Titans of Justice Unlimited # 76 – “The Secret Origin of Champion”
Written, Edited & Maxi-Micros by: Power Guy
Art by: Alex Garcia


The rebuilt Hall of Justice…

Power Guy and Power Pup walked into the monitor room as Champion scanned the globe for emergency situations that the Titans might need to react to. "Champion? Is that a new costume that you're wearing?"





"Yes, it was time for a change. My mother wore the same costume for years. I like to change things up every now and then but you'll still see the old costume from time to time as I'll be wearing it for occasions that call for a little more formality." Champion stopped speaking for a minute as she surveyed Southern Africa and then continued with, "You're early". "I'm not done with monitor duty for another half-hour."





"Jake and I were bored so we thought we'd give you an early release. Besides, I'm sure you'd rather be spending time with Tom."

"What? You know about Tom and I?" asked an astonished Champion.

"Mindy, I've got super-hearing," reminded the modern-age Man of Steel. "As much as I try to tune things out, there's not much that escapes my ear but not to worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," Mindy said as she kissed Power Guy on the cheek. "Sargona was a lucky woman and I have no doubt that you two will be together again soon."

"I hope you're right," Power Guy said as he set up a bowl of water and dog-food for Power Pup. "Well have fun with Tom tonight."

"Actually, he's working late tonight so I don't have any plans. Maybe we could keep each other company, that is if Power Pup here doesn't mind a third wheel?" Champion said as she rubbed behind Jake's ears. "So what should we do to pass the time? I could show you some videos of my Kanga-jousting tournaments."

"That sounds like a great…….wait! I just remembered that you've never really told us how you became Champion," Power Guy said, looking at Mindy inquisitively.

"You know, you're right," replied the daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. "Well, as your reporter cousin might say, here's the scoop…."


***


Five Years ago - Gateway City…

It was a warm summer night. Steve and Diana Trevor had brought their daughter Mindy to Man’s World for the first time. Having been born and raised on Paradise Island, Mindy had become the all-female nation's most devoted and dedicated citizen. Steve and Diana gave both Mindy and Scotty the option to be raised in either Gateway City or Themsyscira once they were each old enough to decide. Scotty, the older child, enjoyed Themyscira but felt that Gateway City offered him more opportunities to make something of himself, while Mindy was allured by the peace and tranquility that Amazonian culture and discipline offered. None of her family members even bothered to inquire of her choice. Mindy's loyalty was clearly to Themyscira. For years, Mindy felt that her parents favored her older brother as they often left her on Paradise Island with her grandmother Hippolyta or her Aunt Donna to watch over her. Because of this, she became a shining example of Amazonian culture and mindset. Unlike her brother, she was not born with her mother’s enhanced powers but normal Amazonian abilities. That didn’t stop Mindy from making something of herself. At the age of seven, she began tutorship under the Amazonian general known as Artemis, training every chance she got, even on Amazonian holidays. Mindy often swore that she would master every skill Artemis could teach her so that she could defend Paradise Island with her life, if need be. She never expressed any desire to leave the island so this trip was a bit of a bore to her.

“How are you liking your other home, Mindy?” Diana asked.





“So far, it smells funny and most of these men seem like they were not born with Athena’s wisdom.”

“Give them a chance, my daughter. They will grow on you,” offered Diana Trevor.

“But don’t get your hopes too high, sis! They’re not all as awesome as I am,” remarked Scotty Trevor.





“Who could possibly compete with Mr. Perfect?” Mindy replied, sarcastically.

“Hey! I never said I was perfect……just awesome,” countered Scott. “Would you like to take a tour of that modeling agency I just signed to? The Halls are really nice people and wouldn’t mind one bit.”

“No thanks. I’ve seen enough pictures of you in your underwear already.”

“Mindy!” scolded Diana. “There’s no reason to be so rude to your brother.”

“I’m just annoyed. I could be in a lesson with Artemis or Nubia right now instead of sight-seeing this boring place.”

