Bart Allen, the former speedster known as Impulse (before taking on the mantle of Kid Flash), has died (again), having been absorbed into the speed force, the power source for all the speedsters in the universe. Inside the speed force, Bart has his own personal heaven which he is able to shape into whatever his imagination desires. And what does Bart Allen dream of? Read on..
The Legion of Doom Headquarters sat in the dark corners of the swamp, it's evil inhabitants planning their next scheme for world domination. Lex Luthor, dressed in his purple costume, approached the podium at the center of the room.
"This time, our plan for destroying the Superfriends will not fail," Luthor said as he held up his latest invention. "Using this, I will transform every bit of currency in the world into Hello Kitty fun bucks. With the economy in shambles, we shall easily take over!"
"But how will we keep the Superfriends from foiling our plan?" Scarecrow asked.
"With this laser pointer, I will project a red dot on the lawn of the Hall of Justice. They'll be so busy chasing it that they'll never stop us! Are there any other questions?"
The newest member raised his hand.
"Yes, our new member, Senor Taco Tuesday has something to say,"
Everyone looked at the newest member, which was just Impulse wearing a sombrero and a handlebar mustache.
"What about the friends of the Superfriends?"
"Fool, everyone knows they don't count," Luthor told him. "Defeating five Superfriends means that every other hero in existence is rendered useless. This time, no one can stop us!"
"Except for one person," Senor Taco Tuesday said. "For you see, I'm not a villain with the power of creating explosive tacos at all! I'm actually," the hero said as he pulled off the sombrero and mustache. "IMPULSE!"
Everyone in the room let out a collective gasp as Solomon Grundy screamed like a little girl.
"No, it can't be! We stood next to each other at the urinal without it being awkward!" Luthor shouted. "I feel so betrayed. Destroy him! But keep the hat, I want to wear it myself."
Gorilla Grodd went to grab him, but Impulse zipped away as Grodd fell forward, landing on top of Brainiac. Bizzaro and Solomon Grundy ran toward him, but Impulse ran out of the way as the two collided, just as Captain Cold fired his ice ray at the speedster's feet, creating an ice patch. Impulse slid on it, sliding under Cold's leg's and punching him in the nads along the way. Cold fell forward, accidentally blasting the Toyman and Black Manta, encasing them in ice.
"Got you!" Giganta said as she grabbed Impulse in her giant hand. "Now I'll crush you!"
"Wait, you grow into a giant?" Impulse asked. "Aren't you afraid someone will look up your skirt?"
The Riddler and Cheetah were just staring up while standing under her. She tossed Impulse away and tried to cover up. Impulse hit the ground, landing in front of Sinestro.
"You won't escape from me!" Sinestro shouted as he blasted yellow energy at the speedster, who quickly ran to outrace the blast, rushing past Riddler and Cheetah as the blast hit them, trapping them in a yellow American Gothic painting. Impulse sped back around and grabbed the ring off of his hand before punching Sinestro out.
"You may have defeated the others, but you won't defeat me!" Luthor shouted while wearing the sombrero. "No one defeats Lex Luthor!"
Impulse quickly pulled out his phone, showing him a clip of Jesse Eisenberg portraying him in a movie.
"NO! The humiliation!" Luthor shouted. "Why is he acting like the Joker! I don't act like that!"
Impulse quickly put the handcuffs on Luthor and tossed him into a pile with the other Legion of Doom members.
"You may have defeated us this time, Impulse, but we'll be back again!" Luthor shouted. "And again after that! And we'll keep coming back until we just mysteriously stop for a few years!"
"I'll be waiting," Impulse said as he stepped out of the door and fell into the swamp water below.
And such was the life of Bart Allen, the speedster the world came to know as Impulse. His new life in the speed force allowed him to live out any scenario he wished without limits. He could be the greatest hero in the world, or the universe, loved and respected by all.
But deep down, Bart knew it was just a fantasy. Nothing he could dream up was really happening. The speed force could give him anything and everything he wanted, except for the one thing he really wanted, which was for someone to really love him.
# # # # # # # # # #
The dreams had been plaguing Bart for weeks. And each time they were becoming more and more vivid. The image of his old mentor, Max Mercury, trying to warn him about... something.
"Bart!" Max shouted, his voice barely audible. "It's coming! You have to--"
Bart bolted up in his bed, sweating as he realized it was morning. Bart yawned as he sat up and planted his feet on the floor. The teenage speedster stretched as he headed into the bathroom to shower, brush and get ready for the work day ahead. After having his breakfast and coffee, Bart got dressed in a red and yellow track suit and clunky brown running boots, the same ones he wore as Impulse.
