The Flash #1
A Bold New Era, Brought To You By Joe Grunenwald
Q & A
"I love being me."
Wally West smiled warmly as laughter filled the large room. Wally sat comfortably in an armchair, dressed in a crimson costume with yellow boots and lightning bolts around his wrists, waist, and across his chest. His Speed Force-composed mask lay draped down his back. To his left sat a short, blonde woman. She held a small notepad and a pen in her hands. Spotlights lit the room. In front of the two stood three cameras, and behind those cameras sat roughly 200 people, all sitting quietly, listening to what the fastest man alive had to say. The blonde woman finished laughing and glanced down at her notepad. "Would you care to expound on that for us, Mr. West?"
Wally cleared his throat slightly. "I'd love to, Cindy, but please, call me Wally."
The woman blushed as the red-haired man continued. "I like to look at my life like this; I've been given a gift, for whatever reason, I don't know. I learned very early on to use my gifts, not to squander them. For a long while, though, that's what I did."
Cindy perked up. "I do recall reading somewhere that you worked for hire for about a year after your uncle died."
Wally shifted in his seat, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his hands folded in front of him. "That's right, I did. I sold my abilities, I chased women, I went into debt up to my ears.basically, I lived my life exactly opposite to the way that my uncle, Barry, had taught me to live."
The woman next to him looked at him, quizically. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Not at all," Wally replied before she could continue.
"What turned it all around?"
Wally smiled again. He ran his hand through his hair and sat back in his chair. "It's not a 'what,' Cindy. It's a 'who.' I met the love of my life. Some people fall in love five, six times before they finally meet their perfect partner, their soul mate. I thought I'd been in love before I met Linda."
"You dated the super villain called Magenta in high school, right?"
Wally looked somewhat concerned. "I wouldn't call Frankie a super villain. She's had her share of problems in her life, as we all have. For months I thought I was in love with an empath named Raven, but I found out the only reason I felt anything for her was because she had forced me to, just to get me to rejoin the Titans. When you live the life I live, these things happen. It doesn't always make sense, but then, that's life. Frankie and I just grew apart; people do that sometimes. I'm just incredibly grateful to have met someone like Linda. As I was saying before, I thought I'd loved women before Linda, but I know now that that's not true. Whenever I look in her big, beautiful brown eyes.I just know everything is right. With me, with Linda, with the world.it's all perfect."
The audience clapped, looking towards the front row to the woman sitting on the left aisle seat. She had deep brown hair and a dark complexion. On her left ring finger she wore a small ring with a lightning bolt insignia on it. The woman's name was Linda Park West, Wally West's wife. She caught tears with the back of her finger as they began to well up in her eyes.
The clapping of the audience died down and the interview continued. "For those of you just joining us, I'm Cindy Brooks, and we're talking live with Wally West, the hero known as The Flash. Now, you have a family now, correct?"
Wally nodded. "That's right. Linda and I are coming up on our third wedding anniversary, and we've got an 18-month-old son, Barry."
Cindy smirked slightly. "Any other little ones on the way?"
Wally smiled, closing his eyes and turning away nervously. He rubbed his neck, considering how to best answer the question. "Well.," he began, "that's something that Linda and I haven't decided on yet. That's not to say we haven't talked about it, we just haven't made a decision. I think we'd like to enjoy the way our lives are working out for us right now. But I promise, Cindy, if we decide to have another baby, you'll be the first to know."
A baby cried out from the audience, and Wally glanced over at Linda, who was picking up a small, dark-haired infant out of a stroller that sat on the floor next to her. She held the boy close to her, cradling him in her arms and rocking him gently. Wally chuckled. "And I think little Barry agrees that life is pretty good right now."
The sound of laughter filled the large room once again. Cindy continued with the interview. "Let's talk about your predecessor, your uncle Barry. Whenever you talk about your influences, you never mention your mother or your father. How much of a father figure was your uncle to you?"
