Rated for: Adult themes, violence, language (in later chapters), sexual references/scenes, and drug references in later chapters. Just thought you should be warned.

Disclaimer: The author (moi) of the fanfiction does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters in Static Shock belong to their original creator(s). In fact, the author isn't really getting any profit from anything she does lately...

Fill In the Blanks

0.1

Gear was sitting at the back of the room. This was a strange café. It was his first time being here, so maybe that was that was the explanation for him being so guarded... But he wasn't here to observe the scenery; he was here to look for the perp.

It was the new "Villain of the week" ... they didn't seem like they were bang babies, but then again, neither did Richie and Virgil. They had stolen some equipment from one of the labs in Gotham, and then escaped over here. They then stole some more equipment from the labs over here then hid out somewhere around town. The problem was Gear and Static didn't even know what these guys were planning. The rumour is that they sometimes hanged over at the park or at this café.

And that's why he was here.

Gear couldn't help but take notes on this place, the dim lighting, the variety in music, the dark wallpaper, and the fact that it was in building with at least five floors. There was a stage up front, and a girl speaking dramatically about politics. There were waiters and waitresses walking about in black suits. And almost everybody came in groups. Most people were talking, but quietly enough so that the people who were listening to the girl wouldn't get distracted, or so that they could listen to the music. Many scents swirled around in the air. Different types of coffee, chocolate drinks, soups... and some alcohol. It was a relaxing environment, probably why those villains came over here.

The girl from the stage just came down, and another came up, starting her performance immediately. She was wailing, dancing, moving, and pushing her whole body into the performance. That is, until she fell off the stage. People reacted almost instantly, crowding around the girl, trying to help her up, or pushing the people who were crowding around her away so that the poor girl can breathe. Richie was too far away to see if the girl was okay, but he did stand up and try to see over the crowd of people, it was no use. He only saw many heads. Richie's attention was drawn away from the crowd to another girl, who was now snickering.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," the girl said, "I told her that she needed more practice on that routine of hers!" It was obvious that she wasn't speaking to no one in particular. She wore a brown beret, but her bangs and small tuffs of hair snuck out of the hat. She dyed part of her hair orange. The girl's body language suggested that she hadn't even notice that Richie was stand next to her. It was also obvious that she knew that poor girl, who was now standing, and rubbing her arms. A look of pure agony and embarrassment was on her face. She was fine. Richie relaxed, sitting back down and letting a sigh of relief. It was that sound that got the other girl's attention. She looked over at Richie and smiled. Leaning over towards him and sitting in the chair right next to him. It was probably her way of saying 'hi'.

"Hiya." The girl curled her legs under her and she grasped the chairs arms, "Now I know just about everyone in this fine establishment, but I've never seen you." Richie noticed that the girl was avoiding eye contact. Richie forced a smile.

"Now just because you've seen a person doesn't mean you know a person." Instantly, as soon as those words left his mouth, Richie mentally smacked himself. But the girl didn't seem deterred.

"You can find out a lot of things by just looking at a person, you know."

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." An automatic response from Richie.

"No, not what I meant," the girl shook her head, "I mean by the way they present themselves. Like the way they stand, the way talk, the way they sit... it tells a lot about a person." The girl tilted her head at him and strands of her short black hair fell on her face. Richie raised an eyebrow at the girl. He still had a job to do, and he had to leave this place in like, an hour or so... but he still had time to talk to the girl.

"What can you tell about me?" This was gonna be interesting.

"Well, assuming you're a smart boy, I'd say you're in high school... mmm, best in your class. Maybe. You're obviously looking for something, or someone, with the way you keep on looking around. I'm figurin' you do have a time limit, somewhere to go soon, 'cause you keep on glancing at the clock. Either that or you find me uninteresting (I hope that isn't the case...). Uhh... You hadn't had a lot of sleep... you're starting to get bags under your eyes (some ice can hide that pretty good). Uhh... you're too tense. And that could mean a number of things. Am I right?" The girl looked expectantly at Richie.

"Yeah," Richie replied, "You're right..."

"And judging from those wide eyes of yours, I'd say you're pretty impressed." Richie nodded.

"Who're you lookin' for?" Richie didn't respond then. There was the fact that he didn't know her enough to call her a 'reliable source', because right now, Richie – no – Gear only needed information. Enough information to figure out what exactly these guys are planning.

"You are a very guarded person, you know that?" In this lighting, it was just too hard to figure out the expression on that girl's face. But she was leaning towards him, with her eyebrows furrowed. She was disappointed. Another glance at the clock told Richie that he only had forty minutes left. Richie sighed.

