Wally slowly came too as the medics were rushing him off to the hospital room. Lantern stood back, pushed out the way by the medics and watched as the transporters brought many of the slaves up to get names and find their homes again.
"Where's Wally!" Some one shouted. John's head shot up and he watched as a man fought his way through the crowd of Slaves. Many parted for him and the word was passed up and down the group as the injured were plucked out to be treated. Someone else shouted back that the Green Lantern had collected him while someone else ( a hero) pointed towards the medical bay and told the man that Wally was being treated.
The man shouted the news back over the crowd to a young, snake skinned woman who shouted the news over to a man with the same skin. The snake man was nearer John so he jumped over the crowd and shouted to the man.
"You know Wally?" he shouted.
"Yeah." The man shouted back, fighting his way to the edge of the crowd.
"He's being taken care of." John explained.
"He is the Flash isn't he." The man stated quietly. John looked around and then nodded. "Will he be okay?"
"I hope so." John whispered.
"Carlm" the man said, extending a clawed hand.
"Green Lantern." He answered quietly taking the hand.
"I know." The man laughed, shaking his hand. "My sister Shanner and our friend Marcus." The Snake woman and the normal man appeared on either side.
"We are friends with Wally and Gabriel…" Shanner trailed off.
"The woman Wally fought?" John asked.
Superman left the other heroes to gather the slaves and take the guards to the correct authorities. He was only concerned with how Wally was. He was quickly met by Diana, J'ohn and Batman, only to be told that John had taken him up to the Tower.
In the blink of an eye the four hero's were teleported up where they met Shayera. They then flew over the mass of people still being teleported in to the medical bay.
"How is he?" Superman asked.
"He'll live." One of the doctors said. "He's awake and responsive. Some internal damage, but we'll take him into surgery to seal it. The outer wounds are deep but should only leave minor scars." The doctor continued to flick through the chart. "We're prepping him for surgery, he should be out in a few hours."
Superman nodded, thankful that Wally was all right. "Thank you." Diana said.
"I'll see to it that everyone is returned to their homes." J'ohn said, drifting off to the chaos in the teleportation room.
Three hours had passed and almost every slave had been returned. Three others had been torn between staying for Wally and going to their families, in the end John had promised them that he would contact them with news when Wally came out of surgery.
"That's the last!" John shouted to his com as he waved Marcus off who had had a tearful reunion with his wife and children in a small farm. Marcus had shaken John's hand numerous and made him promise to come down when Wally was out.
It wasn't until the nest day that Wally was brought off the pain medication that had kept him asleep. "Can you hear me hot shot?" he heard. Groaning he tried to roll over and cringed in pain.
"Easy, you've just been sown up." He prised open one eye lid and blinked against the harsh light.
"GL?" he rasped.
"Yeah. How you feeling?" he held out a glass of water with a straw in and helped Wally into a sitting position.
"Sore." He whispered, holding his stomach and arching back against the pain on his back.
"You had a rough time." John said.
"Yeah." Wally sighed, feeling awkward.
"At least you're awake." Wally looked up and gave a lopsided grin as Marcus stepped into the room. "Wally my family." He gently hugged Wally and then stepped back to let his family in. "Maria, my wife and our three children. Arus, Jaria and Proma."
Three young children stepped in and hid behind their fathers and mothers legs. Maria was a young woman, fair and light faced. Her smile was one of relief and joy.
"Thank you." She said, taking Wally's hand and then kissing him on the cheek.
Wally smiled and participated in some quiet banter before Marcus suggested he and his family should go and let Wally rest with a promise that Wally would visit.
"Shanner and Carlm want you to visit them when you can." He added as he hugged Wally one last time and left with his family.
"Get some rest Wally." John said, suddenly feeling unsure of the way Wally was acting.
"'kay." Wally muttered laying back and letting the growing feeling of sleep take control.
"Do you think he's okay?" John asked Bruce and Diana.
"He's been through a rough time. He'll need to re-adjust." Diana said, not entirely believing her own words.
A few day passed and Wally was finally out of bed. Everyone on the Tower already knew his secret identity, but had kept it quiet from the world, so Wally just went out dressed as Wally West as opposed to The Flash. As he set out to talk to J'ohn he spotted Gabriel's leather duster sitting in the corner with his recovered costume. He picked up the coat and, with that in hand, went out to ask J'ohn for some help.
"Do you think you could find them?" Wally asked.
"Her siblings?" J'ohn asked, having read Wally's mind.
"Yes."
"I'll try." He instently went to the computer and began searching for any information he could find from the information Wally knew about Gabriel and what he had learned from Shanner. "It could take some time." J'ohn added.
"That's fine, I want to repair this." He said, wondering off to his room to find his patch kit that he kept for his cloths and costume. After searching through it he finally found some black thread and looked at some other holes that had been patched up previously by Gabriel. Taking her examples he tried his best to mend the thinned material, aged with use.
