Chapter 13 is alive and well for your reading pleasure! Hope you guys enjoy and I'll see all of you at the end!
Chapter 13: Not Another Friday Morning Part 3
Ryan Choi's morning for the most part had been one disappointment after the other. Getting fired and losing the only chance to complete Ray's research had made him sink further then he ever thought he ever could. The only silver lining this morning was receiving his last paycheck from Star Labs HR. Having used the lab as his home, he didn't spend a lot of money, in fact he rarely had any expenses at all. This made his last paycheck oh the more sweeter when he got it and secured it in his backpack. Although he didn't get the full pay for skipping the current projects, at least he still got the overtime.
MS Lane may have been the ultimate bitch, but at least she paid well. His final check with the hours he put in was a whopping four thousand dollars in cash. Despite not having a home, job, transportation or family, he at least had something to start over with. As he bid goodbye to Star Labs he strolled throughout the streets of New Metropolis contemplating his next move.
What to do, what to do?
He couldn't move back to China that's for sure, not without any family or knowing what state the government was in after Darkseid's invasion.
This didn't leave him with many options. Perhaps he could book a room in a cheap motel for the next six months or look in the want ads for people needing a roomate. Whatever the case he had to do something, he couldn't just wander aimlessly.
"But that's exactly what I'm doing!" He thought in frustration as he rubbed his temples. As much as he hated to admit it, he was just wandering. While he was taking this walk to gather his thoughts, he really didn't have a plan. Without Ray or his research he really had no purpose.
Was he that dull that his life only existed for the cause of science?
Those were questions that he himself couldn't answer. Soon the growling of his stomach convinced him of his next destination, perhaps some nourishment could give him a clear head of where he should go. His eyes immediately locked onto a fast food restaurant in the distance that could sate his hunger.
"Please someone help me!" A small and weepy voice called out to Ryan Choi before he could walk toward the restaurant. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a elderly woman covered by a blanket down an alley struggling to carry a basket full of unknown items.
"Here ma'am let me help!" The fragility of his situation did not diminish Ryan Choi's ability to help others and before he knew it he was at the ladies side trying to help her with the basket."You take a rest, i'll help you with your basket!"
The elderly woman immediately caught a glimpse of Ryan Choi and looked in all directions before answering him with a wicked tone. "Why thank you sucker!"
"Wait wh-" Suddenly Ryan Choi felt a sharp blow across his back causing him to stumble to the ground. An unknown set of hands soon snatched his backpack and kicked him into the dirt further so he could not rise. "What's going on?"
"It's a robbery you idiot!" The elderly woman's voice soon boomed with the masculinity it was hiding as she threw off her disguise to show that she was indeed a young man. After revealing his identity to Ryan Choi, the robber downed a panda mask before joining the set of men that hit Ryan from behind. The men that hit Ryan were also wearing animal masks and now we're currently holding a gun on him while the others were going through his backpack.
"Hey give that back, that's mine!" He cried. Trying to lunge forward, Ryan immediately stopped himself as he noticed the gun pointed directly at him.
"Don't you know this is false face hood?" A robber questioned.
"Check it out guys, the kids loaded!" Another called out as he found Ryan's wallet, with his freshly cashed paycheck inside.
"No, give that back!" He cried, only to have his protests met with a punch across his face from the robber in the panda mask.
"Thanks for the payday loser!" The group started to laugh in union as they dispersed from the alley and back out onto the streets of New Metropolis.
Although the robber's hadn't punched him that hard, Ryan Choi refused to get up from the ground. He couldn't believe this was happening. He got robbed while trying to do the right thing, seriously? Why was this happening to him? Were the fates conspiring to screw with him at all sides?
No mom, no Ray, no home, no job and now no money. His last thing in the world was taken from him, leaving him a vagrant on the streets. He was already feeling unsure about his place in the world, and now he was feeling like the heavens were against him.
What was he to do?
That single question would surge through his brain a multitude of times as his tears started to leak onto the ground where he was.
