Issue #134

by Clay Arceneaux and Michael Stewart

Floating high above the Earth is a wedge-shaped star-craft, built in some far-flung corner of the galaxy, and brought here by its current owner back to the planet of his birth.  Inside its silvery hull are ten young humans, all of whom have been known at one point or another as a member of the super-human strike-team known as the Titans. This has not been one of their better days.

"Okay let's go over this all again."  A black clad young man rubs his eyes in quiet frustration. "Earlier this morning, Brother Blood, who has not been seen in years, shows up in New York and attacks the Markovian embassy in retaliation for the latter country's recent attempts to invade Blood's home nation of Zandia. Either by coincidence or not, Arsenal and the Teen Titans happen to have been in New York to meet Cyborg and Starfire, who were returning from space. So Arsenal's team goes to try and stop Blood, only to see Blood capture everyone but Arsenal himself." 

"I still don't think that was really Blood I fought this morning, Nightwing." A crimson-clad archer replies, while tightening the string on his bow. "He didn't move right, and his whole demeanor was off." 

"That may well be, Arsenal, but the point is he captured Omen, Joto, Argent and Risk, and teleported out." Nightwing continues from his seat across the ships main bridge from his old friend. "So you head back to S.T.A.R. labs where you'd left Starfire, Cyborg, and Changeling, bump into me, Tempest, Raven, and Flash. We all head here to Cyborg's ship, where Vic uses this equipment to try and locate your captured teammates by the energy signature of the transported they used." 

"Right." Responds a large, dark-skinned young man with over half his body covered with silvery metal, most notably the left half of his face. He turns away from the ship's main computer console as he speaks. "I figured we had 'em when they used their teleporter again to go after even more of our old members. I even set the controls to jam any teleport signals in those locations so whoever was tryin' the snatch an' grab couldn't beam out before we stopped 'em." 

"Well, we were decidedly less than successful, Cyborg." A slender, yellow and red clad man sighs as he massages a cramp out of his calf. "Me, you and Raven went to Manchester Alabama to stop them from grabbing my cousin Impulse, and we wind up getting our lunch handed to us by Omen and Argent." 

"Come on, Flash, it wasn't that bad. I mean, yeah we struggled a bit at first, but you've had your speed powers messed with so now you haftah channel it through stuff to move fast. Me, I just managed to reverse the process that turned me into living circuitry back into this half-man, half-machine walking junk pile a day or so ago. An' Raven… well, the witch did okay for a disembodied Soul-Self." 

"Well Tempest and I ran into Joto and Risk while trying to keep them from nabbing Damage down near the South Carolina-Georgia border." Arsenal ads. "Wish those boy would have fought that well when I was leading them. If we hadn't been that close to the Savannah river, where Ol' Gill-head there could cut loose, they'd a had us. Course Dick an' Gar got the nastiest surprise." 

"You're right there, Roy. Changeling and I went to the Wilson estate in upstate New York, former home to our old sparring partner turn ally, Deathstroke the Terminator. We figured Blood's people were after Rose Wilson, Terminator's daughter and a one time Titan herself." Nightwing's face darkens. "What we didn't expect to find was Terra, another former Titan, there working for Blood. Blood must have captured her earlier. What threw us more than her being there was her appearance. Now we all know the Tara Markov, the first Terra, died about seven years ago after she betrayed us to the H.I.V.E. Some of us saw it with our own eyes. Now the Terra that's around now is supposed to be a completely different person right, Roy?" 

"That's what we thought anyway." Roy Harper sighs. "She and Mirage showed up with some other super-teens, claiming they were from our future and calling themselves Team Titans. As it turned out, they were sleeper agents of our former comrade turned super-maniac, Extant. It was during that crap where Hank and Hal Jordan decided to remake the universe. Well that Terra, Miri, and that psycho that thought he was future you, Dick, turn out to be sleeper agents inside Hank's sleeper agents and were set up there by this dude called the Time Trapper who said he placed them there to foil Extant's plan. Mirage found out she was really from our own time, Terra decided she didn't want to know where she came from. I don't know what happened to "Deathwing" after we captured him and turned him over to S.T.A.R. Anyway, Aside from a strong resemblance and similar powers, we could find any real link between the two Terras." 

"Well I didn't work much with the new Terra, but this girl looked, moved, and sounded exactly like the old one. It was beyond eerie." Nightwing shudders. "And she used her powers with all the skill and savvy of the original too. Gar and I didn't have a prayer. Which is why Kory did what she did." 

All eyes turn to Princess Koriand'r, the beautiful alien powerhouse known as Starfire. She has been sitting quietly in a far corner of the bridge, mentally beating herself up for her actions since the team beamed back to the ship a half hour ago. 

