Titans Resistance Issue #6

Supergirl floated high above the Earth, peering down at the battle with her superior vision.

She waited, as Terra had asked her to. Waited for her moment.

The moment, in her judgment, had come.

She shot downwards through the atmosphere, gaining speed as she went.

In the name of the House of Kai-Al, fourth of the citadel, pinnacle of the Obelisk, heirs of the astronomical principle, I strike.

She felt the air thicken, saw everything blur as she sped downwards, faster and faster, gravity aiding her headlong rush to the ground. The ground became very clear to her, until it was all she could see. She had time to wonder if Terra saw too much of the Earth when she used her powers, and then came the moment.

Impact.

Robin found himself side by side with Ravager, fighting their way through the troopers as they got back to their feet. Bullets started to fly once more.

"There's too many of them," Robin said.

Ravager smirked. "C'mon bird boy, where's your sense of adventure? Just hit em!"

A tank loomed over them. Robin went high, clambering over the top and prying at the entrance hatch with his quarterstaff; Ravager rolled to one side and attached a small explosive to the caterpillar treads. She scrambled away as there was the muffled crump of an explosion, and the tank sagged to one side. As the top hatch opened and the soldiers began to scramble out, Robin was there to beat them down. Ravager leapt up to join him.

A blur of green light shot overhead. "Lantern!" Robin called up. "Can you clear us some space?"

"I'm trying," Lantern shouted back. "And so is Supergirl. But they keep coming!"

"Do the best you can," Robin said.

Green Lantern shrugged and helped Supergirl plow through the enemy. But it was getting tense; sooner or later they knew their luck would run out.

The White House.

"Sir," said an aide. "There are reports of a massive internecine conflict in Markovia, "

"Where in the Empire?" President Badnarik raised his head.

"In Markovia itself, sir."

"The original nation-state?" One eyebrow went up.

"Yes sir."

"Some sort of uprising?" Badnarik dared to hope.

"Perhaps, sir. But all indications are it's a metahuman conflict."

"The Empress?"

"Uncertain at this time, sir."

For once, Badnarik regretted not putting more funding into spy satellites. It grated on his conscience, but he could've used them right about now. "Keep me informed."

Robin flipped over the axe-wielding bodyguard. His quarterstaff, while a fine piece of modern ceramics and metals, was no match for the poisoned axe of his enemy, and well he knew it. He made no attempt to duel the man; instead he leapt back and let the foe bury his axe in the ground. As the Imperial bodyguard was wrenching it free, he slammed his slammed his quarterstaff into the helmeted head once, twice, thrice, four times. The bodyguard staggered but would not go down.

So he dropped his quarterstaff.

The bodyguard stared, then grinned fiercely. As he lifted his axe, Robin raced around him, grabbed one leg, and lifted.

"What are you doing?!?" The Markovian cried in his own language. He tried to turn and face Robin, who ignored him. With a speed and agility the Markovian could not match, Robin bent the armored leg up and back. The bodyguard threw fists to no avail; Robin ducked. He bent back the leg and then kicked at it, until...

Crack.

The bodyguard screamed and fell.

For good measure, Robin yanked the boot off the injured leg and broke the ankle as well. As he took his quarterstaff and went to return to the battle, a bullet slammed into his shoulder. His body armor held, but the force of the impact knocked him down. He thought it wise to play dead for the moment. The enemy fire was thick and fast, now.

Green Lantern looked down into the eyes of the Empress Petra and saw in them a fixed fanatic gaze of hatred, pride, and the need to dominate.

Yes. Here, in this face, he saw everything he had expected to see in Tara's face, but never found. But now he could see it well, in the face of the mother.

"So arrogant, so proud, so sure of yourself!" he spat contemptuously.

A rock barrage knocked him skyward. "You should talk, fool," Petra said, and sat up.

She stared at Terra. "Is there nothing of our nation's strength in your veins, child?" she asked wearily. "Surely you remember the old song? 'Tomorrow belongs to me....' "

Terra sent a storm of rock dust into her mother's face, making her splutter and cough. "I remember that hateful theme, yes. I wish I could forget."

"I shall have to forget my love for you," Petra said simply.

Terra shrugged. "Whatever little of it there ever was, you already have."

"As you would have it, then."

Petra rose, and once again mother and daughter stood alone as the rockstorm whirled around them, slowly intensifying.

