Hey again! Sorry for the delay, but I took an unexpected road trip.
Well, as promised, here is the next chapter of 'Grimm', complete with the title character and a fresh load of angst! I know there wasn't very much angst last chapter, but the next chapters will hopefully make up for it!
This chapter is dedicated to DianaRulz, lins, and sokerfreek922 for their awesome reviews that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Thanks guys! (BTW-That's technically not a response! So there! ;p )
And a fun hello to doc-trigger!
And now, on with the show!
Disclaimer: No poseo la liga de la justicia o cualquiera de sus caracteres. I posee solamente Grimm y este diagrama. (I also don't own a good translator!)
CHAPTER TEN: INCARCERATION
John sat next to Wally's bed. He had finally been permitted to enter the room after the medics declared his friend's condition to be stable. Said medics had left the two friends in privacy, after making the Lantern promise to call them immediately if anything happened.
He stifled a yawn, possessing no intention of sleeping despite the early hour. Having had no sleep in the past twenty-four hours, he had deliberately found an uncomfortable chair in order to keep himself from nodding off.
The linens on Wally's bed had been changed, as had his hospital gown. But it could not erase the bloodstained image from Lantern's memory. It was an image he was sure would haunt him for many nights to come.
As it was, he could not bring himself to look at the bandages around Wally's wrists. These too had been recently changed, the others being too blood-soaked to be of any use.
The sight of the restraints had nearly sent him over the edge when he first entered the room. However, he couldn't deny that Wally posed a considerable threat to himself now. It took all of his reasoning to assure himself that it was merely the drug's fault. Wally would never have done anything like that on his own.
Flash was currently in and out of consciousness. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings anymore. He muttered and thrashed about, as if fighting off an invisible foe. It made John's heart ache to watch. He wanted so desperately to help his friend, but there was nothing he could do. He was not a doctor or a scientist. All he could do was sit and watch as his best friend deteriorated before his eyes.
Wally seemed to be unconscious again. But his imaginary threat refused to let him be. He pulled at his restraints, jerking his head back.
"John," the young hero muttered.
Lantern stood immediately and leaned over his friend. Being careful of his injury, the marine gripped Wally's hand.
"I'm here, Wally," he soothed. "I'm not going anywhere."
Flash whimpered slightly.
"It's going to be okay," Lantern assured him, tightening his grasp on Wally's hand. "I promise."
The younger hero twitched. He whispered so quietly, John had to strain to hear him.
"…Why? How...I trusted you…"
Suddenly the younger hero tensed up.
"NO!" He yelled so loudly that John jumped back out of surprise.
Wally began pulling against his restraints harder than before. He was shaking uncontrollably now. A loud beeping noise brought John's attention to the heart monitor at Wally's bedside. His heart rate was increasing with each second.
"Wally!" John held his friend down by the shoulders. "Wally, listen to me! You've got to calm down!"
Flash jerked under his friend's grip.
"Listen to me, Wally!" John desperately cried. "It's not real! None of it's real! You've got to calm down!"
Wally's movements slowed. The beeping decreased slightly.
John laughed in relief. "That's it, Wally. Just calm down. I'm here with you, pal."
The beeping slowed back to an ordinary pace, Wally's breathing returning to normal.
Once the younger man had ceased moving, John sat down hard in his chair. He put his head in his hands and sighed deeply.
He couldn't bear the thought of losing his best friend, especially in such a terrible way. He prayed that Batman found the cure soon; he couldn't stand this much longer.
John knew that people who believed that Batman was the most secretive of the original seven were definitely mistaken. As much as Wally relied on the League, there were things he felt he had to deal with on his own, no matter how much his friends wanted to help him. Whenever people touched on Wally's personal life or past, he would skillfully change subjects or make a wisecrack. It wasn't until the conversation was over that you realized he'd shared nothing about himself with you.
Once again, John found himself on the sidelines, watching his friend battle his own brand of demons. Although his thirst to prove himself was often a quality Lantern admired in Wally, it often left Flash reluctant to ask for help, even when he needed it.
It was that same stubbornness that had left the young speedster lying in a hospital bed, teetering near death. And John knew that even if Wally had wanted to ask for help, they were far past the stage where Lantern could be of any use to his friend. It was simply too late. But that didn't stop him from wanting to try.
