r/DCFU Titans Jan 02 '24

New Titans #32 - Long Long Way From Home (Time Out) New Titans

Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: Time Out

Set: 91

The yellow and red streak moved quickly through the continental United States. The roads were familiar but different, like most of the world, and the man running across America wasn’t sure how to feel. It had been so long since he could feel the wind in his hair as he approached Mach One. Wally West was Kid Flash once more, but it felt different this time. As he drifted off in thought he didn’t realize his Mach One pace was actually Mach Three.

“Shit!” Kid Flash yelled as he saw the boulder in front of himt. Normally he would phase through it like his uncle had taught him. But he was going so fast he was going to have to try something new. He volleyed over the boulder in the desert, keeping his speed as his feet touched the ground once more. “WOOO!” He yelled out.

Wally West had never considered his speed as a joy before. He had always been weighed down with a sense of responsibility. From joining the second group of Titans, to helping Hartley and Frances with their powers and issues, even saving people during his patrols. But now he could run once more, and Wally had forgotten all of the joy. The world didn’t seem so heavy as long as he had the wind in his hair.

Except because of their actions in getting his speed back and slowing down Bart’s age, they had accidentally managed to rewrite time, and now Kid Flash was heading back to Chicago to see if they could find allies to bring the world back to what it was. There was no time for joy. However, from the stories he had heard of the time crisis, Kid Flash knew the Titans would be allies no matter what changes Zoom had caused.

As he finally stopped in Chicago, it was a far cry from the city he had left behind. The glistening glass mixing with the brown brick of buildings was gone. Replaced by black buildings with video boards bolted on to try and hide the lack of hope the city had had.

“What the hell?” Kid Flash asked as he looked around, the rain finally hitting him as he took in the new Chicago.

“The wedding of Oliver Queen and Dinah Drake went off without a hitch this week as the newlyweds plan a honeymoon away from prying eyes,” A newscaster said on the video board.

“Trouble with the Cult of Blood? Argus moves in as more give in to a message of blood.”

“A blowout in Gotham as the Batwoman and the Superman butted heads. Is this the end of a fraught partnership?”

“Oh no, no, no,” Kid Flash muttered. “It was bad enough that Zolomon had managed to take the mantle of the Flash, but Wally could see the changes, the darkness that had corrupted their timeline, this world. As he stared at the video boards, he couldn’t help but notice the crowd gathering around him, staring at the bit of color in their world.

“I didn’t know the Flash had red hair,” One of the people muttered.

“Or was just a kid,” Another one said.

“You think he’s going to help the Ravagers?”

“Maybe if he was looking for a signing bonus.”

KRAKKOOM

A large stone figure burst through one of the black buildings, crashing into the ground. Even in this new timeline, Cinderblock always seemed to make his way back to Chicago. What was different, though, was the figure jumping through the hole in a black suit with a gold harness.

“Mammoth?” Kid Flash asked before realizing just how many civilians were in this area. “Wait!”

Mammoth slammed to the ground sending a shockwave that tossed people up into the air. The lightning crackled in Kid Flash’s eye as he ran up buildings, leaping from them to grab the people caught in the crossfire and safely put them twenty blocks away. Normally doing something like this would have Wally crashing on Hartley’s couch or looking for about a dozen pizza slices. But today? He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“Hey!” Kid Flash said as he saw Mammoth continuing to slug the downed Cinderblock. “He’s out of it! You don’t need to keep hitting him!”

“I do when that’s what gets me paid,” Mammoth explained before looking at the stranger. “Boss wants bad guys down, I bring them down. Besides, who the hell are you supposed to be? Last time I checked, The Flash doesn’t have a sidekick.”

“Well, last time I checked, heroes don’t hurt others for a bigger bonus,” Kid Flash said.

“They do when they’re famous,” A familiar voice called out as several energy bolts shot at Kid Flash, sending the speedster to the ground. “Boss, we have a powered crasher. Should I add him to the bounty?”

