A/N: Here I am, back with another chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in actual ages. I've just been extremely busy but I'm back, so no need to worry!
Response to reviews:
spiderman1fan: Thank you. I will reveal what's in the drive on this chapter (or the next, it depends, really). I may take some of the heroes you've listed for obvious reasons but I will not include all of them as I'm not aware of all of them and I don't feel like including that many superheroes just yet, even for cameos. I will take your advice on the drive, though.
Guest: You're right, Barry could do that (like how he did with Savitar in The Flash 3x23). However, that kinda ruins the fun of this whole thing because if Barry did that, it would be him vs Thor and Hulk and since Barry has already compromised Thor's hammer, this would be a bit too easy. Plus, remember my version of Barry is more of a younger and inexperienced Flash. When it comes to The Avengers, Barry is immediately put in a state of rage and as a result, he ends up not thinking rationally but rather acting out of anger. So it's better to hold off on that, for now. I do plan on having Barry do that, becoming more experienced and being able to control his rage, just not immediately.
December 8th, 2013
Avengers' Tower
7:00 am
Tony stood in the living room of Avengers' Tower, looking through the glass walls of the tower, gazing down on the dimly lit New York city. On the horizon, red and orange mixed light dominated the surface as New York City slowly lit up under the light of the sun. Tony kept quiet, not saying anything as he thought to himself. Today was the day of the hearing, the hearing of the century, the Trial of The Avengers. Tony snorted, why the hell did they have to be on trial? Why not Loki? The man who was directly and downright responsible for the entire Battle of New York. And yet, it wasn't happening. Loki was off-world on Asgard while the Avengers, the people who protected the world from those aliens, the people who saved them were being put on trial. Tony snorted again, chances were that Barry Allen agreed with the government.
At that moment, Pepper noticed Tony, standing quietly near the glass as she walked over to him. She stood next to the old billionaire, looking over at him sympathetically. She knew why he was worried, he was concerned about the trial. Tony was worried, terrified, even, at what would happen if the Avengers were found guilty. Tony would've been hunted down by the government as would the Avengers, or at least they would be in his mind. Pepper didn't say anything, she simply stood next to Tony, leaning her head on his shoulder and holding his hand. Tony, having been in a serious moment of panic and distress, quickly took Pepper's hand as Pepper did her best to comfort Tony.
In a different room on the top floor of Avengers' tower, Thor laid in bed, shirtless, next to Jane, who was peacefully sleeping next to him, her head on his shoulder and her arm on his chest. Thor, for obvious reasons, was awake, staring emptily at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. He turned his head to Jane, who was still sleeping. Thor took one last look at her before leaning forward and kissing her cheek as he eventually got out of bed without waking up Jane.
In a different room, Clint, Natasha and Bruce were all seated across the room in different seats. Clint had been looking over a drawing from his son, Cooper. He wanted to look over it, just in case it was the last time he could. Bruce was shaking his left leg uncontrollably, he was panicking and freaking out. Natasha noticed this as she lightly placed her hand on Bruce's left knee as Bruce immediately calmed down. Bruce eyed Natasha gratefully as she gave him a calm look. Bruce lifted his hand as he slowly placed it on top of Natasha's hand. Bruce and Natasha locked hands together.
In his room, Steve was sitting on a chair, dressed in his suit except for his helmet, which was on his side table. In his hand, Steve held his old compass, which held his beloved picture of Peggy, back when she was younger, back when Steve still had a chance with her. Steve looked down at the picture in the compass with sadness, he missed the Peggy he once knew. He would always love her, age wouldn't keep Steve away from Peggy but it wasn't the same anymore. She had kids, grandchildren, great grandchildren even. That and she was no more than a dying woman in her nineties, with dementia, laying on her to-be-deathbed. Steve looked down at the compass one last time before stuffing it in his pocket as he got up onto his feet. He took his vibranium shield as he placed it on his back. Steve then looked down at his helmet on the table, he held it in his hands, giving it one last look before putting it on. It was time for the Trial of The Avengers.
Central City
Luthor Mansion
Senator June Finch stepped through the doors to the living room of Lex Luthor's mansion. Behind her, Mercy Graves, Luthor's assistant, closed the doors behind her before leaving both Lex and Finch to their conversation.
"So..." Lex said as Finch walked forward, closer to Luthor. "...want some bourbon before our big moment?"
"My driver's outside. I can't stay." Finch said seriously.
"No bourbon?" Lex said in a playful tone. "Huh, thought you Kentucky girls were suckers for it. Guess I was wrong."
Lex sat on the edge of a big table in the living room as Finch stood near him.
