The Bolt Episode 16 Fate Catches Everyone
EARTH 47
The orange blur rushed down the streets with his streak trailing behind him. The people of the city stared in confusion, as this was not a blur they recognized. He had done a lot of running that day, trying to memorize the layout of the city he now rested in. This city wasn't his home, in fact this entire world wasn't either. But for now, he was in a situation where he needed to treat it like it was. With their city's hero resigned, he was all they had right now.
Bullets flew through the air, hitting the edges of the police car. The officers hid behind the vehicles, unable to move up toward the shooters. The criminals held guns in one hand, and bags of money and jewels in the other. Behind them was the bank, with people now rushing out trying to avoid the gun-fire.
"Where's The Flash?!" one officer asked, "Shouldn't he be here by now?!"
"I don't know!" Another answered, firing off a few shots.
Coming to their rescue was the orange blur, rushing onto the scene and catching the bullets that flew. In seeing him, everyone lowered their guns and stared.
"Finally! About time Flash!" An officer shouted.
He stopped moving and dropped the bullets at his feet. It wasn't The Flash, but someone else. His orange and grey attire were rather different than what the officers usually would recognize.
"Hey, who are you supposed to be?" The officer asked.
The Bolt didn't bother to turn around, wanting to keep his eyes on the criminals, "Well you wanted a pair of fast feet. Sorry they weren't wearing the right boots."
As the criminals lifted their weapons, Bolt entered speed-time and ran over at them. He took each of their guns from them one by one and swept each of their feet into the air. As they fell, Bolt rushed to the officers and grabbed a few pairs of handcuffs from their belts. Once he had enough, he made his way back to the criminals, just as his trail started to move with him. Handcuffing each of them in mid-air, he moved out of the way and stood with his arms crossed as time returned to normal speed for him. The criminals fell to the ground with their wrists already cuffed.
The officers moved in to arrest them. One stopped and stared at The Bolt.
"You the new Kid-Flash or something?" He asked.
Bolt chuckled, "Or something."
"Sean," Cisco's voice rang on his comms, "There's another fire about three blocks from you. Get moving."
With that he sped away, creating a streak mark in the form of two thunder bolts.
The Bolt
EARTH 1
Olive stared in utter shock at the figure standing before her. He wore some kind of cape that reached the floor. His chest, arms and legs were covered in golden armor, while the rest of his body was some sort of blue cloth. On his head was a helmet that covered his whole body; the only thing she could see were his eyes in the holes he saw through. Who was he? Was he a meta-human? How else can you explain how he managed to just appear out of the floor.
"So …Doctor Fate was it?" She started, "Where did you come from? Why are you here?"
She would have attacked, but she didn't think he was here to hurt her.
"I came in light of what transpired with Sean White," he said. His voice sounded as though two men were talking at the same time, "The speedster had tampered with dimensional energy and thrusted himself through the multi-verse."
"The Multi-Verse?" She questioned, "That's not actually real, is it?"
"It is. Sean White has been sent to another universe, and he must be retrieved."
Olive leaned against the table, taking it all in, "How do I know I can trust you? I don't even know you."
"Perhaps. However, I know you rather well. You are Olive Camillia, meta-human with energy projection abilities. You grew up in central city before coming here-"
Olive stopped him, "Facts and figures aren't going to convince me. Anyone can get those."
Doctor Fate took a step closer to her, "You must allow me to help you locate Sean White. His fate is tied with yours, so you can assist me in tracking his signature through the multiverse. But this will only work if you allow it. Do you wish to find him?"
Olive took a moment to think about this. It was hard for her to trust this stranger, but he was offering something big. Could he really find out where Sean had gone? If he could, she should hear him out. And if he turns against her, she won't hesitate to attack.
"Ok, what do I need to do?" She asked.
Doctor Fate placed a hand on her forehead. His eyes glowed a golden color, as he chanted in a language she couldn't recognize. He held out his other hand and pointed it at the wall, where a portal suddenly appeared in a rotating circle.
"The string of fate that ties you has linked us a way to him. Now, we must go."
Doctor Fate took her hand and led her through the portal, as she questioned what she was getting herself into.
EARTH 47
Wally leaned over the rails of the building roof. He stared down at the city below as win blew into his face. He was watching as a white streak made its way over through the streets, getting closer each second. Normally, he would be the one running around and helping people. But he's given that up now; he didn't feel he was worth it. He's tried to stop Speed-Demon, his arch enemy, and his brother. But he was never fast enough. After all, he wasn't the original Flash.
The Bolt sped onto the roof of the building, letting his arms swing to his side to shake out the momentum. He took a deep breath and turned to Wally, who didn't even bother looking at him.
"Wally, come on," he started, "You gotta get back in the game."
Wally turned around finally, crossing his arms, "I can't. I don't deserve the mask."
"Wally why are you so scared? Barry left this to you, he trusted you to do this."
"Well he trusted wrong. He should have left this to Jesse Quick, or Jay Garrick, or his grandson Bart."
"He has a grandson?"
