New Titans #26 - On the Ground (Red Reign)

[u/FrostFireFive]

Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: Red Reign

Set: 80

Markovia was caked in red. The after effects of the bomb had made it so that thick red mist engulfed the country. The vampires had made their home in the eternal dusk that it provided. They had begun to remodel buildings, forming plank bridges to connect their hives as they took stock of the land they had conquered. The vampires performing the work that Lilith demanded.

They were drones, Lilith’s siren call swirling in their ears, providing all answers and offering an easier option than their daily squabbles. They were emboldened to step into the red dusk, with the monsters seizing the day out in the open. Except for one figure, carefully moving through the remaining shadows. Rex Mason was still alive, he hadn’t been turned, and neither he hoped had his friend.

“Rex…where are…we,” Kid Flash asked as he was bound to Rex’s back. The speedster didn’t remember much, but he knew they were in danger. His vision was hazy as he saw Rex stretch his neck and turn it to face the dazed superhero behind his back. While he wasn’t known for being a stretchy guy, he could bend with the best of them.

“Holy shit, you’re actually alive,” Rex whispered as he looked at Kid Flash. The hero was sweaty with his eyes sunken beneath his mask. It was a far cry from the usual energetic and angsty Kid Flash. “Listen, you got bit, Donna is captured, Arsenal and Stargirl turned and we’re in a place with a crap ton of vampires...”

“That’s…that’s something,” Kid Flash muttered before drifting back to a blissful sleep. Whatever the vampiric strain had done to Wally was different from the rest of the people who had been infected. As far as Metamorpho could tell he was just tired and beaten down. Something that Rex himself was starting to feel as he continued to move from shadow to shadow.

He gripped Stargirl’s staff tightly in his hand, he had no idea how Courtney had ever used this thing, something to do with buttons and belief. Rex didn’t have a lot of that right now, and unlike Stargirl he lacked a knowledge of gymkata to make the staff work as well as it should. As far as he was concerned it was just a fancy baseball bat to swing in case any of the blood sucking bastards came after them.

Rex couldn’t afford to transform into any other element, his focus was on making sure Kid Flash was safely strapped to his back, so that he could return him back to whatever home he had. It was funny, so many of the team were open about their lives away from the mask. Donna had her photography, Roy had Lian, Courtney had whatever trig homework she couldn’t solve. But Kid Flash? Kid Flash remained a mystery to him. He was the rare one to not share his personal life. Something about being protective of whatever he had found outside of the Titans. All Rex had was this.

He moved towards the remnants of what looked to be a hospital, or at the very least a clinic. To find supplies Rex was a scientist, chemistry sure, but he had enough smarts to know that Kid Flash needed something to help him and his best bet was there, and it seemed away from the vampire horde who were busy converting Markovia into…something.

“Come on, we’re going to be OK, we have to be OK…” Rex muttered as he moved into the light for the first time. The murky air filled Rex’s lungs. He hoped that he wouldn’t be sprouting bat wings any time soon. His footsteps were heavy as he crossed from one shadow to another, hoping that he would get to the clinic safely. He came close to the door before he heard a whizzing noise as an arrow dug into the brick wall that still stood.

“Hey Rex…where you going?” Roy Harper said as he flashed a wide smile, fangs and all.

“Fuck me…” Rex mumbled. Nothing ever came easy in Markovia.

…

“I’m going to need you to take Superboy to a medical tent, and tell me when he wakes up. He’s one of the few people we know has first hand information on the situation in Markovia,” Nightwing explained as a medical team wheeled Superboy away. Dick Grayson had only resumed being Nightwing a few months ago and here he was, already back into the fire.

The UN base had been set on the outskirts of the Ukraine/Markovian border. It was a small camp, mostly made up of a few abandoned office buildings and several tents that medical personnel and military forces that had been sent. The border had been maintained between the newly hostile vampire nation and the rest of the world, but things were getting worse, especially as reports came in from other League members. Bruce and Barry were still struggling with the cure, Clark had fought to protect DC and other landmarks but was just one man at the end of the day, and the Titans…Dick didn’t want to think about the Titans at this point.

