Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the writing and some plot ideas.
100 reviews! OMG THANK YOU ALL! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
And I feel so guilty. I haven't been able to write much of this story, so I'm nervous I'm falling behind in the chapters. I had a final essay to write that's pretty much not important in the grand scheme, but it has to be really good so that I can graduate. Screwed up the last week it did. Coupled with being behind in writing Enough, well, I'm nervous about my current story. I should update Friday though, no worries about that. I'm going to try and use this week to get caught up in writing (Because school if finally in that slow lull period) but I also have to start those pesky University applications, and essays... :/ So overall, this is a week of willpower and no sleep! We'll see how this goes over. Cross my fingers!
"Oh no you don't! Hand it over or I fry the fish-boy and green-bean!" said a voice, ringing from around the tower. Kid couldn't pinpoint the location, the magic throwing off his senses. But the message was enough to make him falter.
'No!' cried M'gann's anguished voice in his head, and Wally stopped entirely, eyes wide as he realized what must have occurred. He had fried his friends! 'Kaldur!'
Wally swallowed as he faintly heard the crackle of fire from the top of the tower. His eyes went wide, and his feet moved on their own, back in the direction of the flames rather than out of the tower. He competely forgot his friends, or the importance of keeping it away from the crazy evil forces. All Wally knew was that he had to get there, he had to help his friends! Wally heard a rage-filled roar of anger, and immediately knew Superboy was on the scene.
When he finally arrived, Wally's eyes went wide in horror. Superboy was trapped with Artemis in a dark orb, banging against it but to no avail as he yelled unintelligibly. Artemis was scowling furiously, but was more reserved in her anger, choosing to keep her bow strung and try and sense for weak-points in the orb by kicking it. Kaldur was unconscious in M'gann's arms, and she looked barely awake herself. The fire in the air was stifling them, and M'gann was already on her knees from the heat.
And in the center of all the destruction, standing like a lofty prince, was Klarion the Witch-Boy. His blue skin was glowing eerily, like a slew of jelly-fish in the underwater aquarium he'd gone to as a kid but with less awe and marvel, and more fear. His dark eyes were glittering with malice and a disgusting smirk was on his face. He looked triumphant.
"Finally!" said Klarion with a grin that made the Joker envious, "It's about time you showed up! Hand over the helmet brat-Flash, or otherwise fishy becomes fish sticks for Teekl!"
To emphasize his threat, the dark flames drew closer to Aqualad and Kaldur. M'gann gave an anguished cry, and the barely hanging on mental link vaporized. Kid was horrified at the scene. His stomach lurched, and the teenager shuddered. His eyes caught site of Mr. Nelson, laying dead before M'gann and Aqualad. If the man was here, as Dr. Fate, everything would be okay. If Dr. Fate hadn't been stupid enough to not install proper Bat-Tech security, this wouldn't be a problem.
And then, inspired by the stupid feeling in his gut, Wally ran quickly, his glasses slipped off and fell to the ground, as he raced around the flames, trying to create a vacuum to put it out. Amid all the running, he slipped the Helmet of Fate on to his head, and then everything went black.
"Hello there," said a kindly old voice, and Kid Flash groaned as he looked up.
His jaw dropped at the site. It was old Mr. Nelson, standing upright with his neck not snapped with blood pouring from the side. He was dressed in a fine suit, and he looked healthy and well, like Jay did. Not like the weakened old man Wally had seen at the Tower of Fate. Which begged the question- how?
"Kid? You with me?" asked the man, gently placing a hand on Wally's shoulder. It touched him, rather than going through like a ghostly hand should.
"You're dead!" he blurted out, all lessons of manners and tact evaporating from his mind. Somewhere in Wayne Manor, Alfred felt the urge to cry.
"You mean the body? Yeah, it's old and useless," said Mr. Nelson jovially, "Quite unnecessary to wallow about it, if you asked me. A hundred and six years of life is a long, good time for anybody."
"But you're dead! Wait- Am I dead?" asked Wally, as he stood up and dusted himself off. His clothes were still his Kid Flash civvies, the large yellow Flash hoodie and jeans, and his hair was still red and tangled. But his glasses were missing. Crud. "Where are my glasses?!"
"Probably where you left them," said Mr. Nelson easily, "You're not dead kid, you're as alive as I am, but better because you have a body to return to."
"Is this some magic mumbo-jumbo?" demanded Wally of the older man.
