Heat in the Night

Slamfist was making his usual nightly rounds throughout New Orleans. Jumping from building to building he had a perfect view of the city below. He didn't see much this night, other than a few muggings he had already stopped. Off in the distance he saw smoke looming over the horizon, "A fire, eh. Not quite as exciting as a crime but at least I can do this one outside of my costume."

Slam leaped forward, landing in an alleyway about 30 yards from the building. He clanged his fists together, causing his arm coverings to fold into his rings. He slipped on a t-shirt and took off towards the building. An apartment building, no less, 10 stories tall. "Lots of people inside." Ed smiled, "More of a challenge I suppose."

The fire raged, so much heat ratiated that the windows in nearby buildings were warped and charred. People watched worriedly from a safe distance, down the street Ed saw a fire truck making it's way there. "Better get inside before they slow me down."

Ed ran at the door, shattering the weakened frame like it was toothpicks. Ed smashed each door on the bottom floor with little more than a small kick. He hurried the remaining tenants from their burning homes before making his way higher. This floor was the same, though far more smoke. Fire probably started on the first floor, gonna be more smoke farther I go, gotta expect some deaths.

Ed continued further up, preparing himself mentally for the likely body count.

Macie watched the building burn from across the street, perched on the roof of the bank, trying to decide whether it was worth it. "Might as well.." She muttered to herself, swinging over the side, landing lightly on the side walk, safely behind passers-by.

Moving in a semi-circle around the incoming fire trucks and gathering crowd, Macie zipped by unnoticed and to the back of the building that was steadily breaking down from the inside. Where a door should have been there was a large hole, the frame broken and in pieces. She stepped cautiously through, and moved through the bottom floor.

Every door was broken, a large hole punched through the middle, and every apartment vacant. Macie frowned. A burning building, and no fire rescue was here yet, but where were all the people? She found the stairs and quickly mounted them to the second floor, where the story was the same.

Smoke congregated in heavy clouds on the sides of this hall, a path broken through the centre by something large, possibly a human. All of a sudden, the floor beneath Macie gave way, and a huge crash emanated through the crackling and hissing of the flames. She launched herself toward the end of the hallway, catching the edge of the singed carpet beneath her fingers.

Dangling above perilous flames, Macie quickly hoisted herself up and found the next set of stairs, where she saw the cause of the smashed doors. A huge man was breaking down the doors with little more than a simple kick, rushing inside and grabbing whoever lived there.

Ed looked towards the woman ascending the stairs, "Sorry shiela, but you need to make your way down stairs."

He looked away to kick in another door. He entered the apartment and carried 3 small children out, their parents dead form aphyxiation. "Unless you feel like helping these tykes out."

"Of course." Macie flitted over to the man's side, and lifted the children without much difficulty. "Am I allowed to come back and help after these?" She didn't wait for an answer, but turned and brought them down to the edge of the building and was back a couple of seconds later.

Ed was taken aback by the woman's strength and speed. Working through his shock Ed was finally able to speak.

"I could use the help getting people off the top floors in a hurry."

"Okay." Macie made her way past crumbling beams and the flames licking the supports and floor to the next set of stairs, hurriedly kicking locks and handles of the next level, giving them access to homes and people. She threw an unconscious man over her shoulder, and picked his daughter up in her arms.

"I don't have that much strength," Macie said, noting the load the man was carrying, "But I can bring a few down at a time."

"Sounds good. I can get them all out of their rooms, I just need you to get anyone unconscious or injured out of the building."

Ed hit another door with his shoulder, splintering it. He rushed the people out into the hallway and down the stairs, warning them all the while to be careful of the weakened floors. No bodies in this room at least.

Macie took in the people making their way to the floor below, spotting a few injured and bringing them to the ambulances that were screaming their way through the growing crowd. She helped the people the man ushered to the gap above down, catching and pushing them down to the used to be door, telling them to go around front and get medical attention. When no one else came, Macie took a few tries to reach the edge of the gap with her hands, jumping up and missing several of them, but finally hoisting herself up and finding the man.

"Is that everyone?"

"All but the last floor shiela." As he made his way up stairs Ed spoke to the woman again, "I never got your name Miss..."

"Macie," Macie said, following him up the last set of stairs. "And you are?" The man looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Almost like he was famous, but then again, Macie could be imagining things.

Ed flashed a smile at Macie, showing off his flawless smile.
"Eduard, Eduard Leifsson. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who cares in this big city. There aren't many people who are gonna run in to a burning building without the proper equipment. Though I could tell you're not completely unaided..."
Ed reached the top of the stairs, the roof had caved into the hallway blocking off the doors to the last apartments. Ed reached down to just lift the steel girders, but remembered that Macie was still there. Though he knew she had powers from her earlier stunt, he wasn't gonna give himself away, just in case. He instead went for the largest piece that wouldn't raise questions when he lifted it, which was still very large.
"Help me out here if you would shiela."

She gave a hesitant smile back. 'That's why I recognised him..' Macie thought, raising an eyebrow when he changed his mind about what he was going to lift, but didn't say anything. Instead, she was by his side in a instant, hands gripping the chunk of roof. "Just tell me when."

"I'm ready." The duo lifted the slab of roof. He found it actually took more effort to act weaker than to actually lift it. "Let's get to work shiela."

The two of them cleared all of the rubble they could, working together to lift and move the pieces of the fallen roof. "I think that's good, don't you?" Macie asked, standing back, hands on hips, wiping the light sheen of sweat from the physical exertion off of her brow. The heavy steel girders were still down, blocking the hallway, but there seemed to be enough space to get through.

Ed could here people screaming from the rooms. True they could now move but the back few rooms were unreachable. "Fuck it!", Ed shouted in frustration.

Ed reached down and grabbed the mass of steel girders in his left hand. He lifted the hot metal from the ground and threw it lazily. They fell with a large splash, landing in the Gulf about 20 miles or so away.

Ed didn't care at this point, saving these people was far more important than someone knowing he was a superhuman. Ed started kicking doors in and rushing people out.