Chapter 3 - Recipe to disaster
The tranquility was pierced by the school alarm, announcing 1st break. Barbara looked up from the book and said, "Hand you papers in as you leave." She placed the book on the table and wheeled herself around the table waiting for the students to walk by. As they filed out her classroom, she felt the hairs on her neck stand a little on end and a strange feeling trickle down her spine, she could swear she almost felt it go down her legs. It came from the direction of the door. Suddenly her heart felt as if it were beating a thousand times a second in her throat as she turned around to look into the direction of the doorway. There he stood, a little taller than Helena. He had light brown hair, and a tanned complexion. His eyes were blue like the deep ocean, they seemed to pierce right through her soul, and into the very depths of it she sometimes struggled to find herself. Emotions threatened to erupt from where she had pushed them so far down. She swallowed hard and managed a smile, "Hello, can I help you?" she said to him.
His whole face lightened as he smiled, much like Wade's would, a wave of grief washed over Barbara. "Er yes, I just arrived and I thought I'd make a few rounds and introduce myself, My name is Justin, Justin Chase, I'm the new gym teacher," he replied and held out his hand. Barbara hesitated a little and then accepted his hand, shaking it slightly. His touch was soft and warm, Barbara closed her eyes and frowned. "Something the matter?" he asked, concerned. Barbara opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Er, no not really, just a slight headache," she replied smiling. The truth was she was trying to hold herself together. She still missed Wade, and would cry herself to sleep some nights, something about Justin seemed to strike a chord inside her, the same feeling she got when she first met Wade. She looked at the newspaper he was holding and saw the article about the missing pigeons. "It's the statues," Justin said, noticing. "I beg your pardon?" Barbara asked looking up. "The disappearance of the pigeons, my theory is the statues had enough of them and chased them off." Barbara laughed.
"I miss a joke," came a familiar joke from her door. Barbara looked around Justin and saw Dinah standing in the doorway, smiling. "Dinah! Come in, this," she said motioning to Justin, "Is Mr. Chase, he's the new gym teacher." "Pleased to meet you," Dinah said shaking his hands. Suddenly a bright white light assaulted her vision.
***
Tommy was your average 300 pound truck driver. The type with rude bumper stickers, a language worse than any other, a bad sense of humor, and someone who never even heard of deodorant or bathing. He had ketchup stains on his t-shirt, which used to be white but was now greasy and dirty.
New Gotham was where he was scheduled to deliver the gas he had be pulling almost across America. He had been pushing it cause he was running late, reason being was that he had spent too much time at diners having beers with his fellow truckers. He was tired, having had not much sleep and as he flew down the freeway, almost exceeding the speed limit, his eyes started drooping.
The truck veered a little to the right. A woman driving next to him hooted. He shook his head startled then slapped himself, "Wakey Tommy boy, ya dun wanna kill yerself now," he said to himself.
A little while later his eyes started drooping again.
***
Lionel chewed thoughtfully on his peanut butter sandwich his mother had made for him. His eyes stayed glued to the seismographs. He didn't agree with Harry about the tremors he had noted earlier that morning. He knew something was happening, or at least he had a strong suspicion.
He tapped his pen repeatedly on the table as his mind sped through possible explanations. Were they just normal tremors? Were they somehow, yet very doubtful, aftershocks from the deep core mining off shore, way into the ocean? Was he just paranoid?
He had been there when the Gotham city was hit by an earthquake which destroyed most of the city. He still dreamed about it, how much it frightened him. He sat in the doorway, cradling his fragile mother watching the world fall apart in front of him. It took the rescuers 2 days to dig them out. 48 agonizing hours, reassuring his mother and trying to reassure himself that they would be rescued. After that, he learned everything there was to learn on earthquakes; it had almost become an obsession.
A crumpled piece of paper hit him on the forehead, breaking him out of his trip down memory road. "C'mon Lionel, lets get some coffee," Mark, a colleague, said chucking another piece of paper at him. Lionel looked at the graphs and sighed, "Maybe I am paranoid," he said to himself and then stood up and followed his friend out the room.
***
*FLASH*
Helena smiles at a customer approaching her. Suddenly she felt something, something unusual, she looked around, and it was an odd feeling.
*FLASH*
Cris turns up the volume of her radio
*FLASH*
Dinah opens her eyes, startled.
Back at Lionel's office, the needle of the New Gotham graph suddenly starts quivering, at first slightly, then growing in strength and length.
