The air in the barren quarry outside Gotham shimmered, distorted by a heat so intense it turned the surrounding silence into a low-frequency hum. At the center of the scorched earth stood a creature of living magma and tectonic plate armor. Devin, currently Heatblast, wore an excited grin as he finally used one of his favorite aliens. Since waking up in this world, Devin hadn't been able to use this transformation since it would draw too much attention. If he accidentally started a fire in the warehouse he was hiding in, it would possibly draw the attention of Batman, which was something he didn't want.
No, not possibly. Definitely draw the attention of Batman. A fire in a seemingly abandoned warehouse? Who wouldn't be curious about that?
This is why Devin found this location outside of Gotham. There were no prying eyes, and he was far away from any populated areas. Not only that, but there was nothing in the vicinity that could catch fire, which made it the ideal location for him to test out more of his powers.
Devin surveyed the surroundings as he looked at his work. So far, he's done the most basic of pyrokinetic attacks like fireball or fire blast.
"Let's try something a little more advanced." He rumbled, his voice a crackling hearth. He brought his hands together and moved them in a circular motion when a flame appeared. The fire, obedient to his will, flattened into a disk-like shape, its surface rolling with contained power.
Looking at a standing rock formation, Devin grinned before hurling the fiery disk at it. The searing disk cleaved the stone at an angle, causing the top to fall off. The place of the slash was so hot it turned to lava before finally cooling and changing to obsidian.
Devin grinned excitedly after seeing the result.
"I'm getting a little fired up now." he quipped before moving on to the next one. Calling on the power within him, Devin raised his hands towards another boulder.
WHOOSH
A stream of fire erupted from his hands and engulfed the rock. The flames were hot but not hot enough to damage the stone.
Concentrating, Devin willed his flames to compress.
SSSSSHHH
The roaring flames thinned, becoming a searing beam of pure heat capable of piercing through the solid stone.
Devin ceased his attack and showed a satisfied smile as he was getting the hang of this quicker than he thought.
Looking up at the sky, Devin wore an excited expression. As if responding to his thoughts, the flames on his head glowed brighter as they increased in temperature. Even where he was standing started to turn into lava.
"Okay, let's do this." He said, trying to calm his excitement.
Looking up, he pointed his hands towards the ground and focused. In the next moment, flames erupted from his hands and his feet left the ground as he was propelled upward.
"Woohoo!" Devin shouted excitedly in astonishment as he shot off the ground. While he had flown before as Ghost Freak, it was different because that species had no legs and floated naturally. Now that he was Heatblast, he could finally understand what it felt like to fly.
It felt like freedom. There was simply no other way to describe it.
Just as Devin was reveling in this feeling, it quickly disappeared when he lost propulsion and began falling to the ground. He screamed and tried to will fire to shoot from his hands to slow his descent, but the spinning made his emotions too chaotic to focus on his powers.
THUD
Devin hit the ground and tumbled across it.
"Ug." Devin groaned in pain as he sat up.
"Ok, not exactly how I picture my first flight test going." He said, a bit embarrassed, and rubbed his head sheepishly.
While he allowed his body to recover, he tried remembering how Ben would fly using this transformation. The will to control fire usually came with the ability to fly.
Now how was he supposed to do it?
Suddenly, Devin's eyes widened in realization as a memory surfaced. A memory from Alien Force of Ben teaching a young half-pyronite to fly.
"That's it!" Devin sprang up, surprised he didn't remember it sooner.
Getting into a ready stance, Devin focused his attention on the ground around him. Searing beams of flames shot from his hands and pierced the ground. He wasn't stationary and rotated his body with the flames still going. There was quickly a ring of fire and molten rock on the ground around him. When it was complete, Devin felt a change. Something that hadn't been there before. He closed his eyes and focused.
Calling on this feeling, he felt the ground below him tremble. He didn't lose focus, as he didn't want to mess this up.
RUMBLE
CRACK
Suddenly, he felt himself elevating even though he was still touching the ground.
