Disclaimer: I do not own Static Shock or The Incredibles

Chapter Seventeen: When the Adults Are Away

Francis woke up the next morning to a splitting headache. He groaned and groped for the bottle of painkillers on his nightstand. He swallowed two and sat up, rubbing his face tiredly. He traced the bandage along the side of his face and grimaced. He'd get a lot of stares at school today, if everyone hadn't already heard about his fight with Wade. Gossip traveled faster than a wildfire at Dakota High School.

Francis' brow furrowed when he thought about Wade. It was a toss-up if the bigger teen would even be at school today, but if he were, he'd want some payback. Francis had technically won the fight, although he'd gotten sliced up in the process. Wade would be looking for retribution.

For the first time since he'd moved in with the Parrs, Francis missed his Glock and switchblade Bob had thrown away. He could really use them right about now.

Francis looked at the alarm clock. He had an hour until he actually needed to get up. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Francis whipped the covers away from his body and stretched, luxuriating in the popping of his muscles. He was pretty sore from yesterday.

He dropped the floor and did some push-ups to loosen himself up and then rolled onto his back to do a few crunches. He felt a lot better after the brief exercise and headed for the shower. An advantage of being up so early was that he didn't have to fight for possession of the bathroom or its limited supply of hot water.

He stripped in the bathroom and stepped into the shower. He made the water as hot as it could go and stood in the spray, careful to keep the area around the bandage as dry as possible.

The bathroom steamed up. Francis did his usual routine and grabbed a towel off the rack, running it through his hair. The red locks stood straight up in the humid room.

Francis rubbed a spot clean on the mirror and examined his face. There was stubble darkening his jaw line. Francis quickly shaved and slipped back into the sweatpants he had slept in so he could go to his room and change. He looked at his reflection in the mirror again and smiled at himself. He felt much better already.

As he passed the kitchen on his way back to his room, Francis spotted Bob at the table reading the newspaper. Francis hesitated for a moment and Bob looked up. He motioned Francis in.

Francis slid into a chair across from Bob.

"Good morning." Bob said, sounding pleasant enough.

"Morning." Francis responded tentatively. He'd been expecting a colder reception after being arrested.

Bob smiled at the teen. "This was taped to my door when I got up." He slid a piece of paper across the table.

Francis regarded it curiously. It was typewritten.

I thought you should know that Francis' actions yesterday should not be taken as a relapse to his banger ways or even as a violation of house rules. Francis was provoked and only fought after several disparaging remarks about a female friend were made. These remarks were both crude and uncalled for. Francis was defending said female's honor. Any punishment that is being considered should weigh these factors during deliberation.

A concerned friend and witness

Francis snorted. Virgil was such a dork.

"Is what that letter says true?" Bob asked.

Francis nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"You wouldn't happen to know who this friend and witness is by any chance?" Bob asked, struggling to hide his amusement.

"Not a clue." Francis and Bob exchanged grins across the table. They both knew who it was, but so long as no one said it out loud, Virgil couldn't get dragged into anything.

"I wish you would have just told us all this yesterday." Bob said.

Francis shrugged. "It didn't seem like you guys were all that interested in hearing it."

Bob shook his head. "You've got to make us listen then. We wouldn't have been so hard on you if we knew you'd done what you did for a good reason. A noble reason even." Bob grinned. "I think we're rubbing off on you."

Francis grimaced. "God I hope not."

Bob laughed. "Keep telling yourself that." He nodded at the bandage on Francis' head. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. It's not bad."

"Good, but Helen's going to drive you guys to school today anyway. Don't want you driving the freeways with a wound like that."

Francis nodded. "Okay." He got up to leave.

"And don't think just because you're getting away with a warning on this one doesn't mean it's okay to get into fights every time somebody insults your girl." Bob continued.

Francis flushed. "What? She's not my…"

Bob waved his spluttering aside. "Whatever. Part of being a Superhero means keeping a level head. You can't let every little thing get at you. Save it for the big stuff."

"Yeah, okay." Francis agreed.

"Good. Now go get dressed. You're dripping water everywhere."

