Shock To The Eco System

Part 1

"Boom"

Gear hurled the pulse bomb at Shiv...a glowing baseball bat swung at it - the explosion went off knocking Shiv into the air. "Yeah, you might want to have thought about that" Gear said as he shot across the ground on jet skates and pitched the small orb at Kangors feat. It spread a grey liquid all around, the splashes glued Kangor to his place.

"This won't hold-" Kangor collapsed as a shock bolt zapped him. Static had his ahnds full. The Serpenteens were hissing and lashing their tails at him.

"Okay! Hey I get the idea! Scaled acne isn't fun!" Static said as he avoided a trashcan, caught it with an EM bolt and slammed it down on the head of the one that had thrown it.

He blasted a lamppost and it snared two more in its grip. The last one slithered towards an alley. "I got this one!" shouted Ritchie. He pitched the disk at the mutant, it whizzed along the ground and exploded into a weighted net. The Serpenteen hissed...and collapsed, tearing at the net.

"Well Shiv, once again the gang your in gets toasted...tough nuts" Static sighed.

"Hey! We'll get ya next time sparkles!" Shiv laughed.

"Don't coiunt on there being a next time" Static said. "There's a place I like to call jail and a metahuman cure..."

"You won't take us out! Word on the street is that there's a way to undo the cure!" Shiv exclaimed. "And that it's gonna make you cry!"

"You - are mad" Static stated.

Dakota Hospital

Static watched as Shiv was pulled by the guards to the table for the cure to be administered. "You know - once they dose him" Gear said as he walked up behind his partner in heroism. "They might want to look into that Joker Personality of his"

"One thing at a time" Static decided. "Ever since that second big bang... jeez did that make things difficult for us!"

"Its been 3 months, we've only had a few new cases that kid with the clay arms, the girl that turned into a giant bat monster and that gang of winged teenagers" Gear shrugged. "Mostly its old enemies with old powers!"

"Still, who knows how many people got changed?" murmured Static

His troubles were soon to be confirmed by fact. Doubt was about to be expelled... that was the wall blowing off. "What that..." Gear was knocked onto his butt by the shockwaves. The security teams ran down a hall... and stopped. A young man dressed all in black stepped out before them, bowed with a sweeping motion and removing his top hat...before rapidly straightening up and unleashing a wave of shadow down the hall...the men were entrapped in bleak darkness that weighed down on their minds.

The leg slammed into the chest of one man, the elbow hit the neck of another. A display of martial arts dispatched them and the darkness retracted into the palm of the young man.

"This is Eclipse...Sector A complete"

Gear and Static rushed into the hall. There was a gaping hole in the wall and the floor was covered in foul smelling mire. "Who let the swamp in?" Gear murmured.

"That'd be us" a voice said. Two huge arms swirled from the mire, forming fingers and limbs from the vines, weeds and twigs in the mire. A behemouth of swamp gripped Static and Gear. It bumped them into each other and hurled them down the hall.

In the Metahuman Clinic Shiv was administered the cure...and then both guards and all three doctors were sent flying through the air. The girl walked forwards, she was dressed in black leather with a flowing red silk sash at her hips. Her features were elegant and beautiful with passion glowing in her dark eyes.

"Well" she mused. "That was fun..." she walked over to Shiv and examined her nails. "Hold still now love" she had an Australian accent. She traced a nail down his cuffs, the varnish turned acidic green as it seared a line along the metal. The acid ate right through. "Come along darling" she sighed.

The lace sleeves of her leather suit billowed as she strode purposefully out of the room. Shiv shrugged and hurried after her. He stared...there was a swamp in the hall...and it was swirling up into a giant of a man crushing Static and Gear together.

"yeah! You teach em!" he yowled in support.

"He will, let's go!" snapped the woman. She strode away from the fight with Shiv in toe.

Static took in a deep breath. "You wearing your insulation?" he asked Ritchie

"Yeah Static" Gear said. "Hit him..."

The explosion of electricity was violently bright, the swamp beaing gave a wordless roar and pulled back as its body hissed and bubbled.

"Guess there was more water then wood" smiled Static.

"Oh that puts a damper on things" sighed the same voice that had spoken earlier. It was a girl standing with Shiv she sighed and snapped out a fan. "Well - never mind, we have what we came for...okay Quagmire let's roll!" she turned and sauntered out of the building through the hole in the wall. Static raised his hand and unleashed a lightening bolt at her...she casually ducked it and pulled Shiv out the exit after her.

