Titans East Chapter 68 – “All Good Things Come To An End - Part 6”
Written by: Power Guy & Marcus Mebes
Edited by: Marcus Mebes


The Hall of Justice…

Green Lantern and Starman descended upon the building after having transported the remaining members of the Legion of Doom to prison.

“Kid Zoom and the others didn’t seem too happy about being deserted by Grodd and company,” mentioned Green Lantern.

“It never fails,” started Starman. “Those villains always turn on each other when things get hairy. Before we go in, I’d like to have a talk with you…”

“What’s up pal?” asked the Green Guardian.

Starman looked his recently returned teammate straight in the eyes and began, “Look, before anyone even asks, the title of Green Lantern is yours.”

Daniel Jordan just stood speechless for a moment. “Scott, I don’t know what to say. You’ve been holding down the fort while I’ve been gone. I don’t feel right taking this role away from you.”

“Nonsense,” retorted Starman. “I was just keeping the bench warm until you got back. Besides, I’ve got my own legacy to follow,” he said, looking down at his gauntlets. “Consider me your back-up if you’re ever sick or unavailable. Kind of like John Stewart was to your dad in the early days of his career. I’ll keep the ring somewhere safe for when I need it.”

Green Lantern offered his hand to Starman which the stellar-powered hero quickly shook. “I couldn’t pick a better alternate,” smiled Daniel. “Now, let’s go in and see what the future holds for our team.”

As the two heroes entered the Hall, they noticed a few of their teammates locked in a sensitive discussion.

“Junjie, you can’t quit the team now. We just got back,” Power Guy said, trying to talk the Singaporean Speedster out of his decision.

“I’m sorry Pee Gee, but from what the others have told us, we’ve been gone for months,” Junjie said, defending his position. “All of that time in the Universe of Evil really made me sit and think about what I want to do with my future and right now. It’s college. If I don’t go back to school now, I probably never will.”


Power Guy knew there was no more arguing with Junjie’s decision. He decided to suck it up and wish his friend the best of luck. “Junjie, you have to do what you feel is right. I hope for the best future possible for you.”

“Thanks Vince,” replied Junjie. He then looked at Velocity, who had been standing by his side the entire time while he was giving his resignation. “Why so quiet, bud?”

“All of this time, I’ve been mad at the world for your death… along with my dad’s,” answered Velocity. “As sad as it is to think my dad is still gone, it’s great to have you back even if you’re taking a break from the super-hero world for now. The Titans will surely be at a loss without you.”

As Junjie went around the room and hugged his various friends good-bye, another departure was taking place near the Trouble Alert.

“Brendon, it was good seeing you again,” Palomé said extending his hand to Nightvision.

“If it wasn’t for you, I may not have seen anyone ever again,” Nightvision stated gratefully. “I don’t think even the ‘Lost’ team could have turned the tide of the battle by themselves. You were smart to bring reinforcements with you.”

“Well, Celsius HAD to come along once she saw the news report that the Legion had taken over the Hall. Black Adam didn’t need much convincing once I told him his wife was in danger and you know Zan and Jayna: they’re always eager to get in on the action, in spite of all of their mistakes. Anyways, Celsius and I should be going. I promised her I’d help look for her son.”

“Best of luck to you both, my friend,” replied the new-age Dark Knight.

***

Meanwhile, in the Hall’s infirmary, Sonic Boom was locked in conversation with her brother Dark Arrow.

“How are you feeling, Robert?”

“What do you mean how am I feeling? I was Grodd’s whipping boy for God knows how long. I think it’s been since we fought the Legion the first time.”

“I wasn’t there, remember?” Sonic Boom said, reminding her brother. “I was off on a Birds of Prey mission.”

“Sorry, everything is so cloudy from that point on…” Dark Arrow said, looking down as he took off his mask and threw it in the garbage.

“What are you doing???” Didi asked her brother.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m calling it quits,” revealed Dark Arrow.

“Why?”

“Look at all of the trouble I caused under Grodd’s influence. I’m going to be a pariah in the community from here on out. I caused your friends a lot of trouble, plus I’ve run our family’s reputation through the mud.”

“Look at me!” ordered Sonic Boom as she grabbed her brother by the chin. “You are NOT and I repeat, NOT responsible for what Grodd made you do. He had his hooks into all of your teammates except for Totem. The Stranger thinks her mystical Tantu Totem must have protected her somehow. No one blames any of you for what happened.”

