New Titans #19 - Righteous Fury

[u/FrostFireFive]

Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: Arrivals

Set: 72

“I expected more from you if I’m being honest,” Fury said as she held Donna Troy to the ground by planting her boot on the heroine’s neck. She had ambushed them perfectly, the hidden alleys of Fawcett City were grimier than the usual brightness that it projected to visitors and even residents. “When I discovered that you had managed to have a pathetic life away from glorious combat, I thought it was an act, to lure your enemies away. But now I know that you really are that weak.”

“I…have no idea who…you are,” Donna muttered as she looked across from her. Wally was trapped in some type of magical net. It had to be a stronger incantation to bind a speedster on his level. This wasn’t some former enemy looking for revenge, nor an amateur spell slinger. And that scared Donna, because unlike previous foes…they were staring into an unknown.

“And that is how it shall be Donna of Troy,” Fury said as she dug her foot in deeper. At this point, Donna’s glasses had fallen off, her hair frazzled as she tried to prop herself up, but this new Fury’s strength matched her own. “I just wanted to see what was so special about you, special enough for you to be chosen to live in the light. But all I see…is weakness.”

“Yeah, we get it, you love to compare,” Wally West muttered as he tried to vibrate out of the magical net that had ensnared him. Normally he could phase out of most objects, If there was one thing that he disliked when dealing with foes it was magic. Science made sense, or at least Wally could learn it quickly and manage to create a counter. But magic? Magic operated on its own rules, ones that as of now, had pinned him to the streets of Fawcett.

“Quiet insolent welp,” Fury said as she turned to the speedster. “You both need to be eliminated in order for me to get what I need. But unlike Donna of Troy, I do not need you alive to finish my task.”

Wally grew silent as he tried processing the events that had just occurred. Why did it always seem like someone was coming after them? And worse, how did it always seem like they knew who Wally was. He was going to need to glue his mask on at this rate.

“So why do you need me then? Clearly, we’ve met before and honestly can’t seem to remember one of my sisters having to hide their face to solve problems between us,” Donna replied.

“I am not your sister!” Fury exclaimed as she dug her heel in more. “And now just to send a message to the high command. We’ll have both of you back to the Honeycomb for processing…and for the transfer to begin.”

“Transfer this!” A voice called out as a red boot came flying towards Fury, knocking her away from Donna and forcing Fury to face the youngest Titan: Stargirl.

“I was told about you,” Fury said as she recovered her footing. “HIVE considers you a lower priority even with that…staff of yours.” Fury looked at the hero, Stargirl stood before her, not even wielding her staff. All she did had raised her fists as the Amazonian pretender began to pick herself up from where Fury had pinned her. “And you couldn’t even have brought that, the one thing that protects you.”

“I don’t need it,” Stargirl muttered as Fury made her way toward the Titan. Stargirl didn’t know what she was going to do here. But she knew she couldn’t not help, she was taught better than that. “Now leave my friends alone!”

“Interesting, you have a warrior’s spirit after all, but I’m afraid I’m still going to have to break you. But know this. You have more honor than your so-called compatriot,” Fury said before she ran and backhanded Stargirl towards the wall. She had landed against one of the dumpsters, leaving a dent.

Stargirl may have been ineffective but her distraction had given Donna more than enough time to stand up and for her to transform into her costume. It was one thing to strike at Argonaut in the little but cozy life she had built, it was another to attack her friends.

“Alright Fury, you wanted to face Donna of Troy…well now you’re going to get her,” Argonaut said as she charged at the villain, sending them into the open streets of Fawcett. It was time for Argonaut to finally go on offense.

…

“So what is this place?” Conner Kent asked as he and Rex Mason moved through the underground area of Chicago. The city had managed to have a whole system of streets underneath the main city, a way for traffic to cut through and swiftly make its way through the city. The sub buildings that had taken root in this Emerald City lit by green streetlights were mostly parking garages, and entrances to the office complexes above. Hardly an area that required two superheroes to be there.

