Hi peoples! This MIGHT be the end of the three parter....but I don't know. I'm tempted to just start babbling on and on and on about nothing in particular. Maybe I should just start the next chapter...or maybe I'll sing The Song that Never Ends!!!!!!!!!!
OOOOHHHHH!
This is the song that never ends,
And it goes on and on my friend! My sister hits me in the back of the head with a pan.
TTNG: New Team
Chapter 19: Flashbacks: Part Three
I'm going to kill him when I find him. Well, maybe not kill him. I can't kill the idiotic. Come to think of it, I can't really kill anyone. If I did, it would be breaking a vow. And I NEVER break a vow. I didn't even tell Mildred Forman that Pete had a crush on her. And that was Kindergarten! Not to mention that full month when Lucky had a crush on Pete. Ugh...that was creepy.
Ari's thoughts were racing more than she wanted to, but as long as she wasn't thinking of You-Know-Who, she was fine. That idiot was gonna get it, and get it good. Time seemed to pass quicker as she was speeding down the high-way. Yes, speeding. But somehow, no traffic ticket. At some point, she got whistled at by a couple of punks in a Mustang. But she sprayed web on their mouths.
"THAT SHOULD WEAR OFF IN ABOUT AN HOUR!" she yelled at them laughing. As I was saying, time went faster. In what seemed to be no time at all, she got to the sign that said Olympia: Next Exit. She smiled. That moron was gonna get it.
Olympia was a bigger city than she thought it would be. She had no idea where to find the state office. She rode for awhile, until she was sure she had no idea where she was.
"I knew I should have taken the map after slashing the tires! I'll probably have to pay for that..." she thought out loud. She didn't notice she was parked near an ally.
"Pay for what pretty girl?" a voice said. She turned to see the scarred face, of the Joker.
"Oh great." she muttered.
Olympia: Next Exit. That was fast. Wait a minute. Who's that chick on the Harley? Is that...? No way. It couldn't be. Wait, she's wearing a mask. It is Ari! She probably followed me ahead of everyone. That is JUST like her. One of her best qualities. Where is she going? That's not the way to the state office! Oh no. She has no idea where she's going! I'd better follow her to make sure she's OK. Joker or no Joker.
Percy followed Ari into the roughest part of town. Every turn she made, he was glad he had followed her. Even with her powers, she wasn't used to this. He was completely ignoring the fact that she was a New Yorker at heart. She stopped near an ally, and he hid. He listened to what she was saying.
"I knew I should have taken the map after slashing the tires! I'll probably have to pay for that..." she said.
"Pay for what pretty girl?" a voice said. She her head.
"Oh great." she muttered.
Percy knew that voice all to well. As soon as he heard it, he stared straight at Ari, knowing that he didn't have much time. He was near panic when he heard a click.
"Ooh...we have a Teen Titan in our midst. Arachne is it? I was never one for Greek myths myself as a boy. But very creative name little girl." he laughed.
"I'm not afraid of you." she got off the bike, and held out her wrists. Percy walked slowly closer to her, not wanting to blow his cover.
"That would be a mistake Girly. You know what happens to people who aren't afraid of me? Well, not very different from the people who ARE afraid of me, but that's beside the point. You see this gun? You know what kind it is?" he asked. Ari rolled her eyes.
"A Webly Mk VI .455 caliber top-break service revolver." she said without hesitation.
"Correct. Now let's demonstrate." he smiled. Percy saw his moment. He pushed her out of the way ten seconds before he fired.
"Per-I mean, Flame Thrower?!" she cried. He smiled at her, then glared at the Joker, who looked slightly impressed. Arachne took the opportunity to kick the gun out of his hand,throw him against a lamp post, and spray a thick web rope around him.
"Thanks for tying him down for me." Percy muttered. He lunged, but Ari knew what was coming and grabbed his arm. She pushed him against the wall with his arm at an uncomfortable angle.
"Ow! Let me go!" he snapped at her. She glared at him.
"No way Captain Ahab!" she yelled through clenched teeth.
