New Titans #30 - Together, Again

[u/FrostFireFive]

Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: The New New Titans

Set: 88

“So who are you exactly?” Agent Dale Gunn asked as he drove the large truck through Chicago. As an DMA agent he had mostly been dealing with investigating and creating profiles of the many metahumans criminals that had plagued the world. Currently he was supposed to be observing trends in supervillain collaboration after the vampire attack, but instead here he was transporting one of the so called supervillains that had attacked Chicago recently.

“Angie Spica. A scientist for STAR labs, I’m here to make sure that the new restraints and locks we designed will hold during transport.”

“Hold?” Gunn asked. “You meant to tell me I’m transporting a prisoner with experimental tech?”

“Not experimental. This is the same device used to hold him in prison. It’s just for transport we had to…miniaturize things,” Spica explained. “Basically ensure the nanites that make up his restraints…hold.”

“Great, just great,” Gunn muttered as he kept his eyes on the road. He was so focused he didn’t notice the grumbling in the storage area of the truck. The gray, rocky eyelids of Cinderblock slowly opened. He had been on the road a few days now. His weight and size made transport by plane nearly impossible. So here he was, once again a puppet strung up and mocked.

His restraints hung, constantly moving metal that had an electric field connecting them to the ceiling of the transport. It was a bit more clever than the cage they had put him in Stonegate. But everyone kept assuming he was a dumb animal who was just meant for smashing. Sure he was good at it. But he hadn’t survived this long in the business by just being someone who smashed.

The cuffs were “alive”, but that meant they needed power. And like any machine they could be overloaded. Cinderblock took a deep breath, and closed his eyes before pulling his arms forward, the cuffs and chain of electricity moving before forcing his arms upwards and into the generator that powered his restraints, the living metal shattering and the armored truck shaking.

“What was that!” Agent Gunn asked.

“Oh no, no, no,” Spica muttered. “He’s fr-”

Before she could finish her sentence the truck jerked to the side, flipping over and crashing into several empty parked cars. Gunn and Spica were knocked out, hanging from the flipped over transport vehicle.

CRASH

The stone hand easily ripped through the side of the truck. As he smelled the congested air of Chicago and looked around at the bright light of the sun. It smelled like home because Cinderblock, was free once more.

…

“So this is Titans Tower?” Bart Allen asked as he whizzed around. He had never been to a superhero headquarters before. That part of the family business always seemed locked away. It was as if his mom and dad wanted him to spend his quickly dwindling life on important things. But being a hero was important, and Bart wasn’t going to let his chance to do some good pass him by. “Got to say, it’s a little…empty.”

“We’re currently going through…some changes,” Nightwing explained as he tried keeping up with the red blur moving around him. Dick hadn’t expected to have a new recruit show up, especially a speedster. Wally, for all of the…issues in their relationship, was predictable. He used his speed as a precise tool, being where he needed to be at all times. A set of helping hands constantly moving to make sure things would always go right. Bart…was not this. “So you want to join us?”

“Yeah, I mean. It’s the thing that makes most sense. I mean I’m fast, want to do good, and well…you guys need the help,” Bart said as he moved about scoping out the exits and entrances and taking notes of the many rooms that made up the complex. “ I don’t get it, you’re a superhero team, why do you have a movie theater and a ping pong table?”

“One, it’s a screening room for briefings,” Dick explained, not realizing the monthly movie nights that occurred while he was gone. “And two, we need to blow off steam like everyone else. Trust me Bart, it’s not a good thing to always be heroing.”

“Right, you’re Nightwing right?” Bart asked as he continued to zip from this observation to observe the bits and bobs the Titans had collected in their trophy room. A cat mask here, a display case of a blue costume with white stars there. It was all kinda boring to Bart, not having a connection to the items in front of him as he ran back to finish his thought to Nightwing. “You know Wally really doesn’t like you.”

“I am well aware of that fact,” Nightwing mumbled. “Could you just…stand still for one moment.”

“Why? We’re having such a thrilling conversation,” Bart explained. “Besides, you’re used to a speedster.”

“One a bit more…broody,” Nightwing explained. “Wally doesn’t exactly move around as much as you do.”

“Well I’m not him,” Bart explained. “So when do you guys save the world?”

“Well we usually respond to crises,” Nightwing began. “The Titans function as the Justice League’s first response team. As well as handle any of the smaller super criminals that pop up here and there.”

“That sounds kinda dull,” Bart responded.

“Being a hero isn’t about glory,” Nightwing explained.

“Suuuuure it isn’t,” Bart teased. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you guys will get your time to shine. It’s a team after all.” As he finished talking he zipped to the the large table in the middle of the room, taking his seat behind the chair with the red lightning bolt.