"My dad always said..." Lex continued speaking. "...that Kentucky mash was the secret to perfect health," Lex then took a sip of the bourbon in his cup as he looked around the rest of the living room. "This room was actually, uh, his...his room. I kept it just the same," Lex got off the edge of the table as he walked towards the fireplace before stopping just in front of it. "Maybe one day Dad'll come back and see that everything's just the same. Everything's just the same," Lex then nervously chuckled. "Hmm, that is silly."
"I know what you've been doing, Lex," Finch said as the redhead billionaire turned to face the elderly senator. "I know that you are in possession of vibranium and I also know that it's coming from Ulysses Klaus, the thief who stole all the vibranium a third-world country like Wakanda ever had. You're trying to get an import license for it. Well, guess what? Not under my watch. I'm blocking your import license for the vibranium.
Lex looked down, playfully pretending to be upset like a child before snickering. Finch's smile turned to a frown as Lex' snickering turned into laughter, Lex continued laughing in a way that made Finch feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she stayed in her spot as Lex continued cackling before finally managing to calm down. He took a few breaths, looking into Finch's eyes, walking towards her as he spoke.
"The Dark Knights are coming," Lex said, smiling as he continued walking towards Finch, who firmly remained in her position. "The Dark Knights are coming. Hmmm."
Lex seated himself back on the edge of the table, smiling as he kept eye contact with Finch. Finch had a firm glare on her face, eyeing the despicable Luthor. Lex then began tapping the table with his fingers as loud thumping sounds echoed through the room while Lex spoke.
"You and your hearings," Lex said as Finch looked down at Lex' moving fingers before making eye contact with Luthor himself. "Galloping through the streets to warn us."
At this point, Luthor dramatically sped up his thumping on the table. He sped up the thumping, making it quicker and quicker. Finch tried to resist but it was clear how much of a strain there was on her face. Then, something in Finch snapped as the elderly senator forcefully put her hand on top of Lex', stopping the redhead billionaire's thumping sounds on the table. Lex eyed the senator with a smile that could only be described as evil.
"Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator?" Lex asked in a chilly tone. "June. Can I call you, June?"
"You can call me whatever you like," Finch insisted. "Take a bucket of piss and call it Granny's Peach Tea. Take a weapon of assassination and call it deterrence. You won't get anything from me. I'm not gonna drink it."
Lex smiled at Finch, admiring her courage.
"You know, I was kind of lying about what I said earlier," Lex said, much to Finch's confusion. "There is one thing I changed about this room," Lex got off of the edge of the table. He then pointed to the painting on the wall behind him as Finch looked over it. "That should be upside down. People think that devils come from Hell and that angels come from the Heavens, but I know the truth. Devils don't come from the Hell beneath us, no, no, no. They...they come from the skies."
Finch looked over at the painting, which due to it's posture, showed many, many winged men charging from 'the skies' and going downward to a different army of winged men.
The Bus
Skye and Simmons were already awake as they were in the living room, sitting across from one another. They were currently talking about last night, Skye had told Simmons about her night with Barry and almost immediately, Simmons told Skye to tell her 'everything'. The conversation had been going on for nearly half an hour.
"So you made out with Barry Allen?" Simmons asked, a smile on her face as Skye chuckled.
"We kissed," Skye corrected. "Twice."
"Tell me everything," Simmons said in an orderly tone. "Was he good kisser? What was he like? What did he smell like?"
"Well, he was an amazing kisser," Skye said, smiling as she recalled her moment with Barry. "He was a bit of a bad boy at first but I got him to show me what he was really like and he smells amazing."
"Like what?" Simmons asked eagerly.
"Like he came out of the dryer," Skye said dreamily. "It's hot, really."
"Someone has a crush." Ward said, appearing out of nowhere as Skye and Simmons turned their heads to see the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
"What, you jealous, Ward?" Skye asked as Simmons giggled uncontrollably.
"I'm not jealous," Ward said. "I'm just saying, the person Barry Allen cares about is himself."
"Bullshit."
"It's true. He's as much of a self-centered jackass as Stark. Maybe with a little practice he'll be worse, who knows?"
"Agree to disagree," Skye replied. "He was literally willing to help me with my parents and he barely even knew me. He cares about people and he's willing to help them in a second. Can you, May or Coulson say the same thing?"
Ward just stood there, mouth open, jaw dropped as he stared at Skye. He and Skye continued staring at one another while Simmons looked at Skye in shock, it wasn't like Skye to care about or defend one person so much. However, she did seem to care about Barry to that extent. Simmons pondered to herself. Maybe whatever it was she had with Barry was more than a crush. Maybe it was more than just a kiss. Or two. Maybe it was even love. At that point, Coulson walked into the room as he immediately noticed Ward, Skye and Simmons in the room.
"Morning everyone." Coulson greeted.
"Morning, Agent Coulson." Simmons said respectfully as Ward and Skye dismissed their old conversation.
