Song of the Muse
A Static Shock Fanfic Collection by SJO
I don't own "Static Shock" (Warner Brothers and possibly DC Comics does). This is a short series based on a superhero I always wanted to create, a foretaste of things to come. Please tell me what you think and if this is working for you. By the way, if there are any inconsistencies with the unoriginal characters, it's probably because I missed several episodes in the TV series. I'm trying to catch up even as we speak, but it's going to take a while.
Episode 1: Gear's Gift
It was a typical day in Dakota--sunny, warm, and terrorized by crime. Luckily, Static was on the case. Gear was not.
The only explanation Richie would give for not helping was that he had a large project on his hands. Virgil could not guess what that could be; they didn't have any major homework. He got back to the old gas station where he found Richie crouched over a strange contraption. "So what's going on, bro?" Virgil asked. As he came in closer, he saw it was a baseball cap painted all the colors of the rainbow and decorated with flashing, colored Christmas lights. "School Spirit Week already? I gotta fish out that Dr. Seuss hat I won at the state fair last year. 'Course I'll never top this."
"It's not for Wacky Hat Day," Richie replied rather sternly. "It's my first patented invention."
"Patented? Richie, don't sell a fashion fad! Sure, it'll be hot for a while, but--"
"It's not a fashion statement! It's based on this." Richie held up a green, dome-shaped hat. "I made this a few months back. It modifies and translates EEG waves in my brain."
"You mean it makes your amazing, lightning-quick brain go even faster?" Virgil tried the prototype on. "Wow! Remind me to borrow this before finals."
Richie took it off. "Actually, it's designed to make my brain slow down a little."
Virgil raised his eyebrow. "But . . . you could speed it up if you wanted to, right?"
"It doesn't need to be sped up, V. Remember when I told you that my brain felt like it was on fire? Well, that feeling was keeping me awake. I went for several nights without sleeping because my mind was just jumping around all over the place. I made this to focus my thoughts. It works very well."
"Oh, I see. Well, it's important for all superheroes to be well-rested."
"That's not all. Check this out." He put the prototype on and touched a knob on the side. A gigantic image of various computer parts coming together appeared before them. "Sometimes it just helps for me to see my inventions come together before I start inventing. Visualizing it in my brain isn't always enough."
"That is cool. So, who are you making this one for? Another genius?"
"Yeah. Aunt Claire is coming this weekend. I thought this would be beneficial for her daughter, my cousin."
It was Virgil's turn to be serious as he asked, "How are you going to explain this to her?"
"I got that covered. I'm going to say I did a lot a research on the mind from publications written by the most noted psychologists in history. It's true."
"Well, actually I mean how are you going to explain all of these crazy colors and lights?"
"My cousin's only eight. She likes colors, but she loves fantasy and most of all magic. So, I want to make it look magical, and I'm even calling it the Magic Hat. You think she'll like it?"
Virgil looked at the new hat and smiled. "Yeah, I think she will. So, when can I meet this genius?"
Richie hesitated. "I don't know if you'd want to."
"Sure I do, if she's as smart as you and not even a bang baby." Virgil paused as another horrible thought occurred to him. "Are her parents racists, like you pops was?"
Richie glared as he muttered, "Parent, and no she's not."
"Oh." Virgil felt a sting in his heart. He knew what that was like.
Richie smiled to lighten the mood a little. "In fact, sometimes I wonder if Aunt Claire was once a hippie. She takes on that weird persona sometimes. I don't really understand why; she's much too young. But it's probably why she named her daughter Precious Swan."
Virgil laughed. "I bet your cousin hates that name now. Everybody at her school probably quotes 'Lord of the Rings' to her all the time." He did his best Gollum impression as he said, "My Precious."
Richie just stared at Virgil with a troubled look, and though he did not know what to say. Virgil shrugged. "What?"
Richie opened his mouth, but then Backpack sounded a tone. "That would be Dad. Backpack, cellphone!" The obedient robot crept up to his master and handed Richie the phone with a metallic arm. "Hey Dad. What's up? . . . They're here? Already? . . . Well, I just thought, since Metropolis is so far, I didn't expect them until . . . Alright. Well I got a pretty big thing I'm working on right now, but I'm almost done . . . Yeah, I'll be back by 5:00. Can Virgil come? We were just talking about Precious, and . . ." (Richie started talking softer, and his tone turned serious again.) "What do you mean? . . . . . That's not going to be a problem, Dad . . . Yeah, I'm sure, Virgil's mature enough to understand. I'm sure Aunt Claire would welcome him with . . . Oh I see. Tomorrow morning then? Good. See you in a little bit."
Virgil stared at Richie. "What was that about?"
Richie sighed. "Old habits are hard to break. Sometimes Dad thinks he has an open mind, but--"
"I see. You think I shouldn't come?"
"No, no! I want you to come. It'll be good for you and for her. But they came a long way, and they're both really tired. Company might overwhelm them. It may be best if you come in the morning. You gotta understand, Virg, Precious is unlike anyone you've ever met."
"It's ok. I'm used to different. After the Big Bang, the word 'different' hardly has any meaning, you know?"
"Yeah, but this is a different kind of different. You may not be used to it."
The next hour or so was rather quiet. Richie worked on his project, and Virgil waited. Sometimes he broke the silence with a wisecrack or two, but Richie rarely responded. He was clearly dedicated to his work.
"Well, we're just about done here," Richie said to himself. "Let's see what time is . . . Holy Toledo! 4:45?!? And this paint and glue will never dry!"
"Allow me!" Virgil said suavely. He held his hands above the hat and created a dome of static electricity around it. Then he levitated the hat and spun it around like a dryer. Finally he let the hat go, caught it with his hand, spun on his finger, and tossed it to Richie. "There you go, compliments of Static's electric drying service. Nobody dries better!"
Richie looked at him. "I'm not sure if you should have done that. You could have modified some already delicate calibrations."
"Well excuse me for trying to help."
"Oh, don't take it that way. I'm sure I'll be able to fix it. See you tomorrow morning." Richie put the hat in a shoebox and ran for home.
***************
The next morning, after Virgil came downstairs, he was not surprised to find Sharon in the kitchen. "Well, well, well, look who can't wait for my biscuits."
Virgil scoffed. "Not this time, Emilrette. I'm having breakfast at Richie's. He has this cousin I want to meet."
Sharon stopped kneading her dough. "Wait, that's Precious Swan isn't it?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"My psychology professor told me about her. In fact, I might be seeing her later. Listen, just in case I don't, you better take notes. Tell me what it's like."
"Oookay," Virgil responded. He couldn't remember Sharon ever being that frank with him. "Precious must be some kind of smart," he said to himself.
He made it to Richie's about an hour later. Richie greeted him at the door and led him in. A woman who looked just like Sheryl Crow was sitting at the table in the kitchen. "V, this is my Aunt Claire. Aunt Claire, this is my best friend Virgil."
She smiled and shook Virgil's hand. "Whoa, man, I'm digging those dreads."
Virgil laughed and slicked back his hair. "Thanks, I don't hear that a lot."
"Well, you should. They're groovy."
Virgil looked at Richie, remembering the hippie comment. They both burst out laughing.
"Virgil!" Mr. Foley had just come in the kitchen and shook his hand. "How are you, young man?"
"Very well, Mr. Foley, thank you."
"Well big brother Sean, I see you have finally learned to open your mind and accept your fellow man," Claire said.
"Claire, let us not live in the past," Mr. Foley grumbled.
"Yeah," Richie interjected. "I'm hungry now. What's for breakfast?"
Everybody laughed. Mrs. Foley came in with pancakes. For a while, the family all talked about school and other present events. Yet the young cousin never made a show.
"So, where is this little genius Richie told me so much about?" Virgil asked.
"Little genius?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrow at Richie.
Richie shrugged. "She's the smartest kid I know."
"Precious is in the den watching Saturday morning cartoons," Mrs. Foley answered.
"May I go meet her?" Virgil asked.
All the adults looked at him surprised. "Sure," Mrs. Foley nodded slowly.
"Good luck," Claire said softly.
Virgil chuckled. "Thanks, I think." Virgil went down to the den. He didn't realize it, but Richie was following him. There in the den was a young girl, wearing jeans and a purple T-shirt. She had curly, brown hair that went down to her shoulders. Her green eyes stared at the TV as she slowly ate the cut-up pancakes in the tray in front of her. She wasn't smiling.
Virgil sat down beside her and extended his hand. "How's it hanging? My name's Virgil, Richie's best friend."
Precious didn't even look at him. "She must be shy," Virgil thought. "Well, I can break the ice with the old Hawkins charm."
"So what you watching?" he asked. "'Samurai Jack,' huh? Oh, I like this show! He's awesome, and man that voice of his . . . I don't know how Phil LaMarr does it."
Precious didn't move.
"How's school? Learning your multiplication tables yet? I bet you don't have any trouble with those. Richie tells me you're really smart."
Still nothing.
Virgil noticed a book beside her. "What you reading? 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'? Oh, I remember that book! My second grade teacher read it to my class."
She was still quiet. "Maybe it's about time I went for the old joke," he thought. "If you don't mind, Precious, I want to do something. Only once, I promise." He cleared his throat and once again did his Gollum impression. "Come to me, my Precious!"
Finally, she turned to Virgil and looked at him with a glazed-over expression. Then she turned back to the TV.
Virgil laughed and spoke in his normal voice. "Ok, I'm sorry. I know you get that all the time. I'll leave you alone."
He patted her shoulder. "UHHHHHH!" Precious grunted. She started thrashing around.
"What's wrong? Did I shock you?"
Precious continued to grunt, and she slapped Virgil's face.
"OW! Alright, I'll leave." As he got up, Virgil saw Richie watching him. Virgil walked out the room and said, quietly but angrily, "Richie, why didn't you tell me she was so rude?"
"It's not rudeness, Virgil," Richie answered. "She doesn't know any better. I tried to tell you, but maybe I should have been clearer. Precious is autistic."
"Well, I'm glad she has that talent too, but that gives her no excuse to--"
"No, V. Not 'artistic,' autistic."
"I don't follow."
