Disclaimer: I don't own Static Shock. It belongs to Mister Dwayne McDuffie, Milestone, DC Comics and WB. However if I won it in a round of Trivial Pursuit, Shiv would have a back story and a sexy heroic villain episode.

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 lied obviously. I decided to break up this chapter into two. I hope no one minds. Also I have a gift for everyone. I posted a thank you at: http/www,deviantart,com/view/23368778 (Replace the commas with periods)

Taken Lightly
Chapter 10: The Breed

Virgil sat unturned against the outside wall as Shiv finished. He felt uneasy sitting there. Shiv, however, seemed unfazed. He looked up at the open cell. Nothing was stopping an escape and he knew it. There was an urge, a savage one, to kill and escape. It was an uneasy feeling for him. For the first time in three years, he couldn't act on it. He felt a resistance to it and a strong one. He threw back his head and began to laugh. It was maniac, no denying it. "What have you done to me, Hero? What have you done?"

Virgil turned slightly. The outburst had rattled him.

"Trying to bring back the dead, I see." Shiv was now unable to not laughing. "Its silly to try. What's dead is dead."

Virgil was confused and growing more nervous. "Joe. Joe, what are you talking about?"

"I was Shiv, earlier. So, who is it? Shiv or Joe? It doesn't matter to me." Shiv grinned widely. He was back to the games. Virgil didn't know if it was safest with the gate open now. It seemed risky. He turned slightly to look behind him. Shiv was already standing up. He appeared to be looking forward, not really at anything though. "You were invited into the Breed. You were!"

Virgil didn't move. He was trying not to startle Shiv. For some reason, he appeared to be far too animal-like. He was acting like a playful predator.

"I remember!" Shiv walked out of the small cell in front of Virgil. His blades were not out and he wasn't really doing anything. This only made Virgil more nervous. "You were!"

Virgil began to stand up slowly. He looked at Shiv for a moment. He felt an awkwardness he had never been this close to him without being in mortal peril. "Yeah. It was three years ago."

Shiv looked at him confused for a moment. He was staring at Virgil. Shiv's head cocked slightly to the side as if, he was really focusing on something. "You still have somewhere to go. That's why you didn't join."

Virgil felt a wave of guilt. "Its not that you couldn't go back."

"Go back. Go back!" Shiv looked angry. "I'm a freak! I'm on the news four times a day! My father only would skin me! I could have gone back as Joe! But I'm not him anymore!"

Virgil shot him a stubborn look. "What are you talking about? You're still Joe. I mean you're still you. You're never going to stop being you! What are you talking about!"

Shiv standing rigidly. It was as though he didn't know how to address the question. He did not fidget and it worried Virgil. He had been comparing Shiv, in his only mind, to a predator increasingly more often and predators were always most still right before attacking. It was unnerving but Virgil remained calm. It was an uneasy trust he had with him. Something that could be easily severed but had to be broken to do so. Shiv had not and Virgil had to acknowledge that. "Maybe... you don't... didn't..." Shiv was half muttering but it was directed at Virgil.

"Didn't what?" Virgil said standing now. Shiv seemed unfazed by it. Almost as though, he wasn't paying attention. "What didn't I do?" he was speaking as calmly as possible. He was hoping it would, in some way, mentally sedate him.

"You didn't live with two names." Shiv wasn't really looking at him. It was a stare and it was in his direction but it was not to him. It was blank. His eyes were wide and dilated almost unseeing. "You take off that mask and you aren't Static. You're someone else."

Virgil was silent. He didn't understand much about what he was saying. It was foreign, or maybe not. He had felt the loss of identity associated with having another name. He felt he had to behave a certain way under the name of "Static" that Virgil was completely free of. He supposed that was what he was talking about. "You lost yourself?"

Shiv began to chuckle which erupted into a heavy maniacally laugh. Virgil backed up slightly. Shiv was now laughing louder than before. He had extended his blades and was in what seemed like a mania. He breathed heavily lowering his blades to his sides, panting. He appeared tired as he stood there. The entire situation seemed to be emotionally exhausting him. "You think I was always like this! I was sane, Hero! I was even normal! I wasn't Shiv. Shiv was part of the Breed. I wasn't him until the Breed."

Virgil stood trying to understand. "The Breed? The Breed named you Shiv? You weren't..."

