Warning: power writing occurred. This might be crap.
"...I hope Kid's alright."
"Red Tornado is looking after him, Miss M. I'm sure he'll be fine," Aqualad reassured. What remained of the young justice initiative were stationed around the school where Dr. Rocet was working on a virus for her invention, the fog.
"And once we find the guy who hurt him, I'm gonna make him wish he was never born," Superboy somehow managed to growl through the mind link.
"So, I know I'm knew and all, but would any of you mind telling me what happened to mini Flash?"
"Well," Miss Martian started, not sure how to really answer Artemis's question when no one really knew. "Kid was attacked, and according to Zatara he's trapped in a magical coma. He's not hurt, but he can't wake up."
"We have magic users on the league, can't one of them wake him up?"
"They already tried," Robin stated simply.
…
Wally had skipped the first few days of school to stay by Bart's side at the young justice headquarters. No one had been successful in making him leave thus far, and Robin had barely convinced him to eat and drink. Sleep was done when for a few hours only when he passed out from exhaustion. Wally was weak both physically as well as mentally. Bart never so much as flinched in his sleep. The wires that went in and out of him looked like a plastic web in Wally's delirious state. His little brother was the fly caught helplessly in it, awaiting a spider to end it's suffering. When Wally slept he became the fly. His web was spun of red pulsing threads, and the spider that came for him smelled like herbs, blood, and strawberry.
One time, he'd let the spider near him in the dream. The large arachnid took his jaw between its hands with a gentleness that was sickeningly sweet. It's pressed their lips together as the guise of a spider started to melt off. Wally had let his eyes close when the spider prodded his lips with it's tongue. He had felt drunk, dirty, and bizarrely blissful when he'd willingly let the spider's slippery tongue into his mouth. When he opened his eyes he didn't see the spider, but Klarion Bleak, holding him like he was something truly precious. Wally woke up and found that he'd bitten his lip in his sleep. He hadpassed out kneeling on the floor with his head on his brother's bed, and his blood left a small red splotch on Bart's white sheets.
…
"Her mask," Aqualad remarked as he bent down to get it. "Did you see her face?"
"No, it was dark." Artemis looked down. Both her body and voice betrayed how upset she was to Aqualad. He couldn't help but see himself in her.
"It is fine. Robin and superboy neutralized the fog, and Dr. Rocet is safe, thanks in no small part to you." Artemis turned around slightly to look at him. "Welcome to the team."
"I've always wanted a sister-here on earth I mean, I have twelve back on mars, but trust me it's not the same." Miss Martian flew over to shake Artemis's hand.
"I wouldn't know," Artemis lied through her teeth, "I- thanks."
One day, a threat from Red Arrow, and a training session later Artemis was finally getting a tour of the cave.
"So that's the apartments, bathrooms, training areas, kitchen, library… anywhere else you want to see?" Miss martian asked as she happily floated next to Artemis, the boys just behind them.
"Um… do you have a medbay?" Miss Martian visibly cringed at the question before looking to Aqualad. He glanced around to each of the other members before looking back at Artemis.
"I think it's time you met the whole team." Silently they made their way to the first room of the medbay, and Robin quietly knocked on the door.
"I thought Kid Flash was out cold."
"He is, but Wally isn't." Just after Robin said that the door slid open to reveal a rumpled ginger who would have stood just above Artemis if he hadn't have been slouching. "Wally, this is our new member, Artemis. Artemis this is Kid's older brother, Wally." Artemis reached out her hand to the boy, who despite looking a bit worse for wear she couldn't help but find pretty cute.
"A pleasure to meet you, I'm Green Arrow's niece." He looked down at her hand before shaking it.
"Wally," he sighed, "I'm the Flash's nephew." He couldn't help but see expectation in her eyes. "Don't think that just because you came here you can see my brother," he spat, glaring at her, "He isn't a sideshow attraction so buzz off, Replacement." Artemis took a step back in shock.
"Wally," Robin interjected, "she's part of your brother's team-"
"And I'm his family! Just because she's been brought in to replace Speedy doesn't mean she can come in here and ogle at my brother while he's dying!" Tears prickled at the corners of Wally's eyes.
"He isn't dying, Wally. We will save him."
"When Kaldur?! Tomorrow? Next week?! Never!?" Wally's shoulders started to shake. "He gets weaker everyday, he never moves, I finished all my first semester homework and you guys just went on a mission to save the world! NONE OF US ARE GETTING ANY CLOSER TO SAVING HIM!"
"Wally, I think you need some fresh air," Robin said as he grabbed Wally's shoulder and tried to steer him away from the room.
