Issue 15: "Funeral for a Friend"

[Darkseid Is]

The Flash
Issue 15: "Rogue State Epilogue: Funeral for a Friend"
Written by Sebastian Gutierrez
Cover by Craig Cermak
Edited by Immanuel Coke

[Darkseid Is]

The bell rang, and the students reentered the school from recess. Soon, the playground was empty. A man sat outside on a bench. He sighed, and stood up. He strolled down the street, and seemed to speak to nobody. “I know you’re there.”

A man appeared in a cloud of smoke. “Hello Roscoe. I guess you’ll be present at the event this afternoon, am I right?”

“I was watching the kids, there. You know, I was in high school when they left me in a vegetative state. I mean, I could have been in university, top of the class in Harvard, but they were afraid. They were always afraid of me. Afraid of a kid of fourteen, for God’s sake!”

“You aren’t talking like you usually do.”

“Well, I’m not feeling super today. Mood swings again, I think. Woke up nostalgic. Visited my folk’s house, but couldn’t enter. I loved them, I really did, but they were always a pain.” The villain known as Top stopped and looked at his companion. “Are you sure this is okay? Of course I still hate the Flash. But he is doing a pretty decent job in this city. I don’t know if I could do the same. They would be scared again.”

“I see you won’t take part in the event. And I understand. You take your time, Roscoe Dillon. I know you’re smart and will side with us in the end.”

“Maybe.” Roscoe answered, but the man was gone. He continued talking. “I wonder… What would I do if I were the hero?”

[Darkseid Is]

Cemetery,

They walked down the cemetery, the five of them. Trickster, in the front, carrying two suitcases. Behind him, Captain Boomerang was doing the same. And in the back, there was the Weather Wizard, escorting a trembling and mournful Golden Glider. They stopped at the grave, filled with flowers and candles and notes. The name read “Jay Garrick”.

“It’s in here?” asked Digger Harkness wiping the sweat from his face.

“Yes, it is. Our benefactor did everything he could to make this thing a private place. He’s somebody very concerned with our plan succeeding.” Said James Jesse, putting down the suitcases he carried.

“Are you sure that Heatwave had to leave and do that right now? I mean, look, we may not be best buddies and all, but they were co-workers, and Cold was the one who united us. They deserve some respect.” said the Weather Wizard. In fact, he wouldn’t mind Heatwave missing the funeral, but he tried to look as concerned as he could for Golden Glider.

“Walk towards the grave and stay there. Ok, everyone ready? Here it goes.”

The Trickster pressed a button in his belt. Everything melted away, and a new graveyard, a twisted version of the first appeared before them. There were graves, but there were also machines the size of skyscrapers. People filled the area, most of them with colorful costumes.

Jesse James stepped on a platform, and spoke through a microphone. They all directed their attention to him. “Excuse me, my dear friends. The ceremony is about to begin.” He cleared his throat, and continued. “We are here to commemorate the passing away of two of our most beloved companions in the fight against the speedster that haunts us. The fact that their bodies have been taken away to God knows where, is just a punch below the belt from the police. Scudder, Mirror Master to all of you; a companion, a weird guy to tell the truth, one who you could trust. Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold, guided us through hard times, and always pointed out our weaknesses and our strengths. But let’s stop lying. They were “criminals”, as we are. But criminals too have to learn to take care of each other. If not, then we are doomed to perish, and stay in oblivion. If we unite…” Trickster stopped for dramatic effect. “…we will be remembered forever. We can take down the Flash, and we can rule the city!”

“Why don’t you talk about that guy who died in the explosion? What about him?” shouted a rainbow colored guy. Trickster drew out a gun and shot him with acid in the knee. His costume started to burn and melt, and his skin started to sizzle and blister.