'I have found them' He heard after twenty minutes.
'On my way J'ohn.' He thought back, finishing off his repair and found his way back to the room he had left J'ohn in, coat in hand.
"Here's the address, do you want John to join you?" he asked.
"No, I want to do this on my own." Wally mumbled, pulling the coat on over his black shirt and jeans.
Those who saw him over the past few days noticed he wore darker clothes and the coat just seemed to match his new style, even darker.
Wally looked up and around at his surroundings. He was in America but the street was more like a bombsight. It was almost a shantytown and the weather matched his mood and the look of the place, dark and dismal.
"Flash?" he turned to the young girl behind him.
"Are you Amanda?" he asked, kneeling before the girl. She nodded and then ran into one of the shed like houses.
Standing back up he took in the appearance of the small house, took one last look around the street and then stepped into the house.
"Hello?" he said.
"I was hoping you would drop by." Came another voice.
"Who are you?" he asked, taking in the two-roomed place. A Kitchen was one room and the room he stood in was a floor of old bed mattresses, end to end and an old reading chair with a fire in front of it. A woman sat in the chair, side on so he could see her and the fire.
"I am Gabriel's sister, Phoenix." She answered. The woman whispered something to Amanda and the little girl stood up and ran past Wally and outside.
"I…I'm…" Now it came to it, sorry sounded lame as to what he had done. "I'm sorry." He finally said, feeling lost in those words.
He jumped a mile when the woman appeared before him. She was much older than Gabriel and yet seemed aged by stress. Only her eyes said that she was younger than her looks. "Don't be." She stated. "Tea?" she smiled. Wally shook himself in surprise, he had expected…what had he expected? Just the children? Had he expected to be screamed at? Would he have felt better about it than now?
"Please." He nodded numbly. Phoenix pottered on in the kitchen as Wally looked around the…house?
"Have a seat." The woman said, stepping into the room with two battered cups in each hand.
"Em…?" he looked around for a seat.
"Please, have mine." She said.
"No I couldn't." he said, sitting on the floor instead. Phoenix shrugged and seated her self beside him. "I don't what to say." Wally said honestly, taking one of the cups.
"You don't have to say anything." She said. "I know Gabriel did what she thought best, and I know you have much good to do. That is why she did what she did, whatever she saw, she thought you had to live, to complete that." She took a sip of coffee, letting Wally think.
He nodded, still not sure what to think. "You will realise why." She added.
"Let me help you." Wally suddenly said.
"Pardon?" she asked.
"I'll help you, move you to the city. I'll get the children into a school and food." He explained.
"Now I can't ask that of you." She said, waving her hand and laughing.
"No. You're not asking. I want to do this."
"I can't trouble you." She said. I have many friends here, and we manage, this town is a family."
"Then I'll help you all." He said, smiling. "Not just repayment, to do my extra bit for the world." He truly grinned.
"If that's what makes you happy." She smiled over her cup.
"No, it's also what will make you all happy." He laughed and soon she too joined in, and Wally slowly felt like his own self again.
Wally was slowly easing back into things, some days were good, others bad. He had heard that Cobalt Blue had been spotted in Japan, but felt better knowing he hadn't turned into a true killer.
The others had noticed his moods, and although he wasn't totally his cheerful self he was still smiling and joking when he felt like it.
At the moment Wally was sitting with Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Shayera getting lunch. They were just finishing and Wally had withdrawn back into himself again. He was quiet and kept looking off into space and not in the old usual way he used to.
"What the hell is that!" One of the catering crew shouted, pointing out the window. Everyone turned to look and Wally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the swirling portal that had opened out in space.
"J'ohn?" Diana said into her comm. Link.
"It appears to be a time vortex." Came his response.
"I'm going out to look into it." Green Lantern said, jumping up and promising to meet Superman outside to investigate.
"Here we go again." Wally muttered, smirking.
"You think this is the same?" Diana asked, looking out the window.
"Always has to be." Wally grinned, crossing his arms. "When do we get normal?" he said, causing those around him to laugh.
It might have been a weird situation and one of concern, but at least Wally could still lighten it up.
END?
Well that's the end of the story, but there may be a sequel to it, which concerns the vision Gabriel had. And yet more Wally angst if people want it. I want to thank everyone who reviewed, especially doc-trigger (was this chapter any longer?)
Thank you to; Luna, Tomboy13, Dianarulz, HyperAnimeGirl, sokerfreek922, surfredia, miyosha, Lady Jaye1, Wickedomen1, booboaba, balletangel19, treppie, Soothing Burn, Gothic mischief, Jill and Shadow for all reviewing and for anyone who has been reading and have enjoyed.
