Mount Justice
February 28th, 2016 - Team Year 6 (Bart's Timeline) 13:30 EDT

Dick Grayson still hadn't moved. His eyes remained locked on the monitor projection before him, still not wanting to believe what he had seen. Barry Allen, the Flash, the man who was practically an uncle to him, was dead. Captain Atom was gone as well. In a matter of minutes, the Justice League had lost two of its more iconic members.

Dick watched as the League took the super-villain into custody. A nice cozy cell at Bell Reve awaited him, along with a thorough conversation to find out who he was and why he'd done what he did. Conversation was probably too nice a term for it. Dick had seen Black Canary angry before, desperate for information, with the gatekeeper to that information directly in front of her. It had been just those few times where Dick had ever worried the woman might lose control, might put her boot directly through someone's head.

I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth. Bruce's last words echoed in his head, replaying over and over, like a vinyl that was skipping. The main members of the Justice League weren't on Earth. The trinity of heroes that comprised the beating heart of Earth's protectors weren't around. They might never be around again.

There were many things that Dick Grayson did not like to admit. That he might have been able to save his family's lives. His feelings for Barbara Gordon. But more than either of those, Dick Grayson hated to admit how much he was like his adoptive father, how he was the closest thing Earth had to Batman at the moment.

This was uncharted territory for all of them. A well-known and founding member of the Justice League was dead. Killed in a very public manner and a very public place. The policy of hiding their losses in a grotto with illuminated statues was no longer tenable.

And in that instant, Dick knew what he had to do. Even if it brought him even closer to who his father was, brought him closer to something Dick didn't want for himself. It was up to him to fill Flash's shoes, even before radiation levels had dropped back to normal.

The Batman would have made this request of him. The Batman would have told him this is what needed to be done, for the greater good, for the League, for the world. But at least then he would have had some cover, would have had been able to say that he was just following orders. There was no such cover here, and whatever followed was going to be his cross to bear.

This is exactly what Dick meant when he had told Black Canary years ago that he didn't want to be Batman anymore.

But if there was one thing his adoptive father had drilled into him, it was duty and completing the mission, no matter what the personal cost. The personal cost of this mission was going to be quite high, and it was getting higher by the second.

Dick knew that he was going to need some help. Tapping a few buttons on his wrist computer, he locked out the main room of the cave. Doors shut, no one would be zeta-tubing in or out. Dick needed privacy for this; he couldn't risk someone walking in on the first of what would be a series of the most difficult conversations of his entire life.

A few more quick keystrokes and his communicator began to ring. After the fourth tone, a voice on the other end picked up. An involuntary smile crossed Dick's face, but he forced it away. Nothing about this was going to be pleasant.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of a call out of the blue, Boy Wonder?" The flirty tone in Zatanna Zatara's voice told him she hadn't been watching the news, hadn't been patched into her Justice League communicator. This was going to be even harder than he thought.

"Zee..." The words failed him. How could he even begin? Dick swallowed against the bile building in his throat and continued forward. "Zee, Barry's dead."

The silence from the other end of the call was not unexpected. "What?" Her shocked reply was not a surprise either, and Dick could tell the magician was struggling to keep her emotions in check. That one word had held the barest hint of incredulousness, of disbelief, but she also knew him well enough to know he wouldn't lie about someone's death.

"Some new super-villain attacked Central City. Flash... Barry, he tried to stop him and..." Dick couldn't even get the words out, not again. They were catching in his throat. He heard a scrambling and typing on the other end of the line. Dick could just imagine her frantically double-checking everything he had just told her.

"I was meditating... I didn't even hear the call..." Her voice was low, almost distant. Dick remembered how lost she had looked when her father had been... persuaded to join Dr. Fate. He needed to keep her away from that place right now.

"Zee, I need your help." His fingers raced over the holographic keyboard in front of him. After a moment, the locations of the people he was looking for appeared before his eyes. Wally was at his home, Artemis was at class. Dick only hoped that neither of them had turned on a television.

"What can I do, Dick?"

"I need you to talk to Artemis." Dick heard her sharp intake of breath, but he pressed on. He couldn't afford to be interrupted right now. "I need you to convince her that she needs to come out of retirement with Wally. He's going to need her help. He's going to need her."