“Rainbow Raider, please be quiet. There will be time in the end for talk. Some Q and A of sorts, if you like, but I’m talking now, and you should shut up! Yes, Mr. Eel’s death is remembered, in fact, over there is his grave. But yes, he is already falling into oblivion, and soon will be forgotten. He was a villain with no aspirations. There is no legacy. I mean, look at you, Roy B. Giv. Dr. Spectro was a lousy one hit wonder villain, but he took his time to at least leave some sort of property.” The mention of the color themed villain started a murmur in the crowd. He had simply vanished before the Crisis, after his plan to blow the Flash to pieces failed. Rumors said he had reformed. Others said he had died. Nobody knew, and the idea of just vanishing made some of them uncomfortable, which was what the Trickster had planned. “And if we want to be remembered, today is the day to start acting. The machinations of a war of proportions never known to the twin cities have started. The wheels and the clogs are spinning. We have the numbers, the power and the FUTURE in our sides! Mayhem is imminent! So that’s why, today, I ask everyone of you, regardless of level and power, to join us in this mission. The fall of the Flash. The creation of a Rogue State, under our rule!” The villains screamed his name. He felt how he imagined a King would feel. A God.

[Darkseid Is]

The Dillon residence,

There were many different ways of persuasion, and Heatwave, pyromaniac and arsonist knew lots of hideous ones. He had a mission that day, handed to him by the Boss himself, an hour or so ago. It was a simple one, but the resolution of it could change the tide of the war, even if it hadn’t started, and even if one of the sides was uninformed of that event, unknown that the idea was being initialized already.

He broke a window and entered the mansion. Ornaments, statues, pieces of arts, books, and etc. filled the place. Mick felt really good at the sight, the more beautiful things were, the better they burned. It was almost lyrical to him. Heatwave checked the house, and seeing that the residents were not present, he sat down in one of the chairs and poured some wine in a glass. Half an hour later, a noise came from the entrance, and a couple entered the house. Heatwave stood up and pointed at them with the gun. “Oh, hello. Look, this is completely not personal, and they told me to be polite and quick in this… tragedy. Now, I don’t want to keep you waiting. So, Mr. and Mrs. Dillon, please, burn.”

[Darkseid Is]

Lab,

“So, how many did you got?” asked a man with kaleidoscopic glasses to Trickster. He had on a white coat, stained and burnt in places. A scientist.

“Oh, almost all of them. You got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, here.” The scientist handed a little cube and a paper to the Rogue, and turned his back.

The Trickster moved in front of him. “Oh, c’mon Prof. You started with the Flash, didn’t you? Why don’t you join us too, build some robots, I don’t know, something like that. The Boss would be happy.”

The scientist kept walking, evading Trickster. “Pfft. I can see the future, remember? I know things, and siding with you wouldn’t be smart. Besides, I have things to do. Art to make.”

“What are you saying Morrow, that we will lose?”

“It’s not about losing or winning. Luck, Jesse.” And with that, he left.

[Darkseid Is]

Cemetery,

The Trickster stood on the podium again. With a wave of his hand, the crow went silent. He motioned two of them to move forwards. “Viper, Razorback, come. You have shown yourselves reliable, so come. Boomerang, please.” Boomerang mumbled something, and then opened the suitcase he carried. Inside, there were two different guns, property of the deceased Captain Cold and Mirror Master. He handed the weapons to them. “The war is near, but today we need to tell the world that they won’t be able to forget us. We will hand out this, and you will be able to do with yours what you please. Kill if you want, today is a special day. Only one rule. No one touches the Flash. Got it? If any one of you goes and attacks him, I personally will wear your ears on a necklace for a day. Not kidding.”

[Darkseid Is]

Keystone,

Barry Allen stayed at home that day. His wife had gone to meet his old friend Mota, but she wouldn’t tell him why. So, he after she had left, he ran and bought a surprise for her. The crib she had seen a week ago in a store, but that she wouldn’t buy because of the price (“Not even a superhero could buy something that expensive, not in their right minds, of course.”) was already assembled in what until two months ago had been a spare room. Of course, he had also thought the price was exorbitantly high, but during a JLA meeting, something had happened.

“I heard Iris was pregnant.” He said.

“Oh, yeah. Six months pregnant. You are invited to visit anytime, of course. It… It feels nice, really.”

“Good.” He said, but still with the same tone and expression as always. It could creep you out sometimes, Barry thought. “Look… This is something for the baby.” Barry could see that this was hard for the caped crusader. He handed him a folder.

