Disclaimer: CW and DC Comics own the Flash. Saban owns the Power Rangers.
Author's Note: As soon as season 3 of the Flash ended, this popped in my head. I realize that some people may not be fans of the Power Rangers and are wondering why this isn't in a crossover section. Mainly, this category gets way more traffic.
All Things New - Chapter 1
*Miami, FL – May 2017*
He dreaded this moment. For nearly two decades, he kept himself from coming to grips with the fullness of reality. It was bad enough for Tommy Oliver to be dumped publicly by the woman he loved. The one he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. But being here, in a place where the life and vitality that captured her essence was totally absent, was sobering. And worse, it felt like it wasn't supposed to be. Almost like time had been changed, destroying what was supposed to be. Tommy leaned down to gaze more closely.
Kimberly Hart
Beloved Daughter. Trusted Friend.
February 14th 1979 – July 23rd 1997
"I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Beautiful," Tommy confessed.
*Central City – May 2017*
They were devastated. They had achieved victory. Iris was safe. Savitar was dead. The dream wedding was on.
And then it wasn't.
In a blink of an eye, the mood shifted from overwhelming joy to utter shock, if not downright despair. Barry was gone. The Flash, never to be heard from again. According to the speed force, he reached his finish line.
Iris couldn't stop crying, and the rest of the group didn't know what to think. They all wandered into the main part of S.T.A.R. labs, quickly finding seats either on some of the chairs near the computers, or on the hard, cold, sterile floor.
"How could... why..." Iris could barely get the words out, finally breaking a silence that threatened to never break.
"I don't know, baby," Her father, Joe West, sadly replied, slowly placing his arm around her to console her.
"Cisco," Harry, the Earth 2 version of Harrison Wells, interrupted. "Did Barry have his suit with him when he entered the speed force?"
"No, man, didn't you see him go in?" Cisco replied, frustration seeping into his tone.
"I did," Harry responded gruffly. "Look." He pointed over to where his speedster wardrobe typically rested, only to find that the mannequin no longer held the Flash's garb. Cisco marvelled, blinking his eyes, wondering if it was simply his mind playing tricks on him.
"How..." Cisco quickly stood up and quickly observed it, only to stand amazed.
"What is it, mate?" Julian Albert asked.
"I don't know," Cisco replied. "Harry, is it possible that the speed force magically whisked away the suit?"
"Maybe... I mean, I've never seen it do that before, but..."
"But what?" Cisco asked.
"The speed force appeared as Barry's mother, told him he needed to enter it, and needed a prisoner for the past year or so, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, what's your point?" Joe interjected.
"The speed force has never needed a prisoner. It never needed a speedster to occupy it before this year. Before..."
"Flash point," Cisco finished his statement. "Maybe... maybe..." Before Cisco could complete his thought, he scurried to his computer and started typing and clicking. "The suit is still here."
"Ok, so maybe we misplaced the suit..." Iris weakly spoke up, but Cisco cut her off.
"It's here, but it's not."
"Come again?" Joe asked.
"It's still on this earth... but if it were, it would still be here. The coordinates..." Suddenly there was a loud beeping. "It moved. Miami, FL."
"Why..."
"I don't know," Cisco said. "But I think we need to get down to Miami and check it out."
*Miami, FL – May 1997*
Barry Allen had spent little time in the speed force before he landed on solid ground. He was surprised to see the red material of his "Flash" suit on his arms, rather than the black and white formal suit he had been wearing when entering the void.
"What the..." Barry muttered quietly. It was dusk, and he was in a back alley where no one could see him. He sped off and grabbed an old newspaper, bringing it back to the same alleyway. "May 10th, 1997." He read through some of the headlines, surprised to see some of the things he learned in his history classes. "Pan-global games, Power Rangers stave off attack in Angel Grove, Florida Marlin's star Gary Sheffield in a slump. I think I'm on earth one. But I went twenty years back. But why?"
He sat down and rested against one of the brick walls to mull over what had just transpired. "I don't understand. This has never been how the speed force has worked. I was supposed to be trapped in it, and if I was supposed to travel somewhere through it, it should have taken me to the same location but in a different time, or a different planet in the multi-verse. But, to take me to..." He looked back at the paper. "To Miami, twenty years ago in the past." His voice trailed off, silently pondering what he had been expressing out loud. He looked back at his suit, and realized he still had working coms and tech.
"Cisco, do you read? Cisco?" Nothing. "Should have known... technology wouldn't traverse time like that." He heard a police siren beginning to close in, presumably for a crime nowhere near him. Still, the last thing Barry wanted was to do was change the timeline yet again. "I'll figure this out later. I need to become less conspicious." He sped off and, regretfully, stole some clothes. A couple pairs of jeans, some shorts, underwear, and a few t-shirts and a pair of shoes. He also picked up a rather large hiking back-pack so that he could travel and store his suit, at least for the time being.
