Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or any other character mentioned.


Arc One: Long Day's Journey Into Night

Chapter Two: Angels in the Flames

"More," he said while taking the lighter fluid and poured its content into a pan. Immediately, a large fire came out of it, lighting up the entire dark and smoky kitchen. "… yes!"

Pyromania is a rare, pathological disorder characterized by intentional and repeated fire setting. People with pyromania are deeply fascinated by the setting process and failed to resist the impulses to deliberately ignite fire. They may experience feelings of satisfaction or a release of built-up inner tension once it is set. But in this guy's case, it was a sign of something more serious…

"Oh… yeah," his tongue moistened his dry lips as a few drops of sweat ran down from his forehead until it dripped onto his bare chest, but he didn't care about the rising heat. Actually he embraced it.

Besides that, he is also an arsonist, but an old-fashioned arsonist. He didn't ever go into these new rapid accelerants that bring a building down in a couple of minutes. They are too… quick for his taste. Quick enough to keep him from savoring all the little emotions during the entire process. And, most importantly to him, when things were going too fast, he couldn't see them …

"Beautiful… very beautiful…," he murmured in awe, looking without blinking. With his eyes all orange flame and a small smile slowly growing, he was trapped in a kind of trance, mesmerized by the flames. Correcting, mesmerized by what was beyond the flames.

Good old napalm was his medium. It has been since he discovered it when he was a kid and watched an old movie, Apocalypse Now - a good movie by the way - with his little sister. Hidden for watching a very violent movie, both watched the scenes with enormous attention, producing distinct feelings in each one. For his sister, the shock on her face was so evident that she couldn't imagine that the bombers' scenes were just a small sample of human stupidity. For him ... a phrase of one of the characters, Bill Kilgore, stuck in his brain so hard that he never forgot.

'Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, do you know that gasoline smell? The whole hill smelled like ... victory'.

And he couldn't agree more. When trying to replicate the feeling he felt during the film, he discovered something else. The fire fuels his 'fantasies'…

"I see you… can see you…," he muttered to himself. Wide-eyed he could see them. Seeing 'their dazzling dance' gave him an immeasurable pleasure, as well as hearing their voice…

KNOCK, KNOCK.

"Wh-?", taking a step back from the stove, he was brought back to reality. He was breathing heavily, almost panting, surprised by the sudden knock. He hated it when his 'moment' was broken.

After extinguishing the fire in the pan, he walked to the door and opened it to see who had knocked and noticed a woman, a quite pretty woman. He kept the door half open to prevent her from seeing the smoke coming out of the kitchen. "Yes?" he said, unsure about the reason for this interruption.

"Hi, I'm Deelia Withers, your next door neighbor," she began, a bit concerned, maybe a bit uncertain too. "I thought I smelled smoke and…"

"I just - whuh – burned something on the stove. I'm sorry, just my mistake, I-I was never really a good cook", he interjected as he felt a strange sensation going up his spine, stiffening his entire body. He knew which it meant…

"That's okay. I was just worried. You know the landlord. He's too cheap to put in smoke detectors. Well…, goodnight, Mr…"

"Fi-Fields… Huh… G-Gil Fields.", he stammered.

She nodded and walked back to her apartment, and his heart was pounding harder and harder as she moved towards the end of the corridor where there was a door ajar and a cat stretching in front of it. And he grinned.

The fires he sets are also a substitute, a surrogate, for what's missing in his life.

Moments later, he was outside of his neighbor's apartment with clean clothes and brushed hair. He knocked softly and when Mr. Withers cracked open the door. "Hi, Deelia, are you doing anything for dinner?… If not, as you already know I burned mine, and would you like to go out to eat something with me?" he asked, trying to make the smile as kind as he could.


Time: Three days after the last chapter

East End Avenue, East End, Gotham City, NJ

11:47 PM

A crash of thunder announced the approaching storm, just as the gale picked up, blowing the pile of garbage everywhere at the end of the street, almost hitting two passing police cars at full speed with sirens on. And in that moment, Garfield dodged the scattered trash to enter his building. He was relieved that the downpour had not yet started.

Entering his old building, he sighed when saw the elevator with a 'maintenance' sign. Although the former Titan doubted that it ever worked, he would do anything not to have to climb the stairs to his floor. On the seventh.

That particular day had been a rather rough day. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, a holiday celebrated by many East and Southeast Asian people. And Gar's ice queen boss had decided that they would do something different to attract more customers. And damn, he was exhausted. Physically and emotionally exhausted

It all started the day before, when Gar had to do overtime to Mr. Lee explains his new chores and also learn about the 'meaning' of this important holiday. If he ever heard about this day, he already hated it. After some sleepless nights, he could really care less.

Entering in the second hour of overtime, after hearing all he had to do, Gar also listened to Mr. Lee telling the festival's origin story. Although he fought against it, he dozed off in some parts.

"Chang'e is the Chinese goddess of the Moon," Mr. Lee started to telling the tale, settling into the chair in the staff room, "and she is the subject of several legends in our mythology, including a well-known story about her that is given as the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival and… please, Mr. Logan, try to stay awake, it'll be over soon," he spoke as he noticed his colleague's head falling slowly.

"Sorry," he shook his head lightly.

"As the legend goes, in the distant past," he continued, "when Chang'e was a mere mortal, she had a normal life like any peasant and she's married to Hou Yi, a brilliant archer, but… that time was a difficult time. Ten suns had risen together into the skies and scorched the Earth, thus causing the people to live in the blistering heat…," but he stopped talking when he heard a low snore. He looked to the side and… he sighed. "Ahem," he cleared his throat.

"I'm awake!" Gar shouted fairly alarmed, almost falling off his chair in the process.