“Look, it’s not necessary. I…”

“I want to. I wish your family well, Barry. Good luck.” And with that, Batman withdrew quickly. When Barry opened the gift, after a momentary surprise, he laughed. Batman had given him money. A lot of money. In cash.

Now, after that event, which was one of his weirdest experiences, money was not a problem. They could buy the finest stuff and go to the best places in the world, without worrying about it. He pressed his ring, and went out for a run. He needed to blow out some of the extra energy he had felt for the last months of Iris’ pregnancy. He bought some clothes for Iris in Paris, since most of her clothes wouldn’t fit her anymore. He was thinking where to go next, when his watch started to ring. There was an emergency in both Keystone and Central City. Without hesitation, he returned in a blink.

The Flash stopped a patrol and questioned the officers in there about the events happening in the cities. One of them answered. “Well, it’s all kinds of things, from vandalism to murders. We’ve more than 20 reported cases of people with special weapons.”

“And that’s the real problem.” The other cop continued. “These weapons seem to be the very same guns that Captain Cold and the Mirror Master used. Someone must’ve sold them, or something like that.”

“I feared this. Call the station, tell the- forget it, I’ll tell them myself.” The Flash disappeared. He raced around the city, and finally arrived at the police station. There, officers Chyre and Morillo were waiting.

[Darkseid Is]

The home of the Elongated Man,

The room was dark, with only a single light turned on. Ralph Dibny was investigating Barry’s case when his wife, Sue, entered with a tray carrying sandwiches and milk.

Ralph stretched his hand and grabbed the tray without turning from his work. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“You know I don’t like it when you miss breakfast.” Said Sue, crossing her arms. “So what case are you working on now? The Case of the Missing Bullet?”

“Huh? No, I’ve already finished that. It appears that the bullet bounced and left the body from a knife wound he had in his back. Weird, but not even in the top fifty of the strangest case I’ve had. I’m working on the frozen case.”

Sue grabbed some papers and photos laying in the desk. “What are these?”

Dibny moved one of his eyeballs to the papers Sue had. “Oh, those are the papers from the radiation levels of Cold’s gun. Medical papers from both the Mirror Master and Cold, and the photos of the autopsy. Funny thing, they had to do it in a storage room, in a minus ten degrees Celsius. They found the insides, although slightly melted, the same way a living being has them. Is amazing. You see, Cold’s ray is not a vapor of coldness, nor a beam of cold, or something like that. In fact, is extremely hot. You see, the beam, what it does, is to absorb the heat and energy from around it, and from the objects it touches, reducing it to the absolute zero. Normally, he only froze the surroundings of a person or thing, causing in the worst cases, a bad case of pneumonia, but once in a while he could freeze a person. Scientists are examining the possibilities to turn every cell in the body to water, and then to freeze it. It’s very complicated, but it is possible with a… Sorry, I must be boring you, aren’t I?”
“What? No, of course no. I love it when you get so involved in your work. It’s kind of funny.” She leaves the paper in the desk. “So, did they check if Scudder’s appendix was removed?”

“What?”

“Yes, here it says that Scudder, whoever it is from these two, had his appendix removed in Iron Heights after being imprisoned by the Flash.”

“Of course! I need to leave, fast. If what I’m thinking is correct…” Ralph stood up, and started putting on his suit. He ran to the stairs, then went back, kissed Sue, and again headed the stairs.

[Darkseid Is]

Keystone,

The Flash drew little dots all over a map of the twin cities. Finally, he turned around and started explaining the plan to the officers. “Ok, I’ve checked out the city. For all I know, there are five mayor concerns. Fortunately, not one of the Rogues in present, but it is obvious this has been performed by one, if not all, of them.”

“Why?” asked Chyre.

“To “honor” their dead, I guess. If the occasion would have been different, they would resort only to mindless violence, if that’s what the plan required, but they’ve also brought the Rogues’ weapons.” said the Flash. “So, there must be a plan. They certainly wouldn’t do all this just for that. We need to bring down most of them, and fast, before they fade out. I need three groups of policemen to surround the remains of the “Golden Flash Park”, one to handle the kidnapping at the Keystone First City Bank, and one to stop Murmur. I’ll handle the rest of them. Questions?”