"Autism is a developmental disorder. There are a lot of physical and social deficits, but it's a good deal mental too. Her mind works much like mine does now. There's always something going on up there. But unlike me, Precious is so enraptured by whatever's in her mind, she's unable to connect with the real world. She doesn't talk, she doesn't look at people, and she doesn't like to be touched. I don't think she really understands what people are. It's like she's alien among her own kind."
"Oh man, that's awful. I can't begin to imagine what that's like."
"I know. I guess that's part of the reason I kept it quiet, you being such a people person and all."
"So, she's not really smart?"
"It's hard to say. Some autistic people are also mentally retarded, but others are so smart their minds work faster than a computer. I think Precious is one of those. I mean, she taught herself to read at age three, and now she reads on a sixth grade level, and she's only old enough to be in second grade."
"And she isn't?"
"Well, she's in a special school. I don't know a whole lot about it, but it's for the . . . underprivileged. I don't have a lot of high hopes."
"I don't get it. How can she benefit from your invention?"
"I told you! Oh wait, you weren't here when I was explaining it in detail. See, my theory is she's trapped in her mind, within her own world. Somewhere in there is a little girl trying to get out. I'm hoping that the Magic Hat will sift out her thoughts and free that little girl that has been hidden from us for so long. Yet at the same time, the hat will leave her comfortable and willing to adjust to the change by easing her turbulent mind and projection her imagination."
"You think it'll work?"
"I hope so. When I told Aunt Claire about the Magic Hat, she told me what she's doing here in Dakota. She's been in an e-mail correspondence with a psyche professor at Dakota U, one Dr. Temple. He's an autism expert. She had been planning to have him meet Precious for the first time and talk to him one on one, but now she also wants to show him the Magic Hat. I kinda wish I knew that. If I knew this was going to be semi-public, I would have given it as Gear. I mean, if this is successful I might have to discuss it a press conference!"
"We'll have to think about that."
"I guess I'm not too worried. I was up all night doing some last minute tune-ups, and I think there are still some glitches I haven't been able to get out. And I know this won't cure her, just make things a little more manageable. That might be what Dr. Temple is looking for."
"You know, I think Dr. Temple is Sharon's professor. Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Actually, I think I'd like you to."
"OK. If you don't mind, I wanna go think of some things."
"Alright."
Virgil went to the upstairs bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face, stared into the mirror, and thought about what Richie told him. How can anybody not know what people are, especially when people are always around you? Maybe everybody has things wrong. Does she have so big an ego that she refuses to interact? How can she be so cold? It must feel terrible. Does she even want to interact? How could she not?
As he kept thinking, he heard a sound outside. He peeked out of the door. It was Precious sneaking into Richie's room. Virgil silently followed her and tried to keep an eye on her and somehow get her out if she found anything divulging their secret identities. She went straight to Richie's desk. Virgil held his breath; Richie's shock box was in plain sight. Yet Precious ignored it entirely. She opened up a shoebox and pulled out the Magic Hat.
Precious stared at it. She put it on, looked in a mirror, and smiled. Virgil couldn't believe it. "Well, I can tell Richie that she does indeed like it," he thought.
Then Precious noticed something else on the desk. Luckily, it wasn't the shock box. It was a pair of Richie's shades. It wasn't his blue shades. These were kinda . . . violet colored. She put them on and smiled even bigger.
Then she noticed a knob on the side of the hat. She started to turn it, and the Christmas lights twinkled. Her smile faded, and she stared at her reflection in awe. She continued to turn to knob. The Christmas lights flashed at a quicker frequency. Her face became more transfixed. And then, she spoke one word in a frail, whispering voice that sounded as though it had never been used before.
"Magic."
A white light flashed out of nowhere. "Uhhhh!" Precious cried out.
"Precious, are you alright?" Virgil asked quickly.
Precious turned around. Her face was filled with a strange expression. Virgil couldn't place it--amazement, fear, surprise, wonder, or all of the above? What was happening? Precious waved her arms erratically. Mossy trees seemed to grow behind her. "It's ok, Virg," he thought, "they're just holograms." But then, with another wave of her hand, a large ribbon of orange flew toward Virgil and knocked him back! "Well, I know only one guy who can take care of this," Virgil said to himself.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, the rest of the Foley family was talking until they heard noises upstairs. "Precious, sweetie? Are you ok?" Aunt Claire called up.
"What's going on up there?" Mrs. Foley asked. "Almost sounds like a jungle."
Richie didn't like it at all, though he had no idea what it could be. "I gotta go. I just remembered, I need to . . . clean my room." He ran upstairs before anyone could question him.
"That was a strange excuse," Aunt Claire said aloud. "Did he even think that his cousin might be in trou--"
Just then, there was a knock on the window. Mrs. Foley and Aunt Claire looked out to see Static grinning and waving at them. Aunt Claire opened the window for him. "You must be this young man Static I've heard so much about."
"Yeah," Static answered as he came in. "Is anything wrong?"
"Well, we are hearing strange noises upstairs. My daughter is up there, and she . . . she's different."
"And my son's up there!" Mrs. Foley added.
"I saw a disturbance from the upstairs window. Just stay here. I'll take care of it." Static started running for the stairs.
"Hey, where's Gear?"
"He's not here already? He should be here soon."
Static met Richie in the hallway. "Man, you're really taking a risk here. What if one of your family members saw you coming here in your costume?"
"I know, but this is an emergency! What's going on?"
"She put on your hat a little prematurely and turned it on full blast. You won't believe it, she--"
A loud roar cut him off. A lion had appeared before them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Shock it!" Gear ordered.
Static did, but it did no good. "It's like that kid from a few years ago, Dwayne. Attacks won't have any effect because these things aren't real."
"Yeah, they're holograms. A little extra light would probably--"
"I think they're a little bit more than just holograms. I mean, a hologram just bruised me five minutes ago."
"Then you try to find some way to take it down. I'll try to get to the source."
"So, what lion are you?" Static asked the hologram. "Mufasa? Simba? Wait, I know who you are-- (What was his name again? Oh yeah) Aslan!"
The lion just roared.
"Don't you talk? I kinda remembered that you . . . well, maybe you don't this time. Look, your majesty, I don't want to hurt you--" The lion suddenly charged at him. Static just nearly dodged the attack. "And I really don't want you to hurt me. So, can we form a compromise of some sort?" The lion did not look very compromising. "Alright, then I'm afraid . . . I'm going to have to . . ." (Static looked around for something to attack the hologram with, when he saw something most appropriate in the master bedroom) "hit you with this stone table!" He grabbed the table with his magnetic powers and prayed that it would not break. The table crashed down on the lion, which promptly disappeared.
Yet just when Static was done wiping the sweat of his forehead, another dangerous hologram appeared. This time it was an angel with a flaming sword held in his hand. "Man, now I know how Balaam's donkey felt," Static observed as the angel tried to hit him. He was able to get the sword out of the angel's hands with his Static Cling, and immediately the angel disappeared.
"Quick Static, in here!" Gear called. Static ran straight into Richie's room. Gear closed the door.
"You got her?" Static asked.
"She's here, and she's fine. It was tough getting her, though. The closer to the source, the more chaotic the holograms." He gestured to Precious, who was sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth and moaning to herself. Strange colors and shapes surrounded her.
"She looks so scared," Static said sadly.
"Yeah, I think that's the problem too. I'm gonna change that." Gear knelt down to her and spoke gently. "Precious? Hey, there's no reason to be scared, alright? We're your friends. We're here to help you."
Precious moaned again and started rocking more vigorously.
"Look, Precious, it's ok. It's not like I'm a stranger. You know me. Look." Gear started taking off his helmet.
"What are you doing?!?" Static yelled.
Richie turned to him once he got his helmet off. "Well, it's not like she's gonna tell anybody."
"Oh. I guess that's true."
Richie looked back at his cousin. "See? It's me, Richie you're cousin. Remember? You did that magic show for me last year. You know him, too!" Richie turned around. "V, take off your mask."
"Why? I'm not family. She doesn't even like me."
"But if she recognized you, maybe she'll calm down."
"I don't think it'll make a difference."
"OK." Richie turned back to the girl. "Precious, this is my friend. We're both your friends, and we don't want to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid. OK?"
Precious blinked a few times and then sat still. The holograms around her began to fade.
"'Atta girl," Richie said with a smile. "Now, I need your hat, please."
He took it off her head. "Uhh! Uhhhh!" Precious grunted as she made grasping gestures in the air.
"Sorry, it's not ready for you to wear yet. You can have it back in a little bit. You can keep the shades, though."
"Yeah, they look good on you," Static quipped.
Precious still reached for the hat.
"Hey, maybe this will help." Static handed Precious back her book. Precious immediately opened it and stared into the pages. "I thought you'd like that," Static whispered.
Richie put his helmet back on. "See you later, Precious. Be a good girl, and be quiet."
Precious didn't answer.
"Wow," Virgil said as he closed the door. "Did you mean to make those holograms so realistic?" Virgil asked.
"Me? This was YOUR fault!" Richie replied with a glare.
"My fault?!"
"Yeah, with your electric drying service. I knew that would mess up the circuits and other delicate workmanship."
"You know what I think? This is going to sound weird, but I think she did it."
"Don't even try to put the blame on her!"
"But I saw her put it on, man. What was she doing in your room, anyway?"
"Her shows must have been over, and she must have been mindlessly wandering around the house as she dreamed. Autistic children have a history of doing that."
"OK, well she was messing with the knob, and I heard her say something. It sounded like 'magic.'"
"I told you, she doesn't talk."
"I know, but it was just one word. I mean, this could mean your invention works, just too well."
******************
"I'm supposed to meet Dr. Temple at 3:00," Aunt Claire told the boys at lunch. "So since we have a little time to kill, why don't you guys be our tour guides around Dakota? I'd like to do a little window shopping."
"Uh, I don't think we where the stores you'd want to see are," Richie nervously observed.
"That's ok. You can show me where you'd like to go, and we can find what interests me along the way. Or we could just go the mall. I know you got a pretty good mall."
"Sure," Virgil shrugged.
