Sentry

Chapter 3

METROPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER - DAY

 A small smattering of applause, as PROFESSOR FESER walks to apodium. A digital banner on a screen behind him reads METROPOLIS FORENSICS EXAMINER SEMINAR.Feser addresses a sparse crowd which is equal partsplainclothes BEAT COPS in MPD sweats and jumpsuits and morebookish MEDICAL EXAMINERS.
FESER"Thank you. And greetings from Keystone, your sister city 300 miles to the west. Uh... this is rather embarrassing but I'm afraid my research assistant is runninglate with my lecture notes. So, why don't we start with some questions?"
BEAT COP 1"Keystone, ain't that where The Flash is from?"
FESER"The Flash is a hoax, gentlemen. As is your flying blue man with the so called Sentry and Gotham's giant bat. It's bored film students with too many special effects programs on their laptops.
MEDICAL EXAMINER 1"What about the Keystone Embassy incident? A dozen terrorists disarmed and knocked unconscious by a mysterious gust of wind?".
FESER"What would Occam's Razor suggest?That the terrorists were foiled by a fortuitous gust of wind, or by a fortuitous gust of wind produced by a supernatural being?"Gloating, Beat Cop 1 stands to his feet and shows Feser live video from his cell phone.
BEAT COP 1"Yeah? Well either that gust of wind just learned how to tie a doubleknot, or your boy Mr. Racer is full of shit."Feser squints to see the cell phone from the stage. From the live footage, we see

KEYSTONE CITY BANK - DAY 

A female NEWSCASTER reports live just outside a bank. Police officers behind her are struggling to untie a group of masked BANK-ROBBERS, who have been tied together by what looks like telephone wire.
NEWSCASTER"... our first solid proof of the existence of the man or woman known only as the Flash. Witnesses claim these men behind me were tied up by what they called, quote, a red and yellow blur, close quo -"VRAM! With a low SONIC BOOM that sounds like an INCEPTION HORN, the Newscaster is nearly BLOWN OVER by just such a red and yellow blur!It blasts through the frame and leaves a HURRICANE FORCE WIND in its wake.
NEWSCASTER "- Sh(BLEEP!) What was that?!"

METROPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER 

A smaller gust of wind blows a tiny hurricane papers and small objects onto the convention center stage.The tiny windstorm is followed momentarily on stage by the appearance of BARRY ALLEN, a devilishly handsome young man in a nice suit.Gym bag in hand, he hustles across stage, hands Feser a stack of index cards.

FESER"Ladies and gentlemen, my late assistant, Mr. Allen. And unfortunately I don't mean late in the forensic pathology sense."A smattering of sarcastic applause. Barry waves to the crowd,smiles confidently.
BARRY ALLEN"Hello, Metropolis."JANICE, (20s, attractive) one of the few medical examiners present paying attention, raises her hand.
JANICE"What about you, Mr. Allen? Do you think the Flash is real?"Barry flirtatiously approaches Janice.
BARRY ALLEN"Please, call me Barry, Ms...?"
JANICE"I'm Janice."Barry sits on the edge of the stage, crosses his legs as he comically pontificates.
BARRY ALLEN"Well, Janice, no, I don't. And I'll tell you why. According to the ladies of the greater metropolitan area, the fastest mover in Keystone City has got two thumbs...(points at himself with his thumbs)... and his name is this guy."More groans than laughs from the crowd. Janice rolls her eyes. Feser pulls Barry up by one ear, drags him off.
FESER"Excuse us, Janice.(violent whisper)Where is my PowerPoint? I left it on the usb by my notes! I told you to bring the whole pile!(off his look)Allen, you did not leave that drive in Keystone..."
BEAT COP 1"They got him! The Flash! On film!On Beat Cop 1's cell phone, we see the same footage of the Newscaster from before, but this time slowed down to a 10th of a frame per second."
NEWSCASTER"Once again, I apologize for my earlier language. Hope the censor caught that. But here again, the first actual footage of The Flash,captured here live moments ago..."As the footage is progressively slowed down, the outline of a man inside the blur becomes just barely visible.He appears to be wearing a red jumpsuit, with a yellow symbol on his chest.Watching from his own phone on-stage, Barry becomes panicked.
BARRY ALLEN"Uh, your usb? No, I got it here somewhere, hold on."On his way off the stage, Barry winks and points at Janice.
BARRY ALLEN"Don't you go anywhere."The instant he's off-stage, another gust of wind blows paper and debris across the platform