Chapter 12

"This is Iris West-Allen, reporting to you live outside of the recently constructed Flash Museum. While this museum has been in the works for nearly a year, the construction has been sped up thanks to the unfortunate demise of Central City's Scarlet Speedster. The previous Flash's heroic sacrifice will and should be celebrated, as he is part of a very impressive legacy of speedsters which will only grow to this day"

Iris stood in front of the doors of the museum. She took in a deep breath for a couple of seconds, although only very few would know what was going on her mind. This museum brought back all kinds of memories for her, some of them amazing and many of the bitter sweet. To see that Barry received this tribute, well it was better late than never she guessed.

"Inside, we can see monuments where you will relieve some of the Flash's greatest battles, with some of his most vicious and colorful enemies. In fact…."

A small siren echoed from the distance which snapped Iris out of her thoughts. The civilians in the crowd screamed when an individual appeared in the distance. He dressed in a multi colored outfit, with bright colors shining all over the place. The colorful individual clutched some kind of remote control device.

James Jesse, better known as the Trickster, stepped into the picture.

"Well, well, well, we are paying tribute to the Flash!" he cheered. "And isn't it quite nice? But, there's one problem...and that's with my exhibit."

Jesse broke out into a sad smile and shook his head "tutting" loudly in the process.

"It's not up to scale," Trickster commented. "You should ask the ladies about that."

It was nothing new for Iris to witness one of the many Flash rogues commit some kind of daring robbery on camera. Although the Trickster appeared to relish in particular getting as many eyes on his crime as possible. Iris firmly locked her gaze on the crazed criminal. A small flash of light erupted against her eye.

Trickster turned his attention to one Scarlet Speedster who ran up the road. He just frowned when looking at her, and then Kid Flash followed.

"I'm all for equal rights for do-gooders, really I am," Trickster said. "But, you got to admit, the other guy had a lot more zap to his step...wouldn't you agree?"

While Iris watched on, filming the scene before her, Flash took a couple of steps before the colorful villain.

"You're off your meds again, Jesse."

"Oh, well they were making me feel down," Trickster nonchalantly responded. "Much like this city, it's going down."

The remote control device activated a large, but somewhat clunky drone. Kid Flash sped towards Jesse, only for the Trickster to unleash a rubber ball which blasted open and sent a sticky fluid all over the ground. The slime caught Whitney up and caused her to feel like she moved through cement.

"Oh, that was a big mistake, "Kid Flash groaned.

It took a couple of minutes to extract herself from the fluid which spilled on the ground, all while Trickster giggled in mirth, bouncing back and forth. With a giggle, Trickster turned his attention back to Flash.

In that drone, knowing the Trickster, that could have been some kind of bodily substance, or it could have been acid. Flash and Kid Flash did not wait around to find out.

Some kind of blur shot over the sky and Trickster's eyes widened. His mouth flew open as well, despite the fact that no words came out. It took a full minute before Trickster found his tongue.

"That's not a bird and it sure as hell wasn't a plane!" Trickster yelled.

The Trickster's drone had been busted by a swinging punch from above. Trickster's eyes widened, just a second before a lasso wrapped around his torso.

The distraction allowed Flash to jump in and tap him on the side of the neck with a lightning fast strike. Trickster slumped down to the ground, without too many problems, his legs folding out from underneath him.

Iris walked back from the scene as Trickster had been hauled back for some treatment and a well earned timeout. Whitney joined her, now out of costume. And the Speedster duo turned their attention towards Wondergirl and Superboy, or Donna and Harry, as they were known out of costume.

Everyone was out of harm's way. The civilians, despite being shaken up, they were not hurt. Which always made it a good day.

"We could have handled that," Whitney said.

"I know you could have, but we just sped things up a little bit," Harry said.

"It's not that often you get to drop that line on a speedster," Whitney said. "So this is…."

"Iris West-Allen, I know," Harry said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Iris gave Harry the once over and smiled brightly.

"Likewise," Iris said. "Claire's...brother...although I haven't spoken to her since she...got over her illness."