Wally sighed, "Time travel stuff, it's complicated. My point is I'm not The Flash. You know, when I first started out as Kid Flash, I wanted so badly to show him up. I couldn't even phase right away because I was so slow. I wanted to prove that I was better than him, all the time. But I know now that I'll never be better. I'll never be fast enough."
"Don't say that-"
"He sacrificed himself!" Wally shouted, "He sacrificed himself to save everyone. The earth was being threatened by an anti-matter cannon, and no I'm not going into detail. But Barry ran in a vortex to absorb the energy. In the process, he died. I could have helped and maybe we could have done something together, but I couldn't."
Bolt sighed, taking off his mask and tucking it into his belt, "I know you're feeling a lot of regret, and I'm sorry for what happened. But you're still here, you still have the ability to help people. And you were doing great. Don't let Speed-Demon take that away from you."
"I'm not fast enough to stop him, Sean."
"That doesn't mean you should give up. My Barry is fighting a guy named Savitar, who is way faster than him apparently. But that hasn't stopped him. He's still fighting despite what's against him."
"…That definitely sounds like Barry," Wally said, "And I'm not him."
Wally sped off the roof and onto the street, leaving Bolt alone. Wally was in a difficult state right now, and there wasn't much Sean could do except to keep talking to him. He was The Flash, whether he realized it or not.
"Sean!" Cisco said," We're getting some freaky readings coming from near you."
Sean looked to the street below after hearing a series of car alarms. There was some sort of golden portal opening up in front of the cars, causing them to crash.
"I see it," He said, putting on his mask and speeding down the building.
With his mask tight around his head, Bolt kept his guard up as the portal opened, a figure was beginning to step through.
"I don't know who you are," Bolt started, "But appearing out of nowhere is quite rude. I'm gonna have to ask you to …"
Olive stepped through the portal, looking somewhat dizzy as a result of the trip. She took a moment to look around and see where she was, before her eyes landed on The Bolt. She smiled with tears in her eyes.
"…Give me a big hug," He finished, speeding over to her and hugging her tight, swinging her around in a circle of joy.
She laughed, hugging him back tightly, "I can't believe it! I thought I lost you!"
He put her down, lifting his mask enough to give her a kiss, "I'm so sorry, Olive. We argued before and I was being a jerk."
"Shut up," She said, kissing him back passionately.
When the kiss broke, he pulled his mask back down, "Olive, how did you know I was here?"
"I had a little help from a stranger."
To further answer his question, another figure walked through the portal, his cape flowing in the wind. Doctor fate stood tall in front of the portal, waving his hand to make it disappear.
"Greetings," he said, "I am Doctor Fate. A mastered sorcerer entrusted to protect the strings of fate from harm. I sensed your trip through the multi-verse and wished to remedy what had occurred."
Bolt looked at the tall figure, almost intimidated. He had never heard of him before; the way he carried himself was strange.
"Well …thank you," He said, holding his hand out, "My name is The Bolt. Don't know if you know who I am but I appreciate you rescuing me."
"I came to remedy," He said, "This is no rescue, Sean White."
Doctor Fate thrusted his hands forward, and a massive surge of golden light shot at Bolt, sending him skidding a few yards down the street. Olive jumped in surprise, running in front of the sorcerer.
"What are you doing?! I thought you wanted to help!"
"I am helping," He said, waving his hand and suddenly sending her flying to the side. Doctor Fate levitated into the air and moved toward Bolt, "You tampered with one too many cosmic elements. Your multiverse jump was unsafe and uncontrolled, and you disrupted the structure of the walls between. Thankfully, they have self-repaired now and no further risk is at hand."
Bolt stood up, holding his side, "Then why attack me?!"
"I must ensure that you never do such an act again. I will not kill you, as your fate is tied to Olive Camellia. However," he blasts Bolt again, keeping him down, "I can take away the means. I am going to take away your speed, Bolt. And you will never run fast enough to break the dimensional barrier again."
Bolt tried to stand up but found that he had been warn down. Before Doctor fate could get closer, Olive got between them and held her hands up in preparation to fight.
"Doctor fate, don't make me hurt you," She said.
"The Bolt must have his speed removed for the sake of the multiverse."
"You'll have to go through me first, Fate."
With no hesitation, Doctor Fate shot a beam of light at her, which she retaliated with her own stream of power. The two energies collided and pushed back on one another. Olives feet skidded against the street, while Doctor fate hovered in the air. The two streams then broke, putting Olive on the ground.
"Your power is weak to mine," Said Fate.
Gritting her teeth, Olive flew into the air and tackled Doctor fate. The two went flying through a building, crashing through the glass windows. Meanwhile, Bolt managed to climb back to his feet, putting a finger to his comm.
"Cisco! I need a pickup! Quick!"
"On it!"
Olive and Fate came back out of the building, and Olive slammed her back onto the ground as Fate floated high above them. Bolt helped Olive to her feet and backed up as Fate drew closer.
"Your fate is not in this world. This must be remedied!"
"Sure, but another day," Bolt said, "Cisco, now!"
