With a huff and sigh, Irey West pulled herself out of bed. The 16 year-old groaned, irritated by the sound of her own alarm, which was soon joined by the sound of her stomach growling. Irey rolled her eyes. Speedster metabolism…she was always hungry.
Turning off her alarm, she stood and sped off into her closet began dressing herself in her Gotham Academy uniform and brushing her red hair. Leaving her room, she joined her twin brother, Jai downstairs at the table, where she found a large plate of breakfast awaiting. Groggily she ate at a typical speedster pace: Fast.
Artemis walked back into the kitchen and dining area finishing pulling her hair into a ponytail. The single mother smiled at her kids
"Good morning." She beamed. "Dick will be here any minute to take you guys to school. And you're going to the cave right after for training right? "She asked and the pair nodded eating their breakfast, as Artemis made her way to door and slid on her jacket.
"And Jai, if I hear anything about you hacking into the school's computers again, you're grounded. Love you!" She kissed both their heads and was off. Iris wiped her face.
"She seems better." she said. "Only because she went out last night." Jai said still eating at a normal pace.
Irey narrowed her eyes. "She what?"
"Went out." Jai replied simply. "Like on patrol...?"
"No, stupid. She hooked up with Dick." Jai deadpanned taking care of his now empty plate.
"You're not serious." Irey was stunned. This was the first she we heard of any such thing. And Uncle Dick helped raise her and Jai. He stepped in when Artemis found out she was pregnant just days after her father, Wally West, ceased.
Artemis had struggled with some depression and didn't even know if she wanted to have kids. Dick, who took a break from the hero thing, stepped in like any good friend. But things...changed.
"I'm serious. You didn't notice a few months ago when she was all happy after going out? And suddenly Dick is over here all the time, helping her and giving mom these looks..." Jai cringed at the thoughts.
"I never...I never thought they could. Ew..." Iris stammered.
The sound of a car horn beeped out front.
"Time to face the man that f-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Iris cut him off.
Grabbing their bags they headed out the door to see the shiny, black luxury sports car of a one Dick Grayson. Sliding in the back, Dick smirked from behind his darkened sunglasses.
"Hey guys." He said coolly.
"Hey." they said in unison.
Dick chuckled and revved the engine.
"Good morning Damian." Iris beamed from the back to a brooding Damian who sat shotgun. His arms crossed and uniform on neatly, he scowled and simply nodded to her.
Dick's smirked only deepened. He noticed. And he knew. Any other person who dare spoke to him in such a cheerful manner, at this early hour and he would have spat an insult in their face. But never to Irey. Damian Wayne had a crush and Iris West was completely oblivious.
After another relentless day of high school Iris reunited with the two she walked in with at the front courtyard of the school.
"Ready to go?" Jai asked and Irey nodded as Damian joined the pair and they began their short walk off school property to the zeta tube located conveniently several blocks away, concealed by the dead-end brick wall of an alley. Jai approached the wall and put his hand on one of the bricks and it glowed for a moment scanning, activating the full-body zeta scan
"Recognize Jai West C02. Impulse C03. Robin C01."
At Mount Justice, Iris quickly changed into something better suited to move in: an athletic shirt and shorts with her sneakers.
Pulling her goggles down, over her eyes, Iris sped into the mission and training room grabbing a snack on the way.
Jai typed away on the league computer systems beginning his weekly systems update. Colin Wilkes, Chris Kent, Miguel Barragan, Rachel Roth and Lian Nguyen, and all stood about talking. Damian, sulking in the corner. Iris narrowed her green eyes at him and sped over.
"West!"
"Oh sorry Dami. Didn't mean to scare you." she apologized.
"Tt I wasn't scared." Damian looked away. "Riiiighttt...Anyway what's up?"
Damian looked at her in the eye for the first time since she had approached him. He stared for a second and noticed how she wouldn't flinch or frown unlike the others when they were around his harsh demenor. Especially when he glared. Or Dick who would just chuckle and make a remark.
"Uh. Nothing. Waiting for training." he said peeling his eyes away from her bright ones.
Her dimples appeared on both cheeks and it took to much will power to not smile back.
"Let's do a little one-on-one then, until we start." Irey suggested.
