A/N: This is the final chapter and the big conclusion to a story that has been nothing but a blast to write from beginning to end. I'd like to thank all you wonderful readers who took to time to review this story and give me some great ideas. bows You guys are all great. I intend to write an epilogue as well…but this is the big confrontation. Now, onto the story.
Static Force, Chapter 17: For Every Action
"You misunderstand child. I don't intend to run the city; I intend to own it. While financing the reconstruction of many of the buildings destroyed during your little tussles with the Meta-Breed, I've also entered into deal to broker purchasing the property while under construction. It's a little known clause in the contractual agreement of every Alva Engineering project that ownership to transferred to Alva Industries. For a limited time of course, however the end date of the amendment is never stated and thus the property is held in stasis for an indeterminate amount of time. An underhanded policy to be sure, but good business is anything but good."
Silence filled the chamber as the heroes absorbed the full context of information. The plan was far more ambitious than originally considered. "Oh, by the way," Alva said, turning his attention to the gathered members of the Meta-Superior as well as Static and the captured heroes. "It seems we are one member shy."
As if on cue, the sliding, mechanical door opened as the shadowy figure entered. All eyes fixed on the feathered Bang Baby who smiled triumphantly at the shocked and unexpected looks of the heroes chained to the wall.
Turning back towards the heroes, Alva smiled as Talon came to stand by his side. "Judging by your reaction, you're obviously surprised. Predictability is mankind's greatest flaw."
The realization that Talon was standing among the group of criminals had still not fully wrapped itself around the brains of the collective heroes only added to the sudden and unquestionable shock that had washed over them all. Struggling to find his voice, Static blurted out, "H…how could you do this to us Talon?"
The smile she graced him with was more sinister than any he'd seen on the feathered young woman, a mark that she was truly pleased the plan she had apparently concocted had worked without a hitch. Coming in close to Static, the winged Bang Baby whispered in his ear, "I fight for winners."
Eyes going wide at the statement she made, Static bowed his head in defeat, all defiance leaving him in a wave of despair. The result of the action had a similar effect on many of his allies after seeing their appointed leader's unspoken defeat. Alva however, had merely laughed at the sight.
"Well, where is that legendary spirit of yours Static? I do miss your annoying quips." The aged businessman responded, savoring his moment of greatest victory. The rest of the members of his Meta-Superior had followed suit, laughing lightly or talking quietly amongst themselves at the shattered spirits of the captured heroes.
"Alva, if you're going to finish us just do it quick so I don't have to listen to your voice anymore."
"You have the wrong impression Static," Alva said, a smile on his tired features as he savored this moment of greatest triumph. "Killing you would do nothing for my plan, it would just be an unnecessary mess. After all, we'd need someone to take the fall for the destruction of Dakota. Mayor Godfree laid the foundation of hate that I will build upon."
Turning his back on the electrically charged young man, Alva began leading the Meta-Superior from the chamber. Talon, however, fell behind, fixing Static with a look of utmost scrutiny. When the villains had all turned their backs on Static and his team, a smile crossed his own features as he witnessed his moment of opportunity.
His eyes locking Talon's as she stared at him, Static nodded his head once and said loud enough to gather Alva's attention. "Talon, NOW!"
"About time," the young woman replied, a smile crossing her face as she turned to stare at the visibly puzzled Alva before turning her attention to the control panel situated in the far corner of the monumental chamber and let loose a sonic screech that blew the mechanism to dust. The resulting destruction of the power-suppressing module caused the security harnesses binding the heroes to break apart, allowing them to escape.
As the wide-eyed Alva stared at the surprising and unexpected double-cross Talon had done, he was met quickly by one of Gear's grapple-spiders that caught his aged frame in its grip and bound him tightly.
Without wasting time discussing the events, Static sent a bolt of energy at the large sliding doors, magnetically sealing them and preventing any of the Meta-Superior from escaping. "As we planned it," Static said, giving the unnecessary order to strike as each member of his team found their intended target and moved to engage them.
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RubberBand Man was first to react, stretching his arms; one grabbing Replikon and throwing his body against the metal wall while the other arm struck the visibly confused Omnifarious. His body however snaked its way around the collected villains until he came face-to-face with Starburst, the brilliant young man, shaken by the events as were the other members of his team, sent bolts of electricity at the elastic hero, to no effect.
