Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any other characters owned by DC comics.
1.
"You can love someone so much...But you can never love people as much as you can miss them."
― John Green
"Just tell them, okay?"
"Kid!"
As soon as Barry's shout left his mouth, another burst of energy hit Wally's back and his gaze was filled with white, allowing his mentor's words to echo around his ears as the sound of running feet and the whirring of the Magnetic Field Disruptor gave way to nothing less than hushed silence. Wally stumbled on his feet and fell, skidding a few feet before coming to a stop. Grumbling, he opened his eyes to see the white from the snow covered hills of the Arctic Circle was replaced—by a white plain that covered every visible corner of his vision like a fresh piece of paper. Wally's green eyes took in the new scenery, inspecting the field of white as if it would suddenly morph back into the tundra, where he would still be pushing himself to his limit beside Bart and Barry. But the blankness stayed, no matter how much Wally willed it to change.
A flash of blue streaked across his field of vision like a blue brush painting its first line on a canvas. A moment later a figure swam into his vision. It was human, with a costume that seemed vaguely familiar to the speedster.
He had a blue cowl with a red visor covering his hair and most of his face, only displaying the smile on his face and his neck, as well as the flesh showcased by the exaggerated white V-neck he had on. Wally surveyed the newcomer, his mouth opening in question.
"Welcome, I'm—"
"Max Mercury" Wally finished for him, his eyes trained on his face as he vaguely remembered the story Flash had once recounted to him.
"So it seems you've heard of me," he says, his smile growing bigger as his ego followed.
"Yeah but I thought you were dead" Wally says, his emerald gaze never leaving the man.
"Simply a rumor. I'm alive, and so are you. But we both exist here now" he explains.
"And where is here?" Wally asks, crossing his arms.
"They call it the Speed-Force. It's where speedsters like you and I siphon our energy from. It's a different plane of existence than that of Earth, so it seems like we've both been stranded here" he says.
"Stranded?" He chokes out, eyes widening.
"Seeing as inter-dimensional travel has not been invented in our dimension yet, we are unable to travel back home. All we can do is watch," He says. With a flourish of a hand, the white in front of him parted to show a new scene, like a TV or a hologram.
The Watchtower was silent, all the members deep in mourning. The return of the Justice League's elite members had only partially filled the empty hearts of the Team. The rest was void of feeling; because as soon as they recounted that moment in the Tundra, it would bring a hurt so foreign and strong that it could bring any regular man to their knees. But in the wake of the devastation, a new room had been built in the Watchtower, full of trees and grass that gave off the false feeling of tranquility and peace. Because woven between the trees and situated above the grass, flickered the images of fallen friends, forever immortalized in nothing more than an intangible picture, a statue that only made their hearts ache more as it was the closest thing these heroes had to the real thing. A number of the teammates were scattered across the newly reconstructed Grove, but one figure stuck out with his costume that resembled ketchup and mustard, most likely symbolizing the boy's never-ending hunger.
Wally's eyes widened in recognition. Auburn hair poured out of the top of the costume in a way his fiery red hair never had. It seemed almost a bit loose on the boy, but it still brought a smile to his face that Bart had heed his words and taken over the mantle.
Even if it weren't how he planned it would happen.
"You look good" a suave voice said and Wally's heart stuttered in his chest, instantly recognizing the voice. A moment later Artemis appeared, standing near Bart and gazing up at the mirror image of Wally, only tinted in a blue that could only stand for the sadness etched in Artemis' gray eyes.
"Really? Because I feel like a fraud" Bart says, showcasing the outfit. Wally had to admit he looked more mature, more grown-up. Artemis did too, but he tried his best to avert his eyes to keep away the guilt he felt just by staring at her uncharacteristically pale face and mourning eyes, not wanting to come to terms with the fact he had done this to her.
"Well don't" Artemis said, striding forward so she moved closer. Wally forced himself to look at her and noticed she had reverted back to her Tigress costume, the fake blood wiped off from her chest, leaving no clues of the battle that took place only a little while earlier. "You're honoring Wally's memory by becoming Kid Flash" she continued, putting a hand—one Wally longed to hold again—on Bart's shoulder. "I know he'd be proud" she finished with a faint smile, causing one to light up on Wally's face as well. She really knew him too well.
