Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 18:02:26 GMT -5
Titans of Justice Unlimited Chapter 86 - “Emotional Rollercoaster“
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Epilogue written by: GreenLantern & Power Guy
LexCorp Headquarters, Metropolis….
Lance Luthor promptly exited the private elevator that led to his lavish office at the top floor of Metropolis’ tallest building. “What a long day,” he said to himself as he flipped on the lights.. “But the trip to Gateway City was worth it. Now that I’ve acquired the male Cheetah, I’m one step closer to my ultimate goal.” Suddenly, some kind of object whizzed past his face and hit the light-switch causing the room to go dark again. “Who’s there?” he demanded, looking around the dark room.
In response to his question, two figures stepped out of the shadows but Luthor could barely make them out until they got much closer to him, “Nightvision and the Huntress! What are you vigilantes doing here???” asked the angry man.
“You know why we’re here,” barked Nightvision. “For the last several months you’ve been collecting the children of the Legion of Doom. Don’t think we didn’t see the pattern early on.”
“This is ridiculous! I’m calling security!” declared Luthor as he reached for his phone but before his hand could make contact, the Huntress fired an arrow from her crossbow, pinning Luthor’s sleeve to the wall behind him.
“I’m sorry Mr. Luthor but my partner and I don’t have time for interruptions,” the Huntress said as she fired another arrow, thus pinning Luthor’s other arm to the wall. “Now if you’ll just tell us what your ultimate goal is, we’ll be on our way but until then, you’re stuck with us.”
“Release me! You have no right to do this!” ordered Luthor. “You’re trespassing on private property!”
“Oh really, Mr. Luthor?” challenged the Huntress as she looked down her nose into Luthor’s eyes. “Weren’t you just at the Hall of Justice last week when you came to take the Toyman from us?”
“Yes, but…” started Luthor.
“Well then, I’d say you’re in no position to complain about our presence here,” countered the Huntress.
Just then, some security guards started banging on the door to Luthor’s office, “Mr. Luthor! Mr. Luthor! Are you ok in there? We heard some strange noises!” shouted one of the guards.
The Huntress got in Luthor’s face, “One word and you’re liable to make my twitchy finger launch another arrow from my crossbow,” she said as she pointed her signature device at Luthor’s groin.
The guards outside the door continued to pound away, “Mr. Luthor! We know you’re in there! Are you alright? If you don’t respond in five seconds, we’re going to have to break down the door!”
Luthor’s face wore a huge smile sending a message to Nightvision and the Huntress telling them that they were about to get busted.
“In the last several months, you’ve acquired the Sting Ray, Scream Queen, Bizarbara, Sir Sinister Simian, the new Riddler, Kid Cold, the Toyman, the male Cheetah, and this earth’s Solomon Grundy. Make no mistake. We’ll be watching you Lance! As soon as you or your new Legion of Doom step out of line, the Titans of Justice will shut you down hard and fast,” Nightvsion said pointing his right index finger right between Lance Luthor’s eyes.
“That’s it! We’re coming in!” yelled one of the guards as he slammed his body against the door repeatedly. Finally, the door gave way. The two guards looked perplexed at each other as they only saw Luthor in the room with his arms pinned to the wall.
“Release me,” commanded the son of Lex Luthor, firmly.
“What happened, Mr. Luthor?” asked one of the guards as he pulled the arrows out of the wall.
“Two people just made a very BIG mistake,” responded the angry businessman.
Moments later, Nightvision and the Huntress were aboard the Bat-wing, cruising through the Metropolis sky.
“That was fun! We haven’t worked together in weeks,” noted the Huntress.
“Well, you’ve been on Earth 2 quite a bit so you haven’t really left us with much of a choice,” replied the man otherwise known as Brendon Grayson.
“I’m sorry,” apologized the daughter of the Dark Knight. “I’ve just been trying to help Di Di get settled.”
“How is she doing by the way?” asked the son of Nightwing and Oracle.
There was a short pause from the Huntress before she spoke, “Do you honestly care?”
“Why would you ask me that?” Of course I care,” insisted Nightvision.
“Brendon, you know I love you like a brother but the way you came down so hard on Di Di after the mess with Dr. Light, I honestly have to wonder if that was more about upholding the law or taking a shot at Dark Arrow,” revealed the Huntress. “You know that next to Vince, Di Di is my best friend. Couldn’t you have cut her some slack?”
“Helena, you know I can’t do that,” chastised the male detective. “Everything the Bat-Family stands for forbids us from playing favorites or cutting favors for those we care about.”
“Still, she was under a lot of stress when she killed Dr. Light. She saw a woman who she considered to be her big sister raped right before her very eyes,” reminded the liaison between the Titans of Justice and Justice Society. “I just think you could have been a little more compassionate towards her but let’s stop talking about this. I want you and I to enjoy each other’s company tonight. Like you said earlier, we haven’t seen each other in weeks.”
“Fair enough,” agreed Nightvision. “How about dinner at that new sushi bar in downtown Gotham?’
“That sounds wonderful!” the Huntress said as she massaged Nightvision’s shoulder. “I’ve been dying for a California Roll forever it seems!”
***
The Brownstone, Earth 2...
Lighspeed stood before Batwoman, Robin, Dreamsweeper, and Ground Zero. He had summoned them to their headquarters with top priority.
“Thank you all for arriving so quickly,” Lightspeed began, “With the Huntress on New Earth and the rest of the team taking on Ian Karkull, the five of us are all that is left to deal with the emergency at hand. Therefore, the Jade Sentinel has appointed me as acting field-leader for this mission.”
“Your tone sounds quite grim, Jason,” noted Robin. “What seems to be the situation?”
“The situation is something……..or rather someone you’re quite familiar with, Dick,” replied the scarlet speedster of Earth 2. “We’ll be going up against a foe who can turn even the most rational men into a raging lunatics! A man who can pit us against one another if he so chooses. A man who has given our predecessors a good run for their money on more than one occasion. This man is the Psycho Pirate.”
“Roger Hayden? Wasn’t he killed by Black Adam during the event known as the Infinite Crisis?” Batwoman asked, looking a bit confused.
