Chapter 4

Wally rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet as he waited in line at the unemployment office of Gotham. It had been nearly a month since he and Bruce had arrived in this other world and it was only a few days ago that Wally had decided to begin actively searching for a job. Not only would it keep him busy during the day (although, admittedly, it was in his nature to rather be playing video games) but it would also let him get to know the people of the city he was going to be protecting. He had wanted to zip to Central City to see what condition it was in, but Alfred had advised him against it, saying that it would only cause him emotional harm and that if he really wanted to make a difference in this world, he would have to start one city at a time. This made Wally incredibly nervous that his town was just as bad as Gotham was.

The line moved forward a few inches. Wally tapped his foot impatiently. He knew he was being rude, but the line was just so long and he was used to moving so quickly through life, although the situation at hand had forced him to slow down and come to terms with many things. Bruce himself, was laying low as Batman. He hadn't made a real public appearance, as to not give any suspicion that the return of Bruce Wayne was too coincidental to the sudden existence of a giant crime-fighting bat. But in order to keep up with his public persona, he had to be out all day as Bruce even though he was surveying the town all night to gather data on the crime rates in different areas of the city. Wally had begun to really miss his stoic friend. Usually whenever the redhead worried about something, he wasn't able to get much sleep. But it must have been the luxury of the expensive bed in the manor (or perhaps the detergent Alfred was using on his comforter- it was such a relaxing scent to wake up to) that allowed him to feel very rested in the morning.

A nasally voice disrupted his reverie. "West. Wally West." He looked up to see a plump woman with purple glasses giving him a very impatient look. He must have been out of it for quite a while to be at the front of the line already. Wally cheerfully walked up to Window 3.

"Wally West, at your service!" His grin was wide with enthusiasm. The woman's only response was to begin shuffling through his paperwork.

"...It says here you've graduated from Gotham High School... as president of the Food Club..?" She shot him a skeptical look over the rim of her glasses. Wally had to really try to keep his composure and not fall on the floor in hysterics. Of course he had no real public records here, so Alfred had them all forged. Wally hadn't bothered to look at the details before handing them in.

"Uh, heck yeah I was!" He gave the best "proud" face he could muster. The woman only sneered at him before returning to the paperwork. Wally felt nervous. He definitely should have read the documents beforehand.

"I see you have a degree in forensics from Gotham University... where you are captain of the 'Science Fiction Babes' Club." She snorted, then began typing data into her computer. Wally was horrified. Apparently Jeeves had quite the sense of humor...

"This must be the place..." Wally squinted up at the sign of the towering building before him. He had been hoping to get assigned to the Gotham Police Department as a forensic investigator, as he was in Central City before, but instead was assigned as a private forensic scientist to a seemingly giant corporation. He hadn't complained though, because a job was a job and he wanted to do as much good as possible for both the citizens and his friend. As Wally entered the XelTech building, he gave the friendliest air possible. The woman at the counter, a thin red-headed woman with coke-bottle glasses, was answering what looked like 6 different phones that were ringing off the hook. After putting all the lines on hold, she looked up at Wally and said, "Yes?"

"Hello, ma'am. I'm here for an appointment with the hiring manager for the open position-"

"Floor 5, Room 2." She spoke quickly, while hurriedly typing data into a computer in front of her.

"Oh...kay. Thanks." Wally smiled warmly at her, before walking towards the elevator. After pressing the service button, he looked back over his shoulder to see she had already answered another line. He hated seeing people so stressed out... he thought about the dark circles that often adorned Bruce's eyes... those times where he just wanted to reach out to- DING. The elevator's arrival had caused Wally to jump in surprise. He looked around, embarrassed, to see if anyone saw and was glad that no one did.

The elevator's music was strangely soothing, he found. Wally felt himself lean back against a wall, feeling utterly relaxed. His eyelids fluttered, as he longed for a nap. Man, if only that lady at the counter could just stay in here for an hour or so... DING. He had jumped in surprise again. Red stained his cheeks as he stepped out, and wondered if he was getting sick. Once the elevator doors closed, he started feeling better.

"Ugh, that was super weird..." Wally rubbed his head a bit and looked around. "...Now what room was it again? Room 5? At least I think she said 5..."

