Turns out, a classroom was far more flammable than Charlie had ever considered. Though the Traitor's fireball had fizzled into nothingness, the cloak of flames around him did not. Finding fuel in the form of nearby desks, the fire spread. All around the room, shrieks and squeals of terror rose in volume. Looking for a way to extinguish the fires, Charlie made for the typically forgettable fire extinguisher in the corner of the room. Mrs. Haywick, ever the quick thinker, was already there. She grabbed the fire extinguisher and did battle. Fortunately, though the classroom was now flooded with a sea of foam, the fire was out.
In the chaos, between Charlie's many screaming and panicking classmates, the man he had thought was unconscious disappeared. "What the hell?" Charlie looked all over, but the man was well and truly absent. And with him, Brian.
They couldn't have gotten far. Even if Charlie had failed to knock the man unconscious, the Traitor must have been hit hard. Charlie refused to believe he could shrug it off just like that. Dashing out the fire exit, despite Mrs. Haywick's protests, Charlie, scanned the parking lot for any sign of Brian. Nothing but a bunch of empty cars and open parking spaces. It was when he looked up to the sky that he noticed a blazing streak flying away from the school. Damn it.
Taking his phone out of his pocket, he quickly dialed his mom. Hopefully, she was alright, given her usual belief of sticking to the mayor. "Come on, pick up," he whispered, but each ring of his phone left him more and more dispirited. The call wasn't answered. His dad was next, and this time the phone barely had a chance to ring.
"Charlie? Where are you?" his dad's voice was quaking. Clearly, he knew. Charlie wouldn't have to apprise him of the situation. He didn't know how his dad seemed to know everything before he did, but it was especially helpful right now.
"I'm at school, Dad. A Traitor flew in here and nabbed Brian. I tried to stop it but I couldn't. We need to find where they took them, Dad."
"The government's on it, Charlie. We can't interfere. Besides that, what makes you think that you can beat at least two Traitors single-handedly? You're strong, Charlie, but not that strong." Charlie could tell it hurt his dad to caution patience, particularly in a situation like this.
"How much time until the Supers get here?"
"Thirty minutes. From what I could tell, some of their fastest fliers have been dispatched. It's all over the news."
Charlie paused to think. Thirty minutes didn't seem like a long time, but it was plenty long enough for these kidnappers to do just about anything. "What do they want?" he muttered to himself, but his dad had heard it over the phone.
"The government won't make that public. I don't know, Charlie." His dad sounded stressed, and it was no surprise. If Charlie was as powerless to do anything about the situation, he might sound the same. Instead, he steeled himself.
"I���m going to the city hall, Dad," he said, waiting for the inevitable outcry from his dad.
"Are you kidding me? I can't have you get yourself into trouble too, Charlie! Having your mom in that situation is bad enough!" Oh boy, was that loud.
"I'm sorry, Dad." Charlie ended the call and turned his phone off. He didn't need his dad to spam his phone, as he undoubtedly would. Charlie sprinted for the nearest bus stop, hoping beyond all hope that Boston's public transportation would still be running.
No dice. When he got there, no one was waiting. The streets were empty. No doubt, the news was blaring that incessant alarm, warning people to stay inside. Sound advice, but it was the last thing Charlie needed right now. His high school was far from the city hall, and running there would take him as long as it took for the government Supers to fly there. A short distance away, he saw his salvation tied to a lamppost.
"I can't believe I'm about to use those lock-picking videos I've seen on YouRoll. I'm sorry," Charlie muttered to no one. Taking his block of dark matter and smashing it against a bike lock, he gained access to a significantly faster way to travel. He recompressed the block of dark matter and wore it like body armor. Charlie was starting to feel the beginnings of the exhaustion that came with overusing one's powers. That armor would probably stay there unless he absolutely needed to use it.
Like a cowboy on his mighty steed, Charlie bicycled through the streets of Boston, unimpeded by any kind of traffic. If there was any kind of material benefit to his training, it was showing itself now. He felt barely winded, despite the pace he was setting. The city hall, rebuilt after Chaos Day, loomed over the other buildings around it. It looked deceptively close, but Charlie knew better. Ten minutes and he'd be there.
As he pedaled faster than he ever had before, another blazing streak shot across the sky. This one, unlike the Traitor Charlie saw at school, was blue. Was this the person who abducted the mayor? It would make sense, given that the blue hue of the flames signified the heat and power that the Traitor could bring to bear. It's a good thing he studied astronomy – blue stars were always hotter than orange and red ones.
The streak disappeared into the city hall, presenting another challenge for Charlie. He didn't know how he'd do it with his mental tank half empty and against numerous opponents, but he'd do it. He'd save his mom, Brian, and Brian's dad. And even if he failed, any time he bought for the government Supers to arrive was valuable.
He cut into a side street, taking the shortest possible route to the city hall and arriving at the intimidating building's rear entrance. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd make use of the technically off-limits entryway. But it would be the first time he did so alone. Having the son of the mayor with you when you broke rules was a boon. That said, he doubted anyone cared right about now. He took a step through over the threshold.
"I'm coming, Mom."