Mr. Lee raised his eyebrow, watching his colleague compose himself. If he was angry, he didn't show it on his face. "As I was saying, to save the planet and its people, Hou Yi used his bow and arrow to shoot down the nine of them, leaving just one Sun in the sky. After this, Hou Yi was respected as a hero and received an elixir of immortality as a reward. However he did not consume it straight away, but let Chang'e keep it with her, as he did not want to gain immortality without his beloved wife…," he trailed off as he peered to see Gar again. And again he sighed.

He grabbed his bag. Picked three heavy books from inside. He looked to Gar, who was already dead to the world. And dropped the books hard on the table.

CLUNK

"GAW," this time, Gar fell hard on the floor. Blinking, Gar looked up to see where the explosion came from and found Mr. Lee who didn't waste any time to continue his story.

"But one day,…," he restarted as Gar looked at him totally perplexed, "… one of Hou Yi's students, Fengmeng, tried to seize the elixir when he wasn't home. Knowing the dangers of falling into the wrong hands, she refused and to prevent him from getting it, she drank the elixir, sacrificing her life as mortal, her home on Earth and her love. Chang'e then flew upward toward the heavens, choosing the Moon as residence, as she loved her husband and hoped to live nearby him. Alone on Earth, Hou Yi displayed the fruits and cakes that Chang'e had liked, and gave offerings to her every year since her departure. And that is the reason for…"

Still puzzled, he continued to listen to the tale. He thought he was going crazy because, in the beginning, the tale resembles a Final Fantasy game storyline. After a wink of sleep, he could have sworn Mr. Lee was talking about an Avatar episode or another anime that he had seen. 'Can't be, either I missed something or my mind is already playing tricks on him,' he thought.

The next day, he really understood the meaning of the holiday.

First at all, he had to arrive early to take care of the decoration and put all the lanterns in place and, damn… there were so many ornaments to put on that he could adorn the entire Titans Tower without any problem. Right after it was over, he had to lend a hand in the kitchen. And when Gar saw how much food they had to cook, he was sure they were making food for the entire population of China. Then, as soon as the customers showed up, he concluded that half of the rest of Asia was invited as well. And last and worst of all, he had a little chat with his boss. Some customers complained about his laziness and it reached her ears. You can't imagine how hard it is to convince your eye patched-heartless-possibly-heroin-queenpin boss that you only have two hands. But Gar did.

After this day, he wanted two things, thinking at the moment he had arrived on his floor. The first is never to see a Mooncake again and the other thing is a good night's sleep. The former was easier, until next year he will hardly see it again. But the latter…

He stopped in front of his door and took the key to unlock it.

With the tiredness of that day, he had hope…

He opened the door.

… Hope that by falling into his bed, closing his eyes, he would be able to turn off all the noises from the street and get a well-deserved full night's rest.

"WHAT TH-"

Or maybe not.

"Do you have any idea what cleanliness really means? This place looks like pigsy! How can anyone live in these conditions?" the stranger girl said as she looked around his apartment.

Standing in the middle of his apartment was a girl near the table with a TV, she was gesturing to all his clothes on the floor, the mess in his bed that was near the window and a massive ceiling infiltration.

Garfield spent some time trying to process what he was seeing. Maybe his mind was playing tricks again, he thought. But he dismissed the idea as soon as he took a close look at the girl and realized she is kind of familiar. Rather, her costume was familiar. It was red with some unnecessary details in bright yellow, which looked like a carnival costume. Yeah, he already knew who she was.

"You?!" What the heck are you doing …How do you…," many questions had crossed his mind that made him stumble over his own words. He quickly closed the door and took a deep breath, thinking for some seconds, soon he turned to face her again. "… You followed me," he concluded plainly, pointing at her.

"I supposed explanations are in order," she offered, waving him to calm down.

"You think?" he said angrily, tilting an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

She looked at her feets and slowly walked around. "First of all, I have no one else to turn to at the moment. And I came here with good reason," she answered calmly, looking at him.

"Which is?" he narrowed his eyes, wondering what could be, but he had a clear idea of it.

"Right now you are my best option and I need your help," she said softly. It almost sounded like a beg.

His guess was right. "No," he responded dryly.

"But that time in the alley…," she started.

"That time was an exception," he interrupted her.

"But…," she tried.

"I'm sorry, but no," he closed the eyes for a few seconds and massaged his temples. He really didn't want to deal with that, especially that day. Walking to his desk, he put his bag over it and he turned to face her one more time, taking a breath to think more clearly. "Like I said, I am just a guy who needs to pay his bills and need to hit the hay right now." he said, trying to be as calm as possible.

She bit her lips before, "I know you are Beast Boy from the Titans…," she spoke bluntly.

Those words hit him hard. He froze to the spot, dumbfounded, and his face was a total blank in shock. 'Great…,' he thought.

"Again with your guessing game, sorry but no." Gar shifted his eyes to his side as his posture slumped slightly, obviously uncomfortable with her remark, which did not go unnoticed by the girl.

"Yes, you are. Pointy ears, fangs and the green skin. You are Beast Boy." She said, assuming a more confident posture.

"Yeah, I look exactly like that…" he tried to dismiss her sarcastically, but still kept his eyes away from her and failed completely to look convincing.

"I have a video from that night after when you were doing something on the table while listening to the TV," she said pointing to him and the things she had mentioned as a small grin grew, knowing that he had no escape from that. "You should put up some curtains if you really want privacy around here."

Glancing the window, he feels the heat rise up about his carelessness. "Noted," he grumbled, "never really thought someone would be so snoopy, though."

She shrugged playfully. "Probably nobody would be, especially around here in East End, but you caught my eye."

He sighed heavily. "Look, Phoenix Girl…," he started as he moved his eyes to look at her.

"Flamebird," she corrected, slightly annoyed.

"Like I said, I'm just a guy and the job I have, it's the only thing I want to worry about. And, I gotta go to sleep. If you excuse me, the door's that way," pointing at it, keeping his tone neutral.

