Disclaimer: DC owns the DCU. Impulse created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo.

Reset! Chapter Nineteen: Subliminal

Cissie fidgeted on the couch in the parked spaceship. She lost count of how many rounds she played solo in Brawler. Deciding that the others had been gone for far too long, she picked up her cellphone and called Cassie. When all she got was the voicemail, she looked at the blond boy sitting on the other side of the room. "Inertia, you haven't said anything since they left."

His voice matched the annoyed expression on his face. "My name is Thaddeus. Thaddeus Thawne. What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Something. Anything." She got up and examined the monitor station. "They've been gone for a while. Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"Yes," he answered. He endured a long silence while Cissie stared at him. He glared back at her. "What?"

"Shouldn't we try to check up on them?"

"Why? They went after White Lightning. I've taken her out with one hit before." Thad stared at the ceiling. "They probably got distracted with by something shiny." Suddenly, he felt dizzy and leaned forward to rest his head between his knees.

"Thaddeus?"

He lifted his head to see Cissie quickly cross the room. "How did you get so fast?"

"Fast?"

It was then that he realized that the familiar hum that flowed through his veins was gone, leaving behind a cold hollowness. His stomach clenched and his blood chilled. "You didn't speed up. I slowed down!" He bolted to his feet, staring at his hands. "I can't vibrate. I can't..." He turned to Cissie with wide eyes. "There was something wrong with the Speed Force!"

"That's what gives you and Bart your powers, riiiii..." Her words slowed down to a crawl and Thaddeus discovered that he felt whole again. A quick vibration proved that could move just as he was used to.

He waited for her to finish that last syllable. "It's back. Whatever happened, it's back." Glancing at the monitor station, he added, "I'm going to go contact Bart. I need to know if this happened to him, too." He paused in midstep and furrowed his brow. "How do I contact him from here?" Approaching the monitor station, he surveyed the controls. "From this?"

Cissie held up her phone. "This is all I know of and Cassie's not answering." She scrolled through her contact list. "I'll try it again."

Just before the call went to voicemail, Bart's voice answered. "Hello?"

Cissie let go of the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "Bart? Are you okay?"

In an eyeblink, Thad darted to Cissie and tried to listen in on the call. "Did his speed cut out? Ask him!"

Turning up the volume on the phone, they listened to Bart's answer. "Yeah! And then it came back and I snapped out it! Guys! There's this lady who does mind control here and she got White Lightning and then she got us! I got free, 'cause my speed coming back reset me or something. Then Cassie's phone rang and I grabbed it and ran away, 'cause I wanted to call you guys. Who's Ralph?"

It took a moment for Cissie to process the fast deluge of words. "Ralph? I don't know. Why are you asking?"

"'Cause that's who the phone said was calling."

Cissie's eyes widened and she grinned sheepishly. "Oh! That! That's me. That's a name I tried on during one of my weird phases."

A stereo reply from both speedsters disoriented her. "Ralph?"

"Yeah. Weird phase," Cissie dismissed. "So, what about the others? Are they in trouble?"

"Yeah," Bart answered, "She's got 'em just hanging around in this dirty old apartment. I don't think she knows what to do with us yet. Her henchies are mind controlled too, I think, 'cause they have the same bored look that the others have."

Thad broke into the conversation. "Who is she?"

"I dunno. I've never seen her before. She said that she was thinking of calling herself Subliminal, but she's not sure of it yet." Bart paused, and then remarked, "She likes to talk to people that don't talk back. Maybe it's just a bad guy thing. Do you think she's lonely? Maybe she needs a puppy."

Cissie shared an exasperated glance with Thad. "Nevermind that, Bart. You have to snap the others out of whatever hold she has them in!"

"How do I do that?"

This time, it was Thad who answered, "Knock out the one controlling them! Start there! If they don't immediately recover, then you won't have to deal with her trying to recapture you! Moron! Can't you come up with something that simple?"

Bart's voice carried an offended tone. "You don't have to get mean about it! Okay, I'm going!" Before he hung up, they heard him mutter, "I wish I had pockets."

Impulse jammed the cellphone under the wriststraps of his left glove and oriented on the apartment. "Okay, Max. Don't let the Speed Force glitch out on me. 'Cause that would be really doubleplus ungood." He raced back to the sparsely furnished apartment and charged Subliminal. Suddenly, the world sped up around him and she decked him first. Shocked, Impulse stared at her. Dark-haired, dark-eyed, and dark-skinned, she had a smile that said that she was very pleased with herself. Realizing the trouble he was in, Impulse squeezed his eyes shut and waited for her to make her move.

Moments later, he heard her snap, "Open your eyes, already!"

He wasn't mind controlled yet? He started to open one eye, and then closed it tight again. Shaking his head, he answered, "Don't wanna."

Subliminal's tone was irate. "What's with that answer? What are you? Three? Open your eyes and face me like a man!"

