"Swipe" by Ed Alger a.k.a. "SecondLevelWriter"
Author's Notes: All disclaimers mentioned previously still apply here. "Faithfully" is originally written and performed by Journey. Yes, I am a fan of theirs. No, I can't help it that their songs are perfect for this story.
Chapter 17
Farewell Concert
Swipe finished packing his clothes and gear into a worn-out duffel bag, and took one last look around his home. From the moment he had returned, the motel seemed empty and cold; a feeling that was being echoed in the rogue's chest. The last two items he picked up were the communicator and Jinx's bracelet, which he held in each hand and studied for a moment. After a sigh, he put the device in his back pocket before affixing the gold chain around one of his front belt loops.
"Don't worry, Jinxie... I'm comin' for ya," he said quietly, patting the bracelet a few times. "Just gotta say a few goodbyes first."
He hefted the bag over his shoulder and walked out the front door, locking it behind him. As the rogue walked down the streets towards The Retro Zone, he noticed that the populace had already resumed their normal lives. Apparently, stuff like this is commonplace in Jump City. It made him briefly wonder what else has befallen this city in the past.
"Look what the cat dragged in!" Rick said brightly upon seeing the long-lost thief. "Just when we think you're gone for good, you show up on the horizon again! What happened to you this time?"
Swipe gave his buddy a faint smile, "Yeah, the whole world could come to an end an' I'd still be here. There've been some... um, problems. You know who Slade is, right?"
"After what happened last night and this afternoon, who doesn't?"
"Right. Well, he got a hold of Jinx... but then some other guy grabbed her just as I got done savin' her."
"Damn... I'm sorry, Swipe," the doorman replied, patting Swipe's shoulder. "You'll get her back, I'm sure of it. You know... I didn't want to outright say it before, but I thought the two of you made a cute couple."
Swipe gave Rick a skeptical look, "Richard, you were beating around that bush so much, the roots were startin' to show." He shook his head and chuckled a bit, "Thanks, though. After tonight's show, I'm going to go an' turn this city upside down to look for her."
"That sounds to me like you won't be back for a while. A lot of people are gonna miss you around here."
"I'm aware of that, Rick... But I miss her, too..." Swipe cast his eyes to the ground as he spoke.
"I'll bet you do. Better get inside now. The first act's about to start, and I'm sure the Rollers would be happy to see you. Good luck finding Jinx. And when you do, I hope you give the guy who did this hell!"
"Thanks again. Stay cool, Mr. Doorman."
Swipe shook hands with Rick one last time before entering the club. He was then stopped by Mr. Bradley, the proprietor of the club. After explaining the whole situation over again to him, the rogue had to politely decline reconsidering his decision and was also wished the best of luck. The owner then gave Swipe his cut of the band's payment for the last performance, plus an advance for tonight's show.
"I hope you come back soon, kid. You're a helluva performer," Mr. Bradley said to the thief before letting him go.
"I'll try to get back as soon as I can, Mr. B. I promise."
With that, he made his way through the crowd of regulars who were anxiously awaiting Swipe's return. He shook hands with many of them and gave high-fives to those that were more out of reach, until he jumped onto the stage. There, he greeted his bandmates and informed them of his situation.
Mike was the first to speak up, "Man, that's awful... But, knowin' you, I'm sure you'll be tearin' this city apart to find her again."
Jeff nodded, "I already feel sorry for whoever kidnapped her. Glad it's not me!"
Swipe could only smile, "You guys're the best. Really, I mean that. Whaddaya say we give these folks a show they'll never forget?"
The rest of the band agreed and gave the signal to dim the house lights. A spotlight was then switched on to focus upon the rogue, who was greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause.
"Hey, out there. You guys ready to rock?" he asked the audience. There was a brief surge in the clapping to answer him. "Good, good. Listen, before we get this party started, I have an announcement to make. This is probably gonna be my last performance for a while..." A confused murmur rose from the crowds as Swipe gestured for quiet, "I know it's sudden, but something's... come up... and..."
"Is this about your girlfriend?" one of the ladies at the front asked him honestly.
For a moment, he was silent before he gave a slight nod, "Yeah... yeah, this is about my girlfriend. Somebody's got her right now, an' I gotta go find her an' save her... I don't know how long it'll be, but I promise you guys that I'll come back."
Tim noticed the surprise on Jeff's face, "Something wrong?"
The guitarist nodded slowly, "I never expected him to actually admit that..."
Many of the patrons shouted cheers of support for the rogue, spurring everyone around them to join in. Soon, the whole club was again clapping and whistling. Swipe chuckled a bit and waved a gesture of thanks to them all.
"I appreciate that. Now then, let's kick off this farewell concert!"
Throughout the night, the band and Swipe performed their most favorite songs from "Invisible Touch" by Genesis to "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo. They even put on Devo hats to sing "Whip It" and kept them on through "Turning Japanese" by The Revs (although Swipe amended the words to "Your hair is pink / Your eyes are, too"). As the night started to wind down, the Teen Titans arrived through the front doors just in time to watch Swipe sing his final song.
