Issue 28: "Shifting Loyalties, Finale"

Continued from Suicide Squad # 21


Speedy launched an explosive arrow at the soldier's head, as directed. It struck and rocked the thing's head back on it's neck, as below, Vixen slammed it with the power of a Rhino over and over.

“You gonna tell your troopers to take it out?” Nightwing said. He was poised, knees bent, ready to strike. Manhunter, by contrast, seemed dejected, head hanging. He was slowly healing from the shot he had taken with his own powers, but Nightwing had no way to know how long that might take.

“All in good time,” Cheshire purred. “I want you to weaken it as much as possible first, and of course the reverse.”

The poisoned nails were an inch from Nightwing's neck. “What exactly are you threatening to infect me with?”

Cheshire smiled. “Glad you asked. The ring finger is hantavirus, and the next finger is a simple acid--”

Manhunter lashed out with a weak kick. There wasn't much strength behind it, but it did a fine job of startling and distracting Cheshire. She flinched away, and Nightwing back flipped out of her range. Landing on his feet, he hurled a concussion grenade at her. It didn't quite connect, as she herself was still staggering backwards, but it still knocked her backwards into the arms of one of her troopers. Her nails did not touch him; but in any case their suits were designed to protect against such accidental contact.

“Fire!” She coughed hoarsely, then shouted again; “FIRE!! Take them down!!”

Most of her troopers opened fire, but the one who had caught her asked, “What about the robot?”

“Yes, that too! Kill them all....except the archer....take him alive.”

It was hard to tell, but it seemed that the guard stared at her oddly through his mask for a moment. Then he nodded. “It will be done.” He let go of her and raised his own rifle.

Doctor Jace had heard the chaos and confusion of the construct's attack. She had taken one peek into the room as the soldier went to work on the King and Doctor Stone......and had quietly closed the door, quick march, not even bothering to dress in anything more than her nightgown. Not even bothering to pick up anything from her room. She just went, quietly taking a servant's side door out of the castle.

She had walked away at that same quick march, not looking back until she had crested a short rise half a mile away.

Looking back, she could see the fire and fury of the battle. She blinked once, sadly, then kept going.

She regretted losing her position there, but clearly there would be a lot of questions to answer when all was over, and she couldn't begin to answer any of them.

That was assuming the soldier didn't kill them all.

She continued her brisk walk to freedom.

Speedy chased after Cheshire, shooting arrow after arrow at her feet; concussion arrows, explosive arrows, taser arrows.

But finally a trooper got in his way; and he had to duck the return fire. Kid Flash was taking down as many as he could, but they kept coming.

Roy took down the trooper with a shot, then unleashed a leaping kick to the head of another. He ducked another blast, but a soldier closed and tackled with him.

Cheshire kept backing away.

“CHESHIRE!!” He shouted.

She smiled, and was gone.

Cyborg was the first to smash his way into what was left of the lab. Geo-Force and Terra were right on his heels.

Doctor Silas Stone was alive. His right arm was broken in two places, and his left leg was a twisted mess that Vic didn't want to look at, but his scanners made it clear; his father would make it.

So he dropped onto his knees with an audible clank. “Was it worth it, Dad?” He asked hoarsely. “Was it?”

For a long moment he didn't think Silas would answer. Then the old man took a deep breath, opened one eye and croaked, “It will be.”

Cyborg blinked. “It will be? When?”

“When you finally see sense......” The old man coughed a moment, then went on, “When you finally realize that I am right.”

Cyborg shook his head. “You aren't.”

Silas just gave a bitter smile and closed his eye.

Seconds later, Queen Zenobia woke in her hospital bed.

She wept, but she did not know whom for.....yet.

It wouldn't be long until she found out.

Two days later…


The Titans and the Suicide stood on opposite sides of the State funeral for two of Markovia's Kings, lost within weeks of each other.

Queen Zenobia was still in a wheelchair, tears leaking from her eyes. She wore royal robes, as did Prince Brion and even Princess Tara.

It was the first time any member of either the Titans or the Squad had seen the face that lay beneath Terra's mask. She looked into the middle distance, eyes unfocused.

Next to her, Prince Brion stood proud and stern. Only his frequent blinks gave him away.

