Change of Plans

Chapter 3

Gar knew this was a stupid idea, had known it from the beginning, when Jason had asked him to chase after Doctor Light.
And still... Jason had looked so lost, so... insecure, that Gar just hadn't had the heart to say no. Yes, Jason put up the tough-guy act, but he carved for approval, Dick's approval.
And maybe, Gar had been pissed at Dick himself, for shutting them out, leaving them in the dark. There was obviously a story behind their hate for Rose's father, but no matter how often Gar would ask, the older Titans would just switch the topic.
So he had agreed, ignoring the nagging voice at the back of his head that had warned him that this wouldn't end well, had come to the train tunnels with Jason...

And now he knew to listen to that small voice.
Gar looked up to Jason, of course he did, the second Boy Wonder, protégé of Batman, and Jason just had always seemed so... strong and powerful, even though he didn't have powers.

And then he heard him scream, that terrible, horrible, pained sound that send shivers down his spine and cause him to go rigid in shock, eyes widening and head whipping around, flashlight trembling in his hand.
He wasn't sure what had happened after that, but now he was crouching on the wet, cold floor, staring blankly at the only thing that was left of Jason... blood. A smear of blood and Gar just couldn't tear his eyes away, couldn't understand that Jason was gone, kidnapped by Doctor Light, hurt, probably- holefully- unconscious... he couldn't dwell on those horrible thoughts, he had to... tell Dick.
Yes, Dick would fix anything, would get Jason back... he had to.

The way back to the tower was a blur.
He couldn't remember if he'd run, turned into a tiger or used some other way of transportation, but somehow, he ended up inside the building, running through hallways... where was Dick's room, damn it! Why were there so many damn rooms and hallways and damn floors?!
His breathing was shallow as his mind slowly fell into panic mode, his thoughts scrambling around his head.

And then he thought of Rachel, her soft hair, her intense eyes, her gentle smile and he felt the desperate need to be with her.
Maybe telling her first is a good idea, he thought, changing direction and speed walking to where he vaguely remembered Rachel's room to be.

"Rach-" he stopped short, hand still on the door knob, once he saw what was going on inside Rachel's room.
The purple-haired girl was sleeping in her bed, sheets tangled around her, eyes fluttering behind the closed lids.
And above her, a cloud of... demon goo was swirling in lazy circles, attracting his attention like blood attracts sharks.

Slowly, carefully, he approached her, whispering her name to wake her up. She didn't.
His eyes flickered back to the black cloud, the slowly spun circles mesmerizing and pulling him closer...
He raised his hand slowly, subconsciously bringing it closer to the demonic cloud of power...
A sharp and stabbing pain snapped him out of the dazed state and he pulled his hand back with a shout of pain.

His wide eyes found Rachel's, as she shot up, pulled out of her slumber, eyes seemingly disoriented. "I'm up, I'm up."
But Gar paid her no mind, gripping his wrist and groaning in pain. Bite marks, his wrist was full of bite marks.
"Gar?" Asked Rachel, eyes clearing, "what happened?"
Seeing his frightened look, she jumped out of bed, carefully taking his hand in hers. "Shit, I'm so sorry, please don't tell Dick."

And that name send bells ringing in Gar's head, because he remembered why he was here in the first place, why he had been looking for Rachel...
Jason. Jason was gone. He was gone and hurt and unconscious or in pain and probably getting tortured by Doctor Light or worse, maybe he was dead and...

"Jason's... gone," he whispered, raising his head and looking into Rachel's dark orbs, searching for a way to fix this, looking for answers... anything.
He felt helpless, utterly and defeating helplessness.
"What?" Asked Rachel, pulling back slightly.