Flash

Issue #3

"Run from the light – Conclusion"

Isaiah Washington sat on the front porch he and his father had built with their own two hands. Swaying back and forth in his grandfather's old rocking chair, Isaiah often came outside to relax in the last of the sun's rays. Too many cows needed milking, too many fences needed mending. He was worn out and he was only in his mid-fifties. If his Pappy were still alive…

"Isaiah!" called a harsh, feminine voice from inside the brittle house.

"Damn it," Isaiah silently cursed. His wife, unlike the old house they lived in, was very apparent. He always said she stood out in a crowd more than a bull surrounded by cows. Her voice contributed to it more than she would admit.

"Isaiah Robert Washington!" she hollered, walking out onto the porch. "Here you are. I should have guessed you would be lying around doing nothing."

"Now, Sarah, I just got down from the loft where I had to move all your old magazines around just to get to the feed. My back hurts from moving those damn things. You should have thrown all those out years ago."

"Don't you lecture me on being a packrat," she countered, placing her hands on her hips. "If we had a nickel for every Playb--"

SHOOOOOOM!

The rest of Sarah's sentence was overridden by the sudden roar whipping passed, which was quickly followed by hurricane level winds ripping into the flaking white paint still clinging to their house. Sarah was knocked off of her feet, falling back into the house and Isaiah was forced to sprawl onto the porch. The winds shoved against the side of the house, but the structure had lived through worse and it continued to stand tall.

"Oh, my stars and garters," Sarah said as she struggled to sit up in the front doorway. "What the devil was that?"

"Lord knows," Isaiah replied. "I haven't felt a breeze like that since the tornado that blew through here twenty years ago."

The elderly couple regained their composures, leaning over the porch railing to try and make some sense of it all. The only thing they were able to see was a giant cloud of dust that had been kicked up by some unseen force. Whatever it was that had caused the disturbance, it was headed further down the road and Isaiah prayed that it wouldn't come back.

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Mile after mile fell behind them. He had no idea how long they had been running, he just knew he couldn't give up. His legs were burning but he continued on. He had no choice. The man he was chasing was insane and would continue to harm others. Zoom had to be stopped.

"Ifyoucan'tkeepupthenyou'rewastingmytime!" Zoom yelled over his shoulder. The red-suited man was a dozen feet in front of him, running at over 1500 miles per hour. They had circled the globe at least once since this whole thing had begun. The would be going faster but sidestepping the Alps tends to slow a person down.

The man he was chasing was known as Hunter Zolomon, but he preferred to go by Zoom now. After a long set of unfortunate circumstances, he had gained superspeed and carried a large chip on his shoulder concerning Wally West, the Flash. It had been a year since Wally disappeared into the Speed Force, his friends unsure of what exactly had happened to him. They needn't worry about taking care of his family, however, as they had disappeared with him.

"Somethingtellsmeyourheadisn'tentirelyinthegame," Zoom continued to taunt from ahead. "Don'tinsultmebyignoringme."

Pieces of recent events slowly started to come back to him in his mind. He knew how he had gotten to Keystone City, appearing suddenly in front of the Flash Museum just as Zoom was prepared to take off. The surprise was that Zoom was wearing Wally's old costume, apparently masquerading as the Scarlet Speedster. If he remembered the historical files correctly, then he knew exactly why Zoom was dressed the way he was.

"Stillnotgoingtoreply?" Zoom asked. "Here'ssomethingtogetyourattentionbackontrack."

The dark-haired man giving chase dodged as quickly as he could as Zoom casually dropped a pile of bricks into his slipstream. The bricks sailed passed, barely missing his head and torso. If one of them had collided at the speed they were traveling…

"Knock it off, Zoom!" he yelled, the blue energy of his suit rippling all around him.

"Hespeaks!" Zoom countered. "FinallyIhaveyourattention!"

The blue man knew he had to get the upper hand in this chase. There was no way he would be able to catch up to Zoom simply by running; they were matched for speed. He would have to apply some tricks in order to force Zoom off his path.

This is still so weird, he thought. He looks just like Wally in that suit. The "Justice League" must have already messed up his fragile mind. And if that's true, then this is before the Swar—AHH!

