The Bolt Episode 8 Lightning
My name is Sean White. After waking up with no memory of who I was, I discovered I could do impossible things. Inspired by the heroes around me, I decided to put my powers to use and protect the people of Alter City, and find the missing pieces of my past. I am, The Bolt!
The board team sat in silence. Each member felt concern and fear as the hologram floated at the center of the desk. Something was wrong. The newspaper in the hologram once spoke of how a satellite crashed in the city, now it does not. It makes no sense. Only one thing could have changed it.
"Project S," Tabitha said, "We tried throwing him off track before. Sending our strike team to steal one of our own trucks was a mistake, it only made things worse."
"That cop running his friend off the road was funny though," A man said, making his fellow board members laugh.
Even Tabitha herself found a chuckle form, "It was amusing, but otherwise, that plan failed."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Harold asked, "There is only so much that can be done without Peter knowing."
"Simple," She said, standing up, "If the boy wants to play hero, then he can die a hero."
"You are suggesting we send someone to kill him?"
"Yes," She said, "Someone who can make it seem like a battle of good versus evil. And it just so happens, the Satellite, despite the issue it now causes with the timestream, as spotted a particular Meta-Human that we can use to our advantage." She presses a button and an image of a man appears.
"Calvin Shepard," She said, "He should be very useful to us. Send a team to collect him immediately."
ELSEWHERE
A red blur zoomed through the city, a trail of orange yellow lightning behind him. This was not the speedster usually known to speed throughout the city. He was different. Older. More experienced. The speedster stopped in his tracks to admire the city around him, "Cisco!" he said, putting a hand to the lightning bolt on the right side of his head, "This place is really nice!"
"I told you right?!" Cisco said, "I don't know how they do It but I want their maids number."
"For cleaning or dating?"
"My love life is mine, Barry, leave it be."
The scarlet speedster laughed and took another look around, just as an orange blur zoomed by him, not noticing the man in red.
The Flash smiled brightly, "Cisco, I found him."
"Well what are you waiting for?! Go say hi man! And Tell me what his suit is made of! I have a list of questions I want you to ask!"
"Alright, alright, one thing at a time," Flash said, speeding off after the fellow speedster.
THE BOLT / THE FLASH
The orange speedster chased after the fire truck, running beside it in its blind spot.
"Olive, what are they saying on their radios?" The Bolt asked.
"Burning building down on third and western. It's coming down fast. If that fire goes any longer everyone inside will be crushed by falling debris," She said.
"Ok, thanks!" He said, running past the fire truck.
"Whoa!" the driver of the firetruck said, "I think that was the orange speedster."
Another blur sped by them as well.
"And …. wait what?" He said, scratching his head.
Flash ran closely behind Bolt. He hadn't been seen yet, Bolt was clearly focused on the job. Good. That showed Flash that he was serious about what he was doing. He was worried that saying hi now may startle him, so he decided to hang back and watch him work.
Bolt zoomed into the burning building and Flash stopped and watched through a window. "Barry, you gonna help?" Cisco said.
"In a minute," Flash said, "I just want to see how he does."
Bolt stopped on the third floor, and saw the flames growing brighter, "I can't see anything!" Bolt yelled, "Olive what should I do?!"
Cisco's voice rang again, "Barry!"
"Right, ok. He needs help." Flash sped in quickly.
Bolt kicked a door down and saw a group of people huddled in the corner, avoiding ass much of the fire as they could, "Don't worry! You'll be ok!" He reassured. Though he didn't know how he planned to get rid of the fire. "What do I do?" Bolt said to himself.
Then in a flash, he came.
The scarlet speedster appeared next to him, avoiding eye contact as to focus on the job. Bolt was startled and stared carefully at him, as to see if he was real or not. He was.
"You need to create a vortex!" Flash said.
"A what?!" Bolt questioned.
Flash stepped forward, "Rotate your arms at super speed. It'll create a funnel that will sap the room of oxygen, long enough to snuff the fire. We'll do it together, ok?" Flash finally made eye contact, and awaited an answer.
"Yeah … yeah, ok!" Bolt said, composing himself and standing beside Flash.
"Follow my lead!" Flash said, spinning his arms in a circle, picking up the pace quickly. Bolt observed him and copied his actions. Their arms moved at sonic speeds, creating four perfectly synced vortexes' that sucked the air away from the flames. The flames approached the vortex's, then dissipated before reaching them. Bolt found it to be difficult, where it seemed as Flash did it seamlessly. Once all the flames were gone, the two speedsters grabbed the group of people, and took them outside, dropping them off by the ambulance truck and zooming off.
The two speedsters stopped in the park. Bolt was out of breath from the new experience. He had never moved his arms that quickly before, and it wore him out. He put his hands on his knees and gasped for breath. Flash laughed in victory, "You did good back there. You alright?" He asked, retaining a smile.
Bolt gave him a thumbs up and stood up straight, swinging his arms back and forth before dropping them to his sides, "Yeah, I'm great, thanks for asking," He finally composes himself and addressed the elephant in the room, "You're him …You're the Flash!"
Flash put his hands to his hips and smiled, "Yeah. It's nice to meet you," He said, putting his hand out, to which Bolt immediately shook it.
After letting go, Bolt asked the first question, "So, what-what-what are you doing here? Don't you operate in Central City?"
"I do, yeah," Flash replied, "I'm tracking a Meta-Human who escaped to this city. Calvin Shepard. Heard of him?"
"No, not that I know of."
It was almost a dream come true. Not too long after he had woken up, Sean read all about The Flash. And now here he was, standing in front of him. He smiled under the mask and was grateful Flash couldn't see.
"So, what do they call you here?" Flash asked.
"Oh …um, The Bolt," he said, "They call me The Bolt."
"I want. To know. About. His suit, Barry!" Cisco yelled through the com.
Flash sighed in hearing his friends voice, and spoke accordingly, "Hey, why don't we go somewhere and talk. Sound cool?"
"Yeah …yeah that's cool," Bolt said.
Today was going to be a great day, he could feel it.
