New Justice Darkness of the League
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Rebirth of a Speedster
-Mid/End of January-
Sara was on the phone with Rae as she watched over Kathleen and Helen playing. Selina was also in the room, going over some Wayne Industry reports. Alfred had been teaching her since most of Bruce's property had been put into trust for Helen.
"…we'll figure it out," Sara was saying to Rae. "Talk soon."
"Everything okay?" Selina asked as Sara hung up from their leader of the Justice League.
"Ray has moved into Rae's house with his kids now and is setting up cots and mini houses for the rest of the League and others are starting to move in too. It's driving Rae somewhat nuts but with Eclipso around, she doesn't want to say they can't stay," Sara said. "Leona is also starting to realize her other mother is missing and so is Owen; the two are not happy. Plus, the system is telling us of a new hero in Austin, Texas – some Elongated Man – but we decided not to pursue any new members at this time."
"That's… a lot," Selina mused. "Although I have been wondering if we should be there – at least for the kids. I mean the group has a point being with Rae seems safer," Selina said, not addressing the comment on the new hero. "She being a Paragon and being able to fend off Eclipso is a big bonus."
"There is no way Eclipso is coming for us, though," this was Tommy who said it, coming in from the back. "He went after Nora and Courtney because they could end up hurting him. We can't."
"But taking Kara, Laurel, and JT were just to hurt Rae and Sara, as second in charge right, now could be a target," Selina said.
"Especially if there is a mole," Sara said making eyes turn to her. "Sorry. Rae confided in me, but she doesn't want this going far. It's possible Eclipso is possessing someone in the League. I have been watching you two and your behavior is normal, so I think you are safe to learn this, but don't let it go far."
"Is she sure?" Tommy asked after a moment, shaking his head. A League member being possessed seemed unthinkable.
"No, but Eclipso attacked Nora at a League headquarters and Courtney in her human identity," Sara pointed out. "Shade seems to think it's a possibility, so Rae is keeping her eyes on members for unusual behavior. I think having everyone bunk at her house helps with that."
"Then maybe we should head over there. To help her look for weird behavior," Selina reasoned.
Before either Tommy or Sara could reply to this, the front door opened and Alfred came in.
"Hey Alfred, where's Julia?" Sara asked; the butler of Wayne Manor, who wasn't really their butler but still acted like it, had left early that morning to pick his daughter up at the airport. The three were kind of excited to meet his daughter, Julia, since this would be the first time she would have visited since Tommy and Sara moved in.
"What's wrong?" Selina asked, moving forward towards the man, seeing right away their normal calm friend was anything but calm. He looked like he had been crying. Selina put a hand on Alfred's shoulder as the man held up a phone. It was on a video and Selina pushed play.
The three recognized the man right away – it was Mouse, the 'brother' of Kate and Beth Kane, now known as Mad Hatter and Alice. While the two had been caught and imprisoned in the summer, Mouse had kept a low profile. Now, in the video, he was holding a gun to a blonde woman who was tied to a chair and gagged. "If you ever want to see your daughter again, get Mad Hatter and Alice released and give us the entire Wayne Estate!" Mouse said. "Or down the Rabbit Hole your daughter goes…" the video simply ended there.
"I can't do what he asks even if I wanted to," Alfred said. "My connections would not get them released and the Wayne Estate is in a trust with very strict rules. I cannot break the trust."
"Hey," Sara said, moving forward and Selina stepped back. "If you attack one of us, you attack us all. Julia is your daughter, and you are a part of this League. We'll get her. Tommy go to the Crows; see if they have any information on where Mouse can be. Show them the video. It might help."
Tommy gave a nod – since buying the Crows in the summer, the security company had rebuilt itself and was making a profit. They also always had a team on call, in case the Justice League needed them, and they also kept a look out for the most wanted in Gotham, including Mouse.
"Selina, get on patrol now. We need Batwoman in the city," Sara said and Selina and Tommy both went for the entrance to the Batcave to get into their outfits and head out. "Alfred, I am going to go get other League members here. I know you are emotional right now but for us to save Julia, we need you to watch the kids. Can you do that, or should I bring them to someone else?"
"I will watch young Mistress Helen and Kathleen," Alfred said. "Get my girl." Sara gave a nod and headed for the Batcave herself.
-New Justice-
In Purgatory, New Justice's Barry was sitting on a tree stump, laughing.
Since coming here, he had formed a sort of friend group; Karry Universe's Leonard Snart, and a Mick Rory from a world whose name he didn't know, so might not be on the system were in it; Kara's Aunt Astra from what Leonard Snart figured out was 'Alien Earth'; Nora Darkh and Jo Constantine – the two were from the same Earth but didn't know a name; along with a Kandar, who also didn't know his home world name as well. Prime Henry Allen and even the man known as Echo, sometimes joined them.