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Shebang had sprung forward, using her gifted agility to kick the dazed Madeline into the path of Gear before coming to bring the hammer of her fist into the face of Jonnie Morrow. Staggered by the blow, Replay shook away the pain that lit every nerve in his body as he watched the purple-garbed young woman send her boot flying at his face.
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Gear knew he had to over-power Madeline quickly; her power made her one of the more formidable members of Alva's team. Not wasting any time, he grabbed a concussion orb from his arsenal and threw it to the feet of the villainous young woman. The shockwave blasting from the small sphere caused her to drop to her knees as she covered her ears to protect her balance from the assault. Using the opportunity of confusion, Gear initiated his new power and telekinetically propelled the psychic against the metal wall of the laboratory before rushing forward to continue his battle.
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Grendel easily caught Replikon as duplicating thug was among the first to recover from the unexpected turn of events. Transforming himself into the image of Onyx, the villain began attacking the brutish hero.
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Static and Permafrost had come to stand on either side of Omnifarious as they worked quickly to confuse the powerful vandal, striking him once from the right with a blast of super-chilled air, and then from the left with a burst of electricity. As long as they kept him staggered, he'd go down eventually.
But as Static had blasted his opponent, Permafrost missed her cue, turning instead to raise a wall of ice that protected her from the energy blast fired from the goggles of Dr. Menace. As the wall shattered, the ice-powered teen blasted the aging scientist, knocking him away, only to be caught from behind by an energy burst from Omnifarious that sent her staggering to the ground.
The single-most powerful Bang Baby in the chamber then turned his attention to Static, fully prepared to fight the hero until the sonic screech caught him from behind. Talon swooped quickly and used her powerful leg to knock the criminal to the ground before moving to help Permafrost to her feet, all the while; Static poured his energy at the downed villain. "Just stay down," Static groaned, slightly unnerved to see the younger Alva smile in response.
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RubberBand Man was finding his own difficulty beating Starburst. It wasn't that the genius's attacks had any effect on him; it was simply that the heavy armor he wore made it quite difficult to cause any real damage on him.
"You stretchy little freak, I'll barbeque you!" Starburst screamed, sending another burst of power against the rubber hero, to no effect. Growing slightly agitated and more than a bit unnerved, the physicist charged at the hero, preparing to pummel him with his armored fists. However, upon contact the hero merely stretched in response to the depression Starburst made against his elastic body.
RubberBand Man however, understood his own powers and grabbing Starburst and entrapping him in his arms, he rolled himself into a ball, fully covering the energy-stealing criminal. Starburst, in his own frantic realization, began fighting desperately to free himself with no success. In time, the blows against RubberBand Man's interior slowed and then ceased all together.
Uncoiling himself, RubberBand Man released the unconscious form of the young man, realizing with a sense of pity that his own life could have turned out the same way had he not met a special young woman who saved him. Smiling self consciously, RubberBand Man moved quickly back into the battle, intent on defending his friends.
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Shebang spun and kicked the annoying ex-actor, yet with every version of the self-cloning thespian the martial artist defeated, another appeared. It seemed nearly endless, the battle against this man, and though her talent far exceeded his, she was all too aware of the fact that he had landed a few lucky shots. If it continued, she wondered if her stamina could outlast his duplicates.
But she resigned herself to victory. The plan they had established to confront the Meta-Superior was meant to end it quickly. She couldn't be bothered by the no-talent multiplier; there were more dangerous enemies to take down.
Spinning her body to deliver a devastating roundhouse that sent two of the copies sprawling to the ground, Shebang dropped quickly to one knee, deftly avoiding the blow of yet another copy while sending her elbow into the abdomen of her intended attacker. Springing from her crouched position, Shebang performed a flawless back flip that sent yet another clone to the ground before landing and dropping the pseudo-Morrow she had previously elbowed with a well placed uppercut.
Eyes wide with uncertainty and perhaps a touch of fear, Jonnie Morrow backed against the wall…his chest rising with the effort taken from him in creating the doppelgangers. Shebang smiled confidently as she walked forward, backhanding yet another duplicate and sending the would be attacker into blissful unconsciousness.