"Ebon gave me that name. He thought it fit me. He doesn't look at people as people. I was a shiv to him. A tool at his disposal." Shiv appeared almost to regret something. He still had that maniac grin but something wasn't right and it was noticeable in his eyes.

"What happened after the Big Bang, Joe?"

"I shouldn't even let you call me that."

"What'd you like being called?"

"I said I shouldn't. You can, though but only you. I'm not letting everyone get to know my personal aliases."

"You make it sound like there are more than two." Virgil said jokingly.

"Did you just make a joke?" Shiv appeared amused.

Virgil realized he had. It wasn't unusual for him but a non-malicious joke to Shiv seemed iffy.

Shiv chuckled to himself. "So you want to know what happened?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, its a long story though. I didn't become Shiv overnight."

Joe spent the next few days sleeping anywhere he could find, which was almost everywhere with his new abilities. He was losing weight very quickly and gaining muscle on his upper body. This came naturally as the chemical ran through his blood. He was flexible, fast and balanced. It was amazing for Joe who had never been too light on his feet. He felt a sense of newfound freedom in it. The ability to go anywhere he wished was a dream come true.

He had resorted to stealing to get food. It wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it should have been. He could fit into any of the ventilation systems of any restaurant easily. This made his choices far from limited. However, he seemed to prefer fastfood. This system he had set up worked well for the first two days. But as he lost weight, he went from being able to live on two small meals to needing a minimum of six full meals to have any energy at all. With this new development, Joe had decided to spend almost all of his time near food.

However, it was a rare joy when he was not hungry and could just play in an empty alley. He finally had one of those rare joys. He had just bumped off nearly seventeen candy bars from a small gas station. As he needed so much food, he had begun relying more and more on candy for energy. It was small, easy to carry, and full of sugar. He walked into a small alley and after eating around five, he stood up and tightened his belt, an old seatbelt he had stripped from a car in the junkyard, around his heavy oversized pants. He had grown far too small for his old belt and pants around the waste but had no way of getting new one's. He had grown almost four inches in the past week and the ends no longer dragged on the ground. He had discarded his old tee-shirt because it had gotten in the way in vents. He only wore a white sleeveless undershirt that now fit snugly on his newly developed upper body. He had almost gotten a new body in a week. He raced across the alley and jumped almost twenty feet up flat onto an apartment landing. He smiled widely. He enjoyed the liberating feeling of being so agile. He continued to climb and scale the building, jumping from rain gutters, windowsills, and sometimes out the walls themselves. He somehow knew instinctually where to put his feet and hands. He didn't know how but he loved it. After finished climbing, he sat on the top of the brick building in Paris Row eating a Snickers bar. He simply stared into the smoky sky. He felt a calmness and liked it. When, it was rudely interrupted. "Hey, Hotshot!"

Joe turned quickly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a giant armadillo. He subconsciously decided, he was eating way too much sugar. "What?"

"Yeah, you! You got enough chocolate for everyone." he said irritably.

"I'm eating it." Joe knew he was short with the possible hallucination, but he was feeling increasingly more protective of his chocolate.

"I don't think you understand."

"Its my chocolate. What's to understand?"

"Look, Chan, I'm a bang baby. You give me anything I want."

"Bang what?" Joe said unenthusiastically. He was getting annoyed with his new imaginary friend. However, he wasn't really thinking straight because if he were, he would either be very scared right now or wouldn't be talking to it at all.

"You're not too sharp, are you? I'll have to beat it into you." With that the bang baby rolled into a ball and spiraled toward Joe. Joe did what instinct dictated and jumped as high as he could landing on the side of a perfectly smooth water tank which hung precariously over the edge of the building. He knew instantly he couldn't survive a fall off a building like this. He clawed desperately at the metal trying to get a hold on the metal and tried desperately to dig into the side with his wide skater shoes. It was no good. He had nothing to hold on to. He was scared, very scared. He was slipping and was going to die. His eyes were shut tight as he continued to claw and wish for his short nails to take. Suddenly with a sudden rush of tingling from his hands, they did and he could hear a shriek from the armadillo man. "You're a bang baby!"

