Defrost my heart Part Eleven: A potential gain?

Emberox:

Alarm had me sprinting into our bedroom with our twins, the other little ones nipping at my heels. Horror mixed with panic, Nitro nowhere to be seen. The scent of death floated in the air, time slowing down to a sharp halt. Ushering the kids out, the daycare system took them in. Saying goodbye with a calm smile, Demonico smashed into me. His ragged breathing spoke of discovering the same thing, a black box sitting on his palms. 

“Someone left this. Sorry for leaving her! She looked like she needed dinner or something. Her father was the last one to enter.” He blurted out in a frenzy, my hand covering his mouth as Master Elements made his way in with a falling smile. Dropping my hand, steam curled into the air the second my fist met his cheek. Dropping his worn leather bag, his palm caught my other fist. Why was he so freaking strong!

“Where did you take her!” I demanded hotly, flames crackling to life down my arms. Confusion contorted his features, a knowing expression coming over his features. Marching up to the box, his slender hand plucked it from Demonico. Forming a thick ball of ice around it, a blast barely cracked the ice. Crushing the ice in his palm, mixed emotions flashed in his eyes at the piece of singed concrete in his palm. Growling underneath his mask, his eyebrow twitched. Shifting his death glare to me, his keys spun in his palm. 

“Time to go. Demonico and Emberox, we need to get our leading lady!” He barked while clenching his fist repeatedly,  guilt exposing itself  in the way his shoulders slumped forward. “When will I ever be a good father?” His last line shattered my heart, Demonico catching onto his mood change. A heaviness tainted the air, all of us entering the elevator. Master Elements paced back and forth, frozen tears shattering at his feet. One child had been lost to this battle, the potential of losing his sole living daughter tearing him apart on the inside. The dings echoed in the painful silence, Demonico picking at his horns. Placing my hand on his shoulder, a shaky grin met my comforting smile. 

“We will get her back.” I assured him, the doors creaking open. Crashing into the driver’s seat, Demonico claimed the back seat. His tires squealed in protest, the engine purring with his car’s increasing speed. Weaving through traffic, cities came and went. Peeling into a sea of abandoned warehouses, Master Elements did his best while parking behind a giant rock. Hopping out with a vengeful grin, apprehension mixed poorly with fear in my eyes. Reminder to myself, never piss off Elements. Flames tweaked out around my arm, emotions getting the best of me every few seconds. Demonico shot me a sympathetic grin, both of us struggling with our flames. Hopping out with him, the three of us were ready to strike down Lady Death. Belts of saltwater bombs hit our chests, Master Elements nodding his head in the direction of the blob-like monsters shifting into people twenty feet away from us. Strapping them around our waists, a couple of bombs bounced off of his palm. Such fury had never burned in his eyes, raw rage coursing through my veins. Demonico shivered next to me, our eyes tracking Master Elements tossing them into the air. Demonico summoned a brimstone dome over him, the salty rain bouncing off of the surface. Ice crunched underneath my feet, a trail of ice giving me hope. Calling him over, our boots pounded down the line of ice, green lights glowing in the warehouse towering over us. Master Elements motioned for us to follow him, dirt crunching with every footfall towards the entrance. Poking our head around, matching horrified expressions haunted our features. Nitro dangled over a vat of boiling saltwater, an IV of it torturing her. Struggling to breathe, real tears splashed into the water. One of her monsters came our way, Elements pressing us against the wall with him. Pointing towards the small bombs on my belt, not another word had to be spoken. Plucking it off the belt, a pop sent the top flying through the air. Rolling it in, another dome of brimstone covered Demonico. Was his skin sensitive to saltwater? That seemed counter-intuitive to her crippling weakness to the internal damage. Saltwater covered everything, screeches piercing my eardrums. Brimstone crumbled behind me, thick goop meeting our boots upon our entrance. A soaked Nitro waved at me, her wheezes growing shorter. Sensing a heavier energy, Lady Death skidded out of her office, her face growing red. Fussing with a new Victorian style super suit, a metallic hand clicked away. Grinning ear to ear, a raise of her hands had spikes spinning behind her. Nitro attempted to produce ice, nothing coming to fruition. Ripping out the IV, her father pleaded with her not to undo the chains. A clank announced her freedom, her father torn between the spikes and her. Pushing off the ground, a couple of flips had her in my arms. Time slowed, ice spikes clashing with hers. Landing roughly on the other side, her tired smile met mine. Scarlet painted her cheeks, her body unable to cool down. Please don't leave me!

