School
Crossings
Part 2
Everything that can go wrong for Scott Page
has.
First
he gets expelled for printing test score answers on the school computers. SAT
test score answers. Okay, and teachers' salaries. Then, Bristol Tech throws out
his thesis on cybertronics, saying that it's too radical and dangerous.
Dangerous, they said! Okay, he thinks, I can live with that. But to top it ALL
off, my girlfriend DUMPS me! ME, Scott Page, greatest cybernetist in the
county, no, the state, no, the COUNTRY! I mean, who does she think she is,
anyway? "I think we need our SPACE," she says, "We need to see
other PEOPLE," she says, LET'S JUST BE FRIENDS, SHE SAYS!
Scott ponders his options while pacing in his
basement. Okay, he thinks, no problem, I can fix this, I can fix this, I know
why she dumped me, I just need to impress her again, that's all. She just needs
me to prove to her that I'm still in love with her. I can do that, no problem. But how, how...
And there it is. The answer right in front of
him. Literally.
"My
Cyber-Suit!" said Scott excitedly. "That's It!"
Scott
took a moment to examine his work of art. A massive robotic exo-suit, its black
metal chassis gleamed as his creator beamed with pride.
"Yes, yes, this will do quite nicely!
But first," continued Scott, "I need to arm it. Yes, that's what I
need to do, make it powerful! Girls LOVE power!"
He rushed to his storage keep, and pulled out
two items, a wrist gauntlet with an extendable blade, and a power staff,
capable of emitting an energy blade that can slice through concrete.
Scott smiled eerily as he spoke. "Now
you'll see," he said, charging up his monstrous suit. "Now everyone
will see the love I have for Kelly Sanders is absolute!!! Let no one DARE come
before us!! No one!!" And as he prepared to outfit himself with this
powerful weapon, he concluded...
"And
heaven help ANYone who does."
"Do you always act this way?" Asks
Kip.
Tim
paced nervously as they stood outside the Elias School dormitories. It was a
long ride from Bristol, and now he's just anxious to get this night over with.
"No, not always," he said, even though I'd rather go head-to-head
with Bane with my hands tied up than be here, he thought. Instead, Kip's the
calm, cool, and collected one, and I'm the one fretting around. "I guess
I'm just nervous, that's all."
"Tim,"
Buzz started, "Do we need to have, you know, That Talk?"
That
drew a stare from Tim.
"Took
that football to the head again, did we?" he countered, thinking that
maybe he should give HIM that talk. But that would require intelligence on his
part, he surmised. "Thanks, but I think I'll manage." He scoped the
area a bit. Elias School. Nice school, he thought. Something familiar about it,
however. Can't seem to place it though.
Just then the door opened. "Hey
Guys!"
"Sara!"
Kip exclaimed, embracing her. "We were wondering what was keeping
you."
Sara
Michaels. Seems like a very nice person, thinks Tim. You can sense a certain
charm about her right away that can be very endearing to people.
"Yeah,
well, we had to do some convincing with a friend of ours," she said,
returning the embrace. "Had to re-assure her that your friend wasn't a
psycho or anything."
"Oh,
don't worry about Tim here," chimed in Buzz, slapping him on the back,
"He's harmless. I mean it's not like he runs around in tights or
anything!" He snickers at the thought.
Where's
that bow staff when you need it, thinks Tim.
At
about that same moment Kelly Sanders came out. An extremely attractive girl
with an athletic body, but very feminine facial features, kind of like that
girl who does the facial cream ads on T.V., only with shorter hair. "Hello
everyone," she began. Polite too.
Kip
began the introductions. "These are my friends, Buzz Cohen and Tim Drake.
Guys, my girlfriend, Sara Michaels, and her friend, Kelly Sanders."
"Hello
there," said Sara.
"Nice
to meet you," Kelly greeted.
"You
too," Tim responded.
"Ah,
but not as nice as it is to meet you," Buzz started, his facial features
slowly appearing to resemble a cartoon wolf. "A pleasure, nay, an HONOR,
to meet, you," he finished, kissing Kelly's hand.
"Well aren't you a charmer", she
giggled.
I
can't believe she went for that, Tim thought.
"Hey,"
Kip said. "Where's your other friend?"
"Oh,
Ciss will be down any minute," Sara answered.
"Oh,
your sister goes to this school too?" Tim asked, "That must be nice
to have family at the same school."
Sara
laughed. "No, no, she's not my sister! She's...oh, well there she
is!"
"Hi."
Tim
froze for a moment. His eyes went wide. That voice. No, it couldn't be. It
can't be. Not here. Not Her. Not now...
"Tim
Drake", Sara began," I would like you to meet our friend, Cissie
King-Jones."
As
Tim turned to face her, he felt his jaw drop to the ground. His heart was
racing. His
mind went blank. The one thing he was always careful about, the one thing he
promised himself, promised Batman, suddenly unraveled in front of him.
Cissie
King-Jones. The former Arrowette. Former Teammate. The one member of Young
Justice who doesn't know about the Alvin Draper guise. Current friend and
acquaintance.
His
blind date for tonight.
Tim
struggled for words. "Um, uh, he, hello there," he began, trying not
to sound like Robin.
Cissie
looked at him carefully, examining his features. "Have we met before?" she
asked. "I swear you look so familiar."
Trying
not to sound like an idiot, Tim began, "Um, no, I-I don't think..."
"Oh
wait," Cissie interrupted. "I do know who you are!"
He
gasps.
Oh
God, no, thinks Tim, please Cissie, don't...
"You're
the one who was trapped in Gotham when it was a No Man's Land, aren't
you?"
Suddenly,
Tim found his breath again. "Um, yeah, yeah I guess it was me."
"Well,
this is all great and everything, but can we get going?" stated Buzz
matter-of-factly.
"The
night is young, and so are we! Let's break stuff!"
Kelly
giggled at Buzz's odd statement. "You're too much!"
"Okay,
I'm going to assume you're joking there Buzz," scolded Kip.
"Hey,
I know this cool Rave we can hang out at," added Sara. "What do you
say?"
"Great!"
exclaimed Buzz. "Whelp, everybody into the van! Hup-two people, let's move
it! That goes for you too, Drake! Get your date and let's go go go!"
Cissie
frowned. "Is your friend always like this?" she asked Tim.
"I'm
sorry, what?" Tim asked, still somewhat in a daze.
"First
blind date, huh?" Cissie asked. "Mine too." She held his arm as
she said, "Just stick with me and we'll both get through this night,
'kay?" She looked at him again and said, "You know, If you don't mind
my saying so, you have very attractive eyes."
Tim
managed a rather weak "Thanks" before thinking, this can't be
happening. Of all the blind dates Kip could have set me up with, he sets me up
with my teammate! My friend! My friend who doesn't know I'm Robin, and who
until today hasn't seen me without my mask! The world that separates Tim Drake
from Robin has collided head on, and there's not a thing I can do about it.
I swear, thinks Tim, What else could possibly
happen tonight?
End
of Part 2
