Ashuri: Wow, you were super quick for reading the last chapter! I'm sorry I made you so sad, though I guess that's part of my job. XD Thank you so gosh dang much for your compliments. It really made me happy, and I'm super happy that you think that I should be a published writer. XD I hope that I manage to make you feel better about Dick in this chapter, though there isn't much to see. You're just as awesome, by the way!
Guest: I'm sorry for making you cry! And thank you so much.
I apologize for the amount of skipping around in this...
"What the hell do you mean that she missed?"
"Sir, agent Walsh was close enough to the target-"
"And yet he's still alive and now we've got a hospital blown to smithereens. What happened to being subtle?"
"Sir, you asked for a bomb to be dropped on our target. Subtle simply wasn't possible."
"Perhaps not possible, but she knew perfectly well what she was doing when she pulled that lever. She should have known what would happen if we blew up a hospital of all damn things."
"Sir, your orders directly stated that she was to bomb the target as soon as-"
"My orders directly stated that she was supposed to kill her target. What happened to that, sir?"
"..."
"Where is she at the moment?"
"At home with her kids and husband... sir."
"Call her in. When she arrives, take her somewhere quiet and X her out."
"But sir! She's one of our best-"
"I don't give a shit."
"But her children! Think about them! Her daughter's only three-"
"I said I don't give a shit."
"Sir, please-"
"I didn't ask for your opinion. You will take her off to the side, stand her against the wall, take a gun to her temple and blow her brains out. That's what X-out means, and if you can't handle that I'll ask someone to X you out. Do I make myself clear?"
"..."
"Do I make myself clear?"
"... Sir, yes sir."
Barry smiled in relief as they all stopped to catch their breath.
"The infrastructure is stable now?" he asked breathlessly, his hands on his knees. He had to run back and forth between the many parties, helping fix all of the eroded framings from the bomb that Robin had left behind.
Canary turned to the teenage girl sitting in the room with them. "What do you say, Batgirl?"
The redhead's lips perked up into a faint smile. "Looks good to me," she said as she typed away on her computer. "Wayne will definitely have to do some more permanent fixes, but the structure will hold for now."
Canary wiped the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand. "Good," she said, panting. "Good."
Barry felt his motherly instincts kick in as he watched Canary plop down next to Batgirl heavily. She was breathing hard, laying on her back.
"You alright?" he asked. She was still sweating, so she wasn't too dehydrated, but he couldn't always be sure.
She nodded as she inhaled greedily. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you want a glass of water?" Barry said.
She waved her hand airily. "Whatever." She closed her eyes. "If you wanna."
That was her version of 'Get Me Water Right Now', though he couldn't blame her for being subtle about it. She wasn't too fond of making people do things for her, and it had been especially hard on her recently due to the changes in her life.
Those changes were subtle, but Barry noticed them. He was sure that Oliver knew, and most likely Batman too-he was the World's Greatest Detective, after all—but other than that, he was surprised with how few people seemed to pick up on the hints.
But then again, no one else had his motherly instincts, so he couldn't exactly blame the League.
And yes, he was proud of them. No shame here, my friends.
Barry nodded. "I'll be back in a flash." In response, Canary mumbled something under her breath, though Barry didn't catch it.
One run to the grocery store later (the plumbing in the Towers was jacked up) and Flash was hauling some jugs of water for the rest of the League. (Don't ask how his trip at the cash register went. It involved female workers fainting and him freaking out and frantically apologizing.) He had the cliché, plastic red cups under his arm as he poured some water into one of them.
The fire trucks and ambulances had left, though a few police officers remained and were questioning a high-alert bat. Caution tape was spread around the front of the building. Barry ignored it and just ran under it and back into the building.
Flash was totally cautious.
"I'm back!" he called as he entered the room that Canary was lying in.
Originally it had just been her, Batgirl, and himself in the room, so he was quite surprised when a lot more heads turned his way.
"Thanks, Flash," Black Canary said. She was breaking off a piece of a bar to snack on. Green Arrow was standing behind her, his fingers grazing her shoulder as if he was worried about her health.
Batgirl sighed as she rubbed the bags under her eyes from beneath her mask.
"No luck?" Hal asked her. He had—slowly, mind you—started to grow fond of the younger bat. He was even slower with the rest of the Team, but he was getting there.
Batgirl shook her head. "None. He disabled all the cameras, just like how he did when he attacked Queen's labs. Once again, he leaves without any evidence we can pin against him. No fingerprints, no other witnesses, nada."
Atom frowned and crossed his arms, though his words were soft. "Don't blame yourself Batgirl. He was prepared. We weren't. It's as simple as that."
Barry was half-listening to the conversation silently as he massaged Black Canary's back gently. He had given the hero his last bar, reminding her that she should probably be wary how high-calorie it was. He also apologized that he didn't have anything else for her to snack on.
Aqualad seemed disappointed. "I'm guessing the people are going to think that another enemy did this?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Artemis said. "Our word is no longer as trustworthy to them anymore. Well, at least, not to some. Granted, while it might be beneficial to bring attention to who is really causing this, it might seem that we're pinning the blame on the 'real' hero."
"The League has years worth of loyalty, though," Zatanna said. "Are we just supposed to take all of our losses quietly? Without a fight?"
"You bring up a great problem with humanity, Zatanna," Green Arrow said. "People will always celebrate how good things are until it gets ugly. And when it does, they forget everything good you've done and will only forever remember the bad. Every time something like this happens, it's a big blow to our reputation. It takes a while to build the trust back up."
"And don't worry about 'taking our losses quietly'," Atom reassured. "We'll settle this. But sometimes we have to let our opponents bask in a victory or two. Let him. It'll just get to his head, which is all the better for us."
"I have a question," Barry said.
Green Arrow looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "What?" he asked tiredly.
"How long are we going to stretch this out for? This threat has gone on for long enough, in my opinion," Flash said. He pushed his thumbs gently into the ridge of Black Canary's spine, rubbing circles in the area.
"Flash is right," Canary said. "We need to get on top of this. Stat."
"Do not worry," Martian Manhunter said. He had been standing quietly off to the side. "I have a feeling after this attack, we will launch our own counter. And I've seen the expression on Batman's face. He knows something that will change all of this and give us an opening. Not only that, but I'd describe him as 'pissed off' as you humans say."
Hal snickered. "If Manhunter says that Batman's pissed, you know you're in trouble."
Flash poured himself a cup of water, quickly downing it before pouring himself another.
Batgirl suddenly made a noise. She quickly slammed her computer shut. "Turn on the news," she said, her face pale as she scrambled upwards.
Green Arrow made a confused sound. "What do you mean—"
"Just turn it on!" she snapped.
Flash immediately made it to her side, placing a hand on the young bat's shoulder. In his other hand, he held the red plastic cup. "Whoah, calm down sweets," he said. "What's the matter?"
She reeled around. Her eyes wide and lips pursed, she stared him down. "Turn on the news," she said quietly and fiercely.
Flash looked her in his eyes before he glanced over her head. He nodded to Hal, who started to scour for the remote in the room.
The silence was deafening.
Hal finally found it in one of the drawers of the desk sitting by the edge of the room. He fumbled with it, turning the TV on (which had been miraculously unscathed in the attack).
"-gun control my ass-"
"-oh my god, it's Tyler-"
"-lives in a pineapple under the sea-"
"-the latest news, all day, every day... At around six this morning a bomb was dropped on a local Central hospital," the news reporter stated.
Flash froze.
"The ambulances are still pulling bodies from the wreckage. It's too early to know how many were in the hospital at the time of the attack, but no one is taking risks. We have been told that they will not stop searching until every rock is uncovered. However, we have already received word that they have retrieved eighteen bodies."
A flash of hot emotion flooded his senses.
The news reporter paused to take a shaky breath. "Twelve of those were either already dead or dead by the time they were given medical help. At the moment, the rest of those survivors are in the ER. We are working on identifying those that have died in this unfortunate accident and alerting the—" The man blinked and his Adam's apple bobbed. "On alerting the families. We all hope the best for their futures."
"Oh my god."
"When the hell—"
"Flash?"
He felt his fingers grow numb. The cup slipped from his fingers and hit the ground.
Breathe, he told himself. Breathe.
Breathe.
He felt something running down his cheeks.
Tears?
No.
No.
"If Wally died, you might as well dig two graves. One for him, and one for me. Just throw me in there and bury me alive if that's what it takes, I would take it in stride."
"Flash, you have to calm down!"
"Holy shit, he's having a panic attack—"
"Someone get a chair!"
Hands were on his shoulders. "Flash, breathe."
See, stress piling one after the other isn't what breaks you. You know it piles, and you have a feeling it piles, but it isn't until the last straw is placed on that camel's back that you realize how close you were to breaking.
"Wally," he mumbled. "Wally, he was there, he was there—"
"Where?"
"The hospital."
He felt someone push him into a chair.
