This new reality you've created is starting to overwrite the reality that you and I know. So your original life, your friends, your family...pretty soon, all of that will just fade away.
And when that happens, this world will become permanent.
When Barry first heard those words, he almost took off running to collect all his friends and reveal that he too, was a speedster. He was going to help Wally stop The Rival and use his speed until he had forgotten everything and cemented this new reality. But instead being his normal impulsive self, he decided to take things slow for a change. He swore to himself that he would no longer use his speed, and let Wally be the hero of Central City; all while preserving his memories.
"Watch it, Allen!" Eddie Thawne grunted when a distracted Barry bumped into the detective.
"Sorry, Eddie," Barry apologized. "I was thinking about something."
"It's fine, just pay attention to where you're going next time," Eddie crowed.
"I will, and sorry again."
Barry turned and nearly walked into a uniformed officer; spinning awkwardly to avoid another mishap. Eddie shook his head and and watched Barry slowly make his way to the stairs that led to his crime lab. He silently prayed his colleague wasn't as clumsy with the evidence.
The elevator doors opened up, and Iris West emerged with a radiance only she could possibly manifest. Barry smiled widely as he turned away from the stairs to greet her on this unexpected visit.
"Hey, Iris," Barry beamed.
"Why hello Barry Allen," Iris returned.
They both stared at each other, the tension of familiarity thickening the air between was why he chose to keep his memories. To better cherish the life he has now in comparison to the sorrowful life he left behind.
"What brings you here?" Barry asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you… because, well, I am."
"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, if that's okay," Iris answered. "Someplace more private."
"Sure, come on up! I'll show you my lab."
Barry offered his arm to escort Iris, and she stifled a laugh as she looped her arm through his. The two walked up the stairs together, doing the usual small talk of how work was going and the like.
"I wish I could be with a girl like that some day," Eddie mumbled to himself as he watched them ascend the stairs, and then returned to work.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Barry inquired as he finished the tour of his rather small lab.
His gaze momentarily wandered past Iris at the cork board behind her, relieved that his mother's case was no longer hidden underneath the map of the city.
"I wanted to talk to you about my brother," Iris began. "I mean, I know you said you figured out who he was for what sounds like awhile now, and you haven't said anything. I just wanted to make sure that it's going to stay that way."
"Of course! His secret is safe with me," Barry affirmed.
"That's good," Iris breathed with relief. "Wally was a little worried you might, but I told him you would never say anything. Somehow I just know that we can trust you."
They both smiled at each other again, and Barry fought the urge to kiss her. While she may be taking things fairly well so far, he didn't want to rush things and end up ruining everything.
"Do you want to go get lunch?" Barry invited.
"I wish I could! But I have a deadline by the end of today and I'm going to have to take lunch at my desk to make up for this little trip."
"How about dinner then?"
"I'd like that."
Iris walked to the door of his lab, and then turned around.
"Whatever you did to find out who my brother was, can you do the same thing to find out who The Rival is?" Iris suggested.
"Oh… I tried that but it didn't seem to work," Barry lamented.
"Why not?" Iris pressed, revealing the reporter within.
"Uh, because…"
Think fast! Barry thought.
"Because Wally had a criminal record that I used to help piece it all together. You know, from his street racing days," he sputtered. "Whoever this Rival is, he seems to have no criminal record that I know of."
"Okay," Iris lilted.
She shut the door behind her, and Barry let out a huge sigh. He really hoped The Rival really did not have a criminal record, or else Iris will know he lied to her once Wally catches him. All he can do now is hope for the best.
"Come on," Barry murmured to himself, trying to will the bus to move faster. All he wanted was just to get ready for his big date. He was seriously starting to reconsider his decision to not use his speed anymore.
But since he was almost home anyways, he impatiently tapped his foot instead. When he looked down he saw he was tapping it at super speed and let out a low swear. He searched the faces of his fellow passengers to make sure no one had noticed. Once he was in the clear, he looked back up and saw the bus had just passed his stop. This time, he let out a loud swear.
A mother glared at Barry as she covered the ears of her 4 year-old son. He mouthed sorry and pulled the cord to signal his release at the next stop. He lamented how much further it seemed to be compared to all the ones leading to his house; or maybe it just seemed that way. The bus finally came to a stop and Barry leapt out.
Once outside he looked around for any prying eyes.
Just one last time, he thought.
Whoosh!
In a single instant, Barry was standing in front of his childhood home. No, not just his childhood home anymore. It was his home now. The perfect life with his mother and father that he never got the chance to experience before-
Barry's head suddenly pulsated, the pain so extreme that it felt like it was almost going to explode. He collapsed to the ground, his vision fading to black; and the odd feeling that something else was fading too. And then it was gone.
No, not again! Barry pleaded. What memory did I lose now?
An impossible question for him to answer, because of course if he lost the memory then how would he remember if he ever had it? He searched his memories of the other life, and found some gaps missing in his middle school years that he was almost certain he could recall earlier today. Well, that time was some of the worst memories of his life, so at least it wasn't a huge loss.
After taking a minute to catch his breath, Barry got up and dusted himself off. He then quickly, but not too quickly, ran inside the house.
"Hey, it's me!" Barry called out to his parents.
"Hey, Slugger! Come in to the kitchen, will you?" Henry Allen shouted back.
Barry was already halfway up the stairs, but he vowed to never pass up an opportunity to spend time with his parents ever again, so he complied without hesitation. He greeted his father and mother, who were sitting at the end of the dining table, and nearly jumped back in surprise at the two people he saw at the other end.
