A Second Chance

Well, that was good to know. It would be nice to hold that little nugget of information over Mist's head, perhaps taunt him with it a little. Unfortunately, there was very little time for that at the moment. For the time being, Firefly had to be all business, as did Mist. "Whatever, we've got to go. Hostages." Not exactly a full on explanation, but why bother filling him on the entire situation? If he didn't know exactly what was going on, then maybe Mist would be killed in action.

Firefly was already heading out of the door, expecting his accomplice to head on out behind him. "Come on, we haven't got all day." Impatient words from an impatient man. He was almost to the car, as unfortunately he wasn't one of those lucky fools with super speed or stamina. He was pretty damn mundane when you thought about it, but his bravado and the showy nature of his talents made up for it.
 
Mist absolutely had to put his foot down there. "No," he refused. "I'm not going anywhere unless you take this blindfold off me. Do you want me to get killed? I'll be a sitting duck if I can't see. Surely someone like you doesn't want to have dead weight around. Just what are you playing at here?"

He wasn't happy. In fact, he was kind of pissed. If Firefly didn't take off the blindfold, Mist would refuse to go with him. Surely the law enforcement people would understand why. If Mist was supposed to be Firefly's partner and actually help him, then Mist needed to be able to see. He needed to be able to help. That's what he'd been put on parole to do.
 
He paused, eventually returning to the doorway, where he shouted up to Mist. "Not until we arrive. If I give you your eyes now, what's to say you won't try something?" Of course, he could try his escape at any point, but Firefly felt it was far more likely to happen when things were quiet. If they were in the middle of a firefight when the blindfold was released, then at least he might end up dead anyway if he attempted to escape. Also, Firefly just didn't like the guy, and wanted to make life as difficult as possible.

They were most likely equally angry. They were pretty damn pissed off, and if this argument continued for too long, then they would likely end up causing the deaths of those hostages that were at a precarious point in their lives. Even so, someone like Firefly would not see their deaths as his fault. The responsibility would always fall on the bad guy, and in this case it was Mist. Obviously, this was wildly out of whack with the rest of the world, but oh well, you can't have everything.
 
"Fine," Mist agreed unhappy. "But if I have to wait until we're in the middle of a hostage situation for you to take this blindfold off, then you have to help me get to your car. None of this 'find it yourself' shit. It'll take way too long for me to get there on my own, so just suck it up and be helpful. You'd easily earn the award for Worst Supervisor Ever right now."

He didn't want to fall again and hurt himself more than he already had. His hands were still stinging, and he hoped he hadn't gotten blood on his clothes. Of course Firefly had done nothing to treat Mist's hands. The guy probably didn't give a damn about Mist's health. What had those idiots been thinking, choosing to let Firefly be Mist's parole supervisor? Were they nuts? Or did they just want to set this whole thing up for failure...
 
It was probably a combination of idiocy on the governments part, along with a bit of sabotage and of course, Firefly's ability to somehow remain untouchable. He wasn't quite this bad in public, and so he maintained an excellent public image. It was all these factors that had resulted in the strange state of affairs that was this particular pair. Both concerned probably knew very well that this was likely to end in someones death, but it didn't really matter all that much. Mainly because Firefly reckoned he knew who was going to end up dead.

Whatever happened, Firefly had to just swallow a little of his pride and help out his great friend. He returned to the inside of the house, grumbling expletives to himself as he trudged towards Mist. "Hurry up, or I'll send you straight back to prison." Why didn't he just do that? Because he needed a genuinely good reason, that was why. So far, Mist had been a reformed man, despite the gruff nature of his watchman. Said man once again grasped his arm, moving off without warning, of course hoping that Mist would fall and break his neck, or at least an arm.
 
Mist wasn't too pleased at this rough treatment, but at least he was being guided around. He let Firefly lead him to the car, being careful not to trip again. Once in the car, he made sure his limbs were not in the path of the door right away. He remembered how Firefly had shut the door so quickly the first time, and he didn't want to get his arm or leg shut in the door.

"You'd better take this thing off when we get there," he grumbled. "Otherwise, I'm staying in the car." He wasn't going to stick his neck out for anyone if he was just going to get killed for it. Being blind was a huge detriment to him. He just hoped Firefly would keep his word about taking the thing off.
 
