Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ TTHSCity Musical: WASP ❯ Racing the Clock ( Chapter 6 )

CHAPTER SIX

The Murakami School was now just a mountain of rubble. It was no more!

The poor citizens and students were exceedingly worried about the people who were still trapped inside, but they were ordered off the grounds by the authorities. Only the police, rescue authorities, and Wasp members were still around, including Shepard.

It was extremely doubtful if Arella and the students were still alive after such an event, but they were going try and make contact.

…

Underneath all that rubble, it was pitch black. You wouldn't be able to even see your hand before your face if Vic hadn't had his flashlight from auto-shop on him. “Ah, man!” he groaned as he rubbed his head.

The others all struggled awake. They all had just a few bruises, and were covered in dirt. The Wasp soldier was stuck. Her left arm had been broken when she fell. “Ah!”

“Easy! Take it easy.” said Kato.

The soldier needed help, so everyone took off their neckties and Raven and Kori even removed their long white socks. They tied the socks and ties together into a small brace for the soldier's arm. “Thank you.” she said.

Still, that didn't help them with the fact they were trapped in a hole about fifteen feet wide, under a mountain of rubble. Digging their way out was out of the question as they would mostly likely bring the whole thing crashing down on their heads. The worst part, though it was dark, they could hear water seeping in from below.

The Wasp soldier decided she'd have to expose herself if it meant getting a message outside. Reaching with her right arm, she pulled out a pen exactly like the one Garfield had. “Ah! Not another pen player.” Vic groaned, but the soldier merely clicked the pen once… she gazed at Raven through her helmet visor and then spoke into her pen. “This is Major Arella Roth…”

Raven gasped…

“Is there anyone out there who can hear me?”

“Major Roth, I can hear you.” said Shepard. “How in the world are you still alive under all that?”

“Shepard…?” Vic murmured. Kori and Kato were confused as well.

Arella continued to explain that apart from a broken arm, she and the students were okay, “But don't ask me why we weren't crushed or suffocating. It's a miracle!” She explained about the situation they were in and the water that was coming in, and to contact headquarters at once.

…

Garfield was the first one to hear about this, and he forwarded it to Steve and Rita at once. The problem is they were already very busy trying to deal with Henry and his threat, and with just under five and a half hours left, but they were sending a rescue teams. They would arrive in a couple of hours.

Garfield, again, asked for permission to join the rescue, but he was once more told to stay where he was by Steve. “But sir…!”

“Colonel, you do as you're told!” Then he logged off. “UGH!! Dude… I can't believe he is so stubborn!”

Terra was worried sick about her friends, and she wondered how all of this was happening as well. The bombs hadn't gone off yet, “So why would the ground just start to cave in?”

Garfield explained to her it was because of underground rivers…

Many cities had rivers running beneath them, and cities that were near coats lines like Jump-City would have much faster and stronger flowing rivers from the ocean. They had never been considered much of threat, but somehow, Henry's men had tampered with the river flow, making the water flow faster and more violent to eat away at the rock and supports, weakening the ground.

This meant that water would continue to flood into the hole that was protecting their friends. They'd drown if the rescue team didn't get there in time. They couldn't just beam them out either because the mountain of rubble over their heads blocked them from view.

Now Terra was really worried, but she couldn't understand why Henry would want to do all this to the world, and finally… Garfield explained it all…

Henry K. Foster, he was once a Wasp member, who helped design and program all the crafts, technologies, everything that the Wasps had, including the six-million dollar brain. He originally planned to transplant that brain into himself to make him smarter, stronger, and everything that Garfield was, but the thought of so much power had affected his mind. He began to have crazy plans of becoming president of the United States, or even the World's richest and powerful man and leading a world thought up by him.

He was deemed too crazy to continue, so he was banished by Steve and Rita, and the only six-million dollar brain he built was placed in Garfield to save his life.

Over the years, Henry had gone into hiding, and began to supply terrorists and bad guys to take his revenge on the world. For so many years they tried to find him and capture him. It would stop terrorism by a large majority, and things would be a lot safer… but he was a sly one, that Henry. He always managed to escape.

He wanted Garfield's six-million dollar brain to gain intelligence and abilities unimaginable and carry out his insane goals, and unless he got it before time was up,

“We've searched every corner of the Earth, and so have other liberals and authorities-- we just can't find him. If only we had a clue.”

