New Justice- Trials of the League
Disclaimer: same as always.
Note 1: so I don't normally name reviewers in my story but this chapter was inspired by one of you readers. Thank you CallMeMiles, who review of last season 2nd to last chapter inspired me to write this.
Note 2: This starts a three part crossover that has added an extra chapter onto part 1. This chapter, Thursday, and finale next Monday. I know I said on facebook Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but I changed my mind.
Note 3: this one is to Batman Fans. Because of the nature of this chapter I was forced to break my rule of never using Batman. That being said Batman is not in a very…. Positive light. You'll understand. Just know there's a good reason for it.
Now time for a chapter you probably never thought was coming. Drum roll please…
Flashpoint- A Big Mistake
A crash was heard in the house that startled Rae, who was in the kitchen eating breakfast.
"Richie! Ryan!" Nora yelled out, running down the stairs. Richie and Ryan were twins and Nora and Henry's new foster kids, three years of age, and they both had the ability to fly. Rae heard barking and went into the living room.
Clark was on the couch, barking at the two boys. Both looked guilty as they looked up at Nora, almost convincingly about to cry. On the floor was a small picture frame that had been sitting on top of a shelf high above. "You two can't use your powers in the house," Nora said more calmly as Rae went over to it, moving the broken glass and picking up the frame.
"Sorry," both boys mumbled quietly.
Rae hadn't paid too close attention to them as she looked at the picture. It had been on the shelf for so long it had ended up blending into the background for her. She was eight in the picture, long before she was the Flash and it was their first family vacation, Nora and Henry never wanted to go away before that, because of Rae's power, but she had gained enough control that they'd thought it was safe. It had been a beach vacation – all inclusive. Henry had his arms around Rae, who was laughing while Nora stood next to them, and 13-year-old Barry was in front, a smile on his face. Looking back now, that might have been the only time the four of them were truly happy as a family.
"Rae?" Nora said, snapping Rae out of her trance and pointing at Clark who was still barking. "Can you?"
"Clark, down," Rae almost lazily called to her dog, who automatically stopped.
"I don't know how you do that," Nora said, chuckling. Ryan and Richie had been ushered into the kitchen, now eating their breakfast that Henry had put out for them.
"The frame broke," Rae said, deciding not to get into the behavior of Kryptonian dogs and their connection to their masters. Kara had explained it once. "I have things to do today." It might have been her day off with Cat, but the Justice League had an important meeting. "But afterward I can grab a new frame."
"No." Nora said taking the picture from her as Henry started to clean up the mess. She threw it into a draw. "You know, displaying pictures of Barry, considering who he was… It feels morbid now." Nora slammed the draw shut, the picture inside. "We should probably remove them all."
The decision felt wrong to Rae, but it wasn't hers to make. "I got to go," Rae said, feeling weird about this now. "Clark." The dog ran after Rae up to her room, to change into their Flash outfits, and soon were out of the house and running through the cities.
When she saw a shadow, Rae looked up and saw Kara flying over her with Krypto. Rae smiled, loving the sight of her girlfriend and sped up a little, running up a building and jumping towards Kara. She wasn't scared as Kara took hold of her, smiling as the couple laughed. Clark jumped into the air too, near his dad, who barked.
The two laughed as Kara flew around and then slowly let Rae down. Rae continued running as Kara switched to running too, next to her. The two continued laughing as Rae remained slightly faster than Kara. She could run faster, but she didn't want to. Clark and Krypto flew overhead and the two stopped in an alley.
"What are you doing here?" Rae finally asked as they stopped in front of the zap tunnel. She had not expected to see her girlfriend before the meeting. She was happy with it though.
"I wanted to see you before the meeting," Kara said, putting a hand on Rae's face. "I wanted to see you smile, since during the meeting and after is Savitar-time." They didn't know what exactly the three nerds had found out about their latest nemesis, but they knew it was time to take on Savitar. Kara put her hand on the necklace she gave Rae with a smile and then kissed Rae.
Rae kissed Kara back as she used one hand to activate the zap tunnel to bring them and the dogs to Watchtower. They went through the zap tunnel, kissing. "I love you," Kara whispered when they entered the Watchtower.
