She was different. She didn't know why, she didn't know how, she just knew that she was.
It probably didn't seem like a big deal to him. Saving her life. He was Kid Flash. He was a hero. He saved people's lives all the time. But she never forgot it.
She was upset that day. She didn't remember why, just that she was. And because she was upset, she hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing, or where she was going. With her headphones in, she couldn't hear anything either, not really. But she did hear the car horn. It tore through the beats of her music, shocking her into awareness. She had jerked her head up to see the car coming towards her. Had sucked in a shocked breath and closed her eyes. Involuntary responses to sudden, shocking fears.
But that was when there was a blast of air, and strong arms holding her up.
When she had opened her eyes, she saw him. A green eyed red head, in the signature yellow and red suit of Kid Flash. Goggles and all. He put her down carefully on the side of the road.
"Are you okay?" He'd asked. When she nodded, he smiled. "Good. You should be more careful, beautiful." And with a wink, he had disappeared.
"Thank you…" She'd said to the displaced air, head tilting and a look of consideration covering her features.
Once she got home, she grabbed one of her many notebooks. It was one of the plain ones. But she unrolled the case with all her pens in, grabbed the yellow and red, and coloured the front. A yellow background with a red lightning bolt in the middle. She also wrote 'Kid' in red at the top, and then 'Flash' at the bottom. Then she grabbed a biro, opened the notebook and started to write. She didn't stop until gone ten that night. And then she read.
She was different. She didn't know why, she didn't know how, she just knew that she was. And that difference allowed her certain abilities otherwise impossible. One of those skills was documentation. If she focused hard enough, she could document certain events, people or moments. She could also change things that have happened, or alter events that were happening. But that night, all she did was document Kid Flash. She learned his name was Wally West. She learned how he became Kid Flash, what school he went to, which was the same as hers, she amusedly noted, and many other things too.
From that day on, she supported him the best she could, which didn't actually extend much further than helping him at school occasionally. Mainly in English class, which they shared. It wasn't much beyond making sure he either stayed awake, or woke him up before the teacher realised he'd fallen asleep. There was also the odd occasion where she'd get the last pudding if it was his favourite, save it, and then give it to him after, saying she was full. Every little thing helps, and he's the reason she's still alive, so if he thought the kind girl in his English class had a crush on him, or their classmates did anyway, then she'd live with that.
For years she watched over him, making subtle changes where she thought necessary to help him as Kid Flash. When big events happened, she'd lock herself away, and keep track of him, make sure he was safe.
But the biggest event in his life, his sacrifice, his death, was the one time she wasn't able to keep an eye on him. Because her pen ran out of ink half way through. Frustrated, she had hurried home, grabbed another pen, and started up again, going from present tense, to past tense mid sentence. She teared up when she got around to reading back what she had written.
She grabbed her rucksack, emptied her books and worksheets from it, and loaded it with a the yellow and red notebooks she kept about Kid Flash. Picking up a small yellow journalism pad, along with a pen, she put them in her pocket and left the house to head to the nearest Zeta tube.
She stopped in front of the door, an 'Out of Order' sign plastered across it. She pulled out her note book and pen, flipped to a clear page and pulled open the door. She began to write it swung closed behind her.
As the young woman stood, and automated voice rang through the air. "Recognised, The Author – Her pen paused, and she thought about what she should make her designation, pen tapping her lip. J-2-0" She finished writing. There was a glimmer from the pad as the Zeta tube activated.
"Recognised," The automated voice started. "The Author, J-2-0." There was a pause, she frowned in confusion. "Error. Mount Justice no longer operational." She groaned and tipped her head back in annoyance.
For two weeks she kept an eye on the coming and going of everyone from the Watchtower. Her patience finally paid off on July 4th, when the whole Team was summoned.
For the second time, she headed towards the Zeta tube with her rucksack and journalism notepad. For the second time, she opened the door and stepped inside. For the second time, she wrote the words; As the young woman stood, and automated voice rang through the air. "Recognised, The Author – J-2-0" and her pad glimmered. And for the second time, the Zeta tube's automated voice rang out.
"And so, we'll leave you to it." The Black Canary said, the League turning towards the Zeta tube.
"Recognised, The Author – J-2-0"
Everyone watched in shock as the Zeta tube activated, glowing as an unknown woman stepped through.
She paused in front of the League and the Team. "Hello." That single word caused chaos, as everyone went on the defensive, prepared to fight.
"Who are you?" Batman demanded.
"The Author." She smiled awkwardly. No one was amused by the joke. "I can save Kid Flash." She looked towards Bart. "As in Wally, Kid Flash." She corrected.
"Wally's dead!" Artemis growled as she advanced forwards. "How do you even know who he is!?" She demanded angrily.
"He saved my life years ago, and we were in the same English class during sophomore year of high school." She told them. "I also have an ability that let me find this out. And that same ability is what I can use to save him. But I need help."
