M'gann drank her glass of milk. The wall lay dormant, no speech emanating from it. "I like him. I really like him." She said.
The glass of milk was supposed to make her feel better, and it did, at first. The cool liquid flowed into her mouth and soothed the back of her throat while she arranged her thoughts in her head just the way her uncle taught her. And once these thoughts were arranged and she paid close attention to them, did she notice one key component underlining them all.
Wally
That speedster was sprinkled all across her mind and showed no signs of leaving. Even before the incident with Clayface she had found herself thinking about him. At first it was nothing bad. Just an odd joke that he had made invaded her thoughts and caused a chuckle to escape from her mouth. Other times she would appreciate how he was. He cared a lot about the team, even Artemis. He would make sure that they were ok. One time she had caught him talking with Conner about the most mundane of things that one wouldn't expect Wally talking about, turtles. He was actually talking to Conner about his least favorite animal. And she knew he was doing this because he cared for him, Conner had just been ignored by Superman and he had taken very hard. He sat in front of the powered off tv and didn't move for hours. Finally, Wally arrived after being told what had happened and talked to him. After their little talk Conner felt much better and had in fact started watching tv, not the static, actual tv, with Wally.
She smiled at the thought. A warm feeling started in her chest. She smiled even more.
He was still a caring guy. She knew the Doctor had said that he was going to have a personality change, but so far she had seen nothing different about him. He remained a happy go lucky speedster. Albeit she didn't see him flirting with any other girls anymore. He was also more serious and understanding of any given situation. In other words, he was more mature than before, and she liked it. She liked it a lot.
"I'm going to beat you."
"I would like to see you even try, Dick."
"Alright then, but don't cry when I beat you."
Robin flipped Wally over his head. Wally's back met with the training mat very hard.
"Ow." He said.
"Told you." Robin bragged as he held his hand out.
Wally took it and stood up. He made his way to the bench next to the mat and sat down. He snatched a bottle of water from the cooler and turned to Robin. "How's everything with The Riddler? Has Bruce had any luck tracking him down?"
Robin took a swig from his own bottle. "No, the only thing that came up was another robbery. This time he hit up a warehouse. The warehouse was burned down but we knew what they were storing. LexCorp and S.T.A.A.R labs were storing prototype level tech in there."
Wally finished his bottle. "Arson? Hitting LexCorp and S.T.A.A.R? That doesn't sound like Riddler's M.O. What could he possibly want with a company that makes military combat gear and a lab that produces genetic testing gear?"
"That was exactly our question when Bruce and I found out, so we investigated a bit further-"
"You mean you hacked into their computers after they denied you access out of their own free will." Wally interjected.
"Anyways," continued Robin, he headed to the Bat computer. "We looked at some projects that both companies were working on and we found something very interesting."
Robin opened up a file on the computer. Wally's eyes widened.
"What does Nygma want with a genetic rearrangement device?"
"Once again, our very same questions. You should work with us sometime. So, we couldn't know for sure he stole this, but we are 90% sure since he kidnapped the head chairman of the Board of Health and Medicine. And Doctor Richard Likker has a masters in Behavioral Genetics and guess what? Drum roll please." Robin said, very satisfied with himself.
Wally imitated a drumroll with his hands.
"He has a P.H.D in Metahuman genetics. So with this information, we did some background checking of the doctor's old projects he got involved in because of the board, and we found that he was the leading doctor in the development of this prototype device."
Wally frowned. "So what does Nygma want with a doctor that has a P.H.D in metahuman genetics and knows how to operate a DNA rewriter?"
"We don't really know as of yet. This is why we don't like it when he changed his M.O. The last time he didn't use riddles was when he first started, and Bruce told me how he had framed Commissioner Gordon for a crime he didn't commit. This happened back when Gordon was a detective and Nygma was a CSI working at GCPD. Because of what Edward did, Gordon had to suffer through one of the toughest times of his life in prison."
"What was it?" Wally asked. He stood up from his bench and stood next to Robin.
"At the time, he and Barbra, his wife, were expecting a child. She miscarried and lost the baby. She had to suffer through the loss of her child by herself while he suffered through it fighting for his life in prison."
Wally looked down. "I can't imagine the pain Commissioner Gordon must have gone through when it happened."
Robin's hand found it's way to Wally's shoulder. "He got through it in the end. He was surrounded by friends and his wife. Eventually they tried again and now they have their daughter, Barbra Gordon."
"Oh yeah," Wally said, a smirk upon his lips. "The girl you have a crush on."
Dick punched his arm. His face turned red. "I do not have a crush on her. Gosh."
Wally laughed at his expense. When he finished embarrassing him, he turned to the screen and pointed out the fire report.
"This says that the arson wasn't arson but accidental. How can that be?."
"Yeah there was nobody to do an official investigation and the Riddler didn't leave any riddle so they just chalked it up to accidental. But now that you are here, how about we both do some investigation of our own?"