Wally sighed. "Barry was.Barry. He could run like the wind, literally, but he was still the most grounded guy I have ever and will ever meet. Barry knew where his priorities were and he stuck to the principles he believed in. He was and still is the greatest father a guy could never have. My parents tried, and after I told them about my powers they did a great job of making me comfortable around them. Course, once they split up, Barry was there. He was always there when I needed him, when anyone needed him. He and my aunt Iris.I owe nearly everything to them. I've done the best I can to fill Uncle Barry's shoes.no pun intended.and I think.no, I know that, if he were here today, he'd be proud of the man I've grown into."
The audience applauded in agreement with the scarlet speedster. Cindy continued. "You seem like a very down-to-earth guy yourself, Wally."
Wally smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I don't know if I'd say that, but.y'know, I'm just a normal guy. I'm the man before I'm the speed, y'know? If I didn't have the speed, I'd still be Wally West, I'd still be the same guy you're talking to right now. I'd just be a bit slower. And again, this is something I learned from being around my aunt and uncle. I can't let my abilities dictate my life. I live my life as if I didn't have the powers, and if the situation arises that I need them.well, there you go."
Again applause rose from the audience. Cindy smiles again. "I have just a few general questions about your career. Is there any adversary that you've faced that had you-ACK!"
Suddenly a long, sharp blade came protruding out of the interviewer's chest. Wally stared in shock as the blade was pulled back out again. Cindy's lifeless body fell forward, and The Flash leapt from his seat, his mask forming around his face. The world around him seemed to stop as he moved faster than any other normal human being can. He expected to see a virtually frozen, sword-wielding madman standing behind the dead interviewer. Instead, the attacker moved just as quickly as The Flash did.
Wally kicked his speed up a notch. He was now moving faster even than any other speedster could travel. He looked around the room and saw another similarly garbed attackers. Both wore long, hooded black cloaks and blue masks across the bottom-half of their faces.
If I hit any of them at this speed, their heads will explode from the sheer momentum, and I'm not in the mood to become a murderer today, Flash thought to himself. I have to find another way out of this.okay, first priority is to get the civilians out of here, then I take these guys down and find out what their reason is, if any, for being here.
Nearly half a second had passed before The Flash had finished his thought. He could see that the cloaked woman who had killed Wally's interviewer was pulling her sword back, preparing to strike. He saw that the other attacker was going after Linda and little Barry. Faster than thought he took each civilian out of the large studio, one by one.
In mere seconds the room was empty, save for The Flash and his would-be assailants. Wally smiled. "Two sword-wielding speedsters against little old me? Hardly seems fair, does it?"
The two cloaked figures moved to each other's sides. The two faced The Flash, swords drawn and pointed, in a fighting stance. Wally stood straight up, arms folded across his chest. He eyed the two ninjas, who glanced over at each other, then turned back and glared at the red-clad figure. Wally unfolded his arms and stood, tense.
With the quickness of a cheetah, the two ninjas leapt at The Flash, swords flying above their heads. Wally leapt backwards, avoiding the attack of his two assailants. They landed in front of him, one on Flash's left, one on his right. They both swung their swords, going for his legs and his midsection. Wally began to vibrate as he saw the two swords coming his way. Each passed through his body harmlessly, and a moment later, both exploded in the ninjas' hands. They were thrown back by the force of the explosion, and as the smoke cleared, they saw Wally standing before them.
"I meant it was unfair for you."
Outside the studios, the crowd who had been watching the interview now stood, bewildered and scared out of their minds. Linda held Barry close to her, standing with her back to the crowd and cradling the wailing child in her arms. "Shhhh," she whispered to her son. "We're safe now, it's alright. Daddy saved us.shhhhh.."
The sound of the crowd died down momentarily, and the baby quieted and began sucking his thumb. Linda sighed, relieved that she and her baby were safe.
Suddenly she heard a loud scream from the crowd behind her. She whirled around to see another cloaked figure standing before her, similarly garbed as the ninja who had attacked her and the other audience members inside the studio. Linda clutched baby Barry to her chest. "Wh-what do you want?"
