Virgil's POV: (Flashback)

I had fallen asleep in class AGAIN. By that point everyone was so use to it that no one bothered to wake me up. When I finally came to enough to realize I had fallen asleep lunch was already almost half way over. Some rouge meta-human had already made me miss breakfast, there was no way I was missing lunch! So I rushed to the cafeteria, but I froze in my tracks when I saw him.

Hotstreak, there was no mistaking it, he was there at his old table talking with his old (and very nervous looking) buddies. Who in the hell keeps letting this guy in school? I mean honestly! He's not only a bully gang-banger he's also a walking fire hazard waiting to go off at the slightest irritant! Static seriously needed to have a word with the school board, but at the moment there was something more pressing to deal with.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when I realized he was looking at me and saw him start to get up, but I wasn't going to run. I wasn't afraid of him anymore. Hell, after all the times I'd kicked his ass why should I be? He seemed to be able to tell that I wasn't afraid, he stopped and just looked at me for the longest time. There was such an odd look on his face, it was almost as if he were searching me for something, but there was more to it.

Just as I thought the answer was right on the tip of my tongue I heard a shrill beeping and since no one else seemed to notice I knew I was the only one who could hear it. It was from a new gadget Ritch had been working on and if he was using it that meant he was in big trouble.

I got outside in time to see Ritch laying on his side against the wall getting kicked repeatedly in the chest by a large dark skinned man wearing a bandanna. I couldn't see the mans face from where I was standing, but that didn't matter to me. I ran over and punched the guy as hard as I could in the back of the head and pushed him away before standing in between him and Ritch. I was ready to throw down right then right there, but when I saw the thugs face I froze. It was like all the blood in my body had been replaced with ice water, I couldn't move, could barely breath. I couldn't even think straight. Hotstreak was one thing...hell at that moment I would have given anything to be dodging fire balls...anything but this.

I hadn't seen Wade since the bang, he had just disappeared. No one knew what happened to him and I never once ran into him on the streets. Yet there he was standing right in front of me with murderous intentions in his eyes. I had been so afraid of having to face Wade after the bang that I lost sleep because of it, but after so long I thought he was one of the poor unlucky bang babies who didn't live through it...I was wrong.

"I was good to you Virgil I protected you, took you under my wing, made you part of my crew, my family, but you ditched us all! You brought this all on yourself"

I knew what was about to happen, knew I was in for a lot of pain if I didn't do something, but even as I saw his fist come at me I just couldn't get my body to move. The first hit struck me hard in the side of the head, it was like getting hit by a ton of bricks. Somehow I managed to keep from falling over, but a second bone crunching punch to my stomach brought me to my knees. I covered my head with my arms, waiting for more, but it never came.

"Well Wade finally decide to come out of hiding? About time, I was beginning to think ya didn't make it through the bang."

There was no way...but sure enough when I looked up I saw the back of the spiky redhead. The large muscular arms that use to be raised against me were now being raised to protect me.

"Hotstreak...?" my voice sounded like a breathless whisper even in my ears.

"Well well Francis never expected you to be protecting that wimpy geek over there."

I couldn't help but remember the day Wade had protected me from Hotstreak when he threw me against the lockers. I found it ironic how the rolls seemed to reverse so suddenly. I heard Hotstreak snort in amusement

"Protecting him? Please I just couldn't pass up this chance to get back at you for what happened the last time we met."

I couldn't see Wade's face, but I saw Hotstreak dodge a punch only to land one of his own. From there it was chaos, benches and tables were knocked over and or broken in their wake. It didn't take long for the fight to spill into the streets.

I didn't even take time to change into my Static uniform. I electrified my disk, laid Ritch over it and took off. When I got to the hospital I landed in an ally way and carried Ritch into the emergency room. After giving the doctors a quick explanation of what happened I ran back into the ally and changed before heading out to look for Wade and Hotstreak.

As I flew I couldn't help but remember what Hotstreak had said when Wade confronted him about protecting me. The hothead said he just wanted to settle the score with Wade, but I wasn't so sure. The Hotstreak I knew would have let Wade pummel me before taking him on after he tired himself out, but instead he put himself in harms way to get in between me and Wade.