"I have to—" he said, and he felt his throat constrict. "I have to—"
There's your straw that broke the camel's back, sweeties.
"Oh my fucking god."
"Get Batman! Now!"
"Flash, I need you to breathe. Take in a deep breath, alright? We're going to find Wally. We need you to be calm."
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
"Allen." Another hand on his shoulder. "Allen, I'm going to get Wallace. He's going to be okay.
"I promise you."
Another heat-of-the-moment promise. I wonder if it can actually be kept this time.
But he didn't need to go far to find Wally.
A loud bang resonated through the building, and suddenly, Wally was standing near the entrance to the room, heels dragging against the floor as he slowed himself down from his run. He was covered in dust, tears, and blood. His leg was twisted at all the wrong angles, his suit torn at the edges, his hands shaking.
In his arms, he held a small boy.
Wally was there, certainly, but it didn't change the fact that the promise was still broken. Wally wasn't going to be okay.
"H-help," he croaked.
Flash sat dazedly, his hands shaking, his eyes burning. He tried to stand up, but someone held him down and kept him in his chair.
Wally collapsed into someone's arms that weren't the Flash's.
Above him, a voice spoke a few words worth a thousand bullet wounds as someone tried to gently take Ryan away from Wally.
He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, Wally, he's dead.
"No," Wally said as he struggled. "No, you have to help him," he said, his voice cracking as another wave of tears cascaded down his face. "You have to help him!"
Someone took Ryan away from him. Wally fought against the hands that were trying to take him away. He fought against the hands that were taking him to the Watchtower for medical help.
"No! You have to help him! You have to help him!"
If only they could. Unfortunately, it was too little too late.
Not everyone can get a happy ending.
LITTLE WALLY HAD ONE JOB. THAT JOB WAS TO TELL US HIS STORY SO WE COULD TELL IT TO YOU.
I QUICKLY FOUND THAT HE WAS OFTEN VERY TRUTHFUL AND KEPT TO THE FACTS OF WHAT HAD REALLY OCCURRED, SO I DIDN'T TEND TO KEEP CHECKING MY SOURCES.
I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
YOU SEE, LITTLE WALLY WILL ADMIT TO HIS LOSSES. HE WILL ADMIT TO HIS OUTBURSTS. HE WILL ADMIT TO HIS IMMATURITY. HE WILL EVEN ADMIT HIS OWN FLAWS.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE THING THAT HE HAS NEVER GONE INTO GREAT DEPTH WITH US.
I THINK YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT THIS 'ONE THING' IS SADNESS.
AFTER ALL, YOU'VE HEARD PLENTY OF THAT FROM US, HAVEN'T YOU?
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SADNESS THAT ONE GETS WHEN AN OLD FRIEND TURNS OUT TO BE A NOT-SO-GOOD PERSON. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SADNESS THAT ONE GETS WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF MANY DEATHS.
WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THE EMOTION THAT ONE GETS WHEN THEY GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT AND ALL THEY CAN THINK ABOUT IS HOW BADLY THEY JUST NEVER WANT TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE EMOTION THAT MAKES YOU LOOK AT YOUR CEILING FOR HOURS ON END, WONDERING WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE EMOTION THAT LITTLE WALLY HAS AVOIDED TELLING US FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY WE'VE ALWAYS MANAGED TO GIVE YOU A REASON FOR HIM TO BE SAD, AND HOW WE'VE ALWAYS MANAGED TO INCLUDE HIS PRIMARY REACTION, BUT NEVER HAVE WE TRULY GONE INTO HIS MIND AND THOUGHTS WHEN
HE'S
ALL
ALONE?
WHEN THERE'S NO ONE AROUND
TO ASK HIM
IF HE'S ALRIGHT?
WE'VE HAD THE OCCASIONAL AFTER-EVENT REACTIONS, MIND YOU.
BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO THESE MOMENTS.
I'M AFRAID THAT LITTLE WALLY CAN'T HIDE THIS SECRET FOR MUCH LONGER.
Black Canary closed the door behind her. She quietly moved forwards in fear of waking Wally up, though Martian Manhunter was adamant that he put the boy to sleep.
Wally had never looked so small. Granted, the boy was almost an adult, though Black Canary never thought she'd see the day where he was all grown up and mature. And yet here he was, his lean form so small under the large white covers that she almost mistook him for a child again. Pearl white bandages were wrapped around the tips of his fingers to his wrists after the many cuts had been stitched together; a thick cast had been placed around his leg; cream had been rubbed over the many burns on his back, shoulders, and arms; an oxygen mask was placed on his face, assisting his breathing after the amount of smoke he inhaled; his eyes required the attention of a lot of eyedrops-one, to moisturize the dryness and irritation, and two, to help heal parts of the eye that had been damaged by the blast; the hundred of blisters he had on his body had already started to heal, though several on his face stood out like a swan with a pack of flamingoes. Not only that, but the blast had also given him a concussion and had severely damaged his eardrums.
Honestly, it was a surprise he was even damn alive given all his injuries, but you don't just come out of an explosion unscathed.
Barry was sitting in the seat next to his nephew, holding the teen's hand in his own. He said the words that the Canary had been thinking for a very long time.
"He should be dead."
Black Canary took a minute to respond to him. She quadruple-checked the machines that Wally was hooked up to, choosing her words carefully.
"Yes," was all she managed to say. She adjusted the tube that allowed Wally to get his necessary fluids. Avoiding Barry's gaze, she found something else to comment on. "He's really thin."
Barry looked over at his nephew. His eyes softened. "He hasn't been eating very well since his mother passed," he admitted. "I've been trying, but..." He sighed and ran another hand over his face. "I've probably failed at being a pseudo-parent."
Canary glanced at him before taking a seat by Wally herself, sitting across from Barry. "Does he know that you care for him?" she asked quietly.
Barry hesitated. "I do."
"But does he know that?" she asked.
Barry sighed. "I really hope so, Dinah."
She gently ran her forefinger across the knuckles of the hand that Flash wasn't holding onto, taking note of how her finger dipped when she ran the pad of her finger in between the tendons. "Flash?"
"Yeah?" he said.
"When Martian Manhunter put Wally to sleep, he had to put the memories that he had just acquired to sleep as well, which meant he got to see them," Canary said. She released a heavy sigh, taking a second to start her story. "When Wally arrived, he and Stalker had a debate before the bomb was dropped."
"You say that like Robin didn't set it off," Barry commented quietly.
"He didn't," Dinah confirmed. "It was dropped by plane. We're not sure by who. However, we're guessing a third party. Most likely a villain, seeing as Robin is even more so of an enemy to them than to the League." When Barry didn't say anything else, she continued. "Robin was pissed. Wally's leg was stuck under some debris, which put him at a disadvantage. Then that boy came along." She swallowed heavily. "Robin shot him instead, in which Wally vibrated to get free of the debris to catch him. Which eventually lead to where we are now."
Barry's eyes narrowed. "He ran all the way from the hospital in this state?"
Dinah closed her eyes. "Barry?"
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Wally vibrated." When she got no reaction, she continued pressing the topic. "Through concrete. Without a nosebleed."
Barry was looking at Wally's bruised face. "I know," he said quietly. "I know."
The two of them fell silent.
"Barry," Dinah said, "the only reason Wally lived was that his body suddenly adjusted to deal with all of his injuries. In some ironic way, the explosion actually ended up saving him by making his powers more strong. Granted, the process of full recovery will still be longer than at your healing speed, but his injuries are mending faster than they've ever had before. Most of the life-threatening ones will be sufficiently healed within a few days at most."
Barry leaned back in his seat, still holding onto Wally's hand. He interlaced their fingers, making sure not to move the bandages or stitches beneath.
"Determination was always the best ignitor for a bonfire," was his only reply.
Between them, Wally remained fast asleep.
"Depression," Dinah said in a quiet voice to Batman. "I can already see the signs. It's all going to crash down in a few days. Maybe within the next twenty-four hours if we're unlucky enough."
"He's only been awake for a few hours," Batman challenged in a low voice. "He's also heavily sedated. How can you be so sure?"
Canary crossed her arms. "You cannot expect a child to go through everything that has happened in the past few months and just get over it. And if you're so determined, then just stay in that room for more than two minutes and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about." When he still seemed unconvinced, she continued. "He hasn't been eating nearly as much as he needs to, Batman," she said exasperatedly. "This isn't something recent. He's probably had a bunch of ups and downs even before this event started."
The man let out a sigh from his nose. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I really wasn't hoping that was the case," he muttered.
"I don't think any of us wanted to believe it." Canary wouldn't look Batman in the eye. "I think that's why we couldn't see it. The mind has a habit of denying things that don't seem plausible."
When silence fell over them, Batman changed the topic. "I suppose you're going to try to get him into a therapy session."
Dinah raised an eyebrow. "Try? I think I can do more than try."
