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“The press would like to know how you and your team stopped the recent threat to our city.”
Jack thought this question over for a second, scanning the expressions of the reporter lady.
“Saying as much as my NDA allows, we got some help from field sources and safely disarmed any threats they posed to the city.”
The reporter seemed displeased with the response, but what else could Jack say? If he was allowed to say whatever he wanted, he’d be more than happy to divulge all the details, to talk about how he and his teammates hurried out late at night after an anonymous tipping that Aries and his crew were stashing weaponry for an upheaval of the city governers, about how he took down and disarmed five of the workers at once on his own, how Nine-life got Aries’ horns stuck in a concrete pillar, and how they got all the weaponry back to base in under an hour. However, there was quite a lot of secrecy involved in being a hero, for the public’s ease of mind and everyone’s safety. And even without that, he had his own secrets he was scared of divulging. But he had little time to think about that, just focusing on what the reporter was saying.
“Right. How difficult was the fighting for you?”
“Not very, physically. They’re tough, but we’re tougher.”
“Not physically? Was it difficult in another way?”
The hitch in his language being caught surprised him, and he racked his brain for a response until a hand touched his shoulder, causing him to tense and turn.
“Would you mind if I add in some things to say to the news?”
Mr Halo, right on time. Not like he ever wasn’t, long as there were shadows around he could get anywhere unnoticed in seconds. And he likely had an eye on him to make sure he didn’t say anything he shouldn’t. Jack nodded, waving a quick goodbye to the reporter, before slipping into the crowd of people.
Now hidden among many faces and conversations, he did his best to tune out the overwhelming noise, his hand coming to rest on some small tubes and machines hidden in the wrist of his suit. Those little pieces hidden on his body, unknown to anyone in this room, are the reason he was here at all. Being born without powers, he couldn’t be a hero without some way to compensate for it. So, using some robotics and mechanics knowledge and a lot of trial and error, he started a half decade long ruse about having pyrogenic abilities to get himself into the industry.
“Hey Ignis.”
He turned to see Niki standing by him, in her usual hero gear aside from her hair in an updo. People were giving her a decent breadth to walk around, likely because of the effect she has on others. Jack’s heard that power suppression is extremely uncomfortable, but he had no way of knowing.
“Hi Deadzone. How’s the crowd’s been treating ya?”
“It’s been like usual.”
She loosely motioned to the empty space around her.
“Right. Well, on a brighter note, maybe we’ll be given the week off after saving the city.”
They both barely lasted a few seconds before laughing. Breaks, in this line of work? Very amusing.
“Do you know when we’re supposed to go up front?”
“Not really, but I think Mr Halo will grab us right before.”
“Right. I’ll see you then?”
Jack nodded, giving a friendly wave as Niki walked off. He noticed two younger civilians, a fluffy haired brunette making a shiny-skinned blonde boy float around the area, only for the blonde boy to fall and bounce a few feet away when Niki got within a meter or so of them. He loosely heard her apologizing and some haughty remark from the blonde boy, but his attention was stolen by a surprise hug from behind.
“There you- ack!”
Jack turned around and knocked his palm right into the stranger’s jaw, getting himself released before realizing it was Sam, one of the older retired heroes. First time the bloke was ever grabby as well.
“Sam?”
“Heh, should’ve expected that. Anyway, congratulations on the whole stopping a major villain government insurrection thing. Not every day you get to be a town hero.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t easy, but I’m glad we saved so many people.”
The taller smiled towards him, and from up near the front of the room, they could hear Echo- one of the more famous musicians of the city- playing some guitar instrumental, followed by a small burst of artificial joy from his powers. Though Sam didn't have a strong reaction, he noticed the hand drumming against the other’s thigh.
“Did you ever have a celebration like this in your golden years?”
“Hey, my golden years aren’t over yet. But, yeah, once or twice. Looks like they pull out a few more stops nowadays.”
As they talked, Jack felt a little tap on his hand. He looked down to see a kid about 5, smiling up at him.
“Hello mister, are you a hero?”
“Me? Why yes, I am.”
“Oo! Can I see your powers?”
Jack nodded, taking a knee and outstretching his palm. He felt the tiny mechanisms in his hand and arms silently whirring to life as a candle sized light flickered onto his finger, the child’s face turning to one of delight as he gawked at the little light.
“I hope I can do that when I get older!”
