'I should probably go into the city in human form. They've probably warned people about me by now.'
It was still dark but getting lighter as time went on. Danny sighed and landed (well more like fell but not crash) in a field outside of a city, hands rested on his knees as he caught his breath. He looked around through the tall plants, corn if he recalled; when he decided no one was watching, he transformed with a rather bright light. He started marching to his left, closest to a road, maybe he could catch a ride.
He was walking for awhile as the sun continued to rise. It was a peaceful pastel blue. Light enough to see but not dark enough that he wouldn't be seen. It was quiet and peaceful. He walked slowly, relishing in the fresh cold air on his skin as he walked and how sanitizers didn't fill his nostrils all the time.
His hands were in his pockets as he walked and his hair lightly swayed in the wind as he walked. He would be running and frolicking if he had the energy. Right now he just wanted to rest, but he did his best to keep from swaying. He was tired. The flight used up most of his energy reserve so heavy power usage was off the table till his body could rest.
He thought about everything. Let it all sink in for a moment before letting a smile grace his hardened features. He continued to smile while he walked. He bent over and picked up a small weed. A foxtail, he remembered running around in them before he was captured. He picked it up and placed it in his mouth.
He had no idea what he was doing really. He had no idea how to interact with people as fat as he knew. He hoped that he would know what to do should the time arise but he knew that was a very slim chance. He walked a while more before tensing when the sound of a vehicle entered his hearing. He moved closer to the crops he was still walking by. They seemed to stretch for a while. The truck passed, its headlights shining light on his back. It didn't have the facility insignia on it, nor was it completely white.
Danny kept walking as the truck came to a stop and a voice called to him. He tensed and was about to fly away before he remembered it was most likely a human.
"Aye, ya need a ride?!" The driver called from the truck. It was a woman's voice and as far as he knew, no women worked at the facility.
"Yeah!" Danny hollered back. Holding the straps of his backpack.
"Hop in, I'll give ya a ride into town, 20 miles is a long walk!" She called. Waving her arm for him to get in.
"Thanks." Danny called quickly before jogging to the other side and swinging open the door and jumping into the passenger side seat before swinging the door shut again. He adjusted in his seat and stared ahead.
"You dull or somthin? Put on ya seatbelt." The woman said, staring down at him confused when he didn't do it on instinct. "How old are ya 14?"
"Uh, sorry. Been a while. He muttered and glanced at her to get a hint how to do it. He turned to his side and pulled the belt down, looking over at her before sliding it into place with a click. She started to drive in silence, the low mumble of some kind of song playing from the radio.
"What's a kid like you doin out 'ere this time of day? You run away or somthin'?" She asked. Looking him over, he probably looked rugged and beat, he had a few scratches from the fight after all.
"Sort of." He answered, his eyes lingering away from her. She had wrinkles and some dark spots on her face. She stared back just as intensely. Her eyes were a tired dark brown, but kind.
"You got a name or somthin?" She asked.
"Danny." He answered. Now that he wasn't moving, the effects of overexertion were taking their toll on him.
"Well, Call me Sal. Ya Pa give ya a beatin or somthin cause ya look like shit." She asked, her voice was unsure.
"Something like that," Danny answered. He began to fidget in his seat and kept looking out the window.
"Ya got someone to stay with in Central?" She asked. Danny debated how he was going to answer.
"I have a friend." He answered. He didn't. He didn't even know where he was.
"Hm" She mumbled before they settled into silence as they drove. From above, the city seemed much closer. In the silence, Danny started to nod off, his head bouncing, but the movement scaring him awake. He was almost asleep against the window when a loud growl filled the car. He sat up and looked around before the driver chuckled at him.
"Ya did scared ya self-awake kid!" She laughed at Danny's confused face. "When was the last time ya ate something. Ya almost bone-thin." She asked as she made a turn and he could see the city.
"Uh, yesterday I think." He answered trying to think about timing and if it was day or night when he last ate. He placed a hand over his stomach as he thought about food. He would even eat the grossest of what the facility could serve if it meant the cramping feeling in his stomach would go away.
"I know I good place. Get some food in ya." Sal said with a chuckle as they entered the city.
He was completely winging it as he spoke to the woman. He let his mouth speak before letting his mind give it any thought. The lies came to easily to him for his liking, but he had no idea why he felt like that. He pondered it as they drove a bit more before parking near a small building. Sal got out andDanny followed, sticking close to the woman, who now that she was standing, was much smaller than when she was sitting. They walked into the small building labeled Lil' Lenore's, Sal first and holding the door open for the way Danny. He had never been in a city before, let alone outside in years.
