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Flash raced down Fleet St, he was in a rush, which was not unusual for him, but today was different. He had a very important appointment to keep and if he missed it…well, he'd likely never hear the end of it no matter how much he apologised.
"Damnit, out of all the days for me to sleep in...why'd it have to be today?" Flash cursed as he zoomed down the street.
Flash veered around corners and zigzagged in between cars and around people. He couldn't be late, not for this. Finally, his destination came into view. Flash smirked; it would be a tight turn but he could do it. Flash in.
"Am I too late?" Flash demanded and slammed his hands on the counter. "Please tell me I am not too late,"
The woman behind the counter glanced over at a clock on the back wall and smiled. She had long black hair and dark skin, however, a portion of her face was heavily scarred with burn scars and she didn't have eyebrows. She was wearing an apron along with the required uniform of the café.
"No, Flash, you have three minutes to spare," she claimed.
"Sweet," Flash beamed. "I'll have an extra-large Iced triple Mocha espresso with extra cream, cinnamon, and do you have some of those amazing chocolate rocks back in stock?"
"Of course, we got them in yesterday," the girl said. "I'll mix in some extra ones just for you,"
"Awesome, you're the best," Flash cheered. "Will you marry me?"
"Flash, you say that every time you come in here," the girl giggled.
"And I mean it every time, nobody makes Iced Mochas like you do. They're as sweet as you are,"
"While I appreciate the compliment Flash, I've told you before, I am dating my boyfriend Chris,"
"Aw man, and here I thought you liked me," Flash moaned.
"I do like you, Flash, it's just I prefer guys who want to take things slow. Besides, we've only known each other for 3 weeks,"
"And it was love at first Mocha,"
"Don't you mean first sight?"
"No, how could you forget the first Triple Espresso Mocha you ever made? It was so sweet and creamy, and the subtle under taste of Caramel..," Flash swooned. "I knew then and there it was the only one for me...and now I find out you have a man in your life," Flash continued and acted very dramatic. "I thought we had something special,"
Flash, if you don't stop being overly dramatic, I will make this one a decaf," the girl threatened.
"Ah well, can't blame a guy for trying. At least we'll always have Half-priced Mocha Morning Mondays," Flash said solemnly. "How is Chris doing? Has he proposed yet?"
"Not yet, but I think it will be soon,"
"Well, he'd better hurry up. It's no good to keep an amazing girl like you waiting too long. Who knows, maybe you'll fall for some handsome speedster if he takes too long...maybe one who is on the Justice League," Flash said playfully.
"Perhaps, but unlikely. By the way, here is your drink," the girl said and held out Flash's drink. Flash beamed at it and took it. "Thanks, June. Same time next week?"
"It's a date. See you then and say hi to Chris for me," Flash said and raced out of the shop, leaving a streak of red behind, and leaving a $20 bill on the counter.
June smiled and ran it through the till. Flash's drink only cost $5.99. He always left a $20 for her, which would allow her to keep the extra $14.00 as a tip. The manager of the store walked out of the back and came over to her.
"Was that from Flash?"
"Yep, he was just here,"
"I don't know how you put up with him every week. It's like he doesn't understand that no means no,"
"Oh, he's sweet, and I'm sure he's like that with all the girls. Besides, he's never taken it further than harmless overdramatic flirting, and it's nice that someone like him is flattering someone like me. I'm not the prettiest girl out there, nor am I nice to look at,"
"You shouldn't talk about yourself like that," the manager claimed.
"I know. The truth is, I really don't mind. It's a real boost to my confidence having a hero flirt with me every week instead of people staring and sneering at me," June claimed.
"As long as it doesn't go further than that. If he takes it too far or ever makes you feel uncomfortable, let me know, and he will be banned from the store," the manager said seriously. "I won't have anyone making my employees uncomfortable, no matter who they are. Even if it is Flash,"
"Thanks, boss. I appreciate it," June smiled.
