Titans Tomorrow #6

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TITANS TOMORROW #6

FEAR ITSELF, part 3

Written and edited by Joel A. Sawyer


Just a moment ago, a young white-haired girl named Liana, who looked all of 12 or 13 years old, resolved to stop the man who has been causing the entire populace of Opal City to have nightmares. In one statement, her enemy revealed himself as Phobos, son of Ares and a Roman god of fear. He also recognized her for what she is. Her resolve had wavered, but then she saw her friends: Tamara Markov-Logan, daughter of Animal Man and Terra who could change her body into earth, stone, and even metal; Kilowatt, who controls and channels electricity; and Taurus, a Minotaur with great strength and speed. They were paralyzed, under Phobos’ control.

“I cannot use you,” Phobos stated in a pleased tone, a huge battle axe appearing in his hand and his red eyes blazing within his blue Roman centurion helm, “This is where it ends for you.”

A thump and a quick shuffling sound came from the hallway, and Arcana stepped into the room. She regarded the scene, smirking at the thought that the small girl was the enemy yet standing. Arcana sneered, “This one is giving you trouble?”

“She is not entirely human, and resists,” Phobos chuckled, “Nothing dangerous to me. What do you report.”

“I have failed you,” she said, her brow furrowed with concern under her own, red centurion helmet, “Our Peeping Tom had friends, including Starbolt and Cardinal in Ivy, and Battalion from Star City. I believe they are coming here.”

“Don’t be so serious,” Phobos barked at her, “My father disposes of his perceived lackeys when he is done with them, but I know not to waste a valuable asset. If we have some guests coming, would you prepare a suitable welcome?”

“Level of damage,” Arcana asked bluntly.

“You know what I’m looking for,” Phobos droned, “Capture any likely candidates, kill the rest. We could potentially triple our number of metas.” Arcana left, and Phobos turned back to Liana, saying, “Would you like to watch the pageant, little elemental?”

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Arcana floated outside while speaking magically to an unseen companion, “Get out here now, and bring Talos.” She stepped onto the grassy front lawn in front of the estate while bringing out and opening a cloth pouch. She drew out 20 glistening white teeth, each one long and sharp. Saltwater croc teeth, largest of the crocodilians, she thought to herself. With her thumb, she pushed a tooth into the dirt and whispered, “Cadmus.” She repeated the ritual nineteen times as her two warriors joined her.

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Having landed the plane about ½ mile away, they moved fast. Starbolt and Cardinal flew while Battalion and Fusion ran, Fusion running much more slowly so the others could keep up. In a burst of smoke Phantasm appeared ahead, his indigo soul-self unfolding itself majestically and spreading its chiropteran wings. Phantasm regarded them as they approached.

“Arcana waits for us,” he boomed.

“So much for surprise,” Battalion growled, “How do we do this?”

“Are you sure Tamara is still in there,” Starbolt hissed at Phantasm. The impassive face turned toward the manor.

“She is there, under an enchantment,” Phantasm replied.

“Then we do this straight on,” Starbolt growled, launching into the air.

Battalion smiled. “Time to let off some steam.”

As he vaulted the brick wall, Starbolt and Cardinal soared overhead and Fusion blew through the gate, knocking the left side right off its hinges with a Clang! Standing near the front steps of the estate, Arcana raised her hands like Heston parting the Red Sea, and as one of her most powerful spells surged through her frame, she howled, “Teeth of Cadmus!”
Like a time lapse video of a plant growing, twenty men sprouted from the grass across the lawn. Within ten seconds, even as the Titans closed on their enemy, a platoon of ancient Roman centurions complete with chestplates, helmets, shields, and small swords stood in rank before their creator. Each easily stood 6'5" tall with the build of a strongman. Even as they readied their attack, two others stepped out before Arcana. One was a seven foot tall bronzed figure, like a Greek statue of a great hero, who stomped heavily to her side. The other, also large and strong looking, had shaggy black hair and long beard, sickly yellowish skin, no clothing except for a black wrestling singlet, and one huge eye in the center of his head. He easily stood nine feet tall.

Undaunted, The Titans advanced.

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“Teeth of Cadmus!”

Both Phobos and Liana heard Arcana’s shout. “Ah, good tactic, and a strong magic. Now for you, little elemental,” Phobos said. As he move toward Liana, she changed suddenly, her skin darkening to grey-white and becoming rough and hard, her white hair transforming to dull green. Phobos chuckled again. “Do you think that will protect you from my axe?”

