DCU The Flash #31 Godspeed Part I (Godspeed)

August fidgets uncomfortably, rocking back back and forth in the cheap chair in the main office. His arms hang limp between his legs, the paper towel-wrapped ice pack cold in his hand. He was meant to hold the ice to his fresh black eye, but he simply didn't care. It's not like it hurt much anyways.

 

"August," the voice of the office lady calls, his eyes shifting from the floor to the woman. "Your father's here, hun."

 

He sighs, taking another moment before bringing himself to stand. He grabs the strap of his backpack from the floor, slinging it over his shoulder as he turns to the door. As it opens, the office lady calls for him once more.

 

 

With a sigh, August stood, picking his backpack up from the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. As he passed the secretary's desk, she called for him once more.

 

"Honey, you should keep that ice on your eye," she suggests with a kind smile. "It'll help reduce the swelling."

 

"I'll be fine," he mumbles, mustering up a smile. He drops the ice pack down on the front desk before slipping out the door, ignoring the woman's pleas. He keeps his head down as he walks through the halls. The events from earlier today replay in his mind; they make him angry.

 

That kid, Barry… he just lost his mom… his brother. His dad was sent to prison… his family was taken away from him… and people decided to make fun of him? He doesn't understand it, how could people hear something so terrible and decide to laugh at him. He also doesn't get why no one stopped it, why none of the adults would help. They had to have seen it, but they just stood there watching.

 

He had to do something.

 

August presses his hand against the front door of the school, snapping out of his own head, dreading what was awaiting him. His dad would surely be mad, his son getting into a fight is the last thing he'd want to deal with.

 

As the doors open, however, August's eyes light up. Leaning against his car, arms crossed with a smirk on his face, is Jorge. His older brother gives a small wave, causing August to burst into a sprint.

 

"Slow down," Jorge chuckles, intercepting August with a hug. "You're gonna slip and get another black eye."

 

August can't help but laugh, looking up at his brother with an affectionate smile. "You'd catch me."

 

"You're probably right," Jorge shrugs, before opening the passenger door. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

 

August jumps at the offer.

 

-^-

 

August eyes crack open, a blinding white light shining upon him. He doesn't know what's going on… or where he is. The last thing he remembers… is a dream of time before sadness and pain. Time before loss. In his confused, uncomfortable state, he sits up, bringing up a hand to shield his eyes. The confusion only grows as he views the room.

 

Lightning. Strands of white and black that intertwine throughout the room, frozen in place. It's not the only anomaly, however. His hand raises, watching amazed as after images follow the motion. Still unable to comprehend what's going on, August brings his hand to his mouth, peeling the oxygen mask off. When letting go, it doesn't fall to the floor, it doesn't drop to the bed… it stays afloat, as if it were weightless.

 

His legs slip over the side of the bed, eyes transfixed on the oxygen mask. With a tap, he watches amazed as it slowly begins to float away from him. The moment his feet touch the floor, in an attempt to chase after the mask, he finally understands. He doesn't know the cause of the feeling, or what the feeling truly is, but he knows.

 

It's when everything finally comes to him. The events that transpired at the power plant. His fight with Heatmonger… Wally's abilities… Joe…

 

"The time has come," Eradicator says, before leaning in close to August. "He awaits you," he whispers, throwing August to the ground and exiting through the hole in the fence. "I'll be seeing you again soon."

 

The murderer's words echo in his mind. It was the last thing that happened before… the lightning. He brings his hand up, staring at the way his nerves are visible through his skin, a glowing yellow pulsing along the strands.

 

August…

 

August winces, hearing the booming voice of… someone in the far reaches of his mind. It feels strange; after the initial shock, a calming feeling washes over him as the voice echoes out once again. Though he doesn't know the origin of the voice, he can't help but follow the ripples it leaves behind, like stones on a lake. With each step, he feels uneasy, like his legs could snap at a moment's notice, but they don't. With each step, he watches as the rest of the world stays frozen in time, the only movement other than him being the after image, now of his entire body.

