Legends of the Flash #15

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of the Flash #15
This Burning Sensation

Written by Nikolai Peter Fomich (Thefastestmanalive)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

Flames sway rhythmically, proving grace as well as power. Yellows and reds mingle, intertwining in a sort of lucid dance. Gray smoke frees itself from the fire, exercising its influence over the smell of the room. The fire shares its warmth.

"Mick? Mick, please talk to me." The glimmer in Mick Rory's pale brown eyes dies down.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Doc. I got distracted, that's all."

The psychiatrist looks at him intently. "Distracted by what, Mick?"

"Oh, it's nothin'. Where were we?"

Doctor Carver frowns for a moment before continuing. "You were about to tell me about the barn, Mick. The barn where you grew up."

Mick scratches the lower side of his face and looks away. "Right. The barn." He pauses. "It was an alright place. Actually, I loved it. In summer, especially. But..."

She allows him to gather his thoughts.

"But I just..." Mick Rory begins to sweet.

"Relax, Mick." Her voice is soft and easy.

"It wasn't my fault...We would sit together, at night. For family dinners. I loved my family, I really did."

Anne Carver remains silent.

"And then came the fire."

"The fire?"

Mick Rory gets up from his chair, excitement in his voice, and spreads his hands dramatically. "A huge fire. One of the best. It was beautiful, the smoke, the blaze. But my family..." Mick remembers the screaming of his mother and his brother. His father had said nothing, his eyes solemn with an expression that haunts Mick to this very day.

"They what, Mick?"

Mick realizes he is standing. He does not look at his psychiatrist as he sits down. He remains silent for the rest of the session.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Barry?" Iris West breaks her boyfriend's trance, bringing him back to her. It had been several weeks since the deaths of two of their friends, and pain like that does not readily go away. "Barry, are you OK?"

"Sorry, Iris, just thinking."

She gives him the smile she saves for when he's feeling his worst - and it works. He smiles back, holding her hand as they watch the ducks at the Lawrence Park. Several of the birds begin to waddle over, and Iris knows they are just the thing to lighten Barry's mood. She looks away from the birds, other troubles taking route in her own thoughts.

"What? What is it?"

Iris sighs, looking down. "It's Wally. He's been having the toughest time at home. Rudolph can't relate to him, and God knows his wife is a terrible mother... I just wish they would let Wally come visit us, once in awhile."

"Ah, poor kid. Why won't your brother let him come?"

Iris's face contorts slightly, reflecting her disapproval and annoyance at the situation. "Rudolph says they can't afford it - which is a lie - and that Wally doesn't deserve to come, or some nonsense. Honestly, I think he's just jealous that Wally loves us more than he does his own parents."

Barry opens his mouth, but the voice of Ralph Dibny rings out, announcing the arrival of the couple's friends.

"Iris! Barr!"

Iris turns and smiles, getting up from the bench and than giving Sue a hug. Barry himself smiles, not so much at the arrival of his friends, but at the fact that they would provide Iris with some kind of distraction from Wally's problems.

"Sue, Ralph... great to see you both. Sue, I just love your new hat..." The two girls begin walking toward a small promenade, Barry and Ralph in toll.

“Barry, did you get it yet?"

"Get what, Ralph?"

"It's Wednesday, Barry." Barry hits his head. How could I be so forgetful?

"Iris! Me and Ralph are going to - "

Iris shakes her head, in bemusement. "I know, I know. It's Wednesday. Boys..."

Barry turns back to Ralph, as the two begin to walk toward the opposite side of the shopping center. "So what'd you buy?"

"Detective Comics, the Spirit..."

"I love the Spirit."

"I know, it's so innova - "

BAOOM!

Barry catches all the flying glass before it can hit any bystander, then races back to Ralph within two seconds.

"Barry! What was that?" Ralph's raises his pitch, alarms and rumblings threatening to drown out his voice. "Half these buildings are on fire!"

"I don't know Ralph! Get to safety and call Sue! I'm going to - to call the Fire Brigade!" Barry disappears within the smoke, leaving an anxious Ralph.

“Call the Fire Brigade?"

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The roof of Rosembaum's Jewelers gives way to the fire, held now only by several pillars. Sue Dearbon waves away the smoke, yelling and coughing instantaneously.

"Iris, let's get out of here! Whatever's going on we have to - " The world seems to blur around Sue. She suddenly finds herself in the farther end of Lawrence Park. Around her are the other occupants of the jewelry store. " - get out of here?" Sue notices Iris beside her, and Ralph close by. "Ralph! What's going on? Where's Barry?"

Ralph keeps silent, looking intently into the smoke.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Mick Rory had spent several thousand dollars - the last of his inheritance - on the equipment. The insulated white suit, the protective goggles, the handheld flamethrower... his very own 'toys'. Can't believe I blew so much cash on therapy. This is what really helps. Blasting the vault at Rosebaum's, Rory observes the melting steel with utmost attention - the way the concentrated fire brushes against the metallic door...the careful oozing of melted metal, gracefully dripping toward the ground... Mick Rory cannot help but notice how beautiful it all is. Forcing his eyes away, Rory enters the vault. Monotonously smashing open boxes of jewels, he puts them away in a fireproof backpack without much ceremony. This - this is what I'm really after. But after a moment, he stops filling his bag. Looking around him, he sees hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imagine all of that money... Snickering, Rory is reminded of how he felt in his youth, when he would hold his hand in a candle's flame in spite of his father's scolding. Firing at the money, he watches as it all goes up in flames. Perspiration drips down within his goggles. He could stay in the vault forever. No, no. I've got to go. I've got the jewels. Leaving the bank vault, he makes toward the stores exit, trying to ignore the swaying flames around him. Abruptly, they die down, as a guff of wind enters the room.

