Story: "Hidden Agenda" (22 Pages)

Credits:

Jay Faerber (plot, script)
Barry Kitson (pencils)
Rich Faber
Ray Kryssing and James Pascoe (inks)
John Costanza (letters)
Gregory Wright (colors)
Heroic Age (color separations)
Harvey Richards and Andrew Helfer (edits)

Feature Characters:

Argent, Jesse Quick
Arsenal IV
Nightwing
Troia
Tempest II

Supporting Characters:

Omen
Zeke
Grace
Tommy
Eli
Nikki

Villains:

Mantis
Axis
Scorcher
Vault
Roland Lier (the man who hired Axis, dies)
Thrust

Other Characters:

David and the rest of 'the Favoured', Garrett Donovan

Synopsis:

On a shopping trip, Jesse and Argent run into Mantis and his insect army, and are overwhelmed. Help soon arrives in the form of the Favoured and then the Titans who force Mantis to leave via Boom Tube. The Favoured return to Apex headquarters, where Donovan tells them that they will now have their chance to make a difference. The Titans then interview members of Axis to find out who hired them to investigate Apex; Scorcher tells them it was one Roland Lier. The Titans catch up with him, but they get little information from him other than that the government are concerned about the Favoured before he bites a cyanide capsule and dies. His contact, Thrust, encounters Jesse and Troia, but they are unable to prevent him reaching the Apex building. Strangely, though, it is utterly deserted. Jesse subdues Thrust but suspects Nightwing will not like this development. And the D.E.O. kids have been having counselling from Lilith (Omen); when Nikki goes in for counselling something rather odd happens.