|
#4
APR 15 |
 |
“Fight for Salvation”
Bones, Director of the government’s Department of Extranormal Operations, was sweating. His hand gripped an opened straight razor that was moving slowly toward the invisible skin of his throat.
Provoke sat behind his desk. The Australian member of the Overseers had been waiting for him. Provoke grinned around one of Bones’s own cigars. “Let’s hurry it up, then,” he ordered.
Bones swallowed hard. It was everything he could do to slow his hand despite the psychic’s orders. He knew he was in trouble and needed a miracle before he wound up bleeding out on his floor.
“So this was your old place?” Ray asked. The group, once more in costume (and missing Empress), had assembled in the old Titans West headquarters beneath Mal Duncan’s restaurant. Charlie Parker was in the trophy room, donning his Golden Eagle armor.
“It was home,” Flamebird said. She tried to avoid looking at Gar and Tara’s old chairs, which were still in their positions against the table.
“At least after the DEO blew up our old base,” Vibe said. As always, he was leaned back in his chair with his feet on the table. “Then Captain Marvel and CM3 took care of the rest in a major throwdown.”
“So what’s taking so long?” Shock Trauma asked. He’d been pacing in front of the portraits of the team that still hung on the wall of the old meeting room. “Does he need help with a zipper in the back or something?”
“I’m here,” Jason said. He’d entered the room, once more wearing his Golden Eagle armor. “And you need to watch your mouth, you little punk.” Shock Trauma glared at Golden Eagle and clenched his fists. A blue electrical halo formed around his hands.
“Wonderful,” Ray said. “Maybe we don’t need this Provoke guy to kill us. Lock us in a room together for him and we’ll do the job for him.”
“Enough,” Flamebird said, stepping between Eagle and Shock Trauma. “Ray’s right. We’ve got enough on our plate right now.”
Eagle and Trauma both took a step back, but neither one quit glaring at the other. “Come on,” Flamebird said. She turned and led the group down the hall. “Mal told me that the plane’s still in working order. Anybody mind if we take that and save some time?”
“I’ll fly outside,” Eagle said. “I want to make sure the wings are working properly anyway.”
“I’ll join you if you don’t mind,” Ray said. “I never pass up the chance to recharge off some good old sunlight.”
“Okay,” Flamebird said. She opened a doorway that led to a long hallway. Lights popped on in sequence. “But keep close.” She led the way to the jet. True to Mal’s word, the plane looked as if no time at all had passed since the last time they’d flown in it. Its white finish gleamed under the overhead lights. Flamebird paused long enough to activate a control on the wall and the far wall started sliding open. Flamebird, Shock Trauma, Dagon, and Vibe entered the plane.
“You’re up here with me, Trauma,” Flamebird said as she slid behind the pilot’s seat. “I need you to use your Overseer clearance to get us landing permission.”
Shock Trauma slid into the copilot’s seat while Vibe sat down behind Flamebird and buckled his seatbelt. “Chica, when did you learn to fly?” he said. Dagon simply sat down in the passenger cabin, fastened his seatbelt and gripped the armrests of his seat.
Flamebird smiled and flipped switches over her head. “I thought it might be helpful,” she said. “I’ve been taking flying lessons for a while now.”
The jet taxied out and launched into flight.
As they flew, Ray looked over at Golden Eagle. “What’s up with you, man?” he asked. “You act like you’re ready to rip somebody’s head off.”
Golden Eagle didn’t even look at him. “I’ve put this all behind me,” he said. “I was in a relationship when I was with the Titans. It didn’t work out. All I ever wanted to do was forget about all of this superhero stuff and get on my life but it seems like I don’t get that option.”
“You’ve got to relax or you’ll stroke out,” Ray said.
Eagle ignored him. The two flew on in silence.
Sweat was pouring down Director Bones’s invisible skin. He’d been fighting Provoke’s hold for what seemed like hours. Bones’s teeth gritted together as he realized that he was losing the battle. The knife moved closer and closer to his throat.
Meanwhile, Provoke seemed unaffected. “Come on, mate,” he said. “Let’s see if your blood’s invisible, too.”
Provoke’s head suddenly whipped around to the window of Bones’s office when he heard a plane landing. Bones took advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration to throw the knife at Provoke only for it to thud against his desk and fall to the floor.
“Naughty boy,” Provoke said while returning his attention to Bones. Bones froze as Provoke’s control was once more established. “Now pick that up.”
Bones moved stiffly as he was forced to obey. Once again he found himself fighting to keep his own hand from bringing the blade to his throat.
Seconds later the door to his office opened and the former Titans froze. “What’s going on here?” Flamebird demanded.
Provoke grinned. “More toys,” he said.
“Breathtaker was right!” Shock Trauma said as he stepped forward. Electric coronas were already forming around his hands. “I’m putting you down like the lunatic you are.”
Provoke laughed. “Freeze, Mr. Director,” he said. Bones sighed with relief as the pressure on his mind stopped. Provoke turned toward the heroes with a sick smirk. “Kill each other,” he ordered.
