A Distant Thunder Rumbles [Faith & Stargirl]

[Jay Garrick]

The Garrick household had hardly been filled with joy of late, though there were finally some shards of hope emerging from the darkness, for recent revelations suggest that Jay Garrick is not the last of his line as he had believed. Apparently his long dead son had not perished at the hands of a vicious virus, but had instead been abducted by a government gripped by avarice. However the search for his missing offspring was hindered by the unfortunate fact that the crime occurred in the now distant past and for all of his efforts to the contrary, Jay Garrick could not remember anything of use to his investigation. With this obstacle identified, Jay and his star-spangled colleague, Courtney Whitmore, had sent out the call for a telepath. Both had contacted their allies but they found no aid with the Justice Society, nor had they acquired the assistance of the Manhunter from Mars, for the alien was on some form of Martian sabbatical. Though their efforts did not go unrewarded, the League did have another individual with the unique skills to shed some light on the memories buried deep within the speedster's mind. Jay now sat and waited for this mystery woman to arrive, silently praying that she could pry something from the murky depths of his psyche that his supercharged neurons could not, for he would hate to have wasted her time.

Sipping on the tea that he had brewed for himself and his current company, Jay found it difficult to relax or to even contemplate slowing down, this was the first moment in several hours that the speedster had actually rested his feet. It was only at Courtney's behest that the man allowed himself a moment to breath, and to think of something other then the mistake he had made all those years ago and the guilt that it brought him, for she had brought news of the telepath which once more ignited sparks of hope within Jay's heart and distracted his mind from the less then constructive emotions that had wracked it. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours and god forbid it, Jay was sure if the woman called Faith took hours, that it would feel as it days were passing as they awaited her arrival. That is not to say that the two Justice Society members were not making small talk to fill the void, it was just beyond their pursuit of justice and their moral codes, he and Courtney shared little in common, likely due to the difference in age and the shifting cultural trends. They were generations apart and Jay doubted the teen would be very much interested in him trapping her with stories about when he was her age, he recalled how he had recoiled from his own grandfather when the man mention his own stories. At the same time he was anxious that Courtney would be eager to start digging through his past, for Jay had many skeletons buried deep within his closet, something that they would soon discover no doubt.

Blood was not the only thing Jay had on his hands, he had ruined lives and had his almost snatched from him many times, it was an unfortunate fact of life when one chose to lead it the way he had. Scratching a nervous itch, Jay knew that over the years he had accrued many hundreds of memories, events that had left their mark on his psyche and had twisted the very fabric of his being. As the original fastest man alive and the first Flash, Jay Garrick had cheated death many times and thus had an ample time upon the Earth to riddle his subconscious with countless vivid recollections, each intersecting and convoluting the other, creating a disjointed montage of faces without names and conflicting emotions. Decades of horrors were locked away within his mind and into this psychological quagmire, the Scarlet Speedster expected Faith to wade in the hopes that they could overcome his demons and find something that could help them in their quest to find his son. Though his reflection on the subject was hardly useful, or was it even relevant when the woman had yet to appear, perhaps it was just a mechanism he intended to use later in case the search yielded nothing but more questions.

The very instant he finished his beverage, Jay returned to his feet to resume the pacing that Courtney's arrival had interrupted, he was sure that it was not likely the most normal behaviour but for a man who had spent the better part of his life running into the face of adversity, this sitting still was killing him. Deciding to abandon the notion of chatting about music, boys or past exploits with the teen, Jay instead asked the young woman about their telepathic friend, “So Courtney, have you ever met this Faith? Is she good?” Jay knew that she would be, the League wouldn't have endorsed her otherwise, but he still felt as though if Courtney had an opinion on the woman he'd like to know.

[Stargirl]

[style= font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; padding: 5px; width: 445px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px] It was strange. It felt like just yesterday the funeral had occurred and the events that led up to the discovery that a Jason Garrick Junior was still alive had happened. Courtney wasn’t sure what it was, but somehow the passage of time managed to process in her mindset in a span of less than twenty-four hours. Perhaps that is what happened when you worked with a speedster, the whole world stopped for you, but for them it just kept going and going at a speed that Courtney Whitmore would never be able to keep up. So much for being able to manipulate cosmic energy, it wasn’t like she could propel herself at speeds half as fast as Jay.

