The Flash
Times Past, 1973
The Family Business
by Immortalwildcat
Chapter 1
1973.
“Jay, are you sure you want to do this?” Joan Garrick stood behind her husband, rubbing his shoulders as he sat drinking coffee at their kitchen table. “I know you’re excited to be back in the hero business, and heaven knows we need the JSA. But why can’t you do it the way you did before?”
Jay reached up to take his wife’s hand, and kissed it lightly. “Joan, I’m out of practice. After we disbanded the JSA, I tried hard not to use my speed. For twelve years, I was plain old Jay Garrick, cornfed son of the midwest, building first a reputation as an A-1 chemist, then building Keystone Chemical. Now, since I met Barry, I’ve got the urge to run again. But I don’t think I have the speed I did before. To be at my top form, I need to focus, and that means I can’t be trying to hide my features by constantly vibrating.”
“But is it safe? I know you upgraded the security on the house and the labs, but is that enough with some of your old enemies?” She leaned forward, draping herself over one of his shoulders, and her arms wrapped around him.
“I’m sure of it. I have it all planned. A press conference, a public announcement, it will be all over the news tonight. By tomorrow, the war in Vietnam will be in the headlines again, and the hoopla will be over for us. The other way, to wait for some observant person to notice, will just get a bunch of rumors started, and it will take months before people leave us alone. Trust me?”
“Always, sweet heart. Always.”
Chapter 2
Seven hours later, Dexter Miles, Mayor of Keystone City, stood at a podium in front of City Hall.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I usually stand here to bring you news of city business, to announce the good and the bad news following our council meetings. Today, however, I am only here to introduce our city’s most famous citizen. You will recall that it was he, along with his otherworldly counterpart, who rescued our fair city from a nefarious trap sprung by several members of the infamous Injustice Society of the World. He has told me that he has an announcement to make to Keystone, and to the world at large. So, without any further ado, I give you… The Flash!”
Nobody saw him take the stage. The Mayor stepped aside, and while one second there was empty space, the next there was the familiar figure in his red shirt with the distinctive lightning bolt, his bright blue pants and winged boots, and the instantly recognizable winged metal helmet.
The gathered crowd erupted in cheers and applause for their city’s hero. Scattered throughout the crowd were signs proclaiming their love and support for the speedster. One woman at the front called out, “Please, don’t tell us you’re going away again!”
The Flash raised his hands, and waited for the noise to subside. When he spoke, it was in the lazy drawl that Jay Garrick had possessed since birth, and not the short, clipped tones he had usually used as the Flash.
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and fellow citizens. I have made a decision recently, a decision that I must share with you. No, ma’am, I won’t be going away again. That was the result of a joint decision that I made with the rest of the Justice Society, to protect our members. It will not be repeated.”
The crowd cheered again, making him stop and wait until he could speak again.
“I have decided that I have no need to keep secrets from the people I have sworn to protect. Therefore, I will no longer hide my face from you.” As he spoke, Jay relaxed. For the first time, the face of the Flash was clearly seen. “Ladies and gentlemen, many of you already know me through the work my company and I have done here. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Jay Garrick.”
It took all of five seconds for the crowd to absorb what he had said. Then, a voice rang out, loud and clear.
“Three cheers for Jay Garrick! Hip! Hip!–”
“Hooray!”
“Hip! Hip!–”
“Hooray!”
“Hip! Hip!–”
“Hooray!”
The last cheer echoed throughout the city, down the streets. The crowd surged forward, and Jay zipped down from the platform to mingle with them. With his friends, his people.
Chapter 3
“Please, Doctor. Please tell me you are kidding.” The voice was pleading, begging.
“I’m afraid it’s true. The tests don’t lie.” The doctor led her to a seat, easing her into as he signaled to his nurse to get some water for the distraught patient.
“Oh, dear God, I can’t believe this. How could this be happening to me?”
