Giant-Sized All-Stars #4: OUTSIDERS/TEEN TITANS!

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CHAPTER SEVEN
“Well, that seems to be our destination,” Mickey Malone announced as the jet skirted over the icy hills surrounding Tromsø, Norway. The sprawling city itself was further in the distance, not quite a mile off laid out over and around a broad fjord. Despite being mid-afternoon, it was already dark again thanks the polar night, and the group inside the jet peered out of the windows to the large installation beneath them. Stretched out over a frozen plain, it was a central, bunker-like building reaching out to attached Quonset huts, all surrounded by fields of broad, black flat antennae.

“What is that?” Juan asked, face pressed up close to the window as the jet soared by. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ve read about this,” Victor Stone said. “I think. It looks familiar to what I’ve read, up in Alaska. Some kind of project to affect the…um…” He tried to remember what he’d read and his nanites streaked about and flooded his brain, enhancing dendrites and ganglia, speeding the neural circuitry as he smiled in response. “Damn! That’s it. Ionospheric heaters. Some kind of research into how to affect the ionosphere. HAARP is what it’s called back in the States.”

“Guess Europe’s got their own version then,” Gar Logan said as he peered over his new friend’s shoulder. “So you do read? Don’t worry, Vic. You’re secret nerd status is safe with me.”

“Okay, so whatever’s up, it’s down there,” Carla said, cracking her knuckles with anticipation. “Let’s get cracking then.”

“I can’t land the jet, obviously, you’ll need to jump again,” Malone announced as they passed by the complex and started to pull away. “And Kid, we have a tail.”

Kit ghosted back into the cockpit to see what Mickey meant as the others prepared for the jump. “There’s a jet behind us. I made a wide curve around the base back there, to be on the safe side, though I’m sure they’ve picked us up on radar, if they have it.”

“Safe assumption. There’s no jet on our scope though,” Kit pointed.

“I know, but I caught a shadow on the icepack below. Up here, we get just enough of the sun behind the horizon line, it plays all sorts of funky light tricks. There’s definitely another jet behind us,” Mickey explained.

“Got it,” Kit replied grimly. He flicked on the speaker and said, “Okay, make the jump and hit that complex. Speedy, I’m relying on you for the moment. I have to stay with Mickey until we land this, and look into a shadow on us. I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”

Speedy looked at the others, and pursed her lips. Her heart was already beating too fast, now having to take care of the others heaped on her, that just made things worse. She nodded though, and took a deep breath. “Okay, we know what to do. Hit the ground, meet up on the hill just south of that complex. Then we go in together. Get it?”

“Got it,” Beast Boy replied with a grin, holding his fingers up in an ‘OK’ for the girl in scarlet.

“Good.”

And then the door was open and the sky littered with falling figures.



Beneath the jet, there was clamped a narrow black bulge. Just barely man-sized, it clutched the underbelly of the jet tightly. Inside the cocoon, kept safe from the frozen air and tremendous speeds, David Cain held his finger to the receiver in his ear. The parabolic microphones slipped onto the craft by his men back at the Caucasus worked perfectly, and he realized that they’d finally reached his employer’s base

He waited a few minutes, to be sure that the parachuting would-be heroes were all safely away from where he’d land, and then he hit the catches to his cocoon. It detached from the jet and soared towards the ground. Cain then struck a triggering mechanism, sprouting potent memory cloth wings from the inside of the cocoon, allowing him to glide safely to the ground. He saw the second jet hurtle past and realized it was the Birds of Prey. They too had launched off their members, and he saw Kasumi’s descent. He diverted from them, and prayed that he could reach Lord Naga first. He had to complete this most personal portion of the mission. He saw the snowy hills looming fast and he gritted his teeth and fought against the powerful winds, and kept the mission foremost in his mind. He would not fail, he mentally vowed to himself yet again.



“The reinforcements are dropping down around that complex over there,” Zinda pointed out to Dinah and Dick as they watched as well. “Another one of them places, like out in Alaska and Russia. What are those places?”

“Upper atmosphere research,” Nightwing said. “I’m guessing this one doesn’t have the military applications the other two have, which is why they were raided. What the hell is Cain planning?”

“I want to know why he’s not using his own people,” Dinah mused as she stood up and stretched. “We landing and intercepting?”

“No,” Dick answered. “The other jet isn’t landing, and I suspect it’s headed for the airport. Or some other nearby landing strip. We need to make sure there’s no one left on board to put the town in danger, so Zinda and I will go after it. You’ll take the others down and find out what’s going…on…” Dick leaned in toward the window, fingers tightening on the arms of his chair.

