Titans West

Gar looked around. Titans West and the Teen Titans had assembled on the devastated remains of Titans Island in the middle of New York’s East River.

“Bad news,” Golden Eagle said as he and Bumblebee returned to ground level. “Looks like we’ve got company incoming. DEO choppers.”

Gar ran across the island and changed into a rhino that began pushing at a pile of debris. “A little help here?” he asked. Risk, Damage, and Jayna (after a quick change into a gorilla) joined him and soon a hatchway was revealed. Gar returned to his human form with a flash of light and began typing into a keypad. The hatch obediently unlatched and he opened it. “Everybody downstairs!” he yelled.

Moments later, the teams were underground and the hatch was relocked. “Where are we?” Terry Berg, the Titans’ publicist asked.

Gar smiled. “The underground section of Titans Tower. We built it to last.” He flipped a switch on the wall and the ceiling lights turned on. “Come on,” he said as he led the way down a hallway. “There’s a monitor room down here.”

Back in the city, Donald Fite drummed his fingers on the dashboard. He and his partner Ishido Maad had been separated from the Titans and were currently stuck in traffic. Finally Maad looked over and Fite shivered. He knew that look.

“This is ridiculous!” Maad yelled as he banged his hands against the steering wheel. “The DEO is going after them with choppers, and we’re stuck in rush hour traffic!”

Fite quietly fastened his seat belt. He knew what was coming.

“Out of my way!” Maad yelled as he started honking the car’s horn. With a jerk of the wheel, he angled the car toward the side of the street and by flooring it, the car jumped onto the sidewalk and continued careening toward the river. “This is more like it!” Maad yelled with a deranged grin on his face.

The assembled Titans were in the monitor room. Gar flipped switches and cameras that had survived the Tower’s destruction came on, allowing them to see what was going on up above. Flamebird leaned beside the Changeling, studying the scene.

At the back of the group, Jayna moved closer to her brother and tugged on his sleeve. “What’s wrong?” Zan asked.

“Have you seen Gleek?” she whispered.

His eyes went wide. “Uh oh,” he said. “Come on. We’d better find him before he gets into trouble.” The Wonder Twins slipped out as the others remained focused on the screen.

The rest of the group was feeling the pressure as well. Risk was pacing back and forth as Terry watched. “Why are we just standing around?” Risk asked. “We should go up there and pound their faces in!”

“Please,” Terry said. “They’ve got guns. That might interfere with your face-pounding plans.”

“So what?” Risk asked. “That just adds to the challenge!”

Terry shook his head and walked away.

Terra watched as Damage paced back and forth. “How did we get into this?” he asked nobody in particular. “We were just in our headquarters, minding our own business, and this happens!”

Terra smiled. “Don’t worry,” she advised. “The same thing happened to us. You get used to it.”

“Gleek, where are you?” Jayna called as loudly as she dared. She and Zan had split up and were searching the devastated sub-basements for their monkey. She tiptoed past a pile of rubble and peeked behind it. “Gleek!”

Zan walked up behind her. “I can’t find any sign of him,” he said. “I don’t know where he could have gone.”

Dakota Jamison was furious. She glared at the officer before her. “I don’t care what you did or did not find!” she yelled. “They are here somewhere, and you will search this entire island again.” She turned away and started back toward the chopper when she noticed something hanging out of it. Something blue. As she got closer, she recognized it – a monkey’s tail. A blue monkey’s tail. “They’re here!” she yelled.

In the command center, the camera zoomed over just in time to see Jamison seize the monkey’s tail and give it a tug. Zan and Jayna walked back into the room just in time to see Gleek pop out of the helicopter. “I think we found him, Sis,” Zan whispered.

“Please tell me that’s not your monkey,” Damage moaned as he watched the DEO troops fan out across the island.

“Ummm,” Zan said. “It’s not our monkey?”

“Thanks for trying,” Damage said as he turned back to the Changeling. “Any ideas?”

Gar Logan’s face hardened as he studied the screen. “You know something?” he asked. “We’ve been running from these guys completely across the country. Now we either fight or hide down here like animals.” His gaze turned back to the screen. “I’m tired of this. We settle it now.” He turned back to the others, who gathered around him. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

Dakota Jamison and the DEO troops fought to keep their footing as the ground began rolling beneath them. “It’s them!” she yelled. “I want them captured!”

With an almost scream, the earth split apart and the Titans emerged. “Take them fast!” Changeling yelled as he morphed into a gorilla. “Don’t let them get a shot off!”

“On it!” Damage yelled back as he snatched a gun from an agents hands and snapped it in half. “Remember our training!”

