NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: Frustrated Flash.
10 advance chapters on Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
(Rhode Island)
(2100hrs)
Her limber form stretched out across the concrete landscape.
Black fish nets adorned her long toned legs tightly, and her blonde hair, cascading in waves of golden locks, danced in the air as she ran across the rooftops, silent and nimble.
With barely any effort, Black Canary took a leap and cleared the distance from one building to another easily, the civilians going about their normal lives on the ground, failing to take notice of her.
Like that she made it all the way to the harbor, landing on the perimeter of Mount Justice, the League's previous headquarters.
Just as she was ruminating on how she could get in without being found out, her body stiffened before relaxing.
Turning around, Black Canary was met with a smirking Flash, eating a snickers bar.
"He said you would figure out where he's keeping the boy."
Black Canary rolled her eyes.
"Of course I would. And I'm guessing you're security?"
The Flash shrugged.
"More like a scout. One fast guy is better than a squad of highly powerful, highly conspicuous superheroes."
He discarded the wrapper before offering his hand to Canary with a flourish.
"I'm also transportation. So if you don't mind, milady..."
Black Canary shook her head at his antics but placed her palm in his.
The surroundings changed drastically, owing to Barry's super speed. It felt like she blinked and appeared elsewhere.
Canary hid the usual feelings of wariness very well at what would happen in case the Flash went villain. Then again, the Reverse Flash was the answer.
A sadistic, petty, arrogant murderer who wouldn't hesitate to kill you before you even knew he was there.
Luckily, that Psycho seemed to have a hard on for making the Flash suffer, but Barry had time and time again beaten him back. Sometimes alone. Most times with the League's help.
Speedsters were crazy powerful. And dangerous.
For all her martial arts and canary cry, Black Canary knew there would be nothing she could do if one of them committed to taking her down.
Deep in her thoughts, she only noticed offhandedly as Barry knocked on the last door in the hallway they had stopped at.
Then he pushed in and she followed him inside to find Batman, standing before a large one way mirror.
On the other side of the mirror sat a dark haired boy who she admitted looked better in real life than on picture. He would be a looker once he grew up.
"Canary."
Batman nodded.
"You're here. Good."
Before she could respond, a green figure with red eyes emerged from the wall, phasing through.
Martian Manhunter.
"What did you find out?"
The Dark Knight asked of the Martian.
"Not much."
The latter shook his head.
"He has some psychic barriers put in place. Rudimentary, but strong enough that I could only skim through the surface thoughts."
"Is he a telepath like you?"
Canary questioned to which J'onn shook his head.
"You're the most powerful telepath on the planet, J'onn."
The Flash started in an even tone, eyes narrowed at Angel through the mirror.
"Can't you...just, I don't know slip past the barriers?"
Canary noticed the very slight twitch of Batman's hand. Something that she only caught because he allowed it.
Martian Manhunter paused for a bit before replying.
"No. That would be a great breach in privacy. Without consent, I will not subject a child to a mind probe."
The Flash's eyes turned cold as he clenched his jaw.
Black Canary blinked and found him smiling harmlessly like he usually did. For a second, she thought she had imagined it.
Shaking her head, she moved towards the interrogation room.
"Where are you going?"
Only for Batman to stop her before she could twist the handle.
"If mind reading is out of the question, that leaves us with one option. Old school interrogation."
She smiled at him.
"It's why you allowed me to come. Because out of everyone in the League...I'm the most qualified to do this."
(Angel's P.O.V)
"You guys were pretty loud out there."
I said in way of greeting.
The door closed behind a blonde woman with curves for days despite her slender frame, as she walked into the room.
"You could hear us?"
She replied, more of a statement than a question.
"Not exactly."
I only read their body movement through their heat signatures. But if she was waiting on me to expound on my powers, she was solely mistaken.
After confessing my crime to Batman, he had immediately and silently carted me off to here.
He hadn't even bothered to use the batwing- something I had been dying to ride in- he had instead led me to a teleportation hub.
I later came to know it was called a Zeta-tube and was nothing like Shade's own abilities.
But using the Zeta tube, we emerged inside a mountain.
Mount Justice to be exact.
