Flash stood up and stared darkly at the ground.
"What? How do you know her?"
"I met her when I was a kid....and now someone hurt her." Flash clenched his fist and started to walk away.
"Look, if you know her, I think she needs someone familiar right now." Flash turned around and looked at Superman.
"She doesn't know me, never really met me."
"I don't understand."
"When I was a kid, when I had first discovered my powers... One day I decided to try them out. I was gonna run as fast as I could; you know, to see how fast I could really go. I ran. I must have run a little too fast, I went through to another dimension, I guess. When I stopped, I was in front of a little blue house. I first figured I wasn't on Earth when people couldn't see me. I remember thinking how cool it was. I ran around jumping in front of people; they would bump into me." Flash laughed. "Anyway, I eventually went back to the little blue house. I looked in the bedroom window and saw a girl about my age; she was crying. She looked so lonely. I felt sorry for her. For the next couple of years I went back and forth between her world and my own. I got to know her well."
"Why did you stop?"
"Well, eventually, I fell for her. What was the point of sticking around her when she didn't even know I existed? I had no idea she would be in danger...." Flash, once again, began to walk away.
"What are you going to do?" Superman called after him.
"I'm gonna find him and make him pay."
"How? You don't know how to fly out of here, much less where he is or what he looks like."
"Whatever." Flash walked away.
"Well, that makes things more interesting." Superman looked behind him. It was Batman.
"You heard everything?"
"Enough. Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"I've never seen him like that before. I'm pretty sure he was. Why would he be lying?"
"The only question is, how did she get here?"
Superman nodded. "It seems we have another mystery on our hands. Do you think it's possible? Could this girl be from a different world similar to our own?"
"Yes. What other explanation could there be?"
"I guess we'll find out as we go. Who's talking to the girl now?"
"Wonder Woman. Dianna seems to make the girl feel more comfortable."
Meanwhile, back in the room, after using the lasso of truth on Nichole, it was determined that all the girl had said was true.
"You look tired. Maybe you should get some rest."
"I'm okay. I just woke up." Nichole yawned.
"Get some sleep. You need to recover from your injuries." Nichole looked at herself. She had a cast on her right arm, and her other arm was all bruised up. She was sure her face was all messed up; she could feel the bandages on her forehead and cheek. Her legs felt weak and she wasn't sure if she could walk quite yet. In spite of all this, she smiled.
"Okay. But when I wake up...."
"Yes?"
"Could you guys sign my cast?" Nichole asked shyly, feeling much younger then her eighteen years.
Wonder Woman smiled. "Of course. Now get some sleep."
Green Lantern, Hawk Girl, and J'onn left but Wonder Woman stayed, respecting Nichole's wish not to leave her alone. Hawk Girl came back with a chair for Wonder Woman to sit on. It didn't take long for Nichole to drift into a somewhat peaceful sleep.
Nichole woke up and looked around. Wonder Woman was still in the chair, reading.
"What time is it?" Nichole murmured. Wonder Woman looked up from her book.
"It's 10 am."
"What time did I fall asleep?"
"About 3 pm yesterday."
Nichole's eyes widened. "I was asleep that long!?" Nichole attempted to get up.
"Stay in bed. Your ankle is sprained." Nichole's stomach growled. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, if it isn't too much trouble." Before Wonder Woman could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in." Wonder Woman opened the door. It was Flash and he had in his hands a tray of food.
"Is our guest hungry?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes." Nichole replied shyly.
"I wasn't sure what you wanted. I hope this is okay." Nichole sat up and Flash put the tray on her lap. It was a breakfast. In the middle of the tray was a plate with chocolate chip waffles, covered sparingly with syrup. Next to the plate was a cup of juice and of course there was a fork and knife.
Nichole looked at him, amazed. "How did you know I liked chocolate chip waffles?"
"Lucky guess, I suppose." Flash said nervously.
"Thank you....Flash."
"Up here you can call me Wally."
"Ok, Wally."
"Um, I've got to be going. I'm sure there's some cat up a tree I need to rescue or something." Nichole laughed as Flash left the room.
The next couple of days, while Nichole was stuck in that room, Wally came to see her at least once every day. Nichole soon took a liking to him. Once Nichole became stronger, she was ready to go around and explore the entire look out.
"Hey Nicky! How are you doing today?" Flash asked one day after entering the room.
"I feel great. In fact, good enough to walk out and explore a bit!"
