Titans of Justice Unlimited #114 - “Speed Thief Part 3”
Written by: Scotty2Hotty & Power Guy
Edited, & Maxi-micros by: Power Guy


Eric Allen sat at a sidewalk café chatting with Niko Crandall and Jayson Garrick. None of the three men were dealing with the loss of their powers well.

“I can’t stand this…just sitting…and moving in slow motion.” Jayson said, finishing a salad.





“I know what you mean. I’ve gained weight…can’t burn the calories off like I did before.” Eric said, glumly.





Niko spoke up, “ So far, no leads—nothing to indicate what happened to the Speed Force.”





“We'll at least Liberty Belle isn't here sulking with us. I hope that meeting she had to attend to is taking her mind off of things. Maybe it’s truly gone. I mean for it to have affected us on Earth-2. Something cosmic, something inter-dimensional had to have happened.” Jayson added.

“I could feel it leave my body. Like it was drawn somewhere.” Eric said. “Come on guys, I know who can help us.”

On the west coast, Connor Kent daydreamed out the window. Economics was not his favorite subject, and his thoughts were of how he’d rather be at home hanging out with Kimber and Stephen. Scott was away on a modeling assignment and Jerrica was touring, promoting her new album. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something…..then his super hearing detected a sonic boom. Making an excuse, he slipped out of class, ran down the hall ripping his shirt open to reveal his Superboy t-shirt underneath. He took to the skies and saw a tsunami heading towards the coast.

“What the hell--?” he gasped. He hit his Titans of Authority signal device and requested back up. Totem was on her way.





He noticed the wall of water growing larger and swore he saw a yellow and red figure running towards him, cutting through the water.

“Can’t be the Flash or Hot Flash…” he thought, summoning his tactile telekinesis in an effort to hold the rampaging water back. He could hear the screams of people seeing the water and cars crashing into each other. He closed his eyes and concentrated…….

WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! A punch sent him crashing into a grove of palm trees.

“You! You may have stopped the tsunami in my wake, but you will not stop Emperor Xum.” The former Professor Xu’s voice vibrated.





Superboy shook off the attack and stood. “Emperor Xum? Sounds pretty lame to me.”

“I’ll show you lame.” Emperor Xum laughed.

Before Superboy could react, Emperor Xum created a vortex, drawing Superboy in. He was battered about as the vortex sucked the oxygen from his lungs. Unlike Superman, who didn’t need oxygen to breathe, Superboy was half human and soon his body dropped to the beach below.

“Now, to level this city.” Emperor Xum said, raising his arms.

“Not today!” Totem said, summoning the speed of the cheetah and knocking Emperor Zoom over.





“Ah, I see you’ve recovered from your dear old Daddy’s death! Grief, so pathetically human.”

“Don’t you dare say his name, whoever you are!” Totem said, anger in her voice. She noticed the man had seemingly disappeared and the air was very still. She looked around, summoning the eyes of the eagle seeking her prey.

SLASH!!!!! Emperor Xum raced by, the lightning bolts on the sides of his costume slashing her calves and dropping her to the ground.

Totem gasped as blood poured from her legs.

“There’s an artery that runs down the legs. You’ll bleed out in about 15 minutes. Tell your Daddy hello from the new Emperor of Earth.” The laughing villain then took to the air, a tornado forming in his wake.

“Hold on Totem, I can get you help in less than 15 seconds.”

“Connor….” Totem said, weakly. Superboy had recovered and rushed to get Totem medical attention.

Emperor Xum levitated above the city, tornado spinning and lightning pouring off it. Buildings collapsed….windows shattered….streets lifted into the air sending cars flying, all the while Emperor Xum laughed haughtily.

WHACK!!!!!!!!!! Corporal Marvel’s hammer struck the Emperor in the head. He spun around and glared at Corporal Marvel. He, along with Green Lantern had received an alert about the trouble on the West Coast.

“Big mistake, Professor Xum or whatever you call yourself. You’re all wrapped up in yourself and didn’t notice us!” Corporal Marvel said.





“A mistake I won’t make again!” Emperor Xum sent a tornado from his fists towards Corporal Marvel sending him crashing into an office building. He smashed through wall after wall after wall. When he finally stopped, he looked up only to see his hammer strike him right between the eyes.

Green Lantern used his ring to contain some of the damage from the tornadoes. “I was under the impression you speeders had lost your powers.”