Coulson immediately headed over to the table in the middle of the briefing room as he turned on the screen, which showed the news of the Avengers' upcoming trial. He looked at the news with a blank look. Coulson couldn't really believe this was happening, the Avengers, the heroes who saved New York, the entire world from aliens were being put on trial. What the hell was that? They saved the world, they were heroes, they didn't deserve to be put on trial for it. What were they supposed to do? It wasn't like they were responsible for the Chitauri army. Or that they knew the army of alien freaks would end up invading the world? Of course, most of the world didn't share Coulson's opinion. At least not anymore but still, The Avengers didn't deserve this.
Ward, Skye and Simmons all sat in different areas of the room as Coulson seated himself in a random seat behind the TV. They all listened to the news as it appeared to be the only source of sound in the room when Ward suddenly spoke.
"Sir, where's Agent May?" Ward asked.
"She's training with Agent Morse," Coulson said. "Where's Fitz?"
"He's out on an experiment." Simmons replied. "He'll be back later."
"Hmm." Coulson hummed.
"You okay, A.C.?" Skye asked.
"I don't know." Coulson replied honestly. "Seeing all of this. Cap, Thor, Banner, all my heroes being put on trial for saving the world. It's ridiculous."
"For some people," Skye pointed out. "For other people, it's a dream-come-true. There's two sides to the story. After all, 'a story with only one side is no story at all'."
"Wise words." Ward said.
"Thanks, I just made that up." Skye said, making Simmons snicker.
A Couple Hours Later
Allen Tower
Barry Allen was in the main meeting room of the top floor of Allen Tower, the room was empty except for Barry, the six TV screens (all of which showed the exact same thing: the news of the upcoming Trial of The Avengers), the table and the nine chairs around it. Barry had been thinking to himself, he was happier than ever before, though his face didn't show it. The Avengers, the men (and woman) responsible from The Battle would finally get what they deserve, they would finally stand trial for all the pain, all the suffering, the destruction and the death they had caused. Barry couldn't be happier but despite this, he still couldn't show his happiness for it. Strangely, what he wanted was Skye, he wanted to see her again, to talk to her, kiss her, he wanted her. Never before had Barry desired something or someone so much but right now, he restrained himself, getting ready to witness the Avengers being put on trial for all their crimes. Every single one of them.
Barry stood behind the table, looking down on files of the damage done to New York as he listened to the news from the TV. He sighed deeply, this was going to be a long day.
Same Time
Avengers' Tower
Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Jane, Pepper and Clint were spread out across the living room, sitting on many different couches. They were currently eyeing the TV, watching the news as they were constantly being updated with information for the upcoming 'Trial of The Avengers'. Everyone was disappointed at Thor having to go alone to the Senate, especially Jane, who was naturally worried for her boyfriend. The original plan for going to the Senate hearing was for all of the Avengers to go together but the Senate didn't exactly feel safe inviting the Hulk into a courtroom. So, the Senate called Fury and ensured a deal that the Avengers would send one member to represent them. Fury agreed instantly. Eventually, after about an hour of talking it through, everyone decided and agreed that Thor should've been the one to go to the hearing. At first, everyone thought that Steve should've gone instead. It only seemed fitting for Captain America to be the one to go to an American Senate hearing.
However, Steve had pointed out that had there been an attack on the Senate, the representing member would have to be able to protect everyone at the Capitol building. At that point, everyone agreed on Thor as he seemed to be the better option. And here they Avengers were, watching their Asgardian friend represent them at the famous Trial of The Avengers.
Central City
Capitol Building
Inside the Capitol building, former employee of Allen Industries, Joseph Smith, rolled his wheelchair through the security line, having just finished being checked and scanned by security. It was a standard protocol, Joseph understood it and he had nothing against it. Joseph rolled his wheelchair as he encountered a reporter, who was delivering news to a man who held a news-camera to her. Joseph had been close enough to overhear what the reporter was saying.
"...today is the day of what will come to be known as the Trial of The Avengers," the female reporter said. "The Senate hearing is expected to get underway any minute now. The Senate has allowed the Avengers to send one member to represent the group, the Avengers have chosen Thor to represent them in the Senate, but the question on everyone's minds is: will Thor show up to stand trial in this hearing." Then, the reporter turned around and noticed Joseph, who rolled his wheelchair forward to meet with the reporter and the cameraman as the reporter continued speaking. "Mr. Smith! Mr. Smith! Lidia O'Brian at the moment. Quick question for you: you're about to go into the Senate hearing. Tell us, what will you tell the Senate during the hearing today?"
Back At Allen Tower
Barry was looking down at the files when he overheard Joseph Smith's name on the TV screen, coming from the news. Barry knew Joseph Smith, he had been a former member of his company. He probably never met the guy but Joseph had some fame after what he had done to the concrete 'A' (though that was something that many people, Barry included, were happy about). Barry turned around to face the six TV screens as he waited for his former employee's answer to the reporter's question. In the news, Joseph leaned closer to the mic as he spoke.
