Titans Lost Part Four: Thinkers
Featured Artist: The Stranger
Special Thanks to Rob's SF Fan Page for Gleek Image
Written by: Green Lantern
Editors: Power Guy and Marcus Mebes

San Francisco

Karen Beecher always knew that her destiny lay in greatness, but she had always been frustrated with a lack of opportunity. She aspired to be one of the Super Fiends, but history had always showed that those who got close to them usually met with an early and horrible demise. Reports of the deaths of Steve Trevor, Lois Lane, and Vicky Vale all supported this. She had heard rumors that the Super Fiends were cannibals. That tidbit of gossip gave her a perverted sense of excitement. The challenge of being the first to overcome that danger and join the team was alluring to the young woman known as the Bumblebee. She knew that she had the brains it takes to rise to the top, but she needed funding to support her scientific theories for quicker flight and advanced weaponry.

Mal Duncan led his new girlfriend up the stairway to his ghetto apartment. The sensation of her soft hand in his own was driving him wild. He couldn't believe that he had scored such a hot babe like Karen.

"Hey, baby, can I ask you to come inside this time?" the young man said hopefully.

"I thought you'd never ask," answered his attractive date. Karen scanned the apartment as she went in. "This place smells even worse than Mal," thought the Bumblebee.

The young thief who called himself the Herald pulled his companion close and ran his fingers through her hair. "We make a great team, don't you think?"

With a forced smile she answered, "the best the universe will ever know!" She feigned delight as the two shared a kiss.

"I have a little present for you, babe," said the sweaty young Romeo as he dangled a spare key to his apartment before his beloved's eyes.

Karen's smile was the first genuine expression she offered her new suitor since she met him. She daintily accepted the key with a smile as she thought, "Now, if I can just figure out where he has been keeping all of the money and jewels he's been steeling over the past months…"

Central City

Ever since the Flash died trying to destroy the world, Wally West had tried to honor his uncle’s memory by terrorizing as many people as possible. This venture had proven a great challenge because of that irritating hero from the future, Professor Zoom. Kid Flash was getting very tired of the time traveler’s constant desecration of the Flash’s reputation. “Why does he interfere with the past? Why does he need to dress up as the Flash and do good deeds? My uncle was nothing like that!” thought the frustrated young speedster. Countless confrontations had shown that Wally’s skills were no match for Zoom’s, but the young Flash wasn’t about to let that stop him. Kid Flash realized that he needed a support group, such as the Super Fiends, to back him up. Thus far his application to join the team had been ignored. He had spoken with his “good bud,” Robin, on several occasions about the possibility of forming a new super-villain group for teens, but the boy wonder seemed to be all talk and no action. Wally gazed intently at the headlines in today's newspaper.

FLASH FOILS BANK ROBBERY

“I am going to have to give Dick an ultimatum,” thought the young speedster grimly.

The Hall of Injustice

As the world's smartest super-hero, Nucleus knew that more battles were won with brainpower as opposed to brawn. If he were to survive his current predicament he was going to have to use his mind. To his left was his Titans East teammate Power Guy, who was completely unconscious from the glowing kryptonite shackles on his wrists and ankles. Vince would need to be rescued soon or he would die.

To Nucleus's right was another teammate, Junjie Quick. Nucleus respected this Singaporean/American highly, though he didn't know him all that well. Junjie was also unconscious, and was being held in place by some type of device. Jason would have to assume that it was some type of power disruptor. But power disruptors could be bypassed.
Nucleus himself was entrapped in an upside-down position in a device similar to the one Junjie was in. If it were indeed a power disruptor, it wouldn't stop Nucleus as he had no super-powers. His ability to change sizes was controlled by his belt. Unfortunately, he couldn't budge his arms to reach it. Somehow his belt's ability to shrink had been altered to the ability to cause growth spurts. "How did that happen?" thought Jason.

