Old Gotham

Four minutes, 30 seconds. That was how long Ra's had kept him underwater this time. Tim Drake had never experienced that long a drowning before. Ra's was testing him, to see was he as good as Bruce Wayne. What Ra's didn't realise was that Tim was better than Bruce in more than just detection. Unlike Bruce, Tim's torture wasn't self-inflicted. If Bruce had seen a therapist when he was eight, who knows, there probably would have been no Batman. And instead, you'd have an incredibly philanthropic Bruce Wayne who had been married twenty years now to some exceptional fighter for justice for Gotham's working class in the courts like Julie Madison, probably with a few kids as well. Dick might still be in the circus, Tim's parents would be alive, Steph would never have caused a gang war and Damian would never have been born. Funny, the quirks of life. One shrink, or maybe several, could have strangled the Batman in his cradle. It didn't bear thinking about. Ubu slapped Tim across the face a few times. "Awaken, boy. The Demon's Head does not expect his apprentice to rest during training." Since joining the League, Tim now had a small tattoo of a skull and two scimitars across his right breast inked in by Ubu. This symbol seemed to be unique to him among the League, as if Ra's were branding Tim as his property. A symbol so that if ever Tim left the League and returned to Batman, then Bruce would know Ra's was forever bound to him. Tim didn't really care about it. In fact, he thought it looked kind of cool.

In an antechamber barely lit by torches, Ra's sat on a golden throne, unusually reclining more casually than normal, and upon Tim's entrance, he malevolently yet coyly began to strut towards the younger man with grace, his poise restored at the sight of his new charge. "It seems, Detective, that you have broken another record. Are you trying to best the Batman at his own game, young Master Drake?" Ra's' words echoed in Tim's mind, as he asked him this every evening after the trial of drowning. "He is of no concern to me, Demon's Head." A leer emanated from the Demon's Head as he inspected the boy, measuring him up for some grand contest. Ra's then withdrew his sword and aimed for Tim's neck, but Tim quickly pirouetted over to a display case and grabbed a sword to engage his master in combat. Their blades met a split second later, and the eyes of both hero and villain were locked, Ra's' showing a deep anger, whereas Tim's displayed naught but a cool apathy. "The elder detective taught you how to defeat a man without killing him. Whilst an efficient form of combat, it is utterly useless when trying to change the world. The evil that men do requires a firm hand in destroying it. Do you not agree?" Tim hesitated. "Some lives deserve to be taken."

"And yet you hesitate to take mine? You must know by now I have done acts of unspeakable evil…"

"All for the greater good, my lord."

"Do not speak as one of my assassins, but as Timothy Drake, the Red Robin. Why do you hesitate?"

"Because you have so much to teach me."

"Another lie!" As Ra's grew angry, Tim aimed for his knee with his foot and the Demon's Head fell. Grabbing Ra's by the rough of his cape, he held the sword to his neck. "I will not kill you, because how else am I going to get back at Batman?" Ra's laughed heartily at that. "Oh, you are full of fire, boy! I can see why he likes you…" As they resumed their positions and dropped their swords, Ra's grabbed Tim's arm and smacked him across the face. "I will not tolerate any more of this!" Brandishing Tim's arm he showed signs of self-harm, scars going down his entire arm. "A man must not punish himself for what the ignorant world has damned him for! Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord." Ra's threw Tim to the ground. "Be gone, back to your abode with its decadent comforts, we are done for this evening." Tim stood up, but before going he felt he had to ask Ra's, "When do we take the city, my lord?" Ra's turned in surprise as if Tim had just asked him his age or something even more impertinent. Evidently, the younger man needed to explain his reasoning with cool logic. "Your daughter is amassing her forces as we speak, we could have a three-pronged war on our hands."

"That is my concern, Detective, not yours. Now be gone." Tim promptly left Ra's' old dojo, getting back into his costume and driving the Redbird to his apartment. Donning his civvies, he headed to a pub near where he was living. It was a nice quiet spot, full of old men who cared little for life beyond how much grog they could take compared to six decades prior. He ordered a double whiskey at the bar, his age evidently not a problem despite the fact he was a public figure. The barman didn't even seem to tell who he was at all. Upon being served, he took his place beside a red-headed woman with glasses who did not look him in the eye. "Were you followed?" was the first thing she said, still defying the nicety of eye contact. Tim scoffed. "Ra's is vainglorious. Even if he knew I was informing on him, he wouldn't care enough to send someone to follow me. He tells me nothing. Only trains me and talks in riddles." Barbara then turned her chair to face Tim and hugged him. "Jeez, Babs. I haven't been gone that long." Babs held Tim's hand in hers when the embrace ceased. "Steph told me about the little incident last week." Tim pulled his hand from hers. "Ah, she told you about that, did she? It's none of her business."

"I know you and she aren't together anymore, but she cares about you like the rest of us do."

"Like Bruce does, you mean? Listen, Babs, I'm only telling you this because you're the only one in the family I can tell. I've too much history with Steph, Bruce is an ass, Dick is too sentimental and Cass is too loyal to Bruce for her own good. I don't care about Bruce or Ra's' missions. I just want to save this city from the al Ghuls. And I don't particularly want to work with the Batman anymore, so maybe it's best I keep up with Oracle."

"Do you still care about Dick?"

