TW:TIH
"Okay, what did you do this time?" Artemis asked, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she walked along beside her clearly agitated boyfriend.
"I swear, Babe, I didn't do anything!" Wally replied earnestly as he scoured the recesses of his mind, searching for what he might have done to have his mentor hunt him down in the relative safety of the Cave. "I mean, I might have done a… sorta incomplete job on the garden shed but I swear I got all the dangerous stuff packed away!"
"Well you'd better figure out how to apologize for whatever it is you did do because right now? Barry looks pissed."
She was right: they had just walked into the briefing area which bordered the Zeta Platform and, standing before the mission computer was an irate looking Barry Allen.
"At least it has nothing to do with the hero business," Artemis whispered to Wally in a bid to help him calm down.
"You think because he's wearing street clothes he's less upset?" The redhead had to restrain a sarcastic scoff. "Believe me, it's worse." Then, as they approached his scowling mentor, the younger speedster put on a sheepish grin and-
"Do not try to talk your way out of this one, young man!" Barry snapped. "Dammit Wally, we've been planning this for weeks now! How could you forget?!"
"… ah… I'm sorry?" Beside her boyfriend, Artemis mightily resisted the urge to smack her palm into her face.
"You're sorry?! That's the best you could say after abandoning me today?!" Barry seemed ready to shout again before forcing himself to take a deep breath. "Okay, calming down now. Finding my center, doing some yoga, inner peace…" A few more moments of muttering to himself later, the older speedster leveled a calm stare at his protege. "Okay, so what were you doing here? I mean, I didn't exactly tell you why I needed you today so if I have to stay pissed at you then the least I could do is understand why you chose today -of all days!- to ditch me. And it better not be because you wanted to play kissy face with your girlfr-" Barry paused and sighed again before turning to Artemis. "God, I have been terribly rude since I got here. Artemis, how has your day been?"
"It's been fun, actually," The archer smirked. "Watching you blow up at him has actually been one of the highlights of my day, inordinately funny as that might seem." They studiously ignored Wally's indignant cry. "So, what did Baywatch forget?"
"I might as well just show you," Barry huffed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a plain, black box and passed it across to her. "Open it."
Even before she did, Artemis recognized the box and the significance of what she would find inside. Beside her, Wally stared at the box in shock before turning to his mentor, a slack-jawed expression seemingly etched onto his face.
Almost reverently, Artemis opened the little ring casket to reveal a pale pink, velvet lined interior and, nestled in the center, a simple yet stunning gold band, a quartet of its length studded with twinkling jade gems. For a few moments, the blonde could only stare like her boyfriend before she managed to croak out a: "You and-"
"Iris," Barry confirmed with a wistful smile. "We've been ready for a while now but between our jobs and my extracurricular activities dealing with Central City's finest-" He rolled his eyes here. "I've just not had the time to really calm down to pick. As soon as I realized that Iris would be out all day, I ensured that I'd be free this weekend so…"*
"You're gonna propose?!" Wally squealed, practically vibrating with excitement. "Tomorrow?!"
"I am," Barry smiled before remembering that he was still somewhat pissed at his protege. "And you are going to handle the entirety of the preparation for our dinner including the food."
While Wally's excitement shifted to pained horror, Artemis simply exploded in a fit of laughter. "You want Baywatch to cook?! Ha; the only thing you'll be giving poor Future-Mrs-Allen is a nasty case of food poisoning!"
"Uh… You do know that Wally can cook right?" Barry pointed out, studiously ignoring his protege's frantic -not to mention dreadfully unsubtle- attempts to get him to stop. "I mean, Iris, Cecile and Ma Garrick all had a hand teaching him the 'Way of the Kitchen' while Joe and Pa Garrick poured every last scrap of grilling knowledge they have into his skull. He's actually the best cook I know."
For every word that left the older speedster's mouth, Wally shrank deeper and deeper into himself while Artemis' glare grew hotter at the same rate.
However, just before she could rip into him, a laughing M'gann and Kara walked up to them.
"Barry!" Kara called happily, flying up to embrace the speedster. "God, it's been a while! Are you here for the movie too 'cause you are late Mister 'Fastest Man Alive!'"
"It's good to see you too Kara," Barry smiled, flashing a quick thumbs-up to Artemis who had stealthily returned the ring box. "Wait, you guys are watching a movie?"
"Yeah! It's been pretty cool so far!" Kara nodded as she snagged his arm and pulled him away. "Trust me, you'll love it…"
While the two adults walked ahead, M'gann turned to her friends and gestured toward the pair ahead of them. "Are we still watching the movie or not?"
