Repossession

Econo-Lodge, Corning, New York. 21:00.

Eddie walked down the dingy hallway of the motel he and his friends had holed up in. The sound of buzzing fluorescent lights mingled with crunching carpet beneath his feet. It was the best they could afford. Monster hunting had been fun, but not all that profitable. For the moment, they were living off rewards for finding missing pets and the occasional supply drop from Slade. Eddie still couldn’t get over how awesome it was working with the Deathstroke. The guy was a legend. Eddie remembered the Justice League fighting him a few years ago for...something - but he really didn’t seem that bad. He’d taught Eddie how to fight, and he was the only person who could knock Grant on his ass.

The coast-to-coast Night Force tour was going well. Alice still wasn’t a huge fan of the name, but she wasn’t a huge fan of anything. They’d just helped out some kind of fairy thing trapped in an exhibit at the glass museum. Tomorrow, they were heading further North to investigate a giant sea creature in Lake Ontario. For now though, it was time to take a breather. Grant wanted a coffee from the lobby and Eddie was getting restless.

The cool night air felt good on his skin. Even better, the new moon meant hardly anybody was around to point and scream, “Aaah! Demon!” Which, y’know, Eddie understood - but it was still a little hurtful.

Eddie scanned the lobby for a coffee machine. The whole place looked deserted, with decor right out of the 90s and the receptionist nowhere to be found. Then, something caught Eddie’s eye. Trapped within a sleek black vending machine, a lone packet of Chocos chocolate cookies beckoned him. He fished a crumpled-up dollar out of his pocket and rushed over.

Eddie fed the dollar into the slot and tapped ‘H-4’ with his clawed fingers. Slowly, the Chocos were pushed towards him. Finally, they topped off their hook only to stop suddenly, wedged between the glass and a bloated pack of chips.

“Aw come on!” He searched his pockets for another dollar, but he found none.

Eddie almost considered rocking the machine - but no - he realized he’d tear it in half if he tried. Beaten and demoralized, Eddie turned around, only to be greeted by a young guy with pale skin and scruffy blond hair right behind him. Eddie reflexively took a step backwards, “Dude. You scared me there for a sec.” He glanced back at the machine and pointed at the incarcerated Chocos, “Watch out if you’re looking for a snack. This thing ate my dollar.”

For some reason, the blond guy held up his index finger and moved to the side of the machine. Eddie cocked his head, “One second? What are you gonna do?”

Then, the blond guy smacked the side of the machine, sending a loud metal thunk through the lobby and dislodging the Chocos.

Eddie’s bright orange eyes went wide, “Duuude! You’re a lifesaver. You gotta teach me how to do that.” He reached into the slot and pulled out his package of Chocos, then tore it open. They were a nice bit of nostalgia he’d missed since HIVE grabbed him and tried to have him killed. As Eddie shoved one of the chocolate cookies into his mouth, he noticed his new friend still staring at him. “Do you want one?”

The blond guy shook his head, then pointed at Eddie. A moment later, the guy contorted his hand into a half dozen different bizarre shapes. It unnerved Eddie a little. He glanced backwards and asked, “Are you uh...doing shadow puppets?”

The blond guy cracked a smile and shook his head. He pointed at himself, tapping his chest a few times.

This night just got stranger and stranger. Eddie didn’t know what was going on, but tried to interpret the meaning anyway. “...You?”

The blond guy nodded, the smile growing wider. Charades! Oh! But why…? Eddie leaned in closer to the blond, “Is someone listening in on us? Are they in this room?!”

The blond let out a sharp breath and dragged his hand across his face. Eddie understood that. He’d seen Grant do it plenty of times. “Right. Can’t talk. Go on.”

The blond pointed at his eyes, while his other hand was on his brow as a visor.

“Staring?” The blond shook his head and Eddie guessed again, “Looking?”

With that, the blond nodded and motioned Eddie towards the door. He pointed up at the sky, motioning his hand across the starry night. He stopped on the moon for a second and punched the air. The blond looked at Eddie expectantly.

“Ohhhhhh! I get it!”

The blond grinned.

“You’re looking for a person named Moonpunch! I bet they’re a superhero!”

Eddie was so proud of himself for understanding the signals correctly. He hardly paid attention to the blond guy shaking his hands for some reason. Where was Moonpunch?

“Wait, I’ve got an idea!” Eddie turned to him. “My friends might be able to help you. We’re a bunch of monster hunters called Night Force and we’re basically the best.”