His mind journeyed back to the last mission that he could remember. "We were at S.T.A.R. Labs Tower; all three of us. There were three bombs. Who else was there? Sonic Boom and Huntress, the Titans' very own Birds of Prey…

…What happened next? I disturbed Lantern's big date in Paris with Sargona, but still they came. Soon after that…

…what?"

Nucleus remembered being alarmed at the size of the bombs, at their strange technology, and at the personalized plaques, which accompanied them. But that wasn't all. The experiments that S.T.A.R. was doing were quite disturbing in themselves. The good boys at S.T.A.R. Labs were messing with both chronal- and body-chemistry-altering technology. Jason remembered being so distracted with what he had seen that he couldn't even think to figure out how to diffuse the strange bombs. "Could exposure to the mad experimentations at S.T.A.R. Labs have changed my belt's properties?" Jason remembered giving up on the idea of diffusing the bombs to help finish evacuating the building. Junjie had discovered some alien type of video monitors hidden throughout the building.

Jason looked over at the Flash. "He is the only one in a position to rescue us, but someone is going to have to wake him up. But how can I do that without Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman finding out? And why have they captured us?" Jason himself had been hunted down ruthlessly and quickly captured by the so-called "dynamic duo." Nucleus noticed that Batman's clothes had changed. "Why is his costume red? And didn't he retire? The Huntress never said something about him coming out of retirement."

Just then the door opened again. Jason decided a 'playing possum' policy would be best here.

"I already told you, I went to the address on the locator map and nabbed him! And there he is," said Wonder Woman pointing to the shackled body of the Sportsmaster.

"Then why does the Hall of Injustice monitors still indicate that one of the invaders is still in the Gotham Innwood district?" demanded a Batman suited in red.

"Hall of…INJUSTICE?" thought Nucleus to himself.

"Because she got the wrong one," concluded Robin.

"But how is that possible?" asked Wonder Woman as she looked down on the fourth prisoner.

"I think we've finally got him," observed Robin.

"You mean the Sportsmaster?" asked Batman.

"Well, look at the way he's dressed!" insisted Robin.

"YES! It IS him!" said Wonder Woman gleefully. "Earth's last hero is finally captured…and at my hands! Tonight we feast! You guys can have the other three. The Sportsmaster is all mine!"

"Are these people cannibals? Earth's last hero?" wondered Nucleus in horror. "Have we been transported somehow to the future? No, the Sportsmaster is a bad guy…and Batman and the others are supposed to be good guys…"

"Gleek! Gleek! Gleek!" blurted a blue space monkey as he jumped up and down and rubbed his hands together in the corner.

"I say we continue as planned and wait to roast the freaks until we have captured all six," said Robin. "It's more... fitting... that way. They'll see each other fry!"

"Agreed, old chum, " said the Batman. "If the Sportsmaster is involved we may be dealing with more do-gooders here."

"Holy deja vu, Batman! That's IT!" exclaimed Robin. "These aliens must be from the same 'Universe of Do-Gooders' that Superman was trapped in for awhile last year!"

"I think you're right," said Batman. "They must be from the Universe of Good."

Nucleus' heart began palpitating. "The bombs must have detonated," he thought. "The blast mixed with that crazy technology at S.T.A.R. blew us into another universe!"
[glow=yellow,2,300]Bleep! Bleep! Bleep! [/glow]

"Robin here," said the mustached teen to his wrist communicator.

"This is Aquaman. Superman and I found the place where the last two were, but they have already left."

"Where did they go?" asked Robin.

"How should we know? You're the boss! You tell us," snapped Aquaman.

"Wonder Woman, check the Hall of Injustice monitor," commanded Robin.

"They are heading eastward at an astonishing rate," answered Wonder Woman from the next room.

"Wonder Woman, try to intercept. Batman and I will go to Gotham to check out the anomaly there," ordered Robin.

"Gleek, you stay here and make watch over the prisoners," said Batman to their little blue pet space monkey that had been listening to their every word.

