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Let me tell you a real story. Now when I say that I mean this IS a real story, even if it doesn’t sound like it. It involves people who can do amazing things. Some for good. Some for bad. And in a time when the world was in desperate need of someone to save the day.

So back when the whole world was at war everyone’s attention was overseas half the time. People barley cared about all the bad things going on in their own homes. A lot of bad people got away with a lot of bad things. The police did what they could but some of these bad guys managed to have some edge or gain over them. Usually it came with a gimmick too.

If you ran a shady ring of casinos your official name would be “The Gambler”. You had some sort of ice power the papers titled you as “The Icicle”. Heck, there used to be there used to be guys who tried to sound tough by calling themselves “Evil Star” or “the Thinker”. Something to scare people from messing with them. But not everyone was afraid.

All over America there were people with powers and skills who tried to help. They were only rumors at first but once the bad things started to happen they started to become more active. Getting more attention.

There was a guy who dream the future and save people from dying. A man who had a special ring he found that could make anything he wanted just by thinking it. There was even a man with a magic helmet that could make him do anything.

They were heroes. All of them. They fought the good fight and kept the people without powers safe. They even inspired now-powered people to take up the call and start fighting back. They were the first superheroes the world have ever known.

Now time went on and things got a little more hectic. The bad guys started to get more intense. Some were too strong on their own while others started grouping up. Thinking they had a better chance working together than on their own. So, naturally, the heroes needed to start working together as well. Some were more up to it than others but in time eventually all of the came around.

And that was the start of the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team in history. Super powered people fighting together against the forces of evil. You know, the really colorful stuff like that. Now the very first team consisted of Green Lantern, Doctor Fate, the Sandman, the super strong and intelligent Hourman, a spirit who called himself the Specter, the kickboxing duo of Wildcat and Black Canary, and a young but foolhardy sport who could run faster than you could blink who went by the name the Flash.

They fought those villains I mentioned before and even took on some of the bigger ones. The Ultra-Humanite. The demented Psycho-Pirate. The secret society Cobra. The evil Wizard. Why they even fought the undead Solomon Grundy and his partner the Gentleman Ghost.

When all of this happened everyone in America was all over it. They printed comics in the papers. Made cartoons. Sold toys. But that was all just stuff to impress the kids. When people saw what it was like in real life they were more amazed than when we finally made it onto the moon.

Now once word got out about all of this, if you can believe it, even more people started to join the Society. Mister Terrific, with his super strength and super mind. The Star-Spangled Kid and his cosmic staff and belt that granted his powers. The mysterious Doctor Midnight. And even a man who used these super pills to give himself a power boost while going by the name Hourman.

Those were great times the more people think about it. A golden age when the good guys always came through and the bad guys got what they deserved. Nothing any more complicated than that.

Now the thing with a lot of these heroes was that they chose to do what they wanted. They find some fancy piece of jewelry or use their brains to make fancy gadgets and before you know it they’re out their knocking out bank robbers and guys in funny masks just for the sake of it. But one of those super heroes didn’t even become a hero just because. Believe it or not the Flash actually used to be just a normal guy too.

Out of all the founding members in the Justice Society the Flash was one of the more complicated ones. See everyone knew that Green Lantern had his ring, and Dr. Fate got his powers from his helmet, and the Specter….well everyone just knew enough about him to understand him. But the Flash was a different story. No fighting moves. Not the brightest of minds. Just an ordinary guy who had one bad accident happen that changed his life forever.

You got to wonder, right? What must’ve happened to him to make him into the super speedster he was? If there was ever a way things would’ve been different if he didn’t? Maybe if…

Mr. Garrick?

Mr. Garrick?

*****

Jay Garrick snapped back to attention and looked to young Barry before saying “Oh. Sorry, kid. Train of thought got away from me there.”

Barry gave Mr. Garrick an odd look when he’d slipped from his story telling. While he was enjoying how he told it he was a little worried when Mr. Garrick had trailed off as he did towards the end. He was a little on the old side and Barry often heard about older people forgetting a lost easier than most; though he always had a feeling Mr. Garrick wasn’t THAT old.

As he sat up in his bed listening to Mr. Garrick Barry always thought back to the other stories that he’d told him when he was old enough. All sorts of incredible stories from back in his day, both personal and historical; which were more interesting to hear from someone who actually lived it. But whenever he brought up the superheroes of that time Barry was always entranced.

