Now You See Me, Now You Don't
A horrible accident one night leaves Hotstreak dead and Dakota moves on, until Static finds out things aren't always as they appear. It's a race against time to mend the doings of an invisible foe and save someone who's already dead.
Chapter One: A Cold, Dark Night
The docks of Dakota had seen little activity since the Big Bang over a year ago. Barges and freighters tended to keep to the Gotham side of the harbor and goods were transported by truck between the cities.
So on a cold evening in October, a flickering light should not have been seen making its way across the docks, around forgotten crates and dilapidated warehouses.
A man who lived across the street from the main entrance saw the light and called the police. Gangs frequented the area often, but he had a five-year-old asleep in the ratty apartment and didn't want any funny business going down.
The cops, upon receiving the call, notified Static via a system of walkie-talkies the hero had supplied the department with so they could communicate.
Across town, sixteen-year-old Virgil Hawkins was awoken by the buzzing of a walkie-talkie buried beneath layers of biology papers on his desk. Groggily, he answered, listened to the policeman's breakdown of the situation, and reached for his backpack on the floor by the head of his bed.
Virgil pulled on his Static costume, added a second layer to keep the chill away, and slipped the mask over his face. Then he called Richie Foley on the same walkie-talkie to wake up his partner.
"Rich…yo Rich pick up." Virgil pinched his nose to fight off a yawn.
"What?" Richie's voice crackled back, sounding annoyed. "I told you I'm not helping you with your biology homework."
Virgil rolled his eyes. "No, not that. I gave up on that. Got a call from the station, someone reported some suspicious activity down at the docks and they want us there for backup in case it's a meta."
"Oh, ok then. Meet you at the water tower in ten?" Virgil heard the bed springs creak as Richie got up and started getting ready.
"Sure. Dress warm. Forecasters said snow tonight." Virgil pulled his coat tightly around him and opened his bedroom window. Stepping out onto the fire escape, Virgil closed the window almost all the way shut so he could get back in later and pulled his disc from an inside coat pocket.
The young hero tossed the disc into the air and jumped over the railing, landing solidly on the thin metal disc and locking his feet magnetically. Static shot out of the alleyway and into the night sky, dodging around the winter's first few snowflakes as they fell silently over the sleeping metropolis.
Hotstreak held the flame higher over his head and looked around the massive warehouse. Almost every window was shattered and most of the crates had been looted, leaving a mess of splintered wood and broken glass over the grimy floor.
"I don't like this Ebon." Talon said, her voice echoing ominously off the walls.
Ebon turned around and his eyes narrowed. "Look, I stashed some money here last week and we need to get it back. You three just keep watch. It will only take a minute." The shadowy being melted into the darkness of the room beyond what Hotstreak's flames illuminated and disappeared into the back of the warehouse.
Talon huffed and hugged her wings closer to her body. Hotstreak wouldn't say it, but he agreed with her. Something about tonight seemed off, like they should be back at the hideout, clustered around each other trying to keep warm and not skulking through warehouses. The darkness seemed too still, the air too cold.
"I want to go back." Shiv whined, rubbing his ears impatiently and then convulsing with shivers.
"Just a few more minutes." Hotstreak said softly, trying to see where Ebon had gone.
Talon pressed herself against Hotstreak's front and then sighed in relief. "God, you're so warm."
Hotstreak was glad for the dark because his face was flushing as deep a red as his hair.
"Where is he? It's freezing." Shiv jumped up and down, as much out of impatience as it was to heat up.
Hotstreak was silent, head cocked a little to one side. "Did you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?" Talon asked. Shiv stopped jumping and looked at them.
Faintly, just ever so faintly, sirens could be heard in the distance.
"Ebon, time's up! Someone called the cops on us!" Talon shouted and started for the door.
Something dropped in the darkness where Ebon was and they heard him swear loudly. "I'm coming, get outside. Hold 'em off if I'm not there in three minutes."
Hotstreak let the ball of fire in his hand fade and then he, Talon, and Shiv crept out the door and into the night. A very thin layer of snow had gathered on the ground while they were inside, muffling their footsteps on the concrete. Swirling flakes floated around them.
"More than cops." Shiv pointed up. A shimmering purple dot was closing in on the dock, and fast.
"Static." Talon swore. Things had gotten very complicated very fast.
"All we have to do is hold them off, then make for the alley two blocks down. We'll meet up there." Hotstreak said, looking back to see if Ebon was done yet. He wasn't.
"Hey guys, what are you doing? There's been nothing good to steal at the docks for months. Or are you looking for someplace to crash with the other rats?" Static swooped low, smirking at his joke.
"Don't get us confused with Ferret hero." Hotstreak shot back.
"Someone's been working on his comebacks." Gear shot out from behind the warehouse and collided with Hotstreak's back. The two flew forward, Gear spiraling into the air on his jet skates and Hotstreak tumbling along the ground.
"Guess that means I get you two." Static cracked his knuckles and smiled. "Lucky me."
Talon and Shiv looked at each other and then back at Static. "I'd say its more like lucky us."
"Why would you say that?"
Shiv darted underneath Static, distracting him. The hero spun on his disc to follow Shiv's movements and Talon screeched, sending high-pitched sound waves at Static and dislodging him from his disc. Before Static could get to his feet, Shiv was on him, slicing this way and that with knives for hands.
Static retreated backwards and made a net of electricity, catching one of Shiv's hands and tossing the Asian teen behind him into a warehouse.
