Part 1
"Wipe your mouth!" the angry mother said, taking a napkin to her child's
face, "You'd think you didn't know how to eat!"
"Eat! Eat!" the child squealed, slamming its small fists on the table
of the baby chair.
"I can't take you anywhere," she said shaking her head, "Are you ready
to go?" she asked, turning to her husband.
"Yeah," he said nodding, motioning for the waiter.
Rosalyn Terlucci looked around the scenery of the Café Ristro,
the outdoor restaurant overlooking the Gotham River. She wiped the
last of the mess from her child and prepared her for the car.
"Why don't we take a walk," Rosalyn suggested to her husband, "To calm
the baby down."
"This was a good idea," her husband said, putting his arm around her
as she pushed the stroller.
"Wasn't it?" she agreed smiling, "It's such a nice day out today."
They passed by a newsstand and their daughter grabbed at one of the
flashy magazine covers. Rosalyn went to dislodge the magazine from
her child's grasp.
"Look at this," her husband said scoffing, "Alien sighted on the shores
of the beach. Some people will do anything to sell magazines."
"That's nice," she said absent-mindedly settling the baby back in the
stroller.
They continued to walk on, passing the bridge.
"You know I heard that the bridge over on the East side collapsed yesterday."
"Really?"
"It was a freak accident, no one knows what happened. They-,"
he stopped, his eyes transfixed to the sky, "What is that?"
Rosalyn followed her husband's gaze to the bright light in the sky,
"A plane maybe?"
"It's too big for that," he said, shielding his eyes as the light got
brighter. Suddenly there was a flash, blinding everyone who was either
looking at the sky or in the vicinity.
"Ahh!" Rosalyn heard her husband shout.
She rubbed at her eyes and her vision returned. The bright light
was gone and the next thing she saw was someone falling into the river.
"Oh my God!" Rosalyn exclaimed.
The splash disrupted the serene flow of the water, bubbling, rippling
and foaming in response to the angry intrusion. As the crowd scurried
about volunteering to jump in or calling the police, the water quickly
reverted back to its calm state, showing no signs of the person who had
upset it.
Dick Grayson walked into stately Wayne Manor, empty Wayne Manor.
When he was younger and had first taken up residence in the large estate,
the house had always seemed empty, especially when Bruce wasn't there.
Now, Bruce was gone, and felt a certain degree of dangerous freedom.
He had the whole mansion to himself and most importantly, he had all of
Gotham. He ran into the kitchen to get a snack and to talk to the
only other person in the house.
"Alfred! Alfred, are you here?" he shouted loudly even before
entering the kitchen. His only response was silence. He shrugged,
figuring that Alfred was at the store. He decided to test his new
fleeting freedom by raiding the refrigerator, something Alfred would never
let him do, so close to dinnertime. He opened the fridge door and
spied the leftover chocolate cake left over from last night's dinner.
A perfect snack for a growing teen. He brought out the cake and got
a fork, no need for a plate.
"And just what do you think you're doing, young man?" a familiar stern
voice said just as Dick was about to take the first bite.
"Uh…having a snack?" he said, putting down the fork in an unconscious
surrender.
"Not in this house," Alfred said, taking the cake and returning it
to the fridge, "Have you even started your homework?"
"It's Friday!" he protested. So much for being free.
"Nevertheless," Alfred continued, "I won't have you dallying about
like a reprobate when you can be doing something useful with your time.
What would Master Bruce say?"
Dick sighed, he'd learn to pick his battles and he figured it was just
easier to go along with Alfred than to fight back, "What useful something
did you have in mind?" he asked.
"I need to go to the store in-"
Dick groaned loudly. Going food shopping with Alfred had to be
one of the most painful experiences, second only to going clothes shopping.
"And then after that," Alfred continued pointedly, "You have the rest
of the night to yourself."
Dick raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"You're a young lad now," Alfred said in response to his expression,
"You don't need a baby-sitter all of the time."
