Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 7:59:22 GMT -5
Titans of Justice Unlimited Chapter 80 - “Future Fixation Part 3”
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Wayne Manor, Earth 2...
The holiday season was coming to an end but Di Di Queen was still feeling sentimental. While she was enjoying her new life on Earth 2, there was still something significant missing from her life: Green Lantern. Here she was, laying on her bed in the guest-room provided by Robin and the Huntress, flipping through her photo collection. The first one was a picture of her, Green Lantern, and several of the other Titans of Justice from when she first joined the team. The next picture was taken in the Universe of Evil when she had to use Green Lantern’s ring to save them both from a deadly fall. The next photo was taken upon her promotion to a field leader of the Titans. In the picture was herself, her brother, and Green Lantern who was kissing her on the cheek. Sonic Boom began to cry softly, As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she missed Green Lantern dearly. With everything that had happened in the last month, she had a lot of conflicting emotions and her stress-level was very high, which in turn, caused her to say and do thing she normally wouldn’t do. Part of her wanted to rush back to New Earth and tell Green Lantern how sorry she was for pushing him away and another part of her still felt betrayed and bitter. She put her photos down on her bed and buried her face in her hands and started crying heavily. She began crying so hard that she didn’t hear a visitor enter her room. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She jerked her head upward in surprise to see the older Dick Grayson standing above her.
“What are you doing here?” asked the former Boy Wonder.
“Huh….I uh….thought you said I could use this room?” Di Di asked, shaking a bit from crying so hard.
“That’s not what I mean,” Dick smiled warmly, looking down at Sonic Boom’s photos. “You miss him, don’t you?”
Sonic Boom paused for a minute and she struggled to speak, “I do….but I can’t….”
“Can’t what? Can’t stop yourself from taking a chance that you could lose him forever?” Robin said, challenging his new teammate.
There was no reply from Di Di Queen as she bit her lower lip.
“All couples go through rough times but it’s obvious that you still care about him deeply,” pointed out Robin. “Helena told me how he voted against you staying on the Titans but you staying on the team and you staying a part of his life are two totally different things. You said he was by your side through the entire ordeal right?”
“Yes,” answered Sonic Boom, humbly.
“Then there should be no question on how he feels about you,” Dick said firmly. “I think you need to give him a call and work this out.”
“You’re right……but how can I call him if he’s on New Earth?” questioned Sonic Boom as she grabbed a tissue to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes.
“Simple, come with me,” Robin said as he began to exit the room. “And bring your cell-phone with you.”
A few moments later, Di Di found herself in the Bat-cave. “What are we doing down here?” Di Di said as she looked around the room in amazement. She was like a little kid in a toy-store for a few minutes. So many exhibits and trophies amazed her from the green dinosaur to the giant penny to the enormous playing card hanging from the ceiling along with costumes of friends long-gone such as Batman, Catwoman, and Batwoman. For the first time in a long time, she was totally star-struck. “This place is incredible!”
“Yes, it is,” smiled Robin. “Bruce really did a number on this place, didn’t he?”
“All of this stuff is so cool!” Sonic Boom said, continuing to look around.
“Well, while you’re staying with us, it’s all yours,” smiled Robin.
After a few more seconds had passed, she asked “So how am I going to call Dan from down here?”
“Come here,” instructed Robin. “Plug this cord into your cell phone and I’ll plug the other end into the Bat-computer. It will allow your call to reach New Earth.”
“Whoa………..leave it to Batman and Robin to come up with an inter-dimensional phone-line,” smirked Sonic Boom as she dialed Green Lantern’s phone number.
After a second, she heard a ringing sound. The phone rang three times before it was answered by a female voice.
“This is Sargona on Dan’s phone,” came the voice.
Sonic Boom immediately gasped in horror and closed her phone, disconnecting the call. She dropped her phone as her body went limp. She shut her eyes hoping this was all a bad dream but the event was too fresh and it was eating away at her big time. “No no no no no no no no no!!!”
“Di Di? What’s wrong?” What happened?” Robin asked sympathetically.
As Sonic Boom began to cry again, she had to force the words from her mouth, “He…..he….he’s already moved on.” In an instinct-reaction, she wrapped her arms around Robin as she continued to cry her river of tears. “I’m too late…………”
“How do you know this?” asked the elder Dick Grayson.
“Because, Sargona answered his phone,” replied the still sobbing Di Di Queen.
“Oh…….oh no…,” Robin whispered quietly as he held her tight.
***
The Hall of Justice…
Green Lantern walked in Sargona’s room with a glass of water in hand. He noticed Sargona had his cell phone in her hand and she was looking down at it. “Did someone call?”
Sargona looked up and answered, “Yes but they hung up when I answered. I even said I was answering your phone…. HOW RUDE!”
“They probably had the wrong number. If it was important, they‘ll call back,” presumed Green Lantern as he handed Sargona the glass in his hand, “Here’s the water you asked for.”
“Thank you, Dan,” Sargona responded changing the angry look on her face to a soft smile.
Green Lantern sat down on Sargona’s bed beside her, “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes but that sting Latavia gave me left me a little dehydrated so this water will really help,” she said as she took a drink. “You know, I always knew she was a bit anti-social with not bothering to interact with any of the other girls on the team but when she attacked us, the look in her eyes was so cold and heartless. I don’t think she felt an ounce of guilt.”
“I’m not sure what to think of all of this. It’s all just came out of the blue,”
“Yes it has,” agreed Sargona. “Anyways…before I forget, I want to say thank you for making sure I’m ok.”
“No need to say thanks. I wanted to make sure you were alright,” admitted the green guardian.