Batman seemed to disagree, but he let the other League member leave without argument. He turned back towards the work he was trying to accomplish only to be interrupted by the automatic doors opening again to reveal Hal Jordan.
"J'onn told me about what happened at the hospital. Is it true that a third party was involved?" he asked as he walked towards the bat.
"If you already know the answer, don't ask." Batman didn't move his gaze from the computer screen in front of him as he replied.
"I'm just going to assume that you're confirming what I just said," Hal replied, unfazed at the coldness that came from Batman. "What have you got so far?"
Batman made an unimpressed noise under his breath. "I would have something to show you if you weren't so concerned with bothering me."
Hal rolled his eyes. "And? You obviously figured out something."
"Three things," Batman corrected gruffly.
"Three things, then," Hal said.
"First of all, I managed to link the grenade that Stalker dropped at Wayne Towers to its producers." Batman picked up the only piece of the grenade that survived its own blast, showing it to the other male.
"Who made it, then?" Hal asked as he took the piece from the other League member. He tilted it at different angles, looking at it with a sharp eye.
"MetropATLAS Labs," Batman answered blandly.
Hal frowned. "Those labs? I thought that those guys made the concoction that got rid of commanding powers. I thought we agreed that Robin was in control of the 'bird epidemic' months ago and that the same liquid they created was used to stop him. Why on earth would they team up with Robin?"
"The mixture was stolen months ago, not given." Batman watched it dawn on the green lantern.
"So MetropATLAS is behind all of this," Hal said.
"They got some help, but yes, they are." Batman ignored the scrutinizing gaze that Hal gave him.
"What do you mean, they got some help?" Hal asked.
Batman started to type something up on the computer in front of him as he spoke. "MetropATLAS is the sister company of an old friend of ours."
Hal raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Over Venture," Batman said.
Hal had a double-take. "What do you mean, 'MetropATLAS is sister companies with Over Venture'!? If Robin's allies with MetropATLAS—"
"That means that he's most likely allies with Over Venture Labs as well," Batman interjected. "I'm well aware of that fact."
Hal crossed his arms. "That makes no sense whatsoever. Over Venture was the reason he died in the first place."
"Yes and no," Batman corrected. "While it is true that Over Venture was the reason for his death, it was a specific branch of the company. That branch, which experimented with Project Source, was supposed to be working on numerous other things—which they had done to cover up their tracks—but their main goal was that one project. The rest of Over Venture claimed innocence when questioned about it. They either had no idea of its existence, or they were mostly left in the dark; either way, they weren't fully aware of the dangers."
Hal pursed his lips. "I'm still doubtful," he said.
"Then perhaps I should show you the third discovery," Batman said. He already had the page pulled up on the computer in front of him—it was easy to maximize the pictures of the three men and woman. "You remember the time the Team tried to infiltrate the Over Venture Labs without our knowledge, correct?"
Hal snorted. "I remember them failing, yes, if that's what you mean."
"The three main arrests that were made were against these three criminals," Batman continued, ignoring Hal's comment. He brought up the picture of Blaster and his two minions.
"Yeah, and?"
Batman then brought up a picture of Raylee Strong and Glen Hodges each.
Hal's eyes widened as he looked between the pictures.
"Oh."
Blaster's female companion had auburn hair and pale skin.
Raylee Strong was wearing heavy makeup, her hair was dyed black, and her eyes were grey from the contacts she was wearing.
Blaster's male companion had darker skin and black hair.
Contacts, a beard, and a slightly different skin tone were all that separated the two. That, and forged names picked up from the streets.
"Oh," Hal repeated. "Oh no."
"The entire debate that was on the news was a setup," Batman said. "It was meant to draw attention to Stalker. It worked, and it did it in a way without going severely overboard." Batman sighed through his nose. "The two of them escaped prison several weeks ago."
"What about Ryan Blake?" Hal asked.
He's talking about Blaster, sweeties.
Ryan and Ryan.
One's a bad guy.
The other's dead.
"It's your lucky day," Batman said sarcastically in his gruff voice. "Blake escaped two nights ago." When Hal remained silent, he continued speaking. "All three of them were Over Venture employers. This isn't a coincidence, Hal. Robin has clearly allied himself with Over Venture and MetropATLAS."
Hal shook his head. "That's messed up."
Batman rolled his eyes. "Welcome to life." He turned to the other male. "Is that enough evidence to make you believe me? Or do I need to show you another three things?"
Hal couldn't find an answer to reply.
LIKE BATMAN, I HAVE SEVERAL DISCOVERIES I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU, EVEN IF I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU THEM BEFORE:
- EVERYONE LIES.
- ROBIN'S DEAD.
PERHAPS MINE ARE A LITTLE TOO LATE TO POINT OUT.
MAYBE THEY AREN'T.
"Wally?" Black Canary asked quietly.
Wally was sitting on the white bed of the medical room, staring at the opposite wall. He didn't react to her question or her presence, even when she sat next to him. In his lap, a plate of cooled food sat. The handle of a fork was in his hand, but he made no move to eat.
Dinah raised her hand like she was going to place it on his shoulder, but she stopped and changed her mind.
"I was wondering if you'd like to talk about what happened," she pried gently. Her voice was soft like she was speaking to a child. "Kid Flash?" When she got no response she sighed. Taking the plate from his hands, she took it over to the garbage can, scraping the old food off of it. While she was doing that she continued to speak.
"Barry told me that you were upset when you woke up," she said. She felt like she was speaking to herself. "Can you tell me why you were?" She already knew the answer, but she asked it anyway.
She placed the plate on the counter in the corner of the room that held most of the medical supplies. Turning around, she frowned when she realized that Wally still hadn't moved. Sighing, she pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. She took his hands into her own. "Wally, please, can't you talk to me?"
Wally blinked. He had been staring over Black Canary's shoulder, but he slowly brought his gaze to her face. His eyes were empty of all emotion.
"Wally?" Dinah asked again hopefully.
The boy blinked again. He opened his mouth and took in a deep breath. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he just exhaled shakily. His shoulders were jutted forwards like he was trying to make them a barrier to protect himself as he brought his gaze down to their hands.
Never had Canary seen a speedster lacking in vitality the way that Wally was.
Canary sat there for forty-two more minutes speaking to deaf ears, trying to keep up a one-sided conversation. Several times she asked herself why she was doing it—and always, always, always she came across the same answer.
She wouldn't be able to look her own child in the eye if she knew she failed the boy in front of her.
The entire time he stared at her hands. He stared at the veins that lied beneath her pale wrists. He stared at the veins that were pumping blood to her heart.
Beneath all the bandages and layers of skin and muscle, his own was cold and silent.
OH, AND I FORGOT ONE THING. I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION IT TO YOU NOW. BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS THE WORST TIME FOR ME TO TELL YOU THIS. THE MOST RANDOM, TOO.
THEN AGAIN, I SUPPOSE YOU WOULD LIKE A BREAK FROM ALL THE ANGST.
SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE A NICE STORY TIME?
YOU SIT THERE QUIETLY AND READ, DRINKING FROM YOUR IMAGINARY TEA,
AND I'LL TELL YOU A STORY.
IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
SO HERE'S YOUR PIECE OF TRIVIA:
LITTLE WALLY'S HEART IS MERELY DORMANT.
HE COULD EASILY BE REVIVED, ACTUALLY.
LET'S GO BACK TO THE VERY BEGINNING, SHALL WE?
ANOTHER FUN FACT: WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A LOT OF THAT THIS CHAPTER.
WHEN ROBIN RECEIVED THE 'TRAUMA TO HIS SHOULDER' AS WAS MENTIONED IN THE REPORTS, HE GAVE UP SOMETHING TO THE SOURCE. IN RETURN, THE SOURCE GAVE UP A PIECE OF ITSELF AND INSERTED IT INTO LITTLE WALLY.
THE REASON SO?
BECAUSE, TWO MINUTES PRIOR, LITTLE WALLY WAS HIT BY THE SOURCE.
WHICH, JUST LIKE AISHA DEVRIES, SLOWLY STARTED TO KILL HIM FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
WOW. YOU COULD MAKE THAT A LITERAL DEPRESSION QUOTE.
ISN'T THIS JUST SUCH A WONDERFUL STORY?
BUT A DEAL WAS A DEAL, SO THE SOURCE ENDED UP HELPING LITTLE WALLY OUT AGAIN BY, AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY, PUTTING A PIECE OF HIMSELF IN LITTLE WALLY.
LAST FUN FACT: MY COLLEAGUE THINKS THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST HILARIOUS THINGS IN THE WORLD. I THINK HE NEEDS TO GET HIS HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER.
THIS PIECE OF THE SOURCE ENDED UP GOING INTO LITTLE WALLY'S HEART—WHICH HAD STARTED TO FAIL. THAT PIECE WAS MEANT TO TAKE THE BURDEN OF THE FAILING HEART AND HELP IT RESTORE ORDER. AFTER THE HEART WOULD HAVE HEALED BACK, THE PIECE OF THE SOURCE WOULD FADE BACK INTO ITS ORIGINAL POOL OF ENERGY.