Suddenly a portal opened behind the two young heroes, and Cisco came jumping out. He quickly grabbed the two heroes and pulled them through just as the portal closed again.
Doctor fate rested his feet on the ground, looking at the empty spot curiously.
….
The three of them reappeared in the S.T.A.R. Labs cortex with a small thud. The rested on the ground as they processed what had happened. Bolt sat down with his hand resting on the desk, as he pulled his mask off and let it fall to the ground. Olive got onto her knees as she looked around the area, then to Cisco with a sigh of relief.
"Thanks a bunch, Cisco," She said, as all three of them got to their feet.
"No problem," he said, "Nice to meet you."
"What?" She questioned, "Cisco, we're friends-"
"Actually," Sean got between them, "There's some stuff we should probably explain."
"Let me guess, the multiverse."
"…Yes, how did you-"
"Doctor Fate was talking about it."
Cisco's attention perked, "I hate it when they name themselves," Cisco made his way to the computer and started typing, looking over the footage of the street they ere just at, "A doctor? Strange, looks more like a wizard."
"He appeared to me," Olive said, "I was desperate and out of options. I honestly don't know anything about him."
"Oh!" Cisco shouted, putting up images and info on the big screens, "Turns out there are myths of a Doctor Fate on our world too."
Sean and Olive turned to the screens; it showed images of Doctor Fate with articles dating back a century.
"There's a lot of articles dating back to the 20's that are tagged with the name 'Nabu the Wise'. The helmet he wears is said to have a soul inside it, which binds with the host who wears it. The helmet basically possesses them and give them magical powers."
"We're dealing with magic now?" Sean complained, "I thought magic was a Star City thing."
"Well now it's our problem too."
"He said I disrupted cosmic elements."
"You did. Apparently, you cracked the walls of the multiverse with your unstable dimension jump. I guess Doctor fate sees you as a threat to the multiverse's stability and wants to remove the problem."
Sean paced around the room, "You think he can actually remove my speed?"
"Probably, that would be my guess anyway. He seemed pretty serious about it, and magic is pretty unpredictable."
The young speedster sighed, walking over to Olive and giving her a hug. She hugged back gently, letting out a sigh of her own, "Sorry Sean. I didn't mean to sick Merlin the Wizard on you."
He chuckled, "It's ok. I'll just stab him with Excalibur."
Linda walked into the room just as Sean let Olive go. She looked at Olive with a questioning look, but not too much concern in seeing Cisco's casual look regarding her.
"Hey, Linda," Sean said, "Sorry, this is Olive. She's from Earth 1 like me."
"Oh!" Linda said, walking over and shaking her hand, "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Olive greeted, "You guys don't happen to have a big belly burger on this earth, do you?"
Linda grinned, "It's a constant in the multiverse."
Sighing, Sean walked over to Cisco and put a hand on his shoulder, "While they chat, can we talk in the hallway?"
He nodded and followed him out of the cortex. The hallway was dimly lit with it being daytime. It served only as a transportation between rooms, so decoration was not a priority to them. Cisco knew this hallway well, as it was like a place for them to think and just talk whenever they wanted to be alone. It became known as 'the hall of talks' with how often they used it.
"Cisco," Sean said, "With this Doctor Fate guy PLUS Speed Demon, we gotta work harder to get Wally back. I'm just one guy so I don't think I'm fast enough to deal with them both."
"I know, man, I know," Cisco said, "But he's always been really stubborn. We have to make him WANT to come back. I just can't figure out how to do it."
"There must be something we can say, someone we can get to talk to him?"
Cisco snapped his fingers, pointing up, "I may have an idea but it's evil and cruel and may break his speedster heart."
Sean looked at him puzzled, until he worked out who he was referring too, "No. No! We aren't doing that!"
"Why not? He's alive on your world! He could-"
"Because he's probably busy right now, and that would scar Wally! No, we do this on our own; resources from this world only."
Cisco scoffed, then sighed, "Ok, fine. So, what do we do?"
Sean leaned against the wall, kicking his feet quickly on the ground, "We have to show him the reason he became a hero in the first place. We have to remind him that this is more than just 'being The Flash.'"
This was going to be tough for them. Wally seemed determined to hang up the cowl for good. The reason he started in the first place was to just be a hero, he just wanted to help people. But now he only ever thinks about being like Barry; he's setting the bar higher than he can jump. He's set himself up to tear himself down.
"Why don't you talk to his dad, Joe? Maybe he can give you some advice," Cisco said.
"Didn't he and Daniel not get along?"
"Yeah. They saw things very differently. And apparently Daniel was always temperamental."
Sean sighed, rubbing his face, "It's kind of funny. My adoptive parents had a son named Daniel White once. I feel like this is 'fate' for a lack of a better word."
"Well I doubt that this Daniel is THAT Daniels doppelganger."
"Why?"
"Well you know. You're …and he's well …skin …?"
"Oh, come on Cisco," he scolded, "Look, I'm gonna go and see Joe. Where does he live?"
