" Do you two know what you're doing?"
Hotstreak was balancing Mary on his shoulders, which was balancing Virgil on her shoulders to reach the wood balcony to Richie's room. If it were made of metal, they wouldn't have this problem. But it wasn't, so they had to deal.
" Who's the amnesiac, you or me?" Mary snapped.
" Well, somebody certainly had a healthy helping of Meow Mix this morning." He retorted.
" That does it Virgil, I'm gonna kill him." She said.
" Easy Mary. I've almost got it." He said.
" You've got nothing! Hey, low on the totem pole!" She said kicking Hotstreak lightly.
" What now?" He asked mildly irritated.
" He acts like he knows you already Mary." Virgil said.
" I ignore you. Hang onto me. We're taking the express elevator." She said.
Mary powered up and lifted them all up by their clothes to the wooden balcony.
" That was easy." She said.
" What is wrong with her voice?" Hotstreak asked.
" Condition. Comes with the powers." Virgil said.
Mary tapped on the glass patio door. Richie started to open the door, and then he saw Hotstreak and screamed. He fell down and motioned to them he was behind them.
" What? Him? Yeah, we know. And I told you not to scream." Virgil said.
" Let's us in and we'll explain everything." Mary said.
Richie opened the door and let them in.
" My mother isn't home. Did anybody see you come up here?" He asked.
" Doubt it." Virgil said.
" Not like they will say anything." Mary said.
" Why would somebody care if they saw us?" Hotstreak asked sitting down.
" Excuse me, what is his problem?" Richie asked.
" Sit down." Mary and Virgil said.
They told Richie everything that had happened. They told him how Static hit him and how he couldn't remember anything. Then how they had to take care of him until his memory came back. And how much danger he could be in or put the city in.
Then they told him about how they couldn't keep him at their places, so they would keep him here.
" Whoa!! Hold on!! Time out!! Flag on the play!!" Richie said.
" What's wrong?" Virgil asked.
" I cannot keep a criminal in my house!!" He said.
" I'm a criminal?" Hotstreak asked.
" Go watch the clouds go by." Mary said.
He looked to the window and shrugged. He did what she told him to.
" You gotta be careful what you tell him Richie." Mary said.
" Why? When his memory comes back, he'll know he's a criminal!" He said.
" That's just it. Mary and I came up with an idea on the way over here." Virgil said.
" Idea? You don't seem to understand who is standing on my WOOD balcony!" He cried.
" Richie, you are over-reacting." Mary said.
" I AM NOT....I am not over-reacting. Are you sure he's safe?" He asked.
" So long as he doesn't get mad or in danger." Virgil said.
" What about our hide-out?" He asked.
" Idiot!!" Mary cried.
" Richie, our hide-out is an abandon GAS station. You want us to hide HOTstreak in a GAS station?" Virgil asked.
" Good point. Okay, he can stay, but we have to talk about this idea." He said.
Mary and Virgil made sure that Hotstreak couldn't hear them and sat on the floor in a triangle.
" We were thinking, since he doesn't know what he is, maybe we could make him one of us. You know, make him a good guy, in case his memory really is gone." Mary said.
" Yeah." Virgil added.
" I suppose it would work, but it wouldn't be fair to him." Richie said.
" Fair? He wouldn't know fair if it knocked his lights out!" Mary said.
" That's true, but he still is, or was, who he is." Richie said.
" I guess you're right." Virgil said.
" Yeah. So what now? I mean do we even know anything besides his real name? Well, the first part of it anyway." Mary said.
" Good point. Well, maybe we should do a little research and then tell him about himself. He can choose his own destiny!" Richie said.
Mary sighed and shook her head.
" No more Mortal Kombat for you man." She said.
Virgil brought Hotstreak back in. They told him he was going to stay at Richie's house. They also told him to do whatever Richie said because he was a friend of theirs. He agreed, after Mary swore she'd fry him.
Virgil and herself went to the school now that it was out. Richie was left to keep the amnesiac meta-human out of trouble alone.
" Alright, don't touch anything if you don't know what it is. No burning anything and if my mother finds you, your name isn't Hotstreak, it's Francis." He said.
" So much to remember." He said rubbing his head.
" Whooeee!! That's some bruise. Static must'of really clocked you good." He said.
" Hey, I was distracted! I think." He said.
" Oh boy." He sighed.
**********
Mary and Virgil were inside the school and looking through the school files.
" Francis Lawless Stone. Hm. There's a surprise." Virgil said.
" I didn't know Hotstreak had a brother." Mary said.
" Well, there's something you'd never thought you'd see. Let's see, his mother is in rehab and his father is: Unknown?" He said.
" Somehow that explains a lot." She said.
