Chapter 43: The Reverse Flash
It was a slow night at Mercury Labs, many of the scientists having gone home for the night. One scientist was working a little late on a special project. As he continued working, the lights began flickering, causing him to look up from his work. There was the sound of shattering glass and the doctor moved on instinct, heading into a secure area with his project. He rushed inside and hit a button sealing the doors as a streak of red lightning came right up to the door. The streak came to a stop in front of the door, revealing itself to be the man in the yellow suit that freed Luthor. It stated the doctor down for a second before speeding off, leaving the doctor trembling in terror.
…
The next morning, on board the Watchtower, Batman was going over some files on the computer when an alert suddenly started flashing on the screen. He opened the alert, his eyes going wide.
"What's goin on?" GL asked, flying down towards him.
"Just received word that Luthor escaped," Batman informed.
"What?! Man, Supes is gonna be pissed."
"It's not Luthor I'm worried about at the moment. It's who freed him that concerns me."
"Who? One of his Injustice League buddies?"
Batman just showed him the footage and GL's heart dropped into his stomach.
"Is that what I think it is?" GL asked.
"We need to warn Flash immediately."
…
Meanwhile at S.T.A.R. Labs, Flash was doing some speed training on a souped up treadmill that they had built for him. Cisco tracked his speed as Dr. Wells came in.
"How's he doing?."
"Pretty good. Vitals are holding steady and his speed output is steadily increasing."
Dr. Wells gave a small, satisfied smile as Flash came off the treadmill, pulling down his cowl and smirking. Cisco tossed him a water bottle, which the speedster downed in seconds.
"Thanks man," Barry replied, tossing the bottle in a trash can.
"Your training has certainly come a long way, Mr. Allen," Wells commended. "But don't get cocky. You must keep getting faster."
"I know, and I will. With all the threats the League's been going up against, I need to be at the top of my game."
"Of which, I have no doubt you will be."
"Dr. Wells," Caitlins voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Dr. Miller is in the Cortex. She wants to see Barry about something."
"Wonder what?" Barry asked before speeding off.
Cisco and Wells soon followed as they all met with Kari and Caitlin in the Cortex, the former of which was joined by J'onn and M'gann in human form.
"Barry, I'm glad I caught you. We've had a development."
"What kind of development?"
"Mercury Labs was broken into… by the Man in Yellow."
Seconds after hearing those words, Flash sped off out of S.T.A.R. Labs.
"Is… he going to be ok?" M'gann asked.
"This is… a personal deal for him," J'onn told her.
"I just hope he doesn't do something rash," Kari spoke up.
…
At Mercury Labs, Joe and Eddie were already at the scene when Barry came in, dressed in his work attire after ditching his suit.
"Barry," Joe greeted. "I was just about to call you.
"Got word about what happened. Anything stolen?"
"Doesn't appear so. Several security guards are dead though."
Barry went over the bodies of the guards, looking them over.
"Looks like they all had their necks snapped," Barry deduced. "Judging from the lacerations and blood spatters, it looks like these guys were killed by someone moving at high speeds."
Joe perks up at that.
"You mean…"
"The man in yellow. He's back."
Joe wiped his face, his face ashen.
"Iris. Where- Where is she?"
"I'll check on her, don't worry. He's not going to hurt her."
Barry then started heading out, just as Eddie was walking up to Joe.
"Hey, where's Allen going?"
"Following up on a lead. Whatcha got, Eddie?"
"Witness said all he saw was a yellow blur amidst red lightning. Seems like the Flash with a reversed color scheme."
"Yeah… seems like."
…
Barry streaked across the city as fast as he could, hoping to get to Iris' place before anything happened. He quickly opened the door and went inside, finding her in the middle of breakfast.
"Barry, hey. Wasn't expecting you back so-"
Barry instantly moved towards her and hugged her, much to her surprise.
"Barry, is something wrong?"
"The man in yellow's back."
Iris' eyes went wide. She took Barry's hand, which she could tell were shaking.
"What happened? Dad, that doctor, are they-?"
"They're both fine. What about you? Has anyone been by?"
"No. No one but you."
Barry let out a sigh of relief, hugging her again.
"The League's gonna be working out of S.T.A.R. Labs for this one, meaning the safest place to be is there," he told her.
