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Now Onto what you all want to see, the main chapter itself.

The Flash: Survival of the Fastest

Chapter 3: XLR8

Central City Park

6:07 PM

"Sorry, Sorry!" Barry called out as he brushed past another person on his way to the crime scene. He had gotten the call from Joe not too long ago so he made his way over to the Park as Fast as he could, this meant he and Caitlin would have to put off their supposed training session with Ben until tomorrow.

"Allen, so good of you to join us." Captain Singh said as Barry sucked under the crime scene tape.

"I am so sorry I'm late Captain I was uh… with my…" Singh silenced Barry by raising his hand.

"I don't want to hear about your love life Allen." The Captain just rubbed his forehead. "Just… do your job."

"Right…" Barry made his way over to Julian who was analyzing some scorch marks on the paved path and grass. "What have we got Julian?"

Julian turned to Barry. "We only have one witness to what happened. Looks like the Flash kidnapped someone."

"I… uh… what makes you say that?" Barry asked very confused. "I mean… why would the Flash kidnap someone?"

"The witness saw what looked like two bolts of lightning." Julian explained. "Both yellow, like the Flash. When she got here the victim was gone and all that we have to work with is these scorch marks and a pond full of dead fish."

Barry analyzed the scorch marks. They were parallel and each one was about 4 5/16th inches wide, which was the same width as his Flash boots, so given all the knew, which wasn't much, it was possible the perpetrator was someone like him.

"Bag what we can Allen." Julian said as he took his gloves off. "We'll be needing every blade of grass and dead fish to solve this one." Barry rolled his eyes at an angle Julian could not see as his phone started to ring.

The Flash looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Caitlin. Why was she calling him? He told her he'd meet her at their apartment when he got off from this late-night call. "Hey Cait."

"Hey Barry, so I was wondering if in all the excitement and confusion someone forgot that tonight is?" Caitlin asked and Barry immediately slapped his forehead. Tonight, was date night, and well, Barry was planning to surprise Caitlin with tickets to her favorite play, Wicked, which was playing tonight at 6:00. That was now a bust. Maybe he could get the refunded for later tickets.

"I am so sorry Caitlin… I think we might have to reschedule dinner… I had this surprise planned out and well… a monkey wrench was thrown in the plan…"

He could hear Caitlin laughing on the other end. "It's alright Barry. We'll just do it some other time. It's one of the things I have to get used to because my boyfriend is a CSI."

Barry couldn't help but smile, he had the best girlfriend in the world. She was so sweet, caring and understanding. "Yeah… you know what? Tomorrow night we'll make it up. Just the two of us. I promise."

"Looking forward to it Bar. I'll see you when you get home. Love you."

"Love you more." Barry smiled just before she hung up.

S.T.A.R. Labs

6:40 PM

Ben sat on the bed Team Flash had provided him. Until further notice he was restricted to S.T.A.R. Labs so he would have to make do with his accommodations. He held up his right arm and clenched his fist, a moment later his entire arm was covered in blue constructs resembling a gauntlet of sorts just made of hard light. Ben's left hand flew across a piece that resembled a keyboard and. An image was projected off the light gauntlet and Ben just looked at it completely engrossed.

"I don't care if no one believes me. I made a promise to you… I'll do anything and everything it takes to save you… you and mom… We'll get to be a family… again…" Ben was lost in thought when he heard the steady sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Immediately he turned off the device eliminating all evidence just as Caitlin walked in.

"Hi Mo- I mean Caitlin… what are you still doing here?" Ben asked his mother. "I thought you and Barry had a date tonight."

"We did but we had to reschedule after Barry got called into the precinct. So, here I am, just checking in." Caitlin said. "I wanted to make sure you're first night isn't too Spartan."

Ben shot several quick glances around the room. "It's fine. A little lonely but it could be worse. I understand your hesitance in allowing me to stay with you and Dad, or even just straight up accepting me into your lives. I thought that… my coming to this time… I just thought things would have been different… you know?" Ben began to chuckle to himself. "I guess in a way they are… I mean you've got super speed like dad, which is cool don't get me wrong… it's just not what I was expecting…"

"What were you expecting, if you don't mind my asking." Caitlin sat down on the bed next to Ben.

"I don't know… pretty much everything here except you being… you know… normal." Mother and son just sat there in silence just enjoying each other's company, and yet not really knowing what else they could say to each other. Twelve hours ago, Ben was an orphan and Caitlin was not a mother so the situation was a little awkward for the both of them.

