Disclaimer: Sky High is owned by Disney. I do not own Sky High, but the original characters in this story are from my imagination. Some characters in the movie do not have names, so I went ahead and gave them an identity for the sole purpose of the story. This is a nonprofit work of fiction that I write for entertainment.

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To Touch Fire

Ch.14: The Heroes Unmasked

Professor Cornelius Eisenhower Medulla III was, for the very first time in his life, stumped.

"Well…what do you think, professor?"

Lifting his eyes from the optical of the darkfield microscope that belonged to his young prodigy, he wondered why the man continued to address him with such honorifics. They were colleagues now, no longer student and teacher.

The good doctor was nervously watching him, his hand every so often pushing back his frameless glasses further up his nose. Clearing his throat loudly, Professor Medulla hunched his shoulders slightly and rested his arms behind his back, the classic position he would take when deep in thought. His rather large brain was busily running through the countless knowledge that he had acquired throughout the years.

"I didn't know you had it in you to use underhanded means to study blood, Hawk." He smiled and unfolded his arms from behind his back, "The risks and black tactics we undergo for the good of science, hmm."

He stole a glance at the blood sample once more, considering and weighing one theory against another. When he had received such an urgent call in the middle of the night from Ethan Hawk MD, asking him to hurry on in to his clinic, he honestly had not been expecting to find the good doctor staring fixedly at a drop of blood that looked seemingly harmless.

Much less using less than professional equipment for such a study.

But when Ethan had asked him to examine the blood, he had not been expecting this. No, he could swear under oath that very second that he had never seen anything like this before and that statement was worth its weight in Spanish gold.

Never had Cornelius Eisenhower Medulla III not known the immediate answer to any question.

"I didn't have the time to wait patiently for a proper blood testing, Professor. The darkfield was the only other option," Ethan defended his choice in microscope versus clinically evaluated blood. "Besides, adding useless chemicals might have changed the ending results."

Medulla chuckled, "Oh, I do not doubt your reasons, lad. However, this is something truly unexpected."

"Unexpected? Try irrational."

"That too," he replied in his usual scholarly tone, "but science at times tends to be unreasonable."

"By exhibiting dramatic cellular change?" Ethan asked in disbelief. "Then how are we to control such a phenomenon?"

A pregnant pause. "We don't."

~/\\~

Joi could feel the water seeping into her clothing as she clutched the unconscious man closer to her, but she couldn't bring herself to care very much. His body was still feverishly hot, heating her own cool flesh and any discomfort she felt was overruled by the pressing need to help him.

His head was being cradled on her forearm, some of his weight transferring onto her thighs. He was too pale. His eyes were closed, but the lids were a bruising color and she couldn't tell where the blood staining his white shirt was coming from. The formation of the jagged red markings on his clothing had appeared shortly after she had hosed him down, materializing like cuts from a dagger onto his skin.

Heaving a dry cough, Joi could still feel the smoke in her lungs. It had all but vanished now and she would have questioned the appearance of it once again this week, but now wasn't the time. Her errant hand grazed his wet cheek, traveling further upward, sweeping along his temple and past his hair line. Her small hand fisted into his tangled hair, the now black-looking strands contrasting against the pale pallor of her fingers.

Her mind had become unthinking, lost, as she lowered her face until her nose was nudged against the left side of his face. Somehow, her body was automatically responding to him, seeking only to comfort and support him even in his comatose state. Her other hand was supporting his heavy weight against her, taking up residence on his lower back. She could smell the smoke on his skin, the fire in his blood, and being so close, could feel the erratic beating of his heart. His pulse under her fingertips was weak and failing, but promised his survival.

He needed help right now.

In thinking it, Joi cursed her muddled thoughts. Reigning in her commonsense, the young woman lowered the unconscious man onto the wet floor, her body screaming at her not to let him go. She desperately wanted to take him into her arms again, her body demanding her compliance and obedience, but she had to get help. Holding him would only stall this.

Once he was completely off her, Joi stood on shaky legs and made her way to the kitchen door, almost slipping on the wet tile. Looking behind her, not wanting to leave him for any amount of time, she took in his prone state, sucked in a deep breath and exited the kitchens, heading towards the only phone in the restaurant.

Joi felt otherworldly as she reached her office and dialed the number her fingers had chosen. She felt outside herself, floating, as she looked down at the doppelganger before her. She often felt that way when in deep meditation, her discipline encouraging such easy bodily abandon and freeing liberation of the soul. It wasn't until the phone was answered on the other line that she felt herself again.

