A/N: I've been reading this book that is in present first person POV. So for some reason I keep typing this chapter at random times in that tense even though Gene writes in past first person POV. I'm really sorry if I don't catch a few sentences here and there that is not in the correct tense. My mind has been a whirlwind all week. Blah! Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: Nope. Nunca. I don't own the Teen Titans.
Chapter 6 Horrors of the Subway
Journal Entry 8
I closed the door to the apartment behind me with a tired sigh. I leaned against the cold metal entrance while closing my eyes to relax my troubled emotions. What had I just done?
In the matter of two hours, I had thrown my whole life away. It was goodbye Tokyo and hello to…I had no idea. That was the problem. I didn't know what the heck I was doing! How was I to lead a mute kid and an annoying girl who claimed she was from the future? I had my own pathetic problems to deal with, like preventing an evil demon guy from another dimension from destroying this world. You would think that would be enough.
I ran a hand through my hair, clearing my thoughts with another sigh. Robin had leadership written all over his genes. I was part him, so I should have some of his talent. My only problem was that I wasn't all Robin. The Raven part of me was afraid out of its mind about controlling the group that was going to go rescue the teen superheroes.
Finally summing up enough nerve, I marched over to the two forms spiraled out on the living room floor. Arabell was snoring loudly by now, deep in her peaceful sleep. I pushed the envy out of me while kicking both of them lightly. Arabell moaned in protest, but I kept pestering the two till they glared up at me with bleary eyes.
"Time to go," I said down to them. A smile crept to my lips as I saw their eyes narrow even more at me, and I felt their deep annoyance. Bugging people was becoming my favorite past time.
"It's like six in the morning, Gene," Arabell croaked from where she was hiding under her pillow. "Can't leaving wait till eight or something?"
"No," I said while putting my hands on my hips. "The Titans need our help." I nudged her a little with the tip of my foot, laughing slightly when she tried to hit me but couldn't find my leg because she was still covering her head with her pillow.
The sound of a zipper being unzipped made me leave my torturing of Arabell and avert my attention to Kid Wicked. He was sitting on stool in the small attached kitchen and was opening my newly bought backpack. I rushed over to him just in time to see the teen's eyes widened when pulling out a huge wad of cash. He shot me a questioning look as I snatched the backpack and bills away.
To answer his silent question, I pulled out the empty card that Slade had given me six months ago. Then out of a flash of anger, I burned it with a flare of my dark powers in the palm of my hand. Kid Wicked watched in mild interest as the thing shriveled up into ashes. Before Slade was able to cancel the use to the card, I had gone to every ATM machine I knew and drew 500 dollars from each. I had swiped it through five machines before it was spat back out, declaring the use of it over.
"Pack everything," I told the two. "We aren't ever coming back."
I then left them to get my few belongings in my room. I shoved some clothes into my old backpack along with some notebook paper for writing my life on. I had a feeling my existence was going to go through another suck fest soon, and writing it all down was going to be my only escape.
I paused when picking up the book Yuri had bought for me. Just the thought of leaving this wonderful family was killing me inside. For the past few months I had begun to miss something else other than Zach and Rose. I really longed for my old family. My parents and I had been pretty close. The most I missed about them was the wisdom from age that they had and their constant care and love for me. For months I hadn't had any of that. In this Japanese family I had soaked up their love. Leaving it all would be a hard thing for me to do.
"What is taking you so long?" Arabell's voice cut into my thoughts like a blade. I cringed at the thought of just her. Man, that girl was annoying! "I thought you were the one who wanted to leave!" she added.
"Coming!" I shot back in something near to a bark. It took me a second to keep a hold on my fleeting emotions, but I was soon back to my normal self. I stuffed the book into my backpack and hastily scribbled down a note of apology and goodbye to the family. Like everything else in my life that I loved, I was going to have to leave it or loose it.
I walked calmly out of the room while shouldering my backpack. I threw Arabell the one with money in it and headed straight for the door. "Let's move out!" I said commandingly. "I don't want to spend the whole day at the airport."
"Where are we going?" Arabell asked as she ran to catch up with me. All three of us rushed down the stairs and out of the apartment building. The morning was bright and cheerful. Everyone was on their way to work with the atmosphere bustling and busy. I liked the feelings coming from the people in the city. Morning emotions always highlighted my senses.
"Hopefully we can get a plane ticket right to Indonesia," I answered.
"Indonesia?" she asked incredulously.
"Raven told me to go there," I said as I picked up my pace. We had to get on the subway if we ever wanted to get to Haneda airport before every ticket outside the country was gone or too expensive. Getting on the subway meant a very crowded area that I was going to have to endure. I really disliked the subway and usually tried to avoid it, but that day we were in a hurry.
"How did she tell you that?" Arabell asked. She asked too many questions. I couldn't blame her, though. I'd be asking them if I was her too. The problem was that I didn't know how to answer.
"I don't know," I said with an annoyed sigh, "She just got into my brain somehow and told me. We can do that to each other." I glanced over to her to see if she was looking at me like the idiot I was but was surprised to see her nodding as if she got it all. I then glanced over to the ever quiet Kid Wicked to see how he was doing. He was dead pan as usual. We were good!
