A\N: Sooooo guess who's not dead? -w- I remember writing this chapter and being so freakin' excited. Why, you ask? Pffftt. Read it so you can find out ;3
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my original characters and their backgrounds.
Forty years later...
|MOUNT JUSTICE
|February 28, 10:06 EST
Dark snowflakes gradually fell from the graying skies; covering the dreary earth beneath as an eerie silence continued to stay, the environment gloomy; almost dead as snow fell silently, the snowflakes—or rather black ash— colored the crippled remains of the mountain gray as well. And amidst the ruins of the cave she sat, legs crossed and steely blue eyes fixed on the book hovering before her, its ancient pages burnt and almost tearing out.
She continued gazing over the mnemonics scribbled across the worn out pages, words hardly readable when she released a sigh, her breath coming out as white clouds in the dreary cold.
A gust of wind came, a sudden presence infront of her and she tugged back the strands of dirty, uneven blonde tresses away from her eyes and behind her ears while she gazed upwards, meeting sharp green irises.
"I'm leaving," Bart breathed out, clad in an absurd white-scarlet spandex she never knew he owned. There was an unexpected lump stuck in her throat, but she quickly swallowed, Bart watching as her gloved hands reached outwards, clasping around the floating book before she pulled it to her chest, getting on her feet.
Steely blue eyes peered down at him, and she chewed the insides of her cheeks, "you sure this will work?"
A frown curled the ends of his mouth downwards as he shook his head, walking forward. "It has to work." He answered honestly, the woman falling in step beside him as they trudged through the ruins of Mount Justice.
"Since there's nothing else we can do," he gazed ahead, green eyes hardening as his vision came across the machine him and his companion had built. A man stepped before them, bald and scarred horridly, his jaw tight. "You ready to go, kid?"
Bart nodded solemnly, "Just give me a second, Neutron."
Nathaniel frowned upon hearing his old alias, glancing away shamefully while Bart turned towards the woman beside him, holding his hand out, a rare smile touching his lips. "Guess this is goodbye, huh?"
She stared for a second, and he blinked, suddenly finding himself in a hug. She sniffed, squeezing his shorter form tightly, her mother's book falling by her feet. "Can you tell mumma I said hi?"
The speedster smiled softly, stepping away once she pulled back. "I'll let her know." He promised, tugging his yellow glassed goggles onto his eyes.
His gaze found Nathaniel, the man giving a firm nod and in the blink of an eye, Bart was near the time machine. He glanced over his shoulder, then stepped inside, the metallic door clicking shut behind him instantly. And soon, the machine whirred noisily, releasing blinding white light that had the small audience before it shield their eyes, the loud noise drumming in their ears before it abruptly came to an end; cold, miserable silence falling once more.
Cracking his eyes open, Nathaniel glanced down himself, blinking unbelievingly as his scars and ripped attire had been miraculously fixed. A wide smile split his lips, and he chortled victoriously. "That kid is so crash! He did it!" He laughed heartily, whirling around. "Heather, did you are see what Bart di— Heather?" The man stared incredulously, ice seeping into his veins as the woman was nowhere to be seen.
"Heather?" He echoed loudly, panic slipping in his voice as he looked around frantically. "Heather!"
And then realization slapped him hard across the face, his breath stuck somewhere between his lungs as he gaped openly at the destroyed mountain. "No, the time stream. It should've changed, all at once. The mode... it should've crashed." He slumped down on his knees, horror creeping over his features.
"Should've all crashed."
Forty years ago...
|MOUNT JUSTICE
|February 28, 9:49 EST
"What happened to your hair?"
Her fist crashed into the punching bag, sending it swinging backwards while she took a step back, sweat glistening on her pale forehead as her gaze came across curious, innocent green irises peering at her from the doorframe. Garfield offered a friendly smile as Cynthia set a hand on her hip, glowering as she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"What do you want, Logan?" She questioned coolly, slamming her fist into the punching bag again. He watched curiously, tail flicking behind in amusement as he rolled back on the balls of his feet. "What happened to your hair, Cynthia?"
Sharp green eyes focused on the hanging bag before her, Cynthia rolled her shoulders, then swung another fist. "I dyed it."
"Noted. But why'd you dye it red?"
