Static Force
Chapter 6: Unity
The earth trembled and his world ended in the single beat of his heart, yet Virgil had squeezed the lids of his eyes shut tight against the reality that had invaded the peaceful existence of his once private life. He could still feel the pressure of Sharon's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, could still hear the screaming of her plea not to let her go and see the terror in her eyes as she was pulled forcefully from his grip and into Ebon's portal. And as his fingers clutched the threads of carpet that covered the space previously occupied by the shadow master's vortex, his breath seized in his throat for a moment as he considered what more could have been done to protect his sister, and unable to exonerate an answer.
"Damn you Ivan!" Adam muttered under his breath as he stood over Virgil's form and glared a hole into the space on the carpet that occupied the young man's attention.
Mister Hawkins however was the first to grasp of the situation and voice the only logical solution to the present crisis, "You need to go after her," he said, yet as Adam turned his attention to the older man he was surprised to see him addressing not him, but Virgil.
Believing the comments were directed towards him and made only to comfort the shaking teenager still kneeling on the ground, Adam stared at Mr. Hawkins fully and nodded, "I'll get her back sir, I swear it."
Turning towards the gaping hole that had been the front wall of the Hawkins' residence, Adam shifted his body once more into his alternate guise, that of Rubberband Man. As he made to leave the house in pursuit of his brother and the woman he loved however, a confident yet unsteady hand gripped his shoulder and caused him to turn his attention to the teenager.
"I'm coming with you." Virgil said softly, a deep, brooding determination echoing from his eyes as he stared down his eventual brother-in-law.
Adam sighed heavily at the young man's declaration. Not so much the words themselves but the need so desperately echoing from those words. It was a need to do something that did not entail waiting for whatever news may come; yet Adam recognized it also as a recklessness of youth in a moment of desperation.
Surprised that Mr. Hawkins made no move to intervene, Adam shook his head sadly as he gripped Virgil's shoulder, squeezing gently in an awkward attempt to reassure the young man. "Virgil, I know what you're going though, but you can't risk doing something stupid like this. I'll get your sister back...I swear it. She means too much to me to lose her." Adam gave a little half smile as he squeezed Virgil's shoulder one more time, hoping the teen would understand, but the young man merely shook his head, rejecting the words even before the escaped Adam's lips.
"You don't understand Adam," Virgil said, raising his hand to the elastic hero's shoulder and pushing him at arms length. Yet as he did so, his eyes glowed purple with untapped energy, as a slight burst of electricity extended across the bridge of his nose, connecting the glowing orbs of his eyes as he glared at the musician. "I'm coming with you."
The shock and surprise startled Adam only briefly as the deep recesses of his mind connected the vague memory of a similar energy used by the young hero of Dakota. Pieces of a puzzle he hadn't even realized he was working out in his mind fell together as he turned his slack jawed face to Mr. Hawkins. The older man looked sadly at Adam and nodded his head only once as if to confirm the truth Adam's mind desperately sought to understand.
Turning his eyes once again to the young man before him, Adam pictured a blue and white mask pressed over his face; his casual clothes replaced by the uniform he'd seen worn so many times by the electric-powered hero of Dakota. Shaking his head in slight disbelief over the realization, a self-mocking smile crossed his features as Adam connected the identity that worked itself out in his mind. "I'll be damned."
# # #
Maureen O'Conner huddled deeply into the thin, worn blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Though summer was a time when many would enjoy the warm, temperate wind and comfortably hot temperatures, she seldom felt anything but cold. And though she had, at one time, found some degree of comfort in the missionary church that had offered to care for her, it was short-lived as were all relationships in her life. It was the habit of she lived by to leave before others could desert her, and for that reason alone she chose to abandon those who would offer to care for her.
It all started when her mother died. She didn't know why, nor could she believe she understood how the world could be so incomprehensibly cruel, but when her step-father refused to look after her, left her to her own fate...she had become forever cursed.
It had been two years ago that she found the true meaning of her curse. Sleeping near the docks when the gang war erupted, the strange gas resulting from the explosive violence had altered her body into something akin to a freakish creation. For a time, she had become the wintry Harold of chaos that wanted only to lash out against the cruelness of the world. But meeting Static, a young man no older than herself, proved to her that the world, though cruel, could offer some degree of kindness.
But she didn't want to be a freak, and so when Dr. Todd sent his de-mutating serum into the air over Dakota and changed all Bang Babies back to normal she was ever so thankful. She was free again. Though admittedly no better off than she had been since her mother was alive, she was no longer feared. Now she was normal and forgotten by the civilized masses of Dakota, and that was how she preferred it, because people can't hurt you if they don't care about you.
Lying in the alleyway behind Tony's Italian Bistro, Maureen huddled against her blanket and wanting only to disappear from the world and the casual passerby as they dutifully ignored the underprivileged. That was until the rough, strong hand snapped viciously against her throat and hoisted her forcefully to her feet, slamming the back of her head against the brick wall of the building she lay against.
Struggling at the hand that seemed eagerly willing to crush her throat, Maureen stared into the face of the man that pinned her against the building. A delicate, finally crafted suit dressed his rather muscular frame, while his face was set in a stony, uncaring look of disinterest. With his free hand, he flipped open what appeared to be a cell phone and gazed at the image on the screen before him.
Nodding in confidence that he found his query, the man returned the device to the inside pocket of his coat and punched the young girl painfully in the stomach. Releasing his grip on the struggling teenager, the man then removed a canister from his coat and pressed the mouthpiece over the gasping young woman's mouth, a stream of gas filtering from the cylinder and entering her lungs.
When completing his task, the suited man stood up and forcefully wiped his hands, as if touching the young girl was something unpleasant. "Welcome back to the land of the living Permafrost," he said, unconcerned by the screams the escaped the coughing and convulsing young woman as he turned and left the alley.
