"Help… Me…"

The heat poured out of the staggering figure. It melted tires and cracked windows. People ran, desperately crying out.

"Help… Me…!"

A surge of unnatural energies poured out of him. He dropped to his knees and called out in pain. Heat and fire pulsed outward. He screamed harder, louder, in the hopes that someone, anyone, could save him.

Leni flew over what the others had referred to as, "Ground Zero." Scorched buildings. Cars melting into the asphalt. Streetlights that collapsed under their own weight. Hundreds of people hospitalized.

What on earth could do this?

"Hmmm…" Lisa mused. "Fascinating. The bomb sight does show a significant amount of scorching. If it was a bomb attack, as the news is currently suspecting, it is a rather poor attempt."

"I'm over here readying that it was a person that did it," Lynn chimed in.

"This news sight says it's part of a gang war," Luan offered.

"We clearly have a lot of conflicting info," Luna told Leni directly. "Float around and see what you can find out. Lisa and I will help with spotting clues."

Leni obeyed. Drifting closer. The heat was oppressive and hung in the air around her. The blast happened an hour ago, but a lot of the asphalt still look gooey; like a tar pit.

"Don't want to touch that," Leni muttered.

"Hey! You!"

Leni jolted and turned to the edge of the crime scene. Police had managed to keep the population away from the sight, but the crowds haven't dispersed.

"It's a crime scene, miss!" a familiar officer called out to her. "We have the perimeter for a reason."

Leni drifted over to him. Several police officers gave shocked stares, and people recorded on their phones.

"Officer Hobbs," Leni greeted. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Hobbs greeted back, only in a more suspicious tone. "I never caught your name."

"Oh," Leni blinked. "I hadn't decided yet."

"Uh huh," he swiped at his nose. "Wasn't asking about your costume. Look, I know you mean well, but go home today. I got a girl at home just like you, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt," she insisted. "I'm just here to… look around."

Hobbs shook his head. "Girl… Miss. I can't let you mess around with evidence. We got guys coming down to look at this mess. I can't have you making marks and leaving footprints! I'll lose my job."

"Um… Mr. Hobbs," Leni corrected politely, "I don't leave footprints. And I won't touch anything, promise. I'll be gone before any of your guys get here."

Hobbs shook his head. He looked around, like he was both considering it, and looking for anyone to tell him no.

"Three minutes," he decided. "No touching. Then I'm calling you back over, I'm getting your name, and I'm taking you home."

"Deal," Leni agreed. "At least… on the first part."

Her boots left the ground and she drifted over the crime scene.

"He might have a point," Luna buzzed into her ear. "This… this is above our paygrade, dudette."

"He's just trying to do his job," Lincoln dismissed. "Classic Commissioner Gordon type. He'll warm up to us eventually."

"Linc, this isn't a comic book," Luna told him. "If he thinks we're breaking the law, he'll arrest us."

"Or shoot us," Lynn muttered.

"Well, the good news is," Luan informed, "as far as I can tell, there haven't been any casualties. Just some burns and a light easy-oven baking."

Amidst all this, Leni scanned the area. Tar, melted metal, broken glass… scorch marks…

Some of the scorching led down an alleyway. Leni looked at the building across the street.

"Lisa," Leni wondered, "Does this seem weird to you?"

"How do you mean?"

Leni looked up the side of the building, documenting it with the camera in her mask. Then she turned the camera back across the pavement, and back to the alley.

"Yes…" Lisa agreed. "The scorching continues… It's lessened, but I believe our "bomb" walked away mid-detonation. Follow that trail."

Leni complied. She noticed goops of asphalt speckling the trail as well. She followed the trail to a square lot. Lots of trash piled up back here. A dumpster sat in the far corner, half empty.

"That's the end of the scorching," Luna noted. "No sign of any bomb. Or anybody else."

Leni looked up, spotting a back window of an apartment. A little boy looked back down at her, holding a stuffed dog. The two made eye contact, and the little boy pointed at something.

The dumpster. The scorching didn't reach that far, but some of the asphalt had dripped up its side.

Leni levitated over the garbage bin, peering inside and jumping when she spotted what she was looking for.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Hi."

"Hey," the person in the bin greeted back.

He was bare foot, wearing dirty slacks and a jacket. He had dark skin, brown eyes, and a fade haircut. He looked exhausted. He must be about Leni's age, and he was kind of…

Leni coughed into her hand.