"Takes a lot out of you don't it red? Cloning yourself over and over again. I imagine you can only do about a dozen clones before it weighs on you physically," pausing to look at the ground, Shebang smiled at the numbers she'd already defeated. "I figure I've laid out about 20 of your useless doubles. Time for the main event."
With no time and failing energy, Jonnie Morrow turned quickly to flee, only to be kicked from behind and slammed into the unforgiving wall of the isolated chamber. Moaning in pain, the villainous criminal tried desperately to get up until the heel of Shebang's boot sent him into the dark slumber with the other copies of himself.
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Dr. Menace was not a gambling man, nor was he a man to be taken off guard. Because of that reason, the moment the heroes had escaped he intended to make his getaway in the mass confusion, and his means for doing such had now arrived.
The large, powerfully constructed robot had marched into the fray with little concern, having moved from the far corner once the aged genius had activated it. In all his years of having battled Soul Power, he knew the weakness of electricity, and how to harness that power. Now however, this android was built to far surpass its predecessors. It was his greatest work of art in a career of desolate criminal activity.
Knowing that the heroes had not noticed the android as of yet, Dr. Menace moved quickly to escape the lab, knowing of the only hidden portal within the monumental chamber. If his colleagues were to fall this day, he himself would remain free. After all, fortune favored the prepared mind.
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Gear moved quickly to avoid the psionic wave of energy Madeline had thrown at him, all the while tossing yet another disrupter bomb in the telepaths direction. The blast rattled the far wall, however had little effect on the manipulative teen, as she enacted a barrier to protect herself.
"You can't beat me Gear, just give up."
Smiling cockily at his opponent, Gear considered the numerous responses that came to mind before settling on the ever-popular cliché. "YOU can't win Madeline, we're the good guys."
"You know, for a genius you say some stupid things. Did you get that out of a comic book?" The young woman asked, arching an eyebrow as she spoke.
"Well, actually yeah, I did." The genius confessed before launching himself once more at psychic, before being met yet again by the full force of her psionic output, causing him to erect his own telepathic barrier to save himself.
"Hmph," Madeline mocked, curling her lip in a sneer that showed her complete exasperation. "I heard you got some new powers after being exposed to the gas, but I'd thought they'd be a bit more…spectacular. This is rather disappointing Gear." The psychic said, mentally pressing her attack.
Grunting against the effort to maintain the power that protected him, Gear unconsciously raised his hand to his neck, his fingers fumbling with the inhibitor chip that rested against the choker that kept his power in check. "You know Madeline, Pandora's Box was a horrifying experiment of curiosity. Your curiosity will only get you in deeper than you can get yourself out of."
With that, Gear tore the choker from his neck and allowed the full force of his power to burst from his body. The vortex formed between the two colliding wills was something spectacular and terrifying to behold. Energy, not normally visible by the naked eye had manifested itself into a corporeal form of destruction that lashed and whipped about the combatants, knocking both Madeline and Gear a bit.
"That's more of what I was expecting Gear," Madeline growled, gritting her teeth as her eyes were squeezed together under the pressure of maintaining the massive surge of power. Gear however, did not respond. His eyes rolled back into his head as a trickle of blood traced its way from his right nostril. All he could do was scream in response to the effort, and fight the urge to retch under the obscene force pressed against his brain.
However, in one last, desperate burst, a final collision of power collided between the two combatants, the resulting shockwave sending them flying in opposite directions. Neither moved as they found comfort in unconsciousness.
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Static turned his attention momentarily as he watched Gear and Madeline fly in different directions, the blast from their power output shaking the entire structure. "I'll get him," Talon said, moving from her attack on Omnifarious to check on the technical wizard until being called back by Static.
"No," a great deal of regret echoing from his voice but knowing they could not be distracted from the battle. "Help Shebang and RubberBand Man, looks like they're having trouble with Menace's robot."
Nodding her head once, Talon took flight once more and soared towards the massive construct. Static turned his attention back towards Omnifarious and launched a burst electricity at the smirking Bang Baby, the arrogant smile fading slightly at the newest assault.
"That almost hurt," the power-changing younger Alva said, dusting the sleeve of his uniform as if some annoying, insignificant insect attacked him.
