Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 19:35:29 GMT -5
Titans East Chapter 58 – “The Beginning of The End Part 1”
Written by: Power Guy
Featured Artist: Redorion4
Edited by: Marcus Mebes
The Hall of Justice…
The air in the room was thick and cool. The team had done little talking after Palomé’s confrontation with Wonder Man over Venus being Black Orchid. The media was demanding answers from the team over the revelation. This, coupled with the Sportsmaster’s latest stunt, had put everyone on edge.
Nightvision and the Silencer were working frantically to try and locate Black Orchid and the Sting Ray. Nightvision pounded his fist on the Trouble Alert. “Dammit! No sign of either one of them.”
“Cool off buddy,” advised the Silencer. “We’ll find them.”
“Yes but how soon? After Black Orchid kills another five or ten people???” Nightvision responded sharply, but thought better of it and calmed himself down. “I’m sorry Stew… I didn’t mean to be rude. Maybe my mother has had better luck.” Using the communicator within his gauntlets, Nightvision made contact with Oracle. “Mom… it’s me. Are you there?”
A few seconds later…“Yes honey, I’m here,” replied Oracle’s computerized voice.
“Any luck?” asked Nightvision with high hopes.
“As far as Black Orchid and the Sting Ray goes, unfortunately no,” replied Oracle. “I’ve set a global search indicator to go off if any news media or government agency comes across either of them. It may take a little bit but we’re bound to find them sooner or later.”
“Thanks Mom. Keep me posted,” Nightvision said, smiling. Due to his grim nature, smiles were rare on the new Dark Knight’s face but speaking with his mother sent a certain amount of comfort through his body.
“I will. I love you honey,” Oracle said as she cut the transmission.
Power Lad walked over towards Nightvision, still a bit still sore from his battle with Black Adam. “So no Sting Ray. No Black Tulip. Looks like the party won’t be jumping any time soon. I’m going to Big Belly Burger to get myself a triple. You guys want anything?”
“I’m good,” replied the Silencer.
Nightvision just ignored the teen, continuing to focus on his search.
“Hey Bat-boy, I’m talking to you,” Power Lad said loudly. After a few more seconds of no response, Power Lad became further irritated and spat, “Ah… the living dead probably don’t need to eat anyways.” He then stormed out.
A few seconds later, Isis, Sargona, and Black Vulcan entered the room.
“What wrong with young Power Lad?” asked Isis. “We just saw him in the hallway and he passed right by us without saying a word.”
“Girl… don’t you know by now the only time that kid talks to us is when he’s trying to get one, or all three of us, to come to his room?” commented Black Vulcan.
“I think the boy just needs some nurturing and guidance,” Isis added thoughtfully. “With having lost Power Guy, he must still be deeply troubled.”
“That’s one way of putting it…” added Sargona.
Wonder Man walked over to the girls. “Ladies – how are you doing today?
The three women all answered with positive responses.
“Isis, how are you sleeping here in the Hall? Have you spoken with Black Adam?” Wonder Man asked with concern.
“No. He called me several times but I did not answer,” Isis responded glumly. “I am so ashamed of what he did and all of the trouble he caused. Had he not have come here, Venus may not have transformed back into Black Orchid again. As for how I am sleeping, I must say it is an adjustment from the royal palace of Khandaq but before I met Teth, I did not even have a bed to lay in… so I am not too finicky by any means”
“I still can’t believe Venus is Black Orchid,” Sargona said shaking her head. “How could someone so sweet and caring be that serial killer? She’s been with us for so long. How could we have not seen it?”
“I think that’s the problem,” Wonder Man replied. “She was right under our noses and we failed to see the obvious.” He shook his head in concern. “Nightvision is beating himself up over the whole ordeal.”
“Has anyone heard from Palomé?” asked Black Vulcan. “And where’s the Sportsmaster?”
“No one has heard from Palomé since the confrontation he and I had,” informed Wonder Man. “As for the Sportsmaster, I think Nightvision locked him in his room until we figure out what to do with him.”