Upon finding room 5, he knocked and waited. No one answered, so he tried knocking again. "Hello? Is anyone home? I'm here for the interview..." Still no answer. He checked the door handle, and it was unlocked, so he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Ahead of him, he saw someone sitting in a very large swivel chair that probably cost more than his entire month's food budget. He walked forward shyly, hoping the person would notice him soon. The figure was bent over, busily, as though he was writing something important or maybe even sending text messages on his phone. When Wally reached the table, the man finally looked up, but it wasn't what the redhead had expected. There was a large syringe sticking out of the man's right arm. When their eyes locked, he felt a sense of fear well within him. His eyes were cold and harrowed, filled with rage at the interruption. The man's upper lip was twitching, as though he were a rabid dog.

"W-woah, man. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Wally's apology was cut short as the other man stood up. He slammed his left hand on the desktop and reached over to grab Wally by the throat, pulling their faces inches apart.

"Who the fuck sent you, you little shit?" The man's voice was a deep growl, almost familiar.

"KCHT-" Wally had one eye squeezed shut in pain, as he grasped at the man's trunk-like arm. He was sure he could get himself out of this, but that would reveal his secret. It was beginning to seem worth it as his lungs burned for air. Just as he was about to give in, the larger man let go and Wally fell to the floor. He sputtered and coughed for air, while reaching up to delicately touch his neck.

Before he could even regain his breath, the other man was towering over him. "I'll give you 5 seconds to answer me, before I assume the worst and end this pathetic game."

"...I wasn't... by anyone... here for an interview... got lost." Wally struggled out, his voice hoarse. The man crouched down to stare Wally in the eyes. Wally attempted to keep his composure and just stared back, his breathing still labored.

"Hmm... your eyes don't seem like the lying type. I believe you." He reached out to gently drag his fingers along the forming bruises on Wally's neck. His hand then traveled to grip Wally's jaw and tilted his head in an examining manner. "Hmm... you did see me taking my... medicine. That is a very big problem, Red." The man leaned in close as he had before, their noses almost touching. The man's face... his jawline and nose, even his hairstyle reminded him so much of Bruce. Wally felt his face flush. The man's scowl slowly became a grin. "An interview, hmm? For what? Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. This will be your interview now. Since you saw me, but I believe you when you say it was accidental, I don't want to punish you. However, I do want to keep my eye on you. I'm in need of a new assistant since my last one was... relieved of duty. You can start tomorrow. Be here at 9 am sharp." The man stood up and walked back to his chair. "And I don't like to be kept waiting, Mr..."

Wally stood up, shakily. This guy was clearly insane. But he did need a job, and maybe he could do some sleuthing while being here, since the place seemed pretty suspicious. "West. Wally West..." His voice still sounded shot, but he managed to force a smile.

"Ah, yes. Wally." The man watched him from under half-lidded eyes with a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth. "And I'm the president of XelTech. Brent Xel." Wally just nodded, the pain in his neck still strong. "See you tomorrow, Red."

When Wally returned to the manor, he immediately went to the kitchen for some food. Alfred was already there, cooking dinner. Wally inhaled deeply, a smile on his face. "Mm, smells delish, Jeeves!"

"Ah, good evening Master Wallace. How was the job hunting?" Alfred turned to face him and gasped. "Oh good heavens, what happened?" The butler had already ran over to examine Wally's neck. "It looks as though you were strangled!" Wally laughed a bit.

"Yeah... it was kind of a crazy day. I think I may have been hired by a super villain. Or maybe he was just nuts in general." Alfred had already started applying a pain-relieving cream and bandages.

"We should take an x-ray to make sure it's nothing serious, sir." He had finished wrapping Wally's neck and proceeded to push him towards the clock entrance of the Bat Cave. Wally protested.

"No, Jeeves, really, I'm fine! I think I'm just going to go get some rest, you know. Sleep it off. I've been through way worse, trust me." Alfred put his hands on his hips and Wally knew he was about to go into lecture mode. He zipped up the stairs in an instant. "I'll be fiiiineeeeee!" Wally closed the door to his room and gave a great sigh. After kicking off his shoes and stripping down to his Fozzie Bear boxers, he plopped into bed, feeling exhausted. He wondered when he would see Bruce. He wanted to talk to him about what his plans were and ask him tips on infiltrating the enemy. Cool spy stuff like that. He was the master detective after all.

As he drifted to sleep, his mind recalled when he and Dick were just kids. It took Dick so much pleading to allow Wally to stay over. At the time, he though Bats was just paranoid, but now that he thought about it, it was to protect himself and his family from anyone that could possibly pose a security threat. Now he was allowed to stay here by himself if no one else was home.

