Chapter 70: Speed Demons
At Iron Heights Prison, the meta-human wing was at peak efficiency, keeping its superpowered inmates contained and docile. Among these inmates was Mark Mardon, who was sitting in his cell, tapping his foot on the ground, endlessly irritated that he was trapped inside. Just then, a guard approached the cell, using his keycard to open the cell. Mardon looked up in surprise.
"What's going on?" Mardon asked.
"You're being moved," the guard replied, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on."
The guard pulled Mardon to his feet, carrying him through the halls of the prison. As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with another guard.
"Hey!" The guard immediately reached for his weapon. "You're not supposed to-!"
The guard carrying Mardon whipped out his own weapon and smacked him across the face, knocking him to the ground. Mardon blinked in surprise.
"Just who are you?"
"Someone who represents a man who can get you exactly what you want," the guard replied, carrying him out of the prison.
…
After getting outside, Mardon was thrown into the back of a van that drove off at high speed. After a while, he managed to sit up, dusting himself off and adjusting his jumpsuit.
"I suppose asking where I'm going would be a waste of breath," he remarked. "At the very least allow me to change into something more appropriate. I get the feeling this is someone I wanna make a good first impression with."
"Don't worry, you already have," the guard replied.
Finally, the van came to a stop, allowing the guard to open the doors, revealing they were inside some kind of warehouse. Mardon got out himself, looking around at the equipment that seemed to line the interior of the building. In the center of the room, there seemed to be some kind of device that displayed a holographic projection of the planet.
"What in the world…?"
"Ah, there he is."
Mardon turned to see someone stepping out of the shadows toward him. That someone turning out ot be Lex Luthor. Mardon was surprised at the sight.
"You… you're Lex Luthor."
"Always nice to be recognized. I, of course, know of your work, Mr. Mardon."
Lex took his hand and shook it, leaving Mardon more than a little confused.
"So… why go through all this trouble for me?"
"I'm impressed by your raw power. To control the weather like you can? Remarkable. One can only wonder what would happen… if your powers were unleashed."
"So…" Mardon looked around. "This is all for me?"
"Indeed. With your powers and my vision, just imagine the possibilities."
Lex snapped his fingers, prompting a man to walk over with a briefcase in his hands. He opened it up, revealing a large amount of money inside.
"And of course, this would only be the beginning of your payment."
Mardon flicked his wrist, causing a rumbling to occur in the skies above. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck out, hitting the stack of money and causing it to ignite. The man dropped the briefcase instantly.
"I don't want money," Mardon replied.
Lex remained unphased. "Very well. What do you want?"
"... payback. A cop in Central City killed my brother a while back."
"And you wish me to… take care of him?"
"No. Bring him to me alive. I want to make him suffer."
Lex smirked. "Ah, a slow revenge. I can respect that. Very well. Help me, and vengeance will be yours."
The two shake hands to strike their deal.
"Now, how about getting me some actual clothes?" Mardon requested, tugging at his jumpsuit.
"I think we can work something out," Luthor reassured.
…
The next day at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco and Ronnie were walking into the cortex amid a little debate.
"Come on, Cisco, you're being unreasonable," Ronnie pressed.
"I am being realistic," Cisco countered. "Your hypothesis is basic and ignores all the data."
"Ignores? My 'hypothesis' is entirely based on the data. You're the one who's ignoring the facts."
While they were arguing, Barry stepped out of the treadmill room, hearing some of their conversation.
"Hey, what's going on?" Barry asked.
"Oh, Barry," Cisco addressed. "Thank goodness you're here. See if you can settle this debate for us."
"What debate?"
"Who would win in a fight?" Ronnie asked. "Batman or Superman?"
"See, I'm saying Superman," Cisco chimed in. "Given his raw power and all."
"While I think Batman could have the resources to take him down. So, what do you think?"
Barry looked back and forth between the two and just shrugged. "I don't know."
He walked past them, causing them to turn to him in confusion.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Cisco questioned.
"I just… can't imagine a situation where the two would fight in the first place," Barry replied. "Sorry, guys. I don't think this is a discussion I can help with."
