So… I admit Iris Allen might be out of character. She's a really strong woman, but I made her break down in this chapter because I wanted someone to be… frail, about what had happened to Wally. If it's eating you away from the inside at how OOC she is, you should leave a review. :D
More Wally and Klarion will be coming out SOON. K, now read:
XXX Nine hours ago XXX
Bruce Wayne was having a good day.
Which was bad.
So far he had had an easy night (meaning Batman had an easy night), awoken feeling refreshed and having a large breakfast (courtesy of Alfred). His secretary got him his coffee before he asked, still piping hot, and Wayne Industries had just made a huge deal with a newly founded genetics lab in Bloodhaven that would bring millions more in revenue. He even got a chance to talk with Selina Kyle and solidify a date (because meeting up in costume just wasn't the same as a good old dinner for two).
Normally, people would be happy they were having a good day.
Batman is not normal.
Also, there was definite pattern that whenever he had a good day, something bad happened. The last time Bruce had had a terrific day aliens tried to take over Gotham, and the time before that Joker and TwoFace teamed up and wrought hell over the streets demanding six billion dollars (in cash for pete's sake). So, understandably, when noon time rolled around, Bruce was thoroughly paranoid.
As the clock started pushing past four, his suspicions were realized.
Hearing the subtle vibrating of his personal cell, the richest man in Gotham paused in his paperwork to check the number. Barry Allen. What could Barry be calling him about? If it was a league problem, J'onn or the Boyscout would be the ones to contact him. Filled with a dreading premonition, he picked it up. "Mr. Allen, what can I do for you?"
"Wally'sbeenkidnapped!"
"…" Working with the speedster for years had given Batman the ability to understand speed-talk, but it was a lifetime's worth of having an alter ego that kept his face expressionless, his voice only slightly tinged with sharpness. "You mean Kid Flash has been kidnapped?"
"No! Imeanmynephewwasnabbed-"
Okay, he wasn't that good at speed-talk. "Slow. Down."
A couple rapid breaths were heard over the line before Barry plunged on. "I don't know what happened, that brat Klarion showed up in my house and knocked me around. AndwhenIcametoWally- ugh, Wally's been taken Bruce! While I was out he protected Iris, and then the guy just puthimunderwitha- he spelled him! He knocked Wally out and abducted him! WhatthehellamIs'posedtodoIcan'!"
Bruce tried to take a deep breath. Then another. And another. The League always teased him that he was too overprotective of Robin, but the truth was Wally held a pretty high place in his 'protect with intent to kill those who hurt them' list. The kid was obnoxious, but as the paranoid bat he was, Bruce had learned about Wally's past, he knew how easily that red head's happy attitude could have dimmed and died.
"How long ago?"
"Threeminutes."
"Do we have a motive?"
"HEFREAKINGKIDNAPPEDWALLYIDON'-"
"Slow." Bruce threatened.
"Argh! None that I know of! But Iris heard him say that he had knocked Wally out before he attacked us. When she had chucked a lamp at him, she thinks it broke whatever was keeping Wally down. He woke up and ran downstairs to help butthenhegottakenI'mgonnakillthatwretched-"
"I'm coming to Central. Call in Fate." With that he hung up. Bruce kept tabs on everyone, and he knew that the witch boy had been somewhat irked by his defeat against the speedster when the Helmet of Fate was recovered. He didn't see anything odd about that. But now the cheerful teen was missing because Bruce hadn't suspect something.
That Lord of Chaos was going to have one miserable eternity when Batman was through with him.
XXX Nine hours and THREE minutes ago XXX
It had been a loud day at Mount Justice.
Well, to everyone else it had seemed relatively quiet, but when you have super hearing, having your entire team under one roof, no matter what, becomes loud. He could hear Kaldur's deep breathing as he meditated. Robin was locked in his room, but his music seemed like it was blasting even though the guy was wearing head phones. Artemis was mumbling to herself about how her shots kept missing by just an inch in the gym. And Zatana was giggling right alongside M'gann as they cooked.