“Come now Di Di,” Dreamsweeper said, ready to give his opinion on how the second Psycho Pirate could be alive and well, “Surely you know that a lot of things haven’t been the same since the Wizard brought it back. It’s quite possible that Black Adam could have killed the New Earth version of the Psycho Pirate yet our doppledanger remained.”
“That sounds like a likely conclusion, Kurt,” agreed Robin. “Regardless of how he’s still around, this could be our most dangerous mission yet. While Roulette had previously pitted our team against each other, the Pirate doesn’t need to stick some fancy device in our ears to play havoc with our feelings and emotions. All he has to do is look at us and display the emotion on his face.”
“Piece of cake. We just don’t look at him,” assumed Ground Zero.
“Then how do you expect to hit him, Einstein?” countered Dreamsweeper.
“All I gotta do is get within fifty feet of him and let one of my explosions off. He’ll be down without the rest of you having to lift a finger,” responded Ground Zero, smugly.
“Well I hope this mission goes off that easily. We’d better get going, Keystone City is defenseless right now,” suggested Lightspeed.
“Di Di and I can take Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero in the Bat-plane if you’d like to meet us there, Jason?” Robin said as he pulled out his keys from his utility-belt.
“Meet you there!” smiled Lightspeed as he raced off.
“Ah, ah, ah…..” Batwoman said in a sing-song voice as she grabbed the keys out of Robin’s hands. “We both agreed that I needed more practice with flying the Bat-plane so I’ll be driving.”
“Great…..so by the time we get there, the Psycho Pirate will have killed Lightspeed and enslaved all of Keystone,” Dreamsweeper said, jokingly.
“Stuff it, Kurt or you’ll be riding in the cargo area,” said Batwoman with a half-smile as she and the others headed towards the hanger.
***
Later in Keystone City, Earth 2...
The new Justice Society stood a top the Keystone Gazette building observing the situation below. The Psycho Pirate had used his emotion-manipulating powers to turn the crowded city into a virtual circus. People were attacking one another, looting businesses, and attempting suicide.
“What a mess! We’ve got to act fast!” advised Robin.
“Tell you what, you guys try to restore order to the city while I try to find the Pirate,” proposed Lightspeed.
“We’re on it!” agreed Batwoman as she and the others began to make their way to the ground.
Minutes later, the small team of heroes on the scene were already becoming frustrated with the limited progress they were making. For every fight they stopped, two more began. For every life they saved, three more people tried taking their own. For every car crash they diverted, another one happened a short ways away. It seemed like the Psycho Pirate had already won today’s battle.
“This is insane! These people are like a bunch of mad dogs!” huffed Dreamsweeper as he pulled a husband’s hands from around his wife’s neck and put them both to sleep with his gas-gun.
“Try to remember, it’s not their fault!” reminded Batwoman as she swung by on a Bat-line catching a young girl who had jumped off the top of a roof of a near-by toy-store. “It’s ok, honey, I’ve got you.”
The girl in Batwoman’s arms began to cry heavily and began shaking violently. “IIIIIIIII want to dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Let me gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Dear Lord, he’s even targeting the children!” Batwoman said to herself as she landed on the ground.
Suddenly a woman came running up, a clear expression of joy on her face, “You saved my baby! Oh, thank you Batwoman!!!”
“Happy to help ma’am,” replied the woman otherwise known as Di Di Queen as she handed the young girl over to her mother.
Then, out of nowhere, a large semi-truck came speeding down the road, aimed at the four members of the Justice Society that were present. The Psycho Pirate had previously used his powers on the truck driver, causing him to become extremely paranoid. As the truck approached striking distance, the driver jumped out. “Die you filthy scum-suckers!!!”
“Great Gotham! That truck is headed right for us!” cried out Robin.
“I got this one, Boy Wonder,” declared Ground Zero. Slamming his two fists together so that the pieces of jewelry on them could connect, he cried out, “Dyna-rings - ENERGIZE!!!” Instantly, the grandson of TNT was filled with the explosive energies of his namesake. Without hesitation, he released a powerful explosive charge at the truck which hurled it into the air and blew it to tiny bits.
“Nice work G.Z.,” commented Dreamsweeper. “I almost wet my shorts a few seconds ago.”
“Nasty…..,” huffed the green and blue clad hero as he shook his head back and forth.
“This city is out of control. We’d better hope that Lightspeed finds the Pirate and fast,” advised Robin as he led the team to take care of more disasters and emergencies within Metropolis.
Several blocks away, Lightspeed was racing through the streets in search of his prey. “Ok, Psycho Pirate, come out from wherever it is your hiding! There’s only one of you and five of us. Might as well give up!”
“Ah yes….the new Flash of Keystone City,” came the voice of the Psyho Pirate from seemingly nowhere.
“Show yourself, coward!” ordered Lightspeed looking all around.
“Are you sure you want me to do that? You know what happens if you look at me…….” teased the deranged super-villain.
“Give it your best shot. I’m ready for you!” countered Lightspeed, ready to cover his face with his helmet if need be.
“Are you ready for ALL of us???” challenged the Psycho Pirate as he revealed himself and twenty other duplicates of himself, which had surrounded Lightspeed.
“Great wings of Mercury!” exclaimed the man otherwise known as Jason Garrick as he came to dead stop. He quickly covered his face with his helmet as he tried to come up with a way out of this mess. Unfortunately for the young speedster, one of the Psycho Pirates was right behind him, causing his reflection to appear on the shiny surface of Lightspeed’s helmet, therefore subjecting him to the Pscyho Pirate’s will.
“Hahahaha! Not even quick enough to close your eyes, Flash? Your predecessor would be so disappointed in you!!!” scoffed the former underling of the Anti-Monitor. “I’ll bet your wondering how I can make twenty of myself, huh? Well, you can thank that chap Mirror Master from New Earth. Back during one of our team-ups to try to take down the JLA and the JSA, I pick-pocketed him of this cool device that allows it’s user to appear in twenty places at the same time. I’ve been wanting to use it for the longest time. Now, let’s go recruit your friends to our cause, shall we?”
Back in the heart of Keystone City, the Justice Society Unlimited was battling on yet making little headway with the enslaved citizens of Lightspeed’s hometown.