"So… you have no insights into this whatsoever?"
"Not… really, no."
"Huh…" Cisco let out, perking up at a thought. "Got another scenario. One I know you'd be interested in."
"Whatcha got?" Barry wondered.
"You… and Superman. Who's faster?"
Barry paused, honestly unsure of how to answer.
"That… is a good one."
"Now, Ronnie thinks it's Superman, given his power levels. Me? I'm Team Flash all the way. We still don't know what you can do at top speed."
"Nice of you to say-"
Just then, there was an alert sounding at the console. Cisco ran over and took a look.
"What is it?" Barry asked.
"Reported Meta-Human sighted downtown," Cisco relayed. "Whoa. High profile one too. Livewire."
"Livewire? What's she doing in Central City?"
"No idea, but I doubt it's the local cuisine."
"Right. I got this."
Barry sped over to his suit, quickly putting it on and zooming off into action.
…
Out in the city, a woman with white skin, light blue hair, and a black outfit with a lightning bolt-shaped opening on the front was in the midst of the city, firing stray lightning bolts in random locations, with some even overturning cars on the road.
"Hello Central City!" she proclaimed with a bombastic flare. "Time for this dullsville town to get a wake-up call. Courtesy of yours truly; Livewire!"
She fired another blast at a car, flipping it into the air and sending it hurling toward some civilians. Just then, they were moved out of the way at super speed, being set down a fair distance away. They looked up to see the Flash standing in front of them.
"Get to safety," he told them. "I got this."
Flash then sped off toward Livewire, who saw him coming and prepared herself.
"Well, if it isn't Central City's local super loser," she remarked, firing electric blasts at him.
Flash quickly dodged between the blasts, trying to make his way to her.
"So, what brings you to Central City?" Flash asked as he continued running.
"Got tired of going against Super Chump. Thought I'd try my luck with the so-called "Fastest Man Alive". Tell me tight pants, do you know how fast electricity can move?"
"About 270,000 km/s," Flash answered without a second hesitation. "Which is usually a Sunday jog for me."
"Is that right?"
She continued blasting at Flash, causing him to amp up the speed of his evasive maneuvers. Finally, he made a mad dash toward her, grabbing her and slamming her into the side of a building. She took this chance to grab his face and charge him with electricity. This caused him to cry out in pain before getting blasted back and rolling across the ground.
"Aww, what's wrong Flashy?" she taunted. "Too much of a shock for you?" her fingers start sparking with electricity. "Let me kiss it, make it better."
She then fired another blast at him. However, something flew in front of the blast to block it from Flash. Both he and Livewire were shocked to see that the one blocking the blast was Superman.
"Sorry, Leslie," he addressed. "But your power trip is officially over."
That set her off. "My name is LIVEWIRE!"
She amped up the power of her blast, causing Superman and Flash to quickly move to evade it.
"Sorry about this," Superman apologized. "She's one of mine."
"Seems like a handful," Flash noted. "Any suggestions on how to handle her?"
"She's made of pure electricity. My suggestion would be a strong insulator."
Flash looked around and then spotted an overturned car. When his eyes fell on the wheels, he got an idea.
"I think I can manage that. Keep her busy for me?"
"Somehow, I doubt that will be a problem," Superman replied, flying into action.
Superman flew toward Livewire, who was dealing out one electric bolt after another, easily dodging them in midair. Meanwhile, Flash, began searching the trunks of several of the abandoned cars, finding several spare tires and grabbing hold of them. Back with Livewire, she continued blasting at Superman, growing more and more frustrated with each attack. Having enough, she looked around and saw a downed powerline. She ran over and tore it out, charging it and using it as an electric whip. She cracked it at Superman, actually managing to hit him and causing him to drop out of the air. He picked himself up, seeing Livewire swinging her whip over and over. Finally, Superman charged forward, grabbing the other end of the whip and flying around Livewire at high speed, effectively tying her up. Flash took that opportunity to sling the tires onto Livewire. The electricity surrounding the cable caused the tires to melt around her, encasing her in rubber confinement.