The blond shrugged and followed after Eddie.

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Eddie’s fist rapped against the door. “Hey guys! I brought somebody who might need our help.” He turned to the blond, “You have nothing to worry about. These guys are total professionals.”

The door swung open to reveal Grant Wilson - former paranormal exterminator for the world’s largest monster-hunting syndicate - standing behind it. He was dressed in a bathrobe and white t-shirt, though Eddie still spotted a pistol tucked at his side. Eddie tried to introduce his new friend, but Grant reacted first, “Joey?”

The blond - apparently Joey - continued his strange gestures, tapping his forearm with his fist then putting his knuckle to his chin.

Eddie’s eyes darted from Grant to Joey, “Uhhhhh - what?”

Grant sighed, “Eddie, this is Joey, my brother - who you led here. For some reason.”

Eddie was in disbelief, “You guys are brothers? What are the odds of that?!”

Jennie stepped out from the bathroom a few feet behind Grant, dressed in Green Lantern pajamas. “Joey’s here?”

Eddie glanced back to Jennie, “I know, right?!”

Grant gestured to Joey. “Joey's with HIVE. And the fact we don’t have guns to our heads or flashbangs ringing in our ears means they need us for something.”

Eddie’s face scrunched up, “Dude! You’re with HIVE!? What the hell, man? We played charades together.”

Grant took a deep exhale, “Eddie… You ever hear of sign language?”

Joey gestured in a more complex series of patterns with Grant interpreting, “Mom wants to talk to you and - and the rest of Night Force.”

Jennie shook her head, “HIVE is really calling us Night Force?”

Grant interpreted more, “We’re popular back at base. I knew that carnival was a bad idea.” Grant paused, then responded, “Look, I’m not interested in talking to HIVE about anything. They tried to have Eddie killed.”

Eddie pumped his fist, “Yeah!”

“Eddie, did you get my coffee I asked for?”

Eddie winced, “Ahh - Sorry, I forgot.”

Grant looked back at Joey, “...If Mom has anything to say to me, she can say it while I’m getting my coffee.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Econo-Lodge Lobby, Corning, New York

Grant was huddled around a table alongside the rest of his team members. On the other side of the table, high-powered HIVE director Adeline Kane sat next to her son Joey. Listening to his mother’s prickly attitude almost made Grant want to trade it for a gun in his face.

Joey gestured more and Grant interpreted, “A few weeks ago, one of our agents went missing investigating an occultist human trafficker and kidnapper nicknamed Charon in Belgium.”

Alice leaned forward onto the table, readjusting her red domino mask, “Question - why can’t Goldilocks here talk?

Eddie dropped his elbow on the table, “Oh my God, Alice, you can’t just ask people why they can’t talk.” His eyes moved around the table, waiting for someone to react. “I - uh - I am actually curious though.”

Joey started to sign something, but Grant held up a palm. “I’ll explain. Three years ago, Joey was a member of the Teen Titans, going by the name 'Jericho'. For those of you who didn't have their faces on your lunch boxes, the Titans were a bunch of idiot kid sidekicks trying to make a name for themselves by putting themselves in harm's way. They couldn’t take care of their own, some creep slit Joey’s throat, and they dumped him.” Grant looked at Joey, “Did I miss anything?”

Joey raised a singular sign, his hand with the middle finger sticking straight out.

Adeline shot a glare at Grant and Joey, “Back to the topic at hand. We’re not certain how, but we believe Charon is charging customers to return them from the dead - hence his name. We want Night Force to investigate and apprehend him.”

Traci raised an eyebrow, “This Charon can raise the dead? Are you sure? We fought someone a few weeks ago who tried and it didn’t end well.”

“That’s why we’re turning to you lot. To find out just what’s going on.”

Grant shook his head, “Not happening. If you think we’re going back to being HIVE’s lapdogs, you’re wrong.”

Traci cut back into the conversation, “I’m in.” All eyes turned on her. “If someone figured out how to bring people back to life, that’s crazy powerful magic. We should look into it.”

Jennie spoke next, “I’m in too. Not for HIVE, but... somebody needs to stop this kidnapper before he hurts more people.”

Eddie drummed his fingers against the table, “I’m only in if Joey comes too.” Grant’s head turned on a swivel towards him, so Eddie explained, “What? You said he was a Teen Titan. Like - an actual superhero! Think about all the stuff I could learn from him!”

