Post by Stardrifter on May 30, 2013 21:38:15 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter
#6 - Lady Luck: Part One
<Wait up!>
Arthur's thoughts in her mind cause Jenna to stop walking and turn to look for him. Dressed in his usual plain t-shirt and jeans, he walks across the leaf strewn grass toward her. Jenna smiles brightly and waits until he reaches her. She fidgets a bit with her thin black jacket as the wind blows it about.
It still amazes him how quickly they've become comfortable with his telepathy. Once the secret of her feelings for him was no longer hanging over their head, the couple quickly found the privacy and intimacy of their thoughts to be comforting. So much so that they often have to remind themselves to talk out loud while amongst others. When they're together, Arthur keeps their minds connected to where their thoughts are like background noise, only really hearing each other when they want to. They soon learned how annoying hearing every random thought in someone else's head can be. Embarrassing as well, especially when they first tried using it while being intimate.
Arthur finally reaches Jenna and she stands up on her tiptoes to kiss him. A breeze blows strands of her brown hair into his face, and he gently pushes them back into place. "On your way to class?"
Jenna rolls her eyes slightly, looking around at the passing students whose presence has led to Arthur talking out loud. Not that she doesn't enjoy his voice, but telepathy, while private, is also much faster. "Yeah. You?"
"On my way back to my dorm," Arthur tells her. He takes her arm and places it inside his as they continue walking across the Metropolis University campus. "Got out of Statistics early. I have a little time before practice."
"Are you gonna get out early?" she asks, her voice hopeful.
"I don't know," Arthur tells her, raising his eyebrow. "Why would I?"
"Halloween," Jenna says as if stating the obvious.
"Babe, I don't think Coach Johansen considers Halloween an 'Get Out of Practice Early' holiday."
Jenna playfully scowls at his argument, then quickly changes the subject. "You have a costume, right?"
"I...um..."
"Arthur!" Jenna exclaims with exasperation, bringing them to a halt so she can stomp her foot on the ground. "We were supposed to dress up and go down to the Boardwalk."
"Ooooh," Arthur mumbles. He looks down and sees the cold hard stare of a woman both disappointed and angry. "I promise I'll have a costume by tonight." When her eyes roll, Arthur repeats, "I promise!"
The two walk in silence for a few minutes before they reach the entrance to the building her class is in. "I gotta go." She tries to pull away but he holds onto her hand. "Arthur, I gotta go!"
Arthur smiles and tugs on her arm, pulling her to him. His arms wrap around her, pressing her body tightly against his, and he leans in for a kiss. Her lips are warm and her perfume inviting. Leaning his forehead against hers, their lips part, and smile forming on his. "Now you can go."
Jenna laughs, kisses him quickly one last time, then rushes inside. <Love you!>
Arthur takes a deep breath of the cool autumn air and turns to look around. The M.U. grounds are pretty this time of year. A mix of gold, orange, and red sprinkles the trees and the ground throughout the courtyard. Groundskeepers are hard at work, raking up the fallen leaves. In the distance, Arthur watches as a group of students come across an unattended pile of leaves and start playing in it. It doesn't take long for one of the groundskeepers to rush over and start shouting.
A feeling of comfort comes over Arthur as he walks back to his dorm. Strange, he thinks, considering how long it took to adjust to college life. After growing up in a small town in Maine, the energy and fast pace of M.U. took some getting used to. Not to mention going from being a big fish in a small pond to a big fish in an ocean. Besides Jenna and a small handful of their old classmates who came to M.U., everyone was a stranger who cared little about the star quarterback of the Amnesty Bay Buccaneers.
Football tryouts changed that quite a bit. Arthur dialed down his abilities a lot, trying to stand out in the crowd without going too far. His place on the Metros was easily assured, the coach and other players excited at such a player joining them, yet he still had to grin and bear some rookie hazing. Jenna still won't let him live down his run through the hallways in nothing but an adult diaper.
All in all, college life has come to agree with Arthur. Having Jenna here with him has only made the transition easier, though he does often miss Brian and his father. Tom calls regularly to check up on him and let him know about the goings on in Amnesty Bay. All the gossip about whose boat sailed into restricted areas and the scandal of Mrs. Rowell and the mailman. They've yet to hear anything from Brian since his enlistment. Not surprising, given how busy he must be with training. Still, he often wonders how Brian is doing. Arthur decided to respect his decision to join the Navy, despite his certainty Brian is unsuited for military life.
