Titans of Justice / Darkest Hour #9 - “You Just Can’t Trust Anyone These Days”
Written by: Power Guy,
Creative consulting provided by: Darth_Ennis & GreenLantern
Art by: Darth_Ennis
Maxi-Mircos by: Power Guy & Knightvision
Edited by: Power Guy


Previously in Titans of Justice...........Black Hand raised an army of upper vampire hierarchy such as Dracula, Vampirus, and I...Vampire to turn millions of people into the living dead. Black Hand then took control of all of the darkness generating beings on earth(i.e. Obsidian, Shadow Thief, Nightshade) and used them to cloak the world in complete darkness. With all of the undead energy roaming around the earth coupled with the planet being shrouded in complete darkness, it was enough to make conditions right for the Mocker to use Stellar’s stolen Cosmic Converter belt to channel the various colored lights of the emotional spectrum to revive Nekron. Upon his return, Nekron has raised an army of Black Lanterns to subjugate all of creation. Ganthet has asked Blue Lantern Daniel Jordan to gather together various beings that empower the various lights of the emotion spectrum to help turn the tide of the battle


Coast City, CA...

At the site of the Black Lantern power battery, Nekron gazes out upon the world, watching it succumb to his army of Black Lanterns. Just then, the Mocker approaches him. The lord of the undead looks down at the Mocker and asks, “What is it, slave?”





“Master,” begins the Mocker, “I have a status report. Your other servants are making huge progress in plundering this world but the heroes have made some small victories. Might I suggest that we focus all of our efforts on destroying the Titans of Justice?”





“You’ve got more immediate problems to deal with, Mocker!” comes a voice out of seemingly nowhere.

Nekron and the Mocker look up to see Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and the rest of the New Guardians along with several members of each of their corps.

“What are you doing here??? We had heard that you retired!” howled the Mocker, angrily.

“You heard wrong!” spat Hal Jordan as he encased his old foe in a power-bubble.





“Nekron!” called out Sinestro. “How have you returned? We vanquished you decades ago!” he recalls as he fires off a yellow blast at the leader of the Black Lanterns.





The beam hits Nekron and does little more than knock him a few steps back. “Fool! I was not vanquished, only dormant. You and your foolish comrades were missing the one necessary element needed to truly destroy me. Your folly left the door open for my return!” he says as he slashes Sinestro across the chest with his scythe.

“Arrgghhh...” groans Sinestro as he clutches his bleeding torso.

“Sinestro, we’ve got to work as a team if we’re doing to get anywhere,” points out Hal Jordan as he and the other New Guardians attack Nekron in unison. Sinestro soon realizes the truth in his arch-enemy’s words and adds his power to the group’s.

“Pour it on!” urges Hal Jordan to the others.

“Don’t let up, Dex-Starr!” orders Atrocitus.





“Sapphires, let the love flow from your hearts!” Carol Ferris-Jordan says to her corps.





“When we’re done here, I get to keep the Black Lantern,” whines Larfleeze.





“Your hunger never stops, does it?” questions Saint Walker as he and the other Blue Lanterns continue to fight Nekron.





“His hunger is not our concern, Saint Walker. Don’t let it capture your attention,” advises Indigo-1.





“Fools! You cannot stop me now just like you were unable to stop me before!” counters Nekron.

“He’s right. We’ve got to find the White Lantern if we’re going to put an end to this,” admits Sinestro.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hal Jordan spots the appearance of the White Wraith as he steps out of a puff of smoke. “Oh good, the Titans of Justice are here,” he thinks to himself but suddenly, his slight feeling of relief turns to horror as he sees the White Wraith pull the White Lantern from his cloak and hand it to Black Hand.

“Oh, you mean this?” the man otherwise known as William Hand says, smiling ear to ear. He then looks at the White Wraith and says, “Only one with a pure, divine soul could retrieve the White Lantern. You’ve done well.”





