Static Shock – Running in Place
Chapter 4 – One step forward, Two Steps back
Madelyn Spaulding tapped her fingers against her stomach as she watched the evening sun setting behind the buildings in the center of Dakota. It was the first time she'd seen a sunset without being supervised in forever. The first time she'd seen one without being in a drug-induced stupor to keep her from picking up a wall and walking out of prison.
She'd missed the sun.
Of course, such a view came with the inherent downside of a loss of all of her powers. They'd let her out, once she had sworn her abilities were gone. She was on some kind of special probation, she wasn't quite certain of the details but, since the only way to break it was to manifest powers and start wrecking things, she wasn't that concerned.
Not that she didn't half-wish she could. She sat up and brushed her black hair back behind her ears, glancing around the park slowly before settling her gaze on a discarded Soder can resting in the grass next to the path. Madelyn stretched out her hand towards it, fingers curling unconsciously as she narrowed her eyes and tried to find that spot deep in her mind that let her move things. The source, she figured, of her telekinesis.
After several long moments of nothing, she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and collapsed backwards onto the bench, closing her eyes. She really was human again. Normal again. Which might not be a bad thing, since she could try to fit in, maybe. Go to school, maybe make some friends again…probably not, but she could try.
"Now you look like you've lost something, girl. Something deep inside you are desperate to get back."
The voice was familiar, inner city slang mixed with just a hint of intelligence, and she didn't even bother to open her eyes to answer. "Yeah, you could say that. Lost the best and worst thing that ever happened to me."
"Well, what would ya say if I knew how you could get it back, hmm?" The voice was closer, right above her, and suddenly a shadow fell between her face and the sun, blocking off the faint hint of light always visible behind her eyelids. She slowly opened her eyes, and found herself staring up into the featureless black face of Ebon. And he has his powers.
She didn't answer right away, considering all the choices she had. She could be normal, she could be safe, and not have to worry about prison or cops or…Or I could move things with my mind.
Finally, she smiled. It was slow at first, but before long it was as wide as she could go. "I would say…that sounds just perfect."
Virgil stretched a blanket over the sleeping form of Maureen, whom he had set down on the couch in the Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude when they had returned. She looked peaceful, for once…more peaceful than he could ever remember seeing her. Maybe unconsciousness wasn't always a bad thing.
"I still think we should tie her up. In case she wakes up, you know, cranky and extra insane." Shenice was standing in the doorway to Richie's lab, dressed in a tanktop and jeans, her arms crossed under her chest.
"I told you, she's not crazy. Well…not exactly crazy," Virgil sighed and turned his back to the girl, stripping off the top of his costume and hanging it on a chair before heading over to a closet and tugging out an old t-shirt. "If we tie her up, she'll just wake up scared. Besides, she's gonna be out for hours, considering how hard you punched her. We're lucky she's going to wake up at all."
"You know what? Just drop it alright? Next time, I'll let the crazy psychopathic ice-queen turn you and Gear into ice-cubes. Then at least I won't have to listen to your griping." Shenice whirled around and disappeared back into Richie's lab.
"Hey! I didn't mean…oh never mind," Virgil shook his head, turning back to Maureen, watching her for a long moment before heading back across the room and tugging his mask back on. No sense doing anything overly forward. She knew Static…she didn't know Virgil.
In the lab, Richie was sitting in front of his desk filling up syringes with a grey-brown liquid and making check marks on a sheet of paper.
"Whatcha doin'?" Shenice leaned over Richie's shoulder, peering at the pile of medical equipment. "Ooh, are we going to be injecting people?"
"Well, I'm going to be injecting people," Richie smirked. "This is a…big bang gas antidote antidote. Sort of." The blonde teen shook his head, trying to come up with a decent way to explain it. "It'll make sure that someone won't be affected by the cure in the water, but if they already have been, it should fix them. Reactivate their powers. You know, if they deserve to have them." He tapped one of the syringes. "This one is for Rubber Band Man, for instance."
"So, basically, whomever you want to keep their powers can?" Shenice raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little high and mighty?"
"Yeah, I guess it is. But it's necessary." Richie sighed again and shook his head slowly. "Unless you can think of a better plan."
