Sorry for the very late update. I'll be updating at least once or twice a week now that the story is nearly finished. However, I may continue it as a sequel…either in a separate story or as a Part II of this one.
Resurrecting the Red
Chapter 25: The Return
Kara Kent stared at Galatea, rooted to the spot. The smell of fear drifted over from the unfortunate technician who was currently being held hostage by her clone. Kara could hear his heart beating furiously in his chest as the young man attempted to remain calm.
"Let him go," Superwoman warned darkly, her green eyes narrowing into catlike slits. Her clone only laughed in reply as she ever so nonchalantly broke the young man's arm. To his credit the young technician didn't scream, but his face still contorted in pain. Kara's eyes glowed a dangerous red but still she held herself back. Galatea would kill the young man the instant she made a move.
"Oh my, I believe this is what people call a stand off," Galatea smirked. Kara's fists tightened in reply as she considered her options. She had to move fast, whatever she….
It was as if a bomb had exploded inside the hangar bay they were currently fighting in. A sonic boom reverberated off the walls, causing Kara to wince in pain from the noise. Another sonic boom blasted through the hangar and it was only then that Kara realized that Galatea was being pummeled like a rag doll.
Who…
"David!" She gasped. The speed force! Surely he wasn't….?
The nearby wall cracked from the friction of the scarlet speedster as he raced back at Galatea. Fortunately, from what Superwoman could see, David had already moved the young technician to safer ground. The air around the Galatea and David seemed to bend like a mirror. Kara's stomach churned suddenly as she recognized what was happening.
"FLASH!" she screamed. Kara hurled herself forward as the speed force opened up and sucked her clone and the teenager into it.
Kara Kent desperately thrust her hand forward before mass of swirling air could close completely.
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David stared around him, memorized. Beautiful, bright lights streamed past him like fireworks and shooting stars. If it wasn't for the sudden weight on his left arm, anchoring him down, the teenager may have been pulled away into the swirling stream of lights.
"Where am I?" he questioned, but he somehow knew the answer.
"You're in the speed force," another voice answered. A red blur briefly materialized into the shape of another Flash.
"It's beautiful," David breathed. "I don't want to leave…" Just like water, it was flowing….flowing…and David Kae so badly wanted to swim with it. He reached his hand out towards the flowing lights as the other Flash's body shimmered like mercury. David only faintly registered a female voice shouting his name as the pressure on his arm weakened.
David reached his arm out.
A blonde figure in white materialized to the right of him and lunged at the teenager. David, too enchanted by this strange world, would have been hit by the flying Galatea if not for the other Flash.
David snapped back to reality. He suddenly recognized the danger as he finally understood what Bruce had been trying to warn him about. The other Flash, Wally West, still had a grip on the much younger man.
"Grandpa…we have to get out of here," David said. As his grandfather looked at him in puzzlement, the teenager wondered if the older man even comprehended. After more than two decades inside the speed force, Wally West may have become too merged with the mysterious energy source.
He turned his head to search for Galatea, but found that he no longer had to worry about another attack. The woman seemed to float some distance off, staring at the streaming lights. The young Flash saw her reach her hands out to the swirling energy and knew that she, like him only seconds ago, was now enchanted by the beauty of this strange place.
David grunted as he felt the pressure increase on his arm as he heard another female voice call out his name. He felt himself slowly pulling forward. Stiffening his resolve, the young man locked his other arm around his grandfather in a near death grip.
"Where're we going?" the older man asked.
"Home," David answered.
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"Pull!" Kara ordered, gritting her teeth. Donna Troy grimaced as she latched on to the younger woman's arm and pulled. The moment Bruce had realized what had happened, he'd had J'onn warn anyone who could get there quickly to help. The transporters were still offline, but Superman, Green Lantern, Donna, Warhawk, J'onn and Shayera had returned as quickly as possible.
