A Tale Retold
…2 years later…
…June 7, 2008…
…Central City…
A yellow streak dashes past a girl wearing a red vest, black leggings with matching boots and gloves, a black cape with a pale yellow inside, a yellow utility belt, and a black domino mask. She had a stylized black "R" on a yellow circle on her chest. *
"Whoa there, Streaky." The girl giggles as the blur trips and falls into a wall.
"…Ow." Says the newly revealed boy. He is wearing a yellow costume, with red pants, red gloves, yellow shoes and a red lightning bold in a white circle on his chest. He looks up at the girl, revealing bright red hair and green eyes. "Who're you?" He asks.
"I'm Robin. Who are you? Or should I just continue to call you 'Streaky'?" Robin says, rolling her unseen eyes at the boy. She knows his name is Kid Flash, but is being polite.
He just gapes at her. He had heard about Robin, the 'Girl Wonder' from the news and his uncle, but had not met her yet. "Wha… When did… why…?"
Robin laughs at him. "Streaky it is then. And Batman is here on business with your mentor, the Flash, and Green Arrow. Batman decided to bring me with so I could meet them. I was just on my way to the meeting point when I was… entertained by your… misstep." She explains.
Kid Flash, or Streaky, raises himself onto his feet. "I'm Kid Flash… I never thought I'd get to meet you so soon! I mean, I've only been Kid Flash for a few months!" Anyone can see that KF is elated to meet Robin.
"Wait… Batman's here? In Central City? And Bar- the Flash didn't tell me?!" KF rants, and starts to vibrate as his complaints die down to grumbles. "Hey," He turns to face Robin, who has her arms crossed and an eyebrow arched. "Do you think Speedy will be there? He's another dude I'd like to meet."
Robin sighs, uncrossing her arms. "Well, you're going to have to come with to find out, because Batman didn't tell me." She smiles brightly. "So come on! We're wasting daylight!"
KF points to the star lit sky.
"We're wasting nightlight!" She gets out her grappling hook and shoots it toward the building ahead of her, swinging into the night sky.
Kid Flash laughs, and follows her on foot. "So, Robin, what brought you into the hero business?" He asks, thinking it an innocent question.
Robin doesn't hesitate. "My family were brutally murdered right in front of me."
"…oh," KF regrets asking. "I'm… sorry."
"Naw, its ok Streaky. I've… had time to adjust." Robin tells him. "What about you?"
"Well, I was always a fan of the Flash, and then when I found out he was my uncle, I kind of… begged him to let me be his sidekick. He refused. But I didn't give up. I replicated the experiment that gave the Flash his powers… I sort of… blew up my garage." KF chuckles sheepishly. "But then he let me be his sidekick so all is good! It's been great!"
"I bet." Robin says distractedly. She stops suddenly. "Do you hear that?" She whispers, dropping down in front of KF.
He listens.
"Help!"
"It's someone yelling for help!" KF says, knowing to lower his voice.
"C'mon. Let's go help her." Robin looks around then leaps off in the direction of the pleas for help.
When the two reach the entrance to a side street, Robin stops Kid Flash, and turns to him after observing what was going on. "It's a lady being threatened. You go around back. I'll surprise them, and then you take them out. Got it?"
KF's eyes are wide before he narrows them, and nods. He lowers his googles and runs off.
Robin leaps up onto a fire escape before giggling loudly, catching the attention of the man and teenage boy threatening the lady. They turn toward her.
"Hey, isn't that Robin?" The teenager asks.
"Quiet, Roy." The adult man tells him.
A yellow blur suddenly zips past and trips both the man and teenager, tying them together quickly.
KF skids to a stop before asking the lady, "Are you ok?"
A slow clapping starts as two men come out of the shadows, revealing Batman and the Flash. Robin jumps down from the fire escape and walks over to KF, smiling. The woman pats KF's shoulder.
"Good job, Kid." She tells him, before walking over to the two tied up figures.
Kid Flash is looking very confused by this point. "Wait… what? You weren't in danger?"
She shakes her head as she unties the man and the teenager. "Nope. This was a test."
KF looks at everyone gathered around him.
"You passed, Kid." The Flash runs up and puts his arm over Kid Flash's shoulders.
"So… Who're you three then?" KF asks the 'victim' and the two 'assailants'.
"I'm Black Canary, and this is Green Arrow and Speedy." The woman introduces herself and the two beside her.
"What?" KF still looks confused.
"Don't worry," Speedy, or Roy as he was called earlier, tells him. "I was confused when they did this to me too."
"But… why was there a test?" KF questions.
Robin answers him. "To test if you really have the potential to be a hero, to work beside the Flash."
"So… I'm one of you guys now?" KF asks, walking toward Robin.
"Yeah," Robin says, slinging her arm around his neck. "You're one of us."
…And it was the start of an unbreakable friendship…
*Yes, I know I reversed the colors of the "R" on her chest. I did that on purpose. Mainly because I messed up when coloring the drawing of her. Lol.