Karry Universe
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing.
Back to the Future
Having just saved a couple of people from a burning building in National, Barry was heading back to Central when his communications went dead. He stopped in his tracks, momentarily calling out to Cisco to see if the error was on his end when a rush of air announced the arrival of something big… something familiar.
A large ship seemed to appear out of thin air ahead of him, landing on the wasteland where Barry was standing and, the moment it touched down, one of the doors opened. A man in a long trench coat and beard stepped out, a charming smile on his face as he addressed the speedster: "Barry Allen?" He asked. "I'm Rip Hunter… and you need my help."
"Your help?" Barry called to the man, confused now. "Wait, Rip Hunter? The same one who took my friends for months on some errand to become Legends?" Barry calmed his stance as he said this. From what he had heard from the Legends themselves, this Rip was not a bad guy. He was one of a handful of surviving Time Masters, keeping an eye on the time continuum and making sure nothing went amiss. Barry wouldn't want that job, he'd long-since decided.
"The very same," Rip nodded. "Please, would you enter my ship, the Waverider?"
Barry paused for a second but decided to go with it. The man needed help, or he needed Rip's help. He had yet to ask what the time traveler meant by this. "Are you the reason why communication is not working?" Barry asked as he entered the ship and followed Rip into what he considered the main control room and looked around in curiosity. He wondered if he should alert Kara through their bond, but Kara was currently with Iris and he didn't want to worry her.
A woman and a small boy came into focus as Barry span around to take in the room and he smiled at them as the boy himself grinned.
"The original Flash," the boy said cheerfully clearly excited. "I learned all about you in history class…"
"Jonas," Rip said warningly. "Go play." Jonas moaned but knew his father wanted a private word with The Flash so removed himself from their presence. "My wife, Miranda." Rip now indicated the woman who Barry nodded to. "And we have come to you with a matter of grave importance."
"It seems you and your wife have, or will, make another time traveler mad," Miranda now spoke, "a man we only know by the name of 'Warp'. We have been trying to catch him for a while. He's a thief who goes back in time to steal objects, claiming that since he stole them they disappear from time. From what we can tell, you will, or have, stopped him from getting something and he wants revenge. You and Kara Allen are too strong here though, with the Justice League and STAR Co…"
"I'm sorry, STAR Co?" Barry interrupted the words Miranda spoke.
"Too soon," Rip whispered to his wife, and Miranda nodded as she continued.
"He is going back to the beginning of your relationship to kill the both of you." She summarized.
"This would destroy the timeline and possibly time itself. This Warp is not taking facts into account," Rip said. "We can not let it happen."
"So, go back and stop it." Barry said, suddenly worried about his own past, changing something he never thought he would have to worry about.
"The problem is… well Gideon…" Rip called.
"Yes Rip?" the familiar voice said.
"Gideon," Barry grinned, having heard the Waverider had one. His one had just been moved to Watch Tower.
"Hello Creator," Gideon said. "It is nice to hear your voice. And so young."
"Young?" Barry started.
"Gideon, can you please explain why we are not able to go back in Barry's timeline?" Rip said interrupted.
"I cannot get a lock on the time our enemy has gone back to," Gideon said. "I am unable to determine a landing point."
"So everything I have will be destroyed?" Barry asked, his voice hollow. "But wait, I'm still here so he hasn't…?"
"The timeline is sensitive," Rip stated now, "if you and Kara had been… killed in the past, the ripple effect has yet to reach us."
"So I could be dead?" Barry asked, slightly confused now.
"It is a possibility," Miranda pointed out solemnly.
"And you can't go back to stop him?" Barry reaffirmed.
"We cannot go back, no," Miranda stated, suddenly conspiratorially, "but you can." Barry had to blink in silence thought for a moment as he realized what she meant. "The way a speedster runs through time is different to the way we time travel. We know what date he is going to and have calculated the exact speed you need to run to get there." Miranda continued.
"Once there, we hope that activating this device will let us come to you," Rip held out a small device, like a small cell phone, to Barry. "It's a beacon. Once activated we should be able to lock onto the time and come to your – both of yours – aide."
