It was only moments later that he abruptly awoke with an overwhelming adrenaline rush,
caused by the all-too-familiar feeling of an inhibitor collar being placed around his neck.
...
"No. No!" Bart jumped out of the bed and backed himself up against the wall while Jaime stood and suited up immediately.
"You- you tricked me?" Bart couldn't believe he'd let his guard down with the freaking Blue Beetle. Of course he tricked him.
"Nothing personal." Blue said, while firing up his plasma cannon.
Bart Didn't care that he didn't have his speed, he ran and leapt for the window. Blue fired a cable that wrapped itself around Bart's ankles midair, and yanked him back into the room, dragging him across the floor. He pressed his knee into Bart's back to hold him down, then leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
"Milagro is asleep in the other room. If she wakes up for whatever reason, I've been instructed to kill her, so I'd come quietly." Bart could have sworn he heard Jaime's voice quiver at the thought of killing his little sister.
Blue pulled Bart's arms behind his back and handcuffed his wrists and ankles. Then he walked over to the window to make sure it was closed. While Blue turned his back, Bart struggled to pull himself into a sitting position. He desperately tugged at the cuffs behind his back.
Blue turned around, "Even if you get yourself free, what are you going to do? You can't defeat me, not without your speed. Not even with your speed."
Bart continued to struggle hopelessly, he could already feel blood on his wrists from pulling too hard. He didn't care.
"You said you'd never hurt me..." Bart pleaded, hoping Jaime was still in there somewhere.
Jaime-or blue beetle, not Jaime anymore- didn't answer.
"You said you'd never hurt me!" He begged, unable to mask the fear in his voice.
"And I keep my promises. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to leave that to someone else. An old friend of yours, I hear."
There was only one person Bart knew who was capable of time travel without a time machine. But it couldn't be. He couldn't be here. He couldn't be here now, could he? Bart's heart dropped as realization dawned on him.
"No, please! Please, Jaime, if you're in there, you've got to help me! He'll kill me, you know he will! He'll kill me, Jai-mmph!" Bart was in a full blown panic attack when Blue covered his mouth with one hand. With his other hand he injected a syringe into Bart's Neck.
Darkness began to close in around him. The last thing Bart saw was Blue Beetle's expressionless face...
Then Bart finally fell asleep.
...40 years in the future...
"Curing me, and saving Flash's life, that's only the beginning."
"I know, Nathaniel. Big mission. Lots to do. Better get to it." Bart slid on his goggles.
Concealed and from a distance, Blue Beetle and Zoom observed Bart get in the time machine and disappear.
"Follow him." Blue Beetle commanded. And Zoom was gone.
-Jaime POV-
"No... it's okay… I'd rather… talk to…" Then Bart was asleep.
The scarab's voice rang through Jaime's mind for only the second time that night.
I am sorry, Jaime Reyes.
For what? Wait, why can't I talk? Jaime panicked as he felt his body begin to move without his permission. He reached under one of his pillows and pulled out an inhibitor collar.
No! Who put that there? Stop!
Jaime was terrified at the idea of someone else having been in his room, or maybe he put the collar there and didn't even know? Had he been on mode this whole time?
I must follow my programming. You are no longer in control, Jaime Reyes. Jaime heard the slightest twinge of guilt- was that even possible?- in the scarab's voice. Then he unwillingly put the collar around Bart's neck, which immediately woke him up in a panic. Jaime couldn't even close his eyes to keep from watching as he was made to easily overpower his best friend.
...
"You said you'd never hurt me!"
I don't want to! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't make me do this, please! Jaime shouted in his own mind, but found himself saying something else, "And I keep my promises. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to leave that to someone else. An old friend of yours, I hear."
Jaime had no idea what he was talking about, but there was no mistaking the panic that immediately took over Bart.
