Sylvia Wayne "Wildcat"
Miami, Florida
May 26th, 2016
It was maybe four in the morning, and I wasn't able to sleep. Instead, I let Wally sleep, leaving him a note and driving to the beach. When I got there, I pulled off my swimsuit cover up and left it on the shore. I kept thinking, maybe I should leave my comm in the sand with the dress, but the thing was waterproof and Wally would worry if he woke up and I didn't answer. Neither of us were supposed to worry, but it was especially a problem if I did so. So I just sat on the edge of the water, letting the tide wash past me, rocking me back and forth. It was still dark enough that when I looked up, I could see the moon against the black. I wished I could see the stars, but I knew the beach was still too close to downtown Miami. The light pollution kept me from seeing them. It sort of made me homesick. Back in Gotham, the Manor was just far enough outside the downtown area that we could still see the stars. I would just lay down in the grass and watch the sky. I could remember the last time I did was busy with Kid Flash business, so I was hanging out with Jason, and the two of us just laid in the grass and watched the stars twinkle against the night.
Tonight, I leaned back in the water, resting on one elbow and resting my free hand on my stomach. I could feel my little Lena moving around. I was just over seven months along and at this moment, I felt like a whale and I missed being able to see my toes. But it wouldn't be long, I had just under two months left till I could hold this little girl in my arms for real. I couldn't help but want to sing to her. When she came out I just wanted to sing to her all the time. I wanted to sing her lullabies like Alfred and my father sang to me. I started humming Rue's lullaby to my little girl when I began to hear someone approach from behind me. When I jolted, ready to stand up, the voice caught me off-guard.
"Don't get up, please," he told me, walking over. It was a rather tall teenager with thick black hair and red swim trunks on. He waded into the water and sat down with me. I could swear my heart stopped when I saw his face.
"Jason!" I gasped, grabbing onto him and hugging him. I couldn't let go.
"I'm really sorry," he told me. I pulled back and just focused on his face, remind myself of every little detail and finding new ones.
"I thought I was going crazy when I saw you that Christmas, out in the snow," I began to cry, unable to hold back the tears. I hugged him again and this time he hugged me back. I remembered seeing him, the night I stood in the snow without a coat. But this time, he was real. I'm not crazy. He's here, like he never left. But I knew I couldn't let go of the fact that he's been alive these past few years and won't return home.
"I know, I'm sorry. I was trying to stay dead, out of the picture, but I had to see you," he looked down at my stomach. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he told me.
"How are you alive?" I asked him, but he shook his head.
"It's not safe," He told me, and my heart picked up. I started to panic, but I knew I needed to breathe. I wasn't supposed to stress myself out.
"You can trust me, I'm your sister," I assured him, but he shook his head.
"You don't understand. It's not safe, not for me or you. I'm risking everything to come and talk to you," Jason, took both of my hand and held them for a moment, making me sit up in the water.
"What do you mean?" He was beginning to scare me and I wasn't quite sure how to react in this moment.
"You aren't safe. Listen, I know that some of the Leaguers are off-world. After our encounter, I need you to act like nothing has happened and you can tell no one that I was here. Do you understand?" Jason waited for me to nod and once I did, he got right back into it. "You're running out of time. Just a few weeks ago, the Light received a particular request from the Reach. The Aliens' science officers were given access to yours and Tori's files since the two of you were apart of a study similar to what the Reach was conducting on their humans previously. The Light has an up to date file on you, the pregnancy, that Wally is a speedster, where you live, where you go to school, everything. The Reach was given access, therefore they know about you. They want you, they want Wally, and they especially want your baby. I need you to make it clear to Wally that the two of you are in danger, but he can't know that it was me who told you. I love you, Sylvia, and I'm so sorry that you're going to have to be looking over your shoulder until the Reach are gone, but this is very important." Jason stood up in the water and offered me a hand. I stood up with him.
"Jason, this is crazy. The Light made it clear that they're done with me," I told him, walking out of the water to grab my towel and swimsuit cover up. At this point, I just wanted to go home and snuggle up to Wally. Right at that moment, I didn't care how tired my boyfriend was from working with Cisco on whatever it is they've been messing around with since my preliminary visit to S.T.A.R. Labs.
"The Light may have given up on their endeavors when you stole their only other surviving meta, but the Reach is only just getting started. I don't think you understand how interested they are in what your physiology can offer them in terms of the scientific advancement of their research into the human metagene. If they had you and Wally, they would gain access to a fetus, a compatible genome since you procreated with Wally despite what your file calls a hostile uterus, and they would have a supply of ova from you, the Light's original specimen. They're coming for you," he told me once again.
