10° VIDEO

[faceofthe4]

[There's a pause before Johnny's face appears on the screen, bent over to press the buttons. Once he confirms that the screen is on, he straightens and makes sure he's in frame, wearing very basic clothes.]

Aw, Reed. You shouldn't have! It's a little small, but I admit, I like what you've done with the place.

[He waits a beat, as if Reed might actually respond.]

There are two obvious possibilities for why I'm here. One, the Emperor is a crazed fan who abducted me to find out if The Torch is really as hot as they say he is – I am, by the way – or, two, I'm actually dead, they're lying to me, and I have a motorcycle and a pile of women waiting for me somewhere.

[A split-second pause.] I'll tell you what. If it's the first option? You can come find me. If it's the second, let me know and I'll come find you. Until then? This Fire Sector is like home, sweet home.

Johnny out.

Comments

[video]

[faceofthe4]

You know, like a loser. The geeky kids who don't know how to talk to people and never participate.

I've just never met anyone like me. Can you fly too?

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

[Still using words he doesn't know to describe words he doesn't know. Nerd and geek aren't commonly heard in the late 40s.]

...Any Torch can fly if they know how to use their powers right. It's just about heating the air around you enough that it can carry your weight.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

[Oblivious!Johnny is oblivious.]

How many Torches are there?

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

[Toro's getting used to future-people not getting it.]

Well, the only real ones are Pappy and me right now. There were some fakes with green flames that were made from this freaky radiation, but they were just robots. Didn't have any minds of their own. Nobody else has mentioned any new ones but you.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

And I'm guessing the other guy isn't here. Guess that makes it just you and me.

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

...No, he's not here. [And that tanks his mood a bit, but Toro is trying not to let it show. He doesn't know where Jim is, what's happening to him back home. It can't be good, but Toro can't do anything about it.]

I haven't seen any other Torches around, but there's a bunch of people here so who knows.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

Don't worry, kid. I have no plans of us being best friends just because we both light ourselves on fire.

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

Kid? [Seriously one of these days this damn aging thing will have to sort itself out and he'll be able to look as old and he is.]

I don't know what you may have gotten out of this conversation, but I'm old enough to enjoy a good drink when I want it.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

How old are you?

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

I'm twenty-five. Don't let the boyish good looks fool you. It's another flame-thing.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

Huh.

[That makes them the same age. Weird.]

Does that mean that I'll look like this for years? Because I really wouldn't mind.

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

[He shrugs.] I was born with my powers. I don't know if it'll be the same for somebody who had there's given to 'em some other way.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

Did you used to light your crib on fire?

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

Don't know. My folks probably wouldn't have mentioned if I did. [They were pretty scared and willing to keep everything about him being different under wraps.] Walked into a burning house once, though, and didn't even feel warm. And I was a fire-eater in the circus. It's always been that way.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

You worked for the circus.

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

What, they don't have traveling circuses where you're from, pal?

[video]

[faceofthe4]

Sure, they do. But why would you work at one?

[video]

[flamingshortshorts]

[Toro laughed.] Because my foster parents are fire-eaters, so I was one, too. I still go back and do shows with them every once in awhile when I visit.

[video]

[faceofthe4]

Huh. Whatever works.