Hope you all like this chapter! Please r/r! Sorry it took so long, I
didn't have any Internet, so I couldn't update.
Smoke
A lot of people tried to get even lower to the floor, throwing their arms over their heads, some screaming. But Gear didn't see or hear any of that, the only thing that penetrated his mind was Static, and the look on his face as he lay on the floor. Gear could see the pain etched o his face, and quickly ran over to his fallen friend.
"Static, Static! You okay man?"
"Yeah," Static managed to gasp out. He was holding onto his side, trying to block the pain out.
Gear looked closer at his friend, and then noticed the blood on his hand.
"He got you, here, let me help." Static was in too much pain to protest and willingly let Gear examine the wound. The minute Gear got a look at the it, he grimaced at the realization at how much his friend was hurting. He started to probe the wound, but instantly stopped when Static let out a gasp of pain. "Sorry."
"It's okay..." Again, Static forced the words out, although that minor task left him breathless.
"Now Static, you don't have to be so modest, we all know it hurts." Came the leaders mocking voice. Gear could tell the man was enjoying himself, and there was nothing he could do but try and help his friend. "Come Gear, help crack the password."
"Let me help him first, then I'll do whatever you want."
"No, I don't think I will. You get the password, then help him, or I can just shoot someone else, maybe even shoot Static again."
"But...."
"Go, I...I'll be okay." Static was now trying to sit up, but Gear quickly helped him lay back down at seeing his friend's face contort in pain at the effort.
"Static, I..."
"You better listen to you're friend, the faster you crack the password, that faster you can help him."
Gear looked worriedly down at his friend, who seemed to be fighting desperately to catch his breath. The bullet had hit him in the abdominal area, and was lodged somewhere in there, but he didn't know where, and that really didn't help the situation.
"Can't I just get backpack to do it?" Gear was trying desperately to come up with anything that would help them, would allow him to help Static.
"No, I know how smart that thing is, it will call the cops at you're command, or whatever else you tell it to do, and I won't be able to monitor it. So I'd rather you do it, where I can keep an eye on you."
Gear looked desperately from his injured friend, to the man that held the gun, held their fate. Looking at Static, he could see that the area of the uniform where the bullet had gone through was now shinning red, and so was the floor. He also noticed that Static was shivering, but it wasn't cold enough for that. He's in shock!
Without giving the situation a second thought, he got up and took off Static's cape, and gently laid it over his friend.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Keeping him warm until I can help." He paused and whispered quietly to his friend "Try and stay awake, okay? Please." He received a nod, and with that, Gear got up, casting a worried glance toward his friend before making his way to their captor.
Cracking the password to this particular bank wasn't going to be easy. It was the newest thing in Dakota, and Gear hadn't had a chance to check out the security system, that was the first thing. The second, the bank had the newest money protection gizmos on the market, and not one ounce of information had reached him. So, there he stood, looking down at the controls, trying to figure out what to do.
"Backpack, get down here and check for any obstacles we might get." Backpack climbed off it's owner's back and made it's way onto the control pad, giving Gear the time to give his friend, and his captor, another glance to make sure everything was all right. All right, what the hell am I thinking!? Everything is NOT all right! Gear screamed at himself. My friend is dying on the floor, I can't help him until I crack this stupid password and.... His captor cut him off before he could finish the thought.
"What is that thing doing?"
Gear looked down at his backpack and a small smile spread across his face, "He's got it." He replied triumphantly, but his joy was short-lived when he noticed that it had been and hour. A whole HOUR! Gear looked frantically down at Static and noticed that he couldn't see the pain on his friend's face anymore, couldn't even see the rise and fall of his chest. An hour was too long, and as Gear looked back at the screen, he noticed that the bank had more then one password to crack.
He went back to work, this time letting backpack work along side him instead of by itself. His fingers moved quickly and efficiently on the keyboard, eye's scanning the screen for any hints of a breakthrough. The time seemed to drag on forever, as sweat poured down his face, Gear didn't allow himself to look at the clock, for he feared that if he did, then he would realize that all hope was lost.
