#4 - Road Trip: Part One

[Stardrifter]

by
Stardrifter

#4 - Road Trip: Part One

"Ah Metropolis!" Brian says as he climbs out of the back of the Ford Taurus. He sakes the Hawaiian shirt he's wearing over a white t-shirt, trying to air out his body. "The City of Tomorrow indeed!"

"You are such a dork," Jenna laughs. She gets out of the front seat and reaches her arms up to stretch after the eight hour drive from Amnesty Bay. She also finds the sudden heat uncomfortable, frustrated that she overdressed in jeans. The sudden temperature change fogs up her glasses.

"Pot calling the kettle, etcetera," Arthur says sarcastically. He steps out of the drivers seat, dressed in his signature shorts and tank top, and walks around the car to join his friends in surveying the run down, Sleep Eazy Motel.

It's been a month since graduation. A month since Arthur's altercation with Dr. Simon Jones and the revealing of his secret to his best friend, Jenna. She was fortunate in her run in with Simon, suffering no long term affects from his attack. After her recovery, she suggested to Arthur that they drive down to Metropolis for a couple days to check out the university and familiarize themselves with the city. It was also her plan to get some time alone with Arthur, her near death experience making her realize she had to stop waiting for him and make a move herself. What she didn't expect was for Brian to insist he come along when he found out about the road trip.

Brian rushes over to unlock the door to their first floor room, number eleven. One of the numbers on the door is missing, leaving only the faint outline of it's presence. With an exaggerated jingle of the room key, Brian swings the door open. "Feast your eyes on our luxurious accommodations!"

The three enter and look around at the tiny room. Jenna coughs at the stench of cigarette smoke. Two full size beds take up the majority of what little space there is. A single red, sunken chair stands by the window. The TV, all nineteen inches of it, sits on a rickity stand next to a single dresser. Attached to the TV is a coin slot.

"This is so cool!" Brian yells, leaping onto the first bed. Arthur and Jenna share a look of disbelief before turning back to see Brian grab the remote for the TV. As he picks it up, he discovers it's attached by a cable to the nightstand in between the beds.

"Oh yeah, so cool," Jenna says sarcastically, a disappointing scowl on her face as she slowly inspects the room. As she starts for the bathroom, Brian leaps up and runs past.

"Gotta go!" Brian shouts as the door slams behind him.

Arthur turns toward the door, intending to start bringing their bags in, when Jenna calls out. "How are we going to handle the sleeping situation?" Arthur turns back to face her and sees her gesturing at the two beds.

"I figure Brian and I can alternate between the bed and the floor." Jenna raises an eyebrow and Arthur smiles. "I'm not sharing a bed with Brian. I shared a tent with him once. He farts like crazy at night."

Jenna chuckles but isn't surprised. She turns to face one of the beds, not wanting to meet Arthur's gaze as she asks, "You could always share the bed with me, you know?"

Before Arthur can respond, Brian bursts out of the bathroom. "Aaaaaah! Hey guys, they got a sign in here saying they'll charge us for missing towels. Crazy." Brian walks past Jenna, heading for the door, not noticing the uncomfortable looks on her and Arthur's faces. "C'mon guys! Let's unload the car so we can hit the town!"

****

A black SUV idles at the corner across from the First Metropolis Bank. A woman sits in the drivers seat, her burgundy hair hanging down over her eyes. Her eyes and lips are covered with black makeup. Her choice of clothing is equally dark, tight leather pants and a small black tank top. The pale skin on her arms are covered with tribal tattoos.

Sitting beside her is a large man. Barely able to fit inside the car, his arms and legs are bunched up against himself. He has short, reddish blonde hair and a shaggy beard. He pulls at the collar of his skin tight black t-shirt, uncomfortable in such a tight space.

Both of them have their eyes glued to the bank, whose security is tight both inside and out. This part of Metropolis was hit hard last year by the Brainiac Invasion, much of it destroyed beyond repair. Government funding and donations from corporations such as Lexcorp allowed the city to not only rebuild, but update designs and systems to the latest technologies. The security systems inside the bank are cutting edge. The pair about to rob the place aren't concerned in the least.

