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^o^
Mist: Happy Valentines day!
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Mist: We hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! The story may almost be done but we assure you it won't be the last of us.
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Bart eventually wound up running back to the house, straight up to his Wally's bedroom without even letting Iris know he was there. Once in the room he began to tear the place apart in a desperate search for something, anything, to tell him who could have taken his cousin. Kidnappers didn't just not leave notes after all. There had to be something. Yet, even with the room torn apart Bart had nothing to tell him who was behind this or what they wanted with his broken cousin.
"Why?" Bary muttered to himself, pulling at his hair in frustration. "Why can't everyone just leave Wally alone?"
In a moment of mental exhaustion Bart slumped down on the lower bed, Wally's bed. There he stared sadly downwards. He knew that he should get back to searching but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't just go everywhere in the world.
Would his cousin even want to see him?
Weighed down by the dreary thought Bart layed his head down on the bed, only the jump back into a seated position when he heard a crinkling sound.
"What the...?" Bart put a hand down firmly on the pillow, his experiment brought about the same crinkling noise.
Curious to the cause of the abnormal sound, Bart lifted the pillow off and tossed it aside. His eyes fixated on what he had found underneath the pillow. A wrinkled piece of ordinary lined paper, covered in his cousins handwriting, if a little shaky. Carefully he lifted the paper, almost as though he feared it would shred and its secrets lost to him. Using his superspeed, Bart, was easily able to reach the end of the rant-like scribbles that lined the paper.
"He's... he's so scared," Bart breathed out, staring blankly at the paper.
With everything that Bart had seen it was no shock that his cousin didn't exactly feel safe in this house anymore, but the time traveler had no idea how bad it was. There was so much fear in the words written down, even just looking at the shaky handwriting it was clear that the person who wrote it felt as though they were in legitimate danger. Bart thought he was helping Wally, but apparently all he had done was make himself just another thing that the other speedster lived in fear of each and every day.
"I have to find him... I have to make this right," Bart told himself, pushing off of the bed and back onto the streets to continue his search.
Where was he supposed to look now though? He's already checked everywhere he could think of. The park, the school, former friends houses, the Garricks had been a dead lead. Bart had even stormed through a couple different known villain hideouts but there was no sign of his cousin anywhere.
He was starting to worry that Wally wasn't in the city.
Whoever it was that lead his cousin away had done so telepathically so there was no way to know where they were. Then Wally could run at superspeed. As much as it terrified Bart to admit...
Wally could be anywhere.
Even with himself, Flash, and the Rogues searching there was no way to cover the ground they needed if they wanted to find Wally before he got hurt. They needed more people...
"Duh!" Bart exclaimed as he changed course to the Zeta tube.
While lost in his own world Bart had completely forgotten that the team didn't even know that Wally was missing! He needed to tell them, they could help search! Wally would probably happier to be saved by one of them anyways... Bart had a feeling that it was going to be a long time before his cousin trusts him again after this. Even though to him he was just trying to help he should have... he should have realized that he was doing more harm than good.
The sound of the announcer pulled him away from his thoughts. He had arrived at the cave.
His eyes quickly scanned the room and found that the only one he could see right away was Conner, whom was sitting on the couch staring at the static being displayed on the television. Though he did hear Megan's voice call out from the kitchen a greeting.
"Call everyone right now!" Bart ordered, trying not to wince at how panicked he sounded.
Megan rushed out of the kitchen and looked at him, eyes filled with worry. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked him.
"Wally's missing, lured away by someone and we don't know who," Bart explained quickly. "We already checked the villains of central and keystone's hideouts. He wasn't in any of them."
Conner stood up from the couch and started walking away. "I'll get Wolf, maybe he can track his scent!" He said, leaving the room.
Bart made a sound of relief, wishing he had thought of that a long time ago. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was already just past three AM. He'd been searching for Wally for hours.
Meanwhile Megan had already pulled out her phone and sent a mass text to everyone one on the team, as well as all their mentors.
Megan gave Bart a reassuring smile. "We'll find him," she promised, looking to where Conner had gone. "When Conner gets back with Wolf we'll have Wolf sniff around your room to get Wally's scent. He's a really good tracker. Wally will be safe and sound before you know it."
Bart relaxed a little. "You're right," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Wish I had come here earlier, but I wasn't thinking straight."
"Of course, I mean, I don't know exactly what happened but from the looks of you it must have been frightening," She stumbled out. "Like, what do you know? How did this person lure Wally to them? What's their motivation?"
"I wish I knew, all I know is that they were somehow able to talk to him telepathically," Bart explained.
Megan frowned. Telepathy meant no way to track the person.
As they were thinking things over Conner returned with Wolf, whom seemed happy to be going on a mission.
