Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own Static Shock. It belongs to Dwayne McDuffie, Milestone, DC Comics and WB. All I own is the necessary equipment to change it into something I can understand.

Warning: Will contain slash, drugs, violence and one sided relationships. This will be a bit riskier than my average fics. Knowing me it'll be okay but I only thought it fair to place a warning. I hope everyone enjoys the rendition of Shiv by a third author. I want to be original and hope this is.

A/N: I am so sorry if I make Richie too cranky. I'm trying not to. But it is a hard business making Richie worried and happy. This is about two lines over my limit. I hope no one minds. Oh and before a forget. Thank you so much for all of the reviews. This is my highest reviewed fanfic yet. Its in the double digits. I am so grateful and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Taken Lightly

Chapter 3: The Clinic

Shiv had been drugged or he thought he had been. He had at one point gone unconscious but couldn't remember when but then again, he couldn't remember much from the past day at all. He had been moved but unlike what they had planned, he hadn't been rebellious in the least. In fact, he had fainted from hunger shortly before they had gone in. Doctors had been near to fainting themselves, some out of concern and others by the idea of a specimen dying before being properly examined. He was however unaware of this, his memory was still fogged over. He had been caught by the clinic after a plan by the Breed had failed. This was apparently the end of it for Ebon. He abandoned Shiv for the police with no intent of any break out. He had been left for dead basically. He had been very worried about the whole ordeal for he had been hurt in the struggle. He knew very well how dangerous it was to be a wounded, abandoned metahuman in the inter city. He was a fugitive which counted out any help or security in the almost nonexistent police. He also had Static to worry about who had wounded him in the first place. However the greatest danger was not the authorities at that point. Being arrested would be one of the best things that could happen. It gave him time to rest and recover. It was the human gangs that posed the greatest threat. The gangs of Dakota had developed an almost instinctual hatred for metahumans. He remembered it well from shortly after the big bang.

Shiv pulled himself up and looked around. He was lying on a cot in a small room of neutral color with one glass wall and no windows. He collected himself for a moment. An escape would be simple. He had obviously been fed. He was no longer hungry and his bruises had healed for the most part. He was in a fit state for a break out. He got up and walked over to the glass wall. He looked around. No one was around. He giggled maniacally. It was so easy. He backed up and tried to create blades. Nothing happened. He quickly became confused. He tried again and again and yet again with no luck. He looked around the room. It was well lit or lit well enough for him to use his powers. He looked down at his hands. They were off color with a reddish hue. They almost appeared burned. His skin was peeling slightly and he had now realized that they stung severely. That explained why he was in such a primitive cell and why no other bang babies were around. He had been drained of his powers, cured or something. He was helpless at this point. He had minimal body strength and little to no tactical abilities. It was becoming blatantly obvious why he had been the scapegoat of the Metabreed. He was quick, more acrobatic than most and had powers. Shiv was beginning to think this was a very bad situation.

Virgil decided to go to the clinic the next day. He came clad in his Static gear wired by Richie who had been barking out rules since the moment he had left the gas station. Virgil had been tempted to turn it off twice but had decided against it. "Look V, try not to get into any situation where you can't get out."

"I told you Rich, I won't. Stop worrying, I'm a superhero remember."

"Yeah, I remember, V."

"Anything else, I'm standing right outside of it. I have to go in."

"Yeah, I know I put a tracker on you a long time ago."

Virgil pretend to think this was sweet and not creepy for a moment. "So anything else or not?"

"Just... be careful and don't get your dissected."

Virgil laughed. "I'll remember that one. Talk later Rich."

