Dark Heir Issue #8

239th Street Yard, New York January 2003

The wails of the whistles over the churning charge in the empty plain. Two brothers standing on the side of a train station

"Are you sure this a good idea?" Donyell Taylor asked nervously

"Of course, I started your age, and you have me," I tell him while grinning

"Yeah, that's not as reassuring as you think," He asked

"Shhh, Listen, tune into the changing sounds, and watch." I replied, "Now jump."

"Stay loose and roll as you land; keep your center of gravity low. Yes, just like that you got it." I say as I look over at him, smiling broadly at him surfing on top of the train

"See, D, I told you this would be fun," I told him as we ducked underneath the tunnel

"Yea, yea, you might have been right. So why did we come out here?" He asked me as we got back up and started moving on the train slowly.

"I thought this could be our thing, jumping around buildings and surfing on trains," I say as I look at the skyline on the horizon

"Wait.. what really?" He yelled in excitement and turned to me

"Yes, really, I know you still have nightmares, and you've been angry. Therapy hasn't worked for you, and it didn't work for me either. I took my anger out in training with Andrew and Shang Chi, and it let me focus that anger to do something better. I would be a hypocrite if I trained when I was your age and urged you not to do it. So I spoke to your mother; she doesn't want this life for you, but she wants you to be safe and happy. So I'll start training you, and when and this is a big when I feel you ready to get out there, you'll join me."

"She said that now, if I train you, you still have to go to therapy and maintain a B plus average, you gotta finish all your homework and assignments before we go on patrol, and you can only come out Thursdays - Sundays. Do you agree?"

"Yes…yes, yes, when do we start," he asked, pumped as he started bouncing up and down

"We already did. This would be a great way to train your balance, and when you unlock your Chi, well, step it up with blindfolds."

"You not funny." He looked at me with exasperation

"Come on, don't derail the conversation," I said, smirking

"Oh my god, you're a menace," He says as he facepalms

"No, my name is Dwayne. Now your it catches me if you can." I said as I tagged him and flipped on the box car ahead."

He signs before he starts trying to catch me. We had been outside for two hours before he collapsed on a train, exhausted.

"See, you already got the hang of it. Now let's get out of here; I got something to show you."

I called the Night Rider to our location to give him a break as we returned to base.

Later, back into the Rookery

"This is your new suit; it's made from a mix of unstable molecule and arachnid mixed fabric meshed with nanotech that works well with your bio-electric powers. It can tank large caliber rounds and withstand short-range explosions, but I'll train it so you wouldn't be in that position. Stores your electricity in the suit to be a supply for when you run out of juice. It also has batarangs and other devices that can take your abilities and cover your weakness of control and your low voltage output and the standard things every vigilante needs. First aid kit, Biofoam Spray to stop bleeding, Narcan, Cuffs made from Arachnid Rope, a metal shield that can open up and, with your abilities let you fly and act as another layer of defense.

"Thank you… it looks amazing," D says with a whisper, holding the suit in awe

"It's no problem now. I was debating a couple of names for you, but it's a right of passage; I couldn't choose one for you, and I know you have a couple of ideas, so the suit is all black with no symbol on it."

"I do. I was thinking of Thunder Bird, but there's a mutant on the X-Men with that name, so how about Static."

"That sounds perfect. I'll finish modifying it, and I got a great color scheme. Now, let's get started with the next lesson." I say as I drop a stack of books on the desk

"What is this?" He asks as he shuffles through the stack

"Homework, starting with the basics, I want you to read and memorize these books: Emergency Medical Guide, How To Fix Almost Everything, The Art of War, How to Analyze People, Advanced Physics, and Anatomy. Afterward, I will test you on it, and when you grasp it, I'll give you the next set of books."

I tell him, ignoring the glare he starts throwing at me

'Now, I can see the perks of teaching.' "Didn't you say you'll listen to me to make sure you prepared, or are you going to back out."

"But how will knowing physics and anatomy help me fight criminals?"

"The Anatomy and Emergency Aid books will help you save the lives of civilians, other heroes, yourself, and me during emergencies. With Physics and Calculus, it'll help you leverage your electricity abilities, how you would fly."

He pauses as he hears my reasoning and starts thinking about what I'm saying

"Being a superhero isn't always about punching the bad guy out hard and having the police pick him up. There are many things you have to learn before I let you out there without or by yourself. What you'll be doing won't just be hard physically but also mentally. Your job is to collect evidence, respond, and fight the things that cops can't, so we have to be smarter and faster and be prepared for anything. It all starts with learning about the people we protect and how we can help them. Knowing the difference between two robbers, one struggling to pay his rent and provide for his family thinks he has no other choice and the one who likes doing it because it's another way to demonstrate their power over others. Now, start reading up. you have school in the morning, and you need to rest up." I tell him as I make my way to creating the static shock emblem on his suit and adding blue and yellows into the case to look like a redesign of the Static Shock from the animated series. I look back and watch as he reads a book and takes notes.