"Arthur! Hey Arthur!"
A woman's voice stirs him from his thoughts. Arthur turns to watch as an Indian woman jogs toward him. Her long brown hair bounces behind her, amongst other things. Arthur is glad Jenna isn't around to pick up his thoughts regarding the woman's curvy body. His initial feelings toward the sight of her are quickly forgotten, and Arthur groans inwardly. "Hi Ada."
"Arthur," Ada says again as she finally reaches him. She walks in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Standing over a foot shorter, she tilts her head back to look up in his face. The angle makes it hard for Arthur to keep his focus on her face. A face Arthur can't help but notice how would be very attractive if not for the almost constant scowl. "Arthur, you heard about our protest?"
How could he not? Ada sits next to him in English Composition. All he ever hears from her is stories of her various protests and activism. "Yeah I..."
"So you're going to be there tonight?" Ada interrupts, her tone almost accusatory, as if daring him to say no. "You said you wanted to do more to make a difference! Be involved in your community!"
Arthur sighs and adjusts his backpack on his shoulder, trying to avoid her intense glare. "Ada, I do want to help. And some of the things you guys do are great. But it's Halloween and..."
"And you'd rather go out and party and get drunk than do something to make a difference in the world?" Ada shouts, pointing her finger to his chest. Her raised voice starts to turn the heads of the passing students. A look of disgust briefly flashes across her face. She is quick to mask it, but Arthur notices.
"I don't think protesting a Halloween party is going to make much of a difference," Arthur says in a calm yet strained voice. "And Hundred isn't..."
"Isn't what?" Arthur can almost see the fumes coming out Ada's ears. "That bad? Mitchell Hundred is a murderer! A war criminal! A vigilante! He thinks he can laugh in the face of the law and then run for mayor? I won't stand by..."
Finally having had enough, it's Arthur's turn to interrupt. "Ada, enough! I appreciate you care for politics, but I've read the same articles you have. Hundred was just a soldier in Afghanistan, doing his duty. As for the Great Machine, he was a hero. Maybe we need some more people like him. When you need help for something I can support I promise I'll be there, but this is silly. I'm not interested." Without giving her a chance to respond, Arthur steps around Ada and continues walking. He can sense the rage coming from the woman behind him, but she leaves it alone and goes her own way.
****
When Arthur finally returns to his dorm room, he starts rummaging through his closet, hoping to find something he can turn into a costume. His easiest bet would be to just wear his football uniform, but he knows Jenna would be disappointed at such laziness. After tearing his closet apart and finding little of use, an old St. Patricks day hat and stained toga, he checks his watch. One-thirty five. Practice is in an hour and a half and will take up the rest of the afternoon. He has a little time to run to the store, he just hopes he can find something left on Halloween afternoon.
*Knock knock knock*
Arthur walks to the door and opens it. Standing outside is one of his dormmates, just who escapes him for the moment, holding a letter out to him. "Hey Arthur. Mail."
"Mail?" Arthur asks, more to himself as his dormmate is already gone. He closes the door and looks down at the letter. The return address is from Great Lakes, IL, where the Recruit Training Command for the Navy is. Knowing he's pressed for time, but unable to set aside a letter from Brian, Arthur sits down at his desk and opens it up.
Hey guys,
Been a while. Hope things are going well in M-Town. By now you'd better be wipping those Metros into shape Arthur. And Jenna, you better be wipping Arthur in to shape too! LOL. Things have been pretty crazy so far. Taking some getting used to, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Had to learn pretty quick to keep my mouth shut surprise surprise. But once I learned to keep my comments to myself, things got a lot better.
They keep us on a pretty strict schedule. Not a lot of down time. What time I have usually goes to sleep! Sorry I havent called. They don't give us much time for that. And when I can I call Mom and let her know I'm ok. Mom and Dad aren't happy I'm here, but whatever. Hopefully I'll be able to call you guys soon. Miss you two. Some cool people here. Made a couple friends. Just not the same.
