Deviation Actions
Literature Text
3 weeks later…February 7th
VIRGIL POV
Man, I cannot believe how much things have changed for me in these past few weeks. With all my former enemies out of commission, life has been so easy. I've had more time to spend with my friends, on my school work, and on sleep. I actually can't thank Dr. Todd enough…
Oh right. Because of the lack of Bang Baby activity (as well as the lack of normal crime) pretty much all of my time as Static has been investigating Dr. Todd's murder. Me and Gear are both positive that he was murdered, but we don't have any evidence. That's why the police had to shut down their investigation.
Luckily for us, Chief Barnsdale agreed that there was nothing wrong with Gear and me doing our own investigation. But he told us we couldn't come to the police until we've got actual evidence, which, um…we don't.
Logic points to a disgruntled former Bang Baby being responsible for Dr. Todd's murder, obviously out of revenge for having their powers taken away. We've been searching for evidence as much as we can, but no luck so far. We can't give up, though; we promised his daughter, Tina, that we would find her father's killer (we didn't have to say anything to her, she just reached the same conclusion as we did: that her father was murdered as an act of revenge).
I feel bad for her, because she told us that her mom ran out on them when she was a baby, so she has no one. At least my dad managed to get her a room at the Freeman Community Center, and she's still able to come to school and be on the swim team. Plus, another good note is she's given us some valuable evidence: her father never smoked, meaning the cigars used to start the fire weren't his, and he was not the type of person who would look at "adult websites" like the one that wiped his computer's hard drive. That's not enough evidence to get the police involved, but it's enough to keep us searching.
But the list of suspects is pretty long. I mean, all our old enemies are locked up, so we're not sure if any of them had anything to do with it. A couple of them, like Talon and Aquamaria, are doing community service because they actually want to reform and make up for what they did. But most of them are locked up in the old Meta-human Ward at the police precinct. Off the top of my head, the only ones I know FOR SURE that are still on the loose are Ebon, Hotstreak (Gear made a mini-sub camera to search the docks where they disappeared, because we're sure the two of them are still out there), Shiv, Slipstream, Boom, Monster, and a couple other, minor, onetime foes of mine. We don't know how many were at the docks when Ebon released his canister of Quantum Vapor and got their powers back, but we do know we'll be ready when they finally attack.
And man, Gear and I have gotten so much better with our powers since we were re-infected with the BB Gas. I'm practically as strong as a lightning storm, and I know for a fact the saying will one day be "He's as smart as Gear!" (sorry Einstein). We practice with our powers as much as we can.
So, today was just a normal Monday…well, as normal as you can get with all the girls screaming about the upcoming Valentine's Day Dance. It's gonna be this Saturday, the 12th. Oh, and it's a girls-ask-boys dance, so ya know that's gonna be interesting.
Being honest, I hope my friend Daisy will ask me. I like like her, and I know she like likes me, but we're both too nervous to do anything about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I sound like a 4th grader, with "like like", and the fact that I'm too nervous to become more than friends with her even though I'm a super hero. But hey, this could be the year. Anyway, school was okay. Daisy didn't ask me out yet, but I think she was trying to 
Afterwards, Richie had to run a few errands for his mom while his dad's out of town on business, so I did afternoon patrol by myself.
First I stopped by my old partner Rubberband Man's apartment. Adam Evens was, at first, an enemy of mine, until he fell in love with my sister (gag) and reformed. He didn't keep his identity secret, and all that publicity really helped him become big in the music industry (plus his music talent ain't half bad, either). Funny thing to add is that I've never told Adam my secret identity, despite the fact that we're good friends as both supers and normal people.
Anyway, I flew up to his penthouse and tapped on the window. He came over and let me inside (I just realized how much that made me sound like a cat).
"How's it going, Static?" he asked, as he sat down at his keyboard.
"Pretty good. Just thought I'd check up and see how you've been doing?"
"Things have been going kind of slow, but for the most part they're ok," he told me, shrugging, "One of the good things about losing my powers is that now I can spend more time on my music. And I've got more time to spend with my girl."
"Sarah, right?" I don't know why I didn't just tell him. Oh wait, yeah I do: he and Sharon tell each other EVERYHING! So if I told him my identity, how long before Sharon found out? It was hard enough to trick her the last time she almost found out about my powers.
"Sharon," he corrected me, "We've been together for over a year now, and I just feel like she's the one." He had a love struck tone in his voice, which I mentally rolled my eyes at.
"Got any special plans for Valentine's Day?" I asked nonchalantly.
"I'm gonna write her a song and take her out for a romantic dinner," he said, "And I know she'll love it…as soon as I write it."