"I've never traveled through time before though," Barry muttered, worried he wouldn't be able to do it. He had actively avoided doing so since talking to the original Barry-White and Eobard Thawn's Gideon.
"You can," Rip said confidently, giving Barry a look. "Just believe in yourself." Barry sighed, taking the device and attaching it onto his arm. "We have patched your communication system into the Waverider. We'll walk you through it."
"Remember you lived in Metropolis at the time," Miranda added. "You'll have to run there." Barry nodded, determined now. "Gideon, give the date to Barry." Gideon showed Barry the date years earlier. First year of college earlier.
"That's the carnival," Barry said, looking at the date and smiling at the memory. He remembered the date so vividly as it was one his and Kara's actual first date together. He'd been so nervous. "Weird…" Barry shrugged, remembering Kara's story from just the other week about her own freak out in going on the date.
"Time to run, Flash," Rip said, and Barry nodded, putting his mask back up, heading out the ship and running towards Metropolis. He could hear Miranda in his ear telling him that he needed to go faster, to concentrate on the date, on the event, and as he focused, he realized he was no longer in normal space anymore. He could see past events moving before his eyes and he knew he was time traveling. He ran right out onto the streets of Metropolis, hoping he was at the right time.
That was when he saw Superman battling two unknown enemies. Barry just reacted, as he normally would, and ran at them, taking one out as Superman took the other one. Superman and Barry looked at each other for a moment and then Barry ran, knowing he had made a mistake. Superman did not know The Flash back then – back now – hell, if he was in the correct time he did not even know Barry Allen yet.
That was when he got hit by the freeze breath and Barry paused, turning around. Superman had kept up with him. "Who are you?" Supermen demanded, standing before Barry. Barry was making sure to keep his face and voice vibrating; he could not let Clark see him.
"What's the date?" Barry asked, causing Superman to be taken aback and raise an eyebrow. "I am from the future and I need to know if I am at the correct date." He didn't hold back.
"You honestly expect me to believe that?" Superman asked, his arms folded defiantly.
"Please," Barry said, and Superman sighed as he told Barry the date. "I am correct." Barry activated the device Rip had given him, wondering how long it would take for Rip to come. "Look, Superman, I mean you no harm, honestly, I just have to… I have to protect Kara." Barry suddenly had an idea. If he knew one thing about Clark, it was that he loved his little cousin. He would not let anyone hurt her.
"My cousin?' Superman asked, surprised and suddenly very protective.
"Superman, Kara will become one of Earth Greatest heroes; greater even than you maybe," Barry said, and Clark stayed silent. He knew his cousin had it in her, but she had been so resistant to the idea – he had almost given up on trying to convince her. "Someone has traveled back to stop her before she gets there. You have to trust me. Clark…" Superman took a step back as his real name was used. "In my time we're friends. We're family. Please. Don't stand in my way."
"If Kara is in danger then I'll help protect her," Clark said, determined. No one was getting to his cousin.
"Well, she is in danger," a voice was heard and Barry saw Rip. "But I did not say to recruit Superman."
"He's in," Barry said and Rip sighed.
"You remind me of the others in your time," Rip told Barry, remembering fondly his time with the Legends. They might not have been the best time travelers, but they had been fun and got the job down. "Okay. Besides, it might be helpful to have him with Kara. Think you can get her out with you?"
"Well, she is supposed to hang out with you today," Barry said to Clark now, remembering that was where Kara had been before the carnival. It was odd how clear this day was in his head, considering how long ago it was from his proper time.
"We have no plans," Clark was giving Barry an odd look at this, "but I'll give her a call."
"Wait, what time is it?" Barry asked, making both men give him pause.
"Eight in the morning," Clark said.
"We've got four hours," Barry said. "Four hours and Kara has to be at a carnival." Rip raised an eyebrow.
"A carnival? That's not…"
"It's very important she's there," Barry stated. "If she's not, the future is destroyed anyway."
"Fine then, four hours," Rip said, turning to Clark who shrugged and nodded. He still didn't trust these time travelers but would keep an eye on Kara anyway. Clark jumped into the air to go call his cousin. "Putting Kara with Clark protects her but what about you? Where were you?" Rip now asked.