"Caitlin… if… if you want I can tell you everything that happens to you… and Barry…" Ben spoke suddenly. He did not want to keep anything from his parents, especially their fates. He wanted them to still be around especially Caitlin, the one that was taken from him.

Caitlin thought for a moment, super speed had its perks when she needed time to think. "No… I don't want to know…" Ben understood where she was coming from. "Well, I'm heading out now. You sure you don't need anything?"

"I'm fine Caitlin."

"Ok… I'll… I'll see you tomorrow Ben." Ben gave her a smile before watching his mother run off in a flurry of blue lightning.

That was something he was never going to get used to.

Undisclosed Place and Time

"Where am I…" Axel asked. He felt weightless and like he was being pulled everywhere, yet he wasn't moving.

"You are in my domain Mr. Areight." In front of Axel was a man clad entirely in a white suit that left no flesh visible adorned with golden lightning bolts. His boots and forearms were gold and looked like they were made from the metal of the same name.

"Who… who are you?"

"My name is not your concern. But for simplicity's sake, you may call me Godspeed." Godspeed said to the frightened man.

"Wha… what do you want from me?" In a flash of white and gold lightning Godspeed was inches from Axel's face clutching his chin and staring into his terrified eyes.

"You're going to fight the Flashes and bring me their Speed."

At this point Axel, could barely contain how ridiculous that sounded. "You have got to be joking. I'm just a nurse at Central City Memorial Hospital. I'm not one of those Meta-Human freaks."

"You're one of those freaks now." Godspeed growled menacingly. "Now…if you do exactly as I say I will remove the speed I granted you."

Axel's eyes widened in shock. There was no way he could be one of those Meta-Human freaks. He willed his body to move. He had to escape from this evil Flash. He felt an energy surge through his body and in a flash of yellow lightning he was on the other side of the strange place but the white speedster was right next to him before he even realized he moved. "What… what did you do to me…?" Axel was frightened of what he was becoming.

"I unlocked your potential. Where I am from you are a powerful speedster known as XLR8. I simply jumpstarted your path with your successor/predecessor's powers." Sensing his fear Godspeed crouched to his level. "Here we have all the time in the multiverse to make you mine, XLR8."

Abandoned Ferris Air Field

7:00 AM October 3, 2017

Barry, Cisco Caitlin and Ben were standing outside a STAR Labs Mobile Lab at the old Ferris Air Landing Strip.

"How exactly do you plan to make Barry faster?"

"Well, I set up another white line 1125.33 feet away from Barry. It has a laser finish line connected to this switch." Ben showed Cisco the switch. "I push the switch giving them the signal to start then we look at the result times. The goal is to have Barry and Caitlin be able to run 1125.33 feet in one second or less."

"I thought you said Ricochet could go from zero to Mach 10 in that time." Cisco chimed in not even looking up from his computer.

"Ok, for starters his Name is Recoil, not Ricochet."

"Our Timeline, My nicknames. If we visit your timeline, I'll let you name them." Caitlin rolled her eyes in as her arms came to a rest at her hips.

Ben's folded across his chest. "Fine, but I'm still calling him Recoil. Any who Recoil used to be able to go from Zero to Mach 10 in one second but from what I gathered from his fight with Barry He was only able to go up to Mach 1 on that initial bounce."

"Why the decrease in his speed?" Cisco asked

"Not so much a decrease in his speed as a decrease in his acceleration. I don't know how but he's definitely slower than he was in our time." Ben looked towards his parents concerned. "I fear that Godspeed is somehow involved because Recoil was just a thug, even after he got his powers.

"Guys, I'm ready!" Barry called.

"Alright get ready to run!" Ben prepped the device and Caitlin quickly made her way over to Barry.

"I don't think we should try and accomplish this on our first run. We should Concentrate on making it there as fast as you can." Caitlin was worried about Barry. If he were to attempt something like this recklessly he ran the risk of tearing the muscles, tendons and ligaments in his legs which take him a while to heal.

"Caitlin, we have to at least try." Caitlin nodded slightly. She knew. That was who he was.

Barry and Caitlin got into a starting position on a while like while Cisco and Ben stood a few feet back.

"Ready… GO!" Ben yelled as he pushed the button and the two speedsters took off as fast as they could, leaving yellow and blue lightning entangled in their wake.

Central City Picture News

While Team Flash was busy working with Ben to amplify Barry's acceleration rate Iris made her way to her job at Central City Picture News. In the event that Recoil or Ricochet showed up while Barry was training someone had to keep an eye open and an ear to the ground so that they wouldn't be caught off guard when he does whatever he wants to do.

