A Flash by Any Other Name
May. 5th, 2006 02:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieWally forms a plan; that he hates. With the help of Fate, he sets it into motion.
This all kinda spewed out of my head in a matter of an hour and a half... Weirdness, etc, can all be blamed on the fact that I'm stressed and tired.
Part Eighteen: The Hand of Fate
'This is such a bad idea.'
Wally sat on top of John's apartment building so he could think. Super-thinking, he'd come to call it. Bruce was walking towards him, but at super-speed, his blurry form was mid-step, and wouldn't reach him until he was done reciting the Bible a few hundred times.
Which was fine. Bruce had insisted that Wally not ask anyone anything about the plan; not even why Shayera wasn't impervious to the mind-whammys. Nada. And to keep a layer of nice mundane thoughts floating around over the important ones. At the moment, pecan pie recipes, Dancing Queen, and a giggling horde of Swedish supermodels cohabitated with The Plan. Of course... he still had no idea what that was. Yet.
Problem 1: They didn't know where J'onn or Brannock or any of them were.
Problem 2: J'onn could start making them all hallucinate at any moment.
Problem 3: J'onn was a Martian with crazy powers.
Wally fiddled with his sunglasses and frowned. 'You have to start thinking like Bruce. Bruce always has an idea.' Bruce would start with weaknesses. Fire. Fear of losing loved ones. Not as fast as he was. Bruce would also, undoubtedly, add 'inherently a good person' to the list, along with 'sensitive to the pain of others.'
With that... he had an idea. Pushing down all those thoughts to the very bottom of his brain, he sped the world around him back up and caught Bruce in a swift hug. He was stiff in his arms, obviously uncomfortable with PDA in the vicinity of Mr. X-Ray Vision, but whatever.
He hated his plan, a lot.
"You have your com on ya, Bats?"
Bruce nodded, popping it out of his ear and slipping it in Wally's, his fingers lingering behind his ear just like Wally loved. Ear-stroking was his kryptonite, for sure.
"Flash to Watchtower."
"Hey Flash, good to hear from you."
"Thanks Mr. Terrific. I don't suppose you can get Dr. Fate on the horn? I'm kinda hoping he could maybe help with my little vision problem."
"Uh, sure. As luck would have it, he's up here in his quarters. Meditating, I think. I'll contact him from here." Terrific sounded a little distracted, but that wasn't surprising; being surrounded by the monitors on the bridge could quickly lead to being pulled in six directions at once.
"Can you ask him to meet me in the Batcave, in like, a coupla hours? It's urgent."
"I'll see what I can do." He replied slowly.
"Awesome. Flash out."
Wally could feel Bruce's burning desire to ask what that was all about radiating off him in tense waves. He squeezed his arm through the leather gauntlet.
"You trust me, right Bats?"
"Yes, Flash."
"Heh. You better. God help us all."
* * *
It was hard not to make comments like To the Batcave, old chum! as they all flew back towards Gotham somberly. Wally decided to let them stay all mopey, for now; the less hope the enemy thinks you have, the better. He was busy thinking up things to have them all do, things that had nothing to do with The Plan.
Wally was learning the fine art of deception pretty darn quick.
Once they'd landed, Wally asked Alfred to grab him his Flash ring and his boots, told Bruce to start searching through The Question's leads for an idea of J'onn's location, and had the rest of them go through the armoury picking out flame-throwers and stuff.
In a moment of quiet, while he and Bruce were alone, he leaned down over the leather chair and whispered into his ear, lacing his voice with a lusty timbre.
"Just how fast can you get out of that uniform?"
Sure enough, he got a quick look he couldn't make out, but figured was either surprise, desire, or irritation. Whatever.
"It's just an innocent little question. How fast? To... nothing."
"It's... hardly the time, Wally." A few deep breaths told him that it was most likely desire on his face. "Twenty-six seconds."
"Mm. We'll have to time you later, sugarpuff."
"You really must stop calling me... things like that."
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"It's... distracting."
Wally laughed, then turned around as a flash of purple and yellow light told him the good Doctor had entered the building in his usual dramatic fashion.
"Flash, you needed to see me?"
"Yup. Seeing's what it's all about." Wally tapped his head, hoping Fate would get the message.
The cave began to dissolve away, and he was in what he could only assume was his own mind. Fate was there... the first clear thing he'd seen in quite some time. It was very refreshing and only a little disorienting. In here, he wasn't wearing the big gold helmet or his snazzy outfit, just a simple black robe, his own sombre face, and brown hair touched by gray. Wally's own subconscious floated around them in a bright whirlwind that took no particular pattern, images coming and going so fast they were barely visible.
"We're in my head, right?"
"Yes."
"And you're all immune to mind-whammys, right?"
"If I understand you correctly, then yes."