Damian played it cool and shrugged a yes. He pulled off his sweatshirt revealing his work-out attire.
"Looks like we got a match!" someone called and turned on the sparring software.
As the pair entered the center of the room. Various cheers erupted from fellow young heroes.
"No powers." Damian muttered.
"No problem." Iris said.
Damian charged forcibly but Irey dodged and aimed a kick his ankles. He deflected and threw a low punch, but she expertly dodged. Even without her speed she was incredibly agile and natural moved rather quickly. They were evenly matched and it was hard to say who would win.
Damian getting tired of the less then heated sparring match decided to kick it up a notch, literally. Aiming a kick to her stomach, Irey fell.
"Fail. Impulse." the computer announced and the team applauded. Damian smirked slightly. Turning back to Irey, he saw she was still on the ground. Clutching her head, she screamed out in pain.
"Iris?!" Lian was soon at her cousin's side as she seemed to be in a fit of pain. Her scream escalated into a scream of bloody murder.
"What did you do?!" Jai yelled giving Damian a push. Who quickly pushed Jai's hands away.
"Nothing. It wasn't a headshot. You saw!".
Iris was sweating now. The red headed speedster cried out and tears from something agonizing rolled down her freckled cheeks.
"Someone call for help." Lian stated.
As if on cue, Nightwing zetaed to the cave. He quickly scanned the scene.
"What happened?!" he demanded.
"Damian and Iris were sparring he kicked her in the gut and now this..." Lian said.
Nightwing shoved his way through the teens and examined her quickly. It was clearly nothing Damian had done. Reaching into his utility belt, he pulled out a syringe and needle. Injected a clear liquid into her forearm. She slowly calmed and laid unconscious.
Dick scooped her into his arms.
"Call Artemis." he said to Jai and he made his way to the medical bay.
The medical machines beeped slowly but strongly. Artemis sat at her daughter's bed side, slowly stroking her hand over Irey's.
Several hours and many tests and debates with Flash, Kidflash and others later, it was still unclear what had happened. All that was left to do is wait and see.
Nightwing stood silently away from Artemis. Jai and Damian in the cave lounge. Sitting across from each other, Jai glared. Damian rolled his eyes.
"Tt West. You're wasting your energy. You know I did not cause this." the young Robin scoffed.
"You as so much lay another finger on my sister again-"
"Tt you'll what? You don't have powers. Hardly any combat training." Damian crossed his arms.
"You don't know what I'm capable of."
Iris awoke slowly, A migraine taking over her head. Artemis perked up and looked at her daughter worriedly and Nightwing slowly made his way to her side.
Irey took a deep breath and opened her eyes fully. Her eyes adjusted and she turned her head to her mother.
"Iris..." Artemis started.
"I...I saw dad..." Iris said quietly.
Nightwing stopped dead. Artemis' mouth agape.
"Iris. What did you just say?"
"Dad. I saw him." Irey's voice sounding more confident.
"Tell us exactly what happened." Nightwing demanded, trying to keep a gentle tone.
"Right before Damian kicked me...I got an image in my head. Of dad. He looks just like the pictures, but older...And suddenly it hurt to see him..."
Artemis stared intently, unable to believe her daughter's words.
"And once I fell...he hurt more. Because he was talking. Telling me things..."
Nightwing stood right next to Artemis now.
"What exactly did you hear?" Dick asked, skeptically.
"He said 'I'm alive. Speedforce. Pocket-dimension. Speedsters. Spitfire.' and then he was going to say something else but I passed out I guess."
Artemis took in a sharp breath. She had she ever told her kids about Spitfire. What Wally had called her all the time. 'My little spitfire.' She was thinking of all the hope she had been put away after the investigation died out years ago and now she could pull it out and dust it off because before her, her own daughter, was now a direct link to him. Wally. Her Wally.
Nightwing juggled the words and situation back and forth in his mind.
"A pocket-dimension." he said aloud.
"There was no body, Dick. She could be right..."Artemis said looking up at him from her chair.
"I'll have the Flash look into it. For now, Iris, rest." Nightwing left the two alone.
Artemis rejected the oncoming tears with her hand.
"How are you feeling?" she asked the young girl in front of her.
"Alright."
"Hungry?"
"Always."