6Episode 1: Firestar
Right, so hello again! I know what you're thinking, and WTF have I been, right? Yeah, well sorry about the long-termed hiatus for anyone who's been waiting for any updates. I've been posting some personal fan art on Tumblr for a while, still thinking of making an Artstation account BTW, but also neglecting to share my creative writing in the process.
So, since there's a high possibility that many of you have either lost track of my own Sacred Timeline of events or just slightly lost interest, I'm going to make a short series based on my own personal Marvel Universe. And for anyone on the TFA side, don't worry, I'm also making plans for a post Fall of Cybertron miniseries as well, but we can talk about that for another time.
Anyway, for this fic, for each chapter, I am going to be writing an episode about one singular character, and then move right on to the next, pretty much like the ongoing What If...? Show on Disney Plus, (Yes, you have my expressed permission to go ahead and talk about how much better it is than my own What If? because admittedly, I probably could have done so much better on it) except this time it's not a What If...? show.
Now, let me go ahead and wrap this all up by saying that every character that is recognized belongs solely to Marvel and Disney and that I hope everyone reading enjoys the story.
Have fun!
In one life... Liz Allan Toomes was a high school senior STEM student completely oblivious of her Father, Adrian Toomes' real job. In another life, she is also a Mutant gifted with the powers of inferno from her fingertips.
Having discovered Spider-Man's true identity after revealing her powers indirectly, Liz went on to join him, training to hone her abilities for good. Keeping her powers from her Father, she went on to become a prominent intern for S.H.I.E.L.D. And when her Father's purpose was revealed as the Vulture, Liz became distraught and nearly burned her Father to death.
Having dealt with her Father, Liz eventually left her friends in New York to move further into S.H.I.E.L.D, moving on to Washington D.C. so she could be the hero she wanted to be... The hero that is known as Firestar.
It's been a while since I've left New York City behind. Since I've left High School behind, my friends, my home... My Dad... And yet, it all still feels fresh to me.
It's been nearly a month since my Mutant Genes kicked in, and I've suddenly had the power to burn the house down, let alone the whole neighborhood if it was possible. Not that it mattered since apparently, Dad did it for me just to try and kill the person who helped me discover a way to flesh out my power in a good way, right after the same person found out that my Dad was the same thieving Vulture, who tried to steal a Plane right out of Avengers Tower.
Ugh, here I go, lamenting again. I can't help it, I just, can't stop thinking about my Dad. I can't help but remember just how he kidnapped two of my friends, about how he turned out to be this Supervillain, and about how he justified his actions, acting like everything he's done, was done for the sake of a Daughter he ended up disappointing in the most ironic end of a chapter that was now closed indefinitely.
Maybe... I'm thinking about this now because I feel... Angry? I have the right to be, after all. My Father, Adrian Toomes, did in fact, lie to me, to my face, every day, for my whole life since Aliens have invaded the Earth, and I have the most rational reasons to be extremely pissed at him.
But... Somehow, at the same time, and I hate to admit... But I miss him.
Perhaps, that's because he's my Father, and part of me still loves him, as any loving daughter should, no matter how twisted it was for him to do what did. Or maybe it's because I saw him almost getting blown up, swallowed by a large ball of flame threatening to consume him. Whatever the case may be, all I do know is that he's currently sitting in a cell inside of Ryker's Island, even though part of me wants him to suffer inside of the Raft instead.
God, I hate this. Sometimes, I wish for a life where my Mom was alive, so that maybe she could have talked sense into my Dad, preventing him from conforming to a life of crime. Sometimes, I wish that I never had a Mutant Gene, so that my life could have remained the way it was. And sometimes, I wish that I never did find out about Dad's Private Matters at Work, or that Peter Parker never revealed his secret to me, so that maybe... Maybe I could just remain blissfully unaware of the truth around me, and I could just live out whatever normal people could live out...
"Allan, are you awake?"
Liz blinked her eyes open, lifting herself up off the bed as she heard a voice coming from the door.
"Yes, yes! I'm awake, Miss Hill, uh... Commander."
"Good. Are you dressed?"
Liz began to look at herself in the mirror, seeing herself only wearing pants and one single bra.
