Titans Lost Part Nine: The Contest
Written by Green Lantern
Special Thanks to White Wraith on Micro-Research
Featured Artist: Power Guy
Editors: Marcus Mebes and Power Guy


Gull's Island Penitentiary

Princess Donna easily obtained official permission to visit her imprisoned sister at the world's only institution advanced enough to detain super criminals. The warden and guards sensed no threat at all from the homely, young girl on crutches. Hippolyta's youngest daughter gazed with amusement as she passed by Aquaman's cell. Without water to replenish his strength, he was the picture of suffering. She looked with interest at the scarlet clad Batman of Gotham City. He didn't seem so menacing now that he was chained upside down to the walls.

The young Amazon had always had a desire to meet the strong and handsome Superman. Donna had learned much about him when she secretly read her sister's reports to Queen Hippolyta. However, the sweaty alien writing in pain from the miniscule glowing green rocks didn't seem worthy of her notice. Moving on, she came to her sister's cell. Diana appeared wrinkled and aged without the belt of beauty. Several strands of gray hair betrayed the Amazonian warrior's true age. Wonder Woman was completely helpless without the bracelets of strength.

"Donna! I have never been so happy to see you!" said the villainess weakly. "My weapons are in that closet over there. Can you get them for me?"

"Yes, sister-dear," replied Princess Donna with a sickening sweetness. After a moment she held up the lasso of deception, the belt of beauty, and the bracelets of strength and asked, "Do you mean these?" Then she began whirling about.

[glow=red,2,300]POW!!! [/glow]With a flash of light a crimson clad-beauty stood in the place of the crippled Princess Donna.



"Donna! Give those to me!" cried Princess Diana.

"Do you remember how I begged you to take me to America with you all those years ago, Diana? Do you remember when I was trapped in that burning building and you left me there to die, saying it was too much of a risk for you to come save me? I am just glad that hag of a mother we have came to rescue me," spoke Wonder Girl bitterly. Wonder Woman's younger sister turned about and wiggled her derriere in her sister's face. "Wonder Woman's day is done. Look out, world: the all-new Wonder Girl is here!" Ignoring the Super Fiends' pleas for help, the Amazonian teen prissed her way out of the prison and into her new life.

Elsewhere

Vince Starr could hardly believe the situation that he was in. Blasted into the Universe of Evil by a ruthless villainess named Sting Ray, Power Guy and five of his Titans East teammates had survived the S.T.A.R. Labs Tower explosion only to be captured by an evil version of Robin. Now the Titans of Justice were trapped in soundproof cells, which were controlled by Robin so that they could only hear what he wanted them to hear. To make things worse, the lost Titans were being forced to fight evil versions of the Teen Titans to the death for the "honor" charter membership in the new Titans of Injustice. Vince felt very weak because of the Kryptonite lining of his cell. He still felt guilty for harming the evil Gleek, but at least he hadn't killed him. The Kryptonian powerhouse could think of no crime worse than that of murder. He wouldn't even hurt a fly.

"Let the contests begin!" shouted Robin gleefully. Officer John Gnaark stood at Robin's side as a reward for freeing the teen villain from Gull's Island prison.



"YEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" roared the evil Titans. Power Guy was irritated that Robin had made it possible to hear the horrible reactions of the natives of the Universe of Evil, while preventing him from communicating with his own teammates. The kryptonite impaired his hearing to the point that he couldn't even hear into the cells adjacent to his own. Vince did notice that his teammates were communicating with one another via Hall of Justice communicators. Unfortunately, his was the only communicator that had yet to be repaired. He hadn't prioritized fixing it because, under normal circumstances he could count on his super-hearing. Vince's body tensed as the first battle commenced.

The Guardian vs. Bumblebee

VS.

"What are we going to do baby?" asked the Guardian in despair as he drew the love of his life into his arms. "I could never hurt you," he whispered as he embraced the Bumblebee tenderly.

Vince wondered what his teammates were planning as they continued to communicate with one another. His attention was turned back to the Guardian and the Bumblebee kissed and floated slowly into the air. They had to be at least 250 feet in the sky. "Why don't they just escape and fly away?" wondered the Titan.