"I love you too," Rae said back.
"Anyone else miss when they were in love with each other but didn't notice?" Adam's familiar voice said, and the two turned in time to see Laurel slap Adam over the head.
"It's sweet," Laurel said.
"Don't mess with the bosses," Sara warned him as Dinah laughed.
Barking turned their attention to see Clark barking at Jess, who was sitting down. "Clark!" Rae yelled at him, but Clark continued to bark at the man, clearly upset. "Jess, you're in his seat."
"Seriously?" Jess asked, seeming stunned. "He's a dog." Clark growled at that.
"Kryptonian dog," Kaldur spoke, standing by the window with Selena. "Do you really want to mess with a Kryptonian dog?"
"I'm sure I can stitch up the dog bites," Caitlin teased Jess with a smile. She and Jess had gone on a couple of dates and were really getting along well.
"Man, let the dog have his chair," Winn said, making Rae turn to where he was standing in front of the computers. He had made the mistake of taking Clark's chair more than once himself. "And show me how to work this MIA." Jess had officially set up a MIA A.I. in Watchtower and Home Base, and the two were connected to each other.
"All you have to do is talk to her," Jess said, stepping up as Clark immediately took the chair as Jess joined Winn, followed by Adam. The three clearly ready to start telling the group what they had found.
"We are missing a few," Red Tornado voiced, and Rae looked at him. He had been standing aside quietly. Sometimes it was easy to miss him. Checking around, Rae knew her friend was right.
Before Rae could even state it, Donna and M'Gann ran in from another part of the tower. "Sorry," Donna said. "We…were… well…"
"We lost track of time," M'Gann said, smiling.
"I don't care what you were watching. You're here now," Rae said, looking around. "We're still three short. The three Js are missing. Where are my Lanterns?"
As though that was a summons, the zap tunnel opened and in came Jon, Jade, and Jessica, all in their Green Lantern outfits and all seeming exhausted. "Sorry," Jade was the one who spoke. "We got tied up."
"Well that's everyone," Kara commented as she and Rae sat down.
Rae turned in her chair to look at the three boys. "Okay then nerds, take it away," Rae said, lifting her goggles up off her eyes and putting them on top of her head, then taking her helmet off and putting it on her lap.
"Okay, so using information from all encounters with Savitar through Rae's goggles, Caitlin's helmet, and the videos at the Sanctuary," Adam started. "We determined that Savitar's suit is radiating speed force energy, maybe even radiating miniature speed force inside the suit, so he's inside the speed force but able to move around on Earth."
"But there is a weak spot," Jess continued. "MIA, show them." The image of Savitar on the screen turned on at that command. "Right where your monkey hit. It's where the generator making the speed force energy is and it's the only weak point."
"So… we punch it?" Kara suggested, clenching her hand into a fist.
"Not unless you want to get knocked out like Beppo," Winn warned. "You'll get shocked by speed force energy – pure speed force energy. That's a lot stronger than the lightning bolts Rae can toss out. Instead, we made this." Winn held up a small round device. "When placed on the weak point, it will counteract the speed force energy and dissolve it. If Savitar needs to stay in the speed force well… it will kill him without speed force energy."
There was silence for a moment. No one sure what to say. "We're talking about killing him?" Laurel finally said out loud. "Are we sure we want to do that and not try to find a way to trap him."
"We thought of that," Adam said. "With the speeds he runs. It would be near-impossible to trap him. We could…"
"I'm good killing him," Kara said, cutting Adam off, remembering seeing Rae injured so badly. Nearly to death herself. She remembered the way he was in the sanctuary – he was willing to kill her animals as they were defenseless. "That thing is a monster. That I am sure of. We need to put him down."
Eyes were turning to Rae. She was the leader after all.
"I put a sword through my cousin's chest," Rae stated, remembering one of the most difficult decisions she ever had to make. The decision to kill Barry. "I did it because he would have destroyed history, destroyed you. I knew his end game. What he wanted. Savitar, I do not know." Rae looked up at them for a moment. "I don't know who's under that suit, whether he can be saved or not, but I do know he would gladly kill me and all of you, and I know we're not easily going to trap him. I'm doing this, but if any of you morally can't go into this with the intent to kill, then you're welcome to sit this one out."
