Avenging Justice:

Two Worlds Collide

Part XIV

Earth, Missouri, Central City

Children were a handful, especially children that looked like mini werewolves. Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, was finding this out. Central City PD had been very interested in the youngster, and there was a mutant social worker that had been assigned. Luckily Star Labs had enough pull, that the wolf boy teen was allowed to stay in their facility. That also meant Barry's team was pulling double duty, their own jobs and babysitters for the teen.

That was just the legal adult stuff, which barely touched on the chaos a teenager can bring. No, there was the amount of food a teen can eat. As the Flash, Barry's metabolism was on a constant overdrive. This kid though put that to the test. The poor guy was constantly eating, and always ready for more food. At first Barry had been worried about his overeating, but the kid didn't gain a single pound.

Then there was all the trouble he could get into. He had tried to run away three times, and spent a good portion of his time hiding from the rest of the team. Which usually meant Barry had to search for him. Even with his speed this could take a while, because the mutant teen was very good at hiding. That both impressed and exasperated Barry Allen, especially as he fell into bed each night exhausted.

About the only one that got through to the teen, was Iris, his fiancé, and hopefully soon to be wife. Her gentle demeanor seemed to calm the boy, and he didn't run from her or hide. She was good with him, talking to him, bringing him slowly out of his shell. It was she that found out his real name, and got him to quit calling himself Remus. That was how Barry found out their guest was really, Jin Akechi.

That was one mystery solved, they still had another with the other mutant teen, Bolt. He had disappeared, saying he'd check back on the other teen, and he had. Every day around the same time, Bolt would appear at Star Labs, bypassing their security every time. Still he seemed to be a good sort, and didn't interfere with the workers there, with the exception of checking in on their miniature werewolf.

Barry also made a note that Jin was not wanting to be called Wolfheart. Apparently, a story Iris had told him, made him rethink his nom de guerre. He thought it was just a retelling of Dragonheart, but he wasn't sure. Still he was glad Jin was at least opening up to her, which was her gift.

Despite that going on, life around them continued onward. Forensic scientist Barry Allen had been very busy. Besides the usual DNA test, crime scene evidence scouring and matching suspects to said evidence, there was his work as the Flash. It seemed all his rogues had decided this was the month to take him out. About the only ones he hadn't see were Captain Cold, Gorilla Grodd and Professor Zoom.

The less said about Zoom, the better. A man from the future, who had traveled back in time, he had the same powers as Barry, but not as good willed. He was one of the few rogues that continually caused havoc with Barry's life, and one that the Flash wished he could get rid of.

Barry sat back in his chair, feeling antsy. He'd been working on the same evidence all day, matching it to the crime scene. So, focused on completing his work, he'd forgotten to eat throughout the day. Which meant that it felt like he hadn't eaten in days, the other side of his supercharged metabolism. Luckily Iris had someone deliver some food to him, and it was the good stuff. He made a mental note to properly thank her when he returned home.

It looked like all his work was done when the match came back as almost one hundred percent, but that wasn't to be. A call came over the police radio that Captain Cold was holding up the Central City bank. Well, that was a job for the Flash. Before the radio report was done, Barry's report was typed up, e-mailed and his office emptied. His chair was left spinning as he bolted out in a red streak.

At the Central City bank, ice columns reached up to the sky, and several police cars were frozen to the asphalt of the road. One officer pulled a bead on Captain Cold, and only the timely intervention of his partner kept him from having his head frozen solid. Realizing how close to death he came, he stared wide eyed at her. To her credit, she looked just as scared when she took her shot. It went wild, and she was rewarded with a glancing blow to her left arm. He looked other over, and was grateful that only her jacket had been hit. They would have to be careful.

Captain Cold turned back to the bank teller, "Which one of you pushed the alarm? If you don't tell me, I'll just freeze one of you, that I don't need."

"Really Cold, robbing a bank like this is so early 20th century," the Flash ribbed as he arrived in a blur of red and yellow, surrounded by lightning. "There are much better ways to get money, like a job, or the lottery. You know something reputable."

Cold turned and shot, aiming for where he thought his enemy would be. He was rewarded as the Flash had to jump into a flip, and landed slow. Still faster than many normal people could see, but slow enough that Captain Cold's next blast hit. It wasn't enough to really hurt him, but it slowed Barry down. He had to really push himself to dodge the next blast, and was counting the seconds till his molecules sped back up.

That was how Cold's gun "froze" things, it slowed their molecular speed. Because of how his molecules and cells interacted with the Speed Force, that meant he could take a few hits before becoming a Flash-cicle. It was still a severe, deadly cold blast that could send even the Flash into shock. As such, he made all efforts not to get hit.

