Chapter 7: Muse of Fire and a Dangerous Partner
The Arrow Cave was a lot like a family dinner. Oliver was the dad who was always stressed out about the mortgage and trying to fix everything himself. Diggle was the cool uncle who kept everyone in line. Felicity was the overly-caffeinated daughter who was always on her phone, and Adam was the sarcastic, know-it-all cousin who was just there to stir the pot.
"I'm the human embodiment of a 'well, actually…' comment. I'm just waiting for Oliver to say something dramatic so I can ruin the mood with a pop-culture reference. It's my purpose in this world. My guiding light. My salmon ladder to a better life. A life with less brooding and more laughter."
The current drama was a copycat arsonist. Someone was targeting people on Oliver's list, and they were doing it with fire. Adam, with his meta-knowledge, knew who it was. Firefly's ex-wife. A sympathetic villain, if ever there was one. He also knew that Oliver's brooding, one-track mind would lead him down the wrong path, and he'd end up hurting someone who was just lashing out from a place of grief.
[Mission: Stop the arsonist and keep the team safe.]
Adam nodded to himself. This was a two-part mission. He had to stop the fire, and he had to keep Oliver from doing something stupid. The second part was going to be the harder of the two.
He was sitting with Felicity at her computer, watching her furiously type. "You know," he said, "her motive isn't about revenge on the city. It's about revenge on the man who killed her husband. She's not a monster. She's a grieving widow who's been pushed too far. Maybe if we try to understand her, we can stop her without putting an arrow through her chest."
Felicity stopped typing and looked at him. "How do you know that?"
"I have a good eye for character motivation," Adam said with a wink. "And a really, really good memory. I remember the newspaper clippings. Her husband was a firefighter who died in the line of duty, and the guy she's targeting now was the one who cut his funding. It's all there, if you look at it the right way."
Oliver, who was standing nearby, sharpening an arrow, scoffed. "You think you can psychoanalyze a criminal from a few newspaper clippings?"
"Yes," Adam said, his voice flat. "It's called meta-knowledge, and it's a real time-saver. You should try it sometime. It's like cheating on the final exam of a villain's origin story. All the answers, none of the work."
He focused on his D-Rank Fire Gu. It was a buzzing, warm sensation in his gut. It wasn't a fire-starter, but it gave him a unique insight into fire. He could feel the heat, the way it spread, the way it moved. It was like a sixth sense, a subtle understanding of the elements.
Later, as they were tracking the arsonist, Adam used his Communication Gu to subtly influence Detective Lance. He saw Lance's face on a news report, talking about the Hood's involvement. Lance was convinced the Hood was a vigilante who needed to be brought to justice.
Adam, from the Arrow Cave, focused on Lance's voice. He felt the mental buzz of the Communication Gu. He wasn't controlling Lance's mind, just nudging his thoughts, a little whisper in the back of his head. He made Lance's mind think about the innocent people the Hood had saved, about the criminals he had stopped. He made him remember the good, not just the bad.
When they finally found the arsonist, she was in a building she had set on fire, waiting to die with her victim. Oliver was about to put an arrow in her, but Adam's subtle influence had worked. He didn't kill her. He just knocked her out.
The team, and Adam, got out of there just as the fire department arrived. Adam looked at the flames, a sense of relief washing over him. He had stopped the fire, and he had saved the team from making a mistake.
[Mission Complete. Arsonist Apprehended and Team Safe.]
[Reward: D-Rank Fire Gu and 100 Coins.]
[Gu Acquired: D-Rank Fire Gu.]
[Coins Acquired: 100.]
He felt the buzzing sensation of the Fire Gu in his gut intensify. He had a new skill, a new ability. A new tool in his arsenal of chaos. He was no longer just the sarcastic guy with a lot of useless information. He was the sarcastic guy with a lot of useless information and a bug that could manipulate fire.
"This is it. I'm officially a meta-human. Or, you know, a guy with a magical bug. Same difference. I'm a firebender now. A sarcastic, pop-culture-obsessed firebender. This is the origin story of… someone who's probably going to get a lot of heat for his one-liners."
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