“You are so unconcerned that you lured me here,” Liana said sternly, “to an estate surrounded by trees?”

CREEAAKK!! The wall of the study exploded inward to the sound of breaking glass and timber. A huge, thick tree branch crashed into Phobos’ back, sending him sprawling. As he tried to recover, the branch swung again, driving the villain through an intact section of the wall and outside the estate, Liana following calmly behind.

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The huge crash from the side of the estate drew the attention of Arcana and the cyclops.

“Carrie, you first,” Starbolt suggested.

Cardinal nodded as they slowed, and she accessed the powers of Dove, enhancing nearly everything about her. She opened her mouth and let the electronic emitter in her throat do its work, sending a piercing shriek at half of the soldiers. The neo-Romans felt the concussion, but seemed unconcerned about the damage to their hearing. Starbolt shot one with his Psi-bolt, with no discernible reaction. Battalion and Fusion launched themselves into the soldiers, each sending them sprawling to the ground, but each Roman stood back up as if uninjured.

“I don’t think they are alive,” Battalion boomed in a deep voice while scissor-kicking one in the head, “They keep standing back up.”

“He ignored my friction touch,” Fusion added, confused.

“They are not alive,” Phantasm stated in his echoing, ghoulish voice, “I’ll see what I can do.”

The others fell in physically, punching and kicking with abandon, but the warriors did not respond to pain. Another huge crash resounded from the side of the home. “Perhaps you should see if he needs assistance,” Arcana suggested to the cyclops.

“You sure? He may be offended,” The cyclops asked in a rough, tough-guy voice.

“He may get angry if we don’t help him,” Arcana explained, “He’s not as unreasonable as his father, either way.”

As the cyclops turned, on the other side of the platoon of soldiers, Phantasm raised his hands. The bat-like shadow rose from him again and swept out like a dark fog across the lawn. As it swept by Phantasm’s allies, each felt a chill, like an icy wind rushing up underneath a shirt. When the shadow touched a Roman, however, he stumbled, paled, and began to melt away.

“Oh, that is not schway,” Fusion disgustedly said.

“Go,” Starbolt shouted, “Now!”

The foursome charged, Phantasm hanging back near the brick wall.

“Ry,” Battalion yelled, “how ‘bout the old ‘double-dose’ on Mean Mr. Mustard?”

“Like old times,” Starbolt agreed.

“Geez, you guys sound like your fifty,” Cardinal laughed.

They came in fast, Starbolt slowing and let the sprinting Battalion go first. As the cyclops turned back toward The Titans, Battalion drove his shoulder, dull steel spikes and all, into the giant’s gut. As the cyclops began to double over, Ryand’r flew over Battalion, arced upwards, and nailed the huge man with a jarring, vicious uppercut, catching the big man’s chin not with a fist, but with the edge of his metal forearm guard. The cyclops’ head snapped back, and it fell on its butt. And that was all that happened.

“Good shot,” one-eye said to the duo, who looked on in amazement. The cyclops grinned, just a tiny laceration on his chin. “I’m Brontes,” he said, “Nice ta meetcha! My silent partner is Talos. You think I’m tough, he’s the real piss-ant, and he won’t say a word while he beats ya ‘til you’re hamburger!” Brontes started to get up.

Fusion streaked forward, eyes on Arcana. With a quick, clean, raise and pull, the sorceress fired another searing white arrow from an invisible bow. Fusion, with her enhanced reflexes, easily sidestepped the bolt. “The only reason you hit me the first time, witch,” Fusion spat, “is because I thought my armor would deflect it. You won’t hit me with that again if I see it coming.” In response, Arcana rose into the air, out of Fusion’s reach. Fusion prepared a spectrum burst.

“Fusion,” Starbolt shouted, nodding toward Brontes as he launched himself at Arcana.

You’d better let me have a shot at her, Fusion thought as she hesitantly moved toward the cyclops.

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Almost like a rattling, metallic pinball, Phobos bounced from one tree to another as the branches batted him around. As he flew toward a trunk, he swung his axe into the wood, shattering it. This side yard of the estate looked like a light woods, but some of the trees were old and large, lording over the well-groomed lawn and occasional flower bed. Another branch swung, and Phobos severed it, bellowing, “Enough!” He glared at Liana, who stood calmly between the sections of a split trunk maple.