Jay Garrick was a friend of Barry’s father from college. Barry remembered his dad always inviting him and his wife, Mrs. Joan Garrick, to all of the parties and celebrations at his house. Christmas. Thanksgiving and Easter. Any opportunity for the two to rekindle and let their families meet and mingle. And when he got to know Barry and how he was interested in science Jay took a shine to the boy; especially with his dad constantly joking about him being a scientist and how he’d probably bore Barry away from ever wanting anything to do with it again. The stories he told, especially about the heroes, were the ones Barry looked forward to the most.

As a child Barry remembered watching some of the old cartoons Mr. Garrick had mentioned about old-time heroes. The Justice Society of America. The Freedom Fighters. Even the more obscure ones like the Creature Commandos, with members like the Haunted Tank, G.I. Robot, and their leader Frankenstein. All over his room he had posters, toys, and even curtains and bed sheets about them. He wore shirts with their names and logos. Ate cereal and snacks based on them. He even wore underwear brands of them; though would never admit to it to anyone at school. To say he was a fan of superheroes was an understatement at best.

Knowing this for himself Mr. Garrick would always tell him these sorts of stories to keep him happy. Nearly every time they met Barry would insist Mr. Garrick tell him at least one story before leaving, which was what he was doing today. He made it as part of his way of helping Barry get over his bad cold he’d been suffering the last three days.

After recovering himself Jay asked “Now where was I? Oh! Right. So the Society started to get really big in numbers to where they were starting to run out of room in their secret hideout, the Tower of Fate. A magical fortress hidden in another dimension so that no one would find it.”

“So it was like a magic tower?” Barry asked. After Jay confirmed this he then asked “So couldn’t Dr. Fate just magic up more rooms for the Society members?”

Jay chuckled a bit before replying “Not that they hadn’t thought of it before, but it wasn’t that big of an issue anyways. As time went on a lot of the heroes moved on too. The Specter just up and left for some grand spiritual quest. The magic behind Green Lantern’s ring eventually started to run out. Heck a lot of them just got too old and couldn’t carry on.”

“Is that why they left, Mr. Garrick? I mean I know it was a long time ago but they wouldn’t be that much older, right?”

Jay looked away for a moment and sighed before answering “Well, kid, it was actually a lot more than that.” He then looked over to Barry as he seemed a little confused before saying “This might be the part you won’t like, Barry. See this story doesn’t have the happiest of endings.”

Barry looked at him and insisted “It’s okay, Mr. Garrick. Go on.”

With another sigh Jay went on “Well after the Society managed to take down the powerful sorcerer Mordu Dr. Fate had to take time off. The fight took a lot out of him and he put a lot of magic into it. So by then the team was down to a lot of the less powerful of the bunch. There was still the Flash and his speed but it came down to help from Wildcat, Black Canary, Mister Terrific, Hourman, Midnight, and Star-Spangled Kid. Needless to say they were in need of some decent firepower when guys like Eclipso and Vandal Savage running around. That’s when they met Red Tornado, an android of sorts that had the power over air itself. He seemed a great guy and all but maybe a little too great.”

“What happened?” Barry asked out of anxiety. “Did he turn out to be evil?”

“No. Well…not exactly. You see one of the Society’s old enemies, a scientist named T.O. Morrow, made Red and used him to infiltrate the ranks. Gained their trust and get as close as possible to them. Then, when the time was right, he activated Red Tornado’s real function to wipe everyone out.” With another sigh Jay continued with “It was a long, tough fight. And…well not everyone made it out in the end.” He heard Barry gasp before explaining “They lost Hourman and…and Black Canary too. But when she died that seemed to set something off in Red’s head. Maybe it was a malfunction or maybe in that moment the walking hurricane finally grew a conscious. We really don’t know. All we do know is that it helped set him straight and he helped the Society find Morrow themselves and lock him up for what he did.”

“So…did Red Tornado stay and be a good guy?” Barry asked with a little enthusiasm in his voice.

“Sadly not, sport. He left soon after. He felt sorry for what he did and felt he needed time to figure things out. But it didn’t matter. The Society took too big a hit after all that. Too many things left behind. The war was over. A lot of the bad guys were locked up for good. Only regular criminals for the police to handle were around. So the team just had to throw in the towel and go their separate ways.”

