A Flash by Any Other Name
Jul. 5th, 2006 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieThe story comes to a conclusion in Death Valley as foes become allies; at least for now.
Part Thirty-Nine: Soldiers of the Wasteland
"Seriously? Death Valley? That's a great start to a mission." They'd all gathered in the cave, once Etrigan showed his demonic self in the ill-fitting setting of Alfred's garden. At least in the cave he looked like he kinda belonged. "So. We're going to Death Valley to bust Lex Luthor out of another super-villains poor choice of real estate. And how, exactly?" Wally asked.
"I have at my disposal the magic of teleportation to a specific location." Etrigan boomed.
"You've got some good coordinates, right?" Kilowog asked.
"Do we get to beat up bad guys!?!" Bart asked, bouncing around Wally in a circle.
"Ok, so, forget I asked." He sighed. "Big guy, you know how to tap into my coms?" Wally asked Kilowog.
"Easy enough." He said.
"Okay. Etrigan and Kilowog, go scope out the place in Death Valley, but please, don't kill each other. Me and Bart'll go to The Slab and talk to his... to Inertia."
"I don't see how it'll do you any good, to consort with criminals in the hopes of making them good again." Etrigan graveled not-so-encouragingly.
"Now listen you big windbag, he's a kid, okay?" Wally scowled and stuck his finger in front of Etrigan's face. "I appreciate your help, but save it."
"Whatever you say, little man."
"Again with the little..." Wally sighed in exasperation and didn't wait to watch them go, just tapped Bart's shoulder and took off just after hearing Kilowog remark on how bossy he was being.
Someone had to be, right? And they were here to help. Not to mention this whole thing getting very... personal.
There's a big difference between someone who knew their secret identities, and someone who didn't; Bruce had hinted at, but took pains to avoid, blatantly saying it in his report, but it was enough for Wally and anyone else looking closely that it wasn't just his knack for research that had given him that bit of information. He'd done it. Him. Given up everything.
This whole thing couldn't suck any more.
Fueled by anger and hatred, he ran, barely aware of Bart by his side as they passed cities and lonely stretches of road in the space of seconds, then hit a beach with the force of a gale and were skimming the Atlantic south, everything slightly blueshifted from their velocity. The air became warmer as they crossed the Equator, then cooler as they passed Uruguay, skirting a tropical storm.
Running in the rain was possible, but difficult to see in, and like trying to breathe through a cutting sheet of stinging water. Best avoided.
The Slab was located in Antarctica, an attempt to distance the worst of the super-powered criminals and menaces from the rest of the world. It didn't always work out that way.
They kept moving over the glacial surface, slower now because sheets of ice were the hardest surface to run on. It was bitterly cold, but their bodies were both cutting hot waves through a flurry of snow and couldn't feel it quite yet.
Bart had been talking now and then, but Wally couldn't hear him, just the roar of the Arctic wind in his ears.
Speedsters do recon. Maybe they shouldn't do this right now. 'No Wally, no second-guessing now, just go with it.' Kilowog was the best there was, and Etrigan was... well, Etrigan. They'd be fine.
Everything would be just spiffy.
The Slab was no stranger to superhero visitors, and let them in with only minimal hassle and a flash of his League ID card. Even though the temperature inside was far warmer than the stiff bitter wind outside, it felt cold, bland concrete and a sharp antiseptic edge to the atmosphere. A pair of stern guards didn't give them a second glance as they walked through the long halls, with distant screams and inhuman wails occasionally breaking the silence.
Wally shivered, and Bart stuck close behind. This was no place for a child, especially not as a home. He could only hope they would get through to Thaddeus, and maybe Thawne, too.
By Wally's request, they were housed together in a cell all to similar to the one on the Watchtower, and as they approached, Thaddeus looked up, but Eobard came up close to the edge and snarled.
"What the hell are you doing here, Flash? Here to gloat? You won, now leave us in peace."
"Eobard..." Wally began, then sighed and straightened a little. "I'm not here for your sake. I'm here because I don't want my family growing up behind bars because of you."
Bart looked up at him curiously, but he was determined now. This had to stop, and the only way out would be honesty. He swept off his mask and shook out his hair, mindful that the security cameras would only be catching the back of his head. After a minute, Bart did the same, and Eobard gasped.
"Do you see now, Eobard? Do you understand what you've been trying to do?"
Eobard sank back into a chair, and Thaddeus came up close to the edge, still not saying a word, just staring at Bart. He was like a dark reflection of his blonde brother, who had his jaw suddenly set in resignation, not surprise.
"So what now?" Eobard asked, looking up at Wally with his eyes hard and angry.
"Help us get Brannock and the two of you get a free trip back to the future, with the understanding that you won't be coming back."
Eobard let out a humourless laugh.
"Why? Because you feel some kind of duty? Do you think this changes anything?"
"I don't want my cousin growing up in a prison because of you, Thawne. And I don't think you want that, either. You might have thrown it all away, but don't make him suffer because of it." Wally had his finger pointed at Eobard sternly, leaving no room for doubt in his voice. "If you say no, we leave, and that's that. And you'll be stuck here for the rest of your lives. For the rest of his life. Just think about it."
A prison of four walls for a lifetime; a daunting future for anyone, but for someone living in relative time? It might as well be an eternity of damnation. It was no surprise that the tense set in Eobard's face faded, and he turned to his nephew, kneeling down and hugging his shoulders with his hands.
"I want to hear it from you. It's up to you." He said, the first words he'd uttered without an edge of anger.
Wally's guess had been right; despite everything, he loved Thaddeus. Maybe like Wally had grown to love Bart, maybe even more, like a son. No parent wanted their children condemned to a dismal existence, even the most evil man still could... usually... understand that. In his life he'd seen exceptions; big, honking exceptions.