“What is it?” Zinda asked, taking a moment to look at the falling figures up ahead.

Black Canary watched Dick pull out his binoculars and zoom in on one of the figures in particular. “Who is it?”

“Kasumi,” he said through clenched teeth. “Damn. The League is involved in this.”

“Kasumi?” Dinah asked, and furrowed her brow, trying to remember her crime files from before she retired. “Wait…you mean Cain’s kid? She’s in that mess?”

“Yeah. This just got a whole lot worse,” Dick said grimly. “Get the gang down there, and I’ll join you as soon as I can. Good luck, Dinah.”



The scattered heroes pulled themselves up from the snow, and out of their chutes as quickly as they could. Beast Boy circled overhead, his green, hawk-like form keeping a close eye on the team as they began to move towards the meeting point. The wind was fierce, making it hard going for all of them as Gar let out a raucous cry of alarm. The heroes looked up to see figures dropping from the sky toward them, and they pressed more quickly for their meeting spot.

It didn’t matter, as the other team began to land as well.

Victor Stone was watching as one of the shapes plummeted in his direction. He recognized the controlled jump, for he’d made two now, and he balled his hands up into fists and prepared. The green-clad teen known as Red Star to his homeland crashed into the hard-packed snow and immediately leaped forward, losing no moments due to his experience.

“Go no further, villain!” he demanded of Victor as he brought down an unyielding punch that staggered his target.

Victor backpedaled several steps from the potent blow and sneered at the newcomer. “I recognize the accent, Russkie. And new age of friendship or not, I ain’t backin’ down to you!” He lunged forward and responded with a hammering punch of his own, and this time, it was Red Star that staggered back, and shook to clear his head.

“You’re strong, steel-like one,” Red Star said. “But Red Star is stronger!”

“Call me Cyborg, and let’s put your money where you’re mouth is!” Vic and Red Star closed with each other, hands that can crush rock to powder clasping, arms able to throw cars straining, backs that could hoist trucks struggling against each other in a classic battle of brute force.



“Spoiler, you’re not supposed to be down here,” Jade said as she landed and glanced at the rookie. Spoiler had taken her chance after all the others had jumped, and no one was in the cabin to stop her. Inexperienced in parachutes, she found herself struggling out of it, but Jade crafted emerald scissors and sliced her free quickly.

“I can’t miss out now, not when we’re close to shutting these guys down,” Spoiler replied as her cloak whipped about her from the wind.

Gar had noticed the green-skinned girl and his eyes popped open wide. Not that the cute girl in purple wasn’t pretty, but Jade was green! He didn’t know her name, but he had to find out and swooped down low and dropped to the ground in human shape.

“Hey there, cutie-pie! Beast Boy at your service, who are you?” he asked Jade as Spoiler looked over at him after a short jump of surprise at his sudden appearance.

“Beast Boy?” Jade asked and then looked around. “Are you from the other plane?”

“Yeah,” He said with a grin. “With Kid Eternity and some newbies. Who are you?”

“Yee-hah! Thanks, green-genes, that’s given us the drop on this putas!” Carla cried exultantly, as she streaked through the snow, her superspeed blows sending Spoiler and Jade flying with the snow she kicked up as Juan approached nearby but ran to Gar instead.

“No wait!” Gar tried to say, but Jade was already reacting, erecting green wall after green wall to try and block the speeding woman, but Carla was too quick.

“I’ve got her!” Spoiler said as she cart wheeled into Carla’s path and hefted a batarang she’d lifted from Dick’s equipment.

“Don’t think so, pinta-tamaño,” Carla sneered as she landed a painfully powerful punch to the side of Spoiler’s head, sending her spinning to the side and face down into the snow.

“Carla! Stop!” Juan called out as Gar shifted into a kangaroo to jump in front of Jade and get her attention. “Yeah, stop!”

“Get with it, hermano,” Carla said as she arced toward Jade. “Help me put this one away!”

“Don’t think so, Speedy Gonzales!” Jade said as she crafted a huge emerald spring under a green floor beneath the snow. “And if you’re with her, Beast Boy, guess you’re not the good guy anymore!”

As Carla streaked at Jade, Juan raced after her, while Gar watched what the green counterpart had in mind. The spring went off and a huge wall of snow came crashing down toward the three of them. Gar shifted into a hummingbird, and flew above the icy tidal wave and watched as it crashed into the twins, and winced.

