Starman

Jack Knight felt like laughing. His cosmic rod was once more in his hand as he flew through the clear blue sky over Opal City. A memory popped into his head of when he’d been giving up the mantle of Starman and he’d told Superman that he’d miss flying the most. He smiled wider as he realized he’d been right.

Jack thought a moment of all the stops he wanted to make before he decided on the one that he’d make first. Minutes later his feet were on the concrete in the Old Town. He walked to the door that read Knight’s Past and pushed it open, the bell on the door tinkling as he stepped inside, his nostrils filled with the odor of yesterday.

A woman stepped out from the back and stopped. She was dressed in a peasant skirt and had long hair. “It’s Jack!” she called as she ran forward with a wide smile on her face.

Seconds later, Jack was being crushed by her husband in a bear hug. “Good to see you,” the man said. He was solid muscle, with a long ponytail and a beard.

“Ease up, Starchild,” Jack said. “I do need to breathe, you know.”

Starchild wiped a tear from behind his glasses as his wife Moonbeam stepped up beside him. “It’s just good to see you, Jack.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Jack said. He looked around the store and his expert gaze couldn’t find anything amiss. “Any problems?”

“None at all,” Moonbeam replied. She paused a moment. “Are you back to stay?”

Jack nodded. “I think so.” He noticed the look of concern on their faces. “Don’t worry, I still need you guys to run the store. I’m going to be trying to keep too busy with Starman stuff.”

“What about Sadie?” Starchild asked, then instantly regretted it when he saw the look of pain that crossed Jack’s face.

“She’s

not coming,” Jack finally said. He turned to go. “I’m going to head over and check things out at my dad’s.”

After Jack was gone, Moonbeam turned to Starchild. “I wonder what happened,” she said. “He looked like his heart had been ripped out when you asked about her.”

Jack soared high above the city; the bright blue color of the sky seemed to have darkened and clouds had appeared. “Sadie,” he whispered.

Against his will his mind went back to California.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” Sadie said. “I can’t go on like this anymore.”

“Like what?” Jack asked.

“This,” Sadie said. “When you followed me out here, I’d hoped that the two of us could make a family. Instead, it’s the same trio it’s always been and Starman keeps coming between us.”

Jack stood and walked across the small apartment they shared toward her. “But I haven’t been Starman since I left Opal City. I don’t even have my cosmic rod anymore.”

“But you’re still Starman deep inside,” Sadie said. “I’ve seen you watch superheroes on TV. I’ve seen you wishing you were out there. I even saw it when you painted those portraits for the Titans West headquarters. If your rod hadn’t been on the other side of the country, you would have been signing up.”

“That’s not true,” Jack protested, only for Sadie to cut him off.

“It is,” she insisted. “I know Starman’s still in your heart. With your love for Starman and Opal City, I don’t know if there’s any room left for me.”

“Sadie,” Jack began, only to be cut off again.

“For years I thought that being Starman had killed my brother. Then I found out that he was gone forever to some other galaxy and I’ll never see him again.” Sadie looked at Jack through tear-filled eyes. “I won’t let Starman take someone else I love away from me.” She headed toward the door. “I’ll stay with friends until you’ve moved out. The baby’s already there and Theo’s at daycare.” The door closed behind her with finality.

Jack sagged to the floor and cried.

Jack blinked away tears and studied the Opal skyline. Finally he decided on a destination and started flying that way.

As he soared through the sky, Jack pulled up short when he heard an alarm below. Feeling grateful for the distraction from painful memories, Jack used the staff to dive into the Opal streets below.

As he landed, he saw the last of the would-be bank robbers flying out of the bank. He started forward and Jake Benetti (although Jack had permission, he’d never call him Bobo) walked out, dusting his hands off.

“And stay out!” Benetti yelled. “This bank’s off limits to you guys!” Benetti looked up and saw Jack, ready for action. Benetti smiled. “Look who’s back,” he said. Benetti walked forward and draped an arm around Jack’s shoulders, pulling him away from the aborted crime scene. “Let’s go grab a drink,” Benetti said. “Fighting those guys works up a thirst, and there’s a place right down the street that makes the best martinis I’ve tasted in years.”

A stunned Jack let himself be led away.

Not far away, the man known only as the Shade raised a cup of coffee. He smiled as he studied the lovely blond woman across the table from him.

“So how do three former Titans decide to settle here in Opal?” he asked.