LIGHT-SPEED LABS
Calvin Shepard stepped through the front doors of the massive building cautiously, two guards trailing behind him, and pushing him forward, "Guys, relax," Calvin said, moving forward through the hallway. He stopped when his path met with an older woman.
"Hello there, Calvin," She said, "You can call me Tabitha."
"Nice to meet you," Calvin said, "Now what exactly am I doing here?"
Tabitha smiled and gestured him to follow her. They walked through the halls as Calvin examined the technology around him.
"I understand you have a very interesting ability, Mr. Shepard," Tabitha said.
"That I do," Calvin said with a smile, "People call me Ghost."
"Because you can possess people," She said, "That's your ability, correct?"
"Yep," he smiled, "No one else like me. Your men said you'd pay me if I helped you."
Tabitha wrote something down on her clipboard, "That's correct. You'll be paid handsomely."
"Good," Calvin sighed, "So what exactly am I supposed to do?"
Tabitha smiled, "The orange blur, also known as The Bolt," She said, "Kill him."
ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY
The two speedsters sat on the edge of a building roof, looking over the city as they traded words. Bolt had enjoyed the conversation thus far, and was happy to be having it. It was nice to talk to an expert about his speed, rather than theorists.
"So you woke up with your speed, huh?" Flash questioned, "I can imagine that being scary."
"Honestly?" Bolt said, "It was …exciting. When I run, the wind can't get out of my way fast enough. The lightning makes me feel …"
"Alive?" Flash smiled, "I know. It's a good feeling. It's the speed-force in your system, giving you power."
Bolt looked directly at him. Peter had mentioned the speed force before, but not in detail. "Flash, what exactly IS the speed-force?" He questioned.
Flash sighed and sat back, "It's the source of our power. It's what makes us speedsters. It's an energy that's been around since the beginning of time, or at least so I've been told."
"So, my speed," Bolt continued, "Did I get it from the particle accelerator explosion?"
"it's the only thing I can think of," Flash answered, "It's how I got my speed too. It would make sense."
"Yeah, I guess," Bolt sighed.
The Flash, in reality, was asking him questions Cisco had suggested to him. He held off on asking about the suit because it wasn't as important to him as it was to Cisco. He had met several speedsters since getting his own speed. Eobard Thawne, Hunter Zolemon, Jay Garrick, the list goes on. But most of them haven't been as kind as he would like. The Bolt has been one of the few who have been good from the beginning. Which is what lead him to one of the most obvious questions, "Bolt," Flash started, "Why are you doing this? Being a hero?"
This was a question Bolt asked himself far too often. And since meeting Charley, he had thought about it even more. "It just feels right," Bolt said, "When I woke up, I didn't know anything. I didn't remember anything. So, all I could do is respond to my feelings. Everything I've done is what I've felt to be right."
Flash understood what that felt like. Though the source may be different. Barry does what he does because of a tragedy, but Bolt? It just felt right. Nothing else. That is a feeling difficult to come by. And he could clearly see that this city had a great person protecting them.
"Listen," Flash said, "I'm going to be hanging around the city for a while, looking for that Meta-Human. If you find him, come and get me as soon as possible," Flash stood up, "I've got to start searching."
"Ok," Bolt said, standing up, "You can count on me, Flash."
With a reassuring smile, Flash sped off, and Bolt watched him as the trail of yellow orange lightning grew father away.
Sean removed his mask and smiled widely, "Bye Flash."
CAMILLIA RESIDENCE
"You met The Flash?!"
Olive sat straight up on her bed in front of Sean, who sat crisscross, holding her shoulders to calm down, "Relax," He said, "I know it's exciting."
"What's he even doing here?" She asked.
"He said he's looking for a Meta-Human," Sean replied, "You should have seen him in that fire. He was so calm and collected. He knew exactly what he needed to do and guided me through the whole thing. He's just as amazing as people say he is."
"I would think, yeah," She said, "You didn't tell him who you were, did you?"
Sean shook his head, "No, don't worry."
Worry. A feeling she felt all the time for Sean. When he's out there, anything can happen. He explained the other day about his 'ghosting' incident, which she still found hard to believe. If that timeline stayed as it was, so many people would be dead. What if Sean had died? She wouldn't be able to live with herself, not after investing so much emotion into him. She felt attached. She even started considering telling him the truth. Should she? He's obviously trustworthy. But it wasn't about that. She worried of what she would do once she told him. What would she be driven to do? Could she handle it? Would Sean be there for her? What is she saying? Of course, he would. He's Sean. The kind of person he is, it's someone who helps everyone he can.
"Hey …Sean," She started, taking his hands gently in hers. Her hands felt warm to Sean, and Olive blushed lightly, "There is …something I feel I should tell you."
"…Ok," He said, "You can tell me anything."
Sean's watch started beeping, interrupting the moment between the two teenagers, "Ugh!" Olive and Sean said simultaneously. "Sorry," Sean said, "Duty calls."
"I understand," Olive said, "I'll tell you later."
Sean grabbed his watch and sped into his outfit.
"Hey Sean," Olive said, stopping him from leaving, "You look good in orange."
Bolt smiled under the mask, "Thanks," he said, then sped out of the room.
LIGHT-SPEED LABS
"Yes, thank you," Peter said, signing the paper on the clipboard, and gesturing his worker to take it away. Things in the city had started to get very interesting. There have been at least a dozen sightings of the scarlet speedster. He was here, in Alter City. The big question was why. Why was he here? It couldn't have anything to do with L.S. Labs, could it? He attempted to contact Sean about it, but he had been busy wearing that orange costume of his. Until then, Peter could only resume his work.
He looked up and noticed several of the board members walking across the hall into another room, following behind them a very strange man. Strange being defined as unknown. He hadn't seen him in the lab before. The two men made eye contact for a second before he had vanished into the room with the board members. Peter took notice of Tabitha following behind them and he quickly approached her, "Tabitha," Peter said, stopping her.
"Oh, why hello Peter," She said, "How can I help you?"
"Who is that man with the other board members?" He asked.
Tabitha laughed, "Oh relax, Morrison. He's just someone we hired to take care of some business."