"I'm sorry." Kory says softly. "I know you said I wasn't strong enough to go with you, that I should stay here on Vic's ship and monitor things. But when I saw Terra crushing you with that boulder, Dick, I couldn't just sit here! I had to do something! Some I beamed myself down and stopped her! I just didn't think, I mean… I didn't mean for…" 

"'S okay, Goldie." Cyborg half-smiles at his old friend. "Any one of us would've done the same thing had we known how deep Bat-boy was in it. Unfortunately your playin' cavalry meant dropping my teleport jammer so you could beam out yourself. Blood's tech boys must'uv been watchin' like hawks, cause they beamed their folks out within a minute of the jammer shutting down. Now Garth an' Roy managed to save Damage, but we lost Impulse and Rose."  

"So, we have to assume that they'll be used against us, just as the other captives were." Nightwing interjects. "And we've got to find them and free them, even if that means defeating them first." 

"Well I put up a fresh transport jammer up, an' keyed it to the specific energy signature they've been using.I just finished programming the computer to go through the sensor logs and try and pinpoint where they went." Cyborg turns back to the console. "Although I gotta tell you, I hope it ain't Zandia. I'd hate to invade a sovereign nation on my first day back on the planet." 

"I'll contact the JLA Watch Tower. Maybe they noticed something on their system yours missed, Vic." The Flash rises to his feet, straightening the old "Kid Flash" costume his failing powers have forced him to wear this mission. "Besides, I think Super Girl is on monitor duty right now. We might be able to use some more muscle on hand." 

"Good thinking." Nightwing turns back to Arsenal. "Roy, you've worked with just about everybody else that's been a Titan. Certainly more than I have. While we're trying to find where Blood's taken our friends, why don't you get on the horn and warn as many as you can reach that Blood hasn't hit yet. Hopefully we won't have any more surprises waiting for us." 

"No problem, Bird Boy." Roy hops up and makes his way to the communications console. "Um… Okay, I'm going to need some help here, I don't know how to work this thing." 

"I'll help, Roy." Starfire goes to the crimson-clad archer's side. "It's a pretty standard layout for a starship comm board. I should be able to help you and not screw up any more." 

"Kory…" Nightwing rises from his seat, irritation clear in his voice. "You didn't screw up. If you hadn't acted when you did, Gar and I would be dead and Terra would have still captured Rose. Yes, I'm angry, but not at you. I don't like losing, never have, never will. Now if you'll excuse me. I'm going to the medical bay to check on Gar and Grant. Call me when we know something." 

"You got it, Boss." Cyborg replies as Dick leaves the bridge. 

"Boss?  I guess they do sort of look to me by default, don't they. But do I want to be the team leader again? Hell, is this really a team again?" Dick Grayson wonders as he makes his way down the ship's central corridor. "This grouping hasn't worked together in years. I don't know that they really want to be a team again, let alone do I want to be a part of it. We've just kinda been thrown back together by this case, and by Vic and Kory's return. Kory… Don't go there right now, Grayson. Right now you've got to stay focused on finding Brother Blood, where ever that slime ball is hiding." 

Meanwhile, deep beneath an innocent looking sanitarium in the foothills of West Virginia, to similarly dressed men exit the sprawling technological wonderland that lies under the “hospital” and enter a large stone cavern. Each man wears the distinctive red and black costume of the infamous cult leader, Brother Blood, right down to the flowing white cape and skull like helmet. But one of them wears this outlandish costume with a degree of regal bearing, with a sense of presence that commands both attention and respect from any observer. On him, the garish grab seems somehow less strange looking. The other has removed his helmet, carrying it under one arm as he walks a little behind his counter-part. His body language speaks volumes. He respects the man he walks with, and is wary of him, but he does not fear him. A staircase has been cut along the rock walls, spiraling down the circular chamber to a bubbling red pool in the chamber floor. 

“Now then,” The lead Brother Blood begins as soon as the door behind hisses to a close. “I have spoken with Brother Pietro, my Bishop of Blood who recruited you to impersonate me. While I cannot say I am at all pleased with this course of action, I understand his reasoning. My incapacitation at the hands of the treacherous witch Raven those long years ago cost many of my followers to faith in me. Without their faith, I could not draw strength from them to heal myself. And without me to inspire them, many more of my people’s devotion diminished, making my return increasingly unlikely. So, in the hour of my people’s greatest need, Pietro and the other Bishops choose you to impersonate me enough to grant my people the inspiration they needed to drive the Markovian invaders back, and by their renewed faith, awaken me, the one true Brother Blood.” 