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“Hey! Red and gold are my colors, you thief!” Flamebird demanded as she leaped at Speedy with a vicious flying kick.

The archer barely ducked to the side in time, and drew an arrow as she did so, nocking and firing. “And who are you supposed to be?” She sneered as the boffer arrow hurled across the distance.

Flamebird was prepared though. She saw that the girl was an archer, and knew that if she ducked, she’d fire. So she tucked into a roll instead of just landing, and watched the arrow sail overhead. She did notice the bulky tip and thought, Wow, whoever red arrow is over there, she’s good.

“You don’t recognize Flamebird? Partner of Nightwing? Heart and soul of the Birds of Prey? Time to get a new publicist, I guess,” Flamebird said as she rolled back up to her feet and spun, her arm at full extension and her hand releasing a pair of metallic discs zipping back at the archer.

Speedy saw what Flamebird was doing, and prepared to dive to the side as well, ensuring that one disc was too high. The second disc though, was lower, and well-placed. “Wait…Flamebird? Nightwing’s here?” She never got another word out as the disc struck her temple and sent her limp body spinning into the snow.

Flamebird snatched up the arrow and looked it over. “Duct-taped Nerf ball over a store-bought shaft? I don’t know what I find odder. That a hardened mercenary killer would go so cheap, or that she could get this to fire ten feet with any accuracy, never mind nearly pegging me from fifteen in high winds.”

She walked over to Speedy, and rolled her over onto her back, and looked over the other, hand-crafted arrows made of spare parts and cheap attachments. Flamebird reached for her radio and hoped she could reach Dinah. These weren’t reinforcements, she was sure of it. Not for Cain, at least.



Black Canary had detached from her parachute before she even touched the ground. There were no mistakes she could make, not a moment of wasted effort she could expend as she charged at her target. Everyone knew the story of Kasumi: born to legendary killer David Cain; raised by the best the League of Assassins had, or could kidnap; taught only those lessons needed to make her a ruthless, stone-cold killer; not even speech was a lesson wasted on her when they could teach her every technique for combat and murder the planet had ever known. Fifteen years of this training made the girl in Dinah’s sight nothing more than a flesh-and-blood murder machine.

Cassandra Cain turned as she sensed the approach of Black Canary, and her eyes grew momentarily wide with worry. Everyone knew the Black Canary: born to the legendary first Black Canary; raised by her loving parents as well as the greatest heroes known to history; taught to fight by the renowned “Sensei of Heroes”, Ted Grant, the Wildcat; born with speech that could shatter walls; not a lesson in crime-fighting lost on her. All of this bound together to make the woman in Cassandra’s sight one of the preeminent super-heroines of the modern day.

Kasumi watched in horror as Black Canary charged at her with fury and determination in every single twitch of her muscles. She had no way to communicate the truth to this woman, and even less desire to hurt her. Kasumi continued to watch as Dinah opened her mouth, and the posture of her shoulders, the movement of her chest screamed at Kasumi that she was about to receive the Canary Cry. Her friends were relying on her though, Cassandra couldn’t let them down. Almost in tears, Kasumi’s body reacted without a thought, launching into the air as her arm hurtled a hard-packed ball of snow and ice. The sphere smashed into Canary’s throat, stifling the scream.

Dinah felt the searing pain cut off her sonic attack, and the fury flickered in her eyes, watered with a flash of fear. Like the legendary samurai of myth, Dinah locked eyes with Cassandra, both warriors making the measure of the other in that brief half-moment before collision and both knew who the superior fighter was.

Cassandra raced off to the meeting place after helping to sit Dinah up, to keep her safe while she recovered. She saw the blinking light of Dinah’s communicator, and knew that help would be coming for her, so she turned and left, hoping she wasn’t too late.



At the Tromsø airfield, the two jets had come to a stop, opposite of the runway, as if eyeing each other warily. The four people stepped from the craft, cautious, tense, prepared for anything. The two costumed men took each other’s measure, and marched at each other, while the pilots followed behind, ready for what would come of this meeting.

“Kid Eternity,” Nightwing growled as he came to a stop, a foot from the ghostly Marvel, eyes staring hard.

“Nightwing,” Kid Eternity replied, the red sash at his waist tugged by the ethereal wind that accompanied him. He glanced up at the tall, lithe man in bruising colors, eyes looking over the rims of his sunglasses to take in the most well-known of the Gotham Bats.

“Good to see you again, Spooky Marvel,” Nightwing said, cracking a grin and offering a friendly wave of his hand.

