To joyfulcry: Thankx alotfor your review...I really appreciate it:)

To Darkbusterrancher: Thankx so much! It's good to know that there are others out there who like my story too:) As for your suggestions, thanks alot. I'll definitely keep that in mind. The only thing is, this particular fic is only going to take place over the first few months after the big bang, so Gear's not around yet, and the second Big Bang is still years off. Thankx again though!

To Victoria Wolf: Ahh...don't worry about it. How do they say? It's water under the bridge...not to worry. Just don't do it again:) Haha...anyway, I thought you might like that chapter...I know I had fun writing it;)

Hey guys. Okay, finally...the chapter where the story actually begins! Enjoy!


Back at the "Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude", Rioko and Virgil were laughing so hard it made their stomachs sore as they watched one of Richey's newest inventions backfire and cover him with bubble gum. "Yuck! Who ever thought a bubble gum machine could get so sticky" Richey said as he examined his gum-covered clothes.

"Hahaha! You...you look like a...Haha!" Virgil was overcome with laugher to see his friend in the sticky pink goo.

"Oh ha ha...very funny." Richey laughed sarcastically.

"You have to admit Rich, it was funny..." Rie added through a small laugh while she picked a piece of rouge gum out of her hair. "Well guys, this was fun, thanks."

The smile on Virgil's face slowly diminished as Rie stood from her seat on a bar stool and grabbed her coat. "You don't have to go yet Rie, do ya?"

"Yeah, I still wanna test out my 'rocket boots'." Richey added; still peeling the gum off his shirt.

Rie sighed a bit and put on her jacket; absentmindedly sliding her wings through slits she had made in it specifically for them. "Haha...Well, I'm sorry I'm gonna miss that Rich, but I do have to go. I've gotta go on patrol for a bit and stop at the store on the way home to pick up some milk and stuff. Thanks for the wonderful day though. I enjoyed it."

"No prob Rie. You know you're always welcome to hang with us." Virgil said kindly.

"Yeah, we should do this more often." Richey again added to Virgil's comment.

"Thanks a lot guys. Virg, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'll meet up with ya for patrol around two on top of Media, kay?" Virgil asked as he walked Rie to the door.

"Sounds good. See ya then." Rie waved back to Richey and said goodbye to Virgil before taking off in flight.

"Good kid." Richey said simply as Virgil plopped back down in his spot on the sofa in the middle of the room.

"Yeah...I'm worried about her though."

Richey's face showed a slight bit of concern when he heard his best friend's voice drop from its usual happy-go-lucky tone to a deeper, worried one. "Why? She seems like she's doin' pretty good in the hero business to me."

"It's not that."

"Then what?"

"She's having trouble dealing with some issues from her past and it's startin' to get me a little concerned." Richey raised his eyebrow in curiosity as Virgil spoke. "Rich, don't tell her I told you this, but Hotstreak's her bro dude."

"Oh...so that's why she got all depressed looking when I brought up that fire from yesterday."

"Yeah." Virgil sighed.

"V, am I sensing that you're starting to like Rie a little more then just as your 'partner'?"

"What" Virgil stuttered a bit. "N...No...I'm just worried about her cuz she's my friend...that's all."

Richey smiled. "Uhhuh...sure."

Virgil blushed and tried to think of a reply to his friend's taunt. "What? She is...my friend. I can be concerned about her if I want to..."

"Haha...okay, okay V-man, relax. I won't tell." Richey winked at Virgil before quickly changing the subject.

Later that day, Virgil and Richey decided to go see a movie at the theater about ten minutes walk from them. As they mindlessly enjoyed the movie in a loud theater, sirens filled the air outside along with the repetitive sound of helicopter blades spinning in the wind. "It's the Metabreed. They've broken out of jail again" A policeman yelled over the radio.

"How? I thought they were under heavy lockdown." another asked in reply.

"They were. But they managed to break free somehow."

"Did they have help?" another cop joined in on the two-way conversation.

"Not that we can see. All we know is that they're gone. Just vanished into thin air." the first cop replied again with a slight sense of fear in his voice.

The police frantically searched for any signs of the Metabreed; covering almost every alley, street, even sewer line in the city. But there was one place none of them thought to look. The old 8th Street subway line was abandoned and thought to be buried under twenty feet of rubble from an explosive that was set off there a long time ago. To normal human eyes, nothing could survive down there...not even metahumans. Too bad for them they were very wrong.

Hidden behind a thick wall of stone and debris, there was an entire safe house filled with everything a growing criminal would need. Food, beer, money, even weapons. Everything any metahuman would need was stored there. And it all belonged to one very powerful criminal. Ebon. Some what weary from the battle they recently fought to escape from jail, again, Ebon and his gang of misfit bang babies relaxed and basked in their victory behind the walls of the safe house.

"When will those stupid cops learn? They can't keep us locked up!" Shiv laughed.

"Shut up Shiv. I'm thinking." Ebon growled from the other side of the large room.

Shiv stood from his seat and walked over to Ebon who was sitting at a table, drawing out some kind of plan. "Come on Ebon. We just escaped from jail for the second time in one week! I think you should loosen up a bit."

"Shiv's right" Talon walked over next to their leader. "We deserve to celebrate a little bit."

"Not tonight. Can either of you tell me why we ended up back in jail" Ebon questioned.

"Uhhh...Static and Angel?" Shiv knew he answered wrong when he saw Ebon's white eyes narrow angrily.

"No you idiot. Hotstreak. He betrayed us all and landed us back in jail."

Talon crossed her wing-like arms and sat in a chair near Shiv. "What are you getting at?"

"That hothead has to pay for crossing us." Ebon stated simply.

"Umm...how?" Shiv asked cautiously; not wanting to further anger the noticeably enraged metahuman.

"Easy. We take something that I have a feeling means a lot more to him then his own life."

"And what's that?"

"His sister." Ebon snickered.

"What!" Talon and Shiv asked completely confused.

"Broken Angel...her real name is Rioko Stone. Out of curiosity, I did some research on her. Turns out she's Hotstreak's long lost kid sister."

Shiv's confusion grew as Ebon spoke. "Okay, but how do you know Hotstreak'll break for her? He fought her yesterday just like he did us."

"I don't. But somethin' tells me he will."

A sinister grin grew on Shiv's face as Ebon spoke. "When do we leave?"