Joe opened his eyes. His hands were glowing a pale purple and were in the shape of two long swords. He was half terrified and half relieved. He pulled one out of the water tank and a thin stream of water poured out. It was a perfect cut. The blades extended to his elbows where it changed gently into his bronze skin. This was impossible. It had to be. Still stunned, he jumped down onto the rooftop. He looked at the armadillo man hunched his shoulders and moved his blades forward. He had watched a total of three Wild Discovery's in his life. He was taking note. "Yeah, I am! I'm ...uh ...one of the toughest bang babies you'll meet." Joe realized how horrible his bluff was.

Carmen, however, did not. He appeared heavily shaken which was understandable since he had never met another bang baby before and Joe was looking pretty intimidating with his two sharp blades. Carmen appeared to think that he had obviously been toying with him and was going to gut him like a fish. "L-look M-mr. Blades... Knives... I-I was j-just passing by. I was never gonna take your chocolate. As a matter of fact, have mine." Carmen was now on the ground in fear emptying all the candy from his pockets. "As a gift." Carmen then ran away as fast as possible.

Joe was standing there sweating. He was scared out of his mind but the worst part was the realization of what he had just done. He couldn't believe he had just threatened someone. He wasn't a cruel person. He did talk back a lot but it was all in fun. He wasn't like this. He began to run down from the building. They wouldn't go away. Light swiftly faded from the streets and suddenly, they were gone. He sighed in relief. They only showed up in the light. He could handle that.

The next few days dragged on painfully slow as Joe continued his raiding for food by night. He went from alley to alley, through abandoned subways, and in unlit factories. He didn't dare risk coming out during the day for fear that his powers would emerge again. He feared them. Probably more than he had ever feared anything. He often slept from five in the morning to around dusk. He became so accustom to the darkness he could hardly believe had lived in sunlight. However, this was only a temporary solution and Joe knew it. Something was inside him and it working its work out. He had noticed it a few times now. He had stolen a pair of hoop earrings for no reason but that they looked nice. He had felt terrible but he had decided to keep them and wore them now almost everyday. He didn't know what was getting into him.

It had been nearly a week since he had stopped living in sunlight. This particular day, Joe was sleeping in a small heap curled in on himself inside an abandoned subway car. He positioned himself under the seat to avoid any light at all. He rolled over onto his stomach and felt something up against his face. It felt like hair. Joe let out a shriek and backed up quickly into the top of the seat. He rubbed his head and looked at it. It was hair all right, short black hair. Joe whimpered slightly realizing it was in fact, his hair. He immediately felt the top of head. His hair was dramatically more risen than usual but it was all there. He slid out from under the seat and walked out onto the open tracks. He looked up at the small opening he had made from the caved in subway entrance. It was dark. He could go out to look for food. He crawled out and hurried down an abandoned street. He had chosen a less than desirable side of town to live in because the street lights were often broken. He raced down the empty streets looking for anything that could be a possible meal. He found it. A food packing truck was driving slowly along side the empty street. He raced over and jumped onto the platform on the back of the truck. His past few weeks on the streets had taught him how to be unnaturally silent or perhaps it was his abilities. He couldn't be sure. He jumped onto the top of the truck and looked for an entrance. He crawled to the front and looked at the driver. It was a large man only half paying attention to his surroundings. He supposed this made sense. The buildings were so old in the neighborhood no one lived there and not even the resident gangs of Dakota used the area. It isn't nice but it wasn't dangerous either.

Joe glanced in at his options. He saw that the window on the passenger's side was open slightly and a small window to the back was wide open. If he could open the window, he would be fine. Joe crawled over to the passenger's side on the roof truck. He drew himself as close as he could to the edge without being seen or falling off. He leaned over slightly. The truck was traveling at around 25 miles an hour. Joe could run around the same speed, with full control of course. However, any faster made it hard to breath and turn for that matter. He had run thirty for a short time once but he was never trying that again. He hung over waiting for a moment. It was all up to the driver now. It was odd how instinctual this was. He knew exactly what to do like second nature.

