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 08 TIME: 0915 hrs. PLACE: Central City Police Station
At the police station, Batman and J'onn were going through various files salvaged from the ruins of the fire. "Found anything yet?" J'onn asked. "I mean, on what Flash asked you to find."
"I'm not looking for that now – I'm trying to examine this video- camera," said Batman. He was examining the video camera that had been recovered from the destroyed evidence room. "There may be some footage on it that we can use."
Meanwhile, J'onn was searching various folders. As he came upon one, he announced, "I have something."
"Read it to me. What's it say?" asked Batman, still engrossed in the camera.
J'onn read from the folder. "It says Hunter Zolomon used to be a member of the FBI ten years ago," he said. "However, he got fired from his job four years later. That was around the time he got a job as a profiler for the police here in Central City. Everything else after that details the cases he's given insight on to apprehend various criminals."
"Is that all?" asked Batman.
"Hmmm...There's also a psychiatric evaluation for him here."
"Go on."
J'onn scanned through the file. "Zolomon apparently carries around a great deal of resentment deep inside," he announced. "Just before he was to leave for college in his late teens, his parents died on the same day – his mother killed by his father, who was in turn killed by the police. It also says that the reason he got discharged from the FBI was because of an error in judgment on his part that cost him the life of his partner...and his marriage, as a result."
Batman said nothing for a moment. "So...then Zolomon was already a psycho?" he asked.
"Probably," said J'onn. "It would appear that all the ingredients were in the pot; all one would need to do was stir." He shut the folder and put it down. "Any luck with that tape?"
Batman held up the tape from the video camera, miraculously undamaged. "Let's see what's on this."
The two went to the control room, where Batman plopped the tape into the VCR. As the footage came on, the two watched as Hunter Zolomon, guided in his wheelchair by the dispatcher Murray, attempted to use Grodd's machine. What happened next was the machine exploding, forcing the camera off-line.
Batman switched off the VCR. "So, Zolomon was responsible for the fire, although not directly or purposely," he surmised.
Whereupon J'onn turned on his com-link. "Lantern, do you copy?"
**************************************************************************** ****************
Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were flying over the streets of the city, when Lantern's com-link suddenly went off. "Lantern here," he said, answering it.
"We've made a breakthrough here," said J'onn. "It turns out Hunter Zolomon was the one who caused the explosion at the police station. Have you found him yet?"
"Negative," Lantern answered. "We'll keep searching, though, and keep you posted."
"Very well." The line went dead.
"Any news?" asked Wonder Woman.
"We have to find Zolomon, and fast," said Lantern. "For all we know, he could be lying in a gutter somewhere."
Just then, they heard the shrill screams of civilians below them. Looking down, they saw people running for cover as what appeared to be a giant pair of legs stampeding all over the street.
"Giganta!" exclaimed Wonder Woman.
"And that means only one thing," Lantern said grimly. "Gorilla Grodd."
One look further up the street confirmed it. Grodd and Giganta were creating havoc in the heart of the city.
At that moment Grodd, looking up, saw the two heroes coming at him at full force. "Giganta, dispel them!" he ordered.
Giganta complied, shrinking slightly so she could be on nearly the same level with them. Tackling Wonder Woman with both arms, the two flew some distance away into a building.
"Haven't learned yet, have you, Grodd?" Lantern asked, landing.
"Perhaps not." Grodd smiled. "Tell me, Green Lantern: what's yellow and runs faster than a speeding bullet?"
"Huh?" Lantern asked, puzzled.
Still smiling, Grodd pointed straight ahead. Lantern turned around slightly, not wanting to take his back off Grodd – and felt a hard punch hit with the force of a freight train, sending him flying into a wall.
"Home run," Grodd commented, his smile having not disappeared.
Pulling himself out of the rubble, Lantern was stunned to see a man in a yellow Flash costume. "Who the hey...?"
"Meet my newest ally, Lantern – Zoom, the Reverse-Flash," Grodd introduced him. "The superior to your friend, the Flash."
"That's right," Zoom agreed. "And now, it's time we destroyed you."
Just at that moment Giganta was thrown out of the building into which she and Wonder Woman had collided. Emerging from the hole in wall was Wonder Woman herself. "You're out," she muttered darkly.
As she looked around for Lantern, she caught sight of Zoom. "Wha – ? But who is that?"
Suddenly she felt a hand at her throat, cutting off her breathing. Pinning her to the wall, Giganta grinned wickedly. "That's the guy who broke Grodd and me out of jail," she sneered. "Too bad you won't be able to go introduce yourself, 'cause now I'm gonna make you pay for hitting me yesterday!" With that she raised her fist, ready to smash Wonder Woman's face in.