Both boys smiled and high fived each other.
Upon arrival, Wally went into detective mode. He paced around the inside of the building. He payed apt attention to all of the scorch marks and everything that wasn't burned.
Robin stayed at the entrance. He observed Wally do his work.
"How long did the fire take to burn this building?" He asked, his eyes were trained to the rear entrance of the warehouse.
"About 30 minutes give or take 5 minutes." Replied Robin.
"The time would indicate that there was an accelerant, but look at these points."
Robin moved to his side.
"This is where the fire originated, but then look at this over here. A few feet from that point of origin, you have another point of origin. Move a few more feet, you have another, and another. There were multiple points of origin. I can't imagine The Riddler setting off multiple fires within a few feet from each other and then having the time to run away with that heavy machinery."
Robin looked at the spots. "Maybe he was using remote controlled explosives."
Wally shook his head.
"Explosives don't leave these types of marks. When you compare explosion marks and these? It's like the atoms themselves were horridly displaced. This type of arson takes a very high level of sophistication to pull off. The Riddler isn't working alone on this. He would have needed henchmen to have pulled this off. Very skilled henchmen."
Wally's phone buzzed. He picked it up. "Oh crap, I need to go. My Aunt and I are going to the orphanage to visit the children and I need to pick up my stuff from the cave." He pointed at the wall.
"You should take pictures of these and set up an algorithm that compares these photos with ones of high profile arsonists. Also, make it shift through unstable compounds that could be paired up with those photos. See ya later man."
Robin waved at him. "Bye Kid Flash." Wally waved back and ran out of the burnt warehouse.
Once he was gone, Robin turned to the points of origin, eyes narrowed. "Who are you working with, Nygma?"
There were bricks lying in front of the orphanage. The fence post which had once harbored the sign now lay down parallel to the ground. The paint was flaked all around the wooden porch of the place. It was in serious bad condition but Wally couldn't but feel welcome. This was the place he had been brought to after his father had been arrested. At first he hated the place, but then the people there treated him nicely, they showed him how a family was supposed to work, and he loved it. This was what a family was supposed to be, not a father trying to kill you every night while your mother did nothing but watch as you got pummeled. These people were family. Real family.
So he hated the fact that they were near getting closed. They didn't rake in enough money to keep the orphanage open and had succumbed to selling almost everything to maintain the building. There were no t.v's in the place and no central heating or air conditioning. The pipes often broke and it was becoming more and more expensive buying new ones to replace the old ones. Now, why didn't the state intervene and fix this place up? Well, that's because this orphanage was at the south end of Central City, little to no regulation happened over here. The ghettos, if you will, were forgotten, pushed down in the minds of everyone. But even then, the ghettos in Central were better than the ones in Gotham, so they had that going for them. But what irked Wally is that the city at least didn't transfer the orphans to another location. They clearly had the resources to do it. But they were far too busy with the reinstatement of the corrupt political chief of records to pay any attention to the people who actually needed the help.
"My goodness gracious, Wally! Iris! Hello!" Greeted Mrs. Winchester
A smile found itself on Wally's face faster than he could run. "Mother Win!" Greeted Wally, embracing her in a hug.
"It's been such a long time since you last came to visit us, I thought you had forgotten about us." Chastised Mrs. Winchester.
Wally shook his head. "Sorry, I'd never forget my family. It's just that I've been busy with so much stuff that it's been a real hassle to actually find some free time."
Mrs. Winchester flicked some dirt from off of Wally's shoulder and led him and Iris inside. "Don't worry dear, you're here now, the kids will be so happy to see you two." She stopped just as they were about to enter through the door.
"Oh, and there is something else as well. We got this new little girl, Ruby, her name is. She's had a troubled past, so please, be careful around her." And proceeded into the orphanage.
Once inside, Wally had another good look at the place. The paint in here had also flaked and some places had grown mold. There was furniture in some corners of the rooms and the place overall had a broken down feel to it.
He clenched his fist. "That check hasn't come in yet, huh?"
Mrs. Winchester sighed and sat herself on a chair near the doorway to the kitchen.
"No, not yet. They are too busy with the reinstatement of the Chief of Staff and can't be bothered with us." She ran her hand across her clothes, ironing them out. "To be honest, I don't think that we will ever get that check. The orphanage is finished, right now I'm trying to get us some place to move the kids before we are evicted."
"That's awful, I wish that we could help." Said Iris, putting her hand on shoulder.
"Maybe we can," said Wally, taking out his phone from his pocket. He left the room into the area below the stairs. Iris followed him. "What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Look, let me call Dick, maybe I can get him and Bruce to help us out, they've done it before to other orphanages." Said Wally. Iris grimaced, she placed her hand on the phone.
"Wally, Barry and I already tried that. They can't help."
"What? Why?"
