This Ends Now pt2

"This ends now."

Phoenix held the machine gun in his hand, panting, his calf muscles achy and sore. His under eyes were black and baggy from lack of sleep, but even still, he was intimidating. It took a minute for Quixotic to speak under that fierce glare.

"My my, thoughts are some big words," laughed Quixotic. "Is the big hero Ignited going to stop me with a big fire attack? Please tell me whatever you are to do, my hero."

"Shut the fuck up!" Yelled Phoenix shooting the machine gun, the bullet blazed by Quixotic who had ducked laying flat to the floor. "I'll never forgive you for what you have done to me!" Phoenix kept shooting, Quixotic kept low to the floor zigzagging past all the bullets. "I'll never forget what you put me through after all these years! From the horrible experiments, to the blatant disregard to my humanity! I'll never forgive you for ruining my life!"

Quixotic ran closer, closing the distance between Phoenix and himself, before wrapping his legs around Phoenix's torso, putting a knife up to his throat. But before he can cut into him Phoenix flipped Quixotic slamming him to the floor with his whole body knocking the knife out of his hand, paining the mad scientists' wrists above his head with one hand.

"What you've been through?" Chuckled Quixotic. "What you've been through was the perfect blueprint for humanity's salvation. I mean it when I said you were a hero Ignited, even at your lowest you're perfect. The way you took in the medicine, the stoic look of a hero as the needle wedged into your toe. It must have been hard feeling the cold liquid oozing into your skin…."

Quixotic's words became engraved into Phoenix's mind. The images became more and more vivid, dragging him under so that he couldn't breath.

Phoenix's grip became loose as he shook. Quixotic grabbed the knife off the floor in between his fingers poking it into Phoenix's forearm. Phoenix's eyes went wide, the memory of laying naked chained up to a bed and getting stuff injected into him flashed into his mind.

Quixotic grabbed the machine gun out of his hand backing up to the wide window.

"Don't you see Ignited? The world is unfair, and cruel. It walks all over thoughts of us who are weaker then it. You know what I mean Ignited, I know you do. Even though we started out different in this world, you are me, and I you. Because just like you," Phoenix looked up to see Red and blue police lights blare on the glass behind Quixotic. Who looked down at Phoenix, gun in hand smiling. "I am a hero..."

Meanwhile, the police along with Max Dream and some other heroes were just outside of the school. Max Dream showed a picture of Phoenix to the portly truck driver who surveyed the picture nonshalontly.

"Ya, that's him." The truck driver replied, taking a bite out of his donut. "I saw him going inside that old school."

"Thank you kindly, citizen." Said, Max Dream. "We have been trying to track down this vigilante for a while. You have been of the most Maximum help."

"Ya, sure thing pal." Said the truck driver. "You are going to tell my boss that I need the night off of work because of this, right?"

"Sure thing, citizen…"

"You got my vote for number one hero next season."

The truck driver patted his frosted fingers on Max's latex covered back.

"Thank you citizen, you have a Maximum day…"

But by the time Max turned around the fat truck driver was already gone.

"*sigh* Maybe I should have taken the pension and retired when Muscles and The Protector did…"

"Max Dream sir!"

Max turned his attention towards a woman in a stary navy blue clock and short black dress. She had just come out of a portal with a teenage ninja who she had just handcuffed.

"Hey, let go!" Cried the ninja. "These handcuffs are not a part of the theme!"

"What should I do with this punk? Sir!�� She continued.

"Hey, I'm not a puck gha!"

The masked women squeezed the villain.

"There is also a brawl on the top of the school's medeia building that broke out between the other villains sir!" She continued.

"Good work miss Vanish, you can hand over this villain to the police." Replied Max Dream. "Also you don't have to call me sir. It makes me feel old."

"Sir yes Gah!"

Miss Vanish screamed when she saw her coworker slid up to them on his ice, Dr. Baleful's dead body in his white gloved hand.

"Torpid! What's with the corps?!" Yelled miss Vanish. "Did they kill someone?!"

"No, actually her bruised flesh would suggest that she had been stuck in the freezer for far too long before being left to sit out in the warm Mach desert air. Meaning she has been dead for awhile."Torpid breathed through his metal face mask. "Also why do you call me Torpied instead of my hero name? Does that mean I get to call you by your name while on missions Vivi?"

"No it doesn't." Hissed Vivi.

