Hey guys! Here's another nice long chapter. I hope you like it. Thank you to all of the lovely reviewers. You all deserve virtual cookies/hugs.
Only the plot is mine.
The first light of dawn peeked over the horizon and the crisp spring air smelled of rain. It was about four thirty in the morning and most of Central City was still in their beds. Irey knew she wasn't due to work until nine but she was too nervous to sleep. Today was the day she dreaded since finding out about the project. It was the first test of the treadmill.
The speedster was sure that she got no more than a few hours of sleep. She was worried about the outcome. The memory of the last cosmic treadmill haunted her. The negatives far outweighed the positives when it came to the wretched device. It was too dangerous in her opinion. The league should've never brought it back.
She stood in her uniform in front of the flash museum. There was a new statue in front of the building. The woman let out a bitter chuckle remembering how Jai destroyed the other one a few months ago. If he kept this up the city would go broke replacing that dammed sculpture. Personally, she didn't see why it was necessary. She didn't want a statue. This one was of all the Flashes instead of just one. The bronze impressions of Jay, Barry, Wally, Bart and herself stood proudly in a row. They all seemed to be looking over the city protectively. Irey wore a sad smile as she looked up at the five Flashes. The last time they were all together was almost two decades ago.
She looked at Bart's smiling figure and fought the urge to cry. Irey missed him so much these days. The speedster never truly forgave herself for his demise. If only she were there two seconds earlier Bart would be alive today.
Irey didn't remember that much about Uncle Barry. He died when she was six. Though there was one memory she had of him that stuck with her throughout the years.
"Hey kiddo! C'mere!" Barry Allen shouted from an armchair. Little Iris West looked up from her new toys she got for Christmas and paddled towards her great uncle.
"Yeah Uncle Barry?" The five year old with pigtails smiled.
"Come sit with me I have something important to tell you." He said.
The little speedster crawled onto his lap; her green eyes stared up at him with wonder. "What is it?"
"Wanna know the secret to being the Flash?"
"Yeah!" Irey cheered.
"Ok, but remember, It's a secret." He gave her a sly smile.
She nodded obediently. "Ok."
"Iris this is very important so pay attention." Barry said.
"Okay Uncle Barry. Can you tell me now?" The little speedster was starting to lose her patience.
The current Flash let out a light chuckle and continued. "Kid I know that some day you're going to go far. You have potential and talent but never let that get to your head." He paused to make sure his grand niece was still paying attention. "Iris I know you just came into your powers, but there are three important things you need to know as a speedster. Never run too fast. If you lose control you might disappear forever."
"Forever?" She questioned. "Where would I go?"
Barry paled at the thought of Iris falling into the speed force. "To this horrible place for speedsters who run too fast. Promise me you'll be careful when you run."
"Okay, I will." She vowed. "What's the next thing."
"You need to be patient with people. There aren't many people who can go as fast as you so you have to wait for them. Though you have super speed you need to remember that it's not a bad thing to slow down sometimes. Don't let your powers get to your head. Always remember who you are. Can you do that for me Kiddo?" He ruffled her red hair slightly.
"I think I can." She smiled. "But what's the last thing?"
"Don't run away from your problems." Barry said sternly, Irey nodded. "No matter how fast you go they will always catch up with you. When you run, you run towards something. That something can be an ideal, an objective or a destination. It doesn't matter what it is that you run to as long as you are running towards something. This is the most important thing you ever need to know about being a speedster."
"Why are you telling me this Uncle Barry?" the tiny speedster asked curiously.
He gave the little girl a sad smile. It was as if he almost knew his time was running out. "It's important for you to know early on." Barry answered. "Because one day you're going to be of an age when you get the choice to carry on the Flash mantle. First you'll start out small as a protégé, but eventually you'll outgrow it and before you know it you could be the Flash."
Green eyes peered at him in confusion. "Me? The Flash? Like that'll ever happen." She frowned and crossed her arms. "Jai's going to be the Flash, not me."
"Why can't you be the Flash?" Barry asked gently.
"Because he's the oldest." She sighed.
"That doesn't mean anything. You never know. Jai might not want to be the Flash. Do you want to be the Flash some day Iris?" The older speedster asked. He had a feeling deep in his bones that this little girl in his lap would step into his shoes some day.