Robin came upon Green Lantern. The ring-slinger was down, unconscious, blood trailing from his mouth. Assessing his injuries, Robin thought he would be okay. But there was no time to check on his wounds, because bullets began zipping over his head. A machine-gunner, eyes cold and pitiless, was laying down a lethal spray of fire.

Grimacing, Robin ducked and rolled, drawing the fire away from Lantern. Removing the "R" insignia of his uniform, he threw it like a shiruken. It thunked home into the gunners arm and he howled in pain.

Robin closed the distance and kicked him in the head, and he went down. Then he ducked frantically as bullets began to fill the air.

Her name was Arianna Markov. She was also known as the Empress Petra. And she was a megalomaniac, obsessed with power.

Like her ancestors before her, she saw conquest as the only security. Only through world conquest, they had reasoned, could their lands ever be safe. Only by eliminating all opposition could they ever have peace.

Arianna believed in this doctrine, and enforced it. Those members of the family who questioned it were killed; opposition from within Markovia or the conquered lands was met with slow, torturous death. She felt no guilt. She had no remorse. Was not interested in mercy.

So when her daughter began a duel of shifting earth against her, she put aside everything except hatred, pride, and contempt.

She blasted at her daughter with full power. She knew her daughter was not as experienced as herself in the use of the power.

So she was astonished when her rock barrage split around her daughter and flew harmlessly past. She tried to loop it back around, but Terra waved a hand and the rocks flew away to join the maelstrom surrounding them.

"You're not nearly imaginative enough, mother," Terra said softly. "Try this...." She squatted and clenched her hands. A huge fist of rock erupted and clenched around Petra....and squeezed.

The pain was excruciating. Petra screamed with rage, and the fist exploded. Terra was knocked back, partially stunned.

Power, dominance, control, victory. These were the only thoughts in Petra's mind. As she advanced on her daughter, the only thought in her mind was to kill this rebel cancer that somehow the Markov family tree had sprouted. No pity, no mercy. It was no longer her daughter lying before her; merely another enemy to be killed.

So focused was she on this moment of triumph was she, that she didn't even see the twin lances of heat vision burst through the maelstrom of rock from her right. The heat vision from Supergirl, daughter of the house of Al, slammed into her arm and burned it.

Petra screamed in agony and folded to her knees, weeping with pain.

Terra sat up and blasted her with a rock storm right in the face.

All the lights went out.


Terra stood and cast the maelstrom of rock upward and outward, so as not to hit any of her friends. Yes....she considered them friends now. And hoped they would do the same. Getting a clear field of view on all the others—she noted with concern that Green Lantern was down and Ravager was injured,--she rained the rocks down on the soldiers of her homeland.

They screamed in agony and howled in pain. Some of them, Terra reflected with bitterness in her mouth and a lump in her throat, probably died. More blood on her hands she could never wash away. Yet she had no choice.

With Petra down, and Terra's own powers added to the fray against the soldiers, the outcome was decided. Supergirl was still flying through everything in sight like a sentient battering ram; Ravager was still taking pot shots at the enemy; and Robin was still wreaking havoc, breaking ankles and slamming soldiers into the ground. With Terra now focused on the soldiers, the Markovians found out, as had so many of their enemies down the years, just what it meant to face the raw power of the Imperial Family.

Before too much longer, the highest ranking surviving Markovian officer gave the order, angrily and reluctantly:

"Retreat!"

They began to flee the field.

Green Lantern slowly and groggily sat up, rubbing his temples and cursing, as Ravager stumbled over, one arm hanging limp. Robin followed, and Supergirl came down for a landing.

Terra stared down at her mother.

I can do it. I have killed many of my countrymen today....and they were not the first. If I do not kill her she will only come after us again.....she is black hearted and evil and deserves death....

But for all that, she couldn't kill her mother.

However, she understood what had to be done.

"Ravager...I cannot do it. But I will stand aside and permit you to do so," she said sadly, turning away.

"Would be happy to....but we have an additional problem," Ravager said, and pointed with her good arm, blade glimmering in the sunlight.

Someone was leaping towards the battlefield, leaving a trail of lava behind him as he went. Prince Brion. Apparently Supergirl's earlier impact had attracted his attention after all.

With him came four flying suits of powered armor. Terra recognized them as the new, experimental Rocket Men. Within each of those suits of armor was a member of the Elite Corps, hardened veterans specially trained in assassination and counter-guerrilla warfare, amongst other things.

The team was no longer at full strength, while Brion and his backup were fresh. And if she couldn't kill her mother with her own hands...how much harder would it be to even lift a finger against Brion?

