“Dreams in the Wind”
Donna Troy paced her apartment. Lian and the baby were both asleep, so she was free to focus on locating Roy Harper, who’d left Lian with her and disappeared. “Let’s see,” Donna said to herself as she sat down at her table. A list of names, many crossed out, lay in front of her. “Who haven’t I tried yet?” She tapped a pen against the table as she tried to think. “Can’t seem to find Superboy…” She crossed out another name. Finally she threw the pen down in frustration. “Roy, where are you?” Roy Harper woke up with the sun shining in his eyes. He stood and walked over to the window. He smiled. Nothing had changed on the reservation in the years he’d been away. He turned as there was a knock on the door. “Just a second,” he called as he quickly pulled on some pants. “Come on in,” he said. Hoshimini, an old friend from Roy’s youth, walked in. “Up already?” he asked. “I’m surprised. I thought that the big city would’ve made you soft.” ”Never,” Roy said. “And if you want to find out how soft I am, just give me a bow.” Hoshimini grinned. “How stupid do you think we are out here? We’ve got TV, you know. I’ve seen you on there. Looks like you’re still pretty good.” ”Pretty good?” Roy asked. “You wound me.” “I’ve wanted to,” Hoshi said. “So what are you planning today?” “I don’t know,” Roy said. “I know that first I need to go see him.” Hoshi slowly nodded. “I understand,” he said. “I’m heading down to open the store. You know where everything is if you want breakfast.” “Thanks,” Roy said. “You know, I just can’t understand why you’ve never settled down.” ”If that’s an offer, you’re not my type,” Hoshimini said. “But hey, I don’t blame you. I know I’m pretty.” The two friends laughed as Hoshi walked out. Roy walked down the street slowly, scenes from his past returning to comfort him. He smiled and waved at friends. Inwardly he frowned as he realized that his pace was slowing and he was looking for distractions. Come on, he thought. Grow up. You’ve got to do this. He came to a complete stop as he reached his destination – a small cemetery. Roy walked to the small stone that he’d dreaded seeing. Roy sat on the ground and faced the stone that marked Brave Bow’s burial place. “Hello, old friend,” Roy said. He fought back the tears as he began to talk to the man who had raised him for years, telling him everything that had been going on. “Hi, Vic,” Donna said. Her former teammate Cyborg had volunteered to help try and track Roy’s movements by his credit cards. “You’re kidding!” ”Nope,” Vic said. “Turns out Roy used his Discovery card to buy a one-way plane ticket.” ”Vic, you’re the best!” Donna grabbed a pen and a scratch pad. “What did you find out?” ”Well, for starters, Roy’s paying a 12 percent interest rate! Man, that’s steep. He could save a lot by transferring his balance to his Vista.” Despite her concern, Donna had to fight back a chuckle. “And how many strip clubs have seen that card?” ”You want to know? Give me a second and I’ll pull up a complete transaction list.” ”That’s okay, Vic. I was joking.” ”I know, just felt like bustin’ your chops. Here’s what I’ve got.” Vic quickly recited the flight information. “New Mexico?” Donna asked. She studied her note pad. “Of course. Thanks, Vic!” ”No problem. Thump him on the head for me when you find him.” ”Count on it.” Donna hung up the phone and started for her bedroom. She stopped when she saw Lian sleeping on the couch, with Bobby asleep in his playpen. “And what do I do with you two?” she asked. Sharon Tracy yawned as she walked to the door. She quickly pulled her robe closed as the doorbell rang again. She tied it off and opened the door. “Donna?” she asked as she saw who was on the other side. ”Hi Sharon,” Donna said as she stepped inside. “I tried to call but your phone was busy.” ”I’ll have to call the phone company,” she said, dimly remembering how she’d kicked it off the hook earlier. ”You kicked the phone off the hook again, didn’t you?” Donna asked. “What’s his name? I swear, you haven’t changed since college.” Sharon, caught, decided to fess up. “Never could fool you, could I, Roomie? It’s Steve. He’s a pilot!” “Great,” Donna said dryly. “Listen, I need to head out of town for a few days. Can you keep an eye on Bobby and Lian?” ”Sure!” Sharon said. “Just a second.” She disappeared back into her bedroom. A moment later, she threw a pile of clothes into the hallway of the apartment building. A naked man ran past, darting into the hall after his uniform. As he bent over for his shorts, Sharon smiled and slammed the door shut. “Well, that’s got Steve taken care of,” she said. “I appreciate this,” Donna said. “I’m just sorry you had to run him off.” Sharon leaned close. “He was gone in the morning anyway. I was just trying to make this guy down the hall jealous!” Donna and Sharon shared a quick laugh. “So we’ll just get settled in here and then you’ll be free to go wherever,” Sharon said. “Thanks again,” Donna said as she set Robert’s carrier down. “You don’t know how much of a lifesaver you are!” ”That’s all right,” Sharon said. She knelt down. “Lian, why don’t you go take a look around my extra room? You can sleep there until Donna gets back. It’s down the hall on the left.” ”Okay!” Smiling, Lian ran off down the hall. Sharon stood and faced Donna. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Why do you have Roy’s daughter?” ”Roy’s disappeared,” Donna said. “I’m going after him.” Sharon nodded thoughtfully. “Be careful,” she said. Donna smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not coming back here without him.” Roy Harper looked up from where he sat at the small fire. “Hoshi, what’s going on?” he asked as his friend ran toward him. ”Government choppers,” Hoshi replied. “DEO. You really want to talk to them?” ”Rather not,” Roy said as he started hurrying back into the cabin. “Thanks for the warning.” “No prob,” Hoshi said as he followed. Roy’s curiosity was peaked. He sneaked over to the cabin window and listened. Outside, a suit was talking to one of the tribal elders. Roy watched as the suit grew frustrated and returned to his chopper. ‘They’re not after you, are they?” Hoshi’s voice broke Roy’s concentration. Roy shook his head. “No way. And everything I heard talked about a she.” Roy’s gaze burrowed into Hoshi. “Who else is here?” The next morning, Hoshi burst into Roy’s room. “Get up!” he said. “The elders need to talk to you.” ”Is it about what happened last night?” Roy asked, standing up. Hoshi made a face and turned around. “Haven’t you ever heard of pajamas?” Roy smiled as he pulled his pants on. “Hey, stay out if you can’t handle it. Now what’s going on?” ”It’s about something that happened last night,” Hoshi said. “That’s all I know.” ”Great,” Roy said as he laced up his boots. “Let’s go.” Hoshi nodded and led the way out. Roy adjusted his t-shirt as he followed. The chief looked up and motioned for Roy to sit down. Roy did. “Thank you for coming, Lost Arrow,” he said in the native tongue of the Navajo. “It is my honor,” Roy replied in the same tongue. “We need your assistance,” the chief said. “Another of our tribe has returned to us for healing but has disappeared. We believe that she wandered into the desert on a vision quest.” ”I see,” Roy said. “What is her name?” ”Dakota Jameson,” the chief replied. Roy’s eyes widened at the name. “Are you okay?” Hoshi asked as Roy left his meeting. “How long has she been here, Hoshi?” Roy asked. Hoshi exhaled. “Three days. Are you going after her?” Thoughts ran through Roy’s head of her insane pursuit of the Titans West across the country, until the chase finally culminated in a shootout on Titans Island, former headquarters of the Teen Titans. “Yes,” he finally said. Roy glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to hurry, too. I don’t want to be out there in the heat of the day.” ”You remember the traditions, don’t you?” Hoshi asked as they approached the edge of the village, footsteps still visible in the sand. ”Yeah,” Roy said. “No weapons and no supplies. Believe that the Great Spirit will watch over me.” ”I’m sure He will,” Hoshi said. He clasped Roy’s hand and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Be safe,” he said. Roy nodded and smiled. “Hey, you know me.” ”That’s why I’m saying it.” With a smile, Roy headed into the desert. An hour later, Roy saw something lying on the ground. “Dakota?” he called through parched lips. As he drew closer, he saw that it was the DEO agent. Roy wiped the sweat from his brow and picked her up. He noticed that she was unconscious, but breathing and had a strong pulse. “What’re you doing out here?” he asked. “Don’t you know how dangerous this is?” With Dakota in his arms, he turned and began walking back to the reservation. Fifteen minutes later, the sun was strong, beating down on Roy’s back as he continued to struggle back to the safety of the reservation. Finally Roy felt his knees buckle and he fell forward. He and Dakota lay on the ground, unprotected from the strong desert sun. To Be Continued... Next Issue: The conclusion of Roy’s first solo DCA adventure! Donna Troy arrives, but is she too late? And what will happen to Dakota and Roy? Previous Issue | Next Issue |