"Of course we are!" Artemis smiled as she snagged Wally's arm and practically crushed it to her side. "Isn't that right, Master Chef?"
"Wait. Why are you calling him master chef?" A confused M'gann asked as they walked back. "Wally can't cook to save his life."
"Oh, M'gann do I have a story for you!"
Beside her, Wally whimpered softly.
TW:TIH
By the time they returned to the Cave, the two girls were latched on to a visibly despairing Wally's arms, drawing the attention of every last one of their teammates.
"Uh… is there a reason you guys are latching on to Wally like he's a lifeboat?" Conner asked, not even remotely bothered by the way M'gann was latched on to the speedster.
"Wally, who apparently is a master chef in his own right, has just agreed to cater for us next weekend! A full-on beach-side bonfire!" Artemis stated, looking inordinately pleased to make the announcement, much to Raquel's clear befuddlement.
"Are we talkin' about the same Wally who -according to you- routinely burns water?"
"We just discovered the Wally has been playing a particularly long-term prank on us," M'gann replied cheerfully as she left the beleaguered boy to join Conner on his seat. "Barry just confirmed that he's actually an excellent cook."
Zatanna quickly understood why they were upset. "Sounds kinda light considering how many times he's ditched us in the kitchen only to scarf down every last bit of food." Beside her Dick did everything he could not to wince: he had known about Wally's mad kitchen skills as well as his reluctance to display said skills because, in his own words, "It's the one chore I can't just speed-blitz!" and, in honour of the Bro Code, he had chosen not to say anything while his friend lazed about and poked fun at Artemis' equally horrible cooking skills. If either of them even suspected his complicity in this matter…
"Looks like we have something to look forward to next week," John smirked at the horribly uncomfortable speedster. "That said, I think we should get back to the movie now."
Dick almost blurred as he hurriedly snatched up the remote and hit the play button.
34:11 – 34:15
"Wait a second," Raquel frowned as she sat forward, almost sliding off the edge of the couch. "The lab where the experiment happened-"
"Unless they've got labs off campus, this is where it happened," Oliver nodded grimly. "Ross just chased his target right back to square one."
34:16 - 34:28
"Seventeen days, huh?" John muttered, closing his eyes and running a few mental calculations. "Yeah, that sounds about right for him to make his way from Mexico while avoiding detection."
"Really?" Zatanna asked, surprised. "Because I was thinking that was a bit much, actually."
"You're thinking of how long it would take a non-fugitive to make it across," J'onn replied. "As John said, Banner must have taken the 'long route' as it were to ensure that he was not recorded by any official channels. However he also could not afford to rush around or push too hard on whoever it was that helped him across; such high-profile actions would be more likely to draw unwanted attention to him."
"Oh…" The young magician nodded slowly as comprehension dawned on her. "Okay, that does make sense."
34:30 – 34:33
"That's not a good idea," Diana frowned. "The only way the newspaper disguise would work is if there were more people engaged in the same activity. In this case, because most of the general populace are students who are simply walking around, the newspaper calls attention far more than otherwise."
"There's also the fact that security officers tend to notice when others are actively trying to hide their features," Barry pointed out. "Try walking around with a half-mask on or something and see how many cops take a keen interest in knowing where you're going."
"Exactly," Diana nodded. "In addition, even if he was trying to hide from the electronic surveillance the paper just makes him stand out among the rest of the populace."
34:33 – 34:37
"Wonder what had him so completely blanked out there?" Artemis asked as she leaned back into Wally's side, her mild annoyance at him already long forgotten. "He looked like he'd seen a ghost or something."
"My guess? The security post wasn't there before," Kaldur replied simply. "Remember, the University was the site of a strange, destructive incident: with the General keeping the true version of events wrapped up beneath so many layers of lies, it stands to reason that the University board were fed a lie of some sort that had them increasing the security around the entrances to all their buildings."
"That's logical…" Kara nodded slowly before jabbing a finger at the Atlantean. "Except we know he got onto the campus which probably means the security couldn't be that tight."
"Uh… I'll have to disagree with you on that one, Kara," Barry shook his head. "The security at the campus' main entrance wouldn't be all that tight: a campus is a pretty big place with too many people of different walks of life coming and going. The faculty building, on the other hand -especially if it was the site of this big incident Kaldur just hinted at- would be far easier to secure."*
34:37 – 35:14
"Doctor Elizabeth Ross," Conner grimaced slightly. "That definitely clears things up."