So Precious and Aunt Claire went to the mall, and Virgil and Richie showed them around. Mostly Aunt Claire wanted to look at clothes, and she once stopped into a new age store. They had to pass by the comic store. Precious looked longingly into the toy store, but they passed that by too. "No, no, Sweetie. Don't let go of my hand," Aunt Claire scolded gently.
"Oh, isn't that cute?" Aunt Claire cooed as they were looking into the clothing store Rant. She was staring at a tie-dye outfit that was every color of the rainbow, and then some. "And it looks like Precious' size. You like it, Honey? Why don't we go try that on?"
About ten minutes later, Precious came out of the dressing room with the outfit on. She wasn't smiling, but there was a look in her eyes that said she really liked the clothes. "Oh, it's looks adorable!" Aunt Claire said enthusiastically.
"Yeah," Virgil nodded, "those threads rule!"
"And check this out." Richie pulled out the magic hat and put it on Precious' head. "It matches perfectly!'
"Oh, that definitely completes the outfit. I'm going to ask the clerk if she could wear this home."
Just then, Virgil started hearing noises. He looked toward the food court and saw Ebon, Talon, Aquamaria, and Shiv--the Metabreed. Virgil nudged Richie and pointed outside. Richie nodded. "Hey Aunt Claire, if you don't mind, Virgil and I want to grab a bite to eat at the food court. It's just across the way."
"Alright, Richie. We'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."
Virgil and Richie ran to the nearest restroom and changed. When they came back out, they couldn't find the Metabreed in the food court. "They must have dispersed," Static said.
"Uh oh, look." Gear pointed to Rant. Shiv and Talon were already beginning to terrorize the clothing store.
"I'm on it."
"No, you go after Ebon. If either of them try to get Precious--"
"That's just it. She knows who you are now, and when she sees you she might get too excited."
"Oh, you got a point. Take good care of her."
"No problem, man."
Shiv grabbed an expensive outfit in the window, tore it up, and then held it up to his chin. "So Talon, what do you think? Is it me?"
"I think it makes you look fat!" Static said.
"Static, I wasn't asking you!" Shiv got his weapons ready, and they engaged in battle. One time Static was beaten back and nearly fell into Aunt Claire.
"Well, twice in one day!" she said gleefully. "Are any Dakota natives this lucky?"
"Most don't consider themselves lucky," Static snickered. He noticed that Precious was staring at him. He saw that Precious would not take her eyes off of him as he continued to fight. It occurred to him that last time she did not see him in action, and now that she saw that he had power she was stunned.
Talon was raiding the cash register. Static tried to stop her, and she turned around and shrieked. "Ahh!" Precious screamed. She covered her ears and started rocking again. Static saw Precious all scared and tried harder to wrap up his battle with Talon. When Talon shrieked again, Precious ran out of the store with her ears covered. Nobody noticed.
Finally, it seemed Static had them subdued. "Dude you are good!" Aunt Claire said. "Why I saw my daughter--Precious? Precious? Precious Swan Llewellyn? Where are you?"
"I'll find your daughter," Static offered.
"Yes, please, search everywhere. Be careful."
Static flew out. Shiv and Talon stealthily sneaked out and escaped. Gear saw the frightened look in Static's face and abandoned his fight. "What happened?"
"I don't know; she's gone."
"Oh no! You look around the first floor, and I'll check the parking lot."
"Good plan." Hey flew around everywhere calling, "Precious! Precious! Come to me, my Precious," this time in his normal voice. He spotted Daisy and Frieda kinda eyeballing him, probably thinking that he was looking for his girlfriend. He didn't care about that right now.
Meanwhile, the Metabreed was regrouping and meeting in the shadows. "Looks like they abandoned the good fight," Aquamaria said.
"Who do you think that 'precious' girl of Static is?" Talon asked.
"Frankly, I don't care," Shiv answered. "Ebon, this might be a good time to bail."
Ebon glared at him. "Did we get what we came for?" he demanded.
"Uh, yeah, of course we did," Talon muttered, plainly lying.
Ebon brought his face up to her and glared. "We'd better. Come on. We're going."
He formed a tunnel behind them, and they started going in. None of them knew they were being intensely watched. An innocent bystander came close to the tunnel as Shiv was going in, stared at the phenomenon, and whispered to herself, "Magic."
"Precious?" Static found her at last as she had discovered Ebon's talent. "Precious, no!" But it was too late. She disappeared into the tunnel, and the tunnel disappeared with her. He didn't have enough time to throw in a tracer or anything. "Oh man, what now?"
Static told Gear, and they both told Aunt Claire together. She started crying, and she wouldn't stop. "Don't worry, ma'am," Gear told her. "Backpack will find her, and we'll see to it that the Metabreed doesn't touch her. Your daughter will be fine." Then Gear said privately to Static. "While I go search for Precious, why don't you talk to her? Comfort her a little bit."
"Ooookayyy," Static nodded. He sat down beside the sobbing aunt. "It's alright, ma'am. You won't believe how quick Backpack is. You're daughter's going to be ok."
"I know, but she's had a history of wandering off like this, and I always get so scared. She's never aware of her surroundings. I knew that one day something like this would happen. I try so hard to keep her close. I'm an awful mother."
"No, no, don't say that. Don't blame yourself. It was Ebon who took her. Your daughter's not quite on the up and up on the bang babies here, is she?"
"Well, she was only four when the big bang happened. Besides, we're not from Dakota."
"Oh really. Where you from?"
"Metropolis."
"Superman's home?"
She started to calm down a little. "Yes, but since he started the Justice League we hardly see him anymore, or Green Lantern."
"Green Lantern's from Metropolis?"
"I thought he was. I saw him years ago, and I could have sworn it was a completely different guy. I mean, the differences were rather obvious. Don't get me wrong; the new lantern is doing a wonderful job. I just wonder sometimes what happened to the guy I saw. Anyhow, I think it would have been good if they were still around regularly. My little girl would have been so fascinated by them. See, she's obsessed with magic. She loves all the fantasy books--Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Oz, Peter Pan, everything. I think she wishes deep down inside herself that she was part of those books, you know that she could really do magic."
"Does she understand that she . . . can't?"
"Oh, of course. She loves the Bible too, and I talked with her about how real witchcraft is evil. But she still tries to have a magic all her own. Last year I gave her a magicians kit. She learned most of the tricks and was able to do them easily, but she quit playing with it quickly. I think she was ultimately unsatisfied. 'Cause you know, that kind of thing isn't the magic that fantasies are made of. Your powers, on the other hand, are. I know it's all got a scientific base, but it still seems like real magic."
Static sighed and looked the other way. "Unfortunately, the same can be said of most metahumans, even the unsavory ones."
Aunt Claire burst into tears again. Static put his arm around her. "My Precious is a good girl. We just have been through so much. Her daddy left her. He didn't divorce me or anything. He just walked out. He said she was a freak. He wanted a normal girl, and he couldn't make her normal. He doesn't call me. He doesn't pay child support. I never saw him again. It's like we never knew each other. So, I'm doing my best to raise her on my own. And all my neighbors, all the ladies in the grocery store, they all think it's my fault! Sometimes, I act a little younger than I am, a little more carefree. It's a way to cope with the pain. And they talk behind my back. They think I neglect her. Some say I experimented with drugs. I try to be the best mother I can be. It's so hard."
Static patted her hand. "I don't know what to say. I don't know what all is wrong with your daughter, but I can understand some the pain you're going through."
Just then, Gear's voice came through the Shock Box. "Static, I found her. She's fine. Get down here, a.s.a.p."
"Yes sir. Thanks."
"Mr. Static, sir," Aunt Claire said, "Thank you for talking to me."
"No problem. It's part of my job."
"Oh, and Static, this may not be appropriate right now, but I really like your hair."
Static smiled and slicked his hair back. "Thank you, ma'am."
************
Poor Precious was tied to a chair. Ebon paced in front of his prisoner, and the rest of the Metabreed looked at her in interest.
"I ask you again," Ebon growled. "What are you doing here?"
Precious did not answer but stared at him with a flat expression.
"TALK!" Ebon demanded. He looked her straight in the eyes. Precious' eyes darted toward Aquamaria.
"I think you're a bit too hard on her, Ebon," Talon spoke up. "I mean, she might be deaf."
"Or perhaps she doesn't speak English," Aquamaria suggested.
"Either way, we can communicate with her." Talon walked up to the girl. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?" she screamed in Precious' face.
"Uh!" Precious groaned and cringed.
"¿Tu hablas español, niña?" Aquamaria asked. She then went off on a long Spanish conversation. Precious did not look like she understood a bit of it.
"I think I know what the problem is here," Shiv said as he walked toward her. "She's a RETARD! Just look at this thing she's wearing! It's so stupid!" He turned the knob, and the lights flickered on. "Hey, that's kind of cool." He turned it up further.
"FOOLS!" Ebon yelled. "The only reason this brat ain't talking is she's defiant. Leave her to me." He stared her down again and pointed his finger in her face. "You talk or I'll make you!" he threatened. Once again, Precious' eyes darted around the room. Ebon grabbed her face by the chin and squeezed her cheeks. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
"Aaaah!" Precious screamed. An explosion of color went off in front of her and knocked Ebon back. Precious continued to moan and rocked back and forth. The more frightened she looked, the more chaotic the holograms around her became.
"Is she a . . . bang baby?" Shiv asked.
"More likely she was a baby when the bang happened," Talon commented.
"You idiots!" Ebon yelled. "It's a trick! She's trying to break free!"
"And it's working!" a voice said above him. The Metabreed looked up to see Static and Gear crashing their party. The holograms faded away, and Precious was still again. Static was sure he saw her smile.
"You let the girl go!" Gear demanded.
"Sure, you can have her!" Shiv answered.
"We have no use for la niña," Aquamaria added.
"I don't think so," Ebon growled.
"Huh?" everyone else in the gang said.
"It's not like sidekicks to make such demands."
"Uh, yeah Gear, you completely stole my line," Static said. He cleared his throat and repeated, "You let the girl go!"
Ebon's eyes narrowed. "I think she means something to you."
