Brothers in Lightning

Note, the parenthesis indicate languages other than Japanese, in this case, English.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).

Central City
Flash Museum
August the 24th, 1985; 12:57:58 P.M.
Spiritual Plane

A red and blue streak passed next to Shinji and the Phantom Stranger. Papers and small pieces of debris followed in its wake.

Shinji jumped aside to dodge the blurry shape. The Stranger didn't move at all. The blur moved towards a squat building, that proudly displayed a banner, "(Flash Museum)", proudly written on it. A long line of people waited outside, many waved banners, or wore T-Shirts, all emblazoned with a yellow lightning bolt pointing upwards in a red field. The crowd cheered when the streak entered the building, despite the wind almost knocking down many baseball caps and foam hands. After a few seconds, the red and blue blur moved inside the crowd, only to disappear inside the building. A couple of seconds later, a cheer erupted from the crowd, once they realized that each and every commemorative item had been signed! "(Thanks for coming! The Flash)" they read.

"Was that..?" Shinji asked.

"The first Flash, yes. Still full of life, a veteran of over 30 years of heroism. Thanks to a weird accident, he and his friends of the Justice Society of America, plus the Justice League, were granted a longer life, and very good health, they do not grow old at the speed the rest of humans do. For the JSA, that accident happened in 1944, for the JLA, it was in 1983."

Shinji's brow furrowed in thought for a moment. "Time travel?"

The Phantom Stranger nodded. "Yes. Until a few years ago, time travel was possible." He kept talking while they walked to the museum. "Imagine time as a river, and space as land; now imagine a person walking at the edge of the water. That would be normal flow of time for he or she. But a person could get into a boat, and row up or down the river, once back in land, they would be in a different place; for this metaphor, at another time."

Shinji nodded. "Wait, you said time travel was possible. What happened?"

A shadow passed over the Stranger's face "Second Impact." Shinji gasped. "The event disturbed even the space-time continuum. To continue with the river metaphor, the edge of the land is full of rapids and jagged rocks, trying to disembark there would be terribly dangerous. Still, far from the edge it is possible to navigate . Although trying to enter or exit the time stream there would be practically a death sentence. The Flashes, especially the second, were quite used to time travel, but they never had need to travel to this period of time, so they remained ignorant of the chronal turbulence that seals this particular time."

Shinji nodded again. "Uh… hoy many years are like that?"

"At least from late 2000 to middle 2017, Second Impact throws a long shadow. And there's still the possibility that Third Impact comes to happen." Shinji paled, horrified. "But… we… Can't we…"

"The future is fluid. No one, except for one singular entity, can know the future with certainty, and Destiny guards his secrets jealously."

A moment passed, while Shinji tried to wrap his head around those ideas. Seeing his expression, the Stranger elabored, "We are not traveling through time. Not in the physical sense the heroes and villains of this time did. We are not here and now. We are walking through memories and echoes. Still, some people are sensitive enough to perceive an echo of our own presence, but they are very rare. For them, we are glimpses or ghosts. Somewhat disturbing, but easily dismissed after a night."

Before Shinji could ask more, a red and gold streak entered the museum, distracting the young pilot from his train of thought. An instant later, another, smaller yellow and red streak followed. "They are here. Let's go on."

"The second Flash and his sidekick, Kid Flash, I guess." A big smile appeared on Shinji's face. "Heroes all. Despite whatever life threw at them, they never stayed knocked down for long." The Phantom Stranger led Shinji into the building. "And they had something that most other legacy heroes didn't. The Flashes were a family in everything but blood."

Inside the Museum, a lectern stood before a curtain. A red ribbon hung behind and a banner hung over the lectern, it read "(First Flash Wing.)"

Both Flashes and Kid Flash stood respectfully next to the podium, while a man in a tailor-made suit spoke and smiled at the crowd. After a couple of minutes of the man talking, he stepped aside, waving at the Flashes. Flash II waved at the people, and spoke a few words, the crowd clapped with all their might. He himself joined, smiling at his predecessor.

The older man then stepped to the lectern, pushed up his winged helmet, and tried to speak, but words failed him for a couple of seconds. Finally, having recovered control of his emotions, he said a few words, and, with a ridiculously big pair of scissors, proceeded to cut the ribbon. In a fraction of a second, Kid Flash opened the curtains, and the first group of guests walked into the new exhibit.