"Of course."

"Well, then answer his calls and stop being a douchebag. I'm glad you contacted me tonight to tell me this, but I've never been as close to you as he has. Come here, Tim." The two had a long, heartfelt hug. "I love you, unconditionally, you know that. And Bruce does too."

"The same way he still loves Jason."

"Yes, he does still love Jason. Have you never wondered why Red Hood's still not in jail?" Tim couldn't answer that. Babs pursed her lips in concern at his silence and apparent apathy, almost trying to make herself believe it was just an act by sheer force of will. "I'll see you in a couple of days, Tim. And call Dick, for me."

"Okay, Babs. For you." Babs kissed Tim on the cheek as she left the bar, and the young vigilante downed his whiskey, before ordering another. As he sat down at the bar table, he examined the scars on his arm and thought back to the night he had tried to take his own life. It had been Steph who stopped him. He both resented and loved her for it, but he couldn't say the latter out loud. Not now. Now he needed to prove to the people he thought loved him that his being a hero was worth it still. He had to. Even if that meant he didn't make it out the other end.

New Atlantis

At the feast hall of the Citadel of the Seven Seas, a large banquet was prepared for the new guests: Prince Orin of Atlantis and Lorena Marquez of Sub Diego. King Orm regaled them with a speech of how the great hero had returned to their people before getting absolutely drunk even by Atlantean standards. Arthur became ensconced with Garth in conversation during the event, trying to avoid the elaborate frescoes of their adventures that surrounded him on all sides. "So, tell me how come you're back?" Garth shrugged. "Something called the Entity according to Orm. He said this preacher of his works through that creature. All I know is I don't care. I'm just happy to be back." Arthur smiled. "And I'm happy that you're back. So, how did you and Debbie get together?"

"Well, she was the first person I got to know apart from Orm. We bonded over lots of things. Memories of Atlantis, of you. It was more a friendship than anything else. Then Orm said I should 'bond' with her so that I can truly join the royal family. I was still reeling and I supposed there was no one else except him and Debbie in my life. Debbie was more than willing, and well, we got married. Orm says I can have more, but I don't have any desire for that. We're pretty happy. We're having twins in six months. I'm going to call the girl, Tula, and she wants to call the boy, Orin."

"Better Orin than Arthur, we've had enough of them, don't you think?"

"Hahaha!"

"I would be honoured if you named your son after me, Garth. And I'm glad you've honoured our old friends' memory. But why didn't you contact us? The Titans have a statue for you up in the tower. They'd be thrilled to know you're alive. But they might not be too happy they didn't get to go to the wedding."

"I think they'll get over it. I wasn't exactly eager to have another grand ceremony like with Dolphin. But no, Orm insisted. Said I was a prince now and I needed grand recognition. It was fine…it was just nice to feel loved again. Debbie seemed to want to marry me. I don't know if this was part of some grand seduction by Orm of your legacy or whether she genuinely loves me. All I know is she seems happy."

Arthur looked over to Debbie and Lorena talking and laughing. "Oh, Lorena, I can't believe we never really met before," the blue, pregnant woman said with a warmth that had been lacking the last time she and Arthur had met. Lorena blushed. "Well, you were off with your father doing God knows what. And I…well, I was off doing my own thing in Sub Diego. You'd like it there…a lot more down to Earth than these Atlanteans can be."

"Well, that's kind of what I liked about Atlantis. I felt more at home underwater…I mean I don't exactly look normal, do I?" Debbie was pointing out the fact her skin was quite blue, as were her hair and clothes. It hadn't taken long for Lorena to realise why Debbie had been dubbed Deep Blue. Compared to Lorena with her Latina complexion, Debbie did stand out from a crowd. "Oh, shut up, you're gorgeous! Guys are into the whole 'alien princess' thing these days. You should meet some of the guys on my team, they go crazy for those girls." The two began laughing in unison. "Yeah, but who needs them? Garth's a good man. He was good to Dolphin. You're lucky to have him."

"He misses her very much, doesn't he?"

"Yes. Her and Cerdian. I'm just glad you're not calling the girl "Dolphin". At least with Tula she wasn't his wife. Tell me, why did you two get together?"

"I don't really know. I'd spent so long with Atlan I got the sense that…well, Atlantean history matters. Garth had been through the same thing. I don't think he realises, but we both needed to breed for Atlantean society to go on."

"Oh, that's so...uh...romantic. But, if you all wanted to do was have a kid, why not just marry Orm?"

"Eww. First off, he's just gross, and second, Atlan has even less time for half-siblings getting it on than either of us do. I mean, the guy was so cagey about revealing my paternity to anyone until I made googly eyes at Arthur."

"But you support him as king?"

"Well, Atlan thought it would be best. We're going to need someone ruthless to fight the Amazons, aren't we?"

"We're not going to fight the Amazons. Not if Arthur can help it."

"I just hope you're right, kid."