“I dunno, Didi,” countered Dark Arrow. “I don’t think I can ever make it up to Nightvision and the others for what I put them through.”

“Sure you can. You can fight by their side rather than against them,” offered Didi. “It’s not in our family genes to be a quitter. Give it some thought,” she urged, exiting the room in order to give her brother some time to think.

***

Back in the main meeting room…

Sargona approached Green Lantern as he entered the room. “Dan, if I could have a minute of your time…”

“Of course Sargona. What’s up?” asked the son of Hal Jordan.

“Dan, I know things didn’t end very well for us but I do want you to know that I’m really happy that you AND Didi are alive and well,” Sargona offered. “Just seeing you breathing is enough to make me content.”

Daniel Jordan reached over to Sargona and pulled her into an embrace. “I missed you too. We’ll talk more when things settle down.”

“This poor girl has been through nothing but tragedy in her life,” explained Nucleus to Wonder Man and Wonder Warrior. “Her sister and mother allowed her to be crippled and disfigured in a building fire only to pull her out at the last minute. After that, her mother reduced her to janitorial duties on their version of Paradise Island. She was even forced to cover her face whenever in public.”

“Okay, you can stop talking about me like I’m not here,” interrupted Wonder Girl. “I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me. All I want is a fresh start.”

“Well she certainly has more spunk than my mother ever had,” commented Wonder Warrior.

“Don’t get any ideas, buddy,” Wonder Girl said, pointing her finger in Wonder Warrior’s face.

“Donna, relax,” requested Wonder Man. “None of us are going to hurt or manipulate you.”

“So you keep saying,” Wonder Girl said, crossing her arms. “But if either one of you hits on me, I’m moving out asap.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Wonder Man said, smiling at the teenage girl. “We’re moving into a brand-new condo next weekend and you can have the room on the opposite end of the hall.”

“And remember, don’t even think about taking me to your Paradise Island,” insisted Wonder Girl. “I don’t care how good you say your Wonder Woman is. The thought of my wretched sister having a counterpart on this earth just gives me the creeps.”

“You really couldn’t ask for a better pair of mentors,” Jemstone added as she joined the discussion and put an arm around both Wonder Man and Wonder Warrior. “Plus, I’ll be around often to help keep these guys in line,” she said smiling at both of the Wonder-men.

Several yards away, Kid Comet looked around the room. He was doing his best not to read the other’s thoughts but there was an overwhelming surge of doubt and uncertainty coming from several of his friends’ minds. All of them where wondering the same question he was about to ask: “So where do we go from here guys?”

The Arachnid was the first to speak. “I say we go out tonight and party like rock-stars!” He waved his fists in the air, dramatically.

“I’m really not in the mood for partying tonight,” Atmosphere said glumly. “Several of us are still shaking off the effects of Grodd’s mind-control. I’d really just like some time to myself.”

“Same here,” agreed Lt. Atom.

“Apparently, even Amanda Waller’s head is spinning,” explained Black Vulcan. “She called earlier apologizing for all of the trouble and stated that she was replaced by False Face shortly after pushing the Sporstmaster on us. After I told her about him turning traitor and our friends coming back from the supposed dead, she was speechless. I got the feeling that we’ve got that manipulative cow off of our backs for a while.”

“I know I could certainly use some personal time in light of finding out about my dad,” Starman said, humbly.

“I think all of us have been through the wringer lately,” the Huntress said as she pushed her hair out of her face. “Maybe we should call it quits for a while.”

“Wait, you’re talking about disbanding the team, aren’t you?” the Arachnid asked, panicked.

Several of the members of the Titans just looked down or turned their heads in order to prevent making eye-contact with the others.

“Between the mess with Venus, the Legion of Doom, and our ‘Lost’ team coming back from the dead, I think we could all use a break,” stated Kid Comet. “I don’t have to be a telepath to know that the majority of the room agrees with me.”

“Even if we wanted to continue on, both the Hall of Justice and the Metrotower are nearly in ruins. It would take several months to restore just one of them," advised Nightvision.

“So that’s it? We’re done? We’re calling it quits?” the Arachnid continued to question.

Starman came up from behind his best friend and put his arm around his shoulder. “Come on dude. You can crash on my couch.”

As the heroes started to exit the Hall, Nightvision called out to the rest of the team, “I’ll get the lights.”