Walking into school that day was bit like running onto the field of a major league baseball game wearing only a cap. Everybody stares at you and whispers. They don't even try and hide it. Francis didn't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. For the most part, people seemed to look at him with awe. One kid stopped him because he wanted to shake his hand. Francis knew his face was burning red. He wasn't used to such positive attention. He awkwardly weaved around well-wishers until he was he got to his locker.

"Wow, the hallways are buzzing my friend." Richie walked up to Francis.

"Not you too." Francis muttered.

"Dude, I was there. I don't need to indulge in gossip. I am an eye witness." Richie smiled. "I expect the school newspaper to come knocking for an exclusive report any minute now."

Francis turned to Richie. "Hey, don't go spreading stuff. People are talking about me enough as it is."

Richie frowned. "People are talking good about you. You're a hero around here. No one's ever stuck up to Wade before. You got in a fight with him and won. It's unheard of."

Francis raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I figured. But what do you think's going to happen now? Wade's gonna come back and he's going to be madder than ever. And if he hears everybody talking about what a stud I am it's going to piss him off even more. I do not need that."

"Oh." Richie nodded. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Obviously." Francis dug through his locker for his Science book.

"Well, you don't have to worry about Wade today. He's not here."

Francis looked up. "Really?"

Richie nodded.

"That's good." Francis found the book and threw it into his backpack. He wouldn't have to be looking over his shoulder all day. He shut the locker. "Have you seen Virgil yet?"

"Nah, why?"

"I've gotta thank the dork for saving my ass." Francis grinned.

Frieda cornered him outside the library before lunch. Francis was expecting a pleasant greeting, something along the lines of, "You're a fantastic kisser, let's go out on a real date and do some more of that."

That is not what she said. Not even close.

"Do you want to explain to me why the entire school is saying you got into a fight with Wade over me?" Frieda had her hands on her hips and was clearly angry about the whole situation.

Francis was taken aback. "I…uh…"

"Is it true?" Frieda crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"I…guess." Francis said hesitantly.

Frieda shook her head. "Why?"

Francis raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He was saying all sorts of shitty stuff so I…"

"Not that, you idiot." Frieda huffed. "Why did he think there was something going on between you and me in the first place?"

"Oh." Francis didn't have an answer for that. "I dunno."

"So you haven't been talking to people about what happened over break? Because I find it funny that Wade would just start saying all of that stuff out of the blue. It seems like he would have a reason." Frieda wiped at her eyes. "I don't appreciate being talked about behind my back, I don't know what you've been telling all your friends…"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Francis stopped Frieda mid-sentence. "I didn't tell anyone what happened and I definitely didn't spread rumors about us."

Frieda looked up at him. "You didn't?"

"Nah." Francis shook his head.

"Well then why does everyone seem to know?" Frieda asked. "I'm not used to people talking about me like this. I don't like it."

Francis shrugged. "I have no idea. Honest."

Frieda looked at Francis suspiciously. "You didn't tell anyone about the kiss?"

"No…" Francis stopped. "Well, actually..."

"I knew it." Frieda played with a strand of her hair, nervously twining it around her fingers.

"It was just Virg and Vi. And technically I didn't tell them, they figured it out." Francis explained.

"Oh." Frieda studied the strand of hair. "Okay."

"Are we cool?" Francis asked.

Frieda hesitated and then nodded. "Yes. I was just so flustered this morning when everyone wanted to know what I thought about the fight and I had no idea what they were talking about." She giggled and looked at Francis. "I don't subscribe to the rumor mill. I guess I was one of the last to find out."

Francis shrugged again. "It's not a big deal. People should stop talking about it."

"They will, give it a few days." Frieda assured him. She looped her arm through his and started leading him towards the cafeteria. "And thanks."

"For what?" Francis asked.

Frieda smiled up at him. "For defending my honor."

Francis flushed the color of his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "No problem."

Frieda hugged his arm. "And who says chivalry is dead?"

A few days later, Wade had still not returned to school. Francis was on edge but grateful. The bruises and cuts had faded and he could concentrate on school, homework, and wooing Frieda without interruption.

Francis wasn't naïve. He knew Wade would be back soon and he was ready for that. In the meantime, he was enjoying several drama free days.