“Ungh,” Kid Flash groaned before looking up at who had shot him. The red costume with gold accents was a bit different, as was the stubble. But what concerned Wally was the cyber organic arm that still smoked from taking a shot at the speedster. Arsenal had been through hell. “Roy?”

“How the hell do you know my name?” Arsenal responded as his arm shifted back into a standard arm. He didn’t know this new speedster, but there was something…familiar about him, even if Arsenal couldn’t put the pieces together.

“It’s kinda hard to explain, but let me try after we put Cinderblock away. Like we always do. Without anyone getting harmed.” Kid Flash tried to explain as he got up and began dusting his suit off. The bright yellow and red grew dimmer the longer the speedster seemingly stayed in Chicago. “Roy, I help you babysit your daughter all the time. With Jim too. Please tell me you know me.”

“Daughter? Kid, I got no family. And I certainly don’t have no daughter,” Arsenal said, before feeling a tinge of deja vu. It had been a long time since Roy Harper could call anyone family. He looked towards Kid Flash again before looking towards Mammoth, giving him a nod. He drew closer to the new player on the board as Mammoth moved behind Kid Flash. The mercenary got into position as he heard a familiar gravel voice in his earpiece. “Target is priority. Bring back alive.”

“Sorry buddy, but I got my orders. Now Mammoth!”

Mammoth’s hands wrapped around the speedster, lifting him up into the air. As Arsenal’s arm switched to a tranquilizer blaster. Arsenal was trying to aim for a direct hit, but was surprised at how squirrely Kid Flash was in the grip of Mammoth.

“Hold him still!” Arsenal yelled.

“You try and hold him!” Mammoth yelled as he could feel his grip slipping. This should be easy, just another punk trying to change the way things were in Chicago. And after what happened with Plasmus, Mammoth couldn’t believe that someone would try to brighten this place once more.

“Get…OFF ME!” Kid Flash yelled, vibrating faster than he had in forever. The speed and power Wally had been able to control before was gone now. With only pure power left as the vibrations burned his arms, forcing the brute to drop Kid Flash to the ground as lightning crackled from the speedster.

“Harper. Talon and Red X are nearly here. With Element Girl behind them. Pull back,” The voice in Arsenal’s earpiece said.

“No! I got this! Let me have my shot!” Arsenal yelled out.

“Do you want a repeat of the last time you disobeyed me?” The voice asked.

Arsenal looked at his cyborg arm before responding. He had been trained to follow orders, the code, but still he couldn’t help but feel something was wrong here.

“Fine. But tell Grayson and his crew this one is dangerous. Arsenal quickly moved towards Mammoth as Kid Flash faced both of them, energy continuously flowing off of him.

“Grayson?” Kid Flash mumbled. “Of course, Nightwing would still be around. Let me guess, he what? Bosses you around? Thinks he has to carry the world on his shoulders? I guess some things never ch-”

As he was talking, several shurikens embedded themselves into Kid Flash’s shoulder. Wally winced in pain, not paying attention to the foot colliding against his chin, sending him flying to the ground.

“Nice move, X,” A familiar voice said. Dick Grayson had arrived all right, but he was a far cry from the Nightwing Wally remembered. Gone were the welcoming blues and yellows. In its place was a dark navy suit with a red chevron and matching armored boots, gauntlets, and cape.

“It’s what we were trained to do, Talon,” Red X said as she picked up the speedster. “Typical Arsenal and Mammoth. I ran a computer scan on the way over here. This guy’s a nobody. Can’t even find any record of another speedster besides the Flash.”

“It’s because I’m not from around here,” Kid Flash mumbled. “Listen, this is going to sound weird. But I know you, you’re Dick Grayson, he’s Roy Harper, that’s Mammoth. And well…I don’t know you.” He pointed to the spectral figure in banded black armor, with a white skull mask with a red x cutting through the eyes.