"Come on!" Static exclaimed as he leapt onto his disk. Gear fired up his rocket roller blades and they jetted out after the girl. She went shooting past on a long flat card.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Static as she swooped at his head. Shiv was on his knees on the other one and looking terrified. The girl gave a cackle and continued her flight pattern along the sky. The card was a giant Tarot Card depicting The Empress...suiting since the girl looked like an elven princess except for the pointed ears.

"Okay V lets try the Split!" Ritchie shouted.

"One. Two. Three!" they split as Virgil said Three...they swerved around upwards and out, coming from two different angles at the girl. She landed on the street as she avoided them and raised her hands into the air.

"Okay didn't expect that one" Virgil said. "Since when do they do that?"

"Who cares" shrugged Ritchie. "Still, lets watch her...she could be planning a trap". Shiv's card had landed beside her and he was looking confused (and a little frightened). The girl's hands shot down abruptly and a blast of magma sped through the air from the alley nearby.

"Watch out!" Static shouted as he dodged aside. Gear landed into a skating tackle at the girl. A powerful strike from a pair of superhuman legs crashed into him and he was knocked across the road.

The boy who landed from the kick he'd delivered was sallow skinned with brown hair that flopped over his eyes which were covered by large green goggles. He was dressed in a dark green Hawaiian shirt with carefully ripped genes and a tight t-shirt underneath.

Actually he was quite cute...Ritchie shook his head. Not the time.

He looked up - a girl dressed in black plates of rock over her live magma body was hurling lava at Virgil. He was blasting it out of the air but she seemed to be maintaining the same general level of energy. Her lava dreadlocks elongated and lashed at Virgil.

"Liquid Nitrogen bomb!" Ritchie shouted as he hurled the device at the girl. The explosion hit her dreadlocks and she shrieked.

"Damn!" she hissed in a New Orleans accent. "Now ah'm gonna make you pay!" she whirled and hurled the ball of lava at Ritchie. He leapt aside just in time. The heat whizzed past his body as he landed on the road. Nearby Shiv was jumping about beside the girl who was filing her nails.

Ritchie picked himself up and pulled out a stun bomb from his belt. The boy in the Hawaiian shirt landed before him and performed a very flexible kick to Ritchie's hand knocking the bomb away.

"Sorry" the boy said in a soft voice, he pivoted onto all fours and struck out with both legs that sent Ritchie shooting away. His bodysuit had some impact foam so when he hit the wall it only hurt a lot but less then it could have.

"Magma! Assist Froggy. Gel! Now's your chance to shine!"

Static raised his arm to hurl another lightening bolt when a green gel landed on him. It dragged him down in its grasp - he could breath...considering he was surrounded by what seemed to be a green water it was impressive...the gel constricted...Virgil summoned the electric power into his body and then unleashed it. The gel rippled forming spiked protrusions on it sbody but it didn't change. It held tight and continued to contrict.

Nearby he could see Ritchie rocket skating away from danger. The lava woman was sending bursts at him while Froggy was trying to drop kick him at every turn.

Static blasted again...the gel stayed strong. It was starting to hurt now... Virgil reached into his left sleeve with his fingers and pulled the small cylinder of yellow liquid from it. He smashed it into the gel. There was a hiss and the acidic smell stung his nostrils but the effect was perfect.

The gel gave a shout and slithered away wobbling and twisting into the form of a young Japanese man. His entire body became the green gel for a moment then solidified with a pruple glow into his sleevless denim shirt and tight jeans.

"Gel...that was disappointing" chided the girl. "But we're not done yet..."

Magma was blasting Ritchie when she heard Gel cry out. She glanced over her shoulder. Ritchie leapt at her and performed a Rocket kick to her face sending her flying backwards into a lamp post. He landed and punched the air - Froggy chose that moment to twist-jump over him, land and deliver a fingerless-gloved punchg to Ritchie's face.

Ritchie stumbled backwards.

"Hauntress...do your thing dear" called the leather clad girl. From the shadows of an alleyway a young Hispanic woman stepped forth dressed in pale purple. She smiled and raised her hands.

"Spiders" she said in a whispering voice. Static went rigid in fear as huge tarantula's began to crawl up his legs from the ground. He could feel them on his body...his heartbeat sped up, thunderous palpatations striking his ribs. He couldn't concentrate it was making his head spin as they crawled all over him his powers seemed far away now...

