*This story occurs after the current storyline involving Amazo and the Overseers.
Jason Parker walked out onto the roof of Gabriel’s Horn, a nightclub that also served as the secret headquarters of Titans West. Bette Kane was lying on her back looking up at the sky. “What’re you looking at?” Jason asked.
“That,” Bette said, pointing upward. Jason followed her finger to a bright dot that appeared to be slowly moving.
“What’s that?” Jason asked.
“The Reservists’ satellite,” Bette said. A smile crossed her face. “That’s why I asked you to come up here.”
“What’s going on?” Paco Ramone asked as he walked onto the roof and plopped down beside Bette.
Bette smiled again. “I was just about to tell Jason a story. I think you’ll like it, too. After all, it sort of indirectly ties in with you. It all started in Central City…”
A familiar scarlet blur tore through the Central City streets. The Flash winced as he caught sight of a bank clock as he headed toward City Hall. “I can’t believe you’re late again, Barry,” he chided himself. “Hawkman’s finishing training Elongated Man on piloting one of our shuttles and you’re too busy working in the lab to remember.” Without missing a step, he changed direction and ran straight up the side of a building. When he reached the top, he found a smiling young man.
“Flash!” the young man said as Flash slowed to a stop. “My name’s Charley Parker.”
”Right,” Flash said as he remembered the other thing he’d forgotten. “You’re the one Hawkman’s been working with, right?”
”Yeah,” Charley said. “He’s been helping me test my Golden Eagle armor. He wanted to run some tests on it in the JLA labs when he got back.”
”Okay,” Flash said. As he approached the center of the roof, a clear tube shimmered into visibility. “Come on aboard,” Flash invited as Charley squeezed in beside him. “Next stop, 22,300 miles up.”
They appeared in a burst of light in the most breathtaking room Charley had ever been in. Overhead was a clear ceiling that ran to the tops of computer consoles, exposing the blackness of space beyond. “Flash!” Green Lantern called. As Charley continued to gape, Flash moved over to join the small huddle of Justice Leaguers around a blank monitor. Green Lantern lowered his voice. “We’ve lost contact with Hawkman’s ship over Mars. We’re going to see that everything’s ok.”
“What about the satellite?” Flash asked. “We can’t leave it empty.”
A smile crossed Green Lantern’s face. “What’s the kid’s name?”
”Charley, but…” Flash’s voice trailed away as he realized what Green Lantern was up to. “Hal, you can’t be seriously thinking about-“
“Hey, Charley,” Green Lantern called out, interrupting Flash. “We need to run and take care of some League business. Can you keep an eye on things around here till we get back?”
”Sure!” Charley replied.
”Great!” Green Lantern said. He gathered up Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and the Atom in a green bubble and they vanished into the blackness of space.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Flash griped.
“Don’t worry about it,” Green Lantern said, smiling the smile that had melted Carol Ferris’s heart more than once. “What could possibly happen?”
Charley grinned as he realized that he was alone about the Justice League satellite. The first thing he thought was what to do first. He dropped the backpack that held his armor and hurried to a computer that looked like a communications console. He punched in a telephone number and pushed the button. He turned as he heard an odd noise.
“aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Bette Kane, Flamebird, screamed as she appeared in the teleporter tube. She finally opened her eyes and looked around. “Charley?” she asked. “Where are we?”
”Well, you say I never take you places,” Charley said. “Welcome to the JLA satellite.”
“Wow,” Bette murmured as she looked around. She glanced down and her hand lightly touched the meeting table shaped like the JLA’s shield. “This is incredible.”
”Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” Charley asked, going for a kiss.
“You know what?” Bette said, grinning.
“What?” Charley asked.
“It’s kind of lonely up here.” Bette looked into his eyes. “Let’s get the others up here for a tour.”
Moments later, the entirety of Titans West (Golden Eagle, Flamebird, Beast Boy, Hawk, Dove, and Lilith) was assembled in the JLA’s meeting room. “Come on!” Bette called, heading for a doorway. “Let’s have a look around!”