One by one, the League all gave the nod. They were with Rae. They would help her. Rae smiled as Kara put a hand on Rae's shoulder. "I'm always with you," Kara said, and Rae gave her girlfriend a smile. This League had her back and was willing to follow her to hell and back.
"Nerds will that device hurt Rae?" Kara spoke; Rae had not thought of that. She had speed force energy in her.
"We thought of that and did some research and contacted other worlds, Prime was helpful," Winn commented. "And no. Rae's energy comes directly from the speed force. This can't break that connection. It can only dissolve speed force energy not coming directly from the speed force – like the energy in that suit… or Rae's spare helmet." Winn said the last words quicker and quietly, but that did not stop Rae from hearing them.
"What?" Rae asked, folding her arms at this.
"Well, we needed to test out how to… and your helmet… speed force energy," Winn tried. "It kind of unraveled so that's why we know… and… anyone else wants to talk?"
"No," Adam and Jess both said together, taking a step back.
"My helmet is made of the speed force?" Rae said, genuinely intrigued, holding her helmet in her hands. Her father's helmet. She always felt connected to him wearing it. As a kid it always calmed her down, soothed her fears – she had slept with it beside her bed. Now she knew why it was so special; not just because he wore it as the Flash. She had read his theories about being able to make solid objects out of the speed force energy, but had never known he had actually done it. He had made this helmet out of the speed force. The speed force that had ran through his body. It was a part of him in a way. A part of him that the speed force had let her keep.
It brought a tear to Rae's eyes and Kara put an arm around her as though she knew what Rae was feeling. Rae wiped the tear away and put her goggles over her eyes. Putting the helmet back on her head where it belonged. "Any ideas on finding Savitar?" Rae asked, Winn surprised by this reaction.
"Oh, I'm up," Caitlin said, surprising everyone. She disappeared, only to reappear with a sharp object. "Remember this?"
"I remember Savitar shoving that through my shoulder," Rae said, her hand going to the place where it had been taken out, almost as though she could still feel it.
"And us taking it out," Kara said.
"It's part of his suit," Caitlin said, and Rae nodded. She had disconnected it after all. "And it's been trying to get back to him." That shocked everyone. "It hasn't been able to, but I think if we bring it back to Earth it will lead us right to him."
Rae nodded. "Okay," she said, and turned to the boys. "Give me the device." They blinked. "I'm the only one fast enough to get it on his back."
Adam took the device and put it in Rae's hand as Kara took the piece of Savitar's suit from Caitlin. Rae put the device on her belt in a little place Frankie had made to hold objects. "Okay, to get it on his back I'm going to need you all to…"
"Distract him," they all said as one.
Rae smiled. "Winn, Sara, I need you to…."
"Stay here," they both said together, slightly dejected at this.
"You know, I could help if Kara got me Super Horse," Sara commented. It had been a while since she had ridden the horse and she actually missed him. She liked that horse.
"Sorry Sara, I actually need you here to keep us all coordinated. We don't know where Savitar is going to be. I'm not going to be able to keep track of everyone. You can keep eyes from above," Rae said.
"Oh, okay," Sara smiled slightly at this, glad there was some use for her this time.
"Okay, we're ready. Flash Pup?" Clark had curled on the chair but picked his head up at the call. "We're going. Zap tunnel to Central-National." It was a guess, but Savitar had appeared in the cities twice and he seemed to be after Rae, so it was logical. Winn opened a zap tunnel and the League headed out.
-New Justice-
Rae and Kara stood on the top of a building with Clark and Krypto. Kara was ready to release the piece of Savitar's suit which was pulling at her now, wanting to go. "Hold on a sec," Rae put her hand on her necklace, putting it under the costume. She never took the necklace off. When she had to fight, she safely hid it under her costume. "Okay."