" He lives with his older brother Daniel in an apartment." He read.
" .......Let's review. Not only is Hotstreak a bang baby, he has no parents and lives with his older brother, by 2 years might I add. Then why does he act like such a pain at your school?" Mary asked.
" I'll bet anything it's got to do with this." Virgil said.
" Hm. So what is it we do now? He won't want to go back, especially once he finds out exactly what it is he does and can do." She said.
" Well, we'll just have to tell him. He has to make the choice." He said.
" Right. So I guess we should go rescue Richie." She said.
************
" Geezuz H. Richie!!!!"
Mary and Virgil came back to a sight they thought they would ever see. They couldn't believe it. Their hot-tempered enemy..
Was giving Richie a foot massage?
" Oh hey guys!" Richie waved.
" This has to be the saddest sight I have ever seen." Mary said.
" Richie are you crazy?!!" Virgil said.
" What?" He asked turning over so he could massage his back.
Virgil shook his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. His worst enemy and his best friend. If it weren't so scary it would be funny.
Mary had the same look on her face. If she weren't trained to handle her emotions in situations, she would have fainted.
" Richie, you cannot turn *Whispers* a very dangerous person, * Normal voice* into a masseur!!" Mary said.
" Why not?" He whined into a pillow.
" Because it's degrading!" Virgil said.
" How do you figure?" He asked.
" I figure-Will you stop that?!" Mary snapped at Hotstreak.
He backed off.
" I figure he's not really like that and you're making him into a punk!" She said.
" What did he tell you anyway?" Virgil asked.
" He said I was his servant for as long as I can remember.I think." Hotstreak said.
Both fell over anime style.
" Richie!!!" Virgil said.
" What happened to all that 'choose your destiny' stuff?!" Mary asked.
" Alright, I'm sorry. So what did you find?" He asked.
" Well, he's got family, and a place to stay." Virgil said.
" Hm. What kind of family?" He asked going on his computer.
" A brother." Mary said.
" What about parents?" He asked.
" What about parents?! Who needs parents?! They don't seem to need us!" She snapped.
" Mary, let it go." Virgil said shaking her.
She went to go sit down on the bed after pushing Hotstreak on the floor. Mary had long since given up on her parents. The long business trips and the vacations outside the Board of Directors in the waiting room had finally gotten to her. She deduced staying in the hospital was the best way to get her parents attention. A few times she flat lined just to see them cry.
It was the most emotion she'd ever gotten and it was the only way she knew how to get it. So that was what she did. They had nothing to say about High Voltage; minus the rumors that High Voltage and Static Shock might be having a few lightning bolts on the way. She hated those rumors.
" * Yaro tabloids.*" She thought to herself.
" Hello?!! Earth to Planet Mary?!" Virgil said.
" Huh?" She said looking up.
" What do you think of our plan?" Richie asked.
" Plan?" She said.
They fell over.
" We're going to let Francis decide how he wants to be and if he decides to stay with us, then we're going to train him to be a good guy." Virgil said.
" Oh, sure, good." She said.
" Are you okay?" Richie asked.
" Yeah, great, I'm fine. Just gotta get some air." She said standing.
Mary went over to the window and shut the patio door. Virgil and Richie finalized their plan. Hotstreak had found a bunny stuffed animal and was poking it to see what kind of sounds it made.
" Hey Francis come over here for a minute." Richie said.
He got down on the floor next to them.
" We're going to tell you about yourself, see if anything rings a bell okay?" Virgil said.
" Uh.okay." He said.
Virgil and Richie slowly told Hotstreak about himself. He fell asleep twice and they had to say every other thing three times because he'd forgotten already.
" Think you got it this time?" Virgil asked.
" Uh.I think so." He said.
" Good. So do you recognize anything?" Richie asked.
" Um..No." He said smiling sheepishly.
They fell over once again. (Sorry. Anime is a big influence on me.)
" So..What now?" He asked.
" What now? We try shock therapy." Virgil said making electricity dance on his fingers.
***************
Mary sat on the balcony watching the clouds go by. She was trying to ignore their situation and focus on her own problems. She'd have to wake up in the hospital one day.
" AAAHHH!!!!!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!"
" Huh?"
She was torn from her thoughts as Hotstreak came bursting through the door and put her between himself and Virgil.
" Hold him for me Mary!!" He said.
" I'll do you one better." She said.
She moved out of the way. Virgil and Hotstreak wrestled on the patio for a good while. Hotstreak keeping Virgil's hands away from his face.
Richie had a bag of chips and a 20$ in his hand.
" I give you 20$ hot boy get shocked." He said.
Mary looked to the two boys fighting. She pulled out 100$.
" I see your 20$ and raise you a 100$." She said handing it to him.