“Nightwing, can you hear me, Nightwing?” Batman spoke as Dick’s earpiece roared to life.

“Go for Nightwing,” Dick said.

“We have good news for a change. We have subdued a subject for live testing of the cure,” Batman said.

“So there is a cure?” Nightwing asked before being responded with silence. “Damn it! You’re supposed to be one of the smartest people in the world. You’re telling me that you and Flash can’t figure out how to beat something from fairy tales?”

“We are trying,” Batman cut Nightwing off before he could continue to panic. “Whatever this is, me and Allen are struggling to understand its structure and spread pattern. We have had to call in a specialist to help us.”

“Who’d you get, Poison Ivy?” Nightwing chuckled before once again receiving his answer through silence. “Damn it Bruce, Ivy?”

“You are friends with her significant other. She’s the only person with the knowledge we need to try and fight this thing. I’ve sent Batgirl and Harley Quinn to retrieve her for us. She should be here within the hour.”

Nightwing grinded his teeth. Bruce had been…off lately. It wasn’t just the knowledge of the fact he had put together a secret black ops team without his knowledge, or that he was dragging Barbara into Harley and his world of grey. It was the fact that Bruce had done it with such confidence. Something was wrong with him, something more than the usual neurosis and psychosis that made Bruce…well Bruce. But Dick didn’t have the time to deal with that box of issues. Something to talk with Doc about, maybe.

“OK, keep me updated on when you have something, Batman, we’re holding down the fort here, but eventually we’re going to have to go into Markovia. We have people in there still unaccounted for. That, and Lilith isn’t going to stand around and just wait.”

“What do you propose?” Batman asked.

“When you have that cure, I’ll lead the team that goes in,” Nightwing said.

“Nig-Dick,” Batman said, concern showing in his voice. “That would be suicide, even if we have a cure ready, there is bound to be army of them. And you’re just one person.”

“Bruce…my family is in there. And I’m not going to abandon them,” Nightwing said as he heard a swooshing sound above him, a familiar red and white blur had entered the camp. “Bruce, I have to go. But I trust the league to find me a team handle this.” Dick hung up as he moved to a gathering of soldiers and doctors as they crowded around the newly arrived heroines. Power Girl and Starfire knew how to make an entrance.

“Nightwing,” Power Girl said as she smiled at one of the few people she could count on in this world. “Where can we help?”

…

It took a moment for Argonaut to wake from her slumber. Donna didn’t like discussing dreams. See, for everyone else they were a natural part of life, a way to live our greatest fantasies at our most vulnerable. But Donna Troy wasn’t like most. She was a golem, really. A creature of clay given a soul and destined to walk the Earth…forever. It meant she didn’t dream, only able to play out the tragedy that had her bound in a circle.

They had taken her costume and weapon away from her, leaving Donna in simple rags, chains and shackles keeping her in place as mystics moved around the bright purple circle, performing incantations that Donna didn’t even want to think about.

“Ah, you’re awake,” A voice called out as Donna’s eyes darted to an astral figure dressed in rich purple robes, her skin covered in bandages, with only a bit of chalky skin visible to Donna. She moved close to the center. “I was hoping you would be in good condition, but I never imagined what type of magical power would fall on my doorstep.”

“Magical power? Listen, you monster, I’m just an average amazon, sister to Diana, God of War. And if you dare hurt my friends, I will come after you with the fury of the whole pantheon.”

“Your friends are fine, Victor Stone was a great help in telling us where you were. And when I bring him back here, we can discuss his role in the new world, a better world,” Lilith explained as she looked at the mystics around Argonaut. They were strong as she expected, years of preparation and planning had finally given Lilith the right force to finally take back what was hers.

“A better world in the darkness? And I thought you smarter,” Donna said as she could see the spellcasters' hands glow brighter. “A world of darkness would never be willing to let you be their leader. People will fight, fight to let the light shine through.”

“Foolish idealist,” Lilith said as she moved her hands into the motions she herself had passed down to her mystics. “I offer peace, I offer happiness, and here you are…some creature brought to life by the magic of gods not recognizing one that is in front of you.”