"We'll start with your name. Then go from there." The girl grinned.

"Call me Sunny."

"Richie." Another mental slap. Never, ever, ever give out your real name in these types of situations... Richie winced; too many thoughts were coming into his head right now. Like how this day could link to him being Gear.

"You okay?" And then there's the fact that this girl was too observant.

"Yeah." She was leaning in closer.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Two guys, uh, Jason and Phil. You know 'em?" A bright smile twisted into a frown. Sunny almost drew back.

"How fortunate of you, yes, I do know those two. They live upstairs." It was the biting tone in her voice that made Gear hesitate to ask anymore questions.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah," Sunny nodded, and pointed up at the ceiling, "upstairs." She shifted around so that her chair was closer to the blonds' seat, letting Richie know just how close those two were at the moment. Oranges. The girl smelled like oranges... it was such a strong scent... concentrate, Rich! Concentrate!

"Uh, is there..."

"Incriminatin' evidence... that's what you're lookin' for, right?" That bright smile returned when Richie nodded.

"Well, I dunno much about them. They moved in like, a month ago and I don't know exactly what you're lookin' for."

"Right now," Richie replied, "I'm just need basic information about them. Where they came from, why they came here... Stuff of that sort." Richie could tell that she was trying to figure out why exactly he needed that information. He could also see her push away that thought for later on. Seems like Sunny doesn't like her new roommates.

"Well okay. You obviously know their names. So I'm guessing you know what they look like, right?" A nod from Richie, "They're from Arizona. Phil's like forty-something and Jason is like thirty-something. I think Jason's married. He has a ring (a really nice one, by the way). He might have kids."

Sunny shrugged then continued, "Those two are pretty nice, actually. They bother the hell out of me, but they seem pretty nice."

"You mean you didn't talk to the two."

"Oh, I talked to them," Sunny replied, "But they're very private type of people. They also wake up real early, like at three in the morning early. I don't know when they come home."

"Is that all?"

Sunny sucked in some air – air he just breathed out – and nodded her head. "It's just about all I know. But there are other people around here, who know the two very well. You could ask around..." Richie glanced at the clock. He still had time. Richie raised an eyebrow at Sunny. Sunny's eyes widened.

"Oh what, you mean now?" Richie nodded.

"Uh, okay..." Sunny stood up, and it was then that the young hero took the girl's features in. She was tall for a girl, but Richie could tell that he was taller than her by a few inches. She wore a black hoodie and torn jeans, and both were filled with little designs. The lighting of the room hid a lot, but Richie could take in a lot of other things. Tan skin, she was mixed. Matching dice earrings, necklace, and bracelets. Nails painted in a darkish orange, black Chucks, and an array of bracelets. Sunny turned to Richie with a raised eyebrow, holding out her hand for him to take. She must have thought that he needed help standing up.

"You coming?" She was smiling. And Richie nodded, not taking her hand when he stood up.

"Yeah, but remember, I do have a time limit."

----

Sunny had left Richie downstairs to talk to a lady about Jason and Phil while she went upstairs to retrieve her backpack. You could basically hear her swearing at somebody all the way from where Richie was standing until her voice faded away. Something Richie found amazingly interesting. For no reason, apparently. Or no known reason to him. Richie had decided to focus on the woman in front of her, who right now was making coffee. The woman radiated motherly warmth, and it made Richie paranoid because he thought that she was trying to lull him into a false sense of security.

The woman was a thin blond, who dressed a bit formally and wore red lipstick. For some reason, Richie thought of a Southern bell... a rich Southern bell. But that wouldn't make sense. For one thing, rich people didn't live in this area. And for another thing, the woman wasn't even Southern, she was from Boston. She was equipped with the Boston accent, and attitude. Maybe that's why Richie's defences went up around her. It turned out that the woman didn't know much about the two men. But she did suggest the people who did.

Samuel – Sam for short – was Sunny's older brother, and was also the one who had recommended the two men to stay here. This turned out to be a surprise for Sunny.

"I didn't even know that Sam talked to them..." was Sunny's reply.

"Sam works late during school nights, maybe I can get you two to meet up Sunday arvo," Sunny had suggested, "he's off by then."

Richie had accepted. He didn't want to be discouraged on the first day. And he was now walking home, hoping that Static was having better progress than Gear was.

A/N: Okay, I'm usually hiding out in the Teen Titans and X-Men: Evolution sections of this site. So that means I have never even thought about doing something in this section. Even though this is like one of my favourite shows... heh. So I apologize if this isn't so great. I just want to practice. Hell, if this happens to be good enough, I'll just continue from it...

It's all up to you.

(And crap, I have other stories to work on...)

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