 

The voice calls out once more, and it's now that August can see the pulsing of monochromatic lightning; each word, each echo. Exiting the room, his eyes go wide. The hallway, what would be a hallway, is completely transformed. A maelstrom of debris, clouds, and that black and white lightning. He hadn't noticed before, his mind too caught up on the strange situation, that the streaks of lightning aren't the only things monochrome… the world is. What's left of the building, the sky, even the oxygen mask… everything except for the golden lines painting his gray skin.

 

August… child…

 

The voice echos out once more, its words skipping, glitching, like a scratched CD. He watches the lightning pulse, the echoes folding in towards the heart of the hurricane. It's then when he sees it, a silhouette inside the wind. A tall figure, large spiked shoulders that bridge out like lightning. His eyes glow white, pure white, the kind that would blind a man at a glance. More lightning imagery can be seen on his face, bolts similar to Barry's extending from his head.

 

"Who… are you?"

 

A burst of wind, energy that he can't determine the origin of, hits him head on. The force is intense, enough to nearly knock him off his feet. The world around him isn't able to brace itself for the gale blast; what's left of the floor and walls being carried away into the endless void. Blood begins to run down his arms, the wind like thousands of razors on his skin. He, however, holds strong. The attack lasts for seconds more, before silence… dead silence.

 

August pants heavily, looking down at his ruined arms, only to find them good as new. He was healed in a matter of seconds. A ringing noise draws his attention back to the whirlwind, but the sight of the mysterious figure, mere inches from him, causes him to stumble backwards. He only barely catches himself before falling off the few tiles of flooring left after the wind, his harsh breathing continuing as he looks up at the towering shadow.

 

"What… what are you!?" he shouts, unable to hide the shaking terror in his voice. "Where am I!?"

 

August… Speed Force…

 

Speed Force? What's a Speed Force… whatever it is, it still doesn't explain what's going on, how he got there, or what this monster before him is. He glances down at his shaking hands, watching the golden pulses along his nerves. Looking back up at the figure, he swallows his fear and raises his arm.

 

"This… this yellow glow?" he prys, clenching his fist, causing it to pulse. "What is it… what did you do to me?"

 

"Gift…" the voice answers, no longer an echo in August's mind, but spoken words from the shadow. "Me… you…"

 

"I… I still don't understand," August mumbles, wincing at a piercing pain in his skull. "What… what are you… why do what you did?"

 

"God… Speed…" he says, the shadow beginning to fade. "You are… future… God… Speed…"

 

-^-

 

August shoots up like a rocket, arms flailing, knocking down hospital equipment. He hears screams, but is unable to process anything but the intense pain throughout his body. Falling out of the bed, he writhes in an ungodly ache, flashes of the night replaying in his head. The lightning… he was only now feeling that pain, but… he shouldn't be? Soreness, sure, but the initial strike didn't feel like this, he'd black out almost immediately.

 

Something else was happening to his body, like it was keeping him awake… like it was healing him. With clenched teeth, he raises his arm to eye level, watching as the deep purple bruises and red burns along his flesh slowly revert back to an uninjured state. Through test filled eyes, he sees those glowing yellow markings on his skin, though they aren't receding.

 

He can't stay like this, even in pain. His hand finds a place on the tile, slowly beginning to push himself to a knee. That plan changes the moment his foot touches the floor, as his body accelerates forward, through the clinic's walls. The force, enough to knock any man unconscious, if not kill him, reverberates through August's skull. He's still awake, still feeling every ounce of pain as his body flails through the sky. He comes to a crashing halt upon hitting a brick wall, before tumbling down to the alley below.

 

Breathing… it's something he can barely do. His body is ruined, yet it's fixing itself, piece by piece, bone by bone. He raises his hand to his eyes, watching the bones snap back into place.

 

"What… what's happening to me?" he mumbles, before a familiar image pops into his mind. Barry, broken and bruised after their defeat of the Trickster. "Barry… healed… his wounds…" His eyes go wide, the bruising from the lightning strike finally gone from his skin. Pulling himself to a stand, he extends an arm out.

 

Golden lightning sparks from his hand.

 

"I'm like you…"

 

-^-

 

"So, wanna tell me what happened?"

 

August frowns, embarrassed.

 

"C'mon, don't be shy, I'm sure you've got a good reason for this," Jorge says, poking the purple bruises around August's eye. "If you don't tell me, then that means I can't break the news to dad."