"Good. I'm going to need your help."
He focused, and gave Fate every bit of The Plan he could over their telepathic link.
"Flash... Wally. Are you certain you wish me to do this? To dredge up the darkest places in one's soul, all at once, it could be catastrophic. To both of you."
"You got a better idea?"
"Given time, I could..."
"We don't have any of that, remember? I just need you to do what you do. Keep J'onn out of Supes and Bats' brains as much as you can, then help me do this."
Fate nodded.
"Can you find him?"
"I will attempt to. I will return us here once I do."
With that, the world went back to being all dark and fuzzy. Dr. Fate began floating over the chasm all cross-legged and divine looking, and Alfred walked up to him with his uniform in one hand and a tray of refreshments balanced on the other. Wally took his uniform, pocketing the ring and setting the boots aside, for now.
He chewed on a couple of muffins, perched on the computer console watching Bruce work as best he could. Feigning clear vision. Maybe Fate could help with that, later. It didn't really matter right now.
Another disorienting shift into the bright and sharp world of his mind, and Wally was facing Fate again.
"I have learned his whereabouts, and some of his actions and intent. J'onn's mental focus is in many places, spread very thin. In all likelihood, this is why he has not yet attempted another assault of your minds."
And then Wally knew where they had to go. A lonely compound in Montana.
"Hey Fate, can I ask you something?"
"In here, without the mortal barriers of the flesh, you may call me Kent."
"Yeah. Kent. It's about that... why are you being so helpful to me? I mean, no offense... but you're a worse loner than Bruce is."
"For any other, I may not have intervened. My reasons are my own, Wally, but know that you always have my assistance, should you need it."
"Okay... I guess. Vague, I'm surrounded by guys who spout vague..." He threw his hands in the air with frustration, but Fate... Kent... just gave him an odd little smile. "And the other stuff, that's going to work out, too?"
"Yes. I will return to my meditation, and prepare a series of incantations. When I have finished, I will begin, and transport us to his location."
"Awesome. I can't thank you enough for this, man."
"You may not be so eager with thanks once it has been done."
"Later, worry about that later."
Wally returned again to the cave, and began nervously fingering his Flash ring, hoping it'd fit right. It should, being an extremely flexible material and all. He tuned his thoughts into the Tom & Jerry cartoons and images of his ex's that had been running brain interference.
Clark and Shayera were now armed to the teeth on the other side of the wide platform, and even from here Wally could tell he was skeptical about wielding the big shiny weapons. That was ok.
Nobody else was eating Alfred's baked goods, so Wally helped himself and wandered around the cave, waiting. He could feel three sets of eyes following him silently, which only made him nervous again.
This had to work. Had to work. J'onn going on a psychic rampage was something they couldn't let go on.
"Flash. I am prepared." Fate finally boomed over the echoing abyss, floating back to the ground where he was joined by the rest of them momentarily.
"Ok guys, you ready?"
"Yes." They said in unison.
"Ok, then. Fate, open it up. Bats, come with me real quick." He said, grabbing his boots, then leading Bruce back into the gym and closing the door.
He attacked Bruce with a savage kiss, returned uncertainly.
"Wally, this is..."
"Get out of your uniform. Quick." He sensed the hesitation, which needed to be quelled, asap. "You said you trusted me. So start."
Bruce was out of his armour in moments. Wally handed him the Flash ring and the boots, then grabbed his arms, and with no preface, began to give him all the power, all the speed, he had left in him. Unused for so long, it came slowly, then in a torrent, pent-up and eager to be set free.
Wally kept going past the point where he could feel himself losing his grip on the speed force, until the world was truly... normal, keeping nothing for himself. Bruce had to catch him when he finally let go, physically exhausted.
"Put on my uniform, go now."
By now, Bruce's mind would be running at speed; a condition that would disorient and confuse most, but he trusted all the training and discipline of the Bat to handle it. He had to.
He blinked, without even feeling Bruce's hands leave his arms, and he was wearing the Flash costume. Bigger, taller, but when he started running nobody would be able to tell.
"Go." He whispered, bracing himself against the door and sliding it open. "I don't know how long it'll last. Hurry."
Bruce vanished in a streak of red and crackling yellow lightning that Wally had never had a chance to actually experience first-hand. He managed to make his way to where Fate held open the portal, sliding on his sunglasses and pulling up the hood on his sweatshirt. The rest were already through, with their weapons left behind courtesy of Fate's mojo.
"I'm ready. Let's do this."
* * *
Bruce in the Flash costume by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
a_bashful_boy
This all kinda spewed out of my head in a matter of an hour and a half... Weirdness, etc, can all be blamed on the fact that I'm stressed and tired.
Part Eighteen: The Hand of Fate
'This is such a bad idea.'
