Issue 29: "The Once and Future Flash"

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"The Once and Future Flash"
Written by Kevin Feeney
Cover by Craig Cermark
Edited by House Of Mystery[/center]

The 25th Century- As It Is: The year 2469

I stand in my tower and look out over what I have built, and all I know is loss. Even now, years since I returned here, the pain has not fully passed, my regrets remain with me, and the only thing that keeps me alive is my hatred. Hatred of him, of the one who took everything from me. Would it be better, I must wonder, if I had never made that trip, if I had been wiped from reality here along with everyone I loved, along with everything I ever knew?

There is a city below which loves me, but I can summon nothing but contempt for it. This city should not exist, should not be real, the only reason I ever helped it was so that it could help me, so I could rise to where I am and make things the way they should be. Only to find out, in a cosmic jest, that things can never be that way, and all I can do is accept it. And avenge it. So I look over what is mine and think only of what should have been, and I bow my head for a moment. Kadabra is not back yet, but he cannot be allowed to see me like this, none can- none can ever know the secret weakness that dwells in my heart.

My name is Eobard Thawne, and until Barry Allen took everything from me, I was called the Flash- the Fastest Man Alive.



The 21st Century- As It Was-

Barry Allen ran faster than he ever had in his life, building momentum, running and running to prevent the end of the world. The Gods of Apokolips had planted their doomsday device here outside his city and if he did not stop it, the planet itself would be consumed. He was all alone now, Kid Flash was busy with the Titans and Johnny Quick and Jay Garrick had both retired some time ago. It was just him, alone at the end of everything, superheating the doomsday device as he ran around it. He knew he had to disconnect the machine from Earth, had to create a tunnel of wind to lift it up, had to push himself, using everything he had. He could hear frightened spectators behind a cordon pointing and shouting as he became a more blur, moving faster than he had dreamed was possible- but it was working! There was a shout, at first unnoticed, and then another, and suddenly the machine was rising, being lifted from the ground by the hurricane-like force generated by the Flash’s momentum- it moved, first slowly, then rapidly, straight through the dark clouds high above.

But the Flash did not stop- he was still running, still running as fast as he could, and now he was flickering in and out of existence itself, shimmering as though he was not entirely there, glowing pale, so white that people could not stand to look at him. He did not cry out as he ran, just a blur now, his essence fading away, out of existence itself.

“NO!” Shouted one brave man from behind the cordon and he ran forwards, running for all he was worth, putting on a burst of speed to save the man who had just saved the world, but he was not fast enough and there was nothing he could do, and Barry Allen felt his skull prickle with heat as his molecules vibrated, vibrated ever more rapidly, until he felt as though he were about to explode and…

“…Iris….” He whispered.

KRACKABOOM!

Lightning shattered the sky to smash through the machine, striking the ground where it had been. In a blinding flash, the Scarlet Speedster was gone into the Speed Force, and the man who had been trying to save him was caught full on by its impact- but he was thrown to the ground, smoking but alive- and he could only look in shock and horror at where the fastest man alive had been- Barry Allen had sacrificed himself to save the world. And Malcolm Thawne, singed and amazed to be alive himself, could not help but weep.



The 25th Century- As It Was- 2448

“Wait up, dad!” I call out, laughing as I struggle after him, running as fast as I can at super-speed, dodging in between cars clumsily. I can see a blur ahead of me I know to be my dad- and running slowly, too, deliberately so that I can still see him. Lowering my head, I pump my arms faster and suddenly he’s right there alongside me, jogging at just a bit less than the speed of sound so we can hear each other, one eyebrow raised behind his mask.

“Now, Kid Flash, we’ve discussed this…”

“No familiar terms on the job, I know,” I pout. Geez, I’m twelve years old, so I lose my cool every now and then…

“I know it’s tough, but your mom doesn’t think I should have let you out on the field at all, and if she hears you….” I nod quickly, rolling my eyes. Mom’s so overprotective on all this stuff. She doesn’t get that I’m not really in danger out here. Not with dad to protect me. And besides, mom thinks I don’t know that Grandpa Jai took dad out on his first mission as Kid Flash when he turned twelve too! It’s our legacy, dad’s fond of saying, the lightning is our legacy. And as I run alongside him in my new outfit down the main street of New Keystone, I’m proud of it.

