“Magic is real but it tends not to be highlighted much in this day and age… Plus around here, science has been valued over it.” Heat was happy to see the kid finally come out from under the desk. He didn’t want to scare the kid thats for sure. He too stood up, not being able to crouch down for so long. He was getting old after all.
“Of course.” Seeing the pictures would only help as far as he could tell. No like it would ruin the time line. Trix was de-aged not replaced with his younger self… probably. All of his photos were in albums at home but Fetch might… “Fetch does Trix have any photos of the team you could project for us?”
Lance smiles at the kid, “You’re smart, take a guess.”
“That’s what my dad says.” Shane smiles for a moment, only to have it fade. He really wanted to see his dad. Fetch, basically, locked him in this room and would bring him back anything he tried to go anywhere else. He was starting to get cabin fever from being there so long, but at least there’s a new face now. As long as they weren’t a bad guy, which it didn’t seem like he was.
“All of his pictures are on his computer.” The robot pointed towards the, currently shut off, holographic computer. Being a robot, Fetch would only be able to turn it on, because his claws doesn’t allow for it to type in anything into the holographic keyboard. That might be something he should bring up with its master once he is back to normal.
While the robot answered Heatstroke, the kid tried to think of why the robot was named Fetch. “…does he get thing? Like how a dog can play ‘fetch’?”
“That would be correct.” The robot replied, causing the kid to laugh a bit.
“That’s silly. Why are you named Fetch if you don’t get things.”
“It was my original purpose to be a ‘fetching robot’. My master installed an artificial intelligence into my programming when he first created me.” The robot answered.
“And then you got smarter than the original program? Cool.”
“You’re dad is very right.” Heat chuckled amused as the kid brightened. The kids face dropped only second later and Heat could guess where the munchkins brain had gone. He felt bad. Kid didn’t know where he was and had thought he had been kidnaped or something. And yet Heat didn’t know if he could get him out of there to his father. Jack could do it… But chances were if someone caught him with the kid, questions would be asked.
Heat moved toward the computer turning it on right away. Sadly that was about as far as he got before it asked him for a password. The olderman bet in an hour he could figure it out… but the system would probably only lock him out on his 3rd try. “Fetch, what’s his password?”
He glanced back at the boy and his creation talked. It was sort of cute kind of like a kid getting his first puppy. “Fetch is one of the smartest machines on base. In a year or so He’d probably match the twins in intelligence. Beyond that I just hope he doesn’t plan on world domination.” Not that it was possible. Fetch was too loyal to Trix to think about anything but helping him.
The kid’s glare was cute if anything but the feeling behind it made Heat nervous. He didn’t believe him or Fetch.
“Because I’m telling the truth? Because if I was a rogue I probably would have threatened you by now or yell at you?” Heat paused. “I’m no psychic… you just… I guess you got de-aged… Probably by magic. Thats usually to blame around here.” They seriously needed to think about hiring someone about that… They could call them hocus pokus or something silly like that. “I have pictures if you’d like to see them.”
“That would be Fetch. You did make him right around when you joined. One of your best creations by far.”
“…” Okay, maybe he could believe that this guy wasn’t Heatwave, but then why were they dressed the same? And why did they have similar names.
“…‘De-aged’? With magic? I didn’t think magic was real.” He had pictures of him in the future? That might be cool to see. Shane crawled out from under the desk. He was still a little wary of Heatstroke but he said he was a hero, so he couldn’t be that bad, right? “Can I see the pictures?”
Shane looked at Fetch, trying to believe that he could ever make such a robot. “Fetch?…why is it’s name Fetch?”
“Magic is real but it tends not to be highlighted much in this day and age… Plus around here, science has been valued over it.” Heat was happy to see the kid finally come out from under the desk. He didn’t want to scare the kid thats for sure. He too stood up, not being able to crouch down for so long. He was getting old after all.
“Of course.” Seeing the pictures would only help as far as he could tell. No like it would ruin the time line. Trix was de-aged not replaced with his younger self… probably. All of his photos were in albums at home but Fetch might… “Fetch does Trix have any photos of the team you could project for us?”