Titans Tower

The new Aqualad was finding it hard to fit in with all these heroes. They all understood that, so Rose had made the clever suggestion of board games that Friday evening. A way to bring the new kid in. They decided on Clue, and being naughty Rose got her hooch out and poured each of them a glass; her, Bart, Conner, Cassie, Jackson…but not Damian, he was too young. "I will have you know that I have imbibed spirits brewed in the heart of the Himalayas as part of my mother's trials." Conner chuckled. "And it's with that sentence you've made it certain you're not getting a drop." The table all laughed, except Damian. "I suppose it is good for one to have their wits about them when their opponents do not. Regardless, I shall win this match. I am the superior detective to all of you." Cassie shrugged. "Well, he was never this arrogant about it, but Tim did always win…" Bart snickered. "Yeah, which is why we're playing it tonight, 'cuz he's not here." That got another chuckle. It was frustrating when one person kept winning a board game.

Rose drew her cards up. "Alright, was it the Reverend Greene in the drawing room with the candlestick?" Rose thought about Eddie Bloomberg and how if he were here, he might make a joke in poor taste about Protestants. Blue Devil had beaten Roman Catholicism into that kid. Except Eddie was never coming back. Jackson then showed Rose his card of the candlestick. The game continued. Damian then took his turn. "Was it, Colonel Mustard in the study with the shuriken?" Conner turned and looked at the little squirt. "There is no shuriken in this game, Damian!"

"Well, all these other weapons that show up seem wildly inefficient when perpetrating a killing. Why would a hardened officer of the military utilise something as poorly chosen as a candlestick in the act of murder?"

"That's not how you play the game."

"Well, maybe that's why Drake always beat you. He thought outside of the box."

"No, he played by the rules."

"He is as closeminded as Father can be, then. Not even daring to consider that someone as battle hardened as this Mustard fellow might be better armed than his fellow suspects seems very unlike Drake. Maybe someone as frivolous as Allen here might think that way." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Do your family really just sit here and take these insults all day, as well, Damian? I doubt it since Tim hates your guts."

"Drake is merely my rival. We have a healthy respect for one another. As for my apparent glibness… it is not to all of their tastes. I would rather offend than endear with my frank manner...Grayson and Pennyworth say that it's...cute." As everyone chuckled a little, Conner butted in with "Yeah, Kara mentioned how you like calling the Batgirl, "Fatgirl"." Cassie laughed. "Sounds like somebody has a crush."

"What on Earth do you mean?"

"Well, it's textbook psychology. Teenage boys who are nervous around girls they like tend to act like complete assholes. I saw this kinda' stuff all the time in elementary school."

"I do not like Fatgirl!"

"Who is the new Batgirl, again?" Conner asked with genuine curiosity, "Last time I checked it was Cass Cain, and she'd kick this little jerk's butt if he ever called her fat."

"It's Stephanie Brown, Conner. Remember she used to be Robin."

"Oh yeah. Tim's ex. Met her once, can't say I warmed to her…"

"The feeling is mutual, Luthorspawn…"

"Well, you can't really say that."

"Why is that?"

"Because I don't care for her. Which is very unlike your feelings, Damian. You see, unlike you…I'm not in love with her." Damian began reaching for Conner as he held him back with one hand and the others were chortling. "Anyway, Damo, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." He showed Damian he had the Colonel Mustard card. "Well, it seems my shuriken theory has been put to paid. Since it's someone other than Mustard, they probably wouldn't have the tenacity to use them." The table collectively groaned and Rose smacked her fist on the table. "You're not supposed to tell everyone, doofus."

"Who are you calling doofus? I will have you know I studied Cicero from the age of—" A blur passed by and suddenly Bart was in Damian's seat. "Deadlocked in there. Started shouting about how his father wouldn't stand for this treatment. He'll be fine in the morning. Now let's get back to the game. Cass, is anyone else coming?" Cassie looked at her old friend suddenly upon hearing the question. "Mia might be coming along," she replied, taking a sip from her glass, "Wasn't sure though. She said she had a job with Ollie this week." Conner looked baffled. "Ollie? I mean…after everything." Cassie looked sternly at her ex-boyfriend. "Are you trying to say that just because he avenged the death of his granddaughter and most of his city, he's not a hero? I mean, come on Conner, he took Mia in when she needed someone the most and helped her out. She will never give up on him, nor should she. Just like I wouldn't expect you to give up on Clark, or Bart on Wally or Jay, or…"

"Or you on Diana. Yeah, I get it Cass. Sorry, I forgot…" An awkward silence descended over the table as everyone recalled what Diana had done to Maxwell Lord. Cassie still seemed upset as she recalled a conversation between her and Conner after it happened, and before he...died. Rose took a swig of hooch and decided to break the tension. "So, Jackson, you say Aquaman sent you here. I thought he was dead." Jackson then struck up the courage to open his mouth. "He was. And then he got better…" Conner grinned. "Yeah, that's happened to a few of us." Cassie, smiling at the new thought in her head, placed her cards down and sidled between Conner and Bart. Placing her hands on both their shoulders, she gave them a great big squeeze of affection, showing she was glad they were alive again. "Great to have my boys back," she said messing with Bart's hair and kissing a laughing Conner on the cheek. Jackson continued. "Well, he saved my life…from my father. My birth father." Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Ravager all went "Mmm hmm," collectively, all three knowing what it's like to have a parent whose morality wasn't exactly spot on. Rose laughed then. "We've all been there, kid, I mean my dad's Deathstroke, for crying out loud. You can't get much worse than that, right?" Jackson's shyness then resurfaced. "Yeah, well…my dad is Black Manta." Cassie spat out her drink in shock. "You're meaning to tell me that Aquaman took on the son of the man who killed his kid?!"