Barry still spent a lot of time finding people he could help move on, but it was nice to relax with some good people for a while, laugh a bit and take the edge off. He felt he finally had a friend group he could rely on.
"Barry," Barry recognized the voice and turned to see Oliver in his Spectre outfit had appeared before the group in the clearing.
"Oh, the warden's here," Mick Rory joked, earning a laugh from some of the group.
"We need to talk," Oliver said looking at Barry. "Privately."
"Sure," Barry said, confused. Oliver was always about – Purgatory was his domain after all – and sometimes he came to check on the occupants, especially Barry, but a conversation in private felt odd.
The two walked away, Barry hearing the group call to him to come back soon. It didn't feel like they moved far, though, but soon they couldn't see his friends.
"What is wrong?" Barry asked, getting there was something wrong by Oliver's face and the way he hadn't spoken until they were clear of Barry's friend group.
"Our world," Oliver said, "is under attack."
"When is it not?" Barry asked, chuckling at the way Oliver said it. "I am sure Rae has it all in hand."
"The Justice League is being attacked in a way it hasn't been… since you," Oliver said.
Barry paused for a moment, putting a hand on a tree.
"Me?" Barry said remembering his time as the major enemy of his world. The Reverse Flash. "Someone is killing her League? Is Laurel, okay?" He knew Oliver's Laurel was in the League and hearing this was concerning.
"Someone is separating them," Oliver said, not addressing the comment to his wife. "There is this being called Eclipso. He has a realm called the Shadows. It's… a place of darkness, of evil. He wants to expand it onto the world, but Rae stands in his way. Her power as a Paragon is the opposite of Eclipso and fixes what he destroys. He cannot hurt her, not physically. Instead, he has taken away those she loves and sent them to the shadows. They are alive, but Rae cannot get them out and they cannot help. As of now, he has taken Rae's wife Kara, her adopted daughter, Courtney, the witch of the League Nora Darkh, my sister's boyfriend JT, and… yes, Laurel."
"Damn..." Barry shook his head taking a deep breath. "That is troubling," Barry said.
"Rae needs help," Oliver said.
"Then help her," Barry added, surprised Oliver was here talking to him and not helping her.
"I cannot," Oliver said. "And even if I could do anything, there's nothing I can offer that would help her. She needs the Seven Forces of the Universes to help her. Eclipso knows this and has blocked her from entering the Speed Force to get to the other Forces," Barry gave a nod, understanding what Oliver meant. "She needs another speedster to help her get in."
"Aren't there a lot of speedsters in the multiverse?" Barry asked.
"I said the same, but she doesn't just need just any speedster – she needs one of her own Earth, who knows the powers, and of her own time," Oliver said. "In short, she needs you, Barry."
"Me?" Barry asked pointing at himself as he said it. The island-look of Purgatory seemed to have made a wind as he said it. "I'm dead."
"You are," Oliver said. "But you don't have to be..." Barry really swore he felt wind hit his face.
"I don't have a body to return to," Barry pointed out. "I don't know what happened to my original body and those clones made from Random Barry were all destroyed too."
"True, but we have found a way to bring you back to life," Oliver explained; Barry's mouth opened up in shock and he didn't know what to say to that.
-New Justice-
Tommy Queen entered the Crows Headquarters through a secret entrance the Justice League had set up after buying the building. They didn't need people spying on their coming and goings from here, after all. Tommy left his motorcycle in the area and entered the main building.
The security company was working like clockwork under Sophie Moore – the woman had been trained well by Jacob Kane to take over and in Tommy's opinion, had surpassed what the founder of the company had done. The Justice League's initial funding to rebuild might have helped.
"Agent Moore," Tommy said, putting his voice changer on and making sure his hood was up. His identity couldn't be revealed, even to those who work for them.
"Black Arrow," Sophie said, giving the man a nod. "Something you need?" Tommy merely held out the cellphone and played the recorded message for Sophie. "I know you have been looking for Mouse. Any information you have?"
"Normal law enforcement has been working under the theory Mouse left Gotham," Sophie told Tommy. "But we didn't buy that, not without the Kane sisters..." Sophie went out onto the main floor of the building and Tommy followed; some of the agents working around gave a look up to him, but didn't pause too long – they knew they were owned by the Justice League and knew members might show. "Agent Smith, the possible locations on Mouse?" She addressed another agent at this.
A map appeared on a large screen of Gotham and there were areas marked off.
"What am I looking at?" Tommy asked.
