Defrost my Heart Part Twelve: A Dark Twist!

Nitro:

Sitting across from Lady Death, the cast had been removed. Drumming my fingers on the table, her pen danced across the page of the notebook. Secrets would be spilled, our job getting that much easier on our side. Something seemed off about the situation, a sadness hanging over it.

“I don’t understand why you caved into my plea.” She sighed impatiently, her new jet black Victorian suit blocking her death auras. “Shouldn’t you hate me after all that I did to you?” Leaning back into my chair, her redemption arc rested in her hands. Fussing with my super suit, the Victorian style gave me a sense of comfort. Why couldn't people see the light from the darkest shadows?

“As if I could leave a person in need of help without it. Prove yourself today.” I pointed out simply, her pen laying down on the table. “May I see it?” Sliding the notebook over, the neat writing spoke of  need for control. Flipping through the pages while scanning each word, hope brimmed within me. Tucking it into my bag, Demonico shifted in the corner in an attempt to ease my fraying nerves. Digging around in my bag, a new steel plague doctor’s mask met my palm. Plucking it from the bag, this should hide her identity rather well. Tossing it over to her, the tracking device rested in the metal in an impossible spot to break. 

“Wear that mask anytime you leave your cell so I can track you.” I informed her briskly, her eyes narrowing for a second. “An alarm will go off and a net will capture you. Trust me, this is for the rest of the team. Trust gets earned not demanded. Am I understood?” Dropping it over her head without question, her redemption arc was set to begin. Motioning for her to follow me, her boots clicked out after me. Climbing into the front, my fuming father found his way into the passenger’s seat. Demonico slid in cautiously next to Lady Death in the back, my father clearing throat. Wondering why he had to show up, his love for me had to be the main cause.

“Where to?” He half barked and half asked nicely, his patience seeming short today. “Don’t you dare try anything on my daughter or I will kill you in two seconds. You stole my son from me.” Lifting up her mask to speak, a low growl rumbled in her throat. Please be fucking nice, damn it! 

“That wasn’t me. Hell, I liked the kid. He wasn’t even on my hit list. It was our favorite sponsor if you know what I fucking mean, Master Elements.” She hissed back harshly, her brow cocking in bitter disbelief. “Fuck, I am playing by your damn rules. Go to my latest lab.” Shooting him the address, he typed it in. A hushed silence washed over us, bitter resentment tainting the air. Shifting my attention to my father, his nervous habit of picking at his mask warned me of something else. Snapping on the radio, a morning show stole away the heavy silence. Turning the key, the engine rumbled to life. Peeling onto the road, houses became trees. Sinking into the conversation of the morning radio show hosts, a worn Victorian mansion came into view. A nervous apology stumbling from her lips, the brakes squealing to a halt a few feet from a shattered door. Getting out at the same time, the door slams had our hair blowing up. Stepping over debris, fear rounded her eyes. A floorboard creaked upon crossing the threshold, lights flickering to life. An alarm was seconds from blaring, Lady Death working real swiftly to shut it down. Dread sank into my gut, shadows of her monsters seeming to dart around the place. Why couldn't anything go easily! Screw my luck!

“Experiments ten from twenty escaped, so we will have to kill them. May I use my spikes?” She requested politely, her hands crossing in an anxious manner. “If they seem weaker, they are. Trust me when I promise you I did that on purpose. I despise my former boss with a burning passion.” Pure honesty painted the edge of her aura, my father picking up on it. Raising her hands in the air, a wall of spikes floated behind her. Smelling salt, the woman had made a point to add salt to the composition of her damn spikes. Her dedication showed, my respect for her growing ever so slightly.

“Question!” I blurted out while fumbling around for my spare saltwater bomb. “Why come off all bitchy then? We could have worked something out.” Glancing back at me, a snap of her fingers released her spikes. Pinning half of them to the wall, saltwater mists decayed them in seconds. Leaning against the wall, her eyes flitted over to the three in the corner. 