“Look out!” Dad shouts suddenly, and my eyes widen as I see the front of a store begin to explode. I remember what he taught me and jump straight into speed mode. Despite myself, I can’t help but gape for a moment- it’s like I hit pause on my RLV player or something- and all I can think of is how cool this is.

“Whadda we do Da- I mean, Flash?” I ask, but dad’s already run ahead and I quickly run to follow. He heads for inside the store to take care of whoever’s responsible, and points out at the street. I blink for a moment- oh right, duh, the people. I run past the bricks and mortar as they fly, screwing up my eyes really tight- just gotta do it like dad said, just gotta absorb all the energy…. Absorb the energy… aaand…

Suddenly I’m out of Speed Mode and people are shouting as bricks and debris from the explosion…. Drops where it is harmlessly, with no more kinetic energy in it at all. I puff up my chest for a moment- not bad! Then I remember dad and run for inside the store, jumping through the smoke. I can’t see dad, but I don’t let myself panic. He’s the Flash, the most famous superhero in the world, and our family has protected this place for aaaaaages. He knows what he’s doing, right?

But the smoke is really thick in the building now, even though the explosion’s gone, and I can’t help but bite my bottom lip, just a bit worried. I could search the whole place in less than a second but if its been booby trapped or there’s another explosion… my heart hammering just a little more, I wonder whether he’d be mad if I called out his name… I gotta find him, and if he’s been…

And then dad suddenly appears from behind the slag of the counter, carrying two guys by the scruff of the neck, out for the count.

“Just smalltime thugs, Kid Flash,” he tells me in that deep voice he always does in costume, the one mom always shakes her head at. “All in a day’s work!” I can’t help but break into a big grin as I look up at him, and he gives me one back, and I can see how pleased he is that I’m working with him now and I’ve never been happier. It feels like the best moment of my life, and it’s everything I can do not to hug him- but I know, I know, nothing familiar. As we walk out together to make sure everyone’s okay, I take another look at him. My dad, in the famous yellow outfit with its red boots and belt, and the red lightning bolt in a black circle. The outfit of the Flash. Yeah, I’m the luckiest kid ever.



The 25th Century- As It Is: 2469

My head bowed, one hand clenched into a fist, I lose all track of time as I stand there. Heh, how ironic. Time… it’s all about time, really. Time… and lost time. Kadabra… will he be here soon? I ensure my jacket is firmly buttoned- even for this sanctimonious magician from the future, I must keep up the façade, continue to pretend to be a businessman and a gentleman. Never let him suspect my true plans- never let him suspect that my calculations have been done and when my plan is complete, his timeline- and he- will cease to exist. For now, Kadabra is my ally, and this is what matters. Detestable as it is, I need his help, for only with it can I overcome and destroy Barry Allen… So I can avenge what was taken from me.

“Subject: Kadabra, Abra will be here in 30 minutes,” My supercomputer chimes in.

“Thank you, Meloni,” I respond at once, dully. Even saying the name makes me a little sick in my stomach, makes me hands instinctively clench. As it was intended to, of course- I named the computer precisely to remind me of what I had lost, so that I could never forget what he took from me. So I could never forget my motivation for living, the reason I do what I do, as though I could ever forget what drives me every hour, every minute, every nanosecond of my life. Meloni…. How I miss you with every fibre of my being…. My sweet Meloni…



The 25th Century- As It Was- 2453

“That is not fair,” Meloni says lightly, giving me that look she gives- the one that says she knows exactly what I’m thinking, like the one mom always had. But I still play dumb- she’s bluffing, she’s got to be bluffing. I spread my arms wide, hoping I look the picture of innocence.

“I don’t know what you mean, Mel. The computer says you never had those 400 credits, so you owe me…” But she isn’t buying any of it, not for a second, she just sits back in her chair, arms folded.

“Okay, Eo, I won’t argue. But I don’t have to take my turn until I discover where all that money vanished to.” I roll my eyes, shrugging my shoulders.

