The Lighting Bolt
There have been so many prophesies of how the world will end in human history. But as the centuries wore on, fewer and fewer people truly believed the end would come. This lack of belief was aided considerably by the emergence of superheroes in the last century. After all, when you have the likes of Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, and Superman around, the threat of the apocalypse doesn't seem as viable.
God-like super villains, alien invasions, and even man-made pathogens all struck Earth at one point or another, but the heroes were always able to come out on top. That is until the demon lord Trigon appeared. No one is completely sure where he came from, but there had been legends and myths surrounding his existence for centuries. Even several alien species have heard of Trigon the Terrible.
Many of the world's heroes died in the numerous battles against Trigon's demon army, countless cities had been destroyed, and even the Sun was blotted out. Earth has been a living hell for the last 40 years.
The few remaining heroes still fought, despite how little hope existed in the world, or maybe because of it. Most of the younger heroes have only known the horrors of the present day and consider the tales of old-school heroism just myths, and very few genuinely believe that they can defeat Trigon. They only fight so they can cause as much grief to Trigon as possible. If they're gonna die, they might as well go out swinging.
A hand full of them do genuinely believe they can still make a difference, however. Bart Allen, the Flash's grandson, is one of them. Bart had inherited Berry's speed powers and was determined to use them to make the world better.
The superhuman resistance is led by the two oldest living heroes: Diana the princess of Themyscira (even though the Amazons had all been wiped out by the demons) acted as the trainer for the younger heroes as well as the strategic mind behind all of their missions.
The other is a woman only known as Oracle. No one other than Diana knows who Oracle really is, but even she doesn't refer to her by her real name. Some people aren't even sure if Oracle is a real person or some old computer AI Batman used and Victor, the resident computer genius, upgraded. Who or whatever she is, Oracle has been able to gain useful information on the demons activities, and combined with Diana's strategies, they would developed plans of attack that always ended in success, even if they usually lost a man or two.
Missions like this were always the worst. Not just because it was hard; according to Oracle hard was part of the job description. It's because they almost always lose someone. Even the smallest prisons had insane levels of security. And this was not one of the small prisons. Over 200 acres; almost twenty stories high; and about 7,500 inmates held and tortured on a daily basis. The guards tasked with keeping the inmates inside and any intruders out were innumerable and it would be a miracle if they didn't get Trigon's attention. It was a massive risk, but it was a risk Bart Allen knew had to be taken.
A set of explosions drew the guards to the southwest town of the prison, only for them to find automatic turrets ready to mow down anything that comes in their range. The distraction worked and gave Bart the time need to run though the walls of the opposite end of the prison.
Alright, I'm in. Bart stated within his mind, communicating with his team through the mental link connecting them.
Good work, Bart. Megan, the conduit for the mental link, said to the boy, remember the plan: round up as many out the inmates as you can, subdue any straggling guards, and tell us when we can come in.
On it! Bart ran from a dead stop as fast as he could to find the controls for the cell doors. He found the control room, knocked out the guards, and released the prisoners. He ran throughout the prison grabbing every inmate he saw and bringing them to a room he had been securing since opening the cells. Every time he brought someone to the room, he'd add a new layer of defense; the whole process took him about two to five seconds, depending on how big the new layer was. Having super speed really came in handy sometimes.
Unfortunately, even for the fastest boy alive, getting 7,500 people into one place by himself takes time. Bart only managed to clear five floors before the guards started to return to their patrols; apparently they managed to destroy all of Vic's turret drones. He's gonna be pissed about that. Vic gets a major hate-on for anyone who wrecks his tech, and those turrets took a while for him to make.
Bart knocked out a few guards as he carried a couple more inmates before contacting Megan, Little Green? I'm gonna need some help down here. The distraction didn't last as long as we hoped.
We know. Back up should be coming any second. Bart was about to turn a corner when a wall exploded, followed by a burst of purple energy tearing through any guards standing in its way.
Megan, remind me to give Raquel a big sloppy kiss when we get out of this. Bart ran down the hall following Raquel's path back to the safe zone he built for them. Thankfully Megan's mental link meant Raquel knows where Bart's sanctuary is.