Barry went to think, but paused. He had just realized there was nothing on the other end of the bond. It was even different than when he went to Britain – there he had gotten something, even if it was deathly faint. Here there was nothing. The bond was still there, he could sense it, but there was nothing on the other side. He wondered if this was how Kara had felt when he was in a coma. It was odd and unfamiliar now, even if he'd lived like this for nearly twenty years before the Bond had started. "Flash?" Rip asked.
"Sorry," Barry said, blinking. "I was… urm, I was with Iris, I think. Yeah, at the college, doing homework in the library. Can't exactly go there."
"Miranda and Jonas can," Rip said with a smirk. "And we'll look for Warp."
-Superflash-
Clark had called Kara and had now picked her up from college. "So why the sudden need to see me?" Kara asked, putting her bag over her shoulder but smiling at her cousin.
"We can't just hang out?" Clark asked innocently, putting an arm around Kara as they walked.
"Yeah we can," Kara said smiling. "But I have to be back here in a few hours. There's a carnival at the college."
Clark raised an eyebrow. So, the guy had been right about a carnival…? Maybe being from the future wasn't so outrageous after all. "Okay," Clark said, unsure exactly what he was doing with his baby cousin. He had made no plans and he did not want to tell her the truth. "Do you want…?" Clark thanked years of Superman training for hearing the gun go off from a distance and seeing something flying above him. He quickly threw Kara to the ground out of habit and the bullet hit the wall behind them.
"What the hell Clark?" Kara asked, getting up but Clark was investigating the bullet already. It was green and he could feel himself a little weaker. Not weak enough to collapse, but he knew what it was. A kryptonite bullet "Clark?"
"Um… sorry," Clark said, Kara clearly not noticing the bullet. She was far enough away it wouldn't affect her at all, luckily. Clark knew someone had just tried to kill her. The time travelers were right! "I thought I saw something coming at us. It's a reaction." There was no one else around and Clark could not let Kara know what just happened. "You'll find out one day… when you're a hero."
"Clark, let that go already. It's never happening," Kara said with a sigh, but Clark knew for a fact it would now. He would not let up on her, wondering what would finally get her to join him in the superhero game.
"Oh one day I will be training you," Clark smirked. "I just know it…" Clark took his cousin into a hug and, tousled her hair. Kara smiled, pushing Clark away, ready to get into one of their fights, but Clark was concerned; the time travelling assassin could still be around. "Come on… let's go back to my place and watch a movie."
-Superflash-
Miranda was sitting outside the library with a book while Jonas was playing not far off. To anyone she just looked like an ordinary parent who had gone back to college who had a kid. It wasn't hard to fit in when you didn't make yourself look conspicuous, after all. That was when she saw Barry and his sister walking out of the library.
Miranda saw someone who clearly did not belong. He was dressed in a yellow and black armor with a strange helmet and a white orb of some description on his chest. She recognized this man as Warp.
"Jonas," Miranda called, and Jonas knew to distract Barry and Iris, to get them away.
Miranda jumped up and dragged the man quickly behind the building. "Warp I presume?" Miranda introduced herself through gritted teeth.
"You and your husband came after me!" Warp pulled himself free, caught off-guard when Miranda had taken him. "You won't stop me."
"It's a Time Master's job," Miranda said, reaching for the orb on his chest, knowing that had to be his power source. Warp dodged her advance as she stumbled forward, but he wasted no time in pursuing his goal; heading back toward the street. Miranda wasn't going to give up so easily though as the turned and tackled him, turning him on his back as she finally managed to pull orb out of his costume's chest.
He went to grab it back but Miranda was fast, diving from his grip and jumping up, sprinting back towards the public. Warp stopped. He didn't want to get into a fight so publicly. He would wait. They could not protect Barry and Kara forever, and when they were free he would kill the couple and get his power source back.
"Jonas!" Miranda called. The boy had pretended to be lost to Barry and Iris and had dragged them along to find his 'lost mother' and away from any danger possible. 'There you are! I was so worried." She remembered the plan she had drawn up with her son.