"Maybe…" She thought about it. "It's a giant responsibility."
"That it is, but I have a feeling you can handle it. You're a fighter Iris." He complimented.
"I am? How do you know that?" there was doubt in her eyes.
Barry let out a warm chuckle. She looked so much like her father. "I can see it in you. You're stronger than you think." He smiled "Don't forget what I have told you. It's very important."
"I promise." She hugged him and laughed.
"Good." he patted her on the head "Now go help your mother clean the kitchen." He grinned as she scampered off his lap and into the kitchen.
The scarlet speedster sighed as the moment came back to her. Irey wondered if Barry would be disappointed with her or if he would be proud. She didn't exactly follow what he had told her those many years ago. She had broken her promise to him. She had forgotten. For a long time she tried to ignore her father. She let herself get caught up in the speed and lastly she went too fast. Then again, her Uncle went to fast once too, but unlike her Barry never made it back. He was lost in the speed force.
Jay and her father looked much younger than they did now. She remembers how both speedsters dragged her to the unveiling ceremony for the statue. Jay cut the rope with her and Wally hid in the crowd. Irey saw how he was beaming with pride as she stood up there on the podium. Her mother even took pictures much to her displeasure.
Now she stood before the figure of the five Flashes and the bronze sculpture seemed ominous. It was the flash legacy personified. Irey knew if she screwed up today the whole mantle could be lost. The speedster knew there would be a huge amount of league presence at the test but that didn't settle her nerves. Just because Clark and Tim were overseeing the operation and one of the Martians would be posing as civilian Irey, Flash feared something terrible would happen. She didn't have a good feeling about this at all.
The speedster looked to the sky to see the sun poking above the buildings and the six am traffic started to pile up. She must've been standing there for hours. It was unusual for time to pass this quickly for her. Irey pivoted on her heel and did a lap of the city before making her way to Keystone. Barry's words echoed through her, the speedster knew she had to face this. It was inevitable.
Once Irey arrived Keystone and took a few laps to patrol she changed into her civvies and walked over to the coffee shop she was supposed to meet Miss Martian.
The speedster ordered some tea to try and calm her nerves. The warm drink felt good on her throat. Irey looked around for M'gann and was waved over to a table.
"Hi Ms. Morse." The redhead squeaked. She could feel the anxiety taking over.
"Hey Irey." The Martian smiled warmly. She took a sip from her latte. "How are you today?"
"A little nervous. It's a big day." The young woman confessed. She subconsciously twirled her ponytail in her fingers.
"Don't worry Iris you're going to be fine. It's just a test run, remember." M'gann tried to sound reassuring but it still didn't do much for Irey's confidence.
"So what do you need to know to properly pull of being me for the day?" the young woman asked.
"Not much, a brief rundown of what I need to do is sufficient. I will be in telepathic contact with you and Tim the whole time." The Martian informed her and save her another gentle smile.
Irey tried not to cringe at the fact M'gann would be in her mind she liked her privacy. "Ok, all you need to do is follow what the other researchers are doing for the preparation and take notes during the test."
"That's all?" M'gann made sure.
"Oh and be there a few minutes late." Irey added, the Martian gave her a look of surprise. "What? It's my thing. Keeps suspicion away." she shrugged.
M'gann let out a small chuckle. "I remember when Wally did the same thing with the police department. Do you have your ID badge?"
"Oh yeah!" Irey completely forgot about those. She reached into her pocket and handed the Martian her spare ID card.
"Thanks" The Martian looked at her watch "It's about time I get going, I'll see you there in an hour."
Irey nodded and finished up her tea. Butterflies exploded in her stomach as she did everything she could to keep calm.
Ten minutes later she stood in an alley across the street from the back entrance to Star Labs. Flash took a deep breath. This was it. The speedster had never been more afraid in her life. It was like that first day of school without Jai all over again. It was the horrible unknown that became the monstrous shadow that loomed over her.
"C'mon Irey, you can do this." She whispered to herself while she crossed the street. "You've prepared for everything. You've done all the calculations. Now all you have to do is run on a treadmill."
