Notes: Okay, so only now have I seen the episodes with Madelyn, and I was very saddened by the fact that there had already been a person in the series with both telekinesis and telepathy...but, the story shall continued! I just added awareness of Madelyn into the story to accomodate the episodes. Also, I lied. You don't find out why Richie's upset about his powers in this chapter.
warcong: Wee! Richie!love! And haven't you noticed how when V and Richie fight, it's always Richie who's the first to apologize? I've always wanted Richie to stand up for himself and just smack V.
Hybridbabe: Mwahaha. I have corrupted you! And yes, I love Richie way more than Virgil, but I know why... because he's just so. Freaking. Adorable.
Dimitri A: Aww, it's okay. You can still use the idea of Richie's powers, I won't mind :)
Stranj100: Shh! Don't spoil it for the others :p
And to all the other reviewers, thank you so much! The reviews keep me writing and make me feel better when I'm down! Especially since someone just reviewed my other Static Shock fic purely to say "eww" because "omgslashisgross" and they were too mean to just ignore the fic and move on. Man, I hate people.
Shatter
Chapter Two
Vigil stared incredulously at Richie as he let his friend's words sink in, not able to comprehend what should have been a simple sentence.
"…Say what?"
Sighing, Richie fingered the edge of his tattered pant leg. There was a hole where there should have been solid denim and his mother was always after him to buy a new pair.
"I said… I stopped the bullet."
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning, I said 'Abra Kadabra' and the bullet magically stopped!" Richie hissed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. What did Virgil want him to say?
Cocking his head to the side, the boy in question frowned. Richie sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing his mounting headache to go away.
"Something's happening to me V…I think I know what it is...but I'm not sure. I know I stopped the bullet."
"But… how?" Virgil wondered, eyes wide with confusion. Richie felt a stab of uncalled for irritation in the back of his mind and had to fight not to snap again in response. What was wrong with him? He was never this moody.
Well, if you exclude that one time Virgil accidentally scratched Backpack's new sensory plate.
"I don't know how. I think it had something to do with the second big bang."
The blank look littering Virgil's features remained in place. Groaning to himself, Richie stood and walked over to his work desk, eyes taking in each of his unfinished inventions. In a split instant, he visualized exactly what parts he needed in order to complete Static's new waterproof recharger, frowning when he realized the items were all the way on the other side of the room.
He paused as a thought occurred to him. Taking in a deep breath, Richie glanced over his shoulder at Virgil, who was gazing at him with curiosity.
"Watch this," he mumbled, praying to whatever gods existed that he was wrong about what was happening and simply losing his mind. Closing his eyes, Richie envisioned the exact pieces he desired, willing them to leave their positions on the gas station floor and make their way over to him. A loud gasp from behind told Richie all he needed to know.
"You…you can control…?"
"Yeah."
All at once Richie felt himself being lifted up and spun around to face his grinning friend.
"Wow, Rich! That's amazing! You can control metal!"
Oh, for crying out…
"No, V. I can't control metal."
The confusion was back at full force.
"But you just-"
Taking a step backwards, Richie raised his hand and concentrated on the empty pizza box sitting on the couch. Dragging his arm in a circular motion, Richie felt an odd sense of calm fall over him as he watched the box spin around.
"Y-you're…"
Closing his eyes once again, Richie led his thoughts into the recess of Virgil's mind. Might as well get it all over and done with.
Telekinetic.
Virgil yelped and nearly fell over, eyes darting around the room as if to locate the source from which the voice had come from. His gaze landed uneasily on Richie.
"Were you just in my head?"
Yes.
"Gah!" Virgil jumped again. "Don't do that!"
Sorry.
Richie chuckled at the glare Virgil shot him.
"Sorry."
Dusting himself off, Virgil stood and played it as if he hadn't just acted like Ebon in a room full of light.
"So you're…telepathic, too?"
"I…guess so."
"Like Madelyn Spalding?" The way Virgil said the girl's name made Richie think his friend was speaking of Sharon after a particularly nasty fight. He smiled faintly.
"As far as I know, she never had both powers at the same time…and she wasn't a super genius to top it off. But I promise I won't turn you into a Brain Zombie."
"But….does this mean you have the potential to?"
"Sure."
"…Whoa."
Richie sighed at the wary look his friend was giving him.
"Yeah. Whoa."
O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O
There was a strange tapping sound somewhere near the back of his brain. It started out as a dull thud and ended in a gunshot. No matter how hard he tried to block the noise out, it continued on. And it was beginning to take shape, sounding oddly like his name.
"Richie."
The similarities were uncanny.
"Rich!"
How very eerie…
"Richie!"
Wait…
Starting from his light sleep, Richie forced his eyes open and blearily glanced at the illuminated clock beside Virgil's bed. 2:43am. He blinked.
V. Go to sleep.
"I told you not to do that!"
I'm too tired to talk.
"Rich!"
"Fine." Rolling over, Richie yawned and glanced at his friend through half-lidded eyes.
And since when did they start sharing Virgil's bed?
"Since you fell asleep here during the movie and hell if I'm sleeping on the floor in my own house," Virgil commented offhandedly, shifting so that he was lying on his back. Richie blushed, unaware that he had been broadcasting his previous thought.
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's cool, man." Virgil looked at Richie out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "Anyway…"
"Ah, yes. Please, let us reach the reason for which I was rudely awakened."
Snickering, Virgil rolled over on his side, facing the blonde once again. "Admit it. Me being the first thing you see when you wake up just makes your day a whole lot brighter."