“It is certainly unforeseen, but obviously, it’s not impossible. There’s nothing to be done now but accept it, and start making the proper arrangements.”
“But, how will I break the news to my husband?”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. I can be with you, if you prefer. I know that helps sometimes. Still, don’t underestimate him. Everybody knows that your husband, more than most men, should be able to accept the unusual.”
“That’s true, Doctor. Still, how do I tell Jay that his fifty-three year old wife is pregnant?”
Chapter 4
In Gotham City, in the brownstone headquarters of the Justice Society of America, all was still. Automatic defense systems ensured that nobody would tamper with the home of America’s greatest team of metahumans in their absence.
There was a humming sound, and a device in the basement glows with pulsing light. The light increased in intensity, until there was a bright flash.
“We’re back, gang. Looks like the right place, anyways.” The first one out of the transmatter cube was Wildcat, followed by the Atom. “Al, you understand these dials and doohickies. Did everything work right?”
“Sure did, Ted. Guys, it looks like we have a winner here.” From the cramped confines of the transmatter emerged the Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Hourman. “This is great. We won’t have to rely on Doctor Fate, Flash or GL for a lift to Earth-One anymore. Uhh, no offense, guys.”
“Non taken, Atom.” Under his mask, Green Lantern smiled. “There are times when this will be very handy. Let’s just not make a habit of hopping back and forth between universes, OK, people?”
“Dang, and I was thinking I’d take a crack at the Earth-One heavyweight title.” Wildcat smacked a fist into his palm. “Those guys I saw on the newscast didn’t look as tough as some of the boys I’ve been training.”
“Well, you don’t seem to have a counterpart there, Ted, so if you go over, you have no history to back you up. You’ll have to be careful.” Hawkman, with the most similarities with his Earth-One counterpart, had learned that it was both a blessing and a curse to be instantly recognized on both worlds.
“Hey, Flash! You have an urgent message here from your wife,” Hourman called from the console where the answering machine sat. “She wants you home right away.”
“That’s my cue, guys. Regular time next week?” Before anybody could answer, he was gone.
Chapter 5
Minutes later, a breeze blew up Joan Garrick’s skirt in her backyard. “Honey, I’m home!” The breeze took solid form as her husband, clad in twill slacks and sport shirt, slowed to a stop. “Got your message. What’s up?”
Joan turned from her husband and walked among the flowers of their garden. “Jay, I was at the Doctor’s today. He noticed some abnormalities, and ran some tests.”
“Abnormalities? Joan, what’s wrong? I can zip you over to Charlie McNider for a full battery of tests. If we have to we can check anywhere on Earth or off–”
“Jay, slow down. You know I can’t follow you when you start talking as fast as you think. Besides, I don’t think Doc McNider could help. He’s never made a speciality of obstetrics, has he?”
“No, I don’t think so, but it doesn’t matter. He’ll know somebody who–” Jay stopped in mid- sentence. “Did you say obstetrics?” Joan nodded, her face widening in a grin. “You mean?”
“Yes, Jay. We having a baby.” Joan threw her arms around her husband. “Crazy as it sounds, dear, we’re having a baby!”
“Waaaahoooooo!” Jay’s shout of delight was heard throughout Keystone City, as he took off and ran through the town three times before skidding to a stop in front of Joan again. He lifted her up in the air and whirled her around. “Joanie, baby, this makes me feel like a kid again!”
“It should, Jay. It’s not everyday that a fifty-three year old couple has a baby. The doctor is very concerned about that. So much so that he seriously tried to suggest that I not go through with it.” Jay stopped, and set his wife back on the ground.
“What did you tell him?” Jay prayed that he knew the answer, but he had to hear it from her lips.
“I told him to take that idea, to fold it up until its nothing but corners, and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.” Joan took Jay’s hands in hers, and brought them up to her lips. “Jay, honey, I could never do that. I’m going to have this baby. We’re going to raise this child, and he, or she, is going to be our legacy. Long after we’re gone, the Garrick family will be around.”