Bette Kane, Flamebird, smiled. “After the team broke up, I knew that I had a standing invitation to visit you here and I decided to take you up on it. Paco decided to come because I did, and Dagon…” Her voice trailed away for a moment. “Dagon came here with Andrew Bennett.”

The Shade raised an eyebrow at that name. “Bennett?” he asked as he smiled. “It has been some time since I have heard that name. I had expected that he was dead by now.” Shade paused. “Or dead-er, would perhaps be the proper term.”

Bette laughed. “Not yet,” she said. “He’s still hunting Mary and believes that she may be here in Opal.”

The Shade grew serious. “Indeed,” he said. “That would be most unfortunate for her.” The Shade’s eyes narrowed as he studied the streets around them. “Most unfortunate indeed.”

Not far away, Benetti and Jack were seated at the promised bar. Benetti had commandeered the jukebox, which was now playing nothing but Sinatra.

“They’re all gone?” Jack asked.

“Afraid so, Stars,” Benetti replied. “Out of all those guys you’d asked to watch the city when you’d left, Shade and I are the only ones left. Black Condor just disappeared one day, and Phantom Lady left not too long after that. The Elongated Man and his wife took off later on – I think they’d gone on a trip to Europe and decided to stay a while.” Benetti polished off his drink and in a smooth move replaced his glass on the polished wood bar while motioning for another.

“You know, Stars,” Benetti said as he took his first drink, “you should’ve known that those guys wouldn’t stick around. I’m sure they’re great guys. I mean, the Dibnys had me over for dinner and that wife of his was an incredible cook. But the difference between them and us is that we’re part of Opal. We were born and bred here, and hey just don’t have those ties. You and me, we know that Opal’s more than just a spot on a map.”

Jack thought a moment. “Yeah,” he said. “It is, isn’t it?”

Benetti grinned. “That’s why you came back. I can tell from your face that things didn’t work out in California, so you only had one place to come. Home.”

Jack’s face dropped and he focused on the wood of the bar surface. “Yeah.”

“Where’s your rugrat, anyway?” Benetti asked. “Even if things didn’t work out with your lady, he should be around.” When Jack started to speak, Benetti held up a finger. “I’ve had my heart broken myself, so I know what it looks like.”

Faith O’Dare had been shocked when she opened her door. “Hi,” a sheepish Jack Knight said.

“It’s so good to see you!” Faith said, grabbing him in a hug. “How long are you in town for?”

“Actually, I think I’m staying,” Jack said. “That’s actually why I’m here. I wanted to see if you still watched kids.” The sounds behind Faith indicated that she did.

“I do,” she replied. “I’ve got to have something to keep me busy while Clarence is at work,” she added with a smile. “Do you need--“

“Yeah,” Jack said as her voice trailed away. “I need somebody to watch my son while I’m out.”

“It’s no problem,” Faith said. “Bring him in and I’ll introduce him to the others.”

After the introductions were made, Faith and Jack were standing in the kitchen with cups of coffee. Faith strategically positioned herself to be able to keep an eye on what the kids were up to while they talked. “I’m sorry to hear that,” Faith said as Jack filled her in on his decision to come back. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

Jack shrugged. “Really, my biggest concern was Theo. I’m heading downtown to see Clarence tomorrow to get hooked back up with the police department. My job doesn’t exactly follow daycare hours.”

“I understand,” Faith said. “He’s certainly welcome here any time.”

Jack smiled and Faith returned it, feeling safer with Opal’s hero back.

Not far away, Dagon glanced out through a window and watched as the sky turned pink with the sunrise. Soon Andrew Bennett would rise and the hunt for Mary would resume.

A pale man climbed off a bus and looked around. Although most would say the day was cool, he was still sweating profusely. Finally, Cameron Mahkent decided where he needed to go and vanished into the crowd.

Mary, Queen of Blood walked through the darkened catacombs that were the sewers of Opal City with bodyguards surrounding her. As she approached her destination, she saw flickering lights and heard a voice.

She strode into the room and saw her quarry. As she approached, the Rag Doll smiled. “Greetings,” he said in the singsong voice that had hypnotized his followers for over a decade. “Please make yourself comfortable.” He extended an arm to the roomful of followers. “If you would like something, please help yourself. After all, we have a great deal to discuss.”

Next Issue: The Icicle hits town! But who is he working for and what’s he really after?

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