A/N: 9 reviews, whoohoo!
You've all been wondering when is this arc getting "serious"... Well, not to give it away, but wait until you see the start of the second half of this arc... After all, it begins in this chapter! There's no place like home... is there?
Be thankful, I'm gonna be late for work because of this piece! Wouldn't miss it for the world.
The Watchman
---
Some time later, Watchman finds himself lying low to ease suspicion for a little while. Brave, Garfield Logan is, but not a fool... as he'd say.
So its a bit of a surprise when Jinx appears at his window.
"Let me in, Gar!" she pounds on the window, waking him out of his early-afternoon slumber.
Naturally he doesn't seem to happy being disturbed so early, his tired eyes glaring at the offending noise.
"Hold your ass, Jinx! Let me throw on some pants in here!"
Throwing on a pair of jeans strewn on the floor, he doesn't even bother to throw on a shirt. No point, Jinx won't care.
Opening the window, the pink-haired witch slides in and lands on the bed.
"About time!"
"Yeah, about time huh? You have a reason banging on my window this early in the day?" Gar inquires, not happy at being woken by someone with an attitude.
"I would've called but Cyborg wouldn't let me use that commlink you two have. Listen, this is important, and I DON'T want the other Titans getting involved."
Interesting. She's not even including Kid Flash in this one?
Gar stretches, popping his back in the process. "What's the deal?"
Before she asks, a sly grin slides onto her face "Throw a shirt on first then suit up." The smile disappears. "Some friends of mine need your help."
---
The afternoon light is something Gar's quickly starting to hate again as the pair walk through downtown Jump City towards destination unknown. Thankfully the breeze is strong enough today to keep his mind awake, even if he'd rather not be.
"So, I take it this has something to do with the HIVE?" Gar asks, connecting the dots in his head.
"Yeah. Last thing I need is Robin snooping around or my boyfriend getting jealous." Jinx's answer is surprisingly neutral in tone and expression.
"That's an interesting proposal. What exactly are you involved in now? Or who should I say?"
A fiery glare from the witch sends that entertaining proposal crashing to the bottom of his mind.
"This ISN'T a booty call, shortie. This is something important to me."
"Ok, I'm sorry. I'm still tired. I didn't exactly get to sleep last night, unlike you guys."
A snap of her fingers and pink energy forms between them. Absentmindedly she plays with the energy but never releases it. "I haven't slept well either once I found out what the boys were doing at the old hideout."
"The HIVE FIVE you mean? I thought they learned their lesson after our little... night out last month?" Gar asks, surprised they'd try their old antics again.
"I think that just made it worse." she admits, a tinge of regret now.
"How bad can it be?" Gar tries to offer optimistically.
Optimism isn't on her mind in the least. "Wait until you see them."
---
After another hour or so of walking, the duo arrive at a seemingly innocent looking building. To the passing citizen, it would appear as nothing more than an abandoned record store, a throwback from the days of the hippie movement. Jinx, however, knows better than that. Flashing her pink energies, the front door opens to reveal not an entrance into the building, but a stairway leading down into the basement.
"Fake doorway, huh?" Gar speaks aloud, impressed slightly. "Never thought of that."
"After the HAEYP was taken down, we needed a new hideout. This was all Gizmo's idea, building a hideout underneath this block to keep the Titans from finding out."
Gar checks their backs before they enter, making sure they aren't followed. Satisfied, he follows Jinx into the building, door closing behind them.
As the pair reach the main room, Jinx stops to warn him. "You got a mean temper, Gar, you know that?"
A moment's hesitation.. "Yeah, I'm trying to work on that."
"Then I need a favor for what you're about to see." Jinx's words, sometimes wavering into doubt, seem borderline scared.
Softly, Gar assures her "Look, I won't kill them if that's what you're asking. I'll behave myself, K?"
Unsure, she tries to smile a bit for him. "Ok. Warned you."
The door opens and Gar's eyes widen in shock...
Inside the room, the five are strewn about the room, each passed out or reacting to a certain drug in their systems. The room is filled with smoke, acid rock playing on the loudspeaker. Mammoth, his face still scarred from the flaming whiskey, lies back on the couch, mouth open, staring at the ceiling. Gizmo chews on his arm, trying desperately to escape something that only his mind's eye can see. Speaking of eye, See-More laughs hysterically to himself as he keeps changing his eyepiece over and over again, amused at the color changes in his perception. Private HIVE sits huddled in a corner, arms around his legs, rocking back and forth and muttering to himself over and over again. Finally Billy Numerous, the usually hyper-active multiplier, sits in single form on the chair opposite Mammoth, eyes not moving and mouth chattering...
"What the hell..." Gar whispers, the first time since Ripper's hideout last month since he's been at a loss for words.
"I found them this way a couple days ago. They're all using White Rabbit."
Silent rage stings Gar's heart but not at the boys in his eye's sight. No, even though they're making a mistake taking this drug, he knows in his heart it wasn't their choice. Gar walks over to Mammoth, fist balled up but face solid and impassive.