Wanting to maintain focus, Devin opened one of his eyes so he could hold on to this feeling. Both eyes quickly shot open in shock when he realized the rock he was standing on was floating off the ground. The rock itself was on fire, covered in the flames he created.
Controlling his excitement so as not to fall like the last time, Devin willed the rock he was standing on to move in one direction while still being close to the earth. The rock imbued with his flames obeyed his thoughts. Devin couldn't help but feel giddy. He felt like a child in an amusement park.
Deciding to go a bit faster, Devin lowered his body and leaned forward as a surfer would do on a surfboard. Flames trailed behind him as his speed increased.
"Let's take it up a notch." Devin spoke. His tone was full of exhilaration as his altitude increased. He was so lost in the thrill that he didn't care that he was more than 100ft off the ground.
Feeling confident in his progress so far, Devin increased his velocity. In no time, he was soaring through the sky with flames trailing behind him.
An expression of intoxicating bliss filled his face as he surrendered to the freedom of flight. He felt weightless and unbound by the earthly troubles. In this moment, he felt he could let go of everything.
Devin allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of flying and would do all sorts of maneuvers. Loops, rolls, and turns.
Before deciding to land, he got an idea. Grinning in excitement, Devin began moving with purpose in specific directions. Flames trailed behind him as he harbored the ambition of inscribing a message, or rather a symbol, in the heavens.
When he finished, he moved to the front of his creation to see the results. When he stopped, his eyes widened show let out an embarrassed chuckle when he saw it.
What he saw was the Fantastic Four logo, but it was a jumbled mess. The circle of the logo was too wide in some areas, and some lines were too long.
"Well… first time for everything." He said sheepishly. "Johnny Storm made it look so easy."
Devin soon landed on the ground, and his landing was better than he expected. He initially expected himself to crash towards the ground like last time, but with the rock he was flying on under his control, the landing was smooth.
When he hopped off the rock, the flames that had been covering it had dissipated. It was scorched black and hot to the touch.
Changing forms, Devin became a velociraptor-like creature with a blue and black striped tail and rollers under his feet. XLR8.
"Time to go back home." he rasped before his visor slid over his face.
VWOOSH
He dashed at super speed, leaving behind a black and blue blur.
---
On the shores of Devin's hideout, the water stirred before a creature walked out of the water. Devin, currently as Ripjaws, walked onto the shore and out of the water. After making it to the water where he was, he went from XLR8 to Ripjaws since a speedster would be kinda obvious when entering Gotham. Entering through the water was his best option to stay hidden. He could've turned into Ghost Freak, but he didn't feel like flying such a long distance.
"That water is disgusting." Devin complained in a deep and guttural tone. Since water was RipJaws' natural habitat, he could tell the difference between clean and polluted water. Gotham's water was a soup of industrial runoff and discarded secrets.
He wanted to ask why the water was so polluted, but he already knew the answer. It's because this is Gotham. The last city anyone would choose to live in if they had an option. Because of the corrupt businesses, the waste was dumped into the water.
Changing back to human, Devin walked on the wet ground towards his warehouse hideout. Opening the door, he showed a satisfied smile at the changed interior. It had been 2 weeks since he woke up in the world. After getting a lay of the land, he decided it was time to clean up his hideout.
When he first discovered this warehouse, the floor of the interior was covered in dirt, leaves, and trash that had drifted in over the years. Now, the floor was free from the litter that plagued it. The size of the warehouse was about 15,000 square ft. Cleaning it would've been an arduous task if Devin did it by standard means. Which is why he got creative.
Scuttling on the ground were dozens of palm-sized drones. Some had brushes for sweeping the dust that had covered the floor for many years, while others had claws that picked up trash that had been blown in by the wind.
This was accomplished by the intellect of Grey Matter and the tech integration of Upgrade. Devin systematically and strategically built these from scrap and discarded technology he obtained from the junkyard. They weren't top of the line, but they got the job done.