Flash slurped down his Iced Mocha. He had raced to a nearby park and was leaning against a tree. There was nothing really going on in his city at the moment. Mornings tended to be quiet since most bad guys were active at night. Flash was thinking about what he would do today. He wouldn't be needed at the tower until tomorrow night for his turn at monitor duty. Additionally, it was his day off from his civilian job.
"Maybe I should go to the Gallery. See how some of the guys are doing. See if James is back from the hospital," Flash muttered to himself. "Ah, but that doesn't open until 4 pm,"
Suddenly, a screech of tires and a crash was heard. Flash quickly downed the rest of his drink and raced off in the direction of the crash. When he arrived at the far end of Main Street, his eyes widened at what he saw. A large black gorilla with a gold headset was tearing up the street, picking up cars and throwing them into buildings, ripping up fire hydrants and directing the water at those running away from him.
Flash put his hand to his ear.
"Hey, J'onn, Grodd's back and he's tearing up Central City's main street," Flash reported.
"Understood. I will send Green Lantern and Hawkgirl for backup," J'onn's voice came through Flash's communicator.
Flash raced up and grabbed each citisen off the street and out of the way. It took less than a second to clear the street and lower floors of the buildings. Once he was done, he stopped in front of Grodd.
"Grodd, good to see you again," Flash greeted with his trademark grin. "I didn't know we had a re-enactment of King Kong set for today. Though if you're here for the annual animal rights convention, it was last week,"
"Ah, Flash, still using wit to substitute for your lack of intelligence," Grodd said calmly.
"Excuse me? But our last encounter ended with me making a monkey out of you," Flash scoffed.
"Indeed, but that was a fluke and not one that will happen again," Grodd claimed.
"Why are you really here, Grodd?" Flash demanded.
"No reason, it's such a nice day, I thought I would take a mid-morning stroll and pick up something cool to eat," Grodd said, then heaved a nearby car at Flash "After all Revenge is a dish best served cold,"
Flash easily dodged it, but barely had time to register a second car coming at him. He ducked just in time.
"Interesting thing about this city, it's made for smaller and inferior beings. Not much room to maneuverer," Grodd claimed.
"Same to you," Flash retorted, and raced forward. He was in front of Grodd in less than a second, and Flash zipped up and started a series of rapid high-speed punches against Grodd. The gorilla grunted and stumbled back in pain. Usually, such force wouldn't affect him much due to his physique, but Flash's high-speed punches were having an effect.
"Annoying fly," Grodd hissed, and he swatted at Flash. Flash ducked and raced backwards out of Grodd's range.
"How do you like that? Ready to surrender?" Flash asked.
"Impressive, using your speed to compensate for your lack of muscles is a clever tactic. It appears you have a semblance of IQ in you," Grodd taunted.
"Yeah, I do, don't I?" Flash said proudly, then realised he had been insulted. "Hey, wait...did you just call me dumb?"
"I will leave you to figure that one out," Grodd mocked.
Flash narrowed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. He knew he had to stop Grodd before he caused any more damage to the city. He took a deep breath and charged at Grodd with incredible speed. This time, he aimed for Grodd's head and delivered a powerful blow that sent the gorilla flying backwards.
Grodd crashed into a nearby building, causing it to crumble to the ground. Flash quickly ran towards him, believing he had won, but as he approached, he saw a faint smirk on Grodd's face.
"You're getting better, Flash," Grodd said as he got back on his feet. Bricks and rubble falling off Grodd's Frame "But you're still no match for me,"
Flash gritted his teeth and prepared for another round. He knew he had to come up with a new strategy if he wanted to defeat Grodd. He quickly scanned his surroundings and noticed a fire hydrant nearby.
Without hesitation, he raced towards the hydrant and leaned on it with a smirk.
"Hey Grodd, what's got two opposable thumbs and is behind in evolution?" Flash goaded, "You,"
Grodd roared and charged at Flash. Once Grodd was close, Flash opened the hydrant and Grodd was sprayed with water. Grodd tried to shield his face from the spray with his hands, but wasn't succeeding.