Gear opened his mouth to answer, but Static spoke first. "Of course she means something to us! She's a kid, and you napped her!"
Ebon crossed his arms.
"Look, I'm not one of those 'cheesy speech' superheroes, ok? You know just as well as I do that everybody values kids."
Ebon pointed at Gear. "He places her at a higher value. I can see it in his eyes. Who is she, Gear? Your sister? The sister of your sweetheart? The kid you're babysitting?"
"What do you care?" Gear yelled. "You don't know what she's like! She's forever scared and lost!"
"Gear, that's enough," Static said through gritted teeth.
"Look, if she means that much to you, then you're not getting her!" Ebon answered.
"Hey, I don't want to keep the brat!" Shiv said.
"Me neither," Talon shook her head.
"Let's just fight, ok?" Aquamaria offered.
"Fine by us," Static answered.
Gear flew in close and whispered, "You take them on. I'll get the girl out of here."
Static tried to follow that plan, but he was not able to successfully keep them occupied. Every time Gear went to free Precious, Ebon lunged at him and kept him from reaching the girl. Eventually, the rest of the Metabreed followed suit. They even took possession of Backpack. "If we keep this up, we're never gonna get out of here," Static thought. "I'm gonna mix things up."
So while Ebon was occupied with Gear and Shiv was tackling Backpack, Static sneaked over to the chair. "Don't move," he whispered in Precious' ear. He used his powers to pull her straps apart. "Now, come on."
"Static's got her!" Talon yelled. She flew in front of the two of them and shrieked. The force of the blast knocked them both back into a closet, and the door shut and jammed on them. Static sent a small jolt up to the light bulb above them. It was then that Static saw the real damage. Precious, with her hat askew, was rocking again, but this time she was also crying.
"What's wrong?" Static asked. "Are you hurt?"
Precious just moaned.
"I think I understand. You're scared. This is very stressful on you. But it's almost over."
Precious wailed all the louder. Static thought back to the last time that she was like this.
"What are you doing?!?"
"Well, it's not like she's gonna tell anybody . . .V, take off your mask."
"Why? I'm not family. She doesn't even like me."
"But if she recognized you, maybe she'll calm down."
Virgil turned away and looked into space. He whispered, "What would you say, Moms? I know what I should do, but . . . help me." He took a deep breath and took off his mask.
He turned back to Precious. "You see? You remember me, don't you? I'm Virgil, your cousin's friend. You probably think I'm a jerk, getting all up in your business a while ago. I just wanted to get to know you. I didn't know you didn't want to be bothered."
Precious was beginning to straighten up, and she looked in Virgil's eyes with curiosity.
"I know what it's like, you know," Virgil continued. He sighed and shook his head. "No, that's a lie. I don't know what it's like. But I do know some things. I know what it's like to be different. I know how awful it is to lose a parent, how that pain never leaves you. I know what it's like to have something inside of you that nobody really understands, not even you. And I guess sometimes I don't quite get people. I don't understand why it seems they hate so much. I really don't get those guys out there, why they chose to use the powers they have been blessed (or maybe cursed) with to use for bad. Sometimes it seems Gear and I are the only good guys around. But generally, I like people. And I like you. I hope that, in your own way, we could maybe be friends?"
He extended his hand to her. Precious took it, but she didn't shake it. She took off the glove and touched his hand. Her hand looked so small in comparison. She stroked his palm and fingertips until she saw a tiny spark. "Magic," she whispered.
"Yeah, it kinda is," Virgil nodded.
Precious gazed into Virgil's face with a look of pity. "Virgil teach Precious magic, please?"
Virgil was at first stunned that she said a full sentence. Even though it wasn't the greatest grammar, it was a step in the right direction. She was starting to break through at last. But then the gravity of her sentence hit, and he knew no easy way to answer. "I'm sorry, Precious. I can't."
"Please," she repeated.
"You don't understand. I didn't go to a school like Hogwarts and learn my powers. They just happened. They can't be taught. Believe me, I would if I could. No, no, don't cry! Listen, I believe there's a special kind of magic all your own, deep inside of you. Your cousin and I are trying to help you get it out, but it's all up to you to find it. OK?"
Precious wiped her tears away and nodded.
Virgil put her hat back on straight, then lifted her chin up gently. She didn't squirm or freak out. "Give me a smile, alright?" Precious grinned. "Good girl."
Just then, they heard Richie scream. Precious got up and pushed on the door over and over. "I got it, honey," Virgil said as soon as he got his mask back on. "Stand back." He shot a current of electricity at the knob, and the door flew open.
Ebon had wrapped around Gear and was squeezing him hard. Backpack was on the ground, torn up and shorted out. The rest of the Metabreed taunted him, until they saw Static had returned.
"You're not going to get away now, Static!" Shiv yelled.
"Si, I will short you out like I shorted out Gear's toy!" Aquamaria flew at full speed toward Static.
"STOP!"
The brisk order came from right behind Static. There was a shiver in the air, and everything . . . stopped. Nearly everyone was stuck in midair, including a puddle of water right in front of Static's face. Everyone looked shocked except for the person who gave the order--Precious.
"I told you she could talk," Ebon growled, narrowing his eyes at the girl.
"She is a bang baby. She's gotta be!" Shiv remarked.
Precious ran out from behind Static. "Uh! Uhhh!" She made the same grasping motions as she made when Richie took her hat, except this time she was reaching for Gear. He fell out of Ebon's grasp. Gear got up. Precious smiled and took his hand. Gear was astounded.
"What just happened here?" he asked Static.
"I'll tell you what happened," Static answered quietly as he playfully rubbed Precious' head. "Magic."
They looked at the Metabreed, still stuck. "How do we free them?"
"Why don't we leave that for the cops to figure out?"
Gear took Precious up in his arms, and they flew away. Once they got out of sight, Richie lifted the visor on his mask. "Thank you," he whispered and gave his cousin a kiss.
***************
It was sunset when Static and Gear got Precious back to her mother, and everyone was much too tired to talk to Dr. Temple. So, Aunt Claire took Precious to the Foleys' to get a warm bubble bath and turn in early. She treated the boys to pizza.
"Oh, in all the scuffle, I forgot to ask you," Aunt Claire said, "where did you guys go? I went into the food court for a sundae to help me cheer up, and I didn't see you."
"We should have called," Virgil said. "We heard that Precious was missing and went to look for her. Once we heard Static and Gear were on the case, we knew she was in good hands. So we came back here."
"I wasn't as worried. You're grown boys. You can take care of yourself."
"Yeah," Richie nodded. "Well, I got a big science project. May I be excused?"
"Yes, son," Mrs. Foley nodded.
Virgil had a couple more pieces of pizza, then he went up to check on Richie. As he expected, Richie was working on his superhero gear. "Fixing Backpack, huh?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," Richie said. Just then, there was a small explosion. Virgil lifted an eyebrow at him. "OK, it's still bad, but it's not as bad as it looks." Richie sighed and pushed it away. "I'll finish this tomorrow." In its place, he placed the Magic Hat in front of him. He got out some pliers and other tools.
"Hey wait, what are you doing?" Virgil said.
"I'm taking some parts out of this hat."
"What? But it works! She's starting to break through!"
"You hit it on the head earlier today, Virg. It works, just too well. I'm toning it down."
"No, no, it's perfect! Look, I don't know if it was your genius, my powers, or her imagination (it's probably a bit of all three). Whatever it is, I'm convinced there is real magic in that hat. "
"But she can't control it. Every time she gets scared (and believe me, autistic kids get scared a lot), her powers are plunged into chaos. Her mother has enough worries."
"I think she's starting to learn. You know what? Maybe she can't control it, but bro, that's where we come in."
Richie stopped working and looked up. "What are you saying?"
"Go ahead and take the parts out, but save them for another model. If you work on Magic Hat 2, I'll try to put together a costume. I'm sure I'll find something good in Sharon's old clothes."
"Wait, you're not suggest--"
"Well why not? She knows both of our secret identities. She might as well."
"She's much too young!"
"So? Robin was just a couple years older than she is when he started out. And the Powerpuff Girls are quite a few years younger."
"But it takes so much athleticism, which she doesn't have!"
"Well, her abilities make up for it. Besides, we weren't very athletic either when we got into this, remember?"
"It's not going as easy to hide this from her mother."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Listen, I didn't want this to happen. I just wanted to help her function in this world, to be something close to normal."
"I know, but after I talked with her moms, Precious and I conversated a little bit. I think this is what she wants. She wants to be something incredible. She wants to do things no normal human being can do. She wants to be like us. I mean, she would have probably given her two front teeth to have been part of the big bang. This is a real life fantasy. To her, it's magic. That's what she wants. I think she could be amazing if we let her. Moms always told me, 'You can be whatever you want to be. Climb as high as you want. I'll provide the ladders.' We got the ladders here. Don't break them apart and throw them away."
As he was talking, the door opened just a little bit. Precious, who was in her pajamas, was standing in the doorway. Virgil turned around and smiled. "Hey girlfriend! We were just talking about you!" Virgil knelt down to her level. "How's it going? I know you had a hard day and all, but--"
Suddenly, he was cut off as Precious did something very unexpected. She gave Virgil a hug. "Precious is Virgil's friend," she said softly.
"You bet," Virgil answered.
"Hey, is Richie Precious' friend?" the cousin eagerly asked.
Precious gave Richie a hug too. "Precious loves Richie."
"Right back at you," Richie answered.
"Well, you better get on to bed," Virgil advised. "Sleep tight, ok?"
"Ok," she answered, and she left.
"Man. She did that without the hat, too. You really have something here with this thing."
"Yeah." Richie shook his head and turned back to his work. "She's probably going to come back around Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving if we're lucky. So, I guess we have that long to figure out how we're going to do this."
"Good! So, you're on board?"
"Sure. But when we start, we're really gonna have to watch her."
"Of course." Virgil started to leave, but he had one last thing to say. "We've seen what she's capable of. I don't think we'll have much to worry about."
Coming soon: Episode 2, Birth of the Muse--"Let's start her off with something quick and easy," Richie says. But in a mob of thieves, Precious faces the greatest foe she will ever meet. She could lose her superhero status forever.
