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Earth would fall.
Never before had some random alien invader managed what this guy had managed. Entire cities destroyed, some landscapes only wastelands.
Right there, where the League was bound on their knees, should have been a small town with cute little trees and shops with nice owners who knew the names of every customer coming in.
But there wasn't.
There was only dirt and rubble and nothing as far as Wally could see from his low position.
He never imagined to go out like this. Binds around his torso, on his knees, the thing bounding him using forced gravity to keep him down.
The others weren't better off, captured the same way only for the gadget that bound them to utilize each individual weakness against them. Supes didn't look too hot after being exposed to Kryptonite that long.
Never before had Wally thought they'd lose so many people, would be helpless as they were disintegrated into nothingness.
Never before had he lost hope and felt like giving up like that before.
The others were quiet too, kneeling or lying on the dusty ground as they watched the enemy gloat not too far away. Not in a loud, boisterous way but by standing there and overlooking his work. Of all that was left.
Wally was sure they too would soon be gone.
The gravity around his middle was slowly becoming too heavy for him to kneel with. His body was slowly dragged downward despite trying to remain up, until he couldn't withstand it anymore and found himself face first in the dust, coughing it all up after inhaling some of it.
From the corner of his eye he could see Bats looking at him but even Bats had stopped with any kind of plan a while ago. All of them were just sitting there and waiting for the end. Weren't they?
It was oddly quiet, here where so many people used to live. The animals were all gone too, no bird that flew over them to make their presence known.
It was a bittersweet thought, to know that somewhere people were still alive and hiding. That animals had retreated. Probably.
But so many were gone.
Even now it forced tears to his eyes and made his throat feel like there was something in it. Painful and sharp whenever he swallowed. But that wouldn't bring anyone back. Anyone that was…gone, with no miracle to make it right again.
Could humanity even survive with these numbers left? How many even were there? Bats probably knew, had somehow made a system and just knew how many were still left and yet…why didn't Bats provide a plan?? Why was he still breathing in dust instead of picking up the fight?
Did it even matter how many were left in the end? Didn't everyone who was still alive deserve to get a chance?
Blinking the liquid in his eyes away, Wally tried to correct his position. Not an easy feat with his hands bound to his sides. But he still somehow made it to his knees, torso barely lifted up. His entire body shook from the strain.
God he was hungry.
But so many (it had to be many, please let there be many) other people were too, probably. How did those in hiding provide for them? How did they find the strength to wake up tomorrow when the League, people who could still try to fight, had already given up?
Had they given up or was it just farce? Maybe they were stalling for time and Wally just didn't know about it.
No. Glancing at the others at his side he could see that they weren't waiting for the right time. No one was looking for that one window to strike.
Was there no fight left in them? Was this it? He had never imagined the League being brought down. All these amazing, talented, kind people. His friends. And there was nothing they could do?
Wally looked away from them, finding it difficult to see them like this, and focused on their enemy. He was still standing there, breathing in the destruction and chaos and death he had brought with him.
It made Wally angry. How dare this guy? What gave him the right to come to Earth and decide that this was it? At least Brainiac had had reason for it. Granted it had been a stupid one but no reason. At all?
His stomach burnt and his chest heaved from the strain of his bounds but also from the sheer visceral anger within him.
And he knew then, he knew, that he couldn't sit this out. He'd rather go down burning-
"Hey!" Wally called out.
-then not burn at all.
Every head that was capable at the moment snapped to him but Wally only cared for the enemy who slowly turned towards him.
Only to turn away again.
This wouldn't do.
"I'm talking to you!" He drew strength from the anger and the underlying fear and panic. This had to work. He had to play his cards right.
"I don't talk to vermin."
"Yeah, well, this insect got a challenge for you. I'm sure you're awfully bored." All he needed was one chance. If he could get free, if he…Wally didn't know what he would do to win a fight because not even Supes had stood a chance, but…he needed to try.
Just when he realized that the others tried to get his attention, probably to make him shut up, did Big Bad turned towards him, looking amused.
"A challenge? None of you were close to one."
Well, that was a load of bullshit. Supes might have lost the fight but Wally had seen the layer of sweat or moisture or even the strain on their enemy. That guy just tried to play it off.
"I can be tho," Wally argued as he glared at the guy. It probably didn't look as intimidating as he wanted it to, since he was constantly fighting the strain to faceplant into the ground. "Take this thing off and I'll fight you. Let's bet."