The young man stepped out of the cabin that sat next to a crystal blue lake, surrounded by a serene forest that looked like something out of a Bob Ross painting. The weather was perfect for running, just like it always was. In less than a split second, Bart was already off and running for today's job.
As he ran, he started jumping to tap boxes with question marks on them, grabbing coins as they flew out. Soon he was leaping over large pipes sticking out of the ground and stomping on sentient mushrooms as he headed toward a large staircase, where the teen speedster ran up and took a leap off of the top towards a flagpole. Grabbing the flag, he twirled around and reached the bottom before racing into a large castle.
The castle was dark, lit only by fiery pits as Bart raced toward his goal, only to find it blocked by a large spiked turtle. The creature lobbed fireballs at him, but Bart easily dodged them and rushed toward his enemy, leaping over it and grabbing an ax to cut the bridge he was standing on. The creature roared as it fell into the fiery pit as the victory music played while Bart rushed forward, only to see a mushroom man standing there. He had an afro shaped like a polka dot mushroom cap and was smoking a cigarette. His face had a neatly trimmed beard, mustache, and sideburns that all connected.
"Thanks, Bart, but your Princess is in another castle!"
Bart just stood there and blinked.
"God...dammit! You do this to me every time, you stupid mushroom... person! Every. Time! Can you not be an a-hole just for once and let me save the Princess?"
The mushroom man just took a cigarette out of his mouth and talked in a deep baritone voice. "Look, man, they just pay me to stand here and say that line. I'm not the one who made this game."
"Can't you tell me what castle she is in?" Bart asked. "Look, do you want coins?"
Bart pulled off his boot and started dumping out hundreds of coins.
"Man, what the hell am I gonna do with gold coins? Am I just gonna waltz into the nearest bank? I'm a friggin' mushroom, I eat peat moss and live in the forest," The mushroom man took another puff of his cigarette and stared up at the young speedster. "I got a question for you. Your dumb white ass can alter the scenario of any game you play, but everytime it comes to saving a Princess or anyone in general, you make it so that you never get even remotely close to it. Why is that? Are you afraid of getting close to anyone in here that isn't real? You afraid you gonna get attached to someone who's just gonna fade when your ADD riddled ass moves onto something else?"
"That's pretty deep for something I'm making up in my own head," Bart said. "I don't like this game anymore."
"That's right, run, it's what you're good at," the mushroom man said. "You can't run from yourself."
"Oh, yeah, watch me!" Bart said as he zipped away.
"That boy is one dumb motherfu--"
"I am not afraid of getting close to anyone," Bart said to himself as he ran as fast as he could. "I don't need anyone here. I can make any video game scenario I want. I can create anything I want. I don't need real people."
As he ran, Bart suddenly heard a loud boom from deep in the forest, followed by what sounded like the sizzling of an electric current that quickly started to fade. Bart followed the fading sound until he came upon a wide open field, where he saw something moving.
"What the--" Bart started to say as he got closer, seeing that there was a boy laying in a fetal position, shivering and whimpering like he'd just experienced something deeply traumatic. He had a mixture of shaggy red, orange and yellow hair and looked to be no older than twelve. "Are-- are you okay, kid?"
Before Bart could put a hand on his shoulder, the boy sat up and gasped. He looked up at Bart, and in a blur, ran off into the forest like a timid rabbit. Bart quickly gave chase, but the boy was somehow faster and was long gone before Bart could even see which direction he went.
"I must have imagined that," Bart told himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "No, the mushroom's just getting inside my head is all. I don't even like mushrooms."
# # # # # # # # # #
Over the next few days, it was business as usual for Bart. Wake up, get dressed, and play in his virtual world of video games and fighting crime. Fighting giant monkeys, being chased by ghosts, catching animals in balls... then releasing them after realizing the name of the game was 'Micheal Vickemon'.
And all the while, Bart had the feeling that he was being watched. When he looked around, there was no one there, but Bart couldn't shake the feeling that someone was out there.
It was a week after the incident in the clearing, and Bart had decided to take the day off from gaming and heroics. Packing a picnic lunch of his favorite foods into a basket that was able to hold quite a lot for such a small package, Bart headed out to the lake to enjoy himself.
As he lay on the blanket, staring out into the water, he reached into the basket and grabbed a piece of pizza. And that was when he heard a rustling from the nearby bushes. Bart sat up and saw the same boy whom he thought he imagined, just staring at him with unblinking orange eyes.
"Do you... want some?" Bart asked as he held out the pizza. He slowly set it down on the blanket. "There you go, just come get it when you're--"
In less than a blink of an eye, the pizza was gone and the boy was standing in the bushes again, pizza in hand, just staring at it.