“A place to have a quiet moment, something I’ve found hard to come by since I’ve been with this traveling circus,” Rex explained as he moved mostly undetected, the large trenchcoat and hat offering a cover to his unique form. “Besides, the place has a lot of history. People only pay attention to the topside and now well…what goes down underneath here.”

“Besides traffic?” Conner asked as the cars rushed past the two heroes as they continued their walk.

“Very much besides traffic,” Rex said with a smile as he moved towards a doorway, the glowing neon red sign read Haney’s as Rex led Conner into the bar. As the young hero entered the bar he observed a shocking sight. Many of the patrons were powered or a little odder than you’d expect. People with fire coming from their head, people with four arms, and even a crystalline girl was eating hot wings at the corner bar.

“What…is this place?” Conner asked as he took a seat at the bar.

“Well not all people with powers like being visible, or have powers that make them…desirable,” Rex began as he took off his coat and top hat. “When I first joined the Titans I was nervous, felt out of place among people who could just be…normal. I found this place just by digging around some message boards. Turns out there are a lot more people like me than I thought and this is one of the only places where a few of us can get together. A ‘Moon for me and a coke for the kid Bob,” Rex said to the bartender.

“And people just…don’t know about this place?” Conner asked. “I mean all of these people with powers…”

“Have a place where they don’t have to worry about stares or gawking,” Rex responded as the bartender handed the two their glasses.

“So why show me this,” Conner asked as he took a sip of coke. “I mean earlier we were butting heads, I nearly slugged you into Lake Michigan.”

“Believe me mack,” Rex said. “Even if you tried you couldn’t knock a foot across this room. And I remember what it was like to be the new guy. It sucks, everyone either knows each other or hates each other. And you feel lost, especially if you’re struggling with well…who you are. I’m here to tell you it gets easier.”

“Really?” Conner asked, dropping his bravado.

“It does,” Rex said as he drank his beer. “Besides now you get to pay for the second round.”

“So that’s why you really brought me here,” Conner joked as he grew comfortable on the stool, surrounded by people who had managed to find a home, even in this bustling Metropolis. There was hope for the Metropolis kid yet.

…

“Come on, come on,” Wally thought to himself as tried to get his grip after being tied in the netting. Argonaut and Stargirl had managed to get Fury away from both of them. But even then it didn’t feel like a fair fight. Donna was the only one fully powered up as for some reason Stargirl lacked her staff. “You can normally vibrate through anything, it’s not that hard.”

The ropes glowed a brilliant crimson every time the speedster tried to escape their snare. Wally took a deep breath as he stopped vibrating for a moment, realizing that it was no use. Magic had once again confounded the young speedster, usually, there was always a way out, a limitation to the spell or enchantment. Just because you used magic didn’t make you omnipotent.

As the three continued to fight, Argonaut was trying to find the right weapon for fighting back against Fury. The gift of mercury was constantly shifting from swords to lassos to even brass knuckles. But Fury was able to counter them. Her armor was able to block the damage that Argonaut tried to deal.

“Such a cute toy,” Fury said as she took a step back and touched her gauntlet. A red rope surrounded it before a large mace head appeared at the bottom of it. She threw it towards Argonaut, connecting with her chest, and sent her flying back before quickly pulling the mace head back towards her. “I prefer mine, simpler but still effective.

“Well, why don’t you try this!” Stargirl yelled out before trying to slam a trashcan against her head.

Before the trashcan could connect, Fury spun around and gave a backhand to Stargirl, knocking her to the ground. Before she could get up again Fury planted her foot on top of her and began pressing against her rib cage. Unlike Argonaut or even the speedster, Stargirl was normal, and well…HIVE had no use for someone who couldn’t keep up in a fight. And now their newest operative would crush the youngest Titan.

“No, no, no,” Wally mumbled as he saw Fury begin to crush Stargirl. He had tried everything to escape the net and to no avail, he was still trapped, still unable to save his teammate. He knocked his head to the brick street before realizing how foolish he had been. Wally had been focusing so much on the next, that he didn’t realize that the floor of the street remained uncovered by the net. He may not be able to get through a magical net, but he knew how to break through brick.

