FRAMED

“I AM ALIVE!”
Team Flash looked on in perpetual shock.
“H-hi, my name is C-Caitlin Snow.” Caitlin stammered. “And we’re your friends.”
“Caitlin Snow, friends, I.” it said robotically.
“We’re just going to get that ugly suit off your shiny skin, alright?” Caitlin said as sweetly as she could.
As Cisco attempts to touch it, he’s zapped and thrown across the room.
“No!” it shouted and sped off with Barry following close behind.
As Barry zoomed across the city right behind the mannequin, he noticed that it was drawing bits of electricity from electronic equipment in the surrounding area. As it did so, it became incredibly faster and the gap between it and Barry widened. It also---sucker-punched Barry as he was distracted doing ‘physics’.
“Owww.” Barry whimpered, holding his broken nose, after the five-meter distance he had flown backward from the force of the punch.
STAR LABS
“Has it healed?” Caitlin asked tentatively.
“Arrrgh, yeah.” He said, tweaking his nose gently, just to make sure it healed right. “I think so. So, what do we know about this guy, uh, mannequin?”
“Uh-oh, you don’t wanna hear this, Barry.” Cisco said. “Let Cait do the honors this time. All I can tell you is that it’s a mannequin.”
Dr. Caitlin Snow cleared her throat and said, “Barry, after some tests through the suit, the powerful amount of energy was discovered to have transformed its properties totally, bringing it to life. Apart from the apparent super speed it benefits from the suit, its brainpower is about an I.Q. of 154 and the greatest of its abilities is a very powerful one: the suit draws common electricity without tactile contact and passing it through the suit turns it into Speed Force electricity constantly powering the wearer of the suit, in this case the mannequin.
“Oh my god.” Barry said. “I’m doomed.”
“So basically, if it keeps moving in the city, it gets more powerful and increasingly faster.” Cisco chipped in. “And with an Intelligence Quotient of that rate, we better employ a genius of ours.”
“What’s Harry always doing in the lab downstairs anyway?”
CENTRAL CITY
WHOOOOOSSSSHHHHHH
The newly-formed being sped around a building at high speed, causing a flux in its molecular structure, making it collapse to the ground. Worst of all, the mannequin stood there, hands on its hips and its chest thrust out like a hero who just saved a pretty woman from an accident. Everyone held their cameras up. Today was going to be a bad day for The Flash. Shots flashed.
STAR LABS
Team Flash was watching the news. The news reporter droned on.

[…and so Central City lies in danger by the hand of its greatest hero, The Flash. If the good guys have turned against us, will the bad guys fight for us? Earlier today, he was shown apprehending a group of thieves who just robbed a goods store. While being expected to bring them to justice as he has always done, witnesses and the camera relayed him beating them brutally and finally snapping their necks, along with every other police on the scene of the crime…]