Lance smiles at the kid, “You’re smart, take a guess.”
…A Rogue… The Kid thought he was a Rogue…. Woooo boy… The kid thought he was Heatwave. Similar yes but only in the gimmicks they used. He knelt down, giving the kid plenty of space between them. No need to make him more nervous.
“I’m not a Rogue. I’m a Renegade. Renegade’s help people, not hurt them,” Heat spoke calmly. “I’m Heatstroke. And you are the Trixster, when your older at least. Our Trixster. A Renegade.” the man gestured to Fetch. “You made Fetch, one of the smartest robots I know.” Androids don’t count in comparison.
Shane gave the man a skeptical glare. Not sure if he should believe him or not. Taking a closer look, the kid did notices the shiny badges on the man’s chest and shoulders. The kid shakes his head after a moment, trying to not be distracted by the shine from the man’s badges.
“…How do I know you’re not lying to me?” This was all so…out there. This was even crazier than the stories his father told him about the Rogues. How was he Trickster, or Trixster
, or however they’re pronouncing the name? “…what do you mean when I’m older? Can you see into the future or something?…I…I made that?”
The kid’s glare was cute if anything but the feeling behind it made Heat nervous. He didn’t believe him or Fetch.
“Because I’m telling the truth? Because if I was a rogue I probably would have threatened you by now or yell at you?” Heat paused. “I’m no psychic… you just… I guess you got de-aged… Probably by magic. Thats usually to blame around here.” They seriously needed to think about hiring someone about that… They could call them hocus pokus or something silly like that. “I have pictures if you’d like to see them.”
“That would be Fetch. You did make him right around when you joined. One of your best creations by far.”
Heat couldn’t help but stare diffrently at the child hearing Fetches words. A curse. That explained everything. So this is what the Kid looked like… as a kid. It was a startiling change to say the least. He was about half his size if not just a bit bigger. The curly hair was still a shock in comparison to his normal straight hair. But the eye were still his.
“I’m not evil. Who said anything about evil?” Heat asked looking around to see if there was anything to sugest such a thing. You never knew in Trix’s workshop. “I’m a hero.” Technically. He’d like to think so.
“What have you been telling him Fetch?”
“I was talking to the robot.” The kid said. “But you are too. You’re a Rogue, and dad said the Rogues aren’t heroes. They tried but they all went back to being villains, except for The Pied Piper and The Trickster.”
“I have been telling him the truth. I have told him that he is in the Reverse-Flash Task Force Headquarters, and that he is Trixster.”
“I am not the Trickster. How many times do I have to tell you that? Stupid Robot!”
…A Rogue… The Kid thought he was a Rogue…. Woooo boy… The kid thought he was Heatwave. Similar yes but only in the gimmicks they used. He knelt down, giving the kid plenty of space between them. No need to make him more nervous.
“I’m not a Rogue. I’m a Renegade. Renegade’s help people, not hurt them,” Heat spoke calmly. “I’m Heatstroke. And you are the Trixster, when your older at least. Our Trixster. A Renegade.” the man gestured to Fetch. “You made Fetch, one of the smartest robots I know.” Androids don’t count in comparison.
“He’s under the what?” Heat questioned the Robot as it flew over to him. Why in the world would Trixs be under the table? Wait, was he hurt? Had he fallen down and couldn’t get up? Moving over to the desk he couldn’t see a figure lying there until he bent over to get a better look.
…
“Fetch… who is this?” The flying robot had said Trixster was under the desk not some kid… The kid look similar to the youngest renegade with much curlier hair but the same eyes. Could Trix have brought a kid to work with him?
“That is Trixster.” The robot replied, only to get a sort of displeasing glare from the child.
“I knew you were evil.” He said, trying to avoid eye contact with whom he believed was Heatwave. The Rogues were dead right? Then why is Heatwave kneeling down by the desk, looking at him? And why does the robot insist on calling him Trickster?….Was he brainwashed? Was he kidnapped and brainwashed to believe he was Axel Walker or something?
