Let me start off by saying that I am sorry for not updating as fast as I should have. With all of the holidays and trying to figure out how I wanted to orchestrate Kid Flash's madness. But in the end, it was sheer laziness that kept me from updating, and for that I apologize. Anyhow, lots of profanity from Kid Flash, so be prepared for that.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans but I do own the plot.
A Haunting Memory Returns...
Chapter 16: Loving Confrontation
Two weeks pass, and Jinx is growing restless as she grows into her new life. Every time she asks Beast Boy about Kid Flash's location, he simply says, "You're not ready yet."
She's being torn apart by it, but it didn't seem that Beast Boy cared. He went along making sure the tavern had run smoothly. He'd send Jinx out on little jobs that usually involved fetching supplies. She had a few run-ins with the Midas Gang, and used these to beat information out of them. All of it was the same. Wally has become Angelo's little pet, being groomed to take Angelo's place once his time passes. The thought of this sickened her, her boyfriend being in charge of a criminal gang.
Elmer would stop by occasionally to check in on how she was doing. He made it no secret that he'd been assigned to her. She disliked him for his negative views on the world and the confusing manner he saw everything, but she began to enjoy having him around after awhile. She remembered just yesterday waking up to see him sitting in a chair in her room.
"You ready for tomorrow?" he asks.
"How did you get in here?!" Jinx demands.
"I have access to practically everything."
"Ok perv, why are you in here?"
"Dunno really. Probably just to get away from it all. For whatever reason, your room seems so detached from the world. Most likely due to your lack of realism, but still... very relaxing here."
"And who gave you permission to come in here while I was sleeping?!"
"Are you upset that someone is in your room or that I'm in your room?" Elmer asks, turning his seat towards her.
"I'd be pissed off if it were someone else too, but you just make my blood boil." Jinx says.
"Cute."
He gets up and walks to the door before saying, "Just be ready for tomorrow."
"What's special about tomorrow?"
"The leader of the Resistance has personally asked to meet you." Elmer replies.
"Should I care?"
"Probably not, just wanted to let you know."
"How do you know this stuff anyway?" Jinx asks.
"I stay on people's good side, so it's easy for me to rise the ranks. You however could use some work on that." Elmer advises in a mocking tone.
…
Jinx meets the Resistance leader the next day, a buff-looking man named Murphy. There's a sense of intensity in his eyes as he examined her. She kept her face forward, trying not to disrespect, when something caught her eye—did a tear just go down Murphy's face?
"So you used to attend the H.I.V.E. Academy?"
"Yes."
He paced back and forth before shaking his head. Beast Boy and Elmer (Who had thrown every question Murphy would ask at her last night) were present as well.
"Tell me, you went missing. What was the deal?"
Jinx bit her bottom lip. Elmer had told her to be truthful, but not to tell Murphy anything that wasn't necessary.
"I was trying to escape Dracul."
"Bastard he is" Murphy mumbles.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing." Murphy assures.
"What can you provide for our cause?" he asks.
This question she found ridiculous. Didn't she just go and fetch a boatloads worth of food and medicinal supplies?
"I have a specific skill set—I'm agile and have powers that deliver misfortune to others."
Murphy gave her an unnerved look, of course he did. They all did. As far as they were concerned, Jinx was a walking ladder, going right over people just to deliver them bad luck. Murphy asked few questions afterward. He instead had a television with a VHS brought into the room. He took out a tape and placed it inside. It was very static-like, hard to see. Then a video of a woman on a newscast appeared, it was shaky, and obviously not official, but a makeshift news station.
"This is Krista Norchester and this is the news for Maine. As many of you know, there has been a conflict in Maine for quite some time now. Mercenaries they say, are now creating terror in our state. No one knows what for, besides power-hungry motives. Levi Goodmann, is the supposed leader of this new power that wars with our desperate, rag-tag army. No one knows what's going on, and for what reason, but some people claim to have witnessed Levi speaking with a beaked man wearing all black. This mysterious figure, now an infamous character within Maine, has received the name of, the Conspirator. Is this merely some crazy coincidence, or is there a bigger fish in this pond?"
The broadcast ended, and Murphy snatched the tape. He seemingly spaces out.
"I want you to go to Maine. I want you to help them stop that bastard."
He walks away after giving a brief exchange with Elmer, who in turn whispers something to Beast Boy. Beast Boy looks at him incredulously.
"Dude..."
"Best do as Murphy says, tell her." Elmer instructs.
He also leaves. Beast Boy turns to Jinx, a somewhat uneasy look on his face.
"Murphy thinks it's best for you to go after Kid Flash."
"About time."
…
Jinx kept wondering how the encounter would end, if Beast Boy was right, Kid Flash would be a psychopath. He already was, but still... She strides in to find two men leaning against the building.
"State your business."
"I'm here to visit K—Wally."
"Why?"
Jinx ponders this for a little bit, and the second man chimes in with a smirk on his face, "Maybe he ordered some 'special' company."
She felt her cheeks begin to burn.
"Ooh-la-la!" the first man manages in between the laughter.
"Hey, why the hell are you blushing? I thought you prostitute types were supposed to be outgoing!"
They both double over.
"I'll let myself in then."
Jinx found herself inside some sort of mobster club, the kind you'd see in a stereotypical movie. Men were drinking, some gossiping, all of them looking normal. What was so crazy about these people? She scans the room, and finds a door bearing the words "Keep Out". She walks over, looking more confident than she felt. As soon as she enters she can hear men arguing. She crosses the narrow hallway until she comes to a long table, where two people sat on the ends, and one person stood beside who was sitting at the left end. She immediately recognizes the person standing as Kid Flash, or rather, Wally. His hair is neatly combed, he's wearing the same gold as the sentries outside. She can't see his face well though.