"We have been questioning any member of the Wonderland Gang we can for locations they knew where Mouse, Alice, and Mad Hatter met or hid," Sophie said. "The house they inherited from Bruce Wayne was used most in their times right before capture, but since that has been transferred back to the Wayne Family Inheritance to Helen Kyle and new security has been put in place, so we have counted that out," Sophie said, pointing at the house on the map. "We have managed to eliminate places that have been bought and now used by actual law-abiding citizens. We have been slowly checking other places, sometimes finding still-free Rabbit Thugs but so far Mouse has been alluding us. There is still a lot to check."
Tommy took out his Justice League communicator and used it to record the map and then send it out to the League.
"Possible locations on Mouse," Tommy said into the communicator. "There are a lot."
"Batgirl, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Boy have joined in the search. I can't get in touch with Sideways though," Sara said back. "Other League members will be coming soon. We should have this city covered."
Tommy nodded, about to put his communicator away but then paused as he looked at the map. "What's that location there?" Tommy asked, pointing at a place marked off on the map just outside the city, almost in the wild.
"That's where Cartwright held Kate and Beth throughout their childhood," Sophie said. "We thought Mouse might go back there but it was long since abandoned when we checked."
"Now he has a hostage though and that place is set up to hold people against their will," Tommy said. "League, I'm going to check out Mouse's childhood home," Tommy put his communicator away.
"Anything else we can do to help?" Sophie asked.
"Get a team out and look at possible locations. If you find him, don't engage – contact us," Tommy said, and Sophie gave a nod as Tommy left the room and headed for his bike. He needed to be fast; they didn't know how much time Julia Pennyworth had before Mouse gave up and decided to kill her.
-New Justice-
Back in Purgatory, Barry was just staring at Oliver, while an unearthly wind seemed to whip about in their general area.
"You can… bring me back?" Barry finally said to Oliver. He had almost expected the man to say he was joking, but of course that didn't happen. "You can just bring me back to life. Pop me into my old body as if nothing ever happened?"
"Well, no, not your old body. Rae tossed that into an active volcano," Oliver said.
Barry gave a laugh. "Good one," Barry said, thinking Oliver had finally made a joke and then saw his face. "Wait… you are serious?" Oliver gave a nod at that, and Barry paused for a second, thinking that over. "You know that's actually kind of awesome," he gave a smirk, kind of liking his body had been cremated by lava. "But I don't get it how can you bring me back?"
"Barry, resurrecting the dead is not impossible. Just… difficult," Oliver said. "There are things that keep the dead… well dead. But there are loopholes, ways around that, and there is a very specific way to bring you back," Oliver took a breath, knowing he had to explain this in detail to the man. "The first thing that stops people from being resurrected is their soul's place in the universe. You can't just remove a soul from heaven, hell, or Purgatory very easily."
"So, my place here," Barry said.
"Yes, previously I offered Rae a way to bring you back that would have had Karry Universe's Amelia taking your place here," Oliver said – and Barry was shocked. He had never known this until now. "But Rae chose Amelia over you. Said you didn't get a second chance on Amelia's life."
"Good," Barry said, thankful Rae hadn't done that. He had known a few Amelias who briefly passed through Purgatory, not to mention Karry Universe's own Amelia when he had been temporarily resurrected and so to swap his life for hers would have been unthinkable. "So… how can you fix this now?"
"Well, the thing is, your place in the universe isn't exactly here. When you choose to connect yourself to the Speed Force and become a Speedster, you connected everything to her – including your soul. The Speed Force decides where you reside. She is the one who originally sent you to hell, but when Rae requested you be saved from that fate, the Speed Force was able to do that because the claim on your soul is, and forever will be, hers. She can do what she wants with it," Oliver said, Barry taking this in, "including remove you from Purgatory and put you into a new body the new Monitor and Anti-Monitor is making with the help of the Speed Force herself."
"So… the Speed Force can just bring back to life any speedster she wants to?" Barry asked.
"No," Oliver said. "There is a second big hurtle in resurrecting someone, and that being time itself. Time knows when people die and writes itself around that. It does not take kindly to someone trying to rewrite time and bring someone back. It fights back on that."
"According to Leonard, Karry Universe has a new version of him," Barry said.
"And our world has a multiverse Thea after you killed our original," Oliver pointed out. "Multiverse alternates don't count as someone being brought back to life," he explained, and Barry gave a nod at that. "Previously I could have put you in that clone body because it was an empty vessel without its own soul yet. It existed. Time would not fight it."
"And is that the way I could get into this body?" Barry asked.
"No," Oliver said. "No, this time the loophole is different. You see, the reason why you can come back is that a new body can be made for you specifically is because of the way you died."
"A sword through the heart?" Barry asked, his hand going over to where he had been stabbed in life.
"Okay, not the method, but the circumstances surrounding your death," Oliver said. "You died in an infinite loop of causality."
"What?" Barry asked, shaking his head. This was getting confusing.