“Oh, baby, what did I ever do to deserve you?” Jay held his wife against him.
“Well, let’s see. Saved the world a couple hundred times. Saved me a few thousand times. Rescued eight hundred kittens from trees…”
The kiss silenced her before she could continue.
Chapter 6
“Now, remember. If there’s anything, anything at all, just press that button.”
“I know, Jay. I know.” Joan eased herself into her favorite chair. “We’ve been over this every time you’ve left for the last month.”
“I’m sorry, Joan. I just want to be sure that you won’t hesitate to use the signaller.” Jay was in costume, preparing to leave for a meeting of the Justice Society. “I’m only a few minutes away, at the most.”
“Just go. I’ll be fine.”
“Gentlemen, let’s get started. I don’t want to keep you here any longer than necessary today. After all, some of us have urgent matters waiting at home.” Hawkman banged the gavel once to bring the JSA meeting to order.
“That’s right, and it’s a shame more of us can’t have matters like that.” The Atom reached over and clapped the Flash on the shoulder. “Mary and I have started trying again.”
“That’s not such a good idea, Al.” Doc Mid-Nite’s concern was real. “After all, Joan was exposed to Karkull’s chronal energy along with Jay, and yourself. Mary wasn’t.”
“You really think that’s the answer, Doc?” Jay took off his helmet and scratched his head. “You figure that Ian Karkull is the reason why Joan and I are able to have kids this late? And why we still feel like we’re in our thirties, instead of our fifties?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Unfortunately, the only other JSA spouse that was there is Lois Kent. And I don’t think she and Superman will be having any kids.”
“Boy, I hope not! If that kid were to ever kick…” Al “Atom” Pratt winced in imagined pain.
“All right, guys. That’s enough.” Hawkman tapped the gavel on the large round table again. “Now, let’s get down to bus–” He was cut off by the sound of multiple alarms blaring.
“That’s the city hall alarm!” noted Green Lantern. He rushed to the monitor room, only to find Flash already surveying the various alerts. “What have we got, besides the city alarm?”
“Everything. Looks like a squad of terrorists hitting there. We have three separate bank break-ins around the city, and a hostage situation at the stadium. We’re going to have to split up to handle them all.”
“Don’t we always, pal?” The tall blonde master of the power ring grinned. “The stadium is the furthest from here. What say we take that one?”
“If Carter approves.”
“Of course I do. You two always work best together.” Hawkman’s spread wings filled the doorway of the communications center. “Fate and I can take City Hall, Wildcat and Doc Mid-Nite can take the United Bank, that’s just down the street. Robin and Mr. Terrific, you can head down to the First National Bank, and that leaves Starman and Hourman for Gotham Savings. Let’s go, people! And keep an eye out for whoever’s coordinating this!”
The assembled heroes split up into their assigned teams, and were already discussing strategies as they emerged from the building. They burst through the door, only to find themselves confronted by a phalanx of familiar foes. At their forefront was the former Keystone City District Attorney known as the Thinker.
“Do you see, lady and gentlemen? By tapping their communications system, luring them out was an incredibly simple matter.”
Chapter 7
In the street before the JSA Brownstone, ten members of the Justice Society found themselves confronted by the Injustice Society of the World. Led as always by the Wizard, the current incarnation included the Thinker, the Fiddler, the Gambler, the Icicle, the Prankster, the Mist, the Brain Wave, and the married couple of the Huntress and the Sportsmaster.
“Now, to make sure they won’t be running back inside on us.” The Icicle lifted his trademark ice gun, and fired over the heads of the assembled heroes. Instantly, a three-foot-thick wall of ice formed across the front of the JSA’s headquarters. It spread out on the ground, under their feet, so that they found themselves sliding uncontrollably as soon as they moved to attack.
