Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

         False Fire smiled, giving a little laugh. Normally, he wasn't a fan of these brightly lit days - they were in England, for fluff’s sake; the sky was supposed to be dreary and gray - but today his mood matched the day.

    Amazing Echo shot him a fanged grin.

    Especially since he had his best friend back.

   To the public, it had been six months since Amazing Echo, the lion Turbulant, had returned. But for Dan, it had been ten months since he'd had his best friend back.

   And he couldn't be happier.

   “So, swing ‘round the center and then back, yeah?”

   “We definitely haven't patrolled that wide in awhile.”

   “Where do you want to pick up dinner? I'm quite in the mood for some Italian today.”

   “ Ph- Amazing , we just had Pizza last night.”

   “Hey! I didn't say Pizza!”

   “Amazing. Do you really expect me to believe that when you think of Italian food, that Pizza isn't the first thing that comes to your mind.”

  “. . .”

  “Exactly.”

   Amazing looked sheepish for a moment, then suddenly ran forward towards the edge of the roof. “Last one there pays!”

   “ Amazing!! ”

   Amazing merely laughed at his friend’s shrill exasperation, jumping from one roof to the next and running with powerful swiftness belying his pantherine abilities. Dan’s wings appeared, stretching out in indignation, then snapping forward and back to thrust him forward and over the first gap.

  The chase was on.

  In the daylight his wings were of a softer color, less vivid, though no less prominent. The odd passerby saw the two, neck-in-neck racing over rooftops.

    Amazing’s eyes reflected the sky, bright blue, and shining with happy laughter. Fire was glad to see them shine again, since they had been so guarded the first few months; dim and worried, and so unlike Phil’s normal personality.

   But he could understand; after months of healing that left behind a supernova scar, and years of hiding that left him fearful and wondering.

   Dan was just glad that Phil was getting his spark back.

   And Phil felt the same about Dan, who had been left in isolation and all-encompassing loss of what had been safe.

   But now, they were both getting better. And learning to be happy again.

   Dan boldly took a dive off of the roof, tuning gracefully as he fell, and having his wings dip and open halfway. He landed with a heavy thunk onto his feet, that left his legs ringing, but overall it was a good landing.

   And, it put him in the lead.

   “Hey!” Amazing Echo howled.

   False Fire paid no heed, grinning and sprinting the final stretch; he well knew that Amazing didn't have the time or energy to summon Susan.

   He had already won.

  That is, he would have, if Amazing hadn't tripped.

   “ Wah! Watch ou-!”

   “Oof!”

  In a last ditch effort, Phil had stepped harder, subconsciously intending to launch himself forward and land on all fours, briefly gaining the edge he needed to enter the authentic Italian pizza shop. But, as was usual with Phil , his feet got tangled and the angle he was at launched him into Dan’s backside.

   The rapid-fire string of curses and sputtered apologies from the heap easily identified them to the patrons of the shop, who had turned to stare at them as they burst through the store in a tangled mess.

   Luckily, Dan and Phil didn't go this far out of town, so no one would figure out their identities. They knew False Fire and Amazing Echo to a degree, and were expectant of such behavior.

   A young woman with curly hair approached them, dressed in the required attire for the establishment. “Your usuals, Sirs?”

   “Yes please,” came Amazing’s muffled reply.

   She gave a nod and went to give their order to the kitchen. While the two Turbulants had never entered the restaurant quite like this before, they did usual cause some sort of ruckus. People had even pulled out their phones to take a few pictures (though video taping was strictly prohibited.)

   False Fire groaned into the tile; tumblr was never going to let them live this down.

   After eating dinner, they took the scenic route home from the ground; darting between allies in order to avoid exuberant fans. While they did enjoy meeting people and making them happy, as introverts, it was incredibly exhausting. Plus, there was the odd chance they'd get some well-meaning person who would come across unintentionally creepy.

   Or, well, actually creepy.

  “So,” Phil chuckled. “Looking forward to Twitter when we get home?”

   “Ugh,” Dan threw his head back and his arms to the sky. “Why must you be this way!”

   “Hey, it's not my fault.”

   “You litrally knocked me over and into the restaurant, Amazing.”

   “Well you were in my way.”

   Phil’s pout made Dan twitch a smile, but he fought it off, trying to keep his stern, irritated expression. They both stopped on the sidewalk, in a battle of stubbornness.

   For once, Phil won, as a smile bloomed across Dan’s face, and they both dissolved into laughter.

   When they got ahold of themselves, they continued on their way, bantering contentedly.