Given a couple of the rants Iris heard about Claire's attitude as of late, she did feel sorry for the woman once Lois got ahold of her. Although, after getting killed by that Doomsday monster and recovering, Claire had more than enough on her plate Yeah, Iris would not be forgetting that beast's rampage for a long time.

"So, how did you do it?" Harry asked her.

"I beg your pardon," Iris said.

Harry just broke into a knowing smile and leaned a little bit closer to Iris.

"You were on camera as your civilian identity while you were fighting the bad guy as Flash," Harry said.

"Oh, that was just a speed mirage that was on camera," Iris explained. "Speed mirages allow me to be at two places at once. Of course, you can't have them be around for too long, but...it's very tricky to pull off."

It was here that Donna turned her attention to Whitney.

"So can you do it?" Donna asked.

To mask her sadness, Whitney gave a slight snort.

"No, I'm not as good as Iris and I'm not as good as…."

Whitney stopped and sighed while leaning against the statue of the previous Flash. Barry Allen, the man who saved Central City, although he sacrificed his entire life to do so. Whitney wondered if she could match his speed, if things would have been difference.

"Well, I think that we should…." Iris said before she paused. "Actually, I've got to run….catch up with you all later...nice to meet both of you...maybe I'll stop by the cave when I have a chance…..but I've been busy, busy, busy."

Iris moved off and Harry figured that there was some kind of League business. He turned to Whitney who just responded with a puzzled shrug.

"Speedster thing," Whitney said.

The doors of Star Labs swung open. Thanks to recent events, it had undergone a few changes and the Central City branch at first, had only the barest minimum of people there. Most of the more involved projects had been moved over to Metropolis.

The first thing Harry noticed when he entered the room was an attractive brunette who was hunched over a table. She dressed in a lab coat, a black shirt, and jeans. She shifted from one portion of the lab to another. Harry noticed she had been carefully constructing some kind of formula.

"Wow, is that…."

The brunette turned to face the visitors and had been taken aback. She looked at the dark-haired young woman, the redhaired woman, and then her eyes rested on the handsome young man with the green eyes that she could be lost in for so long.

"You must have been the ones that Karen told me to expect," she commented. "And yes, this is a formula that would grant super speed, at least for a short time."

"But, wasn't it invented by some scientist during the war?" Whitney asked.

"Curtis Knox. He was accused of collaborating with the Nazis, along with his partner, Nathaniel Esse. Although, Essex was more interested in certain types of people."

"The Japanese got further along than the Germans on their super soldier formula," Harry muttered to himself.

"Yes, I know," the scientist replied. "Still, the Velocity 9 was interested, although recreating the formula is tricky. And it's extremely dangerous and highly addictive."

Whitney whipped her eyes over the formula, speedreading it. It could grant someone super speed or increase the super speed of someone who already had it. At least in theory.

"Oh, and I'm so rude, I haven't introduced myself," she said. "Jesse Chambers-Wells, at your service...and you are…."

"Donna Troy."

"Harry Kent."

"Whitney West...wait a minute, Wells?"

Donna giggled, Whitney was very quick on the uptake for a speedster. Obviously. Harry just gave her the side eye, so the Amazon Princess just stopped her amused laughter.

"Oh, your father was Harrison Wells, he was smart, a bit of a jerk and a bit conceited, but the guy knew his stuff, and he wrote a lot of papers. He's a legend, and he theorized that…."

Harry elbowed Whitney in the shoulder to gain her attention and make her see the look of discomfort that was on Jesse's face.

"But, he's gone and you're….I'm sorry to hear about your loss," Whitney said seriously. "He was more important to you as a father than he was with a scientist."

"Right," Jesse said adjusting her expression to a more business like tone. "I understand you're here to escort a truck….I'm surprised the League sent their...well they sent…."

"It's a simple job and we jumped on it," Harry said.

Jesse gave them a quizzical look. She was not sure it was simple, given what was on the truck. Regardless, she looked at the trio for a second.

"Getting the isotope to Star Labs A here to Star Labs B in Metropolis, it's a bit more than simple," Jesse said. "And I'm not going to lie...the sooner we get it out of here, the better."