"Another fun fact about electricity," Flash remarked, running over to her. "It doesn't conduct well against rubber."
Livewire growled in frustration as the police arrived. Superman and Flash walked off to the side so they could do their work.
"Nice work back there," Superman commended.
"Thanks," Flash replied. "I'm surprised she thought she could stand a chance here. I may not be able to fly or have super strength, but I am the fastest thing alive."
"Well at least now, she'll think twice before trying again. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to Metropolis."
Flash cocked an eyebrow. "Everything alright?"
"Nothing major. Just helping the city with a big charity event. I promised the mayor I'd do something to help, but I haven't been able to come up with anything."
Flash paused, a thought suddenly coming into his mind. "I think I might have an idea…"
…
A week later in Metropolis, the streets were decked out with banners and signs, citizens lining the streets with flags and signs of their own. At the town square was a banner that read 'Fastest Man Alive Charity Race'. Several reporters were present to document the event, including Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Iris West.
This is incredible," Iris commented. "Seeing the two go head to head like this."
"It'll be one for the history books," Lois commented as Jimmy snapped a picture.
"Hey, up there!" Jimmy called out.
Everyone looked up to see Superman flying overhead. He circled the square before landing on the ground, giving a wave to the faces in the crowd.
"Oh man," Jimmy commented. "The guy from Central City doesn't stand a chance."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Iris countered. "There's a reason they call him the fastest man alive."
"Yeah? Well, if he's so fast, where is he?"
"Take it easy, Jimmy," Lois chimed in. "I'm sure he's looking to make a dramatic entrance."
As if on cue, a red blur rushed past them, causing a massive gust of wind. Iris put a hand to her hair, only to feel something in it. She pulled it out, seeing it was a honeysuckle flower, causing her to smile as she put it back. The blur circled the arena a bit before rushing over to Superman, coming to a stop and revealing itself to be the Flash.
"Hope I'm not too late," Flash remarked.
"Right on time, in fact," Superman replied, shaking his hand.
"Gentlemen," the mayor addressed, getting their attention. "Thank you both for participating in this charitable event. The rules of the race are simple. The first man to circle the globe one hundred times will be declared 'the fastest man alive'."
"Sounds good to me," Flash replied.
"Agreed," Superman replied.
At that moment, Kari came wheeling up, holding two metal bands.
"Here," she replied as Superman knelt down, allowing her to snap one of the armbands on him. "The DEO whipped up these electronic bands. They'll allow us to track your movements via satellite. So the folks at home can follow along with the action."
Flash knelt next so she could do the same for him. Once the bands were in place, they both made their way to the starting line and took their places.
"Hey," Flash spoke. "May the best hero win."
Superman smirked in response. "Back at ya."
"On your mark," the mayor spoke up, raising a practice gun. "Get set…go!"
And with a shot, the two heroes took off at breakneck speeds. All anyone could make out were two streaks of blue and red barreling down the street.
"Sweet," Jimmy commented.
As the crowds watched on, a man with red hair and a beard slowly walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
…
At STAR Labs, the rest of Team Flash was watching the race play out. Even Joe West had joined in to watch the event.
"And with that, the Super Hero 500 is underway!" Cisco declared. "Everybody, place your bets. I got a five to one odds Barry cleans out."
"Give me fifty on Superman," Ronnie chimed in. "No offense to Barry, but Supes is too big a powerhouse to lose."
"Fifty on the man of steel," Cisco noted. "Caitlin?"
"Eighty on Barry," she added to the pot. "Momma needs a new confocal microscope."
"Oooh, big spending from Doctor Snow," Cisco remarked. "Alright, anyone else?"
"None for me, thanks," Dr. Wells shut down. "For me, just getting to witness such a historic event is reward enough."
"I'll pass too," Silas spoke up. "My attention needs to be on monitoring the race and Barry's vitals."
"I'm in," Joe decided. "Put me down for fifty on Barry."
"Alright, Detective West is in the game," Cisco cheered. "Professor, you want in on this?"