"You got mad at Rae. You hated her, especially when she became the Flash and then got into the Justice League. You got powers, became the Reverse of her, killed her League," Oliver said, going over the events so casually.
"Stop," Barry stated, cutting him off and waving his hands in Oliver's face to get the man to stop talking. "This isn't 'Barry Allen – This Was Your Life'. I was there. I lived it. I know what happened, what I did." Barry was pacing now. "Just explain the loop."
"Okay. So, you time traveled to the past and Rae followed you. Rae interacted with her past League and eventually used them to defeat you for good. She killed you. During that time though, Clark and Diana realized they were going to be dying and decided to take Rae under their wing, so speak. To get her ready. Which in turned helped anger you and lead you to being the Reverse Flash. An infinite loop in time," Oliver explained.
Barry thought it over for a moment. "For a world where its main speedster hates time travel, there's a lot of time loops going on there," Barry mused. "Me, Wally's Savitar…"
"Coincidences," Oliver shrugged at that.
"I understand, though," Barry said. "What does that have to do with me being able to be brought back?"
"You died in the past, while your past self was still alive," Oliver explained. "Time never recognized your death. To time, you always exist inside this loop. So, should you be brought back, time wouldn't fight it because in a weird way time doesn't know you died."
"And I would remember the afterlife. All of this?" Barry asked, circling around with his hands up as if to indicate Purgatory itself.
"Yes," Oliver said with a nod.
"Good because if not…" Barry let himself trail off. Without the afterlife, he wasn't reformed; he was still a villain, still the Reverse Flash. "I would be alive again. I could grow old. Find someone. Marry. Have kids?"
"Yes, possibly," Oliver said with a nod. "But Barry, the Speed Force will only agree to this if I tell you everything – including the downside, and there is a downside, Barry," with that, Barry waited. "If you were to be brought back your afterlife would not be a sure thing anymore. When you die, you could be returned here or be sent back to Hell, or you could earn your place in Heaven. It's a second chance. Something most permanent residents of Purgatory don't get – but there is a safety here. You are not in Heaven, but you are not in Hell. You clearly made friends. Go back, and everything is uncertain."
"And the Speed Force won't just send me back to Hell for refusing to help?" Barry asked.
"No, she will not. She was very clear this is your choice. You can remain here or choose to go and help Rae," Oliver said. "And… the other downside is if you choose to go back the Speed Force could end your life whenever she wants. You would be completely at her mercy."
"How is that any different from really being alive?" Barry asked.
"Barry, think, if the Speed Force could have killed you, do you think Rae would have needed to?" Oliver asked and Barry had never thought of it like that. The Speed Force could have stopped him at any time from killing the old Justice League, but it didn't. Rae had.
He heard the ocean of Purgatory as he thought it over. "The Seven Forces have a lot of power and can do a lot of things," Oliver continued. "They can make children, make objects, they can push events in the multiverse the way they want, they can even heal – and once the Speed Force was able to bring back to life someone who had just died at a request of one of her children. But everything in this universe has rules and the Forces are not allowed to kill. You would be an exception to this rule. You displease the Speed Force, and she will take away the life she is giving you."
Barry took a deep breath as he sat down on a fallen tree that he swore a moment ago wasn't fallen. He wondered if Oliver had changed Purgatory to give him the sitting place. "It is a lot to take in and I am sorry, but I do need an answer soon," Oliver said.
"Can I ask you a question?" Barry asked.
"It's a big ask. Ask me anything you like," Oliver said.
"Just one thing I need to know. Does she need me?" Barry asked looking up at Oliver who took his Spectre hood off at this moment.
"If you are asking me if she can't do it without you the answer is no. She can find a way, but it would be a lot easier with you. Having you increases her odds of success by a lot, so yes. Yes, she needs you," Oliver said as truthful of an answer as he could think of.
"She's my sister, Oliver," Barry said, a tear in his eye. "I was awful to her when I was alive. I took away something I can never give back. But if she needs me now, if she needs me to protect what she has built from the ashes I left her, then there is no choice. I do not have a choice. I need to go back. I need to help her."
"You are a good man, Barry," Oliver said putting a hand on Barry's shoulder.
"Can I say goodbye to my friends first?" Barry asked.
"Of course," Oliver said and the trees surrounding them seemed to move and a pathway back to the clearing where all of Barry's Purgatory friends were, appeared. Barry took a deep breath as he headed back into the clearing, ready to say goodbye.
-New Justice-
Tommy had decided not to bring his motorcycle all the way to the house, for fear the noise alone would alert Mouse – should he be here. Instead, he dropped it off close and hiked the rest of the way. That's how Tommy found himself up a tree, using tech in his mask to zoom in on the house.
