All Fall Down (Young Justice FF)

2: Wally

He only dodged about five of the twenty various objects over the past two hours.

Another object flew at him, this time clocking him in the head. He glanced down at it.

It was one of the goddamned tranquilizer darts.

He'd been hit with the soft end and the dart still appeared full, so at least she wasn't trying to take him out. Just, well, keep him away.

"At some point you'll pass out," he mentioned, rolling the dart between his fingers. Could she dodge a dart thrown by a speedster?

"So will you."

The voice drifted down, scratchy and soft from disuse. She appeared less angry than before, fading into a worn expression.

"Why don't you come down and we can both sleep?"

"No."

Wally was about ready to cry. It'd been a long three days and he was prepared to drop. He just wanted to go home. The only thing standing between him and his sweet, sweet bed was a short, malnourished, questionably injured, possibly non-human teenager.

God, how did his life turn into this?

And why did they think he, of all people, could manage to get her down?

She'd stopped looking at the dart in his hands moments ago and he took his chance. It sailed through the air in a blink of an eye, and she was falling from the light fixture almost as fast a moment later. The dart hadn't hit her, like all of the darts that'd been thrown at her in the past three days. But her balance must've been off from fatigue because she was falling.

Wally caught her, of course he did he's Kid Flash, but she was out of his arms in seconds, a pencil in his shoulder. It hurt to pull out, but it left no splinters.

She ran, but he was faster. He made to move to touch her, but stood between her and the door.

"Why are you so determined to not get help?"

He studied her, noting that she was about as tall as he'd guessed, but her ribs showed more in the light. That fire in her eyes did nothing to disguise how weak she appeared.

"Because you have better things to do than help me."

It was said in such an ordinary tone that it didn't quite sit right with him.

"Hold up," Wally said, holding his hands up. "What, exactly, make you think you're worth any less than the others?"

"Just leave me alone. Please."

"Well, you can't exactly stay here."

"Tell me what I can or cannot do again and I'll break your arm."

Somehow, despite her appearance, he believed her entirely.

"Since I can't tell you what to do, can I ask you something instead?"

Her forehead creased, though one of the four long scars made it so it didn't quite crease all the way across. Funny thing to notice, but he'd never seen scars quite like that on someone's face. Only major facial scars he'd seen aside from hers was on Two-Face.

"I'm not stopping you."

"To start, what's your name?"

The question hung in the air for a tense moment, while she gazed at him tiredly.

"People call me Crystal."

"That your real name?"

"Is this an interrogation now? Either way, I highly doubt your real name is Kid Flash."

"Point," Wally muttered, raising an index finger lazily. "Got any family?"

He wouldn't deny that it was an interrogation, because that's what it was, in the end.

"No."

Her straight answer surprised him, with how she'd been dodging any questions pertaining personal information. Plus, despite her comment about it becoming an interrogation, she continued to answer. However, when he looked at her, he could see she was tired. Tired in general, perhaps. Secrets wear on people, he knew.

"Any friends?"

Another pause, but then, "I did."

Wally nodded slowly, or, at least, slow for him. "How long have you been here?"

"This time 'round it's been about three years."

Three years. She'd seemed more put together than the other kids, but none of them had been kept in the facility for more than a year. Most of the kids could go back into society easily, though they'll be far more scarred than before. There were many runaways and orphans, but there was also a fair amount of kids with loving families. Most had a support system of some sort, and likely a life to get back to.

From the sound of it, Crystal didn't.

Then, something his mind neglected to catch came back. "Wait, this time?"

"I escaped after five years of this hell. Made a few friends, constructed a little place for myself in the world for about five years. As much as a ten year old orphan could, anyway. When I was fifteen they came back, and it was me or some poor kid who didn't deserve it."

"You made a hard call."

Her shoulders fell, and it was then that he realized that she was completely tensed up until now. She spoke slowly and softly, refusing to meet his eyes, "I did what I had to do."

There was something there in her voice that sounded so familiar it hurt. It took him a moment, but then he remembered that time he'd met a former hero -- one who had made a hard call and it cost him everything. Everything, that is, but his life and those he saved that day. She had the voice of a fallen hero. He could see now that she was a victim as much as the others, but the horrors she'd experienced, the ones that showed in her eyes, might not all be attributed to this place.

"I don't know everything you've been through, but it sounds like an impossible decision," he looked her square in the eye. "Most kids in your place would've made a different choice. I'm not entirely certain that I would make the same decision you did. I'm sure there's a few heroes out there that wouldn't."

Crystal pursed her lips, looking to the side. "Why haven't you just...carried me away by now?"

His turn, he guessed, for Twenty Questions. "You attacked me every time I tried."

"I mean after I ran out of weapons."

He didn't entirely trust that she was out of sharp objects to throw, but he'd go with it.

"I met you two days ago and have spent the last several hours with you, willing or not, and I never learned a thing about you. You looked like an interesting person to get to know."

"Got any family?"

Crystal smiled a bit, just a little quirk on one side, but still. That smile felt like a win.

"Yeah."

"Any friends?"

"Lots."

She fell silent for several minutes. But, eventually, she spoke again, "I'm tired, I think. We can go meet up with the others, if you want."

He really didn't like the reluctance that showed in her face. Nor did he like how old she appeared for being so young. But those were different things and he was exhausted.

"Will you stab me if I carry you?"

"Not this time."

Wally would give anything to see her smile again. She looked like she'd seen all the horrors of the world and no one deserved to be that broken. He picked her up slowly, making sure she wouldn't panic. It was a short run, between here and there.

Strangest thing was, she was asleep by the time they reached the shelter. He'd gone slow, true, but the trip took less than a full minute. At first, she seemed fine, just asleep.

Then, he noticed the blood.