" I am so getting the PS2." He said.
Hotstreak was balancing Mary on his shoulders, which was balancing Virgil on her shoulders to reach the wood balcony to Richie's room. If it were made of metal, they wouldn't have this problem. But it wasn't, so they had to deal.
" Who's the amnesiac, you or me?" Mary snapped.
" Well, somebody certainly had a healthy helping of Meow Mix this morning." He retorted.
" That does it Virgil, I'm gonna kill him." She said.
" Easy Mary. I've almost got it." He said.
" You've got nothing! Hey, low on the totem pole!" She said kicking Hotstreak lightly.
" What now?" He asked mildly irritated.
" He acts like he knows you already Mary." Virgil said.
" I ignore you. Hang onto me. We're taking the express elevator." She said.
Mary powered up and lifted them all up by their clothes to the wooden balcony.
" That was easy." She said.
" What is wrong with her voice?" Hotstreak asked.
" Condition. Comes with the powers." Virgil said.
Mary tapped on the glass patio door. Richie started to open the door, and then he saw Hotstreak and screamed. He fell down and motioned to them he was behind them.
" What? Him? Yeah, we know. And I told you not to scream." Virgil said.
" Let's us in and we'll explain everything." Mary said.
Richie opened the door and let them in.
" My mother isn't home. Did anybody see you come up here?" He asked.
" Doubt it." Virgil said.
" Not like they will say anything." Mary said.
" Why would somebody care if they saw us?" Hotstreak asked sitting down.
" Excuse me, what is his problem?" Richie asked.
" Sit down." Mary and Virgil said.
They told Richie everything that had happened. They told him how Static hit him and how he couldn't remember anything. Then how they had to take care of him until his memory came back. And how much danger he could be in or put the city in.
Then they told him about how they couldn't keep him at their places, so they would keep him here.
" Whoa!! Hold on!! Time out!! Flag on the play!!" Richie said.
" What's wrong?" Virgil asked.
" I cannot keep a criminal in my house!!" He said.
" I'm a criminal?" Hotstreak asked.
" Go watch the clouds go by." Mary said.
He looked to the window and shrugged. He did what she told him to.
" You gotta be careful what you tell him Richie." Mary said.
" Why? When his memory comes back, he'll know he's a criminal!" He said.
" That's just it. Mary and I came up with an idea on the way over here." Virgil said.
" Idea? You don't seem to understand who is standing on my WOOD balcony!" He cried.
" Richie, you are over-reacting." Mary said.
" I AM NOT....I am not over-reacting. Are you sure he's safe?" He asked.
" So long as he doesn't get mad or in danger." Virgil said.
" What about our hide-out?" He asked.
" Idiot!!" Mary cried.
" Richie, our hide-out is an abandon GAS station. You want us to hide HOTstreak in a GAS station?" Virgil asked.
" Good point. Okay, he can stay, but we have to talk about this idea." He said.
Mary and Virgil made sure that Hotstreak couldn't hear them and sat on the floor in a triangle.
" We were thinking, since he doesn't know what he is, maybe we could make him one of us. You know, make him a good guy, in case his memory really is gone." Mary said.
" Yeah." Virgil added.
" I suppose it would work, but it wouldn't be fair to him." Richie said.
" Fair? He wouldn't know fair if it knocked his lights out!" Mary said.
" That's true, but he still is, or was, who he is." Richie said.
" I guess you're right." Virgil said.
" Yeah. So what now? I mean do we even know anything besides his real name? Well, the first part of it anyway." Mary said.
" Good point. Well, maybe we should do a little research and then tell him about himself. He can choose his own destiny!" Richie said.
Mary sighed and shook her head.
" No more Mortal Kombat for you man." She said.
Virgil brought Hotstreak back in. They told him he was going to stay at Richie's house. They also told him to do whatever Richie said because he was a friend of theirs. He agreed, after Mary swore she'd fry him.
Virgil and herself went to the school now that it was out. Richie was left to keep the amnesiac meta-human out of trouble alone.
" Alright, don't touch anything if you don't know what it is. No burning anything and if my mother finds you, your name isn't Hotstreak, it's Francis." He said.
" So much to remember." He said rubbing his head.
" Whooeee!! That's some bruise. Static must'of really clocked you good." He said.
" Hey, I was distracted! I think." He said.
" Oh boy." He sighed.
**********
Mary and Virgil were inside the school and looking through the school files.
" Francis Lawless Stone. Hm. There's a surprise." Virgil said.
" I didn't know Hotstreak had a brother." Mary said.
" Well, there's something you'd never thought you'd see. Let's see, his mother is in rehab and his father is: Unknown?" He said.
" Somehow that explains a lot." She said.
" He lives with his older brother Daniel in an apartment." He read.