Tommy took out his communicators to report his findings. "There are a couple of rabbit thugs in front of the house and my mask is detecting a couple of life signs inside, probably Mouse and a couple other thugs," Tommy said. "I don't see an obvious hostage but if memory serves, Kate and Beth said they were held in a basement."
"I'm closest, I'll come to you for backup. Everyone else, see if you can make your way there," Sara said.
"Going to try to sneak in and get Julia before you get here," Tommy reported back. "If we attack first, Mouse could decide to eliminate her before a rescue."
"Be careful," Sara said back.
"Always am, putting my communicator on silent," Tommy said and hit the appropriate button to stop the communicator from making all noise. He put his hood up and secured his mask before jumping out of the tree, using the overgrown wildlife as cover – the area clearly not having been taken care of for a while. Tommy found his way to the back door.
The door was slightly open, and Tommy opened it a bit wider. He could see Mouse just beyond this room, which clearly used to be a kitchen, screaming and yelling.
"I have had her for hours! He's made no moves. I guess his daughter means nothing to him!" Mouse yelled, walking away, giving Tommy his move to get in.
The technology in his mask was still set on scanning mode, so he could see the heat signature of where people were and the general layout of the house. It was easy to see the stairway downstairs was beyond this room in the hallway. Mouse, and a couple other rabbit thugs, were now in the living room area.
Tommy took the next door, moving silently over towards the stairs and managed to hide in a closet as one of the rabbit thugs moved towards him, letting the thug pass him into the kitchen. He then ducked out and got low to use some old furniture as cover to get to the stairwell.
Once descending the stairs, he saw there was one lone rabbit thug at the bottom, guarding what seemed to be a heavy sliding door. Tommy managed to get down behind the thug and put his arms around him in a chokehold – the unsuspecting villain was quickly out cold without being able to call for help.
Tommy opened the door as silently as he could, but he would admit it made more noise than he would like, to find Julia Pennyworth was also tied down to an old bed and had a gag over her mouth.
"Hello, Ms. Pennyworth," Tommy said quietly, quickly removing the ropes that bound her as fast as he could. "Your father sent me." Tommy completed after he was done untying her and helped her sit up.
Julia took the gag off herself.
"Good old dad," Julia said. "Glad he still has Justice League connections now Batman is dead."
Tommy raised an eyebrow, wondering how much Julia knew about Batman's real identity and the Justice League itself. "We better get you out of here," Tommy said, helping her up. "Can you move?"
"A little stiff, but yes," Julia said as the two headed for the doorway. Once out of the clearly prison-like room though, Tommy's luck had run out as two rabbit thugs came down the stairs and spotted them right away.
"Justice League!" One yelled out as Tommy went to right the other. Tommy was shocked as Julia made an impressive move, taking out the one who had yelled.
"How did Mouse get you?" Tommy asked, impressed as he knocked out his own thug.
"Element of surprise," Julia said. "Thought I was getting into a car hired by my dad to pick me up. Knock out gas. More are incoming," Tommy took out an arrow and sent it right through one rabbit thugs, heading for the doorway. "Nice shot, you got to show me that later."
"I'm married," Tommy said, thinking Julia was flirting.
"Good for you, but you're not my type," Julia said as the two went up the stairs and hit another rabbit thug – the two teaming up on this one. "Your wife might be though."
Tommy gave a chuckle at that. "Then sure thing," Tommy said as the two went for the door only to have Mouse blocking their path.
"So, an intruder come to rescue the princess? Well off with his head!" Mouse said, holding a weapon, but before either could move to defend themselves, the door burst open and Sara used her bo staff to attack Mouse from behind, knocking him out easily enough.
"I would like to learn that too," Julia said pointing at the staff.
"What took you so long?" Tommy asked Sara.
"Sorry, had some rabbits in the front I needed to trap first," Sara said as Tommy gave her a kiss.
"Ah, so that's the wife," Julia said, "Yeah, totally my type," Julia gave Sara a wink, who gave a smile back. "To freedom though."
As the two headed out the door, they were shocked as meeting them wasn't just unconscious rabbit thugs but… Eclipso stood there.
"Julia, run! He doesn't want you," Sara said as Tommy sent an exploding arrow out but, like always, it did nothing.
Eclipso went right for Sara and Julia reacted, throwing Sara out of the way, being pushed back as Julia got stuck in the black puddle that had appeared
"Julia!" Tommy cried, taking her hand only to find himself being pulled in too.
As Sara got up, Eclipso turned to her, but he didn't get to make a move on her as Sara felt a familiar hand take hold of her; Rae had arrived and that glow that happened whenever Eclipso was near surrounded Sara, too. "I came to help rescue a family friend, didn't expect you," Rae said to Eclipso as Julia and Tommy officially disappeared.
