Legends of the Flash #16

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of the Flash #16
Baptism of Fire

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

ZOOM!

"No."

"But Uncle Barry..."

"No."

Two streaks race toward the City Center, cheered by the few citizens who manage to catch a cursory glimpse of the heroes. The larger red streak begins to overtake the smaller yellow one, which speeds up in turn.

"But I've even got this great costume!"

"It's a uniform, Wally. An extra made by Thawne that allows you to-"

"’-compensate for the friction caused by the 'Speed Force' in correlation to the normal speeds found in our everyday world.’ I know, I know. But with the mask I brought, it could be a costume."

I don't have time for this. "Wally, I don't know why Thawne had a costum - a uniform for someone your age, but I gave it to you so you could experience the wonders of your powers - of the Speed Force. Not so you could fight some crook."

"You mean Heat Wave."

"You know his name?"

"Of course. He's your newest rogue."

"My what?"

"You know, like Captain Cold or Mirror Master or Weather Wizard... a rogue! Your Rogue's Gallery. Every superhero has one."

"Wally, this isn't a comic book and I'm not a superhero. I'm just... just a..." Sigh.

City Hall enters into their view. Flashing lights mark the several police vehicles already at the scene.

Seven seconds. I made good time, even with Wally along.

"Look, I've got this covered, Uncle Barry."

"Wally, wait!"

Wally darts ahead, impervious to Barry's yell.

News reporters and the police officers keeping them back turn to watch the two spectacular speedsters pass by, more than one hat lost in the gust of wind.

"Wally!" Barry grabs a hold of his shoulder's cuff, forcing him to stop.

Wally opens his mouth to protest, but another voice is heard.

"Flash! Am I glad to see you."

"Hello, Captain Frye. What's the situation?"

"Hey," Wally barely whispers, "isn't that the police captain you told me needs a vacatio-"

Barry cuts Wally off with a nudge.

The police captain takes a cursory look at the Flash's young partner, as if unsure what to make of the young man. He chooses to answer the Flash's question instead of ask one of his own.

"We've received no contact from the perp other than this letter demanding one hundred thousand in unmarked bills. He says if he doesn't get it within the next half-hour, he'll burn down all of City Hall - including everyone in it. It's a ludicrous demand. I doubt that he's thinking this through."

"I agree. What about the hostages?"

"No word yet - I don't think we can say either way."

Damn it. Fiona's in there... "OK Captain, I'll do reconnaissance and let you know about the hostage. Once they're safe, we'll take out this maniac."

"Sounds good to me, Flash."

"You mean pyromaniac." Both adults turn toward the junior hero, who stands between the two, his finger lifting as he makes his point.

"We have no evidence to support that. And you are...?" Frye asks with a slight frown.

"I'm Kid Flash."

Light bulbs flash in the dozens amidst the voices of reporters. Barry notices Iris' face in the crowd, her expression one of immediate dismay. This isn't going well at all.

"Do you know him, Flash?"

"I do, Captain. But he's not my partner."

"But-!"

"And I can't worry about this right now. I've got hostages to save." With that, the Flash speeds off, leaving Wally alone.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

For the past twenty minutes, the masked criminal had said nothing. He had simply paced in front of his five tied up victims, occasionally looking outside and occasionally smiling. Fiona had been finishing her discourse on Central City High School's need for after school activity funding when Heat Wave had burst in. Now bound to their chairs, Fiona is not even sure if she will live to see the next day. What does he want? Her thoughts surprise her as they turn to Barry, though she supposes she should not be too surprised. If her suspicions are correct, then Barry was actually the-

BARAM!

"Flash! I should of let you burn."

A blast of flame catches the entrance way where the Flash once stood. Another engulfs a table close by.

"Damn it, hold still!"

The Flash puts out various fires around the room before they can cause more damage with the high winds generated from his rapidly propelling arms. Finally, the Flash stops running. "Heat Wave! Let them go!"

"I want my money, Flash! And I want you - out of here!" As the Flash leaps over two fallen statues toward the captives, Heat Wave presses a button on his wristband. The hostage next to Fiona suddenly screams as his chair bursts into flames. Fiona shrieks as Flash's eyes go wide. Heat Wave tries to hide his joy but cannot help it as he watches the man begin to burn. Within seconds, the victim and Flash are gone.

