Disclaimer: Don't own Static Shock

Test of Friendship

Strange things had been happening all through the patrol that day; first they came across a child that, while unattended, almost fell of the family's fifth story balcony. Then Shiv decided he wanted to come out and play nearly shorting out Static by slicing open a fire hydrant, luckily he wasn't successful, and they managed to send him back to jail, soaked from head to foot. Then things started going really badly.

"Hey, Rich, are you sure you can complete this patrol?" Static asked as Richie began to curse out his equipment for malfunctioning.

"Yeah, I'm sure!" Gear replied "This ought to work itself out"

They didn't know that the problem wouldn't "work itself out", it would only get worse before they completed their patrol.

Static looked back over his shoulder to make sure that Gear was still behind him to find that he was gone. He stopped and pulled out his Shock vox.

"Gear, hey Gear, where are ya?" Static said into the device assuming that Gear had been forced into an emergency landing and he'd just missed him saying anything.

No response, he called again to get the same, and he gave up after the forth or fifth try, his pal wasn't going to answer him. Now he was worried, he went backwards on the route they had taken from the point where he'd noticed he'd lost Gear and after going the complete route over he realized that he wasn't going to find Gear by retracing his route. He then felt his stomach flop at the thought that he could have possibly lost his best friend.

It was almost midnight when Static returned to the gas station with no sign of Gear. He couldn't believe this had happened.

"What happened out there, Rich?" he asked the too quiet air of the gas station. "Where are you?"

Virgil took off his mask and sat heavily on the floor, his back against the wall and hugged his knees tightly to his chest his mask hanging loosely from his right hand.

"What do I do?" he wondered aloud.

Meanwhile Robert Hawkins was pacing the floor. He knew Virgil and Richie were out patrolling the city and as much as he wanted to forbid these evening/night patrols he knew the city was much safer with them on the case so he fretted and worried until they got home.

"Daddy, why don't you go to bed, it's late?" Sharon asked.

"I can't Sharon, not until Virgil gets home." Robert replied.

"Daddy you know those boys will stay out till all hours of the night. I can't believe that you allow Virgil to do that… whatever he's been doing!"

"I know Sharon, but I can't sleep until I know they aren't injured." Robert sighed "Go on to bed, sweetheart, I'll go to sleep when Virgil and Richie get here."

Virgil wasn't sure how much time passed while he sat there wallowing, trying to understand how he had lost Richie. Virgil figured he must have fallen asleep because he hadn't seen anyone enter but there was a strange note tacked to the doorframe.

"Static, I've got your partner, if you want him to remain safe you will do exactly as I instruct… do not tell anybody or he will die." The note read and in the envelope there was a photo of Gear he looked shaken but otherwise unharmed. In his hand was a copy of the latest newspaper, the early edition of the Dakota Times which goes up for sale at 4 in the morning, to give proof that whoever took this picture actually did have Gear and he was, as of the time the newspaper came out, alive.

"Damn… damn, damn, damn!" Virgil said his voice gaining in volume with each repetition of the word. Electricity crackled across his body as he became more and more angry. Who was this? Why take Gear? What could he possibly be able to do to make them want him?

Virgil went back to the note.

"Here is the first assignment…"

Virgil scowled, this place was miles outside of Dakota, thankfully, and outside of the city he wasn't well known. Truth was most other heroes didn't really know him. The Teen Titans of Jump City sprung to mind as among those that wouldn't know who he was.

"Go to Star City and find the following address… there you will find further instructions." The note read "Go alone, if there is even so much as a hint that someone came with you Gear will die!"

Virgil slammed his fist against the wall. This had to be a nightmare, there was no way this was real. It was too horrifying to even contemplate, but it was real.

Virgil cleaned up the best he could and grabbed something to eat before heading out towards Star City. He knew there was a hero on patrol there so he would have to lay low and pray he didn't end up on their radar.

