They worked out the details in the empty managers office and fifteen minutes later had the everything settled. Dick reentered the party leaving Matt to circle around for his big entrance. Slipping in to join Lisa's group of fans wasn't difficult. He just lingered nearby until someone made a joke then laughed with them and made a comment of his own. Soon Dick was shaking hands and being introduced. Not everyone in the group recognized his name or face but enough did that all the single women were suddenly fluttering their eyelashes and standing a little too close. It would have been a lie to say he didn't enjoy it just a little. He was a healthy male and they were all gorgeous, and it made it easier to slip the tracker onto his target.

Then they started hearing noise up the block and Dick turned in that direction, drawing it to the attention of the rest of the group. The wailing of sirens picked up and screeching tires were heard just outside. Someone screamed and one of the front windows shattered. Then there was a lot more screaming and a panic fanned out from the man standing in the doorway.

Captain Cold re Clayface stood there in full costume. The dark blue parka was accented with white straps and torn white trim. His combat boots were pure white from the soles to the laces and his gloves were tight white leather until they broke into a large tattered fir cuff half way to his elbow. Beneath the white hood he wore a pair of square arctic goggles on his blocky features. The one piece of his uniform that wasn't the colors of ice and snow was his belt; it was a dirty unpolished gold covered in kicks and scratches from long hard use. The holster mounted on it matched the belt, as did the gun Captain Cold was waving at the crowd. Behind Cold out on the sidewalk traffic had been turned to chaos. People were running, screaming, in all directions, as car horns blared. The road had been blocked by a tangle of cars that had been lightly frosted over.

Even knowing what was coming it was an impressive display. Dick had to wonder where Matt had found the blue Cadillac that he had crashed into the telephone pole. The frost was a nice touch as well, but he had to wonder if wasting the cold pellets Dick had given him on the cars was the best option.

The sirens outside picked up in volume and Cold glanced out over his shoulder before letting out a curse in a guttural voice. "Out of my way." he was rushed, looking for an exit presumably, or at least that was what the crowd would think.

Dick had gone rigid when Captain Cold had come in. he had been expecting it, but he hadn't actually seen Matt's impression of Cold. The costume was one thing, but imitating Cold right down to the details on the gun and the ragged state of the costume was amazing. The amount of detail he put into it, the way steam seemed to gather around his feet and the way his voice had turned into that low growl. Matt really was an excellent actor, but then again, Dick had only met Cold once, and picking up details hadn't exactly been a priority. Convincing him and convincing Lisa were two different games. For all they knew Cold might have made some change to the costume that would give them away straight out. Even if that wasn't the case Matt could say something wrong or freeze someone or not freeze someone or run out of pellets and suddenly Lisa would realize something was wrong. Hopefully Matt would keep this brief and things would be too hectic for her to notice any flaws in the act.

Cold looked around, searching the crowd. When his eyes found Lisa he went rigid. "run, Run!" at the same time the sirens behind him reached a peek. Cold spun to the door,pointed his Cold gun at the entrance and filled it with ice.

Lisa moved, spinning around and running for the fire exit with purpose. The crowd was generally fleeing in that direction so it was easy for Dick to follow without notice.

Dick had been in more hysterical crowds then the average person. They were useful in their way, good for distractions and hasty exits. In the middle of the crowd the average person would have had a hard time following Lisa. She knew how to move well, dodging between people and into gaps that disappeared a moment later. Dick had to use all his reach and experience to keep up with her.

Then they were through the doors and into a back alley where the crowd stalled, forced to keep going by the people behind but suddenly disoriented by the change from soft lights to cold concrete. Lisa was still going moving forward, away from the milling crowd. Dick followed her around a corner, then went into hero mode; slipping into the shadows.

The Glider knew what she was doing. She cut through four blocks, taking turns at random before finally catching a cab. For this kind of work Nightwing would have liked his motorcycle but since that wasn't available he zip-lined to the nearest rooftop and silently thanked LA traffic for being so terrible.