Dick smiled triumphantly, maybe this would be a good weekend after
all.
Swimming farther away from the voices and the concerned faces, she looked
frantically around for a place to surface. She could hold her breath
for quite a while but not as long as this. There were too many people.
Finally, just as her lungs felt like they were about to explode, she came
to a sheltered spot under the bridge. Quickly swimming to the surface,
she gasped and swallowed the air, taking it in hungrily. She could
still hear the voices, talking about her. At least people cared,
but right now she needed them to go away. If she could only transport
herself out of there, but that risked being seen. She looked around,
she would just have to do it the old fashioned way. She swam out
from under the bridge, away from the crowd and pulled herself unto the
ground.
"Hey, what are you doing in there?" a man asked from the bridge, "This
isn't the YMCA."
She shrugged and climbed up the hill. It was time to get to work.
"Why are you wet?" a little girl asked the stranger sitting next to
her on the bench, "Did you go swimming or something?"
The wet stranger smiled and nodded, spilling the water out of the boots.
She got up from the bench waving good-bye to the girl. She couldn't
help but notice the looks she got from passerbys, she'd have to blend in
with everyone else. She looked down at her clothes. That probably
meant finding something more normal to wear. It was weird that she
had to learn how to blend back with Earthlings. It was weird that
she called them Earthlings, she was once one of them. She looked
around for a shop or boutique. It had been a while since she'd been
shopping, she was eager to see the latest fashions. Thankfully, from
the clothes of the people she'd seen walking around, sweatbands had gone
out of style. She slapped her forehead, she'd almost forgotten to check
the date. She didn't even know what year it was anymore. Clothes
first, time later. She looked around the streets and found an alley.
"Remember the cat poster," she said out loud to herself, looking at
the Gotham Cat Show ad on the wall.
"Can I help you?" a saleswoman asked.
The girl shook her head but smiled. She waited until the saleswoman
moved on before picking out clothes to wear. She'd need shoes too.
Rifling through the blouses and t-shirts, jeans and skirts made her feel
like a kid again, a real kid, how she used to be. She took the final
selection into the dressing room and tried it on, admiring herself in the
mirror. It was nice to see herself in something other than the usual
blue or black gear. She folded up her old, wet clothing, boots and
tools and put them in the backpack she had taken as well. If she
had money, she would pay, but she didn't and there were more important
things to worry about right now. She closed her eyes and concentrated,
picturing the alley with the cat poster on the wall. She felt herself
becoming lightheaded.
"Miss, are you okay in there?" a saleswoman asked, knocking lightly
on the dressing room door, "Miss?"
She leaned over and looked at the floor in the dressing room, not seeing
any feet.
"What?" she said out loud, confused. She had seen the girl go
inside and was sure that she hadn't come out yet. She opened the
door to the dressing room.
"What's wrong, Patty?" a co-worker asked, as she passed by.
"Uh…nothing," she said, closing the door, "I just looking to see if
someone was in here."
The lightheaded feeling faded as she felt the asphalt under her the soles of her shoes. She looked around the alley, no one had seen. She smiled, dusting off her new jeans and walked out.
Dick sighed for the umpteenth time watching Alfred decide whether he
should buy one-percent or two-percent milk.
"Why don't you put yourself to use and help," Alfred said, noticing
the young boy's boredom, "Here," he ripped the list in half, giving Dick
one piece.
Dick smiled, "I'll be done in no time," he said, racing off.
Alfred merely shook his head after him.
She looked around, heading for the newsstand on the street. There
was so much that she wanted to do before she had to leave. It was
her first time back, she wanted to see her friends, watch TV and eat junk
food. All the things she missed. She picked up a newspaper
checking the date.
Three years, she thought, I've been gone for three years.
I wonder if anyone is still looking for me? Hey, I'm fourteen! I
can get my permit soon!
She frowned realizing that probably wouldn't be happening.
"Hey are you paying for that?" the vendor asked.
