Author's Note: All right the Cadmus storyarc is finally starting to wind down. As such this will be the start of what will hopefully be a two-part finale. But dont worry there's plenty more in store. Its not the end of the story just yet. I managed to whip this one up in about three days time. Hope you guys like it. Its going to be a little different than what we've seen previously. Enjoy.
Teen Titans All Stars, Vol. 2
Chapter 10
Deathmatch, Part 1
"Last chance. Who are you guys?" Terra demanded. The Geomancer assumed a defensive position as she readied herself against the team that was about to attack her.
"We're the Judgment League Absolution." Black Alice sneered.
"And you're all that's left of the Titans." Azrael said.
"I may be alone but I'm not helpless." She said.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it little girl?" he asked.
"Just watch." She said and held out her hands.
Terra's hands glowed bright yellow as rays of light burst forth and a large crack snaked across the ground towards the Judgment Leaguers.
"Activate Titans Tower Protocol, Defense Maneuver." She called.
A series of laser turrets rose out of the ground and began firing at the Judgment Leaguers. Terra used her powers causing the earth to give out infront of the team who were now caught in the crossfire. Black Alice channeling Raven's powers fired blasts of energy back at the turrets taking several of them out while shielding the rest of her team. Terra flew at them on a boulder and shot several large rocks at Azrael, Sharpshooter, and two others taking them out simultaneously before kicking Black Alice in the face and knocking her to the dirt. Killer Quake did a series of backflips and countered with her own rock attack. Terra formed a shield out of the boulders she herself was using and deflected the attack. The Titan's eyes glowed yellow as she sliced one of them in half and launched it at Killer Quake. The girl dodged and brushed it aside at the last minute, it's jagged point only inches from her face. Terra ran towards her with hand hovering above the ground and sent a blast of dust at her counterpart. Blinded by the sudden dust storm, Quake opened her eyes to see Terra's flying kick and was slammed against a large boulder knocking the girl unconscious. Azrael's blazing saber cut through the dust behind Terra nearly slicing her. The Titan jumped forward and spun around in midair shooting another rock at him. Azrael sliced through the rock with his saber and shot a flurry of white flames at her. Terra dropped to the ground as the flames raced above her and shot another rock at his shin hitting him. The Knight Templar cried out as Terra skidded on her hip towards him and took him down. The sword wedged itself in the ground as Azrael landed on his back. Terra rolled back over to her hands and knees staring at him across the way. Azrael rolled over to his chest and saw Terra go for his sword. But the sword electrocuted Terra and sent her flying backwards with smoke wafting off her body as she fought to get up.
"The Sword of Sin. Only he who wears the Suit of Sorrows may wield its power." He said walking over to retrieve his blade. Terra groaned and sat up part of the way as he picked up his sword and examined it.
"And the punishment for touching the sword by sinners is death." He said pointing its edge at her. Terra crawled backwards as she struggled to get up as the Angel of Death came slowly towards her.
"I'm not afraid of you." she said.
"No, be afraid only of death that pursues you." he said.
"I've already died once thank you very much. I don't intend on repeating It." she said.
"Death comes for us all." he told her.
"Yeah and sometimes it lets us go." She replied.
"Then allow me to make your next death a permanent one! See how you return when I reduce you to ash!" he yelled unleashing a cyclone of righteous fire.
"Better men than you have tried." She said and fired her own energy blast back at him.
The two forced met dead center each with their full fury. Azrael looked on in disgust as Terra held her own against the massive blaze. By now the Geomancer got gotten to her feet firing a steady stream of power. Azrael started to lose his footing as he poured his all into the blade making hellish blast stronger than before. But Terra answer his power with her own and stared back at Azrael the look of stone cold determination etched on her face. Azrael growled as he gripped the sword with both hands and issued an even stronger blast. But Terra wasn't going anywhere as she increased power herself. The power wavered only slightly on Azrael's end but remained dead even for the most part. By now he was pouring all of his heart and soul into the attack as Terra stood there determined never to lose to him. Finally her eyes narrowed as Terra fired a full powered blast at Azrael tearing through the line of fire and consuming Azrael. The Angel of Death roared as the power washed over him and vanished, in the next instant Azrael was thrown into a large boulder splitting it down the middle just above his head as the Sword of Sin clattered against the dirt. Terra's body was fully engulfed in her golden aura as her hair flowed upward, eyes completely yellow.
"Now! Get. Off. My. Island!" her voice echoed and issued a huge power burst that threw the Judgment Leaguers in every which direction.