Right up until M'gann let out a startled gasp. :Everyone! Wally's in trouble!:
And suddenly it was no longer a 'quiet' day.
They all instinctively ran to suit up and meet at the bioship, telepathically grasping for answers. Superboy headed for the hanger, seeing M'gann and Zatana coming from the opposite direction, already in uniform.
What's going on Miss M?
'What'd Baywatch do this time?'
*M'gann, what are Kid Flash's coordinates?*
:I don't know! He sent me a panicked message just now, he was trying to get a hold of us, he needs help in Central City!:
*Did something happen to the Flash?*
'Wouldn't they call the Justice League for that kind of crap?'
If KF called us, something's up, what else is he telling you?
:Nothing! The connection's been cut!:
There was a long, pregnant pause in everyone's head at this. M'gann and Supey shared a significant look. "Let's hurry."
XXX Fifteen minutes later XXX
When they reached the speedster's residence, Robin felt even more foreboding. KF wasn't the type to cry wolf, despite his joking personality. If he felt he needed help, it was either that he had bit off more than he could chew, or the attack was so sudden there was nothing he could do against it. The fact that the last mental signature Miss M had from him came straight from the Allen's residence freaked him out all the more. This wasn't a Kid Flash needing help.
This was a Wally West needing help.
"Miss Martian, what are you sensing?" By the tight expression on Kladur's face, he had come to the same conclusion.
They all watched as her eyes glowed for a few moments, letting her probe the scene below. "Wally's no longer inside, I can't get a read on him anywhere; the Flash and his wife are very distraught. And…" her eyes returned to normal, widening in shock. "Batman's there."
Well hell. If Batman was now involved…
"I'm sensing some magic was implicated, and not the good kind." Zatana had her hands to her temple, probing the atmosphere much like M'gann had. "Like, the way bad villain kind."
Supey's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Drop us. Now."
"We gotta be stealth about this Supey, it's a residential neighborhood." Granted, Robin was about to jump ship himself and demand answers. Nevertheless, nobody moved until the bioship was safely camouflaged in Wally's backyard.
When they opened the backdoor, Batman was there glowering at them. "Young Justice, what are you doing here."
Batman in a bad mood was not a good sign. They quickly entered and shut the backdoor. "Wally contacted Miss Martian; we think he's in trouble."Robin held back his instant desire to demand answers as to what had happened to his best friend.
The dark knight apparently sensed this. "He is." He moved towards the living room, with the young band of heroes close behind. "According to the Flash, they had gotten home from their mission fifteen minutes before the attack." The cowled form looked back at them, gouging their reactions. "Apparently Klarion teleported within the residence and immediately took out the Flash. His wife tried to defend him until Wally appeared, at which point he was captured and then taken. Mrs. Allen has reason to believe Klarion had incapacitated Wally beforehand, and we're suspecting Wally had been the original target."
There was a beat of utter silence until they all started in at once.
"Klarion?"
"He got taken by who?"
"How dare that freak-"
"What do you mean original target? He's Wally for-"
"Where is he-"
"I'm going to kill him, and then I'm going to kill Baywatch!"
"Have you found a reason-"
"Why would he take Kid-"
"Nobody gets to kidnap our speedster-"
"Let's dismember him-"
"Quiet." Batman grated out. Instantly the distraught team shut up, exclamations and objections dying on their lips in wake of the batglare.
Robin, naturally, was the one to finally start up again. "KF- Wally is our team member, you need to let us be in on the rescue." Waiting a second and not hearing protest from Batman, he continued. "Do we have a location? Any suspicious activity?"
"Nothing."