Jack chuckled at the kid’s eagerness.
Beep.
The controlled candle in his hand burst into a raging flame, spooking both Jack and the little kid. He stood up, stuffing the engulfed arm between his body and other arm, the flames quickly dying down. That’s weird, he ran a test on the systems this morning and they were all completely fine. His gaze returned to the kid, who was staring up in shock.
“Sorry if that scared you kid, sometimes my powers do weird things.”
The kid said nothing, but wandered away anxiously.
“What was that?”
“It- nothing important, sometimes my powers flare up randomly, it’ll be fine.”
As he spoke, he moved the offending hand behind his back and tapped a specific rhythm into his arm, turning the systems off. That should work until he gets back to base.
“You sure? Powers don’t usually flare up like that without good reason.”
“I’m sure, it’s rare though so I don’t have a reason to get it checked. Besides, we’re at a party, we’re here to have fun.”
Jack slowly backed off while he spoke, Sam giving him a suspicious look but not following him.
“Right… well, I’m going to the dance area, good luck with your power flares.”
He took a step away, and Jack walked off, quietly grateful he’d escaped the interaction. He wasn’t oblivious to Sam’s suspicion, and anything he knew about investigation, the other probably had 4 years on him. It’s best he avoids him for the night. Trying to pull that fluke interaction from his head, he did his best to continue on the night, escaping his worries when Mr Almas approached him.
“There you are, one of the heroes of the hour. How’s the party?”
“It’s great, I haven’t been to one as big as this though. It’s a little overwhelming if I’ll be honest.”
“Ah, you get used to it.”
The shorter gave him a playful punch, which quite hurt given the other’s diamond-hard skin. Jack rubbed the affected area, smiling.
“I figure. How often do you and Mr Halo have to go somewhere like this?”
“Like parties? Nothing like this, but we get to go to boring ‘chit chat parties’ where we do negotiations with important people.”
A hint of sarcasm laced his voice, amusing Jack.
Beep.
A spout of fire exploded from his arm, and Jack jumped back as though the perpetrator wasn’t part of his body. A person near him caught some fire, but they merely put it out before anything got worse, unphased.
“At least ask first before you light me on fire.”
“Sorry.”
His gaze flickered to Mr Almas, who had recoiled.
“What was that for?”
“I don’t know, It just happens sometimes.”
“Ignius, don’t lie to me, I’ve worked with you for two years and you have more trouble getting your powers on than off. What is going on?”
At this point Jack was panicking. What could he say? He couldn’t tell him the truth or he’d be kicked out of the coalition during a celebration of his and his friend’s work, he needed a reason that lined up with past events, and he needed one right away. He took some steps back, eyes flicking around to find the nearest secluded area.
“Ehh it might be overheating or being overwhelmed or something? I might talk to the designated counselor after the party.”
Before Mr Almas could say more, he ran off, weaving around strangers to find a place he could safely assess-
Beep.
Fire exploded from his hands again and he hid his betraying hands under his arms in an attempt to snuff the flames. He hit a patch of free space and vaguely heard someone calling his name, but didn’t stop as he continued his hurry into a cleaning and storage closet area, closing the door and locking it. He flicked the light on and sat down, pulling a small tablet and cord from a pouch. He didn’t have most of his repair items, but he had enough to enact an emergency shutdown or look for coding errors. However, as soon as he plugged in the device, there was a knock at the door.
“Ignis? Is everything alright?”
It’s Sam.
“I’m fine.”
He swiped to the kill code option and started to punch in the code, hoping it’d completely knock out the systems until he could fix them.
“Are you sure? I saw you running like you got your head chopped off.”
“I’m sure. I just needed some time away from the crowds.”
Code incorrect.
Did he type it wrong? He tried again.
“Really? I thought it’d be easier to be around people than in the midst of a crisis.”
Sam chuckled, and Jack played along.
“You would think it, but you don’t get trained to handle people.”
Code incorrect.
Did the code get changed? How did the code change? He’s the only one who can access the machinery! Unless…
“...ot always easy.”
“Hm? Yeah.”
Jack feigned a chuckle, internally panicking as he realized he may not be the only one who has access to his powers anymore.
“Anyway, I’ll leave you be now. I’ll see you later.”
“See ya.”