A Static Shock Fanfic Collection by SJO
I don't own "Static Shock" (Warner Brothers and possibly DC Comics does). This is a short series based on a superhero I always wanted to create, a foretaste of things to come. Please tell me what you think and if this is working for you. By the way, if there are any inconsistencies with the unoriginal characters, it's probably because I missed several episodes in the TV series. I'm trying to catch up even as we speak, but it's going to take a while.
Episode 1: Gear's Gift
It was a typical day in Dakota--sunny, warm, and terrorized by crime. Luckily, Static was on the case. Gear was not.
The only explanation Richie would give for not helping was that he had a large project on his hands. Virgil could not guess what that could be; they didn't have any major homework. He got back to the old gas station where he found Richie crouched over a strange contraption. "So what's going on, bro?" Virgil asked. As he came in closer, he saw it was a baseball cap painted all the colors of the rainbow and decorated with flashing, colored Christmas lights. "School Spirit Week already? I gotta fish out that Dr. Seuss hat I won at the state fair last year. 'Course I'll never top this."
"It's not for Wacky Hat Day," Richie replied rather sternly. "It's my first patented invention."
"Patented? Richie, don't sell a fashion fad! Sure, it'll be hot for a while, but--"
"It's not a fashion statement! It's based on this." Richie held up a green, dome-shaped hat. "I made this a few months back. It modifies and translates EEG waves in my brain."
"You mean it makes your amazing, lightning-quick brain go even faster?" Virgil tried the prototype on. "Wow! Remind me to borrow this before finals."
Richie took it off. "Actually, it's designed to make my brain slow down a little."
Virgil raised his eyebrow. "But . . . you could speed it up if you wanted to, right?"
"It doesn't need to be sped up, V. Remember when I told you that my brain felt like it was on fire? Well, that feeling was keeping me awake. I went for several nights without sleeping because my mind was just jumping around all over the place. I made this to focus my thoughts. It works very well."
"Oh, I see. Well, it's important for all superheroes to be well-rested."
"That's not all. Check this out." He put the prototype on and touched a knob on the side. A gigantic image of various computer parts coming together appeared before them. "Sometimes it just helps for me to see my inventions come together before I start inventing. Visualizing it in my brain isn't always enough."
"That is cool. So, who are you making this one for? Another genius?"
"Yeah. Aunt Claire is coming this weekend. I thought this would be beneficial for her daughter, my cousin."
It was Virgil's turn to be serious as he asked, "How are you going to explain this to her?"
"I got that covered. I'm going to say I did a lot a research on the mind from publications written by the most noted psychologists in history. It's true."
"Well, actually I mean how are you going to explain all of these crazy colors and lights?"
"My cousin's only eight. She likes colors, but she loves fantasy and most of all magic. So, I want to make it look magical, and I'm even calling it the Magic Hat. You think she'll like it?"
Virgil looked at the new hat and smiled. "Yeah, I think she will. So, when can I meet this genius?"
Richie hesitated. "I don't know if you'd want to."
"Sure I do, if she's as smart as you and not even a bang baby." Virgil paused as another horrible thought occurred to him. "Are her parents racists, like you pops was?"
Richie glared as he muttered, "Parent, and no she's not."
"Oh." Virgil felt a sting in his heart. He knew what that was like.
Richie smiled to lighten the mood a little. "In fact, sometimes I wonder if Aunt Claire was once a hippie. She takes on that weird persona sometimes. I don't really understand why; she's much too young. But it's probably why she named her daughter Precious Swan."
Virgil laughed. "I bet your cousin hates that name now. Everybody at her school probably quotes 'Lord of the Rings' to her all the time." He did his best Gollum impression as he said, "My Precious."
Richie just stared at Virgil with a troubled look, and though he did not know what to say. Virgil shrugged. "What?"
Richie opened his mouth, but then Backpack sounded a tone. "That would be Dad. Backpack, cellphone!" The obedient robot crept up to his master and handed Richie the phone with a metallic arm. "Hey Dad. What's up? . . . They're here? Already? . . . Well, I just thought, since Metropolis is so far, I didn't expect them until . . . Alright. Well I got a pretty big thing I'm working on right now, but I'm almost done . . . Yeah, I'll be back by 5:00. Can Virgil come? We were just talking about Precious, and . . ." (Richie started talking softer, and his tone turned serious again.) "What do you mean? . . . . . That's not going to be a problem, Dad . . . Yeah, I'm sure, Virgil's mature enough to understand. I'm sure Aunt Claire would welcome him with . . . Oh I see. Tomorrow morning then? Good. See you in a little bit."
Virgil stared at Richie. "What was that about?"
Richie sighed. "Old habits are hard to break. Sometimes Dad thinks he has an open mind, but--"
"I see. You think I shouldn't come?"
"No, no! I want you to come. It'll be good for you and for her. But they came a long way, and they're both really tired. Company might overwhelm them. It may be best if you come in the morning. You gotta understand, Virg, Precious is unlike anyone you've ever met."
"It's ok. I'm used to different. After the Big Bang, the word 'different' hardly has any meaning, you know?"
"Yeah, but this is a different kind of different. You may not be used to it."
The next hour or so was rather quiet. Richie worked on his project, and Virgil waited. Sometimes he broke the silence with a wisecrack or two, but Richie rarely responded. He was clearly dedicated to his work.
"Well, we're just about done here," Richie said to himself. "Let's see what time is . . . Holy Toledo! 4:45?!? And this paint and glue will never dry!"
"Allow me!" Virgil said suavely. He held his hands above the hat and created a dome of static electricity around it. Then he levitated the hat and spun it around like a dryer. Finally he let the hat go, caught it with his hand, spun on his finger, and tossed it to Richie. "There you go, compliments of Static's electric drying service. Nobody dries better!"
Richie looked at him. "I'm not sure if you should have done that. You could have modified some already delicate calibrations."
"Well excuse me for trying to help."
"Oh, don't take it that way. I'm sure I'll be able to fix it. See you tomorrow morning." Richie put the hat in a shoebox and ran for home.
***************
The next morning, after Virgil came downstairs, he was not surprised to find Sharon in the kitchen. "Well, well, well, look who can't wait for my biscuits."
Virgil scoffed. "Not this time, Emilrette. I'm having breakfast at Richie's. He has this cousin I want to meet."
Sharon stopped kneading her dough. "Wait, that's Precious Swan isn't it?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"My psychology professor told me about her. In fact, I might be seeing her later. Listen, just in case I don't, you better take notes. Tell me what it's like."
"Oookay," Virgil responded. He couldn't remember Sharon ever being that frank with him. "Precious must be some kind of smart," he said to himself.
He made it to Richie's about an hour later. Richie greeted him at the door and led him in. A woman who looked just like Sheryl Crow was sitting at the table in the kitchen. "V, this is my Aunt Claire. Aunt Claire, this is my best friend Virgil."
She smiled and shook Virgil's hand. "Whoa, man, I'm digging those dreads."
Virgil laughed and slicked back his hair. "Thanks, I don't hear that a lot."
"Well, you should. They're groovy."
Virgil looked at Richie, remembering the hippie comment. They both burst out laughing.
"Virgil!" Mr. Foley had just come in the kitchen and shook his hand. "How are you, young man?"
"Very well, Mr. Foley, thank you."
"Well big brother Sean, I see you have finally learned to open your mind and accept your fellow man," Claire said.
"Claire, let us not live in the past," Mr. Foley grumbled.
"Yeah," Richie interjected. "I'm hungry now. What's for breakfast?"
Everybody laughed. Mrs. Foley came in with pancakes. For a while, the family all talked about school and other present events. Yet the young cousin never made a show.
"So, where is this little genius Richie told me so much about?" Virgil asked.
"Little genius?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrow at Richie.
Richie shrugged. "She's the smartest kid I know."
"Precious is in the den watching Saturday morning cartoons," Mrs. Foley answered.
"May I go meet her?" Virgil asked.
All the adults looked at him surprised. "Sure," Mrs. Foley nodded slowly.
"Good luck," Claire said softly.
Virgil chuckled. "Thanks, I think." Virgil went down to the den. He didn't realize it, but Richie was following him. There in the den was a young girl, wearing jeans and a purple T-shirt. She had curly, brown hair that went down to her shoulders. Her green eyes stared at the TV as she slowly ate the cut-up pancakes in the tray in front of her. She wasn't smiling.
Virgil sat down beside her and extended his hand. "How's it hanging? My name's Virgil, Richie's best friend."
Precious didn't even look at him. "She must be shy," Virgil thought. "Well, I can break the ice with the old Hawkins charm."
"So what you watching?" he asked. "'Samurai Jack,' huh? Oh, I like this show! He's awesome, and man that voice of his . . . I don't know how Phil LaMarr does it."
Precious didn't move.
"How's school? Learning your multiplication tables yet? I bet you don't have any trouble with those. Richie tells me you're really smart."
Still nothing.
Virgil noticed a book beside her. "What you reading? 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'? Oh, I remember that book! My second grade teacher read it to my class."
She was still quiet. "Maybe it's about time I went for the old joke," he thought. "If you don't mind, Precious, I want to do something. Only once, I promise." He cleared his throat and once again did his Gollum impression. "Come to me, my Precious!"
Finally, she turned to Virgil and looked at him with a glazed-over expression. Then she turned back to the TV.
Virgil laughed and spoke in his normal voice. "Ok, I'm sorry. I know you get that all the time. I'll leave you alone."
He patted her shoulder. "UHHHHHH!" Precious grunted. She started thrashing around.
"What's wrong? Did I shock you?"
Precious continued to grunt, and she slapped Virgil's face.
"OW! Alright, I'll leave." As he got up, Virgil saw Richie watching him. Virgil walked out the room and said, quietly but angrily, "Richie, why didn't you tell me she was so rude?"
"It's not rudeness, Virgil," Richie answered. "She doesn't know any better. I tried to tell you, but maybe I should have been clearer. Precious is autistic."
"Well, I'm glad she has that talent too, but that gives her no excuse to--"
"No, V. Not 'artistic,' autistic."
"I don't follow."