She looked at him for a moment and sighed. She had one more card up her sleeve. "And if I send the video to Dick. I think he would like to know how you have been," she said with a smirk as balled up her fists at her sides, analyzing his reaction. Deep down, she knew it was a bluff. She didn't want to get involved in a subject that she had no idea what happened. However, as in a poker game, you have to place your bets.

And the reaction she was waiting for didn't come as the silence took over the place.

"Who?" he finally said absolutely no idea whom she is talking about.

"You know Dick, Nightwing" she grimaced, imagining how he could have already forgotten his former leader.

Gar, clearly perplexed, said, "His name is Dick?!" he replied with surprise, honestly showing that he didn't know that as she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Ha… Well, that certain explains a lot," he mused.

"Shit, you didn… I shouldn't have said that,'' she remarked, looking to the ground.

"Yeah, and people say I have a big mouth..." assuming a more comfortable position "… and you shouldn't get into stuff that you don't know anything about," returning to the other issue, also confirming that he was who she said he is.

"I don't like to do it either, but I need to catch someone and I know I can't do it alone, especially with whom I deal with." Looking carefully, she noticed something a little off in his expression. 'Better try something else,' she thought.

"And how should I see it? You showed up in Gotham after your missing and there are still several Titans looking for you in the West Coast. You cannot deny that it's kind of suspicious," she spoke.

He closed his eyes for some seconds and moved to his bed to take a seat. "Just starting over," he said sadly and looked to his sides through the window.

"For someone who had been a hero for almost 10 years and giving up, something really bad happened, huh?" she said, being understanding, as she tried to read his face.

"Yeah, you can say that," he looked down.

"I got someone ringing in my ears, saying that I should be careful, but you seem like an okay guy," the bird girl said, still looking at him.

"And for someone who stalked me, and broke into my house and tried to blackmail me, you seem… hell, I don't know what you seem…" he said bluntly, staring at her.

"Sorry about that, but I have a situation and your help can come in handy again," she chuckled a little, trying to clean her embarrassment, as Gar remained unmoving. "Come on, just because something doesn't go the way you wanted, that doesn't mean you should stop being yourself, does it?" she said, sitting next to him.

He glanced at her, "I really don't know if you are being friendly or just trying to convince me to help you."

She smirked. "And am I getting it?" she implied.

"Whatever," he sighed, shifting his eyes from her to the rest of his room. "Of every day that you could show up, you chose the worst of them," he said as rose up and started stretching. Turning to face her, he puts the two hands together to rest on the back of his head. "Just this time, okay,"

"Really?" she said happily as stood up. "Yeah, see that, Hero, I knew he couldn't resist a cute blonde and a smile," she said, teasing.

He tilted his eyebrow. "Where the hell that came from?" he deadpanned.

"You didn't think that I came here without a little research, did you?" she smirked again, crossing her arms,

He frowned, "… sticks to the business, why do you need my help?" he asked dryly.

"Well…," she walked around his room for a moment or two, thinking how she would say it. "Two days ago," she began, "a woman named Deelia Withers was hospitalized with third and second degree burns. Today, I paid her a visit in the hospital to ask about what happened and she said it was her date who did that to her. After leaving the cinema, he took her to an abandoned warehouse where the crime took place. She didn't suspect because they had already gone out a couple of times and he seemed like a nice guy. At first, she thought it was going to be a party or something, but when they got there, he put on a 'weird' suit and, after a heated discussion, he burned her."

"Damn, that was heavy," Gar commented, with a disgusted look.

"About the guy, she identified as Gil Fields," she finished.

He thought for a few seconds before saying anything. "Hmm…, I ain't saying this case doesn't need our attention but more like a police business…," he began.

"Some officers have already interviewed her about what happened, but… they weren't very helpful." She shifted her position, clearly with discomfort. "Ms. Withers said they mocked her saying she got a 'hot date' and apparently they didn't take it very seriously."

"Jerks."

"And that is not really a surprise," she stated bitterly. "Despite the Commissioner's good intentions, several parts of the police department still serve as an extension of organized crime, with numerous officers involved in bribery, extortion, drug-smuggling and even murder," she explained.

"Got it, but when you said you need my help, I thought of something more complicated…" he started.

"Ease, tiger," she interjected. "This case is not what it seems to be, because at the moment I heard the description of this guy and his suit, almost clearly to me that Gil Fields is a fake name. I don't know how much you read about Gotham's villains, but we got here an arsonist psychotic named Garfield Lynns aka Firefly. And he is serious business," she elucidated as Gar made a confused face.

"Sorry, never heard about him," he admitted, still thinking about it.

"I admit he isn't the most famous criminal around here, but that doesn't make him less dangerous," she continued.

"How dangerous?", tilting one of his eyebrows.

"To start, he is the only arsonist that I know that uses napalm. And more than that, he thinks he can speak with the flames."

"Say what?".

"He claims he can see…," she looked to her side as she tried to find the corrected word, "how should I put it… 'beings', in the fire. All fire he sets is his way to talk to 'them'"

"So he is crazy," he concluded.

"Crazy, unpredictable and recently, he has been busy. In addition to the attack on Ms. Withers, he has attacked some businesses and places linked to Two-Face, a kingpin around here...do you remember what I said back in the alley?" she asked.

"Sorry, I actually wasn't listening," he said plainly.

She stared at him, very unmused.

"What? I said I was starting over," he explained, folding his arms.

She rolled her eyes, "well…in short, there is a gang war happening between Two-Face and Penguin's organizations. The two have been hiring assassins and criminals to attack each other," she resumed.

"And…"

"And I suspect Firefly was hired by Penguin to target Two-Face and it's Penguin who I am looking for." After a few moments, she added, "I didn't give it much thought, but it's possible that Penguin sent those officers to cover his agent's doing."

"Hmm…," this guy Gar knew, "and why are you after him?"

"Because I think Penguin kidnapped a former councilman and a very influential man in the city, Robert Foster Kane. It happened two months ago and since then there's absolutely nothing about his whereabouts."