Suddenly a flash of red streaked past, hitting Giganta and causing her to release her grip on Wonder Woman's throat. The streak then slammed into Zoom and Grodd, knocking both of them down. Lantern took that opportunity to use his ring's energy, turning it into a massive baseball bat and hitting both villains over to the other side of the street. "How's that for a home run?!" he yelled.
At the same moment, Wonder Woman grabbed Giganta, slamming her fist into the other woman's face several times before bodily taking her up and throwing her to one side. Getting up, Grodd and Zoom looked up just in time to see Giganta about to land on them.
"Oh, no," they said in unison before Giganta crashed down on them.
The red streak then re-emerged, forming into the Flash. "Miss me?" he asked.
"Flash!" exclaimed Lantern. "What took you so long?"
"I had a little investigating of my own to do," said Flash. "I see you've met Zoom."
"He's the one who broke these two out of prison," Wonder Woman informed them, walking up. "But now, all three of them are going straight to jail."
"Not just yet," said Flash. "First, let's see who's hiding underneath this mask."
As Wonder Woman and Lantern watched, Flash bent down and dragged Zoom out from under Giganta. He then took a hold of Zoom's mask, carefully pulling it back – and recoiled in horror.
"No...no, it can't be..." he whispered, his legs now unsteady.
The man underneath the mask was Hunter Zolomon.
"Is that – Zolomon?" Wonder Woman asked.
Lantern bent down and examined him. "It is."
"But...I don't understand...his back was broken...how could he be..." Flash looked so pale, Wonder Woman had to hold onto him to support him.
"I believe we can answer that," J'onn's voice came in. Turning, the trio saw him flying up to them, followed by the Batmobile. As the Batmobile's top came off, Batman emerged, holding Hunter's file.
"Zolomon hotwired Grodd's time machine and tried to use it," Batman explained. "But the amount of power that the machine generated was too much for the frailty of the wiring system, and it exploded. When it did, some of the speed molecules generated by the machine must've somehow been absorbed into Zolomon's body. That could perhaps explain his back – his metabolism, like yours, Flash, was speeded up, allowing his spinal cord to heal at a much faster rate than normal. That also explains his super-speed."
"Oh, man," Flash groaned, looking at Hunter.
"That's not all," Batman went on, handing him the file. "The info you asked me to find on him...here it is."
Flash took the file and looked it through. "Holy mother of God," he whispered. "It all makes sense now..."
"What're you talking about?" asked Lantern.
"It all makes sense," Flash repeated. "Hunter asked me to use my speed to go back in time to reverse the past, but I refused...so he tried to hotwire the thing on his own, but...and he's the only one who knew of any connection between me and Linda..."
Suddenly, without warning, a sudden streak of yellow flashed past the group. Looking in the direction of the streak, they saw Zoom standing before them, his mask replaced on his face. "I'm gonna kill you!" he roared.
"We know who you are now, man," said Lantern. "You'd better give up, or else it'll mean big trouble for you."
"DARN YOU!" Zoom screamed, darting at them again – but this time Lantern quickly used his ring to create a barrier around the yellow speedster's legs, suspending him upside-down in the air.
Then Flash stepped forward. "G.L....let him go."
At that the others looked at him as though he were mad. "What?" exclaimed Lantern.
"Think about it," said Flash. "I'm the reason he exists now, and he'll never stop anyway until we finish this quarrel. Besides...this is how I want it. Please trust me."
The others didn't say anything for a moment. Then Batman gave in. "As long as you know what you're doing."
Flash nodded. "Let him go."
Reluctantly, Lantern relinquished his energy from a now confused and suspicious Zoom. "Think you're bad, huh?" Flash challenged him. "Well, catch me if you can!" And then he was gone in a streak of red.
Snarling, Zoom turned and dashed after his adversary. "I honestly hope Flash knows what he's up against," Lantern shook his head.
"He's smarter than that, don't worry," said Batman knowingly. "Besides...we have a little problem of our own to clear up." He indicated behind the group, where Grodd and Giganta were now getting back up.
"Ah, finally you decide to turn attention back to us," Grodd growled. "Well, Justice League, shall we finish this battle now?"
Giganta, as though on cue, quickly grew to her full height and mass. "I'll crush all of you!" she shrieked.
J'onn quickly increased his own height and mass until he was on the same eye-level with her. "Bring it on."
Screaming, Giganta lunged at him, grabbing for his throat. J'onn caught her hands, however, and the two began to struggle against each other. Back on the ground, the other three heroes charged Grodd – and were blown back by his telekinesis.
