Many have heard of the Flash. The Fastest Man Alive. They know his backstory, his origin, his adventures in crime-fighting, as well as his romantic life. Barry Allen was the most well known, with Kid Flash or Wally West being close behind in popularity. Bart Allen, or Impulse comes in second, his story connecting with others as he fought to control his advanced aging. Lastly, Jay Garrick. One of the least popular Flash's, Jay Garrick is much slower, older, and located in a completely different universe.
While many know these four heroes, there are other speedsters out there that are very much not known. The Accelerated Man. Avery Ho's Flash. Johnny Chamber's. Patty Spivot's , and Kid Zoom. One specifically, Alexander Morue. He was twenty-six years old, with short brown hair, with the short sides being carefully combed and a central quiff. Alexander was in good shape, his arms being nicely toned, as well as well-defined abs. He had ocean blue eyes and tended to wear hoodies, jeans, and sneakers.
As unknown as he is, there is a reason. Barry Allen. After the scarlet speedsters creation of the universe known as Flashpoint, the universe was never the same. Not only did the creation of Flashpoint create the Speed Force Storm, which plagued Central City on May 24th, 2017, but it allowed one Eobard Thawne to exist. Alexander hated Thawne probably more than the second Flash. The maniacal speedster had killed Alexander's parents, as well as his twin sister Evelyn.
He could have hated Barry Allen for bringing the Reverse-Flash back into existence, but he knew his sister wouldn't want that. After all, The Flash was a hero right? Why rain on the superheroes' parade? No, instead, Alexander lived out his days as a local chef, completing Culinary School, before opening his diner in Central City, not far from the infamous STAR Labs, which was due to activate any minute.
Business was great as usual that night as Alexander cooked fish fillets on the grill and his apprentice at the time, Emma, cooked classic spaghetti and meatballs. He was flipping a fillet, casually humming the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody. Before Alexander could blink, every beverage in the kitchen levitated into the air. He glanced at Emma in shock, before looking outside to find people running past his restaurant, named the Central City Joint.
Alexander motioned for Emma to help those who had entered the restaurant in fear, before sprinting to the back. He moved up the back stairway, climbing three steps at a time before reaching the roof. Alexander pushed open the door and was met with a fiery wind. He covered his face for a moment, taking in the pure strength of the wind, wondering how in the hell a tornado wound up in southeastern Missouri. Then Alexander opened his eyes, and damn did he see a good sight.
STAR Labs had exploded in a fiery of red, a wave of unknown substance spreading through the city at a rapid pace. Alexander watched the Central City Police Department as yellow lightning flew down from the sky, before hitting the large building. He could see small glass particles in the distance break from the strike and hoped no one got hit. However, as Alexander pondered the safety of the CCPD, he didn't see the wave move through him at high speed, as well as he didn't see the bright yellow lightning bolt descending from the sky.
Before he could react, the lightning bolt struck Alexander in the chest, sending him flying back. He soared through the air, unconsciousness overtaking him as he fell. The last thing he saw was a wave of blue enveloping him before darkness was all that was left.
UNKNOWN
Alexander floated adrift in a region of space and time that most people only dreamed of. Lightning and energy surged around him. With his conscious disabled, his subconscious was all that remained open. His subconscious was being bombarded with memories and events that either weren't his or hadn't seen or heard of. In minutes, hundreds of years had passed for Alexander.
Lightning all around struck him at constant speeds, only enhancing his comatose state as he drifted through the multi-colored abyss. Seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, hours become days, days become weeks, weeks become months, months become years, years become decades, decades become centuries, centuries becomes millennia. Time didn't exist in this dimension...the Speed Force.
It wasn't until a small entity appeared in the abyss that Alexander sprung awake. He appeared the same as he had minutes before, only his eyes were darker, with a sense of age only an old man could have. Alexander floated around for a minute before regaining his orientation. After a moment of looking around, Alexander spotted the figure.
He approached it, and nearly gasped at the sight of his much younger sister, Evelyn. But it wasn't his sister. He knew that now. Through the millennia's of moments and memories, he had seen the constant visits the Speed Force made to its conduits. "You're not my sister are you?" Alexander asked as he examined her. She was exactly as he remembered, her silky black hair that moved down to her lower back. Her hazel eyes, which she had inherited from their father. And she wore the same clothes she had worn the night Thawne had snapped her neck right in front of him. Evelyn shook her head. "You're the Speed Force," She nodded. "What do you want?"