"But, it'll be like we're in school again, I never get to see you in personal settings anymore." Said Torpied. "Besides, you call me by my real name..."

that's because there is no way in hell I'm calling you the IceCream Man. It's a stupied hero name for a stuipied hero! Who approved your hero name anyways?! The Pick a Name Out of a Hat Foundation!"

"No, I picked it myself and filled out the paperwork to get it approved. What's The Pick a Name Out of a Hat Foundation?"

"Hey now, in case you two forgotten we still have a hero mission to complete." Interjected Max Dream. "You two were called on specifically because this was your alma mater, and you were in the same graduating class as…"

Max Dream showed the photo of Phoenix to Vivi and Torpied. Meanwhile a detective who was sitting in the back of his van was also looking at the very same photo, along with his case file.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" Exclaimed the detective flipping through the files. "I actually get to see the ex-hero Ignited in person! He was my favorite underrated superhero when I was a kid. Everyone thought I was crazy for liking such an asshole hero, but to me, he was always that underdog who started from such a small town. Being from the same small town myself, watching such a guy with such potential going through all the hoops, I couldn't really help but root for him a little. And uhh, my mom also used to love him, for umm, ulterior reasons…" Blushed the detective.

"It's funny, I used to work with the guy for a while. But It's like I never really knew him…" Said Taylor.

"You use to...Oh, right you used to be Megalodon before...I mean not that long ago." Said the detective. "So how is Magnamar since…umm, you know, how is she?"

Taylor thought back to this morning remembering his old hero partner/ wife lying crumpled on the floor crying in her pj's. She sputtered out an incoherent string of words before he had to leave for work. Which surprised him, she hasn't spoken since...well since that run-in with Quixotic in the barn where they lost their superpowers.

"She is...alright." He finally manages.

Taylor fell silent before he caught sight of Quixotics picture in the file the other detective was flipping through.

"It's him!" Taylor shouted. "What's he doing here?!"

"Oh, you mean Quixotic? Ignited, or Phoenix and Quixotic show up together so often that we just started putting their files together to make things easier." Said the detective. "Although, I can't blame Phoenix for going after Quixotic since he was the one that ended Phoenix's career as the hero Ignited."

Taylor stared at the detective a blank expression on his face.

"I guess, maybe you didn't hear about it since it's not the most popular story, but Quixotic turned out to be one of the infamous villain nappers. Apparently he and some other scientists have devised an underground group that would kidnap and experiment on villains. We found and captured just about all of the corrupt scientists the same time we found the missing hero. In fact, as it turns out Phoenix was the only survivor from the Erasure Experiment." Said the detective looking at the news article photo of Phoenix being rescued from the laboratory. "I can only imagine what horrors he had to go through five years before we found him…."

The current night fades as a sliding door open, the clanking of wheels run smoothly across white tile floors. Phoenix lay naked in a daze, covered in white sticky foam from his sprawled out orange hair, to his paling faded feet. His brown eyes staring at the bright ceiling lights, as he was wheeled across the hall.

Another door opens wheeling Phoenix into a room with wide windows to see into the hallway but not outside, never outside.

Two people in hazmat suits push the hospital bed inside before walking off.

"Hello Ignited." Quixotic smiled down at him.

Phoenix hated that cheeky grin, almost as much as he hated the mad scientist stupid tongue out emoji T-shirt with the caption "I think I'll surprise everyone and stop taking my meds today". He swore to himself that when he got out of here he would find Quixsotic's stupid wardrobe and burn it to the fucking ground.

"How are you feeling today?" Asked Quixotic.

Phoenix thought to himself, he did feel like he was getting strangely cold lately. It was like his flames were getting weaker, he should have easily broken out of here even with the sprays of foam that were drenching him, his flames should not have given out that easily. But there was no way in hell he would let Quixotic know anything that could be of use to him.

"Not going to answer again?" Asked Quixotic. "That's okay, I'll just check your scans later."

Quixotic pulled a pen out of his lab coat pocket and checked off something on a notepad. Phoenix scowled, unable to keep his tongue anymore.

"Why the fuck do you always feel the need to ask then?"

"I just thought it would be nice to make small talk…" Said Quixotic. "Normally a verbal check up is to make sure the patient isn't in pain. Although, I'm willing to bet that I know you so well that I can count every little freckle on your ass without looking."

"Don't say weird shit about my ass you freek. There is nothing nice about talking to you." Sneared Phoenix. " I would rather be locked up in a bottomless pit without anyone for the rest of my life then talk to you. So fuck off."