"You'll get it, man," I told him "Anyway, just thought I'd check up. I gotta get going." At this, I turned to leave, but he stopped me.
"Wait!" he called out, and I turned to look at him as he said, with a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face, "Have you…found my brother?"
That still came as a shock every time I heard it, knowing my partner and my arch foe were brothers.
Of course, shortly after the incident at the docks, Gear and me had visited Adam and told him about what had happened. Despite Ebon being evil, I knew Adam still cared for his brother. I could understand and respect that.
"No, man. We're still looking. The police recovered all they could from the ship, but there was no sign of your brother or Hotstreak. Gear's sub is still looking, so if they're there, we'll find them."
"Thanks for looking," he told me with an appreciative smile, "I know it's weird, me still caring about him after everything he's done to the city…"
"Dude, he's family," I stopped him, "Unless they snap and try to literally kill you, you'll always love your family. Heck despite the fact that she drives me nuts, I still love my sister." Instantly I realized what I had said, and my eyes went wide.
"I didn't know you had a sister," Adam said, raising his eyebrow at me curiously.
"Uh…" I struggled to find a way out of this one, "There's…a lot you don't know about me, man." I opened the window and got my Static Saucer ready, before turning back to Adam, "I promise that the moment we find your brother, you'll be the first to know."
Before he could say anything else, I hopped out the window and took off.
-------
Beast Boy wandered around the dark town. He couldn't understand why Jump City was, well…deserted? There was no one around, and it was completely dark. Not like nighttime, more like a storm was brewing. A bad storm.
For reasons unknown, even to himself, Beast Boy found himself drawn to Murakami High School, a private boarding school in the middle of downtown Jump City. Before, Beast Boy had never even thought about this school, heck, not even this building crossed his mind…until he found Terra.
Terra was the first girl he had ever loved (his teammates Raven and Starfire were more like sisters to him). She, like him, was a meta-human, specifically with powers over rock and earth. At first, she had had little to no control over these powers, and she ran off before the Titans could help her.
She ran to Slade, the Titans' archenemy. He helped her master her powers, in exchange for her unwavering loyalty. He first assignment was to infiltrate the Titans and learn their weaknesses for Slade. Then, she would help him destroy them.
Ultimately, she turned against Slade and helped her former friends defeat him, but was turned to stone in the process. Beast Boy had been heartbroken ever since.
The young shape shifter pushed the doors of the high school open, finding the place empty, just like the rest of the town.
It was here he encountered Terra again. After a 4-month-long globe-trotting adventure where Beast Boy had defeated HIS personal foes, the Brotherhood of Evil, the gang had finally returned home. It was only the first day back when Beast Boy encountered Terra, now a simple high school girl who apparently had no memory of her powers or her time with the Titans. After much persisting, Beast Boy had finally agreed to leave Terra alone, for each of them to face their separate futures.
"Things change Beast Boy. The girl you want me to be is just a memory…"
Beast Boy jerked his head towards that voice. There, standing under a single light in the otherwise completely dark hallway, was Terra. She looked sad, just like the last time he had seen her.
"Terra!" he called out to her. But before he could even take another step forward, she began drifting away. Her legs weren't moving; it was like she was being carried away by some force, ever so slowly.
Beast Boy couldn't believe it. He tried to follow her, but suddenly found himself stopped by them…Amber and Dionne, Terra's new friends who disrespected him when he had first tried to talk to her. They weren't alone; there was a sea of students blocking his way, though he could still see Terra over their heads.
"Excuse me," he tried pushing his way past them, only to stop once he saw their eyes. They were all looking right at him, but their eyes were dead, practically black.
"Get lost, Brat Boy!" they all spoke in unison, as Beast Boy struggled to get past them. Suddenly, the "sea of students" became an actual sea, which swallowed Beast Boy up. He struggled to swim to the surface, as he could still see Terra drifting away from him up above.
Struggling as hard as he could, Beast Boy finally remembered that he could turn into animals, so he instantly turned into a whale and crashed to the top of the sea, where he turned into a seagull before landing on the nearby ground (he paid no attention to the fact that the high school and, by default, the town were gone). However, instead of seeing Terra drifting away, he saw something much worse…
"Slade was right. You don't have any friends."
It was the night Beast Boy had discovered Terra's treachery. In his broken-hearted moment, he rejected her pleas for friendship and forgiveness, which ultimately drove her completely to Slade.
"Dude, stop! Just forgive her!" he yelled at his past self. But to no avail, as Slade and the other Beast Boy slowly disappeared, leaving only Terra, who held her head down and started crying.