"Uh…" she wondered. "Are you okay?"

The boy took a minute before answering.

"You know…" he breathed. "I don't think I am."

Leni sympathized. "It's okay. I'm here to help."

"…"

"Would you like to come out of there?" Leni offered.

"…Okay."

With effort, the boy managed to step out of the dumpster. Leni noticed the same black substance that stained the sidewalk stained his ankles. His abs, however, remained flawless.

"So…" he asked, "You're an actual… superhero? Like, uh… Justice League stuff…?"

"Well," Leni shrugged, helping him down. "Trying to be."

"Cool, cool." He sat down. "Sorry. I'm just… really tired."

"I bet."

She sat down next to him.

"What's your name?" Leni wondered.

"Friends call me TJ." He answered. "You?"

"Leni Loud," she smiled. Then her face froze. There was a click in her ear. "Oh. Wait. Don't tell anyone."

He gave a weak laugh. "Promise."

"You…" he added. "Were you the one… who flew into that fire… like a week ago?"

"Yup!" Leni agreed. "That's me."

He smiled. "That was… You saved my Aunt Deborah. Thanks."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Leni smiled. "Is she doing okay?"

"I…I don't know," he confessed. "I haven't seen her in… a while…"

"Why not?"

He stared off contemplatively. "I don't know."

The two of them sat in silence for a little while.

"I didn't want any of this to happen," TJ then confided. "I didn't mean to… I set that building on fire. I almost killed my Aunt, because I couldn't control… this."

He held up his hand. A spark of flame flared up in his palm and coated his hand.

"I was at the gym," he explained. "Just getting started on my workout, and then…"

The flames in his hand went out, and he made a gesture with them.

"Boom," he said. "I got hit with this. I don't know what's going on, I just…"

"You could be a hero," Leni realized. "Like me."

TJ looked at her. Even her sisters seemed stunned out of their silence on the other end of her earpiece.

"Uh… Leni…" Lincoln gently called.

"What do you say to a team up?" Leni suggested. "Sometime tomorrow?"

"Leni." Luna called.

"Uh… I guess?" TJ shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, I guess. But uh…"

He looked down at himself. "I'm not really dressed for the occasion."

"I can take car of that!" Leni brushed it off. "As long as you go see your Aunt. I'm sure she's worried about you."

"I…" he paused. "…Okay."

...

Despite protests, Leni met with the young man at a coffee shop. She had taken the bus, and packed both her her costume and his in some bags.

"Hey!" She greeted. "You're here!"

"Yeah. I'm here," TJ scratched the back of his head. He seems to be well rested, and in a fresh set of clothes. "So… what happens in a team-up? Is this like a date, or…?"

Leni smiled. "It can if you want it to be. Oh, but first…"

She pulled off the black shopping bag off her shoulder and handed it to him. "I spent all night on this!"

"Uh. Is this…" he looked inside. "…Are you serious?"

"Yup!" she grinned. "I'm going to go change. You should too!"

She left him to it, stepping into the restroom and changing out her clothes. Lincoln told her that it's a superhero staple to do it as quickly as possible. Something about Superman in a box. Leni hadn't exactly mastered that aspect of it yet, quickly debating the practicality of a transforming dress before clasping on her cape and stepping out of the stall. She checked herself out in the mirror, making sure she looked her absolute best for her date.

She double checked that her mask was secure on her face when someone stepped out of the stall next to her. The other woman froze in the doorway as she saw her. Leni waved and shouldered her bag, exiting the bathroom.

She entered the shop at the same time as TJ. Who looked down at himself.

"I'm… not really sold on this costume…" he told her.

"Oh, don't be like that!" she lightly slapped his shoulder. "You look great!"

Leni looked him up and down. She had estimations of his measurements, and Lisa had a surprising amount of fire retardant materials for her to use. The boots were black, as well as the legs that reached up under his arms. The skintight suit had a red chest and shoulders, reaching over his arms and down to his fingers. The red ended with an emblem on his chest, a gold emblem that encapsulated the shape of fire. Golden trimmings lined up his legs and shoulders. Like Leni, he had a mask over his eyes; only the material was colored red.

"If you say so," TJ shrugged. "You did this in one night?"

"I've had a lot of practice."

"Wow." TJ nodded. He looked up. "If… we should probably get going. You're fan club's surrounding us."

