Titans of Justcie Chapter 22 – “A Day Full of Surprises”
Written & edited by: Power Guy


The Hall of Justice…

Sargona rushed out of the teleporter tube in light of the emergency signal that she received. Her eyes darted around the room, noticing Nightvision and the Silencer looking like something was bothering them. “Nightvision!” she called out, “What’s the emergency?”





“I’m sorry but you’re going to have to be patient. I’m waiting for all of the original members to arrive at the very least before we announce the news,” answered the son of Dick and Barbara Grayson.





Sargona looked at her teammate suspiciously, “You’re kidding, right?”

“When have you known me joke?” snapped the new-age Darkknight.

“Oh that’s right, the living dead don’t have senses of humor,” the mage replied, sarcastically as she sat at the meeting table. “Well, at least I got a seat. That doesn’t happen very much now that there are so many of us.”

A few minutes later, Black Vulcan and Stratohawk arrived and joined Sargona at the table.

“Hey Sar,” greeted Black Vulcan. “Sorry about your date with you know who…”

“So am I,” the daughter of Sargon said with a half-smile. “Ah well, what can you do?”

“So have you confronted Zatanna yet?” Stratohawk asked in a deep tone?





“Nope,” answered Sargona, nonchalantly.

“Good for you,” Stratohawk said, surprising the two ladies.

“What do you mean by good for her?” Black Vulcan asked, a bit confused.

“Sometimes it’s better to leave sleeping dogs lye,” Stratohawk suggested.

“That’s not what I was thinking,” countered the daughter of Sargon. “I’m just deciding how to go about this. Plus I don’t know my father’s part in all of this. I mean, has he been lying to me this whole time too or did Zatanna mind-wipe him shortly after my birth?”

“Do you really think she would do that?” Black Vulcan asked, in shock.

“I don’t know….Jerrica suggested it,” Sargona said, turning to Stratohawk. “Speaking of new-found parents. How are you getting along with Hawkman?”

“Excuse me?” Stratohawk responded, sounding irritated.

“Months ago, when we fought Mordru, he said you were the reincarnation of Hector Hall,” explained Sargona.

“He was lying,” Stratohaw spat, coldly.

“How do you know?” asked Black Vulcan, inquisitively. “Did you do a d.n.a. test?”

“No, I just know,” Stratohawk replied, showing no emotion.

“So you didn’t even check it out or ask Hawkman about it?” inquired, Sargona.

“Nope. Like I said before, sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lye,” explained the winged wonder. “I’ve had a happy and full life. There’s no need to mess with that.”

“Do you live to do anything besides fight?” Black Vulcan asked half-jokingly.

“It looks like more members have arrived,” Stratohawk said, dodging the question and looking and the teleporters.

Power Guy, Green Lantern, the Huntress, Wonder Warrior, Kid Comet, Queen Bee, the Arachnid, Starman, Firebrand, and several others of the pre-Unlimited team made their way into the Hall.

“If this meeting is for original members only, what’s Firebrand doing here?” Sargona asked.

“I didn’t say it was for original members only, just that I wanted to wait until all of the original members were here before we made the announcement,” countered Nightvision. “Plus, she was witness to today’s events.”

Wonder Man and Jemstone then walked in from the living quarters. Wonder Man had several cuts and bruises on his face which Jemstone had helped him clean up.





Nucleus was the first to speak, “Something not right here. I’ve never seen Wonder Man so down. What’s going on guys?”





“Today was another unfortunate day for our team,” started Nightvision.

Wonder Man walked up to the protector of Gotham City and put his hand on his shoulder, “Please….let me do this,” he requested. “Guys and girls, we lost another Titan today,” he said, biting his lip.

Immediately, the crowd started buzzing with concern and asking who the victim was.

“It was Palome’,” answered Wonder Man glumly.

“What?” cried out the Arachnid in disbelief. “That’s impossible. He quit after he and the Task Force split up!”

Firebrand then chimed in, “I’m sorry young fellow but it’s true. Stratohawk and I were there when it happened.”





Wonder Man then continued, “Palome’ had come to the Hall to collect his things when the Trouble Alert went off. Fausta and some other female villains were causing some chaos at the U.N. building in New York. With only Firebrand, Stratohawk, Wonder Girl, and myself here, Palome’ noticed we were short-handed and offered to help. Long story short, that woman Isis told us about, Nefertiti, gave Palome’ a death-kiss that turned him into a walking mummy. Poor Firebrand here had to burn his corpse in order to set his soul free.”

“My God!” exclaimed Green Lantern. “Who else was with Fausta?”

“You’re not going to like the answer to that, GL,” pointed out Stratohawk. “You old stalker Star Sapphire was with them along with Katanna’s daughter, Tsukuri.”

“And here I thought that Star Sapphire was on the road to redemption,” the green guardian said, looking disappointed.

“So did I,” agreed Whirlpool. “When I picked her up out of the ocean, she seemed so willing to make up for her crimes and start a new life. I don’t know what could have happened.”