# # #
"You sure you know where you're going?" Rubberband Man said, his words coming loudly as he continued to bounce his coiled frame through the city as he followed the electrically powered teenager at his side.
"Before Ebon took her I slipped a homing tracker into her hand. We should be able follow the signal provided he doesn't find it or she hasn't lost it," Static said, his focus divided between the tracking device in his hand and the path that lay before him.
"I still can't believe it," Rubberband Man said in a voice that echoed a mixture of awe and light humor despite the crisis before them. "All those times we fought together, all the time you hung out at my crib and you never bothered to tell me you were Static. Says a lot for the trust issue doesn't it?"
"Look Adam, now isn't the time," Static responded as he slowed his pace and shifted his gaze from the rectangular computer in his hand to the man at his side. "My pops and Sharon didn't even know, okay? Pops only figured it out when he was kidnapped by some psycho witch with delusions of world domination. Sharon still doesn't know, but it won't be hard to figure it out if she really looks at the tracker I put in her hand, mainly because I wanted to protect them from something like this."
"So you're saying it's my fault Sharon got nabbed?"
"Well they certainly didn't trash my house because of me!" Static retorted, his face turning into an unsavory frown as he stared down the bouncing hero.
"No, you're the one who did nothing and let them take her!"
"Guys, this isn't the way to act," a new voice said, interrupting the building feud between the two heroes as they turned to see Gear flying beside them. "I got your emergency call Static, what's up?"
"The Breed took Sharon," Rubberband Man said before the charged youth could respond.
Gear faltered slightly at the news, his eyes growing wide with the realization of the situation. "Don't worry, we'll get her back RBM. I heard from Shebang, she told me she was on her way when she got the call from the communicator..."
"Wrong, Shebang is here," the acrobatic teenager said, flipping into position by the building the three heroes stopped at. "So what's the score?"
"We're attacking the Breed," Rubberband Man said angrily, staring at the brightly costumed young woman before him and unwilling to go into the full details of the situation with her. He knew Shebang only by reputation, and as this was their first meeting, he seemed willing to direct some of his earlier hostility for Static towards her.
"Get on Shebang, I'll fill you in on the way," Static said, making room her on his flying disc, as it would be considerably quicker to fly her to battle than allow her to jump across the rooftops. Looking curiously at the elastic hero, Shebang found her balance behind Virgil and held on to him as he rocketed towards their destination.
"So what's the deal?" Shebang asked, her voice rising to be heard over the wind that rushed passed them. "Taking the Breed on their home field is a bit risky don'tcha think?"
"They kidnapped my sister."
Eyes growing wide in alarm at the realization, Shebang leaned close to whisper to the hero, "Don't worry Virgil, we'll get her back. I promise."
# # #
Edwin Alva sat patiently behind the lavishly polished, antique desk of his private office, enduring with great difficulty the impromptu meeting with the brilliant man sitting across from him. He was not one to endure unscheduled meetings, his time was important after all, yet the man before him was still of some value, and Alva enjoyed maintaining the illusion that others were in control of their own lives.
Doctor Donald Todd shifted uncomfortably in the seat across from the ambitious billionaire, trying desperately to maintain his dignity yet realizing how out of place he was in this environment. He was a scientist, better suited for lab work and solving complicated calculations. Yet the sudden rise in the Bang Baby population caused him to demand this meeting with his benefactor, something he understood now to be a serious mistake.
"As I was saying Mr. Alva," Dr. Todd said nervously, lacing two fingers into the color of his shirt in an attempt to loosen the unpleasant pressure around his throat. "I'd like an explanation as to how seemingly more Bang Babies are appearing every day than we've ever faced before. My serum should have reversed the effects of the Big Bang."
Alva scrutinized the man before him, wondering how anyone who could have graduated with a Ph.D. in advanced Microbiology and Chemical Engineering could be so completely ignorant. "How would I know the answers to that Donald?" Alva replied, making it obvious he had no desire to consider this man and equal and therefore ignored the formal title. "I'm merely a business man, I can't begin to fathom how your antidote failed to perform the effects that you yourself ensured me we would see."
Alva took a moment to rise from his chair and walk to the large, plate glass window of his office that overlooked the city. "I brought you onboard this mission because you were the chief scientist who worked on the experimental project that initially spawned the Bang Babies. I assumed as you had inadvertently caused the catastrophe you would naturally be the one to undo the harm. I took a great risk covering up that fact as it were Donald, that however may be my fault, as I put too much trust in you."
At this, Dr. Todd felt his professional pride threatened and stood to face his verbal attacker. "The antidote did work. I saw with my own eyes the cured Bang Babies and even tested Static Shock and Gear and recorded the reducing limitations of their powers. There was no miscalculation on my part."
"Then if that is the case," the elder man sneered in response, turning to face the scientist, "I can only assume that you hold me responsible for the reemergence of the Bang Baby crisis. There is no other explanation to counter why you would confront me with these baseless facts, otherwise."
Dr. Todd lowered himself back to his chair and stared purposefully at the mirror-polished desktop, seeking a means to work his way out of the proverbial hole he had dug himself. "Believe me Mr. Alva, that is not why I'm here," Dr. Todd responded, shifting his weight in his seat in an attempt to distract the accusing eyes of the elder businessman. "I only came to petition further funding to reevaluate the reemergence of the Bang Baby epidemic. I fully believe the cause of the resurfacing of the Meta Humans is the direct result of the last canister of the mutagen gas being stolen before proper disposal. In no way do I believe you are connected to the current state of affairs in this city."
Alva glared his hawk-like eyes at the scientist, surveying him with his customary glower that made even his most ardent rivals squirm. For his own part, Dr. Todd appeared more than prepared to throw himself out the window just to get away from the imposing older man. "If that were the case Donald, you could have petitioned me indirectly, why come in person?" Turning his back once again on the scientist, Alva gazed once more over the skyline of Dakota. "Turn in copies of all of your proposed research to me for review of your proposal and I will consider your request."