"Yeah, Mera, said something about that. Said he swore he wouldn't let Manta kill another child. Then he mentioned asking you guys to train me."

"Yeah, he called Dick, who called Diana, who called me…but by the time she got around to it, well, you had just arrived. So, we weren't exactly expecting you." Conner and Cassie had been at the beach earlier that day when Jackson had just risen out of the waves. They had been discussing events concerning their latest adventure, which had involved the remnants of Superboy-Prime's Legion of Doom in Smallville. Bart had heard them scream in shock and raced to find out what was going on. "Yeah, my first instinct was you guys were in danger. Boy, was I glad I didn't catch you two doing something else…" That earned him a dig in the ribs from Conner. "Ooh, Kryptonian punch. Thank the Speed Force for super-fast healing." Jackson decided to change the subject. "So, Cass, they tell me you're the leader around here."

"Yep, ever since Tim left the first time. We were all kinda' juniors at first, with Starfire supervising all of us with Cyborg and Beast Boy. Now, Gar and Rachel are still around to look after us. But, after the Crisis, it was decided Tim was the best one to lead us because he had devoted so much of his time to rebuilding it when the rest of us just kind of folded after everything."

"This Tim sounds like a great guy." Conner smiled. "Yeah, he is special. Our oldest friend." Jackson acted puzzled. "But you say he was back… And you're talking like he's not here anymore." Cassie sighed. "That's because he isn't. He told me about a secret mission not even Batman knew about and that I should be leader again, nothing else. He's been AWOL even from his family recently. Damian has no idea what's going on, and Dick has just said he had a falling out with Bruce. We do worry about him, sometimes." Conner nodded. "Yeah, I mean I met him in Paris not long after I came back, and he was so doggone determined to find Bruce. Everyone else thought he was dead. I did believe Tim, because there was no turning him, and I trust that guy's brain." Bart had to slide his head down a little. "I wish he knew how much we all loved him." Cassie put her hand back on Bart's. "I'm sure he does. He just…he must be doing something important that he needs to do alone. Like before."

"So, you're the Flash's grandson?" Jackson said to Bart realising he had created another awkward topic of conversation in getting to know his peers. "I mean, that's interesting. I'm with the children of Deathstroke, Zeus, Lex Luthor…and judging by how much that kid went on about his father, Batman!"

"Yeah, my grandpa is the second Flash. But I'm living with the original Flash at the moment."

"Oh, the guy with the wings in his hat? Damn, that guy is cool."

"I'll tell him you said that."

A doorbell rang. "That'll be Mia!" Cassie said as Bart ran out and went "Hey, Mia! Who's this? You never told me you had a baby! Well, she looks a lot older than a baby. She your sister? Oh…oh, my God." Bart ran back on his own panting and sweating and crying just a little bit. Conner put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Bart! What's wrong? Is Mia okay?" "I'm more than okay, Conner," a voice said from the corridor, "Now can you guys be quiet, she's a kid and she's been travelling all day." Mia walked in with a tired girl with black hair holding her hand. Rose put her hand on her mouth and started weeping. This was the child she had nannied years ago when the Titans had protected her from her dad. "Lian!"

"Rose!" The white-haired mercenary held Lian as tightly as anyone ever could. "Oh, you lovely, sweet, little girl, you're alive! And you're all mine! I'm not letting you out of my sight, kid, you hear me! Oh, thank God." Mia laughed. "Please, her dad has been all over her all day. He's out on the town with Jason Todd to celebrate." Cassie stood up remembering what the Red Hood had done to Tim last time he was here. "Jason Todd is not welcome in this tower." Mia looked serious then. "And that's exactly why Roy is coming here alone tonight. He says he doesn't need to sleep anyway. We just flew from Metropolis, he's calling in all the old Titans, so they can all see their favourite niece again. Now Rose, I think she's had enough." Rose released Mia, tears streaming down her eyes. Jackson was bamboozled. "Who is this kid?" In the confusion, Conner turned to him. "She's the daughter of Roy Harper, an old Titan. And since you're a Titan…that means she's family."

"Yeah, Conner, but family can wait till the morning," Mia said through a yawn, "She's all tuckered out, and so am I. We'll see you in the morning. This is Scarlet by the way. She's…a friend of Jason's." Scarlet shyly moved out from behind the doorway and waved at the four of them at the table. Rose looked at Scarlet in a friendly manner. She saw a shy kid not unlike herself once upon a time, so she decided to bond with her the best way she knew how. Rose looked cocky as all Hell, and Cassie immediately knew what she was going to suggest. "Say Scarlet, pull up a chair. I've a drink you'll just love…"

"NO!"

Smallville

Clark Kent was washing the dishes when he heard her descent. Diana Prince was coming to Smallville. He would have called it a flying visit except when he saw the look on her face. She didn't seem happy to see him. "Diana, what's wrong?" She hugged him before saying "Nothing, Kal. It's good to see you. It's been too long." The two titans of myth hugged each other almost as a test of strength but more so as a sign of affection. In another life, they might have been man and wife. But Clark had a wife. Still, they were heroes. And two out of three of the greatest heroes the world had known. Diana looked up into Clark's eyes. "Bruce says he's planning on a video call. I told him over the phone we need to talk about something."