"Terra, I'm so sorry," Beast Boy choked out, as he reached out to her. But the second his hand got near her, she whipped her head up, and Beast Boy was appalled to see that her face was now melted off, revealing a skeleton, which glared at the green changeling.
"It's your fault!" she snarled at him, "Why didn't you forgive me? You could have saved me from Slade's influence!"
"Terra…" Beast Boy choked out, but was cut off.
"Don't! I don't want to hear it! Just leave me alone! I'm happy now, because I don't have to remember you!"
The last words repeatedly rang inside Beast Boy's head. "…I don't have to remember you! …don't have to remember you! …don't have to remember you!"
Beast Boy looked at Terra, who was still glaring at him through her empty, skeleton eye-sockets. Beast Boy wanted to move…he NEEDED to get away from that harsh, accusing glare. But no matter how hard he tried, he found himself unable to move, unable to turn his head away, unable to even close his eyes.
"I hate you, Beast Boy!" Terra snarled, "Remember that! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
-------
Beast Boy shot up, breathing and sweating heavily. He looked around the room he was in, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light. He then remembered he was in Tokyo, Japan.
Right, right. About 2 weeks after the Terra incident, the Titans had been called to Tokyo (if you can say that being attacked by a psycho warning you to stay away as "called") to investigate a criminal known as Brushogun who apparently had the city under his control.
Long story short: Brushogun was an innocent pawn being used by the corrupt Chief of Police Daizo to make himself look like a hero.
In gratitude for saving the city from Daizo, the Titans were given a Suite in one of Tokyo's most popular hotels, free of charge. And, after deciding that the team could use a vacation, Robin called in some of the other Titans to watch Jump City for the couple of weeks they would be gone.
The Suite had two large bedrooms with 2 beds each. Raven and Starfire took one room, and the guys took the other. Beast Boy let Robin and Cyborg have the beds, since he could just transform into a dog and sleep on the couch.
That's where he currently was; in his shocked awakening, he had transformed back into a human. Luckily he hadn't screamed and woken his friends up.
Looking at the alarm clock on the dresser in between the two beds, Beast Boy noticed it was only 8:27. Looking out the window, he saw the sun just starting to rise. Deciding it would be pointless trying to get back to sleep, he went over to the window, opened it, and turned into a fly.
He flew up to the roof, where he morphed back into a human. He leaned on the stone-wall edge of the roof, looking out at the city below him, as his mind drifted back to a year ago…
It had been right after Christmas when the Titans had met Terra. Then, after she left in a fit of confusion, she came back about a month later. Then, she was with the team almost another month before she revealed her treachery before leaving. Then, not 2 weeks later was when she attacked the team to put Slade's big plan into action.
During those 2 weeks, Beast Boy was depressed. He only managed to get up and around because Starfire refused to see one of her closest friends in such a sad state. She made him go through extra training sessions with Robin, video game tournaments with Cyborg, and even made Raven help him meditate. After about a week, Beast Boy was slowly but surely back on the road to recovery.
Then Terra attacked, he finally promised the others and himself to bring her down, and…she redeemed herself. But why did she have to sacrifice herself in the process?
Anyway, after that, Beast Boy was ok for a while. Even after Slade mysteriously came back, he was fine. When he faced the Brotherhood of Evil, he was fine. When he came back home, he…wasn't.
After he agreed to leave "Terra" alone (he was sure the schoolgirl was her, but she hadn't told him her new name), he had started having the nightmares. At first, they were small and he was able to ignore and/or forget them. But then, they started coming in heavy. He knew the stress of losing Terra was getting to him, especially now that she was so close, but still so far.
"Trouble sleeping?"
Beast Boy turned around to see Raven a few feet behind him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Her hood was down, and her hair had a "bed-head" type look to it.
"It's about time to get up," Beast Boy simply responded, turning back to watch over the edge.
Raven came and stood next to him, straightening her hair down; "Not for you. You usually sleep until noon. Sometimes later."
"Well…" Beast Boy really didn't want to talk about his problems with Raven; sure, over their time of the Titans together, they had become closer as friends, but Beast Boy knew Raven wasn't all about opening up and expressing her feelings, or listening to others express their feelings. "We're going home today, and the time zone is almost the exact opposite, so we'll need to try to get back on track with our sleeping schedules. If I wake up early today, I can get to sleep easier tonight."
"Uh huh," Raven said in a deadpan tone, clearly not believing Beast Boy's excuse. Though she hated to do it, she had been reading Beast Boy's mind off and on ever since he told the others that he had found Terra again. She knew he was distressed, and was worried that he could easily fall into depression again. Luckily Starfire had been able to stop it from getting too bad after Terra's betrayal.
