[h1][i][b][color=f26522]Hellfire[/color][/b][/i][/h1]

I’ll be honest with you. When the door opened, I did not expect what I saw. I don’t know why, but I was sure it would open to reveal a pimply teen dressed in poorly made tights, like a nerd right outta Comic Con. I realise now that that’s an absolutely stupid thing to think, especially considering that these guys were next in line to become Justice Leaguers, but still. I was not expecting a uber-hot punk girl with guns to show up and make me sputter and die, much like that shitty car my parents bought me for my sixteenth birthday. Looking back on it, I can’t help but think, “What would Gabe have done?”

I’ll tell you what. He would’ve looked her up and down, stared her in the eyes, and threatened getting shot by saying, “Sorry. You’re not my type.” But goddamnit, I’m not Gabe, and I sure as hell don’t have a type.

So after she not-so subtly threatened to put a bullet in my brain, all I managed to say was, “Uh… hi.”

Fucking hormones.

Realising that that probably didn’t ensure my survival, I decided to rephrase, removing my helmet to reveal my amazing jawline, breathing deep. “Luke is my friend,” I explained, “I met him back when he was still in Gotham, going solo as Sandstorm. I was on holiday (it didn’t feel like one, though. Who the hell goes to Gotham for a holiday?), but we met as vigilantes, and teamed up for the two weeks I was there. We kept in touch afterwards. Every second day we’d send our statuses to each other. But I didn’t get a message yesterday. Or the two days beforehand. He’s gone missing. Something’s up. And with all this stuff going on with the VRA and San Fran, I don't think he's in hiding. Not by choice, anyway. It's not like him. Something's up."

I paused, tracked my eyes along the girl's figure, caught myself, thought, [i]Damn you, hot people,[/i] and pressed on. "I can tell you're in the middle of something, so, uh, sorry to interrupt. But I need your help. You guys are the only chance I've got to find Sandy. Will you help me? Or shoot me?"

I tried not to show it, but I hoped to fucking Superman that they'd do the first.