Nodding unsurely at the back of the man's head, Dr. Todd stood and turned to leave the office.
"And Donald," Alva called after the retreating man, yet still refused to turn his attention to him, "make sure you don't go down any dark alleys."
When the door of his office snapped shut, Alva turned and pressed the intercom button on his desk, not even waiting for his receptionist to respond. "Send Jacobs in."
A moment later, Alva's office door opened as a large, sturdy man dressed in a finely tailored suit entered the study. Before Alva had the opportunity to question his employee, Jacobs nodded once and removed the canister and picture identification module from his coat and returned it the secured cabinet situated against the east wall. "Subject 13/3-Maureen O'Conner has be reactivated Mr. Alva," the large man said, standing stiffly, his arms folded behind his back as he focused his attention on his employer.
"Very good Jacobs," Alva said, returning to his chair as he addressed the larger man. "We may need to contact Ebon and his side show to have an educational talk with the good Doctor Donald Todd. It seems he is forgetting who pays his salary."
Jacobs shifted slightly at the mention of the Meta-Breed, an action his employer had not failed to notice.
"They're trustworthy for the time being, provided I keep them on a tight leash," Alva said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Though I heard they ransacked some poor man's hovel tonight. They may be getting out of control.
"Jacobs," Alva said, refocusing on the man standing poised in his office, "What is the status of our contingency team?"
"We've yet to acquire one final member, however everything is moving according to schedule Mr. Alva."
"Excellent," the ambitious business tycoon said, a smug smile painting his features. "One more good push from the Meta-Breed and it will be time to implement my plan."
# # #
The four heroes landed a short distance from the Kenington Foundry on the west side of Dakota as Static took a moment to review the readings of the tracking device. Nodding to himself, he turned his attention to his friends. "Looks like this is the place," Static said, returning the device to the pocket of his trench coat.
"Yep," Gear responded, a snaking probe extending from one of the countless compartments on Backpack. "According to the readings I'm picking up from Backpack, we've got eight Meta-humans and one non-Bang Baby in the foundry. Give me a sec as I run a thermographic scan of the area."
A moment later Gear nodded to himself and began mumbling as if considering the information his scan was gathering. "According to Backpack's scan, there are three of them guarding the front entrance, three towards the middle of the foundry, one stationed at the rear and another in the upper levels."
Considering the information, Static nodded and looked at the others. "Is there an outside access?"
"According to the schematics I pulled up from remote interfacing Backpack with the county Zoning Commissions computer, there seems to be a ventilation shaft on the second floor and windows in the first floor offices. So what's the plan?"
"We split up. Gear, you and Shebang go in through the offices, I'll take the ventilation shaft. Adam, it'll make more sense if you go in through the front. After all, they're only expecting you to come. I think Ebon has something planned for you; otherwise he wouldn't call you out like this. Keep him talking until we can move into position. Getting Sharon back though is the first priority. I think that's about it."
"We're still looking at two-on-one odds, even with the element of surprise." Shebang said, shaking her head and heaving a heavy sigh. "This won't be easy."
"Don't worry," Gear smirked as he affectionately patted the cylinder strapped to his belt, "I've concocted a little something that will make the odds a little more in our favor."
With the pleasantries out of the way, Gear and Shebang moved towards the office, staying to the shadows and working to keep out of sight from anyone who might be keeping watch. Rubberband Man shook his head slightly at his own internal thoughts before called back by Static.
"Adam...about earlier. I'm sorry about the stuff I said." Static said, his words heavy as if he struggled to force them past his lips.
Adam smiled at the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Me too Virgil. It's been a crazy night, Sharon getting nabbed in front of both of us, and of course finding out who you were. I think we all have a bit too much on our minds."
Static smiled slightly and nodded as he removed the disc from his coat and unfolded the flying board. "Be careful Adam."
"You to."
Static watched in apprehension as his friends went the way he directed them, praying to God that they would both, save his sister and be safe. Pushing his own fears and uncertainty from his mind, Static flew cautiously around the building.
Taking longer than expected to locate the ventilation shaft, the electric-powered teenager cursed himself under his breath as he tore away the protective cover from the wall of the building and pulled himself into the ductwork. Having crawled though what he estimated as nearly 200 feet before to peer at the interior of the foundry, Static bit his lip in frustration as he watched Shiv harass Sharon from within a horribly crafted steel cage while Rubberband Man faced the assembled group before him, in an attempt to negotiate Sharon's release.
"Everyone ready?" Static whispered into the Shock Vox as he shifted lightly to get a better view of the assembled group they'd be fighting.
"We're all set V, give the word." Gear's voice softly hissed over the communicator.
Nodding to himself and stealing his nerve, Static whispered back to his partners, "Go!"
With a burst of magnetic energy, Static tore the grid from the anchored wall and sped into the opening, distracting all the occupants of the foundry and he lowered himself quickly into the central foundry room while sending a blast of electricity towards Onyx.
Distracted by the sudden appearance of the hero, Rubberband Man took advantage by wrapping his elastic arms, only around the throat of Chainlink, the other around the waist of Shiv and tossing both villains aside. While the distracted criminals tried desperately to organize themselves, Gear and Shebang entered the fight from the other side of the factory, Gear throwing various techno grenades while Shebang flipped eagerly into the battle to confront Sweetness.
The long, snaking arm of Ebon latched around Static's ankle as he flipped the hero from his flying disc and sent him careening into the side of a large vat used to melt down metal. "How'd you get here hero?" Ebon asked, moving to attack the dazed teen before Rubberband Man intercepted his brother.
"It's between you and me Ivan," Rubberband Man snarled, his body twining with that of his brother's, the two appearing as a pair of giant snakes fighting one another as each tried to get the advantage over the other. "I'll never forgive you for kidnapping her Ivan, for using her against me. It's over between us Ebon!"
