Since when were we a team? (Invite Only)

News Reporter: "A series of fires have been set all across Manhattan, all set by an unidentified arsonist. We have reason to believe the fires are set consecutively and have an established link to each other. The buildings have all been historical structures that have been in Manhattan for decades. There have been minor wounds, but no deaths have yet been reported, but the structural damage is irreplaceable. There seems to be no beneficial objective to this wanton destruction. The only question we have to ask this arsonist is, 'Why'?"

The News, a powerful agent to alert Sul to his next objective. But was this really all there was? He had somehow envisioned something more when he joined the Tough Guys. He envisioned being part of a team that grew stronger together with each battle. But so far, he has been acting Solo. No transmissions received from Pain since he obtained an earpiece that linked them together. Sul held the earpiece in one hand, and the cigarette lighter he received as a momento of the event. Something told Sul-Fury that there was something wrong about this. Could it really just be a bunch of kids desiring attention? It was a possibility, but either way, someone had to prevent more before a life was taken.

Sul stepped outside, where he had a clear view of the sky. His first objective would be to go to the latest source of the explosion, and look for a trail leading to the arsonist's next objective. That would be the best source of action to him. Bending his knees, he looked up towards his destination. Flexing his leg muscles, he leapt as hard as he could. The ground beneath him cratered as he soared into the sky. Sul couldn't fly, of course, as his body fell back towards the earth, he prepared himself for another jump towards the location of the fires in Manhattan. The latest target, being a Museum.

Sul came crashing down to earth on a long jump, knocking a few chunks of concrete up. He felt bad for being the source of 20% of New York's potholes, but emergencies required desperate actions. When he had arrived though, the fire had already been put out. Though, the look on the firemen had all seemed to be diverted to Scarletta instead of the fire. They didn't seem to be running in fear, so he deduced she wasn't the pyrofreak who started it all. Shifting his eyes to the Museum, it would be his next source to check for clues. But he had to act quickly.

Sul sprinted towards the Museum, palm outstretched as he swung the front doors open wide to reveal the crisply burned inside. Difficult to tell where the fire started, he searched around the museum for anything that can establish a link. Stepping on ashes, he had difficulty locating what triggered the fire. His eyes darted to a corner which appeared to have a bit different of a signature than a normal fire. It was a bomb, he was sure of it. He could see the shrapnel all around a circular radius. Someone pretty good with tech was behind this.

Picking up a few pieces, he couldn't make much sense of it. He wasn't exactly a neurosurgeon when it came to advanced tech. And it definitely was advanced. He just wished it could give him a better lead.

"Nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.", a southern woman's voice nearby said. His neck tensed slightly, as he restrained himself from whipping around at the sound of a second person nearby. Slowly turning his head towards her direction, it was the woman he saw earlier, outside the structure. He was slightly impressed. She didn't seem too fear his appearance at all, even though it wasn't exactly your picture perfect hero. His skin was dark grey, cold to the touch, smooth, like granite. And yet near indestructible to his opponents. His eyes glowed a saturated yellow color. This was no ordinary woman. Even a fully grown man would show fear. There was something different about her, in which he shouldn't rule out the possibility she is the arsonist. He needed to keep her nearby to rule that out.

Sul-Fury listened intently to her regarding the foreign chemical. It could be a clue, but it wasn't making any connections to him. The only logical step he had next was to wait for the next fire, and see if he can catch the arsonist before he could flee the scene. Perhaps she was more afraid than she let on, but knew better to mask how she felt. She required his name before she would introduce herself. But he didn't go by his first name anyways.

"I go by Sul-Fury. My friends call me Sul for short." he said as he rose from his stooped position. "I have a feeling he's long gone from here, but we can check the area. My guess is for our best bet to catching this guy, is wait for the next explosion in Manhattan. I think they're all linked."

She was way too difficult for Sul to read. She took a step closer to him, which was the last thing he had expected. His natural instinct made his eyes widen only for half a second in surprise. Either he was dumber than he thinks he is, or he was terrible at reading people. He blinked three times rapidly and looked aside to clear his head. But his eyes returned to meet her gaze at the mention of "The Inferno". What made him so paranoid all the time? He didn't even know himself sometimes. Could she be linked to the fires? Would she lead him on a wild goose chase while more fires continued to spread?

