Titans of Justice Unlimited Vol. 2 #2 – “Dead Batteries Pt. 2”
Written & edited by: Power Guy
Maxi-micros by: Power Guy


Roll Call: Black Vulcan, Buffalo Brave, Corporal Marvel, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Kid Comet, Knightvision, Nucleus, Power Guy, Quake, Sargona, Starman,

A point in space between Earth and Rann…

“I have never been in space or to another planet before,” commented Buffalo Brave. “Thank you for this opportunity, Knightvision.”





“It will be good experience for you,” pointed out the red and black clad hero as he piloted the Hawk-rocket.





“Des Rann have anything that resembles an Indian tribe?” asked the son of Apache Chief.

But before Knightvision could answer his teammate’s question, he saw something miniscule floating through the air that soon grew into the full-sized form of Nucleus. “Uhh…what are you guys doing?” asked the protégé of Ray Palmer.





“We’re heading to Rann to check on some of the others,” replied Knightvision. “How did you get aboard this ship?”

“I promised Hawkgirl that I’d see if I could improve this thing’s fuel efficiency. I’ve been tinkering with it for a few hours but just heard you guys talking a few minutes ago so I thought I should see what was up. So, what’s wrong with the team that went to Rann?”

“That’s just it, we don’t know,” answered Corporal Marvel. “We haven’t heard from any of them since they left.”





“And that’s not like Power Guy or Green Lantern,” added Sargona. “Both of them are almost religious about keeping us updated.”





“I think the scarier thing is,” began Quake. “If they are unable to contact us, what is it that they took on that could take down Power Guy and the group that went with him? Those were some of our heaviest hitters that we sent to Rann.”





“Quake has a point, Knightvision,” agreed Corporal Marvel. “Maybe we should have asked more Titans to come along with us?”

“I’m sure Knightvision knows what he’s doing,” Kid Comet said, answering for the vigilante from Gotham City. “I’ll be right back. I need to get a glass of water,” he said, exiting the cabin.





“I still don’t know what Kid Comet is doing here with us. He and those future Titans betrayed us. How can we trust him?” asked Corporal Marvel.

“That’s just it,” began Knightvision. “The future Titans were misguided, not evil. This Kid Comet is from out current timeline. I’m hoping that by us bringing him onto the team now, we can make sure he heads down the right path. I’m hoping to locate the other future Titans eventually and do the same with them.”

“Always thinking ahead, aren’t you?” teased Sargona.

Knightvision chose not to respond to Sargona’s comment but instead thought to himself, “And in case I’m wrong, it’s better to keep a possible enemy close.”

“Alright everyone, sit tight,” instructed Nucleus who had taken over co-piloting the ship. “That’s Rann up ahead. We’ll be entering its atmosphere momentarily.”

Just then Sargona’s Ruby of Life glowed brightly as if something was amiss as an unknown object or person flew past the Hawk-rocket at amazing speed causing the ship to shake from turbulence.

“Quake!” called out Knightvision.

The son of Reverb and nephew of Vibe instantly reacted and absorbed the vibrations that were causing the rocket to stir until the ship was flying smoothly again.

“Holy Moly! What was that?” gasped Corporal Marvel.

“It looked humanoid,” responded Buffalo Brave. “But I couldn’t make out much.”

“That’s weird, my ruby just went nuts as if there was some kind of danger or evil nearby,” revealed the daughter of Sargon The Sorcerer and Zatanna.

“It had to have been whatever that was that flew past the ship,” noted Kid Comet.

***

Moments later…

“And then he syphoned all of the Zeta Beam energy and took off for Oa,” recounted Starman to the new arrivals, still extremely angry over the death of Aleea Strange. “I wanted to go after him but I couldn’t just leave the others here stranded especially with Aleea dead and Power Guy in a coma.”





“You did the right thing, Scott,” agreed Knightvision. “As powerful as you are, there’s no way you could stop Starbreaker alone in his present state. We’ll be lucky if all of us combined can thwart his plans.”