“Aw, talk about being a bad sport. C’mon, Mel, you can’t just hold up the game because you think…”

“Because I know you cheated,” Mel tells me, sounding stern, but her eyes are twinkling. “17 years old and you still can’t lie to save your life, now tell the computer to give them back.” Grumbling to myself, I reluctantly lean forwards and fiddle with the programming, and within a few seconds, the errant money is back in her account. I honestly didn’t think she’d notice, but she has eyes like a cybird. She takes her next turn (I cannot believe she managed to pass ‘Commence’ again, has she programmed this computer to cheat?” ) and then, as always, we fall to talking again. For a few minutes, it’s the usual- school, exams, friends, TV…. And then- as always- we come back to my… part-time job.

“Here’s what I don’t get,” Meloni says at last, frowning. (GOD, she’s cute when she’s confused like that…. It’s something about the way her face scrunches up with all the freckles and the… yeah, yeah, mushy mushy, sorry, I’ll keep it out.) “They had a show on the other night about the first few Flashes…. And they said the first one wore all red, with yellow boots and stuff. Like, the reverse of…” I anticipate her question, and nod- it’s a question I asked dad myself years ago, and I know the answer by heart.

“In the old days the Flash worked with a Kid Flash, like it’s always been- only then, Kid Flash wore yellow and Flash wore red. But when the second Flash died in the Crisis, and the kid died soon after, my great times… whatever… grandpa said he’d never be worthy of the old colours, so he wore the Kid Flash ones, to show he’d never be as good as the old Flash.” Meloni smiles- I can tell she likes the story, it is pretty soppy. Gotta say, though, I’m fond of it myself.

“And now we have statues of both of them.” She nods with a satisfied expression. Yeah, the old Flash Museum- takes up a couple of blocks now- has statues of all the old Flashes. “Well, not for nothing, Eo, but between you and me…” She half cocks her head and gives me a mischievous smile. “…I think Malcolm Thawne was an even better Flash than Barry Allen ever was.” Somewhere out there, there’s a driver who I’m really, really grateful to. Because he nearly hit a little girl with his car by accident, and I happened to be in the area to save her, and the rest is history. And it’s moments like this that remind me why- because God, I’m the luckiest teenager ever.



The 25th Century- As It Was: 2458

“Are you sure about this, son?” Dad asks me, his face scrunched in worry, but I wave my hand dismissively. Of course I’m sure, I’ve been sure since I decided to do this three months ago, but he and Mom keep worrying anyway. It’s caution more than anything- Inter-universe travel has been safe for centuries, and dad’s old hat at it, but that doesn’t stop him from worrying now that it’s to be my first trip. Mel understands, of course- she knew when she married me the risk involved. I still don’t like to do this to her, but she’s known me since I saved her from a drunk driver when we were fourteen years old, and if I tried to tell her all that she’d give me a mock slap and tell me I’ll be fine- I’m the Fastest Man Alive, after all.

“Relax, dad,” I reassure him one last time, jerking my thumb to the Cosmic Treadmill that sits where it always has, in the secure vault of the Flash Armoury beneath the mansion. “It’ll be fine- you’ve made this trip dozens of times. I’ll just go to this Earth, see if I can help them out and then come back, right away. All the 4D calculation projections say I’ll be back in a month, tops. It’ll be fine. And they really need help, dad, otherwise they wouldn’t have sent that interdimensional message.” He hesitates for a few seconds, but then ultimately shrugs.

“I should still be running with you, son,” He tells me, with a bit of a wistful glint in his eye, but I laugh it off.

“Dad, after what happened to your knee, you’re lucky to be able to walk. I’m the Flash now, it’s okay- I’ll never be as good as you, but I can try.” After I’m finished my goodbyes with him and mom, it’s Mel’s turn. She hangs back, just cocking her head and giving me that mischievous smile of hers.

“Come home safe, Super Hero,” She tells me. We exchange a final look- I can’t help but smile when I look at her. I have a wife, and a family who love me, and soon, very soon- and I look down at her stomach as I think this- a child, two children, our twins, our little Bartholomew and Cara. I lean down and pretend to rap against her tummy.

