[b]Hunter’s Point South Park
Long Island City, Queens, New York, USA
July 4th, 2023 9:13PM EDT[/b]

[COLOR=crimson]"Thank you all again for coming out tonight! Have a happy Fourth of July, and enjoy the fireworks!"[/color]

With those last words to the crowd, Waylon returned his microphone to its stand and stepped back to exit the stage. He couldn't help taking one more moment to bask in it all: the stage lights, the deafening crowd, his heart pounding as sweat dripped down his face... Was there any better feeling in the world? He was sure that he could perform every day for the rest of his life, and never get tired of it.

Moments after the concert ended, his band members dispersed, and Waylon was the last one onstage. That was typical; even back in their earliest days, he had a tendency linger like that. Back then, he would take the opportunity to help the "roadies" (mostly friends from school) strike the gear. The union stagehands they had now worked like a finely oiled machine, though, and he knew he would just get in the way of their work, so he handed off his guitar, stepped over the monitors and footlights on the front of the stage, and hopped down.

His first instinct was to follow after Donny, to compliment the latter on his performance. Waylon was the frontman and started the band to begin with, but he regarded Donny as the soul of the group. It was thanks to their lead guitarist that they'd found their sound, which in turn lead to the band gaining the popularity it had, which was why they were all there to begin with. 

[COLOR=crimson]"Yo, Donny-"[/color] He started, before realizing that his friend was in mid-conversation. That normally wouldn't have stopped him; he would have gone up behind the other man, threw an arm around his shoulders, and cheerfully interjected himself into the discussion. He wasn't always quite so forward, but being at a concert, where just about everyone was eager for a chance to talk with him, boosted his ego quite a bit. What stopped him was noticing who the conversation was with.

He had nothing [i]against[/i] Owen, really. They'd even had a few halfway decent conversation while his friend's brother traveled with the band. However, he could be difficult on a good day, and now it seemed like the two were getting into an argument. Yeah, that was something he'd rather avoid.

"Waylon Maximoff!" A voice from behind him called his name, and he turned around. There was a young woman wearing a shirt from their concert tour last year, holding up her phone. She froze, surprised that she actually got his attention, and he hit her with a charming smile.

[COLOR=crimson]"Hey there! Thanks for coming... Selfie?"[/color] He asked. She grinned, nodding her head gratefully, and that opened the floodgates for others to start crowding around them. Waylon, being the man of the people that he was, had a reputation for talking to, taking pictures with, and signing things for as many people as possible after a show. The process could be more exhausting than the concert itself, but what could he say? He loved his fans almost as much as they loved him.

Meanwhile, towards the edge of the crowd, a man approached a tall woman and handed her a drink. The guy... Whoever he was... Had been flirting with her for the better half of the night. Petra wasn't particularly interested, but he was of age to buy alcohol from the nearby vendors, and not a [i]terrible[/i] kisser, so she welcomed the attention anyway. 

"...I see Waylon Maximoff and Donny Blake over there. Wanna try and grab some autographs?" He asked, putting an arm around her.

[color=silver]"Hmm... sure. I have to go to the restroom, though, so you go ahead, and I'll catch up?"[/color] She suggested. He agreed, winked, and walked away.  

Of course, Petra had no intentions of "catching up," or trying to get an autograph from the guy she'd shared a womb with. She [i]was[/i] proud of him. Beyond proud. This was the first time she had seen him live since picking up their fifth band member in London, and she was actually very impressed by how much they'd improved; the recordings simply hadn't done them justice. But this was as good a time as any to ditch whatever-his-name-was, and now she could track down her friends. They'd gotten separated during the concert, but still planned to meet up for the fireworks. After that, they would go to another friend's apartment for Petra's "surprise" birthday party.

She had only moved a few steps when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. A call? She fished the phone out, saw the name "Danielle" on the caller ID, and answered.

[color=silver]"Dani? Hey, I was just on my way over to-"[/color]

"Petra?? Petra?!! I-" Came the desperate voice on the other end. 

[color=silver]"Dani! Calm down! What's up?"[/color] Petra answered, brows furrowing in confusion. 

"-are you?? These kids just came through saying how we're all in danger or something, and Steph thinks there might be a terrorist attack or something, and-"

[color=silver]"Terrorists?"[/color] Petra repeated, covering her other ear to try and block out the noise from the crowd, [color=silver]"Look, I can't really hear you, it's so loud-"[/color]

"We couldn't find you so we just left, but you really need to get your brother and leave, I don't think those people were playing around-"

[color=0244FB][i]"Everyone! My name is Catherine Davis. I'm a scientist at Grayburn Labs, well an intern, but you all have to get out of here! There's a toxic gas that will release the moment those fireworks go off. You're all in danger. My friend is trying to stop it right now but please... You all need to----."[/i][/color]

The sudden announcement came, interrupted by a [i]boom[/i] that made her heart jump. Petra's phone slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground. She looked on in wide-eyed shock as an odd blue mist settled onto the crowd. People were yelling, coughing... Oh God, her [i]eyes.[/i] 

It took everything she had to keep from collapsing to her knees. She had to find Waylon.


[color=crimson]"Three, four, five, six, seven-"[/color] He counted, trying to ignore the stinging in his throat. It all happened so quickly. Before he knew it, a couple he'd been taking a picture with fell over, the woman coughing up blood, the man not breathing at all. Waylon had been a lifeguard for a summer, and so CPR was all he could think to do. He kept going, even when he felt a sharp tugging on his arm.

[color=silver]"Waylon, we have to get out of here."[/color] Petra yanked at him again, but her brother barely moved. She knew what he was thinking. She knew, because it's what she was thinking, too. Images flashed in her mind of bombs, and blood, of smoke stinging her eyes and throat and the world crashing down around her-

[color=silver]"Goddamnit, Waylon! He's not breathing! We need to leave, now!"[/color] She exclaimed. Finally, he allowed himself to be pulled up, but once he was back on his feet he remained rooted that spot. He blinked slowly, looking around. Where was his band? His [i]friends[/i]?

[COLOR=crimson]"Chris, Matt, Jess... Donny..?"[/color] The others were nowhere to be found, but there was Donny and his brother, not too far away. Waylon started to shove his way towards them, ignoring Petra's protests. [color=crimson]"We can't leave without them..."[/color]