! Warning: This story may contain adult themes, such as nudity, sexual content, torture, mass murder etc. Reader discretion is highly advised. !
Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
"It's going to be OK, honey, you're not a monster." Miss Hames assured Luke as they were cooking.
Luke smiled as they were cooking lunch.
"I know it's hard to struggle, with… new power. But if you need help, we're here for you." Barry said.
"You don't have to go through this alone." Caitlin said.
"Thank you for the lunch, Miss Hames." Caitlin shook her hand with her as they were leaving the apartment.
"After what you've done for my nephew, it was the least I could do for you." Miss Hames said.
"Thank you." Luke said, smiling. "For your help."
Later, S.T.A.R. Labs
"Are you doing OK, Cisco?" Barry asked as Cisco was testing his powers.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Barry." Cisco assured him before turning to Caitlin. "You're saying that this… Manchester Black… offered a home to all metahumans?"
"In a circus." Caitlin nodded. "I don't know who or what he is… but he is a very powerful metahuman, that much I can tell."
"There's not much that I could find about this… Manchester Black." Cisco said as he pulled up Manchester's profile on the computer. "English with African ancestry. Grew up in foster care after his parents abused him. Wasn't in Central City, when the particle accelerator exploded. According to Lex's files, he's a ghost. Seven years ago, Manchester allegedly killed over twenty extremists, when they attacked his sister Vera due to racial hate. Somehow managed to crush their bodies without actually touching them. They suspect that he had telekinetic powers."
"Then how did he teleport me into a circus and back, when not even a second passed by?" Caitlin wondered.
"Good question. And you're saying he's offering a sanctuary for metahumans?" Barry inquired and Caitlin nodded.
"A place they'd be like family. He seemed… genuine but I don't know. Something is off about him but I can't put my finger to it. But… he saw right through me." Caitlin said.
"Caitlin." Barry assured, holding her hands. "You have us."
Cisco narrowed his eyes as he noticed how close had Barry and Caitlin become over the past few days.
"I think it might be best if we were keeping our tabs on other metas in town." Cisco suggested.
"Good idea." Ralph said as he entered. "Is there something I need to be filled in on?"
Suddenly, Barry's phone rang as he picked it up with 'PRIVATE NUMBER' flashing. He answered the call. "Hello?"
"The compass was LexCorp tech." The disguised voice said and Barry narrowed his eyes.
"Batman?" Barry asked, making sure who it was.
"Lex invented that compass. It detects very powerful metahumans, which explains why it was spinning the way it did, when you used it." Batman said.
"Why?" Barry inquired.
"Miss Michaels and I investigated further what was the purpose of the compass and Lex was using it to find metahumans. Very powerful metahumans. I think it is likely that this metahuman speedster that ambushed you and Miss Michaels and Mr. Dibny, wanted to used it to recruit other metahumans. I've been keeping tabs on some of them and many of them have disappeared over the past few weeks."
"Someone from Lex's operation…" Barry realized.
"If it was Lex, there would be signs of struggle and military presence." Batman pointed out. "But this… it was like if they vanished into thin air."
"Someone's kidnapping metahumans again?"
"I don't think it was kidnapping. Whoever did this… it is likely they went with them voluntarily. I'll be looking into this further, Allen."
"What if we find—"
"I will know, when you have a lead, Allen. Don't worry about it. Miss Michaels knows how to contact me." Batman said as the call ended.
"Who was that? Batman?" Cisco said sarcastically before noticing Barry's serious look.
"Wait, Batman called you?" Ralph inquired.
"What did he want?" Caitlin asked.
"This compass that we found in Gotham, it tracks powerful metas." Barry explained.
"And that speedster that killed Mercy wanted it. He was following us from Central City to Gotham and tried to take it but we fended him off." Ralph explained.
"Do you think there's any connection between Manchester Black and 33.1 and that speedster that killed Mercy?" Caitlin asked.
"It would make sense. But we still need to go over and decipher some of Lex's files. It could take days… or weeks. If Batman hadn't taken that compass, maybe I could have taken a look at it or Ramon could have vibed it. I guess Batman is a paranoid jerk on every Earth." Harry said.
"You have Batman on Earth-2?" Barry demanded.
"We have a Batman but I'm guessing the Batman here is someone else entirely because our Batman's doppelganger is dead on this Earth." Harry said.
"Wow… who is—"
"Guys, focus." Barry interrupted. "A circus of metahumans? Doesn't that sound at least a little fishy? It sounds a lot like P.T. Barnum's freak show."
"He wasn't forcing anyone to be a freak." Caitlin pointed out. "He said that it was a place, where all metahumans would find home and family and would feel safe."
