Impulse

My name is Bart Allen. I was born in the Thirtieth century, the grandson of Barry Allen, the second Flash. I was raised in a virtual reality environment where I learned how to read, write and other basic things, but it couldn't prepare me for the real world. At first the world was just fun and games, nothing could hurt me because I was a superhero and the world was my video game.

Then I found out I could be hurt by the worst enemy of all: Emotion.

“The Life and Times of Bart Allen”

By Tobias Christopher and David Brashear

“What’re you doing?” Cody Wyatt asked as he walked up behind Bart, who was seated at a computer. Bart turned to smile at his roommate.

“Thought I’d try and start a kind of journal or biography. Figure one day when I put on the Flash costume it might be nice to have the Flash Museum get my story right.”

“Ah,” Cody said. “I see you’re written two sentences.”

“Good enough for now,” Bart said as he switched the computer off. Cody started to point out that Bart had forgotten to save the file – again – but let it pass. He’d go in and just reenter it later. He found himself doing that a lot for Bart, but he didn't mind…it was part of why he fell for Bart in the first place.

“Feels like I’ve been in here all afternoon,” Bart said as he began pacing.

Cody checked his watch. “Class let out three minutes ago,” he pointed out.

“Exactly,” Bart said. “Going for a run, be back later.” Before Cody could blink, Bart was gone and the dorm room door was closing. Cody shook his head and headed for the fridge; he needed a cold drink before he started on his homework.

A familiar face from Impulse’s past made his way through the airport. The Green Cigarette fumed as yet another security guard pointed at a ‘No Smoking’ sign. “Very funny!” the Cigarette muttered. “Like I’ve never heard that one before.”

The Cigarette finally made his way out of the airport and into a taxi. He grimaced as the cabbie nonchalantly rolled his window down. This vacation was not off to a good start. He'd left Manchester to try his luck as a supervillain elsewhere, with heroes who wouldn't drive him to the brink of insanity. That's when he had a quick brainflash of the boy who'd constantly thwarted him.

Impulse!

Meanwhile, walking in the opposite direction, Daniel Short was just coming home from a grueling month long retreat to kick his smoking habit. The dreadful habit had virtually destroyed his life and he wasn't looking to go back to that habit. Then he bumped right into the Green Cigarette. Screaming, the man ran in the opposite direction. He was going to board the next plane back to the retreat.

Impulse slowed as he reached Manchester, Alabama. His mind raced as he remembered his time there training with Max Mercury. He ran down Main Street and his heart nearly stopped as he saw Carol Bucklen. His heart sank as he saw her arm in arm with her fiancé – Mike.

Impulse stopped and vibrated into invisibility as his mind turned back to his days in high school, when he and Carol were in a relationship. Impulse’s eyes began to fill with tears as he remembered how Carol had cried when she’d confronted him.

“How could you do this?” Carol yelled as she threw the magazine at him.

“What do you mean?” Bart asked.

“This!” She grabbed the magazine, opened it and shoved the centerfold into his face. “Am I that ugly?”

“Carol,” Bart said as he pushed the magazine away. “You don’t understand. I’m just…”

“Forget it,” Carol said as tears ran down her cheeks in spite of her fury. “You’re just gone. I’m not going to let you play your games with me anymore. I never want to see you again.”

“But I love you,” Bart whispered as he began crying as well. He was still confused about the emotions running through him. He loved Carol but, at the same, seeing those pictures gave him feelings that were conflicting for him.

“No,” Carol said. “I loved you…but you obviously don’t love me or you wouldn’t be looking at pictures like that!” Carol’s face went red as she exploded. “You wouldn’t be looking at men like that if you loved me!” Carol turned and ran out of the house, leaving Bart crying in the middle of his bedroom.

“I still love you,” Bart whispered as he reached out toward her. The pain proved too much and he ran as he saw Carol and Mike smile and kiss.

The Cigarette scowled at the little kid with one finger rammed up his nostril. “So you’re a super-villain?” the kid asked. “What can you do?”

“I emit gases,” the Cigarette said, already knowing what was coming.

The kid smiled. “So can I!” he said before raising his leg and proving the Cigarette’s suspicions right.

The Cigarette began fanning his face. “Did something die in here?” he asked as the kid laughed. “That’s disgusting!”

The Cigarette’s scowl grew longer as the kid kept laughing so hard he was crying. “Forget this,” the Cigarette said as he fired a burst of knockout gas at the kid, who dropped to the ground and began snoring.

“That’s it,” the Cigarette muttered. “I feel the need to hold up a bank.”

The Cigarette stormed down the street, kicking a dog as he went.

Impulse stopped at the Manchester City Cemetery. Although it felt like his heart was being ripped out, he had one more stop to make. His costume returned to his ring and Bart Allen walked through the gravestones. Finally he reached one that brought him to his knees in front of the one with the name Preston Lindsay was carved into it. He reached out with his finger and traced the letters in Preston’s name. He bowed his head as tears started flowing again.

