Titans of Justice / Darkest Hour #1 - “Uprising”
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Creative consulting provided by: Darth_Ennis & GreenLantern
Art by: Darth_Ennis


The home of Scott & Jerrica Trevor...

“So you CHOSE to become earth’s new Star Sapphire?” Scott Trevor demanded of his beautiful wife.





“Scott, calm down,” pleaded the pop singer. “I didn’t choose, I was chosen. It turns out that the jewel that has been powering me all of these years was prototype sapphire made by the Zamarons. Somehow, the rock got taken to Gem World for a while and then fell into my father’s hands who later used it to create the machine that imbedded me with my powers.”





“But why would the Zamarons wait all of this time to recruit you?” questioned the seemingly retired Wonder Man.

“They told me that they simply lost track of the gem,” answered Jerrica Benton-Trevor. “My guess is that it fell off the map once it was taken to Gem World. That IS another dimension after all.”

“Right but why you? Why now?” continued the son of Diana and Steve Trevor. “We just got our family started and we both made a promise to semi-retire until the twins are old enough to take care of themselves.”

“I understand that, honey but the Zamarons said that something big is coming and I’m afraid that if I don’t help stop whatever that is, our sons won’t have a future to grow up in,” Jem answered with compassion. “I know this isn’t what we planned but I hope you can understand it’s for the best.”

“It sounds like you’ve made up your mind already,” deduced the male Amazon.

“Scott, don’t be like this,” chided the pink-haired superstar. “This isn’t easy for me but it’s something I have to do.”

“I know but I don’t like it,” Scott Trevor raged on. He then stopped talking for a few seconds as he came to understand where his wife was coming from. “Look, I don’t have to tell you any more how uncomfortable I am with this but if you feel this is what you have to do then so be it. Just make sure you come home to us in the end.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be!” Jem shouted as she kissed her husband passionately right before her magenta jewel lit up along with her entire body.

“So where are you headed to?” the costume-less Wonder Man asked.

***

The Metrotower...

“I had your room fixed up just like your old one at the previous Metrotower,” smiled Starman.





“Oh, Scott, you are too kind,” the new Star Sapphire said gratefully to her leader. “But I should make it clear that I’m only sticking around until this big ordeal that the Zamarons told me about is over.”

“Did they give you any indication as to what this ‘ordeal’ could be or if it’s connected to the Mocker?” asked the stellar-powered hero.

“Nope,” the wife of Wonder Man answered bluntly. “But they seemed like the ‘we’ll let you know when you need to know type’ if you get my drift.”

“I do,” confirmed the best friend of Gold Bug. “The Guardians were the same way. Very ‘don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.’ Anyways, let’s give you a tour and introduce you to the newbies. Shortly after that, I’m sending everyone out on patrol to try and find the Mocker.”

***

An ages old castle in Transylvania....

A dark-clad figure makes his way to through the palace, marveling at it’s decor and the stench of death that filled it’s walls. “I love this place,” the man said to himself. “It’s like he and I have the exact same taste in decorating. I can feel the lingering energies of the master drifting through the air,” he reveled as he breathed the air in deep.

As thee man passed by a half-open window, the moonlight illuminated his figure revealing him to be the recently escaped Black Hand. He continued making his way through immense structure avoiding several deadly traps until he came to the throne-room where a single closed coffin sat. “Anyone besides myself would have never made it alive to get to this room but you have been waiting for me, haven’t you?” the long-time foe of the Green Lantern Corps. asked as he looked down at the coffin below him. He kneeled down and licked some dried blood off the side of the box. “Now, let’s get this party started already!” he screamed with sick delight. “Count Dracula of Transylvania - RISE!!!”





With that, the lord of the vampires rose from his coffin after a decades-long sleep, thanks to the original Super Friends.





“Finally!!! I am awakened!” roared Dracula with a huge amount of relief. “For over twenty years I went without feeding thanks to the Super Friends! Now the world shall pay the price for their sins!”

***

Later in the country of Niger, Africa...

Erupting from a stream of dense jungle foliage, Black Hand once again makes his way through the night. In front of him sits a stone-tomb belonging to the greatest threat that originated on the African continent. Black Hand observes the structure before him noting the peculiar markings upon the stone walls of the tomb. “Not as nice as the Count’s place but these markings of horror and death more than make up for the lack of grandness. As much as I’d like to decipher all of these engravings, I have a full night ahead of me.” He then pressed a button alongside the wall next to the closed off entry way. With that, a the door rose open. “Come out my beauty!” he called. “Countess Vampirus of Niger - RISE!”

WIth that, the albino-haired queen of the Voodoo Vampires made her way up the stairs from her dungeon prison where the original Super Friends had locked her away more than two decades ago. “Oh great spirits of the underworld, I rise again to claim more victims!”