“That sick freak!” hissed Black Vulcan. “I oughtta go in there and light him up like a Christmas tree.”
“You and me both,” agreed the Silencer, shouting from across the room.
***
In the Sportsmaster’s room…
“I can’t believe they locked me in here! That Nightvision is a control freak!” huffed the Sportsmaster. “Green Lantern would never allow such an atrocity. With the Huntress gone, don’t those idiots realize I’m the only one smart enough to capture the Sting Ray? I’ve got to find a way out of here.” As he fumed, he turned on the radio. “In the meantime, let’s see what’s playing on KLove. What station is it again…?”
***
Metropolis City Park…
Power Lad had just finished inhaling a triple cheeseburger, mountain-sized fries, and large chocolate shake from Big Belly Burger. He let out a loud burp. “Ah… nothing better than mother’s milk,” he snickered as he threw his trash on the ground. “No time to find a garbage can. Gotta get back to the Hall and make sure those pozers are actually doing some work.”
Before Power Lad took to the air, a voice asked, “Didn’t your mother teach you not to litter?”
Power Lad turned and almost wet his shorts as the woman addressing him was none other than the team’s arch-nemesis. “Black &%#*!@ Orchard!!!”
“It’s Black ORCHID you foul-mouthed little punk,” countered the mass murderess.
Power Lad immediately started to sweat and shake. Even he was not over-confident enough to think he could take down the Black Orchid by himself after hearing all of the tales of what she had done to her victims. He activated his Titans of Justice signal device without haste. He tried to relax and play it cool like Power Guy always told him to do. “Boy did you make a big mistake in coming here. It’s about time I put you away!” he said as he flew towards the woman full-force, hoping to buy enough time for his teammates to get there.
“Pathetic…” whispered Black Orchid as she cocked her arm back and then backhanded Power Lad once he was in reaching distance.
All of a sudden, everything went black for the young hero.
***
The Hall of Justice…
“We’re getting a distress signal from Power Lad!” shouted the Silencer looking up at the Trouble Alert. “It’s coming from Metropolis City Park.”
“Let’s go!” ordered Wonder Man, motioning the team to the hangar.
“What about the Sportsmaster?” Sargona asked.
“He stays in his room,” stated Nightvision firmly. “We can’t be worrying about him and whatever trouble Power Lad has gotten himself into.”
***
Minutes later at the park…
“There’s no sign of Power Lad anywhere,” Black Vulcan said, continuing to look around.
“Maybe he was playing a prank on us,” suggested Sargona. “After all, he looked pretty upset when we saw him earlier.”
“Wait a minute, I found something over here,” called out Nightvision.
The team rushed over to view Nightvision’s findings. In his hands were two objects: Power Lad’s signal device and a black colored orchid.
“Oh no!!! That murderous demon got him,” gasped Isis. “How could she? He was only a boy…”
“I don’t think he’s dead,” assumed Nightvision.
“What makes you say that?” asked Wonder Man. “Every other person she’s come across is pushing up daisies… except for Aquaman and us.”
“Well for one, there isn’t a body… or any parts of one lying around. Nor is there any blood in the area,” informed Nightvision. “I think this is a message from Black Orchid telling us to stay out of her business. Perhaps the Venus and Black Orchid personalities are colliding and this is Venus’ way of keeping us safe?”
“But what about Power Lad? She’s certainly not taking him to Disney World, I’ll bet you,” Sargona presumed.
“I’m actually not surprised that she took Power Lad,” Nightvision answered shockingly. “Think about it – he’s one of our newest members. One of whom Venus didn’t have a chance to get to know very well. The emotional attachment she has with him is minimal compared to the one she has with Wonder Man, Black Vulcan, you, and myself,” Nightvision said, looking at Sargona.
Before anyone could say another word, a transmission came through the team’s communicators. “Guys, it’s the Silencer, the Sting Ray and Devil Ray have just hijacked a boat-load of TVs from China off the coast of San Francisco. The coast guard is asking for our help. I’ve already alerted Whirlpool and Strato Hawk. Can you guys spare anyone to help?”