-Wayne Manor-
"What a morning." Garfield uttered under his breath. Having shook off the embarrassing incident earlier, the changeling found himself showering and changing clothes once more. Now ready for a second take at the day at hand, Garfield entered the kitchen cautiously only to be greeted by Ryan on the counter making waffles.
"Hiya Gar." The Afro woman smiled timidly and gave a nervous wave as Garfield's eyes never left her. "Come on in, breakfast is ready!"
"You sure you're not gonna punch me?" He teased with a grin. "Or maybe I should get a running start so you can throw the waffle Iron at me!"
Ryan sweatdropped. "I said I was sorry!"
"Just messin ', what's for breakfast?"
"Waffles, oatmeal, toast all the things that a paragon needs to start their day right!"
"Can I get some OJ with that?"
"Check in the fridge!" Ryan replied as she started plating waffles. "Lunar time for breakfast!"
"Coming!" He called back.
As Ryan started to set the seven seater table, Garfield found himself retrieving a small bright orange container from the fridge before drinking straight outta it. On contact with his tongue, the taste was greasy almost like a cup of mud. The moment he got a mouth full he found himself jumping toward the sink to spit out. "Yuck, what's wrong with the OJ, it tastes like oil?"
"That's because it is oil." Ryan sweatdropped again. "Sorry I think I got the containers mixed up!"
"Why is there oil in the fridge?"
"To keep it cold."
" What do you need cold oil for?"
"Incase Lunar gets thirsty!"
Her reply was once again met with the look of absolute confusion. She started to answer her friend to get the record straight but the sound of Lunar's grunting made them stop and look over.
In the clutches of his teeth the piparoid roughly dragged a kid sized table by the legs into the kitchen. Once he got close to the normal dining table he dropped his catch before going back into the living room to retrieve a set of miniature chairs.
"What's Lunar doin?" He inquired.
Ryan giggled before going back to cooking breakfast. The look on Garfield's face said it all, she had this same reaction when Lunar did this the first time.
Once the kids table with the nine chairs had been set, Lunar disappeared into the living room for a final time. On coming back this time he carried a laundry basket filled to the rim with plush animals. The plush animals were cartoony in nature and consisted of a bird, shark, wolf, bull, snake, dragon, lion and rhino. Getting close to the table he dragged each plushie and set them within one of the seats before taking the last empty seat for himself. With all the preparations now complete, Lunar flashed a victorious smile while wagging his excitedly. "I'm ready for breakfast!"
"What the?" Confusion kept its strangling hold over Garfield as he tried to process what was going on with Lunar. Eventually he decided against trying to figure things out and retreated to the main table where Ryan set a steaming plate of breakfast for him. "Thanks Ry."
"No problem bro." She commented before going back to the stove. "What'll it be Lunar, cereal or waffles?"
"Waffles please!" He chirped.
"You got it cutie!" Going in the freezer for a second, Ryan unexpectedly pulled out several sheets of steel and placed them on the counter. Garfield continued to show visible signs of bewilderment as his bestie soon grabbed a welders mask and blowtorch from beneath the sink.
"Uh Ryan, what are you doing?"
"Be right there gotta make Lunar's breakfast!" She replied before closing the mask and starting up the fiery tool.
Garfield sweat dropped as he watched Ryan begin to go across the piece of metal with the blowtorch while Lunar watched in excitement. Although this morning had been full of chaoticness, Garfield cherished the time he spent with Ryan and Lunar. Being with them reminded him of the old days in Titans Tower. Although Garfield couldn't protect his friends from Darkseid's treachery he was definitely going to make sure that Lunar and Ryan would always be with him. As he started to take slow bites of his waffle, he mentally vowed that he would never let Darkseid take away his family ever again.
-Outside LexCorp-
"Vipress was right!" Much to his chagrin, Sparrow had no choice but to admit that for once Viperess knew more than he did. Standing in the shadows and far away from the crowd, he and Siren got a front row seat to witness the authorities investigating how one of the LexCorp buildings caught fire suddenly.
"And he's supposed to be the smart one!" Siren scoffed with a roll of the eyes.