"I'm quite content spectating, thank you," Stein insisted.
"Suit yourself," Cisco replied, turning back to the screen.
…
Back in Metropolis, the two heroes continued racing down the street. Both of them maintained a neck and neck tie, with neither gaining much ground over the other.
"You holding up?" Flash asked. "I know you prefer flying."
"You kidding?" Superman replied. "Used to run all the time. Been a while, but it's all coming back to me."
"Let's see if you still got that stride."
The two rushed forward, heading to a bridge leading out of the city. They both raced across it, leaving the needed money at the toll booth as they did. Their race took them across the bridge and out of the city.
Sometime later, their race took them to the desert, both of them still maintaining a consistent pace. Flash happened to look ahead, seeing there was a massive body of water just ahead of them. Both of them looked at each other, smirking before rushing forward. Their speed was so high that they ended up running across the water, their speed never wavering as they did.
…
While the race continued to play out, the bearded man entered the warehouse that was set up for Mardon. As he walked inside, Mercy approached him.
"So, how'd it go?" she asked.
"Without a hitch," he replied, pulling off his beard and wig, revealing himself to be Lex Luthor. "They didn't even know I was there."
"It was still pretty risky going there. I could've gone."
"Sorry, Mercy, but you being there would've been too suspect. Besides, some festivities are best enjoyed when they are forbidden. Now, how's our guest of honor?"
"All set, Mr. Luthor," Mardon replied, stepping forward in a green jumpsuit with yellow highlights. "But what's with the suit?"
"It's to allow better conductivity between you and the device," Lex replied, grabbing some kind of rod off a nearby terminal and handing it to Mardon. "This is your control rod. It will amplify your meta abilities, allowing you to affect climates anywhere on the planet."
"Sweet," Mardon replied, taking the rod. "And Flash and Superman are powering this thing?"
"The armbands allow the two to generate a virtually unlimited stream of high-velocity ionic energy," Lex replied, chuckling a little. "And they don't even realize it."
"And they won't," Mardon replied, turning toward the device. "Until it's too late."
"Well then," Lex replied, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What say we give them a show?"
…
Back in the city, Lois has invited Iris back to the Planet so they can watch the race play out on TV.
"So," Lois spoke. "How'd you end up becoming the Flash's PR girl?"
"Uh… I printed the first story about him, and it just… kinda fell into place," Iris replied. "Uh… how about you and Superman?"
"About the same. And I imagine your relationship with your hero is as involved as mine is."
Iris perked up at that. "What do you-"
"Oh come on, I saw the flower," Lois cut off, leaning against her desk. "Don't worry, I'm not one to judge. It's obvious you two are close."
Iris sighed happily. "Seems like forever. We've… just always been a part of each other's lives. After he became a hero, things just fell into place. How about you?"
"Was the first to show the world who he really was. From there, we just sort of clicked."
"Sounds nice," Iris commented.
"It is," Lois replied, smiling. "Still, it's nice to talk to someone who gets the whole 'dating a superhero' thing."
"Yeah. Maybe we should start a club."
"Now there's an i-"
Before Lois could continue, the feed for the race cut out, getting their attention. They turned back to the screen, seeing the static clear up, revealing Mardon decked out in his new suit.
"Good afternoon everyone," he addressed. "Sorry to interrupt the fun, but I have an important weather forecast for you."
"I know him…" Iris recognized. "It's Mark Mardon."
"Who?" Lois questioned.
"A bank robber with weather-controlling powers. But what's he up to now?"
"The currently sunny skies above northern Australia are about to experience some… highly intense showers."
…
Back at the warehouse, the feed cut out, allowing Mardon to turn toward the machine. He held the control rod over Australia just as the blips of Superman and the Flash began to approach. As he focused his power, the machine ignited with energy, zeroing in on the designated spot.
…
Meanwhile, Superman and Flash continued running across the water at night. As they raced off, a humpback whale shot out of the water, leaping over them as they looked up in astonishment. It crashed down next to them, Flash having to cover his face to block the water. As he uncovered it, he thought he saw something within the falling water. For a moment, it looked like another version of himself, except looking much more panicked. After a moment, however, it just vanished, confusing Flash.