“Gentlemen, and Huntress, shall we?” the Wizard said, pointing his wand, and sending a seemingly harmless stream of flowers at the team’s resident mage. Dr. Fate raised his hands to cast a spell of shielding, but was engulfed in a cloud of sweet-smelling petals. The fragrance permeated his helmet, dizzying him. The Wizard followed up with a lightning bolt that sent the Earth-bound Lord of Order flying.
“Flash, watch your footing!” Green Lantern willed his ring to form a platform under his teammates, boosting them all into the battle. Spying this, the Sportsmaster let fly with a barrage of wooden Indian clubs, all aimed at the head of the Green Gladiator. His ring helpless against wood, Green Lantern attempted to deflect them with his free hand, but to no avail; one got past and struck his head, rendering him unconscious.
Unceremoniously dropped to the ground, the remaining heroes charged the crowd of villains. Wildcat and the Atom form a human battering ram, slugging their way into the Injustice Society. “Come on, Wildcat, let’s show them that it doesn’t pay to play games with us!”
“For once, Atom, I don’t think anybody’s gonna tell ya to stop.” With a howl of fury, the heavyweight champion laid about him with powerful lefts and rights that left the Gambler and Prankster sprawled on the ground before they could even start an attack.
“Go high, Hawk and Starman, and Terry and I will go low. Flash, get behind them for a surprise attack, but be careful.” Hourman, having slipped a Miraclo pill from his belt before the team left the building, was feeling its effects. He and the ever-agile Mr. Terrific tucked and rolled like a pair of human bowling balls, hoping to catch their opponents off-balance. The JSA’s leader and the master of the gravity rod rose up, only to find themselves caught in a wire-fibered net tossed by the Huntress.
“Nice acrobatics, gents, but no good if you forget where we are.” The bald villain known as Brain Wave wrinkled his oversized brow in concentration, and the Injustice Society vanished from view.
Chapter 8
“What the…?” Wildcat looks around. “Where did they go?”
“They were never here, you simpleton! It was only I.” Those members of the JSA still conscious turned toward the voice. Standing alone at the door to their headquarters was the Thinker. “I knew my thinking cap could insert false images into your monitoring systems, but I doubt it could get through all of your defenses. No need to now!” Before anyone could react, he slipped through the door and slammed it shut.
“Dang it, how did he do that? I felt those cruds when I hit them!” Wildcat reached down to help up Mr. Terrific, as the Atom did the same for Hourman.
“So, what do we do now, Mr. Chairman?” Starman asked as he and Hawkman picked themselves up from the ground. “We were brought down by a net that wasn’t there, and by now that lunatic has probably activated all of our defense systems.”
“Can’t we override them somehow, Ted? After all, you designed them.” Hawkman’s voice held no accusation, just a desire for a straight answer.
“I did set up a control panel in my vault back at company headquarters. As soon as I get back there, I can shut them down, or use them against him. It will take me a little while to get down to Opal City, though.”
“No it won’t.” The Flash, after having quickly scanned the building for any possible weak points, or others attempting to join the Thinker inside, appeared at Starman’s side. “Let’s go. Use your rod to put a shield in front of you so the friction doesn’t heat you up.” With that, they took off across the countryside.
“Let’s see if we can get GL up and operating before they get back.” Hawkman crouched down by the unconscious Green Lantern, and started gently shaking him. It took a few minutes for the emerald gladiator to come to his senses, by which time the Flash and Starman were back.
“No good, guys. He took everything off automatic, and is controlling it manually. He is probably in the monitor room now, waiting for us to charge in after him.” Starman’s look was disappointed. “I’ll have to figure out a better way after we’re done here.”
The group of heros huddled on their own doorstep, trying to come up with a solution. They were interrupted by a late arrival.
“Hi guys! Sorry I’m late for the meeting. Say, you really should hold it inside instead of out here.”
Chapter 9
KRAK-AAA-BOOOOM!