Kara gave Rae a smile as she let it go of the price of suit, and it started flying through the air, fast. Rae ran after it, keeping it in sight. She didn't look but she knew her League was following. She could hear Sara directing them on every turn Rae took.
Rae came to a sudden stop when the piece did, it caught by its owner as Savitar stood in broad daylight, looking to Rae.
"You came for me?" Savitar questioned. "How stupid."
"I didn't come alone," Rae stated, as heat vision hit into Savitar from the three Kryptonians. Clark, Krypto, and Kara were all there. Donna came up, sword in hand with M'Gann behind her. Fast movers.
Savitar started to run at them, to attack, and Rae wanted more than anything to protect them, but she needed to wait for the right opportunity. Her League had it – she trusted them. Angel came up with one of his electrical attacks; the Aquas using water to slow down Savitar. Rae had managed to back away, to keep an eye, and saw an opportunity when Savitar turned to deal with the Lanterns.
Rae ran at him, taking the device in her hand, but before she could put it on the weak spot, he spun around grabbing hold of her arms. "You always have your League!" He said, and the two ran, fighting each other. "Your friends... your pets." Rae could hear the barking, but she had to continue fighting Savitar. "Your worlds hopper or your clones… your betrayers."
"My what?" Rae asked, stunned at that last one.
"Let's see how you do without them," Savitar said, and then he charged at her, grabbing hold of her and the two ran so fast, they disappeared through a sudden portal.
"White Canary, where are they?" Kara asked. The two had been fighting and running too fast for the rest of League to keep up, but now they were gone.
"Don't know. Stopwatch is working on it," Sara said, worried.
-New Justice-
Rae recognized what Savitar had done when they landed. She looked around this time and knew they had time traveling. They had exited out on the street and then continued running, throwing out punches and dodging as they did.
"Time travel. Seriously?" Rae asked as Savitar as they fought and ran.
Rae barely noticed the screaming or that they were on a school field. "Time travel is how I become great!" Savitar said, mocking Rae.
Rae let him mock her as she used her feet to make feet tornado, enough to get over Savitar and put the device on the weak spot as she fell. The device activated. "What have…?" but he stopped as Savitar suddenly screamed out as he shuddered backward, his suit beginning to break apart. Rae paused as she wondered if she'd get a glimpse of the man underneath it, but she didn't get the chance as the unravelling of his suit accelerated, in fact exploding before her eyes as she ran back to avoid getting hit as she fell on the floor once more. A quick check when the explosion was done showed her uninjured.
Once recovered, she kept herself vibrating, so to the onlookers in this past she looked like a blur. Taking a quick check, she noticed the suit was so obliterated there wasn't a big enough piece to check, or to discover who had been inside it. There was nothing she could do, although she had not expected the suit to explode. Her nerds probably hadn't either. She had to get back to her own time though, before the Justice League of this time showed up. She couldn't, and shouldn't help, anyone injured by this. It was a sort of freak accident.
Running away and up the block she moved fast enough, pushing the boundaries of the speed force to time travel forward, exiting back in her own time, and looking around.
She was in the same spot she had just left, but her League wasn't there. The street was empty. She might have returned a few hours later though, so maybe they were looking for her elsewhere, or were back at Watchtower waiting.
"Stopwatch, on coms," Rae said into her earpiece, but only received static from her com. She took out her communicator but it seemed like it was not connected to anything.
"Weird," Rae mumbled, looking around. She felt strangely empty for some reason. Like there was a part of her missing and she had no idea why. She put her hand over her heart. There was something wrong and she knew it somehow. But destroying Savitar in the past shouldn't have done that. She should be celebrating their victory…
"Hey Flash!" One man appeared on the street, making Rae turn to look at him. "I like the new outfit."
"Thanks," Rae said, smiling – she hadn't been about much in the new outfit yet, so the public acknowledging it wasn't odd, but she still felt a sense of displacement. She moved off to the nearest zap tunnel, putting her code into it. It was rejected.
"What?" Rae tried again, but it did not work so she went for a DNA scan. This time it worked and opened a zap tunnel for her to Watchtower. She sighed as she walked through the tunnel.
