The Grey Death
Grey Death ran through the streets of Central City, a streak of grey and purple following from behind him. The red lenses of his mask narrowed as he raced by civilians. Glancing to either side every now and then, he searched for something, for two people.
Racing through the suburbs, he smirked as he eyed his targets up ahead. Running faster and faster, he raced to a stop before the house. He walked to the door, stopping as he glanced around, checking to make sure that neither Barry or Wally were around to stop him.
Knocking on the door, he waited, listening to the footsteps. When the door opened, he smirked. "Hello mother." He greeted darkly, a sinister smirk planted upon his face.
"Wally?" Mary West asked, confused at Grey Death.
Grey Death shook his head. "Guess again." He said, punching her in the face before stepping over her unconscious body. He glanced up to see Rudy West standing, ready to fight.
"You wouldn't be the first one to come here threatening us." Rudy stated.
Grey Death chuckled. "I'm not like the others, father." He replied, speeding forward and knocking Rudy to the ground.
"My son will stop you." Rudy spat.
Grey Death smirked. "I look forward to meeting the young speedster." He said, bringing his foot down, knocking Rudy out. "Just as much as I look to forward to seeing Barry realise that I'm only the start of Central Cities nightmare." He added. Racing around the house a few times, leaving a note behind and zooming away with the two West parents.
Wally walked back and forth; his eyes locked upon the ground. "They haven't picked up." He said in concern, eyeing the phone in his hand.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Your parents, is it like them to not answer?" She asked, watching as her boyfriend continued to pace around the room.
Wally shook his head. "They would've answered when I called." He answered, looking up to see Barry enter the room. "Something's wrong, seriously wrong." He muttered.
Barry frowned. "What do you mean kid?"
"My parents, they're not responding to my calls." Wally replied, looking up at his mentor.
Barry nodded and raced out of the room. Artemis glanced at Wally. "You think something bad happened to them?" She asked.
Wally nodded; gaze locked upon the place where Barry stood a few seconds ago. "My parents are always interested to know how I've been." He said, watching as Barry raced back into the room.
"Wally, there missing, someone left this note for you." Barry said, handing Wally a slip of paper.
"Dear Wally. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you or disrupted any plans you had made for the evening, though I've been hoping to meet you in person. I have with me, our parents, and to see them so weak, it truly is sad. You will meet me at this location. Don't bring Barry, least our parents suffer a fate worse than death. Make no mistake, I am a man of my word. Grey Death." Wally read, his fists clenched tightly as he crumpled the paper.
"Grey Death?" Artemis asked, looking at Barry. "Who's Grey Death?"
Barry sighed. "Never heard of him, he's new, but knows a lot about us." He answered.
"I'm going to get my parents back." Wally said walking forward.
Artemis walked forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not going alone, The Team will come with you." She said.
Wally nodded, watching as Barry vanished from the room.
Grey Death stood, arms crossed, silently watching Wally enter the building. "I'm glad you could make it Wally." He said, uncrossing his arms as he stepped forward.
Wally narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He demanded.
Grey Death chuckled, a chuckle that was much like Robin. "Quick to make demands when family is threatened. Just like the Wally back home." He replied, emerging from the shadows and into the light.
Wally blinked as he heard members of The Team gasp in surprise. "Who are you?" He asked again.
Grey Death smirked before racing forward, slamming a fist into Wally's face. "I am torment." He said, racing around as he kicked Wally to the ground. "I am punishment." He continued, racing back to face Wally as he leaned down to eye him closely. "I am Grey Death." He finished.
Wally blinked as he watched Grey Death back away. "What do you want?" He asked.
Grey Death smirked as he stopped, glancing over his shoulder, he smirked. "To fulfil my masters plans, to serve and punish. For crime to vanish. Central City will welcome it's new protectors with warm arms as it enters a new golden age." He replied.
Wally narrowed his eyes as he eyed the rest of The Team. "You're a criminal, a murder, you've killed before, I can see it in you. They would never welcome you warmly. Only push you away." He spat back.
Grey Death smirked as he turned to face The Team. "They will relish in the peace that follows. Red Death will grant them a future free of crime, for all crime is punished by death." He said, watching as Superboy growled.
"We will stop you, and you won't be able to stop us." Wally said, standing on his feet as he readied to strike.
Grey Death smirked. "You're so underwhelmed. I think you need a lesson in knowing how to stay whelmed." He said.
Wally gasped. "Robin?" He asked, watching Grey Death closely.
Grey Death clapped as he smirked. "In the flesh." He said, walking over to a small sheet. "But let's not jump to conclusions so fast. I'm not the Robin you know, but rather, a dark copy of him, with a few slight alterations." He added.
Wally clenched a fist. "Where did you come from?"
"Another universe, a far darker universe where fate is far worse than death." Grey Death replied. Tearing the sheet away to reveal Rudy and Mary West tied up against a wall. Behind them was a machine of sorts, a zeta tube of some form.
