Lauriver Chronicles

Chapter 89

A few days later, Dick and Roy returned to the Tower, since they'd stayed in Cloverton to help Argus transport Caulder into custody and make accommodations for the remaining members of Doom Patrol to help them regain their old lives, or at least make their conditions more tolerable and not require them to be isolated in the manor. Not to mention tracking down any other victims, Niles had turned into lab rats who'd escaped the manor and were in hiding to avoid him.

"How'd it go?" Kory asked her boyfriend as she hugged him.

"Well, Caulder is currently on his way to a cell in Arkham, where he'll be spending his time trying to find ways to cure some of the other criminals in there like Clayface and Poison Ivy." Dick said, since Batman had long since struck up a truce with a Killer Croc, finding him a safe place to live under the protection of a creature called Swamp Thing, who was in theory in ally, but only in certain situations and Batman and Croc had come to an agreement that as long as Croc stayed in the swamp and didn't cause trouble, Batman would leave him alone. But the other criminals of Gotham weren't as willing to do that as Croc was.

"The least he can do after turning so many innocent people into pawns in his game. Where's Gar?" Kory asked, since she didn't see him and he hadn't returned with Courtney and Rachel either.

"He decided to stay in Cloverton for a few extra days with his old team to process what he learned while we were there." Roy said.

"I understand. It can't be easy to find out that someone you trusted actually betrayed you in such a harsh way." Kory said, since it sounded similar to the situation that brought her to Earth in the first place.

"I told him to take all the time he needed and that we're here for him." Dick said.

"Good. And Courtney's father is currently still comatose in the infirmary. Courtney has left his side and I sent Nova to get her mom and stepdad." Kory said right as Silverbolt came speeding in with Barbara Whitmore and Pat Dugan.

"What is going on here?" Barbara asked before she realized where she was.

"Mrs. Whitmore." Dick said.

"Call me Barbara. Where's my daughter Grayson?" Barbara asked, since she'd met Dick once before agreeing to allow Courtney to move to Bludhaven to join the Titans. Especially since her niece's zeta tube technology made it very easy for Courtney to travel back to Blue Valley to visit them.

"Follow me." Dick said, deciding it would be easier to show them than tell them.

"Why are we in an infirmary?" Pat asked, only to be shocked at who he saw laying in a hospital bed with Courtney sitting at his bedside.

"Is that Sylvester?" Barbara asked in shock at seeing her old husband on the bed.

"Yeah mom, it's dad and he's still alive. I don't know how, but ever since I connected to the staff, somehow he's been sending some kind of message to me. And that message led us to him. A mad scientist was attempting to use him as a lab rat, but the Titans and I saved him." Courtney said.

"How is this possible?" Barbara asked.

"We're still trying to figure that out." Dick said, as the doors opened the man responsible for all of the Titans technology, Dr. Ryan Choi, walked in.

"And I think I have. Based on all the research I've been given on the staff by your sister Eliza, along with my own research on it and Courtney, plus the research you confiscated from Caulder, I have a theory." Ryan said.

"Well?" Barbara asked.

"I believe that the longer the staff, it can have an effect on them. It alters the user's physiology as they absorb the staff's cosmic energy. And I think that energy began to heal Sylvester after his death, and left him in a comatose state." Ryan said.

"Then why would he not heal until now?" Courtney asked.

"My theory is that the staff was dormant after he died. The energy was keeping him alive, but it didn't heal him. Not until the staff reawakened. Until you bonded with it Courtney." Ryan said.

"When you woke up the staff, you woke up its bond to Sylvester and he started to heal." Pat realized and Ryan nodded.

"So, I think all he needs to wake up is the staff." Ryan said and without hesitation, Courtney held out her hand and her staff flew into it.

"Alright Cosmo, time to bring my dad back." Courtney said as she took a deep breath before placing the staff in her father's hands.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the staff began to glow brightly and Courtney couldn't help but gasp as she felt her bond to it strengthen and she knew what was going to happen before it did.

When the light faded, everyone couldn't believe it when for the first time in years, Sylvester Pemberton took a breath and opened his eyes.