The End

***

Epilogue 1

Belle Reve Prison – The cell containing the Sting Ray…

The Sting Ray had laid in her bed almost the entire time since being incarcerated in Belle Reve after her defeat at the hands of Sargona. All she could think about was how she would have her revenge on the daughter of Sargon for stealing the Bermuda Corals necklace and humiliating her.

A guard approached her cell, “Yo Sting Ray, you got a visitor. Make this quick!” he ordered.

The Sting Ray jumped up to see who was coming to visit her. Was it her brother or father coming to tell her that they were going to bust her out?

As her visitor strolled down the hall and became visible, she became filled with anger, “You slimy witch!!! I’ll kill you!! I swear it!!!” she screeched at Sargona, while reaching through the bars.

“It’s lovely to see you Stink Ray,” teased Sargona. “I just came by to make sure you got the good news.”

“Good news? What the hell are you talking about?” the Sting Ray demanded, gritting her teeth.

“Remember your little fireworks diplay at S.T.A.R. Labs earlier this year?” questioned the daughter of Sargon. “Well, things were not quite as they seemed. You see, all six of my friends are alive and well, not a single scratch on them.”

“That’s impossible! I blew those b_stards to bits!” insisted the Sting Ray, pulling on the bars of her cell in hopes of getting free.

“No, you blew them into another universe from which they returned earlier today,” informed Sargona, smirking. “I guess there goes your prestigious reputation in the villain community.”

“You’re lying! Just like you did about giving me back the Corals!” the String Ray said, accusingly.

She’s speaking the truth, the guard said, standing behind Sargona.

“And as for calling me a liar, don’t be such a hypocrite,” countered Sargona. “Didn’t you keep the existence of your second child a secret from Strato Hawk until you thought he was going to die? You really are a piece of work. You’ve lost your freedom, your necklace, and your children. Things are looking good, aren’t they?” Sargona said, smirking again. “Ciao baby!” she said, walking off.

“I swear if it’s the last thing I do, I will get out of here and KILL YOU!!!” screamed the Sting Ray, frantically pulling on the bars of her cell.

***

Epilogue 2

Crossroads, Colorado…

Like the name of his father’s church, named after the small town he lived in, Lukas Palomé Driscoll found himself at a crossroads. His rational mind knew full well that Venus--or, as she should properly be called--Black Orchid was not responsible for her actions. Her mind was influenced completely by a malicious outside force that has since been eradicated, leaving her in full control of all her capacities. She has expressed remorse to an almost suicidal level, and as much as he disliked doing it, he was responsible for drawing all those harrowing feelings of guilt from her and giving her peace. In his heart, he was a healer, and no matter what anyone has done, he could not allow someone to suffer so greatly. So he healed her of it. He took her pain into himself and dispelled it. And now he was wondering if he did the right thing, and what he should do from this point on.

Lukas sat in the small house in Crossroads, Colorado, alone and watching television. Ryand’r had moved in, with his permission and blessing, and was attending seminary in order to become a pastor... and eventually take over the reins of Crossroads Community Church. That was a dramatic change for the Christian church: a non-human alien pastor was not something that showed up around every corner. But his heart was pure, and his faith was strong. Lukas supported his foster “uncle” in his efforts. Ryand’r had gone to bed already, but Lukas could not sleep. He flipped off the television with the remote and got up to head outside. Beyond the church parking lot was a field of flowers, and beyond that was the cemetery. Closing the door quietly behind him, he headed across the asphalt and flowers, and strolled among the head stones.

The smallest headstone was his father’s. It was Pastor Driscoll’s request that whenever he passed on, that his headstone not be pretentious or dramatic in any way. Lukas had to insist that Nightvision save his money when he promised Palomé the biggest and best headstone money could buy for his father. He relented, allowing the small grave marker to be installed. Kneeling down, he traced the words with his fingers. “Here likes Pastor Cody Driscoll - loving father, husband, son, friend.” The dates were below, and he could not help but realize that his father’s life was cut short too soon. He wished his mother could have had a grave, too... something real that he could visit. But what happened to her was so violent and awful that the best they could do was hold a memorial service and have the remains cremated. “It’s about time,” he said aloud, looking at the headstone. “I’m gonna do it, Dad. Tonight. We should’ve done it at your... your funeral... but we didn’t. I’m gonna do it now.”