“We JUST got here, angel-cake,” reminded Steve. “Your mother, brother, and I have quite the trip planned for you this weekend. In a few minutes, we’ll be at the Carter Center so you can see the Icecapades then later tonight, we’re taking you to the Gateway City Amusement Park so you can take a ride on your first roller-coaster!”





“But I’d rather be riding a Kanga to joust with Lyta!” pointed out Mindy.

“You’re not even giving Man’s World a chance,” sighed Diana Trevor. “Let’s cut through this alley-way as it’s a short cut to the Carter Center.

As the family of four made their way down the alley, they noticed a man and three young adult females standing around him. The man was dressed prim and proper in a business suit while the women wore revealing clothes with heavy, garish make-up on their faces. The man called out to Steve, “A Benjamin Franklin and I can help your son there lose his virginity to one of my girls.”

“No thank you! My son isn’t ready for such an experience and even if he was, we certainly wouldn’t pay any money to help him garner it!” replied Steve, bluntly, giving the strange man a dirty look.

Mindy turned to her mother and whispered, “What is that man talking about? Why are those girls dressed like they have seen battle with the hydra?

“Tell you what, I’ll cut you a deal,” offered the pimp. “Seventy-five bucks and you can have my girl Roxy here. She’s a virgin herself so she’ll be a good match for your kid.” The man pushed the girl towards Scott but she turned and whimpered, “But Brian, I’m not a….”

“Shut your mouth Roxy!” Brian ordered as he shoved Roxy forward, causing her to trip and fall. In the fall, her shirt got disheveled, exposing her right shoulder which had a large bruise on it.

Diana noticed the bruise on the girl’s shoulder and had seen enough, putting the dots together. She turned around, exited the alley, did a quick Wonder-spin and returned as the Amazing Amazon, known as Wonder Woman.

Steve was arguing with Brian as Mindy approached the fallen girl. “You’ve been hurt. Who gave you this bruise, sister?”

Out of fear, Roxy remained silent, quivering a bit.

Wonder Woman raced up to the man, threw him up against the wall behind him and demanded, “Did you put that bruise on the girl?!?!”

The other two girls were marveled by the Princess of Peace’s arrival, hoping she would give their boss exactly what he deserved.

“This ain’t none of your business, Wonder-lady!” barked Brian.

“Fine then!” declared Wonder Woman as she dropped Brian to the ground. “You won’t answer my question willingly so then you’ve forced me to use my Magic Lasso to obtain the truth!” Brian soon found himself entangled in the unbreakable rope. “Now tell me. Did you hurt this girl or any of the others present here today?”

The man struggled to keep silent but he was no match for the Magic Lasso’s power and began admitting to a plethora of atrocities he had committed to the girls he was with and many others including forced solicitation, drug-running, mental, physical, and sexual abuse.

Mindy could not believe what she was hearing. She was told how the Amazon nation came together thanks to the cruelty and selfishness of man and it seemed like with the exceptions of her father and brother, man had not changed for the better to this day.

Wonder Woman then gave Brian a new command, “By the power of my Magic Lasso, I command you to abandon your current profession and assume a position at a nearby women’s shelter, providing them with utmost kindness and care. You will all but sacrifice your life to help your patrons and see to it that they are able to better their lives!” Wonder Woman then released the man and he scurried off to mark his new venture. All of the girls he were quite grateful to be free of Brian’s abuse and offered to pay Wonder Woman for her services.

“That will not be necessary, sisters,” declined the Amazonian princess. “Go now and find happiness in your lives. Make me proud – that is all the thanks I need.”

A short while later, Mindy turned to her mother and said, “I can’t believe any woman would let a man take control of her like that, let a lone be the subject of any man’s abuse.”

“We are fortunate, Mindy,” replied Diana. “Not all of the women in Man’s World are given the opportunity, education, and training that we are. Some are weak physically or emotionally and find themselves at the mercy of wicked men like the one you just met.”

“I have seen enough of this Hera-forsaken place! Take me home to Themyscira now. I never want to step foot in Man’s World again!”