The hall was momentarily silent.
"I think you should come with me." Batman said, stepping forward and grabbing her arm. "But first, hand over your bag."
She took the bag off her back, and gave it to him. "It's everything I know about Kid Flash, written as if it were a story, hence the title 'The Author'." She told them. "The J-2-0 is for June 20th, which is when Wally died."
She was taken to a separate room, occupied only by herself, Batman and Black Canary. The two League members questioned her, analysing her and determining what her ability was and how it worked.
"Why did you need us to help?" Black Canary asked softly.
"Nothing comes without a cost." She told them. "Sometimes I get nose bleeds for altering events that are happening, sometimes I'll pass out if I change something that happened." She shrugged. "Sometimes I don't." She paused, tilted her head down and looked up at them. "But I've never brought someone back to life, so I don't know how damaging it'll be for me. I live alone, and no one else knows about my ability."
"You wish for us to provide medical treatment after." Batman determined.
"It'd be appreciated, yeah." She grinned hesitantly.
"Well, that seems fair." Black Canary smiled softly. "If you really can bring Wally back, then we'll owe you."
"I'm just returning the favour." She told them. "You guys are all heroes, and we aren't really able to give back or help you. This is my gratitude. I owe him my life, and I have for almost six years now."
Everyone was gathered in the main hall, standing or sitting in various places around her, the desk she sat at, and her pens and notebook. She had a colour system. Black for documenting, blue for altering, and red for changing. There was very little red dotted throughout the notebooks. She opened the most recent notebook to the end, where she had written the death of Kid Flash, and took a deep breath in.
"You ready?" She asked the room as a whole, not really expecting a response. She didn't get one either. She picked up the red pen, and closed her eyes to write, picturing the scene as it happened.
"Just tell them, okay?" Kid Flash smiled sadly.
"Kid!" The Flash yelled, reaching a hand towards him as he dissipated.
He felt floaty. It was dark, he couldn't see anything, but he wasn't gone. He knew he wasn't gone. Not really. He was incorporeal, just scattered dots of colour in the black, gradually orbiting closer to one another as he thought about being alive again. Over and over, the dots floated, orbiting around. Bashing into one another, working together. It went on for what felt like days, eventually pulling together into the vague shape of a running Kid Flash. They would scatter, and then form tighter, only to scatter again. Eventually, they remained together, a ghost of himself, faintly seen. Easily seen through. As he faded from the black, he began to notice things. Walls. A ceiling. The floor. It looked familiar. He should know where he was running, but it'd fade away again before he could recall why. That went on for forever too. But each time, he stayed longer. Slowly recognising it as a hallway. Slowly recognising it as one of the many hallways in the Watchtower.
He didn't know what day it was, didn't know what time it was, he didn't even know how long he'd been gone, if he'd even been gone to begin with, but eventually his body dissipated from the black space he had run though, and rapidly reformed in the hallway. Skidding to a halt, Kid Flash looked around himself. He really was in the Watchtower. With an excited grin, he sped away once more, racing for the main hall. His smile widened as he took in the figures sat and stood throughout the hall. His Team and the League. All in one place.
With a gasp of breath she sat back and put her pen down, just in time for a burst of air to blow her hair forwards as a yellow and red blur came to a stand still in front of them all.
The hall was silent.
The hall erupted into cheers and cries of joy as everyone swarmed the previously dead Wally West, Kid Flash.
Everything around her warped. The sound seemed to be blocked, as if she were underwater. Her vision swam, mixing and blurring images and colours, dotting grey, white and black around the edges. Tunnelling into single points of focus, expanding and fading over and over, before all she could see was a static film of grey, white and black.
Something wet dripped from her nose, a splat of red dropping onto the bottom page of the notebook. She raised a hand and touched her lip. Pulling it away, she saw the same shade of red. A wave of dread washed over her as she slumped forwards, head smacking into the table loudly. The sound cutting through the cheerful reunion. The large group turned towards her. She saw a few of them move forward.
"Get her to the Med-bay, now!" Was called by someone, before everything around her became black and silent.
Her head was throbbing. Beating fast and unsteady, hammering agony in over and over. She groaned, raising a hand to her head with a grimace of pain.
"Hey there!" A quiet voice greeted cheerfully. She grunted softly, too tired to acknowledge the other person properly. A warmth spread from the location the person had wrapped a hand around her wrist, gently pulling her hand down to her side. "I hear you brought me back to life." The voice continued. The voice of Wally West, the original Kid Flash. "Thanks for that." She could hear the smile that was no doubt stretched across his lips.
"You're very welcome." She croaked.
"I remember you, you know?" He told her. She opened her eyes enough to squint at him. "You were really nice to me in high school." He went on. "Sorry I didn't get to know you properly, Destinee." He chuckled quietly. "Your name is really appropriate by the way."
She smiled back at him, happy that she had finally been able to repay him for helping her.