Violet had indeed gotten the part in the play that she had wanted. That meant rehearsal every day after school. Which by extension meant Francis had to hang around until they were done so he could drive her home.

At first, Francis had been bored out of his mind. They were in the early stages of production so most of the cast didn't know their lines yet. They spent every rehearsal going over a single scene a dozen times until everyone participating could say the lines without a script. This was not very entertaining to watch. Francis took to wandering the hallways or heading to the gym to watch the basketball team practice.

Frieda caught on after a few days that Francis was bored out of his mind after school and volunteered to continue their Spanish tutoring then. Now, Francis and Frieda hunkered down in the library surrounded by their Spanish workbooks as Frieda helped Francis struggled through the tenses and vocabulary. Occasionally, Frieda would bring her camera and take Francis around the school while she took pictures for the newspaper or interviewed people. It was cool to see her in action. Frieda confided in Francis that she wanted to be reporter when she grew up. Francis thought she could definitely do it. She could do anything.

Not only were things peacefully serene in Dakota, Metroville was unusually blissful as well. The adults hadn't gone scurrying off in the middle of the night to stop a crime in weeks. Daytime crime had taken a dip as well and when there was a disturbance, the police could usually handle it by themselves.

So when the West Coast NSA division called to ask the adults to California for a conference, they gave a hesitant yes.

Bob hefted their two suitcases into the car while Helen went over last-minute details with Violet.

Helen was fussing over Jack-Jack. The last time she had left him for the weekend a homicidal lunatic had nearly kidnapped Jack-Jack. She looked up at Violet. "You have all the emergency numbers?"

"They're on the fridge." Violet confirmed.

"Including the number where we'll be staying?" Helen asked.

"Mom, we got it." Violet assured her. "We'll be fine."

"You're not going to follow us this time are you?" Bob asked sharply.

Dash rolled his eyes. "No. What fun would a conference be?" Bob chuckled and ruffled Dash's hair fondly.

"Nobody uses the Loft while we're gone." Lucius said. All the kids nodded. "I mean it Virgil. No late night sessions."

Virgil went wide-eyed.

Lucius grinned. "Yeah, I know about that. Knock it off, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Okay Pops." Virgil agreed.

"Stay out of my office." Bob looked at Francis and smiled.

"What, you don't trust me?" Francis asked with a grin.

"I'll trust you a whole lot more if this weekend goes off without a hitch." Bob said. "That goes for all of you. We're really putting a lot of faith in you. Violet, Francis, Virgil, I expect you three to look after Dash and Jack-Jack and get all of your homework done."

Violet smiled. "Don't worry Dad, we'll be fine."

"Okay. Well." Helen fidgeted with her coat. "There's money in the cookie jar for pizza and remember if you want to call that there's a significant time change."

Lucius laughed. "Yeah, I don't want any phone calls at three in the morning."

"We got it." Virgil said. "Would you guys go already? You're going to miss your flight."

Helen hugged all of the kids. Lucius pulled Virgil into a tight hug.

"See you kids in two days." Bob said.

They got in the car and drove away. The kids watched them leave and exchanged grins. An entire weekend without their parents. No training, no chores, no hassle. Beautiful.

On Saturday night, Francis was sleeping on the couch while Virgil and Dash played a video game. Violet had put Jack-Jack down for his nap and was in the kitchen, talking on the phone with a friend.

Without warning, the lights went out. The TV screen went black.

"Hey." Dash whined.

Suddenly a loud alarm blared and blinking lights bathed the room in a red glow. Francis jerked awake and fell off the couch, covering his ears. "The hell is that?"

Violet stumbled into the room. "That must be the HQ alarm."

"What?" Virgil shouted.

"The HQ Alarm!" Violet shouted over the blaring noise.

Across the house Jack-Jack woke up and started to cry.

"Well turn it off!" Francis shouted.

"We have to go down to HQ." Violet screamed back.

The four headed down to the basement. The alarm continued to go off; the only light was the red glow.

In the Sanctum's headquarters', the computer screens were flashing with information. A police scanner was crackling with sound.

Virgil found the off switch and the alarm stopped. The lights clicked back on.