"How long are we going to sit here, Selinda?" the man asks in a whiny tone with a slight Australian accent. "I'm bored."

"Soon baby," Selinda says without looking at him. Her voice has the same accent.

"Selinda! I wanna go now!"

"Baran!" she barks, frustration overcoming her for a moment. She turns to look at him and finds a sad look on his face, his bright blue eyes welling up with tears. "I'm sorry. Big sis' didn't mean to snap at you. Just a bit nervous, is all. So you want to go now?" Baran smiles and eagerly nods his head. "All right. Let's do this!"

The siblings exit the SUV, Baran's large frame having to slowly squeeze his way out. They cross the street without looking, causing traffic to screech to a halt and horns to beep. Baran growls but keeps moving. Selinda doesn't give them a second glance. Once they're in front of the bank, Baran starts to head for the front entrance. Selinda grabs his arm and pulls him aside, leading him around the corner.

"Where we going?" Baran asks, confused. "I thought we was going to the bank?"

"Of course we are, sweety. Just not that way."

She continues to lead them around the outside of the large building. The few pedestrians that pass by give them a wide berth, staring at the odd pair as they go. Baran towers over his sister at just over seven feet tall. Selinda, on the other hand, is barely 5' 9". When they reach the entrance to the back alley, she pulls Baran down it.

"One, two, three, four..." Selinda whispers to herself, counting her paces along the wall. When she reaches twenty-four, she stops. "Righty, this should be it."

"This should be what?" Baran asks, looking all around for something his sister might be referring to.

"The wall closest to the vault."

Realization finally dawning on Baran, he smiles a wicked smile at what comes next. Selinda reaches up and places a hand on the wall. In a matter of seconds, the ten foot by ten foot section of concrete becomes transparent, having been transformed into glass. Across the room they can see the large metal door to the vault. Selinda nods to her brother and steps back against the wall of the adjacent building.

One of the bankers inside notices the now transparent section of wall just in time to see Baran crashing through it. Glass shatters and bits fly in all directions, cutting into the skin of the nearby workers. Baran, however, is completely unharmed. Only the slices into his t-shirt show any signs of his entrance.

The men and women inside begin to scream. Baran walks over and idly smacks everyone way, making a path for his sister to casually walk over to the vault. Someone hits the alarm, but the siblings show no concern. Selinda reaches the vault door and places her hand on it. This time she changes it into wood instead of glass, not wanting to risk any damage to the money inside.

"Baran!"

Her brother turns around and grabs the now wooden door. Selinda steps around the corner to avoid the debris as Baran tears the wooden door off of it's hinges, the various locks shattering into splinters. Baran tosses the door aside and it crashes into a row of desks.

"Put your hands up! Now!"

Baran turns to find two security guards aiming pistols at him. The guards are shaking slightly, not sure what to make of the situation. Selinda comes back around the corner and sighs. "Deal with them, Baran."

Baran rushes forward, faster than anyone would expect someone his size could move. The guards only get two shots off before he's on them. Shots that barely even phase Baran, bouncing harmlessly off his rock hard skin. He wraps his hand around the face of one guard, the screams muffled as Baran squeezes. The other guard tries to run, but Baran grabs the back of his shirt and pulls him back, throwing his muscular arm around the guard's neck.

Back in the vault, Selinda runs her hands over the stacks of money. "This is almost too easy. This city is gonna belong to us soon." When Baran finally walks in, she turns and tosses a large sack at him. "Let's start filling these up before the police get here."

There's no more opposition inside the bank. The siblings take their fill of money and run out the way they came in. Racing for their SUV, the first police cruiser screeches to a halt in front of them as they're crossing the street. Before the officers can even exit the vehicle, Baran reaches down with one hand and grabs the cruiser under the front bumper and lifts it up, flipping it upside down.

More cruisers drive up as Selinda jumps into the drivers seat of the SUV. Baran turns to face the threat, but Selinda yells out the window, "Get in Baran! Now!" Caught between his instincts to fight and his obedience to his sister, Baran turns to get in. The SUV's tires screech as it speeds off down the street.