"You just had a taste of the timeline. You have seen a possible future, but not the future. You're seeing the original timeline," The Speed Force said. "Your involvement in the previous timeline was near non-existent, seeing as you were one of the many occupants of the Speed Force after Flashpoint was created,"
"So, what do you want? You overachieving godly types always want a puppet or a minion, so what do you want?" Alexander asked.
"You, Xander," Alexander froze at the sound of his nickname. Evelyn had had many ear infections when they were kids so her hearing and speech were not great. So, when she couldn't pronounce the Ale in his name, she substituted with the nickname, Xander. He had hated the nickname at first but grew to like it after he found out he had high school classes with five other Alexander's. "We want you. Barry Allen was our greatest hero, but you...you are our champion. The Champion of the Speed Force,"
"So...what do you want me to do?" Xander asked.
"Do what you feel, and we will follow. However, we have one mission for you," The Speed Force said as Xander rolled his eyes in expectancy. "We need you to go to the year 2049, and stop Nora West-Allen from working with Eobard Thawne. It is detrimental that Eobard Thawne remains in 2049 to live out his execution. Her workings with the Reverse-Flash will tear apart the West-Allen family,"
"Ok, find XS, kill Thawne, take her to her family, and then chill...anything else?" Xander asked in annoyance as the Speed Force stared at him quizzingly. "Why do you hate us Xander?" The Speed Force asked.
"You took everything from me," Xander said simply. "Your idiocy gave Thawne his powers, and in turn, my parents and sister were killed right in front of me. I don't like you, or what you choose to do with your grand power. You think you know what's better for everyone, but you don't. You can control your conduits, and yet you allow them to move throughout the universe, killing, hurting, and destroying people's lives, when you can easily take their abilities from them!"
"We understand your anger, and that is why we need you. Our Time Wraiths are not always...reliable. We need a mortal mind to help us with our decisions. You will be able to communicate with us at will, whenever you please," The Speed Force said before a large blue portal appeared to his left. "You will find yourself in the year 2049. Stay safe, and do not get attached to anything you see. It is a future, not the future,"
Xander nodded, moving away from the Speed Force and towards the portal. "Oh! And Xander," The man in question turned just in time to catch a golden ring, with a white emblem and golden lightning bolt. "Take good care of it...it's one of a kind," Xander nodded once again, before jumping through.
CENTRAL CITY; 2049
Xander Morue stepped out of the breach to find him on the roof of...his restaurant. But it was no longer his restaurant, instead, it was an Italian restaurant named Italiano's. He turned to STAR Labs, the cause of all of this, only to find a golden statue standing in front of it. The statue depicted the Flash, the 'Hero' of Central City. And STAR Labs was now the Flash Museum.
He peered down at his fingers, placing the white and gold ring on his middle finger, before aiming it out, pressing the tiny nub on the side. The slot clicked open, a white and gold suit flying from it. Xander hadn't tried it before, but he called out to the Speed Force, calling out its power before a surge of bright yellow electricity surged around him.
Within a second, Xander took off down the street, buildings, people, and cars flying past him as he soared through into the Flash Museum. For an unknown reason, Xander could somehow sense the abilities he could use via the Speed Force. Phasing, Temporal Duplicates, Lightning Throws, Vortex Creation, Speed Lending or Stealing, Speed Reading, Rapid Healing, Inter-Dimensional Travel, Speed Speaking, Energy Constructs, Time Travel, Time Manipulation, and so many more.
Xander phased through the elevator of the museum, speeding up the elevator shaft before coming to a stop in the main hallway leading to the "Cortex" of the building. He peered down, taking in the sight of his suit, before peering at a specific part of the wall. His time in the Speed Force had shown him everything, and he was ready.
Pressing his hand against it, Xander watched as the wall dissolved to reveal...a young woman. She was quite beautiful, her brown hair drifting down to her right, reaching down to her right elbow. Her hazel eyes seemed to pierce into his soul, while her vibrant smile radiated the room. She wore tight black jeans, a black hoodie, and black sneakers.
She didn't seem to notice him at first until she peered up from the box she was holding. His white suit, which was very similar to that of Godspeed, seemed to frighten her as she dropped the box, and backed into the wall. "Oh my god. Oh my god," She said, trying to find a way out as Xander thought.
Without thinking, his cowl disappeared with a thought, revealing his young face. "Nora West-Allen,"
"How do you know who I am?" Nora asked, her fists balling up in fear as she prepared for a fight. Xander sighed, his head hanging for a single moment, before looking up to face her. "What do you want from me? More V-9? My speed?"
"No. No...I'm here to give you something you want," Xander said. "I know you're working with Thawne, but his plan won't work...or it will, depending on how you see it,"
"Wait, if you're not Godspeed...who are you?" Nora asked in curiosity.
