Central City - 21st April 2024
The loft had a couple of spare rooms for guests. One was technically a nursery but they hadn't managed to move Nora's crib out of their room yet. For a family of speedsters, the pair were taking everything slowly. It also meant Nora and Bart had their own rooms any time they came to stay. A bit more spartan but they had enough spare clothes to get by. Nora had gone for a plain shirt and jeans for the day but was finding them a bit uncomfortable. Fabrics were set to change a lot in the next few decades and it was always an adjustment for the first few hours.
"Knock knock?" Nora gently tapped on the main bedroom door. It was already ajar and she could see herself being gently swaddled.
"Hey, Nora." Iris looked worn but refreshed. Stressful events still took a bit more of a toll but she was nearly back to fighting shape these days. "Come in, I was just talking to you." Baby Nora burbled spit from the corner of her mouth.
"Here we go," Nora sat beside her mother and carefully dabbed at drool. "Sorry." She apologised.
"Nora," Iris tried to be stern. "You're a baby. Babies dribble."
"You should see Bart at a mixer." Nora quipped.
"Mixer?" Iris honed in on the word. "He's underage!"
"Oh. I mean, obviously, he doesn't drink!" She laughed nervously. "That would be irresponsible, even if speedsters metabolise alcohol right out of the system. Aha-ha!"
"Then why would he be at a mixer?" Iris West-Allen had uncovered the secret identities of superheroes. Her daughter was like a wet sponge of information. "Unless it's for meeting people?"
"What? No, you know how it is at college. A friend wants to go to a mixer but they don't want to go alone, so you go along for moral support but totally not for drinking or meeting people, which, I suppose, is the point of a mixer so I don't get why you would go to one to not meet people," Iris waited patiently until she fell into a logic trap of her own devising. It was hard not to see Barry at her age, trying to make the same excuses as the one time Joe had called him in the middle of a party.
Eventually, Nora petered out. "Do you want to hold her?" Iris carefully offered the bundle in her arms.
"Of course," Nora smiled. Jess had called it right before, she was a cute baby. "Hey, Mini Me."
"Oh god," Iris moaned. "Your dad's going to show you Austin Powers, isn't he?" Curse Cisco and his endless movie collection!
"You'll learn to love them." Nora promised.
"I'll learn how to have Stockholm Syndrome," Iris muttered as she watched her girl cooing at herself. "So," She reached out and adjusted a stray lock of hair. "Are you ready to share the big secret you don't want to tell me?"
Nora looked up in panic. "How did you know about that? Did Bart say something?" She panicked.
"Nora, I'm your mom." She reassured her. "I know when you're carrying something. Let me help?" Iris was careful to phrase it as a question. No pressure. Not under that burden.
Nora took a deep breath and held herself for comfort. "I've been seeing someone. Their name is"
"Hmwhoa whoa!" Iris held up both hands and Nora felt her heart stutter. "No names, remember? You don't want me looking funny at every girl you bring home." Relief flooded through Nora. She hadn't expected to feel the terror of coming out of the closet twice. Wait,
"You know I'm gay?" She blurted helplessly.
Iris sucked air in through her teeth reluctantly. "Barry told me about when the Negative Forces tried trapping the two of you in the Still Force." She admitted. "He's forgotten what he saw back then but remembered what he said to you."
"Oh, right." Barry had seen their futures - Bart and his kids, Nora and her wife. Max.
"How about Jessica?" Iris smiled easily. "For a placeholder?"
"Right. So, Jaessica." Nora corrected in time. "We've been dating for a while and things were going," She blushed slightly. "Like, wow." Iris stared knowingly but said nothing. "And everything was going great but I kept getting this little voice in my head; 'Nora, you need to tell her. Nora, you're putting her in danger. She's safer without you. She's safer with you. She needs to know. She doesn't need to know.'"
"Know what?" Iris probed, able to figure it out without resorting to reporter tactics.
"Mom, I told her I was XS," Nora's voice cracked as she blinked back the tears. "And I said you and Dad and Bart knew but I didn't tell her anything else, I promise."
