AN:
Yes mah bois, new story! I'm still working on updates for my current stories but I managed to finish this one first since I have been working on it for a while. But that being said, sorry if some parts seem a little rough and rushed because they kinda are.
But anyway, some of the inspirations for this included "The Curse of Brimstone" comic from 2019 as well as other DCU elements. I'm taking some liberties with canon continuity here and there, particularly that this is supposed to take place after the Fifth Pillar arc (Season 2 Episode 6/Chapter 111) but before the Chinese Peninsula mission.
Batman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics. Batman is created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.
Fire Force/En En no Shobotai is created by Atsushi Okubo.
CHAPTER 01: Call of the Angels
The situation has literally gone to hell.
Or more accurately, it looked like hell itself had come to them.
All around him he could see the fiery currents flowing over the walls and ceiling as burning debris fell everywhere. The heat was unbearably intense and the HUD display through his white eye lenses read the oxygen level steadily dropping.
As to be expected, the people around him were screaming in panic and some froze, paralyzed in fear. He had already contacted the GCPD and the Fire Brigade but they had to act now or all these people were going to die.
"Nightwing! Red Robin! Get everyone out of here! Now!" Batman yelled.
They didn't need to be told twice. The two masked heroes quickly began herding the small group of people past the fallen debris and towards the exit. Some of them had difficulty moving, either coughing from the smoke or fatigued from the lack of oxygen, but they helped them up and guided them with the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately, there was yet another obstacle.
"The way is blocked!" Red Robin exclaimed, pointing toawards the wall of burning debris in front of the doorway.
"Stand back!" Batman commanded as he quickly tapped on a touchscreen interface on his gauntlet.
His two young partners already figured what his plan of action was and instructed the trapped people to make way from the building wall next to them. A distant roar of a powerful engine revved and then roared again continuously until the wall burst open as the Batmobile crashed through. The sudden opening caused the hot air and flames to rush out with loud WHOOSH!
"Move! Move! Move!" Batman urged them all.
Nightwing and Red Robin wasted no time and helped evacuating the people inside, making sure no one gets trampled in the confusion or left behind.
"Is that all of them?" Nightwing asked.
"Only in this hall, there might be others elsewhere. Take Red Robin with you and clear the whole building."
"What are you going to do?" Red Robin asked.
When Batman turned around, focused towards the epicenter of the inferno around him, Tim's eyes widened with realization.
"No...you can't be serious."
"I going to try talking to him." Batman said.
"The hell you are!" Nightwing protested. "From what you and I just saw, I doubt he's in the mood for a conversation!"
"We're coming too." Red Robin insisted.
"No." Batman shook his head. "The two of you won't survive the heat but the Salamander suit should be able to hold up."
The suit that Batman wore was much different compared to his usual Batsuit.
Nicknamed the "Salamander", it was all black including the cape and cowl with glowing orange accents and an orange bat symbol on his chest. The body and cowl had more armor plating but it wasn't bulky nor heavy enough to inhibit full range movement and over where his exposed lower face would be was a retractable rebreather; thus making his face entirely covered.
Composed from material and data that Batman had collected during his time with the Justice League, it was designed as a countermeasure for radiation-based villains like Doctor Phosphorus. It is capable of dissipating energy and negating extreme heat but it comes with a cost as it lacks some features from his regular suits.
"You said it was just a working prototype." Nightwing argued.
Batman seemed to ignore what Nightwing said and pulled out a grappling gun, a redesigned version that also functioned in high temperatures, from his belt.
"We only have about three minutes before a flashover so this isn't up for debate." he stated before firing a line and reeling himself over the fallen debris.
"Batman, wait!"
Red Robin called out and tried go after him but Nightwing held him back.
"Damn it!" Dick cursed.
The former Boy Wonder knew that Bruce could be frustrating to deal with and once that man had a plan in mind, as crazy as it was, it was difficult to shake him from it. But Dick still trusted his mentor's judgment and decided to stick with the evacuation.
"Come on, we'll start with the foyer." Nightwing said to Red Robin.
Batman landed and then held his cape in front of him as he advanced forward, trying to sheild himself from the thick flames. He internally acknowledged that Dick was right. While the suit was very much capable, he knew he was pushing it to its limits.
The reason why he brought the suit on this night was in preparation for one particular foe of his.
But nothing could prepare him for the horrifying events that took place.
Earlier...
Of all the auction houses in Gotham, Lucien Heritage Auctions is one of the oldest and most prestigious. Mostly involved in sales of artifacts and curiosities of some kind of historic value.
On this night it would be organizing a benefit auction, showcasing a catalog of one hundred rare and unique items with all proceeds going towards funding a new children's hospital.
And of course, seated among the sea of bidders was none other than billionaire Bruce Wayne and his two wards: Dick Grayson and Tim Drake. It was fortunate that Bruce was well acquainted with the owner of the auction house, Nicholas Lucien, since that guaranteed an invitation. Bruce really wanted to be present tonight but not for reasons one might expect.
"Do you really think he'll show?" Dick whispered.
"I'm positive." Bruce answered in a low voice. "Black Mask has had his eye on this property for years. I've been helping Nicholas stave off his threats and demands but it's only a matter of time before he tries something drastic. And you know Black Mask, what he can't have..."
"He destroys." Tim finished for him.
Dick wearily turned his sights towards the stage where the auctioneer finally struck his hammer against the gravel, indicating a sale. It's true that the former Boy Wonder had matured over the years, growing into his own man and leading the Titans, but the old circus boy inside him couldn't help but feel restless.
"Well he sure is taking his sweet time." he sighed. "We've been here for hours and the only exciting thing that's happened till now is two guys fighting over a pair of dentures."
"Dentures that supposedly belonged to Clark Gable." Bruce pointed out.
"And valued for $60,000." Tim added.
"Tell me Bruce, is this catalog even for real?" Dick asked. "I mean, what are they gonna sell next, A happy meal kids toy?"
On cue, the auctioneer on stage announced to the bidders the next item to be presented.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, we come to our next item." he said from his podium.
An attractive blonde woman, with a smile that sparkled as much as her dress, wheeled a table with said item that was covered with a velvet cloth. Once in place, she removed the cloth to reveal the artifact as the auctioneer finished the introduction.