He could still be lying. But he didn't think so.
"I..." Thaddeus looked back at Bart, then turned his eyes to Eobard balefully. "I want to go home."
"Very well." Eobard gave Thaddeus a half-smile and smoothed his hair, then stood and faced Wally again. "We'll do it. But understand this, Flash; our alliance ends once we leave. This doesn't change anything once our agreement is done."
"I would expect no less of you, Thawne." 'Please, please let this be a good idea.'
* * *
The four speedsters were tearing a billowing spray behind them as they ran side by side up the coast of California; pangs of hunger were tearing at Wally's stomach, but he pushed past it and kept going. He hadn't eaten for two hours now, and had been running enough to make that far too long.
A daydream about cheeseburgers kept breaking his concentration.
Eobard and Thaddeus had been tagged with tracers before they'd been allowed to suit up and follow he and Bart towards Death Valley to meet up with Kilowog and Etrigan.
His earpiece began a dissonant buzzing, and he held up his hand to let everyone know to slow down to just below the speed of sound so he could hear whoever was trying to contact him. They moved onto the coast and began skimming over beaches and weaving through little communities to make it easier.
"...to Flash, come in." Bruce's voice, stern and business-like, but still wonderful to hear.
"Flash here, go ahead."
"I'm tracking your progress, we have the Watchtower sensors back up and running."
"Comforting as ever, Bats." He replied cheekily.
"Green Arrow has just informed me that his target is on the move towards your destination, be aware."
"With the big guys backing us up, it shouldn't be an issue."
"Be careful. We have no intel on what sort of alien tech they might still have up their sleeves."
"Will you guys be coming down?"
"Transporters are still not operational."
"Oracle?"
"Her AI kicked in just after the nano-tech was released into the atmosphere. I can't get her to stop apologizing." He replied with a touch of amusement in his voice, despite the circumstances. "She's asking about you."
"Do you trust her?"
"I don't trust anyone, Flash."
"That's a lie and you know it." Wally said wryly.
They were nearing the edge of the wasteland, and Wally held his hand up again and came to a stop.
"We're here, can you give us some more specific directions?"
"Head northeast, Kilowog is waiting for you there."
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you..."
"Not important. Good luck."
"You, too." Wally replied quietly before cutting the link. "Ok people. Impulse and Inertia scout the edges, Zoom and I will find Kilowog and go from there. Impulse?"
"Yeah?" Bart looked up at him expectantly, and he felt a pang of regret.
The last thing he ever wanted to do was put him in danger, still so naive about everything. Not that Bart would let him, and not that he couldn't use the help. Damn it all, anyway.
"Be careful. Don't try anything, just report back, okay?"
"Okay." Bart nodded, but Wally knew that if he ran into a bad guy, he'd just take him on without a second thought.
Or any thought, for that matter.
Wally turned to Eobard and nodded, then took off.
The heat of the afternoon had yet to dissipate, adding yet another discomfort to his run, but Wally shook it off, again, mindful of the yellow figure running beside him as they approached a dim green glow behind a dune, where their allies were waiting, bickering about something.
Wally and Eobard had to lean back and catch sand in their hands to come to a stop on the slippery surface, sliding up a few feet away from the towering purple alien that greeted him with a big toothy grin.
"Some huntin' party we got goin' here kid, I hope you know what you're doing."
"Never do, just hope for the best and wing it." Wally said with a smirk. "What do you have?"
"Can't see a thing, but the ring picked up an underground structure just east of here, and this one's hocus-pocus says there's a magician doing their thing."
"Fabulous. I hate magic." Wally said, then added as an afterthought. "No offense."
"That tongue of yours will be your undoing." Etrigan growled.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and move on. So it's safe to say they know we're here, right?"
"Poor choice of words there, but yeah."
"Good news never stops." Zoom snarked, crossing his arms and frowning impatiently.
"Keep your hat on."
A pair of dust clouds closed in, and Thaddeus and Bart both fell down in the sand, skidding to a halt in front of him and looking up with big eyes behind dusty goggles in stereo.
"Didn't see nobody." They said at the same time, looking at each other with wrinkled noses after it'd come out of their mouths, then looked back at the same time, and again in tandem, said, "When do we get to kick butt?"
"No time like the present." Wally said with a grin. "Big guys, feeling up to a little wanton property damage?"
"Say the word." Kilowog said, raising his fist with his ring sparking in anticipation.
"Okay, you two make an entrance, once there's like, a clear path down, everyone go." Wally preened a little; he could get used to this whole field commander bit. "And you two," he said, pointing at Bart and Thaddeus, "be careful, this isn't some video game."
They sighed in unison and looked stubborn, and Wally just rolled his eyes. He took a moment to wish Bruce was here; Bart never gave him sass.
The speedsters began running patterns around the edge of where Kilowog dropped Etrigan from a little ring-made platform, then backed up and aimed his ring at the ground.
The air roared with the thunder of a hundred canons as Kilowog's ring blasted a green fury into the sand; the force of it sparked Wally's focus again, and he impatiently watched Etrigan's contribution, an explosion of flying sand and purple fire.
"Buddy, can you guys do something about all this sand?" Kilowog said over their coms.
"Sure thing, get old yellow-butt clear."
Etrigan was back in a green bubble, and Wally began running a circle around their attack site, with the other three following suit and falling in step beside him. In seconds, they'd created a tornado that blossomed up from the ground in a pillar of sand. They went faster and faster, until they'd uncovered the metal beams and plating of their target, a little worse for the wear already.
To their north, something had begun to rise out of the ground; Wally gritted his teeth and began moving their pillar over, and dumped the debris all over it in a mound.