The team turned to see Barry and Iris Allen, who obviously had been there the entire time, but they had not noticed. Barry, the Flash, was sporting one ugly bruise on his left temple, but it was already turning that sick yellow of older, dying bruises. Speed healing. Robin concluded. Iris looked more crest fallen than Gotham's youngest hero had ever seen her, literally on the verge of tears. Barry, though he looked somewhat panicked, seemed angrier more than anything. Robin had never seen the Flash mad. Ever. It was next to impossible to truly tick him off. Guess kidnapping your favorite nephew and knocking you around qualifies for reason to be mad.
"Once the punk took off, I left as soon as possible and searched the whole city, but found zip. We're waiting for Dr. Fate to show so he can track the magic signature." Zatana visibly stiffened, but didn't make any comment. As far as complicated relationships went, her's and Fate's seemed to top the charts.
"Can any of you think of why he would take Wally?" Iris looked so sad; Robin wished he knew her well enough to hug her. Watching a girl cry was the most uncomfortable and horrible situation alive, bar none.
Batman was about to say something, probably along the lines of 'he could be working with the injustice league, using your nephew for an experiment', or some such blunt remark, but a sudden burst of light filled the room. The team jumped into defensive positions, but relaxed as the light dissipated and revealed Dr. Fate. He glanced around at the group (it didn't go unnoticed by Robin how his eyes lingered slightly longer on Zatana's form), then turned to Flash. "It's clear that the Lord of Chaos has been here."
"He's taken off with Kid Flash, can you trace him?"
"Kid Flash, the young child who first used me after Kent Nelson?"
Batman nodded imperceptibly. "We have reason to believe it was that very same confrontation that may hold a clue to why Klarion abducted him."
Fate said nothing, his face unreadable beneath the helmet. At last he turned to Barry. "There is a faint trail, I will trace it as far as I can." He glanced towards Batman. "Though I can fly, it will eat away at my concentration. If possible, I'd like to ask for your assistance in this." At Batman's nod, he turned to leave.
Barry stepped forward, looking dangerously determined. "I'm coming as well, if anything I can give ground cover. I also have a perfect memory of what spells Klarion intoned to teleport, if that helps."
"It will." Batman replied, answering for Fate. Probably to keep the guy from saying no to the Flash. The doctor might think he was the world's savior, but he could be a total callous prick without realizing it. The hero of Gotham turned back to the group, knowing exactly what they were thinking. "Stay here for now. If we find any legitimate leads, we will call immediately." Without waiting for a reply he stalked out of the room, the other Leaguers in tow.
The Young Justice members looked at one another uncertainly. Sure, Batman said stay there, but could they really afford to? With Wally being kidnapped and in the witch-freak's clutches? They turned in surprise when they heard a sniffle. Iris had turned to the couch and sat down heavily, head in her hands. "I-I feel so useless right now! God, why couldn't I protect him better? And now I just have to sit here and-" Her voice dwindled off into broken sentences.
Robin jumped forward, ignoring his audience, and gave her a one-armed hug. "Don't worry Iris, we'll find him."
She looked up towards him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I know, I… I know you'll find him, Robin. But why is it that even if you're married to a hero, you're still just a useless, blubbering citizen when it comes down to it?"
Robin was about to object, but M'gann interrupted. "Actually, there might be something you can help us with, while we wait for Batman to give us news." The group, Iris included, turned towards the green Martian, who was looking slightly sheepish at the attention. "If we can see through your memories what went on, it might hold some clues as to how we can help Wally." She held her hands out, an earnest look crossing her face. "I promise we won't pry in things we shouldn't, and it might be hard to relive the memory-"
"Do it." Iris stood up, her eyes still shedding tears even as her face took on a look of determination. "I'll do anything I can help my Wally."
Somewhat surprised at the sudden acquiescing to her request, M'gann simply nodded. They all quickly formed a circle, Iris holding Miss Martian's hand on one side and Robin the other. All at once reality fell away and the kids watched, as if on a screen, the earlier events unfold.
