Titans of Justice Unlimited #36 – “Crisis: Omen of the Phoenix Part 2”
Written by: Scotty2Hotty
Edited & Maxi-Micros by: Power Guy


California, Earth 1…

Lilith stood still, her feet rooted to the ground. Donna Troy and Scott Trevor stood behind her, stunned. Before them was a giant fiery bird, hundreds of feet tall. Pedestrians ran pell-mell as fire from the bird made the temperature unbearable. Scott noticed his ToJ communicator wasn’t working. He looked to his aunt who was checking her cell phone. She could get no signal. They noticed the traffic lights, even once moving automobiles weren’t working.

“Aunt Donna, what is that? It’s disrupting everything!” Scott gasped, his gaze fixed on the phoenix.

“I don’t know, but we are going to need help—that’s for sure!” his aunt replied as she gestured towards an alley.

Within seconds both had transformed into their costumed identities of Wonder Man and Olympia and flew towards Lilith.





“What’s wrong with her?” Wonder Man asked. “It’s like she’s entranced somehow!”

“She had a vision before that thing arrived. We’ve got to get her away from it.” Olympia said as the wind howled around her.

Just then she noticed Lilith taking steps toward the Phoenix.

“Lilith! Stop!!” Wonder Man shouted, flying towards her at top speed.

Just then, a giant bolt of fire shot out at Wonder Man sending him crashing through an office building.

“Wonder Man!” Donna yelled. Just then she heard Lilith’s voice in her head.

“It’s ok Donna, go check on him. I’ll be fine. Don’t you hear? Don’t you hear it calling me?”





“Lilith, please!!” Donna screamed. She ran towards her friend as the phoenix projected giant fiery arms towards Lilith as if to embrace her.

“No!” Donna shouted as the arms consumed Lilith. Seconds later the pretty redhead turned into a fiery form and was gone.





“Hera help me! If you have harmed my friend I’ll…..” Olympia started as the phoenix screamed. Windows for blocks shattered, asphalt cracked, and trees split. The pretty amazon covered her ears and dropped to her knees as the scream washed over her like a ton of shattered glass. Wonder Man joined his aunt as the Phoenix rose to the sky and all was calm again.

Across the globe, communications and technology came back online. Within seconds, Wonder Man sent out a triple priority alert to the Titans of Justice.

Miles away, Dr. Psycho jumped up and down with glee and abandon.

“I did it! I did it!! The phoenix is mine—er, ours to control!!!” he shouted, hoping Despera and Brother Blood did not hear his slip.





“How are we supposed to control that thing?” Despera countered. “It’s arrival nearly leveled Beverly Hills and wiped out all communications! What in seven moon’s name have you summoned!” the alien demanded.





“Hold your tongue, Despera.” Brother Blood cautioned. “I can feel its power. Raw and untamed. Dr. Psycho is on to something. That girl, the Titan. She is the key isn’t she?”





“She is. I have been working on her for months, manipulating her. Her mind is weakened. I have been preying on her fears that she will never know who she is. Her husband’s affair was a bonus! Her mind was left vulnerable to me. So you see? I control her, we control the phoenix. Can you imagine the terror we could unleash on the world if they don’t meet our demands? She can level cities with a glance!” Dr. Psycho explained.

“The phoenix does seem to have calmed down.” Despera motioned towards a screen. “See, it’s just hovering above the city. Dr. Psycho, didn’t you say the phoenix had attached itself to someone in its home dimension? What if that someone is in there with Lilith? What then?”

“An unforeseen glitch. Nothing we can’t handle.” Dr. Psycho said confidently, although he wasn’t sure how this unknown factor would affect his plans.

“I have heard this all before, control the Phoenix, rule the world. Blah blah blah.” Came an unknown male voice.

“Who dares sully the abode of Brother Blood?” Brother Blood demanded.

“I dare! I, Sebastian Shaw.” The mutant grinned. When he leapt through the portal, he somehow managed to arrive at Brother Blood’s lair. “I assume I owe my presence here to you three. Do you have any idea what you have brought to your world? I’m surprised you haven’t been obliterated to dust, floating through the cosmos by now. It is well past the phoenix’s feeding time.”





“I don’t think I like your tone.” Despera said, aiming her ray gun at Sebastian. She hit him with the ray’s full strength.

“Silly woman!” Sebastian laughed as he lunged at Despera, punching her across the room.

“Brother Blood! Do something!” Dr. Psycho demanded.

“I don’t know who you are, but you made a mistake striking one of my associates!” Brother Blood said, punching Sebastian. The punch sent him hurtling into a giant stone column.

“Is that the best you have to offer? Ha!” Sebastian said, lunging at Brother Blood punching him senseless.

“And now you little man…..” Sebastian said, looking at Dr. Psycho.

“Wait! Wait! I give up. I can tell you absorb what is done to you and unleash it. I’m no fool!”

“You remind me of someone I used to know.” Sebastian smiled as Brother Blood and Despera rose to their feet.

“You have proven yourself a worthy opponent…..and one who seems to know about the force the good doctor has summoned.” Brother Blood said diplomatically. “I apologize for our most rude welcome, please tell us more.”

Despera squinted her three eyes at Brother Blood, trying to figure out what he was up to.

“Don’t worry my dear.” Dr. Psycho whispered to her. “Brother Blood’s diplomacy and charisma will handle this fool and we will emerge on top.”

Despera didn’t say a word as Brother Blood and Sebastian continued talking.

Deep within the Phoenix, Lilith found herself in the white hot room.