"Wha-?" The fires end, and Mick Rory finds himself face-to-face with the Flash.

"Another crook. But did you really need to firebomb all the other buildings?" The Flash skillfully avoids a blast of fire from his new foe.

"It's called a distraction! Worked, didn't it?"

The Flash avoids another powerful blast, ducking behind several display cases, each going up in flames with each shot.

Rory begins getting more and more worked up.

"All right, all right. It just seemed a little overboard to me. Be thankful you didn't hurt anyone. What do you call yourself, anyway?" The Flash jumps on the wall, swiftly closing the distance between them.

"Heat Wave. And what if I had, tough guy?"

Barry Allen cracks a smile. "Well then this punch would hurt a lot more." Barry knocks him back, far into the vault the villain had just robbed.

Fire still burns inside the vault and Heat Wave is glad to be back in there. The Flash begins twirling his arms to undo the flames.

"Now, I didn't hit you that hard because I wanted to offer you a chance to surrender yourself. Things'll go a lot easier if you do, trust me."

Heat Wave laughs. “You're a standup guy, you know that, Flash? But I think I'll pass." Heat Wave presses a button, exploding the area of the vault the Flash had been standing in, setting him on fire. The bomb was there for this kinda emergency. That's the only reason... The Flash tries rapidly to put out the fire. Heat Wave knocks him out with the but of his gun from behind, just as the last flames on the Flash die down. You're lucky, speedster. If you were still on fire, I'd let you burn. But as it is... Heat Wave carries the Flash's body out of the vault. He fire-blasts part of the roof's remainder. Let those flames be your judge. Fair enough chance, as far as I'm concerned. Heat Wave leaves the scene, almost forgetting to bring the jewels with him.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"He lit you on fire?"

"The firemen got there in time. It was only for a few seconds, Iris."

Iris jilts her head forward, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “‘Only for a few seconds’!"

"Iris..."

"You were almost killed!" She continues before he can speak up. "Accelerated healing or not, I don't care. I don't want you facing this madman." Iris pushes herself from her bed, folding her arms and looking away from her partner of over five years.

Barry sits up, leaning on one elbow. His eyes flicker gently, but he maintains a steady voice. "Iris."

She turns back to Barry.

"I have an obligation to people. To help them. This guy - he's dangerous. He may be just a crook, but it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. It's my responsibility to help."

Iris sits back down, her neck slightly arched. "And what if you get hurt? What about your obligation to your wife?" Her face turns red at the slip of her tongue.

Barry says nothing, feeling happy at Iris's misspeaking - he often subconsciously thought of her as his wife - and sad at the prospect that she may be right. Barry takes her hand. "Iris, I don't know the future. And being the Flash is dangerous, I admit. But it is worth it - helping all these people. And though I can't be one hundred percent certain, I can almost guarantee that my last few days will be spent old and gray with you."

The couple kiss, making due without words for the rest of the night.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Burn, burn, we all burn down. Ashes to ashes, we've all been found. Burn, burn, we all burn down. Ashes to ashes, we've all been found. Burn, burn..." The strange chant echoes throughout the barn. Mick Rory finds himself on fire, surrounded by his loved ones - his brother, his mom, his dad. Around him, the three of them join hands and skip. The entire family bursts into flames. Rory claps his hands, as happy as can be. Suddenly, the three of them stop chanting. His father steps forward.

"Mick! You've made us so happy. I'm proud of you, son. You've made us feel. Like you, Mick." Father and son embrace. Rather suddenly, a sharp breeze kicks up, the winds blowing his family into dust.

"Mother? Father!" Rory looks around and behind him sees a man in red running towards him. The man is on fire.

"You stole their fire! Give it back! Give it -"

"Hh..hh..hhh..." Bad dream. Usually, sleeping makes me feel good. Rory gets up from his bed, his beads of sweat the only thing comforting at the moment. Heading toward the hotel's kitchen, he grabs a beer from on top of the refrigerator. He takes a long gulp, then another. It's time for the big one. I can feel it. Mick Rory goes back to sleep, and this time his dreams are not interrupted by a man in red.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

C_{3}H_{8} + 5O_{2} -- > 3CO_{2} + 4H_{2}0 + energy.... so if the coolant can be distributed evenly I can develop - Barry hears a knock, though he knows he won't have to get up. Patty Spivot was accustomed to letting herself in.

"Barry!"

He smiles, glad to see Patty was not daydreaming and instead at work.

She rushes toward him, pushing her glasses back on her pretty face.

"Hi, Patty."

Patty leans earnestly forward, looking over Barry's notes for a second, but then shaking away her interest as she remembers why she had come into his private lab in the first place. "Barry, you told me to keep you apprised, and I have!"

Barry gets up on his feet. "What? Heat Wave?"

"Yes! I know you wanted to get that coolant gun ready for the boys before he struck, but it's too late."

"Patty, just tell me what's going on."

Patty leans in close, speaking for the first time in a solemn, unexcited manner. "He's kidnapped the Senator."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The race home was quick indeed. After the necessary excuses, Barry had made it to his apartment in record time - point-five seconds. Before changing, Barry turns on the news.

"...more reports coming in as we have now learned that the new Rogue known to us only as ‘Heat Wave’ has made demands to the Central City Police. The criminal remains held up in the Statehouse with Phillips and his staff, who had been meeting to discuss school budgets in the state..."

Fiona. She's being held captive too. Barry turns off the TV, and is about to change when he hears a knock on the door.

Now what? Barry opens the door quickly, already trying to come up with ways he could get rid of the visitor without having to lie. Instead of saying anything, he simply stares incredulously.

"Hi, Uncle Barry."

"Wally? How - how'd you get here?"

Wally can only smile. "I ran."

To Be Continued...

NEXT ISSUE: KID FLASH