Pyro cackled as he set a spectre of fire in the shape of a horse galloping down the street. Behind him, Colossus punched holes in the walls of the warehouse units, metallic skin shimmering in the light of Pyro's flames.
Blaze arrived fractionally behind Gambit, long hair teased into a frenzy by the fire-tormented air. She paused, unsure as Gambit charged a playing card with explosive energy and aimed it at Colossus. The Russian shielded his eyes as the explosion lit up the industrial park like day. Then he attacked.
Blaze left them to it, the maniacal Pyro attracting her attention as he played with fire. The fire wasn't his, what gave him the right? Anger that was born of her power itself ran like wildfire through her nerves. The very flames Pyro bended to his will cried out to her for help and she offered them all she had.
Pyro blasted out a venomous snake of flames, sent it slithering towards Blaze as if it could harm her. Blaze didn't even hold out an arm to slow its approach. Closing her eyes she shivered, becoming the very fire that was her essence. Bright amber light oozed from her. She was transparent, a creature only of energy. The fire-serpent hit her full pelt and was absorbed. The only acknowledgement Blaze offered Pyro's best effort was a slight gasp as she felt the fires' energy join with her own.
"Uh oh," Pyro muttered. In the same second a thud from behind was Gambit hitting the wall hard under the influence of Colossus' fist. Blaze glanced back, afraid for his life. He groaned once and was still, watching through part closed eyes as he left Blaze to face off his colleagues alone. He hoped he was right about her.
Now faced with both Colossus and Pyro, Blaze came into her own. Colossus charged but Blaze leapt swiftly above his advance. He passed under her as Blaze unleashed a heavy blast of her own firepower, a torrent of white-hot flame that scolded his metal body. Unnerved Colossus ran down Pyro even as Blaze landed again into a catlike crouch. She let the associates untangle themselves before opening up her hot palms and issuing tendrils of fire to wrap around Colossus.
"You think you're strong," she shouted above the roar of her own power. "Even metal has a melting point!"
There was a sense of complete satisfaction and malicious control that threatened to overwhelm Blaze as she made Colossus cringe and quiver on the filthy floor. But it wasn't who she was, and so she abandoned her efforts, turning instead to Pyro.
"As for you," Blaze began, flexing her power as she unleashed fireballs that travelled up the pipe system on Pyro's arms to consume the fuel he carried. The tank on his back exploded suddenly, pelting Pyro twelve feet into the air as he screamed with the force of it. "Don't play with fire unless you know you can never beat me."
Even before Pyro's steaming body hit the earth again with a crunch, there was a whistling overhead as four strange orbs appeared. They landed by Gambit, now back on his feet and smiling charmingly at Blaze.
"I knew you could do it Chere," he took her hand in his and pulled her close to him. "Now he wants to see you."
"He," Blaze scowled pulling away from Gambit, "so this is what this is all about, you're recruiting me for someone else?"
"Non," Gambit lied through gritted teeth. "My boss only wants to meet you, I swear. Just get in the orb, an' he can give you the sales pitch in no time, okay?"
Blaze turned to eye up the mysterious orbs, noting that there was no emergency exit, no switches or buttons to cause them to open. Then again they were only metal. She looked back at Gambit.
"Alright," she answered, "but only because I hate not knowing what's going on and this seems to be the only way I'm going to find out what that is."