"So, I was right in thinking you didn't want to just see everyone? Lois and Kara are both still here. Conner's gone off to the Titans for the weekend."

"No, you and Bruce need to hear this. My mother and I have been having…premonitions…and there's no one else outside of Themyscira I'd trust to know about them than either of you."

With that, Clark and Diana headed inside. Martha Kent was more than happy to entertain the divine Amazon warrior princess at any time. "Oh, Diana, it is so good to see you. How's your mother?" Diana smiled. "She's good, Martha. You're looking well. Conner is keeping you young." The two women laughed as Lois and Kara entered the room and gave Diana a bear hug. "Smallville, you never said all the women in your life were going to be here at once!"

"Oh, come on, Lois. I know lots of other girls!"

"None of the heroes as well as Diana though. Maybe Dinah…"

"Yeah, but I also know…Lana and…Cat…and…"

Kara whizzed over to her cousin to put his finger on his lips. "A husband should never argue with his wife when she's being funny." The women laughed. "Lois, can Diana and I use your computer? We need to have a talk with…the, uh…the Dark Knight." Lois nodded knowingly and allowed her husband and his old friend some privacy as she ushered Kara and Martha out of the room. Setting up the vidscreen, the two heroes could see their friend on the other side of the monitor, dressed in a fancy suit as he was at work at the moment. "Clark, Diana. I see you're both finally back to the land of us mere mortals."

"The same could be said for you, Bruce," Superman spoke first, "Batman Incorporated too much for you, so you're back in Gotham?"

"Touché, Mr Kent. Diana, when you called me earlier you mentioned something about time changing."

"Yes, Nemesis stole my identity. It's a long story, and I've dealt with it. What's more important is that my mother and I have been having strange dreams. Dreams of war…"

"The same dreams. What do they entail?"

"Themyscira and Atlantis caught in a war with the United States in the middle of it. And the war ended with…well, with America sinking beneath the weight of both powers. I couldn't tell whether the war was between us and the Atlanteans, or both of us…or one of us against the USA."

"Fascinating. Clark, what do you make of this?"

"Bruce, the Amazons are the embodiment of peace. But they are fine warriors and would smash the US if it weren't for a nuclear deterrent. I can't speak for the Atlanteans though, except for the fact that there are no more Atlanteans. Unless you count Sub Diego, which is hardly a threat."

"Well, I've been gathering intel on Atlantis on the Batcomputer since Arthur came back. It seems that hi-tech weaponry which can be traced back to the Atlantic Ocean is popping up all over the east coast. But all submersibles tell the same story. Poseidonis is gone. I've been trying to contact Arthur, and only reached Mera yesterday. She said he's on the same trail I am, with no luck, and she's waiting to hear back from him and Lorena."

"My mother says that in her dreams the dead also came to life."

"Oh, no, not another Blackest Night!"

"Calm down, Clark. I'm sure the Black Lanterns are dealt with. I think what Diana is talking about is resurrection as opposed to reanimation."

"Indeed. She said that those long dead would rise from their graves and make war on God. And that the two immortal nations would be destroyed in the conflict in a faraway land."

"Her dreams sound more cryptic than yours? What have either of you heard about resurrection, recently?"

"Nothing since the Blackest Night. Clark?"

"I heard rumours Slade Wilson was working on some goal to do that, but it came to nothing. Apart from that, no, I've heard nothing.

"Hmmm."

"What aren't you telling us, Bruce?"

"I've been in touch with Green Arrow if you must know. He swears that Lian is alive and well again."

"Lian? What in Rao's name?"

"I know. He has his doubts too. I've looked into the matter."

"And you're telling us nothing as usual because?"

"By Hera, Bruce, what did you find?"

"Ollie and I are handling it. You both enjoy what's left of your leave of absence. Batman, out." And with that the screen went black. Clark was furious. "After all this time, he still doesn't trust us." Diana placed a hand upon his chest. "I know, Clark, but still. If Bruce doesn't trust us, he must have good reason. Even if we don't like it, he usually does."

Keystone City

Shopping for groceries was not Wally West's idea of a fun day, but Linda had insisted he do it, as she was taking Jai and Irey out to the arcade. At the supermarket, Wally began speed reading the list. Ham, tomatoes, rice…His wife generally preferred the nutritious side of food. Ah ha, doughnuts. There's a surplus on the budget, so he could afford it. Then again, feeding a speedster can be tiring. He did his best not to make it obvious he was using super speed. Hard not to get noticed sometimes, but most would dismiss something this faint as a trick of the light. But a woman in a cloak was there watching him. She didn't look like staff, or a customer, for that matter. Wally decided maybe it was best to approach this woman before anything dramatic happened.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am. Are you alright?" Two green eyes stared up at him from under the hood. The girl was young. Impossibly young. She couldn't have been any older than Bart, but her eyes had the wisdom of the Spectre. "Hello, Wallace West. It is an honour to meet you." She extended a pale hand for Wally to grasp, which he did and she shook it vigorously. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"I have seen all of time and space and decided that this hour on this day was the moment I needed to see you. Forgive me. My name is Pandora."

"Pandora? Really? Where's your box?"

"I don't keep it anymore."

"Okay, that was meant as a joke. Are you sure you're alright, lady?"

