Hot Rod charged down the alley, determined to find Whiplash and make him pay for the last time they met. He'd been humiliated by that chain-wielding jerk and he was going to get revenge, so help him. Barrier Maiden ran behind him.
Good. Stay back there and support me, he thought, glaring at her slightly. Hopefully she got the message. He did not need another incident where she got in his way.
"Whiplash!" he yelled as soon as the battle was in sight. It was Whiplash against Scattershot, and Whiplash seemed to be winning.
Whatever. They had to bring the both of them in anyway. Hot Rod blasted them with fire, with Scattershot leaping to the left and Whiplash running right. Scattershot let loose a hail of projectiles, but Barrier Maiden blocked them easily.
Good. Just stay back there and keep me safe.
He shot another blast of fire at Whiplash, who swung his chains around to extinguish it.
"This won't be like last time, Whiplash," Hot Rod spat.
"Whiplash?" Scattershot asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think that's what the Legion has started calling me," Whiplash said, a subtle grin on his face.
"Huh. Whatever then." Scattershot took a couple steps back, but Hot Rod wouldn't allow that. He threw a fireball and spread it to create a wall behind her and Whiplash. Now the only way they could escape would be through him and Barrier Maiden.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, laughing. No, neither of them would be going anywhere. He'd take them both down here and now.
Scattershot looked less than pleased, but prepared herself to fight. Whiplash, meanwhile, threw a chain towards Hot Rod as a preemptive strike.
Easily dodged. Hot Rod launched several small fireballs at the two of them, trusting that Barrier Maiden would have his back. Her barriers blocked the various attacks coming at him, without getting in the way of Hot Rod's own flames.
"Aren't you annoying?" Whiplash asked, glaring darkly at Barrier Maiden. He ran towards them, sending several chains towards Hot Rod. Maiden blocked them, but then about half of them circumvented Hot Rod and went for her.
She screamed and made a barrier around herself, leaving Hot Rod vulnerable to Whiplash's next attack.
"Dammit, bitch!" Hot Rod spat. "Can't you do anything right?" He barely managed to avoid the chains and launched a large spray of flame at Whiplash.
Next thing he knew, Whiplash had cried out in pain and switched to defending against Scattershot. Blood trickled out from one of his legs and Hot Rod realized that she'd just shot him.
Chains flew out in three directions as Whiplash tried to get all three of his opponents. Hot Rod grinned. This was good for them. As long as Scattershot and Whiplash were fighting, they could take them both out easier. He glanced at Maiden, who was still defending against his chains.
Seriously, couldn't she do a better job? Why was she so pathetic?
One chain wrapped around Scattershot's leg, and she let loose another hail of bullets at Whiplash. At the same time, Hot Rod let loose as much fire as he could. Whiplash would fall here, and then Scattershot would be next.
Whiplash's eyes widened in fear and he retracted all his chains, creating a sphere around himself. The bullets disappeared with a series of pings as they hit the chains, then Hot Rod's fire engulfed the protective shell.
The flames raged for a few seconds before dissipating. Whiplash's chains were blackened, but they retracted and revealed that he himself was unharmed.
"Got him," Maiden whispered. Hot Rod barely heard her, but as the chains disappeared, a barrier formed around Whiplash. When he tried to lash out again, the new chains just bounced off the inside, one nearly grazing Whiplash.
"The hell?" he muttered, glaring at her.
"We have you now," Maiden said firmly. "Resistance is futile."
"Now just for the other one," Hot Rod said with a grin.
"You've got one. Mind letting me go for today?" Scattershot asked, raising her hand, ready to fire.
"Nah. You'll head to prison." Hot Rod let loose a massive blast of blue-white fire as she sent her bullets at him. The projectiles evaporated in the heat, and Scattershot struggled to run away as the flames approached her.
"Stop it!" Maiden yelled. Hot Rod ignored her, feeding more to the flames. He'd get Scattershot, no matter what it took.
The flames reached Scattershot, and flared up in a brilliant spectacle that warped the walls and ground. Really, it was beautiful. Beautiful, and so bright you could barely see anything. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of the flames.
Then, they faded, leaving bright spots in his eyes and revealing his handiwork.
Scattershot, crouched and shivering in a barrier Maiden had put up.
"What?" Hot Rod spun around to look at Maiden, who glared at him coldly.
"No matter how you look at it, that was overkill," she said darkly.
"I didn't realize you could do two barriers," Hot Rod said with a laugh, looking over to Whiplash.
Except Whiplash was gone.
"I can't," Barrier Maiden replied, her voice practically a growl. What was wrong with her right now? Where was the sweet girl he liked?
"So you let Whiplash get away?" Hot Rod asked, forming a flame in one of his hands.
"By all means, throw that at me. If you don't mind Scattershot escaping while I defend myself, go right ahead." Maiden stared at him, her eyes sharp and unwavering.
Hot Rod tamped down his emotions for now and extinguished all the flames in the area. He walked over to Scattershot, annoyed that she wasn't injured on the ground right now. If Maiden hadn't dropped the barrier on Whiplash to defend her, they'd have two villains in the bag right about now. Stupid woman.
When Scattershot looked at him, he saw abject terror in her eyes. Hot Rod grinned, liking the look on her.
"You're worse than them, aren't you?" she whispered. "Worse than the Angel."
"You'll tell me what you mean by Angel," Hot Rod said, unsure how to take her words.
"Ha. If you don't know her yet, you soon will," Scattershot replied, trying to regain some of her bravado. "Whiplash is one of hers. They use people up like cheap batteries, then throw them away when they're empty without bothering to recharge them. Anyone who knows the Angel is terrified of her."
"You're comparing me to the villains?" Hot Rod asked, a cold hatred taking root in him. How dare she? How dare she compare him, a hero among heroes, to a despicable villain like Whiplash?
"Hot Rod, drop it," Maiden called.
No. He couldn't drop it. As soon as Scattershot was out of that barrier, he was going to toast her.
"Maiden! Hot Rod!"
Knight Errant and Light Master joined up with them, looking tired.
"Did you get them?" Hot Rod asked.
"No," Knight said bitterly. "Mist disappeared partway through the fight and then Whiplash came in and helped the other guy get out."
"See?" Hot Rod snapped, spinning towards Barrier Maiden. "See what happens when you let bad guys escape?"
"Should I let the other one escape too while I'm at it?" Maiden asked flatly, looking at him coldly.
"Please don't," Knight said. "How do we get her to the military?"
Almost on cue, a squad of military officers walked onto the scene. They looked with shock at Hot Rod's handiwork and readied their rayguns.
"We got one," Maiden said, stepping in front of the group. "Sorry about the mess."
"Whoa," Knight said, eyes widening in horror at the blackened and warped metal. "What did you do, Hot Rod?"
"That is so cool," Light Master said, grinning widely. At least one of them got it.
"He tried to burn Scattershot alive," Maiden said, gesturing to the barrier. "Officers, if you could take her that would be great. Then Mr. Roasty Toasty and I can get back to our patrols."
"Shut up," Hot Rod said, glaring at her. How dare she try to make fun of him like that? He was the whole reason they'd done as well as they had!
"Go," Maiden said, looking at him so nastily he almost recoiled. Seriously, what was up with her lately? Without thinking about it too much, he left to continue his patrol, but shortly after he left the area, he wondered why the hell he had even listened to her.
Maiden wasn't some kind of authority figure. He should be the one in charge, not her. But going back now would undermine his credibility even more, so he wandered around alone, looking for some criminal to take out his anger on.