A strangled shout from her husband brought her racing out of the kitchen. Surprise and fear jolted through her as she took in the crumpled form of her husband falling against the family room coffee table. Behind him was a strange floating boy, dressed in formal attire and… well, if the crazed grin wasn't an 'I am a villain' giveaway, the horns certainly were.
He was reaching towards her husband, her unconscious husband! A brief flashback to her years on the softball team and a table lamp was flying through the air, smacking the child right in the head. "Argh! My spell!" Her fear spiked as he recovered, turning beady red eyes onto her. "Teekl, get her!"
She looked down to see a cat hissing at her, suddenly growing in size, becoming a monster. It growled at her, and she couldn't help screaming. It prowled towards her, backing her against the wall.
"Get away from her!"
Suddenly a blur faulted into the mutant, relief coursed through her when she realized it was Wally. He shoved into the creature again, keeping it away from her. He looked a little rumpled, but whether it was from the fall or something else (the spell, she thought absently), she couldn't be sure. Now that Wally had pushed it away, she raced towards her husband, seeking to protect his still form. The villain was looking at Wally, Iris didn't understand the look crossing his face. All at once he waved his arm towards the teenager, shooting out red energy. Wally didn't see it coming and was hit towards the stairs. Her hand stretched out in futile effort towards him, "Wally!"
The horned boy floated towards him, his hands still faintly glowing. "You shouldn't be awake."What did he mean?
"Iris?"
She looked down, intense relief flooding her as her husband opened his eyes. But Wally was in trouble, he needed to help Wally! Whispering, fearful whispering. "Baby, you need to get up-"
"My spell should have kept you under!" The boy was still talking, his voice rising in his outrage. "If she hadn't hit me, you wouldn't have woken up!" She. Her. Iris. He spoke an unknown language (cast a spell) and Wally was suddenly encased in the red energy. His eyes widened in shock and he began to struggle, but she saw the witch boy turn towards them and forgot to keep watching him. His hands morphed into angry claws, like his cat had changed into a monster. Maybe he was a monster. "How dare you wake him up! How dare you mortals interrupt the spell!"
She could feel Barry clutching her, trying to move her behind him, but she was paralyzed. Petrified. And Barry couldn't defend himself. The criminal raised his hands to attack and, she couldn't help it, she screamed again, trying to shield husband who was trying to shield her.
"NO! Leave them alone! Stop!" She heard Wally, but she was too afraid to look. Wally, dependable Wally, fighting to save them. Please let them be saved!
She peaked out of her defensive crouch over her loved one and saw the witch boy had turned towards Wally. They were safe, they were safe for now! But Wally wasn't, Wally! His figure was blurring. Memories of Wally vibrating his molecules in the past shot quickly through her head. He was trying to escape, hurry and escape Wally! The boy with horns was calling out something strange (another spell), but Wally just kept fighting. He looked so determined, he was trying so hard. Let him escape! But then the impulsive boy's face grew confused, then slumped in relaxed sleep. No, no, no! "No!" Had he hurt Wally? Should she try to run at him?
Barry finally sat up, tried to push himself past her so he could attack the villain, so he could save Wally. But then the monster was there, blocking them and growling fiercely. Terror coursed through her, images of being shredded apart by the thing's teeth flashing, but she could see the floating boy was approaching Wally, the barrier surrounding him dispersing. It didn't need to hold him anymore, he couldn't run away. A pale (almost blue) black finger-nailed hand reached towards his face. "Don't hurt him!" she cried the same time her husband called out "Wally!" The monster growled louder, Barry maneuvered her behind him.
The hand didn't pause, and came up and tentatively brushed her boy's cheek. Wally looked so calm when he slept; but it made Iris all the more afraid that he couldn't defend himself from the danger. She trembled against her husband as the witch stroked Wally's face again, felt his hair. She wanted to throw another lamp at him to get him away. The pale child picked up the unconscious teen like he weighed nothing and turned towards them. "Teekl, play time's over." He started to string out more strange words, and a red light grew around his feet, climbing up and leaving no trace of him. It kept climbing, taking him away.