"What kind of business?"
"None of which is yours," She said coldly, "We do not always need to ask for your approval, Mr. Morrison. I suggest you get back to your research, where you belong." With that she turned away and entered the room with the rest of the board members, shutting the door behind her.
Peter was not going to give up that easily. This was his company. There were no secrets, none that are kept from him. He walked over to Rose and took her by the arm, pulling her in close, "Rose, can you do me a favor?"
Rose smiled, "I'm your assistant, that's my job. How can I help?"
Peter whispered to her, "See if you can figure out what the board might be hiding from me. Can you do that?"
Rose patted him on the back, "Of course. It would be my pleasure," She brushed aside her short red hair and walked off.
ACPD
ACPD was different from the police station in Central City. It had a third floor, where as the one in Central City had two. The first floor was main offices and desks. The second was used for forensics and the third must have been everything else. It was spacious at the very least. Barry was jealous. Alter City was well funded in comparison to back home. But he didn't have the time to admire. He had work to do. He had to hope the station could help him with his Meta-Human problem.
Barry asked around and he was lead to Chief Banks office. He stepped through the open door and found the chief sitting at the desk, "Excuse me," Barry said, "Are you Chief Banks?" he asked.
"That I am," The Chief said, "And who are you?"
Barry shook his hand, "I'm Barry Allen. I'm the forensic assistant at the police station in Central City."
"Ah," Banks said, "They called ahead for you. You look young."
"I'm told, yes," Barry said, "I was in the hopes that you could help me with a Meta-Human problem?"
"Of course. The ACPD is well equipped against Meta-Humans."
"Yeah, about that," Barry said, "I asked around. You seem very Anti-Meta, especially against the city's speedster, The Bolt."
The Chiefs face immediately dropped, "If you ask me, Mr. Allen, people like The Green Arrow, The Flash and so on, are insane. Their idiots who think they can make a difference by dressing up. Their mentally ill, honestly."
Barry clenched his fist, and stuffed it in his pocket to hide his anger. He didn't particularly take a liking to his opinion, but he had to realize he probably had his reasons, "Why do you dislike people like them? Sure, they dress up, but they save lives."
"They should have joined the police force then," he said, "But they didn't. So they should all be behind bars," He sighed, "Anyway, your Meta-Human problem?"
Barry composed himself and spoke up, placing a picture of a man on his desk for Banks to see, "His name is Calvin Shepard. He's a Meta-Human who can possess people, like a ghost would in theory. The hosts are always conscious, and he can only possess people for a short amount of time. He's committed several crimes as other people to cover his tracks, but we managed to follow him here."
"So we have a Meta in the city?" Banks questioned, "I'll get my best men on it."
"Great, thank you," Barry said, exiting the room.
Though he was jealous of the layout, he didn't like the atmosphere of the station. Most of the officers only saw one side of the stories told by criminals. They only saw them as just that, criminals, not people. They don't even give them a chance. He could however see that there were those who saw every side. But they were outnumbered. Barry made for the door but looked back for a moment. He saw files on The Bolt on the table near him. Barry sped over quickly with a gust of wind and took the files, then ran back for the door. He hid the files in his jacket and left the building.
Barry walked down the front steps of the station, opening the folder and reading the files inside. Nearly none of the papers spoke any good of Bolt. The Police here clearly didn't like him. There were several incidents where they tried to kill him on sight.
Except for one.
LATER
Victor sat on his couch, sighing and taking a sip of his drink. He eyed the gun on the table. He was still on probation for what he did. And he was still debating whether he did the right thing. He hated questioning himself. He only did what he felt he had to. Bolt would have been shot.
A knock on the door got his attention. He stood up and went for the door, opening it to a stranger's face.
"Hi, Victor Phillip," Barry said, "I'm Barry Allen. Can we talk about something?"
Barry took a sip of the drink Victor had given him, and kept eye contact during the conversation, "So, you saved his life," Barry said.
"I did," Victor replied, "And in turn I was booted from the force."
"Temporarily," Barry reminded him.
Victor sighed, "Doesn't matter. Sometimes I wonder if I should have let things be."
"Victor," Barry started, "You were the only officer on the force who believed in The Bolt. You were the only one who cared. I was hoping you could tell me why. Why does the chief hate Meta-Humans?"
Victor shook his head, "I don't know, to be perfectly honest. All I can tell you for sure is that it's some personal vendetta. There's way too much passion there for it to just be a part of his duty. The day I saved Bolt, Banks ordered over the radio for us to shoot him. No specifics, just shoot him. Unbelievable. I couldn't watch the kid die."
"I understand," Barry sighed, "Eventually they'll have to let you back on the force."
"Knowing Banks? Probably never. He holds a grudge."
Barry started to get a better understanding of how the city reacts to Meta-Humans. Any innocent Meta in the city probably hides in fear of being shot on sight. The Bolt probably has trouble saving people with the police hunting him rather than helping. Barry couldn't leave the city without attempting to do something about this.
"Thank you, Victor," Barry said, "I think I have everything I need," He got up and headed for the door.
"Everything you need to do what?" Victor asked.
Barry looked back at Victor, "To make a difference," He turned the door handle and left the house.
L.S.L.O.O.H.Q
Sean typed carefully on the computer. His fingers moved at super speed. Ever since The Flash had asked him to find Calvin, he had been determined to do so. He didn't want to let him down. "Come on, Calvin, where the heck is he?"
Olive walked into the building, holding her hands behind her back. She was nervous. She knew that Sean was busy so the idea of being with him for a day seemed grim. "Hey there, Sean," She said, "What are you up to?"
"Flash wanted to find a Meta," He replied, "I'm seeing what I can do to help."
"Quite the fanboy, aren't you?" She said, leaning against the table.
"I am not a …" He started, then stopped, "…alright so I'm a fanboy, cut me some slack."
Olive started laughing, and Sean put on an evil grin and picked her up in his arms cradle style, "You think that's funny? Maybe I should run you through the city, then will see who's laughing!"
The two of them laughed together as he spun her around in a circle. "Sean!" Olive said, "Put me down!" She laughed.
