King Clown
DCU The Flash #5 History Lesson (Rebirth)
'Barry… and Malcolm?' Jay thought, looking at the chores list. 'I must be in the new guy's house. Now the question is, where.'
Jay stepped out of the kitchen, spotting a small boy laying on the living room sofa. A rag was laid over his head with a blanket pulled over his body. Sitting at the edge of the couch, by his feet, was an older woman, maybe mid thirties. She idly rubbed the boy's back as the two watched television.
"Malcolm, sweetie?" the woman asked, gaining the attention of the boy. "Are you ready for lunch?"
'So the boy is Malcolm,' Jay noted, watching him shake his head. 'That must be his mother.'
"Can't we wait for Barry?" the boy asked, pouting slightly. "He had to go to school today, so we should at least wait for him."
"Sweetie, Barry didn't have a fever this morning," the mother explained, bringing herself to a stand. "Besides, you know your brother, he'd cry about having to miss school even in an emergency."
'So this boy had a fever, and his brother didn't,' he thought. 'Where is dear old dad?'
"I guess…"
"Well," the mother said, kissing him on the forehead and walking over to the kitchen, "you guessed right."
Jay watched the woman start the oven burners, placing a pot onto the blue flame. His eyes drifted back to the boy on the couch, now sat up with the rag hung around his neck.
"Hun," the mother called, looking over her shoulder, "chicken noodle or plain noodle?"
The woman stood for a moment, reading water in the pot. "Hun?" she asked, turning around. Jay turned with her, shock filling his core.
"Oh my god, Malcolm!?" the mother cried, rushing into the living room.
On the couch where the boy had been sitting was a pool of blood, nothing left but the crimson liquid and his clothing.
'What in God's name?' Jay thought, scanning the room. His gaze locked onto the cracked open door, the slight black energy left around the area. 'No… it couldn't be…'
"Malcolm!!!" the mother screamed on her knees, her hands clutching the bloodied pajamas.
Like a flash of lightning, a black figure entered the room. Jay's heart sank upon recognizing the dark aura.
"Clariss!" he shouted, sparks of golden lightning dancing around his finger tips.
The figure looked up, it's glowing red eyes narrowing at Jay. A large smirk spread across its face, the white of it's teeth shining against it's shadowy body.
"A ghost from the future," it said, vocal chords in constant flux. "Too bad I'm not a ghost…" The figure disappeared, appearing back an instant later holding a kitchen knife. "I'm the reaper."
The knife was shoved into the woman's heart, her screaming silenced moments after. Her body fell to the floor with a thud, blood oozing out of her chest and onto the carpeting.
It had to be him. The only man he's met with that dark of an aura, the only man with that malice filled smile. Edward Claris… had murdered these two people.
"Mom… Malcolm," a young voice called from outside. "School let out early!"
Jay's head turned back to the chore board, staring at the name at the top of the list.
Barry.
"M-m-mom?"
Jay watched in horror as the figure smirked at the boy, dashing up to him. He stopped in front of the boy, standing tall before dashing out of the house.
Jay's eyes fell to the boy, widening. He was covered in a yellow aura, an almost golden light.
It was him, he was the one.
Jay took a step forward, holding out his hand, letting out his own lightning.
-^-
Barry shook his head slightly, the world around him foggy. Looking down, he found himself sitting in a lake of some kind. The water was a pale grey, however, only a few inches deep.
"Where am I?"
"Good, you're finally awake," a voice spoke. Barry looked around, spotting a glowing red figure across from him. "It's nice to meet you, Barry."
"H-how do you know my name?" Barry asked, crawling backwards.
"Calm down, son," the figure said, it's arms raising to a surrendering position. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I just would like to talk."
"T-talk… I don't even know who or… what you are!" Barry fired back.
The figure looked down, cursing under its breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was still like this," it apologized. "My name is Jay Garrick."
Barry was hesitant, but stood up slowly. "Right… and you know me how?" he asked, brushing off his pants.
"That… is complicated," Jay said, Barry returning a sigh. "Look, I'll try to explain things the best I can."
"Okay… you can start with explaining whatever… this is," Barry said, motioning to the fog and water around him.
"This place is known as the Speed Force… well, a facet of it anyways," he explained, bending down and touching the waters. "It's something similar to a dreamscape."
"What's the, what did you say, Speed Force?" Barry asked, scratching his head. "And what does it have to do with me?"
"The Speed Force, hmm," Jay said, his hand moving to his chin. "The Speed Force is a force of nature, like Time and Space. Only difference is, the Speed Force is alive. It has been, for centuries, millennia. Maybe even since the dawn of time itself."
