The hospital shook with violence as the walls cracked and ceilings caved in.
"Watch out!!" Rose's voice pierced through the chaos like a blade. Her eyes glowed with fierce determination as she extended her arms wide, her telekinetic field snapping outward. The falling debris froze mid-air, suspended in her shimmering psychic grip before it could crush the terrified patients huddled beneath her shield. The ground shuddered as she ripped the limiters from her powers, a wave of psychic energy rippling across the burning ward, suppressing the inferno that was threatening to consume the walls.
"John, get the patients to safety now!!" she screamed, sweat glistening down her temples, her entire focus locked on the crumbling ceiling above them.
But Johnson did not move.
His breath faltered, shallow and uneven. His feet felt anchored to the ground, heavy as lead. Flames roared around him, clawing greedily at the air. The crackle of burning wood, the suffocating smoke, the unbearable heat… it was all too familiar.
"Fire..." His whisper trembled as it left his lips.
The world around him narrowed into a tunnel of flame. His vision blurred. The present collapsed, peeling away to reveal a memory he had fought for years to bury.
He was a child again. Smoke pressed against his lungs, choking him. His home was a cage of fire, walls turning to ash around him. His mother's screams rang from inside, shattering the night. He remembered wrapping his arms around his little sister outside the house, shielding her as the explosion tore everything apart. The fire had consumed his world in a single breath, stealing his parents before his very eyes. He had reached out… but no one had come fast enough to save them.
"That day..." Johnson's voice quivered, his body drenched in cold sweat despite the searing heat. "Flames covered my house... they killed Mom... and Dad... I'm scared... I can't..."
His chest tightened as if iron bands were squeezing his heart. Each beat slammed violently against his ribs, desperate to break free. His knees trembled, his body betraying him. The memories blended with the fire raging in front of him, guilt clawing at him, helplessness drowning him. He wasn't frozen because he lacked strength. He was frozen because every part of him remembered.
Rose's eyes widened. Through her psychic link she felt it, the raw storm of pain buried in him. She had always known Johnson carried a heavy weight, but now she could feel it vividly. It was sharp. Suffocating.
Without hesitation, she floated down beside him. The flames roared behind her but her aura pushed them back, her presence a shield. She knelt in front of him, her hand pressing gently against his cheek, lifting his gaze to hers.
"John... I'm here." Her voice was soft but steady, quivering with emotion. "You're not in that fire anymore. You survived. You didn't run... you endured. You've been blaming yourself all this time, carrying it alone... but it was never your fault."
She brushed a streak of ash from his shoulder, her touch grounding him.
"I know it still burns inside you," she whispered, her tone heavy with compassion. "But listen to me. Your fear doesn't make you weak. It means your heart still feels. It means you're human."
Then she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a firm embrace. Her warmth cut through the panic, anchoring him back to the present.
"You are not broken, Johnson," she murmured against his ear. "You're still standing. And that means you're already stronger than the flames."
Johnson's trembling slowed. His eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened again, a faint glow radiated from his body. Energy surged through him, stabilizing his breath.
"Yeah... you're right." His voice was steadier now.
In the blink of an eye, Johnson vanished in a streak of blue light. Within seconds, he had carried every patient and staff member from the collapsing building to safety in the city's underground shelter. His speed left behind a ripple of air, and by the time anyone blinked, they were standing far from the danger.
"Wait!!" Angela's voice broke through as Johnson turned to leave.
He stopped, facing her. For a moment, the chaos fell silent. Her freckled face glistened with tears, her sharp ears twitching slightly, and her green eyes gleamed with admiration and wonder even through the pain.
"You guys should stay safe," Johnson said firmly. "Help will come soon. But... how can I help you?" His gaze softened as he spoke, seeing her despite the smoke and exhaustion.
Angela's lips trembled. Her heart pounded.
"Thank you... for saving me," she whispered, her voice raw. Her eyes lingered on him as memories resurfaced. "Even though... I'm not human."
Her mind echoed silently as she looked at him." He looks just like that man... the one who saved me back then."