Titans West Chapter 18 – “On Thin Ice”
Written by: Scotty2Hotty
Edited by: Power Guy


The Metrotower…

Jemstone hurried to the monitor room of the Titans West HQ. Frost had summoned the members to hear an important message from Wonder Man. She made her way and took her seat at the meeting table. Wonder Man was on the screen messing with his hair.

Frost said, “Go ahead we’re all here.” as he looked at his teammates, rolling his eyes at Wonder Man’s display of vanity.

“Oh sorry! I didn’t notice.” Wonder Man said abruptly. “I wanted to alert you guys that Black Orchid has been sighted moving through the Hollywood area. She’s very dangerous as you know and I need some of you to try to find her. Be very careful. She’s a loose cannon and there’s no telling why she’s in Hollywood. If you guys find her, don’t cut her any slack. Believe me, she won’t cut any for you.”

Frost looked at his team. “Queen Bee, you and Wonder Warrior check out the L.A area. Jemstone, you and Kid Comet come with me to Hollywood. Supergirl and Kid Marvel, I want you two to head to San Francisco.”

“We could really use Green Lantern and Arachkid right now.’ Wonder Warrior said.

“I know, but they are still in space. Probably a lot safer than we’ll be going after Venus….sorry, I mean Black Orchid.” Queen Bee offered.

“I can’t believe Venus could be that awful person. She was so nice and funny that night we all went out.” Jemstone replied.

“That’s enough reminiscing. Let’s go!” Frost commanded.

***

Jemstone, Kid Comet, and Frost arrived on the outskirts of the Hollywood sign.
“Do you think she’ll show?” Kid Comet asked.

“I think so. If she sees Queen Bee and Wonder Warrior flying around, we might lure her out. Remember what Wonder Man said. We mustn’t hold back if we find her. Comet you and Jemstone make a few laps around the city. Maybe she’ll see you guys from the air. I’ll stay here and tell Wonder Warrior and Queen Bee the same thing on my communicator.” Frost instructed.

Although it was broad daylight, Frost was a bit uneasy being alone.
“ Black Orchid probably isn’t even in California any more anyway.” Frost thought.

Just then, he heard a twig snap behind him. It was Venus.

“F…Frost…oh God…h…help me..” the beautiful woman pleaded.

“Venus stay back. Don’t come any closer.” he warned.

“Please don’t back away…she’s gone. Black Orchid is gone…I made sure of it.” she gasped.

Her body was morphing from one identity to another. It was one of the most bizarre things Frost had ever seen.

“Venus, I’ll help you, but you’ve got to stop right there.” he said reaching for his communicator.

“Stop right there?” Venus was now Black Orchid. “Who are you to order me around, you pathetic excuse for a super hero. Ice powers? Come on!” What is it with you types and the hot and cold powers. You’re as useless as that moron Celsius!” she hissed. “He had both types of powers and was no match for me!”

“Lame, huh?” Frost smiled as he let loose with his powers, encasing Black Orchid in a block of ice.

“That should hold her and not hurt her.” he said as he started to speak into his communicator to summon his teammates. Black Orchid was eerily beautiful suspended in the solid ice. Frost’s eyes locked onto hers, which were wide open. Suddenly she winked.
“Comet! Jemstone! Get back to the Hollywood sign..Hurry!” he said panicked.

Black Orchid burst from the block of ice. “That’s just what I needed Snow Cone, it’s too d**n hot here!” Frost fired off blasts of ice which bounced off of Black Orchid. She grabbed his communicator and crushed it.

Frost knew he was in for a fight. He backed away as Black Orchid picked up an abandoned saw horse.

“I guess they left this for me the last time they painted the sign. HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!” She swung the sawhorse at Frost, striking him in the face.
He dropped to his knees as Black Orchid struck him in the back of the head. She then dragged him into the woods.

Moments later Jemstone and Kid Comet arrived.

“Frost! Frost! Where are you?” Kid Comet shouted.

“You don’t think…” Jemstone started to say as she saw Frost’s shattered communicator on the ground. There was a trail of blood that led into the clearing and suddenly stopped.
“Oh, no….no.” Jemstone uttered as she glanced at her teammate.

‘We’d better alert the others. Black Orchid couldn’t have gotten far. We’ll find her.” Kid Comet assured the pretty pop star.

***

Meanwhile…

Frost struggled to open his eyes. His head was pounding and every muscle in his body was wracked with pain. He was hot--so hot he felt sick. He struggled to lift his head and noticed bright tubular lights glaring down on him. He could see Black Orchid sitting on a crate…….eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

“Oh! You’re awake! Good! Sorry I didn’t save you any food. You know I dated Palome, who by his own admission is trailer trash. The one good thing about that son of a b_tch was that I discovered KFC!” she said with a mock southern accent.

“Palome is a good man. Too good for you.” Frost struggled to say, his mouth and throat dry.

Black Orchid glided over to him. “Oh shut up!” she said and dropped the empty bucket on Frost’s head.

“Ah! An improvement to your ugly face already.” Black Orchid said looking at her trophy. She had brought him to a tanning bed bulb assembly company and had rigged a cross out of some beams. The bulbs were turned on full blast and Frost could tell his skin was burning and he couldn’t muster his ice powers.

“What do you want?” he demanded. He knew that Black Orchid was going to kill him, but maybe he could get the Venus persona to resurface long enough to release him.

