Reset!: Blackout - Chapter Four

[randomality]

Summary: Cut off from the Speed Force, Impulse and Inertia cope with mundane life trapped with each other in Manchester. What is behind the outage and will they be able to restore the source of their powers? Sequel to Reset! AU.

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

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Reset!: Blackout - Chapter Four: Black Eye

One cool morning, Bart bounded to his waiting friends outside his door. "Guys! Guys! Look! I got my learner license! Look!" He held out the little card for them to see.

"About time, Bart!" Carol ribbed, "Are you going to be taking Driver's Ed this summer?"

"I guess. I dunno," he shrugged. He didn't much like the idea of taking any sort of class during the summer.

Preston spoke up, "I already took that class. As soon as my dad gives me the okay, I'm gonna get my graduated license."

Mike shoved his hands into his pockets and walked alongside Preston. "Why do you have to wait for his okay?"

"It's just when he thinks I can pass the test," Preston answered, "We're gonna be taking a weekend trip to my grandparents and I'll be driving that. He'll probably let me take the test afterwards." Preston turned towards Thaddeus. "Did you get your learner's too?"

"Yes." Thad still didn't see why going through the bureaucratic process was necessary for him. After all, he did not intend to stay in this time period.

Later in the day, Bart squirmed in his seat and tried not to look at the ticking clock. Whenever he did, he found that it was still far too long until the passing period. Finally, he raised his hand and got excused to go to the bathroom. Stepping into the nearest boy's restroom, he paused and looked at the mess that was left inside. "Somebody had fun with the toilet paper," he quietly remarked to himself as he surveyed the room. The urinals were all plugged up with tissue and only one stall was useable. Not amused, Bart decided to just move on to a different restroom, rather than discover what sort of surprise waited for him in the last stall.

The next restroom was already full with six boys pounding on someone that Bart couldn't identify under the crowd. Without a second thought, he began pulling the boys away from their target and slamming them against walls and stalls. Under the pile, he found Eddie curled up in a tight ball. His eyepatch was missing and he was already sporting some ugly bruises and scrapes.

Bart didn't have time to ask what was going on before the boys he had pulled away regrouped to face him. Seeing their faces now, he recognized a couple of them some of the wannabe gangsters Eddie used to hang out with as "Evil Eye". "Hey, didn't you two drop out?"

"You should have stayed out of this, Allen," one of them growled.

Instinctively shifting his stance, Bart retorted, "You're not supposed to be here."

"Neither are you."

Behind Bart, Eddie was staggering to his feet. "Get out of here, Allen."

The pack of boys clustered tighter together to block the way to the door. Without his powers, Bart was trapped in the restroom. In the next instant, they surged towards him. Bart dodged and blocked when he could, but there were too many of them for him to fight off at once. He was pinned against the wall by a hail of fists and feet. Some of the pressure suddenly slackened and he risked a peek towards Eddie, who had pulled two boys away and was swinging at a third. Bart lashed out, taking a few hits as he grabbed one boy and shoved him into another. He pushed another boy into a stall and snapped a hard kick to his gut, sending him into the toilet. After knocking the rest down for the moment, Bart grabbed Eddie's arm and yanked him out of the bathroom.

Retreating as fast as they could limp, they made it to the school office, where Bart reported the dropouts and the fight in the bathroom. Once his story was told and the burden of action was passed on, Bart collapsed in a chair and winced. Pulling up his pant legs, he surveyed the bruises and scrapes earned from the kicks.

Eddie offered him the office box of tissues. "You might wanna clean up your lip."

Bart pulled a tissue and dabbed it against his lower lip. Sure enough, there was blood on it. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

Eddie shrugged and accepted the cold compress from the office aide. The middle-aged woman then offered a compress to Bart. "From what you said, it was self-defense against some people who weren't supposed to be here. You won't be punished for that."

Listening to the conversations that hummed around the office, Bart learned that the entire school was now in lockdown and that the police had arrived. For the time being, Bart and Eddie were ignored while the search for the other boys continued.

Eddie moved the compress from one injury to another. "We need a tub full of ice, not these stupid little things," he grumbled.

"That would help with the hurting all over?" Bart asked.

"That's what I've heard."

"Sounds really cold."

"That's the point." Eddie shifted the compress to some sore ribs. "This is the second fight you've been in this year. Where'd you learn to fight more than one guy at once?"

Bart shrugged and answered before he could think, "Used to do it all the time."

"In the school you went to before you came to Manchester, right?"

Eyes as wide as his beating would allow, Bart froze for a moment. "Uh, yeah. That's right."