"Get lost, Logan."
The changeling puffed his cheeks, cocking his head sideways, watching her hit the punching bag hanging in the centre of the room. "Having another anger tantrum, Cyn?" He inquired teasingly. The girl's jaw clenched visibly and Garfield blinked as her tight fist slammed into the bag, sending it flying across the training room.
It hit the wall, bursting out sand and suddenly, the newly redheaded girl was towering over him, cracking her knuckles with her eyes promising murder. "Wanna see if your green from the inside too, Logan?"
His muscles tensed, yet he shrank down slightly, attempting to level with her heated glare as numerous ferocious animals flashed through his mind, but before he could transform into one—only if she was in the mood to start a bloody fight— a hand clasped down on his shoulder, and Garfield yelped, jumping almost a feet in the air as Life stepped beside him in the doorway, a scowl gracing her features.
"Cynthia," she glared, "I told you you're not allowed to threaten your teammates."
The girl before him huffed angrily, shooting him a dull, withering glare. He narrowed his eyes, but looked upwards as a hand landed on his head, ruffling his green locks playfully. "Why don't you go and see what Nightwing's up to?" Life suggested softly and he grinned, nodding gleefully.
As the green skinned boy hopped off, Life crossed her arms, scowling. "What is wrong with you, Cynthia?"
"What're you talking about?" The young teen responded casually, combing her sweaty fingers through her fiery locks. "I'm absolutely fine."
"You were going to attack Beast Boy, weren't you?"
Cynthia pursed her lips, grabbing a nearby towel and scrubbing it down her face. "I'm just not in a good mood," she answered, ignoring her mentor's question. Life raised a brow, arms still folded. "That still doesn't give you the righ—"
"Warning. Unknown energy impulse detected."
The dark magi blinked, startled by the mechanical voice booming across the cave halls. She glanced over her protégé, Cynthia grasping her sword's sheath instantly and soon both of them were bolting towards the main room, coming to a screeching halt as Nightwing, Robin and Beast Boy already stood, guard up and weapons at bay. Life pursed her lips, hands balling into fists while Cynthia drew out the sword from it's sheath, her knuckles turning white as the middle of the room exploded with blinding light.
Electricity crackled out noisily, dark clouds massing around before an absurd machine came into their sights, silence quickly descending once again in the main room.
The lenses of Nightwing's mask narrowed into slits. "Stand ready!" He announced, muscles tense as he drew out his black eskrima sticks.
Robin's grip tightened around his staff, Beast Boy releasing animal like growls as Cynthia narrowed her eyes while Life parted her lips for a quick spell.
And suddenly, the metallic door of the machine opened, black smoke clouding around the atmosphere before a young boy hopped out from inside, his arms spread wide and grin threatening to reach his ears.
"Tada!"
They all stared flatly, bewildered as Life dropped her hands to her sides, tilting her head as she gazed at the costume donning boy before them, still striking his welcoming pose gleefully. She felt Nightwing shift beside her slightly, the computer blaring warnings furiously.
"Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert."
"Yeah, we kinda see that, computer." She commented dryly, Nightwing grimacing. "Computer, lock down the cave!"
The cave's mechanism obliged, closing down all escape routes while Beast Boy gave Nightwing a look, "Well, I think we found our unknown energy impulse." Robin dropped his tensed shoulders, brows scrunched together as Cynthia kept her focus on the newcomer in the room, eying him like a jungle cat observing its prey.
"Impulse?!" The boy grinned toothily, testing the word on his tongue. "That's so crash! Catchy, dramatic; one word!"
In a flash, he stood beside Nightwing, grinning crazily. "Like Nightwing!"
Life blinked, black locks falling into her eyes as the boy was beside her swiftly. "Or like Death!" He chirped, suddenly leaning against the third boy wonder. "And Robin!"
Cynthia scowled as he was before her, mossy green eyes peering at her curiously. "Uh... not sure who you are, though." He glanced at the sword in her grip, then back at her, grinning cheekily. "Or Sword Girl!" She quickly reached out with her free hand, trying to catch his collar but he was already behind Beast Boy, leaving her seething.
"And Beast Boy!" He cackled, his expressions becoming thoughtful for a second. "Except that Beast Boy and Sword Girl are two words." He hummed in thought, then guffawed loudly. "Blue Beetle's two words too! Hey, is he here too?"