"Mr West, you have faced talking gorillas and your infant children are going to be thirteen soon. And yet you disbelieve me?"

"Call it natural skepticism."

"Tell me, do you still have a Justice League receiver?"

"Yeah, I'm not a member anymore but I keep contact. No more than any other hero. Why am I telling you this?"

"Because you know I have no desire to harm you or anyone you love. You do, don't you?"

"Yes…somehow, yes I do. Why are you talking to me? What is it that you want?"

"I want you to go home. I want you to tell your wife and children that you love them. And once your night is finished, you are to go to the Watchtower…we need you to stop something there."

"But I'm not in the League."

"No, but it is you who is needed, Wallace West. Only you can stop what's coming."

"And what is coming?"

"Life."

"Life? Yeah, like that's a threat."

"No more than death was, Mr West. Heed my words carefully. You will know when the time comes. After dinner, you will receive a communication from Red Tornado. Head to the Watchtower. And then, do what you can."

"Alright, lady. Jesus, why do I listen to all these nutjobs?" Wally said those words to himself only half-heartedly as he headed home that evening and made dinner for his wife and children. Linda walked in the door with Jai and Irey, walked up to her husband, putting her hands around his back and inhaled the food deeply. "You're cooking still doesn't beat my grandmother's." He smiled as if to say, "I love you, too," before kissing Linda full on the lips and sweeping her off her feet. Jai and Irey made gagging noises at the sight of their parents like this. That evening, once Linda had had a normal course, Jai had extra and Wally and Irey had double dessert on top of both those amounts. Then, they all went to watch TV. A new episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, was airing that evening. "It's not the same since Regis left is it, Linda?" "Whatever you say, honey," she yawned to herself before putting her arms around his neck. Before they went to bed that night, Wally hugged Jai and Irey as if he was never going to see them again. He and Linda then made love in a way that seemed that little bit better than usual.

Waking up at 2am, Wally heard his old JL communicator pinging in the bathroom. "Wally, this is Red Tornado. We have an emergency up here! We have a speedster, who's escaping." "A speedster?" Wally asked. "What the hell are you on about, Red?" "Just get up here," Red Tornado pleaded. "Barry can't come. Just do it." Wally turned to Linda in the bed. "Sorry, honey. I'm needed above on the Watchtower. If I'm not back by morning just tell the kids I'm helping out Uncle Barry. I love you."

"I love you too, Wally." Kissing his wife goodbye, and springing his Flash suit from his ring, Wally gave his signal for Red Tornado to teleport him aboard the Watchtower.

Justice League Watchtower

"Red? You here, Red?" Wally shouted into the aether. The entry chamber for the Watchtower was so quiet. He had heard that with Jesse Quick getting pregnant and Dick going back to being Nightwing the new team had basically fallen apart. "There's no one else here. I can't see no rogue speedster. You sure I shouldn't call Clark or Diana or someone?" Then a preacher emerged from the shadows, robed in white, who looked just like his Uncle Barry. "Indeed, Wally West, son of Mary Brady. For there never was." Wally sped over to this man. "Who the heck are you? You look like my uncle but you don't sound a thing like him." The preacher laughed. "You know, I remember when I first came to your time. I wanted to be Barry Allen, and you so desperately wanted me to be him too. It worked to our mutual benefit. Then, you saw through me. You were so infuriatingly good weren't you. Not like your uncle…ooh, he was a naughty boy. I mean snapping my neck like that, surely that's a bit extreme?"

"Thawne!"

"The one, the only, the Reverse-Flash. Except I'm not the Reverse-Flash anymore. You see, Krona brought me back, but he didn't bring back my speed. We used a body newly grown for me by the Entity. I asked him for Barry Allen's. I think I wear it better than him, don't you? But still, I am going to need some super speed, and I'd rather face your uncle as an equal, so be a good boy and let me extract some there." Wally punched Thawne in the face with full force, knocking the man to the ground. "Ooh, you Flashes still carry a hell of a right hook. But if you're looking to stop me, my neck's here…all delicate and waiting to be snapped. Come on! If Barry can do it, then so can you!"

Wally moved to punch Thawne again only to elicit no reaction when he did. Before he had punched Thawne, he had seen him looking behind him. Thawne's body seemed comatose. Then, he heard a voice behind him. "That Jericho friend of yours has a most extraordinary ability. And I say that with the utmost sincerity. Bodyswapping through eye contact. What a talent." Turning around, Wally saw Red Tornado in his new hulking form. "Red, I don't understand. What's Jericho got to do with any of this?"

"Oh, do keep up, Wally, there's a good lad. I'm not Red Tornado. He wouldn't send you a distress call. Not unless I'm in control of him. You see it's so wonderful…the power works on him because he wants to be human. Isn't that marvellous? Descartes would have a field day."

"Let him go and face me man to man!"

