(Spoilers ahead) “Endgame” opens with the Titans attacking Alton Laboratories. A scientist steps out and asks the Titans what appears to be the problem. Nightwing demands the return of Karen Duncan’s memory engram and none of the people they were fighting are willing to find it. The scientist muses that he doubts that he will be able to find anything if he had been beaten unconscious. The scientist further states that Alton Labs is a government installation. Omen interrupts him and says that he is lying and the unconscious soldiers are all H.I.V.E. Lilith explains that the soldiers they have been hitting for the past ten minutes hitting are dressed in H.I.V.E. combat gear.
The scientist says that he is busted and Nightwing renews his demand for the engram with backup from Bumblebee. They count seven Titans against one of this guy. The scientist who’s name is Mr. Bender calls them Hivemind. He engages the Endgame Protocol and asks for body multiplication, laser manifested and concussion waves. The fight is on. We get a voice over from Wally who says that he used to be the fastest man alive but now he has to take things easier. Lilith goes down. Bender is able to change his powers with an instantaneous verbal command and is able to overwhelm Donna. Bumblebee attacks Bender. Bender calls for a neural lash, dazing her and since she has reduced in size, he goes to squash her with what he calls a thunderclap. Flash reaches her and snatches Karen in time. Bender calls for super speed and the race is one. He clocks Wally and Nightwing moves in for his attack. Bender upgrades his strength and hand to hand prowess and knocks out Dick. Arsenal goes for a net arrow and Bender calls for a flame aura to burn the net. Arsenal counters with a thermal charge arrow knocking the Bender duplicate out.
Donna picks Roy up asking him where Wally is. Arsenal responds that he is sure Wally is okay and Donna reminds him about Wally’s weak heart and further asks him why he is being so callous. Two of the Bender replicates knock both Donna and Roy out cold.
Garth picks up Lilith and asks her if she is okay. Lilith berates Garth for leaving the others in a fight to find out that she is okay. The two are quickly found by the remaining three replicates who attack asking for annihilator beams. Wally still holding a tiny Karen comes to and finds that time has frozen. Somehow with his heart the time around him seems to suspend except for him. He is able to reach Lilith and Garth.
Elsewhere in New York, Mal is standing on a rooftop wearing what looks like some kind of combat gear. He is talking to someone we do not immediately see. He is recounting the issue with Karen’s memory, he needs her back. Mal blames the Titans for what has happened and now he is powerless. The person Mal is talking to is Gnarrk. Gnarrk also a former Titan is the best hunter Mal knows and asks him for his help.
Back at the fight Wally is seen holding Garth, Lilith, and Karen and racing away. The Bender clones go into pursuit. The four remaining Titans spread out to counterattack. Lilith thinks that Wally is hiding something and mentally contacts Garth. She asks him to trust her and she shares with him that one of the team is a traitor. Garth is shocked and Lilith tells Garth that she is afraid and needs someone to turn to. Garth verbally promises to help her and the fight is on again. In the middle of the skirmish, time freezes again for everyone except Wally. Wally is able to walk around and then punches two of the clones out. When time returns the battle is over and Karen asks Wally how he did what he did. She did not even see a blur. The Titans reconvene in the control room.
Dick finds that H.I.V.E. is building a super army with the superpowers they have been stealing. Dick starts to search for Karen’s memory engram. Karen asks Roy what he is looking at. Karen notices Donna and Wally and asks if they are a couple. Roy asks her why she would say that.
Donna gets up and says that she does not want to rush anything. She wants to take things slow until they figure things out and she looks at Roy and Karen and says that she does not want anyone hurt.
Bender tells the Titans that they will never find the memory engram and the issue is larger than the missing memories. Elsewhere Garth and Lilith discuss Lilith’s claim of a traitor. Garth hugs her and Nightwing calls for Omen and Garth. With all the Titans present, Nightwing tells them that the engram was in the computers but it was removed just before they arrived. Wally notices that Dick looks grim. Nightwing tells them that H.I.V.E. knew they were coming and only the seven of them knew of this attack. Dick says that someone is a traitor. Karen thinks Dick is looking at her and he says that someone tipped H.I.V.E. off. Wally thinks about the Titans being friends but he is keeping a big secret. Dick turns to Lilith and asks her how did Psimon turn her. Next issue Turncoat Titan.
This issue is the fight issue. The entire issue here is a fight and the art was fitting for this type of issue. We get a lot of action scenes with a lot of crackling energy waves around several of the characters.
This story brings Gnarrk, Caveboy back to the story. I wonder of there was an eighth person who new of the Titans’ attack on Alton Labs. I wonder if that person was Mal Duncan. In his conversation with Gnarrk, he shares that he holds the Titans responsible for Karen’s missing memory. Could this feeling have led him to tip off H.I.V.E.? We might have to wait until next issue to find out.
The belief that Lilith is the traitor is plausible since she was in direct contact with Psimon in the last issue and he planted the idea of a traitor and a bad omen in her mind. She could have unknowingly tipped off H.I.V.E.
The last question I have is what is Wally’s secret? It must be more that his freezing of time.
This issue made me think a lot about it all while I was reading your run of the mill action comic. With the good detailed art and the movement of the story, this was a great issue.
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