Grant started, “Look, guys-”

But Alice interrupted, “I’m in too.”

Grant was stunned for a second, then spoke, “Since when are you HIVE’s bitch?”

“Firstly, if your mommy was able to find us, I’m betting the people who are after me can too. I could use some time in Europe to throw them off. Secondly, call me a bitch again and I’m letting the guns decide how they feel about that.”

The table was quiet until Adeline spoke, “I’m happy to see you’ve made friends, Grant.”

Grant grunted. “Two conditions. After this, you stop hunting us, and you tell us the real reason you’re asking us to help.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you wouldn’t have trusted Jade and I with this assignment when we were in your good graces. And now? What’s wrong with sending the agents you actually trust?”

Adeline didn’t show any expression, “Observant of you. Night Force has shown a - how can I put this? Careless lack of abandon in problem-solving.”

Eddie threw his hands up, “What? Our lack of abandon is not careless.”

Adeline continued, “At the moment, outside actors are looking into the origin of our agent. I am confident that if Night Force looks into the issue, these outside actors will see you all as a more urgent threat.”

Grant looked his mother in the eyes, “Alright. We’ll do it.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

40,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. 16:00

Grant passed a knife between his fingers as he stared out the window over the horizon. One of the few advantages to collaborating with his mother was not having to fly coach. The experimental HIVE aircraft - which Eddie had nicknamed the Wasp - was cruising at a comfortable 800 miles per hour. Eddie, Traci, and Joey were sprawled out over the couches in the cabin making conversation, but Grant was satisfied enjoying that view.

That is until he heard an electrical shock cut through the air, followed by Eddie’s pained yelp. Grant snapped back to the team, “What was that?!”

He spotted a small black device in Traci’s hand and started to speak until Joey began signing at him.

Not a big deal. Eddie asked Traci to tase him.

Grant slid his knife back into its sheath, “Not a big deal to shock the guy who can suplex trucks and breath fire while we’re in a pressurized container over an ocean?”

Traci’s smile faded as she put her taser away. Grant turned to her, “Where’d you even get that anyway? I thought you were more into faith, trust, and pixie dust.”

Traci rolled her eyes, "Grow up. Besides, your dad’s the one who gave me this anyway on his last visit."

Joey recoiled back in his seat, then signed, Deathstro-?

Grant cut him off before he could sign the ‘k’, “Yeah. Dad stopped by not too long ago. I didn’t know he gave you a taser, though.”

Joey smiled, That’s so him. Giving a stun gun to a wizard.

Grant couldn’t help but grin at the joke. He hadn’t seen his brother in months and even then, they hadn’t been close. Still, it was nice to laugh with him again.

Traci raised an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Just… can’t you magic up electricity or something?”

“You’d think so. Turns out the spell is crazy difficult. Wipes me out too. Slade asked why I didn’t just use a taser and I didn’t have an answer for him.” She shrugged.

Eddie readjusted in his seat, rubbing the tender spot where he’d been electrocuted. “Soooo, Joey. You were a Teen Titan? What was it like? Did you know Robin? Do you still keep in touch? What’s the scariest thing you ever fought.”

Joey waved his hand in the air and Eddie turned to Grant, “Oh, right! Grant, can you ask him what Robin was like?”

Grant stared at Eddie deadpan for a few seconds before asking, “Joey...what was Robin like?”

Joey signed with Grant relaying it to Eddie, “Nice guy. Very detail focused. Cared a lot about all of us.” Grant paused for a second, “Alright, enough fairy tales about the Titans. I need to get some rest and Joey, none of that hero shit on the mission. Are we clear?”

Clear.

“Good.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Brugges, Belgium. 18:00.

Traci walked down the cobbled streets of Brugges with a heavy book of spells she’d copied down from forums hanging from her shoulder, “Look, we’re in Belgium. We should take five minutes to stop for a waffle while we’re here.”

Jennie’s eyes were on the crowds, “We’re supposed to be looking for HIVE’s missing agent. Apparently, he’s been spotted around here.”

Traci groaned, “Fiiine. What does he look like again?”

“White male, five foot ten, brown hair, goatee, mole above his right eye.”

A glint appeared in Traci’s eye as she grabbed her phone and tapped Grant’s contact.

“Hey Gra-- Ravager? You up for a little wager? First one of us to find him buys dinner for the whole team. Unless you think you’re gonna lose. Good luck.”