"This one of a kind unpainted Rocket-Firing Captain Carrot action figure."
Sure enough, Dick palmed his face with a sigh.
"Maybe Clark Gable owned this one too." commented Tim.
Dick remembered 'Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew' being some old cheesy Saturday-morning cartoon he used to watch as a kid. With budget animation and tongue-in-cheek writing, it was either referenced today as a subject of ridicule or looked back on fondly with nostalgia.
"Why does he even have a rocket launcher anyway? I thought Captain Carrot had superpowers." Dick wondered.
"Now this was a prototype that never went into production due safety concerns about the carrot-rocket firing mechanism." the auctioneer said.
"Only four were made, with the other two destroyed in a factory fire in '81. Making this the holy grail among collectors and hobbyists. We'll start the bidding at $30,000..."
Bruce and his two partners continued to watch as a handful of people among the crowd raised their paddles and sounded bid after bid, driving the sale price to exorbitant heights.
"A hundred eighty five thousand dollars for a hunk of unpainted plastic?" Tim balked.
"Seriously, who buys this stuff?" Nightwing grunted.
In an unexpected move, Bruce raised his own bid paddle.
"One million!" he declared.
For a moment the hall was totally silent and many of the bidders, including Dick and Tim, turned in their seats to look at the young billionaire with disbelieving eyes.
The auctioneer at the podium blinked his wide eyes before composing himself.
"Um,...y-yes, I hear $1000,000. Going once..."
The other bidders were silent.
"Going twice..." the auctioneer finally hit his hammer against the gravel. "Sold! To the fine gentlemen for one million dollars."
Immediately the crowd in the hall buzzed among themselves over Bruce's actions, either in shock, amusement or plain outrage. Dick and Tim on the other hand, just stared at him.
"The money was going towards a good cause anyway." Bruce explained.
"Right." said Dick with doubt.
"Besides, it's for Clark. He's something of a Captain Carrot aficionado."
"Whatever you say, Bruce."
After the hall quieted down, the auctioneer spoke up again.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we now come to the final item of the night. An artifact not only steeped in history and legend, but a reputed cursed object as well."
On cue, the attractive blonde returned wheeling another table with a concealed object. Bruce watched her do her big reveal as usual but noticed that the unveiled object looked so much different compared to all the other items in the catalog.
"The Brimstone Heart." the auctioneer announced.
The object in question elicited sounds of awe and chatter within the bidders, leaving Dick to guess that it was quite big deal.
What was presented was almost the size of a brick and looked like a crystal cluster with a central 'pointed prism' that had others branching from it at various angles.
From the coloring, Bruce and Tim figured that the mineral was some kind of smoky quartz of the citrine variety but it didn't look like anything he had ever seen before. It was mostly black with a glowing red and yellow core within along with flecks of gold, as if a frozen flame was contained within.
"This unusual crystal was first discovered in the infamous town of York Hills in the mid 1800s by one Joseph Chamberlain." the auctioneer explained.
"The legends surrounding it have varied over time, some saying that it was sold to him by a mysterious stranger, while others say it came from the stars and some even say it was mined from the depths of hell itself. Whatever its origins, nobody can dispute that York Hills had the highest recorded number of Spontaneous Human Combustion cases in history."
Bruce remembered hearing bits and pieces about that but he mostly chalked it up the hysteria back then. Spontaneous Human Combustion was a popular topic in the 1850s thanks to Charles Dickens but was a very dated phenomenon in today's world.
"However it had been alleged that the surviving locals lay the blame on this very crystal, believing it to be cursed. The mystery surrounding York Hills and the Brimstone Heart had inspired many literary tales over the years, ranging works from Stephen Vincent Benet to HP Lovecraft. And it has been much sought after by occultists and private collectors, some of whom I'm sure are present tonight."
A collective sound of chuckles emitted from the audience.
"Very well then, we shall start the bidding at-"
BOOM!
Before anything could proceed, a portion of the roof above the stage suddenly blew open in in a fiery explosion, startling everyone in hall. From the smoke and flames of the opening, something flew down and landed on the stage. Or rather someone.
He wore an all gray body armor with a dark brown harness, his head was completely covered with a similarly gray helmet that had large red oval shaped goggle lenses and a pair of sharp metal 'antennas' that pointed up from the sides of his head. On his back was a jetpack with large metal wings that retracted after landing and in his hand was an advanced looking handheld flamethrower.
This person was Garfield Lynns, an arsonist and a pyromaniac. Most in Gotham know him as Firefly.
"Black Mask sends his regards." Firefly said before letting loose a stream of flames over the stage area.
The auctioneer screamed in fright and immediately fled from the podium and needless to say, the bidders reacted similarly; scrambling out of their seats and making for the exit.
"Now where do you think you're all going?" Firefly jeered. "Don't you want to see the FIREWORKS!?"
The supervillain aimed his gun and the large attached revolver-style chamber rotated once to change the flamethrower's mode. What launched from the gun's barrel wasn't flames, but an incendiary grenade that landed before the retreating crowd at the front seats; releasing a wall of flames upon impact. Firefly launched a few more of these in succession; Nobody was hit but the fiery walls succeeded in cutting off the way for the people at the front row.
As a former pyrotechnic expert, Lynns knew what he was doing. Black Mask insisted that he make a 'statement' to Lucien and with the new gear the crime lord provided him, he intended to do just that.
Fortunately for Bruce and his companions, they were seated at the back rows and were able to make their exit along with the rest of the fleeing bidders. But unlike those bidders, the trio didn't run for their lives; they were rushing outside to change into their costumes and gear which they had stashed nearby.
"It's Firefly alright." Dick said as they ran. "And it looks like he upgraded his gear this time."
"Unfortunately for him, so have I." Bruce growled.
Meanwhile, the costumed arsonist reveled in his work as the trapped people screamed in fear. Their cries were just distant and muffled white noise to him, for he was lost in his own world; a sick perverse world rooted deep in his psyche.
From the inferno around him, they emerged: flames that took shape of curvaceous nymphs who erotically caressed themselves and pranced around. His angels.
"Oh yeesss." Lynns hissed in an orgasmic fashion. "So beautiful! Dance with me, my lovelies! Dance!"
