Saving a hero

Chapter 1

Absently playing with his pencil between his fingers, Barry couldn't be less interested about the Meta human conference that was about to get started. After being on a sabbatical for 6 months, as far as Singh knew, his boss wanted him to go get a little refresher class on genetic characteristics specific to the people who were changed by the famous explosion. If only his boss knew just how much time he's been spending chasing down these people outside of his official work time, he probably wasn't going to learn a single thing today during that training course. What was taking so long for the conference to start anyway? The room that got rented in the Central City Conference Center was filled with almost fifty people, all sitting behind many long tables placed one behind the other.

Looking down at his watch with annoyance for the 10th time in a row in the last couple of minutes, Barry started unconsciously wishing that there was any criminal activity going on right now. Not that he wanted something bad to happen to anyone or have some honest citizen getting robbed, the hero just needed to excuse to take a quick bathroom pause and get out there. He needed to stretch his legs.

What was the famous idiom? Be careful what you wish for? A phrase Barry should've remembered...

When the wrinkled scientist stepped on the stage, he wasn't alone, it was with a tall man, at least 6'4 tall, harshly pushing him behind. The scientist's dread for his own life was more than obvious and it instantly had everyone's anxiety rising up to the roof. There was no blaming the crowd for their fear since the vast majority of the men and women in the room were civilian scientists, people with no fighting training whatsoever. Some of them tried reaching out for their phone, but got stopped as the man on the stage loudly cleared his throat.

''Unless you don't mind having the floor and the ceiling around you get evaporated and come crashing down on you all, I suggest you restrain yourself from calling the cops. '' He threatened, pressing whatever he had, probably a gun, against his hostage.

So, not rest for the fighters apparently. Once he made a quick scan around to make sure nobody was looking at him, Barry took off running. Not that he really needed to look around, why would anyone be checking him out with was happening on the stage? In a matter of seconds, Barry managed to go get his suit and run the stage, taking control. Under the quick punch that connected with his jaw, the criminal got quickly sent on the ground while his scientist hostage was already running away to safety.

''You guys truly didn't hear about me coming back?'' Taunted Flash, rising the tall man back on his feet.

''Oh no, we were expecting you. Not this fast, but we were counting on you to show up.'' Instantly said the man, a smirk on his face.

Wait, did he just say we?

''If you try anything, Flash, I have someone waiting in the backstage who's ready to do some pretty bad damages in there. You wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, wouldn't you? ''

Barry's clenched his teeth together, there just had to be a way out of this without hurting anyone.

***FLASHFLASHFLASH***

It was with a pit in his stomach of unknown origin that Joe walked inside the police precinct. Something was wrong, really wrong; he could feel it in his gusts. Except, Joe couldn't put his fingers on what exactly was making him feel that way. Before even entering the building, he had already called his daughter to make sure she was ok considering that the last time he had this feel it was when her appendix busted. But, it couldn't be it since she confirmed everything was fine and that she was relaxing alone at home. So, what else?

The instant he put a foot out of the elevator, his feeling that something bad was happening somewhere got confirmed as uniforms were running everywhere, arming and preparing themselves before rushing toward the exit door.