บท 5: Heros Assemble!
*Breathe in... Breathe out...* Wally repeated to himself as he sat in a lotus position. He was working—or more precisely, attempting—to enhance his connection to the Speed Force.
The reason for this was simple: he wanted to reach a point where metahuman dampeners would no longer have any effect on him.
When he had first awakened to his powers, Wally had found a metahuman dampening cuff in Cisco's workshop. Curious about its effects, he had placed it on himself.
The result was immediate—he lost access to his speed the moment the cuff snapped shut. But rather than panicking, Wally sat down and meditated, focusing on sensing any remnant of Speed Force energy within his system. And there it was—a minuscule, almost imperceptible trace, but it was there.
This was when Wally discovered how the meta dampeners actually worked. They didn't completely strip a metahuman of their powers. Instead, they restricted the mutated cells and DNA—or the meta gene—that allowed them to access their abilities. In the case of speedsters, the cuffs forced the cells to expel the Speed Force energy coursing through them. However, it never truly reduced the energy to zero, which is how Wally was still able to sense it.
Focusing intensely, Wally forced this residual energy to concentrate in his hand where the cuff was placed. He realized that, with enough focus, he could either blow the cuff to bits or phase through it. He chose the latter, not wanting to arouse suspicion by destroying it. After he phased through the cuff, however, his nose bled profusely before his speed healing kicked in at full strength.
Now, Wally was focused on refining his control over his Speed Force energy intake and output. The process involved stopping the constant supply of energy, resuming the flow, accelerating the intake, supercharging his cells, and then returning the energy.
He knew it was only a matter of time before the cuff—or any dampeners—would become useless against him, as he could simply stop any inflow and outflow the moment the cuffs were placed on him, allowing him to maintain his speed until the energy ran out.
As he practiced, Wally noticed the occasional glances from the standby teams—Team Arrow and the Legends. Barry and Cisco had gone to Earth-38 to find Kara, leaving him to train on his own.
Blue lightning constantly danced around his frame before he absorbed it back over and over again. Suddenly, Wally sensed Iris approaching, even with his eyes closed. *Is this bioelectricity?* he wondered, questioning if he could manipulate it. But he held himself back, not knowing what adverse effects might occur if he tried.
"Wally," Iris called out, walking over to him. He opened his eyes and sat up normally, avoiding her gaze and feigning anger. She sighed, her voice tinged with stress.
"Wally... what I said earlier... I want you to know that I said it because I was worried about you. I don't want you to be in any danger. I know it might have come off harsh and... repulsive, and I get that you may be mad at me, and for that, I am truly sorry," she finished, standing there, ready to walk away since he refused to face her.
"I know, Iris. I know you care and worry about my safety, but you should know I'm not as careless as you think I am," Wally said, emotion evident in his eyes, though deep down, he wished this conversation could be over.
"I'm doing this not to be a hero, but to fight for those who can't." Just then, a breach appeared, revealing Barry, Cisco, and Kara, who seemed ecstatic from her ride through dimensions.
"Come on, let's go meet her," Iris suggested, offering him her hand. Hesitating, Wally eventually took it, walking with her to the rushed setup in the hangar.
"Hey everyone, this is Kara, a friend of mine," Barry introduced, while the others were surprised at her appearance, since he had said he was bringing an alien.
"I thought you said you were bringing an alien," Oliver questioned, speaking for everyone.
"Yeah, she is," Barry answered.
"Hi, I'm Kara Zor-El, and I'm Supergirl," Kara responded, broadening their viewpoints as they took notice of her strange name.
"What makes you so super?" Jax, one half of Firestorm, asked.
Kara, hearing his question, responded by flying into the air, her eyes glowing blue before shooting a beam of energy at the ground, forming the symbol of the House of El on her chest.
"Okay, I'm convinced," Jax admitted, suitably impressed.
"We have another newcomer—mind introducing yourself?" Sara Lance asked, drawing everyone's attention to Wally.
The first thing they noticed was his suit, which immediately caught their eye, and most of them took a liking to it.
"Hey everyone, I'm Wally West, but you can call me Phantom," he replied firmly.
"So, you're a speedster too?" Sara asked for confirmation.