“Glad to be of service, my lord.” The second Blood follows his literal predecessor down the stairway, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

“Of that, I am certain. However you were asked merely to impersonate me to attack Markovia.” The true Blood turns on his heel when he reaches the bottom of the stairs with such speed he almost startles his doppelganger, but only almost. “What are these games you play with my old foes? To what end do you capture these child Titans? And how does this server my will?” 

“It doesn’t, exactly. It serves mine.” The false Blood answers flatly. 

With astounding speed, Brother Blood’s hand clenches his impersonators throat and hefts him effortlessly into the air. Their eyes lock as anger seethes from both men.  

“I have been briefed about you.” Energy begins to crackle around Blood’s gloved free hand. “I know who you are.” 

“Somehow I really doubt that.” The false Blood blows his black curly hair from his face as he grips Blood’s wrist to try and alleviate the pressure Blood is applying. He focuses deeply on Blood’s eyes. “Why don’t you put me down and we’ll talk.” 

“Nice try, boy. I can feel you trying to dominate my will. A useless gesture to one such as I.” Blood smiles menacingly. “The briefing mentioned nothing of this.” 

“A parting gift from a mutual friend.” The imposter struggles for breadth. “She left you broken and comatose. She left me broken and insane. But, I’ve got this new talent for dominating people’s will as a result of our experience. Guess she liked me best.” 

“Blasphemer! I should flay the flesh from your bones!” Blood snarls. 

“But then, you would have the answers you want, would you?”  The false Blood’s bravado quickly fading into contrition. “My lord, Please?” 

With a growl of disgust, Blood flings his doppelganger away violently. The imposter turns mid-air and drops nimbly to his feet. 

“Thank you, my lord.” The false Blood bows low.  

“Speak.” Blood removes his white cloak and steps to the rim of the bubbling pool. His face in an look of pleasure, he immerses himself in the red liquid. “Why did you deviate from your assigned duties?” 

“Simple revenge.” A wicked smile broadens across the imposter’s face. “When I saw Lilith at the Markovian embassy this morning, I was able to take her by surprise and dominate her. She told me who else was coming. I realized the best way to get revenge on the Titans, the real Titans, the ones who have humiliated us both, would be to corrupt this, their next generation. Their future as it were. So I took them away from Harper. I’d already captured Terra when the Markovians sent her drugged and brain addled little self against us. So I sent my new little Titans on a little recruitment drive, to  broaden the scope of our revenge. For the most part, we were successful. ” 

“Interesting.” Blood reclines into the pool. “And these young warriors, what do we do with them?” 

“Whatever you wish, my lord.” The false Blood bows again. “I gladly pledge them to your service, as I am.” 

“And you new power, it is enough to continue to control them?” Blood tilts his head, now clearly interested in this idea. 

“No. It’s not that strong, my influence doesn’t last longer than a few hours at best. No, they’re currently being held in thrall by a little invention of mine, which your technicians were good enough to replicate.” 

Before Blood can respond, the chamber door high above them hisses open and a large, white-winged man clad in crimson and gold armor swoops into view.  The great-feathered wings propel the man quickly into the room and after circling once; he glides down to the chamber floor. In one smooth motion, he lands and kneels before Brother Blood. 

“Master.” 

“Speak, my angel.” Blood smiles approvingly. “What can I do for you, Azrael.” 

“My lord, my Lilith is here. I had never hoped to see her again. But something is wrong with her. She is hard, angry,… not at all the woman I so well remember.” The winged alien lifts his head only slightly, never looking directly at the man he believe to be his god. “What has happened to her?” 

“She is now in the service of your master.” The imposter steps beside the kneeling alien. “Does that not please you, my brother?” 

“I am not sure.  I am glad she has joined me in our master’s service, but I do not like these changes in her.” Azrael looks up at the false Blood quizzically. “Do I know you?” 

“After a fashion.” The imposter smiles as his eye lock with Azrael’s. “Relax my friend. This is for the best. Trust me.” 

“Yes, of course. I trust you.” Azrael smiles, continuing to stare into the imposter’s blue eyes as he rises to his feet. 

“Good, now hold still just a moment.” The false Blood places his hand just behind the winged alien’s ear, all the while holding his gaze with his own. The big alien flinches slightly as the dark haired man presses his fingers against the alien’s neck. “There. That should help calm your doubts. Why don’t you go visit Lilith again? I’m sure she’s just as happy to see you too.” 

“May I, master?” Azrael turns again to a bemused Brother Blood. 

“You have my leave, my angel. Go and see your love.” Brother Blood dismisses the winged warrior with a wave of his hand. He watches as the elated alien flies from the chamber. As the door closes he turns again to his impersonator. “What did you do to him?” 