Impulse briefly wondered how well she would get along with Thad and Wally. She certainly shared their like of yelling at him. "Nope! Not gonna!" When was his speed going to come back? He hated feeling gutted like this! "Waitasec. Why do you want me to open my eyes? Is that how your powers work?" He told a small step backwards, trying to remember the layout of the room. "Kinda... Kinda like in that story that Wondergirl told me? The lady with snakes for hair?" If he had a marker, he would black out his goggles. He really needed pockets or a utility belt like Robin's. That gave him an idea. Where was Robin in the room?

Subliminal's voice barked out orders. "You two, grab him and hold him still!"

Impulse turned his back on her and risked opening his eyes. Superboy and Robin were advancing on him. As soon as he focused on Robin's utility belt, they were in arm's reach. He ducked a grab by Superboy and grasped the trailing edge of Robin's cape. Popping back up, Impulse flipped Robin's cape over the Boy Wonder's head and reached for the utility belt. His fingers quickly traced a path to the clasp and he unfastened the belt from Robin's waist. Hoping to buy a little more time, he twisted Robin around, closed his eyes, and thrust the other boy into Kon's arms. Blindly, he ran towards the apartment door, choking down the panic that was twisting through his core.

"All of you, get him!" Subliminal sounded angry now. The floor shook with the footfalls of her horde.

Impulse couldn't keep his eyes closed any longer and he spotted the door. He lunged for it, only to discover that it was locked. Fumbling with the locks shaved away precious seconds he didn't have. He felt fingers slip along his costume as he bolted outside. Heart pounding, he sprinted away at what felt like a slug's pace. He could hear the thundering stampede chasing after him, telling him that he couldn't let up his pace for even a moment. He vaulted over fences and wove a zigzagging path through the town. Soon, the sounds of pursuit faded and he ducked behind a parked car to catch his breath. His hands shook as he investigated Robin's belt. "Smoke pellets!" he whispered to himself, "Give me smoke pellets!" He found a couple different pouches with pellets, but he couldn't tell which kind was in each pouch. Still crouched, Impulse fastened Robin's belt around his own waist and grinned. "I'm Batman!" he snickered to himself. He knew that this was not the time for jokes, but it made him feel better.

He wound through a route back to Subliminal's apartment base without crossing his own path. It took a while, but he made it back without seeing or hearing anything of her lackeys or his hijacked friends. Just outside the door, he put a few pellets into his hand and squeezed his eyes shut. Bolting inside, he counted long strides, intending to stop in the middle of the main living space. He heard Subliminal give the order to her returned drones to grab him again. This time, there was almost no time between the order and the hands clamping down on him. Impulse threw down the pellets and the bright flash of light was apparent even behind his eyelids. Those weren't the smoke pellets. Hearing groans of pain and murmurs of confusion around him accompany his release, he reached for the other pouch and threw the other pellets to the floor. This time he was rewarded with the scent of obscuring smoke.

Now he opened his eyes and oriented on Subliminal. "Knock the bad lady out!" he shouted to his friends.

It was White Lightning's voice that answered in the fog, "Glad to, sweetie." She slammed a strike against Subliminal's head. "You ain't nothin' like your mama," she snarled as Subliminal slumped to the floor, "Your mama didn't go stabbin' people in the back when they asked for help." She turned to the dazed henchmen. "Y'all get outta here! Get!" The confused men left the apartment and White Lightning turned to Young Justice. "And I suggest that she gets turned over to the authorities before she comes to." Wondergirl stepped up to the task and flew out of the apartment with the unconscious Subliminal in her arms.

Impulse approached White Lightning and blocked her exit. "What happened?"

"Oh, I was lookin' for an old friend and found her good-for-nothin' daughter instead," she drawled, "Don't know what happened to her mama. She never said. I almost don't wanna know." She sighed and pushed her voluminous hair away from her face. "So, now what? You gonna take me in?"

Impulse shook his head. "Not your fault this time. You were being controlled."

White Lightning tousled his hair and pecked a kiss on his forehead. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

"You be good, too, okay?"

As she sauntered away, Robin tapped Impulse's shoulder. "Belt."

"But I'm Batman!" Impulse grinned, sticking his index fingers up alongside the top of his head in imitation of bat ears. When Robin put on a stern expression and held out his hand, Impulse sighed and took the utility belt off. "Okay." He handed the belt over to its rightful owner.

Superboy watched White Lightning until she disappeared from view. "It is so not fair that you get to have her as an opponent."

"So, how does she operate?" Robin asked, "She's always getting away."

"Mind control," Impulse answered, "But hers doesn't work real good on me."

Kon grimaced and buried his fingers in his hair. "Bart, please, please, please tell me that the signature superpower here in the south is not mind control!"

"Um, it's not mind control?" Bart shrugged, "I guess. I dunno." He shrugged again.

"Ugh, first Gilly, and now this Subliminal chick," Kon muttered as he hovered away. "At least this one was smokin' hot and, as long as she didn't have a ragin' case of halitosis, I wouldn't mind making out with her."