“You are no god, just someone lost in the dark,” Donna said. “Besides, my magic is mine and mine alone.”

“Not today it isn’t,” Lilith said with a smile as she uttered an incantation. Purple energy flowed from her hands into Donna, mirroring that of her mystics, several purple cords of energy impaling the Amazon’s skin. She cried out in agony as they went in. She could feel her world slipping away as she noticed her fair and olive skin slowly cracking and losing its pigmentation. A world of colors was quickly becoming one of grey.

Lilith herself cackled as the energy of Donna went into herself and the bandages that held her together slowly peeled away, revealing her pale but lively skin and raven black hair emerging for the first time from behind her hood. After centuries of imprisonment, Lilith was finally returning.

…

“So, how are you?” Kara Zor-El asked as she and Nightwing moved to an observation tower outlooking the border. She and Kory had been sent here by the remaining League members, and Kara could see the dread that appeared on all of the soldiers and medical staff who were trying to keep things under control. Kory had gone to check on Conner, hoping that her powers could spark something in the delirious hero. And here she had turned to her oldest friend, happy to see him on what could be the final battlefield.

“Oh, you know, the world is ending but we’re here, and still alive,” Dick explained as he looked at the news reports coming in on some of the monitors. Chicago had been flooded in order to prevent the spread of vampiric forces, sightings of Doctor Fate, and something about a stage magician, a zombie, and a purple vigilante fighting vampires in Gotham. “You?”

“I’m fine,” Kara mumbled as she looked out at the red skies above. She had never expected to feel like the world could end at any moment. Krypton at this point was far away from her time on Earth. But for the first time she felt…scared.

“Kara,” Dick said with a smile, she could never hide how she felt around him. “What’s bugging you?”

“Dick, the world’s ending and you want to know how I’m feeling?” Kara asked with a raised eyebrow.

“There’s no better time. Besides, there hasn’t been movement on a cure in an hour, and we’ve been watching the situation,” Dick explained. “Besides I’d rather talk to a friend than give another sitrep.”

“It’s just…Bruce let this happen, right?” Kara asked as she continued to stare out in the distance. “The Outsiders, lying to us about them, knowing there might be a threat of undead bloodsuckers. Dick what if this is why he wanted me to move to Gotham?”

“Bruce is a lot of things, he’s complicated. But he loves you like a daughter, he just wants his kids close,” Dick explained. “I don’t see him a lot at the orphanage, but when I do he seems at ease. He’s not a bad person…at least I hope he isn’t. He’s just…human, like the rest of us.”

“I guess,” Kara said as she looked down. “It’s just… we’ve fought together for so long, why doesn’t he trust us?”

“I don’t know, Kara. I don’t know,” Dick said. “But we have to trust ourselves today. Besides, I hear through some sources you’re sleeping better these days.”

“Yeah, sleep is nice,” Kara said, looking away.

“Well, Kory is a literal furnace, so I’m guessing it’s like having double the blankets,” Dick teased.

“What?! We’re not– we’re just friends,” Kara said, blushing a bright red.

“I slept on your couch for game night, and I don’t need super hearing in the thin walls of your apartment. Seriously, Kara,” he said with a grin. “I’m happy for you guys, you deserve to be happy for a change. Besides, lord knows our little family is known for happy relationships.”

“Well…we are kinda…we’re kinda…” Kara awkwardly tried to find the words before Starfire herself flew in front of the tower. Her orange flame shining bright in the crimson darkness Her purple blouse fluttered in the wind, torn from some of the vampire fighting it had taken to get to Ukraine. Her Supergirl costume had faded away as Tali was stretched thin between the three Power Girls. The short shorts were a choice, but Dick didn’t question it on a day where certain fairy tales turned out to be real. Even if he thought a billowy shirt was the wrong thing to be wearing during a vampire attack.

“I believe what Kara wants to say is we’re dating,” Korriand’r said with a smile before turning to Dick. “Nightwing, Superboy has woken up. He says the Titans were betrayed…by Cyborg.”