"You monster!"

Heat Wave grabs a hold of Fiona's strawberry-blonde hair, leaning in close as if to say something in his defense. Instead, he lets go, and chuckles. "I'll get my money. I've got the Senator over there." He tilts his head toward Creed Phillips. Then he moves in closer to her. "But you... you're expendable."

The chair then bursts into flames, but Fiona is gone.

One by one, the captives disappear. Damn that speedster! Now I'll never get the money. The chairs continue to burn, each one faster than the last. Rory clenches his teeth, wanting to yell. Instead his gaze is held by the flames. What am I worried about? Everything is going to work out OK. The flames begin to grow, but suddenly die down.

"Heat Wave! You'd better hope that that man lives!" The Flash whirls around the room, taking away all the oxygen and killing the flames. “No!”

Heat Wave lights the circular rug in the meeting room afire. A ring of fire surrounds him. Smoke starts to impair his vision but he can see an area beginning to give way - undoubtedly where the Flash is breaking through.

"I'll get you out of there!" A blast of flame hits the Flash , giving him Heat Wave's response as the villain steps through the opening the Flash had made.

"Rrra!" Heat Wave hits the Flash with the brunt of his gun. The Flash falls back, blood on his face. He hits him again, the Flash falling to the ground. He swings a third time, but the Flash seems to gain his composure catching Heat Wave's gun. Though still buckling at his knees and rising to stand, the Flash manages to push Heat Wave with all his strength back through the flames. Leaping after him, the Flash is met with a double blast which he narrowly avoids. He swerves, but too quickly - the weak timber gives way underneath his strength, and he falls to the first floor of the building. Heat Wave falls with him as the rest of the floor gives way. Rolling, Heat Wave recovers relatively quickly. Where is he? A powerful wind suddenly knocks Heat Wave clear across the room, into a display case. Turning back, he sees the Flash partly buried underneath some wood. Smiling, he fires at the hero, but his flames are met with more high-powered winds. The guy's determined. Heat Wave fires his second, weaker flame thrower at hanging timber above the Flash. It falls, the only red left being that of flame.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Where is he?

After the hostages had been safely returned, Barry had told the Police Captain to hold off his men and that he'd return momentarily. It had been almost fifteen minutes, and still nothing. Captain Frye stands close by, making calls to various departments on various issues. Fire trucks do their best to put out the flames, struggling with the old timber of the oldest building in the City Center.

And what am I doing? Getting my picture taken? The Flash is his favorite hero, and Uncle Barry’s family. Wally's face hardens a bit until he sees Aunt Iris in the crowd. Oh no! She sees me!

Iris gives him a stern look, that look he always did his best to avoid.

Smiling meekly in his yellow and red costume, Kid Flash backs away toward where Captain Frye stands. He looks at the burning building and then back at Aunt Iris. Her expression changes, now looking deeply worried. Wally turns to Captain Frye.

"-you heard me, I want the SWAT team ready in five minutes! I don't care whose wife is in labor, I need every available man now! We've got a selfless civilian in there who could be dead for all I know and-"

"Captain."

"Huh? What is it?"

Kid Flash has to stand directly in front of Captain Frye to get his attention. "Captain, I'm going in. Hold off on the SWAT team as long as you can."

"Kid, are you nuts? You're a minor, and this is police business. Dangerous police business."

"I don't have time to argue. I'm going to do whatever I can to save the Flash. Send in the SWAT team when you think it's necessary, but in the meantime, I'm going in."

The Captain regards him for a moment, his eyes deeply set. "Alright."

Wally turns toward the burning building.

"Wait!" Captain Frye calls out. "Before you go, I gotta ask. Who is he to you? Is he - is he your father?"

Wally pauses a moment, a soft smile coming to his lips as he looks back at his Aunt Iris. "Yea. Yea he is." Kid Flash turns back toward City Hall and runs into the flames.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The charred entrance way to the building adds an eerie depth to the setting. Kid Flash looks around the destroyed area and quickly moves on to the flames in the Main Hall up ahead. He coughs as he blows away smoke, flapping his fingers forward rapidly in unison. He sees nothing.

