Post by HoM on Mar 9, 2010 19:45:56 GMT -5
The Flash
Issue Thirty-Eight: “A Trick of the Lens”
Written by Pat Owen
Cover by Dody Eka
Edited by House Of Mystery
That terrible day was full of hardships.
My home turned to ruins.
My father murdered before my eyes.
My daughter lost to me forever.
And my identity made public.
My name is Barry Allen but most also know me as The Flash.
It looks like I may finally get some payback on one of those accounts and I don’t think it’s going to end well. Then again, not much does.
Not for me.
* * * * *
James Jesse always thought he was such a prankster. Dressing up in that colorful getup and putting on those air shoes made him think he was something special, something that was different from any other kid with a joy buzzer.
But he’s kidding himself.
The Trickster is nothing more than just that---a trickster. A guy who gets his kicks from other people’s annoyance. Never was much of a super-villain but I said the same thing when I first met Cold in that ridiculous parka and wearing those 3-D glasses. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned since I’ve been running it’s this.
Never underestimate my enemies no matter how outlandish they may appear.
But I did…and it cost me. Trickster went onto the primetime news and told the whole world my secret identity. And that has had major repercussions. I lost my job as a police scientist in Keystone and I was kicked out of that very same city as The Flash.
Not to mention that yesterday, I was confronted by an angry mob from Central City who threatened and harassed me after I saved every single one of their lives.
And now here he is, standing in front of me on my porch, holding up a peace sign with his fingers and giving me that stupid smirk.
“Bygones?” My eyes inadvertently narrow.
“Yeah, Flasher. Bygones. Ya know, sweep it under the rug or the bridge. Haha. Whichever you pref-“
Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’ve dashed forward in between blinks and pinned him up against the railing of the porch. He’s staring up at me with those pale eyes, not an inkling of fear in his expression. He simply continues to smile ignorantly.
“I honestly didn’t expect such aggression from you, red.” He says, examining my hands which are clutched tightly to the collar of his shirt. “But I mean after your little house on the prairie went ka-boom and then to have everyone know your name…must have been so very stressful.” Trickster snorts.
“Losing my patience, Jesse.” I am trying to hold back the anger that is coursing through every fiber of my being, knowing that I could end this man’s life before he could utter another word but I know better. I won’t go down that path---ever.
“I just wanted to drop by and see how things were going, ya know? And also thank you for so graciously saving my tush earlier.” Trickster cocked his head a bit, clearly seeing the confusion I knew had shown on my face. “What? Don’t remember that gentleman who you pulled out of the entrance of Cobalt’s Joke Shop?”
Like a slide show, my memories play out before me. I do remember pulling a blond man from harm’s way outside of Cobalt’s Joke Shop and then, I freeze frame the memory and I can see it clearly now. It was James Jesse.
I loosen my grip on him, letting him go with a small nudge away and James brushed himself off with a laugh.
“So you do remember, Flasher! I’m touched. Haha.”
“What do you want?” I ask, through with his nonsense.
“It took me a considerable amount of my precious time to figure out you were camped out here, at the Garrick’s but in all honesty, I’ve just got some news for ya.”
My arms now crossed, I gaze at Trickster with utmost resentment. My entire body feels hot and I feel like my veins are jumping out of my skin.
“It better be good, Jesse. Because after, I’m hauling you off to jail where you belong.”
It’s a good thing Iris is still sleeping. I wouldn’t want her to see me like this---hell, I don’t even like seeing myself like this. It’s just, what this man did, has made my life even more difficult than it already was after the fight with Reverse-Flash.
“Well it may have escaped your attention since you’ve been holed up away from the cities a lot recently, but there’s a war building up in the Twin Cities and it’s going to be a hoot and a half for everyone involved.”
“And you know this, how?”
“Hellooooo. You’re talking to a Rogue. And even though I don’t hang out with my compatriots as much these days, I hear things. And the magic word these days is Candyman.”
“Candyman?”
“Big mob guy. You know? A Marlon Brando wannabe.”
“Just get to the point.”
“Alright, alright! When you played hide and go seek for a whole month, this guy Candyman has started to move in on Keystone and Central. But guess who’s not all too happy about that, Flasher?”
“The Rogues.”
“Correctamundo! My pals aren’t going to let that happen. And right now, things are going back and forth between them but I can tell, oh yes, I can tell, that things are going to be heating up pretty soon.”
