Chapter Thirty-One: Fractured
The family's arrival to the future couldn't have been met with a more surprising scene. They were in Central City...and a little girl with long blonde hair was running towards them. Barry's breath hitched. It was inevitable that things would be changed due to his decision to bring Mineko and Raizo back...he just didn't know how badly things had been splintered.
"Uncle Barry!" The little girl exclaimed with excitement, blue eyes shining with an unmistakable shade. They were the exact same colour as Kara El and Clark Kent's. She paused the moment she realised Barry wasn't alone and cocked her head to the side oddly.
In the distance he could see Clark and Silvia, having the same extremely animated conversation they usually did. They both noticed Barry immediately and flashed him large smiles. Clark was the only one that seemed to recognise Mineko. At least that hadn't changed.
"So, you finally decided to go back for her?" He said with joy obvious in his voice. Clark hurried over and pulled Mineko into a tight hug. "It's good to see you again!"
Mineko tensed, but attempted to return the gesture by patting the mans back awkwardly. "You too."
Clark pulled away, motioning for Silvia to stand beside him and wrapping an arm around her when she did. "This is my wife Silvia," He then motioned towards the little girl who was staring up at the family in confusion. "and my daughter Jessica."
"D-Daughter?!" Barry yelled without any thought. He had changed things before, often more severe than this, but for some reason the fact that Clark had a kid with Silvia took him completely by surprise. Likely because of how against the idea she had been. His shock threw him into silence for several seconds, and Clark started getting suspicious.
"Barry." Clark scolded, hearing his heart beat rise. "What did you change by bringing her back?"
"C-Change?" Barry gulped and tried to compose himself. He forced a smile onto his face and pretended as if he had no idea what Clark was talking about. "Nothing at all! What I meant to say is 'Daughter?! But she's gotten so big!' She looks just like Kara!"
Clark narrowed his eyes at the man. He could hear his vital signs spike and instantly knew he was lying. "Yeah...right."
Barry gave a heavy exhale of relief. It was obvious that Clark felt no need to push him further on the subject, primarily because he didn't like the thought of a timeline in which he didn't have his daughter.
Instead of questioning him further Clark turned to the small boy that was still clasping onto his mother. His expression softened. "And who's this little guy?"
Mineko ruffled the child's hair and responded without much explanation "He is my son, Raizo."
It was Clark's turn to be surprised. His eyes widened at the kid, then flickered to Mineko, and lastly to Barry. He pointed at the man, wordlessly enquiring into the boy's parentage.
Mineko nodded. "Barry is his father."
In one large, sudden movement Clark had wrapped Barry in a congratulatory hug. He grinned and patted his back thrice before pulling away. "I'm sure that's not what you were expecting to hear when you went back for her."
"Yeah...you got that right." Barry sighed a little nervously and glanced towards his new son. Though he hadn't known about him for long, affection filled him at the sight of the boy. It would take a while to acquire a bond resembling father and son, but at least the love was already there.
Jessica, who had been slightly confused until this point, seemed to gather that this boy was Barry's son. The six year-old stepped forward with a smile similar to her fathers and spoke in a high-pitched voice that held a slight childish lisp. "Hi Raizo! I like your bathrobe!"
Clark stifled a laugh and leaned down to eye-level with his daughter. "It's not a bathrobe, sweetheart. It's a Yukata. A piece of traditional Japanese clothing."
"O-Oh..." The girl turned back to the four year-old that was still hiding behind his mother. "I like your Yakarta?...Yukutata?..."
The boy simply blinked at her without uttering a single word.
"I don't think he likes me very much..." Jessica sulked.
"I'm sure he does." Mineko said comfortingly, something Barry wasn't expecting to see. Maybe having a kid had made her more in tune with people's emotions. "He just doesn't speak any English yet."
Clark nodded his understanding and inched closer to his daughter, leaning in and whispering something in her ear. The girl looked a little skeptical but did what her father had suggested and muttered "Ohayo?"
The boy apparently understood her this time and stepped, only slightly, out of the shadow of his mother. "O-Ohayo..."
Jessica's mood lifted at the boy's reciprocation and she flashed her father a joyful grin. Clark returned the gesture then turned his attention back to Barry. "I'm sure being a father will suit you just fine. Telling Hal though, that's going to be entertaining."
Barry inwardly cringed. His best friend, Hal Jordan, wasn't the best with kids. In fact, he actively went out of his way to avoid them and the thought of ever having one. He was going to freak out...and he did a whole two weeks later when they finally managed to video chat.
"This is a complete and utter disaster!" Hal had declared so loudly that the audio buzzed. "How could you do this to me?!"
Barry stared at the image of his best friend in bewildered silence. "Umm...Well, it's not like I did it on purpose. I guess I'm sorry though."
"Not good enough, I'm not ready to be the only Justice League member without a little demon!" Hal sulked. "First Clark, then Diana, and now you?!"
"Wait... Diana?" The speedsters eyes almost popped out of his head at this news.
"Don't act dumb, dude." Hal murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't I warn you about forgetting protection? This is what happens. This is how they get you!"
"No offence, but you're insane." Barry shook his head. "Mineko and I are together, it's inevitable."
