Juniper’s attention shifted to the sounds of bloody screaming, loud and raw cutting through the vehicular chaos around her. Her sharp eyes locked on a burning 4-story building. Volatile flames erupted from the windows and smoke billowed out like thick clouds. Figures were fleeing from the lower floors, some people were stumbling out, many were screaming, a few escapees dragging unconscious and injured bodies out.

Above the window frames of the building, athletic enough survivors clung on and climbed down, desperate and in fear of burning alive.

Juniper’s legs were antsy and twitching. A primal fear gnawed at her. Her rational mind told herself, that running inside would be suicide. Certain suicide.

Would anyone blame me for waiting out? How long before the fire department could get here? An experienced cape?

[Juniper right now you're the only thing that stands in the way of charred survivors. Are you going to wait here while people fry alive? ]

Juniper looked at the streets. Sirens blared in every direction, coming into earshot and out, chaos swallowed the inner city as a whole. Fire and smoke came from dozens of districts, blackening the sky. Her heart dropped. Who else could?

Dammit, I really have to go in there. What if I fuck up.

[Move it, Jun! Heroing doesn’t come with a reset button! If you don’t]

“Who will!” She jumped in the air. “I know, I fucking know!” Her voice cracked as she launched herself forward.

Juniper charges in headfirst, a golden aura radiating around her. Slightly shielding her like a self-contained barrier. It was a horrible gamble, considering she doesn’t have a complete grasp on [Solar-powered Sentinel] Like the original wielder did.

The first thing she felt was the overwhelming pressure of the heat, like being stuck in an oven set to “low”. Then the smoke started stinging her eyes, She blinked at the irritation, her eyes starting to tear. Sweat dripped down her body, making her wet in a minute. Her lungs were also starting to burn.

The first floor was fairly empty, flames hadn’t spread much. Her soft sneakers, made a crunch as she stepped over debris. A noise–up ahead–drew her attention.

A man emerged from obscuring smoke, his office attire scorched and torn apart. His right hand stuck to his left. “Upstairs!” he shouted, recognizing her as a cape. “More upstairs!”

She nodded, her throat too uncomfortable to speak. She made it up the staircase, legs growing heavier with every elevated step. The air reeked not only of burning chemicals but the smell of burned flesh. Nauseating horror grips her fragile heart. At the center of the room was a vacant space, the ground stained with black marks. On the ground outside the circumference of the vacant circle lay the charred bodies of dozens of victims. Some limbs were separated from their torsos.

She doubles over, one hand on her throat, the other on her stomach. She did her best to swallow the erupting bile back.

[Juniper, if you stop here their deaths will have been for naught. You need to keep moving]

Juniper steeled herself and did her best to ignore horror. She wiped away saliva that escaped her mouth with the back of her hand. As she gasped for air and scanned the massacre for any potential signs of life.

[Super Audition]

The flames dance in her ear, sizzling and shimmering like an ocean of fire. There! At the end of the room, near the window, she could hear ragged breathing, whimpering even. He was still moving, just barely.

She forced herself towards him, making a great effort to avoid the flames and the debris. She got on her knees, her fingers trembled as she tried to lift him. Unfortunately, she wasn’t strong enough and he was barely conscious enough to move.

She manipulated the gravity with her [Gravitational distortion]. Making sure his body was light enough to float, lifting him put a strain on her energy, like moving a heavy object you never trained for. She gritted her teeth, nudging him towards a closed window.

The window wouldn’t open. She slammed it, kicked it but the heat held her back from fully committing. She grew impatient

“Shit,” she muttered, then briefly put the man down again. Swapping powersets, condensing energy into a directed blast. The glass shattered outward in all directions. A shard of glass crossed her shoulder, as she shielded her face. Blood started leaking from the cuts, but she ignored it. Lifting the man again through the window and descending shakily to the ground.

There was a small crowd of people outside, They all helped to collectively take the man from her. She fell to the ground, her breathing heavy, and her vision losing focus.

Dammit, I’m not outfitted for this crap.

She knew there were more survivors. The faint “help me” echoed in her ear over and over again, it was as soft as an ant's movement, but her [enhanced hearing helped her pick it up.] Her body told her she couldn’t go back, not after what she saw.

Then there was a ping.

[Unique skill acquired: motivational Hyperdrive]

[Each time you save someone from the clutches of death, your willpower and ability to push beyond your limits temporarily increase.]

She stared at the words in mild disbelief.

“Sys-chan what–”

[It means get back in the fight soldier! The clock’s ticking, and people need saving! No time for drama]

She looked up. She couldn’t stomach going back. And yet.

I have to. If I don't, someone else dies.

She braced herself, staring into the fiery hell of the burning building.

Her senses were invigorated by the mysterious skill. She charged through the second-floor window, maneuvering through thick smoke and dangerous debris. She did her best to avoid looking at the charred bodies littered across the room, a reminder that she couldn’t save everyone.

They were dead before she got inside. Focus on the living Juniper.