At least now they had a way to find Wally.
^o^
3:30 AM
Green eyes fluttered open, being greeted by a dimly lit room. For a moment the owner of the eyes was very confused, unsure of where they were. However as they slowly peeled themselves off the floor it all came flooding back to him. He was able to play a game for his mind, one which may cost him his life if he messed up.
No pressure.
Once he was in a half-seated position he felt something fall off him. Confused he looked down and found a photograph of him and his uncle. It wasn't an old photo and Wally felt as though he could somewhat remember it being taken. It appeared to be from his camping trip not to long ago, as he could see the cabin they had stayed in off in the background.
'To help anchor you to this world it is wise to hold onto something of importance. For this I have provided you with a precious memory.'
Wally nodded. Considering how damaged his mind was memories really were one of the most important things he had.
'Now, I ask you to get up and stand before the middle chair. When I tell you, you will sit down. then the game will begin.'
With a shrug Wally pushed himself up more and stood, brushing off his clothes before making his way to the chair as instructed. Once there he looked down at the photograph in his hands; he wondered how this was supposed to protect him. The voice did not respond to his thoughts, so Wally figured that it was probably something that he wouldn't understand even if it did explain it.
There was absolute silence as Wally stood there, aside from the sound of his own breathing. He almost felt like maybe he should be holding his breath, as though the sound was an intrusion on the silence in the room.
A passing thought entered his mind.
Was anyone looking for him?
Undoubtedly. As much as he hated the thought of it Bart and Hartley were absolutely hunting him down. Likely others, such as the team, would have been pulled into the search by now. He was grateful that the voice had brought him to a place so far out of the way as it was likely the reason no one had found him yet. If he was lucky they wouldn't find him until after he had won.
Then what? Even if he has his mind stabilized will anything really change? His uncle will likely still be over-protective and insane. Hartley will still try to dominate his life. Bart will continue to be useless at 'protecting' him. He wont get to be on the team again. He'll be separated from the other Underdogs...
'Sit.'
Looks like the time for thinking is done.
With a final glance down at the photograph, Wally took his seat and immediately felt a tugging sensation.
The room was even darker now, if you could believe it. It was as though the small area with the chairs was the only thing that existed anymore and the rest had just simply vanished from sight. When he looked far off he could swear that he could see an outline of someone. Someone looking back and staring just as he was, but when he could sight of him the world around him began to change. The darkness around him being invades by harsh white lines that moved around like a deranged optical illusion.
"Is anyone there?" He called out to the distorted void.
"You should worry less about what might be out there, and focus on what's in front of you," A voice said, somewhere to his left.
Wally jumped a little at the sound and jerked his head in the direction of the speaker. to his shock he saw someone in the mirror looking as though they were sitting on the chair behind it. That wasn't the weirdest part, the person... looked like him. Clad in the Kid Flash uniform that Wally hasn't worn since the day he took it off at the Rogues hide out...
"No need to look so surprised," 'Kid Flash' said, tilting their head curiously. "Our un-embodied friend told you ahead of time that you would be meeting two pieces of your split persona. That's why you had to destroy the remnants of 'Blitz' before you came here, lest you be overpowered by the mental energy of three splits fighting for control in your broken mind."
Right, he had kind of forgotten that.
"Hello! Forgot about me?" Another voice, coming from the right this time.
Wally turned his head and found a figure in a similar position as the first, though they were him in his Trailblazer costume. This surprised him at first, he'd only worn the outfit once since he'd gotten it, it didn't make sense for the figure to use that form. Yet, the more he thought about it he supposed it really did make sense. Becoming Trailblazer was the pinnacle of his stability. That was the name he had gotten at a time when he had finally gained enough strength to burn the Blitz costume, then he had worn the costume when he went out in the field again for the first time... with his friends.
"How could I forget?" Wally joked, cracking a grin. "So either of you know what I'm supposed to be doing?"
"If you haven't figured it out yet then I may as well take over!" 'Kid Flash' groaned in frustration.
'Trailblazer' glared at him. "Oh shut it."
Wally just looked confused at them. "Well, the voice didn't explain shit."
"So ya, basically we're the manifestations of your split mind," 'Trailblazer' said, sounding like they weren't quite sure how exactly to explain it. "Me of course being the representation of your stable personality of this time period that your friends helped you obtain. He on the other hand," they jerked a thumb at 'Kid Flash', "Are a representation of your previous persona, memories and all. From before you were shattered by that asshole, the Pied Piper."
"What you are here to do is get rid of these fluctuations and random memory loss, by choosing between your memory sets," 'Kid Flash' finished. "Then you can go back to reality as a self that isn't broken, fragile, or likely to break even further."
"Lucky you," Wally thought he heard a voice whisper in his ear.