Wally sat on top of John's apartment building so he could think. Super-thinking, he'd come to call it. Bruce was walking towards him, but at super-speed, his blurry form was mid-step, and wouldn't reach him until he was done reciting the Bible a few hundred times.
Which was fine. Bruce had insisted that Wally not ask anyone anything about the plan; not even why Shayera wasn't impervious to the mind-whammys. Nada. And to keep a layer of nice mundane thoughts floating around over the important ones. At the moment, pecan pie recipes, Dancing Queen, and a giggling horde of Swedish supermodels cohabitated with The Plan. Of course... he still had no idea what that was. Yet.
Problem 1: They didn't know where J'onn or Brannock or any of them were.
Problem 2: J'onn could start making them all hallucinate at any moment.
Problem 3: J'onn was a Martian with crazy powers.
Wally fiddled with his sunglasses and frowned. 'You have to start thinking like Bruce. Bruce always has an idea.' Bruce would start with weaknesses. Fire. Fear of losing loved ones. Not as fast as he was. Bruce would also, undoubtedly, add 'inherently a good person' to the list, along with 'sensitive to the pain of others.'
With that... he had an idea. Pushing down all those thoughts to the very bottom of his brain, he sped the world around him back up and caught Bruce in a swift hug. He was stiff in his arms, obviously uncomfortable with PDA in the vicinity of Mr. X-Ray Vision, but whatever.
He hated his plan, a lot.
"You have your com on ya, Bats?"
Bruce nodded, popping it out of his ear and slipping it in Wally's, his fingers lingering behind his ear just like Wally loved. Ear-stroking was his kryptonite, for sure.
"Flash to Watchtower."
"Hey Flash, good to hear from you."
"Thanks Mr. Terrific. I don't suppose you can get Dr. Fate on the horn? I'm kinda hoping he could maybe help with my little vision problem."
"Uh, sure. As luck would have it, he's up here in his quarters. Meditating, I think. I'll contact him from here." Terrific sounded a little distracted, but that wasn't surprising; being surrounded by the monitors on the bridge could quickly lead to being pulled in six directions at once.
"Can you ask him to meet me in the Batcave, in like, a coupla hours? It's urgent."
"I'll see what I can do." He replied slowly.
"Awesome. Flash out."
Wally could feel Bruce's burning desire to ask what that was all about radiating off him in tense waves. He squeezed his arm through the leather gauntlet.
"You trust me, right Bats?"
"Yes, Flash."
"Heh. You better. God help us all."
* * *
It was hard not to make comments like To the Batcave, old chum! as they all flew back towards Gotham somberly. Wally decided to let them stay all mopey, for now; the less hope the enemy thinks you have, the better. He was busy thinking up things to have them all do, things that had nothing to do with The Plan.
Wally was learning the fine art of deception pretty darn quick.
Once they'd landed, Wally asked Alfred to grab him his Flash ring and his boots, told Bruce to start searching through The Question's leads for an idea of J'onn's location, and had the rest of them go through the armoury picking out flame-throwers and stuff.
In a moment of quiet, while he and Bruce were alone, he leaned down over the leather chair and whispered into his ear, lacing his voice with a lusty timbre.
"Just how fast can you get out of that uniform?"
Sure enough, he got a quick look he couldn't make out, but figured was either surprise, desire, or irritation. Whatever.
"It's just an innocent little question. How fast? To... nothing."
"It's... hardly the time, Wally." A few deep breaths told him that it was most likely desire on his face. "Twenty-six seconds."
"Mm. We'll have to time you later, sugarpuff."
"You really must stop calling me... things like that."
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"It's... distracting."
Wally laughed, then turned around as a flash of purple and yellow light told him the good Doctor had entered the building in his usual dramatic fashion.
"Flash, you needed to see me?"
"Yup. Seeing's what it's all about." Wally tapped his head, hoping Fate would get the message.
The cave began to dissolve away, and he was in what he could only assume was his own mind. Fate was there... the first clear thing he'd seen in quite some time. It was very refreshing and only a little disorienting. In here, he wasn't wearing the big gold helmet or his snazzy outfit, just a simple black robe, his own sombre face, and brown hair touched by gray. Wally's own subconscious floated around them in a bright whirlwind that took no particular pattern, images coming and going so fast they were barely visible.
"We're in my head, right?"
"Yes."
"And you're all immune to mind-whammys, right?"
"If I understand you correctly, then yes."
"Good. I'm going to need your help."
He focused, and gave Fate every bit of The Plan he could over their telepathic link.
"Flash... Wally. Are you certain you wish me to do this? To dredge up the darkest places in one's soul, all at once, it could be catastrophic. To both of you."
"You got a better idea?"
"Given time, I could..."
"We don't have any of that, remember? I just need you to do what you do. Keep J'onn out of Supes and Bats' brains as much as you can, then help me do this."