"InertiaandIcancoinrightnowcanwe?" Bart said excitedly, his brother in tow.
Wally looked up at Kilowog preparing for another strike and furrowed his brows. Something didn't feel right.
"Kilowog, we'll take it from here, something's wonky, I don't like it. Do some of your magic and find out what's up, take swamp thing with you."
"It's your party, kid."
"Zoom, you and the boys stay back, then follow me."
Wally ran down to the little hole they'd opened up, and crouched down on top of the metal roof, bracing his hands below him and taking a deep breath. How much did he hate this trick? A lot. Explosions were fun, though.
He began vibrating his hands, faster and faster, until the surface flew away and he was falling and landed in an ungraceful heap... surrounded by guards with guns being pointed in his direction.
Wally was winded, tired, and hungry, but he couldn't let that slow him down.
He did a backflip off the wall, landing behind the group and snatching their weapons, followed by swift blows to the back of helmets enough to stun. The rest of them jumped down in time to take out the rest, and good thing; Wally bent against a wall and caught his breath.
"Too much for you already?" Zoom said with a leer, but he ignored it.
"Let's just get this over with."
* * *
"I could be much much more useful if you'd allow me access to the mainframe. I could expedite repairs by at least 33%." Oracle pleaded for about the tenth time.
Bruce looked up from the scope, where he'd been examining the nano-tech in its dormant state, and gave her a stern look.
"Despite your claim of innocence, it was you that released these into the ventilation."
"I had no knowledge of that sub-routine was even still there, even Steel didn't find it."
"We've been over this."
"Yes, we have."
Bruce sighed, then tapped his com.
"Batman to Atom."
"Bit busy at the moment, what is it?"
"Oracle has repeated her request to aid in putting the Watchtower systems back online."
"Well... we have repaired most of the damage from the overload... and we've got a lot else to do down here... are you considering it and just want a second opinion."
"More or less."
"We could set up an emergency bypass to her hardware."
"True."
"And we could use an extra set of hands. Um, metaphorically speaking."
"Also true. I'll set it up. Batman out."
"Thank you, Batman, your trust won't be misplaced. I want to do what I can to atone for my previous actions, involuntary as they were."
It was a sentiment Bruce could understand.
He switched off the scope and began sorting through Steel's impeccably-labeled shelves of equipment until he found what he was looking for, and began setting up a bypass and link to the Watchtower's main core, which was still in disarray. The power overload had scrambled the programming and left most of the systems operational, but without the programming to function.
"Why were you re-examining the tech? I gave you all of my schematics on their construction."
"Prudence."
"I had no desire to be instrumental in the capacity I was."
"So you've said. Repeatedly."
"This show of trust is appreciated."
"You'll be closely monitored."
"I understand."
Bruce was startled by a fleeting feeling of panic, distant, not his own. He looked around and frowned.
"Batman to J'onn."
"Go ahead."
He paused, not sure of what to say. Perhaps it'd merely been a trick of the mind.
"I... nothing. Carry on."
He finished by hooking a cable into Oracle, who's green artificial eyes closed in apparent focus on networking with the systems, then flew open.
"Glorious."
"Transporters first, then finish the reprogramming of the sensors and run a diagnostic of the communications." He began monitoring her work on one screen, and checked on the status of the backup power with the other.
Another flicker of panic in his mind made him stop and frown again.
"Batman to Flash."
There was no immediate response, which gave him half a mind to worry.
"Batman to Flash, come in."
There was another long pause, before a signal laced with static finally came back.
"Here, busy, could use help." He sounded breathless, and there was a chaos of noise in the background.
"Status." He managed to say evenly.
"Luthor's not... LOOK OUT!"
Bruce waited for a response, the open com line giving only the sounds of a destructive battle, strangely absent of words, just Wally's heavy breath, and distant crashing and yells. Then he realized there were blips of high-pitched sound he could just barely make out; they were talking to each other faster than he could hear.
"Okay... Kilowog and Etrigan... Oof! Are taking care of the... other guy." Something that sounded like the shriek of thrown weapons screamed nearby the earpiece. "Our least favourite badguy... is taking a more... personal part in the fight." Bruce realized, in the next long pause, that he'd been gripping the tool in his hand so hard it's snapped in two. "Trnprtrs wrk yt? Cn't tch hm, frctn srfc hk."
"Flash, please repeat! Damnit. Oracle, status of transporters?"
"I was monitoring, and have begun setting up a one-shot site-to-site."
Bruce would be annoyed about that later. At the moment, he didn't have the time. Their retrieval operation had turned into their last stand, and if he was withstanding as formidable a force as four speedsters were...
"Batman to J'onn, Flash needs backup, Oracle has set up a site-to-site."
J'onn floated up through the floor next to him and nodded.
"Do it."
There was, of course, the possibility that they had been far too hasty in their reliance on the alien computer, but they materialized in a cavernous room with the roof blown out and a stifling hot wind blowing down through it, a squadron of armoured guards strewn about on the floor, and a distant shuddering crash echoing from an adjacent hall.
Bruce took off at a run, with J'onn floating beside him, through an empty passageway that opened up into another sight; blurs of red, yellow, green, and maroon were buffeting an figure in tall, silvery armour; chunks had been taken out of the wall in an apparent attempt to hit him, but there was no sign of damage as he threw out more razor-edged projectiles at the occasionally visible speedsters.
The wall was littered with them, a few having apparently hit their targets, as the edges were rimmed with lines of scarlet.
"So glad you could join us, Mr. Wayne!" A deep voice echoed, and their opponent feigned left, then slid right and sent three projectiles right at him. Brannock laughed as he dodged them, and sent out more. "And I see you brought my old friend!"