Beast Boy was as quietly respectful as any of the others, and held back his jokes and paid his honestly felt respects. Cyborg stood next to him, quiet, thinking. Gar wasn't really worried about his friend; if anything, Vic seemed to be at peace since his father was taken away....but two thoughts kept pursuing each other through his head.

Tara. Her name is Tara. Lovely.

She's a blonde. Oh boy, a blonde!!

The Titans stood around Tara uneasily. Brion stood a short distance behind her.

“I never wanted her to be on the Squad,” Brion said. “It was the only option available.”

“She did help us,” Beast Boy pointed out. Tara grinned at him and he blushed.

“She didn't do it out of the goodness of her heart,” Cyborg rumbled.

Tara spread her hands. “I never said I was a saint. But I'm willing to at least try to help you guys...if you'll give me a chance.”

Kid Flash nodded. “I think she could help us, and we could help her.”

“Certainly she needs someone to watch over her,” Wonder Girl agreed. Tara wrinkled her nose at that, but didn't say anything.

Starfire was uncertain. “She has fire in her heart, but it is uncontrolled.”

“I like her,” Dagon said simply. He was hiding from the sunlight under a heavy cloak and hood. But his eyes could still be seen, glowing softly. Tara was fascinated by him.

Nightwing looked thoughtful. “What do you say, Raven?”

“There is darkness in her, to be sure,” Raven agreed. “But less than myself or Dagon....and....I think she has seen the horrors in those depths.”

Tara shuddered. “Oh, yeah.”

Speedy said nothing. He just hung his head. To his mind, Terra was no worse than he himself was now.....after all, she wanted in, and he had walked away.

Nightwing continued to consider. “Wonder Girl, lasso her and talk for a while. Ask whatever questions you think fit.”

This, Wonder Girl did. They covered a range of topics, from Tara's motivations for joining them, to her feelings for Beast Boy, what she thought of each of them so far. Finally, Wonder Girl nodded and took the lasso off.

“We're going to have to do something about that costume,” Nightwing finally said.

“Why?” Tara frowned.

“That horned cowl? Eh, sorry doll, no way. You ain't Batman,” Beast Boy pointed out.

For a moment her eyes flared, then she subsided. “Yeah, it's got Gregor's blood on it now anyway,” she sighed. Then she looked up. “Wait...that means.....I'm in?”

“You're on probation,” Nightwing answered. “We'll be watching you very closely. But yeah, you're in.”

“All right!” She pounced Beast Boy, much to his embarrassment. “Beastie Boy can watch me all he wants,” she said, grinning that scary grin again.

“Uh....” Beast Boy blushed even more.

Cyborg groaned and put his face in his hands.

Speedy slipped away from the departing Titans, and the late-to-the-party Checkmate agents and walked into the now quiet tunnels.

Quiet....but not abandoned.

“I know you're here,” he said.

Cheshire slipped out of the dark, cleaning the various poisons off her nails with a stained cloth and several vials of water and systemic antidotes. Speedy was more familiar with her 'clean-up' procedures than he cared to admit. “Of course you did,” she purred. “How convenient that you didn't tell anyone else.” She carefully laid a hand on his shoulder, not touching the skin, only costume. “Have you finally come to your senses?”

“I'm not gonna switch sides, Jade. Sorry.”

She pursed her lips and pouted. “But?”

“But I won't turn you in, either.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “Then come here.”

He moved with her into the dark.

After a short period of time she asked him “Do they suspect?” in a somewhat breathless tone of voice.

“Not the Titans, no,” he answered in the same way. “But evading Checkmate's monitors is the pits.”

“We'll work something out,” she promised him, chuckling.

“Why exactly did you do this, anyway?” He sighed.

Cheshire paused a moment before answering. “Power and control are important, and I hope one day you will come to see the truth of that. More specifically, a lot of us women on this side of the fence are getting tired of waiting for the men to get anything done. We're taking matters into our own hands.”

“This I can tell,” he said dryly.

She laughed.

“So why do you want me on your side for, then, if men are so ineffectual?”

“Male villains are ineffectual, Roy,” she corrected him. “You heroes are doing just fine. That's part of the problem, and part of why I want you. As for the rest....I would've thought that obvious.”

“Thanks....but I'm staying on my side.”

“Just so long as we can continue to....meet in the middle?” Cheshire suggested softly.

“I think you already know the answer to that one,” he answered, and she chuckled.

After that they spoke no words for a time.