"Looks like you're all washed up, Grodd," Flash joked.
Suddenly, Grodd's hand reached out and grabbed the Scarlet Speedster by the waist. Flash yelped as he was slammed into the ground hard, only for Grodd to pick him up and thrash him around. Flash moaned, feeling dizzy and stunned from the blow. Grodd crushed the hydrant, cutting off the water pressure. Suddenly, he was hit in the side with a green energy beam. He looked up in annoyance and saw Green Lantern and Hawkgirl approaching by air. The annoyance faded, and a smile spread across Grodd's face.
"Ah, the backup has arrived. Good," he smirked.
Grodd grabbed Flash's legs and bent them back. Flash screamed in pain as Grodd broke his legs in several places and twisted and knotted them over themselves.
"Flash!" Hawkgirl cried out in worry for her teammate.
"Let him go, Grodd," Green Lantern demanded.
Grodd looked up at them and grinned.
"Of course. You can have him back. I've got what I wanted anyway," Grodd claimed, and he lifted Flash up and threw him at both Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, then turned and jumped away.
Green Lantern caught Flash in a bubble, and Hawkgirl flew after Grodd. However, as she was approaching, the intelligent ape jumped onto an armoured van, and it drove away. The high-speed vehicle was enough to put some distance between Grodd and Hawkgirl, but not enough to lose her. Hawkgirl chased after the van, determined to catch Grodd and bring him to justice. She flew as fast as she could, her wings beating against the wind with incredible force. The van weaved in and out of traffic, trying to lose her, but Hawkgirl was relentless.
As she got closer to the van, she could see Grodd holding on tightly to the roof. She knew she had to act fast before he could do any more damage. She flew above the van and swooped down, aiming her mace at Grodd.
Grodd saw her coming and jumped off the van just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow. Hawkgirl landed on the van, her mace leaving a dent on the metal roof. She quickly flew off it and scanned the area for any sign of Grodd. She saw him running towards a nearby building, his massive form towering over the pedestrians on the street. She knew she couldn't let him get away, so she chased after him, wings flapping furiously against the wind.
As she got closer, she could hear Grodd's heavy breathing and the sound of his footsteps echoing in the alley. She landed in front of him, blocking his path. Grodd looked up at her with a mixture of anger and frustration.
"You can't stop me, Hawkgirl," Grodd declared. "I am too powerful for you,"
Hawkgirl didn't back down. She raised her mace and prepared to strike. But before she could, a blinding light filled the alley from the other end, and the sound of an engine was heard. Hawkgirl barely had time to get out of the way before the same van rushed at her. Grodd once again jumped on it. When Hawkgirl shook off the blindness from the sudden flash of high beams, she looked in the direction that the van was going and saw Grodd give her a wave with a mocking smile on his face.
"Damn it," Hawkgirl cursed as she watched the sentient Gorilla escape.
She turned around and flew back towards Green Lantern.
"Where's Grodd?" Green Lantern demanded.
"Gone, he got away," Hawkgirl responded angrily.
"You let him go?" Green Lantern snapped.
"Hey, he had an armoured van and it blinded me, I nearly got run over," Hawkgirl shot back in an aggressive tone. "Not all of us have magic rings that protect us from harm,"
"It would be a lot more convenient if you did," Green Lantern huffed.
She then looked at the bubble. "How's Flash?" she asked in a worried tone.
"In a lot of pain, we'd better get him back to the tower," Green Lantern said.
Flash wasn't as hurt as his teammates believed. Well, okay, maybe he was. But it was fine. He's the Flash. All he needed was an hour or two and he'd heal like he always did. He didn't see what the fuss was about. Sure, Grodd paid him and his city a personal visit, and yeah, the Gorilla may have gotten a few lucky hits in, but that was all. Everyone fussing over how Grodd had folded his legs in the shape of a pretzel was overkill.
Alucard and J'onn had already been alerted and were waiting for him, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl in the infirmary. Green Lantern had called them on the way back to the watchtower and explained Flash's injuries. Superman, who was in Metropolis, and Wonder Woman, who was dealing with a situation, were also alerted.