“Dan, you know she’s never been all that stable,” Sonic Boom reminded her boyfriend. “Perhaps the doctors that Whirlpool delivered her to weren’t able to give her the help she needed.”

“This is my fault,” the son of Hal Jordan said, looking down. “I should have made sure she was getting the proper care. It’s just that I’ve been so busy with the church and training Kai-ro….”

“Dan, you can’t be everywhere at once,” the daughter of Black Canary said, trying to talk some sense into her man.

“My friends, I am so very sorry for what Nefertiti has done,” apologized Isis. “When Adam and I faced her, she was vile and ruthless, possibly the most evil soul I have ever encountered.”





“I can’t believe Tsukuri would be a part of this,” noted the Huntress. “I knew she was a Japanese extremist but this brands her with a whole new label.”





“What a shame,” sighed Power Lad. “Palome’ was cool…in a freaky kind of way.”





“Power Lad!” growled Power Guy, looking sternly at his side-kick.





“Umm…guys, why isn’t Venus here?” pointed out Sargona. “She’s going to be crushed when she finds out.”

“We’ve tried contacting her several times and haven’t gotten any response,” revealed the Silencer.





“Can’t you track her via her signal device?” asked Sargona.

“No, it’s not registering for some reason….” answered the nephew of Snapper Carr.

“Perhaps she found out about Palome’s death another way and is in mourning?” suggested Isis.

“Maybe a few of us should go looking for her?” offered Kid Comet.





‘That’s a good idea,” agreed Sargona. “Who’s with Kid Comet and I?”

“I’ll go,” volunteered Black Vulcan.

“Me too,” seconded Wonder Man. “Venus and I have always been close. I want to be there when she finds out or at least when we find out if she knows already.”

As the four heroes rushed off in search of their missing teammate, Queen Bee was the next to speak up. “While they go hunting for Venus, who wants to come with me and make those witches pay for what they did to Lukas?”





“I’m with you QB,” vowed an angry Arachnid. “We’re gonna take them down hard and fast!”

“Now wait a minute guys,” started Power Guy. “We can’t go off half-cocked and fueled with anger. We don’t need to lose any more Titans today plus we still have a man to bury. We’ll catch Fausta and her gang soon enough.”

“An hour ago wouldn’t be soon enough for me,” the Arachnid grumbled, punching his hand. “Sure Lukas was kinda corny sometimes but I’ve never met a nicer guy in my life. He was always there when someone needed help.”

Starman put his arm around the Arachnid shoulder, “Easy buddy. We’ll catch them. I promise.”





“Has anyone notified Argent or Ryand’r?” asked Wonder Warrior.





“Yes, I took care of that shortly before you all arrived,” confirmed Nightvision.

“Supergirl?” added Wonder Warrior.

“Yes, she’ll be at the funeral,” answered the detective.

“She will?” Starman asked with a bit of a lump in his throat. “Never mind me…” he said, feeling a bit embarrassed. Fond memories of his short affair with the girl of steel flooded his mind. He did his best to disperse these thoughts and think about his new love, the daughter of Adam Strange.

“What about Kid Marvel?” Wonder Warrior asked, hoping his multitude of questions weren’t becoming annoying.”

“He’s not answering our signals,” Nightvision said, sounding a bit irritated by Kid Marvel’s lack of response.

“This is a truly dark day,” commented the Stranger. “Palome’ was an inspiration to all of us to try and make this world a better place. The work that he and the Task Force did shined a whole new light on superheroics.”





***

A few days later at the funeral…

“and may Palome’ finally know peace now that he is reunited with his mother and father within the gates of Heaven,” Green Lantern concluded. He stepped down from the podium at the funeral home to join the rest of his teammates.

“That was a wonderful sermon, Dan,” complimented Sonic Boom. “You really held yourself together quite well up there.”

“Thanks Di Di,” smiled the son of Hal Jordan, “It certainly wasn’t easy.”

“Look at all of the people that showed up,” Atmosphere said, glancing around the room. “Most of the old Titans are here, Nightwing, Troia, Red Star, Bumblebee….I think I even saw Phantasm float through here earlier.”





Black Adam and Isis walked up to Palome’s casket to pay their respects,. Isis remained silent as a tear dripped down her cheek. Black Adam started to whisper, “Farewell courageous warrior. I never got to repay you for reuniting my wife and I. May you know eternal peace within the sanctuary of your god.”





Nightvision and Blackbird were the last ones to pay their respects. “Lukas, you reached out to me even when all of my defenses were up and you didn’t stop until you knew that I felt I could trust you. When I thought both Brenda and Helena were dead, you filled the void of the friend I was so desperately searching for. I can never thank you enough. Know that the Titans of Justice and I will not stop until we catch your killer and make sure she is brought to justice. If it were up to me, I’d tear her limp from limp but I know that’s not your way so we’ll do this Palome’-style.”





Then as a surprise to everyone, the Arachnid ran out of the church. The crowd looked on curiously as the bug-themed hero made his hasty exit.