“Well it’s a shame that I’m not even allowed in Keystone anymore thanks to your little stunt.” I see his happiness sour a bit but not enough to bring him anywhere close to looking sad. “Now, I’ll just drop you off at Iron-“
“Whoa whoa whoa! Now let’s not get crazy here! No way am I going back there!” James says forcefully. “So how about we make a deal, old buddy old pal? I help you with this whole gang war problem and you give me a ‘get out of jail free card’.”
“Or---I could just take you to Iron Heights and figure out this whole problem on my own.”
“Ah, but like you said yourself, Flasher. You’re not allowed in Keystone anymore because of the oh so gracious governor of Kansas. So if you brought me to that prison, they’d arrest you and get you a nice comfy room right next to mine. Hehe.” Trickster laughs hysterically and as much as I hate this man, he’s right. I wouldn’t be able to bring him to Iron Heights. “And you cannot deny that I know a hell of a lot about my Rogue friends. And that could be very beneficial to you, speedy. Very beneficial.”
* * * * *
BANG!
*click**click*
BANG!
*click**click*
BANG!
Bullet shells dropped to the floor with a clatter, landing by Plunder’s boots. The masked man stood with his sniper rifle raised in front of him, his eyes carefully peering down its scope. He pulled back on the bolt action weapon, loading in another round.
*click**click
“Not bad at all.”
Captain Cold and the other Rogues all watched from the sidelines while Plunder fired another shot at the targets they had set up across the large warehouse. Captain Boomerang scornfully glanced over at the targets which had all been severed through the exact middle of the bullseye.
“So am I in, or what?” Plunder questioned, the crescent shape blade on the brow of his mask gleaming in the beams of sunlight that shone through the windows of the building. “I’ve proven my skill with all types of weapons but you keep giving me more tests.”
“These aren’t nothing, kid.” Heatwave said. “We haven’t even given you the real test yet.”
“Then hurry up and tell me what I have to do. Mirror Master said you guys were in serious need of backup and now that I’m here, you’ve got some.”
“All in due time, Plunder. We’ve just got to make sure you’re aware of the most important aspect of our group.” Cold said, stepping a bit closer to Plunder.
“And what’s that exactly?”
“What it means to be a Rogue.”
* * * * *
I never thought I’d see the day.
Golden lightning crackles around me while I across the paved roads of Central City. With each breath, the skyscrapers and people zoom past but the one thing I never counted on, is the man who’s running on air a short distance behind me.
Trickster, using his signature air shoes, is in his full colorful garb, stepping across the air and running as fast as he possibly can(which is nothing compared to my speed of course). I’m still trying to figure out why I even went along with this story of his.
For all I know, it could be a trap.
I slow my pace down a bit, allowing Jesse to catch up. When he eventually reaches my side, dashing through the air, I turn to him as I run.
“Where’d you say this was going down, again?”
“Mirror Master found out that Candyman’s shipping a whole bunch of goodies from here to Keystone this afternoon. Word is that they’ll be transported in stolen FedEx trucks. Guess that means the shipments won’t be on time. Haha!”
I say nothing, hoping that he’ll catch my drift but of course---he doesn’t.
“It’s a FedEx joke.”
“I heard. Now from this point on, keep your trap shut before I change my mind about this whole thing.” I hasten a bit, my vision darting around, looking for any sign of a FedEx truck. The uncomfortable silence weighs down on me, knowing that there is a man, a fiend, only a few feet from me. I finally break the silence and speak. “Why’d you do it?”
No response. Silence lingers once more around us and I’m about to speak up again but then, I hear James’ voice in the air.
“Why’d I do it, Flasher?” I looked up at him once more while he runs above me, seemingly unaffected by gravity. “I did it because that’s what you deserved. You go around ruining all of our lives, it was time that you felt the same way.”
I tilt my head slightly, both anger and uncertainty dancing in my mind.
“What do you think happens when you bust one of us for the first time? You don’t mind when our identities are revealed and tarnished. Even if we had jobs or family.”
“You took a life of crime, James. That’s different.”
“It is? Do our lives get less ruined than yours just because we’re not public icons? Just because we don’t flaunt around our fame and power or accept keys to the city?”
“You chose that life.”
“And you chose yours, Flasher.”
My eyes widen and I hastily pull away from Trickster’s gaze, staring at the passing cars. I hate this man for all he’s done to me, I hate him for destroying everything I used to stand for. But at the end of the day---I see his point. And that’s what pains me. Everything that’s happened to me, all of the pain, the loss of my dad and my daughter, was because I chose this path.
Those words echo in my head for what feels like hours.
You chose yours, Flasher.