****

Despite it being a Monday afternoon, the Queensland Boardwalk is bustling with activity. Summer in full swing, kids and college students alike are running about, shopping, playing games, and taking in the sights. Tourism is huge as well, especially now that the local shops can boast of artifacts and stories about the invasion. Carts litter the boardwalk with Great Machine merchandise.

"Are we planning to go see the college at some point on this college viewing trip?" Jenna complains, pushing her glasses back up on her nose, as she trails behind Arthur and Brian a couple steps. Before leaving the motel room, she changed into a simple white T-shirt and khaki shorts. Her brown hair is tied up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face on this hot, sunny day.

Brian stops and turns to talk to her. His dark sunglasses and shaggy brown hair hide his eyes, but the crooked smile on his face reveals his lightheartedness. "Jenna. Darling. Baby. You have two days to run about your stuffy college. Today we enjoy ourselves."

Jenna looks to Arthur for support. He shrugs and says, "It's a bit late to head over there now. Tomorrow morning we can go and have all day to check it out."

"And I can spend the day checking out the college chicks!" Brian says a bit too loud, drawing some odd looks from the crowd. He turns to continue checking out the shops, leaving Arthur and Jenna behind.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asks Jenna. They slowly trail after their friend.

"Yeah," Jenna says quickly.

"Let me rephrase that. You're not okay. What's wrong?"

Jenna stops to look at some of the sea shell jewelry on a cart. "You know I love Brian."

When she pauses, Arthur continues for her. "Buuut?"

"But this isn't exactly what I had in mind when we planned this trip."

Not sure what to make of it, Arthur asks the obvious question. "What did you have in mind?" This causes Jenna to sigh in frustration. She crosses her arms and looks away. Arthur walks around to get in her view and grabs her shoulders. He smiles and stares at her with his piercing green eyes. Arthur has a way of getting the truth out of her. "Jenna, what? I don't understand wha..."

"I wanted it to be just me and you!" Jenna blurts out. "I wanted to spend this trip alone with you and...God I just...I hoped maybe you'd finally..."

"Guys! What is with all the frowny faces?" Brian walks up holding three vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream cones. He tries to hand them out to the others, but Arthur and Jenna both stare at him. "What?"

Suddenly awkward, Arthur lets go of Jenna. "Can you give us a minute?"

"No!" Brian says, his mood suddenly turning serious. "Ever since this trip began you've been in a bad mood. I thought this could be fun. When the summer's over I'm not gonna see you guys..."

"The Bay is only a half a day's drive," Arthur interrupts. "We can come see you, you can come see us. It's not that big a deal."

"I won't be in Amnesty Bay," Brian explains. "I'm joining the Navy."

"What?" Jenna and Arthur ask in unison.

The ice cream cones start to drip in Brian's hand. He holds them back out. "Will you two take these already?" They do, and the three friends walk over to a bench at the side of the boardwalk overlooking the beach. Jenna sits on the bench and Brian leans on the railing in front of it.

"All right," Arthur says as he sits down on the back of the bench, his feet on the seat. He licks at the chocolate and vanilla swirl to keep it from dripping more. "Where is this coming from?"

"Yeah since when did you want to join the Navy?" Jenna asks.

"A couple months ago. When you guys first really started thinking about college. College was never really an option for me. My folks don't have the money. I don't have the grades."

"So are you just doing this cause we're leaving?" Jenna asks, concern in her voice.

Brian takes offense to that. "My life decisions aren't all based around what you two do," he says, anger rising in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Jenna quickly says. "I didn't mean it like that."

Brian takes a deep breath before continuing. "I can't stay in Amnesty Bay. There's nothing there for me. My parents..." He doesn't finish the thought, Jenna and Arthur perfectly aware of his problems with his parents. "In the Navy I can get out of that rut and see the world. Your Dad always talks about his Navy days like it was the best time of his life. And maybe I can make a difference."

"Or you can get shot or blown up or drowned!" Jenna objects.