"Hello, Barry," Laurel Lance chimed. "I'm Star City Assistant District Attorney Laurel Lance. This is my associate, Mr. Hunter."
"What are you doing here?" Barry grumbled.
"Barry!" Nora Allen chided her son.
"It's okay, Mrs. Allen," Laurel said. "I'm sorry to disturb you at home, but we arrived in Central City rather late. We thought you might have left the office already so we decided to come visit you at home due to the urgency of the situation."
"What's this about?" Barry asked.
"Well…" Laurel trailed off, and her eyes swept over to his parents.
"Oh! Of course," Nora took the hint. "We'll just be off to the store to give you some privacy."
"Thank you," Laurel smiled.
Barry noticed Laurel's eyes seemed to be studying his mother, as if trying to discern the secret behind a magic trick. Rip Hunter, on the other hand, was staring at Barry with poorly concealed anger.
The three of them remained silent until they heard the front door shut and the car start up in the driveway.
"What are you really doing here?" Barry asked.
"I could say the same for you, Mr. Allen," Rip Hunter scoffed. "Or rather, I should say that about your mother."
"Leave her out of this," Barry fumed.
"Okay!" Laurel interrupted. "Maybe we should back this conversation up a little. I'm going to start by asking… are you really a speedster? The one he calls The Flash?"
"Yes, I'm a speedster; but I'm not The Flash anymore. Someone else is protecting this city so I don't have to."
"You're okay in letting some child risk his life just so you can live out your fantasy?" Captain Hunter disapproved.
"I'm not letting him fight alone! I can give him advice to help him overcome any threat that comes his way."
"You know who Kid Flash is?" Laurel asked.
"I found out who he was when he got hurt in a fight with The Rival."
"You mean to tell me you've seen first hand the danger you are putting him in and yet you still do nothing!" Captain Hunter seethed.
"He's fine now!" Barry defended. "Speedsters heal quickly. I'm sure he'll be more careful next time."
"You don't understand the magnitude of damage you have done to the timeline."
"Why does my family have to suffer in order for the universe to function, huh?"
"Because as tragic as it is, sometimes you just have to. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience."
Captain Hunter recounted the sad tale of having to allow his wife and child to die at the hands of Vandal Savage.
"Look, I'm sorry that happened to you," Barry consoled. "But if you had the power to change it, wouldn't you?"
He then turned his attention to Laurel.
"Do you know what happens to you in that timeline your 'associate' is so eager to get back to?"
"Yes, I know," Laurel acknowledged solemnly.
Barry looked at them incredulously and then shook his head.
"No. You can't make me do it," Barry refused.
He clenched his fist, and lightning sparked in his eyes.
"Barry… don't," Laurel warned, standing up.
Captain Hunter reached for his energy gun, and there was a streak of red light emanating from where Barry once stood.
A loud screech filled the room as Laurel did her Canary Cry, causing Barry to fall to the ground and cover his ears. Captain Hunter aimed his energy gun at the rogue speedster as he slowly approached.
"You need to do the right thing, Mr. Allen," Captain Hunter reiterated.
"Or else what?" Barry challenged.
"Or else we'll do the right thing for you."
Another streak of lightning, and Laurel once again unleashed her Canary Cry. This time, Barry was moving away from them, so he collapsed near the doorway.
"Stop!" Captain Hunter commanded as he shot his energy gun.
But it was too late. One last flash of lighting and then Barry was gone.
"Damn it!" Captain Hunter hissed.
"What do we do now?" Laurel asked.
"Now…the hunt is on."
The city streaked by imperceptibly as Barry Allen ran through the streets as fast as he could. He wanted to make sure there was no chance they could find him, at least not for a while. He wasn't too familiar with the capabilities of the Waverider, but he figured anything from that far in the future will track him down eventually.
Everything came to focus as he stopped at the waterfront. He drew his phone from his pocket and called his mother.
"Hey my beautiful boy!" Nora lilted. "Are you guys done already?"
"Mom, listen carefully, okay," Barry panted. "You and Dad need to get in the car and drive out of the city, right now!"
"What are you talking about?"
"The ADA said there was a credible threat made against me from a case I worked on a while back," Barry lied. "They're going to put me into police protection, but I want to make sure you two are safe."
"What? Oh my God!"
"What is it?"Henry could be heard in the background.
"There's a threat on Barry, he wants us to get out of town."
The two started prattling nervously about the safety of their son.
"Mom, listen to me! You need to leave– right now!"
"Are you sure you're safe?"
"I'll be fine. Promise."
"Okay...well go."
"Thanks. And Mom...I love you."
"I love you too."
The call was ended, leaving Barry feeling alone for the first time since he entered Flashpoint. He chuckled a little at his own use of the name derived by his sworn enemy.
But am I really alone? Barry wondered.
Inspiration struck him, and he immediately dialed another number in his phone.
"Hey!" Iris answered."I'm still at work, but I promise I'll be there for our date."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll be able to go out tonight," Barry apologized. "There's something really urgent I need to talk to you and Wally about."
"What's going on?"
"It's easier if I explain it in person."
"Okay, where do you-"
Whoosh!
Before Iris could finish her question, she was standing in front of her brother in their hideout.
"Wally, you know I hate it when you do that; I was in the middle of a call!" Iris scolded her brother.
"It wasn't me…" Wally corrected, and pointed behind her.
She turned and saw a man in a red suit. The man pulled off his cowl, and revealed that it was none other than Barry Allen.
"I knew there was something weird going on with you," Iris breathed, taking a few steps closer to her brother.
"I need your guys' help," Barry pleaded. "My parents' lives are at stake."
