He rose slowly, raising his arms. Lights burst from the bracelets on his wrists, making the shadows multiply. They took shape until they were corporeal, lifting the tower off the roof of the building.
And then Shadow Star hurled it at Pyro Storm.
“No,” Nick whispered.
Instead of trying to get out of the way, Pyro Storm flew toward it. Right before he collided with the tower, he spun quickly, cape swirling around him as he soared through the tower, managing to avoid the metal struts. He’d almost made it to the other side when he was clipped in the shoulder by what looked like the corner of a satellite dish. He was knocked off course, a trail of blood falling behind him.
The antenna tower fell toward the busy streets below.
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this!” Rebecca Firestone said, voice shrill. “Shadow Star just tried to stop Pyro Storm, but the villain managed to dodge his attack! And because of that, it’s falling! Pyro Storm is going to cause so many people to get hurt! You saw it here first! This is all on Pyro Storm!”
Nick really hated Rebecca Firestone.
But before he could curse her name like she so deserved, Pyro Storm righted himself and turned away from Shadow Star. The antenna tower hurtled toward the ground. People below were screaming, running along the sidewalks, pushing each other viciously as they tried to flee. The growing shadow loomed large.
A bright flash of fire burst as Pyro Storm rocketed toward the tower. But instead of trying to knock it out of the way, he flew by it, landing on the street below so hard, the asphalt cracked beneath his feet. People huddled around him, hands over their heads as the tower crashed into the side of a building, causing it to spin wildly, glass shattering, mortar splitting and raining down after it.
The camera managed to focus right on Pyro Storm as he raised his hands over his head.
And then he exploded.
Or, at least that was what it looked like. A wave of fire roared and the screen whited out. Cries of horror came from up and down the halls of the hospital. Nick’s dad grunted behind him.
But Nick stood still.
He waited.
He heard Rebecca Firestone screaming, the blades of the helicopter roaring in the background.
“Come on,” Nick muttered. “Come on. Come on.”
The white light began to fade.
Rebecca Firestone’s voice cut off.
Nick’s blood rushed in his ears.
He wasn’t sure what he was seeing at first. It looked as if the street was ablaze, fire rippling as it licked the sides of the buildings around it. For a moment, Nick thought Pyro Storm—Seth—had exploded, taking everyone with him.
But then he saw it for what it truly was.
The antenna tower hadn’t landed on the street.
It was suspended above the street, having landed on a wave of fire in the shape of a dome. Nick watched as it broke in half, sliding almost lazily down each side of the dome, leaving ripples in the blaze as if it were the surface of a lake. The two halves landed on the street on either side of the dome before they tilted and fell against the sides of buildings. They didn’t move after that.
The dome of fire dissipated.
In its center stood Pyro Storm, hand still raised above his head, chest heaving.
Around him were dozens of people, huddled on the ground. They were clinging to one another, clinging to him, holding on to his legs. Blood trickled down his arm from where he’d been hit by the tower.
Rebecca Firestone sounded strangled. “And Pyro Storm just … saved them. He could have let them die, but instead he … saved them?”
The people on the street rose slowly, looking around. When they saw the towers leaning against the buildings, they cheered, hugging one another and jumping up and down.
“Okay,” Rebecca Firestone said. “It’s not that great. He did one thing. Think about all the other times he tried to—”
Another voice came on-screen. “Uh, Rebecca? It’s Steve Davis here, back at the Action News desk. Can you please tell us what you’re seeing?”
“Yes. What I’m seeing is that Shadow Star tried to save the day, but he instead made an honest mistake, and there are people dancing in the streets because they weren’t crushed. Some woman is trying to get Pyro Storm to hold her baby so she can take a picture! Doesn’t she know that Pyro Storm most likely eats babies and—”