…
Sean sped to the front door of the suburb house. Dressed casually, he hesitated to knock on the door. He heard of Joe West on his earth as a good guy, so he hoped that this version wasn't a jerk or something, that would put a damper on things. But either way, he needed advice with Wally. He had to try and get him back in the suit; being the Flash is what Wally was meant for, he can feel it.
Finally, Sean knocked on the door.
"It's open."
Sean entered the house carefully, looking around the room. There was immediately a set of stairs leading upstairs. To his left was the living room that connected with the dining room. It was very nice, if not old and nostalgic. He walked in and closed the door gently, looking to the man in the living room. He sat in a wheelchair, pointed at the TV currently set to the sports channel. He turned to great Sean with a smile.
"Cisco said you'd be coming," Joe said, using the remote to turn down the volume of the TV, "Come on, sit down."
Not wanting to be rude, Sean walked over to the couch and sat down near him examining the man. His similar skin color told him he was Wally's father, and he wore a white shirt with a black tie and pants. His legs looked a little thin, or course that made sense. He likely hasn't used them for a long time. He wanted to avoid the topic unless it came up in conversation.
"I'm Sean," He greeted, "Cisco said that I could talk to you about Wally."
"Yeah, he didn't give me much to go on. What's going on with him?"
Sean locked his fingers together, "Wally is pretty upset with himself. He's hanged up the cowl, says he's done being The Flash."
Joe took a moment to process this and rubbed his temples, "Oh boy," He said, "Wally has been kind of emotional since …well you know about the old Flash right?"
"Yeah, I know all about that, sir. I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to talk him back into the suit. Central City needs The Flash."
"And Wally's convinced it can't be him," Joe finished, "He always wanted to show up the old Flash."
"You mean Barry?"
"Yeah, I mean Barry. It was always a kind of competition to him. He wanted to prove he was better. Then that all changed when Barry gave his life."
"You and Barry …were you close?"
Joe laughed, "Yeah, yeah we were. I adopted Barry when his mother died, and his father was sent to prison. It was always the four of us. Me, Iris, Barry and …"
"And Daniel?"
Joe went silent for a moment, as if memories had filled his mind so suddenly, "And Daniel. But he ran away from home when he was a late teen, after he did …this," he gestures to his legs, "Daniel was always temperamental, and emotional. I tried to talk to him, but he just wouldn't listen."
"Wally feels responsible for what happened to him, with the speed force battery."
"Wally came into my life about 2 years ago. I didn't even realize he existed because his mother never told me. Wally looked so much like Daniel when I first saw him, I thought 'why is this happening?' But wally is so different. He's a good kid. He just needs to be reminded of that."
"So, what do I say to him?"
Joe grabbed the wheels of his wheel chair and started moving himself around. He made his way to a cabinet on the other side of the room, where he pulled something out of it. In his hands was a small toy car designed after a classic racecar from the 60's. Joe then wheeled back to Sean and carefully handed him the object. It was old and rusted, but still in usable shape.
"Here, give him this," Joe said, placing it gently into Sean's hand, then grabbing his other one and wrapping it around the car. Sean's hands now sealed and protected the small toy, "His mother gave this to him when he was very young. She was a big reason that he kept putting on the mask; she was something to fight for. She always taught him to be a good person. Give this back to him and remind him why The Flash isn't one man."
He nodded, holding the toy car close to him and carefully putting it in the pocket of his jacket, "I'll make sure to give it to him. Thank you, Joe."
With a nod of appreciation, Sean zoomed out of the house, the door slamming from the gust of wind. Joe was left alone in the house with the quiet game of football playing on the television.
…
He didn't bother putting on his suit as he ran through the city. He'd be running too fast for anyone to see him anyway. Besides, he didn't live on this earth, so there would be no worries about revealing his identity. Then again, if Cisco has a doppelganger, doesn't he have one as well? If he does, did he go through the same thing with his amnesia? And if he didn't would he be able to find out who he used to be by finding his doppelganger? He always asks himself complex questions when he ran; it always makes him think about things. Though right now may not be the best time for that, right now he needed to find Wally.
An extra set of sparks sounded next to him. He turned to his left and saw a terrifying sight; Speed Demon himself was running parallel to Sean, giving him a sinister look.
"Look what I fooouuund!" he shouted, grabbing Sean and bringing them both to a halt. He then slammed Sean's back into the nearest wall and pinned his neck with his elbow.
"How did you even-" Sean gasped.
"I could smell your speed-force from a mile away!" Said Speed Demon, "You WREAK of it! So unique! So different!" he opened his claws, "And all of it mine!"
Sean pushed his elbow off, "Daniel!"
Speed Demon froze, genuinely surprised that he knew his true name, "I know your name, Daniel West," Sean said, "You don't need to do this."
His sinister look returned, "Oh, but I do. I need speed. I need MORE SPEED!"
"Why?!"
"Not fast enough! Not fast enough yet! Need more!"