"Because, Wally. There's a reason that the orphanage is doing as bad as it is." Iris whispered, getting closer to Wally.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Wally, looking his Aunt in the eye. She sighed.
"City Council wants this whole subsection gone, and the only thing stopping them is this orphanage. As long as it is here, the City can't touch it."
Wally took a step back, realization taking hold. "That's why the check will never arrive." He took another step. "That's why none of the donation make it here. Not because they ran out of money by the time it got here, but because they didn't want the money to filter down here."
He stopped backing up. "Wait," he said, taking one step forward. "Does Mrs. Winchester know about any of this?" He asked, his face scrunched up in an anguish known only for others. Iris shook her head. "No, she doesn't know, and she can't." Wally looked her in the eyes. "Why."
"Because, if we tell her, we take away the only thing that she has left... hope."
"That's not something that you get to decide Aunt Iris. She deserves to know the truth!" Wally said. Iris took a step toward Wally.
"Wally, there is nothing we can do, if we tell her, it'll break her."
"So what, we do nothing? We watch from the sidelines as my home is destroyed? Iris, this is where I grew up. These people made me the person that I am today. They showed me what a family was supposed to be like. They showed me what love meant, something that my parents should have taught me. I can't stand by and do nothing!" Iris put her hand on Wally's shoulder. He moved it away.
"I'm not saying that there is nothing that we can't do. I'm doing my best to help her, to help the orphanage. I've talked to committees, I've brought this to the City Counc-"
"Wait, for how long have you known this?" He asked, a cold look settling on his face.
Iris shifted in her spot.
"Iris."
"Six months."
Wally backed away from her. "Six months?! And you're telling me this now?" He ran his hands through his hair. "God, is this why you always refused to let me come back? You knew about all of this, and yet you did nothing. You didn't even tell me. Aunt Iris, this is my home!"
Tears flowed from Iris's eyes. She took a step towards Wally, but he put a hand up. "No, please, leave me be. I need time."
She wiped her eyes and nodded, slowly walking away, leaving Wally alone.
He sat down on the foot of the stairs and stared blankly at the wall.
What was he to do? His home was being torn apart while his Aunt kept all of this from him. He felt helpless, something that he hadn't felt since he got his powers. Being a Flash gave him the ability to solve all of his problems in a manner of seconds, but now he was faced with something that he couldn't use super-speed to solve. And worse, Mrs. Winchester had no clue as to what was going on. She retained hope that the check was going to arrive, but little did she know that it never would. No help was ever going to come for them.
"I need to do something about this." He whispered. He rubbed his face and got up. In the corner of the room, where some old worn couch was, a little girl peaked from behind. She spotted him looking and quickly ran away, tumbling on her way upstairs.
Wally gulped, that little girl had overheard everything that he and his Aunt were talking about, and if she told Mrs. Winchester , then everything would go to the dogs. He trotted up the worn wooden stairs, creaking his way up to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. He paused at the top of the stairs and surveyed the area. No one was around, and that meant no witnesses.
He used his super speed to place his ear against each door and listen for the girl. Wally finally heard her in the last door down the hall. This door led to the janitor's closet, or at least that's what it used to be when this place was a functioning orphanage. He opened the door to the room and immediately spotted her behind a row of old mops at the back of the room. She was crying, desperately trying to wipe the tears away from her face as she looked upon Wally with a face of fear.
'This must be Ruby, the girl that Mrs. Winchester was talking about.' Thought Wally. He moved closer, only for the girl to push herself further against the wall. He immediately recognized the signs. This kid had been abused, just like him.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a friend." He said with soft eyes. He sat down where he was and looked at the fearful girl. "My name is Wally West, and I am-"
"I know who you are." She interrupted.
Wally smiled. Of course they would tell her who he was. "I went through something similar to you." He told her. She nodded.
"Mrs. Winchester told me."
"I know how you feel, the world might look very scary right now, you might think that no one cares, but trust me, people do care." Said Wally, leaning towards her.
"I was abused by my mom and my dad. They would beat me up and then talk down to me, telling me that I was worthless and that I ruined lives. And for a very long time, I believed that. I carried that for a long time and I let it define me. It wasn't until one night," he closed his eyes," one horrible night that my dad came back more drunk than ever. And he broke the bottle and chased after me with it. Eventually he caught me, and as he was about to stab me with it, I saw into his eyes. I saw into his soul, and I saw pure hatred. This man hated me... and it killed me. I knew then that love was something that only other people got, not me. Never me. I wasn't worthy of love." He opened his eyes and saw the little girl teary eyed, but looking at him not with fear, but with sympathy.
"But something happened, someone happened. This man sped into the living and knocked my father away. He saved me from my parents and brought me here." Wally said, gesturing around.
"This place taught me how to love again. It taught me that not everyone is a bad person. And most importantly, it taught me how to love and forgive myself."
She wiped away her tears and scooted closer to him. "My name is Ruby, Ruby Smith."