Harry shut down the screen and turned to face the team. “If you want to keep operating in this city, you’ve got to do something and fast.” He said, matter-of-factly.
Barry couldn’t hide his horror. “I’m so dead.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Barry.” Cisco said. “Honestly, you’re far more than dead.”
“Are you kidding me? That…thing is destroying my city in The Flash’s costume and name. My name!”
“You know, there’s this other costume I’m working on. You might have to start over as a new hero.
Some minutes later, Barry was outfitted in a green costume. It was armless but Cisco handed him a pair of black fingerless gloves.
“Well,” Cisco said. “It is something.”
Barry sped off.
“That mannequin is in trouble.” Caitlin said.
Barry saw it at the Central City Picture News (CCPN). Immediately, it sped towards him. Let’s do this, Barry thought. The streak of yellow lightning zoomed across Central City. Barry aimed a punch at it but it dodged, grabbed Barry’s arm and pulled him over, throwing a punch of its own towards Barry’s face. As Barry landed some feet away, it ran and this time grabbed Barry’s foot and started pulling him away at super speed. Barry felt the heat of his butt dragging along the concrete though the suit was tri-polymer: friction proof. After a few minutes, he stopped abruptly, throwing Barry overhead to leave him sprawling in the dirt a few feet away.
“Sorry, fellow speedster, I own this city. Not you.”
“You are just another evil guy with speed that I have to deal with.”
“I see. What about you become the villain for some time, uh? What about that?”
Its features started to change color and texture and as lightning sparked around it, it blended into a replica of Barry.
“Now who’s the villain, Flash? Now who’s the villain?” It shouted and sped off, leaving Barry in the dust.
STAR LABS
“I told you that you were far more than dead.” Cisco said. “Harry, we need help. And if you’re gonna stay silent, you might as well remove your brain and lend it to us.”
Harry looked around as he always did, then said, “The more it runs in the city, the more it becomes stronger and its power source remains intact. You’ll have to lead it somewhere absent of electricity and then get it to expend its available energy. Think you’ll last enough to accomplish that?”
“Well, yes, and now that we know how to defeat him, what’s the plan?” Barry said.
“What about that tech you used to drain Barry’s speed for Zoom, Harry? Think you still have it?” Cisco asked.
“It might come in handy.” Harry said.
Barry suited up in his new costume. Armed with the speed-draining tech and a plan, he took off. The mannequin had created a path of destruction along the city, so Barry followed. He finally found it on the top of a building.
“I knew you’d come.” It said.
“So why didn’t you throw a welcoming party? Aren’t I worthy a guest?”
“You are not even worthy an opponent.”
WHOOOOSSSSHHHHHH
The surrounding walls echoed with the sound waves emanating from their punches. They zoomed off again. Suddenly the mannequin split into two images in front of Barry. A speed mirage.
“Barry.” Cisco shouted through the earpiece. “Do not, I repeat, do not let him follow you if you open a wormhole. The Speed Force energies would stabilize him and make him unstoppable!”
“Alright, I hear you.”
Barry went after the mirage that had cornered into an alley, but realized too late. It was a trap. Barriers sparked up around him. Just like the one he had used to trap the Reverse Flash.
“You should recognize this.” The mannequin said maniacally. “I have to bring you to justice, Flash. Don’t you see? No matter who you think you are or what you call yourself, the guy in the red costume and yellow lightning always wins. You’re in green, Barry. And I am in red.”
“Do you even know traffic lights? Red means stop and green means GO!” Barry shouted the signal word to his invisible accomplice.
“I agree.” A deep male voice came from above. “I love it when the arrow says green.”
TWISSSSHHHH. An arrow with its end connected to a rope struck into the wall opposite its source and tightened. Oliver Queen came sliding down. He nodded towards Barry.
“Thought you wouldn’t come.” Barry said.
“I’m always green for a friend.”
“Look who’s here. The not-so-smug Green Arrow.” The mannequin said mockingly. “And he’s come for a beating. Your luck’s bound to run out someday. That day’s today.”
“Let’s see who gets to marry Lady Luck.” The Green Arrow said. “I promised her a honeymoon in Dubai. You proposed yet?”
The speedster proceeded to beat Oliver at super speed, knowing it had the upper hand.
“Arghhh.” Oliver groaned as he was punched square in the gut, in the midst of the surrounding lightning. “I stopped Barry once, you know.”
“I am not Barry!” The voice came from the whooshing lightning.
“No, you’re not.” Oliver managed. “Barry’s now in green tights. I always beat the ones in red. And I’m going to do it again.”
Oliver closed his eyes, calculated quickly and swung an arrowhead to the left. It hit the mannequin square in the chest. He then pulled a move that took its legs off the ground, sending it into the air. He hit it forcefully, driving its back to the ground. He sprayed stinging gas in its eyes and using that as a smokescreen, quickly removed the suit’s emblem. He brought out the speed-draining tech and fixed it to it. Immediately, the mannequin speed-punched Arrow a good distance away and stood up.
“Seems Lady Luck is reconsidering your proposal.” It sneered.
“No, she’s not. We already said our vows. You wanna come to the wedding? Here’s your invitation card.” Oliver said, holding up the emblem.
“That’s mine!” The mannequin sped over, knocking Arrow over and catching the emblem in mid-air. “Thank you.” It said mockingly, fixing the lightning symbol that represented The Flash back on its chest.
“You’re WELCOME!” Oliver shouted the signal to his partner.
“And that’s my cue to join in the drama.” Barry said as he ran round and round until a wormhole opened up and he ran into it. Appearing outside the trap, he called out to his evil twin. “Hey, don’t tell me you forgot about me.”
“H-how did you…”
“No time for questions, let’s run.”
BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM
Barry took off, the mannequin hot on his trail. He sped up buildings and down, taking the mannequin on a crazy chase around the entire city. It was a fight for Central City. The mannequin was gaining on him. It was still drawing electricity and charging itself up.
“Barry, you’ve got to get it to expend that energy. First, get it to somewhere absent of power.” Cisco’s voice came again.
Time to go somewhere ‘un-electrified’. Barry sped across the ocean and started to move in very large circles, in order not to make the mannequin suspicious.
“How many percent more, Cisco?” Barry shouted desperately into the earpiece. “I can’t do this forever.”
“Keep running, Barry.” Cisco shouted back. “32 percent to go.”
Barry headed out into the far, open sea. The mannequin was visibly getting slower. Barry kicked up the water to blind the mannequin’s range of vision and turned back, phasing through the waves of water in the air and saw the mannequin, who was shielding its eyes from the water but still moving.
“I owe you a broken nose.” Barry said as he punched the mannequin on the face with enough force to send it flying headfirst across the water like a stone from a slingshot. Barry ran ahead of it to where he had calculated its possible landing. Immediately its head dipped into the water, Barry literally began a super speed punching spree on the mannequin’s body, its head slicing through the water with the force its body was being pummeled with. Barry landed a powerful punch that sent it slicing across the water and moved quickly forward to land another punch right before its entire body fell into the water completely, helping it maintain its momentum. Barry jumped into the water and swum at super speed towards its visible head, hitting it with a punch that sent its entire body up and away over the ocean’s surface. It regained its balance after a few bounces on the water’s surface. Barry headed towards dry land and stopped at the water’s edge. He looked towards the water and saw the mannequin running in unstable bends. Its knees were visibly buckling. As it got near to the beach, its lightning trailed back into its body and disappeared. It moved forward a few feet before falling into the water. Barry raced and brought its body to shore. It had melted back into its former shape and color.
STAR LABS
“Thank you, Oliver.” Barry said.
“No problem, Barry. Take care.” The Green Arrow said, as he took his leave.
“And Team Flash’s done it again.” Cisco said excitedly.
“Before you ask, I ran every test and apart from your suit being devoid of every single energy, everything’s back to normal.” Caitlin said. “I believe we can go back to functioning.”
“I believe we can.”
THE END