Scene 6

---

Mav had to punch something. So it was a good thing the Titans blessed him with three evildoers in his time of need. 

When he’d found the service vehicle, it was driving down an alley off the main street right toward him. Perfect. He hopped into the middle of the path and the car stopped. Easy. The interrogation was even simpler. Mav said he was ordered to check all service vehicles, then made his way to open the trunk. He ignored their protests. They were only yelling for silly things like a warrant or proof of his orders. Instead, Mav attempted to open the trunk and found it locked. Two workers exited the vehicle, rushing toward him. He ignored that, too. A slight chill settled over him as he melted the lock, then flung it open. 

A man and a woman, both probably in their thirties, were gagged and bound to the walls of the van. It was a deep trunk, allowing for several other innocent people to hang against their will. 

“Shouldn’t have done that,” the worker on the left, a short and wide man, said in a gruff voice. 

The left-worker raised his leg, preparing to stomp the ground. Inside the van, the man was unconscious, but the woman’s drooping eyes met Mav’s, pleading. 

“Flashfire...” Mav growled, his left arm whipping to the side. The chill intensified and a small, controlled blast escaped his palm, blowing the left-worker backwards. “... Burst.” 

The worker to his right was also short, but far skinnier than the first. He leaped back, pulling bottles off his uniform belt, and threw them on the ground. A wave of water larger than should have fit in those containers burst forth, reaching to Mav. 

“Fire Shield!” Mav slammed his hands on the ground before him. A pillar of flame erupted before the wave, blasting the central portion into steam while the rest harmlessly passed by him. 

Before he could engage the skinny worker, the ground shook. The first man Mav had attacked was on his feet, glaring at Mav as he quickly patted his smoldering uniform to put out the small flame that remained. Mav regained his balance, but by then the skinny worker was waving his arms in a circle, the water arcing into the air. Mav took a quick breath, unclenching his left fist. The chill in his core worsened as a dozen points of concentrated fire dotted his palm. 

“Flaming Scattershot!” 

Mav thrust his arm skyward, sending the tiny fireballs at the gathering water. Large wafts of steam exploded outward, the rest of the liquid water raining harmlessly onto the ground. Then, a fireball the size of a fist pummeled Mav in the chest, forcing him several feet back. 

Mav smirked. “Thanks for warming me up!” 

The new assailant was the driver, a tall and gaunt man, who was standing atop the van, already holding another fireball. On the left, the muscular man was lowering his foot to the ground to make it rumble again. On the right, the skinny man reached for two more containers from his belt – looked like he had four more after this. 

With renewed warmth, Mav brought his hands behind him, facing the road diagonally. “Short-burst Rocket!” 

His gathered energy exploded at his palms, propelling him toward the gaunt man as the muscular one stomped on the street. The alley blurred as Mav flew, placing a well-timed kick on the gaunt man that sent him onto the main street. Mav’s momentum practically stopped, so he twisted in midair, body chilling as flames erupted over his arms. He landed on the van and extended his fiery palms at the other two. 

“Flamethrower!” 

A stream of orange fire engulfed the fake service workers. They screamed, backing and flailing away as their clothes caught fire. 

Mav descended as the men burned, removed the victims from the van, and placed them against a nearby building. Water spouted from beneath the burning men, dousing the flames that enveloped them. Mav gathered heat into his palm, forming a sphere of fire the size of his head. 

“Fire Blast!” 

The eruption of steam that followed whipped a hot wind down the alley. Caught in the middle of it, the kidnappers howled in pain. When the steam cleared, both men were lying on the ground, groaning and twitching. 

Mav gave them each a good thwack to the head to make sure they were knocked out, then turned toward the main street. It was time to deal with the gaunt Flame Dancer.