Traci disconnected from the call and put her phone away, “Jennie, follow me.” She walked down an alleyway, brushing her hand against the stonework as she did. As the pair reached the center of the alleyway, Traci dropped to one knee and cracked open her spellbook. “Can you watch the street and make sure nobody comes down here.” The pungent smell assaulting her nostrils from the alleyway made Traci want to get over with this as quickly as possible.

She grabbed a small vial of clear liquid from her bag and poured it on the ground while chanting incantations. As she spoke, the liquid began to stir and bubble until it began to hiss away on the stones.

After a few seconds, Traci stood back up with a smile on her face. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed, “Ravager. Meet me at Des Plaats. Bring your wallet.”

As Traci left the alleyway, Jennie stuck her hands in her pockets, “That was quick!”

“Don’t underestimate city magic.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Des Plaats, Brugges, Belgium. 18:30.

Alice’s eyes were fixed on a finely-dressed brown-haired man struggling to skewer a sausage with his fork. She huffed, “That’s a HIVE agent? The people we’ve been on the run from?”

Grant addressed the rest of the team, still not thrilled to have lost his bet with Traci, “HIVE agents are highly skilled at espionage. He’s likely undercover. Still, if he tries to run or pick a fight, Joey can neutralize him. Keep your guard up.”

Grant walked past the waiter with the rest of his team before taking a seat next to the HIVE agent. For some reason, the agent seemed confused and a little afraid. “Uh, pardon me, but can I help you?”

Grant stared at the agent, scrutinizing every detail of his face against the file they were given. When he was certain every minute feature matched, he said, “Agent Durham. We’re with HQ. Confirmation code Hotel Indigo Victor Epsilon dash 4-5-7-1.”

Agent Durham stared off into space for a few seconds before sputtering, “I- uh- fuck. You’re with HQ, of course! You know I was just about to head down there myself! How about I get a cab and we meet there?”

Grant stared daggers, “Confirmation code?”

Beads of sweat began to run down Durham’s forehead, “I - uh.” He leaned in closer to Grant, “You’re looking for Charon? I can give you an address. When I was there, this man wouldn’t shut up about getting back there, but he didn’t want Charon to know. Shut up real quick whenever he came around. So tell you what? I tell you the address, you let me go?”

Grant spotted Alice’s guns trembling out of the corner of his eye and raised a hand towards her to keep things from escalating. “Sure. That sounds fair. You tell us that address and you go free.”

Durham let out a sigh of relief, “Alright. 39 Church Drive, Nottingham, UK. Now can I go?”

Grant gave a heavy pat on Durham’s back. “Go ahead.”

With a mixture of relief and fear, Durham rose to his feet and stumbled away from the table, nearly tripping over chairs to put distance between he and Night Force.

Alice turned back toward the fleeing agent, “We’re not actually letting him go, are we?”

Grant shook his head, “No. But he’s clearly not dangerous. I’ll put in a call to HIVE to pick him up en route. I’m guessing Charon wiped his mind somehow.”

“En route? Where are we going?”

“England.”

Joey started to sign, Seriously? That sounded like a trap.

“It might be a trap, but at the moment, it’s the best we have.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Nottingham, UK. 22:30.

A stout man stood alone under the amber street light, his lost eyes trained on house across the road. His breath was shaky, his heart racing, but the world all moved so slowly. He stood in a sweater and jeans, both muddied and worn. His skin was blotchy and rough, and his hair was thin and wispy. He traced the features of his face with both hands, anguishing at each edge and imperfection.

Then, as his eyes searched the bay window of the terrace house, he saw him. Peter Davies, a tall, broad, and handsome man, the father of two beautiful kids. His eyes were sunken as he stood in the window, the life and passion drained from his being.

Could he really disappoint Pete like this? He had to. It cost too much.

So the man slowly forced himself to approach the scarlet door of 39 Church Drive. He took a deep breath and he knocked five times in a familiar rhythm.

And within mere seconds the door whipped open, Pete throwing it against the wall. And though he at first was driven by great motivation, his heart sank at the unfamiliar face of the middle-aged man before him.

“”What do you want?” Pete snarled.

“I…” they stammered for a response.

“Who are you?” Pete was more urgent this time.

They went to answer, searching for any appropriate response, but as the two children, Sophie and Dylan, appeared behind Pete from around a corner, the stranger in the doorway burst into tears.

Eyes streaming, the middle-aged man sobbed with a dumb smile on his face. “It’s me,” he said. “It’s Sally.”

