Impulse {The Flash/Arrow}

Five

Lighting continuously sparked on the long runway as the three speedsters raced back and forth. I'd lost count of how many laps they'd done thus far, and I hadn't attempted to start another tally. Despite the difficulty of comprehending how fast they were running, it was enchanting to watch. Wally wasn't able to keep up with Bart and Barry that well, but I could see that he was trying his hardest to keep up with the more experienced speedsters. Every once in awhile, I could hear Bart's laughter as he tried to beat his unknowing grandfather, and I caught every other word of what sounded suspiciously like playful threats of beating him. Barry's laughter coincided with Bart's, and it was heartwarming to hear. It was really the only thing keeping me out in the bitter cold for so long.

After we'd finished work at the precinct, Barry and I went to S.T.A.R. Labs to see how Bart's and Wally's training and testing had been going. Cisco filled us in that Wally was barely registering at a Mach 1 as his top speed while Bart was now pushing Mach 11. Caitlin hadn't come up with a way to slow down Bart's metabolism, and it was still worrying me deeply. We had gotten Bart to explain it to all of us so that we all could put our heads together to try and fix him, but we still hadn't come up with anything. I wasn't sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if it were real, but I felt as if I could actually see him aging at an accelerated rate. Barry assured me that what I was seeing was completely fabricated, but it was hard for me to unsee him like that. Since he really was my grandson, the last thing I wanted for him was to see him age so fast that he ends up dying before he's even born. That hurt my head on millions of different levels, so I chose to distract myself by doing anything I could to help the situation.

We spent around two hours in S.T.A.R. Labs before coming out to the airstrip. Wally and Bart had been complaining about being cooped up in the lab all day, and Cisco thought that it would be more productive for them to run laps on the airstrip in order to stretch their legs and to give them a chance to get some fresh air. Despite my protests of wanting to retain my personal body heater, Barry eagerly joined in with the two boys, saying that it'd be good for him to run some drills in order to keep his speed up. From the outside, it might have seem like a move to make him look better against the younger, more inexperienced speedsters, but that was quickly diminished once Bart started to pull ahead of him. They'd both been pushing to beat one another for the past thirty minutes while I'd been shivering in my seat. I had a blanket wrapped around my legs and a heavy jacket over one of Barry's sweaters, but it still wasn't enough to keep winter's bitter chill from my skin.

Wally came to a halting stop in front of the table Cisco, Caitlin and I were sat behind. He put his hands on his knees as he doubled over to catch his breath. "I'm out." He stated, completely breathless.

I smiled sympathetically at him. "You did good for your first day, Wally." I assured him, seeing him smile slightly.

Cisco nodded in agreement. "It's true. You're running faster than we thought you would have, and with enough training and practice, you'll be able to keep up with Bart and Barry without breaking a sweat."

He smirked. "Do you think I'll ever be able to beat them?"

Bart stopped suddenly, smiling up at Wally. "He said you'd be able to keep up with us." He stated. "He didn't say he could work miracles."

Wally rolled his eyes with a smile before taking Bart into a headlock. Barry stopped running just as Wally began ruffling Bart's hair, and he beamed at the two boys. "You aren't as tough as you think you are, kid." Wally teased.

Bart wiggled out of his grip, and Barry walked around to where I was sitting, plopping down on the ground next to me as he put his head on my thigh. I gently played with his hair as he caught his breath, keeping my eyes on Bart and Wally. "I could take you any day of the week." Bart challenged.