I'm not to confident about the characterization in this chapter so if I messed it up, please be kind.
Reviews;
SilverPhantom88: Well it's a good thing it didn't' work or you wouldn't see the end of this cliff.
MythologyGirl: This isn't very much but it is a lead up to it! I'm not exactly sure how well I did, solely because this is a tricky bit of hypothetical work and it's difficult to keep these two in character. So, we'll find out how well I did.
isadorator: Yes I meant skis. I live at the base of a mountain you would think I'd be able to spell skis. Thank you for pointing that out. I'm not sure that this chapter will live up to your explosive expectations, I'm afraid. The storm is more like rolling thunder.
Arekanderu: Thank you! Here it is!
K.J. Bollinger: Funny, one of my favorite friends is named Bollinger. And it is her! Thank you!
AkariWarriorofSoul: Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition. Similarly, no one expected Wally to end up in an alternate reality.
greymouser: Your name reminds me of a cat. I'm horrible at grimdark so there's not much of that!
2SexyForMySkirt: I loved the Stealth Mode! It's such a huge change to the normal brilliance of the Scarlet Speedster, and it's one of the most useful things I've ever seen. It only made sense for someone as smart as Wally to take advantage of it. Poor Dick and Artemis are just balls of suffering angst.
Harbinger Of Kaos: Well. You're very good a predictions.
duskrider: I always loved Plastic Man, he was just so much fun to watch in his old TV Show.
nekochan1994: Oh Shit is right.
WickedlyMalovent: Thank you very much! I hope this (admittedly short) chapter meets your expectations!
Flare790: Yes, probably.
Wildjay1585: I'm glad you like it! It is Waller, waiting in the dark like a Bat or something.
Friend Of a Fangirl: Thank you so much! I hope it stays that way!
Of all the things Wally expected to come home to, a lady twice his age sitting in his living room was not one of those things.
It brought about all sorts of questions and new wave of absolute paranoia.
One question he barely needed to ask. "Who are you?" he already knew. He recognized her. Amanda Waller, warden for Belle Reve. She was different here, her make up was thicker, and she had a necklace to go along with her earrings.
From the severe lines on her face he could guess that was about the only difference he was going to find. She still looked stern, like she was made of steel instead of flesh. Ice in her eyes, more than any frozen villain he had ever come across.
Truly Amanda Waller was not a person he wanted to trifle with.
It was very unfortunate that she was in his living room then.
"I think you might know who I am," she said slowly. "Wally West. Senior. Funny you live in the same city as junior."
Wally stared at her hard. This was… difficult.
If the ring sitting on his coffee table and the stack of papers next to it was anything to go by she already knew much more about him than most people in this dimension.
The big question was, what was she going to do with that?
Wally sighed. Well, what did he have to lose? He didn't even have parents anymore.
He dragged a chair into the living room, the only other one in the apartment, and dropped into it across from her.
What did he have to lose?
The Wall-Man meets the Wall. Er. Wow that's lame.
"What brings you to my oh-so-humble abode?" he asked, gesturing around them with more muted humor than he normally allowed.
"The same thing that's going to take me to East End tomorrow. You."
East End, the street his family lived on, in this world and the other world. Dread curled in his stomach. Amanda Waller had always been tough, dangerous, and never very fond of Meta Humans. There was only one reason she could be here now.
In a blur he had the papers scattered across his coffee table. Names, dates, times. Information and energy readings.
A picture of a mans imprint in the snow, dated June 21st, 1999.
Wally let out a low whistle.
"I didn't know anyone else knew I was there," he said, casual as could be. He should have been expecting this. No one could stay hidden forever, and he was no Bat. It was just a matter of time. He hadn't expected it to be Waller though. Maybe Savage, or Klarion even. He knew about different plains of existence.
Waller actually looked smug. "You didn't think you could keep hiding out, did you?"
"I hoped to," Wally said slowly, "I mean, it would have been nice… Do you want me to call you Amada or Waller?"
