Okay, it got pointed out to me that there are a few details here and there in the last chapter that I failed to pay attention to. Yes, Starfire should have been sneezing the closer they got to the detonator. I was in such a hurry to get this out that I just plum forgot. Oh well. And thank you very much to this story's first reviewers; Tennisgal456, xStarfirexRobinxo, Titania400. You guys rock so hard! Enjoy!
Chapter Two
The Remnant
Before Jinx was, without a doubt Jump City, but it was completely and entirely abandoned. The setting sun produced a reddish glow over the thousands of failing buildings. Vines and foliage made their home on any surface they could find, mainly up along the building walls. Tall grass and wheat grew up from the cracked asphalt of the streets. Hundreds of earthen mounds scattered throughout were actually cars which ended up buried over by a renegade earth. And off in the distance, windows cracked and looking decrepit and worn, was Titans Tower. Jinx's stare continued to pan around at the city, wondering what was happening to her. One thing was for sure; there was not a single other human being in sight.
Jinx took a few blind steps forward. Her negligent attitude toward the terrain caused her to almost loose her footing several times. It was impossible. How could she have gone from deep underground to some random house overlooking the city? As Jinx's mind raced she began to wonder if she was still on the same planet or, for that matter, the same dimension. Her right hand wandered upward until she reached her neck so she could lightly scratch it.
"Oh no," she muttered. It was about that time that the possibility that it was just a horrible nightmare was slipping away. She was not unconscious or dreaming, she was lost and alone. The newcomer heroine took two more steps and her left foot sank through the earth. "AHH!" A sharp pain resonated up and down her leg; she knew well that she had cut herself. She paused where she fell for a moment, shaking and taking many quick breaths. Oddly enough, the hole she fell through felt perfectly rectangular. An eerie feeling of liquid moving down her leg confirmed her suspicions about her injury. Very slowly and carefully, Jinx lifted her leg out of the hole. Sure enough, when her leg was fully in view, she saw a long cut from her shin up to her knee. She heard the sounds of crinkling glass and came to the conclusion that she had, among many of the covered automobiles, stepped upon one with a weakened sunroof.
Jinx groaned irritably, "Great." Her next task was to look around for anything immediate that she could use to cover her wound. Unfortunately there was nothing, leaving Jinx with the only option of using a piece of her own clothing. After staggering to her feet, Jinx limped the rest of the way down the hill and into the city.
--AAA--
Immediately Jinx was struck by the stark difference of this Jump City versus the one she just came from. Something about the creeping vines moving up the buildings made them seem taller and menacing. Her lone steps and crunching of leaves didn't echo in the slightest. The myriad of darkened windows were like portraits with eyes that followed her every move. As with most cities with tall buildings, a slight guest of wind was somehow magnified but the wind tunnel like quality of the skyscrapers. A torrent of leaves and dust was blown into her face. She moved her hands before her face as though trying to swat a swarm of pesky flies. The tiny tornado subsided and Jinx brushed herself clean. Rounding a corner, she saw a series of pay phones lined against a wall. There didn't seem to be any power running through Jump City, but she felt it was worth a try to make a call. She grasped the nearest phone but as soon as she pulled off the hook the metal wire came free easily and then the receiver fell apart in her hand. She gasped slightly, surprised by its fragility. The purple haired teen looked along the wall at all the pay phones. It was more than likely that if she tried another one she would only get the same result. She placed a hand upon the cold brick of the building before her. Giving it a slight push, Jinx's hand easily broke through the deteriorating brick. She pulled her hand out, crumbling what she retrieved into sand. With gritted teeth and steadily falling tears, Jinx threw down the sand and limped into the middle of the street.
HEEELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Her voice echoed and lingered in the air for quite a while, still it was her only answer. She turned in place, looking at random windows for any sign of life. She held her leg for a moment then cupped her hands around her mouth. "HELLO! HELLO! ANYONE!" The wind blew and the stillness of her surroundings remained ever quiet with the passing of her voice. Anger boiled within the pit of her stomach. With a savage growl she let her powers loose and they struck what was left of the bank as well as the post office. Like dominos, the two buildings collapsed beside one another. And then all was silent again. Perhaps she did it hoping some do-gooder would spring into action to stop her and she would not be entirely by herself. But no one came. No one answered her call. Jinx fell to her knees and then toppled to the ground as quickly and as ungracefully as the bank.
Her tears flowed freely now. "Anyone……" Some people are afraid of snakes, others are afraid of heights; Jinx was terrified of being alone. At the moment she did anything she could think of to take her mind away from reality. She remembered the first rose Wally had ever left for her. The more she concentrated on it the more she swore she could actually smell its aroma. How she hated him back then. He was so darn irritating; with his boyish smirk and always assuming everything he did was charming.
A tiny grin painted over Jinx's face as she realized everything he did was kind of charming. How she wished he was here with her right now. How she wished anyone was here with her.
"J…Jin…..?" The imaginary sound in her ear subsided. "Jinx….Jinx?" Jinx's head perked up. For a moment she thought she heard a garbled sound coming from her earpiece. "Jinx, are you there?" The young heroine bolted back up to her feet. She was by no means imagining anything, someone was speaking to her and it sounded like;
"Raven?" she asked, holding two fingers to her ear.