“He is cursed to look like this.” The robot explained towards the older Renegade. “He also does not believe anything I tell him about where he is or who he is.”
Heat couldn’t help but stare diffrently at the child hearing Fetches words. A curse. That explained everything. So this is what the Kid looked like… as a kid. It was a startiling change to say the least. He was about half his size if not just a bit bigger. The curly hair was still a shock in comparison to his normal straight hair. But the eye were still his.
“I’m not evil. Who said anything about evil?” Heat asked looking around to see if there was anything to sugest such a thing. You never knew in Trix’s workshop. “I’m a hero.” Technically. He’d like to think so.
“What have you been telling him Fetch?”
Heat was worried. Really worried.
Usually, the oldest man would see all of his teammates during the day, chatting them up with small talk, seeing how they were doing and such. He based his sqedual off it it. Morning coffee with the Commander, sparing with Warlock, gossip with Monarch, and lunch with Trixster.
But he had only seen 3 of the 4 today. It wasn’t too strange for the youngest to get caught up in some sort of experiment and forget to eat. But the other would always come up and see him during the day. Now late in the afternoon and he couldn’t help but be worried. So much so that he rushed through the rest of his work in a flash and hightailed it down to the Trixster’s workshop. He punched in his override code, thinking it was an emergency enough to use it, rushing inside.
“Hey Kid, you there?”
Hearing the door open, Shane takes a tentative look out from under the desk, only to find a very tall man who looked like Heatwave. Omg, I really was kidnapped by the Rogues! He though, hiding again under the, thankfully metal, desk.
Fetch flew over to Heatstroke upon hearing his voice. “He is under the desk.” Stupid Robot! I knew you were no good! the kid though, trying to get further under the desk.
“He’s under the what?” Heat questioned the Robot as it flew over to him. Why in the world would Trixs be under the table? Wait, was he hurt? Had he fallen down and couldn’t get up? Moving over to the desk he couldn’t see a figure lying there until he bent over to get a better look.
…
“Fetch… who is this?” The flying robot had said Trixster was under the desk not some kid… The kid look similar to the youngest renegade with much curlier hair but the same eyes. Could Trix have brought a kid to work with him?
After several hours of Fetch attempting to keep it’s young master in the work room, it wasn’t sure how to keep the child at bay. It had never watched it’s master take care of a child before, other than when Monarch was turned into a child. Maybe telling the child the truth will work? But without access to the computers in order to show the boy what he looked like as a teenager, the kid didn’t believe it.
At least Fetch was able to confirm one thing. It’s master had taken his medication last night. It had heard many stories from it’s master and his father of what Trixster was like as a child when he didn’t take his medication, which he had a mild tendency to forget, but he was more responsible about it as an adult.
The child still tried to escape from the work room, and he had even gotten as far as twenty feet away from the door at one point, but Fetch was still able to grab him and bring him back. Maybe he could take the child home to his father? That would be the easy thing to do. But would Fetch be able to take it’s master out of the headquarters looking how he was?
“Why Won’t You Let Me Go?!?” The child commanded.
“It is not very safe for a child to be wandering on their own around the precinct. It is also not very safe for your career if you were to wander out of here as a child.” The robot replied.
“I already told you, I don’t believe you! There is NO WAY I turn into the Trickster! I’m not a thief! I want to go to my dad! Why can’t I go home?!”
“I have no way of bringing you home. You do not believe me, as you have said, and I am not one hundred percent sure that you will follow my directions as I take you home.”
The child crosses his arms with a loud gruff and sits on the floor, obviously not liking his situation. “You said this place was like a police station right? If that’s true, can’t one of them take me home?”
“I would presume that they are all busy with work, Trixster.”
“Stop Calling Me That!” The child threw one of the shoes he was wearing at the robot.
The robot dodges the shoe and catches it before it hits the ground. “…I apologize.”