"What's taking to long!" Screamed one of the frantic partners. He raised his gun and aimed it at Gear before firing the shot. Gear could feel the bullet his arm, and after a few seconds of pain, he looked down to find that it had only grazed him. Gear looked back up at the leader of the trio who indicated for him to continue.
Gear did, but this time allowed backpack to do most of the work again, knowing that if he put too much pressure on his arm, it would bleed more, and if it bled more, then he would need more bandages to make it stop, and Static needed them more then he did.
"It's about time. I thought you would have finished two hours ago. Guess you're not as smart as you thought." The man laughed at the look on Gear's face, it was a mix of horror and worry.
"T...Two hour's ago?"
"Yep, you've been working on that thing for about three hour's and thirty- five minutes."
"What!" Gear raced to his friend, expecting to find him dead. As he got closer, he could see that the cape was glowing red. "No." Gear whispered to himself. Looking down at Static, he again realized that there was no rise and fall of his chest to indicate that he was breathing. He quickly checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find it, but it was weak and barely there. "I thought I told you to stay awake." Gear murmured under his breath at Static.
Taking off the cape that he had lain on his friend, he started tearing it into strips. Then he tore into two equal pieces and gave half of it to backpack, so he could finish faster. Once he had torn about a fourth of it, he ripped off Static's shirt and started applying the so- called bandages. There was no reaction from his friend as he tightened them to put pressure on the wound.
It took him about twenty minutes to finish before he checked for a pulse again, just to make sure nothing had changed. But to Gear's horror, it had, and so very much. There was no pulse, and the skin that he touched was almost like ice, Static's lips where even turning purple. Why didn't I notice that before!? Gear started CPR, repeating the question in his head, trying to figure out why he hadn't done anything earlier.
After his third try, Gear was relieved when he was rewarded with cough from his friend. Static's eyes flickered open and looked around at his surroundings.
"Hey, it's okay man, everything's going to be all right." But Gear couldn't get any further as his friend's eye's closed once more and didn't reopen. "Static, Static!" But there was no response, no indication that Static was still conscious. Gear looked frantically around before realizing that the three gunmen where no longer there, and each pair of eye's in the building was trained on him. Well, all pairs but one.
Gear stood up after making sure that Static was as comfortable as possible. "Okay, I'll go out there and tell the cops that the burglars are gone. Is anyone here hurt, if so, raise you're hand and I'll get help in here for you." Gear counted fourteen pairs of hands, but then two people stood up.
"My husband is dead." Said one of the women, tears streaming down here face.
"My daughter was just shot in the head." Said one of the elderly men, but there where no tears, he just looked strait ahead. Gear noticed that he too, was in shock.
"I...I'll be right back" Gear started walking toward the door, then running. He opened the doors of the bank as a great big gust of wind hit his face, but he didn't care as he started yelling at the top of his lungs. "There are fourteen civilians down, and two are dead. I think there are people in there that are in shock!" He paused for a moment before continuing, " Static has been shot."
Now, thirty paramedics ran into the building, carrying fifteen stretchers, after them, ran another ten or so paramedics. Gear followed them in and led one of the pairs toward Static.
"He was shot in the abdominal area, I tried to bandage it, but I'm not quite sure if it did that much good. He was shot about three in a half hours ago."
One of the paramedics placed a breathing mask on Static's face before helping his partner loud him onto the gurney.
"You might have just saved his life, but we won't be sure until the doctors get him into an operating room. Tammy, can you take Static to the rig while I talk to Gear?"
"Sure thing, but if you don't get there in the next three minutes, I'm leaving without you."
"No problem." He replied to his partner before turning his attention back to Gear. "You okay?" He asked worriedly, but at seeing to confused look on Gear's face, he motioned to the graze on the young hero's left arm.
"Oh, that, yeah, I'm fine."