“That you do, my sweet,” smiled Black Hand with sickening delight. “And this time you will feed until you are more than full!!!”

***

Even later in Gotham City...

Black Hand again makes his way through a large home although this one is not a castle but an exquisite mansion. “Now this place is posh. Lots of antiques here but they’re all in pristine condition. This lady has great taste.....speaking of the lady,” he says to himself as he finally notices the casket in the room. He opens up the box without hesitation and cries out, “Lia Briggs of Gotham City - RISE!!!”

The woman’s eyes light up with a blue shimmer around them. Her long, red hair blows in the breeze as she climbs out of her coffin. “I am awake.....but I’m not scheduled to get up for another forty-five minutes...and why do I feel so strange?”






“Looker, is it?” Black Hand asks, “Don’t sound so disappointed. Your days of having a free will are long gone. You and all of your ilk belong to the darkness. Now go forth and make more of your kind! The plan depends on your success!”

As the night continues on, so do Black Hand’s travels and the rising of vampires all over the world. Each and every major-level creature of the night is awoken from it’s slumber to take part in Black Hand’s devious plans. Some, like Dracula, Vampiress, and Baron von Mauler, more than willing while others like Looker and I...Vampire being forced against their will to take part in Black Hand’s crusade.

***

The Hall of Justice...

Olympia sits in front of the Trouble Alert, patiently finishing her round of monitor duty. “Such a quiet evening. You’d swear that all of the super-villains had a poker game tonight or something.”





Just then, Wonder Girl, the visitor from the Universe of Evil walks in the room. “Here, I got you a Diet Sprite. The machine was all out of Diet Pepsi.”





“Thanks Druscilla,” replied Olympia. “So did you have a chance to think about my offer?”

“I did,” answers Wonder Girl, humbily. “I’d be honored to have you mentor me. I realize that I was kind of weird towards you and the rest of your family ever since I got here so before we get this thing started, I’d like to apologize.”

“There’s no need for that,” points out the founding member of the Teen Titans. “My nephew Scott told me about your objections to meeting me and my sister and they’re very normal objections considering that I’m an older, alternate universe version of yourself and then how my sister’s counterpart treated you on your earth.”

“I shouldn’t have been so snooty to you though,” admitted the younger Amazon. “Every time we’ve met, you’ve been nothing but nice to me and all I did was turn up my nose at you until now.”

“Never mind that, it’s all in the past now,” pointed out the wife of Kyle Rayner.

“Thanks,” smiled the usually bratty, young teen. “So, when’s our first training session?”

Before Olympia could answer her new side-kick’s question, the Troubler Alert went off like glass dropping on the floor of a quiet house.

“Great Hera!” shouts a startled Olympia as she turns and reads the report coming in. “Looks like it’s NOW. We’re getting over a dozen reports of vampire attacks all over the world! This is crazy! Something BIG has to be going on. I’d better summon both the East, West, and the reserve teams.”

Moments later....the entire membership of the Titans of Justice assembles at the Hall of Justice and the Metrotower.

Power Guy quickly takes the lead and begins giving out assignments. After a few minutes, all of the heroes are slotted for a team. “Ok, everyone is clear on where they’re going?” asks the Kryptonian powerhouse.

Starman who is on video-conference via the Trouble Alert confirms, “The West team and the Super Friends all have their assignments. East, West, and Super Friends teams will blend for this mission to ensure maximum performance.”

“Excuse me,” announces the Crimson Squire, “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve contacted the Outsiders. They’ll be pitching in.”

“As will the Squadron of Justice,” interrupts Ibis The Invincible. “Oh and Black Adam and Isis have asked me to tell you all ‘hello’.”





“Great - the more help the better and please tell Adam and Isis that we said ‘hello back’,” replies Power Guy as he and the rest of the team scrambles off to various parts of the globe.

Moments later, Power Guy, Power Lad, Olympia, Wonder Girl, Knightvision, and Bat-Girl are seen flying over Transylvania. Power Guy scans the terrain below looking for his targets. After a split second he announces, “They’re down there attacking the town square!” he says pointing westward. “Strike fast and hard but don’t kill any of them except for Dracula. If Nucleus and Elongated Lad are successful in their mission, there may be a way to turn these poor people back to human.”

“Right but if that fails, we know our only alternative,” Knightvision reminds his team via the communicator in the Bat-wing.





As the heroes swoop into action, Power Lad turns to Wonder Girl and says, “You know sweet-cheeks, if you don’t wanna break any of your nails, you can sit back and relax. I can take care of your share besides my own.”





“Will that happen before or after you wet your shorts from being such a pansy?” snaps the visitor from the Universe of Evil as she ropes a small crowd of vampires with her Lasso of Deception and then utters, “By the power of my lasso, I command you to act as though you have fed until you are full!” thus making them all believe they have satisfied their hunger for blood, thus causing them to retire to Dracula’s dwelling.