“Sorry.” She coughed between wheezes, her lips parting several. “Can we get married or something like that?  Please?” Touched by her words, a saltwater bomb soaked us both. Demonico shouted for us to run, Master Elements and Lady Death clashing fists violently. Ice floated aimlessly around me, his kick smashing her into the humming fan. Noting where she got her super strength from, his powers surpassed hers greatly. Blades shot out, Demonico sending a wave of flames his way. Snapping his fingers, they danced around an incoming wave of ice. Hitting her at the same moment, cracks echoed in the air. Hitting the floor in a small heap, Lady Death groaned into the dirt. Shooting a thumbs up in Demonico’s direction, pride shimmered in his eyes. Sauntering over to her, the rise of his heel behind his head frightened me. Jamming his heel into her spine, another crack announced her back breaking. Kicking her until every bone broke, he dropped a high security net over her. 

“Don’t you dare fuck with my family, you bitch!” He spat vehemently, his head cocking to the left and then to the right. “Killing my son was the worst thing you could have done.” Scooping up the net, metal plates clamped down around her. Walking over to me, his thumb tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Frozen tears shattered onto her face, his glove hitting the cracked concrete. Placing his palm on her forehead, ice spread from his palm. Sinking into her skin, steam became her normal breathing. 

“That doesn’t fix you but it will tide you over. Fantastic net, my dear.” He complimented her in a fatherly tone, her fingers cupping his wrist. “Shall we make more when you get better. Demonico, we are going to have to go out for noodles. You are a part of the family after all. Shall we hit the road? Do you mind driving, Emberox? I will keep hitting her with my ice powers to cool her down.” Nodding a couple of times, his free arm tossed her over his shoulder. Hiking back in silence, his ice kept her cool as he had promised. Hopping into the back, Demonico plopped into the passenger’s seat. Catching the keys, a chill had steam curling into the air. Hours blurred with silent tears, my eyes darting back every now and then to check on them. Sighing with relief, our building came into view. A doctor entered next to them, Demonico hanging back with me to deliver what was left of Dr. Death. Glancing over several times, his fingers dug at his new suit. 

“Do you want me to help you with your flames?” I offered sincerely, his wet eyes meeting mine. Damn, Nitro and him were two peas in a pod. Shaking his head, uncontrollable sobs wracked his body. Scratching harder and faster, a loud hey from my lips snapped him out of it. Suffering was a part of the job but this was too much for one kid to bear. 

“I should have never left her but I did. How did she mask her scent of death?” He blurted out dejectedly, his hand sliding up to the back of his neck. Noting the layers of angry red scars, something had to change. What made Nitro feel better? Sitting in a painful silence for the rest of the ride, a couple of prison guards carried her in. Lingering in the parking spot, a rumble in his stomach presented a most monumental chance. Luck had us near my favorite restaurant, a polite apology tumbling from his lips. 

“How about we get some food before we hit the road?” I urged with my real smile, his lips parting in protest. “Do you really think that Master Elements is going to leave her side at this point? All signs point to no. Besides, you can’t protect her on an empty stomach. How about we bring some dessert home for your siblings?” Perking up at my offer, excitement buzzed in his eyes. Driving slowly to the restaurant, a healthy amount of life bustled about it. Squeaking into the parking spot, scarlet painted my cheeks. Sure we could save everyone but we couldn’t fix the damn brakes. Hopping out, the worn wooden restaurant felt like home. Recognizing me right away, my mentor would take me here to celebrate my birthdays. Missing him for a second, the kind waitress guided us to our booth. The ribbed green seat squeaked with every movement, Demonico shaking in the rays of the swinging stained glass light. Leaving us to pick out our meal, her sweet smile had his gaze averting to the floor. Knowing what I was going to order, this set of eyes didn’t even need to look. Flipping the pages, guilt ate at him. 

“Please don't look like that. This is my freaking treat, dude.” I promised him with a wink, a soft okay bouncing off the tip of his tongue. “Nitro will be okay. Hell, she will probably skate by here any second now.” Turning his head slowly, the one choice was to follow his action. Two trails of ice glittered next to my car, vivacious protests passing by the window. Popping to our feet, no questions were asked. Piling back into the car, the tires squealed in angry protest. Speeding towards the prison, the cold walls towering into view. Pulling into the sole parking spot, the engine barely died down before we entered. Icy footsteps pointed us in the right direction, the color draining from our faces at Nitro sitting across from a Lady Death confined in a full body cast. Damn, they worked fast. Her old man paced around in the waiting room behind them, her eyes darting in my direction upon our entrance. Squeezing himself in, her old man hovered behind her protectively. 

“Who are you working for?” She demanded hotly, ice creeping out from underneath her mask. “How were you not the one in charge?” Chuckling maniacally, Lady Death’s last laugh leaked out in some sort of squeak. Cracking her neck, a steady stream of curse words flooded from his lips. 