The guy was actually grinning and cocking his head to the side now. "You want to bet? What do you get if you win?"
Wally wasn't being taken seriously, he could tell. But at least he was being heard now. "You leave. When I win you'll leave and never come back."
"What could you offer me?"
He was so not being taken seriously. And rightly so. There was nothing Wally could offer. Nothing this guy couldn't obtain himself.
His silence must have been answer enough since the guy started to turn away.
"I'll do whatever you want!" It burst out of Wally without barely having been thought about. But it did get the attention back on him, that and a curious look as well. So he was on the right track, as much as the words felt like acid on his tongue. "I'll…I'll do whatever you want. Without complaints."
A cold, calculating look passed over his enemy’s face. "Anything I want?"
"Anything and everything," Wally breathed out, barely believing himself. He just had to win this. Had to trust his abilities and avoid being someone's willing henchman (slave?).
Easy.
Right?
Thick silence hung in the air as his bounds suddenly fell away, leaving him to pitch upwards so suddenly he almost fell over as the gravity of his body normalized.
"You have five minutes."
What? "That wasn't part of the-"
"Five minutes," the guy insisted, hands at his back as he stood there. He clearly didn't take Wally for a threat either as they stared at each other.
Wally could do this.
"The clock is ticking."
He could. He was the fastest man alive. And that included the entire universe. If anyone could beat someone's teleporting ass it was him. All he had to be was faster than instantaneous travel. Simple.
Sweat was building on his back, making his suit feel kinda weird but it wasn't the first time that ever happened.
Five minutes were an eternity.
He rolled his shoulders and glared at his opponent, who wasn't really expecting much.
Wally decided to test the waters first, at least a minute or so. Vibrating on the spot, he suddenly stood beside the taller being and went for a simple punch.
A punch that met the air as the guy disappeared and appeared to the left of him, kicking him in the side and causing him to fly and land a few meters to the side.
That had definitely cost him one rib, Wally was sure.
And yet…now that Wally had paid attention to this detail he knew how fast instantaneous teleportation was. Before, when they had first fought against him, he had kind of panicked and been all over the place. But now he actively looked for an opening, now he used his brain. The others would be proud, would they know.
As it turned out instantaneous travel wasn't that fast. Instead Wally had seen how his enemy's particles had disappeared and reappeared and really…Wally could be faster. He could. Only this time he couldn't really use the world to build it up. No. He had to be faster than that, without using the entire planet as his runway.
No. It had to be instantaneous too and for that he needed a bit more distance, without making it look too suspicious.
Which was why he attempted three more attacks, always taking what he got with a grunt and used the given force to just…slide a bit further away. Taking in his enemy's expression, it seemed to work so far.
Wally went for another punch and let the one aimed at his chest connect. It hurt like hell, definitely winded him, forcing the air out of his lungs, and pushed him backwards. Despite the pain in his torso, and sides from the previous attacks, he used the provided momentum and slid with the use of his powers just a bit farther away. Almost close enough to tumble into his friends, if he hadn't stopped his sliding with a crouch, feet and one hand on the ground to slow him down.
This was it. His chance.
"Pathetic."
The drawl was condescending and probably meant to be insulting. It would have been if Wally wouldn't feel like his plan could work.
Tensing every muscle, he slowly stood up, his entire posture screaming that he was going to try again. He could hear someone attempting to speak but Wally didn't have the time.
Instead he took a deep breath and ran.
There was a massive boom originating from where he had stood while he suddenly pressed into the space of his enemy. It must have seemed as instantaneous as the teleportation the guy attempted again, only that this time Wally watched the process. Waited for that one second where the teleportation just turned into a touchable mass again.
Still carrying the momentum of his, almost impossibly fast, run over such a short distance, Wally drew back his fist and punched the other in the face.
A sickening crunch radiated out between them as the enemy was hurtled away from him, skipping over the ground in painful positions before coming to a slow roll until he stopped on his back, facing away from Wally.
Wally's hand hurt as he tried to open his fist, so he let the hand fall and cramp in whatever position it wanted since he couldn't pay much attention to it right now anyway. Not when his enemy was slowly sitting up again.
No, Wally thought desperately. This had been his only chance! He had thought…had thought that the force of his speed alone would be enough.