"Guys, guys, I'm fine! I swear!" Wally claimed, as Green Lantern placed him in a medical tube and the green bubble disappeared.
Alucard and J'onn walked over to the tube and both started to examine Flash, though it was clear to see what was wrong with the scarlet speedster. Green Lantern didn't believe Flash's claims.
"Yeah right, I can see your legs, Hotshot. You must be in a lot of pain!" Green Lantern stated.
"No. He is not currently experiencing pain," J'onn corrected.
"Thank you, J'onn," Wally said appreciatively.
"Flash is currently in shock and his brain is suppressing the immense trauma of his current condition. Once the shock wears off, I believe the sensation will be excruciating," J'onn continued.
"For crying out loud," Wally shot back. "That is not what I meant and you know it,"
"Are you going to be able to fix his legs?" Hawkgirl asked.
"Flash's own hyper charged immune system will take care of that. We will need to set the bones, but once done, he will recover relatively quickly," J'onn answered.
"See? Fine," Flash repeated.
"Although we will need to re-break the legs in multiple locations to do so," Alucard added. "Flash's own healing factor is working against us, and a few key bones have already begun to set,"
"I'm sorry, you need to do what?" Flash yelled in shock.
"Re-break your legs...in multiple locations," Alucard repeated. "Was your hearing damaged as well, or did you receive some brain damage that prevents you from understanding us?"
"Doubt it, brain damage would actually do Flash the world of good," Hawkgirl snorted, but she was ignored.
"Al, I say this because I love you, but if you want to be a doctor, you need to work on your bedside manner," Flash claimed.
"Noted," Alucard said. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl left the infirmary, leaving Flash's care to J'onn and Alucard.
"Well, that's another mess that Flash has gotten us into," Green Lantern huffed as they walked away from the infirmary.
"It wouldn't have happened had he waited. Then we could have taken Grodd out together," Hawkgirl agreed. "Now he's going to be out of commission for a while, and that is just great. Ugh, can this day get any worse?"
"It's about to. You and I are going to have a talk about you letting villains escape," Green Lantern scolded.
Back in the infirmary, J'onn gave Flash a heavy dose of aesthetic by injecting directly into Flash's legs. It had to be far over the recommended dose, as Flash's own healing factor courtesy of the Speed Force would work such things through his system much faster than a normal human. Once Flash was relaxed and very loopy, Alucard applied some pressure to Flash's legs, and a snap could be heard.
Thankfully, Flash didn't feel much from the breaks. He claimed he felt a slight tingle, but that was all. It took over an hour and a half for both J'onn and Alucard to fully untangle Flash's legs; the time being due to Flash's immune system working against them. It took a good dozen re-breaks to his legs before the speedster's legs were back in their normal position and held in a tight cast. Superman and Wonder Woman came in just as the two were finishing up and clearing up the infirmary.
"We heard what happened," Superman said. "Flash, are you okay?"
"Heeyyyy...supes...you got a funny name...Supes...Soup...Hey, do you make good soup? Is that why you're called Souperman...heh, watch out bread, here comes...Souperman," Flash slurred.
"Flash seems a little more...off than usual," Wonder Woman observed.
"That would be the overdose of painkillers," Alucard stated.
"We have done all we can. Flash's speed will take care of the rest," J'onn assured.
"Rest...heh...such a funny word...Oh hey, did you guys know that we're all Martians?" Flash claimed. "I mean, half the League are aliens, so they're Martians...and Bats, GL, and I are Martians in their eyes...that makes Al half Martian,"
The occupants of the room stared at Flash for a moment, trying to understand his logic.
"How long is he going to be like this?" Superman asked.
"The painkillers should work through his system in a few more hours," J'onn responded. "After that, a day, maybe just over, for his legs to heal,"
"Heal shmeal, I'm fine. Though I could go for some veal…" Flash laughed. "Hey, that rhymes,"
"I believe it will be beneficial if we allow Flash to rest," Alucard advised.
