Chapter 15: The Price of Being Slow

Chapter 15: The Price of Being Slow

Myles Walley ran through the streets, the wind whipping past him as he moved at lightning-fast speeds. His power armor, the Mark I, hummed with energy as he drew upon the calcified speed force to enhance his already impressive speed and agility. The philosopher's stone embedded in the armor's chest plate glowed with pulsating energy, augmenting his abilities even further.

His destination was a high-security envoy, which he planned to rob for valuable goods. As he approached the building, he noticed a commotion a few blocks away. A group of robbers on motorbikes were causing chaos, and he could see a familiar figure racing towards them.

It was Barry Allen; the hero known as the Flash. Myles rolled his eyes in annoyance. He had a complicated relationship with the hero, and although they were friends, he found Barry's hero complex to be insufferable at times.

Myles watched as Barry easily apprehended the robbers one by one, unmasking each one with a flick of his wrist. The last robber was revealed to be none other than Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold.

Myles groaned in disappointment as he watched Barry rush off, leaving Snart and his group to escape. He muttered to himself about Barry's tendency to prioritize justice over common sense, before deciding to follow Snart and his crew to their hideout.

He tracked them to an abandoned powerplant on the outskirts of the city, where he found Leonard waiting for him with his cold gun at the ready.

Myles tensed as he saw Leonard standing before him, his cold gun aimed directly at him. The two villains locked eyes, each sizing the other up, looking for weaknesses to exploit. Leonard was known for his cunning and his traps, while Myles relied on his speed and agility to outsmart his opponents.

"You again," Leonard sneered. "I was hoping to deal with the Flash, but I suppose you'll do."

Myles snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, Snart. I'm not here to play games."

"Good, because neither am I," Leonard replied, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "You're outmatched, Tachyon. My cold gun can freeze anything, even your super speed."

Myles rolled his eyes. "Please, you're not the first villain to try and take me down. I've faced worse than you and come out on top."

The two circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Leonard fired a blast from his cold gun, but Myles was too quick, darting out of the way with lightning-fast reflexes. Myles retaliated with a flurry of punches, each one faster than the last. Leonard blocked them with his ice shields, his expression growing more and more frustrated with each passing second.

"You're fast, I'll give you that," Leonard growled. "But you're not as smart as you think you are."

Myles smirked. "You're not the first villain to say that either."

The two continued to fight, each one trying to outsmart the other. Leonard set traps for Myles, but the speedster was always one step ahead. Myles used his speed to dodge Leonard's blasts, but the villain adapted quickly, changing his tactics to try and catch Myles off guard.

As they fought, the two threw insults and taunts at each other, each one trying to get under the other's skin. It was a stalemate, neither one able to gain the upper hand.

Leonard chuckled. "You're always so predictable, Tachyon. You always think you're faster than me. But you forget, I'm always one step ahead." He activated his cold gun, sending a blast of freezing cold air toward Myles.

Myles dodged the blast with ease, moving at superhuman speeds as he circled around Leonard. "You'll have to do better than that, Snart. I'm faster than ever."

Leonard grinned. "Oh, I know you're fast. But you can't outrun a trap." He pressed a button on a nearby control panel, and suddenly the floor beneath Myles' feet gave way. Myles fell into a trap, but he quickly used his speed to escape.

Finally, they both took a pause from the fighting, each one breathing heavily from the exertion. Leonard's expression softened slightly, and he took a step toward Myles.

"Listen, I know we're enemies, but I have a proposition for you," Leonard said, his voice low.

Myles raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"I'm robbing a billionaire's collection tonight," Leonard continued. "And I could use someone with your skills. I'll split the profits with you fifty-fifty."

Myles considered the offer for a moment. He didn't trust Leonard, but the idea of robbing a billionaire intrigued him. He nodded slowly.

"I'm in," Myles said. "But I want all the details first."

Leonard grinned. "Trust me, you won't regret it."

-----------

Eobard Thawne stood in his time vault, his attention focused on the container that had been used to trap Nimbus. The man from the future scowled as he examined the device, wondering how Myles, a man from the past, had managed to create such a cheap version of an advanced technology from his timeline.