“Same here, Junior Bird-man,” Kid Eternity teased right back. “Mickey Malone, pilot from Morris Communications.”

“Zinda Blake, privately employed,” Dick introduced with a wink. “It’s been what…six months since we shut down Her Highness and Silk? How’s it been since?”

The pilots approached and shook hands, and then shook hands at the display they’d just watched. The two heroes started to talk shop and Mickey just chuckled.

“Good to meet you, Zinda,” Mickey said. “Say…you’re not related to the Blackhawk, are you?”

“Nope. I’m her!” she said with a prideful grin, thrusting out her chest.

Mickey was happy to enjoy the sight she offered and chuckled. “Wow. That’s great. My grand-uncle was always telling me about you guys.”

“Wait…Malone? Grand-uncle? You mean…?”

”Phantom Eagle in my blood.”

“So those were your guys, Kid?” Nightwing asked as the foursome stood between the two aircraft.

“Yeah. Good bunch of kids. Glad to know you Birds are watching out for them,” Kid replied. “Thought you guys were out of business?”

”Things are changing,” Dick replied. “What the hell are you doing with Cassandra Cain? She’s a spy you know, David Cain’s involved in this.”

“She told us. We helped her get away from Sivana and the Fearsome Five, and now we’re after one of the kids who got kidnapped,” Kid quickly filled Dick in on the kidnapped Vibe, and the events prior at the STAR Labs in Keystone, then listened in on the two raids Dick’s team had tried to stop.

“You know, I’ve got some bad, bad ideas about what this means then, Kid,” Dick said as he crouched down on the top of the ramp into his jet, looking down on Kid Eternity. “This Vibe…Sivana with his hands on ionospheric heaters…and some other group providing Cain muscle in place of his own League.”

“If they want their own men in place of trained killers like the League, that means it’s personal,” Kit replied as he nodded in agreement with Nightwing’s assessment. “Personal…like a grudge, but there’s no real sign of a vendetta. So then it’s personal, like a crusade.”

“A holy crusade…a religious mission, using HAARP and Vibe as a weapon,” Nightwing said as both men started to come to the same conclusion. “KOBRA.”

“His damned Age of Chaos, his Kali Yuga,” Kit affirmed. “We gotta save Vibe and shut them down fast!”

The pilots watched as Dick pulled out the turbo-charged snowmobile and Kid Eternity took the sky, the pair speeding into the white expanse, dread gnawing at the heroes’ hearts over the implications of KOBRA, world-wide terrorist group with David Cain and Sivana at their service.

“So…” Zinda said as she turned to look at the handsome profile of the other pilot.

“So…” Mickey nodded as he looked into Zinda’s pretty eyes. “I hear Tromsø has a kicking nightlife.”

“Want to go party up the end of the world?”

“Sounds good to me.”

CHAPTER NINE
Nightwing spared a glance to one side, then the other, taking careful measure of the eleven villains surrounding him. He tensed, knowing the inevitable collision would give him the moment he needed to spring for Vibe’s prison. Only a room away, and he glanced in that direction, and he prepared to move when these two powerful forces started.

As if on cue, Mammoth turned and charged toward the Strike Force women, preparing to bowl into them with his massive bulk. Everyone had paused to take stock of the forces, each side wondering just how much damage they could inflict on the other. The new arrivals of Strike Force Kobra were now the target of Mammoth’s charge. The woman in the middle, draped in long, flowing green gown and topped in a three-faced golden helmet, barely registered the incoming attack as the Middle Eastern woman to her right drew out wicked looking daggers and spun swiftly and the woman clad in purple leathers to her left uncoiled her whip, letting the metallic length crackle in anticipation.

But Mammoth never reached them, for Eve leaped at him, landing on the broad back and her fingers gripped the thick neck.

“Ahh!” Mammoth cried as his legs grew shaky and he staggered. Eve spun over the ample shoulders and stood face-to-face with him.

“Mmm, tasty power!” she said with a wicked laugh and drew off his tremendous powers, hurling his momentum and strength in a massively powerful kinetic bolt that scattered the Fearsome Five, sending rubble and debris everywhere. “You just stay here, dinner,” she told Mammoth, who struggled to move, but found it being leeched into her and firing at his allies in silvery kinetic blasts.

Sivana picked himself up from the sudden blast and shook his head. “Tricky. Very tricky.” He looked at the other three villains, and shook his head again. “Well, my pets, you all have a good fight. Do Daddy proud, and I’ll come and get you some other day!” He flicked a switch on his belt buckle and the rings on each of the Five shattered, as he deftly hit the second switch and disappeared in a blink.

