Captain Blaze

"Hands up!  Step away from the cargo."  With a simple point of my finger, my powers coalesced into a bright spotlight that shone down on the shipping container.  "U.S. Government" was emblazoned on the side, along with a variety of Hazmat symbols.  Military men lay around it, unconscious, or worse.  A smell of ozone and gunpowder filled my lungs.  Part of the container had a large hole neatly bored into it, and standing just inside was the hunched figure of a man in a trench coat.

"Captain Blaze…" The voice was dripping with evil.  As the figure turned, he brought a hand up to block the light, but I could still recognize the unmistakable figure of my arch nemesis.

"Hollow Point," I said with a sneer.  "You've outdone yourself this time.  Come quietly and I'm sure I can convince the DA to give you a lighter sentence."

"You don't understand!" he said and backed away.  The flak jacket and weapons he wore disappeared into the darkness of the container.  "I need to take this!"

I had a feeling he wouldn't come with me.  My feet lifted off the ground and I swiftly flew to the top of the container.  "Have it your way," I said and reached down to touch the metal top.  A moment later, and I could feel the energy rushing into my hands, heating them up to the point that they glowed white and sank into the melting metal.  Then they cooled as I gripped tightly, ready to lift the shipping container off the ground.

But I never had the chance.  It rocked a little and Hollow Point jumped out.  His coat had been thrown off, revealing a metal exoskeleton.  "Nice try, Blaze.  But this time I win!"  In the dim light of the streetlamps overhead, I could just make out a box in his arms.

I recalled when General Hauser approached me earlier that week about the transport.  They'd been expecting someone to attack it and wanted my assistance.

"It's a new type of hydrocarbon detector.  It can find oil deeper than ever, over a larger area, and with greater accuracy.  This could single-handedly solve American's fuel crisis for the next hundred years."

"And you're worried someone will want to steal it?" I asked.  The harsh light overhead hurt my eyes as I tried to look into the General's face.  I felt more like I was being interrogated than debriefed.

The general leaned over the white table, placing his hands on it as he glared at me.  "These detectors use a highly radioactive source to work.  If they fell into the wrong hands, there's no telling what will happen.  The military has put what resources are available to protecting this shipment, but you and I both know how hard it is to stop a Super.  All of our Supers are engaged overseas, so we need you, Captain Blaze.  America needs you."

"I'm here for America."

Blaze was moving fast.  It was no wonder the soldiers were down; they wouldn't stand a chance against an ambush at that speed.  I tried to fly after him, but the moment my hands left the container, an explosion rocked it and bent metal in sharp curls.  I came to my senses a few seconds later with a sliver if metal in my hand.  Rage boiled over and the metal melted and fell to the ground.

"Hollow Point!" I called out and took to the air.  Sirens were sounding downtown.  In moments, I was on top of them, pointing my spotlight down on the scene below.  There was Hollow Point, caught in my own ambush.  I smirked.

A line of cars blocked his route through the street, but that wasn't what stopped him.  Behind the line of cars I had the city prepare an Electromagnetic Pulser, something I'd been working on for months.  Hollow Point lay in the street, struggling to remove the exoskeleton he had donned.  I couldn't have planned it any better.

"Darn it, Blaze!  Let me go!  These things are dangerous and I can't let them-"

"Save it, Hollow."  I descended slowly next to him.  He had dropped the box and was even having trouble lifting his own arms.  The only thing he could reach was a blow torch, which I'm sure he used on the container.  "These detectors are going back to their owners."  I picked up the box carefully, but it was indeed heavy.  Too heavy.  It slipped from my grasp as pain shot through my wounded hand.  The lid slid off and Hollow Point winced.

"What is this?" I asked, peering into the box.