"Oh, right. I'm Xander Morue, or…" He thought for a moment, his mind racing for a cool superhero name before a thought came to his mind. "The Flash," Xander said, confusing Nora slightly.
"You're not the Flash. He wore red...he disappeared twenty-five years ago," Nora said. "Besides...the Flash is my...my father,"
"Oh, I know. But...your father took everything from me. So, the least I could do is take his name-sake," Xander said as he moved through the Time Vault of Star Labs.
"What do you mean he took everything from you?" asked Nora.
"His actions, more like it. Barry Allen went back in time, and saved his mother, creating another timeline known as Flashpoint. Because of this, Eobard Thawne, your buddy, was allowed to live. And oh does Eobard have a grudge against future speedsters. Because one night, I woke up to find my mom and dad dead on the floor, knives in each of their hearts. And in the middle was my sister, Evelyn, crying for my help as none other than Eobard Thawne held her by the neck. I tried to help...but he snapped her neck and left," Xander said calmly.
"Oh my god,"
"Your father thought he was a god. And as a result, my family died," said Xander, before he turned to her once again. "But I understand his actions. That's why I'm willing to help you so you don't make the same mistake...working with Thawne,"
"But he knows how to get me back -"
"To a time when your father is alive, yes I know his plan, but -" He held out his hands, pure Speed Force energy sizzling from his palms as Nora starred in fascination. "I am one with the positive Speed Force, and can help you go back without a hidden agenda,"
"What's the catch?" Nora asked in suspicion.
"You drop contact with Thawne," Xander said simply. "His plans will not only result in your death, but it will bring the Crisis that killed your father five years closer," Then he froze. In a split second, he moved closer, pushing her into the wall as he motioned for her to be quiet. Xander heard the sound of someone entering the Time Vault. He turned to find none other than Iris West-Allen standing in the doorway, staring right at them. But she wasn't. Iris moved forward, picking up the box that Nora had dropped, before sadly placing it back on the shelf.
In less than a minute, Iris was gone, and Xander and Nora were left alone. Not wanting to risk it, the two remained pressed into the wall, their faces inches apart as they remained silent. After another minute, Xander moved away, grabbing another box labeled 'Version 20', before turning to Nora.
"We have to get out of here. Your mom is desperate to find you, and we don't know who else she's sent to look for you," Xander said. "Do you trust me? To help you find your father?" He held out his hand, and with a little bit of hesitation, Nora shook it. "Cool...now, let's go,"
In a flash of yellow and purple lightning, the two ran from the Time Vault, passing Iris West as they ran from the building. They ran through Central City, Xander meters ahead of Nora as he slowed down. Xander, He recoiled at the voice for a moment, before it continued. Do not be alarmed. It is us, the Speed Force. Cool, Xander thought as the entity continued. As our champion, we can talk to you directly. Grab Nora's arm, and give her more of what she desires. Following the Speed Force's directions, he grabbed Nora by the arm, and poured the Speed Force into her system, making her faster and faster as the two ran.
And then...the unexpected happened. A speedster, with a suit very similar to Xander's, came out of nowhere. The speedster, Godspeed, slammed Nora off of the street, before charging Xander. Xander, not only can you give us to others, but you can take us away as well. Do not worry, you will not be affected by the V-9. He nodded, running Godspeed head-on as the two tackled each other.
He grabbed Godspeed's face, the feeling of speed rushing into Xander's body as he drained the evil speedster of his power. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Godspeed exclaimed as he fell to the floor in a heap. Xander, open us and throw him in. You will deposit him into the Speed Force Prison, designed specifically for people like him. Xander nodded, and sent a small lightning bolt forward at Mach 2, opening a large breach into the Speed Force.
Grabbing August Heart, or Godspeed, by the torso, Xander threw him in, watching as lightning engulfed Heart. The breach closed, and with a curt nod, Xander rushed over to Nora, who was on the ground, clutching her knee in pain. "Hey, XS," Xander moved to her side, grabbing her leg in worry as she winced.
"How do you know my nickname?" Nora asked.
"Speed Force, I'll explain later. The point is, we're not going anywhere until that heals," Xander said. "Besides, now you can show me the sights,"
"Wait, you're not from here?" Nora asked.
"Central City, yes. 2049, no. I'm from the year 2013...the year your father was struck by lightning. That was the day I got struck by lightning too…" Xander trailed off, before sighing. "Well, that's all in the past now...literally. So...where to?" He asked as he picked her up bridal style. "Home? Flash museum?" She thought for a moment, before nodding. "Home," Nora responded. And without thought, Xander vanished, Nora in his arms as he ran.