Yin and Yang [A Superhero AU] - Book Three

Chapter Thirty-Four - Stage Three

Phil sits in the break room at Curatrix, swirling a mug of coffee with disinterest. Ken, Felix, and Mark sit on the couches and chairs around him, saying nothing. Felix stares at the wall and picks at his fingernails, blue eyes dull. There hasn't been much light or life in the Swede's eyes since Marzia's death. It's as if he's on autopilot. Mark glances at Felix and then makes eye contact with Ken, helplessness obvious in his expression. There's nothing they can do and they know it. Phil sighs without realizing it and sips his coffee, which is lukewarm verging on cold. He grimaces and sets the mug aside. He's spent so long worrying about Dan that he forgot to drink his coffee while it was hot.

"Phil, you okay?" Ken asks.

The Brit's gaze snaps towards him and he nods, but it's unconvincing. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He doesn't need to say a word. Phil knows from just his expression that he doesn't believe him. He doesn't push it, thankfully, and Phil returns to his thoughts of Dan. If he can just get through the day, he can see the villain again. He can manage that, right?

"Mark! Mark!" Matthias yells from the hallway. "Mark!"

The red-haired hero raises an eyebrow and stands, leaving the room. "What?"

Matthias and Mark's conversation grows farther away, words muffled by walls and closed doors. Phil listens to the muted, indistinguishable conversation for a while before standing, prepared to pour himself a fresh cup of coffee. Before he can do this, however, an alarm sounds through the building. Immediately, Ken, Felix, and Phil are on their feet and racing outside. Phil fumbles with his earpiece, cramming it into place as he goes. Police cars already wait out front and the heroes jump into them, their sirens wailing. Mark slides in beside Phil and the cars race off.

"What's going on?" Phil demands.

"The government buildings just got blown up," Matthias replies through his earpiece.

The police cars arrive at the scene of the crime and screech to a stop, their tires bumping over pieces of rubble. Phil watches, gut churning, as flames engulf what remains of the buildings and injured people stumble away from the wreck, sobbing and screaming. Smoke and dust choke the air and make it hard to breathe.

"The death toll is rising," Matthias says. "Those bastards decided to strike while work was in session."

Phil stumbles out of the car, the scent of fire and blood immediately assaulting him. He covers his nose and grimaces, eyes watering.

"All of you, find survivors. Only engage the villains if you have to," Matthias orders.

Despite how badly he wants to find Dan, Phil goes instead to the injured people that have managed to carry themselves and one another out. A man sits on the ground nearby and wails, blood trickling from a gash in his head, and Phil goes to him first. He kneels beside him and closes the wound on his head with healing water, smiling gently at his patient. The man watches him, gratitude flooding every feature.

"Thank you," he chokes out.

"You're welcome," Phil replies as he straightens up.

He heals a few more people before pausing, the building nearby creaking dangerously. Mark emerges from the entrance with two people, followed by Ken and Felix with three. As they step onto the street, the building groans and finally collapses, sending a flood of dust and ash into the atmosphere.

The heroes grimace and settle the survivors down, Phil jumping into action. He heals one after the other, feeling surprisingly good for how much he's done already. Usually he has a headache by now. Today, it's too faint for him to even care.

Fresh screams jolt him out of his focus and he stands, his heart stopping. Both the anti-heroes and villains have made themselves known by knocking people over and engaging in combat, and Phil tries not to yell for Dan. He can see him emerging from the shadows with blazing hands, and they lock eyes for a moment.

I'm sorry, Dan mouths. Phil nods and the villain manages the smallest, weakest of smiles before running off. The hero watches him go, and as he turns he gets knocked down by a punch to the face. He falls to the ground and scrambles to recover, turning around to see Stephanie standing above him. He pulls himself to his feet and she grabs him by the suit collar, backing him against the nearest wall. He struggles, but she's strong and he's just not aggressive enough. His back hits the brick behind him forcefully and he gasps, the wind knocked from him.

"Those cars are gonna blow!" Matthias yells into his ear.

Phil throws a punch and Stephanie deflects it, grabbing his wrist and pinning it against the wall. Pain rockets up his arm and he bites back a yell, the brick cutting into his skin. His body reacts instantly, water enveloping his wrist and healing the cuts. Stephanie doesn't seem to notice as she throws another punch, and Phil manages to deflect this one with his free hand.

"Stop," she demands, and in an instant Phil can't control his own body. His muscles grow rigid and Stephanie takes him under her control, forcing him to back against the wall and stay there.

Then, a car explodes and Stephanie is knocked off her feet. Her control is broken and Phil nearly crumples, balancing himself against the wall. Several more cars blow up one after the other, sending a wave of heat and hot metal flying. The heroes pick themselves up after the explosions stop, backing away from the carnage that the cars caused. The bodies of the people who were too close now lie on the street, dismembered limbs littering the pavement in pools of blood. Phil gags and stumbles away from Stephanie before she corners him again, his hands shaking badly. He scans the street for Dan and breathes a sigh of relief when he finds him standing a ways off, trembling and sweating.

He doesn't care what other people will think. He doesn't care if someone is watching. He sprints towards Dan and drags him to a secluded corner between two buildings, muting his earpiece before pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Phil," Dan breathes when they part. He cups his face in his hands and makes a strangled noise that could be a laugh, but sounds more like a sob. "Phil, I'm sorry..."

"Shh, Dan, it's okay." Phil kisses him again and then again, the second time deeper than the first. "I have to go, but I just... I love you. I love you so much. You need to know that."

"I love you too," Dan replies. "Phil, I'm so scared."

"I know. I am too. Just hang in there, okay? I'll see you tonight."

Dan nods and kisses the hero again before sprinting off. Phil does the same, returning to the street and un-muting his earpiece. He heals a few more people before military helicopters lower to the ground, blades cutting the air like swords. Men in uniform hop out with guns in hand and start firing, aiming at any villains or anti-heroes they see. Phil ushers people away, eyes trained on the villains as they dodge high-speed bullets. The anti-heroes pull out their earpieces, shock written on their faces, and mouth "Bob" to each other before running off. Phil finds Dan standing a bit ahead of Jack, and as he's speaking to him his eyes find Phil's over the Irishman's shoulder.

The bullet comes out of nowhere, and one minute Phil is staring into Dan's eyes and the next, Dan is dead.