Quixotic didn't reply to the cursing, instead he stared unblinking at Phoenix who was covered in nothing but white foam. Taking his hand out of his coat pocket he began to hover it over Phoenix's abdomen. Phoenix scrunched his eyebrows, his eyes following his nemesis hand as it creeped below his bare stomach.

Quixotic gave a big twist to the IV sticking out of Phoenix's toes. A sharp pain shot through Phoenix's foot. His brown eyes went wide, the surreal sound of the chains around his wrist jingling being the only indicator that he was still able to move.

"See, I always put the IV in between your toes so you wouldn't run." Said Quixotic ripping the IV out of Phoenix's foot. "But it's useless, you're just as persistent as ever."

Phoenix bit his lip to keep the screams from escaping. His watery eyes continued to stare at the bright ceiling lights while Quixotic spoke.

"*Sigh* Look at you, you're a mess. I have to wash you up and put a new IV in."

Quixsotic's words didn't quite register until Phoenix heard a bucket of water swishing next to him. His head turned to see a sponge in Quixotics hand.

"Don't touch me." Said Phoenix.

"Oh come on now, surely you would rather me bath you, then be chained to the wall and sprayed by the hose like a dog again."

"Don't touch me." Phoenix growled.

Quixotic smiled, ringing out the sponge into the bucket before pressing it to Phoenix's abs. Phoenix recoiled anticipating the cold shock, but instead it was warm and felt strangely relaxing.

"I bet you're wondering why the water is so warm today right?" Asked Quixotic, cleaning the foam from Phoenix's chest down to his stomach. "Well that's because I might have pissed in it."

The room fell silent until Quixotic spoke up again.

"Or maybe not tee hee. Idk." Giggled Quixotic dipping his fingers in the bucket and splashing Phoenix. "Can you guess? Can you guess whether or not I pissed in it?"

Quixotic giggled until he caught the cold glare that rested on Phoenix's face. All the air choked out of Quixotics throat, he stood frozen. Phoenix looked as if he were going to kill him.

"Wait, he can't actually get me, he's chained to the bed." Quixotic reminded himself.

But he couldn't help but feel unnerved by Phoenix glare.

"I'm just kidding, gee." Said Quixotic averting his eyes. "I just fixed the water heater. I thought it would be nice since this is your last…"

Phoenix's scowl relaxed as he listened tentatively. Quixotic stopped talking, he had almost said too much. He didn't think Phoenix was in a position to do anything with the information even if he did tell him, but still...

"Although, I did seriously consider it as pay back for dunking my head in your piss filled toilet in high school."Quixotic continued, cleaning the foam from Phoenix's bare legs. "Speaking of high school I ran into Animus at the bakery today. It brought me back to the first day I met you. I've lived in Japan my whole life, so as you can imagine it was surprising to see a huge muscular black guy for the first time, and there he was inexplicably screaming at me for transferring from another country. I was so scared I was shaking, but then you stood up to him, a gigantic black guy more than twice your size. Do you remember that? I do, It was the first time anyone has ever done anything for me. I thought you were cool, you were like my very own superhero."

Quixotic paused mid scrub, his eyes hiding behind his shaggy hair.

"But, you know, even though his original resentment towards me was because he thought my transfer meant I was going to take his spot in the hero school, he never did become a hero. It's a funny story really. Animus said he wasn't even a week out of highschool when he ended up knocking up some girl. He had to give up trying to become a hero to get a more practical job for his daughter little Anima, so he became a bag boy instead. Everyone was angry at him at first, his mom was angry, his grama was angry, his dad was angry, even he was angry at himself. But then he said that even though his dreams never came true, he can take one look into his daughters beautiful dark eyes and think about all the people in his life and he couldn't be happier with how his life turned out."

There was a pause, the whole room was quiet for a good minute.

"Pfft ha ha ha!" Quixotic gave a roar of laughter. "We both know that that's a load of shit, right Phoenix? What a sad life, never being able to reach your goals. Even though he picked on me, I can't help but feel bad for him and how sorry his mediocre life is."

Quixotic resumed cleaning foam off of Phoenix's face. Having his enemies face one inch from his face pissed Phoenix off to no end.

"Again, what's the point of your stupied ramblings?" Snapped Phoenix. "You like to go on and on about nothing just to piss me off."

