"Please!" Nightwing cried coughing up blood "You don't have to do this Ashly!"
Ashly looked down at her father with fury in her eyes, still holding onto the large rife about to swing it down. Behind her a large group of thugs looked on at this curious scene with amusement. Here was one of the last superheroes about to die at the hands of their new leader. This is certainly a once in a life – time opportunity, and they do not intend to miss it.
"I don't have to do anything dad!" Ashly screamed at her father, but Nightwing can sense the hesitancy in her voice as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to do this or not. "I'm doing it because I want to!"
That was when everything happened at once. Ashly raised the gun even higher, making up her mind about the fate of her father, a deafing crashing sound filled the room, Ashly swore loudly as she saw a large blur that was the Bat – Jeep come crashing through the walls as if it had been fired from a tank, she only had a glimpse of the driver grab her father expertly, as it continued to drive forward, crashing straight through the window as the air was filled with glass shards and dust from the concrete and plaster.
Still dazed and confused on what happened, she bolted to the large hole in the wall to witness a black and blue jeep kamikaze into the wall of the next building with a deafening crash. Ashly stood frozen like a statue, unable to comprehend what she had witnessed.
Nightwing can tell that Garfield wasn't happy, he can hear him mutter every foul word in the dictionary as he floored the accelerator to drive through whatever hell they were in. He was lying on Garfield's lap as if he was a cat, warm blood still dripping from his head and chest, and he can feel the rapid air rushing through his hair. He was still unable to comprehend about what has just happened, his mind was rushing with thoughts so fast that he was unable to know what he was thinking.
"You okay?" Garfield grunted through gritted teeth at Nightwing.
Nightwing was still thinking about all the memories that he had about Ashly to think about what he could have done to upset her that all he can say though his unstable mind was "No."
"Well!" Garfield bellowed, jerking at the steering wheel rapidly "just get inside and keep yea head down Nightwing!"
Nightwing didn't need to be told, moving as fast as his old body can, he crawled to the passenger seat and buckled up. Hoping that Garfield can get them out of this madness.
Harry was terrified for his life. He knew that working for the Penguin would involve the occasional 'suicide mission' but this is something else. He knew that he should have stayed in Lantern Falls as a monk with his little brother, however he was swayed over to work for the Penguin when he received a suspiciously generous tip for giving some directions to a driver.
Harry was standing in what used to be a boring office building that has now been converted into some sort of rumpus room for the Penguin's men, parts of the ceiling and walls has been demolished by goodness knows what, the elevator shaft has been converted into some sort of bungee jumping area, and several areas around the building has been converted into either a casino, a bar, or a stereotypical rebellious teenagers room filled with too many posters and bookshelves filled with whatever pop music albums. Once there had been a secret strip club and brothel that was installed in the basement, but the moment the Penguin had heard about its existence from one of his daughters who was one of several girls and women who were forced to perform in the club, to say that he had hit the roof would be an understatement. He was furious. Harry considered himself extremely fortunate on deciding not to attend a performance the night that the Penguin had decided to put an end to the club, by personally massacring all of the audience members. Harry wasn't an attractive person. He looked like one of the models for the 'before' photos in one of those scam weight loss drugs/campaigns. He had a face that looked like a balloon that was about to explode, an untidy mass of brown hair that was thicker than iron, eyes that was the colour of sewage, a baby sized nose, and puffed up lips. He was so fat that he looked like a beach ball, and he had arms and legs that was too short for his body.
Harry could hear the screams, the yelling and the roaring sound coming closer and closer towards him. Harry couldn't think straight, his mind was a jumbled mess. He was clutching his pistol as if it was all the treasure in the world. He looked on at the dark corridor that stared back at him, daring him to move. His back leaned on the large wide window that cut into his skin like an egg on a frying pan. He turned his head without realising it and observed the plain view of the desert that he knew led onto the dreaded Black Adam territory. Instinctively he thought of the time of superheroes, something that his father and grandfather always told him on an regular basis when Harry was young. They told him legends about beings more powerful than ordinary men like Superman who was considered to be undefeatable, to stories about aliens in space who work as a galactic army and police, to tales about superheroes saving the world before they reach adulthood.
Harry can hear the roaring sounds getting louder and louder, and by each increase of decibel Harry lifted his gun higher and higher, trying to pull himself together on whatever he was going to face. Hell, he didn't even know if the sound he was hearing was friend or foe, it wouldn't surprise him if Jonathan had decided to test out his new ride by driving it into a building, but yet something told him that was he was facing against an intruder or something else. That was when he saw it, a jeep shining it's blinding headlights straight at him, Harry blinked, he saw that this was a jeep that appeared to belong to Batman, one of the legendary superheroes. "Stop!" Harry yelled at the jeep raising his run even higher to express his authority, but the blaring engine drowned out his voice. He started to fire the gun, the sound of the bangs and the roars of the engine seemed to clash with one another, both wanting dominance of sound in this corridor. "Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!" Harry screamed with each word that left his voice a bullet got fired out of his gun, but he could have had been asking the ocean to not change the tides.