Sure thing, lover boy. But we should really focus on the "Getting out of this" part. Vic, Danny, and I will work our way down to you. You and Raquel keep each other alive.
Bart continued rescuing people with Raquel, occasionally flirting with the flying girl as they went through the compound. Bart wasn't really interested in Raquel, she was one of the cutest girls he knew sure, but when the world is over, romance tends to take a back seat to everything else. But the smile she gave him, or quick chuckle whenever he said something obviously flattering made it worthwhile.
After clearing out the first dozen or so floors, Bart and Raquel ran into a wall of guards as they headed to another floor. They prepared to fight them off when a sonic blast bowled the guards over with ones still standing being slammed into the wall by an invisible force. Vic and Megan ran up to the two younger heroes, followed by a large number of inmates. "Well, someone's been busy." Bart quipped.
Megan flashed one of her bright smiles, though a bit of the shine wore out over the years. Megan looked much the same as she did when she first came to Earth: same red hair, though in a shorter bob cut, same large eyes and freckles. She still passes as Green, but ditched her Magical Girl inspired costume for one closer to the Manhunter's. After all, with J'onn gone, Megan more or less was the Martian Manhunter.
"We managed to get most of the other prisoners down here; unfortunately we couldn't get 'em all here in one piece." Vic's mostly metal face took a darker tone, as he reflected on the lives he and Megan couldn't save. Victor had been in a number of battles since the demons arrived and had been on the receiving end of a fair few beatings. He's needed to be repaired more times than he could count; by now the only organic part of him is his head.
Vic lightly shook his head, and focused on the now, "Your safe zone still safe?" He asked Bart.
"It should be..."
"Then go down and make sure it still is." Vic ordered, and Bart ran off to do his duty. Bart understood Vic's disappointment, he and Raquel lost a few people while they were making their way through the prison. Every time Bart and Raquel came back to the safe zone the guards were tying their damnedest to break in and either re-capture or, more likely, kill the escapees. However, thanks to Bart and Raquel the safe zone stayed protected and fortified.
Bart stood guard at the safe zone, fending off any hostiles that came close to it, until the others came along. They piled the escaped inmates into the room Bart secured. They all barely fit, but they wouldn't be there for long. Vic placed four spiked nods into a wall and used his internal computer to activate a Zeta Tube. "Alright everyone, single file to freedom!" The four heroes usher the prisoners into the gateway as quickly as possible. They had been in this prison far too long, and it was only a matter of time before He sent someone more substantial to deal with them.
Most of the inmates had made it through the Zeta Tube before the barricade Bart set up was blown apart by the swordsman, Harm. Harm was more or less human, having obtained his powers by making a pact with Trigon when he was younger. By now he'd be in his late fifties to early sixties, but looks no older than thirty. His muscular and heavily scarred chest exposed with an open shirt. A tattoo marked over his eye and a mystic sigil burned into his forehead. "Well, look what we have here? Cockroaches that need to be squashed." He twirls his sword lazily with a smug grin on his face.
"Great, just who we need right now." Vic muttered under his breath.
"Don't worry, I got him!" Raquel flew towards the swordsman using her increased momentum to knock him out of the room.
"Raquel!" Bart was about to run after her, but a strong green hand held him in place.
"Bart, you can't go after her!" Megan said to the boy with clear concern in her eyes.
Bart shook her off, "What do you mean!? Raquel doesn't stand a chance against Harm!"
"I know that's why I'm going to help." She started, before sighing heavily, "And once you get all the prisoners through, close the Zeta Tube behind you."
"What!?" Both Bart and Vic said in unison.
Vic grabbed Megan's shoulder, "Megan, we can't just close it and leave you two here. We can stay and-"
"No, you two are too important." The Martian girl interrupted, "You need to survive this, and Harm can't find our base." Raquel's scream draws their attention to the hideously one-sided fight going on in the next room. Megan turns back to her two friends, "I'll try to get Raquel through too, but knowing her..." She quickly hugs them, "Stay safe, and tell everyone I love them." Megan lets go and flies off to help the younger girl.
