They had pulled up to a three story big brick building, with the words "Jump City Police Station" brandished on the front above the three sets of glass double doors.
The police station was buzzing with commotion. It wasn't like Avery had pictured a police station would look like. Desks topped with computers, papers, and desk lamps were set up in columns, leaving an open aisle straight in the middle of the room. Near the right wall were plastic chairs, lined up side by side, heavily guarded by intimidating officers. There were several seats, but only a few men and a straggly looking woman filled them. Each one of them had at least one wrist hand-cuffed to the leg of their chair. That was where the criminals sat, Avery knew it.
There was so much commotion and noise, Avery couldn't figure out where to go the moment she walked in behind Robin. Policemen were everywhere, sitting at the desks, doing paper work, questioning people, conversing with other officers, eating donuts and drinking coffee. She was more than a little overwhelmed.
Avery sauntered after Robin, who had silently approached one of the conversing officers near the front door. Weary of her surroundings, Avery took a glance around her, making a complete 360 spin. She noticed one of the criminals cuffed to his chair was staring at her. She quickly diverted her attention away, trying not to show any trace of fear.
It seemed some of the Titans decided to wait outside. The only ones who had followed her in were Bumblebee, Starfire, and Cyborg. She took comfort knowing Cyborg was there. So far, he seemed trustworthy and protective. Not to mention he was the size of a tank who could totally squash anyone who came near her.
"Titans," The officer said, as if he wasn't expecting to see them there. His counterparts, who had just been chatting friendlily, straightened up and got a serious look on their faces as if the president had just walked in. It must've been a big deal for the heroes to be there. Maybe they didn't step onto their turf often, and the guards assumed something big was going down. "What are- um, what can we do for you?"
As grave as the officer was, Robin replied with a lighter tone, perhaps to indicate that there was no immediate danger that they needed to hasten to. "We just need to speak to Chief Daniels for a moment."
The officer didn't argue, or even hesitate. He simply nodded and retreated to the back of the room, poking his head in an office. The simple exchange made Robin seem like such highly respected authority, even though he was just a teenager. A few words were exchanged, and then the officer came back with a burly man with a graying handle-bar mustache, wearing a white uniform shirt with a red badge on the left arm, a black tie, black uniform pants and shiny black shoes. With all the other officers wearing black uniform shirts, he stood out fairly well.
Avery stood apprehensively, half hidden behind Robin, despite him being at least three inches shorter than her.
"Robin, it's good to see you again," Chief greeted the boy wonder, shaking his hand with a warm smile. "It's not every day the Teen Titans come down to the station personally. What can I do for you?"
Robin stepped to the side a bit and gestured to Avery. "We found our friend here this morning, washed up unconscious at the Tower on the edge of the island. We were wondering if there's been a recent missing persons report that might fit her description."
Chief nodded squarely, "I see." He faced Avery, his brows coming together in thought. "What's your name, young lady?"
Avery hesitated, choking on her own breath. "I, uh- I don't know. I mean, they call me Avery, but that's not my real name. I-I don't remember it…"
"She has amnesia," Robin informed the Chief.
Chief's eyebrows rose in surprise, a troubled look in his eyes. "Oh, well, that does complicate things, doesn't it? Officer Hoskins," Chief Daniels acknowledged the first officer they spoke to before, "bring me all the missing reports from the past few months." Officer Hoskins obeyed with a curt "yes, Sir" and walked away briskly to another branch in the station. "Come with me, I'll get you a seat." Chief Daniels waved for the teens to follow him, and he lead them into his office.
Two burgundy cushioned seats faced the wide glass-topped desk with the name plate on it that read "Chief Warren Daniels". His desk, to say the least, was a mess. Papers and files were strewn across the surface, half covering an open laptop. A cup of coffee rested next to a shield-shaped silver badge and a black hand-gun. Chief Daniels, who muttered apologies for the mess, assembled as many papers as he could and stuffed them into a drawer built into the back of the desk. The room was plain, simple, the walls painted white and decorated with framed pictures of the police force, and a deep grey carpet covering the floor.
Avery sat in the left chair, folding her hands in her lap and bouncing her leg nervously. Robin sat in the chair next to her, appearing relaxed with professional aplomb. Cyborg, Bee and Star stood behind them patiently. Bumblebee, noticing Avery's antsy actions, placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly. Avery faked a smile at the heroine, knowing she wasn't fooling anyone, but was still grateful for the attempt at comfort.