“Teleport me over there,” requested Sargona, firmly.
Wonder Man looked at the young sorceress with concern, “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
Sargona’s eyes squinted slightly, “She’s slipped away too many times. This time, I’m going to nail her. Silencer – teleport me somewhere along the coast of San Francisco. My magic-carpet will get me the rest of the way there,” she said as she vanished into thin air.
***
Black Orchid’s lair…
“In you go you little runt,” Black Orchid said as she threw Power Lad’s unconscious body into a specially prepared cell. “But don’t fret, you’ll have company soon,” grinned the purple-clad woman, “and then the fun will begin.”
***
Just off the coast of San Francisco…
Sargona’s magic-carpet flew through the humid, slightly foggy air. A million ways to take down the Sting Ray fast-forwarded themselves through the sorceress’ mind. “Maybe I’ll simply grab onto that magic-necklace of hers and have it choke her until she…”
“Sargona!” called out Whirlpool from below. He was racing through the water at his top speed, slowing slightly to converse with the daughter of Sargon.
“Whirlpool! Any sign of our fishy friends?” she asked over the sound of the surging water.
“The boat is just up ahead. It’s a little hard to see with all of this fog but I think Strato Hawk should be catching up with them any second now,” informed Whirlpool. “Devil and Sting threw all of the crew off the boat. Luckily, I was able to pick them all up and throw them on a life-raft.”
Whirlpool couldn’t have been more correct. As he and Sargona conversed, the aerial avenger was descending on the boat that Devil Ray and the Sting Ray had hijacked. Rushing up to the captain’s quarters, he used his mace to break down the door. “All right you two, the party’s over!”
The two children of Black Manta turned to see the fun was being spoiled by the Sting Ray’s ex-husband.
“Oh, he’s just mad because the divorce is final now,” taunted the Sting Ray as she put her hands on her hips, with the Bermuda Coral Necklace glistening from the lights overhead.
“Good, now that the ties have been cut, I can kill him with a clear conscience,” snickered Devil Ray as he put the ship on auto-pilot. “Not that it really would have stopped me before anyways,” he said as he used his wrist-lasers to fire several beams at the aerial avenger.
Luckily for Strato Hawk, he was quick enough to block the deadly beams with his Nth metal mace just in time. “You’ll have to do better than that to cook this bird, Devil Ray,” he taunted as threw his mace at his opponent. The mace crashed into Devil Ray’s helmet hard, knocking him off his feet.
“Fool, you just gave away your only weapon!” the Sting Ray said as she fired her double-pronged Manta-laser at Strato Hawk.
Strato Hawk took to the air in an attempt to dodge the red-hot beams. The Sting Ray didn’t give up—she kept on relentlessly, puncturing several holes into roof of the boat in trying to hit her prey. In trying to avoid the Sting Ray, he failed to notice that Devil Ray had recovered and was back on his feet.
Without warning, several poison-tipped darts from Devil Ray’s wrist-launchers pierced Strato Hawk’s uniform and injected the deadly venom into his body.
The possible son of Hawkman started to become dizzy and nauseous at the same time. He crashed into the floor, barely able to see straight.
“Well, well, looks like the kids and I will be living comfortable off of your life insurance policy,” cackled the Sting Ray.
“K…k…k-kids?” Strato Hawk wondered aloud.
“Yes – kids, as in plural, you neanderthal,” affirmed the Sting Ray. “Why do you think you didn’t see me for seven months? I was hiding the pregnancy from you, you idiot. But it doesn’t matter now because you’ll never meet your second child; much less know the sex of the baby.”
At that instant, a giant wave struck the boat. The whole ship shook back and forth violently, causing the Sting Ray and Devil Ray to loose their balance and fall to the floor.
A few minutes later, as the villains started to recover, the Sting Ray lifted her head. “What in the oceans was that???” she demanded.