Pete was impatient before, but now his face changed. He furrowed his brow and straightened his back. “What did you say?”

“It’s me, Petey…” the stranger snivelled, “It’s Sally.”

Pete scoffed, drawing a harsh breath. “You sick fuck.”

But Sally didn’t give up. She pushed forward, reaching for Pete’s face. “I--”

“Get the fuck off me!” Pete cried, shoving them back. Sally stumbled as she staggered down the steps leading up to the doorway, still not adjusted to shifting her new weight.

Pete wrapped his hand around the edge of the door, ready to fling it shut. But he changed his mind. Instead, he told the kids to stay inside before pushing out of the house after Sally, slamming the door shut behind him.

“It’s me, Pete,” Sally pleaded, her voice rough and deep. A man’s voice. “I wanted to look better, but…” she panted, “It was so expensive.”

“My wife is dead!” Pete spat, squaring up to the stranger. “I don’t know who or what you think you are, but you aren’t my Sally.”

Sally took a step forward. “We got married in Cardiff. We went on our honeymoon in Cyprus. Our kids are called Sophie and Dylan, and Dylan likes to pretend he doesn’t like playing with Sophie’s Barbies, but we both know he d--”

Smack.

Pete reeled back as one punch sent the stranger face first into the pavement. “You sick, disgusting, ugly little man!” he cried, “How the fuck do you know about my kids!?”

“Our kids…” Sally slowly rose from the ground.

But Pete didn’t give up. Pete wound back and prepared to knock as much sense into this pervert as he needed. But as he threw his fist forward, the stranger leapt back, squealing.

“Petey, please!” the stranger yelped, as they cowered. And in that moment, Pete caught his breath. He’d seen that look of fear before. The day they got Sally’s diagnosis.

“...Sally…?” Pete quivered. “I’m so sorry, I... “ He couldn’t stand to look at her. “I don’t understand.”

“I… I paid a man. For a second chance…” she heaved. “This… body…. It was all I could afford. They told me to stay away. From you, from the kids. But I didn’t come back to start over. I came back because you still needed me. But we have to go.”

“I-- I’m sorry?”

“If they find me-- If they find out I came back to my family, to you... “ Sally stammered, “Look, we just need to pack our bags and go. We can visit your parents in Cardiff.”

“I…”

“We get a second chance.”

“So that’s how it works,” spoke an unknown third voice. A young man, an American.

Sally turned to face the source of the voice, and while Pete leapt back a foot at the sight of them, Sally seemed less surprised. A soldier in silver, a wild woman in red, a younger boy in a white-and-black uniform, a young girl in tattered rags, a stern-faced metahuman with green skin, and - most frightening - a young devil with flowing white hair.

“Are… are you with them?” Sally shook.

Grant Wilson turned to his brother Joey. “Are we with ‘them’?”

Silently, Joey pressed his index and middle fingers together with his thumb. No.

Grant turned back to the stranger ‘Sally’. “No. But we’re going to need to know what ‘they’ did to you.”

However, before Night Force could extract any information from the suspect, the sounds of guns blazing rapidly approached.

“Get back!” Grant called out, lugging his rifle from his back and readying it, throwing the faceplate of his helmet down. Traci and Jennie moved forward, throwing up their hands to erect shimmering shields of violet and green. While Alice and Joey ducked behind the cover of Pete’s garden wall and Grant returned fire on the approaching vehicle, Eddie dashed to put himself between the shooters and the two civilians.

Bullets pinged off of the brickwork and bounced off of Grant’s immaculate armor before the black truck came to a halt and five men poured out of the vehicle. Grant clipped three in their shoulders, but they only kept moving, the final merc lugging a large, bulky firearm. The merc steadied his footing and fired a pulse of plasma, hurtling Grant into the wall of the house behind him.

“Sally Davies,” another of the man spat, “You really are a dumb bitch, aren’t you? The boss defied the natural order to give you another shot, and you still went ahead and broke the conditions of the deal.”

Eddie looked to ‘Sally’ and then back to the mercs.

“Now you’ve forced us to kill these brave heroes, and your boy toy. And those kids of yours too!”

“You wouldn’t fucking dare!” Sally cried out, lurching forward, only stopped by Eddie.

“Wouldn’t we?” the man replied.

“Not unless you want to… have… a bad time!” Eddie retorted, just about.