Then it hit me. The look in his eyes that I tried to place before, it was a look I had never seen in his eyes before, concern. That's why I couldn't put my finger on it at first. He really did get into it so he could protect me, but why? I had to find him.

To be honest when I got back to the school it wasn't hard to track them. Hotstreak has never been known for being discrete. There was chaos everywhere. Blown up cars, burning buildings, melted lamp posts, geysers shooting out from where fire hydrants use to be. Hell, there was even a guy who's whole head was on fire. Don't worry he used one of the fire hydrant geysers to put it out. He was fine...bald, but fine. Just as I was beginning to second guess my concern for Hotstreak's well being I came upon a horrible site that made my heart skip a beat.

Hotstreak was on his knees with two large metal spikes impaled deep inside of him. One in his stomach, the other in the right side of his chest just under his shoulder. Wade began to advance towards him.

Before I could think I hit Wade with a blast of electricity so strong even I was surprised by the intensity. It was like someone had just hooked me up to an unlimited power source! I didn't know where all the power came from or why I felt so angry and desperate at the site of Hotstreak on the ground, but damned if I was going to let Wade get another chance to hurt him.

Before Wade got a chance to recover I hit him with another blast of electricity sending him right through a wall, but somehow he still managed to get up. I just kept attacking him relentlessly, never once giving him a chance to recover. When he finally lost consciousness I threw him through the back window of a police car (I made a mental note to apologize later), then I went back to the ally for Hotstreak only to find that he wasn't there. Just like before he wasn't hard to fallow, though instead of a trail of chaos I was fallowed a trail of blood. When I found the bloody metal spikes laying on the ground in an ally I picked up the pace knowing without them in he'd bleed to death much quicker, the idiot!

It was growing dark and my hope of finding Hotstreak alive was starting to fade until, finally, I found him leaned against a brick wall in a small dank ally way drenched in blood. He looked at me as I came up to him, but I could tell he wasn't really seeing me and sure enough he was unconscious by the time I got to his side. I pulled the larger hothead onto my disk and rushed to the emergency room. They immediately took him into surgery so instead of driving myself crazy in the waiting room I went to visit Ritch, who was already getting dressed to go home when I walked in.

"Aw man Ritch are you sure you should be up? you look like hell..."

Ritch looked at me with a playful look in his eyes as if he was going to say something smart. but the look on his face was replaced by shock and worry as he took in my appearance.

"I look like hell? have you seen a mirror lately? Holy shit Vi...Static you've got blood all over you..."

"Don't worry Ritch its not mine...Hotstreak got hurt really bad fighting Wade. I had to rush him here."

For once Ritch seemed speechless, he just stared at me with wide disbelieving eyes "Do you know how many things were wrong with what you just said?"

"Yeah Ritch, I know"

"Well what happened? Is he gonna be okay?"

I sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. Now that everything was starting to calm down I was feeling the drain from all the energy I used. "I don't know Ritch and I'll update you later. Go home and get some rest, I'm sure you're parents are worried sick about you. Its getting late"

I saw him look me over, still seeming concerned, but thank god for once he didn't argue. "Yeah alright Static." He walked over closer to me and said so only I could hear "Am I gonna need to cover for you man?"

I thought about it for a moment then nodded. I didn't even want to think about explaining this whole mess to pops. "You need help getting home Ritch?"

I was happy to see him give me his usual grin it let me know he'd be okay. "Nah my bus pass is still in my pocket. Besides someone's gonna need to be here when Hotstreak wakes up"

That was true. Hotstreak once burned down a movie theater just because he didn't like a movie, there was no way I was risking him doing that here if one of the nurses pissed him off.

"You gotta point Ritch... but be safe okay? I don't want to have to bring you back here got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." He waved his hand to dismiss me. "I'll be fine Static. You just try not to get yourself burnt to a crisp. Catcha later man."

"Catcha later." We did our handshake, then I watched as Ritch walked out of the room. I sighed and just stood there like a bump on a log for a few moments before heading to the waiting room. "Great, the mind numbing torture they call waiting..."

When I got there I saw the room was empty all except for a couple of cops and a few scientists. The cops seemed to be there keeping guard as the scientists talked to one another in hushed tones. When I came in they all looked at me with serious expressions and I knew that today wasn't over just yet.