"I..." Joseph began. "I would tell them to wake up," Barry stared at the TV screen in confusion as he continued listening to Joseph's words. "This is flesh and blood. The Avengers, they-they...they have delivered a war here. This is war, not peace. And this..." the camera then zoomed out, revealing Joseph to be sitting on a wheelchair, his legs cut off from knee-down. "...this is what war looks like. I have nothing, nothing at all.
The reporter then replied to Joseph's answer. "Mr. Smith, there are a number of people who would suggest that the Avengers are our heroes."
"They are not our heroes!" Joseph burst out, suddenly raising his voice.
Barry stared at the former Allen Industries employee with a blank look. The hatred and rage inside Joseph for the Avengers was familiar, it was the kind of rage and hatred Barry had. The kind of boiling anger that couldn't be controlled, the kind that could be seen on anyone's face if they had it. Barry continued staring on the screens as he called out to his assistant.
"Harvey," Barry called out to his assistant, who came over as Barry faced him. "Joseph Smith, why hasn't he been getting our checks?"
"Well, sir," Harvey began, holding a small pile of papers in his hands. "He is but he returns them with..."
"With what?"
"Messages, sir." Harvey said, placing the pile of papers on the table in front of Barry.
Barry looked down at the papers, each paper had been clipped to one of the many checks that Allen Industries had sent to Joseph Smith. Checks that Smith had sent back but the checks also had words written in red marker on it. Barry held the small pile of papers as he checked each of the checks and namely the message each one had.
BARRY ALLEN: OPEN YOUR EYES
BARRY ALLEN = BLIND
BARRY ALLEN, I AM YOUR GHOST
BARRY ALLEN, I HAUNT YOU
BARRY ALLEN, YOU ARE A COWARD
BARRY ALLEN, YOU'RE A PART OF THIS TOO
BARRY ALLEN, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE
Barry held the last two papers in his hand as he stared at the both of them in shock. The check that read 'BARRY ALLEN, YOU'RE A PART OF THIS TOO' somewhat scared Barry. The young billionaire recalled the words of the mysterious man who had hacked S.T.A.R. Labs and found out Barry's identity, the words rang through his head: You're a part of this, too. Barry then looked at the other check, the one that read out 'BARRY ALLEN, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE'. Multiple questions raced through Barry's mind. Was Joseph Smith the one who had found out Barry's identity? Did he really know Barry's secret? Did he know that Barry was The Flash? Was he working with Caitlin (or Killer Frost)? Was he the man behind the voice? All these questions raced through Barry's mind and what angered him the most was that he didn't have any of the answers. Barry set the checks and the papers down on the table as he turned to face his assistant, Harvey.
"Why didn't I get these sooner?" Barry demanded as Harvey wore a guilty look.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Allen." Harvey apologized sincerely.
"It's fine. Now go, your wife's pregnant and you should be on paternity leave." Barry said as Harvey stared at his boss in confusion.
"Sir, I don't-"
"She called from the hospital. Told me to tell you. Now go, get out of here and be with her."
"Th-thank you, sir." Harvey stuttered, holding back a smile as he immediately exited the room in an orderly fashion (though Barry heard his assistant yelp from the halls).
Barry then turned his attention back to the TV screens, watching the news as he stayed updated on the ongoing Senate hearing.
Capitol Building
"...slow down, June." Senator Miles Jackson said as he and Senator June Finch walked down the halls of the Capitol building, going towards the court. "Start at the beginning."
"I already told you, Miles," Finch replied as the two Senators took a right, walking down the large halls. "That girl, Helena Nicholson was bribed by Luthor to pull that publicity stunt she did earlier."
"Luthor? What, so he payed her?"
"Not just that, he threatened her. Nicholson's parents, her family are all alive back home. Even her son, who by the way is thirteen, not five. Though, the girl has a conscience. Luthor's been using the Senate as his personal puppet show this entire damn time."
Then, the two Senators were stopped in their tracks, just outside the door to the court by Luthor himself. The red-haired billionaire smiled (before chuckling) at Senator Finch.
"Senator," Lex greeted before playfully lifting his finger at her. "Don't go anywhere yet. I wanna talk to you." Lex then turned around to face his assistant, Mercy Graves, who was behind him. "Mercy, be a dear and make sure no one takes my seat, would you?"
"Of course, sir." Mercy said obediently.