"This is reckless, what if he attracts the Justice League or Moon Fang!" Sparrow growled angrily."We can't take any chances, we might have to intervene before he does something stupid!"
"Never thought I'd say this but I agree!"
"Good, maybe if we get into the tower we can't stop him before it begins!"
"Alright let's get a move on then!"
In agreement both Sparrow and Black Siren checked their bracelets in preparation to transform. Their dual plan would be stopped however when Siren suddenly clutched her head in pain and slummed to her knees. Sparrow stepped back cautiously as he watched the veins in her forehead bulge out while her breathing sped up with every passing minute.
"No not again!" Like an alcoholic suffering from an intense hangover, the paragon's head began to bulge with the intensity of pain. Almost like a wrecking ball darting across her brain Black Siren kept wailing in pain as she experienced memories that weren't hers.
-Memory 1-
"I was protected by the monks of Azarath, I was raised by my friends!" The Teen Titans stood united together in the wastelands of Trigon's world as Raven led them for this final in her white cloak the team imbued the last bit of power into her before she rose to the occasion to challenge her father. "They are my family, this is my home and you are not welcome here, Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
"Noooo!" Trigon found himself helpless as Raven chanted her mystical spell. In no time her soul form overtook the demon lord, wiping him out of existence and turning the world back to the way that it was.
-Memory 2-
"A magician never reveals her secrets!" For once in her life Raven displayed a bit of emotion, giving a playful wink to Mumbo as she twirled his hat. The deranged magician's face fell as he was taken off into police custody, never to understand how Raven helped the Titans escape from his wacky hat dimension.
-Memory 3-
"Nobody messes with my kids!" Raven yelled as she flew into battle against Musior Mallah. Although she was unsure of the mission at first, she learned to love Timmy, Teether and Melvin like they were her own. She was not going to let the Brotherhood of evil hurt them, she would protect them no matter what the cost was.
-End of Memory 3-
The rest of the memories were not one single scene but rather several events across Raven's life. Black Siren was greeted by the many visuals of Raven and Beast Boy romance, alongside her friendship with the Titans and many members of the Justice League. Over and over like a taperecoder the memories surged through her mind until she began to imagine the silhouette of Raven herself staring back at her.
"You can't be here, Darkseid got rid of you!" Black Siren snarled upon seeing Raven's image.
"If Trigon couldn't break me, what makes you think Darkseid can?" Raven's voice was calm and serious as she focused on Black Siren assaulting her with the memories once more. "Give up Siren, give me back my life!"
"Never!"
"What the hell's wrong with you Siren?" Up until now Sparrow tried not to interfere with whatever was going on with Siren but seeing her talk to herself made him think twice about helping her.
Black Siren's response to Sparrow was to use her canary cry against him. Being caught off guard, Sparrow was thrown back into a nearby wall and knocked unconscious. As the scream subsided, Black Siren looked in horror as she realized she hadn't activated her screaming powers, Raven did.
"Guess that canary cry really does come in handy." Raven said with a triumphant smirk. Even if it was for a mere moment she regained control of her body.
"You bitch, get out of my head!" Black Siren demanded
As the intense mental battle continued Black Siren began to stumble away from the scene leaving the knocked out Sparrow by himself. Although she didn't know what solution to take she couldn't let Raven fully retake control over her body, she had to keep fighting. To avoid possible destruction at the hands of her master she had to ward off the titan at all costs.
-Wayne Manor-
"Here ya go Lunar, breakfast is served!" Despite the fact that all fifteen smoke alarms were going crazy and the kitchen was covered in a wall of haze, Ryan finished the breakfast she was making for Lunar. Using the blowtorch she managed to craft the sheet metal into resembling homemade waffles before putting them down next to Lunar, alongside a bowl of the oil she kept in the fridge. Lunar eagerly purred against his friend's hand before beginning to chow down on the edible substance that was now before him.
"Nurse, asskicker and machine wielder, any other hidden talents you're hiding?" Garfield asked with a grin.
"Oh please that's nothing, you should see me juggle three dates in the same night!" She replied before opening a window to air out the kitchen. Once that was accomplished Ryan took her seat at the breakfast table across from Gar. "So how did you sleep?"