Wally stared in shock, brushing off the whisper as being one of them. Totally stable? That was almost too good to be true. But he'd have to choose between his memories? Past or present?
What was he going to do?
"Naturally we both wish to be the real 'you'," 'Kid Flash' pointed out. "Which is why that 'voice' had you eliminate the remnants of 'Blitz' before coming here. They want this to be your choice. If you had us, and HIM, here then you wouldn't be able to think straight. Too much mental energy. Your mind would go to whichever one of us is mentally stronger. Which would be me."
"Says you! I'm stubborn as a mule -I'd be the one and you know it!" 'Tailblazer' objected proudly.
A sigh escaped Wally's lips as he listened to them. Pieces of his mind or not they weren't exactly on his side right now. They both wanted to be 'him'. Wait... what happens to the one not chosen?
Curiosity got the better of him, he needed to know. "What happens to the persona that doesn't become 'me'?"
"They will be swallowed up by the void, gone forever," 'Kid Flash' explained, motioning to the eternal darkness that surrounded them. "With only one persona crossing back to reality you will become completely stable."
Ya, but how the hell was he supposed to be expected to make this kind of a decision?
"You could let me in..." a voice whispered in his ear.
"Would whichever one of you that's doing that just cut it out already? This place is creepy enough on its own!" Wally snapped at them, he couldn't handle another whisper, it was seriously disturbing him.
"Who are you screaming at? Who's doing what?" 'Kid Flash' asked him.
Wally glared at them. "Someone keeps whispering in my ear, and it's starting to freak me out."
The void fell silent after Wally spoke out. He continued to glare at the two of them expectantly, waiting for one of them to just admit that they were trying to psyche him out. Dammit, what was he supposed to do? They sure as hell weren't making the decision any easier for him by freaking him out. If he wanted to make a decision he had to focus.
The two figments looked at one another, their confusion hidden by their masks.
"Look, we aren't doing that -we can't do that," 'Trailblazer said nervously. "We are confined to these chairs, so we can't go near you. And there's no one else here."
'Kid Flash' snorted. "What, you crazy in the void now to?" He joked, though the humor didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm still here..." The voice whispered softly, and for the first time Wally realized that like the other figments here that this voice was his own. Yet somehow it wasn't his own. It was hard to explain.
Wally twisted around in his seat, looking around to try and find out who was speaking to him.
But no one was there.
What was going on in this messed up place? Voids. Figments. Mental arguments. Picking between his memories. Now he had yet another strange disembodied voice talking to him that had who knows what planned.
"What do you want?" He snapped into the void.
It took a few seconds for the voice to respond. "To be you again," it said in an almost childish manner.
Wally furrowed his brow in thought. Who or what was this voice? The way it spoke, and the things it was saying to him. Something about all of this was unnervingly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It just stayed in a part of his mind that he couldn't get to, like something he knew but had forgotten about. Wait... to be him... again?
"Blitz," Wally said breathlessly.
"Shit I thought that the remnants were destroyed!" 'Trailblazer' exclaimed, seeming shocked. "We, er you, burned the costume and even stood up to Hartley!"
'Kid Flash' looked around the void, as though in search of 'Blitz'. "Clearly he wasn't completely destroyed," he said, frowning. "This could end up bad. Real bad. Wally, you better pick a side now. The longer you're in here the stronger he'll become."
"So unless you want to end up as Blitz again you better hurry it up," 'Trailblazer' agreed.
Wally shook his head. "I'm going as fast as I can."
"Am I so bad?" 'Blitz' asked with a slight giggle. "We had so much fun."
Fun wasn't the word he'd use to describe what he went through as Blitz, living with the Rogues. Ya, no. Becoming Blitz again was something that was never going to happen. When he burned the costume he destroyed any feelings of attachment to that time in his life. He wanted to forget everything that he had been forced to go through.
Speaking of memories... if he wanted, he could get rid of those horrible memories of being tormented by Hartley. All he had to do was say he wanted to be 'Kid Flash' again and he would go back to his old self, and he'd even forget everything that had happened after Hartley first brainwashed him. Everything.
Even his friends.
Was his old memories -and the guaranteed acceptance of his uncle and old team, and getting to forget what Hartley put him through- worth the price of the memories of his time with the Underdogs.
It would be like it never happened at all to him.
Of course his Uncle would never let them near him again, they'd never get to explain to him everything they've gone through and the bonds they had formed through these months. The inner strength he'd been given by them.
He was a different person now. Changed by the trauma he'd been through and the people he'd been around. Be it the over-powering protectiveness of his family causing him to want to rebel, or the way his friends got him to be more open with what he's feeling and be confident enough in himself to not have to hide behind humor when he's scared. A combination of everything?
