Date: 04/06/2013

Time: 00:23 (12:23 AM)

Michael flew through the air, shooting towards the power plant like a roaring comet, staying in alleyways as much as possible to avoid being sighted. Surging heat flooded around his suit, flames flickering behind him in his wake, yet his armor felt cool against his skin.

He soared faster than he ever had before, attempting to make up for however much time had already been lost. He flew through one of the windows, not even bothering to worry about the reporters that swarmed the area. He touched down and extinguished his flames, not wanting to add to the destruction, and then examined his surroundings.

The building glowed like a supernova as a result of the inferno that infested the interior. He didn't feel any radiation, but then he couldn't really feel the heat either. He hoped that meant he was immune to the rays, or at least resistant. Red emergency sirens flashed throughout the halls, adding to the dizzying luminescence of the disaster. Police sirens and car horns blared outside the plant, and overall it felt like the very foundation was assaulting his senses.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, and moved cautiously down the hall. He kept going, step after step, but saw nothing. Eventually, he came to a fork in the building. One branched off into darkness, yet the other was shining like molten lava. He stopped to consider the possibilities: Memories of the humanoid figure on the news broadcast stuck out in his mind. It appeared to be glowing on camera, even despite the inferno it was in the midst of. Taking this into account, he headed down the illuminated hallway, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

He hadn't gone ten feet down the hall when a beam of light shot right at him. He put his hands up defensively, and his armor absorbed the blast, turning white hot momentarily before cooling off once more, but he felt no change in temperature despite the blast. Reacting on instinct, he shot a bolt of flame in the direction of the beam. He noticed it glance off, just as the first beam had with him, and he grimaced. Clearly, power wouldn't aid him here. He steeled himself, and then charged down the hallway after the figure. The man, or whatever it was, took a defensive stance, sidestepping his charge with speed rivaling its flames.

Mike came to a halt, barely maintaining his balance, but wasn't quick enough to block a blow from his heated opponent. He reeled back, but used the momentum to backhand his foe, then palm-heeled him square in the jaw. The man flew back from the impact, but twisted around to land, crouched on the ground. He sprang at Mike, ramming him with the force of a truck. The two tumbled over, and Mike launched a few punches at his foe from the ground. The man rolled away, taking off down the hall. Mike scrambled to his feet and took off after him.

He followed the figure for about a minute before the chase led him to the reactor. He slowed to a stop at the doorway as the man looked back at him. Mike finally got a good look at the apparent cause of this disaster. It appeared to be human, with the exact form of a grown man, but glowed like a furnace across his whole body, his skin the shade of superheated metal. The man, if he could really be called that, gave a slight smirk, then fell backwards, over the balcony and into the pool of glowing, blue radiation.

He cursed under his breath, and then turned around, taking off to search the building for hostages. He searched minutes on end, but found nothing. Approximately fifteen minutes later, he was ready to give up and leave, when he saw a woman down a hallway, along with a figure in black.

"Hey!" he shouted, waving to get their attention. The woman, who he realize was unconscious, did not stir. The shaded figure however, turned to him momentarily, then took off down the hall, half-carrying the woman. Mike glanced over in confusion momentarily before taking off after the pair. He rounded the corner and was immediately greeted by a cloud of smoke, erasing his vision of the area. He coughed a few seconds, and when the smoke cleared, the pair were gone. He looked around a few minutes more, and then he left, shooting out one of the holes created by the flames. He had done everything he could here. However, he was almost certain that he saw the woman lying on a stretcher, being loaded onto an ambulance, with no sign of the figure in black anywhere in the vicinity. He sighed, and soared off to his team, staying out of sight once more.

He was about two minutes as the crow flies (which basically amounted to his route) from the base when he noticed something peculiar on a roof. He touched down behind the building and extinguished his flames. He crouched down and examined the scene before him.

Near the edge of the adjacent building, was a man, binoculars to his eyes, peering right in the direction of the base. He creeped up behind the man, watching him a few seconds more. It was a bit tricky to get onto the adjacent roof without flying, but after that, all his attention was on maintaining complete silence as he made his way to the figure. He managed to get just behind him, when he noticed the man smirking. It was then that he realized: Could this be the man he had seen leaving the power plant?

He pulled his arm back to launch a searing punch at the man, both literally and figuratively, when the man lashed out and grabbed it, twisting it behind him. A fraction of a second later, the man's breath was on his neck, his lips by his ear. His words came out raspy, in a near-whisper despite their seeming isolation.

"If you even consider following me, it will be the last thing you do boy. Now, I'll let you live this once 'Human Flashlight', but I will not extend the same courtesy a second time." The grip released, and Mike turned around instantly. Yet, as soon as he did, he found himself alone on the rooftop. He shook his head in confusion, and then took off, flying home as quick as he could.