"You really think this is how it works Angelo? Do you?! That some child you find on the streets , can really take your place?" the man on the right yells.
"I know that's how it works. This is no child, this is the best of us here. He can do things that you couldn't possibly hope to achieve. Besides, he would say words you wouldn't be caught saying to that bitch of a wife." Angelo, the man on the left, says rather calmly compared to his visitor.
"Worthless!"
"One could say the same of you. In fact..."
Angelo pulls out a gun and shoots the man, before bursting into laughter. When he calms down, Angelo rises from his seat and puts his hand on Wally's right shoulder.
"I want you to dispose of our rude guest." he says gesturing towards the body, now leaning back in the chair.
"With pleasure."
Angelo goes through some sort of back door, leaving her boyfriend to take care of the body. He comes into better view, he looked almost normal—except for his eyes. Those eyes had something feral in them, something savage.
"Child, huh?" he says as he opens the dead man's eyes, "Peek-a-boo motherfucker!"
Wally then laughs as if he made a great joke. Jinx calls out to him.
"Hey Wally."
He turns to her and his eyes widen. His hands go straight to his head as he winces.
"Why do you keep doing this to me?!" he demands.
She steps closer to him, and he backs away.
"You bitch. Get out of my fucking head for fuck's sake." Wally growls.
"Calm down, Wally." Jinx coaxes as she invades his personal bubble and sets her hand on her shoulder.
He smacks her hand away, his feral eyes practically glowing in the dim room.
"Where did Robin get you? Huh?! He just get you off the streets you whore?!" he spits out.
"It's me, Jinx. I'm real."
"Lies!"
Wally throws his fist at her face. Jinx quickly dodges it.
"You pricks will never understand, will you?"
Tears begin to come into his eyes.
"I don't want some fucking two-cent to come and remind me my girlfriend is dead.
"It's me you nitwit!" she found herself yelling at him.
He shakes his head in denial and chuckles slightly.
"What did he even promise you? Money? Fame? Something else? He'd better not expect me to get in a bed with you. In fact, I'm not going back at all. You'd think after all the bullshit from before you dummys would figure that out. Angelo has something meaningful in plan for me; I'm not intending to be a fucking sidekick."
Jinx glowers at him as she begins saying, "You selfish, conceited, sycoph..."
She stops as Wally breaks down on the ground crying as he holds his hands to his head.
"All you've ever done was get in my face. That asshole Robin just wants to see me crumble. Well y'know what, tell him he's won! Go on you smug slut! Go and fucking tell him!"
"Snap out of it!" Jinx demands.
How could someone who kept their cool so well turn into this, this abomination? His crying ceases as he gets up again, a crooked smile on his face.
"Tell you what, I like your face. You got a real nice fucking face." Wally says menacingly as he paces.
Jinx begins to feel nervous. Those eyes of his weren't just the eyes of an animal, they were the eyes of a predator; one that was close to pouncing on his prey.
"I'm going to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, no need to worry about that. No sir-ree. I'm gonna hit two birds with one stone while I'm at it." he growls with malice glowing off of his face as he pulls out a knife.
"I'm gonna take this fucking knife, and I'm gonna fix up that cluster-fuck of a fucking face you got there, as well as fucking teaching you some fucking manners while I'm fucking at it. Do you fucking understand?"
Jinx takes a deep breath before smirking and replying with, "You kiss your fucking mother with that fucking mouth?
…
Wally slashes at her and throws chairs. He uses all the different forms of profanity known to man while he's at it too. Jinx just dodges and wonders how she's to get him to go to Maine with her. Every time she tries to hex him he'd get out of the way using his super speed. She begins to realize that he could have won this fight already; he has been stalling the whole time. She figured his ruse out too late, and he corners her. Wally punches, this time making contact with her face. As soon as he does this she gets a head-splitting migraine (Or that's what it seemed like).
"You felt that didn't you? Hurts, huh?" Wally taunts.
As he brings the knife to her throat, the room spins around her as colors mix and match and everything around her begins to distort. In the midst of the chaos she hears someone—from another room—scream the strangely familiar word, "Dinosaur!"
Jinx collapses on the ground, and her vision begins to darken. The last she sees is some green T-Rex attacking Crazy West.
…
When she comes to, Elmer is looking down at her.
"Yup, she's alive."
"I get that, but is she okay."
"The hell does it matter?" Elmer responds.
Beast Boy comes into her view. He has an apologetic smile on his face as he looks down at her. He winces as he examines the mark on her face.
"I think that matters a lot Elmy."
"Yeah, yeah Brat Boy. If you care so much about her health, give her some space."
Jinx sits up immediately and takes in her surroundings. This isn't the Midas Gang's base, and it definitely wasn't the tavern. Yet still... there was something worn down about it. She felt as if she was underground, yet not in the same place Elmer was keeping her. She falls back exhausted before she can see anything else.
"Quit babying her Beast Boy. She's toughened up after living on the other side of the law." an
all too familiar voice states.
"Insensitivity isn't going to give you any benefits, so you'd best just drop it." Raven scolds Robin.
Jinx can't see them, only Elmer remains in her sights. Yet she can hear them nearby.
"Let me take a look at her—would you lay off Beast Boy?!" she hears Cyborg growl.
She can hear the green guy snickering as the metal man begins examining her wound.
"It was bad." she manages.
"I can imagine. You must have been halfway to Kingdom Come after that punch." the metal man says softly.
Cyborg steps away as Elmer comes back into view.
"First step into reality." he says, "Hope you enjoyed it."
End of Chapter...
Not my longest chapter I'll admit, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. I promise that I'll bring more chapters quicker than I have with this one.