"Why do you sound so unsure?" Barry asked, an eyebrow raised.
Jay began to chuckle at the words. "It's because I am, actually," he explained. "I've only learned bits and pieces over my many years, but it's still a mystery to me."
"Okay, a cosmic entity…," Barry said, with a nod, "so what's it got to do with me?"
"Well… well I think it'll be better if I show you," Jay said, the fog between the two of them clearing.
In its place were five silhouettes, all with distinctive glows around their bodies. The first was almost shadowlike, fully blacked out, but the other four were clearly visible.
"Who… who are they?"
"they are all those who have made a connection to the speedforce," Jay said, a streak of golden lightning extending from his hand like a pointer.
"Not much is known about this first one; Savitar, the God of Speed," Jay explained, pointing to the blacked out figure.
"Savitar… like Savitr, the Hindu God of Motion?" Barry asked.
"Uh… I guess?" Jay responded. "Like I said, not much is known about him. What I do know is that he was the first to tap into the speedforce.
"Moving on, Johnny Chambers, a soldier from the 1800s known as Johnny Quick," Jay explained, now pointing to the blond man in red. "I'm sure you've heard about him, he had a cartoon based on him."
"I thought that sounded familiar, Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, right?" Barry asked.
"Bingo. On to the next," he said, moving the pointer to the man with the orange aura. "This is Whip Whirlwind, a hero of mine. He was around during the late 1800s, a true hero."
"What happened to him?" Barry asked.
"I… I'm not sure, actually," Jay said, his voice lowering. "He disappeared after assisting in the first World War.
"Enough about that, this next one was actually a chum of mine," Jay said pointing to the next figure. "Eddie Jones, the Black Vulcan."
"Eddie Jones?!" Barry asked with shock on his face. "Black… Vulcan… Vulcan Veggies…"
"What is it?" Jay asked, confused.
"I… It's nothing… don't worry about it," Barry said, shaking his head. "Continue?"
"He and I were on a team together way back in the day, it brings back some great memories," Jay said, sighing slightly. "He went off the grid once he left the team, he's still probably kicking somewhere."
Barry felt an uneasy feeling in his gut, but he didn't want to speak on it, he'd rather not give Jay false hopes.
"And that brings us to the most recent person connected to the speedforce… myself," Jay said, pointing to the final figure. "For fifty years I acted as a superhero, The Flash."
Barry's eyes widened, "You… were The Flash?"
"Did you not see the silhouette next to you?" Jay asked.
"I was paying attention to the order," Barry explained, rubbing his neck.
"Y'know, I already like you, kid," Jay said with a chuckle. "Like I was saying, for fifty years I was known as the fastest man alive, however I didn't make a connection to the Speed Force until… until my last days as the Crimson Comet."
"What do you mean?"
"On my last mission… I… I accidentally murdered a supervillain named Mateo Mardon, he was known as the Weather Warlock," Jay said, his head tilting downwards. "I erupted in golden lightning and simply couldn't control it… from what I've gathered, similar phenomenons have happened with all the others."
"Does it mean something?"
"It's like I said before, the Speed Force is a living entity," Jay explained, his lighting pointer aiming towards Barry. "That means, it grows and changes over time. It was merely a child all that time, but now?"
Barry's eyes widened looking down to his hand, lightning dancing around his forearm. "It's… it's an adult now?"
"I think… no, I know…" Jay said, the lightning disappearing, his body slowly fading from the plane. "You'll be the first to truly master the Speed Force, Barry."
Barry reached his hand out, but his vision flashed a bright light. When his eyes opened, he was in a medical cot.
"What… happened?" Barry said aloud, holding his head. 'Was that… was that a dream? It felt so… real.'
"You tell me, Barry," a familiar voice called. Standing in the room was Harrison Wells, the Warden of Iron Heights Penitentiary. The man helped Barry greatly with visiting his father from a young age. "You had me worried for a little while."
"Mr. Wells!" Barry exclaimed, sliding off the cot. "Did… did I faint? How long was I out?"
"Like I said, I'm not sure what happened, all I know is Gregory found you unconscious outside the visitor center," he explained, sighing lightly. "He'd thought an inmate had done it, almost went on one of his rampages."
"I'm sorry about that… I don't know what happened," Barry said, rubbing his temple. "My head was hurting really bad, then I had a super strange dream… then I was here."
"Well… if you're alright, you best be going home," Harrison suggested, pointing to the clock. "It's already 5:00."
"Right, thank you Mr. Wells, I'll see you around."
As Barry left the room, his mind went back to the dream. 'There's only one way to find out,' he thought. 'I hope you're open, Mr. Jones.'
NEXT TIME: Weather Wizard Unleashed!
