Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 6:08:28 GMT -5
Here for your consideration is Part 3 of 3 of
By Marcus Mebes
The End of the Task Force
The Children’s Health Clinic in Bolivia – Approximately 6 months after the mission in Russia
The members of the Titans of Justice Task Force had decided to return to using their codenames, because it was easier to do so when they worked with the public, and with the press that had decided to follow them around the world. Celsius, Palomé, Wildfire, Omen, and Argent gathered outside the hospital, close to the tree-line of the jungle that surrounded the town. The clinic was on the edge of town, and there was a crowd of parents waiting for their opportunity to see the doctors that volunteered their time there.
“Why?” asked Argent as she held tightly onto Wildfire, who was standing next to her. “Why, why why why why?” She was almost screaming, but her outburst went unnoticed among the noise of crying, talking parents, begging, pleading, and patients’ names being called. Collapsing against her old friend, she fell to her knees in despair.
“Don’t do that, Aunt Toni,” ordered Palomé with steely resolution. “Get up.” Since their botched mission in Moscow, the team had noticed a change in their leader. He was still the same friend that they had all known and loved for so long, but when he was in costume, when they were on a mission, he was someone else. He became a no-nonsense, hardened captain to their small army. Argent did as he said, and Wildfire helped her up.
Some of the children had bags over their heads. Some of the parents were crying, begging, and pleading for the clinic to let them in. Inside, the doctors and nurses were doing their best to keep up with the steady influx of patients, while occasionally a family would come out with either worried looks on their faces, or with relieved laughter and smiles.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children was having a good year with the Task Force on their side. Many lost and missing children were reunited with their parents, and many abused children had been rescued. The triumphs far outweighed the mishaps and failures, which were few and far between. But despite their many successes, it wasn’t enough. They needed to do more. It was television, once again, that brought something to their attention.
Ryand’r and Lukas had been watching television one Saturday night after a busy day helping to counsel runaways that had been brought to the rescue mission. There had been a special on television about Operation Smile, an organization that was completely volunteer-driven, where the doctors and nurses took in children with cleft palates and performed plastic surgery on them to restore them to how they should normally look. In their work, they also encountered children with other disabilities, sickness, and injuries, and the special showed how tragically children had to be turned away.
This did not sit well with the two viewers, and soon arrangements were made to visit the children’s clinics and help out… starting with the one in Bolivia that they saw on the television show. There were so many clinics, that there was no way to pick one to start with, so they allowed their decision to be made by the television.
Pastor Dan, the Green Lantern, had offered his support, and they had even suggested that they meet at one of the locations. Palomé had struck up a quick friendship with the pastor, and found him to be a confidant that he could let his guard down to.
The day in Bolivia turned into a week, and the week turned into a month. But soon, the relief efforts began making a difference, and though Palomé was the most active and spent most of his power on healing the children, he never lost his drive. Celsius, Wildfire, Argent, Lilith, and he were joined by Red Star and Green Lantern, and they were able to go out to neighboring villages to seek out anyone—child or adult—that needed medical attention.
“But it will never be enough,” said Celsius sadly one night as she leaned on Wildfire’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her as the two sat on a wooden bench outside the clinic. Inside, the others were tending to the last small handful of patients that had come in, and already they could hear signs of them getting ready to go to their homes.
Exiting the building, Pastor Jordan noticed them and gave them a quick smile. “I’ll be taking them home,” he said, indicating the group of ten people who had started coming out. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, and he did not want to see them walk the distances through jungle to get home. “It was good seeing you all. I’m proud to be a part of your team… even if it’s an extended branch.”
Celsius smiled sadly as she and Wildfire watched Green Lantern cover the people with a green orb and then fly them off over the trees.
“Are you still thinking about Niles?” the Tamaranean asked her as she wiped away a tear.
“He lived a good life,” she replied, smiling. “He did not even want a funeral. Funny. All his life he wanted attention, for people to need him… and in death, he wanted to be left alone.” She gazed at the stars that slowly began to wink in the sky, heralding the arrival of night. “Dorothy Spinner has taken care of his burial. She and Cliff will make sure the foundation keeps going.”