Sean slowed down to a stop, still laughing. When their laughter ceased, they looked at each other. Silence grew between them, a blush forming on both their faces.
"Well?" Olive said, "You going to say something?"
Sean didn't know what to say. He just days ago came to the acceptance of his feelings for her. So, he didn't quite know how to react when those feelings start up. "I …I um …" He stuttered, putting her down, "I should get back to finding …Calvin."
"Right …of course," Olive said, sounding sad.
Sean felt bad for leaving the moment before it could go full circle. The truth was, he didn't know exactly how she would react if he were to tell her how he felt. She may reject his feelings. But at the same time, she may accept them.
He made his decision. Once this business with Calvin is done, he'll tell her.
"Olive," he said, getting her attention, "Do you um …once I deal with this thing …do you want to go for a walk in the park? Just us?"
Olive smiled brightly, "I would love that," She said.
ELSEWHERE
The people in the bank kept their heads down as Calvin shot off several rounds into the ceiling, "No one cause any trouble, you hear?"
"What do you want?!" A lady asked, "You want money?!"
"Money is already in the deal sweetheart," Calvin said, "I'm waiting for someone, mind you. So be patient. And don't try anything!" He fired off several more shots.
The Flash had heard about the bank incident from Cisco, and was already on his way there. He had started hoping he would see The Bolt there as well. It was nice to be the teacher for another speedster, rather than the student. It was the same when he taught another speedster, Jesse Quick, during her brief visit. It was a good feeling passing on what he knew.
He sped into the bank and saw Calvin there, gun in hand.
"Calvin Shepard!" He yelled.
Calvin turned around in surprise, "Flash? You aren't the speedster I was hoping for," he sighed, "You're going to ruin everything."
"Well that's pretty much my job, pal," Flash said, "Drop the gun."
"Let me pitch you a different idea." He shot several rounds at The Flash, who dodged them expertly and effortlessly. When the bullets passed, he saw Calvin take hold of another man.
"Let him go!" Flash yelled.
"I've got a better idea," Calvin said.
Calvin suddenly became transparent, and vanished when he literally walked into the man, who twitched for a moment before regaining composure.
The man grinned evilly.
"I wouldn't move," He said, two separate voices being heard, "Or I'll snap his neck."
Flash had to think. For as long as he possessed that man, he couldn't move without the risk of hurting him. The possessed man picked up the gun and pointed it to his own head, "Now we are going to wait for the orange blur. Aren't we?"
"Cisco," Flash said quietly, "Any ideas?"
"Try vibrating through him, maybe you can yank Calvin out."
He was willing to give it a try. His eyes sparked with electricity and he sped at the man, who had just pulled the trigger.
The Bolt sped in and entered speed time along with Flash. Bolt grabbed the bullet before it reached the man's head, and moved out of the way as The Flash vibrated, and phased through the body of the man, coming out on the other side with Calvin, and slamming him into the nearby wall. Normal time resumed, and Calvin fell to the ground, knocked out cold.
Bolt walked over to Flash and observed Calvin with him, "Did I do good?" he asked. The Flash smiled and patted Bolt on the back, giving him his answer.
The police took Calvin into a police van and drove away. The two speedsters watched, hidden in the nearby alleyway.
"So where is he going?" Bolt asked.
"He should be on his way to Iron Heights," Flash said, "We won't be seeing him for a while."
Bolt sighed in relief, "That was intense. I thought I wouldn't get the bullet in time. Thought I wasn't going to be-"
"-Fast enough?" Flash finished for him. The two speedsters stared at one another for a moment, before Flash continued, "I've spent a lot of time thinking about being fast enough. I've recently encountered another evil speedster, calls himself Savitar. He had me beat straight away."
"Someone was faster than you?" Bolt questioned.
"Yeah," Flash answered, "But I know I have to be fast enough. Fast enough. I find myself saying that all the time and it drives me crazy. But you, Bolt, you're different. Don't worry about being fast enough, be good enough. You're a good person, I can see it. You're meant to do this."
Bolt smiled under the mask, "Thanks. I've needed to hear that."
"ASK! ABOUT! THE SUUUUIT!" Cisco yelled through the com.
Flash shook his head and sighed, "I gotta ask, where did you get the suit?"
"FINALLY!" Cisco yelled.
"What, this?" he said, pointing to his suit, "I found it with my stuff when I woke up. It's been upgraded since then thanks to Light-Speed labs-"
"What?" Flash interrupted, "You work with Light-Speed labs?"
" …yeah," Bolt said hesitantly, "I mean kind of. They don't order me around so much as they've helped me stop Meta's. They even supplied me with a lot of useful tech. I know they don't have the best reputation but-"
"Bolt," Flash suddenly said sternly, his tone drastically changed, enough to actually scare Bolt, "They only want to use you."
"How do you know that?" Bolt asked.
"Because they tried to use me." He said.
Bolt froze at his sentence, "What does that mean?"
MEANWHILE
Calvin slowly regained consciousness in the van. He looked around and saw the police officers around him.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"On your way to Iron Heights," An officer said.
Calvin smiled, "False."
…
A sudden crashing sound caught the attention of the speedsters. "What was that?" Bolt asked.
"Calvin," Flash said, speeding off.
"Hey! Wait up!" Bolt yelled, speeding after him.
Flash stopped at the crash site. The police van had crashed onto the sidewalk, laying on its side. A single officer held a gun in his hand, standing unaffected. The officer fell face first to the ground, and Calvin reappeared in his place.
"Calvin!" Flash yelled, "That's far enough! You're going away for a long time.
"That so?" he said, "You can't touch me remember?"
The Bolt sped onto the site and saw Calvin, "Flash!"
Flash turned around to see The Bolt, when Calvin had grabbed Flash from behind, "Nice suit," he said, turning transparent and vanishing.
"No!" Bolt yelled.
Flash twitched for a moment before regaining composure. He slowly looked up at Bolt with a grin.
"Look at that," he said, two voices heard, "I'm the fastest man alive."