By the time Harry realised that what he was doing had no effect and that he should get out of the way immediately, he was turned into a kebab by the bumper of the Bat – Jeep. Blood came bursting out of Harry's chest, as Harry's eye's wided at the numb pain as he tried to find the energy to scream. Less than a second after the pain, he heard a giant crashing sound as the window behind him exploded into a million pieces, stabbing every inch of Harry's large and overblown back. The last thing that Harry saw in his life was seeing several large squirts of his own blood as he fell from the bumper of the Bat – Jeep, he had one glimpse of the jeep's messy undercarriage, felt the cool dawn air whip all over him as he plummeted down back to earth. He was already dead before his body hit the pavement.
The large bump that came seconds later threatened to send every organ in Nightwing's body out of his mouth as the Bat – Jeep drove faster and faster through the maze like roads.
"Jesus, Garfield" Nightwing cried out as the rapid air started to stab at his face.
"Nice Kid you got there!" Garfield cried as he swerved violently left and right that made Nightwing want to expel everything inside him.
"Just shut up and drive huh?" Nightwing shouted, still unable to calm down his mind that was going in so many directions, all of which related to his daughter Ashly and how so many things could have gone so wrong between them.
He felt the tears dissolve into his face as Garfield went faster and faster away from his only daughter.
"Goodbye Ashly" Nightwing whispered as he buckled up and prayed that Garfield can get them out of here.
Garfield didn't know how, but before he knew it they were out of the city and speeding out into the desert trying to gain as much distance as possible from Ashly and her new goons that could send goodness knows what at them. He looked at Nightwing who was cleaning up blood from himself his face giving nothing away. Garfield didn't know what to feel, he knew that he should feel sorry for Nightwing as his own daughter has tried to kill him, but he had also got them both into big trouble as they will almost certainly be chased by whatever crazy stuff Ashly can fire at them. Garfield gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator trying to get further and further away. That was when he saw the large dust cloud in the side – view mirror. At first he felt relived as the dust cloud would provide cover, but then he saw the armada of headlights and then he saw it.
A large row of various cars was chasing after them and all of the drivers didn't look like they were willing to capture them just to invite them to tea. Garfield saw several military styled cars, simple cheap cars that can be found in any second hand car dealership, what looked to be a cross between an ambulance and a tank, an oversized fire truck blaring a deafening siren that made Garfield's ears bleed, a pure black limo that was equipped with every know weapon on it, a large giant steam train that seemed to have come straight out of a 19th century classical novel was thundering straight towards them expelling a giant plume of steam, and most protenant of all were two T – Rexes that were heavily weaponised and were roaring bloody murder.
"Let me guess." Nightwing said in an almost bored voice as if he expected this to happen "there is a large army of cars chasing after us along with some dinosaurs?"
"Yes!" Garfield screamed forcing the Bat – Jeep to go faster "Where the hell did they get those Dinosaurs!?"
"Oh…" Nightwing said in an most UnNightwingish voice "Savage land imports. The mid – west is covered in them."
Garfield cursed "Welp they are right on our tail, so unless if you have an ace up your sleeve or if this thing can fly, now is the time to reveal it!"
Nightwing shook his head vigorously "Nope, sorry. Aint got anything that can help us out of here. And by the feeling of it they are getting closer to us due to all the rumbling. It feels like they are trying to make an Earthquake or something"
Garfield swore loudly he could feel the earth moving more rapidly, was it because of the stampede of their pursuers? No. It was much stronger than that.
By the time Garfield saw the large crack forming right in front of him it was already to late. He tried to steer suddenly to the left, but by then the crack had suddenly formed into a giant reveane. He just had enough time to swear loudly, then shout "Strap yourself in! Quick!" Before everything was swallowed by the abyss as they fell, fell, fell into the darkness.
Garfield groaned. Every part of himself didn't feel right. His bones felt like they had been turned into mush, his brain seemed to be rattling like crazy, and his body was sending mixed messages, his entire left side felt extremely cold and dry while his right side felt as if it had spent all day inside a sauna. He opened his eyes slowly not wanting to see whatever he wanted to see, only to be greeted by pitch black. He can smell death. Rotten flesh. Blood. Organs. Every bodily fluid known to man. The smell was so overpowering that it murdered Garfield's nose.