Suddenly, a pair of feet kicked at his back and sent him stumbling forward while a metal staff struck his shins, causing him to trip and land flat on his face.
"Your 'lovelies' wouldn't mind us cutting in, would they?" came Nightwing's voice.
Firefly quickly propped himself up on his arm and turned his head back to see the black and blue clad crime-fighter as well as Red Robin who stood battle-ready beside him. Both were wielding their signature weapons, Escrima Sticks and Bo-staff respectively, but one thing Firefly noticed was the transparent rebreathers they wore over their lower face.
And of course, behind them was Gotham's Dark Knight who, to Lynn's surprise, was wearing all black and orange gear this time.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Bat and his two little interns." Firefly chuckled as he pushed himself to stand before them. "Had a feeling I'd run into you do-gooding buzzkills."
Almost immediately, the crazed arsonist reached behind his jet pack and pulled out a SECOND flame gun.
"So I'd thought I'd pack some extra heat!"
Firefly aimed both his guns forward and blasted twin steams of flames which the knights of Gotham dodged out of the way. Quickly, Red Robin ducked under one stream while Nightwing flipped over the other. Both former-Robins attempted to rush at Lynns. However, the Pyromaniac zipped back using his jetpack and as he did, he launched two incendiary grenades at them.
Red Robin was forced to jump back but Nightwing, using his acrobatic skills, flipped over the wall of flames and was about to bring down his Escrima stick down on Firefly.
Unfortunately, Firefly reacted quickly by belting Nightwing across the face with one of his flame guns. The blue and black clad hero was sent on his back, down but not out. But as he pushed himself up, he found Firefly standing over his with both his flame guns trained on him.
Then, before the armored arsonist could pull the triggers, a fist struck against his helmet and sent him staggering back; struck so hard that the it actually dented the face area and shattered one of the red oval goggle lenses. Lynns recovered and looked to see Batman standing in front of Nightwing, the lower part of his face covered by a black rebreather and his white eyes glaring mercilessly at him.
With a growl, Firefly fired both his guns at him and Batman reacted by holding up his cape to shield himself. To Firefly's shock, the flames splayed and flowed around Batman's body harmlessly.
The eye visible through the shattered goggle narrowed and he turned both flame guns' output to maximum, pouring out as much flames as possible but Batman actually began to walk towards him slowly with the cape still held up.
So focused he was on incinerating the Bat that he didn't notice the two small devices that was thrown and latched on the muzzle of his guns until they suddenly exploded into a thick cement-like foam which muffled the barrel holes and snuffed out the flames.
"What the...!?" Firefly exclaimed in surprise and tried in vain to shake it off.
He looked back and forth to his left and right to see that it was Red Robin and Nightwing who threw the devices at him while Batman distracted him. The two of crimefighters reunited at Batman's side as the Dark Knight whipped his cape back, dissipating the remaining flames.
"It's over, Lynns." Batman stated.
"Returning to Black Mask with an unsuccessful job isn't going to bode well for a bottom feeder like you!" declared Nightwing.
"So you might as well give it up." Red Robin added.
Firefly snarled behind his helmet. He knew that they were right about Black Mask, the crime boss was dangerously unforgiving to anyone who failed a job for him. Going back to Arkham seemed like the safest thing he could do but Garfield Lynns had every intention of remaining a free bug.
"You masked freaks really grind my gears! Always raining on my parade!" Firefly seethed
Glancing back in desperation, Firefly noticed the Brimstone Heart still on the display table. An idea suddenly came to him and on impulse, he ran to the crystal object and picked it up.
"But you're right. Black Mask sure as hell isn't going to pay me now so I'm taking this as a consolation prize!" he declared. "It's gotta be worth something on the streets if all these rich shmucks are clamoring for it."
And with that plan of action, the villain's jet pack hummed to life as metallic wings extended from it.
"Gotta fly, suckers!" he taunted them.
But before he could rocket away, Nightwing sprung to action by flinging one of his Escrima sticks towards him.
"I don't think so!"
Nightwing had intended to hit the jet pack or one of the wings but in that freak moment, Firefly twisted his body in just the right way for the stick to strike the cursed object.
On impact, the crystal burst into tiny fragments that clung to Firefly's body like he was a magnet and then suddenly ignited into bright flares, so hot that it actually melted away through his armor and then through his skin.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGHGGHH!"
Nightwing, Robin and Batman both recoiled in horror as Firefly bellowed out a bone chilling scream of agony. The former pyrotechnic could feel his flesh melt to his blackened bones as his whole body was being engulfed in a fiery inferno that seemed to spread throughout the hall.
Lynns then heard what he thought sounded like an echoing air horn.
Then his vision became like a wavering charcoal sketch and he shakily looked towards his black skeletal arms to see a black tar-like substance coil around the bones to fill out his body, like they were replacing the sinew and muscle fibers.
Then he looked around to see the world turn into some kind of nightmarish wonderland.
The land around him was like wispy black soot and smoke with large skeletal structures extending towards a dark gray sky.
"W...w-what's happening to me? What is this place?" Lynns asked fearfully.
He then saw a match being struck.
He remembered this. This was from when he was a child. His little sister's voice echoed in his memories.
"GARFEILD! Garfeild, where are you!?"
Then his father.
"Amanda, stay back! It's not safe!"
"But where's Garfield!? I can't find him anywhere!" his sister cried in panic.
Before him was a house, a simple suburban resistance, up in flames. Young Garfield could barely react about his family trapped in their soon to be pyres.
Instead, he found himself transfixed and enraptured by the warmth, the glow, the way the undulating flames morphed into beautiful women who danced seductively, winked and gave him come-hither looks.
"So...beautiful..." he sighed as a bloody tear trailed from his eye.
The house broke apart and from the flames emerged something which Garfield didn't expect. It was a gigantic hooded white-robed figure with a golden ring-like structure floating behind it.
Only the lower portion of her face was visible, Garfield assumed it was a woman. She looked like a nun or a priestess or perhaps...an Evangelist.
But to Garfield, she looked like...
"An angel..."
Now...
"Lynns!" Batman called out as he neared the source of the surrounding fire.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn't go any further. He didn't even need to see the HUD display that alerted him of the sheer danger of taking another step. Despite the suit's internal cooling system, he could feel his whole body on fire.