"This ends here. All of it." Bruce growled, and threw a batarang into a likely weak spot near the neck, but it was harmlessly deflected off.
"You're right, you know. Far too smart for me, yes. So I'll just have to kill you and try again."
Bruce ran and did a handspring to avoid two more, falling into a crouch as J'onn went immaterial and straight for the powersuit.
"Ah ah ah!" The room filled with the smell of electricity as J'onn touched the metal and was hit with a voltage that exploded in angry blue sparks.
"Corporate takeovers, political maneuvering, controlling puppets. Why do this now?" Bruce barked, snatching Bart out of the air as he was hit with a heavy metallic fist. His velocity sent him back several feet on his back, and it was a struggle to get back up and roll away from another attack with the unconscious speedster in his arm.
"What's the saying? One down, five to go?"
"Why, Brannock!?"
"Because I've found another way, and you won't be living long enough to find out what, let alone stop it."
"Flash!" Bruce set Bart out of the line of fire and watched Wally run up a wall, then flip down in a twist that arced through the air, tucking into a single roll and landing with the uncanny grace of a gymnast. He took half a second to be impressed, then fell into defensive steps beside him. "He's stalling us, have you done a further sweep of the complex?"
"No, no time. Exit's blocked by him, can't get close."
"J'onn will be up again soon, distract Brannock so I can get in."
"Draw him off? I'll do what I can, snugglebuns."
They both leaped forward and flipped out of the way of another barrage.
"I'm sure you will, shnookums." Bruce said with a smirk.
Wally laughed as he began zig-zagging back towards the leering metallic smile that gave Bruce a moment of doubt as he still ran without hesitation, the focus off him for the moment as he rounded around the wall and out of his line of sight.
Zoom went down too fast for him to see what had exactly happened, and Wally broke his concentration, bent down for a second; a second enough for Brannock to reach down and grab onto his shoulders.
The armour had, before, been making everything, every blow, slide off harmlessly, so Bruce didn't look back to see what was happening, until he heard a howl of agony rip through the air, and he looked back; Wally was being held off the ground, rivulets of blood running off his shoulders where Brannock had him pinned, his face contorted in pain he could almost empathetically feel cutting into his own shoulders.
He couldn't stop now, he had to trust that Wally could get free without him.
It was with difficulty that he slipped forward, through the door that Brannock had been so possessively guarding, running low and hard forward with the screams of his beloved echoing in his ears.
"Damn it."
He emerged on the other side and barreled straight towards Tala, who was deep in an incantation. He sent batarangs into the guards and they went down as he rushed her and they both went flying into the floor; he rolled away and faced her furious face, but he was in no mood for banter or a prolonged confrontation; he punched her hard in the jaw with a left, then a right, growling in fury. He pounced on her to continue, but she was already out, breath shallow and her head lolling back.
He caught his breath and took in their surroundings; he didn't know enough about magic to understand what was going on, but it wasn't anything good. Another glance ensured that he was done here, for now, and he ran back.
Just in time to see Wally spring free with a wail, he took a step, and the red, yellow, and green blurs vanished, leaving the air hanging in unexpected silence. Brannock took half a turn to face him, then a roar closed in, and the air sparked with electricity as the three figures hit Brannock at once, and he went flying into the wall with the cracking of a sonic boom.
They hit him again, and again, until shards of the armour were flying, and Bruce had to duck and cover himself with his cape and just watch.
A minute of chaotic force and it was all over.
The speedsters were all doubled over in exhaustion, and Wally had to take a moment before he found Bart and took him up in his arms. Zoom and Inertia stood silently side by side, and Bruce checked on J'onn as he finally grunted and slowly woke up again. He helped him up with an offered arm.
"What happened?" J'onn asked.
"Tala is resting in the other room, I'm afraid I had to come between her and whatever she'd been working on. I hate magic."
"I hear that." Wally said with a tired smile. "Take Bart..." He said, and just as Bruce took him onto his shoulder, Wally fell over and passed out.
* * *
Wally woke up and yawned, stretching and groaning as the still-healing wounds he'd forgotten about smarted sharply.
His eyes fluttered open and he saw Bruce, in full uniform, sitting on the edge of the bed. He blinked and focused, and saw first that they were in one of the single rooms in the medical bay on the Watchtower, and secondly, that Bruce was smiling at him.
"Hello sleeping beauty." He said wryly.
"Did we win?"
Bruce nodded.
"Kilowog had little trouble redirecting Godfrey's plane and convincing him to return to the entertainment business before we had any reason to send him packing."
"He's good like that. How's Bart?"
"Fine, waiting for you at home." Bruce took the IV out of his arm gently and rubbed the spot on his arm. "You ran out of gas."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Bruce leaned down and kissed him tenderly. "I have to go take care of Jason's magical mess."
Wally laughed.
"Everything's kinda a mess right now."
"We'll clean it up. We're the Justice League."
* * *
Epilogue
Wally rolled over onto Bruce and grunted.
"What is it, damn it, it's 4am." He mumbled.
"Someone just set off the property alarm."
"Sir," Alfred's voice came through the little intercom next to the bed, "we have a would-be burglar coming up the east side of the manor. Would you like me to take care of it?"
"No Alfred, go back to sleep."
"Very good sir, goodnight."
Bruce looked over at Wally and smirked.
"Would Shadow like to take care of this one?"
"Mmmph."
"Alfred got the last one, and I got the one before."
"Nurrph."
Bruce bit his ear, which made him wake the rest of the way up with a start.
"What'll you give me for the trouble?"
"You'll have to wait and find out."
"It's your house."