"Oh right the bakery, I got so caught up in my little story that I forgot to tell you why I was there didn't I?" Said Quixotic, dipping the sponge in the bucket of water and ringing it out. "Well, I thought I would get you a cupcake because, for once, I mean..." Quixotic wiped his eyes, Phoenix could tell the smile he put back on was forced and plastered. "Happy 25th birthday Phoenix."

"But it's not…I'm only 20."

Phoenix looked into Quixsotic's face, but he saw no hint that he was lying, or any gle in it. In fact he looked sad for his unusual self. Phoenix shook at the thought of unknowingly being down here for five years. His brown eyes brimmed with tears, before shutting them tight. When he opened his eyes again his teeth were gritted in scowl. "I'm not 25! You're a fucking lier! I can't be that old! I'm still just barely 20! Fuck you you lieing fuck fuck! I'll get out of here, and you'll take the L and suck on my big fat cock you fucking good for nouthing bastered!"

"It's okay Phoenix, you don't have to believe me." Quixotic frowned, pointing a syringe at one of the veins in Phoenix's arm. "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, just, this, once."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! (Re record this)

But before he could inject Phoenix an alarm started blaring loudly. Quixotic's head shot towards the door like he was expecting someone to bust through it. But nothing happened, just the blaring noise of the alarm. Quixotic bit his lip swiftly looking from Phoenix to the syringe in his hand.

"You..wait right here, don't move an inch."

Quixotic placed the syringe on the metal table and ran out of the room. Phoenix turned towards the table, seeing a bunch of glass vials on top of the table, as well as the key to his hand cuffs. He blinked. It was so unbelievable, did his captor really leave the key to his cuffs sitting there on the table near him? Phoenix looked around to the best of his ability, but there really was no one around, the alarms were blaring and there was no indicator that anyone was secretly watching him.

Carefully Phoenix began to shake the gurney left and right until it tethered with him. With all his might he flung himself to the right, the whole gurney fell to its side taking out the small table with it. The glass vials broke on the white tile floor as they fell. Phoenix barely caught the keys to his hand cuffs with the tips of his fingers. Letting out a shaky breath Phoenix stared at the glass that scattered all over the floor below him. The only thing keeping him from falling into it was the fact that he was cuffed to the bed. But he needed to get out of here.

Phoenix's heart pounded in his chest, unlocking each cuff as the sweat that poured from him threatened to loosen his grip on the keys to freedom. He got to the last lock, he looked down at the glass threatening to cut him just underneath. Sliding the key into the lock he braced himself as he fell, his legs and back of his arms slammed on the glass slicing him up.

He continued to crawl through the glass on his knees and elbows, careful not to cut up his feet before getting to the hall and standing up. He darted through the hall, the noisy alarm continuing to blare. Ducking beneath one of the wide windows, he saw two scientists in one of the rooms with a villain test subject strapped to the gurney. Phoenix ignited his arm and peered up through the window. One of the scientists was dumping and burning files like there was no tomorrow, and the other had a vial like the one Quixotic was holding. The scientist injected it into the villain.

Phoenix watched the test subject twitch around. The scientist covered their ears as the test subject screamed and coughed up foam.

"AHHH! AHH!"

With a final jerk the test subject spat up one last time before dying.

"That's the last of it, I've wiped every hard drive clean, and burned every file until there wasn't a trace." Said one of the scientists.

"And that was the last patient in our sector, let's get out of here before they catch up to us." Said the other.

Both scientists ran out of the room only to run into Phoenix. Phoenix immediately threw a fireball at one of them, the scientist fell down as the fireball passed him overhead.

"Is that?" Ask the scientist that just fell down. "Damit Quixotic!"

The same scientist pulled out his gun pointing it at Phoenix when.

CLANG TROMP TROMP

The sounds of a door being kicked in and hundreds of boots walking around could be heard above them. The scientist that was already standing up pulled his buddy onto his feet.

"Screw it, they can't possibly catch all of us."

Both scientists then turned heel and ran down the hall disappearing.

"Pfft, where's the fire fuckers?"

Phoenix unignited his arm, when from the corner of his eye he saw someone coming up from behind him. He quickly grabbed the perpetrators arm flipping her over. The small woman lifted off the ground like a rag doll, her back hit the ground taking all the breath out of her lungs, the glass syringe she held in her hand breaking on the floor.

"*Gasp*!" Dr. Baleful sucked in a deep breath, she lay on the floor wide eyed. "Damit! Quixotic was supposed to put you out of your misery Aghh!"