"It's food," Bart told him as he grabbed another slice from the basket and took a bite. "You eat it like this."
The boy stared at the pizza, then back at Bart before shoving the whole slice into his mouth, quickly devouring it, getting cheese and sauce on his face.
"So, do you have a name?" Bart asked as the boy just stared at him. "You know, what do people call you? My name is Bart."
"B-Bar-t," the boy whispered. "Barrtttt."
"That's right, my name is Bart, now what's your--"
ZWIP!
The boy was suddenly standing behind Bart, tugging at his tank top and pointing at the picnic basket. "Bart?"
"You want more food?"
"BartBart."
"Help yourself, kid, there's tons of it."
In less than an instant, the boy was on his knees in front of the basket, shoving food into his face.
"Nomnomnomnomnomnom!"
"When's the last time you ate? Slow down, kid, there's more than plenty in-"
The boy let out a puppy like growl at Bart, forcing him to step back.
"I don't know where you came from, but maybe living as a feral wild child isn't the best place for you," Bart told him as he sat down next to the boy, who was still shoveling food into his face. "Why don't you crash at my place? Lots of food, a roof over your head, and a nice couch to sleep on. And maybe I can teach you a few more words."
"Bart?"
"Besides that."
Bart took the boy back to his cabin, which from the outside looked like a one story log cabin. But on the inside, it was a two-story house with tons of rooms, including a flatscreen t.v. with a library of every video game imaginable. The second the boy set foot inside the house, he was instantly running all over to explore.
"Bart!" the boy shouted, looking for more food. His search led him to the kitchen and the fully stocked fridge with an infinite amount of junk food.
"Where did you come from, kid?" Bart asked as he boy shoveled more food into his face. "You're obviously a speedster, but I don't remember any other young kids with-- Oh my God, you're not-- you're not Wally's son, are you?"
"Bart?" the boy asked as he kept eating.
"No, you can't be, that kid had dark hair, and you have-- anime hair or something," Bart said as he sat down at the table. "You're going to need a name until we figure out where you came from. Let's see, you're fast and pop up pretty much anywhere like you're teleporting. How about Jason, after the dude from Friday the 13th? Do you like the name Jason?"
"J-- Ja-- Jase-- Jase--"
"Jason,"
"Ja- Jase,"
"Jason,"
"Jase!"
"Jason,"
"JASE!" the boy shouted, knocking Bart out of his chair.
"Okay, Jase it is," Bart said, a little scared.
# # # # # # # # # #
Over the next few days, Jase started picking up more words. At first only speaking in broken and fractured sentences, he slowly started picking up more and more as Bart talked to him.
"FUCK!" Jase shouted as he sat the dinner table.
"It's fork, Jase," Bart told him. "You eat with a fork."
"F-- F-- Fuck," Jase smiled.
"Starting to think you're doing this on purpose," Bart told him.
Bart had begun to read to Jase at night before bed, sitting on the couch with Jase snuggled up against him as Bart tried to teach him to be more literate. Tonight's book was Stephen King's 'IT'.
"Clown funny," Jase giggled.
"Yeah, he is," Bart said as he saw Jase yawning. "Alright, kid, time for sleep."
"Don't wanna sleep, wanna read funny clown story more," Jase told him as Bart got up and tucked Jase in.
"Tomorrow, I promise," Bart told him as he put the book back on the shelf. "Goodnight, Jase."
"'Night, Bart," Jase said as he closed his eyes and started falling asleep.
As Bart headed upstairs, he took one last look at the boy, sighing to himself. He was fighting his hardest not to get attached to the kid who might not even be real. But it had been a week, and he was still here every morning that Bart got up, often staring at Bart as he opened his eyes. The kid couldn't be real, he had to have been something Bart made up in his mind subconsciously. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything towards this kid, not when everything else in this world was false.
# # # # # # # # # #
"Okay, kid, you ready for your big adventure?" Bart asked as he waited for Jase to come out of the bathroom in the clothes Bart had picked out for him. Up until this point, Jase had only been wearing a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, but today was the day Bart was going to take him on a real adventure, or at least as real as his imagination could come up with.
"Ready, Bart!" Jase said as he rushed out of the bathroom in Bart's old Impulse costume, minus the headgear. Bart had taken to wearing the Flash costume, with a hood instead of a cowl, red boots instead of yellow, and a darker crimson jacket over the costume with the Flash symbol on the upper left corner of the chest.
"Costume seems a little loose on you, but we'll worry about that later," Bart told him. "Let's roll, Jase."
