Static Force

Chapter 7: Anger Management

Sharon felt herself wrapped in the warm embrace of the man she loved with every fiber of her being as Adam Evans had quickly made his way to her side to ensure himself as much as her that she was truly alright. Feeling relaxed in the comfortable arms that held her, her eyes found the feathered Bang Baby that had seemingly ended the tense battle with her unexpected presence, and wondered briefly at the suspicious and accusatory glares the three assembled heroes cast towards her.

Nervously fumbling with the small button in her hand, Sharon took a moment to look at the object for the first time, wondering how she had pulled it from her brother's shirt in her desperate attempt to keep from being drawn into the dark portal when her memory of the event had Virgil wearing a Tee Shirt. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the well-defined circle offsetting the lightning bolt insignia, the same symbol on the chest of Static Shock.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the electrically powered champion of Dakota, connecting the suspicions in her mind with the evidence in her hand. She must have tensed involuntarily as Adam had wrapped his arms around her tighter, mistaking the reflex for fear. But unwillingly pushing away from her lover, she focused on the young man in the black uniform and came to the unwanted revelation.

Brushing aside Adam's hand as he half-heartedly tried to stop her, Sharon moved to place herself in front of Static, her eyes burrowing into his own chocolate brown ones and seeing the familiar orbs staring back at her. Reaching to his hand, Sharon deposited the tracking device into his palm and pulled back the sleeve of his coat a quarter of an inch to gaze at the scar on his right wrist Virgil had gotten from the bike accident so many years ago.

As she saw his gaze shift from her eyes to the palm of his hand, worry and uncertainty crossing his features, she brought her hand sharply against his left cheek in an action that was more spontaneous than planned. Yet the truthful reality had forced her to accept the fact that she had been through too much this evening to react in any other fashion, and for that reason alone, she salvaged her dignity despite her obvious overreaction.

"We need to talk!" Sharon sneered, not willing to say his name in front of the collected assembly of heroes for reasons she couldn't even understand. Yet when she finally took in the group around her, her eyes fell on yet another figure as she stared unblinkingly at the shock of yellow hair protruding from the top of the techno-geniuses' head in an undisciplined fashion. Had the circumstances been different, Gear would have found her stunned look rather amusing.

Static took a moment to clutch his burning cheek as he glared at his sister but decidedly turned from her to address Talon. "Come with me." He said simply, as he began walking towards the exit, leaving a fuming Sharon to watch his retreating form.

"Don't walk away from me little brother, we need to have a serious discussion about all of this!"

"I don't have time for this now Sharon!" Static screamed a bit louder than intended as he removed the flying disc from his coat and unfolded it in his angry haste to escape his sister's wrath. "Adam, can you take her home?"

Before receiving an answer, Static sped from the structure, followed closely by Gear and Talon; Shebang trailing some distance behind but still managing to keep pace with the more mobile heroes. Once outside the foundry, Static paused to hover above the ground as he absentmindedly rubbed his stinging cheek. He found it ironic that he had no fear facing down the Meta-Breed, yet when explaining the situation to his sister, it all but terrified him.

"Dude, you know she's going to be like seriously pissed at you once you get home." Gear said, sounding, if possible, apologetic and amused at the same time. "Of course I think she figured out who I am too."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of the drama of his personal life, Static turned back to his friends. "I can't deal with that now," he said as he turned his attention to feathered Bang Baby. "I'd like to have a chat with Talon. You guys go on home."

Neither seemed interested their friend alone with the some-time villainous Bang Baby however as they both turned their attention to the winged young woman floating several feet away from the rest of them. It was Shebang who spoke first, "I don't think that's a good idea Static. She used to be part of the Breed, I don't think we should trust her."

"Well it just so happens no one asked you to trust me!" Talon fired back, her eyes glaring in equal dislike for the acrobatic teen.

Static sighed heavily before interceding himself into the building argument, "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. If this does happen to be a plan or ambush against me, I'll be ready, but I'd like to know some answers before I draw any conclusions. Don't worry," he said again, seeing Shebang ready to pose another protest, "I'll keep you guys in contact if I get in trouble."

Reluctantly, Gear floated a few feet away as he stared pointedly at his partner. He had absolute trust in his best friend, his judgment and his intentions; it was the rest of the world Gear tended to doubt. But nodding in silent agreement to his partner, Gear turned to fly back towards his home. Shebang took a moment longer before leaving, yet even as she did Static could see the reservations in her unspoken words.

Looking unpleasantly at the retreating young woman, Talon turned her attention back to the electrical hero, "So you want to talk, then talk."

"Not here," Static said, shaking his head slightly as he raised himself higher into the air and flew towards the bustling lights of the city, Talon following closely behind.