Shock Trauma and Golden Eagle immediately turned to face each other. Trauma fired an electrical blast that blew a hole through Bones’s office wall. Eagle flew through it, looking for a wider area of combat. Trauma launched into flight and followed.
Vibe turned and fired shock waves at the Ray, who took off and flew around them while firing laser blasts at him. Their battle was interrupted as Dagon jumped toward them with his fangs extended.
Flamebird fell to her knees as she forced herself to keep from attacking any of her teammates. It was all she could do to keep herself still.
Provoke simply laughed.
Office staffers scattered as Vibe ran through their cubicle farm, firing shockwave blasts upward at the pursuing Ray who was firing blasts back at him while Dagon gnawed on his arm.
Finally Ray was tired of the game and placed a hand against Dagon’s chest and fired, blasting the hissing vampire through a far wall into a break room.
Vibe took advantage of the opportunity to fire at the ceiling above the Ray and bring down a pile of debris on top of the light-powered hero. He stepped forward only to be knocked to the floor by the ravenous Dagon, whose features were distorted into his vampiric form.
Flamebird forced herself to her knees. Sweat poured down her face as she fought Provoke’s mind control with everything she had. “So you’ve got a bit of fight in you, do you?” the sadistic Australian asked. He grinned widely as another thought crossed his mind. “Boney!” he called. “Kill her and then yourself.”
Flamebird stood just in time for Bones to remove the knife from his throat and start toward her. She assumed a fighting stance, noticing that Provoke’s control had weakened a bit as he took control of Director Bones as well.
Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared behind Provoke and the blade of a sword pressed against his throat. “Call it off, mon,” Empress growled, “or you’ll be breathing through your neck.”
“Everyone stop,” Provoke stammered. He grinned again. “Turn and kill this gir–” He stopped speaking as the blade broke the skin and a thin trickle of blood began to run down his neck. A dart embedded itself in his throat and his eyes rolled back as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Bones stood across the room while holding a pistol. “Thank you all,” he said. “Without your distraction, I never would have been able to break his control.” He walked to his desk and coolly pressed a button that summoned a security team. The team quickly secured a soundproof helmet over Provoke’s head and handcuffed him.
Bones watched them go while he picked up a cigar from his desk, snipped the ends and lit it. “You can go now,” he said.
“Your gratitude is overwhelming,” Flamebird said.
Bones gestured with his cigar at the hole in the wall. Vibe, Ray and Dagon were reentering the room. “You caused severe property damage to a government office,” he said. “I could have all of you locked up for that. Be glad I’m just letting you go.”
Shock Trauma flew up and jabbed his finger in Bones’s face. “Because of a guy that you let loose!” he pointed out.
Bones’s eye sockets bored a hole into Shock Trauma’s face while smoke slowly wafted upward. “I also seem to recall that I let you loose,” he said in a cold voice. “Perhaps that’s a mistake I should rectify.”
“Don’t bother,” Flamebird said. “We’re leaving.” She herded the heroes out and back aboard the jet as Bones watched silently and smoked.
It wasn’t long before the heroes were back in the former Titans West meeting room. Shock Trauma was still ranting about Bones’s dismissal of them, and Vibe had joined in to support him. Jason had immediately left to return his armor to its display case in their trophy room. Ray was looking at the photos on the wall and Empress had vanished before the heroes had boarded the jet. Flamebird sat at the table and stared at the center of it.
“What’s wrong, chica?” Vibe asked.
“Just thinking,” Flamebird said. She looked up as Jason reentered the room.
“No,” Jason said as he stopped suddenly. “I know that look on your face. Don’t say it, Bette.”
Flamebird smiled. “Do you guys want to give the Titans West another try?” she asked.
“You know I’m in, Chica,” Vibe said.
“Why not?” Dagon said. “It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to go.”
“Sure,” Ray said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of a team.”
“I’m in,” Shock Trauma said. “And I can get Breathtaker to join up, too.”
“What about you, Jason?” Flamebird asked.
Jason shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “I’ve got to be at the hospital.” He hurried out of the room.
Jason didn’t slow down until he was outside the Gabriel’s Horn restaurant that sat atop the Titans West headquarters. He ducked into an alley beside the building and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out two old photos and looked at them side by side. One was of Alex Richards, a girl he’d gotten close to at UCLA. The other was of Sarah Simms. The world began to shimmer in front of him and he slid to the ground, finally allowing the tears to escape his eyes.
“So what’ll we call ourselves?” Shock Trauma asked. “I think we can get control of the old Overseers name.”
“No way,” Dagon said. “I got done with being an Overseer a long time ago.”
“Then I guess there’s only one choice,” Flamebird said. “Let’s head upstairs. The restaurant’s not open yet, but I want for us to all toast the return of Titans West.”
The new team headed upstairs. Flamebird, however, despite her words, lagged behind in the room for a moment. She took a moment to look at Gar and Tara’s chairs. “Where are you, Gar?” she whispered.
She was caught up in memory until Vibe came back, gently took her arm and led her upstairs to the party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The End...
Previous Issue | Next Issue