The evening commute on the NYC subway system requires one to maintain patience, divest oneself of personal space, and ignore a substantial amount of noise. I do none of those three things well. My huge ears pick up far too much commuter crazy. No body configuration allows me to stand comfortably without jostling humans. And I’m a city pachyderm; I left my patience in the jungle.
Still, Mother always told me elephants never beget violence. Repeating that matriarchal refrain, I descend into the crowd.
Trainer
Jaiden makes his way along the uptown subway platform, heading back to the gym to teach the evening class. Across the way, a big pachyderm female descends the stairs on the downtown side. Jaiden follows her movements, thinking about the muscles under that gray skin.
Distracted, Jaiden bumps into another commuter. Typical event in NYC. But this jerk gives Jaiden a shove, so the trainer gets in his face. Ugly guy, his face twists with anger. He gets more physical, pressing his weight against Jaiden. The trainer drops his bag, wanting both hands free to defend himself. Then the other guy starts clenching and unclenching his hands, and Jaiden sees the claws. The trainer reaches for the Taser in his waistband.
Energy User
There’s something across the platform that’s not human, thinks Kendra. The crowd has pachyderms, too, and she expects to see them. They’re civilized. Whatever this other thing is, humanity looks out of place draped over its bestial form. Some guy’s shouting at it, and the thing gets tenser by the second. In the front pocket of her hoodie, Kendra quietly pulls together a force beam, crackling energy ready to obey her commands. No monsters allowed on Kendra’s subway.
Commuter
Angry words on the uptown side, two idiots scream in the crowd. No good, ignore it, thinks Naomi. This platform, some girl stares too hard at the screamers. Why do you care, sweetheart? Naomi sees something glow blue in the front pocket of staring girl’s hoodie. Naomi doesn’t know, doesn’t care to. She zips for the exit. Naomi’s seen this movie and wants no part of it. Doesn’t even matter to her what kind of movie they kick off next — horror, sci-fi, Hong Kong shooter. Innocent bystanders always get hurt. Naomi dashes around a big pachyderm female, flows back up to street level. Can’t get hurt if you don’t just stand by.
Pachyderm
Tonight, there’s trouble brewing. A woman rushes past me, fleeing something. I scan back along her trail. Smart woman — I count at least three people escalating toward a confrontation, including one preparing what some might call magical powers. I do not see any NYPD or MTA officers nearby. I summon my force axe and trumpet to clear a path. Time to step in.
Mother always told me elephants never beget violence. But Ganesha knows sometimes you need to stomp in, throw your weight around, and trunk-slap someone.