With Morality Like a Polynomial

Do I Throw My Clothes in The Fire?

Barry stood in the watchtower, eyes distant and mind afar.

The other members of the league milled about; they'd just finished another meeting. The contents of the meeting were already filtering out of his brain.

He'd been out of it all day. Tired and feeling slightly off, something in the back of his head was irking him and there was a strange feeling under his skin, like an itchy sort of restlessness.

He held back a shiver as his muscles tensed. Something felt wrong and he didn't know why.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder and he jumped, head whipping to look at Clark.

"you alright Barry?" Clark asked, eyes concerned, and brow furrowed.

"yeah, yeah, fine," Barry said, blinking as he zoned back into reality, "just... tired I guess? I've been feeling off all day."

"sick?"

"I don't think so..." Barry rubbed at the back of his neck.

"head home, and get some sleep," Clark suggested.

Barry offered a smile and bid farewell before speeding for the zeta tubes. As he slowed he shuddered, and his feet fell out from under him.

His insides screeched, his powers...

Something was wrong with the speed force. Something was wrong.

"Barry?!" Clark rushed over to help him up.

"I don't..." Barry groaned, getting his feet under him. The speed force continued to throw a tantrum and he could feel it. like his insides were turning to static, his skin was buzzing, needles were pricking up his legs, "I..."

Clark helped him towards the zeta tubes.

Barry took a deep breath, trying to figure out what was wrong. It would be great if the speed force could learn to speak, or at least find a way to communicate its issues in a way other than throwing a massive hissy fit by draining power into anyone with a connection to it.

He swallowed down spit and shook his head, closed his eyes and tried his damndest to listen.

Light, light, light, colour, sound, pain and then smash, concrete, rubble, moving, moving, moving, fear crawling up the back of his neck, heart faster than a jackrabbit and limbs aching, aching, aching, but having to stay moving, moving, moving and-

Barry pushed himself off of Clark, stumbled, and then lurched into the zeta tubes, headed for Central City.

He sped to the nearest roof and looked out at his city. Smoke was in the distance, and there was a tower missing from the skyline that Barry could've sworn was there yesterday. He blinked, zoning out once more as the speed force continued to wail and cry. He stood, hunched, on the roof, the sound of sirens appearing at some point. He snapped out of it once he spied helicopters circling the smoke.

He should be there.

He breathed in, ready to get going, and as he did another skyscraper shuddered, he heard a crack and a boom and then the second tower fell.

The speed force sang, relishing in whatever the hell was happening and Barry could feel energy leaking into the world, a damn breaking and water washing out in waves.

Barry gritted his teeth and sped towards the tower that was falling slowly, on path to run into another two buildings.

Energy bled into his bones and he found himself hitting top speed in no time. He kept just below the speed of sound to avoid adding to the destruction himself.