"NO! I need to be here for him!" Superboy grabbed him this time.
"He's not the only one wasting away!" Wally stopped struggling when Superboy said that. "Your brother would be angry to see you like this." And with that Wally was dragged out of the cave by Kon.
"Man…" Artemis wasn't sure whether or not she envied Kid Flash for having a sibling who cared so much.
"Yeah, the Flash brothers are protective like that," Robin explained as he waved Artemis into the room. She felt like she could understand Wally a bit better when she saw what a vulnerable state Kid was in. A feeding tube was down his throat, and oxygen tube ran under his nose, at least four machines were monitoring his various functions, and a magic circle pulsed on the ceiling.
"What's that for?" She pointed up at the circle.
"That monitors the spell that keeps him under. Apparently as long as it shines bright the spell is still going strong."
"Has it dimmed any since-"
"No."
…
"So you've had the old fart for weeks, and you can't get a thing out of him?"
"Well I haven't seen you doing anything productive recently."
"I have a life outside of villainy, stupid."
"You won't be able to find the helmet without my help!"
"Wrong! I won't be able to find the helmet without his help." Klarion looked over to the tired old man Abra had tied up in a chair. It made him feel sour that this guy had been the lord of order who had managed to kill his predecessor. That was the only reason he hated him though. It wasn't a game anymore when the players started dying. Klarion teleported them to an abandoned theater, took a seat in the front row, and let Teekle run off to do guard the perimeter.
"Why are we here?"
"This theater is just outside the tower, once his Nabu's friends come to save Kent they'll open it for us." Abra stood awkwardly on stage with the old man. Klarion couldn't believe this was the best the light could pair him up with. "Well don't just stand there!" he snapped, "Torture him some more!"
…
Aqualad and Superboy were sparring while Artemis and M'gann stood off to the side. Wally was there too, but he just scouled and stood in the corner in a very Superboy-ish manor. Robin had convinced him to take joggs outside, but he still wasn't sleeping or eating well.
"Kaldur's, uh, nice. Don't you think?" Artemis asked M'gann, "Handsome, commanding… You should totally ask him out." Wally could hear them, but he made no indication that he did. Man, was the new chick seriously trying to steal Supey from Miss M? It was a good thing the martian was to dumb to notice Artemis's attempt at steering her in another direction.
"He's like a big brother to me!" Miss M smiled, "But you know who would make the cutest couple? You and Wally!" Wally choked on the burrito he'd been nibbling on. Okay, maybe Miss M was just as bad as the new girl.
"Thanks, but I think Wally has bigger things on his mind than girls right now…" Artemis looked down and grinned. Shit, was she blushing? Did she seriously like being paired with him? It dawned on Wally That two months ago he would have fallen head over heels for a girl like that. Now, she just made his heart ache with regret for falling in love with the wrong guy at the wrong time. Did he sound like the protagonist in a dumb chick flick or what? Superboy flipped Kaldur on his back, winning the match. He smiled and said something to the atlantean, but Wally couldn't hear it from where he was standing.
Just then, Red Tornado came down from wherever it has he spent his time, and headed for the door.
"Hi! Do you have a mission for us?" MIss M asked excitedly as she started floating over to him.
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility."
"But you're headed somewhere, right? Maybe we could.. tag along?"
"If we can be of help," Aqualad added to Miss Martian's question. Wally imagined that if Red Tornado had eyes he would have rolled them, but the bot still turned around and activated a holo-screen to debrief them. The screen displayed an old man with a golden tipped cain.
"This is Kent Nelson. A friend. He is 106 years old."
"Guy doesn't look a day over 90." Wally whispered to Artemis, who tried to look like she didn't care, but her cheeks still turned pink at the attention.
"And he was been missing for 23 days. Kent was a charter member of the justice society, the precursor to your mentor's justice league." As Red Tornado spoke the image of Kent Nelson was covered in slowly with blocks until he became Dr. Fate.
"Of course," Aqualad marved, "Nelson was earth's sorcerer supreme! He was Dr Fate!"
"Yes, Kent may simply be on one of his… walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the helmet of fate, the source of the doctor's mystic might, and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded."
"He is like the great sorcerer priest and priestesses of mars!" M'gann exclaimed, "I would be honored to help find him!"
"Take this," Red Tornado held out a funky looking key, "it is the key to the tower of fate." Aqualad was the one to take the key.
"So, question:" Wally asked, "Where are they looking for him at?"
"The tower of fate."
"And that is?" Red Tornado put a map up on the screen.
