I don't own the Teen Titans. But Slade and I are looking to change that. Isn't that right Slade?
Crimson clasped his hands behind his back. "The Agency contacted us today. I would block them from our communications, but then we wouldn't have access to our alerts so I suppose we're stuck with them."
"Is that a bad thing?" Adriana asked. "What's wrong with your mom's agency?" Crimson looked annoyed as he clenched his jaw.
"We don't need them. It's bad enough we rely on them for money, we will not be their personal soldiers," Crimson said barely risisting the urge to pace. Truth be told, he hated being in his mother's control at all. He found it incredibly demeaning. "Unfortunately we are in the position of being at their mercy. They won't give us any situations to handle until they feel we are ready. My mother included."
"What do they want? We're super heroes, we can handle this," Ghost said. Crimson nodded.
"I agree completely," Crimson said. "So we prove ourselves to them and then we will have full access to police and fire department frequencies. Whenever anyone calls for help from them, we will receive the call as well. In order to get these frequencies we have to pass their trials."
"That's not fair," Adriana whined with crossed arms.
"Once again, I completely agree. But the only other way to get this sort of access would be to commit some illegal acts ourselves, which people might find contradictory," Crimson said. Ghost blinked with a blank stare. There was a moment of quiet.
"It's really hard to listen to you when you talk like that," Ghost blurted. He earned the attention of the group. Crimson cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, I mean..."
"What? You mean not talking like an imbecile?" Crimson asked. Ghost stiffened.
"I'm not an imbecile," Ghost argued. Crimson sighed irritably. "I'm just saying wouldn't it be easier to just say, 'The only way to get the police stuff is to...like, jack it from them, but that like, wouldn't be right because that's illegal and we're super heroes."
"No, it would not be more simple because I would be reminding myself to say 'like' an unnecessary number of times," Crimson said confidently. Ghost shifted his stance.
"You know, you're kind of a jerk," Ghost said. Celestial raised her eyebrows seeing the conflict arising.
"No. I am honest and to the point," Crimson argued.
"Hey, you two. Knock it off," Adriana butt in. She turned to Ghost and pointed at him, "You stop picking fights..." Ghost gestured toward Crimson.
"I'm not picking fights. I'm asking him to talk to us like human beings. He's talking down to us. It's disrespectful!" Ghost argued. Adriana didn't seem to be listening.
"...And you," Adriana said to Crimson. "I know its easy to get impatient with the idiot, but have a little restraint."
"He's wasting valuable time talking about things that don't even matter," Crimson said.
"I'm not an idiot! Why are you calling me an idiot like I'm not even in the room!" Ghost said raising his voice.
The main room's lights flashed casting a red glow on everything. The argument stopped and Celestial relaxed. If the team had argued up to the breaking point, she would have no place to stay and no purpose in life. The angelic would not let that happen. She was not going to wander around again with no purpose.
Crimson walked over to the screen and put the call on the intercom.
"Yes, what is it?" Crimson said.
"This is Agent Red," said the woman. "You have a minute, twenty to get to the other side of town at the Sinclair Plaza. Good luck."
The four of them were only stunned for a brief second as they calculated something needed to be done. Ghost broke the silence.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Move!" Crimson shouted.
The four of them scrambled to the surface. Celestial, Adriana, and Crimson headed toward the ladder from the bomb shelter to the street. Ghost stood on top of the couch and jumped making himself transparent. His hands and arms were above the surface, he made them solid and pulled the rest of his body up to the surface, much like the same way a kid would pull himself over the pool's concrete edge.
Soon the four of them were on the surface when they realized something.
Neither of them had any transportation there to that location fast enough. Ghost took off running the direction of the plaza, phasing through buildings as he left. Celestial took to the air with a running start and then gliding with her wings before pumping them for air.
Adriana and Crimson looked at each other. Adriana shrugged. Crimson swore under his breath. He would not let his mother have this win if he could help it. Crimson grabbed Adriana by the arm and pulled her toward the street where a taxi just happened to be driving down. Crimson let her go, ran in front of it and stopped on its hood.
The taxi driver screeched to a halt. He stuck his head out the window and slurred a long string of obscenities. Adriana watched Crimson make his way around the cab and open the back door. She followed his hesitantly.
"Are you crazy! There are easier ways to hail a cab!" Adriana shouted. Crimson ignored her and got in the backseat where the driver was still swearing loudly. Adriana got in behind him and followed his example clicking the seatbelt into the clip.
"You get outta my car! I won't drive somebody stupid enough to-!"
