When Truth Is Known
Author's Note: This story is a rewrite of the original When Truth Is Known, hopefully it's a bit better. I've added a bit more dialogue here and there hopefully to make things a bit better. But the biggest change is that I've broken the story up into chapters. I will keep the original version of When Truth Is Known posted so if anyone wants to compare them please feel free to do so.
Chapter One
Static Shock a.k.a Virgil Hawkins hovered on his disc and watched Boom rage helplessly in the glass and steel sphere that he'd just imprisoned him in. The other bang baby had already tried to get out with one of his sonic blasts but he hadn't been able to. The blast of coherent sound hadn't been able to get out instead the blast had been dispersed inside the sphere causing Boom to cry out in pain as it had assaulted his ears. That one refracted blast had been enough to convince Boom that getting out of the sphere was impossible that way.
As he watched Boom rage at his own helplessness Static couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him, it wasn't really his fault that he was now the way he was it was the big bang that was responsible for that. In addition to transforming him into a meta-human it had affected his mind – something Static saw all to often in other bang babies. It did make him realise that he was lucky in a number of ways after the big bang. Not only had he retained his Human form and good looks but he also stayed himself, too many other bang babies hadn't mutating into hideous monsters or into animals.
After a moment he turned away from Boom and looked around for someone who he knew would be nearby. Sure enough he found her after a couple of moments sheltering near the tunnel to the players locker room. A small unremarkable looking girl who was now known as Mirage. She was Boom's little sister and like both her brother and Static was a bang baby. Mirage had the ability to create incredibly realistic three dimensional illusions of anything she wanted. However unlike her brother she'd stayed sane and only gone along with Boom out of a sense of family obligation, but now she'd finally listened to what he'd told her at the hospital and helped him deal with Boom. She would still have to be punished for her part in Booms crime spree but she already knew that and Static would make certain that the police knew that she'd helped him when they arrived to take Boom away.
After a moment he looked away from Mirage and looked around the arena in general. The bulk of the seats were empty. There was considerable damage here and there where either his or Booms blasts had gone astray and struck the sides of the arena. A few spectators had stayed to watch the fight and now they were jubilant. However amongst the remaining spectators was his sister Sharon giving him a knowing look. Virgil sighed to himself, he knew he would have no chance at all of convincing her that he wasn't Static. She knew now and it would be better to admit the truth than have to deal with her sharp tounge. Ritchie was standing nearby and he gave Static/Virgil an apologetic look, he'd clearly tried to get Sharon out of here before she saw too much but obviously hadn't been able to.
At that moment police arrived and poured into the area floor. The police lieutenant leading them looked around the damage to the arena and emitted a faint whistle before noticing Boom trapped inside the sphere of metal and glass. How did he get in there, the lieutenant thought recognising Boom as the new bang baby criminal around here who'd been using his power to generate powerful and destructive sonic blasts to commit robberies, and then he noticed Static hovering on his disc nearby, never mind, he thought, should have guessed Static would eventually kick this guys butt. Police all over Dakota City respected and liked Static especially since he would show up to help whenever they had trouble with Dakota's meta-human population at least those that did nothing but cause trouble. And it was a lot easier for one meta-human to defeat another meta-human than it was for a normal human. Many bang babies – at least those who used there abilities to commit crimes and other general malicious mischief – were very powerful and very dangerous beings, for a normal human defeating one could be difficult boarding on the impossible.
The police fanned out across the arena and began ushering the few spectators present out to safety while the lieutenant walked up to speak to Static about what had occurred here.
Sharon glanced back at Static before she was led away by the police. She knew full well now that Static Shock and her brother Virgil Hawkins were one and the same. And she would make him finally admit that fact to her when she saw him later – saw him as Virgil anyway. She knew he would probably try to deny that he was anything but a normal fifteen year old but she wouldn't let him deter her this time. The question was how to go about getting that information out of him.
Sharon was still trying to figure it out about fifteen minutes later as she stood outside the stadium waiting for Virgil to appear. Finally he did appear once more dressed in his street clothes. Looking at him Sharon wondered where he had put his costume. In his backpack most likely though how the disc would fit in there she had no idea. But that was just another mystery that he would have to answer along with explaining to her how he'd ended up a meta-human in the first place since he shouldn't have been anywhere near the docks when the big bang occurred.
Virgil approached with his normal casual walk showing absolutely no sign that anything could be bothering him, certainly nothing as major as having his secret identity found out.
"Well its about time," she said to him as he stopped in front of her. "You have some explaining to do little brother." She half expected to get a protest of innocence from him and was shocked when none came. Virgil just gave her a look and despite herself Sharon was staggered by the resolution she saw there.
Virgil leaned in closer and spoke quietly to Sharon so quietly that no one but Sharon and Ritchie standing right next to her could hear.
"Not here Sharon," he said softly. A look of shock crossed Ritchie's face as he realised what Virgil intended to do he was going to tell Sharon the truth. "To many bloodhounds around here," Virgil added inclining his head in the direction of the reporters and their camera crews milling around reporting on the events inside the stadium and the battle between Static and Boom within the basketball arena.
"Very well then," Sharon agreed reluctantly. "We will talk at home." Virgil nodded his agreement and it was plain to see to both Sharon and Ritchie that Virgil did not want to have that conversation but had decided he had no choice in the matter. For a moment Sharon couldn't help but feel a little guilty about putting Virgil in this position but dismissed it quickly after all it was Virgil who'd chosen to be Static and to keep that secret from them and he would now have to deal with the consequences of them finding out.
Though she did wonder what dad would say when he found out that not only was his son a meta-human but was in fact Static Shock. It would be interesting since Robert Hawkins didn't like meta-humans that much – though he had mellowed a bit this last year and now conceded that not all of them were bad. They would have to tell him in fact she would insist on it.
Quietly they walked back to her car with the exception of Ritchie who left to catch a bus home, normally Sharon wouldn't have hesitated to give him a lift but today was different. But this time he knew it was different, the Virgil and Sharon needed to speak alone – he would get the story out of Virgil later – so he would take the bus home.