Not wanting to put himself at risk anymore, Sean sped away from Speed Demon. The evil speedster quickly followed behind him. Their streaks of lightning roared through the streets. Cisco and Linda weren't kidding about his speed; Sean found him catching up rather quickly. He could feel his anger and rage filled essence coming from him. In an attempt to lose him, Sean ran up the side of a building, then used his momentum to jump across into the air. His movement carried him across to the building parallel to him. He quickly phased through the window as not to break it, then rolled onto his feet. All around him were people trying to work I cubicles, and in seeing Sean they got up and stared.
Getting to one knee, he watched as Speed Demon came crashing through the window without a second thought. Soon as he landed, everyone on the floor started evacuating as quickly as they could.
"I'll take your speed you pest!" Shouted Demon.
Demon sped over to Sean and threw a hook punch, which he quickly managed to duck under. In response Sean punched Demon in the gut, catching him off guard. They began to move at superspeed, their lightning trails spreading all over the large room. They found themselves running on the walls and ceiling to try and take each other down. Finally, Sean ended up on his back just as Demon tried kicking him. Sean then phased through the floor and avoided his foot.
"Don't be a coward!" Said Demon.
Sean quickly sped back through the floor and kicked Demon in the back, knocking him down.
With the opportunity at hand, Sean sped out of the building. When Demon got up, the young speedster was long gone.
…
He quickly sped back into the cortex, feeling very out of breath. Olive quickly caught him in her arms having seen him coming. Even Cisco stood from his seat to make sure that he was ok. Wiping the sweat from his head, Sean finally spoke, "So, I just had a run in with Speed Demon."
"You what?!" Cisco said abruptly, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah. I managed to lose him thankfully. But he's fast. Like …really fast," Sean grabbed a seat and sat down, "I can't fight him on my own. We need Wally."
"Linda went to talk to him," said Cisco, "We're hoping she can do something."
"I should probably check in with them," Sean sighed, "Soon as I feel like moving again …phew."
Olive gave Cisco a strange loo, and he quickly got the message. Holding his hands up in surrender, he left the room without a single word.
When Sean took notice, he raised an eyebrow, "Am I in some kind of trouble?"
"No, no. I just want to talk," She said, sitting down in the seat next to him, "Why are you taking so much on?"
"Olive, it's because I can't just leave them to their own devices."
"I know but-"
"Listen," he interrupted, "I know that you worry about me. I know I can't be a superhero forever. Someday, I may quit and live my life. But right now, my life consists of a few things. My parents, The Bolt, and you. And I'm ok with that. If I keep thinking about the future, I'll never see what's right in front of me. That's a problem Barry is having right now. He's thinking so much about some future prophesized event that he can't focus on the present. I want the present. I want my family. I want you."
Olive turned red.
"THAT is not what I meant and you know it stop we are 16 Camellia!"
She suddenly busted out laughing, and Sean joined her in the fit of comedy.
"Ok, ok, you win," She said, "But next time you go out there, take me with you."
"Will do," he said with a smile.
…
Central City had a racetrack in a smaller part of the city. Wally loved going there all the time, usually when he needed to take the time and think. He would run around the track when it was closed and sit on the bleachers to rest. And recently he seemed to have been doing so much sulking. It worried everyone, especially the people that he cared about most. He didn't even acknowledge when Linda had walked into the stadium. She made her way up the bleachers and sat next to her husband, looking over him with an expression of worry.
"Wally," She said, trying to steal his attention, "Wally we should talk."
"No talk ever goes well after that sentence," Wally joked.
"I'm being serious. Central City needs The Flash-"
"And it has one," he interrupted, "Sean- The Bolt has been doing a fine enough job."
"Except it's NOT his job!" She scolded, "But he's still doing it because he feels as though it's right. THAT used to be YOU."
He turned his body to her, finally looking her in the eye, "Linda, I can't beat Daniel. He's way faster than me! There is nothing that I can do-!"
"Barry went up against faster enemies!" She said, "Eobard Thawne? Hunter Zolemon? Edward Claris? Even his own future self! But he managed to beat them all because he didn't give up! So, you can't either," She sighed, "Do you remember when you first told me you were The Flash?"
"You hated me at first. You kept accusing me of collateral damage."
"But eventually I learned to love you. I learned to trust in you and what you do. You know that Barry would want you to keep running, no matter what happens."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do! I knew Barry too you know!"
Silence fell between them. Both tried to think of something to say but kept coming up with nothing. Barry's death was actually something not always discussed in detail. It was a very difficult event for everyone to deal with. And it seems that not everyone was able to move on.
"Bolt needs your help," Linda continued, "Not only is Speed Demon an issue, but apparently now we're dealing with a sorcerer."
"Like Constantine?"
"No, this guy is a lot more powerful, and he's threatening to take away his speed. He can't fight the threats against the city on his own. He's only a kid. He needs help, Wally. He needs The Flash."
Wally sat there in thought, suddenly feeling guilty. Of course, he wished he could do something to help out. But he didn't think that he was even capable anymore, and it was tearing him up.
"Just take some time and think about it, ok?"
