Arrowverse Elseworld Chapter 16: The Flash

An original story with alternate versions of Arrowverse characters.

My legs keep moving but there's no ground beneath me. A blue haze swirls about me as I rush through a purple and pink void of some sort.

I'm not sure how I got here. Last thing I remember was that strange being who sent energy blasts my way. I heard Green Arrow tell me to run, so I took off. That's when I felt a harsh force push up against my back and a light blind me for a moment. Yet I didn't stumble or fall to the ground.

Instead, I find myself running but I have no idea where I'm going. I can't stop my arms and legs from moving. My gaze shifts about this void and I think I hear voices. The words are faint but I think I hear somebody calling my name.

"Destiny." I hear this several times and each instance is a little louder. The tone sounds warm, gentle and comforting. It's one I've heard before, I think.

My arms and legs keep pumping. The blue haze swirls about me. Wherever I am, I have to find my way back. But I'm not thinking about stopping Warren Hosills. I'm thinking about stopping whatever that being is. About saving Green Arrow. A part of me senses the world may need saving.

The voice calls out to me once more. "Destiny, you must stop running."

Is that... is that my mother?

"You must stop running away. You must go back and save them."

For a second, I think I see my mother's face before me. Her brown eyes are as warm and lively as I remember them. Somehow, it gives me the will to slow down.

Next thing I know, my arms and legs stop pumping and I skid to a halt. As I do, the void and haze disappear. I find myself on a street somewhere, surrounded by dilapidated warehouses and dim lights. Some of these buildings look familiar, but something tells me I'm no longer in Central City.

That's when I notice one building in particular. The same one I visited when searching for Intergang. And that's when it's hit me: I'm in Hub City.

But how? Did that being back at Frontier Labs teleport me here? And if he did, was that void nothing but a dream? A hallucination? Did I just imagine hearing my mother's voice, seeing her face?

So many questions run through my mind, I almost don't hear Cissie's voice in the communicator. "Canary? Supergirl? Anyone there?"

I blink and shake my head, as if that will help me clear it. My hand goes up to my ear. "Cissie? It's Flash."

Her tone remains even, though I detect a hint of worry in it. "Flash? What happened? I can't reach Green Arrow, Canary or Supergirl."

I feel a pit in my stomach. My thoughts go back to what happened at Frontier Labs. "Green Arrow and I were attacked. I think he got captured."

Cissie's tone sounds puzzled now. "You think? Aren't you still at Frontier Labs?"

This is the part that will be harder to explain. "No, I'm in Hub City. Not sure how I got here, but I did. Some being attacked me and now I'm here."

There's silence. I wonder if Cissie is trying to process this as much as I am. Or if she has any ideas for what to do next. She sounded like she couldn't reach Supergirl or Canary, either. Could they be in trouble, too?

After a minute, I hear her speak. Her tone remains even despite my last statement. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. A little winded, and getting hungry, but I'm fine." I swivel my head, examining my surroundings. "You said you couldn't reach Canary or Supergirl?"

"I've tried several times. They told me they were in Hub City. Maybe you need to see what you can find.”

"Any way you can help me? I'm fast, but it's a big city."

There's silence again, but Cissie is quicker to respond. "I can track them through their comms, but there was interference earlier when I was talking to them. Don't know if I can find them now, but..."

That's when I hear a weak gasp through the comm. "Flash?" It sounds like Tara's voice.

"Supergirl?" Cissie asks. "What happened?"

There's no reply from her. I'm not going to wait for one. "Cissie, where is Supergirl? Tell me where and I'll find her."

I pace about along the street, ready to take off at a moment's notice. It isn't long before Cissie replies, "She's at the city hall."

"I'm going there." Off I rush down the street, zooming down long stretches of city blocks, turning this way and that, the world going by me in a blur. Within minutes, I come to a halt in front of the large city government building. My head pivots about the courtyard. There’s not a person in sight. "Okay, any idea where she is?"

Supergirl's weak voice comes over the comm. "In the... back."

I blink. "The back of what?"

Cissie's voice comes in clear. "She must mean the alley. Check it out."

I speed around to the back of the building. There are several large, metal trash bins lining the alley. Something tells me I better check them out.

I glance into the first one and that's when I see Tara lying in the empty bin, her arms spread to the side, her eyes shut, her breath short. Sticking out of her chest is some kind of a glowing, green rock shaped like an icicle.

Though I try to keep my composure, a sense of panic flows through my mind. Aren't bullets supposed to bounce off Tara? Who could have possibly did this to her? And if she can be hurt like this, what odds do any of us have against whatever that thing is at Frontier Labs?

Cissie's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Flash, did you find her?"

I give a quick nod. "Yeah, I found her. Somebody stabbed her with something. Don't know what it is."

Tara's eyes open and she tries to raise a hand toward me. "Brainiac," she moans.

