[Central City
March 25, 08:00 EST]
Dick checked and rechecked his utility belt. He pulled his gauntlets tighter over his hands. He frowned periodically just to scrunch up his domino mask and feel that it was there. Each and every one of his weapons and gadgets had been touched at least five times as he took mental inventory of them. The controls on Miss Martian's bio-ship had been used to look at the ship's vitals and progress as they closed in on Central City.
They were to be support to a team of Justice Leaguers.
As they raided Amunet Black's base of operations.
Dick took a deep breath to try and steady himself and narrowed his eyes at the ship's windshield. He hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. They were closing in on Professor Zoom. He knew it. Cheshire had found this lead for them, and Roy trusted that it wasn't a trap. Roy did not trust easily.
This was to be a long mission.
The Justice Leaguers were going to tail Blacksmith wherever she went while the Team tracked down each and every one of the drug dealers and suppliers that were on Cheshire's list. There were twelve in Central and Keystone, and the Team's job was to track them all down and extract any information they could.
While all of that was happening, Bruce was going to be inside Blacksmith's hideout, planting bugs, tracers, and traps. He was going to search the place for clues. Dick was confident that if anyone could find something to go on, it would be his mentor.
He ran a thumb beneath the cross shaped seatbelt to loosen it and let it quietly snap back. They were going to find Wally. Dick tapped the floor impatiently with his foot. Everything was coming together. They had new leads, and they had a plan. He rapidly tapped his middle and ring fingers against his thigh as he fidgeted in his seat.
"Robin," Zatanna reached out and placed a slender hand on his shoulder.
Dick paused and looked over his shoulder at her, swiveling the chair around halfway, "Yeah?"
"You're making me nervous," she gave him a forgiving smile. "Just try to calm down. We're almost there."
"Sorry. I'm a little on edge. We've lost huge leads like this before, and I'm just worried this one will go the same way. I don't want to screw up our chance to find Wally," Dick let out a sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. "Speaking of…I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. I know you were just trying to calm me down. I really appreciate you trying to help me deal with this."
Zatanna's face lit up with a sweet smile, and she shrugged like the compliment hadn't caused it, "It's no big deal. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need anything."
Something about the way she said that tripped a warning bell in Dick's head. Not a bad one or anything, but definitely…off. Her smile was too wide, and her eyes too hopeful as she waited for him to say something back to her, and Dick kind of thought he knew what she was thinking. He felt realization dawning and bit his lip. She liked him.
"Uh…thanks, Zee," he replied awkwardly and turned back around in his seat before she had the chance to say anything else. That was an interesting development. The distraction definitely wasn't welcome right now though – not with them on the way to a crucial mission. He could deal with it later.
Dick couldn't help feeling bad though. It wasn't as though Zatanna wasn't attractive or anything. She really was very pretty, and smart, and funny. And Dick could appreciate how blue her eyes were and how soft her hair looked. Plus, the girl was a freaking magician. Zatanna was definitely a catch.
But Dick wanted green eyes and wild, red hair that always looked chronically windswept. He wanted corny jokes and clumsy feet. He wanted long limbs that could burn kilometers in seconds. Dick wanted unbridled spirit and freedom, and stubborn defiance.
He wanted Wally.
Dick felt his nerves vanish completely. His fidgeting ceased, and he sat up taller in the bio-ship's seat, full of renewed purpose. They were going to find something that led to Professor Zoom, and then they were going to break the demented villain in half. If Dick was lucky, Rudy West would be there too. He'd beat the tar out of Wally's father until he either killed him or someone pulled him off. Then, Dick was going to rescue his best friend, shove him up against a wall, and tell him that he loved him. Because he'd wasted enough time already being scared, and he wasn't about to lose another second.
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[Central City
March 25, 08:00 EST]
Barry Allen looked up at the camouflaged bio-ship through the lenses of his Flash cowl. He felt his whole body tingling in nervous anticipation as the ship landed in the heavily wooded park that was completely deserted. He was closer to finding Wally than he'd ever been so far, and it was extremely difficult to wait around for others when all he wanted to do was run off and take on Blacksmith himself.
