Newly Edited! I do not own Young Justice. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, it would be on TV.
A ball, made out of yellow cloths and taped together with silver duck tape, flew at Bart's head. He ducked at the last minute and looks to the dark blue eyed, black haired boy who just kicked at him. The two laughed "Hey!" yelled Bart, "I thought this was going to be a friendly game?" All of the twelve kids who were on the make-shift soccer field laughed. "When a Grayson plays, it's never friendly!" yelled someone. Bart and the black haired kid looked at each other and laughed again. "You know, just because my older sister is evil doesn't mean that I am," yelled back the black haired kid. "Yeah, whatever you say Derek" yelled a kid. "Yeah, it's in your blood Grayson!" yelled another kid "Hey!" yelled Bart, "Derek no hard feelings right?" Derek nodded, "That's what best friends are for. Now let's continue this game so you can lose already." Bart and his team laughed, "You are on Grayson!" he yelled. "Bring it Allen!" yelled Derek.
December 20, 2016
Hall of Justice
11:36 AM
"Impulse," said Nightwing trying to get his attention. Impulse snapped back and looked around at Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Robin, Bumblebee, Batgirl, Nightwing and Batman. Impulse rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, sorry. So you were saying something about a shipment that we have to stop?" he said trying to get Nightwing and Batman to finish the mission debriefing. "Maybe if your head isn't in the game, you shouldn't be on this mission," said Batman. Impulse took a minute and said, "Nope! I'm good. I'm fully ready. And my head is in the game." He let out a nervous laugh. Batman let out a small grunt and went back to the mission debriefing. Nightwing gave Impulse a suspicious look over and looked to the screen where the mission details where. "Now," said Nightwing as he took up where Batman went off, "Batgirl and Bumblebee will-"
"Next goal wins!" yelled Bart and Derek together. Both teams got ready to go after the ball. Derek was the first one to start running, then Bart, then the others. Derek got the ball first, and started to head to the other side of the field. It didn't take Bart long to get to Derek, and then start to fight for the ball. Bart was holding back on his speed, like he always did. It was mandatory that he did, along with everyone else that had powers, or else, everyone, with or without powers, hero or non-hero, would be in trouble. Just as Derek got ready to shoot the ball into the empty space under a giant, fallen tree branch, a horn goes off. The children froze and looked around the half burnt forest. "Run!" yelled one of the ten to fourteen year old, "We need to get back to the Village!" yelled another child this one clearly much younger than the first one-
"Okay, head out alpha and stay whelmed," said Nightwing as the screen disappeared. Impulse snapped back and noticed that Batman had left. Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Robin, Bumblebee and Batgirl all noticed that Impulse didn't pay attention. They looked at Nightwing and they all nodded and headed to the bio-ship. Impulse went to follow and hopped that Nightwing didn't notice. "Impulse, stay behind." Impulse cringed and watched as the others left. He didn't turn to face Nightwing, "Your head is not in the game," said Nightwing, "Something is bothering you." Impulse turned and put on that fake smile, the he's been wearing everyday since he came to the past, "I'm fine." Nightwing clearly didn't believe him, he sighed, "Just- just keep your head in the game." Impulse nodded and ran off to where the others were.
All of the children dashed off of the ash covered field, leaving their ball behind. Bart and Derek wait until everyone is out of the clearing and run after their peers. "Bart!" yells Derek as he ran, "You need to get to the front and guide everyone to Gotham." Bart looked at Derek, "I can't use my powers or he will find me. Remember," he said. Derek sighed, "All we can do is hope they are going the right way." Derek was quickly out of breath, Bart slowed down with him but also put one of his arms around his neck so that they could keep up with the group. Five minutes when by and they were still in the forest. Bart and Derek looked at each other with their eyes wide open, as they realized they were going the wrong way and there was no way to the others in the front-
The six team members made it back to the Watchtower. Impulse didn't remember much of the mission. Only that they had succeeded. Blue Beetle fell back to where Impulse was walking, and as the others updated Nightwing at what happened, Blue Beetle tried to figure out what was wrong with Impulse. "Hey, hermano," whispered Blue Beetle, "What's the matter?" Nightwing and Robin where talking about the mission, with everyone else were jumping in at random places. Impulse was watching Nightwing and the others, "It's nothing," mumbled Impulse. The Impulse is lying said the Scarab. Blue Beetle opened his mouth to press the issue but Nightwing cleared his throat to get their attention. Blue Beetle and Impulse both let out a nervous laugh.