Even though Raven didn't show it most of the time, she genuinely cared for her friends, and really did hate seeing them upset. Deep down, she really did consider Starfire her best friend, she saw the guys like brothers, and yes, she even missed Terra…though if you ever asked her this, she would deny it and threaten to trap you in the back of her mind, a place no sane person would ever willingly wish to go. Anyway, she deeply cared for Beast Boy like a brother, and hated the fact that he was obviously having nightmares over Terra.
"Look," she began, somewhat begrudgingly, "I know you're upset over the whole Terra thing, but…" At this, she began patting her green friend on the back, "It's not healthy to keep this stuff bottled up. Believe me, I know it first hand."
Beast Boy shrugged Raven's hand away from him and walked a few steps away; "I'm fine, Raven, really. I appreciate your concern, but it's not needed. I accept the fact that Terra doesn't remember me, and I'm gonna respect her wishes and leave her alone. She can live her own life, watching us Titans from the crowd as a fan, and nothing more. That's why I tried to flirt with that pretty (secretly cat-ink) girl when we first got here: I wanted to move on."
Raven sighed in irritation; she knew Beast Boy wasn't fine, and was annoyed that he was trying to keep his problems bottled up. After they had finally beaten that monster thing, Raven had personally gone to Terra's "grave", and upon realizing Terra's statue was in fact gone, she used her magic to track her (using the "residue" that had been left behind). She traced it to Murakami school, and realized the girl was in fact Terra. Though the group missed Terra and wanted her back, Raven didn't read the girl's mind. So, did Terra truly not remember her former life, or was she just pretending to not remember out of guilt?
"Look, I'll just say this," Raven said, opening a small portal to take her back to her room, "I'm not all for cheesy clichés, but if you and Terra are meant to be together, then she'll come to you." At that, Raven started to enter the portal.
"Wait," Beast Boy looked at her, one foot in the portal as she looked back at him, "Why were you on the roof just now?" Beast Boy really didn't think Raven had come up to get him; plus, he had woken up rather early, so he figured she would still be asleep like the others.
"I woke up early to and decided to do a little meditating," Raven said, before she entered and closed the portal behind her, pulling her hood up as she did so.
It wasn't a TOTAL lie; she had woken up a few minutes prior, and was debating trying to get back to sleep or maybe do a little meditating…when she sensed one of her friends in trouble! It was only mental, however; she had sensed Beast Boy's nightmare and, against her better judgment, followed him up to the roof.
Beast Boy turned back to the edge and continued looking out over the city; he knew Raven was right, that he needed to confront his feelings about Terra. He loved her, and knew that he couldn't live without her. If he had to wait for her to realize that, he could do it. But what was troubling him was the thought that deep down, Terra didn't want to realize that. What if she truly believed her former friends would never forgive her, and would never come back? Beast Boy knew he couldn't live with that. Nope, no way could he live with that.
-------
Static continued to fly over the city, as a few people spotted him and waved at him; he waved back, smiling at his fans. He was happy that they so eagerly accepted him as their hero, especially considering he became a hero before the National Super Ban was officially lifted.
After a few more minutes of flying, Static's journey brought him to his father's place of business, the Freeman Community Center. It was here that his Pops helped kids in need of a second chance, so they didn't wind up joining any gangs and throwing away their futures.
He decided to stop by for a visit. He knew a lot of kids loved seeing their favorite heroes any chance they could, and he knew a few of Dakota's residents considered HIM their favorite hero. He flew over the court yard, and smiled at seeing a couple of familiar faces.
"Well, if it isn't two of my favorite girls," he said as he flew to the two girls who appeared to be middle-school age: Maureen Connor and Miranda Turek, formerly known as Permafrost and Mirage.
Maureen had had a rough life, with her father and older brother abandoning her and her mother when she was only a couple years old. Then, her mom started seeing a really great guy…with a bad past. Things were okay until her mom had fallen ill; then her stepfather's past came running back. He eventually abandoned them on Christmas Eve, the same night Maureen's mother died of her illness. So, a few years later, the now-homeless Maureen was wandering by the docks on the very night the Big Bang happened. She slowly developed ice powers, which ultimately manifested a year-and-a-half later around Christmas. Luckily, Static had been able to get through to her and managed to help her get her powers under control.
As for Miranda, she and her older brother Byron had had a pretty decent life…until their parents died in a car accident. They were forced to live with their poor grandmother in her run-down apartment. All was lost…until they stepped in a puddle of Bang Baby Juice a couple days after the Big Bang. They slowly developed powers, Maureen able to turn images into reality, and Byron having a super boom box in his chest. Byron tried to force his sister into committing crimes with their powers, saying that they were owed something after they lost everything. Thankfully, Static had helped Miranda see that her brother was sick and needed help.