You chose yours.
* * * * *
“There’s been a small delay, boss.”
“Well that’s unfortunate---for you.”
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the office and the first man, a rather skinny man with slicked back brown hair crumbled to the ground, a hole in his forehead. His body landed on its stomach, his bleeding head landing next to the second man’s walking stick. The cane’s design was rotating circles of white after red, much like a candy cane.
Candyman had had enough.
With a large Cuban cigar hanging out of the burly man’s mouth, the Candyman stepped over to his office window, looking out into the smog filled skies of Keystone City. That’s what you’d get if you were the leading city of industry in the entire world.
“Tell them to hurry up and transport those weapons or else they’ll end up exactly the same as…what was his name?”
“Chester Lincoln, sir.”
“…as Mr. Lincoln then.” Candyman said coldly, not even acknowledging his men who dragged the body out of the office. “And Chillblaine?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You remember that man I showed you? The one who may prove quite useful?”
“Yes. With great detail.”
Candyman let out a puff of smoke from his mouth which hovered in the air around his face ominously before dissipating.
“Bring him to me.”
* * * * *
Once again, Plunder found himself staring down the scope of his rifle.
“This is the test? Taking out a few dealers?”
<<Don’t get too comfy, kid. Your real challenge hasn’t shown up yet.>> Captain Cold’s voice spoke through a the headset Plunder wore.
Plunder was crouching on the ledge of a rooftop overlooking a large parking lot that had stacks and stacks of metal boxes stacked on the east side of the lot. Six FedEx trucks pulled into the area and over two dozen men poured out of the trucks and moved to the boxes, beginning to pack them into the vehicles.
“Do I have the green light, Cold?”
<<Not yet. Wait a minute or two. He’ll show.>>
“He?”
* * * * *
I continue to buzz through the streets of the city but keep a close eye on Trickster while I do. You can never be too careful. I’ve rushed through almost every corner of the city, even pulled over a few real FedEx trucks in my search until finally, I catch something out of the corner of my eye.
An empty lot full of crates being loaded into FedEx trucks.
They could be real trucks like the others and this could all just be one big game for Trickster but then, I see the guy with the eye patch and AK-47 strapped over his shoulder. Yeah---this is definitely not a usual delivery.
I stealthily motion for James to come down and he slowly descends next to me, looking past me at the trucks.
“See, Flasher! I was righ-!”
Faster than he can finish his word, my hand slaps over his mouth, keeping him quiet.
“Could you be any louder?”
“I could try.” He whispers with a grin, an air horn in his left hand.
I snatch the horn away from him and shake my head frustratingly. Having Trickster tag along has been more trouble than it’s worth and I make sure that I make a mental note, warning me to never do this again.
“Just wait here. And no tricks.”
Trickster raises his hands in defense and when he does, objects rain from under his arm, from chattering teeth to fake mustaches.
“Me? Tricks? Nahhhh.” He chuckles but I remain unimpressed.
“Just stay here.” I reaffirm sternly before dashing away from him and into the parking lot, en route for the FedEx trucks.
* * * * *
Moments after Flash darted away, James began to sing quietly to himself while pulling out his cell phone from his belt.
“Anyway you want it-“
Trickster scanned through his phonebook until he came across the entry: WEATHER WIZARD.
“That’s the way you need it.”
He pressed down on the call button and put the phone up to his ear while a ringing sounded from the receiver. Seconds later, a voice responded and Trickster’s smile brightened even more.
“That’s right, Marky-Mark. Tell Cold that the almighty Speedy Gonzalez has arrived.”
* * * * *
<<You all set, Plunder?>>
“I’ve been waiting almost an hour. I better be.” Plunder said, looking around the parking lot with his scope. “But where this guy you said would show up?”
Then, a red streak flew across his scope.
“Uh…never mind, Cold. I’ve got him.”
* * * * *
I measure out the odds of my situation.
There seems to be about thirty of them and one of me sooo---I’m at a huge advantage. I zigzag through each of them with great speed, taking a gander at the crates that they’re loading up and it looks to me like some really high-tech weaponry. Can’t have that.
I take our their vehicles first, popping all of their tires with a Swiss army knife I found in one of the dealer’s pockets and by the time they realize I’m there, it’s only been a little over one second for them.
“What the hell!?” One of them points at the now flattened tires.
The others all raise their weapons, now alerted to my presence.