“Goodbye, you two! I’ll be back before you know it… literally…” And Meloni rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but she’s laughing a bit as she does it, and I lean into a hug. After a second, I move to kiss her, but she shakes her head. “We’ll save that for later,” She tells me lightly. “So you have a reason to come home.” With an exaggerated sigh, I move for the treadmill and wave to my family as I go to make the big trip. No problem at all, I think, just an alternative Earth parallel to our own- that’s not weird. All in a day’s work for the Flash…. And I’ll be back before they know it. I catch one last glimpse of my wife waving to me as everything vanishes in a blur of light, and suddenly I can hardly wait to be back with her again. And a father! God, I can only think as I make the leap, I’m the luckiest man ever.



The 25th Century- As It…. Was? 2458

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!” I run out of time, panting, bursting into existence with the Cosmic Treadmill, fresh from my adventures on Earth Number 2. Man, that was incredible… is all I can think, my head buzzing. I’ve seen so much, I can’t wait to tell Meloni about everything. Alternate Flashes and giant monsters and Dark Gods from space and… geez, too much to talk about. They had expected Dad, of course, but they came to accept me readily enough when I told them who I was and… GOD. It was astounding! Everything’s still spinning and bright lights for a few seconds, and I can’t help but grin. There’ll be no-one down in the Armoury of course, but I’ll head upstairs and I can’t wait to see their faces when I return. Meloni won’t have worried of course, but I can already imagine Mom and Dad’s relief, and… and… something’s wrong.

My vision is slowly coming back, but everything’s dark. Black- no, not black, there’s a shaft of light and my pupils are rapidly adjusting, but why is everything so dark? Power loss? There’s sensitive equipment down here, the lights shouldn’t be…. My frown deepens as I look around- stacked boxes, crates… the room isn’t even the shape I remember it, and this looks like a junkyard, or a warehouse or something. Hell, the Cosmic Treadmill’s the only tech thing in the place. Did I overshoot? End up coming back after years instead of months and they sold the place and moved? But no, that doesn’t make sense, Meloni would know to wait for me, she’d wait forever, even if everyone else gave up, so what….?

My surprise and bafflement growing by the second, I move towards the crack of light, gaining speed- it’s a door, of the giant metal-plated warehouse kind, and when I throw it back I find that’s exactly what it is… I’m standing in the entrance of a giant steel warehouse which looks to be just outside a construction yard. Now I’m just baffled- what the Hell is going on here? The Construction Bots clearly won’t be any help to me, so I stumble out of the yard onto the pulsing green sidewalk. And… okay, even the sidewalk has changed, though the principle’s the same- instead of keying in my destination, it asks me where I’m headed and then the platform of the sidewalk I’m standing on will, I gather, float up and begin to take me there. Only my problems continue.

“Thawne Manor,” I ask- this is no time for secret identities, I just need to…

“401 Error: Place Not Recognised. Would you like to try again?” My eyes widen. No way this can be a mistake- The Manor is one of the most famous buildings in New Keystone, and the Armoury where the Treadmill was is in the outskirts of the grounds. Something is very, very wrong and…

“Late for a costume party?” snickers a passerby on a hover platform. I know I’m paling now, and I need to force myself to take big deep breathes. No Thawne Manor. The house is gone. The grounds have totally changed, and no-one seems to recognise the costume- as confirmed by more giggles, jibes and side-looks from more people. Okay, I tell myself, no need to panic, no need to…. It’s a mindwipe! A mindwipe or a reality-shift or something, yeah, I can deal with this. I just need to find whatever Super-Villain of the Day is causing this- whether it’s Maleficus or Doctor Despicable or the Duke de Testable. No worries, I can handle this, right? I’m… I’m the Flash… the Fastest Man Alive.



25th Century- As It Is: 2469

Turns out, as it happens, I was right, I brood, as I stare over the city, still leaning on the window. It was a super-villain, one of the first in fact. An opponent of the First Flash, so perhaps it’s fitting he was to ruin the Final one. But I wouldn’t find that out for a while. Instead, I wandered New Keystone then… adrift… aloof…. Alone. I tried everything I could think of- I checked to see if I’d come to the right reality but the vibrational frequency was right, I tried to find a family member, but no-one lived “Thawne” had been in the city as far as anyone could remember. That was the first week or so in the new present, a blaze of confusion and wonder and shellshock. The horror… that was to come in the next week.