Following someone through a city depended on a lot of factors. Given enough people and equipment it was almost impossible to shake a tail. When it was one on one it was a lot harder, and when the tail didn't want to be noticed the difficulty was increased again. The one good thing about hiding was that whoever was being followed wouldn't try to escape. Except Nightwing had thrown that out the window when he had had Matt impersonate Cold. Nightwing had handicapped himself.

That being said, it would take a hell of a large handicap to effect someone trained by Batman.

Lisa ditched the cab four blocks later outside the sciences museum. Nightwing was about to cross the gap to the building's expansive roof, but his prey turned down the street instead. Nightwing crept to the edge of his roof then shimmied down the side of the building as she joined the crosswalk to his side of the street. He watched just long enough to see which way she was going, then stepped into the street ahead of her.

He kept his pace steady loose glancing sideways every step or so to catch Lisa's reflection in shop windows and the windscreens of cars. She was coming up behind him fast her steps long and purposeful. At the next corner he turned and let her slip past him. If she glanced in his direction he didn't see it.

Nightwing watched his target stop at a light and settled into the familiar pattern. Most chases weren't like the movies, not the long ones anyways. It was a game of cat and mouse. If the mouse didn't lose the cat in the first five minutes or so there was a good chance the cat would win. Most times there weren't long drawn out sequences where the mouse ran down allies knocked over garbage cans and jumped in front of cars to get away. Those kind of things tended to draw attention and made it easier to judge where the mouse was going.

If the mouse got in a car then they had to obey traffic laws. Even professional drivers couldn't pull off bond film stunts more then half the time, and definitely not for any stretch. Plus that was when whoever was driving was clued in to the chase. No such luck with a taxi. Provided they didn't move towards one of the highways Nightwing was sure he would be able to keep up.

As he ran Nightwing shed the expensive dress coat, reversing it so a worn but serviceable brown was the new exterior. His silk tie was abandoned in someone's rooftop garden. The pants and shoes couldn't really be helped but after scrambling down fire escapes and climbing drainpipes, they probably wouldn't look like part of a suit in any case. He pulled out his belt and wrapped it around him over his shirt but under the jacket. If Lisa did catch him following, he didn't want her to connect it to the party if possible.

Lisa's cab wound through downtown and headed northwest. Nightwing was just running out of serviceable rooftops at the edge of Beverly Hills when the cab pulled up to the sidewalk outside the LA county Museum of Art.

Nightwing hadn't expected that. He slipped down to street level and made for the crosswalk as Lisa paid her driver. She was glancing around, noting the people on the street. Her eyes slid over him. Nightwing didn't pause, didn't glance at her, moving with his shoulders hunched and his cord roughened hands stuffed deep into his pockets. The streets weren't crowded but there were a couple dozen people scattered around the various buildings and the park next to them. He didn't stand out.

Lisa turned toward the buildings, but waited on the stairs until the taxi had pulled away before heading into the westernmost building. Nightwing picked up his pace to follow her.

Nightwing hadn't thought she would head for a public place, and moreover why another art gallery? Was there another event he wasn't aware of? Moreover it would be a lot harder to keep track of her in the enclosed twisting passages without her noticing. He could only switch his jacket around so many times. When putting things together for the evening he hadn't exactly had a chase in mind. He had planted the tracker in her bag, so he could drop back if it came to it, but Lisa wasn't just some airhead showgirl. There was a good chance she would notice the tracker or just ditch the bag at some point and he'd be out of luck.

She elbowed the door open and Nightwing caught it as it closed. There didn't appear to be any events going on; there were hardly any people at all. Why did things have to go south now? Lisa was glancing around again, not so much looking for people as taking in the space around her. Nightwing slid through the door and turned towards a table covered in pamphlets. He glanced over them, then turned, leaning against the wall and pulling out his phone, pretending to text.

Again Lisa's eyes moved over him. This time they lingered longer. Her posture shifted slightly. Nightwing couldn't tell if he'd been made. He kept himself relaxed and a moment later she turned away sharply, biting at her bottom lip. Apparently not yet, but she was watching. If she spotted him again he was probably done.