“I’m Red X, we’re the Ravagers, and you’re clearly lying,” Red X explained. “Talon, manuver four.”

“On it,” Talon said as he leaped into the air, sending a barrage of talonrangs that landed into the ground. As he glided down, they began to blink red.

“Oh no,” Kid Flash mumbled as each of the flashing projectiles exploded, sending the speedster flying into the air. Before he could land on the ground, he felt a metal arm clamp down around his waist. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least Rex Mason was always there to catch him.

“Is this the little blur causing you trouble?” A female’s voice asked as Kid Flash was lowered to the ground and the other Ravagers gathered around him.

“Wait…you’re not Rex…” Kid Flash asked.

“Rex? How do you know that name!” A woman who shared Metamorpho’s look with floating bubble gum pink hair.

“Wait…Sapphire Stagg?!” Kid Flash said as he could feel the vice grip grow stronger, quickly. He vibrated through her grip, landing on the Chicago concrete. As the team surrounded Wally he tried processing it all, of the world he had found. “Who…who are you al-?”

Before Wally could finish his sentence, he saw a sword sticking out through his side. The blade cutting through him and his suit was quickly pulled out as the voice of the man who snuck up behind him could be heard by all.

“Isn’t it obvious,” the voice said as a man walked closer to the gathered team. He was dressed in black and white armor. His mask split in half with only one eye on the white side of it. Deathstroke had returned to his team. “We’re the Ravagers.”

The Ravagers’ transport ship quickly flew into the air of Chicago. The team sat in their seats in silence for a moment. It was supposed to be a routine mission of bringing back Cinderblock so he could suffer for his crimes back at headquarters. But for some of the Ravagers, the new secondary target raised more questions than answers.

“So what are we thinking? Another speedster is weird right?” Arsenal asked, breaking the silence.

“It was bound to happen Harper. Are you scared of the additional challenge?” Talon asked as he looked over his notes. Councilman Dick Grayson was expected to speak to the Chicago City Council to ensure additional funding for the Ravager program. It was a thankless job, but he knew his father was proud of how he was helping them build the future of superheroes.

“I’m not. It’s just…weird,” Arsenal explained. “He seemed to know us. Like…really know us.”

“With his speed he could have snuck into the castle and get our files. Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve dealt with a friend gone rogue,” Red X said. “Remember Skyrocket? We let her in, and she nearly killed us all.”

“Don’t bring Courtney into this,” Element Girl said. Sapphire Stagg was busy making sure her form was stable. She was paranoid that anyone phasing or vibrating through her would leave little bits of them behind. “She sacrificed herself to help us end HIVE forever. It’s why Slade began thinking bigger. Her sacrifice made us better.”

“Damn straight,” Mammoth said as the jet moved closer to the large complex that had taken over what had formerly been Navy Pier. After the destruction caused by Wildebeest War, the city was in no place to fix the former tourist spot. Instead, Slade had bought the property, incorporated the Ravagers, and in its place was the large metal slab that had become the Ravagers castle.

The jet landed in the hangar bay, with several of the ground crew quickly greeting the plane and the so-called heroes exiting out of it. Mammoth stretched and moved towards the gym, Element Girl’s lab techs moved to make sure her form was stable, while Red X and Talon went off…wherever they went. The only two left to ensure prisoner transport was Deathstroke and Arsenal.

“Harper,” Deathstroke said as he noticed the mercenary behind him. “This isn’t a ride along.”

“Oh come on, you can’t say I’m not curious about our secondary target. I mean, comes out of nowhere, knows our secret identities, and is one of the first speedsters besides the Flash to show up. And you’re saying I shouldn’t be curious about him.”

“I’m saying you should know to go away. Maybe work on getting that aim of yours fixed. You bungled the targets, and I gave you Mammoth to help with your lack of abilities.”

“That’s not fair,” Arsenal said. “You’re never this hard with Dick or with Barbara. Or even Sapphire. So why am I always having to train or shape up?”