Normally, there was an adult down in HQ monitoring the screens during the day so they could head off the alarm before it was activated above ground, disturbing the other members of the Sanctum. During the night, the alarm system only activated in the adult's bedrooms, so only they would be awakened. It was how they were kept aware of important criminal activities.

"So what's the big emergency?" Francis asked.

Violet and Virgil scanned the screens. "Looks like something's happening downtown." Virgil said.

"I'm going to tap into a live news feed." Violet said. She typed something and one of the monitors displayed a news channel. The reporter was gripping the microphone so hard their knuckles were white. She was talking loudly and quickly and every few seconds the camera shook. Over the reporter's shoulder, the sound of people screaming and destruction could be heard.

The reporter said something about rogue Supers. Francis, Virgil, and Violet exchanged worried looks.

Suddenly, the reporter moved aside and the kids got a good look at who was causing all the panic. A huge purple man, who looked to be made out of stone, was smashing his way through the front of a jewelry store. An African-America girl stood next to the man with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Looming over them both was what appeared to be a shadow. The shadow solidified and took on the shape of a man. He seemed to be directing the destruction. The girl nodded at something the shadow man said and turned to the camera. The reporter whimpered and slid out of the way. The girl blew the camera a seductive kiss and then exhaled. A cloud of something came out of her mouth and enveloped the camera. The image faded to static.

"Whoa." Francis said. "It's a gang of Supers."

"Why'd they have to pick tonight to go on a crime spree?" Violet complained. "Just when Mom and Dad went out of town."

"So?" Dash questioned. "Let's go get them ourselves!"

"We haven't been cleared for active hero duty." Violet argued. "Mom and Dad…"

"…aren't here." Dash finished for her. "We are. C'mon. We can take those jerks."

"I don't know." Violet hesitated.

"I'm with Dash on this one." Virgil said. "Those guys are going to trash the entire downtown area of we don't stop them. Do you think our parents really want to come home to a decimated city?"

"No." Violet acquiesced.

They all looked over at Francis. "What?"

""What do you think we should do?" Virgil asked.

Francis shrugged and looked at the static-filled monitor. "I do have a Supersuit just sitting in my closet gathering dust."

Virgil pumped his fist. "All right. Let's do this!"

Dash jumped in excitement. Yeah!"

"Whoa, hold on Shorty." Francis stopped Dash. "You're not going anywhere."

"Huh?" Dash frowned up at the pyro.

"You have to stay here and watch Jack-Jack." Francis pointed out.

Dash's mouth fell open. "What! No way."

"Francis is right. Someone has to stay here." Violet reasoned.

"Sorry bro." Virgil said.

Dash pouted. "This is not fair."

Francis tore through downtown Metroville on his motorcycle, Violet clutching him from behind. Virgil flew overhead. All three were in uniform. They were minutes away from the rogue Supers.

Francis clenched the handlebars anxiously. It was the first time since he'd been fitted at Edna Mode's house that he'd worn the complete Supersuit. He'd never used his powers outside of the house and never in any combat simulations. Virgil and Violet had a game plan; they'd been training a lot longer than he had. Francis would just have to follow their leads and try to keep up.

People fleeing from the opposite direction let the teenaged Supers know they were close. The crowd parted for the motorcycle and Francis skid to a stop, putting out one leg to balance the bike. Virgil stopped and hovered above them.

The girl who had been terrorizing the news crew looked up at the new arrivals. She frowned when she saw the Supersuits. "Yo Ebon. Check out the suits."

The shadow man materialized next to her, folding his arms over his dark form. "I wondered when the heroes would show up." He cocked his head and chuckled. "Looks like the JV team." He stalked forward and his purple eyes narrowed into slits. "What, no A team for us? Where's the Incredibles? I wanted to show them what competition looks like."

Virgil scoffed. "I think he's talking about himself." He joked to Francis. The redhead snickered.

Ebon wasn't amused. "Okay kid, you think you can stop us?"

Violet and Francis got off the motorcycle and stood side-by-side. "Pretty damn sure." Francis agreed.

"Hey, Onyx. Get your ass out here." The girl called over her shoulder into the store they had been ransacking. "We're about to have some fun."