It took hours even as Static to arrive in Star City and he was, admittedly, terrified. The Green Arrow was something of a legend among heroes and if he could get his task done without running into the archer he would be happy, but he had no faith he could pull it off.

He found the instructions and it had him laying low until nightfall and infiltrating a Queen Consolidated warehouse to get an item from a moderate security section of the storage facility. Nothing too difficult but Virgil really didn't want to do it, didn't want to give up the reputation he had fought so hard for to do this. Then he looked at the picture of Gear and remembered he had no choice.

"Damn…" he muttered, the laying low part would be easy, getting into anything belonging to Queen Consolidated sounded like a nightmare and a half.

Richie groaned as his senses came back to him one by one. What happened? The last thing he remembered he was fighting with his own equipment, the next thing he knew his world had gone black.

"Damn…" he muttered as his senses came back to him enough for him to realize pretty much everything hurt.

"Static… Static…" he called out into the darkness, nothing, not a sound, no reply. He then realized he was in the room alone. Where was Virgil? Did he know what happened to him?

"Relax… you're going to be here for a while… don't worry though, you're worth far more to me alive than dead." A voice said over, presumably an intercom system because he saw no one else in the room. Then Richie realized he hadn't heard the voice with his own ears, he was a telepath. That sent a whole new wave of terror through him.

"Don't you worry, Richard… as long as your friend does as he's instructed you won't be harmed."

"Static won't bow to you!" Richie bellowed.

"Don't be so sure… he is obediently on his way to Star City as we speak." The accented voice replied.

"No… Static… don't ruin your rep for me… it… I'm not worth it!" Richie cried "You worked too hard to build that rep… don't throw it away for me!"

"You'd be surprised, even heroes can be used if the ones they love are on the line."

"But why me?" Richie demanded "Why not his father or sister… or Daisy?"

"They aren't as easy to nab… aren't as close… you… you work with him day in day out… school… patrols… he wouldn't be Static without you, he'd just be Virgil Hawkins average teenager… yeah he got powers without you but you were as much responsible for crafting Static as him… you made all the equipment that make him the hero he is… he wouldn't be able to function without you!" the disembodied voice chuckled "Does he even know…"

Robert Hawkins looked at the clock it was 5 in the morning… he must have fallen asleep and missed the boys coming in, that was the only explanation. He went upstairs to Virgil's room to find his bed empty, untouched.

"No…" he said in a breathy whisper, his son never made it home.

Robert couldn't stop the tears that burned at his eyes and fell, hot angry.

"Virgil…" he yelled into the empty bedroom.

"Daddy… what…" Sharon came in then it dawned on her.

"He… he never came home last night!" she observed, "Daddy what happened to my brother?" she demanded.

"I don't know, Sharon… but I intend to find out!" he said then turned to Sharon "Come I've got a lot to tell you Sharon and not a lot of time."

"What is it, Daddy… where is my brother?"

Sharon followed her dad into the living room terrified what he was going to tell her. She could feel her father's anxiety, this was bad. Where was Virgil? What did her father know about her brother that she didn't?

"Daddy, what is going on?" Sharon asked.

"You're going to want to sit down." He sighed indicating the couch.

Sharon didn't question her father, just took a seat on the couch and watched as he paced.

"I promised those boys I wouldn't tell this to anybody but… you aren't just anybody and clearly those boys are in trouble, or they'd be here."

"What… Virgil and Richie… what happened to them?"

"Honestly Sharon I don't know but I think it's time you learned their identities… their other identities… Sharon your little brother… your little brother is Static." He said hesitantly.

Sharon wanted to crack up laughing but the serious look on his face stopped that from happening.

"Daddy, you're serious… Virgil… he's Static?" she echoed still thinking her father might be mistaken.

"Think about it Sharon, look at your brother's picture then think about the last time you saw Static…"

Sharon did and it all clicked.

"Daddy… if Virgil is Static then… then…. No way… Gear… that's Richie isn't it?"

"Yes, Sharon… that's Richie." He replied.

"Then what are we going to do?" she asked.