Sudden pain ripped apart his thoughts, originating in his right leg. Gravel tore through his suit and into his flesh. He had lost his focus once again and Zoom had taken advantage of it by tossing a handful of rocks back into his slipstream. The damage was minimal and he could still run flat out…but it would seriously hurt when he did.

The pain helped him focus on the task at hand. With his mind returning back to its normal sharpness, so too did his reason for being sent. The world wanted to know where Wally West was and what exactly had happened to him. He had the answers, but first he had to stop Zoom. He was slightly out of his element in this time but he wasn't too worried.

After all, he was John Fox, the brilliant tachyon physicist.

Zoom led John around the Bering Strait for the second time, practically flying across the water. Every other step Zoom kicked one of his feet down into the water a little bit harder than usual, causing a massive wave to splash up right as John came close. John, nearly losing his balance, was able to avoid the giant waves but his proximity to Zoom grew larger with each dodge.

The spray of the saltwater dripped down his face. He had enough of this. The frustration began to build. If he couldn't get to Zoom, he would make Zoom come to him.

"I know all about you, Zoloman!" John called out. They were back on land again so he didn't have to worry about getting sea spray in his mouth when he tried to talk. "I know you're a fraud! I know the only reason you're wearing that suit is because someone else put you in it!"

"Liar!" Zoom retorted. The scarlet pretender's image had been jumping back and forth during the entire chase but for some reason it seemed a bit more clear now, as if he wasn't concentrating on his speed quite as much. "IamtheFlashnow!"

"You're a glorified charlatan that history has forgotten!" John expounded upon the sentence by twirling his arm fast enough to create a vortex of condensed air aimed at Zoom, nearly knocking him off his feet. The attack did force Zoom to miss a few steps and he lost his pace for a split-second, enough time for John to close the gap between them. Side by the side, the runners shot across the frozen wastes of Alaska.

John's fist flew at over 1,000 miles per hour at Zoom's head, the cushioning air doing whatever it could to get out of the way. Zoom ducked under pile driver punch at the last moment and shot his knee up into John's abdomen without breaking his stride. The twisted "hero" heard a satisfying crack! as John buckled over in sudden pain.

"Youhavetobebetterthanthat!" Zoom mocked. John began to fall behind again but the madman reached over and grabbed his neck, forcing him to keep up. Zoom shifted his weight just enough that the awesome momentum the pair had developed swung John around in the air, guided by the grasp Zoom had on his neck. At the apex of the swing, Zoom let go and sent John skidding across the hard, jagged ice.

His blue suit was made up of condensed Speed Force energy, a gift from his benefactor. It covered his entire body except for the top of his head where his black hair flapped freely. It was a very slick and malleable substance, but it was also tough enough to withstand the harshness of the Alaskan environment. If John had been wearing a regular costume his skin would be covered in abrasions and the fight would probably have been over. Luckily, the suit not only protected him but it also helped keep his energy up. Streamlining one of the greatest power sources ever tended to help with a second wind.

Picking himself up, John rocketed forward again toward his prey. Zoom's trail headed south, which was easy enough to follow from the path his friction had melted through the ice. Steam billowed up from the ground all around John as he pushed himself harder to catch up with Zoom.

Taking down Zoom was proving more difficult than he had thought. Still, he had specifically been chosen for this task and he planned on coming out on top. Even with the suit he was matched for speed with Zoom, so that meant he had to outthink his opponent.

The problem was, even though he knew that he had been hand picked for this mission, he really didn't know why. His knowledge of the past was limited to the big events and minor details like motivations escaped him.

Out of no where, a brick wall erected right in front of John. He barely had enough time to shove his weight back so he could run straight up the wall, which only reached twenty feet straight up. He was already up and over the wall before he realized what was happening.

WHAM!

John went skidding to a halt across the pavement, bumping up against a sign that read "Welcome to Montreal!" He was more shaken up by the fact he had fallen for such an obvious trick than he was the 2x4 he had just been slugged with.

"Wallsaregreatobstacles!" Zoom said, grimacing. He was still holding the 2x4 in his hand even though it had snapped in half after being used as a baseball bat. "Especiallywhentheykeepyoufromseeingwhat'sontheotherside!"