***

Two years ago – Paradise Island…

Mindy and her good friend Lyta(daughter of Circe) rode their horses across the western shoreline. Mindy looked up, pointed to the sky, and shouted, “Aunt Donna’s here! I can see the Invisible Jet just pierced our Invisible force-field. Because Lyta was not an Amazon by birth, she could not see the Invisible Jet or the field that protected the island in which she was raised after Hippolyta had adopted her as one of the Amazons. “Come on! Let’s head back to the palace and meet her there!” urged Mindy.

Donna Troy had returned home from America. After having served on the Teen Titans as Wonder Girl and Troia, she was currently serving on the Titans of Justice as Olympia, having taken over for her nephew Scott, also known as Wonder Man, so that he could semi-retire to start a family with his soul-mate Jerrica. The reason for Donna’s return was so that she could witness the contest that would determine who her replacement would be to Man’s World as she too wanted to retire to spend time with her husband Kyle Rayner and her son Christophe who had just entered his teenage years. In a few short hours, the contest would be held featuring the brightest and best warriors the Amazon army had to offer, save for one: Mindy Trevor.





“Tell me again why you’re not competing today?” asked Lyta.





“Because….I have seen Man’s World,” began Mindy. “It is a filthy place. They do not deserve one of us to protect them. Besides, I’m sure one of our other sisters is a much better champion than I could ever be. I have no desire to be the new Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, Sister Sensation, or any other goofy name like that.”

“I’ve always wanted to see Man’s World but Queen Diana is afraid that if I leave the island, my real mother will try to kidnap me.”

“Mother is probably right,” confirmed Mindy.

“Do you really think my mother is as evil as the others say she is?” asked Lyta.

“I don’t think you would be here with me today if she weren’t,” Mindy said softly as she frowned a bit.

Later, the contest was in full-swing. Virtually every Amazon was giving her all while competing against her sisters in the contest. Contestants were put through an obstacle course, fence climbing, a race, and safely making their way through a mock-landmine field. Hours and hours passed as contestants were eliminated. Finally, it was down to four contestants: Orana, Nubia, Banda, and a less prolific Amazon who identified herself as Eva.

Mindy and Lyta made their way into the balcony and joined Queen Diana, Princess Donna, and Artemis.

“The contest goes well, my queen,” commented Artemis who was now the head bodyguard to the royal family. All four of these women would make a fine champion to Man’s World. I think that….” Artemis began until her mental radio went off in her headgear. A few seconds later, she asked, “Are more of your family or friends expected to visit us today?”





“No. Why do you ask?” Replied the former Wonder Woman, curiously.





“My sister Alexa just radioed in that another plane has landed on our runway,” revealed the red-headed Amazon. She then continued on with, “Wait........Alexa says it’s your friend Paula Von Gunther and she has an important message for us.”

Queen Diana immediately stood up and announced, “Artemis, Donna, let us go to Paula’s side at once! The royal horses are just outside the arena, ready for us to ride.” She then turned to her daughter and instructed, “Mindy, stay here and supervise the contest. You may have to announce a winner should three of the four remaining girls be eliminated.”

“Not a problem, mother,” acknowledged Mindy.

Moments later, Queen Diana and her party met with Paula . The former Nazi scientist later turned against her regime’s ways thanks to Queen Diana and her time on Reformation Island. Years had passed and Paula was now around eighty years old, frail and quite weak.

“Paula, my dear friend!” greeted Diana. “It is good to see you but what are you doing here?”

Paula staggered her way to her former adversary, barely able to walk. “I c…….c……came here to warn you. As you know, after my reformation, I reinfiltrated the Neo-Nazi regime. I recently found out……..<COUGH>……Diana, there is a wolf in sheep’s c……clothing in your midst.” <COUGH> <COUGH>





“Paula, you don’t look good,” noted Diana. “Please sit,” she said helping her friend to a nearby bench.

By this time, Paula could barely keep her eyes open and struggled to keep herself propped up. Still, she managed to speak, “It’s……..it’s Fausta. She’s disguised as one your Amazons. She plans on killing your new champion and as many other Amazons as she can with a bomb she brought with her.”