Static shook the fog from his head and quickly made his way to the cage that held Sharon. Using his powers to tear the door from the prison, Static turned quickly and used the thick iron portion of the cage to batter aside Shiv who had worked his way behind the hero in an attempt to run him through. "Get out here, now!" Static screamed at his sister before launching himself into the fight and sending electrical tendrils of energy towards Hotstreak.
Shebang spun her body quickly, connecting the blow of her powerful leg to the side of the unsuspecting Chainlink's head as he attempted to lash out his tentacles at Gear, only to be knocked aside and sent into blissful unconsciousness. Before she could move to support Gear as he struggled with the powerful Sweetness swinging a length of steel twice as long as the brilliant teen, Puff moved into her path and sneered in a half smile of triumph at the martial artist.
"Face it girlfriend," Puff smirked as she sent a gust of acidic wind toward the hero, only to have Shebang dodge it as it melted a transportation cart, "Your out of your league with me. Besides, you think I'm really afraid of some fangirl named after a William Hung song?"
"Actually Ricky Martin sung it first Puffball," Shebang answered back, throwing a series of powerful punches that passed through the ghostly villain. "Besides, what are you so smug about? At least I didn't name myself after a company that makes tissue paper."
Gear had dodged yet another swing by the powerful, yet equally angry monster before him, mentally running through his assorted arsenal before shrugging his shoulders and removing his sonic grenade. "It worked before," Gear smirked, throwing the projectile at Sweetness as a loud, whining sound vibrated and echoed from the device, causing the hearing sensitive Bang Baby to scream in pain as she covered her ears. The distraction however, was all Gear needed as he removed one of the cylinders on his belt and attached the vial to a hypodermic gun.
Struggling to maintain his grip on the Bang Baby, Gear inserted the point of the needle into the thick neck of the gray-skinned creature, and dispersed the fluid into her body. For a moment, the battle had ceased as all eyes turned toward the screams that emanated from the tortured throat of Gear's opponent. All eyes witnessed the gray skin of the suffering Sweetness melt away, the form of the great monster shrinking upon itself until revealing the host body beneath. When the apparent transformation had been completed, Tamara Lawrence stared questionably at her returned form, no longer that of the grotesque creature she had been, but her true, human self.
"Heh...it worked." Gear said, slightly surprised at the revelation and caught off guard as Shiv tackled the technical wizard. Seemingly the only one either unaware or unconcerned by Tamara's apparent retransformation into her former self, Shiv managed to wrestle the vials of serum located in Gear's belt away from him and tossed them in the direction of Ebon, as the shadow master opened a great, yawning vortex that swallowed the antidote.
Before Gear could gain an advantage against Shiv however, he was gang piled by the remaining members of the Breed, seeking retribution for the reversion of one of their members by the genius inventor. Static, Rubberband Man and Shebang all joined in to rescue their teammate, unaware that as Sharon attempted to escape, a snarling Hotstreak had blocked her path.
"They all make things a bit too complicated for me," Hotstreak snarled as he stepped toward the frightened young woman, his hands engulfed in flames. "See, nabbing you was supposed to keep your boyfriend from getting involved, but you can see what the hell happened can't you? So I say, we just burn you to ashes. Then, at least I'll be happy..."
Hotstreak was quickly distracted however by the feathery figure dropping directly into his path. Turning her head slowly to glare at Sharon before turning back to face the pyromaniac, Talon narrowed her eyes as she looked intently at her one-time ally.
"What the hell you doing Chicken Little?" Hotstreak snapped, the exposed skin of his arms and face smoldering in his anger. "Get out of my way or I'll torch you too."
Talon's face shifted quickly to raging hate as she opened her mouth and let lose a sonic screech that sent the fire-wielding villain flying the length of the foundry. Turning back to sneer at a visibly terrified Sharon, Talon took flight. Now that she had made her presence known, she would contribute how she felt was best.
Talon's presence however did not go unnoticed, as Ebon, realizing the conflict had turned against him, summoned a portal and quickly pulled his allies with him as they vanished from the ruined foundry.
With the conflict over, Rubberband Man quickly moved to Sharon's side to check her condition while Static helped a staggered Gear to his feet. Sharon pulled slightly away from Adam as she looked intently at Static, her eyes narrowed as speculation gave way to suspicion. Shebang folded her arms across her chest and took in the damage, her eyes catching sight of Talon as the martial artist stared untrustingly at the feathered Bang Baby.
It took Static a moment longer than Shebang to realize the cause of the Meta-Breed's sudden departure was the unexpected arrival of Talon, and even a moment longer to realize she was a Bang Baby again. Unsure what to say or how to handle the unexpected events that filled his mind with boundless questions, Static took a tentative step towards Talon until Sharon, having moved towards the electric hero, and stepped in his path.
Eyes growing wide in curious uncertainty as he looked at his sister's narrowed, searching eyes, he looked surprisingly at his hand as Sharon had taken it briefly, only to pull away just as quickly. Sitting in the palm of his hand was the tracking device he put into her own hand before she was taken by Ebon. Slowly, Static raised his head to face his sister's accusatory expression before the hard slap of her hand across his face caused him grip his cheek painfully.
"We need to talk!"
# # #
A/N: Well, I'm not entirely pleased with the fight scene, I though it could have gone smoother but towards the end of writing it was just got tired and wanted to end this chapter. I'll probably rewrite the fight scene when I have more energy, but I also wanted to send out this chapter. As you can see, I brought Talon in, though it's a little more complicated than everyone may think. Also, due to popular requests, I've reactivated Permafrost. I wasn't sure if I would, as many of the Bang Babies would have lost their powers, but I reevaluated the overall plan and figured I could work it in. I'm still not sure of her personality, so if something isn't right, let me know and I'll fix it. Again, thanks to everyone's kind comments and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Take care all.