“The odds are against us!” grumbled Dreamsweeper. “No matter how many of them I put to sleep with my gas-gun, four more take their place!”
“Quit yer yappin’ and keep fighting!” Ground Zero said, cockily as he used a subtle explosion prevent two cars from crashing into one another.
Meanwhile Robin and Batwoman were back to back, “I feel so helpless. These poor people have no idea what they’re doing yet if we let our guard down, they’ll rip us to pieces!” worried Batwoman.
“We’re figure something out. We’re the Justice Society. We always do,” reminded Robin as he was forced to deliver another T.K.O. to an ordinary citizen.
“Wait! I’ve got an idea!” shouted Batwoman. “If this works, it should at least buy us some time.”
“What are you proposing?” Robin asked.
“I’m going to try releasing my Sonic Sonar at a different frequency than I usually do. A more subtle, harmonizing frequency,” revealed the former Sonic Boom. “Pray that this has the results I’m hoping it will!”
“Go for it!” smiled Robin.
Then, without hesitation, Batwoman took a deep breath and released her Sonic Sonar, “SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
As the seconds ticked by, the good people of Keystone City felt the raging emotions inside of them began to wither and die. Their bodies grew limp and their minds were soothed. Eventually, everyone within a half-mile radius began to feel relaxed and tired, finally succumbing to the full effects of Batwoman’s sonar and falling asleep.
“You did it!!!” Robin cried out, quite proud of his house-guest. “Nice job!!!” he said as he hugged Batwoman tightly.
At first, the hug came as an awkward surprise but soon Di Di Queen noticed how good it felt to be held again by a man who cared for her. This tension between her and Robin had been brewing since her first trip to Earth 2 and this hug turned the “spark” into a raging fire. The two members of the Batman Family looked into one another eyes and all time seemed to stop. They wanted nothing more than to lock lips and express their feelings for one another but which of them would be brave enough to make the next move? Then, without thinking about it further, Di Di leaned in for the kiss until….
Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero came running up. “Great job, Batwoman!” complimented Ground Zero. “You just saved us all a lot of bruises.”
“Now we just need to find Lightspeed and the Pirate and get out of here,” advised Dreamsweeper looking around.
Sadly, time was not on the two lovebirds’ side as they would have to postpone their possible kiss until later.
“No need for that, we’ve already found you! Hahahahaha!!!” the Psycho Pirate laughed, insanely as he and the mesmerized Lightspeed revealed themselves.
“Cover your faces!!!” commanded Robin as he held his cape up in front of his head as he searched his utility-belt for some knockout-gas pellets.
Suddenly Lightspeed began attacking his teammates, fueled with rage thanks to the Psycho Pirate. Within a split second, he had knocked down all four of the other members of the Justice Society who were on the scene.
“Nice work, Flashy!” snickered the insane villain. “Aww….Robin, you don’t look so happy to see me and I here I use to think about our past play-dates so fondly.”
“You’re not getting in our heads, Psycho Pirate, we all know not to look at you!” spat Robin as he threw his knockout gas pellets at his opponent. Though the former Boy Wonder was quick, Lightspeed was quicker and caught the pellets in mid-air throwing them yards away where they could do he and his master no harm.
“Such aggression!” taunted the Psychoo Pirate. “Let me help change your outlook,” he said as he activated his imaging device creating multiple versions of himself once again but this time, he altered the device so that his image would appear on just about every shiny surface in the area, making it impossible for the members of the Justice Society to not fall under his control.
“Thought you were going to take me down without breaking a sweat, huh Robby?” teased the Psycho Pirate as he tugged on Robin’s cheek. “I bet you were trying to impress your new girlfriend here,” he said as he smacked Batwoman on her backside. “Look at you all. So immobilized……….so helpless. Any other villain would keep you alive and use you to further his plans but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. Nope, I’m gonna kill you all right here and now. After all, it’s been a while since I had a few blood-stains on the old uniform here but let’s make this fun. I think I’m going to have one of you do the job of killing all of the others and then I’ll strangle him with my bare hands. Which one of you saps would like to do the job?” he asked, looking over his five slaves until his eyes stopped on Dreamsweeper. “You, you’re the newbie on the team. You drew the short straw, pal,” he said grinning from ear to ear. “Here you go, buddy,” he said as he picked up a large wooden beam off the ground and handed it to Dreamsweeper. “Bludgeon them to death!”
Dreamsweeper took the wooden beam from the Psycho Pirate, turned towards Ground Zero and raised the beam over his head.
The Psycho Pirate began rubbing his hands together in anticipation, sweat starting to build up under his costume.
Then, in a shocking turn of events, Dreamsweeper slammed the beam into the side of the Psycho Pirate’s head, knocking him to the ground. He quickly jumped on top of him and wrapped the Pirate’s cape around his face, covering it completely.
“Noooo!!!!!!!!!!” shrieked the man otherwise known as Roger Hayden. “How were you able to resist my powers! No-one can do that! Not even Dr. Fate!”
“You said it yourself, Psycho Pirate. I’m the newbie on the team,” reminded Dreamsweeper. “I’m also a historian and was a huge fan of the Justice Society before I joined the team. I know the intimate details on every case the Society has worked on since their inception and there are many accounts on how your emotion controlling powers work and what needs to be done to neutralize them. The goggles in my gas mask were especially created to protect me from the warped abilities your Medusa Mask gives you. Maybe you should have done your homework……..like I did,” Dreamsweeper said, cockily as he stuck his gas-gun inside the Psycho Pirate’s cape and put him to sleep.
A few minutes later after the rest of the Justice Society had shaken off the effects of the Psycho Pirate’s spell, Lightspeed commented, “Thanks Dreamsweeper. If you hadn’t prepared for this moment, we’d all be goners right now.”
“I’ve just got one question,” interjected Batwoman, “If you knew all of this time that you were protected from the Pirate’s powers, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Honestly? We newbies have to keep an ace up our sleeve if we’re going to make our mark on the team,” Dreamsweeper said, smiling under his mask.
“Well, you certainly stole the show this time,” Robin said, shaking Dreamsweeper’s hand. He then turned to Ground Zero, “You know, you’ve got some catching up to do.”