Johnny Thunder’s observation, taken along with his pronouncement of the Badhnisian hex words “cei- u”, was interpreted as a command by his magical thunderbolt. In an instant, the members of the Justice Society were transported from the street in front of their headquarters to the meeting room on the first floor.
“The defense systems are probably still activated, people! Watch out!” Hawkman issued the warning, yet almost flew right into the path of one of the building’s technological defenses.
“Hawk, remember the high-area stunners!” the Atom admonished the JSA chairman. “Remember, we put those in place to keep any possible intruders down on the ground.”
“Yes, and if you will recall, I was not in favor of them.” A smile belied the gruff tone of the winged crimefighter. “Lantern, could you provide some shielding for us?”
Green Lantern, still groggy from the earlier blow to his head, complied. The group was enveloped in a glowing green globe, just as swivel-mounted energy blasters were deployed from hidden recesses on the walls.
“Where is he likely to be?” asked Starman, as the blasters started firing.
“Monitor room. If he wants to turn our defenses against us, that’s the logical place for him.” Robin smiled under his bat-shaped mask. “Logical, if not quite correct.”
“True. We’ll head up there, but I want someone going down to the master control room, to deactivate these things.”
“I can go, Hawkman, but what’s the deal? I thought the controls were in the monitor room.”
“You haven’t been here as much lately, Flash. Since Robin became a member, he’s been taking a good look at our defenses and arsenal, and making some changes. He put a master override in a control room next to the underground hangar for the skimmer. It’s less obvious, for just an occasion as this.”
“Good thinking. I should be able to evade the blasters and handle that. Get upstairs and take care of the Thinker!”
Chapter 10
The huddled group of ten JSA members made its way up the main staircase of the JSA Brownstone. At the same time, the Flash worked his way to the basement. Without the shielding of the globe of emerald energy provided by the Green Lantern, he had to constantly zig and zag through the building, running literally hundred of miles to cover the forty feet to the staircase leading down to the lower levels. He ran in a spiral, up the walls and over the ceiling, as he descended to the hangar level. In the great open area below, it was worse. Because of the vulnerability of the building to invasion through its “garage”, the defenses were more plentiful. It took him several minutes to cross to the room where the master system controls were located.
Upstairs, Johnny Thunder was struck by an idea.
“Why don’t I just have the T-bolt take this guy out?” He stopped in his tracks as the others continued forward. He continued speaking as the trailing edge of the green bubble passed through him. “I can do it from here. Say you, T-bolt, knock that guy up there — oof!” Johnny was struck by one of the energy bolts, and struck the floor, unconscious.
“That’s why, Johnny.” The Atom shook his head ruefully. “He’ll be all right, down on the floor, right?”
“Yes. I set all the defenses to only strike at targets below two feet if they are moving. By the time he recovers, we should have the Thinker wrapped up,” Robin replied.
On the lower level of the headquarters, the Flash entered the control room. “No intruder systems in here, at least,” he sighed. He walked over to a control panel for a video display. He lifted the panel up, revealing a second control panel. Clearly marked was a series of toggles for the defense systems in each room. He flipped all of them to the off position, just as a beeping sound filled the air of the small room.
“Oh my God! Joan! This will have to do, guys!” He sped down the tunnel normally used by the team’s sky skimmer, vibrating through the door at the end which led out over a one hundred-foot wide drainage culvert.
Up in the monitor room of the JSA Brownstone, a series of indicator lights went from either solid or flashing green, to a steady red.
“What’s happened? This can’t be right!” cried the Thinker, frantically flipping switches.
Chapter 11
Joan Garrick lay in a hospital bed, her face pale and drawn.
“Where can that man be? Of all the times to be late, why does it have to be now?”
“Don’t worry, dear. We both know that Jay can get a little, ahhh, distracted at times. I’m sure he’ll be along shortly.” Joan’s father, General John Williams, Retired, patted her hand.