Chapter 6: Unity
The earth trembled and his world ended in the single beat of his heart, yet Virgil had squeezed the lids of his eyes shut tight against the reality that had invaded the peaceful existence of his once private life. He could still feel the pressure of Sharon's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, could still hear the screaming of her plea not to let her go and see the terror in her eyes as she was pulled forcefully from his grip and into Ebon's portal. And as his fingers clutched the threads of carpet that covered the space previously occupied by the shadow master's vortex, his breath seized in his throat for a moment as he considered what more could have been done to protect his sister, and unable to exonerate an answer.
"Damn you Ivan!" Adam muttered under his breath as he stood over Virgil's form and glared a hole into the space on the carpet that occupied the young man's attention.
Mister Hawkins however was the first to grasp of the situation and voice the only logical solution to the present crisis, "You need to go after her," he said, yet as Adam turned his attention to the older man he was surprised to see him addressing not him, but Virgil.
Believing the comments were directed towards him and made only to comfort the shaking teenager still kneeling on the ground, Adam stared at Mr. Hawkins fully and nodded, "I'll get her back sir, I swear it."
Turning towards the gaping hole that had been the front wall of the Hawkins' residence, Adam shifted his body once more into his alternate guise, that of Rubberband Man. As he made to leave the house in pursuit of his brother and the woman he loved however, a confident yet unsteady hand gripped his shoulder and caused him to turn his attention to the teenager.
"I'm coming with you." Virgil said softly, a deep, brooding determination echoing from his eyes as he stared down his eventual brother-in-law.
Adam sighed heavily at the young man's declaration. Not so much the words themselves but the need so desperately echoing from those words. It was a need to do something that did not entail waiting for whatever news may come; yet Adam recognized it also as a recklessness of youth in a moment of desperation.
Surprised that Mr. Hawkins made no move to intervene, Adam shook his head sadly as he gripped Virgil's shoulder, squeezing gently in an awkward attempt to reassure the young man. "Virgil, I know what you're going though, but you can't risk doing something stupid like this. I'll get your sister back...I swear it. She means too much to me to lose her." Adam gave a little half smile as he squeezed Virgil's shoulder one more time, hoping the teen would understand, but the young man merely shook his head, rejecting the words even before the escaped Adam's lips.
"You don't understand Adam," Virgil said, raising his hand to the elastic hero's shoulder and pushing him at arms length. Yet as he did so, his eyes glowed purple with untapped energy, as a slight burst of electricity extended across the bridge of his nose, connecting the glowing orbs of his eyes as he glared at the musician. "I'm coming with you."
The shock and surprise startled Adam only briefly as the deep recesses of his mind connected the vague memory of a similar energy used by the young hero of Dakota. Pieces of a puzzle he hadn't even realized he was working out in his mind fell together as he turned his slack jawed face to Mr. Hawkins. The older man looked sadly at Adam and nodded his head only once as if to confirm the truth Adam's mind desperately sought to understand.
Turning his eyes once again to the young man before him, Adam pictured a blue and white mask pressed over his face; his casual clothes replaced by the uniform he'd seen worn so many times by the electric-powered hero of Dakota. Shaking his head in slight disbelief over the realization, a self-mocking smile crossed his features as Adam connected the identity that worked itself out in his mind. "I'll be damned."
# # #
Maureen O'Conner huddled deeply into the thin, worn blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Though summer was a time when many would enjoy the warm, temperate wind and comfortably hot temperatures, she seldom felt anything but cold. And though she had, at one time, found some degree of comfort in the missionary church that had offered to care for her, it was short-lived as were all relationships in her life. It was the habit of she lived by to leave before others could desert her, and for that reason alone she chose to abandon those who would offer to care for her.
It all started when her mother died. She didn't know why, nor could she believe she understood how the world could be so incomprehensibly cruel, but when her step-father refused to look after her, left her to her own fate...she had become forever cursed.
It had been two years ago that she found the true meaning of her curse. Sleeping near the docks when the gang war erupted, the strange gas resulting from the explosive violence had altered her body into something akin to a freakish creation. For a time, she had become the wintry Harold of chaos that wanted only to lash out against the cruelness of the world. But meeting Static, a young man no older than herself, proved to her that the world, though cruel, could offer some degree of kindness.
But she didn't want to be a freak, and so when Dr. Todd sent his de-mutating serum into the air over Dakota and changed all Bang Babies back to normal she was ever so thankful. She was free again. Though admittedly no better off than she had been since her mother was alive, she was no longer feared. Now she was normal and forgotten by the civilized masses of Dakota, and that was how she preferred it, because people can't hurt you if they don't care about you.
Lying in the alleyway behind Tony's Italian Bistro, Maureen huddled against her blanket and wanting only to disappear from the world and the casual passerby as they dutifully ignored the underprivileged. That was until the rough, strong hand snapped viciously against her throat and hoisted her forcefully to her feet, slamming the back of her head against the brick wall of the building she lay against.
Struggling at the hand that seemed eagerly willing to crush her throat, Maureen stared into the face of the man that pinned her against the building. A delicate, finally crafted suit dressed his rather muscular frame, while his face was set in a stony, uncaring look of disinterest. With his free hand, he flipped open what appeared to be a cell phone and gazed at the image on the screen before him.
Nodding in confidence that he found his query, the man returned the device to the inside pocket of his coat and punched the young girl painfully in the stomach. Releasing his grip on the struggling teenager, the man then removed a canister from his coat and pressed the mouthpiece over the gasping young woman's mouth, a stream of gas filtering from the cylinder and entering her lungs.
When completing his task, the suited man stood up and forcefully wiped his hands, as if touching the young girl was something unpleasant. "Welcome back to the land of the living Permafrost," he said, unconcerned by the screams the escaped the coughing and convulsing young woman as he turned and left the alley.