"What was…"
"Flash!" Superman called out, getting his attention. "You ok?"
"Uh… yeah," Flash replied, getting his head back in the game. "Yeah, I'm good. Just didn't want you to fall too far behind."
"You kidding?" Superman replied, smirking. "Haven't even caught my second wind."
As Superman turned to him, he saw some dark storm clouds off in the distance. He used his telescopic vision to look out into the storm, seeing an oil tanker struggling to sail through the storming waves.
"There's a ship in trouble out there!" Superman informed. "Come on!"
Superman instantly flew off, causing Flash to follow after.
…
Onboard the freighter, the crew did their best to maintain course in response to the storm, but it was proving extremely difficult. Suddenly, the freighter was slammed against some rocks, cracking open the hull and causing some of the crew to fall overboard. Before they hit the water, Superman flew in and grabbed two of them, with Flash swooping in to catch the third one just in time. They brought them back onto the deck, much to the captain's delight.
"Superman! Flash! Thank God!"
"Is that everyone?" Superman asked.
"Yes, but the hull is split! We can't contain the oil!"
"I can seal the hull," Superman replied. "Flash, think you can siphon the oil back onto the ship?"
"Just get the crew to get some barrels ready."
The two heroes set off to do their respective jobs. Superman flew under the water and pushed the ship away from the rocks. From there he moved toward the crack, pushing two ends together to close the hole before using his heat vision to seal it up. Flash meanwhile ran across the water, circling the oil spill at high speed. The centrifugal force caused the oil to rise out of the water, allowing Flash to bring it into the barrels placed on the deck. Once the oil was secure, Flash came to a stop on the deck as Superman landed next to him, the two getting cheers from the crew. Just then though, the storm seemed to dissipate, and the skies were crystal clear again. Superman and Flash looked up in confusion, unsure of what just happened.
…
Later, Superman and Flash were on the bridge of the ship, establishing video communication with both Kari, as well as the STAR Labs team regarding the situation.
"We managed to get an ID on the guy," Kari informed them. "One of yours, Flash."
The image of Mardon appeared on the screen, getting Flash's attention.
"That's just a small taste of what I can do," he promised. "So unless a billion dollars is paid into the offshore account number I'm sending, the forecast is gonna be decidedly gloomy."
"Mardon…" Flash let out.
"I've read about him," Superman recalled. "He was some super-powered bank robber, right?"
"Yeah, him and his brother. They were bank robbers that got superpowers in the same particle accelerator explosion I got my speed. Except Mardon's never been this powerful before."
"That's for sure," Kari commented. "To be able to control the weather to that extent? especially remotely? Guy has to be some kind of-"
"Weather Wizard," Cisco cut off, much to Kari's surprise. "Boom!"
"Seriously?"
"Hey, I've been waiting since week one to use that."
"And now that we've established the nickname," Superman chimed in. "How do we stop him?"
"Not sure," Flash replied. "Last time, it was just running fast around a tornado. Now… not so sure."
"Might have a way to help with that," Cisco chimed in. "After you took down Mardons one and two last time, I've been digging into how his powers work. The way Mardon's able to control the weather is by tapping into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit."
"He must've found a way to expand his range somehow."
"Well, if he's managed to find a way to tap into unbound atmospheric electrons," Kari added. "There might be a way we can track it."
"You think?" Superman questioned.
"I'm guessing that while his electron manipulation is usually confined to a general area, whatever he's done could cause a trail of slightly altered electrons that head off at whatever spot Mardon would want to hit."
"Think you can do that?"
"I'll need a hand from the STAR Labs crew."
"My people will be out there as soon as we can," Dr. Wells replied.
"We'll meet you at the Metropolis STAR Labs."
"I'll be there as fast as J'onn can fly me."
"Bring Detective West as well," Flash added. "He's dealt with Mardon before. He knows how he operates."
"Of course," Dr. Wells replied.