A few notes and strings pulled got her pulled out of some classes. She was sure she wasn’t missing anything, the first week of classes were always slow and boring. Besides, if she really wanted to learn things she’d just give a call to Mr. Terrific and ask him for some home schooling. PhD certified professor – whatever, she had a living, breathing genius at her disposal that was a lot more entertaining than her highly paid professors. Besides, college was a bore and Courtney would much rather being doing hero work than dashing from class to class and sitting on her butt for more than an hour.

Descending from the skies in full costume – well excluding the mask, Courtney Whitmore pulled her Cosmic rod from underneath her and landed on Jay Garrick’s path with a soft thud. The Garrick home looked rather lonely and an ominous cloud seemed to hang over the estate as Courtney gazed at the once lively abode. A sigh escaped her lips as she imagined the solitude Jay now felt in the absence of his wife. The home looked a lot bigger now and Courtney could recall days when they would have their silly J.S.A. barbeques in the backyard – laughter and chatter filling the air. There was a temporary brightness in the atmosphere and shadows and silhouettes formed from Courtney’s memory, but when Jay’s pacing came to pass the front bay window the memories faded and Courtney was reminded of the home that now stood alone.

Stepping forward, Courtney made way for the front door and gave the wooden barrier a swift knock. Almost as if Jay had psychic powers of his own, the door whipped open even while Courtney’s fist was still up for another tap at the door. She smiled only slightly as she took note of the look of heavy anticipation on his face and just like any other time stepped inside and made herself at home. It was hard to even do that now in the absence of his wife who would be just as prompt at Jay at offering homemade lemonade and sometimes even cookies.

A momentary silence was shared between them as the star-spangled child place her rod into his compact mode and nervously watched the scarlet speedster pace back and forth. His speed, while rather normal made Courtney think he would burn a whole through the rug. Something she certainly wouldn’t put past him. Opening her mouth to speak and break the silence, Courtney found that Jay had beat her to the punch.

Raising her brow, the young woman thought and smiled for a moment. She likened this situation to Jay meeting with some faux Psychic like that Cleo woman who frequented T.V. commercials. A smirk crossed her face and she eyed Jay as he looked on with inquisition and confusion. “Dunno about telling futures.” Courtney said with a snort and quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, realizing that Jay had no idea what that referred to, “I mean… Faith? I’ve only worked with her once… you know end of the world situation.” She pursed her lips in thought wondering where to take this. It was she after all who had recruited Faith to scavenge through Jay’s memories. Courtney was the one who had recommended the telepath, but could she standby her commendations – she wasn’t sure anymore.

“Well… think of it like this. Batman personally hand-picked Faith for the league… no one knows why but if I recall correctly, Batman doesn’t just hand out invitations like the rest of them.”[/style]

[Faith]

These days Faith was feeling very popular in regards to her duty calls. First there was that trip to the U.N., that fun little squabble with a cat and its owner in outer space and finally the journey to a planet that had almost gone nuclear. She as gaining a lot more responsibilities than normal, but if didn't bother her, it just made her more aware of how much the universe really did rest on their (the league's) shoulders. It was a necessary responsibility and while not clearly defined, the job of a hero encompassed everything from the big to the small and the impersonal to the personal.

Bring a telepath meant that Faith sometimes got a little personal for her and everyone else's comfort. But it wasn't exactly a choice. Born and bred to master her abilities, after the Martian Manhunter she was probably one of the best telepaths the league had. And so one of her most recent love calls had come from a highly esteemed hero in the form of his rather young partner. Courtney Whitmore, having more of a connection with the league and particularly with Faith reached and requested help for the original Flash, the first Scarlet Speedster, Jay Garrick.