"And Savitar is no more," Rae called out, not even looking up as she removed her helmet and lifted her goggles. "And, Adam what's wrong with the coms, communicator, and zap tunnels?"
"Who are you talking to?" Rae had been busy looking over herself for any injuries or scratches on the suit she had not looked up, but that voice made her freeze. She looked up and froze. Standing in Watchtower was Diana, Clark, the Hawkes, Crystal, and many more members of her former League. Her dead League. Diana had been the one to talk. "Who's Savitar?"
"Are you okay?" Clark Kent moved forward, seeming concerned.
"When did you get a new outfit?" Crystal asked, and Rae paused, hand on her outfit.
"Um… what… yeah… I'm… am I on the wrong Earth?" Rae asked, that being the first thing to come to her. That she had accidentally hopped Earths while fighting Savitar. She was too stunned to even answer the other questions.
"You are vibrating at the same frequency as us," Rae heard Red Tornado's voice and turned to him. It was him, but there were small differences between his former body and the one Karry Universe had made – this one looked like the old body. "And to answer your previous question, your communicator and coms are on the wrong frequency and you used the wrong code. I can fix the frequency if you give it to me."
"No, that's fine… what year is it?" Rae finally, asked stepping away from Red. Had she returned to the wrong time? That would make sense. When she had found out who Barry was, she had changed all the frequency the Justice League used and all the codes. Just in case he found a way to use them.
"It's 2018," Stargirl was the one to answer, standing next to Mari. "And I'm going to Clark's original question: Are you okay?"
"You should be more concerned with the time then the year," a new voice said and from the opposite side of Watchtower came, Batman along with his others. "Are you aware of what time it is?" Rae didn't answer; not just because she didn't know, but because she was too stunned. Looking around, everyone from her former League started to fill into the meeting room from other parts of Watchtower. Rae did a check list in her head: Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, Captain Marvel, the Hawks, Mari, Helena and her sister Paula, Nate, Zatara, both halves of Firestorm – Martin and Ronnie, Loraine Reilly otherwise known as Firehawk, Mon-El, Red Tornado, Clark, Diana, Oliver, Thea, Roy, Stargirl, all three former Green Lantern – Alan, John, and Hal. J'onn J'onnz and Aquaman, Constantine, and Crystal. They were all here. Alive.
Bruce rounded on her though at her silence. "Flash, I am the leader of the Justice League. When I tell you to be here at a certain time you come here, no matter your feelings towards me unless you want to quit…"
"Leave her alone," Clark finally said.
"The fastest woman alive has to learn to be…" Bruce continued, but was cut off by Clark.
"I said leave her alone," Clark said, coming up between Rae and Bruce and giving Bruce a light push. "She has clearly been out there doing her job, protecting people. And she's getting married the day after tomorrow. She should be getting ready, not here or out and about."
"Wait, what?" Rae asked. She had been so stunned into silence, so overwhelmed, she had not been able to say anything, but those words caught her attention. She was getting married!? But to whom?
She was ignored though as Bruce and Clark continued. "When I give an order I expect people to follow it. I said everyone here at this time," Bruce said. "I don't care what's going on in someone's personal life."
"Clearly you don't care about any of us," Clark said. "And some leader you are. A leader doesn't have a right to rule. The people following give them that right, because they trust that leader to make the right decision. And in return, the leader does his best to do what's right for everyone. He thinks of the people following him. But all you think about is yourself."
"Unless there's a big change, I am still leader here," Bruce said, the two arguing but it was too much for Rae. Clark and Bruce were friends from her memories. They never fought like this – and she could see people going behind Clark and Bruce, sides silently being formed. It was too much for her. Rae lowered her goggles, put back on her helmet, and opened a zap tunnel, leaving.
"This is exactly why I called this meeting. This tear in our League that's forming needs to be worked out. For the safety of the world," Bruce said.
"Whose fault is this tear? You're the one who nearly killed me for no reason!" Clark yelled.
"You think they realized the Flash is not here anymore?" Thea asked Mari who shrugged.