"Autism is a developmental disorder. There are a lot of physical and social deficits, but it's a good deal mental too. Her mind works much like mine does now. There's always something going on up there. But unlike me, Precious is so enraptured by whatever's in her mind, she's unable to connect with the real world. She doesn't talk, she doesn't look at people, and she doesn't like to be touched. I don't think she really understands what people are. It's like she's alien among her own kind."
"Oh man, that's awful. I can't begin to imagine what that's like."
"I know. I guess that's part of the reason I kept it quiet, you being such a people person and all."
"So, she's not really smart?"
"It's hard to say. Some autistic people are also mentally retarded, but others are so smart their minds work faster than a computer. I think Precious is one of those. I mean, she taught herself to read at age three, and now she reads on a sixth grade level, and she's only old enough to be in second grade."
"And she isn't?"
"Well, she's in a special school. I don't know a whole lot about it, but it's for the . . . underprivileged. I don't have a lot of high hopes."
"I don't get it. How can she benefit from your invention?"
"I told you! Oh wait, you weren't here when I was explaining it in detail. See, my theory is she's trapped in her mind, within her own world. Somewhere in there is a little girl trying to get out. I'm hoping that the Magic Hat will sift out her thoughts and free that little girl that has been hidden from us for so long. Yet at the same time, the hat will leave her comfortable and willing to adjust to the change by easing her turbulent mind and projection her imagination."
"You think it'll work?"
"I hope so. When I told Aunt Claire about the Magic Hat, she told me what she's doing here in Dakota. She's been in an e-mail correspondence with a psyche professor at Dakota U, one Dr. Temple. He's an autism expert. She had been planning to have him meet Precious for the first time and talk to him one on one, but now she also wants to show him the Magic Hat. I kinda wish I knew that. If I knew this was going to be semi-public, I would have given it as Gear. I mean, if this is successful I might have to discuss it a press conference!"
"We'll have to think about that."
"I guess I'm not too worried. I was up all night doing some last minute tune-ups, and I think there are still some glitches I haven't been able to get out. And I know this won't cure her, just make things a little more manageable. That might be what Dr. Temple is looking for."
"You know, I think Dr. Temple is Sharon's professor. Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Actually, I think I'd like you to."
"OK. If you don't mind, I wanna go think of some things."
"Alright."
Virgil went to the upstairs bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face, stared into the mirror, and thought about what Richie told him. How can anybody not know what people are, especially when people are always around you? Maybe everybody has things wrong. Does she have so big an ego that she refuses to interact? How can she be so cold? It must feel terrible. Does she even want to interact? How could she not?
As he kept thinking, he heard a sound outside. He peeked out of the door. It was Precious sneaking into Richie's room. Virgil silently followed her and tried to keep an eye on her and somehow get her out if she found anything divulging their secret identities. She went straight to Richie's desk. Virgil held his breath; Richie's shock box was in plain sight. Yet Precious ignored it entirely. She opened up a shoebox and pulled out the Magic Hat.
Precious stared at it. She put it on, looked in a mirror, and smiled. Virgil couldn't believe it. "Well, I can tell Richie that she does indeed like it," he thought.
Then Precious noticed something else on the desk. Luckily, it wasn't the shock box. It was a pair of Richie's shades. It wasn't his blue shades. These were kinda . . . violet colored. She put them on and smiled even bigger.
Then she noticed a knob on the side of the hat. She started to turn it, and the Christmas lights twinkled. Her smile faded, and she stared at her reflection in awe. She continued to turn to knob. The Christmas lights flashed at a quicker frequency. Her face became more transfixed. And then, she spoke one word in a frail, whispering voice that sounded as though it had never been used before.
"Magic."
A white light flashed out of nowhere. "Uhhhh!" Precious cried out.
"Precious, are you alright?" Virgil asked quickly.
Precious turned around. Her face was filled with a strange expression. Virgil couldn't place it--amazement, fear, surprise, wonder, or all of the above? What was happening? Precious waved her arms erratically. Mossy trees seemed to grow behind her. "It's ok, Virg," he thought, "they're just holograms." But then, with another wave of her hand, a large ribbon of orange flew toward Virgil and knocked him back! "Well, I know only one guy who can take care of this," Virgil said to himself.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, the rest of the Foley family was talking until they heard noises upstairs. "Precious, sweetie? Are you ok?" Aunt Claire called up.
"What's going on up there?" Mrs. Foley asked. "Almost sounds like a jungle."
Richie didn't like it at all, though he had no idea what it could be. "I gotta go. I just remembered, I need to . . . clean my room." He ran upstairs before anyone could question him.
"That was a strange excuse," Aunt Claire said aloud. "Did he even think that his cousin might be in trou--"
Just then, there was a knock on the window. Mrs. Foley and Aunt Claire looked out to see Static grinning and waving at them. Aunt Claire opened the window for him. "You must be this young man Static I've heard so much about."
"Yeah," Static answered as he came in. "Is anything wrong?"
"Well, we are hearing strange noises upstairs. My daughter is up there, and she . . . she's different."
"And my son's up there!" Mrs. Foley added.
"I saw a disturbance from the upstairs window. Just stay here. I'll take care of it." Static started running for the stairs.
"Hey, where's Gear?"
"He's not here already? He should be here soon."
Static met Richie in the hallway. "Man, you're really taking a risk here. What if one of your family members saw you coming here in your costume?"
"I know, but this is an emergency! What's going on?"
"She put on your hat a little prematurely and turned it on full blast. You won't believe it, she--"
A loud roar cut him off. A lion had appeared before them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Shock it!" Gear ordered.
Static did, but it did no good. "It's like that kid from a few years ago, Dwayne. Attacks won't have any effect because these things aren't real."
"Yeah, they're holograms. A little extra light would probably--"
"I think they're a little bit more than just holograms. I mean, a hologram just bruised me five minutes ago."
"Then you try to find some way to take it down. I'll try to get to the source."
"So, what lion are you?" Static asked the hologram. "Mufasa? Simba? Wait, I know who you are-- (What was his name again? Oh yeah) Aslan!"
The lion just roared.
"Don't you talk? I kinda remembered that you . . . well, maybe you don't this time. Look, your majesty, I don't want to hurt you--" The lion suddenly charged at him. Static just nearly dodged the attack. "And I really don't want you to hurt me. So, can we form a compromise of some sort?" The lion did not look very compromising. "Alright, then I'm afraid . . . I'm going to have to . . ." (Static looked around for something to attack the hologram with, when he saw something most appropriate in the master bedroom) "hit you with this stone table!" He grabbed the table with his magnetic powers and prayed that it would not break. The table crashed down on the lion, which promptly disappeared.
Yet just when Static was done wiping the sweat of his forehead, another dangerous hologram appeared. This time it was an angel with a flaming sword held in his hand. "Man, now I know how Balaam's donkey felt," Static observed as the angel tried to hit him. He was able to get the sword out of the angel's hands with his Static Cling, and immediately the angel disappeared.
"Quick Static, in here!" Gear called. Static ran straight into Richie's room. Gear closed the door.
"You got her?" Static asked.
"She's here, and she's fine. It was tough getting her, though. The closer to the source, the more chaotic the holograms." He gestured to Precious, who was sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth and moaning to herself. Strange colors and shapes surrounded her.
"She looks so scared," Static said sadly.
"Yeah, I think that's the problem too. I'm gonna change that." Gear knelt down to her and spoke gently. "Precious? Hey, there's no reason to be scared, alright? We're your friends. We're here to help you."
Precious moaned again and started rocking more vigorously.
"Look, Precious, it's ok. It's not like I'm a stranger. You know me. Look." Gear started taking off his helmet.
"What are you doing?!?" Static yelled.
Richie turned to him once he got his helmet off. "Well, it's not like she's gonna tell anybody."
"Oh. I guess that's true."
Richie looked back at his cousin. "See? It's me, Richie you're cousin. Remember? You did that magic show for me last year. You know him, too!" Richie turned around. "V, take off your mask."
"Why? I'm not family. She doesn't even like me."
"But if she recognized you, maybe she'll calm down."
"I don't think it'll make a difference."
"OK." Richie turned back to the girl. "Precious, this is my friend. We're both your friends, and we don't want to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid. OK?"
Precious blinked a few times and then sat still. The holograms around her began to fade.
"'Atta girl," Richie said with a smile. "Now, I need your hat, please."
He took it off her head. "Uhh! Uhhhh!" Precious grunted as she made grasping gestures in the air.
"Sorry, it's not ready for you to wear yet. You can have it back in a little bit. You can keep the shades, though."
"Yeah, they look good on you," Static quipped.
Precious still reached for the hat.
"Hey, maybe this will help." Static handed Precious back her book. Precious immediately opened it and stared into the pages. "I thought you'd like that," Static whispered.
Richie put his helmet back on. "See you later, Precious. Be a good girl, and be quiet."
Precious didn't answer.
"Wow," Virgil said as he closed the door. "Did you mean to make those holograms so realistic?" Virgil asked.
"Me? This was YOUR fault!" Richie replied with a glare.
"My fault?!"
"Yeah, with your electric drying service. I knew that would mess up the circuits and other delicate workmanship."
"You know what I think? This is going to sound weird, but I think she did it."
"Don't even try to put the blame on her!"
"But I saw her put it on, man. What was she doing in your room, anyway?"
"Her shows must have been over, and she must have been mindlessly wandering around the house as she dreamed. Autistic children have a history of doing that."
"OK, well she was messing with the knob, and I heard her say something. It sounded like 'magic.'"
"I told you, she doesn't talk."
"I know, but it was just one word. I mean, this could mean your invention works, just too well."
******************
"I'm supposed to meet Dr. Temple at 3:00," Aunt Claire told the boys at lunch. "So since we have a little time to kill, why don't you guys be our tour guides around Dakota? I'd like to do a little window shopping."
"Uh, I don't think we where the stores you'd want to see are," Richie nervously observed.
"That's ok. You can show me where you'd like to go, and we can find what interests me along the way. Or we could just go the mall. I know you got a pretty good mall."
"Sure," Virgil shrugged.