"Mom!" Jonas said, running to Miranda and smiling, knowing he had done what he was supposed to.
"I told you to stay close," Miranda said. "I'm sorry… back at college… single mother." She addressed Barry and Iris. "Things get out of hand."
"It's fine," Barry said with a smile. "We were happy to help."
Miranda thanked them and walked away, unknowingly to the two, keeping an eye on them as she held onto the power source under her jacket she had stolen from Warp.
"Could you imagine being a parent and being in college?" Iris asked Barry.
"By the time I have kids I am hoping I have a solid job and some money saved up," Barry replied thoughtfully.
"So… you plan on kids someday?" Iris asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, I guess. After I get my father out," Barry said.
"Oh… Wait, does Kara know this?" Iris asked.
"Iris…" Barry said warningly, seeing the playful tease on Iris' face. "We've been dating for a week. I know she's your roommate but don't freak her out." Iris laughed as the two walked away.
-Superflash-
Rip and Barry hadn't had luck finding Warp and the four hours were up. They were at the college where Clark found them. "Kara left me a while ago," Clark said. "She didn't want to be late. I've been keeping an eye on her… Someone tried to kill her earlier! You were right, it seems."
"And I found and fought him," Miranda appeared, holding up the white orb she had, and Jonas by her side. "And got this. His power source. He's stuck in this time."
"Good going," Rip grinned at his wife, taking the power source from her. "But we still need to find him and stop him from killing his targets."
"He has to be around here somewhere," Barry said thoughtfully. "Clark take to the sky; I'm running. We'll find him." Barry wasted no time as he started running around the area.
"What does that guy think he is? The leader? I've been doing this for a hell of a lot longer than him, I bet…" Clark grumbled, rolling his eyes but taking to the sky nonetheless
"Isn't The Flash the leader of the Justice League though?" Jonas asked.
"Too soon," Rip mumbled, toying with the orb device. "While they look, maybe I can lure him here using this…"
-Superflash-
As Barry was running he had to pause as he saw himself and Kara walking out of Kara's dorm. Iris was behind them but quickly went off in her own direction. "So, how was your morning?" This time period's Barry asked Kara.
"I spent some time with my cousin," Kara replied as they walked towards where the Carnival was set up. Barry stared at the pair. It being so weird to see his past self and a past Kara, especially like this: new to one another. They weren't even holding hands. It was like he was looking at a whole another life. A different world almost, like the parallel worlds they have gotten a glimpse at. But this was them. This was his own past.
That was when Barry saw something fast flying towards them. Running so fast, the bullet looked like it was halted in midair as Barry went and caught it. Running back in the direction it had come from superfast, he punched Warp in the face. "No one messes with them!" Barry growled at the villain.
"The Flash," the yellow-cladded man responded. "Come back to save yourself? How poetic…"
"Save myself, my wife, and my baby – my future!" Barry said, as Warp kicked him and Barry retaliated. He had Warp pinned to the ground for a moment before the trapped time traveler managed to one-eighty the situation and had Barry in a choke hold. Suddenly the weight of the time traveler was gone and Barry looked up to see Superman had him.
"This the guy?" Clark asked and Barry merely nodded. Clark tossed Warp against the wall and then went to punch the man, not stopping to hold back his own attack. "No one messes with my baby cousin!"
"I think that would be enough," Rip's voice was heard; the family had walked up. After not getting Warp to them, Rip figured Clark and Barry had found him and were dealing with him in their own way. Rip had a gun in his hand though. "Mr. Kent, if you will step back?" Clark tossed Warp to the floor and stepped back. Rip pointed his gun at Warp and an electrical laser struck the man, rendering him unconscious. "He is stunned." Rip muttered.
"Like Star Trek," both Clark and Barry said together, and then looked at each other with a grin.
"Yes," Rip said, sighing as he and his wife went to grab the man. "My fellow remaining Time Masters and ourselves have made a new prison for people like Warp. He will not bother you again." Rip turned to Barry. "Think you can run back to your time by yourself, or do you need a lift?"
"If you don't drop me off months after I left…" Barry teased, not wanting to return to find his baby born already. He needed to be there for Kara.