She would have been more excited to be in the gaze of these three, Harry especially, if….well if they were not trying to transport something this dangerous out of this lab and to a more secure vault. And Jesse wanted it out of here sooner rather than later, too many memories.

Wondergirl, Superboy, and Kid Flash walked in to escort the truck. Wondergirl would take it from above, Kid Flash would run beside it, and Superboy would move ahead to meet them.

Instantly though, or to be precise, the moment the truck moved past the first checkpoint, Harry noticed that something was wrong. Something shifted in the shadows. Moving very swiftly, almost stalking them.

"Kid Flash, she's coming up beside you," Harry warned her.

It was very fast, whatever she was. Kid Flash dove out to catch the figure that sped at her, only for the figure to speed through her fingers and move towards the truck. And the figure, whatever she was, made some good time in doing it.

"I couldn't get her!" Whitney called over the headset. "She's as quick as cheetah…."

There was a long pause where Whitney managed to say something else, something that caused everyone on the call to gasp.

"She is a cheetah!"

Harry decided to turn around and break his point in the escort. He noticed her from coming on back, hovering a few inches off of the ground to get a look. This Cheetah Woman's eyes narrowed upon Donna joining her.

"Oh, Hera."

Donna's eyes widened, as she looked like she had seen a ghost. Cheetah got down on all fours and rushed her. Harry noticed that she had vibrant red-hair and was wearing clothes like she should be raiding tombs somewhere.

Cheetah and Wondergirl tusseled, with the other trying to gain leverage. Wondergirl squirmed on the ground, in a valiant attempt to try and break out of Cheetah's grasp. She punched and kicked away at the vicious woman.

On the truck, Jesse poked her head out of the passenger's side window. Jesse's eyes widened the second that this Cheetah woman sprinted towards her, after knocking Donna from a loop. The Cheetah woman scratched at the side.

"Stop the truck," she demanded.

Harry dove at Cheetah from behind and restrained her. The woman's body squirmed against his grip and she broke out with surprising strength and agility. Cheetah dropped down onto the ground, with the truck having skidded to a stop.

The driver looked extremely panicked for a second. Whitney pulled him out of harm's way and then did the same to Jesse.

Cheetah sunk her claws into Harry's face. He winced in agony, when the claws burned into his skin. It did not take much to think that it was magically enhanced.

Donna returned from her feet and rushed Cheetah from behind. Cheetah spun around and grabbed Donna by the throat.

"You will be a message to her for what she's done, "Cheetah growled.

Only for a beam of light to cut through the air and send Cheetah flying back. Wondergirl and Superboy teamed up to take Cheetah down to the ground, with Harry hitting her low and Donna striking from above. Whitney moved over and her eyes widened.

She was not sure that the truck being jostled around like that would be a good thing.

"I'm not leaving without the isotope!" Cheetah growled.

"How did she…."

A lasso entangled Cheetah before she could strike. Harry turned his attention to Donna, who stayed with her hands to her side and more importantly, her lasso in her belt.

Wonder Woman descended practically from the heavens and wiped Cheetah out with a double stomp directly impacted towards her face. Cheetah skidded down to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Wonder Woman murmured.

The Amazon Princess swiftly moved in a way which impressed everyone who witnesses her movements. A collar slapped on Cheetah's, and the woman gave an anguished howl. Diana put a hand on her shoulder and Cheetah slumped to the ground, out like a light.

The truck had to be returned back to the lab, while the League investigated the situation. Harry sat on the bench, feeling his wounds still on his face. Donna moved over to help clean them up a little bit.

"I forgot that Kryptonians can be affected by magic," she said.

A frown passed over Harry's face.

"Actually…."

"Normal people can as well," Diana added from the room as she handed Donna a cotton swab and a special extract from a bottle. "And those who have the ability to perform magic can be affected as well."

"Otherwise, all duels would be an eternal stalemate," Harry concluded. "I don't feel any weaker to magic...and her claws had a poison in them."

"Which you should have dropped from," Diana said. "Not that we wanted you to."