Behind them, a light blinked on the teleporter controls. Normally, the device was set to only operate if a Justice Leaguer was in the tube. Charley, however, had accidentally cleared the security settings, leaving the tubes in an open teleport mode. The tube suddenly flared to life in the deserted meeting room and a man staggered out. His skin was pale and taut, causing his face to begin to resemble that of a skull.
“At last!” the man said. “Finally I have reached their headquarters!” He looked around with a sneer on his face. “Now all I need is my materioptikon and the Justice League is doomed!” Cackling, Doctor Destiny ran out of the room and began searching for the League’s trophy room.
“So this is their gym,” Flamebird observed. A laughing Beast Boy had already discovered the zero gravity racquetball courts and was currently trying to swim through the air. Lilith and Don Hall had quickly joined him.
“Great, isn’t it?” Charley asked. “Come on. Let’s head in there and join them.”
Hank Hall prowled through the satellite. “Got to be an armory around here somewhere,” he muttered. He peeked through a door and frowned. “Another lab,” he growled. “Where are all the guns?”
Doctor Destiny frowned as a blinking panel caught his eye. “So, I’m not alone up here,” he mused. An evil smile spread across his face as he got an idea. He hurried down the hall toward the League’s trophy room. He was going to have some fun.
“Attention.” The Titans stopped long enough to look up at the speaker mounted in the ceiling. “I don’t know who you are, but you are all about to die. Once I find my materioptikon, I plan to slam this satellite into Gotham City. Why?” Destiny paused to giggle. “Because the food at Arkham Asylum really sucks!” He cackled as he shut off the connection.
“Sounds like trouble,” Bette said.
“Let’s see,” Don said. “Dove.” He instantly changed into Dove. “I don’t think he’s kidding around.”
”Then there’s only one thing to do,” Hawk said as he ran back into the room. “We split up, find this guy, and kick his teeth down his throat.”
“LILITH and the DOVE”
David Brashear
“This is so strange,” Lilith said as she and Dove walked through a deserted corridor.
”I know,” Dove agreed. “This satellite can do so much good, and this man’s going to use it to kill.” Dove sighed. “Such a shame.”
”Don’t worry,” Lilith said, resting a hand on Dove’s shoulder. “We can stop him.”
”I’m just worried,” Dove explained. “I’ve read about the materioptikon. We’re going up against Doctor Destiny. He takes the Justice League to the limit. We’re no Justice League.”
”You’re right,” Lilith said with an enigmatic smile. “We’re Titans.” She paused before a door that slid open as she approached.
”Something wrong?” Dove asked.
Lilith smiled. “No. I thought I felt something strange.” She motioned for Dove to join her. He looked inside to see a room decorated with strange alien furnishings. “This is the Martian Manhunter’s room.” She looked around. “Such sadness from someone so alien…”
Dove stepped beside her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Lilith nodded. “It’s just unexpected,” she said. Behind them, the door slammed shut. “I’m sensing evil!” Lilith yelled as thick yellow smoke began to pour from air vents. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
Dove fought to open the door. Even as his fingers dug grooves into the metal, he could feel the gas overtaking him. Behind him, he heard Lilith fall to the floor. He joined her a moment later. “Lilith,” he whispered as he slipped into unconsciousness.
From the satellite’s security station, Doctor Destiny cackled and began searching for his next victims.
“This is so strange,” Lilith said as she and Dove walked through a deserted corridor.
”I know,” Dove agreed. “This satellite can do so much good, and this man’s going to use it to kill.” Dove sighed. “Such a shame.”
”Don’t worry,” Lilith said, resting a hand on Dove’s shoulder. “We can stop him.”
”I’m just worried,” Dove explained. “I’ve read about the materioptikon. We’re going up against Doctor Destiny. He takes the Justice League to the limit. We’re no Justice League.”
”You’re right,” Lilith said with an enigmatic smile. “We’re Titans.” She paused before a door that slid open as she approached.
”Something wrong?” Dove asked.
