SPEED FORCE
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)
CHAPTER 04 TIME: 1900 hrs. PLACE: Wally West's House, Central City
Wally was fast asleep on his bed, his Flash costume flung to one side. Thinking about the events of the morning had exhausted him emotionally, but thoughts still haunted his mind. Hunter...a cripple...for the rest of his life...? Wasn't there something I could've done?
A knock on the door roused him from sleep. "Uhhh...who's there?" he asked groggily.
From the other end of the door, a voice answered, "Wally, it's Linda. Please open the door."
Wally sat up. "Linda? As in Linda Park?"
"Why – is there another Linda you know? Now, please, open up."
Wally quickly zipped to the door and opened it. Standing before him was a beautiful brunette with a slightly worried look on her face. "Can I come in?"
"Uh – uh, yeah, sure." Wally stepped aside, and as Linda entered, he closed the door.
"I heard about Hunter, so I decided to come see you first – see how you were handling it." Then she regarded him. "God, you look terrible...are you OK?"
Wally sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Linda, I...I don't know if I can stand to imagine Hunter the way he is now. I mean...to have this happen to him..."
Linda sat down beside him. "You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?" she asked softly.
"I was fighting Grodd, Linda...Hunter was just an innocent bystander...and Grodd's quarrel wasn't with him – what could I have done? What SHOULD I have done?" At this point the tears were spilling down Wally's cheeks. Linda pulled him into a tight embrace and let him weep.
For how long they sat there together, neither was really aware; but then the phone rang. Wearily, Wally reached over and answered it. "Hello?"
"Mr. Wally West? Officer Zolomon just regained consciousness here at the hospital, and he's asking for you."
"Oh...okay. I'll be there, then." He hung up, then looked at Linda. "Well, let's go pay him a visit, eh?"
"Sure." Linda smiled a little. "Only...let's not do it via the 'Flash Express' this time. I'm in a mood to take a cab."
"Yeah, me too."
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TIME: 1905 hrs. PLACE: Central City General Hospital
Five minutes later, they arrived at the hospital, and were soon ushered into Hunter's room. When they came in, he was sitting up in bed, a very depressed look on his face.
"Hey, Hunter," said Wally. "You remember Linda, right?"
"Oh...yeah, sure, I remember. How're you doing?" Hunter asked her.
"Well...at this point, I really can't say," Linda said, truthfully. "You?"
Hunter sighed and seemed to sink down into the bed. "I just woke up about, like ten or so minutes ago," he told them. "And then the doctor came in and told me what happened. It's not such a good evening, when you consider it."
"Yeah." Wally sat down beside the bed. "But at least two good things have come out of this: we're both still alive, and Grodd's back in jail."
"That's true – but it doesn't make me feel any better," Hunter answered.
Then he looked up at Linda. "Hey, um...could you excuse us for a sec? There's something I need to talk about with Wally."
"Well, I...all right. I'll be right outside." Linda turned and walked out, carefully closing the door behind her and leaving the two men alone.
Wally looked at Hunter. "Something wrong, Hunter?" he asked worriedly.
"Wally...look, normally I wouldn't ask this of you, but..." Hunter seemed to be struggling with some deep, loathsome burden deep within. "To be told that you'll probably never walk again – it does something to you, you know? And for me – I just don't like the idea. I don't like this feeling I've got...being helpless, I mean."
"What is it, Hunter? What do you wanna ask me?"
This time Hunter looked straight at Wally, out of hard, yet pleading eyes. In a whisper he said, "Well, you're supposed to be the fastest man alive, right? How fast can you run?"
"Well...I can touch near the speed of light, I suppose, if I tried really hard," said Wally. "But, Hunter, what does this have to do with – "
"Please, Wally – couldn't you use your speed to erase everything that's happened? I mean, light speed allows for time-travel, right? So...couldn't you kinda run back in time and stop this whole thing from happening?"
Wally looked hard at Hunter. "Wait, what are you saying?"
"You heard me, Wally. Please."
For a moment, Wally didn't answer. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I can't do it."