“You know, I have to say my toys are so polite. Always asking what I want. I’ll tell you. I want to hear you scream and beg for mercy, my little snow man.” She took the KFC bucket off his head and licked his cheek. She took to the air and disappeared.

Frost strained to get loose from the cross. His arms and legs were tied with barbed wire and every move he made caused the wire to dig into his sweat covered skin.
“Agh…” he gasped as he strained to loosen his right hand.

“Uh uh uh!” little snowflake. “Don’t want you running loose in here! Why, with all these tanning bulbs, you might develop skin cancer with your pasty skin!” Black Orchid laughed. Frost noticed she had a power drill in her hands.

“Now, let’s get you all nice and secure for our ride!” she said as she placed a bit into the drill and pressed in into Frost’s hand.

“NO! Please!” Frost begged as the drill tore through flesh and shattered delicate bones.
“AAAAAARRGHHHH!!!” Frost cried out as his hand felt like it was being pounded with a jackhammer.

“Now, now! Hold still and it won’t hurt!” Black Orchid smiled and moved over to his other hand.

The drill dug through his hand and into the wood. It suddenly stopped.

“Whoops! Must have hit a knot in the wood. The bit’s stuck!” She said looking into his tear-filled eyes.

“Puh…Please….” Frost whispered. “I’ll do whatever you want….” He was grasping for anything to stop her. The pain was horrible and his mind raced thinking about what would come next.

“We’ll just have to use a bigger bit!” Black Orchid giggled as she ripped the other bit from his hand.

Frost screamed out as the bit ripped his hand. Black Orchid placed a bigger bit and drilled into his hand again. This time the bit went all the way through into the wood and he couldn’t move his hand or arm.

“GOD!!! Please!!!!!!!” he gasped.

“I don’t think He’ll be answering your prayers. Now for your feet and we’re done here!” Black Orchid said kissing Frost on the forehead. Frost screamed again as she drilled his feet, securing them to the cross. Bits of bone and flesh littered the floor and blood was pouring from Frost’s hands and feet.

Frost was screaming uncontrollably now.

“What a wuss. You’re giving me a headache.” She said as she ripped a piece of bloody material from his costume and shoved it into his mouth. “Now get comfy. We have a little trip to take and it will all be over!” She ripped the barbed wire off of the cross.

Through his tears, he noticed the barbs didn’t scratch her hands at all. Without the wire to support his weight, his body dropped and painful pressure was ripping through his hands and up his arms.

Black Orchid lifted the cross and the sudden movement made Frost’s left hand rip from the drill bit and dangle.
Frost screamed out and Black Orchid looked up. “Oh my! What shoddy craftsmanship. That won’t do at all, no sir!”

She then found a large nail and shoved it all the way through the bend in Frost’s arm, shattering his elbow. “There, now you should be all set.” she said as Frost passed out.

***

Later…

When Frost woke up, he was surprised to see he was in Titans West headquarters.
“The meeting room?” he mumbled as he strained to look around. He felt like his lungs were going to explode and his body had gone into shock. His limbs were numb.

“Get a good look, little boy blue.” Black Orchid said as she entered the room. “It’s the last thing you’ll ever see. You’re getting what you deserve.”

Frost cut his eyes over to a corner. He could see a can of gasoline. Black Orchid had suspended the cross from the ceiling. He knew what was about to happen to him.

“G….go ahead then….they’ll find you…” he struggled with the words.

“Oh no they won’t.“she laughed as she doused him with gasoline.

Frost thought, “Has she killed the others while I’ve been passed out?”

She lit a cigarette and took a few puffs. “You’ll be another Titan I’ve sent to Hell. Your teammates will soon follow. I hope Celsius saved you seat.”

She tossed the cigarette at Frost’s feet and flames quickly erupted and engulfed him. He cried out and screamed as his flesh boiled and cracked. Through the flames he could see Black Orchid laughing so hard that she cried. She then danced around the burning cross.
“AAAUUGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Frost cried out as the flames took their toll on his battered body.

“It’s music to my ears! Hahahahaha!” Black Orchid laughed as she continued her macabre dance.

***

Much later after a hopeless search…

The other members of the Titans West arrived at their headquarters.

‘We looked everywhere. We’ve got to find Frost.” Queen Bee said with worry in her voice.
“I don’t see how she could have gotten away so quickly.” Kid Comet offered. “Jemstone and I were there within minutes of Frost’s call.”

“According to Wonder Man and the others, a minute is all she needs. If she is from Krypton, she’s as fast at Superman.” replied Wonder Warrior.

“Do you guys hear water--like rain falling?” Kid Marvel asked.

“I hear it too guys.” Supergirl said. “The meeting room.”

The group hurried to the meeting room where the sprinkler system had been on. The floor was covered in water.

“What could have happened?” Jemstone asked. “Nothing in here is burnt.”

The group stopped dead in their tracks. Suspended above the monitor screen on a charred cross was the half burned body of their leader.

Supergirl screamed and covered her face.

Kid Comet made his way through the downpour. There was no sound except the sound of the water hitting the floor.

He reached up and there was a note left around Frost’s neck. His wide blue eyes stood out from his blackened skin.

Kid Comet dropped to his knees, the water pounding his back.

‘What does it say?” Wonder Warrior demanded. He took the note from Kid Comet.
In Frost’s blood was written “Early Merry Christmas. I thought I would give you this most unique tree topper. I guess Frost was naughty this year. Love, Black Orchid.”

The team stood silent as the sprinkler water showered them while smoke poured off the body of their dead leader.

THE FINAL CHAPTER