Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League Unlimited. We are getting new episodes in the UK though. 'Flash and Substance' on the 16th! Woo Hoo!

Connections

Chapter Four: Colleagues at Work

As Wally West was led through the rotating doors into the foyer of The Daily Planet, the only thing he could think was how much his fellow Leaguer looked like a dork.

A very big dork who's more powerful than a locomotive, Wally. Whatever a locomotive is. Look, just keep your mouth shut.

"You know, you kinda look like a dork like that."

What happened to keeping your mouth shut?

Clark just smiled as he turned to look at Wally. "I am a dork, Wally." A jet black eyebrow rose. "Didn't you know that by now?"

The scarlet speedster shrugged, an easy grin on his face. "Nah, you're a boy scout. A dork's completely different."

"How's that?"

Wally paused. "Actually, they're not. Boy Scouts are dorks. But still, I had no idea you were such a…" He cast his gaze upwards as he contemplated the right words.

"Farm boy?"

Wally snapped his fingers and smiled in agreement. "Farm boy, that's it." He paused for a moment. "Have you been called that before?"

A shrug was the Man of Steel's only response. They reached the elevator and Clark pushed the button.

"Wally, before we go up, I just want a few things to be clear. One: just try and be quiet. Two: please try and keep people away from the subject of how we met, unless you can think of something really good. Three-"

"All right, all right," Wally said, rolling his green eyes. "It's not like I don't have a secret identity myself, you know."

Clark didn't respond; he just gave him a 'yeah right' look as the doors opened. He politely stepped aside for the people exiting while Wally pushed his way through into the elevator. The mild mannered reporter stepped in, a slight scowl on his face as he pushed the button.

"You could show some more manners, you know."

The red headed speedster shrugged. "They wouldn't for me."

"That's not the p-" Clark stopped himself and sighed. "Never mind."

"Look, Clark, they aren't exactly the most polite people in Central and Keystone. If you nicely step aside to let people get on the bus before you, you don't get on."

A wry smile crossed the Man of Tomorrow's lips. "Since when do you get a bus?"

"Since I started getting tired without food."

Clark frowned. "Why don't you have food?"

"Being a mechanic doesn't exactly pay enough for my dietary needs. And I can't just run over to the Metro Tower every time I want some food. Bats has already had some words with me about that."

Before the Big Blue Boy Scout could respond, the elevator doors opened. Clark waved Wally in, and the Fastest Man Alive couldn't help but feel in awe. Even the Metro Tower and the Watchtower didn't get this busy. He suddenly felt a little slower. He looked over at his colleague, who was smiling at Wally's awe.

"So where's your desk?"

"What's this, Smallville? 'Bring your friends to work' day?"

Wally turned to see a raven haired beauty standing before him. His mind worked over several different lines he could use, all of them losing their effect when he wasn't in his Flash costume. He opened his mouth to speak when Clark put a hand on his shoulder.

"This is Wally. He's interested in working for the newspaper in his city, so he came here to get a taste of what it's like."

The red headed speedster sighed and extended his hand. "Wally West. Pleased to meet you."

"Lois Lane."

Wally's eyes widened slightly.

You moron. You were about to hit on Supes' girl. In FRONT OF SUPES.

"Erm… nice to meet you," he said, laughing nervously.

"Right…" Lois responded, looking over at Clark with an eyebrow raised. He just smiled and shrugged. She turned back to look at Wally, a polite smile on her face. "Okay, well… I'll see you later, Wally."

"Yeah, sure."

With a shake of her head and small laugh, she continued on her way to the elevator. The Man of Steel looked back at Wally, a smile on his face.

"Didn't realise it was Lois, did you?"

Wally shook his head.

"Scared you, huh?"

Wally nodded his head, and Clark laughed. The Fastest Man Alive shook his head and scowled. "Look, can we just find this Bonko guy? Does he work here or what?"

"Bibbo," Clark corrected, "and no, he doesn't. I'm just here to finish up before we hit the town."

Flash's shoulder's drooped slightly. "Work? You brought me here for work?"

"If I remember right, you insisted on coming with me. You could have always waited on the roof with Shayera."

"Yeah, but she keeps on snooping around. Besides, it's cold up there."

Clark raised a dark eyebrow as he sat at his desk. "Snooping? About what?"

"This whole Jinx thing," Wally replied quickly, then grimaced at his loose mouth.

"What Jinx thing?"

The red headed speedster sighed and leant on Clark's desk. He folded his arms in front of him. "It doesn't matter."

"Wally. What Jinx thing?"