Quickly, and with resolve, Palomé returned to the house, retrieved the urn that held his mother’s ashes, and brought them back to his father’s grave. Kneeling again, he used his soul-self’s teleportation ability to transfer the urn from the surface below to the coffin. “Now you can be together,” he said, wiping away the tears. “At least, now your... what’s left of you... can be together.” He was glad that his parents both found salvation, and despite her demonic upbringing, she could finally have eternal life.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, which was unusual for the empath. He could normally sense emotions whether he wanted to or not, and was never surprised. Ryand’r had woken up and followed his nephew outside.

Neither of them spoke. Lukas arose and looked into Ryand’r’s green eyes. He looked down at the grave, then back at the house, gesturing for him to follow.

“What are your plans?” asked Ryand’r, once they had gone back inside and closed the door. Despite what had happened, they still did not lock it, because they still had faith in the community they lived in.

Palomé tossed some logs into the fireplace and searched for some matches. Standing nearby, Ryand’r used his ability to shoot a burst of fire into the logs, igniting them.

“Thanks,” murmured Palomé. He reached into the pocket of his blue jeans and pulled out his wallet. Inside was a picture of him and Venus that they had taken inside a photo booth. He pulled it out, and held it over the flames, but did not throw it in. “I don’t know,” he said, in answer to his uncle’s earlier question. He stared at the picture as he stood there in the darkened home.

Ryand’r sat down on the sofa and pulled a blanket around his shoulders. He was wearing pajamas, but he still felt a chill in the late hours. Knowing his nephew well enough, he chose not to talk, but rather turned on the television as a distraction.

Lukas’ attention was pulled away from the photo in his hand by the news program that was airing. He sat down next to Ryand’r and watched the show about missing children, and how the Center for Missing and Exploited Children was working tirelessly to locate them and reunite them with their families. Shaking his head, he looked at his uncle and asked, “How can this be? How can people be so cruel?” He sputtered in disgust. “And why on earth would they air this show so late? Like it’s unimportant?? These children are innocent, and it’s important that people find them.”

Recognizing his nephew’s intentions... knowing that he needed a cause to get his mind off the recent events... Ryand’r placed his hand kindly on Lukas’ back and said, simply, “Go ahead. Do it.” He and his nephew embraced for a long time, then Lukas headed to his room to pack up some clothes.

---------------------------------------

“And here’s his cloak, and his costume,” said Ryand’r as he handed the folded clothes to Toni Monetti.

She accepted them and smiled. “Thanks Ryan. He called me this morning, and told me what he’s doing. I...” She hesitated, smling. “I’m so proud of him. I’m going to join him, you know,” Toni added, hugging the bundle of clothes. She looked at her friend hopefully.

Ryand’r smiled and shook his head. “I’m not... at least, not yet. I mean, I’ve gotta get things squared away with the church... get a new pastor set up here, and make sure it’s all squared away. But I WILL join you two.” He grinned happily and held his friend close, both crying tears of joy.

“So, this is retirement,” laughed the heroine formerly known as Argent, once they had pulled away from their embrace. “If you can call it retirement, that is. This is going to take a lot of work!” She sighed deeply, then pulled out her phone to call their nephew. After only one ring, the phone was answered by an excited voice.

“Hey Aunt Toni!” Lukas’ voice was filled with joy. “We found them!! The two kids from Nebraska. We found them. They’re okay!” She could hear people crying and laughing in the background, and the emotions took control of her.

“That’s wonderful honey! I’ve got your costume, and Uncle Ryan has packed up two suitcases of your things. I’m heading up there in a little while.”

“Today?” he asked. “What about Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lil?”

Toni handed the phone to Ryand’r, after assuring him that she was indeed joining him that very day. “Hey buddy,” he said laughingly. “Yes, I’m coming, but I’ve got to get things taken care of here, first.” He paused again, and responded to Lukas’ question. “Yes, I’ve contacted her. She’ll probably be there before I am. She’s getting Mrs. Caulder, and making arrangements with the Jupiter foundation.”

“Awesome!” answered Lukas on the other end. “Hurry up about it! I love y’all.”

Ryand’r shared a glance with Toni, and they both replied, “We love you too.”

And that is how the super heroes formerly known as Argent, Wildfire, and Palomé chose a new path in their lives, were joined by the heroines formerly known as Celsius and Omen, and left behind the world of superheroics for a different--and, as some might say, better--kind of heroics.