And then it hits me. Brainiac must have been that being at Frontier Labs. How could he have gotten here? I wasn't trapped in that void for long. At least, it didn't seem like I was. But I can't worry about that right now.

I lean into the trash bin and extend my right arm. "Here — take my hand, Supergirl. I'll get you out."

She stretches her hand toward mine and grunts. I grasp the side of the bin with my left hand as I lean closer. My eyes shift for a moment toward that glowing rock. Whatever it is, it has to be what's making her weak.

Tara groans but manages to raise her head, her left hand grasping my right. I squeeze her hand and pull hard, allowing her to get to a seated position. She lifts her right arm up and is able to grab the side of the bin. When she tries to stand, though, she wobbles, but my feet make contact with the ground, allowing me to steady her with my left hand.

I turn to the side, take her left arm and throw it over my shoulders. "Can you get your legs over?" I ask.

She wheezes. "Let me try." Her voices sounds weaker and I'm worried that her condition is getting worse. But she grits her teeth and pushes her right leg up. I get my right hand behind her back and she is able to swing her leg over the side. My left hand grasps her right and I use the leverage to pull her out the rest of the way.

Her arm slips from behind me and she slumps to the ground, moaning. Sweat drips down her forehead and her facial features are contorted. I slip one arm behind her shoulders and the other behind her back, then lift her up. Despite her super strength, she doesn't weigh that much. "Cissie, I've got her. Where's the nearest hospital?"

Cissie's voice remains even. "About a few blocks away. It's at the corner of Sage Avenue and Reyes Street."

It amazes me how Cissie can be so calm. My heart is racing right now. "Better give me directions along the way."

Off I speed down the alley and along the streets, Cissie reciting the route to take. Even at my rapid pace, she's able to keep up with my movements. I can tell why George thinks so much of her sister. It makes me wish I still had a steadying influence in my life.

I reach the hospital and come to a stop in front of the emergency room. The automatic doors slide open and I stride through them. There are a couple of people seated in the lobby and I notice the receptionist, sitting behind a clear panel with a small opening. But when the woman at the desk notices me, she's quick to rise to her feet.

"What happened?" she asks.

"I don't know, but I found her like this." My gaze locks on the green rock sticking out of her chest. "She needs help."

"Flash?" Another voice draws my attention. I swivel my head in its direction and, standing a few feet away, is Doug Grant. I barely remember him from when Carl took me to his place. Carl had told me that Doug worked as an emergency room doctor, but I didn't expect the first hospital I found would be where he worked. Doug is dressed in a light blue shirt and pants. His facial expression shows surprise, like he didn't expect my appearance, but he remains calm, otherwise.

I nod toward Tara. "Doug, can you help her?" I try to keep my voice steady, but it's difficult.

He gestures for me to follow him. "Come with me." He leads me past the receptionist's desk and toward a white door, which he pushes open. We stride down a hallway and he gestures toward a room to the left. "In here."

Inside the room, there is a bench similar to what you would find in a doctor's office. I place Tara on it and Doug gets right to work. He slips on a pair of rubber gloves, grabs scissors and cuts the cloth around the rock. "That's strange," he says. "I don't notice any bleeding." He shrugs, heads to the corner and opens a drawer. From it, he pulls out multiple gauze rolls and pads, along with a roll of medical tape.

"What are you going to do?" I ask.

"Have to stabilize this first." He takes pieces of gauze and places them against the rock. "We'll have to get her into surgery."

"You'll have to operate on her?"

He points to the gauze. "Hold that in place."

I do as instructed. "Why can't you just pull this out? It may be killing her."

He grabs the tape. "If I pull it out, I could do a lot worse to her."

Two more people, dressed the same as Doug, walk into the room. I'm about to step away, but Tara grunts and extends her left hand to me. "Flash," she gasps.

I reach out and take her hand. "I'm here, Supergirl."

One of the doctors now holds the gauze in place and Doug tapes it up, then adds more gauze around the rock. The other doctor places an oxygen mask over Tara's mouth.

Doug finishes stabilizing the rock impaled in Tara's chest. She recoils and gasps, her fingers tightening around my hand.

"Stay with me, Supergirl," I say.

One doctor is now prepping an IV bag and the other takes wires from a monitor. Doug touches my shoulder. "Flash, you'll need to leave. We need to stabilize her and get her ready to go the operating room."

"You sure you know how to operate on an alien?"

He blinks. "An alien?"

"Didn't Canary tell you about her?"

"All he said was something about a girl of steel, but I can't deal with that right now. Flash, you need to leave."

The first doctor has finished preparing the IV bag, then takes a hypodermic needle and inserts it into Tara's arm. At least, she tries to. "What the... the needle just bent."

"How is that possible?" the second doctor asks.

"Bullets bounce off her," I say. "The only thing I've seen that can hurt her is this." I motion to the rock. "Whatever it is."

The first doctor obtains another needle, but gets the same result. "If we can't get a needle into her, how can we operate on her?"