The two speedsters headed out past the forest and into the virtual city of Gotham, where Batman and Robin were tied up to a laugh bomb with a smiley face on it. The Dynamic Duo were in their classic 1960's costumes, complete with Robin's short shorts.
"Holy nuclear war, Batman!" Robin shouted. "We're going to be blown sky high!"
"Worse than that, old chum," Batman said as he struggled with the ropes. "The Joker's missile will contaminate the air over Gotham, spreading his Smilex brand gas everywhere! And I left my nuclear missile disarming tools in my other utility belt."
"Everyone will die with a huge smile on their face!" the Joker shouted as he lightly slapped Batman's face. "Unfortunately you won't be around to see it because you'll die in the explosion. But don't worry, before that, the missile will fly through that plate glass factory, then the barbed wire factory, and then the lemon juice factory!"
"You... fiend," Batman said in a serious tone. "If only there were someone here who wasn't tied up that could stop you!"
"Wait, that person is me!" Bart said as he arrived, before looking down at Jase. "Er... us! We'll save you, Batman!"
"Look, Batman, it's the Flash and Impulse!" Robin shouted. "I think. Was Impulse's hair always that color?"
"Tim, we need to talk about this whole short shorts thing," Bart said as he started to untie Robin.
"Dick,"
"Hey, no need for name calling, Tim," Bart said, just as the Joker was sneaking up on him. Jase rushed through, grabbing the Joker before finally getting a good look at him.
"Funny clown!" Jase giggled as he started hugging the Joker. "I love you!"
"What is this kid doing!" Joker shouted as he struggled to get free. "I need an adult! I need an adult!"
After Bart had released Batman and Robin, he finally managed to separate Jase from the Joker.
"Come on, kid, we have to disarm that missile before--"
Before Bart could finish that sentence, the missile launched into the air, flying through the plate glass factory.
"I have to stop that missile!" Bart shouted as he ran after in, jumping onto it just before it went through the barbed wire factory. Bart saw it coming and vibrated through it, coming out safely on the other side. "Well, that was clo--" Bart looked down and saw that while had vibrated through the barbed wire... his costume had not, which was now stuck on the wire back at the factory. "Yikes!"
Bart held up his hand, vibrating it into the missile's guidance system and shutting it down, causing the missile to fall safely to the ground, but also causing Bart to fall off and hit the grass below.
"Did I do it?" Bart asked, dazed from his fall as everyone surrounded him.
"Bart's naked!" Jase shouted.
"This is just not my day," Bart said as he covered himself. "Maybe tomorrow will be better for an adventure."
It wasn't.
An adventure to help the Green Lantern Corp save the universe ended with 51 out of 52 planets being destroyed when Jase saw a big red button that he couldn't resist pushing.
An attempt to help Superman stop Darkseid ended badly when Jase accidentally pushed Superman into the firepits of Apokalips, allowing Darkseid to complete his anti-life equation by going to Mayberry and retrieving Aunt Bea's pickle recipe.
And video games weren't any better. Link lost the Tri-Force; Bart got smashed by several barrels trying to save the Princess from Donkey Kong, and the funeral for Pac-Man will be this Tuesday.
"I wanna go on more adventures!" Jase shouted as Bart tucked him in that night.
"Maybe we should take a break from adventuring for a while," Bart said, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings. "My butt still hurts from landing on that bomb in Minecraft."
"Don't you like adventuring with me?" Jase asked innocently.
"Yeah, I mean-- we'll talk about it tomorrow," Bart sighed. "Goodnight, Jase."
"Night, Bart,"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a big brother," Bart said as he lay down on the bed. "But I can't just kick Jase out. I just wish I knew where he came from."
Bart fell asleep, having the same dream again, only this time he could see Max clearly.
"Bart!" Max said as he put his hands on Bart's shoulders. "You have to listen to me. Time is running out, you're in danger!"
"What are you talking about?" Bart asked. "There's no one else here but me and--"
"You have to find the portal before it gets to you," Max said. "You'll find it behind the waterfall. You must hurry, Bart! It'll be on you soon!"
"What's going to be on me?" Bart asked.
Before Max could answer, Bart woke up in his bed, realizing it was dawn. "Behind the waterfall?"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Jase?" Bart asked as he headed downstairs to see if the boy was awake yet. "Want me to fix you some-- Jase?"
Usually, the boy came running as soon as Bart said his name, no matter how away he was. But today something felt different. Something felt... bad. Searching the house, Bart found nothing. He headed outside, quickly noticing how dark the clouds were getting in the far off distance. Like a storm was coming, which was odd because Bart never imagined storms in his little slice of speed force Heaven.