The rock man emerged, punching his fist into his hand in anticipation. "Good. I was getting bored."

The girl put her hand on Onyx's arm and smiled up at him before looking over at Ebon. "You want Sparky?"

"Yeah. I'll shut that big mouth of his." Ebon said. "Puff, you take the girl. Onyx, get Red."

Francis frowned. "Red? Is that the best you got?" He looked at Violet. "I'm a little insulted."

Violet frowned at Francis. "Focus. Trash talk is all well and good, but we're about to be in the first serious fight of our Superhero careers. I really want to win this."

Francis nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Most of the Metroville citizens who had been in the area had cleared out; giving the six Supers room to fight. Police set up a barricade to prevent people from getting in the way. They watched nervously from behind their riot shields.

"Who are these kids?" One cop asked another.

"That looks like the Incredible girl." One replied. "The other one's that Static kid."

"What about that one?" Another asked, pointing at Francis. No on had an answer.

"Must be a newbie."

"I hope they're up for this."

News-copters circled overhead, filming the action. News crews on the ground got as close as they dared.

Onyx charged first. He thundered towards Francis, one fist raised and ready to strike. Francis dove between Onyx's legs and rolled into a crouch behind the rocky behemoth. Onyx stopped in confusion and turned. Francis laughed at him. "That all?"

Onyx bellowed in rage and swung angrily. Francis leant back as the massive fist sailed through the air inches from his face. Francis smirked. Onyx may have brute strength on his side, but Francis was a lot faster.

Onyx paused and gathered himself, exhaling deeply. He cracked his neck and looked Francis up and down. He grinned. "Not bad."

Francis frowned.

The crackling of glass across the street distracted Francis and he looked beyond Onyx to see Virgil grappling with Ebon.

Onyx darted forward and grabbed Francis by the arm. He lifted Francis off the ground, grabbing his leg and holding the pyro above his head. Francis was too shocked to respond. He gaped at Onyx's strength. Onyx threw Francis against a brick wall.

Francis collapsed onto the street, gravel and glass biting into his skin. He rubbed the back of his head to try and knead away the pain. Brick was pretty unforgiving. Onyx rumbled closer. Francis looked up at the approaching behemoth and clambered to his feet. He growled angrily and clenched his fists. Flames leapt up his arms and around his torso. Francis' green eyes blazed red. No more playing around.

Onyx quirked an eyebrow at the latest development.

Francis threw a wall of fire at Onyx. The giant put his arms in front of his face to protect himself and leant into the onslaught. The flames licked around Onyx's frame. Francis pulled back.

Onyx was still standing, smoking but standing. He lowered his arms and smirked at the pyro. "Is that all?" He mimicked Francis. "Let's go Red."

Francis gritted his teeth and slid into the defensive stance Bob had taught him. He might have underestimated Onyx.

As Francis and Onyx fought, Virgil was having his own difficulties with Ebon. How does one go about pinning down a shadow? No matter what Virgil did, Ebon could evade it or throw it back at him. It was hard to keep track of the gang leader in the darting lights of the police cars. Ebon could melt into the shadows and pop out again when Virgil least expected it.

Virgil scrubbed one gloved hand across his cheek, frowning when it come away slick with blood. Ebon had gotten in a few good punches on his last ambush.

Virgil looked around, hovering above the ground on his disc. He scanned the street, searching for Ebon. The warning shouts from the police below made Virgil turn around. Ebon had created a portal with his legs and was using it to lift a parked car off the street. Ebon raised the car above the police and dropped it.

Virgil caught the car inches above their heads. His powers were strained under the weight of the car. Virgil pulled with all of his might and the car floated away from the relieved police. He dropped the car and fell to his knees on his disc. He was exhausted. That had used up a lot of his strength.

Ebon stretched his body and shot up to Virgil, knocking the teen off his disc. Virgil crashed to the street below. He struggled to catch his breath. Ebon loomed menacingly. Virgil threw one hand back at Ebon and shot some sparks at the shadow.

Ebon yelped as electricity coursed up his body. He retreated in pain.

Virgil got to his feet and his eyes widened. Ebon had gotten hold of the car again. This time, the effort to lift and throw the car looked as though it were draining Ebon too. The car flew directly at Virgil. He put his hands up and created an electric barrier between himself and the automobile.