(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 08 TIME: 0915 hrs. PLACE: Central City Police Station
At the police station, Batman and J'onn were going through various files salvaged from the ruins of the fire. "Found anything yet?" J'onn asked. "I mean, on what Flash asked you to find."
"I'm not looking for that now – I'm trying to examine this video- camera," said Batman. He was examining the video camera that had been recovered from the destroyed evidence room. "There may be some footage on it that we can use."
Meanwhile, J'onn was searching various folders. As he came upon one, he announced, "I have something."
"Read it to me. What's it say?" asked Batman, still engrossed in the camera.
J'onn read from the folder. "It says Hunter Zolomon used to be a member of the FBI ten years ago," he said. "However, he got fired from his job four years later. That was around the time he got a job as a profiler for the police here in Central City. Everything else after that details the cases he's given insight on to apprehend various criminals."
"Is that all?" asked Batman.
"Hmmm...There's also a psychiatric evaluation for him here."
"Go on."
J'onn scanned through the file. "Zolomon apparently carries around a great deal of resentment deep inside," he announced. "Just before he was to leave for college in his late teens, his parents died on the same day – his mother killed by his father, who was in turn killed by the police. It also says that the reason he got discharged from the FBI was because of an error in judgment on his part that cost him the life of his partner...and his marriage, as a result."
Batman said nothing for a moment. "So...then Zolomon was already a psycho?" he asked.
"Probably," said J'onn. "It would appear that all the ingredients were in the pot; all one would need to do was stir." He shut the folder and put it down. "Any luck with that tape?"
Batman held up the tape from the video camera, miraculously undamaged. "Let's see what's on this."
The two went to the control room, where Batman plopped the tape into the VCR. As the footage came on, the two watched as Hunter Zolomon, guided in his wheelchair by the dispatcher Murray, attempted to use Grodd's machine. What happened next was the machine exploding, forcing the camera off-line.
Batman switched off the VCR. "So, Zolomon was responsible for the fire, although not directly or purposely," he surmised.
Whereupon J'onn turned on his com-link. "Lantern, do you copy?"
**************************************************************************** ****************
Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were flying over the streets of the city, when Lantern's com-link suddenly went off. "Lantern here," he said, answering it.
"We've made a breakthrough here," said J'onn. "It turns out Hunter Zolomon was the one who caused the explosion at the police station. Have you found him yet?"
"Negative," Lantern answered. "We'll keep searching, though, and keep you posted."
"Very well." The line went dead.
"Any news?" asked Wonder Woman.
"We have to find Zolomon, and fast," said Lantern. "For all we know, he could be lying in a gutter somewhere."
Just then, they heard the shrill screams of civilians below them. Looking down, they saw people running for cover as what appeared to be a giant pair of legs stampeding all over the street.
"Giganta!" exclaimed Wonder Woman.
"And that means only one thing," Lantern said grimly. "Gorilla Grodd."
One look further up the street confirmed it. Grodd and Giganta were creating havoc in the heart of the city.
At that moment Grodd, looking up, saw the two heroes coming at him at full force. "Giganta, dispel them!" he ordered.
Giganta complied, shrinking slightly so she could be on nearly the same level with them. Tackling Wonder Woman with both arms, the two flew some distance away into a building.
"Haven't learned yet, have you, Grodd?" Lantern asked, landing.
"Perhaps not." Grodd smiled. "Tell me, Green Lantern: what's yellow and runs faster than a speeding bullet?"
"Huh?" Lantern asked, puzzled.
Still smiling, Grodd pointed straight ahead. Lantern turned around slightly, not wanting to take his back off Grodd – and felt a hard punch hit with the force of a freight train, sending him flying into a wall.
"Home run," Grodd commented, his smile having not disappeared.
Pulling himself out of the rubble, Lantern was stunned to see a man in a yellow Flash costume. "Who the hey...?"
"Meet my newest ally, Lantern – Zoom, the Reverse-Flash," Grodd introduced him. "The superior to your friend, the Flash."
"That's right," Zoom agreed. "And now, it's time we destroyed you."
Just at that moment Giganta was thrown out of the building into which she and Wonder Woman had collided. Emerging from the hole in wall was Wonder Woman herself. "You're out," she muttered darkly.
As she looked around for Lantern, she caught sight of Zoom. "Wha – ? But who is that?"
Suddenly she felt a hand at her throat, cutting off her breathing. Pinning her to the wall, Giganta grinned wickedly. "That's the guy who broke Grodd and me out of jail," she sneered. "Too bad you won't be able to go introduce yourself, 'cause now I'm gonna make you pay for hitting me yesterday!" With that she raised her fist, ready to smash Wonder Woman's face in.