“Has the sun fried your brain, chrome-dome?” The speed force is mine and mine alone!”

Green Lantern sent a beam towards Emperor Xum, which he quickly dodged. Again, the air became still and quiet. All the tornadic activity stopped. Green Lantern looked around. “Too quiet…I don’t like it…” he thought. He created a suit of armor to protect himself and flew through the city. People were busy digging the injured out of the rubble. Others staggered down the sidewalks, fragments of glass still stuck in them. He saw Dark Arrow and Storm Surge on the ground.





“Go get him, Lantern, we’ll help these people!” vowed Storm Surge.





“Be careful GL! He’s already nearly killed Totem!” Dark Arrow waved.





Green Lantern waved back, thinking it was refreshing seeing the Titans of Authority rendering aid instead of administering harsh justice on super-villains. Suddenly he felt a draft. BOOM! His armor shattered and he was sent crashing into a building like a rag-doll. Emperor Xum levitated above him twirling his pinky finger.

“Don’t need much to stop you!” he smiled.

Green Lantern gasped as he felt the air being sucked from his lungs. Seconds later he was unconscious.

***

“Sargona, we think the Speed Force is still out there somewhere. Stuck between dimensions or something.” Jayson Garrick said.

“A locater spell, should be easy.” Sargona said, touching her ruby. “It’s odd…when all this happened, I felt something shifting, but wasn’t sure what it was.”





“I should have asked you to help sooner, but I guess I was in shock about the Speed Force being gone.” Eric said.

“Well, it has been around for years. Maybe we all thought with so many of us speedsters around it was used up?” Niko added.

Eric noticed how Sargona’s home seemed to be alive with energy. He noticed all kinds of trinkets along the walls and ornate boxes containing God knows what.

BEEPBEEPBEEP, sounded Eric and Sargona’s communicaitons devices. “That’s a priority alert.” Eric said.

“Sargona, Flash…big trouble!” Black Vulcan’s voice came. “Professor Xum is back and I think he’s the reason you guys lost power—he’s certainly full of it!” Black Vulcan continued speaking as a holographic image popped up of Emperor Xum rapidly destroyed much of the West Coast. “Green Lantern, Corporal Marvel…even some of the Titans of Authority all downed. We need all hands on deck!”





“How did he--?” Jayson gasped.

“He’s got the Speed Force alright. And he’s abusing it.” Niko said, disgusted.

“Hop on guys. I know you’re used to speedier transportation, but my magic carpet will get us there!”

Soon, Sargona and the former speedsters were sailing through the air to the West Coast.

By now, Emperor Xum had made his way to Seattle and mayhem ruled supreme.

Apotheosis and a team of IADC agents were on the scene. The agents were ushering people to safety as well as leading rescue efforts.

“It’s like he’s entranced.” Apotheosis thought. “All that power is going to his head and he’s killed dozes already. He deserves to die.” Apotheosis watched as the sky was covered in grey clouds. Multiple bolts of lightning struck everywhere. Buildings were toppled and many were injured. “If I can get close enough……”





Emperor Xum saw a school bus on a bridge. “Ah! Perfect!!” he laughed as he raised his fists. Somehow the tornadic punches retreated and smashed into Zoom, knocking him down.

“What the hell!??” he said, surprised.

“Hi there!” Apotheosis smiled.

“You…you..you’ll ruin everything!!!”

“Hate to rain on your parade. No, actually I’m quite enjoying it!” Apotheosis smiled. He was absorbing the Speed Force easily and felt….unlike himself. He unleashed a super-speed blast at Emperor Xum. BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!! He assaulted him again and again.

“Stop! It’s mine to use! Not yours!!!”

“You want it back? Well here you go!” Apotheosis smiled, unleashing all the power back at Emperor Zoom. The air crackled as Xum screamed. Seconds later he dropped in a heap, knocked out.

“Apotheosis!” Sargona yelled.

The sky cleared as Eric, Jayson, and Nikos stepped off the magic carpet.

“But the Speed Force…where is it? Does he still have it?” Eric asked.

“I’m not sure. I pretty much sucked it right out of him…but directed it back to stop him. I sent it full force and I think it overloaded his consciousness..” Apotheosis said, walking over to Xum’s limp body.

Just then the Speed Force erupted from Xum’s body erupting like a blanket of lighting across the sky.

