Meeting the night of vengeance
This is for Flashpoint Paradox week day 3, "he was my friend too, if we can bring him back, I'm in." @maribatgetin
Barry marched inside the Wayne Manor. It looked even darker than he remembered. It seemed that the light was afraid to enter the building, it looked like no one had ever tried to clean up the place. The dust that covered the walls made it look abandoned and inhabited. It had no signs of life.
"Alfred?" Barry yelled in the empty manor.
"Bruce! It's Barry!" Still nothing.
He continued calling out for Bruce and Alfred but eventually gave up. He decided to go to the batcave.
The batcave was looking very different. Too different than what he remembered. Everything was dusty. The cave looked like an actual cave. There was no batcomputer, fancy cars, dinosaur skeleton or that big coin or the batsuits and Robin's suits, okay he can't even count the things that were missing. He moved further into the cave. There was a board with cards, covered in blood…. pinned on it and a gun covered by glass container with a family photo on its side. He could tell it was Bruce and his family before they died. He saw the same picture while exploring the manor with Alfred.
"You were the James Bond of superheroes Bruce, what happened to you?" He was about to lift the container when something hit his head, hard. He looked back to see Batman. With red lenses instead of white, he was looking much older and agrressive…
His train of thought was cut short by another blow from Batman. He didn't have his powers, and he wasn't skilled in martial arts like Batman.
"BRUCE! STOP IT'S ME BARRY!" The Bat's eyes widened and his gun hit him hard. He felt his vision blurring as blood filled his mouth.
"Who are you? And how did you get here?" Batman lifted him up easily, shorter in height but still very powerful.
"Bruce I-" He was punched right in his face and his lip started bleeding.
"Mention my dead son again and you're dead!" His eyes widened comically.
"Thomas Wayne…" He whispered. The Batman took his hand-
"Wrong answer." And broke his finger. He screamed in pain.
"You have nine fingers left, answer wisely." He felt his vision clear and then blur again. His mouth was filled with the mattalic taste of blood.
Batman broke another finger. He screamed in pain again. He tried to speak but blood came out of his mouth instead.
"My patience is wearing off. On the second thought, you are better off dead." He waited for the blow but it never came. He looked up from his spot to see the back of a familiar woman, she had blocked the punch of Batman.
"Marinette." She looked at him and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Barry…" She helped him stand and laid him on the cot.
She looked at Batman with teary eyes. He looked guilty.
"You need to keep your anger in control uncle Thomas." Barry's eyes widened.
"He shouldn't have come here in the first place and he kept saying my son's name." Batman growled an answer.
Marinette just let out a dry chuckle, "Beating him isn't going to help bring him back uncle. If I hadn't come, you would have made me a widow." Then she glared at him. Batman met her glare with his own.
Batman looked at Barry with a look he couldn't decipher, but anger was definitely in there, "So you are Allen.
Barry finally found his voice, "U-Uncle Thomas?"
She kissed his cheek and stood up to get medical supplies.
"I met Bruce when I was 5. The Waynes came to our bakery. We both immediately clicked. We were best friends. Nothing could separate us.-" She wiped the blood from his lip.
"-Mr. Wayne here and his spouse, came there often and even invited me to their house when he saw Bruce laugh.-" Barry looked at Thomas to see him drinking looking at the far end of the cave.
"Bruce was the one who died in the alley that night." Barry mused in realization.
"Yes. I was there that night. We went to the movies. The man shot Bruce, but before he could shoot me, uncle Thomas beat him to death." Marinette looked sympathetically at Batman.
"I-I saw Aunt M-martha, hu-hug Bruce and her-her hands covered in-in blood as she hugged Bruce…." She took a deep breath as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I touched her, she-she covered her mouth with her bloody hand. She-she must have felt her hands were slippery, because she- laughed. Laughed like a mad person. Thomas took Bruce from her, checking for anything, any sign of life. I was too scared to go near Martha, I looked at the wide blue eyes of Bruce, t-th-th.. blood…" She broke and sobbed loudly. To Barry's surprise, Batman put a hand on her shoulder and she hugged him. He just patted her back.
"Then Mrs. Wayne became joker… and you became Batman to get rid of the crime. Marinette went home but she was greeted by a burning bakery." Barry said, everything clicking into place.
"I was too busy caring for Martha, who was getting worse day by day. I told her that she doesn't smile anymore. That day when I came home, she had cut her cheeks, the only thing keeping her skin together was two staples. I knew it was too late for her. But I never expected her to become a serial-killer. I forgot about Marinette. She survived on the streets on her own. After so many years, she came to my door, and introduced herself." Batman took off his cowl.
"Now why are you here?" Batman or rather Dr. Thomas glared at him.
"I was the Flash, in-in another timeline. My power was superspeed. Everything was different. Me and some other heroes made a justice league. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern…. And Batman or Bruce Wayne were my friends. I-" Batman cut him short.
"How can I believe you? How can I know that you haven't hit your head somewhere or aren't faking it. I always knew you were wrong for her."
"I-I…." His eyes suddenly catch the glimpse of his ring. "I can show you! My suit was in my ring."
A suit did come out of the ring. But it wasn't his…. Barry jumped out of the cot and grabbed the suit, hands shaking.
"Isn't that what you were expecting?" Batman had put his cowl on and Marinette was standing a little away.
"Of course! Zoom did it!" Marinette gave him a confused look while Batman glared at him.
"Zoom came from the future, he repeated the experiment that gave me powers and came back in the past to kill me. He called himself reverse Flash. He created this timeline! This is his suit!" Barry growled.
Marinette waded in, cutting whatever Batman was about to say. "He's telling the truth, I also remember my childhood. Much different childhood, no streets, no-" She clutched her head. Batman supported her.
"Bruce…." Marinette uttered.
"What?" Batman looked at her face.
"He shot you! That man shot you and Martha! Me and Bruce-" Batman put his finger on her mouth and turned to Barry.
"You mean we can bring back my son?" Barry nodded.
"He was my best friend so if we can bring him back I'm in. But what about you uncle?" Marinette looked like a kicked puppy.
"Bruce can take much better care of you than me. There will be no joker. No world ending war, the world is better off that way." Marinette nodded, eyes hardening and muttered under her breath looking away, " I'll miss you."
"So what do we have to do?" Batman looked at Barry still clutching the suit angrily.
"First we need to get my powers back."
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