Talon screeched again but Static summoned his disc and jumped over the waves, regaining the advantage.
Gear pulled a zap-cap from his belt and hurled it at Hotstreak. The pyro shot it down before it got to him and launched a barrage of fireballs at Gear. One of his jet skates got tagged by the flames and sent Gear into a downward fall. He pulled up short of the ground and grabbed Hotstreak as he flew by him.
Gear flew Hotstreak into a lamppost, long devoid of electricity. Hotstreak swallowed a yelp and scrambled back to his feet as Gear came at him again, rotating his body to propel himself straight through the air as one his skates was malfunctioning.
Hotstreak brought up a wall of fire in front of him and Gear pulled up sharply to avoid it. Backpack jumped off of Gear's back and shot an ice missile at Hotstreak, which he nimbly dodged.
Talon grappled with Static, claw to hand. She tried to scratch him across the face and snagged his coat. They both fell to the ground.
Static powered up a tazer punch and hesitated. "My mom always said never to hit a girl." Shiv came barreling at them, screaming and waving an axe-hand. "Okay then." Static punched Shiv in the face and the crazy metahuman crumpled.
"One down," Static looked at Talon who had gotten back to her feet. "One to go."
Ebon ran from the warehouse and whistled loudly. "Let's get outta here!"
"Halt! Stay where you are!" Police cars rolled onto the scene, officers leapt form their cars and pointed guns at the three metahumans still standing.
Static looked beseechingly at Ebon. "Let's just make this easy, what do you say? I've got a biology test tomorrow and I need to get some sleep."
Ebon scoffed at the suggestion, hefting a stuffed backpack over one shoulder. "Since when do we do what you say hero?"
Hotstreak edged closer to Talon, keeping one eye on the cops. He stooped and slapped Shiv across the face. Slowly, Shiv stirred and a smile cracked his face. "That was awesome." Hotstreak rolled his eyes and helped Shiv to his feet.
Ebon swirled into a vortex and the police opened fire.
"Wait, don't!" Static yelled at the officers.
The bullets entered the vortex but Ebon was one step ahead of them. He opened another vortex above the cops and their bullets rained down on them.
"Anyone hurt!?" One of them called. Some moaned, no one appeared to have taken a critical hit.
Hotstreak, Talon, and Shiv took the moment of distraction and raced down the pier away from the fight. Static and Gear shot off in pursuit.
"How do we ditch 'em?" Shiv gasped as the three ran side-by-side.
Hotstreak looked behind them, Static and Gear were gaining. "I dunno."
"Quick, duck in here." Talon shoved them into a warehouse. "Head for the back, look for a way out or a sewer drain. Anything!"
They spread out, quickly moving for the back of the warehouse. "I found a grate!" Shiv yelled from the corner.
Static and Gear flew in the open door. "Stop you three!"
Static shot a beam of electric energy towards the sewer grate and held it shut, despite Shiv's efforts to open it.
"Just come quietly and your time will be deducted from." Gear reasoned.
"I prefer no time at all." Talon shouted back.
"C'mon, I don't have time for this. You know you're going to get caught; you might as well just give in. I'm sure Ebon's either gone and left you guys here or is in custody." Static shouted, losing his temper.
Talon spread her wings and jumped into the air, flying for a broken window near the ceiling of the warehouse. Static flew after her. Hotstreak and Shiv went at Gear who was blocking the doorway.
Static shot electricity at a large metal beam lying along the ground and threw it at Talon. She ducked it and glared at him.
The beam flew through the air and towards Gear, Hotstreak, and Shiv.
"Look out!" Gear shouted, leaping out of the way. Hotstreak turned around and the beam hit him in the head.
The force of the hit took Hotstreak off his feet and he flew a short distance, landing just in the doorway, half-in and half-out of the warehouse.
Static stopped with a start, his eyes widening. "H-hotstreak?"
Talon landed on a rafter and stared down at the still body of her teammate.
Only Gear moved, taking hesitant little steps over to Hotstreak, tapping a finger to the pyro's temple were a bruise was already blossoming across his pale face. His eyes were closed and his limbs were still. Gear breathed out anxiously and pressed two fingers to Hotstreak's throat.
"He's not…that didn't…did it?" Static stuttered, landing beside Gear.
Shiv backed away with a frightened look in his eyes. He had been the closest to Hotstreak; he had heard the sound the beam made when it connected with the pyro's skull and the last breath leaving his body in a gasp.
"Let's go." Talon gripped Shiv's shoulder.
"W-what?"
Talon pointed at the unguarded sewer grate. She looked hesitant about leaving but was more determined never to see the inside of a cell again than she was to see whether or not Hotstreak got up.
Shiv nodded and they crept to the grate, opened it, and slipped inside before Static or Gear noticed. They were too focused on Hotstreak.
"He's dead." Gear whispered.
A snowflake drifted from the sky and landed on Hotstreak's forehead, in stark contrast with the dark, angry bruise marring his skin. The heat that usually radiated from the eighteen-year-old metahuman was gone and he was as cold as the night air.
Author's Note:
So I am totally not done applying to college yet but I needed to write something. I thought of this concept yesterday and it intrigued me, so here, a new story. My first chapter's are always short...and provided I get feedback I will write more chapters that will be longer. I actually have a plot sort of thought out for this one and everything. An update probably won't come until after I finish applying to college though.
And hey, while I was gone fanfiction totally changed the layout of everything. I'm so confused! No me gusta! :(
Hope you found it interesting...
PLEASE REVIEW!
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