Eric, Jayson, and Nikos all looked upwards. 3 big bolts of lightning plummeted towards them. The impact knocked Apotheosis and Sargona over. In Central City, 3 more bolts hit Wally and Wilma West, as well as Barry Allen.

“Eric….you ok?” Sargona asked as Eric Allen seemed to be frozen in his tracks.

He looked around and took off running.

“YAHOOOOO!!!!!!” he shouted, joy in his voice as his crimson costume shot out of his Flash-insignia ring. He had his powers back. Nikos and Jayson were restored as well.

After the 3 men calmed down, they got alerts from Wally, Wilma, and Barry. They had their powers back too.

“Any idea what just happened here, Sargona?” Apotheosis asked.

“I’d say the Flashes just got a miracle.” The pretty sorceress smiled as her ruby glowed.

***

Faust’s hideaway…

“Just as I thought. The Speed Force, through years of association with the Flash family ultimately belongs to them. Xum was a fool to think he could contain it. I believe the Speed Force, with aid from the one called Apotheosis, ultimately rejected the host body. Apotheosis requires more study. His powers could come in handy to me.” Faust thought as he looked over at his dissection lab. “Yes, it would be a delight to open him and see what makes him….tick.”





Several weeks later, both Titans teams had helped aid the areas affected by Emperor Xum’s rampage.

“How’s Totem?” The Flash asked.

“She’s going to be ok. Superboy got her to S.T.A.R. in time. Illumina repaired the damage but she’s still resting up.” Dark Arrow replied.

“I get freaked out every time I walk by Xum’s cell.” Storm Surge added. “Tom assured us he can’t get out. Some kind of treated cell that Illumina and Nucleus came up with, the molecules and static in the cell prevent him from using his natural speed.”

“Well, I for one am glad you’re back.” Green Lantern said to the Flash.

“And I’m glad Lightspeed, Hermes, and Liberty Belle were restored too. Earth 2 can rest safer knowing their three resident speedsters are back on duty.” Corporal Marvel added. “Plus both our teams worked as one with the relief efforts!”

“Don’t go getting any ideas, Corporal. Stuff like this, we can agree on, but I don’t foresee a big reunion or anything.” Dark Arrow said.

Green Lantern rolled his eyes. The members of both teams finished some repair work and said their good-byes.

***

The home of Barry and Iris Allen…

“But Dad, didn’t you feel empty without it?” Eric asked his dad.

“No. I felt happy…safe.”





“But this is what makes us who we are, what makes us special.”

“Eric, I never asked for this power. After all I’ve seen it do….nearly kill Wally…the strain on my marriage…seeing you get hurt time after time. Did you ever stop and think what a normal life would be like? Haven’t you ever thought of marrying Sandy? Starting a family of your own?”

“I…of course I want all those things…but I want to be the Flash too.”

“Son, I just want you to be happy. Maybe that’s where you and I are different. Sometimes I wish those chemicals had never spilled on me. When you born, I thought it was finally our turn to be a normal family, but you inherited my powers…or the speed force sought you out. I don’t know. Just know this: There’s more to life than being the Flash. Write your books. Enjoy being with Sandy. You are more than that costume.”

“Dad, I think I understand what you’re trying to say. And thanks.”

***

Days later…

Eric Allen sent his manuscript to his publisher, quite content with his latest book.

“All done?” came Sandy’s voice.

“All done. Hey, it’s the weekend. How about a trip to Monte Carlo. Scott Trevor keeps an apartment there, said we could use it.”

“Monte Carlo? You know, we could just go down to the pool if you want me to model that new swimsuit.” Sandy smiled wrapping her arms around Eric’s neck.

“Oh I know, but I want to celebrate. I feel like I’ve been reborn….and I think I understand something my Dad’s been trying to tell me for years. Sometimes…sometimes I need to slow down and smell the roses, you know?”

“Well, aren’t we Mr. Philisophical.” Sandy kissed him.

Soon, The Flash was streaking across the ocean, Sandy in his arms. The sun set across the ocean as the duo headed towards a weekend of fun, the Flash smiling.


EPILOGUE:


The outskirts of Beverly Hills, CA…

A massive portal of light erupted out of nowhere as an armored individual made his way through it. “Hmm….the air smells cleaner here in the past. It’s a shame that I will have to foul it up with the deaths of all those my father holds dear.”





THE END!(For Now)