I clench my teeth, bowing my head for a moment. Even remembering it causes me pain, but I force myself to relive it, as I have to, because I know I must, because it will prepare me for what is to come… because I must duplicate the pain I felt in full upon my foe in the 21st century…



25th Century- As It Is: 2458

It’s a week now since I’ve arrived back in the present, and I can’t help but jiggle my feet impatiently at super-speed as the sidewalk brings me to where I need to go. I’d be far faster running, of course, but all these hover-platforms make that impossible, and I need to fit in. Well… to fit in as much as I can. I’m not wearing my Flash costume anymore- it’s stowed in the warehouse with the Cosmic Treadmill, which I’ve been using to sleep in. I felt guilty when I stole the suit I’m wearing now from a store, but I had no choice- this place uses the currency I’m familiar with, but the Flash suit has no pockets, I have no money, and no time for explanations. Besides, I’m going to put the world right anyway. I’ve found no leads on who could be responsible, and this is my last port of call. I’m nearly kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.

“Here you are,” chimes the platform, and I nod thanks even though it’s very doubtful the robotic platform can hear me- or cares if it can. I step off breathlessly, suspecting already what I’m going to see but still desperately hoping. Her old house is there, exactly as I remember it- already a better sign than I expected. My pace quickening, I rush towards the door, half-afraid that some unfamiliar couple will ring as I step on the servo-mat to indicate to them that they have visitors. After a moment, the door slides open smoothly, and I see…. My heart skips a beat- it’s Meloni’s mother! She looks exactly as I remember her as she peers out, and I can’t help but speak quickly, an outpouring of words from my soul.

“….Helloma’am,youwould’nthappentoknowhereMeloniis?”

“Oh.. my… what?” She blinks at me, taking a step back, and I force myself to calm down. She isn’t showing any warmth or emotion- she certainly isn’t acting as though I’m her son-in-law, but I remind myself that reality has clearly shifted… I just need to see Meloni, to confirm she’s okay, then I can go back to setting it right, then I can….

“I’m sorry, I…” I break off abruptly. “…Is Meloni there?” Whatever I’m expecting, it’s not the reaction I get. She gasps slightly, and then, astonishingly, her eyes begin to water.

“I don’t… I don’t know what you want, but if you’re… You have the wrong house, it’s…” She’s reaching towards the door controls.

“Please,” I put a hand out to stop the door closing. “Your daughter Meloni, I need to…”

“My daughter is gone!” she shrieks, angry now. “As you know full well. Now go away, before I call the Science Police!”

I take a half step back as she closes the door and swallow loudly. Suddenly I find myself trembling, and I take another step away, trying to calm myself. It can’t… I’m not… this is just another world, it’s not mine. I try to tell myself that. I try to remind myself the REAL Meloni is alive and well, carrying our baby. I try to remind myself that I’ll bring that world back, that I’ll foil this plot and put the world the way it should be. I… I… oh God, I’m going to be sick. No, I can’t allow that to happen… I can’t… it’s not…

Pull yourself together, Eobard. You’ll put it right- the Flash always saves the day. Always. Why, why, why can’t I escape that feeling, that horrible lurching sensation at the back of my mind, that crawling in my stomach, that says this time… this time could be different. Meloni… she couldn’t be… she… she…



25th Century- As It Is- 2469:

I was right before, of course, if only I’d known it. No, that’s not quite… I did know It, I think, even then, if I’d never admit it. I spent months more wandering around trying to find out who caused the attack. The more I found out, the more obvious it became to me that something, somewhere, had gone horribly wrong in time. I had the Cosmic Treadmill, of course, but that was useless when I had no idea where the fault lay, I could be lost in time forever. Better, I decided, to see if I could find the fault, study up on this era, discover exactly what the problem was so that I could fix it.

It wasn’t difficult to settle in. As a Thawne, I was well educated, as a Flash, my understanding of physics and laws of motion was second only to my father- and he did not appear to exist anymore. Combined with my work ethic and drive- and of course, my… unique ability to work far, far faster than anyone else, it was months at the most before I got my first job- working at a technology company in New Keystone. It would take me a decade to rise through the ranks, continually frustrated as others passed me, with the shadows of the past looming in my mind. The only way I kept sane was by reminding myself that none of it was real, that I had a baby and a wife, and I would be with them soon enough. And then, last year, I reached the top, as high as I could go, and I finally had the wealth, and the power, and the position, to bring in the Cosmic Treadmill, to dissect it, to construct the super-computer and time machine fully capable of realising my vision, to discover the exact nature of the flaw in time.