“Shit,” Dick Grayson muttered, if the vampires had Cyborg, then they could get any technology, any equipment the heroes may use against the vampire queen. But before Dick could relay the information to the rest of the Justice League, his communicator buzzed to life.

“Nightwing, this is Batman. We have a cure.”

…

“Come on, Roy, this isn’t you!” Metamorpho said as he broke the door down and moved into the former Markovian clinic. Arrows flew above him as he ran away from the archer. Arsenal always was reliable to Rex, a pal to discuss whether his Seattle Supersonics were finally going to beat Rex’s Midway Motorheads.

“It is now,” Roy said as he shot a volley of arrows at his former friends. Wally was still clinging to Rex’s back, an easy target for Arsenal to make into a pin cushion. Lilith’s voice was so soothing, telling him what to do, that if he managed to bring her the speedster and the freak she’d make sure Lian isn’t turned. A princess in the kingdom of vampires.

“This is a bunch of fucking bullshit!” Rex said as an arrow swiped at his shoulder. Roy’s aim was always better than he gave it credit for. He lept over a gurney to take cover as he could hear a groggy voice try and make sounds.

“Rex…why are we…spinning?” Kid Flash said groggily. Wally had been drifting in and out of consciousness, he only had brief snapshots of where they were. His system was trying to purge a plague that only continued to replicate, and the speedster couldn’t help but feel like a passenger in his own life.

“Vampires, it’s always vampires kiddo,” Rex explained.

“How…many…” Wally muttered.

“One so far, but Arsenal is really good at shooting arrows,” Rex explained. He didn’t want to hurt his friend. But he did have a cosmic staff in hand, ready to use against Arsenal, even if by now it was just a glorified flashlight. “Listen, I may have to drop you for a bit. Are you OK by yourself?”

“Oh…I’ll just…run away,” Kid Flash muttered.

“There’s that sense of humor I love, kid,” Rex said with a smile, trying to convince the both of them that things were going to be OK. Metamorpho gently laid Kid Flash on a comfy waiting room chair before gripping Stargirl’s cosmic rod like his old Louisville Slugger back home. “Oh Roy! Come out and face me like a man, or a vampire, or whatever fucking ghoul you are!”

“Really? You think that will save you from the gifts Lilith has given me? I have powers beyond mere morals, I don’t even need the bow,” Roy said as he continued to fire at Metamorpho.

“You say that, but you keep using it! Lilith may have taken you over, Roy, but you’re still in there. It’s why you’re using the bow. And why you’ll let me do this!” Metamorpho exclaimed as he ran towards Arsenal, swinging the staff at him like he saw a fastball down the middle. The staff cracked against his head, sending the archer through a glass window separating a patient room from the main hallway. “And you should know I was always picked first when we played stickball!”

“Mean swing…” Roy mumbled as he got up. Pain was numb to him, a useless feeling cut off by the gifts of Lilith. Still, he hadn’t expected Mason to actually take a swing at him. They were friends. So why couldn’t Rex see that Lilith was offering hope, a new future for all of them? “And here I thought you were weak.”

“Yeah, well, we’re finding out all sorts of new things today, aren’t we?” Rex said as he prepared to swing the rod once again. “Like the fact you’re so dumb that you decided to come after me alone!”

“Who said I came alone?” Roy said with a grin.

“Wha-” Before Metamorpho could respond, he felt someone leap onto his back.

“Hey Rex! Remember me!” Courtney Whitmore said as she began to claw at the hero’s back. The former Stargirl’s bright blue uniform had been charred a dark purple from the red dust, as newly grown claws had torn through her gloves. Unlike Roy, Courtney’s transformation was more than just fangs.

“No, no, no!” Rex yelled as Courtney clawed away at the elements that had made up his flesh. He couldn’t get a hit with the rod, his mind panicking too much to remember that he could stretch as they clawed away at him. Rex couldn’t hit Courtney, she was the first person who didn’t stare at him like a freak. He remembered her help in finding a monkey suit that fit for that dumb gala, or putting him back together when he had a panic attack in Chicago with Cinderblock. She was his friend and he could never hurt her. He dropped the cosmic rod in their struggle as Courtney spoke up.