The speedster raced off, but paused in the hallway, striking another cheesy pose. "Nevermind!" He laughed, "Impulse can find that out for himself!" And soon he was off, zooming through the cave halls with incredible speed.
All eyes staring widely, Nightwing was the first to recover, awarding the younger heroes before him with a stern look. "You three; take him down, now!" He ordered, Life watching in great amusement as the former boy wonder's command snapped the teenagers out of their daze, all of them bolting towards the hallway after the newcomer.
Folding her arms over her chest, Life cocked her hip out, giving him an unamused look. "You know they can't catch him, right?"
"'Course, I do." He responded, a smirk curling the corners of his lips upwards as he turned on his heel. "Which is why me and you are going to the other side of the hall so we can take him down. That way, we'll all feel crash."
She arched a brow, yet fell in step with him. "What does crash even mean?"
Her bare feet thumping hard against the cave's tiled floor, Cynthia halted in the mid of the hallway, right before the kitchen and she blew at a strand of red hair lurking over her eyes as she contemplated her plan of taking the racing speedster down. She gripped her sword with both of her scarred palms, fingers tight around the handle as she heard hyperactive laughter echo around the curved, rocky walls of the mountain.
"Wish I was in costume," she grumbled, standing in her black jeans and purple tank top, sword in grasp and ready to slice off any appendage of the newcomer.
She spotted a reddish-white blur approaching quickly, and swung her sword down instantly, only to blink as Impulse paused at her left side, eying the sword's blade through his yellow goggles.
"Wow. That's a pretty sharp sword you got there." He whistled, smiling cheekily as she struck the blade in his direction, but he was quickly at her right this time, hands clasped behind his back. "You should be really careful. Someone can seriously feel the mode with that thing."
She growled—literally growled— slicing the air at her right side again, then blinked dumbly as he was behind her in a flash, leaning towards her ear, grinning toothily as he sniffed. "Hey, has anyone ever told you, you smell like apples? I really like apples!"
The way his warm breath ghosted over her bare shoulder made her teeth grit together, goosebumps scattering over her skin as she cried out furiously, whirling around swiftly. But her legs tangled with one another, her balance slipping and she hit the floor on her back, sword clattering beside her as Impulse peered down at her, brows raised in amusement before he laughed teasingly, darting down the hall again.
Cynthia glared murderously at the curved ceiling, fingers twitching.
Tapping her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Life leaned against the wall, glancing over at Nightwing. "You sure you don't want me to ice the floor?" She inquired, watching as the former boy wonder fished out black marbles from his silver utility belt.
"We can catch him without using magic," He smirked, and she imagined dark blue eyes glimmer mischievously under the domino mask.
Her nails dug into her crossed arms, and she looked away with a sudden numbness in her chest. White lenses observed her keenly, a frown marring Nightwing's face as he tossed the marbles in the hallway, guard up as Impulse easily dodged them, grinning broadly as he ran up the walls, coming to a screeching halt at the end of the hallway.
"Ha!" He propped his hands on his hips, smiling victoriously. "That all you got— oomph!"
A knee was buried in his stomach, Impulse doubling over in pain as Nightwing pinned him down, batcuffs snapping around the speedster's wrists and ankles. He moaned painfully as the older teen got off him, hands set on his hips and amusement clear on his face.
"Now that was crash."
"For you maybe," Impulse protested with a frown, glancing at his bound limbs. "I'm totally feeling the mode."
Life whistled loudly, hands clasped behind her back as she strolled over to them, peering down at the brunet, vaguely impressed. "Looks like we didn't need a spell after all," she mused, Impulse blinking as she grabbed the back of his shirt, hauling him to his feet and dragging him towards the main room.
She glanced over to the other young heroes; Beast Boy wet from head to toe, Robin combing his windswept locks through his gloved fingers while Cynthia rubbed her back, glaring daggers at the bounded speedster.
"You all are getting an extra training session tomorrow."
The teenagers groaned simultaneously.
After a quick hot shower, Mystica stalked inside the main room, donning her costume as she neared her mentor; her teammates standing before the confiscated brunet from—according to Impulse— the past. The speedster was smiling gleefully, engaged in a very perplexed conversation with the other teen heroes.