Soon all three villains were gone. Nucleus knew that if he were going to act, that now was the time.

"Junjie! JUNJIE!" shouted Nucleus with no results. "Wake up, bone-head!"

"What's going on?!?" Junjie shouted out in newly awoken shock.

"We have been captured and I need your help to get out of here," said Nucleus.

"I can't even move!" said the Singaporean Speedster. "What am I supposed to do? And how did you get so big?"

"Never mind that. We have to get out of here now," said Nucleus.

"What's the plan?" asked Junjie.

"To wake you up," asked Nucleus.

"How is that supposed to save us?" asked the young hero in irritation.

"Just play along with me," whispered Nucleus. Raising his voice he said, "I don't know how we're going to do it, but we have to get out of here! Our captors are insane! I think they are cannibals."

"Good grief!" exclaimed earth's newest Flash. "Are you serious?"

"Junjie, I have never been more serious," said Nucleus. "We have been captured by some major league bad guys. And trust me, you don't even want to know where we are. Power Guy is about to die from Kryptonite poisoning, and if that little blue monkey ever figures out what happens if he turns the disc on my belt buckle…all three of us are doomed."

Junjie hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that smart little monkey can understand us. You should have seen the way he reacted when they said something about eating us tonight," explained Nucleus.

"…and?" asked Junjie Quick.

"If that monkey were to find out that turning my belt disc would instantly fry me alive he would surely do it and eat me now before the others return," said Nucleus in whispered tones.

"Gleek! Gleek! Gleek!" shouted the space monkey as his tail elongated and deactivated the size control on Nucleus' belt. Jason Hardwick was immediately reduced to the size of a normal man and was freed from his trap. He kicked Gleek head over heels across the room. Nucleus then sprang to a nearby table, which had a kryptonite key on it. Soon Power Guy was released.

"Come on big guy," said Jason as he helped Vince to a nearby chair.

"If you can free me I can get rid of the Kryptonite," said Junjie Quick.

Nucleus pounded all three buttons on a nearby control station. Junjie Quick was freed as the Kryptonite chains fell from the wall. The Sportsmaster was also freed and fell unconscious to the floor. Faster than the eye could see the Junjie Quick got the Kryptonite chains and key and rushed them outside. Upon returning he said. "We're in the Hall of Justice!"

"No," corrected Nucleus, "we are in the Hall of Injustice in an alternate universe."

"What?!?" said Power Guy, whose senses were quickly returning.

"Guys, both of you, listen to me," said Nucleus as he checked the pulse of the Sportsmaster. "We aren't the only ones here. There are three more of us out their being targeted."

"Who?" asked both Power Guy and Junjie.

"We can figure that out later," said Nucleus. "For now, the best thing we can do is to wreck the monitoring equipment so that the bad guys can't trace us or our teammates."

"Say no more!" said Power Guy. Within seconds the Flash and Power Guy had completely destroyed everything in the building that had a button.

"Great job, guys! Now lets get out of here! I heard one of them mention the Innwood District of Gotham City," said Nucleus.

"That's where the Huntress lives!" exclaimed Power Guy.

"What about the ugly, little blue monkey?" asked the Junjie.

Squish!

"What monkey?" asked Power Guy as he placed the unconscious monkey in a closet, tilted a chair under the doorknob, and wiped little blue hairs off of the sole of his boot.

"All right!" said Junjie with a laugh.

"Power Guy, can you carry the Sportsmaster?" asked Nucleus.

"Sure, where are we taking him? To jail?" asked Power Guy.

"No, apparently the Sportsmaster is the last good guy in this universe. Maybe he can help us out."

A perplexed Junjie and Power Guy looked at one another.

"C'mon! There's not much time! Let's go!" said Nucleus as he led his two companions out the door.

NEXT ISSUE: Superman and Aquaman attack two members of the Titans Lost!