The ninja glared and said nothing. Linda gulped hard in fear as the cloaked figure approached her slowly.
Linda turned from him and faced the building. She screamed. "WALLY!!!"
A gloved hand grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. She felt a hard smack to the face, and she fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. Her head hit the pavement, and Linda Park West felt her world go black.
Meanwhile, inside the studio, The Flash and the two ninjas fought frantically. Punches flew at lightning speed, most of them being blocked by their intended target. Any one of these punches, if making contact with a normal man moving at normal speed, could tear his head right off of its body. Wally knew all he had to do was land one or two solid punches and the ninjas would be off balance and disoriented enough for him to take them down and get some answers.
Flash soon found himself surrounded by his two assailants. He blocked punches and kicks as best as he could, but as the fight continued, he realized something.
I can't keep this up much longer. I was hoping I could wear these two out, but they just keep coming at me. Got to try something else.
The fastest man alive lowered his arms. He saw a black-booted foot approaching the lightning bolt insignia on his chest, but he did not move to block it. The foot struck him square in the chest, and he felt himself thrown backwards into a large concrete column. He lay on the ground, propping himself up on his left hand. He spoke through the pain in his chest, hoping to provoke the two ninjas as he wiped a slight trickle of blood from his mouth. "Is that the best you can do?"
Flash watched as his attackers charged for him at half the speed of sound. He waited for them to get within six feet of him. As they approached him, preparing to deliver final blows to the scarlet speedster, Wally suddenly spread out his right leg, spinning his body on the ground. Moving at mach 1, Flash's leg caught each of his attacker's legs, sweeping them out from under them. The two ninjas fell backwards, landing on their tailbones hard. Wally leapt up from the floor and, with twin punches, laid out his assailants.
Wally stood confidently over the sprawled-out bodies of the ninjas. He grabbed one of them, a woman, by the collar. He pulled her close to his face. "Who sent you?"
The woman sneered weakly. "Our master sent us."
Rage built in Wally's face. "WHY?"
"The master's ways are not for us to question," the woman replied smugly.
Wally dropped the woman back to the floor, and as he turned to find something to bind them with, she looked back at him.
"Finish us."
Wally stopped, shocked. He glanced back at the female ninja. "What?"
"We have failed our master," the woman said.. "The penalty for failure is death. Finish us before our master does."
Wally looked at her, conflicted. "You don't have to die. You can be protected from your master if-"
"As long as we live, the master will find us, wherever we are. Not even you can stop the master's will from being done. Please.have mercy on us."
Wally stared for a moment. He turned his back to her. "I don't kill. Not anyone. I'm sorry."
The woman sat up, pleading with the man who had just defeated her. "Please, I beg you, kill us befo-AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Wally turned quickly and watched in horror as the two ninjas he had just subdued burst into a blue and white flame. Before he could rush over to them they were gone, turned to ash by what seemed like spontaneous combustion. Only their cloaks remained where they had once been.
Wally stepped over and picked up their cloaks. He held them in his hands, looking over them. An expression of guilt and anger came over his face, and he threw the cloaks back down onto the ground.
"Linda.Linda, are you alright?"
Linda Park opened her eyes to see Wally West kneeling beside her, cradling her head in his hands. She sat up slowly as he tried to comfort her. "Careful, careful.are you okay?"
She looked at him groggily. "Yeah, I'm fine. My head's going to hurt for a few days, though."
Wally smiled weakly. "What happened?"
Linda rubbed her head. "Another one of those ninja guys showed up out here. I turned to shout for help when he hit me. I slammed my head on the ground and passed out. It all happened so fast, Wally. Who were they, what did they want?"
He looked up and around at the crowd. "I don't know." He looked back down at his wife. "There should be a doctor coming in a minute, just try to relax."
Linda looked around. "Where's Barry?"
A concerned look came over Wally's face. "Isn't he in the stroller?"
Linda sat up quickly. "No, I was holding him when.oh god."
Wally stood slowly, helping Linda to her feet. She struggled to breathe. "He took him. He took our son."
TO BE CONTINUED!