"…I mean, there is a chance that-"
"No, M'gann, not after the many hints we have been presented with," J'onn sighed. "There is simply no way this could be a coincidence: we already suspected that the relationship between the General and the then-unnamed Doctor Elizabeth was a familial one, a fact that has only been reinforced over the course of the movie."
"Well, it looks like we'll finally get to see the good doctor on her feet," Oliver pointed out as the scene shifted to show the entrance to the Bio-Sciences building.
35:20 – 35:25
That the brunette was the same as 'Doctor Elizabeth Ross' was never in doubt: the face perfectly matched that of the scientist from the beginning of the movie.
"She looks so… relaxed," Kara noted softly. "It's almost like she doesn't know about Banner."
"Considering the trauma she must have suffered it isn't impossible that she suffered a case of amnesia however mild," Diana suggested.
John nodded his agreement. "Plus, with the General spinning stories left right and center, I won't be surprised if she's operating on some seriously skewed version of events."
"It would certainly go a long way to explain why the shitty General said he'd cut off all of Banner's ties to his home." Oliver put in.
35:26 – 36:20
For many present, the scene was something of a gut-punch, catching them off-guard with how poignant the message was.
"She looks happy…" M'gann commented quietly. "And he looks…"
"Devastated," Oliver supplied knowingly. "She's pretty much been his anchor for however long he was on the run and now that he's home, he has to face the fact that he tied himself to a memory that doesn't even exist anymore."
"To be fair, it would be somewhat unfair for her to put her life on hold for a man that she probably doesn't remember or thinks is dead." Kaldur pointed out. "We have only seen Banner and the General's sides of the story; Doctor Ross is little more than a name and a face right now."
36:21 – 36:36
"Okay, I'm interested in what this Banner guy has going on here, meeting a pizzeria's owner after hours but, having done my fair share of grocery store closing up, I just have to say this: I HATE last minute customers!" Barry stated firmly, his scowl born from old experiences. "I swear, there's always that one person a week who just never makes it in on time and just makes it their life's goal to piss you off!"
The rest of the room turned to him as one, blinking awkwardly at the surprising vehemence in the generally relaxed man's voice.
"Uh… I did a stint at a mom-and-pop store a year ago and um… I didn't have any stragglers." Raquel quietly stated.
"Same here," John and Kara's agreement came simultaneously before Kara continued: "I mean, the times were different-" John nodded here, "-but I worked at Mrs Duvalier's store for most of my highschool holiday period and I never had issues with stragglers."
Seeing that no one there could commiserate with him, the older speedster slumped in his seat. "Some people have all the luck!"
36:37 – 36:52
"Banner must have a great deal of trust in this man to feel so relaxed in his presence," Diana noted. "At the same time, having someone trust him so implicitly must be a great relief to him after what I'm beginning to think may have been a truly vicious smear campaign by the General."
"Personally, I'm a bit surprised that Ross -the General, I mean," Wally quickly clarified, "I'm surprised that he left such a clear connection to Banner's personal life without much of a security net. I mean, after all that confidence about how he'd basically isolated Banner, it seems kinda odd that-"
"That he missed such an 'obvious' connection?" Kara smiled a tad nostalgically. "Two things: one, you -we- have the advantage of watching the story without really participating: the eagle-eye perspective, sort of, which allows us to spot connections that would be much harder to spot if we were actually in the movie's reality."
"Makes sense," Conner nodded and his sort-of cousin smiled at him.
"Well, the second reason is something a friend of mine -Barry, you remember Winn?"
"Of course! I still owe him a thorough thrashing at Space Invaders!"
"Barry, you lost six rounds straight; a seventh won't change anything," The Kryptonian stated dismissively, ignoring his faux-heartbroken expression. "Anyway, Winn calls it the 'Movie Effect:' according to him, when major events happen people tend to think only in terms of the 'main cast' and the 'extras.' Like, you think of… say… well, the destruction of Krypton and you think of Clark and I and maybe our parents and the others kind of blur into the background right?" A few moments of thought had everyone present nodding their assent. "Well, if you do that then you won't realize that the ship Clark arrived in was crafted by Ulla-Zod, a distant cousin of the General Zod. Historians try to get the details right but a lot of these little things slip through the cracks because we're subconsciously focused on the 'main cast' so the actions of the 'minor cast' and the 'extras' just blur into the background."
"So… you're saying that because this man… Stan, wasn't a major part of the story, he got overlooked?" Artemis asked.
"I mean, he's just the guy who own one of many pizzerias on the campus; how's a busy guy like Ross supposed to know that this unassuming old man actually cares about his daughter and her boyfriend?" Kara asked in reply, watching as comprehension slowly dawned on their faces. "He may be a hard-ass but why bother uprooting an entire diner or spending the cash to keep the place under surveillance when it wasn't all that important to Banner?"