Leni looked around, seeing more and more phones facing their direction.

"Oh. Right," she said, grabbing his bag and shouldering it with hers. "Let's go, then."

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him outside.

"Wait," her date protested. "Where are we-?"

"Just hold on!" she cheerfully answered.

Leni then got behind him, hooked her arms under his, and lifted him off the ground with ease. He gave a shout as his feet left the ground and they rapidly rise into the air.

The two of them were then on the roof of a nearby building. Leni set their bags off to the side and faced the boy.

"A little warning, next time?" His hands were on his knees. "Jeezums."

"I said to hang on!" Leni giggled.

TJ smirked at her, taking some time to breathe. "You're bad," he flirted, "For a superhero."

Leni smiled.

"The first part of a team-up is to see what we can both do," she told him, remembering Lincoln's advice. "What are your powers?"

TJ blinked. "Uh… Fire?"

"Yeah, but what you do with it?" Leni asked him. "Can you shoot it? Can you fly?"

He blinked and thought about it. He looked at his own hands and sparked up the flames.

He threw his hands out, over the ledge and away from Leni. Some of the flames lashed out, but it didn't reach out. A myriad of methods were tested; hand gestures, conjuring emotions, and a lot of thrown hands.

"I guess that settles it," TJ sighed. "No flame throwing. Just covering my arms."

"Would still give Mike Tyson a run for his money, though," Lynn buzzed into Leni's ear.

"What if he rubbed his hands together?" Lincoln suggested.

"Maybe…" Leni suggested. "Put your hands together? Like molding clay?"

TJ blinked, and tried it. The fire grew between his palms, expanding in his fingers. Within seconds, TJ was holding a raging ball of fire the size of a basketball.

"Wow," Leni marveled.

"Yeah," TJ agreed. "That's definitely not nothing."

He tossed it in the air, letting it smash into the ground like a pumpkin. The fire splashed outward briefly, before dissipating. Leni barely had time to shout.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Little too hot there."

"It's okay," she brushed off, glancing at her leggings for any holes. "We'll just have to be careful."

TJ looked to the side and cleared his throat.

"Um…" he stammered. "I just wanted to say, before anything else happens… Thank you. Nobody's really believed in me like this. Nobody ever just looked at me and called me a hero like that."

Leni smiled at him. He was such a handsome boy, and that costume was doing him a lot of favors.

"If you're feeling up to it," Leni suggested, "We can go on patrol. See who needs help."

"Patrol?" TJ shook his head. "Dios Mio, this really is comic book land. Lead the way."

Leni stepped to the ledge, closing her eyes and reaching out with her ears. She was getting better control over it. Now it was almost like a switch in her head. She needed to listen to someone? Flip. Suddenly she had the voices of a hundred-plus people spilling into her eardrums.

She listened for a few minutes. She spoke as she heard the plights around her.

"Mother fussing at her kids," Leni reported. "Nothing to do about that. A couple arguing. You tell her, Bradford. Carjacker. But he's already being arrested. Let's see…"

"Uh, Leni?"

The blond girl opened her eyes and turned to her new partner.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure!"

...

It was a good day to make money.

Cops running around, chasing all everyone but them. They got fires to put out, and while the big names like the Six-Sevens and the Hellion Angels, the Mad Dogs make their claim.

Today, they were waiting on a buyer, someone was coming along to take a look at the big rock these boys collected. It was big, glowing, and the rumors claimed it would give you superpowers. They found several, and after doing… whatever they could to activate the crystal and make it give them powers, they got nothing. Fortunately, the body of the reactor didn't even have to cool before word got around about a market for these things. All they had to do was wait here, and look professional. The truck was behind him, under Spider's guard.

Spider was a survivor. He was clever, and his reputation is well known. He was as fierce as they come.

Just stand here and wait. That was the idea. Then… T-Dog went missing. Then Knives. Then Frank.

Spider snapped his head to the left, then to the right.

"Where the hell is Frank?" He shouted at the others.

"Went out for a smoke."

"How long ago?"

His peer shrugged, his nose stuck into some cards he was playing with another.

Spider groaned, muttering several swears.

"I gave him one job," he complained. "One job! Stand here, and look professional."

"That's two jobs," his comrade corrected.

"Well counting isn't one of the damn jobs!" Spider barked. "Go get him!"

"Spider!"