Linda got up from the seat and started walking down the bleachers. Wally watched as she disappeared from the track and left him all on his own. He just suddenly felt so angry; he had to get on his feet. Quickly he sped off the bleachers and onto the track, and he started running around it. He created a ring of yellow lightning that shifted up and down with his movement. He kept pushing himself more and more, wanting to go faster. Faster that Speed-Demon. Faster than Barry.
And then he came to a stop, gasping for air. Not from physical exhaustion, but emotional. And in that moment of exhaustion he screamed into the air as loud as he could before he fell to his knees.
He began to remember that day, and it pained him to do so.
1 year and 6 months earlier
The massive ship hung in the sky, nearly blocking out all the sunlight below. The city of Metropolis was devastated with destruction. Entire block of the city was wiped out and crumbled. Though most of the populous had evacuated, there were still a number of people inside running for their lives. From the massive ship, a cannon appeared and pointed itself at what was left of the city. Heroes were on the ground left and right, trying to stand on their feet.
The Flash, dressed in red and yellow, sped onto the scene. He was wounded; his lip was bleeding quite a bit. Looking up at the large ship, he felt worried. Even if he evacuated the rest of the city, that cannon was powerful enough to destroy the earth itself. He needed to think, and fast.
he heard a groaning coming from the street. Looking over to a pile or rubble, he saw a green quiver laying on the ground. Quickly he sped over and forced the rubble off of him. Green Arrow was laying there in pain, but still alive. Flash helped him to his feet and brushed him off, "Hey, Oliver! Are you alright?"
Green Arrow coughed from the dust that came from the rubble, "I've been better, Barry. We need to stop that cannon. Is Supergirl still in action?"
"No, Metallo knocked her out. Superman too."
"Dammit!" Arrow shouted, turning away in thought, "We're running out of options. The Anti-Monitor isn't going to go peacefully."
Arrow suddenly turned to Flash, an idea in mind, "Barry, what if you ran back in time?"
"No."
"Prevent this from happening!"
"I can't, Ollie! Whenever I mess with time, something worse happens than what I'm preventing. I'm done with time travel, especially after FlashPoint."
"Well then what else can we do?!"
Flash began to pace, feeling a wave of panic come over him. That cannon was going to fire, and they needed to do something to stop it. They couldn't get onto the ship, so they had to do something down here. If they could someone divert the blast somewhere else, maybe …
An idea came to mind, and it scared him greatly. But he knew that it had to be done, no matter what. There was no one else. Both Kryptonians were out of commission. And if anyone else were to take part, they would suffer the same way.
Flash turned to Arrow with a look of regret, and sorrow, "Oliver," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, for being my friend."
Without letting him respond, Flash sped away. He had one place to go before this happened.
Flash sped into his childhood home, where three people were cowering in worry. Joe sat in his wheelchair, not bothering to try getting up when Flash entered. Wally jumped to his feet, already dressed in his Kid Flash uniform, consisting of a yellow top and red bottom. And the third was a woman with dark skin and dark brown hair going to her shoulders. She looked at her husband with worry, wondering why he was here and not on the street.
"Iris," Flash said, taking off his mask and giving his wife a hug.
"What's going on out there?" Iris asked.
"It's pretty bad. Kara and Clark are out of commission. Oliver is on the street level helping civilians. Jefferson and his daughters are helping people evacuate but …It's so much."
Barry turned to Wally, "Wally, I need you to get all the people in the city out as fast as you can. Help Jefferson get them out."
"On it," Said Wally, then he sped out the door.
Iris and Joe looked at Barry, seeing the expression he had on his face. It was an expression of fear and worry. It was as if a horrible weight had suddenly been placed on his mind.
"Barry, what's wrong?" Iris asked.
Barry didn't answer her, instead he gave her a kiss and held her cheeks, "I love you, Iris. I always have, ever since we were young. The first time we connected, remember that? I cried on your lap, as you comforted me about my mother's death. It took me so long to finally accept it."
Iris began crying, "Barry, why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"
He made his way over to Joe, and put a hand on his knee, "I'm so sorry for everything that happened with Daniel. But I want you to know that you were a wonderful father to me. Don't ever forget that …"
He stood back up and looked between his family members with a look of sadness, but with the mask of a smile, "I love you. Both of you."
With that he was gone; his lightning trailed through the door and slammed it shut. Iris shouted to him, but she received no response.
The Flash sped through the streets, coming to a massive crater. It was nearly direct to where the cannon as going to fire. Flash clenched his fists and wiped the tears from his eyes, taking several deep breaths.
"Barry!" Cisco said over coms, "Iris is panicking, what are you planning on doing?!"
"Cisco, patch me in to everyone on com."
With a short beep, he now had his whole team listening through his mask.
"I was once told that the lightning bolt that gave me my powers didn't strike me, but that it chose me," he started, "And ever since, I've continued to figure out why. And I had help from the friends I had made. The mentors who guided me, and the people I loved. People like all of you, who fought to protect people by my side for so many years. Vandal Savage, The Dominators, Earth X, now this. I've been running for so long, long before I got my powers. But now it's time for my race to end. So, thank you …thank you all for being here. For being in my life," he smiled, crying again, "I love you all. Now run, just …run."