"Well, um, I'm deeply sorry for your predicament, uh, Avery was it?" Chief stuttered, sitting himself down in his own office chair.
Avery nodded, "That's what they're calling me until we find out who I really am." The sentence sounded weirder in her head than it did out loud, to Avery's contentment. Just then the office door opened and in came Hoskins with a mountain-load of files, plopping them on Chief's desk. If they ever find out who I really am. Jeez, how can so many people go missing in one city? Avery eyed the huge stack of papers, dread making her eyes widen for a second. No, this is good. The more papers there are, the more likely one of them could be for me. It'll just… take a while. A long while.
Chief opened the top file, immediately dismissing it and tossing it to the other side of his desk. "Alright then. Better than no-name, right?" Chief joked, unknowingly repeating Cyborg's joke from earlier. Avery tried to smile, but all she could muster was a sheepish smirk. "Okay, Avery, why don't you start by telling me what you can remember?" He interlocked his fingers and leaned forward on his elbows.
Glancing over at Robin, Avery wrapped her thin arms around herself, sinking back into the cushions. Robin gave her an short-lived, reassuring nod, telling her tacitly that everything was going to be okay. She briefly remembered the song lyrics from the car ride. Everything, everything will be alright, alright. Singing the song in her head a bit gave her the motivation to speak. "It's… really fuzzy," she started. "I remember waking up on the beach, coughing up salt water -which tasted nasty, by the way- and looking up to find the Titans surrounding me. They, uh, saved me."
Chief nodded, "Anything before that?"
Avery shook her head. "Nothing. I feel like there's more, I mean there has to be more, but it's empty. Raven said that there's something… blocking my memory…? I don't know what or how, but something's definitely in the way."
"Raven tried to dig up her memories," Robin explained, "but couldn't find anything. She said besides what she's remembers from this morning, her mind is completely blank."
"Do you have any idea how you could've lost your memory?" Chief asked, the question directed at Avery.
Avery shrugged just as Cyborg said, "I ran a scan on her bioscript when she was still unconscious. She has no head trauma, no serious injuries, not even a bruise on her skull. Her memories are just… gone." Whoa, wait, he did a scan on my brain? And didn't say anything? Well I was still unconscious when he did it, so he might've said something and I didn't hear it. But still! He couldn't have mentioned it to me? Especially the fact about the lack of head trauma? Here I was assuming I hit my head on something and knocked myself out. Now, Avery was even more confused as to what actually could've happened.
Chief sighed heavily, running his fingers through his receding hair. He looked Avery in the eyes with wonder and a bit of pity. "Would you like something to drink? Might clear your mind a little. We have coffee, soda, water, uh…"
He rambled on about a snack machine just down the hall, but Avery tuned him out after he said that last word. "Water," she mumbled, repeating the word in her head.
"Hmm?" Chief asked, leaning in a bit closer so he could hear her better.
"Water," She said a little louder, not as a decision but more as a realization. A frightening realization. The word bounced around in her head, and as soon as it was there it was gone, replaced by an image. Deep, dark, frigid cold water, surrounding her, suffocating her, drowning her.
She clutched her head, the memory shooting cannons at the blockade in her mind, fighting to break through. "Water," she reiterated, "I- I remember water."
"She did wash up on the island," Starfire noted. "Perhaps the memory of her events just before the start of her amnesia is becoming clearer." The alien stepped forward a bit, resting her hand on the back of Avery's chair, looking over the amnesiac with concern.
Avery's body shook with pain. She remembered the tightness, the slowness of her movements, the restrictions the water forced upon her. She remembered the lack of oxygen, how the water had caught in her throat and refused to be coughed up. She remembered the glacial water hitting her like a million thick needles, sharpened to a deadly point, and the current pulling her down. It seeped through her subconscious like ooze, the thick barrier cracking and finally giving way.
"I-I," she stuttered, feeling like the water was stealing her breath once again, "Oh god, it was horrible…" Tear brimmed her eyes, but for a moment they stung, and Avery thought it was salt water penetrating her vision again. Suddenly, she wasn't in Chief Daniel's office anymore. She was back under the water. "I can't- I can't breathe! I- NO!" Avery convulsed from the memory of the worst pain she could remember, her body folding in on itself so her head was just above her knees. Her hands still clutched her head, her knuckles turned white. She gripped her hair and nearly pulled it out.
"Avery!" Robin sprang out of his seat instantly, kneeling in front of the pained girl's chair, grasping her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "Avery, look at me! It's okay, you're okay! You're safe!"