DCU The Flash #5 History Lesson (Rebirth)
'Barry… and Malcolm?' Jay thought, looking at the chores list. 'I must be in the new guy's house. Now the question is, where.'
Jay stepped out of the kitchen, spotting a small boy laying on the living room sofa. A rag was laid over his head with a blanket pulled over his body. Sitting at the edge of the couch, by his feet, was an older woman, maybe mid thirties. She idly rubbed the boy's back as the two watched television.
"Malcolm, sweetie?" the woman asked, gaining the attention of the boy. "Are you ready for lunch?"
'So the boy is Malcolm,' Jay noted, watching him shake his head. 'That must be his mother.'
"Can't we wait for Barry?" the boy asked, pouting slightly. "He had to go to school today, so we should at least wait for him."
"Sweetie, Barry didn't have a fever this morning," the mother explained, bringing herself to a stand. "Besides, you know your brother, he'd cry about having to miss school even in an emergency."
'So this boy had a fever, and his brother didn't,' he thought. 'Where is dear old dad?'
"I guess…"
"Well," the mother said, kissing him on the forehead and walking over to the kitchen, "you guessed right."
Jay watched the woman start the oven burners, placing a pot onto the blue flame. His eyes drifted back to the boy on the couch, now sat up with the rag hung around his neck.
"Hun," the mother called, looking over her shoulder, "chicken noodle or plain noodle?"
The woman stood for a moment, reading water in the pot. "Hun?" she asked, turning around. Jay turned with her, shock filling his core.
"Oh my god, Malcolm!?" the mother cried, rushing into the living room.
On the couch where the boy had been sitting was a pool of blood, nothing left but the crimson liquid and his clothing.
'What in God's name?' Jay thought, scanning the room. His gaze locked onto the cracked open door, the slight black energy left around the area. 'No… it couldn't be…'
"Malcolm!!!" the mother screamed on her knees, her hands clutching the bloodied pajamas.
Like a flash of lightning, a black figure entered the room. Jay's heart sank upon recognizing the dark aura.
"Clariss!" he shouted, sparks of golden lightning dancing around his finger tips.
The figure looked up, it's glowing red eyes narrowing at Jay. A large smirk spread across its face, the white of it's teeth shining against it's shadowy body.
"A ghost from the future," it said, vocal chords in constant flux. "Too bad I'm not a ghost…" The figure disappeared, appearing back an instant later holding a kitchen knife. "I'm the reaper."
The knife was shoved into the woman's heart, her screaming silenced moments after. Her body fell to the floor with a thud, blood oozing out of her chest and onto the carpeting.
It had to be him. The only man he's met with that dark of an aura, the only man with that malice filled smile. Edward Claris… had murdered these two people.
"Mom… Malcolm," a young voice called from outside. "School let out early!"
Jay's head turned back to the chore board, staring at the name at the top of the list.
Barry.
"M-m-mom?"
Jay watched in horror as the figure smirked at the boy, dashing up to him. He stopped in front of the boy, standing tall before dashing out of the house.
Jay's eyes fell to the boy, widening. He was covered in a yellow aura, an almost golden light.
It was him, he was the one.
Jay took a step forward, holding out his hand, letting out his own lightning.
-^-
Barry shook his head slightly, the world around him foggy. Looking down, he found himself sitting in a lake of some kind. The water was a pale grey, however, only a few inches deep.
"Where am I?"
"Good, you're finally awake," a voice spoke. Barry looked around, spotting a glowing red figure across from him. "It's nice to meet you, Barry."
"H-how do you know my name?" Barry asked, crawling backwards.
"Calm down, son," the figure said, it's arms raising to a surrendering position. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I just would like to talk."
"T-talk… I don't even know who or… what you are!" Barry fired back.
The figure looked down, cursing under its breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was still like this," it apologized. "My name is Jay Garrick."
Barry was hesitant, but stood up slowly. "Right… and you know me how?" he asked, brushing off his pants.
"That… is complicated," Jay said, Barry returning a sigh. "Look, I'll try to explain things the best I can."
"Okay… you can start with explaining whatever… this is," Barry said, motioning to the fog and water around him.
"This place is known as the Speed Force… well, a facet of it anyways," he explained, bending down and touching the waters. "It's something similar to a dreamscape."
"What's the, what did you say, Speed Force?" Barry asked, scratching his head. "And what does it have to do with me?"
"The Speed Force, hmm," Jay said, his hand moving to his chin. "The Speed Force is a force of nature, like Time and Space. Only difference is, the Speed Force is alive. It has been, for centuries, millennia. Maybe even since the dawn of time itself."