"No, I don't think I'll be doing that," Thawne said as he whirled a large tornado from his new body. "This is quite the power this one has! Ahahahahahahaah!" Wally was knocked off course, being beaten black and blue by the cyclone. So, he began generating a counter cyclone to redact Tornado's whirlwind. "You are only delaying the inevitable, Wally!" Once the tornado had ceased, Wally began pummelling Red Tornado with his fists, but only found he was hurting himself. As he lost his bearings, Thawne delivered a sucker punch straight into his gut, knocking Wally to the floor. "Pathetic. Really, Wally, why did you fall for that one? I mean you're not even in the League anymore. And you're not the Flash, unless you still think Barry gives a damn about his legacy. Barry wants his present, not his legacy, no more than any living man would. He'll cast you aside like the lepers of old. And since Bart hates him so much, he might take your children off you for a new Kid Flash. Your daughter is awfully quick, maybe he'll pick her and your son will start, I don't know hurting himself. He might do that, knowing that blessed Uncle Barry rejected him." Wally then delivered a massive Speed Force powered uppercut into Tornado's jaw knocking his head from his body.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Wally said as he lamely stood back up, "What is it with villains and monologuing? Now, where's Tornado's comms unit?" The head laughed before suddenly stopping. "Wally, is that you? Where am I?" Wally scoffed. "I'm not falling for that old one, Thawne." Then, Wally felt a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, but you should." Wally didn't even have time to react. Being turned to face Thawne in his preacher body, Wally felt the Speed Force leave him and enter his old enemy as if his breath was being sucked from him in the vacuum of space. "Ah, now that feels good! I can feel time again! And I've got what I came here for. Thanks to using Tornado's body, I have accessed all of the JLA's confidential files. Short of the Batcave, this place has the most on every known hero and villain in the world. And more. Now I know about what alien powers I can use for my plan." Wally raised himself, coughing and spluttering.

"And what is this plan?" Wally spluttered to his uncle's nemesis. Thawne laughed. "All I'm telling you is that it involves bringing back the dead with the help of a completely clueless entity, who thinks I'm special because I've died so many times. Isn't that precious? The heroes of the world will come to believe in me…not Eobard Thawne…but I have an ancestor who's big into religion these days. Think maybe I'll pretend to be him." Wally stood up to look Thawne in the eye, his face bloodied and his Flash mask askance. "Neither the League nor the Titans will join you."

"Well, maybe not all of them…but definitely enough to build an army."

"But what could you possibly give them to make them help you conquer the world?"

"Why it's simple…the people they love."

"But you can't raise the dead, Eobard! You're just a speedster."

"True, but the Entity can. And she believes in me…I don't know why. I think Krona fed her a sob story while we were both in limbo. I've convinced her I'm rewarding the heroes. And I am. I'm only bringing back heroes and their loved ones. And I've just removed you, the only one who can stop me."

"And how am I the only one who can stop you?"

"Well, because you're the only one who has no one they want back. Barry's back, and you have a wife and children. I can seduce most of the others, but you're the only one powerful enough for me to bring back. The Entity and I have the power to create life. Anyway, I must dash. Places to go, worlds to conquer. Good night, Wally. It hasn't been a pleasure." And with that Thawne teleported away. Wally picked up Tornado's head to check if he was alright. "I'm fine, Wally. But we've got to stop him."

"Yeah, but how. He took the last teleport."

"J'onn will be here tomorrow. We just have to—" A great jerk shook the Watchtower as Wally dropped Tornado on his head. "Red, what the hell is going on?" As his head slid down the antechamber, Red Tornado did his best to answer. "He's set us on a collision course."

"Can't you stop it?"

"No, he's locked me out of the controls. You're going to have to do it manually. Oh no…Wally, he's set it for Keystone City." With that, Wally grabbed the head of his friend and ran for the first time in years without defying the speed of light. He'd do anything to save his wife and children. "Tornado, has he cut the comms?"

"Not with everywhere. The Batcave is still active."

"Then put me through. If anyone can stop this, Bruce can." An image of Bruce in costume at his desk at the Batcomputer sprung up on the screen. "Tornado? Wally? What the hell! I specifically told Tornado to not let anyone aboard except me or J'onn."

"Bruce, this is an emergency. It's Thawne. He's set the Watchtower on a collision course for Keystone City. He stole my speed and locked us up here."

"Okay, Wally. I'll try and activate the crude teleportation device from S.T.A.R. Labs and get you both out of there. Damn it, there's some kind of jamming signal coming from inside. Thawne must have barred the Tower from teleportation access when he got away! I'll see if I can call Clark. Dammit, he's cut our comms as well!"

"I don't care about getting off. We need to save Keystone and my family! Our lives don't matter, Bruce. Surely your WayneTech can redirect it somewhere uninhabited."

"Not on Earth. Your best bet is the Moon or the Sun. If the Watchtower hits the Earth then the nuclear reactor will kill millions no matter where it lands."

"Which one can you hit?"

"Satellites say the Moon. Wally, I'm working on this teleporter. Let me know as soon as that thing changes course."

"Will do, Bats! Always fun, working with a professional."

The Batcave

Bruce was scrambling like mad calling for Alfred to get down and help him with the teleporter. He still couldn't lock on to the Justice League Watchtower. "Master Bruce, what is the meaning of this? It's 2:30, shouldn't you be on patrol?" "I'm doing tech tonight, Batgirl and Black Bat are on patrol," Bruce said as he frantically typed, "Alfred, it's Wally West! He's in danger. The Reverse-Flash has hijacked the Watchtower and is careening it into Keystone City. I need you to try and lock on to the Watchtower while I redirect it into the Moon!"

"But sir, I have no experience!"

