Chapter 7 - The Secret

Disclaimer: Idon't own Static Shock. It belongs to Mister Dwayne McDuffie,Milestone, DC Comics and WB. They would tell us something about thecharacters' backgrounds but then I would feel the urge to write thisfanfiction.Warning: Willcontain slash, drugs, violence and one sided relationships. This willbe a bit riskier than my average fics. Knowing me it'll be okay but Ionly thought it fair to place a warning. I hope everyone enjoys therendition of Shiv by a third author. I want to be original and hopethis is.A/N:Finally the slash. I promised.I hope you like this chapter. Its a little rough and I hope itdoesn't offend. No flashbacks in this one. But a resolution to theend of the last chapter. I've been trying to ignore this fanfic. Itsnot working. I hope you enjoy.TakenLightlyChapter 7: The Secret"So,you're not going to tell me where your mother lives.""Nope.Not a chance. I'm gone for a reason and I'm not going back."Shiv said sitting on the cot in the small cell. He appeared to beplaying games with Virgil.Virgilsighed. "You making things up, Joe."Shivgrinned. He appeared amused at the idea as if it were a whole newgame to play. "Possibly. Maybe. I don't plan on telling you."Shiv paused for a minute. "But I don't plan on lying a loteither."Virgilsighed. "You're a human headache, Joe."Shivgrinned. "A metahuman headache, remember?"Virgilshook his head. Shiv's games were beginning to annoy him. He had beengoing to see him for atleast a week now and the threats had stoppedand games begun. He was like an overly active child, really. He onlycared about games and having a good time. However, he had broken aborder he was sure would thoroughly upset Richie. He had broken thehero-villain interaction rules. It was a common understanding thatheroes were not to trust and converse casually with a villain asquoted by Richie a number of times. However, Virgil no longer sawShiv as a threat or maybe he didn't see Joe as a threat. Wait aminute, did he just separate the two. Virgil shook his head. Hereally wasn't thinking straight but there was no other way todescribe the complete difference in Shiv from time to time. He was sogenuinely human sometimes and so maniacal the next. It could only bedescribed as two people. One far more subdued than the other. "Whatdo you have to hide, Joe?"Heappear surprised by the question. It was as though he had notanticipated it. He stuttered. "Uh... nothing. What would I haveto hide?""Idon't know. I assume something since you ran away, joined a gang ofmutants, and have to real concrete negative emotions.""Ialready told you about my home. That was it."Virgilcouldn't get much out of him afterwards. He assumed that he had hit anerve or something. Heflew back to the gas station to store his Static gear. Richie wasn'tthere. He wasn't surprised after yesterday. A feeling of guilt passedthrough him. It wasn't like him to exclude Richie from anything.Richie was a constant part of life and he was tossed aside for themoment. It had been cruel. He thought for a moment wondering where hewould be. He knew he wouldn't be at home and the community center wasout of the question being they were fighting. Richie had given up onthe arcade after he had assumed super genius status and had found theexact formula to beat any high score on any game in the small arcade.He said it was a waist of annoyance, which was primarily money forparts, now that he knew how to beat anyone in the world on any gamein the world. That only left the school. It was locked as it wasafter school hours but that had never stopped Richie before. He hadalways been more mischievous than Virgil.Virgilapproached the school. It was near twilight and it appeared to beempty. Virgil walked up to the window of the science lab. He saw asmall blinking red light easily mistaken for a school camera,Backpack. He'd know that light anywhere. It was definitely his scopecamera. "Rich. Its me."Backpackstared right at him. The machine seemed surprised by not only theawareness the familiar human but by the willingness to revealhimself. It appeared to intrigue the small computer. However, itscuriosity and awestruck wonder was interrupted all to soon by anundeniable force of nature. Richie stormed over almost knockingBackpack off on the windowsill where he had descended only momentsbefore. The computer apparently in a state of terror at the suddenviolent behavior of his creator withdrew its camera scope and quicklyscurried underneath one of the nearby tables. The machine huddled abit in a defensive position. He was now ready for the fight to ensue.Richiestared at Virgil for a moment. It was unmistakable anger however hequickly changed his expression to something much more subdued, amore appropriate facade. "What are you doing here? Its afterhours.""Ishould ask you the same thing." "Backpackhas a heat sensor around the building. If anyone is within 100 metersof the school, I know. If anything over twentypound gets too close I know."Virgil groaned a little. He should have guessed."What do you need something? I left thirty zap-caps in thegas station and I haven't finished the waterproof gear yet."Virgil felt guilty. He did ask a lot Richie and he didn't like thereaction of strictly a professional nature. "I thought we shouldtalk Rich.""'Bout what?" he said going back to whatever he wasworking on."You know what." he paused. "About yesterday.""I know I took the situation too personally and felt aninappropriate degree of jealousy and protectiveness over a situationthat was strictly professional.""Could you not talk like a computer for a minute, Rich? Iknow you're mad.""I'm not mad. I thought it over last night and...""You are mad I saw it. You looked at me like you were goingto kill me for a minute.""I was surprised.""You were angry!"Richie slammed down his sauter gun onto the table. "Fine! Iam angry! I'm angry that you have been spending too much time on alost cause and THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO SO MUCH AS SAY HI TOME FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS!!"Virgil was somewhat stunned by the outburst. Though it wascharacteristic of Richie, it was also very loud."We've been friends for ten years, dating for four, andpartners for atleast three! Yes, I am jealous