"Seems like a work for Batman to me."

"Probably, but he's kinda busy as all his associates, trying to catch all inmates who ran away from Arkham Asylum a couple weeks ago," she explained. "Aaaaand if you are asking about the others, the Birds of Prey are dealing with a group called the Society and Batwoman is having problems with… huh… her sister," she added.

"Okay then," Gar said, a bit uncertain, clearly he had no idea about these others, "so everyone is unavailable and the police are unreliable, but first I have some doubts," he paused for a bit to put his thoughts in order. "Basically you think Penguin kidnapped this councilman dude and you need to find him. And to achieve that, you think this arsonist dude is Penguin's gun for hire, so he can give his boss's location. And you think you know Firefly's address based on a description. Is that cover all?"

"Pretty much, I think," she said, confused.

"Can't see how many 'thinks' there are in it?" he questioned her.

"I know it is a long shot, but it's the only lead I have for now."

"Hmmm, I have another doubt: how do you know if it was even the Penguin kidnaps this councilman?"

"Well… I know the councilman had some connections with him and Penguin is a type of person who likes to charge when his demands are not met, which makes him a primer suspect."

"Yet, not a strong lead," he sighed, turning back his visitor to think a moment. After some seconds, he shifted his head to look at her by the corner of his eyes. "And you have this Firefly's address, right?"

"Yeah, Ms. Withers passed it to me."

"Alright then, lead the way," listening with regret to his own words.

She smiled and, for Gar's surprise, suddenly she hugged him.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Just… a one time gig," he replied, feeling his cheeks warm up with the sudden movement.


Near Firefly's Apartment, Little Italy, Gotham City, NJ

00:52 AM

Ah, Little Italy.

There is something charming about this place. Maybe it's the neighborhood's narrow streets, red, white, and green garland, and vintage-adjacent, Italinish storefronts are very cinematic – conjuring old-world charm. Maybe its history that you can literally eat. Visit any number of local businesses and you'll get a taste of the area's once-bustling immigrant community. Sure, you grab your gabagool at Whole Foods, but there, they pronounce it capocollo. And you could pay $21 for a plate of spaghetti, or you could tack on a few meatballs for less cash, and chat with a restaurant owner who still lives in the same apartment his family settled over 100 years ago. But there is something else that makes this neighborhood so special. This is here where Gotham's organized crime was born.

Emerging from small street gangs, the Italian mafia took advantage of the Prohibition era to become the main criminal organization, not only in the city, but in the country. And the 'Little Italys' were a symbol of that power and still is in some way.

Even in the bloodiest periods of Gotham history of the last century, its Little Italy remained a peaceful haven, controlled by the powerful Five Families, who did not want the turbulence of the rest of the city to reach their doors, so much so that the region stayed from outside the police radar, sending a powerful message to the other gangs to ensure who was in charge in the city. And that characteristic continued when Italian purists gave way to their more pragmatic brothers, like Falcone and Maroni families, who saw the opportunity to profit more by associating with non-Italians, including the historical rivals, the Irish. But that was in the past. In a time before the Batman, before the insane crimelords who came after.

Today, the mafiosi are a symbol for Little Italy. As their criminal empire became a rump state, the neighborhood saw its glorious days long gone. Beyond that charming look, there is a hiding decay in the air around here.

"And I thought my building was in bad shape," Gar said while yawning, looking at the place where Firefly lives as her partner was talking to her friend on her communicator. They were at the entrance to an alley that was almost facing the building.

The downpour was yet to begin as the lightning lit up the sky. The gale just became stronger, scattering the garbage left by the Feast of the San Gennaro. Gladly for the former Titan, the street was desert.

Garfield was feeling uncertain about all of this. Despite the blackmail attempt, he didn't think that his temporary companion was all bad. Maybe confused and clumsy, but not bad. 'But there is something off with her explanation,' he thought. He wasn't an expert himself, but he perceived she was drawing some very hasty conclusions. Whoever this guy, Robert Kane, is, Gar could tell that she had some connection with him. 'Fortunately after tonight, it won't matter.'

Furthermore, it was the first mission after the 'Incident' and he feared that the powers would be recognizable. Depending on how it all unfolds, it can end up attracting some bats and blow up all his 'starting over'. He sighed. 'Better get it over with as soon as possible.'

"You ready, Beast Boy?" the girl asked, approaching him.

He nodded.

"Just like we ta…," she began.

"Don't worry, I've done it a dozen times," he assured as he started to walk to the entrance of the building, but he stopped to face her. "And don't call me Beast Boy."

"Oh, and how should I call you?"

"Just all me Garfield," he said before starting to walk towards the entrance of the building.

Moments later, Gar, in his 'normal' human form, carefully approached the apartment door. 'So far so good', he thought. He leaned his against it to try to hear something from within, but nothing. He kept listening for some minutes to make sure.

When he was done, he morphed into an ant and walked through the doorway. Turning to his green human form, he saw that Firefly's apartment is as small as his. Carefully he scanned the place. Gladly, still nothing, feeling the tension lessen as he concluded that Firefly was not at home. Although he could smell that something was burned which means he still lived in that place.

He walked to the window to call to his companion and she was waiting beside the window from outside, hanging by her hook. After opening it, Gar gave her some space so she could enter the apartment.

"Apparently he's not home," he said as he studied her. 'She definitely had training,' he thought. 'There is some grace in her moves. Smooth, controlled, and attractive way. Who is this girl?'

"Hope he hasn't moved out," she said as she started to analyze the place.

"No, I smell smoke and it seems recent," he assured her, pointing towards the kitchen.

"I guess.. we better look for something before he comes back. Maybe we can find something useful," she suggested.

Gar nodded and they started to search Firefly's apartment. It didn't take long for them to realize that this apartment was only temporary for the criminal, as there were few places to look and few belongings to check.