Could she say that the fangirl within her was going crazy thinking about meeting a legend? Of course, but would she show it? Of course not! She was a professional after all and a hero before anything else she would have to maintain a rather lax demeanor around the - what seemed like - devastated older hero. Faith had been filled in on the basics, Jay's wife had recently passed away and in a stunning turn of events it was revealed that a son long past was still amongst the living. Her brown eyes stared in the mirror as she brushed her short brown hair back and sighed at her reflection. The star spangled teen had asked Faith to try and unlock Jay's mind to search for any clues of his son's disappearance.

Somewhere deep within the recesses of his mind they believed that he held the information to find his long lost child. Mind tapping was tricky business and usually when someone buried things, they were put away with good cause. Faith couldn't begin to imagine what she would unlock and how that would adversely affect the otherwise mild hero. He had gone through so much already and she held reservations in her ability to truly help him. Although she had expressed her concerns, they were persistent and with good cause. Faith knew what it was like to search for answers from the past - oh she knew al too well.

Personal dilemmas aside however, the day had finally come for her to come face to face with the speedster and to invade the privacy of his mind. Her fears and worries would have to be side tabled as her concerns were clearly overridden by Jay Garrick. He seemed to be a man with a new mission now and through whatever means it took - he would accomplish them. Faith could not find it in herself to say no to that, especially when the situation held in its hands the life of someone so dear.

She would deliver what she could, and she would do whatever it took to find out the necessary information to recover his lost child. It was the least she could do for the aged hero who had seen more horrors than all of them combined.

Stepping from her mirror, she tugged at the purple and white inform that encompassed the body with slight disdain on her face. Faith wasn't particularly fond of being in uniform and after some deliberation she had decided that perhaps it was better to arrive in a professional manner. She only liked to wear her uniform when absolutely necessary, and she supposed even a house call was important. Clapping her hands together, the young telepath focused her energies, envisioning the quaint home of the Garrick family and reaching out to it mentally.

As she did so the aura around her body began to develop a pinkish hue and soon it consumed her and she dissipated from the spot.

Her body reformed upon the lush green lawn of Jay Garrick's abode. She felt the soft Earth give way to her as she was placed upon the area and soon as the pink hue faded around her she felt the breeze pick up slightly and rol through the locks of her hair. Looking around, she momentarily admired the quiet little home with its cute lawn ornaments and happy little mailbox that had the home's address hand painted across the white surface. Could she recall a time when she had lived in such a happy little home? Not really, but this wasn't about her, no the man of the hour was within his home, his mind flustered, agitated, and a complete mess as he tried to piece together what he remembered by himself. At least this was the basic gist of what Faith felt when she tapped into his mind.

Rubbing her hands together, she moved across the lawn making way for the front entrance and pausing to admire the detailed wood work upon the stairs. A very nice house indeed. She thought to herself as she finally reached the front door, placed two very purposeful knocks the surface and awaited her welcoming.

"While I normally don't do house calls, I've gotta say for you I'm willing to make an exception." Faith joked upon the door opening. Her aura of confidence exhumed heavily as she smiled, detectable only to the heroes when the felt that warm feeling inside them that put them and the entire world to ease.

[Jay Garrick]

Without Joan there to chastise him, in his impatience, Jay continued to pace the length of the kitchen as Courtney explained her contact with the telepath whose arrival he so anxiously awaited. Distracted by her words and his own racing thoughts Jay hardly noticed that his feet had begun to catch up with his mental speed, if it weren't for the increased vibrations shaking a photo frame from its perch upon the room's mantlepiece, the aged speedster's form may have disappeared into a blur. Reacting to the plummeting photograph and his young companion's supporting argument in the same instant, catching the frame and returning the woman's sentiment without any form of effort, “You're not wrong, this Batman isn't renowned for his social prowess.” As the Flash's thoughts registered what words had passed through his lips, he spoke again in an attempt to rectify the confusion that they could inspire, “The Batman, not this... More tea?” Hoping to have abated Courtney's potential curiosity with the offer of a hot beverage, Jay often forgot that not everyone was familiar with the fact he was from another Earth and despite the fact that his life had been sewn into this universe's fabric he had yet to completely acclimate to all the changes.

