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Ryan rarely went on solo patrols. Between Luke and Sophie, she always had someone in the field watching her back. Mary even accompanied her once. However, with Sophie’s new position as commissioner and Luke and Mary finally admitting their feelings to each other, the rest of the bat team was otherwise occupied. Ryan didn’t mind though. After the blimp incident, even Gotham’s most corrupt of criminals seemed to be laying low. It was almost too peaceful, but Ryan wasn’t going to jinx herself by questioning it.
She walked over to the edge of the warehouse roof and scanned the parking lot for any abnormal behavior. Seeing none, she decided to stay put for a while. She grappled back down to where the batmobile was parked in the shadows and tuned her comms to the frequency of GCPD’s police scanner. It was fairly quiet other than officers checking in and signing off. There was a mention of a weird looking vagrant out by Amusement Mile. Since it didn’t sound urgent, Ryan mentally filed that away to look up when she got done with patrols.
All of a sudden a portal surrounded by brilliant red lightning opens up right in front of the Batmobile.
“What the hell?” Ryan grabs her stun gun and jumps out of the car, pointing it at the hooded person who just stepped through. “Put your hands up and turn around!”
The woman paused and put her hands up, but her back was still turned to Ryan. “I said turn around!” What Ryan was not expecting to see was a mirror image of herself. It was her, but it wasn’t. This doppelganger looked older whether it was the white streak or the unhinged look in her eye. It was clear that there was something off. In her shock, she faltered. That was all it took for the other woman to get the upper hand. In the blink of an eye, Ryan was surrounded by the same red lightning she’d seen earlier. Then, just as fast as it started. It was over. By the time she processed what was happening, she was tied to a chair in some dark basement. Her kidnapper twin was seated in a chair across from her, watching silently.
“Who are you?! Where am I?! Why did you take me?!” Ryan rapidly fired the questions at the woman. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“You’re not at all how I anticipated.” She looked Ryan up and down, as if she was appraising a painting. “You’re a lot more… naive.
“Excuse me?”
“Naive, because you really think you are in any position to be questioning me.”
“Who are you?”
The woman looked over at Ryan. “Fine. My name is Ryan Wayne, but you will soon know me as Red Death.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I don’t want anything from you. I will be taking this though.” She dangled the utility belt in the air before dropping it back to where it was on the ground. “I have some new tech I need to upgrade.”
“You won’t get away with this, you know. I’m Batwoman, people will notice if I go missing.”
“ I’m Batwoman. People will notice if I– shut up.”
“Sophie Moore will come for me.” Ryan said, hoping that the other woman had a Sophie Moore, too.
“Sophie, Sophie. People speak about her as if she was some knight in shining armor.” Red Death scoffed at the thought. “The Sophie Moore I knew was a loyal soldier. Too bad her loyalties got her killed.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She fell in with a bad crowd. My cousins, ” she gritted out the word, “Kate and Beth, decided that the privileges they were fed on silver spoons wasn’t enough. They wanted the thrill and excitement that came from robbing banks.”
“Sophie would never go along with that.”
“She didn’t. You’re right about that.” Red Death paused, considering her explanation. “But she had a habit of getting in the way of true justice in Gotham.”
“You stay away from Sophie.” Ryan struggled against her restraints.
“ Your Sophie is none of my concern. As long as she stays out of my way.” A pinging sound coming from the device on Red Death’s wrist distracted the woman. Giving Ryan a chance to really assess her surroundings. It's clear she was in some kind of basement. Judging from the boxes with handwritten labels and some patio furniture stashed in the corner, she would have to guess she was in a house. Given the sentiment her captor had for her life back on her world, Ryan had a pretty good idea of where they were.
“So what, you’re just gonna leave me in the basement of Wayne Manor until what? You take over the city.”
Red Death looks over at Ryan amused. “I guess they weren't lying when they called you a master detective. But, no. This is not my city to take over. I need to get back home before my Flash undos all of my hard work.” She checks the device again. “You on the other hand will not be staying here. I can’t risk any other superfriends butting in this time. So, you’re going away.”
Ryan was about to ask what she meant when the woman raced towards her in a flurry of red light. Then, everything went black.
–❤️🦇⚡–
Ryan woke up with a splitting headache. It took what felt like an hour for her to feel steady enough to actually sit up and open her eyes. She looked around the eerily familiar room until her eyes landed on the candy dish. Her heart rate spiked and she began to panic when someone began opening the door. A woman she didn't recognize but felt like she had met before walked through the door. She smiled and held up her hands when she saw how scared Ryan looked.
“Hello, my name is Nora. I’m the physical conduit for the speed force, which is where you are right now.”
“The what?”
“I am a lot of things, but the most significant to your world is that I am the source of speedsters' powers.”
“Ok, but why am I here?”
“Red Death dropped you off in here. Probably hoping you would die.”
“Ok, but how am I supposed to get out? Catch my shadow or something?”