She shook her head and put the paper down. A heading from a magazine
caught her eye. She picked it up. They were already here.
Dick picked out the brand name of detergent Alfred had written on the list. He was almost done. Soon he'd be free and have the whole night to himself. The night was calling to him-to Robin- and he would answer, but this time, solo. He looked down at the list, he still had work to do.
Okay, I'll just grab a small snack and then go to the beach. If I still remember where it is. Just a quick junk food trip in the supermarket, she thought giddily walking up and down the aisles of the store. She stopped when she got to the candy section, her eyes growing wide with excitement. She filled her basket with her favorite confections. She looked around surreptitiously and then opened a bag of M&Ms, her childhood favorite. She frowned when half of it spilled on the floor.
Dick walked past the aisles, looking for the last item on his list.
He stopped walking when his eyes caught sight of running around the candy
aisle like a little kid. Her face lit up with every bag of candy
she put in her basket. Her smile only seemed to make her more beautiful.
He instinctively ducked behind the aisle when he saw her turn to him.
He didn't want her to know that he was staring at her. She looked
around and then tore into a bag of M&Ms, spilling them all over the
floor. She covered her mouth once she realized what she had done
and began kicking the fallen candies under the aisles. He laughed
and she looked up.
Oops.
She looked at the boy who had see what she had done.
Smooth moves, she berated herself.
She smiled turned around.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, walking up to her, "I wasn't making fun
of you or anything."
She shook her head and smiled.
"You just made me laugh."
She nodded and offered him the half empty bag of candy.
"No thanks," he said smiling.
She shrugged and popped a few in her mouth, waving good-bye.
"Wait!" he called as she left.
She turned around.
"Uh…," he tried to think of something to say, "Um…do you know where
the cereal aisle is?"
She shrugged and smiled apologetically before leaving.
Dick hit himself on the head, "Real smooth, Romeo."
She walked out of the alley and looked around. Now she needed to find some way to get to the beach. Without money. She quickly stuffed the food into her bag and made her way towards the cabs at the curb, waving to the boy she had met in the supermarket along the way.
"We could have been done earlier if you hadn't taken so long to get
your half of the list," Alfred said, loading the groceries into the car,
"What took you so long?"
He saw a pretty young girl pass by them and wave at Dick.
"I see," he said smiling.
Dick waved back but she was already on her way to a cab. He looked
on after her wondering who she was. There was something about her.
"Where to?" the cab driver asked.
She opened her mouth but stopped and frowned.
"Where to?" he asked more insistently.
She scratched her head, looking around.
"Hello!" he said, "Are you deaf?"
She shook her head and started making swimming motions.
"What? Swimming? You want to go to the pool?" he asked.
She shook her head and spread her arms out wide.
"A big pool?"
She nodded and spread her arms out even wider.
"What? The ocean?"
She nodded emphatically and clapped her heads.
"You want to go to the beach," he said. She nodded and gave him
a thumbs up.
He turned back and shook his head, "Damn kids, got me playing charades,"
he muttered, starting the meter.
"Hey! Hey! You little punk!" the cab driver screamed as
she ran from the car, "Give me my money!" Before he was done yelling,
she was out of sight. "Damn high school track," he muttered, starting
the car again, "If I ever see her again…"
She looked at the watch she had "borrowed" from a jewelry store.
It was getting dark, perfect time for them to come out. She looked
around the beach. Everywhere was open air, it was unlikely that they
would be on the beach. She looked up at the boardwalk. The
crowd was thinning out.
That's the best to look.
It had been a slow night. A few muggings, an attempted break-in. Nothing challenging. He'd handled them easily. You would think with the Batman out of town, the big time criminals would take center stage but most of them were locked up and Gotham had been relatively quiet, for Gotham that is. He adjusted the tiny radio police scanner on his belt as a police call came in. Something about explosions on the boardwalk. He doubled his speed, it looked like the night was picking up after all.
She tumbled out of the way as the shop collapsed and quickly got back
on her feet. She looked around frantically. Whatever it was,
was gone. She hadn't seen what it but she knew it was there.