"Two out of three though… Not bad," Eclipso said as he disappeared into the shadows himself. The fact Rae stopped glowing indicated he was really gone.
"What was that?" Sara asked, shocked. Eclipso had just interrupted a normal Justice League mission that had nothing to do him. Rae, though, didn't seem to have an answer as she shook her head, just as confused as Sara.
-New Justice-
Barry walked back into the clearing where is Purgatory friend group were still having a good time.
"So, Barry, what did the All-Powerful Wizard of Purgatory want?" Leonard asked.
"My world is apparently in trouble," Barry said.
"So? From what I know about your world from when I was alive it's always in some type of trouble. Your cousin there's got it handled all the time," Leonard said.
"This time is different. She needs help. My help," Barry said.
"Too bad she killed you," Mick added, causing some laugher from the group.
"Well… not for long," Barry said, and that got everyone to shut up and look at him. "Oliver and a couple of other very powerful beings found a way to bring me back to life."
"That's possible?" Kandar asked, seeming stunned.
"Resurrection," Joanna Constantine spoke up. "Difficult, but not impossible."
"Not impossible at all. I managed to bring my father back to life once," Nora Darkh added.
"Well, I've got to go. She's my sister," Barry said. "I was awful to her in life, but I need to help her now."
"Of course you do," Astra was the one to say it. "I realize now I was a bad aunt at the end of my life; I had my reasons, but I did Kara wrong. If she needed me and I could go back to help her I would."
"Will you ever come back here?" Kandar asked.
"Uncertain," Joanna Constantine spoke up for Barry. "Once he's alive, he is alive again. His afterlife is uncertain…" Joanna got off the stump she was sitting on and went over to hug Barry. Then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "In case we never see each other again, live a good life, Barry. This place, we see people come and go all the time, but you… we thought you were a constant," she added.
"I know. I thought I was too," Barry added, truthfully.
"Maybe… find an alternate of me," Joanna gave Barry a wink and Barry blushed a bit as Nora came up to hug him. Kandar came over and patted him on the back.
"Maybe you will figure out what world we are from and tell my sister I am sorry," Kandar said, and Barry gave a nod as Mick simply gave him a grunt and a nod.
"Your world and mine are friends. Maybe you can tell my niece I love her and how sorry I am," Astra said.
"If she's anything like my world's Kara she will be making a deal with the devil to come here to try and save you," Barry said, and Astra gave a smile.
"Go to my son," Henry said. "I know he has another me now, in the form of the Henry from Villain Earth, but he needs to know how proud I am of him," Henry gave Barry a hug. "And I'm proud of you, too."
"Good luck," Echo merely said, standing back and giving Barry a nod.
"I know my world has that alternate me, but check on my sister," Leonard said to Barry.
"And do me a favor," Barry said surprising Leonard. "The kids I help here, the ones who should be in heaven but come here because of stupid reasons. Continue my work… Find them and help them."
"Out of all of us here you want me to work with kids?" Leonard asked, holding his cold gun up as if to prove he wasn't the guy for the job – since the gun had been on him when he died, he had a version here and it really did work, but since everyone was dead it didn't really hurt anyone. Not that he used it on anyone. "Me…?"
"We both know you are not the villain," Barry said, pushing the gun down. "Besides, you were very close to getting your heaven. Do some good here and maybe the universe will reconsider for you."
Leonard sighed. "Fine," Leonard said. "But not because of some B.S. chance at a heaven I doubt I will ever get. But because you asked me."
"I can help him," Joanna spoke up, Barry looking to her and smiling.
"Everyone needs a friendly face to welcome them, and you're the friendliest I've ever met," Barry smiled sadly at the woman, who returned the look.
"Leonard, don't ever count out getting into heaven," Oliver had reappeared, shocking the group besides Barry, who knew he wasn't far. "Are you ready?" He turned to Barry, who gave a nod to Oliver.
"What do we do now?" Barry said, turning to the man he had once killed.
"Now, the Speed Force reclaims your soul," Oliver said, and not even a second later a… creature, dressed in a torn black Flash outfit appeared. It looked like it had once been human but now was barely recognizable. The group of Barry's friends all moved at its appearance.
"What is that?" Mick asked, pointing his own heat gun at it.
"The Black Flash," Oliver said. "An agent of the Speed Force. The Grim Reaper of Speedsters. The original Black Flash was the Zoom who destroyed part of the multiverse, the one who killed you, Henry," he addressed the Henry Allen present, who didn't really react to this news. "This was his punishment for what he did in life, but Karry Universe switched it to the Zoom who killed a young Rae who had adopted their Earth as hers. And you can put the gun down, Leonard, as that won't hurt him, and he won't hurt Barry. He just needs to take Barry back to the Speed Force for a moment before we can integrate him with his body."