Vic continues to push people through, although admittedly not as quickly as before. Bart took a few seconds before helping him, and hoping that Megan and Raquel would make it through in time. Another scream from Raquel made it clear they probably weren't.
"That was the last prisoner...Bart, let's go."
Bart hesitated again, "Let's...Lets just give 'em another minute or two."
"Bart, we gonna go!"
"We can't just leave them!"
"Bart, go!" Vic picks the speedster up and throws him into the Zeta Tube before jumping in himself.
Once on the other side of the gate, Vic uses the control panel on his right arm to shut down the Zeta Tube and destroy the nods still in the prison that opened it. Vic sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, "Vic...?" The robotic man turns to the young speedster.
"Bart...look...I'm sorry, I..."
"No, it's okay man." Bart walked over and patted Vic's metal arm. "Look, I know how hard that must have been for you. Megan's been your friend for years, but she did ask us to leave her."
"Yeah...yeah..." Vic sighed again, tiredly rubbing his face.
"Victor, Bart!" Diana and a few others walked up to them. "It good to see you both in one piece. But where are Megan and Raquel?"
Vic looked away from their leader, "They didn't make it."
Looks of shock dawned on the assembled faces at the news that two more of their rake had fallen. "Harm showed up." Bart said, preemptively answering the question everyone wanted to ask. "Raquel and Megan held him off while me and Vic got the prisoners through the Zeta Tube. We had to leave them behind so Harm couldn't follow."
Diana eyed Victor with no small amount of concern. Vic is one of Megan's closest and oldest friends, and Diana cared for her a great deal as well, so she perfectly understood his pain. "Victor, maybe you should head back to your quarters. Get some rest and mourn our loss."
"Nah. I'm heading to the lab. Still got work to do." Vic walked away from the Zeta Tube, muttering softly, "It's what Megan wanted." The people that accompanied Diana followed Vic out, offering whatever condolences they could.
"He's gonna be okay, right Diana?" Bart asked.
The warrior silently considered Victor's emotional well-being for a moment, "We will have to see, Bart." She turned to the boy fully, "We've all suffered great loss in defying Trigon. But a heart can only break so many times before it can no longer be mended."
Bart looked down pensively, not sure what he can do for his friend. "Bart..." Diana started, getting his attention, "You should go rest. We'll hold a memorial for Megan and Raquel later today. I'll try my best to make sure Victor is there as well."
"Yeah...Yeah, okay. Thanks Diana." He started to walk away, but stopped and turned back towards Diana. "Hey, Megan said something before she went to fight Harm. She said 'You two are too important to leave behind'. What did she mean by that?"
Diana drew her brows together in thought before answering, "Victor and Oracle have been working on something for the last few months. Do you remember when Victor and Megan were sent on that mission to Central City's ruins some time ago?" The boy nodded his head, "They were sent to retrieve something that once belonged to your grandfather. Something we hoped you would be able to use as well."
"So what was it? And why is it so important?"
"I can't say just yet. We still don't know if it will even work. But if it does, we may be able to finally defeat Trigon."
Bart's eyes widen in delight and surprise, "Holy crap! Really!? How!? What can I do!? This is amazing! Wait till I tell everyo-"
"No, Bart!" Diana grabbed the young speedster by the shoulders as he started to literally vibrate in excitement. "You can't tell anyone about this."
Bart calmed down and looked at Diana in confusion, "Uh, why? We can finally stop Trigon, isn't that what we all want?"
"Yes it is," The older warrior sighed, "But like I said, we don't know if this will even work. I wouldn't want anyone to get their hopes up. In fact this plan could very well injure, or even kill you." Bart audible gulped, that didn't seem optimal.
Diana moved her hands to rub the boy's arms in a comforting manner, "Bart, Oracle wanted to wait until the perpetrations were done before telling you anything definitive. I won't go into detail just yet, but I wanted you to know the dangers you may face. The machine Victor is working on won't be completed for at least a few more days. You'll have until it's operational to make your decision."
She tilts his head up to look directly into his eyes, "Just know, no one will think less of you if you decide not to go through with. We all love you Bart. And we want you to be safe." She gives the boy a motherly kiss on the forehead. "Now go and rest. You have much to think about."