OF COURSE, THINGS [SHIT] HAPPENS, AND THAT DIDN'T EXACTLY HAPPEN.
{ERROR}
...
WHO [THE FU—
{ERROR}
WHY [THE HELL] AM I SUDDENLY CURSING?
WHO [THE FUCK] MESSED WITH MY [DAMN] SYSTEMS?
[GODDAMMIT.]
[GODDAMMIT.]
[GODDAMMIT], STOP.
LITTLE WEST, I'M GOING TO [FUCKING] KILL YOU.
[I DARE YOU TO LOLOLOL V]
YOU [FUCKING SON OF A BITCH] PIECE OF MEAT.
[THANKS FOR STATING THE OBVIOUS, MADDY. NOW, CAN WE GET BACK TO THE PRESENT? WE'RE BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL HERE A LITTLE TOO MUCH. XD]
LITTLE WEST, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FOURTH WALL. WE ARE [LITERALLY] WRITING ABOUT THE [FUCKING] PAST. WE ARE [LITERALLY] THE FUTURE. AND [FOR FUCK'S SAKE] PLEASE, STOP MAKING ME SAY THE WORD 'LITERALLY' AND DEROGATORY HUMAN TERMS.
[I THINK NOT! IT'S FUNNY WHEN YOU CURSE. ;)]
I WILL LEAVE YOU TO WRITE THIS ALL ON YOUR OWN, [BITCH.]
[AWWWW YOU WOULDN'T ACTUALLY DO THAT TO ME, WOULD YOU? ;^;]
TRY ME.
[*DRAMATIC SIGHING* OH WELL, FINE. BACK TO STORYTELLING. -]
AHEM. ANYWAY, LITTLE WALLY'S—
[WAIT, YOU ACTUALLY CALL ME THAT? XD ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HOW LONG HAVE YOU DONE THAT FOR?]
LITTLE WEST, FUCKING TRY ME.
[*GASPS* OH MY GOD, YOU ACTUALLY CURSED WITHOUT ME HACKING INTO YOUR SYSTEMS! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! MY CHILD IS GROWING UP SO FAST. *WIPES TEAR* :D]
(-_-)
I'M NOT YOUR CHILD. I'M PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF BEING YOUR OFFSPRING.
[FINE, FINE. I'M DONE TROLLING. XD]
THANK YOU.
AS I WAS SAYING, LITTLE WALLY'S HEART WAS SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE BEATING EVEN AFTER THE PIECE OF THE SOURCE WAS INSERTED INTO HIM. THE DEAL WOULD HAVE BEEN UPHELD IF IT ENDED UP BEING THAT WAY, BUT THEN ROBIN DIED.
[DISAPPEARED.]
INDEED. PERHAPS I SHOULD REPHRASE THAT?
[NAH. JUST CONTINUE. WE'LL FIX ALL THE MISTAKES ANOTHER DAY. XD]
{COMMAND RECEIVED}
{COMMAND ACCEPTED}
WHEN THIS HAPPENED, WE GOT THE INFAMOUS BLAST AS ROBIN 'DISSIPATED'.
[THE BLAST WAS WHEN ROBIN GOT TELEPORTED INTO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DIMENSION, RIGHT?]
YES.
[LOL, IMAGINE IF WE HAD ANY ACTUAL READERS. POOR THEM. THEY'D BE SO CONFUSED. XD]
THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT SMALL ACT OF MERCY.
THE BLAST WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO AFFECT THE PIECE OF THE SOURCE THAT WAS IN HIS HEART. IT WAS TOO WEAK TO HANDLE IT AND IT STOPPED ENTIRELY. THE PIECE OF THE SOURCE TOOK OVER HIS HEART'S JOB AND ALLOWED HIS BODY TO CONTINUE TO FUNCTION.
[BUT, OVER THE YEARS, MY HEART HEALED! AND SO, BY THE TIME I TURNED FIFTEEN, I DIDN'T NEED THE PIECE OF THE SOURCE ANYMORE.]
INDEED. HOWEVER WITH THE SOURCE GONE THERE WAS NOWHERE FOR THE PIECE TO GO. THE PIECE ENDED UP REPRESSING THE HEART AS IT TOOK OVER ITS JOB.
[WHICH WOULD MEAN, THEORETICALLY, IF SOMEONE WERE TO TAKE AWAY THAT PIECE, I WOULD BE ALIVE AGAIN. :P]
YES, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS, LITTLE WEST.
[XD WELL GOOD JOB MADDY. THANKS FOR THE STORY. *BOWS*]
IT WAS MY PLEASURE.
NOW, BACK TO THE ACTUAL STORY?
[BACK TO THE ACTUAL STORY. :(]
BACK TO THE ACTUAL STORY.
[I DON'T WANT TO GO. ;-;]
NEITHER DO I, LITTLE WEST.
NEITHER DO I.
[:(]
Barry had chewed his nails down to the quick in nervousness.
He was terrified.
He thought that the worst was over when Wally managed to become stable, but clearly, it wasn't.
"Wally," Barry begged, "please. You haven't eaten all day."
A tray sat on Wally's lap. He hadn't touched any of his food, merely staring at the white wall across from his bed with no interest. His hands, pale and clammy, were folded and placed on either side of him, unmoving.
Barry felt like crying. It was just so difficult between hero business, the League, Wally, lack of jokes, Wally refusing to eat, more deaths, Stalker, and Wally refusing to speak.
Dinah had told him to not let the stress get to him, but that was a little bit impossible.
Barry picked up the spoon and dipped it into the broth. Soups were the only thing the boy could really stomach other than the weird food that had the texture of crunchy applesauce, though it wasn't as if he had eaten anything in the first place. Bringing it up to Wally's mouth, he tried to get Wally to eat it to no avail.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair before standing up. He closed the door behind him as he left the room. Canary was walking down the hallway at the same time, pausing when she noticed Barry. Her brows furrowed. "Barry?" she asked. "What's the matter?"
Barry swallowed heavily. "It's Wally," he muttered quietly. "He won't eat. I need your help."
Canary looked into each of his eyes. "Alright," she agreed. "I was just going to try to get him into a therapy session. However, if he doesn't eat, he's going to have to get his necessary fluids and calories by tube," she said quietly.
Barry ran a hand over his face. "I just want my nephew to get out of this alive, Dinah."
Canary sighed. "You're not the only one," she replied.
When silence prevailed, Canary broke the quiet with a serious tone. "How is he? Other than refusing to eat, obviously."
Barry closed his eyes. "Not good," he admitted. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Canary placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Barry. You're doing the best you can, and that's all any of us could ask for."
"It's still not good enough," Barry said.
"Nothing's ever good enough," Canary replied. "No one will ever be good enough."
When silence fell back over the two, Canary moved around the still form of the other League member. She pressed her fingertips against the door, pushing it open to reveal the same boy who they were talking about previously.
The tense silence followed her into the room, lapping at her ankles consistently. Canary had to remind herself that the boy in front of her was the same kid who was known for his cheerfulness and amiable personality. The dark shadows that lingered under his eyes gave off the impression that he was but a shell of what he used to be.
"Wally?" she asked while approaching his still figure. She sat in front of him, making sure to remain mindful of the way his hands shook and shoulders tensed. "Wally, I need you to look at me," she said softly. "Please," she added, though the unresponsive teen kept to his silence.
She sighed, the feeling of hopelessness swallowing her whole. "Your uncle is very worried about you," she said, "and I honestly have no idea how to help." She looked around the room disinterestedly, exhaustion starting to wear her down. "I want you to get better, I do. But I can't help you get better unless you try as well."
A quiet pause.
"What's the point of trying if everything ends up worse than how you started?" a small voice came.
Canary's head snapped towards Wally, her eyes wide. She blinked. "What?" she asked, dumbfounded.
Wally blinked wearily, almost as if he wasn't quite there. "I asked, 'What's the point?'" he repeated slowly.
Canary held her head in her hands. "Wally," she said after a moment's hesitation, "if I had the answer, I would tell you in an instant. But there is none," she said matter-of-factly. "The only thing you can do is suffer."
"I don't see the point in suffering," Wally murmured. "It's a useless torment to deal with every day." In the back of his mind, something flared up. He was supposed to remember something. He was supposed to be doing something...
"Of course it is," she agreed, "but that doesn't mean you can stop eating without warning. You have a life to live."
The silence that followed afterward was suffocating.
Wally let the covers hold him as he pulled them over his head.
With the lights out, darkness started to spread. Shadows lurked. The emptiness slowly started to gnaw away at him like maggots to a rotting corpse. The needle in his wrist moved, sending a flicker of deadened pain up his arm. He refused to take notice of it, instead closing his eyes tightly to keep the tears from leaking out from underneath his eyelids.