“Axes and trees,” Phobos said menacingly, “Trees don’t have much of a chance, do they?”

“The trees usually cannot fight back,” Liana said with a giggle.

“Such disrespect,” Phobos warned, “Don’t you realize you speak to a god?”

“These trees have been here for hundreds of years,” Liana said confidently, “They’ve felt those like you come and go. You are powerful, Phobos, but you aren’t a god. You’ve never been a god.”

Phobos roared with rage, and lost his focus.

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At that moment, Kilowatt blinked. As he tried to get his bearings, Taurus let out a shuddering breath, and then Tamara sighed deeply. Her eyes darted around the now half-demolished room. “Bastard,” she growled, and then she laughed evilly.

“I fail to see anything amusing,” Taurus grumbled, standing and stretching his huge frame.

“She said Starbolt and Battalion are here,” Tamara said viciously, “Together, they can kick almost anyone’s ass. Arcana is in deep doo doo.”

“What should we do,” Charlie asked.

“You two, please help Starbolt and Battalion,” Tamara said, “I’ll find Liana. By the sound of things, he hasn’t beaten her yet.”

“By yourself,” Taurus grunted.

“We only have to distract Phobos. The sooner we finish Arcana, the sooner we all can team-up against Phobos,” she declared before heading out through the huge hole in the wall.

“Not sure I would ever cross her if she were really angry,” the massive, seven-foot tall beast-man mentioned before heading for the front door, leaving Kilowatt to only stare at the behemoth.

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Starbolt fired a Psi-bolt at Arcana, who flinched but did not fall. “Fool,” she barked, “I currently have three layers of mystical protection. You won’t get me with that again tonight!”

Without batting an eye, Starbolt shot his knee at her head, a dull thud sounding as Arcana barely blocked with her shimmering round shield. Arcana backed away from Starbolt, whispering harshly, “Spear of Athena.”

Which is one of the queues Cardinal waited for. The moment Arcana said it, Carrie dove, and as the spear appeared in the magician’s hand, Cardinal swooped in, ripped the weapon out of its creator’s hand, twirled it over her head three times, and threw it right back. The swiftness and daring of the move took Arcana completely by surprise, as did the searing agony of the spear as it shot through her. Cardinal’s aim was doubly true as the spear hit Talos as well, but the bronze warrior did not flinch. Arcana, however, dropped to the grass but remained on her feet near Brontes. Seeing her, Fusion swept in and knocked Arcana down with a punch to the helmet.

“You’ll regret controlling me like that,” Fusion shrieked, not paying attention to the yellow-skinned cyclops. He swung his arm sideways in a wide arc and slapped Fusion across the large lawn.

“Two points,” the big man (?) guffawed.

Battalion leapt into the air, flipped, and brought his elbow down on Talos’ shoulder. A metallic Piiinnng! sounded as daggers shot up Gabe’s arm. The thing punched Battalion, bringing another world of pain from his chest where the big metal fist connected. Rolling to a stop, Battalion shouted, “Bleep!” Flecks of blood sprayed from his lips as he rose to a kneeling position.

“Ry, I need a moment,” he coughed, “Talos feels like he is solid metal!”

Starbolt buzzed the statue, flying around and harassing it without hitting hard. Battalion tried to shake it off. Fusion stood up with her attention fully on Brontes as Cardinal swooped in, analyzing the possibilities for the next attack. Suddenly, two new players entered the field, one a human blazing with electricity, the other a brown furred Minotaur almost seven feet tall. “This looks interesting,” the Minotaur offered.

Still on the ground, Arcana drew a bead on her enemy Taurus and whispered, “Arrow of Eros.”

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As Phobos stood preparing the bolt that should kill his insolent little opponent, he felt a hundred warm, tiny pin-pricks in his feet and calves. Looking down, he saw root tendrils stretching from the dirt to his legs. Into his legs.

“HAAAAHHRR!” Phobos roared incoherently and ripped his feet up, frying the root tendrils from him. He glared at Liana.

“So far, godling, you haven’t shown much power,” Liana chided.

Phobos reached out with an empty hand, and a large, yellow replica of the extremity emerged, growing as large as Phobos himself and slapping Liana, throwing her thirty feet and slamming her sideways into a tree trunk. Her torso bent back in a way human backs aren’t meant to.