The kid turned away and crawled under the closest desk to him. He pulled his legs close to his chest and hugged his knees.
The robot tires to fly close to the boy only to be yelled at to not get close to him. Fetch then flies to the other desk in the room to sit on and watch it’s young master, in case he decides to make another break for it.
Heat was worried. Really worried.
Usually, the oldest man would see all of his teammates during the day, chatting them up with small talk, seeing how they were doing and such. He based his sqedual off it it. Morning coffee with the Commander, sparing with Warlock, gossip with Monarch, and lunch with Trixster.
But he had only seen 3 of the 4 today. It wasn’t too strange for the youngest to get caught up in some sort of experiment and forget to eat. But the other would always come up and see him during the day. Now late in the afternoon and he couldn’t help but be worried. So much so that he rushed through the rest of his work in a flash and hightailed it down to the Trixster’s workshop. He punched in his override code, thinking it was an emergency enough to use it, rushing inside.
“Hey Kid, you there?”
Heatstroke felt the blood in his veins burn remembering times when he wanted nothing more than to punch the Commander in the face…
He could count the events all on one hand. The first time he had met the man long, long ago. The next went he had gotten himself shot. Just a few years later when the Commander introduced him to the newly recruited Trixster, who at time was only 17 and a half.
…The instant his best friend lost it when he was told of Monarch’s murder.
But the worst moment was the one where his blood chilled.
The instant, Nick announced to him that he would be leading a Task Force for the sole purpose of fighting the Anti-Flash. Zoom.
And he wanted him to be his second in command.
“3 and a half years ago… The Commander and I… We still had normal jobs. He was a cop and I was a fire investigator… The two of us, we became good friends and partners on several cases over the years. He was my best man. Then something happened and the Commander is offered a job. The job was the leadership position of an experimental task force to be deployed in emergencies situations and in light of a speedster attack. Yea, I’m talking about the Renegades.”
Heat paused looking out into the city, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Turns out… He had already agreed to sign on… And was asking me to join as his right hand man, second in charge.” He was shaking. It was inevitable. He could still feel the constriction on his throat thinking about it.
Like a noose around his neck.
And Nick didn’t see it. Didn’t know what he was asking of him. To sell the rest of his life to a system that frequently screwed innocent people. He knew because of Bekka and her many cases… Nick… Nick still had faith in it. Believed it be strong and just.
And Lance instantly declined.
“I said no.”
Warlock was silent as Heatstroke spoke. The expression on his senior’s face right now wasn’t one he was used to seeing, and it made him slightly nervous. He had known that Commander and Heatstroke were close, but he wasn’t aware of the history they actually had together.
Listening to the man in front of him, he realized that he had never bothered asking about how The Renegades was formed, assuming it just happened one day after Reverse Flash’s uprising. He could see Heatstroke, who was usually calm and level-headed, shaking and it was beginning to scare Warlock.
When Heatstroke grew silent for a long while, Warlock started to worry. He had barely lifted his arm to reach out to the other man when he spoke again. His hand froze and retracted quickly in surprise.
“But- you’re here now, aren’t you?” asked Warlock carefully. “What made you change your mind?”
“Oh I’m here now.” Heat chuckled darkly. He was stuck there till death do they part. That was the simply answer. The truth was that there was no way he’d leave anymore. Not with the team being like they were. He cared too much.
He shivered under the rain. It was usually his favorite kind of weather managing to cool him off and get him to focus. Right now it was just a reminder. Grayish blue eyes didn’t miss the hand reaching out. The gester was touching but… Lance just couldn’t do it right not and was glad Warlock pulled back.
“What changed my mind?” The rain couldn’t even cool the fire building in his veins.
Nick tried everyday for the next week to talk with him, Lance each time conveniently away on a job or something errand.
But he couldn’t escape the call of the Judge. The meeting is still one Lance never wants to repeat. But to sum it up was simple.
The judge had blackmailed him. Spoke to him about unemployment and whatever else he could slip into a conversation without sounding like an actually threat. Heat shook it off at first.