A Bold New Era, Brought To You By Joe Grunenwald
Q & A
"I love being me."
Wally West smiled warmly as laughter filled the large room. Wally sat comfortably in an armchair, dressed in a crimson costume with yellow boots and lightning bolts around his wrists, waist, and across his chest. His Speed Force-composed mask lay draped down his back. To his left sat a short, blonde woman. She held a small notepad and a pen in her hands. Spotlights lit the room. In front of the two stood three cameras, and behind those cameras sat roughly 200 people, all sitting quietly, listening to what the fastest man alive had to say. The blonde woman finished laughing and glanced down at her notepad. "Would you care to expound on that for us, Mr. West?"
Wally cleared his throat slightly. "I'd love to, Cindy, but please, call me Wally."
The woman blushed as the red-haired man continued. "I like to look at my life like this; I've been given a gift, for whatever reason, I don't know. I learned very early on to use my gifts, not to squander them. For a long while, though, that's what I did."
Cindy perked up. "I do recall reading somewhere that you worked for hire for about a year after your uncle died."
Wally shifted in his seat, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his hands folded in front of him. "That's right, I did. I sold my abilities, I chased women, I went into debt up to my ears.basically, I lived my life exactly opposite to the way that my uncle, Barry, had taught me to live."
The woman next to him looked at him, quizically. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Not at all," Wally replied before she could continue.
"What turned it all around?"
Wally smiled again. He ran his hand through his hair and sat back in his chair. "It's not a 'what,' Cindy. It's a 'who.' I met the love of my life. Some people fall in love five, six times before they finally meet their perfect partner, their soul mate. I thought I'd been in love before I met Linda."
"You dated the super villain called Magenta in high school, right?"
Wally looked somewhat concerned. "I wouldn't call Frankie a super villain. She's had her share of problems in her life, as we all have. For months I thought I was in love with an empath named Raven, but I found out the only reason I felt anything for her was because she had forced me to, just to get me to rejoin the Titans. When you live the life I live, these things happen. It doesn't always make sense, but then, that's life. Frankie and I just grew apart; people do that sometimes. I'm just incredibly grateful to have met someone like Linda. As I was saying before, I thought I'd loved women before Linda, but I know now that that's not true. Whenever I look in her big, beautiful brown eyes.I just know everything is right. With me, with Linda, with the world.it's all perfect."
The audience clapped, looking towards the front row to the woman sitting on the left aisle seat. She had deep brown hair and a dark complexion. On her left ring finger she wore a small ring with a lightning bolt insignia on it. The woman's name was Linda Park West, Wally West's wife. She caught tears with the back of her finger as they began to well up in her eyes.
The clapping of the audience died down and the interview continued. "For those of you just joining us, I'm Cindy Brooks, and we're talking live with Wally West, the hero known as The Flash. Now, you have a family now, correct?"
Wally nodded. "That's right. Linda and I are coming up on our third wedding anniversary, and we've got an 18-month-old son, Barry."
Cindy smirked slightly. "Any other little ones on the way?"
Wally smiled, closing his eyes and turning away nervously. He rubbed his neck, considering how to best answer the question. "Well.," he began, "that's something that Linda and I haven't decided on yet. That's not to say we haven't talked about it, we just haven't made a decision. I think we'd like to enjoy the way our lives are working out for us right now. But I promise, Cindy, if we decide to have another baby, you'll be the first to know."
A baby cried out from the audience, and Wally glanced over at Linda, who was picking up a small, dark-haired infant out of a stroller that sat on the floor next to her. She held the boy close to her, cradling him in her arms and rocking him gently. Wally chuckled. "And I think little Barry agrees that life is pretty good right now."
The sound of laughter filled the large room once again. Cindy continued with the interview. "Let's talk about your predecessor, your uncle Barry. Whenever you talk about your influences, you never mention your mother or your father. How much of a father figure was your uncle to you?"
