I idle the bike down as I approach the record store. Front looks pretty quiet. Pushing out the kickstand, I get off the crotch rocket and start my way across the street. No cars coming, should be a breeze. Suddenly, I see one coming down the road. I take a look. No…Can't be. It is. The Good Samaritans from earlier. Great, just what I fuckin' needed.
The car slowed to a crawl as they came up to Logan.
"Holy shit, dude!" the passenger said. "You're still alive!"
"For the moment," the Titan said.
"Man, the po-po really want your ass!" the guy said, laughing at his buddy. "What the fuck you do?"
"I lived," Logan said.
"Damn, now that is some racist shit!" the passenger said. "You need some help?"
"I need you to get out of here," the Titan said, heading up towards the record store. The two dipshits in the car didn't get the hint, though. The vehicle rolled back as the two kept pace with the hero.
"Yo, I think you owe us, man," the passenger said. "We juiced you up. Now I think you better give us a good reason not to run your sorry ass in and get the reward."
"How about 14 good fuckin' reasons?!" Logan shouted, pulling the XD-9 from his belt and aiming it into the cab.
"OH SHIT!" the passenger shouted as his buddy jerked the car back into gear and slammed on the pedal.
Hmm, worked better than I thought. Wasn't gonna shoot them, but didn't have time to play 20 fuckin' questions. I watch as they go tires screeching into the intersection…
BAM!
I hit the ground as a pickup truck T-bones the car. Both vehicles are spinning wildly now, right towards the…you gotta be kidding me!
FUCK! I winch as the two tons of steel plow right over the bike like a fat kid falling on a balloon. Well, so much for that. That fuckin' tab's getting higher by the second. So much for it being a breeze as well. Two twisted wrecks smoking on the sidewalk, water gushing out from a hydrant they took out during the spin, and Robin's pride and joy buried somewhere under that heap of metal. Real fuckin' inconspicuous. Someone upstairs is laughing his ass off at me…
"Whoa, shit!" Gizmo said as he eyed the wreckage from across the street. Well, him and his two bodyguards. The last confrontation with Logan had made him wary of what could be waiting out there for him. Now, with two of HER boys shadowing him, he felt invincible. That was, until his eyes fell towards the middle of the street.
I see him as soon as he sees me. He's got two bangers with him. They're armed, and it doesn't take long for them to pull. XD-9's already in my hand. Good. I feel like shooting someone – someone who deserves it.
Shots echo out in the streets as the bangers and I exchange pleasantries. One hits the concrete, dead as a door nail. Gizmo's headed for the car. Nuh-uh, Mr. Leprechaun Man – fuck you and your lucky charms.
As Gizmo reached for the door handle, he looked inside just in time to see Kid Wykyd's brains splatter out onto the dashboard. Slumping forward, the villain's foot floored the pedal, sending the car off down the road as the pint-sized bad guy jumped back.
"FUCK!" he screamed as the car flipped over another parked car and slid even further down the street. "And now I have to run!"
Run, run as fast as you can. But you can't escape me, little man. Wykyd's hit the skids. Nowhere to go but on foot. The other banger hightails it up to Gizmo's position, still shooting back as they round the corner. I'm right behind them. Gizmo's booking like his life depended on it. Good thing – 'cause it does. The banger's taking potshots at me. Damn near catches me in the battery. Hey, numbnuts! I need that! Time to put you down for the count…
BANG!
He drops like a stone. As I pass him, I give him a word of encouragement…
"BITCH!" Logan yelled as he tossed the spent gun.
Okay, maybe not that encouraging. But he's not gonna need it where he's going. I'm full throttle now. Battery's holding steady. I could kiss you, Cyborg. But I won't. No need to make Raven jealous. Then again, I wonder how'd she react if she learned how Rose kept my heart pumping at her apartment…
As I closed the distance, I made a mental note not to mention that to her the next time I see her. No need to get slapped again for staying alive by all means necessary.
Gizmo's right next to the power plant. My mind races as he hurls the cooler over the barb-wire fence. If that little turd fucks up my heart…Hmm, maybe I could take his…
Anyway, he's up and over the fence like a cat. I follow right behind, barbs cutting my hands as I vault over the top. No time to bleed. I gotta catch me a gnome.
I can hear the wires buzzing with current as I slowly make my way through the maze of pylons and transformers. Gizmo could be anywhere. Gotta be ready for anything…
Logan stumbled back as the pint-sized villain caught him in the face with the cooler. He smiled as the Titan staggered back into an exposed panel. God, this would be a show…
My body tightens up as the current courses through my veins. Heart's pumping like a jackhammer on rocket fuel. Never felt so fucked up and alive at the same time. Goddamn, if I ever got my heart back, would I be able to wean myself off this shit? Guess I'll find out so enough…
Springing back forward from the panel, Gizmo looks like he's about to drop dead. Fitting, since he'd spent all day being chased by a ghost. Time to finish this…
The energy crackled as the two Titanic warriors collided head to head. Nothing of this caliber had been seen before in this city, and it would probably never be seen again. The ground trembled under the weight of their combined fury as the helpless little people ran for cover. This was a battle for the ages…
"Yo, you think we should call the cops?" one technician asked the other.
"Couldn't hurt," the other responded as he watched Logan pound away at the face of the floored villain.