Soon after Miranda turned herself in, her grandmother passed away, so she came to the FCC. When Maureen came a couple months later, Static hinted to "Mr. Hawkins" that he should introduce the two of them. Now, they were roommates and the best of friends.
"Hey, Static," they both chirped happily. They were sitting at one of the outdoor tables working on their homework.
"What's up?" Maureen asked, as she fiddled with her calculator.
"Mot much," Static replied, hovering a few feet above the two, "Just on my patrol, thought I'd stop by and see how things are going."
"Pretty good," Maureen answered, shrugging as she wrote down a few things, "Kinda boring, seeing as not much has happened lately."
"Yeah," Miranda said, reading something in her text book, "Since there are no more super villains, there hasn't been any real excitement lately. Kinda sad that we feel the need to see villains attacking the city in order to not be bored."
"Eh," Static shrugged, "It's what you're used to, whether or not it's a good thing."
"True," Miranda said, nodding, before she became slightly uncomfortable, "So…any news on my brother?"
Like Adam, Miranda still cared for her villainous sibling, and Static could accept that.
"Sorry," Static said, shaking his head as he remembered Byron had been at the docks the night Ebon had released the gas, "No sign of him yet."
"Ok," Miranda said, sighing, "Well, we got a bit to do, so…"
"Got it," Static said, as he bid the girls goodbye and headed inside.
As he entered the FCC, Static sighed to himself. It wasn't really fair for either of them to be here, but they didn't have any other choice. Miranda had no family, and the only family Maureen knew about was her a-hole step father; last Static had heard, the dirt bag was on the run, wanted on over a dozen small crimes (possession, theft, etc).
"Static!"
The teen super's thoughts were interrupted as he turned his head to see who had called him. He was rather surprised to see none other than Edwin Alva Jr.
Alva Jr. had had a terrible relationship with his dad, who never showed that he loved him. So, to get back at his cold, uncaring father, Jr. used the Quantum Vapor (Bang Baby juice/gas) to become Omnifarious, a shape shifting, power changing super villain. After a lengthy period of ruining his father's business, he and Static fought, which ended in Jr. overdosing on Quantum Vapor, turning him to stone.
After over a year, with several failed attempts to change his son back, a surprising team up of Static and Hot-Streak had managed to restore the boy to his human form. Since then, Alva Sr. had become a much better father figure.
"Um…what's up?" Static asked, trying to keep his cool. As Omnifarious, Jr. had learned Static's identity, and the two had never gotten a chance to talk about it. Seeing as Alva Sr. was now acting like an actual father thanks in part to him, Static figured that if Jr. still remembered who he was, he likely had no plans on telling anyone.
"Not much," Jr. said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "I just…ya know, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me when I was turned to stone. And also for fixing my relationship with my dad."
"Oh, sure, glad to help," Static said, shrugging, "So, this means you and I…?"
Looking to see if anyone was around, Jr. lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, Virgil, you secret's safe with me." He then winked, which Static gladly returned.
"Ok, son, I'm done with my meeting with Mr. Hawkins, so we can go now," Alva Sr. said, as he stepped around a corner. He was actually wearing a smile…that disappeared the moment he saw Static.
"Hey, Alva," Static said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "How's it going?"
"Fine," Alva said, nodding, "We were just going." At that, Alva reached into his pocket to get his phone to call his driver. He fiddled around his pockets for a few seconds, before sighing, "Right, I used my phone to check a few things while I was talking with Mr. Hawkins. It's probably still in his office."
"I'll get it!" Jr. said, running past his dad to Robert Hawkin's office, leaving the two old foes alone.
"So," Alva said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "Any news on Dr. Todd?"
"None yet," Static shook his head, "I haven't been able to find any clues. Whoever did it knew how to make a murder look like an accident." His eyes then narrowed; "Just like some people knew how to cover up an explosion that gave a bunch of kids super powers."
Alva glared at Static, "Are you implying I had something to do with Dr. Todd's death?"
"Well, you DO know how to sidestep the law. And so do a few of your employees."
"EX-employees," Alva's glare deepened, a warning tone in his voice, "I'm telling you, Static. Neither my son or myself had anything to do with Dr. Todd's death. And as I check constantly to make sure they don't try anything, I know Specs, Trapper, and Dr. Roberts are still locked up, so they likely couldn't have anything to do with it, either."
The two glared at each other for a few moments, until Alva Jr. and Mr. Hawkins appeared, both instantly noticing the tension.
"Everything ok?" Alva Jr. asked.
"Just fine," Alva said, looking away from Static, "Well, we'd better get going, son. Nice to see you again, Mr. Hawkins." He then turned back to the super hero and nodded, "Static." At that, the Alvas headed out.
