Superhuman

Summary: Sometimes, it's easy to forget that they're not actually superhuman because they act like they are. Sometimes, it's far too easy to remember that they are fragile.


Written in stream-of-consciousness view, so the format may seem odd.

Warnings: death, plots, etc.

Notes: This takes place in the future, with no Zatanna, no Rocket, no one but the original six having been on the team.


Sometimes they forget that he's not invincible, as much as it seems like it.

It's just…until they see him injured, he's beyond superhuman.

And Wally knows that it's not just Roy and him. The entire team saw him as invincible, back when they had been a team. Now, they've all gone their separate ways. Wally's taken over the mantle of Flash with a one-way ticket into the League. Aqualad has become Tempest, hero of the seas when Aquaman can't get there. Artemis sort of defected, giving in to the temptations of her father and sister, and became Tigress (she doesn't kill, though, oddly enough). Miss Martian went to Australia. Superboy still lives at the mountain, but Superman had come to his senses a while ago and all but took the clone in. As far as Wally knows, they have Sunday breakfast and lunch with Superman's parents at the Kent farm every week. And Dick, their invincible bird…

Wally knows Dick and Bruce had had a falling out several years ago, and Dick ran off to Blüdhaven, a city with crime and corruption worse than that of Gotham. And Gotham seriously scared Wally.

Wally knows Dick is now Nightwing, the only protector the city of 1,157,899 people had ever known. The city with higher death rates than Gotham. The city Wally's best friend protected day and night, whether they knew it or not.

Yes, Wally knew and still knows Blüdhaven. The fact that he knows so much about the city didn't help to negate his belief that Dick was invincible. That, against all odds, the former Robin was superhuman.

He knows Roy knows how bad the city is; knows that the man who turned down League membership beyond more than simple team-ups still visits Dick in Blüdhaven, and they even fight crime together on occasion. Wally wants to be able to stop in on more than just a cursory Hi-Dick-bye-Dick visit on his way to a League call or to home. He just can't seem to find the time.

Until the League gets a tip from a member of the police force.

Wally knows immediately that it's Dick, but from the faces of his fellow League members (the faces he can see, anyway) they don't recognize the voice within the letter. It's just him, then. Dick must not have made amends with Bruce like Wally thought he had.

The tip, pinned to the side of Mount Justice where Kon would easily find it (Wally knows that Connor prefers to go by the shortened version of both his first name and use the spelling from his Kryptonian name), and he does. Superboy (Wally knows that Superboy still uses it when he goes out to fight crime) immediately goes to Superman, who brings it to the League. It's typed, black font against white paper. Impersonal. Practical. But Wally knows it's Dick; from the way that the letter is written (Dick always had a bit of a humorous streak, even when he was being serious) to the way that some of the letters between words are double-spaced, like he was hesitating in the middle of a sentence. Both are very Dick-like moves, even in writing.

Wally knows the letter reads a little like this:

League members:

It may interest you to know just how corrupt the city of Blüdhaven is. I currently have information if you are willing to come see it. I will meet you at the High Street Bar and Grill with my information on April 26 at 2 P.M. Send two representatives – one to meet me, the other to keep watch, as I'm sure you will be apt to do if I say to send one only. Do not send more; you will be putting yourselves and me in jeopardy, as well as the civilians around us. I am sure you do not want that. This concerns the Justice League as many of the people of Blüdhaven I will name have contacts in many other cities and all are currently working on a way to make life very difficult for you and others like you.

Blüdhaven's only authentic police officer

Wally knows he is going to volunteer immediately.


It is Wally who is sitting in a booth at the High Street Bar and Grill at 1:59 P.M. on April 26. He is facing the door, secure in the knowledge of Hal just outside, ready to back him up if he needs it. The place is dingy, but most of Blüdhaven is. It is also filled with smoke from patrons at the bar, and it barely has time to escape before the door closes once more whenever someone walks in. For a mid-afternoon rendezvous, Wally thinks that this place has a lot of people drinking. He also thinks that there are too many uniformed police officers sharing drinks at the far end of the bar.

He's dressed in a shirt with the Flash's symbol on it, sunglasses covering his eyes like Dick used to do when they had a team. Batman insisted, and even though he's a fully-fledged League member, Wally's not going to argue with the man (it's far too ingrained into him from his years as Barry's sidekick and as Kid Flash, part of the covert ops team of the League).

