Chapter Ten: Innovation
The sun was roasting the pavement as it hung dead-center in the sky. Megan's shadow fell over a small garden she was keeping in her back yard, sparse little seedlings that she'd planted only the day before looking content as the girl dribbled water from her watering-can and spilled it onto the ground. The hungry earth and parched seedlings soon sucked the water into the mud-laden depths of the fertilizer, leaving the mulch only a bit deeper brown than that water had found it. Smiling as she worked, Megan flipped some of her hair over her shoulder, and allowing her smile to grow as she noticed her skin darkening naturally in wake of the sun, a light tan baking her into a darker shade of peach.
She stood up, her back popping a bit as she did so, when she noticed her can was empty. She turned around, ready to go back into the house and get a refill for the second row of to-be flowers, when she felt herself wobble a bit. She stumbled to an awkward halt, the hand not carrying the watering-can instinctually flying to her temple before the other hand mimicked the motion and allowed the bucket to tumble to the ground. She herself didn't fall, but she fought hard to keep her balance. As it was she slipped the ground, having allowed herself to fold in onto her knees, curing in on herself with her hands still pressing against her head.
Her head hurt.
Roaring pressure felt as though it was building up inside of her, not content with dwelling inside her cramped mind. It was awful, like the force wanted to crush her, like she would implode, like she would break. She felt the urge to run, to move, to escape, but in that instant nothing was making sense. The world was spinning and the ground wobbled, as if the earth had forgotten which way it was supposed to go. It was like being on the merry-go-round she and Conner had visited, only much, much, faster and tons more disorienting. She wasn't even sure which way was up or down and that standing was an impossible feat. She felt her hands press even harder against her head, smashing against her temples as though she hope that would somehow stave off the ache. However, all it did was succeed in causing a more intense ache, and that made her queasy and the world more skewed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, the moving ground and spinning earth making her eyes hurt and her stomach tighten – and suddenly she wasn't in her backyard. She wasn't collapsed in her garden, her hands pressed against her temples or her knees digging into the dirt. Instead, she felt hot, like she'd just run, and she felt the urge to vomit as she splashed water against her face and looked into a mirror…or, at least she felt expected a mirror – she didn't quite feel like she was her right now…
Ancient walls coated in aging gray bricks had replaced the gym room, but a second later the locker room had washed back in its proper place.
"Ugh, what's wrong with me?"
Megan shook her head, the world seeming to remember that it wasn't supposed to quake and tremble beneath her feet. The pain in her head died away as suddenly as it had come, and she slowly pushed herself back up, wiping dirt from her knees and readjusting her skirt. She felt dazed, and her mind kept turning over the incident and over, inspecting it and mulling it over.
It didn't make sense – she'd never seen the locker room before, and she shouldn't have known to expect a mirror to be in front of her. She shouldn't have been shocked to see it not there, and she shouldn't have been surprised to momentarily blink and find gray bricks there and then not when she blinked again. She shouldn't have felt like the images belonged not to her, but to the redhead that'd been in the simulation with her.
More importantly, she shouldn't have been seeing or feeling anything except for a blazing sun that burned overhead.
Megan sighed, rubbing her forehead free of sweat before glaring at the sun.
It must have been the heat, messing with her head.
She picked her pail back off the ground, casting a glance down at the sprouts. The rest could wait another day, when the sun wasn't so hot.
Stepping into the house, she considered calling Wally and asking him…anything, really; but she decided against it – he'd think her crazy if she called, asking about if he'd had any strange experience in the locker room…or he'd think she was flirting. Either way, it wasn't too comforting a prospect.
So instead, Megan got herself a cup of water and pushed it from her mind.
Crease lines wrinkled the red cowl as Flash narrowed his eyes, his gaze fastened on the door. A small pool of light tumbled out, messily illuminating the lab, washing it out in a dim light that didn't feel like light at all. Instead, it felt like a ghost of a glow, a pitifully pale reminder of what light really was.
It was hard to believe he'd seen anything at all. It could have been a trick of the light, or the lack thereof. It could have been his frayed nerves jumping out at him, his anxiousness turning shadows into villains. It could have been, but it wasn't.
"Hey," Flash hissed quietly at Bruce, "Bats!"
It always took Batman by vague surprise that Flash could yell so softly, the man's voice being audible and persistently clear, but somehow still hushed, so indistinct and muted that only Batman's trained ears could have detected it without looking for it. It was a gift that was as befuddling as it was useful.
