifted into the air instead of falling and likewise dissolved into nothingness. Phaden screamed and dropped her, yanking what was left of his arm back and away from her. She dropped to the ground, unable to keep her balance with the disorientation that clouded her brain, and Phaden snarled something at the others. It sounded like an order…

She wasn't really sure though, because as dark closed in around her, her perceptions dimmed, and her senses shut off, until she couldn't feel anything.

Warren saw Chaney crumple to the ground, and he felt his temper flare. He was tired, and his whole body hurt. He felt weak—weaker than he'd felt in a very, very long time, and it was pissing him off. When he saw Phaden yank her up by the hair, his mind went blank, and all that registered in the empty expanse was the anger that flared to life. All he could think about was melting Phaden's head into a puddle of molten flesh, but then, when Phaden screamed and Chaney fell to the ground, all the thoughts that had disappeared came pounding back into existence. They crashed about and slammed into each other, causing him pain and feeding the heat in his mind until they all melted and ran together in blind fury. The headache that had been forming since the beginning of this idiotic game turned atomic, and Warren pushed himself to his feet as his body started trembling. His temper was roiling, pressing against every restraint he'd ever had on his temper and his powers.

Every now and then, every person gets pushed to the point of losing all self control. They still don't, for some reason, but they got pushed too damn close for anyone's comfort, and Warren was there now. He slammed a fiery punch into Lash's elastic face—which sent his head flying back like a punching bag attached to the bungee cord of his neck. Lash fell over and Speed took a running flip over Warren's extended arm as he swiped the heavy-set senior clear off his feet. The third guy tried to slash at Warren, but he just grabbed the kid's scythe-shaped arms and held on. His hands were red-hot and flaming, and the scythes started heating up. The kid screamed and tried to yank his arms away, but Warren held on and the scythes began turning a dangerous bright orange. A roundhouse hit Warren square in the jaw then, and Warren was knocked clear of the scythe kid. Phaden stepped forward and delivered another punch to Warren's gut. Warren moved to wrap his flaming arms around Phaden, but when he tried, his arms went right through the guy. Phaden threw another punch, and Warren had just enough time to dodge it before he tried to throw one of his own punches. His flaming fist went right through Phaden's suddenly insubstantial gut, and then Phaden solidified again and Warren's hand was stuck. Phaden's face contorted in pain, and he cried out as Warren's flames caught on his shirt.

Warren threw his other fist forward, but it went right through Phaden's face, and Phaden's fist connected with Warren's jaw again. Warren's other fist came free of Phaden's gut, and he flew back—just in time to be caught by Lash, who threw him into Speed's path. Warren was slammed into the ground, his flames snuffed out by Speed's roaring wind, and he groaned in pain.

"Had enough Peace?" Lash taunted. "You don't look so tough now!"

"Maybe he needs a girl to fight his fights!" Speed slowed down to add. They laughed, and Warren rolled over, calling his flames forth again, and aimed at Lash. He was so pissed of that he expected a helluvalot of power to come out. Phaden barked a command at Lash, and Warren snarled out an incoherent expletive, expecting to throw the biggest fireball he'd ever conjured into Lash's smug little face.

The column of flame that leapt forward, however, was actually less impressive than he was used to. In the past several weeks, Warren's powers had leapt into existence with the least provocation, living almost of their own will. They had flared to greater levels and burned more intensely than he had ever meant, even burning him, and yet now it was as if he had returned to normal. Warren ground his teeth together as Lash stretched his body out of the fireball's path, and braced himself as the scythe kid's limbs caught Warren under his arm and slung up into the path of Speed again—leaving a gash in Warren's side that almost made him scream. The sound that did come out of his mouth was so twisted and agonized that he barely recognized it—just before Speed's running tackle cut off his air with his impact and sent Warren flying again