“Looking for this?” I hold up the man’s Swiss army knife and instinctively, he pulls the trigger on his weapon. A flurry of bullets fly through the air toward me but I easily run around all of them, grabbing my enemy’s gun before he even realizes what’s going on. “You really shouldn’t have done that.” I tell him before throwing a high speed punch to his gut, dropping him onto his knees.
The other criminals all open fire on me and I accelerate, the world stopping around me.
If you’ve seen The Matrix, it’s a lot like that, except I’m not really one for leather trenchcoats.
The bullets all slowly make their way toward my position and carefully, I weave in and out of their paths, running at the group of criminals. I’ve made it out of the wall of gunfire when suddenly, I feel a bullet knick the back of my heel from my side.
The world shifts back to normal while I tumble and roll across the paved parking lot, crashing against the door of a parked Chevy, its windows shattering on impact thanks to the velocity of my roll. Glass rains down on me and all of the men seem to be as stunned as I am.
“Did we get him?” A chubby man with a shamrock tattoo on his shoulder asks.
“Yeah…I think we did!” Another one cheers triumphantly.
Morons. That bullet wasn’t from them. I gaze around from the direction the bullet hit me and see nothing but a tall building and some trashcans. The men continue to boast while I scan the area some more, catching a glimmering sight from the top of that building.
A sniper.
There you are.
I jump to my feet and all of the crooks take steps back in surprise, reloading their weapons. I can hear them shouting to shoot again and make sure I’m dead but honestly, they’re not my biggest concern right now. That sniper was able to make contact with my body even when I was going that fast. So at least I know one thing about this guy. He’s good.
Before those idiots get another chance at using me as a target, I’m already sprinting toward the building the sniper is perched on. My ankle strains a bit from being struck before but I keep going, throwing my right leg onto the wall of the skyscraper, and making sure I’m going fast enough. My left leg follows and then I’m running up the side of the building, even gravity isn’t able to touch me at this speed.
Only a blur of scarlet and lightning to everyone else, I ascend the windows of the building to the rooftop where I find my attacker. He’s wearing a strange mask and lots of shades of blue and he’s got a sniper rifle clutched in his trigger happy fingers.
“Alright, pal. What’s the big idea?” I slap the gun from his hands and it crashes to the streets below. “You with those clowns?”
“Nope. They’re my targets, Flash. Just like you.”
“Like me? Who are y-“
I feel the intense burn of a laser singe across my back and I am knocked back a few steps. The masked man takes the opportunity to pull out a small detonator from within his navy trenchcoat. I reach out for him, my mouth forming into a scream but out of the corner of my eye, I see a beam of light flash and the burning sensation comes at me again.
“Sorry, Flasher. It’s not quite tim’ for ye to meet our new recruit just yet.” Mirror Master’s face appears on the panel of glass in front of me.
“New recruit?” I question and I hear a loud boom from behind and I can hear screams and a flash of bright lights. I turn to find the sky illuminated by an enormous fireball that used to be the FedEx trucks. “No!” I cry while the masked figure runs past me and at the glass panel.
“Well done, lad! Looks like ye’ll make a fine Rogue!” Mirror Master says while the man leaps into the panel as if nothing was there, through the portal that leads back to no doubt the rest of the Rogues.
Damn.
I zip back down the building, sweat pouring down my face from the heat coming off of the explosion. Some of the dealers are already dead, their corpses roasting before my eyes, while others were thrown across the lot, definitely injured. Debris has spread throughout the area and I step up my pace even more.
I race around the group of burning trucks, feeling like I’m in the middle of an oven but I keep up my speed. In moments, I’m moving so fast that my body is becoming a human tornado, containing the inferno in its funnel.
It may take awhile to fully stop these fires but the least I can do is try to contain it.
I take in a deep breath and, despite my whole body aching, I press on. My teeth are clenched and I’m running fast enough that I’m beginning to see the afterimage of myself with each orbit around the flames.
Finally, I see the blaze of fire begin to dissipate because of my funnel sucking away all of the oxygen it needs to sustain itself. In a few minutes, I bring my body to a sudden stop, the last of the flames fading away into the air.
I take a minute to remind myself that this is just another day in the life for me and then---that’s when I hear the click.
One of the dealers holds his pistol up to the side of my head, his clothes tattered and covered by a layer of ash.
“You’re dead, Flash.”
I close my eyes, preparing to make a grab for his gun but when I glance over to perform my attack, I see a blob of gum bigger than my head engulf the man’s face, hitting him onto the ground. I look down at the criminal and then over in the direction where the gum came from.
Trickster is standing a few yards away, an odd gun in his grip.