Bruce put down a scanner he'd been employing on a side table, trying to find prints and DNA samples belonging to either the team or a possible suspect, and turned to Flash with an implied questioning stare.
Flash jabbed his thumb in the direction of the door, a more serious expression on his face as he mouthed, "That way."
The Dark Knight caught sight of door and seemed to examine it a moment. Then on silent feet he glided over to stand by Flash, who'd inched towards the door and now stood with his hand reaching out for the knob. Batman stopped him, placing his gloved hand on the Flash's shoulder.
"Trap," the Detective warned, experience lending to the man's caution. His voice echoed Barry's own skill, practice having woven the same talent into Bruce's own and allowing him to convey a roughened edge to his voice.
Flash hesitated, but shot Batman a look before saying inaudibly, "I saw something, and this is the only place left to look."
Batman's frown lines deepened a bit, his eyebrows knitting together as he realized the Flash was right. He didn't find the idea of walking through an awaiting and unguarded door appealing, especially with how eerily undisturbed they'd been up to this point, but they had little choice to the contrary.
"Carefully," Batman advised, detaching his hand from Barry's shoulder and taking a step back.
Barry nodded quickly in consent, and the swung the door open.
More light instantly flooded the space, and Flash ducked inside, Batman following warily behind him.
Inside the door was a well lit lab room.
Against the walls, black surfaced counter tops were littered with test tubes of all sizes and shapes and thickly bound textbooks were lying open on random pages. The linoleum white floor reflected back the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling, giving the room an oddly sterile feel, though contrasted with the gray brick-laden walls. Thick wires of every color and size were strewn untidily about the room, swept close to the wall to make leg room.
What was the most interesting though, and had captivated both heroes' attention, were the pods held up against the wall.
Seven pods were pressed up alongside the wall, wires plugged into the sides and tubes hooked up in the bouquet of wiring and cables. Hidden behind the glare of the glass lids of the pods, the Team and Zatanna were hooked up to electrodes that were pressed against their temples and lined their abdomens. Their unconscious figures were handcuffed in metal shackles, their legs locked up in a similar manner. Their eyes were squeezed tightly shut, though in Robin's case his domino mask only showed the narrowed whites to indicate his closed eyes. Masks covered their mouths, presumably pumping gas into the teens and keeping them under. They almost appeared peaceful, from the shy smile playing on Robin's face to the soft giggling that would bubble occasionally from Zatanna's mouth – well, she looked as though she were giggling, since they couldn't hear anything from inside the pods.
It was rather disturbing, their content faces as they were chained away and locked inside experimental tubes – Wally and Conner most of all, both of whom had small grins gracing their expression; Conner hated pods, with good reason, and Wally was extremely claustrophobic. The whole picture was revoltingly wrong. The sight held both heroes in place for a moment, both slightly stunned.
Batman was the first to shake of the shock, his already soured displeasure becoming more pronounced in his expression. Taking quick and careful steps, he took a closer step to the glass, inspecting Robin's pod carefully.
Bruce's movement seemed to bring the jar the Flash out of his initial alarm, and he supersped up and peered into Kid Flash's pod. Flash frowned as he realized Wally's breathing was calm and even, keeping pace with the other teens'. The young speedster's heartbeat should be faster than the normal human's. And on top of that, his nephew looked happy of all things…
"Batman," Barry called in a hush, his tone worried and stern, "Kid's breathing at the same rate as the others."
Batman turned from examining Robin, eyeing Barry momentarily before focusing on Kid Flash's form. Flash was right, which was unnerving. The pace was unusual.
"Strong anesthetics…" Batman trailed thinking, "Or whatever it is that's being pumped into them. His metabolism should have burned through the gas by now, or at a minimum have developed a minor immunity. His energy is probably being diverted to other functions, or simply not there, which means his breathing could have returned to an average human's rate-"
"I don't care," Flash snapped, slamming his fist against his nephew's glass cell, "Let's get them out of there," the hero asserted, "We can get to the science of it all when they aren't in pods,"
Suddenly the lights died from the room, and both heroes froze.
The temperature dropped twenty degrees, cold seeping into the air and moving about the darkness with ease. A sense of foreboding claimed the room.
"Hello, Batman," a voice hissed from the darkness. The tone was rough, dragging words along like jagged rocks against broken glass.. Yet, it was somehow slick, like a snake slithering through grass or oil oozing down a pipe.
Bruce recognized the voice instantly.
"Scarecrow," the Dark Knight growled angrily into the darkness.