"We cannot fight them," Terra said bitterly. "Not without losing at least some of us. And there is much to do, and many Markovian armies left in the world. Ravager, can you do the deed before they get here?"

"Maybe. But if I do, your mom will be a martyr to the "Cause", right? Whereas if she lives, this whole thing will be a blow to her authority."

Terra nodded. "Yes," she admitted. She looked at Green Lantern. He said nothing, holding his jaw, mouth still bleeding. But he shrugged.

"Let us fly," Terra said. There was no argument. Green Lantern surrounded the entire team in a bubble of emerald energy and flew them away without a word.

The Rocket Men pursued to the coast of Portugal, then turned back. Nevertheless Green Lantern flew them on for a while longer, at Ravager's suggestion, to throw off any pursuit. There was also the possibility of spy sattellites. Terra knew that the Empire had not put much stock in them, preferring a more traditional spy network and brute force; but now perhaps that would change.

At length, they returned to the fleet, where Ravager's personal physician tended to Green Lantern and herself.

Green Lantern had not said a word since the battle. Terra stood before him hesitantly. He looked up at her, eyes expressionless. There were stitches on his scarred lip, and he had lost several teeth.

"I know we did not kill my mother," Terra said. "You might wish to still doubt me after that."

Green Lantern waved a hand. "Even Ravager pointed out the risks," he said, speaking with painful difficulty. "When our bloodthirsty host hesitates to kill, you know you're past it."

Terra laughed a little at that, and even Ravager smirked.

"Nevertheless," Terra said, "We have won a great victory today."

"I dunno about 'great'," Ravager said, "But we certainly gave your momma a black eye."

"Indeed," Terra grinned. "It was truly a titanic battle....perhaps we should call ourselves Titans."

Robin nodded approvingly. Supergirl looked thoughtful. Green Lantern said nothing, but his eyes lit up.

"Ahhh, that's really sweet and all, kids," Ravager said. "But I'm no Titan, just a pirate. It was fun helping ya though, and profitable. Maybe we can do it again sometime."

"Fair enough," Terra said. She extended a hand, which Ravager shook. "Are the rest of you still with me?"

"Oh yes," Robin said.

"Certainly," Supergirl agreed.

Green Lantern merely nodded.

"We will still need to recruit more people," Terra said, thinking out loud. "Mother will come for us, that much is certain. We must be ready for that day. But this is an excellent start."

"Anyplace I can drop you guys?" Ravager asked.

Robin frowned thoughtfully. "Are any US ports safe harbors for you?"

Ravager chuckled. "Oh, I can think of one or two where we could slip one ship in without attracting attention...."

On the outskirts of Gotham, the evening news was playing what fragmentary information they had on the "Markovian incident." Even the brash pundits of the more political channels had little to say, since so much was speculation.

But one mind was able to put the pieces together. One devious, brilliant mind.

The boy was about Robin's age. Perhaps a year or two younger. His hair was a long, shaggy dark blonde. His brown eyes seethed with anger and intelligence, and in them was a light that the Empress would know well. The light of fanaticism.

On the bookshelf next to the television were a number of controversial works, not least of them the graphic novel V for Vendetta. The boy smiled fondly at it now, knowing it had inspired so much of his plans.

"Lonnie! Time for bed!" A voice called from below.

"Okay, mom," Lonnie called back. Then he turned the television off. "It's painfully obvious that a group of metahumans has finally decided to stand up to the Markovians," he sneered at the blank screen. "Took them long enough! But now, at last, they've given me the opening I need. The time is at last at hand. The forces of tyranny will finally meet their opposite."

He turned out the lights, and waited a short while until he heard his parents turn in as well. Smiling grimly to himself, he pulled several boxes out from under his bed.

From the first he drew forth a long cloak, bright scarlet in color. A matching hat was next, followed by a frowning, golden mask. Finally, two golden rods. He snapped them together, and there was a nasty spark as the cattleprod was completed.

Into a belt he tucked several small explosive devices he had made in secret, as well as a few vials of dissolving acids. Many people, let alone young boys, could have done all this without being caught. But he was no ordinary boy.

He put on the belt, then the cloak, mask, and hat. Wielding the cattleprod in one hand, he opened the window with the other.

"Let us see," he said musingly, "If these 'freedom fighters' are worthy of a true anarchist. For I am Anarky, and I am the future."

Anarky slipped out into the darkness.