Joe and Eddie stepped out of the car, standing in front of the same barn where old partner of Joe's had died. He still carried the guilt of that day.
He let out a slow breath as Eddie drew his gun. Joe followed suit, both men moving cautiously.
They stepped inside the barn, scanning the area for any sign of Clyde Mardon. Almost immediately, Joe realized something was wrong, the car that was supposed to be here was gone.
As they searched the barn, Eddie made an interesting discovery.
"Detective West, it looks like someone was living here," Eddie said.
Joe examined the clothes scattered on the floor, along with crumbs littering the sofa. But after a thorough search, they found no one.
Regrouping by the car, Eddie sighed. "Looks like Barry was wrong."
"Yeah," Joe replied quietly.
Eddie noticed Joe had been acting differently since they arrived. Without another word, they left.
Meanwhile, Clyde Mardon stood inside a bank, approaching the counter with a cold demand. "Give me all your money."
The bank teller pressed the emergency alarm, and guards immediately rushed toward Clyde, guns aimed at his head.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wrong choice," Clyde said as clouds began oozing from his body, swirling into a tornado around him.
The guards froze in shock. One fired, but the swirling cloud deflected the bullet.
Panic erupted as people screamed, scrambling for the exits. Some stood paralyzed in fear, while one quick-thinking guard helped usher people to safety.
The tornado tore through the bank, hurling debris at deadly speeds. Those caught in its path were struck down, their bodies flung aside as the storm raged.
When Clyde finally deactivated his power, everything crashed to the ground. The bank was in ruins, bodies lay scattered, and only a few survivors remained.
Unfazed, Clyde focused on the vault, prying it open easily thanks to the damaged system. He stuffed stacks of cash into duffel bags until he had enough.
As he stepped outside, he was met with a wall of police and SWAT officers.
"Don't move! If you move, we shoot!" a SWAT leader commanded.
Clyde laughed. "Hahaha! I am a god. What are mortals to a god?" Clouds seeped from his body again.
The officers opened fire, but the bullets were useless against the swirling storm. The tornado grew, forcing the police to retreat.
Smugly, Clyde believed no one could stop him until he spotted a streak of lightning darting through the chaos.
The Flash had arrived.
He raced left and right, evacuating bystanders from nearby buildings in the blink of an eye. The crowd watched in stunned silence as The Flash skidded to a stop in front of the tornado.
Taking a deep breath, his body crackled with yellow lightning as he glared at the swirling storm. Then, he sprinted counterclockwise around it.
Clyde felt his tornado weakening. He strained to amplify its power, but The Flash pushed harder, dodging debris as he ran. His legs burned, this was only his second day with super-speed, and he was already pushing his limits.
Gritting his teeth, The Flash poured every ounce of strength into his sprint. His body overheated, his suit smoldering as the tornado finally slowed.
Clyde fought to regain control, but it was no use.
The storm dissipated.
Exhausted and unstable, The Flash lost his footing, tumbling several meters before crashing to the ground. His suit was torn, his body bruised, his skin coated in dust and burns.
Clyde panted, stunned that someone had stopped him. Seeing The Flash weakened, he glanced at the surrounding police forces and conjured a thick cloud to mask his escape.
The Flash forced himself up, spotting Clyde's retreat. "He's not getting away," he muttered through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain wracking his body.
In a final burst of speed, he lunged at Clyde, delivering a punch that knocked him out cold.
As the dust settled, The Flash stood over Clyde's unconscious form, his suit in tatters, his body battered. He raised a trembling fist in victory before vanishing into thin air.
He needed rest. The safest place he could think of was the forest where he hunt.
Stumbling behind a tree, he collapsed, eyelids heavy.
"I'm hungry," he mumbled. "I need some moose."
Then, he closed his eyes and slept.
— — — —
Today was the day the world learned about the supernatural. The news spread like wildfire, even overshadowing the vigilante war in Starling City.
Everyone cheered for the Scarlet Speedster, who stood against the chaos.
Iris, watching the news, finally understood what Barry had been telling her all along. Someone like that really existed.
"Barry..." she murmured.
Meanwhile, Cisco and Caitlin knew Barry had been the one fighting. They were worried about him, but with no way to locate him, there was little they could do. They also wanted answers about their boss, Dr. Harrison Wells, who had gone missing without a trace.
Joe and Eddie could hardly believe their eyes. Barry had been right all along yet now, he was nowhere to be found.
As for his archnemesis, Eobard Thawne stood in the particle accelerator's secret room, smiling as he watched the hologram screen.
"Barry, Barry, Barry," he said. "The Flash has arrived."
Eobard was pleased. The creation of The Flash had finally begun.
And he was even happier seeing Barry's progress with his speed.
"Get faster, Barry," Eobard whispered.
. . . .
Two hours had passed.
The Flash awoke, clutching his head as a sharp pain pulsed through it. His ears were ringing, and his stomach growled fiercely, demanding food.
"I smell burnt," he muttered, noticing parts of his suit were charred.
Removing his mask, Barry took a deep breath.
"Looks like I burned this suit up," he said, disappointed that his first suit would have to be discarded.
But before dealing with that, he went moose hunting again, this time, only taking down one. 'I need to find another hunting spot,' he thought. 'Hmm, maybe crocodiles next. Florida's full of them. Guess I'll see you soon, crocs.'
As he cooked the moose, he talked to himself, analyzing the fight.
"What should I have done better?"
"I should've let him deactivate his tornado first, then knocked him out. That would've been smarter."
"Next time, I need to think deeper about my moves."
"The government will probably put Clyde in a permanent coma. They have no way to disable his powers for now."
"Either way, I need to be ready in case Iron Heights gets destroyed. Some idiot might mess up, or the government will experiment on Clyde. Sorry, brother, but you're on your own. This is what happens when you act like a god but waste your power robbing banks. What the fuck was he thinking?"
When the food was finally ready, Barry ate it, forcing himself to enjoy it despite its bland taste.
After finishing, he buried the bones and headed home in different clothes, ones he'd bought after burning his first suit with his super speed.
He took a taxi back. Entering the house, he found it empty. First, he showered, then went to his room and opened his laptop to continue researching.
He needed more knowledge and better tech. But flipping through research papers was too slow.
As he read, he simultaneously crafted a new suit, stashing it in his laptop bag before returning to his studies.
His first focus was tachyons, he had to get faster. Right now, his connection to the Speed Force was still weak, barely days old.
"Wow, this is complicated," Barry muttered, pulling out a notebook and scribbling down notes and calculations.
At least it wasn't completely foreign companies like Mercury Labs were already researching it.
After hours of reading, Barry scratched his head. "I'd be better off at the library. More resources, faster access."
He unplugged his laptop, packed it into his bag, and left the house.
As he stepped outside, Iris arrived.
"Hey, Barry. Where are you going?" she asked, eyeing his bag.
"Just doing some research," he said, sidestepping her. "Excuse me."
Iris watched him leave, confused. The Barry she knew had always been warm and cheerful. But since waking up from his nine-month coma, he'd become a different person.
'What changed him?' she wondered.