Robin shook his head and strode towards the exit. "Why am I not surprised?" He gestured towards the door. "Ready to head back to the ship?"

Impulse drooped his head. "Kon, can you give me a lift too? My speed's gone."

Back in the ship, Thad and Cissie waited on the couch. Cissie paused with a can of soda halfway to her lips. "Are you serious? Your grandfather did all of that? Here I thought my mom was nuts. Why would he do that to his own grandsons? His own daughter?"

Thad shrugged, "I wish I could comprehend it, but only now is it striking me as abnormal."

She set the soda down. "I never knew much about Bart's family, just that he lived with Max and that the Flash was his cousin. He never really talked about it. At least my mother wanted me to help people and take care of myself, crazy as she was. Y'know, we could form our own support group out of this." Then she grinned, "But then again, I guess that's what Young Justice is anyways." Cissie's grin faded and she sighed. "I hope they're okay."

"My speed hasn't returned yet," Thad noted, "Bart should be having some difficulties."

Cissie jumped when her phone rang. "Cassie!" she answered, "Is everything all right?"

"We're fine," Cassie replied, "We're on our way back. Bart's speed is gone, though."

"Yeah, Thad's having the same problem." In the background, past the crackling roar of rushing wind, she could barely hear Bart's shouted greeting. "He sounds okay, otherwise."

"He's a little bummed about it, but yeah, he's fine," Cassie reported back, "He'll probably want to tell you all about how he saved the day, Batman-style."

After Cissie hung up and pocketed her phone, she drew her knees up to her chest on the couch. "Well, I feel better now. Nobody's hurt." Thad harrumphed and stretched out on the couch. Raising an eyebrow, Cissie regarded him. "Glad to know you care so much for your brother."

"He's a nuisance," grumbled Thad.

"Not that I have much first hand experience, but that's what siblings generally are, from what I've heard."

Thad's expression shifted from grumpy to perplexed. "So, wanting to strangle Bart is normal?"

Cissie laughed. "Everyone's wanted to strangle Bart at one point or another. That's just him."

His eyes widened. "Oh."

She propped her chin up in her hand and grinned. "The way you said that made it sound like an epiphany."

"I spent most of my life in virtual reality isolation with a green blob as my only companion," Thad retorted, "I have a lot to catch up on." A sudden surge of energy crackled through him and time changed speed. He had to make an effort to speak slowly enough for Cissie to understand him. "My speed has returned. I wonder how long it will last this time?"

Listening to Cissie's voice drag out each sound was a little disheartening. He liked having a conversation at his speed. Now, he patiently waited and listened, putting together the spoken puzzle one piece at a time. When it was finally done, her words came to be, "Hopefully long enough for Bart to run me back to Elias. The next fastest is Kon and that's still a long time to be carried."

"I could carry you," Thad remarked before he realized what he said. Unfortunately, he spoke at a speed that was more comfortable for him.

"What was that?" Cissie asked.

Thad briefly considered making up something else. After all, why should he volunteer to play pack mule? "I could carry you," he slowly repeated, "If both of us transport everyone home, then there should be a reduced chance of someone being stranded in case of another speed outage."

Soon, the sound of an approaching conversation outside the open entry hatch heralded the return of the Young Justice crew. Bart flopped down on the curved passenger seat that was now the resident couch. "And on top of all of that, Max is staying in the Speed Force to do something and he won't tell me what!"

Thad tore his eyes away from Cissie and frowned. "Something about the way you said that suggests that you've spoken to Max since we last saw him."

Bart shrugged. "Kinda. I dunno if I'm really talking to Max or if it's just a dream. We're always in the backyard and the sky is always like it's sunset or something. Last night, he told me that I had to master stop if I wanted to master go. Whatever that means." He shrugged again and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Has he tried to talk to you?"

Shaking his head, Thad answered, "No, but I haven't been sleeping much, either."

"Well, make sure you get some sleep tonight, so he can pester you instead," Bart grumped, "You might like his Mysterious Zen Master act."

Cissie stood up and cleared her throat. "Not that I've been having fun hanging out with everyone, but with our rides having engine trouble, we should probably go home before they get hit with another outage."

Robin sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He turned to Bart, "I hope this clears up soon."

"Me too," Bart answered, "And you all send me emails and stuff, okay?"

Bart carried Robin back to Gotham, while Thad made good on his offer to ferry Cissie back to her dormitory. Kon and Cassie both took to the skies. Once the spaceship was emptied of anything perishable and locked up, Bart returned to Manchester. Even though Max was still gone, he still had Helen, his friends, and now a reluctant brother to come home to. As the sun set, it painted the Alabama sky in brilliant reds and golds, splashing color on the heavy clouds gathering on the horizon.

Helen stepped out the back door and called out to her wards, who were playing with Dox. "There's a storm coming, boys. Time to come in."

A/N: I'm thinking of ending the fic here and starting up the next part of this story in a different fic. This one is getting to that point where the length might be intimidating readers. Thanks to everyone who's read it and thanks to everyone who has commented!