The cheers that erupted from the crowd were almost deafening.

The Phantom Stranger turned around, and Shinji followed him. "Could we… could we look around a bit?" Shinji asked.

"We will, but not on this particular day." The mysterious man opened a door, and both were outside. "This was a celebration of a long career; it might be said that it was the highlight of the first Flash's life. But it would be wrong to say so." He pointed at two women, a blond and a brunette, looking at the museum from the roof of a nearby building; big, proud smiles lit their faces.

"Who are they?"

"They are their wives, their families, they hold the bonds that kept their feet on the ground, even in other worlds or times. The third Flash, Wally West, used to call his wife 'his beacon', the light that guided him back home. You know one of them from your readings."

"Iris West Allen! Yes! I read her book!" Shinji smiled. "Then the other must be Joan Garrick."

"Yes. However, the long life that was granted to her husband wasn't granted to her. Still, their closeness did prolong her life and vitality. But, as is inevitable, she is dying."

Shinji gasped. "Gods…"

"At this time, the sickness that will claim her is barely noticeable, but it will grow. By 1997, Joan Garrick will be confined to a bed. In 1999, she will be gone, and with her, most of the drive her husband had to keep running. Still, she will survive Barry Allen by several years."

Shinji nodded sadly.

They crossed a threshold, and when the light came back, they were on a very different place.

Tokyo, Japan
September the 20th, 2000
Seven Days, Six Hours, Forty-Three Minutes, Seventeen Point Twenty Six Seconds After Second Impact

"(Jay! Jay!)" The first and third Flashes ran side to side, using their arms as propellers, creating whirlwinds to push back the radioactive cloud that threatened to pour out from the ruins of several buildings in downtown Tokyo. "(Focus, man!)" However, the need to dodge and weave around the buildings was a problem, especially at their speed. Normally, they would vibrate through the obstacles, but it was tiring work, and Wally West had the slight problem that vibrating through objects had explosive consequences.

The first Flash nodded grimly, he was tiring; he was an old man, and he was out of shape… "(Wally! We must go back to evacuate the people! There's too much radiation! I doubt we could push it all back even if Barry was here!)"

"(Max, Bart and Jesse are at the city, they will manage the evacuation. We must hold out until Captain Atom can get here!)" Wally West answered somberly, "(He can absorb most of this damned poison!)"

At that moment, a black and gray streak appeared, one that only a speedster could see. "(Oh, great! That guy again…)" Wally West, the third Flash, looked at it and pursed his lips. "(I have an idea, Jay! Follow me!)"

Tokyo, Japan
September the 20th, 2000
Spiritual Plane

From a tall building, Shinji and the Phantom Stranger watched. "What is that?" The young pilot pointed at the new streak. Somehow, being with the Stranger allowed him to see and hear the Flashes clearly. The newcomer was a disturbing parody of the third Flash, a desiccated cadaver wearing a black and gray version of the scarlet speedster's uniform, hanging loose over its emaciated frame.

"That's the Black Flash. An incarnation of death. Some call it the Death of the Runner, others the Last Race. Once it has manifested, only the death of a speedster will make it go away."

Tokyo, Japan
September the 20th, 2000
Material Plane

The Flashes ran away, going round and round the deadly cloud, as close as they dared to, closely followed by the newcomer. "(Faster, Jay! Don't let it get too close!)"

"(Got it, kid! But I'm getting tired.)"

The speedsters ran in circles, the Flashes keeping a few steps ahead of their enemy, using it to create a barrier around the radioactive cloud.

"(It's working! Yeaaah!)" yelled the third Flash. "(Keep on it, Jay! Don't give up on me now!)"

His companion set his jaw, and ran faster and faster. He soon overtook the third. "(Do me a favor, kid. Put this in the museum, will you?)" Before Wally could react, he felt a weight on his head. With a burst of speed, Jay Garrick ran a circle around him, and crossed the path of the Black Flash, almost colliding with it.

Immediately, the spectral speedster chased the older Flash. The distance closed rapidly. The ghost extended a hand, grabbing Jay's shoulder. A rift opened in the air in front of them, while Wally West desperately tried to reach his friend and mentor. "(No! Jay!)"

Garrick turned around, smiling. "(I'll give your regards to Barry. Tell everybody, especially Linda and the kids, I said goodbye.)"