# # #
"You sure you know where you're going?" Rubberband Man said, his words coming loudly as he continued to bounce his coiled frame through the city as he followed the electrically powered teenager at his side.
"Before Ebon took her I slipped a homing tracker into her hand. We should be able follow the signal provided he doesn't find it or she hasn't lost it," Static said, his focus divided between the tracking device in his hand and the path that lay before him.
"I still can't believe it," Rubberband Man said in a voice that echoed a mixture of awe and light humor despite the crisis before them. "All those times we fought together, all the time you hung out at my crib and you never bothered to tell me you were Static. Says a lot for the trust issue doesn't it?"
"Look Adam, now isn't the time," Static responded as he slowed his pace and shifted his gaze from the rectangular computer in his hand to the man at his side. "My pops and Sharon didn't even know, okay? Pops only figured it out when he was kidnapped by some psycho witch with delusions of world domination. Sharon still doesn't know, but it won't be hard to figure it out if she really looks at the tracker I put in her hand, mainly because I wanted to protect them from something like this."
"So you're saying it's my fault Sharon got nabbed?"
"Well they certainly didn't trash my house because of me!" Static retorted, his face turning into an unsavory frown as he stared down the bouncing hero.
"No, you're the one who did nothing and let them take her!"
"Guys, this isn't the way to act," a new voice said, interrupting the building feud between the two heroes as they turned to see Gear flying beside them. "I got your emergency call Static, what's up?"
"The Breed took Sharon," Rubberband Man said before the charged youth could respond.
Gear faltered slightly at the news, his eyes growing wide with the realization of the situation. "Don't worry, we'll get her back RBM. I heard from Shebang, she told me she was on her way when she got the call from the communicator..."
"Wrong, Shebang is here," the acrobatic teenager said, flipping into position by the building the three heroes stopped at. "So what's the score?"
"We're attacking the Breed," Rubberband Man said angrily, staring at the brightly costumed young woman before him and unwilling to go into the full details of the situation with her. He knew Shebang only by reputation, and as this was their first meeting, he seemed willing to direct some of his earlier hostility for Static towards her.
"Get on Shebang, I'll fill you in on the way," Static said, making room her on his flying disc, as it would be considerably quicker to fly her to battle than allow her to jump across the rooftops. Looking curiously at the elastic hero, Shebang found her balance behind Virgil and held on to him as he rocketed towards their destination.
"So what's the deal?" Shebang asked, her voice rising to be heard over the wind that rushed passed them. "Taking the Breed on their home field is a bit risky don'tcha think?"
"They kidnapped my sister."
Eyes growing wide in alarm at the realization, Shebang leaned close to whisper to the hero, "Don't worry Virgil, we'll get her back. I promise."
# # #
Edwin Alva sat patiently behind the lavishly polished, antique desk of his private office, enduring with great difficulty the impromptu meeting with the brilliant man sitting across from him. He was not one to endure unscheduled meetings, his time was important after all, yet the man before him was still of some value, and Alva enjoyed maintaining the illusion that others were in control of their own lives.
Doctor Donald Todd shifted uncomfortably in the seat across from the ambitious billionaire, trying desperately to maintain his dignity yet realizing how out of place he was in this environment. He was a scientist, better suited for lab work and solving complicated calculations. Yet the sudden rise in the Bang Baby population caused him to demand this meeting with his benefactor, something he understood now to be a serious mistake.
"As I was saying Mr. Alva," Dr. Todd said nervously, lacing two fingers into the color of his shirt in an attempt to loosen the unpleasant pressure around his throat. "I'd like an explanation as to how seemingly more Bang Babies are appearing every day than we've ever faced before. My serum should have reversed the effects of the Big Bang."
Alva scrutinized the man before him, wondering how anyone who could have graduated with a Ph.D. in advanced Microbiology and Chemical Engineering could be so completely ignorant. "How would I know the answers to that Donald?" Alva replied, making it obvious he had no desire to consider this man and equal and therefore ignored the formal title. "I'm merely a business man, I can't begin to fathom how your antidote failed to perform the effects that you yourself ensured me we would see."
Alva took a moment to rise from his chair and walk to the large, plate glass window of his office that overlooked the city. "I brought you onboard this mission because you were the chief scientist who worked on the experimental project that initially spawned the Bang Babies. I assumed as you had inadvertently caused the catastrophe you would naturally be the one to undo the harm. I took a great risk covering up that fact as it were Donald, that however may be my fault, as I put too much trust in you."
At this, Dr. Todd felt his professional pride threatened and stood to face his verbal attacker. "The antidote did work. I saw with my own eyes the cured Bang Babies and even tested Static Shock and Gear and recorded the reducing limitations of their powers. There was no miscalculation on my part."
"Then if that is the case," the elder man sneered in response, turning to face the scientist, "I can only assume that you hold me responsible for the reemergence of the Bang Baby crisis. There is no other explanation to counter why you would confront me with these baseless facts, otherwise."
Dr. Todd lowered himself back to his chair and stared purposefully at the mirror-polished desktop, seeking a means to work his way out of the proverbial hole he had dug himself. "Believe me Mr. Alva, that is not why I'm here," Dr. Todd responded, shifting his weight in his seat in an attempt to distract the accusing eyes of the elder businessman. "I only came to petition further funding to reevaluate the reemergence of the Bang Baby epidemic. I fully believe the cause of the resurfacing of the Meta Humans is the direct result of the last canister of the mutagen gas being stolen before proper disposal. In no way do I believe you are connected to the current state of affairs in this city."
Alva glared his hawk-like eyes at the scientist, surveying him with his customary glower that made even his most ardent rivals squirm. For his own part, Dr. Todd appeared more than prepared to throw himself out the window just to get away from the imposing older man. "If that were the case Donald, you could have petitioned me indirectly, why come in person?" Turning his back once again on the scientist, Alva gazed once more over the skyline of Dakota. "Turn in copies of all of your proposed research to me for review of your proposal and I will consider your request."