"Okay, I understand," I told him, but I had a different idea on how to protect myself and Wally from the impending threat.
"Not just that, Sylvia. You shouldn't be out at night like this, and especially not alone. If you leave right now," he checked his watch, " I want you to look at the vacant lot across from where you parked, and I want you to listen to everything in the area, then start your car and get home. Just trust me okay?"
"Okay," I told him, slightly nervous. I grabbed my cover up and put it on. I threw my bag over my shoulder and immediately hugged my brother.
"Stay safe, okay?" I placed my hand on his cheek, gazing into those blue eyes that I've been longing to see since the day they told me he was gone. He placed his hand over top of my own.
"I will, now go." He let go, turned and ran. I just turned and walked, finding my way back to where I had parked my car. I was careful not to arise suspicion of anyone was watching me by acting like nothing had happened on the Beach. When I got into my car, I did exactly as Jason had instructed. Off in the lot, there was a strange pair of yellow eyes, watching me from beyond some sacks of loose gravel. I took a deep breath, focusing on what I could hear. What I heard was the same strange chittering I often got from Blue Beetle's scarab when it's operating.
I couldn't sit and listen for long, so I started the car and drove back to my apartment, wanting to just crawl into bed with Wally at this point. That's exactly what I did when I made it home. I crawled into bed, snuggling up to my slumbering boyfriend. He mindlessly shifted, putting his arm around me and holding me close. I just laid there, studying his face. I smelled him, reminding myself that my home is supposed to smell like old spice and cooking in a kitchen. I reached up and touched his red hair, feeling the soft fiery strands between my fingers. I never wanted to forget this, what he looks like when he's at piece. In that moment, I finally felt weary, falling asleep in his arms.
I wasn't quite awake yet when I felt something nudging me. I groaned, thinking it was Wally trying to wake me up before I wanted to get up. The more it persisted, the more I was starting to realize that the nudging was my little Lena waking up in the womb. I just wanted to sleep, but she just persisted and persisted. When I opened my eyes, the bed was empty. For a second I was worried, but then I smelled sausages cooking, paired with the sound of crackling oil emanating from our kitchen. When I climbed out of bed, I realized I had gone to sleep in Wally's t-shirt that he had left lying on the floor when he took it off to sleep in his boxers last night. I remembered last night was a bit more hot and humid than usual so he took it off.
"Ugh, babe, I love you," I told him as I found that there were freshly made waffles stacked on the counter as he stood at the stove, cooking sausages. In the back of my mind, I knew I couldn't ruin this morning, so I decided to hold off a little longer on telling him about Jason's warning.
Watchtower
Later That Day
"The Team has been deployed. I have to coordinate, but are you all set here?" Nightwing asked. I stood there, in the League's mission room, hastily dress in a floral, loosely fitted dress and a long white sweater. I my white slip-on vans squeaked against the floor as I turned away from the holocomputer to look at my brother. I was so hard not to tell him about Jason, but I had promised to keep his survival a secret.
"Yeah, I'm all set. Brought some oreos and a jar of peanut butter from home," I shrugged, sitting down on the familiar bed. They had me holed up in the same room I was in when I was getting my original treatments after my episode with Superboy. Oddly enough, my paintings of the stars were still here, right along with the easel and the remaining unused paint. I almost hated being in here.
"Alright," my brother stated before moving to walk out, "I'll check on you when I can. In the meantime, others may pop in, but probably not since we've got our hands pretty full with the War World." Nightwing just rushed out before I could say anything else. He locked the door behind himself, and once again, I was trapped. This time I technically wasn't alone, but I also technically was alone. I could feel little Lena kicking in my stomach, giving me a little reassurance. She reminded me why they locked me in here. I had told Wally about what Jason told me, how the Reach wanted to study us, especially our baby. Naturally, when he found out about the War World coming to Earth, he sent me up here to the Watchtower for my safety. He assumed that with all the chaos and heroes being preoccupied with the attack, the Reach might make their move when no one can stop them. I couldn't argue with him, but he went all over the apartment, packing everything he thought I might need into one big suitcase.
I stared at the black bag by the door, not wanting to even touch the thing, in fear of not packing it back up until after I give birth. There was no way I was going to be spending the next two months in solitary. I activated the Holocomputer and began following the news surrounding the War World. I started to catch clips of Wally and Barry in costume, rescuing people from the missiles that made it past Doctor Fate's shields. It was nice to see him doing hero work, but there was one thing that started to bother me. I paused, rewound, fast forwarded, paused, slow-moed the clips that keeps coming up of the two speedstars. Wally's yellow and red streak was different. I keeps checking and checking and checking. Then, it finally hit me. Wally was catching up to Barry.