"Well, I think you better get that checked out, come on, lets get out of here before the press gets a chance to get in here." He started to walk, but stopped when he saw that Gear wasn't going. "Come on, you're friend needs you."
Your friend needs you, yeah, sure, he needed me before, he needed my help, and I didn't help. What kind of a friend am I? I'm the one who got him to go in here, I encouraged him.
"N...No, I better stay here, make sure everything's fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
With that final answer, the paramedic rushed off, back to his partner.
"And don't take off his mask!" Gear called after him, and at receiving a thumbs up, he turned around to face the cops who where waiting to question him about the events that had gone on inside the building.
*****************************
Gear looked down on his friend, then at all the different monitors that where making the different variety of sounds, but where also keeping Virgil alive. He allowed himself to sit down on the visitor's seat and let out a deep sigh.
"I'm going to have to tell you're dad V," Started Richie as he looked back down on his friend, whose mask was still on. "He's going to be worried when you don't show up for supper. Then again, you already missed desert." Richie let himself giggle, neither of them would ever miss out on desert. " You know, I might even have to tell my parents, since I'm thinking that they'll start getting suspicious when I start wearing long-sleeve shirts to cover up that bullet wound, especially since it's summer. But I won't have to tell them today, they think I'm staying at you're house, remember V?" He was still wearing his uniform, and at that previous statement, he put his mask back on and got up. "I need to go, to tell you're dad, I'll tell my parent's later."
He made his way to the door, and after a last glance toward his friend, left the room.
*************************
The knock on the door startled the man on the couch, who was staring worriedly at the blank t.v. screen. He got up and made his way toward the door, and looked through the peeking whole in the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, and so wanted make sure it was someone he knew. He was surprised when he saw that the person on the other side of the door was Gear.
He opened the door to allow the hero in, and was quite worried when he saw the expression on the man's face.
"What...." He couldn't get any further before Gear cut him off.
"Mr. Hawkins, I need to talk to you." Gear hesitated as he waited for the man's response.
"What is it, is it about Virgil?"
"Well, yes."
"What is it, did he get into trouble, is he all right?"
"Well, no, to both questions, Mr. Hawkins, I'd like to show you something." He allowed the information to sink in before moving toward the t.v. He picked up the remote and flipped on the news station and instantly saw himself waiting for Static to arrive at the bank. "Mr. Hawkins, do you know who that it?" He asked pointing to himself on the screen, "Do you know who he really is?"
"N...No, what does that have to do with Virgil?"
Gear sighed as he looked down at the floor before placing both hands on his mask and lifting it off his head.
"R...Richie?" Mr. Hawkins sat down on the sofa. "B..But you're always with Virgil....Static was shot, the reporter said he was at hospital in critical condition. No, that can't be right, no....Virgil."
"Mr. Hawkins, Virgil is Static Shock. I'll take you to the hospital where he's at if you'd like, but you have to promise not to tell anyone that you know who Static and Gear are."
Mr. Hawkins nodded before talking again, "Can I go tell Sharon?"
Richie nodded and sat down on the couch to wait as Virgil's dad ran up that stairs.
The thought of how his parents might react never really went through to him until now. They would be worried, they might not let him be Gear anymore, but that might not matter if Virgil didn't live, not much would. What would be the point, but then again, he could at least try to be the hero, but it would be hard, especially since all the criminals would take advantage of Static's weakened and helpless state.
"What!"
The sound of Sharon's horrified and worried scream penetrated his thoughts. He looked up to find both of Virgil's family members rushing down the stairs.
"It's t...True." Sharon slowly walked toward Richie and stopped right in front of him, then looked back at here father, even more worry on her features.
"Let's go, he's at Dakota General Hospital." Richie sighed, this was going to be hard, and nobody at the hospital knew who Static Shock was, and bringing in family members of Virgil's might be pretty difficult.
"I'll drive." Responded Mr. Hawkins as he walked toward the door, Sharon at his heals, and Richie putting his mask back on before joining them.