Taking Wally away.
"No!" She cried out again, her heart breaking at the helpless position she was in. The monster started to disappear in the same manner. Barry quickly swerved around the creature and tried to reach the boy, his hands outstretched to grab Wally, but the light came too high, went above Wally. The pale villain laughed at her husband, laughed at them trying to stop him.
And then they were gone.
Young Justice opened there eyes and found themselves back in the Allen's home. Iris fell to the ground, tears pouring down her face. "Oh God why?" She covered her face with her hands, muffling the sobs. "Wally, Wally, Wally…"
Superboy and Artemis looked ready to kill. Kaldur still seemed serene, but the tightness around his eyes and mouth told boy wonder he was having similar ideas. Robin wasn't much better. M'gann knelt down next to the distraught woman, hugging her as if she could shield her from the horrible memories. "We'll get him back, I promise."
Robin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We promise." He didn't have to look up to know everyone was nodding in agreement.
They were going to get their speedster back, and then Klarion was going to pay.
So… this was longer than I wanted, but long is good right? Feedback time!
Smiles: Were you 'Me' in the previous chapter? Because you sound alike. Anyway, I'm really glad you like my writing style, I always feel an ego boost when I hear that. Heh, if Klarion weren't somewhat demented, he wouldn't be interesting! And by the way, I promise there will be more demented witch boy via next chapter!
Ohbatsy: :D I'm glad I'm surpassing your expectations already, and we're only on chapter two! WOOT! EVERY Wally fan is a sucker for Wally whump, it's our fanatical way of showing we care. ;) Fight through the last of this month! I'll be excited for you when Wally can officially take over your brain! XD
Ansa88:I am SOOO glad you liked the sarcastic/funny bits I tried to submerge in there, I don't think I'll ever be able to right a total serious fic, there will ALWAYS be some small form of humor. Yeah, if anyone is going to be scarily obsessive, it would be the immortal witch child. O_o I'm so glad you like my writing! It just does a heart good to hear that in general. Hope this chapter was to your liking as well, even if there wasn't Wally whump (as much) in this chap. ;)
Sassbrat: :D thanks, hope you stick with it till the end! Because I plan on making it better.
Sirensoundwave: I know! And he makes such a good creeper villain! WASTE of good fic oppurtunities! XD Alright, I'll keep going. ;) But ONLY so long as you review. (okay, lie, but it would be awesome if you would review anyway!)
Plummy-kins: First off, LOVE the name, made me laugh. Hopefully you found this one longer and more to your liking! But yeah, I'm hoping to keep chapters between 2000 and 4000 words, just so they aren't completely overwhelming (the only exceptions will hopefully be the final chapters and epilogue, should I make an epilogue).
Kyer: Just so you know, you are totally the reason Fate showed up in this chap. He wasn't going to make an appearance (well, not a REAL appearance), and then I read your review, and the 'wheels started turning' as they say. O_O kinda wanna steal that idea now, just so you know… is it okay if is POSSIBLY appears later in the story (that's not a for sure, but my mind keeps tinkering with it…). Oh, I grew up with the JLU Wally, he was my hero (next to Static and Gear, because I couldn't get enough of those guys either). In fact, I've seen every thing you mentioned, made me kinda smirk knowing I got to see all of those (btw, I thought the JL: Crisis of Two Earths Flash was Barry? Must not have been paying as much attention as I thought I did). Thanks for your consistent reviewing!
Anonymous: Just so you know, miss (er, mister?) anonymous, it's also because of you that Batman showed up in this chapter. Literally, it was only going to be the Young Justice and Barry/Iris scenes. So I hope you know that you've literally impacted the story and what people are reading within it.
Thanks again for all your reviews! If you have this on your favorites or alerts list, I would LOVE to hear from you so I can know WHY you decided to put it there! Next chapter coming soon!