Flames of War

"Kie-Kaibyo," Gozen, or as I recently learned to be her real name, Sherrel Bailey, started before correcting herself. "You busy right now?"

I looked up at her from where I was doing my stretches, some of which would make elite gymnasts squeal in morbid fascination. "Depends on what it is?"

"Boss wants me to show him my new 'toys', make sure they work for the 'big event'." she says, sounding far less enthused than when she first joined the gang. My talk with her had hammered reality into her head like a freight train, it seems.

"Big event...?" I ask with mild apprehension. The last 'event' had been the bombing, which didn't end well for anyone involved.

She quirks a brow at me from behind her metal mask, "No one told you?"

"No. So will you just spill it already?"

"There's a charity concert behind held to help the families harmed in the bombing, boss seems to think it's another protest against the gang too. Wouldn't surprise me, given everything I've seen so far..." she adds with thinly hidden distaste.

"Concert..." I blink dumbly, "What's Nishihara having you build for it then?"

"Well... Remote controlled explosives..." she sheepishly admits.

I cup my face and allow a long, tired sigh, "How innovative." I drawl, dangerous thoughts flitting through my mind.

So Lung wants to cement the public's fear of the ABB... He's probably well aware of the sheer amount of security the concert would generate too, as if the PRT allowed another attack like last time they might as well throw their credibility into a volcano. That's not mentioning what the musicians themselves will be bringing... Wait.

"Who's performing?"

"Er, I didn't memorise them but that cape singer is, along with some Brockton natives." she shrugs before shaking her head, "We should go before boss sends someone for us." she adds, interrupting my thoughts on Canary and the danger she's putting herself in... Is it because of me?

Gozen drags me through the building and into an underground parking lot, empty of vehicles aside from the peculiar-looking RC Cars sitting at one side of the room. On the opposite side of the room stands Lung and Nishihara, the former with his hands in his pockets while the latter looked surreptitiously at his watch.

The man perks up when we enter, "Ah, you've finally decided to grace us with your presence, Kaibyō. I wasn't beginning to think you'd tired of us." he remarks.

"The child knows better than that. Enough talk, show us what you've made." Lung grunts, gesturing at Gozen to begin.

She nods rigidly with Lung's presence causing her pause, but firms her shoulders and steps forward despite it. "Ah-well. As you asked," she nods at Nishihara, "I made some wheels for your explosives-"

"They better be more than wheels, a toddler could have created these, not befitting our Tinker." Lung grouses, eyeing the RC Cars with utter contempt.

"W-well they're not just wheels! Look!" she picks up a controller and presses a small pink button, causing a low hum to thrum to life as the middle of the plastic treads disappear into the tires.

She has one accelerate, causing it to accelerate at a ridiculous speed before turning it directly at a wall. Just as it looks like it's going to crash it suddenly rediverts, driving up the wall itself!

It drives from the wall to the ceiling before coming to a halt directly above where it'd originally been, sticking in place as if it were the spider car or something.

...

"You haven't put explosives in it yet, right?" I slowly ask, wondering if I could survive having the building dropped on me.

"O-only flash bombs for the purposes of this test!" she quickly says, reassuring us.

I glance to Nishihara, "Why am I here again...? Surely you can test this without me."

Nishihara shakes his head, "I wished to see how mobile these machines are. You are the most agile of us, barring Lee's teleportation. I'll have you try to catch one."

"You want me to run after them..." I drone.

"Think of it as a mouse, if you require motivation." Lung states, sounding almost amused behind his mask.

I hate myself...

--------------------------

Once the day was over I retreated back to my home and accessed the net, quickly finding the concert in question. The only cape performers were Canary and some newbie calling himself Ferotage, there were also a dozen normal folks, 'Jason Bastiel', Veronica Keys, XxxRelaxantxxX, etc.

I stare at my friend's name and feel my foot tapping the floor in irritation, my tailstock still as if frozen with tension. I check over her recent messages I'd not bothered to check and find half a page of 'Hey', 'You there', 'Check your mail', and other erratic attempts to get my attention.

Judging by the latter ones, she thinks I'm dead... I'm about to reply to her to get her to call off the event when I spot an orange glow through my window a couple blocks away. Leaning closer, I spot wisps of fire crawling up a building to consume it, along with some unmarked cars flying down the street, towards the other side of the city.

Shaking my head, I close down the messenger and grab my mask before rushing down, I couldn't ignore something like this so close to my apartment, not without questions being asked. While I wasn't afraid of scrutiny, Lung didn't strike me as someone to take chances on traitor... After all, I'm on my second chance already.

--------------------------

I arrive at the street and see a dozen ABB members using buckets and other containers to toss water on the blazing fire... No firefighter would step foot on this turf without Lung's explicit agreement not to harm them, so getting proper help to stop the city burning down would probably take a while.

"What happened!?" I questioned the nearest person with their hands empty, which turned out to be Kenji, who was staring up at the building with watering eyes.

"T-those white dogs! They threw jugs of gas through the windows and lit the place sky-high!" his eyes widen as he turns to me, hands finding my shoulders as he tries in vain to pull me closer, "K-Kaibyō! You're a cape, y-you, my family is still inside! Get them out, please!"

...

This guy serious? Sure, he doesn't know he stabbed me and got Tieu kidnapped, but Karma must hate his guts if he's asking me for help. I brush his hands off and step back, putting some distance between us, "Not that sort of cape. Call the PRT if you want someone to save your ass," I jab a thumb at myself, "My fur's flammable."

"But-! You have to do something! People are dying!"

"Then, why don't you run into the burning building? Why ask me, someone who's probably more vulnerable to fire than you? You do it." I retort before turning, "I've got some Empire goons to hunt anyway."

"Y-YOU! YOU CAN'T LEAVE LIKE THIS!" Kenji shouts.

"Watch me-" I start but trail off as my phone beeps. A message from Nishihara?

[Meet us in the dojo, we will not let this assault stand.]

Hm... I go to turn back to Kenji but see the rat running the building, shielding his face as he smashes through the front door and into the fire.

"Huh..."

--------------------

"Kaibyō." Nishihara greets me as I enter the dojo, where a dozen or so ABB grunts, Oni Lee, and Gozen were waiting.

"What's the plan? Run in and kill some nazis or pretend they didn't try to burn us all alive?" I question as I take my place next to the desk Gozen was at, stuffing small bricks of what looked like plastic explosives into parts of her RC Cars.

"I will get to that..." Nishihara responds in a chiding tone before pacing before the gathered crowd. "The Empire have made yet another move against us, our recent victories and new allies have turned the tide. They fear us, and what will befall them in the future, as they should. This attack was not meant to harm the ABB, but to hurt the families under it. They did not simply burn a storehouse or business front, but instead they targeted an apartment building, one holding many of your families! Even now we make efforts to put out the blaze and rescue those still inside!... I fear the deaths will be many, however." he grimly proclaims, causing the crowd to shuffle and become erratic with well-placed anger.

The backdoors of the room slam open and Lung walks in, perfectly timed to Nishihara's speech... Nishihara takes a step back and allows Lung to take centre stage.

"These, pathetic dogs didn't just dare to attack us! They had the arrogance to invite us to take revenge!" he holds up an already opened letter and slaps it onto the table, "They've told us where the rabid animals who lit the fires are! They mock our race and culture! They murder our people in our streets! Who are we, if we do not reply in kind!?"

He pauses as people shout curses at the Empire, before finally looking at Lee, "I will meet them first, you, will be my second. Gozen, you will target any cape that dares appear, Kaibyō will assist you..." he scans the crowd, "The rest of you behind me. Take your arms, people will die today! Let it be those of the Empire!"

"YEAH!"

"LUNG-SAMA!"

...

I glance at Gozen who even while masked I could tell was chewing on her lip. "Aren't you glad you joined? Where else would you hear such heartfelt words." I drawled in the driest tone I could manage.

"Becoming a terrorist, murderer, and supervillain barely a week after getting drugged and captured? Can't you tell how giddy I am?" she quietly retorts, though with slightly more life than before. "Why even burn down some random building?"

I shrug and take the box of RC Cars as every starts getting ready for the long night, "Far as I can tell, Kaiser just wants to stir the pot. I did kill one of their capes and cripple another, Hookwolf is sitting in jail awaiting his trial. Maybe he's hoping to scare us by targeting civilians?"

"And the obvious trap? Why are we charging right into it?"

"Lung doesn't care, and I don't think the Empire has anything that can kill him either... It's not like he cares how many goons die anyway."

"I-is... Do you think there's a way outta this. I don't want to kill anyone!" she hurriedly whispers, eyes quickly flitting between her creations and me.

"You can try running... But they already know who you are. Got family?" she nods, though there was venom in her eye at the mention of them. "They'll be the ones to die first. Lung'll have anyone you vaguely like kidnapped and used against you. So, the question is what do you value more? Your friends and family? Or yourself?"

"I..."

"I'm sorry about the shitty situation you've fallen into, but If you want my advice, treat the enemy as if they were the scum of the earth. Something worse than even Skidmark. Right now it's you or them, and they won't give a shit who you are, what you like, or where you're from." I say in a hushed yet clear tone.

...

"I'm still working on my end, to get out. Once I save my family I'm sending them out of the country, somewhere 'safe'. You should probably get working on that too, or not... As I said, running is always an option." I state and walk past her, breaking her out of her stupor and prompting her to follow.