“Remember not to swallow it.” He laughs at the man who’s lying in a heap, the gum messily splashed all of his face. “What do ya know, Flasher. Looks like you owe me one.”
“Not a chance.”
I hear sirens and a few police cruisers pull into the parking lot, officers sprawling out of their vehicles hurriedly, their guns held high.
“What the hell happened here!?”
“The disadvantages of FedEx shipping.” Trickster calls to him with a grin and I elbow him in the side of the gut. “Ow. What was that f-“
“An arms deal. And a bad one.” I tell the officer who slowly lowers his weapon.
Ambulances and firetrucks appear and in only minutes, the place is crawling with all sorts of people. Medics run by me with stretchers of wounded men and I overhear the confusion one of the EMT’s has when she discovers the gum.
My mood dampens while I watch over a half a dozen of those dealers get zipped into black bags. They may have been perps but they didn’t deserve this. That sniper was with the Rogues and it looked like they’d been waiting for this deal to happen; rigging the parking lot with explosives.
Trickster on the other hand seems rather merry, whistling to himself as he sits on the hood of one of the ambulances, his cape gently blowing in the wind.
I take a look around at everyone hard at work and decide to take this opportunity to do what I’ve been wanting to do.
“You told me before why you revealed my identity, Jesse. But I still don’t know how you even found out to begin with.” I say casually, well aware that he could easily keep his silence.
Lucky for me, he doesn’t.
“Me, I was just the messenger and you know what they say about messengers, Flasher. Don’t shoot ‘em. Ha!”
“Messenger for who, though?” I say, my hands twitching slightly. I’m not certain though if it’s because I’m sick of his jokes or just that I’m so close to finding out who really was responsible for turning my world upside down. “Who told you who I was?”
“Hehe. Now there’s the million dollar question. But you know what? I hate the guy who told me even more than I hate you, Flasher, so it would be my honor to play the snitch.”
“Then who was it?” I say a bit more harshly than I would have liked. I hate being this aggressive even with my enemies. I’m not the type of hero that Bruce was. I keep my real personality while I’m wearing this mask. “Please. Just tell me.”
Trickster catches my eye and for a moment, we’re simply staring at each other in silence. Even he seems to settle down a bit, his expression not as happy as it has been almost this entire day. He looks down at his feet and then back up at me.
“It was W-“
Trickster’s face lights up with surprise, and his teeth chatter uncontrollably for a moment before his eyes close and he drops from the hood of the car onto his stomach, unconscious. A man dressed in a black business suit is standing on the either side of the ambulance’s hood, a tazer held stiffly in his hand.
“What are you doing?” I’m crouched next to Trickster before I even know it. “He was with me!”
“And that should matter, why? James Jesse is a wanted criminal. I’m taking him in.” The man says coldly from behind his sunglasses. He pulls out a wallet from the inside of his suit and opens it to reveal a badge. “FBI, Mr. Allen.”
I instinctively flinch at my own name. I’m still not used to being called by my real name while wearing this suit. Guess it’s something I’m going to have to start getting used to.
“You’re lucky I don’t take you in for aiding a criminal too. That wouldn’t be too good for that quickly deteriorating public image of yours. You’re a regular Tiger Woods.”
“Oh, look at that. A sense of humor.” I say, my hand forming into a fist.
“Now, if you don’t mind stepping aside?”
I’ve been around long enough to know the difference between a request and a command and this was definitely the latter. I grudgingly take a few steps back from him as he wraps Trickster’s limp arm over his shoulder. I watch in silence while he puts James into the back seat of his cruiser and then as he gives me a final nod before getting into the driver’s seat.
I’m well aware of what that final nod really was though.
A warning.
* * * * *
“Did ye see the kid, Cold? He managed te hit Flasher while he was doin’ the whole superspeed thing!”
The Rogues all sat around a small table, bottles of beer in their hands. Mirror Master was on his feet, an enthusiastic smile on his face while he pointed at Plunder who only lifted his mask up enough to reveal his mouth to drink.
“The whole plan did go down pretty well. We managed to mess with Candyman a bit while also seeing what Plunder could do against Flash. A shame about James though.” Heatwave said before putting his bottle up to his lips.
“I knew I got ye to join for a reason!” Mirror Master praised.
“He did good.” Cold said with a nod. “Not every day you see someone with that kind of marksmanship.”
“Yeah, if only Digger had this kid’s eye.” Heatwave said slyly.