"Jase? Come on, kid, this isn't funny," Bart said as he looked around the area. "This isn't the time to play hide and-- Oh, God, JASE!"
The boy was near the lake, convulsing heavily as Bart quickly rushed to him. "JASE!"
Meanwhile, the storm clouds were edging ever closer...
TO BE CONTINUED...
"This time, our plan for destroying the Superfriends will not fail," Luthor said as he held up his latest invention. "Using this, I will transform every bit of currency in the world into Hello Kitty fun bucks. With the economy in shambles, we shall easily take over!"
"But how will we keep the Superfriends from foiling our plan?" Scarecrow asked.
"With this laser pointer, I will project a red dot on the lawn of the Hall of Justice. They'll be so busy chasing it that they'll never stop us! Are there any other questions?"
The newest member raised his hand.
"Yes, our new member, Senor Taco Tuesday has something to say,"
Everyone looked at the newest member, which was just Impulse wearing a sombrero and a handlebar mustache.
"What about the friends of the Superfriends?"
"Fool, everyone knows they don't count," Luthor told him. "Defeating five Superfriends means that every other hero in existence is rendered useless. This time, no one can stop us!"
"Except for one person," Senor Taco Tuesday said. "For you see, I'm not a villain with the power of creating explosive tacos at all! I'm actually," the hero said as he pulled off the sombrero and mustache. "IMPULSE!"
Everyone in the room let out a collective gasp as Solomon Grundy screamed like a little girl.
"No, it can't be! We stood next to each other at the urinal without it being awkward!" Luthor shouted. "I feel so betrayed. Destroy him! But keep the hat, I want to wear it myself."
Gorilla Grodd went to grab him, but Impulse zipped away as Grodd fell forward, landing on top of Brainiac. Bizzaro and Solomon Grundy ran toward him, but Impulse ran out of the way as the two collided, just as Captain Cold fired his ice ray at the speedster's feet, creating an ice patch. Impulse slid on it, sliding under Cold's leg's and punching him in the nads along the way. Cold fell forward, accidentally blasting the Toyman and Black Manta, encasing them in ice.
"Got you!" Giganta said as she grabbed Impulse in her giant hand. "Now I'll crush you!"
"Wait, you grow into a giant?" Impulse asked. "Aren't you afraid someone will look up your skirt?"
The Riddler and Cheetah were just staring up while standing under her. She tossed Impulse away and tried to cover up. Impulse hit the ground, landing in front of Sinestro.
"You won't escape from me!" Sinestro shouted as he blasted yellow energy at the speedster, who quickly ran to outrace the blast, rushing past Riddler and Cheetah as the blast hit them, trapping them in a yellow American Gothic painting. Impulse sped back around and grabbed the ring off of his hand before punching Sinestro out.
"You may have defeated the others, but you won't defeat me!" Luthor shouted while wearing the sombrero. "No one defeats Lex Luthor!"
Impulse quickly pulled out his phone, showing him a clip of Jesse Eisenberg portraying him in a movie.
"NO! The humiliation!" Luthor shouted. "Why is he acting like the Joker! I don't act like that!"
Impulse quickly put the handcuffs on Luthor and tossed him into a pile with the other Legion of Doom members.
"You may have defeated us this time, Impulse, but we'll be back again!" Luthor shouted. "And again after that! And we'll keep coming back until we just mysteriously stop for a few years!"
"I'll be waiting," Impulse said as he stepped out of the door and fell into the swamp water below.
And such was the life of Bart Allen, the speedster the world came to know as Impulse. His new life in the speed force allowed him to live out any scenario he wished without limits. He could be the greatest hero in the world, or the universe, loved and respected by all.
But deep down, Bart knew it was just a fantasy. Nothing he could dream up was really happening. The speed force could give him anything and everything he wanted, except for the one thing he really wanted, which was for someone to really love him.
# # # # # # # # # #
The dreams had been plaguing Bart for weeks. And each time they were becoming more and more vivid. The image of his old mentor, Max Mercury, trying to warn him about... something.
"Bart!" Max shouted, his voice barely audible. "It's coming! You have to--"
Bart bolted up in his bed, sweating as he realized it was morning. Bart yawned as he sat up and planted his feet on the floor. The teenage speedster stretched as he headed into the bathroom to shower, brush and get ready for the work day ahead. After having his breakfast and coffee, Bart got dressed in a red and yellow track suit and clunky brown running boots, the same ones he wore as Impulse.
The young man stepped out of the cabin that sat next to a crystal blue lake, surrounded by a serene forest that looked like something out of a Bob Ross painting. The weather was perfect for running, just like it always was. In less than a split second, Bart was already off and running for today's job.
