Revenant Chapter Eight
The meal was now over, Richie had promised to his mother, Maggie that he would be home tonight.
"I better get back home... I promised mom yesterday that I would be back tonight" Richie said, sipping his coffee slowly and was a bit worried if his father, Sean was there.
"If you promised your mother then you better get back... do you want Adam or myself to take you home?" Robert asked, moving the plates to the skink ready to be washed up.
"Yeah, it has been a tiring day, with all the loose ends I have been working on... then there was the breakout we had to investigate" Richie said checking off the things that had happened not including the flight with Batman or the appearance of Virgil's spirit.
"I'll stay here with Sharon and clean up" Adam said, helping Sharon empty the table and start filling the sink with hot water.
"Ok Adam, I'll take Richie back... come on, let's go" Robert said to Richie who quickly finished his coffee and grabbed his rucksack that contained his costume and Backpack.
"Thanks Mr. H" Richie said, following Robert to the front door and to where Robert had parked his car out of the front of the house.
"That's ok Richie... You look exhausted" Robert said unlocking the car and climbed in followed closely by Richie.
"Nothing some sleep can't cure..." Richie said, placing his rucksack carefully down by his feet before doing his safety belt up.
Robert did his own belt up before starting the car up. He gave a sideways glance at Richie, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. 'Wonder what has got him so distracted?' Robert thought before driving the car through the town to reach Richie's house.
"So Mr. Shadow! What next? Break Onyx out then go on after the Justice League to get Ebon and Hotstreak?" Puff asked, coming into the main room where the mysterious man was working on a laptop.
"You think too small... we will do that in due time but first we got some items to pick up" The man said and slid a pad of paper down the table.
"What's this?" Puff asked taking the pad and read what was written on it.
"Its a list of items we need to acquire to make our next move!" The man said as another door opened to reveal the cloaked man, who bowed before leaving through the door Puff came in. "Carmandillo is to remain here! He will accompany you to the labs... now go" The man said shutting his laptop, the only light now came from the open door behind Puff.
Keeping her remarks to herself for once, Puff turned around on her heels and left the room, closing the door with a slam.
"We will seek revenge against the planet! We are going to get our revenge..." The man muttered, rocking slightly before starting to laugh.
Virgil watched from his energy disc as Robert drove Richie back then sensed something was happening somewhere. 'What... oh no' Virgil thought remembering what was going to trigger the beginning of his proper mission.
Feeling that he was split into two, Virgil thought that Backpack might alert Richie into what was happening and so he flew on ahead and hoped that it wasn't what he thought it was.
"Please not yet... He needs time to get over why I am here" Virgil muttered feeling that flight was not fast enough but he knew that he could not teleport the length of the city but yet could teleport to the Justice League's watchtower.
In the car
Backpack's alarm went off, alerting Richie that something was up. Pulling open his rucksack, Richie allowed Backpack to climb out as the holographic map appeared showing the location. 'Shoot...' Richie thought realising that it was a warehouse on the docks, which was the other side of the city.
"Do you want me to pull over?" Robert sighed, knowing that Richie had to sneak away to change into Gear and get there as soon as possible.
"Thanks Mr. H... Its another robbery..." Richie said, checking the co-ordinates properly and still saw that it was at the docks. 'I have been avoiding that area for way too long...' Richie thought, as it was at the docks that Virgil had died.
Robert looked around and turned to park in front of a local store, this made it look like they were going to visit it quickly.
Robert got out after turning the engine off, Richie got out of the car with his rucksack back done up and on his shoulder.
"I will see you later" Richie murmured and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway near the store.
Robert walked into the store and went through with the act by buying a pint of milk.
Richie had quickly changed into his costume and ran the quick diagnostic check on Backpack and his equipment.
Happy with the checks, Gear took off into the sky and flew across the city taking the fastest route he knew to the docks.
Virgil arrived at the docks and looked around for the troubled area, and found a bunch of security guards scouting around a warehouse.