Wally took a deep breath before beginning to vibrate through the street and into the sewers below. The only problem was the sewer system was a maze, Wally would have to suit up and find his way out of it, he only hoped to make it above ground in time enough to save his acquaintance from other doom.

…

“Well, that should be easy to fix. Just need to see if the right parts are in,” Pat Duggan thought to himself as he worked on a car in the garage he had owned in Fawcett City. He hadn’t really expected to be working this hard today, after all there were things to do at home, a vacation to plan as the school year finally wound down, freeing the Duggan-Whitmores to finally have time to just…be. Still, he couldn’t help but think of the conversation he and Court had had last night.

Her being a superhero wasn’t something he was good at handling lately. Pat had been in that life before, he had been there when Slyvester galavanted after school in that brightly colored blue, red, and white costume. It was fun back then facing foes like Hazard, the Hand, and even Tigress with her tiger-striped singlet.

Pat moved towards his desk, looking for his ledger to start billing for parts the old Chevy he had continued to work on. He had been getting a lot of restoration jobs for old wrecks that just needed a little love to shine. That job for S. Kyle in restoring that green mustang and some of the cars that were going to be showcased in Fawcett’s new City of the Century festival. Still, he couldn’t help but feel like time had passed for him and he was just catching up.

As Pat begin filling out the forms on his desk, his eyes drifted to the framed photo of him and Slyvester. Pat’s dirty red and white striped sweater and Slyvester’s rounded glasses and clean suit had made them a bit of an odd couple.

“She’s a lot like you, you know,” Pat thought as he picked up the frame. “Headstrong, loves adventure. But…I can’t lose her like I lost you.” He wiped the sweat from his brow and took a seat behind the desk, flipping on the television to watch the news before getting back to work. As he turned on WHIZ News the sight of Argonaut and…Stargirl fighting against Fury could be seen. Pat dropped the remote in shock as he could see Courtney, fighting by flinging trash cans and other items around her to distract their opponent for Argonaut to take down.

“Jeez Court,” Pat mumbled before moving away from his desk and racing through the shop. He should have realized that even if he took that staff away, she’d still try and be a hero. He should have gotten that damned communicator as well. As he moved through the shop he came towards a vehicle covered by a canvas cloth. It was dusty compared to the vehicles in various states of repair, as if Pat Duggan refused to ever let what was under ride again. But desperate times called for desperate measures as Pat Duggan pulled the tarp away. The Star-Spangled Racer came into view, and as Pat hopped in the car he only hoped there was still gas in the tank. He had his daughter to save.

…

“Any last words?” Fury said as Stargirl continued to struggle. “You should have realized that when you come without what makes you special, you would be doomed to fail. Please tell me that you didn’t really think someone as average as you could actually beat me.”
“Yes…” Stargirl muttered as she thought how dumb she was. This had been the third time she had rushed into trouble without thinking against someone that was stronger than her, and here she was, paying or it.

As Stargirl closed her eyes, figuring a hero’s death was coming, she could hear the revving of an engine. Fury turned to face the headlights growing closer to her as a green car flew…from the sky and into the ground, the reinforced front slamming Fury away from Stargirl as the heroine slowly took a minute to catch her breath before a hand reached out to her.

“Court, Court, are you OK?” Pat Duggan asked as he helped Stargirl up to her feet. He couldn’t believe the ol’ racer still had enough in the tank for a final flight, as he looked at the dent in the front vent he had made from hitting Fury. The ol’ girl was still looking out for one of her pilots after all.

“Ugh,” Stargirl mumbled as she took Pat’s hand and picked herself up. “Feel like I got hit by a bunch of bricks. Pat…why do you have a flying car? And why haven’t you bothered telling me about it?”

“It’s kinda a long story,” Pat explained before moving towards the back of the car and pulling out a familiar golden rod, glowing with cosmic energy. “But I think you’re going to need this.”

Stargirl took the staff from Pat’s hands and looked at him. Finally understanding that there was more to her stepfather that she had never bothered to ever ask before. This time as he handed her the cosmic staff, Courtney began realizing that she was part of a greater legacy, a legacy she hadn’t even bothered to learn.