After filling another cup with tea, just on the off chance that Courtney did in fact want a top up, his mind was still racing and the well practiced etiquette he was known for was all but abandoned. Jay turned his attention from his guest to the picture he had rescued from gravity's pull, Jay smiled wistfully, within the photograph was a younger happier reflection of himself, his wife and the infant son that he so desperately sought. Wiping some invisible dust from the frame, Jay sighed and returned the epitaph of the fleeting joy his family had possessed to the mantlepiece, the picture was a constant reminder of what he'd lost and what he stood to lose if they didn't act fast. Once the photo was nestled back in among the other ornaments that Joan had filled the shelf with, Jay returned to his pacing and his silent and quite mobile vigil, he hoped that the telepath arrived shortly, he doubted Joan would be pleased if he burnt a hole through the rug that adorned the kitchen floor. Abandoning the monotonous back and forth the very moment his heightened senses felt subtle vibrations through the floor, however this time he and his star-spangled guest were not the cause of the disturbance, these alien tremors piqued his curiosity and lead the speedster to his door.

Two sharp knocks rang out as he reached the wooden portal and before there was any opportunity for a third the door swung open and Jay was greeted with the visage of a young woman, the familiarity that was written upon the girl's face lead him to believe that she was the telepath. Along with the amity she openly displayed the woman also exuded an intense sense of confidence, it almost put the speedster's worries to bed but he still felt that this telepath had a difficult task ahead of her and wasn't ready to invest what little hope he had left in this venture. Despite the faint misgivings that crept into his mind, Jay smiled warmly at her and politely laughed at her attempt at humour, “Well I'm quite glad you made the exception, please come in.” Ushering the telepath inside, Jay lead Faith into the kitchen where he had left Courtney waiting, “Make yourself at home, tea?” Jay continued his feeble attempts at being a good host, the courting of guests was usually a task that Joan revelled in, whereas it was something Jay found difficult.

Wringing his hands together as he attempted to figure out how to bridge the topic of searching through his subconscious with the telepath, Jay almost hoped that the woman was intruding into his brain already, the speedster was certain that she would be more apt at explaining what needed to be done. Pouring the still hot tea into a cup he'd readied before her arrival, Jay presented Faith with the ceramic vessel regardless of whether she was in actual fact thirsty, “Excuse my manners, Joan was always the better host... So how are we going to do this exactly?” Jay found it almost impossible to slow his thoughts down to a speed where they would be easily decipherable at the moment, so he hoped that the woman knew what she was doing.

[Faith]

Mind reading was completely unnecessary in sensing the agitation and impatience that Jay Garrick was exhuming. The expression on his face was all she needed to know that his feelings at this point were like a boiling teapot and at any moment he was going to explode. It wasn’t anger or frustration however, merely worry, anxiety, curiosity – everything that made humans, well – human. It was customary for Speedsters to be on their feet, jittery, and ultimately exist in this faster than the speed of light mind set. Jay Garrick’s rapid movements however weren’t just the effect of his super abilities, it was because his mind was at such great unrest – even a telepath didn’t have to point that out.

The brown haired woman smiled gaily. Trying to bring about a more positive mood and allowed her own aura of confidence to exert at its greatest capacity. She didn’t want to completely manipulate emotions here or force Jay to trust her, but she at least needed him to but the brakes on his thought process there – it was clearly affect his actions. If this was what was going on externally Faith didn’t even want to imagine what was going in within his rather speedy mind. His attempts to play the good host did not go unnoticed and following Courtney’s lead Faith graciously accepted the tea and took a seat on the rather plush, slightly outdated sofa.

Faith took a sip of the deep earl grey and watched Jay continue to pace and move his hands rather nervously. His own movements threatened to break through the rug and if he continued at this pace he’d probably find himself at the Earth’s core. Heck, maybe he’d even build his hole to China at this rate. While amusing, Faith needed to retain a staid state of mind. Here she was dealing with a man who was ready to send his entire neighborhood into some warped zone and her job right here and right now was to help him do a little personal digging deep within the recesses of his mind.