" .......Let's review. Not only is Hotstreak a bang baby, he has no parents and lives with his older brother, by 2 years might I add. Then why does he act like such a pain at your school?" Mary asked.
" I'll bet anything it's got to do with this." Virgil said.
" Hm. So what is it we do now? He won't want to go back, especially once he finds out exactly what it is he does and can do." She said.
" Well, we'll just have to tell him. He has to make the choice." He said.
" Right. So I guess we should go rescue Richie." She said.
************
" Geezuz H. Richie!!!!"
Mary and Virgil came back to a sight they thought they would ever see. They couldn't believe it. Their hot-tempered enemy..
Was giving Richie a foot massage?
" Oh hey guys!" Richie waved.
" This has to be the saddest sight I have ever seen." Mary said.
" Richie are you crazy?!!" Virgil said.
" What?" He asked turning over so he could massage his back.
Virgil shook his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. His worst enemy and his best friend. If it weren't so scary it would be funny.
Mary had the same look on her face. If she weren't trained to handle her emotions in situations, she would have fainted.
" Richie, you cannot turn *Whispers* a very dangerous person, * Normal voice* into a masseur!!" Mary said.
" Why not?" He whined into a pillow.
" Because it's degrading!" Virgil said.
" How do you figure?" He asked.
" I figure-Will you stop that?!" Mary snapped at Hotstreak.
He backed off.
" I figure he's not really like that and you're making him into a punk!" She said.
" What did he tell you anyway?" Virgil asked.
" He said I was his servant for as long as I can remember.I think." Hotstreak said.
Both fell over anime style.
" Richie!!!" Virgil said.
" What happened to all that 'choose your destiny' stuff?!" Mary asked.
" Alright, I'm sorry. So what did you find?" He asked.
" Well, he's got family, and a place to stay." Virgil said.
" Hm. What kind of family?" He asked going on his computer.
" A brother." Mary said.
" What about parents?" He asked.
" What about parents?! Who needs parents?! They don't seem to need us!" She snapped.
" Mary, let it go." Virgil said shaking her.
She went to go sit down on the bed after pushing Hotstreak on the floor. Mary had long since given up on her parents. The long business trips and the vacations outside the Board of Directors in the waiting room had finally gotten to her. She deduced staying in the hospital was the best way to get her parents attention. A few times she flat lined just to see them cry.
It was the most emotion she'd ever gotten and it was the only way she knew how to get it. So that was what she did. They had nothing to say about High Voltage; minus the rumors that High Voltage and Static Shock might be having a few lightning bolts on the way. She hated those rumors.
" * Yaro tabloids.*" She thought to herself.
" Hello?!! Earth to Planet Mary?!" Virgil said.
" Huh?" She said looking up.
" What do you think of our plan?" Richie asked.
" Plan?" She said.
They fell over.
" We're going to let Francis decide how he wants to be and if he decides to stay with us, then we're going to train him to be a good guy." Virgil said.
" Oh, sure, good." She said.
" Are you okay?" Richie asked.
" Yeah, great, I'm fine. Just gotta get some air." She said standing.
Mary went over to the window and shut the patio door. Virgil and Richie finalized their plan. Hotstreak had found a bunny stuffed animal and was poking it to see what kind of sounds it made.
" Hey Francis come over here for a minute." Richie said.
He got down on the floor next to them.
" We're going to tell you about yourself, see if anything rings a bell okay?" Virgil said.
" Uh.okay." He said.
Virgil and Richie slowly told Hotstreak about himself. He fell asleep twice and they had to say every other thing three times because he'd forgotten already.
" Think you got it this time?" Virgil asked.
" Uh.I think so." He said.
" Good. So do you recognize anything?" Richie asked.
" Um..No." He said smiling sheepishly.
They fell over once again. (Sorry. Anime is a big influence on me.)
" So..What now?" He asked.
" What now? We try shock therapy." Virgil said making electricity dance on his fingers.
***************
Mary sat on the balcony watching the clouds go by. She was trying to ignore their situation and focus on her own problems. She'd have to wake up in the hospital one day.
" AAAHHH!!!!!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!"
" Huh?"
She was torn from her thoughts as Hotstreak came bursting through the door and put her between himself and Virgil.
" Hold him for me Mary!!" He said.
" I'll do you one better." She said.
She moved out of the way. Virgil and Hotstreak wrestled on the patio for a good while. Hotstreak keeping Virgil's hands away from his face.
Richie had a bag of chips and a 20$ in his hand.
" I give you 20$ hot boy get shocked." He said.
Mary looked to the two boys fighting. She pulled out 100$.
" I see your 20$ and raise you a 100$." She said handing it to him.
" I am so getting the PS2." He said.