The car collided with the barrier and hung suspended in mid-air. Virgil was pushed back slightly as the car fought against the barrier. Virgil took one step forward and shouted, summoning more power. The car fell back. Virgil gasped for breath. He and Ebon eyed each other from across the street.

Meanwhile, Violet was locked in combat with Puff. Puff had the upper-hand and had Violet cornered against a wall.

Puff smirked and blew a stream of acidic vapors in Violet's direction. Violet created a force field in front of herself and the vapors deflected off of it. The window behind Violet melted and bubbled into a puddle at her feet.

Violet went invisible to create some distance between herself and Puff. She needed time to think of a battle strategy. When these situations had been brought up in training, the adults had always stressed working as a team but the boys were up to their ears in baddies themselves. They didn't have the time to form a group tactic. Ebon and his cronies had been in control of the situation from the get-go. They had chosen which of the teenagers they had wanted to fight. That was unacceptable. It was time to regain control.

Puff's legs changed into a stream of smoke and she floated into the air, looking for Violet. She frowned in annoyance. "What? You got tired of playing? C'mon little girl. I was just warming up." She scanned the street. Violet remained invisible. "Fine, I'll smoke you out."

Puff sucked in a deep breath of air and when she exhaled it was a cloud of smoke. The smoke descended on the street. Violet coughed and gasped for air.

Puff descended into the smoke. "Now we're both invisible." She taunted.

Violet couldn't concentrate on staying invisible when she couldn't breathe. She appeared and stumbled through the smoke, searching for a way out. Puff heard her coughing and snuck up on the other girl.

When she found Violet, Puff tackled her from behind. The smoke began to dissipate now that Puff had found her prey.

Puff reared back with her fist and struck Violet across the face. Violet struggled to get out from underneath Puff. Smirking, Puff continued to smack Violet across the face.

Violet screamed in frustration and created a force-field between herself and Puff. Puff's latest punch bounced off the force-field and back at her. She hit herself in the jaw. "Ow." Puff whined, rubbing her chin.

Violet couldn't help it, she giggled. "Why're you hitting yourself?"

Puff stared down at Violet in shock. "Why…you little bi…"

Onyx lifted Francis by the leg and swung the teen around before letting go. Francis crashed through the last unbroken window on the block. He slid into a sales display of CDs, which collapsed around him. Francis got to his knees, sweat and blood dripping off his face. He looked through the splintered glass to where Onyx was laughing.

Francis opened his fist and a small flame appeared in his palm. His reserves of strength were dwindling rapidly and Onyx seemed tireless. Francis had to do something desperate to win this fight.

He'd never tried this move out in the Loft or even told anyone he thought he could do it. Bob would tell him it was stupid or too risky. At the moment, it was all Francis could think to do.

He got to his feet and climbed out the window. He powered up again, flames enveloping his body. He stared stonily at Onyx.

Onyx charged, fist cocked and ready to strike.

The punch flew and Francis ducked underneath it, placing both hands flat against Onyx's chest. Francis pulled up every scrap of energy he had left and thrust it into his hands.

Onyx didn't even have time to be surprised. The force of the blast launched the massive man across the street and into a wall. The wall crumbled around Onyx's weight. When the dust settled, Onyx lay unmoving in a pile debris. Francis smirked and muttered, "Booyah." Then he fainted.

Puff formed a ball of acid in her hands and threw it at Violet.

Violet dodged it and watched as the ball burnt through a stop sign behind her. Violet went invisible again.

Puff growled in frustration, quickly losing her temper. "I am so sick of that. You're such a coward. Why don't you come out and fight me, or are you scared?"

Behind Puff, Violet picked up a piece of broken pipe. She reappeared and tapped Puff on the shoulder. The other girl whirled around. Violet brought the pipe down onto Puff's head. With a sick crack, Puff collapsed in a heap. She wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Violet twirled the pipe in her hand, grinning happily.

Virgil shot some sparks at Ebon. The rogue Super created a portal, which swallowed the sparks. He then opened a second portal behind Virgil and his own sparks leapt at him. Virgil dove out of the way.