"We will find him," Clark said in his head. He was trying to be reassuring, but it just made Barry irritated. He had no idea what it was like to worry every picosecond of every minute whether Wally was even still alive or not. And if he was, had Zoom broken his legs yet? Or shattered his spine? Zoom hated Wally so much that Barry knew it would never be enough for Zoom to just hurt him. He would cripple Wally if he was given the chance, and Wally had already been through so much. Barry didn't know if they'd be able to fix him even if they did find him alive. He was only sixteen. All of this was too much for him to handle at once. It was going to seriously mess Wally up.
Hell, Barry could hardly handle it. He hadn't slept for even a minute since Wally had been taken, and he'd only eaten whatever Hal had forced down his throat. At this point, he was only running on desperation and rage. He wasn't blind either; he knew what it was doing to him. He'd crossed lines and done things that he couldn't take back. Barry had thought it would be hard to do whatever it took to track down his nephew, but compromising his morals and his rigid code of right and wrong had been surprisingly easy. So easy.
He could feel J'onn's consciousness reaching out to test his frame of mind. Barry knew that they all thought he was unstable. He didn't appreciate the lack of trust, but a small part of his rational brain couldn't deny that he hadn't done very much in the last few days to deserve their trust. Barry wanted to stop being like this, but he knew he couldn't until Wally was safe.
"Focus on scanning for Amunet Black," Barry thought back to him coldly. He felt Clark's answering nod through J'onn's established mind link and immediately felt terrible. The worst part was that Clark had been far more understanding and courteous about everything than he needed to be, and Barry had been nothing but volatile and ungrateful in return. Once this was over, he'd probably just clap Barry on the back, smile, and forgive him right on the spot.
Both J'onn and Clark were scanning Central and Keystone from the skies, and Barry was going to tackle the ground search. He was just waiting for the Team to land so he could give them their instructions and coordinate, and then he'd be off.
It was time to find his nephew.
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[The Watchtower
March 25, 08:00 EST]
Iris had stopped crying a day ago. It wasn't helping anything, and it was a waste of time. Professor Zoom wouldn't give Wally back because she cried hard enough. So, she abandoned her husband's quarters in the Watchtower in favor of the medical bay. That's where she'd been spending almost every hour since.
She clutched Max's arm hooked around her neck and kept her own arm firmly around his back while they slowly made their way around the hospital room, "How's that feel?"
"Healed," Max grumbled but still held on to her for support when he put pressure on his almost healed leg. He really was nearly healed, but the femur wasn't yet strong enough for normal running, much less superspeed. Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific were estimating another day before he was one hundred percent again. While that kind of time frame was phenomenal, it wasn't good enough for Max.
He and Jay were mad. Wally had been kidnapped right out from under their noses, and they both wanted revenge but weren't well enough to fight yet. Iris could relate. She was furious too, but not at either of them. There wasn't much they could've done fighting over water. It was Professor Zoom and the three speedsters everyone had been calling Blue Trinity that she wanted to strangle.
"This is taking too damn long," Max glared at his own leg as he and Iris took another lap around the room.
"You could be worse. Quit complaining, Max." Joan said evenly from her spot beside her husband's bed. Jay was sitting upright and exercising the arm that had been reattached. He'd complained that it was a little stiff, but the nerves had connected properly, and he'd regain full use of the arm in a matter of days. His legs were still too weak to use, so Terrific and Mid-Nite had put them in casts just to be safe because speedsters had a track record for being impatient, and Jay would almost certainly try to move the limbs before they were ready.
Iris and Joan knew the drill.
"I'll stop complaining when Jay and I can go after Blue Trinity and break their legs," Max growled angrily.
"You're going to go after them again?" Iris asked disapprovingly. "After they almost killed you?"
"It wouldn't have happened that way if we were on land when they attacked," Jay promised her, wincing when his arm locked up.
"You said they were faster than Barry," Joan sighed at his words. "How do you expect to beat them? There are more of them than you and Max, and if you haven't noticed, you aren't fifty anymore."
"You didn't see them, Joan." Max let Iris help him to an empty chair by Jay's bedside. He grimaced a little in pain. "They were fast, but sloppy. Almost like they were feral or something. They had the power but no idea how to fight beyond clawing and punching."
"If we'd been on solid ground, our experience would have won out," Jay agreed. "Barry said they were on some kind of drug. I don't know what it was, but it clearly messed with their minds."