'Great' Garfield thought to himself 'How the hell am I goanna get out of this situation?'
"Nightwing?" Garfield cried out into the dark as if expecting to see his blind old friend sitting next to him. "I think we just got mugged by the Molloids! They're the ones who can do this stuff right?"
No answer. Garfield can't hear much of anything, only a faint mushing and crying sound. "How long was I out? Feels like I popped a couple'a joints, but I don't remember nuthin' You okay pal?"
Still no answer.
Garfield fumbled inside his pockets, as if whatever he can find in there would help him get out of here, he felt a scrap piece of paper that was a drawing of himself and his family done by Linda, he felt the Key Chain that Brain number 4 had given him and… Garfield's hand closed onto his old Titan's communicator. Garfield knew that this communicator had several features, it had a heavy encryption after their run-in with Brain, it had a battery that was designed by an alien race that Starfire had 'owed a favour to' that can last over a 1,000 years, along with so many features, however Garfield was only interested in the most basic one. The flashlight. Garfield pressed the button for it and felt his jaw hit the centre of the earth.
The first thing that the light hit was the large funnel of a steam train that was pointing at Garfield's right side like a cannon about to fire at point blank range. Little steam was coming out of it now, and Garfield can hear it's dying engine about to collapse, but some invisible force was preventing this from happening.
He turned his head and stared in horror at what he saw. Molloids, hundreds of them, were feasting on the remains of the dead bodies. Garfield saw the body of a man dressed up in a 19th century styled train drivers uniform staring back at him with cold dead eyes, his moth agape, blood pouring down from his chest like a grotesque waterfall. The Molloids looked up at Garfield like how a parent would react when their kid caught them in bed with someone else, all of them staring at the phone as if it was the devil itself.
"Mother of god" Garfield whispered as the Molloids looked up at him with eyes that glowed in the dark, demon like claws and an infinite row of teeth.
"Go to hell you sons of £$%&* &!" Garfield screamed as a Molloid got too close to him, and at once they scattered, terrified of the light emitting from the Titans phone.
"Garfield…It's okay…I'm over here" a weak voice behind him groaned.
Garfield turned to see Nightwing, still strapped to the Bat – Jeep that was now upside – down and trapped under a small pile of brown and red boulders.
"Use the phone. It blinds'em Their eyes are so used to the dark that they can't see a thing in the dark" Nightwing said casually as if asking Garfield to pass the salt when eating in a restaurant.
Garfield approached Nightwing cautiously, his face filled with dread. Nightwing seemed to have scenced it and added "They have been scratching the car for hours…trying to get in. I heard those people screaming man. What's been happening?"
Garfield touched the hood of the Bat – Jeep thinking fast. He looked to his left and saw a part of the train that looked to be a piston. The idea came into his head and he said "Easy pal. I got your back"
Garfield forgotten the name of the Greek philosopher that Raven had told him, but what he did know was that he said something along the lines of "Give me a pole long enough and I will move the Earth". It is this what Garfield had used, showing the piston under the Bat – Jeep and applying strength that Garfield didn't know he had, he had managed to make the Bat – Jeep flip back over in a matter of moments.
"Okay" Garfield said climbing onto the passenger seat of the Bat – Jeep. Now I'm gonna turn on the headlights. But I gotta warn ya…I can smell what's up head and it ain't too pretty!"
"Oh god" Nightwing said as if about to throw up "Have they eaten everybody? Is that what's been happening? Have they eaten those guys who were chasing us?"
"Yep" Garfield said coldly, touching the button for the headlights.
The light immediately flooded whatever underground cave that they were in. It had immediately cast everything into a bright dazzling light. Garfield only had to see one of the Molloids who was halfway guzzling up the bloody, juicy throat of a man in a sports car to say that he had seen enough.
He turned his head to a large blank wall that seemed to tower up back into what was left of civilization.
"What are we going to do?" He asked Nightwing as he drove straight towards the cave wall "We could be hundreds if not thousands of meters underground!"
Nightwing sighed "This is the Bat – Jeep my friend" He said with a smile to rival that of the Joker "and Batman made sure that that each of his vehicles are capable of going up a few thousand meters like a spider crawling up a wall"
And with that he floored the accelerator and Garfield felt himself being pushed down hard to the end of his seat as the Bat – Jeep raced up the cave wall.
Hours later
"Okay…how may of these dinosaurs are out here?" Garfield said in a voice that was a mix of disbelief, awe and annoyance. They were driving in South Dakota, and Nightwing had to slam on his brakes to avoid colliding with a pack of raptors that stampeded on the plains.