He rubbed his eyes, wincing at how sore they felt to the touch. He felt the silent tears fall onto the palms of his hands. Sniffling quietly, he tried to ignore the sudden flare of irritation in his hands. It felt like ants were crawling all over his skin, biting any of the tissue that was available to nibble away at.
He couldn't see the point of trying. If every time he did ended in someone's death, why would he even want to try?
His fingers twitched and trembled. Biting his lip, he pressed his thumb over the parts that itched the most. Trying—and failing—to rub the uncomfortable sensation away, he started to scratch at the skin.
He was too numb to notice the sudden bursts of pain that exploded along the surface of his hands.
It was too cold. No matter how hard he tried to keep himself warm, the covers were never enough. Neither was the jacket that he wore that was originally Barry's. Nor was the blankets that Canary had given to him when she noticed how much he shivered.
His fingernails caught on a scab on his hand, and, without thinking, he scratched it off. The deep wound started bleeding, blood pouring from the open gash. A drop slipped between his fingers and onto the sheets of his bed, staining it red.
Robin.
He switched hands, accidentally pulling a stitch out of his skin.
His mother.
Another stitch popped.
Ryan.
The bloody string was slowly pulled out of the sensitive part of his palm.
The irritation was too much to handle, and his hands burned with an intensity he had never felt before. Blinking back tears, he instantly felt the one emotion he tried to ignore overcome him.
Regret.
Despite the frigid cold, a drop of sweat slipped down his neck and in between his shoulder blades. His legs quivered.
There was something... Something that he forgetting. He knew he did something important, something that he was going to tell the League... Something...
He had to do something.
What was it again?
He needed to move.
Hands shaking, he untangled himself from the sheets. The cold air suddenly hit him, making him shiver as it draped around his shoulders and touched his sweaty forehead. Standing up, he stumbled as the sudden movement caused a wave of vertigo to strike him. Malnourishment caused his vision to grow fuzzy for a moment as his body tried to adjust.
Fumbling with bloody fingers, he pulled the tape and needle out of his wrist. He trembled at the feeling of it leaving his body.
He was just glad that he had removed the bandages from his hands hours before.
Scratching at his palms again—doing everything he could to relieve the consistent itching—he felt beads of blood drop to the floor in pats and pitters. He stumbled forwards, blinking away the spots that appeared in his vision.
He wasn't quite sure where he was going, or why he was moving at all—just that he had to escape the feeling slowly enveloping him. The stilled air nipped at his fingers and bare feet, the floor like ice.
A fever took a hold of his mind, making his thoughts fuzzy and eliminating any reasonable thought. His feet carried himself to the door, but he tripped and ran his shoulder into the slab of wood.
He didn't know why, where, or how, but he felt his chest clench up. Suddenly he burst into tears, his blood-covered hands leaving tracks down the door as he slid down into a small ball. His hands shook so bad he couldn't even look at them as he held them close to his chest.
He looked to the right of him.
The heart monitor stood rigidly, its face blank of all emotion. It was silent, quietly watching the scene unfold before it.
Wally felt a surge of pain flash through his chest.
Robin. Ryan.
Mom. Me.
All of them dead.
All of them flatlined.
Wally's face contorted. In a single second, his broken hands went flying, hitting the heart monitor with a crack. It crashed to the ground, crumpled and destroyed.
Wally heaved a sob as another wave of tears fell down his face.
"Why me!?" he yelled, his voice cracking with lack of use. An agonized cry escaped his lips as he held his hands over his ears, curled up into a small ball. He breathed shakily, letting the silence seep into the room before speaking again. "Why me?" His voice was much more soft, revealing the child in him.
Hands breaking, hearts drowning, souls dying, and Wally could only think of one thing:
Why me?
Raquel licked her lips nervously. "I guess that our plan of turning Robin good simply isn't happening?" she asked her leader.
"No," Kaldur said evenly as he stared out the window into the depths of space. "It's not."
A silence fell over the two.
"Artemis said that she was going to go bring Wally with her. Here, I mean. They should be arriving any minute now," Raquel said. "Just as you asked," she added.
"Thank you, my friend. You are dismissed," Kaldur said.
Raquel hesitated like she wanted to stay, but she did as she was asked of. She nodded to Conner on her way out, who was standing by the exit with his arms crossed.
She hoped that Kaldur could find a way to break through to Wally.
He was their last hope.
Canary frowned. "I'm not sure," she admitted.
"I promise that I'll be careful, BC," Artemis begged. "I just need to get Wally to Kaldur. Surely that's alright with you?"
Dinah shook her head. "Artemis, I don't think you understand. He's not okay."
"Please, Canary," Artemis said. "Please."
Canary sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright, fine," she finally said. "But if things go wrong, I am going to personally skin you alive."
Artemis nodded. "That sounds fair enough."
And that was how she found herself gently tugging Wally along. He was walking on his leg, but only with an obvious limp. Between his detached gaze and lack of arguing whenever she said or did something stupid, she could tell that he was not what he used to be.
After several minutes of awkward quiet, she finally decided to speak up. She went back and forth between topics, not expecting any sort of reaction from the other. Quickly running out of topics to talk about, she finally found herself at one she swore she would never admit to.
"You know, Wally, I have this friend," she started.
Wally remained blank-faced.
"His name's Grayson." No reaction.
"He's not all right in the head, to be honest... I think there's something up with his brain, to put it bluntly... Anyway, he's a nice kid. His family's the sweetest kind of people, and they always are so supportive." She paused, giving herself a moment to back out of what she was about to do before she did it.
"You know," she said slowly, "he really likes you."
Wally still had no reaction.
"He, uh, really cares about you. He's always talking to me about you..." She laughed awkwardly as they turned a corner. "I, uh, promised him that I would let you two meet sometime."
Wally glanced at Artemis who wasn't looking at him.
"I understand if you don't want to, but he's a good kid... I just want him to be happy. He's like a brother to me, you know?" Artemis said.
Wally stared at her for a long, tense moment. He then looked back out in front of him.
He's like a brother to me, you know? He's a good kid.
It reminded him of someone else.
"Yeah," he murmured.
"Hey, Kaldur," Artemis called. "I've brought Wally here."
Kaldur turned to them upon their entrance. He nodded. "Thank you, my friend. If you could let Wally and I speak alone for a moment?"
Artemis nodded. She glanced at Wally as she left, thinking about what she had confessed. She swore she saw his eyes light up a little bit more.
The door closed loudly behind them.
Wally felt uncomfortable, to say the very least. He hunched his shoulders as Kaldur stared at him.
"Come," the Atlantean said. "I wish to show you something."
Wally was confused when Kaldur walked in the opposite direction of where Artemis left. Why send her away if they were just leaving anyway?
Wally followed, wincing as his leg flared up. It still hadn't healed completely, even after several days of doing nothing.
Wally followed the Atlantean through the opposite doorway and down the hall.
"Wally?" Kaldur said.
Wally licked his lips in nervousness. "Yeah?" he breathed.
"When I heard that you were at the hospital during the attack, two things went through my mind. The first was when I had realized the position that you were in."
"Realized?" Wally whispered when the other fell silent, afraid of what he was going to say.
"Fear." The Atlantean, who had walked in front of Wally, slowed down so the two were shoulder-by-shoulder. "The thought of losing one of the founding members of this team nearly tore me in half."
"And the second?" Wally asked quietly, his throat parched and lips chapped.
"Failure," Kaldur said. "I had already failed you plenty of times, Kid Flash. I was not planning on doing so again."
Wally swallowed the lump in his throat. "You didn't fail me," he said quietly. "The only one who failed was me. I failed to take down Stalker. I failed to protect the witness. I failed to save Ryan. You couldn't have possibly done anything else for me."
Kaldur stared deep into his eyes. "Perhaps," he said, not convinced, "but I'm not going to fail you now."
Wally opened his mouth to ask what he meant when someone suddenly picked him up from behind. Wally squirmed as Conner adjusted him to be more comfortable in his arms.
"Thank you, Superboy," Kaldur said.
"Wait," Wally exclaimed hoarsely. "Where are we going? What are you doing?"
Kaldur remained silent, continuing to walk several meters ahead of them. Eventually, Wally stopped fidgeting. The three of them continued to their destination in silence.
Well, mostly in silence.
"I'm sorry," Conner said suddenly.
"For what?" Wally asked tiredly, confused as to why he would be apologizing.
"For being angry with you when Robin was first revealed to be our 'babysitter'," Conner supplied.
Wally opened his mouth, ready to say something along the lines that 'that was months ago,' and he could barely remember any of it in the first place—that he didn't need to be sorry for anything—when he saw the look on Conner's face. He had clearly been thinking deeply about it for a very long time.
And, before he could stop himself, the words, "It's okay" fell from his lips.