“Knightvision isn’t kidding,” began Nucleus, “I’ve read the JLA’s file on Starbreaker. He’s one tough cookie. He’s gone toe to toe with Superman twice and won both times! Only the combined power of the Justice League along with Sargona’s father was able to stop him.”

“Knightvision, can I borrow one of your Bat-ropes?” asked Hawkgirl.





“What for?” asked the son of Nightwing and Batgirl.

“I’m going to tie my mace to Power Guy’s body,” answered the fierce fighter. “I’m hoping that Nth Metal’s healing properties will do him some good until we get back home and figure out what we can do to help him.”

“Here you go,” Knightvision said, handing the rope to Hawkgirl. “Once you’re done, let’s board your rocket and head to Oa. We haven’t a moment to lose!”

***

At that same moment on Oa…

“Starbreaker, you were our prisoner once. You have a lot of nerve coming back here,” chastised one of the Guardians of the Universe. “There are over two dozen Green Lanterns here ready to oppose you. You might as well voluntarily enter a science-cell now while you still can.”





Starbreaker stood, unmoved by the Guardian’s words, “It is YOU who should hand over the Central Power Battery while YOU still can, my former jailer. I come here with more power than I’ve ever harnessed before. You have absolutely no hope of stopping me.”





“We shall see about that,” retorted the Guardian, sternly. “Green Lantern Corps – attack!”

***

Later after the Hawk-rocket lands on Oa…

The small fraction of the Titans of Justice enter the Guardians’ citadel without pause, each of them in anticipation over whether or not they arrived in time to stop the Cosmic Vampire. Sadly, the sight that they see when they enter the room is quite disturbing. On the floor lie all of the Guardians of the Universe along with their Green Lantern soldiers, all of them injured with many of them dead.

“We’re too late!” exclaimed Black Vulcan.





“That you are!” came a voice from above.

The Titans looked upward to see Starbreaker floating above the Central Power Battery. He had a slight green glow to him, indicating he had just finished sucking the battery dry.

“The power of the Guardians of the Universe is now mine and for all of the trouble that you and your predecessors from earth have caused me, your planet shall be my next stop. You will be forced to watch it and all of its inhabitants wither and die before me!”

“Not happening,” declared Corporal Marvel as he streaked through the air and landed a powerful punch to the Cosmic Vampire’s forehead, knocking him to the ground.”

“You have immense power,” noted Starbreaker. “Another Kryptionian, I’m guessing? I MUST have your power!” he said flying up to the son of Captain Marvel and Stargirl.

Corporal Marvel braced himself for Starbreaker’s assault and kicked him in the face. Angered, Starbreaker grabbed his opponent’s leg in hopes of draining his power but soon found out, “You’re no Kryptonian and I cannot absorb your energy. You must be fueled by magic!”

“BINGO!” smirked Corporal Marvel as he readied to punch Starbreaker again only to have the Cosmic Vampire beat him to the punch(literally). Starbreaker then blasted the young member of the Marvel Family out of the sky.

“Yo, Starbreaker!” called out Quake. “We’re not done with you yet!” Pointing both of his hands at the Cosmic Vampire, he released a stream of energy that surrounded his foe.

“What are you doing?” asked Kid Comet.

“I’ve come up with a new way to use my powers. I call it a ‘Vibe Bomb’ after my uncle. Watch what it does.”

Starbreaker soon found himself encased in a sphere of vibrational energy, which shook him side to side, up and down, and in just about every direction possible. It was like being on several dozen amusement park rides all at once.

“I’m probing his mind to try and figure out how to stop him,” advised Kid Comet. “He truly believes he’s all powerful.”

“I AM all powerful!” announced Starbreaker as he shattered the energy sphere around him, quite irritated.

“You look a bit disheveled,” stated Kid Comet as he used his telekinesis to grab ahold of the villain and shove him backwards. “Let Buffalo Brave give you a hand!”