"Uh, no Ma'am."
"Get to it. I need you in my office ASAP."
"Right away, Commander!" Liz heard Hill walk away as she turned to gaze at her own reflection, sighing to herself.
Right... Time to get on with Life post-New York City.
Later, she was walking out of her room dressed as Firestar as she walked inside of the Triskellion, moving past S.H.I.E.L.D. agents left and right. Once she made her way to an office, she met with Maria Hill standing with her hands clasped behind her back.
Maria Hill... Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, and currently still being called a Commander. Maybe, 'cause they're both the same?
"Hello, Commander. You wanted to see me?"
"I do," Maria answered, turning to face the Mutant. "I like to personally debrief you on your next mission."
"Good to hear, Commander."
"Come, sit with me. We have a lot to discuss."
Liz nodded her head as she sat down on a chair, sitting on the opposite end of the table where Hill currently sits in.
I don't know much about her, except that she was with Nick Fury right at the start when the Avengers were formed. But I met her at the end of my flight to D.C, and she was the one who helped with the transition. She made life easy for me, and I have her to thank for that.
"So, what are we up to this time around?"
"We're dealing with an armed escort. We have a Politician being targeted for assassination, and we don't know where the bomber could be located, so that's where you come in."
"A bomber? How do we know it's a bomber?"
"Because earlier, late last night, one of the Senator's aides took the bullet when he was tasked with parking his car. By the time he clicked the unlock button, the vehicle exploded, resulting in a burnt victim, and several million dollars in property damage."
"Did the Aide survive?"
"No, unfortunately, he died succumbing to his wounds upon arrival to the nearest hospital."
Shit... Now I'm thinking of my Dad all over again.
"Have we tried to locate the bomber?" Liz asked, acting professionally.
"We have, but so far, he's remained elusive under our own radar. And no one in R&D has found a single piece of equipment he could have used, so we're thinking that we could have an Enhanced situation."
"So where do I come in?"
"Since your abilities are heat-based, I have it on good authority that you would provide the perfect countermeasure when confronting the attacker."
"That only depends on where the flames are coming from."
"Even so, you're the perfect fit for this job."
"Right... So how come I'm the only person in the room getting to know all this? Because normally, you debrief everyone on the objective."
"I do, but I have an Agent doing a separate debrief for the others because I wanted to talk to you about specific detail that you may find yourself... Uncomfortable with."
Oh, no... What could it be that I haven't already dealt with already?
Liz tilted her head, acting dumb. "Does it involve my hair getting dirty?"
"No. No, this is something that's considered personal."
"Don't worry, Commander. Everything personal about me is all sitting inside of New York City."
"I wasn't talking about your previous life. I was..." Maria paused, sighing. "...Do you know anything about Robert Kelly?"
Liz shook her head. "Not really. Is he the Senator I'm supposed to be protecting?"
"Yes, he is."
"Cool. So, what's the problem?"
"Well..." Maria paused once again before getting up to sit on the edge of the table on Liz Allan's left. "Robert Kelly has been a seasoned member of the U.S. for many reasons, one of them being due to being an activist against people who are born with abilities, just like yours."
Oh... Great. First, it's hard being a Black Girl in Modern Day USA, now I'm also being reminded that it's also going to be hard being a Black Girl and a Mutant in Modern Day USA. God, I should have known I would have gotten my own personal J. Jonah Jameson somewhere down the line.
"Look, I know this isn't what you like to hear, and I get why you wouldn't like to hear it, but the reason I'm telling you this is that Senator Kelly has been notorious for pushing Pro Mutant Registration, even after what happened in Dallas back in 7/15. And now, ever since Sokovia fell from the sky and nearly brought an end to the World, there have been talks of a new kind of Registration, one that likely going to affect you in the long run."
"And... I'm guessing Kelly is one of the many Senators voting for this New Registration?"
"It's not just the U.S. World leaders are talking about it behind closed doors, with over a hundred and ten countries being involved, all because of the fear that was sparked following the Destruction of Sokovia. People are starting to get scared, and it's up to us to push the fear down so that the public can feel safe and trust in people who are slightly more different than others."
