The cantina was alive with the usual hustle and bustle of daily activity, as Wally West swaggered in wearing hawaiian print shorts and a red shirt almost as bright as his hair. A grin spread across his face, and he breathed in deeply, as if enjoying the fresh air.
"Wally! How was your vacation?" Zatanna asked.
"Yeah, good. Great. Awful." Wally pulled a face. "It doesn't matter where I run to, or how fast I go, trouble always seems to find me. But when you're as fast as me, the tours don't take long. And the ladies love a hero."
Hawkgirl rolled her eyes. "Clearly your break did wonders for your ego."
"Who got your feathers in a bunch?" Wally asked, smirking.
"Whoever put me on Recon detail with you." Hawkgirl stood up and picked her her helmet. "You better get changed quick. We leave in five."
"Please. That's five more minutes than I need."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Booster Gold, trying desperately not to make eye contact. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a blinking red light on the chassis of his robotic friend Skeets. The little yellow orb-like thing was floating around above the table, and Wally could tell Booster wasn't eating. Just playing with the crust of bread.
"Okay, Booster. Where's Guy?"
"Hmm, what? Oh, I couldn't tell you. What am i his babysitter. Can't a guy enjoy his food in peace."
The whole lot was rattled off at a pace of knots. Booster was the kind of guy you could play poker with and win big. Until he cheated.
"Why don't you just give up now, and save yourself the trouble? It's going to be the same as last year. And the year before."
"Really, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I believe he is referring to the incidents of April First, in the ye-"
"Shut up, Skeets!"
The little bot went spinning from the swatted blow, with a strange whirring sound. Again, Wally spotted the flashing red light. Booster stood up, smiled awkwardly, dropped his crust into the bin and walked away whistling what was meant to be a jaunty tune. It was nothing of the sort.
"Come on, Flash," Hawkgirl said, leaving in the other direction.
Wally's eyes narrowed. He lifted his hand, aimed the special ring into the air, and fired his costume. With a burst of speed he rushed forward, intent of slipping into the skin-tight scarlet suit and catching up with Hawkgirl.
Instead, what shot out of the ring was not the red costume he was used to wearing, but a pink and white variation of Supergirl's costume. The pink cape was lined with white fur, and the leotard was cropped at the midriff to show off the naval. Instead of the noble shield of Krypton, a dark Pink emblem had been emblazoned with a bright pink F on a white background.
A split nanosecond from throwing the suit over his head, Wally's lightning fast reactions kicked into gear. He paused, for a fragment of a second, the world around him seemingly in stasis at their slow natural pace, and he considered his situation.
It was then he noticed Booster Gold, hesitating at the door to stare, wide-eyed, with unabashed anticipation as the speedster. And yet again, the red light of Skeet's all-seeing, all-recording eye. Wally frowned. When were those two going to give up. And where was Guy?
Scanning the room, didn't reveal the Lantern. Maybe he'd given up on the pranks, and Booster had forged ahead alone. Although that didn't seem likely. Maybe he had a better, unseen vantage point. But if so, Wally couldn't think where. And even at his super speeds, he didn't have all day to think about it.
Time to react.
Motion returned to the room, and Flash stood in vibrant red, dressed in a spare costume from his room. The pink Supergirl attire and had disappeared, and in its place was the yellow and blue garb of Booster Gold, floating to the floor like a ghost fainting.
Almost immediately, the room erupted in laughter. There in the doorway, completely oblivious to the attention, was Booster Gold, frowning in slight confusion at the familiar costume drifting to the cantina floor. Slowly, as if in denial, he looked down at himself. The pink and white costume suited him to a tee.
"When did you...how did you...not cool."
He pulled the cape around him as if to protect his modesty, and his face turned bright red.
"Wait. You undressed me?!" Booster exclaimed. "Did you sneak a peek?"
Wally only smiled as he left.