Lisa headed for the other end of the lobby where the coat room and ticket counter waited. Nightwing muttered a half curse under his breath. He had to follow her in or she could slip out some back way, but buying a ticket directly behind her would push it too far. Then Lisa turned and instead of heading for the ticket counter she walked up to the coat room attendant. Nightwing shifted so he could read her lips and watch the attendant's face at the same time.

Excuse me, I was in here the other day and I think I forgot to pick up my bag. Lisa was leaning forward slightly, one hand fiddling with a strand of her hair. For the moment she was totally focused on the girl behind the counter.

Of course, it happens. Do you have your tag?

I don't. I remember the number though, it was 71. It's a brown shoulder bag with a pink and green flower on the flap.

I'll check for it, and I'll need some ID since you don't have the tag.

Yes, of corse.

Lisa pulled something from her bag and showed it to the clerk, who nodded and retreated further behind the counter.

Somehow Nightwing doubted that this was just about a bag. He sent a quick text to Oracle asking her to get him a copy of the security tapes for the last few days. If this was where she had come first then he wanted to know what was in that bag.

After a minute the attendant came back with a brown shoulder bag. She passed it over and the two women smiled at each other. When Lisa turned back toward the entrance rather then heading into the building Nightwing pushed off the wall and headed for the door as well. He pushed his way through then held the door open behind him. Lisa took the bait as common curtsey and nodded to him as she passed. She was careful, and still aware. She avoided his attempt to brush against her, and avoided a second tracer in the process. Professionals could be so annoyingly competent.

She headed back to the curb and since he was already right there, he walked beside her, far enough back that she wouldn't see his face unless she turned but far enough forward that she could still see him out of the corner of her eye. Better not to panic her by standing where she couldn't see. It wouldn't seen strange if he didn't stay for long. Besides they were headed for the group of Taxis lined up by the corner. Nothing more innocent then trying to catch a taxi, right?

A family was already loading into the lead taxi so Lisa too the second. Nightwing headed for the third. He considered telling the man to follow that cab, but it just seemed too cliché. After as many years heroing as he had, he had learned that cliché more often lead to bullets then to dramatic irony. Except when it lead to both.

He opened the back door of his cab, and turned toward Lisa. He was at a bad angle for lip reading but he was close enough to hear half of what she said. Put the two together and her destination was the Swanson Yacht Club off the Marina Del Rey. He gave his own driver the address and followed Lisa's tracker with his phone.

The two cabs took different routs. When Nightwing arrived Lisa was already down at the docks. Probably better that way, he could watch her without getting to close again. With a pair of binoculars from his belt he watched her clim aboard a mid-sized pleasure boat. It was white with a light green trim on the edges and from a distance looked like there might be a small cabin below decks. The name on the stern read eclipse.

Lisa untied the craft and soon it slipped away from the dock and quietly navigated out of the harbor. Nightwing let it go. Even if he could find a place to rent a boat this late in the evening, he wouldn't catch her. It would be obvious she was being followed out on open water for one. Instead he went back to his phone and made another request of Oracle, this time information on the boat. Then he texted Matt a thank you and a message that he had been successful and would call if he needed more help.

It may not have seemed like it from the outside but the evening had been more productive then he had expected. Time to do what he was good at and follow the trail.

Wally ran to the one place he knew would be absolutely safe. His aunt Iris's house. Ok so maybe it didn't have armored reinforced doors or a security system that would outsmart anything, but he had been running there since long before he got his powers and it hadn't really failed yet. His speed lessened only when he was in the neighborhood and when he let himself fall back to normal speed he was in her living room.

His hold on Linda sagged and she lessened her death grip in response. Her face came up away from where it was tucked into his shoulder and suddenly she was looking at him. Yesterday, even an hour ago he would have given anything for her to look at him with that intensity. Her eyes were a mixture of awe and hope. He set he back on her feet. He wasn't feeling anything.

Everything he had slowly built up over two years was now in ruins. In hours the whole city would know some version of what had happened and they would all have one fact terribly wrong. The Flash had not returned. Not that that would matter to the people, or the rogues, or Batman.

