A/N: Thank you SO much for all the reviews! Please keep them coming, they are much appreciated. Let me know what you think, what could be improved, what you think should/could happen? This chapter continues from the last as taking place a week ago, but ends up back with Johnny from the prologue.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, including Playstation and X-Box. PLEASE DON'T SUE. i'm really poor.

Everything Burns

Two

-

"For God's sake!" Sue snapped, batting away Reed irritably. "Would you stop? It's just the flu." She scowled at him, before sneezing. "Eurgh." She flopped back down on her bed, one arm draped over her forehead.

"Sue," Reed began, moving around to the other side of the bed. "We don't know what all the effects of the cloud could be. Everyday things such as the flu could affect us much worse than before we got our powers."

Sue glared. "Reed," She batted him away again as he tried to take her temperature. "I will affect you much worse if you don't go away." She finished angrily as he again came at her.

Reed frowned and opened his mouth to say something but Sue cut him off.

"Don't." She held up a warning finger. "I don't care about anything you could possibly have to say right now. I swear. It's just the flu; I don't feel any different than when I normally get sick - which is awful. Don't talk to me. I just want to lie here and sleep, or die quietly. Whichever comes first."

"You're angry." Reed said quietly.

Sue rolled her eyes. "I'm sick Reed. Really, really—"She sneezed, interrupting herself, before letting out a groan. "Sick." She finished.

"And angry." Reed added.

Sue pulled the pillow out from under her head and held it over her face. "Go away Reed." She instructed, pointing at the doorway, her voice muffled.

"Sue." Reed said patiently. "Sue." He repeated, slightly more firmly when she didn't emerge.

She pulled away the pillow. "What?"

"I can still see you." Reed pointed out.

Sue gave him an incredulous look. "Reed?" Her voice was slightly desperate. "Please? I don't care. I really don't. I wouldn't care if you could see God damn Elvis lying next to me. I just want to sleep."

Reed however wasn't listening. "The changes in our DNA must be made redundant when the flu virus infects the body's cells."

Sue practically growled. "Damn it Reed! I don't care." She swung the pillow at him. "Go away and find out and then, in like a week, maybe I'll care."

"I'll be back." Was all Reed said, turning away from her and leaving the room. Sue watched him leave, rolling her eyes. "Did you ever think maybe I'm just tired? And sick? And that's why?" She called after him. She flopped back down on the bed. "Eurgh."

Ben looked up from where he sat on the couch as Reed walked out of Sue's bedroom. "How is she?" He asked.

"Grouchy." Reed replied absently. "I want to run a few tests. It seems to be affecting her powers."

"You ever think it was just flu?" Johnny questioned, pausing Grand Theft Auto and tearing his attention away from the TV screen.

"I dunno." Reed murmured. "Extreme use of her powers caused her to pass out, and now she has no use of them. I want to check just to be safe."

"Dude." Johnny continued. "You knew she was ill before we even went to that fire. She probably just like… got over excited. It's like if you try and stand up too long when you have flu regularly. It's just not good." He shrugged.

Reed shook his head, disagreeing. "But now she can't use them at all."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "It's flu Reed. You can't do much when you're sick."

"Mr. X-Box has a point." Ben added.

"It's a Playstation Two." Johnny responded, turning his attention back to the console.

"Whatever." Ben continued. "Maybe she's just worn out."

"I still want to check. Johnny, I want to take a sample of your blood. I want to see if I can infect mine and your blood samples with the virus, so I can follow the effect it has on the altered DNA strands."

Johnny paused his game again, and turned to the older man, slightly apprehensive. "Uh… sorry Reed. No can do. Take some of Ben's blood."

Reed raised an eyebrow.

"How's he gonna do that?" Ben questioned. "I'm made of rock."

Johnny shrugged. "I dunno, through your tongue?"

Reed shook his head. "Out altercation is different to Ben's but the same as Sue's. We were all inside the station when the cloud hit. Ben wasn't. It has to be ours."

"Heh." Johnny chuckled nervously, quickly flicking to the save option of his game before switching of the console. "Sorry Reed." He jumped to his feet. "No can do. I just remembered I gotta go and uh… do this thing." He scratched the back of his head, before quickly leaving the room. "See ya."

"Wha—Johnny wait a minute!" Reed called after him, following the younger man into the kitchen.

Ben stood up and followed too, smirking. "You're not afraid are you?"

"Pssh." Johnny dismissed. "Afraid of what?" He asked, pulling on his jacket, his voice unusually high pitched.

"Johnny this is your sister's health we're talking about." Reed interjected, crossing his arms.

"I know, which is why I'll be eternally grateful for you giving your own blood sample to help her. Even though Reed, it's just the flu, you're over-reacting." Johnny replied quickly, searching for his shoes. "Have you seen my sneakers?" He questioned them.

Ben laughed. "Flame boy's afraid."

"I am not afraid." Johnny replied indignantly. "I just have to… go… somewhere." He snatched his shoes out from under the table.

"What's the matter?" Ben continued. "You can throw yourself down a mountain but can't stand a little needle?"

"I am not afraid of needles." Johnny replied, sounding somewhat disgusted.

"Then what is it?" Reed questioned.

Johnny shifted uncomfortably.

