I don't own Static Shock or the Justice League. But I have these lovely parting gifts…
"I know where they are! A few years ago, the city council paid for new subway tunnels, but after all that work, the engineers were afraid the walls might collapse. It was a big scandal. The main hub was going to be right under the city park. Let's go!" Static could hardly contain his excitement. They were finally going to get Richie.
"No," said Batman. "Not yet."
Static was stunned. "Batman, we have to go now. There isn't any more time! We know exactly where they are. J'onn can just phase in and save him." Silence reigned as the older heroes looked at one another. "What's the matter with you two? Don't you even care about Richie?"
J'onn interrupted before Static's rant could progress into more painful words.
"It is true that we know where Hotstreak is, Static. But he may or may not be with Richie."
"So? Go down there and make him tell you!"
"He can't, Static," Batman answered. "J'onn can't phase in there without backup, and he doesn't have Ebon's ability to take others with him."
J'onn continued, "Water is your nemesis, Static. Fire is mine. I have little protection against intense heat or flame."
Static choked back his argument. He had to calm down and think. He couldn't afford to alienate the two people who were going to help him rescue Richie.
"So what do we do?"
"J'onn will download the layout of the passageways and find the quickest route to the central cavern. When we get close enough, J'onn will find Richie and get him out through the tunnels while you and I cover their escape."
The wait was interminable for Static, but he managed to remain civil. Finally, they were ready.
The entrance to the tunnels, accessible through the bus terminal, was sealed off to the public; that did not deter the heroes. Batman rode on the shield with Static, who maintained a ball of energy to light their way. J'onn flew alongside, guiding them through the earthen labyrinth.
"No, I won't burn the kid because I don't know where the kid is. In case you two haven't noticed, we're kind of alone down here."
Ebon abandoned his leverage on Brainiac. Damn. He had played his hand too soon. If he wanted Brainiac to work for him, Ebon needed the kid.
"He's hurt; he couldn't get very far. Find him, Hotstreak, and bring him to me." Ebon turned his attention to the android that was regaining its feet.
"We're gonna find your boy, Tin Man. And when we do, you better do what I tell you or he's gonna pay big time. We clear?" Ebon melted into the floor; his shadow could be seen in the flickering firelight heading towards one of the nearby tunnels.
Brainiac remained silent at Ebon's taunts. Responding would waste time and resources he would need if were going to protect Richie from these human pests. He activated his sensors. It was impossible to search via infrared - the human Hotstreak interfered with the readings. He switched to auditory scanners. There! Two heartbeats, one much faster than the other. They were both coming from the corner of the cavern near the fuel tanks. Brainiac made his way to the owners of the life sounds.
Hotstreak was following the scuffmarks barely visible on the floor. He was really starting to admire this kid. He always thought Richie was a nobody, but looks were deceiving. He had a lot of guts standing up to Brainiac like that, especially when he was still injured, and he had to be scared out of his mind. Even with that fear though, the young man had the presence of mind to stage an escape. Too bad it was down here where there were only a few places to hide.
When Richie reached the dangling vines, he was able to use them and the rough-hewn walls for leverage to pull himself up into the cluster of roots. A particularly large root mass formed enough of a ledge that he could relinquish his grip and rest for a few moments. When his breathing was more or less under control, he listened for sounds of pursuit. He heard Brainiac urging him to return 'for his own protection.' Ugh! Time to get busy.
Richie fished out the homing beacon he had pulled off Hotstreak.
'Way to go, Static!'
He had also managed to gather bits of metal and wire during his rush for safety. After some tinkering, he he had it.
'I can't do much, but I can boost the signal on this thing at least another twenty percent. If I had more time, I could probably turn this into a transceiver. Damn, I wish I had some light.'
His wish was granted as Hotstreak paused beneath his hiding place. He held his breath when the redhead stooped to look at something on the ground. Hotstreak stood, touched one of the dangling roots, and looked slowly upward. Richie gasped as their eyes met.
'Please,' Richie mouthed, eyes wide and begging. 'Please.'
Hotstreak looked startled for a moment. He glanced around, before retuning his attention to the cornered boy. He shook his head and said loudly, "Hey, Brainiac! Your boy's up here."
'Sorry, kid. Ebon's got something planned. I don't know why Brainiac wants you, but I think he's at least interested in keeping you alive.'
Francis wasn't sure what he was doing any more. Here was the perfect tool to force an alien supercomputer to do his bidding, and all he was thinking about was how to get the kid to a doctor. Maybe some of his anger had been siphoned off into Ebon after the second Big Bang. He couldn't be sure, but he did feel different. Besides, the android had already been heading their way when he found the kid. He couldn't have fooled the machine into looking elsewhere.
Brainiac joined him and looked into the root mass for Richie. Richie shrank back as far as possible.
"C-c-come down Richie. You wi-wi-will be safe with me."
When Richie didn't respond, Hotstreak quipped, "Don't make me come up there, young man!"
Their suggestions for Richie to abandon his nest were met with suggestions that were not anatomically possible. Hotstreak laughed and used his powers to lift himself to the ceiling.
His voice was soft as he reached Richie's level. "You're between a rock and a hard place here, kid. I know it's cliché. Here's another one for you: better the devil you know."
"Don't you know what he's going to do?" asked Richie in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I know what he's not going to do. He's not going to let you bleed to death." Hotstreak gestured towards the bandages peeking out from the hospital gown. Portions of the bandages as well as the gown were moist with blood. "Come on."