"Yes," Wally responded, extending his palm as energy flowed out, quickly forming the shape of a lotus flower.
Barry and the rest of Team Flash stared wide-eyed at this display. Barry, his brow furrowed in thought, made a mental note to ask Wally to teach him how he had done that.
.
.
.
"I think, since Barry brought us together, he should be the team leader," Oliver suggested, his tone matter-of-fact. Cisco sighed in disappointment, but the logic in Oliver's words was undeniable, and the gathered teams turned toward Barry, waiting for his decision.
Wally, more than familiar with this scenario, knew Barry was about to fumble the opportunity. Not wanting his brother-in-law to make a misstep, Wally decided to give him a hand.
*Let's see if this works,* Wally thought, closing his eyes once more and searching for nearby Speed Force energy. He quickly locked onto Barry's unique energy signature.
What Wally did next was akin to channeling his consciousness into the Speed Force, but this time, he focused solely on sending a message directly to Barry through the connection they shared with the Speed Force.
*Barry, let's start by doing a test run against Supergirl,* Wally thought at super speed. In less than two seconds, the message reached Barry.
Barry, stunned to hear Wally's voice in his head, turned directly toward him. "How did...?" he began, but cut himself off, returning his gaze to the teams.
"How about we do a test run against Supergirl?" Barry suggested, earning an approving nod from Oliver.
"So suit up, and we'll do a test run against Supergirl," he repeated. The teams scattered, heading off to suit up while Barry introduced Kara to Oliver. Afterward, Barry and Oliver were called away for a private conversation.
Seeing this, Wally resumed his exercise, sitting in the lotus position. He knew he had about ten to twenty minutes before everyone was fully suited up, so he decided to continue his training.
"Hey, Wallace! I brewed you a steaming cup of coffee," HR interrupted, making Wally roll his eyes in a full circle.
"Thanks, HR," he replied, placing the cup by his side before resuming his concentration.
"Wallace, I noticed you've been meditating a lot. What exactly are you doing?" HR asked with curiosity.
"Just exercising," Wally replied bluntly, closing his eyes and ignoring any further questions.
HR quietly noticed Wally's deep concentration and decided to leave him undisturbed. Wally, undeterred, continued his breathing exercise. "Breathe in, breathe out," he repeated in his mind, finding a rhythm that allowed him to tap deeper into the Speed Force.
Within ten minutes, Wally felt a noticeable difference—controlling the flow of Speed Force energy had become easier, more intuitive.
As he honed his focus, Wally noticed something remarkable: an aura of Speed Force energy that enveloped him, shielding him from the fundamental laws of physics.
This aura was what allowed speedsters like him to defy air resistance and friction, preventing their clothes from disintegrating and protecting them from the adverse effects of G-forces.
It was also what enabled them to survive the vacuum of space—a powerful defense that could be utilized beyond just surviving.
Wally recalled instances where Barry had used this aura to take hits from beings with superhuman strength, emerging unscathed. Like when he faced off against Ramsey before Crisis.
If Barry could do that, there was no reason Wally couldn't take this further. He focused on thickening this protective energy, aiming to make it a passive defense mechanism—an automatic shield against any threat.
But time was limited, and soon the others returned, fully suited up and ready for battle. Wally joined them just in time to face their opponent—Supergirl.
"Attack!" White Canary's voice rang out, and the team charged at Kara. Thea led the assault, drawing her arrow and aiming for Kara's chest, but Kara effortlessly caught it mid-flight.
The Atom attempted to shrink down and reappear behind her, but Kara's enhanced senses caught him instantly. With a mere flick, she sent him crashing to the ground, the impact echoing through the air.
The rest of the team moved with commendable agility, but to Kara, their efforts were sluggish, almost laughable. Wally watched, almost amused, as their attacks bounced off Kara's invulnerable form. Her bioelectrical field, an extra layer of protection unique to Kryptonians, rendered their efforts as futile as trying to dent tungsten with sticks.
In just minutes, the entire team was down, exhausted and defeated. Only Wally remained standing, a smirk forming on his face as he faced the levitating Kara.
"Kryptonian versus Speedster," he murmured, just loud enough for Kara to hear with her super hearing. Her smile widened, matching his. This was a challenge she was eager to meet.
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