Nodding unsurely at the back of the man's head, Dr. Todd stood and turned to leave the office.
"And Donald," Alva called after the retreating man, yet still refused to turn his attention to him, "make sure you don't go down any dark alleys."
When the door of his office snapped shut, Alva turned and pressed the intercom button on his desk, not even waiting for his receptionist to respond. "Send Jacobs in."
A moment later, Alva's office door opened as a large, sturdy man dressed in a finely tailored suit entered the study. Before Alva had the opportunity to question his employee, Jacobs nodded once and removed the canister and picture identification module from his coat and returned it the secured cabinet situated against the east wall. "Subject 13/3-Maureen O'Conner has be reactivated Mr. Alva," the large man said, standing stiffly, his arms folded behind his back as he focused his attention on his employer.
"Very good Jacobs," Alva said, returning to his chair as he addressed the larger man. "We may need to contact Ebon and his side show to have an educational talk with the good Doctor Donald Todd. It seems he is forgetting who pays his salary."
Jacobs shifted slightly at the mention of the Meta-Breed, an action his employer had not failed to notice.
"They're trustworthy for the time being, provided I keep them on a tight leash," Alva said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Though I heard they ransacked some poor man's hovel tonight. They may be getting out of control.
"Jacobs," Alva said, refocusing on the man standing poised in his office, "What is the status of our contingency team?"
"We've yet to acquire one final member, however everything is moving according to schedule Mr. Alva."
"Excellent," the ambitious business tycoon said, a smug smile painting his features. "One more good push from the Meta-Breed and it will be time to implement my plan."
# # #
The four heroes landed a short distance from the Kenington Foundry on the west side of Dakota as Static took a moment to review the readings of the tracking device. Nodding to himself, he turned his attention to his friends. "Looks like this is the place," Static said, returning the device to the pocket of his trench coat.
"Yep," Gear responded, a snaking probe extending from one of the countless compartments on Backpack. "According to the readings I'm picking up from Backpack, we've got eight Meta-humans and one non-Bang Baby in the foundry. Give me a sec as I run a thermographic scan of the area."
A moment later Gear nodded to himself and began mumbling as if considering the information his scan was gathering. "According to Backpack's scan, there are three of them guarding the front entrance, three towards the middle of the foundry, one stationed at the rear and another in the upper levels."
Considering the information, Static nodded and looked at the others. "Is there an outside access?"
"According to the schematics I pulled up from remote interfacing Backpack with the county Zoning Commissions computer, there seems to be a ventilation shaft on the second floor and windows in the first floor offices. So what's the plan?"
"We split up. Gear, you and Shebang go in through the offices, I'll take the ventilation shaft. Adam, it'll make more sense if you go in through the front. After all, they're only expecting you to come. I think Ebon has something planned for you; otherwise he wouldn't call you out like this. Keep him talking until we can move into position. Getting Sharon back though is the first priority. I think that's about it."
"We're still looking at two-on-one odds, even with the element of surprise." Shebang said, shaking her head and heaving a heavy sigh. "This won't be easy."
"Don't worry," Gear smirked as he affectionately patted the cylinder strapped to his belt, "I've concocted a little something that will make the odds a little more in our favor."
With the pleasantries out of the way, Gear and Shebang moved towards the office, staying to the shadows and working to keep out of sight from anyone who might be keeping watch. Rubberband Man shook his head slightly at his own internal thoughts before called back by Static.
"Adam...about earlier. I'm sorry about the stuff I said." Static said, his words heavy as if he struggled to force them past his lips.
Adam smiled at the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Me too Virgil. It's been a crazy night, Sharon getting nabbed in front of both of us, and of course finding out who you were. I think we all have a bit too much on our minds."
Static smiled slightly and nodded as he removed the disc from his coat and unfolded the flying board. "Be careful Adam."
"You to."
Static watched in apprehension as his friends went the way he directed them, praying to God that they would both, save his sister and be safe. Pushing his own fears and uncertainty from his mind, Static flew cautiously around the building.
Taking longer than expected to locate the ventilation shaft, the electric-powered teenager cursed himself under his breath as he tore away the protective cover from the wall of the building and pulled himself into the ductwork. Having crawled though what he estimated as nearly 200 feet before to peer at the interior of the foundry, Static bit his lip in frustration as he watched Shiv harass Sharon from within a horribly crafted steel cage while Rubberband Man faced the assembled group before him, in an attempt to negotiate Sharon's release.
"Everyone ready?" Static whispered into the Shock Vox as he shifted lightly to get a better view of the assembled group they'd be fighting.
"We're all set V, give the word." Gear's voice softly hissed over the communicator.
Nodding to himself and stealing his nerve, Static whispered back to his partners, "Go!"
With a burst of magnetic energy, Static tore the grid from the anchored wall and sped into the opening, distracting all the occupants of the foundry and he lowered himself quickly into the central foundry room while sending a blast of electricity towards Onyx.
Distracted by the sudden appearance of the hero, Rubberband Man took advantage by wrapping his elastic arms, only around the throat of Chainlink, the other around the waist of Shiv and tossing both villains aside. While the distracted criminals tried desperately to organize themselves, Gear and Shebang entered the fight from the other side of the factory, Gear throwing various techno grenades while Shebang flipped eagerly into the battle to confront Sweetness.
The long, snaking arm of Ebon latched around Static's ankle as he flipped the hero from his flying disc and sent him careening into the side of a large vat used to melt down metal. "How'd you get here hero?" Ebon asked, moving to attack the dazed teen before Rubberband Man intercepted his brother.
"It's between you and me Ivan," Rubberband Man snarled, his body twining with that of his brother's, the two appearing as a pair of giant snakes fighting one another as each tried to get the advantage over the other. "I'll never forgive you for kidnapping her Ivan, for using her against me. It's over between us Ebon!"
