totally meta

chapter eight

Henry sat at his small kitchen table, skimming through the newspaper. The headline read: "The Flash: Fact or Fiction?"

The excitement from his recent trial run still buzzed inside him, but seeing it in print was different. It felt... surreal.

"For decades, the Flash has been a beloved character in comic books, movies, and TV shows. The idea of a man moving faster than the speed of light has always been firmly planted in the world of fiction—until now. Yesterday, eyewitnesses at First National Bank claim to have seen what they can only describe as a real-life Flash, a streak of lightning that subdued a robber in the blink of an eye."

Henry smirked. A real-life Flash, he mused. He hadn't expected to see himself compared to a superhero in the newspaper, but there it was.

The article continued, focusing on the witnesses who had seen the event and even those who had recorded it. Some people were skeptical, writing it off as a hoax, while others wondered if something more was happening. But the article didn't stop there—it ventured into questioning whether superspeed could exist outside of comic books.

Henry's eyes skimmed the paragraph mentioning the potential for superspeed in reality. It wasn't a surprise to him, given everything that had happened since the lightning strike. His DNA had been altered; it wasn't a question or mystery to him anymore. He had superspeed—he was the real-life Flash, whether the world wanted to believe it or not.

What did catch his attention, though, was a quote from someone he recognized immediately—Lillian Ice, the CEO of Angelic Industries. Henry already knew that Seven Labs was working with Angelic Industries, and now it seemed like Lillian Ice had decided to weigh in on his existence, albeit indirectly.

He read her quote carefully:

"Theoretically, superspeed could be possible," Ice had said, "but to achieve it, your DNA would have to be altered in such a way that it could handle the electricity required to make it happen. I assure you, we do not work with genetic engineering because of the controversy surrounding such experiments, particularly with the rise of what some are calling 'end-times fears' among certain Christian groups. We cannot confirm the existence of this alleged Flash, but if he does exist, we would like to know what altered his DNA to achieve what people have only seen as science fiction."

Henry narrowed his eyes. He already knew that Angelic Industries was involved with Seven Labs, and that both companies were digging into supernatural phenomena. But this statement hinted at more. It suggested they were looking for something, perhaps even looking for him.

"What altered his DNA..." Henry repeated the phrase in his head. You already know the answer, Ice. It was the lightning strike. But what else are you trying to figure out?

Henry leaned back in his chair, the newspaper still in his hands. There was no mystery for him when it came to how his powers had come about—the lightning strike had been the catalyst, plain and simple. But what bothered him was why Angelic Industries seemed so interested in the details. Were they really just trying to figure out the extent of the damage from the explosion? Or were they hoping to replicate it?

His thoughts returned to Dr. Harris's offer. She had asked him to stay with Seven Labs, not just for observation, but to help with something bigger. And now, with this article, it seemed clear that both Angelic Industries and Seven Labs were much more invested in the meta-human phenomenon than they'd initially let on.

Henry folded the newspaper and set it down on the table. It was becoming more and more obvious that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than he'd originally thought.

Well, he thought, if they're trying to figure out what makes me tick, I'll just have to be one step ahead of them.

Henry stood up, grabbed his jacket, and headed out the door. He had a lot of questions for Dr. Harris—about what they were really up to at Seven Labs, and what Angelic Industries' ultimate goal was. He wasn't sure how much they'd tell him, but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for answers to fall into his lap.

As he left his apartment, his mind buzzed with thoughts of the article and the public's growing interest. He wasn't just a random guy anymore—he was a real-life superhero, and the world was starting to take notice. But with that attention came new challenges.