A brush of embarrassment ran across Garfield's face before he stabbed a forkful of waffles and shoved them into his mouth. As if Ryan didn't know how he slept last night.
"Oh come on Gar, I'm a nurse I've seen it all!" She confessed. "Besides a little sexual fun is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Oh yeah?" He questioned smugly. "What about that time I caught you and Jojo in the Ice cream freezer?"
'Jojo' or Sojourner Mullein as they called her was Ryan's current friend with benefits. Sojourner like Ryan was Bisexual and often visited the medical wing in Highfathers tower, these days however she could be found working as a police officer cleaning up the remains of the destroyed Gotham City.
The mention of Jojo also caused Ryan to blush slightly as she remembered that steamy encounter she had in the cold. "That's completely different!"
"Yeah right!" He teased. "I'll never forget the look on your face, when I scared you guys and that popsicle went up your -."
"Alright, alright I get it you made your point!" She sweatdropped hard while waving her hands defensively to get him to not go down memory lane.
"All finished!" Lunar chirped as he interrupted the conversation between the two friends. Having scarfed his food and licked his plate clean, the piparoid started to scurry through the kitchen with much energy before jumping up onto Garfield's lap. "Can we go to the carnival today can we, can we, oh please can we?"
"The Carnival?"
"Yeah I saw it on the tv!" Lunar exclaimed. "There's rides, games and lots of toys, I wanna see what it is, can we go please?"
"A carnival, seriously?" Just the mention of an afternoon of fun triggered the bells of Garfield's fun loving side. He and Lunar immediately connected and joined forces to give Ryan a double look of innocent pleaful eyes.
"Sorry guys, no carnival today." Ryan uttered as she finished the last piece of her waffle. "I got to work today, and Lunar's got to go through mandatory diagnostic testing!"
"Oh not those again." The tests that Ryan was referring to were created by New Genesis scientists. Since Garfield became Moon Fang for the first time, Highfather insisted that they try to learn everything they can about the piparoids and paragon technology. To such ends they created a computer system that was made to try and tap into what makes Lunar such a spectacular android. Despite the fact that this process was necessary, it took long tedious hours and made the day unbearable.
"I can do my testing earlier!" Lunar declared. "Please Ryan, can we go to the carnival later?"
"Oh alright!" She said giving in easily. "Lunar, Gar will help you do your testing, and as soon as I get back from the Detention center we go!"
"Alright, I better get the machine!" Lunar cheered in triumph before he jumped off of Garfield and dashed into the living room to find the machine needed for testing.
"Wait." The minute that Lunar left the room Ryan's words started to sink deeper into Garfield's mindset, setting off a multitude of warnings. "Why are you going to the Meta Human Detention Center?"
"Highfathers got an assignment for me over there!" She stated. "Since the medical wings were destroyed, I'm out of a job and need something to do!"
"Why do you have to go?" He questioned worriedly. "Can't Floyd or Clark go there?"
"They're busy, besides I got this covered!"
"I know but-." Garfield chomped on his tongue hard trying not to object but it was too late, Ryan caught wind of her friend's objection and eyed him suspiciously.
"What's the matter Gar?"
"I just don't want you to go!" He admitted while nervously refusing to look at her piercing gaze.
"Why not?"
"Well you know -!"
"No I don't know, care to enlighten me?"
"Well you are a woman!"
Ryan let out an audible gasp as she dramatically put her hand across her chest. The corners of her lips tweaked into a large grin as she struggled to hold back a howl of laughter.
"You know what I mean!" Garfield slapped his forehead hard as he mentally cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke. He didn't mean for that to come out like it did.
"Care to explain!"
"Look I just don't want you in there with all those inmates!" Garfield stated. "Some of those guys haven't laid eyes on a woman in years, imagine what happens when they see you!"
Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't threaten me with a good time."
"I'm serious Ry!" He exclaimed. "Think about it you the beautiful innocent nurse going into the mad house full of those buff sex crazed inmates. You're doing your job when all of sudden, something terrible happens and you're trapped! Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, it's just you amongst all those inmates!"