“Sivana!” Shimmer screamed in fury as she watched the man teleport away. She stood up but before she could do anything else, her hands were bound up in the metallic coils, and fiery pain scoured her nerves, making her scream in pain and drop back to her knees.

“Mmm, Shimmer, right?” Syonide asked with a sweet, scary smile as she snapped the length of metal and it raked over Shimmer’s knuckles. “Like the leathers. Bet you and I could have lots of fun. Maybe I’ll just keep you for myself when this is all done. Think you’d like that?”

Shimmer snarled and forced herself forward a step, but Syonide made a backward leap and again snapped the length of whip and caused her bound victim to cry out in pain. “Oh no…no, no. I know about that fifteen foot thing. You stay right at the end of my sixteen foot long whip, love. I don’t think we’ll be doing an transmuting of my lungs or leathers or anything else, nope!”

Silque wasted no time as she leaped over Nightwing and lashed out at Jinx with her scarlet tendrils. Jinx was focused on Lord Naja and her hands raised up to speak commands to the air when the bonds entangled her. Silque moved in quickly, her silken bonds gagging the sorceress and tangling up her limbs, letting the electricity flow over the scantily-clad Jinx, providing far better effect on this victim. “No magic for you, sorry,” Silque said softly as she rolled in behind her, ducking Gizmo’s beam and using the bound villainess for cover from her partner.

“Get…away…bitch!” Mammoth grunted and got his fingers onto Eve, shocking her and leaving her helpless as she was tossed to the far end of the room. She crashed against the bank of computers and slumped to the floor dazed.

“Which of Trinity’s faces shall see you fall, lummox?” asked the three-faced woman in green as her helmet spun and the Face of War, furious and cold-looking, stared down at him. Mammoth, weakened by Eve, found himself grunting in pain as beams of raw force battered into him now, driving him back to the floor.

The woman called Dervish spun with tremendous speed toward the bound Jinx, the wicked, curved knives in her hands barely visible. “And now to have fun with my former partner,” Dervish said as she bounced from Jinx like a top, each time curving in at a different place, and letting the knives slice into Jinx’s body, shearing into her midsection, then across her chest, then along a leg. Jinx screamed in pain, muffled by the silken scarves, as Silque looked away but held the woman fast. “We were meant to be together, traitorous witch! Why did you betray the master?”

Gizmo was zooming across the cracked and broken roof, staring at the sudden turn of fortunes his team-mates were facing. It was clear that they wouldn’t last much longer, and Sivana had abandoned them. He looked for an easy exit to slip out of, so he could survive at least, but then he saw Eve collapse. He bit his lip and dropped down toward her.

“Hey there, tramp,” Gizmo said as he landed so he straddled her stomach. She looked up at him and lashed out with her hands, gripping his shoulders and starting to drain. “Oh no. Don’t work that way,” he snapped as he reached over his shoulder to his backpack. “I ain’t got a power like Mammoth, check fer yerself!” Eve stared up and her eyes went wide with the realization as his arm came back down in a wicked arc. She heard a terribly humming, and saw the metal cylinder in his hand but could see nothing else.

But she felt it. She felt her skin, muscle and bone tear and rend into tiny pieces as he stabbed into her chest. “Vibro-blade. Got the idea from helping Sivana examine Vibe. Mebbe I shoulda just run, but I’m not lettin’ my friends die without getting some blood fer ourselves too!”

“AHHH!” Eve screamed out as he left the vibro-blade buried in her body. She reached up and gripped the high-tech hilt, tearing the blade from her body as blood flowed like a bubbling fountain. “My…love!” she cried out, reaching for Naja, whom she saw nearby. He glanced back at her, and she screamed in pain as Gizmo started to lift away from her. “Save…s-save…me…” She coughed pitifully, her body feeling cold and her eyes growing unfocused.

Lord Naja-naja looked at his consort, draped over the floor and bleeding, and then looked away. Dispassionately, he stalked away from the Strike Force and toward the room holding the controls for his Auroral Cannon. The time had come to make the world bleed and die much like his consort was doing even now.

“There is no way I’m letting you any nearer,” Nightwing swore as he stepped in front of the doorway. “Your plan ends here, Kobra.”

Lord Naja appraised the young man clad in ebony, streaked in azure. The body held power, he carried himself with grace and skill. Naja’s eyes grew appreciative and he gave a bow. “You are a challenge worthy to my ascension. I shall send your spirit to its reward with honors.” A punch sped toward Nightwing, but the hero blocked it as he stepped in to plant his knee into Naja’s midsection, but the villain dropped his forehead into Nightwing’s own. Pain seared both men as the battle began.