A piece of groaning metal above shifted and screamed in her direction. She ducked as the beam crashed from the upper floor sending embers and ash her way. The jump strained her muscles out, her legs moaned for rest, but she pressed forward. Golden aura like wavering candlelight.

As she moved up the messed up staircase, she spotted a hand– a woman clinging to the railing past a broken window, her hands turning red with time.

“Hey! Hold one!” Juniper shouted, voice hoarse. The woman peaked above, her wide eyes filled with terror.

“I-I can’t hold on! I’m gonna slip.” The woman started coughing as the smoke worked its way through. Her grip on the railing loosened instantly.

Juniper dove. And with gravity-defying power, launched herself forward, arms stretched. She caught the woman just as she was taken down by inertia.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Midair, the woman clung up to her like she was a lifejacket. The additional weight only propelled juniper downward. Her powers weren’t grown well enough to handle body-to-body weight. Her face puffed up, and sweat beads tickled her eyes, but she did her best to slow the descent.

Goddamnit! This lady is heavy!

They landed rough on the street, Juniper felt something crack near her ribs. She ignored it but struggled to keep up under the strain. The ‘heavy’ lady started sobbing like a child lost in the dark.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” she choked, half coughing.

“You’re okay,” Juniper told her. Her own voice started to sound ghoulish.

[That’s one more down! You’re a real-life hero. Keep it at it.] Syschan encouraged her, voice brimming with energy.

She felt her newfound skill –[Motivational Hyperdrive] ping –and then activate on its own, A small spark of energy filling her fatigued body. It wasn’t a lot but it was more than enough. Like an adrenaline spike during a race.

The woman, out of breath clutched juniper’s arm. “There’s one more, person up there, third floor. Everyone else is…is gone.” she started coughing again, nearly tumbling over.

Juniper winced, her throat as hoarse as rough sand. “I’ll do my best,” she promised the woman, turning back inside, she lunged at the roaring flames.

Don’t think. Just keep moving.

The stairway to the third floor was reduced to a crumbling mess, rebar stuck out the wall like broken cartilage. She scanned furiously, she spotted a coughing silhouette over the flaming barrier in front of her.

What do I do here? If I push through I’ll burn.

Her heart raced, every second racing there was a chance the person waiting for rescue would die.

[Think outside the introspective box! Think like a brute! What comes up must come down!]

Gravity! But the application should be different.

She exhaled.

She crouched, like a soldier. Then directed a gravity field to surround the debris. She focussed, and slowly but surely she twisted it, the debris lifted into the air, the hanging rebar rising as well. She amplified the gravity, making it fall down in an explosive collision with the ground, half the debris, falling down the stairwell.

She flew past the roaring fire, her aura flickering against the heat. She landed in a crash on the third floor. The man was slumped against the far wall, his breaths were shallow.

“I’m here,” Juniper called out. “You’re gonna be fine.”

Their gazes met and the man gave her a stare of disbelief. Perhaps not believing she looked much like a cape?

There was more debris in the way. This was lighter. She concentrated, her golden glow flaring to life. She blasted the rubble, into splintered pieces, making a crude pathway.

The man staggered towards her, his knees buckling. Juniper wrapped her arms around his shoulder.

“Lean on me sir,” she said, holding him steady. He was too weak to protest, but he had a look of disapproval.

They stumbled upwards towards the ruins of the fourth floor, the stairway here less of a problem, mostly untouched. The space at the top was completely empty. The burned remains of the sleek designer furniture scattered. This was the VIP part of the building, the corporate zone.

Juniper swore lightly. There were no bodies up here, there probably was some kind of emergency escape somewhere here for the rich bastards.

She looked in relief though when she saw a shattered window. But the smoke had started to thicken even more, nearly obscuring their sight, and wrapping them like an uncontrollable river. Her lungs reacted horribly, and her head started spinning, her vision blurred, she wasn’t an athletic juggernaut.

This was a bit too much.

A crash echoed behind them, she bit her lip, forcing herself forward. When she got out of this crisis, she’s going straight to the gym.

She blanked out for a minute. And the man’s grip tightened. “Hey, missy,” he worked out shaking her. “Stay with me.”

She nodded faintly, her legs kept moving. The man opened the shattered window, frame, and all.

“Hold on sir,” she murmured to him, grabbing him by the waist. With a horrible grunt, she lifted them out.

They landed on the ground, Juniper failing to steady the man as he stumbled away. She barely had a chance to breathe before another violent explosion rocked the building.

The shockwave threw her off, her body skidding away against asphalt, and the roar of rubble thundered in her ears. She shielded her face.

Then it settled down, and a crowd of civilians around did their best to control the fire from spreading. The building itself was slowly being consumed by its flames. If there was anyone left they were gone.

A ping chimed in her head.

[Motivational Hyperdrive] – a little of energy returned to her, she felt herself a bit stronger, if only temporarily.

“What do I do now?”