"Why do you sound so unsure?" Barry asked, an eyebrow raised.
Jay began to chuckle at the words. "It's because I am, actually," he explained. "I've only learned bits and pieces over my many years, but it's still a mystery to me."
"Okay, a cosmic entity…," Barry said, with a nod, "so what's it got to do with me?"
"Well… well I think it'll be better if I show you," Jay said, the fog between the two of them clearing.
In its place were five silhouettes, all with distinctive glows around their bodies. The first was almost shadowlike, fully blacked out, but the other four were clearly visible.
"Who… who are they?"
"they are all those who have made a connection to the speedforce," Jay said, a streak of golden lightning extending from his hand like a pointer.
"Not much is known about this first one; Savitar, the God of Speed," Jay explained, pointing to the blacked out figure.
"Savitar… like Savitr, the Hindu God of Motion?" Barry asked.
"Uh… I guess?" Jay responded. "Like I said, not much is known about him. What I do know is that he was the first to tap into the speedforce.
"Moving on, Johnny Chambers, a soldier from the 1800s known as Johnny Quick," Jay explained, now pointing to the blond man in red. "I'm sure you've heard about him, he had a cartoon based on him."
"I thought that sounded familiar, Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, right?" Barry asked.
"Bingo. On to the next," he said, moving the pointer to the man with the orange aura. "This is Whip Whirlwind, a hero of mine. He was around during the late 1800s, a true hero."
"What happened to him?" Barry asked.
"I… I'm not sure, actually," Jay said, his voice lowering. "He disappeared after assisting in the first World War.
"Enough about that, this next one was actually a chum of mine," Jay said pointing to the next figure. "Eddie Jones, the Black Vulcan."
"Eddie Jones?!" Barry asked with shock on his face. "Black… Vulcan… Vulcan Veggies…"
"What is it?" Jay asked, confused.
"I… It's nothing… don't worry about it," Barry said, shaking his head. "Continue?"
"He and I were on a team together way back in the day, it brings back some great memories," Jay said, sighing slightly. "He went off the grid once he left the team, he's still probably kicking somewhere."
Barry felt an uneasy feeling in his gut, but he didn't want to speak on it, he'd rather not give Jay false hopes.
"And that brings us to the most recent person connected to the speedforce… myself," Jay said, pointing to the final figure. "For fifty years I acted as a superhero, The Flash."
Barry's eyes widened, "You… were The Flash?"
"Did you not see the silhouette next to you?" Jay asked.
"I was paying attention to the order," Barry explained, rubbing his neck.
"Y'know, I already like you, kid," Jay said with a chuckle. "Like I was saying, for fifty years I was known as the fastest man alive, however I didn't make a connection to the Speed Force until… until my last days as the Crimson Comet."
"What do you mean?"
"On my last mission… I… I accidentally murdered a supervillain named Mateo Mardon, he was known as the Weather Warlock," Jay said, his head tilting downwards. "I erupted in golden lightning and simply couldn't control it… from what I've gathered, similar phenomenons have happened with all the others."
"Does it mean something?"
"It's like I said before, the Speed Force is a living entity," Jay explained, his lighting pointer aiming towards Barry. "That means, it grows and changes over time. It was merely a child all that time, but now?"
Barry's eyes widened looking down to his hand, lightning dancing around his forearm. "It's… it's an adult now?"
"I think… no, I know…" Jay said, the lightning disappearing, his body slowly fading from the plane. "You'll be the first to truly master the Speed Force, Barry."
Barry reached his hand out, but his vision flashed a bright light. When his eyes opened, he was in a medical cot.
"What… happened?" Barry said aloud, holding his head. 'Was that… was that a dream? It felt so… real.'
"You tell me, Barry," a familiar voice called. Standing in the room was Harrison Wells, the Warden of Iron Heights Penitentiary. The man helped Barry greatly with visiting his father from a young age. "You had me worried for a little while."
"Mr. Wells!" Barry exclaimed, sliding off the cot. "Did… did I faint? How long was I out?"
"Like I said, I'm not sure what happened, all I know is Gregory found you unconscious outside the visitor center," he explained, sighing lightly. "He'd thought an inmate had done it, almost went on one of his rampages."
"I'm sorry about that… I don't know what happened," Barry said, rubbing his temple. "My head was hurting really bad, then I had a super strange dream… then I was here."
"Well… if you're alright, you best be going home," Harrison suggested, pointing to the clock. "It's already 5:00."
"Right, thank you Mr. Wells, I'll see you around."
As Barry left the room, his mind went back to the dream. 'There's only one way to find out,' he thought. 'I hope you're open, Mr. Jones.'
NEXT TIME: Weather Wizard Unleashed!