"Well, keep up the good work, Mr. Hawkins," Static said, nodding to his father, "Tell Tina Todd I'll be in touch about her father." At that, Static took off.
As the young teen super hero flew home, he groaned in annoyance. While he was happy the Alvas had a better relationship with each other thanks to him, he was annoyed because Alva Sr. couldn't give him any useful information on Dr. Todd's murder. Sure, Static didn't suspect Alva, but the fact that Alva was responsible for the Big Bang just made Static suspect that Alva (or at least one of Alva's employees) knew something. He could have been wrong, but he was almost certain…
BBBRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG!!!
Static's thoughts were interrupted at that familiar, yet not heard in a while sound: a burglar alarm. A couple blocks away from his current location, a jewelry store was being robbed in broad daylight. Static shook his head as he headed towards the noise; didn't whoever this was know he was protecting the city? It was pointless to try to commit any type of crime with Static around.
Finally reaching his destination, Static noticed a few people fleeing from Ruby's Jewelry Store (cheesy name, in many people's opinion) as a…Bang Baby was robbing it?! Static was shocked to see a Bang Baby, and was even more shocked that it appeared to be a NEW Bang Baby.
This guy was just like Kangor, but with giant hands instead of giant feet. And he was currently using his giant hands to stuff diamonds and other jewels into a very large sack. As Static flew down to him, something else caught his attentions.
"Wait just a second…" Static took a closer look at this new Bang Baby: he was wearing a gray wool cap and a grey and white track suit. The outfit looked vaguely familiar to Static, like he had see it (or at least an outfit similar to it) somewhere before. But before he could reflect on the outfit anymore, the Bang Bay turned to face him.
"No…way…" It couldn't be! But it was! He wasn't wearing any type of mask or anything to shield his face, so Static could easily see the face of… "Nick Connor!"
The jerk who had bullied Virgil's younger friend Jimmy, which ultimately resulted in Jimmy bringing a gun to school to try and kill Nick. Luckily, Frieda and Richie managed to calm him down, but Nick's idiot friends Ray and Kevin tackled Jimmy to the ground, setting the gun off and causing Jimmy to accidentally shoot Richie in the leg. As a result of the incident, all four boys were suspended; Jimmy for 3 months, Nick and his goons for one month; Jimmy went to Juvie, while Nick and his goons had to do community service. It wasn't fair in Virgil's opinion, as Jimmy was the victim (not "technically" the victim, he was the victim, no doubt about it). At least Nick's popularity dwindled down to almost nothing afterwards.
Virgil couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nick's hands were definitely 5 or 6 times larger than they should have been, but he didn't seem to have any trouble with them as he balled them up into fists.
"Don't call me that!" he snapped, tossing his bag of stolen goods to the side, "The name's Pound!"
"Pound? Seriously?" Virgil asked dully, his shock temporarily gone as he thought about how stupid the name was: Nick was a bully, who now had giant fists. Not really that impressive.
"Yeah, as in I'm going to pound you to oblivion!" Pound snarled, as he, surprisingly, managed to jump up 6 feet and grab hold of Static's saucer, pulling it out from under him. This caused our young hero to fall to the ground, landing flat on his back.
"Ugh," he moaned, mentally cursing himself for letting Pound take him by surprise. But if Virgil was surprised before, it was nothing compared to what he heard next:
"So," Pound said, stepping on Static's stomach as he cracked his knuckles, "Let's catch up on old times, shall we, V?"
-------
Back in Japan, the Titans had just finished their last complementary breakfast at their hotel, and were getting ready to head home.
"Okay," Robin said, going over the list, "Everyone has everything and is ready to go, right?"
The other four teen superheroes nodded, as they made their way towards the T-Ship. Beast Boy was bringing up the rear, still feeling slightly dejected.
The others felt bad for their friend, but, while they would be there for him, they knew that his issues with Terra were something he would have to take care of on his own. When he was ready to talk, they would be ready to listen.
"Okay," Cyborg spoke up, "It'll take us at least 3-4 hours to get back home, and because of the time zone differences, it'll be almost time to go to bed when we get back home."
"No problem," Robin stated, not worried in the least, "We'll do some night patrols, and we should be back on our somewhat normal sleeping schedule in a few days."
"Oh, joyous!" Starfire cried out, zipping forward and picking Robin up from behind, spinning a few feet above the ground the rest of the way to the T-Ship, "We will get home, and I can see my beloved Silkie again, and tell all of our friends and comrades that we are finally a couple!"