Suddenly a flash of red streaked past, hitting Giganta and causing her to release her grip on Wonder Woman's throat. The streak then slammed into Zoom and Grodd, knocking both of them down. Lantern took that opportunity to use his ring's energy, turning it into a massive baseball bat and hitting both villains over to the other side of the street. "How's that for a home run?!" he yelled.
At the same moment, Wonder Woman grabbed Giganta, slamming her fist into the other woman's face several times before bodily taking her up and throwing her to one side. Getting up, Grodd and Zoom looked up just in time to see Giganta about to land on them.
"Oh, no," they said in unison before Giganta crashed down on them.
The red streak then re-emerged, forming into the Flash. "Miss me?" he asked.
"Flash!" exclaimed Lantern. "What took you so long?"
"I had a little investigating of my own to do," said Flash. "I see you've met Zoom."
"He's the one who broke these two out of prison," Wonder Woman informed them, walking up. "But now, all three of them are going straight to jail."
"Not just yet," said Flash. "First, let's see who's hiding underneath this mask."
As Wonder Woman and Lantern watched, Flash bent down and dragged Zoom out from under Giganta. He then took a hold of Zoom's mask, carefully pulling it back – and recoiled in horror.
"No...no, it can't be..." he whispered, his legs now unsteady.
The man underneath the mask was Hunter Zolomon.
"Is that – Zolomon?" Wonder Woman asked.
Lantern bent down and examined him. "It is."
"But...I don't understand...his back was broken...how could he be..." Flash looked so pale, Wonder Woman had to hold onto him to support him.
"I believe we can answer that," J'onn's voice came in. Turning, the trio saw him flying up to them, followed by the Batmobile. As the Batmobile's top came off, Batman emerged, holding Hunter's file.
"Zolomon hotwired Grodd's time machine and tried to use it," Batman explained. "But the amount of power that the machine generated was too much for the frailty of the wiring system, and it exploded. When it did, some of the speed molecules generated by the machine must've somehow been absorbed into Zolomon's body. That could perhaps explain his back – his metabolism, like yours, Flash, was speeded up, allowing his spinal cord to heal at a much faster rate than normal. That also explains his super-speed."
"Oh, man," Flash groaned, looking at Hunter.
"That's not all," Batman went on, handing him the file. "The info you asked me to find on him...here it is."
Flash took the file and looked it through. "Holy mother of God," he whispered. "It all makes sense now..."
"What're you talking about?" asked Lantern.
"It all makes sense," Flash repeated. "Hunter asked me to use my speed to go back in time to reverse the past, but I refused...so he tried to hotwire the thing on his own, but...and he's the only one who knew of any connection between me and Linda..."
Suddenly, without warning, a sudden streak of yellow flashed past the group. Looking in the direction of the streak, they saw Zoom standing before them, his mask replaced on his face. "I'm gonna kill you!" he roared.
"We know who you are now, man," said Lantern. "You'd better give up, or else it'll mean big trouble for you."
"DARN YOU!" Zoom screamed, darting at them again – but this time Lantern quickly used his ring to create a barrier around the yellow speedster's legs, suspending him upside-down in the air.
Then Flash stepped forward. "G.L....let him go."
At that the others looked at him as though he were mad. "What?" exclaimed Lantern.
"Think about it," said Flash. "I'm the reason he exists now, and he'll never stop anyway until we finish this quarrel. Besides...this is how I want it. Please trust me."
The others didn't say anything for a moment. Then Batman gave in. "As long as you know what you're doing."
Flash nodded. "Let him go."
Reluctantly, Lantern relinquished his energy from a now confused and suspicious Zoom. "Think you're bad, huh?" Flash challenged him. "Well, catch me if you can!" And then he was gone in a streak of red.
Snarling, Zoom turned and dashed after his adversary. "I honestly hope Flash knows what he's up against," Lantern shook his head.
"He's smarter than that, don't worry," said Batman knowingly. "Besides...we have a little problem of our own to clear up." He indicated behind the group, where Grodd and Giganta were now getting back up.
"Ah, finally you decide to turn attention back to us," Grodd growled. "Well, Justice League, shall we finish this battle now?"
Giganta, as though on cue, quickly grew to her full height and mass. "I'll crush all of you!" she shrieked.
J'onn quickly increased his own height and mass until he was on the same eye-level with her. "Bring it on."
Screaming, Giganta lunged at him, grabbing for his throat. J'onn caught her hands, however, and the two began to struggle against each other. Back on the ground, the other three heroes charged Grodd – and were blown back by his telekinesis.