Mercy then went into the courtroom, as did Senator Jackson, leaving Lex and Finch to go back to playing their usual game of cat and mouse. Though right now, it seemed that Finch was the mouse and Lex the ever-so-hungry predator of a cat. Lex playfully turned to face Finch, keeping his smile. Finch angrily glared at Lex, part of her wanted nothing more than to leap forward and wipe that smile off the damn fool's face. Of course, for reasons involving manners and where they were right now, Finch restrained herself. Lex and Finch began walking in circles, keeping little distance between one another as they continued walking in circles outside the door to the courtroom.
"So," Finch began. "What you been up to?"
"Straight to the point," Lex noted. "I like that. Well, I'm just here to deliver my story. I was willing to finance the constructions of weapons made out of a metal known as Vibranium, only the strongest metal on earth. I was doing this to help give the world an Avenger-level deterrent. However, a sneaky, old Senator from Kentucky decided to block it. Hmm, imagine the headlines." Lex then made air-quotes with his hands. "Headlines would be something like this, 'Committee Has Soft Spot For Avengers'. No, not that. Too ugly. Something like that."
Finch snorted.
Allen Tower
Barry was watching the news on the Trial of The Avengers. He couldn't but feel bored, Barry usually enjoyed the thrill of the chase and things like Senate hearings didn't do that for him. However, fighting the Avengers and fighting criminals did. But he couldn't go out as The Flash now, it was broad daylight. So what could Barry do? Was there anything he could really do? Then, it came to him. Barry could call Skye, she had given him his number and he had sneaked his to her (though, it would've been pointless if Skye didn't find it) Barry pulled out his iPhone from his pocket as he pulled out his contacts. He scrolled through the contact list before finally finding his contact with Skye. Barry pressed the screen as his phone began ringing, awaiting Skye's response.
The Bus
Coulson, May, Ward, Simmons, Fitz and Skye were all watching the news on the TV screen in the briefing room. The agents all felt compelled to watch the so-called 'Trial of The Avengers'. They were all watching, carefully eyeing the screen when suddenly, Skye's phone started ringing. Everyone turned their head to face Skye, who was surprised. Who could be calling Skye right now? Skye pulled out her phone as she saw the contact name of the person calling her: Barry Allen. Skye slightly smiled.
"I have to take this." Skye said as she turned around and left the briefing room, going to a more private part of the plane.
"Who's calling her?" Fitz asked.
"Like any of us know." May replied.
Skye continued walking down the halls of The Bus (though, it was really a large, massive-sized plane) before she entered her room as she closed and locked the door behind her. Skye then sat on her bed before finally accepting the call as she held the phone to her ear, waiting to hear Barry's voice.
"Hey you." Skye said playfully.
"Hey," Barry's voice sounded fresh from the other side of the call. "How are you?"
"Doing great. You?"
"Fine, I guess."
"Okay, you're doing terrible, what happened?"
"I was searching that drive last night, so I couldn't sleep at all. I was searching for anything about you or your parents. I haven't even searched a quarter of it but I've found something."
"Really?" Skye asked, hope filling up inside her.
"Yeah, it's not much but it is something."
"Oh my god, Barry! Thank you. Thank you!"
"Hey, it's nothing."
"No, it's everything. Thank you, Barry, really."
"Hey, I was also wondering..." Barry continued. "...you wanna stay over for a bit, at my place? We could do dinner if you're interested."
"Sure, I just don't know if I should wear that dress again."
"Wear whatever you want, doesn't have to be anything good looking."
Allen Tower
"...so, what are you doing?" Barry heard Skye's voice from her end of the phone as he kept pacing around the meeting room.
"Not much," Barry replied. "Just watching the news."
"Yeah, the Avengers' Senate hearing, I'm assuming."
"Not that there's anything else to watch."
Barry heard Skye chuckle. "Yeah, well, this is supposed to be some 'historic moment'."
"Earth's Mightiest Heroes being put on trial does seem like a pretty big deal."
"True."
"Anyways, I gotta go," Barry said, finally putting an end to the conversation. "It was great talking to you."
"You too."
"I'll see you tonight."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Barry then cut the call as he placed his iPhone back in his pocket before sighing deeply. Talking to Skye felt relieving, it relieved him from everything. The pain from losing Iris and Joe, the guilt of no longer being a hero and just a vigilante, everything. Barry snorted as he wondered to himself, how did Skye have the effect that she did on Barry? Barry felt more of a connection with her than he ever did with Iris. Why? Why was it like that? Barry and Iris had grown up together for fourteen years, they lived one door away from each other nearly their entire lives and they rarely ever had such emotional moments. Then there was Skye, a special woman Barry had only met less than a day ago. A woman who had the strongest effect on Barry and it made him wonder: was Skye 'the one'? Was she the woman Barry had been looking for his entire life? Was she the one meant to be for him?