As he ran, he started jumping to tap boxes with question marks on them, grabbing coins as they flew out. Soon he was leaping over large pipes sticking out of the ground and stomping on sentient mushrooms as he headed toward a large staircase, where the teen speedster ran up and took a leap off of the top towards a flagpole. Grabbing the flag, he twirled around and reached the bottom before racing into a large castle.
The castle was dark, lit only by fiery pits as Bart raced toward his goal, only to find it blocked by a large spiked turtle. The creature lobbed fireballs at him, but Bart easily dodged them and rushed toward his enemy, leaping over it and grabbing an ax to cut the bridge he was standing on. The creature roared as it fell into the fiery pit as the victory music played while Bart rushed forward, only to see a mushroom man standing there. He had an afro shaped like a polka dot mushroom cap and was smoking a cigarette. His face had a neatly trimmed beard, mustache, and sideburns that all connected.
"Thanks, Bart, but your Princess is in another castle!"
Bart just stood there and blinked.
"God...dammit! You do this to me every time, you stupid mushroom... person! Every. Time! Can you not be an a-hole just for once and let me save the Princess?"
The mushroom man just took a cigarette out of his mouth and talked in a deep baritone voice. "Look, man, they just pay me to stand here and say that line. I'm not the one who made this game."
"Can't you tell me what castle she is in?" Bart asked. "Look, do you want coins?"
Bart pulled off his boot and started dumping out hundreds of coins.
"Man, what the hell am I gonna do with gold coins? Am I just gonna waltz into the nearest bank? I'm a friggin' mushroom, I eat peat moss and live in the forest," The mushroom man took another puff of his cigarette and stared up at the young speedster. "I got a question for you. Your dumb white ass can alter the scenario of any game you play, but everytime it comes to saving a Princess or anyone in general, you make it so that you never get even remotely close to it. Why is that? Are you afraid of getting close to anyone in here that isn't real? You afraid you gonna get attached to someone who's just gonna fade when your ADD riddled ass moves onto something else?"
"That's pretty deep for something I'm making up in my own head," Bart said. "I don't like this game anymore."
"That's right, run, it's what you're good at," the mushroom man said. "You can't run from yourself."
"Oh, yeah, watch me!" Bart said as he zipped away.
"That boy is one dumb motherfu--"
"I am not afraid of getting close to anyone," Bart said to himself as he ran as fast as he could. "I don't need anyone here. I can make any video game scenario I want. I can create anything I want. I don't need real people."
As he ran, Bart suddenly heard a loud boom from deep in the forest, followed by what sounded like the sizzling of an electric current that quickly started to fade. Bart followed the fading sound until he came upon a wide open field, where he saw something moving.
"What the--" Bart started to say as he got closer, seeing that there was a boy laying in a fetal position, shivering and whimpering like he'd just experienced something deeply traumatic. He had a mixture of shaggy red, orange and yellow hair and looked to be no older than twelve. "Are-- are you okay, kid?"
Before Bart could put a hand on his shoulder, the boy sat up and gasped. He looked up at Bart, and in a blur, ran off into the forest like a timid rabbit. Bart quickly gave chase, but the boy was somehow faster and was long gone before Bart could even see which direction he went.
"I must have imagined that," Bart told himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "No, the mushroom's just getting inside my head is all. I don't even like mushrooms."
# # # # # # # # # #
Over the next few days, it was business as usual for Bart. Wake up, get dressed, and play in his virtual world of video games and fighting crime. Fighting giant monkeys, being chased by ghosts, catching animals in balls... then releasing them after realizing the name of the game was 'Micheal Vickemon'.
And all the while, Bart had the feeling that he was being watched. When he looked around, there was no one there, but Bart couldn't shake the feeling that someone was out there.
It was a week after the incident in the clearing, and Bart had decided to take the day off from gaming and heroics. Packing a picnic lunch of his favorite foods into a basket that was able to hold quite a lot for such a small package, Bart headed out to the lake to enjoy himself.
As he lay on the blanket, staring out into the water, he reached into the basket and grabbed a piece of pizza. And that was when he heard a rustling from the nearby bushes. Bart sat up and saw the same boy whom he thought he imagined, just staring at him with unblinking orange eyes.
"Do you... want some?" Bart asked as he held out the pizza. He slowly set it down on the blanket. "There you go, just come get it when you're--"
In less than a blink of an eye, the pizza was gone and the boy was standing in the bushes again, pizza in hand, just staring at it.
"It's food," Bart told him as he grabbed another slice from the basket and took a bite. "You eat it like this."
The boy stared at the pizza, then back at Bart before shoving the whole slice into his mouth, quickly devouring it, getting cheese and sauce on his face.