…

Dick was still locked up, and tied up, in Henry's base, but luckily the guard was fast asleep, and remembering his Boy Scout days, he managed to untie himself, but he still had to break free from his cell, and like most cases, he managed to sneak the key from the snoring guard, escape his cell, and tiptoe out.

“Gee… for a genius he sure doesn't think well for security.”

The only problem was he was still on the Moon, and had no idea how he had gotten there in the first place. He only had one chance; he'd have to find a way to send out a message. If he could get to a radio, maybe he could change the frequency from what he knew about radios and electronics.

But sneaking all around the base was no easy task, as guards were everywhere. Still, he pressed on… eventually coming to an empty mainframe room, where the computers were all blinking, and whirring. “Lucky me…” he said when he realized that the transmission controls were easy. All he had to do was send a subtitled message, to avoid being heard by anyone.

Thinking quickly he typed in a small message, and hoped someone would pick it up. “Please work…” he said with his fingers crossed, and he hit the send-button.

Henry was far so excited about his assured victory, now only five hours away, when one of his goons burst in in a panic. “Boss…! Boss…!”

“Can't you see I'm busy…?” growled Henry. “What's all the fuss…? Why aren't you guarding the boy?”

When Henry was told that the guard just woke up… and Dick was gone. Henry went red in the face. He tried to stay as calm as he could as he said his next sentence, “You find that boy, and bring him to me… AND I MAY DECIDE NOT TO KILL YOU!”

The red alarm sounded, and Dick knew he had to find a place to hide, and fast. Luckily, when he stole that Guard's key, he also stole his keycard pass which opened all security doors, and activated their locks which gave him an outside chance… but for what? He couldn't escape from the Moon!

…

At Wasp headquarters, Steve and Rita had been pondering for a long time trying to figure out how to stop Henry's plan, but for the first time ever, they came up with nothing, and with less than five hours… what hope was there?

They couldn't jam the bombs… they couldn't stop them all from detonating… almost the entire force was out helping the people of the collapsing cities, and if they gave into Henry's demands it would mean a great deal of more chaos and misery.

Steve never thought this day would come, but it looked as if he had no choice. “No!” cried Rita. “We can't just surrender.”

“Rita, what other choice do we have?” said her husband. “I say we surrender, and that's an order.”

Rita hesitated for a moment and just as Steve was ready to call up Henry and give him the message of surrender. “No!” Rita shouted and she held her husband's arm down preventing the transmission. “Colonel Dayton! How dare you defy my orders!” snarled Steve.

“I defy because I know I'm right!” snapped his wife. “You've never given up in your whole life, and now here you are about to put billions of lives in danger because…”

“Billions of lives will all be in even greater danger if we don't surrender. You heard what Henry said!” protested Steve. “At least this way we can all stay alive.”

“For what…? Slavery…? Injustice…? A corrupted world lead by a madman…?”

Garfield came on the monitor. “If you two would stop arguing, I have something!” he shouted. He showed them the message they had just received on scrambler…

S.O.S

Foster… on Dark side…of Moon!

Bomb fuses controlled here

Time is short!

Need help!

S.O.S: Dick Grayson!

“The Moon…?” exclaimed Steve. “The Moon…! Of course…!” All this time they had searching for Henry on the Earth, when a genius like would know the Wasps wouldn't even think of searching elsewhere.

Steve ordered the rest of the Wasp team, still at the base, to launch for the Moon at once.

With rocket-ships, and space-jets always at the ready, the soldiers were soon on their way, and would reach the moon soon, but Garfield insisted. “There's no time! I'm going there, myself!”

“Garfield Logan, don't you defy me as well!” snarled Steve.

…

Garfield gazed at Terra. She nodded at him, which told him to go for it, and for once, Cindi said nothing. “Sorry sir! Radio reading, W.I.R!” and Garfield closed off.

…

“Garfield…! Garfield…!” snarled Steve, but Garfield didn't come back. Steve had never felt more outraged than ever. Rita was a little disappointed in Garfield taking such a chance too, but knowing he couldn't be stopped, all she could do was hope her foster son would return safely.