Robert watched as Sharon slowly digested what he'd told her.

"Sharon, do you know how to get ahold of Rubber Band Man?"

"Adam… yeah why?"

"I was thinking he might know where Static and Gear's secret base of operations is… they damn sure don't operate out of this house…" Robert sighed.

"I'll call him…"

It didn't take long for Adam to arrive."

"Mr. Hawkins, what's wrong?" he asked

"Static and Gear are missing I was wondering if you knew where their base of operations is." He replied

"I was sworn to secrecy on that." Adam replied.

"Adam… damn it listen to me and you listen good because I will only say this once… Static is my son… Gear is as good as… and if you do not tell me where their base is so I can start searching for them I will stretch you from here to Gotham and back… do you understand me!"

Adam faltered for a moment, he hadn't been aware that Robert Hawkins knew Static and Gear's identities.

"O… Okay but if Static gets angry…"

"Let him… at least I'll know he's alive to give me the cold shoulder." Robert replied.

They arrived at the junk yard/abandoned gas station.

"This is it… all of their equipment is in there… let me go in first… Static might have set the security… I'm allowed in." Adam sighed

Robert waited outside until Adam came out and sent him in.

"Any sign of them?"

"Not that I could see…" Adam sighed "But you might see something I didn't… I got to go I've got to work… but you're free to look around."

"Thank you son…" he sighed.

"No problem, Mr. H…" I hope you find them soon.

"Me too… me too."

Adam left and Robert started looking around at what the boys had turned the old, abandoned gas station into. There were computer systems cobbled together, half finished weapons and defensive items strewn everywhere. He didn't know the names of all of the items Virgil used when he patrolled as Static, but he was certain that Richie created and maintained all of it. He then saw the chemistry equipment and all the other things that kept Static and Gear coming back home every time up until now.

He was just about to give up when the sheet of paper caught his eye. He picked it up and realized the handwriting belonged to neither Virgil nor Richie. He knew their handwriting anywhere. He saw Richie's all over this place, there were some samples of Virgil's but most of what was written on blueprints and the like was belonged to Richard 'Richie' Foley.

Robert read over the note and his heart shattered in his chest. Someone had captured Gear and was using him to get Static to do what they wanted him to do. The question is, what did they want him to do? Why were they sending him all the way to Star City. Robert was scared, as long as Virgil could recharge he was okay, but when he had to rely on what his body produced he had to replenish his energy, which meant he had to eat more than usual, which meant he needed money for food. He checked Virgil's belongings and found his wallet was still there, but every cent of cash Virgil carried, which wasn't much, was gone.

"Son I wish I could help you." He whispered "I wish you'd come by the house I'd… I… no son you were right not to come home… I would have stopped you… I would have called the police and put Richie in danger." He sighed looking over the note again then folding it up and putting it in his pocket

"God… please protect my boys." He muttered softly as he left the gas station to go back to the house. He stopped on the way out and looked at a piece of paper that held the noticeable handwriting of both Richie and Virgil.

"Don't worry, I will do everything I can to bring you both home… I didn't realize it until now but I've been blessed with two great sons… I didn't biologically father one but… but he's mine as much as the one that came from me." Robert sighed. He grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote out a note, then pinned it up in a place that Virgil would easily find it. He then left and went to the community center trying his best to focus on work when he knew Virgil was in danger.

The day was slow to pass, and Virgil found his small amount of pocket money wasn't going to keep him going long. He needed to make this happen fast. Night fell and Virgil was casing the warehouse trying to find the best route in and out. The one that would draw the least amount of attention to him. He had gotten the blueprints off a library computer covering his tracks carefully to not draw suspicion. He had also changed into civilian clothes to also further throw suspicion off of him and what he was doing.

He got in easily and out surprisingly easily and dropped the device at the designated drop off point and was shocked to find an envelope with a small amount of cash in it.

"Use this to eat on… you're of no use to me if you can't even fight." The note read but the author didn't bother with a name.

To Be Continued…