Barry began to notice Jay looking a little upset, staring down at his own feet while a shine like tear was in his eye, prompting the boy to ask “Are you alright, Mr. Garrick?”

This snapped Jay back to reality as he said “Sorry, Barry. So sorry.” He wiped his eye quickly before adding “Lost myself again.” He then looked at his watch around his wrist and realized “Oh boy. Starting to get late. And you, my boy, need to get some rest.”

With that Barry sighed, wanting to hear more, before settling into bed with Jay’s help. The old man rubbed the boy’s blonde hair and smirked before getting up from his seat and making for the door.

“Mr. Garrick?” Barry perked up to ask, stopping him. “Ever other story you talked about wasn’t like this one. It almost sounds like you knew them. The Society.” Hearing this Jay smiled a little while leaning against the doorway to hear the rest of what he had to say. “I mean maybe I’m just overthinking it but…did you know them?”

He gave a modest shrug and answered “You’re a bright boy, Barry. Anyone ever tell you that? I was close with some of them. Heard some of the stories. Saw some of the action. But personally I kept to my own sometimes. After all you can’t be a hero 24/7.”

Jay turned again before Barry called “Mr. Garrick?” stopping him yet again. “You think they’ll ever come back?”

Another sigh escaped his lips before Jay replied “I honestly don’t know, Barry. But then again maybe their time is over. Maybe what the world needs is something else. Something bolder. Braver. Maybe someone like you one day.” Seeing Barry smile at this Jay smiled back before finally saying “Goodnight, son.” Closing the door behind him as he left.

As Barry finally settled in he thought about the idea of being a hero like the ones from the stories. He looked around at all of his posters and superhero toys scattered about his room which gave him more inspiration. The last thing he looked at as he started to drift off was his stack of comics, the topmost being that of the Flash from Mr. Garrick’s stories. He’d heard the most about him and loved the idea of moving so fast; especially since he had a tendency of always running late. If the next generation of heroes was to come then maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to join them.

Finally as he drifted off the last thing he imagined was running faster than anyone could catch him. Disappearing in the blink of an eye and winding up halfway around the world. And maybe someday finding a team of his own to join to fight the forces of evil and have stories about him told one day.

*****

As the night grew late Jay and his wife Joan finally left the Allen’s household. They said their last goodbyes to Henry and Nora before making for their car. Joan got into the driver’s seat while Jay was already settling into the other, glad the night went as well as it did.

As Joan started the car she asked “So which story was it this time?”

Jay smiled before answering “I told him my story this time.”

“Jay!” she said in surprise. “You told him?”

“Only the parts about the Society. You know, with Allen and Ted and the others.”

“You didn’t tell him everything did you?”

“No.” he chuckled. “Just what mattered. I think he can figure out the rest in time. He’s really smart you know.”

“Which is why he should keep his mind on studying. Not daydreaming about being a superhero like all that silliness you’re pouring in his head.”

The two shared a laugh at this before Jay commented “I don’t know, Joan. He reminds me a lot or…well me. Who knows? One day the kid might surprise us.” He took a final glance up to the window to Barry’s room and finished with “It didn’t take much for me to make the choice. Maybe he just needs the same sort of inspiration.”

With that the two finally began to drive off. After all his time with young Barry Allen Jay Garrick did indeed see the same spark of heroism and determination he’d found in himself. While his was a making by accident Jay knew his powers came with a responsibility he had to keep once he finally dawned the mantle of the Flash. While the pain of his friends long gone still lingered he still remembered all the good times, the great battles, and the enduring friendship they all shared.

Indeed though he did believe that his time was over. A new generation of crime would soon start to grow and a new generation of heroes would be born from it to answer the call. The golden age of heroes was over. A new silver age was soon to begin.

*****

As the hours grew later into the night, the Allen’s and everyone else around already sleeping, an anomaly suddenly appeared not too far away. A strange vortex, its nature unknown, began to manifest. It came without warning and began to grow faster and faster until a small doorway-like portal was visible.

From the portal something pushed itself through with great force. Within a moment it managed to break through to the other side, finally stepping foot into the quiet little neighborhood from wherever it originated.

The figure was blurred by a powerful vibration that seemed to come from itself. In the dark it was hard to see who or what it was exactly, only that it had yellow skin, pointed horn-like shapes on its head, and piercing fiery red eyes.

Finally using all of his power to reach this time period the figure now had one mission: kill the Flash.