Titans: Back in a Blast

Part 2: Highway to Hell

"That's a fact, Dick," Wally stated, "although there have been a few... changes to the roster."

"'Changes'?" Nightwing gave the Flash a knowing smile as he turned on the lights. "Like bringing back dead Titans?"

"How did you...?"

"I got a call from Jason Todd not long before you showed up. He wanted to know where the Joker was."

"Joker's back in Arkham, right?"

"For now."

"Dick, I want you to stick around for a bit after everyone else arrives. None of us, except maybe Jericho, are leaders. We could use you."

"Say no more," Dick stated with a smile. "But I think I'm gonna call a few more people in on this case."

Quickly donning her Spoiler outfit, Steph climbed out her suburban-home second-story window.

"Gotham River Road, here I come!"

Hanging up the phone, Roy wandered over to where his daughter played in her playpen.

"Daddy's gotta go to work, Lian," he told her, picking her up. "How would you like to meet some new friends?"

"I love your brother, Don," Dawn stated. "He once told me he loved you, and that my presence as Dove kept reminding him of you."

"He never told me," Don said. "Hank's the type of person who never let others know how he really feels about them, unless he hated their guts. He always seemed to think more with his fists than with his head, believing violence was the answer to everything."

Before either could say anything more, a loud scream came from an adjacent car. Dawn and Don stood up and shouted "DOVE!"

Dawn's body was immediately clothed in her blue and white Dove outfit, her short blond hair replaced by a long white mane. To Don's amazement, though, nothing happened to him.

"You stay here, Don," Dove stated. "I'll handle this." With that, she ran into the adjacent car.

In the other car, five gang members surrounded an old woman, menacing her with knives. Dove cleared her throat, getting their attention.

"Well, you boys appear to be able to handle one old lady with no problems," she remarked. "Let's see how well you handle one able-bodied woman."

"Get 'er, Slim!" one of the gang members yelled.

"No problem," the burly punk called Slim commented. "I normally don't hit girls, but...." He threw a punch at her.

Dawn grabbed hold of Slim's arm and threw him, using the momentum of the punch and adding to it.

"That's one, boys. Any more takers for the dance floor?"

With a "Let's get 'er!" the other four rushed her. Dove expertly avoided their blows, allowing the punks to hit each other. Soon, only one was left standing.

"Its just you and me," Dove told him. "Soon it's going to be just me. This is your last chance to stop the fight."

"Why give him a chance," a male voice said, as a red-gloved fist impacted with the punk's jaw. "Scum like these don't understand the concept of surrender."

"Hawk?" Dove asked hesitantly as the man the fist was attached to stepped out of the shadows. She breathed a small sigh as she realized her helper wasn't her former partner, but a large man dressed in an ant-like outfit.

"Nope," the man stated. "My handle's the Ant. I take it you're Dove."

Dove smiled as she nodded. Then her whole body started to tingle. She instantly knew she was changing back to Dawn.

"Look, Ant," she stated, "it's been nice meeting you, but I gotta go." She looked him straight in the eye. "Titans business."

"No kidding?" he stated. "It just so happens, I'm heading to a Titans meeting myself. We were bound to meet sooner or later."

"Gotham River Road, next stop." This came from the subway's loudspeaker. When the Ant turned around, Dove was gone.

"I'll see her again," he said to himself. "After all, she'll be at the Lair."

Barter cared little for the terms of “hero” and “villain”, unless, of course, they threatened him and his property. Extant was definately a threat. Hawk could be controlled through certain dealings, but Extant was completely uncontrollable, and would eventually be a threat to Barter himself.

Still, he thought, the Titans will need a little help. For the right price, of course. Let’s see here.

He browsed his inventory. Finally, he selected what looked like a vial of ink.

Kestrel. Barter smiled.

Of the small team of scientists and historians who call Vanishing Point home, only Matthew Rider felt longings of his home. Longings of his family. A home and family which, thanks to his own actions, will now never come to pass. Then, he'd been a scientist, a family man, and, ultimately, a rebel.

In a face to face deal with the absolute ruler of Earth, Monarch, Rider had entered the timestream, and merged with it. As a being of pure temporal energy, and calling himself "Waverider", Rider used his new-found powers to scan the futures of people he came into contact with, all in a futile effort to find the person who would eventually become Monarch.

In the end, he blew it.

"Matt," a feminine voice called over, bringing him out of his reflections, "come take a look at this."

"What is it?" He wandered over to where Lori Lee was using the chronoscopes.

"Remember that fiasco with Extant?"

"Extant?" This intrigued Rider. In many ways, he was responsible for Monarch becoming Extant.

"Well, it appears as if the Titans are planning an attack on him."

"It's suicide!" he exclaimed. Then he saw a pair of faces in the chronoscopes. "DOVE?!"

Waverider turned and ran down the hallway. Lori followed him as best she could.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The end result of a supposedly failed experiment between a Lord of Chaos and a Lord of Order," he explained. "Hawk and Dove."

"But..."

"And both Doves have returned," he continued. "Now's the time to strike."

"Oh, no you don't!" Waverider turned to see himself, the person he'd become after erasing his home timeline, coming into view. "The Linear Men simply observe. We cannot interfere."

"Fine. I quit."

"No problem, Dick," Roy stated, keeping half an eye on Lian as she played with Baby Wildebeest. "After all, Hank was a friend and Titan. If there's even a remote chance of restoring him, we should."

"There's just two big problems," Bumblebee stated. "How can we even find him if he doesn't want to be found? And how do we go about restoring him? We just can't come up to him and say, 'Come back to us.'"

"I believe I may have the solution, my dear," Barter said, stepping out of the broom closet door, his shop visible through the open doorway. He pulled out a vial of ink.

"Who are you?" Nightwing and Arsenal asked, startled.

"Forgive my abrupt interruption," Barter stated. "The name's Barter. I'm just a businessman who's had dealings in the past with Hawk and Dove. I'd like to offer help. For the right price of course."

"That vial of ink?" Ant asked, perplexed.

"This 'vial of ink', as you called it, my muscle-bound friend, is the essence of Kestrel, perhaps Hawk and Dove's greatest enemy."

"What's your price, Barter?" Dawn asked, standing up. "You always have an ace up your sleeve. You can't give without receiving, nor can you receive without reciprocating."

"As lovely and as blunt as ever," he complemented her. "You are correct. My price is simply Extant's mask."

"That's it?"

"That is correct." He tossed the vial to Don. "My number is in the book, should you either accept or reject my offer." He vanished into his store, closing the broom closet door behind him.

"Wait a second!" Nightwing ordered, throwing open the door. All that met his eyes was the broom.

"Just great," Terra cackled. "This guy shows up, tosses the wimp a vial of ink, and disappears into the broom closet?! I always did say you guys talked too much."

"Shut up, Terra," Nightwing barked. Terra just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, that solves problem number two," Bumblebee stated.

God, I hope not, Dawn thought to herself. It was bad enough when Kestrel possessed Ren. And now Barter wants him to possess DON?

"Maybe," Dick stated. "I'm not sure we can trust him yet. But that still doesn't solve the major problem. Finding Hank."

"Perhaps I can help with that," Waverider stated, phasing into the Lair. "The name's Waverider, and I'm afraid I'm the one who created Extant."

Essence of Kestrel, Barter called it, he thought. According to Dawn, Kestrel is an agent of Chaos, same as Hawk was, but was more violent than Hawk could ever be. According to Barter, all I have to do to save my brother... is become his worst enemy. What do I do? What do I do?