“Old Friend”
Karen Beecher whirled around as the window to her office shattered. A young blonde woman lay on the floor. “Who?” she started to ask. The woman stood. “Dr. Beecher, my name is Roquette Serling.” ”Yes,” Karen said as the name registered. “You worked with Cadmus, didn’t you?” Serling smiled. “Yes. Right now I’m working with some new super-powered clones created by Dabney Donovan.” She checked her watch. “Listen. I need to contact the Titans.” Karen’s eyes narrowed. “I think I can set something up. I’ll get Gar Logan on the phone and see if he can get you to their headquarters.” “Married?” Victor Stone’s voice was stunned. “You asked her to marry you?” ”Yeah,” Gar said. “It was time. I’d wanted to ask her back before the bomb, but I was never able to get up the guts. Then after that blast it was like I got a second chance.” ”I can’t believe it,” Vic said. “So when’s the ceremony?” ”We’re still planning it,” Gar said. “Matter of fact, that’s why I’m calling. I could use a best man if you can get away out there.” “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Vic said. Bette Kane’s breath caught in her throat as she walked by the open door and heard the conversation. She ran to her room and closed the door. She lay down on the bed and cried. As she did, a phantom’s green lips kissed her again. “Bette,” the whisper in her mind said. “I love you. I’ve always loved all of you. Go to them.” “Why?” Bette asked. “Everything’s falling apart. What did I come back here for?” Bette sat up as she heard a knock at the door. “Hey, Bette!” Gar called. Bette swallowed hard. “Just a minute!” she replied. “Get suited up! Karen’s bringing somebody in to the meeting room!” As Gar hurried down the hall, Bette mechanically reached for her Flamebird costume. Leonid Kovar leaned back in his theater seat. His arm fit well around Sonya’s shoulders. Sonya stared at the screen in joy as Renee Zellweger broke into another song. “Incredible,” she whispered. “Such a great movie.” ”Yes,” Leonid replied. “I thought that you would enjoy this.” Suddenly his Titan communicator started beeping. “Oh no,” Sonya said. “Do not tell me you have to go.” Leonid thought a moment and turned the device off. “I am sure it is nothing,” he replied. The two settled back into their seats and returned their attention to Chicago. Harm stalked down the corridors of Blood’s church. Angrily he threw open the doors to Blood’s inner sanctum. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded. Joshua exhaled slowly. “Excuse us,” he told the three young women who were currently sharing the room with him. Two immediately gathered their clothing and departed. The last to leave paused to put a robe on Joshua, then hurried out. “What is the meaning of this interruption?” Joshua asked as he cinched the belt of the robe closed. “You have ordered your guards to prevent me from leaving!” Harm yelled. Joshua smiled. “Of course. I can’t very well have my angel of death running all over the place, can I?” Joshua looked into a mirror. “After all, these people believe a lot related to skin tones. They believe that mine was caused by the Blood Pit.” “Thanks to your makeup,” Harm interjected. ”They needed a miracle to convince them that I was chosen and I provided one. As for you, they believe that your pure white skin tone is caused because you are an angel.” Joshua turned back to Harm. “I have someone I must locate,” Harm said. “It is part of an… agreement I made.” ”I have just the solution.” Joshua pushed a button on a console and a woman in the traditional garb of Blood’s church entered. “Brother William, this is Sister Stealth. Give her the information on the person you seek and she will locate him.” He turned to Stealth. “Go to Brother William’s quarters and wait for him,” he ordered. With a nod, she exited the room. “And she will find him?” Harm asked. ”And more,” Joshua answered. “At my order, she will do whatever you want.” ”That does not concern me now,” Harm said. “Only locating my prey.” ”A pity,” Joshua said. “These women were Blood’s personal harem, if you will. Quite skilled. Go to Sister Stealth and give her your information. I will even permit you to leave and slay him.” Without a word, Harm stormed out of the room, leaving a smiling Joshua behind. Gar looked around the room where the team had assembled. Roquette Serling had just finished her briefing. “Any questions?” he asked. “So this guy can turn into anything?” Golden Eagle asked. “How can we keep tabs on who’s who?” “I’ve got Mal working on that now,” Gar replied. “Hopefully we’ll be able to rig up some sort of signal through the signalers, but there’s no guarantee he won’t be able to duplicate that as well.” “So we get one chance,” Flamebird observed. “Looks like it,” Gar said. He looked around the room. “Anybody else got anything?” Silence. “Let’s go, then.” The team headed out and into a small tunnel where they climbed aboard a subway car. “Where’d you get this?” Serling asked. ”Just a little something Mal whipped up,” Gar said as he pushed a control that started the car. “It’s a little way to the hangar, so he figured this would be quicker than just walking the entire way.” Serling nodded and started playing with her flight ring. “You’re worried about them, aren’t you?” Gar asked. “Yeah,” Serling replied. ”Don’t worry,” Gar said. “We’ll take care of this.” The train rumbled on towards the hangar. In his temporary office, Vernon Questor rubbed his chin. Sarah Simms had just walked out, still red-eyed. She was still refusing to discuss what was going on, however. Outside the office, Sarah opened a desk drawer and discovered a smiling picture of Jason Parker she’d taken off her ruined