“You’re not returning?”
She looked at him, almost surprised. “Why of course not, Ryand’r. With my husband now dead, and my son missing, I have nothing to return to.”
“About that,” came a voice from behind them. Palomé smiled as he witnessed the burgeoning romance between his uncle and they new friend. He came out with Argent, Red Star, and Lilith to join the others outside, stargazing. He sat down next to his uncle and leaned against him. “I heard what you said. It’ll never be enough.” He looked at the back of her head as she leaned against his uncle’s chest. Ryand’r played with her hair, and kept his strong arm gently on her shoulder. “I’ve seen you with the children… and I know how much it hurts you. Your son, Colin, was… IS… a friend of mine. And it’s been long enough.”
“What are you saying?” asked Arani Caulder, turning her head to regard their team’s leader.
“If you’ll go with me,” he began after a heavy sigh, “I’d like to go find him.”
[glow=red,2,300]-----------------------------------------[/glow]
Red Star and Lilith watched as the black, ghostly shape of Lukas Driscoll’s soul-self rose higher and higher into the sky, eventually disappearing from view. They knew that their friends Wildfire, Argent, and Palomé were in that dark shape, heading for outer space.
The day had been spent with goodbyes and good lucks and come-back-soons. No promises were made, but Argent’s manager at the modeling agency insisted she participate in a fashion show later in the year, and the new pastor at Crossroads Community Church begged Ryand’r and Lukas to come and lead a guest service at the church. After making sure that the Caulder Foundation was in good hands—the recently-recovered Dorothy Spinner and Cliff Steele, Robotman—she made a trip to her husband’s grave, paid her respects, and made her decision to leave everything behind.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children promised to keep their rooms and stations in the organization for them, and though Lilith and Red Star remained to work with the Center, they expressed their sadness at the loss of such great assets.
The Russian juggernaut and the redheaded precognitive lost sight of the ghostly black shape as it disappeared from view.
“Well,” sighed Lilith as she looked at her old friend Leonid Kovar. “That’s that!”
The end.
By Marcus Mebes
The End of the Task Force
The Children’s Health Clinic in Bolivia – Approximately 6 months after the mission in Russia
The members of the Titans of Justice Task Force had decided to return to using their codenames, because it was easier to do so when they worked with the public, and with the press that had decided to follow them around the world. Celsius, Palomé, Wildfire, Omen, and Argent gathered outside the hospital, close to the tree-line of the jungle that surrounded the town. The clinic was on the edge of town, and there was a crowd of parents waiting for their opportunity to see the doctors that volunteered their time there.
“Why?” asked Argent as she held tightly onto Wildfire, who was standing next to her. “Why, why why why why?” She was almost screaming, but her outburst went unnoticed among the noise of crying, talking parents, begging, pleading, and patients’ names being called. Collapsing against her old friend, she fell to her knees in despair.
“Don’t do that, Aunt Toni,” ordered Palomé with steely resolution. “Get up.” Since their botched mission in Moscow, the team had noticed a change in their leader. He was still the same friend that they had all known and loved for so long, but when he was in costume, when they were on a mission, he was someone else. He became a no-nonsense, hardened captain to their small army. Argent did as he said, and Wildfire helped her up.
Some of the children had bags over their heads. Some of the parents were crying, begging, and pleading for the clinic to let them in. Inside, the doctors and nurses were doing their best to keep up with the steady influx of patients, while occasionally a family would come out with either worried looks on their faces, or with relieved laughter and smiles.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children was having a good year with the Task Force on their side. Many lost and missing children were reunited with their parents, and many abused children had been rescued. The triumphs far outweighed the mishaps and failures, which were few and far between. But despite their many successes, it wasn’t enough. They needed to do more. It was television, once again, that brought something to their attention.
Ryand’r and Lukas had been watching television one Saturday night after a busy day helping to counsel runaways that had been brought to the rescue mission. There had been a special on television about Operation Smile, an organization that was completely volunteer-driven, where the doctors and nurses took in children with cleft palates and performed plastic surgery on them to restore them to how they should normally look. In their work, they also encountered children with other disabilities, sickness, and injuries, and the special showed how tragically children had to be turned away.