"No," Donna said darkly. "We didn't."

Harry had questions and he really hoped that Diana, Wonder Woman, she would be able to answer them. The Princess of the Amazons appeared to have some demons riding on her shoulder with her confrontation with Cheetah. Harry could tell off hand that there was some guilt, no matter how much this was not her fault.

"You couldn't have known it would happen, Diana," Donna firmly stated.

"Cheetah's my responsibility," Diana said.

"You knew her then?" Harry asked.

A very long and prominent sigh answered Harry's question. Diana bent down, checking his wounds a little bit more, but it was just so she could have some time to think.

"She was Barbara Anne Minerva, a dear friend of mine. As an explorer, she came across a cave. I'm not sure what happened, best I have been able to determine as she came across a mystical artifact, which turned her into Cheetah. She's been angry at me ever since."

Understatement, Harry figured. There had to be something more about this.

"Is there any way to break her curse?" Harry asked her.

"I've sought out every path I could, and it appears to be impossible," Diana said, her hand cupping Harry's face lightly. "And your wounds are healed."

So they were, and Diana leaned in to check on Harry.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked him.

"Better than I was when she scratched me," Harry said.

Whitney slipped in, getting the tail end of the conversation. The mystical arts resided just a tiny bit out of her comfort zone. Artifacts, mystical ones, and a curse which turned some explorer into a Cheetah woman. She's been around some weird things before, granted, but this took the cake.

"She's secured in the cell downstairs," Whitney told Diana. "So, whenever you want to have the League bring her in…."

"Thank you," Diana absentmindedly replied.

Diana marched down the steps into the cell area, not quite knowing what to say to Minerva. So many things Diana wanted to tell her once friend.

Cheetah's eyes narrowed the second she caught sight of Diana. They alternated between giving her a death glare or looking away from her. Neither said anything for a long mintue, which made everything feel extremely uncomfortable. Diana placed her hand on the other side of the cell and Cheetah just shifted.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I want to talk," Diana said.

Cheetah snarled and rammed up against the edge of the cell.

"I'm going to break out of this cage and rip your face off, Princess," Cheetah said.

Diana winced very slightly at the venom, her arms crossed underneath her chest. A few seconds passed when she stared down at Cheetah from the other end of the cell. Not knowing what to do, not knowing whta she wanted to do.

"I never meant for things to…."

"You left Barbara Anne Minerva to suffer!" Cheetah snapped.

"I warned you not to go into the cave," Diana said. "You thought it was worth the risk….I knew something bad as going to happen to you."

Minerva did not even acknowledge this reminder that Diana warned her about the dangers of the cave. How it ruined her life, and ruined it extremely badly. She shifted her arms and locked her eyes onto Diana at the other end of the cell.

"Someone sent you for that isotope," Diana commented. "Who? And why?"

"They offered me something you never did, a cure," Minerva replied.

If only Minerva knew about the tireless hours Diana put in in her search, trying to find some kind of cure.

"Here's a hint, Princess," Cheetah commented. "The isotope is powerful enough to create a bomb which will level an entire city. And there's a very powerful woman out there who wants to take out the opposition. Wipe out the country which took the land that is hers by right."

Diana's blood run cold. She could think of a woman who would like to create a bomb like that.

"Queen Bee," she murmured.

The only thing that Minerva responded with, with a smile. Cheetah refused to offer Diana any more than that and was not one for casual conversation. Seconds passed as Diana closed her eyes.

"So, the League may lock me up, but I will escape and you will pay….or maybe your sisters will."

"Never threaten them," Diana said, her voice harsher than normal.

Minerva just rocked back on her hind legs and stared down her once friend with malice.

Jesse leaned against the blackboard, deep in thought. Whitney stepped into the lab, eating a candy bar. A frown spread across her face when she ran through the formula.

"So, is it possible for someone to run faster with that formula?" Whitney asked.

Jesse put a hand underneath her chin with a dreamy smile.

"The sky's a limit, but as the formula is right now, it's highly addictive," Jesse said. "That's what I've been trying to hammer out...trying to make the formula just as effective, without being all that much addictive."