“Aww….you still care about me…” smirked the daughter of Sargon and Zatanna.
“Of course I do. You and I share a very special past,” explained Daniel Jordan. “Even though we’re no longer together, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
“I know, Dan. I’m just giving you a hard time. Don’t hate me though. You know that’s my specialty. So now I guess I have to ask, how are YOU doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I shook off the affects of Queen Bee’s attack over a half-hour ago.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant, how are you doing without Di Di?”
“Oh…that. Well, to put it mildly, it hasn’t been easy.”
“You know, Dan………you shouldn’t blame yourself for this.”
“How can I not? I voted against her when I should have either passed on my vote or supported her.”
“But then you would have contradicted everything you’ve stood for. Do you honestly think that if it would have been me that killed Dr. Light that I would have expected you to vote for me? I would never ask you to change who you are or bend your beliefs on my behalf. She should love you for who you are………like I did.”
“Sargona…..I,….I don’t want to talk about this right now,” confessed Green Lantern. “We’ve got an emergency situation going on with four of our teammates seemingly going rogue. I’ve got to stay focused.”
“Ok, ok…but just know that I’m here if you need to talk or anything else,” Sargona said taking Green Lantern’s hand in hers. “Just like you are here for me now, I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.”
Just then, Nightvision summoned the team via an emergency alert.
“Thank you,” whispered Green Lantern as he withdrew his hand and walked out of the room with Sargona right behind him.
A few minutes later, Green Lantern and Sargona made their way into the main meeting room where there seemed to be a heavy discussion going on.
“Good! You two have great timing,” stated Nightvision. “We’ve finally found the rogue Titans thanks to our satellite monitoring system.”
“Where are they?” asked Sargona, curiously.
“They’re at Palome’s grave,” revealed Nightvision. “Let’s pile into the teleporters and take care of this mess.”
As the team followed Nightvision’s lead, Nucleus made the comment, “Just leave Queen Bee for me.”
“I don’t blame you for being upset, Jason. It sounds like she’s been using you ever since you two got together,” Black Vulcan noted.
“That’s EXACTLY what she was doing and I’ll be damned if I let her get away with it!” Nucleus said as he began to program the teleporter tubes until he realized, “Something’s wrong!”
“The tubes aren’t responding to the controls,” replied Nucleus as he noticed something strange, “The control panels feel really cold.” Within seconds, he took the plastic cover off of the control box and saw that everything inside was iced over. “What the heck??? Someone’s frozen the controls.”
“Frozen?” repeated Nightvision. “Wait a minute………where’s Ice Warrior?”
“He was here earlier but I didn’t see him come to the meeting room when you sounded the alert,” advised Wonder Man.
“Well, we don’t have time to look into this. Quick to the Javelyn!” ordered the son of Nightwing and Oracle.
A few minutes later, the assembled Titans arrived in the garage only to find it:
“EMPTY! DAMMIT!!!!” growled Nightvision.
“They seem to be staying one step ahead of us, huh?” commented a frustrated Power Guy. He then turned his head and asked, “Green Lantern - can you carry the non-flyers with your ring? It looks like we’re going to have to travel to Louisiana under our own power.”
“You bet,” confirmed Green Lantern as he created a large green bubble.
“Jerrica and I can take two of you in my jet,” offered Wonder Man.
“I’ll go! I always love riding in your jet,” smiled Whirlpool.
“Same here,” said Phantom Lady, reserving her seat.
“Thanks Wonder Man,” Power Guy said gratefully as he and the others took off for Baton Rouge, LA.
***
Meanwhile at the site of Palome’s grave…
The Arachnid had wrapped his arms around his resurrected friend, “You’re back! You’re back! The stud of Titans West is back!!”
“Ok, Aaron, you can let go now…..” requested Palome’ who was more than slightly annoyed.
“Uhh….sorry. Just had to make sure you were solid,” the Arachnid smirked under his mask.
Kid Comet stepped up to Palome‘ and extended his hand, “It’s good to have you with us again, Lucas.”
“It’s good to be back,” Palome’ smiled warmly.
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the Arachnid. “It you could always bring Lucas back, why did we have the funeral and everything?” he said, glaring at Wonder Warrior.
“Let me explain,” Palome’ said while stepping in between Wonder Warrior and the Arachnid. “Before we came back to this period in time, I told Wonder Warrior that if something should ever happen to me, there was a way to bring me back if our mission was incomplete. The life-dust from Azarath is a one-time trick meaning this is my second and only chance. As happy as I was in the after-life, I can only assume the Titans of Vengeance have found you all and you need the sanctuary that only my soul-self can provide.”
“You hit the nail on the head,” affirmed Wonder Warrior.
Suddenly, the team was interrupted by the sound of a jet-plane. As the heroes looked skyward, the saw the Javelyn arriving on the scene. Within five minutes, the jet had descended to the ground and Ice Warrior exited the craft.
“Alright bug-breath, this better be good,” barked the son of Ice and Guy Gardner.
“What did you…” started Wonder Warrior looking at the Arachnid.
“Well, while you were performing your little ritual, I called up Ice Warrior here and told him we could use his help,” informed the Arachnid.
“Yeah,” huffed Ice Warrior. “Beetle Boy here called me up, told me to freeze the Hall’s teleporters, take the Javelyn, and told me to head down here pronto. Now I’ve probably got half the team looking for my @$$ and I’m probably going to be put on probation if not kicked off the team but seeing as that you’re here with Beetle Boy, I assume all is forgiven?” he said looking at Wonder Warrior. “After all, you’re next in the leadership line after Power Guy, right?”
