Byrd Man
El Hombre Pájaro
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Previously
Allen Home
Central City, Missouri
"Bart?"
I looked up from my roasted chicken. Mom was starting at me with a puzzled expression on her face. "Sweetie, are you alright?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."
For the third night in a row, it was just me, mom, and Wally eating dinner. Dad was out in the streets, manning the Anti-Flash Taskforce with Jay. Apparently, the incident with Cold and his buddies lead to a rise in anti-Flash sentiment. While I was off having fun with the Fantastic Four, Iron Heights had a massive breakout with all of the people I had fought. Calling themselves the Rogues, they've started a crime spree around the twin cities.
"Are you sure? You've been real quiet the past few days. Is anything wrong?"
"I'm fine."
She leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed and a steely look on her face. "No, something is wrong. What is it?"
She's right. Ever since Denny's death, my secret life as the Flash has been eating at me. My dad hates the Flash. He's out there right now looking for him while he's been right under his nose all along. There's no way I could come out to him and he wouldn't hate me. Even if I am his son, he's said time and time again how Flash mocks the police of both cities. That was bad enough, but now with Denny's death... I don't know what he'd do to me...
"It's just... Have you ever had a secret you were scared to death to tell anyone about?"
"Of course," she said, reaching across the table and taking my hand. "We all have."
"Ha!" Wally laughed. "Bart's gay! I knew it all along!"
"Yeah, well you were adopted!"
"Be quiet, Wally. Bart... you can tell me whatever it is. I'll love you no matter what. You should know that by now."
"But... what... what if it's something bad?"
"Bad? Bad in what way? What's wrong, honey? You can tell me. Are you in trouble? What is it?"
"I...," I started, taking a deep breath. "Mom... I'm the F--"
BOOOOOOOM!
The sonic boom tore into the house, ripping the door and half the wall off the house. Mom, Wally, and I were all knocked back. I landed hard on the floor, the air rushing out of my lungs and my ears ringing. My eyes began to focus on the figure standing walking through the hole where the wall had been just seconds earlier.
"Mom, mommie, motherofmine..."
*Photo courtesy of Supergirl
"I'm hoommmeee!"
The monster... thing, sped around the dinning room. Bart and Mom backed away from it. Me, on the other hand, I rushed forward. As fast as he was, I was just as fast. I slammed into him and drove him to the ground.
"What are you doing here?!" I yelled, punching him in the chest with a sped up fist.
"I'mmmm home," he said in reply, his voice distorted and high. "Homeherewithmyfamily. After all, you are mybrother."
"What?"
That was all I could get out. His body vibrated underneath my hands and he slipped under the floor. In the blink of an eye, he was back through the hole in the wall and slamming into me. We crashed through the wall, creating another hole, and into the backyard. I bounced off the grass and hit the apple tree with a solid crack.
While I recovered, my attacker rushed towards me and struck me with a powerful kick to the face. I fell back, crashing into Dad's tool shed. Trying to stand, the mutated assailant just watched me with a sneer.
"What...--," I started before coughing. "What are you talking about? I'm not your brother?"
"Oh, Bart. Butyouare."
He swung at me, but I was ready. I ducked his fist and swung upwards with a uppercut. My fist struck his jaw solidly and knocked him off his feet. He was launched a few feet back where he crashed into the grass.
"I don't know what kind of delusions you're under, but we're not related."
"ENOUGH!" He screamed, looking up at me. "Youdon'tthinkIdon'tknowthetruth?! You don't think I know what our parents did to me? Yoooou haveit all. Acharmedlife, that's whaaaat you've had. Goodfamily, good education, goodjobandyou'rethegoddamnFlash?!"
"I--," I start before stopping. "I didn't ask for any of that..."
"Andyouthink I did? You think I waaanted to havemymother buuurning myarmswithcigarettes?! DO YOU?!"
Gritting his teeth, he sprung up and charged towards me. He lashed out, attacking with all he had. As fast as he had been at the start, I could tell his speed was dipping. I easily dodged his attacks and hit him in the stomach with punch.
The blow sent him stumbling back. He coughed, his cough turning into a retch. Blood came out of his mouth and stained the green grass at his feet. "Oh, God..."
"Look, listen to me... Whatever it is that's happened to you, work with me and I can get you help."
"You thiiiiink I wantyourcharity?" He said before hacking violently. He turned around and began to shuffle towards the hole in the wall we had made. "Iwantedtoshow yoooou and your parents what they had made. Hooow they hadgivenmeup and what it did to me."
He stumbled through the hole and fell on the dining room floor. I came through the hole right behind him. Suddenly, his body began to seize up.
"What's happening to him?" Mom asked frantically.
"I don't know," I said leaning down to look at him.
His wriggling up jerked upwards and then sideways, blood running from his mouth. With a final shake, his body tensed up before going limp.
"Oh, my God..."
"What's going on?!" A voice shouted from behind. We turned and saw Dad and Jay at the hole in the wall, guns out and raised.
"Barry," Mom said, looking at him and then back at me and the attacker. Jay ran over and bent down, looking at the unconscious man. He leaned his head against the man's chest before looking at me and back up at Mom and Dad.
"I don't hear a heartbeat... I think he's dead."
"Who was he? What did he want?"
"He just came in, talking so fast I couldn't understand him and then Bart... He... Disappeared too."
"What?" Dad said, furrowing his brow. "Disappeared? Where?"
"He just," Wally started. "Disappeared. When he reappeared again he was fighting the guy. The guy was talking about us and how... something about Bart. He was talking too fast."
"Bart?" Dad asked sternly. "What's going on?"
I looked at my father, then down at the dead man. Jay made eye contact with me and slowly nodded. I looked up at my father and sighed.
"I--... Dad. I'm the Flash."