After the update about the mission Nightwing dismissed them. Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Robin and Nightwing where the only ones who stayed behind, the others left to go home, or get the sweat and dirt, from the mission, off. Nightwing looked at the three boys, "Something is bothering you three. I'm going to guess it's about Impulse," he said. The three nodded. Blue Beetle took a step forward, "We are all of Bart's friends but he has been slowly shutting down after-," he paused, "after seeing Black Beetle for the first time." Nightwing rubbed his forehead, "I've noticed. It's been nine months since our encounter," he said. He looked around and saw Batman standing in the doorway listening. "You're right," said Batman as he started to walk to the group. "The other members of the Justice League and I have noticed Impulse's strange behavior," Batman stopped when he reached the small group, "He's been acting strange since he first arrived eleven months ago, but it has become more apparent the last nine."
Bart, who was now in his jeans and green hoodie, hid around the corner and listened to everything, he wanted to run, he wanted to go and tell them what was really going on but since he left the future, he doesn't know what is still true and what isn't. Beast Boy chimed in, "Yeah I've noticed when he first got here. He didn't know a lot of things, and he doesn't eat much for a speedster-" Robin interjected, "But you also have to remember that he comes from the future. They aren't going to have the same things we do," he paused, "But you do have a point, Beast Boy. Things like holidays, fast-food-chains, televisions, and even that there are three meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner."
As he listened, Bart squeezed his eyes as tight as he could and made his hands into tight fists as the others talked. Batman put his hands up, as to silence everyone, "Yes, how Impulse's reaction to everything here is a bit odd, and sometimes even a bit disturbing, but he is now part of the team. And he is allowed to have secrets," Batman looked to Robin and Nightwing as he said the last sentence, "And if he wants to share them, he can. But don't pressure him into speaking what happens. Everyone might not want to know what happens in the future." Nightwing nodded and then added, "Basically, don't ask questions you don't really want to know the answers to." Batman let out an approving grunt and walked out of the room.
The four teens stood in the room for a few minutes in silence before they left. Blue Beetle rounded the corner and found Bart sitting on the floor with in head on his knees. "Something's bothering you, ese," he said, "The League has noticed and now everyone else is too." Bart didn't say a thing. Not knowing what else to say Blue Beetle's armor went back to the Scarab. Jaime looked at Bart for one last time, sighed and walked out of the room. Bart looked up after Jaime left, his eyes where blood shot and tear marks down his face. He looked around the empty room and stood up. He started to run at his top speed, only slowing down when he was going through the transporter.
Within seconds he was in a thick wooded area, about fifty miles from, what used to be, Mount Justice. The ground and the trees looking like they where dead, but because of the thin layer of snow, it also looked alive and peaceful. He looked around to make sure no one saw him, as the sun when down, Bart quickly found the time machine, hidden in the brown foliage. It was in the same condition as it was when he first arrived. Bart brushed the snow off of the top of the machine and opened the door. The young speedster dug around looking for something. When he finally got out of the time machine, he held a small cell phone type device. He took a small cord and held it to the wires of the time machine. The cord jumped at the wires and fused itself with it.
The screen in Bart's hand lit up. It was black for a minute, and then a picture emerged. It was fuzzy and a bit unclear for a moment. Bart bit his lip Work, please work he said to himself. Just then a voice whispers over the device, "Bart!" Bart looked down and smiled, "Hey Derek," he whispered back. "How are my cousins twice removed doing? Are Damian and Maddi still fighting? Did Maddi figure out a way to help CJ? How is CJ anyway? Oh! Secret and Cissie, I want to know how they are doing, too." Bart paused and a big smile grew across his face, "Did Maddi and Jay hook up yet?"