The journey was only a short one, and it was carried out in complete silence, save for the very short briefing Firefly deigned to give Mist. "There are eight hostages, perpetrator has them wired up to the mains. He gets a hint we're there, they get zapped." He shrugged, continuing on quickly, "The guy has at least four lookouts on the surrounding buildings." Obviously, everything needed to be done in exact synchrony, or else the hostages would be dead in the water. Well, they were expendable, so long as they got the villain behind it all.

They parked one road away from all the action, and true to his word, Firefly did release Mist from his blindfold, hating the fact that he had no choice. "You take out the two on the east side, I'll get the others. So long as they can't communicate with the bull goose, they're harmless. From there, we go in the back of the office." It was still a delicate situation, even without the lookouts, so hopefully they'd make it that far.
 
Mist listened to the explanation of the situation, giving a small nod when appropriate. It would be strange, being on the other side of the law. He didn't know how good at this he was going to be, though. It would be a real challenge. But he could easily take down a few guards. Assuming he could see and therefore his powers still worked.

When Firefly removed the blindfold, Mist slowly opened his eyes. The bright light of the sun was painful to him, so he ended up closing them again immediately afterward. He slowly opened them again, giving his eyes more time to adjust this time. And this time, he could actually see. And Firefly could see that Mist's eyes were two different colors. His left was a pretty shade of blue-gray, and his right was red.

"I can see..." he said quietly, as though surprised that he really could. And his vision wasn't any worse than it had been when the blindfold was first put on. That was a real shock. A good shock, though. It meant he could work his powers as he pleased. And he was eager to get his illusions started. Those criminals were fucked.

He grinned when Firefly told him to take care of the two on the east side. "They're goners," he said, getting out of the car hurriedly. He seemed to vanish from sight a moment later, though a slight distortion could be seen in the air around him. He wasn't invisible. He was just making an illusion around himself to remove himself from the perceptions of others. That was going to make it really hard for those guards to notice him before it was too late.
 
Well, those eyes were quite striking. Firefly actually sat and stared for half a second, though of course he was quick to turn away again. "Yes, of course you can see, you dumbfuck." There, that was far more in character. It was with these words that he hopped out of the car, pulling on a pair of leather gloves, in which a pair of characters were carved. He wasn't actually sure which language they came from, he just knew that they allowed him to control his abilities much better. He was still apt to blow up half a city in an effort to defeat a particularly annoying enemy.

As it was, this was not necessary in this case. Firefly knew exactly what he intended to do. He was quick to get underway, sprinting to the first building, entering without hesitation before hurtling up the stairway. Once on the roof, he had to be absolutely silent, which he had to admit, was not always his strongpoint. Luckily for him, the goons that tended to find themselves as henchmen, were hardly able to claim the title of genius. The one up here was clearly bored, and wasn't actually paying much attention to the world, just staring down - vaguely looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately for him, the anomaly came from behind, a finely tuned burst of flame, little more than a spark, shot from Firefly's fingertip. It hit the radio dead on, eliminating any chance of correspondence. From here, it was just a case of closing the gap between them and snapping the mans neck. Easy as pie. The second was despatched just as easily, which was kind of a shame, if he was honest. This was an achingly easy job, and Firefly was sort of insulted by the fact that he had been asked to help out. But still, crime was crime, and at least he waas getting to stop it.
 
The two guards Mist had been sent to handle didn't see him coming. He wrapped an illusion around them to make them think everything was normal, then he decided to quickly and efficiently knock the pair out by striking them in the head with an illusory hammer. They'd probably live, but the headache they'd have later would be pretty nasty. Oh well. They deserved it.

He destroyed their radio as well before tying the pair up with their own shoelaces. That would serve well enough, and he hurried along into the building to rendezvous with Firefly. Hopefully he'd already taken care of the other guards. Mist could probably handle the rest of this situation on his own, but he doubted Firefly would appreciate it.
 