He glances once more at his watch, waiting for the time to tick over to two o'clock. A minute seemed like forever to him right now, and he's ready to see his friend again. He hadn't been able to even take a run-through for weeks, and the last time he'd talked to Roy, the older hero had sounded slightly worried about Dick.

The watch (a very nice one Wally's testing for Bats – he still has trouble thinking of him as Bruce, and just shortens it to Bats) is a prototype; one of its many features is an alarm, which doesn't do anything loud. Instead, it vibrates against the skin of the wearer. Unobtrusive, but effective. Wally, if he were to describe it accurately, would have to say he loves it. Especially when, just as it buzzes, the door opens and a familiar head of black hair walks inside.

Wally sucks in a breath at the sight of his friend. Dick looks the same as ever: short (but he's not really that short anymore), slim, and constantly on alert. Some things, Wally knew, couldn't be trained out, and Bat training is one of them. Dick holds the door open for a fraction of a second longer than strictly necessary, but no one but Wally seems to notice. The former Robin's blue eyes sweep the bar before working their way towards the dining area. Wally gives what he hopes is a subtle nod, but he's smiling too much (barely, according to any normal person, but to a hero, anything more than a scowl is too much smile) to really be effectively subtle. Dick's wearing his police uniform: blue shirt, dark pants, nice shoes that seem very out-of-place in the dank, oppressive-feeling city of Blüdhaven. He has a pair of sunglasses in one hand, absent-mindedly fiddling with them as he makes his way across the room.

Dick slides into the booth across from him, blue eyes easily picking out details around Wally while still looking right at him. "What are you doing here?" he asks quietly, sliding sunglasses into the pocket of his uniform. Wally follows the motion with his own hidden eyes, before looking up at Dick. The younger man has a slight frown on his face, that Wally can only see because he's been so familiar with Dick's looks in the past.

"I volunteered to come meet with an officer who has, ah, information, for the League," Wally answers, very quietly and even quieter at the end. He knows as well as Dick just how easily someone can listen in on conversations; it's part of the reason the team disbanded so long ago. There hadn't been a mole, just some very resourceful people on the Light's end. But the whole 'Light' issue was settled by the League a few years ago, much to the delight of the former team. At least, the ones he'd talked to. Kal had been relieved that it was done; Kon had been part of the takedown and was more than happy about it; and even Artemis had seemed relieved when he managed to relay a message to her (she might be a villain, Wally reasons, but she is still team).

If anything, Dick frowns harder. Now the scowl was visible. "I would have thought that B would've insisted he come to meet the informant. Is he your backup?"

"Hal is," Wally says, eyes flicking to the bar. The officers are glancing around the building, eyes more often than not landing on them. It's rather disconcerting; Wally knows Dick would have something to say about that, but Wally doesn't say anything out loud. "Hey, you know there's a lot of your fellow boys in blue over there, right?"

"Hadn't noticed," Dick says dryly, quietly. "What're they doing?" Wally looks over at the officers again; they're back to drinking, but their eyes are wary and flick back towards their booth every once in a while. One of them lights up a cigarette; Wally swears he can smell the smoke from across the room.

"Looking around, but mostly over here. It's rather disconcerting." Wally sneaks a peek again; the one with the cigarette seems to make eye contact with him before looking around the room, and Wally shivers slightly. The glance was greasy, sullied by corruption to the point that it was tangible through eye contact.

For once, Dick doesn't make any jokes about disconcerting and concerting. Wally feels like a small hole has been ripped into his chest, about where his heart is. Dick's grown up; his mangling of the English language was just a phase. Somehow, Wally's beginning to wish that it wasn't; that things could go back to how they had been when it was just them and the team, hanging around Mount Justice playing video games, eating pizza, and twisting words to fit their idea of the world.

"Tell me if they do more than look," Dick says lowly. "This isn't one of my normal hangouts, and the ones over there are probably aware that I'm on duty. Not that it should matter; I know for a fact all of them are on duty. But I scoped this place out for two weeks before I got the note to the League, and this isn't their normal pattern. And no one should know what I was doing." He sighs, and Wally sets a hand on the table, as close as he can get to a comforting gesture. Dick seems to appreciate it anyway.

"What did you mean, that you had information that the corruption could be proved? And that it would make life difficult for the League?" Wally has a whole list of questions composed by Batman, as if he couldn't ask questions on his own. But the man insisted, and Wally has to admit that they're all good questions. He couldn't have come up with better (he didn't think he could've come up with ones in their ballpark, to be honest).