"That's bullshit, and you know it. I've been with Vell longer than any of you and we still haven't thought about kids. Absolutely zero accidental pregnancies."
"That's because you're terrified of children, and paranoid about having any."
Despite Hal's disapproval, it would only take about half a decade for Vell to give birth to his daughter. By this stage Barry had taught his son a fair amount of English. Raizo couldn't remember a time when he didn't have his father there, likely because of how young he was when Barry finally found them. It was still upsetting to think about Mineko raising him alone for a handful of years, but Barry felt as if he was slowly making up for it. He thought he'd have the rest of their lives to create new memories with his family, but the year that Raizo turned ten, disaster struck.
A shadow stretched across the sky and distant objects began appearing within view. No one knew what it was, or what to do about it. It was up to the Justice League to figure that out but first, they had more personal matters to take care of.
"Barry, bring your family to the Fortress." Silvia had informed him in a very brief phone call. "Hurry."
He didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds he had arrived at his destination, holding Raizo in one arm and Mineko in the other. From here he could see the invasion much clearer. The white sky provided enough contrast for him to see that the things coming down to Earth were Parademons...millions of them. He lost all colour in his skin, barely managing to take his eyes off it long enough to see the rest of the Justice League arrive. All with their families.
"We don't have much time." Clark said as soon as everyone had entered the Fortress of Solitude. At his side was a spherical device that resembled the Phantom Zone projector. "John Irons and I have been working on a new Fortress; one that's nestled inside a dimensional pocket. If anything happens to Earth...whoever's inside will be safe. This is the gateway." He told everyone as he pointed at the sphere.
"So, what's the plan?" Harper, Cyborg's partner, had asked quizzically. "We can't fit the entire population in here...and we don't have time even if we could."
Clark's expression dropped to one of guilt. He was obviously struggling with the fact that he couldn't grant the people of the world the safe harbour he had created. Thankfully, he didn't have to reply. Rahn of Orhys answered the enquiry for him as if she'd understood why they were there the moment she received the call. "This is not for the planet, this is for the preservation of our offspring."
The alien woman wrapped an arm around her son who was too busy glaring at his father, Bruce Wayne, to care about what was happening. At Bruce's side was Damian, his other son. Damian was several years older than the other children, but he was probably the most angry. Their family was a broken one. They rarely saw one another, and when they did, one could feel the tension in the air.
"We can stop the invasion." Silvia spoke, sparing her husband the pain of trying to explain his decision. She had become much more proficient at speech giving over the years, as much as she hated it. "But we need clear heads and peace of mind. We can't save Earth and the people on it if we're constantly worrying about our kids. That's why we brought you here. No matter what happens, our kids will be safe."
A conflicting atmosphere circled around the group, but they couldn't deny that they were relieved. There would be casualties, but to have any chance of stopping this threat they would need to be focused completely on the battle - not on the well-being of their children.
"Father, this is ridiculous." Damian scoffed.
"I will not hide down here. I refuse!" Dionysus suddenly yelled. Though he was only eleven, he had the attitude of a brave warrior. Primarily because he was one third Amazon. He glanced up at Bastion stubbornly and bashed a fist against his own chest.
Raizo had a similar thought, but didn't express it. He was a relatively quiet kid. All he did was direct a look in his mother's direction, to which Mineko shook her head. "It is more important that you stay down here. If we fail, you will be the only line of defence...once you are older."
"You know you can't keep me here." Damian said to Bruce.
None of the children had another chance to argue before a bright flash temporarily blinded them all. In front of them, floated Doctor Fate. "We have less than twenty minutes before they reach Earth's surface."
Hal's eyes wandered over to the bundle of blankets held tightly in Vell's arms and felt his heart sink. He never wanted to be a father, but now that he was he couldn't bare the thought of leaving his child parentless if anything were to happen to him.
Arthur turned to his wife, Camille, and whispered. "Go in with them. This fight is not yours."
Camille touched one hand to her son's shoulder, and the other to her pregnant stomach. She shook her head bravely. She had no powers, but had the courage of one hundred heroes. "I am the queen of Atlantis. Our son will stay here as the next heir to the throne, but I will stay with our people."
Arthur's chest tightened in fear, and yet he found himself swelling with pride at her words. You were human, but he knew he had chosen his queen well. He held both of her shoulders in his hands and rested his forehead against hers - an Atlantean tradition between lovers before parting.
Watching all this take place only filled Barry with more dread. He was to be parted with his son again, and that was already bad enough, but now he had to hear everyone say their goodbyes...he had already been away from Mineko for too long in the past. He didn't want to say goodbye again.
Doctor Fate's paralysing gaze flicked over to the couple and the light surrounding him dimmed. "You ignored my warnings, and instead gave into your own selfish desires. This planet will die because of your greed."
Barry's breathing stopped as surely as his heart soon would. His meddling with time had created a split path. Many things had changed...but he never imagined that the choice to be with his family would come at the cost of every living thing on Earth. That was just unthinkable. It was true though, this invasion was a result of his constant timeline altering. Mineko and Raizo's presence in the future would be the death of them all.