"I'm not afraid," Barry said, turning one last time to his friends. "Goodbye."
At that, the Black Flash took hold of Barry and ran, leaving Purgatory, heading straight for the Speed Force.
-New Justice-
In the Shadowlands of New Justice, Kara was once again walking with Dr. Midnight's goggles, getting directions on where the new arrivals were.
As she approached one from behind, the person turned at her, leg up ready to kick; Kara easily caught the leg. Her powers hadn't disappeared yet, and considering the time she had been here, she could only assume the shadows kept her the same as when she entered – much like Rae could stay for years in the Speed Force but not age a single day.
"Supergirl?" The unfamiliar blonde said, Kara was still holding her leg and the woman was standing on one leg. "Are you real?"
"Yes," Kara said. "Who are you?"
"Julia Pennyworth," Julia said.
"Alfred's daughter?" Kara asked.
"Good old dad. He certainly knows people. Can I have my leg back?" Julia asked and Kara dropped the leg.
"Why would Eclipso send you here?" Kara asked, shocked to see someone not from their League here.
"I think he tried to send White Canary, but I kind of got in the way. Black Arrow…" Julia didn't finish her sentence as an arrow came right at them which Kara caught seconds before it would have hit into Julia. "Thank you…" Julia said and backed up as the two could see Tommy in his Black Arrow outfit approaching them.
"Black Arrow, calm down. That's an order!" Kara said.
"If you are not real, you can't order me," Tommy said, obviously taken by the delusion of the shadowlands more than Julia had. "I will not be tricked, Eclipso!" Tommy held up his arrow again, but Kara ran at him taking the arrows.
"I'm not a trick," Kara said, taking the goggles off herself and holding them out for Tommy. "See for yourself." Tommy put the goggles on and then took a breath.
"I'm sorry Supergirl, Julia," Tommy said as he handed the goggles back to Kara and Kara gave him back his weapons.
"It's okay. Well come on both of you and ignore anything you see or hear," Kara said, taking both of their hands and leading them back to their protected area.
"Tommy!" Laurel said when they got back, surprised at seeing her brother-in-law.
"Laurel," Tommy said, going to hug his sister-in-law. "JT," Tommy gave a nod to the man who was basically his brother-in-law now, too.
"Who is she?" Courtney asked.
"Alfred's daughter," Kara said, returning the goggles to Charles.
"Wait, Tommy Queen?" Julia asked. "Laurel Queen?" The two gave a nod. "Well, dad is connected. That makes… White Canary… Sara Lance?"
"Lance-Queen," Tommy corrected his wife's last name.
"Not exactly people who could help in an escape plan," this was Nora who said it. "Not that anything me and Dr. Midnight here have thought of seems feasible."
"But you can bring us news. What's going on outside? Is Rae closer to saving us?" Kara asked, looking at Tommy.
"As far as I know, no," Tommy said. "But she might not be telling us everything. Sara told me and Selina this morning she suspects Eclipso has turned a member of the League and using them as a spy."
"Seriously?" Kara asked, not believing this. Surely their League couldn't be manipulated like this.
"He can do that," Charles, however, confirmed. "Find a member, play on their inner darkness, if they fall for it, they become his…" The League present seemed uncomfortable, thinking one of their own was in on sending them here.
"Well, we trust Rae, but we must continue trying to escape on our own," Kara said, knowing there was nothing else they could do.
-New Justice-
Back at Home Base, Rae took Sara, Shade, and Jessica to the side to talk privately, away from other League members. Jessica seemed uncertain on why she was being brought to the side, and so seemed nervous.
"That was odd," Rae said. "He appeared on a completely unrelated-to-him mission."
"You think it was this mole," Sara said.
"Mole?" Jessica asked.
"Why does she know of the possibility of a mole?" Shade asked, pointing his cane at Sara.
"She's my second and she's not showing any signs of being possessed. You said Eclipso's influence would start to show in heightened aggression and other strange behaviors," Rae said, and Shade gave a nod at that but then looked at Sara deeply, which kind of freaked Sara out a bit.
"She does seem solid. I tried to see if I can sense any of Eclipso in her. I do not," Shade said. "But that's not a sure thing," Rae gave a nod.
"But yes, I think someone told Eclipso where we would be. You did alert the whole League to the Julia situation," Rae said, nodding to Sara.
"And Tommy gave the location to the entire League when he found them," Sara agreed.
"We need to investigate everyone. I spend my time in League headquarters. I will talk to people as they come and go, see if I can sense anyone is off," Shade said with a nod.
"And we need to keep information more to ourselves. Me and Jessica are the only ones one hundred percent not able to be affected right now," Rae said giving her Force cousin a smile. "Which brings the other business. Until Kara is returned, we need a third and Jessica seems like a safe person right now."
