Ataraxia Praeteritum, Perdidit Futurum
Chapter 35: Transgressions of the Past
I walked down the dark alleyways of Jump City, it was close to midnight and the drop in temperature allowed me to see my breath.
We had just gotten Cyborg back from the past. Like last time he wanted to go back, but that was impossible according to Raven.
Coming out onto the main street I felt the beginnings of rain falling on my head. I pulled up the hood of my civis and prepared myself for the torrential downpour that was bound to come.
A familiar restaurant greeted my eyes as it came into view and a small smile crept onto my face. I walked across the road and entered the empty building.
As I walked in its red and white seating caught my eye. Its menu hung dully over the counter. A single bell and register sat on the counter and with a swift movement of my hand a sharp ring went throughout the building.
Quickly a single man walked out of the back, through a single door to the 'kitchen'.
"Yes, can I help you?" he asked in an overly polite manner.
A dark smile grew on my face, "Yes, yes you can." I said while hoping over the counter throwing some explosive Birdrangs I took from Robin.
A few minutes later I was driving away on a sleek and shiny new white moped, a bright flame behind me and explosions rocking the former building.
Mega, Meaty Meat was no more.
Ω¥¥¥Ω
"A Moped, really?" Red X said as he looked up from one of the many monitors he was in front of.
His 'lair' had expanded at an alarming rate, everything from welders to spare parts for just about anything.
I shrugged as I walked up behind him, "Not exactly going to be chasing criminals in that thing, it's not really built for that, it's more for the satisfaction."
"What satisfaction?"
He turned around fully to face me "Still not uncovering your face?" I asked dismissing the question.
He said nothing as he turned back around and continued typing.
Looking around I noticed a large gem beside his keyboard. I reached over to it picked it up and examined it. The ruby I was looking at was the size of a tangerine.
"When did you pick up this beauty?" I asked as I flipped I around in my hands.
Taking another break from his typing he leaned back in his chair, a loud squeaking noise bouncing around the cave as he did so.
"I picked it off of an armored car stop, got some cash as well," he said calmly "half expected you all to show up, but apparently, you were away or something like that."
Nodding I set the chrisom stone down and reached into my coat pocket. Pulling out a black clasp envelope. Handing them to him he started to open it.
"What's this?" He asked as he was greeted with a few smaller folders inside.
"Those are some people you need to get in bed with," I said with a slight smile.
Opening one of the files I heard him grimace behind his mask. The file in question contained a photo of Cinderblock.
"A shame, I really prefer blondes but I guess this is alright."
A small chuckle escaped my lips as I got up to leave.
"This is gonna cost you." He called right as I hopped on my moped.
"What do you want to know?" I said while I got off and walked back over to him.
"I'm starting to remember, bits and pieces, a childhood of some sorts," he said as he folded his hands together, "but I'm having… um…"
For a moment, he went silent, and stood up, walking over to a worktable he silently went about examining a piece from one of the many projects.
"Well?" I asked, but I received no answer.
Thinking this was a waste of time I turned to leave when he suddenly blurted out.
"Dreams! I'm having… well… nightmares."
Turning back around I nodded.
"I'm in a warehouse, strapped to a chair, and I'm in… pain," he explained "I can get free, but I can't stand, I have to crawl to this door, it's locked, but I'm too weak to do anything,"
He walked over to one of his vehicles, a rather large motorcycle, running his hand along its polished black paint he continued.
"By now I can see a bomb, but I'm too weak to do anything, and when it goes off I'm in complete abjection, my question really is, is it a dream or was I murdered?"
I really didn't want to be the one to talk to him about this, I was hoping that he would just remember one day, but it also meant I couldn't keep him here with the allure of information for much longer.
Taking a deep breath, I began to explain the best I could "You were killed, it was in Europe and you were captured, beaten and left to die."
Closing his eyes, he shook his head "Who did it, who made me this way?"
I turned around and hopped on my moped
"You don't want to know."
Ω¥¥¥Ω
Metropolis was dirtier than I remembered. The once gleaming buildings now accumulating dust and grim in the absence of worthy occupants, the streets teeming with filth and petty thieves of the underworld. It was her slow descent to the level of Gotham for Metropolis, I wouldn't be surprised if some criminals migrated for fresh grounds. It was almost a tragedy if it wasn't so god damn funny. It was these people who had voted in their very own suffering.
The downpour did nothing to wash away the sins of the citizens who surrounded me or my own. Looking up to the heavens I noted the craft flying lazily over the city, their floodlights searching the rooftops in place of the Man of Tomorrow.
The rhythmic splashing of my boots against water of the sidewalk was all that I focused on. I didn't bat an eye to the fifty people being loaded onto trucks or the soldier knocking down one of them with the stock of his rifle.
I kept walking, my hood up to cover the green the makeup and dye couldn't. I continued through the crowds, mindful of my pockets which could easily be assaulted by pickpocketers.
I finally reached the one building I was looking for. Looking up at the Daily Planet I couldn't help but notice the once pristine golden globe had its superstructure exposed by a massive hole going through it. At the base of the building, jerry-rigged fences were put in place to keep the public away from the condemned skyscraper. Not that it stopped the homeless.
Diverting down an alley I came across a nicely sized hole in the fence, pulling my coat close I ducked into the interior.
Walking up the once polish, debris-ridden steps I entered the main lobby. A multitude of homeless had fires in oil drums and were all huddled around their only source of light and warm.
As I walked past them very few gave me a glance, perhaps they thought that I was there to apprehend them, the further could be from the truth.
The power having been cut from the building swiftly after its near demolition meant their elevators did not operate, and the stairs would have to make due.