"Look, it's personal, all right? Could you just finish your work so we can get out of here?"

Clark seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst, and more than a little bit hurt. Wally hated that about him. He could look like a five year old boy sometimes, especially when someone he cared about yelled at him. Clark nodded and silently got back to his work at the computer. Wally was silent for the duration of the workload, trying to ignore the 'subtle' glances Clark was giving him as he typed on the computer. After about thirty minutes, he finally snapped.

"Are you done yet?"

The Man of Steel smiled. "I was waiting for that. Almost done, Wally."

He tapped away on the keys for a few minutes more, then turned off the computer. "Okay, let's go," he said, getting up from his chair whilst grabbing his coat.

Wally hopped off the desk. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Huh. Being a journalist must be easier than I thought."

Little did Wally know that Clark had nowhere near finished his article.

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Everyone was now dressed in their uniforms, which made Wally feel a little more comfortable. There was something strange and unnerving about seeing Superman, the strongest man in the world, dressed up as some farm boy dork from Kansas. Superman knocked on the door a few times, and Shayera turned to Wally.

"Have fun?"

Flash shrugged. "Kinda. A little boring, but… it was very Supes."

Shayera raised a reddish eyebrow. "Are you implying that Superman is boring?"

"I wouldn't dare. Especially since he's got super hearing."

The Thanagarian Leaguer ceased her questioning and slowly turned to look at Superman, who was still knocking on the door.

"Bibbo? It's Superman. Are you there?"

They had tried the many bars that Bibbo frequented, but had still come up with nothing. Eventually, they had decided to go to his apartment.

"Why don't you just X-ray it, Supes?"

The Man of Tomorrow stopped his knocking and looked over at them, looking slightly embarrassed. "I did that once, and he was..." he cleared his throat and leaned closer, lowering his voice to the tiniest of whispers. "…naked."

Wally and Shayera groaned and exchanged disgusted 'ew' looks, and Clark's blush intensified. Seeing this, the pair tried to fight their smiles.

"I think you'll have to take the risk, Superman," Shayera said, trying her best to sound official. He sighed and nodded, turning to the wall. He squinted and frowned. Or maybe he had to frown for his X-ray vision to work, Wally wasn't sure. That thought worried him, because Clark had frowned at him plenty of times. Did that mean he was x-raying him? Flash shook the disturbing thought from his head as Superman spoke.

"He's not in there, but the place is a wreck. It looks like he put up one hell of a fight," he said, scanning back and forth. He stopped at the door. He cut off his x-ray vision and walked over to it. Cautiously turning the knob, he pushed forward gently and the door opened.

Wally and Shayera exchanged a curious glance and followed him into the room. Clark was already scanning the room for clues as they came in.

"Get searching."

Great. A search.

Wally rolled his eyes beneath his crimson mask. He really hated looking for vital clues. He never found anything of any value because he had no idea what he was looking for. It was one aspect of being a superhero that he didn't-

Wally frowned as he spotted a wallet on the floor, covered by a piece of torn material.

Hey… that's not Bonky's picture…

He picked up the wallet and looked in more detail. He grinned.

"Hey guys," he said, smirking, "I found something."

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There was a silence on the other end as Batman searched for the name on his computer. The wallet belonged to someone called Eric Spiegel. Shayera had guessed that Bibbo had ripped it (and its pocket) from Eric when he was abducted. Clark had suggested running the name through the Metro Tower computer, but once there, Batman seemed like a better idea to Wally. If anyone would know random thugs, it'd be Batman. The deep voice of the Dark Knight interrupted his thoughts.

"Eric Spiegel. Used to work for Rupert Thorne. He went to work for another organisation a few months ago. Word is that the group's moved to another city."

Shayera leant forward over Flash's shoulder to look at the monitor. "Do you know which city?"

Batman nodded. "Bludhaven."

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Wally waved Shayera into the apartment as he took a seat on the sofa. She stepped in unsurely, looking at Flash with more than a little scepticism. She closed the door behind her.

"I don't think this was a good idea."

Flash waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, don't worry so much; he'll be fine with it."

"No, I mean us making ourselves comfortable. I don't mind the breaking and entering part."

The Fastest Man Alive grinned, when his expression suddenly changed. "Hey, I wonder what food he's got in here…"

"I don't think-"

A red blur shot past her into the kitchen.

"-he'd appreciate that."

She heard some commotion coming from the kitchen as plates clattered and Wally stuffed his face.

"Don't worry about it, Shayera. I used to take his food all the time. He won't care, trust me." There was a brief silence. "Ooo, beer. What the hell is that? AAAAH!"