   “Hey, can you bring your wings out? It's getting kinda dark.”

   “I'm not- what do you think I am?! Some kind of torch ?!”

   “Well, I guess you're not that bright. . .”

   “You absolute twat .”

    “Hehe! Whatchya gonna do now, Fire boy?”

    “I'm gonna strangle you is what! Come’ere!”

    The next two miles home ended up being another race.

    Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

[4 new text messages]

From: Danisnotonfire

To: AmazingPhil

(9:43 AM)

          Oi I couldn't go back to sleep

(9:43 AM)

          Gone out to get more Honey Nut since you ate all mine

(9:44 AM)

        Again

(9:44 AM)

         Be back before noon

 Phil looked at the screen groggily, eyebrows pinched. This wasn't an unusual scenario; ever since they had moved into the new apartment, they were still getting used to it, as well as their wider territory. After registering the texts that had woken him, he began to type his own response.

From: AmazingPhil

To: Danisnotonfire

(9:56 AM)

     Lol, sorry

(9:56 AM)

      You know how I am

(9:56 AM)

      Pick up some milk too?

The response came back fairly quick.

  (9:57 AM)

          Sure you Spork

(9:57 AM)

        Thanks :D

   Phil decided that he may as well get up and get ready for the day. He pushed the covers aside and made his way past strewn clothing to his closet.

    “May as well shower,” he said to himself jovially, “since Dan isn't here to hog the hot water.”

    Dan smiled to himself as he put his phone back into his coat pocket. “Spork,” he muttered in find exasperation.

   The closest store that sold both the lactose-free milk and Dan’s cereal was a Tesco, barely a forty-five minute walk from their apartment. While Dan would normally avoid any extra exercise, he wasn't really in the mood to take a cab.

   He breathed out, air frosting on the exhale. Autumn had begun and there was a definite chill in the English air.

   Dan flickered his eyes away from the pavement to glance around; people milling about - friends, couples, families, and even solitary people - bundled up to ward off the frosty air. He couldn't help the smile that crept up on him. Maybe he and Phil could play some Fortnite today? It seemed like a good time to sit indoors with a cup of tea (or coffee, in Phil’s case; The fake British, Coffee Pleb.)

    He was almost to the Tesco when a noise jolted him out of his thoughts; his Turbulant instincts took over, and he immediately darted into an alleyway, rubbing his hand across his eyes until the “mask” settled.

    It was easy enough to tell that the noise meant someone was in trouble - but it took a trained ear to know that the altercation was physical.

    There were four instances that were usually the purpose behind a physical assault: Thievery that turns to brutality, kidnapping, vengeance (whether from murderous intentions, non-deadly warnings, gang fights, and domestic violence, to name a few subcategories), and, rape.

   Dan really hoped that out of all of them, it wasn't the last one.

   When he made it over the fence into the other alley, he saw a man (mid-thirties, even with the salt-and-pepper hair) pinning a woman to a wall (between thirties and forties; dyed pale blonde hair). She was gasping as his fists, which were gripping her shirt, pushed into her sternum.

    “-the last time you cheat on me, you w----!”

   She couldn't defend herself, unable to breathe.

   False Fire acted immediately, fist blazing and knocking the man off of her. Fire heard her slide to the ground, but kept his burning haze trained on the man.

    He hated domestic violence.

   “What the eff is wrong with you?” He stood tall, disgust on his face. He had a bad habit of going into lecture mode when he was pissed off, and he was pretty effing pissed.

    He really should send Phil a message, but, hey, really pissed off and lecture mode .

   “If you have a problem with your partner, talk it out or see a counselor or some shiz; don't effing threaten them!”

   The man on the ground watched him with a strange expression. But it was the woman who answered him.

   “Oh, we’re not together. Just needed to get your attention.”

    Wha-?

   Dan didn't turn in time; all he felt was something like an iron nail plunge through his shoulder, and then he fell down, down, down into a dark ocean of nothing.

    All that was left in the alley was a cellphone at 40% battery, that began ringing forty minutes later.

Chapter Text

     “C’mon, c’mon; pick up dammit,” Phil muttered restlessly, tapping his fingers.

     ‘Hey, it's Dan. I'm probably contemplating the inevitability of death, or sleeping, so please feel free to leave a message. I'll get back to you in three months.’ *Beeeeep*

  “Dammit!” Phil growled, shoving his phone into his pocket. It was like Dan to avoid a phone call, but not the thirteen texts that Phil had sent.

