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It is said that during Ragnarök, the Norse end of days, that the Great God Thor shall meet his doom. As the battle rages for the fate of the world, and the end of all things commences, the Lord of Thunder shall face his final foe.
Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, son of Loki and a giantess. Long has the serpent lain, tale in mouth, deep beneath the sea, encircling the globe.
But someday, somehow, the gjallarhorn shall sound and Jörmungandr, bringing the apocalypse unto all the Nine Realms. And then, upon the field of Vígríðr the the great battle will take place.
Thor will slay the wicket serpent, but not before the poison seeps into his blood. He shall take nine paces away from Jörmungandr’s corpse, but then he will fall, and perish. An end to the Storm King.
Nine Paces. How long is a pace again? Is it just one step or two? It's so hard to remember. Either way it's not very long. Not very long at all.
And Thor only gets that far because he is a literal God. And Wally West is no Thor.
But then…Thor is no Wally West.
Wally only knows this stuff because one of the kids is doing a report on it for school. That's all, he doesn't know mythology any more than he knows anything else. But the story is flying through his head at this very moment.
It was supposed to be an easy mission, in and out, home before anyone even noticed. Kobra and his merry band of snake themed villains were up to no good again. Planning on poisoning the water supply or something. Sounds like a job for the Flash, especially with the hostages.
And it was easy enough. Zip in, get the hostages free, zip them out. Head back in, smash up their poison machine, tie them up, zip out.
Well the hostages were safe at least, that was comforting. But when he'd been destroying their evil poison machine he'd just been using some super speed punches. Meaning his legs had been still. Still enough for Kobra to grab his ankle with some sort of spiked ring around his finger.
It had been a sharp, unwelcome jab. But nothing he couldn't walk off, he'd taken worse. He finished smashing the machine in microseconds. He'd tied up Kobra and his cronies in nanoseconds, tossing the irritating ring into the pile of evidence of the smashed up machine.
After all, there had been no rush, right?
He was just wiping his hands off when he felt the poison kick in. The spike to the ankle had been painful, yeah, but no real threat. His instincts hadn't even kicked in like they would for a bullet.
Big mistake. Because the spike ring was apparently a poisoned spike ring, and that made all of the difference.
It had been less than a second, normal time, when Wally had first felt the overwhelming pain in his…everywhere really. The cause was obvious, especially when Kobra started his stupid evil laugh. Wally's head was swimming. They were tied up, the ring far away. The police could handle them. Wally could focus on getting to help. Because he could feel, deep down, that this poison was bad news.
Wally West could outrun everything. Bullets, fists, arrows, weird ray beams, light itself. But the one thing that he could not outrun was himself. Which meant the poison coursing through his veins would be with him, no matter how fast he ran. He could be anywhere faster than a heartbeat, but not his heartbeat which was now sending venom into every corner of his body. Flashes moved at their own pace, but the poison was matching it. Second by second. He needed to move. Now.
Step One.
Wally's first step took him out of the door of the Keystone-Central Joint Water Authority building.
People made jokes sometimes. About how he should get a pedometer, or how he would break a pedometer, or how confused his Fitbit was. He'd never bothered counting before. Sometimes it was true, finessing through a tight space, stopping and starting during a big villain fight. But once you were going fast enough, you could get going pretty far on a single step. Barry had told him once, that if it wasn't for their powers and/or their speed force, they would run faster than gravity and shoot off into space.
Wally was thankful for that, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep his strides long. It wasn't quite flying, but it certainly felt like it sometimes.
He was already in Flash Circle when he hit the ground.
Step Two.
It was decision time for Wally. Right here right now. Flash Circle was the Rome of Keystone City. All roads lead there eventually. Wherever he turned here, that would be his destination.
But where did he want to go?
Home was right out. Linda was great, and so were the kids. But they were no doctors, and Wally wasn't about to traumatize them all by showing up, poisoned, and falling over.
Hospital? Keystone Mercy was used to him by now, but their Metahuman Specialist Doctor was out on vacation this week in Bora Bora. And he had been so helpful when Irey had chickenpox. Wally didn't feel like bothering him on his time off. Besides the poison was excruciating, but it wasn't deadly.
Probably.
Same reason he wouldn't go for the Rouges. If he was truly, truly, desperate, he might have tried. But he wasn't in that much pain. Although who knew? Maybe he would be in a few steps.
Possibilities rushed through his head. Piper’s? No, he was a tech man, not a medical guy. Jay and Joan were on vacation. Aruba instead of Bora Bora. Barry was off in another world. Can't get to the Justice League Satellite by running. At least not when he was in this condition. If he could make it to the coast, Titans Tower might be an option. Although who knew who was there at this point.