"Nora, baby," Taking her daughter, both of her, into her arms, Iris rocked the group back and forth. "It's okay. I promise we're not mad at you. We couldn't be mad at you, even if you had told her."
"That's not it." She hiccuped and the tears started falling in her younger face. "I told her, and showed her, and it seemed to be going well. But th-th-then," She sobbed brokenly. "I went to her place for date night and she'd gone. Left me some stupid note that she needed space to figure things out." Her nature as a reporter should have made the truth that much more valuable but Nora wished it had been a sick relative, a villainous kidnapping, anything that meant it wasn't her fault.
Iris simply sat with her daughter and rocked them back and forth, murmuring gentle lullabies as the tears flowed. "Have I told you what happened after Savitar? When your dad was lost in the Speed Force?" She felt a slight shift under her grip.
"Yeah," Nora sniffed. "You and Uncle Wally and Uncle Cisco protected the city until Uncle Cisco came up with a plan to break Dad out." A soft sigh ruffled through her hair.
"When your dad… left, it was right after I had finally admitted that I loved him and was ready to marry him." Whatever fairytale version she was going to tell Nora growing up would sanitise this part out. But Adult Nora needed to know the whole story. "I was a mess. I had to realise that I didn't know who I was without Barry. I wrote articles, I paid bills, tracked leads, and watered plants. But I was still leading the team. Still trying to catch every Rogue and metahuman criminal that came our way. It was scary, not knowing where I ended and we began."
"But, you and Dad grew up together." Nora insisted. "You've always loved each other."
"And that was part of the problem," Iris admitted. "We were family even before we started our own family. Even when I was with Eddie, Barry was right there beside me. And when he wasn't? That was the scariest time of my life."
Barry stared at the counter with grapefruit dribbling over his fingers. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, honest! But the baby monitor was usually on while he made breakfast and everything was currently covered in juice because it turned out that he could crush one in his bare hand at the thought of someone breaking his daughter's heart. A dark, grim part of him wondered if his future self had sent her back here so that he could track down 'Jessica' unhindered.
"Bart?" He called quietly to the mess on the couch. Like him, his son had been lured into the sofa's soft embrace by late-night standup. "Get up, we're going out."
"Urrooooooo" The mess groaned. "Five more minutes."
"We're going for a run." There was a solid thud as the speed-deprived student tried to leap to his feet.
"Owowow." He hopped, reaching for his costume as Barry rinsed his hands clean and tossed the ruined grapefruit in the waste. "We are where going?"
Caffeine and a pile of toast would usually sort out his sleep brain but they didn't have the time. "Well," Barry awkwardly pulled on his costume at normal speeds. It felt weird. "You know how we swear never to use our powers for personal gain?"
"Yeah?" A guilty look crossed both their faces. Every hero knew they bent the rule a bit yet nobody ever admitted how much.
"Get a coat," Bart pulled a raincoat from behind the rack. "Not that one." Walking past, Barry opened the cupboard opposite the front door. "One of these."
"Dad?" It wasn't often that Bart thought a situation through but their clothing options limited the scope enough he could do so. "Where are we going?"
Barry heard more secrets coming in over the baby monitor and panicked (again). "No time for questions!" Grabbing his son by the arm, he pulled them both down the hall until clear enough of the meta-dampeners to run.
When the pair returned, they faced the unbridled wrath of the West-Allen women. "And where did you go in such a hurry?" Iris looked over the ski coats, the ice still dripping onto the floor, and the insulated bags carried in both arms.
"... Getting breakfast?" Barry had genuinely expected to sneak back in undetected. Curse their keen reporter instincts!
Iris pointed them to the kitchen and waited expectantly until he opened a bag for examination. "And what makes you think we need ice cream for breakfast?" Iris snapped, knowing full well that she'd closed the bedroom door for a reason.
Barry felt his throat run dry and waited for the emergency alarm to set him free. "Baby monitor?" He croaked as the villains of Central City reflected on a life without crime.
