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Ch. 1 - Spark in the Dreary Days

The Many Worlds of Tanon
Ongoing 1775 Words

Ch. 1 - Spark in the Dreary Days

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Jinx grimaced as she looked at her phone. It was now the fourth week since he had last called and he had only sent her this single text in over a week now, simply saying 'Busy world saving will see you soon. ;)'. Fastest man on the planet and could not even spare a few minutes in the last month to drop by? He was such a jerk. Why was she still hanging around him? 

She sighed, setting her phone down, only for it to buzz a moment later. She picked it up, excited and eager, thinking that it was him, only to see it was, instead, a rather old contact of hers. She grimaced, not even wanting to speak to that pipsqueak. She had been so bored though. Hero-ing had been fun and such but, it felt like she had been left behind to a degree. Flash was now saving the world, and going on interstellar adventures even, while she was stuck dealing with whatever lesser dregs stalked Keystone City, which was already a fairly peaceful area. 

Just having a look would not be the worst thing would it? She needed some excitement in her life rather than just...hanging around.

"...What the hell? Has Gizmo started to replace his brains with gears, or did he really drink the HIVE kool-aid completely?" she muttered as she read through the strange message. Something about a large gathering..once in a lifetime chance...starting fresh...god it was so hard deciphering this trash through all the shorthand and nerd speak.

Well, it was something at least. A little bit of reprieve from the boredom of just sitting around and occasionally bringing in a car thief or something off the streets. Hoping off her bed, she started to get dressed in her typical attire, hair being done up nicely as she picked up some equipment. She took in a breath, and stretched, before making her way out. Time to work the streets of her old city. She had remembered to refuel the bike right?

 

Her motorcycle hummed down along the road, her bent over as the wind whipped by. She had not been back to Jump city in well over a year now. Wondered if much had changed since she last had been around? She blitzed past the sign welcoming entry to the city, the pink and black neon blur of her motorcycle soon greeted by a blue and red flashing following behind her. Glancing at her mirrors, she grimaced. 

What the hell?! She was maybe five miles over the speed limit tops. Were the cops just being picky bastards this evening? She sighed and started to slow down, before accelerating back up to speed. Screw that. She had a desire to be pulled over, and she was almost at the part of the city she remembered.

The cops continued to follow her, eventually speaking over the bullhorn, telling her to pull over. She was already reaching the industrial district though. The streets were quiet, full of old industry buildings, many still in operation but a fair number left to dilapitated messes. She raced down the streets, her adrenaline running as she  smirked under the helmet. She had missed this so much. 

Rubber squealed against the ashphalt as she whirled around a corner, peeling towards an alley as the cruisers continued to follow her. The police had gotten much more tenacious than she remembered.

Made sense, given that the original Titans had mostly moved on towards work with the League or other endeavors. Cyborg, she recalled, had been taken on as a key figure along with Flash. Last she heard Robin had been doing work in the city of Bludhaven under that Nightwing moniker. She'd not really heard much word about Raven and Starfire, though knowing them it was some interdimensional/galactic business or whatever. I think Beast Boy was the only one currently carrying on the Titans moniker properly with some new heroes. However she had also heard Titans had been partially folded into a group known as Young Justice? So hard to keep up with all this....

The alley grew closer. She smirked under her helm as she glanced up, raising a hand as the strange Pink energies whirled in her grasp, and a tiny, inconsequential looking spark lept towards the rusty drainpipe. 

Buzzing up along the metal at lightning speed, several ancient rusted bots finally decided this was the moment they would give way, the heavy old steel pipe creaking, and then peeling itself away from the wall of the old building, falling towards the Alley entry, crashing to the ground moments after she passed the entry, barricading off the police vehicle which came to a screeching halt, moments before hitting the pipe.

Finally some privacy once more. She tapped a button on her bike, and in her ear, reports from Police scanners came in. Good. No reports of Metahuman activity, so the Titans should not be called on her. She worried they had seen her ability, but the distraction of the chase had made the spark of pink unseen by the pursuing officers. Now, where was that location that Gizmo had marked for her?

Darkness crept in all the more as she slowed her motorcycle, making sure she indeed was looking at the map right. I mean it was a good location. Far from the more lit streets, and large enough to hold a crowd, while having plenty of spots for lookouts.

