Before the Future

SPOILERS ALERT *** This was majorly inspired by Before the Dawn. I don't think it gives that much of it away, but you might want to skip this fic if you haven't seen BtD yet, just to be safe.

Gah. I am not pleased with this one. It's OOC, a bit unrealistic and probably screwing with continuity.

And it's hard writing OCs in a one-shot. You've gotta develop their characters as well as the plot. Plus, I'm not good at action scenes, and this is a pretty sad fic…

All in all, this fic was partly a learning tool for me to try out of my comfort zone (good or not, it was fun to write), and partly because Before the Dawn made me desperate to write a story on Bart in the future.

Well, hopefully you'll like it. If you don't… I don't blame you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice: Invasion. Or any other Young Justice, for that matter.

"Hiya! I'm a tourist from the future!" Ava laughed.

"Hmm… nah." Rickie shook his head. "That would never stand up."

"Hey, I'm a crash tourist from the future."

"What else have you got?" Rickie asked her.

Ava played with the goggles on her head. "How about… wow, this place is completely retro!"

"Not bad." Jenna smirked. "My turn?"

"Sure." Bart shrugged.

"Ugh." Jenna slumped. "Mode!"

"That performance was mode." Rickie grinned at her.

"You're such a critic." Jenna teased him.

"Matilda, your go." Bart shrugged.

"How come Ava got such a long turn and I didn't?" Jenna protested.

Bart waved her aside with a smirk. "Matilda?"

"Well, how retro is this place?" Matilda threw her hands out wide, her brown and white uniform glinting in the dark light. "You guys don't even have holo-signographs!"

"Holo-what nows?" Bart laughed. "Come on. No-one's gonna believe that."

"I think all you kids are good at this." Nathanial said calmly, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, but only one of us goes to the past." Bart pointed out.

He played absently with his brown and white-striped costume. "Come on guys, this is totally crash."

"Meh. That was an okay attempt." Ava snorted.

"No, I'm being serious." Bart shook his head, smiling. "Come on. We've got all the parts. It'll only take about a week or so left. And then…"

"We'll fix it all, yeah, yeah." Jenna rolled her eyes. "We've all gotten that by now."

"Hey, I think he's got a point." Matilda said defensively. "We'll crash the mode."

"Only one of us is going to be able to crash the mode, you know." Rickie pointed out. "And they're never going to see the others again."

"Always the pessimist." Bart shrugged. "You don't want to go? Okay, fine. It won't be you."

"Hey!"

"Kids, kids." The oldest of them shook his head with a smile. "You don't need to fight over it."

"Yeah, we'll just pick a name from a hat." Jenna cracked open a tin. "Come on. This might be one of the last times we're all together. Let's celebrate."

"You kids celebrate." Nathanial shrugged, getting to his feet. "I've gotta go. I'm needed back at the construction."

"Mode." Ava groaned.

"Yeah, mode." Nathanial nodded. He walked out. "See you later."

"We should probably change back." Rickie said, looking longingly at the costume's they'd sown for themselves. "We don't want to risk getting caught in these."

"Hey, didn't Superman wear his twenty-four seven though, or something?" Jenna grinned. "Come on. Let's be like Superman!"

"No. We should get changed." Rickie repeated.

"Oh, alright." Jenna agreed reluctantly.

A few minutes later they'd gotten back into their regular clothes, tucking the super-hero costumes away in the safe, just above the stolen blueprints for time-travel.

"I still reckon we should do a Superman. Turn from unassuming civilians to super-heroes just by taking off the shirt." Jenna groaned, plucking at her denim jacket.

Bart tapped Jenna's inhibitor collar. "Mr. Kent had his powers all the time. Unless there was that Kryptonian thing, but that's another story."

"Kryptonite." Ava corrected with a smile that made Bart's heart begin to race. "Kryptonian is the species."

"Meh. All the same to me." Bart shrugged.

"I thought you were directly related to the Flash." Ava teased. "Shouldn't you be the expert on the Justice League?"

"I'll learn everything about it when I'm the one going back in time." Bart teased.