"I will give you one hundred dollars if you take me to Sinclair Plaza as fast as humanly or inhumanly possible," Crimson interrupted.
The taxi man stopped yelling.
"Yes sir. Make sure you and your fastened in," he said. The taxi driver's wheels squealed from under them. Burning rubber infected the air and the little yellow car sped away at an inhuman speed.
Ghost finally reached the plaza and looked around. Celestial was already there. They ran up to each other, both panting so hard they could barely speak.
"Crims-...Adri?" Ghost said struggling to make a sentence. Celestial couldn't talk. She only shook her head and shrugged. That's about the time they both noticed the dark woman approaching them, heel's clicking on the parking lot asphalt as she walked.
Agent Red.
Celestial and Ghost both groaned, knowing they didn't make the time limit.
"Celestial, two minutes. Impressive, but not quite enough. Ghost, six minutes 32. I would say that is also impressive for running all the way here, but I don't know the stamina of a soul. Couldn't you have just flown," she said.
"I'm a soul, not a ghost," Ghost reminded. Red rolled her eyes irritated. The teens looked at one another, both seeing the identical cold tone of Crimson's emotionless scrutinizing.
Then the yellow cab came through the parking lot weaving around civilians and craftily avoiding speed bumps, all the while the horn honked repeatedly warning the innocent bystanders to get the hell out of the way. And people were jumping out of its path, grocery carts flew aside, one obliterating a small quarter operated carousel that was thankfully unoccupied.
Agent Red seemed as aghast as Celestial and Ghost. Then finally the cab screeched to a halt in front of them. Crimson looked at his mother through the window. Adriana was barely breathing, her fingernails were imbedded in the upholstery of the seat. Crimson had to help pry her from the seat.
Crimson took out his wallet and paid the man without a word. The driver tipped his hat thanking him and drove off leaving the teens with a very angry woman from the Agency. Crimson straightened his jacket and approached his mother with grace.
He cleared his throat as he tried to speak with dignity.
"What was my time?" he asked innocently. His mother's horrified look snapped into rage.
"Have you lost your damn mind!" Agent Red barked clenching her fists. Adriana was slow to join the group, still staggering a little bit. The angelic was immediately concerned.
"You okay?" Celestial asked.
Adriana fixed her hair and then let herself relax.
"I am not sure if that was horrifying or exhilarating. I'm somewhat tempted to do that again," Adriana said turning to watch the taxi leave.
"No! None of you will ever do that again!" Agent Red said. They all fell quiet. Crimson stood tall and unyielding to her screams as the others flinched. "When I say I want you somewhere in one minute, twenty seconds, I mean that I want you to do this without afflicting property damage or endangering civilian lives!"
"Perhaps a little more warning would be helpful," Crimson said coolly.
"You don't understand, son. You don't get warning. If someone is in danger somewhere and it is your responsibility to answer the call, you get there without sparing anytime, yes. But it would destroy the purpose of saving this one person, if you KILL ANOTHER PERSON BY GETTING A MANIAC CAB DRIVER!" Agent Red screamed.
That was the end of that. Agent Red spun on her heel and headed back into the parking lot. When her back was turned, Crimson looked at the ground unsure of what to say to the team. The girls exchanged glances.
Ghost jogged up toward Agent Red and phased through her, stopping right in front of her.
"What would you have done?" Ghost demanded to know. Agent Red halted in her tracks. Ghost looked frustrated, the way her son was whenever he failed but the words coming from him were much different. Ghost held up his arms. "Huh? You expect us to make it here in an impossible amount of time, what are your suggestions to do it?"
"I expect you to know what your doing first of all," Agent Red said and started to step around him to get into her car.
"What did you expect? Did you expect us to have transportation? Do you expect us to expect your missions before they happen so we'll be ready? If you're so disappointed in us then tell us how to improve. Do NOT just yell at us and expect us to read your mind because none of us are telepathic..." Ghost took a moment to think. "At least I don't think so."
Agent Red was impressed with this. Crimson would not ask her how to improve his work if his soul depended on it.
"Consider all the things you've just said. Transportation, knowing before hand...in whatever way you can...I know the angel can see things before they happen for instance," Agent Red suggested. With that she finally made her way around Ghost into the back of the town car, which sped off into the traffic and disappeared.
Ghost turned and faced his team. He shrugged. Crimson was just as intrigued with the display Ghost had just given as Agent Red was.
"Let's get back. We have some work to do," Crimson stated.
I've always wanted a taxi driver to drive like that, but I'm too afraid to ask. Moving on! New chapter coming up soon.