Overhead, the news-copter shone a bright spotlight down on the fight. Ebon hissed in pain and grabbed a parking meter out of the ground, using the swirling winds of his portal to launch the meter at the news-copter. The meter burst the spotlight and shards of glass rained down onto the street. Ebon sighed in relief as the light vanished.

Virgil looked up at the helicopter and then back at Ebon. Of course! Light hurt Ebon. He was a living shadow. Light was his kryptonite. It was the only thing that would render him weak enough to subdue. Virgil frantically looked up and down the street for light sources.

Every streetlight on the block had been broken. Ebon must have done that earlier. The headlights from the police cars were too far away to have any effect.

Virgil looked at the streetlight Ebon was standing under and noticed the bulb wasn't broken. That meant Ebon hadn't broken that one, it had just not been working before. Virgil grinned, he had an idea.

Francis blinked and groaned as he sat up. He winced and rubbed the back of his neck. Every inch of him hurt. He looked around for Onyx. Still passed out. Good. One down. He turned just in time to see Violet crack Puff across the skull with a pipe. Francis winced again on Puff's behalf. The acidic Super went down like a sack of potatoes. Two down. That left Virgil and Ebon.

Francis stood up and spotted the duo fighting down the block. Virgil looked exhausted.

Francis ran up the street towards the two. Ebon had his back to Francis so he didn't see the pyro coming. Francis tackled Ebon at the knees and they both skid along the pavement.

Virgil grinned. Perfect timing!

Ebon got up and glared at Francis. "Who the hell d'you think you are?"

Virgil zapped his disc over and jumped on it, flying at a break neck speed over to Ebon. He collided with Ebon's back and the gang leader fell back directly under the streetlight.

"Grab him!" Virgil shouted to Francis. "Hold him!"

Francis scrambled to his feet and trapped Ebon in a full nelson. Ebon thrashed wildly in Francis' grip but he held on.

Virgil shot electricity into the unbroken bulb and it burst to life. Ebon shouted in fury when he realized what was happening.

Virgil increased the flow of electricity and the light became blinding. Francis closed his eyes and looked away, still holding onto Ebon.

Ebon screamed and struggled to get away.

Virgil increased the light even more and eventually Ebon couldn't take it anymore. He passed out in Francis' arms.

Virgil cut the flow and the bulb went dark.

Francis released Ebon and the leader lay crumpled, black skin hissing from exposure to the light as though he had been badly burnt.

Francis looked up at Virgil and grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. Three down.

The rogue Supers were being loaded into an NSA transport truck. Francis, Virgil, and Violet watched on in satisfaction. It was their first victory as real Superheroes. Medical personnel had already treated the three. There were no serious injuries, although they were all covered in enough cuts and bruises to last them a lifetime.

Reporters fought through the crowd to reach the teenagers.

One shoved a microphone in Virgil's face. "Static! What an incredible victory for you and your partners. Are you a new crime fighting faction?"

"Incredi-Girl! Are your parents incapacitated? Is that why they did not respond to the call?"

"Who are you?"

"Umm…" Francis stared dumbly at the reporter. "I'm Hotstreak."

The reporters all wrote the name down.

"And you're a pyro-tech?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you come from? How do you know Static and Incredi-Girl?"

"Uh…"

Violet grabbed Francis and they backed away from the throng of reporters. "I'm sorry, we can't answer any more questions at this time. We'll release a statement soon."

The reporters all looked very disappointed.

Virgil shot into the sky on his disc and saluted Violet and Francis, flying back towards the Sanctum.

Francis and Violet got on the motorcycle and drove away, still grinning excitedly over their first victory.

Author's Note:

Oh man, this is a long chapter. Official new longest by the way. I had planned for it to be even longer but that's not happening. So, whoo hoo! They're heroes! Fighting! Introduction of some of our meta-human faves. And of course, meta-human translates to Super in this story. Sorry this took so long to get up. I wrote the first half in a couple of days and was feeling really good about it. Then I completely forgot about the story for a bout a month. So tonight, I sat down and pounded out the last half so I could get this up. Hope you guys like it.

PLEASE REVIEW!

FHGVZEhyde