The man looked to the rest of his colleagues and then sized up each of the apparent heroes come to Sally’s rescue, looking each of them in the eye. First to Eddie, then Grant, then Alice, and Traci, and Jennie and--

“We don’t mind getting our hands dirty. We--”

-- Contact --

From where Eddie was stood, he could swear he saw the smug mercenary’s eyes flash black-and-green for the shortest moment. And in that moment, the man’s manner changed entirely.

“But you all seem pretty determined to save the day. It’s admirable to see young people stand up to someone as pig-headed and spineless as myself. Maybe it’s not worth the bother, boys.”

The rest of the mercenaries looked between each other, confused. Not that they’d dare question the word of their leader.

“Should we at least do the extraction?” another man piped up.

The boss looked to him, lost for a response. “You tell me.”

The other man produced from his pocket a ceremonial knife. But he didn’t attack. Instead, the man carved an encircled cross into the palm of his own hand, which shone with unholy light.

Crying out, Sally then dropped to the floor, a more ornate sigil embossed into the back of her new neck burning with the same glow. A second passed. The lights extinguished. She was dead. An old man’s lifeless body at Pete’s feet.

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

UK Airspace, 23:00.

Night Force stirred as the Wasp rushed through turbulence. They had just watched someone have their soul sucked straight out of their body, leaving nothing but an empty husk that used to be a person. And the bastards that did it got away.

Eddie was particularly troubled, though he didn’t show it. He saw the look in Sally’s eyes - or whoever’s eyes they were - as life was torn from them. He saw Pete cradle the body of a man he’d just met, longing for his wife to return to him. He saw that emptiness, that loss, and he felt it, for he knew that unless he proved himself to be a hero, like Grant’s brother apparently used to be, that would be his fate too. He only wondered if any of his newfound friends would mourn him the same.

“Are you sure we have them?” Grant blurted out, leaning forward onto the back of Traci’s chair.

“Certain,” Traci replied. “I slipped a tracking charm onto their far-too-big giga-gun during the chaos. It’s basically wizard GPS.”

“Why do you think their leader chose to leave so suddenly?” Jennie interjected, getting Grant’s attention. “One minute they’re rearing for a fight, the next they’re suddenly on the backfoot.”

Grant looked to Joey and Joey grinned. He raised an eyebrow, as if to show concern, but Grant nodded, assuring him.

-- Contact --

Joey’s face suddenly grew vacant as Grant’s eyes flashed black-and-green for a split second. Then, the older Wilson’s posture changed, growing more relaxed. Grant cracked an ear-to-ear grin.

“What’s so funny?” asked Eddie, forcing himself to engage with the others.

Grant chuckled. “Their leader didn’t choose to leave, I did.”

“What?” Eddie replied. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Grant looked to Joey’s empty form and then back to the group. “That’s me. I’m Joey. I can… transfer my consciousness into someone else’s body as long as I can lock eyes with them for just a moment.”

Traci looked to Joey’s body, then to Jennie, who seemed to be fully aware of the younger Wilson’s powers already. “This isn’t like the same kind of soul transference we’re dealing with, is it?”

“Honestly?” Joey replied in Grant’s body, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I always saw it more like projecting my will onto the other person. But I haven’t exactly tried dying while possessing someone to find out.”

“Wait…” Eddie interjected, sure to make sense of what was going on. “If you’re Joey, then how come you know how to talk?”

Joey rolled his eyes. Or maybe it was Grant. Or perhaps they worked together to laugh at Eddie’s cluelessness. “Magic.”.

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

Peel Crypt, Isle of Man. 00:00.

Grant crept through tall grass outside Peel Crypt, his rifle pointing ahead. Like the rest of the team, he was in his full gear. Behind him, Traci’s hand pulsed with a purple color every few steps. Eddie seemed to be enjoying the hunt, “Your wizard GPS led us to a crypt? Does that mean we get to fight zombies?”

Traci dispelled her charm as they came up on a large granite entryway, “That or Charon’s just really committed to the whole ‘raising the dead’ theme.”

Grant walked down the stone steps of the entrance, deeper into the Earth. The elaborate wooden doors to the tomb were long since ruined, rotting on the floor. The heavy darkness in the hallway ahead left the team deprived of sensation - outside of the faint smell of dust and, if Grant was right, gun oil. But he was able to make out a set of metal doors with faint light pushing out of the gap. His fist snapped up - signalling everyone to stop.

Faintly, he heard the voice of the leader of the thugs beyond the door.