"If there's no caramel twist in that bag," Iris placed a single finger against his chest. "You're in big trouble."
Bart paused in the act of popping open the only tub they'd managed to bring. "For you," He smiled winsomely with a spoon flicking into his hand.
"Schway!" Nora gasped at the vast selection. "Dad, where did you get all these?" There were flavours in here she hadn't seen outside of big festivals. Dark chocolate and raspberry? Yes, please!
"I helped the League rebuild a restaurant in Happy Harbour last year," Barry explained. "Their transformer was blown and they said we could take all the ice cream as payment for putting their building back together."
"Mmmm." Iris curled her toes happily. "Honestly, between insurance fees and payout loopholes, I think you got cheated."
"Mom," Bart stuck his spoon into his tub so that he could laugh freely. "Dad has a secret ice cave in the Arctic Circle filled with ice cream. How is that not the coolest thing ever?"
"How do you even find it?" Nora looked down at her baby self and smiled as she licked a few drops off her chew toy. She couldn't help it, she was a really cute baby. "It all looks the same up there."
"There's a couple of unique features." Barry smirked.
"Babe, you didn't!" Iris knew of only one structure that didn't have to worry about the harsh environment.
"What?" He protested. "Kara was the one who told me where it is. I paid twelve tubs of rocky road to get that information!" It wasn't as if Lex Luthor was going to hone in on the Fortress of Solitude and get distracted by the ice cave a few miles south.
The family enjoyed the idea of Supergirl and her crimson bestie casually hiding a snack trove on the doorstep of the single largest alien structure on the planet, courtesy of her cousin, the world's favourite superhero.
"Don't you guys have to be getting to work?" Bart raised a valid point for a lazy student.
"Bart, the best part of being a superhero is having an understanding boss who values my commitment to the greater responsibilities in life." Barry smiled happily.
"Yeah, right." Iris snorted. "Barry's taken his paternity leave later because he's always able to zip home if I need him. He just wanted a holiday and Captain Kramer couldn't technically stop him."
"I thought we talked about this," Her husband pouted. "I don't just 'zip' home. I 'whoosh' or 'speed'. Saying 'zip' seems silly."
"I say 'zip'." Bart admitted.
"Oh, you get 'zip' from me." Nora had briefly been his favourite child before that sudden and inevitable betrayal.
"Zippity, zip, zip." Iris smirked.
"That's it." Barry scowled mockingly. "Nora, your new name is Zippy. Bart, you're Zip Zip."
"Hey, not schway!" Bart gasped as Nora looked furious.
"No?" Barry picked up the nuclear arsenal of parental power plays. "What about you? Do you like Zippy?" Baby Nora gurgled happily as he stroked her cheek.
"Oh, come on, that doesn't count!" Nora pointed her spoon so fast that it splattered on Bart's face. "Oh. Sorry, Zip Zip!"
"Arw oo my little Zippy!" Barry crooned while hefting Nora aloft proudly. "Yes, oo are!"
"Please, not the lion king." Iris buried her face in both palms as Barry and Bart faithfully reenacted the iconic moment from the film with Baby Nora playing the starring role.
"Hey, Mom?" Nora whispered as she hid in the crook of her shoulder. "Thanks for telling me."
"Any time." She reached back to grasp a hand. "Unless your father drives us all mad."
"Well," Both versions of Nora laughed as Barry pretended to throw her into the air. "It looks like the lunatics are in charge already."
Gotham City - Arkham Asylum
Thick spectacles examined the various pictures lining the foyer wall. With the threat of rain in the offing, the visiting doctor was wearing a heavy raincoat that was closed tightly around her.
"And you're sure she's definitely with A.R.G.U.S.?" A heavyset man wearing circular frames questioned a guard around the corner.
"Credentials check out." The guard confirmed. "But I'm still waiting to hear back from my old buddy to get the dirt."
"Notify me as soon as you do," The doctor said ominously, stepping out into the foyer to join his guest. "I'm sorry for the wait, I wasn't notified of your coming Dr…" He waited for his guest to remind him of the rest.