“You are looking in the wrong spot, sweetheart. Ask dear old dad who tortured him? They hire us to create chaos. Sure those monsters are my masterpieces but they will keep churning them out. Sniff the heels of those you serve. Then again, you did destroy the council in one go. Granted the secondary council was waiting in the wings. Do you know what you sacrificed?” Rising from her chair, Nitro’s fingers curled around Death’s exposed throat. 

“Most of those monsters had seats. Of course, we would have lost everything in that meeting. Anyone with eyes would see that. Too bad the other ones called twenty minutes ago to renew our contract.” She bragged with a defiant grin, her hand resting on her hip. “They mumbled something about us saving the people. Actions speak louder than words.” Spinning on her heels to leave, a loud wait gave us pause. 

“Let me work for you!” Lady Death pleaded, pure honesty tainting her words. A pissed what escaped the famous ice father and daughter duo at the same moment, clammy sweat beading to life on the attending officers’ skin. Bewilderment contorted my features, Nitro charging at her with her fist aimed for her face. Hovering it centimeters from her face, Lady Death refused to flinch. Lowering her fist, a strained why flowed from Nitro’s lips. 

“I have information you could never have. Anything is better than being here! My brother fucking died here!” She blurted out in a shaky voice, Nitro’s brow cocking in response. Elements shook his head, Nitro folding her arms across her chest. Huffing out a brisk fine, shocked gasps passed around the room. 

“On one condition, I put you in an escape proof cell every night so you can’t fucking sneak off.” She hissed venomously, ice spikes floating behind her. “Pull the kidnapping shit again, you are as good as dead. I promise to place you in the area where I lived for a bit. Brawls killed prisoners every fucking day. One last thing, don't you bring death upon anybody else. Am I fucking understood!” Chills shot up my spine at the furious tone in her warranted demands, Lady Death nodding profusely. Ordering them to deliver her the second she was healed, Elements ripped her to the side. Arguing in harsh whispers, their hands waved around. Brushing past him, ice crept up his arms. Catching up to her, so many questions rested on the tip of my tongue. Covering my mouth before I could ask, frozen tears shattered upon our boots.

“Don’t hate me. We both know that I am obsessed with redemption arcs.” She choked out between sniffles, her bare finger looking empty. “So are you going to marry me or what? I have been waiting long enough.” Spinning her around, a bit of life returned to her eyes. Smothering her in feverish kisses, one could sense her smile underneath her mask. Steam curled off of her skin, Elements rushing up to us. Apologizing honestly, the two of them made up in seconds. How could they manage that so simply? Perhaps, it was the years of separation that softened the blows of their arguments. Making our way to his car, a loud rumble from our stomachs had our cheeks flushing. Plopping into the driver’s seat, Elements squeezed into the back with Demonico. Chatting with him pleasantly, Nitro hummed next to me. Driving in a welcome silence after a couple of seconds, relief washed over me at the sight of my favorite chow place. Sighing tiredly with our entrance, the locking noises further relaxed my fraying nerves. The hostess guided us to the same booth, excitement bubbling in her features. Gushing over my future wife, her day was made with a picture. Placing a super spicy menu in her spot, her eyes darted over to Elements. Sliding one over to him, her boots barely touched the worn rug. People gathered around the table, our polite answers sufficing. Nitro thrived in this environment, her best interactions being with the kids wearing miniature versions of her super suit. The hostess waved them away, two spicy teas steaming next to two cokes. Giving her our orders after glancing over the menu, an awkward silence came over the table.  Smiling softly to myself, this group of people would have never come together if it weren’t for her. Holding my hand, a warm fuzziness came over me at any touch by my Nitro. 

“I am so happy that we had our one night stand.” She whispered lovingly into my ears, pride shimmering in my eyes. She was mine and mine alone. Cuddling into my chest, snores echoed in my ears. Elements cleared his throat, his stern gaze softening upon my goofy expression. 

“Take care of my girl for me. Sorry that you had to see us arguing.” He apologized sincerely, his fingers drumming on the table. “I see her strategy now. Take away their players and have enough players on our side. How could I forget how clever she was?” Flashing him a million dollar smile, my strong arm clutched her close to my chest. 

“She had to get it from somewhere. Do you know that she cherishes every second of inventing with you?” I joked lightly, his features visibly brightening. “I am going to marry her soon. So, do I have your permission?” Laughing gently to himself, a brighter twinkle returned to his eyes. Leaning forward, his fingers fished around his pocket. Sliding over a velvet box, curiosity had me opening it up. All breath left my chest, a teardrop ruby glistening in the light. Black metal surrounded it, my finger tracing it. 

“Took you long enough to ask!” He returned gleefully, frozen tears splashing onto the table. “That was her mother’s so make the proposal special as you can. That ruby is as fiery as her heart was. Love can be found in the dark after all.” Not understanding his last line, a deep sorrow stole some of the joy in his eyes. Tucking it into my pocket, the flames of hope burned bright.