“How did you– No. That task is reserved for trapped speedsters. As far as I can tell, you aren’t a meta at all. Honestly you shouldn’t be able to survive in here.”
“So, what now? I’m stuck in here?”
“Not entirely. The speedsters who receive their powers from me all have a lightning rod to bring them home.” Nora looked at her for a moment as if it's trying to solve a puzzle before pursing her lips. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“Your anchor. Sophie Moore. Mary Hamilton. Lucas Fox.”
“My team.”
“Your family.” Nora smiled. “They will bring you home.”
“How? When?”
Nora only shrugged. “I don’t know. Your future is still in flux. We shall wait and see.”
“Wait and see?! There is a supervillain about to mass murder people in this timeline and hers and you want to wait?”
“Ironically Red Death doesn’t actually kill anyone. It's almost as if– Well, that is not the point. The point is she will not succeed. That much is known. So yes, you will wait here until it's time. Finally get that rest you so desperately needed.”
Ryan looked at her confused. “How do you know about that?”
“I know everything about you. Past, present, and possible futures. As for the how, it's best if you don’t know. The whole interconnectedness of space, time, and the metaphysical is far too complicated to explain.”
“Right…” Ryan trailed off with a nod. Hoping her casual tone doesn’t give away just how confused that statement alone made her. She looked around, really taking in her surroundings for the first time. “So none of this is real?”
“Yes and no. It exists and you are really experiencing it, but not in your plane of existence.”
“And I’m completely safe in here.”
“As safe as one could be inside of a cosmic force that connects to all moments in space and time all at once.”
“And my team, are they safe?”
“They should be.”
“ Should be? What does that mean?”
“It means that there is an infinite number of possible futures for you and them, and the majority of those futures are positive.”
“So it's possible for them to get hurt from all of this.”
“Yes.”
“And I can’t do anything to help them?”
“In your current position, no.”
“And I’m supposed to just relax while they are in danger.”
“It is very unlikely that any of them will be hurt. But yes,there is nothing for you to do but rest.”
“Great.” She sat down on the bed, her stress level getting higher by the second.
“Would you like us to help you?”
“How would you do that?”
“Where would you like to go?”
“Home.”
“Which one?” Nora wiggled her eyebrows. At Ryan’s confused look, she continued. “Well there's your van, the loft, the house in Metropolis–”
“I’ve never lived in Metropolis.”
“Not yet of course, but once you and Sophie get…” Seeing that she was only adding more confusion to Ryan. “You know what, it's probably better to let that one play itself out. So, where to?”
“What about 147 Rials Rd, Gotham?” Nora considered it for a moment then tilted her head, perplexed. “That’s where you were going to move in with Cora, right?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s where–”
“I know. I just,” Ryan sighs. “I just really want to see my mom again.”
Nora smiles softly. “I can do that.”
–❤️🦇⚡–
Ryan walked into the apartment expecting to see the rundown, trash filled space where tragedy befell her before. However, the apartment was fully transformed now. Their furniture and decor graced the area and her mama’s plants were thriving on their balcony. The whole apartment smelled of cinnamon and banana pancakes. To top it all off, she could hear her mama humming. Ryan walked hesitantly towards the kitchen, afraid that she would wake up any moment. All of that was forgotten the moment she saw her mama standing in front of the stove.
“I can feel you watching me.” Cora says with a laugh. “C’mon sunshine and help me finish up breakfast.” At the sound of her nickname, Ryan started crying. Hearing sniffling, Cora turned around and saw the tears streaming down Ryan’s face. “Ryan, why are you crying, sweetheart? Are you hurt?” Cora walked over and took her face in her hands. Ryan shook her head and smiled.
“I just missed you so much. ”
“Aww, I missed you too, sweetie.” She wrapped Ryan in a tight hug. “But I didn’t go anywhere. I’m always right here.” She placed a hand over Ryan's heart. “Now, I made your favorite. I even picked up some of that vanilla oat milk you like so much. Are you ready to eat?”
Ryan nodded and smiled while a new set of tears threatened to spill over. “Yeah, I am.”
–❤️🦇⚡–
Time passed too quickly with Cora and before Ryan could think to do anything about it, they had ate, laughed, talked, watched a movie, and Ryan could barely keep her eyes open.
“I don’t want to go to sleep. I want to stay up with you.”
“I know, baby. But it's clear you’re tired, and I’ll always be there.”
Ryan didn’t mean to pout, but the thought of missing out on any time with Cora was the last thing she wanted to do. Her mama just laughed knowingly.
“Do you remember why I call you Sunshine?”
“Because I’m hot.”
Cora sucked her teeth and lightly pushed Ryan. “No, silly. It's because you are a light, Ryan Wilder.” She took Ryan’s hand. “But even lights burn out. Especially when they’re so busy keeping the darkness away from everyone else.”