“LIANA,” Tamara shouted. Phobos turned to the voice but she was on him, sprinting to him and throwing a punch. Just as her fist struck, she transformed to solid bedrock. Phobos head caromed off the fist and he stumbled. Tamara clasped her hands over her head and crashed them down onto her opponent’s back. Shifting her weight, she lifted him and threw him across the lawn. Tamara ran to Liana. “Are you all right,” she cried, “It looked like your back broke.”

Through her now green hair and rough, bark-like skin, Liana smiled. “I’m tougher than that,” she sighed, obviously in pain.

A Hssssssss filled the air, and both girls looked up. Phobos stared at them, his hands holding snapping, sparking, sizzling grey colored electricity.

“You want power,” Phobos asked coldly, calmly, “I have something even Ares does not have. I hold the power of the Lightning of Zeus!”

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Battalion stood closest to Taurus as the beast advanced. “I will protect Arcana,” he muttered, having fallen prey to her Arrow of Eros.

“Toro, hya!” Battalion shouted, hoping his arm was ready.

Even under Arcana’s influence, Taurus could respond to insults, and he did not recognize Battalion as an ally. He became angry. “I’ll crush you under my boot, maggot,” he growled, charging toward his perceived enemy. As Taurus closed, Battalion leapt into the air, grabbing a Minotaur horn in each hand and flipping over Taurus, snapping the bull-man’s head back. Battalion arched and landed on his feet, and Taurus slammed down on his back. Battalion turned and scissor-kicked the beast-man in his snout, noting that it drew no blood. Taurus rose very quickly for someone his size.

This one is tough, too, Gabriel thought.

Fuming, Fusion ran around the perimeter of the spacious front yard, building up speed. Starbolt distracted the metal Talos, who ignored Kilowatt’s lightning. Arcana again floated in the air, saying something about ‘Cloak of Hades’ as she approached Cardinal.

“I will keep your wings for trophies once you are dead,” Arcana laughed.

“You’ll die of old age before you can claim them, hag,” Cardinal spat back.

Suddenly, Cardinal was jerked back as huge hands grasped her wings. She locked eyes, or eye, with Brontes, who smiled maliciously at her.

“Cloak of Hades,” Arcana explained, “You could not detect him until he touched you.”

Arcana then flew straight at Starbolt and threw a clumsy punch. Starbolt easily blocked even as Arcana said, “Midas Touch.” Within seconds, his skin changed to a metallic gold color, and Starbolt fell with a dull thud to the grass below.

“Ry,” Cardinal screamed.

“Wonder how these would taste, barbeque style,” Brontes absent-mindedly wondered.

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[Glippernip]

Suddenly, Tamara and Liana were in a lot of trouble. Tamara, in bedrock form, took the first lightning bolt only to realize it was not normal lightning, and somehow, it hurt her deep inside. She levitated a large chunk of Earth and hurled it at Phobos, but the godling waved his hand and the dirt seemed to shift and disperse, filling the air with foul methane.

“Guess what, Tamara,” Phobos asked, “I know what scares you, deep in your little mind!”

Suddenly, Tamara found herself indoors in a war zone. Purple robed men and women fled for their lives. Familiar figures moved around her, figures she could almost recognize. Kid Flash was here, but it did not look like Reese. A woman with long black hair and a red costume tied up a dozen of the robed individuals with a gold rope. To the side, a black man with silver arms and legs choked someone on the ground. She saw Ryand’r’s mom fly towards the silver limbed man, and then she saw Starbolt. Except it wasn’t, just someone in a very similar costume. Is that Grayson, she thought. She looked at the silver man. Uncle Vic. Then, as small volcanoes erupted around her, she saw something that made her heart cry.

Her mother trying to kill her father.

Tara Markov-Logan looked impossibly young, girlish even. Insanity played on her face as Garfield Logan, in his red-and-white Changeling costume, tried to reason with her. Why show me this, Tamara cried, Why?

“Because he feels this is a weak point for you,” a low voice replied, “Because he wants you afraid and in emotional pain.”

“Who are you,” she stammered, “Where are we?”

“This is forty-six years ago,” Phantasm told her, “Your mother once acted as spy against the Titans and almost died amidst the chaos of her unstable mind. I can help you escape this, but you must calm down.”

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[Glippernip]

Tears streamed down Tamara’s face as she seemed to hold a conversation with no one. Phobos approached, his axe at ready. Liana stepped forward, her eyes glinting wickedly, and a tree root shot from the ground through his armor, into his abdomen and out through the back of his shoulder. Red ichor dripped from the tip of the root.