I don't know. I'm not good at this. I just wanted you guys to know I'm ok. I'm adjusting. I hope you guys are to. Drop me a letter some time if you want. Hope things are going great for you guys.
Your pal,
Brian
Arthur places the letter down and sits back in his chair, mulling it over for a moment. Brian was never the best at putting his thoughts on paper, so it's hard to tell if he should take his words at face value. All he can do is hope Brian truly is fitting in and doing well.
Arthur tucks the letter back in the envelope and sets it aside to show Jenna later. He checks his watch again, one-forty two. Practically leaping out of his chair, he rushes out the door in search of a costume.
****
The evening is unusually warm for October 31st. Ada takes her brown sweater off and throws it into the passengers seat of her car as she exits. She takes a couple steps before turning around and grabbing her sweater again, tying it around her waist for later. It's looking to be a long night.
Other cars begin pulling into the small parking lot next to the docks. Some of the young men and women who step out are Ada's fellow college students. Others are young activists from around Metropolis that they met online. It isn't hard to find others looking to share your cause in a city this big.
Ada leans against the hood of her car and crosses her arms, inspecting the group who has shown up tonight. Fourteen men and women. Only fourteen. She curses under her breath before putting her concerns aside and walking over to take charge. “Thank you all for coming,” Ada says over the pointless chatter, gaining their full attention. “And thank you, George, for letting us use your parent's yacht.”
A finely dressed blond man with a soul patch and a flamboyant red scarf nods in acknowledgement, “Of course, Shubhada." Ada's eye twitches at the use of her full name, a fact that doesn't escape George. “Anything for our cause. Just don't tell Mom and Dad.”
His last comment gets a chuckle from the group, which Ada quickly cuts off. “Enough! This isn't a joke. This isn't a game. We're not here to have a good time and hang out. We're here because Mitchell Hundred is a criminal and has the audacity to think he can run for office in OUR city!”
“Fucking freak,” a greasy young woman with long brown dreadlocks mutters. “He's not even human!”
The group offers their agreement, some even becoming more explicit in their insults. Ada remains quiet for the moment, letting them get it out of their system. Finally, she takes the reins again. “All right, lets get this show on the road! Does everyone have their signs?” The group all pull out their homemade protest signs for inspection. Ada nods in approval and goes to the trunk of her car for her bullhorn. “Let's go.”
“All aboard!” George calls out, his tone jovial, as if they're going out for a pleasure cruise. The group heads down to the docks toward the small luxury ship. “I've got some champagne stocked on board. I brought some salmon we can cook up as well, so we won't go hung...”
Walking a few steps ahead, Ada's eye twitches. Suddenly she hears George cry out and a loud thump. She doesn't look back to see that George tripped on a loose board and landed face first on the dock. The others stop to help George to his feet, but Ada walks on and boards the ship, a smile on her face.
****
In the months since the incident with Baran and Selinda Flinders, the Queensland Boardwalk has not only been rebuilt, but upgraded. Mayor Berkowitz put a call out to both small time businesses and the large corporations based out of Metropolis to see the Boardwalk rebuilt and updated. The response was overwhelming, the destruction used as an excuse to finally update the Boardwalk for modern society. Old businesses rebuilt, new businesses moved in, and by the end of September construction was complete.
For the first Halloween since the reconstruction, the shops and games along the Boardwalk wanted to put on a celebration. This lead to the First Annual Halloween Walk. Parents from all over Metropolis were encouraged to bring their children out for a safe place to trick or treat, and they've come out in droves. Games, raffles, fundraisers, costume contests, and all manner of events are scattered along the Boardwalk on this warm October night.
"Hey Bozo! High five!"
Arthur smiles and gives a high five to the passing inebriated man, reaching up to honk his nose for good measure. Jenna hides her face, her cheeks reddening. She imagines they look silly, her dressed in a somewhat skimpy witch costume, and Arthur covered head to toe in the gaudiest clown costume she'd ever seen. Bright red overalls far too big for him cover a yellow plaid shirt with an oversized white bow tie. A rainbow wig sits atop his head and large shoes on his feet. She doesn't know whether to be jealous or angry at how easily Arthur has taken it in stride.