Robin blushed at this, as Starfire continued joyously spinning around with him in her arms. There were many reasons why Robin had always loved Starfire, and her constant happy energy was definitely the main reason. It was hard to believe that when she came to Earth a little over a year-and-a-half ago, she was furious, untrusting, and downright scary.
"Oh, Robin, have you called and told Mr. Bruce the good news?" Starfire asked happily, at which the other three Titans cringed; they weren't fully informed of the "breakup" of the Dynamic Duo, just that Robin had decided to head out on his own after a couple of years as Batman's sidekick, and he didn't normally like talking about it.
They all knew Batman was with the Justice League, which, like the Teen Titans, had been formed a little over a year ago. He also had a new Robin (called "Red Robin" because his outfit was mostly red) and a "Batgirl" sidekick, both of whom normally watched over Gotham when Batman was with the League.
"Yeah, I did, actually," Robin said, surprising the others while getting a squeal of delight from Starfire, "After seeing Beast Boy was still on good terms with The DOOM Patrol, I figured it would be a good idea to call and just check up on the old guy. He told me I need to treat you right, make sure you treat me right, and come for a visit sometime soon. He's also proud of what the Titans have become."
"Oh glorious!" Starfire shouted in delight as she, momentarily forgetting her own strength, flew over and squeezed Robin in a bone-crushing hug.
"Starfire!" Robin choked out, slowly turning blue.
"Oh, sorry," Starfire quickly released her boyfriend, who crumpled to the ground as he recollected his breath before slowly standing up.
"Well," Cyborg said, as they climbed into their respective seats in the T-Ship, "I'll be happy to get back home. Do a little work on my car, check up on the Tower's systems, and…" Cyborg paused and looked towards his best friend, "And I was thinkin' we could fix up the B-Ped."
"Really?" Beast Boy asked, momentarily forgetting his distress as he thought about his beloved mode of transportation. After the incident with the Newfu and the Source, his personal Moped had stayed in the Titans Garage, broken-down and falling apart, mainly forgotten.
"Yeah, Man," Cyborg said, now through the headphones, "I was thinking we could soup-it-up. We can give it armor and weapons, a rad paint job, and make it like the T-Ship, R-Cycle, and T-Car: completely battery and solar powered."
"That'd be great," Beast Boy said excitedly as Cyborg started up the T-Ship.
"Alright," Robin said through his headphones as the T-Ship left the ground, "When we get back home, we know what our top priority is: find General Immortus & Madame Rouge!" Beast Boy's eyes turned dark at this.
See, back in the final battle against the Brotherhood of Evil, the group, which consisted of practically every Titans enemy out there, had been defeated and captured in Professor Chang's Flash-Freezer. All except 2…
Puppet King and XL Terrestrial; a living puppet fueled by magic, and a former HIVE Academy student who was an alien. The duo had managed to sneak out of the battle in the last few moments, when the Titans were distracted with the Brain's Nuclear Bomb, capturing the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, and Beast Boy's corny "Brain Freeze" joke. As such, when the NSA (National Super Agency) and WOOHP (World Order of Human Protection) showed up to take the villains to prison, the duo managed to unfreeze a handful of them, including Professor Chang, the HIVE 5, and both Madame Rouge and General Immortus. Though Puppet King (literally) slipped up and was captured, XL managed to flee with his comrades.
While the former HIVE students and Chang were still threats, the group knew Immortus and Rogue needed to be recaptured as soon as possible. As such, that would be the first piece of business when they got back to Jump City.
"But first," Robin continued, "We have a stop to make."
"Where to?" Cyborg asked.
"Dakota," Robin replied, as the team took one last moment to wave out their windows to their cheering fans.
"You mean the place where the Big Bang happened?" Raven asked, "I thought they all lost their powers because some scientist found a "cure" for them."
"They did," Robin said, "But when I talked to Bruce, he asked me if I had invited Static and Gear into the Titans, and I realized that I haven't. I looked up their records, some old newspaper clippings and all that. I think both of them will be a fine addition to the team."
"Well, Cy, looks like you'll have some competition for smartest Titan," Beast Boy joked, chuckling (it sounded rather forced, but the team expected that).
"Yeah, yeah," Cyborg replied dryly as the T-Ship headed towards its destination.
-------
"You did good, Pound," Shiv assured the young Bang Baby, "All we wanted to do was rough him up a bit. And of course scare him, too; it's gotta freak him out that a NEW Bang Baby knows his secret identity." Shiv chuckled insanely at this.
"But I don't know his identity," Pound growled as he tossed his bag of loot on the pile next to Shiv's throne (a cushioned recliner with cup holders).