The moment Sam was gone, he hurried to run an analysis on the systems for any foreign codes. It took a minute or so, but he managed to find some foreign code on the rudimentary controls for his pyrogenic devices. Someone else knew his powers were fake, and at any moment he could be outed as a fraud to the whole city. He needed to find the culprit and fast. He double checked the diagnostics to find the foreign code and worked to find the source. He didn’t keep good track of how long it took, but eventually he got ahold of the source (which, of course, had no trackable identity,) and managed to hook up the location on his visors. With any luck, he’d be able to locate who it was. He put the tablet away in time to hear a knock at the door.
Beep.
A shot of fire came from his wrist, lighting the head of a nearby broom on fire. He seized the broom, shaking it to try to get the fire out with little success.
“Ignis?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you in the closet?”
He smacked it against the wall a few times before finding a mop bucket and shoving it into the water, the broom hissing out.
“Just needed some time away from the crowds, that’s all.”
“What’s hitting the wall in there?”
He lifted the broom out of the water, what was left of the bristles charred and dripping wet.
“Ummm- I knocked over a few things while getting up. Nothing to worry about.”
“You sure? I’d be very upset if I had to save you from cleaning supplies.”
The play in her voice helped reassure him she didn’t suspect anything, and he quietly stuffed the broom into a corner.
“I’m sure.”
He unlocked the door and stepped out, giving her a reassuring smile.
“See? I’m alright.”
He closed the door behind him, really hoping she wouldn’t catch the smell of fire or smoke coming from the closet. His gaze fell on the crowds and the lights and the erratic movement of it all, too wrapped up in his worries about who knows his secret to notice the grimace of the lady in front of him until she moved past him and opened the door.
“What are you doing?”
She recoiled at the smell of the closet and looked around the dark area.
“It smells like smoke in here. What did you set on fire?”
“Huh? Oh, it was just a small flame, nothing really happened. Anyway, I’m going to go now. I want to get ahold of some food before we get called up. You coming with?”
She seemed to think for a second before smiling.
“I just ate, but thank you. I’ll see you soon.”
He guessed that she was going to double check his story, but what could he do about that, tell her not to? Make her more suspicious? It’s not like she could link the broom to his lack of powers anyway.
…Hopefully.
He turned and walked off, his visors seeking the source of the foreign code, a little light flashing over every person in the crowd he passed by, checking any device had on people for any hint it supplied the foreign code. He walked around, looking for the culprit quite vigorously, only to be distracted by the bump of a tiny, furry head against his leg. He looked down to see a siamese cat with a blue and white collar bumping against him. He picked it up with a straight face, reading the name as “Antfrost.” The alias Nine-Lives uses under his cat form to get around.
“...Why are you a cat?”
“Meow.”
He looked over Nine-Lives for another moment, watching it stare back. He looked away from it, only to come face to face with… Nine-Lives? Jack took a step back in surprise, the other looking at the cat.
“Oh, you found Cupcake.”
“Cupcake?”
“Yeah, that’s Red’s cat. He thought it’d be funny to bring her and have people think she’s me. I’ve scared almost 5 people now.”
He took Cupcake from him, lightly scratching her head.
“You can count me as the sixth then. Least she’s too cute to get mad at.”
He flicked the nametag, Cupcake sniffing his fingers. While Nine-Lives scratched her head and said something or other about her, Jack glanced around, and a flicker of movement caught his eye.
Foreign code source detected
Jack did a double take when seeing that message. The culprit!
“What’re we looking at?”
“Hm? Ehh just thought I saw an old friend. I’m gonna go see if I can find him.”
He gave a quick final wave to Nine-Lives before hurrying in the direction of the source, weaving through crowds and scanning everyone he passed by, tuning out the music and the chatter in his focus.
Foreign code source detected
There, in the corner of his eye, was the hacker, the holder of his secrets and the biggest threat to his life and career. Jack whipped around to confront…
Sam?
Beep
Jack halted in time for his right arm to explode in flame again, the people around him moving away and giving Sam the perfect opportunity to slip back into the masses. Jack, once his shock passed, calmed the fires on his arm. Sam’s the hacker? Sam… knows? It wasn’t clear how he knew, but he definitely wasn’t ignorant. In fact, he had a reason to reckon Sam was aware he knew. Otherwise, why would his “powers” “flare up” when he was about to catch him? It wasn’t a coincidence. He knew. And Jack was in danger because of it.