With his approach hindered, he called out again.
"I don't know what's happened to you but I can help!"
Through the surrounding blaze, he could see him standing there in a dazed state.
Engulfed in fire, the hairless figure who was previously Firefly was black like tar with no clear orifices; no mouth or ears or nose on his face, only molten red eyes and glowing horizontal "fissures" around his face like stripes. Two of those stripes, positioned symmetrically above his brows, had long wispy flames ironically trailing up like insect antennae. Along with the other glowing fissure designs on the sides of his chest, short spikes festooned from his shoulders to his arms and finger joints.
From what Batman saw, it looked like Lynns had heard him since the being seemingly turned his gaze towards him. But with Lynns' face totally covered, it was hard to tell.
"It burns..." Lynns mumbled, his voice distorted with a demonic pitch.
Batman wondered at first if Lynns was still out of sorts but then the being spoke again.
"Everything burns..."
And then, those molten red eyes suddenly tapered and Lynns crossed his arms in the air.
"AND SO WILL YOU!" he roared.
With that, Lynns threw his arms and the fire around him burst with white hot intensity. Batman had to turn and hold his palm up to shield his sights from the brightness.
He would've said that he had only seen white but, for a fraction of a second, he didn't.
In fact, he wasn't sure what he saw but instead, wondered if the eye lens display was simply glitching on him.
As he regained his vision, he lowered his hand and felt the wind rushing towards where Lynns stood. That prompted him to look and see a pure black spheroid with its edges glowing. He couldn't believe it but what was before him was a wormhole! It was like Lynns generated enough energy to tear a fabric in space-time.
He didn't have time to ponder on it any further as the fire and the debris around was sucked towards the anomaly that grew bigger and bigger. And before long, he began to feel himself being dragged as well.
Batman quickly spun and ran as the walls of the auction house began to come apart and rushed towards the wormhole. He jumped over and slid under whatever debris that rushed his way but no matter how much he ran, he wasn't able to escape the pull.
Looking ahead, he saw the Batmobile being dragged towards where he was and realized that this was his only chance.
"OPEN!"
He issued a voice command to his gauntlet and as the vehicle slid towards him with its canopy opening, he jumped into the driver's seat and pushed the engines to full thrust. The fires of the afterburner burst from the exhaust nozzle and the tires squealed against the floor but even the Batmobile didn't make headway.
Batman tried one last ditch effort by activating a mechanism that fired two grappling lines from the front end of the car which latched on to the far side of the building. The dual winches activated and strained to drag the vehicle away but unfortunately, the pull was just far too great.
Finally the entire structure of the building gave way and the grapple lines snapped back from their anchors, causing Batmobile to fly back.
[SHEILDS MAX POWER] the voice onboard computer sounded out after Batman pressed a button. He could only hope it would last.
He braced himself as the Batmobile met the miniature Blackhole. Rapid waves of intense vibration and heat hit him all at once and both his vision and hearing were assaulted by garbled things.
A pair of crimson eyes with white pupils opened wide with a start. Traces of the ghostly airhorn echoed in his ears as the unmistakable fuzzy feeling tremored around his ankles.
"What was that?"
Seated behind a valley of paper stacks was Shinra Kusakabi, a seventeen year old lad with spiky black hair and noticeably having pointed shark-like teeth. He is a Fire Soldier newly recruited in the 8th Special Fire Force Company, evident from his standard issue orange jumpsuit with the '8' insignia on the shoulders.
With a confused expression, Shinra thought back to his vision in attempts to make sense of it. The only clear thing he could make out was a dark figure in a sea of flames.
"It felt different from all the other Adola Links I've experienced. There was a man wearing some kind of horned mask with a cape, who was he?"
"Off on some far away land are you, devil?"
Shinra turned his glare towards the source of the voice, the young man who was sitting directly opposite him sporting a smug smile. The blue eyed blonde who had his hair pulled up and tied in a short ponytail was Arthur Boyle, another rookie in Company 8. He and Shinra were acquainted back when they were both training in the Academy, though to say 'acquainted' would be putting it too nicely. The fact was they two of them have something of a rivalry and not exactly a friendly one.
"Don't lump me in with your dumb fantasies!" Shinra fired back. "Don't you have paperwork to do?"
Shinra knew that Arthur wasn't a big fan of menial desk work, evident from the twin towers of paper stacked next to him, but the blonde Fire Soldier simply snorted without qualm as his ponytail twitched at him tauntingly.
"Hmph, I might. But I can't help but find myself wonder how you could hope to best a knight with your head still in the clouds."
The delusions of being a knight in a fantasy world was an odd quirk about Arthur's personality that everyone around him was wearily aware of but in Shinra's case, it was one of the reasons behind their conflicts. Due to a promise he made to his mother, Shinra had ambitions of being a hero and that led to him and Arthur often bickering whether knights or heroes are superior.
"Yeah? Well I find myself wondering how you could beat a HERO with your head still up your ass!" Shinra retorted.
The two of them childishly growled while maintaining an electric glare between them. And as they did, they were furiously writing on their papers which caused sheets of them being flicked from their stacks like a dispenser.
"Hey come on you two, knock it off."
From her seat adjacent to Arthurs was Maki Oze, an attractive young woman with a curvaceous figure, violet eyes and black shoulder length hair with cropped bangs. A Second Generation Fire Soldier, she was one of the earliest recruits of Company 8 and that made her considered as somewhat the big sister of the group.
"Nah, I say let them, it's like watching two volatile components mixing to create a chemical reaction." said Licht who was lounging by the table. "Quite fascinating in a way."
Viktor Licht was the latest addition to the Company and is their only scientist. A tall lean fellow sporting a wild black afro and a cheshire cat-like visage, he pretty much looked like the definition of a mad scientist with him wearing his usual labcoat over his stripped t-shirt.
"Yeah well, it's not going to help us get these reports done." Maki sighed. "Since that recent outbreak of Infernals, we've been swamped."
Licht smiled enigmatically while tapping a finger against his chin with his eyes closed.
"Hm, I could imagine how much write up a single Infernal case needs let the amount we faced that day."
"Not to mention that Demon. If it wasn't for that plan you came up with, I don't what we would have done."