“Great Hera!” exclaimed the former Wonder Woman. “She must be that Eva that none of us recognized,” Diana said, looking at Artemis and Donna. “Artemis – contact Mindy and tell her what’s going on. Have her evacuate the arena and let her know that we are on our way back there.”

A few minutes later, Artemis had finished notifying Mindy of the situation.

“Artemis, can you carry Paula to the palace? Donna and I will fly back to the arena to handle the situation,” advised the queen of the Amazons.

“I don’t think so, Wonder-fraulein,” came the familiar voice of Fausta who was standing a top a hill near the runway.





“How did you…” the former Wonder Woman began to ask when the German super-villainess interrupted her.

“I’ve been tapping into your mental radio transmissions all day. Lucky for me, Orana and Nubia are battling each other right now while Banda and I were given a short break in anticipation of whoever wins the current battle which gave me time to slip out of the arena. As soon as I heard that Paula arrived here, I knew that traitor was up to no good but she has wasted her time!” Fausta then pulled out a gun and shot Paula’s plane’s fuel-tank causing it to explode!

The blast engulfed the four Amazons along with Paula, injuring them all to the point where no-one was conscious once the dust settled.

As Fausta hurried back to the arena, she said to herself, “Ha! That should take care of Wonder Woman and friends, at least long enough for me to blow up the arena and kill any Amazon who might become the champion to the outside world.”

A short while later, Fausta arrived back at the arena, ready to take her place battling Orana in the bullets against bracelets event. “First, I will kill my opponent with these heat seeking bullets that the Red Panzer developed. Then, while everyone surrounds her in a state of panic over her death, I’ll slip out and detonate the bomb.”

In the meantime, Mindy was frantically searching the exterior of the arena for Fausta, not realizing that she had already slipped back inside and was already taking on Orana.

Orana was given privilege to fire first. Three bullets were shot but Fausta(in her guise as Eva) deflected them with ease. In the short recess while the gun was exchanged between the two combatants, Fausta slipped her special bullets inside. About a minute later, Orana stood firm, quite confident she could block the projectiles that would soon be coming her way. Seconds later, the gun was fired three times. As hard as Orana tried to block the bullets with her bracelets, the bullets seemed to maneuver themselves around the bracelets and struck her the torso, one of them piercing her heart. She dropped to the ground like a rock while the Amazon audience cried out in distress and rushed to her side. As an Amazon medic ran by Eva, she asked her, “What happened? You weren’t supposed to aim for any vital organs?”

“I don’t know. It’s like the bullets had a mind of their own,” Eva answered, secretly proud of her insidious work. As the Amazons gathered around their fallen sister, Eva slipped out, removed her disguise, sporting her Nazi uniform. “Ha! Those harlots are a bunch of idiots! Now to blow up the arena and all of them with it!”

“I don’t think so Sister Swastika!” came the voice of Mindy Trevor right before something slammed into the hand, in which, Faust held her detonator. The detonator flew out of her grip into a nearby row of bushes. Seconds later, Mindy’s tiara returned to her hand and she placed it back upon her head.

“You! You’re Wonder Woman daughter!” hissed Fausta. “I know about you. You only have regular Amazon abilities, not your mother’s powers. You are no match for me, fraulein!”

“Wrong. I came prepared!” countered Mindy as she flashed her right bracelet, which was adorned with the Gauntlet of Atlas. Fausta then noticed her adversary was wearing the Sandals of Hermes and the Golden Lasso of Hestia as well. “Before my grandmother, Hippolyta, died, she told me lots of stories about you and your wickedness. In fact, she even taught me many of the moves she used to defeat you over the years. Hand over the gun in your fist or I promise to make you sorry that you stepped foot on our island.”

“DIE AMAZON!” growled Fausta as she began firing off bullets.

The bullets came at Mindy with fierce intensity. Nervous as she was, she launched a series of acrobatics to help her dodge the incoming projectiles. As quick as she was, however, the bullets kept turning in whatever direction she was headed.

