Issue #1 of 2

"There's No Business Like the Assassination Business"

By Mikel Midnight

Pat Dugan, aka Stripesy, guides his young companion through the door of the headquarters of the Teen Titans, the small building known far and wide as Titans Tenement.

"Hey kids," he says as he enters.

The foursome look up from the comics they were reading, and stand to greet him. "Hey Stripesy, who you got with you?" says the oldest boy, nodding at the crimson-garbed young man accompanying the older hero.

Stripesy smiles and sets his hand on the lad's shoulder. "My newest nominee to join our little group, at the recommendation of none other than Green Arrow himself. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The lad looks around the room and takes a deep breath, "My name's Bob Tilden. I used to get picked on 'cause I was physically weaker than other boys, and I was rejected by them and branded as a "sissy". When I used my archery skills to help Green Arrow and Speedy once, they all wanted me to be their friend. I called myself 'Green Arrow, Jr.' that time, but since then I've practiced with a lot of other weapons too, so now I call myself Arsenal."

As they all cluster around to greet him, the introduce themselves in turn. A boy dressed in blue and yellow, carrying a gold helmet, speaks up next. "My name's Eric Strauss. I was around once when Dr. Fate was battling some creepy monster. He was wounded, but I managed to drag him to safety. He told me to don his helmet and I wound up talking to some guy who lives in it named Nabu, and between the two of us we managed to stop the thing. Nabu said he had to make me stronger and give me a crash course in magic in order to use his helmet though, and I still got all that stuff. I can even fly ... with a little help," he says, spinning the small beanie-like propeller attached to the top of the helmet. "Ever since then I've tried to use my skills as Dr. Fate, Jr."

A young African-American boy dressed in green bathing suit, boots, and cloak follows: "My name's Casper Freeman. I was aboard a fishing boat with my grandfather when this big Ratzi named Ubermensch came aboard and killed him. He came at me ... well I don't know what happened after that, but I saw a tunnel of light and next thing I know the Spectre was standing over me. He said he'd interceded with someone he called the Voice, and that I'd been granted a measure of his power, so I took the name Kid Spectre."

The smallest boy, who appears to be about eight years old, pipes up. "My name's Ray Palmer. I know I'm real small even for my age, but I'm real interested in atoms and stuff. The Atom rescued me once when I was being picked on and taught me how to fight, so now I call myself L'il Atom. When I grow up I wanna be a scientist!"

The final lad, clad in a patriotic costume with an eagle on his chest, chuckles at the boy. "My name's Marvin White. My aunt, Diana White, is a close friend of Wonder Woman's, in fact she said the woman owed her a big favor. When my folks died, she sent me here, and Wonder Woman really taught me to take care of myself, even gave me a golden lasso. I call myself the Amazon Prince, after her."

Stripesy takes a seat at the head of the table. "I been sponsoring this lot ever since the day the Star-Spangled Kid was kidnapped by Mister Twister when we were doing a show for the Junior JSA ... and they practically insisted in coming with me to rescue him."

Arsenal grins, "I'm really honored that Green Arrow remembered me, and want to thank you all for inviting me in. It means a lot."

Stripesy nods ponderously. "Unfortunately, this isn't the only reason for my visit as the Teen Titans' senior advisor. Bob, do you want to tell the group what you told me?"

Arsenal fidgets at being on stage. "Well, I hadn't really been crime fighting in my home town, I'd been practicing, working on my skills, preparing my costume ... just in case, you know? Well, just in case finally came, when the mayor of our town was found assassinated."

Kid Spectre shakes his head, "That's just awful."

"Well, I decided to do some investigating on my own, as the police had seemed stumped. I ... er .. broke into police headquarters and examined the evidence. The police seemed to think he'd been killed in a knife fight, but I wasn't sure the damage to his clothes looked like it'd been done by a knife. So I went back to the mayor's house and scouted around, and think I found something that led me in the right direction." Arsenal holds up a book of matches, which he passes to L'il Atom. The boy carefully reads off, "The Glorith Club?"