Keeping his smile, Victor wagged a finger at her.
"Now don't sell yourself short. Sure, the Second Generations helped but you were instrumental to that plan. If I do say so myself, you were nothing short of amazing, Maki-san."
The compliment came out of nowhere for Maki and it caused her to blush bashfully as she clasped the back of her neck. Even though she never really considered Victor a prize, she was still a hopeless romantic at heart.
"Aww, thanks. I don't know what to sa-"
"Begone or I will smite you down where you stand!"
"You first, Sir Lame-a-lot!"
Maki looked to her side to see both Shinra and Arthur standing up and at each other's faces like bulls locking horns. Though it wasn't really 'horns' they were locking but rather it was their pens pushed tightly against each other's as if they were swords locked in a duel.
Unfortunately, it was Shinra's pen that snapped and caused Arthur's arm to swing through and knock a stack of papers to his right which turn, like a domino, knocked over Maki's stack as well.
"Uh oh." Shinra gulped as he and his rival froze like two kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. The two of them felt themselves shrink as Maki seemed to tower over them with eyes sparking over her shadowed features.
Elsewhere in the 8th's Fire Cathedral, two men walking down a corridor were engaged in a conversation and totally unaware of the carnage that would take place in the office.
"So they're letting Lisa out of the Fire Clinic early?"
"Yeah. Just got the news from Captain Huang, said she gave her a clean bill of health."
One of them, well built with black hair styled in a messy undercut, was Akitaru Obi: the Captain of Fire Force Company 8. With him was a young man with short red hair and blue eyes named Vulcan Joseph, the 8th's genius engineer.
"Hey, that's great! I'm glad she's doing okay." Obi said cheerfully.
However, Vulcan didn't seem to share his enthusiasm.
"I wouldn't exactly say 'okay'." he let out a morose sigh.
Seeing Obi cast a confused look towards him, Vulcan began to explain.
It was earlier that morning at the Special Fire Fighting Defense Clinic 6, when Vulcan had just finished his daily visit, when a tall woman with short black hair and golden slanted eyes pulled him aside. Everyone knew her as Captain Kayoko Huang, the head doctor and the captain of Company 6.
As Vulcan would elaborate to Obi, there was more to Huang's words than what he previously mentioned.
"Try to understand that there's a limit to what I can do as a doctor. Physically there is nothing wrong with Lisa-san, her flame burns as bright as ever. But Psychologically, that's another story."
Essentially, as Vulcan would put it, the clinic is not a Psyche Ward and suggested that she seek help elsewhere with more 'qualified' professionals.
"I'm sorry but with the rise of Spontaneous Combustion cases, my Company is already taxed as it is: serving our duties as both Fire Soldiers and doctors. I'm afraid there isn't anything else I can do for her at this point."
"So you're just gonna kick her out, is that it!?" Vulcan snapped.
But Huang remained as composed as ever.
"Even if I did house her in our wards, she's bound to be inquired by the Holy Sol Temple and from what Obi-san tells me,..." Huang's eyes grew fierce at that point. "She's got quite the background."
"I see, so that's how it is." Obi acknowledged as he caressed his chin.
Vulcan nodded grimly.
"The fact is that she's not only just an unknown Third Generation but she also used to be with the White-Clad."
The White-Clad, a fanatical cult of pyrokinetics lead by 'The Evangelist'. Obi and his Company had encountered them many times throughout their investigation into Spontaneous Human Combustion and the rise of Artificial Infernals. Not much is known about them but from what Obi was able to discern, they are seeking people with Adola Bursts called 'Pillars'. There are supposedly eight of these Pillars, among whom are known are Shinra and his long lost younger brother Sho who was currently in their ranks. Their main goal is to recreate the Great Cataclysm that changed the Earth 250 years ago.
Obi and Vulcan had rescued Lisa from them back when Company 8 had ventured into the Nether but since then, Lisa had been traumatized from the mental grooming and brainwashing she went through over the years. Vulcan had mentioned that she still has nightmares of Giovanni night after night.
The two men figured that Huang was implying that if the Holy Temple or even the Tokyo Army found out, the situation could subject her to even more mental stress. At worst, she could be sent to Haijima Industries and Vulcan would be damned before he hands her over to them.
"Then where do you think she should stay? Your workshop?" Obi asked.
"No. I can't take the chance of those White-Clad finding her and taking her back." Vulcan then nervously rubbed the back of his head. "That's why sir, I was hoping to ask..."
Obi knew the question before it even left the man's lips.
"Say no more, the answer is yes."
Vulcan looked at him with surprised wide eyes.
"R-really?"
"Of course!" Obi affirmed. "Far as I'm concerned, Lisa is always welcome to stay here. Yu as well."
The red haired engineer released a breath in relief through an open smile, he was glad that Shinra was right about Captain Obi and the 8th; they weren't like the other Companies.
"Hello Captain, Vulcan-san." came a gentle voice.
The two men's attention were drawn towards a young blonde girl wearing a nun's habit. Her name is Iris, a Sister who helps Company 8 with religious prayers for putting Infernals to rest.
With her was another girl with golden eyes that had white pupils and long black hair tied in twin-tails; She was Tamaki Kotatsu, a Third Generation Fire Soldier who was technically part of Company 1 but was sent to the 8th as a form of 'suspension'.
"Iris, Tamaki, what have you two been up to?" asked Obi.
"Oh nothing, Tamaki-san has been just assisting me with my evening prayers." Iris responded.
Vulcan noticed that Tamaki wasn't wearing her usual orange jumpsuit but was instead in a Nun habit like Iris's. It's true that since Company 1 was heavily associated with the Sol Temple, Tamaki did in fact receive nun training.
Due to Iris being the only Sister Company 8 has, Tamaki decided to step up and refresh herself with all the necessary religious rites so she could perform Extinguishing Prayers alongside Iris incase another Infernal outbreak took place like last time.
"What!? What're you looking at!?" Tamaki snapped accusingly at Vulcan.
"Oh, um, Nothing. It's just that I still have a hard time believing you as a trained Nun."
"What do you mean a hard time!?" she said as she stepped forward. "What part of me isn't nunlike you-NYAH!"
With that cat-like yelp, Tamaki found that both her neckerchief, scapular and as well as her bra had fallen off her body. Somehow.