I was aware it was the League's former headquarters before they opted for the Hall of Justice in Washington D.C(the big space station above the planet was meant to be a secret. Too bad I had metaknowledge on my side.)
Black Canary pulled the chair opposite me and sat down, hands interlocked on the table.
We stared at each other for a few seconds without talking.
"You hungry?"
She asked, slightly surprising me at the unexpectedness of it.
I see, so this is why Batman let her interrogate me first. Her background as a psychiatrist no doubt gave her an edge.
I shook my head.
"No. I had some wings on my way here. Though I wouldn't mind a coke."
She looked at the interrogation Mirror meaningfully before turning back to me.
"I'm Dinah."
She introduced herself, giving out her true identity, while stretching out a hand for me to shake.
"Ah, someone who doesn't treat me like a kid. A breath of fresh air."
I shook it, noting her firm grip.
"You can call me Angel."
She let go with a frown on her face.
"Your palm is covered in calluses."
I shrugged.
"Rock climbing in South Africa. It's great for upper body and..."
"Core strength."
She cut in, leaning back in her seat.
The door opened and a can of coke was thrown in that Dinah snatched out of the air, placing it on the table beside her hands, far from me.
I raised a single eyebrow. More psychological tricks.
"Angel, I have a question I need to ask."
Dinah begun in a serious tone of voice, biting her lip,
"Did you kill Fire and Ice?"
I knew this question was coming. Of course the League would want to make sure I was actually guilty before making any decision.
Their inherent goodness, especially her's, fought against the reality of accepting a child could kill.
Naive.
I smirked.
"Yes."
(General P.O.V)
Outside the interrogation room, the mood was quiet and tense.
"Why?"
Out of nowhere, the Flash asked, directing the question Batman's way.
"Why did you really ask me to come?"
He clarified.
"Why not the others? And don't give me that 'patrolling' the area bullshit Batsy. I know you have surveillance cameras around the compound. So why? Why would you want me this close to the one responsible for Beat's death?"
Saying that, he trailed a finger down the mirror separating the two rooms, drawing a line across Angel's reflection's neck.
"You don't need to answer."
The Flash added.
"I know why. It's so that you can keep an eye on me. Because you think I might do something to him..."
The silence was telling.
Fortunately, the interrogation room door opened and Black Canary stepped out, a deeply disturbed expression on her face.
"I think...I think he really did it..."
She stated.
"I knew it."
The Flash muttered under his breath, his tone accusatory.
"And from the way he's acting, he doesn't seem all that remorseful."
Inside the interrogation room, Angel had propped his legs up on the table and was leisurely enjoying his coke.
Canary shook her head.
"He's...a strange child. I still feel as if we're missing something. It can't be this cut and dry."
"Well it is."
The Flash cut in.
"And he's admitted it twice. Batman said he's a metahuman-"
"The results from Star labs came back as inconclusive. He has the metagene but it doesn't seem to be active."
The Dark Knight interrupted.
Barry shook his head
"That's besides the point. Which is, he did it. That's what we know."
"And we also know someone can be mentally controlled. Or coerced. Or threatened. Or misguided."
Batman shot back.
"Whose side are you on Batsy? Huh?"
The Flash growled, stepping up to the Dark Knight.
"In case you forgot, FIRE AND ICE ARE DEAD! THEY'RE GONE. AND THAT BOY INSIDE IS RESPONSIBLE. THE FACTS LINE UP, A CONFESSION WAS MADE, SO. WHAT. IS. YOUR. PROBLEM?!!"
The speedster demanded.
"There is another way."
Black Canary interjected, coming in between the two.
"What other way?!"
The Flash turned his ire towards her.
Canary narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't Batman who could keep his temper under control.
"Barry, I understand what you're going through but you need to check your attitude. You're not the only one who lost friends."
The Flash was about to respond harshly, but he caught himself at the last minute and looked away, ashamed.
"Sorry. I...I need a breath of fresh air."
Zoom!
And then he was off, leaving the three Leaguers alone in the room.
Black Canary sighed.
"As I was saying, there is another way. I talked to Angel and he's agreed to fully open his mind up to J'onn."
Her eyes glinted with resolve.
"This way we can learn if what he's been claiming is actually true."