((Author's Note: The following happens while Johnny is on his way from the Orphanage to the Abbey to help the Avengers fight Pestilence and company. The following scene actually takes place months ago, and it takes him out of action for the remainder of the fight with Pestilence. Continued from At the Ready (Orphanage).))
Johnny soared high above Rhy'Din City proper on his way toward Pestilence and her brood, where he was supposed to rendezvous with the others and defend the city against dragons.
"Dragons," Johnny muttered as he flew toward his destination. "Can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em. At least, it's not boring," he mused to himself, trying to look on the bright side.
Ninja assassins, evil sorcerers, madmen with a chip on their shoulder - all of those were just part of a day's work, but dragons" That was a new one. He'd never encountered any dragons in battle before, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about them. Fight fire with fire" He'd blame his lack of knowledge and experience on missing the class about dragons in superhero training school, except there was no superhero training school. It was more of an on-the-job, learn-as-you-go kind of training.
Ebon had said to go for the eyes, but Johnny wasn't sure a blind dragon was any less dangerous than a sighted one, probably even more dangerous. So, how was he supposed to fight one" Fight fire with fire" He guessed he was about to find out. Where was Reed with a complicated plan of attack when you needed him' Eh, screw Reed. Johnny had always been the act first and think later kind of guy anyway.
Johnny surveyed the city from above, looking for any signs of trouble, and trouble was exactly what he found. Trouble with a capital T or, more accurately, F for Fire. It looked like the WestEnd or part of it. A place known as Shambles or something like that, and it was going up in flames at an alarming rate. Johnny was willing to bet where there was fire, there were dragons.
Johnny swerved in that direction, dipping down to have a closer look, and sure enough, there be dragons. Two for sure, maybe more, big and red and nasty. "Uh, Ranger?" he queried, tapping the comm-link the team insisted he wear. "I've got dragons at five o'clock. I'm going in for a closer look. Torch, out."
Johnny wasn't sure if the dragons were part of Pestilence's group or if they were acting alone, but whatever the case, they were up to no good. The place was going up in flames faster than marshmallows at a Girl Scout Jamboree. As he got closer, he could hear the frantic, panicked screams of people as they rushed this way and that, trying to put out the flames before the entire area was decimated. It was like trying to spit on a bonfire.
"Where the hell is the fire brigade?" Johnny mused to himself, but they didn't call this part of town Shambles for nothing. It was a poor part of town, forgotten by most, with little money and resources for such modern conveniences as fire trucks and hydrants.
"Well, who needs those things when Johnny Storm is around?" he thought smugly, swooping down to hover in the air, just above the smoldering, fiery mess. "Dragons, schmagons," Johnny said to no one in particular. "Piece of cake."
He spread his arms wide, closing his eyes to focus his mind as he concentrated on taking control of the fire and the flames, absorbing as much of it as he could into his own body, faster and more effectively than hosing the whole thing down with water.
On the ground, a small crowd had gathered, watching and pointing as Johnny put out the flames, shouting words of encouragement, but their relief was short-lived as from high above their heads, a dark form swept down, crimson wings spread wide, casting a dark shadow over the small group. A woman's scream broke the shocked silence, and a boy, eyes wide with fear, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Johnny, watch out!" But Johnny heard him too late.
Lost in concentration, one dragon wing, solid as a stone wall or a heavyweight prize fighter, hit Johnny hard, knocking him aside and out of control. Johnny fell, crashing through the roof of a house with such force that he collapsed in a pile of brick and mortar, stunned, the plasma flames around him going out.
Outside, the crowd screamed in horror and panic and scattered every which way as the fire dragon swooped down for another attack at the small, undefended village, while Johnny lay unconscious in a pile of rubble.
Johnny soared high above Rhy'Din City proper on his way toward Pestilence and her brood, where he was supposed to rendezvous with the others and defend the city against dragons.
"Dragons," Johnny muttered as he flew toward his destination. "Can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em. At least, it's not boring," he mused to himself, trying to look on the bright side.
Ninja assassins, evil sorcerers, madmen with a chip on their shoulder - all of those were just part of a day's work, but dragons" That was a new one. He'd never encountered any dragons in battle before, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about them. Fight fire with fire" He'd blame his lack of knowledge and experience on missing the class about dragons in superhero training school, except there was no superhero training school. It was more of an on-the-job, learn-as-you-go kind of training.
Ebon had said to go for the eyes, but Johnny wasn't sure a blind dragon was any less dangerous than a sighted one, probably even more dangerous. So, how was he supposed to fight one" Fight fire with fire" He guessed he was about to find out. Where was Reed with a complicated plan of attack when you needed him' Eh, screw Reed. Johnny had always been the act first and think later kind of guy anyway.
Johnny surveyed the city from above, looking for any signs of trouble, and trouble was exactly what he found. Trouble with a capital T or, more accurately, F for Fire. It looked like the WestEnd or part of it. A place known as Shambles or something like that, and it was going up in flames at an alarming rate. Johnny was willing to bet where there was fire, there were dragons.
Johnny swerved in that direction, dipping down to have a closer look, and sure enough, there be dragons. Two for sure, maybe more, big and red and nasty. "Uh, Ranger?" he queried, tapping the comm-link the team insisted he wear. "I've got dragons at five o'clock. I'm going in for a closer look. Torch, out."
Johnny wasn't sure if the dragons were part of Pestilence's group or if they were acting alone, but whatever the case, they were up to no good. The place was going up in flames faster than marshmallows at a Girl Scout Jamboree. As he got closer, he could hear the frantic, panicked screams of people as they rushed this way and that, trying to put out the flames before the entire area was decimated. It was like trying to spit on a bonfire.
"Where the hell is the fire brigade?" Johnny mused to himself, but they didn't call this part of town Shambles for nothing. It was a poor part of town, forgotten by most, with little money and resources for such modern conveniences as fire trucks and hydrants.
"Well, who needs those things when Johnny Storm is around?" he thought smugly, swooping down to hover in the air, just above the smoldering, fiery mess. "Dragons, schmagons," Johnny said to no one in particular. "Piece of cake."
He spread his arms wide, closing his eyes to focus his mind as he concentrated on taking control of the fire and the flames, absorbing as much of it as he could into his own body, faster and more effectively than hosing the whole thing down with water.
On the ground, a small crowd had gathered, watching and pointing as Johnny put out the flames, shouting words of encouragement, but their relief was short-lived as from high above their heads, a dark form swept down, crimson wings spread wide, casting a dark shadow over the small group. A woman's scream broke the shocked silence, and a boy, eyes wide with fear, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Johnny, watch out!" But Johnny heard him too late.
Lost in concentration, one dragon wing, solid as a stone wall or a heavyweight prize fighter, hit Johnny hard, knocking him aside and out of control. Johnny fell, crashing through the roof of a house with such force that he collapsed in a pile of brick and mortar, stunned, the plasma flames around him going out.
Outside, the crowd screamed in horror and panic and scattered every which way as the fire dragon swooped down for another attack at the small, undefended village, while Johnny lay unconscious in a pile of rubble.