Wally followed Kaldur up the side of the structure. The weightlessness of their surroundings made it easier on his leg as he climbed, though the constant feeling of his stomach up in his throat was enough to make him wonder when he was going to throw up from nervousness.
Kaldur was patient—he almost always was—and slowly helped him up. The two probably looked ridiculous in their suits as well, though there was no one else there to make comment.
When they finally reached the top, Wally couldn't help but smile. Kaldur floated to the side of him, watching his expressions closely.
Standing in zero-gravity, on top of the Watchtower no less, Wally could see so much more.
Space—where all the stars were.
Sometimes it's just the brightest ones that count. Other times, it's the ones that you can't see that make the difference.
Floating like that, you couldn't say what was north or south or west or east. The only sense of direction you had was up, down, left and right, and if they were standing on the other end of the Watchtower, those directions would be revised.
"It makes you feel incredibly small, does it not?" Kaldur asked, breaking the silence, his voice just barely above a whisper.
Wally flinched at his voice in his ear from his comm, though he quickly relaxed. "Yeah," he replied in a murmur. "It does."
Ater a moment's hesitation, Kaldur spoke up.
"Batman showed me how to leave the Watchtower when we first arrived. He said, 'In case of emergencies, bring your team with you.' "
"Do you come here often?" Wally asked, absorbing the breathtaking view of the world.
Kaldur shrugged. "No. I did not see a time fit for this." He motioned to the endless space around them. "But I felt as if you needed to see this for yourself."
He pushed off of the skin of the Watchtower and into the endless void. The only thing keeping him from never coming down was a small cord on the surface of the base that was attached to the leg of his suit. Wally, following suit, pushed off towards him.
Beneath them, the Earth made another rotation in an endless cycle. Above them, the vast expanse of the stars painted just for them twinkled.
"My King told me that the only way to live was to do three things," Kaldur said. "The first was to realize that the end is inevitable. The second was to accept that the end is inevitable. The third was to do something worth humanity remembering—you only lived once, might as well make it worth remembrance."
Wally looked at Kaldur carefully. "Do you really believe that?"
Kaldur was quiet for a moment. "No," he admitted. "Not completely, anyway."
"What do you believe in, then?" Wally asked into his comm.
Kaldur shrugged. "The end is inevitable. Indeed, accepting the end is inevitable is the only way to live. However, I don't think being remembered is important."
Wally stared at the reflection of the stars in the glass of Kaldur's suit.
Kaldur turned to the speedster. "Wally, I do not believe that you have to be another person's hero. I do not believe that you have to do anything. The only thing I know about living is this: Make the end worth it."
Wally blinked.
Kaldur looked back to their home planet, his expression thoughtful. "That is what it means to live. Not to meet someone's expectations. Not to be a 'someone' for the people." The Atlantean faced Wally. "I do not care what future you choose, Wally. If you do not want to be a hero, then I will be by your side. If you choose to be a villain, then know that I will always care for you. If you choose to be someone greater, then I will do my best to get you there—whether or not your heart beats. But in order for that to happen, I need you to live first. I need you to try your best to be brave and make that end worth it."
Wally pursed his lips. "What does being brave mean?" he asked quietly.
Kaldur looked upward. "I do not know, Wally. What does bravery mean to you?"
Wally couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. "I don't know." He looked up to where Kaldur was gazing intently. "Why don't we find out?"
There they were. Those two small organisms made up of meat and tissue, hanging in a void of life by a single thread, decided to make a future for themselves in a world so much bigger than them.
"To living?" Kaldur asked.
Faintly, Wally could feel something turning in his brain, like a faucet. Though no water came out.
What was he supposed to be doing?
"To living," Wally echoed.
"To making the end worth it."
When Wally woke up the next morning, he was greeted by a sight that he never thought he'd wake to.
Batman was sitting beside his bed, his cowl off, revealing the face of playboy Bruce Wayne.
"Batman?" Wally asked.
The League member seemed caught off guard, though his face remained neutral. "Hey, chum. How are you feeling?" His voice was as gruff as it always was, though Wally could see in the way he was postured that he was tense.
Wally struggled to push himself up into a sitting position, though a little bit of assistance from Batman was enough to get him leaning against the headboard of the bed. "Fine," he muttered. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking up on you," Batman responded.
Wally nodded tiredly. "Hey, Batman?"
"Yes, Wallace?" Batman replied.
Wally closed his eyes as he let his head drop against the backboard. "I'm sorry for yelling at you before. You weren't at fault for everything," he said quietly.
"You had every right to," Batman countered. "Most of what you said was true."
Wally ignored the comment, instead deciding to change the topic. "The reason Stalker saved me... It was because he needed me alive, or else he wouldn't have his leverage over you, right?"
"Indeed," Batman said, letting the younger hero change the direction of the conversation.
IS THAT NOT ODD?
THE ONLY REASON STALKER WENT INTO THE WATCHTOWER IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS SO HE COULD REVEAL HIS IDENTITY AND GET VITAL INFORMATION. THE ONLY REASON HE STAYED SO LONG IN THE LEAGUE BASE WAS BECAUSE HE WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS NOT A GOOD GUY—SO HE COULD THEN REVEAL HIS IDENTITY.
AND HERE WE ARE, SAYING THAT STALKER WENT AS FAR AS TO SAVE LITTLE WALLY ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SO HIS SECRET COULD BE SAFE. HE SAVED WALLY SO HE COULD KEEP HIS THREAT OF KILLING HIM IN HIS HAT OF MAGIC TRICKS IF THE TIME CAME THAT HE WOULD NEED TO PUT BATMAN DOWN.
CONTRADICTORY MUCH?
Batman stood up, his cape swishing around his heavily-built form. "I have something for you," he said as he pulled out a box from the inside of his cloak.
Wally took it, opening it with careful hands. His newly stitched palms protested the movement. He blinked in surprise when he looked at the items inside. "What're these for?" he asked.
"You're going to need it soon," Batman said mysteriously.
"Soon?" Wally's eyes widened. "You mean that I'm going to be fighting?" he asked incredulously.
"That's exactly what I mean," Batman replied.
Wally frowned. "But won't the rest of the League disagree?"
"They do disagree," Batman said, "but they will just have to accept it. We need everyone's help. That includes yours."
Wally nodded slowly. "You're going to have to do some convincing, then," he said while he ran a trembling finger over some of the items.
"I do," Batman agreed as he pulled his cowl back over his head. "But first, I have to know if you are alright with doing this. We can leave you here if that's what you want."
Wally made sure to actually think about his response before he answered. On one hand, he would be fighting while still injured. He could even die if the circumstances were dire enough. However, on the same token, if the League really needed his help that bad then he had to go. If the League died and he remained, then he would be killed either way—Stalker could probably access the Watchtower if he wanted to.
Granted, it was unlikely for the entire League to die, but he couldn't say the same for individuals. If his team was fighting as well, then there were plenty of ways some of them could get extremely hurt. Or murdered.
He couldn't take the chance.
"Yeah," he said.
He was staring in the small box as he answered. He reached inside, pulling out the item that attracted his gaze the most. He had almost forgotten about using them years ago...
A pair of red goggles sat loosely in his hands, the lenses shining in the light.
"I'll do it."
Wally limped to the kitchen, his head swarming with the thoughts of fighting. Batman had told him to rest, but after another fitful nap, he decided to do something with his life. He found himself in the kitchen—M'gann had, luckily, already headed to bed.
He sat at the bar, trying to ignore the way the Watchtower seemed to creak and move. He placed his chin on a tent of his interlaced fingers. He was content sitting there quietly, though he wasn't expecting company.
Someone slid into the seat across from him, copying his position.
"You worried the hell outta me," Batgirl said.
Wally looked up at her. "I'm sorry," he replied exhaustedly.
Batgirl shook her head. "You are not allowed to give me such a scare for the rest of your life," she growled.
"Alright," Wally said.
"The next time you do I'll strangle you."
"Okay."
"If you don't keep your promise, I'll rip your throat out."
"Fine."
Batgirl's face was contorted into a furious expression. "Do you think that this is funny?"
"No," Wally replied. "I'm agreeing with you completely."
Batgirl scoured his expression to see if there was any lie there. When she couldn't find it, she continued. "If you die on me, I will personally find a way to revive you so I can kill you again."
Wally nodded. "Seems fair enough."
Looking at her closely, he noted the large bags that were under her eyes. It was then that he realized that Batgirl was still fourteen.
She was so young, and yet the stress was already chipping her away, piece by piece.
And once again, he remembered that he was forgetting something.
But first, one thing at a time.
"What time is it?" he asked suddenly, catching the young teen off guard.
Batgirl raised an eyebrow, but she pulled up her hologram. "It's eleven-forty-seven," she answered.
Wally smiled grimly. "Oh good, then I still have time." He stood up from his spot at the counter. Turning around, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Batgirl raised an eyebrow, sliding from her seat to see what he was doing. "What are you up to?"
