Hope & Love - SuperFlash [1]

Chapter 1

Barry was in a continuous burst of speed as he zigzagged throughout the city, disarming bombs left and right. What made the already difficult job even more strenuous was the fact that multiple of them were decoys, and every moment he spent with a fake, was another second closer to innocent people dying.

One thing that nobody, not even the team, knew was that he was constantly holding back. He was always several notches below what he could really do, or he would risk destroying everything around him. Car windows would burst as he ran by, and the ground beneath him would be upheaved as he sped off, his heels creating a crater in the ground, he could burn people alive or tear off their limbs if he went his top speed. Cause volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, and so much more. So, he held back.

But today, the entire city was at stake. Two bombs had gone off already, taking dozens of lives, and so he slipped into Flashtime to find the rest. By the time he found the last bomb - which was actually a nuke - he was drenched in sweat, his face red and he could barely stand. He had dealt with his before though, and so he knew exactly what to do. He ran as fast as he possibly could, creating a massive storm of lightning that was beginning to carve away at his surroundings, and he leapt forward, using a car to propel himself and launch the lightning forward, and end it once and for all.

He was having the worst case of deja Vu, and he collapsed on the ground, heaving for air. Despite wanting to stay here and do nothing for the few weeks, he knew that there was still the matter of catching the foe behind all this: a criminal with a penchant for theatrics, James Jesse aka The Trickster. So, he pushed himself up off the ground, realizing a small crowd had formed around him. His attention was focused solely on one person though, a little girl dressed up in a Flash costume as she stepped towards him with a piece of paper in her hand. He kneels down so he is eye to eye with her and takes the paper she outstretched towards him. It's him standing front and center, the sun shining down, the bad guys defeated in a pile, and the little girl is dressed in her own superhero suit beside him.

"Can I be just like you when I grow up?" She asks timidly, and Barry rose his head, eyes looking at her with admiration, a smile gracing his lips. He falters for a moment as all he sees is his own daughter, but he quickly breaks out of his trance to look at the little girl looking up at him with wide eyes.

"You can be whatever you want to be, even a hero." He told her, and he received the biggest smile he had ever seen in return. "Keep riding the lightning." He said, standing up. He clasped the paper tightly in his hand before speeding off. He dropped the paper off at Star Labs safely before arriving at the warehouse the team had tracked The Trickster to. He burst through the door, grabbed Jesse and sped him to Iron Heights in one fell swoop, ending this strenuous day.

He returned to Star Labs, and flopped onto the bed in the medical bay, passing out almost instantly. He doesn't wake up until hours later, when Caitlin is gently nudging him back into consciousness. It takes a moment for his vision to fully set in, and the aching in his body immediately makes itself known. He lets out a groan as she shifts, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Cait, what time is it?" He asks blearily.

"Eight." She informs him. "I let you sleep awhile, figured you needed it after the day you had."

"Thank you." He smiled gratefully. "Did anything else happen?"

"No, it was quiet."

He nods, running his hands over his face, feeling the heat from the side he was laying on. "You should go home, get some rest. I can lock up." He tells her, and she gives him an unsure look. "Go, I got this." He ushers her, comically waving his hands at her to shoo. She lets out a laugh and gives a thank you before she grabs her things and leaves.