“That’s it, swine! Dance for me!” gloated Fausta as she fired more bullets. One of the bullets was headed for Mindy’s face. With no time to move out the way, she used her newfound speed to deflect the bullet, sending it flying into a nearby tree. “It does not matter that you got rid of my detonator. I auto-programmed my bomb to go off in five minutes if I did not set it off myself.”

“You vile witch!” scolded Mindy as she dodged more bullets. “I’ve got to figure out a way to neutralize her and use mother’s lasso to get her to tell me where the bomb is. If only I could get these bullets off of my tail,” Mindy thought to herself. “Wait! That’s it. These bullets might be just what I need to end this conflict! They must not be homing in on my particular body as they struck Orana as well so they must have homing or heat-sensors in them.” Mindy then changed tactics. Instead of running from Fausta, she ran towards her.

“Eager to finally die, harlot?” taunted Fausta.

“No! Eager to finally put an end to your twisted scheme!” shouted Mindy as she was almost on Fausta but right before the two could connect, she jumped over the German strong-woman, sending two bullets into her left shoulder. Fausta fell to the ground in agony as blood seeped from her wounds.

Mindy quickly threw the magic lasso around Fausta and secured her tightly. She ripped off a chunk of her dress and wrapped it around Fausta’s wounds while asking, “Where is the bomb?”

As much as Fausta tried to prevent herself from answering, she could not resist the lasso’s power, “It’s underneath the queen’s chair.”

Mindy raced into action, headed back into the arena with the speed of Hermes. About a minute and half later, she secured the bomb and said to herself, “Mother told me these sandals will grant the wearer the power of flight. Time to test that out!” she said climbing awkwardly into the air. “Only have thirty seconds left,” she whispered as she neared the shore of the island, “Got to throw this bomb out into the ocean and hope it’s far enough away when it goes off!” Using all of the added strength that the Gauntlet of Atlas had granted her, Mindy threw the bomb as far as she possibly could. Just as the bomb was almost out of sight, it exploded. The ripple effect knocked Mindy out of the sky and sent her crashing back into Paradise Island.

Though she was stunned from the crash, she picked herself up a few minutes later and found herself being met by her mother, Aunt Donna(who was carrying Paula’s limp body), Artemis, Alexa, and Lyta.

Queen Diana hugged Mindy tightly and said, “My sweet daughter, you are ok AND you saved our nation!”

“It was nothing any loyal Amazon wouldn’t have done,” replied Mindy. “But there’s no time for this. I left Fausta back by the arena. We need to get her into a prison cell before she….” Mindy paused as she and the others present noticed Paula’s plane flying above them and figured out that Fausta had piloted it to make her escape. “No! She’s getting away!”

“Don’t let that bother you, daughter,” offered the former Wonder Woman. “She learned the hard way that such a plan won’t work again.”

“Is that your friend Paula?” Mindy asked, looking at the body her aunt was carrying.

“Yes, daughter,” confirmed the queen of the Amazons. “She gave her life in trying to warn us of Fausta’s plan.”

“An outsider gave her life to help save us all?” Mindy said in shock.

“Yes. Like I’ve told you before, not everyone in Man’s World is wicked and corrupt. There are some really good people there along with others that need out teachings, guidance, and protection. That is why I held the contest today so that we could make sure mankind has one of our champions to help them where they need it.”

“But Fausta technically won the contest. She beat all of the other contestants,” pointed out Mindy.

“And you beat Fausta,” smiled the former Wonder Woman. “You will be our new champion if you can put your reservations about Man’s World aside.”

“After what Paula did for us today, how could I not?” affirmed Mindy. “I will be proud to be our new Champion to the outside world. May I keep the gauntlet, sandals, and lasso for my mission?”

“The lasso, yes, but you will not need the gauntlet or the sandals as the gods have decreed that our new emissary to Man’s World will be granted similar abilities to my own. In addition to the gods’ gifts, you will be presented your grandmother’s inverted tiara along with the Invisible Jet,” explained the queen of the Amazons. “Come daughter, let us go make arrangements for Paula and then we will meet with the gods so that you can gain your abilities. You will leave for Man’s World first thing tomorrow morning.”