The driver turned for a moment. Joe saw his chance and reached down into the truck through the opening in the window. He flicked the switch next to the seat allowing the window to roll down. The driver turned quickly but not fast enough. Joe was already sitting in the middle of the hood on the truck. Now all he needed was the hope that the driver wouldn't roll it back up. He didn't. Joe grinned widely. It was taking a lot of self-control just to stop him from laughing. However, he remained reserved and waited. The driver was more weary now. Obviously, he had heard about these mutants running around and wasn't taking any chances. Joe was undeterred. The driver turned looking on the other end of the street. This was his chance. He positioned himself over the hood of the truck with his fingered braced around the rim and flung himself into the window and through the small opening, landing silently inside the bed of the truck. It was easy. Joe looked around hungrily, rubbing his hands together. It was easy from here. He tore open a box and began to gorge on the contains. It was junk food, chips mostly. He ate an entire shipping box of them. It was complete bliss.

He looked around for a moment to find a possible escape. It was no good. He had to wait for a stop which was no big deal to Joe. He could easily help himself to something to eat and wait for the driver to stop for gas. The driver probably continued for twenty minutes before stopping. He got out of the truck leaving his new stowaway alone. Joe crawled out through the small open window into the driver's seat. He looked around for the driver. He was nowhere to be seem. Joe looked at his setting. He was in Paris Row. He recognized it. This was bad. He didn't know the neighborhood nearly as well as he would have liked and he needed to find a dark place to hide before dawn. Joe took a deep breath. He had to stay calm. It couldn't be as bad as it seemed. He looked looked around as he stood crouched in between the driver and passenger seat. Then something count his eye in the rear view mirror. He looked behind him quickly. The truck was empty except for him. Joe looked up at the mirror and lowered it so he could see himself. He had three notable purple streaks in his hair. He backed up quickly. This was impossible. His hair was purple. How could it be purple?

Joe opened the door and ran out without even closing the door. He ran. He didn't know where he was going or how fast he was running. He didn't know how long he ran. He didn't care. He just wanted to get away from all of it. He was a freak. He knew what the armadillo had meant by Bang Baby now, and he know what that gas had done. He was becoming some type of monster. He thought living in the dark could save him but obviously not. He ran until his body ached, his lungs burned and his heart felt like it was going to burst. He couldn't run anymore. He simply fell in the alley. He was on his knees now in the dirty alley. He could feel his head throb. However, it was nowhere near how it would feel that morning. Joe heard someone. Then, he realized it was several people. He turned slightly and tried to move. He staggered to his feet but somehow was helpless to move. He was too tired. He wasn't sure exactly what they were saying or who they were but he knew they were trouble. He was restrained by two larger than him and beaten. He was helpless to defend himself and even if he had accepted his powers he was too weak to use them. He blacked out after only a few minutes of the beating. He knew he had had his first run in with the anti-metahuman gangs of Dakota.

It was light in the alley as he lay on his side. He felt something. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly. He also had no way of knowing what time it was or how long he had been out. However he did know one thing, someone was poking him. "Hey! Hey!" Joe felt someone smack the side of his face. He groaned and opened his eyes slightly. "You alive?"

Joe's pupils dilated. He wasn't used to light and groaned.

"Are... you ... alive?" the voice was louder now.

His eyes adjusted. Hunched over him was a man with pure black skin in a purple vest with pure white eyes. He recognized him. It was Ivan, the drug dealer. He was changed like him. "Ivan?"

Ebon's eyes widened. He was firstly surprised the boy was alive. He had watched the beating and it hadn't been a pretty sight. Secondly, how did he know his name? He was almost positive he didn't know him. He wasn't a notorious banger. He was sure of that. He knew all of them and had made deals with many. This was not a banger and so obviously had no gang. If he had, he wouldn't be in this state. Ebon decided to play it by ear. If he knew him, that was fine and possibly beneficial. "Yeah but its Ebon, now. Can you ge'up?"

Joe thought on it for a moment. He wasn't sure. He groaned as he struggled to a sitting position. He was surprised that was far easier than it should have been. However, Joe was not the type to look into things too thoroughly and why fight it?

"Good." Ebon rose to standing. He always felt best taller than someone when talking to them. It was a bad habit he had had since he was young. It was the only way Adam used to listen to him. It gave him a greater sense of power and he enjoyed this power. "I've been watching you with interest."

Joe folded his legs and looked up at Ebon. Not many could hold his unabided attention this way.

"I have a proposition for you."

Joe smiled naively. He felt some degree of comfort in Ivan. "What kind of proposition?"