“No problem!” Jayna said as she and Zan touched fists. “Wonder Twin powers, activate!”

“Form of a Venusian Gorillapod!” In a flash, Jayna assumed the massive animal’s form and began throwing agents around as if they were toys.

“Shape of a geyser spray!” Zan changed form into an overwhelming burst of water which sent the agents flying.

Flamebird blinded two agents with her flash weapon, and then put them out of action with two swift kicks to the jaw. Despite herself, she was starting to enjoy this. Beside her, Vibe’s powers took out two others. He grinned. “Look like we’re still even, chica,” he said.

Flamebird smiled back. “Fight’s not over yet, Paco,” she replied as she used her throwing disk to drop another one.

In the bunker, Terra had collapsed under the effort of creating the earth movement. Terry walked into the room and wrung a bit more water out of the handkerchief he was carrying and gently laid it on her forehead. He sat down in front of the monitor bank and watched the battle unfolding, growing more and more nervous as it went on.

"It appears that they have made it to New York," Questor said to Mal.

"I'm watching it now," Mal said from his hiding place under his club. "Man. Wonder why the DEO broke their cover like that?"

"That Jamison didn't seem too balanced to me when she was here," Sarah Simms said from behind Questor.

"Be that as it may," Questor said, "I believe that this entire ordeal is nearing an end."

The three watched their respective views of the battle together in silence.

Golden Eagle dropped a screamer into the midst of a group of agents, sending them scattering. As they did, Bumblebee easily took them out with her wrist stinger.

Fast Track was a blur among the fighting, doing whatever he could to slow the agents. He grabbed a gun from one, tripped a second, and knocked a third’s blast astray.

“Hey!” Risk yelled. “He’s shooting at me!” One punch later and the agent was out.

Omni was in his element. Not only was he drawing power from his group of Titans, but also from Titans West. Jamison screeched and dove out of the way as he plowed into her helicopter, destroying it. Gleek took advantage of the opportunity to jump onto her back and begin banging on the top of her head.

Jamison finally got a grip on the monkey and was preparing to throw him away when a gun’s barrel touched the side of her head and Donald Fite stepped in front of her.

“Agent Jamison,” Fite greeted. “It looks as if you’re in a bit of a situation.”

“Nothing I can’t take care of,” Jamison replied as the monkey finally hopped down. The pistol stayed where it was. “Just give me a few minutes and we’ll have this taken care of.”

“I don’t think so,” Fite said as he crossed his arms. “I think that we need to have a discussion with your boss to end this. And my partner, who just drove here through rush hour traffic, agrees with me.”

“Don’t push me!” a wild-eyed Maad yelled.

Jamison, knowing when she was beaten, nodded. With one order, the battle ceased.

Thirty minutes later, Director Bones steepled his hands and tried to take control of the chaos that his office had become. Finally he gave up and ordered everyone out. Everyone left but Flamebird.

"Is there something wrong with your hearing, Miss?" Bones asked.

Flamebird turned and saw that she was facing Bones. As she stood there, his office faded away and became a metallic room bathed in a red flashing light. Sirens echoed in the distance. Bette smiled as she realized what to do.

"No," she said. "But I believe I have a deal that may interest you."

"I very much doubt it," Bones said, sitting back behind his desk.

"Okay," Bette said. "I'll just be going to inform that JLA of Operation: Equalizer, then."

Bones bit down so hard he bit his cigar in two.

Bette smiled. "I see that got your attention."

"Young lady," Bones said, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I don't?" Bette asked as she sat down in front of his desk. "Then you don't have nuclear missiles aimed at the Watchtower? How about Themiscyra? And what about your plans to level Atlantis? Are you still planning to convert the Titans Satellite to DEO Headquarters?"

Bones clenched his teeth. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Easy. Call off your hounds and let us get things back to normal. You let Cody go, and everybody's happy. And quiet."

Bones sat silent for a long time. "Agreed," he finally said.

"Then I guess that we have no further problems," Bette said. "Goodbye."

Bette left the office. Bones sat there alone and in silence for a long time.

Back at Teen Titans headquarters, goodbyes were being said. Finally they all looked up as Gar landed the T-jet in the middle of the empty street. With a last round of goodbyes, Titans West boarded the jet.

Gar walked back from the cockpit and saw that everyone was strapped in. "Let's go home," he said with a smile.

The Teen Titans waved and watched until the silver jet disappeared from sight.

Special Thanks to Tobias Christopher for coming aboard for this crazy ride! We'll have to do it again sometime!

Next Issue: It's the fight that's been brewing ever since Gotham! Vibe Vs. Risk!

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