Chapter 2
Something wasn't right, and he could see it in her face. She held Connor close, the young boy finally sitting calmly on her lap. It had to be hard starting over when Soren and Ember were almost grown. He knew that the older children had been much tamer than the little clone of Garfield, which had helped her with rearing them. There was hope in her when they were young, too. She had once thought that they could eventually work up to a decent wage, but the years had worn onward and the money ever thinner. Now it was as if she waited a breath of air rather than an escape from the rough currents she had been trapped in. It worried him to see her this way, to know there wasn't anything he could do because it wasn't his business. If only she or Garfield would just ask him, he'd find a way to help them.
Finally, she mustered the courage to talk about it. "I don't know what to do, Rich."
"About what?" he gazed at her calmly, feeling the wallet in the seat of his jeans. He didn't want to scare her off by being to direct about it just yet.
"It's Soren. I got a call earlier this morning from his teacher, saying that he's failing English. His grades have fallen a lot since the beginning of the year, and he's been late to a lot of his classes. I'm worried about him," Rachel caved in, her eyes watching the little boy on her lap.
Richard sat back, feeling slightly out of his element on the matter. "He's a teenager, Rae. I'm sure he's just hitting a rebellious stage."
"No," she shook her head. "It's not like that. There's this... sadness that comes from him, all the time. He won't come talk to me about it, either. I feel like I can't reach him or connect with him like I used to."
"He's just going through a rough patch. But if you're concerned, you should come hiking with Kori and I this weekend. Getting him away for awhile might get him to open up," he offered.
"No, Garfield and I couldn't impose," she shook her head, and Connor reached up to pat her cheek before trying to escape her grasp. She readjusted him on her lap, knowing he'd get into trouble once he was set free.
"Let him run," Richard waved his hand nonchalantly. She set the boy down and he began to explore as she watched him closely. "And as for the trip, don't worry about it. Just bring stuff for Connor, and Kori and I will handle the rest."
"Richard, I-"
"I said not to worry about it. It's a family trip, and you're family, aren't you? This isn't just to help Soren, you and Garfield need a break, too. We can get Vic and Karen to come too," he added. "It'll be like old times."
"But what about the city?" she protested.
"It'll be alright for one weekend. We can head out to Whitewater, just outside the city. The trails are wide enough and smooth enough for a stroller," he added, "I insist Rachel. It'll be good for all of us."
She nodded, "I'll talk to Gar about it tonight."
:::
Although it wasn't the best job when it came down to his paycheck, Garfield felt that he was in the perfect profession for a man of his stature. He sat in the rec room with a small group of employees, all with varying skills to benefit the zoo. Off in the corner were Jacob and Marie, the specialists in taming. By the lockers was Benny, who fed the animals every morning and every evening like clockwork. Maddie cleaned the cages and Gabriela was the veterinarian. Meanwhile, Garfield was the entertainer. He told people time and time again about the wonders of the animals, and wrote all of the info cards when new breeds came in, though that was only once in a great while. Another group of visitors would be there in ten minutes and he'd put on a goofy grin and tell them once again about the ways of the beasts around him.
But he didn't feel like smiling today. There was a schism in the family, and he felt himself at fault. He understood exactly what Rachel had meant when it came to the children, and he knew that she was often right in the matter, just as she was in this case. She didn't want them to be heroes anymore, both for their safety and their educational well-being. However, he was torn between the need to be a parent, and his understanding of a hero's struggles. He wanted his children to be well educated and to have a better future than the one he'd set for himself, but Garfield knew that they had the promise for a different future. They were heroes, and to stop them from choosing that lifestyle was wrong.
He guessed Rachel knew that too. They had a rule, which to that day had never been broken: neither was to go to bed angry after an argument. Because of that rule, their true feelings on the matter would emerge and they wouldn't be angry anymore. Rachel was never mad about Soren's grades, she was worried about his sudden change in nature and the bruises he tried to hide, and now so was Garfield.
Garfield had always known that his children carried every essence of their mother in them, especially Soren. When the boy had grown more reclusive in the past few weeks, he had assumed it was because of his introverted nature. It had never occurred to him that his son was ever upset, and it killed him to think that he hadn't noticed. Soren had always been a quiet child, and though the two of them could have fun and keep each other company, there was a distance between them that they hadn't discovered how to fill. Maybe that was what was wrong, he was a lousy father.
His mind was fixed on trying to solve the problem that plagued his family, and he had found no answers. A cluster of voices alerted him that his shift had arrived. He ran his fingers through his thinning hair and sighed heavily, once more painting a smile onto his face and started the show.
:::
Titans tower had lost much of its glamor to dust and abandon over the years, the air stale and the walls rusted over from nearly two decades of hiatus. It had been kept in case the Titans were to ever return, though of course they never did, and it became a forgotten landmark of the past and a reminder of what had once been.
Albatross took in the absence of emotion warily. Years of loneliness had left the Tower without any trace of energy, and all he could sense was himself. It was more unsettling than he realized, to be left with only his own feelings within him. Underneath the silence was an aura that was in his very blood and being that tingled with each step. It was because of this place that he existed, and now it would be where he ceased to.
Despite the tower's apparent disrepair, Albatross knew for a fact that all of its defense systems worked perfectly - except for the ones he'd shut down already. He moved like a ghost through the halls, carefully disarming the alarms, and reached his destination without incident.
