1My brain hurts. What's going on? Why are my hands behind my back?
I wake up.
The first thing I notice is the smell of hospital stuff. (You know, the sterile surfaces, the smell of heavy-duty cleaning stuff and sanitizer; kinda stressful, if you ask me)
I also notice that I'm in that weird hospital gown thing that you have to wear when you stay there a long time (or something, it's been a while since I've been in a hospital; I don't get sick).
Weird, my brain is hopping around like a kangaroo, bounding down a bunch of tangents even more than usual.
There's a chain shackling my right hand to the handlebar of the bed.
May the person who figured out my dominant hand eat crow; since my dominant hand is out of commission, I'll have to use my left pointer finger to vibrate the lock apart, which is already very risky considering it could just as easily turn my wrist into a bloody smoothie.
Okay, that went better than I hoped. As I run the circulation into my hand, I look around some more from the bed.
Speaking of which, where am I- oh, now I remember. Mr. West wanted to take me to Earth 1, supposedly because my home is 'super dangerous' and will disintegrate me in ten years. As if my atoms will be any better in an alternate dimension.
Besides, doesn't it make it so something in their universe is taken onto the Speed Force because of the whole 'matter can be transformed, not destroyed' thing. Well, my theory is that it's because of the balance that has to be maintained over matter and antimatter. Science is kind of my thing, if ya hadn't noticed already.
So...where are the pains-in-the-meadow now? Did they seriously leave me without a guard? Scratch that, there's ONE security camera. Nothin' else.
I lean over to the right and grab a high-tech lamp next to some surgeons tools. Seriously, did they put me in a storage closet or something?
Ready. Aim. Throw as hard as I can to the left. The twenty-something pound light apparatus smacks the camera off the ceiling (which breaks upon impact with the floor) and shatters a wall mirror about a foot farther away.
"S***!"
Scratch that, a ONE-way mirror. Behind it, there's a shocked teen in Christmas tree red (a bit older than Kid F) who'd obviously just started eating lunch (or something...because I don't know what the crikin' time is, let alone what day it is) judging from the variety of greasy paper bags in the plastic bag at his feet.
I jump off the bed and snatch a couple scapels off the tray, putting the bed between young Santa and myself. Heh, I should continue thinking up nicknames for the dude, considering that he hasn't given me one.
I get down in a pounce, my eyes trained on the opening in the mirror and my ears swiveling slightly everywhere else. Might be hissing. Just a little.
(That cat Mr. West nearly killed had been basically the bigger, older sister who helped raise me...one of the smartest beings I've ever met)
The said teenager starts moving his left finger to his ear and his right hand to the bow on his back.
Nope, not happening. I am NOT going to be taken down by a Robin Colored Arrow or any backup he calls to save his bottom.
Before I could think too much, I run towards him and steal the comm and his quiver before running back to my vantage point. Carefully, of course; I need to figure out why I'm here and how to get back home before I knock off their members (put them out of action, of course, not kill).
I can't help chuckling when he figures out that he lost his comm and sharp objects and glares at me. "What the- oh, crud, another KF. Great. I'll try not to hurt you."
"Well, Kid Flash destroyed my living room, chased me downtown, and tried to drug me. Flash knocked my on the back of the head, and the dynamic duo brought me back to the wrong dimension under the guise of saving me when really they're risking the collapse of my cellular integrity. So yeah, too late."
I think I spoke too fast, for the smuck just looks plain confused. Poor idiot.
I finger the quiver, wondering if I could throw the arrows like darts.
He doesn't look particularly thrilled, but he gets out his bow with his left and prepares to fight, holding it like a bendy quarter staff. At least they chose someone amusing to 'guard' me.
I run towards the right, since it is typically not expected of children to run towards the weapon. I use the quiver to deflect the bow swung at me, then smack it against the back of his head.
The Red Summertime Angsty Santa crumbles forward through the mirror at my feet. After a second's thought I pry the domino mask off his face and slip it over my eyes. It molds to my face, which explains why it didn't fall off his. I pick up the bow and shoulder 'my' quiver before stepping through the hole.
I smirk at the swivel chair that had been pushed to the side of the hole. I guess he didn't expect a ten-year-old kid to get the better of him.
I carefully pick up the guard, put him on the floor of the hallway outside the door, and check his pulse. Good, he's still alive. I grab the bag of potential survival fuel and stuff it in my quiver.
I select one of the weird arrows and hold it loosely in my hand as I wander down the hall.
Sure is dark. One side of the hallway is stone, while the other is metal. If I walk along the wall made of stone, maybe I'll find a way out. If this is a cave, that is.
I tiptoe run through the hallway, noticing how everything seems so much slower. Even the clock I just passed is going three seconds for every one that I count. Something freaky is going on here.
I've been running for- let's see, one two three- FOUR blasted hours! And that's according to the funky clock in front of the glass.
My stomach growls, which reminds me of the atom misalignment that is very likely to occur soon. Would I be able to eat food from this world?
Time to experiment.
I rummage through the bag that I grabbed from the guard's 'post' and select a smaller bag with something to do with burger on the side. I open that bag to find a delicious-looking burger and (another) bag full of fries.
Turns out that I can eat food from here with no immediate negative side effects. I devour the meal and save the rest for later. (I wonder how different the chemical makeup in that food I just ate would be if I made it with the corresponding ingredients at home?)
I sign and rub my forehead, my fingertips unconsciously tracing the outline of the mask. Then my hand freezes as I realize something. Why do they need masks? Is whatever they're doing in this facility against the law in this world?