desk upstairs and never replaced. She slammed the drawer closed too hard as she felt her eyes beginning to water again. She quickly made her way to the ladies’ room and privacy. Tenzil Kem opened his eyes and looked around. The other Legionnaires (Timber Wolf, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, and Dubbilex) were secured like he was – in some sort of manacle grabbing thingy. “You guys okay?” Tenzil asked. Before he could get an answer, one of the Chams walked in front of him. “Be silent,” it ordered. “Come on,” Tenzil said. “All I want to do is make sure everyone’s okay. I mean, I don’t nmmmf!” Tenzil stopped talking as the clone fired a quick-hardening gel over Tenzil’s mouth, effectively gagging him. “Thank you,” Cosmic Boy said. “I didn’t think he’d ever shut up.” Outside, the Titans left their jet. Bumblebee and Red Star leaped into flight. “So they’re going to recon?” Serling asked. Gar nodded. “Yeah. They’ll take a look around and see if there’s anything weird going on. Then we head in the door at full strength.” Eagle looked down through his visor as he soared over the warehouse. “You see anything, Karen?” he asked. “I’m getting some weird readings from inside the warehouse,” she said. “I’m going to go back and check with Serling about them. I’m getting a weird feeling.” ”No prob,” Eagle said. He watched as Bumblebee flew away. Just as he looked ahead again, a trash can on the street below shot up tendrils that snared him. Eagle let out a cry and started slashing with his gauntlets. “Eagle!” Gar yelled as the cry came over the comlink. “Move!” Suddenly debris around the alley began shifting. A crate started forward. A chunk of wall peeled away from the building and advanced. The padlock jumped up and reformed into another Cham. A fourth appeared from a puddle of staid rainwater. “I think we’re in trouble,” Terra observed as the Chams surrounded the team. “Thanks,” Vibe said as the team formed a circle with their backs to each other. “Any more bright ideas?” ”We do what we can,” Gar said. “Let’s do it!” Inside, Tenzil spit out the remnants of his gag. “Blech,” he said. He looked around. “Where’s orange boy at?” Dream Girl closed her eyes and concentrated. “I’m not sure, exactly, but he won’t be back here for a while. Until after we’ve escaped, in fact.” “That makes me feel a lot better,” Tenzil said. “Hey, Cos. See if you can work a way out of these metal brackets.” “I’ve been trying,” Cosmic Boy said, “But this stuff’s tricky.” A moment later, Cosmic Boy’s manacles popped open and he fell to the ground. ”You okay?” Tenzil asked. “Yeah, just need to catch my breath.” ”Catch it later!” Timber Wolf yelled as he sniffed the air. “There’s a rumble going on outside!” Dream Girl’s eyes popped open as Cosmic Boy began focusing on Tenzil’s manacles. She whispered a name. “Thom…” Gar, in the form of a grizzly bear, took a swipe at one of the Chams. His claws easily tore through the orange flesh, but it simply reformed. “This isn’t working!” he yelled. “Anybody else having any luck?” “Not much,” Terra replied from where she was creating earthen cells, trying to capture another shapeshifter. “They keep getting out before I can get this closed.” ”Check this out,” Vibe said as he threw a screamer at the Cham that Terra was trying to encase. She managed to finish the case with no problems. “Something about the sonics puts `em to sleep.” ”Sonic attacks!” Changeling yelled. “Duck!” Flamebird yelled at him. Changeling ducked just as a small silver device flew past and embedded itself in the Cham. An instant later the screamer went off and the creature was paralyzed. Terra quickly created another cell for it. “Keep fighting!” Changeling ordered. “We’ve got them now!” Serling flinched as another mind touched hers. Dr. Serling, Dubbilex said. Dub? You guys are okay? Yes. We require your assistance in here. Follow my signal and it should let you to us. On my way. Serling concentrated and her flight ring bore her into the warehouse. In Titans West HQ, Mal Duncan was channel surfing. His blood ran cold when he hit a broadcast of the Church of Blood. “Oh, no,” he whispered as he saw Harm and Joshua standing before the worshipers. He frantically crammed a tape into the VCR and started recording it. Outside, Terra had just finished caging the remaining Chams with the aid of Golden Eagle’s screamers. “Six,” Flamebird said. “Is that all of them?” ”Where’s Dr. Serling?” Bumblebee asked. “She’d be able to tell us for sure.” “I lost track of her in the fight,” Gar replied. “I’m right here,” she said. The Titans turned and saw Serling and the other Legionnaires coming out of the warehouse. Timber Wolf and Cosmic Boy were supporting someone else. Dream Girl was also staying close. “Who’s that?” Changeling asked. The new man raised his head. “Star Boy,” he said weakly. Dream Girl smiled and pulled him a little closer. Tenzil stepped closer to Gar. “Are you all right?” he asked. “You look a little green.” Before Gar could reply, he jumped at an explosion. All around, the Chameleon Boy clones were self-destructing. ”Are they supposed to do that?” Golden Eagle asked. “Yeah,” Tenzil said. “Happens all the time to us.” Tenzil looked around at the others. “Well, let’s go.” The Legionnaires lifted off into the air and began flying away. Sorry about that,. Dubbilex said inside the Titans’ minds. We’re still working on manners with them. Thank you for your assistance. And then they were gone, leaving the Titans standing in front of the warehouse. Next Issue: The team has learned that Joshua has taken over the Church of Blood and decides that something has to be done! Also, Sonya has a secret… Previous Issue | Next Issue |