Barry was snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed something on the TV, specifically on the news. Barry went over to the TV as he saw a man dressed in medieval clothing with a red cape. The man also had a small, hammer-like weapon in his hand as he was just outside the Capitol. Barry knew who it was, it wasn't just any man, it was Thor, the representative for the Avengers during the Senate hearing. Immediately, the rage began churning and burning inside Barry once more as he heard the words of the reporter from the TV.
"...well, folks there he is. Thor, the representative for the Avengers in this Senate hearing, has arrived. This is a really historic moment as we expect and hope that Thor will give some form of a statement to the Senate, the American people and people all over the world as well. I'm Linda Park and you're watching CCPN."
Elsewhere In Central City
Outside the large, grand Capitol building, Thor stood on the ground as he walked towards the large, concrete steps to the Capitol building. On his left and right, behind rails, there were multiple protesters, holding signs, reading out 'anti-Avengers' messages. The protesters and their anger emotionally affected Thor like red-hot knives being plunged into his heart. Thor did his best to ignore the protesters as he made his way up the steps, past the many, many security guards.
Capitol Building
"Thor's here," Senator Jackson said, interrupting Lex and Finch's standoff. "He came, he's just outside the Capitol building."
Finch nodded before walking forward, purposefully shoving Lex out of her way. Finch made her way to the doors of the courtroom but was stopped by Lex speaking.
"Gonna be a hot seat you have there, June." Lex said smugly as Finch turned around to face the billionaire.
"I grew up on a farm, learning how to wrestle pigs and actually doing it," Finch sassed. "I can handle this."
"Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent."
Finch snorted before turning around and entering the courtroom. Lex dropped his smile, angrily glaring at the Senator as well as the entire courtroom.
"Good luck, June-bug." Lex said dryly.
Allen Tower
"Sir." Harvey, Barry's assistant, said, catching the young billionaire's attention.
"Harvey," Barry said in surprise. "I thought I told you to go home."
"I am, sir," Harvey said, handing an envelope to Barry, who took it. "I just wanted to give that. It came in this morning just now."
"Okay, thank you," Barry said. "Now, seriously, go home."
"Of course, sir. Thank you."
Harvey then turned around and left once for all. Barry took a look at the envelope, there wasn't any return address, it was just a plain, white envelope. There was a bit of clear plastic, to show a sample of the paper inside. Barry noticed that the paper inside seemed to be a newspaper. The young billionaire frowned in confusion, wondering why he was receiving a newspaper in an envelope and more importantly, who sent this to him and why.
Capitol Building
In the courtroom, the Senators were behind the stand, all talking to one another. The crowd of people were seated on either left or right side of the courtroom, leaving a small aisle space in between. The reporters were sitting on the ground in front of the stand where the Senators were, clicking pictures and waiting, like everyone else, for Thor to arrive in the courtroom. Suddenly, everyone noticed the Asgardian prince himself walking through the doors of the courtroom, his red cape barely scraping the floor as it hung from his shoulders and his hammer, Mjolnir, in hand. Thor walked into the courtroom, walking down the aisle as the guards outside closed the doors behind the Asgardian. Thor made his way through the aisle before stopping behind the short, wooden door. Thor pushed the stand open as he walked up to the stand, placing his hammer. Thor stood still while the Senators all took their seats. Silence ruled the courtroom as the Senate hearing commenced.
"Let me say on the outset that I am grateful to our witness for coming before us today," Senator June Finch said, raising her hand to Joseph Smith, the man in a wheelchair. Thor took a look at the man and instantly felt saddened for seeing such a damaged and broken man. Finch continued her speech. "This is how a democracy works. We talk to each other. We act on the consent of the governed, sir."
Thor looked up at Finch as he respectfully nodded at the Senator's words, she seemed like a very wise woman. In some ways, Finch even reminded Thor of his mother.
"I have sat here before," Finch continued. "to say that shadowed interventions will not be tolerated by this committee..."
In her chair, Mercy Graves looked around the courtroom, searching for her boss with her eyes. All she found was an empty chair with Luthor's name and title on it. Mercy frowned at it in confusion as she wondered to herself, where was Lex? Mercy then turned around to face the Senators as she continued listening to Senator Finch's speech.
"...neither will lies," Finch continued. "Because today, today is a day for truth. Because only by speaking-" Finch was cut off as she suddenly noticed a jar, full of a yellow liquid inside it. The jar appeared to have a label on it but it was turned around, facing away from Finch. Finch stuttered as she tried to continue her speech. "Only by working together, can we..." Finch noticed the jar as she began turning it around, slowly and slowly while continuing her speech. "...can we...create a..."