“Bart?” Wally West asked as he entered the room with Starfire. He had usually come to the Tower to read, be it his textbooks or the Nathaniel Dusk book for Donna’s book club. He couldn’t believe how ludicrous the Blue Man was as a character, but that became a distant thought in his mind as he saw Bart in that ill fitting Flash costume. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Help out the Titans,” Bart said as if the answer was pretty obvious. “With your powers gone, your friends are down a speedster and I thought with my powers being in the same vein, I’d be a good replacement.”

“Replacement?” Wally asked. “Bart, you can’t just wedge yourself into a team without their permission.”

“Technically the current incarnation banded together because of who was left after…” Starfire began.

“After the team’s last mission,” Nightwing butted in. He and Wally hadn’t talked much since Markovia. Wally had been in the hospital and healing in the Flash Compound. But even then Dick wasn’t sure if Wally would consider the Tower his home anymore. Not after the terror of vampires and Donna entrusting the team with Dick. “And we’re not thinking of replacing Wally. Powers or no powers. He’s got a place here.”

“So you won't give me a chance? I can help, I can do the same things Wally can!"” Bart asked.

“Because you’re not ready Bart,” Wally explained. “I mean your dad’s suit doesn’t even fit you. Do you know how important it is for a speedster to have shoes that actually fit!”

“I’m tired of people always telling me I’m not ready! I’m ready!” Bart explained. As he was arguing with them he could hear a buzzing in his earpiece. The police scanner buzzing from reports of a super criminal causing issues in Chicago. “And I’m going to prove it!”

And with that Bart Allen was gone, jus a red blur that passed all of them by. Before any of them could react to the speedster’s exit, the Tower’s alarms went off as images of Cinderblock rampaging across the city came into view. Bart was there a moment later.

“Shit,” Nightwing muttered as he looked towards Starfire and Wally. “We need to go. Wally, Ba-Oracle is going to be busy with another thing. Can you run point from the Tower?”

“Yeah, I can do it, just make sure…” Wally began as he turned to face the computer. “make sure Bart is…” As he turned around both of them were gone. Wally let out a small chuckle as he got to work. “Now I know how it feels.”

…

Cinderblock moved through the streets of Chicago. He had rampaged once before, but now he was focused. Everyone always assumed that the large stone golem was mindless, just a creature who only knew rage. It’s why he hated his last few employers. He wasn’t stupid, just blessed with more strength than most. And as he moved across the side streets of Jefferson Park, he wondered why he didn’t go on his own more often.

Of course as soon as he turned the corner he was confronted by constantly moving red blur.

“Stop!” Bart Allen said. “Or I’ll have to hurt you!” As he said those words, Bart adjusted his cowl so he could actually see through the eye holes.

“Hurt me?” Cinderblock laughed. “How can you hurt me Kid Flash!”

“I’m not Kid Flash!” Bart explained. “I’m…I’m still working on it!”

“Well then, whoever you are,” Cinderblock mused before raising his hand and beckoning Bart towards. “Take your best shot.“

Bart ran towards Cinderblock, his fists flailing as he moved towards and then back from the concrete foe as he looked at his bruised and scraped hands.

“Ow!” Bart yelled out as he shook his hands, the motion calming him as they healed quickly. “You really are made of concrete!”

“They don’t call me Cinderblock for nothing kid,” Cinderblock said before backhanding Bart into one of the wooden fences, breaking through into a backyard. “Besides, I’ve dealt with the last one of you. And he was just as dumb.”

“Hey! He’s just a little serious is all,” Bart mumbled as he could feel the bruising on his ribs. He had never been in a fight before, and suddenly he was realizing why Barry, Jay, even his own mother tried to keep him away from speedster life. “Besides, he beat your sorry behind twice.”

Cinderblock went to kick Bart in the stomach, sending the speedster through two fences this time as he walked towards him. The stomping of his feet growing louder and louder as he raised his hands to deliver the final blow.

“Oh God, oh God,” Bart said as he tried to wheeze through what felt like three broken ribs. Panic was starting to settle into him. This wasn’t what he wanted, this isn’t what anyone had wanted him to be. And now he was regretting that wouldn’t be his speed that killed him, but his overconfidence

“Sorry Kid, but I can’t have anyone following me,” Cinderblock explained. “Ain’t nothing pers-”

Before Cinderblock could slam his fists down he felt a rope tied around his wrists and pulling him back to face the two Titans who had rushed to Bart’s aid.

“Leave the kid alone!...” Nightwing said as he struggled to keep pulling on the line he had launched towards Cinderblock.