Lilith smiled. “No. I thought I felt something strange.” She motioned for Dove to join her. He looked inside to see a room decorated with strange alien furnishings. “This is the Martian Manhunter’s room.” She looked around. “Such sadness from someone so alien…”
Dove stepped beside her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Lilith nodded. “It’s just unexpected,” she said. Behind them, the door slammed shut. “I’m sensing evil!” Lilith yelled as thick yellow smoke began to pour from air vents. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
Dove fought to open the door. Even as his fingers dug grooves into the metal, he could feel the gas overtaking him. Behind him, he heard Lilith fall to the floor. He joined her a moment later. “Lilith,” he whispered as he slipped into unconsciousness.
From the satellite’s security station, Doctor Destiny cackled and began searching for his next victims.
“BEAST BOY and the HAWK”
David Brashear
“I’m tellin’ ya, we need guns.” Beast Boy rolled his eyes. The entire nature of this conversation (if you could call it that - mainly it had just been Hawk talking and Beast Boy being in the same immediate area) hadn’t changed since they’d left the gym.
Beast Boy had changed to a hound dog and was trying to sniff the deck to pick up any trace of Doctor Destiny. Finally Beast Boy returned to his human form in desperation. “Nothing,” he said. “They keep it too clean. Even if I did smell him, I wouldn’t know his scent from any of the Leaguers.”
Hawk snorted. “Great. Don’t worry. I’ll find this loser myself.” He began charging down the hall. Beast Boy sighed and changed into a leopard to try and keep up.
They’d barely taken a dozen steps when cannons popped out from the walls and began firing. They had no chance against the stun beams.
“Well, he was looking for guns,” Destiny cackled. He returned to his search.
“I’m tellin’ ya, we need guns.” Beast Boy rolled his eyes. The entire nature of this conversation (if you could call it that - mainly it had just been Hawk talking and Beast Boy being in the same immediate area) hadn’t changed since they’d left the gym.
Beast Boy had changed to a hound dog and was trying to sniff the deck to pick up any trace of Doctor Destiny. Finally Beast Boy returned to his human form in desperation. “Nothing,” he said. “They keep it too clean. Even if I did smell him, I wouldn’t know his scent from any of the Leaguers.”
Hawk snorted. “Great. Don’t worry. I’ll find this loser myself.” He began charging down the hall. Beast Boy sighed and changed into a leopard to try and keep up.
They’d barely taken a dozen steps when cannons popped out from the walls and began firing. They had no chance against the stun beams.
“Well, he was looking for guns,” Destiny cackled. He returned to his search.
“GOLDEN EAGLE and FLAMEBIRD”
David Brashear
“Babe, couldn’t you have picked a better place for us to look?” Eagle asked. He pushed his helmet back so he could pinch his nose closed.
“Believe me, I wouldn’t have come down here if I’d known this was here.” Flamebird looked around. She and Golden Eagle were currently standing in the satellite’s waste recycling room.
“Whatever.” Eagle tried to wipe under his helmet. “My eyes are watering. Can we agree that he’s not here and move on?”
”No problem,” Flamebird said. “You’d have to be insane to hide down here.” They hurried out into the hallway.
“They were down where?” Destiny asked as they appeared on his scanners. “Waste recycling? Even I’m not crazy enough to go in there!” He pushed a button that flooded the hall with knockout gas. “Now to reclaim my materioptikon and be gone from here.” He swatted at the air. “Blasted bugs. They’re everywhere.” He turned and walked out.
Doctor Destiny walked into the JLA’s trophy room and smiled. Beside cases holding artifacts such as a green bell, a red jar, and a silver wheel lay the object of his search. He hurried past Amazo and the replica of Starro to stop and gaze at a case that held a single ruby. If he had still had a nose, it would have been pressed up against the glass. He finally backed up and looked around. He smiled as he saw the mace in Hawkman’s hand in the Justice Society display. He took the mace and shattered the glass with it. As he reached toward the materioptikon, he heard voices behind him.
“Drop it or I drop you.” Destiny turned to see Hawk standing there with a sneer on his face. “I’d prefer you trying to fight.” Destiny took a step back as Hawk cracked his knuckles. “I’ll even let you hang onto your little paperweight there.”
The mace fell to the floor with a clang as Destiny realized he was beaten. Flamebird snapped handcuffs around his wrists.