"And the little things slip through the cracks." J'onn nodded. "A very impressive line of thought."
36:54 – 37:28
"Any bets on what he'll ask for?" Zatanna's question, though directed at everyone present, seemed to carry a direct challenge to Artemis if the look the magician was giving the archer meant anything. "Anyone?'"
"The best I've got is something that'll help him get through the security point at that faculty building," Artemis shrugged. "What that'll be… now there's a gamble."
"Well maybe it'll turn out that the kindly old man's actually a mafia boss and the pizzeria is a front for an extensive criminal empire that provides Banner with staff credentials?" The suggestion was clearly satirical, a fact that made all the more obvious when Raquel -who had provided it- broke down into a fit of laughs by the end, joined by most of the adults present. "Hey Dick! Let's see if I'm right this time!"
37:28 – 37:28
"Does it count as a win for me since I guessed that-"
"You literally guessed the most likely possibility in the movie." Zatanna snorted. "And even then you were stupid vague. No wins for you!"
"Fine fine," Artemis raised her hands in surrender. "But I still have more w's than anyone present so yay me." Beside her, Wally rolled his eyes.
"Hey, is it weird that I actually wanted Raquel to be right?" Dick asked. "I mean, that plot twist…"
"Would have been unnecessary, distracting and would add very little to the movie's core story." Kara remarked seriously before flashing a grin at the young detective. "Would have been fun, though."
37:40 – 37:50
"And now he'll offer a bribe," Artemis stated.
37:51 – 37:57
"And that's another-"
"Nuh-uh!" M'gann interjected. "No bets were called and this one was so easy it wouldn't even have been called anyway! Not a win!"
37:58 – 38:06
"You know, I wonder what that pizza would taste like when he realizes that he just let in a terrorist, a serial killer, a serial rapist, a bio-terrorist or just an old fashioned arsonist into what should have been a secure area," Barry stated, a disgusted frown twisting his features as they watched the guard diving into his unexpected gift. "Because this, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly how Nine-Elevens happen: some idiot who should have kept his eyes open and stuck with the security protocol decided a free pizza was enough to let an unknown walk right into an important facility!"*
"My God…" Conner croaked, a reaction shared by M'gann and Zatanna. All three had been ready to protest the older hero's seemingly slanderous accusations but now… Now they were struck far more by the implications he had just opened their eyes to.
"I'd like to say that Barry's exaggerating here but…" John shook his head sadly. "The only remotely good thing about this that mistakes like these don't usually escalate to the levels he talked about."
"Yeah but when they do the cost is just…" Oliver trailed off and sighed. "Let's move on."
38:13 – 38:59
"Okay, this just takes the whole 'way to a man's heart is through his stomach' thing a tad too far," Dick frowned as they watched the geeky-looking guy lift a slice to salute Banner. "It should not have been that easy!"
"Well, if they're anything like Baywatch then… yeah," Artemis shrugged as she poked her boyfriend's ribs. "It would have worked on Wally."
38:59 – 39:20
"To be honest, I didn't expect him to find anything either," Kara admitted. "That would have been a massive plot hole when you think of how far the General's gone to acquire any scrap of the research details."
39:21 – 39:58
"Damn…" John muttered quietly, drawing Diana's attention and prompting her to ask if he was alright. "I'm good, Diana, it's just… watching him just take a hit like that with little more than a flinch… it takes watching a lot of doors get slammed into your face for a person to just walk it off like that."
Though she could not claim to have experienced 'doors getting slammed in her face' in the context he meant, Diana did understand a bit of what he meant. It was much like how a martial artist learned to shrug off the pain of physical blows: repeated experience.
39:59 – 40:08
"Again?!" An aghast M'gann cried. "He's barely been here for a day!"
"It's already his second day at the campus, M'gann," Kaldur gently reminded the Martian teen. "Remember that he is still a wanted fugitive: his presence there is already tempting fate. Now that his last hope for recovering the data he lost is gone, there is no point in remaining there."
"But- Doctor Ross-!"
"Has a life of her own now," Kara interjected, though not harshly. "The longer he remains there, the greater the possibility that he would simply throw her life into disarray and if there's anything the movie has made clear, it is that he would never willingly hurt her."
The answer wasn't what she wanted to hear but with Conner projecting a calming aura for her benefit, M'gann slowly came to see the truth in their words.
40:08 – 40:35
"Yeah… Stan's sunk," An amused Oliver commented. "There's no way his resolve will hold out, not with her pulling off the best damned 'childish-pleading' voice I've ever heard."