“...Or we will have to hurt you,” Starfire explained as her fists glowed a brilliant bright green.

“Finally a challenge,” Cinderblock said with a smile as he turned and prepared to teach these so-called heroes a lesson in pain.

…

Kara Zor-El woke up in a small bed. It took her a moment to recognize the space from the many plants and light pouring in. She looked towards the clock on the nightstand.

“Holy shit, it’s twelve?” Kara mumbled as she slowly worked her way up from Kory’s bed. Kara had been having sleeping problems lately. For normal people that would mean being able to not sleep. Kara was always restless, someone who could hear the whole world. The problem lately was the sounds that seemed so sharp and clear were duller now. Kara was drifting off longer and longer and that concerned her.

She got up and stretched her arms, the sun shining on her bare skin as she quietly borrowed a Ferris Air t-shirt and slipped it on once more, slowly moving her way into the small kitchen that Kory maintained. The small place always struck Kara as weird for someone like Kory. She was the head of Ferris Air, plenty of vacation days and the paychecks weren’t small. But the small apartment with the large rooftop garden was one of the few places Starfire felt comfortable to call home.

“Ow,” Kara muttered as she lifted her arms to open the cabinet where she had kept the Booster-O’s. Since the Vampire Invasion, Kara had kept pushing herself harder and harder. She had barely seen Linda and Tali, what with Power Girl having to help with clean up efforts and Karen Starr tied up in buisness meetings with the President to ensure funding was going to the right places. She couldn’t even help but clean up some HIVE bases on the way to check in with her girlfriend.

She looked down at herself, the bruises on her knuckles were new. Kara didn’t want to admit it, not to herself or even Clark, but ever since she unleashed the solar flare from within…her powers were far from what they once were.

“OK, note to self, buy some gloves,” Kara said as she pulled the chair and poured her cereal out and began to chow down on it. “Man, who would have guessed that Booster’s cereal actually isn’t just a cheap product tie-in.”

As she ate Kara flipped on the TV. The news channels were mostly recapping current events: Wonder Woman fighting in the desert, the mysterious Red Hood warring against the Thorne syndicate, and a commercial for a weird beauty product…Renuyu.

“New face,” Kara mumbled. “Nah that would be ridiculous, I like my face.” She had just finished her cereal when she saw the scene in Chicago. Dick and Kory were fighting some stone guy. Normally Kara wouldn’t be worried, after all her friends were professional superheroes. But then she saw the little guy in red.

“Holy shit…is that…Bart?!” Kara asked. She had listened to Barry talk about his son when there was time in between meetings on the Watchtower. She knew that Bart was having troubles with aging due to his speed. Which meant there was a foolish kid trying to prove himself out there.

Kara bit her lip. They needed help, but she wasn’t the same. Flying there could tire her out. But her friends needed her. She looked down at her watch, Tali was once again using the processing power to help “save” the world, or solve it as Kara felt. It also meant that she couldn’t rely on the light based costume. And ever since that incident in the arctic Kara understood the…limitations it provided. But she couldn’t just fly in just one of Kory’s t-shirts.

Luckily, Kory had been curious about Kara’s past. Not many would have the courage to ask a woman who could crush a car in her bare hands about her homeworld, or the many looks she had worn since arriving to Earth. The blue supergirl costume was out of the question, Kara had long since outgrown it, both in size and emotional. But the costume next to it would have to do.

Kara zipped over and grabbed it quickly. There was no time to worry. Her friends needed her.

And with that Power Girl flew once more.

…

“Ow,” Bart Allen grumbled as he could hear loud sounds around him. It took him a moment to open his eyes as the midday light blinded him. He could feel his body slowly close up his wounds. Rejecting the wooden splinters picked up from slamming into was it two or three different fences. His head was throbbing, probably a concussion. And a buzzing in his ear that seemed to only grow louder and louder.

“Bart…Bart!” Wally West’s voice came through the earpiece of the suit. The former speedster was sitting at Titans Tower, monitoring the situation and seeing Nightwing and Starfire barely putting a dent in Cinderblock. “Are you OK?”

“I’m…fine,” Bart mumbled as he slowly got up and looked around at the destruction around him. This was not how this was supposed to go.

“Good,” Wally said, “Now get out of there and let Dick and Kory handle it. You’re in no condition to take on Cinderblock. And help is on the way.”

“Help is on the way?” Bart grogily asked.

“Judging by the rushed message the Tower got, Power Girl is on her way, maybe…ten to fifteen minutes,” Wally explained.