'Alva's men…' He thought recognising the small symbol on their armour. 'Must be one of Alva's warehouses… wonder what he was storing here?' Virgil thought to himself, his face grimfaced as he teleported inside.
Once inside he looked around and saw crates had been moved around, some had been destroyed. Looking at some of the open crates there was a couple of metal security cases. 'Not good!'
Richie/Gear arrived at the docks and carefully moved around to find what warehouses was causing the alarm.
Sticking to the rooftops and the shadows, Gear soon found the warehouse that had set the alarm off. 'Alva's warehouse… typical!' Gear thought biting his lip and remained silent.
'He won't ask for help… better get home…' Gear thought to himself seeing a limo arrive. 'Talk of the rat…' Gear thought and got Backpack to hack into the security system for the security camera's data.
Virgil moved to the shadows of the warehouse as more security guards came in followed by a muscular bodyguard, and then followed by Edwin Alva himself.
'What sort of cheese dragged out that rat?' Virgil thought watching intensely from the shadows as Alva was handed a report.
Edwin Alva was handed a report before sending his guards around the warehouse to check.
"Send a full report straight back to the office! Make sure the other warehouses are secure!" Alva instructed his bodyguard.
"Right sir!" He said before escorting his boss back inside the safety of the limo, which as soon the door was slammed shut, drove away.
Gear watched as Alva was bundled back into the limo before it drove off back towards the city. A symbol flashed on his visor, signalling silently that Backpack had received the security footage.
Happy that he had something that might be useful yet he was worried in what dangerous substances Alva was storing in there.
'With Alva, it's hard to say… but it can not be good!' Gear thought as he swiftly moved along the rooftops away from the warehouse silently thanking Batman for the training.
Virgil had seen enough and teleported onto the roof of Alva's warehouse and sighed. 'This is going to get worse before getting better…' He thought rubbing a hand through his hair and looked around the docks, a warehouse a few yards away he saw something moving, a shiny figure glinted in the moonlight.
'Wonder what that is…?' Virgil thought re-generating his energy disc and flew off to find whatever that was.
Gear looked around and with a quick calculation he figured out that he was far enough from Alva's warehouse to activate his jet blades and get on back to his home.
'Home, shower and change, something to eat, then check what the security footage is' Gear thought making a mental list as he flew through the sky towards the city.
"Can I join you on this clear night?" A voice asked knocking Gear out of his thoughts and made him jump slightly.
"What?" Gear said slightly squeaky and looked around for the voice.
Virgil grinned as he got closer to the shadowy figure and saw that it was Richie or Gear as he is called when in costume.
Making him and the disc invincible, Virgil flew closer to Gear and could see he was deep in thought.
"Can I join you on this clear night?" He asked still invincible.
Gear jumped slightly making Virgil's grin wider. "What? He said in his squeaky voice.
Making himself visible Virgil asked again, "May I join your flight through this clear night?"
"That was not cool V!" Gear said, pretending to have a heart attack and the feelings in his eyes turned from shock and bemusement to coldness making Virgil remember the look from a certain Dark Knight.
"Chill boy and why the look? You look like Batman in Gear's clothing!" Virgil said, shuddering a little and backed away worried what his partner might do.
Gear sighed but continued on flying but he faced the street below. "You can see why this is insane Virgil… one minute we were battling side by side and the next thing you… you… "Gear stopped speaking, his voice cracking and a lump formed in his throat.
"Dead… was tight for everyone… including myself but now I'm back…" Virgil said, subconsciously putting more energy into his disc.
Gear first nodded and sniffed before changing direction for the right way back to his home.
"T… that burglary is the beginning bro… better get prepared for the worst…" Virgil said and noticed that they were in Richie's neighbourhood.
"I… got to go and check a few things… I… I will see you later Gear!" Virgil said before disappearing.
"Just the beginning? Virgil, what is it you're not telling me?" Gear muttered his voice still cracked as he slowed down and landed on his balcony attached to his room.
To be continued…