He sped over and punched Bolt in the gut, watching as he hit the ground, "Agh!" Bolt grunted.
Flash laughed, and kicked him a few times as he laid on the ground, "I am going to kill you," he said, "But I want to have some fun first," he continued to kick him for a few more seconds, before watching him roll onto his back, "Thanks for helping me out kid. I've never possessed another Meta-Human before. This power running through me … The Flash was selfish to hog it …as were you," He kicks him again, "I'm gonna go have some fun for a while, but I'll be back for you," he said, speeding away.
Bolt laid on the ground, wounded from the encounter. This was his fault. He distracted The Flash, even if just for a second. He screwed up everything. He was nowhere near the speed of The Flash, he'll never be able to catch him.
Static started ringing through his ear piece. Bolt held his ear to try and mask the sound.
"****hey! *** Testing, is anyone there?!" A voice spoke through the static.
"Who is this?" Bolt coughed out.
"Yatzi! Hello, I'm Cisco Ramon. I heard the whole thing over Flash's com. Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you!"
All Bolt could do while he waited was lay on his back, and look up to the sky in shame. All he wanted to do was help. The Flash believed in him, and he let him down. Bolt was supposed to be the hero. What kind of hero fails this badly? How was he supposed to make up for this?
A van with the S.T.A.R. Labs logo on the side pulled up next to Bolt with a screeching stop. A man with hair to his shoulders stepped out and picked Bolt up by the arms, "I gotcha, buddy!" He said. His voice confirmed for Bolt that this was Cisco.
Cisco loaded Bolt into the back of the van, closed the back doors, and jumped into the driver's seat, quickly stepping on the pedal and flooring it through the streets.
"Whew!" Cisco gasped, "How you are doing back there?" He asked, looking back to Bolt who only groaned as a response.
"Don't worry, you're going to be fine," Cisco said, "I'm tracking Flash's suit now. Looks like he's going for a test run. What happened back there?"
The Bolt coughed as he sat up and leaned against the inside of the van, "I screwed up," Bolt said, "I distracted Flash, long enough for Calvin to possess him."
"Well don't sweat it," Cisco reassured, "Everyone makes mistakes. Calvin can't possess him forever. But until then, Alter City is in a heap of trouble. Is there anywhere I can take you where we can sort things out? You got like a Bolt cave or something? Tell me you have a Bolt cave."
Bolt raised an eyebrow under his mask, "What? No, it's not a cave. Just turn here."
Cisco complied and made a sharp turn.
Cisco helped Bolt into his personal base, and sat him down on a chair. Olive walked up to them both and questioned Cisco's presence, but Bolt gave him the ok for her. While Olive tended to Bolt's wounds, Cisco looked around their 'cave', "I must say, despite it being Light-Speed tech, this is a nice set up you have here," he said.
"What is it with you guys and L.S Labs?" Bolt questioned, "You and Flash both talk badly of them."
Cisco waved his hand, "We had a run in with them a while back. Let's worry about that later," Cisco snaps his fingers, "You know, I could hook you guys up with a serious upgrade. I'm talking increased fire walls, state of the art S.T.A.R. Labs tech. It would be pretty dope."
"Cisco," Bolt interrupted, "Flash?"
Cisco shook his head to focus, "Right, right, sorry! Flash turned off his tracker, but that isn't the issue. The real trick is getting Calvin to separate from him."
"Any ideas?" Olive asked.
"That depends," he looked to Bolt, "Can you vibrate and phase through solid objects?"
Bolt shook his head in regret.
"Bummer. We'll have to work on it, hopefully it won't take long," Cisco sighed, "Bolt, when you're good, you can try searching for Flash, make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."
"I can do it now," Bolt said, standing up. Olive tried to get him to sit down but he refused, "This is my fault. I have to be the one to fix it," He sped off with a gust of wind, sending papers flying.
"You know," Cisco started, "I suggest paper weights."
ELSEWHERE
Flash sped down the streets of the city with a grin on his face. This wasn't the same scarlet speedster everyone knew. Not anymore. Now in his mind, he had become someone else.
"I can't believe how amazing this power is!" Flash yelled, making a sharp left turn. There was so much that he could do now, and no one would be able to stop him. He's The Flash. He can do whatever he wants.
Flash stopped and took a deep breath, swinging his arms and stretching. He was getting the hang of his new speed. He knew that he had to stick to his mission, to kill The Bolt, soon as he found him.
Best way to do that? Cause a little trouble.
(L.S.L.O.O.H.Q)
Olive typed viciously on the computer, studying any footage on Calvin when he used his powers. She didn't understand how he was even able to possess people. It didn't add up. He wasn't a ghost, so how did he do it?
She eventually ended up asking Cisco, and he explained that Calvin is able to turn himself into energy, which he can then implant himself into the brain stem of the host, allowing him full motor control of the body and all its abilities. His possession can only last so long because it strains him, but since he's possessing a Meta right now, perhaps that gives him an energy extension? Whatever the case, they had to free The Flash, and quickly, before he causes any trouble.
"How long have you and The Flash been tracking this guy?" Olive asked, looking over to Cisco who had been admiring the tech in the small facility.
"A few days. He's tough to catch," Cisco spun 360 in his chair, "You know, I really think you could use an upgrade. S.T.A.R. Labs has some seriously good tech you could use."
"If you're up for it, be my guest," Olive said, "I've always been suspicious of L.S Labs anyway. We've found out some weird things about them that didn't add up. They keep secrets, but Bolt has learned to trust them, despite everything."
"Can you blame him?" Cisco asked, "Waking up with amnesia? Being that scared?"
Olive understood, "You would trust anyone if it meant being safe. But he's learned so much since then. By now he must know something isn't right."
"Sometimes it's not that easy," Cisco sat down in the chair next to her,
"Three years ago, the particle accelerator exploded and created Meta-Humans. It exploded because a man named Harrison Wells let it happen."
Olive tilted her head, "Someone warned him, right? And he didn't listen?"
Cisco shook his head, "It's more complicated than that. Wells wanted the accelerator to explode, because he wanted to give Flash his speed."
"Why did he want that?"
