Extinguished

Summary: Caleb deals with the aftermath of the explosion over Northbridge.

Author’s note: This was written for for Hero Week, Day 7: Headcanons, Fanfics, Fanart Day

The sky lit up over Northbridge, nearly blinding the onlookers with its intensity. Caleb squinted as he looked for any sign of Dark Star and Silas Prescott. It looked as though they had exploded after shooting up into the air. If Dark Star were unharmed, surely she would have flown down and landed near the team, wouldn’t she?

Silas had gotten what he deserved. He had threatened to dissect Caleb alive, and had held him prisoner for weeks. Seeing the explosion should have made Caleb happy; after all, his enemy was gone, and may have suffered in the process, depending on how quick his death was. But Caleb didn’t feel like celebrating.

When he first encountered Dark Star, he never would have guessed that he would eventually team up with her. Ever since she and Talos had confronted him when he set fire to the DMV, they had been adversaries. When they were trapped in Silas Prescott’s prison, he only talked to her after he realized that she could help him escape. But he had to admit that joining the fight against Silas and Shrapnel sounded like fun. They needed to pay for what they had done to him.

He shouldn’t care what happened to Dark Star, right? They only united against a common enemy, and now one of those enemies was gone. The fight was over, and he should be able to walk away without a second thought. And yet he stood there, looking up at the sky.

Dark Star could have left him in the prison, but she had unlocked his cell and freed him. Once they had escaped, she could have turned on him, but she didn’t. She had even praised him, and told him that they couldn’t have gotten out without his help. Shrapnel looked down on him and wouldn’t even call him by his name, but she treated him with respect, even when he wasn’t nice to her. She had told Talos and Minuet that they could trust him. No one had ever trusted him before. Now she was gone. Damn it, it wasn’t fair. He felt his anger rising. His hands burst into flames, and a fireball shot out, striking a pile of rubble.

“What are you doing? The fight’s over! We don’t need a fire spreading through what’s left of the city!” Talos looked at him angrily.

Caleb glared back at him. “Oh, shut up!”

He had to get out of there. He began making his way out of the wreckage. He wondered what the destruction radius was. With all the damage that had been done, he might have to travel outside of the city to find an open bar or liquor store. Alcohol wouldn’t make him forget, but maybe he could at least stop feeling.

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