“What I have in the lab will ensure dumb dumb and your’s safety. The kid over here is going to love this. What I need from you is protection. A few escaped into the woods a couple of times. As I should know, their reproduction rate is insane. Can you do that while I fix up the solution?” She begged with her palms pressed together, a calmness coming over her features. “Cool. I will need your brilliant help, Master Elements. Only you know the formula.” Mumbling under his breath as they disappeared into the basement, wood creaked all around us. Turning my head towards Demonico, no words needed to be said. Ice crept out around me, Demonico leaping onto the back circle of ice. Skating towards the woods, shrieks echoed behind us. Praying that my father would be okay, we had to focus on the trouble at hand. A loud shit burst from my lips at the sea of glowing eyes in every inch of the forest floor, Demonico sounding like me upon his realization. Skidding to a stop, thousands of the blob-like monsters transformed into a rainbow of scaly monsters. Donning unnaturally strong armor, my chances of winning had greatly reduced. Sniffing the air, a salt water lake was about ten miles to the east. Time to protect my sidekick.

“Come and get me, you mother fuckers!” I shouted while waving my hands, Demonico shivering next to me. “Go back and guard the door.” His lips parted in protest, a swift kick sending him sliding down the ice trail. Skating with all the speed I could muster, the massive lake overtook miles and miles of the property. Attempting to skid to a stop failed, sheer horror widening my eyes. A spike blocked my path, my old man creating a wall of ice. Smashing into it, a migraine throbbed to life. Squeaking into a heap, the force of the crash had everything spinning around me. His frenzy soaked expression tripled, a tired chuckle tumbling from my lips. Orange flames exploded behind me, the strange chemical not affecting anyone within the vicinity. Screeches joined hissing, the monsters being no more. Poking at it, the material decayed into nothing. 

“What the hell was that!” I choked out, frozen blood piling up in my mask. His trembling fingers untied my mask, frozen blood clinking onto my lap. Fretting over me, Demonico tripped up to him with a medical bag in his hands. One last monster appeared behind him, one of those orange bombs hanging off of my father’s wrist. Ripping it off, a ticking noise frightened me. Tossing it clumsily into the air, a cloud of orange flames melted the damn bastard in seconds. Taking a few labored breaths, the slender hands of my father went to work on my wounds. Chatting with me to keep me alert, three pills rolled around his palm. Shit, his healing pills came to fruition. Dropping them into my mouth, they sank like rocks into my stomach. Intense pain shot through me, tissues weaving themselves back together. Lady Death made her way up to us, a golden hook ripping her heart out. Falling forward with a sincere apology, a dark energy came over the space. The appearance of one would be classified as a hero by looks alone marched into view, another golden hook tearing her body to shreds. 

“Get out.” Lady Death wheezed between strikes, her eyes darting over to my father’s. “I will hold her back for now. Save the world for me and destroy my lab on the way out.” Hating that she was beyond repair, silent tears stained my cheeks. Scooping me up, my old man skated as fast as he could go. Demonico hit the mansion with a ball of his flaming brimstone, white hot flames beginning to devour it. A golden hook smashed the car to bits, the sole choice was fighting. Cursing under my breath, the sad feeling made sense this morning. Why must I always be correct in my instincts!

“Put me down.” I snapped hotly, his reluctance pissing me off. “We have to disable her enough for her to retreat. Winning isn’t in the cards today.” Setting me down, ice mixed with brimstone. Combining our abilities into one, blue flames joining them announced Emberox’s presence. Building it up, half of the team joined him, the ball beginning to shake with instability. Throwing it in her direction, Emberox shielded me from the rainfall of debris. The energy faded away, the team van purred in the distance. Scrambling in, the lack of space felt confining if I was putting it politely. Missing Lady Death a bit, her second chance had been stolen. Sulking in the drowning sea of depression, anxiety sunk her claws into me. Heroes weren’t supposed to run, my father nudging me whipping me out of a potential panic attack. Tying my mask back on before any ice spread, negative emotions did little to help us out. 

“Hey, Lady Goldenheart is not one to take lightly.” He assured me in a comforting tone, his head bowing in shame. “She used to be my partner. Shortly after, she ditched the good guys’ side. Perhaps it stems from the loss of her son. The organization we worked for did little to compensate her.” Closing my eyes, those ocean blue eyes flashed in my mind. Chills ran down my spine, the busted look in his eyes shattering my heart into tiny little pieces. Betrayal was the worst but valid reasons behind it made the sting that much more venomous. Leaning on his shoulder, the poor guy needed his family. Draping his arm over my shoulders, a bit of the stress melted away. Pulling into the garage of the tower, his hand was dragging me to his office. Motioning for me to sit, he slammed a book of newspaper articles onto the desk. Plopping down next to me, tears became harder to fight with every passing article. Her son had fought hard in the police department, her smiling face fading after his death. Seeing the stark difference, nothing working to fix the chain of events that led us here.