“The same thing I did to the others. A little of my own influences backed up with one of these.” The imposter shows Blood a tiny metallic cylinder. “I heard that he left you, quite disillusioned after your last battle, but that he’d recently returned to your fold in recent months.” 

“Yes. As disillusioned as the witch had left him with me, when she proved to be an even greater threat later on, the poor lost soul was left more confused than ever. My ministers located him, and were able to help him see the errors of his ways.” 

“Well, this should help maintain that loyalty, come what may.” The dark haired man, smiled evilly. “And we have our favorite person to thank for its inspiration.”

“Raven, what do you mean this is all your fault?” Nightwing asks, trying to repress the swelling anger inside him. 

Across the medical bay, Raven’s glowing, bird-like Soul Self has complete enwrapped the still body of Gar Logan, the Changeling, it’s white form healing his injuries. Though Raven had been in times past a trusted ally, it seemed she’d been the team’s worst enemy just as often. At one point, her dark half even turned Gar and several other people into her evil minions.  But that portion of her was supposed to be dead. Heck, Raven herself was technically dead now existing solely as her mystic Soul Self. But Dick knew he still didn’t completely trust her, and he doubted most of the others did either. And her little bombshell just before she began healing Gar did not help matters. 

“Easy, Nightwing.” Tempest cautions his old friend as he finishes using the bays medical scanner on Damage. “It seems to take more of Raven’s concentration to heal people as she is. But, I can’t argue with her results. Damage, you can thank her for completely erasing the effects of that beating you took. Your scan’s coming back healthy.” 

“I will. And call me Grant, okay?” The young Titan smiles weakly. “Still weird seeing her, letting her heal me, after fighting against her so hard.” 

“I can relate.” Nightwing interjects.  

“By the way, Mister suspicious, how are those ribs of yours?” Tempest gives Nightwing a knowing look. 

“Okay, Okay, Mister Atlantean ambassador. She did a good job patching me up too.”  Nightwing raises his hands in mock surrender. 

“I am finished.” Raven’s form retreats from Changeling’s an reshapes itself into a glowing, thin-faced young woman. “You are well now, Garfield.” 

Changeling rises slowly up on one elbow, reaching up with his free hand to check the large bruised knot that is no longer gracing his green forehead. Looking warily at Raven, Gar transforms into a rabbit, a gorilla, a frog, a Labrador, a butterfly and then a duck, all in rapid succession before returning to his human form.  

“No offence, Raven.” Gar smiles weakly. “But all thing considered, I had to check for monsters.” 

“I understand, Garfield.” Raven lowers her head, embarrassed. “I am sorry for the pain you endured in my name.” 

“Well since you’ve died, twice, and I’m still gorgeous, we’ll call it even.” Gar hops off the med-bed. 

“What did you mean, Raven, that this is your fault?” Nightwing presses. 

“When I tried to free Lilith from the Church’s influence, I discovered how they are controlling her and the children.” Raven’s face darkens as she speaks. “That is what is my fault. I am to blame for their control.” 

“Is it some form of magic? Some kind of empathic control? … Are you telling us your evil side is behind this too?” Nightwing fires off the questions, his anger rising again. 

“Oh god, not that again!” Changeling cries. “We did that to death last time we were together! Can’t we get something more original to fight?” 

“That part of me is long dead, Ri… Nightwing.” Raven amends seeing the sharp look Nightwing gave from her to Damage, who does not know Nightwing’s secret identity. “And no, there is no magic related to this control. But it finds its base in the machinations of my evil self.” 

“Raven, you’re not making much sense. Let’s continue this conversation up on the bridge. I’ve got a feeling the others are going to want to hear this.” 

Moments later the quintet of former Titans arrive on the ship’s main bridge, where the other Titans are hard at their various tasks. 

“Hey, short-pants.” Arsenal calls to Nightwing as he enters. “Got some news for ya.” 

“What have you got, Roy?” Nightwing replies, wincing at his old nickname. 

“Was able to reach Bette, Leonid, and a few others.” Roy looks at some notes he’s scrawled on a sheet of paper. “Bette of course wants to help, we, of course, declined. Leonid is back is the new Russia, living with Pantha of all people. They said they’d be willing to help as well and if this gets much worse, I’d suggest taking them up on it. I got in touch with Captain Marvel, who says CM3 is fine, don’t think Blood has the balls to take Big Red on just to snag that kid anyway. Also reached Francis,  Mal, and Karen, but they don’t really fit this pattern so I think they’ll be okay too.” 

(* Bette Kane, Flamebird, Leonid Kovar, Red Star, CM3 is the name Capt. Marvel jr. is currently using, Francis Kane, sometimes known as Magneta, Mal and Karen Ducan, once know as Hearld and Bumble Bee respectively, were all Titans at one point in time or another) 

“Think you’re right, Arrows.” Nightwing nods in agreement. “So who’s that leave?” 