"I almost thought they were in some sort of trance or under mind control, but they were too vicious for that," Max shook his head.
Iris looked between them both unhappily, "If you go after them, take Barry or Johnny with you. I don't want to see any more of my family in the hospital ever again."
Joan reached out and took her hand with a sad smile, "We don't either, darling. Jay and Max are just blowing hot air. They're both retired for a reason."
"Regardless," Jay frowned angrily, gritting his teeth and flexing his injured arm once more. "If the League doesn't bring Wally back soon, Max and I are going out ourselves and bringing my grandson back."
Iris watched them all worriedly, getting the inexplicable feeling that one way or another, it would be too late by the time they were both healed.
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[Undisclosed Location
Unknown Date, Unknown Time]
"You look pathetic."
Wally jerked awake in surprise. He looked around his cell blearily and spotted his father standing right in front of the glass. He was in his Manhunter uniform, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a disgusted expression on his face. Wally was lying on his side with his hands carefully extended away from him in case he moved in his sleep. Setting them had been excruciating, and Wally really hadn't wanted to do it again. He cautiously flexed his index finger and was relieved to see it bend at his command without any pain at all. Encouraged, he curled the rest of his fingers. They were all healed correctly except for his left thumb and pinky finger. They didn't hurt, but neither would move when he tried.
He sat up slowly with a preemptive cringe, waiting for his chest to light up in burning pain, but it never happened. He was a little sore, but that was mostly his muscles protesting the abuse they'd received yesterday. All the internal wounds on his organs must have closed while he was unconscious because he didn't have that metal taste in his mouth anymore. Wally wiped at his face and neck, feeling little flakes of dried blood rubbing off.
The collar…
Suddenly panicked, Wally felt all over his neck and collarbone for an inhibitor collar but found nothing. He sighed in shaky relief and slumped weakly against the glass. It looked like his body had healed well enough, but it had taken all his energy in the process.
He tiredly looked back at his dad and honestly didn't even feel any fear. Wally didn't know what else they could to do him that would be worse than what happened yesterday. Zoom had tortured him, let him see the Justice League's sure death, and shown him that he was going to be responsible for a horror drug about to be released. The worst his dad could do now was rub salt in the wound. Wally really didn't think he could break his spirit down any more than they already had.
"What do you want…?" Wally mumbled quietly.
His dad's face screwed up in anger, "Don't talk to me like that."
Wally had to laugh. It was such an absurdly typical thing for his dad to say. It would have usually been followed by one of his rages – a punch, or throwing Wally into a wall. Before all this, talking back like that would've terrified him, but now…
He didn't care. He wasn't afraid.
That thought should have empowered him, but Wally just felt numb. He just stared back at his dad expressionlessly and let it all go, "Why not?"
"Because I'm your father, and you will respect me."
Wally exhaled softly in a short laugh and nodded, "Okay. Sure."
His dad seemed incensed by that, but he controlled his anger for the moment. His veins were starting to bulge out of his forehead, "How did you survive? I watched you bleed to death."
Why the hell did he care? Wally shrugged, "I don't know. Uncle Barry saved me."
That definitely pissed him off, though it seemed like he already knew that. He must not like people mentioning his brother-in-law. "You were already dead when he got to you, and I know bringing people back from the dead isn't one of his powers. So, tell me the truth. How did you survive?"
"I don't know," Wally sighed, feeling his midsection start to ache from the strain of talking. It felt a little like nausea but also like he'd done a thousand sit ups while having his atoms rearranged. "I was dead for about ninety-five percent of it."
"Not while he was trying to save you!" his dad shrieked furiously. He stomped closer and pointed one shaking finger right at him. "You had to have done something before I killed you. Taken something, or-?"
"Taken what?" Wally laughed helplessly, a tinge of borderline, exhausted hysteria creeping into his voice. "Headache medicine? An antacid? Anti-death pill? What the hell could I have taken that would've saved me – and how would I have known you were going to kill me? You hadn't even hit me in two weeks before that."
"Don't play games with me. You know what you did!" his father raged, his face now almost blue. Maybe if he was lucky, his dad would give himself a heart attack or an aneurism and drop dead. Wally tried to imagine him lying dead on the floor. Would that make him feel satisfied?
