June 12th, 2028
03:12 EDT: Gotham City
Looking back at the harsh red and blue lights that crept ever closer, Matthew Barnes pulled up his ski mask and cursed his luck. "Fuck! Paulie you said this would be an easy gig, what the hell happened?" His partner in question know only by the street nickname Paulie simply ignored him for a bit to focus on shaking the cops, "Shit just went south, nothing I can do about it now kid!" Speeding through the streets and slipping between oncoming traffic, Paulie yanked off his ski mask to reveal a middle aged face riddled with beads of sweat. "Take that piece you got there and handle these pigs, why dont'cha?"
Sliding the clip into the machine gun, Matty leaned out the window of the car and let loose. 'Blat Blat Blat Blat!' The barrage of ammunition smacked the police car hood and windshield, painting it red on impact. Just on cue the car swerved to the left and flipped over on itself.
"Now that's what the hell I'm talking about Matty my boy!" Paulie kept one eye on the road and one on his partner, "Good shit kid we're alm-". There was a bang and cracking noise that could only be compared to a door being kicked in. "What the hell was that?!" Matty looked out the window to see sparks flying from the wheel- which was somehow stripped of the tire entirely.
"Paulie pull ove-" Before he could warn him the wheel caved in on itself, and the front of the car met pavement. Traveling at roughly a hundred mph, karma paid them back full force when the car tumbled forward multiple times before it slammed into a streetlamp harshly.
Silence, darkness, and pain. Matthew "Matty" Barnes came to his senses just as the jarring sirens grew steadily closer and obvious to determine where from. Sparing a quick look over to his left he noticed Paulie was out. "Uhhh what happened?" Sadly not dead. Scrambling Matty grabbed a duffle bag full of money and grabbed his gun, "Sorry brother but it looks like this is where we part ways." Matty saluted his former friend.
"You bastard, don't you turn on me! I made you kid, you were a nobody when you came to me!" Matty crawled out of the wrecked vehicle while ignoring Paulie's tirade. "Let's be honest then Paulie. You would've offed me if we got away. Or snitched on me if we where caught." Matty offered a charming smile, and yanked off his mask once more. Paulie bloodied and riddled with cuts spit at him, and cursed his name.
"Don't ever let me catch you out and about! You're a dead man I tell ya." Matty crouched down to say his goodbye, he needed to book it, the red and blue of the GCPD lights were in view and fast approaching. "This is Gotham Paulie, how could you forget? There's no honor among criminals. See ya!"
'Shink!'
"The fuck!?" Matty startled by the sudden noise tripped over the curb, and then he saw it. A black, shiny, metallic, bat-shaped object was lodged into the upturned vechile. Scrambling to his feet Matty took aim at the darkness, eyes darted through the night only to stop when the police vehicles pulled up just a few feet away.
"Fuck!" Matty let loose another round of bullets and ran off into an alleyway. His chest heaved up and down with ragged short breathes as he checked around himself for a quick getaway. The sound of splashing water made him turn his head. A towering wide shadow with pointed ears stood in the entry of the alley, cloaked in the darkness and emphasized by the distant siren lights.
"Ohgawd no! Not you.." Tripping over himself, Matty clumsy fumbled with his gun and loaded another clip. "I won't let you take me!" 'Blat Blat Blat Blat Blat Blat Blat Blat!'
The shadow stalked forward as the bullets seemingly struck but ultimately fell to the ground lifelessly. The alley was bathed in quick bursts of light with each bullet. Giving shape to the advancing form of the creature of the night. He tried to focus but could not, fear gripped his heart and subsequently muted his brain. Matty did not even register that he had ran out of bullets some time ago, and was just squeezing a lifeless trigger. The towering shadow seized him by the throat in the blink of an eye, and effortlessly raised him in the air. Matty shook involuntarily and did not dare lock eyes with the figure. Until a strong grip forced him to look into blank whites that stood out in the darkness.