"You are aware that you cannot accompany them-"
"Yeah, I know," Wally said as he turned to head back to Bart's room, "I just wanted to know."
…
"Grant us access to the tower and I promise an end to your suffering." Teekle padded down the aisle as Abra spoke. She hated how at this point the phoney magician sounded more like he was pleading with Kent than threatening him. "Continue to refuse and-" Kent was zapped again for example. Teekle jumped into her laughing witch boy's lap, he stoked her absentmindedly.
"Mro- We have gue-"
"Shush Teekle! I'm watching the show."
"Enjoy it, *huff* while you can," Kent spoke as he caught his breath, "Soon enough my friends will- GRAH!" Abra zapped him again.
"Ha ha! Encore encore! Ha ha ha!" Klarion stood up and started clapping. "Or you poor old man," he said without an ounce of care in his voice. "You don't have any 'friends'. The pesky league only cares about Nabu. In fact, the only person who cared about Kent Nelson is loooong dead. So why do you even bother?"
"One day," he looked down at Klarion, still with that dumb "mightier than thou" expression he had even without the helmet, "You'll care about something."
"So?" Klarion smiled maliciously, "Was that a threat?"
"I hope it dies in your arms." Kent spat before Abra electrocuted him again.
"ROWaor! Klarion, the sidekicks are here! HISS with the key, no doubt!"
"Ohhh!"
…
Wally was having that dream again. He was back in Klarion's web, but this time Klarion was human, and instead of crawling ominously towards him to end his life he was standing over him. He looked down at Wally a]nd held his cat. Wally was flat on his back starfished out on web, but he wasn't scared. It was one of those weird dream things where dream him knew more than he did, and dream him somehow knew that even though he was trapped he held all the power right now.
"... Why me?" Wally asked.
"Ditto."
"I asked you first."
"I asked you second," Dream Klarion smiled warmly like Ryan had.
"Pfft," Wally's chest hurt. A dream shouldn't hurt this much. "You're so mean."
"I'm sorry."
"No you aren't," Wally criticized him without any real bite in his words, "You're just saying that because this is a dream, and that's what I want you to say."
"How would you know? You never stop to think how I felt. How I am feeling."
"You. Are. Evil."
"And you. Are. A. Hypocrite," Dream Klarion pouted, "The world isn't so black and white, Wallace. You know that."
"What if I do then?! What if I care about you?! You don't care about me!"
"I told you I did, didn't I?"
"No, the other Klarion did!"
"And doesn't that mean even more coming from him?" Klarion was back to smiling, but Wally's vision was going hazy with tears. Fuck, he wanted the real Klarion! He wanted to punch him in his dumb face for all the shit he's put him through. He wanted to make him fix Bart. He wanted that kiss he'd dreamt of. Wally closed his eyes. He felt like he was spinning, and expected to have fallen off his brother's bad and hit his head when he woke up in the cave.
But where he woke up at wasn't the cave. And it was flipping cold!
…
"Wait!" Artemis panicked, "The back draft from the lava will roast us-" Snow blew out of the hatch. "O.K. never mind." Aqualad smiled at her. She was so excitable for one who acted so tough. They jumped through, and landed sideways. The hatch closed up behind them without a trace.
"Wally?!" Everyone turned when they heard what Miss Martian said, and sure enough there was Wallace West freezing his butt off if the tower.
"Guys! Oh thank god you're here! Where is here actually?"
"We could ask you the same thing," Aqualad said, as surprised as the others. "Did you follow us?"
"No, how could I? You took Miss M's ship here! I fell asleep, had a weird dream, and woke up here!"
"What's that?" Superboy interrupted. Everyone turned again to see a gold tipped staff floating behind Wally.
"That… was not here before you guys came." He reached for it just as Artemis came running up to get it. "I got it," He said, just a second before Artemis could grab it, "Wait! I can't let go!" The staff glowed and shot up with Wally hanging on to it before disappearing. The remaining four looked between each other cluelessly.
…
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Klarion's droning finally got to Abra. He grabbed Nelson's shoulder, and removed he silencing collar.
"Tell us how to find the helmet!"
"Can't, having too much fun!" Kent grinned. Abra growled and zapped him again.
"Still having fun?"
"Huhu! I am! Zap him again, oh, or dump him off the side and watch him splat!" Abra chose to zap him some more.
"Maow"
"Ah, yes yes, I suppose we might still need him." Klarion absentmindedly pet Teekle who was up on his shoulder before a bright, golden light shone behind them. Klarion's eyes grew comically large when he saw his Wally with Nelson's staff.