"Don't worry about that," Miranda said with a laugh as they walked away.
"Thank you Clark," Barry said turning to the man he considered a brother who did not even know him.
"What is your connection to this?" Clark asked Barry now, trying not look at the masked hero who was still vibrating. It was getting annoying. The vibration also was stopping him from getting a clear x-ray vision of the face under the mask.
"Wait and see," Barry said with a smirk as he ran, finding the Waverider surprisingly easily.
"Well I think it's time for us…" Rip started.
"Wait! I got to see something," Barry said, realization flashing in his eyes this time as he muttered, "I nearly forgot…" and then in a flash he was in normal clothes with a red baseball hat and sunglasses. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing these."
"They actually belong to…" Before Rip could finish, Barry was gone "…Mr. Palmer. I guess we should wait." He turned bemusedly to his wife at this.
-Superflash-
Barry ran to the carnival and kept an eye on himself and Kara, remembering what he was seeing through the eyes of this younger Barry until Kara ran off. He saw her fall to the floor nearby, shaking and knew this was the freak out she had revealed to him already. It made a lot of sense now. He remembered Kara telling him about the man, about his familiarity and until this day he hadn't made the connection, but the moment he'd ran back to this time, to this very day he had known. The mysterious man was himself. Future Barry.
"Are you okay?" He moved close to the young Kara, and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He wanted so badly to hug her, but he knew he couldn't. Not this time. "You should be enjoying the carnival."
"I can't," Kara said, wiping the tears away.
"What's wrong?" Barry asked, even though he already knew. He made sure to vibrate his vocals, but only slightly – making him sound different, but not dangerous. "Boyfriend hurt you?"
"No, but I'm about to hurt him. I don't want to. I don't want to leave him…"
"Then don't," Barry said simply.
"But it's not right. I can't do this to him."
"Go back to your boy. If it's right between you then there will be a sign," Barry said knowing Kara was confused. "It happened for my wife and me. It will happen for you." Kara got up, a weak smile on her face as she nodded and started to walk back.
"The pin," Barry grinned to himself, running off before Kara could look back.
He ran to where his past self was playing a game and fast enough so no one could see, grabbing the ball his younger self had only just released and directed it smartly to go right in the hoop before running off to hide behind the game and putting out the fire on his shoes.
"Congratulations," the man running the game said, taking out a Superman pin and handing it to young Barry.
The past Barry took the pin and toyed with it, smirking as he put it on his chest, right over his heart as Kara returned. 'There you are," the past Barry said with a smile, but Kara's eyes were drawn to the pin. "Cool pin right? Superman."
"House of El," Kara mumbled under her breath. "The sign…"
"What?" young Barry asked, her words had been almost inaudible.
"Nothing," Kara said with an illuminating smile now, and kissed Barry on the cheek quickly. The move surprised even her, but past Barry blushed and had trouble finding words, making Kara giggle. "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."
"You're always hungry," Barry finally found his voice, but he smiled anyway as they walked off.
Barry had watched the whole exchange with a smile himself. His past was safe. Turning around he saw Iris with some guy's hand up her shirt and remembered Iris' story. Barry went up and tapped the guy on his shoulder. When he turned around Barry punched him hard, knocking him out
Barry looked at Iris, who was clearly way too drunk and fell in his arms. "You really had bad taste in guys… It's really lucky you found Eddie," Barry muttered, picking up his sister, and glad he had seen them coming out of the dorm before, because he knew where to leave her. Putting her on her bed, Barry took a paper and a pen and wrote 'Be more careful. Pick better guys,' on it before leaving and returning to the Waverider.
"Are you done?" Rip asked bemusedly, as Barry sped back into his Flash suit.
"Yeah," Barry said, a glint now in his eyes.
"Well then, you might want to lock yourself in," Rip said, pointing to the chairs and everyone on board buckled up as Rip told Gideon to take Barry home.
"It really was me…" Barry voiced when back in his present, not being affected by the time travel as badly as other people could. Maybe since he could actually run through time the Waverider trip wasn't so bad.
"What was you?" Rip asked as he stood up.