Twisting around, Shenice leaned her back against the back of Richie's chair and stared into the next room, where Virgil was puttering around waiting for Maureen to wake up. "No…not really. Come on, if you're going to give that to Rubberband Man, let's go do it now."
Richie seemed as though he was going to object, but then he just shrugged. "Alright, I'll go get changed."
Maria shifted, feeling the sand as it settled beneath her rear. It had been a month since she'd gone solid, a month since she stopped being Aquamaria, and she still couldn't get used to how some things felt. When she was water, sand felt like...like running her fingers through honey, somehow. She couldn't really have explained it, even if she cared enough to do so.
She let out a breath and turned to watch the last rays of the setting sun drifting down past the edge of the horizon, the water gleaming in orange and red. Her arm stretched out and she traced her fingers along the surface of the water.
It had taken a little while to slip past the police barricade, but she had to do so. She had to see the ship, to see where Francis had…had died. She almost laughed at the thought of his name, a bitter smile coming to her face. He hated being called Francis…even when they'd been dating, he'd asked her to call him Hotstreak. Not that she ever did, of course. Pushing his buttons was too much fun.
She hadn't talked to him in a month. Not since the cure…not since he'd screwed it up. Part of her was still angry about that, furiously angry, but on the other hand…he had done it because he didn't want her to leave him. Maria couldn't exactly fault him for that…even if he had gone about it the wrong way.
But it was supposed to be different now! With the cure in the water, Francis would be just as human as she was. She'd find him, things would get…well, things would hopefully get back to normal. Sure, he was a punk…but he was her punk. Except now he was dead.
"Enjoying watching the burning ball of fire disappear?"
"Well, I was," Maria didn't turn around, she just sat up a bit straighter and forced herself to keep from jumping up and running off. "Hello Shiv. How did you find me?"
"Called your mom, actually. She said you ran off when you heard about Ebon and Hotstreak on the news. Checked a couple of places…and here you are." The slightly insane teen sat down in the sand next to her, letting his sneaker-covered feet rest in the wet sand so the next wave would wash over them. "How you doing?"
"I…don't know," Maria finally said softly, resting her chin on her hands. "I can't believe he's…the last thing we did was fight, you know. Well, if he told you. He didn't want me to be normal, he figured I'd leave him. Which I did…so I guess he was right. I was going to go talk to him soon, but…" She stretched out her pale hand, indicating the tanker. "…Now I can't."
"Well, he might be alive. I mean, Ebon survived, so Hotstreak could have too, somehow." Shiv shrugged his shoulders. "You never know."
It was all Maria could do not to hit the other teen, her eyes wide. "Ebon survived? How? I saw the report on TV, and they were blown to bits!" Her accent was more obvious now, as she started to get upset.
"He says he doesn't remember any of it, he just woke up on the beach. Actually, that's sort of why I'm here…he's putting the gang back together, he managed to get some more of the Big Bang gas."
Maria pursed her lips. "I don't want my powers back, Shiv. I mean, I miss them, sure, but I'm normal now. I can go to school, I can have a life. I don't have to worry about the cops anymore!"
"Yeah, but if Hotstreak is dead, then Static and Gear killed him. Without your powers, you can't get even." Shiv pushed himself to his feet and shrugged. "Ebon is holdin' up in that warehouse he had set up as a backup hideout if you change your mind."
He headed back down the beach, leaving Maria to watch him until he was out of sight. With a sigh, the latino girl turned back to the ocean just in time to see the very last trails of the sunset disappear beneath the sea. She set her arms on her knees, her forehead on her arms, and cried.
Damn it.
Maureen awoke slowly, her eyes barely opening as her body tried to catch up with everything that happened. She felt like she was crawling her way out of a steep, greased tunnel, and every few seconds someone punched in the cheek. Only not nearly that pleasant.
"Mrr…?" She managed to make a noise, and the noise helped to get the rest of her senses in tune as her eyes opened slowly. Where am I? It couldn't have been her castle, she didn't have a couch. I'm on a couch? It certainly seemed like a couch, anyway. It had all the cushion-like qualities couches usually possessed.
"Hey, are you awake?" The voice was nearby, and familiar. Male, friendly…Static.
"Where am I?" she finally asked, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up onto her knees. She wasn't wearing her overcoat anymore, but she did have a blanket. And she didn't feel as cold. Plus there was… "And what's this?" Her fingers traced along the metal ring of the small collar that had been hooked around her neck.