"Static! What's wrong?" Ritchie exclaimed. "Dude! This is no time to do a freeze frame!"

"He's under my fear spell" Hauntress smirked as she walked forwards her dark purple bob-cut flowing as she advanced. "And soon so will you!" She raised her hands. "Fire!"

The purple waves leapt from her fingers in pulses - but Ritchie merely stumbled back. The waves had no effect on him! He hurled the black orb at her. Hauntress shrieked as the cords wrapped around her and dragged her down.

"Hey look at that I'm fearless!" he grinned. There was a thud and Ritchie turned around to see Froggy kick a trashcan at him. Ritchie tapped the button at the side of his mask. The magnetic bolt deflected all metals that got too close. He darted along the ground on his roller blades and hurled the small pellet at the frog boy. There was a crack and hiss and Froggy collapsed with a groan as the white gas flowed around his head.

"Nice job" Static said as he blasted Gel into a trash can. "Now for Shiv and the little lady!". The girl he was speaking about frowned and looked at Shiv.

"What are we going to do?" he yammered over and over.

"Oh shut up" she snapped. The girl slashed him across the cheek with her nails. He groaned and collapsed. "I hate talkative men" she stated. "All right boys come get some"

Virgil sped forwards and charged up an electrical field around himself. "Here you go!" he exclaimed as he unleashed an electrical blast at her. She performed a sideways cartwheel and avoided it. Static unleashed another blast at her.

"The name's Willow" she said. "And you're about to have the kiss off" she blew the kiss at him. The Purple spark hit Virgil in the chest and with a flash of violet light sent him flying off his disk. "See what I Mean?"

Ritchie hurled a gas bomb at her. Willow whirled and blew a kiss the acid hissed through the bomb and created a smokey barrier between them. Ritchie reached for another gas bomb but Willow performed a jumping kick to his chest.

"Ouch that girl can use those legs" he groaned as he landed beside Virgil. Willow walked forwards and fanned herself again.

"Now I thin there's a real fire in you two" she raised her hand to her lips. "As in Napalm" she kissed her index and ring fingers and the flames appeared on them.

"Hey Willow!" the girl's voice was approaching fast. "Is that the only way you know to have fun?" the force of the strike used by the new girl knocked Willow away.

"Oh we all have our own ways to get our KICKS" Willow spat as she rolled forwards and kicked the new girl in the chest. But the newcomer had come to play she and Willow kicked and punched as Virgil helped Ritchie up. Finally the new girl performed a flip kick that knocked Willow onto a bus bench.

"That's how you play the game" the girl said, adjusting her bright crimson hair. "Me-Ouch Willow"

"More then one way to SKIN A CAT" hissed Willow as she snapped out her fan, the bladed edges shimmered in the light.

"Willow! We have to leave!" a voice called from overhead. Floating on a Tarot Card was a boy dressed in black and red. He raised his hands and the shadows swirled out. "Another time Static Shock"

The shadow orb surrounded him. His comrades were swept onto the cards that came flying out of the shadows of alleyways and joined him in the orb. Willow peformed a backflip over the bench and landed on her card. Shiv was swept up by his own card and they launched into the air. Willow blew a small kiss at them, winked and dissapeared into the shadow vortex. It dispersed with a crash and the air was empty.

"Wow - that was really dramatic" Ritchie said. "I give them a 9 for the exit but a 3 for the banter". They suddenly realized the new meta was crouching beside something. "Okay so...what's her deal?"

"I'm checking out these metal filings" she said. "Trace particals that smell of seawater and oil..." she frowned. "Curious"

"Who exactly are you?" pressed Static.

She rose her eyes glowed like green catseyes. "Call me Wildcat" she said. "And I just pulled your butts out of the fire."

"We could've handled them!" Static exclaimed.

"No you couldn't" sighed Wildcat. She wore black leather with no sleeves, the metal bands were wond tightly around her neck and the same metal bands were on the backs of her gloves which lacked fingertips. She had a simple gold ring loose around her neck and another on her hips...all in all an impressive ensemble set off by her scarlet hair and silver edged black mask.

"And you're an expert?"

"On the N-Syndicate? You bet" she snapped as she whirled to face him, her eyes glowing with gold light and slit black pupils. "I've been chasing them for years!" she looked around. "Police...later boys" she backflipped as the sirens blared and closed in. Static and Gear took off after her.