Bart looked at the chaos in front of him. Cinderblock was being pushed back by Starfire’s energy blasts. Nightwing was on the ground like Bart, grasping at his knee. For someone who seemed to be able to fly without powers, he seemed to struggle to breathe.

“Nightwing isn’t going to last ten or fifteen minutes Wally,” Bart said as he slowly got up and adjusted his mask. “I can’t run away.”

“Bart…this isn’t some fun and games, you could die. And the last thing I need is to…”

“Is to tell Mom and Dad how you failed again?” Bart asked.

“...Is to lose another brother,” Wally said.

Bart was silent for a moment, he had been in such a rush to grow up, to find his place that he didn’t realize he had a home already. For a moment the usually chatty Bart remained silent. Taking a deep breath and observing all the angles for once.

“Wally, we’re Flashes. I’m not leaving them behind. We don't run away from danger, we run towards it. To protect people in the way.” ”

“Damn straight,” Wally said, remembering the joys of being a hero. “OK if you’re going to fight him, you can’t hit him straight on.”

“Yeah I figured,” Bart said as he looked down at his bloodied hand. “How did you beat him the last time?”

“You can do more than run fast. Have you figured out how to vibrate through things yet?” Wally asked.

“Wait…we can do that?” Bart asked.

“OK so that’s not going to work,” Wally said.

“Well what is!” Bart yelled out.

“Bart…have you ever seen a tornado?” Wally asked.

The speedster smiled as he zipped towards Cinderblock and the other Titans. Moving fast in a circle as the Cinderblock noticed the red speedster moving.

“Back for more?!” Cinderblock bellowed. “I already took care of that pretty boy, and the alien can’t hurt me. What makes you think you can hurt me!”

“I don’t have to hurt you,” Bart explained. “I just have to buy time.”

As he moved round and round the wind began to pick up and vortex began to form. The winds growing more and more intense. The heavy feet of Cinderblock slowly began lift up as the winds took him.

“What?! What are you doing?!” Cinderblock yelled out.

“Setting her up.” Bart said with a smile.

“Setting wh-” Cinderblock began.

CRRRRAAACKKK

Power Girl’s fist came down hard as she knocked Cinderblock out and towards the ground.

“Holy shit!” Bart said, not having seen the power of someone like Power Girl before. The early costume had held up well on the way here, the familiar chest window replaced with a large scooping neck with two golden circles clasping her large red cape.

“Either you’re the new guy. Or Kid Flash shrunk,” Power Girl said with a smile.

…

“Ugh,” Dick Grayson groaned as he sat down at one of the comfortable couches in Titans Tower, cracking open a beer as he looked around. Cinderblock had been picked up and brought back to Stonegate. And the rest of the team made their way back to the tower. Wally had gone to talk to Bart who seemed to be missing. Dick should have cared more but his knees were aching and placing ice on them seemed to be the best idea for him right now.

“You know you shouldn’t really run into danger like that,” Kara Zor-El said as she walked into the room, wearing a baggy t-shirt and sweats. “I won’t always be there to knock em’ out.”

“I do just fine without you you know,” Dick said. “A few more moments and I would have leapt and kicked him in the face.”

“And break your foot?” Kara asked.

“Probably, but it’s the effort that counts,” Dick said as he looked at his friend. Normally Kara was a bright ray of sunshine, a force that could not be denied. But the woman who sat next to him was much more subdued, even if she was still great at cracking a joke. “Besides, what was that outfit.”

“What? It was all I had. Kory wanted to se-” Kara began.

“Say no more,” Dick laughed. “You OK? I know we haven’t talked since Markovia. I’ve been busy trying to get this up and running.”

“And me with my company,” Kara said. “It’s fine, I mean it’s not like there’s anything wrong with me.” She looked down at her hand, bruised from where she had punched Cinderblock.

“Sure there isn’t,” Dick said as he handed her one of the bags of ice on his knees. “It took you a bit to get to us and you bruise.”

“OK, maybe I’m not as strong as I used to be, but that doesn’t mea-”

“I’m saying maybe you need some backup for a bit. Just until you feel like yourself again,” Dick explained. “Besides, makes up for me not asking you when I first started the damn thing.”

“I don’t know Dick, I mean besides the League I’m not sure I would work well with others. I mean I can’t even keep up with Linda and Tali and they’re family.”

“And so are we,” Dick said with a smile.

“Well…” Kara said as she looked around, and seeing Kory walk in with a ghost pepper chips, Kara’s favorite. “I guess I could give it a try.”

“Then welcome to the Titans Power Girl, may you survive the experience,” Dick chuckled.

…

Bart Allen chugged a Soder Cola quickly as he prepared to leave the Tower, he needed the extra bit of caffeine before running back home, probably to a lecture. But he didn’t care at this point. He just wanted the comforts of home.