"You suck at lying, Allen." Eddie's blue eye settled on Bart for a while, studying him. Bart tried to busy himself with tending to his injuries. After a while, Eddie asked, "So, what happened? You get tired of it or something?" Bart's shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor. What could he say? He didn't want to confirm anything to Eddie. Not here, surrounded by school staff. Eddie wasn't satisfied with the silence. In a low whisper, he murmured to Bart, "Y'know, I was there when Rolly was editing that movie you guys made. That was one helluva quick change. One frame you were there and the next there was Impulse. Rolly didn't know what to make of it. We were wondering about you, but then you came up with that story and Rolly believed you. So did I." Eddie chuckled. "Maybe you're not so bad at lying, after all."

Looking for a change of subject, Bart asked, "So, why were those guys beating you up?"

Now it was Eddie's turn to stare at the floor. "I'll tell you later."

Bart decided to let the matter go for the time being. "I still gotta use the bathroom."

Not that Eddie told before he was led away from the office. If he did, it was to the police when they took him into the private conference room. Bart likewise gave his statement and went back to class after the lockdown was lifted. After school, Bart looked for Eddie, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Rumors flew that he went to the police station because he was involved in a gang initiation or that he went to the hospital because he was badly hurt. Either way worried Bart. It wasn't until Rolly told him that Eddie simply went home early that he found any relief.

During the evening, a knock at the front door heralded an unexpected visitor. Helen stared at the athletic young man standing on her stoop with a backpack slung over his shoulder. "Kon? What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area," he answered with a charming smile for Helen, "I thought I would drop by and see how Bart was doing."

"Well, today hasn't been one of his best days, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Come on in." Helen stepped aside and let Kon enter. "He's in the kitchen."

Kon's grin dropped when he saw a battered Bart sitting at the table with a few icepacks. "Bart! What happened?"

"Six guys," Bart answered, "Without my powers, I can handle three, but six is too many."

"And this math lesson has been brought to you by the letters "O" and "W"," Kon cringed while turning a chair around to sit on it backwards. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little sore." Shrugging, he sighed. "I think I also blew my identity to the kid I was helping."

Kon's jaw dropped. "What? How? You don't have your powers!"

"It was because I took on six guys," Bart answered. Sheepishly, he added, "Well, that and a few other things in the past. He was kinda on to me to start with."

"Great." Kon rested his scruffy chin on his folded arms. "This is why I don't keep a secret identity. Way too much stress and work. On top of that, I don't want to deal with the spandex soap opera angst with the girls."

Bart tried to raise one thick eyebrow, but winced and gave up on that gesture. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, your girlfriend knows about Impulse, so you don't after worry as long as you stay with her," Kon began, "But if you two ever break up and you trying going out with another girl, you'll have to figure out a way to explain why you keep disappearing and all the weird stuff that goes on around you. When you get your powers back, that is. Then there's the whole keeping secrets from her thing, which girls don't like. So, you end up with one big mess."

"Oh." Bart wondered why that kind of scenario sounded familiar. "I think I read about that kind of stuff in my comic books." He frowned as best as his split lip would allow. "I didn't like it when Max said I had to keep being Impulse a secret."

"Well, you got a family of sorts to protect," Kon pointed out, "I don't."

Helen reentered the kitchen with Thaddeus following after her. "Do you want anything to drink, Kon? We have juice, milk, iced tea, and coffee right now."

"Coffee, thanks."

Bart scowled. "Hey! How come he can have coffee and I can't?"

Kon grinned broadly, "Because you're you and someone would have to be crazy to give it to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Thad answered with a smirk, "That you're a hyperactive brat who would just get more destructive when introduced to sizable amounts of caffeine."

Bart glowered and crossed his arms. "Shut up! I am not!"

Thad lifted his chin in victory. "See? Hit the mark. I'm right."

Helen set the cup of coffee, as well as the sugar bowl and the carton of creamer, in front of Kon. "Thad, what are you making for dinner? Tonight's your turn."

"I don't know. We have a guest! That blew my plan!"

"Then let's modify it," she suggested, "We can always add things to a meal to fill it out." When Thad set a couple boxes of "Shells and White Cheddar" pasta on the counter, Helen opened the freezer and pulled out a half-emptied bag of frozen broccoli and a bag of frozen peas. "There, we can add that and..." She pulled a plastic container of leftover ham from the fridge and added it to the ingredients on the counter. "We can chop this up and put it in, too. We also have some biscuits in a tube you can bake. Easy enough?"

Bart piped up, "Add bacon, too."

Thad shot Bart a dirty look. "Enough with the bacon!"

With as of a big grin he could manage without reopening the split in his lip, Bart quipped, "Everything tastes better with bacon!" Kon snickered into his coffee, and then Bart leaned towards him over the table. "Have you ever had tomato pie? It's awesome! Helen got the recipe from Mrs. LaCaire next door. She puts triple bacon in it!" Eyes twinkling with mischief, he chirped at Thad, "Bacon!" Thad's fists and jaw clenched and tension tightened his shoulders. Bart tucked his legs under his chair, planting his feet on the ground and priming his legs. "Baconbaconbacon!"