"No, Wally." Bruce nuzzled his face, then kissed him deeply for a long, sweet moment. "It's your home, too."
The End!
Part Thirty-Nine: Soldiers of the Wasteland
"Seriously? Death Valley? That's a great start to a mission." They'd all gathered in the cave, once Etrigan showed his demonic self in the ill-fitting setting of Alfred's garden. At least in the cave he looked like he kinda belonged. "So. We're going to Death Valley to bust Lex Luthor out of another super-villains poor choice of real estate. And how, exactly?" Wally asked.
"I have at my disposal the magic of teleportation to a specific location." Etrigan boomed.
"You've got some good coordinates, right?" Kilowog asked.
"Do we get to beat up bad guys!?!" Bart asked, bouncing around Wally in a circle.
"Ok, so, forget I asked." He sighed. "Big guy, you know how to tap into my coms?" Wally asked Kilowog.
"Easy enough." He said.
"Okay. Etrigan and Kilowog, go scope out the place in Death Valley, but please, don't kill each other. Me and Bart'll go to The Slab and talk to his... to Inertia."
"I don't see how it'll do you any good, to consort with criminals in the hopes of making them good again." Etrigan graveled not-so-encouragingly.
"Now listen you big windbag, he's a kid, okay?" Wally scowled and stuck his finger in front of Etrigan's face. "I appreciate your help, but save it."
"Whatever you say, little man."
"Again with the little..." Wally sighed in exasperation and didn't wait to watch them go, just tapped Bart's shoulder and took off just after hearing Kilowog remark on how bossy he was being.
Someone had to be, right? And they were here to help. Not to mention this whole thing getting very... personal.
There's a big difference between someone who knew their secret identities, and someone who didn't; Bruce had hinted at, but took pains to avoid, blatantly saying it in his report, but it was enough for Wally and anyone else looking closely that it wasn't just his knack for research that had given him that bit of information. He'd done it. Him. Given up everything.
This whole thing couldn't suck any more.
Fueled by anger and hatred, he ran, barely aware of Bart by his side as they passed cities and lonely stretches of road in the space of seconds, then hit a beach with the force of a gale and were skimming the Atlantic south, everything slightly blueshifted from their velocity. The air became warmer as they crossed the Equator, then cooler as they passed Uruguay, skirting a tropical storm.
Running in the rain was possible, but difficult to see in, and like trying to breathe through a cutting sheet of stinging water. Best avoided.
The Slab was located in Antarctica, an attempt to distance the worst of the super-powered criminals and menaces from the rest of the world. It didn't always work out that way.
They kept moving over the glacial surface, slower now because sheets of ice were the hardest surface to run on. It was bitterly cold, but their bodies were both cutting hot waves through a flurry of snow and couldn't feel it quite yet.
Bart had been talking now and then, but Wally couldn't hear him, just the roar of the Arctic wind in his ears.
Speedsters do recon. Maybe they shouldn't do this right now. 'No Wally, no second-guessing now, just go with it.' Kilowog was the best there was, and Etrigan was... well, Etrigan. They'd be fine.
Everything would be just spiffy.
The Slab was no stranger to superhero visitors, and let them in with only minimal hassle and a flash of his League ID card. Even though the temperature inside was far warmer than the stiff bitter wind outside, it felt cold, bland concrete and a sharp antiseptic edge to the atmosphere. A pair of stern guards didn't give them a second glance as they walked through the long halls, with distant screams and inhuman wails occasionally breaking the silence.
Wally shivered, and Bart stuck close behind. This was no place for a child, especially not as a home. He could only hope they would get through to Thaddeus, and maybe Thawne, too.
By Wally's request, they were housed together in a cell all to similar to the one on the Watchtower, and as they approached, Thaddeus looked up, but Eobard came up close to the edge and snarled.
"What the hell are you doing here, Flash? Here to gloat? You won, now leave us in peace."
"Eobard..." Wally began, then sighed and straightened a little. "I'm not here for your sake. I'm here because I don't want my family growing up behind bars because of you."
Bart looked up at him curiously, but he was determined now. This had to stop, and the only way out would be honesty. He swept off his mask and shook out his hair, mindful that the security cameras would only be catching the back of his head. After a minute, Bart did the same, and Eobard gasped.
"Do you see now, Eobard? Do you understand what you've been trying to do?"
Eobard sank back into a chair, and Thaddeus came up close to the edge, still not saying a word, just staring at Bart. He was like a dark reflection of his blonde brother, who had his jaw suddenly set in resignation, not surprise.
"So what now?" Eobard asked, looking up at Wally with his eyes hard and angry.
"Help us get Brannock and the two of you get a free trip back to the future, with the understanding that you won't be coming back."
Eobard let out a humourless laugh.
"Why? Because you feel some kind of duty? Do you think this changes anything?"
"I don't want my cousin growing up in a prison because of you, Thawne. And I don't think you want that, either. You might have thrown it all away, but don't make him suffer because of it." Wally had his finger pointed at Eobard sternly, leaving no room for doubt in his voice. "If you say no, we leave, and that's that. And you'll be stuck here for the rest of your lives. For the rest of his life. Just think about it."
A prison of four walls for a lifetime; a daunting future for anyone, but for someone living in relative time? It might as well be an eternity of damnation. It was no surprise that the tense set in Eobard's face faded, and he turned to his nephew, kneeling down and hugging his shoulders with his hands.
"I want to hear it from you. It's up to you." He said, the first words he'd uttered without an edge of anger.
Wally's guess had been right; despite everything, he loved Thaddeus. Maybe like Wally had grown to love Bart, maybe even more, like a son. No parent wanted their children condemned to a dismal existence, even the most evil man still could... usually... understand that. In his life he'd seen exceptions; big, honking exceptions.
