Chapter 56 Black Canary
Earth [-1]
Location in the multiverse: Unknown
Status: Unknown
Years ago, it was just like this earth. With countries and commerce and schools, education systems, transportation Industries, World sports, Hollywood........ You name it.
Everything was almost 100% similar to this world. There was Darkseid's sentry invasion.
The New God, Stepphenwolf, arrived at Earth to acquire the Mother boxes.
The Justice League was formed, defeating the alien threat and becoming the heroes of mankind.
Kal-El of Krypton, otherwise known as Superman, alongside Batman and Wonder Woman, formed Earth's mightiest heroes.
From there, they went on protecting the earth from several threats, fighting villains and living their lives the best way they knew how.
It wasn't all sunshine and roses. There were hard times, times in which they almost lost their lives.
They lost some good friends along the lines as well.
The world wasn't perfect, far from it. But it was ok, and things were fine........ Until “He” changed, that is.
No one knew why, how or when it actually started.
It seemed like the whole thing happened overnight.
Some called it the greatest mystery in the world.
And even now, the reason remains unknown to all but one. There have been speculations, but no one could say for sure.
Perhaps due to the Solar storm that appeared that year, or the kryptonite meteor that appeared the following year. Some said it was Darkseid, before “he” killed him. Others blamed Mister Mind, some threw it on Lex Luthor who fought him with some Kryptonite based weapons, almost killing him with a kryptonite disease.
There were many guesses. Batman entered a bunch of em in the Justice League data files. He recovered them from the Watchtower alongside other things before “He” destroyed the space station.
Maybe deep down, he was just as Batman initially feared, pure evil. But ultimately, it didn't matter.
Not anymore, that is.
Because on that dreaded day, the world, as it looked like here, came to an end.
“He” became what the government always feared he would. Destroyed everything that he labeled a threat to his existence and everyone who stood in his path.
No one could talk to him.
No one could reach him.
No one could beat him.
The world grew fragmented. Like an apocalyptic landscape. Chaos and destruction reigned after he killed the majority of the Justice League and overthrew the government.
What was left of them effectively formed the last survival group, known as “The Resistance”.
And so, the earth, after many years of waging war on itself, finally came to a somewhat, delicate balance in power.
“He” ruled as the biggest boss. The overlord, The Black Tyrant. The other powers (Resistance included) existed only because they had weapons that could threaten him.
That was this Earth's story. Until recently, a change took place that made The Resistance finally see a chance to turn the tables.
Their world........ Had a visitor.
And from there, they saw a chance. A chance to find someone who could help their cause.
However, travelling through universes was not something that could be done casually.
There was currently only one way, and that was through him.
“The Flash”. A speedster connected to a force as old as time itself.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. A monster from his world followed him. One with the same abilities he had, granting universal travel.
The fate of a world was at stake, and he would do anything to save it. If it meant abandoning innocent lives to achieve his goal, then to The Flash of Earth -1, there was no contest.
A flash of yellow lightning streaked across the city, with one motive. Get as far away from that demon as possible.
The innocent lives would have to serve as obstacles to buy him a few extra seconds of time. For someone who could run faster than the naked eye could catch, a few seconds was enough to do a lot.
And so he ran. As fast as his feet could propel him.
The Tachyon enhancer Stone and Wells had made precisely to boost his speed to achieve the required velocity to travel through the Spatial breach, simply because he wasn't fast enough, glowed blue, feeding him with excess speed power.
Like a body builder who had just chugged down an energy drink or an addict just getting high on a hard drug, his body cells screamed with what he could only describe as joy as he moved at faster speeds he had never touched before.
His whole being had never felt so alive........ But Flash didn't have any trace of joy on his face.
His mind didn't take the time to savor the feeling of breaking through his speed limits.
Simply because, it wasn't enough. Taking a brief look behind, his face turned ugly as he accurately caught a glimpse of the blue lightning bolt, speeding towards him in the distance.
With both arms swinging back and forth, parallel to each other, the Speed Demon shuttled through the cars on the road with extreme finesse.