"Well?" Reed probed.

"Idon'tlikeblood." Johnny said quickly, moving past them towards the elevator.

"You what?" Ben asked, moving to stand in his way.

Johnny huffed. "I don't like blood. It makes me heave. And I don't like heaving, it makes me all hyperventilatitive 'n' stuff, cos I think I'm not gonna be able to stop and—"

"Hyperventilatitive isn't a word." Reed said frowning. "And Johnny, you won't even see the blood, you can just look away."

"Yeah but I'll know it's there." He whined. "Ben move, I'm gonna be late."

"For what?" Ben scoffed. "Bloods in you right now and you know it's there. I don't see you heaving anywhere."

Johnny scowled. "I just don't wanna do it alright? Jeez."

"Johnny," Reed said soothingly. "I promise, it will be fine, this is important. If we all get infected it'll be necessary to see how we're individually affected."

"Reed!" Johnny threw up his hands in annoyance. "It's the flu! That's all!"

"Yes, but with our altered state its effects could be much worse than on regular people."

Johnny grunted in disgust. "Ugh." He tried to push past Ben, who put a hand on his shoulder, steering him back round to face Reed. "I'm not doing it. Ben move."

"Johnny, it's important." Reed repeated. "It's for Sue."

Johnny turned around and scowled at him. "Eurgh." He shook off Ben's hand, ignoring the man's chuckling. "You people." He muttered.

"There." Reed said ten minutes later, patting Johnny lightly on the shoulder, after withdrawing the needle from the young man's arm. "All done."

Johnny didn't look at him, his face buried under his jacket. "Uh huh." He nodded quietly. "I'm gonna go lie down."

Ben shook his head. "Drama queen."

-

"Eurgh!" Johnny said loudly, four days later, disgusted as Reed sneezed. "This place is festering." He stood up and moved away from his sister and her fiancé, where they sat on the couch. "I swear if I catch whatever the hell disease it is you've got, I am not gonna be happy." He snapped, glaring at them as he headed into the kitchen. "Why haven't you cured it yet Reed? Isn't that why you keep trying to suck me dry of my blood." He muttered, sitting down angrily at the table and snatching the newspaper towards him.

"I'm still ru-ru-" Reed sneezed again. "Running tests."

"Damn tests." Johnny muttered.

"What's your problem?" Sue questioned, unimpressed with his behaviour. Her condition had largely improved since the incident at the fire, but she still had the remnants of what had now taken Reed with full force.

"Fly boy ain't feeling too good." Ben chuckled, informing his teammates.

"Shut up." Johnny shouted from the kitchen.

"Don't think I didn't hear you last night. Coughing and hacking away. I think you could be coming down with something." He sing-songed.

"I said shut up!" Johnny growled. "I will not get—" He sneezed interrupting himself. "Argh!" He through down the paper with disgust and stood up angrily. "I am going out to spend some time in the fresh, uninfected air, away from you... people." He spat, storming away, slamming the front door as he left.

Sue let out a whistle. "Well the next few days are gonna be fun."

"Don't tell me he gets worse than normal when he's sick?" Ben asked her.

"Take a guess Ben." Sue replied. "He's a nightmare."

"Kinda like you then." Reed said quietly, chuckling.

-

Johnny was vaguely aware that he was moving, though he was certain that it was not of his own accord. His muscles felt as though they were made of cement, heavy and unresponsive, whilst his eyelids may as well have been glued shut. Not that it mattered. He could feel material wrapped tightly around his head, removing his sight and adding to what was a fast increasing headache. He groaned and tried to move his arms but a sharp pain shot down them, resting at his wrists. He grimaced slightly as he tried to move his fingers, realizing that his hands were tied. He sucked in a shakey breath. He had not been dreaming. There really had been people in the apartment. He jerked suddenly, thinking of the others. Had they been taken too?

A harsh voice broke his thoughts.

"Hey." It growled. "Keep still, or I'm gonna drag you." He was told gruffly. There was what felt like a jolt, as whoever was carrying him rebalanced his weight in their arms. This was not good.

"I'm gonna be sick." He croaked out.

"Jesus." Said the voice, dropping him immediately to the floor.

Johnny groaned, the landing was painful and had sent a fresh wave of pain through his muscles and particularly to his head. He tried to get to his knees but his hands were tight behind his back and his legs were tied together. "Help?" He said weakly, hating how pathetic he sounded.

There was indistinct muttering as he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pulled into a kneeling position. The movement made his brain pound against his skull and before he could do anything he retched, the contents of his stomach spilling out of his mouth. There was more indistinct mutterings and sounds of disgust but Johnny couldn't make them out. He retched again, sucking in a sharp breath immediately afterwards. 'Stay calm, stay calm' He chanted to himself, but paid little attention to his own advice. His breaths were growing more and more ragged with each intake and he could feel tears burning behind his eyes. "Can't – breathe" He choked, his breathing growing worse as he started to hyperventilate.

"Oh Jesus Christ." The voice muttered angrily. "Joe!" It yelled as the man released his grip, Johnny falling heavily back to the floor. "Joe you better get over here." The voice continued. "I think he's dying."

"Oh for fucks sake." The muttered response was the last thing Johnny heard before he returned to darkness.