Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ TTHS-City Musical: The Phantom of the City ❯ The last act of Jackson ( Chapter 12 )

CHAPTER TWEVLE

A couple of days passed, and then was the day of the inspection, but what the people and Jackson himself were shocked to discover was not just the president's inspectors or officials, but in fact… the president himself, and his wife. They were personally going to supervise the inspection.

They had arrived first by plane, and then traveled by limo to town-hall. As surprised as the people were, they did as they were ordered over the days and cheered for the president's arrival.

Jackson was the most shocked out of anyone in the entire city. “Why did you not tell me the president himself was coming?” He growled at Dodgers. “But sir… how was I supposed to know?” whispered Dodgers.

As the president's limo halted, out came two goons, and Kato himself. Dick and friends were there with front row seats. Raven's smile grew the widest it ever had been. Kato saw her and dashed over to her taking her in her arms. “Kato!” cried Raven.

“I thought I'd never see you again.” Her boyfriends whispered to her, and then he pecked her tenderly. He received a warm home-welcoming from the others as well. Garfield and Terra were there too, and they too we're grateful to see him, and Kato whispered to Garfield. “I told them nothing of you.”

Garfield was grateful, but now… he and Terra had a plan to get underway. If it worked, Jackson would be out of town by nightfall. “Go… now!” Garfield whispered to her, “And Terra ran off. Nobody saw her, thank goodness.

“Phase one begins…” Garfield muttered.

Then the president himself and his wife exited the limo, and both Jackson and Dodgers were there to greet them. “Smile, Dummy!” Jackson snapped silently to Dodgers.

The two exchanged their welcomes to the president and his wife, but the man seemed in no mood for any formal speeches. “Mayor Jackson…” he said. “I have received reports in regards of your… particular running if this city.”

Jackson, as was expected put his charade into action. and promised the president and his wife that the reports he read were false. “There is no unhappiness in our humble little town, or crime either for that account. If you will permit me to show you…”

The president and his wife decided to go along and inspect the town with a small tour. They were surprised to see the jails were empty, and the billboards for things Jackson was planning to build in place of what they saw. “Industries… parkways… not a single fun area to be seen.” said the wife.

Jackson merely expressed that was why he was planning to build the newer, considerable more fun places and buildings. “Now then… shall we continue the tour?” he went off with his council following, but the president and his wife silently spoke too each other…

“And how does the mayor seem to you…?” asked the President, his wife silently scoffed. “Like a Cornish buffoon whose had too much to drink.”

The tour lasted until about noon, and the president was quite surprised. “From the reports I had been reading… they spoke of even larger problems, almost even a rebellion, and what of this outlaw you have had trouble with-- this so-called… phantom…?”

Jackson did his best to cover up his bad tracks, “But the phantom… he is a crafty one.”

“I see…” replied the president. Then he and his wife decided to adjourn to their stay at the best five-star hotel in town and continue their inspection-tour later. Jackson even insisted upon hold a celebration feast for many, to which the president was willing to allow.

Garfield noted that everything was going all right, and then he quietly slipped off himself. “Now where's he goin'?” asked Vic.

“Who knows and who cares?” snapped Raven.

Dick and Kori were also outraged by the behavior of the president. Why couldn't he see through that Jackson was playing him for a sucker? Luckily, Kato had an idea, and invited all of them to the party that night… by request of the president of course.

Kato had told the president about his friends and all of them helping to make Dick's letter. “He wants us all there as his honored guests. Now don't ask any more… we better just do it.”

The others were inclined to agree, but decided to at least get some better clothes first.

…

That night, the five-star hotel was full of people who had been invited to the party. Dick and friends sat near the president's table, and Jackson sat with the president, and his wife. He hoped that things would go smoothly so the president would soon leave and he could go back to his own terrorizing the town and make all the money he needed.

The dinner went smoothly and the president was seemingly well-taken by Jackson's kind offering, when suddenly, “I've caught him!” called a voice. Everyone turned their attention to the entrance doors and saw Terra stepping through dragging a large and heavy burlap bag on rope. “I've caught him!” she replied.

“What is the meaning of this, Ms. Markov!” snarled Jackson. “Showing up to a party uninvited…!”

“Mayor Jackson… you know this young lady?” asked he president. Jackson explained who Terra was, “But why have you come here?” she asked again, “And what have you in that bag?”