***

The next morning…

“I will miss living on the island,” Mindy said as she hugged her mother goodbye.

“You may come back as often as you like but I think you will like the loft in Gateway City. I lived there myself while I was dating your father. Your brother and Jerrica are there now remodeling the place for your arrival.”

“I look forward to seeing them both,” smiled Mindy as she turned to hug her best friend, Lyta. “Goodbye, Lyta. I will message you through the mental radio soon.”

“I look forward to it,” Lyta said cheerfully. “And to the day when my mother has abandoned her evil ways and we can all get together for dinner.”

Mindy just smiled but remained quiet knowing that Circe was beyond reformation most likely. In the witch’s last battle with Wonder Woman, after losing, she vowed to gain more power in which to destroy the Amazon warrior. Mindy then picked up her bags and boarded the Invisible Jet.

As the plane took off, Queen Diana smiled to herself as a tear dripped down her left cheek. She privately thought to herself, “Go, my daughter. Show the world what a Champion you are!”








THE END!

***

Tales of the Titans starring Apotheosis - "The Masks People Wear Pt. 2"
Written, Edited, & Maxi-Micros by: Power Guy


An undisclosed location Gateway City…

The Mask's heart skipped a beat as Apotheosis' dagger came downward at her. She had begged God for forgiveness in the moments prior but to her amazement, the dagger did not pierce her body but instead, cut her free from the table she had been strapped to. "You're freeing me? But why?" she asked.





Apotheosis helped The Mask on to her feet as he replied, "Because you and I are a lot alike."





"Do tell…." said The Mask, suspiciously.

"As you may know, I'm the son of the super-villain known as Paragon. My father took on the Justice League multiple times along with killing innocent people during his quest for money and power. I was born a psychopath with an compulsion for killing people. My mother was a good woman. She knew about the demons I wrestled with so she taught me to channel my urges into killing those who deserved to die - rapists, child abusers, and mass-murderers. Thanks to inheriting my father's powers, I took it upon myself to hunt down not only ordinary criminals but super-vilains as well. You may have heard about Poison Ivy's demise some months ago. I told the Titans of Justice that it was self-defense and that I had no choice but to kill her but the truth is, she was the defenseless one when I got ahold of her."

The Mask couldn't believe her ears. This complete stranger was pouring out his deepest, darkest secrets to her. While they had slightly differing motivations, their end goals were very similar - rid the planet of those who would do it the most harm. "How…..how do you pull this off? Aren't you still on the Titans of Justice?"

"I'm on the Titans of Authority now…..once in a while, our missions require us to kill which helps to satisfy my compulsion but other times, I sneak away from the team and finish a villain how I see fit, which is what I was going to do to you but after finding out why you are doing what you're doing, I can't help but see a similar person to myself in you."

"I didn't enjoy killing those men….I did it so they couldn't hurt any more women," pointed out The Mask. "If you check my rap sheet, I'm not like other super-villains. I've never killed anyone that wasn't guilty of severely beating or killing a woman. I just want the abused women of this world to know that they have someone looking out for them. Someone who will step in where the law can't or won't. Someone who will put an end to their agony and sorrow."

"I understand," Apotheosis said as he placed his hand on The Mask's shoulder, offering his sympathy. "I was forced to watch my father kill my mother several years ago after beating her for years. I swear I won't rest until that monster is six feet under himself!"

"I'm so sorry to hear that," The Mask said as she cupped Apotheosis' right cheek. "That must have been horrible for you to watch."

"He had me tied up so there was nothing I could do to stop him," continued Apotheosis. "Told me this is what would happen to me if I ever got in his way."

"That sick, sick man!" exclaimed the Wonder-Family opponent as she hugged Apotheosis.

With emotions high and the moonlight glistening on the duo from the nearby window, the two costumed vigilantes found an irresistible urge to kiss one another passionately.......


THE BEGINNING!