Love this. Love the way Virgil slowly discovers his powers and love the way you've kept his character intact while keeping him smart - his first thought is being a superhero, but training comes first.

This. Is. Amazing.
The first fandom I ever read fanfiction for was Static Shock, but I rarely come back to it these days because there simply aren't that many fics - if I'd known you were writing this I would have been here years ago! This looks absolutely fantastic as a mostly-canon fic that goes places a half-hour children's cartoon show couldn't. I love Static Shock and I can't wait to see where you take this!

So why didn't he ever goto one if those self defense courses? There seems like there's a session her about pride and coming clean

I just went through this whole story and looooooved it. It's so hard to find a well-written, multiple chapter ordeals for Static Shock. The events occurred in a very realistic fashion (well, as realistic as is possible with super heroes and such), and made for a very entertaining read. Thank you! J

Good god, this is nearly the end, isn't it? Well, this story has been epic, in the traditional sense of the term; it has been a delight to see your work grow in real time. If you do choose to put in a few oneshots regarding the universe, know that this reader will be first in line to see what you come up with. This adaptation—for it is that indeed, not simply a retelling, but truer to the canon than an AU—is truly one of the best in the fandom.
Onto the chapter:
I have to say, I cried when it became clear what was happening to Francis a couple of chapters ago. Nearly did so again, when it came to Maria. Still, cannot help but wonder what kind of bitterness she is going through, working alongside the people who failed to save—and possibly even killed—her boyfriend, and had seemed to pull a blind eye on the plight of Dakota even before then.
Not that they could have done much without making things worse, except for the BatClan, perhaps, as Connecting the Dots demonstrates. Low income areas do not need Humans of Mass Destruction added to their problems.
The conversation between Static & Gear and Alva is probably one of the most thought-provoking, if bittersweet, things to come out of the fandom. A great man brought low by his own ideals. "You boys are my legacy. Nobody's going to remember the robots." Congratulations. You created a tragic Antihero.
Glad to see Mr. Hawkins and Virgil come to terms. Virgil really, really needed that. That it also recalls some of the more heartwarming moments of the Canon only adds to the effect.
About time Richie starts getting around to Emancipation, although we all saw it coming. Still, Virgil shouldn't be shocked on the effect it takes: lawyers and legalities truly are some of the most soul-sucking things ever to be produced by human existence.
The "final appearance of Static and Gear"… Yeah, I appreciate the memorial to Francis, but honestly? I cannot see it last. They may have traded their suits for civvies, but they have made themselves local heroes with those names. It is not likely they will stop using their powers—kinda impossible for Gear, actually, since your "bigger bang" (funny, by the way) made him a biological cyborg, and his tech kinda has the "Gearmark" of a supergenius all over it—and since those are the names people associate with them, there's no getting rid of it.
YAY! Answers! Finally, the last pieces of the puzzle. And… disturbingly rational. But poor, poor Permafrost! Dammt, she's just a kid! And even that makes sense considering the target demographic for experimental subjects… Yikes.
And your physics explanation… sorta makes sense. For a long time I have leaned towards largely subconscious psychokinesis manifestations as an explanation for the phenomena within the DCAU paradigm, but yours… might actually fit in a bit better. Wait, no. Yours actually makes more sense. :P
Of course, your line about Virgil wondering whether Alva was exposed to the gas… well, it makes me laugh, considering you already told us as much. Not quite as much as the "Robo-americans" dialogue. That's comedy gold, or it would be if not for the deep implications… Actually, screw that. It totally is. "Silicon Valley"…
And finally, Virgil gets clued in… Why do I get the feeling that Robert was acting as Richie's confessional all summer?
Don't worry about the lack of EVIDENT foreshadowing; anyone who was in the loop already could read between the lines, while for everyone else… They can totally understand. That kid had WAY too much going on in his life to give it much thought. Or tracks, I suppose.
Any chance he will be getting his hands on Alva's research division?
Ah, well. That's what the epilogue is for. Just hope that if they try to juice Madelyn, they will find a nice place out in the middle of nowhere before they do it. Explosions are for places like the Trinity site and Tunguska. Not blue-collar suburbia.
That…pretty much is it. Looking forward to the epilogue!
Thanks for writing.

Great chapter, interesting to see how Alva came to be.