"So, do you have a name?" Bart asked as the boy just stared at him. "You know, what do people call you? My name is Bart."
"B-Bar-t," the boy whispered. "Barrtttt."
"That's right, my name is Bart, now what's your--"
ZWIP!
The boy was suddenly standing behind Bart, tugging at his tank top and pointing at the picnic basket. "Bart?"
"You want more food?"
"BartBart."
"Help yourself, kid, there's tons of it."
In less than an instant, the boy was on his knees in front of the basket, shoving food into his face.
"Nomnomnomnomnomnom!"
"When's the last time you ate? Slow down, kid, there's more than plenty in-"
The boy let out a puppy like growl at Bart, forcing him to step back.
"I don't know where you came from, but maybe living as a feral wild child isn't the best place for you," Bart told him as he sat down next to the boy, who was still shoveling food into his face. "Why don't you crash at my place? Lots of food, a roof over your head, and a nice couch to sleep on. And maybe I can teach you a few more words."
"Bart?"
"Besides that."
Bart took the boy back to his cabin, which from the outside looked like a one story log cabin. But on the inside, it was a two-story house with tons of rooms, including a flatscreen t.v. with a library of every video game imaginable. The second the boy set foot inside the house, he was instantly running all over to explore.
"Bart!" the boy shouted, looking for more food. His search led him to the kitchen and the fully stocked fridge with an infinite amount of junk food.
"Where did you come from, kid?" Bart asked as he boy shoveled more food into his face. "You're obviously a speedster, but I don't remember any other young kids with-- Oh my God, you're not-- you're not Wally's son, are you?"
"Bart?" the boy asked as he kept eating.
"No, you can't be, that kid had dark hair, and you have-- anime hair or something," Bart said as he sat down at the table. "You're going to need a name until we figure out where you came from. Let's see, you're fast and pop up pretty much anywhere like you're teleporting. How about Jason, after the dude from Friday the 13th? Do you like the name Jason?"
"J-- Ja-- Jase-- Jase--"
"Jason,"
"Ja- Jase,"
"Jason,"
"Jase!"
"Jason,"
"JASE!" the boy shouted, knocking Bart out of his chair.
"Okay, Jase it is," Bart said, a little scared.
# # # # # # # # # #
Over the next few days, Jase started picking up more words. At first only speaking in broken and fractured sentences, he slowly started picking up more and more as Bart talked to him.
"FUCK!" Jase shouted as he sat the dinner table.
"It's fork, Jase," Bart told him. "You eat with a fork."
"F-- F-- Fuck," Jase smiled.
"Starting to think you're doing this on purpose," Bart told him.
Bart had begun to read to Jase at night before bed, sitting on the couch with Jase snuggled up against him as Bart tried to teach him to be more literate. Tonight's book was Stephen King's 'IT'.
"Clown funny," Jase giggled.
"Yeah, he is," Bart said as he saw Jase yawning. "Alright, kid, time for sleep."
"Don't wanna sleep, wanna read funny clown story more," Jase told him as Bart got up and tucked Jase in.
"Tomorrow, I promise," Bart told him as he put the book back on the shelf. "Goodnight, Jase."
"'Night, Bart," Jase said as he closed his eyes and started falling asleep.
As Bart headed upstairs, he took one last look at the boy, sighing to himself. He was fighting his hardest not to get attached to the kid who might not even be real. But it had been a week, and he was still here every morning that Bart got up, often staring at Bart as he opened his eyes. The kid couldn't be real, he had to have been something Bart made up in his mind subconsciously. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything towards this kid, not when everything else in this world was false.
# # # # # # # # # #
"Okay, kid, you ready for your big adventure?" Bart asked as he waited for Jase to come out of the bathroom in the clothes Bart had picked out for him. Up until this point, Jase had only been wearing a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, but today was the day Bart was going to take him on a real adventure, or at least as real as his imagination could come up with.
"Ready, Bart!" Jase said as he rushed out of the bathroom in Bart's old Impulse costume, minus the headgear. Bart had taken to wearing the Flash costume, with a hood instead of a cowl, red boots instead of yellow, and a darker crimson jacket over the costume with the Flash symbol on the upper left corner of the chest.
"Costume seems a little loose on you, but we'll worry about that later," Bart told him. "Let's roll, Jase."
The two speedsters headed out past the forest and into the virtual city of Gotham, where Batman and Robin were tied up to a laugh bomb with a smiley face on it. The Dynamic Duo were in their classic 1960's costumes, complete with Robin's short shorts.
"Holy nuclear war, Batman!" Robin shouted. "We're going to be blown sky high!"
