November 13th, 2011. 16:26
"I can do this all day" I wheesh, glaring at the second in command, who in turn was glaring at the crippled alien before him. The last remaining alien he still had, one wing ripped off completely and leaving him paralysed on the right side.
"You are tired" The second in command glares and I just shrug.
"Kinda happens when-" But I didn't have time to finish that sentence as the alien suddenly charged at me. I was just fast enough to avoid a collision head on but I was struck in the shoulder, sending me to the ground. I cry out, more out of surprise than pain as blood flies through the air.
I grumble almost, the wound on my shoulder oozing once again.
"I will finish you, for my king" The alien roars, charging at me again but I dodge it, kicking him in the face and staggering to my feet again.
"I don't think so" I mutter, glaring before speeding off. The alien roars as I circle him, trying to hit me but before he can do so, the vortex I was creating ripped him back to the centre, tossing him around and levetating him up. I stray from the path, running straight at the building before rushing at him again.
He was still in the air, twisting towards me as I crash into him. The alien hits the wall hard, me burying him into it. His eyes widen, but his arm flies out, hitting me in the head. I crumble to the ground, just as the alien did. But unlike me, he didn't get up. His wing, the one I thought to be indestructible, ripped.
I look up, staring at the beam that had pierced the wing and I let out a breath, sinking to the ground. It was over, no more aliens. I let out a shuddering breath, body buzzing from exhaustion and pain. I don't how long it has been before I hear another voice.
"Flash?" Someone asks softly but I don't look around, too busy to get myself to stop vibrating on the spot. "Are you alright?" Only then do I nod slowly, trying to climb to my feet. I stumble a few times before I feel someone sneak an arm around me. I flinch heavily and the person immediately releases me, sending me crashing to the ground again.
"Auw" I groan, looking up to see a woman standing there with a guilty look on her face, hesitantly holding out an arm. I smile slightly, accepting her help and getting up. She watched me with concerned eyes as I steadied myself but I smiled slightly, carefully taking my hand back.
"You're- you were Kid Flash right?" She asks softly and I nod slowly. "Thank you for saving us" She breathes out as her expression softens. I look around, seeing a few dozen civilians standing there. I could see blood, wounds and some holding others up, helping each other. But despite the situation, I smile.
Not because I had protected them, but because I had stopped it.
"The doom" I murmur, looking at the beam that was still projecting the impenetrable shield. I walk over to the middle, struggling slightly but eventually I reach it, ripping it from the ground and turning it off. I sink to the ground, sitting down with my knees lazily drawn to my chest and resting my forearms on them.
"Black Canary?" I ask in a low voice, ignoring the civilians that were circling around me. "The shield is gone" I breathe out.
"Are you alright?" came the immediate answer and I look up at a few civilians.
"I guess" I mutter, swallowing thickly. A woman brushes past the crowd, a bag in her hands. My eyes widen slightly but I immediately try to hide it as Iris kneels down next to me.
"Does someone have a cloth or something?" She calls out and immediately another woman responds, walking over to me as well and handing her scarf. Iris turns back to me, just looking at me before grabbing her bag and taking out a water bottle, something she always carried with her.
How she had found her bag again, I had no idea, but right now I didn't complain.
She took the scarf from the woman, who was looking at me with the same concern. Everyone around me was. She puts water on the scarf, putting it on the exposed parts of my face, wiping away the blood from my wounds. I stiffen a hiss, numbly staring at her as she continued to wipe away the blood.
"Your hair is sticking out" Iris whispers, refraining herself from being too worried outwards. The audience didn't know she was my aunt, my mom, and we couldn't give that away. So for now she had to play the concerned civilian. I don't really react, slowly bringing my hand to my cowl and feeling it had shifted slightly.
I wasn't too worried, figuring she would be if it was showing too much of my face.
"Can we do something for you Flash?" Another man asks, approaching me with a hesitant and concerned gaze. I look up, seeing him with a child in his arms and my face softens. I shake my head, planting my hand on the ground and raising myself up.