It was later in the evening, and Pound had just returned to the Meta-Breed's lair after giving Static a brutal thrashing. The beating wasn't more than 10 minutes, but it was enough. The hero was unconscious as Pound fled, right before the police showed up. Static would be fine by morning, but he would be sore for a while; those bruises would stick for at least a month.
When leaving the Dakota Retirement Home the previous day (even though his required community service from the "Jimmy" incident was long over, his father and step-mother were still making him do volunteer work to make up for his actions), Nick had been approached by Shiv (in "disguise" as an old man with a white beard and trench coat). Shiv offered to give Nick super powers in exchange for joining the Meta-Breed under his command, and Nick was more than a little suspicious. After all, he was just a bully, not a gang member or criminal, so why would Shiv want him? But Shiv had insisted, calling him "just right" for the group, and even asked him to bring Ray and Kevin along. He gave the young bully directions to the Meta-Breed's hideout and told him to think about it.
After debating it with himself all night, Nick finally agreed, and called up Ray and Kevin. The three weren't allowed to hang out anymore, but of course they didn't care what their parents said; the trio had stolen some old cell phones during a concert that they weren't supposed to be at, and were using them to keep in touch (don't ask me why the cell phones' rightful owners hadn't shut them off yet, I really don't know). He didn't tell them the details, just that their "big score" had come in.
The next morning, the trio left their houses and met up halfway to school, as usual, but then deterred from their usual route to follow Shiv's directions to the Meta-Breed's new lair. Well, they were actually lead to a manhole cover, that could TAKE them to the Meta-Breed's lair. There, the three were greeted by a kid their age. He was incredibly wimpy and way too pale. He had a shaved head and was wearing a basketball uniform that was way too big on him. He introduced himself as Tone Loc, and lead them inside.
When asking how this was gonna work, Tone told them to be patient and that everything would be explained soon enough. By the time they got to the Meta-Breed's hideout (no, no, not spoiling the surprise), the three were beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. But Tone told them to wait just one more minute as he disappeared up a staircase. Nick listened up the stairs for any sign of what was going on, but all he could hear was a lot of wind.
Next thing the boys knew, a hulking, 6-foot-tall behemoth with what appeared to be elephant-like skin came stomping down the stairs. He was wearing the same outfit Tone had been wearing, which caused Nick to croak out in shock, "Tone?"
"The name's Hyde, kids," Hyde told them, "Former leader of the Ruffpack, current muscle for the Meta-Breed." He then gestured up the staircase as he told them, "Right up there is your big score. Care to take it?"
Nick, though nervous, nodded and headed up the stairs. Thusly, Pound was born. However, when he got back, he discovered Ray and Kevin were gone. Hyde simply explained that they were going to get their "assignments" later. Pound's assignment was to go rob a jewelry store to get Static's attention. Hyde then informed him that Shiv discovered Static's secret identity, and his name started with a V, so Pound was to act like he knew who Static was, to throw the hero off his game.
Now, Pound was back. He and over two dozen of Static's former adversaries had been drafted into the Meta-Breed under Shiv's command. Apparently, Shiv had somehow managed to spring them all from the police precinct's Meta-human Ward…without the police even knowing! Nick had been listening to the radio most of the day, and yet their was nothing about the massive breakout. Of course, he didn't ask Shiv this, figuring he would be told something like, "It'll all be explained in due time." So now the group was fully re-powered and ready to take on Static. Apparently they were just waiting for a couple more things before Shiv would give the okay.
As Nick was thinking over everything that had happened to him, Shiv was talking to someone on his phone, "…and just so you know, I have Tarmack here, and he told me how you two don't necessarily play nice. I have your "Spectral" and "Speedtrap" outfits here, ready to go. Complete your end of the deal, and you'll be handsomely rewarded. Try to double-cross me, and you'll have over 20 super villains to deal with. Are we clear, Mr. Specs?" He listened to Specs' reply as he smiled, "Good, let me know when you find it, and I'll see you this Saturday."
Slipping his phone into his pocket, Shiv grinned at the group of villains. "Trust me, boys and girls," he announced, "Static and Gear won't know what hit 'em. We're gonna take those goodie two-shoes heroes down. By the end of this week, the Meta-Breed will be rid of its greatest threat, and Dakota City will be ours!" He pumped his fist at that, as the crowd of villains let out a wild cheer.
"YYYEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
As the villains were cheering, Shiv secretly reached up and clicked a hidden ear piece in his ear. "Sound good?" he asked quietly, though loud enough for the person on the other end to hear him.
"Sounds perfect," came the dark reply of Mr. W, who was miles away in his own lair, as he watched the secret cameras he had set up, watching the Meta-Breed, Static, and all of Static's friends, "Sounds absolutely perfect."