"Kara was nervous about us, she told me not long ago that a random guy told her to look for a sign – it was what stopped her from breaking up with me. That guy was actually me," Barry said. "I'm also the one who made me win the Superman pin, the sign Kara had been looking for, and stopped Iris from being raped. It was all me!" Barry had a huge smile on his face as he talked. He had been the guy. It felt so good to not have to thank someone else for his life. That he made it happen.
"Wait, you all had memories of these events before you went back?" Rip asked.
"It's time travel," Barry said. "Of course we did." Barry could feel Kara in his head again and couldn't help but feel relieved to have her back. Even when they were not exactly listening into the thoughts and emotions of the other it was comforting having them there. It seemed she hadn't even noticed he was gone. Although he was confused on how he was suddenly so far away. "Are we still in Metropolis?"
"Yes Creator," Gideon's voice could be heard. "Not even a minute after you left your time."
"Wait… no, you being in the past should have been a disruption. Nothing you did should have been remembered before you did it," Rip said, addressing the issues with Barry.
"Unless," Miranda said, causing eyes to go to her, "it's an infinite time loop. A paradox in time. It could be why we were unable to get a fix on that time to go back ourselves. Barry was always meant to go back. This was always supposed to happen. It was always meant to be him."
Barry laughed. "To think this Warp guy is the reason Kara didn't break up with me and the Reverse-Flash is the reason we met," Barry sighed.
"I'm sorry… what?" Rip asked.
"Reverse-Flash…? Harrisons Wells… Eobard Thawne… he ran back in time…"
"I know who he is? Why is he the reason you met?" Rip dismissed.
"Oh, according to his Gideon the changes in my timeline caused me to change colleges," Barry said. "But, I got to go. Bye Rip, Miranda… Jonas." Nodded at the three – Rip still rather confused – as Barry ran off the ship, leaving the small family on their own.
"What are the chances of two time travelers causing those two to get together?' Miranda asked.
"The chances of that…" Gideon started but Rip stopped her.
"Please, Gideon. No. Let's just say it's very nearly impossible," Rip said. "Unless…. Time itself is forcing them together. It wants them to be together." Miranda smiled.
"I don't think he ever has to worry about someone messing with their past again," Miranda said, knowing that was as good as a theory of any.
-Superflash-
Barry sped into Clark and Lois' apartment. The kids were already at school and the two were just about to head out. "What are you doing here?" Lois asked, with a smile herself as she hugged Barry, but his eyes were on Clark.
"I just got back," Barry said, and Clark raised an eyebrow, not knowing what Barry meant. "From my first year of college."
"Oh," Clark said, eyes wide now as Lois seemed confused.
"How long have you known it was me?" Barry asked. "Did you know when you were threatening my life every few minutes?" This was something he had been thinking of since Miranda said everyone had the memories – it meant Clark had known the whole time.
"No," Clark said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "I didn't realize until the day you woke up from your coma. After I calmed down over a stranger having my kids… I noticed the outfit. The symbol wasn't there but at that moment I then knew you were traveling back to the past eventually. To save Kara."
"And myself," Barry said.
"He was after you too?" Clark asked, and Barry nodded. "Well that makes sense."
"I'm sorry… I'm lost," Lois said holding up a hand. "Can we start with you traveling in time?"
"Ugh… Clark you explain. I have a very confused wife to run home to," Barry said and flashed on out.
Clark laughed as he sat Lois down to tell her the story he had never told her before. He had never told anyone before. Wanting the future to say on track but now he could.
Post Chapter Note: Well, I hope you liked my time traveling adventure and a return of Rip Hunter and family. Hope the fact nothing was actually changed is a disappointment. I am using the infinite loop theory as stated above of Barry always going back. Not so sure if I will do time travel again though as, Whovian though I am, I'm not totally fond of it in my Karry story. I might though, but maybe not with Barry.
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Next Time On Karry Universe:
Guy Trouble- As things gets stressful the boys and girls decide to blow off some steam. The boys do a night out on the town while the girls are having a girl's night in, which leads to surprising relationship revelations from some members of the groups.
Karry Master OUT!