"I have all the information in a secure location," Dick said instead. "The corruption runs deep; the mayor, the chief, most if not all of the department, the city council, anyone in a high enough position is either in on it or getting their pockets lined to not go against it. It's all been triple-checked, more than enough information to put people away." The volume within the building is fairly high, but Dick is still speaking in a low tone that Wally has to strain to hear without leaning forward. "It's not just the League – it's anyone who fights crime save the police. Blüdhaven, Gotham, and a bunch of the other darker cities are pushing for legislation that will put away any vigilantes messing with anything that isn't a meta. They want their police forces to handle it; problem is, the police aren't doing anything to try and curb it. They complain of no funding and that they can't do their jobs without money, but when people like Batman and Nightwing try to step in and help, they complain that the vigilantes are killing the crime they should be doing. It's a never-ending cycle."

Wally is listening quietly, intently, and he doesn't notice the officers leave until the door opens. He opens his mouth to tell Dick, but the black-haired man shakes his head imperceptibly. Wally glances out the window to see them walk across the street to a squad car. He wishes he could alert Hal to put a tracker on the squad, but he left his communicator with the man, certain that he wouldn't need it. This is why he was glad he had Hal for backup; the Lantern would easily accept it when Wally said it would be fine. Maybe it's a little lax on the other's part, but hey. Wally had known exactly what he was getting into, and the Flash was capable of getting himself out of trouble if anything went wrong. But at the same time, he wished Hal was a bit more alert and insistent on some things. Like taking a communicator with to an informant meeting.

"Listen, Wally, we don't have much time," Dick says urgently, leaning in close. Wally leans in close as well. "All the information is with Roy; he came to see me yesterday after I called him. I don't think there's much left for me here. Something tells me the big wigs are on me, and either I'll disappear, or I'll have an accident. Won't be too much trouble, most cops get shot at least once every couple years or so. And if it's fatal, well, it's just too bad the doctors didn't get the wound in time. I'm not invincible, Wally. Those guys at the bar during shift, when I so happen to be talking to a Leaguer, proves it. Even if they don't know who you are, they know I'm a straight cop. They'll assume the worst. I'm headed out tonight for Gotham. At least the police there are somewhat all right, and most people will assume I'm visiting Bruce."

Wally has a growing feeling of horror. Something must show on his face, because a little of the old Dick peeks out from the cop. "Don't worry," he says, quirking an eyebrow. He stands, pulling sunglasses from his shirt pocket. "I'll be careful." Because that's all I can promise is left unsaid.

And Wally fully believes that Dick will get out all right.


Wally knows that Roy has the information and will willingly hand it over to him, rather than Bruce or even Dinah, who Roy's always gotten on well with.

He also knows that Dick will do his absolute best to be careful, and he just needs to believe in his friend. Wally ponders on the matter while he retrieves the dossier from the older redhead. Roy is holding little Lian in his arms, gently swaying back and forth almost on autopilot with the little girl fast asleep against his shoulder.

Wally knows that Lian is Roy's pride and joy. He knows that Roy will have read the report, knows that he would have looked over the evidence. He knows Roy will do whatever he has to so he won't leave Lian alone. Wally knows just how much the girl means to his friend, and Wally hopes they'll all be successful and the legislation will fall through. Star City wasn't a dark city like Gotham or Blüdhaven, but it was dark enough, and, by the look on Roy's face, some of Star's major players are in on the conspiracy.

Wally knows that something has happened as soon as he zeta-beams up to the Watchtower. Hal looks nervous, Bats looks grimmer than usual, and even Ollie's registered that something's going on (Wally knows that the blond from Star is a bit of an airhead, as good an archer as he is).

Wally knows he is not going to like what he is told next.


The air is cold, and Wally shivers as much as he holds still. Roy stands next to him, Lian in her little dress clinging tightly to his hand. Her other hand is fisted in Wally's pants, and she's quiet, as if she knows exactly what is happening. Wally thinks she might; he knows exactly how perceptive children are from his work with the League.

The sky is appropriately cloudy. Wally feels like the day does: heavy, moody, and lethargic. Roy's face is unreadable, even to the remaining person who has known him since he had been a teenagery mess of a hero who called himself Speedy.

Wally gives a sigh through his nose. He can't even work himself up to the general indignation he normally feels when thinking of the name Speedy. All he can do is stare at the smooth granite in front of him, shivering in the cool Gotham breeze.


Richard John 'Dick' Grayson

March 21, 1997 – April 26, 2023

Beloved Son and Brother

Born to Fly, Forever Free