"Dr Augustine." She said coolly. "I'm surprised. Your facility has a certain level of reputation to uphold."
That barb rankled him though he didn't show it. Or, at least, he thought he didn't. "Yes, well." The pasty face tried for a polite smile that looked more like a sneer. "We can't all enjoy the A.R.G.U.S. budget, can we?"
"Unfortunately not," She cast a glance over the foyer. "I see you've remodelled, Dr Strange."
"Yes, we rebuilt following an unfortunate breakout." Lightning flashed in the distance and a rumble of thunder filled the room. "And, please, call me Hugo." He smiled like a toad examining a juicy fly.
"Of course," She smiled as warmly as he had - not at all. "Call me Dr Augustine." That smile died down.
"You'll forgive me for being confused, I was only notified of your visit a moment ago." He admitted. "What exactly is the purpose of your visit?"
"I've received troubling news on the condition of one of your patients: Roger Hayden." Strange frowned and narrowed his eyes.
"Why would A.R.G.U.S. be interested in a normal case of paranoia and delusions of grandeur?" He chuckled heartlessly. Clearly, the covert intelligence group had no idea of the work he was conducting in secret.
"Mr Hayden tested positive for metagenetics." Dr Augustine snapped. "That makes him an unusual case."
"Mr Hayden has never shown any sign of meta-abilities." Strange sniffed dismissively.
"None that you know of," She corrected guardedly.
"Fine." He nodded to a guard. "I'll show you the patient if that's what you want. But we're going into lockdown in an hour - a storm's coming and it always riles up the inmates."
He led her through three secure checkpoints, each personally monitored by at least two heavily armoured goons. "As you can see, our security is top of the line." Strange bragged. "Four-man teams in each section, two on monitor duty and two doing rounds at all times. All doors are access-controlled and can only be opened by an authorised keycard and a guard on the inside. Inch thick steel, too heavy to be used as a weapon and too thick to be drilled or shoot through."
Augustine looked around carefully but said nothing. Strange was right, she was just another A.R.G.U.S. stuck-up. At least he could palm her off onto one of his less troublesome patients. "Here we are." He stopped in front of a padded cell with a frosted exterior. "Roger Hayden - the Psycho Pirate."
The gaunt man in the corner was rocking back and forth in his restraints, muttering the same phrase in a loop. "Worlds will die, worlds will die, worlds will die."
"Mr Hayden hasn't had this sort of episode since 2019." Strange mentioned casually. "That time, he had the grace to sprinkle in a few 'worlds will live'."
Augustine crouched in front of the divide and stared deep into the madness. "Worlds will die." She echoed. "What does that mean, Roger?"
"Worlds will die, worlds will die, worlds will die." He continued to mutter, rocking steadily in place.
"Dr Strange?" A voice squawked over the radio on his belt. "Can you report to the control room? Dr Feguson needs to consult you about a patient."
"Excuse me," Strange said calmly. "I'll have to take this. Will you be alright finding your way out?"
"Always." She muttered in reply as he walked away. "Worlds will live, worlds will die." Augustine hesitated before asking the next question. "Do you need your mask?"
Hayden fell silent. "The mask?" He lunged at the transparent partition, drool smearing across it. "Worlds died." He hissed. "A world lived, the worlds reborn."
"How do you know that?" Nobody should know. Nobody who hadn't been told and that was a preciously short list.
"I see it," Hayden hissed. "Always. But now I see nothing. The clocks will stop and the fast will slow. My mask will show the way."
Bless Dr Strange - he genuinely thought the phoney consult plot was enough to slip away. There was no 'Dr Wong' on staff at Arkham beyond a codeword to provide cover while the guards rallied. By the time they reached Hayden's cell, there was no trace of the fraudulent Dr Augustine beyond the new song coming from within.
"Flutter free oh Future Bat,
Before we reach the closing act.
Beware the bloody crimson sky,
Worlds have lived, worlds will die.
Flutter free, oh Future Bat,
For now, you must seek out the Flash."