"'lo?" a groggy voice asked incoherently.

"It's Joi," she breathed, the small shock from before leaving her system, replaced instead by panic, "Oh, Buddha…Will, I need you to come over right now!"

"Joi?" the voice suddenly sounded wide awake, "Wait, what's going on? Where are you?"

"No time, I need you to come to the Paper Lantern right now, Will. Warren, he…." Her voice caught, the sudden ache in her heart almost causing her to whimper, "He's unconscious. Please, hurry."

Joi could hear another voice talking in the background, assuming it was Layla having woken up. Will responded to whatever his wife had asked him and turned his attention back to her, "We're on our way, Joi. Don't call 911."

It was, in a way, comical. All your life, you're encouraged to dial 911 when an emergency presents itself. When you're in a car accident, when your home has been vandalized, even when it's something like you may have witnessed an odd event take place. And for someone like William Stronghold to blatantly order her not to make such a call must be for a very good reason.

The image of smoke, of plants coming to life and tables almost collapsing after having its legs squeezed under a harsh grip brought Joi into awareness. She understood it now.

"I won't," she promised quietly.

"Hang tight, Joi." The line went dead.

Lowering the phone and letting it dangle from her hand, Joi closed her eyes and allowed the breath she had been holding to escape her mouth.

~/\\~

"Layla, call Ethan. Let him know that I will be up there shortly." Will spoke hurriedly to his wife, almost tripping at how fast he was stepping into his pants. Shrugging on an oversized t-shirt, he turned to his wife and took her thin shoulders into his hands, "I'll fly on ahead, take Abby with you and follow after me. I have a feeling Joi isn't going to stay waiting for us to return on dry land patiently. If she asks to come-"

"I'll welcome her with open arms," Layla replied easily, her large eyes innocently looking up at him.

"Layla…"

Ignoring the warning in her husband's voice, Layla raised her hand to his neck and pulled his head towards her own. Kissing him gently, she nibbled teasingly on his lower lip and ran her tongue over the lip she was currently feasting upon. At first he was like marble against her, his lips unmoving and harsh against her own lips. She felt the instant he complied and returned her affection, felt his strong hands at her waist, felt the fingers that lingered over her womb and the warmth of being held by the only man she had ever loved.

Distracted by the heat of the moment and the sweet taste of his pregnant wife, Will almost forgot all about his needed departure. However, he did manage to slowly disengage his body from hers. Looking down at her, he chuckled when she attempted to bring him back down for another lingering kiss. Instead, he dodged her lips and kissed her right on the spot where she liked it.

At feeling his hot tongue on her throat, Layla moaned pathetically. Damn him for knowing her weak spots! "Will…" she panted.

Pulling away and smiling roguishly at his lovely wife, Will winked at her seductively, "Another time, perhaps."

"I'll be sure to remind you. Now get going before I jump you and don't think I won't!" She smiled and her eyes turned from playful to serious, "I hope he's alright."

"Me too, sweetheart." Turning, Will made his way to the window and opened it hastily, stepping out into the cool night. Closing his eyes briefly, he felt his feet already lifting off the ground in preparation for his flight. He usually never flew without his costume and mask to keep his identity a secret, but he doubted Joi would be happy with a famed superhero stepping into her restaurant and asking her to hand over Warren Peace. Somehow, he knew she had designated herself as Warren's protector, as strange a concept it may seem.

The slip of a woman was in no position to protect anyone, but he knew, from firsthand experience, that women tended to be surprising and rather aggressive when the time called for it. Layla herself was vicious when the need arose for it and she herself was the most serene and passive of persons he had ever known and not just because she was his wife, but he honestly had never met anyone as gentle-hearted as his love.

Readying himself, Will watched as Layla exited their home through the front door, tugging a still sleepy Abigail dressed in kitty pajamas behind her. They both entered her small, green Beetle and before they drove out of the driveway, he was already in the air and flying at blinding speeds through the skies.

The feeling of flying was difficult to describe since humans were never meant to experience such wonder. Out of both if his powers, Will enjoyed this one the most. Super-strength had its perks, the ability to bend and destroy anything that came his way, but it was something he had to be careful with at all times. He could never lose himself in it, as he did in flying. Flying had always come second-nature to him.

His mother had understood his love of flight when he had discovered this ability in his freshman year at Sky High. The knowing, more than anything, gave him such a rush. Knowing that while others had to remain rooted to the ground, or fly metal contraptions to simulate flight, he could so easily do it, far simpler than birds that have to flap their wings and rely on the wind to catch to give them flight.

