“Things That Go Bump In the Night”
Mal Duncan frowned as he confirmed the windows in the Blue Note were locked. His eyes shot wide open as he saw a mark on the outside of the glass that looked as though something had dragged a knife across it. Mal quickly closed the curtains, knowing exactly who was coming back. “How’re you holding up?” Bette Kane asked. She and Garfield Logan were seated at an outdoor café, coffee cups on the table between them. “I got screamed at the other day for not knowing the difference between blush and bashful,” Gar said. He sipped at his coffee. Bette’s mouth turned down slightly as she studied the dark circles under his eyes. “You don’t even want to know what my dreams were like last night.” Gar Logan shot up on his bed as the monochrome room started shaking. He ran to the window and looked out. His apartment was airborne. Roses of various grays and whites were flying past the window. Suddenly he saw a bicycle that Tara was riding. Before he could say anything, she changed into a woman sitting on a broom, wearing a tall black pointy hat and a long black dress. She cackled as she pointed at him. “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little ring, too!” “You look like you haven’t been sleeping well,” Bette observed. “Sometimes I wonder what possessed me to ask her. I swear, Bette, it’s like the thought of a wedding turns a woman into some sort of invitation-sorting, flower-arranging maniac. I’d rather fight the Brotherhood by myself than face her.” Bette smiled. “Now you know why I’ve never gotten married. Too much responsibility.” Gar frowned. “But what about-“ Bette held up a hand and looked around. “That was different.” She took a drink of coffee and made a face. “Ugh. Cold.” She put the cup back on the table and pushed it away from her. “Anyway, didn’t you help plan out Donna and Terry’s wedding?” ”Yeah, but I wasn’t the groom then. And Donna was a bit… uh…” ”Saner?” Gar found the word he was searching for. “Calmer than Tara is.” ”Hey,” Bette said. “You only get married once. Might as well do it right.” She smiled. “Although I would pay money to see the Teen Titans get invited to your bachelor party. I’d love to see Impulse’s reactions to everything.” ”Please, no,” Gar said. “I’m under enough stress as it is.” Karen Beecher sighed as she studied the mound of papers covering her desk. “I swear this stuff multiplies like rabbits,” she said. With a sigh, she opened the first proposal. She whirled around when the glass to her window exploded inward. A moment later she, and her attacker, were gone. “I understand,” Mal said. “Thank you.” He hung up the phone and frowned. So that’s your game, he thought. You’ve grabbed Karen. You think I’m going to wait around for your next move? Uh-uh. I’m coming after you. Just got to leave a little message… Mal turned his attention to the computer. Vicky Winters smiled as she studied the photos before her. “Perfect,” she whispered. “Something up?” She looked up into the face of Mark, her news director. “Possibly,” she said as she fought to hide her excitement. She quickly sealed an envelope. “Drop that in the mail for me, and you may be getting an exclusive by the weekend.” ”All right,” Mark said as he accepted the envelope, “I’ll bite. What have you got?” Vicky just smiled and didn’t answer. “Hello?” Paco Ramone called as he walked through the base. “Mal, you in here?” He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the glowing portal in the computer room. He ran to a console and slapped the alarm button. “Great,” Gar said as he inspected the portal. “Just wonderful.” He turned back to Bette. “So Karen’s missing, too?” ”That’s the word we got from STAR,” Bette replied. She studied his face. “What’s going on?” Gar sighed as he looked around at the team. Red Star, Eagle, Terra, and Flamebird were all assembled there, staring at the portal. “Pull up a chair and I’ll explain what’s going on.” Gar waited until they had all seated themselves in a circle before he continued. “All right. Here’s what’s going on. During one of the Teen Titans’s earliest cases, they fought a guy named Bromwell Stikk. He was a kook with a staff that could create tornadoes and called himself Mister Twister. He was after this little town called Hatton’s Corner. Years before, one of his ancestors had signed a land deal. He leased the land the town was built on to the town for rent of one passenger pigeon feather a year. Stikk comes along and says he wants his back rent. Of course, the town laughed at him. So he kidnapped all the teenagers in the town and had them start building a monument to him. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad showed up to fight him. Robin finally saved the day and they thought he was over and done with.” Gar took a breath. “Earlier than that, there was this creature called the Antithesis. It formed itself in the computers of the JLA satellite and turned the JLA evil. Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Speedy, and Aqualad teamed up, shut down the JLA, and sent the Antithesis into this place between dimensions called limbo.” Gar looked around the room. “Everybody confused yet? Because it gets better. “The Antithesis contacted Stikk and pulled him into limbo, too. It gave him powers, changed his look, and he started calling himself the Gargoyle. First the TT heard about the Gargoyle was when he contacted them, saying he was an innocent man sent to jail because one of them had faked some evidence on a case. Guess who they suspected.” ”Robin,” Flamebird said. “Bingo. Anyway, Gargoyle’s got this special ring that pulls Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad into limbo. Finally Robin tricks him and leaves him stranded in limbo while he rescued the other three.” “Hang on,” Golden Eagle said. “How’s this tie in to Mal and Karen?” ”I’m getting there,” Gar replied. “A couple of years later, Mal was working in one of Loren Jupiter’s labs while the Teen Titans and Jupiter were in Italy. He was running some experiments when a man walked in. Turns out that Mal had accidentally let the Gargoyle loose. Mal zapped him back to limbo and then soon after created the Gabriel’s Horn.” “That would do it,” Terra said. “I’m sure limbo isn’t very pleasant.” ”Except the story’s not over,” Gar said. “Years later, Nightwing went to sleep one night and was pulled into limbo by the Gargoyle and the Antithesis. He’s floating around in limbo and discovers Mal there. Turns out that Gargoyle had messed with Jupiter’s computers and left the plans for the Gabriel’s Horn there. The plans had been created by Antithesis so that every time Mal used it, the door to limbo started opening again. Nightwing freed Mal and they got back to Earth after beating Gargoyle again. As soon as they got back, Mal destroyed the Gabriel’s Horn and retired.” Gar spread his hands. “So that’s why Gargoyle’s after Mal. I’d say that he grabbed Karen and left some sort of calling card for Mal. Mal went after him and left this gate open for us to come help.” “So what can we expect in there?” Red Star asked. Gar shrugged. “Hard to say. I’ve never been there. Still, I think it will be pretty unsettling from what Nightwing had told me.” “What’re we waiting for, then?” Flamebird said as she stood up. “We’re burning daylight here, people.” With a yell, Flamebird ran forward and jumped through the portal. “So much for planning,” Gar observed. “Let’s go.” One by one, the rest of Titans West headed through the portal. Limbo Mal looked around. The disorienting haze of fluctuating colors that formed the “air” in limbo was hard to sift through. “Karen!” he called, although he was unsure how far his voice carried. No response. Suddenly a dark shape on a piece of wall shifted. ”So, Mal Duncan,” the Gargoyle said as it crawled down and stood before him. “At last you have come.” ”Where’s my wife?” Mal demanded. The Gargoyle laughed an obscene cackle. “Your beloved little wife. She will join us when the time is right. Do you remember this?” Mal didn’t take his eyes off the Gargoyle as the haze started to swirl around him… … And the next thing he knew he was standing in a room full of computers. “The old Jupiter Industries lab?” Mal mused to himself. He looked down to discover that he was wearing the old gray Teen Titans uniform. “Do you remember this?” the Gargoyle’s mocking voice asked. Mal looked outside and saw the rain pelting the windows. ”Oh, yeah,” Mal said as he set off at a run. He reached the computer room where so much had happened so long ago and discovered the man standing there in a trench coat and hat working feverishly on a console. ”Back up!” Mal yelled. The Gargoyle threw the hat and coat aside and stood there. “Fitting,” it said. “You will die here where you foiled me so long ago.” With a hiss, the Gargoyle launched at him. Mal just smiled and dove. The Gargoyle’s claws scratched at his back, but the beast was unable to stop as he crashed into a wall of computers. “Excellent dive, youth,” the Gargoyle snarled. “But I know that you cannot continue. I know that your heart is weak.” Mal grabbed the Gargoyle and threw him over his shoulder in a judo toss. He leaped on the creature and started peppering him with punches. Mal didn’t even flinch as his fists slammed into the leathery hide. Finally the Gargoyle begged for mercy. “How?” it asked. “How can you do this?” ”Easy,” Mal replied. “I’m a trained boxer.” ”But your heart!” Mal grinned. “Guess who listened when his doctor told him to get more exercise.” Mal pulled the Gargoyle up. “Now give me back my wife.” ”Take her!” Gargoyle screeched. Mal turned and saw Karen lying on the floor. “Thanks,” Mal said. He stopped and turned back to Gargoyle. “One question. All your powers still come from that ring?” The Gargoyle screamed as Mal slammed the hand wearing the ring into a computer. The stone shattered and limbo dissolved into a blinding mist… … Mal opened his eyes and he was in Titans West headquarters. Karen was in his arms. Changeling, Terra, Golden Eagle, Flamebird, and Red Star stood around looking confused. “Mal?” Gar asked. “Are we back?” ”Yeah,” Mal said. “I smashed the ring. He’s powerless.” ”How did you find her?” Bette asked as she ran to Karen’s side. “All we did was wander around. We couldn’t find anything.” ”Gargoyle didn’t want you to.” Mal smiled as he pulled his wife, who was just beginning to stir, a little closer. “But everything’s all right now.” Next Issue: You’ve got two choices for next issue! The team reminisces about their past with Gar and Tara as they prepare for the wedding in Titans West Annual #4 (with some special guest writers!) Then in Titans West #45, find out just exactly what Vicky Winters is up to as she reveals a startling secret about one of the team members! Previous Issue | Next Issue |