“Um… Mirage and Minion unaccounted for. But I don’t think Jarras is even on the planet anymore.” Roy responds. 

“And Mirage?” Nightwing asks, concern heavy in his voice. 

“That’s the bad news, Bird-boss.” Cyborg brings a U.S. map up on the monitor, several locations along the southeast pinpointed in red. “I got every spot with traces of the Church’s tranporter’s energy sig. on them. Notice two we didn’t visit today? This one…” The image enlarges over a section of New Jersy. “was Donna and Terry’s old place. According to Fleet-feet over there, Donna had let Miri an’ her kid move in after Terry’s accident.” 

“I remember Donna mentioning something about that to me too.” Nightwing’s hands clench into fists. “Damn. We should have thought of Miri sooner. She fits that pattern perfectly.” 

“Yeah well, according to Supergirl, JLA has transporter activity in that area just seconds after we would have beamed down to stop the other abductions.” Flash adds. “And they show the last beam in point the this signature being this one… in West Virginia. That’s where they all beamed to. Why, I don’t know.” 

“I think I do.” Nightwing turns to his spectral companion. “Raven says she knows how they are being controlled.” 

All eyes turn to the glowing empath, and slowly she speaks. “It’s artificial, but somehow Blood has managed to recreate the effects of my other self’s demon seeds. How exactly I am not certain.” 

A long pause falls over the room. Raven, the evil one, had done a lot of damage to the Titan’s lives with her mad plan to resurrect her father Trigon by implanting people with those demon seeds. It corrupted the souls of everyone they entered, turning them evil and vicious, broke up a wedding ceremony and killed one woman outright. It was not a good period of history for them to think about. Finally, Cyborg speaks up. 

“I think I know how they could do that.” He taps a few computer keys and the monitor image changes into a graphic of the human brain. “If they stimulated the brain’s R complex and a few other spots, you could in effect strengthen the brain’s darker impulses, unleashin’ a person’s ID, turn ‘em evil with a little pushin’” 

“Riiight. And since it’s tech not magic, it explains why Lil hasn’t beat it yet.” Roy dances a quarrel across his fingers nervously as he speaks. “And why the kids attacked me so viciously, since what teenager doesn’t unconsciously want to beat the crap out of the resident authority figure.” 

“One of these days, Harper, I’ll get used to the idea of you as an authority figure.” Flash shakes his head. “But not today.” 

“But how would someone know how to duplicate that effect, without being one of the seed hosts?” Kory asks.  

“Take it from me, they wouldn’t.” Gar says in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “But aside from me, I thought the other victims were put on ice at S.T.A.R. labs San Fran. Until we could figure out how to remove the seeds.” 

“They were.” Cyborg continues to type away at the computer. “I just checked the records, the seeds apparently died on their own months ago. The other vics didn’t show any major wear and tear, so they were released. As it happened, there was no Titans or JLA at the time, so the only people who were told were somebody called the D.E.O.” 

“Long story, we’ll explain sometime.” Roy smiles. 

“At any rate, that was the missing piece of this puzzle I needed.” Nightwing smiles too, though much more grimly. “It all makes sense, in a twisted sort of way.” 

“Hey, give me a gold star, cause I think I’ve got it too!” Roy hops up, very proud of himself. “You’re right, it does make sense.”  

“Well now I do feel stupid if Harper is catching on before I am.” Wally crosses his arms in annoyance. 

“Buck up, red, you’re not as fast as normal today anyway.” Gar transforms into a roadrunner and buzzes past the should-be speedster. In a flash of light he’s bright green owl perched on Arsenal’s shoulder. “So WHO is really behind all this? Come on, I’ll tell you how many licks it really takes to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop.” 

“Oh we’ll tell you alright. Huddle up Titans, I’ve got a game plan.” Arsenal claps his hands, still all too pleased with himself. 

“Technically, Roy, you’re the only Titan here.” Garth points out with a smile. “We’re just along for the ride.” 

“Do we have to get bogged down in technicalities, Gill-head?” Arsenal looks to Damage, who had been standing quietly in the far corner of the bridge trying to follow the in-joke and innuendo filled conversation. “Ya see, Grant, you see why we didn’t invite him to join our team?” 

“Guys, guys. We’ve got captured Titans down there.” Nightwing says sternly. “Alright, Roy, if you’ve got a plan, let’s here it.” 

“You turning this over to me Boy-Wonder?” Roy looks at Nightwing, very surprised at his friend’s words.  “You’d follow my lead?” 

“Maybe.” Nightwing looks Arsenal straight in the eye and gives a slight smile. “If it’s not too impulsive, sure.” 