After a swift jog, I managed to reach level 33, even with water constantly running down the stairs. I walked into a once spacious office area, the cubicles had long since been abandoned, their computers to never be used to report the news, that privilege was handed over to the state propaganda centers.
"You made it."
Instantly I produced a revolver from my jacket, it's rusty barrel pointed at the exact location of the voice.
Hands raised the figure came from out of the darkness. The once slim and polished brunette had seen better days, her clothing was muddied and her hair had strands of gray hinting at her age.
"Bruce would have wept."
Lowering the revolver, I holstered it and reached out a hand for her to shake.
"You smell like shit," I said wrinkling my nose.
"You know how to charm a woman whose been in the sewers for a month."
I shrugged "Just the truth, hard to come by these days." I said.
"You wearing makeup nowadays?" she asked confused by my pale face.
I smirked, "Can't have people knowing you're a meta-human, even the criminals, they'd trade the information in that I'm around for anything."
"Guessing that's also why you have a revolver, "she said as she pulled a small black rectangle from her pocket. "Coordinates, their purpose, just about everything you need in here." She said handing it over.
"Now what?
Pocketing the device, I crossed my arms "I'm not sure, cross them off one by one, Dick is obsessive as ever…"
"Dick isn't in charge, he's too scared, he's lost everything"
"And we haven't?" I shot back.
Sighing she continued "Look, I've been thinking… perhaps we need to… perhaps it's time… leave."
I rolled my eyes "Leave North America, yeah that's great, so hide in Antarctica, or Australia, not like that's not already conquered." I said sarcastically "We can only do this here, this is the base of operations, the only place we can get this right."
Looking down at the floor to avoid eye contact she started again "I'm not talking about going to another continent… I'm talking about going to another planet."
Before I could explode she cut me off "I know you can't fathom it, and maybe Dick can't, but I want you to put it out there, at least let people have the choice…"
"They did… twice." I glared
"We lost.. and we can't win." She said gritting her teeth "They're gone and we need to move on, you need to move on, I know you think that they're still out there, but they're gone, we need to accept it."
"You need to accept that."
"It's not over yet."
Suddenly through the broken walls and shattered windows light flooded the room, the engines of hovercraft ringing in my ears, how had I not noticed.
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP," a loudspeaker rang out.
I instantly ran towards the stairwell, only to see the lights of a multitude of guards coming up the stairs.
"Shit, they tracked you, didn't you make sure you weren't followed!" I yelled as I ran back towards her.
Looking around I was really surprised that no one had burst through the walls guns blazing, so hopefully, this would be easier than expected.
The elevator shaft was the best option, I grabbed her and dragged her over the sealed entrance. Praying it was stuck at a higher elevation than us I quickly pulled the doors apart, the metal squealing in protest.
To my dismay, it was just below our own level, moving onto the next I opened that as well to find it hanging at the very top.
"Ok, I'm going to…"
I was swiftly cut off by machine gun fire, the main guns on the hovercraft had opened up and it peppered the room with bullet holes.
Not needing to explain I grabbed her and jumped onto the cable, the ride down was exhilarating, the speed at which we went seemed caused smoke to rise from my gloved hands.
Hitting the bottom, I pulled out my revolver and gave it to her, "I'm betting there's some in the lobby."
Prying open the door, sure enough, there were 10 or so guards who had guns pointed to the homeless.
She didn't even wait and started firing away at the guard. None of the rounds impacted the troopers, but it did send them running for cover, oblivious to their surroundings.
In their confusion, they didn't notice us as we sped out the door as they looked at more likely places that they could have been ambushed from.
We ran out into the rain, where we both limped away to an alley across the street, looking up she just walked by me, but I watched as the hovercraft sent rocket after rocket into the floor we were just on.
"Garfield…" She called, looking over to her, I noticed she was sitting on the ground with her hand covering her side, chrisom liquid leaking between her fingers.
Behind me the sound of rifle fire could be heard inside the lobby, I guessed that the homeless we 'rent supposed to leave.
Crouching down to her I pulled some cloth out from my belt pressed it against the wound "It's going to be ok Lois."
Ω¥¥¥Ω
I woke with a start, adrenaline pumping through my veins forcing me awake.
It was only a dream, only a dream I told myself, but it was no reassurance.
I moved my arm only to knock over something very warm. Turning swiftly I saw I had pushed a soldering iron onto a piece of cloth, instantly I worked quickly to put out the growing flame.
I had been working on the improved suit before I fell asleep, perhaps I fell face first into some solder as well.
The days were going by slowly at Titans Tower, to my disappointment Val-Yor never showed. I was really hoping to beat the shit out of him when he did, in the end behind all his strength and power he was nothing but a space racist.
So I used the time to expand my workshop in the pocket dimension, everything had to be disassembled, brought in piece by piece and reassembled, but it was a distraction and somewhat needed.
Different walls now kept each group of items to itself, not something my old self would do, he would have simply thrown everything to an available space.
During all this, I thought of the near future and how to keep the team helping Raven.
Haven't done a flashback in a while and decided this was a perfect time. The problem with season 4 is that in between all the main story episodes it is a bit unevenly spaced, mostly because of the three-episode long finale.
SHOUTOUTS!
The Dimensional Reader- Real mature sir, and I will determine the amount of sass allowed in these author notes thank you very much.
Mochafraptor- Ah yes, the beginning, well time will tell *wink* as for Raven…
Adrinsane- Catching on seems a bit much, more like having a few unanswered questions.
Beakers47- I think it's important to have more than one POV in a story, as long as it's important and drives a story forward.