As it turned out, the two were operating at a similar rate, albeit with a very different goal. Firefly did not leave survivors, that just wasn't his style. Of course, that was another sore point with all but the most dedicated right winger, but for the time being he was allowed to get away with his rather brutal way of doing things. No one would mind if they killed the nutjob with the hostages though. Although he was not of the super criminal calibre that some men were, he was still a menace. He was a rich man whose mind had warped sufficiently for him to believe that taking a few councillors was a suitable way to allay his boredom.

"Huh, you made it." Firefly muttered, leading up the stairs, walking this time, as he didn't want the man a few flights up to hear their ascent. "Your job is to get him away from the mains. Then he gets roasted." The excited smirk which spread across his face was more fitting for the criminal they were supposed to be apprehending, but of course he'd deny any enjoyment in the harm of others. That wasn't fitting for the good person he proclaimed to be. Soon enough, the two were just feet away from the crazed man, and the hostages would soon either be killed, or else feel the elation of their freedom.
 
Mist didn't think this was the way he should go about freeing the hostages. It didn't seem right, but he supposed Firefly knew what he was doing. A sniper would take out someone in a hostage situation like this. Letting Firefly set the guy on fire was no different, right? But how to get him away from the mains safely...?

He frowned as he thought, looking over at the wires that connected the hostages to the mains. The crazy guy wasn't paying all that much attention to them. He was distracted by a phone call, making all sorts of ridiculous demands from the police. He wasn't looking to get those things, Mist was sure. He was just screwing with the police.

But while the man was messing with the negotiator, Mist had a chance to free the hostages. In a way Firefly probably didn't expect. Mist vanished from sight again, making his way slowly past the crazy guy and over to where the blindfolded and wired hostages were sitting. Once there, he made a small illusion of a mouse. That mouse immediately started chewing on the wires, making short work of them in order to disconnect them from the power supply. They'd be fine even if the guy flipped the switch on them now.
 
Firefly wasn't sure if he liked Mist's ingenuity. Yes, it was a useful thing for him to do, and no doubt the hostages would appreciate it, had they even noticed the little critter that was working away like a dog with a bone. The men and women were not blindfolded, but it was unlikely that they'd see anything at all, such was their fear and panic. Some of them would probably lose several hours of their day, blocking the trauma out of their heads permanently, or at least until something else triggered it. Then they might even go batshit crazy themselves, depending on their fortitude. Some people didn't take much to lose their minds.

Once the hostages were safely removed from the connection, Firefly made his own move. He strode towards the perpetrator without hesitation, an evil glint in his eye as the man dropped the phone through which he had been jabbering. Of course, he flicked the switch. Nothing happened. He did it again and again, unable to make the connection that it really wasn't working. By thetime he had managed to work this simple truth out, Firefly was upon him. The taller man cupped the others face in his gloved hands.

The smell of burning flesh began to emanate through the room, as Firefly seared the mans face off. He made a point of placing his thumbs over the eyes, wanting to hurt the man as much as possible before he died. A slightly manic expression was now on Firefly's face, though he didn't know of this. The screaming soon became garbled as blood vessels burst, flowing now into the mans mouth and throat. Thankfully, the man was dead within minutes, at which point Firefly dropped the mutilated body to the floor.

He turned away from the body, addressing Mist, "Come here." He commanded, intending to replace the blindfold, now that any danger had passed. He felt it was more important to get this guy collared again, than to make sure the hostages were alright.
 
Mist watched in horror as Firefly executed the criminal in such a horrible fashion. The young ex-criminal felt like he was going to be sick. Just the smell of burning flesh alone was making his stomach do all sorts of uncomfortable maneuvers, and his legs felt like they were made of jelly. They gave out completely when Firefly told him to come to him, making Mist fall to the floor. He felt faint just from his own terror, and his vision was swimming from it.

"H-How could...?" he started to ask, but the rest of the question wouldn't come out. He didn't come any closer to Firefly or that mutilated body. His legs didn't want to respond, and he was terrified that Firefly was going to burn him next for disobeying him.
 
Needless to say, adrenaline fuelled, as well as filled with rage, Firefly was not in the best of moods. He was relatively predictable most of the time, but his personality was such that he could never really be trusted. It was part of the reason he worked alone - up until this point. Now Mist had to risk his own skin to perhaps earn his freedom. Firefly was the worst person he could have been assigned to, but he'd just have to hope for the best.