“That was the distraction to take your pretty little necklace from you,” Sargona said as she came up from behind and ripped the Bermuda Corals necklace from the Sting Ray’s neck. “You can thank Whirlpool.”
“Nooo!! Give me that necklace, you witch!” shrieked the Sting Ray, lunging towards Sargona.
As she was being attacked, Sargona responded with a punch to the Sting Ray’s throat. “Here, this should fill the gap of your missing jewelry!”
“Ackkkkkkk!” gasped the Sting Ray, clutching at her throat. She felt as if her larynx had been crushed.
“Get away from my sister, you slimy sleeper!” ordered Devil Ray, firing his lasers at Sargona.
Lucky for the sorceress, she was quick enough to dodge the searing beams just in time.
“Hey, leave the lady alone,” Whirlpool shouted as he entered the room and tackled Devil Ray. Realizing he would break his hand if he struck Devil Ray’s helmet, he punched the villain several times in the stomach.
While injured, Devil Ray still had some fight in him. He reached up, trying to choke Whirlpool.
Whirlpool thought to himself, “You just gave me an idea you idiot,” as he reached down and grabbed Devil Ray’s neck and lifted his head up and down, slamming it into the ground. The force of his helmet hitting the ground caused the villain to black out. Whirlpool then raced over to Strato Hawk to check his condition. After checking his comrade’s vitals, he concluded, “He’s out cold from the darts. Luckily, I’ve got the antidote with me.” The aquatic hero reached into a pocket on his side and retrieved some seaweed that he had secreted there. He knew it was an all-purpose cure, especially since the poisons used by Manta’s children were all sea-based. Puffer-fish poison was easily overcome with the special seaweed, and any other poison too. He shoved it into Strato-Hawk’s mouth and forced him to swallow it.
Several feet away, Sargona and the Sting Ray continued to struggle with each other, wrestling on the ground.
“Give me that necklace or I’ll kill the rest of your team!” threatened the Sting Ray.
“You just bought the farm, lady,” countered Sargona. The Ruby of Life began to glow as did Sargona’s eyes. While touching the Sting Ray’s body, she caused it to zoom skyward, slamming the Sting Ray’s body into the ceiling of the cabin. The blow rattled the Sting Ray greatly, causing her to become disoriented. She then dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, where they all heard bones crack. Upon hitting the ground, the Sting Ray’s helmet detached from her wet-suit and went rolling across the floor.
Sargona jumped on her foe and started punching the dazed villainess in the face. “YOU WILL NEVER HURT MY FRIENDS AGAIN!!!” exclaimed the daughter of Sargon, with fury in her eyes. She readied her fist to break her opponent’s nose and shove it into her skull.
Whirlpool rushed over to his teammate. “Sargona, stop! She’s out cold!”
“Huh… oh, I… I got so caught up, I almost couldn’t stop,” Sargona replied humbly. “I can’t believe it. After all of this time, she’s finally caught.”
“And Devil Ray to boot,” added Strato-Hawk who had just recovered from the antidote Whirlpool gave him. He arose, woozily, to his feet. “Thanks guys. A few more seconds… and my kids would have needed a step-dad.”
“How are you feeling, Hawk?” inquired Whirlpool.
“Weak but I’ll make it,” answered a still groggy Strato Hawk.
“It may take a day or two for the antidote to fully neutralize the poison that Devil Ray shot you with,” advised Whirlpool. “Take it easy for a few days. Sargona and I will get these two to behind bars.” He handed Strato-Hawk a small pouch of the seaweed. “Take this,” he said. “I can get much more. Eat the rest of it over the next two days.”
“Thanks for your help guys, I couldn’t have done this without you,” said a smiling Sargona. With the Sting Ray’s defeat, a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Months of stress were evacuating her body with rapid speed. The sorceress had a certain glow about her that many hadn’t seen in a long time.
Strato-Hawk took the pouch gratefully, and whispered to Whirlpool. “She looks great, doesn’t she?”