His friends all threw whatever light things they had nearby.

"Well it's the truth! Who's the person we're going back to save?" Bart smirked.

"Hmm… everyone?" Ava offered.

"But one of the people in particular is my very own grandfather, Barry Allen." Bart gave a phony bow.

Jenna kicked him in the shin.

"OW!"

"Be nice." Matilda shook her head with a laugh. "Bart's got as much chance of going as anyone. When we figure out how we're choosing."

"I am the genius in the group." Bart smirked. "That should give me an extra chance of going."

"Oh, yeah right." Ava teased. "You, a genius?"

"Hey, I'm smart!"

"So doesn't anyone want anything to eat?" Jenna picked up the can again and offered it around.

"We can't waste food-" Rickie began.

"Rickie, it's only two more weeks, maybe less." Matilda smiled with delight. "What do we have to save up for?"

"My sentiments exactly." Jenna agreed. "Who's hungry?"

Bart jogged over to the shelf. "Who isn't?" He asked.

He looked at the piles of cans. "Who wants what-?" He began.

A strangled yelp caught his attention.

Everyone spun around as Matilda choked, falling forwards.

A gaping wound was in her back. Matilda was dead before she hit the ground.

"SOLDIERS!" Rickie shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Where are you?!" Jenna shrilled, curling her fingers into a fist. "Come on out, you cowards! You bastards are going to die for this!"

"I doubt that." A low, silky voice said.

"Aiieeee!"

Jenna, Rickie, Bart and Ava screamed, jolting as they collapsed to the ground. Electricity flowed through their inhibitor collars.

After what seemed like hours, the pain stopped. They looked up, gasping, as a silver-clad man in his mid-twenties smirked down on them.

"On your feet, meat!" A soldier snapped, grabbing Rickie by the neck. He was dragged to his feet by the throat.

"You… you…" Jenna got to her feet, growling. Bart and Ava crawled up too. "You killed Matilda!"

"Yes. Yes, we did." The silver-clad man – the only name they knew him of was Meta Command #371 – smiled sadistically. "She's the lucky one among you.

"The rest of you are going to be… how shall I put this? Examples to what happens if you attempt to defy the Reach."

"Yeah." Jenna growled. "You WIN!"

She leaped towards #371 with a scream of rage. She managed to knock him down hard.

Before the other three had any chance to do anything else, #371 reached into his pocket and pressed a button.

With a cry, they sunk to their knees, clinging to the inhibitors.

"Oh, you are going to regret that." Meta Command #371 climbed to his feet.

Jenna looked up, biting back the pain. "I… doubt… it." She spat out.

Ava scrunched her face up, fighting to ignore the voltage coursing through her body. Slowly she stretched a hand towards the Meta Command.

Her hand curled around his ankle. With a heave, she pulled his foot out from under him.

As soon as he hit the ground, the electricity subsided. The button flew out from his pocket.

Bart had already leapt to his feet, grabbing the button. He smashed it as hard as he could.

"Now it's our turn." Bart growled, throwing aside the wrecked machine.

"What are you waiting for?" Meta Command #371 howled. "Get them!"

"Do your worst." Jenna growled, glancing at the still warm body of Matilda.

"With pleasure." A soldier grunted. "Down, meat!"

Jenna screamed and launched herself at him.

Rickie jumped up, kicking out. His foot smashed into the chest of the closest soldier.

Ava growled, catching a soldier by the throat. With a quick movement she threw him to the side.

Bart didn't bother with fancy moves. He just slammed his fist as hard as he could into the nearest combatant.

A chocking noise caught his attention.

Ava, Bart, and Rickie looked in horror as a grinning soldier withdrew the dagger from Jenna's chest. She crumbled to the ground.

"Two down." Meta Command #371 smirked. "Three to go."

"You – you-" Ava couldn't figure out anything to say. She leaped towards him with a scream that conveyed most of her message.

She managed to tackle #371.

A soldier grabbed her by the back of the throat, lifting her up. The slight girl screamed obscenities at him.

