A Blank Page: Plotting
Ebon was silent as he paced back-and-forth across the rec. room of the old juvenile detention center, his mind clouded with thoughts of a certain teenage superhero, or two, he guessed. Static and Gear, Dakota's protectors. Two bang-babies who had chosen to work for the greater good, to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens. And for what, exactly? The people despised the metahumans and wanted nothing to do with them. And it was partly Static's fault too. He had turned everyone against the other meta humans. He had been given a chance to join his crew and seize control over the city, like the superior beings they were. Instead, he chose to be a goody-two-shoes and save the city from the other "wretched" bang-babies. He had betrayed his own kind. Now he and Gear were living the high life while he and the Meta Breed had to constantly fight for survival.
He didn't want sympathy though-no, he wanted revenge.
Ever since that Static had showed up after the Big Bang, his sole purpose had been to take him down. Within a matter of days, Static had captured the hearts of hundreds of civilians, and since then had been showered with love, appreciation, and adoration. The young hero was instantly accepted by the community; he didn't know what it was like to live on the streets, to not know exactly where you'll end up crashing for the night, to be the target of so much hatred. He got gratitude for wearing the flashy cape and reciting his clever catch phrases, but that's all the fool was good for.
Static alone was a nuisance. But ever since he had teamed up with that brainiac Gear, the duo was practically unstoppable. Almost.
If he could find just the thing that would bring those clowns down, then it would only be a matter of time before he got his revenge. And he would. He just needed time. And smarter accomplices. Hotstreak, for example, was incompetent. He couldn't even follow simple instructions and find the two teenagers, Virgil Hawkins nor Richie Foley, who were both vital to his plan. If he couldn't get to Static and Gear directly, then he would have to go through their running buddies. He already knew that Richie Foley was somehow connected to Static, as he had seen him with the hero on several occasions in the past. This had led him to kidnap Virgil Hawkins to see if he was Static, which was another plan ruined by the one and only.
Ebon figured this time that in order for his plans to come together, he would have to be sneaky. He remembered Talon telling him that they usually hung out at an old gas station and the comic book shop. He supposed he could send her to monitor them and see where else they go. Anything he could learn about them might be useful. The other bang-babies watched the shadow man carefully. Ebon was usually quiet, but the way he was fervidly pacing across the room told them that he was thinking very diligently about something, which made the group anxious.
Talon studied the shadow, who she had come to know as her leader, and her family. She knew Ebon well enough to know that something important was on his mind. "Ebon, is something wrong?" she asked, earning a glare from Hotstreak. The pyromaniac had been leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in a hostile manner as he observed the the shadow. Bird girl should know better than to interrupt Ebon's train of thought. If one of them made Ebon mad, they would all pay the price. That wasn't to say that Hotstreak was afraid of Ebon. He admitted that Ebon could be a bit intimidating, but that was all. Being intimidated and being afraid were two completely different things.
What was her deal anyways? She always had to kiss up to the guy like he was some sort of king or something. Well, maybe he was some sort of king to her and the others, but not to Hotstreak. No one was the boss of him.
As if he had been reading his mind, Ebon slowly turned to face the group. Hotstreak tensed, believing for a moment that Ebon had heard his thoughts but quickly relaxed when he saw his gaze rest on Talon. "Nothing's wrong. In fact, I think I've come up with a plan to destroy Static and his lousy sidekick once and for all."
"Awesome! When do we start?" the blue haired bang-baby known as Shiv asked. "I can't wait to tear those two into tiny little pieces." And to prove he wasn't kidding, Shiv morphed his hands into two large knives and started waving them around erratically. "That'll teach them to mess with the Meta Breed!"
Unlike Shiv, the rest of the bang-babies looked skeptical. They weren't naive enough to remember that Ebon's previous schemes had always backfired. They were curious as to what made this one any different.
"And what exactly is the plan?" Hotstreak asked. He wasn't trying to be critical or anything, but he simply didn't trust Ebon. The guy always had something up his sleeve, and it never seemed to do the others any good.
Ebon glanced at Hotstreak with his cold, white eyes, penetrating the pyromaniac's hard glare. "You'll see," he said. "In the meantime, I want" - he pointed at Talon - "Talon, to follow the dweebs around town and find anything you can about them. There must be no mistake that these are the punks we're looking for." Talon nodded obediently, showing she understood the task at hand.
Hotstreak rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the whole situation. Why should he help Ebon when he wasn't even going to let him in on what the plan was? He wasn't going to go through all the trouble Ebon schemes usually put him through if he wasn't going to get anything out of it.
"Since some of us can't follow a simple direction," he heard Ebon say, which only fueled his anger. He'd show him. He'd show all of them. He'd prove to Ebon that he didn't need fancy plans to get a job done. All he needed was two fists and a lot of fire.