40:36 – 40:41
"Well, looks like we'll finally get to know if she still remembers him or not," Conner stated as Banner arrived in the kitchen area, looking for his host. "There's no way she won't see him here."
40:47 – 41:00
"Conner takes the w." Zatanna stage-whispered to her boyfriend before smirking at a glowering Artemis.
40:41 – 41:28
"Not a very big fan of the romance tropes but it looks like she really does care about him," Raquel remarked. "At the very least, she remembers what he was to her."
"Which means we were either completely off the ball with the amnesia thing or she's recovered her memories." Wally added.
41:32 – 42:07
"Well, if I was not certain before, I can say with utmost confidence that she still loves him," J'onn commented. "Perhaps even more so than when he left, in fact."
"You know what they say about absence and love," Oliver agreed. "I just hope she finds him before he goes to ground again because Banner seems to have the art of disappearing down pat."
"She'll find him," Artemis and Dick stated in perfect synchronicity before Dick continued: "Their meeting is pretty much written in stone at this point; there's no way the writers would have put in this little scene if they didn't want them to meet up."
"Yeah but they don't have to meet now, right?" Barry asked. "I mean, they could push the meeting till sometime later in the movie."
"No, I agree with them Barry: Banner needs to meet Elizabeth now or it would cause plot problems," Kara argued. "I mean, she couldn't find him all this time -and, after what we just saw, I'm willing to bet that she tried her best to do just that- and, as Oliver implied, he's only gotten better at disappearing now. If she suddenly pops up at his next hideout, it would break the logic they've built into this."
"Maybe the General's using her as bait?" Raquel suggested but the Kryptonian shook her head firmly but it was Diana that spoke.
"As far as we know, Ross has done his best to keep them apart and I believe that a large part of his reasoning for that is her protection. I simply cannot see him ever using her to bait Banner out into the open."
"… My next win," Artemis stated, directing a mock-glare at Zatanna who just rolled her eyes and waved for her to continue. "General Ross will use his daughter as Banner-bait."
"Sucker bets aren't allowed." The magician grinned victoriously as Dick hit the play button.
42:08 – 43:18
"Wait, Banner didn't come with her?" Conner frowned. "That doesn't seem likely."
"I don't think so, Conner. For one thing, she looks too relaxed." M'gann pointed out, gesturing to the still image onscreen. "If Bruce actually left her, she would probably have been too angry and sad to care about waiting for the garage door to fully close before rushing into the house."
"As for her being alone in the car… well, things are rarely what they seem at first glance," Barry continued. "Remember: the guy's still a federal fugitive; it's nice that he's back with his girlfriend and all but if he gets spotted she'll get caught up in the ensuing storm, something he definitely wouldn't want. So, if he is in the car with her, he's probably just lying across the passenger seats to reduce the chances of being spotted."
43:19 – 43:27
"See? They were just being careful."
43:29 – 43:45
"No way…" Kara breathed, voicing the thoughts of everyone present as Banner opened the case and lifted a slim flash drive out. "She was able to get a copy of his work?!"
"Beyond that, the fact that she has kept it close to herself for however long it had been since Banner fled is just…" Diana trailed off, struggling to think of a word to really capture what she meant.
"It's breathtaking, is what it is." Oliver stated. "That kind of unwavering trust, that devotion…"
"Love." J'onn said simply. "It is a manifestation of her love for him."
43:46 – 43:49
"The problem with being on the run for so long," Oliver sighed, shaking his head tiredly. "Paranoia becomes your best friend."
"I prefer to think of this as Banner's love for her showing through," Kara remarked. "I mean, he knows how incensed her old man would be if he knew that she had that so maybe he's asking so he'll know what to say if they get confronted at any point."
"That's a reach," John rejoined, shaking his head firmly. "Oliver's right: that question was pure paranoia speaking."
43:50 – 43:56
"Okay, now he's pushing it," Raquel frowned. "I mean, if she was working with her old man she wouldn't have bothered handing him that flash drive!"
"You are assuming that she would not willingly cooperate with her father," J'onn pointed out. "He could have coerced her into doing this."
"There is also the possibility that Doctor Ross is not knowingly working for her father," Kaldur added, getting nods from Diana and John. "For all we know, the General is playing an extremely long shot here and had programs built into the files she copied that would provide him with the details of whoever accesses the data's location. In that case, she wouldn't even know that she was working for her father."
"… damn." Oliver muttered. "What's worse is, I can actually picture the old man pulling this kind of stunt."