"It's been a long time, Batman," the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, all corners of the room. It was a bit disorienting, "I would have thought you'd forgotten me, Dark Knight. Or does my fear still haunt your dreams?" A sick laugh fell over the space, "When you stalk the city, does your mind betray you? In Gotham, Batman, amongst all the thieves and thugs, is it still my gas that keeps you awake at night?"
"I'm here too, you know," Flash huffed when Bruce said nothing, sounding rather offended. The question seemed to hang in the air briefly, before being whisked away by the next sound.
Scarecrow laughed – a cold and unfeeling noise, "I know, Flash. May I say, it's been a fun challenge, treating a speedster such as your sidekick," Flash stiffened furiously at the villain's words, "And Batman, you should keep that Robin somewhere safe…the little bird belongs in a cage,"
"Clever," Batman interrupted, "You can think of more quips from your cell in Gotham. Come out, Crane – unless, of course, you're scared."
A short-lived pause hung in the air before the oily voice enveloped the lab, "Fear is a funny thing, Batman. It's dread, horror, panic…but it's not what I'm using on your precious protégés."
The room gave of an empty feel – an abrupt whistling sound sailing through the air.
Batman ducked, and a scythe suddenly cutting through the air, slicing through the area Bruce's head had been previously occupying. Just as the scythe was ducking back into the darkness, Batman grabbed onto the wooden handle. In a fluid motion, he flowed into a standing position and gave the handle a strong jerk.
The force flung Scarecrow forwards, into view. His terrifying form staggered upright. Flash stared in momentary shock at the man's broad but thin shoulders, his body shaped vaguely like a coffin and his face covered in burlap sack with jagged eye and mouth holes, revealing a cruel smile that twisted into a frown and showcased yellowing teeth. Most disturbingly though, aside from his voice, was a noose that hung limply from around his neck like death itself. The look was calculated, intentionally designed to produce fear, just as the psychologist had intended.
Flash steeled his nerves, wishing the room wasn't drenched in darkness as he used his speed to launch himself at Scarecrow. The speedster tackled the man, slamming the two to the ground before the speedster regained balance and managed to push himself onto the villain's thin chest. Barry's knees dug into the villain's ribs and used his much stronger arms to hold the Scarecrow's own much thinner ones. A scowl blossomed across Flash's face.
"What'd you do to them?" he asked, his face so stern and his tone so hardened it didn't sound like Barry's voice at all.
"Wait, Flash!" Batman called, but just as Barry whipped his head around, Crane activated a small cloud of foggy green gas from a hidden release that was nestled down somewhere in his trench coat.
Flash gagged a bit, staggering back from the scientist, his breath hitching as he gaped around the room.
Scarecrow picked himself back up, his sickening grin back on his face, "You're lucky – that's the old stuff. It's not made for speedsters like the new formula keeping Speedy under." He told the older speedster, who didn't respond except to stand rigid, his eyes blazing around the room in horror as all of his fears came to life in the dark depths of the lab.
Batman frowned, throwing a batarang at the distracted Scarecrow. The man tried to dodge the projectile, but the smooth blade caught the shoulder pad of his coat and flung Scarecrow into a wall, the razor-sharp edge of the batarang burying itself into the wall and slicing through a few spare wires. Electric sparks fizzled out from the disconnected tips, causing the damaged wires to dance in a chaotic manor, flinging themselves wildly against the man and the wall.
Crane shrieked as the sparks hit him, and he instinctually lurched forward, but the batarang held him in place. His body rattled wildly, his screams just as haunting as his voice. The eerie scene wasn't helped by the fact that the crazed movements of electricity were the only lights in the room and made shadows leap erratically across the room – which probably wasn't helping Barry any with the fear gas poisoning his system.
Batman turned towards Flash, who was vibrating in panic where he'd been gassed. Batman felt a since of relief – the vibrations would help the Flash's metabolism eat through the gas faster, whether the speedster was aware of that or not.
"Flash, are you lucid?" Batman asked carefully – Barry hadn't received too big a dose, and his metabolism should already be eating away at it, but he still didn't want to try and inject a cure into a panicking speedster.
"W-Wally's…Wally's blood…everywhere." Flash responded quietly before shaking his head as he slowed his body down, "Geez, I hate this stuff…" he murmured.
Glad for the speedster's fast-acting system, Bruce pulled out a needle containing the cure from his belt and slid it into the Flash's arm.
Barry pooled to the ground, sweat dripping down from the cowl and his breathing heavy as his bones turned to jelly.