Shayera's head whipped around. "Flash?"

The scarlet speedster backed out of the kitchen. "Something in his fridge just tried to bite me."

"Bite you?"

He nodded rapidly, but then smiled. "I managed to get these, though," he said, pulling out two bottles of beer. He thrust one into her hands, and she looked down at it, considering the implications of drinking on duty. She smiled and shrugged, following Wally's cue, taking a seat on the surprisingly comfortable sofa. The Flash raised his bottle.

"Here's to Dick not getting home anytime soon."

She raised her bottle and clinked it against his. They both took a sip and sat in silence for a few minutes before Shayera felt the urge to break it.

"So you used to take his food all the time, huh?"

A grin spread over the speedster's face. "Yep."

"When was that? When you were with the Titans?"

"Nah. Well, I did when I was with the Titans, but that mostly Cyborg's food. I took Dick's food when we were in college together."

She slowly ducked her head in disbelief. "You were in college together?"

He nodded, taking a sip of his beer. "Yeah – Gotham College. Not for long, though – I uh… had to leave."

"Why?"

"I had, uh… business in Central City," he said cryptically, looking around the room in an effort to avoid her gaze.

"Wally, why can't you just tell me about these things? You can trust me."

He was looking increasingly uncomfortable, but he didn't make any move to get up. He took another sip of his beer and shrugged.

"It's… a different part of my life. You guys… you, John, Supes, Bats… you just don't belong there, y'know? I wasn't the same person then that I am now, I…" He let out a heavy sigh. "…I made a lot of stupid mistakes."

"So? I don't care. You may not have noticed, Wally, but I have made mistakes before."

He offered a weak smile. "I guess."

"So? Are you going to tell me about Jinx now? Or do I grill Dick for information when he gets here?"

Shayera wished she knew what was going on behind those green eyes. Dozens of emotions boiled beneath the surface, and a troubled frown creased Wally's face. He opened his mouth to speak when the door opened. Dick stepped through the doorway, a paper bag full of groceries tucked under one arm. He paused as he saw them, then smiled.

"Jesus… you guys scared the crap out of me."

Wally grinned. "Did you expect anything less from me?"

Dick set down the bag and thought for a moment. "No." He walked over and shook Shayera's hand. "Nice to see you again. Help yourself to the beers," he said, a wry smile on his face.

"Oh, I didn't-"

Wally cut in quickly, smiling the whole time. "That was my idea."

"Should have known."

"And what the hell is that thing in the refrigerator that almost ate my arm?"

Dick frowned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, that. That was something Kori cooked up for me about a month ago."

"A month ago?"

"Yeah, it was her attempt at an apple pie. But I got busy, and then… well, you saw."

The two friends shared a laugh, and Dick took the opportunity to take the beer from Wally. He made a quick noise of protest, but Shayera stopped him before he could retaliate.

"I think we should tell Dick why we're here."

The scarlet speedster snapped his fingers and smiled. "Oh, right, yeah." He turned back to Dick, who was looking at the two of them with a curious eyebrow cocked. "You know someone called… uh…?" he looked back at Shayera for support.

"Eric Spiegel," she finished, taking another sip of her beer to rub it in Wally's face. Dick's face darkened as he nodded.

"One of Blockbuster's men. Why?"

"We think he's got something to do with Jinx."

Dick looked over to Wally in surprise.

"Jinx? She's alive?"

Wally shrugged. "Looks like it. I was pretty surprised too, considering you told me she was dead."

"I thought she was."

"Did you find her body?"

"No, but-"

Wally threw his arms up in the air. "Then how do you classify that as dead!"

"Look, Wally, you weren't there. You didn't see the explosion. Trust me; anybody who was inside would have been incinerated."

"And yet, she's still alive."

Shayera placed a hand on her speedster friend's shoulder. "Calm down, Wally."

He looked back at her, and his expression softened. He turned back to Dick, his eyes downward.

"Dick, I'm sorry. It's just-"

"Don't worry about it. I know how you felt about her."

Shayera's eyes widened as she looked over at Wally, whose expression hardened.

"Let's just find this guy, okay?"

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Dick, now dressed as the costumed crime fighter Nightwing, ran from rooftop to rooftop, flanked by Shayera and Wally, who was going slower than usual so as not to overtake Dick and get lost. Which had happened so many times he couldn't count. Nightwing came to a halt on a rooftop and walked to the ledge. On the other side of the street was a small, dirty looking bar called 'The Watering Hole'.