On one side of the warehouse were the unused steel beams that had been sitting in the warehouse for many years. They were neatly stacked, and Devin decided to keep them because he believed they would come in handy one day.
Devin sat down on a couch and relaxed. It was a well-designed couch that was very comfortable. He… acquired it from a furniture store.
He didn't steal it per se. What he did was wait until it closed before sneaking in as Ghost Freak. Before poking around, he hacked the security cameras to play a loop so he wouldn't be seen. When he found the couch that seemed just right, he used his invisibility and intangibility to sneak it out. Of course, not before leaving the payment.
Devin pulled out a phone. If anyone were to see it, they would say it was the most advanced cellular device they had ever seen. The current year was 2007. In terms of cellphones, most devices people used were flip phones and still had buttons that needed to be pushed. Devin's phone was a device that was equipped with a cutting-edge, high-resolution screen, which functioned as a sophisticated multi-touch interface for seamless interaction.
During his junkyard run, he found a few phones and realized he himself needed one. With the use of Upgrade, he was able to create the phone of his imagination. Grey Matter made it so he could get top-quality service, which meant he didn't have to pay.
Devin relaxed on the couch as he scrolled through his phone. He would look at entertaining videos while occasionally looking at news about the heroes.
After relaxing for a bit, he decided to go for a walk even though it was starting to get late. He needed to get out more and not spend so much time in his hideout.
---
Devin currently walked through the streets of Gotham under the night sky. He noticed the lack of activity that would normally be at night. Even though the sun had set, the darkness was eerie.
He wasn't surprised by this because this was Gotham and crime was highly likely to occur at night.
Devin moved with confidence. As if he wasn't afraid of what could come at him during this hour. The reason why was that under Devin's clothes was skin covered in steel. Before setting out, Devin had removed everything but his underwear and used his power to cover everything except his head in steel. Knowing the dangers at night, he felt this was a necessary precaution.
As he walked, he would notice some people sitting in alleys with expressions of defeat and desperation. He showed a pitiful expression because he knew what they were feeling. The feeling of having lost everything. Like the world was suddenly against them.
Devin, having lost his family in both lives, understood that feeling. When he lost everything, he lost the will to stand back up.
He wondered if maybe there was someone there for him, or maybe if he had the strength to stand, he probably wouldn't have died with so much regret. He pondered that same question to the same people who reminded him of himself.
He then thought about the heroes and how they spend their efforts fighting injustice. They spend all their time fighting the big guys, and they never think about what the little guy needs.
The Justice League may save the world again and again, but do they try to fix it?
With dozens of heroes that have many extraordinary abilities, they could solve the world's problems. Hunger, polar icecaps, trash in the ocean, etc.
Devin let out a breath when he noticed he was starting to get frustrated.
"There's no point in thinking about stuff I can't control." He said while continuing his stroll.
After a while, Devin decided it was time to go back.
WEE… WOO… WEE… WOO…
Suddenly, he heard the wailing sound of police sirens in the opposite direction. He initially thought about just heading home and letting Gotham's police department handle it, but something wasn't feeling right, as if his instincts were telling him to investigate. Driven by curiosity and this gut feeling, he followed the sirens to their source.
---
It didn't take long before Devin arrived at the scene. Three police cars with their lights flashing were parked in front of what looked to be an expensive house.
Standing outside were three individuals. A man and a woman Devin guessed to be the owners, while the third was a male police officer. He concluded the other police officers were inside since he didn't see them.
Devin noticed how the woman was crying while holding onto the person who was likely her husband. The husband wore an expression of held-back anxiety and frustration as he tried to comfort his wife.
Because Devin was far away, he couldn't hear what the police officer was saying to them. Curious, Devin receded his armor before turning into Ghost Freak. He turned invisible and floated to them to get a grasp on the situation.
The three individuals were unaware that a ghost was floating only a few inches away from them and listening in on their conversation.