This was an effect of her 'Lucky Lecher Lure', an unexplained phenomenon in where her klutzy nature puts her in lewd and embarrassing situations, much to the fortunate male gaze. It defies all logic and laws of physics and yet, there it was.
"WHAAA! WHY ME!?" Tamaki cried as she covered her chest.
Both Obi and Vulcan quickly averted their gaze, with the former pinching the bridge of his nose .
"Yeah, THAT part." Vulcan commented.
"Latom." sighed Iris while tenting her hands.
Suddenly, the air of the entire Cathedral was filled with a loud continuous ringing accompanied by a siren's wail. The four Fire Soldiers froze on the spot; whatever they were thinking of before was completely evaporated by the emergency alarm and their senses snapped into alert.
"Captain!" Obi heard a voice approaching.
Rushing down the corridor towards them was a bespectacled man with brown hair and piercing brown eyes. He was the second in command of Fire Force Company 8, Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa.
"We got a call from Ueno." was all he said when he stopped in front of him.
But it was all Obi needed to spring into action.
"You heard the Lieutenant!" Obi began to bark out orders. "Suit up and get to the Matchbox!"
The wide road of Metropolitan Route 319 was uncharacteristically quiet and empty, likely on account of the Infernal emergency. At a few seconds glance, it seemed like a static scene but if one were to keep looking, they would notice a gradual change.
It first started with a steady vibration that slowly increased in intensity, shaking the metal posts and guard rails. Then came a sudden gust of wind and after which, shimmering veil appeared. It was like the fabric of space being warped again but this time ballooning like a blown bubble until...
BANG!
With a loud explosion, the Batmobile was tossed to the road with a heave; bouncing slightly on its tires, but thankfully not toppling over, until it skid to a complete halt.
As the canopy slid open, thick white smoke was released not only from within but also from small nozzle ports around the vehicle, indicative of the automatic venting system.
Batman stood and leaned out from the driver's seat with a groan, his rebreather retracting to reveal his panting mouth as he tried to regain his bearings.
"Where am I? Is this Gotham?" he asked out loud.
One look around his surroundings confirmed that it was not. Quickly, he pressed a button and the onboard LCD screen booted up. He breathe a sigh of relief that the Batmobile's systems were still working. She was a tough 'ol gal and despite taking a beating, she'll still live to ride again.
Unfortunately, he hit upon another snag as the screen displayed to him [NO SIGNAL].
"Hmm, GPS uplink is down but I can use the star chart as the next best thing." Batman thought as he reconfigured the mapping system.
He hoped that he was still on earth and not on some far away planet and luckily, the star chart did assure him of that. But what it also revealed took him quite aback.
"I'm in...Tokyo, Japan?"
Batman took another look around his surroundings, particularly at the architecture which appeared to have a slight Victorian or steampunk aesthetic.
"But this doesn't look like the Tokyo I remember. The buildings are all different."
Before he could ponder on it any further, a voice of a distant PA system suddenly sounded out.
"ATTENTION. MULTIPLE INFERNALS HAVE APPEARED NEARBY. EMERGENCY VEHICLES ARE NOW EN ROUTE. WE REQUEST THAT ALL CIVILIAN MOTORIST ON THE ROAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE AND CLEAR A PATH."
"What's an Infernal?" Batman wondered.
With that lingering question left in the air, Batman's hearing picked the sounds of a crowd's murmur. Looking around, he could see that a small group of people have gathered at the sidewalk of the road; buzzing with astonishment with some pointing at him with agape expressions. Among them were three individuals who seemed to be wearing bulky mascot costumes that resembled an old man, a dog and a cat; they each had a number on their helmets, 1, 1 and 9 respectively.
"I'm attracting too much attention. I'd better make myself scarce."
With that decision, Batman sat back down on the driver's seat. The canopy slid shut, the engines roared back to life and fire blasted from the rocket exhaust nozzle and the powerful black vehicle jetted away, leaving the crowd chatter with excitement.
The Fire Defense Force mascots looked on from behind the blank expressions of their costumes.
"Goodness." Mamoru spoke.
Not far, along the same road, was another speeding vehicle. It was dark gray and boxy with a tapered bonnet, very similar in design of the armored military cars of world war I, and a hatch on the roof. On the bonnet was painted the white cross symbol of the Holy Sol Temple and on its side was painted the number "08".
This car was one of the many Special Armored Fire Engines used by the Special Fire Force, also code named the "Matchbox".
With three of Company 8 at the driver and passengers seats, the remainder of the team were inside the dim lit rear cabin of car, seated and facing each other from opposite bench seats. And it was here where Obi briefed them about the situation.
"Listen up, we have three Infernals sighted in the Ueno area, in a place called Uguisudani. Uguisudani is kind of a rough neighborhood so be on your toes."
"Three is an oddly high number. Do you think those White-Clad people are involved?" asked Arthur.
The thought of it bristled Shinra's nerves. The White-Clad's modus operandi so far was the use of 'Bugs': Insect creatures which would burrow into its victims to induce Spontaneous Combustion, creating an Infernal in the process.
"It's definitely possible." Obi nodded. "They already have the Fifth Pillar after the outbreak they caused so they're probably out there looking for the sixth."
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Shinra gasped as the familiar voice sounded in his mind and within a blink, he found himself in the middle of a sea of black smoke, where soots of ash floated towards a gray sky. For some reason, he was on all fours like he was severely weakened and in front of him loomed a slender naked blonde woman.
"Sister...?" was Shinra's first thought.
Then he reminded himself: No, even though she was the spitting image of Iris, she wasn't Iris.
"No wait, it's you again!"
He had seen this woman before. The first time was before he went into the Nether, then when he visited Captain Hagure where she used his inner rage to take control of him and last, most recently, when the Fifth Pillar had awakened. He also remembered that she knew something about his mother.
"You look like a someone with a lot on his mind, new guy." the woman chuckled before escalating into maniacal cackling.
"And I do mean a lot! It's like a real party in here, know what I mean!?"
Shinra wanted to yell out and demand to know what she means but no words came to his lips. In fact, he couldn't move his mouth or the rest of his body and that make him wonder if this body was even his own.