He'd once heard that everything that happens effects the future. Butterfly effect?
Everything that has happened this past month had changed him in ways no one could have expected.
"Stop thinking like that!" 'Kid Flash' snapped at him, apparently being able to hear his internal monologue. "What happened to you wasn't fair. It wasn't anything you wanted. Why not just make it go away?"
"You guys can hear my thoughts?" Wally asked, ignoring what the figment was actually saying in favor of the revelation.
'Kid Flash' face palmed. "We're a part of your mind, of course we can hear your thoughts," he sighed, annoyed. "And yes, I can tell you're ignoring my words completely."
Wally rolled his eyes at the figment.
The figment wasn't done quite yet though. "Right now, in this place, you can remember everything," he pointed out. "Think back at all those wonderful times you've had with your family and friends, those memories you held onto even when things got really bad and you had practically lost you're mind and heart to Hartley. Are you really willing to throw them away for a couple of kids you just met?"
"You mean his friends, who have been the only ones to support him while everyone else has been treating him like a china doll?" 'Trailblazer' pointed out matter-of-factly.
"With me you'd remember everything, I've been a part of you through everything," 'Blitz' whispered into Wally's ear.
Wally swatted around his head, hoping to hit the figment. His hands only hit empty air.
The other two figments looked around the void.
"Where is that little psycho hiding?" 'Kid Flash' muttered.
"I'm more worried about why, and how, he's still here," Trailblazer commented, stopping looking around to face Wally again. "Wally, you don't... You don't have any residual feelings of attachment to any of the Rogues do you? Any of them?"
Of course he didn't... though he didn't really hate any of them... especially Captain Cold, he was really nice during the visit, more comforting than Black Canary. The other Rogues were pretty nice that day to, trying to make him feel as safe and happy there as possible. He still felt bad for James, he had been so scared when he saw the panic attack. When he got out of this he'd need to talk to him and let him know he's ok.
Errr... if he still remembers that day.
"Hello, earth to Wally?" 'Trailblazer' called, trying to get his attention.
Wally blushed in embarrassment.
"Ya, he still has feelings of attachment, those thoughts were not a good sign," 'Kid Flash' sighed heavily.
"Guess our voice friend didn't think about the fact that his connections to the other Rogues could keep the Blitz part of your mind alive, even now that your connection to Hartley has been severed," 'Trailblazer' theorized, shaking his head at the end.
All this talk of connections, and memories, and figments, and voids, was starting to make his head spin. Or, maybe it was all the moving white lines swirling around him. Swirling really quickly...
Wait, were they getting faster?
"The swirls are speeding up?" 'Kid Flash' mumbled thoughtfully, looking out into the void. "You're hallucinating. They're just an optical illusion, they aren't really moving."
Wally didn't hear him though. He wasn't hearing anything right now. His eyes were fixated on the moving swirls that have entranced him. It was almost like something was pulling at him from the darkness. So close yet so far. Warm. Something out there that he wanted to see, something that he needed to see out there.
He blinked.
And he wasn't in the void anymore.
"What the hell?" Wally asked himself, looking around in panic. What was he doing here?
This was... this was the Rogues living room!
"Welcome home!" A voice chirped from the door frame.
Wally fixated his eyes and glared at 'Blitz'. What was this figment trying to pull?
'Blitz' grinned at him, his arms spread at as though to introduce the room. "Why so upset? This is a safe place," he said, rocking back and forth on the door. "A place filled with people you love, and who love you in return."
"If they loved me at all then they wouldn't have let Hartley use me as a toy," Wally snapped, standing up from the couch, grateful that unlike in the void he was able to move around here.
"You loved being Hartley's little brother, remember?" 'Blitz' grinned, pausing his movements for just a moment. "I know I sure did."
Wally's fists shook at his sides. "Of course you did, you're the remnants of a personality that Hartley tried to force me to have," he pointed out, feeling both angry and gross at the memories of how obedient and docile he had been. Having his mind twisted and warped because Hartley wanted him to act a certain way for him.
Like a puppet.
'Blitz' tilted his head, stopping completely. "Is being a puppet so bad?" he asked. "If you had just stopped fighting Hartley you would have been so happy, never having to make a decision, you could have just been taken care of. You never would be alone again."
"I'd rather be alone than be with Hartley," Wally sneered.
There was no point trying to argue with the remnant, it didn't know any other way. Rational thinking wouldn't work here. He needed a new way, because he needed to get out of this place and back to the void he'd been in before. Maybe he could find a way back outside of this room.
'Blitz', presumably because he heard his thoughts, moved away from the door frame and motioned to it. "Go on, explore your home, soak up the memories," he said.
Wally glared at him as he cautiously made his way out of the room, finding himself... in his old room?