He was dead. Batman would find him and if he didn't someone else would. He would have to run. He had to get away, had to run, and find somewhere that no one could find him. Run fast enough that he broke through time and space to the places where no one could catch him.

"Easy, easy there kid. You're ok. Just cool down and think for a minute, you're ok." the voice pulling him back towards the living room, and he realized he was vibrating a dent into the hardwood floor. Darn, Iris would kill him. He tried to pull back the energy and found himself looking up into Jay's winter blue eyes.

"That's it. Come on back kid. You know if I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to spill your secret just to impress a pretty girl." Jay leaned in conspiratorially. "Not that I would blame you." From behind Jay an elderly woman thwaped him lightly over the head.

"Behave." she told her husband in a tone that said she had seen everything the world had to offer and was not impressed by his cheap attempt at humor. The tone was made a lie by the smile tugging at her features.

Wally managed a weak laugh and the tension drained out of him a bit. It had been an age since he had seen Jay and Joan Garric despite the fact that they were like grandparents to him. In some ways the Garric's were the perfect picture of an older couple. Both of them were silver haired with laugh lines around their eyes, and they had been married long enough to know what the other was thinking most of the time. Joan made the best apple pie he had ever had and Jay had been the one to teach him baseball between saving the world missions. As the first Flash even Barry had gone to Jay for help more then once and even though he had been retired for ages, to Wally, that was always who the man would be. Jay had created the legacy that he was just following blindly.

"So, are you going to tell me what made you rush in here like that after all this time?"

Jay knew. Knew he still had his powers, knew he was trying to cut himself off from them, knew everything. He was the one person Wally had never expected to fool. Jay was also connected to the speed force and could feel everything Wally did, if he cared to pay attention.

"I don't know." Wally said. "It was Weather Wizard and, I don't know, I just, reacted. He looked over at Linda who had been guided into a chair by Joan. His eyes were wide, his expression locked into something between shock and helpless fear. "I wasn't thinking, and now." he turned to look back at Jay. "I don't know what to do." his words had managed to stay at a steady pace throughout, but as if to counter it his hands never stopped moving.

"It's okay kid. We'll figure this out. Why don't you walk me through it. One step at a time."

Wally nodded. He started talking, then started pacing. The words weren't coherent to his own ears as if he forgot everything he said as soon as it passed his lips. He couldn't look around, just kept his eyes on the floor, afraid that if he did look up he would be alone. Jay stayed with him, not pacing but always standing. Laying a hand on his shoulder when Wally would pass him, being there. Joan had managed to materialize a pot of tea and sat on the couch next to Linda. For her part Linda seemed to be coping fairly well. While Wally recounted the afternoon's events to Jay she quietly asked Joan questions.

"Wally is the Flash?"

"Was dear and no not quite. He was Kid Flash, but he gave all that up when The Flash died two years ago. He was only fifteen then, and the man was like a father to Jay tried to pull him out of it but, Well, you remember how it was back then." Joan kept her tone soft. Laying everything out as simply as she could. "And when it comes down to it everyone handles things at their own pace. Trust me, if you meet enough speedsters you learn that lesson plenty well."

"Speedsters? There are more of them, you?"

"Yes there are a few others, though Flash was always the fastest. My Jay there is retired now but he was a hero once. There's Jessy Quick who inherited her father's powers and Max Mercury, though I haven't seen him in a dog's age. He might be gone now. The price for his powers was being pulled through time you see." Linda just nodded silently. "Barry and Iris had a pair of children who decided to live in the 32nd century, and then there's Wally."

Linda drank her tea then looked at it and put it down as if they were all just sitting there talking. "No, this can't be it. We were just attacked by the Weather Wizard. I was saved by a guy who I might kind of like, who just happens to be there and all of a sudden we're gone, and having tea. I don't even know where I am."

