Young Justice #1

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Young Justice 1
Young, Just Us Again
Part 1:
A Friend in Need

Written and Edited by Daniel Dyer

Flashback. The hospital room of Anita Fite. As the young heroine is packing her clothes, getting ready to check out, she hears a knock at her window.

“Huh?” looking out the window, Anita sees a blonde girl, hovering, wearing red spandex, a golden lasso at her hip, and an overlapping “W” on her chest. “Cassie?” she says as she opens the window. “What are you doing at my window?”

“I’m here to invite you to the Teen Titans,” Wonder Girl says as she sits on the window’s edge. “You’ve recovered from your injuries and if you want, we have a place for you.”

Anita, looking somewhat disgusted at that, says, “I’m not a sellout.”

“Hold up. You calling me a sellout?”

“No... I...”

“A friend of mine died,” looking down at the floor. “Donna.... She was like a... sister. We were... reckless. She paid the price for it. We needed training. We needed better...leadership.”

“Mon, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant... the Titans are for you. You have a legacy to uphold. Donna’s. Be proud of her legacy. Me, I need to find my own place in the world. And for now, it’s not with the Titans,” Anita says as she puts the last of her things in her duffel bag.

“I understand.”

“We’re still friends. Come on, let’s get a pizza.”

“Sure thing, ‘mon,’” saying as they leave the room. “So, where are you going to be staying?"

“I figured I could stay in the resort up in the Catskill Mountains. If that’s okay with you guys?"

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Aaaannd.........flashback. The cave dwelling of one green skinned, amphibious being simply known as Lagoon Boy, as he plays a video game with a guest, Bart Allen, the sometimes impulsive Kid Flash.

Lagoon Boy, pointing past Bart, says, “Bart, look!”

Bart, never taking his eyes off the game, sends one of his “scouts” out, looking all over the cave, behind a picture, under a pebble, everywhere, then returning to Bart. “Nothing there.” Throwing his hands in the air as he shouts, “YES!! I win!”

Lagoon Boy, face shifting from a blank stair to form a smile. “Sweet! And I thought you could only run fast!”

“Nope... good at video games, too.” Turning to Lagoon Boy, “So... you thought about the offer?”

“I dunno. I’m not really a super hero.”

“Aw, come on. Look...” speeding out of the cave only to return a second later, in his full costume (a yellow shirt with a lightning bolt in a white circle on his chest, red leggings, yellow boots with matching gloves with lightning-like points on them, and his yellow mask, his wild hair coming out of the top) holding up a Aquaman-esque costume which has an orange, scaly shirt, green leggings, and a golden belt with the initials “L.B.” on it. “See? I already have a costume for you. Pleasepleasepleaseplease.”

“I’ll think about it,” picking up the video controller, “Now back to ‘Blades of Vengeance.’”

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Aaaannd... present. (Thought I was gonna say “flashback,” didn’t you?) As the new Firestorm, a young African-American in an orange uniform, with an atomic symbol on his chest and flaming hair, is flying over his city, the Teen of Steel, in his blue jeans and black T-shirt with a red “S” shield on his chest, is flying in the distance, trying to catch him.

“Hey, Flamehead!” Superboy shouts.

“Huh?” looking behind him to see Superboy. “Oh. What do you want?” flying down to a rooftop.

“Superman suggested to Cyborg that we offer you membership to the Teen Titans,” flying to Firestorm.

“Why?”

That’s when a figure in red and green with a black cape, green eyemask, and a stylized yellow “R” on the left side of his chest emerges from behind Firestorm. “Batman wants us to keep an eye on you.”

“What...?! Since you put it that way...” flying off the roof in a hurry.

“Nice going, Wonder Boy. I thought I was the tactless one.”

As Firestorm flies through the air, The nerve of those guy. Oh yeah, I’m the big bad teen sidekick of the Batman. Look at me, I’m so speci.... seeing a break in down below at some store for the occult. A big blue-skinned looking guy with red eyes, long black hair and a big sword, dressed as a warrior of some kind is busting out the back door. He is Harm. So much for the Bat and the big blue boy scout. “This is a job for FIRESTORM,” flying at Harm. “Hey, ugly, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Ugly? You ever look in a mirror...Jason?” hurling his sword at Firestorm.