"Right ... and I found out who had recently been playing at the Glorith Club, and whose performance involved using playing cards with sharpened edges." Arsenal unscrolls a theatre poster he'd carried rolled up in his quiver. On the poster is a picture of a man with a long full white beard and intense eyes which glare at the viewer with a magical fire. He is wearing an elegantly tailored tuxedo, with a top hat and tails. Despite his size and girth, he has almost delicate hands with long, agile fingers. The Teen Titans gasp in surprise.

Amazon Prince says, "I can't believe it ... Mordru the Mystic? The greatest stage magician since ... well ... ever?"

Arsenal yeps. "I decided that was more than I could handle on my own, so I called Green Arrow, and Green Arrow called Stripesy, and Stripesy called the Teen Titans, I guess."

Stripesy adds, "Green Arrow and I did some research on Leon Mordru. Sad to say, his record is a bit shadowy. He's been taken in on suspicion on several occasions for extortion, espionage, and murder, but he always covered his tracks well enough that he was able to weasel his way out of trouble. But this time we're involved."

Dr. Fate, Jr. pulls out a yoyo. "I bet a locator spell could find him." He weaves the string into a mystical symbol, letting the ball on the end hang loose. After a mumbled incantation, the ball drifts to the east.

Stripesy puts his hands together, "It looks good. Let's all load up into the Star Rocket Racer, and we'll see where the yoyo leads us."

Finally, the team is led to an abandoned warehouse at the edge of Star City. The look up at the sign at the top: "Zerox: The Sorcerer's World," reads L'il Atom.

Dr. Fate, Jr. adds, "Oh yeah, I've heard of them. They used to make equipment for magic shows."

Stripesy nods, "Mordru owned the company, but they went bankrupt during the Great Depression. That's when he started to go on tour. There's more to it than that ... tell them what we found, Arsenal."

Arsenal frowns, "The mayor headed a company that was one of Mordru's creditors, and all the other folks who've been victims of crimes that Mordru's been accused of were involved in the foreclosure one way or another."

"Wow, that looks like a pretty clear pattern," notes Amazon Prince.

The team paces around the warehouse, before they find a bolted door. Kid Spectre grins at Arsenal, "It's my turn at bat, watch this!" His skin changes color, becoming a ghostly white, and he walks intangibly through the door. A moment later, it slides open easily, and the lad lets the others in. "Let's go," he whispers.

They make their way through the darkened hallway, when suddenly the lights around them switch on. They find themselves confronted by a sextet of older youths.

The first is a tall, broad figure who wears a traditional ninja costume, though it appears to be dark grey, rather than black. Only his eyes are visible through his balaclava. He moves with great deliberation, and a slowness one senses is deceptive. The second is a lithe, trim figure clad in yellow, unadorned tights and long sleeved tunic with a sunburst collar, and orange folded-over boots. A jagged-edged orange tabard lies across his shoulders and smoothly blends into a cowl which covers most of his face. The third is a man who wears a green suit and dark green snap-brim hat. A long olive green cloak is worn over his suit, and hides the shoulder holster that carries his gas gun. Covering his face completely is a green gas-mask. The fourth is a skinny Asian boy in a wheelchair, his face obscured behind dark glasses. He is wearing blue jeans and a bright orange turtleneck. Along the sides of the wheelchair there appears to be various complex technological gadgets. The fifth is a girl of narrow features and medium height wearing a yellow bodysuit, trunks, and cowl, with a red cape and mask. Blue boots and cuffs complete the uniform. Her hair has been dyed a shimmering silver, and she has a number of silver knives strapped to her belt and arms. Finally, there a girl who appears to be more than six feet tall, her face framed by long red hair which falls to the center of her back. She looks down at the Teen Titans with an air of superiority. She is clad in a violet minidress.

"Well well well," says the Asian boy. "We were hired on as apprentices and bodyguards, but I never thought we'd be guarding against the Teen Titans themselves."