# # #

Adam watched Sharon as she paced the length of the ten-foot section of floor that had become her path of discovery once Static and the others had left. He fought every urge in his body to rush to her side, to hold her in his arms until she let loose the tension that had built over the course of the evening. Tell her he understood and everything would be okay and a thousand other empty words of comfort that sprang to mind that so many others used in some vain attempt to share the burden of their loved ones. But he didn't, because the small part of his brain not currently controlled by his heart had painfully reminded him that this was something she'd need to work out on her own.

But all pretenses of maintaining a distant vigil on her faded quickly as he watched her knees buckle and her body pitch forward as a painfully violent sob tore itself from her lips. Adam moved quickly, catching her even before her knees made full contact with the unyielding concrete of the foundry floor as he held her tightly in his arms and whispered all the foolish reassurances he could think of, hoping something might help.

"It can't be him," Sharon whispered, as if saying the words would make it so. "I know he can be annoying and a pain and a jerk and everything...but he's still my baby brother. It can't be him, it has to be someone else," her words echoed hollowly as she clung tightly to Adam, holding him as if she were nothing more than a terrified child. In truth, that was exactly what she was. It was all she had ever been since that hellish day six years ago when her father told the both of them that their mother would never be coming home.

In the years that followed that unbearable event, Sharon realized the painful truth of the world. Time does not heal all wounds. Not a day since that moment had she not thought of or felt the pain of her mother's death. It was a crushing weight within the center of her being, a gaping void of absence that left her hollow and empty whenever she found herself wanting to see her mother's smiling face or hear her loving words of support. And she remembered with equal clarity how she had to take over the responsibility of her mother's funeral from her father. How she would cry for hours in her own room so she could maintain the brave face in front of her family.

She had to be brave for them, be strong, just as her mother would have been. But all the pain of losing her mother came to her in a wave of emotional overload when realizing her brother was none other than Static Shock. Watching him battle against the Meta-Breed, seeing Static slammed against the large melting vat or battered around by one of the countless villains had held a different meaning for her when she believed him to be someone else's brother. But now that she knew he wasn't someone else's brother but her brother, all the fear of losing him as well seeing the pain he endured from his heroic exploits brought a sickening sense of realism to the situation.

It had been so easy to detach herself from the idea when she considered Static merely as a hero and not a person. But now the illusion was shattered as she huddled against the side of the man who held her in his failed attempt to protect her from the pain.

"It can't be him."

# # #

Ebon glided through the shadows of the Breed's underground hideout, reliving the events of the evening and examining the battle in his own mind. It hadn't been the complete failure the others believed it had been, but then that was why he was the leader. He found opportunity where others only considered disappointment.

For the most part though, they had won the battle until Talon showed up. That little mystery concerning her loyalty was now resolved however, and next time he would not be taken by surprise. Though considering her past, Static would be either a fool or desperate to trust her, and Ebon was more likely to believe that desperate fools were the most predictable kind.

But Talon's reemergence was merely an annoyance of secondary importance as the Breed now stood accusingly around the frightened and shaking form of Tamara Lawrence. Since being injected by whatever serum Gear had used on her, she had been unable to transform back into the gray-skinned monster she had been previously that night. That proved a problem, as the Breed was now one member short.

"So what happened out there tonight?" Hotstreak said, his usual sneer decorating his hateful expression. "Why she turned back to normal and why can't she turn back?"

"I'd have to say Gear was responsible for that," Puff replied, floating some feet above her companions as she nonchalantly viewed the scene beneath her.

"Yeah well, if Shiv hadn't reacted quick enough, that could have happened to any of us," Chainlink said, his back poised against the wall as he folded his muscular arms across his broad chest.

"Ha ha...that's right. I'm the hero...all praise me..." Shiv said in his singsong voice as he hyperactively bounced about the headquarters.

The others however ignored the rambling villain as they turned their attention back to the still cowering Tamara. "So what should do with her? I mean, is there anything we can do to help?" Onyx asked.

"Simple," Ebon replied, saying the word as if the solution were the most obvious answer in the world. "Dump her. She's of no use to us." After a few moments of curious looks from the Breed and begging pleas from the terrified Tamara, Ebon summoned a portal that snatched the screaming young woman from the hideout and transported her to whatever place Ebon intended.

"Ah...how sweet," a new voice echoed throughout the abandoned subway tunnel as the red skinned, scantily clad woman entered the room, the large, bat-like wings folded behind her back as her tail trailed along the ground. "That's what I call love. When a friend is in need, cut 'em loose. How wondrously benevolent you are Ebon."