Static shook the fog from his head and quickly made his way to the cage that held Sharon. Using his powers to tear the door from the prison, Static turned quickly and used the thick iron portion of the cage to batter aside Shiv who had worked his way behind the hero in an attempt to run him through. "Get out here, now!" Static screamed at his sister before launching himself into the fight and sending electrical tendrils of energy towards Hotstreak.
Shebang spun her body quickly, connecting the blow of her powerful leg to the side of the unsuspecting Chainlink's head as he attempted to lash out his tentacles at Gear, only to be knocked aside and sent into blissful unconsciousness. Before she could move to support Gear as he struggled with the powerful Sweetness swinging a length of steel twice as long as the brilliant teen, Puff moved into her path and sneered in a half smile of triumph at the martial artist.
"Face it girlfriend," Puff smirked as she sent a gust of acidic wind toward the hero, only to have Shebang dodge it as it melted a transportation cart, "Your out of your league with me. Besides, you think I'm really afraid of some fangirl named after a William Hung song?"
"Actually Ricky Martin sung it first Puffball," Shebang answered back, throwing a series of powerful punches that passed through the ghostly villain. "Besides, what are you so smug about? At least I didn't name myself after a company that makes tissue paper."
Gear had dodged yet another swing by the powerful, yet equally angry monster before him, mentally running through his assorted arsenal before shrugging his shoulders and removing his sonic grenade. "It worked before," Gear smirked, throwing the projectile at Sweetness as a loud, whining sound vibrated and echoed from the device, causing the hearing sensitive Bang Baby to scream in pain as she covered her ears. The distraction however, was all Gear needed as he removed one of the cylinders on his belt and attached the vial to a hypodermic gun.
Struggling to maintain his grip on the Bang Baby, Gear inserted the point of the needle into the thick neck of the gray-skinned creature, and dispersed the fluid into her body. For a moment, the battle had ceased as all eyes turned toward the screams that emanated from the tortured throat of Gear's opponent. All eyes witnessed the gray skin of the suffering Sweetness melt away, the form of the great monster shrinking upon itself until revealing the host body beneath. When the apparent transformation had been completed, Tamara Lawrence stared questionably at her returned form, no longer that of the grotesque creature she had been, but her true, human self.
"Heh...it worked." Gear said, slightly surprised at the revelation and caught off guard as Shiv tackled the technical wizard. Seemingly the only one either unaware or unconcerned by Tamara's apparent retransformation into her former self, Shiv managed to wrestle the vials of serum located in Gear's belt away from him and tossed them in the direction of Ebon, as the shadow master opened a great, yawning vortex that swallowed the antidote.
Before Gear could gain an advantage against Shiv however, he was gang piled by the remaining members of the Breed, seeking retribution for the reversion of one of their members by the genius inventor. Static, Rubberband Man and Shebang all joined in to rescue their teammate, unaware that as Sharon attempted to escape, a snarling Hotstreak had blocked her path.
"They all make things a bit too complicated for me," Hotstreak snarled as he stepped toward the frightened young woman, his hands engulfed in flames. "See, nabbing you was supposed to keep your boyfriend from getting involved, but you can see what the hell happened can't you? So I say, we just burn you to ashes. Then, at least I'll be happy..."
Hotstreak was quickly distracted however by the feathery figure dropping directly into his path. Turning her head slowly to glare at Sharon before turning back to face the pyromaniac, Talon narrowed her eyes as she looked intently at her one-time ally.
"What the hell you doing Chicken Little?" Hotstreak snapped, the exposed skin of his arms and face smoldering in his anger. "Get out of my way or I'll torch you too."
Talon's face shifted quickly to raging hate as she opened her mouth and let lose a sonic screech that sent the fire-wielding villain flying the length of the foundry. Turning back to sneer at a visibly terrified Sharon, Talon took flight. Now that she had made her presence known, she would contribute how she felt was best.
Talon's presence however did not go unnoticed, as Ebon, realizing the conflict had turned against him, summoned a portal and quickly pulled his allies with him as they vanished from the ruined foundry.
With the conflict over, Rubberband Man quickly moved to Sharon's side to check her condition while Static helped a staggered Gear to his feet. Sharon pulled slightly away from Adam as she looked intently at Static, her eyes narrowed as speculation gave way to suspicion. Shebang folded her arms across her chest and took in the damage, her eyes catching sight of Talon as the martial artist stared untrustingly at the feathered Bang Baby.
It took Static a moment longer than Shebang to realize the cause of the Meta-Breed's sudden departure was the unexpected arrival of Talon, and even a moment longer to realize she was a Bang Baby again. Unsure what to say or how to handle the unexpected events that filled his mind with boundless questions, Static took a tentative step towards Talon until Sharon, having moved towards the electric hero, and stepped in his path.
Eyes growing wide in curious uncertainty as he looked at his sister's narrowed, searching eyes, he looked surprisingly at his hand as Sharon had taken it briefly, only to pull away just as quickly. Sitting in the palm of his hand was the tracking device he put into her own hand before she was taken by Ebon. Slowly, Static raised his head to face his sister's accusatory expression before the hard slap of her hand across his face caused him grip his cheek painfully.
"We need to talk!"
# # #
A/N: Well, I'm not entirely pleased with the fight scene, I though it could have gone smoother but towards the end of writing it was just got tired and wanted to end this chapter. I'll probably rewrite the fight scene when I have more energy, but I also wanted to send out this chapter. As you can see, I brought Talon in, though it's a little more complicated than everyone may think. Also, due to popular requests, I've reactivated Permafrost. I wasn't sure if I would, as many of the Bang Babies would have lost their powers, but I reevaluated the overall plan and figured I could work it in. I'm still not sure of her personality, so if something isn't right, let me know and I'll fix it. Again, thanks to everyone's kind comments and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Take care all.