"Static?" Clark shouts over the noise, walking forward with his elbow in front of his eyes against a high voltage wind, it feels like walking against gale force winds until he comes to what looks like the eye of the storm, a purple room of light and swirling energy. An outline of Static Shock's figure appears against the powerful walls. What materializes as Clark steps closer is Virgil Hawkins, and he is looking down at his shoes, and does not say anything as Superman puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Virgil?"
Static gasps as he turns and sees the Man of Steel looking back at him.
"What's going on?" Virgil asks, taking a few steps back.
"I was hoping you could tell me" Superman replies, surprised at the peaceful surroundings. Virgil looks down to the floor and tells him the truth, having nothing to hide inside his own subconscious.
"The last thing I remember is…that…I let my best friend get killed because I had to make a move. Next thing I know I-I can't see anything, I just…feel…everything" Virgil says with hesitation, as though he were trying to remember something more important.
"Static, we need to get back, Gear is still alive, and you can help him if you-"
"But I can't remember anything!" Static protests over him "How do I even know that you're real?" Virgil sighs with confusion and sits down on the ground, despite the presence of a chair that materializes out of the solid purple of the wall on his motion. 'The energy' Superman reasons '…his wants... the memory loss…maybe that's it…hope this works'
"Static?"
"Yea?"
"Where's Alan?"
The memories start flooding back with a headache; Superman takes cover from the wrath of Static's subconscious and Static screams in pain as the all those memories de-actualize and flood into his brain like so many hot pokers into a cache of water, thinking everything all at once, hearing their voices: Kaya, Gear, the courage to face death, the courage to face danger, she had lost her father, "Where's Alan! What did you do with him?" Virgil had lost his mother, "you have to protect them", she had lost both her parents, "you two give me so much hope", he was about to lose his best friend, "so don't loose it in this forsaken place", he wouldn't…no…he can't let that happen… "please come back…please come back", he couldn't let Gear die…Richie, no, he can't…it-its my fault… can't give in…gotta get back…can't stay here… "Protect them, Static"…don't go…no…
"NOOOOOOOO!" Static screams, the energy flowing back into him and finally stopping. Superman is thrown out of the energy like a javelin to land on top of a tree 20 feet from where J'onn and the others have gathered; he recovers quickly and flies back down to the group. Static stands silently like an animated light puppet for and instant, and then the light falls from his eyes and he drops to his knees, bowing his head in exhaustion and falling on his side, apparently asleep. Batman is quickly over at his side, waking him up and providing him a shoulder to lean on as he slowly walks toward where Gear is.
"m' fine, sorry Batman, 'bout the scare…" Virgil mumbles to Batman, out of breath
"Relax, we've had worse"
Kaya takes over for Bruce, holding Static close to her in a crushing hug like she wouldn't let go, and he actually coughs in her embrace. As worn out as he was with destroying the core, he truly felt like a hero for the first time that day when she hugged him; he could be on his feet for a few more minutes. It wasn't like Daisy's hugs, but it was pretty good.
"Welcome back" she says, her voice breaking through what was almost a sob. The barrier surrounding them begins to recede from the center of the field into the ground and dissolves to a nearly invisible film.
"Teleportation and com links should be back now" the Martian says
"Seven incoming, stand by for transport" Batman commands into his earpiece.
"Bruce is that you? Thank God! We have a situation up here!" Shiara says urgently into the earpiece
…
'Rise, human, utilize your legs, they are not entirely damaged' the voice snarls cruelly, 'if you want the power you will have to earn it, everything has a cost, you know, you never get something for free' the cold endalite voice says. Its message is not as nearly as loud as it had been earlier, when it was close to a drill sergeant shouting in your face. Now it was a loud whisper.
"How do I know you'll follow through with what I want anyway? You don't even have enough strength left to keep anyone here with that barrier. No one left but me to feed on for your power!" Alan hisses back
'That can be dealt with easily. A new proposition.'
"I'm listening."
'I could take that so called watchtower apart with the use of your body as a final vessel. It will require you to-'
"I get it. I will hold my end of the bargain, and take out the Justice League, bringing them down here for your use, and you will give me the rest of all your energy at my disposal now. Only question is: why would you trust me?"
'The opportunity outweighs the risk'
"Deal-" "AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGHH!"
With that, a terrible spine-shivering scream splits across the walls, as agreed. An eerie light shoots up into the sky, signaling the Watchtower's new arrival.