"Are all super gymnasts this egotistical?" Virgil muttered.

"Hello Pot My name's Kettle" snorted Ritchie. They sped after Wildcat as she flipped down the alleys of the city. "Wow...that's some pretty impressive moving...wonder if she's feeling queasy..."

At last Wildcat flipped on her hands onto the fence of a junkyard, flipped backwards off it and landed on a wrecked car. The dogs came barking at her, she whirled and hissed at him, scratching the air...they whined and rushed away.

"Okay boys" Wildcat whispered as Gear and Static approached. "Ready for some cats play?" She sommersaulted onto a crane and cropuched. Gear came flying past, she flipped downwards and grabbed the steel chain to swing and plant a stiletto in Gears chest sending him whirling backwards in the air. Wildcat slithered down the chain and landed in a crouch.

(A/N: I think the music from the rooftop-costume-strut and jewellery store scenes in Catwoman The Movie is perfect for her theme song).

Static swooped in overhead. "We're not here to fight we just want answers!"

"Well then stay out of my way and you can read about it in the papers" she said as she slashed at him. He weaved away. She landed on all fours on the ground and kicked over a barrel before rolling to one side and kicking it at him. He blasted it...

"Metal" he said as he indicated the barrel. "Electromagnetic" he indicated himself.

"I was thinking more: Distraction and Schmuck" responded Wildcat as she sped upwards and lanced both feet into his chest. He was knocked off his static saucer and landed in the boot of a car. Wildcat landed on the boot with perfect balance and slammed it down.

"Okay you're a very, very bad cat" Gear exclaimed as he pitched the small orb at her. She slapped it aside and leapt down in front of him on all fours. Ritchie bent forwards, Backpack lunged at the feline femme but she rolled backwards and vaulted over the electronic device. She spun and kicked Ritchie off balance. He blocked her next strike.

"Well now" she mused. She swung her entire body around so that the other leg came in from the same side as the first kick. Ritchie was knocked off to one side. "For a second there I thought you might actually have skill"

He kicked her legs from under her in responce. She'd gotten too close. As Wildcat landed in the mud Ritchie hopped to his feet and pulled out a small thin cylinder. It extended and glowed blue. "My powers also give me an increased learning factor...and I watch a LOT of Bruce Lee" as demonstration he swung it in his hands expertly.

"Congratulations" Wildcat snapped. "But you're in my way and I can't let you stop me!" She rolled at him and lashed up with her feet. He blocked and swung at her, she defended and slashed at his chest. He hopped backwards and rammed the end of the staff at her chest. She dodged it and kicked at his face but he weaved away. There was a crackle and the boot exploded open. Wildcat was distracted...the staff impacted with her chest and sent her shooting backwards into a porta-toilet. She slid down against the door and groaned.

"I think that was pretty good" Ritchie beamed.

"Come on let's take her somewhere to talk" Virgil said. He smiled as his eyes fell on a large cadillac junker

Wildcat opened her eyes and groaned. She looked around and stared down at the city below. "What's the big idea!" she snapped. Ritchie grinned.

"Welcome to Air Superhero please not the exits are pretty much all around you". Wildcat was seated on a wrecked car with Static standing on it and suspending it in the air.

"We decided this might deter you from fighting" Static said as he turned to face her, his aura glowing powerfully around him. Wildcat reached up and touched her mask thoughtfully. "We just want to know what the deal is with you saving and then attacking us"

"A girl's gotta defend herself" she shrugged. "And I don't like people muscling in on my territory. Namely the N-Syndicate" she stated. "I've chased them through Keystone, Gotham, Opal and even Metropolis. That's been four months of dogged, endless chasing. Hence the reason I'm so "protective" towards them. No one takes them down but me"

"And why exactly is that?" asked Ritchie.

"They took someone important from me" Wildcat said. "They want to turn the world into a new paradise where pollution and non-metahumans are a thing of the past. Where everyone is a bang baby and live to worship the earth." She crossed her arms under her breasts. "You only saw a few of their members today, there are three others Cyclone, Typhoid Maria and Hive"

"Where were they?" Ritchie mused.

"With their boss...Dr Isis Babylon" Wildcat said quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself against a mysterious cold only she felt.