Did it REALLY have to be an old toy factory though? Like really? I mean it was not frightening, (Raven had shown her true fear far too many times....), but the creepy factor just had her on edge. Still, she was already here. No sense in turning back at this point. 

She stowed her bike in a shadowed alley behind a long abandoned dumpster. Setting her helmet on the seat, she took a brush out of the riding pack, starting to brush her hair back into the style she was so used to. Maybe she really should change her style up? Looking down over herself, she still kept her style from her time as a villain, the black and purple stockings, and the fluttery black dress with that slightly jagged hem. Sure, platforms were not the most comfortable combat shoe, but she was more than used to them!

She grumbled as a bitter memory flooded to her mind, when Starfire had been part of that team known as the Outlaws. Red Hood and Arsenal. They were so...just terrible. The moodiest and most bitter of the Robins, and the psychological mess that was the former sidekick of Green Arrow. She still remembered when she had been introduced to the team.

"Jinx! Still dressing like a gothic cotton candy hooker huh?"

It was not even three seconds later that Raven was choking the wordy fuckwit out, flinging him across the room with her powers while Jinx was left flushing furiously at the comment. Her outfit didn't look like it belonged on a hooker! It was cute. Iconic even! Without this look she wasn't Jinx. She was just-....

*tink*....*clatterclatterclatter*

Jinx startled, her hands glowing brilliantly with fell pink energies, ready to blast whatever came out of the shadows

"Mreoowww?" the feline purred, looking curiously as it sat on the dumpster, seeing this newcomer in its territory.

Jinx visibly deflated, and let out a long breath. Stop thinking about such pointless thoughts girl! Get your game face on and let's see what has Gizmo's gears all wound up! Making sure her bike was mostly out of sight, she quickly made her way around, towards the old toy factory, seeking to enter through the old fire exit. Taking a running start, she jumped, and grabbed the ladder....only for its rusted latch to snap free, the thing squealing loudly and claclanging with a reverberation up along the building as she was left back on the ground where she started.

"What was that?" the call from one of the lookouts rang out, as she heard several sets of footsteps hastily approaching

"Great. Wonderful sign of things to come...."

"Come on, Come on no mistakes this time!" she psyked herself up, as she quickly started to climb up the fire ecape as the footsteps approached. She got to the first platform, the rusty grating threatening to give way even under her simple weight. Ah! There was a windo...a solid jump across from where the platform was. 

She glanced and saw that some flashlights were already starting to shine on the entrance to the alley. She had to take it.

"Hah..hooo.." she took a few deep breaths, before running across the platform, her shoe planting on the railings, a spark of pink leaving her foot as she took off, and lept towards, then through the open window onto the second floor of the old building.

"Someone went up there!"

"Well get following 'em Jackie! You always liked climbing the jungle gym."

"Shut it and keep me covered"

Sore from her rolling dive, Jinx hastily worked to get herself up and hidden, as she heard one of the guards clambering up the ladder

"This rusty piece of sh-" the clambering thug spoke, before a momentary pregnant silence hung in the air, and he shrieked, followed by the sound of a body falling from the ladder down onto the others.

"Jackie?! Jackie did something hit you?!"

"Gaaah! Mother fucker! Nnnghh!!?! I stepped on a fucking nail or something!" the thug said, a long quiet pause once more filling the air.

"Dude you are gonna have to check that out. Don you get up there instead and be careful."

A grunt of assertion was heard as another hand gripped the ladder and pulled, only to completely pull the rusty thing loose from the fire escape, barely missing the thugs.

"Whoa! Dude did you just tear that thing off?"

"Mmn...Whole thing is rusted through. Latch must have broke and it fell down."

"And how do you figure that Don?"

"This whole place is a safety hazard. The fire escape hasn't been maintained in decades, and the brickwork on these buildings is early 1900's. Its a shock the whole fire escape has not pulled itself free of its moorings on the wall."

"...You are really taking those night college courses serious aren't you Don?"

 

A sigh of releif escaped Jinx as she took a few moments to brush herself down of the dust from her impromptu leap. Looks like they were not going to chase after her after all. Man she was out of practice. Hopefully the worst of what could go wrong was behind her.

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