"Are you sure?"
"Please! I'm sick of this bed; I wanna move my legs again."
"I don't know. Dianna?"
"You can help her walk around a bit."
"Can we go out of this room this time?" Nichole looked hopeful.
"Okay."
"Yay!" Wally helped Nichole out of the bed, letting her lean on him as she attempted to walk without using her sprained ankle. They walked out of the room, and stopped.
"Wanna see something really cool?" Wally asked with a smile.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Come on this way and I'll show you." They walked into a small elevator not far in the little hallway. They went up and before the doors opened, Wally covered her eyes.
"Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"Because, don't you like surprises?" The doors opened and Flash led her into the room the elevator had taken them to. Finally, he opened her eyes. They were at the main control center of the look out. They were surrounded by, what appeared to be but probably wasn't, windows. They looked out into outer space. It was absolutely gorgeous. The earth could be seen from where Nichole was standing. It was breath taking. She had seen pictures before but it hardly did the real thing justice.
"Wow. It's beautiful."
"You like the view?" Wally smiled.
"Like it? I love it! Did you know I've always wanted to go into space, just for the view. I didn't want to be an astronaut or anything like that...."
Wally whispered to himself under his breath so she couldn't hear. "Yes, I know."
The next morning, while Nichole slept in, Wonder Woman had gone down to earth to buy some clothes and other necessities for the young girl. Flash stayed outside the room and making sure he'll be there the moment she wakes up. He was sitting next to the door, nearly asleep, when he heard a cry. It came from the room. He immediately got up and rushed into the room. Nichole was sitting up in bed, crying.
"What's wrong?" He went over to her.
"Please, don't hurt me!" She cried pathetically.
"Shhhh. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's okay. You're safe now, remember?" Nichole looked up and saw it was Flash. She began to cry half relieved. He put his arms around her and held her as she cried. After a couple of minutes, she looked up into his eyes.
"I remembered," she managed to croak out. "I remembered some of what happened."
"You don't have to tell m..." Flash tried to say but she continued on.
"A man, in a car. He was crazy. He told me something...something important. I can't remember. His name was...Carmichael....he...he...hurt me." She cried some more. Flash didn't know what to say. All he could do was whisper words of comfort in her ear.
"What? How do you know her?"
"I met her when I was a kid....and now someone hurt her." Flash clenched his fist and started to walk away.
"Look, if you know her, I think she needs someone familiar right now." Flash turned around and looked at Superman.
"She doesn't know me, never really met me."
"I don't understand."
"When I was a kid, when I had first discovered my powers... One day I decided to try them out. I was gonna run as fast as I could; you know, to see how fast I could really go. I ran. I must have run a little too fast, I went through to another dimension, I guess. When I stopped, I was in front of a little blue house. I first figured I wasn't on Earth when people couldn't see me. I remember thinking how cool it was. I ran around jumping in front of people; they would bump into me." Flash laughed. "Anyway, I eventually went back to the little blue house. I looked in the bedroom window and saw a girl about my age; she was crying. She looked so lonely. I felt sorry for her. For the next couple of years I went back and forth between her world and my own. I got to know her well."
"Why did you stop?"
"Well, eventually, I fell for her. What was the point of sticking around her when she didn't even know I existed? I had no idea she would be in danger...." Flash, once again, began to walk away.
"What are you going to do?" Superman called after him.
"I'm gonna find him and make him pay."
"How? You don't know how to fly out of here, much less where he is or what he looks like."
"Whatever." Flash walked away.
"Well, that makes things more interesting." Superman looked behind him. It was Batman.
"You heard everything?"
"Enough. Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"I've never seen him like that before. I'm pretty sure he was. Why would he be lying?"
"The only question is, how did she get here?"
Superman nodded. "It seems we have another mystery on our hands. Do you think it's possible? Could this girl be from a different world similar to our own?"
"Yes. What other explanation could there be?"
"I guess we'll find out as we go. Who's talking to the girl now?"
"Wonder Woman. Dianna seems to make the girl feel more comfortable."
Meanwhile, back in the room, after using the lasso of truth on Nichole, it was determined that all the girl had said was true.
"You look tired. Maybe you should get some rest."
"I'm okay. I just woke up." Nichole yawned.
"Get some sleep. You need to recover from your injuries." Nichole looked at herself. She had a cast on her right arm, and her other arm was all bruised up. She was sure her face was all messed up; she could feel the bandages on her forehead and cheek. Her legs felt weak and she wasn't sure if she could walk quite yet. In spite of all this, she smiled.