Cisco had gone on to explain the story of Harrison Wells, without giving anything drastic about Flash's identity. He explained how Wells had this 15-year long plan to give Flash his speed so he could help him return to the future. The idea of time travel wasn't unknown to her, since Sean had explained what happened to him when he ghosted. Still, it was a lot to process. To think, Dr. Wells wanted the accelerator to explode. He had no regard for the lives of other people. He changed the world just so he could have an express ticket home.
Olive sat back in her chair, letting out a sigh as she processed the information, "So he created the Meta-Humans on purpose."
"He did," Cisco said, "Meta's like The Flash and I."
"Wait," Olive questioned, "You're a Meta-Human?"
Cisco nodded, "I get what I call 'vibes'. Visions of the future, past, all sorts of things. It's really complicated, but really cool!" He exclaimed, "But, here's my point. I trusted him through everything, no matter what. I never once believed he was hiding something until it was almost too late. It was tough to accept."
Olive suddenly looked down.
"You ok?" Cisco asked her.
Olive didn't know how to answer, so she decided to ask a question of her own, "Can I ask you for advice?"
Cisco nodded.
"There is … something I want to tell The Bolt," She started, "something that I want to trust him with. And I do. The problem is, I don't trust myself. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, of course," He said, "You're worried the choice will change you."
"Or make me do something I'm not sure I'm ready for."
"What is it?" He asked.
She leaned in and whispered into his ear. His eyes widened.
"Seriously?" He said, "Why hide that?"
She frowned, "Because it's scary."
Cisco gave her a reassuring smile, "You should tell him. He can help you. I promise."
She smiled, and returned to her work.
Then she stopped when an idea hit her.
"Hey …when Calvin possesses people, he controls their body. He feels what they feel. He also needs focus to hold that possession. You can become unfocused when you're angry, or hurt. If we screw up his focus-"
"His hold on The Flash may weaken. Flash could fight back!" Cisco said.
"Long enough for Bolt to free him from Calvin!"
The two gave each other a high five, filled with victorious laughter.
LIGHT-SPEED LABS
Rose held her clip board tight against her side, leaning against the door, where the board members had met for a meeting on the other side.
Tabitha sat at her seat, parallel to Harold and the rest of the board members, 7 in total. Tabitha composed herself and locked her fingers together before speaking, "So it has become apparent that Calvin has started to go rogue."
"I wouldn't exactly call it 'going rogue'," Harold said, "Rather, he is enjoying his new … state of mind."
"Possessing The Flash was a surprise, perhaps one we can use," Tabitha said, "Once he kills The Bolt, perhaps he can bring The Flash here for us, allowing us to start our work with him, instead."
"Peter suggested us against that," Harold said, "But as long as we keep our business separate from his, we shouldn't run into any real issues."
Tabitha nodded, "All we need to do now is wait until Calvin kills The Bolt."
Rose leaned away from the door, covering her mouth in shock, "Dirty backstabbing traitor," She said, walking away.
ELSEWHERE, THAT NIGHT
Sean laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, pinned to the blankets by the weight of his guilt. Flash from the very start believed in him. He told him he was meant for this life, and not 2 minutes later, he fails him. Utterly and horribly fails him. Flash depended on Sean to help him catch Calvin, and he screwed up. How was he supposed to wear the mask if he does the opposite of his intentions? It was devastating.
This was all his fault.
Mrs. White entered the room slowly, seeing Sean lay on the bed, "Sean?" She asked, "Can we talk for a moment?"
Sean slowly nodded, and she sat next to him. Abigail could immediately sense Sean's emotions the moment he came into the house. She also knew he wasn't going to be willing to talk about his emotions. After all, she was the same in her youth. While their situations could be different, she understood pain when she saw it.
Especially self-pity.
"Sean," She started, "When I was a baby, my parents dropped me off in an orphanage. Left me there with a note. It just said to take care of me, the usual cliché line. There wasn't even a name so they didn't know what to call me."
Sean sat up in curiosity. He wondered where she was going with this.
"Eventually," She continued, "I was named after the person who took me in, Abigail Turner. She was so kind to me, the mother I never had. And never could have. I spent years in the system, wondering when I would get a family. I read that letter every night for years and …" She paused, "I hated myself. I kept wondering, 'why did they give me up? What did I do?'" She sighed, "even as I turned 1 and left for college, finally my own person, I wondered what I could have done right to change all of it. Do you wanna know where I'm going with this?"
Sean nodded.
Abigail smiled, "Eventually, I realized that pitying myself, blaming myself for things I had no control of, did only two things; hurt me, and waste time. I should have been doing something about it. So, I did. I moved on, and became a better person."
Sean tilted his head, before tilting it back, understanding.
"Sean," She continued, "Whatever is going on with you, don't blame yourself. Stop saying what you should have done, and do something to fix it."
Sean started tearing up, smiled, and hugged her tightly from the side. She hugged him back with a sigh of relief, rubbing the back of his head in comfort.
"…Thanks … Thank you …" Sean said, "I needed to hear that."
"You're welcome," She said, letting him go and turning him to face her, "So what are you waiting for, go fix it."
Sean smiled and stood up, nodding and leaving the room.
(L.S.L.O.O.H.Q)
The Bolt sped into the lab, stopping just before Cisco and Olive, who sat at their seats as they turned to greet him.
"Did we find The Flash yet?" Bolt asked.
Cisco nodded, "He's been running around in circles in Alter Square. I think he's trying to draw you out. But there's bad news."
"It's the police," Olive said, "They're at the scene. They're going to try and take him down. Flash could kill them."
"Or they may hurt Flash, either way," Bolt said, "We have to stop him."
Olive stood up and approached Bolt, holding his hand in worry, "Are you sure you can take on Flash? I mean, he's The Flash."
"Correction, Cisco interrupted, "He's Calvin Shepard."
Bolt immediately understood what he was saying, and nodded, "He may have his speed, but he doesn't have Flash's experiences. If I can't outrun him-"
"-You can out-strategize him," Cisco finished, "I can walk you through a few tricks Flash has learned. Here's hoping you're a quick learner."