Whitney nodded, made sense really. She could tell just how much Jesse had been trying to wrap her head around this. She placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder and gave her what she thought was a comforting squeeze. The other woman relaxed for a little bit.

"You'll get it," Whitney said. "But, I'm wondering….I want to ask you about something."

"Yes?" Jesse asked.

"I've been developing this for a friend," Whitney said. "A Kryptonite shield...that's to say, a shield that would block out Kryptonite."

Jesse flashed a knowing smile at Whitney. She knew who the friend was. Whitney held out a portable computer, with a chemical compound etched about it. Her eyebrows moved up and a small smile slipped down over her face.

"I'm wanting to know if it would be at all possible to create this compound which would block out the Kryptonite radiation, without compromising the solar radiation which fuels Kryptonians."

A few seconds later, Jesse's mind, always quick, began to go to work. She broke out into a very small smile, looking at the compound.

"It should work," Jesse said.

"Good, because I want to get it ready for Superboy…."

"Looks more like a Superman to me," Jesse said with a fond smile.

Whitney just closed her eyes for a second.

"That makes sense, he's Superwoman's brother," Whitney conceded.

Funnily enough, it was easy enough for Jesse to piece that particular idea together. She had a feeling there might have been a bit more than meets the eye regarding Superboy, but she knew better than to ask too many questions.

"Do you think I have a chance with him?"

That statement was so casual and so calm, with Jesse being able to say it without any shame, that Whitney almost laughed.

"Well, you're not the only one who has been asking that question," Whitney said. "But, should we run the shield by him?"

"Mmm, sounds like a plan," Jesse said.

Any time to spend more time with him. Even if she needed to perform rigorous tests.

Harry stepped into the room, a few paces behind Diana. She looked over her shoulder with a sigh.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Diana said.

Harry snorted in disbelief. He could tell that Diana was holding something in, the burden that many warriors faced. The burden which he, in some shadowed memories, wondered if he had to face in the distant past. The burden of guilt, which stacked upon a person's shoulders.

"You're feeling guilty about her, aren't you?"

Diana just gave him a slight smile. He was a bit more perceptive than she thought, but then again, Claire always had been too, annoyingly so. Of course, Claire had been burdened with her own problems as of late.

The past year was a rocky one for Claire. A rocky one for a lot of them, as Diana knew all too well. But, Claire had been hit with bad luck hard.

"I realize that there's nothing that would have stopped her from going on that mission," Diana concluded. "But, I should have gone with her. I didn't realize that she would run into that particular artifact of all things."

Harry reached out and put his hand on Diana's. She allowed him to take her hand into hers.

"We'll find a way to help her," Harry said.

"This isn't your burden," Diana sternly told him. "But….I'm not sure what to do next."

That was a statement Harry thought did not come often from the normally confident and strong Amazon. He took her into his arms and swept her up in a hug, feeling that she needed one. Diana pressed her body into his.

Defeated, and vulnerable, a very rare look for Diana, Harry figured.

"Look at me," Diana said. "I'm supposed to be strong and not...not...like this."

"True strength is overcoming challenges like this," Harry told her.

"Wisdom worthy of Athena," Diana fondly replied. "But, we can't keep Minerva in Star Labs forever...and I'm not sure if handing her over the authorities would be much better. She was used, manipulated...by some pretty dangerous people."

She leaned into Harry, realizing that her head was on his shoulder. With good grace, Diana casually pulled off of him and broke out into a smile.

"How are you adjusting to your circumstances?" Diana asked Harry.

"One day at a time," Harry said. "Donna and the rest of the team have been a comfort, and Caitlin, Karen, and Lois, they've helped out as well."

"Donna speaks very fondly of you," Diana said with a knowing smile. "I can see why."

A few seconds passed and neither would really know what other direction this meeting would go, before Diana received a call.

"Wonder Woman," she answered.

She listened to the call and while Harry did not listen in, it was hard to not hear the amount of shock.

"My apologies, I have to run," Diana said. "I'll see you again soon."