Steeling himself, Wally straightened his back and forced his hurting hand back into a fist. It barely responded. "I suggest you stay down!" Wally called out over their battlefield, hoping to intimidate the other through sheer will alone.
His enemy slowly picked himself up, stopping on his knees when it looked as if he couldn't find his footing. His expression was unreadable. Something between a blank stare and actually...maybe he was intimidated. Or Wally was seeing things.
"I won't hesitate to punch you again. And again and again, should you get up!" Wally wasn't a resentful kind of person. Not when he always wanted to believe in the good of people but he had found his own limits. So many were already dead. He wouldn't stand for it. Couldn't. Even if it meant drastic measures.
The other wiped whatever stood for blood from his nose, the fluid slowly dripping down on the ground, staining the sand and dirt. He seemed to take a moment to catch his breath.
"You shattered your own bones in the process," the guy said back, almost mumbling through the swelling on the side of his face.
Wally gritted his teeth as he forced his hand back into a fist, pain bright and hot traveling up his arm, into his chest. Sweat beaded on his skin. "And I would do it again. I will destroy any other bone in my body if it means making you leave. You think I can't use his hand anymore?" Wally hissed out as he lifted his fist, the skin angry, red and swollen. "Watch me."
With that he took one step forward, intent on speeding up towards the other again, only to stop at the sudden "No wait!," from his enemy.
Standing still again, Wally waited and watched, ready to strike again within the blink of an eye. Earlier even.
But the other actually…cowered. Shivers moved through the guy's body as he made himself look smaller.
Tense silence pushed from all sides as Wally waited for something. Anything. His patience was running out, having only so much on the best of days.
Seconds where nothing happened went by. Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two. Wally had had enough. He started to walk towards the other again, not listening to the various pleas coming from him.
Wally knew that he should keep his distance, to keep the threat of possibly doing this again obvious. But he also knew what it meant to appear above such things. To seem like he didn't care about what it meant because he knew he could hurt the other again. A certain Dark Knight and his methods briefly flashed before his eyes as he came to stand before this man. For all that he had caused…he had crumbled fast.
Maybe there was something to his own strength after all.
The other could barely lift his head to meet Wally's eyes, the extent of his injuries clearer up this close. At least Wally hadn't shattered his bones for nothing. The damage he had done was greater than the one he received. If the crooked nose, the swollen face and eye, the probably broken bones were anything to go by.
Even from a meter away Wally could hear the labored breathing, the way it sounded wet and slimy as his enemy struggled through the pain.
For a moment he wondered if someone had ever hurt this man like Wally did. If a blow like this had ever been dealt to the man's ego.
"I won and you will leave," Wally ordered with a stone like voice that would make Barry proud. For all his goofing around his uncle could have been rather scary if he wanted to. "And you will never come back. Unless you want to find out what else I'm willing to break."
Wally knew it was a shot in the dark and dangerous too. Letting this man go would put them all at risk in the future but…
He had faith. He knew that Bats would come up with a solution to prevent such an attack again. And right now they couldn't afford the resources to chain this enemy. Who knew what it would take? There was just no way for Wally to be his guard for however long it would take. He could barely stand at this point.
Something that he was keeping from his enemy through sheer force of will.
Instead he glared at the other and took another forceful step forward, lightning dancing over his body as static filled the air.
"Did you listen to me?!" His voice echoed slightly, thunder dancing behind along with the sparks of electricity. He had never felt more at peace and sync with the Speed Force as he did in that moment. Not without being consumed by it.
"Yes! Yes I did. I will! I will go!" The fear in the other's face, in the shaking, it felt convincing enough to Wally. For now.
"Then go. Heed my warning because next time I won't be so lenient. The force of a star will put a hole through your brain, I wager." Wally couldn't have kept the angry snarl from escaping even if he had wanted to keep it inside.
It was a good thing too as the other withdrew as if attacked again. And then he vanished.
Slower than before, Wally could see. The particles struggling to dematerialize, taking the finest dust of red and black with them. Blood, he was sure.
And then he stood alone. Of course it was foolish to think that his enemy would just go like that but…suddenly Wally felt as if he could breathe easier. As if the oppressive force in the air had simply…gone away.
Letting the air out of his lungs, Wally sidestepped to keep himself upright. The strength to stand was quickly dissipating, making him feel empty all over. There was a black hole in his stomach.
He blinked the dirt and sand out of his eyes and turned around to see his friends through a blurred vision. Could hear them calling for him but there was a strange white noise in his head, his ears.