“I…was,” admitted Wonder Warrior. “He and the others are most likely a little upset with me right now.”
“Oh great. Would someone PLEASE tell me what exactly is going on here?” demanded Ice Warrior.
“No time! Look up there!” shouted Queen Bee, pointing skyward.
The assembled heroes looked upward to see the Titans of Vengeance converging on the area.
“Not to worry, my friends. That’s what you brought me back for,” Palome’ said as he released his Soul-self and absorbed the heroes and the Javelyn inward. Within a few seconds, they all disappeared from view.
As the Titans of Vengeance landed on the ground, Nightmare began to throw a fit, “Curse them! They got away!!”
“It looks like they disappeared into Palome’s Soul-self,” noted Mr. Wonderful.
“Strange………he wasn’t with them before,” reminded Dark Flash.
“Who cares where he came from, all that matters is that they’re off the radar for now,” grumbled Nightmare.
“I noticed they had someone else with them too,” advised the Apostle. “I think it was Guy Gardner’s son.”
“It definitely was. I scoped him out with my telescopic vision,” confirmed Suprema. “It’s no surprise they turned to that low-life with how desperate they are.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, we’ve got company!” advised Nightmare pointing upward as the Titans of Justice arrived. Both teams looked on in shock, not quite knowing what to make of each other.
“You…you look like me but……..older,” noticed Green Lantern, gazing upon the Apostle.
“Same goes for you,” Nightvision said, staring down Nightmare.
“I’m sure this will be hard to believe but you’re absolutely right,” revealed Nightmare. “We’re all from about five years into the future. I’m Nightmare. This the Apostle. To his right is Mr, Wonderful, then Suprema, and finally, Dark Flash.”
“You’re wearing the costume I wore on Earth 2,” survey Wonder Man while sizing up Mr. Wonderful.
“That I am,” smirked Mr. Wonderful. “Let’s just say that in the future, things have gotten a little more complicated…..and I needed the extra protection and versatility this armor has to offer.”
“Never mind that, what are you doing here?” demanded Nightvision.
“We’re here to take in some outlaws from our time,” informed Nightmare. “I believe you’re quite familiar with them all: Wonder Warrior, Queen Bee, Kid Comet, the Arachnid…
“As a matter of a fact, we’re trying to bring them in too,” Nightvision said, staring his older self down. “Mind if I ask what they’re wanted for?”
“These people are agents of chaos,” answered the elder Brendon Grayson. “Wherever they go, they toy with people’s lives and do their best to alter the time-stream. If my timing is right, I believe you already know what they did to your Supergirl….”
“That’s correct,” acknowledged Nightvision.
“Wait a minute,” interjected Wonder Man. “You’re trying to tell me that my cousin is some cold, calculating psycho? I’m not sure I can believe that…”
“Do you think it was easy for the Teen Titans to believe it when the first Terra turned on them?” Nightmare said, bluntly. “That’s why they’re called traitors because they fool you into a false sense of security and then turn on you when you’re least expecting it!”
The assembled Titans of Justice all looked at each other in a state of confusion. Many of them doubting their former teammates even more so now.
“Well, if we’re going to bring them in, we need to find them first,” stated Power Guy. “Our satellite monitoring systems showed them here a short while ago but they’ve seemed to have vanished.”
“They’re probably hiding under Wonder Warrior’s invisibility field,” presumed Nightvision. “Why don’t you five come back to the Hall with us so we can figure out a plan to locate and capture the ‘outlaws’?”
“Sounds good,” agreed Nightmare, keeping the information that Palome’ was alive a secret.
***
Later on at the Hall of Justice…
Power Guy, Nightvision, Nightmare, and Suprema were standing in front of the Trouble Alert. Citizen Steel(leader of the new Global Guardians) had called in to address the situation with Ice Warrior.
“I’m sorry, Power Guy,” apologized Citizen Steel. “I never would have guessed that Ice Warrior would have pulled a stunt like this. Sure, he’s always been a bit rash and headstrong but he’s never done anything to make us question his trust.”
“I could say similar things about the company he’s running with right now,” frowned Power Guy.
“I guess this explains why I got that letter from the Arachnid when you and I were going through the decision process as to which Guardian to appoint as liaison to your team. In his letter, the Arachnid said how well Ice Warrior worked with the rest of you when we teamed up a while back and how he thought Ice Warrior would be a natural fit for your team.”
“It looks like they might have been planning all of this for quite some time,” Power Guy said as he turned and looked at Nightvision.
“Considering how long your niece had that Kryptonite around her neck, I’d say that’s a logical conclusion,” replied the modern-age Dark Knight.
“Again, I’m sorry for this mess and your new liaison has been hand-picked by myself without any influence from anyone else,” advised Citizen Steel.
“And who would that be?” Nightvision asked, nonchalantly.
“Infierna Verde formerly Flame Fury,” replied Citizen Steel. “She’ll be there in a few hours for a meet and greet session for those of you who are available.”
‘Ah yes, Fire’s daughter,” Nightvision said as he stroked his chin a bit. “Good choice. Her mother was a huge asset to the Justice League from what Batman has told me.”
***
Wayne Manor, Earth 2...
Di Di Queen was back in her bedroom. For the last several hours, her mind and heart were fuming with pain and loss. Part of her felt incredibly stupid for waiting so long to resolve things with the love of her life, Daniel Jordan and another part of her said that maybe Daniel getting back together with Sargona was for the best. After all, if he would jump back into a relationship with Sargona so quickly after the two of them had broken up, was he really a man she could count on?