As she stood the bag upright, Terra announced that she had done the impossible. “I captured... the phantom!” and she let the bag loose revealing Garfield Logan, in his ordinary clothes.

The people were confused, especially Dick and friends… though Kato was only pretending. “Is she serious…?” he asked.

“Now way, man…” said Vic. “Garfield…? The phantom…?”

Dick and Kori refused to believe it, but Terra immediately explained before someone had asked that she caught him transforming as she was passing by.

Jackson's confusion suddenly faded into joy and glee as he and the President with his wife approached the pair. “So… this young man is the phantom, is he?” Jackson hissed. “Well done, Ms. Markov. Very well done…!”

The president and his wife, however, refused to believe this. “So you are Garfield Logan, yes…?” The president asked, and rather than scold him for what he was just accused of they shook hands. “I've always wanted to meet you young man.”

Jackson was most confused and near outraged. “Sir… you know this boy?”

The president did not know Garfield's personally, but he remembered once when Garfield had written a paper on the natural history of the country and congress when he was in high school. It was during a time in which all students were required to do so and the best one would be sent to Washington to take part in a presidential speech. Garfield's was the best one, and the president had long since dreamt of one day meeting the youthful mind who ever wrote such art and inspiration about such things.

“Excuse me!” snapped Jackson. “Begging your pardon sir, but this young man was just accused of being the phantom. To which I highly believe.”

Garfield mere stated that the Mayor was confused and apart from mentioning how many drinks the mayor had had that night, he also explained to the president that it was all a misunderstanding. “I was merely in the alley's practicing for my sideshows in the street.”

Pulling the bag over his head again he changed into the phantom's costume. “I use costumes in my act all the time.” He said. “I only wanted to use the phantom's costume because people seem appreciative of his actions against the tyranny.”

“Tyranny…?” asked the president to Jackson. He was starting to sound cross. “But you heard what Ms. Markov said.” Jackson stammered trying to weasel out. “She saw this by transform before her.”

Terra explained she was only doing as she was asked of him. “What does that mean?” asked the president's wife. She then cast a look at Jackson. “Did you employee this young girl into working for you, Jackson?”

“Never mind, darling…” said the president. “I'd like to get back on the subject Garfield mentioned-- about this so-called tyranny. Because in the reports I had read there was nothing but mentions of tyranny and other offences.”

Jackson, again, tried to cover up for his tracks, and all five members of his council vouched for his words, but no one else in the entire hotel lobby agreed and merely gave them all strange and aggravated looks. “Would you excuse me a moment, please…?” Jackson asked.

“Very well.” said the president. “But you will not be permitted to leave this building.” And he ordered his goons, and the police who were there to completely surround the place, all exits, both inside and out.

Terra and Garfield winked at one-another, and then the president wanted to conduct a little experiment, and he motioned for someone to come closer.

…

Jackson and Dodgers had gone to the kitchen, where no one was about. All the chefs and waiters were outside amongst the crowd. “If that girl says that boy is the phantom, then he must be!” snapped Jackson. He spoke quietly to make certain hat he was not overhead.

“But sir… you heard all the other evidence.” said Dodgers.

Jackson went redder than ever. “You take the side of those plotting against me?!” he growled.

“Sir… I am merely suggesting--”

“Save your excuses.” Jackson cut in. “I have an idea.”

He and Dodgers went back outside, and the phantom was there now fully clothed and had his mask on. The president asked Jackson if he reconfirm his statement. “Are you certain this young lady is not as mistaken as you are?”

Jackson insisted on Terra's word that Garfield was the phantom. Now that he was fully-clothed, Jackson recognized the height, shape, and other distinguishing characteristics the phantom carried. “True, others may be the same height as Mr. Logan. Some may also have the same characteristics, but there can be no doubt in my mind that Garfield Logan is the phantom.”

At that moment, Garfield popped up form standing behind a stone column. “This is turning into quite the obsession, isn't it?”

Jackson went wide-eyed, and many of the people exchanged remarks of confusion. The phantom then pulled off his mask and hat to reveal Dick Grayson. Kori shot him a wink, and Dick nodded at her.

The president explained he had asked Dick to don the costume as a test of Jackson's judgment, and no charges were to be placed against him. “What have you to say now?”