So Precious and Aunt Claire went to the mall, and Virgil and Richie showed them around. Mostly Aunt Claire wanted to look at clothes, and she once stopped into a new age store. They had to pass by the comic store. Precious looked longingly into the toy store, but they passed that by too. "No, no, Sweetie. Don't let go of my hand," Aunt Claire scolded gently.
"Oh, isn't that cute?" Aunt Claire cooed as they were looking into the clothing store Rant. She was staring at a tie-dye outfit that was every color of the rainbow, and then some. "And it looks like Precious' size. You like it, Honey? Why don't we go try that on?"
About ten minutes later, Precious came out of the dressing room with the outfit on. She wasn't smiling, but there was a look in her eyes that said she really liked the clothes. "Oh, it's looks adorable!" Aunt Claire said enthusiastically.
"Yeah," Virgil nodded, "those threads rule!"
"And check this out." Richie pulled out the magic hat and put it on Precious' head. "It matches perfectly!'
"Oh, that definitely completes the outfit. I'm going to ask the clerk if she could wear this home."
Just then, Virgil started hearing noises. He looked toward the food court and saw Ebon, Talon, Aquamaria, and Shiv--the Metabreed. Virgil nudged Richie and pointed outside. Richie nodded. "Hey Aunt Claire, if you don't mind, Virgil and I want to grab a bite to eat at the food court. It's just across the way."
"Alright, Richie. We'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."
Virgil and Richie ran to the nearest restroom and changed. When they came back out, they couldn't find the Metabreed in the food court. "They must have dispersed," Static said.
"Uh oh, look." Gear pointed to Rant. Shiv and Talon were already beginning to terrorize the clothing store.
"I'm on it."
"No, you go after Ebon. If either of them try to get Precious--"
"That's just it. She knows who you are now, and when she sees you she might get too excited."
"Oh, you got a point. Take good care of her."
"No problem, man."
Shiv grabbed an expensive outfit in the window, tore it up, and then held it up to his chin. "So Talon, what do you think? Is it me?"
"I think it makes you look fat!" Static said.
"Static, I wasn't asking you!" Shiv got his weapons ready, and they engaged in battle. One time Static was beaten back and nearly fell into Aunt Claire.
"Well, twice in one day!" she said gleefully. "Are any Dakota natives this lucky?"
"Most don't consider themselves lucky," Static snickered. He noticed that Precious was staring at him. He saw that Precious would not take her eyes off of him as he continued to fight. It occurred to him that last time she did not see him in action, and now that she saw that he had power she was stunned.
Talon was raiding the cash register. Static tried to stop her, and she turned around and shrieked. "Ahh!" Precious screamed. She covered her ears and started rocking again. Static saw Precious all scared and tried harder to wrap up his battle with Talon. When Talon shrieked again, Precious ran out of the store with her ears covered. Nobody noticed.
Finally, it seemed Static had them subdued. "Dude you are good!" Aunt Claire said. "Why I saw my daughter--Precious? Precious? Precious Swan Llewellyn? Where are you?"
"I'll find your daughter," Static offered.
"Yes, please, search everywhere. Be careful."
Static flew out. Shiv and Talon stealthily sneaked out and escaped. Gear saw the frightened look in Static's face and abandoned his fight. "What happened?"
"I don't know; she's gone."
"Oh no! You look around the first floor, and I'll check the parking lot."
"Good plan." Hey flew around everywhere calling, "Precious! Precious! Come to me, my Precious," this time in his normal voice. He spotted Daisy and Frieda kinda eyeballing him, probably thinking that he was looking for his girlfriend. He didn't care about that right now.
Meanwhile, the Metabreed was regrouping and meeting in the shadows. "Looks like they abandoned the good fight," Aquamaria said.
"Who do you think that 'precious' girl of Static is?" Talon asked.
"Frankly, I don't care," Shiv answered. "Ebon, this might be a good time to bail."
Ebon glared at him. "Did we get what we came for?" he demanded.
"Uh, yeah, of course we did," Talon muttered, plainly lying.
Ebon brought his face up to her and glared. "We'd better. Come on. We're going."
He formed a tunnel behind them, and they started going in. None of them knew they were being intensely watched. An innocent bystander came close to the tunnel as Shiv was going in, stared at the phenomenon, and whispered to herself, "Magic."
"Precious?" Static found her at last as she had discovered Ebon's talent. "Precious, no!" But it was too late. She disappeared into the tunnel, and the tunnel disappeared with her. He didn't have enough time to throw in a tracer or anything. "Oh man, what now?"
Static told Gear, and they both told Aunt Claire together. She started crying, and she wouldn't stop. "Don't worry, ma'am," Gear told her. "Backpack will find her, and we'll see to it that the Metabreed doesn't touch her. Your daughter will be fine." Then Gear said privately to Static. "While I go search for Precious, why don't you talk to her? Comfort her a little bit."
"Ooookayyy," Static nodded. He sat down beside the sobbing aunt. "It's alright, ma'am. You won't believe how quick Backpack is. You're daughter's going to be ok."
"I know, but she's had a history of wandering off like this, and I always get so scared. She's never aware of her surroundings. I knew that one day something like this would happen. I try so hard to keep her close. I'm an awful mother."
"No, no, don't say that. Don't blame yourself. It was Ebon who took her. Your daughter's not quite on the up and up on the bang babies here, is she?"
"Well, she was only four when the big bang happened. Besides, we're not from Dakota."
"Oh really. Where you from?"
"Metropolis."
"Superman's home?"
She started to calm down a little. "Yes, but since he started the Justice League we hardly see him anymore, or Green Lantern."
"Green Lantern's from Metropolis?"
"I thought he was. I saw him years ago, and I could have sworn it was a completely different guy. I mean, the differences were rather obvious. Don't get me wrong; the new lantern is doing a wonderful job. I just wonder sometimes what happened to the guy I saw. Anyhow, I think it would have been good if they were still around regularly. My little girl would have been so fascinated by them. See, she's obsessed with magic. She loves all the fantasy books--Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Oz, Peter Pan, everything. I think she wishes deep down inside herself that she was part of those books, you know that she could really do magic."
"Does she understand that she . . . can't?"
"Oh, of course. She loves the Bible too, and I talked with her about how real witchcraft is evil. But she still tries to have a magic all her own. Last year I gave her a magicians kit. She learned most of the tricks and was able to do them easily, but she quit playing with it quickly. I think she was ultimately unsatisfied. 'Cause you know, that kind of thing isn't the magic that fantasies are made of. Your powers, on the other hand, are. I know it's all got a scientific base, but it still seems like real magic."
Static sighed and looked the other way. "Unfortunately, the same can be said of most metahumans, even the unsavory ones."
Aunt Claire burst into tears again. Static put his arm around her. "My Precious is a good girl. We just have been through so much. Her daddy left her. He didn't divorce me or anything. He just walked out. He said she was a freak. He wanted a normal girl, and he couldn't make her normal. He doesn't call me. He doesn't pay child support. I never saw him again. It's like we never knew each other. So, I'm doing my best to raise her on my own. And all my neighbors, all the ladies in the grocery store, they all think it's my fault! Sometimes, I act a little younger than I am, a little more carefree. It's a way to cope with the pain. And they talk behind my back. They think I neglect her. Some say I experimented with drugs. I try to be the best mother I can be. It's so hard."
Static patted her hand. "I don't know what to say. I don't know what all is wrong with your daughter, but I can understand some the pain you're going through."
Just then, Gear's voice came through the Shock Box. "Static, I found her. She's fine. Get down here, a.s.a.p."
"Yes sir. Thanks."
"Mr. Static, sir," Aunt Claire said, "Thank you for talking to me."
"No problem. It's part of my job."
"Oh, and Static, this may not be appropriate right now, but I really like your hair."
Static smiled and slicked his hair back. "Thank you, ma'am."
************
Poor Precious was tied to a chair. Ebon paced in front of his prisoner, and the rest of the Metabreed looked at her in interest.
"I ask you again," Ebon growled. "What are you doing here?"
Precious did not answer but stared at him with a flat expression.
"TALK!" Ebon demanded. He looked her straight in the eyes. Precious' eyes darted toward Aquamaria.
"I think you're a bit too hard on her, Ebon," Talon spoke up. "I mean, she might be deaf."
"Or perhaps she doesn't speak English," Aquamaria suggested.
"Either way, we can communicate with her." Talon walked up to the girl. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?" she screamed in Precious' face.
"Uh!" Precious groaned and cringed.
"¿Tu hablas español, niña?" Aquamaria asked. She then went off on a long Spanish conversation. Precious did not look like she understood a bit of it.
"I think I know what the problem is here," Shiv said as he walked toward her. "She's a RETARD! Just look at this thing she's wearing! It's so stupid!" He turned the knob, and the lights flickered on. "Hey, that's kind of cool." He turned it up further.
"FOOLS!" Ebon yelled. "The only reason this brat ain't talking is she's defiant. Leave her to me." He stared her down again and pointed his finger in her face. "You talk or I'll make you!" he threatened. Once again, Precious' eyes darted around the room. Ebon grabbed her face by the chin and squeezed her cheeks. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
"Aaaah!" Precious screamed. An explosion of color went off in front of her and knocked Ebon back. Precious continued to moan and rocked back and forth. The more frightened she looked, the more chaotic the holograms around her became.
"Is she a . . . bang baby?" Shiv asked.
"More likely she was a baby when the bang happened," Talon commented.
"You idiots!" Ebon yelled. "It's a trick! She's trying to break free!"
"And it's working!" a voice said above him. The Metabreed looked up to see Static and Gear crashing their party. The holograms faded away, and Precious was still again. Static was sure he saw her smile.
"You let the girl go!" Gear demanded.
"Sure, you can have her!" Shiv answered.
"We have no use for la niña," Aquamaria added.
"I don't think so," Ebon growled.
"Huh?" everyone else in the gang said.
"It's not like sidekicks to make such demands."
"Uh, yeah Gear, you completely stole my line," Static said. He cleared his throat and repeated, "You let the girl go!"
Ebon's eyes narrowed. "I think she means something to you."
Gear opened his mouth to answer, but Static spoke first. "Of course she means something to us! She's a kid, and you napped her!"