TO BE CONTINUED
Written by: Power Guy
Featured Artist: Redorion4
Edited by: Marcus Mebes
The Hall of Justice…
The air in the room was thick and cool. The team had done little talking after Palomé’s confrontation with Wonder Man over Venus being Black Orchid. The media was demanding answers from the team over the revelation. This, coupled with the Sportsmaster’s latest stunt, had put everyone on edge.
Nightvision and the Silencer were working frantically to try and locate Black Orchid and the Sting Ray. Nightvision pounded his fist on the Trouble Alert. “Dammit! No sign of either one of them.”
“Cool off buddy,” advised the Silencer. “We’ll find them.”
“Yes but how soon? After Black Orchid kills another five or ten people???” Nightvision responded sharply, but thought better of it and calmed himself down. “I’m sorry Stew… I didn’t mean to be rude. Maybe my mother has had better luck.” Using the communicator within his gauntlets, Nightvision made contact with Oracle. “Mom… it’s me. Are you there?”
A few seconds later…“Yes honey, I’m here,” replied Oracle’s computerized voice.
“Any luck?” asked Nightvision with high hopes.
“As far as Black Orchid and the Sting Ray goes, unfortunately no,” replied Oracle. “I’ve set a global search indicator to go off if any news media or government agency comes across either of them. It may take a little bit but we’re bound to find them sooner or later.”
“Thanks Mom. Keep me posted,” Nightvision said, smiling. Due to his grim nature, smiles were rare on the new Dark Knight’s face but speaking with his mother sent a certain amount of comfort through his body.
“I will. I love you honey,” Oracle said as she cut the transmission.
Power Lad walked over towards Nightvision, still a bit still sore from his battle with Black Adam. “So no Sting Ray. No Black Tulip. Looks like the party won’t be jumping any time soon. I’m going to Big Belly Burger to get myself a triple. You guys want anything?”
“I’m good,” replied the Silencer.
Nightvision just ignored the teen, continuing to focus on his search.
“Hey Bat-boy, I’m talking to you,” Power Lad said loudly. After a few more seconds of no response, Power Lad became further irritated and spat, “Ah… the living dead probably don’t need to eat anyways.” He then stormed out.
A few seconds later, Isis, Sargona, and Black Vulcan entered the room.
“What wrong with young Power Lad?” asked Isis. “We just saw him in the hallway and he passed right by us without saying a word.”
“Girl… don’t you know by now the only time that kid talks to us is when he’s trying to get one, or all three of us, to come to his room?” commented Black Vulcan.
“I think the boy just needs some nurturing and guidance,” Isis added thoughtfully. “With having lost Power Guy, he must still be deeply troubled.”
“That’s one way of putting it…” added Sargona.
Wonder Man walked over to the girls. “Ladies – how are you doing today?
The three women all answered with positive responses.
“Isis, how are you sleeping here in the Hall? Have you spoken with Black Adam?” Wonder Man asked with concern.
“No. He called me several times but I did not answer,” Isis responded glumly. “I am so ashamed of what he did and all of the trouble he caused. Had he not have come here, Venus may not have transformed back into Black Orchid again. As for how I am sleeping, I must say it is an adjustment from the royal palace of Khandaq but before I met Teth, I did not even have a bed to lay in… so I am not too finicky by any means”
“I still can’t believe Venus is Black Orchid,” Sargona said shaking her head. “How could someone so sweet and caring be that serial killer? She’s been with us for so long. How could we have not seen it?”
“I think that’s the problem,” Wonder Man replied. “She was right under our noses and we failed to see the obvious.” He shook his head in concern. “Nightvision is beating himself up over the whole ordeal.”
“Has anyone heard from Palomé?” asked Black Vulcan. “And where’s the Sportsmaster?”
“No one has heard from Palomé since the confrontation he and I had,” informed Wonder Man. “As for the Sportsmaster, I think Nightvision locked him in his room until we figure out what to do with him.”