"Everyone, it's been a blast. For my last song, I'm gonna sing what I wanted to sing for Jinxie the next time we were here. Maybe... Maybe she'll still hear this from wherever she is right now. You all have a good night... I'll never forget ya. Tim, if you would, please?"
The crowd fell silent while the entire club went dark, save for the lone spotlight on Swipe. Tim played the opening introduction on the keyboard before the rogue started singing.
Highway run / Into the midnight sun
Wheels go 'round and 'round / You're on my mind
Restless hearts / Sleep alone tonight
Sendin' all my love / Along the wire
"I told you guys the show started earlier than 9:00," Beast Boy whispered to the others. Four hands quickly covered the shapechanger's mouth in response.
They say that the road ain't no place to start a family
Right down the line it's been you and me
And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be
Oh girl, you stand by me
I'm for-ev-er yo-urs... Faithfully
Only those up front could see that Swipe was fighting hard to not get choked up. The slight hoarseness in his voice and the long hesitation before the last word of the verse was the only evidence so far. Robin felt Starfire's hands clutch at his arm and heard her let out a soft, shaky sigh.
Circus life / Under the big top world
We all need the clowns / To make us smile
Through space and time / Always another show
Wondering where I am / Lost without you
The band continued to play, even though Swipe was very gradually losing his composure. He had placed the microphone back onto its stand and was starting to lean against it, singing the next lyric with his gaze turned towards the floor. He could imagine Jinx watching him from the base of the stage, an almost embarrassed smile on her face and tears gathering in her feline eyes. If only she were here to hear him...
And being apart ain't easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you
Oh girl, you stand by me
I'm for-ev-er yo-urs... Faithfully
The music swelled to its finale, with Jeff belting out his final solo in the hope of giving the rogue his second wind. It appeared to work, as Swipe pulled the mic back out and walked back and forth across the stage to finish the song. By now, Starfire was openly sobbing into Robin's cape while the others did their best to not follow suit. The only exception was Raven, who remained stoic throughout the song due to her meditative training. Deep inside, however, she felt the same sorrow for Swipe as her friends did.
Who-o-oa... Who-o-oa... Who-o-oaaa...
Faithfully! I'm still yo-ours!
Forever yours! Ever yo-o-ours... Faithfully!
As the song came to its conclusion, Swipe sank to his knees and sang out with all of his heart in the belief that maybe Jinx would indeed hear him. The tears he had held back all this time started to steadily flow down his cheeks just after the music ended and the audience started a slow round of applause that soon turned thunderous after the impact had worn off. The Titans quickly joined in, with Cyborg and Beast Boy whistling loudly over the din.
When the lights came back up, Swipe slowly got to his feet and smiled, giving his fans a low bow. As he continued waving to everyone, he noticed the quintet of superheroes standing at the back of the club and saluted them with two fingers to his forehead. He then went to shake hands with the rest of the band and picked up his duffel bag, bowing once more to the still-cheering crowd before making his way to the side exit.
Everyone slowly filed out through the front doors after the show ended, talking about the performance and how some wished they had brought cameras. The Titans waited for a few minutes to greet Swipe and compliment him on the show, but he never arrived. Starfire and Beast Boy volunteered to search from the air to find him, but Robin decided against it.
"He probably just wants some time alone now," their leader advised. "Besides, if we find the Hive Academy before he does, we can always let him know."
"I've never seen him like that. She really does mean a lot to him, doesn't she?" Cyborg commented as they returned to the T-Car.
"Probably more than we'll ever know..." Raven replied solemnly while settling into the back seat next to Starfire, who only gazed out the window in a vain attempt to see Swipe at the last second.
"No," Beast Boy said quietly, turning to look out the same window. "I think I do know..."
On the next street over, Swipe tightened his grip on his duffel bag and started sprinting towards the west for the nearest location on his map. He heard the T-Car drive off in the opposite direction, causing him to ran faster as he shut his eyes tightly for a moment.
Luck was apparently with the rogue tonight, for he was greeted with the sight of a pair of wrought-iron gates with the same symbol that was on his map sculpted into them. Unless it was a decoy to throw off the Titans, the rogue felt confident that he had found the academy.
He reached out and pushed the gates open, muttering to himself, "I'm sorry, you guys... I'm really sorry that I gotta do this..."
T! E! E! N! T-I-T! A-N-S! Teen Ti-tans, let's go!
T! E! E! N! T-I-T! A-N-S! Teen Ti-tans, let's go!
T! E! E! N! T-I-T! A-N-S! Teen Ti-tans, LET'S GO!
End of Chapter 17
And so ends "Swipe". Thank you for reading and reviewing, everyone. I am already beginning work on the sequel, which I think will be called "Swindle". This part will actually take place during "Deception", "Wavelength" and partially in "Titans East", as I mentioned in the early chapters of this story. So...
In "Swindle" - Swipe takes on a new identity in order to enroll into the Hive Academy and continue his desperate search for Jinx. He finds her among her old school buddies, Gizmo and Mammoth, but something is wrong: She doesn't remember him at all.