However, when he began working at the seam of the doors, his communicator buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, the device a modified touch-phone for secrecy. As well as still being able to function like one, a specialized app allowed it to alert him when the city was in danger. The app automatically opened, showing a black screen with the word "Trouble" displayed in the center. He tapped it to bring up a map where a red dot blinked above Titans Tower, indicating that was the source of the "trouble."
He cursed, but threw the device back into his pocket. It didn't matter anymore if they knew or not, there was no time to stop him. He pried open the doors to the darkened room and stepped inside.
:::
Ember groaned as her communicator went off in the middle of the night. The gloom of the screen splashed into her eyes and she debated simply rolling over and ignoring it. However, Mari's wrath wasn't worth a few extra hours of sleep, so she got up and threw on her black leotard and knee-length skirt, draping her cloak about her shoulders. Glancing at the map on her communicator, Ibis stepped out into the hall and moved silently to the other side of the house.
She rapped on her brother's door softly and whispered, "Soren, c'mon, hurry up!" Not waiting for him to emerge, she slipped out the back door and took off into the night, waiting to meet up with her team. Nightstar and Powerhouse found her at the shores of the ocean, the Tower looming before them.
"Where's Soren?" Nightstar asked, slightly impatient.
"Must've decided to sleep instead," Ibis shrugged. "We going in, or not?"
"Remind me to kill him when this is over," Nightstar growled, grabbing Powerhouse's arms and heading across the water.
"Who knows, maybe he's the smart one," Powerhouse yawned, having only gone to sleep an hour ago. "It's not like there's anything in that place."
"Except for, oh, you know, the weapons showcase," Nightstar replied sarcastically.
"That's still in there? Why?" he clucked, looking up at her.
"Because it's the most secure place in Jump City," Ibis explained. "The Tower was designed to detect even the smallest threat, and it still works."
"Which means we need to be careful, or the Tower could think we're the threat," Nightstar advised, landing on the roof. She let go of Powerhouse and kicked open the decaying door leading downward.
"So much for careful," Powerhouse murmured, following. Ibis hovered just behind him, her face illuminated by the lilac orb Nightstar used as a light source. It seemed strange that they hadn't tripped a single wire, and when Powerhouse bent down to check one of the barely visible laser systems, he murmured, "It's dead."
"Well, they're even older than Soren, so it's no wonder," Ibis sighed, going past them.
"Careful, the ones up here may be gone, but one of 'em had to set off the alarm," Powerhouse stood up, linking his communicator to the Tower's mainframe. Many of the areas were dark, leading in a line towards the center. "Somebody's turned 'em off. Whoever it is is already in the weapons room, so let's go."
The girls nodded and hurried down the steps into the ruins of the halls. They followed Powerhouse's directions and soon found the room filled with glass cases. Nightstar raised her hand to illuminate the room as best as she could, but the gloom was thick and very little could be seen. Powerhouse tapped his specialized gauntlets together and sparks buzzed brightly, briefly revealing a shadowed figure who slid further into the darkness.
"Please tell me that wasn't a ghost," he groaned, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"C'mon you big baby," Nightstar teased, raising herself into the air. "Show yourself!"
A pedestal cloaked in dark energy cut through the darkness and slammed into her, pinning her to the ground. She thrust it to the side angrily. "That wasn't funny, Ibis."
"Wasn't me," the other girl shrugged, assuming it was her brother. "Okay, Soren, you got us. Come on out now."
Another pedestal came at them and Powerhouse smashed it with his fist. "Ghost or no ghost, you're going to pay!" He rushed forward and saw the cloaked figure, swinging with all of his might. The figure dodged easily and moved out of sight. Powerhouse followed, but lost him quickly. "Where'd he go?"
The figure dropped from the ceiling and kicked him, fleeing to the back left corner. Nightstar tossed a set of starbolts at him, accidentally shattering some of the glass containers. The figure flicked his hand and a wave of dark energy whisked down the aisle, slamming into Nightstar. Ibis returned the favor, and the villain smashed into opposite wall, causing more glass to break.
"Soren?" Ibis whispered, unable to process what was happening. Her brother snarled and pushed her back with his magic, darting forward and grabbing a device the size of his hand. Powerhouse tried to hit him, but the younger boy was too slow, and Albatross countered with a kick to his opponent's midsection. The hero smashed into the girls, causing them all to be tangled just long enough for Albatross to activate the artifact.
A portal opened up, swirling in a spectrum of black and white, tearing a void into the past. He leaped into it, watching as time ticked by instantly. He glanced back, feeling ashamed at how he had treated his friends. It didn't matter, though, they'd never remember he'd done it because they'd never remember him. He watched the portal shrink with satisfaction, but just as it was about to seal shut, the three stubborn heroes dove in, pursuing him.
He picked up the pace, but Ibis and Nightstar, who carried Powerhouse, soon closed the gap between them. Ibis called out, and he cringed at the guilt he felt when she said, "Soren! Why are you doing this?"
He ignored her and tried to fly faster, he only had one year left before he was where he needed to -
He grunted as somebody grappled him and caused him to tumble downward. They wrestled with each other while they fell, and Albatross felt the vortex regulator slip from his hands. He cried out and tried to go after it, but he was too entangled to do so, and they were thrust out of the portal and onto hard pavement. The two figures rolled into a heap, Soren holding onto his attacker tightly to make sure her her head didn't slam into anything. Nightstar and Powerhouse were spat out moments later, skidding to a stop beside him.
Albatross stood warily, helping his sister up. The others rose gingerly, glancing around. Everyone's eyes turned to Albatross, filled with concern and accusation. "Soren," Ibis whispered. "What did you do?"