"So let me get this straight," Death began incredulously, "you're a what?"
"... A tourist from the future?" Robin supplied questionably, Mystica making a scoffing sound from beside him when Impulse nodded in approval, smiling stupidly. "Why so surprised? Half the meat at comic con are from my era."
Mystica snorted, arms crossed over her chest. "Like we're going to believe you."
Impulse beamed, green eyes glinting as he cocked his head slightly, "Look, guys! We should all be friends. I'm really one of you, part of the heroic legacy, right? My name's Bart Allen. You know, grandson of Barry Allen? The Flash?" He suggested, smile firmly plastered on his face.
"Noted." Beast Boy responded, unimpressed. "Not believed but noted."
Death peered down at the boy seated before her, lips pursing. "Look, Bart—"
"That's my name!"
"—I can easily make you spill the truth by magic so you better coopera—"
"Oooh, you should not even try to do that," Impulse immediately interjected, smiling apologetically at the heroine. "That might alter the time stream. Now, that, would not be crash."
She stared, slim brows furrowing as the speedster tipped his head back, sighing loudly. "What's not to believe?" He inquired simply, "I've clearly got Flash's speed, his amazing good looks." He stated proudly, grinning. "Frankly, I can't wait to meet him—uh… you know, back when he was in his prime." He smiled meekly.
"Still not buying it," Mystica deadpanned when Nightwing spoke up, making his way towards the speedster, holding a glass of water. "Well, Bart. Coming all the way from the future you must've worked up quite a thirst."
Death quirked a brow as the former boy wonder leaned down, Impulse beaming up at him. "Thanks!" The brunet drank down the water as soon as the rim of the glass was pressed to his lips, but then realization came into his green eyes and he smirked smugly. "Oh, you're trying to getta DNA sample, huh? You need my spit." He instantly spat into the glass, Nightwing pulling back while Impulse laughed. "That's such a Dick Grayson thing to do."
Death stared flatly, Robin's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as he faced Nightwing. "How did he—"
"See!" Impulse grinned from ear to ear, proving his point. "I know stuff only future boy would know!" He surveyed the teenagers before him, a coy smirk curling his lips upwards.
"Dick Grayson!" He announced, Nightwing's face expressionless as Death arched a brow when Impulse flashed her a tight smile. "Heather's mo— I mean... Life Crock!"
Robin flinched as the speedster's gaze fixed on him, "Tim Drake!" The third boy wonder winced as Beast Boy and Mystica shot him surprised looks.
Unconcerned, Impulse squinted his eyes at the redheaded girl infront of him, then bounced his shoulders. "Still not sure who you are—and oh! Garfield Logan!" He declared, nodding the green skinned boy's way.
"Wow," Death set her hands on her hips, amusement clear on her face. "So much for secret identities, huh?"
Beast Boy looked absolutely bewildered as he jabbed a finger in Robin's direction, the boy mildly embarrassed. "You're name's Tim?" He asked, perplexed as he looked over at Nightwing. "And yours is... Dick?"
Nightwing frowned while Impulse smiled shamelessly, "Oops, spoilers!" He commented on realizing his mistake, then shrugged nonchalantly. "The secret identity thing is so retro. I mean, you can call me Impulse." He suggested breezily, "Or Bart or Bart Allen or Bart-Impulse-Allen. It's all crash."
Robin turned to Nightwing, brows knitted together. "Is it possible he might actually be telling the tru—"
He was rudely interrupted by a loud laugh, all eyes snapping towards Mystica, the girl clutching her stomach as she doubled over, laughing heartily. "Oh, my God!" She guffawed, Beast Boy staring, surprised since he had never actually seen her even smile. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, ignorant of the number of gazes on her as she grinned toothily, straightening up.
"I can deal with the fact that your name's Tim," she propped her fists on her hips, a grin tugging her lips as she looked over the current boy wonder, "Wimpy name, but I can understand. But Dick?" She released a snort, eying Nightwing, enjoying the situation more than she should've.
"Seriously? Your name is Dick? Wow. That's just priceless!" She chortled, her laughter echoing around the cave walls. "Your parents are some people to name you that!"