"Thanks" Bart said, scratching the long hair that didn't fit into the costume as well as he did. "Well, you suited up, but as Tigress?" He questioned, glancing down at the gaudy orange and black costume she had only worn when being undercover with Aqualad.
"Artemis was Wally's partner" she started her explanation and Wally clenched his fists just as his heart lurched forward, leaving an odd and empty feeling in his chest. "I need some distance, I need a change," She said, slipping on her mask and causing Wally's vision to blur with tears.
The screen faded away into whiteness, Max facing him. Wally's eyes set into determination at the scene he just witnessed.
"I need to go back," he says, eyebrows furrowing and his mouth set in a determined line.
"Sorry kid, not that easy" Max says.
"I don't care how hard or long I have to work, I'm going back," he says. Max gives him a look that can only be read as pity before he too fades away in a blue and white blur.
Alone again, Kid Flash sits down and begins to think.
Time had escaped Wally as the congealed whiteness gave no clues as to if it were day or night, or if it was the same day, week, month, year, lifetime as when Kid Flash had disappeared. He had tried to summon up the images of the real world, his world, like Max had, but all he could do was make the space in front of him blur momentarily before it returned to its pristine state. Wally had done everything he could to get out of this SpeedForce, but it just led to more dead ends, more endless space. He had run until his legs gave out under him, but no matter how far or fast he traveled, he still found himself in the same place. It was like he was in a giant hamster wheel, no matter how fast he went he'd still be stuck in an endless loop.
The only upside to this place was he didn't need the basic human necessities to survive. He was never hungry (a surprise even to him), never tired (although he slept just to pass time) and he never had to use the bathroom. Max Mercury never again reappeared, probably also lost in the vast expanse of whatever dimension he was in. On occasion a blur of light passed his field of vision, or a human-like form would materialize for a Nano-second. He would call out to them in hopes of gaining their attention, but it was all futile. They all disregarded him like you would a tiny ant.
And after a while Wally did the same.
The first sign of insanity was when he heard the voices.
He opened his eyes from a short nap (he could hardly sleep for long) to the murmured voiced of many. It was a cacophony of silent whispers, jumbled and holding no rhythm. His eyes instantly darted open and searched for a source, but as per usual the surrounding area was as blank as a fresh sheet of snow.
Despite having no solid entity, the voices continued to muse and mix within themselves, teasing him and causing his ears to ring. Eventually, after straining his ears long enough, he was able to distinguish one from the other.
They all held the same theme, rambling on about the SpeedForce, welcoming him home. They all held different tones, one was silent and shy while the other resembled the booming voice of a male. Most sounded old, as if they had spent years trapped in this plane so the point their bodies had decayed and all that was left was the whisper of their words. While each voice said something different, they each repeated the same thing in an endless loop, patiently waiting for their own voice to be heard.
"Welcome Home"
"Wallace West"
"The SpeedForce has been waiting for you"
"We are the afterlife of all speedsters"
The invaded his mind like termites attacking a wooden shed. Their persuasive voices floated around in his head, causing his head to swarm his images of a new life here. Eventually Barry, Bart and even Jay would join him in the SpeedForce. They could all live a new life here—forever.
But just as he was ready to give up on finding a way home, a vision of Artemis infiltrated his vision. She was sitting alone on the couch, Brucely's large gray head peacefully resting on her lap, his eyes closed. Artemis sighed, running a hand through her messy hair that seemed just a little longer, a little more knotted. Her eyes were just a little less lively, a little less cheery. Frustrated, he groaned and spread out his arms, immediately quieting the voices and images in his mind.
"I need to go home" he said in determination. Because it was true, he needed to go home. Artemis needed him to come home, and he never disappointed her.
"It's after midnight, Happy Valentines Day"
"You remembered!"
"How could I forget Valentine's Day… for the fifth year in a row"
The memory was only there for a moment, but it was as vivid and real as when it had really happened. It brought the first smile to his face since the first time he opened his eyes and found himself in the SpeedForce.
A/N: So this is my first fanfic I've ever written that doesn't include an OC, so please leave a review so I know if it's good or not. Sorry if some of the stuff isn't accurate, the only part of the SpeedForce I know about is from JL:U and a few comics and my knowledge on Max Mercury is a little rusty. i think he found a way out of the SpeedForce, but I thought it'd be better to just have him here. Oh well, let me know how I did and more chapters are coming!