"Mal?" asked the Bumblebee.

"Yeah, babe?" answered the Guardian.

"I have a plan, but I would need your help," began Karen Beecher.

"Anything you say, my love," vowed the Guardian.

"I'll go get all the cash and jewels we have stashed away and then come back to get you. Then we go to Tahiti, like we discussed. Where's your safe?" asked the winged lady.

"There's a safe behind the painting over my television," offered Mal as Karen kissed his neck.

"The key is under the television."

"By the way, thanks for the key to your apartment, loser," said the Bumblebee with a sly smile as she dropped the Guardian more than 250 feet.

THUD! Power Guy winced as two men dressed in street clothes took the first casualty of the horrific games away on a stretcher.
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"When do I get to fight, boss?" Gnaark asked to the host of the Titans Games. "You promised that if I freed you only and kept the other Super Fiends in prison that I would have a chance to be on the Titans."

With a wry smile Robin announced, "On with the next contest: Beast Boy vs. Gnaark!"

Beast Boy vs. Gnaark

VS.

Gnaark was thrilled that Robin had been so kind to him by letting him fight Beast Boy. The prison guard smiled, knowing that his meaningless life was about to turn for the better. Of all of the possible opponents, Beast Boy would be the easiest for him to kill.

Gar Logan morphed into a green rhinoceros and charged toward John Gnaark. John simply smiled, grabbed the horn of the green beast and broke it off. DJ Vince Starr winced at the violence of the scene before him as he watched Officer Gnaark stab Beast Boy with his own horn repeatedly. Beast Boy turned into a toad, but was quickly trapped in the mammoth sized hands of Officer Gnaark.

Squish!

John Gnaark raised his hands in the air victoriously as the evil Titans applauded. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped down to the ground from the deadly poison of the frog's skin.

"Well, folks, it looks like we have a draw on this one," announced Dick Grayson. "On to the next battle: Speedy versus Green Lantern!"

Speedy vs. Green Lantern



Power Guy held his breath as he watched Daniel Jordan point his emerald ring at the evil bowman. Vince smiled at Pastor Daniel's plan to win this fight without a death. Two emerald hands burst forth from the Green Lantern's ring and positioned themselves to break Speedy's bow in half. But as soon as the verdant beams contacted the wooden bow they disappeared.

"What's wrong?" shouted Power Guy in surprise.

Roy Harper's impressive muscles rippled as he pulled his bowstring back, propelling three arrows towards the Emerald Titan. With mounting horror Power Guy remembered what Sonic Boom had told him. Daniel Jordan had recharged his power ring earlier with the power battery of the Black Widow's ex-husband, Alan Scott. "NO! GL!" shouted the caped man of steel. "Your power ring is ineffective against wood!"

Green Lantern turned his gaze toward Power guy as one of the arrows pierced Daniel's abdomen. Then another buried deep into his chest, and the third sliced through his right eye. Vince cupped his hands over his eyes in lamentation. He couldn't believe that his friend's life was wiped out of existence so cruelly and quickly. Vince dared not look at Di Di Queen. He had been rooting for them to get together for so long, and had not missed the significance of their tender moment at the Queen Estate. He couldn't even imagine what she must be going through. The Kryptonian in white was filled with bitterness as he watched two men drag his teammate away.

"On to another battle with an alien from another universe!" cried the evil Robin. Power Guy stood up and prepared himself to fight.

" Aqualad versus Nucleus!"

Vince's heart sank.

Aqualad vs. Nucleus



The time for mourning the loss of Green Lantern would have to be postponed. Vince Starr always respected Pastor Daniel as a man of faith and prayer, but now with his passing someone had to pray for Nucleus. Power Guy watched in horrified anticipation as Nucleus silently grew to the size of forty foot tall. Nucleus lifted his right foot and positioned himself to stomp on Aqualad. The super-hero from Krypton couldn't believe that his Titans East teammate was actually planning on killing, even if it were a villain. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Suddenly Aqualad grabbed Nucleus' foot and set him off-balance. The helplessly airborne Nucleus quickly reduced his size. Aqualad then placed both of his fingers on his temples and said, "Get ready for your brain to explode, alien!"

"AARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Power Guy winced at Nucleus' scream of horror.

[glow=YELLOW,2,300]POP! [/glow]The loud explosion surprised everyone, even Aqualad.

"Where did he go?" asked a bewildered water villain. After a few moments of dead silence, Aqualad raised both of his fists in the air triumphantly. "I've disintegrated him!"

"…He…he…he's gone," whispered Power Guy in shock. "Just like that…he's gone…"

"Congratulations, Aqua-dude!" shouted Robin from his podium. "You have advanced to the finals! On to the next contest."

Lilith vs. Toyman's Daughter



Robin depressed a button and the cages of two evil Titans opened. Power Guy was momentarily relieved that none of his remaining teammates were chosen for the next contest.

"Lilith versus…what did you say your name was again? Luthor's daughter?" asked Robin.

"No, Boy Blunder! I am the Toyman's daughter!" said Duela Luthor with one arm on her hip.

"I thought the Toyman was dead," observed Lilith.

"So what?" snapped Duela. "Luthor is dead too."

"And soon you will join them both," sneered Lilith.

"Surely not by your hands, mind witch," said the Toyman's daughter as she chewed her gum. "What are you going to do?" She noisily chewed the gum to annoy her opponent. "ESP me to death?" she said with a laugh.

Lilith closed her eyes as Duela continued chewing. "If I willingly lose there is a way to take her down with me," thought the redheaded beauty. "But if I just let her win she will have the honor of being in the Titans of Injustice. That will not do. But if I win and let her lose…" Lilith's eyes opened in realization of an element to the contest that not even Robin was aware of. Lilith knew that, no matter what she did, she would not die today. "I am going to have to let her defeat me," decided Lilith.

"Well you sure aren't going to think me to death," said Duela Luthor cattily. "Anyway, it's too late for you now," she added as she started to blow a bubble.

Lilith's eyes grew wide with great concern that there was so little time to execute her plan. The redhead ran with all of her might towards the Toyman's daughter in a desperate attempt to defeat her
.
POP! Both villainesses were caught in Duela's gum and lost their air and fell to the ground in a lifeless state.

"Both ladies LOSE!" shouted Robin.

As a crew of men came to clean up the mess and take away the bodies, Vince noticed that Junjie Quick, Sonic Boom, and the Huntress were still in communication with one another. "I wish I could hear what they are saying," thought Power Guy.

"On to our next contest!" announced Robin. "The Red Star versus… Power Guy!"

Red Star vs. Power Guy



Everything was happening so fast that Vince didn't even have time to think. "I refuse to kill or even fight!" shouted the Kryptonian powerhouse.

"Think you're a tough-guy, huh?" commented Robin nonchalantly. He depressed a button and Power Guy was thrust out into the arena.

The red, white and blue-clad hero looked up from the ground at the evil version of the Russian meta-human that he had so long admired.

"Get up and fight me like a man, you coward!" shouted Red Star with a thick Russian accent as he ran towards Power Guy.

Vince Starr raised his hand and began to speak, "I will not ki…"

Just then Red Star tripped on a rock and fell onto the outstretched arm of the Kryptonian hero.

KRAK! His neck was snapped.

The body of the green-clad villain slumped to the ground. His skin took on a greenish hue and one of his eyes shut, while the other remained half-opened..
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"But I…it…it was an accident!" said Power Guy in horror. "How could this happen?"

"And the winner is…POWER GUY!" shouted Robin.

"BOO! BOOooooooooooooooooo!" roared the crowd.

Power Guy didn't know what to do. He wanted to fly away, but at the same time he couldn't leave the Huntress and the others alone in this place. He ran towards Junjie's cage and prepared to break it open.

"NO!" shouted Junjie. "Get back!"