“Huh. This has been a hell of a day.”  Arsenal grins. “Okay friends, this is my idea.”  

“Well, now what, Fearless Leader” Nightwing whispers to Arsenal. 

“What? We get all the way into the sub-basement on of this ‘sanitarium’ before we hit a snag, and now you’re going to start complaining.” Arsenal whispers back. “Give him another minute.” 

Nightwing has to smile slightly. This is a pretty good plan.  They had guessed right, this place wasn’t a place of healing, but a veritable fortress of the Church of Blood.  The idea was for Nightwing, Arsenal, and the Changeling to sneak in and do what they could to disable whatever defenses this place had without getting caught, so that when the rest of the team hit this place, all they would have to worry about is Blood, his soldiers and the brainwashed Titans. And it was working too. It took all of 20minutes to disable the defenses and personnel in the complex’s above ground facilities. And so far they had avoided detection. But now they stood in the shadows outside a maintenance tunnel hatchway that lead even deeper into the hidden fortress, waiting for the living green lock-pick named Changeling to open the hatch for them. 

“I’m not knocking your plan, Arrows,” Nightwing continues. “But Gar’s been in there a while.” 

“And considering how well this has been going, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Arsenal sighs. “You’re not the only one. You’re the smart one, what do you want to do?” 

“Can the self pity, Harper. This has been a solid plan so far.” Nightwing places a hand on his long time friend’s shoulder. “We’ll give him another minute, then I’ll try and find another way in. I just wonder what’s taking Gar so long.” 

“This is getting ridiculous.” The emerald housefly that is Changeling buzzes further down the maintenance tunnel he’d slipped into a few minutes ago to try and find a way to let his friends threw. “No latch on this side either, no key pad, no nothing that even resembles a way to open that dumb thing. Dick’s got to be getting antsy by now. Nothing but dull gray walls for as far as the eye can… whoa! Light to the right! This may be what I’m looking for.” 

Beating his tiny wings as fast as he can, Changeling zips around the corner and hovers in front of a wall mounted control panel.  

“Bingo! No security camera about, so I’ll just pop back to something less disgusting and try and get that hatch open.” Before Gar can change form, a gust of air swooshes through the corridor blowing him a few feet from his target. “What the heck was…” 

But in the next half second the rush of air returns, and finds Changeling’s tiny form trapped between two red clad fingers.  

“Oh NO!” Changeling cries. “Not You, Not Now!”  

“Okay.” Arsenal shakes his head. “He’s officially been gone to long.” 

“Agreed.” Nightwing nods in agreement. “All I’ve got on me that might open that thing is a small cutting torch, and a couple of shaped charges. You?” 

“Got an acid arrow head or two.” Arsenal reaches into a hip mounted quiver. “You might want to break out the gas masks, this is going to get fumy in this enclosed space.” 

Again Nightwing nods and both heroes don their stylized little gas masks. As Arsenal prepares to strike the acid arrow against the top of the hatch, a series of metal-on-metal clinks issue froth from the hatchway. Both heroes step back as the hatchway opens to reveal a slender figure in a red and white costume, but not the one they were expecting. 

“IMPULSE!” Arsenal hisses as the older heroes snap to combat positions. 

“Whoa! Whoa! Guys!” The green mouse perched on the junior speedster’s shoulder waves his paws frantically. “It’s okay, Impy is still on our side.” 

“You sure?” Arsenal stares quizzically at his former teammates. He keeps his crossbow pistol trained on the impossibly big haired, big-footed youth, but all the while wondering what good it would do him if Impulse really decides to attack him. Then it hits him, not Impulse, but the answer. “Wait, don’t tell me. They put the chip in your head, but it didn’t take, right?” 

“Yep. They out this little thing in my head, just behind my ear, but I’ve got it right here now in my pocket, but anyway they put it in and didn’t tell me but I found out when I saw them put one in Rose’s head and she got all angry and mean. Then I realized I wasn’t feeling any different like Rose was, so I was wondering if it was working on me, so I vibrated the chip out, and it’s still lit up and blinky, so I guess it’s not broken but I don’t feel any different for having it out.”  

“Hard to stimulate the repressed impulses of a guy who doesn’t have them.” Arsenal smiles over to Nightwing. 

“Guess so.” Nightwing lowers his weapons. “Impulse, did you try and remove Rose’s chip when you saw it was making her act strangely?” 