Before the blonde bombshell could contemplate the matter further, a soft knock came on her door. “Come in,” she yelled out.
As the door opened, she saw Helena and Dick standing in the doorway. “Hi guys,” greeted the woman otherwise known as Sonic Boom.
“Di Di, I hope you don’t mind but I told Helena what happened…” Dick said nervously.
Di Di stood up, her jaw shifting back and forth as she tried not to cry.
The Huntress ran to her immediately and wrapped her arms around her close friend, “It’s ok, honey, let it out.”
That’s all it took and Di Di Queen was crying manically again. “Hel….Helena, how……..how could he..he……he move on so f..f…..fast??”
“I don’t know Di Di,” the Huntress responded, trying to come up with some words that would comfort her dear friend. “But if that’s the case, you’re better off without him.”
“It’s so hard though…..Dan and I have known each other our entire lives,” continued Sonic Boom. “Yes, I was angry with him for a while but deep in my heart I thought we would always be together.”
“Look at me,” Helena said firmly,
Di Di looked up, mascara running from her eyes with strands of her hair stuck to the side of her face from her tears.
“I don’t want to see you cry any more. You’ve been through the wringer lately and the last thing you need to do is let some boy who can’t make up his mind get you down,” advised the Huntress. “Didn’t you ask me to bring you here to Earth 2 so you could start over?”
“Y…yes,” confirmed Di Di as she sniffled a bit.
“Well then, maybe you need to take your own words more seriously,” directed the Huntress with a half-smile.
“You know what….you’re right!” agreed Sonic Boom. “From this moment on, that’s EXACTLY what I’m going to do!” she said rushing to the secret entrance to he Bat-Cave.
***
The White House…
Amanda Waller strolled through the hallway as she made her way to the president’s office. This would be her first meeting with newly elected President Obama. As much as she was looking forward to spending some time with the new leader of the country, she had plenty of other things to do which made her question why a phone call couldn’t have sufficed?
“I hope he makes this quick. I have a million and one things to do and this little tea party I’ve been called to is just going to put me even further behind,” grumbled the mature woman. As she continued on, she had to stop for a minute. Even with her cane, this long walk to the Oval Office had hear nearly out of breath, especially with her being heavier than she ever had been. While she fully admitted that she had an eating disorder, what did anyone else expect of her? Once she lost her husband, she told herself she would never fall under a man’s spell again, at least not enough to fall into another “’til death do we part” scam. Her children were fully grown now and had lives of their own. While she loved her grandchildren dearly, work always came first for Amanda. That’s what drove her on through all of the tough times early in her life. That……..and a box of doughnuts………or a bag of cookies……….or even a whole pizza. She kept telling herself that she has to start eating better but even after she was forced to start using this cane she was so dependent on food, she struggled to find the will-power to overcome her addiction. Food and work were always Amanda’s best friends and worst enemies all rolled into one.
Finally, she arrived at her destination and knocked on the door.
“Come in!” requested the president.
“Hello, sir,” greeted Amanda, forcing a fake smile on her face. All she could think about was how long this meeting would take.
“Come in, Mrs. Waller. Please do have a seat, you look tired,” observed the first African American president in history.
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s just not easy for me carrying around all of this excess baggage at my age,” she smirked, “By the way, congratulations on your presidency, sir. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your inauguration ball. We had a crisis at Belle Reeve. About nearly fifty prisoners tried escaping and I had to make sure they all wound up in their cells by the end of the night.”
“Don’t worry about it. As Chief of Meta-human Affairs, I wouldn’t expect anything less of you,” pointed out President Obama. “And from what I know of you, you always go above and beyond the call of duty.”
“Thank you sir.”
“You’re probably wondering why I’ve asked you here today? Well, with all of the service you’ve provided this country over the years, it’s time for your reward.”
“Reward?” repeated a confused Waller.
“Yes, I’d like you to be my executive administrative assistant.”
“I’m honored sir but I have too much on my plate right now to walk away from my position. Maybe in a few years or something.”
“Mrs. Waller, I’m afraid you misunderstand. I wasn’t asking you. I’m TELLING you,” the president said firmly yet still trying to be polite.
“What??? With all due respect sir, I’m far more capable than typing up a few letters and fetching you coffee all day. Surely you can find some twenty-four year old super-model that’s more than willing to fill this position.”
“Again Amanda, I’m not asking here. Don’t think of this as a punishment. I truly am proud of all of the work you’ve done over the years but let’s be honest, you’re in your seventies now and you may not have much time left, especially with your health. I simply cannot have the Chief of Meta-human affairs die at her desk.”
“I’m FINE!!!” bellowed Waller as she became angry. All of a sudden, she started coughing <COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH>
“Are you all right Mrs. Waller?” asked the President as he became alarmed.
<COUGH COUGH> “Yes, I’ll” <COUGH> “be fine,” replied Waller. “But sir, I really think you need to reconsider. No-one can keep a handle on things the way I do.”
“And again, this is not up for debate. You will be released from your current position at the end of the first quarter,” explained the president. “Now I don’t want you walking out of this office being bitter. Your new role will be a cozy nine to five, Monday through Friday job. You will retain your current salary and all of your benefits. I don’t want you to think of this as a punishment. I remember years ago when you and I worked on that meta-human crisis in Chicago. I haven’t forgotten all of the work you did to take care of my city. This really is for your benefit, Amanda.”
“But…but…” Waller continued, hoping to change his mind.
“No buts!” ordered the president. “My decision is made. Now if you were even ten or fifteen years younger, I would consider your request but I’m sorry, you’re just too old to keep this up….”