"W-Where's my daughter?" the mother asked in a trembling tone, trying to hold back her tears.
"We aren't sure yet, Mrs. Johnson." The officer, whose name was Joseph Williams, replied in a calm tone. "We're doing everything we can to find her and the person who kidnapped her."
"How long before is going to be before you finally find my daughter?" The father asked, his voice calm, but anyone could tell he was holding back suppressed rage.
Before the officer could answer, the others came out of the house. Two women and a male. Devin noticed how one of the female officers was clutching a small black phone.
"Officer Williams." A female officer called to him. "We found something." She handed him the phone that had a note attached to it.
Officer Williams read the content of the note.
'If you want to see your daughter again, you'll wire 500,000 dollars to this account provided. You have 48 hours.'
At that moment, the phone buzzed with a notification. Checking the message, everyone's eyes widened in shock and anger when they saw a photo of a girl with blonde hair who looked to be no more than 8 years old and was locked in a cage.
"My baby!" Mrs. Johnson cried when she saw the picture.
Mr. Johnson clenched his fist in anger because not only was his daughter kidnapped, but she was being held for ransom.
"Where is this bastard?!" he shouted, his anger breaking through.
"Mr. Johnson, please try to stay calm." Williams said in a calm and firm tone. "I understand that this is difficult to process, but know that we will do everything in our power to find your daughter."
Mr. Johnson went silent because he knew anger wasn't going to help in the situation. All he could do was leave it to the police and try to gather the money that was demanded.
Little did anyone know that someone was already on the case. The moment Devin saw the picture of the innocent child being detained, he sprang into action. Seeing her scared expression, Devin knew he had to do something. He knew what it felt like to be separated from one's parents, and he didn't want to wish that on anyone.
He made it his mission to find the girl and get her home back to her parents.
Still as Ghost Freak, Devin floated undetected in the house. He passed through the walls to find the girl's room more quickly.
It wasn't long before he finally found the room. It was a decently sized room and was very girly with unicorns and princesses plastered on the wall. Looking outside the room, Devin surveyed the area before moving on to the next step.
He changed forms. Ectoplasm was replaced by orange fur. He was now Wildmutt. His plan was simple: to use the girl's scent to locate her. His gill-like nostrils twitched as he smelled the air.
His senses instantly picked up something. He could smell two distinct scents. One was floral and had been in this house for a long time, while the other was musty and sweaty. It was obvious which was which.
Devin followed the musty scent, which led him to an open window of the room. He noticed something was hanging on the windowsill. After grabbing it, he recognized its texture as cloth. He decided to take it with him just in case. He also took the girl's pillowcase before tying it around his arm. There was a chance that he would transform again. It would be bad if he lost the scent when he was just getting close.
Jumping out the window, which was fortunately on the side of the house, Devin landed gracefully before following the scent of the girl. He hid in the shadows to avoid being seen. He hopped from building to building, determined to find the girl.
---
In a building with broken windows, a sign that showed it had long since been abandoned, there was a weeping girl in a cage.
Her name was Alice Johnson.
The last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her room not long after her parents tucked her in. When she woke up, she didn't feel the comfort of her bed or her parents waking her up like usual. What she felt was the hard floor and the coolness of metal. She looked around and immediately recognized that she wasn't in her room. This revelation terrified her, and she instinctively cried for help.
Unfortunately, the building was abandoned, and no one had come near it for years.
The silence was deafening, and all Alice could do was cry, wanting her Mom and Dad to come save her.
"Mommy. Daddy. Please save me." She wept, tears streaming down her face. She had been whimpering for her parents for what felt like hours.
The constant crying was starting to affect her, making her feel exhausted. Just as her body was about to succumb…
CRASH
Her eyes shot open at the sudden loud noise.
Looking at the source, her eyes widened in terror when she saw a large orange dog-like monster. She screamed, and her body trembled when the monster moved its eyeless head around before settling in her direction and walking towards her.