     Two and a half hours. Over, two and a half hours. That wasn't like Dan, not at all. Even if Dan had walked to the store, he would have texted as he was leaving and on his way. And Phil knew for a fact that he would have taken a cab when the rain started half an hour ago.

   So where was he?

    Even if he had gotten caught up in a fight, there was a special set-up in their phones that would alert the other of it - just a simple click of a button, thanks to Jackie’s friend, Pixel.

   But there's been absolutely nothing .

   It was driving Phil bloody mad.

   Unintentionally, he had brought Susan out. She could sense his anxiety heightening, but her few inquisitive rumbles didn't do much.

   “He can’t just be caught up with the shopping. He can’t . But what else could he be doing? There's nothing on the news. And sure, I could call the cops, but what should I say? If I call them as Phil, it'll take ages - and how could I call them as Amazing? ‘This is Amazing Echo! Do you know if False Fire is caught up in a fight somewhere? He's not answering his phone.’ That'd be stupid! ”

   He slammed his hands onto the countertop hard, snarling and showing normal teeth like he would his fangs. Phil’s heart hammered and he felt his body trembling as every instinct screamed at him that something was wrong .

  He hadn't even realized that he had bowed his head until he lifted it, turning to see Susan paw lightly at the door like a house cat. Like a house cat that left gouge marks into the wood.

   Oh, they were so not getting their deposit back.

   Phil ignored the thought, understanding what the lioness meant. He pet her head, rubbing along her jaw before he de-summoned her. Then, he went out the door and into the rain.

   Phil walked the path to Tesco, figuring that's where Dan was headed. The wet pavement reflected his worried expression, as the rain fell down heavier around him.

   The streets were much less busy - only the odd passerby hanging out in front of a shop, and a few passing cars with muted yellow headlights cutting through the rain. It wouldn't have been too hard to spot Dan, really. Especially with how tall he was. Even if he did tend to hunch down as he walked.

    But he didn't catch sight of anybody who could be Dan.

    Phil was walking quickly, phone in his pocket and thumb hovering over the button to redial Dan’s number again.

   Over and over and over again.

   His brain was going into hyperdrive; what could possibly keep Dan from answering his phone? Had he been murdered? Severely injured? Maybe he had hit his head and lost his memory, already in a cab to the airport to return to his mistaken identity in the Bahamas-

  “Stop it, Phil,” he scolded himself, knocking a fist against his skull. “You’re catastrophizing again. Maybe he dropped his phone or something, yeah? But he would have phoned me from somewhere if that were the case. . .”

    He kept calling.

   It was maybe twenty minutes into his walk that he heard it, oh so faintly.

    “All the single Phillies, all the Single Phillies~ ”

   His eyes widened and he darted down the alley. That was the prank recording he put on Dan’s phone four years ago, about two months before he ‘disappeared’.

    Bless his enhanced hearing.

   (He would have been surprised; Phil was the nostalgic one, after all. But all he could feel was blood pumping through his system and fear beginning to wrap around his throat, suffocating him.)

   The asphalt was beginning to pool with water, as a result of the downpour; Phil frantically hit redial and whipped around, eyes darting desperately for the phone.

   His eyes caught it, and he scooped it up, fingers shaking and breath trembling. He glanced around the alley with wide eyes.

   Because-

   Because, if the phone was here-

 -then where was Dan ?

Chapter Text

   Dan groaned as he came to.

    The first thing he registered was the sweltering darkness surrounding him. He gasped, widening his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of light. But there was nothing.

   His breathing picked up.

  He could feel his arms pulled back and bound to the chair he was on, the back ending a little low (because he was so tall maybe?), and legs tied to the chair legs.

    Oh my god I hate the dark the dark means bad dark means monsters and horror and ohmyfreakinghell-

   Dan flinched as he heard a teeth-grating screech; he couldn't see where the door had opened, but he heard three sets of feet shuffle in. They muttered amongst themselves, a swell of chittering that sounded foreboding.

   He had a really, really bad feeling about this.

   ( Had they gotten Phil too? )

    Schhhchfff!

  Light blossomed before Dan’s eyes in the form of a match, tiny flames licking the air. As Dan’s eyes adjusted, he caught sight of the hand holding it, though he couldn't make out much of the rest of the figure, since it receded into the dark.

   But he did see the ring; an intricate band on the middle finger, almost an inch wide, of crisscrossing metal dyed dark blue.

   The last time he had seen that ring had been amongst a set of fingers curled around a gun. A gun that had shot at Phil.