Hope everyone liked that! I'll try and update soon!
Smoke
A lot of people tried to get even lower to the floor, throwing their arms over their heads, some screaming. But Gear didn't see or hear any of that, the only thing that penetrated his mind was Static, and the look on his face as he lay on the floor. Gear could see the pain etched o his face, and quickly ran over to his fallen friend.
"Static, Static! You okay man?"
"Yeah," Static managed to gasp out. He was holding onto his side, trying to block the pain out.
Gear looked closer at his friend, and then noticed the blood on his hand.
"He got you, here, let me help." Static was in too much pain to protest and willingly let Gear examine the wound. The minute Gear got a look at the it, he grimaced at the realization at how much his friend was hurting. He started to probe the wound, but instantly stopped when Static let out a gasp of pain. "Sorry."
"It's okay..." Again, Static forced the words out, although that minor task left him breathless.
"Now Static, you don't have to be so modest, we all know it hurts." Came the leaders mocking voice. Gear could tell the man was enjoying himself, and there was nothing he could do but try and help his friend. "Come Gear, help crack the password."
"Let me help him first, then I'll do whatever you want."
"No, I don't think I will. You get the password, then help him, or I can just shoot someone else, maybe even shoot Static again."
"But...."
"Go, I...I'll be okay." Static was now trying to sit up, but Gear quickly helped him lay back down at seeing his friend's face contort in pain at the effort.
"Static, I..."
"You better listen to you're friend, the faster you crack the password, that faster you can help him."
Gear looked worriedly down at his friend, who seemed to be fighting desperately to catch his breath. The bullet had hit him in the abdominal area, and was lodged somewhere in there, but he didn't know where, and that really didn't help the situation.
"Can't I just get backpack to do it?" Gear was trying desperately to come up with anything that would help them, would allow him to help Static.
"No, I know how smart that thing is, it will call the cops at you're command, or whatever else you tell it to do, and I won't be able to monitor it. So I'd rather you do it, where I can keep an eye on you."
Gear looked desperately from his injured friend, to the man that held the gun, held their fate. Looking at Static, he could see that the area of the uniform where the bullet had gone through was now shinning red, and so was the floor. He also noticed that Static was shivering, but it wasn't cold enough for that. He's in shock!
Without giving the situation a second thought, he got up and took off Static's cape, and gently laid it over his friend.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Keeping him warm until I can help." He paused and whispered quietly to his friend "Try and stay awake, okay? Please." He received a nod, and with that, Gear got up, casting a worried glance toward his friend before making his way to their captor.
Cracking the password to this particular bank wasn't going to be easy. It was the newest thing in Dakota, and Gear hadn't had a chance to check out the security system, that was the first thing. The second, the bank had the newest money protection gizmos on the market, and not one ounce of information had reached him. So, there he stood, looking down at the controls, trying to figure out what to do.
"Backpack, get down here and check for any obstacles we might get." Backpack climbed off it's owner's back and made it's way onto the control pad, giving Gear the time to give his friend, and his captor, another glance to make sure everything was all right. All right, what the hell am I thinking!? Everything is NOT all right! Gear screamed at himself. My friend is dying on the floor, I can't help him until I crack this stupid password and.... His captor cut him off before he could finish the thought.
"What is that thing doing?"
Gear looked down at his backpack and a small smile spread across his face, "He's got it." He replied triumphantly, but his joy was short-lived when he noticed that it had been and hour. A whole HOUR! Gear looked frantically down at Static and noticed that he couldn't see the pain on his friend's face anymore, couldn't even see the rise and fall of his chest. An hour was too long, and as Gear looked back at the screen, he noticed that the bank had more then one password to crack.
He went back to work, this time letting backpack work along side him instead of by itself. His fingers moved quickly and efficiently on the keyboard, eye's scanning the screen for any hints of a breakthrough. The time seemed to drag on forever, as sweat poured down his face, Gear didn't allow himself to look at the clock, for he feared that if he did, then he would realize that all hope was lost.