Lightning sparked through his eyes. Quickly he started running in a massive circle. Voices sounded and shouted from the com but Flash ignored them. The cannon charged fully as it floated in the air. Without any preparation, it fired immediately.
Flash's speed-force streak turned into a funnel of lightning and energy that caught the beam in its tracks. It was hanging just above the ground, being pushed back by Flash's raw speed. The energy started cyphering off into the scarlet speedster, causing him to fumble. The energy was trying to push him away, but still he kept running as he felt himself begin to burn up. The pain as horrible and excruciating, but still he ran faster.
"Barry!" Said Oliver through the coms, "Stop! You'll die! There's no hope!"
"Th-There's hope," he coughed, "There is always hope!"
He felt himself fatigue, as his skin began to peel away into energy.
"Time to save the world! Time …back in time …Do what you have to …We must save the world!"
He became transparent in his own suit.
"We must save the world …"
Barry faded away into dust, and his suit slammed into the rubble left behind. The laser from the cannon deteriorated, and the remaining energy went flying back at the ship. It shot straight through the metal of the flying castle and sliced it straight in half. The two pieces went crashing into the ocean, as smoke and fire fell from the sky.
It was over.
He is gone now, this Flash. Barry Allen is gone, saving more than one universe from more than certain doom. He has died fighting for what he believed in, and thus he died without regret.
Wally sped onto the scene, looking over the rubble of what remained from the cannon.
"Barry!" he shouted, looking around for him, "Barry!"
The color from his face drained when he saw what rested on the ground. Two items, the first was a golden ring with a lightning bolt symbol. And beside it was Barry's suit, the suit of the scarlet speedster. Wally fell to his knees and held it, tears forming in his eyes and falling onto the suits emblem. He screamed into the sky knowing that his mentor, and close friend, was gone from this world.
Present day
His hands rested on his knees as his recollection ended. It was as if he was reliving the pain all over again. Wiping the tears from his face, he stood up as another young speedster appeared behind him.
"Wally," Said Sean as their eyes locked, "I heard Linda was gonna talk to you."
"Yeah, she did," Said Wally, "What are you doing here?"
"I was watching you run," Sean said, "I do that too, run angry. Helps me vent when I need to."
"Sean," Wally scolded, "You weren't there that day. The day Anti-Monitor invaded, and Barry sacrificed himself. He was The Flash, I'm not."
"Wally, that's enough," He retorted, "The Flash is not a single person. It's an idea, it's a feeling. It's anyone who bears the symbol and uses their power to do good. Jesse Quick, Jay Garrick, Bart Allen. All of them are a Flash. That includes you whether you like it or not. It's not about who's faster or stronger. It's about who uses their gifts to do some good. And most of all, what matters is what or who you're fighting for," Sean reached into his pocket, and pulled out the toy race car, "I think you've lost sight of who you used to fight for."
Wally slowly reached for the toy car and plucked it from Sean's palm. He held it as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. How long has it been since he's held this? Well over a year? Where did Sean even get this, he wondered.
"I payed a visit to your dad," Sean continued, "He's torn up about Barry too. Everyone is. But you all have each other, isn't that enough of a reason to keep fighting?"
Wally wiped tears that began to fall from his face and smiled. He truly forgot about the purpose behind the mask. He let himself become blinded by what he thinks he should be, that he neglected what he wanted to be.
He wanted to be The Flash.
Suddenly from the ground, a golden portal appeared. Doctor Fate elevated from the mythical spot and pointed at the two speedsters. Wally and Sean took a defensive position the moment that they saw the sorcerer.
"Sean White, you have broken the laws of space and must be punished thoroughly," He said, "Surrender your sped and you will quietly be returned to your world."
Wally stood in front of Sean, clenching his fists, "You'll have to go through me first."
"Wally West," he said, "Successor to the Barry Allen of Earth 47. You must step aside and allow me to do business with The Bolt."
"This isn't what I would call business. You want Sean, go through me first."
Doctor Fate was silent for a moment, until his eyes glowed violently, "Very well."
"Run, Wally," Said Sean, "Run!"
The heroes took off at blinding speed at Doctor Fate flew after them.
Two streaks of lightning roared through the streets. Windows broke and car alarms sounded as they sped by, running as fast as they can. To their surprise, the sorcerer kept up very well. His speed in flight was fascinating as he hovered 2 stories above them. Sean turned his head to look at Fate, then turned to Wally who ran beside him, "It's me he wants. I'm going to lure him through the city and keep him busy. Keep track of us, and sneak attack him when you can."
Wally nodded just as Sean made a sharp left turn, and Doctor Fate followed him like a cat to a dotted light.
Sean raced up several buildings and leapt off their surfaces, keeping himself elevated as much as he could to throw off Doctor Fates flight pattern. Fate found himself slowing down, having to ascend and descend rapidly to keep up with Sean. While Sean can alternate directions quickly, it seemed this Doctor fate could only propel himself in different directions. Sean threw several lightning bolts each time he leapt from a building, causing Fate to either dodge or create a shield of magic. Either way, he needed to cease motion to do so. With Fate slowed down, Wally came up to the building behind him, and used his lightning trail to throw lightning at him. It struck him right in the back, sending him crashing down to the street below.