"Nice to meet you as well, Diana."

Watching her retreat, Harry could not help and flash back to some of the more intimate encounters that he had with Wonder Woman. He snapped out of those happy thoughts, just in time to come across Donna and Diana exchanging a quick goodbye with each other.

"I want you to arrange for Minerva to be brought to Themyscira," Diana said.

"Are you sure?" Donna asked.

"Until we figure this out," Diana said. "They can accommodate her...I'm not about to hand her over to the authorities."

Donna just agreed with Diana. When her face was this firm, it would be pretty foolish to argue with her. And Donna had no heart to fight her sister on this one with the obvious amounts of guilt she was holding. Then again, Diana and Donna had reasons to both feel guilt as of late.

"We've got some good news!"

Whitney popped in around Harry's shoulder and Harry turned around with a smile.

"We...well,Jesse mostly….can create your shield," Whitney said. "It should be ready in a couple of weeks."

"Well, I knew you could...with a little help, "Harry said.

"There's no one on the road," Red Tornado piped in Harry's ear. "You're clear to escort the truck to Metropolis."

"Whitney, you're with me," Harry said. "Donna...are you…."

"I'm taking her back right now," Donna said.

Harry just broke out into a smile, and patted her on the shoulder. Donna would like to see her mother again, but she just wished it was under better circumstances.

Through the window, Jesse watched them take the truck. She was not going along this time, mostly because she had work to do. She wanted to get a jump start on the work on the shield and also finish her tests on the new batch of Velocity Nine. She was closer to pinpointing the cause of the addiction.

Knox may have had a more stable formula, although Jesse figured and she doubted she was wrong, that he wanted the test subjects to be dependant on the formula.

"I've got a lot of work to do."

Inspiration hit Jesse. She doodled one formula on a piece of paper.

Jesse Chambers-Wells Plus Velocity Nine Equals Jesse Quick.

She grinned, thinking about how cool it would be to run, stopping bad guys like Kid Flash. She entered her thoughts, absentmindedly scrolling a second equation alongside of the first.

Harry Kent Plus Jesse Chambers-Wells Equals Jesse Kent.

Jesse doodled a few hearts and a smiley face next to it, before slapping herself out of her fantasy. Still she would like nothing better than Superboy to come in, save her, and have her thank him. Jesse realized she missed the moment, but with Whitney, Donna, and Diana around, it was very hard. And also, getting that isotope out of here.

"Okay, enough daydreaming, spaz," she muttered to herself. "Time to get to work."

The isotope was not secured in a secondary Starrwave facility, instead of the Star Labs which it was officially being taken to. It was an interesting bit of deceit, but with one attempt to steal it already, there was no chance they were leaving anything open.

Karen and Caitlin finished sealing it in a vault while Whitney and Harry stood by. Harry broke out into an amused smile with Whitney eyeballing several of the projects in the lower labs. She wished she could have a better look at things...and she's a kid in a candy store.

Harry just chuckled. If only Whitney saw some of the more advanced Starrwave projects.

"We're ready to go," Karen said.

"So soon?" Whitney asked.

Unfortunately, she did have to go. For Whitney's friend Linda had sent her a text and the Mirror Master had just popped out of a mall fountain.

"So, got to run?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Flash is busy dealing with League business, so I'll deal with Mirror Master, done it before, shouldn't be too hard," Whitney said. "We're going to have to skip out on that ice cream...which I didn't ask you about earlier...oooh how did that slip my mind?"

"Any time that you want," Harry said.

"Oh, cool, catch you later," Whitney said as she zoomed off.

With the isotope in the vault, that left Caitlin, Harry, and Karen.

"Whitney and Jesse, they're about ready to go to work on the shield," Harry said.

"Oh, that's good," Karen said with a smile.

Caitlin smiled as well. The less things that harmed her charge, the better, and while she had been studying about ways to take the Kryptonite vulnerability off of the table, nothing could be done without stripping him of his powers.

The trio slipped out of the side entrance and into the limo. It was a long drive back to the main Starrwave facility, especially in this traffic at this time of the day.