It would normally be an easy task, but if Jay Garrick didn’t sit down for the love of God, she’d have to sedate him herself. But Faith didn’t want to do that, she needed his complete attention and participation in this process – it was after all the Scarlet Speedster who knew what he was looking for. Clasping her hands over the rather vintage China cup Faith took another sip as she allowed silence to settle between the trio – a little nerve-racking but completely necessary as she mentally assessed the situation.

Most people thought that memories were merely stored away in the brain and locked up in some little box for later use. Realistically however, the human mind recalled every memory and at every single moment relived every little event in its lifetime. Jay Garrick may not be aware of it, but the answers he was looking for were probably already skipping across his mind – he just had to open up to them. That’s probably why she was here. The brain was an amazing apparatus of thought, throughout the day and at every second it was undergoing some sort of process – whether it be learning or recalling or even trying to block something out. Your brain was always doing something. That’s why the common misconception of the brain only being used at ten percent of its potential was so popular, because individuals were so unaware of how truly active their brains were.

The atmosphere in the room had somewhat lightened as Jay Garrick stood at the tips of his toes awaiting a response. Faith took a final sip of her tea and taking advantage of the moment, cleared her throat and set the china down. Immediately, the atmosphere changed and the slight tension that had originally hung in the air was now curiosity. Shifting in her seat, and crossing her legs, Faith leaned back her brown eyes looking into Jay’s and her mind finally – for the first time since her arrival – began to seep into his own.

“Well first… I need you to relax.”

Faith said, a light hue beginning to form around her. It wasn’t noticeable at first, but if one gazed look enough they could see the pink hue that contoured her body. Telling Jay to relax was probably the last thing he wanted to hear and truthfully he was probably incapable of doing such a thing. Regardless, eight out of ten times just saying relax helped ease the mind and that’s all Faith needed from Jay. She needed his mind to come to some sort of resting zone so that her entry would be painless and without any deviations. She needed to focus on obtaining the secrets Jay sought, Faith didn’t want to end up anywhere else within his memories.

“Have a seat.”

Faith offered, the roles suddenly changing as she gently motioned to the armchair that sat across from her. Jay would find that even through the unsettling feelings he had, he could not resist her suggestion. There was now a very subtle persuasive hold over the aged man and that only signified that Faith had successfully entered his mind.

“Thank you Jay.” Faith said after he took his seat and shifted comfortably in position, “Now, contrary to popular belief… I don’t require physical contact.” Faith began, the pink aura becoming more noticeable and beginning to grow larger. From Jay’s point of view it would take the shape of rather lucid butterfly wings. “All I require from you is to remain seated and maintain eye contact – it is better this way, it provides a more direct approach. And by sharing our gaze, your mind instills more trust within me.”

She spoke softly, her voice almost rhythmic and soothing to their ears. At some point it even began to echo and approach from every corner of the room, but that was only because she was now speaking within Jay’s mind. While his vision showed her own lips moving, externally Faith was sitting rather calmly, not even a single muscle fiber in her body moving.

“You’re having problems in calming your mind.” Faith spoke again, her soft voice reverberating throughout his mind – almost dreamlike, “I understand this is very hard for you Jay and I will help you. But you have to understand, you must let go of your anxiety… if we go too far we will risk severing our connection or dabbling in memories that could contaminate the information you are looking for.” She nodded slightly, causing him to nod as well as a sign of showing that he understood, “I am going to calm your mind Jay. I will now dampen your emotions. It will be a strange sensation, like warm water rushing through your mind, but you will ultimately feel nothing. All mental sensations will be removed and this will help provide further entry into the deep recesses of your mind.”Faith continued, her eyes now glowing a brilliant pink as the wings around her began to expand and overshadow the pair.

“Do not be afraid, you will feel numb – almost lifeless, but that is the effect of extracting emotion.” Faith said, her eyes unwavering as she began to peel through the layers of Jay’s mind. “I require your admittance Jay.” Faith finally said, her body taunt and face soft, “If you allow me to enter your mind we may begin the search for the specific memory you seek.” She continued, her hold on his mind now reaffirmed and unwavering, “Shall we begin?”

She awaited his response and once it was spoken, she opened up the gateway of his mind seeking the information now sought.