"Cynthia—"
"I always thought your name was stupid, Life. But Nightwing just took the cake!"
"That's a pretty cute laugh you got there."
Mystica blinked once, her laughter dying as she arched a brow, emerald eyes peering downwards, meeting forest green ones and Impulse tilted his head slightly, a friendly smile touching his lips as he gazed up at her with interest. "You should smile more, Cyn—I can call you Cyn, right?— It looks good on you!"
The girl narrowed her eyes dangerously at him, sobering up instantly while Death and Nightwing exchanged glances, Robin clearly unamused as Beast Boy stepped ahead, leaning towards the speedster, grimacing. "Tell us something we don't know...yet. When do I become leader of the Team? When do I join the Justice League? When do I get my own reality series?" The changeling questioned, pointing his index finger at the brunet.
Impulse glanced from the finger, then up at Beast Boy. "Sorry, BB. Never was the best history student." He laughed, "besides, we can't risk altering the time stream. We do that then we're all feelin' the mode."
"And the mode..." Beast Boy looked confused, "would be bad?"
"Doesn't get any worse. Always better to crash the mode." Impulse answered smoothly as the green skinned teen before him stared, perplexed. "Uh, noted?"
The zeta tubes burst to life suddenly, the mechanical voice booming through the cave."Recognized: Mal Duncan A One Zero."
Perking up on hearing it, Impulse offered them all a tight smile. "Oooh, that sounds like a door opening somewhere!" He stated, "and that's my cue!" The speedster vibrated his molecules rapidly from where he sat, the batcuffs around his ankles and wrists clattering to the floor in mere seconds as he stood up abruptly.
Beast Boy reached out for him, hands merely catching air as Impulse was far away from them all in a blink of an eye. Yet, the speedster suddenly halted, pivoting on his heel and waved his hand at Death, smiling gleefully.
"Oh, and Heather said hi!"
And with that he was gone, Death gazing at the doorway, brows scrunched together in utter confusion. "Who's Heather?" She echoed, glancing over as Beast Boy shape shifted into a peregrine hawk, following the speedster's trail.
Robin shared a knowing look with Death, "Doesn't stand a chance, does he?" The boy wonder reffered to Beast Boy as Nightwing handed the glass to him, waving his hand in the air.
A number of bluish holographic screens popped up, the former Robin opening a map. "Impulse is too fast, but at least we can track him."
"You put a tracer on him?" Death questioned, arms sliding into a cross over her chest. "Won't it fall off 'cause of his super speed?"
"It won't," Nightwing answered, a coy smirk on his face. "He drank it."
Death quirked a brow, both her and Robin eying the glass of water before the current boy wonder smirked, impressed. "Subcutaneous micro-tracker in the water? Nice."
"Thanks," Nightwing grinned faintly, ignoring how Death rolled her eyes. "Batman is super paranoid if he made something like that." She muttered under her breath as Nightwing inspected the map.
"He's making a beeline for Central City."
Mystica scowled from beside Robin, watching Nightwing fish out his phone. "So we're just going to let him escape like that?" She demanded angrily, Nightwing awarding her with a wry look. "I'm contacting Kid Flash. Impulse is a speedster. We can't actually catch hi—"
"You wanna go after him?" Death offered quickly, ignoring the way Nightwing raised a brow, gazing at the dark magi skeptically as she smirked cockily, silver eyes suddenly sparkling as she turned to face her protégé, "You can go if you want, Cynthia."
Nightwing narrowed his eyes, "what're you trying to do—ow!"
Elbowing him in the arm sharply, Death continued as if she had never been interrupted. "Go ahead and bring future boy back, Mystica."
Green eyes peering up suspiciously, Mystica gave a firm nod, spinning on her heel and jogging away with a swipe of her red hair, the zeta tubes announcing her departure. Once the mechanical voice died down, Nightwing turned to Death who shamelessly bounced her shoulders, ruffling Robin's hair playfully.
"Hey, just 'cause speedspell didn't get to be in season one, doesn't mean it can't get a shot in season two."
"Speedspell?" Robin quirked a brow, looking at his brother in sheer confusion. "Season one?"
"Ignore her, Tim. She's just trying to break the fourth wall, that's all."