She could feel it. She walked down the boardwalk slowly, listening
for any slight movement. She stopped and turned around, facing a
young couple wearing tourist shirts.
"You surprise us," the man smiling said, "You look just like one of
them. Humans? Is that what they are called?"
The girl just stared at them.
"We find it hard to believe that you are a Guardian," the woman said,
"You are very small."
"Why doesn't the great one speak?" the man asked, "Is she scared?
No, that can't be it. The omnipotent all-seeing Guardians scared
of a simple beings like us?"
"Oh," the woman said, smiling, "I see, it must be that old universal
rule, to hear the voice of a Guardian is to ensure one's death. So
if she isn't speaking that must mean that she won't kill us. Maybe
she isn't the Guardian."
"No," the man said, "It is she. I can smell it. There must
be some other reason why she isn't trying to kill us. Wait…of course.
You can't kill us like this. In these," he pulled at his skin, "Humans.
She wants to protect the innocent."
"But she has to kill us," the woman said smirking, "Isn't that a predicament."
The girl smiled, took off her backpack and set it down, dumping all
of the contents. She picked up the empty bag and disappeared.
"Well that was highly disappointing," the man said before wailing and
falling to the floor. The woman turned around and saw the girl holding
a wet bag. She looked down at her companion who was soaked and heaving
on the ground. The girl stepped back as the amorphous mucous like
blob seeped out of the man's ear.
"So you are the Guardian," it said in its own language.
She held out her hand and sent a blast of energy towards the blob,
sending it flying back, hitting a stand of a nearby shop, causing it to
shake but stay relatively stable. The woman watched in horror as
the girl disappeared and then reappeared right in front of her unmasked
companion.
"Yes and I'm speaking now," the girl said, holding out her hand just
inches away from the quivering blob, "But I don't think you want to hear
what I have to say."
"Wait!" the woman shouted, "Let go or else I will shut off every vital
function in this body," she threatened.
The girl looked at her.
"I don't need a this body to survive," the woman reminded her.
The girl shrugged and blasted the blob into oblivion.
"But you do need those legs to run," she said walking over to her.
The woman looked around frantically before running into the maze of
shops with the girl not far behind. The extra energy she gave the
human body came in handy as outran the girl, losing sight of her.
She stopped running, breathing heavily, she needed hydration quickly, the
body was running out of water. She saw the girl looking for her and
looked up at the roof. If she could push the post down, the whole
roof would collapse.
The girl looked around. She'd lost her. Hopefully she was
still on the boardwalk, she couldn't let her go now. Not after it'd
heard her speak. She heard a faint creaking sound and looked up,
and saw a leg, blasting at it but missing. Sawdust fell on her as
the post began to break.
That was smart.
She ran out of the store to get a better shot and saw the woman on
top of the roof with a boy in a mask and cape.
"I don't know what you're trying to do but-"
"Leave me alone boy!" the woman shouted, "You don't know who you're
dealing with."
"I'm thinking a crazy lady on a roof who might have something to do
with an explosion here," he said.
"Are you one of them too?" she asked.
"One of who?"
The woman lunged for him and he dodged her attack, flipping over her
easily and gracefully. He glanced down and saw a girl standing there
and watching them. Catching him off guard, the woman punched him
in the back, grabbing hold of him before he fell.
"You are too weak to be of any concern to me," she said, squeezing
her hold on his neck. She threw him off the roof and he fell unto the planks
of the boardwalk, rolling on to sand. The girl ran to the store and
jumped unto the roof facing down the woman.
"What are you doing on this planet?" she asked.
"You should know, you are the reason we are here."
"You're all here?"
"Enough," the woman said, "To start anew."
"Not here you won't," the girl said. They both stopped moving
as the store collapsed below them. The girl quickly jumped off, forgetting
her opponent for now, and fell to the ground. She looked up in time
to see the roof coming down at her before blacking out.
