Burning Amber (Kid Flash/Wally x OC)

Psychology

Mount Justice
October 16

I woke up, in the cave. I was still alive and so was the rest of the team. They all looked very shaken up about what we went through. I sat up, sitting on the edge of the table I was on. My hands were clenched tightly in fists by my sides, I was trying not to burn the whole cave down with how confused I was. How was it possible my powers were that strong?

"You're all alive?" Megan asks happily after she gasped awake.

"What happened in there?" Batman asks.

"The exercise, it all went wrong," Manhunter says, a hand to his head.

"Exercise?" Robin asks.

"Try to remember," Batman tells us. "What you experienced was a training exercise. Manhunter physically linked all of you within an artificial reality. You all knew this going in. What you didn't know was that it was a train for failure exercise. No matter what the team accomplished the scenario was designed to grow worse. Still you were aware nothing was real, including the deaths of the entire Justice League"

"That is why you hardly grieved even when Wolf was disintegrated before your eyes," Manhunter adds. "But all that changed when Amber died. Though consciously Miss Martian knew it was not real her subconscious mind could not make that distinction. She forgot it was only an exercise and her subconscious took control, making all of you forget too"

"I-I'm... I'm so sorry," Megan said.

"This isn't her fault," Conner shouts. "Why didn't you just stop the exercise?"

"We tried. But M'gann has a death grip on the scenario. Even Amber, who should have awakened upon her death, was so convinced she had passed she slipped into a coma. I realized I would have to rest control from Miss Martian's subconscious from within. But upon entering the reality I was overwhelmed by your collective emotion. There was too much noise to think clearly... to remember why I was there,

"The deaths of Aqualad, Superboy and Snow helped. But only when the mothership exploded and Robin and Kid Flash were silenced did my mind clear enough to remember my true purpose. To shock M'gann out of the exercise before your comas became permanent. My apologies, I had no idea a training exercise could be so dangerous... so damaging"

Megan turned around, covering her eyes. Captain Marvel went over to her to help comfort her as she started crying.

Mount Justice
October 23

The whole team was still messed up about the training exercise. They weren't lively at all, all just sitting around looking all solemn, not saying anything. We were each taking turns, going in to a separate room to talk with Black Canary about our experiences. Conner was in there right now, but he ended up storming out.

Artemis went in next. Then Aqualad. Then me.

"Did I do the right thing?"

"What? Sacrificing yourself?" She asks. I nod. "That was brave of you"

"I missed everything that happened, I left Snow all alone. How did Snow hold up? She didn't turn to ice or anything, did she? She's very fragile now, considering what just happened"

"Snow was fine, she had the others there with her, but I haven't spoken to her yet"

I sigh, sinking back into the chair.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel like I was useless, like I let the whole team down, like I abandoned my sister when she probably needed me most, like-"

"Okay, you're disappointed in yourself-"

"Disappointed? No. Crestfallen, depressed, despondent, dispirited, demoralized, dejected, forlorn, pitiful. I'm just awful"

"You aren't. The fact that you sacrificed yourself for the team, for your sister, that shows us how much you are willing to give up. You aren't evil, not like you think you are, you are good. You can do good even though you think you can't"

I stand up abruptly, making her shut her mouth. "I still don't believe I deserve to even be here, so don't lecture me about being on the side of good"

I walked out, brushing past Wally on my way. He had a bowl of popcorn in his hands, carelessly eating it like he was completely fine. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked towards the door that leads to the outside of the mountain.

Fire surrounded my fists when I made it outside, and I punched a nearby tree, setting it on fire. I glared at it as the fire started to grow upwards but never outwards, it was only going up to the sky, not touching any of the trees that surrounded it.

I watched, slowly coming to the realization that I was controlling the fire, where it went, how it burned, not just what it burned. It reminded me of Snow's powers, her being able to control the ice that overtook my body.

"How are you doing that?" Someone asked behind me.

"I'm getting too close to the edge," I whisper. "But I shouldn't be. Only Snow went through with the process, I shouldn't be this close"

"What are you talking about Amber?" Wally asked, stepping closer.

He kept a distance away from me, probably because my fists were still on fire. I slowly turn to look at him, the fire in my hands and the tree dying out.

"My sister is so close to becoming ice, because she was put through the rest of the tests. I shouldn't be this powerful, I would only be this powerful if I was put through the tests as well"

"Maybe it's like the sibling bond thing, you know, where something happens to her and it happens to you too?"

I shake my head, taking one step closer to him. "My powers are advancing by themselves. If they keep progressing like this..."

"What?"

"I'll be fire"