"... fourth wall?"
|CENTRAL CITY
|February 28, 13:20 CST
The phone booth's door was thrown open, Mystica stepping out as the wind whistled around her, the sky graying and clouds massing as she bolted out of the alleyway, contemplating her plan, running towards the city's streets.
"If I was a speedster from the future, where would I be?" she mumbled, coming to a screeching halt as people passed by her, panicked and shouting crazily.
She stared, attention finally landing on the great crimson light flashing across the buildings around her. Her fingers twitched, but she refused to take out her sword, and instead, darted ahead, dodging swarms of people coming her way like hoards of scared sheep. Red light shone after every few seconds, explosions rattling the enormous buildings as she neared Central City's park.
From her spot, she could faintly make out the figure of a bald man, standing faraway in the street below in an absurd suit, emitting scarlet waves.
There was a rapid reddish-white blur, followed by the feeling of her body going weightless and she blinked once, then twice, attempting to adjust with her surroundings that were suddenly nothing but a mess of colours. Her muscles tensed, sharp green irises peering upwards and Impulse shot her a wide, cheery smile, arms beneath the girl's back and knees as he carried her away from the chaos around them.
"You came all the way from the mountain to Central, just to see me?" He grinned faintly, gazing down at her with his eyes glinting behind the yellow goggles. "I feel so flattered."
She scowled, focusing on his face solely since her rapidly moving surroundings were making her dizzy. "I'm here to take you ba—"
"Hold that thought!" He interrupted, increasing his pace and Mystica screwed her eyes shut, a gust of wind hitting her form as the speedster zipped ahead, then suddenly came to a halt, digging his heels into the soil below.
Emerald eyes cracked open, breakfast churning in her stomach as she was placed on the ground, a hand clasping on her shoulder, another gripping her arm while she swayed, head continuing to spin until she grimaced, pushing Impulse away, glaring. "Who was that guy?"
The boy glanced over to the city, shrugging. "Oh, you mean the guy causing all the chaos? That's Neutron. Real bad guy. You don't wanna get anywhere near those radiations he's emitting. You'll be definitely be feelin' the mode then. Anyway, your Death's sidekick, right? That's so crash. Does she know that abortion is illegal in many countries? I mean—"
"Do you always talk like you're on a sugar rush?" Mystica sneered, brows knitting together as he smiled apologetically, taking a step forward, ready to run off while eying the way scarlet light flashed across the buildings. "It was great talking to you, Cyn. But I gotta go no—"
And he blinked, pausing as a hand clasped with his, the girl beside him fixing him with a stern look. "I want to help," She offered, grimacing.
A smile touching his lips, Impulse nodded. "Flash, me and Kid Flash have Neutron covered. You can take care of the civilians."
"I can do that," she responded smoothly, then arched a brow as he stood there, a smirk plastered on his face as he gazed at her with fascination.
She scowled, "aren't you supposed to be leaving?"
"I'd love to, but you gotta let go of my hand first."
It took a few seconds for his words to absorb in, and the redhead glanced downwards, heat crawling up the back of her neck on the sight of their linked fingers and as if he was on fire, she jerked her hand back, her scowl deepening as the speedster released a cackle, darting ahead in the blink of an eye.
Tongue trapped between her teeth, Mystica clenched her fists, grumbling under her breath as she turned around, then broke into a jog, nearing the crowds of terrified people disturbed by the chaos.
|MOUNT JUSTICE
|February 28, 15:45 EST
"When I tell you to come back, you come back. Got it?"
Her teeth gritting together, Mystica shot the older female a frosty glare. Death glowered down at her, gray eyes narrowed and the younger girl folded her arms, parting her lips for a snarky comment when a hand landed on her head, making her mouth go bitter as she glared upwards, the Flash smiling affectionately as he patted Mystica's head.
"Thanks for your help back there, kiddo." He ruffled her red locks, unaware of the death glare being sent his way by the shorter teen.
Death felt a smirk lifting the ends of her lips upwards, but she quirked a brow as Impulse skidded to a halt infront of her, arm stretched out and smile bright. "It was good to meet you too, Life." He chirped.
Her eyes softening, she reached outwards, and instead of shaking his hand, playfully ruffled his auburn hair. "It was good to meet you too, future kid."