"Dick..." Zatanna's voice was barely above a whisper, and it was shaking with emotion. Whether that emotion was grief or anger, Dick couldn't tell. "Dick, they're both going to be in mourning. You can't expect me to ask her to get him to come out..."

"You won't be." He closed his eyes as he realized how much he sounded like Bruce, cutting her off like that. It made his stomach churn. "I'll be talking to Wally. But I need her ready to support him."

"Dick, please don't ask me to do this."

Dick hesitated, drawing in a ragged breath. He knew her reservations, he had the same ones, even if he couldn't verbalize them. But the time for reservations was over. Dick's eyes opened behind his domino mask, his jaw set even though she couldn't see it. He barely recognized the voice that escaped his lips when he spoke again.

"Zatanna, the League needs you to do this. I need you to do this." No, he did recognize that voice. Fuck you, Bruce, he thought. His tone softened. "Please, Zee."

The pause on the other end of the line went on so long that Dick almost thought she'd ended the call. When Zatanna spoke again, the chill in her voice almost matched his own. She understood.

"Fine, Dick." He breathed in a slow sigh of relief. "But you're an asshole for making me do this. You're not Bruce. Don't act like him just because he's not around to do it himself." The call ended abruptly.

Dick allowed his shoulders to slump in resignation. A quick combination on his keypad unlocked everything. It was time to go to California. He already felt exhausted. After this conversation, no matter which way it ended up going, Dick got the feeling he was going to need to sleep for a week. But something in his gut told him it would be a very long time before he got a good night's sleep again.

XXXXX

Palo Alto
February 28th, 2016 - Team Year 6 (Bart's Timeline) 11:00 PDT

Standing outside the home of Wally West and Artemis Crock, Dick Grayson felt a twinge of jealousy. They were happy. They had been able to walk away and lead relatively normal lives. The two of them had the house, no white picket fence, but it was theirs.

But their life wasn't his. The house, the dog, the porch, and the tree in the backyard, that wasn't for him. Dick Grayson wasn't sure he could ever completely walk away.

He raised his hand to knock on the front door when it suddenly opened before him. There stood Wally West, a bit broader in the shoulders than the last time Dick had seen him, but the mess of red hair on his head and splash of freckles were still the same.

"Come on in." There was a lightness to Wally's voice. A mischievousness that accompanied the light in his eyes. Dick's stomach sank.

He didn't know.

"How'd you know I'd be coming?" Dick still had a job to do, but he offered the smallest of smiles as he stepped through the threshold to the home. Brucely, curled up in a chair, raised his head to look at Dick briefly before setting it back down with a huff. He knew the raven-haired boy was no threat.

"I built a program to let me know when someone checked up on our locations." A smirk crossed Wally's face as he closed the door, moving towards the kitchen. "It pinged a little while ago. Figured you'd be dropping by." His hand grasped the handle to the refrigerator and pulled the door open. Fully stocked, as always. "So what do I owe the pleasure of an impromptu visit from the Boy Wonder? Can I get you anything?"

Dick didn't answer for a moment, just staring down at his royal blue sneakers with streaks of black. He felt naked in civilian clothes, even if his escrimas could still be accessed by pulling up the legs of his jeans to retrieve them from his ankle holsters. The grey t-shirt didn't fit him the way his armor did; it seemed to hang off his body rather than cling to it.

"Hello? Earth to Boy Wonder..."

"Wally, Barry's dead." The words were curt and abrupt. Dick closed his eyes in a silent rebuke. He had wanted to build up to that moment, to ease Wally into the worst news of his life. But it was out there now. Dick's eyes opened on his best friend. Wally's jaw was slightly agape. His head gave a short shake.

"You're about a month early for April Fool's Day, Dick." The refrigerator door shut with a slam. "And even if you weren't, that's not funny." Dick opened his mouth to speak again, but decided against it. Instead, he grabbed a remote from the coffee table, pointed it towards the television against the far wall, and pressed the power button. Immediately, images of a destroyed downtown Central City filled the screen. He turned away, he didn't need to continue to see the images already seared into his memory. But Wally moved closer.

"...police reports indicate the Flash had been fighting the super-villain before the first explosion that destroyed much of downtown..." Dick's finger jammed into the mute button to silence the voice of the reporter on scene. Wally's face was whiter than usual, and even his freckles seemed drained of color as his body slumped.