TO BE CONTINUED
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Wayne Manor, Earth 2...
The holiday season was coming to an end but Di Di Queen was still feeling sentimental. While she was enjoying her new life on Earth 2, there was still something significant missing from her life: Green Lantern. Here she was, laying on her bed in the guest-room provided by Robin and the Huntress, flipping through her photo collection. The first one was a picture of her, Green Lantern, and several of the other Titans of Justice from when she first joined the team. The next picture was taken in the Universe of Evil when she had to use Green Lantern’s ring to save them both from a deadly fall. The next photo was taken upon her promotion to a field leader of the Titans. In the picture was herself, her brother, and Green Lantern who was kissing her on the cheek. Sonic Boom began to cry softly, As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she missed Green Lantern dearly. With everything that had happened in the last month, she had a lot of conflicting emotions and her stress-level was very high, which in turn, caused her to say and do thing she normally wouldn’t do. Part of her wanted to rush back to New Earth and tell Green Lantern how sorry she was for pushing him away and another part of her still felt betrayed and bitter. She put her photos down on her bed and buried her face in her hands and started crying heavily. She began crying so hard that she didn’t hear a visitor enter her room. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She jerked her head upward in surprise to see the older Dick Grayson standing above her.
“What are you doing here?” asked the former Boy Wonder.
“Huh….I uh….thought you said I could use this room?” Di Di asked, shaking a bit from crying so hard.
“That’s not what I mean,” Dick smiled warmly, looking down at Sonic Boom’s photos. “You miss him, don’t you?”
Sonic Boom paused for a minute and she struggled to speak, “I do….but I can’t….”
“Can’t what? Can’t stop yourself from taking a chance that you could lose him forever?” Robin said, challenging his new teammate.
There was no reply from Di Di Queen as she bit her lower lip.
“All couples go through rough times but it’s obvious that you still care about him deeply,” pointed out Robin. “Helena told me how he voted against you staying on the Titans but you staying on the team and you staying a part of his life are two totally different things. You said he was by your side through the entire ordeal right?”
“Yes,” answered Sonic Boom, humbly.
“Then there should be no question on how he feels about you,” Dick said firmly. “I think you need to give him a call and work this out.”
“You’re right……but how can I call him if he’s on New Earth?” questioned Sonic Boom as she grabbed a tissue to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes.
“Simple, come with me,” Robin said as he began to exit the room. “And bring your cell-phone with you.”
A few moments later, Di Di found herself in the Bat-cave. “What are we doing down here?” Di Di said as she looked around the room in amazement. She was like a little kid in a toy-store for a few minutes. So many exhibits and trophies amazed her from the green dinosaur to the giant penny to the enormous playing card hanging from the ceiling along with costumes of friends long-gone such as Batman, Catwoman, and Batwoman. For the first time in a long time, she was totally star-struck. “This place is incredible!”
“Yes, it is,” smiled Robin. “Bruce really did a number on this place, didn’t he?”
“All of this stuff is so cool!” Sonic Boom said, continuing to look around.
“Well, while you’re staying with us, it’s all yours,” smiled Robin.
After a few more seconds had passed, she asked “So how am I going to call Dan from down here?”
“Come here,” instructed Robin. “Plug this cord into your cell phone and I’ll plug the other end into the Bat-computer. It will allow your call to reach New Earth.”
“Whoa………..leave it to Batman and Robin to come up with an inter-dimensional phone-line,” smirked Sonic Boom as she dialed Green Lantern’s phone number.
After a second, she heard a ringing sound. The phone rang three times before it was answered by a female voice.
“This is Sargona on Dan’s phone,” came the voice.
Sonic Boom immediately gasped in horror and closed her phone, disconnecting the call. She dropped her phone as her body went limp. She shut her eyes hoping this was all a bad dream but the event was too fresh and it was eating away at her big time. “No no no no no no no no no!!!”
“Di Di? What’s wrong?” What happened?” Robin asked sympathetically.
As Sonic Boom began to cry again, she had to force the words from her mouth, “He…..he….he’s already moved on.” In an instinct-reaction, she wrapped her arms around Robin as she continued to cry her river of tears. “I’m too late…………”
“How do you know this?” asked the elder Dick Grayson.
“Because, Sargona answered his phone,” replied the still sobbing Di Di Queen.
“Oh…….oh no…,” Robin whispered quietly as he held her tight.
***
The Hall of Justice…
Green Lantern walked in Sargona’s room with a glass of water in hand. He noticed Sargona had his cell phone in her hand and she was looking down at it. “Did someone call?”
Sargona looked up and answered, “Yes but they hung up when I answered. I even said I was answering your phone…. HOW RUDE!”
“They probably had the wrong number. If it was important, they‘ll call back,” presumed Green Lantern as he handed Sargona the glass in his hand, “Here’s the water you asked for.”
“Thank you, Dan,” Sargona responded changing the angry look on her face to a soft smile.
Green Lantern sat down on Sargona’s bed beside her, “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes but that sting Latavia gave me left me a little dehydrated so this water will really help,” she said as she took a drink. “You know, I always knew she was a bit anti-social with not bothering to interact with any of the other girls on the team but when she attacked us, the look in her eyes was so cold and heartless. I don’t think she felt an ounce of guilt.”
“I’m not sure what to think of all of this. It’s all just came out of the blue,”
“Yes it has,” agreed Sargona. “Anyways…before I forget, I want to say thank you for making sure I’m ok.”
“No need to say thanks. I wanted to make sure you were alright,” admitted the green guardian.