"Let's go," Superman replied, heading off.
Flash followed close behind, switching on his comms to speak with Wells one-on-one.
"Dr. Wells?"
"I'm here, Barry. Is something wrong?"
"While I was running out on the water, I saw… something. Something that looked like… me. Another Flash."
"... interesting."
"What do you think it was?"
"Could be some kind of after-image. Some kind of optical illusion. A 'speed mirage' if you will."
"Maybe, but something felt… I don't know."
"Well… once we deal with Mardon, we can look into it. And we will get him."
"I know…" Flash replied before running off to catch up with Superman.
…
At STAR Labs, the team was gearing up to head out to Metropolis. While the others were preparing to leave, Cisco was seated at a computer, going over something as Caitlin walked over to him.
"Hey, we're about ready to head out," she told him.
Cisco remained silent, still working on his personal project.
"... Cisco?"
"Huh?" Cisco let out, turning to her. "Oh, sorry. Been working on something."
"What?"
Cisco paused for a moment before speaking. "Do you think Dr. Wells is capable of… something bad?"
"Bad… how?"
Cisco let out a sigh, standing up. "While we were helping Ronnie and Professor Stein, Joe came to me and Kari to look into Barry's mom's murder."
"So? What's that got to do with Dr. Wells?"
"Joe thought… he might have something to do with it."
Caitlin was taken aback by the revelation. "That's ridiculous."
"That's what I thought… until Dr. Wells suggested killing Ronnie and Stein to save the city."
"That was… I get that. But it's still not a straight line to cold-blooded murder."
"I know, I know. But I couldn't shake the idea, so…" he turned back to the computer, causing Caitlin to look over his shoulder. "I've been looking over the data from the forcefield we used to trap the Reverse Flash. To see what went wrong."
"And what'd you find?"
"Nothing."
"So shouldn't that put this theory to bed?"
"No, I mean, I couldn't find what went wrong. I went over the data three times and the supercapacitors were all fully charged when he got out. There's no way the containment system should've failed."
"So, what?" Caitlin questioned. "Are you saying Wells did something to the trap?"
"Aside from you, me, and Kari, he's the only one smart enough to mess with the systems."
"Small problem though. We saw the Reverse Flash nearly kill him that night."
"Yeah, nearly."
Caitlin put a hand to her head, trying to process what Cisco was saying.
"Cisco this… this is insane."
"Which is why I need to stay behind. It's the only time I can get to look over the trap with Dr. Wells out of the lab."
"And you think staying here while the rest of us leave isn't, I don't know, a little suspicious."
"Ronnie and Stein are already staying behind to act as designated superheroes. I'll just say I'm joining them for support. So please… can you not say anything to Dr. Wells about this?"
…
Back at the warehouse, Lex and Mardon were admiring their handiwork as they saw Superman and Flash race back to Metropolis.
"Well, that got their attention," Lex remarked.
"You really think they'll meet our demands?" Mardon questioned.
"Oh, not at all. I just needed a way to establish our presence. After all, what's the use of wielding such immense power… if you don't use it."
Mardon smirked in response. "Fair enough. But don't forget our deal."
"Of course. Mercy's already looking into the detective that took your brother's life. One Joe West. And from what I've heard from my sources, he's on his way to Metropolis as we speak."
Perfect," Mardon remarked, turning to the globe and seeing Superman and Flash run. "What about them?"
"They've served their purpose."
Mardon nodded, turning back and aiming his control rod at a sight on the globe, unleashing his power on it.
…
Meanwhile, Flash and Superman made their way back to the mainland, Superman opting to fly to maintain pace so they could get back in time. As they continued moving, however, a sudden snowstorm hit out of nowhere, much to their surprise.
"Unusual weather we're having!" Flash pointed out.
"You had to say it!" Superman replied.
The wind was getting so intense that Superman had to land beside Flash, the two of them struggling to move forward as the cold grew stronger. Soon, everything around them started freezing up, being encased within snow and ice. Even they themselves began to freeze up, slowly coming to a stop as the snow and cold around them encased them in a coffin of ice.