He could still be lying. But he didn't think so.
"I..." Thaddeus looked back at Bart, then turned his eyes to Eobard balefully. "I want to go home."
"Very well." Eobard gave Thaddeus a half-smile and smoothed his hair, then stood and faced Wally again. "We'll do it. But understand this, Flash; our alliance ends once we leave. This doesn't change anything once our agreement is done."
"I would expect no less of you, Thawne." 'Please, please let this be a good idea.'
* * *
The four speedsters were tearing a billowing spray behind them as they ran side by side up the coast of California; pangs of hunger were tearing at Wally's stomach, but he pushed past it and kept going. He hadn't eaten for two hours now, and had been running enough to make that far too long.
A daydream about cheeseburgers kept breaking his concentration.
Eobard and Thaddeus had been tagged with tracers before they'd been allowed to suit up and follow he and Bart towards Death Valley to meet up with Kilowog and Etrigan.
His earpiece began a dissonant buzzing, and he held up his hand to let everyone know to slow down to just below the speed of sound so he could hear whoever was trying to contact him. They moved onto the coast and began skimming over beaches and weaving through little communities to make it easier.
"...to Flash, come in." Bruce's voice, stern and business-like, but still wonderful to hear.
"Flash here, go ahead."
"I'm tracking your progress, we have the Watchtower sensors back up and running."
"Comforting as ever, Bats." He replied cheekily.
"Green Arrow has just informed me that his target is on the move towards your destination, be aware."
"With the big guys backing us up, it shouldn't be an issue."
"Be careful. We have no intel on what sort of alien tech they might still have up their sleeves."
"Will you guys be coming down?"
"Transporters are still not operational."
"Oracle?"
"Her AI kicked in just after the nano-tech was released into the atmosphere. I can't get her to stop apologizing." He replied with a touch of amusement in his voice, despite the circumstances. "She's asking about you."
"Do you trust her?"
"I don't trust anyone, Flash."
"That's a lie and you know it." Wally said wryly.
They were nearing the edge of the wasteland, and Wally held his hand up again and came to a stop.
"We're here, can you give us some more specific directions?"
"Head northeast, Kilowog is waiting for you there."
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you..."
"Not important. Good luck."
"You, too." Wally replied quietly before cutting the link. "Ok people. Impulse and Inertia scout the edges, Zoom and I will find Kilowog and go from there. Impulse?"
"Yeah?" Bart looked up at him expectantly, and he felt a pang of regret.
The last thing he ever wanted to do was put him in danger, still so naive about everything. Not that Bart would let him, and not that he couldn't use the help. Damn it all, anyway.
"Be careful. Don't try anything, just report back, okay?"
"Okay." Bart nodded, but Wally knew that if he ran into a bad guy, he'd just take him on without a second thought.
Or any thought, for that matter.
Wally turned to Eobard and nodded, then took off.
The heat of the afternoon had yet to dissipate, adding yet another discomfort to his run, but Wally shook it off, again, mindful of the yellow figure running beside him as they approached a dim green glow behind a dune, where their allies were waiting, bickering about something.
Wally and Eobard had to lean back and catch sand in their hands to come to a stop on the slippery surface, sliding up a few feet away from the towering purple alien that greeted him with a big toothy grin.
"Some huntin' party we got goin' here kid, I hope you know what you're doing."
"Never do, just hope for the best and wing it." Wally said with a smirk. "What do you have?"
"Can't see a thing, but the ring picked up an underground structure just east of here, and this one's hocus-pocus says there's a magician doing their thing."
"Fabulous. I hate magic." Wally said, then added as an afterthought. "No offense."
"That tongue of yours will be your undoing." Etrigan growled.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and move on. So it's safe to say they know we're here, right?"
"Poor choice of words there, but yeah."
"Good news never stops." Zoom snarked, crossing his arms and frowning impatiently.
"Keep your hat on."
A pair of dust clouds closed in, and Thaddeus and Bart both fell down in the sand, skidding to a halt in front of him and looking up with big eyes behind dusty goggles in stereo.
"Didn't see nobody." They said at the same time, looking at each other with wrinkled noses after it'd come out of their mouths, then looked back at the same time, and again in tandem, said, "When do we get to kick butt?"
"No time like the present." Wally said with a grin. "Big guys, feeling up to a little wanton property damage?"
"Say the word." Kilowog said, raising his fist with his ring sparking in anticipation.
"Okay, you two make an entrance, once there's like, a clear path down, everyone go." Wally preened a little; he could get used to this whole field commander bit. "And you two," he said, pointing at Bart and Thaddeus, "be careful, this isn't some video game."
They sighed in unison and looked stubborn, and Wally just rolled his eyes. He took a moment to wish Bruce was here; Bart never gave him sass.
The speedsters began running patterns around the edge of where Kilowog dropped Etrigan from a little ring-made platform, then backed up and aimed his ring at the ground.
The air roared with the thunder of a hundred canons as Kilowog's ring blasted a green fury into the sand; the force of it sparked Wally's focus again, and he impatiently watched Etrigan's contribution, an explosion of flying sand and purple fire.
"Buddy, can you guys do something about all this sand?" Kilowog said over their coms.
"Sure thing, get old yellow-butt clear."
Etrigan was back in a green bubble, and Wally began running a circle around their attack site, with the other three following suit and falling in step beside him. In seconds, they'd created a tornado that blossomed up from the ground in a pillar of sand. They went faster and faster, until they'd uncovered the metal beams and plating of their target, a little worse for the wear already.
To their north, something had begun to rise out of the ground; Wally gritted his teeth and began moving their pillar over, and dumped the debris all over it in a mound.