…

Only four and half hours remained until the bombs went off. The rescue team just nearing the danger zone in Jump City, while other cities were still being evacuated as buildings fell due to the land subsidence form the underground rivers. Many were hurt, others left homeless, but so far no live were lost yet…!

The captives were still trapped under the wreckage of the school, and the water was coming in faster. At this rate it was only a matter of hours before they'd be under… that is… if the rubble above them didn't decide to cave in.

Worst of all, Dick was still doing his best to outrun Henry's guards, as far as the keycard he had would take him.

Here We Go!

Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh,
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Here We Go!
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh-oh...

Hey, what's up, Superstar?
Looks like you're goin' far,
Hey look it's Wonderguy,
Gonna make ya plenty fine,
Now what's up, Wondergirl?
You're gonna change the world,

So everything's not perfect,
Don't matter 'cause,
You rework it,
No-thing's holding you,
Never stopping,
Never stopping,
Never stopping now,

Henry's men decided to split up, while did something about Dick's keycard. He'd block it, preventing Dick from escaping any further, but now by this point he didn't care what his men did to the boy once they found him. “If you can't get him alive… kill him!”

Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh,
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Here We Go!
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh-oh...

As the Moon itself was beyond the range of the transporter, Garfield put on a light-weight space-suit and helmet, and headed to the lower level of the observatory where a few small jet craft were there… just in case of emergencies.

Terra wanted to come along too, but once again, Garfield said, “No…! This is no mission for you. Besides, I need you more here. Now promise me… you'll not leave this station, on your solemn oath as a Cadet.”

Terra acknowledged, and soon Garfield was off, headed right for the Moon!

Hey what's up dynamite?
Takin off on a new flight,
Step it up to number 1,
It won't back off until it's,
Gonna be like a great fly,
You're gonna be the next flier...

Terra stood by the viewport and kept watching Garfield's ship head out at full speed. She never felt so afraid in her life, especially towards Garfield. She now realized for the first time just how truly special he was to her…

“Garfield… whatever you do… just come back safely… to me.” He murmured under her breath.

So every-thing is crazy,
Don't matter 'cause,
No-thing's fazing,
You...get...though...it,
Never stopping,
Never stopping,

While at the same time, Garfield finally realized how much Terra really meant to him. All the times she tried to be nice to him, and he just acted mean and grouchy to her, even though he did it for a reason…

Now all he could think about was her, and all he had put her through more when she was forced to join the force. “I promise, Terra...” he thought to himself. “I'll capture Henry, I'll stop this attack, I'll save Dick… and no matter what… I'll come back to you.”

Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Here We Go!
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh-oh...

Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Here We Go!
Oh-oh, Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh-ohhhhhh....

…

The rescue team had arrived. The men already estimated that they couldn't tunnel their way under, but the aqua team had already dispended their mini-sub units to hurry along the underground cavern entrances under the water at the coastline. Their plan was to cruise along the underground rivers and locate the trapped people. Hopefully they would reach them before the water got any higher where they were siting.

…

The captives were already waist deep in the rising water. They were shivering too. The water was freezing cold. “M-m-man!” cried Vic. “This is what I call a… c-c-c-cool time!”

Kori felt like she was going to catch pneumonia. “Why don't they come and rescue us already?”

“They're doing their best.” said Arella, “But one of the problems is going to be finding us. We're just a speck in a large underground river.”

Raven almost didn't seem too concerned about that, or even felt that cold in the water. Kato couldn't blame her after what she had found out. “Why, mother?” Raven asked. “Why didn't you tell me about the Wasps?”

Arella feared this would happen one day. “Raven, believe me-- I wanted to tell you for so long, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to put you in any more danger.”

“Yeah… like the danger we're in now.” Vic muttered, but Kato softly nudged him. “Ow…!”

For the first time Raven was starting to understand why her mother always seemed to so busy... so distant-- but that didn't make things anymore right between them, and Arella was well aware of this. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?

She couldn't just undo years of neglect, but she couldn't just forget about her duties either. The safety of the world was very important. “And I'm not…?” snapped Raven and she pitched a pebble into the water.

Arella didn't know how else to show her daughter how she was more important to her than anything. She just hoped she'd get a chance, but the water was still rising faster, and the rescue subs were still a long way away.

Now only three hours remained until the planted bombs would go off.