Invaded
Chapter Twenty-One: Epilogue
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you've enjoyed the story.
rainshadow22142: Thank you so much for your review! Yes, the binary fusion weapon is based off the JLU. The next story will be in a separate body of work which should be up within a week or so— give or take.
Guest: With all due respect, this is a fanfiction site which means an author can pretty much do anything they want. In my story, the Watchtower is weaponized but was kept from the public's knowledge. As for things moving too fast, in my perspective, the people of Earth had low public approval ratings on the Justice League. I used Lex Luthor's ability of persuasion to convince the public that the Justice League wanted to reassert their position as the world's champion but there was a flaw in their mistake, thus causing the laser to go off. It's not a hard idea to grasp, considering something similar happened in the JLU. Thank you for your opinion.
Fansquealing: Thank you for your review. Trust and believe Ashley and Dick will be angsty! Especially in the story that follows up on this one.
PrettyKitty Luvs U: Thank you, darling!
Guess (Jason Todd): Of course, Red Hood is going to be in the next installment. What kind of writer would I be if I didn't drag Jason into things?
Star City
July 4
08:42 AM PDT
I wrapped my arms around myself, standing in silence as Kaldur placed his bouquet of flowers at the base of Kid Flash's holographic memorial.
"Today we not only honor Wally's sacrifice to the world, but we also acknowledge our history as a team," Kaldur spoke somberly. Artemis melted into his side, hiding her tears from our view. M'gann exhaled loudly from behind me; it came out shaky as if she were resisting the appeal to cry. Dick stood silently beside me, unmoving and unemotional.
I tuned out Kaldur's speech with a numbing white noise that rang profoundly in my ears.
Wally's memorial service was held in my own home. Everyone poured in and out of the Arrow Cave where Wally's holographic state was displayed, among other fallen heroes.
Every few seconds, the hologram would flicker slightly due to the reflection from the light above. I had memorized the pattern, blinking with each flicker.
Wally is dead— there was no denying myself of the truth even if Dick was. Dick had refused to acknowledge Wally's death, going as far as theorizing that Wally was trapped in the Speed Force. As much as I wanted to believe that, I couldn't allow myself to. We knew nothing about the Speed Force and how it worked.
Wallace West is dead.
"What do we do now?" M'gann questioned, sniffling.
I blinked, refocusing my attention as the ringing abruptly stopped.
"We begin to clear our names," Kaldur answered sternly. I scoffed, shaking my head slightly. I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.
"What's your problem?" Conner questioned.
I turned slowly, opening my eyes as I faced Conner. His eyes widened slightly before he took a cautious step back.
"I'm done being a hero. I'm done risking my life to protect this stupid planet and its stupid people. Wally died," my voice cracked as hot tears gathered in my eyes, "and we get repaid by being labeled international criminals. That's my fucking problem." I retorted.
Conner clenched his fists, opening his mouth to speak before M'gann stepped in front of him, cupping his face with her hands.
Kaldur stepped forward timidly, speaking softly, "Ashley, we understand your anger—"
"None of you will understand my anger! All of you have someone to come home to! This," I gestured towards Kid Flash's memorial, "wasn't part of the plan. We were supposed to save the world and retire." My words came out incoherent as I inhaled and exhaled rapidly.
I clutched my chest; I had to submerge the anger above all. My powers are controlled by emotions and concentration. If I were to snap, even for a second, a repeat of what happened at the Arctic would occur.
Hunter poured me a glass of whiskey; he glanced around the large closet slowly before scoffing, "This is pathetic."
I clinked our glasses together before downing the drink. I coughed, hissing at the burning aftertaste left behind. Hunter chuckled before swallowing his portion in one gulp.
We sat in my closet that housed all my superhero necessities. I had ripped every single leotard off its hanger, thrown all the boots across the room, and even punched every mirror. I examined my bruised and cut fists, clenching and unclenching my fists slowly.
"This whole tantrum is dumb," Hunter noted, toying with the cap of the large bottle.
I didn't deny it. Although Hunter was often too brash, he was never one to sugarcoat anything. I was thankful for that— even if his words hurt my feelings. Hunter meant well, even if his methods weren't the most kind.
"I know," I admitted.
"Then why?" Hunter questioned, pouring himself another glass.
"Because I'm angry," I justified. Hunter chuckled, bringing the glass to his lips. He paused, lowering it to stare at me in disbelief.
"Wait, you're serious. You're throwing this tantrum because you're angry?" Hunter tilted his head in confusion.
"Wally's dead—" Hunter cut me off.
"Yes, Wally's dead! So are millions more in Japan! Aren't you made about that?" Hunter shouted, rising to his feet.
"I am!" I answered, rising to my own feet.
"So, why aren't you shouting about their deaths too?" Hunter retorted, raising his eyebrow at me.
"I…" I trailed off, unsure.
"Look, I get it. Wally's gone but you're not the only one who lost someone. If you want to sit here, sulking and pouting, be my fucking guest. But just remember, you've got a lot of people still counting on you to help pull us through this." Hunter explained; he stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by chaos.
"I'm… I'm done being a hero," I whispered.
"Why?" Hunter exhaled, exasperated.
I met his gaze; his green eyes were wide, urgently waiting to hear my answer. He wore black trousers and a fitted, white button-down; a black tie loosely hung around his neck. Hunter's brown hair was messily styled, partially due to his habit of running his hands through his hair.
"I'm tired of losing." My answer was low, filled with voice cracks. Tears gathered in my eyes as Hunter remained silent. The only sound in the room was of my sniffles and heavy breathing.
"If that's your reason for quitting," Hunter finally spoke, turning towards the door; he walked slowly, stopping only when he stood at the threshold, "then you were never really a hero to begin with."
Author's Note: And that concludes Invaded! The following story will be called Outlawed and will not be in Phoenix/Ashley's perspective. It will be in the general perspective and should be up soon!