"14 Linnwood Drive since we appear to be telling secrets." another woman had entered from a door that Linda thought led to the kitchen. She was tallish with a lean build, auburn hair that was beginning to show strands of grey and hazel eyes. "Joan already got you tea? Good. I'm Iris, Wally's aunt. This is my house. I'm sorry we had to meet like this rather then more pleasant circumstances, but my nephew always has managed to get himself into trouble." The new woman came forward to sit lightly on the arm of the loveseat. She was facing the group, with most of her attention on Wally.

Wally stopped pacing long enough to turn in her direction and let his arms come out in a helpless gesture. "Iris."

"It's true." Iris had that spark in her eyes. It was the same spark as when she was turning a mark to give her just the right quote. "Ever since he was little. He used to spend summers here and he would drive me insane, always running off. Took me a month to figure out where he kept going off to." Iris turned to Linda and continued conspiratorially. "I really should have guessed, it was fairly obvious in hindsight, but it was across the city. I still don't know where he got the bus fare. Anyway he was going to the Flash museum. Back then he didn't know who Barry really was. We were still dating you see, and Wally thought he was boring, but the Flash. He adored the Flash. Drank it in like a sponge, his room covered in posters. It was adorable."

"Aunt Iris." Wally was clearly being embarrassed worse then if she had pulled out baby photos.

Worse Linda was grinning and it wasn't a good grin. "Well I did kind of suspect he was fanboy at heart. I mean I don't think I've ever seen him wearing anything other then a red shirt."

Iris was chuckling. "So you picked up on that? You know once he became Kid Flash I could always tell when he was trying to do something sneaky because that was the only time he wouldn't be sporting the Flash logo." Iris moved from the arm of the loveseat to sit next to Joan so she was across from Linda. She leaned forward as she finished as if imparting a secret.

Linda's eyebrows went up and she let out a laugh.

"Linda. Iris." Wally pleaded managing to make the names understandable before his voice degraded into a moan. His shoulders had slumped forward, and it looked like he couldn't decide whether he should throw up his hands in defeat, or move forward to force Iris back into the kitchen where she couldn't make this any worse. His former panicked energy had almost completely disapated.

Linda was tempted to make a comment about his face now matching his shirt but that would have been going too far. She did owe him for saving her life after all.

Jay put a hand on Wally's shoulder. "Face it kid, you've lost. Best to accept it with dignity and make a dignified retreat. You can help me with the beer." He guided Wally out of the room at a normal speed.

Linda let out a tense breath and looked at the other two women. "So, do you want to explain what we were doing there?" Her voice had lost it's amusement, it wasn't hard yet but it was clear she wanted an answer or it might get hard.

Iris leaned back and looked at her with growing respect. "Well, as I said: my nephew, Wally, was Kid Flash until two years ago. When the Flash was killed Wally didn't react well. Jay says it was partially physical. They can all feel each other through the speed force, and before you ask I can't really explain what that is beyond the source of their power. So when Flash died, Wally could feel it. He withdrew into himself. He spent days just sitting at the kitchen table. He refused to use his speed. I think, well we all think, that he was trying to break his connection to the speed force. It didn't work, and eventually I got him to start living again, or at least pretend like it.

"Then one day he used his speed. It was something normal. I think I asked him to go out and get me some milk, and he did it. He used his speed and he fell apart. I eventually got him to come out of it but it took a while. That wasn't the only time it happened. It's survivors guilt. He's getting better overall. He can use his speed now without breaking down if he actually thinks about it, but if he's surprised he'll still react and then when it's over he'll fall to pieces.

"So we distract him. Let him bleed out the energy through embarrassment and mindless tasks that he can't feel guilty about. It'll only work for so long but it's the only thing I can do."

Iris looked wistfully at the door that Wally had left through. Her voice had caught when mentioning the Flash but she had taken a breath and moved on, talking about Wally with dozens of layers of emotions behind each word. In this matter she wore her heart on her sleeve. Even a stranger could tell how much she loved him, and how much she was hurting to see him like that. Linda processed that information for a few minutes before asking the one question that seemed most pertinent to her situation.