“Pffffft….I was just giving Dreamsweeper a false sense of security. He’ll be eating my dust in no time,” Ground Zero replied, confidently.
“Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight,” countered the man otherwise known as Kurt Dodds.
“Well, let’s head home and see if the others are back yet,” advised Lightspeed.
Robin let Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero advance ahead of he and Batwoman.
“Dick, are you ok? You’re walking kind of slow,” asked a concerned Batwoman.
“I’m fine Di Di but there’s something I wanted to ask you………in private,” began the former Boy Wonder.
Batwoman became nervous for a bit, wondering if the moment they shared earlier today gave Robin the impression that she was too aggressive.
“I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight?” asked the man otherwise known as Dick Grayson of Earth 2.
“Well, considering that I’m staying with you, I don’t think I have much of a choice,” smirked Batwoman.
“No, I mean that I’d like to take you OUT for dinner tonight,” Robin smiled, hopefully. “And after that, maybe a movie if you’re up for it?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” teased the woman formerly known as Sonic Boom.
“I see you’ve honed your detective skills already,” Robin said as he put his hands on the side of Batwoman’s waiste.
“How does seven o’clock sound?” asked Batwoman.
“Sounds perfect,” agreed Robin.
***
EPILOGUE:
The Hall of Justice, New Earth…
Power Lad came barging into the main meeting room, a distraught look on his face, “Alright!!! Who’s the freak that’s been sneaking into my room?!?!?!?”
“What seems to be the trouble, Ahli?” asked Wonder Man as he looked up away from the monitor screen.
“Someone took my mental scrambler device outta my room again!” growled the young, feisty teen.
“What do you mean by ‘again’?” questioned Nightvsion.
“Well, several months ago, it was missing and I thought I lost it but then it turned up a few weeks ago. I remember putting it on the top shelf of my closet and this morning, it’s gone again!!!” answered Power Lad, bearing teeth.
“And your positive you didn’t misplace it?” questioned the new-age Dark Knight.
“Yes! I just saw it yesterday when I was getting dressed,” replied Power Lad. “Which means some pervert has been sneaking into my room when I was sleeping. Can’t say I blame them. If I wasn’t me, I’d want a look at my body too but still….”
“Enough, Ahli. What exactly can this device do?” questioned Nightvsion.
“It’s a mental scrambler. It prevents people from reading your mind,” explained the sidekick of Power Guy.
"Why would ANYONE need a mental scrambler," asked Jemstone.
“My dad built the thing years ago to protect the Super Friends from Brainiac,” responded Power Lad.
“Why would YOU need something like that, Power Lad?” demanded Nucleus, obviously not comfortable with such a device.
“It was in a bag of stuff I brought here from my house. I thought it might come in handy one day,” Power Lad, said, obviously lying through his teeth.
“You know, now that I think of it, my deodorant was missing this morning and I thought I misplaced it like I’ve done before,” added Nightvision, refocusing the team on the subject at hand.
Just then, Sargona joined in the conversation, “Some of my things were taken earlier this week. I didn’t want to say anything at first due to the nature of these items.”
“What were these items?” asked Green Lantern, curiously.
Sargona’s heart started to beat quickly as she hesitated to answer her former boyfriend’s question.
“What were they, Sargona?” repeated Nightvision, firmly.
“Th….they were letters Dan wrote me while we were still together,” she answered, humbily and extremely embarrassed.
“It’s ok, honey. We all keep reminders of happy times in our lives,” Jemstone offered, putting her arm around her best friend’s shoulder.
"Have you noticed anything missing, Dan?" asked Whirlpool trying to ease the tension.
"No, I haven't lost anything at all," replied Green Lantern.
"Who else has lost something?" asked Nucleus.
"Not me," said the Huntress.
Most everyone else noted that they had lost something.
“This pattern sounds like the work of the Sportsmaster,” concluded Nightvsion.
“But he hasn’t been seen or heard from since that fiasco with the Legion of Doom over a year ago,” recalled the Huntress.
“I think we need to put our time and energy into finding out why asap,” directed Nightvision.
Several feet away, Air Wave pulled his cousin aside, “Danny, I hope you don’t think I’m trying to tell you what to do but Sargona obviously cares about you quite a bit. If Di Di is going to keep acting the way she has been lately, I think you’d be better off with someone who appreciates you. You may not have had a crush on Sargona all of your life but she’s a steal. Classy, sophisticated, bluntly honest, and a total knockout all in one.”
Green Lantern veered at the raven-haired beauty out of the corner of his eye. Time had shown him that Sonic Boom was not coming back to him any time soon. She hadn’t even called(as far as he knew) since their break-up. Her silence was screaming louder than her Canary Cry ever did. It was time for Daniel Jordan to finally move on with his life.
About thirty seconds later, Sargona and Jemstone were in the middle of a conversation about Jemstone’s upcoming wedding. “I really think the cheesecake was a great choice, Jerrica. I don’t know about you but I hate wedding cake frosting.”
“Really? I could eat it with a spoon,” the sizzling hot pop-star replied, tightening her headband.
“Excuse me ladies,” Green Lantern said, interupting the two women. “Sargona, could I have a word with you?”
“That’s my queue to round up Scott and go over the invite list for the reception,” Jemstone said, winking at Sargona as she walked away.
The daughter of Sargon and Zatanna was terrified. She was sure Green Lantern was here to scold her for not letting go of their past and hanging on to those letters he had sent her. Her heart began beating faster and faster as the seconds ticked by. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds longer as both heroes were summoning up the courage to speak. Finally, Sargona broke the ice and blurted out, “Look, Dan……….I’m sorry for embarrassing you. It’s just that….” Green Lantern stopped Sargona from saying another word by placing his index finger on her lips.
“There’s no need to apologize,” pointed out Daniel Jordan. “Our relationship was obviously very special to you. It was special to me too. That’s why, I’d like to give it another chance, if you’re willing?”
Sargona immediately thought she was dreaming! For the longest time, she had carried a torch for Green Lantern since their break-up and now all of her dreams and fantasies were coming true. The best part about it all, he was the one asking her to reunite. “Are…..are you sure about this Dan? I hope I haven’t been putting too much pressure on you lately.”