Ebon crossed his arms.
"Look, I'm not one of those 'cheesy speech' superheroes, ok? You know just as well as I do that everybody values kids."
Ebon pointed at Gear. "He places her at a higher value. I can see it in his eyes. Who is she, Gear? Your sister? The sister of your sweetheart? The kid you're babysitting?"
"What do you care?" Gear yelled. "You don't know what she's like! She's forever scared and lost!"
"Gear, that's enough," Static said through gritted teeth.
"Look, if she means that much to you, then you're not getting her!" Ebon answered.
"Hey, I don't want to keep the brat!" Shiv said.
"Me neither," Talon shook her head.
"Let's just fight, ok?" Aquamaria offered.
"Fine by us," Static answered.
Gear flew in close and whispered, "You take them on. I'll get the girl out of here."
Static tried to follow that plan, but he was not able to successfully keep them occupied. Every time Gear went to free Precious, Ebon lunged at him and kept him from reaching the girl. Eventually, the rest of the Metabreed followed suit. They even took possession of Backpack. "If we keep this up, we're never gonna get out of here," Static thought. "I'm gonna mix things up."
So while Ebon was occupied with Gear and Shiv was tackling Backpack, Static sneaked over to the chair. "Don't move," he whispered in Precious' ear. He used his powers to pull her straps apart. "Now, come on."
"Static's got her!" Talon yelled. She flew in front of the two of them and shrieked. The force of the blast knocked them both back into a closet, and the door shut and jammed on them. Static sent a small jolt up to the light bulb above them. It was then that Static saw the real damage. Precious, with her hat askew, was rocking again, but this time she was also crying.
"What's wrong?" Static asked. "Are you hurt?"
Precious just moaned.
"I think I understand. You're scared. This is very stressful on you. But it's almost over."
Precious wailed all the louder. Static thought back to the last time that she was like this.
"What are you doing?!?"
"Well, it's not like she's gonna tell anybody . . .V, take off your mask."
"Why? I'm not family. She doesn't even like me."
"But if she recognized you, maybe she'll calm down."
Virgil turned away and looked into space. He whispered, "What would you say, Moms? I know what I should do, but . . . help me." He took a deep breath and took off his mask.
He turned back to Precious. "You see? You remember me, don't you? I'm Virgil, your cousin's friend. You probably think I'm a jerk, getting all up in your business a while ago. I just wanted to get to know you. I didn't know you didn't want to be bothered."
Precious was beginning to straighten up, and she looked in Virgil's eyes with curiosity.
"I know what it's like, you know," Virgil continued. He sighed and shook his head. "No, that's a lie. I don't know what it's like. But I do know some things. I know what it's like to be different. I know how awful it is to lose a parent, how that pain never leaves you. I know what it's like to have something inside of you that nobody really understands, not even you. And I guess sometimes I don't quite get people. I don't understand why it seems they hate so much. I really don't get those guys out there, why they chose to use the powers they have been blessed (or maybe cursed) with to use for bad. Sometimes it seems Gear and I are the only good guys around. But generally, I like people. And I like you. I hope that, in your own way, we could maybe be friends?"
He extended his hand to her. Precious took it, but she didn't shake it. She took off the glove and touched his hand. Her hand looked so small in comparison. She stroked his palm and fingertips until she saw a tiny spark. "Magic," she whispered.
"Yeah, it kinda is," Virgil nodded.
Precious gazed into Virgil's face with a look of pity. "Virgil teach Precious magic, please?"
Virgil was at first stunned that she said a full sentence. Even though it wasn't the greatest grammar, it was a step in the right direction. She was starting to break through at last. But then the gravity of her sentence hit, and he knew no easy way to answer. "I'm sorry, Precious. I can't."
"Please," she repeated.
"You don't understand. I didn't go to a school like Hogwarts and learn my powers. They just happened. They can't be taught. Believe me, I would if I could. No, no, don't cry! Listen, I believe there's a special kind of magic all your own, deep inside of you. Your cousin and I are trying to help you get it out, but it's all up to you to find it. OK?"
Precious wiped her tears away and nodded.
Virgil put her hat back on straight, then lifted her chin up gently. She didn't squirm or freak out. "Give me a smile, alright?" Precious grinned. "Good girl."
Just then, they heard Richie scream. Precious got up and pushed on the door over and over. "I got it, honey," Virgil said as soon as he got his mask back on. "Stand back." He shot a current of electricity at the knob, and the door flew open.
Ebon had wrapped around Gear and was squeezing him hard. Backpack was on the ground, torn up and shorted out. The rest of the Metabreed taunted him, until they saw Static had returned.
"You're not going to get away now, Static!" Shiv yelled.
"Si, I will short you out like I shorted out Gear's toy!" Aquamaria flew at full speed toward Static.
"STOP!"
The brisk order came from right behind Static. There was a shiver in the air, and everything . . . stopped. Nearly everyone was stuck in midair, including a puddle of water right in front of Static's face. Everyone looked shocked except for the person who gave the order--Precious.
"I told you she could talk," Ebon growled, narrowing his eyes at the girl.
"She is a bang baby. She's gotta be!" Shiv remarked.
Precious ran out from behind Static. "Uh! Uhhh!" She made the same grasping motions as she made when Richie took her hat, except this time she was reaching for Gear. He fell out of Ebon's grasp. Gear got up. Precious smiled and took his hand. Gear was astounded.
"What just happened here?" he asked Static.
"I'll tell you what happened," Static answered quietly as he playfully rubbed Precious' head. "Magic."
They looked at the Metabreed, still stuck. "How do we free them?"
"Why don't we leave that for the cops to figure out?"
Gear took Precious up in his arms, and they flew away. Once they got out of sight, Richie lifted the visor on his mask. "Thank you," he whispered and gave his cousin a kiss.
***************
It was sunset when Static and Gear got Precious back to her mother, and everyone was much too tired to talk to Dr. Temple. So, Aunt Claire took Precious to the Foleys' to get a warm bubble bath and turn in early. She treated the boys to pizza.
"Oh, in all the scuffle, I forgot to ask you," Aunt Claire said, "where did you guys go? I went into the food court for a sundae to help me cheer up, and I didn't see you."
"We should have called," Virgil said. "We heard that Precious was missing and went to look for her. Once we heard Static and Gear were on the case, we knew she was in good hands. So we came back here."
"I wasn't as worried. You're grown boys. You can take care of yourself."
"Yeah," Richie nodded. "Well, I got a big science project. May I be excused?"
"Yes, son," Mrs. Foley nodded.
Virgil had a couple more pieces of pizza, then he went up to check on Richie. As he expected, Richie was working on his superhero gear. "Fixing Backpack, huh?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," Richie said. Just then, there was a small explosion. Virgil lifted an eyebrow at him. "OK, it's still bad, but it's not as bad as it looks." Richie sighed and pushed it away. "I'll finish this tomorrow." In its place, he placed the Magic Hat in front of him. He got out some pliers and other tools.
"Hey wait, what are you doing?" Virgil said.
"I'm taking some parts out of this hat."
"What? But it works! She's starting to break through!"
"You hit it on the head earlier today, Virg. It works, just too well. I'm toning it down."
"No, no, it's perfect! Look, I don't know if it was your genius, my powers, or her imagination (it's probably a bit of all three). Whatever it is, I'm convinced there is real magic in that hat. "
"But she can't control it. Every time she gets scared (and believe me, autistic kids get scared a lot), her powers are plunged into chaos. Her mother has enough worries."
"I think she's starting to learn. You know what? Maybe she can't control it, but bro, that's where we come in."
Richie stopped working and looked up. "What are you saying?"
"Go ahead and take the parts out, but save them for another model. If you work on Magic Hat 2, I'll try to put together a costume. I'm sure I'll find something good in Sharon's old clothes."
"Wait, you're not suggest--"
"Well why not? She knows both of our secret identities. She might as well."
"She's much too young!"
"So? Robin was just a couple years older than she is when he started out. And the Powerpuff Girls are quite a few years younger."
"But it takes so much athleticism, which she doesn't have!"
"Well, her abilities make up for it. Besides, we weren't very athletic either when we got into this, remember?"
"It's not going as easy to hide this from her mother."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Listen, I didn't want this to happen. I just wanted to help her function in this world, to be something close to normal."
"I know, but after I talked with her moms, Precious and I conversated a little bit. I think this is what she wants. She wants to be something incredible. She wants to do things no normal human being can do. She wants to be like us. I mean, she would have probably given her two front teeth to have been part of the big bang. This is a real life fantasy. To her, it's magic. That's what she wants. I think she could be amazing if we let her. Moms always told me, 'You can be whatever you want to be. Climb as high as you want. I'll provide the ladders.' We got the ladders here. Don't break them apart and throw them away."
As he was talking, the door opened just a little bit. Precious, who was in her pajamas, was standing in the doorway. Virgil turned around and smiled. "Hey girlfriend! We were just talking about you!" Virgil knelt down to her level. "How's it going? I know you had a hard day and all, but--"
Suddenly, he was cut off as Precious did something very unexpected. She gave Virgil a hug. "Precious is Virgil's friend," she said softly.
"You bet," Virgil answered.
"Hey, is Richie Precious' friend?" the cousin eagerly asked.
Precious gave Richie a hug too. "Precious loves Richie."
"Right back at you," Richie answered.
"Well, you better get on to bed," Virgil advised. "Sleep tight, ok?"
"Ok," she answered, and she left.
"Man. She did that without the hat, too. You really have something here with this thing."
"Yeah." Richie shook his head and turned back to his work. "She's probably going to come back around Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving if we're lucky. So, I guess we have that long to figure out how we're going to do this."
"Good! So, you're on board?"
"Sure. But when we start, we're really gonna have to watch her."
"Of course." Virgil started to leave, but he had one last thing to say. "We've seen what she's capable of. I don't think we'll have much to worry about."
Coming soon: Episode 2, Birth of the Muse--"Let's start her off with something quick and easy," Richie says. But in a mob of thieves, Precious faces the greatest foe she will ever meet. She could lose her superhero status forever.