43:57 – 44:01
"Probably the same reason I can't talk Luthor into being less of a dick," Kara muttered with a scowl. "Their egos are too big to listen to anyone else."
44:02 – 44:12
"Okay, I've gotta ask a favor," Barry frowned. "Considering how horrified she looks about this thing, I want to see it."
After a quick glance around the room to confirm that everyone was okay with the man's request, Dick stopped the movie and restarted it at double speed. "We don't exactly have a clear picture of what we're dealing with yet but here are the two shots we've seen of it." He reverted to normal speed as the intro shot of Banner, strapped to the table appeared. "Here's the lab incident Kara told you about." The Cave was silent as they rehashed the carnage of the scene all the way to the shot of Banner fleeing the hospital before Dick quadrupled the speed, taking them to the factory scene before normalizing the playback again.
"Ouch," The older speedster winced as he watched the thug get punted into the metal wall. Then he winced again at the shot of the commandos getting run over by the weaponized tanker. By the time the whole scene was over, he just sat back and stared at the ceiling. "What the hell is that piece of shit thinking?!"
Though he likely didn't mean to say it out -his voice had been octaves lower and the fact that he had just cussed, something Wally hadn't even known his mentor could do- everyone present heard him just fine.
"He's going through early-stage Cadmus-it is." Artemis stated with a shrug. "You know, when they created the Kobra Venom as a direct competition for Bane's Venom?"
"Except weaponizing that-" He gestured at the frozen image of the creature slamming some heavy piece of machinery into a wall. "-is just insane. Remember, I worked on creating the antidote to the KV with Bats and the Atom: I know how that thing works and I can tell you that this guy-"
"The Hulk," Conner said, recalling the creature's title-implied moniker.
Barry nodded absently. "Yeah, the Hulk already far outclasses most of the extreme performance models we created for the KV users. Even worse is, from what I've seen, the Hulk's a creature of instinct: there's no real intellect behind it-" That had Wally sitting up in surprise, though Barry just rolled on. "-to the KV users who, at the very least, still recognize the commands of their designated leaders."
"Hold on," Wally called out, a deep frown on his face. "You seriously think that thing isn't intelligent?! Because it's actions seem very thought out to me!"
"What actions? Tossing the forklift? Punting the thug? Not stomping Doctor Ross or her dad in the lab?" Barry shook his head. "Those were all instinctive: he didn't touch the Doctor because he's still got an element of Banner in him, making him protective of her. The General -at least back then- hadn't done anything to piss him off so there was no reason to touch him. He punted the thug that had annoyed the hell out of Banner to that point: not acceptable but very much understandable. As for the forklift thing, I'd say he just grabbed the nearest object and flung it in a fit of rage. A thought-out action would be snapping off one of the forklift's carriers and flinging it javelin-like at the commando -what was his name?"
"Emil Blonsky," Raquel supplied. "And I agree: the whole javelin thing you just suggested would be more in line for a psychopath."
Stumped again, this time by the one person he had expected to support him, Wally leaned back sullenly. "Can we keep going now?"
"Yeah, thanks Robin." Barry waved to Dick who quickly jumped to where they were before hitting the play button.
44:13 – 44:16
"Looks like we get to see what our favorite General's up to again," John stated, his tone saturated with sarcasm.
44:17 – 44:34
"Unless he's already dived into the world of medicare then it looks like Stark was right to confront 'little miss Brown," Oliver smiled upon seeing the Stark Industries logo beneath the stylized CryoSync.
"What do you mean?" Barry asked, his confusion shared by all the newcomers in the room save J'onn who had seen the movie through his niece's mind.
"The last movie we watched is loosely connected to this," Diana stated before diving into a quick synopsis of Iron Man. "At one point, Stark told reporter that his company engaged in various medical and agricultural pursuits that were funded by the military funding she condemned. We never saw any proof of that -at least, I don't recall any- so seeing this barrel here is at least tentative proof that he wasn't lying out of his ass, something I wouldn't put beyond him."
The last comment drew upraised eyebrow from Kara. "Well, he's certainly made an impression."
"Like you wouldn't believe," Oliver grinned at Artemis who pretended not to notice.
44:38 – 44:56
"Well, looks like Blonsky'll get his wish," John grunted at the image onscreen. "Exciting adventures coming up." He seemed to be waiting for a response before smacking his forehead with a palm and mumbling, "Forgot."
"Forgot what?" Zatanna asked, curious about his seemingly strange actions.
"An old custom from my days in the army," He replied, smiling nostalgically. "We had this vet -one of the best close quarter combatants I've ever seen, 'specially with a knife- called Valentinian-"
"After the emperor?" Dick asked.