Derek laughed but then put his hand across his mouth when he realized how loud he laughed, "Well," said Derek, "No, my sister and Jay didn't hook up." He paused and the two fourteen year olds said in unison, "yet." Bart leaned up against a tree and slid to the ground, not really caring that he was sitting in the two centimeters of snow. As the sun completely disappeared and was replaced with the moon, and some dark clouds, Bart didn't take any notice to it and just continued to talk with his best friend, who was forty years away.
After hours of talking, Derek and Bart both yawned at the same time. They tried to laugh but were too tired. On Derek's side of the phone his name was being yelled. "Looks like I got to go. I don't want my sister finding out that I can talk to you. She'll get paranoid and start yelling." Bart chuckled as the cell phone like device went black. He got up and put the device back into the time machine, and camouflaged it once more. Yawning once more, Bart debated whether or not to run to his grandfather and grandmother's house. He decided that he would sleep for a little bit, that way he would be more awake when he snuck into the house and didn't trip over every little crack in the ground. But once he fell asleep, against the tree that he was sitting at while he talked to Derek, he stayed asleep.
The trees behind the group of children where crashing to the ground. Whatever was following them, it was catching up fast. Bart and Derek didn't dare to look back. But soon they find themselves in the group surrounded by giant wolves. The wolves shifted into human, as easily as Martins shift. Bart and Derek looked at each other, "They were part of the metagene project by the Reach, aren't they?" asked Bart. Derek didn't look away from the humans that surrounded them and nodded. "We are so moded" said Bart. Derek nodded, "You can say that again." The group of test subjects all let out laughs, a large guy stepped forward. The pre-teens assumed he was the leader. "Looks like we got some more test subjects for Beetle! Wee will be rich in a matter of-" he yelled.
Just then arrows came out of nowhere. A short girl, about five foot five, with blue eyes and black hair stepped out from the trees, holding escrima sticks in her hands. All of the test subjects took a step back. A guy and a girl holding bows also stepped out. The boy, about nineteen, held a red bow as the girl, who looked younger than the boy but couldn't exactly pinpoint her age, held a green bow. Both had arrows (that where clearly handmade) ready to shoot. The leader of the test subjects looked at the black haired girl. "Grayson" he growled. The girl got between them and the group of children. "What did I say about going near the people in the Village?" she asked taking a step closer. The leader stood up tall, "Madison Grayson. Why are you so protective of these… rejects?" he asked trying to get her angry.
He then looked to the boy and girl with bows, "Jayson Harper, and Abigail West. It's nice to see that you are guarding a wanted thief and not guarding people who actually need it." The leader laughed, he was followed by his little group. Jayson let out a little chuckle, Abigail spoke, "We are not here to guard Maddi. She doesn't need it. We are here to make sure the children get back to the Village safely." Abigail started to usher the children in the right direction. The leader laughed, "Why in the world would anyone want to protect these worthless orphans." Jayson cringed, "Dude, you are going to be the one that needs protection and with that statement you just crossed the line." Jayson and Abigail quickly pushed the children toward the Village. Soon Abigail was leading the small group as Jayson was at the back. Derek and Bart fell back to talk with Jayson. "Jay?" said Derek.
Jayson looked down at Derek. "Is Maddi going to be alright?" Bart was also wondering this, along with the other orphans in the group, but they all knew the answer. In the distance there was screaming and clear sounds of fighting, and then there was nothing. "Don't worry," said Jayson as he rubbed the top of Derek and Bart's heads, "If you combine Mads training, with and without the bats, along with the powers she gained in the test lab, she is the perfect killing machine." Derek and Bart both had an uneasy look on their face. Jayson quickly added, "But somehow she seems to be so loving and caring." Derek and Bart looked at each other and yelled together, "Jayson and Madison sitting in a tree!" Everyone laughed, even Jayson. "But seriously," said Jayson making the laughter die down, "when it comes to her family, and yes she counts all of the orphans she finds her family, she will fight to her last breathe to defend you." Bart, Derek and the others smiled and stayed quiet the rest of the way, knowing that Jayson was telling the truth.