As I ponder this, I meander into what looks like an empty teacher's lounge, with the cupboards, fridge, chairs, microwave, and a-
"Coffee maker," I whisper to myself. I search the cupboards, one of which containing a weird plant that I definitely want to examine later, and find the supplies for bliss. It's been really stressful, cut me a break for raiding the bad guy lounge.
I tinker around with the machine until I figure out that it works like the one back home. I do the proper steps, then turn it on.
"What are you doing in here?"
I spin around to find a woman with white blond hair in a black suit leaning on the door frame, a perplexed yet calculating gaze scanning my face. She stares at the mask I 'borrowed' from Saint Arrow, then at the bow and quiver that I strapped to my back to leave my hands free to climb up to the cupboards, then back at me.
I crack a grin. "Just getting a half-cup of coffee. It is really tiring getting kidnapped and fighting my way out of containment. Do you want some before we duke it out?"
Might as well be friendly and honest, right?
The woman pushes off the frame and takes a step towards me. In that time, the coffee maker beeps, I pour a half-cup, chug it, get another mug and fill it up, then reposition the lady so she's sitting in one of the chairs holding the mug.
I sit down in the opposite chair, putting the coffee table between us, and stay still until she catches up to what's going on.
Her eyes go wide in shock when her brain catches up, then her face relaxes. Guess she's a little...slow? (Mental facepalm)
All she has to say is, "My name's classified, but most know me as Black Canary. What's your name?"
Okay, that's weird. Who in their right mind would name their child classified? Also, why is she so calm? And why doesn't she know my name? Isn't she working with dd?
I finger one of the funky arrows as I observe her silently for a full seven seconds, then I remark, "Shouldn't you ask the Flashes about that, Ms. Classified? They're the ones who kidnapped me from my home. Aren't you working with them?"
Classified chokes on something, nearly spilling her coffee. "Sorry, did you say you were kidnapped? By the Flashes? I find that hard to believe."
As she says this, her fingers wanders up to 'pinch her nose', but I notice the little machine. Let her, then I could get to the bottom of this.
"Are you certain you're not mistaken?"
"About as clueless about who they are as I am about how you just alerted someone else to my presence in this lounge. Now, can you get me back to Speed Force, or will I have to leave and find someone else who can?"
When she doesn't verbally respond, I get up and walk towards the door only for her to get in my way.
"Please wait. I'm sure we can help you, but you need to wait for the others to get here."
She admits it? Good job, time to go.
I back up as she walks toward me. "First of all, that's an 'I'm sure', not an 'I'll help'. Second, who are the others? Where am I?"
She nods, which kinda sucks since that means that there's someone behind me. I duck and spin, narrowly avoiding a weird glowy collar thing that this green guy with few clothes tried to snap on my neck.
Owwww, my head hurts again. I curl up into a ball and start shivering super fast, hoping that it prevents them from touching me.
Hahaha, it does. It tickles my neck when he tries to snap it on, but it keeps getting caught on a through-hair, so it can't make the proper seal.
My brain is trying to kill me again, but I can't stop shaking otherwise the green guy and the lady in black and Red Riding Hood and the zipping duo will get me and-
I decide to hum to myself to block out the noise and lights while I just keep on shivering.
It's been about an hour, and since I'm still shivering, I'm going to assume they don't know what to do with me.
So glad that I got that coffee, though I'll probably run out soon.
When I close my eyes, I see the green dude poking around.
So, my naturally being super stressed and confused and whatnot, I wave to him.
He jumps, clearly not expecting me, but I fade back to real life.
I open my eyes and see a whole bunch of people, including this guy in a black suit with a ridiculously shaped cowl that enhances a couple stray hairs from sloppy shaving, with a bunch of melted metal surrounding me.
I laugh, somehow thinking this is hilarious.
Well, my brain must've made another tangent, and it doesn't help that I haven't had any water within the past twenty-four hours, judging by the state of my mouth (dry).
The world stops spinning, I stagger up to my feet, and make my getaway.
At least, I try to, but I can't exactly run through these people; it could kill them! (Yes, I am a good ten year old)
Right as I pause for one normal second to figure out what to do, something clicks on like a necklace.
I turn around very slowly and cock my head at the person before me before something pricks my arm.
"Hey, what's the big idea?"
Then I discover that my legs decided that they don't get paid enough for this job and quit. Luckily (or not) someone catches me before my head makes contact with the ground again.
I bleerily glare at the said someone. "Waths theh bigh ideah, knockin meh upsidh theh head, Fwash?!"
Then I drift off, vaguely noticing a trickle of fluid going down my throat.
I wake up in my head, which must mean that the body's asleep.
So I do my job and check for any dead spots that need repairing using the hemisystem at my desk. (She ignored the amygdala. Again)
Other than being the totally reckless kid she is, we're fine.
That is, until the green guy she spotted today fades in on the other side of the table.
I shriek in surprise and get out the wrench I always keep in my pocket just in case R accidentally lets someone hostile in.
Instead, he looks at me strangely. "Strange, I thought that humans minds are on their own inside the body, yet it seems this particular child has another one inside her brain."
He is definitely a telepath, and he's not talking to me. The man must be speaking to someone while he's mucking around in here.
"Excuse me, sir, but the R brain is inaccessible to visitors at this time, so please exit to your right. Bye, hope I don't see you later."
And you know what he DOES next?! He just throws a net at me and pushes my chair out from behind my desk.
Then he examines the computer and the information on it, and starts clicking away on it.
Unbeknownst to him, the room starts to change.
I think to myself, 'This can't end well.'