that he was deeply troubled and unhappy, and who could blame him? It wasn’t easy finding out that you were supposed to be dead, that your friends and loved ones had all gone on with their lives without you. Even Batman, who had already trained a new Robin long ago. No wonder she detected a distinct note of bitterness in his voice.
“Go on,” she encouraged him. Her tone softened a bit.
He took off his mask, revealing a familiar, if slightly older, face. Sullen blue eyes peered into hers. “Look at us, Donna. We don’t belong here anymore. I wouldn’t even be breathing if not for that psycho Luthor clone or whatever he was, and as for you ... Hell, I’ve never been able to keep track of all the different identities and origins you’ve had. Even before you died and came back, your past has always been a tangle.”
Thanks for rubbing it in, Donna thought. He wasn’t lying, though. Donna had spent most of her life wrestling with conflicting memories and shifting personas. She had been a heroine, a harbinger, a wife, a mother, and a goddess. Although she originally joined the Titans as Wonder Girl, she had also been known as Darkstar and Troia. More recently, she had even assumed the role of Wonder
Woman while her former mentor, Diana, took a yearlong sabbatical. Now she was simply Donna Troy again. Whatever that means.
“I suppose we do have some things in common,” she admitted cautiously, still uncertain as to what exactly Jason expected from her. She hoped this wasn’t just some elaborate pickup scheme; although the former Boy Wonder had grown to be an attractive young man. she had never thought of Jason that way. “You could’ve chosen a less ... upsetting ... meeting place, but if you really just want to talk, here I am.”
“Now is no time for mere conversation,” a deep bass voice intruded. A pillar of coruscating orange energy materialized before them, resembling the transporter effect on Star Trek, and an imposing alien figure emerged from the sparkling radiation. “The universe—and I—have ur' gent need of you!”
Over seven feet tall, the humanoid figure wore a bulky suit of futuristic armor. A flowing red cape was affixed to a pair of massive gold shoulder-plates. Electronic circuitry blinked upon his matching golden wristbands, while the elaborate silver and purple armor left only his head exposed. Florid pink skin and glowing red eyes testified to his extraterrestrial origins. A bristling black beard framed his lantern jaw, and rows of parallel comrows traversed his cranium. His craggy face bore a dour, saturnine expression.
“Donna, watch out!” Jason immediately dropped into a defensive posture. He drew a Glock automatic pistol from beneath his jacket.
“Wait!” Donna grabbed on to his gun arm before Jason did something rash. She recognized the bizarre newcomer. “It’s a Monitor! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
The Monitors, she knew, were a race of highly powerful beings who watched over the fifty-two separate realities that composed the Multiverse. They seldom took direct action themselves, preferring to manipulate events indirectly in order to fulfill their self-appointed mission of preserving order throughout the cosmos. Although their intentions were good, the appearance of a Monitor rarely boded well. They usually appeared to lesser beings only when some manner of universal cataclysm threatened. Please, she prayed. Not another Crisis.
“You are wise, Donna Troy,” the Monitor said solemnly. “We have no time to waste on pointless displays of aggression. The fate of your reality, and perhaps all others, depends on us taking swift action to avert a disaster beyond all imagining.”
Donna’s heart sank. 1 knew it. Here we go again. The last Crisis had cost the lives of several valiant heroes, including some of her fellow Teen Titans. Who knew how many might perish this time around?
“Oh yeah?” Jason challenged the Monitor. He lowered his gun but did not put it
“Go on,” she encouraged him. Her tone softened a bit.
He took off his mask, revealing a familiar, if slightly older, face. Sullen blue eyes peered into hers. “Look at us, Donna. We don’t belong here anymore. I wouldn’t even be breathing if not for that psycho Luthor clone or whatever he was, and as for you ... Hell, I’ve never been able to keep track of all the different identities and origins you’ve had. Even before you died and came back, your past has always been a tangle.”
Thanks for rubbing it in, Donna thought. He wasn’t lying, though. Donna had spent most of her life wrestling with conflicting memories and shifting personas. She had been a heroine, a harbinger, a wife, a mother, and a goddess. Although she originally joined the Titans as Wonder Girl, she had also been known as Darkstar and Troia. More recently, she had even assumed the role of Wonder
Woman while her former mentor, Diana, took a yearlong sabbatical. Now she was simply Donna Troy again. Whatever that means.
“I suppose we do have some things in common,” she admitted cautiously, still uncertain as to what exactly Jason expected from her. She hoped this wasn’t just some elaborate pickup scheme; although the former Boy Wonder had grown to be an attractive young man. she had never thought of Jason that way. “You could’ve chosen a less ... upsetting ... meeting place, but if you really just want to talk, here I am.”
“Now is no time for mere conversation,” a deep bass voice intruded. A pillar of coruscating orange energy materialized before them, resembling the transporter effect on Star Trek, and an imposing alien figure emerged from the sparkling radiation. “The universe—and I—have ur' gent need of you!”
Over seven feet tall, the humanoid figure wore a bulky suit of futuristic armor. A flowing red cape was affixed to a pair of massive gold shoulder-plates. Electronic circuitry blinked upon his matching golden wristbands, while the elaborate silver and purple armor left only his head exposed. Florid pink skin and glowing red eyes testified to his extraterrestrial origins. A bristling black beard framed his lantern jaw, and rows of parallel comrows traversed his cranium. His craggy face bore a dour, saturnine expression.
“Donna, watch out!” Jason immediately dropped into a defensive posture. He drew a Glock automatic pistol from beneath his jacket.
“Wait!” Donna grabbed on to his gun arm before Jason did something rash. She recognized the bizarre newcomer. “It’s a Monitor! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
The Monitors, she knew, were a race of highly powerful beings who watched over the fifty-two separate realities that composed the Multiverse. They seldom took direct action themselves, preferring to manipulate events indirectly in order to fulfill their self-appointed mission of preserving order throughout the cosmos. Although their intentions were good, the appearance of a Monitor rarely boded well. They usually appeared to lesser beings only when some manner of universal cataclysm threatened. Please, she prayed. Not another Crisis.
“You are wise, Donna Troy,” the Monitor said solemnly. “We have no time to waste on pointless displays of aggression. The fate of your reality, and perhaps all others, depends on us taking swift action to avert a disaster beyond all imagining.”
Donna’s heart sank. 1 knew it. Here we go again. The last Crisis had cost the lives of several valiant heroes, including some of her fellow Teen Titans. Who knew how many might perish this time around?
“Oh yeah?” Jason challenged the Monitor. He lowered his gun but did not put it
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