“Yeah.” said Chyre. “Wouldn’t it be better to use more police force? I mean, only three squads? We can handle all the other things too!”

“Stop it Chyre.” said Morillo. “He said five major concerns. So, I think the rest of the force has to patrol around and stop the minor occurrences. Right?”

“Right. Also, we need to evacuate and control the crowds. There are fires scattered all along the suburbs, and almost all of the fourth and seventh street are in flames. We need to act fast. Also, if you spot any of the Rogues, call me.” He dropped the marker, and headed to the exit. “Good luck, everybody. We will need it.”

[Darkseid Is]

The Dillon residence,

Roscoe Dillon walked through the remains of a charred mansion. Black smoke still rose slowly, lingering to the sky. The columns and supports were destroyed, and in some places, a reddish glow still was seen. He walked, almost unconsciously, to where the library, the place were most of his “normal” life had happened, stood before the fire. He was in a shock, he thought he could be in one of those violent dreams he had as a boy. Dreams, not nightmares, because he, as hard to accept as it was, had enjoyed them plenty. He bent down and grabbed a twisted piece of metal, which could have been part of the chandelier or something else, when he heard a noise behind him. There, stood a man in an asbestos suit, flames dancing around his suit, two big green goggles as eyes. He carried a long, rifle-like weapon.

“G-Guy Montague?”

“Huh? No. Name’s Heatwave. The Boss sent me here, y’see, he won’t tolerate disobedience.”

“He killed my parents because I missed that stupid funeral!” Roscoe shouted, then stared at Heatwave for a few seconds, and stood up. He took of a long coat he was wearing, exposing his green and yellow suit. “If your ’umble Dillon disobeys that bloody moustache of a guy, what will he do now, huh? He just killed my parents! That murderer just released me! I’m unchained! Free!”

Heatwave took a step back. The man in front of him was looking crazier by the second. His eyes stared, penetrating but blankly, almost like a vacuum. His smile had turned into a grotesque smirk. “Yeah, he also added that he would bomb that place where he found you in the morning. Sentimental place, I guess?”

“You… you idiotic, mindless dog! I shall… shall…” The Top, threw the scrap of metal at the villain, but before it could make contact, it disappeared.

[Darkseid Is]

Rogue Warehouse,

Weather Wizard handed another tissue box to Golden Glider. She blew her nose, for the hundredth time or so, and continued her sobbing and crying and whimpering. One succeeding the other, in a loop. The Rogue curled her in his arms, and started whispering. “Shhh… Shhh… It’ll all be alright, we.. you will get your revenge. You…”

“Will you please shut up! *Sob*… You people just… just… just talk about revenge, and killing and *sob* and death… But no matter what, it won’t return my brother from the gr-*sob*-grave.”

“I know, you see, I had I brother too, and I loved him, no matter what everyone else said, even the jury, I loved him. But it leaves a hole. I know how it feels. And you know what helped me?” Glider looked up to him. “The Rogues. They saw my potential and swept me from the streets. Cleaned me, trained me. And revenge, it may not fill you whole, but it helps.”

She wiped her tears and blew her nose one more time. “You will help me, right? You *sob*… You will do whatever I tell you to get that spee-*sob*-dster back, right? Right?”

He nodded.

[Darkseid Is]

Keystone,


“Surrender! Now!”

“We are not the bad guys here! We’re avenging ourselves from the society that turned us into these things!”

Flash evaded a hit from a giant steel hand, and slipped in a pool of black oozing liquid. “I hate when the bad guys start crying and start pointing fingers.” He knew he was playing with fire, but the more time it saved, the better.

“Why, you…” The villain known as Girder threw another punch at the scarlet speedster, but a gust changed the direction and impacted against Tar Pit. “God, get away from me!”

“I can’t!”

The Flash opened a hydrant, and cooled both of his enemies, turning Tar Pit into a black statue surrounding Girder. “Now, you two stay in here, and if I ever know that you two turn into a demolition team again, I’ll disassemble both. Ok?”

A police car stopped, and signaled the Flash to approach them. One of the policemen talked to him. “Flash! There’s been… Two of the groups have joined. Murmur is now aided by a group of delinquents! We need your help!”