Back in New York several of the Titans had come to and found themselves trapped inside glass containment tubes filled with a strange liquid.
"Ugh…what?! Dude! Where are we?!" Beast Boy yelled as he pressed against the glass.
"I don't know!" Nightwing yelled as he fought to break it.
"Forget it, its not going to work." Someone said.
The team looked up and saw a man wearing a blue star-spangled leotard with a cowl, red leggings, gloves, belt and black boots.
"Who are you?" Dick asked.
"I'm the Star Spangled Kid. Chris Durant your safe, for now anyway." He told them.
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked.
"It's kind of complicated." Star Spangled Kid said.
"You better start talking if you know what's good for you!" Cyborg yelled charging up his Sonic Cannon.
"I'm not going to hurt you guys. I'm on your side believe it or not." he said in even tone.
"Listen straight up, we're still inside Cadmus Labs but…"
"But what?" Dick asked.
"We're going to be entered in a metahuman tournament." He said.
"Say what?!" yelled Vic.
"Why would they do this?" Starfire asked.
"Because they can do whatever they want with us. I've been down here for as long as I can remember and so has the rest of my team." Star Spangled Kid said.
"You have a team?" Dick asked. The American clad superhero nodded.
"Infinity Inc. We were on patrol in Los Angeles a few weeks back until we were ambushed and taken here. I'm surprised the rest of the metahuman community hasn't heard of It." he said.
"So then why are you not inside a tube like the rest of us?" Beast Boy asked.
"Because they know I'm not going anywhere. Not as long as the rest of my team is held captive." He told them.
"Its more than just that. I'm sensing that they've also managed to have broken your team's spirit." Raven said. The Kid looked away without answering.
"So then how do we get out of these things?" Nightwing asked.
"The tubes are locked via timers. I've tried getting my team out before but…it's just not worth the risk. The last time I did it one of my teammates was shot and…almost didn't make it. Look when the Metabrawl opens tonight I'll try and help you out as best I can. But the rest I'm afraid is up to you." he said.
"Don't worry Chris, I promise we'll get you and every other person they've captured out." Dick told him.
"I guess we'll see." he said.
Inside Cadmus Labs Amanda stood at the main monitor keeping watch on the team. However she had no idea what any of them had said. Suspicious she pressed a button on the council as a bay door opened and the League walked in.
"Be ready for Metabrawl tonight." She told them.
Kid Zoom and several other members grinned at the prospect of facing the Titans again. Back on the West Coast, Terra panted loudly with arms stretched out, as the other Judgment Leaguers lay unconscious in the sand. Collecting herself she stood up straight and tall and headed back to the tower. Once inside the doors sealed behind her securing the Tower. Entering the command center she walked over to the center council and opened up communication.
"Titans NY this is Titans Tower West, we have recently come under attack by unknown combatants. Do you copy?" she asked to no response.
"This is Terra of Titans West do you copy?" she said again. Receiving nothing but dead air. Pressing a few buttons she switched relay to one of her fellow teammates.
"Titans West do you copy? This is Terra where are you?" she asked over one of several T-Coms that sat on a table which were promptly smashed by Kid Zoom.
The Geomancer growled and glared towards the window. The Earth Titan leaped from the window and dove as a boulder caught her in mid-flight and brought her down to where Azrael was laying and grabbed him by the collar.
"Where did you take them?" she yelled.
"To your Momma's house." He replied. Grabbing him with both hands Terra forced Azrael through the ground. The Knight Templar groaned as Terra stood over him.
"Not one for jokes I take It." he replied sharply.
"Just tell me where they are." She said threateningly.
Screams could be heard from underneath the arena in New York City. Arsenal pounded his fists against the glass enraged. The liquid he was in was now red as Harper pounded his head against the glass in frustration with the look of murder in his eyes. Above his head a robotic tentacle shot down from the ceiling of the chamber and stabbed him in the back of the neck. Arsenal screamed in pain as a foreign content was funneled into his body. Arsenal's eyes glowed yellow momentarily. The needle extracted itself from his neck and the tentacle receded into the ceiling. Arsenal groaned as he leaned against the glass. The fluid returned to its normal color and drained out, the glass tube then raised up as the rest of his teammates looked on. Two guys in suits then took a hold of Roy and walked him out of the holding bay.
"What are they doing with him?" Dick asked.
The Star Spangled Kid turned and walked away without answering.
"Where are you going?! Answer me damn it!" he yelled.
"He's going to be in MetaBrawl. I need to get back to my team incase I'm needed." He said as he walked towards a doorway. He stopped and looked back at the team from the corner of his eye.