"Boys," Diana said, getting between them. "While you know my feelings on what Bruce did." Diana gave Bruce a nasty look at that point, clearly on Clark's side. "At this moment this fight is pointless since the Flash is gone." Diana pointed at where Rae had previously been standing. "And unless you…" Diana turned to look at Bruce, "want to go chasing after the fastest woman alive, I suggest we leave this be. Other people have places to be and we are clearly not working this out tonight. I say we all leave."
"I agree," Clark said.
"We still need to…" Bruce started.
"I am second in command still and Clark is third," Diana pointed out. "We can overrule you if we agree."
"Those are the rules, Bruce," Red Tornado commented to Batman.
"All these meetings do is lead to fighting," Diana pointed out. "Unless the Earth is in danger, I don't think the full League should be meeting."
"I agree. The Justice League is emergency bases only," Clark said, folding his arm. "And several of us have a wedding to attend the day after tomorrow, so I think it's time to go." Clark turned to Crystal. "Are you okay? I know tomorrow is…"
"Yeah," Crystal said, waving it off. "But I should get home." And with that, League members started to leave Watchtower. Bruce was not impressed, however.
-New Justice-
Rae had gone back to Central-National and ran the city for a moment before running through the door of her Aunt and Uncle's house. Pausing for a minute and looking around, she saw their wedding picture on the wall. So it was the right house. She was not in the wrong place.
Taking deep breaths, Rae paced the floor. "I went to the past and come back… and my former League is alive…. What did I do?" Rae mumbled, not sure how her fight with Savitar in the past could have cause this. It was as she was pacing she paused and saw the photo on the shelf.
She took it down, looking at it. It was the same photo Ryan and Richie had broken this morning, only it was different. Still at the same beach. Still with Henry's arms around her and Nora had her arms around Henry. But Barry was not in it.
"Where's Barry?" Rae asked, putting the photo back and taking out the computer, looking up her cousin.
A quick search answered all her questions…
According to the article she found, two speedsters appeared in Barry's school field, fighting. One of the speedster had exploded and his fragmented suit had turned into a weapon, hitting into people. There were many injuries, but only one casualty. 11-year-old Bartholomew Henry Allen, commonly known as Barry, had been killed. He had been standing the closest. His small body got multiple pieces of the suit thrown into him. He had died in minutes and the other speedster had disappeared, not to be seen again.
"Okay. Barry dies at 11…" Rae's breath was caught at that revelation – despite everything he had done to her, he was still the cousin she loved, the cousin she had admired… the cousin she had killed. Twice now, it seemed. But she couldn't interreact with the past, even to help the injured. She had left this for the Justice League. The League who were now alive because of her. "He never becomes the Reverse Flash," she continued her monologue, "so never kills the Justice League… creating a new timeline. His death was some sort of… of… Flashpoint." The word just came to her, but it felt right for this situation. "So, when I ran back to my time, I ran back to this changed future," Rae said, noticing her hand shaking as she took off her helmet and her goggles, placing the goggles on the side of the couch but keeping a hand on her helmet. "This future where my old League is alive but fighting with each other." It felt wrong. The Justice League at odds with each other. It felt so foreign, so bad.
"What happened to Rip Hunter's fixed point?" She remembered Rip Hunter telling her the League dying was a fixed point; it was always going to happen.
Then another thought came to her. "Did Clark say I was getting married. To who?"
Rae ran around the house at super speed before she finally found a version of the invite. She had hoped her aunt and uncle would keep one. "Henry and Nora Allen invite you to the wedding of their daughter Rachel Joan Garrick to Fran…" Rae paused, her chest seeming to get tight. "Francisco Paco Ramon." Rae finally finished.
Her hand was shaking so badly the invite fell to the floor. She dropped to her knees, putting one hand on her helmet, now on the couch, the other on her necklace, and taking deep breaths. Rae had never had a panic attack before. She didn't know what they felt like, but she had a feeling this was it. It was all too much. The old League alive and fighting with each other and she had no idea where her new League was… and now she was engaged to Frankie. It was all too much for her. Tears appeared in her eyes. She wanted to break down and cry.