<It was all they had left,> Arthur sends her his thoughts, sensing her feelings. <Just have fun, babe. Where else is the hottest and wickedest witch in Metropolis gonna be hanging out with the most dashing and handsome clown ever?>
A quick laugh escapes Jenna's mouth, followed by a bright smile. She rolls her eyes up at Arthur's white painted face and bright red nose, finally putting her embarrassment behind her and placing her arm around his lower back. <Okay. But if you're hoping to get anywhere with me tonight, you're gonna change and clean all that makeup off first. Clowns are NOT my thing.>
<That's just because you haven't seen my balloon tricks yet,> Arthur winks at her. He pulls her to a stop in front of a baseball toss game and fishes for his wallet inside the oversized pockets in his overalls.
"Oh you think a prize is going to make up for the clown costume?" Jenna asks with a raised eyebrow, giving more attention to the black eyeshadow around her eyes.
Arthur hands over his money to the gangly attendant and picks up three baseballs. "Who said anything about you?" He points to a pink teddy bear hanging in the corner. "I got my eye on that for my dorm room."
"Oh definitely," Jenna laughs, adjusting her witch hat. "It totally matches your Barbie sheets."
A laugh at Jenna's comment causes Arthur's first throw to go wild, missing the stack of six bottles by a foot. Jenna points and offers an exaggerated laugh of her own at his misfortune. Arthur takes a deep breath and focuses, bringing the baseball up to his large red nose before sending the it flying into the top bottle.
"Heh," the game attendant offers a snarky laugh. He pats down his greasy brown hair and looks at Jenna through glasses too large for his face. "You sure you want to spend your night with this clown? I get off in twenty minutes."
Before Jenna can respond, Arthur winds up and throws the last baseball. The attendant jumps at the sound of glass shattering, the baseball breaking the two bottles it hit and toppling the rest. Arthur turns to the attendant, a smug look on his face, and says, "You were saying?" He motions with his eyes to the pink teddy bear. As they leave, Jenna takes the bear from Arthur and hugs it to her stomach. "We'll discuss visitation rights later," he whispers.
The couple meander a bit, window shopping at some of the shops, before finally coming to the main food area. After standing in line for over fifteen minutes, Arthur returns to Jenna with two overpriced burger and fry meals. The couple sit down on the opposite sides of a picnic table, trying not to disturb the family on the other end of it. Starving after a long afternoon at football practice, Arthur jams the burger into his mouth, bringing it back down with his clown nose attached.
"Ack...ack.." Jenna coughs as she tries to swallow and laugh at the same time. Arthur feigns hurt as he wipes the ketchup and mustard from his clown nose. Jenna continues to laugh as Arthur, with tender care, places the nose in the chest pocket of his overalls.
Jenna looks around as she takes a sip of her Pepsi. Out on the water, lights shine from all the ships and boats out on the water. She can see a large cruise liner on it's way out deeper into the ocean. When she looks down at the beech and the dark water crashing along the shore, she's reminded of Arthur's fight with the two bank robbers a couple months ago. She remembers how worried she was as she waited with Brian for what seemed like forever for Arthur to come back.
"Oh Brian!" Arthur shouts through a mouthful of french fries at the sudden recollection. "I got a letter from him today."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Jenna asks, slapping Arthur playfully in the wrist for not mentioning it sooner. "What'd it say?"
"Not a lot. Was pretty short. Mostly that he misses us but is doing well and adjusting to Navy life."
"What did you read between the lines?" Jenna asks, concern in her voice. Having finished what she can of her burger, she begins ritually preparing a mixture of ketchup and pepper for her french fry consumption.
"I don't know. It's hard to tell. You can read it when we get back if you want, judge for yourself." Arthur finishes inhaling the last of his burger and gulps down his root beer. Quickly gathering up his trash, he walks away to throw it in the garbage, using it as an excuse to let out a rather loud burp away from his girlfriend. When he returns, he sits down in the now vacant spot next to Jenna, his back to the table. He leans in and kisses her cheek before placing his clown nose back in place, honking it for her. Jenna laughs and reaches up to wipe off the makeup she's certain is on her cheek.
"So how was chemistry?" Arthur asks as he watches the water. The night sky is clear, the stars shining brightly around a half moon. "You had a test, right?"