Wally made his choice.
Step Three.
It was perfect, their Keystone location was right in Jorgensen Avenue, a straight shot from Flash Circle. No twists or turns, just a dead heat. Exactly how Wally liked it.
STAR Labs. Not always the safest, or most ethical, location. But they were generally on the side of the angels. And they are absolutely qualified to deal with the poison from a supervillain running through the veins of a superhero. They had scanners and gizmos up the wazoo that could isolate and cure the poison. Hopefully. Wally really didn't feel like dropping dead from freaking Kobra of all people. The Rogues would never let him hear the end of it.
No, STAR Labs would have his back, and get this all sorted out. And when they had helped him, he could help them out by fixing whatever science experiment had gone wrong this week.
Step Four.
He was passing out of downtown by now. Tall buildings became few and far between. Thank God it wasn't rush hour. Jorgensen could be bumper to bumper when everyone was rushing to get out of town after work.
Normally he would have been able to metabolize the poison using his super metabolism, the same reason he ate so much. Or he could have vibrated at the precise frequency needed to shatter the molecular bonds keeping the poison together. Or outrun his own bloodstream or something. Some days he would have subconsciously moved fast before Kobra’s stupid poison ring had even touched him.
Some days his powers made no sense. Scaling from Godlike to slightly speedy depending on the situation, who he was fighting, who he was fighting alongside. He swore, something about Batman just made him slower and more likely to trip over something that he would have dodged easily in Keystone. And his first encounters ALWAYS went badly, and he'd lost count of how many times he had relied upon a sudden second wind. He swore sometimes the Speed Force gave and took away for the sake of narrative convenience.
Or maybe his powers were already doing all they could. Maybe the average person wouldn't be able to run at all with this Kobra cocktail in their bloodstream. Maybe the average person would be dead. Wally didn't know. He should be thankful that he had the option to dash for STAR Labs at all.
Step Five.
He was past halfway there. Technically he was outside city limits by this point. No longer Keystone City, but Sigurd Township. Neat little suburb. Linda and Wally had seriously considered it when they were buying a house.
STAR Labs would also have everybody's phone numbers, all his emergency contacts. Linda. Piper. Dick. The Trickster. Wally still wasn't sure how The Trickster had managed to worm his way onto his emergency contact list. He was also in The Will somehow. He really needed to check that out.
He didn't like thinking about having a will, the fact that he’d considered how to divide up everything he owned in the event of his untimely death. It just gave him the jitters. But it was the responsible thing to do. Even if he was’t a superhero, doing death defying stunts every day of every week, it was the responsible thing to do. He had a house, somehow. And investments somehow, He had a stock portfolio! He barely even knew what that was. Linda handled it mostly, well the stock broker Linda’s parents had recommended handled it mostly. But still, he has assets! So he had to have a Will, just to make things less of a headache if he died. That didn’t mean he liked thinking about it. Or how The Trickster had wormed his way into it.
Step Six.
Time to start slowing down, didn’t want to blow past STAR Labs and pass out in the middle of Nebraska. Then he’d be missing and then Linda would be worried and then the kids would be worried and that would be terrible.
Wally didn’t like to worry. Growing up had been filled with nothing but worrying about his parents or his aunt. And among all the Superheroes there was plenty of worry to go around. Hell Batman probably worried enough for all of them. But apparently becoming a worrywort was part and parcel of becoming a husband and a father, and the same went for Linda becoming a wife and mother. That was just how it was.
It was a curse sometimes, but Wally wouldn’t trade it for the world. What he did was dangerous work, no if ands or buts, and it was good to have someone to remind him of that. Maybe it was part of the reason Linda could always pull him back from the Speed Force. Maybe she was his lightning rod in part because she worried so much for him. Not for the fate of the universe, or even The Flash, but for him, Wally West. Someone was worried for him, as a person, not just because of the costume.
And it wasn’t just Linda. Not anymore, and he supposed it had never been just her. Aunt Iris. Barry. Dick. Donna. Piper. Chunk. Bart. Irey. Jai. Wade. Hell, even Bruce was slowly coming around and seeing Wally as someone other than a bad influence on Dick. Kind of.
Remembering all these people was enough to make him dig within himself and find a hidden battery of speed, to make him run that much faster. He resisted the urge.
He was trying to slow down after all.
Step Seven.