Wally sighed inwardly. No. Even after everything his father had done to him – how he'd killed his mother… Wally still didn't want him dead. He didn't want anyone dead. It wasn't because he loved his dad. Wally had zero feelings of affection for the hateful, cruel man that had 'raised' him. He didn't particularly think his dad deserved to live either, but too many people had died already. Wally just wasn't the type to wish death on anyone. The only thing he'd ever wanted was to see justice done for his mom, but…that hadn't quite worked out right.
"Okay, whatever. You got me," Wally closed his eyes and gave up. "I magically knew you were going to kill me that day, so I borrowed Wonder Woman's invisible bulletproof vest and slathered ketchup all over myself so you wouldn't get suspicious. Satisfied?"
For a second, it totally looked like his father was about to combust in pure fury, but he fought it down and took a really deep breath. When he had a handle on himself again and his face turned slightly less purple, he fixed Wally with a calm and superior look, "The only thing better than watching you die will be watching it for a second time when Zoom kills you right in front of Allen. He wanted you to be his son so badly, and it will make it that much sweeter when Zoom rips you away again."
Wally wanted his uncle to be his dad. He'd been wishing it for years. Every birthday since he was ten, every first star at night, and every time his dad made him feel less than human. Although, Wally had never ever felt quite as low as he did right now with his dad not five feet away and saying that killing him once hadn't been enough.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Wally asked in a strangled, barely audible voice. His throat was constricting, and his chest felt hollow. He didn't want to sound like a broken-hearted little boy whose daddy didn't love him, but that's exactly how he felt. He didn't really care about his dad, but it still hurt so unbelievably much that his dad didn't give a damn about him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I think those are both questions you should be asking yourself," his dad sneered down at him indifferently.
It didn't hit him what that meant at first. Wally stared at his dad in confusion for a long minute before he understood, "You're saying it's all my fault – that you beat the hell out of me for ten years because I had it coming?"
"Yes." His dad said simply.
Wally floundered for a response. Guess his dad was getting his wish to walk to him after all. "What did I do wrong? I tried for years to be exactly what you wanted, and it never helped. It didn't change anything."
"You didn't 'try'. You hero-worshipped your uncle from the time you were eight and refused to focus on anything worthwhile! I tried to get you to take your future seriously, and you just chased after dreams. Look at what that gets you in the long run! Allen's a forensic analyst at the police station – a dead end job at a mediocre pay. What does he accomplish with that? Pulling small time crooks off the street?" his dad ranted.
"Jeez, why are you so fixated on Uncle Barry?!" Wally sighed. His uncle's day job was hardly 'dead end', and, while Wally hadn't ever seen one of Uncle Barry's paychecks, he'd also never seen his aunt go wanting for anything. Also, his uncle's forensic work had sent more than 'crooks' to jail. Just a few months before Christmas, Uncle Barry had single-handedly caught a serial killer that was using the Missouri River as their dumping grounds with his evidence. "You sound like you're jealous of him."
"I'm not jealous! I've accomplished more good in my lifetime than he ever will!"
Wally heavily doubted that, but he kept the thought to himself.
"Okay, I believe you," Wally just shook his head and tried not to roll his eyes. "Just tell me what you wanted me to be, because I still don't get it."
"I wanted you to listen to me. I wanted you to be interested in something that would be useful to the Manhunters," his dad threw his arms out to the side in frustration. "You think I wanted to hurt my only son?! I wanted you to join the Manhunters and work with me so that I could finally be proud of you."
Wally felt physically ill. It wouldn't have ever been any different. The only way he could have ever made his dad care about him was if he'd been a villain, and that was never going to happen.
"But, you insisted on being worthless," his dad went on. "You didn't leave me with any choice."
"I'm being pretty useful with fixing Velocity, aren't I?" Wally said bitterly.
"Yes, and you'll be dead in a few days once it's finished and we don't need you anymore."
That perked Wally up a bit, "It's almost done? Already?"
"Professor Zoom finished it last night, and he thinks he cracked why it was killing in three hours," his dad nodded.
"Did he test it yet?" Wally asked in dismay.