"Well, would you look at that," Kent grinned. The staff glowed, and so did Nelson. He floated to the staff, grabbed it, it's glow spread to his bonds and broke them, and then he appeared an elevator door which he shoved Wally inside and shut.
"No, NO, NO!" Klarion screamed, "He's mine! Mine, MINE, MINE, MINE!" Klarion shot out red bolts of rage at where the door had been.
Meanwhile, inside the elevator Wally could feel them moving up as soft music played.
"... I'm Kent Nelson by the way."
"Wally West. Uh, does this happen a lot?"
"You new to the hero seen kid?"
"Oh, no sir," Wally held up his hands and shook his head, "I'm no hero. My brother is. I don't even know how I got here." Kent looked at him curiously before cracking a warm smile.
"I'll tell you what brought you here, kid. Magic. I can tell you only recently began to believe, but the more you do the more it will awaken to you. You've got natural talent!"
"Oh. right like Abra Kadabra? Please, the guy uses advanced technology to simulate magic! Guys all show and no bizz." Wally crossed his arms.
"Right you are."
"I.. am?" Wally had expected Kent to argue with him like Klarion had.
"Yes, Abra is a charlatan, but Klarion the witch boy, the kid with the cat, he's an actual lord of chaos. The ultimate enemy of a lord of order like Dr. Fate."
"And you're a … lord of order?"
"Oh, no, not me. I'm just an old coat Fate used to put on, but I don't expect one such as yourself to understand."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's like this, imagine if your brother could never stop being a hero. Imagine if his hero side was a separate person controlling his body. He'd be trapped as a bystander watching someone else restlessly use his body for justice. He'd watch from the back of his mind as his life ticked by, and do nothing about it." Wally did imagine it, and the thought scared him. Kent pulled out a pocket watch, and looked at the picture it held lovingly. "I was like that until my wife, Inza, convinced me there could be more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol that Inza. Anywho! Klarion's after the helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it he'll destroy Fate and turn the world into his own personal playground of pandemonium." The elevator doors slid open to reveal a place exactly like the one they just left save that this area had a giant bell in the middle. The pair approached the bell before a door materialised above them. It opened, dropped Aqualad, Miss Martian, Artemis, and Superboy behind them, athen disappeared. "Friends of yours?"
*zap* Wally and Kent dodged Abra's lightning.
"Friend's of yours?" Wally asked rhetorically while hurrying Nelson behind the giant bell. Abra began shooting at the young justice members while Kent raised his staff and struck the bell. It rang out and shook. Klarion took off flying at it when it glowed that classic Dr. Fate golden. He made it through the bell just after Kent and Wally. A bright flash and all three of them were at the top of the tower. There floated the helmet of Fate. Kent reached for it, but was shot down by a red beam.
"GAH!"
"Mr. Nelson!" Wally caught him, but the old man shoved himself up, and raised a barrier just before Klarion's next attack hit.
"NOooooOOOOo!" the witch boy screamed. Nelson turned back to look at Wally weakly.
"Not bad for a former Dr. Fake, eh kid?" Kent collapsed onto Wally who gently helped him to the ground.
"You're not a fake! Please, I believe! I really do, but I need you to help me!" Kent put a hand on Wally's arm to try to calm him down.
"The bubble will give you enough time to do what you need to do."
"I have no idea what I need to do!" Kent pulled out his pocket watch and showed Wally the picture of Inza.
"Have faith in what you can't explain," the old man wheezed, "Believe in what you can no longer deny." Kent's head rolled back and his arm went limp. Wally did the only thing he could think of, chest compressions. Klarion continued to attack the bubble each of his attacks sounded like the scratch of a vinyl record.
"That force field won't hold forever, Wallace!" Klarion threw a particularly powerful attack that engulfed the whole bubble in red light. Wally was panicking now. He looked over at Nelson's floating staff, which was burning in golden flames from the bottom up, to Klarion. Maybe he could try to talk him down. The Klarion he knew had been reasonable, but it didn't look like Ryan was here right now as Klarion viciously attacked the bubble. He looked to the helmet, remembering what Nelson had said.
"Wally," he startled when Miss Martian's voice echoed through his head, "we're in trouble! Tell Kent we need Dr. Fate!" He saw an image of his friends being caught in electrical cages. They were all groaning in pain. The image cut off when Miss M was caught in her own electrical cage. Wally gasped when he was back in his current situation. Klarion reached out two huge red hands with wicked talons that dug into the bubble. He looked back at the witch boy who already wore a victorious smile. Wally glared back. He stood up and plucked the helmet from the air.