“But how…? Of course! The Mirror gun? They must have teleported! Take those guys to Iron Heights, and call for an escort. We can’t risk losing any of them again.” The Flash left, quickly, passing by the fourth and Seventh Street. The fire had been extinct. Strange, given that he had not seen a single fire truck, and that he had not put them out himself. Kid Flash? he thought, and continued on his way. There would be time later to worry.

He arrived at the Flash Museum a second later. There were a dozen of police officers, and even a helicopter circling around in the sky. A mob, armed with clubs, bats and even guns had people taken hostage in the outsides of the building. They were the gang known as the Apokolips Hounds, a group of homeless people that lost their way of life after the invasion a year ago. After talking to one of the officers, he approached slowly, with his hands raised, to the leader of the gang. A practiced routine for him. But the real problem was inside the museum, where Murmur, the serial killer, had been spotted.

“Drop the guns, kids. Let’s talk.”

“Uh? Flash? Whu… We all want is homes for all of us! And money! They forgot us, all of us! They rebuilt the city, but left our part untouched!”

“That’s not true.” Sadly, it was. The money shortened out, and the city council had to leave the constructions as they were. Even with the charity funds for the invasion, it just couldn’t support everything. Besides, it was known that the gang had left their dreams, and just used them as an excuse for violence. “Let’s talk.”

“Like hell we will talk.” He shot his gun at the speedster, who easily dodged the bullet. The gang members switched their attention to their hostages, who now where safely placed with the police.

“Now, can we talk?” The Flash asked, one more time.

“What is it?” The apparent gang leader asked.

“We need you to tell your people to stop this. They will end up in jail, but it will evade useless bloodshed. And we may consider shortening your sentence.”

“Can’t do. That’s up to the boss. He decides everything, he is the chosen one. He killed some of those flyin’ demons and has the rod.” The gang member had planned to continue speaking while he thought of a plan to get out of there, but ended up interrupted when a body crashed through a window of the museum and landed on top of a car. It was Murmur.

“Well, well, welllll. If you aren’t the most educated and thoughtful little punky brat, I’ve ever seen. You’re missing the “slang”, you piece of garbage, you.” said a man standing on top of the Flash statue. “Oh, hello Flash. Well, let’s start spinning, people.”

Flash looked around as every person in sight fell down to the floor. They looked white as paper, and some of them even green. Some threw up, and the rest just lay still. The Top spun, acting as some kind of helicopter, and landed safely. He looked like he had been crying.

“Top, you… What have you done?”

“What, me? Nothing. Well, knocked them out, I think. Made them dizzy in their tummies, and crazy on their heads, at least for a while. A big spinning, I must say. But I’m not here to receive generous praises, and a bed of roses and laurels. No, those rewards are for later, but first I’m here to talk. I’m afraid, Flash. Afraid of myself. I have these powers, but you know, I still find the same things the same way that ten years ago. I still love reading, and oh, the school is still there… Memories now. Right now, I can’t be with the nymphets I long for without becoming a repugnant monster.” He laughed at this, for no particular reason. “The spinning has started again. The ebb. The switcheroo. I can see things I know I’m not supposed to in my mind. The future is here, and the past. And is stronger than ever. The choir is back, and so are the trombones and the trumpets and the violins. It’s like a cacophony, no, more like an epiphany. Yes, that’s it. An auto-in-out of the mind, if you know what I mean.”

The Flash got near his opponent carefully, watching for the slightest hint of betrayal. “What can I do for you, Top?”

Roscoe continued as if the Flash hadn’t spoken with him. “I really love this chintzy place, and the lethargy in the unnerving air is something I can surely fix. I took care of the fire, and of the other group or gang or whatever, and the else, and the clown, and the barmen… But I think I’m a goner now. Inescapable faith. Sorry, Barry. Yeah, Barry, I know the name. Just one more thing. Your kid will be really fast. You should watch him carefully. Heh.” The Top made a salute, and disappeared after punching the Flash in nose.