"Worse than that, old chum," Batman said as he struggled with the ropes. "The Joker's missile will contaminate the air over Gotham, spreading his Smilex brand gas everywhere! And I left my nuclear missile disarming tools in my other utility belt."
"Everyone will die with a huge smile on their face!" the Joker shouted as he lightly slapped Batman's face. "Unfortunately you won't be around to see it because you'll die in the explosion. But don't worry, before that, the missile will fly through that plate glass factory, then the barbed wire factory, and then the lemon juice factory!"
"You... fiend," Batman said in a serious tone. "If only there were someone here who wasn't tied up that could stop you!"
"Wait, that person is me!" Bart said as he arrived, before looking down at Jase. "Er... us! We'll save you, Batman!"
"Look, Batman, it's the Flash and Impulse!" Robin shouted. "I think. Was Impulse's hair always that color?"
"Tim, we need to talk about this whole short shorts thing," Bart said as he started to untie Robin.
"Dick,"
"Hey, no need for name calling, Tim," Bart said, just as the Joker was sneaking up on him. Jase rushed through, grabbing the Joker before finally getting a good look at him.
"Funny clown!" Jase giggled as he started hugging the Joker. "I love you!"
"What is this kid doing!" Joker shouted as he struggled to get free. "I need an adult! I need an adult!"
After Bart had released Batman and Robin, he finally managed to separate Jase from the Joker.
"Come on, kid, we have to disarm that missile before--"
Before Bart could finish that sentence, the missile launched into the air, flying through the plate glass factory.
"I have to stop that missile!" Bart shouted as he ran after in, jumping onto it just before it went through the barbed wire factory. Bart saw it coming and vibrated through it, coming out safely on the other side. "Well, that was clo--" Bart looked down and saw that while had vibrated through the barbed wire... his costume had not, which was now stuck on the wire back at the factory. "Yikes!"
Bart held up his hand, vibrating it into the missile's guidance system and shutting it down, causing the missile to fall safely to the ground, but also causing Bart to fall off and hit the grass below.
"Did I do it?" Bart asked, dazed from his fall as everyone surrounded him.
"Bart's naked!" Jase shouted.
"This is just not my day," Bart said as he covered himself. "Maybe tomorrow will be better for an adventure."
It wasn't.
An adventure to help the Green Lantern Corp save the universe ended with 51 out of 52 planets being destroyed when Jase saw a big red button that he couldn't resist pushing.
An attempt to help Superman stop Darkseid ended badly when Jase accidentally pushed Superman into the firepits of Apokalips, allowing Darkseid to complete his anti-life equation by going to Mayberry and retrieving Aunt Bea's pickle recipe.
And video games weren't any better. Link lost the Tri-Force; Bart got smashed by several barrels trying to save the Princess from Donkey Kong, and the funeral for Pac-Man will be this Tuesday.
"I wanna go on more adventures!" Jase shouted as Bart tucked him in that night.
"Maybe we should take a break from adventuring for a while," Bart said, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings. "My butt still hurts from landing on that bomb in Minecraft."
"Don't you like adventuring with me?" Jase asked innocently.
"Yeah, I mean-- we'll talk about it tomorrow," Bart sighed. "Goodnight, Jase."
"Night, Bart,"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a big brother," Bart said as he lay down on the bed. "But I can't just kick Jase out. I just wish I knew where he came from."
Bart fell asleep, having the same dream again, only this time he could see Max clearly.
"Bart!" Max said as he put his hands on Bart's shoulders. "You have to listen to me. Time is running out, you're in danger!"
"What are you talking about?" Bart asked. "There's no one else here but me and--"
"You have to find the portal before it gets to you," Max said. "You'll find it behind the waterfall. You must hurry, Bart! It'll be on you soon!"
"What's going to be on me?" Bart asked.
Before Max could answer, Bart woke up in his bed, realizing it was dawn. "Behind the waterfall?"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Jase?" Bart asked as he headed downstairs to see if the boy was awake yet. "Want me to fix you some-- Jase?"
Usually, the boy came running as soon as Bart said his name, no matter how away he was. But today something felt different. Something felt... bad. Searching the house, Bart found nothing. He headed outside, quickly noticing how dark the clouds were getting in the far off distance. Like a storm was coming, which was odd because Bart never imagined storms in his little slice of speed force Heaven.
"Jase? Come on, kid, this isn't funny," Bart said as he looked around the area. "This isn't the time to play hide and-- Oh, God, JASE!"
The boy was near the lake, convulsing heavily as Bart quickly rushed to him. "JASE!"
Meanwhile, the storm clouds were edging ever closer...
TO BE CONTINUED...