This is ridiculous, John thought as he gritted his teeth. If Zoom is so much better than me, why the hell was I brought here? What can I possibly do to take down an insane man like Hunter Zolomon? It would have been nice if my benefactor had given me at least a clue as to what's expected of me here. I'm running out of time…

- DOOONNG! DOOONNG! -

The almost overbearing noise of the giant clock on top of city hall chimed away, signaling the hour. Zoom stepped forward but was shocked to see John run in the opposite direction.

"Retreating?" Zoom asked, pleased with himself. Another hero had seemingly been taught an important at his hands. "Howdoyouexpecttostopmeifyoukeeprunningaway?"

Keep telling yourself that, loudmouth. Before you know it I'll have you broken down in a heap at my feet and you won't even know what hit you. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner! Chalk it up to the wear and tear of a worldwide pursuit.

John rushed out of Zoom's field of vision, leaving the madman behind by himself. His arrogance brimmed at the forefront of his psyche, pleased with himself to no end. Before long he would take care of that decrepit Jay Garrick and then find the Allen boy. Once they were out of the way he would be able to shake the very foundations of the planet.

"Onlythosefittoleadandsurvivewillbeleft!" Zoom cried out, arching his back in defiance. "Ishallbethejudge!"

Whatever perverse nature had a grasp on Zoom's mind, it was refusing to let go. The Justice League's meddling had done more damage to Zoom than good, even though they had only barely grazed his psyche. Laughter emitted at hypersonic speeds, shattering a nearby window. Zoom's eyes glazed over with a sudden rush of power, like he felt invincible. There was no one to stop him.

"Judgejuryexecutioner! Youhavebeenweighedandmeasured and you have…been…found…wanting? What the hell is going on? What happened?" Zoom's voice rose in first agitation and then fear. He was slowing down. Somehow, he was being forced to slow down.

"Zoom!" John called out from behind the villain. "I'm back! And guess what…you're finished." The blue energy of his suit rippled around his thin body. His black hair lazily drifted in the wind while a smile formed across his face. In his hands he held the key to Zoom's defeat.

"What…what did you do?" Zoom roared. His tone was more accusatory then questioning. Anger rose up from within him as froth began to form at his mouth.

"I admit I'm slightly ashamed I didn't figure this out earlier. The ringing clock finally jump-started my brain into thinking like a scientist again. Good job on keeping me distracted. This little device here is something I just whipped up with a little help from STAR Labs. Feel like there's a giant weight on your back now? Like you're moving through a big bowl of Jell-O?"

Zoom finally noticed what John was referring to. It was like time had become dense around him somehow. He could barely take a single step forward let alone rush off at 700 miles per hour.

"From the look on your face I guess you can feel it," said John. He dipped his chin to motion at the sterling white contraption in his hand that was pointed at Zoom. "This device emits high-level tachyons of a very specific frequency. It's loosely based on these time gauntlets I used to carry around. I just projected a time bubble around you and tweaked it so your own time based powers become inert. It's not permanent but it will hold you long enough for the authorities to get here. It shouldn't be long, by the way. When I swung by STAR Labs to build this I also had them notify Checkmate to come pick you up."

Zoom couldn't even lift his hand to wipe the drool off of his mouth. He was furious but had no way of exacting his vengeance. He was trapped and defeated. The last several months of his life were now all a waste. He would have to start over. Everything he had gone through was now all for nothing.

"Now that you're temporally running on empty," John said, letting the device fall to the ground. "I can finally pay you back for slashing me with that extension cord back in Madrid."

The perfect target, Zoom was forced to watch the fast approach of John's cocked right fist. He couldn't even close his eyes before the impact.

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"I just don't know what to do…" Joan Garrick sobbed. Her tears had long since smudged her makeup, dribbling down into her hands. She sat in the waiting room at the hospital they had brought her husband to, still unsure of his condition. Bart Allen sat beside her to try and offer some type of reassurance, but the truth was he was scared for Jay's life.

"He's taken on Gorilla Grodd, Mrs. Garrick," Bart said. "He's beaten all of the Rogues a dozen times over. I once saw him stick Weather Wizard's wand up Mirror Master's nose. He can beat this." He hoped his words were helping but the reality was he couldn't possibly understand what she was going through.

"This isn't…" she began, but the tears filled up her eyes again and she couldn't continue.