“I don’t know. I just blacked out for a second or something.”

Another voice replied, “You should see a doctor. That started happening to my grandpa, next thing you know he had to get his foot amputated. Diabetes.”

Grant blocked out the voice and took a step back, then charged forward, kicking the door open and knocking three thugs to the ground. The room ahead was a large hall, the floor covered in ornate crests. What caught Grant off guard, however, were the dozens of unconscious bodies propped up against both walls. For the far end of the hall, a posh voice called to him.

“Night Force, I presume? Kind of you to join me.”

Sitting on top of a smooth marble tomb was a stately British gentleman in his late 40s. He clutched a silver scepter in his right hand and spoke with endless bravado. Before he could continue, however, Eddie erupted in excitement, “An evil British supervillain! And he even knows our name!”

Grant quickly counted the possible combatants in his head. The three he’d sent to the ground, plus another one on each side of the leader, who he assumed to be Charon. For the moment, he held his fire. It looked like Charon was willing to make conversation and Grant wanted to learn as much as possible about his capabilities.

Charon continued, “You’re quite resourceful, finding me here. I could have use of people like you. And my men get great benefits.. For your troubles, I might be able to offer you all eternal life.”

Traci stepped forward, not lowering her defenses. “Tell us how you do it. With these simulacrums?” She gestured to the bodies lining the wall.

Charon tutted. “Not quite. These husks aren’t toys. No, within my very soul is a gateway to a place without physical being. My men gather up those who aren’t likely to be missed and I liberate their soul from their body. From there, I offer my services to those who can afford it. A new, healthy body. A new life. A second chance.”

Grant’s fist tightened. “You sick bastard. You killed all these people.”

“‘Kill’ is such a brutish word. I’ve separated them from their physical form.”

“Yeah. I’ve heard enough.” Grant cursed under his breath, “Night Force, attack!”

The team jumped into action. Grant fired a hail of bullets from his rifle, sending Charon and the goon near him diving for cover. As a hail of dust and crumbled stone was kicked up into the air, the body of one of Charon’s thugs fell lifeless to the ground - a bullet through his forehead.

Grant advanced toward Charon. He heard the sounds of a scrap between Eddie and the two other thugs. The tight spaces didn’t lend itself well to Night Force’s expertise. He had no doubt that the team was holding back for fear of hitting one another or one of husks - stolen bodies sold to the highest bidder.

These thoughts stirred in Grant’s head until he was knocked to the ground - tackled by someone. One of the husks? From behind the tomb, he heard Charon laugh, “With my powers, and these vessels, my men are eternal!”

The ‘vessel’ pinning Grant to the ground was a heavy-set man easily twice his size. Shit. They couldn’t take on this whole room. As he struggled against the pin, Grant called back to the group, “Traci, disable the bodies!” Then, in one swift motion, he wrestled his hand free from his attacker’s, pulled a knife from his side, and shoved it into his attacker’s throat. The man gargled blood and fell to the ground.

Charon stammered, “I- I thought you were heroes! I was going to use that body to save someone’s life!”

Grant glanced behind him for a half-second. A half dozen bodies were laying at Night Force’s feet. He barked, “Traci, how’s that spell coming?”

Traci’s eyes were squeezed shut while her jet black hair floated in the air, “Too many targets!”

Grant pulled his sidearm and fired at the thug in front of him, “Make it work!”

Then, the familiar sound of Alice’s magical handguns cracked through the air. Charon shouted over the conflict, his voice tinged with fear, “Terry? I can’t feel your soul. What-” The fear intensified, “How did you do that?”

Only a few seconds after, another thug dropped to the ground and no new soldier rose to fill his place. Grant didn’t risk turning and leaving himself exposed, instead asking, “Traci, did you get that spell working?”

“Well - uh - I don’t think his tricks work as well when the new bodies have 100,000 volts running through them.”

Dad was right again. Grant thought as he approached the marble tomb.

Charon cried out, “I surrender! I give up! You win! Don’t kill me.” He threw himself out from cover, holding his hands up in the air. Despite his bravado, he was a businessman, not a supervillain. Not that there was often a difference.

Grant dragged Charon to the center of the floor and the team assembled around him. Joey quickly signed, I’ll call Mom.

Grant cocked his gun, “Why wait?”

Charon swallowed hard, “You can’t. All of those people waiting for a body? They’ll be trapped forever if you kill me. The gateway dies with me.”