Finch once again stuttered as she finally turned the mason jar around to see what the label read. Much to her horror, the label read: Granny's Peach Tea. Finch stared at the jar in shock, horrified as she recalled her conversation with Luthor back in Luthor Manor, recalling her words. Take a bucket of piss and call it 'Granny's Peach Tea'. Finch then turned her head forward as she noticed an empty seat with the label on it:
Mr. Lex Luthor
CEO - Lexcorp
Finch looked horrified as she cast a look to Joseph Smith, who was now wearing a blank, emotionless face, sitting in his wheelchair. Noticing Finch's horrified state, Thor looked over to Joseph, who Finch was looking at. Suddenly, the electric wheelchair Joseph was on exploded into a ball of fire. The wheelchair exploded the entire courtroom as the fire spread throughout the entire Capitol Building, blowing up the entire building as tons of debris fell from the Capitol Building. Outside, the protestors and reporters cried in shock, ducking to their knees in fear.
The Bus
"Oh my god." Simmons gasped as she and the agents all stared at the T.V. in shock.
The Capitol Building had just been bombed and Thor was inside, he would've survived but anyone else inside was gone. Burned by the fire. Then, at that moment, Skye ran into the room as she noticed what was happening. Her hand shot up to her mouth, covering it as she stared in shock.
Avengers' Tower
Tony, Steve, Natasha, Banner, Jane, Pepper and Clint were all watching the news on the T.V. They all stared in horror at what they were seeing. Jane's hand covered her mouth as tears began pouring out of her eyes, Pepper comforted her, pulling Jane into a hug. Tony and Steve were standing, grim looks on their faces and concern for their comrade. They knew Thor would be fine, they were more concerned about how this happened and what Thor must've felt like.
Allen Tower
Barry stared at the six T.V. screens in shock and horror, he tried to maintain his dark, grim look but the shock on his face was visible when compared to how he usually looked. The Capitol had just been bombed, it had exploded as barely any of it was left. Linda Park was currently reporting on the bombing.
"...we don't know what is going on," Linda Park said from the CCPN live news. "but what we do know is that the Capitol has just been bombed under mysterious circumstances…"
Barry zoned out of what the reporter was saying, the six screens showing the same exact news footage. He looked down at the envelope in his hands as he slowly opened it, he threw the envelope cover on the table, leaving it forgotten as he saw the folded newspaper in his hands. He unfolded the newspaper and stared at it in shock, specifically at the title: Doctor kills wife in front son and gets shot by police. This was the newspaper about the deaths of Barry's parents, Barry then noticed the large words written over the newspaper, right on his mother's image in red marker.
HOW COULD YOU LET YOUR OWN FAMILY DIE?
Barry's look of shock turned into one of pure rage and anger as he looked up at the T.V. screens, angrily glaring at it. He crumpled the newspaper into a small, crumpled up ball. Barry clenched his fists tightly, keeping his glare at the screens that showed the aftermath of the Capitol bombing, which coincidentally happened at the very moment that Thor went inside. Then, that's when the thought struck Barry. The Avengers. They were his enemies from the start, they always were and they always would be. Barry had to stop them, before thousands, hell, millions more would die because of the destruction that they caused. As The Flash, Barry had always sworn never to kill, to never take a life and until now he'd kept that oath. However, once he saw the Avengers again, they were all going to die because he would kill them, because he was vengeance, he was Judge, Jury and Punisher. He was The Flash. The one man who would defeat and kill the Avengers. They had already been judged by him in a trial and Barry didn't find them guilty, but The Flash? The Flash found them guilty as charged and their punishment was death.
Later
Allen Penthouse
It had been six hours since the Capitol bombing, Barry was currently standing near the window, looking out through the window, gazing at the night and seeing all the lights from cars and buildings lighting up the area. Barry had removed his blazer and threw it onto a couch, the sleeves of his shirt were folded and rolled up to his elbows, revealing his lower arms. He stared out the window with a blank, dark, grim look when suddenly, the doors to his penthouse opened as footsteps followed, indicating a person's presence.
"I didn't think you'd come." Barry said, turning around to face his guest.
"I wanted to." Skye said, taking a step closer to Barry.
"I have the information on your parents."
"No, not just because of that - I wanted to see you, Barry. I really did. It's good to see you."
Barry gave a slight smile, one that was noticeable when compared to his dark, grim look. "Yeah, it's good to see you too, Skye."
There was a long, awkward silence between both Barry and Skye. Neither one of them said anything, the deafening silence between them only growing stronger with each passing moment. Then, Barry finally broke the silence with a deep breath as he spoke.
"This is what I have on your parents," Barry said, handing two papers to Skye. "It's not much and there's nothing about you in there. There's something in there that you need to know."
"What?" Skye asked.
"When you were a baby," Barry began. "A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Agent Avery and her unit were assigned to protect you. The S.H.I.E.L.D. unit was able to get you out but everyone in the unit, including Avery, died during the operation. When Avery's partner found her body, he found you, baby you, in her arms. He thought you were dead but you were actually sleeping, you fell asleep in her arms. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent took you and eventually, he dropped you off at the orphanage that you grew up in. It's all in there."