"Why not?!" he tried to get out of her grasp, but he suddenly remembered how strong she was.
"Because I WON'T let you take a life you idiot! I also don't want to have to file a witness statement. Those things are like five pages long!" she explained to him.
"Whatever! Let me go!" he growled. Ari started to get nervous. Tim had told her about his temper while they were tracking him.
"Calm down Percy. It's me. I'm your friend." she said soothingly.
"If you were really my friend, you'd let me at him!." Percy snapped. Arachne felt like she had been punched in the face. She absentmindedly let him go. Then he lunged again, bringing her back to the present. She tackled him to the ground and pinned his shoulders.
"LET ME GO!" he cried.
"You're just gonna get the same answer. I know you're hurting Percy, but you have to move on with your life. Would your mom want you to do this?" she asked. Percy winced. That hit him below the belt.
"No. But I did get on with my life. Until I found out he was in town, and out of the Asylum. Then he tried to hut you. And that's just pushing it." he muttered, calming down.
"I KNOW A SONG THAT GETS ON EVERY BODY'S NERVES! EVERY BODY'S NERVES! EVERY BODY'S NERVES! I KNOW A SONG THAT GETS ON EVERY BODY'S NERVES! AND THIS IS HOW IT GOES! I KNOW-" Clown Boy sang.
"SHUT UP!" Ari and Percy yelled. Arachne sprayed a web on his mouth.
"Percy, you need to get on with your life. I'm not saying you have to forgive him -I sure wouldn't- but what I AM asking is for you to let go." she got up, and reached for his hand. He took it and sighed. He really didn't want to do this. He faced Clown Boy. The psychopath he'd hated for years.
They were hiding under the desk, with Selina Bauer facing the mad man. Percy was freaking out, while Tim (who hadn't joined Bruce yet) was trying to calm him down.
"Mom, what's going on?" Percy asked.
"It's alright Percy." Selina smiled down at her son. Percy stayed huddled with his two best friends, Tim and Beth (their mom's worked there too). There were twenty guys in the bank with guns. All of them were wearing clown masks. It didn't SEEM alright.
"Mom? What should we do?" he asked her. Selina looked around, then down at Percy.
"Cuándo le doy la señal, usted consigue a los niños, y corre a la espalda del banco! Cuando usted responde, dice el español." Selina ordered.
"Pero Mamá! Y usted? ¡No puedo abandonarle!" Percy cried (actually crying).
"Seré Percy fino. Lo sé." It was the first time she ever lied to him.(A/N: For translation, see ending Authors note!)
Percy shook the memory away before it could get too far. He took a breath.
"I witnessed you murder five people. One of them was my mom. I also saw you injure nine others. One of them was my Aunt Emelina. She recovered, but she hasn't gotten over her baby sister's death. As much as I hate you for what you did, I have to let go. I have to forgive you." he walked past him, and Arachne followed.
"I'm proud of you Percy." she layed a hand on his shoulder.
"We are too!" Crow called from the roof. They looked up and saw Titans Seattle on the roof of one of the buildings. Sunny waved.
"What took you guys so long?!" Ari yelled up to them.
"We figured you'd be headed for the state office! We thought you knew where it was, since you didn't take the map!" Tim yelled back. Ari blushed, and everyone got off the roof.
"We got here just in time to see Percy get pinned by a girl." Hex teased. Percy turned to Arachne, and folded his arms to his chest.
"The only reason you pinned me down like that, was because I wasn't ready." he explained. Ari glared at him.
"Are you ready now?" she asked.
"Yeah." he said smugly. She grabbed his arm, flipped him, and pinned his arms down.
"Can we not tell anyone about this?"
Well, I guess that WAS the end of the three parter! You gotta love Ari! She's sweet, but she knows when to beet someone up. OH! And now for the translation!
"When I give you the signal, you get the kids, and run for the back of the bank? When you respond, speak Spanish." Selina ordered.
"But Mom! What about you? I can't leave you!" he cried (actually crying).
"I'll be fine Percy. I know it." it was the first time she lied to him.