Superflash:Collison Course (Volume 2)

Chapter 23: Reckless Emotions

After seeing to Kara getting settled in with Clark and Alura in the Fortress, Barry and Cisco returned to Central City. While Cisco headed for the Cortex, Barry made his way to the Speed Lab with the hope that the frustration he was hiding would lessen with a run. He had told Caitlin that helping Kara at Star Labs was impossible. He had told Clark that if he remained at the Fortress it would only disrupt Kara’s recovery. But knowing those facts and accepting them were two very different revelations. As Barry lost himself in his powers, he didn’t realize that he was running even faster than he ever had. Seconds passed him by while he thought about his life up until this point.

As he continued his run, Kara was at the forefront of his mind. Barry knew the speed lab by instinct and could run it with his eyes closed. In one split second he blinked and failed to notice the breach opening up. With his momentum propelling him forward, Barry sped through the portal before he could stop himself. On the other side of the breach, the hero’s foot hit a large rock, knocking him off balance and sending him careening through the air before landing face first in the dirt. He slid a few feet as his kinetic energy abated.

Right as the breach opened a woman was flying overhead and quickly glanced down to see the man in the red suit emerge before face planting in the land below her. She had been through enough alien invasions and attacks recently to last two lifetimes. While the man seemed to be injured, she wasn’t taking any chances and landed, but kept her guard up.

Barry was slowly coming to after his hard landing and began crawling forward. After a few paces across the dirt with his hands he grabbed hold of something that felt far different than the rocky terrain. As he lifted his head, he found himself holding onto a pair of blue boots and as his eyes traveled further upward, he saw a white body suit, a red cape and a very annoyed looking blonde that bore a striking resemblance to his wife.

“Easy there, red. You might want to take your hands off my boots and get up, slowly.”

The inflection in the woman’s voice left Barry little room for doubt that she meant business. Still reeling from his landing, he got to his feet but not without difficulty. As his equilibrium returned he could really take in the woman standing before him. To his eyes she still looked a lot like his Kara, but also older, more world weary.

“Kara…?”

“Nuh-uh. You don’t get to ask the questions. First thing, you tell me who you are, and then we’ll get to the how and why you know my name.”

Knowing that the only way he could get his questions answered was to answer hers first, Barry began to speak. He also figured the best way to explain everything was to start at the moment he became the hero.

“Three years ago I was working in my lab the night of the particle accelerator explosion. A bolt of lightning shattered the glass of my window and dispersed multiple chemicals all over my body. I was in a coma for nine months when…”

“Spare me the long drawn out tale. Just tell me who you are.”

“I’m the Flash.”

“The who; now?”

“You’ve never heard of me?”

“Can’t say that I have, why the Flash? You do realize how that name sounds right?”

Barry let out an exasperated sigh; Kara had told him how Ms. Grant had questioned his superhero name in the exact same manner. Knowing that the process would move quicker, he pulled his mask off and revealed his face.