"Find the other civilians, stick together until the league arrives" I tell them, and the man nods, walking away and signing some other to follows. "You two should take cover as well" I tell the two women, including my aunt. Iris seems pissed that I tell her to go but I just stare at her before she nods, walking away with the woman.
I look up to the sky, clear and no doom in sight again, and I slowly bring my hand to the comm again.
"Dinah?" I whisper.
"Almost here Flash" Dinah responds and I nod numbly, refraining myself from falling down again. I was just feeling numb, pain raging through my body but I tried to ignore it. True to her word, it was moments before I could see Dinah race over to me, she didn't hesitate and wrapped her arms around me.
"Thank god you're okay" I snort in her hug at the statement but didn't protest. I was alive, that's all that matters. She quickly pulls out of the hug, eyes roaming over my body. "We need to get you to the watchtower" She voices but I shake my head, taking a shaky step backwards.
Dinah seems confused, on edge at my strange reaction.
"They have Uncle Barry" I whisper but Dinah's frown only worsens.
"Wally.. he died" Dinah tries but I shake my head again furiously.
"No.. I heard them talking, they took him so Central wouldn't have someone to protect"
"You heard them?" Dinah ask slowly and I nod, a hopeful expression on my face, and for a split-second I could see one on Dinah's face as well, but only for a moment. It disappeared almost instantly, too fast for the naked eye to see probably.
"They have a secret base of operations on Thanar, they are probably keeping him-" I stop myself suddenly, realisation dawning on me. "The league, they're still on Thanar. We have to warn them" I cry out, taking a step forwards but Dinah holds me back with a surprising amount of strength.
Any other day I would've just ran off, but right now, I don't even think I could walk confidently enough for her to let me go home alone. So I didn't even try.
"We will contact them okay? But first you need to get to the watchtower. The team is close, we notified them as soon as the Dominions attacked" I nod numbly, staggering a bit. Dinah seems to notice my exhaustion, slowly lowering me to the ground until I was sitting down. She sat down next to me and without really thinking about it, I put my head on her shoulder.
She doesn't object, putting an arm around me without hesitation and bringing me closer.
I close my eyes, not quite dozing off but zoning out the moment my vision went black.
November 13th, 2011. 17:03
"Wa- Flash!" I could hear a voice cry out and I could just blink my eyes open before a figure wrapped its arms around me.
"Robin?" I exclaim in a weak voice, craning my neck to look at the rest of the team approaching me. Roy had tackled me before I could even spot the rest of the team, but soon Artemis, Conner, M'gann and Kaldur came into focus as well, worried gazes on their faces as they approached me.
Kaldur glanced at Dinah, as the other members of the team were already crowding around me.
"You idiot" Artemis mumbled, joining the hug as well and placing a hand on my cheek. I smile lazily, as a way to assure her it was okay. Of course, it really wasn't, but at the same time I wasn't really worried anymore.
"I can call the bioship if you want Flash" M'gann offered with worried voice, doubting whether to join the hug and potentially hurt me. Not like I was worried about that right now. I smiled at her request, nodding slowly. she nods as well, turning around for a second, probably to call the bioship.
It was a few seconds later before I can feel something press against my mind, a gentle knocking that I became familiar with over the past year.
"Wally, are you okay?" M'gann asks, and for a second I don't respond, slightly confused whether the rest was in on the conversation until I saw everyone looking at me, except for Dinah.
"Barry… they captured Barry" I try to communicate, but of course it was met by weird glances. M'gann flies forwards to me, putting a hand on my shoulder with a morbid look on her face.
"Wally.. he died remember?" She asks softly and I can feel Robin's hand sneak towards mine, squeezing it gently.
"We need to patch you up first" Roy interrupted, and for once I nod in defeat, allowing Superboy to pick me and carry me to the bioship.
"The other members will come to Central to clean everything up and get all the civilians the care they need, no need to worry" Dinah says as we walk the short distance towards the bioship. She eyes at me, with a gaze that says enough, she knows we're telephatically linked.
After all, it has happened numerous times over the past year. We became familiar with talking to each other through the mental link, and we became familiar with each other. So everyone who had visited the team knew it was a possibility that we'd talk like this, just the 7 of us.