Lightly nudging the big man with his foot, he orders. "Wake up!"
"Muhh...." the giant teen sighs out, too deep in the hallucinogens to care about someone tapping his foot. "I said wake the fuck up, asshole." A more forceful nudge, enough to get Mammoth's right eye to twice.
"Don't bother, Gar. They've been this way for awhile now. How far along do you think are?" Jinx asks now, not exactly an expert on the drug.
"From what the Titans told me, it usually starts as a peaceful high, like Weed. It turns into chaotic happiness like Speed... then it degrades down into agonizing terror like a bad Acid trip. We're lucky, none of the guys here hit that point yet... Well, except for Private over there."
"Now do you see why I didn't want Robin involved?" Jinx tells him. "Imagine what he'd say if he saw them this way?"
Gar walks around the room, looking over the five teens with a look of disgust. "Yeah, I can imagine. He'd throw them in prison right now for possession and a half-dozen other bullshit offenses. These guys didn't do it willingly though."
Raised eyebrow. "How can you tell that?"
"Gizmo and Mammoth might be idiots, Billy too.. But HIVE and See-More are smart guys, they wouldn't fuck their minds up this bad. I'm wondering if someone got to them the same way they got to me."
"Spiked food?"
A glance at her now "More than likely. Only takes one though to hook you."
"Wait, if it only takes one..."
The glance turns into a glare. "Never said I never felt the craving, Jinx. Whatever that drug does, it's strong enough hook you at first contact with your brain."
Silence from the witch...
Gar nudges Private HIVE with his boot. "Soldier, you awake?"
"Can't.... can't move... shelling.... ordinance will... can't.... "
"SOLDIER! ON YOUR FEET! TENCH-HUT!!"
Despite the drug's effect on the teen, Private HIVE bolts to his feet into a standing, albeit wavering, position.
"What's the situation, soldier? Why are all of the men in this room drowned out in my barracks?!" Gar's voice sounds more like an upset drill instructor than your average 17yr old.
"Sir... Private HIVE reports as ordered.... sir... whoa" he nearly topples over but Jinx holds him up. "Foreign substance infiltrated into our snacky cakes. Man in a funny suit slipped them to us at the bar, sir!"
"And what, pray tell, did this man look like, PRIVATE?!"
"Like a cheap pimp from the 40's, sir! Blue suit, blue hair! Looked suspicious but took no further notice, sir!"
HIVE's eyes begin to water a bit, the burning from the drug effecting his vision.
"Listen to me, Private!" Gar orders. "We have a situation that requires your abilities! Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"We need you to help round-up your squad mates in this room and help us transport them to the medical station. If we don't, the enemy will arrive here and take them prisoner. Understand what I'm telling you, Private?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Turning to Jinx, he points at her "He might be able to get one or two of them but we won't be able to take all five of them ourselves. Suggestion?"
Startled by Gar's direct tone, she stumbles for a second now. "We could call Cyborg or Raven. They should be able to take most of them."
"Alright then." Gar switches on his commlink. "Cyborg, come in."
"Yo G, what's up?"
"Jinx and I are downtown and we need your help taking some.. friends to the hospital."
"Whoa, what happened man?"
"Just come down here quick, ok? I'll tell you when you get here. And, between the three of us, lets keep this between us, ok?"
"Sounds like some deep shit. Alright, I'll tell Robin I'm out to get something for the car. See you in twenty."
Gar turns off the commlink and looks at a nervous Jinx. "He's coming."
"Good.." the quiet tone is a rare sound for her. "Its just overwhelming, you know? Its one thing to be beat up by a good guy and all... but look at them.. They look so.."
"Dead." Gar finishes. "Drugs kill everything they spread to, Jinx. You can be as strong as Mammoth or smarter than Gizmo, you end up in the same place at the end..."
---
Hours later, after one painfully packed car-ride to the rehab center, the ordeal appears to be over as the trio checks the HIVE FIVE into the clinic. According to the local nurse on duty, the increase in White Rabbit addictions appears to be growing like a wildfire lately. This fact steels Gar's heart further, knowing that his work is far from over.
Even worse, though, is the car-ride back to the gas station. Barely a word is spoken between the three, each reeling from the sight of the former villainous team The harsh reality that an influence worse than basically greed is mind-numbing, if not sobering.
Even as they drop off Garfield at the safe house, all Gar does is exchange sad looks with Jinx.
"Thanks for helping, Gar. I really appreciate this..."
A distant, somber glance is returned to teh pink witch. "Don't worry about it."
Cy wishes Gar a good night as the two drive away, leaving the vigilante to his thoughts.
His distraction is further ruined as a trio of vans suddenly pull up to the station. Surprise turning to fear, Gar bolts into the station as men, armed with automatic rifles and ski-masks, appear from the doors. As he makes it into the station, they begin opening fire at the building. Dozens of rounds of AK-47 and MP5 ammo are fired into the old walls of the station, throwing bits of rubble and paint flying everywhere.