"What's taking to long!" Screamed one of the frantic partners. He raised his gun and aimed it at Gear before firing the shot. Gear could feel the bullet his arm, and after a few seconds of pain, he looked down to find that it had only grazed him. Gear looked back up at the leader of the trio who indicated for him to continue.
Gear did, but this time allowed backpack to do most of the work again, knowing that if he put too much pressure on his arm, it would bleed more, and if it bled more, then he would need more bandages to make it stop, and Static needed them more then he did.
"It's about time. I thought you would have finished two hours ago. Guess you're not as smart as you thought." The man laughed at the look on Gear's face, it was a mix of horror and worry.
"T...Two hour's ago?"
"Yep, you've been working on that thing for about three hour's and thirty- five minutes."
"What!" Gear raced to his friend, expecting to find him dead. As he got closer, he could see that the cape was glowing red. "No." Gear whispered to himself. Looking down at Static, he again realized that there was no rise and fall of his chest to indicate that he was breathing. He quickly checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find it, but it was weak and barely there. "I thought I told you to stay awake." Gear murmured under his breath at Static.
Taking off the cape that he had lain on his friend, he started tearing it into strips. Then he tore into two equal pieces and gave half of it to backpack, so he could finish faster. Once he had torn about a fourth of it, he ripped off Static's shirt and started applying the so- called bandages. There was no reaction from his friend as he tightened them to put pressure on the wound.
It took him about twenty minutes to finish before he checked for a pulse again, just to make sure nothing had changed. But to Gear's horror, it had, and so very much. There was no pulse, and the skin that he touched was almost like ice, Static's lips where even turning purple. Why didn't I notice that before!? Gear started CPR, repeating the question in his head, trying to figure out why he hadn't done anything earlier.
After his third try, Gear was relieved when he was rewarded with cough from his friend. Static's eyes flickered open and looked around at his surroundings.
"Hey, it's okay man, everything's going to be all right." But Gear couldn't get any further as his friend's eye's closed once more and didn't reopen. "Static, Static!" But there was no response, no indication that Static was still conscious. Gear looked frantically around before realizing that the three gunmen where no longer there, and each pair of eye's in the building was trained on him. Well, all pairs but one.
Gear stood up after making sure that Static was as comfortable as possible. "Okay, I'll go out there and tell the cops that the burglars are gone. Is anyone here hurt, if so, raise you're hand and I'll get help in here for you." Gear counted fourteen pairs of hands, but then two people stood up.
"My husband is dead." Said one of the women, tears streaming down here face.
"My daughter was just shot in the head." Said one of the elderly men, but there where no tears, he just looked strait ahead. Gear noticed that he too, was in shock.
"I...I'll be right back" Gear started walking toward the door, then running. He opened the doors of the bank as a great big gust of wind hit his face, but he didn't care as he started yelling at the top of his lungs. "There are fourteen civilians down, and two are dead. I think there are people in there that are in shock!" He paused for a moment before continuing, " Static has been shot."
Now, thirty paramedics ran into the building, carrying fifteen stretchers, after them, ran another ten or so paramedics. Gear followed them in and led one of the pairs toward Static.
"He was shot in the abdominal area, I tried to bandage it, but I'm not quite sure if it did that much good. He was shot about three in a half hours ago."
One of the paramedics placed a breathing mask on Static's face before helping his partner loud him onto the gurney.
"You might have just saved his life, but we won't be sure until the doctors get him into an operating room. Tammy, can you take Static to the rig while I talk to Gear?"
"Sure thing, but if you don't get there in the next three minutes, I'm leaving without you."
"No problem." He replied to his partner before turning his attention back to Gear. "You okay?" He asked worriedly, but at seeing to confused look on Gear's face, he motioned to the graze on the young hero's left arm.
"Oh, that, yeah, I'm fine."