Without a pause, Naja’s powerful arms wrapped Nightwing’s chest and hugged hard and sudden, as Dick felt something snap inside of him. Undeterred by the sharp shortness of breath signaling the broken rib, Nightwing brought his clenched fists sharply into both sides of the base of Naja’s neck, forcing a momentary numbness that dropped the hero back to his feet. Naja didn’t even flinch when he thrust his foot forward, powering into the younger man’s stomach, but Dick knew he’d never get out of the way of the blow in time. Instead, he chose to take the blow, feeling abdominal muscles ripple and fold while he drove his fist down with all his might into Naja’s knee. The villain cried out in pain, but also rolled over, bringing his good leg up so the muscled, callused calf crashed into the side of Nightwing’s whole head, sending him spinning and rolling to the side.

Both men pulled themselves up to their feet, panting, gasping, blood leaking as their eyes stared at each other. Once more, they closed with each other, as Nightwing’s hands battered Naja’s face and Naja slipped his leg between the hero’s own. His forward momentum enabled him to force Nightwing to fall backward. Naja cried in pain as he needed to use his ruined knee to do this, but succeeded in angling his fist to strike Dick’s sternum and the welcoming taste of the young man’s breath on his face made him smile as he felt Nightwing’s leg catch his short rib and continue the villain’s forward momentum, sailing through the air and smashing into the door. Fragments scattered everywhere as Naja landed hard in the room with the cannon’s controls as Nightwing lay on his back, struggling to regain his breath, and Naja looked up at the controls, trying to find it in him to stand one last time.

“EVE!” Silque screamed when she saw Gizmo stab her dearest friend. Jinx was suddenly freed of her bonds as the loyal companion bounded and swung through the battlefield to reach the dying woman. Her tendrils lashed up furiously, snatching Gizmo as he reached the roof.

“Shit!” Gizmo cried out as he felt the electricity pour into him. He reached for his gear, but it was too late. The fabric was tearing his harness and backpack away, ripping them to pieces as another tendril wrapped around the dwarf’s neck and thrust him hard into the floor, where he stopped moving.

“Eve,” Silque cried, tears staining the fabric covering her face as she held the dead body in her arms. “Why didn’t you listen to me? For once…just once…”

“I’m…nobody’s…bitch…” Shimmer grunted and closed her eyes so hard, tears squeezed out and ran over her cheeks. Her fingers reached out to grip Syonide’s whip. Suddenly, the coil vanished in a puff of harmless smoke, leaving only a foot hanging from the handle in the purple-clad woman’s hand.

“Time to go,” Syonide said as she started to run for the opening her team had made into the room.

“I don’t think so!” Shimmer shouted as she forced herself to run after her, legs shaking. She saw her brother getting back to his own feet and looming over Trinity. “Worm…turns…” she growled in pain.

“I do not think so,” Trinity said simply as her helmet spun and the languid-looking Face of Time spun to face them and waves of temporal distortion froze them in place, side-by-side.

Dervish grinned and licked her bloody knives clean. Trinity called out, “Kill time, Dervish. Your speed should keep you moving, just do not lose momentum.” The spinning killer nodded and started her movement, the edged human cyclone spinning with deadly intent toward the brother and sister villains, helpless before her.

At least, until the green cage suddenly appeared around Dervish, and she found herself yanked away. Dervish watched as twins streaked past her cage and snatched Shimmer from the field, their speed also allowing them to move through the field and yank the redheaded transmuter from Trinity.

Red Star and Cyborg stood shoulder to shoulder, the former’s right arm leveled at Mammoth while the latter’s left arm matched it, a metallic attachment at the end firing a coherent beam of white sound to parallel the raw blast of power coming from the Russian hero. Mammoth felt the twin beams batter into his back and he again dropped to his knees in pain.

“Sorry for your loss,” Black Canary said as she tapped Silque on the shoulder. The red-garbed woman turned to see who was behind her, and Dinah lashed out with a powerful kick that leveled Silque.

“No…” Eve whimpered as the blood coating her wound started to gain a clay-like appearance, and sealed the mortal injury up. She smiled and kicked with a leg, tripping Black Canary as she sensed the power inside the blond heroine. “I’m…a walking Lazarus Pit…” She chuckled to herself, giggling with girlish glee. She reached out for Canary only to get struck hard on the side of the head.