"Who..."

"We don't know." His own voice sounded mechanical, foreign, much like the television he had just muted. "The League has him in custody. Currently on the way to Belle Reve."

"How did he..."

"Nuclear explosion." Dick's eyes turned back towards the television slowly. "The villain was wearing some kind of containment suit, but he overloaded it somehow and..." He paused again before turning the television off and turning back to his best friend. "There's nothing left, Wally."

"Iris?" Wally's words sounded hollow, as if his brain was someplace else. Dick frowned.

"I don't know if anyone has told her yet." The instant those words left his mouth, the redhead was practically a blur of motion, grabbing his coat and shoes.

"I need to get to her. Is the zeta tube in Central City still active?" Dick honestly didn't know the answer to that question, but he knew that he needed to press ahead with his mission before Wally bolted from his home.

"Wait..." He took a deep breath. Either the words came out now, or they never would. "You need to come back."

A silence hung in the air for a number of long, uncomfortable seconds. "Dick, my family needs me right now, more than you, more than the League does." Wally continued pulling on his shoes. Dick could almost feel the emotions rolling off of him. "Besides, we're retired."

Dick lightly put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm not asking, Wally." His voice, though low, held a hard edge to it. Dick recognized that voice. Fuck you, Bruce.

"Well I'm telling you to go fuck yourself." Wally brushed Dick's hand from his shoulder coolly. "My uncle just died. I'm not putting on the yellow suit again." The realization his Dick like a ton of bricks. This was going to be more devastating than he thought.

"It's not the yellow suit I need you to put on..."

Wally whirled around to face him, a manic fire in his green eyes that Dick had never seen before. "You have the fucking gall to ask me that?" The older man closed the distance between them, his face inches from Dick's. "You think you're him, don't you, coming here and asking that of me." Two hands pressed into Dick's chest, the unexpected shove sending him flying back into the couch. Brucely's head rose with a whine, but the dog did not move from his chair. "The goddamn city hasn't even cooled yet and you want his replacement running around, posing for the cameras?"

"It's not posing for the cameras." Dick pushed himself back up to a sitting position, but did not rise from the couch. He tried to keep his tone low and level as he looked up at his friend. "Barry's dead, but the Flash needs to live. We need him, Wally. The League needs that conscience. It needs you."

Wally swooped down and Dick instinctively brought his hands up. But Wally grabbed the remote, turning the muted television back on. With his free hand, he gestured emphatically. "This is exactly why we got out, Dick. Because sooner or later, something like this was going to happen. Someone was going to die." Wally's eyes dropped to the floor and his shoulders slumped. "And we didn't want it to be one of us."

Dick didn't saying anything for a long moment. No one could argue with Wally's logic. Everyone had understood why they left after Tula died. They all saw what it had done to Kaldur. There was no logical argument against that. So he said the only thing he could. "The League needs you, Wally." Christ, that sounded so contrived, so petty.

"The League, or Batman, Dick?" The defeat was gone from his friend's voice, replaced with the cold steel of anger. "Is this really for the greater good, or just so you can have something to show your mentor if he gets back from trying to clear his name? Isn't this so he doesn't have to feel like he lost one of his toy soldiers? That's why he created the team, isn't it? So he can just call up a reserve if one of the starters goes down?"

Dick was on his feet in an instant. This didn't sound like Wally. This sounded more like Roy, the Roy from a few years ago. The one who didn't know he was a traitor. "Wally, you know that's not true. You know he never gave us anything we couldn't handle."

"Of course he did, Dick, you're just so close to him you're too blind to see it!" Wally's voice rose again as he stepped closer. "His little covert team running around with bright fucking targets on our chests. Never gave us anything we couldn't handle? What about the Injustice League? What about Tula? What about Jason?"

Now it was Dick's turn to raise his voice. "That's fucking uncalled for, Wally. Bruce had nothing to do with Jason's death."

"Oh that's right. I forgot, that's your little cross to bear, isn't it?" Wally's eyes grew wide, knowing that he'd stepped over a line. His eyes dropped down to the floor, and when he spoke again his voice was much softer. "I need to talk to Artemis. I need to tell her about Barry."