Okay, maybe it wasn't that epic, but I still feel like Godzilla. Chev Chelios ain't got shit on me. Can't believe that Rose didn't know who I was talking about. Those were some good fuckin' movies! I mean, who hasn't seen CRA-
Damn. Sorry. Getting off topic. Back to our regularly scheduled program…
Gizmo fell back as Logan drove one more punch home. Posturing back up, the Titan looked around on the ground.
"Now where is my heart?" he mumbled to himself. Quickly, he located the cooler, and picked it up.
"NO!" Gizmo cried. "YOU CAN'T LOOK IN THE BOX!"
Fuck, he locked it. Can't break the lock…but I bet can break something else…
Standing over the fallen villain, Logan hefted the cooler over his head.
Open up and say "AHHHH!", asshole…
Gizmo let out a horrific scream as the green man slammed the cooler with authority down on his forehead. Standing back up, Logan shook his head.
"Five more like that, and your brain's a strawberry smoothie," he said. Pointing at the front of the cooler, he growled.
"The key and the motherfucking combo," he said, firmly.
'NO!" Gizmo said, shaking his head violently.
"Suit yourself," Logan said, hefting the box up once again. Before he brought it down, however, the villain held his hands out in front of him.
"WAIT!" he screamed.
Good monkey. I watch as he pops the key in place and inputs the code. The shackle popping open is the sweetest sound I've heard all day. Finally, I got it. I got my pumper back. Holding the cooler in my hand, my fingers grip the lid. Almost wanna savor the moment. I pop the top open…
What the fuck…
Logan's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Gritting his teeth, he growled.
"This isn't my fucking heart!" he screamed.
Cocking his head to the side, a perplexed look came over the Titan's face.
"What is that?" he said. The answer seemed too illusive for him to make out. Angrily, he closed the lid to the cooler.
"I swear, I am shocked to my goddamn core," he said, glaring down at the bloodied Gizmo. "You've got some serious fuckin' problems, man. Who the hell carries that kind of shit around in a box with them?"
My curiosity knows no bounds. Slowly, I open the cooler lid again…
"What the FUCK is that?!" he shouted. Disgusted, he tossed the cooler back down on the ground. Like a snake, the villain grabbed the box and clutched it to his chest.
Well, this was fucking waste of time. Might as well give Aqualad a call. See if he knows where the heart's gotten off to…
Aqualad sat in his room, staring at an article in a magazine. This one, however, had nothing to do with tits. This article covered the construction and inner mechanics of the AviCor heart.
"Okay, so the doohickey connects to the whatchamacallit by way of the thingamabob, and…and what the fuck is this?" he muttered to himself as he circled an image on the page and marked it with exactly what he had said. "What the fuck is this motherfucker…?"
The hero sat up as the cell went off.
"Yo," he said.
"Aqualad, it's BB," Logan said.
"Dude, when you hung up on me last time, I was trying to tell you something pretty damn important," the hero said irritatingly. "Your heart's gone to Mod."
"You already told me that," Logan said.
"No, I mean it's really gone to him," Lad said, quickly. "He received the transplant about three weeks ago."
"FUCK!" Logan shouted. His lead had turned into nothing more than a wild goose chase. "Well, tell me where he is and I'll starting kicking down doors."
"Doubt that'll do any good," Lad said, sighing. "Mod's in London, scoping the Red Light District. Looks like he wants to put your heart to the real test. Look, he's got what you need in pristine working condition."
"Get it from him," Logan said, sternly.
"Don't worry," the aquatic hero said. "I've got people out on the street."
The Titan smiled as he reminisced that moment he had explained his plan over the two-way screen. The look on Argent's face had been priceless when she realized what she would need to do in order to corner the villain. "You owe me bloody fuckin' big time!" – that's what she had said. But with Logan's life on the line, she had agreed to the ruse. It wouldn't be any fun, but it would work.
"Well, I'll try it my way," the Titan said. "Late."
As the phone hung up, Aqualad dialed out another number. Soon, another voice came alive on the phone.
"Hello?"
"Herald? It's Aqualad."
"Oh right. What's up?"
Lad smiled. "You ever been to London?"
As I put the phone away, I glare back down at Gizmo. Last thing he's gonna do for me is give me an exact location of that limey bastard's whereabouts. Grabbing him by the collar, I hoist him into the air.
"Okay, Willow, you got one chance," he said, firmly. "Tell me: Where the fuck's Mod?"
"You'll never know, snotbreath!" Gizmo said from behind his bloody teeth. "The Headmistress'll see to that!"
"Yeah well –?" Logan cocked his head to the side "Did you say Head – MISTRESS…Fuck it! It doesn't matter!"
Grabbing him up by one hand, the Titan pointed his finger at the villain like a gun.
"Where the fuck's the old man?" he roared.
BLAM!
I'm brought back to attention by the sound of a gunshot and the visage of Gizmo's head exploding right in my face. Dropping the villain, I take a good look at my finger. Pretty sure it wasn't loaded. Didn't have a habit of walking around with loaded fingers. So what was that…
Turning back around, I see three bangers starting back at me. The one in the middle is familiar. Tribal boy…
I hear a sound from behind me I look back just in time to see a pipe coming for my face. Good night Gracie…
Rodolfo looked at his boys as Logan collapsed on the ground.
"What old man?" he asked.
The others simply shrugged their shoulders. It didn't matter, though. They had their prize.