The soldier glanced at the two dumbstruck boys as he smirked. Then he snapped his neck.

Well, he attempted too.

Instead, to everyone's shock and surprise, he snapped the inhibitor collar.

Ava froze in amazement.

"Big mistake." She said, a slow smile crossing her face as her eyes began to glow.

The soldier yelped and released her as Ava set herself on fire. She landed on the ground with a cackle.

"Oh, you are going to pay." Ava laughed, delighted at this turn in events.

"Go Ava." Bart said, a slow smile breaking out over his face.

Ava jumped forwards, landing next to Rickie. Her hand grabbed his inhibitor collar, melting it.

Rickie jerked backwards, pulling it off.

The blonde boy casually leaped over a soldier and grabbed Bart's collar, smashing it to pieces.

"Thanks." Bart grinned, feeling vibrations begin to run up and down his body.

"Not a problem. This is going to be fun." Rickie cracked his knuckles. He spun around, grabbing a soldier by the shirt.

Without even exerting himself, Rickie threw him across the room.

"Utterly crash." Bart smirked, literally beginning to run circles around soldiers. They started to float into the air.

"What are you waiting for?" Meta Command #371 shrilled in horror. "Shoot them! Shoot them now!"

"We're trying." A soldier grunted.

A fireball smashed near him. #371 jumped backwards.

"What? Scared now that your helpless little meat isn't so helpless anymore?" Ava asked, advancing towards him. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."

Bart spun around, smirking at a soldier as he sent a shot towards him. "Too slow! Too slow!" He taunted.

He skipped backwards, still smiling as he punched the soldier in the nose, then shot forwards to avoid the bullet behind him.

"You cannot escape the Reach!" Meta Command #371 shouted.

"Wanna bet?" Bart cackled.

He glanced back around at the room, and almost froze in shock.

He'd looked away for only a few seconds, hadn't he? So… how…?

Rickie had blood spurting from his throat, bullets lodged there. His eyes went dull as the blonde boy gazed at the ceiling.

Ava's fire was still dulling as the girl's body literally cooled.

"No…" Bart whispered, horrified.

"And then there was one." #371 taunted. "Time to squash what remains of this stupid rebellion."

"No… you couldn't have… you…" Bart felt tears begin to fall from his eyes.

"Kill him." Meta Command #317 said silkily.

Bart felt his powers go into overdrive as a dozen bullets shot towards him.

Everything went still, almost frozen.

Bart ricocheted backwards, his molecules vibrating. He fell straight through the wall, crashing against the ground.

He looked up to practically see the bullets dent the metal.

But he was still alive.

Unlike – no, don't think about that. Focus on getting out of here.

Unsteadily, the speedster got to his feet.

The door flung open and soldiers began to run in.

Bart shot forwards, using everything he had. He tore past the soldiers before they could even pull the triggers.

He raced through the building that the six of them had pulled together into something resembling a home.

Run.

In moments he'd completely escaped. He could see the shelter in the distance.

It exploded.

Bart watched in horror and awe as a huge fire-ball erupted into the air, obliterating the shelter.

"Suppose it'd be too much to hope that it killed any of them." He muttered, dropping to his knees. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes.

He had no idea how long he sat there, crying. It felt like hours, but time always went funny on the few occasions his collar went off.

A helicopter came past and picked the soldiers and Meta Command #371 up.

"It's all my fault…" Bart whispered softly.

He frowned, the tears beginning to stop. "No, it's not." Bart got up to his feet. "It's theirs."

He paused for a moment, then started to run.

He shot back down to the wreckage, intending to hurt – kill – as many soldiers as he could before they got him.

Instead, they were all gone.

The entire place was a ruin. Bart felt tears begin to sting his eyes again. He fought them back, blinking.

He blinked again. Was that really…?

In a second he had shot towards the safe. It was dented and charred, but still recognisable.

The door was jammed. Bart began to vibrate, reaching in.

Six sets of brown and white clothes were pulled out. Goggles, masks, boots. The notes.

"No way." Bart felt a strained smile on his face.