“That sick freak!” hissed Black Vulcan. “I oughtta go in there and light him up like a Christmas tree.”
“You and me both,” agreed the Silencer, shouting from across the room.
***
In the Sportsmaster’s room…
“I can’t believe they locked me in here! That Nightvision is a control freak!” huffed the Sportsmaster. “Green Lantern would never allow such an atrocity. With the Huntress gone, don’t those idiots realize I’m the only one smart enough to capture the Sting Ray? I’ve got to find a way out of here.” As he fumed, he turned on the radio. “In the meantime, let’s see what’s playing on KLove. What station is it again…?”
***
Metropolis City Park…
Power Lad had just finished inhaling a triple cheeseburger, mountain-sized fries, and large chocolate shake from Big Belly Burger. He let out a loud burp. “Ah… nothing better than mother’s milk,” he snickered as he threw his trash on the ground. “No time to find a garbage can. Gotta get back to the Hall and make sure those pozers are actually doing some work.”
Before Power Lad took to the air, a voice asked, “Didn’t your mother teach you not to litter?”
Power Lad turned and almost wet his shorts as the woman addressing him was none other than the team’s arch-nemesis. “Black &%#*!@ Orchard!!!”
“It’s Black ORCHID you foul-mouthed little punk,” countered the mass murderess.
Power Lad immediately started to sweat and shake. Even he was not over-confident enough to think he could take down the Black Orchid by himself after hearing all of the tales of what she had done to her victims. He activated his Titans of Justice signal device without haste. He tried to relax and play it cool like Power Guy always told him to do. “Boy did you make a big mistake in coming here. It’s about time I put you away!” he said as he flew towards the woman full-force, hoping to buy enough time for his teammates to get there.
“Pathetic…” whispered Black Orchid as she cocked her arm back and then backhanded Power Lad once he was in reaching distance.
All of a sudden, everything went black for the young hero.
***
The Hall of Justice…
“We’re getting a distress signal from Power Lad!” shouted the Silencer looking up at the Trouble Alert. “It’s coming from Metropolis City Park.”
“Let’s go!” ordered Wonder Man, motioning the team to the hangar.
“What about the Sportsmaster?” Sargona asked.
“He stays in his room,” stated Nightvision firmly. “We can’t be worrying about him and whatever trouble Power Lad has gotten himself into.”
***
Minutes later at the park…
“There’s no sign of Power Lad anywhere,” Black Vulcan said, continuing to look around.
“Maybe he was playing a prank on us,” suggested Sargona. “After all, he looked pretty upset when we saw him earlier.”
“Wait a minute, I found something over here,” called out Nightvision.
The team rushed over to view Nightvision’s findings. In his hands were two objects: Power Lad’s signal device and a black colored orchid.
“Oh no!!! That murderous demon got him,” gasped Isis. “How could she? He was only a boy…”
“I don’t think he’s dead,” assumed Nightvision.
“What makes you say that?” asked Wonder Man. “Every other person she’s come across is pushing up daisies… except for Aquaman and us.”
“Well for one, there isn’t a body… or any parts of one lying around. Nor is there any blood in the area,” informed Nightvision. “I think this is a message from Black Orchid telling us to stay out of her business. Perhaps the Venus and Black Orchid personalities are colliding and this is Venus’ way of keeping us safe?”
“But what about Power Lad? She’s certainly not taking him to Disney World, I’ll bet you,” Sargona presumed.
“I’m actually not surprised that she took Power Lad,” Nightvision answered shockingly. “Think about it – he’s one of our newest members. One of whom Venus didn’t have a chance to get to know very well. The emotional attachment she has with him is minimal compared to the one she has with Wonder Man, Black Vulcan, you, and myself,” Nightvision said, looking at Sargona.
Before anyone could say another word, a transmission came through the team’s communicators. “Guys, it’s the Silencer, the Sting Ray and Devil Ray have just hijacked a boat-load of TVs from China off the coast of San Francisco. The coast guard is asking for our help. I’ve already alerted Whirlpool and Strato Hawk. Can you guys spare anyone to help?”