All he had to do was want it and he was already soaring higher into the heavens.

Flying in the direction necessary to reach the Paper Lantern, Will was merely a blur of movement as he flew at his top speed. Within moments, he was landing before the Chinese restaurant and entering through the doors, Joi must have left them open for him, though he doubted a closed door would have kept him out.

"Joi!" he called out upon entering, listening for the younger woman to call out and thus, he could pinpoint her whereabouts.

"In here!"

Heading towards the sound of her voice, he walked further in until he was almost to the very back of the restaurant. He pushed open the kitchen doors and his gaze met the slightly teary eyes of Joi Li. He noticed that the tiles were slick with water and that both herself and the pyro currently unconscious on the floor were soaked through to the bone. She was sitting close to him on her knees with his hand crushed between her fingers, held close to her chest.

"How did you get here so fast?" she asked, her eyes once again lowering to the man before her.

Will carefully walked closer to them and stood on Warren's right side, "I flew."

Startled, she raised her head and watched as he bended down and began hauling the larger man into his arms. Letting go of Warren's hand when he finally straightened from his crouch, Joi watched as Will lifted him up and easily placed him over his shoulder as if his weight were the same as his daughters.

"Flew? As in flying flew?" Joi asked bewildered, her eyes never leaving the dangling man being held precariously over a shoulder. She was worried for his comfort after all.

Will didn't have time to explain the dynamics of his powers, so he remained quiet and looked for an exit. There was a door near the other side of the kitchen and he swiftly made his way towards it. The weight on his shoulder was nothing if vaguely jarring; he usually didn't go around carrying men after all. Joi followed after them, apparently waiting for an answer.

"Where are you taking him?" Joi asked hurriedly when they made their way out of the kitchens. They were now standing outside, the chilly wind freezing her wet skin.

"Somewhere safe."

"I'm coming with you."

Looking down at the Asian woman before him, he wanted to chuckle at the image she was presenting with her wet clothing, bare feet, and an air of righteousness hovering over her. She had come around and stood before him, blocking his retreat effectively, or so she thought. She was staring up at him now, her dark eyes serious and unwavering.

"I'm coming with you," she repeated, apparently, for his benefit. "And I want the truth. I want to know what has been going on since he came back into our lives."

He somehow had known that she would want that too. He looked her over thoughtfully. She was a practical woman and loyal to-a-fault. They were never confidants to one another, her being closer to Layla after all, but he liked her. She was candid and principled. If he had to trust any citizen with his secrets, she would be the most likely candidate.

"Layla is on her way," he replied instead, shifting the pyro's weight on his shoulder, "I'll take care of him for you until you get there."

Until I get where? She thought to herself and was about to ask him out loud, but at that moment the tawny-haired man shot up into the sky and for a long time Joi stood there watching as they flew away.

Did he just…fly?

Shaking her head, Joi took in a shallow breath. He did fly, didn't he? More confused than ever before, Joi was nearing the point of hysteria. Entering the kitchens once again, she locked the door and made to leave. The floor was still wet, but she honestly wasn't up for drying it. It would dry on its own anyways. She might as well be ready for when Layla came to get her.

Getting her bag from the office, Joi replaced the shoes she had taken off and stuffed her stockings in her bag. She turned off the lights and closed the restaurant, just as Layla's unmistakable green Buggy came up to the curve. Not waiting for the red-haired woman to call her over, Joi made her way to her and got into the passenger's side.

"How is he?" Layla asked the moment she was seated, taking in her soaked clothing. "What happened, Joi?"

Joi looked over her shoulder, seeing Abigail's small frame stretched out in the back seat. She was clutching her favorite stuffed animal, a blue-grey manatee she had gotten that year at the seaquarium. Its whiskered face was squashed up into her jaw, as she squeezed the toy in her sleep.

"Joi?" Layla asked. "Are you alright?"

Joi turned to her friend and sighed, "I don't know. Can we please go?" She felt as if her brain was going to explode with all the things that had happened today. She could feel a headache making its annoying presence known.

Understanding washed over Layla and she worried if her friend would be able to take another supernatural surprise from this night. "Of course, but I should warn you, this car flies."

I think a flying car is the least of my worries right about now. "So does your husband."

Layla looked startled at first, surprised that Will had allowed her to see him fly off, but quickly shook it off and smiled, "Oh yeah, he tends to do that too."