"Whaddaya mean, you can't do it? Look, it doesn't have to be that difficult! I talked to one of my buddies in evidence storage at the station, and he's told me that that time machine thingy of Grodd's – they haven't dismantled it yet. There's still time to do it – nobody would ever have to know!" This time Hunter was on the brink of crying. "I'm begging you, man, please! If I have to stay one more second in this hospital bed, the way I am now, I'm gonna go NUTS!"
Again Wally didn't say anything for a moment. Then, again, he shook his head. "No, Hunter. I can't do it."
Now Hunter was dumbstruck. "But – why?" he asked when he found his voice again.
"As much as I'd want to, Hunter," said Wally, "if any change was made to the past, it could make the future turn out worse than it would normally. I've seen it happen before, and I'm not going to risk it this time." His voice held a note of finality. "I'm sorry, Hunter. That's just how it is."
The pleading look vanished from Hunter's face almost immediately. Replacing it was a look of grim resolve. "I see. So that's how it is, eh? Well, fine."
"Hunter, please, I – "
But Hunter held up a hand. "No, Wally, save it. Please...just leave me alone."
Realizing that argument would do no good, Wally sighed and exited the room. Linda, waiting outside, looked at him with some worry. "What happened?" she asked.
"Please, Linda...I don't want to talk about it now. Let's just...go home." With that, Wally started walking toward the entrance to the hospital with an air that said there was nothing more to discuss on the matter. Sighing, Linda hurried to catch up with him.
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Hunter reached for the cell-phone on his nightstand and dialed a number. A moment later the person on the other end answered. "Central City Police."
"Murray? It's me, Hunter. Listen, I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything, man. What?"
"Can you sneak me out of the hospital later tonight?"
"WHAT! Hunter Zolomon, are you insane!?"
"Calm down. I just need you to do this for me. Please."
Silence. Then, "Well, all right, I guess. But whatever for?"
Hunter's jaw tightened. "You remember telling me that Grodd's machine was still operational? I think I'm gonna give it a bit of a shot. Just be here when the hospital closes up to sneak me out of my room."
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)
CHAPTER 04 TIME: 1900 hrs. PLACE: Wally West's House, Central City
Wally was fast asleep on his bed, his Flash costume flung to one side. Thinking about the events of the morning had exhausted him emotionally, but thoughts still haunted his mind. Hunter...a cripple...for the rest of his life...? Wasn't there something I could've done?
A knock on the door roused him from sleep. "Uhhh...who's there?" he asked groggily.
From the other end of the door, a voice answered, "Wally, it's Linda. Please open the door."
Wally sat up. "Linda? As in Linda Park?"
"Why – is there another Linda you know? Now, please, open up."
Wally quickly zipped to the door and opened it. Standing before him was a beautiful brunette with a slightly worried look on her face. "Can I come in?"
"Uh – uh, yeah, sure." Wally stepped aside, and as Linda entered, he closed the door.
"I heard about Hunter, so I decided to come see you first – see how you were handling it." Then she regarded him. "God, you look terrible...are you OK?"
Wally sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Linda, I...I don't know if I can stand to imagine Hunter the way he is now. I mean...to have this happen to him..."
Linda sat down beside him. "You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?" she asked softly.
"I was fighting Grodd, Linda...Hunter was just an innocent bystander...and Grodd's quarrel wasn't with him – what could I have done? What SHOULD I have done?" At this point the tears were spilling down Wally's cheeks. Linda pulled him into a tight embrace and let him weep.
For how long they sat there together, neither was really aware; but then the phone rang. Wearily, Wally reached over and answered it. "Hello?"
"Mr. Wally West? Officer Zolomon just regained consciousness here at the hospital, and he's asking for you."
"Oh...okay. I'll be there, then." He hung up, then looked at Linda. "Well, let's go pay him a visit, eh?"
"Sure." Linda smiled a little. "Only...let's not do it via the 'Flash Express' this time. I'm in a mood to take a cab."
"Yeah, me too."
**************************************************************************** ****************
TIME: 1905 hrs. PLACE: Central City General Hospital
Five minutes later, they arrived at the hospital, and were soon ushered into Hunter's room. When they came in, he was sitting up in bed, a very depressed look on his face.