Later, Flamebird and Golden Eagle were the only Titans left aboard. The others had teleported back to their homes with the exception of Dove, who’d gone to Gotham City to drop off Destiny at Arkham Asylum.
“This was great, wasn’t it?” Flamebird asked.
“You got it,” Eagle said.
Flamebird sat down in a chair with a black bird stenciled on the back. “Just think. Someday this could be us up here.”
”Yeah,” Eagle agreed. “As long as we don’t mess up…” His eyes widened as he remembered the mess in the trophy room. “Babe, we’ve got to get out of here.”
”Why?” Flamebird asked. “The League’s not due back for another few hours.”
Eagle pointed out the window. “Here they come now.” Flamebird’s eyes widened as she saw the green bubble growing larger against the black of space. “We’d better clear out unless you want to explain to the JLA how their satellite got trashed.” He grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling as Flamebird’s jaw dropped.
“I think we need to go,” Flamebird stammered.
Eagle grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the teleporter tube. “I’ve left a note saying I was called away on Titans business. Now let’s get out of here!” A moment later, they were dropping 22,300 miles back to Los Angeles.
“Did the League ever figure out what happened?” Jason Parker asked.
Bette Kane closed her eyes as a blush colored her cheeks. “We didn’t know their security system picked up the whole thing. They watched the tape.” She opened her eyes. “Still, Hawkman told Charley later that they were impressed that we managed to take down Doctor Destiny as easily as we did, so they let us slide on the whole property-damage thing.”
”You know, I never even got to go up there,” Paco complained. “My League was in a Detroit bunker and a cave in Rhode Island.”
“Get in touch with the Reservists,” Bette said. “Maybe someday they’ll let you up there.”
“Let me guess how you got out of that,” Jason said. “Hawk smashed the cannons and got the rest of you.”
”No,” Bette said. “Gar changed into a fly and flew between the beams. He flew to the security office, waited for Destiny to leave, changed back, and shut off the system. Didn’t take us long at all to come around.”
Jason smiled. “So Charley got his armor from Hawkman.”
Bette shook her head. “No,” she said. “Hawkman just helped Charley get used to the armor and helped train him. He never told any of us where it came from. Maybe someday we’ll find out.”
To Be Continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Okay. This one’s going to take some explaining. This story is taken from Justice League of America #117. Originally, the story was about Charlie Parker (yep, spelling changed in the Crisis, too) going up to the JLA satellite to visit with his mentor Hawkman. Charlie was left alone on the satellite while the rest of the League went to save Hawkman from the Equalization Plague that was ravaging his home planet of Thanagar.
Problem. Now the Hawkman who joined the JLA was Carter Hall, the same Hawkman who was part of the JSA in the 40’s – and an Earthman.
To make a long story short (too late), Elongated Man and Red Tornado had joined the League about a year before. A training flight could explain the League’s absence, and they were even still going to save Hawkman!
Plus, I wanted to partially return the relationship between Charley and Hawkman. Originally Hawkman gave Charlie his wings, which were pretty much a copy of his own costume. Testing the armor and helping Charley learn to fly and use it seems like a perfect fit for a veteran JSAer.
However, Hawkman did not give Charley this armor, so that leaves the question of just where exactly it did come from. Don’t worry. That story’s still just waiting to be told.
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“Babe, couldn’t you have picked a better place for us to look?” Eagle asked. He pushed his helmet back so he could pinch his nose closed.
“Believe me, I wouldn’t have come down here if I’d known this was here.” Flamebird looked around. She and Golden Eagle were currently standing in the satellite’s waste recycling room.
“Whatever.” Eagle tried to wipe under his helmet. “My eyes are watering. Can we agree that he’s not here and move on?”
”No problem,” Flamebird said. “You’d have to be insane to hide down here.” They hurried out into the hallway.
“They were down where?” Destiny asked as they appeared on his scanners. “Waste recycling? Even I’m not crazy enough to go in there!” He pushed a button that flooded the hall with knockout gas. “Now to reclaim my materioptikon and be gone from here.” He swatted at the air. “Blasted bugs. They’re everywhere.” He turned and walked out.