Wally sighed. "Barry was.Barry. He could run like the wind, literally, but he was still the most grounded guy I have ever and will ever meet. Barry knew where his priorities were and he stuck to the principles he believed in. He was and still is the greatest father a guy could never have. My parents tried, and after I told them about my powers they did a great job of making me comfortable around them. Course, once they split up, Barry was there. He was always there when I needed him, when anyone needed him. He and my aunt Iris.I owe nearly everything to them. I've done the best I can to fill Uncle Barry's shoes.no pun intended.and I think.no, I know that, if he were here today, he'd be proud of the man I've grown into."
The audience applauded in agreement with the scarlet speedster. Cindy continued. "You seem like a very down-to-earth guy yourself, Wally."
Wally smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I don't know if I'd say that, but.y'know, I'm just a normal guy. I'm the man before I'm the speed, y'know? If I didn't have the speed, I'd still be Wally West, I'd still be the same guy you're talking to right now. I'd just be a bit slower. And again, this is something I learned from being around my aunt and uncle. I can't let my abilities dictate my life. I live my life as if I didn't have the powers, and if the situation arises that I need them.well, there you go."
Again applause rose from the audience. Cindy smiles again. "I have just a few general questions about your career. Is there any adversary that you've faced that had you-ACK!"
Suddenly a long, sharp blade came protruding out of the interviewer's chest. Wally stared in shock as the blade was pulled back out again. Cindy's lifeless body fell forward, and The Flash leapt from his seat, his mask forming around his face. The world around him seemed to stop as he moved faster than any other normal human being can. He expected to see a virtually frozen, sword-wielding madman standing behind the dead interviewer. Instead, the attacker moved just as quickly as The Flash did.
Wally kicked his speed up a notch. He was now moving faster even than any other speedster could travel. He looked around the room and saw another similarly garbed attackers. Both wore long, hooded black cloaks and blue masks across the bottom-half of their faces.
If I hit any of them at this speed, their heads will explode from the sheer momentum, and I'm not in the mood to become a murderer today, Flash thought to himself. I have to find another way out of this.okay, first priority is to get the civilians out of here, then I take these guys down and find out what their reason is, if any, for being here.
Nearly half a second had passed before The Flash had finished his thought. He could see that the cloaked woman who had killed Wally's interviewer was pulling her sword back, preparing to strike. He saw that the other attacker was going after Linda and little Barry. Faster than thought he took each civilian out of the large studio, one by one.
In mere seconds the room was empty, save for The Flash and his would-be assailants. Wally smiled. "Two sword-wielding speedsters against little old me? Hardly seems fair, does it?"
The two cloaked figures moved to each other's sides. The two faced The Flash, swords drawn and pointed, in a fighting stance. Wally stood straight up, arms folded across his chest. He eyed the two ninjas, who glanced over at each other, then turned back and glared at the red-clad figure. Wally unfolded his arms and stood, tense.
With the quickness of a cheetah, the two ninjas leapt at The Flash, swords flying above their heads. Wally leapt backwards, avoiding the attack of his two assailants. They landed in front of him, one on Flash's left, one on his right. They both swung their swords, going for his legs and his midsection. Wally began to vibrate as he saw the two swords coming his way. Each passed through his body harmlessly, and a moment later, both exploded in the ninjas' hands. They were thrown back by the force of the explosion, and as the smoke cleared, they saw Wally standing before them.
"I meant it was unfair for you."
Outside the studios, the crowd who had been watching the interview now stood, bewildered and scared out of their minds. Linda held Barry close to her, standing with her back to the crowd and cradling the wailing child in her arms. "Shhhh," she whispered to her son. "We're safe now, it's alright. Daddy saved us.shhhhh.."
The sound of the crowd died down momentarily, and the baby quieted and began sucking his thumb. Linda sighed, relieved that she and her baby were safe.
Suddenly she heard a loud scream from the crowd behind her. She whirled around to see another cloaked figure standing before her, similarly garbed as the ninja who had attacked her and the other audience members inside the studio. Linda clutched baby Barry to her chest. "Wh-what do you want?"