Warren hit the stone wall again, his head smacking into the once-molten rock with such force that it deafened him, swallowing his temper in a wave of silence and exploding agony. Stars flashed across his eyes, blocking out nearly all of his vision. On the heels of the blinding light came darkness, and it almost claimed him, except for the jolt of his body hitting the ground again. Then, he felt something wrap around one of his arms, and Warren felt himself propelled through the air—flying towards who knew what. Then he felt fire arc across his back, searing a line of pain from his shoulder down to his side. Warren screamed, his voice hoarse as his body flipped and the world spun—making him the center of a gravitational vortex. He didn't even hit the ground. Speed rammed into his side again, and Warren flipped head over heels to land with one leg under him. He heard a crack, and he cried out again as more agony exploded in his leg. With all the pain, his inner fire had been overwhelmed—pushed into the recesses of his mind where he could barely reach it beyond his agony. The temper he'd felt a moment ago was long forgotten, along with the power it had summoned. He was barely able to stay conscious—it was four against one, and their attacks were coming too lightning fast to recover from. They were supers, and he might have super powers, but he still had a human body. He didn't have supernatural dexterity…

A fist landed in his face then, and Warren found himself lying flat on the ground, eyelids flickering, damaged nerves screaming all through his body as a shadow loomed over him.

"How's it feel, Peace? Personally, I like being on this side of the blows."

That had to be Phaden's voice. Warren groaned, and tried to shift his weight. He gasped roughly when the movement sent new waves of pain through him, and he lie still. Phaden said nothing, but Warren could just barely see him, still standing over Warren, just watching him.

"Phaden, let me finish him. He's almost out completely, and the game time's almost up…" that was Lash.

"Shut up Lash." Phaden again.

"Wait up Reever. Keep those scythes out of my face. Lash we can finish him off later. We kicked his ass good this time." Speed.

Lash sniggered. "True." He leaned over Warren. "How's it feel, you asshole? To be on the receiving end for once? You look half-dead, by the way. Remember that next time you're walking through Sky High. Speed and Lash kicked your ass."

"Yeah it's your turn to cower now!..." Speed started, and then an "Umph!" followed by "What the hell do you think you're doing, bastards?" Scythe kid… "We all brought him down!"

"Yeah but we did most of the work!" Lash snapped back, and the scythe kid said something else before jumping at him. The three were quickly throwing punches at each other. Phaden snarled at them to stop, and they backed off each other, glaring and angry.

"What the hell do you second-rate scum think you're doing? I'm not here to baby-sit through your sorry, weak-ass ego trips. Shut the hell up." Phaden turned back to Warren, and the others fell back to bickering.

"Reever, you slime-sucker, get your pointy grab pinchers out of my face!" Lash snarled as the scythe kid swung at him one more time.

Their voices drifted away for a moment, and Warren's mind folded in on itself. Reever…it must have been one of his scythes that had caught Warren across his back.

Warren's body felt like it was on fire. Every limb was burning with pain. He was burning up…his skin was crawling with the heat—he wouldn't be surprised if the hairs on his arms were shriveling up. They tended to do that a lot, when his injuries got severe. Granted, he hadn't had his butt kicked like this in years, but…

Wait, when was the last time he'd been this beat up? When was the last time anyone had dared gang up on him like this? Why did it matter?

Why was he thinking about this?

Cells. Electric collars. Doctors. Testing…training. Chaney…only, she'd been called something else then. Blood—his blood. Her blood. Someone else's blood…had he been fighting? The smell of burnt flesh filled Warren's nostrils then, and he remembered horror. Random images, fragmented and flashing started filling his mind in the absence of coherent thought, some dreamlike, others nightmarish. Some seemed to be of a huge metallic structure that he hadn't thought of in years, others of more young kids like him and Chaney. He couldn't seem to focus—part of his vision was still working just enough to see Phaden standing over him, a small device in his hand that he was talking to. His thoughts wandered about like lost sheep, unconnected. The only thing he seemed to be able to focus on was the flames that were covering his body—flames that weren't, but were. Flames that didn't really exist…

Warren groaned. Lash moved forward to sock him in the face, but Phaden put out a hand. Warren shifted, trying to remember why he hurt so damn bad, and why his head felt like it was splitting apart.

"...to control it…"

Was that a voice he remembered? Or was Phaden still speaking?