"No, please! Please, Jaime, if you're in there, you've got to help me! He'll kill me, you know he will! He'll kill me, Jai-mmph!" Jaime watched as his hand- his hand- press harshly against Bart's mouth to silence him. He barely noticed that he was pressing a needle into Bart's neck. A few tears slowly drifted from the corners of Bart's eyes before he finally closed them and went completely limp. Jaime probably would have been crying, too, if his body would respond to any of his needs.
A moment later another speedster, who Jaime had never seen before, appeared in from of him. The man looked satisfied at the sight of Bart's restrained and unconscious body on the floor.
"Gratitude." he said, before hoisting an unresponsive Bart over his shoulder.
Then they both disappeared.
...
Bart woke up with a throbbing headache. He was blindfolded and still had the collar on. He'd been tied in a standing position with his arms and legs outstretched in each direction. His wrists were raw and throbbing from holding his weight since he'd been unconscious. He regretted now that he struggled so hard against the cuffs Blue Beetle put on him, or else he might be in a little less pain at the moment. Aside from the aching pins and needles, he could barely feel his arms at all. He tried to shift his weight onto his feet, and noticed that it felt like his ankles were chained to the floor, he couldn't move his legs any closer together, which made it difficult to balance. Before long, he found a pang of panic coming on again, and he tried to talk himself out of another anxiety attack.
Okay, breath. This isn't real. This can't be real. It's just a bad dream. You're in the past, you saved the Flash. You saved Jaime. You have plenty of food. You can run whenever you want to. You just have to… wake up!
Then he heard a familiar voice from behind him.
"Ah, so he finally awakes… I've been waiting for hours, and you know I'm not a patient man."
Bart instantly tried to mask his fear. He took a deep breath before attempting to play it off, "Maybe next time you should consider that before having me drugged. And is this really necessary?" Bart retorted, pulling on his restraints, "You got me collared. You're fast. I'm obviously not going anywhere."
"Even without seeing me, you recognize me. So glad to have made such a... lasting impression. Even so, I've learned not to underestimate you, so I decided to take the proper precautions." Bart could hear the mocking smile on the man's face. He braced himself for the inevitable punishment he'd surely receive for his attitude. Instead, he felt his blindfold being pulled off, and found himself staring face to face with his abductor.
"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with." Bart made it a point to hold eye contact. He wasn't going to show any fear.
"Really? You think so low of me? What kind of man would I be if I were to kill my own family?" He paused, letting his words sink in.
"My mom was your family, too. That didn't stop you.. from…" Bart trailed off, his words came out much more fragile than he intended them to.
"Ah… so you did know about me. Well, your mother made that choice herself. A choice you'll soon have to make as well. I don't want to kill you… though I will if I have to, that will remain completely up to you."
"...What do you want?"
"Isn't it obvious? I want you, Bart... Together, we could be unstoppable. We'd be legends. Think of what you could accomplish with me by your side. I can teach you everything I know. You'll be faster than the Flash… You don't need to make up your mind just yet… I have said I'm not a patient man, but you might just be worth waiting for."
"If that's what you want, why get Blue Beetle to do your dirty work?" Bart's voice cracked again. The mention of Jaime stung more than Bart thought it would.
"It just so happens that the Reach and I are mutually benefitting from your…predicament. But that's enough talking for now," he vanished and reappeared with a roll of duct tape. He then ripped off a piece and pressed it firmly over Bart's mouth, who groaned in frustration. Bart hated being gagged. He was used to his words getting him out of -okay maybe sometimes into- bad situations. Not being able to move was scary enough, but the added feeling of helplessness that came from being muted took away any illusion of control Bart might have thought he had on his circumstance.
"Smile for the camera, Bart."
AN: Okay, so this is following the story that Zoom (aka Eobard Thawne, aka reverse flash) is Bart's maternal grandfather. I know in the comics he's really like Bart's great uncle or something, but it was never really specified how exactly they were related, and Bart's timeline makes no sense anyways (I mean, he can't be from the 30th century AND Barry Allen's grandson from 40 years in the future), so I decided to take some liberties