"Sounds like a plan. What about Dad?"
"He's still got to work, but I'll make sure to let him know where we are."
"Alright then. Let's go."
…
Soon after, Barry and Iris arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, where Batman and GL had already arrived and met up with J'onn and Cyborg. They were all talking amongst themselves, each of them looking grim.
"You're certain it was him?" Batman asked.
"I reviewed the footage myself," Kari insisted. "Trust me, it's him. I'd recognize that lightning anywhere."
"That same lightning also broke Luthor out of his police transport," GL added. "Supes and Wonder Woman are digging into that angle now."
"And what of Aquaman?" J'onn asked.
"Tending to matters in Atlantis," Batman replied. "We're all we've got."
"Hopefully it will be enough," GL remarked. "Whatever the Man in Yellow is planning, it's fifteen years in the making."
"And it involves something at Mercury Labs," Barry added. "The floor was filled with vaults containing high tech goods. The witness said he was looking for something in particular."
"And wanted it bad enough to kill for it," Wells deduced.
"What do we know about Mercury Labs?" Batman asked."Mercury is one of the labs that the DEO has occasionally branched out to over the years," Kari explained. "It was also one of S.T.A.R. Labs' major competitors before the accelerator. The face of the labs is none other than Dr. Christina McGee, a brilliant but egocentric physicist. She and I have crossed paths once or twice, and she does not like me. She considers me a disgrace to the scientific community with my 'unwashed decorum' and 'prehistoric social skills'."
"I… fail to see the reasoning," J'onn replied in a tone that Batman took subtle notice of.
"Personal preferences aside," Dr. Wells spoke up, gaining everyone's attention as he brought Dr. McGee's file onto the big screen. "According to this, Dr. McGee has secured half a billion dollars in private funding to develop, and I quote, 'prototypes for the technology of the future'." He paused for a moment as he looked at the available information. "Well, I'll be."
"What is it?" Batman asked.
"Tina's messing with Tachyon Particles."
"Aren't those just theoretical though?" Cyborg asked.
"They're supposed to be. If Tina has succeeded in creating a Tachyon device, then our villainous speedster could use it to move faster than light."
"Well, if he was willing to kill to get to them, I'll bet my pilot's license that he's gonna come for them again," GL declared.
"Maybe you can use that," M'gann spoke up.
Everyone paused, turning to M'gann. She looked surprised, then shrank a little bit.
"Sorry… ignore me."
"No, that was a good idea," Cisco insisted. "If we get the Tachyons from Mercury Labs, then we can use it as a lure."
"Excellent idea Miss M'orzz," Wells commended. "Cisco, Caitlin, let's start engineering a trap. Victor, contact your father and tell him we'll need his help."
"On it," Victor replied.
"I'll talk to Joe about getting the prototype from Mercury Labs," Barry informed before speeding off.
"What can we do to help?" Kari asked.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Miller, but this doesn't call for a xenobiologist," Dr. Wells informed her.
"I have a degree in mechanical engineering, bio-mechanics, and theoretical physics. Try me."
"Wait," GL piped up. "Since when did you have the engineering degree?"
"I had some free time after Mala and Zod."
"Uh, why don't you help Cisco with the trap," Caitlin offered. "I can take care of Iris."
"Kari gave a thumbs up, rolling after Cisco. J'onn and M'gann quickly followed her out of the room.
"Uh, I appreciate the intent," Iris spoke up. "But I don't need someone to take care of me."
"Poor choice of words I admit," Caitlin replied. "Actually, I wanted to get you alone because I need your help with something."
"Really? What?"
"You know that blog you run on the side? About the different Metas in the city?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Have you heard anything about a homeless Meta? One that can light his head and hands on fire?"
"Yeah, the burning man. I haven't updated that one in a while though. Have you seen him?"
"He… saved me when I was held captive by the Rogues, but… I know him from somewhere else."
"You know who he is?"
Caitlin nodded.
"His name is Ronnie Raymond. He's… my fiance."
…
In the main lab, Cisco and Kari were hard at work, trying to come up with a way to trap a speedster.
"I was thinking we could fashion an electronic barrier," Kari suggested. "Would require a shitton of super capacitors though."