He weaved through the crowd, trying to get his plan together. He could guess by what just happened any normal attempt to get around him would end the way it just did, so that was a no. He needed to disarm Sam though, or on the off chance that it wasn’t him, figure out why he has the source code on him. How would he do that though…
He noticed that young brunette civilian from earlier was talking to Sam, which he realized was actually a young hero in training, Bumblebee. Maybe he could get into the conversation? Sam wouldn’t have a chance to run then, He went over to the group, eyes half trained on his target.
“Hi Bee, hi Sam.”
“Hello big man. What’s up?”
“Not much, I just need to talk to Sam when I get the chance. What were you guys talking about?”
“Just my training. I’ve been getting alot better at my teli- telika- … my powers.”
“Really? Do you think you’ll be strong enough to lift Sam?”
“I can try!”
He looked at Sam with eagerness in his eyes, the once hero nodding with a smile.
“Long as you’re careful you can try. I’ll warn you though, I’m bulky.”
Bee didn’t wait after being given the permissions, bracing himself and pulling Sam a shaky few inches off the ground. He wobbled at first, struggling to keep his balance, but as Bee steadied out his hold Sam seemed to stay up better.
“You’re doing great Bee!”
“How high up can you get him?”
Bumblebee continued in lifting Sam, struggling at about the 2 meter mark. It was impressive, and might’ve prodded a hint of jealousy out of Jack.
“How is it up there?”
“It’s pretty nice, actually. It’s weird though. Kind of reminds me of an old job I had to take.”
While Sam started on his little old person ramble about a mission, Jack noticed Deadzone not far off and motioned her over, aware of what may happen. She approached, but stopped just short of impacting Bumblebee.
“Hi ev-”
Bee jumped away, yelping in nervousness and panic as he mistakenly threw Sam multiple meters away and dropping him simultaneously. Not expected, but he’ll take it. He ran over to Sam and he “helped” him up by locking an arm around him under his arms and dragging him back as well as up.
“How are ya feeling mate? Cmon, I’ll get you some help.”
The senior tried to reject, saying he was completely fine, but they both were well aware of that fact. Jack just pretended not to be. He was quick to get the two of them away from Bumblebee shouting his apology, crowds turning some attention to the odd scene, and any other prying eyes or ears. When he got him to the chosen place- a desolate concrete room with open rafters and a hint of an echo- he was kind of tired, letting go of the bored looking retiree and dropping the cover. Sam sat up, lightly massaging where he was grappled.
“Alright, why did you drag me in here?”
“The source for a code that’s been affecting multiple security systems has been found on you. Are you willing to explain?”
“Explain what? What do you mean?”
“There is a device on you affecting multiple security systems, and I’ll be checking you for it.”
“Why would I have anything like that on me?”
Sam got up and started patting himself down, as if trying to prove nothing was on him, only for his brows to furrow when some stiff noise was heard from his pocket. The reaction as a little remote device was pulled out and rolled in Sam’s hand made Jack almost visibly panic, questioning whether Sam had actually known or if he had exposed himself to another person. Jack tried to grab the remote, only for Sam to step back and press a button on the remote.
Beep.
A fire flared up on his left side, and Jack froze as Sam looked over at him with a mix of feigned surprise and smugness, filling the hero with panic and relief.
“Would you look at that?”
“How did you find out?”
“During that insurrection, I was working on the weaponry and happened to notice you adjusting your wrists a lot. So I sent a mini bot your way, got a connection, and…”
He shook the remote, but Jack didn’t worry about the taunting, his head swimming with questions and confusions.
“You were there? Why? You’re- you were a hero!”
“We could’ve helped you Jack. We were going to fix how things are run. Heroes get worked like hounds for nothing and villains get cracked down on while costumeless killers walk around free. You’re working for people who think you don’t belong in their ranks.”
This was all so startling. He’d trusted Sam as an ex hero and… he worked in the insurrection? And he thought he could ‘help’ Jack like this? He could barely gather his rationelle enough to take a step back as Sam advanced on him.
“I don’t hold this against you kid. You’re just doing what you’ve been told to. I want to give you a chance out of this. Agree to step down or fake your death and quit heroism, or… I’ll give them a reason to kick you out.”