“Aww….you still care about me…” smirked the daughter of Sargon and Zatanna.
“Of course I do. You and I share a very special past,” explained Daniel Jordan. “Even though we’re no longer together, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
“I know, Dan. I’m just giving you a hard time. Don’t hate me though. You know that’s my specialty. So now I guess I have to ask, how are YOU doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I shook off the affects of Queen Bee’s attack over a half-hour ago.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant, how are you doing without Di Di?”
“Oh…that. Well, to put it mildly, it hasn’t been easy.”
“You know, Dan………you shouldn’t blame yourself for this.”
“How can I not? I voted against her when I should have either passed on my vote or supported her.”
“But then you would have contradicted everything you’ve stood for. Do you honestly think that if it would have been me that killed Dr. Light that I would have expected you to vote for me? I would never ask you to change who you are or bend your beliefs on my behalf. She should love you for who you are………like I did.”
“Sargona…..I,….I don’t want to talk about this right now,” confessed Green Lantern. “We’ve got an emergency situation going on with four of our teammates seemingly going rogue. I’ve got to stay focused.”
“Ok, ok…but just know that I’m here if you need to talk or anything else,” Sargona said taking Green Lantern’s hand in hers. “Just like you are here for me now, I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.”
Just then, Nightvision summoned the team via an emergency alert.
“Thank you,” whispered Green Lantern as he withdrew his hand and walked out of the room with Sargona right behind him.
A few minutes later, Green Lantern and Sargona made their way into the main meeting room where there seemed to be a heavy discussion going on.
“Good! You two have great timing,” stated Nightvision. “We’ve finally found the rogue Titans thanks to our satellite monitoring system.”
“Where are they?” asked Sargona, curiously.
“They’re at Palome’s grave,” revealed Nightvision. “Let’s pile into the teleporters and take care of this mess.”
As the team followed Nightvision’s lead, Nucleus made the comment, “Just leave Queen Bee for me.”
“I don’t blame you for being upset, Jason. It sounds like she’s been using you ever since you two got together,” Black Vulcan noted.
“That’s EXACTLY what she was doing and I’ll be damned if I let her get away with it!” Nucleus said as he began to program the teleporter tubes until he realized, “Something’s wrong!”
“The tubes aren’t responding to the controls,” replied Nucleus as he noticed something strange, “The control panels feel really cold.” Within seconds, he took the plastic cover off of the control box and saw that everything inside was iced over. “What the heck??? Someone’s frozen the controls.”
“Frozen?” repeated Nightvision. “Wait a minute………where’s Ice Warrior?”
“He was here earlier but I didn’t see him come to the meeting room when you sounded the alert,” advised Wonder Man.
“Well, we don’t have time to look into this. Quick to the Javelyn!” ordered the son of Nightwing and Oracle.
A few minutes later, the assembled Titans arrived in the garage only to find it:
“EMPTY! DAMMIT!!!!” growled Nightvision.
“They seem to be staying one step ahead of us, huh?” commented a frustrated Power Guy. He then turned his head and asked, “Green Lantern - can you carry the non-flyers with your ring? It looks like we’re going to have to travel to Louisiana under our own power.”
“You bet,” confirmed Green Lantern as he created a large green bubble.
“Jerrica and I can take two of you in my jet,” offered Wonder Man.
“I’ll go! I always love riding in your jet,” smiled Whirlpool.
“Same here,” said Phantom Lady, reserving her seat.
“Thanks Wonder Man,” Power Guy said gratefully as he and the others took off for Baton Rouge, LA.
***
Meanwhile at the site of Palome’s grave…
The Arachnid had wrapped his arms around his resurrected friend, “You’re back! You’re back! The stud of Titans West is back!!”
“Ok, Aaron, you can let go now…..” requested Palome’ who was more than slightly annoyed.
“Uhh….sorry. Just had to make sure you were solid,” the Arachnid smirked under his mask.
Kid Comet stepped up to Palome‘ and extended his hand, “It’s good to have you with us again, Lucas.”
“It’s good to be back,” Palome’ smiled warmly.
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed the Arachnid. “It you could always bring Lucas back, why did we have the funeral and everything?” he said, glaring at Wonder Warrior.
“Let me explain,” Palome’ said while stepping in between Wonder Warrior and the Arachnid. “Before we came back to this period in time, I told Wonder Warrior that if something should ever happen to me, there was a way to bring me back if our mission was incomplete. The life-dust from Azarath is a one-time trick meaning this is my second and only chance. As happy as I was in the after-life, I can only assume the Titans of Vengeance have found you all and you need the sanctuary that only my soul-self can provide.”
“You hit the nail on the head,” affirmed Wonder Warrior.
Suddenly, the team was interrupted by the sound of a jet-plane. As the heroes looked skyward, the saw the Javelyn arriving on the scene. Within five minutes, the jet had descended to the ground and Ice Warrior exited the craft.
“Alright bug-breath, this better be good,” barked the son of Ice and Guy Gardner.
“What did you…” started Wonder Warrior looking at the Arachnid.
“Well, while you were performing your little ritual, I called up Ice Warrior here and told him we could use his help,” informed the Arachnid.
“Yeah,” huffed Ice Warrior. “Beetle Boy here called me up, told me to freeze the Hall’s teleporters, take the Javelyn, and told me to head down here pronto. Now I’ve probably got half the team looking for my @$$ and I’m probably going to be put on probation if not kicked off the team but seeing as that you’re here with Beetle Boy, I assume all is forgiven?” he said looking at Wonder Warrior. “After all, you’re next in the leadership line after Power Guy, right?”