But then he threatened Bekka. Her Job, her lively hood, her safety. Lance had know when he married her that she picked fights normal lawyers wouldn’t have the guts too but he didn’t realize just how many powerful enemies she had made. When the Judge said those things, Lance locked down on his temper preventing himself from trying to maul the man if he could.
Sold himself to the devil, in his eyes. He never told Bekka or Nick why he had agree. It was likely Bekka knew when he came home and just wouldn’t let her go. Nick just looked… happy and Lance couldn’t tell his best friend the truth about the system he loved so much.
“Nothing in particular. It just came to me after a week of flat out avoiding the Commander wasn’t doing any good. Refusing was me being selfish to those people who expected me to protect them from the people or things they can’t protect themselves. Not when the Renegades could be helping people. And I was letting the Commander down. Couldn’t let him going gallivanting off into spandex without me to take incriminating photos of it.”
Staring back at the other, he wondered what he could say to make his friend feel better. It wasn’t something Bekka and he had had a problem about. Both of them were very up front about secrets that they had… Sure they both still had a few but if she asked, he wouldn’t avoid her. He’d tell her the truth because he loved her. It wasn’t the case here. Not at all… Which made him think of that time… oh that might help.
“You know, Wil… There was this one time I couldn’t talk to the Commander.”
Warlock frowned slightly, now feeling confused. As far back as he could remember, there was never a time when Heatstroke was anything but forward and amicable towards their Commander.
“When was that?”
Heatstroke felt the blood in his veins burn remembering times when he wanted nothing more than to punch the Commander in the face…
He could count the events all on one hand. The first time he had met the man long, long ago. The next went he had gotten himself shot. Just a few years later when the Commander introduced him to the newly recruited Trixster, who at time was only 17 and a half.
…The instant his best friend lost it when he was told of Monarch’s murder.
But the worst moment was the one where his blood chilled.
The instant, Nick announced to him that he would be leading a Task Force for the sole purpose of fighting the Anti-Flash. Zoom.
And he wanted him to be his second in command.
“3 and a half years ago… The Commander and I… We still had normal jobs. He was a cop and I was a fire investigator… The two of us, we became good friends and partners on several cases over the years. He was my best man Then something happened and the Commander is offered a job. The job was the leadership position of an experimental task force to be deployed in emergencies situations and in light of a speedster attack. Yea, I’m talking about the Renegades.”
Heat paused looking out into the city, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Turns out… He had already agreed to sign on… And was asking me to join as his right hand man, second in charge.” He was shaking. It was inevitable. He could still feel the constriction on his throat thinking about it.
Like a noose around his neck.
And Nick didn’t see it. Didn’t know what he was asking of him. To sell the rest of his life to a system that frequently screwed innocent people. He knew because of Bekka and her many cases… Nick… Nick still had faith in it. Believed it be strong and just.
And Lance instantly declined.
“I said no.”
“No worries kiddo… You’re stressed. It happens.” But not usually to him, Heat didn’t add. The man had kept calm under worse and nothing… but this was personal…
The man watched the young man answer his question. So feels were there. Just not what Trix wanted from the other. It could grow… or not. It was up to Warlock. At this point Heat just needed the two to be on speaking terms again. At the very least willing to be able to be in the same room as one another and look them in the eye. “I get it. Just needed to ask.”
Heat walked forward placing a hopefully comforting hand on his shoulder.
Warlock’s lips twitched into a small smile when he felt the warm hand on his shoulder. He turned his gaze away from the city view and looked wearily into Heatstroke’s blue eyes. “What do I do, Lance?”
Staring back at the other, he wondered what he could say to make his friend feel better. It wasn’t something Bekka and he had had a problem about. Both of them were very up front about secrets that they had… Sure they both still had a few but if she asked, he wouldn’t avoid her. He’d tell her the truth because he loved her. It wasn’t the case here. Not at all… Which made him think of that time… oh that might help.
“You know, Wil… There was this one time I couldn’t talk to the Commander.”