"If you liked that, you'll love this," Static said, turning to look at Permafrost and nodding his head once. The temperature in the immediate area dropped nearly thirty degrees, and Static shivered involuntarily as his own breath came from in lips in a cottony puff of air.
With her attention focused on Omnifarious, Permafrost used the might of her power to trap the younger man in a barrier of ice that sealed him from feet to shoulders. The shivering villain looked more than a touch frightened as he strained to move, his mind recalling the time his own powers had turned him to stone. His own fear of his once immobile condition cause him to lose sense of the battle around him.
"No…no…I won't be locked away again. I won't go back to being locked in that form again…" Omnifarious ranted as he ignited his powers to break himself free but stopped as Static moved forward, a look of sympathy on his face, as if he hadn't expected the attack to have the emotional effect on the sometimes unbalanced young man.
Closing his eyes in reservation, Static allowed the burst of electricity to strike the ice but not shatter it. As he knew, water conducted electricity and ice was merely frozen water. Thus the combined efforts of Permafrost's and Static's powers did what neither alone could accomplish, destroy Omnifarious' defense against them and shock him into unconsciousness.
With a heavy heart, Static rested his hand on the young man's partially frozen shoulder before turning to Permafrost. "I didn't know he still feared that so much. I didn't even think about it until he started screaming when he couldn't move." Then turning back towards the unconscious villain Static said ever so softly, "Why is it so hard to be a hero?"
Permafrost merely stood behind him, keeping her silence, knowing she didn't have the words to make the situation better.
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Grendel seemed to be having the hardest time against the shape-shifting Replikon, the villainous thug transforming his shape to quickly avoid the slower attacks of the massive monster, all the while countering with his own devastating blows.
Grendel was hurt and bleeding from nearly a dozen different locations, his body aching in response to the battle. He knew the plan; in fact he had helped smooth out many of the finer details once he learned the basics of it, but he realized fully that he was still too inexperienced using the massive body effectively in combat.
Even turning himself invisible did little to assist him, as his body still showed a mirror, illusionary shimmer whenever he moved. After being battered by the first few attacks, Replikon quickly learned to look for that.
Lashing once more with his massive claw, Grendel growled in frustration as Replikon turned himself into the image of Talon and flew from his reach before turning into RubberBand Man and extending his arm to punch the green-skinned Bang Baby.
That had seemed to be the weakness of Replikon as well. During the battle, Grendel had noticed that Replikon could only turn himself into forms that implemented physical attack, not energy. That would be how he'd defeat the shapeshifter.
Feigning defeat, Grendel heaved a heavy breath as he dropped to his hands and knees, watching the approach of his combatant. Having landed, Replikon reverted to his normal form as he approached, transforming his fist into a spiked club, much the way he observed done by the energy powered Shiv.
Grendel, however, had anticipated the confidence his opponent and quickly rose to his full height before bringing the hammers of his fist into the ground, causing a brief tremor within the chamber that knocked Replikon off his feet. Unbalanced by the unexpected attack, Replikon was soon greeted by the garbage can sized hand of Grendel as the Bang Baby used the might of his own, thickly muscled arm to lift the impersonator before bringing him hard into the floor of the chamber, the force of the attack driving Replikon into the crater that splintered the polished tile flooring.
Groaning in complete misery, Replikon had no time to react as he was again lifted and slammed once more into the unforgiving floor, as he was sent into unconsciousness.
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Talon had quickly taken over the fight with the giant robot as RubberBand Man and Shebang moved to check the status of Gear. It was the obvious choice for Talon to battle Menace's robot, and was even agreed upon within the group. After all, the robot was designed to counter the heroes' powers…all except hers. It had been Alva's instructions that kept Dr. Menace from fixing the machine's immunity against his own team lest the good doctor turn it on him. It was Alva's practice to never give those who worked for him the power to oppose him. In this case however, it worked to Talon's advantage.
Shifting her body in midair as she dodged the thick forearm of the robot, Talon swooped into the path of the automation and ripped large chunks of metal with her deadly violent talons. The robot was not without self-defense however, and emitted an electrical discharge that shocked the feathered young woman until she was battered aside by the heavy arm of the android.
Intending to stand, Talon collapsed once more to her knees as she fingers immediately went to her right side, gripping her eyes shut against the pain. Pulling her hand away from her injury, she felt light-headed at the blood that covered her palm, knowing she had more than likely broken her ribs.