"I guess..." Liz rubbed on her arm, feeling unsure about this task. "I can assume everyone is expecting a lot from me then?"
"Just act natural. Keep the Senator safe, and keep yourself centered."
"Even when I'm fighting the bad guy?"
"Especially when you're fighting the bad guy."
Liz closed her eyes, taking in a moment to bask in the challenge she's been given.
"Alright... When do we start?"
The convoy kept it quick and simple for over an hour now. They have been driving halfway across town, protecting a Racist Human Supremacist from harm, a kind of person that I was just getting over with after that harsh breakup with Steven Petty.
Oh, damn... It's starting to come back to me. The anger, the betrayal, the... Hatred in his voice, in his eyes... One moment, he was the nicest boy I could ever dream of, and the next, he turned on me faster than a speeding bullet...
No, no. No, I need to keep myself centered. I need to stop thinking about the past and continue focusing on the present, just like how focused I was just last week when I was helping Peter out with the Goblin Nightmare.
Oh yeah... Yeah, there were horrible moments... But, at least I got to kick the Kingpin's ass with a Flaming Whip, even if he was turned into a Goblin. I even from an email from Gloria how she compared to the G-!
BOOM!
I turned my head around, seeing a large explosion coming from what was left of a large gas tank truck. Sounds like the Party finally started.
"All units, we're under attack, repeat, the attack has begun, protect the Senator!"
"Allan, do you read?"
"I read, Commander! Starting a flyby now!"
Firestar began to jump off the roof and fly up into the air, searching for the assailant as explosion after explosion continued to pop up onto the streets below her.
Alright, I've got to make this quick. People are getting hurt down there, and one casualty is enough. I need to find the Bomber, and end this!
I can hear the screaming below me, even as I fly above the sky. The screams... I haven't heard screams like that since... Since Joey Gastone...
There! There, I see him... I have you now.
"Commander, I've spotted the target! Moving in right now!"
Firestar lowered herself down, aiming her trajectory over to a building, flying towards a window where she tackled the assassin right on the spot, pushing herself inside of an empty construction site.
"Ay, what the fuck?!"
I heard the man curse behind me as I got up onto my feet, turning around to see a man dressed in a Blood Red suit of armor, with Yellow and Orange streaks indicating symbols of fire. He turned his face to me, having an irritated expression until it suddenly changed.
"Oh... Wow, aren't you gorgeous?"
Oh no... Not one of these people.
"Who the hell are you?" Firestar demanded as she buried her hands into balls of fists.
"Name's St. John, though you can kindly call me Pyro." The Assassin answered as he pushed himself up onto the ground by shooting flames from his palms. "And who might you be, miss...?"
"The Girl who's going to burn your skin off because she's simply not that interested..." Firestar answered as her fists began to spark themselves on fire, much to Pyro's attention.
"Hot damn, you are smoking. Has anyone ever told you that you are smoking?"
"Did you not hear a word of what I just said?"
"Sorry. I find myself distracted by the beauty of your own Fire."
I'd be tempted to talk back, but then again; I don't want to risk myself getting caught into an unintended flirting match, so I did what any rational-minded person would do and proceeded to give Pyromaniac a Taste of his Own Medicine. Though, I didn't exactly quite expect him to absorb my own heat. The hell?
"Ah, nice try, Hot Stuff. But here, why don't I show you how it's really done?" Pyro had "Volunteered" before something on his back began to power up, expanding the energy onto his wrists.
...Shit!
Firestar ducked down, rolling herself forward before getting hit by burning, more intensive fire, even hotter than hers while My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fallout Boys played in the background.
"Yeah, now that's how you do it!" Pyro taunted as Firestar crawled on the floor, seeing the flames starting to set the room on fire.
Okay... I nearly felt that. I am a Mutant Girl who sparks flames with her own bare hands, and I actually felt a flame in a bad way, not since... Well, since before my Mutation.
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you can't take a little heat? I thought you liked being the Girl on Fire?"
I can hear his voice getting closer. Way too close. I need to turn a corner, hide. Let him keep on talking. Clearly, I can't fight back because Pryo will just absorb more of my heat.