The collected group turned to face the unknown intruder, each poised for the potential battle. Ebon however only smirked at the arrival. "I was wondering when you'd get here Jersey. You got the goods?"

"What the hell is going on Ebon? Who is this chick?" Hotstreak snarled, his eyes moving from the newcomer to the shadow master.

"Forget who she is, where've you been all my life?" Shiv stated as he glared lecherously at the woman and her somewhat revealing ensemble that showed off her figure to great advantage.

"Put it back in your pants Shiv," Ebon drawled as he took the satchel from Jersey and moved to the large table situated in the middle of room. "Jersey here has provided a bit of insurance for us, in exchange for joining us."

"So just like that you bring her in? We don't even know who she is." Hotstreak growled.

"I know who she is and that should be enough. Besides," Ebon replied, opening the bag to reveal its bulging contents being that of stacks of hundred dollar bills. "She's paid her dues and given us enough money to buy our way out from Alva. So now we do what we have to do to own this town."

Staring skeptically at the red-skinned Bang Baby, Puff addressed the question she was most interested in. "So, seeing as how Tamara is out of the picture now, is this Jersey...what, a replacement?"

"Not at all," Ebon smiled as he rubbed his hands together and placed the moneybag into a specifically opened portal and out of the reach of his subordinates. "Jersey was part of our group before you all knew about it. She's been working the north side and scamming jewels and other valuables from the rich folks. We'll use this money to acquire a new headquarters and set up some equipment to help us. Since Talon is out of the woodwork and Tamara may find the need to blab to save her own skin, this place won't serve us anymore.

"As for Tamara's replacement," Ebon began, turning to address his cohorts. "I've already got someone specific in mind."

# # #

Static and Talon came to stop atop the Dakota Community & Civic Center, each taking the moment of silence to gather their own thoughts before beginning their interrogations. As Talon turned towards Static, her mouth parting to express her question, the young man already pushed the words out of his mouth.

"What happened Teresa? I thought you got out of the ship before you got infected with the gas again."

Talon allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of her lips as Static called her by her name...her real name. She missed people calling by her true name and was thankful that he at least, remembered how much it meant to be remembered she was a person under the feathers. "Obviously I wasn't fast enough," she said simply, turning her attention back to the distant skyline of the city.

"Uh, I'm real sorry about that," the young hero said awkwardly. "But for what it's worth, I'm glad you showed up when you did..." Yet he never got to complete his sentence as Talon quickly interrupted.

"Let's get something straight Static," the winged young woman said, "I didn't help you or that girl or any of you tonight out of the goodness of my heart. I did it for one simple reason. I want to be changed back.

"I saw that stuff Gear used on that girl to turn her back. I want the same thing...to be normal again." Talon growled, her eyes narrowing as she addressed the hero beside her.

"How long were you watching the fight before you decided to join in?"

"I told you before Static, what's happening between you and the Breed isn't my concern. I just wanna go home." Talon said, crouching on the roof of the civic center and closing her eyes as she fought desperately to rid herself of the guilt she faced from running away from her family a second time. For a moment, Static was lost as to what to say or whether he should say anything, but Talon continued regardless.

"I miss my family Static," the young woman said, and for the first time since he'd met her, Static was permitted to see the scared and lonely girl beneath the hard exterior. "We never had a lot of money, but at least we were happy. But, I can't go home like this...I can't let my momma see me looking like this."

"Or let her know what you've done as a Meta-human?" Static said, regretting his words immediately as he unintentionally voiced his own silent accusations of the Bang Baby.

Immediately Talon was on her feet, and for the second time this night, the bitter sting of a woman's hand greeted his face. Grimacing in pain as he tenderly rubbed his cheek, Static was sure he'd have a bruise come morning.

"Don't you DARE stand there with your holier-than-thou sermon and propose to judge me you damn hypocrite!" Talon said, the anger of the hero's accusation doubled with her own guilt forced all doubt and fear from her mind as her eyes clouded with bitter tears. "Just look at yourself. Despite all that power you have, you can go home and be with your family, dress like a normal person and live a regular life. And then you look at me and ask yourself what chance I had to be normal!

"I never wanted this power. Do you think any of us wanted it? No! It turned us into freaks and misfits and the unfortunate and unwanted monsters of the city. What would have happened had we walked down the street looking like this?" Talon asked as she raised her feathered arms for emphasis, the rhetorical question apparent as she continued to purge the hate and anger that had slowly crushed her hopes ever day since the Big Bang two years ago. "The loving and caring people of this heartless metropolis would have stoned us, that's what would have happened. And you stand there, throwing rocks at me...judging me for trying to survive while looking like some damn monster!"