   “Aidon, leave the lights off,” the smooth voice said. Pristine, unblemished proper English accent that punctuated each word with perfect clarity. “I want to see his wings first, after all. We will turn them on later.”

   Dan shuddered; he knew that voice. Even if they had never formally met.

   Yaverman.

   “What about the dove’s pet cat?” Another voice, higher and petulant, growled. “You promised that he'd be mine to play with.”

    Wait, Aidon? They guy that Phil accidentally injured when he manifested his abilities?

   Oh shi-

   “Hmm,” Yaverman hummed. “We will discuss that later. Clarissa? If you'd please?”

   “Of course.” Now, this voice he recognized. The woman in the alley. “False Fire?”

   He turned in her direction without thinking; he still couldn't see any faces but he could see vague shapes moving. “Now, we can do this one of two ways. One: You cooperate, and this will be a lot less painful. Two: You make this difficult, and get yourself hurt. Do you understand?”

   “What the hell do you guys want?” Fire found himself growling out, irritated. He was pretty spooked, if he was being honest, but like hell he'd comply with the Revenue of all people. Yaverman put a effing hole in his best friend’s stomach.

   Clarissa clicked her tongue, disapproving. “That's not what I asked, False Fire. But we may as well get started. Please materialize your wings.”

   “Eff off.”

   Yaverman spoke up, voice neutral. “I do not think you understand the situation you are in. You know what happened to DiePie, yes?”

   Fire stayed silent, glaring; he was pretty sure they were wearing some sort of night-vision goggles. Of course he knew what happened to Die, they all did; that's what led he and Phil into that incident with Revenue almost four years ago. Markiplier had eventually gotten a group together to talk with Die about what had happened ( and that time was really fuzzy, because Phil had been gone for seven months by then, and Dan was still reeling from that loss ).

   It hadn't been a pretty story, the few bits that Fire remembered. Mostly about DiePie being tortured.

   But Dan was a stubborn son of a hamster; he wasn't about to let Yaverman know he was scared.

   And so, he just glared.

   Yaverman sighed. “I see. Clarissa, I believe we are going with option number two.”

   She walked off somewhere.

  “You see, False Fire, like most of the world, including the Abnormals, I have a curiosity about these abilities. How they work, what can they withstand, where they come from, and some such questions. But, unlike most doctors or scientists, I do not have authorization to pursue these inquiries in my own fashion. So, to answer your question,”

Dan was sure that Yaverman was smiling in the dark, as Clarissa could be heard returning, standing behind him.

    “You could merely say I want to . . . satisfy my curiosity.”

   “Now,” he said, and Fire heard him clasp his hands. “I will ask once more; show us your wings, please.”

   His heart was beating in his throat, but Dan still found the strength to defy them.

   “Eff you.”

   Yaverman probably shrugged, as he casually said, “Clarissa?”

  Suddenly there was a hand clamped on his right shoulder as a needle was plunged into his other shoulder, at the base of his neck.

   He couldn't have stopped the scream that tore from him if he tried.

   It was acid corroding his veins, straight to his heart, and his lightfire flared in response, wings spreading defensively as he thrashed against the bonds, hands clenching and clawing from where they were tied, ethereal fire illuminating them.

     (- No wonder the chair back was so low- )

    Dan was scared, so scared , and he felt like he was dying, but worse than when his body became broken because this was inside and oh god get it out of him stop please stop please-

   “Hmm, interesting; the serum seems to make them solidify more - see, they're usually wispier.”

    And then Fire’s breath hitches as hands grasped a wing, stretching it open. But he couldn't move or yank away, because the acid stole his ability to move, his struggling weaker, and body slumped forward. He was panting, curly hair sweaty and falling in his face, tears running down.

   One hand glided across the feathers, lifting them slightly, or ruffling them, as Yaverman marveled. “So much like a birds,” he murmured. “Yet so much larger and sturdier - see, here, how the joint bends? And even though they're made of some sort of light, it almost has a gaseous quality. That's why they're stiff right now - the serum reacted with it and slightly solidified them. Truly fascinating.”

   Dan could feel him touching the feathers; every single one. His stomach twisted and he wanted to throw up, feeling violated.

   He didn't let anyone touch his wings, except for fleeting, accidental brushes during battle. Phil respected him and didn't grab at them, only moving them to help when Dan’s body healed itself. He himself didn't even touch his own wings.

   He had no energy to yell as a feather was violently yanked, though he whimpered; those weren't supposed to come out, dammit!

   “It's disintegrating; I don't think the energy can stabilize itself away from his body.”