After a while searching. "Were you able to find anything useful?" Gar asked as he read some of his annotations found on the table. "Clearly, he likes to buy several things. This all looks like a supermarket list."

"Sure, but those things you can't find in a supermarket. Firefly is a pyrotechnic expert and chemical. He made his own product for his activities," she responded, looking in the kitchen. "And no, I haven't found anything yet, except this smoke smell. How about you?"

"Nada," he answered.

They continued looking for some time in silence. Flamebird knew that Garfield was not very comfortable being there and she didn't want to make it any worse, but she had one thing bugging her. And being curious like her, it didn't help. Returning to the living room, after checking the kitchen, she didn't miss her opportunity. "So... what happened back at the Tower?" she asked.

He was taken by surprise. More by breaking the silence than by the question. He knew it would come at one time or another. "Sorry, but you asked for my help, not my story," he grimaced.

"Hmm, a sensitive subject, I see," she didn't take personally. "But why give up everything?"

"It's hard to try to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, with no instruction book, and no clue as to where all the important bits are supposed to go," he replied in a neutral tone.

"Of all the places you could go, why here in Gotham?" she quizzed.

"What better place to get lost than here?" he responded, keeping his focus on his task.

"Indeed…," she mused.

"And it wouldn't be for long. Just for time to think, you know," he completed.

"I see, I guess I was lucky then" she smirked, returning to her search.

He furrowed his brows, but, before he could reply, his ears had picked up something. "Someone is coming".

As soon as he spoke, Flamebird pushed her companion into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving only a crack to see what was going on. The smell inside was unbearable. A mixture of sewage and burning, but at the moment, neither of them seems to care about it, as the tension has increased. Just a few seconds later, she watched a man enter the room and she could confirm that he was Firefly unmasked indeed. After telling Gar about it, she returned to look at the criminal.

The arsonist dropped a suitcase on the table and sat down heavily on the couch. He picked a cell phone and started dialing it.

"It is our opportunity now," Gar whispered as he changed his position to see better.

"Not yet, let's see to whom he is phoning," she replied back.

After some moments waiting, the man known as the Firefly finally spoke.

"I did what you asked, now put your boss on the line," he said wearily.

"This is not what I asked for. I wanted to speak to Black Mask himself, not just a bunny rabbit," he growled now.

"Black Mask is top dog now. He rules by fear. People are afraid of fire. And I'm the best arsonist there is. He needs me. I can give fire and all the terror that comes with it."

"Alright, where?"

"Fine, I can be there in twenty minutes," He turned off the cellphone.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the suitcase and opened it…

"What is he doing?" Gar whispered, shifting his position, but the room was too dark.

"He is suiting up." Flamebird answered bluntly.

"What do you want to do?"

"Well… let's follow him."

She opened the door a little more to aim. She stretched out her arm and… Gar failed to see what she did. Not long after, Firefly left the apartment, allowing the two to come out of hiding.

"What did you do?" Gar asked, puzzled.

She took something out of her belt and showed it to him. "He leads, we follow," she said grinning as he saw the tracking device in her hands.


Miller Harbor, Harbor District, Gotham City, NJ

01:34 AM

Not far from Little Italy is Miller Harbor, located on the eastern end of the Sprang River. It's the oldest harbor in the city and is therefore considered one of the most polluted harbors on the eastern seaboard. Besides that, this harbor is also famous for being commonly used by criminals as the trading place for weapons and other illegal merchandises. It is not so surprising that this place is chosen to hold a meeting or negotiation, since the guards there can easily be bribed to turn a blind eye.

Which seems to be the case, as there were no guards on site, making Firefly wait for someone to arrive without the slightest hassle. He watched the light show in the sky, which looked like the already announced storm was about to start. The waves broke hard against the pier where he was standing, sending droplets at the only person in the place, but he didn't seem to care.

At a distance, lying on the roof of one of the warehouses, Garfield and Flamebird were watching him. Using a binocular, she was observing for a while, impassive, which made Gar quite uneasy. He was frustrated, first because he didn't understand the delay for catching the bugface down there. After all, he just wanted to go back home and rest. And the second, he also glanced to the sky, imagining that the idea of returning home dry was discarded. He sighed and turned to his companion.

"So we are waiting because…," he began impatiently, now sitting.

"Easy, we need to confirm something," she responded without removing the binoculars from her eyes, noticing his uneasiness.

"Which is…," he frowned, asking her to continue.

"Black Mask. I'm kinda surprised that Firefly mentioned his name." She explained, still with the binocular at her eyes. "We need to confirm if Black Mask and Penguin are working together, which it would be strange, because they both have an ego big enough for some that kind of alliance. Or maybe it is something else."

"And who is this Black Mask anyway?"

"A vicious mob boss. If there's one crime lord that is arguably more dangerous than the Penguin and Two-Face, it's Black Mask. He's very smart and cunning. Some say he can read minds. But I think it's bullshit. What is interesting is the fact that he has been very quiet in these past few months."

"Hmm." Now he turned again to Firefly and asked. "But don't you think it would be better to interrogate him now, instead of waiting for the others to show up?" he said.

Removing the binocular, she turned to face him. "We always can interrogate him after the meeting. This way we will have more information to question him. If we go now, we wouldn't have solid stuff, beyond speculation. And it ain't sure that he will cooperate," she pointed out.

"Look, I know that everyone has their own way of doing things, but, for my experience, these things don't always come out the way we expect. I suggest getting our guy now and try making him cooperate. It's more safe."

"And I appreciate your suggestion but just stick with my way," She said, keeping her calm tone.

"Your way will give me a cold and get fired from my job," he stared back. "Besides, we had the opportunity to finish this at his apartment. Now we are here waiting for God knows who appears."

She sighed. "Easy tiger, if you don't like my way, fine, but it's better to watch, learn and get information than do something hasty. Just a couples minutes, please". Although he had questioned her way to do things, she was grateful for his company. It was a while since she had someone to count on.