Fate nodded.
"Can you find him?"
"I will attempt to. I will return us here once I do."
With that, the world went back to being all dark and fuzzy. Dr. Fate began floating over the chasm all cross-legged and divine looking, and Alfred walked up to him with his uniform in one hand and a tray of refreshments balanced on the other. Wally took his uniform, pocketing the ring and setting the boots aside, for now.
He chewed on a couple of muffins, perched on the computer console watching Bruce work as best he could. Feigning clear vision. Maybe Fate could help with that, later. It didn't really matter right now.
Another disorienting shift into the bright and sharp world of his mind, and Wally was facing Fate again.
"I have learned his whereabouts, and some of his actions and intent. J'onn's mental focus is in many places, spread very thin. In all likelihood, this is why he has not yet attempted another assault of your minds."
And then Wally knew where they had to go. A lonely compound in Montana.
"Hey Fate, can I ask you something?"
"In here, without the mortal barriers of the flesh, you may call me Kent."
"Yeah. Kent. It's about that... why are you being so helpful to me? I mean, no offense... but you're a worse loner than Bruce is."
"For any other, I may not have intervened. My reasons are my own, Wally, but know that you always have my assistance, should you need it."
"Okay... I guess. Vague, I'm surrounded by guys who spout vague..." He threw his hands in the air with frustration, but Fate... Kent... just gave him an odd little smile. "And the other stuff, that's going to work out, too?"
"Yes. I will return to my meditation, and prepare a series of incantations. When I have finished, I will begin, and transport us to his location."
"Awesome. I can't thank you enough for this, man."
"You may not be so eager with thanks once it has been done."
"Later, worry about that later."
Wally returned again to the cave, and began nervously fingering his Flash ring, hoping it'd fit right. It should, being an extremely flexible material and all. He tuned his thoughts into the Tom & Jerry cartoons and images of his ex's that had been running brain interference.
Clark and Shayera were now armed to the teeth on the other side of the wide platform, and even from here Wally could tell he was skeptical about wielding the big shiny weapons. That was ok.
Nobody else was eating Alfred's baked goods, so Wally helped himself and wandered around the cave, waiting. He could feel three sets of eyes following him silently, which only made him nervous again.
This had to work. Had to work. J'onn going on a psychic rampage was something they couldn't let go on.
"Flash. I am prepared." Fate finally boomed over the echoing abyss, floating back to the ground where he was joined by the rest of them momentarily.
"Ok guys, you ready?"
"Yes." They said in unison.
"Ok, then. Fate, open it up. Bats, come with me real quick." He said, grabbing his boots, then leading Bruce back into the gym and closing the door.
He attacked Bruce with a savage kiss, returned uncertainly.
"Wally, this is..."
"Get out of your uniform. Quick." He sensed the hesitation, which needed to be quelled, asap. "You said you trusted me. So start."
Bruce was out of his armour in moments. Wally handed him the Flash ring and the boots, then grabbed his arms, and with no preface, began to give him all the power, all the speed, he had left in him. Unused for so long, it came slowly, then in a torrent, pent-up and eager to be set free.
Wally kept going past the point where he could feel himself losing his grip on the speed force, until the world was truly... normal, keeping nothing for himself. Bruce had to catch him when he finally let go, physically exhausted.
"Put on my uniform, go now."
By now, Bruce's mind would be running at speed; a condition that would disorient and confuse most, but he trusted all the training and discipline of the Bat to handle it. He had to.
He blinked, without even feeling Bruce's hands leave his arms, and he was wearing the Flash costume. Bigger, taller, but when he started running nobody would be able to tell.
"Go." He whispered, bracing himself against the door and sliding it open. "I don't know how long it'll last. Hurry."
Bruce vanished in a streak of red and crackling yellow lightning that Wally had never had a chance to actually experience first-hand. He managed to make his way to where Fate held open the portal, sliding on his sunglasses and pulling up the hood on his sweatshirt. The rest were already through, with their weapons left behind courtesy of Fate's mojo.
"I'm ready. Let's do this."
* * *
Bruce in the Flash costume by
a_bashful_boy
no subject
on 2006-05-05 06:28 am (UTC)I love it all, but this bit...sweet. I like how Wally can get him offguard.
no subject
on 2006-05-05 07:39 am (UTC)There's got to be more! :D
Heh. Scheming Wally is so much fun ^_^
no subject
on 2006-05-05 08:42 am (UTC)Wachey: Don't be mad! Please! *gets all teary eyed*
Dick: Forgive her, she's been watching 'The Hand that Rocks the Cradle,' and is a bit scared right now. *pats Wachey's head* She'll keep you updated on it's progress.
no subject
on 2006-06-07 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-12 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-12 10:58 am (UTC)