The traitor now stood inches away from him, leaving few options for the hero. He acted as though he was thinking the options over, taking note of every little detail he could, before lighting his fist on hire and knocking Sam in the face, lunging for the remote but barely missing as his forearm was grabbed. He shouted as a violent jolt surged through his body, warning notices flashing across his visors as he spasmed in his grasp.
“I guess you’re taking a third option.”
Before he had the chance to regain himself, a knee knocked into his mouth and he fell onto his back. He dragged himself up and became vaguely aware of the buzzing in his nerves and the burning on his arms. His electrical systems were busted and they could explode if he used them too much. God, was he going to die here? His life might as well be over, what’s going to happen to him if the hero group finds out? He didn’t have time to think of this as he heard the steps approaching, staggering to a stand to fight Sam. He had little time to react, dodging left as Sam jabbed at him, staggering back as the other tried to hook him, blocking a strike with the back of his arm and reflexively recoiling as stings of electric poked at his skin, only for another hit to clock him right on his visors.
Crunch.
Most of his vision went staticy or dark as all the little cameras and devices inside broke, shards of glass scattering and some warm tingling fluid dribbling down his cheek and making a coppery smell mixed with that of sulfur. He didn’t open the afflicted eye in fear the liquid would blind him, instead keeping his head in the battle with what little sight he had left. He heard Sam recovering and grabbed one of the shards from the ground, lunging forward and taking a wild swing. Since Sam was in his blind spot, he didn’t see what he hit, but he felt toned muscles tear and warm liquid spatter onto him, followed by shouting. He moved back, but had no way of knowing the hand going or his neck as he was toppled onto the ground, a knee on his lower stomach and a hand placed directly above his hammering heart.
“Be careful, all it takes is one amp to send you into cardiac arrest.”
He couldn’t see Sam’s face, but all he could imagine was a wild grin, calloused to human emotion and willing to lay waste to everything he loved.
That’s what he’s fighting. A monster. Not a man with logic or reason. Not a friend.
Jack let his head tilt onto its bad side to try to see the position they were in, letting his limbs loosen and easing his breath to give Sam false security. Above him was the traitor, both arms on Jack’s upper body still and head looming near his. Clear shot at the neck, but only one chance. Keeping the glass shard on him, he took a quick shot right at his Adam’s apple. Sam’s grip went to his own neck on reflex and Jack took that chance to strike his jaw with the flat of his palm, pushing him far enough to the side to pull away and run, gaining distance only to be stopped by the wall. He tried to formulate a vague plan in his head, turning to see what was going on with Sam. From what little he noticed, there was a lot of blood on his hands, he was struggling to stand, and he was glaring at him with newfound hatred.
“You’re dead Jack!”
Sam ran at him, Jack waited until the moment he had too much speed and too little time to stop, and slipped under him. Sam tried to turn with him, but Jack pushed him against the wall. Sam hit the wall with a loud thunk and he stumbled back. Jack stole the remote off him and yanked him down before running back across the room. Everything was buzzing, his lungs hurt, his face stung, his arms burned, his vision was blocked, and his head was in a tizzy. He barely had the head in him to find the “off” button on the remote. He wiped the acid and blood from his face, hissing as touching his face irritated it. He didn’t have long to clean this up, if any time at all. He needed to get his visors fixed as well, and the other devices and figure out how to explain the-
“Ignis?”
He looked at where the voice was coming from to see Deadzone, sounding startled as she approached him.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“Well- the chat with Sam didn’t go great and the bloke tried to kill me, he caught me off guard but I managed.”
“...Does this have something to do with your ‘incidents’ with your powers today?”
“No, no no not at all. This was about um…”
His heart was in his throat as he realized he was backed into a corner all over again. He had no way to lie, especially while her suspicions ran so clear. Still, it felt like forever before she finally asked the question they both dreaded.
“Your fire powers are fake, aren’t they?”
The silence was damning. Jack could speak no further in fear of what he might say- what he might lose. So he let her speak to the implied, her voice still keeping a warm tone despite the solemn moment.
“That explains a lot.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Every person I know that has powers stays out of range when they can, but you. You’ve never looked uncomfortable standing near me unless someone else noticed. I always tried to write it off as you being kind to me or feeling bad for me, but when you ran by me and your powers were still going, I put the pieces together.”
He suddenly became aware of how close together they were standing. Not that they were close by normal standards, but compared to how close he’s seen anyone around Deadzone, they were close.
“Does anyone else know?”