The door burst open, and Raven ran in, followed by the rest of the Titans. Robin stepped back, worry written on his face like a neon sign, and let Raven through. Raven lifted Avery to face her, and placed her thin grey hands on Avery's temple. Raven's eyes glowed white as she reached into the panicked girl's mind, which was at the point of total bedlam. She saw and felt what Avery felt. It was just as real. But Raven had dealt with panicked minds creating the illusion that a memory was real plenty times before. Raven grasped that illusion like it was a living psychopath, and pushed it back into it's mental padded cell, bringing Avery's conscious thought back to the present. Her eyes returned back to their normal shade of violet just as Avery physically calmed down.
"Thanks, Raven," Avery whispered, her heartbeat returning to a normal-ish speed.
Raven nodded, then said, "I sensed you were troubled, and then in pain. I rushed in as soon as I could. You… remember drowning."
Avery nodded, looking down at her borrowed shoes. "It was cold, frigid. There was… so much pressure…" she shuddered, her eyes squeezing closed.
"Avery, you don't have to elaborate if it makes you uncomfortable," Chief interrupted.
Avery shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's better if I get this out in the open…" She tried looking up at him, but found it hard and instead looked towards the team. She was more comfortable and trusting with them anyway. "I didn't swim. That was the problem. As soon as I hit that freezing water, my thoughts were cloudy and I couldn't fully register what was going on. I just… let myself sink. And then I realized there wasn't any air. I was choking, drowning, and I knew it. I tried to swim up, but I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't break the surface in time. And then… nothing. I woke up. What happened after that we already know."
There was an uneasy silence as this new information sunk in, new thoughts and suspicions rising up in the team's minds.
Robin was the first to speak, "If you didn't hit your head, how did you lose your memory?"
"And how did you wind up in the bay?" Raven added, standing up again and crossing her arms in thought.
"I believe those are questions we're yet to find out," Chief replied, looking through another file and tossing it to the side. "First thing's first," he folded his hands and rested his round chin on them, directing his attention towards Avery, "there's just no way I can have all these files sorted through by the end of today. I'm sorry. What I can do is have flyers posted around the city with your picture on it, and hope someone recognizes you and calls the station. Until someone calls or I find a file that matches your description, I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do."
Avery nodded, the hope that fluttered in her stomach long forgotten. "I understand. Thank you."
"Right then, you'll need a place to stay until then," Chief Daniels added.
Avery felt a slither of panic rise in her chest. "I hadn't thought of that," she said worriedly. "I-I don't have anywhere to go, I-"
"It's okay," Chief interrupted, putting up a reassuring hand to silence her, "We have several foster homes in the city who would be happy to take you in."
A weird, unfamiliar sense of disappointment mixed with a boatload of false relief overwhelmed Avery. A foster home didn't sound all that appealing to her. She almost asked if there were any better options, but forced herself not to, thinking that would be rude. I should accept his offer with gratitude and a smile. A foster home is a hell of a lot better than sleeping on the street. I should be happy that I have somewhere to go for the night, and possibly the next night, possibly for a week. How long could this last?
As Chief Daniels waited for the amnesiac's reply, Cyborg silently nudged Robin, giving him a certain look only the Boy Wonder would understand. He nodded, just barely enough so that only Cyborg could see it.
"There'll be no need for that, Chief," Robin said. Avery looked up at him, glad the attention was lifted off her for even a second. "She can stay with us, for the time being."
Avery turned back to Chief, awaiting his reply. Chief, indecisively, said, "Are you sure?"
"It'll be no problem," Robin replied with a no-big-deal wave of his hand. "We've got plenty of room."
Chief shrugged, as if saying "Eh, what the hey? Let's see how it works out." Instead he said, "Okay. I'll give you a call if I find anything."
"Thank you, Sir, for everything," Avery thanked him as she stood up. He said it was no problem, that it was merely his job, and escorted them to the hallway.
Avery was sort of… happy? Relieved? She didn't know why Robin had offered for her to stay with them in their home. The heroes' home. Practically their headquarters. And they offered it to me like it was a motel. But she knew better than to question their motives. Hey, it was a LOT better than staying in a foster home according to her book. Being surrounded by all those orphans would just make her question whether she had parents for herself or not. It would drive her insane. Plus, their tower looked pretty big. She didn't put it past them to have some pretty cool stuff in there.
Chief had Officer Hoskins come back in and take a digital picture of her. Chief promised to take care of the flyers, and Avery left the station with the Teen Titans.