Against the pain causing her mind to threaten to shut down, Talon righted herself as she found the will to expel the full force of her sonic screech. Despite the pain that made her nauseous and dizzy, she maintained the attack, staggering the android until its circuits collapsed under the assault of the high-pitch screech that shattered the internal boards and scrambled the robot's sensory.
With a violent shake of its body as it took a final step, the android fell forward, its programming destroyed as if erased by sonic overload. Talon however, quickly joined the robot on the floor, however not before Shebang had caught her in her arms and lowered the feathered ally to the ground.
"You okay?" The martial artist asked, worriedly looking at the friend she had never expected from the former criminal.
Turning her head painfully to see the Static and the others move about the chamber, victorious in their plan, Talon allowed a smile to form on her face. "Yeah…never better."
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Static, Permafrost and RubberBand Man had all moved to address the now, still squirming Alva as the business owner looked both furious and mildly fearful with the realization that his team had been soundly defeated. Of course most of his anger was from the realization of how he had been most handedly played by Talon.
"I…I don't understand any of this," Alva said, his voice sounding far more feeble than he would have liked.
"You lost Alva, its not that hard to figure out." Static replied, the crooked smile that had become as much a trademark as his witty quips fixed to his face.
"Not that you fool, I don't understand why you would risk everything for this ruse? Why use Talon against me?"
"It was our Trojan Horse Alva," Static's smile quickly faded as he turned his face towards RubberBand Man before looking about the chamber at the rest of his friends, many of whom were badly hurt or injured. "I'm tired Alva, we all are." Static said simply, the fatigue he felt from the past few weeks of active duty coming upon him like a crushing weight and echoing from his voice.
"As much time as it took us to track down and defeat the Meta-Breed, we knew we couldn't succeed in only taking your team out one at a time. We had to fight them all at once. And beat them at one time. Otherwise, we'd have to keep battling in the streets, where innocent people could be harmed. Here, no one would get hurt, and we could stop you.
"Besides, we knew how you'd react to what we were planning as well. We knew your plan to take over the city once the mayor was ousted and had to act quickly or else we'd miss our moment of opportunity. So when Talon advised you to implement your attack, we 'allowed' ourselves to be captured…which brought us here, within striking distance of your entire organization."
"You took quite a gamble, trusting Talon, seeing as how she betrayed both the Breed and me," Alva replied, trying once more to free himself regardless of the known futility.
"Unlike you Alva, I trust my friends," Static replied, a smile again forming on his lips. "What was it you said? 'Predictability is mankind's greatest flaw.' Well Alva, that must make you the most flawed person on the planet, because everything you did we predicted."
"And so you used Talon to get you into my building and then release you?" Alva said, searching the hero before him with an appraising eye. "Why?"
"Because it worked," Talon said, having joined the group with Shebang's assistance. "You had already approached me Alva before Static ever talked to me. I immediately told him I was in contact with you and we all devised this plan. The only way we could pin this on you, for you to get the justice you deserve was to catch you in the act. It was my information that kept them prepared for the battle. I also suggested for Gear to hack your computer system, just so we knew exactly what you were planning. Besides, with my history, you were all too eager to think I'd willingly join you, never really knowing that the reason I was a criminal to begin with was it was my only thought on how I could survive like this." Talon said, grimacing in pain as she drew several painful breaths before continuing. "And for the record, Static didn't use me, I volunteered. Because unlike you, Mr. Alva, he gave me the choice of how I wanted to live. That alone, earned my loyalty and my trust."
Alva fell silent for several moments, piecing together the implications of being outmaneuvered by the children before him. Not only had he unknowingly fallen for their ruse, but his team, taken by surprise, was overpowered as well. Nevertheless, a smile a satisfaction still creased his aged features.
"You can't prove anything," the elderly businessman said, knowing he had rekindled his spirited fire. "All the information you have on me was obtained illegally. The District Attorney could never move against me knowing that the information would be thrown out of court. I could simply say I was held hostage here against my will. After all, public opinion regarding you isn't the highest right now while I'm seen as the Dakota's favorite son. What do you have to say about that?"