Once she arrived she was put through an array of tests to make sure everything was in order. The speedster found it hard to stay still. She continuously glanced around the room hoping for some reason to postpone the treadmill, but, sadly, there were none.
"Thank you for doing this Miss Flash." Bob Everett thanked the hero politely for the umpteenth time that morning. "We're ready to begin as soon as West gets here. Of all days she picks to day to be late."
"Sir, She's late everyday." One of the techs blurted. "We should've expected it."
Just then M'gann disguised as Irey burst in to the room. "Sorry! I missed my alarm and I got caught in traffic."
"West! I swear one of these days I'm gonna fire you for being tardy!" The rather obese man grumbled under his breath.
"I am so sorry sir." M'gann breathlessly apologized again.
Irey tried not to laugh as the Martian almost over played her part. It was also equally hilarious to see her boss turn purple. The situation she faced on a weekly basis was suddenly much funnier from a different perspective.
"Is everybody ready?" Tim asked calmly as he strode into the room. Irey felt a knot form in her chest and a wave of nausea hit her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself she was not ready.
"Irey it's going to be ok. You can do this." A new voice said gently in the speedster's head.
Flash glanced over at the Martian who was pretending to look over her notes. "Thanks Mrs. Morse. I just can't get over the feeling something is going to go wrong today."
Clark finally walked into the room and the group headed down the hallway. With each step she took Flash felt as if the walls drew closer. The steel door loomed over her ominously. "It'll be alright. You can do this." M'gann's kind voice echoed through her mind but it did little to comfort the anxious speedster.
Once they reached the test room everything passed in a blur as they went over the plan again. After that they hooked up all the wires and sensors to the scarlet woman. Then, the researchers made their way to the observation deck and Irey found herself standing on the treadmill alone.
The silence that encompassed the large concrete room was deafening. Flash took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. This was the moment she had feared. It took everything the speedster had to remain still while she waited for instruction.
"We're ready when you are Flash." Tim's voice came through the intercom startling the young woman. Irey took another shaky breath and gave the observation deck the signal.
"Good luck Irey." M'gann whispered in the back of her mind. The speedster gulped and took another deep breath then took off running.
At first Flash took off in a light jog then into a brisk run. Soon she broke the sound barrier and found herself approaching the speed of light. The speedster was about to slow herself when lightning shot out of the machine. There was high pitched squealing noise that sounded like groaning metal and another bolt shot out of nowhere this time hitting Flash.
Irey was thrown back as a bright ball of light exploded in front of her. The speedster felt a sickening crack when she was thrown against the concrete wall. She thought she saw one or two blurry figures fly out of nowhere. One of the figures hit her head on while the other flew the other direction and vanished into the blur.
It took a moment or two for Flash to realize what was happening for her to gather the strength and pry herself off the ground. Irey tried to get into contact with M'gann but nothing happened. Glancing around she realized her efforts were useless now that she saw Clark trying to resuscitate her on the shattered view deck. The speedster was more than relieved to see Tim's head pop out over the debris. The current Batman looked a little shaken and had a nasty cut on his forehead but he was well enough to dig others out of the rubble.
"FLASH!" He called down to her. "ARE YOU OKAY?"
"GO! HELP THEM, I'M FINE!" Irey shouted and waved him off. She felt the stinging on her back as she peeled herself off of the concrete block. Blood trickled down her arms and there was a large burn on her left shoulder.
Flash ignored the blinding pain and quickly scanned the room for survivors. She almost jumped when a small moan grabbed her attention. The speedster quickly got to work digging through the huge piles of wreckage.
Soon Irey located the source of the groans and started pulling the debris off the man. When she first glimpsed the man under the rubble she almost dropped the concrete slab she held back on him in shock. He was covered in about an inch of dust and grime, but there was no mistaking his identity.
Barry Allen.
Dun dun duun. So what did you guys think? Sorry for the evil cliffy but I really had to go there. Forgive me? I'm going to try to get out the next chapter or two before I leave on vacation but no promises. I really want to know what y'all think is going to happen next. I'm really curious to see what you guys think. And forgive me if there are any mistakes it's 2am and I've read through it like fifty times just let me know if you see anything wrong. Please review and let me know what you think about this chapter and what's going to happen next.