She collapsed to her knees, her body trembled, as exhaustion came through. She stared at the ground, her hands ash-streaked, she tried wiping it off. Her lungs burned still, and her open shoulder where she was cut, hadn't clotted yet.

A young man stumbled towards her, face red with tears. “Did you see anyone?” he started. “Young woman–red hair, skinny, high heels, office dress?”

She tightened her throat. She shook her head slowly, afraid to speak up.

His shoulders slumped, and he started laughing hysterically. He sank to the ground, face buried. “She’s gone… she’s gone.”

Juniper felt a pain in her chest, a hollow pain, she felt numb. She knew she should do something to console him, offer her condolences but nothing came through.

What was she supposed to do here?

She leaned forward awkwardly, arms wrapped around him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Voice inaudible.

He shook his head. Her voice wavering as he laughed, humorless. “We were supposed to go home, It should’ve been me. I was gonna confess to her…I” He started sobbing. “I don’t want to live.”

Juniper froze, her eyes hollow. She wanted to comfort him, but her mind was as blank as a white page. He pulled away from her, curling into a ball.

Juniper walked away, crippled.

[You did good Juniper, you can’t save everyone.]

But what if I could? What if I could be faster? What if I could heal? What if I could bring back the dead?

She stared at her own body– her skin was full of blisters and her limbs were shaking. The weight of what she saw pressed her down, how could she move forward? Her eyes widened when a stranger approached her.

They didn’t speak, just held out a bottle of water and a bandage. They immediately started cleaning her cut, and wrapped it, nodding and walking away to others.

She chucked the bottle clean.

She sat there, her gaze wandering. The three people she rescued were staring at her like she was some kind of alien creature. Their awe made her uncomfortable.

Her face mask had some holes in it, she’d need an alternative soon.

“Ms…” a squeaky voice broke through her head.

She blinked and turned around to see a boy standing there, searching her with his big eyes. A boy with white hair. Was it dyed? Hair mutations were a common thing in this era.

“Ms…” he repeated, tugging at her. “What’s your name miss?”

“Ju–” she bit her tongue.

She almost gave her real identity away. A dangerous gamble even with a childlike individual. She never thought this far, Balaclava girl was out of the question. Something however stuck in her head, something Emery had called. She stifled a giggle. Emery… not too long ago, she was Heliogirl to her.

“Mimicry…”

“What,” he said dumbfounded.

“Ms. Mimic, or mimicry, choose your pick ... .kid” he nodded.

“What was it like in there? The flames, the fire….the deaths.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She did a double take. The kid’s reaction was strange. His questions were wrong and unnatural, Sure it wasn't uncommon for kids to be total weirdos in times of crisis. But it almost sounded like he was interviewing her.

She swallowed and started stressing. She put his hands on his shoulders.

“Look kid, Find a shelter or go home. You can’t be around out here.”

He pointed to the crowd around them. Civilians banded together to douse flames and patrol the streets with makeshift weapons, forming a citizen’s militia.

“Those people are helping, you’re not.” she shooed him off. “Go, go before you get hurt.”

He hesitated, but his gaze lingered on her. Something about the way he stared made her uneasy. Like he saw through her. He kept turning before disappearing into the crowd.

“What the fuck was that.” There was something vaguely ominous about what just occurred.

[That was kinda weird. I mean, suspicious much? Spy vibes, maybe? Definitely not a cape. Just... weird kid energy.]

“Don't make me paranoid too,” she complained.

Close by, the first man she pulled out was helped into a car, probably headed for the hospital. Juniper watched him get taken away, a heavy ache settling her chest. Her thoughts swirled on what she saw lying there.

Those charred remains, and the smell, like a burnt barbeque. A dull ache settled in her chest.

She stood upright. Pains shot through her body with every movement, but she could feel tiny traces of her body. Slowly regenerate. It was an odd sensation.

She’d tried calling her ‘boss’ again but ‘Big Sis’ wouldn’t pick up. There was silence on the other end. She didn’t know who to turn to about this, perhaps… No, other people might just choose to lock her up for the whim of it.

Maybe, just maybe, she could rest here for a moment, and help the people out. Or go home and let the real heroes handle it.

She rubbed at her itchy face, Her face full of blackened soot.

A sudden crack of gunshots shattered the growing quiet. She flinched her heart slamming. She froze. Her breathing was shallow. She turned to look at the crowds, they seemed oblivious. Was it her enhanced hearing that made her hear it up close? It came from a few blocks away.

The sound shook her head. Her throat welled up again and she threatened to vomit. She exhaled slowly counting one to ten and then. In and out.

Another delayed notification annoyed her.

[Endurance+1]

[Power+1]

She didn’t care about leveling up right now. She felt weaker like she was gonna fall apart. Each step forward was now heavier than the last, her legs dragged on as guilt and exhaustion consumed her.

[No rest for the wicked–and no peace for heroes.]

Juniper took to the the air. Keeping Emery’s flight lessons in mind. Sys-chan’s words lingered in her head as she pushed forward.

She couldn’t stop

Because if she did she might be able to get up again.