“Still, this isn’t a time when I want to be kept waiting.”
“Wait no more, my lady. Your knight has arrived!” In the doorway, the lanky figure of Jay Garrick leaned against the frame. “How could I even think of missing this?”
“Well, after the other day, how was I to know?” Joan raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was going to have to go through John’s birth all alone.”
“Well, Joan, that used to be considered normal. Heaven knows, they wouldn’t let me anywhere near the delivery room when you were born. Now, if everything here is all right, I’ll go see about the car.” With that, the elderly soldier left them alone in the room.
“So, what was it this time, Mr. Garrick? Earthquakes in Arabia? Supervillains in Sumatra? Crisis in Casablanca?”
“Nothing so dramatic, but much, much more important.” Jay reached behind the doorway and produced a garment bag. “After all, I can’t have the prettiest mother in Keystone City taking her son home wearing a bathrobe.”
“Hey, can I help it if you arrived two seconds after I hit the alarm, and you didn’t give me a chance to get dressed?” Joan slowly got out of the bed, and stood to hug her husband. “You seemed awfully worried, like you thought you were late getting there. What was going on at the meeting when I called?”
Jay scratched his head and grinned. “Nothing we couldn’t handle. We had a visitor, is all, and with all the excitement, I thought that I had missed the signal.”
“No, for once, you were right on time. Now, why don’t you go see what’s keeping the nurses with John while I change.” She tugged on his shirt to pull him close enough for a quick kiss, then gave him a gentle push towards the door.
Chapter 12
As Jay left his wife’s hospital room and walked toward the hospital nursery, he spotted a familiar face.
“Doc! How are you, Charlie?” Jay walked over to take the hand of Doctor Charles McNider, blind writer, medical doctor, and, unknown to all but a select few, the night-sighted mystery-man called Dr. Mid-Nite.
“Good morning, Jay. I’m glad I caught you and Joan before she checked out.” The blonde doctor’s voice dropped low enough so others could not hear. “I’d like to run those tests on John here, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, I think Joan has her heart set on going home this morning. How long will it take?”
“Only a few minutes to draw the blood. I can run the tests on that after you take him home.”
“Joan is changing now. What say we take John to the lab, and I can have him back up here before she realizes it.” Jay turned the blind doctor toward the nursery.
“You haven’t told her, have you?” McNider’s touch on Jay’s hand was light, for guidance only, even though it was done only for the benefit of others. His darkened glasses blocked enough light for his highly sensitized eyes to see clearly.
“No, she would just fret about it. I’ll wait and see if the tests show any sign that John has inherited my speed powers, then I’ll tell her.”
Jay led McNider into the nursery, where the doctor from New York City displayed his credentials to the nurses’ satisfaction, then they took the Garrick baby to an adjacent lab. The drawing of blood samples only took a few minutes, and by the time Joan Garrick opened her door, Jay was waiting for her, baby in hand.
Chapter 13
As the meeting of the Justice Society of America adjourned, Dr. Mid-Nite signaled to the Flash that he’d like a private word with him.
“I finished those test, Jay. Here’s a copy of all the workups, if you’d like to go over them yourself.” Charles McNider smiled under his mask. Jay Garrick was one of the few people he knew who stood a chance of understanding the chemical analysis of baby John Garrick’s blood. “I have to say, it was one of the more interesting breakdowns I’ve seen.”
“Don’t let that assistant of yours hear you say that. You aren’t supposed to be seeing anything.”
“Myra? You know, Jay, I really wonder about her sometimes. After all these years, I figure it’s almost a certainty that she’s figured out that I’m Mid-Nite, but she continues to play along.”
“So why don’t you ‘fess up, pal?”
“If she weren’t married, I would. Now, though, I’m afraid it could come between her and her husband. She had quite a thing for Dr. Mid-Nite for years. No need to stir things up and all that.”