Ebon chuckled to himself. This was easier than he thought. "I'm offering you a place to stay and a crew." Ebon paused for a moment. He didn't remember the boy's name. He had to improvise. He had seen him create some type of swords with his hands. He had it. "Shiv."

Joe looked at him confused. "Shiv?"

"Yeah, you need a new name, after the way they treated you out there. You'll be called Shiv."

Joe didn't understand completely but it was comforting to see a familiar face. "Alright. Who else is in this crew?"

"I see you're a smart man. Come with me."

Suddenly, Ebon grew into a large black mass and swallowed Joe up inside it, disappearing into the wall of the alley. It was the strangest feeling and absolutely dark. There was no way to compare it. One would imagine a black hole was like this, void of all light. Joe, however terrified by the sudden assault did not feel in danger. He had been looking for a place this dark. When Joe arrived, he was in a subway station. He wasn't sure where. It was lighter than his previous homes though. He panicked. His comforting darkness was gone. He immediately rose to his feet and stuffed his hands into his pants' pockets. He had to hide them from the light.

"Settle down, Shiv."

"But... I can't... the light makes..."

"You stronger. You don't need to be afraid of your power here."

"But they..."

"Make you Shiv." Ebon said. There was a finality in his voice. "Now, time to meet your new crew."

Just then a large bird, or was it a human it was impossible to tell, flew down and landed next to Joe. Joe jumped slightly. She startled him and no one could blame him. She was quite the sight.

"This is Talon. She had trouble with her gift, too."

Joe turned to her almost excitedly. She walked around him looking him over. She shot a look at Ebon. "Shiv?"

"Yes, Shiv and don't call him anything else!"

Talon winced and mouthed something to him. However, whatever it was Joe couldn't hear it and wasn't paying much attention. It ended quickly and Ebon turned to Joe. "You go get settled, Shiv."

Joe grinned widely and ran into the small broken down train. He was happy to finally have a family.

However, Talon seemed to feel differently. She flew next to Ebon. "He's not a banger, Ebon."

"It makes it that much easier."

"He doesn't know anything about things, Ebon. He belongs back where he was."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Ebon went into the abandoned train to look for Joe who was surveying the train's interior. He seemed satisfied. "Shiv."

"You know, Joe is fine, too."

"I told you you're not bein' called that!"

Joe flinched. "Okay... Shiv then."

"I don't think you understand. I'm your friend, Shiv. I took you in, helped you out and you don't seem to appreciate that. You have to prove yourself in this crew."

Joe felt a wave of guilt and fear. He understood now. He wasn't badly hurt because Ivan had saved him. "I'm sorry, Ebon."

"Fine. I don't want you talking to Talon. She'll gut you alive."

"She didn't seem..."

"I'm your friend, Shiv. Trust me. Stay away from Talon and I have some errands for you."

"Errands... Ebon, I need to go out and get some food. I haven't eating since..."

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME!"

Joe jumped. He didn't know how he could have been so stupid. "Right. Errands. What kinds?"

This became the habit of things. Every night, Joe would go out and run "errands" for Ebon. The errands involved stealing very valuable merchandise of every kind. Joe could do it, of course. He was probably one of the most dexterous and agile metahumans in the city. He knew his way around scores of security systems and how to split by any guard. However it wasn't the the security systems or guards that bothered him, it was his conscience. That was the moment it started. To avoid the horrible guilt, Joe simply told himself that Shiv did it. So it went on. Shiv would sneak into almost anywhere and steal. However, unlike Joe who had stolen free of guilt for food, Shiv happily stole for pleasure. He loved the rush and made it a point to get too close to the guards and take unnecessary risks. However, the increased activity had its downfalls. When he was on his own, he basically ate, looked for food, and sleep. Now, he was forced to exert himself. He was soon far too thin for his old clothes and had to knot his belt to keep his pants from falling off when Shiv robbed. It was wearing on him. Ebon had noticed this. He knew that if he got any thinner, he wouldn't be able to keep his pants on during a robbery. Ebon quickly found new clothes for him and disposed of his old pants and shoes. He felt cheated somehow but his adoration for Ebon overrode the feelings. He was sure Ebon was doing it to help. He was his friend after all. He had told him so.