Well, this explains a lot. So very, very much, actually. It explains a lot about Alva's actions... and hell, about Edwin Jr., really, as well. Alva Sr. is a preemptive elitist-literally-and his own son did not make the cut.
You did an excellent job here in portraying Alva as a sympathetic character. And as for his powers of potential-precognition... No one could have seen that coming, but it does make sense. Who would have been able to bring the potentials together, in a world where metahumans put wrenches into peoples' plans without even TRYING, but another metahuman? And who else but a supergenius could have brought the levels of the company's technological productions so far ahead? We can see the impact of the character Olivia, in so many ways. In Alva's marriage, and on Edwin Jr., yes, but moreso in the technology of the DCAU... and of Dakota.
Truly, I think that is what I like most about this chapter. You did not take some big city already at the cutting edge, like New York, and bring it that much farther; you invent some city from Scratch. I suspected before, when you mentioned the choice of Winona County, but truly, it is impressive. You got into the grits of the DCAU, the timeline fits it exactly-the rise and fall of the cold war, which was the HEYDAY of military contracting; the emergence of Superman... (and with it, the property damage and destruction of livelihoods, as well as the rise in insurance premiums, if you can see the reasoning in the Naruto/DCAU crossover Connecting the Dots. By the way, if you want an explanation for the current state of Gotham, that is the place to go. Even a visit to the TV Tropes page for the fic is enlightening as to the state of Gotham's economy and why it is in some ways actually Healthier than Metropolis'... fun stuff...); and the timing of the Big Bang... it all fits. If they had done just a bit more research, Dwayne McDuffie couldn't have developed a better timeline. Anyway, you did not just create an AU within a cartoon universe, you turned the cartoon universe into something that could fit in a Real Universe.
But the best part, again, is the choice of taking a real town, a small town. You explained how this hole in the wall, with the addition of a major technological benefactor, actually grew into a large city, and followed it through its rise-and decline. The riots, which cemented his place as the city's patron, even as his industries had already brought the economy to build up the town. The detail that the loss of the supporting technopath that was the source of most of the unique aspects of the inventions it was producing is very telling. (Whatever happened to Olivia? It sounds like she died...cancer due to the mutation? Wouldn't be surprising if she is just first of many of the surviving Bang Baby-type Metahumans to die of such an issue... Anyway, the emergence of Gear would have proved a godsend...or the crowning achievement of the greatest mistake he could have made. Or he will succeed in his vision, but not experience it play out-Alva might become a martyr to his own dream.) It is terribly, grittily, real, and in that, the story of Alva and Dakota and the many other minor players, is beautiful.

another great chapter, can't wait for more. also will vigil and richie will find a way to have everyone forget that their static and gear in the future.