   Fingers carted through his curls and yanked his head up; dark blue eyes (so much darker in the dim match light) close as Yaverman studied him, breath ghosting his face.

   “His eyes glow too. It looks like the energy is circulating itself. How very, very fascinating. We’ll do further testing on his durability, next.”

   As Clarissa let go of his hair, he slumped forward and blacked out.

Chapter Text

    Phil was ready to go into a full-blown panic.

   Dan’s Phone. No Dan. The rain against pavement covered most scents, and even if Phil brought out Susan, he knew that she wouldn't be able to catch anything.

   No traces. No evidence. Just gone into the air like smoke whipped away by the breeze.

   Phil’s chest seized, and he was trembling, ready to cry.

  He had known something was wrong. He had known it, dammit! So why the hell had he not come sooner?! Rushed out when the rain began?!

   He knew he was panicking; breath coming in stuttering bursts. Everything has been going well and fine ; but something like this just had to happen, didn't it?

   “Ugh, I sound like Dan, don't I,” he breathed out quietly. He forced himself to relax, palms stinging where his nails had dug in. “This isn't going to help. I'll - I'll call someone. Call everyone . I'm sure we can figure this out.

  Dan needs me. I need to do this right .”

  He stayed in the alley, calling the first number he trusted most.

   Dialing Rebound. . .

   “Phil?” Martyn’s voice came through on the second call, confused. “What's up?”

   “Dan’s-” he gulped. “Dan’s missing.”

   “. . .missing how?”

   “Went shopping. Three hours ago now. I- he never called on his way back, so I left home about twenty minutes ago. He's-” Phil’s voice dropped. “I found his phone, Martyn. In an alley.”

   There was a muttered curse on the line. “No blood? Signs of a struggle? Can you smell anything?”

  “No, nothing. And it's pouring buckets; there's not a dang scent,” he snarled. Phil just as quickly apologized, “Sorry, I'm sorry; I know you're just trying to help.”

   “It's okay, Phil. It's okay. He's your best friend - I practically consider him family. I know you're worried. Look, I'll call around - I know that Jack and Wiish are out of town, but I think I can reach DiePie, Glitter Sprinkles, and Peej may be around. We’ll start a search as our Turbulant selves. Keep looking; I'll meet up with you as soon as I can.”

   “Thanks, Martyn,” Phil said warmly to his brother; a little of his worry lifting.

   “Of course,” came the response, just as warm despite the underlying fear.

   As soon as Martyn hung up, Phil closed his eyes and breathed deeply, summoning Susan. As he did so, he focused on his heartbeat, and then his breathing, and the blood flowing through his veins. The air rippled in front of him (he felt it, even with his eyes closed), in the same fashion it did whenever Susan came from. . .where ever she came from. He lifted a hand, touching his fingers to it, until they were coated with a silver, glimmering galaxy, which he then painted as a mask over his eyes.

   It took less than ten seconds to do.

   Too bad he didn't have time to get his actual outfit.

   “C’mon, Susan,” Amazing Echo said, hopping on her back. “Let's go find Fire.”

   Luckily the streets were mostly clear because of the rainfall, so Amazing wasn't distracted by fans.

   Susan had pretty good stamina in ratio with her speed, so while she wasn't the fastest mode of transportation, she would last a lot longer than Phil himself.

    The rain itself wasn't as hard; instead, it had shifted to cascading like a curtain of many minuscule droplets. Amazing Echo could only see so far through its haze, and had to slow down his search, blue gaze muted because of the gray clouds overhead.

   He didn't even know what exactly he was searching for ; he was sure that Dan had been kidnapped - after all, Phil had been a Turbulant for quite a few years, and could conclude that it was more than likely kidnapping. Phone left behind so Dan couldn't call for help, coupled with the fact that there was no signs anywhere suggested that it was a planned kidnapping.

   But that begged the question of why?

   Sure, Dan as a person had ticked a few people off, but nothing that would lead to malicious revenge. If anything, there's more than likely someone would kidnap Dan for his looks - the thought made Phil’s stomach twist up uncomfortably, because they both had had their fair share of encounters with creeps and weirdos whose eyes would linger and make them uncomfortable.

   But Amazing’s gut told him that this wasn't the case; Dan was always careful about other people, due to his social anxiety and introversion. A lot more than Phil himself, who occasionally was oblivious to people.

   He still filed away the consideration to the back of his mind.