ALTER SQUARE
The Flash was in town, so naturally, Banks made a personal appearance.
The entire police force was there, surrounding The Flash in the square, each of them with a gun in hand. Banks was happy, unlike his fellow officers. This was, to him, the opportunity to take down The Flash, who had been running amuck all day, causing trouble. Banks held up a mega-phone and spoke into it.
"Flash! Give yourself up, or we will open fire!" he yelled.
The flash swung his arms and laughed, "That's funny!" he said, two voices heard. "I'm the fastest man alive. You can't even touch me!"
"We'll see about that," Banks said, "Weapons free!"
Each of the officers opened fire, sending bullets toward the scarlet speedster. Flash dodged them all effortlessly, and watched as the bullets started flying toward other officers.
Flash grinned.
Suddenly a blur of white lightning ran around the officers, catching each of the bullets just as they had stopped firing. The Bolt stopped, just yards away from Flash, and dropped the bullets to the ground. The officers stared in awe, marveling at Bolt's quick movements, but more so at how he had saved them.
"That's enough!" Bolt yelled, "This isn't The Flash! He's being possessed by a Meta-Human! Let me handle this!"
The officers remembered getting a report about a Meta-Human who could possess people.
As did Chief Banks.
But he didn't care. He just wanted them put down, so stepped forward, "Open fire!" he said
He was shocked to see that none of his officers listened to his command. Rather, they stared at one another, questioning their place at the square.
"I said fire!" Banks yelled again.
"Sir," One officer spoke up, "He saved us. Even after all that time chasing him."
"Doesn't matter," Banks said, "He's a criminal."
"Says who?" Another officer spoke, "You?" the officer turned to Bolt, "Take him down. Save The Flash."
Bolt nodded and stepped forward. Banks raised his own gun, but did not fire, instead he kept it aimed at Bolt, wondering why he couldn't pull the trigger.
"So," Flash said, "The orange speedster returns."
"That is not even an alliteration," Bolt said, "The Flash has nothing to do with this. Let him go."
Flash laughed, "I don't think so. Not until you're dead."
The Bolt clenched his fists. He was terrified, to be honest with himself. This was still Flash. He knew he had to inflict pain to force Calvin out. Still, too much and he'll kill them both. Too little, he himself will die.
That's a risk he was more than willing to take.
Bolt took another step forward, "Are we going to settle this, or what?"
The Flash smiled, "On your mark."
Bolt put one foot forward, "Get set."
Silence fell.
"Go!"
The two speedsters took off, racing away from the square. The officers watched as the two streaks of light left the scene in the blink of an eye. Banks dropped his gun with a sigh, "…good luck," he said.
Bolt ran as fast as he could, but Flash was still greatly catching up behind him. The only way he could avoid Flash was by making frequent sharp turns, but even that wasn't as effective as he wanted. Even though he didn't have the experience, he still had more speed than Bolt, almost three times as much.
"You can't run from me!" Flash said, catching up quickly!"
"Bolt! Listen up!" Cisco said over comm, "First lesson starts now. Find a building, and run up it."
"Come again?" He questioned.
"If you maintain your momentum going up the building as well as down, you can run up it with ease."
"Ok, got it!" He said, pushing himself to run faster.
The two streaks raced around the city, creating several sonic booms that shattered glass everywhere they went. Bolt eyed the oncoming building in front of him, and took a deep breath. He forced himself to ignore his instincts, and refrained from turning. As he came to the building, he entered speed time, and put one foot on the wall.
Then another
Then the next.
Before he knew it, he was zooming up the side of the building, a white streak shining off the side.
Flash saw him run up the building, and forgot to stop. Flash slammed directly into the building wall, bouncing from it and landing on his back, holding his side in pain.
"Agh! Ugh!" Flash groaned, "Oh didn't see that coming-agh!"
The Bolt sped down from the building wall and almost tripped as he stopped, breathing quickly from the adrenaline rush, "Oh! Ok! That was fun! That is so much easier than the stairs!" He yelled, then turned to see Flash struggle to stand up.
Flash twitched for a moment, shaking his head. For a moment, he saw his expression change. It changed to one of concern, before changing back to one of anger.
It was only for a moment, but the true Flash resurfaced.
"Guys I think it's working," Bolt said.
"Great!" Cisco said, "Next lesson! Phasing. I told you about it before. You gotta vibrate your molecules at the same frequency of air, and you can pass through solid objects. It's a tough one, but I think you can manage it."
"Frequency of air," Bolt muttered, "No not hard at all. It's just defying physics, nothing special."
The Flash stood, and clenched his fists in anger, his eyes sparking with lightning.
"Oh I'm sorry," Bolt said, "Did I hurt your feelings? Or just your bones?"
Flash grunted, and sped at him. Bolt sped away as the chase continued.
The orange blur looked around him, trying to think about which wall he should phase through. Which wall would be the easiest. As Flash came up behind him, he decided to wing it, and he ran for the nearest wall.
Bolt bounced right off of it and held his shoulder, "Agh! That stings!"
Flash skid to a stop, laughing, "That must have hurt," he said.
Bolt stood up, leaning his back against the wall.
"Bolt, listen" Cisco started, "You can't think about it. You have to focus. Let your mind be free. Focus only on your speed. As Flash would say, become one with the speedforce."
Bolt let go of his shoulder, and took a deep breath. Flash approached him, lifting his fist and throwing it at Bolt.
Bolt began vibrating, and he phased back into the wall, disappearing as Flash's hand connected with the wall.
"AGH!" Flash yelled, holding his now broken hand, "Gah! Agh!"
Bolt phased back out of the wall and punched Flash square in the face, sending him stumbling. Flash continued to twitch, fighting off his unwanted guest.
"Guys it's working! What now?"
The last lesson. Like we discussed."
"Got it," Bolt said, speeding away.
"Remember," Cisco said, "5.3 miles away."