Virgil!!" Withthat Richie rushed out the door of the science room and soon afterout of the school. Virgil crawled up into the window. "I'm a jerk, Backpack."Backpack refrained from his recoil and beeped in agreement. "I better go fix this mess and get you back to him."Backpack beeped in agreement again and crawled up onto Virgil'sback. Virgil jumped back out of the window, closing and locking itwith his powers. He then began to run around the school yard climbingover the fence to get to the main street. He looked around forRichie. He didn't appear to by anywhere near the school anymore.Virgil stood for a moment. He had a feeling he had gone left actuallyit was more than a feeling. He knew. His powers had always beendeveloping and he had learned to recognize people by their electricalcurrents. It was helpful if not somewhat creepy. He ran in thatdirection. It was dark by then with only street lights to see by.They lit three-fourths of the path leading into a relativelyunfriendly ghetto. It was on the northwest side of Dakota litteredwith apartment buildings and stray animals. Virgil knew this was noplace for Richie or himself for that matter. The ghettoes weredangerous for bang babies. He turned a narrow corner between two oldtenements and heard something. "You trampin' round here for?!""Lookin' for someone!"Virgil turned the corner to what was going on. There were a numberof young men all with some type of blunt object and in the middle wasRichie. This was very bad. He knew at that instant exact what wasgoing on and it had nothing to do with the Big Bang. "Hey, getaway from him!"The three men turned around. Virgil felt a rush of fear go throughhim. "So, I guess, its true that they come in pairs."Gay bashers was the usual term for people like these. Gangs ofmarauding people who feel it is doing a public service to bash theskull in of anyone who doesn't have the general sexual preference.Virgil had never actually been in contact with people of this nature.Well, he was sure he had been but not like this. "Get away fromhim!""So he's yours, is he?" the man appeared amused. "Isn'tthat nice."The other men had revealed the poorly hidden objects. They were awrench and crowbar. Virgil felt strangely relieved. He knew it was amistake but, when you are being slowly approached by a group ofviolent similarly minded people, you have survival instincts. He letout a burst of magnetic energy. The metal objects flew out of theirhands sticking to the walls of the tenements. He sparked slightly."Get away from us."This was far more than the men had expected. They appearedterrified, mouths agape and eyes wide. It was as though they'd neverseem a metahuman before. "He's just like the Breed! Get out ofhere! He'll kill us!" the leader said beginning to run away. "What about the other one?" another man said stillstanding near Richie."He's probably one too!! Get away from those freaks!!"the leader said still terrified and with that they dispersed. Virgil quickly stopped sparking and sighed with relief. The scaretactic worked. They weren't after metahumans too. He ran over toRichie who was lying half crawled up on the pavement. "Richie!"he said and knelt down next to him.Richie uncoiled and looked at Virgil. "What are you doinghere?""Looking for you. Are you all right, Rich?"Richie appeared to have a bloody nose and a bruise on his foreheadand Virgil had to withdraw every instinct to assume the worst. "I'llbe fine. Just a scratch." He said sitting up. "Nothing isseriously injured.""You sure?""Yeah, V." Virgil hugged him. It was a reflex more than anything else. He hadto do it. "I'm sorry, Rich. I shouldn't have been so wrapped upin everything. I..."Richie didn't move. He hadn't expected this sudden outburst ofaffection but then nothing like mortal peril and himself beinginjured to end a fight. "V, you don't have to apologize. I'mfine.""But...""You get involved in things which reminds me." he saidwith a smile. "I'm willing to help you with this little projectof yours.""You are?""Yeah. After this little fiaco, I don't feel all thatthreatened and if, I'm not threatened and you're not threaten, I getcurious. I want to figure this out too.""What about 'don't give attached'?""I still stand by that. He is a sociopathic murderer but thatdoesn't mean I don't want to know what's going on."Virgil smiled. "Could you find an address for Solada Chenthen?"The next few days went by much smoother than previously. Richiewas back to cracking jokes and Virgil again wearing the surveillanceequipment Richie told him to without complaint. "Alright V, thisis a camera-microphone-communicator, invented by your personalmechanic, to make sure that both of us know exactly what is goingon.""Going on where?""You're going back and I am going to know what is going on."That was that. Not that he minded. It was far better than havinghimself pitted against Richie. If he was going to have a super geniusrun his life, he wouldn't want anyone besides Richie to do it. Thedoctors had stopped addressing his visits by now. They figured he wasjust doing what he was suppose to be doing and that was that."Alright V, you're in right." Richie said through thecommunicator."Yeah."Virgil moved down to the hallway with Shiv's cell. "Hi Joe.""Why are you calling him, Joe?""His name is Joe.""Who are you talking to?" Shiv said with the utmostcuriosity in this voice."How does he know about me?""I'm talking to you... Richie.""I know, I'm Richie.""Is he the blond you're with all the time?""How does he know who I am!?!""Is he?"Virgil's head was spinning for a moment. "Yeah. You used azap-cap on him before.""Oh yeah.""Why are you talking to him?""He helps me out."Virgil could hear Richie chuckle over the communicator."So, what was that big secret of yours, Joe?"Shiv stared up at the ceiling. "I don't have any secrets.""I know you did drugs, Joe. I don't care. You had a roughlife. I'm not going to judge you."Shiv looked at him for a minute. "I've never had agirlfriend."Virgil raised an eyebrow. "And?""I have different preferences."And more problems arise, remember to tune in next time for more ofthe dramaful adventures with Taken Lightly. Back to reality, thankyou for all of the reviews and I hope you enjoyed yourself.

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