She quickly found herself back in her chair. Sitting in front of her was a cupcake with a small candle in it.
"What's the occasion?" she asked as she glanced at the cupcake in front of Wally.
He didn't look up at her as he peeled the wrapper off of his own dessert. "What's the date?"
Batgirl gave him a confused look, but she pulled up her hologram back up. "November the eleventh," she said slowly. "I don't remember there being any holidays today."
"I didn't expect you to," Wally admitted. He shot her a small smile and lifted his cupcake as if he was saying cheers. His hands felt raw from all of the movement. "Happy seventeenth birthday to me."
And then he blew out his candle.
LITTLE WEST? I HAVE FOUND A WAY TO BREAK THE FOURTH WALL.
[-_- I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE]
I DID.
[WELL, HOW CAN WE BREAK THE FOURTH WALL?]
THE READERS.
[WHAT ABOUT THEM? THE FACT THAT THEY ALL ASSUME THAT ROBIN IS AFFECTED BY THE SOURCE IN SOME WAY? XD]
[WAIT.]
[OH.]
[OOOOOHHHHHHHHH XDDDD]
[SORRY, CHEETAH, FOX. :P]
INDEED. WE ARE SORRY.
[LOL, ARE WE ACTUALLY THO?]
NO.
[XD THAT'S MORE LIKE IT.]
"You are not seriously considering letting them fight, are you?" Hal said.
"It isn't a, 'Let's throw them with the sharks' deal, Hal," Black Canary said. "We actually need their help."
"But to let them fight in this of all things? I do agree that we need them, but still... They could get severely injured. Just look at Kid Flash," Wonder Woman said.
"I'd like to remind all of you that my protégé is still in captivity and has been for weeks now, and we don't have any idea what condition he is in," Green Arrow said. "I say that we need them—the sooner we can find Roy, the better."
"They do not understand the importance of this—the risk that they will have to take is too big a price," Doctor Fate said.
"You know, for someone with as much experience as you, you'd think you'd be able to understand the fact that kids aren't stupid. Innocent, yes, but stupid? Not so much," Captian Marvel said.
"Innocence is misleading," Atom said. "While a good quality, it is just as dangerous of a trait as stupidity is."
"You're going to have to clarify for me, Atom," Martian Manhunter said. "I don't understand how innocence affects their ability to follow commands and throw a punch."
"It doesn't," Plastic Man said. "But they're kids, people. They could be hurt. That's the problem."
"Your argument is invalid," Aquaman said. "As a group, your justification is weak—some of you are concerned for their safety, which is a healthy excuse. However, others simply cannot fathom the fact that the Team can fight in this battle. The rest cannot swallow the fact that kids are capable of such things."
"Aquaman, you haven't been here the entire time this has been going on," Hawkman said. "While your judgment is welcome, your presence will not be available during the time of the battle either because of the stuff going on in Atlantis. Your words are simply that: words."
"That's his nice way of saying that your two cents aren't worth shit," Hal observed.
"Hal," Wonder Woman warned.
The Green Lantern shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious."
Red Tornado interrupted the two before another banter could break out. "From my perceptions, I am lead to believe that much of the hesitancy stemming from letting the Team join this battle is from the age gap and the certainty of another youth getting hurt as Kid Flash was. However, assuming that Over Venture believes you to be as humane as you are, our enemies will presume that we will not let the Team join us in our attack. If I am correct, our chances of catching them off guard and receiving extra help increase our chances of succeeding in our mission."
"Red's right," Black Canary said. "We need them. They can help us."
"And they can also just get themselves killed," Plastic Man said.
Captain Marvel frowned. "They aren't going to die. They're completely able to—"
"To what?" Superman snapped. "We can easily take them down by ourselves. What's the point of bringing us with them? So they can end up like Kid Flash, broken and—"
"Get your head out of your ass."
The words were spoken so harshly by a usually kind voice, it instantly silenced the rest of the League. Wide eyes turned to the owner of the words, the tension rising by several notches.
"Wally has gone through more these past few months than most of you have in your entire life," Flash snapped. "If you are so immature that you can't handle the fact that the Team will be helping us in this next fight—which they will be—then you might as well leave now. We are heroes—every last one of us, no matter what our age is, where we've come from, or what our beliefs are. We are here to save and protect the people. So shut the fuck up and let them."
Silence fell over them.
"I told you," Batman said, seemingly unfazed by Flash's outburst. "They are going to help us in this next fight. What consequences befall us afterward will have to wait until we get over that hurdle. It will undoubtedly involve recovery. However, how much recovering we do depends on how willingly you'll follow instructions. Not the Team—you. If you want to continue to argue about it—fine. Take it somewhere else while the rest of us plan for the battle ahead of us."
"Batman, while I have no doubt that the Team is capable of fighting, this is not their battle. When bullets go flying, who's going to need to drag them around like dead weight? Not only that, but we don't even know where this battle is taking place. Over Venture has over a hundred different buildings across the globe. Any one of them could be holding Stalker," Hal said.
"Great to know that we're dead weight to you guys," Artemis suddenly said.
An awkward moment of quiet fell over the two groups—the Team being one of them.
"You snuck in," Wonder Woman said in a flat tone.
"No, we were just heading to the main control room to talk to Batman," Batgirl said. "You just happened to be speaking very loudly. Perhaps next time you should hold your arguments in your little debate room where we're forbidden to be. You know, just in case you don't want any people walking by to overhear you," she said sarcastically.
Wally was with them, standing behind Conner. The taller boy hid him, which he appreciated—he didn't want the Team's aggressive front to be ruined by him staring up at the ceiling blankly.
His eyes narrowed as something tugged at the corner of his mind.
That something he was supposed to be remembering...
"I'm honestly disappointed," Raquel said as she crossed her arms. "We are perfectly capable of helping you. We have before. That's what this team was made for. I don't know why most of you have had a sudden change of heart—maybe it's Robin, or Wally's injuries, or maybe even us as a Team—I don't even know. Why protect us if we're not going to help? You might as well just throw us in a cage and never let us out again."
Wally blinked.
Something suddenly hit him. Like turning a faucet on, the memory trickled into his brain.
He remembered now.
"We are not trapping you, we are doing this for your safety. We are looking out for you because we care," Superman said.
"Since when did you ever care?" Conner shot back. "Because you certainly didn't seem to care before."
[OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH! BURN, SUPERMAN! XD]
LITTLE WEST, YOUR COMMENTS ARE UNNECESSARY.
[LOL SORRY. COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. :D]
Wally found himself ignoring the following conversation that followed. The sounds that memory rung in his ears as he made his way to the computer on the other side of the room.
It's okay.
He could faintly feel the millions of pairs of eyes following him as he found himself in front of the computer.
A small smile made its way onto his face.
I SHOULD PROBABLY EXPLAIN.
NO WORRIES. THIS WILL ONLY TAKE A MOMENT.
YOU SEE, LITTLE WALLY FORGOT SOMETHING EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
SOMETHING THAT HE DID.
SOMETHING I DID NOT MENTION IN THE LAST CHAPTER.
BUT FIRST, WE MUST GO BACK.
I TOLD YOU WE'D BE DOING A LOT OF THAT IN THIS CHAPTER.
WE START SMALL.
THE SMALLEST OF DETAILS.
WE GO BACK TO THE CHAPTER OF LITTLE WALLY'S TEMPORARY RELEASE. THE CHAPTER OF LITTLE WALLY'S MOTHER'S DEATH. THE CHAPTER OF LITTLE WALLY'S LAST SESSION OF ABUSE FROM HIS FATHER.
BATMAN TELLS LITTLE WALLY THAT HE MUST BE CAREFUL WHEN GOING OUT. HE TELLS HIM TO COME BACK IMMEDIATELY IF HIS FATHER YELLS AT HIM.
"BATMAN PAUSED TYPING IN THE COORDINATES. "ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU DON'T WANT ME TO ESCORT YOU? BARRY COULD EVEN CHAPERONE YOU," HE OFFERED, AND WALLY FELT A TWINGE OF HAPPINESS GO THROUGH HIM AT HIS CONSIDERATION.
HE SHOT A SMILE IN BATMAN'S DIRECTION. "SORRY, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE TOO PERSONAL," HE ANSWERED, AND BATMAN NODDED. THE LEAGUER HANDED HIM A THIN BLACK DEVICE.
"IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, JUST PRESS THE BUTTON INSIDE. WE'LL ARRIVE AT THE SCENE IMMEDIATELY," THE MAN SAID, AND WALLY TOOK THE DEVICE GINGERLY BEFORE PLACING IT IN HIS JACKET POCKET."
IT SERVED AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE THAT WOULD SEND AN ALERT TO THE LEAGUE UPON THE PRESSING OF THE BUTTON INSIDE. IT ALSO SERVED, HOWEVER, AS A TRACKER.