And with that, the plant-loving woman activated the cloaking of the car and began pushing familiar buttons to sprout the wings on the Beetle's sides. Joi watched on in slight fascination as the little car began to fly higher and higher into the night sky, as if it were a mini jet plane.

As they flew between the clouds, Joi broke the silence that had fallen between the two friends, "Layla, I want to know the truth. All of it."

Layla glanced at her from the corner of her eye and nodded. If anything else, the young woman deserved an explanation. "Well, there is quite a bit to tell."

"What is happening to Warren?"

"That's what we are trying to find out, Joi. We don't know either. It's why he ran away in the first place." Layla sighed tiredly and ran her palm over her swelling womb. "You know we're not exactly 'normal,' right? We'll where we are going now is the school we went to together. It's a school for super children, the sons and daughters of superheroes."

The sons and daughters of superheroes…

"That means-"

"That we're superheroes? Yeah, I guess it does. Well, Will is anyways. I'm a healthy pacifist and refuse to use my powers for violence," Layla explained, looking at her daughter through the rearview mirror.

All this time and she never realized. Joi knew that something was strange about the Strongholds, even that they had powers, but never that they were the masked heroes of Maxville; the ones who sacrificed themselves for the town, the ones who maintained the balance between good and evil.

Warren was one too. That meant his mother was one and so was Abigail. The concept that the people she had seen day in and day out were superheroes was so strange, yet not so strange. She had somehow subconsciously known that this was truth, that these people were supernatural and had a secret to protect.

"Victoria?"

"She can teleport and has superstrength like Will. Usually supers only ever have one power, but Will is the first to ever have the powers of both his parents. Abigail inherited this from him."

"Steve and Josie Stronghold?" Joi asked, referring to Will's parents which she had met a few times.

"The Commander and Jetstream themselves," Layla said with humor, watching Joi cough on nothing but air when the words left her mouth.

"The Commander and Jetstream are Will's parents? Wow…oh wow. No wonder he's so…patriotic."

Layla laughed, finding humor even in a situation such as this. She was worried about her pyrokinetic friend, but Joi was distracting her with questions and she was more than happy to answer in any way she could.

"What about Warren? And his mother?" Layla was wondering when she would ask about him, though she was surprised when she asked about Warren's mother.

"Well, his mom was once the great Madame Phantom, but she retired many years ago."

"Madame Phantom? Francesca D'Avignon was the Madame Phantom. Are all you the children of legends, or something?"

"No, not really. My own parents were low-level supers, not at all as famous as Will's."

Turning back to her flying, Joi noticed that Layla had not said what superpower Warren had. She was about to ask her, but Layla beat her by saying that they had arrived. Looking forward once again, Joi took in the view before her.

They were flying before a large landmass that was literally floating on air! From the distance, she could make out the structure planted directly in the middle of the grounds. It reminded her of any regular high school and it was probably built that way on purpose. It was supposed to be a place for higher learning, with the added benefit that it would train the future superheroes of the town.

Joi wondered if all around the world, institution such as these existed.

She couldn't see that well since the school was covered in shadows, caused by the night. Layla flew closer still, parking her small car near the building. Removing the cloaking device, allowing the car to be visible and deactivating the wings, the Volkswagen Beetle returned to its previous standard, not at all flying, mode.

Layla gently roused her daughter, whispering that they were here. "Abigail…Abby…"

The little girl opened her own sapphire eyes slowly, blinking back sleep. She brought the stuffed animal closer to herself and shook her head, making whimpering noises that would cause anyone alarm and abandon their current task in waking her.

However, Layla was immune to her daughter's manipulations.

"Let's go, Abigail."

The little super shook her head again and refused to sit up. Layla sighed and was going to resort to backhanded means to get her daughter moving, but Joi surprised her.

"Queen Victoria, may I offer you my official chariot services?"

A few minutes later, the three of them were making their way past Sky High, heading towards the little clinic Joi had not seen before. Layla walked slowly beside her, determined to make it to the others. Joi walked quietly beside her and a rather spoiled little girl enjoyed her current spot on the young woman's back.

Snuggling into the warmth provided, Abigail rested her head against Joi's shoulder-blade and lightly slept as they entered the Clinic for Heroes.

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Author's Notes: The Green Beetle is back! I had fun making Professor Medulla's name really long, it gives him more character and an air of sophistication. Yeah, the Mad Scientist's name is Cornelius!

Made the chapter alittle longer just for you guys! Thank you all for the reviews and keep reading!

Now Joi knows about the supers, just not Warren's power! I wonder how things will turn out?