“Nice work, Wonder Girl,” smiles Olympia. “I told you that your lasso could be used for good despite it’s evil nature.

Just then a trio of the undead surrounds the star-spangled co-leader of the Titans. One of the vampires goes for Donna’s neck but the younger sister of Wonder Woman blocks him by jamming her left bracelet in between his eye-teeth, causing them to break off. Your fangs can’t break through my bracelets and now you won’t be feasting on anyone for a long time!” she declares right before she punches the monster in the face, knocking him a half-mile away. She then kicks another in the throat while elbowing the last of her predators in the stomach, taking all three vampires down in less than thirty seconds.

A few yards away, Knightvision and Bat-Girl were holding their own against Dracula’s servants. “Here, put these on,” directed the son of Nightwing and Oracle as he threw Bat-Girl his extra pair of Bat Electro-Knuckles, “But don’t bother activating the electrical feature. Vampires are pretty much immune to electrical attacks and the silver coating will do much more damage on it’s own.” He then put on his other pair of the weapons and began punching away, taking down no less than a dozen vampires before they knew what hit them.

Knightvision’s re-training of Bat-Girl was evidently paying off. The young-again superheroine’s combination of quick reflexes and dead-on accuracy allowed her to stun seven of the blood suckers with only two scratches on her body once she was finished. It had been over a year since Betty Kane-Parker’s husband had left her and finally after all of the long, cold, lonely nights, she was starting to feel alive again. Going into battle with Knightvision gave her quite the rush and she embraced it tightly. Was it the fact that Knightvision had taught her to fight better than she ever had in her entire crime-fighting career or was there an attraction brewing on Betty’s part?





On the rooftop of the courthouse, Power Guy and Power Lad were engaged in combat with approximately three dozen vampires.

“You know PeeGee,” began the obnoxious teen, “I don’t know why you and Olympia got all panic-stricken over these guys. We’re taking them out like they’re toy soldiers.”

“Don’t get cocky, Power Lad,” chided the leader of Titans East. “These are newer vampires. Unlike the older ones we’re used to dealing with, their strength and reflexes are more along the lines of Bane or Killer Croc where as if they were a few centuries old like Dracula, they could give Olympia or I a run for our money.”

Then out of nowhere came an eerie-sounding voice. “Well put. So you must be Superman’s successor......”

“Where’s that voice coming from?” demanded a slightly creeped out Power Lad. “I don’t see anything but this strange crimson mist!”

“Power Lad - GET OUT OF HERE!” ordered Power Guy, sternly.

Then, without warning, the red mist came together behind Power Guy, transforming into the Lord of the Vampires, Dracula himself.

Before Power Guy could sense Dracula’s whereabouts, the ages old vampire sunk his sharp fangs deeply into the man of might’s neck, first immobilizing him and then starting an unholy transformation. Power Guy’s skin began to grow pail, his eyes turn bloodshot red, his eye-teeth grew to animal-like proportions, and his costume changed from bright red, white, and blue to dull gray and black.

Dracula then continued his speech, “Sad to say but YOU will pay the price for Superman’s crimes!”

Power Lad looked on in horror as his mentor was changed into one of the undead, “Power Guy - NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!” he screamed.

Meanwhile on a rooftop a few buildings over, Black Hand and the Mocker looked on with smug smiles on their faces.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!!” cackled the Mocker. “The leader of the Titans of Justice is the first to fall. The rest of them will be easy pickings now!!!!”





TO BE CONTINUED!


Epilogue

About a half-hour earlier...

Earth’s new Star Sapphire was in her room, awaiting departure on her first mission with the new Titans West. She was doing some stretching exercises to help prepare herself for the upcoming battle as she had been semi-retired for months and felt as though she was a little rusty.

Starman came racing into her room. “Jerrica, are you almost ready to go?” he asked, a bit frantic.

“Yes, I’m just doing some pulls. I can leave whenever you guys are ready though,” replied the pink-haired pop-star.

“Good! You’re on my team with Jenna, Aaron, and my Aunt Sandy. We’ll be leaving shortly. Meet us in the main conference room in ten,” commanded the wielder of the Cosmic Rod.

“Aye aye, chief!” smirked the wife Wonder Man. As Starman raced back out, she yelled, “Oh and calm down already. You’re going to lead us to victory. I’m sure of it so stop being so nervous!”

“Working on it!” responded Starman as he dashed down the hall.

Jerrica continued doing her excercise until she noticed another visitor standing in her doorway. The person in her doorway had a very serious look to his face and she knew he meant business. “What are you doing here? I thought you were...”

“You’re coming with me!” replied the mysterious man.

FWASH!!!!!!!!!!!

A very bright light was seen and both Star Sapphire and her mysterious visitor were gone.


TO BE CONTINUED!!!