Smallville, Kansas
"Please?" Jon Kent begged as he followed his mother around the kitchen. "Pleasepleaseplease?"
"Jon, it's a school night," Lois said as she turned to face. "We all have to get up early and you need your rest."
"It's not like I won't be sleeping at Jase's house," Jon told her as Connor came into the kitchen for a sandwich. "He's my new friend and we want to have a sleepover."
"Maybe next weekend," Lois promised him. "But not on a schoolnight."
"You got a new friend?" Connor asked as he opened the fridge.
"Yeah, his name is Jase and he's really cool and really fast," Jon told him. "He lives with his big brother Bart."
Connor got a frown on his face as he heard the big brother's name. "I used to have a friend named Bart. He-- he died, though."
"So did Jase's brother, but he got better though, kind of," Jon said as he headed upstairs, leaving a confused Connor standing in the kitchen.
Connor looked at Lois. "Lois... is Bart Allen alive?"
"Please?" Jon Kent begged as he followed his mother around the kitchen. "Pleasepleaseplease?"
"Jon, it's a school night," Lois said as she turned to face. "We all have to get up early and you need your rest."
"It's not like I won't be sleeping at Jase's house," Jon told her as Connor came into the kitchen for a sandwich. "He's my new friend and we want to have a sleepover."
"Maybe next weekend," Lois promised him. "But not on a schoolnight."
"You got a new friend?" Connor asked as he opened the fridge.
"Yeah, his name is Jase and he's really cool and really fast," Jon told him. "He lives with his big brother Bart."
Connor got a frown on his face as he heard the big brother's name. "I used to have a friend named Bart. He-- he died, though."
"So did Jase's brother, but he got better though, kind of," Jon said as he headed upstairs, leaving a confused Connor standing in the kitchen.
Connor looked at Lois. "Lois... is Bart Allen alive?"
ISSUE #10 (April 2018)
Written by Tobias Christopher Featuring: Impulse
Bart Allen
Adam
The Rogues
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"Rogue Trip - Part Two""Alright, one more time," Bart said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. Adam had brought him to the men's room where Jase was inside the mirror above the sink, having been trapped in the mirror dimension by Mirror Master. "How did this happen?"
"Well," Jase said as he took a deep breath. "IwantedchocolatemilksoIwenttogetitandfoundtheseguysrobbingabanksoItriedtostopthemandtheyweren'tveryniceandtheyshotmewiththisrayandnowI'mtrappedinhereandthere'snobathroomandIreallygottapeebadand--" "Okay, okay, I got," Bart said. "Just sit tight, I'll go get Wally and we'll get you out of that place." "Forgive me, Bart, but I'm picking up a transmission," Adam said as he zoned out for a moment. "Wally has been called away for a mission with his friends." "You can hear transmissions?" "My father placed a radio transmitter in my head set to certain superhero frequencies to keep tabs on them," Adam said. "Might I suggest calling the other Flash?" "My grandfather wants nothing to do with me," Bart told him. "I guess I'll have to do this. Hang on, Jase, I'll get you home." "Can you hurry? I don't think I can hold it much longer," Jase said. Bart went back to the house and opened his closet, where his red hooded jacket and red jeans were hanging. A pair of red boots sat at the bottom of the closet. Quickly getting dressed, Bart found a red domino mask and put it over his eyes as he looked at Adam. "Were you not the original Impulse?" Adam asked. "Why not wear that costume?" "Because I gave that identity to Jase, there's no sense in going backwards," Bart told him. "I tried going backwards once and ended up falling down a flight of stairs. Admittedly it was kind of fun, but that's not the point. Now, let's go find the Rogues and bring Jase home." The Rogues had just finished robbing another bank and used Mirror Master's portal gun to escape through the mirror dimension. As soon as they stepped through, they were met by Impulse. "Can I go home now?" Impulse asked. "This place is really boring, and I feel weird looking at people I don't know through these mirrors." "Sorry, kid, this place is your home until we decide what to do with--" Captain Cold said as he slipped and fell, landing hard on his back. "What the--?" "I had too much chocolate milk," Impulse told him. "You really should have a bathroom installed in here." "That does it!" Cold shouted as he pulled out his freeze gun. "I'm turning this punk into a statue!" Before the Rogues could blink, all of their weapons were gone. Impulse just stood there with a guilty look on his