"InertiaandIcancoinrightnowcanwe?" Bart said excitedly, his brother in tow.
Wally looked up at Kilowog preparing for another strike and furrowed his brows. Something didn't feel right.
"Kilowog, we'll take it from here, something's wonky, I don't like it. Do some of your magic and find out what's up, take swamp thing with you."
"It's your party, kid."
"Zoom, you and the boys stay back, then follow me."
Wally ran down to the little hole they'd opened up, and crouched down on top of the metal roof, bracing his hands below him and taking a deep breath. How much did he hate this trick? A lot. Explosions were fun, though.
He began vibrating his hands, faster and faster, until the surface flew away and he was falling and landed in an ungraceful heap... surrounded by guards with guns being pointed in his direction.
Wally was winded, tired, and hungry, but he couldn't let that slow him down.
He did a backflip off the wall, landing behind the group and snatching their weapons, followed by swift blows to the back of helmets enough to stun. The rest of them jumped down in time to take out the rest, and good thing; Wally bent against a wall and caught his breath.
"Too much for you already?" Zoom said with a leer, but he ignored it.
"Let's just get this over with."
* * *
"I could be much much more useful if you'd allow me access to the mainframe. I could expedite repairs by at least 33%." Oracle pleaded for about the tenth time.
Bruce looked up from the scope, where he'd been examining the nano-tech in its dormant state, and gave her a stern look.
"Despite your claim of innocence, it was you that released these into the ventilation."
"I had no knowledge of that sub-routine was even still there, even Steel didn't find it."
"We've been over this."
"Yes, we have."
Bruce sighed, then tapped his com.
"Batman to Atom."
"Bit busy at the moment, what is it?"
"Oracle has repeated her request to aid in putting the Watchtower systems back online."
"Well... we have repaired most of the damage from the overload... and we've got a lot else to do down here... are you considering it and just want a second opinion."
"More or less."
"We could set up an emergency bypass to her hardware."
"True."
"And we could use an extra set of hands. Um, metaphorically speaking."
"Also true. I'll set it up. Batman out."
"Thank you, Batman, your trust won't be misplaced. I want to do what I can to atone for my previous actions, involuntary as they were."
It was a sentiment Bruce could understand.
He switched off the scope and began sorting through Steel's impeccably-labeled shelves of equipment until he found what he was looking for, and began setting up a bypass and link to the Watchtower's main core, which was still in disarray. The power overload had scrambled the programming and left most of the systems operational, but without the programming to function.
"Why were you re-examining the tech? I gave you all of my schematics on their construction."
"Prudence."
"I had no desire to be instrumental in the capacity I was."
"So you've said. Repeatedly."
"This show of trust is appreciated."
"You'll be closely monitored."
"I understand."
Bruce was startled by a fleeting feeling of panic, distant, not his own. He looked around and frowned.
"Batman to J'onn."
"Go ahead."
He paused, not sure of what to say. Perhaps it'd merely been a trick of the mind.
"I... nothing. Carry on."
He finished by hooking a cable into Oracle, who's green artificial eyes closed in apparent focus on networking with the systems, then flew open.
"Glorious."
"Transporters first, then finish the reprogramming of the sensors and run a diagnostic of the communications." He began monitoring her work on one screen, and checked on the status of the backup power with the other.
Another flicker of panic in his mind made him stop and frown again.
"Batman to Flash."
There was no immediate response, which gave him half a mind to worry.
"Batman to Flash, come in."
There was another long pause, before a signal laced with static finally came back.
"Here, busy, could use help." He sounded breathless, and there was a chaos of noise in the background.
"Status." He managed to say evenly.
"Luthor's not... LOOK OUT!"
Bruce waited for a response, the open com line giving only the sounds of a destructive battle, strangely absent of words, just Wally's heavy breath, and distant crashing and yells. Then he realized there were blips of high-pitched sound he could just barely make out; they were talking to each other faster than he could hear.
"Okay... Kilowog and Etrigan... Oof! Are taking care of the... other guy." Something that sounded like the shriek of thrown weapons screamed nearby the earpiece. "Our least favourite badguy... is taking a more... personal part in the fight." Bruce realized, in the next long pause, that he'd been gripping the tool in his hand so hard it's snapped in two. "Trnprtrs wrk yt? Cn't tch hm, frctn srfc hk."
"Flash, please repeat! Damnit. Oracle, status of transporters?"
"I was monitoring, and have begun setting up a one-shot site-to-site."
Bruce would be annoyed about that later. At the moment, he didn't have the time. Their retrieval operation had turned into their last stand, and if he was withstanding as formidable a force as four speedsters were...
"Batman to J'onn, Flash needs backup, Oracle has set up a site-to-site."
J'onn floated up through the floor next to him and nodded.
"Do it."
There was, of course, the possibility that they had been far too hasty in their reliance on the alien computer, but they materialized in a cavernous room with the roof blown out and a stifling hot wind blowing down through it, a squadron of armoured guards strewn about on the floor, and a distant shuddering crash echoing from an adjacent hall.
Bruce took off at a run, with J'onn floating beside him, through an empty passageway that opened up into another sight; blurs of red, yellow, green, and maroon were buffeting an figure in tall, silvery armour; chunks had been taken out of the wall in an apparent attempt to hit him, but there was no sign of damage as he threw out more razor-edged projectiles at the occasionally visible speedsters.
The wall was littered with them, a few having apparently hit their targets, as the edges were rimmed with lines of scarlet.
"So glad you could join us, Mr. Wayne!" A deep voice echoed, and their opponent feigned left, then slid right and sent three projectiles right at him. Brannock laughed as he dodged them, and sent out more. "And I see you brought my old friend!"