'I have to make sure he's ready for anything that comes up, and he won't end up like he was in the comics or end up like Jason.' I thought to myself as I got back to work

The next day at Horizon Industries

I was sitting in my office handling different project budgets and proposals when the door opened. I noticed that three people came in.

Dr Max Modell, the CEO of Horizon Industries, I had poached him from MIT, where he was teaching and looking at creating a start-up. Shortly after I took down Andrew Chord and the FBI and cops had investigated, the Taylor Foundation arrested the employees working with Andrew. I had waited till the investigation was over, and I finished my Ph.D., buying up shares through shell corporations and charitable foundations, basically did a hostile takeover of my own company. One of the first things I did was look for a man to handle the day-to-day operations; be brilliant and a good man who could be trusted. So, when I found Dr. Max Modell leaving his teaching post at MIT to start Horizon Labs, I approached him and made an offer. He was hesitant with all the attention in the news, but when I showed him some of my designs and the direction and future I had for the company, he was sold.

Dr. Curt Connors and his wife, Dr. Martha Conners, The Future Lizards, were easier to convince in all honesty. Curtis had just finished his tour with the military, and with his injuries, he was looking at research jobs at different hospitals and schools where he could work on getting his arm back. Curtis had come for an interview for a position at Empire State when I approached him, giving him a 150k salary, state-of-the-art labs and an almost unlimited research budget to help me create the Cradle. He signed the contract within five minutes after the pitch, and one of the things I wrote in the agreement was therapy for dealing with the loss of his arm and coming to terms with creating better outlets for his anger and frustration. When his wife heard that, she thanked me in person. It meant a lot to her, so I offered her a position. I also got their son, William, a spot at Pembroke Academy, the best private k-8 school in the city. It helps that I was an alum.

He would never create the lizard serum or turn into the Lizard with another safer way to regrow his arm. So much like Peter, he was a victim of circumstance and had a tragic life, and it was my job to make sure they got a fair shake. The fact that he was a brilliant surgeon and biologist who could help push Horizon to the forefront of Biotech and Pharmaceuticals on the level of Oscorp, Stark, and Rooxan was just an added perk.

"Sir, we got the response from the medical board, we got the approval for the next round of testing for the Cradle. We can start with human testing." Said Max Modell as he showed me the letter.

The letter expressed their excitement about the results of the animal testing—the potential for the machine and how they'll be sending people for the next phase of the trial. I noticed how quiet Curt was.

"Dr. Conner, what is it?" I asked him without looking up from the letter

"Sir, I liked to talk to you about the trials." He asked nervously

"You'd like to volunteer," I replied, looking up at him.

"Yes. Sigh, I know you had been meeting with Walter Reed. I still have a few friends over there, and they talked about the project. I'm grateful for you contacting them and offering them the cradle at a discount. I know about your father and how much veterans mean to you. That's why I'd make the perfect test subject; I was a former military, and I have expertise on the project. It's not just about gaining my arm back, but this is bigger than that. When we pass the trials, we can end the need for transplant lists and reduce the rates of fatalities with organ rejection. The Cradle is the biggest breakthrough in medicine since the vaccine." He said as he paced around the room before looking at me, pleading

"You didn't tell him," I asked, confused, looking between Max and Martha

"No, I wanted to wait until we got approved before telling him. I didn't want to get his hopes up. Martha replied

"Tell me what," Curtis asked as he looked around

"You were always going to be the first person we treated when we got approved," I said as he laughed in happiness and relief.

He started hugging his wife before twirling and kissing her in the middle of the room. I don't think I've seen him this happy before. I can't even imagine how glad he'd be after the operation.

"Now that they are due to show up later this week, we have a lot of work to do before then. Max, I need you to hold a press conference for next week. I want Curtis and Martha to handle it. They'll be the face of this project."

I raised my hand to stop Curtis from intrupting.

"Didn't you spend the last five minutes trying to convince yourself to be the first test subject? You were right. When I was at ESU, I first worked on the project. I created it for people like you and the countless people who have served, the civilians who were in accidents and struggled with living afterward. It's why I worked so hard to invent it and put so much into making it real. I couldn't have finished without the both of you, and now don't worry about the press conference, Curtis; say what you said to me, and you'll be fine. "

Curtis and Martha started to whisper to themselves as Max dragged them out with a nod.

'This just the first step, as I pushed the proposals aside and started thinking about the next.'