This did not sit well with the two viewers, and soon arrangements were made to visit the children’s clinics and help out… starting with the one in Bolivia that they saw on the television show. There were so many clinics, that there was no way to pick one to start with, so they allowed their decision to be made by the television.
Pastor Dan, the Green Lantern, had offered his support, and they had even suggested that they meet at one of the locations. Palomé had struck up a quick friendship with the pastor, and found him to be a confidant that he could let his guard down to.
The day in Bolivia turned into a week, and the week turned into a month. But soon, the relief efforts began making a difference, and though Palomé was the most active and spent most of his power on healing the children, he never lost his drive. Celsius, Wildfire, Argent, Lilith, and he were joined by Red Star and Green Lantern, and they were able to go out to neighboring villages to seek out anyone—child or adult—that needed medical attention.
“But it will never be enough,” said Celsius sadly one night as she leaned on Wildfire’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her as the two sat on a wooden bench outside the clinic. Inside, the others were tending to the last small handful of patients that had come in, and already they could hear signs of them getting ready to go to their homes.
Exiting the building, Pastor Jordan noticed them and gave them a quick smile. “I’ll be taking them home,” he said, indicating the group of ten people who had started coming out. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, and he did not want to see them walk the distances through jungle to get home. “It was good seeing you all. I’m proud to be a part of your team… even if it’s an extended branch.”
Celsius smiled sadly as she and Wildfire watched Green Lantern cover the people with a green orb and then fly them off over the trees.
“Are you still thinking about Niles?” the Tamaranean asked her as she wiped away a tear.
“He lived a good life,” she replied, smiling. “He did not even want a funeral. Funny. All his life he wanted attention, for people to need him… and in death, he wanted to be left alone.” She gazed at the stars that slowly began to wink in the sky, heralding the arrival of night. “Dorothy Spinner has taken care of his burial. She and Cliff will make sure the foundation keeps going.”
“You’re not returning?”
She looked at him, almost surprised. “Why of course not, Ryand’r. With my husband now dead, and my son missing, I have nothing to return to.”
“About that,” came a voice from behind them. Palomé smiled as he witnessed the burgeoning romance between his uncle and they new friend. He came out with Argent, Red Star, and Lilith to join the others outside, stargazing. He sat down next to his uncle and leaned against him. “I heard what you said. It’ll never be enough.” He looked at the back of her head as she leaned against his uncle’s chest. Ryand’r played with her hair, and kept his strong arm gently on her shoulder. “I’ve seen you with the children… and I know how much it hurts you. Your son, Colin, was… IS… a friend of mine. And it’s been long enough.”
“What are you saying?” asked Arani Caulder, turning her head to regard their team’s leader.
“If you’ll go with me,” he began after a heavy sigh, “I’d like to go find him.”
[glow=red,2,300]-----------------------------------------[/glow]
Red Star and Lilith watched as the black, ghostly shape of Lukas Driscoll’s soul-self rose higher and higher into the sky, eventually disappearing from view. They knew that their friends Wildfire, Argent, and Palomé were in that dark shape, heading for outer space.
The day had been spent with goodbyes and good lucks and come-back-soons. No promises were made, but Argent’s manager at the modeling agency insisted she participate in a fashion show later in the year, and the new pastor at Crossroads Community Church begged Ryand’r and Lukas to come and lead a guest service at the church. After making sure that the Caulder Foundation was in good hands—the recently-recovered Dorothy Spinner and Cliff Steele, Robotman—she made a trip to her husband’s grave, paid her respects, and made her decision to leave everything behind.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children promised to keep their rooms and stations in the organization for them, and though Lilith and Red Star remained to work with the Center, they expressed their sadness at the loss of such great assets.
The Russian juggernaut and the redheaded precognitive lost sight of the ghostly black shape as it disappeared from view.
“Well,” sighed Lilith as she looked at her old friend Leonid Kovar. “That’s that!”
The end.