"Crime doesn't pay." A bitter scowl erupted from the faceless figure, and before Matty knew it he was soaring through the air. He was tossed. Literally thrown as if he was a ragdoll. Skull met pavement and his vision went wavy, a squad of policemen roughly apprehended him. Off in the distance only he saw the shadow. The thing the criminals and citizens of Gotham called 'Batman' take off in the night sky like some sort of demon...
3:31 EDT: Wayne Manor
The stealthy hum of the batmobile dulled to an end, and the window hatch slide open. Batman leapt from the vehicle and made his way to the supercomputer. He noticed an elderly man occupied his seat with a wheelchair right beside him, "Long night?"
Bruce Wayne regarded the younger man with a look of annoyance then turned back to his work, "More like busy night, someone has to make sure you make it back in one piece. Dick." The Batman, Richard "Dick" Grayson, removed his cowl and smiled. Ruffling his unruly dark hair while removing his cape, Grayson stood beside his aged mentor and friend. Placing a comforting hand on the original Batman's shoulder, he squeezed lightly. "I knew you always worried about my safety Bruce. No need to disguise it with sarcasm."
"Anything interesting happen tonight?" Bruce ignored the snarky comment as he scrolled through the schematics of what Dick could only assume was some new technology that would be incorporated into the suit. "The usual: Muggers, rapists, petty purse snatchers, bank robbers, hostage situations, cartel shoot-outs, one assassin, and a few metas causing trouble. Ya know, light stuff." Dick grinned at the older man.
"How anyway has believed that you are the Batman for so long is beyond my understanding." Bruce shook his head. Dick returned from the armory in just a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, he coped a seat on the keyscreen panel. Careful to not sit on any buttons. "Easy. I do a killer Batman impression, and not to mention that I've been around you my entire life."
"Here check this out..." Dick picked up his cape and wrapped it around his shoulders, then backed up a few feet. He quickly schooled his features into a dark scowl. In an overly exaggerated deep voice, he bellowed while forming a dracula-like stance with his hands. "I'm Batman!"
"Cute. You sound like that actor Christian Snale." Bruce was unimpressed by Dick's humor, and continued his research. "Hit the showers, and get some rest. Crime may not sleep, but even the Batman can't operate 24/7." Dick patted the aged Wayne on the shoulder and made his way to the elevator, "True but I can operate at least 20/7. Nite Bruce."
Alone once again, Bruce allowed a small smirk to form. Despite his eccentrics, Dick did him proud as Batman. Succeeding where even he himself had failed, his legacy was in good hands. If only Alfred could see what had become of the youth who was spooked by the oldness of the house all those years ago. His days as Batman may have been past him, but his job would never be done. Not until the day he died would he willingly retire his mission to protect Gotham.
Switching the content of the screen to what he was researching just before Dick arrived. Bruce observed a map of the United States that detailed anomalies which had occurred in the last 48 hrs. "The speedforce? Strange," Bruce rubbed his chin in thought and studied the graphic more. Years of working beside Barry allowed Bruce the knowledge and means to observe and recognize the notorious source of strength of all speedsters. Something or someone was popping up in locations associated with the League and the disbanded Team.
Headquarters, homes, homes of friends and family, the cities in which heroes operated in, and so on. Bruce had his suspicions but refused to tell Dick of any of this. It was nearly two years passed when Dick finally let go of his obsessive search for answers as to what exactly became of the fallen Wally West. "I refuse to put him through that again."
"I'll have to reach out to Iris for some answers," Bruce sighed at the thought of his good friend's wife. "We have lost so much to the Light. Too much."
'CRACKT!'
A bolt of lightning crackled to life and erupted out of nowhere, Bruce was hurled away by the backlash. Bruce recovered but couldn't move due to his paralayzed legs, he simply covered his eyes as red-yellow energy crackled forth infront of him. The roar of thunder and lightening was deafening until the energy condensed and took the vague form of a man.