"We know each other so well, Flash," Captain Cold shot off two more blasts from his cold gun. "I just know you a bit better. See you won't let these people get hurt, and I really don't care if they are."

Barry rushed to one hostage, laying on the floor. He stopped long enough to grab the man and then ran off again. He had to do it this way, bring them into the Speed Force with him, or normal laws of relativity would take over. A sudden acceleration from resting to Flash's speed would be fatal. He then had to repeat the process with another hostage, a woman this time.

As he picked her up, Flash noticed her child, that she had been protecting. Without thinking he pulled back from the Speed Force, picked the child up and then entered it again. For his trouble, he felt a cold chill run down his back. That had been close, too close. Outside he set them down, and went back in again.

Captain Cold shot at the other hostages, knowing the hero would try to save them first. Flash was predictable in that way, and he had nearly hit the speedster on the last volley. In all their battles over the years, Cold was sure that this would be his Achilles heel. At least it was something that the villain could exploit.

He saw the red blur come back, one of his blasts hit and then the rest did. Captain Cold smiled up till the red blur slowed down to a human figure, launching through the air. He raised his gun to fire again, only for the Flash to renter the Speed Force and hit him ten times. His momentum had pushed him forward, and his nearly frozen left leg was nearly useless, but on his arms were metal plates.

The bank had put up the metal plates to attach signs to, but Flash had repurposed them into makeshift armor. Two of Cold's blasts had hit those, and so it was their molecules that got slowed down. Breaking off as he reentered the Speed Force, they hit the ground just as he was putting the last punch into Captain Cold's face. The villain fell to the ground just as the sound of the breaking rang throughout the bank lobby.

"We do know each other, Snart," Flash mocked. "However, I still have more tricks than you realize."

Not wasting time, he quickly tied the villain up, confiscating the cold gun before calling the police in. He stuck around to make sure Captain Cold was loaded into a patrol car, and that the police had everything under control. Then he vanished into a red blur, Cisco was back at the lab, telling him of another thing the cops could use some help with.

Back at Star Labs, Iris West was playing a game with Jin, preferring to call him that over Remus or Wolfheart. It was an old card game, but the teen had taken to it. She probably shouldn't have taught him the rules so well, as he had a significant point advantage on her. This kid learned quickly, that was something that she could tell Barry.

Someone pounded on the door of the lab they had him in. Iris smiled, as Jin went full alert. He could smell as well as a dog or wolf, hear as well too, but his sense of taste and sight seemed to be just above human level or just above. She tried to calm him, as the only people that should be there were other Star Lab workers. Going over to the door, Iris though was in for a shock.

"Hello beautiful," a deep, uncaring, and lustful voice said. "You'll be a nice treat after I'm done with my dear sister!"

Bursting into the room an impossibly tall man batted Iris away. She slammed into the opposite all, feeling the breath inside her exiting from the force. The breath knocked out of her, she lay on the floor for several moments, gasping and terrified. The seven-foot-tall man though immediately marched in, his long silver white ponytail trailing behind him. As the door closed, Iris saw several dead security guards, their blood pooling under their bodies. What had killed them were the five claws sticking out of this monster's hand, and the same amount on the other hand.

"Remus!" the tall savage man screamed. "Where are you, Remus!" He brought a hand back to smash the nearby table. "My agents tell me that my ungrateful bitch of a sister is hiding out here!"

Jin Akechi felt fear like he had never known. This force of nature was beyond him, he was just a wolf boy, but this man was more. Every instinct in him told him to run, or make himself as small as possible. Even as he thought that, he remembered the lustful glance the giant of a man had given Ms. West. If he fled, there was a good chance this thing would chase him, but an even better one that Ms. West would pay in his place.

He stood with bravery he did not feel, "I am Remus, monster. Face me!"

The giant turned his head quick as a predator on a wounded animal, "You are not Remus. She's more beautiful and a red head. You are a welp that won't even satisfy my hunt."

"I'm more of a match for you fiend!" Jin said.

The giant of a man laughed, "I am no fiend. I was around when civilization was the new thing. I am Romulus, founder of Rome, and you are nothing compared to me!"

Jin launched forward. One thing he had learned from his father, their ancestors believed a quick preemptive strike could end a battle before it began. Lashing out with his clawed hands, his opened up the chest of Romulus, and he smelled blood flowing. Jin's instincts took over and he latched onto the man, biting down with his jaws. Blood poured into his mouth, and more of his primal instincts kicked in.