[Darkseid Is]

The Future,

John Fox, the speedster, was strapped to a machine. He was beaten and covered in blood. He could no longer feel the Speed Force in his body, and the tubes and syringes stuck in his body contributed to the feeling of helplessness. He tried one more time to wriggle, to move, but couldn’t. After what seemed ages, his enemy entered the room, with his cane, top hat and perfect tuxedo and cape. He took out a wand he had in his back pocket, and with a single movement, lit the place up. Everything was filled with machines.

“Time to go, John. To the land of the Flashes.”

“You won’t succeed. Barry, Wally and Jay are part of the most recognized and skilled speedsters in history. You may defeat me, but your sophisticated technology won’t help you against them!”

“Oh, I love it when they tell me I’ll fail because it just makes me want to do it even more!” He moved the lever and pulled down the switch. “Oh, and what if I tell you I have everything planned for an all out war in the twenty first century, and that Jay and Wally won’t be interfering with my plan?”

“There’ll be others.”

“Oh, I doubt it, but now, now it is time to leave. Abra Kadabra!”

[Darkseid Is]

To Be Continued!

[Darkseid Is]

Backup Feature

Mota ran at the being in front of him, but in a blink all changed. He wasn’t in the Ocean anymore, but in a cold glacier somewhere. He looked everywhere for Iris or his captors, but they were nowhere to be seen. His speed… he should check them closely after this was all finished, but he needed Iris, or else his story would go unnoticed. Checking his surroundings, he noticed he felt warm instead of cold, even though he only wore his usual lab uniform. He could feel his skin tingling. He focused, and soon caught a trace heading south… Energy, that he could now read like a book! “Good Lord, this is even better than I could have foreseen!”

He raced at incredible speeds, and soon caught up with the titan, but before he could do anything, a fist knocked him down. When he looked up, he was obviously somewhere in Africa, as there were lions approaching him. He went right through them, and continued his pursue. “Come on, show yourself! Who are you? What is it that you want with the woman?”

A voice from nowhere responded him. “I am Lord Savitar, and my reasons are none of your concern. My power is vast. You better leave now, or else you invite the wrath of the God of Motion.”

The professor threw his hands in to the air, and grabbed something, as he could slowly see the person materializing from thin air. Fists flew and before Mota could react, he had been dragged to what seemed to be a park in some kind of city. Hits showered the professor, when blasts of energy sent his attacker crashing through a stand. The surprise wore off quickly, and the battle continued. They never fought in one place for too long, always ending up somewhere else. They battled in Paris, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Sydney, and in numerous deserts, forests and mountains. Windows all over the world exploded, people with faint hearts died, and entire cities caught on fire as they passed all over the world, for this seemingly endless struggle had only started mere seconds ago.

Finally, back in America, Savitar managed to bring his foe to his knees, and prepared to deliver the final blow. “It’s a shame I didn’t have the time to kill you properly but the Master’s orders take precedence

Savitar kicked Mota full in the face, and the old professor’s head apparently vanished by the force of the impact. But soon it appeared to grow again, and in less than a minute, he was as good as new. The scientist stood up, cleaned his coat, and grabbed a surprised Savitar by the neck. “I am not just powerful, my friend. I can feel everything, sense everything! My senses can detect anything, and molecules and atoms that so confound the master’s minds of this world are nothing to me! I have gone beyond everything! I am Power itself!”

“By the Wings of Mercury!” Savitar thought. “This has gone on far too long. I can not risk myself anymore for the woman!”

Mota started glowing a sickly green, and his hands went ablaze with nuclear flame. He punched his foe and then he blasted his enemy away, leaving just a crater and smoke where he had been.

[Darkseid Is]

In the realm of Nonalin, Savitar lay prostrate before his Master.

“You have disappointed me again Savitar. It was a simple mission; abduct the woman so we can lure the thief back here. I see you can’t be counted on for these simple tasks. Very well, it seems I will have to pay the so-called Fastest Man Alive a visit” said the glowing blue figure.

Mota's Lab,
Iris stirred on charred floor of the dismal lab. The last thing she remembered was a bolt of lightning striking her in her chest. But her clothes weren’t at all singed. She could feel lightning coursing through her body and her blood grew cold.
SHe ran out of the warehouse screaming, "My baby!"


To Be Continued!

[mockingbird]

To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!