"…tests are conclusive. The pyrokinetic affinity never moves into remission unless forced…activity is continual, even when the subject is unconscious…indicative of constant generation, I suspect that if the subject hadn't developed permanent restraints—perhaps a detainment or limitation reaction of sorts—then everything around him would be on fire at all times…the summoning would never stop…like fire incarnate…scary…"

"…training to control it…learn to override all restraints when necessary—on the field or off it…need to learn how to lower mental barriers…use it…all of it…"

Warren drifted dazedly out of his dream-like memories and focused in on the scene before him. Phaden was still talking to the others, and to his device. Warren started to fade out again when one thought solidified just long enough to catch his attention.

Phaden. Chaney. Where was she?

Looking up at his attackers, who were saying something to him, some of his forgotten rage resurfaced briefly, just long enough to re-ignite the nonexistent flames covering Warren's body. When it faded again, it took with it the headache. He'd been holding onto something with the mental equivalent of a death grip, and suddenly he felt it melt away. The tension he hadn't realized he had left his body, and flames—real flames this time—sprung into being all over him, and he slowly, painfully pushed himself to his feet.

When she regained consciousness, she wished she hadn't. Oh, for the blissful peace of oblivion…

Chaney groaned as she tried to push herself up onto one elbow. Her head swam, and she froze.

Too fast, she realized, and held still while the ringing in her head began to recede. She looked up finally, and saw Warren getting to his feet. Wait…where was she? Why was Warren looking like he could only put weight on one leg? She looked away as Warren suddenly combusted, and the brilliance of the flames surrounding him nearly blinded her already straining eyes.

What was going on? They had been at school…then Sophie had pinned her with that ice dagger…then she'd challenged Sophie and Warren to a game of Save the…

Uh oh…

Chaney's head snapped back around—which nearly blinded her, throwing her bowels into the same chaos that threw her senses for sickening loops—and watched in horrified fascination, her mind numb, as suddenly all four of the kids that had been surrounding Warren were thrown across the cavern, screaming and covered in flames. Warren stepped forward, pulsating flames, his whole body engulfed. He limped for a couple of steps, but then he started putting more weight on his leg. Three more steps, and he was walking normally—except he was enveloped in an inferno. The chamber started filling with the flames, rolling outward, swallowing everything that got in their path. It took her a minute to realize that he was heading towards her.

Chaney watched the pulsating mass expand, nearly filling the whole chamber, and then contract, sucking back in on itself like a collapsing star. Warren's body sucked in the flames, and Chaney watched, squinting, as his features, covered in ashes, reappeared whole and clean beneath a deep, burning glow that filled the whole chamber. The ground around him was trembling, and several rocks were gravitating toward him, sucked in by the power of his presence. Chaney pushed herself up and forced herself to raise an arm. Slowly, she lifted her hand and pointed it, palm outward, at Warren, just as the biggest pulse of power she had felt in years exploded from him, crushing everything in the chamber that was unfortunate enough to get in the way. The four kids that had attacked them flew over to her and dropped at her feet as the spherical pulse reached her.

It reminded her of her move earlier, in the first cavern…

There was little she should be able to do against something without real mass. If she'd been wearing the inhibitor, she wouldn't have been able to see the millions of charged atoms flying at her, the power crackling between them glowing in her vision like a force field of light. She pressed back against it, holding it away from her and the other students, but it pressed against her will with a mind of its own.

Chaney held on to the edges of her control, desperately clutching at her concentration as the threads of her will began unraveling. Her head was pounding with pain—she was going to have one whopper of a headache after this—and she could barely see. Her vision was going black.

She had to change it. She couldn't hold it back. She had to change the energy—convert it. Chaney gathered everything she had left, her head splitting with the effort, her body draining by the second, and threw it outward, wrapping around Warren's power, letting it come, but morphing it in its path, so that by the time it reached her, the destructive pulse disintegrated and turned into a blinding, pulsating light.

When it faded, Chaney was on her knees, and Principal Powerpuff was running into the chamber with several other adults, and Warren was collapsing on the other side of the cave.

The last thing she saw as her vision went completely black was Sophie Freeze, beaten and bloody, walking into the chamber, her face frigid and unreadable.

There wasn't a wound on her.

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Sorry it's been so long. I have a busy life, what can I say?

Anyway, I decided to post this because of the people that have been reviewing despite my lack of updates. So, here's my thanks! You like? No like?