While Ryan couldn't contain the laughter from the scenario, Garfield's face went into a state of panic as he imagined a chibi Ryan cornered and alone as the big bad inmates closed in on her, ready to do indescribable things to her.
"Look I promise you won't be long, I'm just there to see someone!" After several minutes of uncontained laughter Ryan found herself giving Garfield a quick hug. Although the scenario could never happen in a million years, it was nice to see him care about her wellbeing so much."I'll be there for like an hour tops and that's my job for the day!"
"I don't know." He murmured with skepticism.
"I promise i'll be safe!" She said. " Plus when I get back we'll go to the carnival, be adrenalin junkies and pig out on cotton candy!"
"Throw in a dance battle at the DDR stage and you got yourself a deal!"
Ryan smiled. "Challenge accepted grass stain!"
-Elsewhere in New Metropolis-
WWLD
What would Lex Do?
A stale corporate phrase coined for a post Apokoliptian war world.
As the new CEO of LexCorp, Mercy Graves had coined this phrase to all workers present and upcoming. Whenever there was trouble she wanted her workers to stop and think about how a brilliant mind such as Lex Luthor would achieve victory.
Was it a cheesy phrase, yes.
However according to HR it was necessary for employee morale as well as making sure they never forget whose company this still is.
Mercy for the most part never found herself using her own advice since running the company, well not until today anyway.
She had expected today to go off like any normal day. In her wildest dream she never imagined that her company as well as her own freedom would be put on the line from those intruders inside of her office. She recognized them as Titans, or rather paragons as they were called these days. What they were called wasn't important, what was important were they were now going through her security files accessing the project she's been working on in the shadows.
It was only a matter of time before the entire papers as well as the Justice League caught wind of what was going on. Mercy tried to feign weakness and stand strong, something that Lex would do. In this one instance however she couldn't think about what he would do, she wasn't him, she was a ex driver who was now in over her head.
With no other solutions, Mercy opted to get as far away from New Metropolis as possible.
Scrambling away from her bodyguards Mercy hightailed in her limo and had her driver go as fast as he could.
"Geraldo, we need to hurry!" Panic filled the woman's voice from the backseat of the vehicle as she once again yelled at her driver. Every few seconds she kept looking over her shoulder to make sure they weren't there, all the time the limo's wheels screeched loudly as it zoomed past the other cars on the highway. "How long until we get to the jet strip?"
"Another ten minutes MS Graves." He commented from behind the steering wheel. "I don't understand though MS Graves , shouldn't we have told the workers where you're going?"
"No questions, just shut up and drive you idiot!" She sneered
But it was much too late for the car to drive another inch, without warning it was lifted off the road and overhead. Mercy let out a barrage of curse words as she looked out her passenger window to see Superman had lifted up the car, next to him was Highfather.
"Going somewhere MS Graves?" Highfather questioned with an amused look plastered upon his face.
"There are some serious questions that need answering Mercy!" Superman added
What would Lex Do?
Probably scream and throw a tantrum too the very ends of the earth. Seeing as how Mercy didn't want to disgrace herself in the situation, she merely waved the white flag as Highfather & Superman had caught up with her.
End of Chapter 13
With that Chapter 13 has come to an end! So I want to point something out, something to you guys! You probably noticed that these last 2 chapters have started off rather slow and whatnot. This is because I got a personal request from a reader who wanted me to focus on more of the slice of life aspect when it came to Garfield & Ryan's friendship. I was more than happy to do that plus It gave me such a spectacular opportunity to set up for the rest of Season 2. Also I added in that scene with Lunar and the stuffed animals for a reason, they signal some importance but you guys have to figure out what it means.
That opens up another point, when you guys are reviewing, if you have a request for something you like to see, I'll fit it into the story the best I can. I've always been told to give my readers what they want and I'm gonna do that.
Anyways I wish you guys a great week until I post Chapter 14! Remember to leave a comment, a kudo or a bookmark if you guys can!
Anyway until then!
Arigato!
Z!