“Blood,” Liana stated, “You really aren’t a god anymore. You are mortal.”


“Not for long,” Phobos said, “I say, you will never beat me.” With a sudden crack of thunder and an explosion of reddish-pink energy, Phobos vanished, knocking Liana and Tamara away.

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[Glippernip]

Just as the cyclops began to pull Cardinal’s wings, Fusion sprinted up behind him and placed her hands on his butt cheeks, releasing all of the friction heat she had built up. Brontes howled from the sudden hotseat, and Cardinal took advantage by giving him a point-blank sonic cry and kicking her captor straight in the eye, the soft ‘squish’ of the large orb nearly grossing her out.

“AAAHHH!” Brontes yelled, “What kind of hero takes out a guy’s only eye?”

“Just call me No One,” Cardinal replied.

Cardinal watched as Battalion flipped his Minotaur opponent near Talos. With a smirk, she used her Talon whip to bind Talos’ ankles, then she shoved Taos over. Taurus grunted painfully as Talos landed on him. Battalion slapped the ground next to the pile.

“One, two, three,” he shouted, “The new WWEX Champion!”

“I’ll kill you when I get up,” Taurus said, then he bellowed, “Get off of me, you big, bronze oaf!”

Battalion rolled over, seeing Arcana prepare a new spell. In about three seconds, he pulled two curved rods from the thigh of his suit and snapped them together, a string already in place. From his wrist band he pulled a six-inch shaft and extended it, attaching a feather head on one end and a blunt tip on the other. It wasn’t a great bow, strictly for shorter range shooting. “Hey, Arcana,” he called, “Arrow of Curly Joe!”

She watched as he fired, and blocked with her golden shield. The arrowhead exploded in a dark cloud. Instantly, Arcana’s eyes tear up, her nostrils burned, and she sneezed.

“What did (Sheeww!) you do,” she rasped.

“Black pepper,” Battalion replied. A second later, the real arrow punched through Arcana’s shoulder with the sound not unlike biting an apple, stopping with the bloody tip jutting out behind and the tail sticking out above her armpit.

Suddenly there was a thunderclap, and a man in blue armor and red, glowing eyes grabbed Arcana.

“We are done here,” Phobos said, laying his hand on Brontes as well. “Say, you should come, as well.” Another explosion of reddish-pink energy, and the three of them were gone. Talos, still on the ground, stopped moving.

Phantasm appeared just a moment later, Liana and Tamara stepping out of his soul-self. Battalion walked up to her even as Taurus wrenched himself free of his steel ‘friend’. Cardinal landed near Starbolt, who remained a statue. Kilowatt extinguished his electricity, Fusion stopped next to him, panting slightly.

“OK,” Cardinal said to Battalion and Tamara, “You are Titans, family members, right? How do we reverse this? Who do we go to?”

They took a look at Ryand’r, the surprised expression frozen on his face. “I’ve reversed this before,” Tamara offered, “but I was the one transformed.”

“I’ve heard of a new Marvel,” Battalion mused, “Wonder if there is an old wizard around? Phantasm, do you know how to contact Raven?”

Phantasm sighed. No one could see the exhaustion on his face. He approached Starbolt, knelt down and cradled his patient’s head. Testing the injury, he discovered it was actually a form of paralysis masked in gold color, temporary and non-fatal. He forged on, discovering a counter and dispelling the magic.

“Wow,” Ryand’r mumbled, “I could see and hear everything.”

Phantasm stood up. “You no longer need me,” he said, “I will take my leave.”

“That was abrupt,” Fusion said as Phantasm disappeared in a cloud, “This was so schway. We won!”

Starbolt grimaced as he stood up. “Maybe,” he offered, “but they got away. Do you guys know what he was here for?”

“He was giving Opal City nightmares,” Tamara replied, “and he is collecting items of power.”

“Why,” Starbolt asked, and none of them could answer. “Then I’m not really seeing this as a victory. It’s not over.”

Later, in the manor, they learned that the powerful artifacts were gone.

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[Glippernip]

“Why did we flee,” Arcana asked bitterly, tending to the wound in her shoulder, “We could have finished them.”

“Yes, but at what cost,” Phobos answered, “My battle nearly cost me one of my items, and I may need the brats later. Particularly the electric one. He would replace Live Wire nicely.”

-END-