“Hu...?” surprised that this villain knows his real name, Jas...er...Firestorm is unable to dodge completely and the sword slices into his shoulder. “AARRGH!” Falling at Harm’s feet.

“Surprised, Jason? I would recognize you anywhere, in any ridiculous get-up,” turning to walk away.

“Who...?” reaching for Harm’s leg, but his hand passes right through.

“It’s Harm... now,” picking up his sword as he grabs his bag of stolen merchandise and continues to walk. “That’s all you need to know, ‘pal.’”

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The Catskill Mountains, the one time headquarters to the world infamous Young Justice. Now Anita Fite’s day care service.

Trying to watch Ace Atkins on TV as her mom’s crying in a playpen and she’s trying to give her dad a bottle, Anita thinks, Mon, I need to give my parents up for adoption.

“The all new Firestorm was downed by this one time Young Justice villain,” Ace reports.

“Huh?”

Ace, showing a mug shot of Harm, “Harm. Not much is known about him other than his obsession with taking out heroes, starting with Young Justice. Soon after his first tussle with the teen heroes he just... vanished. Why resurface now? What purpose does he have? Was his robbery just a ruse to flush out the new Nuclear Man or is this something more?”

“Robbery?” putting her dad in the playpen and heading to a door that says, “Bart’s case file,” on it with a drawing of Impulse on the sign. “Better research this guy. Shouldn’t take too long. I mean, how many cases could our short-lived team have had,” opening the door to see filing cabinets and files everywhere. Anita picks up a file, seeing it’s a drawing of Bart’s representing just a segment of a case. “BART!!!!”

A couple of hours later, as Anita’s flipping through the drawings, mumbling, “Bart’s dead the next time I... ahh... this should be it. Harm’s way.”

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

San Francisco, as Lagoon Boy swims under the Golden Gate Bridge, taking pictures with his instant camera.

“Cool. Blubber’d love this. San Francisco is awesome,” turning from seeing the bridge and looks onward, to Titan Tower. “Whoa.” Swimming towards the island, Lagoon Boy announces, “Teen Titans, here I come.”

Reaching the island, Lagoon Boy walks through the gate and sees the statue of the founding five Titans. The young amphibian sets up his camera on a tripod and starts climbing up the statues. “Sorry. Coming through. Don’t mind me.” Reaching Speedy’s arm, he slips, falling towards Aqualad’s statue. “Whoa!” crashing into that statue, its head smashing when it falls to the floor. “Uh-oh.”

Soon, as Lagoon Boy has duct taped the head back together and is putting it back on top of Aqualad’s shoulders, the phone rings, startling him, making him snap a picture as he slips again, knocking the statue over again, this time smashing the entire thing.

Looking at the statue’s pieces, “Oops.” The phone still ringing, Lagoon Boy goes inside answering it. “Titans Tower, home to their newest member, Lagoon Boy.”

“LAGOON BOY?!? Uh.... where’s Cyborg? Starfire? God, even Beast Boy.”

“Cassie? There’s no one here. I decided to take Bart up on his offer.”

“Bart offered you membership?? He is so dead. Look, this is an emergency. I need one of the Titans.”

“What can I do for you?”

“The real Titans. Greta’s been kidnapped.”

“Secret? I’m on my way,” hanging up.

“No...we need...” click.

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Soon, as Lagoon Boy arrives at the dorm of Greta, where the Boy Wonder is investigating the crime scene. He sees Cissie, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash waiting.

“Has he found anything yet?”

“Not yet. Where are the other Titans?

“I don’t know, no one was at the tower.”

Robin, inspecting some cut marks on the bed, “Billy’s back.”

“Who’s Billy?” Lagoon Boy says, scratching his head.

“Harm,” a voice says from the doorway. The team looks on, seeing Anita Fite, wearing her brown and purple Empress costume, pony tale sticking out the back of the mask, carrying her baton, “Greta’s brother. Billy Hayes. He had a run-in with the new Firestorm not long ago. I say we start with questioning this new Firestorm.”

“Um...” Wonder Girl starts, “shouldn’t we get the older Titans in on this?”

“No,” Robin, standing upright, disagrees, “this is Young Justice business.”

Continued...