Both figures entered the rift, and vanished.

"(Jay…)"

Wally West stopped near a park, shocked. He fell on his knees, and took the winged helmet off his head, cradling it on his hands for an instant. He put it carefully on the ground, buried his face on his hands, and wept bitter tears of loss. He cried for no more than a single second for a regular human. An eternity for a speedster.

Finally, he took a decision, he wiped his tears, took his cowl off to uncover his face; and carefully, put the helmet on. "(This one is for you, Jay. One last run, one last run before the museum.)"

Composing himself, he ran into the city.

Tokyo, Japan
September the 20th, 2000
Spiritual Plane

"…He's gone…" Shinji's eyes were wet with tears.

"Yes. He chose to save a friend. The Black Flash was here to claim the life of Wally West. Had it come for Garrick, it would have looked similar to him." The Phantom Stranger bowed his head in mournful respect. "In the last stretch of his long run, Jay Garrick felt lonely. He was the first metahuman of the First Heroic Age, and the loss of his wife, his companion for over fifty years, weighted heavily on his soul. He didn't want to keep on without her, but wouldn't ever take his life or endanger himself unnecessarily. But to die in order to save a friend, who was almost a grandson to him? Yes, he would do that without a second thought."

Shinji wiped the unshed tears from his eyes, and bowed his head too. "…and he did…"

Coast of Florida
April the 6th, 1985
Spiritual Plane

They stepped out of a low door, finding themselves on the cabin of a small yatch.

"Where are we?"

"Near the coast of Florida, this yatch is called Sue's Joy. And it belongs to Sue Dearborn." The Phantom Stranger pointed at the main deck of the boat. They saw two sun bathing chairs, occupied by two beautiful women, who chatted amicably with two men, each holding a fishing rod. But their attention was focused solely on the women. They looked like old friends.

"Wait, I know who they are! Barry Allen and Iris West. And those two must be…" Shinji looked intently at the other man, a thin redheaded guy, who was busy narrating a trip he and his girlfriend had just returned from.

"I know I've seen him!" Right then, the man pointed at his nose which started to move side to side. "The Elongated Man!"

"Yes, Ralph Dibny, the world-famous Elongated Man, as he used to introduce himself. One of the few heroes who had no secret identity. Also one of the happiest men I've ever met. He and his wife led a very happy life for several years. At this point on their lives, they are all single. But the bonds of marriage are not far."

Shinji nodded.

"What happened here?"

"Watch."

Shinji turned back to the people on the yatch. Dibny's arm stretched below the deck, passing right next to Shinji. It disappeared into the main cabin, and returned a moment later, holding a little box. He knelt next to the black haired woman. "Sue, honey. We have been together for a while, and I think it is time for me to get serious, for once in my life."

Sue hid her face between her hands for a moment, looking at her boyfriend with bright eyes. Ralph continued. "You have been to my side for good and bad, in thick and thin, with heroes and villains. I have realized that I don't want to be without you. What I mean is," He opened the box, showing a plain gold ring. "I would be the richest man in the whole world and several adjacent dimensions with you by my side. Susan Dearborn, will you marry me?"

Barry and Iris looked at their friends, holding hands, and with the widest smiles Shinji had ever seen.

"Yes! Yes, you big dummy! I will!" and she jumped from her chair, and enveloped Ralph in her arms. Unable to think of anything else, he wrapped her into his arms, several times over.

"Hey, Barry! Wanna be the best man?"

"Sure! It took you long enough, Ralph", he ribbed his friend. And he disappeared into the cabin, returning with a bottle of wine and four glasses. "A toast. For the happy couple!" Suddenly, all the glasses were full. They toasted, while Shinji and the Stranger returned down below, and crossed the door.

"The friendship between them will last for the rest of their lifes." The Stranger said softly, with a warmth on his voice that didn't reflect on his stoic face.

Shinji's smile wavered a little. "Will they die..?"

"Everybody dies. In the end, we are all travelling lonely roads, but sometimes, we can find somebody to walk with us for a while. Or maybe, run with us. Ralph Dibny was an improbable partner for Barry Allen, but their friendship was sincere and lasting."