"Hey, Hunter," said Wally. "You remember Linda, right?"
"Oh...yeah, sure, I remember. How're you doing?" Hunter asked her.
"Well...at this point, I really can't say," Linda said, truthfully. "You?"
Hunter sighed and seemed to sink down into the bed. "I just woke up about, like ten or so minutes ago," he told them. "And then the doctor came in and told me what happened. It's not such a good evening, when you consider it."
"Yeah." Wally sat down beside the bed. "But at least two good things have come out of this: we're both still alive, and Grodd's back in jail."
"That's true – but it doesn't make me feel any better," Hunter answered.
Then he looked up at Linda. "Hey, um...could you excuse us for a sec? There's something I need to talk about with Wally."
"Well, I...all right. I'll be right outside." Linda turned and walked out, carefully closing the door behind her and leaving the two men alone.
Wally looked at Hunter. "Something wrong, Hunter?" he asked worriedly.
"Wally...look, normally I wouldn't ask this of you, but..." Hunter seemed to be struggling with some deep, loathsome burden deep within. "To be told that you'll probably never walk again – it does something to you, you know? And for me – I just don't like the idea. I don't like this feeling I've got...being helpless, I mean."
"What is it, Hunter? What do you wanna ask me?"
This time Hunter looked straight at Wally, out of hard, yet pleading eyes. In a whisper he said, "Well, you're supposed to be the fastest man alive, right? How fast can you run?"
"Well...I can touch near the speed of light, I suppose, if I tried really hard," said Wally. "But, Hunter, what does this have to do with – "
"Please, Wally – couldn't you use your speed to erase everything that's happened? I mean, light speed allows for time-travel, right? So...couldn't you kinda run back in time and stop this whole thing from happening?"
Wally looked hard at Hunter. "Wait, what are you saying?"
"You heard me, Wally. Please."
For a moment, Wally didn't answer. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I can't do it."
"Whaddaya mean, you can't do it? Look, it doesn't have to be that difficult! I talked to one of my buddies in evidence storage at the station, and he's told me that that time machine thingy of Grodd's – they haven't dismantled it yet. There's still time to do it – nobody would ever have to know!" This time Hunter was on the brink of crying. "I'm begging you, man, please! If I have to stay one more second in this hospital bed, the way I am now, I'm gonna go NUTS!"
Again Wally didn't say anything for a moment. Then, again, he shook his head. "No, Hunter. I can't do it."
Now Hunter was dumbstruck. "But – why?" he asked when he found his voice again.
"As much as I'd want to, Hunter," said Wally, "if any change was made to the past, it could make the future turn out worse than it would normally. I've seen it happen before, and I'm not going to risk it this time." His voice held a note of finality. "I'm sorry, Hunter. That's just how it is."
The pleading look vanished from Hunter's face almost immediately. Replacing it was a look of grim resolve. "I see. So that's how it is, eh? Well, fine."
"Hunter, please, I – "
But Hunter held up a hand. "No, Wally, save it. Please...just leave me alone."
Realizing that argument would do no good, Wally sighed and exited the room. Linda, waiting outside, looked at him with some worry. "What happened?" she asked.
"Please, Linda...I don't want to talk about it now. Let's just...go home." With that, Wally started walking toward the entrance to the hospital with an air that said there was nothing more to discuss on the matter. Sighing, Linda hurried to catch up with him.
**************************************************************************** ****************
Hunter reached for the cell-phone on his nightstand and dialed a number. A moment later the person on the other end answered. "Central City Police."
"Murray? It's me, Hunter. Listen, I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything, man. What?"
"Can you sneak me out of the hospital later tonight?"
"WHAT! Hunter Zolomon, are you insane!?"
"Calm down. I just need you to do this for me. Please."
Silence. Then, "Well, all right, I guess. But whatever for?"
Hunter's jaw tightened. "You remember telling me that Grodd's machine was still operational? I think I'm gonna give it a bit of a shot. Just be here when the hospital closes up to sneak me out of my room."