“I…was,” admitted Wonder Warrior. “He and the others are most likely a little upset with me right now.”
“Oh great. Would someone PLEASE tell me what exactly is going on here?” demanded Ice Warrior.
“No time! Look up there!” shouted Queen Bee, pointing skyward.
The assembled heroes looked upward to see the Titans of Vengeance converging on the area.
“Not to worry, my friends. That’s what you brought me back for,” Palome’ said as he released his Soul-self and absorbed the heroes and the Javelyn inward. Within a few seconds, they all disappeared from view.
As the Titans of Vengeance landed on the ground, Nightmare began to throw a fit, “Curse them! They got away!!”
“It looks like they disappeared into Palome’s Soul-self,” noted Mr. Wonderful.
“Strange………he wasn’t with them before,” reminded Dark Flash.
“Who cares where he came from, all that matters is that they’re off the radar for now,” grumbled Nightmare.
“I noticed they had someone else with them too,” advised the Apostle. “I think it was Guy Gardner’s son.”
“It definitely was. I scoped him out with my telescopic vision,” confirmed Suprema. “It’s no surprise they turned to that low-life with how desperate they are.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, we’ve got company!” advised Nightmare pointing upward as the Titans of Justice arrived. Both teams looked on in shock, not quite knowing what to make of each other.
“You…you look like me but……..older,” noticed Green Lantern, gazing upon the Apostle.
“Same goes for you,” Nightvision said, staring down Nightmare.
“I’m sure this will be hard to believe but you’re absolutely right,” revealed Nightmare. “We’re all from about five years into the future. I’m Nightmare. This the Apostle. To his right is Mr, Wonderful, then Suprema, and finally, Dark Flash.”
“You’re wearing the costume I wore on Earth 2,” survey Wonder Man while sizing up Mr. Wonderful.
“That I am,” smirked Mr. Wonderful. “Let’s just say that in the future, things have gotten a little more complicated…..and I needed the extra protection and versatility this armor has to offer.”
“Never mind that, what are you doing here?” demanded Nightvision.
“We’re here to take in some outlaws from our time,” informed Nightmare. “I believe you’re quite familiar with them all: Wonder Warrior, Queen Bee, Kid Comet, the Arachnid…
“As a matter of a fact, we’re trying to bring them in too,” Nightvision said, staring his older self down. “Mind if I ask what they’re wanted for?”
“These people are agents of chaos,” answered the elder Brendon Grayson. “Wherever they go, they toy with people’s lives and do their best to alter the time-stream. If my timing is right, I believe you already know what they did to your Supergirl….”
“That’s correct,” acknowledged Nightvision.
“Wait a minute,” interjected Wonder Man. “You’re trying to tell me that my cousin is some cold, calculating psycho? I’m not sure I can believe that…”
“Do you think it was easy for the Teen Titans to believe it when the first Terra turned on them?” Nightmare said, bluntly. “That’s why they’re called traitors because they fool you into a false sense of security and then turn on you when you’re least expecting it!”
The assembled Titans of Justice all looked at each other in a state of confusion. Many of them doubting their former teammates even more so now.
“Well, if we’re going to bring them in, we need to find them first,” stated Power Guy. “Our satellite monitoring systems showed them here a short while ago but they’ve seemed to have vanished.”
“They’re probably hiding under Wonder Warrior’s invisibility field,” presumed Nightvision. “Why don’t you five come back to the Hall with us so we can figure out a plan to locate and capture the ‘outlaws’?”
“Sounds good,” agreed Nightmare, keeping the information that Palome’ was alive a secret.
***
Later on at the Hall of Justice…
Power Guy, Nightvision, Nightmare, and Suprema were standing in front of the Trouble Alert. Citizen Steel(leader of the new Global Guardians) had called in to address the situation with Ice Warrior.
“I’m sorry, Power Guy,” apologized Citizen Steel. “I never would have guessed that Ice Warrior would have pulled a stunt like this. Sure, he’s always been a bit rash and headstrong but he’s never done anything to make us question his trust.”
“I could say similar things about the company he’s running with right now,” frowned Power Guy.
“I guess this explains why I got that letter from the Arachnid when you and I were going through the decision process as to which Guardian to appoint as liaison to your team. In his letter, the Arachnid said how well Ice Warrior worked with the rest of you when we teamed up a while back and how he thought Ice Warrior would be a natural fit for your team.”
“It looks like they might have been planning all of this for quite some time,” Power Guy said as he turned and looked at Nightvision.
“Considering how long your niece had that Kryptonite around her neck, I’d say that’s a logical conclusion,” replied the modern-age Dark Knight.
“Again, I’m sorry for this mess and your new liaison has been hand-picked by myself without any influence from anyone else,” advised Citizen Steel.
“And who would that be?” Nightvision asked, nonchalantly.
“Infierna Verde formerly Flame Fury,” replied Citizen Steel. “She’ll be there in a few hours for a meet and greet session for those of you who are available.”
‘Ah yes, Fire’s daughter,” Nightvision said as he stroked his chin a bit. “Good choice. Her mother was a huge asset to the Justice League from what Batman has told me.”
***
Wayne Manor, Earth 2...
Di Di Queen was back in her bedroom. For the last several hours, her mind and heart were fuming with pain and loss. Part of her felt incredibly stupid for waiting so long to resolve things with the love of her life, Daniel Jordan and another part of her said that maybe Daniel getting back together with Sargona was for the best. After all, if he would jump back into a relationship with Sargona so quickly after the two of them had broken up, was he really a man she could count on?