Arthur swallows a bite of his cone before adding his support. "Yeah, no offense man, but you aren't exactly the physical, soldiering type. Hell, can you even take an order without adding a sarcastic comeback?"

"Drop down and give me twenty!" Jenna says, pretending to be a drill sergeant. Next she does her best Brian impression. "Twenty what? Bucks? I left my wallet in my other pants!"

Arthur laughs out loud. Brian smiles despite himself, shaking his head at the idea. "Yeah well maybe I need something like that. Maybe it's time I grow up."

"What? Grow up?" Arthur asks sarcastically. He jumps off the bench and grabs Brian's arms, shaking him. "What have you done with Brian? Where is he?"

"Are you sure about this?" Jenna asks, standing up and walking over to join them. "Is this really what you want?"

"Sure? Hell no," Brian jokes. "Is it what I want? Yes."

"Then who are we to stand in your way?" Arthur asks, clapping Brian on the back. "And the best part of all is now I can call you a seamen!" Jenna rolls her eyes, but Brian snickers at the childish joke.

The three friends return to walking down the boardwalk. Jenna and Arthur's conversation is pushed to the back of their minds as the three continue discussing the specifics of Brian's future.

****

"Piece of cake!" Selinda shouts.

Baran finishes hiding their loot by moving the giant rock over the alcove they made under the Queensland Boardwalk. They'll keep the money here for a while until things cool down, then come back and get out of town with it.

It wasn't hard to lose the police after their escape from the bank. The SUV was stolen, and once they reached the Queensland Bridge, it was a simple matter for them to ditch it by Baran tossing it over the side and into the river. Then a quick jump in themselves, Selinda holding onto Baran's back and cushioning their fall by thickening the air around them and slowing their descent. Now there's no trail for the police to follow.

"Mmmm!" Baran rubs his stomach at the smell of the food on the boardwalk above them. "Can we get some food, Selinda? Please?"

"I don't see why not, baby brother," Selinda says. She finishes stuffing a wad of spending money into her pocket and takes Baran's arm. "I'm a bit hungry myself after all that excitement."

The siblings walk along the beach and head for the stairs that lead up to the boardwalk. Once they arrive, Selinda smiles as her brother looks at all the food carts, excitement in his eyes. Sometimes she feels bad that Baran still has the mentality of a child and sometimes she envies how the simple things in life can make him so happy.

"So what would you like to eat first?"

Baran looks about, not sure what to pick. Finally his eyes settle on a fried dough stand. Without a word, he heads off, practically dragging Selinda along. She has to jog to keep from being pulled behind him.

After devouring three orders of fried dough, two cheeseburgers, four slices of pizza, a caramel apple, and a banana split, Baran finally slows down and takes a seat. Selinda is grateful for the rest her feet desperately needed. Her rest doesn't last long when Baran spots a bumper car ride.

"Selinda, can we do the bumper cars?" Baran rushes off without waiting for her answer. Selinda runs after him. She tries to pull him out of line, but to no avail. "I want to do the bumper cars!"

Selinda looks around as people begin to stare. "I know baby, but you're too big for the bumper cars. Why don't we go do the ring toss? Or you can show off at the test of strength?"

"I want the bumper cars!"

More people begin to stare as Baran gets louder. Selinda notices a pair of police officers in the distance walking in their direction. She grabs Baran's arm and turns him so their backs are to the officers. "Baby there are cops coming," she whispers. "We can't do the bumper cars right now but I promise we will later."

"Stop treating me like a child!" Baran yells at her, pushing her away. Selinda falls backward onto the boardwalk, landing on her elbows. The crowd jumps back at the sudden violence. Baran, not meaning to hurt his sister, rushes over to help her up. Unfortunately for them, the damage is done.

"All right, what's going on here?" one of the officers asks, pushing his way through the crowd.

****

"Uh oh," Brian says in a serious voice. Arthur and Jenna look at him, waiting for him to explain. "Bathroom break!" Brian thrusts the large plastic bag holding the t-shirt he bought, a black shirt with the words, "Greater Machine" and an arrow pointing down, into Jenna's hands before rushing off.