His chin tilted down, with a serious expression on his face. There was only one way to discover anything. He needed to watch her moves, especially if the bombs were remote triggered as she said. These fires had to stop. Her concern for others seemed genuine though. Unlike Sul, it was what was on her mind. He was concerned about the villain, getting to the root of the problem. Perhaps he had forgotten the real reason he needed to become a hero. Stopping a villain was part of the problem, but saving others was the reason.

"You're right. But I don't see any connections to these structures. Museum, three residential, two commercial, and a factory. The news reporter said they were all historical structures. Perhaps we just need to start guessing which remaining ones are next and hope we find something. If we act now, there might be a bomb waiting to go off in one. We can prevent it."

Right on queue, Scarlette pulled out her phone with a map. Sul hadn't really invested in much for himself, mostly due to the fact that he quit his job and spent his resources doing this. She moved in closer towards him, and he couldn't help but feel awkward. In nature, he was quite shy and felt uncomfortable near people. She was beautiful to the eyes, and had a unique warm personality, and only made it worse for him. If his skin wasn't already discolored, he may have blushed from embarrassment. He tried his best to move his attention to the map, where she was talking of the next possible location where they could strike a counteroffensive against the arsonist.

The Municipal building did seem logical, and quite important. Then again, it wasn't too difficult to persuade him. But her other comment about him looking at her like an alien embarrassed him even more, he couldn't take it. He directed his eyes up at nothing in particular.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize I was staring or something. You're right, let's try there." His eyes fell back down and he returned his attention at Scarlette. "If he strikes elsewhere first, we can always run there quickly and save people if needed."

Though he had given her an alternative shorter version of his hero name she decided to come up with her own. He didn't seem to mind for now, there was other priorities they needed to get to. She had seen things more scary than Sul, which in some ways he had seen the same things. When the Underworld opened up, demons flooded the earth. Big and Small. They had strength that could test his own. Ferocity that was endless. Himself, not so much. He was quite a passive, solemn person.

A familiar name had escaped her lips. The name of the man he had only met once since joining the Tough Guys. Since then, he had been working alone or with Sean. Whom he also hadn't seen in some time. Pain. Just what kind of a man was he? She seemed to have some sort of a link with him, his anxiousness got the better of him. He quickly spoke his mind as he jogged to catch up with the woman who was heading to the monumental structure.

"Whoa-wait how do you know Pain?" His eyes full of curiosity, hoping to find the answers he sought.

Listening intently on the words she spoke, hoping to learn a little more about the man known as Pain, she was suddenly cut off. At first he thought it was an attack, he quickly hovered over Scarlette and glared about for an assailant. He had seen stranger attacks before. Opponents fighting in the shadows. He further extended his arms around her to block anything incoming. Any further attacks would have to pierce his own thick skin. Looking down at her quickly, she didn't appear to be bleeding. Probably an internal wound. Just who was this woman?

"Scarlet! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Strange, he felt this concerned about a woman he had just met. Had it been the link to Pain? Or perhaps her brittle appearance, that made him concerned for her well-being. He had to act. Had to say something. He didn't know what to do. Afraid to even make contact with her, he asked a third question before she could even respond. "Do you need a doctor?"

A warm hand got placed on his arm, reassuring him of her safety. Sul backed off from the girl after he had realized that she wasn't in any danger of being harmed. 'Been meaning to go'? This wasn't something Sul would put off. Some sort of wound she received in an act of betrayal that haunted her still. Sul had encountered Chaos before, but he had never gotten a name. Their little scuffle didn't last long, and neither were really a victor. They both sort of just backed off. The villain had only faded into his subconscious like any ordinary subclass villain.

His glowing eyes slit, looking at Scarlet. No, he didn't want more explosions to occur. But he didn't want her killing herself out there either. He was getting better at being a solo artist, with all the experience he had gotten. He hadn't seen her yet display a significant amount of strength, only weakness. Yet, on the other hand, she knew more about the bombs. Without her, he had no leads.

"No, I don't. Don't push yourself if you're hurt bad, Scarlet. Carrying you to the Hospital will only give him more time. After all is done, you need to get some help. That looked serious." He hadn't been a mortal in years, but he knew what it felt like to be one. He still got injured, even with his durable skin. Yet, there were no doctors he could see. No physician that could heal him. His flesh had to mend by itself. There was no other way. Scarlet wasn't like that though. He knew she could get some help, if she wanted to.