Initial reaction: Well, at least Backpack got its day in the limelight before it went ka-blooey. Although it isn't *really* gone; Gear can always build another... still, a pity, liked the little guy...bug...spider...robot...thing. But boy did it go out with a bang! Awesome! Still, you nailed the characterization, as far as one can characterize a subsentient AI; love what you did with it, with the laser communications...
Yeah. No mixed feelings there.
Serious discussion: This episode arc combines themes from, in no particular order, Sons of the Fathers, Brother-Sister Act, Bad Stretch, Kidnapped, and critiques the failings of the episode Gear. All in all, a good showing.
As a deconstruction of the solo rescue plot, a definite bonus must be awarded. That is definitely a moral-of-the-story that should have been included into the series. Extra kudos for the realism of the presentation.
It took a couple readthroughs to get the gist of what happened between Static, Ebon, and Robert, but that's the nature of battle scenes. You nailed the explosion experience, though. I compared it with some interviews by the hibakusha, and it was pretty consistent.
Got to say it does irk me, though, that Virgil actually brought the Backback-bomb out of the portal. I mean, it probably saved Robert's life, but one would think it would be reflexive for Virgil to knock it away from him, considering his video game experience... After all, it was RED AND BLINKING. And BEEPING! What was he thinking would happen? That it would sit nicely while he poked it with a stick? Honestly, in retrospect it was rather morbidly funny.
Less funny-and frankly disturbing, and disturbingly well-reasoned-is your presentation of the mindset of Ebon. In retrospect, he does have most of the signs of the cult leader mindset (specifically, Charles Manson), doesn't he? Charisma, arrogance, lacks empathy, sense of entitlement; selective of followers, demands unthinking loyalty and obedience from followers, isolates them from other influences, manipulative as hell. You just managed to fit in how that "sense of entitlement" makes sense, and there you go. Ebon never seemed so scary. In other words, brilliant.
Since we are on the thought of psychology, what's with Richie now? And, what was with that brain freezeup at the end? There are a few possibilities that seem to make sense from this end of the screen. One is that when he saw Fade at work he worked out how they had been found out, and depending on the timing of this revelation it might have made him cold to Virgil through transference of blame, or it drove him from the room. It might also be guilt that his Bombpack did such damage to his friend and perhaps role model. It might also be exactly as it seems though: that he is angry that Virgil thoughtlessly put himself into danger, endangering Adam in the process, and/or that he was willing to do so for something as intangible as a secret identity.
There might be a reason for that difference in prioritization, though. Virgil has already lost one parent; he doesn't want to lose anyone else in his family. He also doesn't want to put them in danger for anything he might have done. He, after all, is the flashy face of the operation-if some nutcase was to target anyone, it would be him or his family. Also, he wouldn't gain much from "coming out", so to speak: his powers are pretty much self-contained, and pretty much irrelevant to interpersonal reactions. He might get a free pass on some of his unexplained absences, but nothing else. By contrast, Richie has not lost a parent, and in fact isn't very close with either of them; losing one might not be nearly as big a factor in his decision making processes. He also has a boatload to gain: easier access to funding, the ability to patent (can't patent something if you don't legally exist), the ability to either test out of high school and university entirely (not a good idea; he needs to get out of the lab sometime…) or have leeway or alternate assignments that are not mind-numbingly dull, perhaps get into some universities on the side (brilliant idea, actually; depending on the university you can get access to some of the best repositories of scholarly works to be digitized; doctoral dissertations, Wiley, EBSCO, Sage Journals—hey, if you need data, why waste time doing the research yourself if someone has already done it?), actually be able to publish or get credentials that would get you around the bureaucratic red tape… Yeah, from a metahuman standpoint, Gear is really working with his hands tied behind his back and his legs shackled to a refrigerator so long as he maintains a secret identity. No number of false identities and bank accounts can make up for a name when it comes to credibility in the academic and scientific spheres.
For that matter, what will happen when Robert is out of the ICU? If Static goes off the streets, no more Alva support. No more Alva support, and Gear's current technological access point dries up. Really, he has benefited from Alva far more than Static has. Sure, he might be able to renegotiate, but still, it will definitely hurt.
If he could help fix EJ, then maybe that would compensate? Still, first come first serve.
In fact, what happens when the cure comes out? I cannot think that just releasing it into the air would be healthy for the masses, and it would be easily avoided by getting out of dodge. It would have to be individually applied. However, for some, might the removal of the powers be worse than keeping them? Yes, I am pointing to Gear. As a follower of the VincentM metabrain interpretation, it might seem this is a case of preexisting attitude about the cure-slash-lobotomy getting in the way, but even under your interpretation of Gear's brain, the issues of whether or not, during the process of losing his power. he would be able to revert his brain layout to the way it had been before the Big Bang, still comes into play. You made it quite clear that he did the rearranging more or less consciously, or alternately, got a new framework to mesh with his conscious mind: but considering how much has been stored in his memory since then, he probably will experience some level of amnesia in the process of the "curing". If he is lucky.
Not to mention the loss to the City of Dakota. After all, (one of) his current line(s) of research puts him in an ideal situation to work out the cure process and methodology from the ground up. Now, "Physician, heal thyself." He does so. Great. Now who will cure the rest of the bangbabies, or the ones that are missed? Then, in the long run, what sane mayor would allow some kid to chose to not be such a promising asset to the local economy? The kid's a walking research lab. Or government funding waiting to happen. Or something. Or how about a cheaper, longer-lasting, portable solar panel? End poverty in Sudan through the export of solar power! Yes, one really *would* have to consider "the starving children in Africa" before allowing this one to be cured.
And as for Virgil, in addition to being a great morale asset, has huge potential to the superhero community when he grows up a bit. Not to mention that he's a walking battery: Metropolis would never again have to fear any future power outages on the Watchtower. XP

Wow, this is great! I read all the chapters in virtually one sitting, and I can't wait for more.
I hope Sharon, Pops and Richie are going to be okay, and I'm glad Adam is getting in on the action. Keep up the great work!

another great chapter, can't wait for more. we finally see adam become rubberband man i just hope virgil plan work.