Jenna and Arthur share a laugh before falling into an uncomfortable silence. They loiter around an information kiosk, Jenna leaning against the side while Arthur paces in a small circle in front of her. Alone once again, neither is sure what to say. Arthur is the first to break the silence.

"So...Navy. Brian in the Navy? Crazy."

'Yep."

Arthur continues, "Brian. In the Navy."

"Yes, we've discussed this," Jenna says, her tone slightly annoyed. "This has been brought up and discussed. I think we've moved beyond it now."

Staring off into the nothing, Arthur replies in a grave tone, "I don't know if I can ever move beyond it. Our nation's security could rest in the hands of Brian Collins." Arthur's eyes suddenly turn to look at Jenna, who begins to laugh despite herself. Arthur joins in soon after.

Once she finishes laughing, Jenna finally asks, "So are we going to talk about this or what?"

"This?"

Jenna growls and waves her hand back and forth between them "This! Us. You and me."

Arthur's mind races. Possibilities he's never considered hit him all at once. He finds himself running over everything he's ever thought or felt about his best friend.

"Hello?" Jenna asks, impatient.

"I don't...I just...this isn't really the time..."

Arthur's fumbling is interrupted by screams coming from behind them. Arthur turns at the sound and Jenna steps up and grabs his arm. People begin to stampede toward them, running from something that has them panicked. Arthur wraps his arm around Jenna's waist and pulls her close, positioning her protectively behind him as he starts pushing people away.

"What's going on?" Jenna yell over the noise.

"I don't know! I think..." Peering down the boardwalk, Arthur can barely make out what appears to be a fight. It doesn't seem panic worthy, until he sees a person go flying twenty feet in the air over the side of the boardwalk. "Holy shit!"

"Guys!" Brian shouts, pushing through the crowd to reach them. "What happened?"

"Some kind of fight!" Arthur tells him. "Let's get out of here! Go!"

The three friends turn and start making their way through the fleeing crowd. Arthur keeps his arm around Jenna, pushing away anyone who gets too close to her. It's a slow going process, and Arthur stops time to time to help up people who've been shoved to the ground. As they pass a cell phone cart, it suddenly explodes in a hail of debris. Arthur quickly wraps his arms around Jenna. When they look down at the remnants of the cart, they see a police officer lying motionless on the ground. His face is covered in blood and misshapen, like a soup can dropped on the floor.

Unintentionally, Arthur reaches out and reads the officers final thoughts. The image of a woman's face, bright and smiling, is contrasted by the intense sadness coming from the officer. <Susan. Susan forgive me. Oh God.> The thoughts abruptly end in a way Arthur has never felt before. They don't simply stop, but seem to fade away, like a car radio as it speeds off down the street.

Tears fall down Arthur's cheeks. He looks up and sees a giant figure walking in their direction. The man is at least seven feet tall and covered with muscles. He stomps his feet on the boardwalk like a petulant child, cracking the wood with every step. Behind him, a woman with dark red hair tries to grab the man's arm and get his attention.

"Arthur c'mon!" Jenna yells, trying to get him moving again.

Arthur looks down at Jenna's face, her eyes full of fear. He looks back at the large man headed toward them, back at the dead officer, and back to Jenna. An intense look comes across Arthur's face. A look that almost scares Jenna. Anger.

"Brian take her!" Arthur shouts, pushing Jenna toward him. "Get out of here!"

"What?" Brian shouts, confused.

"I'm going to get that cop!" Arthur lies. "Now go!" Brian and Arthur lock eyes. Seeing the intense determination in his friend, Brian doesn't object.

"Arthur, no! Stop!" Jenna screams as Brian tries to drag her away.

<Jenna go! I have to do this!>

<Arthur! No! No! No! Please come on!>

Arthur doesn't look back. <I'll be all right. Please go. This ends now.>

Jenna finally relents and turns to run with Brian. Arthur wipes the tears from his face and walks directly into the path of the oncoming storm. The large man, his shaggy beard covered in blood and grime, sees Arthur standing defiantly in his path. With a mighty roar, he charges.

-To Be Continued-