Richie gave a trembling sigh. He was finished, spent. He had done his best, but there was simply no fight left in him. He tucked the homing beacon inside the gown and crawled into Hotstreak's outstretched arms. Hotstreak floated them gently to the ground and held on to Richie as Brainiac's form towered over them. The boy began to shake as the panels exposing the void within the android opened. Hotstreak forced Richie inside the gaping maw and secured the arm and leg straps. Electrodes found their way to the boy's temples. Richie closed his eyes as a silent tear wound its way down his cheek. The shell closed around him. Hotstreak turned away.
And was hit with a painful bolt of electricity while the cavern echoed with an angry cry of "NOOOOOOO!"
J'onn never steered them wrong. He was always prepared with a "turn right" or "left here" whenever they came to a fork in the tunnel system. The large tunnels allowed them to travel side by side, but visibility beyond Static's energy ball was nil. There was almost no warning when they plunged into the main cavern just in time to see Hotstreak bind Richie into his private nightmare.
Static could not control the rage that surged through his body at that moment. Batman leapt clear of the young hero as he powered up and blasted the other meta-human with a huge energy pulse. Too late, Static saw what was behind Hotstreak - barrels of fuel. The explosion, when it came, was tremendous, and the shock wave knocked everyone in the cavern to the floor.
Ebon saw the trio of superheroes pass overhead.
'Guess the kid ain't down this tunnel after all.'
Before Ebon could make his way back to the main cavern, he heard the explosion. No way Blondie survived that. Oh, well. Back to the drawing board. He would start over. Build a new gang. Wipe out Dakota's heroes, and then move on to the Justice League. He didn't need Brainiac. He didn't need anybody. He wondered if Hotstreak made it. Ebon shrugged. Not his problem. Without looking back, Ebon phased away.
Where Ebon's phase disk had faded, a crack appeared. The walls and ceiling of this tunnel, which had not yet been reinforced when the subway project was cancelled, began to crumble. Slowly at first, then gaining in momentum.
Being the furthest from the blast, J'onn was somewhat protected by distance but was still injured by the heat. It weakened him so much that he was barely able to levitate.
The torches lighting the cavern had been extinguished, but the explosion ignited several small fires throughout, especially among the roots hanging from the ceiling. J'onn used his other senses to locate friends and enemies. Batman was just to his left. That stoic presence was clear in his mind. The tingle of Static's mind was farther away, closer to the origin of the blast. Hotstreak had survived intact; flames were nothing to him. Brainiac…No, not Brainiac. Richie. He was alive! Strange…his presence was moving away.
"Batman! Brainiac is escaping with Richie!"
"That's not our only problem," said the Dark Knight. J'onn saw Batman reviewing an incoming message from the Javelin's computer.
"Seismic activity?" asked the Martian Manhunter.
Batman nodded. "Probably due to the force of the blast in such an enclosed area. We need to get Richie and Static and get out of here. Now."
In the light of the cavern before the attack and subsequent explosion, Brainiac had seen the trio of superheroes entering from one of the access tunnels. They were too late. Richie was once again within him, and within him he would stay. He had to get free of the subterranean tunnels and find medical supplies for his boy. He would not need Hotstreak to light his way; he would use his sensors to navigate the tunnels. The Bang Baby was on his own.
Whoo-whee! What a rush! He could do without the noise, but the heat, oh, it was glorious! He allowed himself to bask in the flames for a moment before he focused on the one who had caused the explosion. Static Shock. There! Before he gave it conscious thought, he was throwing fireballs at the young hero, who deftly dodged them.
Static gave as good as he got. This was the man, no, he couldn't be called a man after what he had done. Hotstreak had betrayed Richie, the boy he loved, to a monster. He had to be punished.
Static hurled a nova ball at Hotstreak, who dove to the side. The energy ball hit and was absorbed into the dirt wall. Moments later, a rumbling sound was audible.
"Static! The tunnels are collapsing. We have to leave!" Batman's call resounded in the cavern.
Static searched quickly for Brainiac.
Where did…? He must have gotten away while I was fighting Hotstreak. Now where the hell did Hotstreak go?
We're almost there, fellow Stati-holics! One more chapter, then probably an epilogue. There will be a sequel (you'll see why).
Thank you all who expressed such kind words about my family's loss. I hadn't seen my aunt in several years, but I had a lot of fond memories that I was able to share. Thanks again.
X-parrot - Thanks for the props. Now get back on that keyboard and update 'Summertime.' Onegai?
AlanSimmons - We thank you for the review.
LaBOBuren - I reviewed!
Raving Lunatic - Rave no longer! While he's still half-nekkie, at least he's snuggled into the arms of someone he loves. (What? He's not with Virgil? leev, what the hell did you write?)
Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac - (leev extracts herself from enthusiastic glomping) Thank you very much!
a proud geek freak - Duuuuude!
Nikana - Clarice, do you still wake up to the screaming of the… oh, wait. Wrong story.
BH - You were right about the beacon - go you! Yeah, I am finding hole after hole as I see more and more episodes, but what can you do? The muse wants what the muse wants. Thanks for reviewing.
Phoenix87 - (bows) Thank you; thank you.
Gracie - Richie weighing the pros and cons: Brainiac…Gracie. Brainiac…Gracie. Hmmmm…. Don't worry - I takes care of my Richie! Sorry! OUR Richie!
Mo - I taped the darn episodes this time! Too late to change, but I may have another ficcie up my sleeve. As soon as I put on a shirt that has sleeves.
AJ McKay - Thanks for understanding, and thanks for all your advice. Richie needs help now, though. He is one stuck puppy.
Pita - (leev hurriedly cancels her Caribbean vacation plans) Thanks for the review!
SnakeMistress - And lo! The walls began to crumble. Thanks.
EyesLikeSilk - Are you watching? He'll be in the epilogue and the sequel.
Dea Puella - Thank you very much.
KaliAnn - Hi! I love the idea and I think I will use it, at least partially. I'll be sure to credit that chapter to you!