“No touching,” Speedy said, already stringing another boffer arrow and firing, then drawing a third and releasing. “I don’t know what you do, but I bet Canary wouldn’t like it.” The arrows struck her in the forehead, and then the nose, making her bleed and battering her backward.

“Hey there,” Juan said as he held Shimmer’s left arm, and smiled at her.

“Remember us, chica?” Carla asked, as she held Shimmer’s right arm. “You tried to drop us into tar, then lava?”

Shimmer nodded, the world whirling past her too quickly to register enough focus to use her powers.

“Good. Just wanted to make sure you realized who saved your life,” Juan said as the twins let her go suddenly and peeled away from the onrushing wall in opposite directions as Shimmer crashed into it with a loud crack.

Kasumi leaped in and without even losing a half-second of movement, lashed out with a pair of powerful blows, knocking Syonide unconscious and sending Trinity staggering in the other direction. She stood up fully as Mammoth also stood up, looming over her. “Don’t matter how hard you hit, you can’t hurt me. And I can splatter you!”

Kasumi smiled at him and shook her head, almost sadly. Then she cart wheeled to the side and left Mammoth staring at the direction she had come from, his eyes going wide.

“Yee-hah! Ride ‘em, Beast Boy!” Spoiler cried out with a laugh as she rode on the back of the charging green rhinoceros that smashed into the villainous muscle man. It was the last straw. After the pummeling he’d taken for the battle, he had no more, and with a heavy thud, he crashed to the floor as Spoiler and Beast Boy both shouted, “Timmmbeerrrrr!”

Silque rolled over and her tendrils started to creep toward Speedy, but Canary had recovered her wits. She gave a smug smile and then the famed sonic attack rolled over Eve and Silque, leaving both villainesses to fall to the ground in heaps. Speedy then stepped over and helped Dinah to her feet.

Trinity moved into the middle of the battlefield, and her helmet started a massive assault on the gathered heroes. The Face of War blasted Red Star and Cyborg, and battered debris into the twins, not allowing any of them a moment’s respite; the Face of Time stared at Beast Boy and Spoiler, freezing them in place as the horrific-looking Face of Chaos turned its baleful gaze on Dinah and Speedy, leaving them screaming at the fearsome illusions tearing at their senses of reality.

“KOBRA will prevail,” Trinity said angrily as she assaulted the heroes, the blast of War making the four heroes scream in pain as darkness threatened to overwhelm them. “The Kali Yuga shall arrive, and this small taste will herald that truth!”

Flamebird had watched from just outside, and saw the devastation, but now she was ready. She took a deep breath, knowing she had one chance at this. She wrapped her face in her cloak, closed her eyes and ran with all her might in the direction of Trinity, hoping the woman stayed true to form, and continued to choose to stand in place, tall and proud.

With a push of those muscled, smooth legs, Flamebird propelled herself into the green-robed KOBRA cultist and made her grunt and stagger. Before she could recover though, Flamebird slapped a hand against the Face of Chaos, and Trinity screamed in pain as the flare bomb went off in her direct vision.

Speedy’s world came back into focus, the floor returning to beneath her, touch and sight and sound all restoring to the way they should be. She’d lost most of her arrows, and she saw that Flamebird had given her only one shot. She grabbed the only arrow in reach, nocked it, and with a short prayer of forgiveness, released the broadheaded shaft.

Again, Trinity screamed in pain, but it was cut short as the razor-sharp arrow sliced her neck, cutting her vocal cords and making the cultist clutch her throat and stagger to her knees. Speedy had her eyes closed now, and looked away, feeling sick but her shot had struck true and she also sighed in relief.

The heroes started to stand now as Trinity sank and collapsed. Black Canary heard someone behind her and turned to see David Cain approach her. “Payback’s a bitch,” he said as he slugged her hard in the back of the head and she dropped to the ground. He turned and headed off again, following the path his daughter took.

Naja stood in the control room and prepared to activate the cannon, but Nightwing put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around.

”I was ready for that,” Naja said as he planted a sharpened piece of metal he’d snatched from the floor into Nightwing’s abdomen. Nightwing staggered back, just long enough for Naja to hit the start sequence and begin to hobble away from the room, laughing.

Nightwing staggered back to the shattered remains of the main room and cried out to Jade, who had Dervish bound up in green chains. “Get up there and block that beam!” he ordered the green-skinned woman. She stared back at him, startled.

”Me?”

“You! You can do more than make objects, so do it! Your sponsor said you can, so do him proud!” Nightwing barked, his hand clutched over his wound, and turning the fingers scarlet.