"Alright, alright," he said, giving up.

Noting that he was not entirely satisfied, she completed. "Hey, don't get me wrong, I may not have your experience, but, here in Gotham, you can be killed, even with it. The criminals here are not the same as Jump City. It's bad enough that there are mentally unstable criminals constantly committing crimes but many of them are geniuses capable of creating dangerous chemical weapons, for example. Some of them are metahumans, one of whom can turn the entire city in her personal garden. And they aren't even the worst. So we need to be extra careful." She saw that her words had a certain effect as his eyes lowered slightly, suggesting that he was reflecting on what had been said. "Just follow my lead you will be okay," she winked at him, before returning to her binocular to see Firefly.

"Wait, where did he go?" she asked, almost shouting.

At that moment, Gar turned to look at the pier, but Firefly was no longer there. They started looking in all possible directions, but to fail to find him. "It isn't possible, he was there just now," she said and Gar also didn't understand how he disappeared. Not long after, they heard a strange noise that started as a whistle but it was increasing rapidly and coming from somewhere above them. They looked up to see what it was.

"Well, well, well, look what we got here. I admit I was expecting some bats…" Firefly spoke while he was flying in the air above the two as soon as the first raindrops started to fall.

"He can fly?!" Gar said, quite surprised, with eyes fixed on the new figure.

"… but you guys certainly are as annoying as well", Firefly said as he aimed his weapon.

"… And can spit fire, now MOVE!" she said grabbing one of Gar's arms and jumping off the roof with him as the fire came out of Firefly's gun.

By a close call, the flames didn't catch them. The two heroes fell on some crates, which alleviated some of the impact. Flamebird was the first to stand, but had some difficulties to do so, while Gar, still trying to process everything he had just seen, just sat up .

" He can do fire-breathing?!," he was still in shock.

"You know, that's the reason he is called Firefly. FIRE-FLY," she said a little annoyed, looking at him, while trying to assess a bruise on her right leg.

"And by chance, would you have some flamethrower under your cape, FLAME-bug?"

"It's Flamebird and no," she responded, glancing up to see the flyerman coming close. "Look out!".

"BLAZE AWAY!" a shout came from above.

Gar instinctively jumped out of the crates, rolling on the floor when he hit the floor. He turned to see that the crates where he had been moments ago were all on fire. 'Damn, that was a close one, again', he thought. Flamebird stopped beside him and helped him to his feet.

"Don't be afraid, little ones, just embrace the pain," the maniac said, coming down towards them, leaving behind the warehouse that was slowly being consumed by fire.

"Do you have any idea?" asked Gar, keeping his eyes on the approaching hovering figure.

"Not many. That jet will certainly make things difficult," she answered, but after an instant. "Close your eyes," she whispered, sounding like an order.

"You kidding?" he said, thinking she lost her mind.

"Do it."

As soon as he did, she took a small light grenade from her belt and threw it hard on the floor. Immediately a strong light came over the place, overshadowing the flames in the warehouse and in the crates. This temporarily blinded Firefly, who, with one hand, passed it over his eyes, instinctively trying to protect them, while, with the other, kept it in the flamethrower. Even without seeing, he tried to hit the two heroes, but both had already gone into hiding.

"Ahhhh my eyes, my eyes," he roared, trying to rub his eyes with one of his hands. "You'll pay for this, I'll make you pay for this. You'll be cinders when I'm done…" he continued shouting, while trying to hit them, still half blind.

After a minute to regain his sight, Firefly roared again, annoyed with himself for falling for that cheap trick and started the search for both of them. Shooting in any direction that looks suspicious, he tried not to stay still for a long time, as he was a relatively easy target to spot.

Hidden behind a container, Flamebird observed the enemy from a distance. She turned to the other side to see Gar sitting on the floor, a little breathless. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," he replied, cursing his apparent fatigue internally. Almost a month without training killed his stamina. "So, you said you had some ideas," he said, resting his head against the container.

"For us, the best course of action is if one of us distracts him while the other sneaks up behind him. With your powers, you can easily approach him without being noticed. As for me, I will try to get his attention, so it will be easier for you."

"Bu-But can you handle it with his weapon?"

"Sure, I have a few tricks and this outfit is made of sturdy material," she perceived a strange look in his face. "Ah come on, you didn't think I wore this outfit just because it's nice-looking, did you?"

"... so, what am I supposed to do once I get there? Knock him out?" he ignored her last comment.

"No, in his back, there is a canister that fuels both the jet and the flamethrower. Pull the tube that connects the two out and Firefly will be ours."

"Got it!" he said as the rain started to get stronger. "At least with this rain, the flames will be easier to deal with"

"Do you remember when I said he is the only arsonist who uses napalm?" she gave him a funny look.

"Yeah, so?"

"So… napalm flames cannot be extinguished that easily," she completed.

"Oh… Great."

After rolling her eyes, Flamebird peeked out of the hiding place and saw where Firefly was. "Good luck, green boy," she said before she left.

Moments later, she approached the enemy, going from cover to cover until the distance between them narrowed. When she thought it was the moment, Flamebird picked up a boomerang. "Hope my aim is still good," holding it, she prepared herself, closing one eye and making a movement in which one arm went backwards to gain strength and momentum, while the other one went forward to help in her aim. She saw that Firefly was moving too much which made things difficult, however, at a time when he stopped a little longer, she took the chance and fired.

By mere inches, the boomerang didn't find its place in his face, however, it did catch his attention.

"You just made your biggest mistake, little girl," he spoke, turning completely towards her. "How do you want to die? The quick… incinerating flash of an EXPLOSION? Or… a nice SLOW BURN?" flying towards her and pointing the gun.

But before shooting something caught his eye and saw a green hummingbird. 'A green hummingbird?' he thought. But, suddenly, the little bird became a green monkey, which jumped on him. Taken by surprise, Firefly completely missed Flamebird and started flying wildly while trying to get rid of the little animal.

