Return of a Speedster

The Return (Part Two)

20 Miles Outside of Central City

As the heavily armoured convoy approaches the outskirts of the city, a message is sent on the emergency frequency.

Radio RoboVoice:
Weather bulletin. The National Weather Service station in Central City has issued a Tornado Watch for the greater Central City area. Residents are advised to seek shelter immediately....

Outside the armoured vehicles, the winds pick up intensely as the sky turns a devilishly dark gray black color.

The pilots of the Black Hawks start to become wary. But, after a few strong words and an inspiring speech from their commander, their nerves are calmed and their resolve restored as they soldier on and brace themselves against the turbulent and strong winds.

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Meanwhile, in a dimension from our own--in a space that is void of time--, the lone speedster thrashes against the intangible and invisible walls of his prison of pure energy. He draws on this energy as a last ditch effort to escape and to once again be a part of reality.

He draws on his connection with the one he loves most, and he lashes out creating a breach large enough for the energy to flow out of this dimension and toward his home world. He hopes that this flow of energy will carry him out with it. But, instead, the rest of the dimension reels back, threatening to either permanently trap him or erase him from existence--giving him a new definition of the word pain. He wills himself through the breach, and he catches sight of a line of heavily armoured vehicles rapidly approaching the city that him and his mentor have spent a majority of their lives protecting. Inside the second APC, he feels a strong connection to one of it's occupants.

Artemis! His mind shouts.

Against the agonizing pain, he uses all of his strength to get the attention of that convoy. He throws lightening at in order to get them to stop.

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As the convoy enters the city, they are greated by the sound of sirens announcing the storm's increased intensity as the armoured clad vehicles climb the on-ramp for an elevated expressway. This road will literally sling shot the convoy around the congested city center and deposit them at the doorstep of S.T.A.R. Labs.

But they will never make it.

For a soon as they enter the expressway, bolts of lightening strike the pavement on all sides of the convoy. The drivers are now forced to dodge both the bolts and the few motorists foolish enough to be on this expressway. The gunners dismount--due to both nausea and fear of being struck by lightening.

"I didn't sign up for this s#!$!!" one of the 'hawk gunnies exclaims, as he is pulled into a seat in the tightly packed helicopter.

One of the helicopters is struck and is forced to land roughly in a nearby field.

"Sir! Hawk two is down, and rest are breaking off!" Director Disakvo's second in command informs him.

"Tell them keep on us, and follow at a safe distance," the Director replies sternly.

Just then, a bolt of yellow lightening strikes right in front of one of these foolish motorists; this causes him to stop short and get rear-ended by the lead state trooper. This, in turn, causes a chain reaction. First, the lead Humvie overtakes the patrol car. The second Humvie swerves around the mess, but overturns and spins out. This causes the lead APC to attempt to dodge the skidding Humvie. But due to the high winds and slick road, when it overturns it flips over several times before grinding to a stop.

Since this all occurred in a matter of seconds, the driver of the second APC--carrying Director Disakvo, Artemis, and their compatriots--barely has time to hit the brakes and shout some obscenities as the twelve ton piece of military hardware slams into the base of the other, with a bone crushing crunch and a loud bang.

The rest of the convoy stops. And the Marines hastily offload to aid the injured and pry open the flipped APC. As they exit their respective vehicles, the rear hatch of the second APC is opened, and the Director steps out to assess the situation.

But, just as he is about to shout out orders to the Marines, something miraculous happens. For in that moment, a large bolt of yellow lightening strikes right in front of him--knocking him back. What he sees next is the thing that he has been hunting down for the past week. Well, not something but someone.

For standing there in front of him, suspended in midair, is a young man clad in a yellow and red lightening clad costume. The Director immediately recognizes him as Wally West. A.K.A. Kid Flash. The two lock eyes.

In that same moment, Artemis manages to crawl out of the wrecked APC, and leans against it for support. What she sees shocks her. The man she loves is now suspended in midair in front of her, and he reels back in pain. His screams break her out of her state of shock. She doesn't wait for Dir. Disakvo to tell her what to do, but he tells her anyway.

"Artemis! Grab him!" he shouts.

Without hesitation, she lunges toward her love and latches on to his outstretched hand. She pulls on his arm with all of her strength, but it is not enough. Not wanting to let him get away this time, Col. Tyler Disakvo orders the Marines to help him as he grabs Artemis's other hand and begins to pull.

As they formed a human chain, the sky above them begins to contort, twist, and spin. A radio in the stopped van of a storm chaser reports a Tornado Warning as it's occupant calls in the sight of a massive outstretching funnel cloud forming above them. It is at least a mile across. He then runs over to help the ever growing chain of Marines, police officers, and bystanders, as his van is lifted of the ground, and the section of bridge in front of it gives way.

Hell, he thinks. If I'm going to die, I might as well do it while trying to save someone else.

As they are pulling, the winds kick up dust. Toss cars. Fling the helicopters around. And even manage to push the remaining APC off the expressway.

With their combined strength, they are able to free the trapped speedster. The line of people fall on top of each other, with Wally landing right on top of Artemis. The two lovers slowly getup and kneel down in front of each other. They burst into tears and lock their lips in an overdue passionate kiss. The crowd around them cheers, as the storm around them begins to dissipate. The clouds break away to form a bright sunny morning sky.

The couple remains intertwined even as the convoy's reinforcements arrive, with a bridging unit--which then bridges the gap between the inbound and outbound lanes. Eventually, the Director breaks them apart as he ushers them into an APC. He tells them that there will be time for romance later. But, for now, they shall continue their journey.

And with that, the fallen hero has returned home. And the convoy continues on to S.T.A.R. Labs.