[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0199e0a3-40db-7519-96f3-1ff67fbaf7e7.webp[/img][/center][indent][sub][color=gold][b]THE FLASH:[/b][/color][color=lightgray] New World[/color][/sub][sup][right][b][color=gold]CHAPTER #2:[/color][/b] [url=https://open.spotify.com/track/7pBsquIkbED6W6uSQJGbkn?si=2e8f389e818442c6][color=lightgray] Home [/color][/url][/right][/sup][/indent][hr][indent][color=lightgray][sub][b]Various [color=gold] ♦ [/color] The Twin Cities[/b][/sub][/color][/indent]
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Red and gold lightning flashed over Central City. The world stood still around Wally West. Flocks of birds froze in the air. He navigated through a crowd of people celebrating the KC Salamander's first win of the season; grabbed a dachshund chasing a dropped hot dog out of the street. Weaving in and out of traffic, he moved through Danville, Windsor Heights, and Westminster- a forty-three minute drive covered in the blink of an eye.

The Gem City Bridge connected Central City to its twin, Keystone: Gem of the Midwest. Industrial heartland of America. Home. 

The last time Wally ran down its winding streets, it was a smoldering ruin. The sky filled with black smoke and packs of parademons. Those monsters would swoop down into windows to tear children from the arms of their fathers to carry them away. Wally saved as many as he could. He remembered running as fast as he could through the twin cities. Remembered smashing a hundred parademons to pieces with his bare hands. Wally had pushed himself to fight as long as he could. Pushed himself to keep going, to save just one more soul. He remembered the moment his body failed him. He collapsed, skidded down main street for over a thousand feet before he hit something solid enough to stop him. He'd torn his ACL on both legs. 

His knees ached with a phantom pain at the memory.

When he looked up and saw the golden light of the morning break through the clouds, it felt surreal. Like a beautiful dream he could wake up from at any moment. 

Wally took his time soaking it in. He watched two old men play chess in the park. Followed a fat cat as it struggled to hunt a squirrel. Stood in a crowd of gawkers as a stranger proposed at his favorite diner.

[i][color=gold]'Its all so...normal. Like the apocalypse never happened.'[/color][/i]

None of it made any sense. Had they beaten Darkseid? Sent his armies of darkness packing and rebuilt? No. That was impossible. Wally searched the length and breadth of the Twin Cities and hadn't seen any sign of reconstruction. Everything was just [i]fine[/i] again. Like God had snapped His fingers and set everything back to the way it ought to be.

[b][i]THOOM.[/i][/b]

A sonic boom shook the newspaper stand. Everything from [i]The Daily Planet[/i] to [i]Variety[/i] went flying with the explosive force of Wally West's arrival. Oops. He grabbed every displaced magazine, newspaper and brochure, carefully setting it back where it once was. 

The heavyset man behind the counter stared at Wally with eyes the size of dinner plates under his bushy eyebrows. "W-whatdafuck? D'ya see that?"

[color=gold]"See what?"[/color] Wally grinned up at him, hoping his dimples and freckles would convince the guy of his innocence.

It took a few seconds for him to get his bearings. "I- I swear'ta Gawd everything just..." He blinked, and it was only then he noticed Wally for the first time. "What in the Sam hill're you wearin'?"

The two of them looked down at Wally's clothes at the same time. He'd almost forgotten he was still in the spandex. Guess he slept in it. Oops.

That...meant Barry saw him in...crap. Problem for later.

[color=gold]"Cosplay convention in town."[/color] He lied, stumbling over his words as his brain moved faster than his mouth.[color=gold]"Say, pal, you got a copy of yesterday's paper you haven't thrown out yet?"[/color]

The stand man gave a slow nod and started rummaging through a pile of discarded papers near his feet. When he came back up, he had a copy of Central City Picture News in his fist. "Yeah, yeah. Kid who's s'posed'ta take the unsold CCPNs hasn't come by yet. Lazy shit. But uh, I ain't s'posed'ta sell these-"

[color=gold]"Can I just have it then?"[/color] He batted his eyelashes like a hussy. [color=gold]"I mean, if you're going to trash it anyway..."[/color]

The guy shook his head. "'Fraid that ain't how it works, kiddo."

[color=gold]"Hey, I get it."[/color] Wally shrugged, turning to leave. [color=gold]"See ya around."[/color]

Once he was half a block away, another sonic boom shook the street. The newsstand once again suffered a freak explosion of flying magazines. How strange!

Wally held up yesterday's Picture News. The date and year were on the nose, so time travel was out. The contents were where the real oddities began.

Trolls attacked New York. An alien on a motorbike was spotted over Metropolis. Revolution in Genosha. Not a single mention of the end of the world. He recognized names in several of the articles, but they were in contexts utterly former to him. Like Thor. Thor was on the front page, standing amidst those heroes that protected New York City.

[color=gold]"Why is he a teenager?!"[/color] Wally blurted aloud. A passing couple gave him an odd look as he sheepishly hurried down the street, still pouring over his newspaper for any answers. All he found were more questions.

He stopped outside of a bakery. The smell of freshly made bread floated out of it every time a customer passed through the door. A little bell hung over it chimed each time, too. It was a joyful little noise. There was a small outdoor sitting area just outside. Wally took a seat under its awning, and dropped the newspaper on the table.

Wandering around Keystone wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed help. Someone smart that could tell him why reality was all topsy-turvy, like Reed Richards. Or Batman.

Wally stopped. He looked up, and watched the sun rise between a pair of skyscrapers on either side of the Missouri River. The light reflected off the windows, sparkling like gold. People passed by all around him. They were headed to work, to breakfast, to pick up their grandma at the airport.

[i][color=gold]'Maybe answers can wait.'[/color][/i] He thought. [i][color=gold]'Maybe...maybe I'll go to school.'[/color][/i]

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