Suddenly Junjie's cage glowed green and Vince slumped to the ground. Three men came and carried Power Guy back to his cage and locked him in. Power Guy couldn't forget the horrible expression on the deceased Red Star's face. He felt traumatized by the day's events.

"I can clearly see that you want Junjie Quick to fight next," said Robin, "and so he shall! On to the next fight! Because Power Guy demanded it: Junjie Quick versus Kid Flash!"

Junjie Quick vs. Kid Flash



Once the two Speedsters were in the arena area, Kid Flash sped towards his opponent with a villainous grin. Power Guy saw Junjie answering his Titans of Justice communicator. Contrary to popular opinion, reading lips is a very difficult thing to do. Many words cannot be read because the lips are not used to form all sounds. Nevertheless, Vince clearly saw Junjie ask, "Why?"

"What is he doing?" thought Vince as Junjie vibrated at super-speed, allowing Kid Flash to pass through him.

Power Guy was shocked at the Singaporean speedster's next move. Junjie immediately turned around and successfully tripped the evil Kid Flash. Then Junjie abruptly placed his hands around Kid Flash's neck and vibrated his evil opponent. Wally west began gasping for breath. Before another blink of the eye, Kid Flash slumped and Junjie Quick laid his body on the ground, placed one foot on Kid Flash's chest, and raised his right fist in victory.

Vince Starr gasped in horror as the surviving evil Titans roared with approval. "How could Junjie just murder him like that? What has gotten into him?!?"

Junjie looked directly at Power Guy, smiled at him, and gave him the 'thumb's up' sign. Vince didn't know what to think.

"That is two visitors who have advanced to the finals!" shouted the evil boy wonder. "On to the next contest: Brother versus brother in a battle to the death!"

Hawk vs. Dove

VS.

The two brothers walked slowly out to the arena. When they accepted the call to enter the Titans games they assumed that they would both make it to the "Magnificent Seven." But being pitted against one another in a battle to the death meant that one of them would die, and that at his brother's hand. The surviving brother would advance to the finals with the knowledge that he had killed his brother. All the fun the two buddies had enjoyed with one another was now in the past.

"Don," said Hank Hall sadly, "I don't want it to end this way. We should be out bombing cities and terrorizing people across the globe together."

"Let's make a deal," offered the Dove, "We will fight with all our might and go out with a bang!"

"Yeah!" agreed the Hawk. "We'll show those girlie-girls how a real man fights and dies!"

"Whichever one of us lives will go on for the both of us," said Don Hall. Both brothers nodded, but neither could find the courage to make the first move.

"C'mon! Get on with it already!" shouted Robin.

Tears welled in the eyes of both brothers. Then suddenly both villains rushed towards and embraced one another silently.

"I'm gonna puke," said Robin in disgust. Without warning a golden lasso wrapped tightly around the siblings. A raven-haired beauty in scarlet descended from above. The beautiful lass lifted the entrapped Hawk and Dove in the air and slammed their bodies to the ground.



"Say hello to the new Wonder Girl, Tigers! I had to pay Commissioner Gordon $15,000.00 in Amazonian gold to find out the location of this contest," said Wonder Girl. "Am I too late to enter?"

"You have just advanced to the finals, Wonder Chick!" answered Dick Grayson with a silly smile on his face.

"Helena was right," thought the Kryptonian powerhouse. "We really are in the universe of evil." Vince's heart skipped a beat as he watched 'Robin's little elves' carry the two brothers' bodies away. "There are only four people left. Helena and Di Di will be in the next two fights." Power Guy sized up their opponents. He felt confident that his female teammates could take Bat-Girl and the Golden Eagle. But would they be willing to kill to survive?

"Two more losers and just two contests left before the finals!" announced Robin. "On to the penultimate challenge," announced Robin. "The Huntress …"

"NO! I hope she is paired up against Bat-Girl," thought Power Guy.

"...versus Sonic Boom! That's right folks: Two super-hot babes from the Universe of Good in a battle to the death!"

Power Guy cupped his hands over his eyes as the evil Titans roared with approval.




TO BE CONTINUED…