"Hey, Karl!" Sal called to seemingly no one till a voice came from the back.
"Hey, Sal! How's the road been doin ya?" The voice of Karl called back.
"Good! How's business?" Sal called as she led Danny to the counter seats. Danny hopped onto the seat, setting his bag gently on the floor at his feet that just barely meet the metal ring near the bottom. His toes barely touched it enough while Sal's bent on the ring as she sat. Her boots looked old from travel and work.
A bearded man walked out, his hair was longish, about Danny's length and tied into a small tail at the back on his head with a blue rubber band. He seemed like a nice guy.
"Same old. See you got company, what can I get cha?" He asked, leaning on the counter in front of the two. Danny leaned back a little, not wanting to suddenly get the back on his neck grabbed and his head backed onto the counter.
"Breakfast #1, sunny side up and a coffee and a side of peaches," Sal answered with ease. She looked over at Danny. "What cha want kid?" She asked with a small smile.
"Uh," He blanked, looking up above at the menu. Everything looked and smelt good compared to what he had been eating. His stomach growled again and Karl looked at him slightly amused.
"Why don't I just get you some of everything. On the house, you look like you could use it.." Karl said with a smile. He turned and went through the black doors. Like the ones that facility workers went through with supplies or with vials of chemicals.
Sal nodded and Danny watched while he worked behind the small rectangle window. He could hear the clang of pots and pans, the squeal of knives, the sizzling of something that made him drool. Sal turned in her seat and stared at a large screen that hung from the ceiling. Danny turned and watched as well.
"The Flash and his sidekick Kid Flash have once again saved dozens of lives late yesterday night when another apartment building caught fire and quickly spread to surrounding buildings in downtown Central City. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but some victims say it started with a loud explosion. This is the third one this week and officials are beginning to think it's a serial arsonist." The man on the TV said as images appeared on the screen of a man in red and a younger one in yellow, running towards a burning building.
"Man, these fires are getting out of hand." Sal muttered under her breath.
"Sal?" Danny questioned. Sal turned her stood to look over at him. "Who's the Flash?" He asked in utter confusion.
"How do you not know who the flash is?!" She exclaimed. Danny stared at her blankly. Still confused. Was he an important person?
"The Flash is Central City's superhero and a member of the Justice League." Karl interrupted as he walked out with a cup of coffee and a tall glass of orange juice. Danny stared at them silently. He had no clue what they were talking about. Karl laughed and went back to the kitchen while Sal explained superheroes to Danny.
'So they're like me.'
He thought to himself as Karl and Sal delved into the conversation from the kitchen and the seat. It wasn't long before Sal brought out their food. He explained since there was no rush he took his time but when the food was placed in front of him all that time went to waste as Danny dove in after being instructed to use his knife and fork.
"He's eating like he's never had waffles before." Karl stated while they watch Danny literally devore everything on the plate like it was his last meal.
"Probably the case." Sal stated. Thought Danny heard he didn't care. This was the best thing he's ever tasted.
"I think his parents beat him. Said he had a friend in Central that could help him." Sal said in a hushed voice.
"Wanna call the police?" Karl asked in a quiet voice.
"I don't think he trust the police or anyone for that matter. On the way here he was fiditin and looking 'round like he was being hunted or something." She replied.
"Poor kid, looks like he's been through a lot. Where'd ya find him?"
"Side of the road by the cornfield about 20 miles outside of town, looked like he was gon' pass out right in the dirt." She confirmed with a sad undertone in her voice.
"He got a name? Maybe someone filed a report?"
"All 'e gave me was Danny-"
Danny looked up at his name being called. Mouth already stuffed with a little bit of everything while he went to shove more in.
"Hm?" He asked before putting his fork down and chewing everything before washing it down with the rest of the orange juice. He took a few heavy breaths and stuffing more into in his mouth.
"Slow down kid. Ya gonna choke!" Sal said with a chuckle. The mood lightening as the three began an easy conversation. They asked questions about Danny but Danny managed to come up with one half-truth or a complete lie. He had no idea how this world worked. They could all be working for the facility for all he knew. He just had to play it off as best he could It wasn't long before Danny finished most of the food and went through most of an OJ jug. Sal had to leave and the sun was starting to show more.
"Ya sure, you don't need me to take you anywhere?" Sal asked one more time while they stood by her truck.
"Yeah, I'm sure I can find my way around." Danny answered.
"Well then okay. But hang on." Sal said as she jumped back into her truck. She rummaged around for a moment before coming back out with a plastic bag.