"Flash? Hello?"

The sound of burning timber grows.

"Hello? It's Kid Flash." Suddenly, a blast of flame hits him in the shoulder. "Unh!" Wally falls to the ground, his shoulder in more pain than any part of his body had ever been in - save a certain lightning strike.

"Kid Flash, huh? Who knew." Heat Wave fires again, Kid Flash ducking away. Heat Wave fires several more times, Kid Flash using furniture as his means of protection. He leaps atop a wardrobe.

"What have you done with the Flash?" Kid Flash jumps off as the wardrobe is engulfed in flame.

"He's a gonner, Kid. The flames did him in. Now get out here, if you know what's good for you."

Heat Wave blasts several more times at Wally, who barely moves in time to evade the first shoot. He can barely think. Uncle Barry? Dead? "No! Liar!" Kid Flash runs toward Heat Wave and moves to hit him. He misjudges his own momentum and swings to the side. Heat Wave knees Kid Flash in the ribs. The teenage hero falls to floor. He looks up to see Heat Wave holding his flame thrower directly at him. "No... he can't be dead..."

"I'll give you five seconds to get the hell out of here, Kid. After that, it's all fair game."

"Get away!" Wally lunges at Heat Wave, tearing apart his gun. Silvery liquid bursts, landing on the burning floor. Dazed, Wally hesitates and allows it to catch fire. The fire begins to burn the villain's costume. Heat Wave opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. His eyes enlarge, staring at the fire. Kid Flash regains his composure and tackles his foe.

"Get back, you weirdo!"

Kid Flash pushes him away from the liquid on the ground as it ignites. The explosion blurs Kid Flash's vision. The first thing he notices when his vision clears is Heat Wave's secondary gun in his face, a sense of deja-vu sweeping over his mind. Half of the larger man's costume is burnt away, as well as his part of his skin. In spite of it all, he seems to be smiling.

"Burn. Burn like me-"

CRACK!

Heat Wave falls, his jaw crooked. Kid Flash looks up and sees his hero.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"It was a hot night in the City Center, as the latest Rogue joined the ranks of Captain Cold and Weather Wizard in infamy. After the destruction of City Hall, 'Heat Wave', now known as Mick Rory, kidnapped Senator Phillips and his aides. In light of the increase in metahuman attacks, Senator Phillips is pushing to reinstate the death penalty in the state. According to CCDP Captain Darryl Frye, if not for the Flash, the hostages would have been killed. However, the Flash had this to say:”

“The real hero is my young partner, Kid Flash. Though he has a lot to learn, he risked his life for myself, as well as Heat Wave, which was the real test-"

CLICK!

"Wally!"

Wally West had thrown the remote back on the couch, his face slightly red. "You're the one who really beat Heat Wave, Unc' Barry. I couldn't even land a punch."

Barry turns toward his nephew and away from the T.V. "But you tried, Wally. You know now that this is no joke."

"I know, Uncle Barry. That guy was nuts!"

"He was a crook, Wally."

"I still think there was more to it than that..."

"Regardless, you saw what I go up against. I can't put you in that kind of harm's way. And I wish it hadn't taken me so long to free myself and burrow underneath the building. But I'd love to show you the ropes. Someday, I may need someone to take over. I won't be around forever, y'know."

Wally's face forms a skeptical expression. "Please, none of those losers could take you!"

"I don't know... you haven't met Grodd."

"The monkey guy - ha!"

Before Barry can respond, he hears the phone.

I've been dreading this...

"Hello? Hi, Iris."

Wally waves his arms in front of him, as though not wanting to be mentioned.

"Yes. Yes, it was Wally. I know, I know. OK. I know. Bye. Love you, too." Hanging up the phone, he looks at Wally with a sympathetic smile.

"Is Aunt Iris coming over?"

Barry sighs. "Yeap."

"She's not too happy, is she?"

Barry groans slightly, stretching part of his injured leg. "Nope. But don't worry. We'll think of something."

The end

Next Issue: Mirror Master Returns

Plus: Introducing Ralph Dibny, Super-Slueth!