Before the blonde bombshell could contemplate the matter further, a soft knock came on her door. “Come in,” she yelled out.
As the door opened, she saw Helena and Dick standing in the doorway. “Hi guys,” greeted the woman otherwise known as Sonic Boom.
“Di Di, I hope you don’t mind but I told Helena what happened…” Dick said nervously.
Di Di stood up, her jaw shifting back and forth as she tried not to cry.
The Huntress ran to her immediately and wrapped her arms around her close friend, “It’s ok, honey, let it out.”
That’s all it took and Di Di Queen was crying manically again. “Hel….Helena, how……..how could he..he……he move on so f..f…..fast??”
“I don’t know Di Di,” the Huntress responded, trying to come up with some words that would comfort her dear friend. “But if that’s the case, you’re better off without him.”
“It’s so hard though…..Dan and I have known each other our entire lives,” continued Sonic Boom. “Yes, I was angry with him for a while but deep in my heart I thought we would always be together.”
“Look at me,” Helena said firmly,
Di Di looked up, mascara running from her eyes with strands of her hair stuck to the side of her face from her tears.
“I don’t want to see you cry any more. You’ve been through the wringer lately and the last thing you need to do is let some boy who can’t make up his mind get you down,” advised the Huntress. “Didn’t you ask me to bring you here to Earth 2 so you could start over?”
“Y…yes,” confirmed Di Di as she sniffled a bit.
“Well then, maybe you need to take your own words more seriously,” directed the Huntress with a half-smile.
“You know what….you’re right!” agreed Sonic Boom. “From this moment on, that’s EXACTLY what I’m going to do!” she said rushing to the secret entrance to he Bat-Cave.
***
The White House…
Amanda Waller strolled through the hallway as she made her way to the president’s office. This would be her first meeting with newly elected President Obama. As much as she was looking forward to spending some time with the new leader of the country, she had plenty of other things to do which made her question why a phone call couldn’t have sufficed?
“I hope he makes this quick. I have a million and one things to do and this little tea party I’ve been called to is just going to put me even further behind,” grumbled the mature woman. As she continued on, she had to stop for a minute. Even with her cane, this long walk to the Oval Office had hear nearly out of breath, especially with her being heavier than she ever had been. While she fully admitted that she had an eating disorder, what did anyone else expect of her? Once she lost her husband, she told herself she would never fall under a man’s spell again, at least not enough to fall into another “’til death do we part” scam. Her children were fully grown now and had lives of their own. While she loved her grandchildren dearly, work always came first for Amanda. That’s what drove her on through all of the tough times early in her life. That……..and a box of doughnuts………or a bag of cookies……….or even a whole pizza. She kept telling herself that she has to start eating better but even after she was forced to start using this cane she was so dependent on food, she struggled to find the will-power to overcome her addiction. Food and work were always Amanda’s best friends and worst enemies all rolled into one.
Finally, she arrived at her destination and knocked on the door.
“Come in!” requested the president.
“Hello, sir,” greeted Amanda, forcing a fake smile on her face. All she could think about was how long this meeting would take.
“Come in, Mrs. Waller. Please do have a seat, you look tired,” observed the first African American president in history.
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s just not easy for me carrying around all of this excess baggage at my age,” she smirked, “By the way, congratulations on your presidency, sir. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your inauguration ball. We had a crisis at Belle Reeve. About nearly fifty prisoners tried escaping and I had to make sure they all wound up in their cells by the end of the night.”
“Don’t worry about it. As Chief of Meta-human Affairs, I wouldn’t expect anything less of you,” pointed out President Obama. “And from what I know of you, you always go above and beyond the call of duty.”
“Thank you sir.”
“You’re probably wondering why I’ve asked you here today? Well, with all of the service you’ve provided this country over the years, it’s time for your reward.”
“Reward?” repeated a confused Waller.
“Yes, I’d like you to be my executive administrative assistant.”
“I’m honored sir but I have too much on my plate right now to walk away from my position. Maybe in a few years or something.”
“Mrs. Waller, I’m afraid you misunderstand. I wasn’t asking you. I’m TELLING you,” the president said firmly yet still trying to be polite.
“What??? With all due respect sir, I’m far more capable than typing up a few letters and fetching you coffee all day. Surely you can find some twenty-four year old super-model that’s more than willing to fill this position.”
“Again Amanda, I’m not asking here. Don’t think of this as a punishment. I truly am proud of all of the work you’ve done over the years but let’s be honest, you’re in your seventies now and you may not have much time left, especially with your health. I simply cannot have the Chief of Meta-human affairs die at her desk.”
“I’m FINE!!!” bellowed Waller as she became angry. All of a sudden, she started coughing <COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH>
“Are you all right Mrs. Waller?” asked the President as he became alarmed.
<COUGH COUGH> “Yes, I’ll” <COUGH> “be fine,” replied Waller. “But sir, I really think you need to reconsider. No-one can keep a handle on things the way I do.”
“And again, this is not up for debate. You will be released from your current position at the end of the first quarter,” explained the president. “Now I don’t want you walking out of this office being bitter. Your new role will be a cozy nine to five, Monday through Friday job. You will retain your current salary and all of your benefits. I don’t want you to think of this as a punishment. I remember years ago when you and I worked on that meta-human crisis in Chicago. I haven’t forgotten all of the work you did to take care of my city. This really is for your benefit, Amanda.”
“But…but…” Waller continued, hoping to change his mind.
“No buts!” ordered the president. “My decision is made. Now if you were even ten or fifteen years younger, I would consider your request but I’m sorry, you’re just too old to keep this up….”
TO BE CONTINUED