Starman dashed after his friend, deeply concerned. “I’ve got him,” he assured his friends. As he raced out of the church, he saw the Arachnid sitting at the bottom of the steps. “He pal. Wanna talk about it?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” mumbled the Arachnid.

“Try me,” suggested the stellar-powered hero, as he sat down next to his best friend.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” yelled the Arachnid. “Wonder Warrior, Queen Bee, Kid Comet, Palome’, and I all came from five years into the future. The history books didn’t say anything about any of us getting killed before our time.”

“You know pal, with all of the sorcerers and time villains we’ve fought since day one, things could have changed,” advised Starman.

“That’s all you can say is things change???” growled the Arachnid. “You really are a moron, Spaceman. When we went into space a few months back, you must have left your brain back on Thanagar.”

“Hey man, don’t take cheap shots at me. I’m trying to help here,” defended Starman.

“You sound worse than a crisis-line counselor,” accused the Arachnid. “I could have gotten better advice by shaking an 8-ball,” he said, storming away.

As the large group of people made their way out of the church, Sargona began to talk with Black Vulcan. “I can’t believe Venus didn’t show.”

“Me too,” agreed the daughter of the original Black Vulcan. “I just wonder where she could be. We searched just about everywhere for her the other day and she was nowhere to be found.”

“I don’t like this,” frowned Sargona.

A few moments later, Dr. Fate, Phantom Lady, and Firebrand made their way outside.

“That poor boy was so young….” sighed Firebrand, “He certainly didn’t deserve to pass this soon.”

“Especially with being so cute,” mused Phantom Lady.





“Sandra!” exclaimed an ashamed Firebrand. “He’s dead.”

“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t cute before he died,” countered Phantom Lady. “I saw pictures of him. He had that whole ‘white trash” thing going on but in a totally sexy way.”

“Enough Sandra,” requested Dr. Fate. “I don’t think this is the time or place. While I never knew this Palome’, I sense he was a beckon of hope to many. This world shall be at a loss without his presence.”





“Guys, you’re going to have to excuse me for a minute,” Phantom Lady said, pulling out some make-up from her cape-pouch. “My eyeliner is running a bit. I’ll be right back,” she said as she made her way around the corner of the building. As she came around the corner, she noticed the Arachnid with his back pressed to the wall, head down, with his arms crossed. “Hey bug-boy!” she greeted.

“What do you want?” the Arachnid asked, obviously irritated.

“Well, I just came over here to fix my make-up but I can see that you upset. Want to talk about it?” offered the spectral heroine.

“Ha! So you can accuse me of being….” started the bug-themed hero.

Phantom Lady decided to finish his sentence for him, “Upset, angry and in mourning?”

“That too,” huffed the Arachnid. “Spaceman and I just had a fight.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the World War II heroine said as she put her hand on the Arachnid’s shoulder. “What was it about?”

“Well, as you know, we just laid one of my best friends to rest today and all that moron could say to comfort me was ‘things change”, informed the Arachnid. “Things change. What kind of an idiot does he think I am??? Of course things change, at least, everything but his lack of intelligence. What a blockhead!”

“It sounds like you’re in a really bad place right now,” Phantom Lady said, ccompassionately. “How would you like to go out tomorrow night?”

“Wha…what did you say?” the Arachnid asked in shock.

“Tomorrow night – you and me. Rather than sulking over your friend’s death, we’ll celebrate his life!”

“But I thought you thought I was…” began the not so sure best-friend of Starman.

“Cute, charming, and real party animal?” teased Phantom Lady. “How about seven o’clock? First we’ll go to dinner and then we’ll hit that new under-age club that opened up a few weeks ago in Metropolis. I’ve heard it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before! We’ll light up the town like a fireworks display!”

The Arachnid started to tremble at the realization that Phantom Lady had just asked him out. Finally after all of his years of being single, fate was rewarding him. “Uhh…sure. I’d love to.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at the Hall,” smiled Sandra Knight. “And let’s go out in costume! We’ll garner more attention that way and probably get a free meal!” she said as she walked away to rejoin Dr. Fate and Firebrand.

After Phantom Lady was safely around the corner, the Arachnid’s mind started racing with excitement. “Oh my God! Oh my God!!!” he quickly produced a cell-phone from his pocket. “Yo Ice Warrior! You’re never going to believe this!”

A few moments later after the Arachnid told his friend about what just happened, Ice Warrior replied with, “You’re right. I don’t believe you. There’s no way a babe like Phantom Lady would ask you out.”

“She did! I swear it!” insisted the bug-themed hero.

“I thought she thought you were gay,” argued the son of Guy Gardner.

“Well, now that I think about it, I think she was just teasing me because she liked me. Kinda how kids do that in school. They always pick on the ones they have a crush on,” presumed the Arachnid.

“Alrighty then. If you’re telling the truth, I want to see some pictures of your date by week’s end,” demanded Ice Warrior.

“You’ll have them within forty-eight hours,” the Arachnid said, confidently as he closed his cell phone.


TO BE CONTINUED