"A Zeta tube?" Artemis questioned, drawing her bow back as she aimed at Grey Death.
Grey Death smiled. "Yes and no." He said, pressing a button on the device. "It allows me to transcend time and space, allowing me to, well, simply put, open a portal to another universe." He explained.
Wally widened his eyes. "That's crazy, you'll kill us all!" He cried.
Grey Death only smirked in response. "There was a time where I was like you Wally, putting others before myself, saving the innocent end sending the villains to jail. I was the sidekick to Barry, his nephew if you would." He began, typing something into the computer.
"That's impossible." Artemis hissed, ready to unleash her arrow.
Grey Death smirked. "On the contrary, it is very possible. You see, there is an unlimited number of universes, each with its own heroes and villains, some have roles swapped, others have villains such as The Joker as a hero fighting against a criminal Batman." He began to explain.
"The universes that surround this one are among a collection of positive worlds, universe stable enough to survive the process of time until the great beings decided that the multiverse must be reset."
"But below all the positive nature, is a place where darkness rules. A place where the universes die as they crumble to dust and are born anew. It is from here that I come from. Where I was the one they called Robin, or as you call yourself Wally, Kid Flash." Grey Death stopped, turning to face The Team once more.
"Why go evil?" Superboy asked.
Grey Death smirked. "As I worked with the heroes, even among a team like this, I started to realise that it was a cycle, a cycle that would never end, the hero locks the villain away, the villain escapes. You see where I'm head with this. With this conclusion, I looked beyond the view of my mentor, of my friends and family. I saw the larger picture." He paused, stepping over to Rudy and Mary.
"And with that view, I saw that the way things were done had to be changed. The criminals couldn't be redeemed, they were a lost cause. I started to murder them, killing them, removing them from the equation. The formula worked like a charm, criminals vanished from their cells, turning up dead within the next few seconds." He said, eyeing Wally closely.
Wally growled as he raced forward, slamming into Grey Death. "You became just like those we fight. You're no better then the criminals locked away." He snarled.
Grey Death smirked. "Oh no, I was above them all. I had transcended above the other heroes. I brought peace to every city I went to. But that the others, they didn't see it the way I did. You, Batman and the no killing rule, oh how foolish you were. The Dynamic Duo gathered the other heroes, attempted to hold me down."
Grey Death raced to his feet, racing back to the machine as he typed in several more figures. "They all fell before me. They underestimated me, and in the end, you were all that stood to oppose me. I will admit, I was hesitant to end your life, I had believed you would see the larger picture like I had." He paused, eyes narrowed as he eyed Wally with hatred.
"But you stood against me, hurt me. So I tormented you, made you watch me kill your loved ones over and over again until you were begging me to end the suffering. I punished you, beat you till you were in a puddle of blood. And it was then did I grant you the death you had wished for." He finished, pressing a button as the machine hummed to life.
Wally widened his eyes, narrowing them as he raced forward, slamming into Grey Death. He slammed the dark speedster into a wall, punching him in the face over and over again as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Grey Death merely laughed as he was beaten by Wally. Watching as a blur of red and silver zoomed out from the portal and threw Wally across the room. The figure stood tall, red armour, a lighting bolt over a bat symbol. A mask covered his face as red eyes eyed The Team.
"Foolish children, we are one and one alone. We live to serve the master of destruction and his fulfil his mastermind." Red Death said, watching as Wally got to his feet. "Though we were hoping Flash would be here to witness our arrival." They added.
Grey Death stood fast, moving to stand beside Red Death. "Master, what should I do with the heroes?" He asked.
Red Death eyed them for several seconds. "Leave them, we have other things to attend to." They replied, turning to face Grey Death.
Grey Death nodded. "I understand." He said, racing around the machine as he set explosives upon it. "I will leave no evidence that they can use to delay the arrival of the others." He said, pressing a button.
Wally blinked, racing over to his parents. "We need to get out of here." He said, helping them to their feet as he turned to see that both Red Death and Grey Death had vanished.
Batman frowned as he listened to Wally's tale. "A speedster that shared my appearance as well as Barry's. It would seem that this does indeed centre around me and Robin. But this version of you, or rather, Dick, having taken your place on his world. It makes me wonder if there's an invasion coming, one that we won't expect." He said.
Wally watched as Batman turned around. "You may leave Wally." He said, heading away from the young speedster.
Outside, Wally found the others all standing around, all of them shaken by what Grey Death had said about his past, about how he'd come to exist. It was, disturbing to say the least. But it made them wonder if there was another Robin out there, one that might relate to them in some form.
I had fun writing the backstory for Grey Death. Red Death was fun to write as well, I like to think that he refers to himself as we or us because he is both Flash and Batman in the same body. Two minds in a single body.