CHAPTER THREE: The Declaration to End Optimism

A second passed, as Bart's brain took a moment for the world to catch up with his thoughts. This, Greta thought, this is Kid Flash.

The Impulse she knew would never have taken a moment to think. Even it was just a moment.

"It is-" Bart looked her up and down, and slowly lowered his hand from his comms, "it is you, right?"

Greta's tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth, and as her throat dried, she could feel the cool airconditioning on her tonsils. Her entire body was frozen; her arm was still raised and outstretched from where she had thrown the conference phone, despite how her muscles screamed to be let down again as the weight of holding it up became unbearable. Though her hair had grown out long, she could feel the baby hairs on the back of her neck jolt to attention light the lightning bolts adorning the yellow and red costume in front of her. She could feel tears stinging in the back of her eyes, from not blinking, and from the crushing and seizing feeling in her chest, as her heart began to pound against her ribs in a manic bid for escape. It was safe to say that Greta had perhaps never been more intimately aware of her bodily functions as she had been now. Which was to say that she had never felt more alive.

It was horrible.

"Suze?" Bart asked again, uncertainty creeping into his tone, "Greta?" Her name sounded alien on his tongue, "are you okay? You look like you've seen a-" Bart caught himself and a coy smile began to tug at his lips. Slowly, tentatively, stretching his face into a coy grin.

The clock marked the seconds as they passed. Each one dragged on forever, and Greta felt as though minutes were passing as she stayed trapped there. Until, finally, the spell over her broke, and she stumbled back. Her weak knees all but collapsed as she staggered backward. In the blink of an eye - less than a blink - Bart had swept a chair from across the room and moved it behind her. The edge of the seat bumped into the back of her knees and Greta collapsed into it, breathless. Bart reappeared in front of her, crouched and staring - almost unblinking - with reverie.

"Why..." She began to say before the dryness in her throat caught back up with her. Greta swallowed, still unable to tear her eyes away from him - or from her own mortified visage in the reflection of his goggles, "why are you here?"

"Robin called us."

"Robin told you I was here?"

"No, he didn't say anything. Cass- Wonder Girl told me to go ahead, scout area. And I found you." Bart's face fell into another smile - more hesitantly, this time. For all of his naivete, it seemed even he could see that Greta was not as thrilled as he initially thought. "What are you doing here?"

"I... You really don't know what's going on?" Greta furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at him, "Robin didn't tell you?"

"Come on Suze, when does he tell us anything?" Bart lifted one hand to hold the edge of the chair as Greta fell forward with her elbows on her knees. "Tell me," his voice was barely above a whisper, "tell me what's happened. I'm Kid Flash now, Suze, I'm here to help."

Greta had felt herself being pulled in by his words, felt herself getting lost in his eyes - despite the crimson goggles that masked their verdant hues. She had been looking past the sharp lines of his jaw and the aging in his face, and the gaudy yellow suit. For a moment he had been the boy she knew, he had been hers. But then, all too quickly, Bart reminded her that he wasn't that boy anymore. He wasn't even that guy anymore. Greta pushed herself and the chair out of his grip, and awkwardly slammed into the table.

Bart pulled his and back towards him and watched from the floor as she stood and moved away from him and towards the other side of the room. He could have followed her in a heartbeat, beaten her to whatever spot she was racing towards if he really wanted to, but instead he remained crouched on the floor. Until Greta disappeared from his eye line and he rose to his full height to watch the reflection of her face in the window. He furrowed his brows as she stared down at the police cars below. What had he done? What was it he said? His mind spun in circles as he tried to work through the mire of confusion. This was his Suzie - sure, she had nearly killed them all in a Darkseid-and-insecurity filled rage... but had they really left on such bad terms?

He hadn't seen her in so long... Why didn't she want to see him?

"There are people downstairs that need your help." She said and swallowed the lump in her throat, "It's the Riddler, he's got all the guests held hostage downstairs."

"Then why are you up here?"

"Maybe I was his accomplice."

"That's not funny." Bart put his hands on the table and tapped his fingers against the coated wood. He was starting to get frustrated with all this - this talking. So many words and nothing was happening. Nothing was being done. Suzie was standing right in front of him and he hadn't even given her the biggest hug - he hadn't even touched her, even after he spent so long being unable to. He was having to hold himself back, and he didn't know why. "You're not the bad guy."

Greta felt the words pierce through her back and lodge themselves into her. "Aren't I?" That's not what you thought five years ago.

"No. How can you be? You're Suzie."

She paused for a moment, looking up from the police cars down below to catch Bart's eye in the window reflection, "no," she said, "I'm Greta. Greta Hayes"

Bart's furrowed eyebrows became deeper, pushing against the lenses of his goggles, "What're you trying to say?"

"You should go," Greta clenched her fist at her side and stared directly forward from the window, "you've done it, you've saved me. Now go and scout the rest of the place out help Robin."

"You think I'm gonna leave you here?"

"You should go before Wonder Girl turns up, she'll want to get right into the helping people thing."

"She'll have Super Boy for that."

"Kon's coming too?" Greta shook her head slowly, slowly looking up to the ceiling and blinking.

"Why are you trying to push us away?" Bart zipped around the table and rested against it, awkwardly hovering just beyond Greta's personal space, though he was desperate to get into it, "we're your friends."

"Are you?" Her voice cracked and she continued to stare up at the ceiling, "were you?"

Bart opened his mouth to reply when Wonder Girl's voice blurted through his earpiece, "Kid Flash, are you there? Are you still with Suzie?" He lifted his hand to his ear and pushed down with a subtle click, engaging the microphone,

"We're here."

"What's happening down there? Have you found Robin? Super Boy and I are on our way now."

"No Robin yet," Bart replied, "get here soon though, I'm-"

He fell into silence as the black TV screen that had been mounted on the wall burst into life. The Riddler's face filled the screen from where he had been standing on the stage downstairs, "good-evening Gotham!" Bart and Greta turned to look at it. She could see him staring at the screen in a way he had never done when they were kids. He was analysing every frame - or at least, he was trying to.

"As you all know," the TV continued, "I am the Riddler - the greatest mind on the planet! I'm coming to you tonight from the Elizabeth Arkham Foundation celebration dinner, hosted by everyone's favourite Department of Extranormal Operations." Greta stole a glance at Bart as the penny dropped, and Dr Charles appeared in the corner of the screen. He had been hoisted into an elaborate trap, with an eerily familiar glass-like cage surrounding him. "But did you know - I mean, of course, you didn't - that the DEO is not all it appears to be?"

"Suzie... what's going on?" Bart whispered, his eyes transfixed on the television.

"And you all know how deeply I abhor secrets - or well, no, I love them! And so, tonight's is a test of knowledge. My challenge to any, and all, of the little heroes rushing to help the best and brightest of Gotham is a game of wits and a meeting of the minds. Are you scared, Dork Knight?" The Riddler through his head back and laughed, "to free the so-called 'smartest man in the DEO', you'll need to beat my game and answer my questions correctly. For any hero that doesn't play the game, I'll kill a hostage. If someone is feeling bold enough to try their hand at proving they more about the extranormal operations and you lose, well..." He leaned into the camera and grinned wide enough to see the yellow staining at the edge of his teeth, "I'll kill Dr Charles."

"Wonder Girl," Bart spoke into him comms again, "are you hearing this?"

"Loud and clear, Kid Flash," Cassie replied.

"See you soon, Dork Knight!" The Riddler turned away from the camera before he stopped again. He didn't even bother to look over his shoulder before adding, "and it really ought to be soon... If no one is brave or smart enough to challenge me before midnight, well, I'll just kill everyone!"