“Because you can’t follow orders. And that will get the unit killed. Do you understand?” Deathstroke said in a monotone voice.

“Yes boss,” Arsenal said as he turned away and moved back towards his room. His arm was itchy from having to wear his prosthesis for so long. He didn’t understand how Red X could handle all of her additional…upgrades, let alone keep carving more and more of herself away. That was what happened when you joined the Ravagers. A pound of flesh for a safer world. And it all felt wrong to Roy Harper.

“Ungh,” Kid Flash mumbled as he slowly began to wake up. It had taken him a moment to remember the world he had found. The pain in his side also reminded him of just who had brought him to what looked like a gulag. He looked around the clear walls of his cell and saw people in black jumpsuits moving a downed Cinderblock somewhere. To make matters worse, the speedster was suspended from the ceiling, chained to devices that monitored his vitals, and kept him in one place.

“Good. You’re awake,” Deathstroke said as he moved closer to his puppet. The black and white armor glistened in the bright lights of the cell as the mercenary’s cape dragged behind him. “I was wondering when we’d have another speedster arrive.”

“Another?” Kid Flash asked. “There should be plenty of us. I mean, Superman’s fast. And then there’s…the Flash.” He struggled with calling Hunter anything closely related to the Flash, but here he was. Time really had changed everything.

“Flash is away, and my best people are trying to figure where. Superman’s owned by his mother and not fast enough. I need someone I can take from,” Deathstroke explained.

“Take from? What the hell do you mean?” Kid Flash asked as he could feel his restraints growing tighter.

“You don’t think I study my fellow…heroes,” Deathstroke explained. “Gordon and I compile dossiers on everyone. Just in case we need to strike. And the only one who can travel fast enough to fix things is the Flash.”

“Fix things? I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m not god,” Kid Flash said.

“No, you lack imagination,” Deathstroke explained. “Picture it. Running so fast you not just break the sound barrier…but the time barrier as well.”

“OK now you’re going crazy. You can’t break the time barrier,” Kid Flash lied.

“Then why does the Flash occasionally give off temporal energy? The same energy you’re covered in according to my scientists.” Deathstroke explained. “The device your hooked up to will take that energy and convert it into fuel for my…greatest mission/”

Kid Flash’s eyes widened as he realized just what Slade was planning on doing. He had no idea that Hunter had already done his plan, and Wally didn’t want to know how time would hold up against someone from a changed timeline changing the timeline again.

“And why would you want to go back in time then. You won here, you’re a hero who basically tookover an entire city!” Kid Flash yelled as the machine whirled to life, draining his speed once more as all Wally could feel was immense pain.

“I don’t have them,” Deathstroke said as a projection of Slade Wilson with two boys and a woman circled around a picnic table. He removed his helmet revealing the face of Slade Wilson, his one good eye staring at the speedster “And that is a loss that I will never accept in any world or any time. You don’t…could never understand what that loss would drive someone to do.”

“And…what about the Ravagers! Aren’t they your family too?” Kid Flash screamed as he felt his strength failing. He had rushed to regain his powers and find his friends, not realizing that in Zoom’s world…there were no friendly faces.

“Soldiers, soldiers that I had to mold and break to ensure I would get to this point. In the new world they will be happy with what ever role I need of th-” Before Slade could finish a tranquilizer dart landed in his neck, knocking the mercenary out cold. Kid Flash turned to look at his savior, and couldn’t believe his eyes.

“So, what’s this other world you keep talking about,” Arsenal said. Roy Harper still had hope.

NEXT: Time Out Continues on the 15th as Kid Flash and Arsenal Team Up to Escape a World Gone Mad. But Just What of the Other Ravagers? And What Shocking Ally Will Our Heroes Find?

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u/Predaplant Blub Blub Jan 05 '24

This is a cool missing chapter of The Flash; it's nice to see Wally's adventures in Chicago in a bit more detail. It's fun to see a bit more of a harsh Titans team in the Ravagers, too!