Static Force

Chapter 16: Days Gone By

Virgil sat distractedly at the dining room table, absent-mindedly dragging his French fry through the glop of ketchup and swirling it about while staring blanking out the window. He hadn't quite noticed his father or Sharon's concerned expression as they stared at him in quiet apprehension. Truth be told, Virgil paid little attention to all else except the thoughts that dragged him into the solitary recesses of his own daunting concerns.

"Virgil?" the deeply echoing concern of his father's voice brought his mind from the abyss of contemplative thought as he stared back at his family and observed the worry painting their faces regarding his state-of-mind.

"Oh, yeah...sorry pops, just thinking about something," the young man responded, running his fingers through the mop of dreadlocks that comprised his hair.

"If you feel like talking about it..."

Sharon however was more direct in the matter. "Whatever's on your mind Virgil, spit it out. You know we know...well, maybe not everything but enough that you can trust us to listen." She paused to take a drink from her glass before continuing. "But ever since you defeated those Bang-Babies, you've been moping around like your half-dead or something. You should be happy they're off the streets."

Virgil ignored the forming smile that tugged at the corner of his lips as he shifted his gaze to the half-eaten hamburger on his plate. Not for the first time in his life was he thankful for the two people sitting at the table with him, and though he'd never tell Sharon, he loved them both with everything he had. The thought of sharing some of his burden however, wasn't such a bad idea.

"Yeah, I am happy Ebon and his crew aren't a threat...it's just, there's more to it than that."

Finally turning to face his father and sister as they patiently waited for him to continue, Virgil pushed forward with his thoughts. "Not all the villains are the ones you see on the news, you know?"

"Is this about Edwin Alva?" Mr. Hawkins asked his son, much to the surprise of the young man. Chuckling at the reaction he received from the youngest Hawkins, the elder man continued. "Ritchie told me a lot about what was going on. Seems you're not the only one feeling the need to talk to someone."

Virgil smiled slightly as he sat straighter in his chair, his shoulders however slumping forward slightly as if crushed by the weight of the city. "Yeah...something like that," the young man said, shaking his head tiredly as his hair bobbed in response. "We're taking every precaution to stop Alva's plan, but its safe to assume he knows that we know. He's bound to have a few surprises we don't know about yet."

Pushing himself from the table, Virgil slowly rose to a standing position before walking slowly toward the door. "I'm really sorry Sharon, but I need some time to think about some stuff. You mind if I beg off doing the dishes tonight?" Before an answer was even formed however, the teen had shuffled himself from the dining room.

Sharon made to stand and go after her brother but her father's gentle hand resting atop hers ceased any probable departure. "I'm worried about him daddy," the young woman replied, her eyes focused on the door her brother had disappeared through. "He barely touched his dinner and just looks so worn down."

Robert closed his eyes and tried desperately to hide the deep-rooted sigh that threatened to escape his lips before turning back to his daughter. "It's to be expected Sharon. He's taken a heavy burden, trying to end this crisis and keep everyone safe. It can't be easy for him. No matter how the city views him, Static is just a young man trying to do what's right. Beneath that, is Virgil, trying desperately not to let the weight of it crush him."

"There's got to be something we can do to help him though," Sharon replied, biting her lip in fearful concentration. "Something we can do to end this quicker so he don't kill himself trying."

At this, Robert Hawkins felt his own fears weigh down upon him, weighing him in equal force as Virgil's own pressures. "All we can hope to do for him is support him. And when he stumbles, we need to be there to help him up. That's all we can really do sweetheart."

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Edwin Alva studied the figure before him, listening in great detail of the debriefing provided to him. The battle between Ebon's Meta-Breed and Static's team had been surprisingly short-lived and though he though Ebon had power to rival Static, the current assessment proved otherwise.

"So it is as you say?" Alva said, a crooked smile adorning his weathered features. "I'm surprised the Meta-Breed went down so quickly, especially after recruiting the new one...what was his name? Slimtree?"

"Slipstream," Talon corrected, casting her eyes away from the businessman lest he accuse her of challenging him.

"Very well," he said, turning to face the skyline of the city. "I'll take you for your word. Another matter concerns me however. This large Bang Baby you described having joined Static's legion, how powerful is he?"

"On average I'd estimate him being slightly stronger than Onyx, however he doesn't have the experience and that can be exploited easily enough." Talon continued, pausing to await her benefactor's orders.

Noticing this, Alva smiled, knowing full well his control over the winged Bang Baby. "Very well. We should proceed as planned with our attack, a full-scale assault that will excise the good heroes from existence and leave the city reeling from lack of protection. Static managed to defeat the Meta-Breed, but I wonder if he will have the same fortune against my Meta-Superior."

"Mr. Alva," Talon began, almost fearful for interrupting the business tycoon. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Curious about the sudden outburst, Alva twisted his smile yet again, nearly mocking the feathered young woman. "Why is that Talon?"

"Uh..." a hesitation in her speech allowed Alva's smile to grow. He had her defeated; it was obvious, however his own joy was multiplied by the unease the young woman exhibited. "Well, one thing about Static and his friends are, they fight well as a team. How many battles have the Meta-Superior fought? As a team I mean. If you want them beaten, you need to call them out, attack them one on one where your Meta-Humans will have the advantage. It's the only way without risking serious injury to your team."

Running his fingers delicately over his chin in deep concentration, the wily businessman contemplated the proposal placed before him. "You know Talon, that's quite a brilliant idea. Pick whom you believe should combat who and designate their targets."

"Already ahead of you Mr. Alva." Talon said, reaching to her pocket and withdrawing a folded piece of paper. "In fact, I already have a list made up."