The leader turned to one of his buddies, running in and out of breath.

"Frank," he huffed. "He's… he's…"

"Spit it out!"

"Superman!" the man exclaimed. "Human Torch… Superheroes! We got superheroes outside!"

"Superheroes?" Spider echoed, skeptical. The man nodded, sounding sure. The others got up from their card game, rounding the number up to five. He looked to them and pulled out a handgun. "We'll see just how super they really are."

A rush of wind blew past him. Something about his grip was different. He had it held against his head, pointing straight up, but he brought it back down to see it changed out for a flower.

"Like, make love, not war." A voice declared behind them.

They stumbled in shock, looking to see the girl on the news standing on top of the van.

"I don't know," another voice echoed. "I think the concept is lost on these Perros."

Spider turned in time to duck, as a flaming fist flew over his head and into the face of another guy. He scrambled away as the brightly dressed intruder threw punch after flaming punch.

"You," he breathed as he saw the costumed hero. "It's you."

The girl in the cape drifted down, not realizing he was behind her. She blocked a punch or two and retaliated. Spider was quick on his feet: he didn't hesitate, opening the already cracked door of the van, grabbing the bag, and running.

Superheroes. Freaking Superheroes. They're for real. He looked at the bag as he ran out the door.

"If those morons can get powers, so can I."

Leni breathed a sigh of relief. The violence was over. All the thugs were unconscious. When they wake up, they'll be nursing headaches and bruises that she didn't even want to think about. She was suddenly thankful for her healing abilities.

"Police on its way," Luna buzzed in her ear. "Might want to make yourself scarce while you can."

Leni nodded. She looked over to TJ. He looked over each of the thugs, and growled.

"Not here," he cursed under his breath. "Not here."

"Who's not here?"

TJ looked up, like he just remembered she was with him. He stared at her.

"…" he coughed. "Guess I should be honest with you."

"What?"

"These guys," he gestured around him, "The Mad Dogs. They've been terrorizing my neighborhood since I was eight. They killed my Mom and-"

He stopped himself, shaking his head.

"You don't know what its been like," he told her. "Being so…angry… and so powerless to do anything."

"What-" Leni thought it over. "Why didn't you talk to the-"

"Because they don't care!" TJ suddenly screamed. "Mad Dogs are beneath them! Police don't want to take care of them. Or they can't. But I can."

He held up his hand, flames rising off of him. "I can burn them all to cinders. Fix everything. Put down the Mad Dogs, once and for all."

"No," Leni shook her head, "No!"

TJ looked at her. He suddenly seemed less amused.

"We don't kill people," Leni objected. "We can't! That's what thugs, and gangsters do! We have to be better than that!"

"We're not, Leni," he argued. "Pretending otherwise…? You're just kidding yourself. We're all humans. We're all animals. Every last one of us. Why pretend any different?"

"No," Leni said again. "I helped you yesterday because no one got hurt! I kept you away from the police because I didn't want them getting the wrong idea about you! But now… I know you're just throwing a tantrum. Another one! You're just… a walking Meltdown!"

"Heh," TJ wiped the smile off his face with the back of his hand. "Must be nice, living in a world of black and white. No room for in-betweens."

"I'm not-" Leni was starting to get choked by frustration. "I know I sound like it sometimes, but I'm not stupid! I know the world is weird, and complicated! But none of that changes what's right and what's wrong!"

TJ stared at her, unblinking. Leni then realized that he's standing over these boys.

"The police are coming," she suddenly told him. "Walk away from this."

TJ then blinked, staring at her in confusion. Leni watched as his eyes went to her ear, before returning to her eyes.

"Heh," he laughed bitterly. "You got a whole setup, don't you?"

He shook his head.

"Have fun being a hero, Leni," TJ stepped backwards, towards a back door. "I've got work to do. And thanks for the suit. Don't know how I'd look this good and be fireproof."

"Wait!" Leni said, "Are you going to hurt more people?"

"Maybe," he said, "Maybe not. But you can't really tell on me, can you? Not without me spilling your secret, Leni."

Leni was stunned. He wouldn't… No. He would. Leni knew next to nothing about him. They only met yesterday, and now she watched as he walked away.

"See ya," he waved without looking back.

Leni, now distraught and finding it hard to breathe, flew out the opposite way. She soared through the skies with tears in her eyes.

She messed up.

She messed up so bad.