"You're at our hideout…we didn't want to leave you with the police, and we weren't sure where else to take you." Static was seated across the room in a large charge, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and his mask, which Maureen thought looked rather silly. She would have laughed if she didn't still feel so out of it. "The collar is to control your powers…but yours are so strong it can't just turn them off. Just…dampen them a lot."
"Oh," she tapped her fingers against the metal collar, feeling each of the grooves and screws before letting her hand drop back into her lap. "Is my castle gone?"
"Probably," Static nodded, and Maureen couldn't resist the sigh that welled up inside of her. She'd liked that castle…creating it had made her feel better. It had almost made her feel like she could have had a home.
"It's pretty hot today," Static continued, his voice soft and apologetic. "Once you weren't around to keep the area cold, it should have started melting immediately."
"Yeah," she nodded slowly, staring at the floor. It felt strange, being only a little cold. Her powers had not been turned off for very long before she had been reexposed…she could barely even remember what being normal felt like. Still…this was probably as close as she was going to get. But it felt…uncomfortable somehow.
And a bit helpless. The thought forced itself to the front of her brain and she couldn't help but agree with it. When she was cold, at least she knew she could protect herself. It was the only upside of a rather crummy situation. But now she was cold and she couldn't protect herself.
Well, maybe…
She stretched out her arm, palm upward, fingers bent, and concentrated.
Virgil watched Maureen as she stared intently at her hand, her eyes almost closed, and resisted the urge to scratch at his mask. For some reason, when he wasn't in full costume, the mask just felt weird, almost itchy and uncomfortable, like he was just pretending to be someone else.
Very slowly, like a bird forcing itself from an egg, an ice sculpture of a terrier formed in the palm of the ice-powered girls hand. She let out a gasp as she finished, her breath almost ragged as she set the statue down on the table. "That was really hard."
The girl was taking all this much, much better than Virgil had expected, really. Maybe her temper was somehow connected to power…although he wasn't entirely sure how that would happen. Of course, it was just as likely she was calmer because she wasn't freezing, so he wasn't going to guess one way or the other.
"Yeah, it's because of the collar. You'd have to ask Gear how they work, exactly, but they somehow…inhibit the way we're bang babies. When I'm wearing one, I can barely make the tiniest spark." Virgil smiled, forcing his hands under his legs. He was not going to scratch at his mask, damn it. "Trying will just make you tired."
Maureen seemed to nod in agreement, closing her hands over the little statue. A moment later, she opened them again and the dog was gone. "So what now? Are you going to send me away?" She sounded scared, and Virgil couldn't really blame her. She'd been sent away from everywhere, and it made sense he would send her away too. It wasn't as though they could keep her here.
Or could we?
Adam Evans, musician, boyfriend, and part-time superhero, was feeling terribly un-superhero-esque at the moment. When he'd first heard about the announcement that their was a cure for Bang babies, he'd been excited. All those criminals would be normal again, and not able to cause so much trouble. But once they had decided that all the bang babies were going to lose their powers, even the good ones, he'd been…well…angry was a somewhat accurate word.
And now he was just being depressed. He could barely stretch his arm a foot, and he hadn't been able to change shape in three days. He liked being Rubberband Man. It made him feel like his life meant something again, almost as much as Sharon did. And now he was going to lose it.
Plus, without powers, he didn't have much of an excuse to do things between Sharon and music which resulted in a lot of television watching. A lot of television watching.
So when the knock came at his door, Adam sprung out of his seat and across the room, using every last bit of his stretchy nature to give a happy bounce to his otherwise miserable steps. Of course, seeing Gear and Shebang standing outside was enough to make the bounce real.
"Hey guys, what's up?" He stepped back, allowing the two younger teens into the room and then closing the door with a click. "And please say it's good news."
"Well, I guess that sort of depends on your definition of good news," Gear grinned as he twisted around to face the stretchy youth. He tugged a small syringe out of a compartment on his sleeve and held it up. "Is a cure for the bang baby cure 'good news'?"
All Adam could do was grin.