"These are some clothes that don't fit me no more. They should for you just fine though. Inside the bag is my number and 20$. It all the change I had." She answered pushing the bag to Danny.
"Um, thanks?" Danny questioned. Taking the bag.
"Just be careful. With everything that's going on, no place for a kid. But I reckon you ain't an average 13 year old." Sal said, giving Danny a wink before jumping into her truck and driving away. Danny waved her off from the side of the road. The sun was just barely shining and cars were starting to show up, speeding down the road.
**A DAY LATER**
It had only been a day and Danny had no idea what to do. He had put on the clothes that Sal had given him. Which was just a black hoodie, a white long sleeve, black overshirt and a beanie and he changed for two reasons.
One. The agents saw what he was wearing before and it smelt terrible. Two. A bird pooped on his other shirt.
He was just wandering around, trying to get a hang of the city. He'd seen amazing things though. He saw street performers, people who played instruments and sang, some danced or sold their art. Danny saw huge murals of color painted on the sides of the building. He saw street food that smelled oh so good. Though against his better judgment he bought a 'pretzel' which in and of itself, astounded him.
"What is it?"He asked the man behind the cart, staring at the display of twirled bread.
"It's a pretzel." The man behind the cart answered, filling a small tray with some sort of orange goo.
"How is it made?" He asked looking up. He had never seen one before. The man looked disbelieving at him but explained anyway. He was the only one in line so he saw no harm in it.
"Well, bakers make long rolls of dough and twist them into this shape. Then they bake them till golden brown with salt. Sometimes people mix in melted cheese to make em taste, less plain." He said offering a cheesy pretzel to him.
"Salted toast?" He questioned, taking the small try and staring at it.
"Sure."
He bit into it and smiled. "It's good." He stated.
"That'll be two dollars." The guy said with a smile. Danny stared at him before quickly realizing what he meant. He pulled out the twenty dollar bill and handed it to the man. The man sighed and pulled out a bunch of other papers, handing them back to Danny while he kept the twenty.
Danny smiled and walked away, eating his salted toast and cheese while he stared at the skyscrapers and the sky above him. He saw televisions in windows playing the news or things called commercials. Huge buildings of glass that towered over the city. He found a map by a roofed bench. He ate the last bit of his pretzel and opened the map. He stared at it, having no clue what he was staring at.
"You having trouble there?" A voice asked from behind him. He visibly jumped and turned around. He was met with some kid taller than him in a yellow suit and hair like fire.
"Woah didn't mean to scare ya!" He said, putting his hands up and stepping forward. Danny stepped back, his hands crumbled the edges of the map. Danny stared at him for a moment, wondering how he should answer.
"Uh, yeah. I need to find a place but I'm not sure where to start." He answered.
"What kind of place are you looking for?" The yellow-clad weirdo asked.
"Um, what are they called?" Danny muttered under his breath. "Uh, somewhere with no people?" He questioned. Looking up at the other for the word.
"Like an abandoned building?" The taller of them asked. "To explore or something?"
"Yeah," Danny answered, pausing. "I'm new here so I'm not sure where everything is and a friend said to meet them there." He explained hoping it was more convincing.
"Oh well," the other said stepping forward, Danny did his best not the move away. He didn't need any more eyes on him. "You'll wanna go to the industrial area. There is plenty of recently abandoned building you could hang in." He answered pointing at an area on the map then forward.
"Head that way, you can't miss em." He said with a smile.
"Thanks….?" He trailed off.
"You must be really new then. I'm Kid Flash." He answered with a smile and used his gloved thumb to point to himself.
'The sidekick?"
Danny nodded and awkwardly moved back into the crowd. Kid Flash offered a smile and a thumbs up before the smell of cheesy pretzels filled his senses.
Danny stared at the children who stared at him as he walked by. When he caught their gaze he just stared. Some stared back, others started to form tears in their eyes from the rather blank and cold stare. He envied them.
He found the area with ease and looked around. Avoiding the noisier area, though he still jumped when a loud noise reached him. He floated around, going intangible through buildings and walking around, staying as far away from the most active factories and buildings.
It was nearing sundown when he found a good place. It wasn't a factory but would do just fine. Better even. It was more of a large, empty building. Smaller then others he'd seen but plenty of space for him. The floor was concrete and the walls looked stable. The way it was laid out, about half of one of the shorter sides was brought in, probably another room of some kind. Danny walked in, not bothering with the opening the chained door.
'This place will do just fine.'
He could go to the dump. A place he had learned about when he was asking for directions from some dude when he first got here. Also an area not far from here, maybe scrounge around for a desk and chair, maybe even a mattress. Or just steal one, maybe even one of those TVs he saw.
His plan was simple in theory. Build a ghost portal with the blueprints he stole from the facility. Stupid of them to leave blueprints to interdimensional travel in the same room as acids powerful enough to melt human flesh from the bone and the bone. But to build the ghost portal there were tons of parts that could take years, to build on his own. Plus testing.
He'd figure it out though. He had to.
Nightfall came and he transformed. It felt nice to transform when he wasn't deadbeat exhausted or being forced to.
He soared across the sky, doing flips and turns. He even free fell on his way to the dump. The wind against his face, and the smell of fresh air. His smile was from ear to ear he even let out a scream as he free fell. A scream of excitement as the air rushed past his body and adrenaline filled his body. The fun wasn't over when he reached the dump either. He found tons of things scattered around the one part of the dump. He found a long weird green seat with a small burn hole in it. He sat down on it and was surprised when he heard a hiss from it. He stood up faster than ever moved as a cat ran away from behind the couch.
He also found a box of instructional books, mechanics, computer science, programming, chemistry and tons of other subjects. He also found a larger version of the TVs, smaller but wider. He would prefer it if he didn't have to steal anything that could potentially get him caught. He knew he'd have to take the risk at some point but didn't worry about it too much.
Three hours passed before he was done taking everything he found and wanted. Various items. Some he didn't even know what they were. He set everything up in a corner of his chosen building and spent some time making everything more comfortable. Setting up some of the furniture based off images he'd seen during his time in the city.
He had found a rather nice mattress. Better than the other ones, he set the one against the wall of the halved in part. And set the desk against the opposite wall in the small corner. He had found a few old lamps as well. He decided he'd go back into the city and get some stuff.
There was no generator in this building so he went back to the dump and rummaged through the car area before pulling out about four batteries he hoped had power. He grabbed an old create and carried them to his new home.
He emptied the contents of his backpack into one of the empty boxes and put it back on before flying to the closest store he could find. He needed food anyway.
The closest place was a large shopping center. A mall, he remembered was it being called by a group of girls a few days before. If he remembered correctly it shouldn't be a long flight. Though he needed to stare at the maps by the roofed benches he made it there easier than anywhere else. He went intangible and with ease walked into the mall. He stared around. It was huge. Bigger than some of the factories he saw before. He went invisible, not wanting to be seen by any cameras though one probably got the glow of his Intangibility.
He explored every inch of the place and he was amazed. He stared at the displays of fish in the pet store for a while. The lights in the tanks made the underwater all the cooler, but space forever had his interest. But he giggled when the fish stared at him and swam around.
He took so much stuff he also took some bags to carry it all in. All in all, he took the following. Duct tape, a toolbox, blow torch, a box of light bulbs, wires, a very nice blue blanket and a comfy pillow. A laptop, a book of modern machines and how to work them and a magazine on the latest technology around the world, red string, paper, pencils, multiple bags of chips, sticks of beef jerky, candy, and an assortment of drinks he wanted to try.
Awkwardly he held the bags and flew back to his makeshift base and transformed. He worked all night setting things up. He'd have to build another kind of generator to power everything of course, but it wouldn't be too hard once he got the hang of how the stuff he was using worked.
'I can make this work.'
He scanned the corner where he placed all his stuff. The car batteries were connected to the lamp and it shone pretty brightly. Danny could have used candles but he didn't have any so he ruled against it.
He dragged the box of books to the side of the bed and plopped onto it. He laid back and stared at the ceiling. Apparently, he looked like he needed help when he slept. A woman had woken him up to ask if he was okay. He stared at her for a while before running off. He didn't need people to think he was some street kid in need of help.
He shook his head to rid the memory and pulled the laptop onto his lap and turned it on. He read the instruction manual and figured out how to work it within minutes. Soon enough he had a laptop. All he needed was something called the internet, which he could worry about later. He turned off and closed the laptop, leaving it by his bed and leaned back pulling out one of the many books from the box.
"Engineering and Technology"
Hello again and yes, I have decided to merge the two chapters again. I want to make these chapters long and have flesh to them instead of some bone and veins, really and I've decided that having it broken up so much is a bad idea. I hope you all like the way I've changed things. I am also trying to push myself to write longer chapters after I finish editing. All of the old chapters where edited in a few hours so the first three chapters I will be looking for a beta reader. Going through these chapters I realize how many grammar and spelling mistakes I made when I wrote it the first time and I wanna puke. Honestly, why did none of you tell me it was that bad!? -thenarey
Also posted on AO3 under the same title and author. thenarey