"Okay. But when I wake up...."
"Yes?"
"Could you guys sign my cast?" Nichole asked shyly, feeling much younger then her eighteen years.
Wonder Woman smiled. "Of course. Now get some sleep."
Green Lantern, Hawk Girl, and J'onn left but Wonder Woman stayed, respecting Nichole's wish not to leave her alone. Hawk Girl came back with a chair for Wonder Woman to sit on. It didn't take long for Nichole to drift into a somewhat peaceful sleep.
Nichole woke up and looked around. Wonder Woman was still in the chair, reading.
"What time is it?" Nichole murmured. Wonder Woman looked up from her book.
"It's 10 am."
"What time did I fall asleep?"
"About 3 pm yesterday."
Nichole's eyes widened. "I was asleep that long!?" Nichole attempted to get up.
"Stay in bed. Your ankle is sprained." Nichole's stomach growled. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, if it isn't too much trouble." Before Wonder Woman could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in." Wonder Woman opened the door. It was Flash and he had in his hands a tray of food.
"Is our guest hungry?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes." Nichole replied shyly.
"I wasn't sure what you wanted. I hope this is okay." Nichole sat up and Flash put the tray on her lap. It was a breakfast. In the middle of the tray was a plate with chocolate chip waffles, covered sparingly with syrup. Next to the plate was a cup of juice and of course there was a fork and knife.
Nichole looked at him, amazed. "How did you know I liked chocolate chip waffles?"
"Lucky guess, I suppose." Flash said nervously.
"Thank you....Flash."
"Up here you can call me Wally."
"Ok, Wally."
"Um, I've got to be going. I'm sure there's some cat up a tree I need to rescue or something." Nichole laughed as Flash left the room.
The next couple of days, while Nichole was stuck in that room, Wally came to see her at least once every day. Nichole soon took a liking to him. Once Nichole became stronger, she was ready to go around and explore the entire look out.
"Hey Nicky! How are you doing today?" Flash asked one day after entering the room.
"I feel great. In fact, good enough to walk out and explore a bit!"
"Are you sure?"
"Please! I'm sick of this bed; I wanna move my legs again."
"I don't know. Dianna?"
"You can help her walk around a bit."
"Can we go out of this room this time?" Nichole looked hopeful.
"Okay."
"Yay!" Wally helped Nichole out of the bed, letting her lean on him as she attempted to walk without using her sprained ankle. They walked out of the room, and stopped.
"Wanna see something really cool?" Wally asked with a smile.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Come on this way and I'll show you." They walked into a small elevator not far in the little hallway. They went up and before the doors opened, Wally covered her eyes.
"Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"Because, don't you like surprises?" The doors opened and Flash led her into the room the elevator had taken them to. Finally, he opened her eyes. They were at the main control center of the look out. They were surrounded by, what appeared to be but probably wasn't, windows. They looked out into outer space. It was absolutely gorgeous. The earth could be seen from where Nichole was standing. It was breath taking. She had seen pictures before but it hardly did the real thing justice.
"Wow. It's beautiful."
"You like the view?" Wally smiled.
"Like it? I love it! Did you know I've always wanted to go into space, just for the view. I didn't want to be an astronaut or anything like that...."
Wally whispered to himself under his breath so she couldn't hear. "Yes, I know."
The next morning, while Nichole slept in, Wonder Woman had gone down to earth to buy some clothes and other necessities for the young girl. Flash stayed outside the room and making sure he'll be there the moment she wakes up. He was sitting next to the door, nearly asleep, when he heard a cry. It came from the room. He immediately got up and rushed into the room. Nichole was sitting up in bed, crying.
"What's wrong?" He went over to her.
"Please, don't hurt me!" She cried pathetically.
"Shhhh. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's okay. You're safe now, remember?" Nichole looked up and saw it was Flash. She began to cry half relieved. He put his arms around her and held her as she cried. After a couple of minutes, she looked up into his eyes.
"I remembered," she managed to croak out. "I remembered some of what happened."
"You don't have to tell m..." Flash tried to say but she continued on.
"A man, in a car. He was crazy. He told me something...something important. I can't remember. His name was...Carmichael....he...he...hurt me." She cried some more. Flash didn't know what to say. All he could do was whisper words of comfort in her ear.