"Ah, so you're that kind of a man," said Mr. Nelson with a satisfied nod that made Wally squirm as though he was being judged, "To answer your question, yes, this is the magical mumbo-jumbo. We're trapped in the Helmet of Fate, or at least, our spirits are. Me, I'm here because my time of passing has not yet come. Fate doesn't have a host, thus I'm required to stay with the Helmet until Nabu finds a new host. You, you're Nabu's temporary host, Kid."
"Nabu- That's Dr. Fate, right?" asked Wally uncertainly, "And what do you mean I'm a host?"
"See for yourself," said Mr. Nelson, pointing behind Wally.
He turned around and his jaw dropped at the site.
Dr. Fate stood in the centre of the tower, his hands forming a glowing golden ankh in the air, expelling the flames that had once trapped Aqualad and Miss Martian. Behind him, Superboy and Artemis crouched, looking exhausted and worried. Dr. Fate was tiny, not at all like what Kid had imagined. His body was small and bony, about the size of a twelve or thirteen year old kid. His clothes were a royal blue, and the helmet's gold shone on the Kid's head. Kid. Oh. OH!
"Why am I Dr. Fate?!" demanded Wally, horrified.
"Nabu is the Lord of Order that resides within the Helmet of Fate," explained Nelson, "You put on the Helmet, you surrender your body to the God. Right now, he's fighting for your friends and for your own life."
"But- But- I can't be Fate! I'm not magical! I'm sciencical!" whined Wally, "And Kid Fate is the lamest idea ever. I'm Kid Flash, got it?"
"Kid Fate," mused Nelson, smiling slightly at the idea, "It's a cute name. Though I doubt Nabu would approve much of it. He's sort of a fuss-pot about things like that. Don't worry, when the big guy's done out there, I'll tell him to let you go."
"Right," said Kid Flash, grimacing at the idea of playing host to the magical parasite, "He better. No offence dude, but I do not want to spend the rest of my life in this- whatever this is- with you, even if Jay says you're a stand-up guy."
"Jay! How is he? I was planning to see he and Joan before his ninetieth," said Kent with a beam, "He was always fond of you Kid. Talked about Barry and the Kid all the time whenever we spoke on the phone."
"Jay's fantastic," said Wally with a nod, "So's Joan, but she keeps talking about hip replacements and arthritis. Aunt Iris thinks she's doing it to keep Jay from running off in the Flash suit and getting injured."
"Flashes, never could stop running," said Nelson fondly, "But you get women like Joan and Iris, they know how to slow their men down, keep them from running off. Like lightning rods to you boys."
Wally squirmed at the uncomfortable turn of conversation, and Nelson raised an eyebrow. Wally wasn't too sure how to broach the subject comfortably. He instead gave a shaky smile, before clamming up entirely. Just because Mr. Nelson was nice and believed in magic and all that didn't necessarily mean he'd be comfortable with the diverse sexuality thing. Besides, look at Ra's al Ghul, he was like five hundred or something and had major issues with Damian and Colin's relationship. Not that Nelson was Ra's, but better to be safe then sorry.
"Don't worry Kid," said Nelson with an easy nod, "You'll find your lightning rod someday. Course, considering the recklessness of putting on the helmet, they'd better be someone who can patch you up when you get back. Inza was like that for me, always by my side. Not that she let me get away when I ran off to be a hero, she always challenged me. A spitfire if there ever was one."
"I don't want to be patched up," scoffed Wally, "Alfred will always be there to do that anyways. Where's Inza now?"
"She's moved on," said Nelson with a sigh, a wistful look in his eye, "In the next world, she is."
"I'm sorry," said Wally sincerely, hating the lost look in the older man's eyes.
"Don't be," said Nelson with a wave of his hand, "I'm on my way to her soon. Besides, Inza was never one to take kindly to pity."
"Kind of like a friend of mine," murmured Kid, grinning as he thought of Superboy and how he rejected anyone's pity at his situation in preference to stew in anger.
"Good friend, huh?" asked Nelson slyly, with a conspiratorial grin.
"He's great," said Kid fondly, not catching on.
Nelson raised an eyebrow at this, but gave a kind smile as he pet Kid's shoulder. There was a sudden rattling of the helmet, and both men shook on their feet, until the balance returned and they found themselves standing again, upright and able. Mr. Nelson placed a gentle hand on Kid's shoulder to help steady him. Kid wasn't used to the sudden shaking of the world around him. Mr. Nelson was, apparently.