The Lantern nodded. "His old man was a history buff, he told us. Anyhow, Valentinan had a tendency to lounge about, giving advice to the newer recruits. He was that slightly addled uncle to everyone until he had a mission: then he became one of the hardest killers I've ever known." The smile faded a little then, as John recalled three occasions that the old vet had pulled his ass out of the fire. "He had a saying: Exciting adventures are what get idiots like you killed quick, a saying we didn't understand until we got older." Again, the dark look crossed his face before being chased off by the smile. "Anyhow, somewhere along the line when I'd gotten promoted, we'd get certain orders and grumble about how we had 'exciting adventures coming up' and Valentinian would always, always reply: Fuck exciting adventures."*
"Sounds like he was one hell of a guy," Barry laughed. Where's he now?"
"Last I heard, he'd settled down somewhere in India with a native, Lata? Or was it Dhruva? Anyhow, they should have a kid now; he bitched about how he was a poor example of a father until I reminded him that he'd bitched about being a husband and there he was with a loving wife." The Lantern finally opened his eyes. "I'll probably go check up on him this week if nothing comes up again."
"You should," J'onn said encouragingly. "He will appreciate it and you will be surprised how beneficial you might find it."
"And before you get to use 'space patrol' excuses again, I'll take up your duties whenever you decide to go this week," Kara offered, an offer Diana and J'onn quickly signed up for.
"Looks like you have no choice here, man," Oliver laughed as he gestured to Dick for the movie to continue. "Exciting adventures coming up!"
44:57 – 45:11
"Well, this is painfully awkward," Wally noted, a tad sarcastically.
"Wally!" Artemis called sharply, her voice quiet but piercing. "They've been forced apart for God-alone-knows how long now. Sure they had the cliched 'hugs beneath the rain' moment but that was their first meeting and they were in public. Right now, they're stuck in a pretty private setting, all alone with old memories and feelings barely held back. What exactly did you expect, a ten-point discourse on the nature of the universe?"
"Artemis is right," Zatanna added. "Plus, there's also the elephant in the room here: Betty's got a boyfriend now, one who isn't a gamma-charged mass of primal instinct. There's no way she isn't wondering about him right now and if she isn't Banner's definitely thinking about it."
"Oliver?" Diana frowned at the absent look on the archer's face. "Are you with us?"
"Huh?" He blinked rapidly before his mind registered her question. "Oh, I was thinking of another elephant in the room, actually," His voice dropped a few decibels and even then he still leaned forward to speak directly into her ear. "You know how really good sex makes a person lose control of themself for moment…?"
The Amazon's first reaction was to take a page out of Dinah's book and smack the idiot archer upside the skull; her second was to blush as the unbidden memories of her time with Steve floated to the edge of her thoughts. She was able to stifle both reactions just before the full implication of Oliver's words hit her.
"Great Hera!"
Everyone turned to the Amazon, stunned as much by her sudden shout as they were by her wide eyes and ashen expression.
"Diana? What-?"
The Amazon exchanged subtle grimaces with Oliver as she realized why he had chosen to speak as quietly as he could-
"If you're trying to figure out how to tell us that Bruce having sex with Betty would probably end with him going Hulk on her then you're kinda late to the party," Raquel stated bluntly. "M'gann pointed that out telepathically."
"Oh." Diana blinked. "Well, um…"
"No offense but you guys realize that this is the twenty-first century right?" Zatanna frowned. "I mean, my dad basically isolated me in a pocket universe for most of my life and I still know about sex."
"Sorry," A sheepish Oliver rubbed the back of his head while Diana's cheeks gained the faintest pink hue. "Kinda forgot about that."
"To be fair, I was concerned about Dick and-"
The boy in question let loose a loud, long laugh that had him clutching his sides and gasping for breathe. "I… live with one of the most notorious playboys on the planet who has to keep up appearances. And you two thought I'd be an innocent kid." He wiped a tear away hit the play button. "Oh God, that's funny."
The laughter and general merriment died not even a moment later, though, when Banner spoke:
45:12 – 45:15
"She doesn't sound all that surprised." Conner observed as M'gann pulled his arm around her shoulders.
"She is an intelligent woman." Kaldur replied. "Sentiment or not, she would likely have considered as many possible outcomes their reunion could have."
"But… that makes no sense," Conner argued. "She begged him to stay, right?"
"She had just found the man she loved after an indeterminable amount of time apart from him with no explanations," The Atlantean continued. "Their embrace in the rains occurred when their emotions pushed their logic aside: now that things have settled down a bit the logical sides of their minds are re-establishing control."
