A FLASH IN THE SUN

Barry looked around the building frantically. The red-orange glow reflecting off the mirrors blinded his vision completely. There was no visible exit. Creating a wind funnel would blast the whole building to smithereens. Anyone who didn’t know a fire was the cause of the light would think someone pulled the sun in.
Speaking of the sun, this new meta was strangely powerful. He was technically the sun in human shape and anytime he appeared, everyone got temporarily blinded. Barry had made notes about him. One was that he seemed unstable and not in total control of his powers and Barry doubted any meta could be so powerful except if aided by magic. Nothing at Star Labs had helped. They had reopened and were busy providing some sort of sunshades Cisco had invented to the public to shield their eyes against the meta’s brilliant glow. Flashades, Cisco had called them. Meh. He was losing his touch.
Finally spotting the woman reported to have been stuck in the burning building, Barry sped out of the building just in time to see the fire meta staring down in what seemed like disgust to Barry. He couldn’t really say; the shine was blinding. Did he even have a face? His eyes were glowing even more. Right then Barry discovered he was loading up his sunbeams, planning on firing it at the women he just rescued. It was time to move fast. He hoped the Mass Punch would serve its purpose this time. Grodd had embarrassed him so much. He sped off and started moving at his highest speed around the edges of the city. BOOOOMMM!
“Wow, Barry just obliterated his speed record!” Cisco shouted, his eyes on the red dot on the monitor screen zooming around Central City that was Barry. “And all the glasses on all the buildings he just passed beside...”
Finally speeding towards the fire-wielding meta, from the far distance, he caught sight of the sunbeams from his eyes almost making contact with the victims. Oh no, he thought, I can’t make it on time. But I can make it ‘in time’. A Speed Force portal opened immediately in front of him and he continued his booming speed into it.
“Aaaarghhh, help…,” The women’s voices were drowned out by the sizzling hiss of the sunbeams as it made contact with their frail flesh.
Team Flash froze in horror, eyes wide open in fear. “Barry’s gone”, Cisco managed, but it came out in a squeak. “He’s disappeared.”
2 HOURS LATER. STAR LABS
Team Flash was in a complete state of panic.
“How are we going to find him?”
“Those women…”
“He’s gone.”
“What really happened, Cisco?”
“I don’t know. He’s vitals were better than ever and he just…sort of disappeared.”
“I’m developing the if-Barry-is-gone-how-is-Central City-gonna-survive-phobia…”
Caitlin looked around. The whole place was in a mess. Not the place literally. Its occupants. He was Barry, wasn’t he? If so, then he was already on his way home and in five minutes he’d be back here telling them of how the villain was defeated.
Or so she thought. What if he came back two hours ago?
54 YEARS EARLIER. 1963, NOVEMBER 22ND. 10:30am.
“Owww, that hurt.” Barry said, “What happened?”
He remembered. Right after he’d entered into the portal, Black Flash had attacked him. So the Speed Force had a gatekeeper now, huh? They had fought throughout time and he had narrowly avoided it by opening another of the 147 portals they had opened during their fight and pretending to run into it while silently phasing. Black Flash had sped through him and into the portal and it had closed up. It was bound to come back though, but not until he had found his way back to his proper timeline. Now to find out where he was. Or when he was, as a matter of fact. It sounded absurd.
He found out from a passer-by who was staring curiously at his costume. I know, Barry thought, even the 1990s Flash hadn’t been born yet. He was in November 22nd, 1963. The day JFK died. At least two hours before that. But he wasn’t about to witness that. It was time to travel…in time. But then, first things first.
2017. 1 MINUTE BEFORE BARRY DISAPPEARED.
The fiery meta saw The Flash rescue the woman from the building he had set on fire and then zoom off as he started loading his beams. With a laugh like the sound fire crackling, he tilted the upper part of his body backwards and fired back like a bullet from a rifle, the beams moving out of his eye sockets at incredible speeds. From the corner of his eye, he saw The Flash disappear into a bluish wormhole in the far distance. Good, he thought, you better run, speedster.
Suddenly the bluish hole appeared. He felt it before he saw it. He knew the force of the punch was going to knock him into orbit.
BARRY
Barry ran around and around the city and jumped into the opening portal, hoping his trick would work. At the far end of the tunnel-like wormhole, he saw the exact image he’d expected. Fifty feet up in the air, right in front of the fire meta’s face. In the incredible speed of motion, Barry pressed his boots against the floorless ground of the wormhole and launched himself forward towards the meta. He drew his fist back and…
FIRE META
BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The wave emanating from the point of contact between Barry’s fist and the meta’s face was clearly visible and lined with streaks of yellow lightning. Every electronic equipment that the wave vibrated through shut down. Minor blackout in the area, major blackout in the fire meta’s head.
BARRY
Barry created a small burst of wind from his arms to help him land. “Cisco, can you hear me? Cisco…” His earpiece’s sound wave fluctuated. The meta was no more glowing. He lay five feet into the ground in the crater his crash had created. Anyway, it was time to go home. Like Star Labs home.
After safely locking the meta in the dampening cell, the whole team stared at him.
“What?” Barry asked.
“Where did you learn that trick?” Cisco demanded. “It was awesome!”
“I knew that whenever I time travel, I land on the spot I want to land. Or fly. So I used it to my advantage. Basically, I used it as a breach. The Speed Force has many appliances.” Barry said. “Is that why you’re all staring at me? Really.”
“Your suit’s changed, dude.” Cisco said. “And charged, too. My suit, actually.”
Barry stared in the mirror. The suit was flecked with not a yellow color but yellow lightning. The empty lines from the corners of the cowl were shining brilliantly.
“I just ran a test.” Caitlin said. “Apart from you being 6 times faster, your suit has enough energy to power Star Labs for 1 month, alone.”
“Whoa.” Barry said, intrigued.
“The lightning emanating from your body throughout your trip affected the molecules and atoms of the suit, storing Speed Force energy in each atom. Though you have time travelled before without this happening, the Speed Force is still a realm with unexplained energies. Science may have linked you to it but we cannot come to a conclusion that it is not magic.” Caitlin concluded.
“At this point, anybody, meta or not, wearing your suit will be able to move at superhuman speeds.” Cisco said. “I’m excited!”
“Well, what can I say?” Barry said lamely. “We’ll check all that out later.”
As he puts off the suit onto the mannequin, it begins to draw power from the light bulbs around the whole room. Everything goes dark. As the lights come back on slowly, they see the former space of the mannequin empty. A being runs around in super speed and stops in front of the team.
“Oh my god,” Cisco said, “Is that…?”
The mannequin, now with total human features, all gray in color, stands before them, with the Flash suit fitting tightly on it and lightning sparkling all around it.
“I AM ALIVE!”
THE END