Doctor Destiny walked into the JLA’s trophy room and smiled. Beside cases holding artifacts such as a green bell, a red jar, and a silver wheel lay the object of his search. He hurried past Amazo and the replica of Starro to stop and gaze at a case that held a single ruby. If he had still had a nose, it would have been pressed up against the glass. He finally backed up and looked around. He smiled as he saw the mace in Hawkman’s hand in the Justice Society display. He took the mace and shattered the glass with it. As he reached toward the materioptikon, he heard voices behind him.
“Drop it or I drop you.” Destiny turned to see Hawk standing there with a sneer on his face. “I’d prefer you trying to fight.” Destiny took a step back as Hawk cracked his knuckles. “I’ll even let you hang onto your little paperweight there.”
The mace fell to the floor with a clang as Destiny realized he was beaten. Flamebird snapped handcuffs around his wrists.
Later, Flamebird and Golden Eagle were the only Titans left aboard. The others had teleported back to their homes with the exception of Dove, who’d gone to Gotham City to drop off Destiny at Arkham Asylum.
“This was great, wasn’t it?” Flamebird asked.
“You got it,” Eagle said.
Flamebird sat down in a chair with a black bird stenciled on the back. “Just think. Someday this could be us up here.”
”Yeah,” Eagle agreed. “As long as we don’t mess up…” His eyes widened as he remembered the mess in the trophy room. “Babe, we’ve got to get out of here.”
”Why?” Flamebird asked. “The League’s not due back for another few hours.”
Eagle pointed out the window. “Here they come now.” Flamebird’s eyes widened as she saw the green bubble growing larger against the black of space. “We’d better clear out unless you want to explain to the JLA how their satellite got trashed.” He grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling as Flamebird’s jaw dropped.
“I think we need to go,” Flamebird stammered.
Eagle grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the teleporter tube. “I’ve left a note saying I was called away on Titans business. Now let’s get out of here!” A moment later, they were dropping 22,300 miles back to Los Angeles.
“Did the League ever figure out what happened?” Jason Parker asked.
Bette Kane closed her eyes as a blush colored her cheeks. “We didn’t know their security system picked up the whole thing. They watched the tape.” She opened her eyes. “Still, Hawkman told Charley later that they were impressed that we managed to take down Doctor Destiny as easily as we did, so they let us slide on the whole property-damage thing.”
”You know, I never even got to go up there,” Paco complained. “My League was in a Detroit bunker and a cave in Rhode Island.”
“Get in touch with the Reservists,” Bette said. “Maybe someday they’ll let you up there.”
“Let me guess how you got out of that,” Jason said. “Hawk smashed the cannons and got the rest of you.”
”No,” Bette said. “Gar changed into a fly and flew between the beams. He flew to the security office, waited for Destiny to leave, changed back, and shut off the system. Didn’t take us long at all to come around.”
Jason smiled. “So Charley got his armor from Hawkman.”
Bette shook her head. “No,” she said. “Hawkman just helped Charley get used to the armor and helped train him. He never told any of us where it came from. Maybe someday we’ll find out.”
To Be Continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Okay. This one’s going to take some explaining. This story is taken from Justice League of America #117. Originally, the story was about Charlie Parker (yep, spelling changed in the Crisis, too) going up to the JLA satellite to visit with his mentor Hawkman. Charlie was left alone on the satellite while the rest of the League went to save Hawkman from the Equalization Plague that was ravaging his home planet of Thanagar.
Problem. Now the Hawkman who joined the JLA was Carter Hall, the same Hawkman who was part of the JSA in the 40’s – and an Earthman.
To make a long story short (too late), Elongated Man and Red Tornado had joined the League about a year before. A training flight could explain the League’s absence, and they were even still going to save Hawkman!
Plus, I wanted to partially return the relationship between Charley and Hawkman. Originally Hawkman gave Charlie his wings, which were pretty much a copy of his own costume. Testing the armor and helping Charley learn to fly and use it seems like a perfect fit for a veteran JSAer.
However, Hawkman did not give Charley this armor, so that leaves the question of just where exactly it did come from. Don’t worry. That story’s still just waiting to be told.
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