“If you say so.” Jay sat down at the big meeting table and started skimming through the reports. “Save me the suspense now, Charlie. What do you think — am I going to have a kid that starts walking at 60 miles per hour? Or is he going to grow up in the next six months?”
“None of the above. I compared his blood with both old samples of yours from the JSA records, and your current blood sample. His blood does show some minute traces of the chemicals you absorbed from the hard water in college. Not nearly as much as your old blood sample did, though. I think it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll show any signs of super speed as a child. However, there’s no telling what might happen when his body matures. Those chemicals could disappear from his system, or they could be multiplied enough to cause your powers to manifest in him.”
Jay took a long drink of water from the glass at his place, and considered the implications. “This sounds like good news to me. If develops the speed later, he’ll be better able to handle it. Great. Now, I’d better get home before–”
“Hold it, Jay, there’s something else. Not about John. It’s about you.”
“Me? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it’s anything wrong, per se. Just odd. You see, I compared your old blood chemistry with your current sample. Did you know that the hard water elements have almost disappeared from your blood?”
“How can that be? Shouldn’t I be slowing down if that’s true?” Jay sat forward, elbows on table, chin resting on the balls of his upturned hands.
“You have slowed down a little, but not as much as this would indicate. It’s almost as if you speed is actually coming from some other source, and it was just the hard water that acted as a catalyst, allowing you to tap into that source.”
“That’s a possibility, Doc. Still, I don’t see where it makes that big a difference. Just so long as I can keep on running.”
Chapter 14
1976.
“Excuse me, Flash? It is all right to call you Flash when you aren’t in uniform, isn’t it? Could I please have your autograph? For my daughter, of course.”
Jay Garrick grinned. Three years after revealing his identity to the public, he still got the occasional autograph seeker. “Of course, ma’am. What’s your — I mean, your daughter’s name.”
“Fiona. Fiona Fellows. Oh, and I had no idea that you had a son. What a cute little boy!” The woman patted John’s head in his stroller while Jay signed the cover of her savings passport book. By the time they were finished exchanging pleasantries, it was Jay’s turn at the teller.
“I don’t know how you do it, Mr. Garrick. That seems to happen every other time you come in here, and every time, you’re just as nice as you can be about it.”
“Aww, Ellen, it’s nothing. I figure that if I was to be in too much of a hurry for fans, what kind of hero would that make me? Besides, I can always make up the time while I get from one errand to another.” He grinned at the middle-aged teller. She was handing him his deposit receipt when a shot rang out in the bank lobby.
“Everybody down! We don’t want to hurt anybody!” A second shot shattered plaster on the wall behind Ellen, prompting her to dive quickly to the floor as six masked gunmen advanced on the bank counter. Others in the bank followed her example, until only one man was left standing.
“You know what, fellas? I really think you picked the wrong day to rob the wrong bank, in the wrong town.” Even as he spoke, Jay’s body began to blur, so that the shots fired at him found no target, and thudded harmlessly into the marble counter behind him. He took off, careening into the closest gunman, and using his velocity to carry the man into the next, then a third, until he had five unconscious thugs piled in a corner by the door.
“Da!”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Jay turned, and spied the sixth standing next to John’s stroller.
“No! John!”
“Little Johnny will be just fine, speedster, just so long as you don’t do anything stupid. Now, my boss needs some money for his plans, so here’s what we’re gonna do. You!” The crook gestured at the bank manager. “Fill these up! While you do that, Flash is going to load my buddies in the van out there. Right?”
The pile of hoodlums disappeared. Looking out the window, the lone gunman saw them through the open door of the van.
“I knew you could be a reasonable man. Ahhh, my take-out order is ready.” He took the bag of money from the manager, never letting his gun waver from its bead on John Garrick’s head. With the same hand, he grabbed the handle of the stroller. “Now, young Mr. Garrick and I are going for a ride. I’ll have to see what the boss has to say after that, though.” He laughed as he slowly worked the stroller through the bank door and climbed into the van. He climbed in and drove off, while Jay stood motionless in the bank lobby.