Cell. He reminded himself. This terrible place was never his room.
The place looked much the same as it did the last time he saw it, the day his uncle and the team came to rescue him. There was even still bars on the window the obscured his vision of the black and white void stripes... Black and white stripes? He was still in the void! Just where in the void was he? Where were the other figments? How was he going to get back to the chairs? Was it even safe for him to be in this part of the void?
"Try not to think about it," 'Blitz' advised as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "Isn't it better to go back to reality? Before someone finds you."
Wally looked at him. "Who says I will be found," he said.
"You're always found," 'Blitz' retorted, looking longingly around the room. "Do you remember tricking Red Arrow in here? Now that was fun. Or the day we decorated with Hartley? We zoned out and put so many stapled into the poster."
As the remnant said this it made it's way over to the poster and touched the staples. 'Blitz' stared at it for a few moments before turning back to face Wally again.
"He's really trying to help you, ya know," 'Blitz' told him. "But you won't let him."
Wally furrowed his brow. "Who are you talking about?" he asked.
"Hartley," 'Blitz' replied, giving a big smile. "Our big brother, our protector, our-"
"Oh just shut up with it," Wally groaned in frustration as he rubbed the temples of his head, wondering how he was getting a headache in his own mind and seriously becoming annoyed with the remnants devotion to the sociopath.
'Blitz' pouted at him.
"I think I've made it clear that I'm not interested in becoming you again, so just tell me how to get out of this place and back to the other figments," Wally demanded sternly, hoping he was making his point clear enough.
The remnant stared at him for a few moments before saying. "You don't have much time left," he said. "If you get woken up while in here you're mind with be shattered even further, the bonds you've formed won't be enough to keep you sane. You'll be nothing but a broken puppet. Unable to think rationally. Spastic mood changes. Erratic behavior. They'll put you in an insane asylum."
"Then we better get back to the other figments now," Wally insisted. If 'Blitz' was telling the truth then he needed to get back and make his choice fast.
"But if I keep you here then you'll have to become me again," 'Blitz' pointed out, grinning.
Wally bit his lip. Right, this was the evil one of course it wasn't going to help him.
"You can't feel it, but I can, there's people in the room," 'Blitz' said, humming happily. "They're coming closer. They want to wake you up."
"You're bluffing," Wally snapped, then spun on his heel and grabbed the doorknob and yanked it. It wouldn't budge. He began fiddling with the lock but it just wouldn't move. He was trapped inside.
'Blitz' laughed at him. "Kind of panicked for someone who thinks I'm bluffing," he giggled.
"Shut up!" Wally snapped back, not stopping at pulling the door.
"You can't get out," 'Blitz' said, and Wally could hear him plop onto the bed. "This is a place in your mind. Wake me when you're ready to accept your fate."
If this is his mind, then why can't he control it? Why was he the helpless one...
Stupid door still wouldn't move. Will never move.
"This is my mind," Wally muttered to himself, yanking on the door. "Just open!"
All doors can be opened! Unless... unless...
Unless there is no door.
In that place that the voice and him spoke it, he'd been trapped somewhere but the voice explained to him that there was no room and it went away. Maybe... maybe this place worked the same way.
'Blitz' jumped out of the bed. "They're touching you!" He snapped, sounding desperate. "You'll be woken up before you can find you're way back!"
Wally ignored him, instead shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes the room was gone and he was standing in the void with 'Blitz' standing beside him, looking visibly upset.
"Fine, you got rid of the room, that isn't going to help you find the other remnants!" 'Blitz' snapped.
Even so, he'd just have to move fast.
"You're out of time!" 'Blitz' insisted. "Do you even know who you want to be? Who you're choosing? Because if you don't know that then you may as well stay here and have your mind shatter!"
As much as Wally hated to admit it, 'Blitz' was right. Did he even know who he was choosing to be? Which memories he was going to sacrifice?
'Blitz' looked away from him for a moment then sighed. "I'll tell you where they are," he said, causing Wally to jump a little in surprise. "Hey, I'm a Rogue but I'm still you, I can't just let you break. But before I tell you where they are, you need to tell me who it is you're going to be."
If only it was that easy. Who he wants to be. All those memories. Past and present.
Even if he gives up his memories of one time, does it really matter which ones? He loses either way. There was no 'best decision' just his decision. But... Maybe it was time...
"To let go," Wally said softly, eyes downcast.
"I take it you've made up your mind?" 'Blitz' inquired.
Wally looked up at him and nodded. "I love my family, and I appreciate everything the team did for me but... it's time to let go of the past," he said, looking out into the void. "Gotta keep moving forwards and all that. And I have my own team to lead. I'm... ready to accept what happened to me and move on. I'm a trailblazer. I AM Trailblazer."