"Say cheese," Static replied, falling silent once more before fumbling with the top button of his coat before giving a slight tug on the fastener, pulling it free from the material and holding it between his thumb and forefinger for Alva to see. Likewise, every friend gathered in the semi-circle around the corrupt tycoon removed a similar device. "A gift from Shelley Sandoval. You'd be surprised how tiny they make camera's now a days."
"Smile Alva," Shebang said, "Your on Static Camera."
"Yep," RubberBand Man added, "It's being fed through a wireless remote where Shelley will air it for the entire city to see."
"And I imagine the fall of the great Edwin Alva would make quite an expose for the news station." Static replied before placing the button in his pocket for safekeeping, knowing all the information they needed to move for an indictment had been obtained. "Its as Shelley told me, wars are won with information, and we had more than enough to with this one Alva."
Eyes going wide in realization that he had implemented himself by his mere presence, Alva strained against the bindings holding him before another statement nearly stopped his heart.
"We're not done yet Alva," Gear remarked, holding his head as he struggled to join his friends. "The documents we printed from your computer files may not have been of any use against you in a court of law, but I'm sure your shareholders will be interested in knowing how you embezzle from your own company to fund your private agenda. I don't think they'd be at all happy with knowing that you've hindered their stock prices with your actions."
"You…you can't do this to me!" Alva screamed, thrashing violently against the bindings. "I'll spend the rest of my life in prison!"
"For what you've done to me," Permafrost said, her silent, shy demeanor giving way to a frosty anger that caused the businessman to stare frightfully at the young woman, "I'd say that's not enough time. I only wanted to see you pay for what you've done to me…"
Static's calming hand rested on the young woman's shoulder, squeezing it slightly in a show of support. "It's okay Maureen, he'll never hurt anyone again."
"Besides Alva," the large form of Grendel said, speaking at the businessman. "We haven't done anything to you…you did it all to yourself. As its written, 'for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction'."
"Or as I like to say, Karma is a swift kick to head." Shebang said, still supporting Talon as she smiled despite the bruise forming on her cheek.
"Whichever," Static responded, turning his back and walking towards the exit that he unsealed, followed by his friends. "He'll have quite a long time to think about it. But think about this too Alva," Static said as he paused and spoke to the trapped businessman over his shoulder. "The future is not yours to create, its ours."
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Once outside, Static opened his communications Shock Vox and spoke into it, "Shelley, did you get all?"
"Every bit of it." The voice called from the other side of the speaker. "Good job you guys. I'll owe you all a dinner for this."
Chuckling at the remark Static answered. "We'll be looking forward to it. And thanks for everything Shelley."
Returning the Shock Vox to his pocket, Static turned to address his friends. "Is everyone okay?" He asked worriedly, his eyes immediately looking to the bloody spot on Talon's side and Gear who still held his head in pain.
"Nothing a bit of sleep won't cure," the tech genius remarked, failing to mention that he hadn't slept since the emergence of his new powers.
"Don't worry about this," Talon responded, a painful smile forming on her lips as tried to ease the worry on the young man's mind. "Shenice's folks said I have a heightened healing attribute as one of my powers. I should be bright as rain in a couple of days." Turning a grateful smile towards the martial artist who had not left her side since the defeat of the robot. Teresa was never good at making friends, and despite all of Shenice's talents, neither was she. It seemed almost fitting that the two outcasts should become friends. If only they could do the same for Maureen, then maybe being an outcast wouldn't be so bad.
"And just for the record," Talon said, fixing Static with her piercing eyes. "I meant every word I said in there. When I turned back into this, you were the one who gave me hope Static. No one's ever given me that. So I mean it when I say that you have my trust…and my loyalty. And I can't tell you how glad I am that you trusted me enough during this whole thing…"
Raising a hand to silence Talon's wishful confession, Static shook his head while smiling warmly at the young woman. "I meant what I said too Teresa, I trust my friends." Walking over to the young woman, Static summoned his flying disc and stepped on it before lifting her into his arms. "We'll get you back to the Civic Center where you can rest up then." Then turning back to the remainder of his friends he said. "Let's go, they'll be wanting to know we won."
Launching himself into the air with Talon, the thought came unbidden to his mind. 'The future is ours, and I will protect it with all I have.' Turning his head to watch his friends following him he smiled brightly for the first time in weeks. 'We all will.'
-End