“Only Sam. He was why my powers were going off randomly. And I want to keep it that way, just us knowing.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. But what about Sam? What are we going to do about that?”
“I’m… not sure. I mean, I can fight knives and guns off people twice as strong as me, but when a weapon’s just a couple words, the hell are you supposed to do?”
Their gazes returned to Sam, who seemed to be alive but dazed on the ground. He probably needs medical treatment, last he checked that’s a pretty sure sign of a concussion. Maybe he’d just forget the secret? Definitely not how that works, but it’s all he could hope for unless he could get a more definitive plan. He was stuck in his head for a moment, until he felt Deadzone hug him from the side.
“We can talk about how to help you out later. I’m not letting them drop you over this.”
Jack shifted to pull her into a full facing hug, all his anxiety crumbling for a moment. She didn’t see him as weaker or traitorous for not having powers, and she was not only willing to keep quiet, but help him hide it. After bearing that weight alone for so long, and having that safety threatened so strongly, this felt like the world being taken off his shoulders.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Jack stiffened as his head snapped in the direction of the voice to recognize Mr Halo, at the entrance by the sound of his voice. He pulled away from her, only getting a glimpse of the blood he smeared on her suit.
“No, we’re alright, are we needed?”
“...You need to be presentable, you’re needed in five minutes. And why is Sam knocked out?”
“I can explain later, but to try to put it short, he was involved in the insurrection.”
“Really? Well, you two get cleaned up, I’ll handle Sam and we can get you some medical help if you need it.”
He went over to Sam and pushed him into the shadows, and the two completely disappeared from sight. With that done and dealt with, he looked at Deadzone, smiling.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you at the stage Ignis.”
—
“Hello everyone, may I have your attention please.”
The crowd’s bustling conversation dimmed as Mr Halo stood atop the stage with Mr Almas beside him, heroes lined up behind them. Each hero was evenly spaced apart by about 2 and a half meters, with Deadzone on Jack’s left and Nine-lives on the right. A few others were on the stage- Floris was the only one he knew for sure, others may or may not have turned up- but he couldn’t pick out where they were. He didn’t have time to fix his visors outside of cosmetically. But that wasn’t a major concern, since he had enough vision to get around for the most part, as long as his head was turned.
“As we know, a few weeks ago our peaceful city was threatened by evil villains who wanted to kill the mayor and ruin everything. They had stolen and created weapons way too dangerous for the public to even see, and were a day away from succeeding their ploy. However, thanks to one of our most trusted undercover heroes-”
The direction of his voice turned left of Jack, assumedly towards Floris.
“-We found their location and were able to save the city and everyone in it.”
There was some applause from the crowd as Mr Halo took pause, and gave the mic to Mr Almas, whose foot tapped even when the applause cut.
“Today, we’re here to celebrate the heroes who saved the city with their honed skills and awesome powers. Going down the list…”
Lord forgive his mind for wandering away during this important event, but he couldn’t help it. There was too much on his mind to focus on the current moment. Especially with that talk with Sam.
You work for people who think you don’t belong in their ranks.
At first, he waved this idea off entirely. If he didn’t belong, why was he up here being given such high honors after such a high risk mission? Why has he worked in this company for so long if he doesn't belong? Why was Deadzone so willing to keep his secret if he didn’t belong?
Then the thought hit.
Who think you don’t belong in their ranks.
He was given high honors because he used pyrogenics to take down an insurrection. He worked in this company so long because they think he has powers. Deadzone is keeping his secret because they’ll throw out the only person in the company who can get near her if they find out he’s powerless. He belonged in their ranks, but they thought otherwise.That started to make him question the other things Sam had said. How hard was he actually worked, compared to any other job? He went into hero work too quick to know what any other job offers. He did know his parents had always been working, so maybe this isn't abnormal, but-
“Ignis, with his pyrogenics and agility, was able to disarm and incapacitate five villains, and assisted Nine-lives in taking down Aries.”
Ignis was pulled back to reality hearing his name, and the applause of the audience. His chest swelled with pride as Jack pressed down his worries. This was why he did this, right? To protect the people like him. To prove to himself and everyone else that he could fight as strong as the heroes around him. One day, he would let himself question what he fights for, what it’s worth and whether it’s worth hiding his lack of powers. But for now, he should let himself rest and enjoy his accomplishment. Yeah, For now, the city was safe.
For now, he was safe.