Romulus tore him off, and Jin took a large chunk of the giant's throat with him. He was smashed into the floor, causing the tile and material under it to crumble. Jin howled in pain, the piece of Romulus' throat launching into the air. He scrambled to get up, smelling the other man's blood and his instincts urged him forward. However, he stopped as the giant's wound healed completely up, and Romulus laughed.

"Little pup, you are so out of your league," Romulus lunged. "I'll give you that you are quick, but I don't die so easily."

Jin jumped to the side, still feeling a hot streak slice through his side. Romulus' attack sent the wolf teen to the floor, where blood began to pour from a fresh wound. He wasn't sure if it was mortal, or just a flesh wound. What he did know was that his flight instincts were kicking in. He wanted to be as far away from this giant as he could get. This spoke in his eyes as he looked up to see a metal claw heading for his head.

It all slowed to crawl. Jin Akechi saw the hand coming for him, saw the lights flicker. He heard a gasp, and what could only be an airless scream. He smelled ozone, like what one smell around a lightning strike. He also smelled the awful musk of Romulus, and he wondered if this was how it all ended. He didn't want to die a monster, with no family.

"Big ugly, why don't you try a little lightning in a bottle," a familiar voice said.

Romulus was hit by blast of pure electrical energy. Because of the blast, the big man's muscles launched him into the ceiling. He jumped back up, already looking to turn the tables on this new fighter. He wasn't expecting a teen in jeans and short sleeve shirt, with a horrible made mask. Unfortunately for Romulus, this newcomer wasn't going to allow him to just get back up. Another blast of electricity went through him.

Kyle Mattson, known to Jin and the Star Labs Team as Bolt, knew this man was trouble. He had entered via the electrical outlet, and saw the monster about to kill the wolf teen. He also noticed the metal claws on the attacker, and smiled. Letting out another blast of energy, he saw the man fly back, his muscles contracting against his will. Still, the man had a smile on his face, like he was looking forward to the challenge.

Romulus picked up and threw a chair towards the electric teen. Bolt felt the chair clip his shoulder, but he ignored it. Lifting up his hand, he blasted the bigger man with a near fatal dose of electrical charge. The big man fell to the ground, then almost immediately got back up. Without meaning to, Bolt let out a curse. He responded with enough charge to kill ten men, and this sent Romulus to the ground for a second and final time.

Bolt felt the adrenaline leave him, and the pulsing pain in his shoulder replace it. A red blur flashed by and Bolt lowered himself to the ground. The Flash materialized over Iris West, while Kyle set his head back onto the wall holding him up. He then went over to Jin, checking on the teen's wounds. Kyle smiled as he let his eyes rest, and letting his ability recharge.

"We need to get the kid to the hospital," Flash said, as he looked over Jin's injuries.

Iris shook her head, "I'll take over, we need to get that big man into restraints. The kid hit him pretty hard, but I'm not sure it'll keep him down."

Moments later, Jin was in Star Labs medical bay. A nurse was stitching him up, after a doctor had made sure there were no serious injuries. Bolt was laying on a nearby bed resting, but otherwise didn't need any further medical attention. Iris was told to go home and rest, having sustained negligible injuries. Barry made sure she was safe, and called her father to come over and look after her. There were times having a police detective as a father, had real benefits. He then came back to check on the two mutant teens.

Kyle woke up to find two people watching over him. One was a lab technician, Cisco, who helped Barry out on his Flash duties. The other was Barry Allen himself, looking relieved. Instinctively Kyle reached up to his face, and felt the mask was still there. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, thankfully he felt fully recharged.

"There's the hero of the hour!" exclaimed Cisco. "You got some guts my young friend. That guy was one bad dude."

Barry shook his head, "How are you feeling there, buddy?"

"Good, I think," Bolt said. "How long was I out for?"

"Just a few hours," Cisco replied. "We took readings from inside the room and you generated an amazing amount of electricity."

"I'm just glad you were there to keep Iris and your friend safe," Barry said. "How'd you get in, through the outlet?"

"Maybe," Bolt wasn't sure he wanted them to be that knowledgeable about his powers. However, they had let him retain his privacy, so he could give them a bone. "Yeah, I can do that from time to time. Normally it takes a lot out of me, but since I've had to do it a lot recently, not so much."

"That's how you were getting past security!" Cisco was already thinking of the implications. "That's so cool. What is it like? I mean do you experience it or are you there and just not there?"

Barry held up a hand to stop Cisco, "I think we have a lot to talk about. You okay to stick around for a bit?"

The young man looked around and nodded. Things were changing, but all things do. Across the world things were in motion, but in the end, it came down to moments like this. The moments between battles, between adventures, when a stock had to be taken. Times when relationships were built, maintained and sometimes destroyed. The only constant was the change that made or broke a person.