The woman stepped forward, bent down and Shinra felt the sides of his head gripped. After his sights were lifted up slightly, the woman brought her face uncomfortably close to his, to the point where her crazed blue eyes were within an inch of his and the only other part of her face he could see from his peripheral were the sides of her wide grin.
"I think I like you, new guy." she said. "You're not like the others. Maybe after you realize who or what you really are, you and I can watch this world...no, this whole UNIVERSE burn together!"
"The whole universe?"
With that question in his mind, Shinra felt his head being released and slack from his neck but the woman did not break her gaze from his. He could see that it was because she was slowly sinking into the sea of black smoke under him.
"But until then,...You're nothing but a boring little freak! So, try to work on that, kay?" she sneered maliciously.
Before her face could disappear into the inky clouds below, she said one last thing.
"Oh, and say hello to the old man for me once you meet him."
"Old man? What is she talking about!?"
"Shinra-san?"
With a flash that left an airhorn noise in its wake, he was back inside the Matchbox, facing Iris who was seated opposite him. He couldn't help but be taken aback from seeing her worried face just after her deranged counterpart's.
"Is everything alright?" she asked.
She wasn't the only one who appeared concerned, Shinra found that the rest of the crew seated with him were looking intensely at him; though Arthur and Tamaki's gaze conveyed a little suspicion.
"Talk to us, Shinra. Was is another Adola Link?" Obi asked.
Being put on the spot like this, Shinra wasn't sure if he could even explain the things he saw. But he trusted his colleagues at the 8th and decided that he might as well try.
"The thing is,..."
Shinra wouldn't get the chance to voice out his experience because at that moment, the rest of the team at the front of the Matchbox would witness something unusual themselves.
"Hey, Lieutenant? Just so we're clear, there isn't supposed to be any cars on the road, right?" Vulcan suddenly asked.
"Yeah." Hinawa responded. "Why do you ask?"
"Because there's something approaching fast from the other lane."
Hinawa strained his sights forward and sure enough, he saw the approaching thing just as it whooshed past them. In that brief moment, he was able to make out the angular black metal body, the fins on its sides that resembled bat wings and the rocket exhaust that spewed at its rear.
It would seem that the sight shocked his colleagues as well, as Vulcan slammed on the brakes after it passed.
"What in the world!?" Hinawa balked as he poked his head from his window to see the Batmobile disappearing from sight.
Licht, who was seated just behind Hinawa, also stuck out his head from his own window-side.
"Huh, never seen one of those before." he commented.
From behind Litch, the rectangular shaped rear window slid open to reveal Obi's partially visible face.
"Hey! What's going on!? Why did you stop?"
"Some unknown vehicle just passed us from the other lane!" Vulcan exclaimed.
"An unknown vehicle?" Maki asked from behind Obi.
"What kind of vehicle?" inquired Obi.
"How do I know?! If I knew that, I wouldn't call it an unknown vehicle, would I!?" Vulcan spluttered, looking flustered for some reason.
Immediately, the thought about the White-Clad came to Shinra's mind. If what Captain Obi said was true, if the White-Clad were in Yoshiwara using their bugs, then maybe this was them fleeing the scene. The mere thought of it caused anger to churn inside him. He failed to save Sho back in the Nether and he failed to secure the Fifth Pillar. He sure as hell wasn't going to let them get away this time.
And so, he pushed off his seat, rushed towards the twin rear doors and pushed them open.
"Hey! Where do think you're going!?" Tamaki asked.
"I'm going after it!"
Shinra said so, momentarily looking back, before jumping off and activating his ignition ability. Jets of fire erupted from the soles of his bare feet, which he used to propel himself away in the air like a rocket.
"Shinra, wait!" Maki called out to him but it was too late.
Like a homing missile, Shinra sped through the air he was able the catch up with the Batmobile. He flew closer and closer until he was just adjacent over the vehicle's window side.
"Hey, you there! Stop!" he called out while looking through the glass.
But what he saw threw him for a loop; for within the glass canopy, a pair of angular white eyes glanced back at him. Framed over the stony scowl was a cowl-like mask that Shinra recognized all too well.
"It's HIM!" Shinra realized, recalling his earlier vision.
Batman looked back forward and floored the gas while pushing the rocket engine throttle to max. The Batmobile lurched forward with the sudden acceleration and began to out-speed the flying Fire Soldier.
"That thing may be fast. But I'm faster!" Shinra declared as he positioned his fingers to form the Tora Hishigi Kata.
As taught to him by Captain Benimaru of Company 7, it is a hand gesture that allows him to use his Rapid technique which focuses the flames from his feet and boosts his speed to incredible levels.
An an effort to lose his pursuer, Batman activated a mechanism in the Batmobile which fired a cable that wrapped itself around a lamppost at the corner up ahead. And then, with its anchor point, the vehicle swung itself to make a sharp turn into more narrow road where small buildings and alleyways were arrayed on the sides.
Batman's eyes narrowed as he observed from the rear view mirror that Shinra not only followed him with ease, but was quickly gaining on him. He figured that, with the kind of speed the flying black-haired boy was exhibiting, there was no way he'll be able to shake him off. And so, he decided to initiate an alternate evasive maneuver.
[STEALTH MODE ENGAGED] the computer voice rang out as soon as Batman pressed a button.
Upon its activation, the flames at the back of the exhaust nozzle suddenly died down, the headlights turned off, the 'fender areas' segmented themselves more from the car's main body and pushed it up to allow better ground clearance. Then the 'bat wings' at the rear began to mechanically fold in before finally, the engine's roar quieted down to a low hum.
"Now what's he up to?" Shinra wondered.
A portion on the top corner of the vehicle extended to reveal a small cannon that launched several smoke grenades on the road ahead. The cylindrical canisters bounced and clattered on the asphalt until thick white clouds spewed from them and enveloped the path.
Both Shinra and the Batmobile tore intro the fog but the only Shinra had burst through from the other side, causing him to halt in mid-air with his feet aimed forward and look back in bewilderment.
"Huh!? Where did he go!?"
Shinra aimed him feet down and rocketed up to gain more altitude. Once he was high enough, he slowed down his propulsion where he could hover and looked down.
He had good bird's-eye view of the district below and the smoked area had cleared. But the strange vehicle was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't see him anywhere!" Shinra looked around with surprised eyes. "How did he do that?"