Garfield's de – aging healing factor had repaired all of his injuries from the fall that made him around 60 to 70% young that clashed grotesquely with his old man self, still making him look like a Frankenstein monster between his younger self and his older self.
Nightwing smiled slightly "Hundreds, dude. They were all the rage a few years back, but expensive to keep so a lot of them got dumped. We'll be fine as long as we wear a spray that I have a lot of in the back."
But Garfield wasn't really listening. They were passing what used to be Mount Rushmore. The faces of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt stared down at him. But one extra face has been added right next to the face of Lincoln. The unmistakeable face of Lex Luthor looked down at Garfield and Nightwing as if mocking them with this new addition to a historical monument.
"If we're passing Rushmore and you can see Luthor on there, yeah. I know how you feel."
Garfield said nothing. He only stated back at the face of Luthor, as if daring him to make his move.
Another few hours later
The bar was placed in the middle of nowhere. It had too many solar panels on the roof, an oversized water tank on the back and a small line of cars at the front. The bar smelled of cheap alcohol and stale cigarette smoke. There were only a handful of people inside and none of them looked willing to want to make a scene at the moment, but only a few looked on the edge of doing so.
Garfield sipped the whatever – fluid that the bar provided him and Nightwing. It tasted like expired sour lemonade mixed with pool water and liquified onions and garlic. He looked at Nightwing who's face was completely unreadable. He knew what was going through his mind. Ashly. His own daughter. His own flesh and blood had taken over almost a ¼ of what was left of the United States of America and had attempted to kill him.
Garfield examined his half empty glass and said in an almost sympathetic voice "So. Ye still shook up about Ashly?"
Nightwing took his time to reply, more interested in swirling his glass than engaging in the conversation. Then he placed his glass down with a bit too much force and said in a voice trying not to cry saying "I was the first thing she ever saw, man. The fist human being she ever laid eyes on. How much of an honour is that, huh?"
He lifted the glass to his mouth and tried not to gag when draining the glass. Garfield paused, not sure on how to respond to this statement.
"I helped so many people leave this world, whether directly or witnessing it happen. It was so damn cool to watch someone arrive." Nightwing bowed his head like a man at prayer "How the hell did I screw up so bad?"
He turned his head to face Garfield and gave a tiny smile "At least you seem a little more like your old self."
"That's what I'm afraid of" Garfield said roughly his face turning as cold as ice.
"What do you mean?" Nightwing asked almost puzzled
"You know what I mean…" Garfield said though gritted teeth, his face cast in shadow. "But I ain't that guy anymore Nightwing. I love my wife, I love my kids and I love that little life that he have carved out for ourselves…I still do love Raven, and if this kid does exist, then I love them as well. I'm doing this job for them and so that we can make our rent. You gotta believe that. I ain't excited by death anymore…"
Nightwing embraced Garfield in a rib crunching hug "Easy bro. Nobody said you were."
"Well excuse us ladies!" Garfield and Nightwing practically jumped out of their own skeletons as a man who looked like a hideous cross between a vampire and a werewolf was smiling giddily at them. "I didn't realise tonight was…"
But the man didn't have the time to finish his sentence, before Garfield launched himself onto the man like a wild animal pouncing onto him. The man gave a cray as he was sent flying onto the floor by Garfield's weight. His face immediately changed to that of pure horror as Garfield lowered his face towards the man as if he was either about to kiss him or was about to rip his throat out and judging by the reaction of the man's face, Garfield can tell that his cold face showed that he wanted to rip the man's throat out.
"Go ahead pal." He said furiously "Just try to make a joke."
"Garfield!" Nightwing yelled sounding like an austere commanding officer trying to prevent one of his men from committing suicide.
Garfield scowled at the man, and he dashed out of the door and into the twilight plain of the desert. He stood rooted to the ground looking at the flat land as if expecting a sign to show him the answers to his problems.
"What happened man?"
Garfield turned his head and saw Nightwing looking at him with pure pity on his face. He looked as if he had been wanting to say this for the entire time they were on the road.
"What did they do to you?"
Garfield looked on at the twilight sun. Feeling the warmth of the sun warming up his face. He heard nothing. Not a single sound of nature, as if every single organism had made an oath not to break the silence to observe the sunset.
Garfield paused and looked at Nightwing and sighed.
"Sit down and I will tell you." Garfield said in a grim voice "Sit down, and I will tell you everything."
"Everything about what?" Nightwing said, but Garfield could tell that he already knew the answer
"I will tell you everything about the night I killed the Titans." Garfield said closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath, as the sun began to fade and night began to invade the sky.