"Right at midnight. It's eight in the morning now, and neither of the subjects were showing any side effects the last time I looked in on them," his dad said ominously. "Maybe you should start saying your prayers, son. It shouldn't be long now."
Wally dropped his gaze and just stared at his own feet in stunned silence. He'd expected it to take at least a few days for Zoom to perfect the formula. He'd thought he had more time to…get rescued. Wally frowned sadly at the floor of his cell. Who was he kidding? There'd never been any chance of him being saved in the first place. Professor Zoom and the Manhunters had covered their tracks too well. Those hopes had just been delusions.
His dad placed one hand on the glass of the cell and glared down at Wally grimly, "Don't worry. You'll get to see your uncle again. I'll be back once we're ready for you to record the SOS message that we'll send to him along with your location."
As his father walked out of the room, Wally felt his eyes sting with helpless tears. He didn't deserve to be rescued. All of this was his fault.
His father had used him to speed up the production of a Manhunter army.
Professor Zoom's vendetta against him had helped make him a target.
His kidnapping had gotten Max and Jay killed.
He was going to be luring Uncle Barry to his death.
Wally brought his hands up to his face and awkwardly dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. He pulled his knees up to his chest and just sat there for the next hour drowning in his own self-hatred. How the hell had he let it get this bad? The hollow in his chest grew larger and seemed to consume the rest of his energy.
He just wanted it to be over. The Justice League was probably wasting valuable time and resources looking for him – time and resources that could be spent preparing for an undefeatable force of Manhunters that would soon be bearing down on them.
Wally should just off himself right now. That would be the selfless thing to do. It would be the right thing to do. That way, he couldn't be used to drag Uncle Barry into a trap. And, really, everyone would be better off without him. They didn't really need him. Wally wasn't anything special. He was the slowest speedster. The Justice League wouldn't miss him any – they had the Flash already. The Team might miss him a little, but they could absolutely complete missions without him.
Aunt Iris would probably be glad. She wouldn't have to deal with him being around so often, and he wouldn't be a burden on her anymore. When Wally was gone and they didn't have to be his guardians anymore, she and Uncle Barry could start their own family free of all his emotional baggage. And Uncle Barry wouldn't have Wally holding him back either.
Dick would…
Wally's heart shuddered irregularly.
Dick could find a new best friend – one who wasn't secretly perving on him all the time. He could have a normal friendship with someone else, and he'd move on. Maybe whoever they were would make a better team than Robin and Kid Flash.
Maybe it would be Robin and Zatanna.
His heart twisted painfully, and he let his head fall back against the glass of the cell walls. Wally shut his eyes, and he could very easily imagine Dick getting over his death and falling for Zatanna instead. That's what was bound to happen. She definitely had a thing for Dick, and the two of them looked good together. So, why not? Maybe she'd even help him get over Wally's death faster.
It would probably only take a few weeks, and then he'd forget all about Wally.
'We're best friends, and we stick together no matter what.'
Wally jerked upright suddenly. That sounded like Dick's voice.
'From now on, I'm with you the whole way.'
That was definitely Dick's voice, but Wally wasn't hearing it externally. Great, now he was hearing voices. Wally was prepared to write it off as a hallucination, but then something happened. He was suddenly picturing Dick's confident grin and seeing the concern in his eyes when he'd said those things to Wally. He remembered all the nights that Dick had spent with him, sleeping lightly so he could wake Wally up in case he had a nightmare. He thought about Dick helping him break out of the Watchtower's medical bay for exercise when he started to spiral into a depression from being -
Wally cut off the train of thought and pushed away from the wall like it had burned him, his eyes flying open wide and his arms shooting out to steady himself before he fell over.
What the hell was he doing?!
He was letting his father's words get to him and force him into another depression. Wally took a deep, gasping breath of air and slapped himself across the face as best he could manage with both wrists bound together. He was an idiot.
Of course his aunt and uncle would miss him. He was probably putting his aunt through hell right now after being missing for so long. She had to be out of her mind with worry.
And Uncle Barry must be killing himself trying to find him. He probably had half the Justice League out as well helping him look. Ugh, and the Team had to be trying their very best to track down every lead they had, because they never left anyone behind. The Team was like a family.
Roy had almost assuredly gone on a rampage by now. Wally wondered if he'd torn apart any cities in what had to be a violent and frantic search for his younger brother.
