(no subject)
Bart Allen, once the fastest man to ever live, now stood on an empty expanse of sand, lined with palm trees. Cocos nucifera, the coconut palm, his mind supplied, without hesitation. Could be anywhere with twenty-six degrees north or south of the equator. Tropics. No low overnight temperatures at least. The easy flow of facts reassured him, though only as much as his surroundings caused concern. He couldn't remember how he got there, and he wasn't dressed for the tropics, he was dressed, well, like he'd been on his way to court, maybe. He remembered that the LAPD hadn't been too happy with him when he revealed himself as the Flash. Or maybe it was escaping from custody. Cops could be picky about that. It was one of the reason he'd wanted to be one.
The problem was that Cocos nucifera didn't grow in the LA basin. Not anywhere. That didn't add up. He's lost time before; the four years he'd spent on Earth-Two, for example, were not preserved in the crisp clarity of his normally photographic memory. But Bart thought he would have remembered heading off to the tropics. He also would have asked Val to come with.
That was another moment of confusion. He'd been trying to buy time for Valerie to do...something. Something important, that much he knew. Enough energy to blow up half the western seaboard, his mind supplied, randomly. But what energy, and why? He shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep it from falling back into his eyes. The confusion was new, and as unfamiliar as his surroundings. Bart had made a name for being impulsive, literally, and that was nearly antithetical to being confused.
He decided to follow the coast a little, until he found a stream or path that might lead him to human habitation. Bart hoped it wouldn't be too far. Dress shoes weren't meant for long walks. Why wasn't he wearing sneakers, or more comfortable clothing? At least he had his ring. The ring Wally had given him to hold his uniform. But he'd never be the Flash again. How did he know that? He wasn't sure. Nothing seemed certain right now, like there was a temporal flux, maybe. If he found someone, he could ask, but there was no point staying in a place where there wasn't much in the way of food, and nothing in the way of drinking water. You could die of thirst on the shores of the ocean.
There wasn't much else to do, except find shelter, fresh water, food, and try to find out why he seemed so muddled. And why he was certain in the depths of his soul that he was never again going to ride the lightning.
*FLASH*
Inertia, running at him, malicious glee on the younger clone's face. Behind him, the Black Flash stood, watching impassively.
*FLASH*
Bart staggered a step under the shock of the image that burst through his mind. Why remember that? The Black Flash only appeared when a speedster died. He wasn't dead, he knew that much. Bart supposed he probably should feel sorry for Inertia, in that case, but he'd never found it in him to think of Thaddeus Thawne, his erstwhile twin, as anything but a rival and enemy. Just look at the trouble he had cause for the Titans.
The Teen Titans. A year ago, he had been one of them. A year ago, when Kon was still alive. Everything had gone bad when Superboy died. His own life had changed, as he suddenly found himself forced into adulthood years ahead of time. So he'd done his best to make a life for himself. He'd found a job, friends, a so-called life. Then Griffin had that accident, and Jay found out Bart still had his powers. No, not his powers, not his ever again. Jay Garrick, the man who had been the closest thing to a father Bart had since Max Mercury vanished into the Speed Force, had tried to urge him to use the power for good, as he always had.
It was daylight, but without knowing which direction was what, he couldn't really tell time yet. And without stars, he had even less of a chance of knowing where in the fifty-odd degrees of latitude he might be from the tropical flora his mind continued to name uselessly. He'd do much better to just find people.
With that thought, he though he heard a rustling in the brush to his right. He paused, turning to look, shading his amber eyes with one hand as he scanned the foliage for the source of the sound. Not a bird, since he hadn't seen anything break cover. Probably not an animal, either. He hoped he hadn't been quiet enough for that to be a potential worry.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
[My first debut, yay! Bart's kinda clueless atm, (yes, more than usual) so he needs to get brought up to speed.]
The problem was that Cocos nucifera didn't grow in the LA basin. Not anywhere. That didn't add up. He's lost time before; the four years he'd spent on Earth-Two, for example, were not preserved in the crisp clarity of his normally photographic memory. But Bart thought he would have remembered heading off to the tropics. He also would have asked Val to come with.
That was another moment of confusion. He'd been trying to buy time for Valerie to do...something. Something important, that much he knew. Enough energy to blow up half the western seaboard, his mind supplied, randomly. But what energy, and why? He shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep it from falling back into his eyes. The confusion was new, and as unfamiliar as his surroundings. Bart had made a name for being impulsive, literally, and that was nearly antithetical to being confused.
He decided to follow the coast a little, until he found a stream or path that might lead him to human habitation. Bart hoped it wouldn't be too far. Dress shoes weren't meant for long walks. Why wasn't he wearing sneakers, or more comfortable clothing? At least he had his ring. The ring Wally had given him to hold his uniform. But he'd never be the Flash again. How did he know that? He wasn't sure. Nothing seemed certain right now, like there was a temporal flux, maybe. If he found someone, he could ask, but there was no point staying in a place where there wasn't much in the way of food, and nothing in the way of drinking water. You could die of thirst on the shores of the ocean.
There wasn't much else to do, except find shelter, fresh water, food, and try to find out why he seemed so muddled. And why he was certain in the depths of his soul that he was never again going to ride the lightning.
*FLASH*
Inertia, running at him, malicious glee on the younger clone's face. Behind him, the Black Flash stood, watching impassively.
*FLASH*
Bart staggered a step under the shock of the image that burst through his mind. Why remember that? The Black Flash only appeared when a speedster died. He wasn't dead, he knew that much. Bart supposed he probably should feel sorry for Inertia, in that case, but he'd never found it in him to think of Thaddeus Thawne, his erstwhile twin, as anything but a rival and enemy. Just look at the trouble he had cause for the Titans.
The Teen Titans. A year ago, he had been one of them. A year ago, when Kon was still alive. Everything had gone bad when Superboy died. His own life had changed, as he suddenly found himself forced into adulthood years ahead of time. So he'd done his best to make a life for himself. He'd found a job, friends, a so-called life. Then Griffin had that accident, and Jay found out Bart still had his powers. No, not his powers, not his ever again. Jay Garrick, the man who had been the closest thing to a father Bart had since Max Mercury vanished into the Speed Force, had tried to urge him to use the power for good, as he always had.
It was daylight, but without knowing which direction was what, he couldn't really tell time yet. And without stars, he had even less of a chance of knowing where in the fifty-odd degrees of latitude he might be from the tropical flora his mind continued to name uselessly. He'd do much better to just find people.
With that thought, he though he heard a rustling in the brush to his right. He paused, turning to look, shading his amber eyes with one hand as he scanned the foliage for the source of the sound. Not a bird, since he hadn't seen anything break cover. Probably not an animal, either. He hoped he hadn't been quiet enough for that to be a potential worry.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
[My first debut, yay! Bart's kinda clueless atm, (yes, more than usual) so he needs to get brought up to speed.]