The blue lightning and the black suit made him look like a God Of Death, hell-bent on catching a soul fleeing from the underworld.
Even with a few seconds head start, Zoom was catching up.
ZOOM!
ZOOM!
Throughout all of Providence, two colored lightning streaks zipped throughout the entire city in a mad, high-speed chase.
People on the sidewalks, in the buildings, within their vehicles...... Seeing this scene, were amazed and somewhat frightened.
What was going on?
Why was this happening?
Many people quickly rushed towards the nearest shelter hey could find. Some left their cars on the roads and simple ran for their lives, hiding nearby.
In less than two minutes, all the streets of Providence were deserted.
The streaks of lightning continued to zoom about the city, making its present known just about everywhere.
Just when they wondered when it was going to end, what welcomed their ears was silence. Sweet yet completely uneasy silence.
“Is it over?” Most people asked themselves inwardly and sum even uttered it out verbally as they emerged from their hiding places and crouched positions.
Seeing the lightning was gone, it took a few seconds before many breathed a sigh of relief.
The sense of uneasiness quickly washed over them
Less than a minute later, however, the same question appeared in the minds of the vast majority.
What the hell just happened?
What was that lightning? And most importantly, Where did it go?
..........
Zoom!
Zoom!
Two figures ran out of the city limits at speeds no human could ever hope to imagine.
Their figures trailed on the road as lightning bolts chased after them.
Flash at this moment was extremely depressed.
After running, the hard truth had slapped him in the face, and he had to admit, it stung.
Catching up.
Even with the Tachyon enhancer, effectively increasing his speed almost twofold, Zoom remained faster than him.
The black speedster had narrowed the distance between them, leaving the scarlet speedster on the run like a child from a nightmare.
With just a little more time, he would definitely catch up to him, and continuous evasive maneuvers could only delay him for so long.
Eventually, he would undoubtedly suffer a fate worse than death at his hands.
Flash ran while staying as calm as he could. In terms of speed, he knew he wasn't Zoom's match. So outrunning him wasn't in his plan to begin with.
He wasn't as fast as him, so in a direct confrontation, he would certainly lose. But that wasn't in his plan either.
He knew his situation. Plainly put, he couldn't defeat him. However, that didn't mean someone else couldn't.
The chase went on. Out towards the city outskirts, while crossing the bridge, Flash disembarked and ran across the water towards the distance.
Seeing this, Zoom followed without hesitation.
They continued the Tom and Jerry chase for about thirty-two seconds, and the distance between them was infinitely close. In a few more seconds, Zoom would be running directly beside him.
At that moment, “Flash” saw something in the distance, that made his heart light up with Joy.
With narrowed eyes and a firm conviction, he ran forwards with everything he had towards the particularly conspicuous mountain that was infinitely enlarging as he got closer.
Mount Justice!
Situated in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. Not far from Providence.
Years had passed, and it was one of the key locations that was destroyed in his universe in the Justice League battle.
In his world, this entire place was nothing more than a dead area, completely devoid of all life. The grounds still had craters and dried up bones, depicting the destruction that had taken place.
Not a single blade of grass grew in this area in the years that passed.
If he didn't know and hadn't been specifically told that this place still existed and would possibly be close to wherever he appeared, he might not even recognize it anymore.
Mount Justice was the League's primary headquarters back on his world. And it was still here in this one.
He might not be able to handle Zoom, but that didn't mean someone else couldn't.
This was Mount Justice. Surely, there must be a Leaguer with enough strength to defeat zoom.
Even if he couldn't defeat him, he could definitely battle him to a draw.
As for how to gain their attention....... What do you think he had been running around for?
With his speed, he could reach the city in less than ten seconds.
“Gotcha!” Unfortunately, Lady luck was on a phone call today and had no time to pay attention to those who needed her.
A literal lightning bolt was thrown from Zoom's hand, advancing rapidly and ultimately hitting the scarlet speedster right on the back.
“Arghh!” The pain was excruciating, and the force was powerful, effectively knocking him off balance and blasting him forward.
