The Flash

by Richard Knaak

  Just as he hoped, he landed atop a metal door clearly ripped from Iron Heights. Barry wasted no time, running to the other end and jumping to a block of stone a few feet up. His footing continually proved unstable, barely giving him time to recover.

  On the far side of the tornado, he caught movement heading against the spin. Wally, looking as exhausted and in pain as he felt, doing the same as Barry, but clearly with more difficulty.

  As the Flash neared, Wally noticed him. He tried to get to his friend, but the rubble didn’t give either a perfect path. Barry knew how overdone he felt and he knew that Wally, not as experienced as him, was in some ways worse off. He pushed on—

  Suddenly, he felt the broken board on which he next stepped sink. The Flash could think of only one reason why; the tornado had ceased to exist. Mardon had left Wally where he was as a trap for his true enemy.

  Wally began to descend. It was still a very slow movement, but a definite one. Barry knew he had only a second or two before they plummeted to the ground.

  Despite the risks, the speedster leapt to one questionable surface after another. Even so, he started to sink farther than Wally. Grunting, the Flash accelerated his efforts, finally reaching his friend.

  “This—wasn’t—supposed to work out like this!” Wally shouted.

  “Hold tight!”

  With Barry guiding them, the pair moved from piece of rubble to piece of rubble, not daring to slow their pace and risk becoming part of the tornado’s collapse. Even so, the necessity of keeping together forced them to make a circuitous route toward the ground.

  Unfortunately, the Flash saw that their path would end several floors shy of a landing. That left only one choice.

  “When we get to that last piece of wooden fence there, we stop! It’s the only thing large enough to support both of us!”

  “Are you crazy? We need to keep moving!”

  “Just follow my lead!”

  They came to the end… and stopped as Barry had ordered.

  They and the wooden fence plunged.

  “Now!” the Flash roared.

  Just before the fence would have struck, the pair jumped. Normal reflexes would have left both men dead, but the Speed Force enabled them to do what should have been impossible. The pair landed while the fence and the rest of the falling debris stood frozen in comparison.

  Wally and Barry kept moving until they were far from any threat, then dropped on all fours in exhaustion under a store awning.

  Behind them, the rumble of thunder was briefly drowned out by the crash of several of the larger bits of rubble hitting the ground.

  “I cannot—believe—we did that!” Wally rasped.

  “It worked…” Barry whispered in awe. “It worked…”

  “Wait! You weren’t sure it would?”

  “Not… entirely.”

  Wally shook his head. “Talk about learning on the job.”

  “You should have never gone after Mardon on your own. Why did you do that?”

  Wally made a face. “That’s my father he wants to kill. After what happened the last time between you and the Weather Wizard right by Iris and him, I had to do something! Bad enough I let her down after I promised—”

  Barry stared at him. “Wait! What did you promise?”

  “To keep an eye on Dad when you couldn’t.”

  “Well, no more of that. Not, at least, without the rest of us involved.”

  “I’m not going to argue. Listen, though, you know Iris wasn’t just worried about Dad; she was concerned about you too.”

  The Flash nodded. “Starting to figure that out. She knows there’s nothing I can do. If I stop being the Flash, where does that leave Central City?”

  “Hey, maybe you’re looking right at him!”

  “I doubt that will make Iris any more happy.” With some effort, Barry rose. “The only thing we can really do is grab Mardon and make certain he never escapes again.”

  “Suits me, if it can be done—”

  “Hey, guys!” Cisco called over the coms. “Didn’t dare to say anything while you had to escape that tornado. Mardon’s gone, of course, but why did he stay as long as he did?”

  “He was looking for something in the ruins,” Wally offered. “Something electrical.”

  “‘Something electrical’,” Barry repeated. “What would there be that he’d want in that regard? Cisco?”

  “I think I’ve got an idea and it isn’t a pleasant one, dude,” Cisco returned. “First, though, you two need to come back to the lab. You’re both burned out pretty bad. We need to check your vitals.”