"Caitlin, you're not considering what he's offering, are you?" Joe asked as he noticed the uncertain look in her eyes.
"No." Caitlin shook her head. "I'm just… it's not that I'm considering it… but he did have a point. The human society will never truly consider us as their own. And… I don't want to live in a world, where they'll never fully trust us and where they'll always fear us."
"Caitlin, we can work through this." Barry said as he held her hand. "We've been down this road before and we found our way through."
Caitlin smiled. "You're right." She kissed him. "It means a lot to me that you're always there for me."
Elsewhere
"How many people are joining this family, Manchester?" Johnny asked after Manchester finished counting money in his tent.
"As many as they want." Manchester pointed out. "We're not forcing anyone to come here. We offer help, it's up to them, if they want to join us or rejoin the human society."
"They'll never fully understand us and eventually, they'll cast us out and hunt us down again. You know that." Johnny said.
"And do you even realize, where will fighting back get us?" Manchester growled. "There will be hundreds of Lexes Luthors on our backs. Our numbers are as thin as they are already."
"That's why we need to take up arms—"
"I said 'no', Johnny." Manchester warned.
"Then why did you let me kill Mercy—"
"That was completely different. Her people slaughtered five of our brothers and sisters."
"And Snow took care of some of them. Maybe I should finish the job." Johnny said.
Manchester whirled around and raised his hand and clenched his fist as Johnny choked out and grabbed himself by his throat. "I'm warning you, Johnny. If we get on Allen's radar in the wrong way because of you… I'll make sure you won't be able to outrun as much as a turtle."
He let go of his fist as Johnny gasped out.
"There still are other that may be able to convinced to join us."
Star City
Dinah was demoted to a sergeant and constantly on the watch, due to being identified as a metahuman, while she and Laurel were exonerated of their crimes and Laurel kept on working in the District Attorney's office. While the society seemed to accept them back amongst them… still… there were times, when they would notice the looks of fear and mistrust of people around them, the people they had considered colleagues and friends… all it would take… was a glimpse… a glance… and they'd know that people would doubt them due to being metahumans, who have used their powers to kill people before…
Later, Oliver's penthouse
Laurel and Felicity were cooking as Oliver, Sara, William and Quentin were at the table before the women put the food on the table.
"Well, let's hope you enjoy the roast beef, guys. How's everything going?" Felicity said.
"I had to go through a lot of paperwork in the past few months due to the metahuman stuff and PR but Laurel was luckily exonerated. While the public doesn't consider her… our Laurel…" Oliver said carefully and with an apologetic look towards the doppelganger of his deceased lover, who he had grown to love as much as the original. "…well, considering what's happened, people do deserve second chances."
"Yeah…" Felicity trailed off, considering that Oliver has given her another chance, which she intended not to throw away. "We all make mistakes. But I think everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Even though the road might be hard and very long… it is worth it." She said and it sounded like she was trying to assure herself more than Laurel.
"And how's Caitlin doing?" Sara asked. "I heard that she… survived and that—"
"She's shaken up but Barry's taking care of her." Oliver said.
"And Dinah?" Sara pointed out.
Star City
Dinah was walking down the alley before she noticed that she was being followed by three men and she instantly turned around as the four people smirked.
"Well, looks like she's noticed us."
"Dinah Drake. The metahuman screamer."
"What do you want?" Dinah glowered.
"Come on, half the city knows that you can scream like hell. And it's no brainer that the Black Canary can do the same thing and you put few of my friends into a hospital with broken bones and missing teeth." One of the thugs said.
"And you creep think that because you have powers, you think you're better than us?" Another challenged.
"If you know who I am, then you must be really brave or stupid to try to take me on." Dinah taunted.
"We're certainly not stupid, Canary." One of the men laughed, pulling out a sonic dampener as Dinah tensed. A small disadvantage but still, she could handle a few low-key thugs.
One of them attacked Dinah with a knife but she grabbed him by his arm and threw him against a wall as he fell down on the ground upon hitting it. The second thug pulled out a telescope stick and attacked, while Dinah dodged and hit him in his hip and kicked him in the leg, causing for him to kneel but the third one grabbed Dinah from behind as the one she had attacked hit her in her face and punched her in the stomach before again hitting her in the face, knocking her down on the ground.
"Not so tough without your scream now, are you?"
Dinah snarled angrily as she kicked the man in his crotch as he leaned forward in pain before she gouged him in his eyes, causing for him to scream in pain and she broke his arm and threw him down.
"Oh, crap, she's crazy even without that scream, let's bail!"