Chapter 15
“Mr. Garrick, you could go after him now,” said Ellen, the teller, rising from her hiding place behind the counter.
“No, there’s a chance he could see me coming up behind him. I couldn’t take that chance with my son. Besides, I’ll have no trouble finding them. I just waiting for a little help I requested to show up.”
Even as Jay Garrick spoke, there was a green glow from above as a figure passed down through the ceiling as if it weren’t there. Before speaking, the colorfully-clad man aimed a beam of green energy at Jay, and he was instantly clad in the red and blue costume of the Flash.
“Green Lantern! Thanks for coming.”
“Don’t mention it. What’s going on?” The tall, blonde emerald avenger cocked his head to one side in inquiry.
“Kidnapping. They have John.”
“Great Scott! Who’s behind it? Any idea?”
“No, but I managed to drop my backup JSA signaller in their van before they took off. We should be able to find them that way.”
“Then let’s go! You can fill me in on the way.”
And with a blur and a burst of green light, they vanished from the bank.
Moments later, they stopped short at the back of an old fish packing plant.
“This must be it. There’s the van they used.”
“See any reason to wait? I’ve already located John inside. Just say the word, and I’ll have a bubble around him, and yank him out.”
“By all means, but I’m not going to satisfy myself with just getting him out. We’re getting the whole gang in one sweep, got it?”
Alan Scott looked hard at the face of his old friend. The usually genial features of the Flash were hard with determination, a look Alan had not seen since the days of World War II. Easy enough to understand, thought Alan. If I had kids, I’d be feeling the same way about now.
“Don’t worry, Jay. Nobody is getting out of there.” A thought, and the building was encased in a green cage. The bars widen, until there are no gaps between them. Ready?”
“Let’s do it!”
Chapter 16
Inside the long-abandoned Norwegian Seas Fisheries packing plant, a man dressed in white played with a two year old boy on his lap.
“Ahh, Johhny Garrick, you may be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. How did I ever manage to overlook you before? You’re just the lever I need against your dear old daddy.”
John batted at the point of his captor’s hood, which drooped to one side, nearly to his chin.
“Why, I might even consider adopting you myself, young man. Just think, I could make you your own little freezing gun.”
“Over my dead body, Icicle!” Before the words were out of the Flash’s mouth, John Garrick was wrapped up in a glowing green snowsuit, and lifted up to a girder high in the warehouse. Green ropes sprouted from the glowing green energy and wrapped themselves around the girder, securing the child in place.
“Flash! I should have known you wouldn’t take long to arrive. I must say, though, I wasn’t expecting our rather garish friend there.” The Icicle casually gestured upward with his ice gun, and fired at Green Lantern. The purple-cloaked hero was ensnared in ice, and started to drop toward the floor. “Watch that first step, Lantern. And now for you, Flash.”
Before he could fire, the Flash exploded in green light, revealing the Green Lantern. “Too late, but thanks for the thought.” Two tendrils of green snaked out, one wrapping around the Icicle and flicking his gun away, the other forming a giant green marshmallow for the ice to land on. As soon as it made contact, the marshmallow dissolved in green flame, which melted the ice away from the speedster.
“Nice thinking, Flash. Using the ring to switch places, and directing it’s actions through you, threw the Icicle off guard just long enough.”
“What about his goons?”
Green Lantern shrugged. “I don’t think they’re up for any action right now. Looks like they got cold feet.” Out in the adjacent room, six figures lay buried in ice cubes, dumped from the hopper of an ice machine left from the days when fish was brought in cold from the ships and packed in ice. “Now, for the reason we’re here.” The green cocoon floated to the floor, and John Garrick smiled as his father lifted him from it.
“What say we get home, young man? And how about a thank you for your godfather?”
Little John Garrick smiled and waved at Green Lantern. “Tank you!”