“I thought about it, but then this little voice in my head told me that I probably shouldn’t seeing that it was in her head and all and if I got it the least bit wrong it might hurt her bad so since Max has been telling me I need to listen to that little voice more often and Rose is my friend and I didn’t want to hurt her I decided not to.” Impulse begins again. “But it was making her act all weird, and not nice at all, not that Rose was ever what you’d call sweet, but since I couldn’t get the chip out and I was bored staying in the little room they had us in I decided to go try to find the way out so I could get somebody who could get the chip out of her head too. I saw a lot of strange stuff, including two guys in a boiling red hot tub which was weird, but they were both fully clothed in these matching outfits which while not as disturbing as their not wearing anything, was a little odd. The only thing that looked out of place was this little green fly in the tunnels, there are lots of tunnels around here by the way, anyway I hadn’t seen a fly quite that color before so I went back to look at it and found Gar who told me where you guys were.” 

“Two guys in matching outfits?” Nightwing’s face darkens. “One older, one younger?” 

The fastest teen alive shakes his head. 

“At least now I understand the whole picture.” Nightwing gazes through the open hatchway. “Impulse, do you think you could draw us a map to where Rose and the others are being held?” 

Before Nightwing can finish the sentence, Impulse is gone in a red and white blur leaving the Gar/mouse spinning in midair. Less than a second later, the boy was back, a crudely drawn map in one hand, and a caught Changeling in the other. Changeling quickly reverts to human form. 

“Um… Roy?” Nightwing stares at the map for a moment. “Need a translator here.” 

“No Problem.” Arsenal looks over Nightwing’s shoulder. “These take some getting used to, actually he’s improving.” 

“Thanks, Boss.” Impulse smiles as he too peeks around to see his handy work. 

“Still looks like chicken scratch if you ask me.” Gar says, as he becomes a rooster perching on Nightwing’s shoulder. 

“Can we slow the comedy train down long enough to get this done?” Nightwing growls in a tone very much reminiscent of his mentor. “If we’re lucky, the four of us might just be able to get this wrapped up without calling the others in.”  

“You know, it possible they could have this wrapped up by now with out ever having to call us.” Wally pitches a baseball into the air and catches it.  

“It’s possible.” Garth replies blankly, staring at the ship’s sensor readings for signs of trouble around the North Virginia compound.  

“Dick’s darn good at this stuff, and Roy’s not bad at it either. You tell him I said that and I’ll deny it.” Wally continues. “’Course they could also have gotten themselves captured and head zapped and be getting ready to kill us.” 

“You haven’t gotten any better at waiting, have you Fleet-Feet?” Garth sighs.  

“They are all right, Wallace.” Raven speaks softly from the corner. “I sense no distress on their part.” 

“Good.” Tempest replies. “Keep a mental eye on them, Raven. With Vic’s jammer back in place, we’re going to need you to bring us to them when the time comes.” 

“Um, Kid Flash?” A tentative Damage taps Wally on the shoulder and attempts to look nonchalant as he stares across the bridge at Raven’s glowing form. “I’m not real sure I like this “Raven transports us down” part of the plan.” 

“Believe me, Damage,” Wally whispers with a heavy sigh. “I like it less. But the situation such as it is, we’ve got no real choice. And please, make it either just Flash or Wally. Uniform not withstanding, I haven’t been “Kid Flash” for a long time now.” 

For long minutes, the bridge is caught in silent tension. The ambassador within Garth screams at him do something to smooth things over between Raven and his other friends, but he’s not entirely sure what to say because deep down, he has his doubts about the resurrected empath as well. So he just keeps staring at the scans.  Fortunatly, despite his lost speed, Wally was still quick on his mental feet. 

“How’s Kory doing out there?” Flash asks. 

“She appears to be doing much better.” Tempest replies, happy for the distraction. He hits a few keys and places an image of the alien princess up on the monitor. “Her vitals are strengthening nicely and she at least seems stronger than before.” 

“I still can’t get over her floating around outside the ship with nothing but a breathing mask on.”  Damage stares at the screen in disbelief. 

“Well she is still wearing her clothes, which is a little surprising considering who we’re talking about, but Tamaraneans are a lot tougher than humans in a lot of ways.” Garth watches the golden girl stretch and twist her magnificent body as she floats in the void outside the ship. “And their body chemistry is in large part solar powered, Kory’s especially.  She’s out there just soaking in the raw sunlight.” 

“I can’t believe she’s back, after all I heard happened with her.” Wally shakes his head. “Getting married, ruling her people, heck I thought Donna told us she was even pregnant.” 

“She was.” Raven responds quietly. “I sensed it myself. Now I only sense a great sense of loss from her once joyous heart.” 

“Watch your planet get baked for the second time, Witch, and see how happy you are.” Cyborg’s voice comes from the bridge doorway.  

“Or about facing life and death, then life again, eh, Victor?” Raven responds. 

