[i]'Cole, do you ever stop playing with that thing? I'm starting to worry about you.'

'Chill out Silvia, it's just a lighter. It's not like I'm doing drugs or building bombs or something actually bad. It's harmless.'

'I didn't say that the lighter was dangerous. I know you Cole, you're too much of a dork to actually be doing something risque with it. It's just your weird fascination with it weirds me out alright?'

'I just... When I look into the flame, it's such a pure state of being. Almost like pure transcendence you know? Fire cleanses, it washes everything away. It is like the ultimate balance in nature. Yet, here I am, able to hold it in the palm of my ha'

'Cole, seriously, stop. Just stop.'

'That's not fair Silvia.'

'Maybe it isn't. I just don't want you.. Actually, I don't know. I just know that your fascination with that damn lighter worries me. Just be careful, alright Cole? Don't get yourself in trouble with that thing or I swear I am telling mom.'

'Oh yeah, if you did that then I guess telling mom about that tattoo you got on your side is fair game as well?'

'I'm being serious Cole. You're such a pain in the ass to look after sometimes you know? Just please stay safe.' [/i]

----

Cole's heart was racing. He was running in among the other panicked civilians akin to a wolf grazing among the sheep. Though Cole couldn't quite remember too well why he was running in the first place. Something about vegetables? 

No, that didn't make any sense at all. Cole wasn't completely crazy. Maybe he exploded something again. Which, in that case, he should probably just focus on running faster. 

All he knew for sure was that others found it important to be running away from something so it felt natural to run with them. Cole looked into the horizon and realized that he was running ever closer to the Capital. How convenient for him. Soon the originally frightened mob was submerged underneath the calm waters of civilians who were too far away from the bombing to be affected and Cole's pace fell to a steady walk among dozens of others. Rather convenient as Cole was growing tired of running. 

Which gave Cole some time to mull over how he was going to do once he got to the Capital building. It was far too heavily fortified to try to blitz, and there was only one way in and out of the place. A rather convenient choke point for The Superior's forces. Getting inside of the building through brute force was out of the question. Cole would have to actually use his head for this. Something that he dreaded doing.

With that thought in mind, Cole Carton walked into the nearest bar. Thinking could wait until later, right now the nearest bar stool would have to serve as a base of operations and a few beers as his plan's schematics.