Chameleon had been placed under heavy guard once more while the rest of the Injustice League was rounded up. Diana had taken great pleasure in finally knocking 'some sense' into Jon-El and was currently standing guard with the help of Red Tornado and Dr. Fate. However, it was all the Amazon could do not to come charging in to help David.
Only Luthor yet remained at large. J'onn and Bruce were currently in the control room as they coordinated a search team for the missing woman.
Clark and Shayera soon joined the other two women as they began to pull. Little by little, a red arm began to emerge from the swirling mass of air.
"Harder…than….last time…." Clark grunted, referring to the first time Wally had fallen into the speed force. The weight seemed greater this time.
The four heroes continued to pull as they were soon joined by Warhawk. Rex Stewart grabbed his mother's hand and pulled until his body was covered with sweat, his face darkening from the heavy strain.
Suddenly, there was a loud pop as not one, but two red figures flew out of the hole. The speed force immediately closed up, but the force of the extraction caused everyone to go tumbling away. David crashed headlong into Clark and Donna and lay in a stunned heap on the floor.
The other figure, still tumbling at superspeed, crashed through two bulkheads before skidding to a halt in a nearly empty, but heavily damaged corridor. The other figure came to a rest with his legs and rear end sticking comically up in the air.
Another crash deepened the already fierce migraine in the older Flash as Wonder Woman burst through a wall. Intending to see what had just damaged nearly a whole level of the Watchtower, Diana froze when she saw the red garbed figure in the corridor.
"David?" she asked, uncertain. The other figure groaned and the Amazon's eyes widened. Not David…not David at all…
"I feel like I'm gonna puke," Wally West moaned loudly, rolling over onto his side. He blinked his eyes to clear away the clouded vision just in time to see an upside down red and blue figure descending upon him, arms stretched wide.
"OW OW OW!!" Wally screamed. "Diaaanaaaaa! I can't BREATHE!!!"
Diana only lessened her grip slightly as she pulled the younger man into a tearful hug.
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Barbara Gordon was in her element as she coordinated her SWAT teams and police officers with the Bludhaven's police department. Amanda Waller was currently speaking to the head of the FBI as she prepared to have the local National Guard unit mobilized. However, as much as Barbara wanted Luthor quickly captured, a small stubborn part of herself resisted any help from Waller. The pride of the Gotham PD was at stake and Gordon would like nothing better than to one up Amanda Waller.
Luthor was believed to be in the area and the police commissioner was not about to let the crafty red headed woman slip through her fingers, regardless of her sudden rivalry with Waller. If Barbara had to work with the woman, then she would.
Although she was irritated to find out that Terry had disobeyed her orders.
"I thought I told you to go home," Barbara snapped into her cell phone. It hadn't taken her long to realize that a pointy eared shadow was also searching for any trace of Alexandra Luthor. She had enough to deal with right now; the police commissioner didn't want an angry and hysterical Mary McGinnis pounding on her door, demanding to know where her oldest child was.
"What do you expect me to do? Sit at home while she's in my city!?" Terry snapped back, equally irritable. Dick had made the mistake a few hours ago of telling Barbara that she and Terry had the same short temper. Barbara had chewed his ass for it.
"It's my city too, McGinnis!" Barbara yelled.
"What would you do if you were in my place," Terry replied sharply. That caused Barbara to pause. Thinking back to a certain young woman in a batsuit, Barbara Gordon finally sighed, but a faint smirk played at her lips.
"I'd give Luthor hell," Barbara finally quipped. She could easily visualize the 'I told you so' grin on Terry's face. Unwilling to give in Barbara finally added, "Fine McGinnis, but your mother isn't my problem anymore. You can tell her why you're not at home."
With silent laugh, Barbara also easily imagined the sudden look of horror on the young man's face as she clicked off the cell phone.
She had no idea what Dick had been talking about. Terry and Bruce were the ones that shared many similar personality quirks.
She and Terry weren't alike at all.