face. "Where are our weapons!" Mirror Master shouted. "We're stuck here without my mirror portal!" "I hid 'em," Impulse said innocently as he rubbed the toe of his boot into the ground. "Now we have all the time in the world to play!" "Get him!" Cold shouted as he slipped again. Before the Rogues could catch him, Impulse had zipped away. "Find that brat!" Bart found the Rogue's secret base, having visited it before years ago when he carried the Impulse identity. He carefully made his way around, not knowing what to expect with his current power situation. "Hello?" Bart asked as he looked for any signs of life. "Anyone home? I just want to talk! I just want the kid back!" Bart found a large mirror sitting near the door and stared into it. "Jase? Are you in there?" "McCulloch, how big is this place!?" Cold shouted as the Rogues fanned out. "It's an entire dimension located on the other side of the mirror, so... pretty big," Mirror Master told him. Impulse was rushing through when he though he heard Bart's voice. He backed up and saw Bart on the other side of the mirror. "Oh, hey, Bart," Impulse said. "How's that whole rescue thing coming along?" "I'm at the Rogues hide-out, but they're not here," "Well, duh, that's because they're here," Impulse said as Heatwave grabbed him from behind. "Let him go!" Bart shouted as Cold approached the mirror. "Another Flash? Is he building an army?" Cold asked. "Sorry, the kid stays here. He's too annoying to let loose. And you are?" Bart took off his mask and lowered his hood. "I'm the guy that Inertia tricked you into killing a long time ago." "It's that kid," Mirror Master said. "How is he alive?" "Does it matter?" Cold asked. "Doesn't change anything." "It kind of does," Bart said. "I know you have a code of honor about murdering people, Cold. Killing me really messed you guys up for a while. In a way, you kind of owe me." After a moment of silence, Cold finally spoke up again. "What do you want?" "I just want my little brother to come home safe," Bart told him. "That's it. He's all I have in this world right now." "Okay, but then the slate's clean," Cold said. "You can't hold killing you over our heads anymore. And the kid stays out of our business from here on out, or we're back to square one." "Deal," Bart told him. "Give them back their stuff, Jase." "Do I have to?" "Yes," "Okay," Impulse said as he dashed off and brought the Rogues' weapons back to them. "Sorry I peed all over your dimension." "Well, maybe putting in some facilities isn't such a bad idea," Mirror Master said as he opened the portal back to the Rogues hide-out. As soon as he got through, Impulse rushed into Bart's arms to hug him. "Alright, let's go home," Bart said. "Remember your end of the deal," Cold said as the two headed for the door. "We don't want to see the boy anywhere near our operation again." "I'll make sure he doesn't," Bart said. "And... thanks." "Say, when you were on the other side after we killed you, did you ever run into Inertia?" Cold asked. "Yeah," Bart told him with a smirk. "You might say he was frozen in terror when he came face to face with Impulse." "Were you serious when you called me your little brother?" Jase asked as the two returned home. "Yeah," Bart told him. "It's not just a title on paper, kid. You're family to me. And family looks out for each other." "Kind of like watching out for Adam?" Jase asked. "I guess," Bart sighed. "You really like that kid, don't you?" "He's my best friend next to you," Jase told him. "And he needs a family, too." "Go get ready for bed," Bart said. "You have school in the morning." Jase hugged him one more time before racing upstairs. Adam was getting ready for bed as Jase lay on his bed, reading a comic book. "I do not understand why I need to change clothes for eight hours," Adam said as he returned to the bedroom in a pair of pajama pants. "I do not sleep like you do." "'Cause it' s the human thing to do," Jase told him. "You gotta wear pajamas at bedtime so your day clothes don't get wrinkled. And because when you want to cook bacon in the middle of the night, you kind of need the shielding. Learned that one the hard way." Adam opened a small cavity on his side, where he removed a plug and inserted into a socket in the wall for an overnight recharge. "Adam, do you think Bart's going to be okay?" Jase asked. "I calculate that he has a high stress rate," Adam said. "Considering his current state, I don't believe he will last long." "Then we have to cure him," Jase realized. "We're gonna save Bart. I'm not losing my family." Next: Is Jase ready for school? Or more appropriately, is school ready for Jase? |