That was when she heard a noise and the door opened. She wiped the tears from her eyes and took her helmet close to her. Taking a deep breath, she had to look normal for her Aunt and Uncle. She had to hide behind her walls – the walls that Kara had affectively torn down a while ago. She had to rebuild them in that moment, that instant.
"Rae?" Nora said seeing her there. "What a pleasant surprise. I thought you were going to be here tomorrow morning for that day of beauty Iris has planned."
"Um…" Rae said, not sure how to answer that. "I kind of figured I could spend the night here. If that's okay with you two?"
"Always," Henry said. "And hey, you got a new suit. It looks nice."
"Thanks," Rae said rolling her eyes slightly.
"Well, we were just going to make dinner," Nora said. "I always make enough."
"I'm… not hungry," Rae said, surprising the couple. "I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed. Night Uncle Henry, Aunt Nora."
"When did you start calling us Aunt and Uncle again?" Henry asked as Rae went to the steps but paused.
"I'm sorry?" Rae asked confused. She had always called the two Aunt and Uncle.
"You've been calling us mom and dad since you were like six," Henry said and Rae paused. It was quick math. Barry died when he was 11. She was 6 at the time. She must have changed to comfort the two.
"Of course," Rae said. "Sorry… it's been a long day. Night." Rae ran up the stairs at super speed before the two could comment.
Her bedroom was different. It was bare and not lived in; like it was when she had broken up with Frankie and moved back in. Just a place where all her old stuff was stored. Rae laid down on the bed and cried.
Normally when she was upset she would have Kara there with her; her arms around her or her puppy Clark snuggled up next to her. Now though she didn't have them, and even if she ran to the sanctuary, they would not know her.
The only comfort she had was her father's helmet.
"Dad," Rae whispered to it, almost expecting an answer. "What have I done? If I go back and fix it, my old League is dead, and if I don't… I am alone here, in this future I don't know. How would I even fix it. What do I do?" Rae didn't know how to fix this, even if she wanted to. Rae cried so long she finally cried herself to sleep.
-New Justice-
The next morning Rae went downstairs to see the entire West family in their living room, eating breakfast. "There's the bride," Iris said, and Rae groaned. It had not been a bad dream. She had been hoping ever since she woke up.
Julia was sitting on the couch, playing with the goggles Rae had left there the night before. Turning them in her hands. "These are cool," Julia said. "You going to dress up as the Flash or something?"
"Put them down," Rae mumbled, grabbing a bagel.
"Nice necklace," Iris said, seeing the necklace on Rae. "Gift from Frankie?" Rae didn't answer as she put her hand on the necklace and hid it under her pajama top. She took a bite of her bagel. "Okay." Iris said seeing she was not getting an answer. "Are you sure Diana and Thea can't join?" This made Rae blink. How did Iris know them? "Your maid of honor and other bridesmaid should be here."
"They're busy," Rae said as Iris unknowingly explained how she knew them. "And you really don't have to do this."
"Oh, I expect you to do the same thing for me," Iris said. "I can't believe we're both getting married so close."
"We should have saved money and made it a double wedding," Joe commented and Henry laughed as Francine slapped him.
"Maybe I'll have a date before your wedding," Wally commented. He was sitting next to Walter on the couch.
"What about Tally?" Rae asked.
"Who?" Wally replied.
"Must be thinking of someone else," Rae said, wondering how Barry dying at 11 changed that. That was when the TV caught her eyes. "Uncle Henry, turn that up." Henry and Nora gave her a looked, but Henry turned up the volume.
"The funeral for meta human doctor Caitlin Snow seemed to have gotten heated up at the graveyard where a group protesting a meta human being buried there have blocked…" the news reporter was saying.
"What hypocrites," Joe said clearly angry. "Bet the same people love the Flash. A meta human trying to do…"
Before Joe could finish Rae had run off at super speed and Francine screamed. Rae returned in her Flash outfit, her helmet under her arm, not even thinking the West did not know in this timeline. "Don't play with my stuff, Plus," Rae said, grabbing the goggles from Julia and putting them on. She put her helmet on her head and ran out through the door.
"Rae!" Nora yelled stunned.
"She's the Flash," Iris said.