"What's happening to you, Wally?" He asked out loud, knowing he wouldn't be answered. "What are you seeing?"
No one got much sleep that night. Green Lantern stayed watch by Flash's bedside well into the following morning, periodically joined by Shayera with cups of coffee for the two of them.
It was almost noon when Superman and J'onn finally kicked the two of them out of the room, insisting they try to get some rest, and promising to stay with Wally while they were gone. Diana had graciously volunteered to take over J'onn's monitoring duties, desperate for something to occupy her time.
Superman occupied John's vacant chair while the Martian, preferring to stand, stood watch from the corner of the room.
Wally's breathing was shallow and raspy.
"He's been sleeping for a long time," Superman commented, not sure if this was a good thing or not.
"The drug is reaching its end-stage," J'onn offered helpfully. "He will not wake up. His brain can no longer distinguish between hallucination and reality. It will begin to accept only the illusions as truth. He will believe that whatever is happening in his mind is actually happening."
"What does that mean?" Superman preferred to be well informed in situations such as these.
The Martian answered, "The drug will begin to shut down his body's functions one by one. He will become feverish. Eventually, the drug will shut down his mind completely."
Superman didn't need any more explanation than that.
He sighed. "How could we let this happen, J'onn? We were supposed to be looking after him."
J'onn closed his eyes and lowered his head. "There is plenty of blame to be had."
Turning in his chair to face the Martian, Clark frowned. "I don't blame you, J'onn. You were right-we couldn't keep him off of missions forever. It wasn't your fault."
The Martian smiled lightly. "It was not your fault either, Superman. I suppose some things cannot be helped."
They both turned their attention back to the young speedster, who was shivering lightly. Clark stood and grabbed a blanket from a rack near the door. Tucking the young superhero in, Clark smiled in spite of himself.
"He is strong," J'onn assured the Man of Steel. "I am certain he will not give in easily."
Clark sat back down, preparing for a long stay.
I hope you're right, he thought to himself. I sincerely hope you're right.
Wally was nowhere. He was nothingness. He sat huddled in the dark emptiness, surrounded by nothing but hatred and loathing.
Of course, Grimm was there. She stood apart from him, arms crossed, with an unusual look of regret in her dull grey eyes.
"I didn't want it to come to this, Wally," She commented, walking closer across the nothingness. She knelt before him, tilting her head to the side in a patronizing gesture. "But you wouldn't do what was necessary. You've disgraced them."
Wally lifted his head to meet her eyes, confusion evident in his face. Grimm smiled malevolently, disappearing from sight.
"Wallace Rudolph West!"
Flash's eyes darted around for the source of this new voice. A man stood before him, tall with red hair like his own. It couldn't be! …Could it?
The man snarled with distaste. "What a waste you are. I'm ashamed to have ever called you my son."
Wally gawked at his father. More faces appeared, surrounding him.
"Like he was ever much use," scoffed his mother, hatred in her eyes. "He's been worthless since the day he was born. Worst day of my life!"
"You're a dishonor to your name! You've tainted all of my hard work!"
The last voice sent chills down his spine.
"Uncle Barry?" he whispered, looking upon his childhood idol and friend.
Barry scowled. "Don't ever call me that! I'm not your uncle. I want nothing to do with you. You've ruined the name 'Flash'. You're nothing but a weak, waste of space. I wish I'd never laid eyes on you."
More faces and voices appeared, each of them familiar, each of them expressing their revulsion of him. Grimm reappeared and sat just beyond them, at eye level with Flash, smiling at their accusations.
Wally hugged his knees closer to his chest as the attack continued, silent tears running down his pale cheeks.
…We're getting so close to the end, I can hardly stand it! IT'S COMING, PEOPLE! But will it be happy? Or sad? Only I know! Bwahahaha….
Seriously, it's making me upset. I really enjoy this story, and I don't want it to end. I just want to thank everyone for their support so far! Please stick with me:)
Anyways, next up in this little ficlet is some very interesting torture from Grimm. Wally still has a little bit to go before…Well…I can't really tell you.
Oh! And, don't pay much attention to Wally's family/Barry. They aren't really mentioned again, so if you don't know the full back-story (I don't know a lot of it myself), it's not really an issue!
That's all! TTFN!
Keep Smiling! ;)
rogueandkurt