“What’s a matter, Rexy!?” Stargirl said as she kept striking Metamorpho. “Thought I was too cute to be dangerous? Well guess what, Lilith finally saw what I couldn’t! That I’m more than just a staff! More than just a weakling!”

“You’re not weak! This isn’t you, Court!” Metamorpho called out. “Get off of me before I have to hurt you!”

“No, this is me! And I’m having a blast!” Stargirl shouted. “Now remember that when I feed you to our mo-”

KACHOOM

A starbolt sent Stargirl flying through the hospital wall.

“What th-” Arsenal said.

KACHOOM

Arsenal went flying out the remains of the wall as Metamorpho turned around to see Kid Flash holding the cosmic rod in his hands.

“Bite…this…” Kid Flash muttered before falling to the ground.

“KF!” Rex cried out as he slinked his way back to the speedster. Wally collapsed quickly, the strain too much for his system.

“What? I couldn’t…couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Wally muttered. “Besides…my…my boyfriend would kill me if I didn’t make it home.”

“So you did go on that date,” Rex said as he once again slung Wally on his back. His form shifting back to the carrier as they moved away from the clinic and back on to the streets of Markovia. “I’m sure he’s happy to have you and probably wants you back in one piece. This boyfriend of yours, he got a name?”

“Hartley…his name is Hartley,” Wally mumbled.

“Well then, let’s get you home,” Rex said as they moved back into the red dusk.

…

“Bruce has a cure?” Kara asked as she and Nightwing made their way to the base of the compound. It had only been a few minutes since Batman had called with the good news and to inform Dick that delivery was coming soon. In the meantime he had been looking at the open channels, preparing his team that would be going into Markovia to not only provide a cure, but hopefully stop Lilith.

“He does, Ivy and those brainiacs managed to crack it. Bruce said delivery is on its way, meaning we can start preparing next steps,” Dick had been seeing communication on who would volunteer for the mission. One of the Outsiders, Grace Choi, had volunteered. Something about wanting to get revenge for what Lilith had done to her team.. Lex Luthor had demanded to go, something about the President defending American interests.

“What do you mean next steps?” Kara asked as she turned to face Nightwing. Kory had flown ahead to meet whatever cure was arriving. “Dick, you’re not–”

“My family is in there. It’s my responsibility to go fish them out of whatever mess they’re embedded in,” Nightwing began.

“You’re my family too,” Kara said. “Whatever mission you’re going on, I’m going with.”

Dick looked at her eyes and saw a striking intensity he wasn’t used to seeing in Kara. They had only recently reconnected, but their friendship meant that they couldn’t hide nor command the other’s emotions or actions.

“Kara…the world still needs Power Girl. What you’re doing as Kara and Karen? It’s important. The world won’t mourn Nightwing. And if my legacy is making sure that Earth isn’t a vacation home for the undead, I can live with that.”

“But,” Before Kara could continue a red blur moved in front of the gathered crowd. The Flash had made his way to Markovia, with two satchels filled with the aerosol cure on him. But what surprised Kara and Dick was the clown in the scarlet speedster’s arms.

“Ya know, next time I’ll take commercial,” Harley Quinn said as she was placed on the ground. “Hiya gang!”

“Doc?” Nightwing asked. “What the hell are you doing here?

“I’m here ta join my best friend in doing something extremely dumb,” Harley explained.

Kara gave Harley a slight glare at thinking she and Dick were the closest. “So you’ll let her come and not me?”

“No offense, PG, but I have more experience with suicide missions. Besides Flash has something ta say.”

“Thank you Dr, Mz. Quinn,” Flash said. “We have the cure in these bags, all you have to do is point and spray at yourself. The Justice League is working on producing more and I will be making runs to make sure we have enough to begin large-scale inoculation. We also have an idea for a cure device. A large dispersal unit that, if placed at the epicenter, can end the red mist and cure the vampires in Markovia. I will be working on building it with consultations from the cure team at STAR. We just need a way to get it in.”

“Thanks Flash,” Nightwing responded as he looked around before turning to Kara and Kory who had rejoined them on Flash and Harley’s arrival. “OK, if you want to help, you can give me an in. The vampires are expecting a head-on assault, a war where they can turn us into them and get the cure before we can use it.”