"Just keep typing 779562 and pressing Enter as fast as you can. The Wayne Tech firewalls should break it at some point." Rushing back to the Batcomputer, Bruce navigated the satellites in the direction of the Moon. "Come on, Wally. Don't give up on me!" "Master Bruce," Alfred said from behind him, "Is it supposed to catch fire like this?" Bruce turned around in shock to see the teleporter was overheating. "Alfred, duck!" he screamed as Alfred leapt from the oncoming explosion. "Are you okay?" "Apart from some wounded pride," the older man replied as he regained his bearings, "I am fine. But what about poor Master Wallace?"

Justice League Watchtower

"Watchtower, this is the Batcave! Wally, I'm sorry, the teleporter overheated. And Thawne's comms lockdown hasn't been lifted yet, not even on the phones. Seems the dampener extends from the Watchtower to here too. We're stuck, I can't call Clark or anyone. I'm really sorry."

"That doesn't matter now, Bruce. Are we headed for the Moon?"

"Yes, impact in two minutes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You saved my wife and kids. You're a good man, Bruce, don't let anything like that get you down again. I was proud to call you my friend."

"And I you. Wally, this plan of Thawne's. Has he said anything about it?"

"Just something about raising the dead. And he said he's not the one doing it…someone else."

"Raising the dead? Ollie was right."

"Listen, Bruce, as much as I love you, man…could you do something about patching me through to Linda. I'd like to talk to her one last time before I go."

"Of course. Godspeed, soldier." Bruce disappeared from the screen and was replaced by Linda's face looking into her phone. "Wally, what's wrong? Oh my God, look at the state of you! What's happened?" Wally responded at first by spitting out some blood then holding up Red Tornado's head. "You should see the other guy." Linda was perplexed. "Where are you? Why aren't you home?"

"I'm on a collision course for the Moon. I diverted the Watchtower to save you, the kids and Keystone from a nuclear explosion. We're going to hit the Moon, and the only casualties will be me and poor Tornado here. I'm sorry, man, I forgot about your family."

"Do not worry. Kathy and Traya will understand. And besides, T.O. Morrow can rebuild me. I am not sure about you, Wally."

"Well, who knows. I'm sorry Linda, this is the end. I love you. Tell the kids, to listen to Uncle Barry or Grandpa Jay when they need some useless old man to shout in their ear from now on?"

"You're coming back Wally!"

"No, I'm not! I'm sorry. Tell them what I said about Barry and Jay. Okay, you tell them that. Please? Linda?" Linda was in tears. "Wally, please teleport down." "I can't," he said with the heaviest of hearts, "I'm really sorry, honey, but I can't. Do you remember when we first met?"

"I kept asking you about all the bad stuff the Porcupine Man had done. All the property damage you made. Yeah."

"Then you got possessed by that Irish guy?"

"Then we got married…"

"Then we had Jai and Irey…"

"I couldn't have asked for more. Oh, Wally…"

"When I go down, my last thoughts will be of all the great days you and they gave me. Goodbye, Lind—" The screen on Linda's phone cut to black as the entire Earth seemed to shake. Switching on the news through tears, Linda could see a breaking alert showing a mushroom cloud rising from the Moon. Back in the Batcave, Bruce had his mask off and was crying while Alfred called the Kents in Smallville. In New Atlantis, Orm's banquet was buffeted about the place by what Arthur Curry knew was not a volcanic eruption. In her invisible plane, Diana of Themyscira could feel the impact blowing her off course drastically. On Oa, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart and Guy Gardner all received pings on their rings as an image of the explosion was projected to them. In Central City, Barry Allen fell out of bed and looked out of his window, muttering to himself about the Watchtower. In Titans Tower, Lian Harper was awoken by the moonquake as Bart Allen raced outside to see the explosion light up the sky. And in Keystone City, a grieving mother had to prepare herself to tell her children they wouldn't be seeing their father again. Two streaks of light, in the form of Superman and Supergirl headed for the Moon, while Bruce made a phone call to Dick Grayson. "Hey, Dick. It's Bruce. It's about Wally…Wally West. I'm really sorry."

The Moon

As the two Kryptonian cousins, Kara Zor-El and Kal-El landed on the Moon all they could see was fire and debris. It would have taken them years to find any sign of Wally. Thankfully, the control room of the Watchtower had been fitted with lead lining by J'onn J'onzz years ago, so Superman knew just from seeing the rubble he couldn't look through where Wally and Tornado were. He and Kara moved the rubble with all their might to find Wally lying prostrate hugging the head of Red Tornado. "Wally, it's us! Clark and Kara! Come on, buddy, you're gonna' be alright!"

"Linda…Jai…Irey…it's so good to see you again."

That was all Wally managed to croak before the last bit of life left his body. Kara shook him. "No, Wally, come on. They are going to see you again. You need to go back to them! Wally!" Clark put his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "He's gone, Kara. Neither of us can hear a heartbeat, now, can we?" Kara sighed as Clark lifted the body of their fallen comrade in his arms and flew to the Earth. As he hovered above the Daily Planet, with his cousin watching from behind him, and Jimmy Olsen on the late shift with camera at the ready, the snapshot of tomorrow's paper came into being. Superman, crying as he once had many years ago for Kara, cradling the dead body of t