When it got to the cage, it ripped the locked door off with ease.
Alice cried for help, not wanting to be eaten by the monster. She backed herself into the corner of the cage and shouted for it to get away from her.
She covered her face with her arm. A useless way of protecting herself from this monster. She waited for the inevitable.
She waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Yet, nothing happened.
Curious, she allowed herself to lower her defenses. When she uncovered her face, she was shocked when she saw the orange dog not entering the cage and was just standing there. What surprised her even more was that the creature was waving at her.
Fear gave way to curiosity, and Alice waved back at it. She wasn't sure how, but she believed the creature was smiling at her.
It moved back and gave her some space. Alice, feeling more at ease, slowly approached the exit of her cage. Once she exited, a wave of relief washed over her as she was finally given space to move.
"Doggy." She looked at the orange eyeless dog with gratitude as she understood that it wasn't going to hurt her. Hesitantly, she moved closer to it with her palm raised. Its teeth were scary, but that didn't deter her.
Once her hand rested on its head, she could feel how rough its fur was. She found it strange that it didn't have eyes and wondered how it could see.
Before Alice could delve into this curiosity, she felt herself being picked up. Just when fear was about to take her, she soon found herself on the creature's back.
"W-what are you doing?" she asked in a trembling tone and instinctively clutched its fur so she wouldn't fall off.
In response, the creature slowly ran out of the abandoned building so the child on its back wouldn't fall off. Alice clung to its fur tightly and pressed her body closer to it for assurance.
---
It wasn't long before Devin made it to his destination as he discreetly moved through the city with Alice on his back.
Hiding behind a bush, Devin lowered himself to allow Alice to get off his back. Alice was momentarily confused at their abrupt stop and looked around. The moment she saw her house, her eyes watered in joy and relief.
She ran to her house, eager to see her parents. She came to a stop and ran back to the strange dog that saved her.
"Thank you, doggy." she said gratefully as she wrapped her arms around its neck.
Devin, currently as Wildmutt, smiled before patting Alice on the back.
Alice broke the hug and smiled at the strange dog before finally heading to the door of her house. When she knocked, it was only a few seconds before the door opened. The moment her father saw her, he knelt and held her tightly. It wasn't long before her mother appeared, and she too embraced her.
"Alice!" Her mother said through tears of joy.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Tears streamed down Alice's face as she was finally reunited with her parents.
"How did you get home?" her father asked before looking at the surroundings for any sign of a person.
"An orange doggy brought me home, Daddy!" Alice said excitedly.
"An orange dog?" Both parents said in confusion.
"Yeah!" Alice replied eagerly. "It was very big." She stretched out her arms, trying to emphasize its size. "And it didn't have any eyes."
"Here, I'll show you." She grabbed her parents' arms, eager to show them. Her parents were wary but also curious to see what brought their daughter home.
Alice took them to the bush where it should've been hiding, but to her surprise, it was gone.
"Doggy, where are you?!" Alice called out, hoping her friend was here.
"Well… It seemed your friend left, Alice." Her father said after not seeing the 'dog' they were told about.
"But he was here!" Alice proclaimed. "He brought me home."
"We believe you, sweetheart." Her mother reassured. "He probably had to leave. Maybe even had a family to get back to."
"I really wanted you to meet him." Alice said, a bit downcast. "I wanted you to meet the one who saved me."
"Wherever he is…" Her father spoke and patted her head. "I'm grateful he brought you back home."
The family turned around and walked back to the house.
Unbeknownst to them, a figure was floating invisibly where they had just been.
After Devin saw Alice knock on the door, he immediately turned into Ghost Freak because his job was done and he didn't want to be seen.
Seeing the little girl reunited with her parents filled him with a sense of joy and accomplishment. The pure smiles of relief on their faces made him happy. This family wasn't torn apart and could go back to normal.
With this part of his mission completed, Devin floated away with a peaceful look in his one purple eye. Now, there was only one thing left to do.