And to discover it was already too late to correct it.



25th Century- As It Is- 2468-

The fault, as my newly built supercomputer explains to me, lay with a madman known as Rival. Through a long and twisted series of circumstances, this madman interfered with the timestream, going back to try and “fix” the world.*



Rival was defeated, the computer continues, and the Flash of the day- Barry Allen- restored the true timeline. Or so he believed. As it happened, there were some alterations made. Such as Barry Allen now surviving the subsequent Crisis. Such as Malcolm Thawne never getting struck by lightning at the scene of Allen’s death. So Malcolm, who never became a speedster, died without ever continuing the Thawne line, and the Flash dynasty was never created- and, over four hundred years later, there was never a Flash to save a young girl from a tragic accident on a busy road.

I absorb all this in silence, enraptured, my eyes widening. But part of me is impatient- none of this matters, not really. What matters is how to fix it, for I know there must be away. I have so much power, so much wealth and technology, I can go back in time, I can tell people to do what I need them to, kill who I need to, do whatever it takes to bring back time the way it was, to fix things, to make them the way they were meant to be. And that is when the computer drops its final bombshell against my soul, a thousand times more terrible and crushing than every villain I’ve ever fought.

“… because Rival was wiped from reality,” It chirps. “He does not exist, and never existed. Records of him survived only in the sub-conscious memories of Barry Allen, later downloaded onto Justice League computer files for future use. Rival’s actions cannot be stopped.”

I hesitate for a long moment, staring at the computer. My thoughts are not on the bizarre intricacies of time travel, on the twisting and inconceivable paradoxes that so many find it impossible to comprehend. I can think of nothing but Meloni, nothing but my family, as its words ring my head.

“Rival’s actions cannot be stopped.”

The world is stuck like this. My family… my friends…everything I ever knew, everything I ever loved…. All gone, all changed, wiped out in the blink of an eye… and I cannot bring them back. Cannot go back in time, cannot rectify this. There’s no-one to punch in the jaw, no-one to foil the schemes of, no machine to reset so I can right everything.

“Rival’s actions cannot be stopped.”

It’s gone… all of it. Everything. Blearily, I wonder why I myself survived. It can only be because I was in a parallel world when all this took place. A final cruel irony, a cosmic jest- I myself was saving another world when my own was destroyed forever. Oh God… Meloni…. For these past years, I could hope, I could pray, I could pretend that everything would be alright, that I could fix everything… but I can’t. I’m a faded relic, I know, a last survivor from a dead world, a world that was never to be. And they’re gone.

All of them.

And there’s nothing I can do.

Nothing at all.

I sink back into my chair, overwhelmed with my lost, unable to take it all in. Had I known? Had I known all along. I suspect, on some level, I must have, and yet… I can’t breathe. I put my hands over my face, willing myself to keep living, but I don’t know why I even bother.

Meloni, my father, my mother, my child, my friends, gone, all gone, eradicated in an instant…

Is there a point to continuing? If there is, I can’t see it. I’ve failed them, I failed them all, and I can never apologise, can never say I made a mistake, can never make everything alright. Heroes… heroes lose from time to time, of course, and people they love can even die but… not this. Not this. Not everyone, not all at once, not without some magic way back, some technique, some deal with the devil, some clone or robot or something, anything, to bring them back. The hero always saves the day, always….

…but I didn’t. I’m not even a hero, not anymore- I failed to save a world. I couldn’t save any of them.

Oh God… why couldn’t I have gone too? Why couldn’t I be wiped out, like them. At least it would…would spare me from this.

I know that this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. There’s supposed to be someone responsible, there’s supposed to be a villain, someone who caused this to happen, someone I can stop, can defeat, can kil, someone to… to…

But there is.

The thought strikes me suddenly, and I sit bolt upright, my quiet sobbing momentarily stifled. There is someone responsible. Of course there is. Someone who failed to do what they were meant to do. I wasn’t the only failed hero. A hero saves people, a hero puts things back to the way they were- and I had failed, but so too had he. He had ruined everything, when he fought Rival, when things weren’t put back properly. He had screwed up everything by surviving the Crisis, he had put the world on a path to this, he had ruined it, had caused them all to be gone.