“I’m absolutely sure about this,” smiled Green Lantern. “How would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”
NOT THE END…
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Epilogue written by: GreenLantern & Power Guy
LexCorp Headquarters, Metropolis….
Lance Luthor promptly exited the private elevator that led to his lavish office at the top floor of Metropolis’ tallest building. “What a long day,” he said to himself as he flipped on the lights.. “But the trip to Gateway City was worth it. Now that I’ve acquired the male Cheetah, I’m one step closer to my ultimate goal.” Suddenly, some kind of object whizzed past his face and hit the light-switch causing the room to go dark again. “Who’s there?” he demanded, looking around the dark room.
In response to his question, two figures stepped out of the shadows but Luthor could barely make them out until they got much closer to him, “Nightvision and the Huntress! What are you vigilantes doing here???” asked the angry man.
“You know why we’re here,” barked Nightvision. “For the last several months you’ve been collecting the children of the Legion of Doom. Don’t think we didn’t see the pattern early on.”
“This is ridiculous! I’m calling security!” declared Luthor as he reached for his phone but before his hand could make contact, the Huntress fired an arrow from her crossbow, pinning Luthor’s sleeve to the wall behind him.
“I’m sorry Mr. Luthor but my partner and I don’t have time for interruptions,” the Huntress said as she fired another arrow, thus pinning Luthor’s other arm to the wall. “Now if you’ll just tell us what your ultimate goal is, we’ll be on our way but until then, you’re stuck with us.”
“Release me! You have no right to do this!” ordered Luthor. “You’re trespassing on private property!”
“Oh really, Mr. Luthor?” challenged the Huntress as she looked down her nose into Luthor’s eyes. “Weren’t you just at the Hall of Justice last week when you came to take the Toyman from us?”
“Yes, but…” started Luthor.
“Well then, I’d say you’re in no position to complain about our presence here,” countered the Huntress.
Just then, some security guards started banging on the door to Luthor’s office, “Mr. Luthor! Mr. Luthor! Are you ok in there? We heard some strange noises!” shouted one of the guards.
The Huntress got in Luthor’s face, “One word and you’re liable to make my twitchy finger launch another arrow from my crossbow,” she said as she pointed her signature device at Luthor’s groin.
The guards outside the door continued to pound away, “Mr. Luthor! We know you’re in there! Are you alright? If you don’t respond in five seconds, we’re going to have to break down the door!”
Luthor’s face wore a huge smile sending a message to Nightvision and the Huntress telling them that they were about to get busted.
“In the last several months, you’ve acquired the Sting Ray, Scream Queen, Bizarbara, Sir Sinister Simian, the new Riddler, Kid Cold, the Toyman, the male Cheetah, and this earth’s Solomon Grundy. Make no mistake. We’ll be watching you Lance! As soon as you or your new Legion of Doom step out of line, the Titans of Justice will shut you down hard and fast,” Nightvsion said pointing his right index finger right between Lance Luthor’s eyes.
“That’s it! We’re coming in!” yelled one of the guards as he slammed his body against the door repeatedly. Finally, the door gave way. The two guards looked perplexed at each other as they only saw Luthor in the room with his arms pinned to the wall.
“Release me,” commanded the son of Lex Luthor, firmly.
“What happened, Mr. Luthor?” asked one of the guards as he pulled the arrows out of the wall.
“Two people just made a very BIG mistake,” responded the angry businessman.
Moments later, Nightvision and the Huntress were aboard the Bat-wing, cruising through the Metropolis sky.
“That was fun! We haven’t worked together in weeks,” noted the Huntress.
“Well, you’ve been on Earth 2 quite a bit so you haven’t really left us with much of a choice,” replied the man otherwise known as Brendon Grayson.
“I’m sorry,” apologized the daughter of the Dark Knight. “I’ve just been trying to help Di Di get settled.”
“How is she doing by the way?” asked the son of Nightwing and Oracle.
There was a short pause from the Huntress before she spoke, “Do you honestly care?”
“Why would you ask me that?” Of course I care,” insisted Nightvision.
“Brendon, you know I love you like a brother but the way you came down so hard on Di Di after the mess with Dr. Light, I honestly have to wonder if that was more about upholding the law or taking a shot at Dark Arrow,” revealed the Huntress. “You know that next to Vince, Di Di is my best friend. Couldn’t you have cut her some slack?”
“Helena, you know I can’t do that,” chastised the male detective. “Everything the Bat-Family stands for forbids us from playing favorites or cutting favors for those we care about.”
“Still, she was under a lot of stress when she killed Dr. Light. She saw a woman who she considered to be her big sister raped right before her very eyes,” reminded the liaison between the Titans of Justice and Justice Society. “I just think you could have been a little more compassionate towards her but let’s stop talking about this. I want you and I to enjoy each other’s company tonight. Like you said earlier, we haven’t seen each other in weeks.”
“Fair enough,” agreed Nightvision. “How about dinner at that new sushi bar in downtown Gotham?’
“That sounds wonderful!” the Huntress said as she massaged Nightvision’s shoulder. “I’ve been dying for a California Roll forever it seems!”
***
The Brownstone, Earth 2...
Lighspeed stood before Batwoman, Robin, Dreamsweeper, and Ground Zero. He had summoned them to their headquarters with top priority.
“Thank you all for arriving so quickly,” Lightspeed began, “With the Huntress on New Earth and the rest of the team taking on Ian Karkull, the five of us are all that is left to deal with the emergency at hand. Therefore, the Jade Sentinel has appointed me as acting field-leader for this mission.”
“Your tone sounds quite grim, Jason,” noted Robin. “What seems to be the situation?”
“The situation is something……..or rather someone you’re quite familiar with, Dick,” replied the scarlet speedster of Earth 2. “We’ll be going up against a foe who can turn even the most rational men into a raging lunatics! A man who can pit us against one another if he so chooses. A man who has given our predecessors a good run for their money on more than one occasion. This man is the Psycho Pirate.”
“Roger Hayden? Wasn’t he killed by Black Adam during the event known as the Infinite Crisis?” Batwoman asked, looking a bit confused.
