A/N: Again, thanks for reviews, favorites, and follows! :) All mistakes are mine.

Chapter Seven

Kate stepped out of the subway and onto the brightly lit sidewalk. It was late, and she was tired from the long day and the events of tonight's watch. She couldn't wait to get to her apartment and get a good night's rest.

Having the coffee shop was nice, and a somewhat relaxing job, but her other 'job' could be difficult at times, and this was one of those nights. She had broken up two would-be muggings and stopped a robbery. It had been a slow night, really, just exhausting. And thankfully, things all worked out for the best.

Just as she punched in the code to enter her building, the air around her buzzed with the faint sound of glass shattering and the ground rumbled with mortar crumbling and falling. This had to be something big.

In an instant, she was back in the air as her body became covered in flame. She took a deep breath and slipped back into the persona of HeatWave as she sped toward the sounds of chaos.

As she closed in, she took care to slow and quieten the flames, hoping to find out who or what was causing all this. And as if the Fates were listening, the culprit stopped not far from her, floating in the air like she was.

It was like she was frozen for a time - there was another like her - some guy who had also acquired powers. There must be more people in the city, others like them. She had wondered about that, if she was the only one, and now that question was answered. It took HeatWave a moment to push through the surprise and get back to the task at hand.

"Hello, New York!" he called, his voice deep from using a voice digitizer, and laughed as he flew all around building, the walls and windows crackling and breaking apart as he passed them by. "Run for your lives as Maelstrom blows through!"

He was dressed in a black or dark gray business-type suit, and of course, his face was covered in a mask. If she didn't know better, it would have looked as if he'd come from a masquerade. All of his posturing and talking made her briefly wonder if he would eventually burst into song.

But all that aside, HeatWave knew she couldn't just stand by while he destroyed the building. This 'Maelstrom' needed to be dealt with. Quickly.

She sent a pulse of searing heat from the palm of her hands, hitting him squarely in the back. It was apparent he didn't know she was there, as he faltered and fell several yards before he righting himself.

She then shot several small fireballs at him as she moved closer. She floated a few feet shy of Maelstrom, just as he turned to face her.

"Now, this is quite interesting," he said, sounding amused as he patted away a glowing ember on his suit. "I see I'm not the only one with powers. And you dropped me like a pro."

He didn't seem fazed by her attacks, but the suit was definitely burned in at least three spots.

He looked her over, sneering. "But that's a far cry from stopping me."

"Maybe so, but this isn't," she said, and flew into him, slamming both of them hard into the building across the street. It stung, and she knew the way her shoulder hit, she would definitely feel that in the morning.

They rolled and landed on the sidewalk, barely missing the few onlookers and stopping traffic. Maelstrom picked himself up off the ground slowly, his moves seeming very deliberate. HeatWave watched him, ignoring the calls of the police and the sirens and alarms blaring from everywhere on the street.

He was down on one knee, his hands still on the concrete when he looked up at her. His blue eyes were cold and full of hatred. "You took me by surprise, Flame-girl. I won't let that happen again."

He jumped, knocking her back and leaving a wake of falling debris from the building he had been attacking as he gained altitude and was out of sight before she could stop him.

"Freeze!" One of the cops called, just a fraction of a second too late. Not that it mattered.

"Dude, put your gun down!" Esposito's voice called over all the commotion, then approached her.

"Sorry, HeatWave," he said, jerking his head toward the young officer who was now quickly putting his weapon away. "New guy, Ryan. You know how it is."

"Yeah Espo, I remember," she answered as she got back to her feet, feeling somewhat sorry for the rookie. "Do you know anything about this Maelstrom guy?"

"I was hoping you could answer that question," he said, "this is the first time he's attacked. I didn't know he had a name until you said it. And for that matter, I didn't know there were others like you."

"Yeah, me either." She looked up at the black sky, then to the destruction around them. "He wanted to destroy the building, and did a decent job, not that it's a very original plan, or makes any sense. Do you have any idea what companies are based in there?"

"No idea," Espo answered, "but I'm sure we'll know all about it soon."

"Hey boss," Another officer called from the spot she and Maelstrom had landed. "Looks like he tore his suit." He held up a small scrap of scorched fabric in his gloved hand.

"Good job - That will give us something to start on," he said, then turned back to her, "I'll let you know details as I get them."

"You know where to find me," HeatWave said as she nodded to him, then turned and zipped away.

She searched the sky as she haphazardly made her way back toward her apartment, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maelstrom. It wasn't surprising when she came up empty, and she was sure this wasn't the only time she'd meet up with this guy. And hopefully, he was finished for the night.

It was late, so she continued on to her apartment, landing quietly in an alley close by. She walked to the front of the building and punched in her code, enjoying the blast of cool air as she stepped inside.

She stretched her shoulder and winced at the pain the movement caused. Pain meds and an ice pack would be her friends tonight.