There is a villain here, I realise, in an acid burst of clarity. His name is Barry Allen…



25th Century- As It Is- 2469

I know Kadabra’s coming any second now, my reminiscing have taken long enough. The past is the past… though hopefully not for long. My computer could calibrate it, of course- it could calibrate exactly what will happen when I remove Barry Allen and his wife and children and everything he holds dear. It could calculate how the timestream will change, what will stay and what will not, how reality itself will shift. But frankly, I don’t care. I don’t care what else happens, I don’t care about anything else anymore.

Barry Allen’s actions ruined my life. He lived when he shouldn’t have, and because of that, my family and my wife and my children and my city are all gone. It is only just, then, that I do the same to him. All that happened to me, all the horror and suffering, it will all be reversed onto him. I’ve been plotting this, orchestra rating it for some time. I chose my time, using all my vast resources, I brought speedsters from many eras together. I brought Johnny Quick out of retirement, I brought Quicksilver to his time, I brought Savitar and Lady Savitar there to test them, to put him on guard. If the Thawnes are not to be a dynasty of speedsters, then there will simply be no speedsters. I’ve made my alliances, in his time and others, I’ve ensured I have allies. There will be too many threats for even the Fastest Man Alive to overcome this time, too many variables he cannot foresee. He himself must live at first, of course- he will know his family are dead, his friends are dead, know that the speedsters are gone and his cities are no more. He will know all this and, like me, he will know that he cannot stop it, that nothing he can do will bring them back.

And then I will kill him for his crimes, and I’ll be the only Flash in the world once again.

And then, finally, I will inflict the ultimate mercy, and fulfil all my aims. Because then, after he’s dead… I can finally allow myself to escape the pain and the sorrow and the rage that haunts my every moment. I can finally die.

“Subject: Kadabra, Abra, will be here in one minute.”

I nod my thanks to the computer, and turn to stride towards a locked metal cupboard. I know what lies within, stored here safely for just such a moment. Everything I’ve been plotting is coming to fruition, and there remains only this piece to complete the puzzle. It lies there in a box, safely stored away as it has been for a decade, and I look down and can almost imagine my father clad in it, racing the streets again. The yellow uniform of the Flash- the real uniform of the Flash. I will wear it for this final stage, when the puzzle is complete at last.

It is, I think sadly, an irony that this suit is the opposite of the Flash’s own costume- because Allen is the opposite of myself. With a home and a family and cities and a child, he is my reverse in every way- but when I’m through, he will be the same, a sad reflection. Once I was the Flash, for a brief moment when he is gone, I may be again, but in his time, it is my foe who is the Flash. I am the reciprocal of all that he is. The opposite. If he is the Flash… then I am the Reverse Flash.

Seconds later, there’s an explosion of light, and I know Kadabra is standing behind me. I don’t need my computer to tell me that.

“Thank you, Meloni,” I tell it anyway as I go towards Kadabra, who is nodding. “And… goodbye.” The magician cannot possibly appreciate just how many layers there are behind those simple words as we go to leave this era one last time. “Everything is ready,” I nod to him. He doesn’t know, of course, that he himself, and his own timeline, will be eradicated by our trip as well. He doesn’t need to know. Nothing matters anymore except my family… and their vengeance.

“This will be our final journey?” Kadabra inquired, frowning. I smile thinly, though I can feel no pleasure even now.

“In more ways than you can imagine. “ I murmur, before replying again, louder. “Yes. This is when we do it. We shall destroy Barry Allen… and everything he has ever held dear.”

And then, my dear Meloni… I shall be with you once again.



Next Time: The worst day of Barry Allen’s life begins, as plot threads building since The Flash #0 come to their fruition and a cataclysm of unmatched proportions descends on the Fastest Man Alive- with the consequences both far-ranging and intensely personal. Eobard Thawne’s ultimate attack on our hero begins, and the secrets of the Flash Family are revealed for the very first time in part one of the DC2’s biggest EVER Flash epic. Speedsters will live. Speedsters will die. And NOTHING will ever be the same again- that’s a promise. The Flash #30- THE LEGACY OF THE LIGHTNING!

Don’t. Miss. A. Moment.[/i]