He wondered if it was because Bruce trusted him, or because he felt obligated to due to the situation. Whatever it was, it made him feel light and happy. Just like when he and Dick had fallen asleep watching a Power Rangers marathon. Bats had come home, exhausted from a night of fighting crime, yet he still carried both boys upstairs to their beds. Wally had awoken during it, but kept completely quiet. After he had tucked them both in, he bent down to kiss Dick on the forehead, before leaving the room. Wally knew then that all the rumors he had heard from the other adults about Bats just adopting Dick because he needed a successor were wrong. He really cared about him, like a son. His last thought was that he hoped one day he'd feel that sense of warmth again, even if it were from afar.

"Wally. Wally, wake up." Wally's eyebrows knit together in annoyance.

"Mrrrph."

"Wally..." He felt fingers gently brush his hair. With a groan, he forced his eyes open. It took a few seconds for them to adjust to the darkness of his room. Bruce was sitting at the edge of his bed, his arm on Wally's bicep. Wally closed his eyes again, smiling. Such a nice dream... "Wally. Wake up. I want to know what happened to you."

It took a few moments, but he finally registered that it indeed wasn't a dream, and shot up into a sitting position. The quick movement caused a severe pain in his neck and he reached up to rub it. "Ow... jeez, Bats. Do you do this to all your house guests?" His grin quickly faded as he saw the serious look on Bruce's face.

"What happened to you today? Did someone hurt you?" Wally blinked for a moment, before feeling guilty about worrying him.

"Oh, uh. It's no big deal. I went out for a job interview as a forensic scientist at this company. I ended up feeling kind of sick when I got there, so I accidentally went into the wrong room." He cleared his throat a bit. "And there was this guy... he was shooting up at his desk. I don't know what kind of drug, but he was super pissed when he saw me there. Maybe it was steroids, or something... but he grabbed me by the throat and asked who sent me. I figured he must be a drug lord or something..."

"He tried to kill you?" Bruce's expression was becoming darker.

"No, no... well, he might have, but I told him that I was just lost. So he said that he wanted to keep an eye on me and offered me to be his assistant." Wally felt stupid saying this. Like he was some helpless person that was being interrogated by the police. "I uh, I accepted it. He seemed super suspicious, so I figured that I could do some spy work and see what's really going on there..."

"What was this company's name? What do they do?" Bruce leaned in closer, curious, as all great detectives are.

"Uh... it was called.. Xem.. no, Xel.. Yeah. XelTech. I don't really know what they do... I never thought to ask.." He grinned, feeling even more foolish.

"XelTech. Owned by the Xel family. Probably the most powerful family in this Gotham, according to what I've dug up recently. They're a huge manufacturer of smart mp3 players."

"Oh, you mean the cool ones with the touch screens and Angry Birds?" Wally made a flicking gesture.

"Exactly. They also have their own record label. A few of their artists are on Gotham's Top Ten Hits List. I was going to do more research..." He paused, before averting his gaze elsewhere. Wally touched Bruce's arm.

"Bats? Hey, you okay?" He wondered if the stress was getting to him.

"I should be asking you that. You were injured today and I just went off on my own tangent, like it didn't even matter." Wally leaned in closer to examine Bruce's face. He looked so tired. Wally could only guess how many hours of sleep he had gotten in the past week.

"Hey, it's okay." Wally grinned wholeheartedly. "We're the good guys, remember? To help other people we gotta get hurt sometimes."

"It's NOT okay." Bruce snapped. "I don't think you going there is a good idea." Wally glared at him.

"You can't tell me what to do, you know. I'm not your ward. I'm not a Robin. I've been the Flash for quite a while now and I never needed a sidekick or a hand out. Do you expect me to stay here all day and night while you go out and do everything by yourself?" As his voice raised, it cracked a bit.

Bruce said nothing. The silence felt like an eternity to Wally. Something inside of him felt horrible for yelling the way he did. "...Hey, Bats, I didn't mean-" Bruce had already stood.

"...You better not get yourself killed." He walked out of the room before the other could reply. Wally remained there, his heart feeling as though it had sunk into his stomach. After what felt like hours, he finally laid back down and closed his eyes, pulling the covers up over his head to hide him from the room's icy atmosphere.

Author's Note:

I am soooooo sorry that this took so long to update. I had so much going on in my life that I just couldn't find the time to write! I have a pretty set schedule now, so I hope that I will be able to update regularly. Thanks so much to those who have read and reviewed. I really feel motivated to continue whenever I read them. You guys are all so great! :]