"Zatanna is already talking to her." Wally whirled back towards Dick, the fire back in his eyes. Dick would have winced at the coming onslaught if he hadn't already prepared himself for it the entire time getting there.

"You manipulative little fuck. You went behind my back and used Zatanna, used her friendship with Artemis? Why? So if I said no she could convince me to change my mind?" Another shove sent Dick sprawling back onto the couch again, as another whine came from Brucely in the corner. Dick watched as Wally reached out for the doorknob and paused, looking back over his shoulder at him.

"You once told me you didn't want to end up like him. Well, I hope he's sized you up for a cape and cowl, because I don't even recognize you anymore." The redhead angrily slammed the door behind him. Dick rubbed his hands over his face slowly, staring between cracked fingers at silent images of destruction that were playing out before him.

XXXXX

The sound of the door slamming wasn't nearly satisfying enough for Wally West. He wanted to throw it back open, slam it again, push it back open, and beat the daylights out of Dick Grayson. Out of Batman. Out of everything in this world that had made his uncle who he was and had then taken Barry Allen from him.

Wally stumbled forward a few feet and then allowed himself to collapse on the steps of his front porch. His body shook as sobs that he'd held onto inside were finally released. Emotion poured from him. Emotion at losing his uncle, at berating his best friend, at the path before him all combined to streak his face with large tears.

"That sounded like quite a row." The voice startled him. Wally raised his tear-stained eyes to see Artemis standing on the sidewalk a few feet away, hands in the pockets of her jacket. Her grey eyes were narrowed in concern, and her pale red lips were turned down in worry.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Artemis slowly walked to his side, sitting next to him and running a hand over his back slowly. "How are you doing, babe?"

Wally shook his head. He had no idea how he was doing, what he was doing, or what he was going to do. Life had thrown him into complete and utter disarray, and the only anchor he had was the woman sitting next to him.

"That was a fast conversation with Zatanna." He chose not to answer her question. Anger was an emotion he could focus on, and anger at Dick was the most prevailing feeling he had after grief at the loss of Barry.

"She gave me the rundown of what happened and said Dick had come to see you." Artemis' words were soft, and she lowered her head to his shoulder. "It doesn't take a genius like you to figure out why he came here, Wally West. So I got here as soon as I could. I knew you'd need me, so here I am."

A short laugh coincided with his lips breaking into a small smile. Wally turned and kissed her forehead gently, moving his chin to rest on her head. Closing his eyes, he sighed heavily. He did need her, now more than ever.

"I'm not happy about this." There was much more of a sadness in his voice than he'd anticipated. Wally could feel his anger bleeding away, replaced by exhaustion and overwhelming sadness.

"Wally, this is an emergency." He was grateful she knew what he was talking about, without him having to explain it. Wally wasn't sure he could put it into words right now. "We're needed." The emphasis on we made Wally feel slightly better, but still not enough to convince him it was the right course of action.

"He shouldn't need us." Wally moved to look straight ahead, his hands still gripping hers like he'd never let go. "He shouldn't have asked us. He's my best friend. He knows we're trying to leave the life behind." That was half true. Wally knew that Artemis missed the life more than he did, but after seeing what losing Tula had done to Kaldur... he couldn't guarantee that he would have stayed on the side of the angels if something happened to Artemis.

"Don't blame Nightwing." There was a quiet forcefulness to her voice as her tone remained low. She sighed, her eyes following his to stare at nothing out in front of them. "Look, the decision is yours, babe. If you don't want to get back in, we won't. But I'm ready if you are."

Wally closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "I just don't know. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." He felt her hand on his chin, turning his face to meet her gaze. Artemis offered a small smile before her lips locked with his. She broke the kiss a few seconds later, her forehead resting against his.

"People need us right now, babe. The world needs us right now." Artemis pulled away, standing and holding out her hands to him. "But more than that, your aunt needs us now. Come on."

Wally took her hands in his, letting the blonde help pull him up. Instead of letting go as he stood, his arms enveloped her in a hug. After a moment, she returned the embrace.

"Babe, you rock." A smirk creased her face as she leaned up to kiss him quickly.

"Come on. Central City's zeta tube is still active."