“A bunch of rich assholes profiting off human trafficking and murder? Shame.”

A look of shock washed across Eddie’s face. “You can’t just-”

But Grant had already pressed the barrel to Charon’s forehead, ignoring his pleading eyes, and -

-- Contact --

Before the gun could even go off, Charon dropped limply to the ground. The team looked around, wondering what had happened, until Grant found Joey similarly on the floor and understood exactly what his brother had done.

“Damnit, Joey.” He didn’t even know if he could hear him.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked.

Traci replied, “His soul entered Charon’s. It must have crossed the gateway.”

⬣ ⬣ ⬡ ⬣ ⬣

The Shadowlands. Eternity.

Everything felt cold. And dark. Whenever Joey leapt inside someone it was always a little different. Each human mind was unique in its own way. But this...this was different. Joey remembered what Charon had said about his soul being a gateway. Well, rather than poking his head in like he’d intended, Joey leapt head first inside. He supposed this finally gave him some hints on how his powers really worked.

Now, he was in a strange place of formless darkness. He felt a frigid dampness nipping at his body that reminded him of drowning, but in this place, there was no need to breathe at all.

Joey stumbled through the alien landscape, searching for something - anything to latch on to. He found it in the form of a small crowd gathering in the distance? Charon’s victims, or his clients? He waved his arms frantically, silently trying to get their attention. They didn’t see him. But Joey felt something in his throat. And as he bounded towards the crowd as fast as he could, his vocal cords opened up and he called out. “Hey! Over here!”

He pushed on in their direction. “Look, you all need to get out of here now.” He knew this wasn’t real. That he was in this place in soul only, but it took the boy aback to hear his own voice again for the first time in three years.

A young woman with auburn hair let out a sigh of relief, “Ugh, finally! I feel like I’ve been waiting for-ever. June 2.0’s done cooking?”

Joey took a step away, repulsed. Did they even know where these bodies were coming from? Nevermind. He didn’t want to stay any longer than he had to. “There’s... been a change. None of you are getting new bodies. Charon’s being brought to justice for his crimes.” A pang of guilt hit Joey as he said that. He wondered what Dick would have thought of him going along with his brother’s ‘justice’.

The crowd broke into discontent. “I paid good money for this!” “This isn’t fair!” “You can’t just leave us here.”

Joey chose to respond to the last of the complaints. “None of you are being left here. I think - I think I can let you pass on from here.”

The auburn-haired woman sneered, “Pass on? You mean die? I don’t think so. With what we paid… we deserve our second chance!”

“I-- I’m sorry, but that’s not an option anymore. Those bodies - they’re not mine to give. If you don’t pass on now, you could be stuck here forever.” As long as Joey was here - his soul connecting with the shadowy dimension he found himself in - he seemed to act as a gateway of his own, one that would let these lost souls pass on to… wherever they were headed next. But as soon as he was gone? There was no guarantee he’d be able to get back in.

As his words echoed out through the darkness, a few members of the crowd - no more than a dozen, stepped over towards Joey. The rest seemed stuck in their ways. Joey pleaded, “Please, I don’t want to leave any of you behind.”

The auburn-haired woman flipped her hair and began walking away with the rest of those who refused to pass on. “Then come back when you’re ready to give us what we’re owed.”

Joey felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder. There wasn’t anything else he could do for the rest of them. They were too indignant. Too lost.

Joey gathered his focus and opened a door out of wherever these souls were trapped. One by one, the few ready to pass on moved through. Some facing the unknown confidently, others terrified of what could come next. Once the last of them moved through the door, Joey pulled his consciousness back to Earth, then turned Charon’s eyes at his comatose body.

-- Contact --

Joey let out a sigh. It’s done.

Bang!

Charon’s lifeless body fell to the crypt floor, dead.

As it did, Joey wiped moisture from his eyes.

Eddie’s eyes darted from Charon’s corpse to Joey, “What’s wrong? Did it work?”

Grant interpreted for his brother, “Could only save some of them. I failed.”

Eddie shook his head, grabbing Joey forcefully by the shoulders, “You tried. That’s more than we did. You may not be a Teen Titan anymore, but I know you’re still a hero. No matter what Grant says. Heroes try.”

Annoyance cut into Grant’s tone, “Look, Eddie-”

But Joey stopped him by placing a firm hand on his shoulder, before signing. An earnest smile was fixed to his face.

“What’d he say?”

Grant let out an exhale, “He says thank you.”