But Bart didn't really have to think about it. This is what heroes did, right? Risking their lives to save others. It's why Megan stayed behind; it's why they lost so many since Trigon's rise. Even if whatever the plan is doesn't work, he has to try just on the outside chance it could make a difference. Bart felt resolute in going through doing what he had to in order to stop Trigon...
Until Diana actually brought him to Victor's lab. Saying that you're willing to give your life to the cause is a nice sentiment, but when the time comes to go through with it, you understandably start doubting more than a few decisions. "Are you nervous, Bart?"
"What? Nervous? Pfft..." The young speedster waved the notion off. "Come on, Diana. You know me! Ready for anything!"
Diana just smirked, "You're nervous, aren't you?"
Bart chuckled weakly, "I think I'm gonna puke." His confident smile crumbling as soon as he let his guard down. The older woman smiled softly and put her arm around his shoulder as they continued towards the lab.
When they arrive at Vic's lab, they see the robotic hero putting the finishing touches on what looked like a treadmill. "You made it, good." Vic stood and walked over to the two as a feminine mask-like face appears on the main computer screen.
"So, what is that exactly?" Bart asks genuinely curious.
"That is called the Cosmic Treadmill." Oracle's synthetic voice spoke through the computer's speakers. "Your grandfather used it in combination with his connection to the Speed Force to travel through time."
Bart's head snapped to the mask image on screen with his eyes wide. "Did you just say travel through time?"
"Bart, Oracle and I have gone over this more times than we can count," Diana began, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "We can't stop Trigon now. His forces are simply too powerful."
"At this point we're pretty much just fighting the inevitable." Oracle said, continuing the explanation, "Which is why I had Vic and Megan track down, and bring in the remains of the Cosmic Treadmill. The only way to stop Trigon now, is to go into the past, and make sure he never rises to power."
Bart looked between the three adults, (Well, two present adults and the mask on the screen) and asked, "And...I can do that?"
"Well, you are Berry's grandson." Oracle rationalized, "We've watched you grow up before our eyes and you definitely have most of his speed. If there is anyone who can do this it's you Bart."
Bart took a deep breath and nodded to himself. "Alright, alright...So, what do I have to do?"
"Just run." Vic says, walking towards the computer. He types a few commands in, the Oracle mask on the main screen moving to another smaller screen. "We have all the calculations done for when and where you need to go. Assuming I re-build the treadmill correctly, your connection to the Speed Force should send you back about forty years."
"You should appear in Central City, and once you do you have to find Berry." Diana explained, "He's dealt with time traveling speedsters before..."
"Admittedly most tried to kill him at one point or another." Oracle injected.
"Even so..." Diana scowled at the computer screen before turning back to Bart, "I know he'll help you however he can."
"Help me do what, exactly? I mean, how do I stop something like Trigon?"
"You have to find Raven." Oracle stated, "She was the key to Trigon entering our dimension. If you and the Justice League can find and contain Raven, they should be able to prevent her from summoning her father."
"Okay, and by contain her, you do mean kill her, right?"
"No, we don't." Diana said, firmly. "We don't kill, you know that Bart."
Bart takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair, "Look, I get the whole, "Don't Kill" thing. We don't kill the guards in the prison, even though they are working for the literal devil and subjugating their own people, and I'm...Okay with that. But this is Raven we are talking about. RAVEN! She's the one who killed the other Titans! Megan and Vic only got away safe through sheer dumb luck. Diana, how many Justice League members did Raven help capture or kill over the years? Are all of you really telling me you don't want me to vibrate into her chest and tear out whatever black husk passes for her heart!?"
None of the three could answer. They all had a reason to want Raven dead, Vic most of all. He didn't even seem that enthused when Diana shot Bart down. "That's what I thought..."
"Look, this is all academic until we know for sure this plan is going to work." Oracle said calmly.
"What do you mean? I thought Vic finished the Treadmill."
"I did," Vic said, typing a few calculations into the computer. "But just because I re-built the thing doesn't guarantee it'll actually work. Considering we need a speedster to make it work, we haven't been able to test it."