"Original," Shayera commented, and Dick couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. He had thought the same thing when he had first seen it.

"All right, it's just about closing time, so the bartender will be coming out soon. Just let me do this, okay?"

As if on cue, a large man came out of the bar, locking the door behind him before heading off down the street. Nightwing leapt from the ledge and extended his gliding wings, gracefully swooping down to street level and behind the bartender.

"Jerry."

The bartender whirled on his heel in panic, his gun at the ready. Wally was down there before Dick could even do anything. A red blur smacked into Jerry, sending him into the wall hard. His gun fell and Flash kicked it away.

"What are you doing? I told you I'd handle this!" Dick yelled, kneeling down next to the groaning bartender. "You okay, Jerry?"

Wally's jaw dropped. "Wait… you know this guy? In a good way?"

Nightwing didn't even respond, keeping his attention on Jerry. "Anything broken?"

"Don't think so," he said groggily. "If there is, I'm sending the bill to the Justice League, pal," he said, pointing sharply in Wally's direction.

"Sorry, I didn't-"

"Just leave it alone, Flash. Jerry, I need to ask you about a guy called Eric Spiegel."

As he spoke to Jerry, Shayera landed next to Wally. She roughly grabbed his shoulder. "What did you think you were doing?"

"He had a gun, I thought-"

"You don't think he can handle one man with a gun?"

"No, I mean… yeah, I know he can handle a guy with a gun, it's just…" the scarlet speedster trailed off unsurely, avoiding Shayera's penetrating stare.

"You need to sort out whatever's rattling around in there," she said, knocking on his head with her fist. "Or you'll end up getting yourself killed."

Dick, meanwhile, was finished talking to Jerry. "Thanks, Jerry. Same payment as always, right?"

"Yeah, right. See you round, kid."

Nightwing gave him a nod and turned back to Flash and Shayera. Wally put a hand to his head as Jerry paced away quickly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Dick raised a hand to silence him. "It's okay. You're feeling angry. I get it."

"What've you got?" Shayera asked, hooking her mace back onto her belt. Dick frowned in thought.

"Jerry says that Spiegel disappeared a few months ago. Someone dressed in robes came to collect him. They started talking about 'going where the stars can be seen at their brightest'."

Flash frowned beneath his mask. "That's kinda weird."

Shayera scratched her chin. "'Where the stars can be seen at their brightest'… what could that mean?"

Nightwing shrugged. "Somewhere high up?"

"How about an observatory?" Wally suggested.

There was a silence as the two looked over at the speedster.

"What? I'm not as stupid as you guys think I am."

Shayera turned back to Nightwing. "Is there an observatory in Bludhaven?"

"No. The closest is in Gotham."

Wally's shoulders slumped. "Back to Gotham again?"

Shayera smiled and shook her head. "No, we'll just get Batman to check it out. We'll go to the observatory that's closest after Gotham."

Dick frowned, which prompted a similarly negative response from Wally. "What is it?" he asked in a tired tone of voice.

The ex-Boy Wonder sighed. "You're not going to like it."

A red eyebrow rose on Shayera's face. "Why?"

"It's in Jump City."

"That's where Titans Tower is, right?"

Both nodded, frowns of equal displeasure on their faces.

"So what's the problem?"

Wally's entire face widened in shock. "Oh no… she's not there, is she?"

Dick took a long, deep breath. "Last time I checked, it's her turn to be watching over the tower, yeah."

Flash buried his face in his hands. "Oh, no… I don't wanna do this now…"

"Do what now?" Shayera asked impatiently, looking from one to the other.

Dick put a hand on his shoulder. "You need to make amends anyway. This'll give you the chance. Besides, we could use her help in finding Jinx."

"Who's help?" Shayera blurted out, a scowl breaking out on her face.

The Fastest Man Alive's head jumped up to look at him. "Waitaminnit… 'we'?"

Nightwing nodded. "I'm coming with you. I told you she was dead; I was wrong. I need to make that up to you. Besides, things are slow in Bludhaven at the moment."

Flash's demeanour changed instantly into one of excitement. "All right! It'll be just like old times!" he said, pumping the air with his fist. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

He zipped off down the road, and stopped at the turning when he saw that they weren't following.

"C'mon, guys!"

Shayera looked at Dick, whose face simply held an amused smile.

"Could you please tell me what just happened? Because I have no clue."

His smile grew. "When you're working with him, you have to expect that."

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(A/N: I don't think it's too hard to guess which Titan they're talking about, but who knows; maybe I'll surprise some of y'all.

Anyhoo, review.)