"You must know that things operate differently down here. Down here we are on our own. I just pray that your teammate is as good as they say he is." He told them.
"When will we get to see him?" asked Dick.
"I guess we'll know when the fight's over." He said.
"What was that stuff they pumped into him?" Dick asked.
"Believe me the less you know the better." He told him.
"Aren't you going to do anything about it?" he asked.
The Star Spangled Kid finally looked back at him from across his shoulder.
"I'll watch his battle for you. But there's little if anything I can do to save him. But since you asked. I'll see what I can do." he told him and left without saying another word.
The Star Spangled Kid made his way through the corridor up towards the arena floor. A few doors down Arsenal was brought up to the stadium floor in a daze. The bright lights blinded him for a moment, and threw up his arm shielding his eyes. In the next second he heard cheering coming from the stands and lowed his arm, his eyes were still glazed over. As his eyes adjusted he noticed walls and buttresses. As the hallucinatory drug wore off, the arena came into focus. He felt someone strap his belt and felt the weight of his pistols against his hips once more. Arsenal rubbed his eyes with his forearm coming back to the here and now. Whoever had brought him up here was now refitting him with his weapons.
"So what is this junk?" he finally said.
"You'll have to forgive us the drug is for our own safety." The man on his right said.
"So I don't try anything on the way up here." He concluded.
"Correct." The man said.
"So who am I fighting?" he asked as he was outfitted with the last of his weapons.
"That guy." The man pointed across the way to a guy standing in black battle gear with a black helmet and red 'V' shaped visor.
"Who is that guy?" he asked as the last bit of drowsiness rescinded.
"He calls himself Vigilante. The guy's a Metahuman bounty hunter, don't worry with your abilities you should be up to his caliber." The man told him.
"Uh yeah in case you guys haven't noticed I'm not a Metahuman." Roy said.
"Well that's not really our problem now is it?" he asked.
"Good to know you care." He replied.
On a catwalk high above the arena a woman in a red dress walked out towards the middle and addressed the crowd throwing her arms in the air.
"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the All New House! I'm your hostess Roulette our first match tonight is between our firearms champion The Vigilante and his opponent The Arsenal!" she called. The crowd cheered as patrons rose to their feet and applauded the two contestants.
"Uh I don't actually call myself The Arsenal, its just Arsenal but it does sound more awesome that way." Roy said.
"Its awesomer duh. All right let's get it started! Vigilante, Arsenal are you ready?" she yelled trying to amp up the crowd and contestants. Vigilante went for his firearms without saying a word.
"Guess I don't have much of a choice." He said as he went for his guns.
"Raise the shields!" Roulette said.
"Shields?" Roy said in surprise. He looked up and saw a giant force field cover the playing field to protect spectators including Roulette who remained on the catwalk.
The woman smiled as she looked down at Roy.
"Perfect." He said. Across the way Vigilante cocked both his pistols. Arsenal looked back and readied his guns.
"Ready. Set…Go!" she yelled throwing down her arm. Vigilante took off sideways aiming his guns at Arsenal.
"This should be fun." Said Roy as he took off after him.
Vigilante fired the first shots and Arsenal returned fire. None of their bullets came close to hitting each other and the two men continued their race across the dirt exchanging gunfire. One bullet however came close, too close to nicking the front of Roy's boot. Arsenal stopped short. Seeing his chance Vigilante shot at him mercilessly causing Roy to take up a new dance step as he doubled back. The Titan returned fire as Vigilante took cover behind one of the walls and fired a few shots knocking Roy on his ass. Arsenal turned over and raced across the dirt getting to his feet with the bullets chewing up the sand behind him. He took cover behind a similar wall and checked his magazine. He had already spent half his casing. As he was contemplating reloading a grenade landed next to him.
"Oh f#ck!" he yelled and got out of there.
The grenade went off a second later throwing him to the dirt. Before he could ever recover Vigilante had him pinned down under a barrage of bullets. Taking a shuriken from his jacket Roy threw it at Vigilante and struck him in the head. Using his chance Roy dodged behind another buttress and switched out magazines in his pistol reloading it. Holding his up close to his chest he leaned against the wall waiting for Vigilante to make his move; the next second he heard beeping and realized there was a bomb attached to the other side of the wall.
"You got to be kidding Me." he groaned.