His body like a skipping rock bounced off the water twice and rose into the air, before plunging downwards for a third time.
However, someone got to him first. Zoom appeared quickly before “Flash” and hit the speedster with a lightning quick punch to the chest.
The body of the Flash was slammed forward with remarkable force into the air as he left the reach of the water, slamming into a tree in the small jungle after the beach.
The small tree was smashed into pieces, completely unable to bear the power that came at Flash's expense.
BANG!
Flash crashed to the floor with a remarkable bang, blood spewing out of the speedsters mouth.
His vision grew hazy as intense dizziness assaulted him.
Unable to gather his composure, he was unable to react to the lightning fast kicked aimed at his face.
Flash was stepped on, his face pushing against the loamy soil.
“Is that the fastest you can go Flash?” The distorted voice reached his ears like a nightmare as zoom hoisted him up.
“Let me show you true speed”. His words were accompanied by his fists coated with lightning, striking several times in a second, leaving afterimages for the regular observer.
The Flash received punch after punch almost everywhere from all directions. His head and body tilted in the opposite direction whenever a blow landed, and the bruises that appeared on his face grew increasingly with each hit.
Pow!
Flash fell to the floor, almost unable to move as the last punch hit him straight on the face.
“Do you think........ That with a speed enhancer, you can outrun me?”
Flash was once again hoisted up by the neck, his feet dangling in the air as his half closed eyes gazed into that pitch black.
“I'm sure Wells would have known better”.
“I have killed every speedster on our Earth and their speed has been taken for my own, effectively making me...... the fastest man alive...... You will be no different”.
“I will take you back to our Earth, strip you of your abilities and end your miserable existence, before coming back here to reap the fruits of your labor......”
“...... No one, can save you..... From my hands”.
Zoom said apathetically. His hands moved, reaching out to the mask that concealed the identity of The Flash.
“You should agree with me...... Wally….”
The mask was taken off and what was shown was the brutally beaten up face of a ginger haired boy with fair skin.
“You too, like your predecessors, weren't fast enough......”
KREEE!!!
At that moment, a loud scream pushed from the distance, scattering everything in its path.
“Argh”. Zoom screamed in pain as the attack landed squarely on his chest area, sending him flying towards the water.
“The Flash's” body fell from his grasp, almost landing on the floor but was held up by an invisible force.
“....... You villains talk too much”.
A voice uttered, followed by the appearance of an attractive young woman, with long blonde hair, blue eyes and a slender yet toned build.
Her distinctive costume, which includes a black, one-piece bustier-leotard combination under a blue lapelled jacket, with gray stockings with seams up was particularly eye catching as she fell from that air, landing accurately on her two feet with a slight crouch.
Dinah Lance, A.K.A. Black canary.
And she wasn't the only one.
........
Meanwhile, sitting at a particular spot on top of the mountain. Two figures, one male and one female, watched the unfolding events in the distance with relish.
Their figures weren't real, but rather had an illusory feel to it. Almost like they were there but, at the same time, weren't there at all.
A rock could be thrown right at them and would pass through without any form of hindrance.
Seeing the scene, the blonde female who was hugging her knees and had her heart in her throat visibly relaxed for a second, before turning to glare at the black-haired male who had no expression whatsoever.
“Would you stop looking at me like that?” Amari said, without turning his head in her direction.
Kara sighed, seeing this. Her gaze shifted from The Deviant to the battle happening below, and a frown adorned her face.
“Don't you think we should do something”.
“....... You have a point”. Amari said with a thoughtful look on his face. “Yes, we totally should”.
Kara was surprised. She completely expected him to either ignore her or flatly outright refuse her.
What the hell was happening?
Was the sun rising from the West today?
However, then next scene directly drove her to speechlessness.
Snap!
The dark-haired male snapped his fingers and two bowls of popcorn appeared out of thin air. What surprised her even more was that they weren't sitting on the hard, cold rock anymore but on two comfy lounge chairs.
“...”
“Now that's better. Don't you agree”.
“That's not what I meant”.
“It's what I felt”. He answered nonchalantly.
“....”