"Dick!" The energy was sporadic but the voice and form of the figure was evident, "Wally?" The look of disappointment that shot through the speedster was as evident as the energy that was coursing from him. "Dammit I'm too early! Bruce you have to tell the others." Bruce was astonished, Wallace Ruldoph West was alive and well. And apparently knew his secret identity.
"Gawhh!" A rogue bolt of energy shot forth and carved a path through the floor near Bruce, "I don't have alot of time, the mixture of boom tube and speedforce energy are tearing me apart." Wally did not appear a day older than when he 'died', but his eyes told stories of pain and suffering that only someone like Bruce could understand.
"But warn the others, something powerful is coming to Earth. An ally of the Light and Darkseid much stronger than anything any of us has ever faced. I don't know if we can stop this. But you can prepare, you must unite the six!"
"The six? The six what?!" Bruce tried to understand the cryptic tone of the message. "No time to explain! Here!" Wally threw his arms forward and from them twin bolts of energy shot forth. One struck Bruce and the other carved up the floor once more, Wally grabbed his chest and grimaced in pain. "My time is up, protect the future. Protect and guide the children Bruce. No matter what they must live!" And with a final pulse of energy, red-yellow light shot forth in a super nova of heat and energy. A final message was whispered in the departing wind, "Tell Artemis I love her."
And in the wake of his disappearance, Bruce spasmed about on the ground as residue boomtube and speedforce energy cackled off of him. "Bruce!" Dick and Julia Pennyworth rushed to his aid. "What happened?" Dick tried helping the disabled man up, but was shocked when he received a firm shove. "I'm fine," Bruce slowly but surely stood on his own two feet for the first time in over twelve years. "Bruce! Y-You're walking, how-"
"No time to explain Julia," He pointed to the series of words Wally carved into the floor. "Gather as much information as you can on these people. Then forward it to Dick." Julia Pennyworth, the daughter of Alfred nodded and went right to work. "Bruce you're walking! How?" Bruce placed a hand on Dick's broad shoulder.
"I can't say I understand everything completely either but," Bruce looked toward the map and the names chiseled into the ground. "We need to call a meeting with the League immediately. Wally has sent a warning."
06/20/16: Wallace Rudolph West sacrifices his life to neutralize the Reach's endgame attack.
06/27/16: The funeral of Wallace Rudolph West is held, hundreds of heroes attended.
08/02/16: Artemis discovers she is pregnant and will have twins.
04/18/17: Chase and Sara West are born.
01/14/18: Lex Luthor announces plans to run for presidency.
11/08/20: Lex Luthor becomes the president of the United States of America.
03/10/20: Connor Kent and M'gann M'orzz are married.
05/01/21: The Apokolipian War begins
05/08/21: Through the combined efforts of Earth's mightiest heroes and the nations of the world, the Apokolipians and Darkseid are defeated and forced to retreat. Casualties: 1.2 Billion. Including Superman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Shazam, Jay Garrick, Hawkman, and Hawkwoman.
05/20/21: Kaldur'ahm is named the sole adoptive son of Aquaman posthumously and decreed King of Atlantis.
06/01/21: Due to injuries suffered during the war, Bruce Wayne is rendered unfit to be Batman. Dick Grayson, Robin the first, takes up the mantle of the Dark Knight.
07/04/21: Due to help from Cadmus scientist, Connor is aged appropriately and develops his full krypotianan abilities. Takes up the mantle of Superman.
Okay guys this is a story I really want to do after I was inspired by fellow author "D sdb" check out his fic "Young Justice: The Next Generation". This will be a 'Send Your Own Character' fic. I need at least nine characters for this fic. Five heroes, and four villains. Of course as I am not expecting a huge following immediately as of now there is no deadline. I ask that you all be patient with me until enough applicantions are submitted. I will not be able to update otherwise.
Check out my profile for the application, please pm only do not send in characters through the review section. You can submit up to two characters, and feel free to be as detailed as possible. Also feel free to pm any questions you may have.