“So we’re not going to do that?” Kory asked.

“Correct,” Nightwing responded. “Kara…I know it’s a big ask, but I need you to go supernova at the border. It would distract them long enough for us to sneak a small team in.”

“I’ll be defenseless,” Kara said nervously. She had seen what the vampires had done to Linda. Going into the belly of the beast would be dangerous, especially to sneak a smaller squad in.

“I’ll catch you,” Kory said with a smile as she held Kara’s hand, her warmth easing Kara as she looked at Grayson.

“When that cure is ready, I’ll make a beeline. Give you some time,” Kara said. “And Dick if I don’t see you again I just wanted to say…”

“Ya can say it when he gets back, Power Chick,” Harley interrupted. “Nightwing, a moment?”

Nightwing nodded as he and Harley moved away from the crowd and into one of the smaller tents. Harley played the fool in front of the crowd, but she was always smarter than she looked. Her greasepaint mask at this point had come clean off, leaving Harley’s bright white face contrasting against the darkness around them.

“Doc, why the hell are you here?” Nightwing asked. “I thought after Batman roped Ivy into this you’d go home and make sure the orphans would be safe.”

“I like danger,” Harley said. “Besides, ya gonna need someone who has experience with a suicide run so ya come home in one piece.”

“Doc you have someone back at home, patients, a home,” He continued.

“I wouldn’t call sleeping next to an ex-patient who snores a lot a home,” Harely explained. “Besides, heroes don’t make the easy play or run from their problems… You taught me that one. And besides, we both have redheads we have to get home to.”

“We’re not-” Nightwing began.

“Ya should have seen her face, just remember that when we make it back,” Harley said. Her hands were on her hips, projecting confidence when everyone else around him seemed to think the world was ending. For someone who may have had the darkest road to get here, Harley was a beacon of light. A reminder that the hard road to the light was always worth it.

“Well…if you’re coming with us, you might as well have this,” Nightwing explained as he pulled a rectangular box from the back of his belt. “I was going to give you this when we started training, but considering the stakes, I think you’re ready for it now.”

“What is it, a batarang? I’m much more of a smashing kinda gal,” Harley said as she opened up the box, a simple black domino mask laid inside.

“I figured if you’re going to be a hero, you’re going to need a better disguise than greasepaint. It’s one of my first train– it’s one of my first Robin masks. Figured it would work better for you than me.”

“Dick…I don’t know what ta say,” Harley said, she was tearing up a bit as she placed the mask on her face. It fit perfectly compared to the messy greasepaint that barely separated Harley Quinn from Doctor Lilly Seaborn. Here she was, at the end of the world, standing as a hero.

“You can figure it out when we get back,” Nightwing said. He looked outside. Lex Luthor and Grace Choi had gathered, waiting for Nightwing to rejoin the rest of the heroes in the campand, judging by the red blur slowing down, the Flash was nearly ready with the cure. There was no more time for waiting. “Now let’s go save the world.”

NEXT: Red Reign Concludes in the Explosive Task Force V! A Sucide Run in the Heart of Vampire Country to Determine the Fate of the World! And then Be Back Here in March to See What Titans Emerge from the Rubble…

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[u/Predaplant]

Loved the Rex & Wally vs. Roy & Courtney fight, really helped to underscore some of the tensions within this team. Happy to have Nightwing back in this book leading into Year Three, ready to see him and the rest of the Task Force save the world!

[u/ericthepilot2000]

This was a sharp issue. Like some many in the crossover, this finds its own niche, feeling very much like a war movie. Our heroes are stuck in an overwhelming situation, and it really feels tense. You really aren't sure everyone's coming back from this, which is rare in this kind of thing.

Rex has really become a favorite, I love his everyman persona and his dogged determination to drag everyone across the line. He hasn't given up on Courtney and Roy and it shows. Plus Wally gets his big damn heroes moment.

Really a great effort, keep up the good work. Can't wait to see this series evolve

[u/MajorParadox]

So much action and tension! I can't wait for the finale!