“Watch your tongue, mate!” Captain Boomerang hissed. “Like you said, the kid’s good. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here! I mean, look at him. He’s too scared to even take his mask off.”
“I prefer having it on.” Plunder said, spinning a pistol on his finger as he drank.
“Scarred face or something?” Weather Wizard laughed. “I’ve told Two-Face to go the mask route dozens of times, but that man just won’t listen. Says weathermen are always wrong.”
“It’s personal, okay?” Plunder suddenly caught the spinning pistol in his grasp, staring threateningly at Weather Wizard and Boomerang. “That okay with you?”
“Fine with me which means it’s fine with the rest of ‘em.” Cold said, his voice calm but a flicker of menace also entered the air when he spoke. “So all I can say to you, kid---“
Cold held his bottle up to Plunder.
“Welcome to the club.”
* * * * *
“Well, well, if it isn’t James Jesse. Long time no see.”
Trickster had awoken to discover that he had been tied to a chair with a light blaring down upon his face. He looked over the room but could only make out silhouettes due to the light in his face. The voice though, he had already placed the voice.
“When I gave you the information on Barry Allen, you were to forget that I ever gave it to you. You were never to speak of it again. But from what my sources tell me, you almost revealed the information to Barry Allen, himself.”
“It would’ve been a lot easier to keep my mouth shut if it were super glued at the time buuuuuut-“ Trickster laughed hysterically.
“You almost destroyed my entire plan, Mr. Jesse.”
A group of large, bulky, men in suits appeared in front of Trickster, nightsticks raised high, and for the first time in a long time, the smirk was wiped right off of James Jesse’s face.
“We can’t have that, can we?”
Governor Wolfe watched with satisfaction while the men’s weapons came down upon Trickster and when they brought their sticks back up for the next blow---
Blood was smeared on their tips.
* * * * *
Another puff of smoke.
The Candyman sat in the blackness of his office, Golden Glider stood on his left, her breaths short and anxious. Only a single dim light illuminated the room and it barely did a satisfactory job of doing that.
The door creaked open and two figures stepped into the office. One was Chillblaine who acknowledged his boss before stepping aside, allowing his companion to be seen in the weak beam of light at the center of the room.
“I brought you who you wanted, boss.” Chillblaine’s voice said from the shadows.
The newcomer looked around the darkness in front of him where only the smoke from Candyman’s cigar could be seen. The arrival was a rather short and plump old man, with long graying hair and peeling skin.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Candyman asked.
The newcomer shook his head no.
“I’ve heard some interesting things about you. That despite being on a much different scale when it comes to speed, you give The Flash a large amount of trouble.”
He nodded his head yes this time, picking at his pale forehead.
“We could really use a man of your talents, a safety measure that Flash will not be a problem to our operations. So what do you say? Interested?”
A wicked grin crossed the short man’s face. The Candyman lit his cigar and the light from the fires of the tip of it lit the room just a bit more, allowing for a full view of the man.
He was The Turtle. The Slowest Man Alive.
“………….yes……………..very…………………………………………….interested.”
* * * * *
“It says here that you were working together with Trickster, Barry.” Iris looks up at me with those knowing eyes, staring into my soul.
“Well, I was…just not the way they think I was. He was showing me where this arms deal was happening because the man behind the deal is a big enemy of the Rogues. A new guy who Trickster says has gotten really comfortable in Keystone because of my disappearance as Flash last month.”
She cuddles up next to me on the couch while I stare at my hand. On my right hand, there are two bands on my ring finger. The lightning crested ring where I keep my Flash suit and beneath that, one of the things I cherish most---my wedding ring.
I kiss Iris on the brow before letting out a small sigh. She stares up at me curiously, no doubt sensing that something is the matter. She doesn’t even need to speak before I answer her silent question.
“I was so close, Iris.”
“Close to what?” Her warm hand brushes against my cheek while we sit on the couch.
“He almost told me who was responsible for leaking my secret identity. I almost found out the name of the bastard who gave the public a real name to blame for everything that’s happened.” I stare at the floor while I can still feel the tingle of her eyes examining me.
“You don’t need to find out who did this, Barry. All that matters is that it happened.”
“I know but it’s just---I feel like I deserve to at least know why. The specifics and everything.”
“You’re asking for too much, honey.” She says comfortingly and kisses me one more time before getting up and moving into the kitchen.
I sit there, my mind racing and my entire body shaking. I peer over the front page of the paper which has a picture of me and Trickster standing back to back. What that agent said was right. My reputation as a hero is falling apart---
And it seems like I can’t do anything to stop it.