"You know what? Maybe it's good that you came along because I could use a good sparring partner who likes it hot." Pyro then turned his hands and shot out fire onto the rest of the site, setting everything ablaze.
Damn. I can hear him torching more and more of this floor. If he keeps it up, then he's going to set the whole building on fire, and who knows how many people are in the building with us?
Okay, keep calm, centered, as Commander Hill told you to. Think, you need to put out the fire... Bingo.
I turn myself around, getting up to press my hand onto a Fire Alarm, and pulled the lever down. Not one loud sound came out. Not even the Water Sprinklers are being activated. The hell?
"Ah, don't think you can try setting off an alarm, Blazey! I cut off the alarm system in this place long before you and your pals from S.H.I.E.L.D. ever showed up." Pyro mocked, proceeding to set more and more corridors on fire.
Dammit. Okay, think, Liz, think. If Peter was Spider-Man in Washington D.C, what would he do? Oh, who am I kidding? He'd probably climb himself all the way over to the top of the Washington Monument just to take a Selfie for his personal Vlogs to post on the Web.
I turned my head around, finding one medium-sized can just sitting comfortably in a glass box hanging off the wall... Perfect!
SCRASH!
"Uh? Hey, did you hurt yourself that soon?"
HISS!
"GAH!"
Pyro backed up as Firestar unleashed a fire extinguisher on him, turning his flames down enough so she could move onto her offensive. Swinging the Can at his head, she dropped it down to press on, fighting with her fists as one hit landed onto the front of his neck, another his stomach, making him bend over enough to grab his head and knee him on the face.
Backing up, Pyro groaned, wiping the blood off his nose before moving onto his defensive, striking a jab at his opponent before she countered back, ducking down to kick at the arm that threw the punch and then kneeling down to knock him off the floor. Firestar stood herself right up, attempting to finish it when Pyro made his counter move, shooting flames using his wrist gauntlets.
At that moment, Firestar began to fall back, moving into the shadows as Pryo got back onto his feet, determined to get even with the Girl.
"Ah, you know what? I think I'm starting to recognize you now." Pryo said as he looked for her. "Yeah, you're that Mutant Chick from Screwball's Last Episode, right before your Friends at S.H.I.E.L.D. Canceled her!"
That armor... That looks to be Trask International's Design.
Pyro attempted to shoot out more fire when the flames suddenly grew weak. Groaning in irritation, he turned to the rest of the flames that he made along the way and started to turn his face to brave the heat, raising his hand to absorb the external heat, which Firestar saw with her own two eyes.
So that's why I couldn't hurt him. He uses fire as a resource, almost like how Electro does it with Electricity except... This one doesn't seem to have powers, or does he? I'm not so sure.
"Alright, you better not have gone too far! I was just getting started!"
Okay, so I can't shoot my Fire onto him, because he'll just absorb it and turn the heat against me. And there's still the fire spreading around the place, which I have no doubt he can use to his advantage.
"Say, you've gotten kinda quiet suddenly. Are you still with us?"
The sprinklers. They can't turn themselves on since Pyromaniac turned off the system that triggers the activation, so... Looks like I'll have to turn them on myself.
"Just wanted to make sure you were still up for the Fight." Firestar taunted as she freely showed herself to Pyro, getting his attention.
"Oh? Up for a face to face then, aren't we?" Pryo asked, but Firestar didn't respond. She simply lit her hands on fire, inciting a chuckle out of him. "Hey, Smoking Beauty, you can't hurt me, remember? I'm the Hottest Thing There is."
"Don't be too sure." Firestar then raised both hands up to shoot right at the fire sprinklers, damaging them to make the water come raining down, much to Pyro's horror.
"Ah, no! NO!"
Good. Now I can hurt him.
Firestar raised a fist in the air, landing a punch at his cheek, knocking a tooth right out while the water rained right down on both fighters, with the fight growing significantly to her advantage. Of course, Pyro fought back, but he was simply no match for her. Without the flames, and since Firestar wasn't sporting any more flames for him to absorb, there was nothing he could do, he was completely vulnerable.