But it didn't matter. He knew what he had to do. He made his way over to them, dragging his feet, struggling from one step to the next. Then his knees gave out. He fell forward, gritting his teeth as he caught himself with his arms.
Everything hurt. His chest. His lungs. His rips. He didn't even dare to focus on his hand too much. Instead he took deep breaths, his entire body shaking.
Distantly he recognized that his teeth were chattering.
Someone was talking to him. He could hear it through the pain and the white noise. Putting focus on something was difficult but he also knew that he couldn't keep his friends waiting forever.
"Just free one of them," Wally could hear a muffled voice. "Diana is the closest to you. Just free her, she will do the rest." After that another calm voice joined in, encouraging him that he could do it. That it wasn't that far.
Somehow Wally managed to nod at the ground. There was no way that he would be able to get up again but he could still push and drag himself on all four. The ground was rough and scraping but he barely felt that anymore. That was just a minor inconvenience.
He mostly used his good forearm, forcing his body to follow with his legs until his hand bumped against something warm.
"You're here," Diana gently breathed out in a quiet voice and Wally never loved her more for her gentle side as in that moment.
Blinking a few times again, to clear his wobbly vision some more, Wally felt his way around the metallic binds. For a second panic rose in his chest as he realized he didn't know how to open these. Had no idea where to go with his hand.
He saw Diana turn her head, nodding at someone to the side of them as she looked back at him. "At the back," she murmured. "Just push the panel in and slide it to the side."
Doing as he was told, his fingers slipped once over the panel just as it started to go the way it should go. He flexed his fingers once before trying again, feeling the panel slide into the metal and making a hissing noise as whatever was in there that bound Diana was deactivated.
Her hands were on his face the second she could move, helping him sit back on his legs and hugging him close for a moment. She was considerate enough to keep her arms around him without any force, mindful of his state.
"You did so well Wally," she whispered into his hair, lightly carding her fingers through it. "Just rest now."
Slowly she let go of him, making sure that he wouldn't fall over as she did so and left him where he was. He could hear her talking, louder now, to the others while he bent forward again, making himself small, his back round, to rest his head on the ground. He felt like lying down but just couldn't muster the energy to even turn himself in a way that would let him fall to the side. Instead he uncomfortably rested on his legs, eyes closed.
More voices joined beyond his field of focus.
"Clark what happened? What did he do?"
"I can't really say," someone groaned as the sound of metal hitting the ground followed. "He went faster than I've ever seen. For a second he just…he was gone. Usually I can follow him well enough but that was just insane."
A hand on his shoulder made Wally curl more into himself before he felt a gentle push that guided him to lie down.
"Wait. Do you mean the kid teleported??"
"No. No I'm pretty sure he didn't. I just think that he went beyond the speed he usually operates with. Beyond anything that I ever thought possible."
"He disappeared back then too. With Luthor and Brainiac." Soft cloth like fabric rustled along to the voice.
Someone cradled his face, a thumb caressing his cheek.
"Wally went into the Speed Force again? I thought he can't escape from there?"
"Again, I don't know. My vision was impaired as well. I just..I don't think he went there either. It was the Speed Force but also not?"
"That doesn't make much sense."
"Well, I for once…"
The voices faded into the background as the hands on his face started to gently pat him down, looking for injuries.
"You were extraordinary," a deep voice murmured as the hands carefully avoided the broken hand. Wally could feel something along the frayed edges of his suit there but that was already all of the movement his hand had to endure. Not that it would have mattered. His entire arm up to his shoulders was a blazing hot spot of pain in his mind, making his breath shallow and strained.
He didn't feel like opening his eyes. Or replying.
The assessment of injuries was over in no time as one of the hands carefully carded through his hair. Much like Diana had done before.
"We will take care of the rest," the voice promised. "First we will take care of you and then the world."
There was something wrong with that, something Wally knew he should object to but that too required too much energy.
"Is he alright?" One of the earlier voices joined in, followed by another. "He looks so pale."
"He will be alright," the one closest to him said with conviction. "It will be difficult without the equipment and the Watchtower but…I should have enough left at the Batcave, whatever of it is still intact. We will move there in a few minutes."
The hand in his hair never stopped, fingers moving gently through it. Over his ear. Sometimes his eyebrows.
It was then that he knew things would slowly be alright again.
Earth would heal, much like he would.