"It was fine," Jenna offers through bites of french fries. She takes her last fry and drags it along the last remains of her ketchup, scooping up as much as she can. "Professor Mathewson gave us another open book quiz. I don't think he even cares whether we learn anything or not."
"My favorite kind of teacher!" Arthur's smile quickly fades at the look Jenna gives him. "Kidding. Is he at least doing enough so you can learn? My Statistics teacher's lectures are so half-assed. The students in the back can't even hear her, not that they'd be learning anything if they could."
"I'm sorry." Jenna turns around to face the same way as Arthur and places a hand on his right thigh, rubbing it gently. "Mathewson's not that bad. I'm learning. But I want to. Some of the other students I'm sure are just..."
A bright flash and booming explosion cut Jenna off. The crowd falls silent as they all stare out along the ocean. Arthur jumps to his feet to watch as the cruise liner that was on it's way out to sea bursts into flames. It's so far away that it's hard to see clearly, even for him. After just seconds of silence, the crowd all begin talking at once. Many pull out their cell phone to call 911. Some simply to take picture and videos of the burning ship.
Jenna stands up next to Arthur and places a hand on his shoulder. She can see the look of determination already coming to his face. <Go. It's okay.>
Arthur finally tears his eyes off the ship and turns to Jenna. Their eyes meet, and he's surprised to find the strength of will behind her beautiful brown eyes. <Are you sure?>
<Of course! People are dying. I know you want to help. I want you to. Go!>
Arthur puts and hand on the small of her back and pulls her in for a kiss. Without another thought, he rushes off to find a spot he can enter the ocean unseen. Jenna watches him go, as he sheds the clown nose and rainbow wig, and doesn't even reach up to wipe the red makeup off her face. <Be careful.>
Arthur leaps into the water and cuts through the waves like a knife. It takes him less than a minute to reach the ship. Peeking his head up above the surface, he inspects the area. Fire rages from the cabins in the back, but so far it remains contained. The rest of the ship and the deck is free of flames. He can hear the panicked shouts of the people on board. So far he can't see or sense anyone in the water, so he swims toward the side of the ship and looks for a way up. He quickly finds a ladder.
He makes it about halfway up, water dripping from his hair into his smeared clown makeup, when the loud crack of gunfire rings out in the night air. Screams follow, more gunfire not far behind. Arthur quickens his pace, leaping up the ladder two or three rungs at a time.
From the deck of the ship he finds something he missed before. A much smaller, personal yacht is floating along the aft side of the ship. The dozen or so people on board are shouting and leaping around in a crazed panic. He can see at least one body lying prone on the deck.
More gunfire draws Arthur's attention back to the cruise liner. His bare feet slap against the deck as he runs toward the danger. Having discarded the rest of his clown costume in the water, he is clad in only a white tank top and blue boxers with red stripes. He quickly starts running into fleeing passengers. They offer him hardly a second glance, too frightened to notice him beyond the double take at the red and white makeup running down his face.
The crowd quickly becomes too thick for him to run through, so Arthur leaps onto the railing and runs along it with the precision of a gymnast. When he finally reaches the main deck, he finds a terrible scene. Four bodies lay across the deck, three dead and one bleeding out. Four large men in black suits take aim at the same target, a small brunette woman with her back to them, and open fire.
What happens next baffles Arthur. One gun explodes in the owners hand, leaving a mangled stump. He falls to the deck, crying in agony. Two of the other guns jam, the owners pulling frantically on the triggers to no effect. The last gunman's hand suddenly jerks to the side, the gun firing wildly and hitting a fleeing passenger. The woman slowly turns, gazing upon the men with disdain, and fires a blast of pink energy from her hands. The men are all knocked back from the blast.
Having no idea what is going on or who is at fault, he reacts simply based on the hate he can feel emanating from the woman, and his desire to at least contain the situation. He leaps into the air, soaring over the deck, and tackles the woman. Arthur isn't sure how, but he overestimates the distance and hits the woman up high, allowing her to roll with the momentum and end up on top of him. She raises her fist and it glows pink, ready to fire, when Arthur gets a good look at her face.
"Ada?"
Her name is enough to give her pause. She inspects his face and realizes who it it. "Arthur?"
In unison, they say. "What the hell are you doing here?"
-To Be Continued-