Her shoulder's tensed. This was a dangerous game they were playing, they both had to tread carefully.
"Ms. Waller will do fine," she said simply, "Flash. Or, Mr. West."
"Wally," he corrected.
"Is that you're real name?" she pressed.
The ginger nodded slowly. With all that data there was no sense at all in lying to the woman. If he did, it would only make him look more like the threat she clearly thought he was, if the flashing end of a sniper riffle across the street was any indication.
How many other knew his secret?
"I'm Wally West," he assured simply.
"And the little boy on East End?" she pressed.
"Also Wally West," his tongue felt thick as he uttered, "This world's original."
Years and he had never told anyone. Years and no one had ever asked. She wasn't asking but she had so much proof, an overwhelming amount of evidence that he didn't belong here.
"So it is another universe," she said, her voice dropping. She was probably on comms, Wally realized. He kicked back, playing at being relaxed. In reality he was tight as a spring. This was going to be bad. Really, really bad.
But what was he supposed to do? Deny her evidence? Kidnap her and lock her up in his super-secret Flash Cave that didn't exist? Drop her off on Lian Yu?
"So what?" he asked, crossing his arms. "What does this mean for me? We both know you can't catch me, that sniper across the street won't be able to shoot me. Even if you are armed, I can move quicker than the electricity can get from your brain to your body. "
She didn't answer his question. Asked one of her own.
"Why are you here?" She demanded, leaning up towards him. He was alerted to others in the house by a scuff from the other room. A shoe.
He'd grown up with Bats, did they really think they could hide from him?
"Isn't that the question of the universe?" he questioned. He had to watch how fast he was talking. The ticking clock was a good measuring stick to use. Second by second, count it with your heart.
"Why are any of us here? What purpose do we serve in the grand scheme of things? Why am I here instead of my best friend? Why do I live a dozen gun shots and Kennedy doesn't make it through one? Why does the universe-"
"I didn't come here for a philosophy debate," she snapped.
Wally let her. She was scared. He could see it in the tension in her shoulders and the way her hand kept twisting minutely towards the gun hidden inside her jacket.
"No. You came here to interrogate me in my own home. How many guns are aimed at me? Thirteen? Thirty?" he demanded, leaning closer. Something darker slid into his eyes. Years of pent up frustration, of carefully hidden feeling of guilt and hatred at the world, at the Speed Force, at the Reach, was threatening to rip itself from where it hid behind his teeth.
"The sound my not reach me before bullets do but I can see them coming, I can feel them in the air around me."
There was a click from the other room.
Wally put a noose around his errant feelings. This wasn't how he wanted to go about this. He wasn't going to threaten her. That was rude, wrong. Bat-like.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said, a bit softer. "It was an accident. If I could go back, God knows I would, but I'm stuck here. So I'm making the best of it."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" She demanded, eyes narrowed at scarlet speedster. He could feel through the Speed Force the beat of her heart as it picked up. It was surreal to remember that he frightened people sometimes. Putting them at ease, joking around and laughing, it was just second nature.
There were few people who it didn't work with.
Waller had always been one of them, before and after his transportation.
"Are you working for the U.N. or the U.S. Senate?" he questioned. When her eyes narrowed and she didn't respond he had his answer. "Then it doesn't really matter what you believe," he said flatly.
Waller stood up, over the young man, her dark eyes narrowed down at him.
"I wonder if your friends at the so-called Justice League know about this? Or your adoring public. What would they say?" she hissed.
Wally managed to withhold expressing the plummet of his heart. Fear tried to strangle him.
"I dunno. With all the aliens running around, what's one more different world?" he asked, calm as he could. His cheer had melted away. It wasn't necessary right now.
Waller spoke into the top button on her shirt. "We're done here. Move out."
Wally leaned back on his chair, watching the parade of military men leave his apartment. Three, plus Waller. As they exited, he called after them.
"Watch your step. It's snowy out!"