Blushing, Richie had to fight to keep his mind blank after that comment, instead trying to find some sort of distraction for his thoughts. The color of Virgil's new curtains was a start. They were an orange color, like the shirt Virgil always wore. The shirt Virgil always wore, except for when he was in bed. Like he was now. The shirt Virgil always wore, except for when he was in bed, because when he was in bed, he chose to be shirtless.
Shirtless.
In bed.
Next to him.
Shit.
Turning his head away to hid the flush of his cheeks, Richie sat up and nearly tripped over himself in his haste to get out of the bed. He didn't have to look twice at Virgil to know that his thoughts had been loud enough for his friend to hear. Quickly grabbing his book bag, Richie ignored the way his chest hurt when Virgil didn't call for him to stay or ask him what was wrong.
Shit.
O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O
Shit, shit, shit.
Shit.
Those were the only thoughts running through Gear's brain as Static found himself soaked to the bone and being held up against a wall by yet another new bang baby.
"You'd think… the good doctor would have worked up another antidote to the bang gas to… help out with you new baddies?" Static forced out with a weak laugh as he tried to push against the aquatic meta-human in vain. The criminal looked vaguely like a watery version of Hotstreak. Only ten times stronger.
Shit, shit, shit.
"GEAR! Those thoughts? Really not helping!" Static shouted, his tone decidedly less light. Gear frowned and tried to control the hurt that shot through his mind. When Backpack had picked up the signals of Trident, this new bang baby, Gear had had a long debate with himself on whether or not to show up. Finally deciding that he should at least try to help Static, he made his way to the city hall, which brought him face to face with his current predicament.
And with Static practically radiating hostility that Gear hoped to whatever gods existed wasn't pointed towards him.
Shit, shit, shit.
"GEAR!"
Closing his eyes, Gear nodded to himself. This was no time for self-pity. Grabbing hold of a Zap Cap, Gear aimed it at Trident and threw with all of his might, feeling a sense of relief wash over him as the weapon surrounded the villain and sent out shock after shock of electricity, temporarily paralyzing Trident on the spot.
"Well…that went better than expected," Gear muttered to himself, reaching for another Zap Cap. His attack was halted by a sudden burning sensation on his right arm. Another sting followed quickly and soon Gear found himself at the bottom of City Hall's steps, bleeding profusely from one arm where Trident's water whip had sliced him.
Shit, shit, shit.
Where was She-Bang randomly popping up with irritatingly good timing when you needed her?
If only Gear could somehow recharge Static and, at the same time, get Trident closer to the telephone lines…
That was it!
Closing his eyes, Gear envisioned a Zap Cap leaving his utility belt and making its way over to Static. When he heard his partner cry out in triumph over the crackling of electricity, he knew he had completed the first part of his plan. And now for Trident…
Gear opened his eyes and struggled into a standing position, raising his arm to help control the direction of his power. Focusing on Trident, Gear felt an intense pressure build up within his skull, almost to the point of agony. But he was so close…
Swinging his arm up in the direction of the telephone wires, he felt the pain suddenly die away and be replaced with the same odd sense of peace he had felt at the gas station when he had lifted the pizza box. It ran through his entire body, setting his senses on fire and easing his scattered thoughts away to a place where he wouldn't be forced to dwell on them. It told him to close his hand tightly into a fist and bring it down rapidly as if in anger.
All at once, the feeling was gone, and Gear's vision suddenly cleared, making way for the numbing headache that he knew was about to befall him. Clutching his hands to his head, Gear fell to his knees, gasping from the excruciating pain. His vision was blinded and he felt as though he had been abruptly dropped into a whirlwind of ice and fire all at once, skin burning and insides freezing. He was suffocating and choking and aching and crying and god, he just wanted to die.
"Gear? Gear!"
Don't come near me don't come near me don't come near me…
"G-gear…I…"
It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts…
"Gear, we need to get you help!"
I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared…
"Gear…it'll be okay… please, you're scaring me, too… let's just get you some help…"
It's dark in here it's dark in here it's dark in here…
"I know, it'll be okay."
Don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me…
"I won't….I promise, I won't."
O:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:O
When Gear opened his eyes, the first thought that came to mind was that he wasn't in his room. The second was that he wasn't in Virgil's room either. The third was that he wasn't in the gas station and the forth was that he really didn't know where he was.
But there was a warm hand holding his and somehow, it made everything better.
"Gear? You awake?" Static.
"No. I sleep with my eyes open." Turning his head towards his partner, Gear shifted so that he was in a better position to have a conversation. He blushed when he realized it was Static's hand he was holding.
Having enough sense not to mention the contact, Gear instead turned his attention back to the strange room they were in. "And we are where?"
"Guess."
Gear raised an eyebrow and focused on Static, trying to ignore the way Static's playful smile gave him butterflies.
Virgil didn't hate him.
"I could never hate you, dumbass. Now guess."
"I…err," Gear's face, if possible, turned even pinker and he forced himself to play along with Static's little guessing game.
"A hospital?" he wondered, noting the bright white lights that hovered above him. Static's grin widened.
"Close."
"A room that looks almost identical to a hospital?"
"Even closer." Starting at the new voice, Gear sat up abruptly and felt a wave of nausea overcome him. Turning his head to the side, all etiquette and manners slipped his mind as his stomach turned itself inside out.
"Uhm, eww," Static muttered, watching his friend retch with the sickening interest of a rubbernecker at an accident scene. Glancing over at the tall figure by the door, Static shrugged.
"He's been like this ever since the baby started to kick."
"Fascinating," Superman smirked, leaning against the doorway. "You the father?"
"Sure, why not?"
Gear gasped as a new surge of vomit coursed through his system.
"Hey, I'll try not to take that personally!"
TBC
Note: No, Richie is NOT
pregnant. Guys, it was just a joke on Virgil's part. I've
had too many people ask me if I was serious or not.