“I know, mama. But–”
“But nothing, child. You are going to rest because you are safe, you deserve it, and I said so. Now, come on.” Cora patted her lap and motioned for Ryan to lay down. Ryan considered protesting again, but decided to give in and lay down. “That’s my sunshine.”
Soon, Ryan was being lulled to sleep by Cora massaging her scalp and humming the same tune she had been humming in the kitchen.
–❤️🦇⚡–
She woke up at the loft feeling refreshed. Hearing her wake up, Nora got up from where she was sitting on the couch and walked over to her.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m ok. Where’s my mama?”
“I’m sorry, I had to pull you out of the immersion.”
“What? Why?”
“I had to get some help from the Still force and the Sage force in order to immerse you into that moment instead of just having you observe it. Unfortunately, they can't maintain it forever.”
Nora’s phrasing catches her attention. Forever? “How long have I been here?”
“You have been asleep for about 10 hours.” She says matter-a-factly. “However, on your earth, I believe you have been missing for a couple of days. But I can’t be sure since time passes differently here.”
“Days?! Is no one looking for me?”
“Don’t worry. They are, and your team is working around the clock to get you back. They will find you soon enough.” Nora could still sense Ryan’s worry and got an idea. “How about we take another trip down memory lane. What’s a memory you’ve always wanted to revisit?”
Ryan wanted to press Nora for more answers as to how to get out and when she would be found, but she knew the woman would provide no concrete answers. Plus, the thought of reliving a memory was really appealing. She thought for a moment and then something came to her. She tried and failed to contain the smile that was spreading across her face.
“Ooh I see you blushing. It must be a good one.”
“I want to go back to see Sophie and I’s first official date.”
–❤️🦇⚡–
Ryan and Nora stood outside of the door to the loft. Excited to experience what was waiting for her on the other side of the door, Ryan reached for the door handle. However, her hand only drifted through.
“This isn’t an immersion, remember. We are merely outside observers.”
“So how do we get inside?”
“Well, we’re accessing your memory. So I guess we have to wait for you to be inside.” Nora could feel the questions bubbling up in Ryan’s mind. “Don’t think about the logic too hard. It’ll just confuse you more.”
Ryan was about to respond when she saw herself walking up to the door. Unlike seeing Red Death, it was clear that this was really her. From the flannel tied loosely around her waist to the exhaustion dragging down her shoulders.
“We were in the middle of a huge merger at Wayne and an old underground gang had begun resurfacing.” Ryan whispered to Nora. Not that she needed to explain considering the Speed Force was aware of all of those events. They watched as Ryan fumbled with the key before finally getting it in the lock and opening the door. As soon as she stepped in, it was like they were transported to a different place.
The lights were low and there was soft music coming from further into the loft. “Sophie. Is that you?”
“I’m in here.” Sophie called from the kitchen.
“What are you doing here? I thought you said you had an emergency come up.”
“This is an emergency. We have been a thing for…” Sophie paused and pretended to think about it. “Two months, 1 week, and 3 days, and I still haven’t bought you dinner.”
“Aww, babe. I appreciate it, but I’m so tired. I can't even think about going out.”
“Which is why I brought dinner to you.” Sophie went to the kitchen and pulled out the container warming in the oven. “I went to that food truck that sells those vegan wings. I got you your favorite.”
Both Ryans’ faces split into wide grins. The Ryan that was actually in the moment went over and pulled her girlfriend into a passionate kiss. Even Nora felt the urge to look away from the private moment. Eventually they pulled apart to take a breath.
“You are the best.” Ryan said before pulling Sophie in for another kiss.
“I was gonna tell her I loved her.” Ryan said, smiling fondly at the scene unfolding in front of her and Nora.
Nora was about to tell her that she knew and how it would’ve gone if she did, but she felt a rush of sadness coming from the other woman. “You’re distressed.”
Ryan nodded and released a sad sigh. “As amazing as this has been, I need to get back home. My real home, so I can stop Red Death before she hurts someone. So I can get back to protecting Gotham.”
“And?”
“And tell my team how much I love them.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? Like I can go?”
“Yeah. You’ve rested, gotten some closure, and been reminded of happy memories. Don’t tell him I told you, but that took Barry three times. I don’t see why you wouldn't be able to go back.”
Ryan chose to ignore the part about Barry, for now. “Ok, How do I get out of here?”
“You don’t.” Ryan looked at her confused once again. “Sorry. I tend to be very literal. What I mean is you can’t get yourself out of here. But they can.” She nods over to the stairs leading down to the Hold Up.
Just then, Ryan saw the pulsating blue light emitting from the bottom floor. She looked back at Nora for confirmation. The woman only smiled and gestured for her to go.
“Thank you, for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck, Ryan Wilder. Oh, and remember, the forces are on your side.”
Ryan wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but the thought of being able to go home was too tempting to spend another second asking questions. She walked into the blue light and again, everything went black.
–❤️🦇⚡–