FIRESTORM:

“You’re more powerful than you know.” Jackie hugged Grace in the parking garage.

I perched atop the Life Rite headquarters in a trance, riding Jackie’s stream. It warmed me to see her bonding with Grace over their shared abilities. A mother and daughter relationship should never be strained. Blood is the strongest substance in life.

They were both so strong, with the power of fire growing in their bellies. I was proud of Jackie for navigating this timeline so well. It was challenging to prepare Grace for battle without revealing too much to scare her away.

While Jackie worked with Grace, I’d investigate the enemy to earn my keep. We were a team, and I refused to sit idle watching from the sidelines.

I slipped out of Jackie’s stream and flew around the giant skyscraper in the middle of the city. Life Rite was still a successful company in this dimension, judging by their prominence in the skyline. Their logo looked the same in this stream. The R resembled a bird’s beak, no doubt a subtle nod to their secret ingredient derived from Bennu eggs.

I looked for a way inside the mega-corp. In another timeline, I broke Jackie out of their living quarters when Beatrice held her prisoner. The windows snapped under the strength of my claws, but this time I had to move with precision. Not make a scene or draw attention. This was a covert mission versus a rescue.

Which sector of Life Rite held the answers I sought? What stage was the Alpha project in? How was Grace getting the serum?

Determined to find answers, the laboratories became my target. From the outside, the layout of the building looked different. Perhaps because Mark never mass produced the immortality serum or, thankfully, countless mutants in this timeline. Homeless encampments lined the streets below, but the poverty wasn’t as bad as when the Life Rite serum went to the highest bidders. Subtle changes in timelines make all the difference.

“We can’t let the serum get out on a mass scale like that again,” I told myself. “We can’t let Alpha enact the redistribution program.”

Not knowing where to find Alpha, I took my chances and broke into the labs to find out where the serum was coming from.

I pecked at the glass until it cracked, then used my talons to crush the window. It folded like paper under my strength. The wind pressure pushed me inside.

“Where are you Alpha?”

The lab sector was quiet, abandoned almost. No kids in cages, not a grotesque creature in sight. Besides myself…

In this probability, anti-aging face creams were the main event at Life Rite. Yet the serum had leaked, and Beatrice felt Alpha’s presence. What clues were we missing? Jackie and I needed answers before the slipstream booted us from the timeline, where we didn’t belong.

I used my beak to open cabinets and my wings to clear off tables, but found no answers. A computer taunted me with the potential answers it held. Using a mouse and typing on a keyboard wasn’t an option.

“Damn this cursed body!”

Being a phoenix was helpful in intense battles, but useless for solving puzzles or even being seen in public. Jackie deserved a better partner…

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“Don’t worry, baby girl, I’ll help you figure this out.”

Determination consumed me. I flew through the halls of the Life Rife building, looking for any sign of trouble. If Alpha wasn’t in the lab, maybe he was being built in the office block.

Radio chatter reverberated down the hall. Someone was coming.

“Who’s there?” they called.

I held my breath and turned to leave, but it was too late. A guard spotted me and trained his gun at my back.

The guard gasped. “What the?? I need back-up in sector seven. Stat!”

The radio talked back. “Sector seven, what’s your status?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it… There’s a… creature!”

“Repeat?” The person on the other end hesitated. This was my chance to end things before escalation.

I slapped the guard with my wing, knocking him out. I didn’t intend to hurt, just to flee.

The radio asked again, “Status? Sector seven, do you read me?”

The unconscious guard didn’t respond.

I raced down the hall to find answers, hoping the call for back-up had been canceled. I burst through door after door, looking for clues to Alpha’s whereabouts.

Unfortunately, more guards arrived before I found any.

“What the heck is that?”

“No clue, but it looks dangerous!”

“Kill it! Now! Before it hurts us!”

Their barrage of bullets cut through my thick skin, drawing radioactive blood. I roared to scare them off, but guns give false hope. They shot at me full-tilt.

I didn’t want to kill anyone, so I turned to retreat. A man jumped on my back and stabbed my neck with a knife. Screams of pain only made them hungry for more blood.

I spun around with wings wide, knocking the troops back. That bought me no extra time. More bullets came before I could escape. I had no choice but to fight back.

Another roar to warn them, but they didn’t relent. I had to use my flamethrower on the guards. My fiery breath filled the tight corridor. Their cheap uniforms caught fire instantly. The first line of defense burned, but more came.

“Forgive me,” I whispered.

The fallen men crawled away if they could. Some were not so lucky. My flames burned their bodies to a crisp.

The next round of men ran toward me with guns in hand.

“What’s going on up there?” Mark Claudi asked over the radio. “Report what you see immediately.”

A charred employee answered with a wavering voice. “A wild beast, sir. It’s got a… flamethrower… between its teeth. Please send help!”

The radio cackled. Would Mark call on his drones to stop me? That would give me the information we needed. I prepared myself for battle, ready to face Alpha.

“Sending more back-up,” Mark said over radio. “Capture it, dead or alive, so we can study it.”

“Copy that, sir.”

New guards hid behind dead bodies.

The guard gave his troops orders. “You heard Mr. Claudi. Dead or alive…”

“Bring it on.” I steeled myself for another round of fighting.

Their bullets increased, causing more pain than I could bear. I had to fight back. I blew fire, scratched with my talons, bit with my beak. Took the guards down, one by one.

More men joined the fight, but not a drone in sight. If Mark had Alpha, he would have used it against me.

Another guard called for more back up over the radio. “Send more guards to sector seven. All hands on deck!”

This wouldn’t end well for them. Not wanting to hurt any more men, I fled instead. I let out a battle cry, my attempt to warn them against following.

“It’s getting away.”

They came after me with guns blazing, but my powerful wings were faster than their measly legs. I soared away, dodging bullets as best I could.

“Fall back.”

“But you heard what Mr. Claudi said…”

“We don’t have the capacity for capture.”

Not wanting to lose any more lives, the remaining guards stopped their pursuit once it was clear this was my exit strategy.

I burst back through the broken window and flew out into the open air.

Blood dripped down my face, wings, and body. It glowed with the serum flowing through my DNA.

“Damn it! Way to stay hidden, Firestorm.” I scolded myself. “Mark isn’t one to give up easily and may try to come after me.”

I used the Grid as a guide out of the city and only stopped once it felt safe. My lungs finally exhaled when I passed the city limits.

Perched on a mountain top, I licked my wounds and healed myself, mulling over the knowledge that Alpha had not yet come online…

How long would that stay true? When would Mark unleash his drone onto the world? Could Jackie and I stay in this probability long enough to enact change?