#charlesal

The air turned black.

“Did it work?” Al asked. He might not be able to see, but that wasn’t the main goal of this specific batch.

“It did.” Charles’s voice was cheerful. “I can’t see a thing.”

Well that was the goal. But Al had a few questions pop into his head.

“Charlie?” Al couldn’t see where Charles was, but he knew where he had been when he used the blackout bomb. So he looked there.

“Yes?”

Al tried to think of how to bring it up. “So you have blackout bombs that enable just you to see, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you made some that make people who can see in the dark like you see things at the wrong angle, right?”

“Yes?” Charles’s voice was clearly wondering where he was going with this.

“So why did you make a blackout bomb that makes it so you can’t see though?”

There was a pause. Long enough for Al to begin to worry.

Finally Charles spoke. “Sometimes we face people we can’t look at.”

That was true. But, “It would be easier just to close your eyes.”

“I could. But this is more foolproof.” Now Charles’ tone turned defensive.

“Or you could take your goggles off.”

Charles huffed. “What if I need to not see and it is dark?”

“A blindfold would take up the same amount of space and last longer. It wouldn’t be impacted by the weather either.”

“I guess this was kind of pointless then.” Charles sounded put out.

“Kind of, Doc.”

Neither said anything for a few minutes.

-

“Doc?”

“Yes?” Charles sighed.

“Is the blackout bomb supposed to last this long?” Al figured it had to have been about five minutes.

Charles seemed to think. Al assumed anyway. “I don’t think so. Usually it dissolves by now.” Before Al could do more than open his mouth he continued, “That is worrying.”

That didn’t sound good. “Should we try opening a window?”

“No. I don’t want the neighbors to see it. But it is a good idea. Maybe if we open the door we can get some of the same effect.”

Al could hear Charles’ footsteps. He reached out with his arms to try to feel where he was. His fingers made contact with Charles’ back and he grabbed on.

“Al?” Charles stopped moving while Al took the opportunity to move his hand up Charles’ back and then down his arm to hold his hand.

“Just don’t want to lose track of you.”

“You won’t. Try not to trip on anything.” There was a smile to Charles’ voice.

They moved together to the door. Charles opened it. Al was pretty sure he could see the darkness move to expand through it.

It was an odd sight.

But as they stood together holding hands the darkness slowly dissolved.

“Good idea, Al.” Charles smiled at him. This time Al could see it.

Al shook his head. “I wanted to use the window. It looks enough like smoke someone would have probably called the fire department.”

“True.” Charles gave a small laugh. “But a variation on your idea worked.”

Hippolyta would probably know what the beast was called.

Atom didn’t.

What he did know was that a swipe of its claws had sent Doctor Mid-Nite crashing into the ground. Left deep tears that went through his vest and into his skin.

There was a growing pool of blood.

No time to think about that now. Because the beast looked like it was heading in Doctor Mid-Nite’s direction to finish the job.

The beast was stronger than the doctor. Tougher. In better shape.

And Doctor Mid-Nite didn’t look like he would be putting up much of a fight anytime soon.

What the beast didn’t have was atomic strength. Or the sheer desperation that caused Atom to face it head on.

It also couldn’t think to avoid an Amazon queen piercing its side with a sword while Atom wrestled it into stillness.

As its entrails fell from the wound, the fight finally ended. Atom slowly let go in case it managed a dying blow.

Hippolyta swung her sword and decapitated the beast.

A gruesome end. But based on the damage it had caused Atom couldn’t mind.

It was just as well that that was the end of the fighting. Someone needed to put pressure to Doctor Mid-Nite’s wounds. Try to keep him from bleeding out before help could arrive.

Queen Hippolyta set to that while Atom sent out a distress signal to the rest of the JSA. The other Doctor Mid-Nite, along with Doctor Midnight, would be there soon.

Atom rarely thought much about the other doctors. Or at least not more than any teammate he didn’t know well. He had a clear favorite with his doctor. But he couldn’t help but be glad for the moment that Charles’ students had decided to follow in his footsteps.

Not that he spared more than a second to that. After he confirmed the doctors were on the way he kneeled opposite to Hippolyta. He took Charles’ hand into his.

“Come on, Doc, wake up.” Atom looked at Charles’s chest to confirm its rise and fall. That it wasn’t already too late.

It felt like too long before the other doctors arrived. Al was left with nothing to do but watch Charles’ breaths get shallower despite Hippolyta’s efforts.

But the doctors eventually did arrive. Pieter taking Hippolyta’s place applying pressure while Beth started treating the injuries.

Pieter looked up from Charles at Al. “Atom, you need to let go.”

Al hadn’t expected himself to be addressed. He just knew he didn’t want to leave. “What?”

“You need to let go of his hand so we can move him.” Pieter sounded impatient.

But Al hadn’t even realized he was holding Charles’ hand. He looked down at it, at Charles’ glove contrasting with his own bare skin, and let go startled.

He got out of the way when Beth moved in his direction. She had applied some temporary bandages. But they would need to be replaced quickly once they got back to the Brownstone.

Still, for the moment the bleeding was stopped.

Al relaxed slightly. Then he noticed Pieter giving him a considering look.

He raised at eyebrow at the doctor. He was pretty sure it wasn't visible through his mask. But some people could seem to pick up on it.

Apparently Pieter was one of them. Pieter took it as his cue to ask Al, or rather inform Al of what he had already decided, “You are going to have to move Charles. You should be able to do it the smoothest of us.”

“Sure.” Al nodded. He couldn’t disagree. Hippolyta had left to see how the others were doing once she wasn’t needed to apply pressure. Out of the doctors and Al, Al was the strongest.

He had to admit, to himself if nobody else, that he was glad he could do something to help.

As he picked Charles up, Al finally felt the adrenaline start to ease.

Everything was being taken care of.

He still didn’t fully relax until a few hours after the doctors finished in the Brownstone, when Charles squeezed his hand back as he woke up.