'Blitz' gave him a sad smile. "I understand... just please... don't forget me," he said softly, as he rapidly faded away.
"W-wait!" Wally tried to grab the remnant but his hand was too slow.
He blinked and he was back on the chair.
"You're back!"
Wally looked up and saw that 'Trailblazer' appeared relieved, while 'Kid Flash' had him head down and appeared upset and he was slowly fading away.
"When 'Blitz' took you away I thought it was game over," 'Trailblazer' said. "But it looks like everything is going to be ok."
"For you," 'Kid Flash' said harshly, he was mostly gone now.
As this was happening, Wally was beginning to feel like the void was shrinking and could see some of the white lines fading.
"Those lines represent your memories," 'Kid Flash' said, "As I die, they fade away. Gone forever."
Wally felt instantly guilty. He... he hadn't wanted to make this choice. He wanted to remember everything.
"No, I get it, I wouldn't have wanted to try to trap myself in the past," 'Kid Flash' sighed, looking up to reveal most of his head has faded. "But if you remember one thing, just one thing I want you to hold onto as tightly as possible... Please, remember that our family loves us. Uncle Barry never wanted to hurt you. He wanted to protect you. He loves you."
Hot tears began to flow down Wally's cheeks. "I wont forget!" He promised.
'Kid Flash' smiled, which was all that was left of him. "You and the Underdogs make us proud!"
And the world once more faded to black.
^o^
"-Up! Please wake up!"
Green eyes fluttered open weakly as they adjusted to the sudden bright light. He couldn't make anything out. Everything just looked like blobs and bright lights.
"His eyes are open!" A voice exclaimed loudly, making Wally's head spin.
He clenched his eyes shut and moved his hands to cover then and block out the light.
"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" The voice asked, sounding panicked. As he listened to it he recognized that he knew this voice.
"B-Bart?" Wally forced out weakly, still feeling exhausted.
Slowly Wally lowered his hands and blinked his eyes a few times. Yep, that was without a doubt his cousin. The other teen looked absolutely freaked out and worried and relieved all at the same time. Wally wanted to tell him that he was alright, but was just too tired.
"Wally, can you understand me?" Bart asked him.
He gave a small nod in response. As he did that he became aware of the fact that he was on the ground in front of the chair now.
Bart gave him a reassuring smile. "Can you tell me who brought you here?" He asked Wally. "Or what they wanted?"
"I..." Wally tried to speak, but broke into a coughing fit.
"We can find out what happened later," A female voice insisted. "Let's take him back to the cave and lay him in the med bay and have someone take a look at him. He might have been hurt. We'll check this place out after he's safe."
Bart blushed. "Right, sorry," he said, then turned to look somewhere Wally couldn't see. "Conner, can you help me carry him?"
This surprised Wally. Conner was here? Now that he thinks about it the female voice sounded like Megan.
Strong arms picked him up off the ground and his head rolled to the side. Wally felt a hand move to support his neck. He sure wished that the voice would have told him how weak his body would be when he finally returned to reality. Wouldn't have made it easier, but a warning would have been nice to have.
The cold sting of the outside hit him when he was taken out the door, his body began shivering.
"Here," Bart said, taking off his jacket and putting it on Wally like a blanket.
They walked in silence through the woods for several minutes and Wally still didn't feel any better. He tried to speak a few times but it all came out as pathetic mumbled that made no sense.
The fourth time he tried to speak Bart grew worried.
"Save your strength," Bart told him, "We've got you. You're safe now."
If he could move, Wally would be face-palming. He had been, for the most part, perfectly safe. And now that he was going to be stable he really didn't need anyone to take care of him. Though he knew it may take some time for the others to see that.
"Someone should text the others," Megan pointed out. "Let them know what we found."
"I'll do it," Bart said, and the silence was filled with the rapid clicking of buttons.
With nothing else to do Wally shut his eyes. Maybe he should sleep off this weakness.
^o^
The second time his eyes fluttered open he found himself inside of the medical wing of the cave. The room was bright, but it didn't blind him like what had happened earlier. Around him he could hear talking, but the speakers didn't seem to have noticed he was awake. Carefully Wally tested out a little movement, first flexing his fingers and toes and then attempted to sit up.
Needless to say that last part didn't really work.
A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders, supporting him.
Wally looked up and saw his uncle. He gave him a big smile.
Barry let out a relieved sigh. "You're awake," he said softly, then spoke a little firmer. "Are you hurt?"
He replied by shaking his head, his throat felt too dry to speak.
"What do you remember?" Barry asked him.
"I w-a-s-" Wally tried to respond, but started coughing again. His uncle grabbed a glass of water and helped him drink it. The water soothed his sore throat instantly, and he figured he may be able to speak again.