"Her vitals are weakening," the second doctor says. "Doug, you have more any ideas?"

Doug takes a deep breath. "I didn't see any blood on her skin." He stares at the rock. "But I can't just pull the rock out. It could lead to internal bleeding or hemorrhaging."

"If you can't get a needle into her skin, then how can you operate on her?" My voice rises, even though I don't want to take it out on the doctors. I know they are only trying to help.

Then I notice Tara's pleading eyes. She manages to raise her right arm and points to the rock.

"What?" I ask. "You think we should just pull it out?"

"That's not a good idea," Doug says.

Tara turns her right hand and holds it straight out, as best she can. Then it hits me. I know what she wants me to do.

"Doug, let me try something," I say.

He shakes his head. "I can't let you try anything."

"Listen... I can vibrate my hand through her skin, get underneath the rock and push it out."

His expression remains firm, even after hearing my suggestion. "No way. You could kill her if you try something like that."

"And if I don't try, she'll die, anyway." I'm having a hard time keeping my voice steady. "Doug, whoever hurt her, that person probably has Canary, too. I have to save her so we can save him."

He takes a step back. His eyes widen and I notice a slight quiver in his lips. "Carl," he whispers.

"Please..." I take a deep breath. "Let me try."

Doug's eyes go from me to Tara, then back to me. "All right. Do what you need to do."

I gesture to the rock. "Then remove the gauze."

Doug nods at the other doctors, who shake their heads but pull off the tape and gauze. The rock remains impaled in Tara's chest. As Doug said, there's no blood seeping anywhere around it.

I glance at Tara. "Stay with me." My left hand pulls away from hers and I extend my right hand toward her chest. My fingers vibrate rapidly and I move my hand through her skin. A strange sensation flows through my hand, but I ignore it and get it perpendicular with the rock. Then I raise my arm upward.

When I do, the rock slides upward, tinges of red blood coating the end that was buried into her chest. My hand comes above her skin, pushing the rock out. When I stop vibrating, the rock slips sideways into my free palm. I grasp it and pull it away from Tara.

A small puncture wound on her chest heals in a matter of seconds and her eyes close. I hold my breath. Was I too late?

The second doctor glances at that monitors. "Her vitals are stabilizing."

That's when Tara opens her eyes. She's no longer gasping for breath. But she gestures with her left hand toward the glowing, green rock.

I nod. "You better take this out of here." I hand the rock to the first doctor. "Not sure what it is, but it looks like we better get it as far away from Supergirl as possible."

The doctor looks amazed. "Can't believe what I just saw." She exits the room.

The second doctor stands by the monitors. "How was that even possible?"

Tara reaches up to remove the mask from her face, then catches her breath. "On your world, I'm a fast healer." She extends her left hand toward me. "Flash... thank you."

I reach out and grasp it again. She clutches it tight, like she doesn't want me to let go.

Doug stands beside me. "Now, what happened to Canary?"

Tara takes a few, slow breaths before she says, "It was Brainiac. He attacked us. Stabbed me with what he called kryptonite. It was something he said was lethal to me. Then he took Canary with him and left me for dead."

"Brainiac?" I ask.

"Somehow that AI we developed on Krypton escaped and evolved into an android-like being."

I blink. "Green Arrow and I fought a being like that at Frontier Labs."

Tara lifts her head up. "He must have made his way to Hub City to lure Canary and I into a trap."

I hold up my right hand. "Wait a minute... are you sure you want to get up?"

"I just need a little time." She pushes herself to a seated position and releases my hand. "But I'll be all right."

Doug steps away. "I warned Carl that something like this could happen." He spins away and his hands go up toward his face. "What was he thinking when he—"

I approach Doug and place my right hand on his shoulder. "Doug, we'll find him. We'll save him. l promise I'll do whatever it takes to do that."

"Same here." Tara says.

Doug turns back toward us. "If he was able to hurt you, Supergirl, what's to stop him from doing it again?"

I do my best to sound reassuring. "We'll find a way to do it. You helped me, you helped Supergirl. Now it's our turn to help Canary — and Green Arrow."

Doug stares back at us, but the panicked look in eyes starts to fade. Could I really have been that convincing? "Please do that. Be careful, both of you."

I give a quick nod. "We will." My head pivots toward Supergirl, who is now sitting up on the bench. "You sure you are up for this?"

She slides off the bench and stands on her feet. "We'll find out, won't we? Besides, it's our job to save them, isn't it?" She takes small steps toward the door.

Doug sighs. "I guess Carl wasn't kidding that you were a girl of steel."

Tara manages a slight smile. "I'm surprise I'm getting used to being called that."

I glance at Doug. "We better get going." I join Tara, who moves slowly at first as we head out the door, but appears to gain strength with each step.

The promise I made to Doug stays in my mind. Not sure how I'll fulfill it, but it's one I have to keep. My purpose is now clear. I've saved one friend. Now I need to save the rest.