Conner wanted to argue some more but he knew when he was beaten. As such, he sat back, pulled M'gann in closer and muttered. "Well, if logic's the problem then maybe they should just ditch it."
Unfortunately, his words weren't quiet enough for Kaldur to miss them. "You forget, Conner, that while Doctor Ross can choose to rely purely on her emotions, for Banner such a decision may end up in the deaths of hundreds."
The Kryptonian teen hung his head as he realized that he had blurted out his thoughts without thinking them through. "… sorry, I… I didn't realize how that could sound."
45:20 – 45:35
"Definitely an emotional choice on both their parts," John sighed. "And the problem is that I just can't fault them for it."
"Not after what they have been through, both of them." Diana agreed quietly, thinking of how she might feel if she were given a chance to meet Steve for a night and then have to part ways for some reason. "Not after what they've been through."
45:46 – 46:33
"If I didn't know how much this is hurting him, I'd have called him something nasty," Artemis admitted quietly. "But then, he's given up hasn't he?"
"That is the difference between them," J'onn sighed. "Banner has… consigned himself to this fate. He sees no other possibility to keep away from the General and protect Betty in the only way he can so he is resolute. Doctor Elizabeth, on the other hand, sees no other outcome but, having not suffered the disappointments Banner has, she still holds out hope for the possibility of a miracle. However, as time goes on, that hope slips away and the despair of the bleak reality sinks further into her heart." The Martian drew in a slow, shuddering breath. "She is a strong woman but, when faced with the inevitable, even the strongest minds experience a crack or two."
It was a somber group that returned their attention to the television when Dick hit the play button.
46:34 – 46:43
"Wow, I can just imagine how this will turn out," Artemis remarked caustically. While she still felt a great deal of sorrow for Banner and Elizabeth, the flip side of that was sorrow was as simmering rage directed at the silver-haired man.
Kaldur -though he shared the same sentiments she did- spoke up, "To be fair, Artemis, the Hulk is not a foe one can go up against with normal methods. J'onn explained how the General is legally right to pursue most courses of action in his hunt for Banner-"
"Oh come on!" Zatanna scowled. "You can't honestly agree with that! It's not right!"
"It's not morally right," Raquel sighed. "Legally, though… well, the serum Ross pulled out of that cryo-cylinder had a little 'Department of Defense' ownership tag on it. This isn't something you can win in a court: Banner worked on a DoD project and the results of his work are stuck inside him; the bloody General is within his rights to go after him. Right now, he's just using the 'fight fire with fire' approach."
"Yeah well that approach is a bit notorious for setting off uncontrollable infernos." Dick pointed out crossly. "And in this case? I'm almost certain it will end up exactly like that."
46:44 – 47:05
"I don't like this." M'gann shuddered nervously as she dug herself deeper into Conner's side.
"Ditto," Kara admitted quietly.
47:06 – 47:31
"Wait. That's it?" Barry frowned at the screen. "No green skin, no bulging muscles?"
"I mean, the General did say that the serum was 'promising,'" John muttered, doing an impressive job of hiding how disappointed he was at the scene. "Looks like it was a bust."
"Back to the drawing board, then." Kara shrugged. "I'm honestly glad that this didn't work out, though: at least this way we're sure that Bruce and Betty get to have their final moments in peace."
TW:TIH
*- While we're not certain when Barry and Iris tied the knot, I'm pretty sure it hadn't happened as at the end of the first season. Seeing as in Outsiders, the Twins are already toddlers, I think Barry popping the question during the break between S1and S2 would make sense.
*- I'm not sure why Banner looked so surprised at the checkpoint since I've seen such in use around faculty buildings myself. That being said, I tried to give a logical reason for that surprise here.
*- I'm uncertain if 9-11 is a thing in the DC universe but I'm making a thing here: in this timeline, the events of 9-11 are what finally pushed many heroes (Captain Atom, Hawkgirl etc) to step up as heroes. While the situation wasn't as bad as what we experienced due to Clark and Diana's efforts, the attack in this scenario were planned such that both planes crashed into the Twin Towers simultaneously. I'm sorry if the addition of this offends anyone but I wanted to drive home precisely how bad the guard's actions were by escalating to a sort of 'worst case scenario' and 9-11 is something I feel everyone should at the very least have heard of.
*- The 'Fuck exciting adventures' line and its instigator, Valentinian are both taken from Eric Flint and David Drake's Belisarius saga, a series of alternate history sci-fi novels. I've altered Val here so he can fit the universe but the core character is the same.