The wall exploded and plowed him into the dirt several feet away with several broken bricks strewn across his back. As he struggled to get up, Vigilante's foot appeared right beside him. Looking up past his lopsided sunglasses he saw his adversary stand over him and pointed his gun directly at his head. A gold laser beam came out of nowhere and struck him in the chest and right arm throwing him backward. On the other side of the arena floor stood the Star Spangled Kid with a stylized golden lance pointed at them.
"Couldn't have timed that better." Said Roy.
In the next instant several staffers tackled the Star Spangled Kid.
"Oh no you don't." he said getting up and raced towards them shooting at the guards.
Arsenal dropped two of the guards on opposite ends of the Star Spangled Kid while he fought two of his own. Racing towards the edge he leaped and was electrocuted by the wall surrounding the field and fell to the ground. A man at the controls turned the power back down once he deemed Arsenal was no longer a threat. The remaining guards brought Star Spangled Kid to his knees as the two men Roy shot writhed in pain on the ground. On the catwalk Roulette typed in a few keystrokes, a section of the ceiling rolled back revealing a tractor beam that tossed Roy back towards the center of the arena like a ragdoll. Arsenal landed hard on his back and in time to see an angered Vigilante stand over him once again. The villain stomped his head and chest repeatedly as Roy struggled to reach for his handgun but Vigilante crushed his wrist with the heel of his boot and twisted his foot repeatedly. Arsenal grabbed his ankle; the villain punched Roy in the eye throwing him back down. Vigilante grabbed him by the shirt and held the hero above his head before throwing him across the stadium floor and smashed headfirst into one of the buttresses. A stream of blood fell from his mouth to the sand. The Titan coughed as he fought to remain conscious, his adversary came up behind and grabbed him by the back of his jacket picking him up. He turned Roy around and punched him across the cheek as hard as he could before Roy delivered one of his own and knocked him back, cracking the bottom corner of his visor. He punched Vigilante in the stomach as hard as he could and knocked him down. Drawing his pistol he stood over the man ready to fire. Angry and frustrated he couldn't bring himself to kill the masked man.
Roulette leaned over the railing waiting for him to finish it. At the same time people in the audience were encouraging him to do the same thing. The chanting of 'finish him' reached stadium level. Arsenal panted as he stared down at Vigilante, his finger on the trigger. His breathing haggard he contemplated whether or not to shoot him in the face, he clinched his eyes and fired. The crowd looked on as the gunfire echoed throughout the arena. Smoke billowed out the barrel with the gun pointed skyward the Vigilante still alive and well as shards of glass rained down from the ceiling.
"No." he said softly.
Roy threw his gun to the floor and left. Hushed whispered raced back and forth across the bleachers as the sea of onlookers turned to booing. Arsenal walked towards the exit ignoring them as trash was thrown on the field the shield came down as he neared the edge.
"What are you doing? Get back here and finish him! These people paid good money to see a bloodbath!" Roulette hissed.
"Then why don't you fight him?" he said without facing her.
"Your going to be sorry you hadn't." she said to herself.
"Like I haven't heard that one before." he said flippantly.
As he made his way down the steps the crowd continued to boo, Roy threw them the bird as he reached the door. As he entered the hallway he saw the guards still struggling with Star Spangled Kid.
"Hey bozos! Let him go!" he yelled drawing their attention.
"Get out of here! Go!" Star Spangled Kid yelled.
"Not without you I'm not. So who's up for a rematch?" he asked.
A man snuck up behind him and electrocuted him with an energy lance. The Titan fell to the floor a second later as the man redirected his fire and stunned the Star Spangled Kid who collapsed to his knees moments later.
"Take them back to their cells." The man on his right said.
"Yes sir!" said the others.
Back in the West Terra stood at the edge of the island looking East.
"Hang on guys, I'll find a way to rescue you." she thought to herself.
"He did a lot better than I thought he would." said Waller having watched the match from her command center.
"As I'm sure they all will." Said Brandon.
"I have to say this was actually a brilliant idea having them go up against each other. I'm not surprised that someone like Roy Harper didn't kill him." she said.
"Because he isn't a Metahuman?" asked Brandon.
"Not at all. You know how these heroes are." She replied.
"Speaking of which what do you think should be done with Star Spangled Kid?" he asked.
"He's been wanting to fight for a while now hasn't he? Let's grant him his wish." She smiled.
"I have the perfect thing in mind." He nodded.
Author's Note: Bet you didnt see me ever using these characters. Yeah that's right I'm talking about Infinity Inc. Kind of a Young Justice of their day back in the 80s. I'm still not sure whether to go with the old skool or new skool version. Maybe even a blend. Anyway let me know what you think. And where you think this storyline is headed.
Please review,
Green Gallant.