A few bitter sobs escaped her lips as she tried desperately to bring herself under control. "I was human once, but I'm not anymore, not since the Big Bang. When Ebon came to me, he told me I'd be safe, but I had to do favors for him. Do you think I enjoyed hurting people, stealing from them? You'd be surprised at the human capacity for survival, and I did it all to survive, because if I didn't, Ebon would have thrown me out on my ear, and I'd be left with nowhere to go. I had nowhere to turn Static. Don't you understand that?"

"You could have asked me for help Teresa," he said, believing he now had permission to speak. Yet no sooner had the words escaped his lips than his ears were greeted by the taunting, mirthless laugh of the bitter young woman.

At seeing the confused expression on his face, she proceeded to explain, "You don't remember do you?" She asked, continuing only when his eyes narrowed in silent defense of his own actions. "Remember when we first met? Ebon had recruited me and Shiv for the Breed, and that other kid, D-Struct. What did you do? You fought to save D-Struct, to get him out of the Breed, and to Hell with everyone else. Did you ever stop to think he wasn't the only one wanting to be saved...to be back to normal? But you left me there like the monster you obviously considered me!

"I was glad when the antidote was used over the city and turned me back to normal. I could live my life again, and yeah, maybe I lived in the projects, but I at least had a home and a mother who worked 14-hour days trying to scrimp enough money for us to have a good life. Then Ebon had to drag me back on that ship and start the whole nightmare over again. And you stand there, judging me because I had nowhere to go and no one to trust. So maybe I did do bad things, and maybe I will regret them the rest of my life. But you don't know what I've had to go through just to survive!" Yet finally the pain had overcome the young woman as painful sobs wracking her body overtook her.

Static moved unsteadily, reaching an uncertain hand towards the suffering young woman in an attempt to offer some comfort until she batted the hand away. "I don't need your sympathy, I need your help. I want to go back to my life Static...back to my family."

Feeling his own pressures of guilt well up within him, Static nodded his head in an attempt to offer hope to the young woman, "Alright Teresa, we'll do it..."

# # #

Dr. Dennis Albright sat in his semi-comfortable prison cell, brooding over the portion of blueprints he had sketched on the piece of paper. He had a thousand such pieces of paper, the drawings and schematics broken up along countless napkins, toilet paper and whatever possible scrap of writeable surface he could find. Most guards would merely determine the odd designs as nothing more than meaningless doodles of a bored old man. How he scoffed at their uneducated ignorance.

Though today he had little interest in the master construct developed within the recesses of his brilliant mind, for today was his exoneration from prison, cleared by the governor himself. Word was that the governor believed the once notorious Dr. Menace no longer posed a threat to the civilized world and thus would serve the remainder of his sentence in the governor's new outreach program of community service and volunteer work as a substitute for prison.

The overall idea of the program was meant to decrease the overcrowding burden of the state's prisons. Thus far all it had accomplished however was a maelstrom of complaints from many community leaders up in arms over the idea of, for lack of a better word, the unsanctioned release of hardened criminals into populated areas. With the election year up and coming, the outreach program was one such proposal on the cutting block for budget reductions.

The good doctor was not at all convinced that his release was constituent of the politically suicidal program and was in fact, the probable result of money exchanging hands. His suspicions were confirmed almost immediately as he was led from the prison and greeted by two rather large men in finely tailored suits.

As the first man signed the documents held before him, the second addressed the aged scientist. "Dr. Albright, my name is York, and this is my associate Jacobs," the large man said, a look of reserved respect in his eyes as if the expression were nothing short of a mask he was instructed to wear. "Our employer would like to speak to you regarding your unique talents."

Dr. Donald Albright sized up the two men, realizing that they were not so much as thugs as they were escorts. But he had no apprehensions about going with them. After all, he already had a strong notion as to who this shadowy "employer" was.

"Very well gentlemen, it's best not to keep Mr. Alva waiting," Dr. Albright said, not even noticing the shocked expression on the faces of the two men that would have confirmed his suspicions as he walked dutifully toward the parked limousine that awaited him.

-To be continued

# # #

A/N: Well, no action in this chapter unless you consider Static's poor cheek. Yeah, I borrowed the idea from Pirates of the Caribbean...ha ha. So don't expect much action in the next couple of chapters, I'm using this time to build on the plot and characters. And yeah, Tamara is out of the Breed and Jersey is in. Honestly I'm not crazy about putting O/Cs in here but I wanted some creative liberties. So the score thus far is, Alva's plotting, the Breed's plotting and Static is struggling with his personal life and super hero responsibilities. Hee hee. Yeah, more drama and suspense to come. Again, thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to review my chapters. You guys are all great. Thanks again and hope you like what I'm doing with it...heh.