Tokyo-3, Japan
Current Day
Material Plane

The last door the Stranger opened led them back to Misato's apartment. For Tokyo-3, not even a minute had passed, for the two travelers, it had been a long day, including several hours spent at the Flash Museum, Shinji wished he had carried a notebook or a camera with him, as the stories depicted in the exhibits were both exciting and enlightening. He hoped to have one day, a chance to actually visit the museum.

Shinji sat on the couch, next to his cello. Looking at the distance. "I don't know why did you show me the Flashes lives. But I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

"Hope." The Phantom Stranger said. "Hope in the future, hope in your friends. But especially, hope in yourself. If there is a human quality the Flashes held in their hearts, it was, it is hope; as their legacy will last for a very long time, if everything goes well. There was another speedster close to the Flashes, Impulse's cousin, Jenni Ognats, XS. Unlike Impulse, she will stay at the future of her birth. But hers is a story for another day."

A hint of pride tinged the Stranger's voice. "You have grown a lot since first we met, although you still haven't found your rightful place, you are well in the path. You, Miss Soryu, Miss Ayanami, have great potential. One that has been denied to all of you. Learn from the Flashes. Jay Garrick used to be lazy, unmotivated, until the remarkable accident that gave him his powers awakened the hero in him. Barry Allen used to be shy, easily cowed; until he was granted the gift of speed. Wally West was blinded by his need for approval, long after he received his powers; until he saw the worth he had, for friends and family. But as you already know, deep in your heart, you don't need powers to be a hero."

Shinji nodded. "Thanks. I think I'm beginning to understand." He picked up his cello. "Er… do you have some time?"

The Stranger nodded solemnly. "I can spare a few minutes." There was a smile on his voice.

With a serene smile on his lips, Shinji began to play.

Author Notes

…I've had a couple of very busy weeks… Plus, this chapter was quite hard to write, as Shinji already knows a lot about the second Flash, thanks to his biography. Still, there is always another story to tell. Especially, if it happened after Second Impact.

I loved those yearly team-ups with the JLA and the JSA; sadly, they went away with the Crisis in Infinite Earths. To keep them in this version of the events, I'm tweaking some events, so instead of having a first meeting at the same relative time for both teams, at least one of their team-ups involved time travel (Much like the last JLA/JSA event in the JLoA book, involving the JLA, the JSA and the All-Star Squadron; or the one with the Legion of Superheroes).

The second Flash was also unusual, in that he maintained a very public relationship with the people of his city, in fact, he was quite friendly with most people. If you have seen the JLU episode Flash and Substance, you know what I mean.

The Flash Museum was quite a big building, holding mementos and recreations of many adventures, and more than a few trophies the Flash (all of them) had collected. It sure beats having to keep everything under your house, I guess. The curator, Dexter Miles, was a recurring character in the Flash magazine during the Silver Age, but has been rarely seen lately.

There was another hero with a museum of her own in JLU, Supergirl; interestingly, it was located in… Tokyo!
Eventually, Shinji will be visiting, and will learn more about her.

Back to the Flashes, Jay mentioned Linda and the kids. I'm referring to Linda Park-West, and Jay and Iris West. Wife and children of Wally West. I know the twins didn't actually debut in the comics until 2005, but I felt the theme of family was needed here. (and I have a little plan for Iris.)

Ah, in this continuity, Bart Allen is still Impulse to the very end, I really didn't like his time as the Flash, especially that ignominious ending for a character that was so fun and full of life. In the future, we will see him with his buddies in Young Justice (except for Superboy, who is busy in a possible future).

Back in the Silver Age, the Elongated Man and his girlfriend, and later wife, were a couple of second string characters, without the angst or troubled relationships that would later be the norm. At least until Identity Crisis Stuffed Sue in the Fridge. Three Times. (If you read that miniseries, you'll know what I meant). It seemed to me that Identity Crisis was completely uncalled for, going for mere shock value. Obviously, not one of my favorite stories.

Personally, I very much prefer the Dibnys as a happy couple, somewhat eccentric, both of them. But still endearing characters on their own right.

So, in homage to those times, I want to keep them both alive Post Second Impact. Eventually, they will be appearing in this story, still married, and mostly happy, despite all the tragedies that will come to them. I'm planning on a little bonus for them, to give them hope and joy, despite the loss of so many friends.

Last but not least, I want to dedicate this chapter to the many fine writers and artists who made the Flashes such great characters.

Thank you all.

Godspeed.