  “We’re on our way,” Barry promised.

  “Copy that.”

  As Cisco’s voice faded away, Wally’s expression soured.

  “What’s that face about?” the Flash asked.

  “Just thinking of something else that happened when I confronted Mardon. Man’s crazy as hell! When I spotted him, I paused out of sight for a moment to get a better read on him. He kept talking to himself, or at least I didn’t see anybody.”

  “Talking to himself? What do you mean?”

  “Well, I thought there was someone else, but when I looked again, there was no one. Thing is, he acted like he was talking to his brother, Clyde!”

  “Clyde…” Barry nodded. “Yeah, I heard him mention Clyde too.”

  “The man is dead, isn’t he? Clyde, I mean?”

  “Your father made sure. Still, I thought I saw someone going after Joe and the Weather Wizard called his brother’s name. Trouble is, I never got a good look at who it was.”

  Wally rubbed his head, then winced. Only then did Barry see the vicious bruise. “We’ve got to get you back to the lab. How is that?”

  “Throbbing in time. Wouldn’t be a bad beat if it wasn’t my head.”

  “Come on!” Linking his arm with Wally’s, the Flash led him back to S.T.A.R. Labs. The storm hit at them hard, but not in any noticeable way that made it seem that Mardon was influencing it.

  Barry breathed a sigh of relief once he had Wally in the lab. H.R. joined him in assisting Wally to a place where he could lie down. As they did, Caitlin came in the room.

  “My God!” She dashed over to investigate his injury.

  As Barry stepped back to let Caitlin deal with the situation, Cisco casually pointed at the monitor. “Interesting readings. Wanna see them?”

  “Will I understand them?”

  “Heck, I still don’t know if I do.”

  “Hold on just a moment more,” Caitlin said to Wally. “There, that should be good for now.”

  “Thanks, Caitlin.” Barry joined Cisco, Caitlin following. “Tell me what I’m looking at.”

  “This is you,” his friend commented, tapping on one set of lines. “See how they dip at this point and keep dropping until here, where they level out?”

  “Is that now, that last spot? That’s awfully low, isn’t it?”

  “Too low,” Caitlin interjected. “You don’t want to drop like that so often.”

  “Yeah, she’s right. For the moment, though, if you get some rest and some vitamin shots, that’ll help you physically. Speedwise, you definitely need to rest, Barry.”

  “You have no idea how much I look forward to that. How can Mardon be up to doing all this?”

  Cisco looked sheepish. “Honestly, I’ll have to get back to you on that. Look at these other readings now.”

  “They look more consistent than mine.”

  “They belong to Wally. You can see that there’s some decrease here and some acceleration here, but those are due to normal criteria.”

  Barry grunted. “So why is Wally lucky… if you can say that?”

  “Well, yours shift each time the Weather Wizard is involved, right?” When Barry had nodded, Cisco continued, “And we see that Wally’s don’t, even when he faced Mardon directly. The only thing I get out of that is that whatever he’s doing to you he isn’t bothering to do to Wally.”

  “Why? Because of his broth
er’s death?”

  “He is kind of fixated on that, Barry. Still, it’s got to have some more purpose than just to weaken you, I think.”

  “But what?”

  “Haven’t figured that out yet. I did find something else interesting, though.” Cisco typed up a new screen. “Been trying to filter through all the bizarreness of the storm and its link to Mardon. You know those moments when you thought you saw someone with him? Look at this.”

  “Is that Mardon’s reading?”

  “I don’t know whose it is, but it floats along with his like they’re tied together at the hip. He has a reaction; it has a reaction… or maybe the other way around. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”

  “So, I did see someone. Another metahuman.”

  Cisco looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know how to answer that one. Metahumans have certain types of readings. There’s a trace of something like it, but… it’s almost just in the background.”

  “English, Cisco?”

  “If I could describe it in more theatrical terms, it’s almost like the ghost of a metahuman reading.”