"Iris, I've got something for you." Iris looked over to Scott as he approached her with a folder of papers and two people following closely behind him. The young man's arms carried several files and slung over one shoulder was a large black bag while the other was decorated with a camera. The girl to his left carried considerably less, just what looked like a notepad and her cell phone.

"Hi Scott, what's up." Iris got a good look at the young man. She could not deny he was very good looking but he was nowhere near Eddie or Barry. In a way, he sorts of reminded her of Wally. Both in looks and mannerism. They girl was pretty and actually made Iris feel like she was looking in a fun house mirror.

"We're getting hits about someone being struck by lightning in the park and vanishing without a trace." Iris perked up. Lightning strike? Vanishing without a trace? Sounded like Someone was hit by lightning and developed super speed. Like Barry had. But how? It's not like the Particle Accelerator was turned on yesterday. "I've got a feeling that the Flash is somehow involved. I want you on this. Oh, before I forget, Iris West meet Derick and Daphne North. They are Journalism Students from Central City University working with us for an internship, and as of right now they're your new probies."

"Nice to meet you Ms. West." Derick said as he shook Iris' hand.

"Please call me Iris."

"Well, you can call me D-Man if you want." Daphne gave Derick a nudge to make him stop flirting with Iris.

"Don't be stupid Derick. Can't you see she's already taken?" She pointed out Iris's ring.

"Oh…"

"Well, I'll let you two get acquainted with each other on your own time. Iris I want you on the latest Flash story, the one where he had his ass beat by that other guy, we'll call him Hopper since he hops around like a frog."

"Uh actually I have a source that says the guy's name is Recoil." Iris said thinking about what Ben had said to the Team.

"Really? Well I trust your judgment Iris." Scott gave her a smile before he left Iris with Derick and Daphne to get to work.

"So, you're Mr. Evan's go to girl for all things Flash? That's cool."

"You a fan of the Flash?"

"Yeah, we are actually both huge fans. I just think it's so cool how he runs around saving people giving us hope. He's the reason I'm also dabbling in photography on the side of my journalism classes. And believe me taking a picture of someone moving super-fast is a lot harder than you'd think." Derick rambled

Iris smiled as she thought back to her first picture of Barry as the Flash, it wasn't that difficult, granted she got it at precisely the right moment when he was still standing still. "Well, let's go Probie. We've got a story to write."

"OK, wait, where are we going?" Daphne asked as Iris led the way and Derick fumbled behind her nearly dropping his files and camera.

Central City Waterfront

The Central City Police Force had gotten an anonymous tip about a body showing up on the shore so of course they made their way there to investigate. What they found was not pretty. It was a shriveled-up corpse that more closely resembled stone than flesh. Given that it lacked the decaying smell.

"Jesus…" Singh said softly. He had seen some messed-up things in his time on the police force but this was certainly up there. "What have we got Joe?"

"Tip came in almost an hour ago. Julian's analyzing the body to determine if this was done by a Meta-Human."

"Not determining Detective West, confirming." Julian responded earning Joe and Singh's curiosity. "This body has been fossilized. Clearly this is a modern-day Homo Sapiens, it is highly unlikely that he was around during the Cretaceous Period. Therefore, my hypothesis is that we are dealing with a Meta-Human who can fossilize objects."

"What's that there in his left eye socket?" The Captain asked catching something glint in the sunlight.

Julian, wearing a pair of gloves reached in and pulled out a spherical object. "It appears to be a prosthetic eye. I'll have to run some tests back at the lab." He looked up to survey the rest on the force noticing someone who should be there wasn't. "Ugh… where is Allen?"

"He had to uh… run an errand for me." Joe said covering for his son as he usually did.

Abandoned Ferris Air Field

"How was that?" Barry asked as he and Caitlin returned to where Cisco and Ben had set up the Mobile Lab.

"Well, you ran just over three football fields in 8.74 seconds at a final velocity of Mach 1." Cisco looked up from the result. "So your acceleration was, 128.76 Feet/Second. Not too bad for a first try."

"Really? That's it?" Caitlin shared a look with all three boys. "Barry and I can easily hit Speeds over Mach 25 and yet we can't reach Mach 1 in a second?"

Ben chuckled. "Don't beat yourselves up too much. It's harder to go faster over shorter distances and periods of time. You're already doing better than me. It took me almost thirty seconds to hit Mach 1 on my first try."