Gar, for his part, was unable to pull the tube, it was too hot to touch with his bare paws. So he started thinking about another animal that could do it. However he was brutally interrupted when Firefly started to gain altitude and do crazy maneuvers. Gar still in a monkey form was shrieking like mad as he gripped the soaring jet pack tightly in his paws. The two spun through the air, doing back flips and somersaults

Reaching the height of his frustration with the green monkey still hammering away at him, Firefly decided his course of action. He flew toward the burning warehouse where he had found them. As he had predicted the place, it was already completely engulfed by the flames and much of the ceiling had already collapsed. Without thinking twice, he entered into the building and started firing his gun in all directions, fueling the flames that had already been there. Wearing protective clothing and flying close to the flames, he felt absolutely nothing. What could not be said of Gar.

"You know, it's not the flames that kill you. It's the heat," Firefly said.

Napalm has some traits that make it extremely effective (and controversial) in the anti-structure and anti personnel role. The most widely used formula takes benzene and polystyrene and can burn for 10 minutes at almost 1200°C / 2190°F, which is enough to melt a gold bar. But it is not considered a chemical weapon because it is used with gasoline to enhance the effects of a bomb or flamethrower. That is, napalm is a firearm turbo.

The moment the two entered the warehouse, Garfield imagined he was in an oven. When Firefly increased the flames, the feeling that he was in hell itself. Where there's fire, there's an invisible deadly threat commonly referred to as radiant heat. Seeing the flames quickly take the place, Garfield's world slowly turned to fire. But worst of all, it was the smoke.

Another effect of napalm in pumps is the rapid deoxygenation of the surrounding air and an increase in the concentration of carbon monoxide. And because they were both hanging in the air, where the smoke there was so thick and suffocating, almost immediately its side effects started. Starting with a small headache, in a matter of seconds Gar felt that he was sucked in by an aileron roll, as dizziness took over him and failed to keep his grip, falling to a part of the ground still untouched by the flames and returning to his human form as he crashed.

Firefly, protected with his mask and his special clothing, maintained his position, watching as flames rise up the walls. He did not feel the other's grip loosen and his consequent fall. He's amazed. The rain came in the place where the ceiling had already fallen, but it was useless to imagine that it would do anything against that fire. The wind, however, passed through the place, making the huge flames tremble. In Firefly's view, they were dancing. Dancing like a ballerina in a performance or gymnast on an ice rink, the flames were guided by the current of air, taking with them any destruction that could cause in their path. While Gar was struggling in hell, trying his best to stay conscious, Firefly felt like he was in heaven.

On the floor, Gar coughed incessantly as he felt his body was cooking from the inside. He didn't realize that his enemy had just landed at his side.

"Do you see them, Green man?" asked the flyman.

Firefly wrapped his arm around Gar's neck, lifting him up violently, and repeated the question.

"Do you see them, Green man?" it was so hot that Gar realized that his sweat turned to steam. "THE ANGELS! ANGELS IN THE FLAME," he shouted. Then, ironically, his skin goes cold as ice…

Suddenly, one of the walls of the place collapsed. Noticing this, Gar gathered all the forces he could muster and morphed into a cheetah. Surprised by the sudden change, Firefly released him from his clutches, giving Gar the opportunity to escape. And he ran towards the outside.

And Firefly just laughed as he saw it.

He laughed more as he took off and began his pursuit.

He laughed hard as he chased Gar through the alleys formed by the containers

He guffawed when Gar tried to run him under a row of parked trucks, while Firefly followed him from above.

He 'rolled in the aisles' when Gar started to slow down and returned to his human form.

He had convulsions of laughter as he landed, hearing the Gar's uncontrollable cough.

He laughed because he knew that the 'green man' had just condemned himself. He knew that the particulates, the carbon monoxide, from smoke are so small that they can burrow deep in someone's lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Once in the circulatory system, the carbon monoxide, which has a higher affinity than oxygen to the hemoglobin in the blood's red blood corpuscles, bonds with it tenaciously, and, consequently, displacing oxygen and preventing the blood from transporting oxygen around the body. When Gar ran, he just accelerated this process.

"Weeeeelll, it looks like this is goodbye…" said Firefly with malicious smile under the mask.

Brought to his knees at the moment he felt that rain had increased, Gar used an immense force in his arms to keep from falling on the floor for good, seeing his own reflection in the puddle. In addition to the cough, Gar felt severe chest pain and malaise. All his attempts to crawl away were stopped by coughing convulsions, making the pain worse. Between coughs, he could hear Firefly's slow steps, getting louder and louder.

"You know your problem? It's everyone's problem. Nobody really understands the fire. Nobody sees them like me."

"That's… cough, cough, cough,… why you… cough, cough… hurt that woman". Gar finally said.

"Woman?" asked Firefly, truly surprised.

"The one… cough, cough, cough,… you burned."

"Oh… which one?" Firefly grinned. "As I said, no one really sees what I see. I have been looking for someone who could share my happiness, my pleasure but all that turned to fail..."

Gar stopped to crawl and slowly started to turn around to face the maniac, still coughing.

"I remember in my biology classes, we'd talked about the definition of life: to be classified as a living creature, a thing needs to eat, breathe, reproduce, and grow…" Firefly started.

Now facing him completely. 'If my time has come, I will do it head on,' he thought. Mortality was a common visitor to Gar. He knew several people who came and went. Death was so frequent, he was never afraid of it anymore. He learned to simply turn it off.

"… Dogs do, rocks don't, trees do, plastic doesn't. Fire, by that definition, is vibrantly alive. It eats everything from wood to flesh, excreting the waste as ash, and it breathes air just like a human, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon…" Firefly explained.

'What do I feel?' Gar thought, feeling something weird. 'Nothing but a fading urgency of fear… maybe, a knowledge of hope – an expectation of peace. What is this warm familiarity? A dreamplace. A place of calm, ignorant bliss. A resting place…'


Do you want to die?