He was dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a green florida marlins t-shirt, with the hulking backpack thrust on his shoulders. He also heisted a few hundred dollars, from a local bank, which he hoped to return once he figured out what was going on. 'Hopefully this won't change the timeline too dramatically,' he thought to himself. He was walking along the city streets, thinking about what his next move would be, when without looking he ran into two people. All three of them fell down on the pavement, and took a moment to reorient to their collision.
"Oh man, I'm sorry guys," Barry replied, slowly making his way back to his feet, though his bag was still on the ground. He offered his hand to help the pair up, a tall, strong-looking male with dirty-blonde hair, and a petite woman with caramel-colored hair. They both were young, and wore U.S.A. jumpsuits.
"No problem, man," The young man said as he was helped up by Barry, flashing a smile to him. He helped the woman next to him to her feet, and as she got up, she noticed the massive backpack.
"What's with the hiking pack? You realize Miami is where you go for fun in the sun, not hiking the mountains, right?" She asked.
"Yeah... well, I'm kind of making a new start of everything," Barry fibbed. "Everything seemed like it was on the up and up, but I lost everything, now I'm trying to pick up the pieces."
"Oh my gosh, that's terrible!" the young lady replied. She turned to the young man she was with. "Ethan, we should help him while he gets back on his feet."
"No need, miss, I really should be on my way..."
"No, it's ok," the young man said. "There's an open room in the men's dormitory, we could probably swipe you in and get you a guest pass for at least a few days. They don't even check for a driver's license, which is a bit odd considering they have some of the finest athletes on the premises."
"I was going to ask, either you guys are really patriotic, or you must be participating in the pan-globals?" Barry was thankful for looking over the paper when he first arrived. The pan-globals hadn't been a major talking point in his history classes... only that they were disbanded due to declining interest.
"We are," he replied. "Ethan Abernathy, and this is my girlfriend Kimberly Hart."
"Barry Allen." He extended his hand to Kim, and they shook. "So, what are you guys doing in the games?"
"She's gymnastics, I'm track and field."
"He's probably the fastest guy here," Kimberly bragged.
'I'd hate to break it to her that he's slower than dirt... at least to me,' Barry thought to himself, biting his tongue so that he would let out a chuckle.
"That's awful kind, darlin, but we all know you're our greatest hope for the gold," he replied with a wide grin.
"I swear... I've heard that name before... Kimberly Hart."
"She was the biggest story of the trials last fall," Ethan explained. "ESPN, Good Morning America, the Today show, she's been everywhere. I'd imagine that's why you've seen her."
"Yeah, I bet that's it," Barry lied. "Look, it was good meeting you. And I really appreciate the offer to stay with you, but I'm not sure that would be the best idea..."
"And why not?" Kim pried.
"Well... I just wouldn't want to get you guys in trouble," Barry replied.
"Honestly, it won't be any trouble at all," Ethan replied. "We know all the security guys in the dorms, they'll be cool with it. At least stay there until you can come up with some next steps."
Barry pondered this for a moment. 'I don't want to change the course of their lives.' He thought. 'But, maybe I can lay low enough that being around them for a few days won't change much.' "Ok, I'll come with you. Do you mind if I follow you to the dorms now?"
"Not at all," Kim replied excitedly. "We'll have to show you all the sights. Have you ever been to Miami?" Barry shook his head. "Well, we can show you the beaches, the best coffee shops..."
"Slow down, babe, I'm sure Barry want's to catch his breath," Ethan interjected, but Barry chuckled at Kim's exhuberance.
"It's ok... you remind me of someone who I really enjoy," Barry commented, thinking of Iris before they started dating, how she always helped him get acclimated. Though, she focused on helping him socially, not with location. "Maybe we could stop somewhere to get some food before we hit the dorm?"
"Sure," Ethan answered, but seemed hesitant.
"Oh, I know the perfect place!" Kim shouted ecstaticly. "They have great salads and smoothies..."
"Oh... I'm not really a salad guy," Barry interjected. "And, I eat a lot."
"Like, how much are you talking?" Kim asked. "I mean, I think D'Angelo's has pretty big portion sizes..."
"I was thinking more like 'all you can eat buffet' type of places," Barry admitted. "One fixed price, lots of food..."
"Not great quality," Kim quipped.
"Actually, I could go for a big meal too," Ethan replied.
"Really?" Kim was shocked. "Don't you need to stay on a strict eating plan?"
"Nah, us runners need a ton of calories to have the right amount of energy for our races," Ethan replied. "And besides, not all buffet food is bad. There's a pretty good place down the street that makes ready-to-order sushi."
"Sushi?" Barry asked. "I'm in!"
"Eww, gross," Kim replied.
"Oh, come on darlin, it'll be fun," Ethan replied. The trio wandered off to the restaurant, where Barry enjoyed the company and fast friends. However, as they ate, and as found the spare room in the dormitory to stay in, questions continued to fill his mind.
'Am I getting too attached? Am I changing the timeline? Am I doing more damage? Why am I here?'
What he didn't realize, was that he was there for a purpose. A purpose that would be revealed to him at a later time, to restore what had once been broken.
To be continued...
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- Googz333