“So many thoughts, all at once. I can sense you….you think you know me…wait, you’re looking for…her.” She said aloud. Despite her fear, she was calm and surprisingly at ease.

“Ah, so the Phoenix thinks it has found its favorite host!” came a male voice.

Lilith spun around to see Frost.

She went into a judo stance at which Frost laughed.

“No need for martial arts, pretty lady. Besides, I could shut you down before you could even touch me.” The son of Emma Frost laughed.





Lilith sensed an arrogant and aloof demeanor surrounding the man before her, as well as a deep caring and kindness that he kept buried.

“Who are you? Where are we?”

“You may call me Frost. I already know you Lilith. Poor little lost girl, an orphan always trying to find her way. Go-go dancing at the Canary Cottage, Mr. Jupiter and all that. All red hair and ESP, no wonder the phoenix chose you!”

“You have mental powers?” Lilith said, not liking how he had ‘read’ her.

“I do, in fact I am quite brilliant….and underappreciated.” He began. “You see, we are here in the white hot room. The heart of the phoenix, where all knowledge dwells, all realities touch.”

“The Phoenix? What does this have to do with me?”

Frost explained what had happened on his world as well as giving Lilith a quick lesson about the phoenix.

“You see, it felt it was being drawn from our world to yours. It attached itself to me in an effort to stay grounded in our dimension. The phoenix has a thing for attractive psychics.”

Lilith rolled her eyes.

“You see, the Phoenix had a thing for Jean Grey. X-Man extraordinaire and top level mental mistress! Only she couldn’t contain its power and it overwhelmed her. In fact, Jean Grey looked a lot like you. However I must say, I prefer your beauty to hers.”

“Ok, I believe you Frost. I know about alternate worlds, but have never heard anyone speak of yours. So the Phoenix thinks I am this Jean Grey you speak of? Now what? How do we get out of here? How do I convince this…entity that I’m not Jean?”

“For starters, if I know my teammates, they followed and will be causing all sorts of mayhem shortly.” He explained who the Uncanny Avengers were and Lilith followed up by telling him about the Titans of Justice. “For now, I think it is best that the Phoenix thinks it has found who it’s looking for. Surely you saw all the destruction it caused when it arrived. That was nothing compared to what it usually does, eating worlds and all. In the confusion of being transported here, your appearance and powers made it think it found its favorite gal. Best let it be content. Don’t you feel how calm it’s gotten in here?”

“I do…it’s nice…almost like all knowledge is at my fingertips…..” Lilith said quietly.

***

Back in Beverly Hills, Wonder Man and Olympia surveyed the damage to the city.

“It looks like World War III came down Rodeo Drive.” Donna said.

“Look up at the sky. Is..is that Lilith? She’s just floating there.

Olympia and Wonder Man both looked upward and the fiery bird had changed its form to resemble Lilith.

“She looks beautiful….so calm, but on fire? Do you think she’s ok?” Wonder Man asked.

Just then Jem arrived. Wonder Man kissed his wife and hugged her. Donna and Jem exchanged pleasantries.

“Your mother and Steve took Steven to Paradise Island. With all the disturbances, I thought that might be the safest place for him.” Jem explained.





Just then, the trio felt the ground shaking.

“Oh no…not again…” Jem gasped.

“Sorry, it’s just me!” The Flash said. Sometimes his speed shook the ground or even caused a sonic boom.





“I got here as fast as I could. I had some cleaning up to do, my city was a mess after that….thing appeared. Anyone know what happened? For a few minutes my speed was off, not sure why. ” The Flash looked upward. “Is that your friend from the original Teen Titans?”

Before anyone could answer, Power Guy, Green Lantern, Sargona, Corporal Marvel, and Isis arrived.

Power Guy explained that Apotheosis, Champion, Gold Bug, Huntress, Magno, Sonic Boom, and Starman were helping out across the globe and dealing with the natural and technological disturbances from the Phoenix’s arrival.





“Something terrible is going on. The natural order of things is disrupted. At the exact moment that thing arrived, I blacked out.” Sargona said.





“My power ring surged and I felt something powerful, something out of control wash over me.” Added Green Lantern.





“Even at home in Egypt, I felt it. All of nature cried out at once, as if the very natural order of things were threatened.” Isis said.





“I felt it too, almost like the power of Shazam was faltering.” Corporal Marvel said, worried.





“That must be why my speed was affected.” Surmised the Flash.

“It’s obvious whatever that thing is, affected everything. You two know anything about it? What happened to Lilith?” Power Guy asked Wonder Man and Olympia.

Wonder Man explained what happened. “And ever since it took Lilith, it has been just hanging there in the sky.”

“Look at it now! It’s changing!” Jem shouted, pointing upward.

The Phoenix force was altering its appearance between Lilith’s and Frost’s.

“Who is that? Who’s in there with Lilith?” Corporal Marvel asked.

A booming voice came from behind him.

“That’s our friend Frost in there with her! We demand to know what you did to him!” the man said.

“Oh and who the hell are you?” Wonder Man asked.

The tall, dark haired man replied, “I’m Wonder Man! Who the hell are you?” The Marvel earth’s Wonder Man’s fists were clenched, ionic energy pouring off of them.





The Titans were surrounded by a group of costumed strangers.

“I don’t like spangles attitude.” Wolverine said.





Sargona started to say a spell.

“Watch out for Miss Pony-tail!” Freedom Falcon said. “She’s up to something!”





Magneto approached them, “They must have summoned the Phoenix to their world and brought Frost with them! Avengers….ASSEMBLE! ATTACK!!!!!!!”





TO BE CONTINUED!