Then, there was Dick. He and Dick were in this together, and it was about time Wally stopped making him worry.
He got to his feet unsteadily and stared down at the zip tie cuffs around his wrist, trying to think of a way out of them. He couldn't believe he'd started to listen to his father's words again. Wally shook his head rapidly and hit himself in the forehead.
He wasn't worthless.
He was the partner of the fastest man alive and well on his way to becoming his equal.
He had a lot of people who loved him – people who he needed to get back to. Right now. Wally didn't have any more time to wait. They were looking for him, but they'd never find him in time.
Wally needed to save himself.
He eyed the thin but strong zip ties around his wrists. He wasn't strong enough to break them – not without slicing his skin or dislocating something in the process. And he had nothing to cut them off with. His teeth weren't anywhere near sharp enough to bite them off. So, how did he remove them? Dick had probably been taught about a hundred ways to escape from handcuffs like this, but Wally and his uncle hadn't really done any training in escape artist work. They were usually far too fast to get caught. He stood there silently for a few long minutes as he thought hard about how to remove the cuffs.
He could try vibrating out of them…
It had never worked before…but maybe today was the day. Uncle Barry had taught him how to do it several times, but it just hadn't worked. Wally had always been too slow. Maybe he could do it now. He'd gotten faster before, right? And before he'd been kidnapped, Jay had insisted that being slower than everyone was all in his head. That had proven to be true. Wally had run faster when he thought about Dick.
Or rather…how he felt when he thought about Dick. What if it wasn't just thinking about things that made him happy? Dick certainly lifted his spirits every time, but it was more than that. Dick made Wally feel confident and smart and more like himself than he did when he was with anyone else. He made Wally feel important and loved and got his heart racing twenty miles a second.
If he thought about those feelings, he might have a chance.
Wally took a deep breath and found an inexplicable smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He sucked in another breath of air and started vibrating his whole body.
His father was wrong. Wally wasn't useless. Wally couldn't give a flying fuck what his dad thought about him – because his dad wasn't important. His opinions didn't count for anything, and Wally didn't need his approval – didn't want it, didn't care about it. He didn't need his dad to love him. Wally was stronger than that.
His vibrations got faster and faster.
His mother had made him strong. Every punch and every broken bone had been for her, because she'd always loved him more than anything. She'd been proud of him, and that had always been enough, even when he hadn't realized it himself.
Wally pulled his wrists apart, and the zip tie phased right through his skin and bone.
He stumbled back in surprise, and his back hit the glass right behind him. The zip tie hit the floor with a soft thump, and Wally stared at his freed hands in blank surprise, then down at the empty handcuffs lying innocently at his feet.
Holy shit… It worked…
Wally started vibrating his molecules again and shifted his weight to one foot for balance. He waited until the vibrations were at the correct frequency, and then he pulled his feet apart. He could feel the zip tie passing through his ankle, and then it was gone. He stood with his feet spaced apart and a wide grin stretched across his face.
A sudden wave of triumph bubbled up in his chest, and he'd just opened his mouth to laugh when both zip ties crumbled apart on their own and dissolved into nothing. Wally shut his mouth abruptly and stared down at the floor where the zip ties had been, frowning in confusion. That was…odd. He didn't remember anything like that happening when Uncle Barry phased through something. Wally waited a few seconds to make sure nothing else was going to happen before daring to move.
He walked forward to the other side of the cell and stared out at the darkened warehouse beyond the glass walls. His eyes traveled over to the roll down door that he'd seen snowy tracks leading out from, and he felt his heartbeat race into overdrive as adrenaline started pumping into his veins. He could feel any lingering injury healing itself completely and unbridled power surging through his muscles.
Wally placed both hands on the glass and positioned himself like he was about to try and push the wall away. He braced his feet against the floor and flexed the muscles in his legs in preparation. His body started humming as he began vibrating again. He inhaled slowly and held it, staring at the glass in fixed determination. It was quite a bit thicker than the plastic zip ties, but he could do it. He had to. Wally was done playing the victim. He didn't belong in a cage, and he wasn't anyone's prisoner.
And he sure as hell wasn't waiting around to be rescued.
Wally exhaled and shoved against the glass as hard as he could.