The New Teen Titans #2: The Last Day of Warworld, Part 2

"Warlord!" shouted Kory.

"Travis Morgan is no more, princess," answered the form of the Warlord. "Brainiac is in control now." With that, laser gun turrets came out of the walls and trained on the Titans. They instantly went back-to-back in a circle, ready to defend themselves.

Before anything else could happen, Starfire screamed, and swept her arms wide in an arc, taking out every turret the walls had produced. "ENOUGH!" She pointed at the Brainiac-controlled Warlord and said, "Relinquish the throne now!"

"Why would I do that?" asked Brainiac, as the doors to the War Room opened, and giant, round machines rolled in.

"What are those?!" asked Kid Flash.

"War Wheels," answered Kory. Then she pointed a finger at Travis Morgan and fired. Her starbolt fried the circuitry on his forehead with which Brainiac was controlling him. "Shut the War Wheels down, Warlord!"

"You ain't got to worry 'bout that, princess!" called Cyborg, and his sonic cannon disrupted the machines before anything else could happen.

As the pieces of the now disintegrated War Wheels settled in the entranceways, Travis Morgan shook his head, trying to regain his senses after being controlled by Brainiac. He reached to his forehead and pulled the fried Brainiac circuitry from his skin. Rubbing his hand across the bleeding pinpricks it left behind, he sat back in his throne, and looked at the Teen Titans. "Starfire? What business do you have here? Why do you bring invaders to Okaara?"

"Invaders?" Cyborg scoffed. "Man, we're the cavalry! We just saved your butt from Brainiac!"

"And you have my thanks, but now I have to ask you to leave."

"How did Okaara get taken over by Brainiac?" demanded Starfire.

"It wasn't Okaara, it was the Royal Family of Warworld," Morgan said tiredly. "It took all that we had to overthrow them. We had to kill them. But with Lady Quark's last moments, she was able to tag me with a Brainiac disc, and he's been ruling through me ever since."

"This planet's essentially a huge spaceship," said Cyborg, "How do you know Brainiac hasn't broadcast his mind into the planet somewhere?"

"Brainiac is a twelfth level intelligence," answered Morgan. "Okaara was built by someone smarter. He's incapable of overcoming the technology. He'd have an easier time getting into you."

Robin looked at Cyborg, then nodded back at the Warlord. "Fine. We're leaving. Turn this Warworld around before it causes gravitational problems for Earth."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," answered Morgan. "Warworld requires a lot of natural resources to keep running, and it doesn't have any of its own. We're running low, and this solar system is the closest supply. I don't have a choice."

Raven spoke up then, "You are correct. Your only choice is to leave. Perhaps you should look to Earth."

Changeling looked sideways to Raven and said, "Pretty-Spooky, what did you just say?"

"I said that Travis Morgan should look to Earth. Specifically, where the Gordanians first attacked. Bring it up on that monitor there," she said, pointing to a wall near the throne.

The Warlord looked at her for a moment, then punched some of the keys on the arm of his throne. The display came to life, quickly zooming from the outer edge of the solar system to Earth, zeroing in on Manhattan. There standing on the top of a skyscraper, was someone that made all of the other Titans gasp.

"Who's that?" asked Warlord.

"TRIGON!" shouted Kid Flash. "Raven! Tell me you didn't..."

"I had no choice, Wallace. We have defeated Trigon before. Warworld seemed the bigger threat."

"If we're the bigger threat," said Warlord, "then why should I worry about that guy?"

"Do you see the machinery he is standing next to?" asked Raven. "It's a cannon. When Trigon focuses his gaze through it, it is capable of destroying entire planets. Even yours."

Morgan considered for only a moment. "Done. We're leaving. It will take time for us to shift our course."

"A wise choice," answered Raven. "I commend you," she added as she walked up to the throne, sticking out her hand. The Warlord reached out to shake her hand, and once they had touched, Raven's soul self enveloped them both and swept across the room towards the team. "Titans, we must return to Earth immediately." Before anyone could object, they were within the ebon folds of her soul self, and then they were gone. Then the throne room of Okaara was filled only with silence.

Back in Manhattan, the Titans and the Warlord reappeared. As Raven's soul self drew back into her body, they heard, "Greetings, daughter."

As they looked at the gigantic form before them, Robin shouted, "Trigon! Titans toge..."

"Hold, Richard," Raven said gently.

Robin looked at Raven in shock. "Hold?"

"Yes," she answered. "Trigon is an ally in this fight."

"Yes,"added Trigon, "and there is a price for this alliance, daughter."

"Yes, of course," she said, pulling back her hood.

Wonder Girl shouted, "Raven, no! You can't return with him! It will destroy you!"

"She does nothave toreturn with me," corrected Trigon, "because I am stayinghere."

"Say what?" Cyborg said in disbelief.

"Calm yourself, Victor," Raven said reassuringly. "Trigon is not staying here."

"You dare?"he said angrily, his top pair of eyes beginning to smolder. "You would dishonor our agreement? You promised me Earth, daughter!"

"You WHAT?!" screamed the group in unison.

Raven ignored them, but addressed Trigon, "I did not promise you Earth, Trigon."

Eyes still smoldering, Trigon merely growled in his anger. It echoed across the city like demonic thunder. It would haunt people's nightmares for weeks.

"I promised you a planet. That one," she said, pointing towards Warworld.

"That 'planet' is not even alive, daughter. Why would I want it?"he asked.

"It has four times the inhabitants of this world," answered Raven, "it's mobile, and it feeds on planets. You can conquer entire systems with it."

"X'hal! Raven, you can't!" shouted Starfire.

"Koriand'r, I must," Raven said simply.

Trigon growled again as he looked at his daughter. Then he looked to the sky as he pondered Warworld. After several tense moments, he looked back to Raven, his eyes stopped smoldering, and he said, "We are in agreement, daughter. I will take Okaara."

"No!" shouted Warlord, and he surged forth with the Titans behind him. But Trigon swept his hand backwards, and they were thrown away from him violently by some invisible force.

Story, original characters and content are owned by Chris Bishop. Copyright Chris Bishop 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

Thanks for stopping in! :^D

December 7, 2021: With Mr. Perez's announcement today about his health, I realized that as much as I learned writing from Marv Wolfman, I also learned to put as much into it as I can from George Perez. I always remember an interview I read (although not who was being interviewed) where the interviewee was talking about an Avengers page Perez drew. He said the description was just "Captain America is on monitor duty," and what he got back was all this gorgeous detail showing a huge room with three levels, and all these gadgets, and just all kinds of cool stuff crammed into this one picture! I was in awe of that. I look for all the extra whenever I see Perez's art, and when I write I try to throw in everything I can.

That's what happened in this story- the New Teen Titans, Warworld, Warlord, the Royal Family of Warworld, Trigon, Darkseid, Gordanians, War Wheels, Skartaris, Apokolips, Titans Tower, Metropolis... I had a blast. Thank you, George Perez, and God bless you wherever you are tonight. -Chris Bishop