Jade heard the humming from the Vibro-cage and looked out through the tattered roof, watching the energies build up. She stared up into the air, trying to find the right mental trigger, knowing she needed to fly, not knowing how. She stared and she concentrated and she shook, and then those watching her were startled to see her turn bluish and glow blue and hurtle up into the air with great speed.

“Whoa!” she cried out in shock, her face breaking into a smile as she felt the ice-cold air meet her. “I can fly! I’m blue! But I can fly!” She darted up above the antenna array and watched as the Speed Force-laced energy build up. She closed her eyes, arms spread wide as she tried to figure out what else she could do. She reached back for her green, staining her arms that color as she remained encased in blue, and a green brick wall appeared before her as the cannon fired and battered her defenses. She shook and recoiled from the attack, but held firm as the cannon powered into her brick wall. Her forehead beaded up with sweat, and she pointed her arms toward the beam, continually trying to strengthen the cracking brick wall as she battled the auroral cannon.

Naja was hobbling as fast as he could toward his escape craft, the knee in agony, his body feeling the effects of the battle with Nightwing. It was then Kasumi stepped out from the shadows to block his path.

“Get out of the way, little girl,” he snarled but she shook her head. He could sense the skill in her and he was in no shape to battle her. But he stood defensively. “Come and get me then!”

She stepped in, one fast blow catching him in the torso and making him cry in pain, but he also grinned and spat blood over her face. Her face wrinkled up in a silent cry of eww as she prepared to finish the villain. But the grin remained as she began to guess why.

“Oh yes. A poison capsule in my tooth. But poison for my foe,” He said as the poisoned blood numbed her limbs and she dropped to the ground. “You’re young, but apparently, not too young to die.”

“No!” Cain said as he tackled Naja. The two criminals rolled away from Kasumi, as Naja sent a powerful palm strike to Cain’s jaw.

“You want to save her? Save her then! The poison will kill her soon, and you know who has antidotes,” he chuckled, referring to Cain’s enemies back trying to stop his cannon.

“We ever cross paths again, and I’ll kill you for endangering my girl,” Cain said as he stood up and grabbed Cassandra.

“Speedy, get over here!” Cyborg called to his scarlet archer. She looked up from where she was kneeling and ran to join him. He had moved next to the cage, and his arm was plugged into it with several metal cables jutting out of his fingers. He looked at Speedy, his red eye flickering rapidly. “I’ve…I’ve reached Vibe, he’s in there, talk to him…I gotta…concentrate…”

Speedy looked at Cyborg and then said, “Vibe, we need your help! Wake up, pal, and stop this! You’re in there, and we need you. The twins, they want you back! We all want you back! We can’t be a team without you!” she cried out, the words being heard by Cyborg and channeled by his nanites into the connectors. “Please, Vibe! Be our hero!”

Suddenly, the cannon stopped firing, and the controls started to spark and sputter, as Vibe reached out in his prison and redirected his energies. He heard the plea, and he refused to be weak and trapped again. Instead, he redirected the power and struggled to overload the cannon.

Jade felt a sudden relief of pressure on her wall as the cannon ceased firing, and she began to faint, falling to the ground below.

“No way am I letting a hot chick in green skin fall to her death!” Gar said as he shifted into a large eagle, flying up and catching Jade’s limp body. He struggled to stay airborne, coming down in a less than graceful fall into the snow, but he and Jade were safe in the ground.

“Time to run, people!” Cyborg said as he let the connections to the cannon disintegrate and flake away. “The Cannon’s going to explode!”

As the heroes raced for the exits, Carla noticed Cassandra lying still near the edge of the room. Without a moment’s thought, Carla streaked toward the girl, and grabbed her, as other heroes found various villains, Speedy and Flamebird pulling Trinity’s unconscious body from the installation.

As the twenty-one figures escaped the building, the cannon exploded. A huge ball of fire lifted up into the air as other explosions tore the antennae array apart, shattered the main building and threw huge piles of debris and snow into the air, causing flurries of ashen snowfall over the area. Outside, dozens of KOBRA cultists lay scattered, the snows soaked in blood, and Kid Eternity kneeling in the center, looking pale, looking dim, the ethereal breeze that tugged at his hair and sash gone. He looked over at the escape and smiled weakly, nodded and lay back into the snow to rest.

“I hate to be a worrier,” Dinah said to Dick, who she was supporting. “But I’ve tried to contact Zinda, to fly out here, and I’ve gotten nothing.”