"He was a murderer, or would have been." Firefly responded to the unasked question, moving towards his charge without any intended malice, but his bearing was hardly one to cause the relaxation of those concerned with him. "Now, come on, you've got no choice in this." Firefly produced the blindfold from the pocket in which he had stored it. He didn't know this, but perhaps that gesture would allay some of Mist's fears.
 
The sight of the blindfold did calm Mist somewhat, even though he hated that thing with a fiery passion that could rival Firefly's own flames. At least the blindfold meant that Firefly wasn't going to burn Mist along with that madman. Still, he wasn't happy to see it. He didn't want to be blind again. It had felt so good to be able to cast his illusions after all these years. It made Mist feel alive again. He wasn't ready to be back in the dark.

"I don't want to wear that again," he said, showing a bit of defiance despite just how afraid of Firefly he was right now. "You have no idea just how horrible it is to be kept blind. Please..." Normally he wouldn't have been quite so polite, but he was terrified enough to say "please" a million times if it meant not having to put that blindfold on again.
 
Firefly was so stunned by Mist actually daring to defy him, that he actually stopped dead. He looked very much like a fish out of water for half a second, although of course he regained control of himself shortly afterward. He mulled over this proposal, and soon came to the conclusion that he might as well humour the guy. Then he'd be able to dash his hopes afterwards. Cruel, but he felt it was necessary. "And why do you deserve that much freedom? You've been out less than a day, you've hardly proven yourself." That wasn't quite true. He had just performed very well, and Firefly knew it.

Meanwhile, the police had sounded the okay and were now storming up the building. They burst in without warning, and Firefly gave them the nod to allow them to free the hostages. For now they did not bother the two who had ended this potential disaster, they were doing the good work of calming those who had been through alot today. Firefly, a man who really should have cared, couldn't give a monkeys about them.
 
"If I was going to run away from you," Mist said slowly, "don't you think I would have done it when we split up? What was stopping me from just leaving after you went into the building without me?" Nothing. Nothing at all. Only Mist's own desire to get through this program and be truly free again. "Why insist on blinding me again, after I passed up such an obvious chance to run?"

That was one damn good point Mist had made. At this point, being blindfolded again would almost be like a punishment. He'd done well, so why wouldn't Firefly reward him with some extra time to see? Why couldn't Firefly give him the benefit of the doubt? Then again, from what he'd seen of Firefly already, the man wasn't in the habit of giving criminals such chances. But Mist wasn't really a criminal anymore. He was an ex-convict.
 
Well, that argument was pretty sound. Firefly scowled at Mist, and after a few seconds of angry processing, he actually conceded the point. Mist was being reasonable, damn him, and so arguing such a silly point wasn't going to get him anywhere. It was a shame, but thankfully, for the time being Mist had won this battle. That wasn't to say he wouldn't find himself accosted in his sleep, but he was going to be allowed to see the big wide world for a while now.

"Come on, I'm hungry." Firefly finally mumbled gruffly, removing the special gloves he wore, stuffing them in a pocket along with the blindfold. He exited the scene without a word, ignoring the police and civilians, just wanting to get the hell home. He'd have a report to go through and sign in the next day or two, but that was it. The cops got to deal with the paperwork, lucky them. Briskly, he made his way back to the car, occassionally checking behind him to ensure Mist was following.
 
Mist couldn't believe that he'd actually won that argument. That was wonderful. He was going to be allowed to see for a little while longer. He didn't know how long, but at least he could enjoy it while it lasted. Hopefully Firefly would never put it back on him. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Mist knew he couldn't hope for that, though. Firefly seemed like a first-degree asshole. That blindfold would come back into play later. Mist, sadly, was sure of it.

He followed after Firefly, crafting an illusion in the meantime. When Firefly glanced back at him, the man would notice Mist didn't seem to be wearing the same clothes as before. In actuality he was still wearing the jeans and t-shirt from a few minutes ago, but now it looked like he was wearing a far less casual outfit. Black pants, a black button-down shirt that looked like it was silk, a belt, and nice black shoes. The shirt was tucked neatly into the pants, giving him a very well-put-together look and making it plenty clear that he was built like a stick. Even his hair seemed to be combed, and now Mist could actually feel far better about how he looked.
 
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