"Great friends are always worth the wait," said Nelson wisely, "Inza was my best friend, the best person I could have by my side. Loyal and kind, and patient. When you give your heart away Kid, give it to a friend, a great friend indeed."
Wally stared at Nelson, a bit surprised at the turn of the conversation, but the solemn tone made him nod rather than argue. It was wise advice nonetheless, and Wally could appreciate that. But he had no idea where the topic of love came into friendship. Maybe old age and dying had caught up with the man and made him go off the bend a little.
"Now excuse me," said Nelson with a wink, "It's time to get you out of here."
"Out?" asked Wally, feeling a bit stupid.
"Battle's over Kid," said Nelson with a shrug, "Kid Flash or Kid Fate?"
"Flash," said Wally immediately, and Nelson grinned, "But- What about you? I mean, if I don't stay you're stuck here. What about Inza?"
"She's waited this long, what's a little longer?" said Nelson, though he looked a bit sad at the idea, "And you're young kid, you have a life ahead of you. I've got all the time in the world to wait. I'm glad we met Kid. Take care of yourself."
"Wally," said Kid immediately, struck with a sudden lump in his throat, "My name is Wally Wayne. Nice to meet you Mr. Nelson."
Mr. Nelson's eyebrows shot up, and he smiled widely at Wally as he reached out and ruffled Wally's hair, "My name is Kent Nelson. I was glad to to be your friend."
"Yeah, me too," said Wally, as it suddenly struck him that he would never speak to this man again. Tears pricked his eyes at the thought of leaving the old man and his helmet. And then his adventure came to a close.
Superboy gaped at the remaining carnage of the scene. The Tower of Fate had been burnt and destroyed in the upper levels. The helmet of Fate remained secured atop Wally's head. Wally's body had sustained a heavy blow to his ribs, and he looked uneasy as he swayed on his feet. The witch-boy had been chased off after his cat had sustained an injury, and Abra Kadabra was already tied up thanks to Artemis. The authorities were on their way to pick up the notorious criminal.
"Kid?" asked the clone nervously, approaching the strange figure, that despite his tiny and lean stature, was giving away an imposing aura.
As he walked, his foot knocked over something that felt nothing like ash or debris. To the clone's surprise, it was Kid's sunglasses. The clone gazed at them in shock, eyes wide. He turned back to where Kid stood, until the helmet came off. He swayed for a minute, eyes shut and then Kid keeled over.
Superboy rushed to his friend's side, and lifted him gently into his arms. Artemis was beside them in a second, grabbing the Helmet of Fate as M'gann levitated Kaldur. Aqualad was in dire need of medical attention. Klarian had caused one of his water-bearers to explode in his hand, and the shrapnel had lodged itself into his fingers. One finger was neatly sliced off, and M'gann was holding it tightly. Two others were barely hanging on. The fire had only worsened Kaldur's condition from the blood loss.
"Let's go," said Artemis quietly.
The rag-tag group made their way outside of the Tower of Fate. They'd already sent a distress signal to the Watchtower for aide. By the time they got outside, Red Tornado had arrived with Green Lantern John Stewart. The two senior heroes immediately assessed the condition while Artemis briefed them. The blonde was the only one of the three standing that managed to keep her wits about her for the debriefing.
"I'll take the kids to the base," said John to Tornado, "Will you be okay making the arrangements for Kent?"
"I shall take care of things here," agreed Tornado with a nod, though if the robotic voice could sound depressed, than that was a good impression, "Nelson was a very good friend, and I shall grieve his loss."
"C'mon kids," said John, looking at the shell-shocked group with sympathy in his eyes, "You did good today."
Superboy clenched his hands into fists, feeling angry. Did good? Kent Nelson had died! Kaldur's hand was badly damaged! Kid- Kid was unconscious. The last fact brought Superboy back down to the body in his arms. Kid looked so much younger without the sun-glasses on his face. He had a lot of freckles dusting across his nose and cheeks. His eyelashes were dark red, like his hair, and they were long and dainty. Girly almost. But his eyebrows were thick, not bushy, but full. Usually only his eyebrows clued Superboy into his expression. Superboy felt odd as he laid Kid down on medical bed in the Bio-ship, still studying the boy's face intently.