“Teleport me over there,” requested Sargona, firmly.
Wonder Man looked at the young sorceress with concern, “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
Sargona’s eyes squinted slightly, “She’s slipped away too many times. This time, I’m going to nail her. Silencer – teleport me somewhere along the coast of San Francisco. My magic-carpet will get me the rest of the way there,” she said as she vanished into thin air.
***
Black Orchid’s lair…
“In you go you little runt,” Black Orchid said as she threw Power Lad’s unconscious body into a specially prepared cell. “But don’t fret, you’ll have company soon,” grinned the purple-clad woman, “and then the fun will begin.”
***
Just off the coast of San Francisco…
Sargona’s magic-carpet flew through the humid, slightly foggy air. A million ways to take down the Sting Ray fast-forwarded themselves through the sorceress’ mind. “Maybe I’ll simply grab onto that magic-necklace of hers and have it choke her until she…”
“Sargona!” called out Whirlpool from below. He was racing through the water at his top speed, slowing slightly to converse with the daughter of Sargon.
“Whirlpool! Any sign of our fishy friends?” she asked over the sound of the surging water.
“The boat is just up ahead. It’s a little hard to see with all of this fog but I think Strato Hawk should be catching up with them any second now,” informed Whirlpool. “Devil and Sting threw all of the crew off the boat. Luckily, I was able to pick them all up and throw them on a life-raft.”
Whirlpool couldn’t have been more correct. As he and Sargona conversed, the aerial avenger was descending on the boat that Devil Ray and the Sting Ray had hijacked. Rushing up to the captain’s quarters, he used his mace to break down the door. “All right you two, the party’s over!”
The two children of Black Manta turned to see the fun was being spoiled by the Sting Ray’s ex-husband.
“Oh, he’s just mad because the divorce is final now,” taunted the Sting Ray as she put her hands on her hips, with the Bermuda Coral Necklace glistening from the lights overhead.
“Good, now that the ties have been cut, I can kill him with a clear conscience,” snickered Devil Ray as he put the ship on auto-pilot. “Not that it really would have stopped me before anyways,” he said as he used his wrist-lasers to fire several beams at the aerial avenger.
Luckily for Strato Hawk, he was quick enough to block the deadly beams with his Nth metal mace just in time. “You’ll have to do better than that to cook this bird, Devil Ray,” he taunted as threw his mace at his opponent. The mace crashed into Devil Ray’s helmet hard, knocking him off his feet.
“Fool, you just gave away your only weapon!” the Sting Ray said as she fired her double-pronged Manta-laser at Strato Hawk.
Strato Hawk took to the air in an attempt to dodge the red-hot beams. The Sting Ray didn’t give up—she kept on relentlessly, puncturing several holes into roof of the boat in trying to hit her prey. In trying to avoid the Sting Ray, he failed to notice that Devil Ray had recovered and was back on his feet.
Without warning, several poison-tipped darts from Devil Ray’s wrist-launchers pierced Strato Hawk’s uniform and injected the deadly venom into his body.
The possible son of Hawkman started to become dizzy and nauseous at the same time. He crashed into the floor, barely able to see straight.
“Well, well, looks like the kids and I will be living comfortable off of your life insurance policy,” cackled the Sting Ray.
“K…k…k-kids?” Strato Hawk wondered aloud.
“Yes – kids, as in plural, you neanderthal,” affirmed the Sting Ray. “Why do you think you didn’t see me for seven months? I was hiding the pregnancy from you, you idiot. But it doesn’t matter now because you’ll never meet your second child; much less know the sex of the baby.”
At that instant, a giant wave struck the boat. The whole ship shook back and forth violently, causing the Sting Ray and Devil Ray to loose their balance and fall to the floor.
A few minutes later, as the villains started to recover, the Sting Ray lifted her head. “What in the oceans was that???” she demanded.