   The other likelihood was that Dan had gone off as False Fire to help someone, and been kidnapped during the fight. Either someone took advantage of him being alone in the alley helping someone (there were quite a few gangs and drug dealers with a grudge against them), or-

   Amazing paused slightly.

   . . .or someone had faked distress, some sort of situation that got False Fire too riled up and reckless, and gotten him that way.

   But there were very, very few groups who were that clever to pull something like that off, if that were the case. No one had heard from Extinction in quite a while (an extremist group against Abnormals), and Revenue hadn't shown their faces much lately, though disappearances still happened occasionally. There were maybe three other groups that could and would do such a thing, but two were stationed in America and Canada, and the other was further in Europe, closer to Russia than England.

    Susan suddenly halted, sticking out her claws for traction on the wet road, as the air warbled before them, sound rebounding in a circle. Suddenly, Rebound dropped down before them, one hand out to steady himself.

   He was panting. “Do you. . . hfff . . .know. .h- hff -how hard. . .y’are to. . . track? Hff hff .”

   “Sorry M- Rebound,” Amazing said, Susan shifting restlessly beneath him. “I've been looking everywhere , but I can't find anything. I'm pretty sure that he was-”

   “That False Fire was kidnapped; yeah, that's what Pixel thinks,” Rebound said, standing up.

   “Pixel is around?”

   “Yeah, apparently he was with DiePie, helping him with some equipment. He said that this is sorta what happened with Die; Die’s girlfriend couldn't reach him and was freaking out - that's what tipped us off.”

   Amazing fought the urge to swear (years of upholding an image of a clean Turbulant didn't mean it wasn't hard at times). He hadn't been around for DiePie’s story, but he knew the very basics; the guy had been pretty hurt when he'd been rescued. “So what are we going to do?”

   “Lucky for you, most of my time is spent stalking Revenue, so I can probably find their hideout.” He paused. Looked away from Amazing, and then back.

   Rebound bit his lip. “So, you know how I can sometimes take people with me?”

    Amazing Echo’s stomach flipped.

   “You're gonna need to send Susan back. And - uh, try not to vomit on me, okay?”

Chapter Text

   The next time Dan woke up, he was alone.

   His head pounded and his mouth tasted like vomit, though he was sure he hadn't thrown up. His mouth was dry, as were his eyes, which opened blearily.

   Bright, white light assaulted him. He hissed, jerking his head away as the walls reflected it back blindingly.

   After a few minutes of trying to figure out where the eff he was, he realized that he was lying horizontal, strapped down to a table of some sort.

    And not a medical table, either. It felt like a dining room table. They did put a pillow under his head.

    How thoughtful , he scowled to himself.

   The other thing he noticed was that his wings were gone - safely hidden back within himself.

   He felt sick to his stomach again; his wings were an extension of himself that only came out when he wanted it to. To have them forced out and touched without his consent-

   Bile rose in his throat but he forced it back down.

   It was then that he felt the strap running across his neck.

   It suddenly became harder to breathe.

  ( It didn't matter that he was twenty-seven; didn't matter that he's died and been brought back more times than he could count. This sort of shiz was still terrifying, especially since he was so helpless .

    Screw anyone who thought otherwise. )

  Dan- no, False Fire tried to calm his breathing, aware that he was probably being left like this to scare him.

   He was going to try his best not to show it.

   After awhile, he grew bored. There was nothing but the hum of the lights, and his own heartbeat. An hour passed. And another.

   Eventually, a door opened with the same un-maintained scrape as before, and Fire wondered how long Revenue had been hiding here, to have cleaned the rooms up but not fix the doors.

   Aidon is the one who entered, brow creased and green eyes annoyed.

   When he saw False Fire awake, his face twitched into something that could be considered a smile.

   “So the little dove is awake, huh? Boss sent me here to wake you up - guess I don't have to now,” he said in a grating voice.

   Fire still felt like crap, so he chose to look away as best as he could, staying silent.

   Aidon leaned in close, uncomfortably so. “Aw, the little dove wants to be quiet? Well, we’ll soon change that. I'll have you singing like an effing canary - bet your pet cat won't like that, eh?”

   Fire turned to glare at him vehemently at the mention of Amazing Echo.

  Aidon leaned back. “Oh? Struck a nerve?” He began to circle around the table. “I can't wait to get my hands on him; I'll make him scream for this,” he pulled down his shirt collar with two fingers; there were deep, gouging claw marks from the collar bones and down, the scaring light against Aidon’s tanned skin. It wasn't terribly disfiguring, but it obviously must have hurt, having been deep enough to make someone bleed out.