“You came,” a familiar voice said. He turned to see Carol standing there alone with a bouquet of roses in her hands. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember.”

Suddenly the date clicked in Bart’s brain. “How could I forget?” he asked. “It’s the anniversary, isn’t it?”

Carol nodded. “Three years ago today that he was in that accident.”

Bart closed his eyes. He still couldn’t bring himself to tell Carol the truth: that Preston had been murdered by Inertia as a strike against him. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Carol nodded. “So am I,” she said. “Of course, I’m sure that you miss him more than I do, don’t you?” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I know that he was the one you loved, not me.” She turned and walked away. “Goodbye, Bart,” she said as she walked back to the parking lot.

Mike saw her coming as she was wiping tears from her face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Carol grabbed him and held him tight. “I don’t know,” she sobbed. “I just feel like I’m second best.”

Mike smiled and gently raised Carol’s face to look into his. “You’re always the grand prize to me,” he said, “and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.” He gently kissed her and held her. Although Bart stood farther away, his ears had heard everything she’d said. Shame filled him as he took off running again, changing into his uniform as he did.

Bart and Preston were filming a homemade movie at the railroad tracks. Preston's dream was to get into movie making and Bart was glad to help. It was the summer before junior year and Carol had gone away for the summer to travel with her brother.

Bart made it a point to run all the way across the ocean to see her whenever he got a spare moment. As he was setting up the camera, Preston was checking out the train tracks to make sure the shot would be right. As he walked, his shoe got stuck in the rail just a train was approaching.

Bart looked up from the camera and saw Preston was in trouble, struggling to get free. He ran forward, pulling Preston out of his shoe just as the train rushed by. Both young men fell into the grass, tumbling down the hill until they came to a stop.

"That was close," said Bart as he was lying on top of Preston. "Are you all right?"

Preston just stared up into Bart's eyes and pulled him down into a kiss. Bart had no idea what was going on but didn't resist. It was then that Bart realized that he was actually enjoying what was going on.

Impulse found himself at the train tracks where it had all started. Bart and Preston had spent the entire summer making their movie, getting closer as each day passed. Then, after Preston had been killed, Bart found himself returning to the same spot every time he thought about him. This was their special spot and it always would be.

The Green Cigarette laughed. His knockout gas had incapacitated everyone in the bank and he was in the vault, loading money into bags that conveniently had dollar signs on them. His vacation was definitely picking up.

Impulse ran through Keystone City, passing Jay and Joan Garrick’s home as he went. He smiled as he remembered the good times he’d had there with the original Flash and his wife. He thought about stopping in and asking Jay if he wanted to run, then decided against it. Besides, by the time he’d decided, he was already in the next state and would have hated to go back. He glanced at his watch. “I’m getting hungry,” he decided. Suddenly he didn’t want to delve into his past anymore, so he changed course and headed back to California.

The Green Cigarette smiled as he walked out of the bank with as much money as he could carry. He paused to hit a police officer with mind control gas. The officer’s face went blank and he walked to his patrol car, opening the door like a chauffeur would.

As the Cigarette approached the car, he heard a familiar sound. It sounded like footsteps and wind. “Oh great,” the Cigarette said as he recognized it. He threw the money into the car and got ready for battle.

“Hey!” Impulse yelled as he realized what he’d just run past. “That’s the Green Cigarette!”

The Cigarette was waiting as Impulse retraced his steps. “Hold it right there!” Impulse said, striking his best superhero pose.

The Cigarette smiled as he fired a burst of knockout gas. Impulse began windmilling his arms and blew the gas back into the Cigarette’s face.

“Crap,” the Cigarette said as he inhaled and fell into dreamland.

It didn’t even take Impulse sixty seconds to return the money, make sure that everyone in the bank was okay, and deposit the Cigarette at a nearby police station.

“Big day?” Cody asked as a burst of wind whipped into the dorm room.

“Bad day,” Bart said as he flopped onto the couch, barely missing Cody and the plate of spaghetti he was eating.

“I’m sorry,” Cody said as he stood and put the plate down safely across the room. He sat down beside Bart and put his arms around him. “What happened?”

Bart shrugged. “I saw Carol,” he confessed.

“You still love her, don’t you?” Cody asked.

Bart stood and started pacing. “I care about her,” he said, “and I still wish I hadn’t hurt her so bad. And then with what today was…” His voice trailed away as a look of realization appeared on Cody’s face.

“Preston,” Cody said as he stood. “I can’t believe I forgot that was today. I’m so sorry.” Cody held Bart as he cried while the television in front of them showed footage of Impulse smiling ear to ear while posing for pictures with the defeated Green Cigarette.

Next Issue: In Impulse #2: Cody finds himself on the run from a crazed killer – and only silence can save him.

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