"Small price to pay," Cisco insisted. "With enough power and the work smoothing out the inflection points, we'd have a kick-ass force field to trap the opposite Flash.
Kari blinked, turning to Cisco as he chuckled slightly.
"Opposite Flash?"
"Just workshopping. What about, Professor Zoom?"
"Professor? How do we even know this evil speedster has a master's degree? And for that matter, Zoom? Sounds like that weird show I used to watch on PBS."
"Good show, not , the guy needs a name. We can't keep calling him 'The Man in Yellow', it's too wordy."
"Well, come up with a good name and we'll call him that."
"Hey, it's not that easy! I mean, this guy is Barry's opposite, right down to the reversed color scheme. He's-"
"The Reverse Flash!" Kari exclaimed, clapping her hands and pointing at Cisco. "Boom! Named!"
"Hey! I don't know how things work at the DEO, but at S.T.A.R. Labs, I assign the names."
"Actually, I kinda like it," Wells commended, reminding the pair of his presence in the room.
"Although that's not bad," Cisco quickly amended. "I'll give you that one."
Kari grinned triumphantly as she and Cisco got to work. Observing them from just outside the door, J'onn and M'gann enjoyed the small scene.
"Is it always like this?" M'gann asked.
"More or less," J'onn replied.
A hand then rested on his shoulder, the movement startling J'onn. He turned, seeing Batman standing behind him. M'gann quickly hid behind her uncle as the elder Martian regained his wits.
"Batman, I apologize. I did not sense your presence."
"It's alright. I was actually wondering if you were doing alright. You still seem… out of sorts."
"I would be lying if I said I was fully recovered. It is rare that I come across a mind so vile and corrupt. It was like a storm of poison that continues to infect me."
"Is that why you brought your niece?"
J'onn nodded, reaching behind him and gently taking M'gann's hand.
"Her presence is a comfort."
"I know more than a little with dealing with that kind of insanity. If you need someone to talk to…"
"I appreciate the offer Batman, but I will respectfully decline." He turned back towards the door, observing the scientists inside as he leaned against the door frame. "I will be alright, my friend. I promise."
Batman just gave him a look before walking off.
…
Meanwhile at CCPD, Barry met up with Joe, getting him up to speed on the plan.
"So now we just need Dr. McGee to lend us her prototype as bait to catch him."
"Luckily, she's coming in to give a statement here in a bit," Joe declared before noticing someone approaching. "Here she is now."
An older woman with blonde hair streaked with grey approached the pair. She was dressed in a business suit, and walked with the air of someone who knew they were the smartest person in the room.
"Detective West?" the woman assumed, shaking his hand. "Dr. Tina McGee."
"Nice to meet you Doctor," Joe greeted. "Thank you for coming in."
"What have you learned about last night's break-in?"
"We believe that whoever broke in was after one of your prototypes."
McGee gave a small chuckle, one with a superior air to it.
"You'll have to narrow that down. We have literally hundreds of projects in development."
"One containing tachyonic particles," Barry spoke up.
McGee turned to Barry, mildly surprised.
"We've had encouraging success with tachyons, yes, but there's still a significant gap between our prototype and any real-life application."
"We were hoping you would lend us your prototype to use as a lure," Joe told her. "We believe the man who tried to take it will try again, and we want to be prepared."
"I give you my word that once this man is apprehended, your prototype will be promptly returned," Barry promised.
"I appreciate the CCPD's concerns, Mr. Allen, but Mercury is quite capable of protecting its own assets, as proven by the fact that it is still in our possession." McGee then turned back towards the door. "Good luck with your manhunt."
As she walked out, the two men both let out disappointed sighs.
"Well, that went well," Joe commented.
"Well we still need that prototype," Barry insisted. "Joe, this is the closest I've come to finding this man in fifteen years."
"Don't worry Barry, we'll get him. Why don't you head back to S.T.A.R. Labs, I'll see what I can do about getting Tina back."
"Alright."
Barry then went off to head back to S.T.A.R. Labs. As Joe was about to move, he saw Eddie talking to Captain Singh in his office. They seemed to be in a bit of a heated debate. Eventually, Eddie came out looking both triumphant and relieved. Joe quickly intercepted him.
"Hey partner. What was all that about?"
"I managed to convince Captain Singh to let me create a Metahuman Taskforce for the CCPD. I'm grateful for the Flash, believe me, but he can't be everywhere at once, and he has his duties with the League to consider. This taskforce will help pick up the slack.
"I can… understand that. But these Metahumans aren't to be taken lightly. You saw what Monteleone was capable of."
"Yes, I did. And that's why this taskforce needs to exist. These people have powers that could kill us normal people before we could blink. The city needs to know we're doing something to keep them safe, and not just waiting around for Flash to bring them in. Like I said, even he can't be everywhere at once, and he's still just one man. One of these days, he may come across someone even he can't outrun."
…
In the city, Flash was racing back to S.T.A.R. Labs. his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of the Man in Yellow and his mother's death. The night played in his head on an endless loop, his mother's screams ringing in his ears. He ran up the side of a building and stopped on the roof so he could catch his breath and collect his thoughts. As he did, he saw a flash of red on the building across from him. He looked up, his eyes going wide when he saw the Man in Yellow standing on an adjacent rooftop, staring him down.
The two locked eyes for a few seconds, then the Man in Yellow sped back down the building, leaving a trail of red lightning in his wake. Flash took off in pursuit, doing his best to keep pace with it. Finally, the Man in Yellow came to a stop in an alley, with Flash facing him down.
"It was you…" He let out. "You were the one in my house that night… you killed my mother! Why?!"
"If you want to know that," the man replied in a distorted voice, "you're going to have to catch me."
With that, the Man in Yellow took off past him, prompting Flash to follow. The two ran down the streets of the city at blazing speeds, with Flash actually struggling to keep up. The two ran into a nearby football stadium, where the lights instantly turned on as they entered. The two stopped at opposite ends of the stadium, staring each other down before charging at each other. Both speedsters ran at each other as fast as they could, but the Man in Yellow easily rammed into him, knocking him back.
…
In the skies nearby, Green Lantern was taking a small flight across the city, enjoying the crisp night air.
"Lantern, what are you doing?" Batman questioned via comms.
"Hey, not all of us can spend their nights cooped up in a cave." Lantern explained. "Thus, I am doing a flyby of the city. You know, keeping an eye out for anything that could help us-"
GL was then cut off by several flashing lights coming from the stadium.
"Bats, I got something. Central City Stadium. Something's going on."
"I'll get J'onn and Cyborg. We'll be there soon."
…
Back in the stadium, Flash and the Man in Yellow continued duking it out. The fight lead them throughout the stadium, even into the stands, forcing them to race in narrow passageways. The Man in Yellow managed to keep an upper hand, actually flipping Flash onto the ground as they returned to the field.
"Who are you?!" Flash demanded.
"You know who I am, Barry."
Flash sprung back up and continued trying to strike the Man in Yellow, but he managed to block every attack and return them in kind, knocking Flash back.
"I don't know who you are!"
"But you do, Barry. We've been at this a long time, you and I. but I'm always one step ahead."
Flash got back up and tried punching him, but the Man in Yellow managed to block the strike before shoving him back. As Flash stumbled backwards, the Man in Yellow lapped around him and shoved him back to the ground.
"It is your destiny to lose to me. Just as it was your mother's destiny to die that night."
"Hey!" GL's voice came from above.
A massive green hand slapped the Man in Yellow away as GL descended in front of Flash.
"Leave my pal alone, psycho speeder."
"Another time."
The Man in Yellow then sped off, leaving GL to land near Flash and help him up as the other Leaguers arrived via Boom Tube.
"You ok?"
"No… No I'm not."
…
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the League returned, Barry being checked on by Kari. Joe came rushing in not long after, relieved to see him alive.
"What happened?" Joe questioned.
"The Man in Yellow attacked Barry," GL explained.
"The Reverse Flash?" Kari asked. "He showed himself?"
"More than that, we actually fought. He talked to me like he knew me. He said we had done this for a long time."
"He was antagonizing you," Joe told him.
"He was also faster. No matter how hard I hit or how fast I got to him, he'd just pull away before I could hit him. This was just a sick game to him."
"You'll catch him," Wells insisted. "Cisco and Dr. Miller's trap is already in the works. It won't be long now."
"You don't get it. His speed, it's beyond me. I'm not the fastest man alive anymore, he is! If I couldn't even lay a finger on him, what chance does anyone else have? Especially since the only other people who could possibly stand a chance at catching him aren't even here!"
"Ok, gonna try and not take that personally," GL remarked.
"Barry," Batman spoke up. "You need to calm down. Getting overly emotional will not help."
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Barry snapped. "You just don't get it, Batman. You have no idea what I've been through because of that… thing!"
Batman just clenched his fist in silence. J'onn placed a hand on Batman's shoulder, gently ushering him aside before stepping forward himself.
"Trust in us," he insisted. "The trap will be successful, and the Reverse Flash will be stopped."
"How?" Barry pressed.
"Well the best thing about force fields is that they are impervious to speed," Wells explained.
"Cisco and I will be finished with the trap in a matter of hours," Kari spoke up. "All you need to do is get the Tachyon device for our bait."
"Then I suggest we have another talk with Dr. McGee," Joe reasoned.
Barry nodded, getting to his feet and immediately heading for the door with Joe hot on his heels. The others watched him go as J'onn turned to Batman.
"Do not let his words get to you, Batman."
Batman didn't say a word. He merely freed his shoulder from J'onn's grip and turned away.
"We have work to do," he muttered, his voice a deeper octave than usual.
…
Later at CCPD, Joe and Barry met with Dr. McGee again, this time with a search warrant in hand.
"If Judge Hankerson was going to sign this, he would've done so already," She protested.
"Look," Joe replied. "I'm sure you don't want this incident to get more public than it already is. Do you, doctor?"
"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I refuse to take part in it. You are not getting my Tachyon device."
The two remained silent for a moment before Barry finally spoke up.
"That was an… impressive facility you have, Dr. McGee. You know, I may be a CSI, but I majored in physics and chemistry, and I saw a lot of stuff that S.T.A.R. Labs would love to know about. So, should I call Harrison Wells right away, or just email him what I found?"
Dr. McGee looked like a fish out of water for a moment before regaining her senses.
"You'll have the device within the hour."
Dr. McGee then walked off in a huff, leaving Joe and Barry to themselves.
"Nicely one," Joe commended before Barry walked off.
"Hey Joe," Eddie called out, walking up to him. "What was that all about?"
"Just working with Dr. McGee to let us use her prototype to catch this new speedster."
"Good. I just got finished recruiting for the Taskforce. I want in."
"You sure about that?"
"More than. If this thing is anywhere near as powerful as the Flash, you're gonna need all the help you can get."
"... alright then."
...
Across town,, Caitlin and Iris were in the middle of a manhunt for the Burning Man. Their search had led them into the bowels of an old power plant.
"If we keep following the ionized particles, it'll lead us right to him," Caitlin insisted, holding up a strange tracking device in her hands.
"Where did you even get that thing?" Iris asked.
"I asked Cisco to help me with it after the Rogue's incident. All I needed after that was a lead, and that's where you came in."
"Happy to help."
The device began beeping like a geiger counter.
"The CPMs are increasing," Caitlin noted. We're getting close."
The two continued making their way down the vast corridors, moving closer and closer to the source of the signal. However, as they got closer, the device completely lost power and shut down.
"Please tell me that was because the batteries died," Iris begged.
"No… he's here."
The two look down the hallway, seeing the man that aided Caitlin before.
"Ronnie…?" she let out, slowly walking towards him. "Ronnie, it's Caitlin. Do you recognize me?"
The man looked up, wild eyes growing massive through his thick, greasy hair.
"Yes… we recognize you."
"We?" Iris questioned.
"Ronnie, what happened to you?" Caitlin asked.
Ronnie winced in pain, trying to remember.
"Firestorm…"
Caitlin and Iris looked at each other in confusion before turning back to Ronnie.
"Ronnie," Caitlin spoke up, taking his hand. "We're gonna take you back to S.T.A.R. Labs. We're gonna help you."
"No!" Ronnie exclaimed, pulling his hand away seconds before his skin caught fire. "Can't… go back. Too dangerous."
"Ronnie, please…"
"Leave us alone… please. We don't want to hurt you. I… can't hurt you."
With that, Ronnie took off, leaving Caitlin both confused and devastated.