“Come now Di Di,” Dreamsweeper said, ready to give his opinion on how the second Psycho Pirate could be alive and well, “Surely you know that a lot of things haven’t been the same since the Wizard brought it back. It’s quite possible that Black Adam could have killed the New Earth version of the Psycho Pirate yet our doppledanger remained.”
“That sounds like a likely conclusion, Kurt,” agreed Robin. “Regardless of how he’s still around, this could be our most dangerous mission yet. While Roulette had previously pitted our team against each other, the Pirate doesn’t need to stick some fancy device in our ears to play havoc with our feelings and emotions. All he has to do is look at us and display the emotion on his face.”
“Piece of cake. We just don’t look at him,” assumed Ground Zero.
“Then how do you expect to hit him, Einstein?” countered Dreamsweeper.
“All I gotta do is get within fifty feet of him and let one of my explosions off. He’ll be down without the rest of you having to lift a finger,” responded Ground Zero, smugly.
“Well I hope this mission goes off that easily. We’d better get going, Keystone City is defenseless right now,” suggested Lightspeed.
“Di Di and I can take Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero in the Bat-plane if you’d like to meet us there, Jason?” Robin said as he pulled out his keys from his utility-belt.
“Meet you there!” smiled Lightspeed as he raced off.
“Ah, ah, ah…..” Batwoman said in a sing-song voice as she grabbed the keys out of Robin’s hands. “We both agreed that I needed more practice with flying the Bat-plane so I’ll be driving.”
“Great…..so by the time we get there, the Psycho Pirate will have killed Lightspeed and enslaved all of Keystone,” Dreamsweeper said, jokingly.
“Stuff it, Kurt or you’ll be riding in the cargo area,” said Batwoman with a half-smile as she and the others headed towards the hanger.
***
Later in Keystone City, Earth 2...
The new Justice Society stood a top the Keystone Gazette building observing the situation below. The Psycho Pirate had used his emotion-manipulating powers to turn the crowded city into a virtual circus. People were attacking one another, looting businesses, and attempting suicide.
“What a mess! We’ve got to act fast!” advised Robin.
“Tell you what, you guys try to restore order to the city while I try to find the Pirate,” proposed Lightspeed.
“We’re on it!” agreed Batwoman as she and the others began to make their way to the ground.
Minutes later, the small team of heroes on the scene were already becoming frustrated with the limited progress they were making. For every fight they stopped, two more began. For every life they saved, three more people tried taking their own. For every car crash they diverted, another one happened a short ways away. It seemed like the Psycho Pirate had already won today’s battle.
“This is insane! These people are like a bunch of mad dogs!” huffed Dreamsweeper as he pulled a husband’s hands from around his wife’s neck and put them both to sleep with his gas-gun.
“Try to remember, it’s not their fault!” reminded Batwoman as she swung by on a Bat-line catching a young girl who had jumped off the top of a roof of a near-by toy-store. “It’s ok, honey, I’ve got you.”
The girl in Batwoman’s arms began to cry heavily and began shaking violently. “IIIIIIIII want to dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Let me gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Dear Lord, he’s even targeting the children!” Batwoman said to herself as she landed on the ground.
Suddenly a woman came running up, a clear expression of joy on her face, “You saved my baby! Oh, thank you Batwoman!!!”
“Happy to help ma’am,” replied the woman otherwise known as Di Di Queen as she handed the young girl over to her mother.
Then, out of nowhere, a large semi-truck came speeding down the road, aimed at the four members of the Justice Society that were present. The Psycho Pirate had previously used his powers on the truck driver, causing him to become extremely paranoid. As the truck approached striking distance, the driver jumped out. “Die you filthy scum-suckers!!!”
“Great Gotham! That truck is headed right for us!” cried out Robin.
“I got this one, Boy Wonder,” declared Ground Zero. Slamming his two fists together so that the pieces of jewelry on them could connect, he cried out, “Dyna-rings - ENERGIZE!!!” Instantly, the grandson of TNT was filled with the explosive energies of his namesake. Without hesitation, he released a powerful explosive charge at the truck which hurled it into the air and blew it to tiny bits.
“Nice work G.Z.,” commented Dreamsweeper. “I almost wet my shorts a few seconds ago.”
“Nasty…..,” huffed the green and blue clad hero as he shook his head back and forth.
“This city is out of control. We’d better hope that Lightspeed finds the Pirate and fast,” advised Robin as he led the team to take care of more disasters and emergencies within Metropolis.
Several blocks away, Lightspeed was racing through the streets in search of his prey. “Ok, Psycho Pirate, come out from wherever it is your hiding! There’s only one of you and five of us. Might as well give up!”
“Ah yes….the new Flash of Keystone City,” came the voice of the Psyho Pirate from seemingly nowhere.
“Show yourself, coward!” ordered Lightspeed looking all around.
“Are you sure you want me to do that? You know what happens if you look at me…….” teased the deranged super-villain.
“Give it your best shot. I’m ready for you!” countered Lightspeed, ready to cover his face with his helmet if need be.
“Are you ready for ALL of us???” challenged the Psycho Pirate as he revealed himself and twenty other duplicates of himself, which had surrounded Lightspeed.
“Great wings of Mercury!” exclaimed the man otherwise known as Jason Garrick as he came to dead stop. He quickly covered his face with his helmet as he tried to come up with a way out of this mess. Unfortunately for the young speedster, one of the Psycho Pirates was right behind him, causing his reflection to appear on the shiny surface of Lightspeed’s helmet, therefore subjecting him to the Pscyho Pirate’s will.
“Hahahaha! Not even quick enough to close your eyes, Flash? Your predecessor would be so disappointed in you!!!” scoffed the former underling of the Anti-Monitor. “I’ll bet your wondering how I can make twenty of myself, huh? Well, you can thank that chap Mirror Master from New Earth. Back during one of our team-ups to try to take down the JLA and the JSA, I pick-pocketed him of this cool device that allows it’s user to appear in twenty places at the same time. I’ve been wanting to use it for the longest time. Now, let’s go recruit your friends to our cause, shall we?”
Back in the heart of Keystone City, the Justice Society Unlimited was battling on yet making little headway with the enslaved citizens of Lightspeed’s hometown.
“The odds are against us!” grumbled Dreamsweeper. “No matter how many of them I put to sleep with my gas-gun, four more take their place!”