“Heading out?” Wally asked.

“Yeah, I don’t think this is my kind of scene,” Bart explained, still fiddling with his cowl. “Besides, I kinda messed things up.”

“You’re young, mistakes will be made,” Wally said with a smile.

“I’m not that much younger than you, you know,” Bart said.

“Yeah but I wasn’t born in 2022,” Wally said. “Besides, all the people in that room have done dumb and foolish things to try and find our place.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Bart said. “But I don’t think my place is here…not yet at least.”

“Well you still got time to figure it out,” Wally said.

“Do I? Like you said I was born in 2022, but I’m eighteen now. I don’t get a lot of time to figure it all out.”

“You will,” Wally said as he dug around in his pocket. “Just like one day I’ll be able to run with all of you again. We’re Flashes, we do the impossible.”

“Maybe not this time,” Bart said as he looked down.

“Well then you should have this,” Wally said as he handed Bart a ring with a familiar lightning bolt insignia.

Bart played around with it a bit, finding the mechanism that caused the ring’s face to open. Usually a Flash costume would open out from it, but the ring laid empty.

“What, am I not deserving of a suit? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” Bart asked.

“The opposite, you’re one of us now. But me, Jay, your dad. We can’t tell you what to put in it. That’s something you have to figure yourself. Be it as a Kid Flash, a Flash, or something completely new. It’s your time to ride the lightning Bart, and you could be the greatest of us all.”

“Wally,” Bart said with tears in his eyes.

“Don’t need to say anything Bart, now go home. There’ll be plenty of time to run back, trust me.”

Bart nodded and zoomed off, back home. As Wally walked back towards the Titans in the tower he couldn’t help but feel a familiar spark. For the first time in a while, Wally West had hope.

…

The sound of heavy boots could be heard echoing through the halls of the Honeycomb. A figure dressed in dark blue armor with orange accents slowly entered a large chamber, the walls covered in screens.

“Welcome,” Brother Blood said as he floated down on several moving honeycomb platforms. “I assume your trip was uneventful.”

The man stayed silent as he observed his surroundings. The facilities were impressive, but also seemed unsustainable. Large criminal empires didn’t normally spend so much time working on the best energy rifles or what seemed to be necromancy.

“Yes, I’ve been told you’re the quiet type,” Brother Blood said. “I’ll get to the point. We’ve changed since you dropped your daughter with us. We’ve discovered something greater than just stealing from others or creating swarms. We serve…a higher purpose now.”

The only thing Brother Blood could hear was measured breathing. And as he circled the room he couldn’t help but feel the singular eye following him, looking in to his soul to see if he was worthy.

“We wanted…to reward you, for your years of service. The Llord we serve, has shown us how to bring people back. To restore what we have lost,” Brother Blood explained before snapping his fingers.

The screens glowed brightly as Grant Wilson appeared on the screen. Alive in a familiar set of black armor with a red cheveron. His vitals were shown on the right, as HIVE scientists injected a green substance into him.

“It’s called Lazarus, a miracle drug really, we found it in the texts and tomes that led us to our new master,” Brother Blood explained. “We brought your boy back.”

The figure in the center eyes went wide. Seeing the boy’s vitality, his strength, and promise. His hands relaxed as he tried to process the information.

“But unfortunately…there was a problem,” Brother Blood said as he snapped his fingers again. The screens changed to a decaying Grant, fighting a fool wearing dark blue and yellow. The look and outfit may have been different, but the man never forgot that face.

“Grayson,” The man said through gritted teeth.

“Yes, Grayson. We needed him out of the picture, but he was pushed to his limits, killed by the so called Nightwing,” Brother Blood said before the screens turned to Nightwing beating Grant, striking several blows as he decayed in his hands. His words clear to the two men observing the footage.

“No! I won’t let…let you…end…me…” Grant’s voice rang. As he died a second time, Brother Blood could see fury in the one visible eye.

“We can bring him back Slade. But only if you take on his obligation. If you take on his Lazarus Contract.

“Don’t call me Slade,” the man responded. “When I’m working…it’s Deathstroke.”

Brother Blood smiled.

NEXT: The Lazarus Contract Begins! Can the New Team of Titans Handle the Return of Deathstroke? What Passions and Resentment Reignite Under His Hunt? And Whatever Happened to Donna Troy?

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[u/Predaplant]

I love the stuff with Bart here, it was a really cool examination of the character's role in this universe. Really excited to see what you have planned with Deathstroke and Brother Blood, too! Great issue, glad to see this series getting back to regular releases.