"Why are you telling me?" the two women looked up at her and at first they didn't seem to understand. She went on. "You shouldn't be telling me this. It's a secret, his secret, and yours. I'm just a stranger and I'm not going to tell anyone but you don't know that. For all you know I could be planning to sell you to the Rogues the first chance I get. Even though that's not the case it's still a danger. Someone could put the pieces together and track you all down using what I know. You told me your address for heavens sake. I mean, I played along because Wally seemed, well, he seemed about to freak out and that would have been more then a little terrifying. With Weather Wizard, I don't even know what happened, it was all so fast. You could have shoved me out your door and I would have had no clue who any of you were. Even Wally would have been just a blur, and he was carrying me in his arms. It's not that I'm not grateful for the explanation or whatever this is but, why?" at some point while she was talking Linda had picked up her cup and now she held it in a death grip.

"You know," Joan said taking a drink of her tea. "I think I like her."

"Mmmm Yes. I can certainly see why Wally is so smitten."

Linda's face took on a slightly pink hue. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

This time it was Joan's turn to talk. "Oh I wouldn't worry about it dear. The danger would have been there in any case so we might as well have told you."

"I don't understand."

"Well, from Wally's account, he saved you right?" Iris waited for her nod. "And there were people around to see it?" Again she waited for confirmation. "Then trust me, by the end of the day people will not only be saying that the Flash has returned but you're his girlfriend. Someone in that mess will have gotten a picture or a cell phone video and then someone will recognize you and they wont think anything of it but the news will spread. Trust me on this one. I was in that exact same position. Only I was trying to get a story at the time, you don't even have an excuse."

"To be fair you falling into him like that was fairly suggestive." Joan was looking sideways at Iris and this time it was her turn to blush.

"Joan, I tripped. There was an explosion." Iris sounded a lot like Wally in that moment.

There was clearly a story there, and once she wasn't the one getting teased she started to feel a lot more at ease.

"Besides." Joan went on. "The Flashes were never all that worried about secret identities. My Jay never even wore a mask, just that old silver hat of his."

Iris was nodding. "Barry once told me he put together his suit because there was less wind resistance at low speeds, and the bugs of corse." Iris settled into her chair. "Secret identities is one of the lines no one crosses. Mirror master could have found out who the Flash was any day of the week. The Pied Piper had plenty of opportunities before he reformed. It wouldn't be hard for any of the other Rogues either, even a regular citizen. But if one of the Rogues started using his identity against him Flash would do the same. Before he died, Flash had the Lords behind him, and even if he didn't, with his speed it wouldn't be hard to search through a city. Half of the Rogues identities are known in any case. They may not be public knowledge but they are public secrets. Out of costume there's a kind of truce. The Rogues don't attack families, and Flash doesn't go after them if he see's them on the street, even if he knows they robed a bank just yesterday."

Linda didn't seem convinced. Iris pursed her lips and turned to Joan. "Maybe you can explain it better."

Joan finished her tea and nodded. "Let me see. Well, you know that every city has it's group. Metropolis has, or had, Intergang. Gotham has both Two face and Penguin trying to be top dog. Again this is more how things were then the last few years but you get the picture. In Central and Keystone we have the Rogues. But unlike other groups the Rogues have a code. Well there are exceptions, never trust Zoom. The reverse Flash is bad news."

"Abracadabra too, best to stay away from him." Iris put in her two cents.

Joan was nodding sagely. "They're both from possible futures though. Most of the Rogues from this time period are reasonable. They don't hurt children. They don't have anything to do with drugs. They don't just mindlessly kill civilians. It's the reason the other heroes and villains from out of town never took them seriously."

Iris crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. "Shows what they know, given that the Rogues are running this city now.

Joan laid a calming hand on her arm, but was looking at Linda. "Does that answer your question Linda? It is Linda isn't it? The introductions got a little lost."

Linda Nodded and drank her tea as she processed the information. It was a lot to take in, and while Linda was normally quick on the uptake, these people were something else altogether. Suddenly she had been dropped into the middle of another world and she and no idea where to take it.


Hello all,

First I would like to thank Catchandelier for acting as a beta. I certainly enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope it clears up a few things that I had left hanging. Next chapter we'll see a bit more from the girls.