"I-I'm fine. Give me a minute – get the kids." Flash murmured, sighing a little and wiping away the sweat from his uniform.
Batman nodded, and returned his attention to Crane, who was slumping from the electric shock, only Bruce's batarang supporting him.
"Now," Batman hissed to Scarecrow, shoving his face into Crane's with a menacing expression, "Wake them up," he demanded, clearly indicating the pods.
A hollow chuckle fell breathlessly from the scientist's mouth as he raised his head and looked Batman in the eye with amusement, "But what if they don't want to?"
Author's Note: Did you guys see episode 4? DID YOU SEE WALLY? So. Many. Feels. :) This is all.
Okay, I lied, there's more – some of you may be going, "What? Scarecrow? That does even make sense!" – Wait until next chapter…I promise I haven't lost it.
Also, guess what? I have actually finished a complete mailbag! Whoa! This hasn't happened in forever! It's because I love you guys, and I felt really bad about the lack of replies! So here is a mailbag! :D A complete and unadulterated mailbag! YES!
Author's Mailbag
KaliAnn: Glad you liked the description of the capture. It's the first time I've written anything like that, where the action had already happened. It's fun, but different from what I'm used to. Thanks for your review – you always read so much into my writing, which is kind of what I intended for this story.
Celestialstarrynight: 0_o You're right. From now on, Kaldur's middle name is, from now on, is Luke Skywalker. And I will always refer to Krolatean ships as Deathdtars from now on. I, unfortunately, have no more witty references to link Star Wars to Young Justice. My brain is officially fried from finals. Ugh, school…Why don't you know I have to use my brain later?
Irenerb: Thanks! And, by the way, I have recently started using B) smiley faces, so…yeah, you are physic. I saw you use it and I was pretty smug about it, because my friend was saying no one used that face…I'm going to rub that in her face later.
Gaaralxluvr: I'm glad that my story has you pumped! I hope this wasn't a letdown to all the suspense. I've written very few good fight scenes, so I hope this one did my vision justice. And I'm really rather ecstatic people like you are noticing the thought put into this. It's really comforting! By the way, I smiled really wide when you said you wait for my updates!
Ghostdog401: :) Glad it made sense! Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you said something – I was worried I was making the heroes seem kind of heartless. I mean, you know I love overprotective mentors…but I was hesitant that doing so in this story would be OOC…Gah, you know what I mean. And yeah, characters in stories are always super observant and wary…and I don't know if it's just me, but if I thought I saw something for half a second, I probably would shake it off…Man, I sound oblivious in this…I'm going to stop typing now :)
Mixxi: Don't we all love being right? Well, I mean, there are dances dedicated to being right…At least, to my knowledge, I've never seen anyone break dance after being wrong…but there are some really weird people out there, sooooo…I'm going to say that most people enjoy being right. And thanks for the compliment!
GIRL WONDER: It gets more interesting every chapter? Well…Aren't I just all flattered right now? I'm hoping this chapter didn't drop the ball :) I Also, I wanted to thank you for all the times you've reviewed. I haven't been very good with my mailbag of late, so I just really wanted to say thank you. You're reviews are very nice and introspective, and I wanted to let you know I appreciated it.
Dreamwritergoddess: Thank goodness! I'm somewhat new with writing for Robin, so I'm glad it had a Robin feel to it! I mean, he's a fun and deep character to write for with lots of emotional layers that I might play with later…My to-do list grows larger every day. -_- Oh well, writing is really fun :) Thanks for your review! Ans thanks for the luck with finals!
Vivere Libri: Ooh, I love the thought you put into this! Okay, I hope you liked the finding of the Team, firt off! And second, I LOL'd at the way you worded your questions! Actually, Batman alerted six mentor, most of whom are members of the Watchtower, and I'll bring a small mention of it later on in the story. Plus, the other mentors can trace location by the signals the communicators give off. I promise all questions will be answered by the end of this! Keep thinking like a detective! :)
Speedylove: Dude…I love it. That was the best ripple effect ever. And, I can totally see that conversation happening. Ever. Word. Of. It. And I laughed hard whenever Wally was like, "Logarithms. Nasty stuff" when everyone else was focused on the destruction. That was PERFECT. Legit, that was hilarious!
Ally Marton: Good theory, excellent even – and you're more or less right! Also, I'm sorry about your dog. It's hard to a pet or a family member, and I actually felt really sad when I read that, especially when you dreamed about him. I also love how much enthusiasm you put into the reviews! And I LOVE how much you notice! Okay, I also really hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter!