…
The light readjusts and the seven are in the transport bay, where league members are mobilizing to deal with the visitor, who is now tearing through the masses of heroes on the main deck. Kaya, Gear and Static hail a medical team coming towards them to make sure Richie is stable.
Static looks to the wall on the left side at the injured that have already crossed Alan's path: "Batman, I've fought this thing and beaten it-it's wicked strong, do you want me to-" he says.
"We've got this; you're needed in the infirmary" Batman answers, racing off with Lantern toward the main deck.
"Right." Static responds, following Kaya and the medical team. The crew arrives in the large white medical room. He had not seen Richie up close until now. They had gotten him on a table, already running tests and monitoring his vitals; he was looking bad…worse than when Static had left him. Kaya looked at the monitor once, and flew into action.
"5 ccs of thyceradryl, NOW! Kaya says, ripping white bandages with speed. Nurse! Elevate the feet here, mind his head, now someone get me an oxygen tank"
The nurse hurries over with two small metal plates, adjusting and testing them over a blond teen resting on the white table. Kaya reads the charts in the opposite corner with a calm but serious face.
"Ma'am the paddles are inoperative." The nurse says automatically
"What?"
"Inoperative, ma'am, I think the tower has taken a hit to the core" she repeats.
"Someone get in contact with J'onn-tell him to divert all the power he can spare to med bay, we've got a serious case!" Kaya yells over the confusion. League doctors and nurses were bringing in the injured from the fight with Alan and trying to take care of them as well in the same room because there were so many. Some of the less unfortunate members even volunteered to take a bandage and deal with their blows themselves out of the ward, so that the nurses could be free to help Kaya. Kaya commanded like an M. D., and got confused looks from some of the others who noticed how young she was.
Richie's heart rate monitor drops to a low, cold pace and Static feels the display screaming his friend's impending doom. 'Alright' Kaya thinks. The sound alone seemed to chain Static in his fury at himself, standing there...unable to do… anything.
Static feels a tiny prickle in his arm for when his regret and anger arrived; he looks down toward the glove, and holds it up to his face. What had happened? That twinge…Was this glove responsible for that cage of light?
"Static, get OVER here, I need you...STATIC!"
Static jumps out of his thoughts and into action at the sound of her voice, takes the silver gauntlet from his hand and tosses it in the corner with a loud clank, and rushes to Kaya's side.
"I need you with me and in control, or you know what might happen," she starts, taking in the monitors in the back and checking vital signs with impatience while moving what remains of Gear's shirt out of the way of his chest. Kaya studies Virgil's face.
"Will you do it for Richie's sake, Virgil?"
"…yes."
"Alright, one hand here on the left just above the chest, the other one here on the right, now, do you know how one volt feels?"
"Yea"
"Absolutely no more than 60 volts, even considering the bang baby makeup he's very fragile- ready, and clear" she says, holding an oxygen mask already for respiration.
Gear's chest jumps lightly, his head lolling to the side, and Static feels his own heart drop to his stomach, ready to puke both of them up while watching his own actions. He mechanically follows her orders without question. Richie's chest yields again and again to the shocks, with no response.
"C'mon, Gear, you've got it in you, stay with us-" Kaya hisses under her breath as she gives him oxygen between shocks.-"nurse, I recommend that most of the personnel that can be spared leave the room, this could get messy"
"yes ma'am"
Many of the nurses and orderlies scramble out of the ward, some carrying injured, some injured leaning on others, and some just taking their IVs and heading off themselves; Kaya, Static, Gear, the nurse and only a few others remained, giving the atmosphere an abandoned feel, but more room to breathe.
"Got a rhythm, but it won't last long at this rate; we'll have to do it now. Ready?" Black midnight drapes over her eyes, and shadow almost fills the room. Lacing the fingers of her right hand on top of her left on Richie's chest, she concentrates her power right where the heart is and down to the arteries healing to the wound.
"Do it."
"Both of us, it has to be simultaneous" she orders. Static places his hands on top of hers. "On three, one, two-"
The room fills with darkness and purple flashes, and then light encompasses the entire room. 'Richie, please choose to come back. It's your choice, but please, choose to come back…please come back' Kaya thinks desperately. Static and Kaya's powers rush back into them. Virgil looks on the white table to see a pair of green eyes looking at him through half open lids. He catches his breath as he looks back at Richie, gasping and breathing heavily with lungs that had forgotten how to breathe for a while; the tears come freely as he falls into the calm dark. A pair of arms catches him before he hits the floor.