"Does that feel better?" Barry asked softly as he placed the cup back down.
"Yes," Wally responded, glad that he could.
Bart came into view quickly. "Barry, the shed, someone burned it down!" He said quickly, then he saw Wally. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"The shed was burned?" Barry gaped. "Guess whoever did this to Wally didn't want us to find any clues. Now how are we going to find this creep? Wally, do you know what they look like? Did you meet them in person?"
Wally bit his lip in thought. "You probably won't believe me," He mumbled, "But this person was, well I never saw them. We talked a lot though."
"How long were you talking for?" Barry inquired, sounding worried.
"A few days," Wally answered, thinking about it. It may have been longer but if it was he has no memory of it. Not that memories were going to be a problem for him anymore.
Barry looked concerned, and maybe a little hurt. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you."
"I didn't tell anyone, not even my friends," Wally said, looking at Bart for a moment to make clear whom he was talking about.
"Did they tell you not to tell anyone?" Bart pressed, not looking happy about Wally hiding this from him. "Or did they threaten you to keep you silent?"
Wally shook his head.
Bart sighed. His cousin never gave any hints that someone was speaking to him in his mind, and apparently he didn't tell the Underdogs about this either. It would appear that this really was a common enemy situation.
"You're all confused," Wally, surprising them. "The voice was helping me. Not hurting me."
There was a spark of anger in Barry's eyes. "Wally... you need to be less trusting," he sighed, thinking about how much trouble Wally's new trusting nature has gotten him into, first with the delinquents and now this? How was he going to protect him from that? "Don't worry about it though. You're safe now and that is all that matters."
"Really I'm great," Wally insisted. "Best I could be. I'm stable now. The ritual worked."
"Ritual?" Barry repeated, eyes wide as saucers.
Wally nodded, not really liking his uncles reaction. "Yes, to help me become stable."
Barry looked at Bart. "I need you to get Batman and have him contact Doctor Fate, tell them what Wally just said. We'll need to check for magical damage. I'll get Martian Manhunter to check for mental damage," he said, then pulled Wally into a laying down position.
"I can sit," Wally protested.
"You need to save your strength," Barry insisted firmly. "You've been through a lot."
Wally groaned in annoyance but he was tired, so he stayed still. When he didn't move his Uncle smiled and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before speeding out of the room in search of the Martian. However, Bart hadn't left yet.
"Your friends... the Underdogs..." Bart started, sounding awkward. "We kind of had a talk. Long story short we're cool now and... I'm sorry I accused them. Right, I should go. Be safe."
With that Bart too zoomed out of the room.
Ok, that sounded like good news. Now the question was how the hell was he going to explain what had happened to everyone else?
'No one will understand.'
So what should he do?
'Close your eyes and pretend to be asleep. When they come in to wake you, tell them that you followed a voice that led you to the shed and then you sat on a chair as it spoke nonsense. Say you don't remember anything after that.'
Ya, he could do that. But would they believe that he is stable now?
'Time and your actions will show them.'
But why not tell the truth?
'This is beyond their comprehension.'
Fine.
'But now you are on your own. With your mind stable I can no longer hold onto the breaks to speak with you. This will be our final conversation. You don't need me anymore, you can remain strong on your own. Hold onto your bonds of friendship and stick to your beliefs.'
So this was goodbye? Thank you, you really saved me.
'You saved yourself, I merely pushed you in the right direction. Though you should also thank your cousin. His interference in the past made a difference. You're uncle allowed you to continue attending school, and thus you learned of your friends powers.'
Then, in the normal timeline... what was going to happen to him? Was he dead, or brainwashed, or what?
'The outcome was unpleasant. You were brainwashed. I assume someone will tell you eventually, but I will tell you now. For a while Hartley was working alongside Zoom to brainwash you, and make Barry insane. Had Bart not shown up and interfered then the natural order would have turned out as so. Hartley would figured out that Zoom's plan involved you be severely injured and turned on him, undoing his spell and Barry and then kidnapping you. He would have kept you in a secret place until he'd completely brainwashed you and you would have become Blitz. four years later Zoom would have murdered Hartley for ruining his plan, and without him around to control you... you became insane. Placed in an Asylum for your own protection.'
Wally felt himself pale at the news. Ya, thanking is certainly something he would be doing. That was just too screwed up.
'I'm fading now... good luck...'
Good bye.
And he was alone again.
Following the voice's advice he shut his eyes. Calming his breathing and began waiting for someone to come back.
It took several minutes, but his uncle was the first to return.
"Hey Kiddo, wake up," Barry said softly as he shook his nephews arm slightly.
Wally slowly opened his eyes. "Five more minutes," he joked.
Barry laughed. "No time for sleeping," he said. "We have to see how you're doing. See, I brought Martian Manhunter here."