Virgil turned off the communicator and walked into the building. The entrance was a large waiting room with several doors, an elevator and a front desk. He stood for a moment not knowing what to do. Some things were easier in his Static gear than in his street clothes. However it worked the other way as well, he would feel perfectly comfortable dressed down as Virgil in his street clothes sitting in this waiting room reading a magazine from one of the racks. However the idea of himself clad in his Static costume reading a medical journal or teen magazine made him feel almost disgusted. However, he couldn't help but staring at a bright well lit cover of a National Geographic sitting on the table. Richie had originally subscribed shortly before his powers had kicked in for homework reference and he liked the pictures. However he had abandoned them saying that the level was too rudimentary using those exact words. Virgil however had grown very much attached to the old magazines from the out-of-date subscription and read them cover to cover when Richie wasn't around. He had seen a newer issue from time to time and had bought them in a sneaky, almost closet obsessive type of way, hiding them under a pile of comics when they went to magazine racks. He often received weird looks from the clerk as the purchase was as followed: 'Icon', 'Hardware', 'Batman', 'Green Lantern, 'National Geographic: Cover Story Inca mummies'. However this had caused no end of joy for his father whom occasionally walked behind Virgil some days who had slipped a National Geographic between the pages of a comic book to read it without Richie noticing. However before Virgil had a chance to pick up the magazine to see what the cover story was, two doctors walked out of the elevator. One was the small Asian doctor from the clip and the other was a middle aged African American man. They walked towards him giving Virgil his first good look at what Richie had dubbed 'the enemy'. The man was built well with no facial hair and a white lab coat appearing to be a cynical and aggressive but good spirited man and the woman who was much smaller than he had guessed by the tape. She came only just above the bridge of his nose in height and was built very delicately but pressed an air of utmost seriousness. Virgil stood nervously for a moment then smiled. The male doctor smiled back as the female doctor simply did a nod to acknowledge the action.

"Welcome to the Crane Rehabilitational Clinic, Static." the male doctor said shaking Virgil's name. "I am Doctor Jackson and this is my associate Doctor Lin."

"Pleased to meet you Static. I trust the message was received well." Dr. Lin said calmly.

"Yeah. I got it right away."

"You must be a very bright boy or have a very good team helping you." said Dr. Lin staring down at her clipboard.

"The reason we called you here Static is that we have a problem with a patient." said Dr. Jackson leading Virgil into the elevator. "Patient number 9749-3796-3A-12B also known by a street name of Shiv is..."

Virgil turned quickly and interrupted. "You caught Shiv. He's one of the Metabreed. How'd you...?"

He was stared at by both doctors as though he were either going to be attacked or had lobsters crawling out of his ears. Either way, it was not a comforting feeling. Dr. Lin spoke first. "Patient # 9749-3796-3A-12B was found alone on Milestone Street. He wasn't accompanied at all."

"We never take metahumans in gangs. Its too dangerous. Patient 97..." Dr. Jackson said interrupted.

"You can just say Shiv?" Virgil said getting very annoyed hearing that excessively long number.

"Fine. Shiv was found wounded as a lone metahuman. It looked like he had been in a fight."

Virgil winced slightly. It wasn't often he felt bad about being a superhero but he had never meant to hurt anyone before. He hadn't been paying attention in the fight with the Metabreed and had beaten on Shiv rather severely. It was almost instinctive after a few years of crime fighting to shoot electricity at anything that got up again and was trying to kill you. He had also imagined that the Metabreed would care for itself. He had in no way tried to get anyone killed. "So what's the problem?"

The elevator opened on the third floor. The doctor lead him out taking a sharp left turn. Dr. Jackson continued to speak not turning to face Static who by now had broken almost thirty four of Richie's paranoid little guidelines. "The patient, Shiv as you call him, is refusing to cooperate with anything we ask. We have limited information on him besides what Dr. Adams had dug up. We finally were able to move him after a four day wait which caused a great deal of distrust to begin with."

"You do know that this place has a bad rep with bang babies?"

The doctors looked at one another as though wondering if the other knew anything about this. Dr. Lin looked down at her papers and Dr. Jackson just appeared as though he wished dearly that he had some papers to stare at. "Well anyway, " Dr. Jackson said trying to end the awkward moment. "We thought since you had dealt with him before that you could help."

"I don't know how good it'll do. He really doesn't like me any better than you, guys." Virgil said with a grin.

The doctors again groaned to themselves awkwardly. This was not at all going as they had planned. "Could you at least try?" Doctor Lin said almost distressed. "He hasn't been cooperating at all and has hardly eaten. I know the rumors about this clinic. They have a point about us locking up all of these children. But we are in no way trying to kill anyone. We're trying to help people. If you could get some information from him maybe we could find his parents or a relative to take him in. Could you please try?"

Dr. Jackson turned his head rather slowly. He hadn't ever heard her say anything with anywhere near the passion as the speech she had just given. The tiny withdrawn woman who had never had an opinion on anything in medical school and had spent more time learning the mechanics of the human liver than about socialization had just given a rather heart felt speech.

Virgil appeared to have felt the same way. "Alright, I'll try."

The Asian woman smiled but only slightly and directed him to Shiv's cell.

I know I'm not getting anywhere in this chapter but I'll have more soon. I also apologize for the minimal appearance of Shiv.