  Barry’s eyebrow arched. “‘Ghost’.”

  “Sorry. Can’t do better right now.”

  A thought unrelated to their conversation suddenly occurred to Barry. He looked at the clock on Cisco’s screen. “Keep trying. I need to make a phone call.”

  “Sure.”

  Barry moved to a quiet corner, then pulled out his phone and called.

  “I suspect you’ve had an interesting night,” Joe commented at the other end.

  “Very much. Listen, I think I’d better stick with you when you leave headquarters. We can—”

  “Now hold on!” Joe growled. “I thought at least you and I still had things settled! I’m back to square one with Iris after that trouble by the apartment! Do you know she tracked me down again and told me I should take a leave of absence until this blows over?”

  “It wouldn’t be a bad idea—”

  “Now don’t you start! In case you haven’t noticed, Barry, I’m a detective in the Central City police department! I chase crooks for a living! If I go into hiding for Mardon, what good am I at all? Is Iris going to ask me to take leave the next time I cross paths with some new metahuman or maybe even just some mobster with strong underworld ties? Where does it end?”

  Barry hesitated. “Listen, Joe. I know Iris is having a hard time with this. She’s not too happy about my activities, either—”

  “Maybe it’d be better if you took a leave of absence, hmm?”

  “Joe. Listen. Never mind what I said. There’s something else. Wally—”

  Joe’s voice rose. “Wally? What about Wally? Oh my God, did he go out hunting for Mardon? That’s it, isn’t it! What happened! Is he—”

  “Joe! He’s all right.” Barry nervously rubbed his chin. “Well, he got a bad bash on the head from a piece of concrete, but it’s not too serious. He’ll probably have a headache for a while.”

  “That’s it! I was never happy when he gained those powers! This is the last straw! I’m going to make certain that he puts an end to this!”

  Barry waited for him to finish, then asked, “And how well do you think that’ll work, Joe? You may not have had a chance to raise him, but Wally’s certainly got your stubbornness. I wasn’t happy either that he went after Mardon, but the best thing we can do is see that he’s properly trained. Like it or not, being a speedster is part of Wally now.”

  The detective let out another growl, this one tinged with frustration. “Yeah.”

  “As for you—”

  “As for me,” Joe interrupted. “You really don’t have to concern yourself at the moment. Thanks to that last stunt Mardon pulled near the apartment, the chief’s decided I am a liability on the street and for now I have been reassigned to the basement level. Let me repeat that for you! I have been reassigned to the basement level! So, for the time I’m on duty every day, you’ve now got nothing to worry about!”

  “Joe—”

  “I’ve got to run, Barry. Bye.”

  “Joe?” Barry waited for a few seconds, but there was no reply. Joe had hung up.

  “Barry? Are you all right?”

  He turned to Caitlin. “Sure. You look bothered. Something with Wally?”

  “No. He’ll be fine, though I hope we can convince him not to do anything like that again. The strike wasn’t a deep one, but another might have cracked his skull.”

  “Yeah, he and I have to have another talk about what it means to be a speedster. I don’t think he realizes that there are some limits.”

  She smiled slightly. “Well, if this didn’t teach him a little bit about that, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  “I probably do.” He noticed she had a coat on. “You’re leaving?”

  “I’m meeting Iris again. Barry, you two really need to talk. She’s all wound up about her father, Wally, and especially you.”

  “We talked. After the Weather Wizard tried to kill Joe outside the apartment. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it conducive for a productive conversation.”

  Caitlin gave him a reproving look. “She mentioned that over the phone. You’re right. I wouldn’t exactly call that a successful conversation. When she and I met yesterday, all she could speak to me about was her need to talk it all out. I’d say from my phone call with her earlier today that she still feels that way.”

  “It’s a little complicated right now with Mardon tearing up the city, Caitlin—”

  “I know. She knows. But when is a good time with you, Barry? There’s always some threat.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just do it, Barry. It’s best for both of you.” Caitlin squeezed his arm and gave him a parting smile. Barry nodded, then headed to Wally, who was sitting up.