It was a long evening of Flash lying there and getting poked and prodded by J'onn and Alucard. Just as J'onn had promised, the pain came in full force when the painkillers left his system. Even though his legs were set and his bones were healing, Flash wished the whole thing would just hurry up and be done.
Additionally, he was very exhausted and irritable, and the pain was not helping either. He tried to drift in and out of sleep for a handful of hours but didn't feel like he was resting. The rest of the league came to visit when they could, each had their own thing to say about the situation. J'onn and Alucard were technical with his condition, Wonder Woman gave him well wishes, and Superman brought him a box of protein bars, knowing that Flash would need the extra nourishment.
Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, however, had disappointed looks on their faces, and they let him know what they thought about him taking on Grodd alone. This conversation quickly escalated into an argument between the three of them, and Alucard and J'onn had to remove Green Lantern and Hawkgirl from the room.
Soon the Watchtower fell quiet as the other members departed to go home or to their rooms. Flash was able to sleep for a few hours, but he currently had a problem. He was hungry. He let out a sigh and shifted his weight in an attempt to sit up, and immediately, a throbbing pain shot up both his legs, stopping him.
"You should not get up," a soft voice spoke from the dark room.
Surprised, Wally instinctively jumped, triggering a fresh wave of agony. Alucard emerged from the darkness and stood by Flash's side.
"What the hell, Al? Don't startle me like that!" Flash shouted angrily.
"My apologies," Alucard responded.
"What are you even doing lurking in the dark like that?" Flash asked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd be trying to take a bite out of me,"
"I am observing you,"
"Say what now?"
"J'onn said you needed to be kept under observation…that is what I am doing,"
"Oh," Flash looked around. "So, you're just sitting in the dark alone…where's J'onn?"
"I do not need lights to see you, Flash," Alucard pointed out. "And J'onn is resting,"
"Mph, must be nice being able to see in the dark,"
"It has its benefits," Alucard agreed. "Besides, you would not get any rest with them on,"
"While I appreciate you keeping an eye on me, despite the fact that it is creepy that you have been watching me sleep, what I could really go for is some food. I am really hungry,"
"I have some prepared for you…here," Alucard said. He walked over to a nearby table and brought over a plate of cut-up fruit and two large sandwiches. He placed them down in front of Flash.
The speedster blinked and looked down at the food, then looked up at Alucard, who had an impassive look on his face. "Alucard,"
"Yes?"
"Are you psychic?" Flash asked "Can vampires read minds?"
Alucard rolled his eyes. "No, Flash, I am not, and vampires do not possess the power to read the minds of others...just influence and alter them to an extent,"
"Then how did you know I was hungry? I only just told you, yet you already had this prepared?" Flash asked.
"Flash, you are always hungry," Alucard supplied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well, I...okay, yeah, I guess that's true," Flash admitted.
Flash munched on the sandwiches at a regular speed. Normally, he'd scarf the whole thing in less than a second, but he wanted to enjoy it. Alucard moved a chair over next to Flash and sat for the next couple of minutes until Flash finished eating.
"Aw man, that was so good, thanks Al," Flash said gratefully.
"You're welcome, Flash," Alucard said and picked up the now empty plate and moved to place it on a nearby table. "By the way, since you are awake, I thought this would be a good time to continue with our previous engagement,"
"What engagement?" Flash asked, confused.
Alucard turned away from the table and held out two tubs of jelly, one green and one red.
"Oh, jelly cups, you remembered," Flash cheered.
"Of course, I did," Alucard smiled. "Do you want the red or green one?"
"Green, definitely," Flash answered eagerly.
Alucard handed the green one over and sat back down with the red one. He watched Flash open it before mimicking the same movements. The cups contained a small plastic spoon, and Alucard's face scrunched up at the extreme sweetness of the dessert.
"Don't like it?" Flash asked.
"It is...a little too sweet for my palate," Alucard claimed. "But I will finish it,"
"That's to be expected, seeing as your main diet is virgin blood and all," Flash commented.