Seconds earlier, Kid Comet had telepathically formulated a plan with the Indian warrior. Buffalo Brave called out his famous magic word, “INUCKCHUCK!!!!” and shot up to a towering fifty feet tall. As Starbreaker flew towards him, he clapped his gigantic hands with tremendous force, causing Starbreaker to fall to the ground where the son of Apache Chief slammed his right foot down on him, temporarily immobilizing him.

“That won’t hold him for long,” advised Knightvision. “We’ve got to figure out a way to drain off his energy. Nucleus, how did the JLA and Sargon defeat him?”

“They used a combination of Green Lantern’s ring, Sargon’s ruby, along with technology from the JLA satellite, the Hawk-rocket, and the Fortress of Solitude.”

“We’ve got everything here except for the satellite and the Fortress technology,” pointed out Knightvision.

“True but Green Lantern’s ring is dead,” reminded Starman.

“But that may not be a bad thing in this case,” smiled the man otherwise known as Daniel Jordan.





Just then, Starbreaker shoved Buffalo Brave’s foot off of him and declared, “You’re all dead! I am going to rend you all limb from limb!”

“I have a plan,” revealed Nucleus, “I need Green Lantern, Sargona, Hawkgirl, and Starman. The rest of you keep him busy while I get things in motion.”

With that, various members of the Titans of Justice took jabs at Starbreaker in hopes of occupying him while the protégé of Ray Palmer put his plan into play.

Moments later, Nucleus yelled out, “NOW!”

Starman flew in front of Starbreaker and blinded him with a bright flash from his Cosmic Rod while Hawkgirl attached an energy syphoning hose from her rocket to Starbreaker’s chest which began leaching off the Zeta-beam energy Starbreaker had captured . Sargona joined in the fray and used her Ruby of Life to begin sucking the life-energy from Starbreaker that he had absorbed. Starman then utilized his Cosmic Rod to steal all of the solar energy from within the Cosmic Vampire’s frame.

“It’s all up to you now, Lantern!” directed Nucleus.

Green Lantern rushed over to the still blinded Starbreaker and thought to himself, nervously, “I sure hope I’m up to this.” He then began reciting a familiar verse, “In brightest day. In blackest night. No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power – GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!” Instantly, his ring began sucking all of the Central Power Battery’s energy into it that Starbreaker had stolen. Daniel Jordan felt more power flow through his body than ever before. It was immediately overwhelming. He could feel many veins and muscles in his body swelling from exertion. He quickly turned towards the Central Power Battery and released the majority of the energy had just taken into it, reigniting the battery and reviving the Guardians of the Universe and those Corps members that were still alive.

Starbreaker’s body soon shriveled into nothingness as his corporal form was no more.

“You did it, Daniel!” cheered Sargona.

“Barely,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “That was the most tiring five minutes of my life!” he said as he slumped to the ground.

Starman then said, “Be right back,”

“Where are you going?” asked Knightvision.

“I have a gift for Power Guy that might help him,” revealed the stellar-powered hero. He soon found his leader’s comatose body aboard Hawkgirl’s rocket and promptly filled it with the solar energy he had taken from Starbreaker’s body. Soon, Power Guy began to stir and awaken. “How are you feeling, big guy?”

“A little sore but otherwise, not too bad,” replied the Kryptonian powerhouse as he sat up, still groggy. He then noticed, “Something’s bothering you.”

“While you took your little nap, I found out that Starbreaker killed Allea Strange. Once we finish up here on Oa, I’ve got to head back to Rann and make sure she gets a proper funeral.”

“The Titans of Justice will be right there at your side,” Power Guy confirmed, putting his right hand on Starman’s left shoulder in support. “We all know how much you cared about her.”

“The sad thing is, we really hadn’t kept in touch since we broke up,” explained the son of Jack Knight. “I guess it’s true when they say that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”


THE END!