When Gear and Shebang arrived back at the Gas Station, they found Virgil standing outside floating a small metal table and a couch in through the front door. "Hey Bro, what's up?" Gear ducked his head as the table did a fancy little spin in the air and then disappeared into the building.
"I'm just cleaning up that room in the back of the station. You know, the one we were leaving all that useless junk from when we cleaned all the other rooms? I ducked that stuff into the junkyard and the grabbed some other stuff." Virgil carefully lowered the pieces of furniture onto the floor inside, then turned around and waved a hand, scooping up a small fridge he'd found that worked and sending that floating inside as well.
"Yeah, but why?" Shebang sounded skeptical, watching him carefully. "You never liked cleaning before."
"Oh, well, you know…it was just sort of…something to do?" Virgil tried to sound honest, but it just came off as trite. So instead he just ducked inside the building and began hovering the various bits of furniture through the livingroom and into the backroom.
"Virgil, you aren't doing what I think you're doing, are you?" Gear came in behind him, tugging off his mask and eyeing him. "It's not going to work."
"It might work!" Virgil took long enough to lower the fridge into the back room before he turned around to face Richie. "It's not like we have anywhere else to send her. No one would adopt a bang baby, even the people at the church didn't want her, and I wouldn't forgive myself for sending her to be locked up with criminals."
"Wait a second…you're gonna let the ice-princess live here?" Shenice looked shocked as she tugged her mask off, glancing from Virgil to the far door and back. "She tried to freeze us to death! To death, Virgil!"
"Yeah, I know, but we were trying to destroy her castle at the time." Virgil shook his head. "Look, it's just till we figure out where she can go, alright? She's got that collar on, and she seems happy know that no one wants to send her away." He narrowed his eyes, giving both his friends a look. "No one wants to send her away, right?"
"Uh…sure Virg, fine. I just hope this doesn't end badly." Richie turned and headed off into his lab, and Virgil couldn't help but laugh.
"It probably will. Everything else has lately. Why not this too?"
Ebon stared through the large glass window into the small air-tight containment room as he rolled the Bang gas canister slowly from one hand to the other. It had taken most of the day to find the right room for his idea, but now that he had, it was all going to be perfect.
He set the canister down in the small gas delivery slot in the machine and clicked the lid closed. The building had half a dozen biohazard stickers on the door, and he didn't even want to think about what might have been let loose in the room his gang was now standing in.
'His Gang.' Ebon liked the sound of that. He had been worried he'd never have another one…well, another one as effective as a Bang Baby gang…but it seemed he would. Ferret had come back, of course, and Madelyn would be a useful edition, once he managed to get her in line…but Maria had been the surprise. When he'd talked to Shiv, ebon had gotten the distinct impression the Aqua girl was not going to be coming back. But there she was, sitting in the back corner of the room staring at the ceiling. She hadn't said a word when she arrived, but Ebon was more than willing to let her in.
"We ready mon?" Kangor came up next to his featureless leader and peered past him into the room. "I never expected Maria to show up."
"Neither did I…but she's got her reasons. And she's our key for taking out Static, so I ain't complainin'." Ebon grinned and pointed to the open door. "You better get in there."
"I'm goin', I'm goin'." The former bang baby stepped into the room and yanked the cast-iron door closed behind him. With the faint hiss of pressurization, the room sealed itself up.
Ebon waited for the people inside to situate themselves before he flicked on the intercom. "Alright, here's how this is goin' down. We know what happened on the boat when me and matchstick inhaled too much of the gas, and we don't want none of that happenin' again, so I'm gonna use this dispenser to regulate how much all you get." He tapped his black finger against the console twice, ignoring the angry look that Maria had shot him at the mention of Hotstreak.
"So you all just make sure ya breath deeply when I release the gas, and I'll clear it out after thirty seconds or so. Tryin' to make this as close to when the bang went off as I can, alright?" He received a few silent nods in response, and then reached out and clicked the button to dispense the gas.
Fifteen seconds later, the room was completely obscured by the dancing smoke, and he clicked the dispenser off. Didn't want to use all the gas, might need it later. He counted slowly to fifteen, and hit the switch to clear the air out of the room.
As he watched his gang fade back into sight, he couldn't help but grin. Oh yeah…things were looking good.
I realize not much action happened in this chapter, but sometimes that is necessary. Plus at least you know I'm still writing it. ;)