The tranquility was pierced by the school alarm, announcing 1st break. Barbara looked up from the book and said, "Hand you papers in as you leave." She placed the book on the table and wheeled herself around the table waiting for the students to walk by. As they filed out her classroom, she felt the hairs on her neck stand a little on end and a strange feeling trickle down her spine, she could swear she almost felt it go down her legs. It came from the direction of the door. Suddenly her heart felt as if it were beating a thousand times a second in her throat as she turned around to look into the direction of the doorway. There he stood, a little taller than Helena. He had light brown hair, and a tanned complexion. His eyes were blue like the deep ocean, they seemed to pierce right through her soul, and into the very depths of it she sometimes struggled to find herself. Emotions threatened to erupt from where she had pushed them so far down. She swallowed hard and managed a smile, "Hello, can I help you?" she said to him.
His whole face lightened as he smiled, much like Wade's would, a wave of grief washed over Barbara. "Er yes, I just arrived and I thought I'd make a few rounds and introduce myself, My name is Justin, Justin Chase, I'm the new gym teacher," he replied and held out his hand. Barbara hesitated a little and then accepted his hand, shaking it slightly. His touch was soft and warm, Barbara closed her eyes and frowned. "Something the matter?" he asked, concerned. Barbara opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Er, no not really, just a slight headache," she replied smiling. The truth was she was trying to hold herself together. She still missed Wade, and would cry herself to sleep some nights, something about Justin seemed to strike a chord inside her, the same feeling she got when she first met Wade. She looked at the newspaper he was holding and saw the article about the missing pigeons. "It's the statues," Justin said, noticing. "I beg your pardon?" Barbara asked looking up. "The disappearance of the pigeons, my theory is the statues had enough of them and chased them off." Barbara laughed.
"I miss a joke," came a familiar joke from her door. Barbara looked around Justin and saw Dinah standing in the doorway, smiling. "Dinah! Come in, this," she said motioning to Justin, "Is Mr. Chase, he's the new gym teacher." "Pleased to meet you," Dinah said shaking his hands. Suddenly a bright white light assaulted her vision.
***
Tommy was your average 300 pound truck driver. The type with rude bumper stickers, a language worse than any other, a bad sense of humor, and someone who never even heard of deodorant or bathing. He had ketchup stains on his t-shirt, which used to be white but was now greasy and dirty.
New Gotham was where he was scheduled to deliver the gas he had be pulling almost across America. He had been pushing it cause he was running late, reason being was that he had spent too much time at diners having beers with his fellow truckers. He was tired, having had not much sleep and as he flew down the freeway, almost exceeding the speed limit, his eyes started drooping.
The truck veered a little to the right. A woman driving next to him hooted. He shook his head startled then slapped himself, "Wakey Tommy boy, ya dun wanna kill yerself now," he said to himself.
A little while later his eyes started drooping again.
***
Lionel chewed thoughtfully on his peanut butter sandwich his mother had made for him. His eyes stayed glued to the seismographs. He didn't agree with Harry about the tremors he had noted earlier that morning. He knew something was happening, or at least he had a strong suspicion.
He tapped his pen repeatedly on the table as his mind sped through possible explanations. Were they just normal tremors? Were they somehow, yet very doubtful, aftershocks from the deep core mining off shore, way into the ocean? Was he just paranoid?
He had been there when the Gotham city was hit by an earthquake which destroyed most of the city. He still dreamed about it, how much it frightened him. He sat in the doorway, cradling his fragile mother watching the world fall apart in front of him. It took the rescuers 2 days to dig them out. 48 agonizing hours, reassuring his mother and trying to reassure himself that they would be rescued. After that, he learned everything there was to learn on earthquakes; it had almost become an obsession.
A crumpled piece of paper hit him on the forehead, breaking him out of his trip down memory road. "C'mon Lionel, lets get some coffee," Mark, a colleague, said chucking another piece of paper at him. Lionel looked at the graphs and sighed, "Maybe I am paranoid," he said to himself and then stood up and followed his friend out the room.
***
*FLASH*
Helena smiles at a customer approaching her. Suddenly she felt something, something unusual, she looked around, and it was an odd feeling.
*FLASH*
Cris turns up the volume of her radio
*FLASH*
Dinah opens her eyes, startled.
Back at Lionel's office, the needle of the New Gotham graph suddenly starts quivering, at first slightly, then growing in strength and length.