Joe had held on to his old muscle shirt. He didn't want to get rid of it. It was a reminder of who he was. He was Joe Chen and Shiv was simply a tool. He felt a part of himself irritated at the thought. He wasn't sure what it was but he had a sneaking suspicion it was Shiv. Wait, that was crazy! He is Shiv. He couldn't be annoyed with himself this way. Joe was worried something was wrong.

He hadn't spoken with anyone but Ebon for almost two weeks now. However despite the evidence to the contrary, he wasn't lonely. He had grown far too attached for that. He wasn't sure what it was but he felt a growing affection for Ebon. He looked forward to the daily assignments and any time he could spend with him. Ebon paid more attention to him than anyone ever had. He was sure he had only his interests at heart. Why wouldn't he? This gang was like his family. Family didn't do that to itself. It didn't hurt itself. Use itself for gain. He was helping Ebon because he wanted to. Ebon had told him this and it made sense. He wouldn't do anything as dangerous as he had if Ebon knew he couldn't or if he didn't want to. He was willing and happy to do it. Joe thought this to himself then stopped. He had a thought and it confused him. He didn't like to steal. Shiv did. He did not. Shiv liked to steal. He did not. He thought about that. Was it really as crazy as it sounded? Shiv wasn't real. So he couldn't enjoy. Joe shook his head as he stood in the small train compartment. He looked at himself in the broken glass. It reflected only enough to see a vague transparent image. His hair was almost completely purple now. He hoped that he didn't disappear like his black hair.

However worried Joe was he was, he was in far more trouble than he could imagine. Ebon was hardly the benign friend he had assumed. He had been carefully monitoring Joe. He hadn't allowed him sleep in almost a week now. Joe was running on some type of emotional high he wasn't aware of. Also, Ebon didn't plan on giving him time the chance to understand what was going on. Shortly after joining the Breed, Ebon had put him on a steady intake of marijuana. Ebon knew he was naïve but no one could be that stupid. He was exploiting Joe and he didn't want Joe to caught on. However, he didn't seem to be anywhere here it. In fact, he seemed to be growing attracted to him. Ebon found the idea ridiculous, to say the least, but it was in his favor. The more in the dark the kid was the better. Working him around the clock and mediocre praise was all it took with this one. There was something wrong with the kid but it wasn't Ebon's problem. His problem at the moment was a little more concrete.

Ebon needed a robbery performed. It wasn't that complex but was not something he wanted to take on. The best and easiest route would be to get Shiv to cut his way into the vault. He was stealthy enough to slip by the guards and quick enough to sneak in, cut through the vault, and sneak out. The only catch was Shiv's little problem. Ebon had actually never seen Shiv use his powers besides that one time on the roof with Carmen. He didn't know if he had since. He assumed but wasn't sure. He brushed off the detail. It couldn't be a concern. He had Shiv wrapped around his finger. He would do anything he asked. He entered the small compartment. "Shiv!"

Joe was lying upside down on an old train seat. His eyes were slightly blood shot around the outside edge. Below his eyes, it was slightly greyed. He looked a mix of maniac and exhausted. It depended on whether you looked him straight in the eyes or were watching his inability to stop his feet from moving and shaking. His skin was no longer a healthy bronze like before. It had faded slightly to a dull yellow at best. He grinned widely when he noticed Ebon. It was almost haunting in a way. It wasn't as happy as it used to be or sane. He tilted his head slightly. "What is it?" he said, still bearing the grin.

"I have a favor."

Interested sparked, Joe pushed against the back of the seat, flipping himself to to his feet. Ebon still couldn't get used to this entirely. He was getting more flexible by the day. The hard he pushed himself the better he became. He didn't tire or slow down. He was Ebon's perfect workhorse.

"Shiv, I need you to go get something."

Joe had no idea what he was getting himself into at the time. He was asked to rob Alva Industries. It was a maximum security factory. He didn't see how he could possibly do it especially without his powers. Ebon transported him inside then quickly left. He was on his own. He had been ported to an empty room. He sighed and looked around. There had to be one somewhere. He scanned for only a few minutes when he noticed it. A ventilation duct. It was placed above the door frame. Joe backed up and jumped onto the wall holding himself up by the air duct. He placed his feet on both sides of the small rectangular port. His hands were gripped tightly around the thin metal bars. Then, he heard something. Someone was coming.

Please Review. Thank you for reading.