"That is awesome," Wally commented, looking at where Rae had just been.
"Did she get a new outfit?" Walter asked.
"What did she call me?" Julia asked confused.
"When did she start calling you Uncle Henry?" Joe asked, making the other West turn to him.
"You just find out Rae is the Flash and that's your question?" Francine asked confused.
"Rae being the Flash makes sense," Joe said. "Her suddenly calling Henry her uncle instead of dad does not."
-New Justice-
At the graveyard Crystal was getting out of her limo wearing black. She used to wear a wig and make up to cover her icy meta self, but long-since the League had given her a hologram necklace to wear in place. She saw the anti-meta human protesters being kept back – she also saw the apple heading right for her.
But it never hit.
There was a flash of light and standing in front of her holding the apple was the Flash in her new outfit.
"Who threw that?" The Flash called. Rae was vibrating her vocal cords as she yelled, and it made her sound scary. Crystal could see she was angry. She almost scared Crystal with the way she was glaring and she wasn't even looking at Crystal.
The protestors easily turned on one of their own, moving back and pointing. The man had a bag of apples with him. Rae threw the apple at super speed, it landed right in front of the man feet, exploding up in front of him. "Care to throw another one?" Rae asked moving up, the man clearly terrified.
"But… she was… a meta human… she shouldn't…" the man stumbled.
"I'm a meta human. Want to throw one at me?" Rae asked, getting close to him.
"But… you're different. You're a hero," the man tried to explain.
"And she was a doctor and that's her grieving family. Leave, now!" Rae snarled at him, stepping back as the terrified man ran for a car. "All of you leave!" Rae yelled. "If any of you are not gone in five seconds I will run you across the country and you can find your own way home. One." Rae held up a finger and the protestors all started to run to cars, no one daring to defy an angry Flash.
Rae turned to Crystal and her family; the sister Daphne, she recognized, and a man and woman she assumed were parents. "My condolences," Rae said, holding out her hand to Crystal's father, who took it. "May I join you?"
"Of course. In here," he said and Re followed them into a little mausoleum. One of the coffin holes was opened, waiting. A priest said a few words and then Crystal's dad asked him to leave them. Rae was with the family, but all she could do was stare at the coffin and remember Caitlin. To her, she had been alive yesterday, had helped trace Savitar yesterday. This was so wrong. Her Wild Fire was dead.
"Rae?" Crystal said putting a hand on Rae. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."
"I did," Rae said, trying to hold back her own confused tears. She liked Caitlin. Caitlin had saved her life recently in her memories.
"This is my dad Charles. My step mother Sophie, and my sister Daphne," Crystal introduced them. Rae gave them a nod.
"What exactly happened?" Rae asked, putting a hand on Caitlin's coffin now. She had to find out. She had to know.
"Her boss found out she was a meta human and fired her. I tried to get her not to fight it, but she did. She revealed herself and the way people reacted… no one wanted her to be their doctor. She was put through a lot of strain and public humiliation. It was too much. She killed herself," Crystal tried to be brave as she said that, but tears appearing in her eyes. Her father put an arm around her.
Rae paused, remembering when Caitlin had told her. She had convinced Caitlin not to do it, but Caitlin had something else then – she had been a hero. Here though, Caitlin never became a hero because Crystal was still here. Caitlin Snow had killed herself because the Reverse Flash had not killed Crystal.
"I'm sorry," was all Rae could say, stepping back she felt even more hollow inside. She had felt like she was missing something since she got here but finding out what happened to Caitlin made that hole grow. She felt wrong. She did not belong here right now. "I should go…"
"Rae, I will be at your wedding tomorrow," Crystal said before Rae could run. "I know I said I might not but I could use some happiness."
"Yeah of course," Rae said, nodding, barely even hearing it as she ran off. She had to find out what happened to the rest of her League in this terrible, alternative Flashpoint timeline.
TO BE CONTINUED ON THURSDAY
Post Chapter Note: well I hope you like the start of my Flashpoint. The next chapter will be on Thursday. Where you will see more of this new timeline Rae created.
Karry Master OUT!