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Shelley Sandoval sat upon the bench situation on the roof of her apartment building, as she gazed out over the city. She loved this view, and considered it the most spectacular of the entire city. It was where she came to clear her mind and collect her thoughts, and since this whole ordeal had begun, she found herself doing more and more of that.

"I always loved the view from up high," a young voice responded, coming just from her left and slightly higher. A smile formed on her perfect face as she recognized the voice of the young man and felt oddly safer by his presence.

"So do I, it's a great place to clear your mind," she replied, turning in her seat to face expected visitor. "Though I'm sure you already know that don't you Static?"

A chuckled resonated from the young man as he lowered his flying disk to land firmly on the apartment roof. That initial amusement however died quickly as he turned his tired eyes towards the reporter. "You know, it's dangerous to be meeting up here. Alva's sure to have his spies, especially if he knows you're in contact with me. He must know that, otherwise he wouldn't have sent Replikon to you to deliver the tape."

"A little danger never bothered me...spices up what would be an ordinarily boring life." Shelley replied, tilting her head slightly in silent study of the young man.

"Don't worry Shelley, it's me." Static chuckled, expecting the reporter to study him to verify his legitimacy.

The response caused the woman to smile briefly before shaking her head. "It's not that, its just...you look really tired. You okay?"

Static shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly as he cocked his head to one side. "I'll be better once we get everything tied down. This pace is killing me." He said, feigning amusement at his own predicament.

"All the more reason to end this quickly." The reporter said, turning her gaze to peer back across the city. "It's not good seeing you this drained."

"Can't worry about that now even if I wanted to," the young hero said, surprised even as he spoke at how tired his words sounded. "So, what did you call me for?"

Turning back to her possessions at her feet, Shelley dug through her enormous duffle bag until finding the item she sought. Removing a shiny computer disk, the same disk Replikon in the form of Static had given her, Shelley turned back to the hero. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Yeah, that." Static said, eyeing the object with unspoken reservation. "Gear wanted me to ask you about that. Is it legit?"

"We ran every disk analyzing format program we have available, and even some we don't. There's no computer manipulation or doctoring of the disk. It's legitimate alright."

"Despite all our planning, I had almost wished it had been doctored." Static replied, running his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose. "Knowing that means that Alva's team was close enough to video the entire fight."

"Not necessarily," Shelley replied, a knowing look of concern mirroring Static's own expression. "It's more than likely those camera's were installed prior to your attack on the Breed, primarily because the filming occurred within the building and was stationary. Either Ebon truly didn't trust his own allies, or Alva had a mole on the inside of the Breed."

"Either way it doesn't bode well. Everything is just happening too fast." Static said, heaving a heavy sigh as his shoulders sagged a fraction. The reaction however was enough for Shelley to rise to her feet and face the young hero, putting a hand on his shoulder in a show of support.

"You know you're not in this alone. Your friends are with you Static." She smiled; leaving no doubt that she should be counted among that number.

"Thanks Shelley, I really do appreciate everything you've done for us up to now."

"It's no big deal," she said, shrugging it off as if the matter were merely a means of spicing her normally dull life. "Just remember, you owe me an interview when all this is over."

The first, genuine smile Static felt crossing his face in the last several days lit his features as he looked at the reporter. "Count on it."

"Anyway, what do you want me to do with this disk?"

Knowing the moment had passed, Static studied the disk held in Shelley's hand for a moment, feeling very much like Pandora gazing upon the box that unlocked the evils of the world. If this backfired, there would be no resolution. "Run with it," he said at last, tearing his eyes from the hypnotic glow of the evening twilight reflecting from the disk. "We have to make Alva believe its okay to proceed with his plan. Otherwise he may bulk and this could be the only chance we get to draw him out."

"I was hoping you'd say that," the professional smile again forming on the reporter's lips. "The story is running tonight at 11. Should make a big splash in city council tomorrow, seeing as how the mayor had declared the Breed was defeated by the SCU. This should make for an interesting counterstatement seeing as how she has declared Dakota doesn't need you or the other heroic Bang Babies."

"You...you were going to run it anyway?" Static asked, shocked at the realization. "Then why'd you even ask me up here?"

Shrugging her shoulder, the young reporter smiled again. "Can't a friend be concerned about another friend? I wanted to make sure you were really okay after I realized Replikon had imitated you."

Static opened his mouth to reply, however the sudden squawk of his Shock Vox interrupted any statement. "Static, you there?"

Grabbing the device quickly and flipping it over, Static replied, "I'm here Gear, what's up?"

"We got big trouble bro. Hotfoot it over to HQ as soon as you can. I'm calling an emergency meeting."

"Roger that, I'm on my way." Static answered before cutting the connection and returning the device to his belt. Unfolding his flying disc, the hero levitated a few feet above the ground before turning back to address Shelley.

"I'd say you should go home and get some rest, but looks like that's not going to happen huh?"

"Not tonight anyway," Static sighed as he shook his head briefly. "Listen Shelley, I really want to thank you for everything you've done for us."

"Don't mention it..." the reply came as the young woman waved off the gratitude. "Wars are won with information, and Dakota is at war. I'm just glad to do my part to help get it over with sooner."

Smiling again, Static waved before launching himself from the apartment complex and heading to the gas station.

"Well," Shelley began, holding the computer disk in her hand and studying it for a moment. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's going to be burning the midnight oil tonight."

-To be continued.

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A/N: Okay, boring I know, and I must say, I am really sorry that it's taken me so long to write the next chapter, but truthfully, I've begun losing my motivation to write this story. Don't worry though, I only have two or three chapters left and I intend to finish it WITHOUT short cutting the story like I've seen some other writers do. You'll get the completed story as I intended, it just might take a bit. Heh. Anyway, as always, reviews are always appreciated. Hope you guys like this. This chapter just sets the groundwork for what's to come. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA