Smoke and Bricks - part II
Hero could feel their bones straining against the unbearable weight of the building on their back. It was a testament to their superhumanity that only a few had broken. As usual, they had been the first on scene of the disaster, flying in as soon as the fire was reported.
The first priority was evacuation, of course, but it had only been a few minutes before it was clear the structural integrity of the complex was failing fast. So Hero had planted themself at the base of the tower like Atlas and tried their best to hold up the sky for as long as they could.
Which was… an hour? Two? It was too dark to know how much time had passed. To focus on keeping what was basically a burning-hot skyscraper upright, Hero hadn’t paid much attention to everything going on around them. Their earpiece had literally burned out a long time ago, so the only updates they got were shouted at them by passing members of Medic’s team. They’d only seen a few flashes of Medic themself; shouting orders, rushing patients out, hands glowing with healing light.
Now it was much quieter. Nearly everyone in the area had been evacuated, and there were fewer and fewer people coming in and out of the block. Hero’s eyes burned with the smoke that hung thick in the air, and it was getting more and more difficult to breathe.
Fifteen minutes ago, their ankle had suddenly snapped. The pain made them stumble, and a horrible groan had sounded from the building’s damaged suspension. Somehow, miraculously, they hadn’t fallen, and managed to stay upright through the agony, gritting their teeth so hard they thought they felt one crack.
They didn’t think they could speak, so they just hoped someone had noticed, someone would tell Medic. Medic would come for them. Hero closed their eyes and tried to concentrate on taking deep breaths.
“Hero, can you hear me?” There was a light pressure on their sternum, a familiar tingling sensation beginning that slowly spread through their body. “Hero, you need to stay awake. Focus on me. You can do this.”
Hero’s eyes opened, and their vision slowly blinked back into function. A haze swirled over a street thick with debris, some of which still burned. Occasionally, a window broke and shards of glass came raining down, or a piece of brick fell from six stories up and shattered on the concrete below.
In front of them, in a charred, ripped, red-stained white uniform and smoke mask, was an angel. Their skin was streaked with ash and their hair had come loose from its usual bun. Both of their hands were covered with dried blood and pressed to Hero’s chest. A soft white glow emanated from that spot, reflecting in their eyes like the light of the sun.
“Medic,” Hero croaked, voice hoarse and scratchy. “You came.”
“Of course I came, silly,” Medic said. “You’re my number one patient.”
“You’re the best… you always fix me.” Despite the pain, Hero’s mouth formed a half-smile.
Medic chuckled. “You don’t exactly make it easy for me.”
“Not my fault. This job-”
“I know, I know. Hold still, okay? Your bones are about to reset.”
Hero opened their mouth to say something about how they clearly weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But all that came out was a low moan as their fractures melded together with a click, sending a harsh shiver over them. Their vision went blurry again for a moment, darkness threatening to take over.
“It’s okay. You’re okay.” Medic’s voice grounded them, brought them back. Hero had always though they had the most soothing voice Hero had ever head. “Stay with me now. It’s over. You’re going to be just fine.”
“I hate it when you do that,” Hero mumbled. But Medic was right. Hero felt a thousand times better. The agony had melted away, leaving them feeling somehow lighter, like the pressure boring them into the concrete could be manageable.
“Me too,” Medic admitted. “When we first started at the agency, I didn’t think it was possible for you to break a bone.”
“We’ve learned a lot since then.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Hero let out a little laugh, and Medic smiled. They removed their hands from Hero’s chest, and the glow stopped.
“It shouldn’t be much longer. The arsonist hasn’t been identified, but there are only a few people still in the block.”
Hero snorted. “We don’t need to identify the arsonist.”
“Villain hasn’t been seen in the area,” Medic amended with an eye roll. “So no reason to think there’s further danger.”
“Well, good.” A part of Hero wished Villain was so they could punch the crap out of them as revenge for this terrible night.
They took their earpiece out and wiped it on their hem of their shirt before fitting it carefully into Hero’s ear. “I’m giving you my earpiece so they can let you know when to drop it. Obviously you can’t tap it to call them, but it should be fine.” They took off their smoke mask next.
“Hey, don’t-” Hero started to protest.
“Shut up. I’m the doctor here, and I don’t want you to wreck your lungs. Honestly, I can’t believe no one gave you one of these before. I’ll get another at camp.” They placed it around Hero’s head, making sure it was secured correctly.
“Fine. Thank you, I guess.” They had to admit it immediately improved their breathing.
“No more broken bones? All good?”
“All good,” Hero confirmed.
“Then I’ll see you back at headquarters when this is all over.” Medic shot them a final smile before turning around.
They’d only made it a few meters before a piece of rubble fell from several stories up and struck them on the temple, sending them to the ground in a single sickening blow.
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