Those left behind
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The news called it the "Final Crisis". The name stuck. Multiverse, dimensions, magic, time travel, villains, reality-bending...
although the fight was dangerous, in the end they won.
The magic users, the Spectre, the speedforce, the Green Lantern Corps, every damn hero on (and off) the planet, civilians and villains: everyone worked together.
In the end, the crisis had a happy end.
The speedforce "spat" out the deceased speedsters: Max Mercury, Bart Allen, Johnny Quick and Barry Allen.
The time traveler Booster Gold returned with four Blue Beetles: Blue Beetle I, Dan Garrett, plucked from the time stream a minute before his death; Blue Beetle II, Ted Kord saved from a brainwashed Max Lord; Blue Beetle III, Jaime Reyes (who was briefly lost in the Wild West, but managed to come back) and the time traveling descendant of Ted Kord, Danny Kord aka Blue Beetle 27.
The search group (Donna Troy, Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner and the monitor Bob) found Ray Palmer in a world dubbed the "New World Order".
They all worked together to prevent the collapse of the Multiverse.
Then the villains (who got dumped onto a random planet during the salvation run) returned via self-made boom tube. They were all pretty pissed, to put it nicely.
But it was nothing the various superhero teams (JLA, JSA, Teen Titans, re-united Young Justice with all their members, Outsiders, ...) couldn´t handle. The villains could be "convinced"to give up in the most cases.
Then Apokolips invaded, but Darkseid and his army were no match for the heroes. No match at all.
People celebrated, skipping in the streets, complete strangers hugged each other; singing and dancing everywhere.
Fireworks, parades, heroes soaring in the sky; it was a miracle that not only they got many people "back"; (Booster Gold called it "fixing") no hero even suffered from tragic injuries. They were just exhausted, tired, a few concussions, broken arms and legs, sprained ankle.
Today was a happy day. The TV channels (at least the three which staff was not celebrating) broadcasted the same images over and over again:
Superman punching Darkseid, WonderWoman capturing Granny Goodness and Batman dangling Desaad over the edge of a tall skyscraper.
The speedsters circled the earths multiple times; red streaks flashing by.
The corps were emerald flames burning in the sky.
Everyone was happy.
Well, not exactly Rathaway, formerly known as the Pied Piper, stood at the grave of James Jesse, the trickster.
After Hartley was rescued by the Blue Beetle, he spent weeks under surveillance in a hospital.
Apart from malnutrition, dehydration, hallucinations, he suffered from a severe mental trauma. Seeing his best friend die, being chained to his corpse, nearly dying in that damn desert...his already screwed up mind...enough reasons for a nice, long stay at the clinic.
The doctors hooked him up to an IV, pumped him full with various drugs and sent him to a psychiatrist about what had happened.
Hartley knew all about psychiatrists. He had been to a mental institution once due to a nervous breakdown and he had accompanied his sister to her appointments often enough to give the doctor exactly what he wanted to hear. Insecurity, a little guilt and shock...after two weeks a breakthrough: almost too easy.
He was released from Central City Memorial Hospital on tuesday.
On thursday he was brought back in for beating up the stupid Axel Walker kid. Who had posed as the Trickster after the news of James´ death. Who had dared to imitate James. Who had dared to...
Wally was the one who brought him back. Hartley wasn´t going to get charged for assault; he was disoriented, traumatised and apparently some issues with his parents murder and false memories.
Wally was worried about him. But also impressed. "I didn´t thought that you could fight like this. The doctor said that technically you shouldn´t have been able to do that."
Having Wally and Linda back was great. They supported him a lot. But he told them to get home to their children, to Barry, to Bart: they shouldn´t worry about him. He´d just bounce back. After all, it had had a happy ending, hadn´t it?
Deadshot had met his demise on the salvation planet; the divine irony was not lost here.
Hartley calmed down very quickly. He had done what he owed to Tricks, he would have loved to pursue Deadshot, but that wasn´t possible.
So he could concentrate on healing.