It seemed like they had been waiting for hours since the doctors had taken Jay into the operating room. They initially said he had suffered a heart attack but then they started talking about exploratory surgery. Jay's body and brain wave activity wasn't how it should be and they wanted to run various tests to cross out certain illnesses. Joan feared the worst…her adventuring husband may be dying only yards from her and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. On top of it all, the sterile smell of the hallways was starting to get to her.

"I need some fresh air," she finally murmured.

Joan left Bart behind in the waiting room. Since taking him in, Bart had felt like a grandson to them but right now she just needed to be alone…she just needed to think. She had been through a lot with Jay over the decades, through many sleepless nights wondering where he was. She knew he was off fighting some maniac trying to blow up the city and it scared her to no end. She never knew if he was coming home or not.

This time, however, it was different.

Before Jay had been off fighting some external problem. He might come home bruised but he would always come home. This time it was an internal struggle that Jay's speed couldn't help him prevail over. It had happened so suddenly. Each night that he was away fighting an evil menace she waited for him on the porch. When she felt that rush of wind around her she knew he had come back to her. She wondered if she would ever feel that rush again.

Bart was at the age where he could move on easily. He wasn't set in his ways and dependant on another person like she was. It was nice to reassure her friends that she would be alright and that she could live on her own…but now that the time may have actually come…

The wind rushed around her, kicking up stray pieces of paper lying on the ground outside of the emergency room. For a brief moment the tragedy she had been facing alone vanished. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a large blur rocketing passed her. The tears stopped for just the slightest moment as she hoped beyond hope.

"Joan Garrick?" a man asked. It was the blur, standing beside her now. The gathered hope collapsed just as quickly as it had been built.

"Yes…" she said, turning to face him. "Do I…know you?"

"My name is John Fox," he replied. He was taller then she was, even taller than Jay. His hair was dark and his clothes were baggy and barely fit at all. It looked like he had borrowed the clothes at the last second from a friend. "I've come to try and help your husband."

Joan had no idea why she should even think about trusting this man. First of all, he was obviously a speedster, and according to what Jay had told her the Speed Force had disappeared along with Wally. That meant he probably wasn't an associate of her husband's. Second, the man looked ragged and worn down. He didn't look like he could help a fly let alone Jay.

"How could you possibly help him?"

"I know what happened to him," the man said. It almost sounded like he was pleading. "When I was sent back to this time I believe the resulting shock had a terrible effect on your husband, Mrs. Garrick. I was told that maybe I could--"

"I'm sorry," she cut him off. "What are you talking about? Sent by whom? Who told you where Jay was and that you could even have a chance of helping him?" She hadn't meant to but she was starting to yell. The frustration of not being able to do anything for the last few hours had finally found a way to vent.

"I was sent by Wally West."

Her stomach sunk into the pit of her soul. Wally. This man was claiming to know Wally. Even more than that, he had been sent by him for some reason. Maybe to help Jay.

"I…I believe you." The words surprised her as she said them. Maybe she felt desperate at this point but she knew her options were limited. Looking into the man's eyes, she thought she saw a hint of recognition. "What do you need?"

"Just to see him," John said. "Wally told me what how I can help. Can you take me to him?"

"He's in surgery right now. They're trying to figure out what's wrong with him."

"Alright," John said. He looked uneasy and impatient. It certainly appeared like he was concerned for her husband's health. "As soon as he's out of the operating room I'll see what I can do."

Neither of them spoke for a moment as they were unsure of what to say. John Fox tried to understand the pain she must be going through and he prayed he wasn't setting her up only to later let her down. Joan Garrick didn't know if she even had total faith in him. She just had hope. Like most things in her life since she had married Jay, this was happening so fast.

"Tell me what happened to Wally," she said. "Is he going to be okay? Where are Linda and the twins?"

John took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He knew he would have to talk about it sooner or later…he just didn't think it would be now. He wasn't hiding anything he just felt uncomfortable given the history that he and Wally shared. Not everyone might believe him.

"Wally…Wally and his family are gone. I'll try and explain it all but you have to understand there are gaps in even my own knowledge of the situation…"

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Next issue: The truth about Wally's fate is finally revealed! Plus, Jay Garrick's life hangs in the balance.