Stripesy motions to his team, "Come on lad, we've got no argument with you. Why don't you kids step aside and let us do our work."

"Over our dead body," hisses the tall girl in violet.

Stripesy shrugs, "So ... Titans, together!" At his words the quintet charges forward towards the junior super criminals ... and they find themselves crashing into a glass. They shout and shield their eyes as shards tumble about them. Without additional warning they are attacked from behind, where their opponents had been standing while a complicated system of mirrors made them appear elsewhere.

Stripesy wrestles with the grey lad, bemused as his blows seem to glance
off, unfelt.

Li'l Atom ducks and weaves as the yellowclad figure bombards him with a series of laser beams.

Kid Spectre soars through the toxic gasses emitted by the man in green, and attempts to prevent the fumes from reaching his teammates.

Dr. Fate Jr. finds, to his astonishment, that his powers have been neutralized by the boy in the wheelchair. He spins his propeller and tries to fly above the fray to no avail.

Arsenal finds himself in a deadly duel, pitting his sarisa and hoplite sword against the expert knives of the girl who slashes silver before him.

Amazon Prince faces off with the amazonian fury of the titanian girl in violet.

The teams struggle on, apparently evenly matched, until Li'l Atom grabs a mirror shard, reflecting lasers chaotically through the enclosed space and soon striking back at his opponent. The other Teen Titans take advantage of the confusion and tag-team against the junior super criminals, soon defeating them.

Stripesy wipes the dust from his hands. "A shame that," he mutters, "this poor blockhead didn't seem to have it in him to be an assassin, I'm not sure I could have taken him if his heart was in it." He looks down the hallway, resolute. "Teen Titans, go!" he shouts, as they rumble down the warehouse in pursuit of Mordru.

As they enter what appears to be the central office, they see the immense and powerful figure of Leon Mordru, and hear a deep, booming voice which seems to project charisma and self-assurance. "Welcome my friends. Ah, how I have always loved performing for the children."

A trap door opens beneath Arsenal, who manages to catch himself with his sarisa, barely preventing him from plunging into the darkness below. A flock of pigeons are released into the room, buffeting the confused heroes. Stripesy beats his way forward, and almost makes his way through to Mordru before being struck by a barrage of sharpened playing cards. As he raises his hands to protect himself, the magician steps backwards into a box, closing the door behind him. Amazon Prince lassos the box, and he and L'il Atom pull it down, opening to reveal nothing but emptiness.

Stripesy grumbles, "Kid ... Junior ... it's time to show him we've got our own magic."

Dr. Fate, Jr. takes out his yoyo again, winding the string into the shape of the mystic ankh, and allowing the ball to dowse the magician's true location. As it points its way through the floor, Kid Spectre transforms into his ghost-self again, sinking intangibly through the surface into the tunnel below.

Stripesy finds the hidden trap-door latch, and Dr. Fate, Jr. jumps through, landing on the cushion below. He whispers to the waiting Kid Spectre, "Head him off at the pass."

"You bet, kemosabe," says the lad, and invisibly flies down the tunnel which seems to run underneath the warehouse.

He quickly catches up with Mordru, who is walking a brisk pace to the end of the tunnel. He passes straight through him, coming out the other end and suddenly appearing, exaggerating his features into a ghoulish shape. "Boo!" he shouts, his voice echoing in the chamber.

Mordru screams, and turns to run, not getting far before a hurled yoyo beans him on the forehead, knocking him out.

Arsenal comes running up as the magical pair stand over the fallen magician. "We been ransacking his office ... finding all the evidence we need to put this guy away for a long time. Thanks for all of your help, guys."

Kid Spectre pats his newest team member on the back, "Good detective work in figuring this all out, boy. Welcome to the team ... you done good. Let's carry this scofflaw back and turn him over to the authorities."

Arsenal grins, "Li'l Atom suggested we deserve some root beer floats after all this ... I think that's a swell idea!"

THE END