The Martian came into view. "Your uncle already briefed me on what happened to you," he said, coming closer. "I'm just going to take a look in your mind to see if they damaged it further."
Wally frowned, his mind was fine now. Well, at least this would prove it.
Hands touched his head and he felt his mind go blank. He didn't know how long it went on for but when he snapped out of it the Martian Manhunter was speaking to his uncle.
"How is that even possible?" Barry was asking.
"I don't know, I've never seen anything like it," The Martian replied. "When Doctor Fate gets here he can tell us if what happened was magical. For now we shouldn't leave him alone for a moment."
"Someone want to tell me why everyone's freaking out?" Wally asked, confused as to why they were so freaked out.
Barry looked at him. "You don't have to worry about it," he insisted, but Wally glared at him, "Fine. Wally when the Martian Manhunter was in your mind he found that and many of your memories, as well as various other pieces, were missing."
Wally nodded. He knew that was going to happen.
"Do you remember what this voice did to you?" Barry pressed, desperate for information on what was done to his nephew. "Anything at all?"
"I... I followed the directions to the shed and then I sat on the chair and it said some nonsense," Wally lied, as the voice had told him to. "Then I passed out. When I woke up Bart, Megan, and Conner were already there."
"I understand," Barry sighed.
The Martian Manhunter stepped back. "I'll inform the rest of the league about what I have found," he said, turning to leave.
"Right, thank you," Barry said offhandedly.
The other nodded in response and stepped out of the room, leaving the two speedsters alone.
Barry sat down beside Wally and gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll find who did this to you, I promise."
It was temping to tell his uncle to have fun finding a disembodied voice, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of lying in the first place. Instead he just smiled back at him.
As they were like that Bart finally returned, behind him Batman and Doctor Fate came with him.
"He told us what happened," Batman said.
Doctor Fate walked up to Wally and said. "I sense dark magic on him," he said simply and emotionless. "This was a spell. One I recognize, however, It is not one that can be undone. I am sorry but your nephews memories, and whatever else was taken from his mind, are gone forever."
Barry gave Wally a pity filled look. "At least we found him..."
"I'm fine now," Wally insisted. "Better than I've been since the accident."
"We're all glad you're staying strong, but you don't need to worry," Bart said, trying to sound confident. "Just promise you'll tell us next time you hear a voice talking to you."
"I'll promise to tell someone," Wally responded cheekily, pushing himself up so he was seated.
"You can still sleep if you need," Barry told him, holding his shoulder.
"I'm fine, really," he couldn't handle much more of this, maybe he should... "But I have something I need to tell you."
Barry smiled at him. "You can tell me anything."
Wally turned away for a moment, and then looked at Bart, and finally back to Barry. "I've been sneaking out at night," he confessed. "I got my memories of my friends back the same day I went back to school. They helped me, and we've been getting closer ever since."
His uncle responded, about as well as expected. First his face looked shocked, and then angry and worried.
"What were you thinking? Were you thinking at all? Is that why you've been having so many panic attacks?" Barry exclaimed loudly. "Why? Why lie to me? Don't you trust me anymore?"
"I couldn't trust you, not with the way you were acting all the time!" Wally snapped back. "They were the only ones keeping me sane in this damn mess! When I'm with them I can just be myself! I didn't have to pretend, and they treated me like I was normal. Something you haven't done in a long time."
Barry looked away. "This ends now," he said. "I'm homeschooling you for now on!"
"That's enough!"
Wally looked at Bart in shock. Did his cousin just?
"Excuse me?" Barry gaped, looking pissed.
Bart held his ground. "I know you just want to help, but you're making things worse," He said, motioning to Wally. "You drove him away from you, and luckily towards people who also wanted to help him. Look, I hated them to, I didn't trust them and I went out of my way to keep Wally away from them but... In that quest I had to deal with them a lot. If there's one thing i learned from that is that they're a loyal pack, and they would never do anything to hurt Wally. Just, try Barry. Meet them. Talk to them. Then you can judge them."
Barry didn't answer right away, and somehow managed to keep his face completely void of emotion.
In a desperate attempt Wally looked at his uncle and gave him an almost desperate look.
His uncle looked at him for a few moments, then gave a weak smile. "Maybe it is about time I met them for real," he caved. "I just... I just hope they're truly as caring for you as you two claim."
Wally's eyes lit up and he hugged his uncle. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Barry hugged him back, still not looking exactly happy about everything.
Things were finally starting to get better.
^o^
Mist: I am never writing a chapter this long ever again!
Whistle: Well, the stories almost over.
Mist: Yep, then onto the next project :) Hope everyone will check it out
Whistle: You still need to find a final name for the story.
Mist: Later.
Both: Please review!