"Yes it's me." Jinx's eyes fluttered to a close and she breathed in a heavy sigh of massive relief. She found a stable enough wall to lean on.
"Oh my God, Raven. You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice. I thought I was to loose my mind."
"Are you okay?" asked Raven.
Jinx glanced down at her leg. "I cut my leg pretty bad."
"No worries, we'll take care of that. Where are you?"
"I'm in Jump City," said Jinx tiresomely.
"Really?" There was surprise in Raven's voice. Jinx replied in the affirmative. "Wow, we're getting luckier by the minute." Jinx's face screwed up.
"Lucky? You call this lucky? She waved a hand over the dilapidated Jump City. She wiped a layer of sweat off her head. "Raven, you wanna tell me what's going on?"
"Absolutely, I'm sure you have a mile long list of questions-look……come to Titans Tower." Now even more confused, Jinx removed herself from the wall and moved around the block. She stared off in the distance at the tower.
"Have you seen the tower lately?"
"I know what it looks like, don't worry there are some preserved rooms inside. Please, just come over." Jinx shrugged and quickly began her journey across town. She was slightly immobilized by her leg, thus the trek to the shoreline was a long and arduous one. By the time she reached the water the sun was almost below the horizon. She placed a pensive finger to her lips as she thought about how she was going to get to the island. Her eyes strayed to her left then darted back as she spotted a few boats floating freely. She happily moved the first one within reached but just as she began to step in she paused. She mentally relived her encounter with the sunroof. Looking about, Jinx found a large rock and thus her test subject. She gave it a gentle toss and the rock crashed through the four inch thick metal hull of the boat like a bullet. There might as well have been sad trumpet music playing as Jinx watched it slowly sink. Detracted, she blew out a puff of air and tapped her earpiece.
"Raven?...You there?"
"Yeah, anything wrong?"
"The boats are useless, is the tunnel working?"
"Uhhh not likely, look I know it's not your first choice but you're just going to have to swim over." Jinx's face embodied reluctance. "Don't worry there's nothing in the water, it's just cold."
"Yeah, 'just cold', alright…I'm coming." Just as Jinx had feared, the instant the water touched her; the ice cold temperature easily permeated her clothes. The temptation to run as fast as she could back onto dry land was overwhelming if not constantly nagging. The initial shock is more or less the worst part and, taking this to heart, the pink haired enchantress dove head first into the ocean. A scream of pain bubbled within the pit of stomach, but there it was forced to remain. All of her attention and strength was focused on swimming the channel between the mainland and Titans Tower. She soon popped up above the water's surface and resumed swimming. Though the water was without a doubt cold, it was not dangerously frigid as it normally was during the winter season. The entire trip across the channel, Jinx could have sworn something was swimming around her, as though waiting for the right moment to strike. She demoted the thought to nothing more than sheer paranoia and resolved to complete her journey.
After what seemed like two eternities, Jinx's hands and feet felt earth beneath them. She slowly emerged from the water onto the island of Titans Tower; the wind provided a merciless gust of cold air. She kept her arms hugged around herself for the slightest amount of warmth. Soon Jinx was standing the set of large thick metal doors which acted as the Titan's front door. Her teeth chattering and her body shaking, she glanced at the nearby keypad. She knew it was for naught but Jinx attempted an input of her access code; the doors remained firmly shut. She shook her head hopelessly; there was simply not enough power to part the large gate.
Yet again Jinx grew impatient to the point of using her powers almost recklessly. Her energy stuck the doors and forced them to part just enough for her to slip through. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the main entrance hall, she saw that the chairs normally lined along the hallway were covered with fading sheets. Upon laying her hand on one it crumbled in her fingers. She gasped and backed away quickly.
"What's happened to me?" she wondered aloud. Suddenly she remembered why she was here and craned her neck skyward. "Raven! I'm here!...Where are you?" Jinx pivoted on her heel, and upon turning saw Raven materialize directly in front of her.
"Hey Jinx!"
"AHH-Oh dear God!" Jinx's surprise forced her to jump back a good ten feet. Raven remained calmly in place and Jinx's eyes stared madly at her. The Raven before her was dressed in her short lived white garments and had apparently allowed her hair to grow far past her shoulders, though it was very neatly kept. Her face was undoubtedly aged, with age old experience shining through her eyes. Just by looking at her, Jinx could tell that she had barely grown another inch. Raven then smiled broadly and actually chuckled a few times.
"Wow, there are some things you can spend an entire lifetime preparing yourself for……..and yet when the time comes you still feel at a loss." Jinx could only stare speechlessly at her. Raven's voice was also different, taking on a tired and exhausted tone. "It is….so good to see you again-" Raven stepped forward but Jinx immediately recoiled. Raven slowly raised her hands. "Its okay, Jinx……..it's me, Raven."
"But…b-but you're a-a hologram?"
Raven softly smiled and nodded. "Uhh yeah, sorry." Jinx then studied her oddly.
"Are you smiling and-and laughing?" As though to prove that she was, Raven did indeed laugh and reply in the affirmative.