After running for a short time, he u-turned back around and made his way back to The Flash. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm SORRY!" He said, as he leapt and his fist connected with Flash's emblem. The Flash went flying into the air, and landed hard, several yards away, and skid another two. Flash rolled to a stop and held his sides, stumbling and twitching. He started glowing an ominous energy. The Flash grabbed at an invisible force, and yanked it from himself, throwing it to the side. The invisible force became energy, which formed back into Calvin Shepard, as he rolled to the side in pain.
Bolt slowly approached Flash, looking over him, beaten, "… Flash?" He asked carefully.
The scarlet speedster looked up, "…Bolt?"
Bolt smiled under his mask, and picked Flash up, holding him up by the shoulder, "Guys," he said, "We did it."
Bolt could hear the cheering of two voices over his comm, he laughed in victory, turning his head to The Flash.
"You ok?" he asked.
The Flash nodded, "You pack a punch," he laughed, "Other than that, I'll be ok in a few hours."
The two speedster approached Calvin, who laid on the ground, still suffering from the effects of the pain he shared with The Flash.
"This time," Bolt said, "We're going to tranquilize you first."
THE NEXT DAY
Sean sat in Big Belly Burger, alone with just his meal in front of him, as he watched the restaurants television above him.
"… in other news," The reporter said, "Just yesterday occurred a serious confrontation between Central City's, The Flash, and our own speedster, The Bolt. Witnesses confirm The Flash was being possessed by another Meta-Human, and was freed by his comrade, The Bolt. The Meta-Human people call Ghost, Calvin Shepard, has been successfully moved to Iron Heights, where he won't be hurting anyone again."
Sean smiled. He felt proud of himself for getting himself up and fixing the problem. He freed The Flash, earned his trust, as well as the trust of the police force. Yesterday had been a good day after all. He was proud of his skills, and happy to have met Cisco, who helped him through it all. He wished he could have said goodbye before they head back to Central City, but he didn't know where they were.
Barry Allen walked into the restaurant and sat down across from Sean, who looked at him oddly.
"You see the news?" Barry asked.
Sean answered slowly, "… yeah. Why?"
"Oh no reason," Barry said, grinning, "You know, I can still feel where you punched me."
And like a Bolt of lightning, the truth his Sean hard.
"Holy sh-!" He covered his own mouth, and waited for people to stop staring, once he did, he spoke up. "…Is that you?"
Barry nodded with a smile on his face. Sean couldn't believe it. Flash showed up here, unmasked and revealed himself to Sean. How did he even know that Sean was The Bolt?
Barry reached out and shook Sean's hand, "I'm Barry Allen. Good to meet you Sean."
"How …" Sean said, letting go, "How did you know it was me?"
"Cisco," he said, "He's good with stuff like that," Barry sighed, "Wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye, after all. You did good, yesterday."
"You aren't angry?" Sean questioned, "About distracting you? You got possessed because of me."
"No," Barry shook his head, "It was an accident. It happens. I'm just glad you came to help. Before I left I was gonna do something about your relationship with the police but it looks like…" He pointed to the TV, "You did that yourself."
Sean looked to the TV and watched the story currently playing.
"Police Chief Conner Banks has just announced a cease on 'The Bolt' case, claiming he had been 'mistaken' about the orange speedster. He has decided to abandon chasing after the hero, and accept his presence in Alter City. The Bolt can now maneuver the city without the fear of an officer shooting him down."
Sean smiled, crossing his arms, "Well look at that," Sean said, "Turns out you getting possessed was the best thing to ever happen to me."
"Hey!" Barry said playfully. The two speedsters laughed, then stood up, giving each other a farewell hug.
"Thank you Barry," he said, letting go.
"Hey," Barry said, "If you need anything, just give me or Cisco a call. We'll come help you out."
"In a flash?" Sean joked.
Barry smiled, "In a flash."
They bumped fists, and Barry left the building.
Sean smiled, "Bye Flash."
LIGHT-SPEED LABS
Tabitha slammed her hands on the desk, standing up from her chair, "You can't be serious!" She exclaimed.
"Oh, but I am," Peter said, "My assistant heard you speaking with the board. You planned to kill The Bolt and use The Flash for yourself. That is something I cannot forgive."
"You can't fire me," She said confidently.
Peter grinned, "Oh but I don't have to. Though it pains me. You leave me with no choice."
A pair of guards come into the room, grabbing her by both arms, "What are you doing?!" She yelled.
"You'll see," Peter said, gesturing the guards to follow him.
Peter brought her to a room and opened the door, throwing her inside and shutting it tight with a lock.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"I don't need to fire you. As of today, you are removed from the board due to a horrible accident."
"What accident?!" She yelled.
At the sound of a growl, she turned around and saw the Meta-Mutant standing behind her.
"One that took your life. So sad."
Peter walked away from the room, ignoring the screams behind him. He approached his assistant Rose and straightened his tie, "How are the subjects?"
"We've completed the process with Alex," She said, "We got what we needed. So what's next?"
"We find the others, and we get what we need from them too."
THE BOLT/ THE FLASH
Sean slowly opened the door to Olives room, looking in to see her sitting on her bed, "…Olive?" He asked, "you called me. What's going on?"
Olive quickly moved over to him, and took his hands in hers, "Sean. I gave it a lot of thought and …there's something I want to tell you."
Sean closed the door behind him and faced her, "Yeah, of course. You can tell me anything. You know that."
"I know," She said, "that wasn't the problem. If I told you, I was worried I'd start ..,.doing what you do."
"You mean fighting crime? Olive do you want to be a vigilante?"
Olive shrugged.
"Olive, I don't know about that. You don't even have any powers."
Olive said, and stepped back, holding her arms out slightly.
Suddenly her arms started glowing a bright purple. Her eye color changed to a strong violet. Sean took a step back in awe. Energy flowed around Olive's body, and Sean could feel I, just as he could see it. Several objects in the room glowed the same color, and started floating where they were.
"Sean," She said, "I'm a Meta-Human, too."
Written by Timelord2024
I do not own the DC universe. This includes the CW Television Shows, ARROW, THE FLASH, LEGENDS OF TOMMOROW and SUPERGIRL.
All original characters are owned by Timelord2024
THE BOLT created by Timelord2024