   But Aidon hadn't bled out; he had lived. And even though False Fire knew that Amazing Echo regretted losing control all those years ago, Aidon wouldn't care about that.

   He obviously had a sadistic streak, and wanted to make Amazing suffer.

   “Oh, yes; it'll be fun to make that mongrel yowl,” he said with malicious delight. “I'll start by yanking his claws out, one by one,” he punctuated each word with a heavy step. “And if he brings out his lioness, I'll tie her down and carve her up while he watches, slowly. And then,” he ran his fingers through Fire’s hair, yanking his face towards him and meeting his eyes, “I'll make him watch as I pull out your feathers, one at a time, slowly torturing you until he breaks. I'll- AHHH! ”

   Dan, beyond furious, leans back, and then slams his head forward, right into Aidon’s face, breaking his nose. He rips his hand free from Dan’s hair, cradling his bleeding face and cursing Dan out.

   “If you go anywhere near him I will burn you from the inside out,” Fire growls, voice low and devoid of emotion.

   The door opens again as Yaverman and Clarissa come in. “Cut that out Aidon. I told you not to come in here without me.”

   Aidon’s voice gurgles through the blood and snot. “But-”

   “Leave. Now.” Yaverman’s voice brooks no arguments, and Aidon slips away, being sure to bump into Fire’s table.

   Yaverman hums. “That boy, I swear. Have someone cycle him out to the CK Section, Clarissa.” He turns to look at Fire, who is glaring at them. “But after this test. Did you bring the blades I asked for?”

   “Right here,” she says, handing him a bag. He pulls up a tray next to the table, reaching into the bag and then setting three different knives down. One’s long and triangular at the top, like a dirk, while the other two have a smooth edge and a serrated edge, respectively.

   Fire feels his blood run cold.

   “What the hell are you doing?”

   They ignore him.

   “Now, as we know from the news reports and interviews, False Fire has a light-based ability that can both heal and harm; not just bringing him back from the brink of death, but also healing non-fatal wounds, as long as they're not supercicial. Some still seem to leave scars though, and he can only minimally heal other people - that's probably why Amazing Echo wasn't hiding with him. His energy output wasn't enough to heal Amazing Echo’s injury.”

   Yaverman pauses, then turns to look at False Fire. “Do you know why your partner’s bullet wound was so extensive? I'm guessing it left quite a large scar around the impact area. It's because I shot him with a blossom bullet; a bullet that expands nanoseconds after impact. It's usually the easiest way to cause internal bleeding and extensive damage, which I knew you could not heal in another person.”

   Dan’s head reels as he tried to take this in. They really had been trying to kill Phil. But he doesn't get a chance to respond, because Yaverman turns back to Clarissa.

   “We will be taking a look at his self-healing ability, hence these three blades I asked you for. This one will cause a clean cut,” he lifts the smooth-edge, then sets it down in favor of the serrated, “this will shred extensively through flesh. And lastly, this,” he lifts up the pseudo-dirk, “will go deep. We will be doing half hour incriminates - fifteen minutes of application, and fifteen minutes to let them heal fully. Please silence the subject, Clarissa.”

   Suddenly False Fire feels his jaw wrenched open, a cloth being shoved between his teeth and tied behind his head; he struggles, but he is too tied down to move far.

   It's over in less than a minute.

  “Is he strapped in?”

   She tightens the clasps tying him down, until he can scarcely breathe.

   “Secured.”

   Fire’s eyes are wide with fear. He’s really going to do it; he really thinks he's some scientist just looking for answers.

   “Good.” Yaverman flashes him a smile. “Beginning the first incision.”

     Amazing-

   Someone-

    - Please-

   Yaverman brings the knife down and Fire squeezes his eyes shut.

    Phil tries not to grimace as his stomach cramps up; his head pounds and the world swims as he and his brother land a quarter mile away.

   God, he hates his motion sickness.

   Rebound looks at him with concern. “You okay, Amazing?”

   He shakes his head to clear the vertigo. “Yeah; let's just fine Da- Fire.” He looks around and sees that they're a bit out of town, closer to where the highway leads through smaller cities and towns, bending north.

   “So where to next?”

   Rebound grows professional. “First, we want to keep an eye out for any abandoned buildings - but the kind that look like they're going to be refurbished, not knocked down. Revenue isn't just a bunch of thugs, after all; they're an organization.”

   Amazing Echo nods, pantherine eyes straining to see through the rain.

  “Then, we need to keep an eye out for people going to these buildings; what they look like, how they're acting. You'll know what I mean when you see them. Revenue is sneaky, but bold.”