“My best friend ended up killing him on purpose. If I have an inkling, he is the main guy in charge.” He pointed out simply, his finger tracing the picture. “Do you recognize him?” The president grinned back at me, his slicked back hair as silver as paper underneath me. Wrinkles creased his face now, the sixties not being so kind to him. The color drained from my cheeks, frozen sweat shattering upon the book’s page. 

“He was born without powers. Since he doesn’t have any, he keeps trying to put us in jail. Let the police do the work he says but they are as corrupt as him most of the time.” He continued in a pained tone, his mask clattering onto the desk. “He ordered that you guys get taken away from me. Families like ours were split up constantly.” A long sigh drew from my lips, the current laws protecting heroes a hell of a lot better. Thank goodness for that.

“Everyone has a right to a family.” I mumbled dejectedly, his hand rubbing my back. “Unholy hell would rain down upon him if he tried to take away my kids. How do we take him down? Maybe a collection of e-” Shaking his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

“I have tried that. Somehow it gets erased. Our hands are tied because we don’t want to become criminals but the criminals get off easier than us.” He returned with a scratch to his cheek, all of me wanting to kill this guy. “The construction part of my employment is what keeps us from jail. Policemen couldn’t handle the super strong ones. More death would befall among the cops.” Sliding deeper into my chair, an idea occurred to me. 

“What if we promise Lady Goldenheart a chance at getting legal revenge?” I suggested with an excited grin underneath my mask. “Surely, she would j-” Scratching at his face, a panic attack was well on its way with him. 

“How the hell would she listen to you if she won’t listen to me?” He pointed out shakily, my hand bringing his hand down to his lap. “You may have a silver tongue but hers is made of gold.” Tapping my chin, the opportunity had to be somewhere. Snapping my fingers, the answer was in front of us. 

“Have her be a double agent! We share enough of our secrets to please them in order to get all the information that we need.” I blurted out while popping to my feet, the floor creaking with every pace back and forth. “Knowledge is power after all. Besides, she gets paid on both sides. Compensation, right? Tell her that I will make her an ice sculpture of her son.” A bemused grin illuminated his features, his wheels turning at a matching speed. Popping to his feet, his hands landed on his hips. Yes, he was fucking excited!

“I can try to arrange a meeting with her. Be ready with those offers. Off you go.” He sang gleefully, his hand waving me out of the office. “Relax for now and enjoy your family. Grandpa will be out in a few minutes.” Stepping out of his office, an ice petal crunched underneath my boot. Curiosity peaked in my heart, every footfall bringing me to the rooftop. Emberox sat on one knee, a velvet box bouncing in his quivering hands. 

“Nitro, your heart cools down my fire.” He stammered nervously, my mask hitting the concrete to reveal my real smile. “Without you, I am a, um, lonely guy who suffers in the shadows. From the day I met you all those years ago, my dream was to wed you. Our children wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Please marry me!” The way he blurted out the last sentence melted my heart, time slowing down. Opening up the box, my mother’s ring stole my breath away. Presenting him my hand, an honest yes burst from my lips. Sliding it on with relief written all over his face, the future never looked so warm. Popping to his feet, he spun me around. Steam curled into the air, his feverish kisses causing scarlet to paint my cheeks. Lowering me down, his arms slid down to the small of my waist. 

“It’s about time.” I joked lightly, his face scrunching up as I poked his nose. “How about we celebrate with ev-” Cheers erupted around us, the rest of the employees coming out while clapping. My father waved at me with the twins in my arms, our other kids smashing into my legs. Flower petals of all kinds drifted through the air, Emberox bending down to pick up my mask. Tying it back on, his fingers intertwined with mine, a raise over our heads announcing his pride in the moment. 

“I did it, guys! We are going to be a family on paper!” He wept openly, steam curling around us. “Thank you for the wishes. Meet me in the dining room for a celebration feast.” Exiting with happy murmurs, my father waved our other kids over. Bouncing out after him, his thumb up for Emberox made his day. 

“Would you look at that? Everyone seems to like you, Miss Nitro!” He teased playfully, his forehead pressing against mine. “I can’t wait to see you in a wedding dress with a beautiful smile on your face. I can hear the bells chiming in the distance.” Melting into the heat of his love, my palms rubbed his chest. All of that sounded lovely but part of me felt like I didn’t deserve it. Choosing to live in the moment, the flames of hope died out in my heart. May the pathway reveal itself to me.