XXXXX

Central City
February 28th, 2016 - Team Year 6 (Bart's Timeline) 13:30 CDT

The closer he got to the home of his aunt and uncle, the more Wally West wanted to turn around, say "screw it", start running and never stop. He could have done it. Well, not the "never stop" portion, but he might have made it to the Pacific Ocean before running out of fuel. Maybe even to Hawaii if he really pushed himself.

A hand being lightly placed on his shoulder reminded him he'd never get the chance. Somehow, some way, the blonde to his right, the love of his life, would wind up at his final destination before he did, a bemused smile on her face. That was just her way.

Gathering himself up, Wally drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door softly. Three short, soft knocks. He honestly wasn't sure if his aunt had heard him and was reaching for the door again when it opened.

Iris' green eyes mirrored his own: tear-soaked and red around the edges. Without a word, Wally practically threw himself into her arms. He felt his aunt's embrace wrap around him and tighten, both of them burying their faces into each other's shoulders.

After what seemed like a long few minutes filled with nothing but soft sobs emanating from the both of them, they both broke away. Aunt Iris smiled at him and then laughed suddenly. Wally was taken aback, but she waved her hand. "We both look awful." He had to chuckle at the comment. Wally honestly didn't want to know what he looked like at that moment.

The three of them moved to the living room, Wally perching himself into a chair as his aunt moved herself onto a couch, clutching a blanket and a picture frame that Wally knew held a picture of her and Barry. A "Happy Anniversary" banner still hung above the mantle. It took him a moment before Wally remembered that today was the Garrick's anniversary. His adoptive grandparents were nowhere to be seen, however. They must have left after hearing the news.

Wally could hear Artemis in the kitchen, making something, he wasn't sure what. Iris' emerald eyes were locked on the frame in front of her, tears welling up again. She wiped them away angrily.

"Every time I think I'm done crying, I just start again." Her voice shook with emotion as she hugged the picture to her chest. "I thought I had prepared myself for this, Wally." Iris' gaze finally rose from the frame to lock with her nephew. "I always knew this was a possibility, you know? I thought mentally... I thought I'd be ready for the news. But not like this... not like this."

"How'd you find out?" The words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. Talk about morbid curiosity.

"I saw it." The words hit him harder than Black Adam did when the team fought the Injustice League. His aunt's eyes flooded with tears once again.

"What? How?"

"I was on my way to the station and was watching the downtown camera we had up on live stream. It showed the park, Wally. I watched..." The words caught in her throat as Iris covered her mouth for a moment before drawing in a shaky breath and continuing. "I saw Barry. On the ground. I saw the explosion, Wally. And then the camera was knocked offline."

Her story was interrupted by Artemis coming in with a tray of tea, handing a cup to each of them. Iris smiled at her, setting the frame down for the first time before taking the tea. She took a sip, patting the couch next to her for Artemis to sit. Wally just held the tea in his hands, the physical warmth doing nothing to dispel the cold ache of loss inside him.

"Hal called. He didn't have to do that. He wanted to tell me... he didn't know I already knew." Iris' voice was still soft as she took another slow drink of the tea. Artemis rubbed her hand over her back, her grey eyes wide.

"I'm glad you stopped by Wally. Thank you."

"Are you kidding? Where else would I be?" Iris offered him a small smile before setting the tea cup on the table in front of her.

"I have something to tell you, Wally. Something that I was never able to tell Barry." She paused for a moment, looking down. "I'm pregnant. I just found out this morning. I was going to tell Barry tonight but..." Iris choked out another sob before her eyes locked with his again.

"Barry left something for you, Wally. He wanted you to have it in case something happened to him. It's upstairs... in the guestroom closet." Wally still hadn't moved. Aunt Iris was pregnant? There was going to be a child who never knew their superhero father? Who would only have old video and stories to remember him by? "Wally." His softly spoken name brought him back the present. "Please. He wanted it for you."

With a slow nod, the redhead stood and began making his way upstairs. Opening the door to the guestroom closet, he pushed aside a few articles of clothing until he found a small box, not much bigger than one of those boxes of chocolates he always forgot to give Artemis on Valentine's Day. His name was scrawled onto the top, followed by a simple message.

Carry on the family tradition. I'm sorry I won't be there to see it. - Barry

Pulling off the top of the box, Wally found himself staring down at two dozen golden rings. Each one was emblazoned with a lightning bolt.