"Me? I didn't think I would even be a 7th choice to lead the League!" Jessica said, stunned.
"Normally you wouldn't be high on my list, but recent events mean you have gone up," Rae said. "Sara?"
"It makes sense for the majority of leadership to be safe from Eclipso right now and you and Jessica are the ones who fit that bill. I agree," Sara said giving her approval as current second-in-command.
"Then we will note in Justice League system Jessica Cruz, Green Lantern, shall temporarily be 3rd in charge of the League," Rae said, giving a shocked Jessica a nod and pat on the shoulder as the four headed back to the main room where other members of the League were.
"I think we need to tell Alfred what happened," Selina spoke up to Sara, who sadly gave a nod, wondering how to tell the man they had saved his daughter from Mouse, but lost her to Eclipso? The Crows had arrived on the scene before Sara and Rae had left to take Mouse and the other rabbit thugs into custody and transported to the police, at least. "Then maybe we should pack up the kids and go to the Sanctuary."
"Alfred will probably want to join," Sara said.
"You have a mansion," Rae said but the two turned to her and Rae sighed. "Talk to Ray about sleeping arrangements. He's controlling this whole thing. Maybe it is time to get some trailers on site or something…"
"Will do," Sara said, as Rae opened a zap tunnel. She had left the kids with Samantha Arias and should get back to them and the Sanctuary, anyway.
-New Justice-
The next morning, Rae took Leona outside after the two had eaten, giving Sara a look. Sara gave a nod knowing Rae was asking her to watch everyone else there so Rae could have some alone time with her daughter.
Rae walked with Leona, who sometimes ran a little now. Rae smiled as she easily kept up with her daughter. Clarky, Krypto, and Dragon had joined the two, walking with them to the edge of the fence. The furthest away from the Kent house you could be, but still in the private area of the Sanctuary.
Rae sat on the fence as Leona put her hands on the bottom looking out.
"Mama," Leona said, pointing as if she expected Kara to approach them from the general area of the Sanctuary, like she did so many times.
"No sweetie," Rae said shaking her head. "I miss her too..." Krypto gave a bark at this and a moan; he missed his mistress, Rae knew. "We'll get her back and until we do, we have all these squatters to keep us company..." Rae had to give a small chuckle as she called her League 'squatters'.
Before Rae could say anything else to her child or the dogs, a familiar figure appeared before her: Oliver in his Spectre outfit. Rae was surprised but barely moved.
"Oliver, where the hell have you been?" Rae asked. For weeks since she had spoken to Oliver and he said Eclipso would not get away it, Rae had been waiting for him to return. She had even spent some nights in Leona's room watching Owen to see if his father returned.
"Mama, Bawy!" Leona said, making Rae look down. Rae noticed Leona was, in fact, on the chest of a Barry Allen, who was unconscious and also extremely naked. It was more of her cousin/brother than she ever wanted to see.
"Why…?" Rae asked figuring Oliver had brought this Barry to her.
"Happy belated Birthday," Oliver said as a response. "…or Happy Early Birthday to you Leona."
"Olly, why are you giving me a Barry and why is he naked?" Rae asked.
"Well, isn't everyone born naked?" Oliver responded, and Rae blinked at the comment.
"You are not making any sense," Rae said back and Clarky gave a bark as if agreeing with Rae. Krypto had approached Oliver, smelling the man, and Dragon was just keeping an eye on them.
"Well, I guess re-born would be the proper term," Oliver said back to that, a small smirk on his face now.
"What Barry is this?" Rae asked, still not understanding what Oliver meant.
"Yours," Oliver said, and Rae tilted her head.
"What?" Rae asked.
"Your Barry, brought back from the dead," Oliver said.
"What?" Rae asked again, more shocked as she jumped off the fence now.
"The new Monitor and Anti-Monitor, along with myself and the Speed Force brought him back," Oliver said.
"Huh?" Rae asked, not seeming to say more than a one-word response in her surprise.
"To help you, Rae. Another child of the Forces, someone Eclipso cannot take away. Plus, you can use him," Oliver said and pointed down at the naked man. "He can help you bypass the block Eclipso has put in the way of you entering the Speed Force. Get to the Speed Force, get to the other Seven Forces, and get their help. Defeat Eclipso, get our wives back. With him, you can do all this."
"Really?" Rae asked.
"Like I said," Oliver said, giving her a smirk. "Happy birthday," Oliver put his hood back up and disappeared, leaving a surprised Rae standing there with three dogs, her daughter, and a still very unconscious and naked Barry Allen.
Post Chapter: And Barry has returned to New Justice! Did anyone see this coming? I hope you all enjoyed this.
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Karry Master OUT!