“And you’ll keep your end of the bargain and help me get my revenge on the Spectre?” asks the White Wraith.





“Of course,” answers Black Hand “But you won’t be around to see it!” he says as he blasts the youthful ghost with his opal-colored energy, disintegrating him.

“Everyone, focus on getting the White Lantern!” commands Hal Jordan as the battle rages on.

***

Over the skies of Southern California...

Blue Lantern Daniel Jordan and his small group of Lantern and light wielding beings are en route to Coast City, having picked up a few more recruits along the way, specifically Black Adam and Blue Dolphin.

“I still don’t understand what Blue Dolphin and I are doing here with the others,” grumbled Black Adam. “Neither one of us has any light or energy-based powers.





“I wish I could explain it to you, Teth,” offered Daniel Jordan, “All I know is that you two were last minute additions to Ganthet’s list. An important moment is coming that will decide if the universe lives or dies and it’s imperative that we be ready.”





“If I behave myself do I get a power-ring out of this?” demanded Blue Dolphin.





“It’s not my place to make that decision,” explained the son of Hal and Carol Jordan.

As the others were talking, Red Lantern Scott Stone materialized a pair of binoculars with his ring in order to get a better view of what was ahead of them. He soon called out to his associates, “I can see the Black power battery ahead! It looks like there’s a war going on between Nekron and the various Lantern corps.”





“Is my wretched father?” asked Sultana with spite in her voice.





“Yup, him and a bunch of other Yellow Lanterns,” replied the anger-fueled Titan of Justice.

“Full speed ahead then!” directed Blue Lantern.

At the scene of the battle, the various Lanterns were attacking Nekron at full-force in order to keep him distracted while Sinestro was fighting tooth and nail to get the White Lantern away from Black Hand.

“Give me that Lantern, William or I shall cut off your good hand,” threatened the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps.

“Not a chance, pinky,” responded Black Hand as he blasted Sinestro with his dark energy.

“Acckkk.....” groaned Sinestro as he became even more determined. He wiped the blood from his lip as he looked upward and smiled.

“Why are you smiling?” asked a confused Black Hand until someone grabbed his arms from behind. It was Arkillo - Sinestro’s second in charge. “Let me go you oversized walrus!”





“You want freedom, Hand?” growled Sinestro as he created a yellow axe with his ring and promptly severed Black Hand’s left hand from his arm which was holding the White Lantern. “Wish granted!”

Arkillo released his prisoner. Black Hand began gasping in pain as he watched the black blood pour from his arm.

Meanwhile, Sinestro had turned his attention to Nekron. “Nekron! I have the Lantern of Life! Surrender or I shall use it to destroy you!”

As Nekron turned to face Sinestro, the Mocker crept up behind the leader of the Yellow Lanterns and blasted him at full-strength with Stellar’s Cosmic Converter Belt which now housed the various energies of the various Lantern Corps except for White and Black.

“ARRRRRRGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” screamed Sinestro right before he collapsed to the ground, mortally injured.

The Mocker then zapped Arkillo with a lesser-strength blast having depleted a lot of his energy in taking down Sinestro. Still, Arkillo was hurt badly and fell to the ground.

Black Hand picked up the White Lantern and within seconds, his severed left hand regrew but it was white in contrast to his black right hand.

“Very good, slaves,” commented Nekron. “Now bring me the White Lantern!”

Black Hand flew upward but in a surprising turn of events, headed towards the Black Lantern power-battery and grabbed ahold of it. “I’ve got a better idea.............how about you stop dishing out orders, SLAVE?” he teased as both the White and Black Lanterns in his hands lit up and fired energy beams at Nekron. Nerkon’s body was being ripped apart by the powers of life and death. Within less than a minute, he was completely obliterated.

Black Hand! What have you done?!?!?!” demanded the Mocker. “You’ve killed the Master!”

“And you’re next if you don’t shut up,” snapped the new leader of the Black Lantern Corps.


TO BE CONCLUDED!!!