Phoenix stepped on Dr. Balefuls arm, putting all the preser he could on his bare foot.

"Now listen up Dr, Bitchful, you're going to give me that key card that hangs around your neck, and I'm going to get out of here. Now we can do this the easy ways, or we can do this the hard way."

"It's already been five years." Laughed Dr. Baleful. "What makes you think you'll just be able to walk out of here now?"

"I don't know, it could be the fact that everyone seems to be in a bit of a rush to get out of here today." Said Phoenix. "See I think somewhere along the way you and your connys took a miss steep, and now you're in a rush because you have a very long dinner date with the law." Phoenix reached down to grab the key card off of her neck. "Now you can give me that key card and try to escape the Hero Association Society, and pfft good luck with that. Or I could deep fry you and take it by force."

"Screw you!" Yelled Dr. Baleful biting down on Phoenix's hand.

"Oww!" Yelled Phoenix ignited his hand. "Fucking bitch!"

"Ahh!"

Dr. Baleful jumped back holding her scorched mouth. Phoenix went to grab her again when she pulled out her machine gun.

Ratatata!

Phoenix doged, the bullets that were zooming by his ear, as they broke the glass window behind him.

��You know Phoenix, I've always seen a lot of myself in Quixotic but strangely enough he seems to admire you somewhere deep inside his heart, by the way he talks about you like you're his hero, and you're still going to save him or something." Said Dr. Baleful. "I can never understand it myself. Because It's obnoxious arrogant privileged pricks like you that makes me want to burn the world and everyone who has superpowers in it!"

Phoenix turned towards Dr. Baleful, only to see the machine gun pointed at his forehead.

Ratatata!

Phoenix threw a fireball at the bullets, they clashed in the middle exploding. The explosion blew them both back. Phoenix quickly scrambled to his feet scanning the dust, hoping to find Dr. Baleful before she finds him.

She appeared out of the smoke, out of the corner of his eye, gun inches from his head. Phoenix shot fire out of his hand at her.

"Ahh!"

Dr. Baleful dropped the gun to grab at her face where the fire hit her, but to her surprise it was not much hotter than getting splashed by hot tub water.

Phoenix looked down at his hands, it wasn't all in his head, his powers were getting weaker. They did something to make his powers weaker. Phoenix scrunched his nose, balling his hand in a fist.

"Oh boo hoo!" Yelled Phoenix. "You're a powerless victim who wants to burn the world for your grievances? Cry me a river!"

Phoenix shot another fireball at her, but she dogged out of the way.

"I'm doing this for justice and equality!" Yelled Dr. Baleful.

Dr. Baleful went for the gun laying on the floor, when Phoenix shot more fireballs keeping her from the gun, each one getting weaker and weaker as he strained to keep up.

"That's bullshit!" Phoenix shot back. "I know what you really want!"

Phoenix mustard up all the strength he had left, taking a deep breath. With one long exhale Phoenix breathed bright hot fire out of his mouth. A streak of flames tore through the white floor leaving it singed beyond all repair.

Dr. Baleful turned to move out of it's way, but the fire caught her ankle causing her to fall to the floor in pain.

"Ahh!"

The breath attack ended when Phoenix ran out of air in his lungs. Throat now uncomfortably dry and with his enemy now laying on the ground, Phoenix held his hand out to finish her off with a fireball when…

"What the..?"

Phoenix's eyes went wide, he looked down at his hands. But, nothing came out…It was like he had erectile dysfunction, but with his powers. It was the worst possible time, the big finale and he couldn't get his fire to work anymore.

Vividly shaken Phoenix looked across the floor to see Dr. Baleful with a smug look on her face. She knew, she knew this was a battle of endurance this whole time. She had just played him.

"You want to know what I really want Phoenix?" Dr. Baleful laughed, as she propped herself up off the floor by her elbows. "I want…"

Phoenix followed her green eyes over to the gun laying on the floor. Both her and Phoenix dove to the ground for it. Dr. Baleful, reached out her painted green nails clawing desperately at his long orange hair, pulling him back. Dr. Baleful crawled on top of Phoenix, he made the mistake of looking up into Dr. Balefuls face. Her short red hair strung out in all directions, her dark green eyes that were usually calm and cold, now crazy and strung out. Both their hands reached for the gun simultaneously when Dr. Baleful screeched out.

"I want REVENGE!"

BANG!