The redhead and blonde walked down the street, somewhere in downtown Keystone. Wal, as she started to call him, offered to get Artemis lunch. He told her about this great pizzeria a few blocks down. The two were laughing about a story involving Roy and her sister. Well, the ones from her universe, anyway.
"So wait! They actually took thier daughter on a rescue mission?" Wal chuckled. "And Lian enjoyed it?"
He holds the door for her as they enter the joint.
Artemis nods. "Jade said that she giggled and squealed every time either she or Roy took someone down."
She sat down in one of the window booths. It's only after she's comfortable and he's sitting down that she sees the name of the restuarant printed on the glass. She stiffens and pales.
"What's wrong?" the redhead across from her asks worriedly.
"Nothing!" she says defensively, withdrawing into herself.
The waitress walks up to them and Wal takes the liberty of ordering for the both of them. Wal observes the blonde's stormy eyes as she stares at the far corner of the booth. Soon, their food arrives, but neither touch the pizza just yet.
"You've been here before, haven't you?" he asks, trending carefully.
She sighs, relenting, "This where we had our third date. Best pizza in three states."
She slowly takes a slice and takes a bite. She sniffles and wipes at one of her eyes.
"It... it tastes the same, too," she chuckles darkly, trying hard not to cry.
But, as usual, the redhead across from her sees the cracks in her brave face. She sighs at the feel of his warm hands on hers. Different dimension, same reaction: comfort the crying blonde across from you.
"How long has it been?" the speedster asks, inquiring about his alternate's death.
She sniffles and dabs her eyes with a napkin, "A few months. He died in June. It's September, now."
"But it's July," Wal squints. He adds to the archer's confusion by asking, "What do you think today's date is?"
"Well, I've only been here for about a day, so... September 4, 2016," she replies, quirking her brow. "Why?"
His eyes go wide, "Because it's July 8, 2017. That's nearly one year's difference. Incredible."
She blinks, intrigued, "Why is that?"
Wal ponders the question for a few seconds, then glances down at the pizza. He smirks as the gears start turning in his head.
"Look," he says plainly, gesturing to the pizza. "Imagine that each piece of pepperoni on this pizza is one earth in the multiverse."
He points at two of the red disks.
"This one is where we are, and... let' say this one is yours," he says. "The distance between them represents the amount of changes and--"
"--and differences in descisions made by both individuals and particles on the quantum scale," Art finishes for him. "The Everett Interpretation. I've heard of it before, and, now, I'm living in it."
"Anyway..." Wal continues, refocusing on his explanation. "If the pepperoni slices are the universes, then the crust is the Source Wall--an impenetrable barrier that holds everything in--, and the cheese and sauce are Bleed Space: a region that exists between every universe and is filled with unknown energies. One of those is the Speedforce and another is Hypertime."
"I'm guessing that last one might explain the differences in dates between our two universes?" she concludes, questioningly.
To which the speedster nods,"Yeah, like... this one here is my Earth and it's 2017. Over here is yours. It's 2016 there. And here's another one, and it's 1960."
Artemis smiles at his giddiness, and plainly adds, "Interesting."
He nods and starts to eat his slice of the pie. He's on his fifth slice when the blonde beauty across from him asks, "What is the 'Speed Force'?"
He almost chokes when he replies, "You don't know what the Speedforce is?"
She shakes her head.
"How?" he inquires. "You've lived with a speedster for five years, and he's never mentioned it once?"
"Again, no," she starts to glare. "Why? Should I have?"
Wal is flabbergasted, as he nods frantically.
"You see, the Speedforce is what makes us speedsters possible," he explains. "It's an extra-dimensional energy field that all speedsters tap into. It gives us energy and protects us from things like extreme friction and the Laws of Physics. It's visible in the lightning from their speedtrail."
Artemis ponders his words and reflects back, thinking of every time she saw Barry run. Every time she was carried in Wally's arms.
"I remember seeing a few sparks once, during a mission," she recalls. "I didn't think much of it then. He was pushing himself hard, since he was never the fastest. It was only for a second, and only I saw it."
Wal quirked his brow at that last statement, making her blush.
"I was the closest one since he was... carrying me," Art said timidly, picking at her pizza. She smiled softly, "And there was this... tingle when he would kiss me, too. Like a static shock."
She sniffles and wipes her eyes, as Wal bites his lip. He wonders if he should tell her more about the Speedforce. That there might be a way to save her lover.
He doesn't get the chance, for his phone rings. It's Donna. And, she's sounding very worried.
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A/N:
Hey guys!
I'm so sorry for the wait on this. I meant to have this done for Monday, but it didn't work out; my dad needed some help with a few things, and I was prepping for my last semester of college. Associate's Degree, here I come!!
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this new part. Another should be out either next week or the week after depending on how busy the next few days are.
Please remember to vote if you liked it, and/or comment your thoughts, regeardless
Salud!
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Welcome to Earth-0 (Redeux)
FanficWhen the League forces the Titans to disband, Wally West, now known as The Flash of Keystone City, keeps busy by patrolling the streets of what was once his hometown. One night, while on patrol, he is overcome by his sense of grief and feeling very...