I close my eyes for a moment, not opening it before we arrived in the watchtower.
November 13th, 2011. 18:23
"You have to believe me Dick, I heard them" Was the first thing that I uttered as my best friend walked through the door. Dick looks at me with a confused expression, but also a worried one as he walked up to me. His eyes were only focused on me, or more importantly, the injuries I had acquired.
Numerous stitches on my left arm, my right arm fully bandaged and treated, and numerous other cuts, bruises and scrapes that would disappear within a day. I could feel my ribs already healing itself from the kicks delivered at the beginning of the little invasion. Not broken or cracked luckily but just bruised.
"They could've lied Wally" Dick says softly as he sits down next to me, but I shake my head.
"They weren't Dick, they were surprised the Flash was there"
Dick frowns. "They have scouts all over other planets, communication isn't that hard to come by in space. They knew the Flash die-"
"I'm sure Dick, they said he couldn't be here, I couldn't be here because the Flash was gone" I interrupt him. "They wouldn't be so sure if they had heard that he was killed" Dick falls silent, turning his head away from me He seemed to think for a moment, completely shutting me out for a moment.
"So what do you want to do?" He asks and I can feel a slight spark of hope fill me.
"Dinah said there's no way to contact to league so…" Dick's eyes widen at the implication, already knowing what I was going to say before I even did so. We knew each other too well, and knew each other's stubbornness too well not to know what the other one was about to say at any given moment.
But yet, Dick didn't seem that negative of the plan.
"You want to visit Thanar yourself, Wally look at you, you're injured!" Dick protested, and I grimace slightly. Or not.
"I'll be healed the moment we get there. I have to do this. If Barry is really on Thanar, if they're really keeping him there, I have to go there. he would do the same thing for me, he has done the same thing for me 5 years ago."
"I don't believe it but I trust you Wally, how will you convince the rest?" Dick whispers and I look up, shrugging.
"I was hoping you could do some hacking, and the team could come" I ask with a cocky grin on my face.
"Hack into the zetatubes, you know Batman encrypted those himself. Do you have any idea how difficult-" He stops himself as I keep looking at him, sighing. "Have the team meet here in half an hour"
"You're the best" I grin, nudging his shoulder but hissing as pain flared up in my burned arm.
"Idiot" He mutters, standing up and walking out of the room.
November 13th, 2011. 18:56
"That's all?" Dick, or Robin, cackles without taking his eyes of the zetatube in front of him. I roll my eyes, approaching him and looking at him work his magic.
"Kaldur was already gone with Mera, couldn't call him back without raising too much suspicion. Conner was talking with Dinah, and you know I'm a shitty liar" I speak up and Dick looks down for a second, before he retracts his hands, putting the metal back so it wouldn't look like something was wrong with it.
Not like every member of the league would immediately know they had travelled with the zeta tube, and would be able to see we travelled of worlds.
"We're not enough?" Roy teases and Dick grins as well, standing up and popping his back before looking at M'gann.
"You can't come, can you?" He asks and she shakes her head.
"It's not bad, but Thanar is warm and I can't protect myself against it like my uncle" She says with a guilty look on her face. "Wally said it was like the babies here, they can't handle the heat the way adults can" She continues and Dick nods, I just grin.
"You're not a baby, babe" I laugh, zipping over to her and M'gann smiled, wrapping her arms around me lightly for a split-second.
"I wish I could come Wally, be safe" She tells me and I nod, flashing her a smile.
"Don't feel guilty about not going" I whisper, taking a step back. I can feel Artemis tucking at my arm and I flash, pun not intended, her a smile.
"You should go now, someone is coming" M'gann warns and I nod, looking at Dick instead. All 4 of us were in costume already, and all ready to go. Without saying much more, we all stepped into the Zetatube. Immediately the feeling of being transported washed over me and before I knew it, we arrived at the planet.
It looked like a wasteland, but what else did I expect really? We knew about most planets, we were supposed to know because we were expected to join the league one day. Although, if our mentors had any say in it, that would never happen. At least Rocket and Zatanna made it into the league already.