"Well, I think you better get that checked out, come on, lets get out of here before the press gets a chance to get in here." He started to walk, but stopped when he saw that Gear wasn't going. "Come on, you're friend needs you."
Your friend needs you, yeah, sure, he needed me before, he needed my help, and I didn't help. What kind of a friend am I? I'm the one who got him to go in here, I encouraged him.
"N...No, I better stay here, make sure everything's fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
With that final answer, the paramedic rushed off, back to his partner.
"And don't take off his mask!" Gear called after him, and at receiving a thumbs up, he turned around to face the cops who where waiting to question him about the events that had gone on inside the building.
*****************************
Gear looked down on his friend, then at all the different monitors that where making the different variety of sounds, but where also keeping Virgil alive. He allowed himself to sit down on the visitor's seat and let out a deep sigh.
"I'm going to have to tell you're dad V," Started Richie as he looked back down on his friend, whose mask was still on. "He's going to be worried when you don't show up for supper. Then again, you already missed desert." Richie let himself giggle, neither of them would ever miss out on desert. " You know, I might even have to tell my parents, since I'm thinking that they'll start getting suspicious when I start wearing long-sleeve shirts to cover up that bullet wound, especially since it's summer. But I won't have to tell them today, they think I'm staying at you're house, remember V?" He was still wearing his uniform, and at that previous statement, he put his mask back on and got up. "I need to go, to tell you're dad, I'll tell my parent's later."
He made his way to the door, and after a last glance toward his friend, left the room.
*************************
The knock on the door startled the man on the couch, who was staring worriedly at the blank t.v. screen. He got up and made his way toward the door, and looked through the peeking whole in the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, and so wanted make sure it was someone he knew. He was surprised when he saw that the person on the other side of the door was Gear.
He opened the door to allow the hero in, and was quite worried when he saw the expression on the man's face.
"What...." He couldn't get any further before Gear cut him off.
"Mr. Hawkins, I need to talk to you." Gear hesitated as he waited for the man's response.
"What is it, is it about Virgil?"
"Well, yes."
"What is it, did he get into trouble, is he all right?"
"Well, no, to both questions, Mr. Hawkins, I'd like to show you something." He allowed the information to sink in before moving toward the t.v. He picked up the remote and flipped on the news station and instantly saw himself waiting for Static to arrive at the bank. "Mr. Hawkins, do you know who that it?" He asked pointing to himself on the screen, "Do you know who he really is?"
"N...No, what does that have to do with Virgil?"
Gear sighed as he looked down at the floor before placing both hands on his mask and lifting it off his head.
"R...Richie?" Mr. Hawkins sat down on the sofa. "B..But you're always with Virgil....Static was shot, the reporter said he was at hospital in critical condition. No, that can't be right, no....Virgil."
"Mr. Hawkins, Virgil is Static Shock. I'll take you to the hospital where he's at if you'd like, but you have to promise not to tell anyone that you know who Static and Gear are."
Mr. Hawkins nodded before talking again, "Can I go tell Sharon?"
Richie nodded and sat down on the couch to wait as Virgil's dad ran up that stairs.
The thought of how his parents might react never really went through to him until now. They would be worried, they might not let him be Gear anymore, but that might not matter if Virgil didn't live, not much would. What would be the point, but then again, he could at least try to be the hero, but it would be hard, especially since all the criminals would take advantage of Static's weakened and helpless state.
"What!"
The sound of Sharon's horrified and worried scream penetrated his thoughts. He looked up to find both of Virgil's family members rushing down the stairs.
"It's t...True." Sharon slowly walked toward Richie and stopped right in front of him, then looked back at here father, even more worry on her features.
"Let's go, he's at Dakota General Hospital." Richie sighed, this was going to be hard, and nobody at the hospital knew who Static Shock was, and bringing in family members of Virgil's might be pretty difficult.
"I'll drive." Responded Mr. Hawkins as he walked toward the door, Sharon at his heals, and Richie putting his mask back on before joining them.
Hope everyone liked that! I'll try and update soon!