Wally sunk back to the floor, just holding the box and staring at it. Tears started falling from his eyes like a steady rain again. He didn't want to come back. He didn't want this life. When he was younger, it was a different story. Wally had wanted to be a hero so badly that he had almost killed himself to get powers. But that wasn't the case anymore.

Now he had Artemis. They had talked about settling down, getting married, starting a family. He was sure that Barry would have quit the moment he found out Iris was pregnant. How could he expect Wally to give up his dream of a quiet life?

Wally wished his uncle was still alive to answer all these questions. But he wasn't. All he was left with were memories, a box of golden rings, and a message to carry on the family tradition.

Reaching down, Wally grabbed one of the rings, twisting the top. A Flash costume burst from the ring, expanding and almost hanging in mid-air for a few moments. Pushing himself to his feet, Wally grabbed the suit before it hit the ground. He examined the red fabric in his hands for a long moment before getting to work.

A few minutes later, he was suited up. He barely recognized himself in the suit, even though the dreams of his younger years had been dominated by this very moment. To his disdain, it fit perfectly. There were even food compartments built into the wrists, just like his Kid Flash costume had. Wally lowered his head. A soft knock on the door followed soon afterward.

"Come in." The door pushed open and Artemis stood there, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

"You look good." He turned towards her, throwing his arms out wide.

"Really? Because I feel like a fraud." It was the truth. He didn't feel like he'd earned this suit, this emblem. He was the benchwarmer being called in for an injured starter, not out of talent, but out of necessity.

"Well don't." Artemis' tone was harsher, cutting through his self doubt. She stepped closer cupping his chin and forcing him to look at her. "You're honoring Barry's memory by becoming the Flash. I know he'd be proud." Wally couldn't help but smile at her confidence in him as he threw his arms around her in a big bear hug. After a few moments he broke the embrace, pushing the hood of the suit back.

"So what about you? Do we need to get you a new Artemis outfit?" She scoffed, punching him in the shoulder.

"Please. The old one still fits." She leaned down, grabbing the box of rings and taking his hand at the same time. "Your aunt's waiting. And I'm sure Nightwing is waiting for a call as well. Let's go, Flash."

XXXXX

Central City
March 5th, 2016 - Team Year 6 (Bart's Timeline) 14:00 CDT

The church was truly beautiful. She hadn't been in many of them, but Artemis Crock knew that this grand cathedral, just outside of the blast radius that had destroyed much of downtown Central City, was gorgeous.

The entire Justice League was present for this funeral, along with what seemed like half the population of Central City. Plans were already being discussed to rebuild the statue of Flash that had been destroyed. A spokesperson for Wayne Enterprises, Artemis smirked at the thought, had offered to pay for the rebuilding costs.

This ceremony was much more lavish, more grandiose than where the League had just come from. In the grotto of Mount Justice, Black Canary had gently read a few lines in memory of both Flash and Captain Atom before activating their statues. They joined Ted Kord, Jason Todd, and Tula. The little club was growing faster than anyone wanted to admit.

That was also where she and Wally had been formally inducted into the Justice League. She had always thought the moment would be much different, more triumphant. But this wasn't an occasion to celebrate new members of the League; it was more, as Wally had been fond of saying, a stopgap measure to make it look as if the League was still at full strength.

Artemis' grey eyes tracked over to Wally, clad in his crimson Flash suit, a black armband encircling his right arm. He was sitting a few rows in front of her, with the League's "original" members, or at least as many of them as they could fake. Connor dressed in blue, M'gann looking like her uncle, Donna Troy was back for the first time in forever, dressed in white, and would pass for Wonder Woman without close inspection. And then there was Dick, who had for the first time, donned the cape and cowl, and was conspicuously seated on the opposite side of the pew from Wally. Another effort to make the League look whole, she gathered.

Directly behind her sat Iris West. Well, it was Iris West to the members of the Justice League and a select few members of the team. To everyone else, it was a raven-haired woman wearing an orange pendant around her neck underneath a black veil.

The glamour charm had been Dick's idea. He'd proposed it to Zatanna, who had managed to whip it up in the week between Barry's death and the funeral. Why would Iris West be sitting so close to the Justice League, and be so broken up over the Flash's death, Dick had posited. They weren't releasing Barry's identity, even in death, for the safety of his family.