"We'll do it again." Barry said. Running 343 meters in 8.74 seconds was far below what he expected it used to take him 22.6 seconds to throw a supersonic punch. And both he and Caitlin could easily go over Mach 20 given plenty of time.

"I agree with Barry, we do it again." Ben agreed. "As of right now in the time it takes for Barry to reach Mach 1 Recoil can hit Mach 8 or even 9."

Barry nodded before getting back into his starting position.

"You sure you don't want me to show you how to do it?" Ben asked gesturing to his anklet. "All you've got to do is-"

"Nope." Barry cut him off. "Cait, come on."

The two speedsters got back into their starting positions and waited for the signal they both inhaled and let the energy build within them, they felt the lightning surge through their bodies. "GO!" Cisco cried out.

Ben and Cisco watched as Barry and Caitlin ran forward much faster than they did before leaving lightning of their respective colors. The force was so immense it actually blew Cisco and Ben back a little in a way that was reminiscent of Barry's first test run with his powers. As the two Flashes ran a larger stream of yellow lightning formed between them. There was something, more like someone, in the lightning running or more like gliding alongside them.

Cisco looked down at the results and could not contain his joy. "WHOA!" Eagerly he showed Ben and the son of Barry and Caitlin broke out in a smile.

"0.23 Seconds! That's 1491m/s which means their acceleration is-"

"6483.91m/s2" Cisco interrupted before giving him a smirk. "That's 38 times faster than last time!"

Ben's smile soon faded. "Something's not right. As happy as I am that my parents are uber fast but… that's too much of an increase for their second try."

There was a crackle of yellow lightning and before Ben and Cisco stood a new figure. The figure wore a full body yellow suit with black gloves and boots. Yellow disks rested on their wrists and ankles resembling shields and wheels. A yellow helmet with a black visor decorated their head but the most shocking thing was that he held Barry in his right hand and Caitlin in his left.

"Who the hell are you?" Cisco yelled out in shock.

"My name is XLR8." The man in yellow said. "Godspeed sent me here to kill the Flash. Lucky for me there are two of them. All the more for me to kill." He tossed Barry and Caitlin to the ground leaving them to gasp for breath. Yellow lightning charged over his arms and into the disks on his forearms. They began to spin very quickly with the edge glowing before he threw them like a pair of discus.

Ben grabbed Cisco and pulled him to the ground as the blades sailed over their heads and cleanly sliced into the van behind them. That's when they noticed the lightning tethering the disks to XLR8's wrists. With a yank, they flew back to his gauntlets and locked in place.

"Alright Ben, who is this guy?" Cisco demanded as they peered over the desk and quickly ducked when the disks were thrown again.

"XLR8… but he's dead when I'm from. It's impossible for him to be here." Ben peered to see his parents had gotten back to their feet behind XLR8. Soon there was a tornado of yellow and blue lightning where the three speedsters stood.

"Cisco you need to take this anklet off!" Ben demanded.

"I can't do that man. Barry's rules."

"Cisco! XLR8 was… is faster than Ricochet ever was! He can reach top speed in the time it takes for Barry to blink! He'll kill my mom and dad!" Ben yelled.

Central City Precinct

"Detective West!" Joe turned to see Julian coming down the stairs from the lab with a sheet of paper in his hand. "I just got the ID from the body."

"This is…"

"Bellamy Samuels." Julian looked proud of himself, but at the same time he appeared upset. "There's just one small matter that does not add up."

"And what is that?"

"Samuels is only 17 years old and currently in Augustine's Juvenile Detention Center."

"What?"

Abandoned Ferris Airfield

Caitlin dropped to her knees and slid as XLR8 brought his leg and disk blade inches over her head. This man was fast. She and Barry could not stop for any moment if they wanted to come out alive. Blue lightning charged up in her right hand. Unlike Barry Caitlin had also developed electrokinesis in addition to her Speed. Barry had been jealous initially and Caitlin offered to teach him how to do it but they discovered Barry could not manipulate his lightning like Caitlin could. Either way as she slid past XLRB Caitlin extended her hand and fired a lightning bolt at their attacker's head.

XLR8 glided out of the way moving to the outside of their electrical cyclone He began to glide along the ground as if it were ice with his disks building up his electrical charge as he did. As if he were Captain America he began to throw the disks on his wrists like boomerangs or Frisbees slicing through the air at deadly speeds tugging them back as soon as they passed or nicked their targets.

"You can't beat me Flashes! I was personally trained by Godspeed for a decade with my powers!"