“Hey, was that a joke from the Witch-lady?” A strange smile crosses Vic’s face. “Looks like dyin’ might have been good for you after all. Yeah I guess comebacks are the norm for this bunch. Even this little caper is a reunion of sorts.” 

“Yep, shame Donna’s not here to make it complete,” Garth half smiles. “Hope she’s okay, where ever she is.”* 

(* Check out current issues of Wonder Woman for details.) 

“My friends,” Raven floats to the center of the bridge. “I have received a mental warning from Nightwing to prepare. It is almost time.” 

“Then I’d better get dressed.” Cyborg walks to a cabinet near the bridge’s doorway.   

“Whatchu got, Vic?” Wally rotates his chair to see what Cyborg is talking about. 

All eyes in the spacious chamber watch as Cyborg lifts an elaborate silver back-pack into place. With a sly smile, Vic’s left artificial eye gives a red flash and the pack seems take on a life of it’s own. Silvery metal plates shift and slide, wrapping around Cyborg’s chest, working their way down his arms and legs until every inch of his body was covered in shining armor.  The only flesh left exposed was his right eye, nose, and smiling mouth. His whole form seems broader, more bulky, but somehow more menacing as well. His fellow Titans stare in quiet amazement. 

“To answer your questions, guys, this is my weapons pack.” Cyborg grins with pride as he looks from his friends to his own arms and chest. “When I decided to “de-Techis” myself, I knew I wanted to try to restore myself to as much of my original Cyborg form as I could. But even though that Russian upgrade I got left me pretty much a veg, there were some things about that design I wanted to keep, plus some Techis stuff I liked as well. So I’ve got this removable, adaptable weapons pack for occasions like today. What do you think?” 

“I think you look like a walking tank, Vic.”  Garth shakes his head and turns back to the command console. “I’m going to call Kory in. We may be heading in any minute now.” 

“Hurry, Garth!” The sense of urgency in Raven’s voice was growing.  “We have very little time indeed. I sense Nightwing is about to strike and we must be ready to aid them when they call.” 

“I’m here.” The Tamaranian Princess cries as she rockets into the bridge. “Let’s go. Has Dick signaled yet?” 

“I… No, he has not.” Raven’s voice trembles as she fights to get a more accurate sense of her stoic teammates thoughts. “He warned me to get ready and then… They have engaged them.  I… cannot tell if they were discovered or this was part of their plan… Nightwing is very frustrated, but Arsenal seems fairly content. But they have not asked us for our help even though…” 

“Hey, maybe Short-Pants came up with a new plan that doesn’t require a cavalry charge.” Wally smiles. “Just a thought.” 

“Sounds more like Roy came up with an addendum to HIS plan, which is why Robin is frustrated.” Garth grimaces. 

“Hello? Could we catch up to this decade please, “Aqualad”. He hasn’t been Robin for years now.” Wally playfully swats Tempest across the head. 

 “Sorry, man.” Tempest grins back. “It’s the Kid Flash uniform. It’s making me feel all nostalgic.”  

“Now I’m glad no fewer of you were on my Titans then there were.” Vic sighs heavily. “You “originals” get too goofy the longer you’re around each other.” 

“Raven, please.” Starfire interrupts. “Tell us what’s going on. Do they need us.” 

“I am trying…” Raven fairly shook from concentration. “The battle… so much emotion… so hard to make anything out threw the chaos… I believe… Oh Azar, Titans we must go, we must leave now!” 

Before her former teammates can fully react, Raven has reassumed the birdlike form of the Soul-self and encompassed them all. Smoke billows around her as they disappear from the bridge of Cyborg’s ship only to reappear in the complex deep beneath the phony sanitarium. But as Raven releases them, they fall into combat stances ready to confront whatever foe is present, whatever hot water their teammates have stirred up. They quickly discover they are not quite as prepared as they thought. 

“X’Hal!” Starfire exclaims! 

“Aw hell, this ain’t good.” Cyborg mutters under his breath. “This ain’t good at all.” 

There in the chamber in front of them “stand” Nightwing and Arsenal, pinned between to massive slabs of solid stone, their heads poking out above them.  The brainwashed Titans surround the two trapped heroes. Obviously the others sudden arrival had interrupted their mind-controlled teammates from trying to torture the pinned pair. But most disturbing is the fact that there is not one Brother Blood commanding these lost Titans, but two. The larger Blood turns and smiles broadly beneath his skull-like mask. 

“Greeting my most hated enemies. We’ve been waiting for you.”  

To Be Continued in The New Titans Annual!

And coming Next Issue, the Titans deal with the consequences of Blood's plot, attend a wedding, and try to decide who wants to remain on the team. Sound fairly boring? Oh, don't worry. Things never go this smoothly for the Titans.