Soon, he was down onto the ground, and Firestar proceeded to give him the beatdown as thoughts and memories began to surge up into her brain. Memories of her Father, the Vulture, attempting to kill her and Spider-Man. Joey Gastone, putting a bullet in Ned Leeds' leg. And of course, Steven Petty, with his expression of pure hate, with his teeth-gritting, and his words...
"Allan?"
I stopped raising my fist at him, as soon as I heard Maria Hill's voice in the air. When I stopped, I finally began to look to see how bruised St. John's face had grown from my beating, making me stand up as I raise my hands up, seeing just how bloody my fists were.
"Allan? Do you read? The fires are starting to die down, what's your status?"
I closed my eyes shut, letting myself breathe as I closed my fists, before openly letting them go as I opened my eyes again with one small exhalation.
"...Area's clear, Commander. Target is down."
"Y... You know... Why people didn't talk about you... More than Spider-Man?"
Firestar turned to look down at Pyro, who gazed up at her with just one eye.
"It's... It's because all people ever saw you... Was another Mutant... A freak of nature... A monster."
Liz Allan just stared down at Pyro, kneeling down before him so she could just stare at him in the eyes.
"...I've met monsters before. And the only kind of monster worse than all the others is the kind where you either turned your back on someone that gave you so much trust or the kind where something deluded itself into thinking they're such a saint, that they are more than willing to blindly murder anyone standing in the way, and ironically, something that sounds just like you."
She stood herself up once again, just in time for S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to reach her position, taking Pyro away as she stood her ground, victorious.
I sat back on a chair, pressing a bag of ice onto my knuckles while resting, letting my eyes looked at Pyro as he was sent into the back of a S.H.I.E.L.D. armored escort. Earlier, when he looked at me, he was acting all high and mighty, very coy towards me. Now... Not so coy.
...Shows him, though.
"That was an excellent work you've done back there," Hill said as she sat on a chair opposite of Firestar. "The Fire could have spread further if you hadn't turned the Water on, and thanks to you, there are no casualties from the attack."
"So, that Senator has a change of heart towards... People like me?"
"Not quite. People like him, I have to bet that all it takes for men like Kelly to just change their opinions is... I don't know, a Miracle of some kind."
"...So what now? Are people not going to talk about this New Registration you mentioned earlier?"
Maria hummed, leaning back. "I wish I could say otherwise, but we're not out of the woods yet. There are people within the U.N. who are looking for an excuse to make the mandate pass, but fortunately; the politicians are still in discussion. For now, we should be really careful and be wary of any Vultures that hovering in the air..."
Liz groaned, rubbing her head when the word Vulture came into the air.
"...Dammit, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Commander."
"No, it's not. I let the thought slip, and I wasn't thinking, and it's not okay."
"Commander..." Liz turned to glance at Maria. "...The entire planet knows that I am the Daughter of a Man who made a profit off of arms dealing. My life was already screwed up even before or after I became a Mutant. Believe me, I've been riding this Tidal Wave of Flame for a while now, so don't worry. I can handle myself just fine."
Maria nodded, listening to the Asset while clasping her fingers together. "Okay... Well, how do you plan on riding the wave right now?"
"Right now? I feel like Coffee. Warm Chocolate."
"Alright. Mind if I buy?"
"It's not the one from the Triskellion, is it? No offense, but the Coffee over there is horrible."
"Don't worry, we're drinking from there." Hill stood up, pressing her hands into her pockets. "There's this place I like just up the road. It's nothing like any of your favorite places in New York, but it should do just fine."
Liz nodded her head as she stood up. "I can deal with it."
And so, she and Hill began to walk off from the crime scene as Liz Allan, Firestar, began to ride the Tidal Wave of Flame to wherever it lead her to next.
Alright, that's the end of that. I hope you enjoyed this bit, and I would like to know in the Review/Comment section down below what kind of characters you would like me to include in future chapters of this installment. So far, for my next Episode, I am considering Lucas Bishop from my Wolverine Show, along with Mystique, Venom, and Black Cat, but I want to know exactly what you want, so I can see how I may accommodate you readers out there.
Plz stay tuned for any updates for Wolverine and Transformers Animated: Fall of Cybertron, and I'll see you guys next time!
PEACE!