The Tokyo subway is very much like New York's, but with more people. I lead my small team down under the busy streets of the city. I set my jaw and blocked my mind from all the unwanted bombardment of emotions pelting me. Something of a headache was already threatening to destroy my head. Did I mention I hated the subway?
"Everything is in Japanese," Arabell observed as we stopped by the subway map on a wall. "How are we going to know where to go or where we are?"
"I know some Japanese," I said. I scrutinized the map while the whole time having my senses freak out because the mass of people crammed into the small man mad tunnel. "We'll be fine," I told her when feeling her worriment. "We're in Komagome station. All we have to do is catch a train going to Shimbashi or Hamamtsucho and we'll be at Haneda airport in less than an hour."
I turned around after showing them with my forefinger where we were going on the map. Kid Wicked was looking at me with surprise in his widened eyes. Arabell ran a hand through her hair in confusion before smiling brightly at me.
"Whatever you say," she said. Kid Wicked shrugged to tell me he was okay with anything. "How many other languages do you know?" Arabell asked while we headed for the train.
"English," I said with a sly grin.
"I know that," she said with a sigh. "Any others that we might want to know about?"
"I just was taught French a few months ago, a little Spanish and Italian, and…Latin," I answered, trying to get my mind off the crowd.
"Latin?" she asked in surprise.
"Don't ask," I answered.
"Well, aren't you the linguist?" she said with laugh. "They don't tell us that in superhero school." I gave her a shrug with a small smile playing at the corners of my lips. I had never thought of me being so good with languages. I guess it came pretty naturally to Robin and Raven.
My semi happy feeling was quickly smothered out when I felt a spike of hostile emotion flare powerfully throughout the station we were waiting at. I frowned in confusion and spun around; searching the crowd to pen point the location this emotion was coming from. Kid Wicked caught onto my change of mood and looked around with me.
"What is it?" Arabell asked in a whisper.
"Something is wrong," I said quietly. My eyes flew around the packed area, desperately fanning out the crowd for the face I was dreading to see. Suddenly my eyes caught hers. My breath got jammed up in my throat as Daphne Hawthorne's piercing cold eyes narrowed onto me. There was a second as the crowd seemed to part between us to let the two enemies take each other in.
"Get into the train," I told Arabell and Kid Wicked. I slowly started to back up while still keeping my eyes locked on the woman. Arabell started to protest, telling me it was the wrong train. "Just go!" I shouted at her.
Quickly we ran into the train. I saw Daphne bring up a walkie-talkie to her lips and shout orders into it. Oh jeez! She had her gun squad with her! My mind was slammed into overdrive as this information sunk into my head.
The doors to the train were just closing when Daphne brought out her pistol and aimed it at me. Thinking fast, I created a large force field by crossing my arms. The bullet she fired soon after went right through the glass of the door and melted against the black shield I had formed. Everyone in the section screamed at the sound of smashing glass and at the sight of my powers.
Before anyone could leave the subway car, though, the train started up and took off down the dark tunnel for its next destination. The force of the moving car almost made me fall over, but Arabell grabbed my shoulder to steady me.
"What is she doing here?" I exploded in anger. Arabell screamed loudly as she was suddenly shot upward by my released emotion. She hit the ceiling and came back down and landed on her butt. Everyone near gasped while backing away from me in fear.
"Sorry," I muttered while helping the girl up. She glared daggers at me but accepted my outstretched hand anyways. Kid Wicked gave me a concerned look. I ran a hand through my hair before saying, "That lady who shot at me always has back up. We can't stay here unless we want to be mowed down my bullets at the next stop."
"Then what do we do?"
I thought for a second before coming up with an idea. "Follow me," I said with confidence in my voice. I hadn't had to think like this in a long time. I was surprised how much I didn't mind it. Actually, I kind of missed the feeling of being on the edge and being forced to use my skills. At the same time I was seriously pissed off that Daphne was there. That lady just didn't know when to quit.
Kid Wicked and Arabell followed me as we pushed our ways through the mash of people in the subway car. Most of the people let me through out of the fear they had of my powers. I got to the back of the car and forced the metal door handle down with a grunt.
"Whoa! Isn't opening those only for emergencies?" Arabell pointed out.
"What do you call this?" I asked before lifting a leg and kicking the door open. As the slab of metal busted open, a rush of moist warm air engulfed me. The blaring sound of the train screeching across the track prevented me from hearing any of Arabell's other comments.
Without a word, I ventured out onto the thin platform between the car and the next one. I grabbed Arabell's wrist and pulled her next to me. Kid Wicked faithfully came out without me having to force him to. He then helped me close the door and latch it shut.
"What are we doing?" Arabell yelled above the loud sound of the train. She really liked to ask questions, didn't she? I almost wanted to push her off the subway right there because of her irritating level.