She didn't quite notice how he curiously peered up at her through tufts of brown hair, but she blinked, startled as his arms were suddenly around her midsection, face pressed against her stomach while he muttered something about her having a familiar scent like a friend of his. And before she could pat his back awkwardly, he had pulled away, zipping over to stand infront of Flash, grinning toothily.
Nightwing cleared his throat, getting attention. "Impulse's DNA matches with both Iris and you, Barry. And this thing," he gestured towards the time machine, "is giving off both zeta and chronotron radiation."
Kid Flash spoke up from his spot, "Which is, based on theory, what you'd expect to find radiating off a time machine." He gave his distant cousin a look.
Flash grinned, placing a hand on Impulse's shoulder. "Which means you're exactly who you say you are."
Impulse smiled broadly, "Told ya! Anyway, it's been crash but the future awaits." He announced, backing away from his grandfather. "I... gotta run." He joked, Flash puffing his chest out proudly upon hearing the pun while the people around him rolled their eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"See what I did there? With the run?" Impulse inquired teasingly
A gentle smile tugging his lips, Flash stepped closer to his grandson, his hands dropping onto the boy's shoulders. "Bart, thanks for coming. I look forward to uh, meeting you again... for the first time." The elder speedster gave the teen's shoulders a slight squeeze, "and watching you grow up."
His eyes warming, Impulse smiled back. "That," he gazed up at the man, "will be crash." And soon he was hugging Flash, the man surprised before he quickly returned the embrace.
Pulling back sheepishly, Impulse waved farewell, stepping inside the machine. "So long!"
Arms crossed, Mystica watched with great fascination as the metallic door clicked shut, the machine releasing hot steam from all sides as it whirred gently. All eyes glued to the time machine, Beast Boy was the first one to break the silence, tail flicking behind him questionably.
"Maybe he's traveling forward one second at a time?" He offered helpfully.
The metal door being thrown open with a foot, Impulse hopped out, annoyance clear on his features as he scowled angrily. "It's not working," he growled in frustration, kicking the machine. "The whole thing's fried!"
"Is there any way you can fix it?" Flash inquired.
Impulse sighed, tipping his head back. "I'm a tourist. Not a chronol expert. Look at me!" He gripped his head, frustrated. "I'm trapped in the stupid past!" He dragged his gloved hands down his face, a frown curling his lips. "I'm so moded."
Flash patted his grandson's back, "you can stay with me and Iris, Bart." He offered, smiling. "We'll try to get your time machine fixed somehow."
"Oooh, can I stay with the Garricks too?" Impulse asked immediately, his past annoyed demeanor gone in one mere second. "That'd be so crash!"
Flash nodded in approval, ready to speak when he was interrupted, Death piping up from her place, hands on her hips and a smug smirk curling her lips. "Until Barry makes space in his home for you, Bart. You're more than welcomed to stay here."
"In the cave?!" The young speedster exclaimed excitedly, "I've always wanted to live in a cave!"
Kid Flash rolled his eyes, snorting loudly while Death fixed her protégé with a sly look, smirk firmly plastered on her face. "Why don't you go and give Bart a tour of the mountain, Cynthia?"
The said girl raised her brows, arms still crossed. "Me? Why can't Logan and Drake do it—" She got cut off as Impulse zipped by her side, his eyes shining as he visibly vibrated in excitement. "Yeah, Cyn!" He cheered, arm already slipping around the redhead's waist. "Let's go!"
She shot him a withering glare, "Get your dirty hands off me, Allen— woah!"
With a loud cackle, they were off, leaving dust in their awake whilst Death completely ignored the incredulous stares being sent her way, shrugging shamelessly.
"Don't judge me, guys."
A\N: I had this chap written out months ago and since YJ is airing again (I uh still need to watch s3 heh which ive heard is AWESOME btw) so I wanted to update :3 I know some of my readers want me to redo s1 but I'm gonna tell you guys the truth, I can't. I'm too lazy to do it really and since I'm in university now I barely have any free time now so I'm honestly sorry but I would not be rewiting s1 and tbh I dont even know if I'll be continuing this or not. I've got the next few chaps already written out since the start of 2018, but after that... I'm not really sure ;;
Anywhoooo, hope you guys liked the chapter :D