Cyclone looked at her sister Typhoid Maria as they walked along the hall. The others were in the room, the huge windows beyond displayed the vast mountains. Plants and trees were visible beyond windows and doors. Seated in the sunken pit where the couches were set in a blocked U pattern around the wide screen TV - was the N-Syndicate.

Well most of them. Magma was bopping her head to her heavy rap music. Gel was cheering the football team. Willow was filing her nails with her fan, Hauntress was playing a Japanese Collector Card Game with Quagmire and the big lug was loosing. Hive was pouring BBQ sauce onto his head and shoulders. His entire body was made out of black insects and only his bandages seemed to hold him together. He looked up at Willow as she watched with a raised eyebrow - his dark purple eyes glowed endlessly, then he continued to feed his body.

Cylcone batted her long blonde hair out of her eyes and sat down, careful not to get any of the sauce on her blue and white bodysuit. Her punked out sister leaned on the bar. Froggy was crouched on it and not making any attempt to socialize.

"So glad we could all be here" purred a voice. The woman entered, she was dressed in a long purple gown with a slit up the hip to reveal her high heeled foot. Her dark purple wardrobe and purple hair was all too noticeably colour schemed and contrasted strangely with the occasional patch of black and her raven locks and the snow white of her skin. "And that we can all meet face to face at last" she added.

"Who the hell? Wait...you're the one from the holograms!" exclaimed Gel.

"Clever Mitchell" she nodded. "Yes I am Isis Babylon - you may call me Doctor or Ishtar...I only just arrived." Eclipse walked in behind her and stood ram rod straight at her side. "Four months ago I approached you all - made my promises, gave you hope for your individual goals...and in turn you helped me acheive my goals. A plight threatens our kind - the anti-bang syrum, by recapturing the unfortunate victim today you gave me a sample of its activated version and in response I created an antidote to the antidote" she held up the vial. "As I said before our goals are nearly acheived and once I usher int he new world I have promised..." she smiled her purple and black lips shining in the light. "We will rule it"

Willow watched with interest. She rose and walked over to Froggy as Dr. Ishtar prepared to brief them on the next mission. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay"

"Good" she nodded as He slipped down and sat on the bar.

"This is Dakota" explained Ishtar. "It's the central home to Bang Babies... it will serve as our pimordial soup for the new breed. Our first goal is to retrieve some research from Edwin Alva...tomorrow night you'll break in..."

Ritchie lay awake. He couldn't sleep. Virgil was his best friend. They'd been pals for ages and they could tell each other anything...up until now, now it was almost anything. Virgil wouldn't accept it.

Ritchie had accepted his interest in men a little more since becoming Gear but a gay Metahuman? Okay...maybe Shiv was but that had yet to be proven... and then there was that stuff about Thomas Kim and why he was REALLY angry.

But Ritchie felt alone even if he wasn't. He shoved his head under his pillow and let out a groan.

Francis lay back against the door and let out a long sigh. It was an exhausting day at work he had to admit, but at least he wasn't getting shocked and his anger management classes were paying off he'd only set fire to one display in the Hardware store in his entire week and a half of work.

And the extra work at the building sight was going pretty well too. Except the foreman was an ass so he had to go and shred his punch bag.

Daisy yawned as she brushed out her hair and climbed into bed. Virgil had spaced on their meeting at the library. That boy meant a lot to her but not so much that she wouldn't rip into him if he did it again. She hugged her duvet close to her body and turned off her lamp.

Virgil gave a huge yawn and thought about everything going on in his life at the moment. He let himself drift off to sle...DAISY! He'd stood her up again to capture Shiv! He threw himself back onto his pillow seconds after sitting up. With a groan of defeat he threw his hands up and admitted defeat.

TBC

THE SLASH WONT BE VIRGIL RITCHIE I see them as friends not boyfriends it doesn't click with my...sorry Francis on the other hand...

The Roster for the N-Syndicate is as follows:

Hauntress

Gel

Willow

Eclipse

Magma

Swamp

Typhoid

Larva

Cyclone

Froggy

All were created by Fallen Angel Overlord as well as Wildcat so thank him some time. They may appear on his Original Superhero RPG (e-mail him about it not me he won't let me slash the characters there! grumpy now!)

A Full detailed bio will be given later and all will be revealed. Plus old enemies will soon make themselves shown once again. Thoughts, comments and suggestions on bettering myself are always welcome in the reviews.