Twisting around in fury, Thad pounced at Bart, but his brother bolted out of his chair. "Bacon!" Bart crowed, "Baconbaconbaconbacon!" He kept repeating the word as Thad chased him through the house. Dox caught on to the excitement and followed after, barking all the while.

Helen heaved a resigned sigh. "Bart! Thad!" she dutifully rebuked, "Stop it and get back over here!" Both boys returned to the kitchen. "Thad, you have dinner to make. Bart, stop antagonizing your brother. Seriously, you two should know better."

Kon chuckled as Bart settled down at the table. "Man, I kinda missed that."

"Missed what?" Bart asked.

"You driving people nuts," Kon answered, "Inertia's not Rob or Wondy, but he flips out pretty fast."

Thad snarled at Kon, "They don't have to live with him."

Helen leaned close to Kon and whispered, "Don't anger the person making the food."

"Right, point taken."

She sat down at the table with her own cup of coffee. "So, what have you been up to, Kon?"

"Oh, same old stuff. Fight the freak of the week, save the day, impress the ladies."

"Bart said that you were looking for a place of your own," she remarked, "Any luck?"

Kon's grin faded. "Not yet."

Bart sat up with a puzzled expression. "So, where are you playing Warquest at?"

"Ti-,er, Rob's place," Kon admitted, mindful that there were non-Young Justice members present, "He installed it on his dad's computer and I crash over there for the night. As far as his dad knows, I'm Carl Grummet from school. Rob even makes me show up in geek gear." Kon sighed and scratched at his jaw. "Sad thing is, his dad is all excited that Rob's finally inviting friends over. Seriously, the Bats are socially crippled."

Bart propped his head on his hands. "Why don't you ask Superman to help you find a place to stay?"

"He wants me to stay with his parents and do the whole secret identity thing and go to school." Shaking his head, Kon added, "Like I said, secret identities are more trouble than they're worth to me. Same with school. I've done the undercover-as-a-student thing and I don't see where actually sitting through the classes is going to help me."

Amused, Helen stirred her coffee. "I'll tell you what I told Thad. Test out of it, if you can. If you fail the test, then go to school. If you pass, get your GED and go from there."

Kon smirked at Thad, remembering a bit of news that Bart had passed on to him. "Is that what happened? You failed the test?"

"I'm from a thousand years in the future!" Thad snapped over the stove, "There are different priorities in history and literature then!"

Kon opted to take Helen's advice and not anger the one making his food. "Then there's the whole lack of birth certificate and social security number because of the grown-in-a-lab thing. I can't get a legal job to pay for my own place."

"Why don't you get papers made?" Bart asked, as if it were a common task.

"Rob offered to get me set up, but I would have to make a secret identity for it." Blue eyes stared into his coffee. "I don't want my daily life to be Carl Grummet or some other dweeb disguise. I'm Kon-El and I'm awesome. Why would I cover that up?" With a lopsided grin, he sighed, "It's not like I'm an alien or anything. I might as well have "Made in the USA" stamped on my butt. Cadmus just never bothered to set me up to pay taxes. I guess they figured I was going to be their grunt to the end and wouldn't have to take care of myself. That's what I get for insisting that I have the choice to make choices."

"You're starting to get mopey, Kon," Bart warned, "C'mon, let's go play some videogames while we wait for food."

After dinner, Helen asked Kon, "Do you have anywhere to stay for the night?"

"I was thinking of dropping in on Ma Supes and abusing her hospitality again," Kon replied.

"How far away is that?"

"A few states over."

Helen shook her head. "You don't have to fly in the dark, Kon. You can stay here tonight. I'll get Max's bed set up and-"

"I can sleep on the couch," Kon interrupted, "It would be weird to sleep in Max's room."

Helen thought this over for a moment, and then nodded. "All right. I'll get some blankets and a pillow for you. The boys have school tomorrow, so they can't stay up too late."

"Thanks." Scratching at his itchy jaw, Kon eyed his backpack. It was sitting where he left it by the couch. Could he wait until morning? After a while, Kon decided that he had enough. "This is what I get for skipping shaving for a couple days." He picked up his backpack, "Where's your bathroom?"

Bart showed him the way. "If you want a shower, I can get you a towel and stuff," he offered.

"Really, all I want is to get rid of this stubble," Kon told him, "It's driving me nuts."

Flicking on the bathroom lights, Bart remarked, "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that."

"Yet," reminded Kon. "Just wait a year or two. Even Rob's working on the peach fuzz." He glanced at the bathtub's shower fixture. "Y'know, I'll take you up on that shower offer. I don't need to contaminate Helen's nice couch with any more of my man-stink than I have to."

Bart turned towards the linen closet. "You're weird, Kon."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment," Kon grinned.