"Which is why you're here today." Oracle said. "We have to make sure the Treadmill will send you through time and not...Vaporize you."
Bart stares at Oracle wide-eyed "That-that's a possibility?"
"I pulled every file I could on the Cosmic Treadmill from what's left of the Justice League database...But the only ones who really knew how it worked were Berry and Wally. Without them we were flying blind and without testing it we can't know for sure what effects using the Treadmill could have on you."
Bart looked like he was going to throw up when Diana placed a comforting hand on his back, "I did tell you there were risks, Bart. We will understand if you decide not to go through with this."
Bart looked to Vic, "We can think of something else if we need to. It's alright."
Bart took a deep breath and walk towards the Treadmill, "No, it's okay. If this can stop Trigon, that's all that matters." Diana smiled at the brave boy as he climbed on the Treadmill.
"There is one more thing to take into account, Bart." Oracle said, getting the young speedster's attention. "You were born after Trigon's reign began. If you stop his rise to power, you could very well erase yourself from existence."
Bart just shrugged, "Considering the existence I've had; that honestly doesn't sound too bad. So what now?"
"First we need to see if you can really travel through time." Vic began, "I set the Treadmill to send you one minutes into the future. If everything goes right, you'll skip over the next minute, and we can check your vitals to make sure your spleen is in the right place."
"Right...Okay..." Taking a moment to get himself ready, Bart started running; until a set of explosions shook the entire base. Bart tripped and was thrown off the Treadmill.
"Okay, what was that?"
"Oh god..." Oracle whispered to herself, but being loud enough for the others in the room to hear. "Raven and Harm, they found us!"
"WHAT!?"
"They're leading an army of demons against the compound! I'm sending orders to mobilize right now...But there's...God, there's just so many..."
"So we meet them." Diana said with her legendary confidence and valor, "If this is the day we go to the Elysium Fields, then we do so with honor!"
"Right on, princess!" Vic agreed, his right arm changing into a sonic cannon. "Oracle, we don't have time for the test! Re-calibrate the Treadmill to send Bart to the past!"
"On it." The Amazon and the cyborg rush out to face certain death.
Bart climbed to his feet and walked back to the Treadmill. "Oracle..."
"Barbara..." The digitized mask interrupted, "My name is Barbara. Bart listen: You are our last hope. I know it isn't fair to put so much on someone as young as you. But you're the only one who can stop Trigon now." A crashing sound came from Oracle's side of the speakers. "Oh god...Bart! I have the Treadmill's coordinates set. All you have to do is run! Bart, ru-AAAAGH!"
"Oracle!? Barbara!?"
The line was silent for a moment before a voice that definitely wasn't Oracle's started to speak. "Hello there, speedy. I'm afraid your oracle has been silenced." Harm said, followed by a sinister chuckle.
Bart glared at the mask on screen before hopping back on the Cosmic Treadmill and running full speed. "Strange time to get a little exorcise, don't you think? With all your friends dying around you. Oh dear, it seems the Amazon has just fallen. These cameras make this massacre so much more entertaining when you can watch all the carnage at once."
Bart ignored the psychotic swordsman pushing himself faster and faster as lighting surged around both Bart and the Cosmic Treadmill. "I bet you're wondering how we finally managed to find you filthy rebels." Bart tried to block Harm out, tried to focus only on running as fast as possible. "It isn't surprising that Martians are quite resistant to both physical and mental interrogation. If it makes you feel any better. The Martian does live. If you can really consider being a vegetable living, that is."
Tears stung at Bart's eyes as the door to Vic's lab burst open. Raven floated into the room holding Vic's robotic arm. The demon witch wore a surprisingly elegant dark blue dress with a hood covering most of her face, but her four glowing red eye were still visible. What little skin was visible was an unnatural blood red color. She lifted the arm to her eyes before dropping it, "It took forty years, but it seems the last of the Titans have fallen." The demon spawn's voice held a demonic echo despite the monotone in her inflection. "I suppose I can keep Megan for a pet." Her gaze then fell to Bart, "And what should I do with you?"
"Go. To. Hell." Just as Raven raised her hand towards Bart, a dark red aura surrounding it, his perception of the world around him began to distort as the Cosmic Treadmill rocketed him through the time stream.