Inside, the place becomes a war zone. Bullets that punch through whiz around, zinging off to who knows where. Gar, already in a crouch, begins to scramble towards the backroom in a panic.
"Question!! Come in!" he shouts on his commlink over the gunfire.
"Gar, what's the matter?"
"I'm taking fire at the safe house! I've already transferred my files to the Watchtower but I need to know if you have anything useful here! Guns, explosives, anything?!"
"There's a shotgun in the toolbox under the tire-rack. It should be enough to lay down cover fire. Once you're empty, get to the back window and flip on the switch."
"I thought that was a dead button?" Gar asks, searching for the shotgun case.
"Its a self-detonation button. I rigged up an explosive charge underneath the gas tanks out front. It has a six second delay, long enough for you to bail out into the harbor."
"Are you fucking shitting me?! When were you going to tell me that?" Aha! There it is. Gar pumps the gun, loading the shells while bitching out Question.
"Hoped you wouldn't need it. Who's attacking?"
After loading the six shells into the gun, he runs over to a window to investigate. The initial hail of fire pauses long enough for them to reload and check the situation.
"I see three vans, twelve guys altogether. Heavy machine guns... They're really packing heat."
"Taking down Sandman has them spooked. Be on your guard."
As the gunmen approach the building, Garfield takes aim at them with the gun. Silently cursing Superman for his no-kill rule, he opens fire feet in front of them. The bullets don't impact any of the shooters but does enough to draw them back to their vans in surprise.
"I'm out! Time to bail!" Gar announces, turning to run to the backroom.
He doesn't make it more than three feet before he's thrown on his feet from an explosion. Evidently during the firing, someone pulled out some big artillery. A burning sensation begins to form in his back, followed by something flowing down his shoulder blades.
"I heard an explosion. Watchman, answer me." Question pleads on the comm.
"I'm still alive but I think my back's hit. I think they fired an explosive at the building. Part of the wall's missing."
"RPG most likely. They want you dead. Get out of there!"
Gritting through the pain, Gar scrambles to the door leading to the back room. As he does, he feels two bullets tear into the kevlar vest in his back. Despite the bullets being caught by the suit, they penetrate enough to stun him.
"FUCK!" he screams in pain, eyes closing unconsciously.
Finally, he gets to the back room. Forsaking his remaining items, he smashes the computer against the wall and steps on the computer motherboard. Evidence is best left destroyed lest the enemy discover your secrets.
Finishing, he hears the men busting through the front door, calling out for him to show himself.
"Now or never.." he whispers, opening the back window that Jinx had earlier snuck through.
A black switch gleams in his eye and he reaches for the trigger.
"WHERE YOU GOING, SHITHEAD?!" a voice screams through a black ski-mask, raising his gun to fire.
Gar spits at the man in rage, flipping the switch, and falling out of the back window. Only a couple dozen feet away from the ocean, he makes a painfully mad dash towards the bay.
"I can't transform right now, shit hurts too bad... Q, I'm taking a swim.."
"Good luck, Watchman."
Seconds later, as Gar dives headlong into the bay, an explosion rips behind him. The old gas station, and most likely the people inside, go up in a fireball of death and carnage. Part of the building flies skyward, twisting into the air before landing on a van parked in front of the building. The explosion, planted most likely by Question, has its intended effects completed. With the inferno before them, no one is brave enough yet to check for Gar behind the building. In a panic themselves, the remaining two vans fill up with their would-be murderers and speed off from the scene.
As they do, they allow their target, a pain-seething, blood-trickling Garfield Logan to escape. Salt water mixes with the wounds, sending a hot trail of pain burning through his pores. Eyes straining, he sees his only hope for salvation at this moment... Even if its the last place in the world he'd wanna be.
Gritting his teeth, he begins to swim towards Titans Tower...
---
Once on shore, it takes him a few minutes to drag his body from the surf. Holding his back in agony, he stares up at the giant T.
Despite the pain, he allows a horrible form of amusement to enter his mind. "No place like home, huh?"
Forcing himself up the walkway, he finally reaches the door to the Titans Tower. Knocking, his attempts at entry go unnoticed... until a screen bearing Cyborg's face appears next to him.
"Name and Access Code."
".... Beast Boy... 111965.."
"Codename: Beast Boy. Approved. Welcome to Titans Tower.."
As the doors open, he mutters to himself a couple of swear words before falling into the room before him, exhausted from pain...
--
A/N2: So? Gar's hideout's now gone and looks like someone might've tipped them off as to his location... We'll be finding out who that is later. Right now, Gar's torment is about to become very, VERY .. heh, not giving that away just yet. Sorry :p
I wanted to show you too the effects of drugs, not just on good people, but on bad ones too. Don't worry, you'll enjoy how this little angle ends down the road.
Trivia:
- Gar's access code of 1119565 is the date he first appeared in the comics (November 1965). Little tidbit I found funny.