"Well the chaotic side of my powers doesn't really affect me in this form."
Jinx protruded an index finger at her aged colleague. "Are you alive? Please tell me you're not dead."
"Oh I'm alive alright, and I'm here in the tower." Jinx closed her eyes momentarily in relief. "I meant to greet you in person but some….things beyond my control have come up. Years ago Cyborg developed an emergency hologram system to help me with triage in sickbay; later it was augmented for me to be able to communicate with you." Jinx cocked her head to one side.
"You look…..good."
"Oh well, thank you. At the risk of sounding a tad vain I did look pretty good in my late forties."
Jinx paced around for a moment, Raven's followed her. Finally, the young heroine stopped moving.
"Raven, can you please tell me what's going on?"
"Right, of course you probably have a myriad of questions. We need should probably also get you into some dry clothes. Go to sickbay, I'll meet you there." Jinx was far too tired to argue and Raven disappeared before she was even capable. Her quick tour of the tower righteously paid off, for she was swift to find her way to the upper level medical facility.
--AAA--
Due to her experience with the main gate, it came as a surprise to Jinx when the doors to sickbay swished smoothly open for her. A low humming could be heard throughout sickbay and the lights were dimmed to almost completely darkened levels.
"Raven?"
"I'm here." The holo-form of Raven appeared beside Jinx and held out a set of dry clothes for her. Jinx was confused not only by how Raven was handing her a new set of her normal wear, but also by the fact that she was actually holding them.
"You're a hologram, right?" Raven nodded. "Then how can you hold things?"
"Sickbay is the only place that I can; the holo emitters are stronger in here. Cyborg spent almost nine years perfecting the details. Now hold still." Raven then passed a device which released a wide beam over Jinx's wound. Within seconds the long cut was sealed and Jinx felt pain no longer. "Medical science picked up a few new tricks along the way." Raven then ushered a wowed Jinx to a place of privacy.
Jinx's voice floated through the enclosure as she changed. "You said you're here in the tower. Did you mean sickbay?"
"Yes, all the power conduits have been rerouted here in order to ensure this place never died down." Soon Jinx emerged from her cubical; dry, warm, and ready to hear some answers. She stepped before the white clad Raven and shrugged.
"Okay, so where are you?" Raven smiled and looked to her left. Jinx followed her gaze and a corner containing a stasis tube was illuminated. Jinx stared at its occupant, it was certainly Raven but she was noticeably older than the one speaking with her. "I don't get it, in there you must be at least……I don't know-eighty?"
"Eighty-two, actually." Jinx turned an arched brow at the holographic counterpart. "Okay so I like the late forties version of myself a little better." Jinx shook her head as she turned it back to Raven's tube. "Once again Cyborg's ingenuity goes a long way here. He designed a neural interface to allow me to access the tower's holo-matrix in order to interact with you like this. I really did mean to greet you in person, but the medical database has detected a malignant tumor in my right lung."
"What?!" gasped Jinx. "So, that means that you…."
"Right, if I step out of that stasis tube I'll die." Jinx swallowed a large lump in her throat. "I'd have about three minutes, five tops. This method of stasis can keep you alive for a very long time, but I guess it falls short of granting you immortality. Eventually age catches up with you."
Jinx folded her arms. "Where is everyone, and by that I mean not just the Titans; I mean everyone in the city." Raven nodded. "Is the whole world like this?"
"Well I….I honestly don't know. The chamber wakes me up every now and then and the last time I was conscious scientists were talking about space exploration. I suppose mankind has begun colonizing other planets, they've simply left Earth."
"So…….I have traveled forward in time then, haven't I?" asked Jinx sadly.
"Yes, yes you have. If the situation wasn't so grim I'd probably congratulate you. Now you really are one of us." Raven paced around, her image would flicker somewhat as she moved. "For weeks we thought you were dead, it wasn't until clues started coming up that we finally realized what happened to you. Based on what happened with Starfire some time ago, we came up with a plan."
"Wait-Wait, Starfire? This happened to her too?"
Raven chuckled. "Like I said, you're one of us now. She tried to stop a thief from the future and wound up being hurtled twenty years forward."
"You're saying that this-" Jinx gestured to the world outside a nearby window. "This is what twenty years in the future looks like?"
"You….haven't traveled twenty years, Jinx. The tower has a record of the last time you entered the premises."
"And…?"
"It's more like twenty…two?" Jinx was not only not convinced but now also irritated. "….thousand." The pink haired girl quite nearly suffered a heart attack. Her knees gave out and she fell onto a bed. "Jinx…"
"Twenty-two thousand years?!"
"Give or take a millennia."
"This can't be happening-this CANNOT be happening!" shouted Jinx.
"I really wish I had better news for you," said Raven apologetically. Jinx wiped her eyes dry and stood up, taking in a deep breath as she went.
"Okay….okay, you said something about a plan right?"
Raven smiled again. "Yes, you and I are about to change thirty years of sad history." Jinx furrowed her brow. "I'm going to send you home, Jinx."
Yes! As you may have conjectured, mass flashbacks will ensue to make things even more so very clear. What do ya guys thing so far? Laters!