Interesting chapter. Got a lot in for its length.
The Spaulding-Gear interaction was actually quite sad—but in a good way. It really brings home the impact that the Big Bang had on the victim's families.
From another angle, how Gear handles the situation is also quite telling. Going to the home and waiting, showing his face, explaining his powers—he has put a LOT of trust in Madelyn's parents. Far more than he has placed in his own. Is it some remnant of Madelyn's influence bleeding over? Or maybe, considering they are in some ways the antithesis to the worst of his own family situation, this has influenced his decision making? Not to mention, he has had at least experienced the memory of a lifetime with them, through Madelyn.
Or perhaps this is a plot point. You say that Mr. Spaulding works at Alva Industries, right? There is no doubt that there will be ramifications. Just hope that most of it will be on a positive note—kid has enough headaches. Literally and figuratively.
Speaking of headaches, I see that Fade's current stalking mission has turned up some really valuable dirt—sure, he does not yet have a name, but if he just watches the High School for a few hours, that problem should be solved. For him, at least.
So, glad to see the groundwork of Operation: Fix Madelyn being put together—this is turning into a very unique and thoughtful plot. Although in practice it seems as though they will need to call in the Justice League—or more specifically, Martian Manhunter. Supes would only make a mess of things. :P
Also glad to see you had addressed some of the more disturbing potential interpretations of the mind-meld in the last chapter. You hit the nail on the head with regards to terminology, by the way. The Vulcan analogy definitely is the best fit—both in regards to the actuality, and the way it looks from the outside. That you had Richie account for it in his handling of the situation also gets kudos.
Onto the last part of the chapter.
Glad to see some Virgil and Richie interaction—and the AGS, missed that place! Interesting questions posed in their conversation, especially about what happens to your identity when your brain gets rewired, and Frieda's new epithet is a much needed bit of comic relief, however subtle.
You seem to be setting up for something really big, however, with the investigation of the Big Bang powers and bringing the current "peaceful" Bang Babies together… And yet, no matter how I look at it, it always seems to translate into a metahuman version of an AA meeting. (Will there be cookies?) The hilarity potential there might be a potential goldmine, but it seems that you have something more up your sleeve with regards to plot.
That said, if you are going to involve something on that order, then perhaps it is time for Virgil and Robert to have that chat they have been putting off. There is surely some empty office in the Community Center that can act as a meeting place… and perhaps the families would like to have their own support group. You have already given us four, maybe five, good prospects for that as well. Oh, and is Maria showing up?
Interesting to see Virgil articulate—mentally, that is—the realization of how much Gear has on his plate. That he might be overdoing it. Really, Virgil is acting as the reader stand-in for much of the fandom, really—how often do many of us forget that there are only 24 hours in a day, even for supergeniuses? How much work really goes into making a superbrain practical?
This has been a really Richie-centric chapter, but it is justified. Gear's powers and conflicts are not like Static's, not really. His heroing tends to entail much more than patroling and fight scenes, and his work tends to follow him home…and to school…and keep him from home, or even meeting basic survival requirements like eating. Supergenius is a power that has great potential, but also great demands and costs. You have demonstrated that quite clearly in this chapter. Well done.

another great chapter, can't wait for more.

This is, honestly, probably one of your best chapters yet. Just two characters, really, but you have explored the entire thing BRILLIANTLY. Madelyn's character, stopped before she could go insane. Ah, the potential, even after the impromptu thought surgery. Richie gets a complete CMOA, and we finally are getting the extent of his powers-and frankly, your idea might just be one of the most genius things I have ever read in fanfiction, now that it is coming together. Just... Awesome chapter.
And the nosebleed? I suppose that considering that Richie was basically administrating the tracks of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people, it really illustrates the strain that he was essentially ignoring in neutralizing Madelyn.
By the way? Sorry if this is repetitive, but even in hindsight, this chapter is thought provoking enough to deserve one more comment. Even going into the premise, realizing that a multi-CPU Richie and a just-awakening Madelyn were about to be in the same room, you could not miss that something WOULD happen (and wishing that McDuffie had come up with the same, because this is one of the most intriguing setups ever). Anyone could see that a brain cagefight would ensue, but you STILL managed to go above and beyond expectations. At last count, this episode somehow combined themes from the episodes "Kidnapped" (Omnara) and "Frozen Out", the Braniac Arc, J'onn J'onzz's powers, and the BORG. Seriously. You somehow made being Borgified-sorry, brainwashed-look *utopian*... and not the creepy kind, but the actually pleasant kind. Even while Paragraphs 26 through 21 (from the bottom) were giving me flashbacks to this one documentary I saw about slugs mating (No, it is not insane, look at K.A. Applegate's descriptions of the Yeerk life cycle if any connection aid is needed), you somehow made it look *pretty*. WHILE making the Psi-Borg look like the Optimal Next Stage In Humankind. It takes some really engrossing writing and spot-on characterization to pull THAT off. Gotta say, you NAILED the title of this chapter.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised to find a revival in the Richie/Madelyn pairing on this site as a result of this chapter. You almost had ME sold, until the Yeerk Slug Epiphany slapped some sense back into me.

When I first read this story I was like what is this this ain't Static Shock but then I saw the description say AU now I can appreciate it