Kid's nose had a bump on it, like it had been broken before. There was a small white line near his right ear that usually both his hair and glasses covered. A scar from long ago perhaps, and barely visible unless spotted. There was wisps of red-hair growing around his ears, and without careful grooming would probably develop into sideburns. His hair curled at the nape of his neck. Kid's face was much larger without the glasses too, and his cheeks seemed fuller, rounder and very white. Superboy almost understood why someone might pinch them.
The jaw line of Kid's face was angular, however, and still developing. He'd probably have a strong jaw-line in the future in his heart shape face. There was a boyishness about him, a mischievousness in his face. Kid looked merely asleep rather than knocked out.
His shirt was rising up after he'd been laid down, revealing a dark purple bruise that was splattered across his ribs, rising up to lick up his stomach and then disappear under the cloth. It was nasty and painful looking, but by the time they'd reach Mount Justice, it would have faded to a meeker dark red. Nevertheless, it made Superboy's heart do that strange squeeze-thing, but not out of sadness, but of anger. He didn't know this emotion. He was hard-placed to name it. So he brushed it off as another odd body reaction to be studied later. Kid was very pale, not ghost like, but like the cream sheets Black Canary had given him for his bedroom. By contrast, Superboy placed his hand near Kid's head, and marveled. His own hand was at least four shades darker, with a browner tone to it than Kid's pink.
Skin pigmentation is primarily derived from melanin. Melanin is a pigment produced by melanocyte cells in the basal layer of the epidermis. The melanocytes in some individuals and ethnic groups can produce more or less melanin as expressed in the melanin producing genes. This difference can lead to many wars and discrimination as well as Civil Rights movements. LuthorCorp does not condone discrimination based on the melanin production of a person. Neither does Superman or the Justice League.
Superboy knew all of this. Yet he couldn't help but marvel at the differences in their skin. Foreign.
They reached the Mountain in record speed, from which Aqualad was transferred up to the Watchtower for his hand to be repaired. Superboy watched him be picked up by Hal Jordan, the other Green Lantern, and transferred in a green orb all the way to space. The team stood outside the bio-ship until they couldn't see Hal Jordan or Kaldur any longer, and then some. John Stewart was the one who lead them away when he went into the bio-ship to check on Wally.
The Green Lantern took Wally from the bio-ship on a makeshift green stretcher. Superboy followed Stewart to the med-bay, determined to make sure at least one of the two injured friends was okay, M'gann and Artemis right behind him. Artemis was still clinging to the helmet of Fate, cradling the monstrosity like a child. It should be drowned for causing all of the mayhem today.
"He's fine," announced Stewart after laying Wally into the bed and using his ring to conduct a diagnostic test on the boy, "Just unconscious. Fate pushed his body too hard."
"He's bruised," pointed out Superboy gruffly, "On his ribs."
"Healing already. He has a few minor bone bruises too, but it's a more superficial wound then anything. Get some food into him when he wakes up and put some ice on his ribs," said Stewart with a nod, "I'm heading to the Watchtower now, so I'll send word about Aqualad."
"Thank you!" gushed M'gann, as she walked with John Stewart to the Zeta tube to ask more questions about Aqualad's condition. Artemis disappeared a few minutes later, mentioning something about the Helmet, though her face was pale.
That left Superboy alone with Kid. He felt strange as he stared at the boy's eyes. It felt wrong somehow. Even if he still didn't know what they really looked like. But this felt really odd. Like he was breaking Black Canary's rule and entering someone's room without a code or their permission. Uneasily, he began searching the med-bay for a suitable cover. Finally he found a mask used to sleep. The mask was a fabric thing shaped like goggles and with a flimsy black string. It was a plain black color, but it reminded Superboy of the glasses.
He brought the mask over, and gently placed it around Kid's eyes, until his face looked more normal. Then he sat back and waited for everything to be okay again.
Review Replies:
ichiberry-tan: Haha! Thank you! We reached 100! And I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
MythologyGirl: More injured!Wally feels in this chapter, and some injured!Kaldur feels. Hee, I wish that was how the confrontation will go. But I don't want to reveal anything too soon!
Charlene Heo: Nelson died :( That was always the plan... :'( And Kid- Agh. Superboy's emotional growth is so fun to document! It's like, my favorite parts to write, no lie.
AMMO121: Thank you! I'm so glad you pushed me to write this story!
Ally Marton: Love your story about Klarion and Wally, you should know. I find it hard to write Klarion, oddly enough. So you make me jealous XD And Nelson made the spitfire line (Even if y'know, it was a bit different this time around). And new chapter done today! And thank you for reviewing!