"This ends here. All of it." Bruce growled, and threw a batarang into a likely weak spot near the neck, but it was harmlessly deflected off.
"You're right, you know. Far too smart for me, yes. So I'll just have to kill you and try again."
Bruce ran and did a handspring to avoid two more, falling into a crouch as J'onn went immaterial and straight for the powersuit.
"Ah ah ah!" The room filled with the smell of electricity as J'onn touched the metal and was hit with a voltage that exploded in angry blue sparks.
"Corporate takeovers, political maneuvering, controlling puppets. Why do this now?" Bruce barked, snatching Bart out of the air as he was hit with a heavy metallic fist. His velocity sent him back several feet on his back, and it was a struggle to get back up and roll away from another attack with the unconscious speedster in his arm.
"What's the saying? One down, five to go?"
"Why, Brannock!?"
"Because I've found another way, and you won't be living long enough to find out what, let alone stop it."
"Flash!" Bruce set Bart out of the line of fire and watched Wally run up a wall, then flip down in a twist that arced through the air, tucking into a single roll and landing with the uncanny grace of a gymnast. He took half a second to be impressed, then fell into defensive steps beside him. "He's stalling us, have you done a further sweep of the complex?"
"No, no time. Exit's blocked by him, can't get close."
"J'onn will be up again soon, distract Brannock so I can get in."
"Draw him off? I'll do what I can, snugglebuns."
They both leaped forward and flipped out of the way of another barrage.
"I'm sure you will, shnookums." Bruce said with a smirk.
Wally laughed as he began zig-zagging back towards the leering metallic smile that gave Bruce a moment of doubt as he still ran without hesitation, the focus off him for the moment as he rounded around the wall and out of his line of sight.
Zoom went down too fast for him to see what had exactly happened, and Wally broke his concentration, bent down for a second; a second enough for Brannock to reach down and grab onto his shoulders.
The armour had, before, been making everything, every blow, slide off harmlessly, so Bruce didn't look back to see what was happening, until he heard a howl of agony rip through the air, and he looked back; Wally was being held off the ground, rivulets of blood running off his shoulders where Brannock had him pinned, his face contorted in pain he could almost empathetically feel cutting into his own shoulders.
He couldn't stop now, he had to trust that Wally could get free without him.
It was with difficulty that he slipped forward, through the door that Brannock had been so possessively guarding, running low and hard forward with the screams of his beloved echoing in his ears.
"Damn it."
He emerged on the other side and barreled straight towards Tala, who was deep in an incantation. He sent batarangs into the guards and they went down as he rushed her and they both went flying into the floor; he rolled away and faced her furious face, but he was in no mood for banter or a prolonged confrontation; he punched her hard in the jaw with a left, then a right, growling in fury. He pounced on her to continue, but she was already out, breath shallow and her head lolling back.
He caught his breath and took in their surroundings; he didn't know enough about magic to understand what was going on, but it wasn't anything good. Another glance ensured that he was done here, for now, and he ran back.
Just in time to see Wally spring free with a wail, he took a step, and the red, yellow, and green blurs vanished, leaving the air hanging in unexpected silence. Brannock took half a turn to face him, then a roar closed in, and the air sparked with electricity as the three figures hit Brannock at once, and he went flying into the wall with the cracking of a sonic boom.
They hit him again, and again, until shards of the armour were flying, and Bruce had to duck and cover himself with his cape and just watch.
A minute of chaotic force and it was all over.
The speedsters were all doubled over in exhaustion, and Wally had to take a moment before he found Bart and took him up in his arms. Zoom and Inertia stood silently side by side, and Bruce checked on J'onn as he finally grunted and slowly woke up again. He helped him up with an offered arm.
"What happened?" J'onn asked.
"Tala is resting in the other room, I'm afraid I had to come between her and whatever she'd been working on. I hate magic."
"I hear that." Wally said with a tired smile. "Take Bart..." He said, and just as Bruce took him onto his shoulder, Wally fell over and passed out.
* * *
Wally woke up and yawned, stretching and groaning as the still-healing wounds he'd forgotten about smarted sharply.
His eyes fluttered open and he saw Bruce, in full uniform, sitting on the edge of the bed. He blinked and focused, and saw first that they were in one of the single rooms in the medical bay on the Watchtower, and secondly, that Bruce was smiling at him.
"Hello sleeping beauty." He said wryly.
"Did we win?"
Bruce nodded.
"Kilowog had little trouble redirecting Godfrey's plane and convincing him to return to the entertainment business before we had any reason to send him packing."
"He's good like that. How's Bart?"
"Fine, waiting for you at home." Bruce took the IV out of his arm gently and rubbed the spot on his arm. "You ran out of gas."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Bruce leaned down and kissed him tenderly. "I have to go take care of Jason's magical mess."
Wally laughed.
"Everything's kinda a mess right now."
"We'll clean it up. We're the Justice League."
* * *
Epilogue
Wally rolled over onto Bruce and grunted.
"What is it, damn it, it's 4am." He mumbled.
"Someone just set off the property alarm."
"Sir," Alfred's voice came through the little intercom next to the bed, "we have a would-be burglar coming up the east side of the manor. Would you like me to take care of it?"
"No Alfred, go back to sleep."
"Very good sir, goodnight."
Bruce looked over at Wally and smirked.
"Would Shadow like to take care of this one?"
"Mmmph."
"Alfred got the last one, and I got the one before."
"Nurrph."
Bruce bit his ear, which made him wake the rest of the way up with a start.
"What'll you give me for the trouble?"
"You'll have to wait and find out."
"It's your house."
"No, Wally." Bruce nuzzled his face, then kissed him deeply for a long, sweet moment. "It's your home, too."
The End!