THAT SMALL DEVICE THAT WAS MENTIONED ONCE AND NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN.
UNIMPORTANT, RIGHT?
ABOUT THAT...
UPON REQUEST FROM HIS UNCLE, HE LEFT THE DEVICE IN ONE OF HIS SUIT'S POCKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
WHEN THE HOSPITAL'S BOMB WAS FALLING FROM THE SKY, LITTLE WALLY PICKED UP STALKER AND HELD HIM IN HIS ARMS.
THE TWO OF THEM WERE INCREDIBLY CLOSE THEN.
YOU COULD SAY THAT IT WAS THE BEST TIME TO SLIP A TRACKER UNDERNEATH ONE OF THE PLATES IN STALKER'S ARMOR WHERE IT COULD NOT BE UNLODGED.
THAT TRACKER SURELY WASN'T IMPORTANT, THOUGH. AFTER ALL, IT WASN'T EVER MENTIONED AFTER THAT ONE EVENT.
ABOUT THAT...
Wally remembered now.
He slowly typed away at the computer. He opened the file that held all the different trackers' positions.
It did not take long for him to pull up a picture on the computer.
A small red dot was located in the middle of the screen—right in the center of a familiar building.
The same building that Robin died in.
DISAPPEARED, LITTLE WEST.
[I THINK HE DID A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH, MADDY.]
He felt his smile grow a little as he turned around. Batman seemed to be a little bit proud. Flash was smiling from ear-to-ear when seeing that his nephew was back to himself. Batgirl was grinning at the karma that was starting to unfold.
Make the end worth it.
Wally felt his smile grow into a smirk.
To living.
He was back in business.
It's okay.
"What was that about us being dead weight, Hal?"
HE IS CURLED INTO A SMALL BALL. THE RAIN POURS HEAVILY AROUND HIM. HE SHIVERS, TREMBLING SO BADLY THAT HE CAN'T EFFECTIVELY HOLD HIS HANDS OVER HIS HEAD.
NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM HIM, THE OVER VENTURE BUILDING THAT ROBIN DISAPPEARED IN STANDS. IT IS BLISSFULLY UNAWARE OF THE BATTLE THAT IS TO COME.
THE BOY BITES HIS LOWER LIP AS HE STRUGGLES NOT TO CRY.
THE MEMORY HE HOLDS ONTO CONTINUOUSLY PLAYS ON REPEAT IN HIS HEAD.
THE REGRET IS THERE.
THE REGRET WAS THERE FOR A LONG TIME.
IT WAS EVEN THERE BEFORE HE PULLED THE TRIGGER.
IT WAS THERE THE SECOND HE SAW RYAN COME INTO VIEW.
BANG
BANG
BANG
AND DEAD.
THE YOUNG BOY FELL.
HE IS THE ONE WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER,
AND HE COULDN'T HATE HIMSELF MORE FOR IT.
"WHY AM I DOING THIS?" HE WHISPERS TO HIMSELF. HE BREAKS OUT INTO ANOTHER SOB. "WHY AM I DOING THIS?"
WHY IS HE DOING THIS?
EVERY STORY NEEDS ITS BAD GUY.
HE KNOWS WHAT IS COMING. HE KNOWS THAT HE WILL HAVE TO FACE THE REPERCUSSIONS FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE KNOWS, HE DOES NOT TELL OVER VENTURE.
HE DOES NOT TELL HIS ALLIES.
HE HAS DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE ALREADY.
HE SHIVERS AGAIN.
HE BLINKS AWAY THE TEARS.
IN THE SILENCE, HE ALLOWS THE RAIN TO SOAK INTO HIS CLOTHES AND SOAK HIM.
HE WISHES IT COULD DROWN HIM.
"WHY AM I DOING THIS?"
HE PAUSES.
HE OPENS HIS EYES, PUFFY AND RED.
HE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
HE KNOWS THAT HIM AND OVER VENTURE ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THIS BATTLE.
THEY ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO WIN.
THAT CHANCE IS THE VIRUS THAT LIVES INSIDE LITTLE WALLY.
STALKER LOOKS UP INTO THE GRAY SKY.
"I'M NOT ROBIN," HE SAYS BROKENLY.
NO, HE IS NOT.
HE IS NOT THE YOUNG CHEERFUL BOY THAT BROUGHT SMILES TO THE FACES AROUND HIM. HE IS NOT THE BOY THAT ALLOWED BATMAN TO KEEP GOING. HE IS NOT THE BOY THAT LITTLE WALLY BECAME BROTHERS WITH.
HE IS COLD.
HE IS EVIL.
HE IS A KILLER.
HE IS STALKER.
EVERY STORY NEEDS ITS BAD GUY.
THE DROPS OF RAIN FALL ONTO HIS FACE, RUNNING DOWN HIS CHEEKS AND NOSE.
THE SILENCE SLOWLY REACHES OUT TO HIM.
IT GRABS ONTO HIS HEART AND CRUSHES IT.
HIS LIP TREMBLES AS AN IDEA PLANTS ITSELF INTO HIS MIND.
THE VIRUS.
HE LOOKS AT HIS WRIST.
THE OVER VENTURE-MADE WATCH SITS INNOCENTLY.
HE STARES AT IT.
THE WATCH IS EVERYTHING TO HIM.
IT HAS LIED ON HIS WRIST FOR AS LONG AS HE HAS KNOWN. HE HAS SUFFERED, SUCCEEDED, AND SUCCUMBED WITH IT ON AS IT FELT HIS PULSE.
IT HOLDS ALL THE PLANS AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH HIS ALLY.
IT HAS THE ABILITY TO ACTIVATE THE VIRUS.
THE VIRUS.
OVER VENTURE'S ONE CHANCE AT WINNING THIS BATTLE.
HE STARES AT IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
HE UNHOOKS THE WATCH FROM HIS WRIST, HOLDING IT IN HIS HAND.
HE STANDS, STILL SNIFFLING.
AROUND HIM, THE RAIN POURS HEAVILY. LIGHTNING FLASHES.
HE TAKES A GOOD LOOK AT THE WATCH, THE IDEA IN HIS MIND STARTING TO SLOWLY GROW.
IT STARTS TO COME TO LIFE.
THIS IS THE ONE CHANCE FOR VICTORY.
AFTER ALL, EVERY STORY NEEDS ITS BAD GUY—HE IS THE BAD GUY.
STALKER STANDS, HIS EYES BRIMMING WITH MORE TEARS AS HE REMEMBERED THE HATEFUL EXPRESSION THAT FLASHED ACROSS LITTLE WALLY'S FACE AS HE RAN AWAY.
HE LETS THE WATCH SLIP BENEATH HIS FINGERS.
IT CLANGS LOUDLY AS IT HITS THE GROUND.
HE CAN DECIDE THE FUTURE FOR OVER VENTURE AND THE LEAGUE.
ALL HE HAS TO DO IS USE THAT WATCH TO THREATEN LITTLE WALLY'S LIFE.
HE CAN DECIDE HIS OWN FUTURE.
A HERO OR A VILLAIN?
WHICH ONE IS HE?
EITHER WAY, HE IS THE BAD GUY.
HE WILL ALWAYS BE THE BAD GUY FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE TRUTH.
HE WILL ALWAYS BE THE BAD GUY.
NEVER SOMETHING MORE.
STALKER BRINGS HIS FOOT UP, LETS A TEAR FALL, AND SMASHES THE WATCH BENEATH THE HEEL OF HIS FOOT.
JUST LIKE THAT, HE DESTROYS ALL CHANCES OF OVER VENTURE WINNING.
HE HAS JUST MADE HIMSELF LOSE.
THE LEAGUE IS NOW GUARANTEED TO WIN THIS NEVERENDING BATTLE.
HE WAITS FOR THE REGRET TO COME, JUST AS IT DID WHEN HE SHOT RYAN.
IT DOESN'T.
EVERY STORY NEEDS ITS BAD GUY.
LIGHTNING FLASHES AND A RUMBLING OF THUNDER SHAKES HIM TO HIS CORE.
HE WILL ALWAYS BE A BAD GUY.
"FOR WALLY," HE SAYS. "FOR ROBIN."
THE DOWNPOUR DRENCHES HIM AS HE LEAVES THE ALLEYWAY THAT HE HID IN.
HE LEAVES THE REMAINS OF HIS DEFEAT BEHIND.
HE LETS ANOTHER TEAR FALL AS HE WRAPS HIS ARMS AROUND HIMSELF.
THE LEAGUE WILL BE THE WINNER.
THE LEAGUE IS ALWAYS THE WINNER.
HE LETS THE REGRET DRAIN OUT OF HIM.
HE IS JUST ANOTHER BAD GUY NOW.
HE WILL ALWAYS BE A BAD GUY.
TIME TO FINISH WHAT HE STARTED.
LET THE SHOWDOWN BEGIN.