Gabe Harlan hovered above the slums of Star City, searching for any signs of trouble. Though the sun blared overhead, the air was cold, causing the young hero to be even more alert than usual. He never did like the cold too much, and the fact that it was lunchtime and chilly made him somewhat on-edge. The young voice of a girl suddenly made itself known, screaming for help. She sounded desperate, full of fear... Just like Gabe more than two years before. Back then, he hadn't yet discovered his powers. He had lived on the streets. Back then, no one came to help him until it was too late, and he was passed out on the ground, the ashes of his assailants surrounding him. Hellfire flew through the air at high speed, determined not to fail the girl like Gotham had failed him. [i]"I'm coming, I'm coming..."[/i] he thought, the cool afternoon air brushing past his masked face. He remembered feeling so cold... so lonely... so [i]helpless[/i] as the thugs attacked him, demanding money which he obviously didn't have. He remembered feeling like a monster when he discovered his powers... Using them to kill the thugs in an out-of-control fear-fueled barrage of flames. The memories caused tears to form in his eyes, tears which he immediately willed back into his sockets. Just as he arrived at the girl's location, she let loose a scream louder than those before, her hopelessness and terror ever evident. Five criminals were crowded around her, two of them armed with a knife, the rest unarmed. They all looked lustful for the girl, who was no older than fifteen. A rage filled Gabe, and heat began radiating from his body as he hurtled down towards an unarmed crim. A loud snarl escaped his mouth moments before his armoured fist collided with the crim's face, sprawling the man across the ground. Adopting a fighting stance, Hellfire glared at the would-be rapists, using his own version of the famous Bat Glare. The two knife-wielders charged at him, one in front and the other from the right. A grave mistake on their part. As the one in front tried to slash across Gabe's neck, the hero ducked under it and twisted, blocking the other's stab to the rib and pulling him off balance. He then turned back to the front in time to dodge an overhead stab, landing a rib-shattering body-rip, followed by an uppercut, causing the con to bite down on his tongue, knocking him out cold as blood streamed from his mouth. The remaining knife-wielder made a futile attempt to skewer Hellfire through the stomach, and his hand was simply slapped away before he was kicked King Leonidas style into a garbage can. As the two residual criminals quickly made to pick up their fallen friends' knives, Gabe ran to the girl, who had been watching the fight in a combination of awe and fear. When he neared her, she began to cringe away from him, and he noticed a number of bruises on her face. The flame-wielder immediately felt sympathy for her and spoke, his voice gentle in contrast to his imposing muscular figure. "It's going to be okay. I've got you. Hold my hand." After she reluctantly grabbed hold of his left hand, Hellfire raised his free arm, summoning a scorching circular wall of black fire, blocking the path of the remaining thugs. In an attempt to protect her face from the heat, the girl buried her face in her rescuer's chest, surprised to find that it almost matched the fire's temperature. Mustering his most threatening voice, Hellfire yelled to the criminals on the other side of the firewall. [b]"You're both going to listen to me now. You're beaten! You are not going to hurt this girl, or anyone else! Now, here's what you're going to do: You're going to go to the SCPD and confess to all the crimes you've committed. You're going to tell them who was involved, and you will plead guilty against any charges laid against you. Got it?"[/b] He could practically sense their nods. [b]"Now GO!"[/b] The sound of frantic footsteps echoed through the alley, mixing with the roar of the firewall. Once he was sure they were gone, Gabe dissipated the flames, looking at the girl. She withdrew her head from his chest, looking up into his emerald green eyes. It was then that he took in her features and noticed how pretty she looked despite the bruises. Her eyes were of a bright blue colour, her hair a light shade of brown. Her skin was fair, and her face delicate, soft. She somehow reminded him of Jin... He wasn't sure why, but she did. "Those men won't be hurting you anymore. You're safe," he managed to say, taken aback by her beauty. "Thank you," she mumbled, quickly looking away as their gaze became too intense for her liking. "It was the least I could do," said Gabe, looking away himself. "What's your name?" "Matilda... You're Hellfire, aren't you? Part of Young Justice..." "Yeah, that's me," he confirmed. "Speaking of Young Justice... Darn it, I'm meant to be at HQ now. Do you have a home?" "Oh... Yeah." --- When Matilda told him where to drop her off, he swept her off the ground and took flight, dropping her off near her home, before dashing towards the abandoned Queen Industries building, below which Young Justice HQ was located. It had been a year since he was last there, spending most of his time off helping another member of the team, his "bro", Magnus, with his own business. The experience was, to say the least, horrifying, and the cruelty which Gabe had seen being practiced on others left a large scar in his mind. Finally arriving at HQ, Gabe had the intention of seeking out Jin and catching up with her, but he then noticed a rumbling in his stomach... Food would have to come first. [i]"Sorry Jin,"[/i] he mentally apologised as he took off his mask, ruffling his short black hair. Walking into the kitchen, he noticed someone munching away at a sandwich. Was that... "Kilian! How've you been? Man, you look different!" exclaimed Gabe, happy to see his teammate.