And yet, Zatanna's father wasn't really there anymore, and Rocket didn't have the same father-mentor relationship with Icon.
"So where to?" Artemis asks, looking at Robin. The latter held up his wrist, displaying the map of Thanar.
"We should find the League first" He states, pointing at the few dots that were clustered up in one area, safe for a few exceptions.
"That's the planet building" I mutter, looking over Robin's shoulder. The planet building was like the watchtower of earth, albeit accessible for basically everyone. It was a place to settle disputes and where every leader of the planet lived and negotiated, but it also acted like a prison at the same time.
"But why are they all in one place?" Roy asks.
November 13th, 2011. 19:12
"Consider yourself lucky the war is over" Superman was the first to react, having already heard us four approach. He stood just a few steps away from the door the teens had just walked through, effectively blocking us from the rest of the room. Robin rolls his eyes behind his mask.
"If it wasn't Batman would've warned us" He says and for a moment Superman is confused before realisation dawns down on him. He shakes his head, muttering something about paranoid bats and steps aside. Only Artemis seems to be lost still, not understanding that Batman had noticed our arrival on Thanar immediately.
If it had not been safe, batman would've intervened.
"What are you doing here?" Diana interrupted the silence, taking a step forwards. I glance around the room, nobody seemed to be concerned about us as far as I could sense, which could only mean one thing, they didn't know about the invasion.
"I was right, that's what happened" I mutter, but it was enough to understand.
"They invaded Central?" Hal cries out and I frown.
"You knew?" I ask but Hal shakes his head.
"Not the invasion, but I did know about the treasure in Central" Hal answers but the frown stays on my face. "Barry agreed to guard it all those years ago. I gave it to him because I knew and trusted him, and they wouldn't expect me not to leave it with Superman. Guess I was wrong" Hal mutters, leaning on the table behind him.
The rest of the league, and surprisingly they were the only ones in the room, stays quiet. They were obviously worried, but me standing here could only mean one thing, I survived, and defeated them. That earth wasn't in danger at this moment.
"What is the treasure?" I ask and Hal sighs.
"A power stone, only able to be used by a certain bloodline. The one using it will get enhanced powers, that he will be able to pass onto his followers temporarily. They wanted to use it to win the war"
"And lemme guess, the king has the right bloodline" I mutter and Hal nods.
"He's the last line, he and his son are the only one with the treasure blood" Hal explains and I scoff.
"He won't be able to use it though" I state and Hal seems confused for a moment. "He invaded Central with 11 others, he's paralysed right now" I explain to Hal, who, despite everything, seemed really proud of me.
"I don't think the reason you came here was to gloat wasn't it?" Batman interrupts and I shake my head, glancing back at the others for a few seconds. Robin nods at me and I swallow.
"When I was fighting them, they seemed surprised Central had a Flash" I took another deep breath, knowing the reaction I would get. "They captured Barry, he's not dead… I think" I add softly, but I don't think the ones without super hearing heard the last two words. The League flinched outwards and I fidgeted slightly on the spot.
"Kiddo" Aquaman started softly. "Whatever they told you.. or whatever you thought you heard-"
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but I know what I heard" I frown stubbornly. The 7 members of the league all looked at each other, and a silence ensued. Still, their expressions kept changing, which meant one thing, they were talking to each other through J'onn. I frown slightly, waiting.
"Even if you are right Wallace" J'onn spoke up. "Why would they be keeping him on Thanar?" He questions.
"Because they don't have a prison that could contain Barry, Thanar has"
"Their base of operations" Superman interrupts, glancing at Batman, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"It could be possible. The traitors were in the South planet building. They had it for months, possibly years" Batman spoke up and I nod numbly.
"Did anyone check it yet?" Roy said but Hal shook his head.
"They're still rounding up Dominions right now, there are a couple left. We were planning on going back home after negotiations, not help them clear out the base. But it seems plans have changed" Hal says, walking over to me. "I assure you kid, I'm still sceptical but if Barry is in there, we will find him."