Dextra2: I have one constant in my stories – usually no one dies. Though, I'm thinking about writing this one one-shot…It's a work in progress. Anyway, thanks for your review :)
Lilmissfashionista: Geez, I missed your reviews, LOL! Sorry it took me a bit to update! And I know. Okay, Clark and Conner shouldn't be brothers – no. That's weird. It's, in my opinon, a father-son relationship and that's how it should be. But, hey, this is my fic and if I want to make illusion-Clark a daddy, then hey – he can put on his big-boy boxers and be a man! Sorry – they just broke my head-cannon and I'm sad…Oh well. And I'm super happy you liked the Zatanna/Giovanni part! They're fun to write for! And the Artemis/Roy relationship! :) I also love your little spellings – they make my day – "MOAR WALLY" That's exactly how I feel when I see him. Did you see episode four? Wally's not a hero now And Artemis and him LIVE TOGETHER? I want to see how that happened! And you're right BB is totally playing Wally – not okay. And your right – they are mini versions of my babies! And your theories were right! LOL! I'll keep an eye out for it and thanks for your review!
Vesta Dragon: Ugh, I'm not very good at staying back, am I? I'm trying hard – it's just SO MUCH stuff going on with me right now it's hard to get enough time to just sit down and get this done – when summer rolls around I'll have more time for this (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself)! Glad you're liking this!
S.S Pie: Hmm, that might be helping – it's his metabolism fighting off the gas and...you'll see later. But the injury with his head probably isn't helping too much, wouldn't you say? I hope you liked that the Team has been found. Not rescued or anything – but found. That's something at least! It only took, what, ten chapters? X) And you and the others are completely and totally right about poor Dick… :'(
Violet Eternity: Ooh, pretty name. I'm really happy that you liked this story AND reviewed! It makes writing fun, really! Also, it's good to know other people actually read the story, which makes my days ten times better!
XAsClicheAsItCanBe: I'm thrilled that you're noticing that hints have been appearing throughout the story! All (or most) of them will be explained, but props to you for picking them up and using them! That takes a keen eye! Also, I'm flattered that you think I could write for the show. Truth be told, if I were writing the show, we'd probably have never heard of the five year time skip..or if we had, the Team would still have the original Six + occasional Zatanna help.
Kandy Kalor: Is a weird blue bar appearing on the review button? That's what's been happening to me! Maybe FanFiction is conspiring against us? Ugh, whatever…And I don't mind getting used to you liking the story – writing is so much more worth it when others appreciate the time and effort! And YES, I can WIRTE! That means a ton to me :) And I'm the same way – when Wally is written right, I pretty much love it, no matter what! And no, it's probably not creepy to read the responses. Plus, high five for the psit-fire in episode four! I finally saw my baby! And he's all grown up and awesome! I want to give him a hug! Oh, it was just kind of awesome. And thanks! You're just as awesome!
And So It Ends: Ooh, I couldn't wait to pos this chapter! And I'm actually really pumped I finished a complete mailbag! Man, I am so thrilled to have finally reached this part! :D
Eternal mist: Oh, yeah...I can't promise I'll make anyone cry…but have a tissue box waiting. There will be sadness. You'll see, when I get there – ugh, not telling is hard.
Qweerlittlefish: I'm so pumped that you enjoyed the structure of the chapter – and whoa is that a LOT of "great"s! :D YES! That totally made me smile! Thanks for the review – and the others! You're a really kind reviewer!
XxNeonShadowxX: Dear Adian and Avia: You guys are so awesone! One (mostly both :) ) Review every chapter and that's super nice of the two of you! Plus you are super complimentary when you review! And I didn't leave you guys hanging for long with the Batman/Flash thing! Tried to jump in as soon as possible! Plus, at the very end of the review in chapter nine, I seriously can't stress how awesome that was. Seriously – that is awesome! :) Thanks to the both of you for being so awesome!
Adoglover5: I run, and I'm glaf I got the description down pat. Do you run too? Isn't it fun? The officials yelled at you for putting your hands on your knees? Whoa, were you in state or some major competition or something? And man, I wanted to hug Dick too…and I'm writing this. I need more Wally and Dick bro time, I just realized.
Alamodie: Hey! First off, I want to thank you for reading this! Second off, I wanted to thank you for reviewing it! I'm glad to know you liked it! :) And I love the way you worded it – psychological trauma. Sophisticated, accurate – perfect! Thank you so much!