The ninja glared and said nothing. Linda gulped hard in fear as the cloaked figure approached her slowly.
Linda turned from him and faced the building. She screamed. "WALLY!!!"
A gloved hand grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. She felt a hard smack to the face, and she fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. Her head hit the pavement, and Linda Park West felt her world go black.
Meanwhile, inside the studio, The Flash and the two ninjas fought frantically. Punches flew at lightning speed, most of them being blocked by their intended target. Any one of these punches, if making contact with a normal man moving at normal speed, could tear his head right off of its body. Wally knew all he had to do was land one or two solid punches and the ninjas would be off balance and disoriented enough for him to take them down and get some answers.
Flash soon found himself surrounded by his two assailants. He blocked punches and kicks as best as he could, but as the fight continued, he realized something.
I can't keep this up much longer. I was hoping I could wear these two out, but they just keep coming at me. Got to try something else.
The fastest man alive lowered his arms. He saw a black-booted foot approaching the lightning bolt insignia on his chest, but he did not move to block it. The foot struck him square in the chest, and he felt himself thrown backwards into a large concrete column. He lay on the ground, propping himself up on his left hand. He spoke through the pain in his chest, hoping to provoke the two ninjas as he wiped a slight trickle of blood from his mouth. "Is that the best you can do?"
Flash watched as his attackers charged for him at half the speed of sound. He waited for them to get within six feet of him. As they approached him, preparing to deliver final blows to the scarlet speedster, Wally suddenly spread out his right leg, spinning his body on the ground. Moving at mach 1, Flash's leg caught each of his attacker's legs, sweeping them out from under them. The two ninjas fell backwards, landing on their tailbones hard. Wally leapt up from the floor and, with twin punches, laid out his assailants.
Wally stood confidently over the sprawled-out bodies of the ninjas. He grabbed one of them, a woman, by the collar. He pulled her close to his face. "Who sent you?"
The woman sneered weakly. "Our master sent us."
Rage built in Wally's face. "WHY?"
"The master's ways are not for us to question," the woman replied smugly.
Wally dropped the woman back to the floor, and as he turned to find something to bind them with, she looked back at him.
"Finish us."
Wally stopped, shocked. He glanced back at the female ninja. "What?"
"We have failed our master," the woman said.. "The penalty for failure is death. Finish us before our master does."
Wally looked at her, conflicted. "You don't have to die. You can be protected from your master if-"
"As long as we live, the master will find us, wherever we are. Not even you can stop the master's will from being done. Please.have mercy on us."
Wally stared for a moment. He turned his back to her. "I don't kill. Not anyone. I'm sorry."
The woman sat up, pleading with the man who had just defeated her. "Please, I beg you, kill us befo-AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Wally turned quickly and watched in horror as the two ninjas he had just subdued burst into a blue and white flame. Before he could rush over to them they were gone, turned to ash by what seemed like spontaneous combustion. Only their cloaks remained where they had once been.
Wally stepped over and picked up their cloaks. He held them in his hands, looking over them. An expression of guilt and anger came over his face, and he threw the cloaks back down onto the ground.
"Linda.Linda, are you alright?"
Linda Park opened her eyes to see Wally West kneeling beside her, cradling her head in his hands. She sat up slowly as he tried to comfort her. "Careful, careful.are you okay?"
She looked at him groggily. "Yeah, I'm fine. My head's going to hurt for a few days, though."
Wally smiled weakly. "What happened?"
Linda rubbed her head. "Another one of those ninja guys showed up out here. I turned to shout for help when he hit me. I slammed my head on the ground and passed out. It all happened so fast, Wally. Who were they, what did they want?"
He looked up and around at the crowd. "I don't know." He looked back down at his wife. "There should be a doctor coming in a minute, just try to relax."
Linda looked around. "Where's Barry?"
A concerned look came over Wally's face. "Isn't he in the stroller?"
Linda sat up quickly. "No, I was holding him when.oh god."
Wally stood slowly, helping Linda to her feet. She struggled to breathe. "He took him. He took our son."
TO BE CONTINUED!