The buildings around him weren’t getting any less blurry, even though he was slowing down. He quickly deduced this was because the pain was blurring his vision. He’d forced down the pain as best he could, but as the poison spread with every heartbeat, it became impossible to ignore any more. He was glad he was using long strides. Otherwise he might have stumbled. The pain was really starting to get to him. His ankle, the one Kobra had grabbed, was swollen and throbbing. His head felt like it was going to explode. He just wanted to stop. But he couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.
Wally needed to get to STAR Labs so that he could get home. Get home to save the city tomorrow, and the world the day after that. Dick would kill him is he died. Plus he would lose the bet he’d made with Vic when they were 14 about who would die first.
But he also needed to get home to be with Linda. To support her when she needed it, and have her support him. She couldn’t be his rock if he was dead. And he needed to be there for his kids. To see them grow up. Play catch with Irey, give Jai piggyback rides. Help them with homework. Catch them trying to sneak weed into the house under his nose. Obnoxiously try to keep them from following in his footsteps. Fail. Embarrass them in front of whatever team they wound up on. See their weddings. Grow old and out of touch. Retire like Jay. Learn to play shuffleboard. Unretire like Jay. Wally West had a very busy schedule, and he was afraid that he couldn’t fit dying in.
There was also the chance that this wouldn’t kill him, just knock him out. That would be better on the balance. But it would still be better to make it to STAR Labs, passing out heroically as he arrived to safety, rather than fainting on the middle of suburban Keystone City. Which he was back in Keystone City limits, which curved around Sigurd Township in some weird pattern that Linda said was due to water rights, racism, and prohibition. And Wally was a smart enough husband to just listen to her.
STAR Labs had come out here for a simpler reason. Farther from downtown meant that when one of their experiments went awry or supervillains attacked, it wouldn’t be happening near the most densely populated areas. But it was still technically on Keystone land, which gave the city some tax benefits. Unfortunately it did mean Wally had farther to run to get there.
Step Eight.
Another turn, with a bit of a sidestep thrown in. Got him in the front door at least. Huh, they’d redecorated. He really needed to get out here more often than he did. Maybe one of the scientists could do something for the twins. Irey loved to build stuff with LEGOs and Jai liked birdwatching. There was probably something here they could both enjoy. Maybe gene splice a new type of bird…but then that would probably turn into a monster that doomed them all…which in turn could be good news story for Linda to cover. Fun for the whole family!
Another jolt of pain, right he was here for work right now, not planning a family outing to terrorize the city with bird monsters.
Step Nine.
No use stopping in the lobby, head right for the main laboratory. Hopefully someone would be able to help him out there. Wally burst through the doors at what was still an incredibly high speed for a human being, before skidding to a halt.
The Fall.
“Poison,” He gasped. “Help me.”
Wally West, the fastest man alive, collapsed on the floor.
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Modi and Magni
“Are you sure you don’t need the Doctor to come in with some more meds?” Linda asked, putting a worried hand over Wally’s forehead.
“Honey it was Kobra poison,” Wally said. “Not the flu, checking my temperature won’t help.”
“Oh please,” She said. “You love being babied.”
“I do,” He admitted. “What I do not love is being cooped up in bed. I should be out there. Did you see Captain Cold knocked over a…”
“The Doctors said you need to stay here,” Linda pressed. “While they make sure the poison is entirely out of your system. So that means no dashing off to fight crime. Besides, Cold sent you a very nice card.”
“It just says ‘Glad you didn’t die, don’t get well soon’ that’s not very nice,” Wally protested.
“Yeah!” Irey said, from the foot of the bed, bouncing up and down on her toes. Jai looked on thoughtfully.
“It just leaves me stiff,” Wally whined right back. “Maybe if I just…”
“Nope,” Linda shot back. “Absolutely not. You mister, are going to stay here and spend time with your kids and your wife.”
“The horror,” Wally said, hand mockingly on his chest, as he drew the twins close. They’re good kids. Better than he was.
“Don’t worry dad!” Irey proclaimed. “We’ll make sure Keystone City is safe while you’re recup-recoup-recoop-recoopar-what was it?”
“Recuperating you dummy,” Jai said. “I’ll take Keystone, but you can have Central City if you want.”
“Nuh uh!” Irey said. “I called dibs!”
“Well I call double dibs!” Jai insisted right back, as Linda sighed and facepalmed.
Wally just laughed though.
He remembered the last bit of the Ragnarök tale. Thor’s twin sons, Modi and Magni, survive the destruction and reclaim his hammer. It’s a comforting thought, to know that there will still be a great protector even after the great reckoning, still heroes after all heroism has failed. Even when his time came, when something showed up he couldn’t outrun. There would still be speedsters. There would still be heroes, even after it all ended.
But that didn’t mean Wally West was in any hurry to get there.