Skye looked between both papers, reading everything that was there about her parents. Their names, their date of birth, their information about themselves, everything. It was all there. After reading both papers thoroughly, Skye set the papers down on the table nearby as she sniffed. Immediately, tears started pouring out of her eyes, the way water would pour out of a waterfall. Barry noticed Skye's saddened expression as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, the emotional dam inside Skye broke as she threw herself onto Barry, wrapping her arms around his body as she buried her head in his chest. Barry was surprised and taken aback by the hug but he eased into it as he wrapped his arms around her body, holding her close, comforting her to the best of her ability.
"It's okay." Barry whispered to her ear, hugging her.
"It's not," Skye sobbed, her voice muffled by Barry's shirt. "All those people died because of me. I killed them."
"No," Barry promised. "No, no, no. They didn't die because of you and you didn't kill them. They were protecting you...and that's a good thing. They saved the best, greatest and most beautiful woman I've ever known."
Skye then slowly pulled herself away from Barry, her wet face merely inches away from Barry's. Barry gazed down at Skye's eyes as she gazed back into his. They both knew what was about to happen and they both wanted - no, needed it. More than anything. Then, Barry moved his face down to Skye's and connected their lips together. Skye wasn't taken back or surprised by the kiss, she knew it was coming and she both needed and wanted it. She kissed him back, the kiss growing more ferocious with each passing second. Skye then pushed Barry against the wall, kissing him with all her power. Barry mentally grinned, Skye was good but he wasn't just going to let her win him over. As The Flash, Barry had been trained to fight by a certain Gotham vigilante who mastered 127 different styles of martial arts. Barry was at that man's level and he wasn't going to let some hacker dominate like that. He grabbed Skye's legs and lifted her in the air, her legs wrapped his waist and her arms around his neck. Barry carried Skye over to his room, closing and locking it behind him. Barry and Skye didn't say a word, they didn't have dinner, all they did was spend their night with one another, in Barry's bedroom.
Gotham City
In the Batcave of Wayne Manor, the Wayne Family Butler, Alfred Pennyworth, was near the Batcave, dusting the Batcomputer's keyboard and screen. Suddenly, sounds of tires screeching across the Batcave's floor echoed through the rest of the cave. From the wide entrance, the Batmobile drove in as it was parked near the corner of the Batcave. The surface of the Batmobile, opened vertically like a door as from it, Batman, Nightwing and Robin all emerged from it. The trio of superheroes walked from the Batmobile towards the Batcomputer as Batman began typing on its keyboard quickly, hacking into a certain security system for LexCorp.
"I trust you had a rather fine evening, Master Bruce." Alfred said to Batman as The Dark Knight took off his cowl, revealing the face of none other than Bruce Wayne.
"We had a close encounter with Bane again. This time, he invited The Penguin and The Riddler to the show." Nightwing said, taking off his black domino mask, revealing the face of Dick Grayson, Bruce's adopted son.
"He couldn't take us all." Robin replied, taking off his mask, allowing the dim light in the Batcave to reveal the face of sixteen-year-old Damian Wayne.
"Bane's back in Blackgate," Bruce said. "Penguin and Riddler have been sent to Arkham."
"The Joker's still at large." Damian pointed out.
"We can worry about him later," Bruce said, looking up at the files that Barry had stolen from LexCorp. "Right now, this is more important."
"I take it this concerns Master Allen." Alfred guessed.
"As in Barry Allen?" Dick asked. Alfred nodded in response.
"How the hell is some Central City billionaire playboy, of all people, more concerning than The Joker?" Damian demanded.
"The Flash's brutal methods are going to be the downfall of him," Bruce said grimly. "He's going to war with the Avengers and he's going to kill them."
"Hold the phone," Dick said. "Barry Allen...is The Flash? Damn, what is it with billionaire playboys and crime fighting? We have you, you're the Batman. Tony Stark is Iron Man and now, Barry Allen is The Flash. You three would be a good trio."
"Alright fine," Damian sassed. "So what if The Flash is going to fight the Avengers? Hundred bucks says he gets himself killed."
"Two hundred. He wins." Dick replied with a smile.
"Deal." Damian said as he and Dick shook on it.
"Enough," Bruce demanded. "Is this a joke to you two? Barry's going to kill them, he's going to cross that line and once he does, he'll never come back. All of this is part of Luthor's plan, Barry's playing right into his hands. I know he is, I spent the past eighteen months training him. I know how he thinks. We have to stop him before he falls into Luthor's trap."
"No, Master Bruce," Alfred said softly. "You do. I understand that Master Allen means much to you, I know he's a brother to you, but he trusts you and you only. This is something you must do on your own."
"I know," Bruce said as he looked up at the screen. "What're you doing, Barry?"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.