"Excuse me?" Alucard asked in shock.
"So where is everyone else?" Flash asked as he spooned some jelly into his mouth, ignoring Alucard's reaction to his previous statement.
"I believe they have all gone home, and Wonder Woman and J'onn should be in their rooms here in the tower," Alucard stated.
"Typical, couldn't be bothered to hang around. I'm only keeping the world's greatest heroes from turning into superpowered dictators, and they don't even bother to make sure I'm okay," Flash huffed.
Alucard paused and looked up at Flash in surprise. "It is the middle of the night," he tried to explain.
"Didn't stop you from staying," Flash retorted.
"I do not require as much sleep," Alucard replied.
"That's not the point. The point is, I get no appreciation around here," Flash complained.
"Flash, are you feeling alright?" Alucard asked, concerned.
"Oh, just fine, my legs were only twisted and bent in ways they shouldn't have been and no one seems to care," Flash huffed.
"That is not true…every member of the Justice League stopped by to see you once they heard what happened. If they did not care…they would not have done so," Flash huffed.
"Then why did GL and Shayera yell at me for doing my job?" Flash shot back.
Alucard stared at Flash and wondered what had gotten into him. It was true that Green Lantern and Hawkgirl had been on edge since returning to the tower, and they made some uncalled-for comments. But they had to be worried about their teammate, however now Flash was acting odd too.
"I am sure they were just worried about you," Alucard reasoned, though he was starting to have his doubts.
"Yeah sure, whatever," Flash huffed and ate some more jelly.
They sat in silence and continued to eat their jelly cups. Once they were done, Alucard collected the now empty jelly cups and dirty plates.
"It is late, you should get some more rest," Alucard claimed. "You will heal faster with sleep,"
"I guess," Flash sighed and settled back down, drifting off to sleep. It was easier now that he'd had something to eat and his body had extra energy.
Alucard waited until Flash was asleep before he left, putting the plate in the sink of the Mess hall and throwing away the empty cups. He went back to the infirmary and sat back on the chair. Flash was asleep and Alucard watched the speedster in deep contemplation.
Flash's comments disturbed him greatly. He glanced over at the console in the infirmary and moved over to it. He turned it on and used a bit of shadow magic to block the glow so it would not disturb Flash's sleep. Once logged in, he started typing, looking for any information the League had on Gorilla Grodd.
Alucard stayed in the infirmary for the next several hours, continuing his research. Apparently, this had not been the first encounter with Grodd. He had shown up before with a plot to destroy a hidden city of gorillas in Africa. Alucard blinked a few times when he read that and decided that he would need to confirm if this was an accurate report or not.
However, what did stand out was that Grodd had used mind control on many people, including Flash, and it was Flash who had ultimately defeated Grodd in the end. Now it made sense as to why he had shown up in Central City and done what he did to Flash. Grodd wanted revenge. But it didn't explain Flash's odd and aggressive behaviour. Alucard wondered if Flash was under some kind of mind alteration effects.
Alucard glanced over at the still-sleeping speedster. A growl from Flash's stomach was heard, and Alucard knew that Flash would wake up soon and want breakfast. He could leave that to J'onn as he had been up all night. Alucard turned off the console and walked out of the infirmary. The Martian would be awake by now, as J'onn only required four or five hours of meditation every few days.
Alucard found the Martian in the monitor womb, and he floated up to the control console.
"J'onn...do you have a moment?" Alucard asked as he landed next to the Martian.
"Alucard, good morning," J'onn said. "I did not realise you were still here,"
"I am just about to leave, and Flash will need breakfast soon. Before I go...may I ask you something?"
"Of course,"
"Yesterday when we were working on Flash...did you sense anything out of the ordinary?"
"How do you mean?"
"Flash woke around 2 am this morning...he said some concerning things in regards to myself, the League, and Green Lantern and Hawkgirl," Alucard claimed.
"What type of things?"
"That I only feed on virgin blood...and that Flash is not respected by the rest of the League and he was irritated that there was no one but myself there when he woke up," Alucard explained.