Atop of a rooftop, that overlooked the fire below, stood a teenage girl with short pink hair and eyes that have five radial lines overlapping her white pupils. Her outfit, a puffy white onsie with a black/gold headdress, certainly indicated that she wasn't some ordinary bystander.
In fact, seeing calamity like this would normally get her blood rushing but this time, she seemed to wear a troubled expression.
"Is there a problem, Lady Inca?" came a voice beside her.
To her side was a woman with a shoulder length bob of cyan hair that covered her eyes. She too wore an all white uniform but was styled more like a maid's outfit.
Shortly after Inca Kasugatani was taken into the White-Clad's fold, Ritsu was introduced to her as her 'Gaurdian' and at first, Inca pretty much resented the whole idea of them having someone babysit her. But over time, she found herself getting used to her presence and personality. Inca admitted to herself that Ritsu was quite compliant with her wishes and was a lot less annoying than Sancho and Panda was.
"Actually...yeah, there is a problem." Inca huffed and pointed a finger behind her. "How long is that big oaf gonna be sitting over there!"
Behind the two ladies was a large muscular dark skinned man who was awkwardly sitting with his arms crossed and his back turned to them. He appeared to have blindfolded himself with a white band that had a red cross stretched across his face and was wearing a loose white karate gi.
"Charon? Oh, don't mind him." Ritsu responded with a deriding smile. "He's just miffed that Lady Haumea told him to take a hike again."
Ritsu dropped the playful attitude and looked at her charge with concern.
"But surely that's not the only thing bothering my Lady. Were you not certain that the next Pillar would be found here?"
"I didn't say that! I just said I can see the lines meeting here."
The 'lines' that Inca speaks of were only visible from her perspective, curving and looping glowing white trails which she can use to predict the path of flames or even trigger explosions by tracing a path with her finger to its 'end point' like a touch screen interface.
But as she would explain, the mess of lines in front of her seem lack any such 'end point'.
"But they don't actually meet, they just intersect. It's, like, totally weird!"
"Where do they intersect?" Ritsu asked.
"It's right around..."
Before Inca could point it out, both she and Ritsu's attention were diverted to the sound someone's feet touching down on the roof they were on. Ritsu's lips stretched back into a mocking smile when she saw who it was.
"Why hello, Arrow. Has your charge spurned you as well?"
The person known as Arrow was a woman in thick white priestly garb indicative of her being from their division of 'Knights'. The most striking features of which consists of a large red cross on her torso, shoulder guards attached to a large cape and her face hidden by a veiled hood similar to a burqa.
The woman lifted her veil, revealing her dark blue hair and eyes; of which had white downward pointing arrow symbols for pupils.
"Abort all operations and return to base." she spoke in her usual rigid tone. "The Evangelist has ordered an urgent gathering."
Charon immediately stood and turned to her in surprise.
"An urgent gathering!? Hey Arrow, did you say 'An urgent gathering'!? We never had an urgent gathering before, did we!? Is that even a thing!?"
A look of irritation briefly flashed over Inca's face and she was beginning to understand why Haumea couldn't stand the guy.
"Well then, this should prove enlightening. Shall we, my lady?" Ritsu asked.
"Yeah sure, why not?" Inca shrugged. "This place is a total bust anyway."
Although she appeared nonchalant, Inca grinning wildly on the inside. She could feel it in her bones that something big has happened, something terrifying! And as a person who was addicted to danger, she felt herself shiver with excitement.
"Hey, come on! Why isn't anyone telling me anything!?" Charon whined as the three ladies left.
Unbeknownst to the White-Clad members, a certain person of interest was not too far from them. For it was at the edge of the neighborhood where a man was writhing on the grass covered ground while clutching his head in agony.
"Ghnnnn...my head...the noise..."
Ever so slowly, Garfeild released his head and was able to summon the strenght to push himself up on all fours. He wasn't sure if the ringing pain was beginning to ebb or he was developing a tolerance to it.
Regardless, it was near forgotten when he noticed the state of his own body.
"Wait, what happened to my clothes?" he wondered.
He kneeled up and looked himself over to confirm that he was indeed naked. It was unbelievable considering that he recalled himself being set on fire but it appeared that his body looked as well as he last remembered it, even his buzz cut brown hair showed no signs of damage.
"I don't know what's going on." Lynns tentatively palmed his head as he stood. "I gotta find a place to hole up until the heat's off."
But the Pyromaniac would only take a couple of steps forward until something caught his notice; or in particular, a certain scent pickup by his olfactories. It was a smell he was very familiar with: smoke.
He could see it a few feet away, on the other side of the chain-link fence that stretched next to him. Behind the houses from his view rose a cloud of back smoke from the tell-tale orange glow that barely touched the evening sky.
"There's a fire nearby…" Lynns realized.
The thought of it caused him to gulp and sweat as his heart began to thump excitedly. The roar of the flames were like the sweet whispers of a woman, beckoning him to come hither.
"D-damn it! I know I have to go but...the flames, I have to see the flames!"
Lynns ran with frantic and desperate longing until he found the house that was ablaze in full view. He threw himself and clutched at the chain-link fence before taking it all in with a content sigh.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
His moment was immediately broken when a shriek came from behind, causing him to whirl around and see group of people. They were mostly middle-aged to elderly Tokyo citizens and they all looked at him agape, shocked and outraged at his nudity.
"Pervert! Pervert!" screamed an old woman who pointed at him.
Two middled-aged men rounded on him.
"Have you no shame!"
"Yeah! What do you think you're doing, ya degenerate creep!"
Lynns winced with grit teeth as their voices stung his already hurting brain.
"Back off!" he yelled as he swatted an arm at them.
But as he did, a stream of flames spewed out from his hand and set the grass between them on fire. As he did this, his outer skin burnt away and revealed his previous tar-black form that ignited a field of fire around his skin. Needless to say, the crowd screamed and ran with fear.
"An Infernal!"
"Help! It's an Infernal!"
Lynns stood frozen in shock as he watch them retreat, then he brought his arms up and looked at his transformed hands as a moment of confusion passed over him.
Although he lacked lips, Firefly slowly found himself smile and chuckle.
"Heh. I could get used to this."
TBC