Countless events of the last forty years began playing in reverse before Bart's eyes: His friends' death, building their base, training with Diana, his own birth, the downfall of civilization. So much even he couldn't properly process it all.
But then...It all just stopped.
Bart woke up in a soft patch of grass, with no idea of where he was. He climbed to his feet and looked around. He seemed to be in a park in the middle of the night. He started walking around to figure out exactly where his is.
He eventually ran into a group of teenagers, a boy with brown hair and two girls, one blonde and one red head. "Hey uh...Do you guys know...where we are right now?"
The three teens look at the boy with a fair bit of disgust, the blonde girl asked, "Are you, like, homeless or something?"
Bart looked down at himself, noticing the tattered and dirty clothing he is currently wearing. "Uh, I guess I am? So..."
"Oh, how sad." The red haired girl in the group said with a sympathetic look on her face, "It's hard to believe there are kids our age living on the streets."
"Right, so...Where are we?"
"What are you stupid?" The guy said with a derisive sneer. "We're in the park dude."
"That's...No, I figured that." Bart sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I mean, are we in Central City?"
"Don't be mean, Jake." The red head swatted the guy's arm. "Yes this is Central City. Are you from out of town?"
"Yeah I'm from...Uh...Huh. I can't really remember where I'm from." The boy said, scratching the back of his head.
"So, you have, like, amnesia or something." The blonde girl asked.
"Do you guys think we should take him to the police or something?" The red head asked "His parents could be looking for him."
"Uh, thanks but that's okay." Bart said, turning down the girl's kind offer. "I just need to find my grandpa. I think...Except I don't really know how."
"Well, you do know his name, right?" The guy, Jake, asked.
Bart thought for a second and the name Berry Allen popped into his head. "Yeah, I think I do."
"Then you just need to find a phone book. You can probably find your grandpa's address like that."
Bart nodded to himself before smiling to the other teens, "Okay, thanks a lot guys. Later!" And with that Bart ran off at top speed, leaving the three kids in the dust.
The kids stared dumbstruck in the direction Bart ran off. "Okay...That happened..."
Bart found one of the few remaining phone booths and got Berry's address. It only took him a few minutes to find where his Grandpa Berry lived. He knocked on the door and waited until a woman answered. "Hi, is Berry Allen here?"
The woman looked at Bart oddly before answering, "Uh, yeah, he's here. Who are you exactly?"
"I'm his grandson!"
The woman's eyes bugged out of their sockets after hearing the boy's claim. "Berry! You need to come to the door!"
"Alright hold on Iris!" A voice called from further in the house.
"You're Iris!?" Bart asked, with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Yeah...?"
"Grandma!" He surged forward and hugged the confused woman as Berry came to the door. "Grandpa!"
The strangest family reunion in history was silently witnessed by a young cloaked figure. Strangely, when she was drawn to Central City it was to a completely different location. But there was something about this boy. Something when she connected to his emotions. On the surface there was hope and joy, but beneath was a deep well of rage. Hatred she wouldn't expect from someone so young.
She could sense that he needed her as much as she needed him.
So like I said, the chapter is signifigently shorter than the last two. Almost half as many as words as the last one. The next one should be almost as short, if not shorter.
Anyway, I don't actually have much to say this time. It's obvious I took inspiration from Young Justice in Bart's backstory here, but pretty much just replaced Blue Beetle with Raven. And it should be doubly obvious who the mysterious cloaked figure at the end of each chapter is by now.
I'll admit the whole amnesia thing is just there so Bart won't just murder Raven or even warn anyone about her right off the bat. But I tried to make it believible by have Vic and Oracle say there could be some unknown side-effects by using the Cosmic Treadmill.
With the everyone going by there real names, I just figured since the world got fucked by a demon overlord no one would really bother using secret identities or code-names and stuff.
Also it will actually take even longer for the next chapter to come out because someone is actually paying me to write something for them. Why? I'm not totally sure. But if, for whatever reason, you'd like to commission me to write something, you can send me an message me and we'll talk it out.
So that's about it. See ya next time.
Up next: The Spirit