"Ye of so little faith," I shouted back instead of taking the time to answer. I caught Kid Wicked actually grinning widely as I said this. I returned the grin, but it didn't stay there for as long as I wished it too. Suddenly the car lurched under us as the subway braked to an ear splitting slow pace. We were thrown into the other car then back again at the driving force of physics.
"Okay, we're going to jump down now," I told the two. Arabell's face went pale, and I felt her ice cold spike of fear. "Don't ever feel that emotion again, please," I said weakly to her, reeling from her sudden reaction. "Trust me," I told her steadily, "Just ease yourself between the tracks and you'll be fine. I'll go first to prove it to you."
My small team watched as I hung onto the two poles linked each other to keep the cars together. I let myself swing upside down so that I was now under the braking subway train. I chewed my lower lip while lowering my body close to the concrete rushing beneath me. Before my brain could tell me no, I let go and landed roughly in between the tracks.
Holding my breath, I watched as subway cars flashed over me. I let my pent up breath out slowly when the last car finally past over me and I was bathed in semi darkness. Suddenly Kid Wicked's head was looming over me. I gave a small gasp at his sudden appearance before scrambling back to my feet. I'd forgotten the guy was master of portals.
"Don't scare me like that!" I whispered harshly at him. Even my hushed voice made an echo on the subway walls. His only response was a slight evil smile. "And why couldn't you have teleported us to the next station or something?"
A hand shot out of his blue cape with a notepad in it. In the dim lighting of the tunnel I could read out Too Weak. I nodded to indicate I understood, and the hand vanished again into the cape. We then started to run deeper into the tunnel.
We found Arabell staring up at the ceiling from where she had dropped off the car. She was fine except for the fact that she was hyperventilating. She seemed to heal from her latest scare as we leaned over her with smirks. She shot up and punched me in the shoulder before storming off. "Don't ever make me do that again!" she hissed at me.
All three of us then started to run down the dark subway tunnel in the direction the subway had been going. Soon we arrived at the very last car. I jumped up to the door there and peered through the grimy window to see what was going on. I saw two men with large rifles in hand combing the crowd of scared Japanese for me.
"Exactly what I thought," I muttered before jumping back down from the small platform. "We gotta move quickly," I told my team before running into the narrow passageway between the subway and the grit covered brick wall. They followed without question.
When we got to the brightly lit platform, I hesitantly looked over the edge to see what was going on. Swarms of men with rifles had warded off any Japanese people. They had moved into that subway station like unwanted termites to the insides of a tree. This was going to be a problem.
"Now what?" Arabell asked hopelessly.
"Its time for me to work some magic," I said with a wry smile. "Stay very close to me and try to keep up," I told both of them. I let out a long breath then pulled myself up onto the platform. My team did the same beside me. In seconds every rifle barrel was turned our way.
"Run," I whispered to them before barreling into the fray. Muttering my mantra, I quickly brought up a black force field in the shape of a bubble around my team and I. Bullets pelted my shield as the men open fired from all around. I faintly remember Arabell screaming loudly till she realized the bullets were melting into the force field protecting her. Smoke flooded the small area, choking the gun squad in its gray haze.
With the push of my arms, the bubble turned into a vertical black wall and slammed forcefully into men on our sides. The men gave yells of pain and surprise as they were rammed into each other before crashing miserably into pillars or walls. Smoke stung my narrowed violet eyes as I kept a steady pace of a run. With a battle yell, I created another black wall and flung it ahead of me. More men were plowed over by the incredible dark energy.
We took the steps two at a time till we were finally back in the busy city morning air. I didn't stop running as we exited the subway station. We raced down the sidewalk, dodging innocent bystanders too slow for our liking. We had to put distance between the subway and us. It would take the Tokyo police some time to get there. Till then we were all on our own.
Apparently the subway had taken us to a station pretty close to the airport we had been heading to. When I ran through the open gates to the Shiba Park entrance, my heart felt a flit of hope. I had been to this park before to work on some meditation. It was about a 12 minute walk from the Hamamtsucho station that would take us straight to the airport.
"We're close to the airport!" I told my team behind my shoulder, not caring to hide the excitement in my voice. They smiled at me, delighted with the good news. But suddenly the joy I felt from them vanished. I didn't need to see them stop with shock and horror written on their faces to literally get smashed with these emotions. With a wince, I skidded to a stop in front of them and looked ahead.
Before I could get a hold on my surprise, a gasp escaped me. Daphne and her team had predicted my moves too accurately. There she stood in the middle of a grassy field with about five men from her always present gun squad. They had completely blocked our way of getting across the park to the other exit close to the Hamamtsucho station.
We were trapped.
End of Journal Entry 8
A/N: This was originally going to be a much long chapter, but when it got to be about nine pages long I had to cut it in half. Sorry that I couldn't include the fight scene about to come up, but I'll make it up to you readers by maybe posting the second half of this chapter on Monday because that day I have off of school. It might take some extra reviews to persuade me, though. I'm still mulling the idea over in my head. So if you readers want an extra chapter this weekend, I advise you all to review. I'm so sneaky. Just kidding. I love you silent readers too.