  “You were talking to my old man, weren’t you?” Wally asked.

  “It won’t surprise you to know that he wasn’t too thrilled about what went down at Iron Heights.”

  Wally shook his head. “He wasn’t thrilled? Me, now I know how it feels inside a clothes dryer!” He tried to rise. “Still, that reminds me, I’ve got to get going.”

  Once on his feet, though, he wobbled.

  “Easy there,” H.R. said, giving Wally a hand. “You need to rest a little longer. Maybe a lot longer even.”

  “No. I’ve got to go—”

  Barry realized why. “You’re still trying to keep an eye on your father, aren’t you?”

  “I promised Iris… and myself.”

  “Well, Joe wasn’t too happy, but he’s been assigned to desk duty in the basement of police headquarters.”

  Wally grinned. “You’re not putting me on, are you?”

  “No.”

  “He’ll be frustrated all right… but thanks. He should be safe there until my head stops beating.”

  H.R. looked at Barry. “Might I suggest you take the same advice?”

  Barry realized his comment was not without merit. “Yeah. I suppose so.”

  From his chair, Cisco called, “It’s all quiet out there… so to speak. No Mardon. Just the storm. I’ve got the emergency channels all tuned in, so if anything comes up, we’ll know pretty early.” He swiveled the seat to face Barry and Wally. “Caitlin suggested you both not leave until you’re rested and I concur. You need some serious downtime if you want to face Mardon and not get tossed around like Dorothy and Toto!”

  Nodding, Barry said to Wally, “They’re right. Your father’s safe for now. Let’s leave him be and make certain that we’re ready for whatever the Weather Wizard throws at us next.”

  “The Weather Wizard,” Wally repeated, briefly wincing as he touched his bandaged wound, “and whoever the heck that is shadowing him…”

  * * *

  Joe tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. He stared at the windowless walls surrounding him. Making a face, the detective picked up his phone again and dialed.

  The line rang. And rang. And rang.

  Joe checked
his watch. “Where are you, Iris?”

  The phone continued to ring. Finally, the voicemail came on.

  “This is Iris West. Not available at the moment, but if you leave a message—”

  He hung up. Setting the phone back down, Joe eyed the walls again… and sighed.

  * * *

  Iris thanked the restaurant hostess and sat down across from Caitlin, who was nursing a coffee. “Hi! Long time no see! Must be years!”

  Caitlin smiled at the light joke. “Yep, all the way back to yesterday.”

  Iris set her purse on the chair to her side. “Seriously, I’m not at all sorry to do this again so soon. Between my father and Barry especially, it’s been hard to concentrate on work or anything else. Do you know Barry’s slept at the lab for the past few days?”

  Caitlin sipped her coffee. “Well, he has been kept busy with the storm and the Weather Wizard.”

  “I know, I know, and I guess that makes some sense, but we’d hardly seen or talked with one another the two or three weeks before that as well.”

  Caitlin set down her drink. “I hadn’t realized that.”

  “We kept it between us. It’s all about the same thing, though. It’s just what I’m arguing with Dad about, too.”

  “The risk. I know. Things have changed so much since that night. I thought you said you were working things out with your father, at least. You were going to meet with him to discuss it.”

  “I thought I had… until Dad nearly got killed right on my doorstep. Now, I don’t know what to think.” A waitress brought her a coffee. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “I made an assumption on a lovely day like this that you’d want it,” Caitlin explained, grinning. To the waitress, she asked, “May I have another, please?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Thanks for ordering it, Caitlin. I know it’s not that cold out, but the rain makes everything feel damp and uncomfortable.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Iris took a sip. “Have you heard from Julian?”

  “He’ll be back in a couple of days. One thing lucky; he just missed all this crazy weather.”

  “Not to mention all the trouble with Snapshot.”

  Caitlin frowned. “He was sorry about that happening. He wants to prove he’ll be a good part of the team.”