"Barry, he's too fast!" Caitlin cried out against the winds roaring around them. "What do we do?" That's when Caitlin felt it. The tug. She was sure Barry was feeling it as well like the Speed Force in their systems was being pulled out.

"BARRY! CAITLIN!" The two speedsters heard Ben crying out to them through the storm of lightning and wind. "YOU NEED TO SYNC UP! RUN IN UNISON AGAINST XLR8! IT'S THE ONLY WAY!"

Sharing a look with Barry, Caitlin began to run next to her boyfriend keeping pace with Barry. Running in unison was strange it was like they were getting faster and faster with each step. It was working, they gained on XLR8.

With the three speedsters raced Ben turned to Cisco. "Cisco shoot one of your vibrations at the ground where XLR8 is running! It'll throw him off balance and give Barry and Caitlin the opportunity to finish this!"

Cisco complied and fired off a vibrational wave at the bottom edge of XLR8's golden cyclone. But XLR8 saw this coming. He leaped gracefully over the blast allowing it to hit the ground at Barry and Caitlin's feet instead. Knocking them off balance and out of sync. While he was midair the yellow clad speedster threw his disks at Cisco and Ben, forcing them to take cover while he returned his attention to the two Flashes.

"Caitlin!" Barry helped her back to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm fine Barry…" The concussive blast hadn't hurt either of them much, just thrown them out of sync.

Still holding Caitlin's hand tightly, the two Flashes began to run against XLR8 once again. They had to out run him.

"Your Speed is mine!" XLR8 cried out as he felt the speed of both Flashes syncing with his own and being drawn to him. A smirk drew across his face as he had been preparing for this moment for a decade. Godspeed had plucked saved him from death and trained him to be a deadly fighting machine. There was no way he could possibly fail the god of speed.

As XLR8 gloated, Barry and Caitlin noticed something. The lightning next to XLR8 became laced with huge amounts of crimson and black lightning. And then they saw it. A face formed in the lightning next to their assailant.

It was all so fast Caitlin barely could register it. An arm coated in black armor grabbed XLR8 by the neck and in the next instant the cyclone of lightning was gone. Holding XLR8 off the ground was a monster clad in a suit that resembled black armor plating with blood red energy and lightning illuminating the gaps and every muscle. In the center of its chest was a scarlet circle adorned with a black lightning bolt running in the opposite direction of Barry's. His head was nightmare fuel as Cisco would say. It resembled a helmet but the face looked like a skull with glowing red eyes and twin lightning bolts resembling horns flanking his head. Massive amounts of energy spewing form its eyes and mouth making the helm appear as if it were on fire and giving his terrifying appearance a demonic tone.

"Who… who the Fu-" XLR8 never finished as the black speedster shoved his free arm into his chest making him scream out in pain.

Caitlin couldn't describe the feelings inside her as she watched the scene unfold. Fright, horror, a small speck of gratitude. She was by Barry's side and silently watched as the black speedster slowly withdrew his hand from XLR8's chest.

As he drew his hand free from XLR8's body all the lightning from him arced and melded with the black speedster's sea of lightning. With an unholy scream that actually started to break the ground he tore his arm out of XLR8's chest. In his hand was what could only be described as an effigy of XLR8 but made entirely out of lightning. In the next instant, the lightning effigy flowed into the black speedster's mouth as if he were eating the raw Speed Force Energy and as he did XLR8 squirmed in pain clawing to get free and get his speed.

As soon as he finished devouring the lightning effigy he dropped XLR8 to the ground and turned towards Barry and Caitlin and in a flash of crimson and black energy the devilish speedster was past them and gunning for Ben.

Barry and Caitlin could see the fear spreading across their future son's face as the black speedster rapidly approached him. Like a million still frames flashing before his eyes Ben saw the black speedster approaching him. His right hand poised to wrap its talons around Ben's face as if to tear off a mask.

There was a flash of yellow lightning and Ben found himself standing some ways away from the black speedster with Barry's arm wrapped over his shoulders. Next to them Caitlin had pulled the same maneuver with Cisco.

The black speedster turned to the quartet and seemed to sneer before silently screaming at them before being torn apart into a cluster of red and black energy dissipating into nothing.

"Ok… what the hell was that?" Cisco asked still shaking from fear.

Barry and Caitlin turned to Ben hoping for an explanation, their son's shocked and horrified expression spoke volumes more than his words. "That… that was Speed Demon…"

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this will help me make the story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

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