“Quit yer yappin’ and keep fighting!” Ground Zero said, cockily as he used a subtle explosion prevent two cars from crashing into one another.
Meanwhile Robin and Batwoman were back to back, “I feel so helpless. These poor people have no idea what they’re doing yet if we let our guard down, they’ll rip us to pieces!” worried Batwoman.
“We’re figure something out. We’re the Justice Society. We always do,” reminded Robin as he was forced to deliver another T.K.O. to an ordinary citizen.
“Wait! I’ve got an idea!” shouted Batwoman. “If this works, it should at least buy us some time.”
“What are you proposing?” Robin asked.
“I’m going to try releasing my Sonic Sonar at a different frequency than I usually do. A more subtle, harmonizing frequency,” revealed the former Sonic Boom. “Pray that this has the results I’m hoping it will!”
“Go for it!” smiled Robin.
Then, without hesitation, Batwoman took a deep breath and released her Sonic Sonar, “SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
As the seconds ticked by, the good people of Keystone City felt the raging emotions inside of them began to wither and die. Their bodies grew limp and their minds were soothed. Eventually, everyone within a half-mile radius began to feel relaxed and tired, finally succumbing to the full effects of Batwoman’s sonar and falling asleep.
“You did it!!!” Robin cried out, quite proud of his house-guest. “Nice job!!!” he said as he hugged Batwoman tightly.
At first, the hug came as an awkward surprise but soon Di Di Queen noticed how good it felt to be held again by a man who cared for her. This tension between her and Robin had been brewing since her first trip to Earth 2 and this hug turned the “spark” into a raging fire. The two members of the Batman Family looked into one another eyes and all time seemed to stop. They wanted nothing more than to lock lips and express their feelings for one another but which of them would be brave enough to make the next move? Then, without thinking about it further, Di Di leaned in for the kiss until….
Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero came running up. “Great job, Batwoman!” complimented Ground Zero. “You just saved us all a lot of bruises.”
“Now we just need to find Lightspeed and the Pirate and get out of here,” advised Dreamsweeper looking around.
Sadly, time was not on the two lovebirds’ side as they would have to postpone their possible kiss until later.
“No need for that, we’ve already found you! Hahahahaha!!!” the Psycho Pirate laughed, insanely as he and the mesmerized Lightspeed revealed themselves.
“Cover your faces!!!” commanded Robin as he held his cape up in front of his head as he searched his utility-belt for some knockout-gas pellets.
Suddenly Lightspeed began attacking his teammates, fueled with rage thanks to the Psycho Pirate. Within a split second, he had knocked down all four of the other members of the Justice Society who were on the scene.
“Nice work, Flashy!” snickered the insane villain. “Aww….Robin, you don’t look so happy to see me and I here I use to think about our past play-dates so fondly.”
“You’re not getting in our heads, Psycho Pirate, we all know not to look at you!” spat Robin as he threw his knockout gas pellets at his opponent. Though the former Boy Wonder was quick, Lightspeed was quicker and caught the pellets in mid-air throwing them yards away where they could do he and his master no harm.
“Such aggression!” taunted the Psychoo Pirate. “Let me help change your outlook,” he said as he activated his imaging device creating multiple versions of himself once again but this time, he altered the device so that his image would appear on just about every shiny surface in the area, making it impossible for the members of the Justice Society to not fall under his control.
“Thought you were going to take me down without breaking a sweat, huh Robby?” teased the Psycho Pirate as he tugged on Robin’s cheek. “I bet you were trying to impress your new girlfriend here,” he said as he smacked Batwoman on her backside. “Look at you all. So immobilized……….so helpless. Any other villain would keep you alive and use you to further his plans but I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. Nope, I’m gonna kill you all right here and now. After all, it’s been a while since I had a few blood-stains on the old uniform here but let’s make this fun. I think I’m going to have one of you do the job of killing all of the others and then I’ll strangle him with my bare hands. Which one of you saps would like to do the job?” he asked, looking over his five slaves until his eyes stopped on Dreamsweeper. “You, you’re the newbie on the team. You drew the short straw, pal,” he said grinning from ear to ear. “Here you go, buddy,” he said as he picked up a large wooden beam off the ground and handed it to Dreamsweeper. “Bludgeon them to death!”
Dreamsweeper took the wooden beam from the Psycho Pirate, turned towards Ground Zero and raised the beam over his head.
The Psycho Pirate began rubbing his hands together in anticipation, sweat starting to build up under his costume.
Then, in a shocking turn of events, Dreamsweeper slammed the beam into the side of the Psycho Pirate’s head, knocking him to the ground. He quickly jumped on top of him and wrapped the Pirate’s cape around his face, covering it completely.
“Noooo!!!!!!!!!!” shrieked the man otherwise known as Roger Hayden. “How were you able to resist my powers! No-one can do that! Not even Dr. Fate!”
“You said it yourself, Psycho Pirate. I’m the newbie on the team,” reminded Dreamsweeper. “I’m also a historian and was a huge fan of the Justice Society before I joined the team. I know the intimate details on every case the Society has worked on since their inception and there are many accounts on how your emotion controlling powers work and what needs to be done to neutralize them. The goggles in my gas mask were especially created to protect me from the warped abilities your Medusa Mask gives you. Maybe you should have done your homework……..like I did,” Dreamsweeper said, cockily as he stuck his gas-gun inside the Psycho Pirate’s cape and put him to sleep.
A few minutes later after the rest of the Justice Society had shaken off the effects of the Psycho Pirate’s spell, Lightspeed commented, “Thanks Dreamsweeper. If you hadn’t prepared for this moment, we’d all be goners right now.”
“I’ve just got one question,” interjected Batwoman, “If you knew all of this time that you were protected from the Pirate’s powers, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Honestly? We newbies have to keep an ace up our sleeve if we’re going to make our mark on the team,” Dreamsweeper said, smiling under his mask.
“Well, you certainly stole the show this time,” Robin said, shaking Dreamsweeper’s hand. He then turned to Ground Zero, “You know, you’ve got some catching up to do.”
“Pffffft….I was just giving Dreamsweeper a false sense of security. He’ll be eating my dust in no time,” Ground Zero replied, confidently.
“Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight,” countered the man otherwise known as Kurt Dodds.
“Well, let’s head home and see if the others are back yet,” advised Lightspeed.
Robin let Dreamsweeper and Ground Zero advance ahead of he and Batwoman.
“Dick, are you ok? You’re walking kind of slow,” asked a concerned Batwoman.
“I’m fine Di Di but there’s something I wanted to ask you………in private,” began the former Boy Wonder.
Batwoman became nervous for a bit, wondering if the moment they shared earlier today gave Robin the impression that she was too aggressive.
“I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight?” asked the man otherwise known as Dick Grayson of Earth 2.
“Well, considering that I’m staying with you, I don’t think I have much of a choice,” smirked Batwoman.
“No, I mean that I’d like to take you OUT for dinner tonight,” Robin smiled, hopefully. “And after that, maybe a movie if you’re up for it?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” teased the woman formerly known as Sonic Boom.
“I see you’ve honed your detective skills already,” Robin said as he put his hands on the side of Batwoman’s waiste.
“How does seven o’clock sound?” asked Batwoman.
“Sounds perfect,” agreed Robin.
***
EPILOGUE:
The Hall of Justice, New Earth…
Power Lad came barging into the main meeting room, a distraught look on his face, “Alright!!! Who’s the freak that’s been sneaking into my room?!?!?!?”
“What seems to be the trouble, Ahli?” asked Wonder Man as he looked up away from the monitor screen.
“Someone took my mental scrambler device outta my room again!” growled the young, feisty teen.
“What do you mean by ‘again’?” questioned Nightvsion.
“Well, several months ago, it was missing and I thought I lost it but then it turned up a few weeks ago. I remember putting it on the top shelf of my closet and this morning, it’s gone again!!!” answered Power Lad, bearing teeth.
“And your positive you didn’t misplace it?” questioned the new-age Dark Knight.
“Yes! I just saw it yesterday when I was getting dressed,” replied Power Lad. “Which means some pervert has been sneaking into my room when I was sleeping. Can’t say I blame them. If I wasn’t me, I’d want a look at my body too but still….”
“Enough, Ahli. What exactly can this device do?” questioned Nightvsion.
“It’s a mental scrambler. It prevents people from reading your mind,” explained the sidekick of Power Guy.
"Why would ANYONE need a mental scrambler," asked Jemstone.
“My dad built the thing years ago to protect the Super Friends from Brainiac,” responded Power Lad.
“Why would YOU need something like that, Power Lad?” demanded Nucleus, obviously not comfortable with such a device.
“It was in a bag of stuff I brought here from my house. I thought it might come in handy one day,” Power Lad, said, obviously lying through his teeth.
“You know, now that I think of it, my deodorant was missing this morning and I thought I misplaced it like I’ve done before,” added Nightvision, refocusing the team on the subject at hand.
Just then, Sargona joined in the conversation, “Some of my things were taken earlier this week. I didn’t want to say anything at first due to the nature of these items.”
“What were these items?” asked Green Lantern, curiously.
Sargona’s heart started to beat quickly as she hesitated to answer her former boyfriend’s question.
“What were they, Sargona?” repeated Nightvision, firmly.
“Th….they were letters Dan wrote me while we were still together,” she answered, humbily and extremely embarrassed.
“It’s ok, honey. We all keep reminders of happy times in our lives,” Jemstone offered, putting her arm around her best friend’s shoulder.
"Have you noticed anything missing, Dan?" asked Whirlpool trying to ease the tension.
"No, I haven't lost anything at all," replied Green Lantern.
"Who else has lost something?" asked Nucleus.
"Not me," said the Huntress.
Most everyone else noted that they had lost something.
“This pattern sounds like the work of the Sportsmaster,” concluded Nightvsion.
“But he hasn’t been seen or heard from since that fiasco with the Legion of Doom over a year ago,” recalled the Huntress.
“I think we need to put our time and energy into finding out why asap,” directed Nightvision.
Several feet away, Air Wave pulled his cousin aside, “Danny, I hope you don’t think I’m trying to tell you what to do but Sargona obviously cares about you quite a bit. If Di Di is going to keep acting the way she has been lately, I think you’d be better off with someone who appreciates you. You may not have had a crush on Sargona all of your life but she’s a steal. Classy, sophisticated, bluntly honest, and a total knockout all in one.”
Green Lantern veered at the raven-haired beauty out of the corner of his eye. Time had shown him that Sonic Boom was not coming back to him any time soon. She hadn’t even called(as far as he knew) since their break-up. Her silence was screaming louder than her Canary Cry ever did. It was time for Daniel Jordan to finally move on with his life.
About thirty seconds later, Sargona and Jemstone were in the middle of a conversation about Jemstone’s upcoming wedding. “I really think the cheesecake was a great choice, Jerrica. I don’t know about you but I hate wedding cake frosting.”
“Really? I could eat it with a spoon,” the sizzling hot pop-star replied, tightening her headband.
“Excuse me ladies,” Green Lantern said, interupting the two women. “Sargona, could I have a word with you?”
“That’s my queue to round up Scott and go over the invite list for the reception,” Jemstone said, winking at Sargona as she walked away.
The daughter of Sargon and Zatanna was terrified. She was sure Green Lantern was here to scold her for not letting go of their past and hanging on to those letters he had sent her. Her heart began beating faster and faster as the seconds ticked by. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds longer as both heroes were summoning up the courage to speak. Finally, Sargona broke the ice and blurted out, “Look, Dan……….I’m sorry for embarrassing you. It’s just that….” Green Lantern stopped Sargona from saying another word by placing his index finger on her lips.
“There’s no need to apologize,” pointed out Daniel Jordan. “Our relationship was obviously very special to you. It was special to me too. That’s why, I’d like to give it another chance, if you’re willing?”
Sargona immediately thought she was dreaming! For the longest time, she had carried a torch for Green Lantern since their break-up and now all of her dreams and fantasies were coming true. The best part about it all, he was the one asking her to reunite. “Are…..are you sure about this Dan? I hope I haven’t been putting too much pressure on you lately.”
“I’m absolutely sure about this,” smiled Green Lantern. “How would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”
NOT THE END…