Ablaze {Marvel} ||2||

23. Malfunction

I picked my head up, and people started to scream, scattering for cover in nearby buildings. I recognized the man with the slightly darker complexion, with that permanent frown on his face. It looked more like a growl now.

My eyes widened, and I slowly stood up. My breaths rattled. No, I hadn't been hit. But seeing what this man could do, that's what had me scared.

His hands were on fire.

Beside him, the second man, the one with the cocky look on his face, came to stand beside his comrade. He, too, had his hands on fire. Neither of them screamed in pain. Odin's beard...

It was like the showdown you saw at the movies: the heroes versus the villains. I wasn't sure how epic this showdown was going to be, though.

I barely flinched at hearing the zip of an arrow fly by me. One of the guys incinerated the arrow. We weren't dealing with beginners, or your Average Joes. We were dealing with people along the lines of me. It was hard to tell if they were Asgardian or not, though, at first glance.

I shot to my right as another fireball came my way. I dove, nearly knocking myself unconscious as my head came dangerously close to hitting the back bumper of a nearby car. Slightly ahead, I heard gunfire ring out. No doubt that was Natasha.

"Kiara!" I heard Nat yell over the loud exchange. "Move in! I've got you covered!"

Quickly, I scurried on all fours on the sidewalk, finding Natasha's position. I rose to a crouch, slinking past her. Both guys were occupied with one side each. I shot out into the open, calling fire to my hand.

Only...the fire didn't come.

I looked down in horror. No, no. Come on! I tried summoning it again. It didn't work. Oh no. I looked up, twisting to my right when I saw a rocketing fireball come my way.

Gritting my teeth, I went reckless and ran for the one guy. I did some fancy maneuvers to dodge his fire power, and then with a push, I leapt into the air, landing in the middle of them, slamming my fist down into the street.

The impact wasn't as powerful as if Thor had struck it with Mjolnir. It was enough to throw the men off their feet and create cracks in the street. Both men flew, landing at two separate buildings. I shook my hand a little bit. Though I was stronger than a human, that still hurt.

The first one that took off into one of the buildings was the one I pursued. I heard someone on my heels—either Clint or Natasha, I wasn't sure.

The building interior was dark, the only thing guiding my way was the small fireball bouncing in the dark. How is it that they have fire power, but I can't get mine to respond?

I tried to not yelp when I bumped into things or tripped. But halfway through my pursuit, the fireball disappeared, plunging me further into the dark. I tried to summon my fire again, but nothing came. Damn it. Come on. Sighing through my nose irritably, I had to continue in the dark, alone.

I spun around, seeing no source for light anywhere. Gingerly, I threw my hands out in front of me, trying to figure out what was around me.

When I hit flesh, I knew I'd hit trouble.

I kicked out, jumping back, as the fireball came back into play. It didn't get thrown at me, it instead went up above as light for our match. The man who didn't look as though he'd smiled once in his life was my opponent. I moved the kinks out of my neck while he circled like a preying carnivore.