Carefully, he picked up the suits and the plans.

Then he shot off.

X

"Oh man." Nathanial hung his head, looking at the mostly finished time-machine. "This is all my fault. I never should have gotten them involved in it."

The bald man felt tears begin to brim in his eyes. "I shouldn't have…" He sunk to his knees, crying. Smoke and ash were beginning to fall around him.

A soft hand placed pressure on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"Bart!" Nathanial jumped up, amazed. "That's… you… crash!" Nathanial jumped up and hugged him.

Bart hugged back, a forced smile on his face.

"The others?" Nathanial asked, hope beginning to spring.

Bart glanced away. "They…"

"So it was true." Nathanial said, hope fading away again. He gave Bart's shoulder a squeeze. "Still, you're alive. That's something."

"Yeah. I am." Bart said softly. He gave a forced, dry laugh. "I suppose we figured out how we were deciding would go back to the past."

"You're still going?" Nathanial asked.

Bart pulled out the blueprints from his pocket. "There's nothing much left for me to stay for." He said, brushing ash off it.

"Then let's get to work." Nathanial nodded, getting into business mode. "We've almost finished, so the two of us together should get it done in a few weeks."

Bart shrugged, glancing at the blueprints.

Then he vanished.

Nathanial watched in amazement as a blur moved around, screwing in parts and welding others.

"You got the inhibitor collar off." Nathanial whispered.

"Yep." Bart said, pausing.

"Don't burn yourself out." Nathanial warned. "There's only a little bit left to go. You'll need to be well rested for it."

"Yeah, yeah." Bart waved it aside. But indeed, he slowed down. "There's only a little bit left to go. I'll finish it off tomorrow." He muttered.

"Metabolism?" The man formerly known as Neutron asked.

"Starving." Bart admitted. He shot off, and then returned a second later with a tin of some unidentifiable meat, digging into it.

"Did you steal that?" Nathanial asked.

"It's not stealing, it's scavenging."

"Not from the Meta Command."

"After everything they've put me through, I see no reason to care about that."

Nathanial placed his hand on Bart's shoulder. "I know you're upset. I am too. But you need to keep a cool head for this."

Bart brushed him off. "I'm fine." He said, glancing at the uniform placed by the wall.

"If you say so." Nathanial said softly. "I'll leave you alone for a bit then." He promised.

"Thanks." Bart said, watching as the older man left.

Bart felt the tears begin to fall down his face again as he curled up.

X

"I brought food." Nathanial said the next morning.

"Thanks." Bart took the tin, devouring the food in seconds. "I guess the inhibitor collars did have an effect on my metabolism. It was still faster than usual, but I'm absolutely starving now."

He shrugged, and then shot back to the time-machine.

Nathanial's footsteps were loud as he walked towards the young boy. "How's it coming?"

"Almost finished."

"Wish I could go along." Nathanial said.

"Sorry." Bart didn't look very apologetic. "Only seats one."

"You understand that the trip to the past will fry the machines' circuitry? This… this is a one-way ticket."

Bart jerked a screw-driver at him. "Does this look like a future worth returning to?"

Bart locked in a last section and sighed.

"Well, I'd better get in character." He groaned in distaste.

He nodded to the man behind him. "Neutron."

Nathanial winced. "Please!" He protested as Bart shot off, grabbing his uniform. "Don't, use that name."

"I was Neutron for too many years." Nathanial looked down. "Through too much destruction."

Bart stood in front of him, wearing his suit.

"Curing me, and saving Flash's life," Nathanial reached into his jacket pocket, "is only the beginning." He placed a small blue ball into Bart's hand.

"I know, Nathanial." Bart put the ball up his sleeve. "Big mission. Lots to do. Better get to it." He pulled his goggles down.

Then, his face neutral, he walked towards the open time-machine.

Bart got into it calmly, closing the hatch. He didn't glance back once.

An explosion of light…

And then he was in the past.

I still say it's OOC, and pretty full of clichés. If you agree, disagree, whatever, review. Advice would be very helpful!