“Wolf In the Fold”
Gar Logan wearily rubbed his eyes. How had they gotten into this mess? It had all started so well… “My tie look okay?” he asked Tara Markov. ”You look great,” Tara assured him. “I’m surprised that this woman didn’t want you to wear your costume for the interview.” “I’m not,” Gar said as he checked his tie in the mirror again. “This is about Questcorp. Could you imagine Questor’s reaction if shareholders started showing up for meetings in spandex?” Tara stuck out her tongue. “I can imagine my reaction. I’ve seen those shareholders.” “Too bad. I’ve already decided to ask Flatulence Lad and Blubber Boy to fill in while we’re on our honeymoon. Maybe we can get Wrinkle Lass to help out, too.” “As long as I don’t have to see any pictures,” Tara said. Gar laughed and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “I love you, you know,” he said. “Right back at ya,” Tara replied. “Totally incredible!” a nurse whispered. “He was totally comatose, and now look at him!” The doctor shrugged. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he admitted. “But every test we’ve run on him comes back completely normal! He’s totally recovered.” Outside the hospital, Mark Dayton smiled as he felt the sunshine hitting his face. He climbed into a waiting taxi and was gone. “Thank you, Mr. Logan,” Bethany Snow said as the camera shut down. “An excellent interview.” ”Thank you for having me,” Gar replied as a stagehand quickly removed his lapel microphone. Another stagehand hurried up. “Mr. Logan, this just arrived for you.” The stagehand gave Gar an envelope. Outside, the skies began to darken. “So that’s the situation.” Gar looked around the table at the assembled Titans West. “Let me see if I’ve got this right,” Paco said. “Some chick writes us, says she’s got information we need to see, and we’re going?” ”Of course we are,” Bette said, swiveling in her chair to face him. “She says it’s vital to the team.” ”And it’s not like we’re going in there blind,” Tara added. “We’ll know to be on our guard.” Paco shook his head. “Sorry, but this just seems nuts to me.” Gar slowly nodded. “I agree. This is unusual. But I want to find out what this person has to say.” Paco leaned forward. “Do we even know who it is?” Gar shook his head. “No. The letter wasn’t signed.” ”So what time do we have to be there?” Jason asked. “Six tonight,” Gar replied. “And we’ll all be there. Mal, too.” The meeting broke up soon after that. Karen hurried to Leonid’s side and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. “Leo, is something wrong?” she asked. “You act like something’s on your mind.” Leonid opened his mouth to speak, changed his mind, and closed it again. Finally he said, “May I speak with you for a moment?” Karen nodded and the two began speaking urgently in hushed tones. Later that night, the T-Jet touched down in a driving rainstorm. Bette looked out the window and frowned. “The Graystone Mansion. Great. This place looks creepy enough in the daytime.” Gar thought a moment as he shut down the jet’s engines. “Let’s go,” he finally judged. “Whoever this is has definitely peaked my curiosity.” The team hurried from the jet to the mansion’s front door. “I guess we ring the bell,” Jason said as he pressed the button. A butler opened the door, wearing a perfectly pressed suit. “You are precisely on time,” he said with a slight English accent. “Please come in.” The team followed him inside and paused inside a grand foyer. “May I take your capes or coats?” Only Mal took him up on his offer. Mal’s dripping raincoat immediately disappeared into a closet. “Follow me, please.” The team followed the butler as he led them through a grand living room. Looks like someone enjoys making a scene, Flamebird thought as the group walked through the mansion. Despite the electric lights, candles flickered against the walls. The butler led the team into a dining room. At each of the empty seats, a place card indicated who should sit there. “So, Jeeves, where’s the mystery man?” Vibe asked. “The madam will see you in the library after supper,” the butler said, hiding his distaste for the name Jeeves. Later, the team sat around the table. Their plates had been cleared, and emptied coffee cups sat before each of them. “So what’s the holdup?” Vibe asked. “Are we going to meet this mystery chick or not?” ”Settle down,” Changeling said. “I’d say that whoever is doing this wants to make a grand entrance.” Bumblebee glanced down the table. The others were getting restless. She frowned. What am I doing here? she thought. Mal looked over and saw his the look on his wife’s face. He took her hand and gently patted it. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Everything’s going to be okay.” Bumblebee fought to give him a smile. Flamebird looked over at Golden Eagle, who was drumming his fingers on the table. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “Why are they keeping us waiting like this?” Flamebird opened her mouth but was cut off by Red Star. “Patience,” he said. “We can do nothing right now. We must simply wait for the proper opportunity.” Leonid took a sip of his coffee. ”He’s right,” Changeling said. “Leo and I have been doing this for a long time. Enjoy the peace and quiet. One thing I’ve learned is that it never lasts.” “Ladies and gentlemen,” the butler said. “Madam will see you in the library.” Minutes later, the team was seated in the library. They were arranged in front of a desk. The desk’s high-back chair was turned away from them and toward a large window that was currently being splattered by rain. A fire blazed in a large stone fireplace to their side. “Titans West,” a female voice said. The chair spun around, revealing a woman. “My name is Vicky Winters.” ”Why are we here, Ms. Winters?” Changeling asked. Vicky smiled. “As you may know, I’m an investigative reporter for KLEX. And I’ve been doing quite a bit of investigative reporting on you.” Vicky took a sip from a china coffee cup that sat on her desk. “I like to think I’m a good reporter. I’ve got a pretty good sense of where there’s a story and I’m getting that buzz about you eight.” ”Is there a point to this or are you just trying to bore us to death?” Vibe asked with his arms folded against his chest. Vicky smiled again as she took another sip of coffee. “Simple. I’ve been doing a lot of digging. And I’ve discovered something very, very interesting. One thing I’ve been doing is studying photographs. And I noticed something about those photos. One of you is an imposter.” Vicky sat in silence and let the uproar die down. She finally held up a hand for quiet. “The proof is in this envelope.” She held up a large manila envelope. “Inside are videos and photos that prove who your betrayer is.” ”So when did this person make the switch?” Flamebird asked. “I believe it occurred during your last battle with the Brotherhood of Evil*,” Vicky replied. (*TW 36 – db) “So what do you want?” Golden Eagle asked. “Simple. I’m a reporter. I want an exclusive interview with a real, live super villain.” ”And what does this person get?” Changeling asked. “There’s got to be something.” “I don’t tell the rest of you who it is for an hour. Plenty of time for someone to make a getaway.” Vicky stood. “Now each of you will walk through the door. Outside, there are eight doors, each labeled with your names. If you are not the imposter, you will wait there for one hour. There’s a clock, so you’ll be able to see when to leave quite easily. The one who is will come back in here and we’ll talk. And if you think about sneaking out early,” Vicky clicked a switch and a small television monitor lit up with a view of the hallway. “You’ll be on candid camera. Now, let’s go.” The team filed out with Changeling last. A crack of thunder only added punctuation to the door closing behind him. Gar paced around his assigned room. There was a bookshelf next to him, but he’d already discarded most of the books in his mind. Just then he heard a loud noise. “That’s some thunder,” he said. He paced back and forth, replaying the sound in his mind. “That wasn’t thunder,” he realized as he ran for his door. “That was a gunshot!” He threw the door open, revealing Bette on the other side. “Did you hear that?” she asked as she pulled him toward the library. Gar stepped inside and stopped. Vicky Winters’s lifeless body lay on the blood-covered desk. Rain was leaking in through a bullet hole in the window behind her. A manila envelope filled with videos and photos was being consumed by the fire. “Get the others,” Gar finally said. Bette nodded and ran out. Gar just stood there, studying the scene. Gar Logan wearily rubbed his eyes. How had they gotten into this mess? It had all started so well… Next Issue: The murderer is revealed! And so is Vicky’s ace in the hole… Previous Issue | Next Issue |