"WALLY!" Klarion's face shifted to panic, "You put that on you may never get it off!" He ripped away the force field, but Wally was no longer listening. He donned the helmet, and- silence. Wally was in a quiet, dark room standing under a stage light.
"Okay, okay. What is going on?"
"We're in the helmet." Wally spun around to see Kent Nelson standing with his cane.
"You?! But you, you're- dude you died!"
"Yup, but don't feel bad. Once this little brouhaha is over my spirit will ascend, and I'll be reunited with my beloved Inza."
"Uh, oh-okay. Wait! Does that mean that I-"
"Oh you're still alive, but your soul no longer controls your body. You put it on, and my soul got sucked in. Probably because I spent so many years serving its master."
"Master?"
"Nabu, the real Dr. Fate. One of them lords of order I told you about. He's the guy controlling your body now." Kent patted Wally on the shoulder. "Wanna watch?"
Nabu held up an ankh shield as Karion pelted it with fire balls.
"Give him back Nabu! Order went out of style in the twentieth century!"
"This battle is pointless!" Nabu's voice rumbled under Wally's own as Dr. Fate spoke, "You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host, but you are to late."
"Shut it, ya old fart!" Klarion summoned two stone pillars to grab Nabu, but the lord of order broke free.
"Brat." He shot down a beam of golden energy that Karion pretended to be obliterated by, only to materialize behind him and electrocute Nabu.
"Gah!" Wally fell to his knees. His back felt raw. "What gives?!"
"Well," Kent replied, "it is your body."
"Yeah, and I don't want him doing something I'll regret!"
"Sorry kid, doesn't work that way, but you can see why I haven't put on the helmet in 65 years."
*boom* The battle had continued while they were talking, and Klarion now had Nabu pinned under a massive bolt of red lightning.
"You're not in sync with your host Nabu! Surrender and let him go before I rip your parasitic life force from his body!"
"That's what I fail to understand." Nabu released and explosion of energy. When the dust cleared he stood in a ring of golden flame. "Why do you want this boy?"
"Because he's mine!"
"You have more important things to think of right now don't you?" Klarion growled and raised a shield, but Nabu's blast went passed him. It narrowly missed Teekle who was still shot back by the force of it.
"Teekle!" Both Wally and Klarion yelled in shock and anger. Klarion turned on Dr. Fate, about to give that kitty hater a piece of his mind when he stopped. Dr. Fate was clutching his head in agony. Wally was fighting Nabu!
"How dare you use my body to hurt her!"
"Insolent child!" Nabu's helmet appeared in the dark area Wally was trapped in. "That creature is no cat! Without his familiar Klarion has no anchor in this reality."
"You think I want that?!"
"This is not about what you want-" Wally jumped up and grabbed the helmet.
"Wallace, what are you doing?!" Kent started to fade as his soul ascended.
"I'm taking back my body!" Outside the helmet Klarion watched Dr. Fate take his helmet by the eye holes and pull. It began to glow hot. Becoming like molten metal, but not burning Wally. The ginger's eyes were closed as he used all his might to strip Nabu from his body. He could hear the sorcerer supreme scream in agony as his presence bubbled like the globs of molten metal in Wally's hands. With one final pull Wally stripped what was left of the helmet of fate off him. His eyes finally opened to reveal an emerald glow that radiated raw magical power. Wally only had time to glance at Klarion before the liquified helmet turned the same glowing green as his eyes and began climbing to his face like a herd of slugs on speed. "Klarion! Hel-" The molten helmet forced it's way down his mouth and nose. Klarion found himself running to help his Wally, but was forced back by a golden ankh. It rose into the air before being consumed by emerald flames. The flames receded, and left a new symbol hanging in the air. An emerald green clover with a sword horizontally piercing it through the middle. Wally and Klarion stared up at ot till it fizzled into sparks and dissipated. Both the boys them looked down at each other.
"Wally!" Superboy punched through the top of the tower, the rest of the team jumped up after him. Wally had no way to explain what just happened to his friends, but once again it was like Klarion read his mind. The witch boy doubled over in, what was clear to Wally as over dramatic, pain.
"Curse you stupid brat!" Klarion shook his fist at Wally, "You may have gotten lucky, but I still won!" He grabbed Teekle and teleported away. Wally's friends were left staring in shock.
"What happened?" asked Artemis as she ran towards him.
"I-" Wally collapsed to his knees, "don't…" he fell unconscious.
Why do my chapters always end up longer than I meant them to be? Thanks for reading, if I did something poorly feel free to tell me. Same if you want something to happen. I am open to suggestions.