"… Fire grows, and as it spreads, it creates new fires that spread out and make new fires of their own. Fire drinks gasoline and excretes cinders, it fights for territory, it loves and hates…" Firefly continued.

Some people say during a near-death experience, they saw their life flashing before their eyes – their entire past spooling out before them, a replay of all the most significant moments. Still coughing, Gar saw the other had stopped a few feet from him as flicked images began to pass through his mind. A green monkey hanging from a branch of a tree. A waterfall and an overturned boat. Small flashes of light at night in the African savannah. An empty wheelchair in front of a mansion. A blonde girl standing in a mirror house. A dark girl hovering on the roof of a tower.


I would not have picked you as my Beast Boy, if I thought you were a quitter.


"… Sometimes when I watch people trudging through their daily routines, I think that fire is more alive than we are, Green man. Brighter, hotter, more sure of itself and where it wants to go..." Firefly kept talking as raise his weapon.

Gar fixed his eyes when a small flame came out of the gun, before the great blaze.


'Who are you?' Gar asked back.


"Fire doesn't settle; fire doesn't tolerate; fire doesn't 'get by'; fire does; fire is," now he was aiming towards the former Titan. "Now, Green man, I will send you to a place where you will learn that well. You're on the express elevator to hell, goin' down!". Gar quickly closed his eyes, waiting for the worst.

but…

CLANK


I am the one who made you live


The flames Firefly had hoped for didn't come, and a strange noise of gas escaping just started. He looked back to examine his equipment and noticed a RED boomerang in his jet. He didn't have time to do anything before his jet went off and flew wildly away.

Stunned and still coughing, he didn't understand what just happened, but when his companion landed almost at his side, things started to become clear to him. If he hadn't been feeling bad, he would have breathed more relieved.

"That's what I call precision," she said, but when she perceived her partner's cough, she soon understood the seriousness of the situation. She knelt beside him and took a small mask with a compartiment. "Here, breathe it," placing it over Gar's nose and mouth. "It's pure oxygen, keep breathing for a few more minutes so that you'll feel better."

Although the chest pain is not relieving, the intensity of the cough decreases. He tried to sit down, but ended up being helped by Flamebird. The dizziness still affected him, as did the nausea.

Flamebird looked from Gar towards Firefly, who was still flying wildly across the docks. Suddenly, she saw that he let go of his jet and fell. A few seconds later, the jet pack had exploded. " Stay here, I'll be right back," she said to Gar, before looking for where Firefly had fallen. And she found him lying on the edge of one the piers.

Approaching, she saw that, in addition to losing his jet, he also did not have his weapon. 'Great.' She picked up another boomerang, to be ready for anything. "It's over, Lynns," she said.

He raised his head to see who had spoken. "I can't believe it, you took my flames," he said, trying to get up.

"Ah ah ah, better you keep lying on the floor," she said, showing him her boomerang. "So, Lynns, why are you here?" she inquired.

"…," he looked away from her.

"With whom did you come here to meet?" she inquired, less patiently.

"…," he kept unmoving.

"Is it Black mask or some bunny rabbit?

"…," now she caught his attention.

"Yeah, we heard the conversation. Now why are you here?

"…," still nothing;

"Why were you attacking Two-face? Was it because of Penguin?" she tried, clearly annoyed.

"Penguin?" he sounded surprised. He laughed. "You know nothing, girl."

"What do you mean by that?"

Suddenly, she heard someone approaching and saw Gar, on his feet, was walking slowly and awkwardly towards them with still oxygen mask in his face. "You shouldn't be standing," she spoke. He assured her with a gesture that he was feeling better.

Back her attention to Firefly. "So why are you attacking the Two-face?"

There are moments in our lives that we think we are on top and that nothing would bring us down, but something happened that gives a beautiful flying kick. That was the moment Flamebird felt it. The moment she saw Firefly's mouth move, a giant scaly hand came out of the water and grabbed the criminal's leg, pulling Firefly into the water.

Dropping the mask because of the scare, Gar shouted, "WHAT'S THAT?"

After a few seconds of shock, "That, Gar, was Killer Croc."


Epilogue

Not far from there, Gar and Flamebirg were observed. Lurking in the shadows and watching the whole scene, there was a boy wearing a black suit and an orange cat.

"So, I told you it would be good," the boy said with a slight disinterest.

"Meow."

"Don't correct me, Teekl, I'm still pissed that green fool didn't kill his friends for us. And he even ran away with his tail between his legs to the other side of the country," he whined.

"Meoow."

"And I look like someone who cares if it was in the plans or not?" now he said, folding his arms.

"Meooow," clearly annoyed.

"Don't get pouty. I invented pouty. So what is the next task? Blowing up the Titans Towers? Get into the Azarath?"

"Meow!"

"Whaaat? Why did others get the fun parts? And about us?"

"Meow."

"Him? That's unfair! He's not even funny!"

"Meow…"

"I don't care if I'm going to make that crazy old granny 'disappointed'. I have better things to do," shouted the boy.


Darkseid is.


"On second thought," he said a little apprehensively, "if we finish that soon, we can do fun stuff. But the next time, when they decide to make a plan, I'll pay attention. So, let's go, Teekl, we need a clown to find."

Immediately the cat jumped on the boy's arms, who, with a snap of his fingers, created a portal to go elsewhere.

THE END


References:

1) Detective Comic Vol 1 #589-590 (1988), two issues that give more insights about Firefly. It was written by Alan Grant and John Wagner and illustrated by Norm Breyfogle.

2) Detective Comic Vol 1 #854-857 (2009), also known as Elegy, it is a Batwoman storyline written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by J. H. Williams III.

3) Birds of Prey Vol 2 #7-13 (2011), it was written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Inaki Miranda.

4) Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009), it was written and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel.