Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Naruto. I think I've said both enough that the point came across.

Senkō

6: One Eye Open

It was the May, the month where spring ended and summer began. Naruto didn't see the hype of it all. Sure, he couldn't wait to be out of school, but it wasn't the same as being a hero. While kids gossiped about what they were going to do when summer came around, Naruto thought about his potential work with Dr. Wells.

When he had first told Jay and Joan of Wells' offer, they were honestly shocked. They admitted to not wanting him to leave, but they did want him to remember his life. He was happy to note that they would support whatever choice he made if the time ever came. Naruto wanted to remember his life, too. If not to go home, then so the incoherent and inopportune flashes of memories would end.

Granted, the last one helped him make his first successful Speed Clone, but that was beside the point.

"Dude!" Corey whispered next to him where they sat in homeroom as their teacher droned on about a summer project. "Two more weeks and then we can kiss this hellhole goodbye!"

Naruto snickered at his words. Corey tended to get a bit louder when he got excited.

"Mr. Mills, is there something else you'd like to add?" the teacher asked irritably.

"Er, not particularly," Corey said sheepishly.

"Good. Now then, for Monday, I would like to see your final papers on the practical use of lasers in modern science turned in on time and-" Whatever he said was drowned out by the final bell. Naruto was tempted to just run out, but he wouldn't ditch Corey like that. Naruto grinned at his friend and the both of them hurried to their lockers, silently agreeing to meet up outside the front of the school.

Naruto retrieved the books he needed for the weekend and slammed his locker shut. He turned and nearly yelped when none other than Linda Park stood next to him. If not for his already faster than average heart rate, Naruto was sure his heartbeat would've skyrocketed from the jolt of surprise.

"Hey, uh, Linda," Naruto said, trying to not show he was startled. She smirked at him and he frowned slightly. He hated being teased, especially by cute girls. "Can I help you?"

She hummed. "Maybe. I'm writing a paper on the incident at S.T.A.R. Labs last week, and I noticed that your name was signed into the visitor's book at the hospital when I went to ask Dr. Wells about it."

Naruto frowned. "I thought you weren't going to do super hero stories, though?"

"I'm not," Linda said. "I'm following up on the data that was stolen."

Oh, right. That... Naruto forced back the scowl and put on a quizzical face. "Data?"

"Yes, during Mirror Master's hostage situation a lot of data for something called 'Project Maximum' was downloaded onto a small flash drive," Linda said. "From what I can gather from those willing to talk, it's the beginning of biological technology being used to give the everyday person super powers."

"That's bad?" Naruto blinked as he shouldered his bag and walked with Linda to the front doors of the school.

Linda gave him a look of disbelief. "Bad? Nathan, can you imagine what would happen if a normal thief got ahold of that kind of technology? It'd be like a Venom outbreak, only worldwide!"

"Isn't that already a problem?"

"A biotech supplement wouldn't have the same addicting effects as Venom would. It's supposed to graft into your system, so there's no need to do it again," Linda said. "Unlike Venom, which is a drug that can and will make you an addict. Why do you think it's outlawed in every state in the country? Heck, practically the entire world has outlawed it."

"Point taken," Naruto said. He scratched his cheek. "Still though, I don't see the appeal of super strength. Speed is more cool to me anyway." Though I might be a bit biased.

Linda rolled her eyes. "No, you think Mr. Flash Shirt?"

Naruto frowned and looked down at the red shirt with a lightning bolt on it that covered his chest. "This isn't Flash, it's Captain Marvel's."

A dark brow arched. "There's a difference?"

"Flash's bolt is encircled, Capt. Marvel's isn't," Naruto said.

"Psh, like that hulky flyboy can compare to our Scarlet Speedster!" Corey scoffed as he walked up to the duo. He grinned at Linda. "Hey beautiful, how're you doing?"

Linda gagged and pushed him away. "Do you even brush your teeth? Your breath smells so corny."

Naruto snickered at the two. In their limited meetings, Corey would always try to flirt with her and she would brush him off like he was a piece of lint. Corey took it all in good fun, but there was a part of Naruto that suspected he was a bit miffed Linda didn't take his compliments seriously.

"Well that's because I've been using the newest flavor of Colgate." Corey laughed lightly at his own joke. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing following my bud? Trying to score a date?"

Linda frowned at him. "No. I am trying to figure out why your 'bud' has been visiting Dr. Harrison Wells at the hospital for the past week."

Corey arched a brow. "What? No way. Me and Nate have been hanging out around his place for the past week cramming for the upcoming finals."

Ah, Corey, you wonderful friend. Naruto grinned and nodded to this. "My grandparents can back us up."

"The staff also mentioned remembering you, especially when I asked if anyone with your tattoos-"

"Birthmarks," Naruto and Corey said. Corey had asked about it and Naruto told him what he knew about them. Corey may not fully believe his friend, but from the way Linda was acting, it looked like he wasn't about to leave his buddy hanging.

Linda snorted. "Sure. Anyway, the nurses remember those whiskers of yours pretty well."

"I'd have to be either super fast or making clones to be there and back before Corey notices I'm gone," Naruto said. "And I'm not one or the other."

He wasn't lying exactly, but he was doing both.

On the first day he'd excuse himself for a five-minute bathroom break and zip over to CCH to have a quick chat with Dr. Wells, then zip right back. But it wasn't as easy as he would have originally thought, as Naruto forgot to sign out. He was told that that couldn't happen, or he couldn't visit again. So, Naruto made what he called a Speed Clone during his bathroom break and sent it off to visit the paralyzed doctor. He somehow managed to retain the information it learned, and Wells theorized that perhaps the meta-gene was more available in the dimension Naruto came from, hence why he could so easily adapt to his speed and do impossible things with it. Which made sense, because for some reason, making the clone was as easy as snapping his fingers.

At the monthly 'Flash Family' dinner, Barry and Wally both begged for Naruto to teach them. Naruto said he would if he knew how, but it was mostly instinctual for him. This made both speedsters pout and poke at their dinners with forlorn faces. Iris openly thanked Naruto for not knowing how and Wally's mother, Mary, joked that she had a hard enough time keeping Wally in the house. This only made the two speedsters pout more while the rest of the family laughed at their faces.

"Are you calling all of the staff at Central City Hospital liars?" Linda asked with a frown.

"I am," Corey said with no shame. He threw his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Framing my buddy...the cruel bastards!"

"I'm just saying that it'd be very hard for me to be at the hospital and studying at home, right?" Naruto said.

Linda pursed her lips. She took a step forward and poked Naruto in the chest, right in the top of the Marvel lightning bolt. "I'll get to the bottom of this, Nathan Garrick. Count on it. Linda Park doesn't give up on any story."

She turned and stormed away with a huff and Naruto scratched his head.

"Man, what's her deal?" He asked his friend.

Corey shrugged. "Dunno, but you gotta admit, it's nice to watch her leave."

Naruto shook his head. "Perv."

"Ah, you'll convert one day! I'll make sure of it!"

Naruto and Corey were hanging out at Central City's mall, content with blowing off their homework for an afternoon to relax. Naruto had an extra large orange smoothie on hand and was drinking it down like no tomorrow. Corey, who had a medium fruit smoothie, frowned at him.

"Okay, seriously, your metabolism is freaky scary," he said.

Naruto gave him a confused glance and released the straw from his mouth. "What d'you mean?"

"Dude...That's your third extra large and we just left the food court," Corey said dryly.

"What? I'm a growing boy," Naruto said with a shrug. He slurped down some more orange smoothie. "So what's our goal today. Ogle? Mingle?"

Corey hummed and looked around. "Not a lot of girls here today, looks like we're ogling the MILFs."

"...Do you really have to say things like that?" Naruto asked dryly.

"Yes." Corey grinned. He pointed over to a jewelry store. "And there's our first observation target."

Of course, right after he said this, people started the scream and run out of the jewelry story. A few laser beams shot out after them and the two teens watched in shock as the security guards ran in. A couple flew out afterwards, but they had holes in their chests.

"...Wow, Murphy sure doesn't like you, does he?" Naruto asked, he turned around and blinked when he saw Corey had already started to run away. "Huh...good for him, he knows when to get out of dodge. Kind of miffed I didn't have to lose him, but I can use that later."

Naruto dashed into a nearby clothing store and into an empty changing room. Within the blink of an eye, Mercury shot from the store and ran over to the jeweler's that was being attacked. He quickly bent over backwards at the sight of a beam heading for his face and had his helmet scan it.

"High frequency pulse laser. A beam this size has a considerably large energy source that could potentially be hidden in a backpack or belt of some sort."

Mercury dodged several more blasts and ducked back behind a wall. He turned his head toward the entrance and shouted. "Give it up, it's only a matter of time before I run in there and take you out!"

"It's been a few years since I've fought a speedster, but if you're anything like The Flash, I find that highly unlikely!" A voice that sounded like it belonged to someone Jay's age returned. It also sounded very haughty and confident.

Mercury pursed his lips. He didn't like being underestimated, but he couldn't lie that sometimes it was beneficial. Taking a chance, he called out again. "Any hostages?"

"Why would I need hostages? I'm already gone! My escape is solidified."

Mercury balked and rushed around the corner. The helmeted hero gaped at the broken glass cases absent of the jewels and accessories that were once within them. There was no sign of any criminal, save for the lone walkie-talkie that sat on the cashier's counter.

"Oh, you certainly do look like The Flash I've faced off against," the voice said from the radio. Mercury frowned and sped over to it. He picked the receiver up and then looked around. "Up. Up. To your right." A lone security camera hung from the wall. "Hello, young hero."

"Who are you? Why did you kill those two men?" Mercury demanded.

"Kill? Who said anything about killing them? They're alive...but not for long...by my count, the wounds they received from my laser have finished cauterizing externally, but the internal bleeding should be flooding out right about...now."

Mercury dropped the walkie-talkie and ran over to the downed security guards. Two fingers pressed on their necks and he found the mysterious thief told the truth. Mercury quickly pulled both men over his shoulders and ran from the mall as fast as he could to Central City's Hospital.

Needless to say, the security and staff were shocked when the newest speedster suddenly burst through the doors with wounded men on his shoulders. He put them down as carefully as he could onto the ground and looked at the nearest nurse, one of the women seated behind a desk.

"They've been shot through the chest with a high frequency pulse laser, they need medical attention! Now!"

"Right! Jenni, Michelle, Carole, Dawn, get over here and help me get these two to the ER!" The nurse barked.

Mercury turned to leave when he saw everything was under control, but was stopped as another nurse at the front desk called his name. He looked at her and she held out the phone, her skin pale and her eyes wide. "H-He says it's f-for you."

Mercury frowned and took the offered phone with slight hesitation. "Hello?"

"You're quite the rude young man, aren't you?"

Looking around, Mercury found a security camera pointed right at him and scowled at it. "Who are you?"

"I was going to tell you before you rudely left me to save them. You had several seconds to spare," the man on the other end said. "If you must know, back in the day they called me The Monocle. I look forward to killing you, young Flash."

"The name's Mercury. And then you'll find out that blind justice isn't just a metaphor." Mercury growled.

The Monocle tisked. "The mouth on you, is that what heroes have come to today? What happened to civil etiquette? Proper manners?"

"I'm so going to enjoy beating you." Mercury growled. This guy was so full of himself. It pissed him off.

The Monocle sighed over the phone. "Young people today, always so short of temper. Very well, find me if you can, Mercury. But know this, the Monocle is never blind!"

Mercury slammed the phone down and glared at it with absolute hatred. He was so mad that someone could play with people's lives all for the sake of money. The helmeted speedster took a moment to calm down and tensed when someone put a hand on his shoulder. Mercury turned and his mouth popped open in shock at who stood there, quickly he made his face vibrate to disguise his appearance.

"Are you okay?" Linda Park asked him.

Mercury took a breath before a vibrating voice came out. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks."

Linda blinked in shock. "I-I didn't know you could do that."

"Gotta protect my identity," Mercury said in a deeper voice than what he usually used. "I change the pitch every now and then to protect my identity. It's, uh, something I learned from Flash."

"Okay...that's pretty cool," Linda said. She blinked lightly. "Um, do you...need any help?"

Mercury gave her a lopsided smile, not that she could tell from the speed of his vibrating face. "Nothing you can do, but I do have to go."

"Wait," Linda bit her lip. She grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and ripped a small portion of it off. She wrote down a number and her name. "If you ever...need help."

Mercury took the offered number with a surprised blink before he nodded. "Right, thanks...Er." He looked at the paper. "Miss Park."

"Linda, call me Linda," she said.

Mercury nodded and took a step back. "Linda. I, um, I gotta go."

Without another word, Mercury ran off. He left behind in the hospital one Linda Park who quickly ran to the doors to see the remnants of Mercury's blur round a corner. Her heart pounded in her chest from the exhilarating moments that just passed. She went back to the front desk and flipped through the past month's sign in sheet. Finally, the first day Dr. Wells was allowed visitors. There was one signature that stood out.

Mercury signed in, but he didn't sign out. Linda flipped to the next day. Nathan Garrick, and no sign out.

Linda narrowed her eyes in thought.

"So the Monocle is back, huh?" Jay sat back with a frown on his face in the dining room and drank some coffee. "There's someone I hoped would stay out of action."

"Was he really that bad?" Naruto asked. His helmet sat on the table while he sat across from Jay.

"He was very clever, and it was only through quick thinking that I could outsmart him." Jay took a sip of his coffee. "Not to mention his different monocles designed to perform different tasks. He was a genius, but obsessed."

Joan frowned. "Monocle was at least ten years your senior, Jay. How is he still around?"

Naruto grabbed his helmet and pulled it on as he stood up. "That's what I intend to find out. I might be home late."

"Be careful." Jay gave the younger speedster a serious look. "Monocle is dangerous, he's got the means and the methods to outsmart you. If it comes between your life and his capture, there's always next time."

Mercury gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry, Gramps. I'm stupid, but not that stupid."

Jay smirked as the boy he and his wife adopted shot off. He reached over and put his hand on Joan's. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Joan tightened her hand around Jay. "I know...but he's only a boy. You were a soldier by the time you had your accident."

Jay gave his college sweetheart a reassuring smile. "He's going to be just fine."

Joan smiled back and truly believed his words.

Mercury slid to a stop outside the crime tape in the jewelry store. The police in the store turned at the sound of glass crunching under the sole of a foot. They stepped back as Mercury stepped under the tape and began to search through the store. As the helmeted speedster began to examine the nearest broken case, a familiar sergeant stepped forward with a smile.

"Well, if it isn't Mercury," Sgt. Park said with a light smile. "Heard about your rescue over the radio. What can you tell me?"

"Some guy the first Flash fought, he calls himself the Monocle." Mercury frowned and picked up a shard of glass that was inside the case. "Thing is, Monocle shouldn't be active or able to act anymore. He was older than Flash by a good decade or so."

"...Think he hired some goons?" Sgt. Park asked.

"Yeah. Only I think there was one goon." Mercury dropped the glass and went to the back wall. He frowned and closed his eyes. Something was wrong, different...He couldn't feel it before because of the adrenaline, but now he could.

"What makes you say that?" the policeman asked. He waved a few CSI away, wanting to give the hero a bit more time.

Mercury pointed over at the cash register. "Register is still here and all the cash is in it."

"How'd you-?"

"I checked it a second ago," Mercury said. He put his hand on the back wall and frowned. "There's not another department store here is there?"

"Uh...Clark, there a department store on the other side of Kay's?" Sgt. Park asked one of the officers. The officer gave him a lighthearted smile.

"What? Haven't brought the missus to the mall yet, Sarge? Nah, that's the east parking lot."

"Thanks." Sgt. Park turned back to Mercury. "Anything else I can help you with?"

The hero continued to examine the wall for a moment before Mercury smiled at him. "Thanks, Sgt. Park, but no. I think I've got this all figured out."

"Oh?" Sgt. Park asked. He crossed his arms and gave the hero a lightly offended frown. "And how would that be?"

Mercury pat the officer on the shoulder. "S.T.A.R. Labs technology." He tabbed the side of his helmet and grinned. "Never leave home without it."

"Uh huh...Whoa, those are some bad scratches you've got there," Sgt. Park said as he peered at the three marks on Mercury's face that were visible to him. "Do you need a medic?"

"Nope, but I gotta go. Later Sarge." Mercury gave a two-fingered salute before he ran off and tore through the police tape.

The dumbfounded police sergeant scratched the back of his head and looked at the two CSI agents. "Alright, it's clear. Get to work."

"Yeah, yeah. So that's Mercury huh? Geez, what's with the Twin Cities and speedsters?" one said.

The other nudged him. "Hey, we could always live in Gotham."

"True, or Star City."

"At least our guys don't shoot arrows or throw batarangs."

Mercury tapped the side of his helmet as he stood outside of the approximate area where Kay's Jewelers was within the mall. "Initiate scan."

The goggles scanned over the wall before the helmet beeped. "Scan complete. Density shift recognized."

"I knew it." Mercury scowled and dropped his hand to his side.

"My escape is solidified!"

"Son of a...Dammit!" Mercury punched the wall. "He had me right where he wanted me!"

"It's been a few years since I've fought a speedster, but if you're anything like The Flash, I find that highly unlikely!"

"He knew I would play with caution! He's been watching me," Mercury said to himself. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Okay...he's baiting me. He wanted me to follow him. Why? What's the end game?"

Mercury turned around and rubbed the side of his helmet. What do I know? What do I know? He's old, he's smart, and he's crazy. He's probably got a thing against Gramps, maybe all the Flashes...but why didn't he show up sooner if that was the case?

"I can figure this out later," Mercury said. He tapped the left of his helmet and his visor shifted to a light green rather than the normal transparency it was. "Scan for high frequency laser emissions."

"Scanning...Scanning...Scan complete." A red line mapped itself out in an instant and Mercury smiled.

"Man, it's a good thing Barry and Wally are tutoring me when they can," he said. He burst into a run and followed the trail set for him. Mercury sped through the city, making rounds and turns at various different corners.

"And here I thought he wanted to be found," Mercury said under his breath as he sped over a bridge and turned right into the warehouse district.

Mercury stopped and stared at the massive blob of red. There were no more red lines; it was just all red. He reached up and turned off the scanner. There was no point in having it on anymore. He narrowed down the area where the emissions were let off. The hero let his shoulders slump.

"And now for the hard part." He grumbled. The helmeted speedster zipped in and out of the warehouses. He searched every nook and cranny for the location of the criminal, but his search came up empty.

Mercury frowned as he walked out of the thirty-second warehouse. "Why do I have the feeling that this has all been planned out?"

"Clever, clever!" A voice boomed from the speakers. Mercury looked up as a sphere of light rose up over the warehouses. Mercury looked around and ran back to the street, only to bounce off an invisible shield. "Ah, ah, ah...You can't leave now that we're approaching the conclusion."

"Figures." Mercury grumbled to himself as he pushed his helmet back into place and climbed back to his feet. He looked around. "Alright, Monocle. You've been watching me for a while. Show yourself, let's meet face to face!"

The Monocle seemed to rub his chin for a moment. "Straight to the point then? Hm...Well, I suppose a little screen time never hurt me before."

A warehouse to Mercury's immediate left suddenly shuddered and the doors folded out completely. One a couple of warehouses down on the left followed the same example as the first. Then a few more did the same, and another handful near the edge of the plot. Finally, all of the warehouse doors had been opened and screens had risen up and locked into place. The screens flickered for a moment before they lit up and an elderly man appeared on the screen. He had a neat white moustache, liver spots on his skin, and a sole monocle over his right eye.

"Wow...you are ancient." Mercury blinked in surprise.

The Monocle gave Mercury a dull glare. "Yes," he said dryly. "I've been told as such. And considering that Flash isn't as retired as I thought he was – "

"He's retired." Mercury affirmed curtly.

"The lack of manners in this generation astounds me! You know, back in my day, I was allowed to finish a monologue out of professional courtesy!" The Monocle started to hack and cough into his fist. Mercury was taken aback and started to open his mouth, but was stopped by the Monocle's raised hand. A moment of coughing passed and the Monocle recomposed himself. "You see? This is what I've become! I'm a mockery of my former self! Brittle and falling apart internally. My vast riches have prolonged my life long enough to see Flash's successor emerge."

"Uh, his successor emerged nearly a decade ago," Mercury said informatively.

The Monocle scoffed. "Him!? He's no Flash, not like the one I knew! That buffoon runs around and does battles with giant apes! Apes! No self-respecting man of my era would let those barbarians run amok in our city!" The Monocle scoffed. "And that suit! Where's the class? The indecency of some of these heroes today..."

Mercury had to concede to that. There was a reason some punks weren't afraid of "a bunch of guys in tights."

Those guys usually ran into Batman at one point or another.

"But then I saw you on the news." The Monocle let a smirk cross his wrinkled face. "You had stopped Captain Boomerang. A silly name if you ask me, but I digress. You, young Flash, are my most hated enemy's successor, if not in name then in spirit. I figured that I should follow in his footsteps."

Mercury narrowed his eyes. "What?"

The warehouse behind him exploded and Mercury dove forward with his hands over his head to act as some sort of protection against the debris. Mercury quickly got back to his feet and turned around to see a figure walk through the smoke and fire towards him. The Monocle laughed on the screens around them as the figure became clear.

It was a young man dressed in dark blue body armor with a red and yellow visor over his eyes. A yellow belt of some sort crossed over his chest and wrapped around his waist. His left hand was on the side of his head and his visor glowed bright red. The man smirked and his visor hummed as another beam built up. A condensed laser shot out and Mercury quickly avoided several blasts with impressive agility.

Mercury ran to the other end of the row of warehouses. He narrowed his eyes as the man stepped out of the remains of the destroyed warehouse. The helmeted hero had a light burn on his shoulder from one of the beams that nearly got him. The guy had good aim, if Mercury didn't have super-speed, he'd have been fried.

"Mercury, I give you my legacy!" The Monocle declared with a cackle. "As the Olympian chosen by Flash to guard his city, I have chosen my own champion. Beware the ocular power of Dr. Cyclops!"

AN: And that's a wrap! I wonder if anyone can guess whom it is I'm parodying with my version of Dr. Cyclops (who is an actual DC villain, but my version is vastly different).

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