 

Sighing, August places his big belly burger down beside him on the hood of the car, his elbows placing themselves against his knees, letting his cheeks rest on his palms. "It's not like I started it," he mumbles, eyes gazing up at Jorge. "They were picking on him again, the boy who lost his mom and brother!"

 

"Allen…" Jorge frowns, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Damn kids, so heartless and for what?"

 

"That's what I mean!" August agrees, turning his full attention to Jorge. "They keep making fun of him, saying how his dad is such a bad man… but it's not his fault!"

 

"I know it's not," Jorge nods, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm proud of you for sticking up for him. Family… It's important. I can't imagine what that boy is going through right now, but I'm sure seeing you stick up for him helped him, even if it was just a little."

 

"Well if I'm gonna be an awesome police man that helps protect the city like you, I can't just watch people get hurt," August says, squeaking as Jorge playfully messes with his hair. "Hey!?"

 

"Not a cop yet, August," Jorge corrects, taking a bite of his burger. "Big Uncle Joe's trying his best though, maybe one day."

 

"You'll make the best one," August says, smiling, "I know it."

 

-^-

 

"He wakes up, screeches in pain, and just disappears? Through a hole in the wall?" Ira West mumbles, rubbing his brow. "Singh, please god, tell me Allen has found something?"

 

"Barry… he's not in today, he took an impromptu vacation a couple days ago," David Singh, the Crime Lab Director for the CCPD, notes, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "Everything with your brother is probably setting in for him."

 

"Yeah… probably," Ira agrees, looking at the photo of Joe and him on his desk. "Well, has anyone else gotten anything?"

 

"Nothing, the security cameras were fried, and there's practically no evidence he was-"

 

"Commissioner!" Patty Spivot interrupts, barging into the office.

 

"What is it, you get a lead?"

 

"No… not a lead," she says solemnly, before presenting a pistol and golden shield onto Ira's desk, the man gasping at the name. "A dead end."

 

-^-

 

Damion coughs, dust filling his lungs. There's a ringing in his ears, and his nostrils are suffering the same fate as his mouth. If it weren't for his mask's lenses, he'd be devoid of any sense but touch, and even his fingers were covered in dust. Everything happened so fast… everything in a flash.

 

Goldrush, his livelihood, his home, is gone. An empty box, filled with rubble, dust, and broken dreams. The Flash… he decided to finally take a shot at him, at the Network… he assumed it would happen eventually, but never like this. As soon as the ringing stops, the situation becomes all the more real. Screams… employees and patrons alike, music still playing through broke speakers, and that crackling lightning.

 

"Razer!" he coughs out, hoping his bodyguard wasn't buried under the debris. "Dammit, can you hear me!"

 

A small smile forms on his face upon seeing the larger man's silhouette in the dust cloud. Taking a step towards it, he nearly trips, his abdomen badly wounded. Gritting his teeth, he presses on, looking back up only for his smile to falter. Golden lightning shines through the dust, running right past Razer's silhouette. The man's large frame flops out of the dust, unconscious with a bruised and bloody face.

 

"What the hell…" Damion mumbles, taking a step backwards.

 

"I told you…" a voice calls out from the dust. Stepping out, with an aura of lightning around him, is Detective August Heart. "I told you I'd be back to shut this place down."

 

"Detective… how are you…" Damion stutters, stumbling to the ground with eyes and crawling backwards to create any distance he can. "You're a meta!? A speedster!?"

 

August makes quirk work of the distance Damion tried to make, grabbing the cowering man by the collar and lifting him into the air. "You said you couldn't wait to see me try, didn't you?" August asks, bringing Damion down to his level, eyes glowing a bright yellow. "How's my attempt?"

 

"Y-y-you shut me down!" Damion screeches, hands clawing at August's. "I… I'm done for, no more Goldrush… look at the place! What more could you need!?"

 

Damion is thrown to the ground, again creating space between August and himself. "You're a part of The Network… you work under Amunet?" August asks, earning a swift nod of confirmation from Damion. "Get me in touch… I need a suit."

 

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NEXT TIME: Origin; Every Hero Starts Somewhere!

Done