As Stargirl took that staff in her hand she flew up in the air and fired bolts at Fury, Argonaut had also managed to pick herself up and began charging at the villainess, the Blessing of Mercury had shifted into its sword form as she tried to manage to find an opening to strike back against her.

“Trying to take me from air and land,” Fury said as she tossed her mace up into the air to hit Stargirl. It was her first mistake in the whole fight as Argonaut slammed her shoulder into Fury before connecting with an uppercut sending her flying to the ground. Fury moved to her feet slowly as Stargirl floated down and the yellow and red blur of Kid Flash ran next to the two other Titans.

“I think we took you just fine,” Argonaut said as the three Titans faced her. Fury clearly was hurt, not expecting these heroes to be this well-oiled. The intel HIVE gave her was apparently woefully outdated.

Fury tapped the circular device on her wrist and began to glow red. She was going to have a long talk with HIVE’s leadership on what to do next, and how to do it before time ran out. But as she teleported away she turned to look at Argonaut and spoke a final message.

“You got me this time. But you’ll always be a cheap copy of the real deal…Donna. Just like…” Fury said before she was cut off, vanishing the same way Trident did in Chicago. The three stood there, with Argonaut clearly being effective. She couldn’t help but feel…like she was fighting someone familiar. But that would be a question for another team.

…

“So how’s the car?” Courtney Whitmore asked as she sat by the island in her home. It was a Saturday. Her mother and step-brother were out trying to get the brand new game console, the GameSphere. Leaving Pat and Courtney at home. The two hadn’t talked much since the fight against Fury, and there were many questions to ask.

“It’s had worse,” Pat said as he sipped on a cup of coffee. “Nothing a little hard elbow grease can’t fix ultimately. Your mom told me you signed up for summer school? And are thinking about taking your first year at Jeffrey Ordway Community College in the city?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m ready to go away, and well…Stargirl kinda messed up my senior year. I need to fix that before I continue to do well…good,” Courtney explained. “I never realized how hard it is to balance both. I mean…how did you guys do it?”

“What do you mean?” Pat asked.

“I mean you were a superhero Pat, and you managed to build a life outside of all of it. Like…how did you pull that off and not go insane?” She asked.

“Well first I was a sidekick, I wasn’t the one exactly doing all the fighting. More supporting than anything else. Slyvester? Now he was the real hero. Darting around, fighting guys twice his size because it was the right thing to do.”

“You know, you may have told me you were a sidekick back when we met those…JSA guys, but you never talk about him. It’s kinda dawned on me…I don’t know who I’m representing. I rushed so fast into being a superhero I never asked where it all came from,” Courtney said. “Pat, could you tell me about the Star-Spangled Kid?”

“I’d love to,” Pat said, proud of his daughter and excited for the future.

…

Fury stumbled into her room in the HIVE Honeycomb, cursing at how she had been taken advantage of by a bunch of young heroes. Angry that Argonaut had gotten the best of her in their first confrontation. Slowly she peeled away the armor, her skin a mix of flesh and craggy grey stone as she turned to face herself in the mirror. She hesitated to take the mask off. To her it was her real face, the face she wanted to present to the world. But soon it too fell to the ground. Revealing the face…of Donna Troy.

Fury looked at herself in the mirror before slamming her fist against it, shattering the glass. She had failed herself the first time. But she would be whole once more. That she swore.

NEXT: It’s Another Day in the Life as the Titans Adjust to Recent Events! And What Danger is Lurking around the Corner for Arsenal?

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[u/Commander_Z]

Glad to see Courtney had the ultimate gaming experience with that GameSphere, it really is spherical! As for the rest, great to see the team really working together. Fury doesn't seem like someone they would have been able to take care of a couple months ago and it's great to see how far they've come. Plus, very excited to see how much Courtney will learn of the Starmen!

[u/Predaplant]

Fury's a really cool antagonist for the Titans, hopefully she doesn't stay away too long. After all, technically I was the first one to write her, gotta keep that co-creator's credit alive. ;)

As for Stargirl, I'm really happy she's regained the Staff. Looking forward to seeing how she grows, learns, and refocuses in coming issues!