Sean met up with Wally atop the building he stood. They looked down over the edge at Fate, who was just getting to his feet.
"Nice shot," Said Sean.
"Thanks. Barry taught me that move."
Abruptly, Fate appeared behind them, cornering them at the edge. With a concussion blast, the two speedsters found themselves falling toward the concrete street. Sean leaned himself to the buildings wall and connected his feet, controlling his momentum and running right onto the street and away from the building. Meanwhile, Wally rotated his arms at superspeed to slow his decent. As soon as he touched the ground, he sped after Sean while Fate flew after them.
"We aren't gonna beat him like this!" Wally said, catching up to Sean, "We can wail on him but he keeps getting up!"
"I can see that!" Sean replied, "Throwing his motion off seemed to work! But we need a new plan of attack!"
"What do we know about him?!"
"What we know is that under that helmet there's a person. The helmet is magic and possess them. That must mean it's where all his power comes from. If we can remove the helmet, maybe we can stop him!"
"Ok. 'Defying Fate' take two!"
"Roger that!"
Sean and Wally split up again, and like habit Fate followed Sean down the road. Sean didn't bother looking back as he zig zagged, creating lightning shaped streaks in the concrete. Fate flew at street level; Sean's lightning streak distracted his line of vision. He nearly flew into cars and buildings having being blinded by the light. He reached out his hand, just being an arm's length away from Sean.
"This ends here!" Fate shouted.
"It sure does," Sean replied, "Now!"
Sean made a sharp turn, and Wally came rushing at Fate. Though he tried to raise a shield, Wally leapt into the air and grabbed Fates helmet. The helmet came clean off and fate was sent flying to the ground. Having lost his powers, the magic armor he wore changed and faded into a simple tux and tie.
Sean grabbed Fate and sped him into an alleyway with Wally, to avoid attention from the public. Wally held the helmet in his grasp, as Fate sat there on his knees.
"You …" Fate began, having only one voice now, "You removed my helmet."
The man under the mask looked to be about 50 or 60 years old, with his hair being more grey than white. He looked exhausted, as if it's been ages since he last removed his magical helmet.
"Who are you?" Sean asked.
The man stood on his feet, brushing himself off and slouching slightly.
"My real name is Kent Nelson. I am the current wearer of the helmet of fate."
"This thing?" Wally held up the golden helmet.
"Yes. It's a magical piece created by Nabu. I am an agent of fate, protecting the world from dangers and threats."
"And according to 'Fate', that includes me," Sean scolded, "What happened was an accident."
"It's not my choice. Fate makes his own decisions, and he's decided you are a threat. Soon as I wear that helmet again, he'll go after you. And I'll have to put it back on eventually. It's my duty."
Sean paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do.
"What if we just lock the helmet up?" Wally suggested.
"You can't!" Kent shouted, "The world needs Doctor Fate!"
Sean stopped, and turned his body to Kent, "Kent, Doctor Fate wanted to remove my speed. How would he have done that?"
Kent turned to him, "He would have cut your connection to your power off. You'd be disconnected."
"So, he could do that to anyone?"
"Yes."
Sean sighed sadly, an idea coming to mind, "I think there's a way we can make a deal."
The Bolt
Wally and Sean walked into the cortex. Cisco and Linda immediately stood up from their seats to greet them.
"Wally, you're here!" Said Linda, hugging Wally tightly.
"Yeah, it took some convincing," Wally said, "But I think I'm ready."
"Good, that's good. I'm proud of you."
"Guys," Sean interrupted, standing beside Olive who gave him a questioned look, "We do have some …neutral news."
As if on cue, Kent Nelson walked into the room, holding his helmet in his hands. Wally and Sean were the only ones not to back up in surprise.
"Is that him?" Cisco asked, "What is he doing here?! Didn't he want to remove your speed?"
"Yes," Sean replied, "We've worked out an alliance."
"How do you know we can trust him?" Linda asked.
"Sean this seems dangerous!" Olive scolded.
"This guy was trying to kill you-"
"Guys!" Sean shouted, silencing the room, "Like I said, we've worked out a deal. He's going to help us stop Speed Demon."
"How?" Cisco asked.
"We're going to work out some kind of trap. Once we do, we're gonna have Kent here take his speed away."
"And what does he get in return?" Olive asked.
Sean moved to the center of the room, where everyone could see him.
"If he successfully helps us," Sean said, "I agreed to willingly give up my speed."
Next time:
Episode 17
"Calm after the Storm"
Written by TimeLord 2024
I do not own DC Comics or any of its extended universes. This includes the CW shows ARROW, THE FLASH, SUPERGIRL, LEGENDS OF TOMMOROW, AND BLACK LIGHTNING
I DO NOT OWN DOCTOR FATE
All original characters created by Timelord 2024
THE BOLT created by Timelord 2024