Jackson was in real hot water now. He still insisted that he was right and that Garfield was in fact the phantom, but as he ranted and raved, Garfield couldn't but notice distinguishing qualities of Jackson's voice… they sounded somewhat familiar, especially when he ranted about how he was once cheated out of making a new industry in Africa twelve years ago. Suddenly, after a series of flashbacks and memories of his past, “You…!” Garfield snarled.

Jackson turned to face Garfield, “Excuse me…?”

“You're… you're that guy!” replied Garfield. “You're the one who blew up the dam when I was five.”

“Jackson? What is this about?” the president asked.

Jackson was very confused. He remembered blowing up a dam to make way for a new industry in Africa. It washed over a village he knew was evacuated “And that is all I know.”

Garfield's eyes were blazing with anger as he gazed Jackson down. “What may I ask are you staring at?” Jackson growled, but his answer came Garfield's most wanted to say words of all. “My name is Garfield Mark Logan! You killed my parents! Prepare to pay!”

He stood there clenching his fists. “Are you threatening me?” snapped Jackson. Garfield didn't respond to that and merely repeated his phrase. “My name is Garfield Mark Logan! You killed my parents! Prepare to pay!”

Suddenly Jackson recalled Garfield's last name. “Why you're that annoying little boy whose parents got in my face about my asking them to leave.”

Garfield then charged at Jackson ready to tackle him and beat him to a bloody pulp, but Dick, Vic and Kato dashed over to hold him back. “MURDERER…!” Garfield shouted at Jackson while trying to break free. “My name is Garfield Mark Logan! You killed my parents! Prepare to pay!”

“Yo' man, chill!” Vic said while trying to hold Garfield down.

“What are you mean he killed you're parents?” Dick asked.

Garfield settled down a little. “Go on… tell them!” he snarled. “Tell them you didn't even bother to wait until the village was evacuated, and you blew up the damn anyway!”

“Jackson!” snarled the president. “Is this true…?”

Jackson tried to deny it, but the people didn't believe him for an instant. They booed, and taunted him, but finally Jackson decided to put his plan into action. Grabbing a gun from one of the police, scaring the crowd, he poised it at Garfield. “I am still convinced that you are the phantom.” He growled. “And now we shall see for certain!”

“Jackson….!” snarled the president's wife, “You stop this at once!”

“No!” shouted Jackson. “Hear me out. This will ultimately prove that Garfield is the one lying and not I.”

He was planning to shoot Garfield only to wound him, not to kill. He had a sneaking feeling that Garfield, or rather the phantom would easily avoid the shot with the same trickery he always had. “If anyone can think of no other way…?” Jackson asked. No one said a thing, not even the president. “Dear, stop this!” begged his wife. Then suddenly, something caught his eye outside the window, and he agreed to let this happen.

Dick and friends tried to protest, but it was no good. Jackson cocked the gun and pointed it directly at Garfield. “Any last words…?” he asked sinisterly.

Garfield then looked up. “Yeah…! Two actually…” he said. “Heads up…!”

Jackson was confused, until a playing-card struck his hand. “G'ah!” He looked up, and saw in the rafters. “The phantom…?”

The phantom did not speak, but merely waved to everyone, and then began to hop along the rails towards an open window. “Get him!” shouted Jackson, and the police opened fire, but the phantom merely blasted at the cops and turned their guns into squirt-guns making them useless, and before leaving, the phantom dropped a letter into the president's hand.

The president read the letter out loud…

Sorry to have missed all the fun, and hopefully my services will no longer be required.

-The Phantom

Now all eyes in the room were gazing straight at Jackson with very cross features…

As for the phantom, who had made it outside and leapt up to a dark terrace where the guards could not see and crept into an empty hotel room…

…It was Terra!

She had crept silently away while everyone's attention had been highly preoccupied, and donned a second phantom suit Garfield made for her. Terra was roughly Garfield's height and she wore a body suit underneath her clothes to hide her female form. Garfield had taught her, in such short time, how to perform his phantom tricks, and to be just as agile and slippery as he was.

This was their plan if Jackson took the bait, which he had. Now they knew there would be no more worrying. Still, Terra was amazed with herself as she changed her clothes.

“Wow!” she muttered to herself. “Did I really do all that…? I'm better than I thought.”