The other two men ran away, noticing Dinah's face full of relentless rage as Dinah knelt towards the man she had taken down as he paled, looking terrified now. "Please, I'm sorry, don't hurt me, please…"
The rage over being tortured in 33.1 and by Sean Sonus and the loss of Vince took her over as she started to punch the man relentlessly in his face until it was bloodied as she roared angrily before looking at her reflection in the puddle of water and stopping herself and she gasped in shock.
"That's what you'll always be. A rageful monster, unleashed. I never asked you to avenge me like this. I thought you could honor me and the badge by becoming a vigilante and bringing justice in the way that you never could as a cop. But what have you done, that would earn you the mantle of Black Canary? Look at yourself. You're a murderer. And you're barely the woman that I loved." Vince said behind her.
"I…" Dinah trailed off. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't hurt me… don't hurt me… please…" The thug begged.
Dinah got up, guilt and shame flooding her upon losing control of herself and almost turning again into the woman full of anger and rage and bloodlust before Oliver recruited her.
"If you can't change who you are… then you should have died back there. I wish you had died with me back in Central City." Vince said.
"I'm…" Dinah's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry…" She walked down the alley, crying and sniffing.
"You think you're a monster, Dinah?" A black man in black jacket, talking with English accent asked as Dinah was passing by him as she turned around.
"Do…" Dinah breathed out, getting ahold of herself. "Do I know you?"
"I do know you, Dinah. And I know that you're struggling. So… why won't you tell me what's on your mind?" Manchester said.
Caitlin's apartment, Central City
Barry took off Caitlin's top as she unbuttoned his shirt, while they laid down on bed, continuing removing their clothes. Caitlin crawled towards Barry, kissing him as she held his neck and pulled towards her, while he gently held her shoulders before they rolled over, with Caitlin on top of him and she moaned, straightening her back, while they gave into each other, holding each others' arms. Barry got up, squeezing her breasts as they both breathed out and kissed fiercely once more. The routine continued until both of them were completely tired and panting out in exhaustion, lying in bed.
"Whoa." Barry panted out. "That was…"
"…unbelievable." Caitlin finished before she and Barry turned to each other, smiling as Caitlin pulled the blanket to cover them both, naked under the sheet as they snuggled towards each other. For a few moments, they kissed before she pulled away, unsure.
"What's wrong?" Barry asked.
Caitlin was lost in thoughts. "There were times, when I wondered whether you and I… you were there for me, when I needed you. I just… I wasn't sure whether you felt the same way about me. You've always been so focused on Iris…"
Barry nodded. "Maybe Iris was an excuse. I do love her… but when I found out that you… that I lost you… I guess I didn't realize that what I had been looking for my whole life, was in front of me the whole time in the past five years."
"And what happens now?" Caitlin asked as he held her hands.
"Like I said, wherever this takes us, I want us both to face it together." Barry said as they kissed once more.
Star City
"So, you're offering a ghetto circus for metahumans?" Dinah scoffed. "How can I trust you?"
"I'm offering you a place, where people won't have to be afraid of you anymore, Dinah." Manchester said. "Look around, they have and always will fear you. Do you really want to hide forever behind masks and false faces?"
Dinah considered, realizing that Manchester might have a point. Right now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to live in a city, where half of the people are afraid of her and do not trust her. But living in a circus… what kind of life would it be?
"Let's say I consider your offer. What then?" Dinah asked as Manchester handed her a compass that showed a specific direction.
"So that you know how to find us." Manchester said before he disappeared, leaving Dinah to consider his offer. He did have a point that people would fear her. So, what was the point of living among people that might never fully trust her?
"Why not reach out to Laurel too?" A metahuman next to Manchester asked.
"We're looking for lost sheep." Manchester said. "Caitlin seemed to struggle with herself and Laurel already has a home. With Queen and her substitute of a father."
"I still think that this family thing is stupid. Look at what the humans did to us. We need to take arms—"
"I said 'no'. I will not risk another war."
"We already are at war. If Batman uses our compass against us and tracks us down—"
Manchester glowered. "You really think that Wayne will—"
"Wayne never trusts. You know that." The metahuman teleported himself as Manchester sighed.
"Bloody stubborn fools."
Elsewhere
A man was running down the street before trying to throw some energy balls at the man, who had a breathing mask. The masked man dodged before pulling out some dagger in shape of lightning that drained the metahuman of his powers before stabbing him in the chest before the masked man approached the metahuman.
"What… what do you want?"
"For all of you… to die." The masked man said before he pulled the dagger out and slit the man's throat as he gagged, blood filling his mouth before falling down on the ground, dead. The masked man walked away, breathing out loudly and making cicada sounds.
Yes, Cicada is here. But he's not the show's version of Cicada, Orlin Dwyer. While there certainly will be similarities, it will be my own spin on the character.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.