Northern Edge of the Gotham City Storage Facility

Flash was beginning to feel confusion about his actions for the first time in a long time. He stared at the fighting going on in front of him and his team. He didn't want to feel the way he did. He didn't want to make anything worse or fuel the tension that lurked in the air, but Flash didn't know what to do.

Was he a part of the problem?

Flash purposefully turned his back from the team. He couldn't bare to look at the remaining three faces in his squad. Who will go next? Guilt consumed Flash as he thought about his team. He knew Manhunter was trying to help and be the peacemaker everyone wanted him to be, but Flash didn't know how to tell him that he only made things worse. Hawkman was just a silent soldier of brute strength that only followed orders. He didn't feel things the way the others did.

Then there was Superman. Flash gave a silent scoff. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Flash could feel Superman's curious gaze over his shoulder. He didn't know what kind of man Superman was anymore.

"Flash," Manhunter's deep voice was calm, "We can't let them get to us. We have to be a team."

Flash still kept his back away from them. He wanted to laugh or say something funny. He wanted to bring everyone back together, but the anger inside of him wouldn't let him.

Manhunter spoke again. "Flash. We have to go. We have to help the others."

"Oh really?" Flash scoffed. "That's just what you said to the Kryptonian right before he blew out Hawk Girl's brains." Flash spit out the words like they were poison.

"I didn't mean to-" Manhunter began.

"Apparently you don't mean a lot of things Martian!" Flash turned on his heels to look Manhunter in the eyes, but the alien only gave a hollow stare.

Flash spoke again with the same venomous tone, "I've tried to forgive you in the past for minor accidents like burglaries and car chases, but this has crossed the line. You think that you can't do any wrong! You think that yo-"

"I never said any of-"

"Shut up for once! Don't you see?! I don't care! I don't care about any of this anymore! I think I liked it better when I wasn't a part of this team." Flash looked at the ground and crossed his arms. He took a deep breath in and lowered his voice back to normal. "I'm done with you after this. All of you. I'm quitting the League."

"Flash, don't say that." Manhunter still remained calm as Flash began to go silent. "Think of all the people who need you."

Flash gave one last look to Manhunter and Superman. "I'll quit once we're done here."

"Flash."

"I'm looking for Diana," Flash said and then he ran toward the center of the storage facility. He ran faster than he ever knew he could, away from the team. He needed to be alone.

******

Central City

Flash remembered the feeling of failure. It wasn't the first time he failed his friends. His intelligence always got the better of him.

"Barry Allen?" An old lady called his name up to the front desk of Fast Labs Corporate Liaison and Investigation. It was a new science building in town that partnered with the police with consulting work. Barry stood up and rushed to the front desk.

"That's me," he said awkwardly, tripping over his shoelaces.

The old lady peered at him over the rims of her glasses. "I understand that you applied for a job here. Is that correct?"

"Yes Ma'am." Barry anxiously tapped his foot.

"I'm afraid we cannot accept you at this time. Good day."

"What? That's not possible! I have a friend that said I was eligible for this position!"

"Well, I'm afraid that you thought wrong. You definitely don't have the required degree of skills to be handling what we do here."

"But I-"

The lady took off her glasses and gave a sympathetic sigh. "Look, I get a lot of people like you applying for this job and I'm afraid you're one of the few that just don't fit. It says here in your resume that you didn't even go to college-"

"But I graduated high school by the time I was fourteen!"

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Barry looked down and made sure his gaze kept on the pristine white tiles. "I understand."

He slowly lifted his shoulders back and turned toward the door. He knew he couldn't just walk out those doors. This was his last chance. He didn't have anywhere else to go.

He walked toward them anyway.

For the past ten years of Barry's life he had done nothing. Once he graduated high school he was so arrogant that he thought that he was too good for college and that his intelligence could get him anywhere he wanted to go. He had learned the hard way that life didn't care about a person's intelligence.

Years after high school he just sat around his house and thought about how many ways he could make a difference in the world. He thought about how he could be a hero without any powers. He could be an engineer. He could be a physicist. His mind wandered to all sorts of possibilities. He even thought about being a teacher.

Then, one day, he had the idea of being a scientist. A forensic scientist. He could help people by using the one thing he liked more than his looks, his brain.

He started to gather as many books on the subject as he could and even learned how to do crime scene work without using any fancy equipment. Barry almost went to college for it, but he didn't because he didn't have a job to pay the grueling education. So he tested his luck at applying where he could.

Barry finally arrived at his foster parents house in a frenzied ball of depression. He didn't know what he was going to tell them. He swore to them that he would get this job and finally move out. What would he do? He rushed down to the basement that held all of his science books and tools.

When he finally sat himself down in his office chair, the comforting smell of lavender filled his lungs. He could also smell the rain beginning to pour outside.

"I guess it's going to be a huge thunderstorm," he mumbled. He shook the thought away and made himself focus on his desk. It was littered with bottles labeled Iodine and Hydrogen Peroxide. He also had more complicated chemicals like Fluorescein and Luminol. He couldn't remember how he even got those.

Barry steadied his hand and uncapped all of the bottles.

"Well, what should you do today Barry? Fingerprints? Blood?" He sighed and realized that he was talking to himself again. "Fingerpri-" Barry's head shot up as the lights above him popped. Sparks bounced off of the floor as thunder roared above him. Soon, Barry was shrouded in darkness.

Barry stood up in panic and bumped the desk. He felt cold liquids ooze onto his pants. He swore and fumbled around in the dark for the back up generator. He gave a sly smile as he finally found it. He carefully opened it when he felt a sharp pain spread all over his body.

He screamed as thunder echoed in the room and rumbled in his body. He felt like he was burning alive. His senses went numb as he closed his eyes in pain. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped and Barry collapsed onto the floor.

*******

Center of the Gotham Storage Facility

Flash remembered waking up from his dazed state years before. That's when he found out he had super speed. He hated it at first, then grew to like it over time. It gave him a sense of accomplishment in the end. He was finally helping the world like he wanted to.

Flash snapped out of his daze to find that he was in the middle of an open, cobblestoned space across from some of the buildings. He stopped and stared at the area around him. He froze when he saw the bloody mess of Black Canary on the ground next to Green Lantern.

He gasped. His friends.

Flash would have wanted to grieve, but was interrupted by a howl of another monster. When he turned to confront the sound he saw Wonder Woman with a chain around her neck. It wasn't her anymore.