“That was the distraction to take your pretty little necklace from you,” Sargona said as she came up from behind and ripped the Bermuda Corals necklace from the Sting Ray’s neck. “You can thank Whirlpool.”
“Nooo!! Give me that necklace, you witch!” shrieked the Sting Ray, lunging towards Sargona.
As she was being attacked, Sargona responded with a punch to the Sting Ray’s throat. “Here, this should fill the gap of your missing jewelry!”
“Ackkkkkkk!” gasped the Sting Ray, clutching at her throat. She felt as if her larynx had been crushed.
“Get away from my sister, you slimy sleeper!” ordered Devil Ray, firing his lasers at Sargona.
Lucky for the sorceress, she was quick enough to dodge the searing beams just in time.
“Hey, leave the lady alone,” Whirlpool shouted as he entered the room and tackled Devil Ray. Realizing he would break his hand if he struck Devil Ray’s helmet, he punched the villain several times in the stomach.
While injured, Devil Ray still had some fight in him. He reached up, trying to choke Whirlpool.
Whirlpool thought to himself, “You just gave me an idea you idiot,” as he reached down and grabbed Devil Ray’s neck and lifted his head up and down, slamming it into the ground. The force of his helmet hitting the ground caused the villain to black out. Whirlpool then raced over to Strato Hawk to check his condition. After checking his comrade’s vitals, he concluded, “He’s out cold from the darts. Luckily, I’ve got the antidote with me.” The aquatic hero reached into a pocket on his side and retrieved some seaweed that he had secreted there. He knew it was an all-purpose cure, especially since the poisons used by Manta’s children were all sea-based. Puffer-fish poison was easily overcome with the special seaweed, and any other poison too. He shoved it into Strato-Hawk’s mouth and forced him to swallow it.
Several feet away, Sargona and the Sting Ray continued to struggle with each other, wrestling on the ground.
“Give me that necklace or I’ll kill the rest of your team!” threatened the Sting Ray.
“You just bought the farm, lady,” countered Sargona. The Ruby of Life began to glow as did Sargona’s eyes. While touching the Sting Ray’s body, she caused it to zoom skyward, slamming the Sting Ray’s body into the ceiling of the cabin. The blow rattled the Sting Ray greatly, causing her to become disoriented. She then dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, where they all heard bones crack. Upon hitting the ground, the Sting Ray’s helmet detached from her wet-suit and went rolling across the floor.
Sargona jumped on her foe and started punching the dazed villainess in the face. “YOU WILL NEVER HURT MY FRIENDS AGAIN!!!” exclaimed the daughter of Sargon, with fury in her eyes. She readied her fist to break her opponent’s nose and shove it into her skull.
Whirlpool rushed over to his teammate. “Sargona, stop! She’s out cold!”
“Huh… oh, I… I got so caught up, I almost couldn’t stop,” Sargona replied humbly. “I can’t believe it. After all of this time, she’s finally caught.”
“And Devil Ray to boot,” added Strato-Hawk who had just recovered from the antidote Whirlpool gave him. He arose, woozily, to his feet. “Thanks guys. A few more seconds… and my kids would have needed a step-dad.”
“How are you feeling, Hawk?” inquired Whirlpool.
“Weak but I’ll make it,” answered a still groggy Strato Hawk.
“It may take a day or two for the antidote to fully neutralize the poison that Devil Ray shot you with,” advised Whirlpool. “Take it easy for a few days. Sargona and I will get these two to behind bars.” He handed Strato-Hawk a small pouch of the seaweed. “Take this,” he said. “I can get much more. Eat the rest of it over the next two days.”
“Thanks for your help guys, I couldn’t have done this without you,” said a smiling Sargona. With the Sting Ray’s defeat, a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Months of stress were evacuating her body with rapid speed. The sorceress had a certain glow about her that many hadn’t seen in a long time.
Strato-Hawk took the pouch gratefully, and whispered to Whirlpool. “She looks great, doesn’t she?”
TO BE CONTINUED