Speed of Lyght

Elements

Chapter Fifteen: Elements

"Tabitha... you got a minute?" John asked as he entered the recreation room. She looked up from her movie and slightly smiled.

"Sure. What's up?" she asked. He looked at what she was watching and smirked.

"You like black and white movies?"

"I love black and white movies! Actually... I love movies, period. Everything's so simple in 'em..."

"So... you'd rather believe in the unrealistic guy goes after girl, guy always gets the girl stuff?"

"Don't forget that he's always the hero as well!" she winked at him. It provoked a small laugh and a shake of the head from John.

"I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing a bit of training." he informed her when he calmed down. She gave him a look.

"What type of training?"

"There's a young man who has similar powers to yours. I want you to meet him."

"Oh... you want me to train him! I don't know... can't say that I'm a good teacher."

"Just tell him everything that you know." he assured her. She thought about the idea and nodded. If it would benefit someone who was in her shoes four years ago, she was willing to help the guy out as much as she could.

Tabitha and John transported themselves to Dakota City, a place located near the border of Indiana and Ohio. The two were immediately greeted by Virgil Hawkins in full gear as Static. His blue with a yellow inside hooded coat flowed in the slight wind, revealing a white shirt with what looked like a black lightning bolt encased in a black circle. There was a broad yellow stripe on the left sleeve a couple of inches above his bicep and the blue sleeves came to large white cuffs that accentuated his grey and black gloves. Even wearing a white mask, Tabitha could see that the guy was actually a teenager. His jet black dreads were much shorter than her best friend's; while hers were easily down her back, his barely covered his nape. She wondered at first the purpose behind the yellow goggles that sat on top of his head but she figured that they were there to keep his dreads out of his face. The rest of his outfit was simple: black pants and boots that matched his gloves.

He approached the two with a smile on his face, his brown eyes almost shone as he looked at Tabitha. That told her that he knew who she was.

"GL. Always good to see you." he decided not to address her.

"I was wondering if you had a bit of free time for a little training." John simply asked. Virgil switched glances from John to Tabitha.

"With Batman's sidekick? Wow..."

"Guess you know who I am..." she winked at him.

"You've been missing from Gotham for a while."

"Eh; been stuck on Watchtower."

"You're finally in the Justice League?" his eyes slightly widened. She could tell that there was a hint of jealousy; the kid must had always wanted to be a part of the faction. She kept her smile and nodded.

""But, I'm fairly new. I don't know what... GL had in mind as far as training goes so let's just play this by ear!"

The two were led to what Virgil called the "Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude" (he smiled wider as Tabitha almost giggled uncontrollably at the name); a hideout for himself and his best friend/sidekick Richie Foley. Once inside, she felt more comfortable taking her mask off and listened to how Virgil and a handful of Dakota citizens came to be. She frowned at first when he mentioned his almost involvement with gang members but slightly understood; he was being "helped" trying to take care of an actual bully (she found it ironic that the bully was a member of an opposing gang). The potential gang fight between the two gangs by the docks were interrupted by the police and during the conflict, a shot was fired, releasing a deadly gas in the area; the accident was dubbed the Big Bang. A lot of people were killed from the exposure to the gas; it was designed as a deadly alternative to tear gas. The ones who did survive were forever mutated. After his story, she kindly shared a bit of her own.