I think my dad...could... I don't know come back...I don't want to get my hopes up but it's like I'm talking to him."
"You are in a way, aren't you?" Damian looked at her curiously.
He wasn't quite sure what she was experiencing exactly.
Irey sighed. He was right. It was just too surreal to accept.
Irey nodded looking forward in her med-bay bed. Her red hair tied up in a loose bun on her head. She looked drained but still deep in thought, as always.
Damian leaned forward in his chair beside her. He was about to say something to her. However, the Boy Wonder was all interrupted.
Irey looked away from Damian, and down at her chest. Between her collar bones, she felt a furious pounding sensation. To her, it felt like she was running almost, an intense heartbeat and a noticeable rapid movement. But Irey's body was still. She began heaving for breath. Damian sat back up looking at her. This wasn't like a typical "episode". Iris clutched her chest as lightening, a red bolt struck, around the arms and hands then streaming on her chest. The bolts streamed and wrapped themselves around her limbs in thick, glowing lines of electricity.
Damian immediately stood and looked at her like a deer caught in headlights. It wasn't until she screamed out that Damian furiously began pounding on the emergency button that was at Irey's side.
The bolts of red and yellow continued to intensify around Iris, whose eyes were clenched shut, both arms extended over her chest, which seemed to be the source of all this.
Dinah and M'Gann rushed in. M'Gann wasted no time allowing her eyes to turn green as she delved into Iris' mind to find a source, or possible connection to Wally. Dinah moved over to Iris' side pushing Damian out of the way. Her first instinct was to hold Irey down as she flailed and cried out. But the lighting was red hot to the touch as it stung Dinah's hand which quickly retracted.
Damian ran out and called Dick.
Meanwhile, the second M'Gann went into Irey's head, she sensed Wally.
Wally? Wally can you hear me? The Martian mentally called out.
Megan?! Holy shit! thank god, finally someone I recognize! Please tell me what the fuck is going on?
M'Gann had no clue how to tell him. She decided to go with her gut.
You've been...communicating. You disappeared during the fight with the Reach and now...it seems like you're trying to get back...
Yes yes! Ok I'm in a strange pocket alternate dimension. It's a speedster thing. I saw some kind of hole that connected this plane to the real world and figured I didn't have much to lose...
He trailed off.
In the physical world Irey's condition got worse. Dinah was trying to stabilize her, yelling to M'Gann she would need to knock Irey out soon before the electric storm of sorts, killed her.
Quickly, Wally if the portal you see to real world was a person, do you think you could use them to escape or would that kill them?
He debated this for a moment and then said: Wait a person? Who?
It doesn't matter right now. Hurry tell me. M'Gann urged.
Um well in theory it would kill a normal human but a metahuman would have higher survival rate. Especially if it was say a speedster, because of the whole speedster dimension, if thats what this place even is….Wally trailed off trying to think as quickly as possible, sensing his talk with Megan was time sensitive.
Okay, how do we-
M'Gann was cut off. Wally was gone. Irey was knocked out.
The Martian's eyes fading back to normal and she looked at Dinah who pulled the empty syringe and needle out of Irey's arm and patted her head gently.
"I was this close to-"
"that thing almost killed her." The Black Canary said harshly.
Artemis and Dick burst into the room.
"Dick? Artemis..." M'Gann looked to her best friend who now leaned over her daughter holding her hand which still almost burning hot.
"What happened?" Dick demanded.
"It was like a lightening storm coming out of her. She appeared to be having seizure, or a heart attack.. according to her vitals..." Dinah said looking at the various medical machinery around the room.
"I looked into her mind... Wally was there..." M'Gann began and Artemis' head shot up from where it had been looking down at Irey.
"How could he-" Dick started but M'Gann continued.
"He explained he was in that alternate speedster dimension...and it appears that he sees an opening and that opening seems to be Irey." M'Gann said looking away from Dick to Iris who now seemed peacefully asleep.
"He doesn't realize it's a person...And I didn't say anything about Irey but this could be his chance at escape."
"But what could that do to her?" Artemis asked worriedly.
M'Gann recalled her conversation about Wally's theory on survival rates and such.
"We'll talk about this and decide something later...let's just...let everything cool off..." Dick looked to Artemis who was sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed. The archer nodded to him and put her attention back on Irey, while everyone else left the room.
Artemis let out a sigh. "Iris Paula West...what am I going to do with you..."
/Flashback – 2 years ago/
The 14-year-old girl looked very pleased with herself. A white and red uniform, fresh and clean. A brand-new costume for the brand-new hero. Impulse was the name she had taken. To honor her mentor Bart Allen, the strange future boy who was now known as Kidflash.
Tigress walked up behind the young and eager hero who faced herself in a full-length mirror. The Justice Leaguer pulled her cat-like mask up so she could pull the cowl mask over her daughter's eyes and handed the last piece she needed to go out on her first patrol with: A pair of red goggles.
"These were your dad's first goggles. Your grandma Mary gave them to me when she found out you got your powers..."
Iris held them in her hand looking at them. They had some scratches along frame, despite the wear, they were otherwise clean. She examined them closely and held them as though they might crumble in her fingers. She felt unworthy.
"Mom...I can't take these..." Despite this, she still clutched them in her small hands.
Artemis' face softened.
"Yes you can. He-"
Irey cut her mother off. "I don't deserve it. These were the goggles of a genius. A real hero."
Irey trailed off holding them out to her mother. "Iris Paula West. I know for a fact that your dad would want you to wear them. Even if he were here, he'd give them to you."
"You don't know that for sure..."
Artemis refused to take the goggles back and crossed her arms. The two were stubborn as they could get.
Dick entered the small room inside the newly established "Mount Justice". It was a large building placed right where the mountain use to be. They still called it the cave, despite it not actually being one, but the team that Aqualad ran resided there. Nightwing eventually returned to helping out once Aqualad retired.
Dressed as the ever intimidating Nightwing, he quickly realized what was going on.
"Impulse. It's time to head out. KF is waiting on you." He said. Iris looked up at the man who had been the closest thing she ever had to a father. Obeying she began walking out of the room.
"wait a second." Nightwing said, stopping her. Impulse turned and looked at him.
"Where are your goggles? It's team and league policy all speedsters wear goggles."
Artemis tried to conceal a snicker. Irey raised an eyebrow.
"Never heard that rule before." The young speedster retaliated.
"Well, it just got instated." Dick winked at Artemis.
Bart looked at Barry and Barry crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know it's a lot to take in but it's happening, and we need to make a decision."
Dick Grayson decided the best person to talk about the issue with, would be actual speedsters.
"I know, but you know just as well as I do, that if getting Wally out of there does a single bit of harm to Irey, he couldn't live with himself." Barry said uncertain. "And I want him back just as much as you do, but the risks…"
"I know the risks. But we cannot ignore the possibilities. I was hoping Bart here, might be able to help us out...being from the future and all…" Dick looked at Bart, now in his early 30s, now dawning the name of Flash, while Barry had retired.
Bart sighed. "You guys know saying anything could totally mode the whole-time stream…"
"Yes. But can you tell us anything?" Dick asked intensely. Bart scratched the back of his neck.
(two weeks later)
"So we all agree?" Nightwing asked. A assortment of Justice Leaguers and Team members sat a long meeting table The hour long meeting, led by Nightwing, was shorter than expected. The issue had been exhausted. No one wanted to do anything someone was unsure about. But after running the tests, and exalting theories, they all unanimously nodded their heads in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Wally West is coming home."