   “Sneaky and bold; got it. But why here though?”

   “I've been tracking them for years, Amazing,” Rebound says a little huffily. “I know for a fact that they always circle counter-clockwise, from West to North, moving about once a year. And since they've been frequenting AmazingFire’s territory for the last four years. . .”

   “. . .then our best bet would be on the northern end of town,” Amazing finished.

   Rebound nodded. “So let's get started; which way do you want to go first?”

   “Left,” he said without hesitation. Call it stupid, but Dan was left-handed, and his gut told him to go left.

   Pantherine instincts hadn't failed him yet, after all.

   Amazing turned and led the way through the rain, Rebound following him.

   The first. . .test wasn't as bad as it could have been, all things considered.

   The knife was sharp, and slid through his skin like paper when Yaverman sliced across the top of his arm. His body didn't take it as a hindering threat, since it was so shallow, so his healing didn't kick in.

    The stab though? Yeah, the stab hurt like a biscuit.

   They hadn't removed any of Fire’s clothing (which Fire internally gave a sigh of relief about), but Yaverman did yank up his shirt, exposing the bottom of his ribs and his abdomen. Without any warning he gave a quick stab, barely submerging the knife-point.

    Fire still yelled in pain.

   The lightfire flared through him, instantly racing to the wound. He felt icy-heat as his flesh restitched itself.

   Not the worst pain he had ever endured, but pain enough.

   The last thing he did was a deeper stab, pressing the knife down slowly. Fire wasn't ashamed to say that he had begun crying by this point.

    His body took longer to heal, and he was aware how lonely he felt without Amazing’s comfort, and how scared he was because this wasn't like when he got injured during a fight; this was deliberate.

   And it was all beyond his control.

   True to their word, they left him alone for fifteen minutes, discussing results in the corner and writing down notes. Fire didn't pay attention, mind fuzzy as it tried to lead him away from the situation. He was panting from screaming and the leeched stamina from healing.

   All too soon, Yaverman’s voice permeated through the buzz in his mind.

   “Okay, now for the next test; the serrated edge. I'm assuming that his body will take longer with this one, as it'll tear more.”

   “Noted,” Clarissa said.

   This time when Yaverman cut on his arm, Dan screamed through the gag. The wound was ragged and tore more than the first one. But, like the first one, it wasn't deep enough for his healing to activate.

   “Hmm. I think I will apply more pressure with this next one.”

    More wha-?

   The knife was plunged nearly up to the hilt, in a different spot than before, and Dan screamed , crying through the gag for them to stop it please it hurts so much-

    Nothing could compared to this.

   Not even his broken bones.

    Because another person was doing this to him deliberately and he was alone and they were going to do it again, make him heal again because they want to -

   It was a sick, wet tearing sound as he pulled the knife out, and Fi- Dan gasped and choked, crying in pain. He didn't even register the wound healing itself, nor the two kidnappers’ chatter.

   Suddenly the blade was against his neck, and he seized up in absolute terror.

   “I think I'll try the neck, next; avoiding the artery, of course. But as with how vulnerable this section is, I'm curious how his body will react.”

     Please no please please stop please -

   Suddenly there's a loud jarring noise of the door being slammed, and a warble that Dan is all too familiar with. He watched with wide eyes as Amazing Echo bursts in roaring, eyes blazing with absolute fury, and Rebound right behind him, pulling out a gun.

    To say Amazing Echo was angry would be an understatement. He saw Fire tied up, strapped down, tears running down his face. Yaverman held a red knife.

   A knife red with his best friend’s blood.

  Amazing Echo roared and charged at them, Susan darting out beside him.

   Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dan slump down, unconscious, probably from blood loss (his body may heal but the blood wasn't magically replenished after all.)

   Yaverman turned tail and ran, the lady with him shoving the tray at him. Phil let Susan go on ahead, in the back of his mind, faintly seeing through her eyes as she chased them. Then he turned to Dan, clawed fingers digging through straps and buckles. Rebound was right beside him.

   “Yaverman-”

  “We’ll go after him later,” Phil said, even as he felt Susan losing them. “Da-Fire needs our help more right now.” He careful undid the buckle around his neck, wincing. Dan hated his neck being touched, and here it was chafed from the strap, and angry red dots where the knife had poked. He untied the clothe gagging his mouth.

   They let him down gently, Amazing ripping part of his shirt to wrap Fire’s arm. His hands shook, even though he knew Fire would be okay.

   “We’re bringing you home.”