"That is odd," J'onn agreed.
"Also, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were quite aggressive when they arrived at the tower yesterday with an injured Flash...Hawkgirl more so than usual. I did some research and learned that Grodd had previously used mind control against the League and...a city of advanced gorillas," Alucard stated. "Is it possible that history is repeating itself?"
"No, it is not possible," J'onn said.
"Why not?"
"When Flash defeated Grodd the first time, Grodd was using a mind control helmet. Flash reversed the polarity to not only destroy the helmet but also cause severe damage to Grodd's brain," J'onn informed. "After his capture, the helmet was handed over to the proper authorities in Gorilla City to be destroyed,"
"Is there really a city of sentient and hyper-intelligent gorillas out there?" Alucard asked.
"Yes,"
"Hmm...interesting…" Alucard mused. "But what of Green Lantern and Hawkgirls' odd behaviour?"
"I am sure they are just worried about Flash," J'onn assured.
"Still…something Flash said…just seemed off to me," Alucard commented.
"If it will put you at ease, I will do a brief mental scan of all three. Though I do not believe it will reveal anything," J'onn offered.
"I appreciate that," Alucard said.
J'onn nodded and his eyes glowed yellow, focusing his Martian telepathic abilities on scanning the minds of Hawkgirl, and Flash. Green Lantern had left the tower last night to go home. Hawkgirl's mind was always tricky to read anything other than the bare surface thoughts but that would be enough to detect any form of mind alteration.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes and shook his head.
"I did not detect any signs of mind alteration or control in either Flash or Hawkgirl," J'onn reported. "Their thoughts appear to be their own, and there are no indications of external manipulation,"
Alucard frowned, feeling puzzled. "That's strange…Flash's behaviour and comments were definitely out of character,"
"Perhaps. But without any evidence of mind control, we cannot jump to conclusions. It is possible that Flash's recent encounter with Grodd has affected him psychologically in some way, without any external manipulation,"
Alucard sighed; he was sure there had to be something more to Flash's odd behaviour "I understand. Thank you for checking, J'onn,"
J'onn nodded, offering his support. "If you find anything or need assistance or suspect anything, feel free to let me know. We are a team, after all,"
Alucard nodded in appreciation, grateful for J'onn's offer of help. "Thank you, J'onn. I will keep that in mind. Now, I should go and attend to Flash's breakfast,"
With that, Alucard left the monitor womb and made his way back to the infirmary where Flash was still sleeping. He prepared some food for the speedster, making sure to include nutrients that would help him recover from his injuries. As he finished, Flash began to stir, groggily waking up.
"Morning, Alucard," Flash mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning, Flash," Alucard greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Flash sat up, wincing slightly. "A bit sore, but I'll survive. Thanks for taking care of me,"
Alucard nodded, setting the tray of food in front of Flash. "You're welcome. Make sure to eat up, it will help with your recovery,"
Flash grinned, digging into the food with gusto. "You got it! I'm starving,"
As Flash ate, Alucard observed him closely, still trying to determine if Grodd had any influence on him and the strange behaviour he had exhibited. He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to it than meets the eye. But Flash was back to normal now and what seemed to cause his aggressive behaviour had passed.
After finishing his meal, Flash looked up at Alucard. "Hey, I'm feeling much better now. Thanks again for taking care of me,"
Alucard nodded, a small smile on his face. "You're welcome, Flash. Just make sure to take it easy and rest up,"
"What? Not going to break my legs again?" Flash asked. Alucard narrowed his eyes, there it was. If Flash meant it as a joke, he would have used a light-hearted tone or his goofy grin. However, neither were present.
"I'm kidding man, lighten up," Flash said with raised hands and a smile. Noticing Alucard's reaction.
"Hmm…," With that, Alucard left the infirmary, deep in thought. He knew he needed to dig deeper into Grodd's past activities and find out if there were any clues that could explain Flash's behaviour. Alucard really hoped J'onn was right and he was over thinking things.