There was silence as Hal Jordan slowly made his way to the front of the church. The Green Lantern, clad in the traditional formal long emerald coat of the Corps, paused by the casket covered by a crimson sheet emblazoned with the Flash symbol before stepping behind the lectern, brushing a hand across his face. All of Earth's available Green Lanterns were in attendance, not only to mourn Barry's death, but in support of their friend and colleague. Even Kyle Rayner, normally on duty on Oa, was back, sitting on the end of the Lanterns next to Zatanna and Dr. Fate.

The cynical side of Artemis Crock wondered why they were all here, why everyone was crying over an empty coffin. There was nothing left to mourn, nothing left to bury. A symbol was the only piece of the man that remained. And then the human side of Artemis Crock told the cynical side of her to shut the hell up.

"Good afternoon." Artemis cringed as she heard how weak Hal's voice was. She had never seen much of the Green Lantern, but she'd never seen him as downtrodden as he had been the past week.

"Thank you all for being here today. I know some of you travelled a great distance, some more than others," light laughter rumbled through the cathedral at the joke, "but know that Flash's family, and the Justice League, appreciate this show of support."

Hal paused again as he looked down. "I tried all week to write something for this service. Tried to put down on paper what Flash meant to me, to this team. I couldn't do it. It seemed too final, too definite. But now I'm here, standing in front of all of you, so I suppose I should say something." His eyes moved to the crimson-clad coffin next to him.

"The Flash was a great man. I don't need to tell any of you that, you know, but he was. He was probably the best man I ever knew, and that's saying something. I know you're supposed to say great things about the dead, you're supposed to rattle on about how great they are. But with him, with B-," Artemis watched Hal pause as he bit his tongue to stop from saying Flash's real name. "With the Flash, it was really true. And all of you here today know it."

She watched him grip the edges of the lectern for support as his voice grew stronger. "The Flash was the heart of this team. He wasn't the strongest, he wasn't the best fighter." Hal paused, a smirk crossing his face. "He was the fastest." Another rumble of laughter rolled through the cathedral. "Most importantly, he was the greatest of us."

"Flash was the guy who'd look you in the eye, and tell you that you were wrong. Hell, he stood up to guys who could break him in half, and he'd win that argument because, deep down, they knew he was right. They knew he was looking out for what really mattered."

"But even above that, Flash was the simplest of us. And I don't mean that as a bad thing, I really don't. Take me, for instance." Hal gestured to himself as he smiled. "Intergalactic space cop. Take Superman, or Wonder Woman." The Green Lantern's hands waved over their body doubles sitting in the front row. "They worry about keeping the world safe. Flash worried about Central City; about the people in this cathedral; about the kids down at the orphanage. And when saving this city meant saving the world, he was right there without question. But first and foremost, he loved the people here, in his city."

Artemis heard Hal's voice falter again as he lost the momentum he'd been building. "There are... no words that can bring Flash back. There's no words that can bring comfort to his family, or express our undying thanks for his sacrifice." Artemis watched a single tear run down Hal's cheek. Connor, Donna, Dick, M'gann, and the other two Green Lanterns walked slowly to the casket and lifted it. They turned, following Wally down the center aisle in a solemn procession.

"We'll never forget what Flash stood for. And the best way we can honor his legacy is to take what he taught us and pass it along. Let's have that be our tribute to Central City's greatest son, the fastest man alive, who believed we could all be heroes." Artemis watched as Hal took a step back from the lectern, and offered a final salute to the coffin retreating down the aisle.

Her eyes fell on her boyfriend as he walked past. Wally did not look at her or his aunt. His jaw held a firm set that Artemis had not seen in years, and his green eyes were narrowed on the back of the cathedral where sunlight was spilling in through open doors.

As the procession moved down the aisle, Artemis felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Hal, his eyes filled with tears. His gaze moved to the row behind her, and Artemis nodded her head in understanding. She reached out and softly took Iris' hand; the message was for her.

"I should have been faster. I should have been there in time to save him." The Green Lantern's voice was barely above a whisper, but the droop of Iris' head said that she heard every word. "I'm so sorry."

Hal's hand left her shoulder as he followed the coffin. At the back of the cathedral, pausing in the precipice and silhouetted by sunlight, stood the Flash. Then Wally took a few steps forward and disappeared from view.