As he worked, his eyes drifted to the hologram display, which showed a newspaper headline about the Flash disappearing. But something was off - the image kept glitching, replaced by a new headline. It kept switching between Zoom, Red Death, Godspeed and Savitar fighting Myles as Central City falls apart.

Eobard's eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening. Somehow, Myles was altering the timeline, changing the course of events in ways that even he, a master of time travel, could not predict.

He began to piece together the implications of this new timeline, realizing that the changes Myles was making could have far-reaching consequences for the future. Eobard knew that he needed to take action, to stop Myles before he could do any more damage to the timeline.

With a determined look on his face, Eobard set to work, determined to find a way to stop Myles and protect the future. But he knew that the task would not be easy and that he would have to use all of his skills and knowledge to succeed.

------------

Myles and Leonard stood in the abandoned power plant, discussing the details of the collection they were planning to steal. Myles was only half-listening, his thoughts on the man standing in front of him. Leonard, he remembered, was the one who had trapped Flash with his ice gun, until Felicity and the rest of Team Flash rescued him. And then there was the incident with the train, where Flash had only been able to save a few people.

"So, when are we gonna start?" Myles asked, trying to bring the focus back to the task at hand.

Leonard hesitated for a moment before answering. "I need to test something first," he said, his tone evasive.

Myles felt a twinge of suspicion. He knew that Leonard was a slippery character, and he didn't like the sound of this. But he didn't say anything, just waited for Leonard to elaborate.

But Leonard just shrugged, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Don't worry about it, kid. It's just something I need to check out before we get started."

Myles frowned, his instincts telling him that something wasn't right. But he decided to trust Leonard for now and kept his thoughts to himself. After all, he had his own reasons for wanting to pull off this heist.

---

Myles sat in his hideout, waiting for Leonard's call, but as he waited, he couldn't help but be distracted by the news report playing in the background. It was about a man who had been frozen solid, and the video showed Flash trying and failing to save him. Myles shook his head in disappointment, wondering if Flash was ever going to learn that he couldn't save everyone.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated. He had tried to talk to Flash about his hero complex before, but the hero always seemed to brush him off. Maybe it was time for him to go full villain and make his point.

Myles took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come. He knew that things were about to get dangerous, but he was ready to do whatever it took to make his point

Finally, the phone rings and Myles answers it. "It's about time," he grumbles.

"Patience is a virtue, my friend," Leonard's smooth voice replies on the other end. "Now, head over to the meeting spot. We're starting."

Myles hangs up the phone and quickly dons his Mark I suit. The sleek black and white armor hums to life as he activates its systems, enhancing his already incredible speed and agility to god-like levels. The suit is forged with the calcified speed force, making him virtually unstoppable.

With a burst of speed, Myles leaves his safehouse and heads towards the meeting spot. He can feel the wind rushing past him as he runs, and he can't help but smile. He loves the feeling of being faster than anyone else, of being able to outrun anything and everything.

As he nears the meeting spot, he slows down and approaches Leonard, who is waiting for him with his cold gun at the ready. The two men stand in silence for a moment, sizing each other up.

"Ready to do this?" Leonard asks finally.

Myles nods. "Let's go steal some art."

Myles and Leonard worked in perfect unison as they took down the guards on both sides of the building. Myles was amazed by Leonard's cunning and wit as he easily incapacitated the guards with his cold gun. They arrived at the room where the art collection was being held, and Leonard quickly made his way to the paintings while Myles kept watch.

As Leonard grabbed the loot, he made a snarky comment about this being the fastest heist in his record. Myles couldn't help but chuckle at Leonard's attitude, but he was distracted by the clock on the wall. "3...2...1..." Myles whispered under his breath, knowing that the Flash would arrive any second.

Sure enough, the Flash appeared, looking at them both with a disapproving glare. Myles waved a friendly greeting to the hero, but Barry ignored him and focused his attention on Leonard. Myles couldn't help but roll his eyes at Barry's hero complex, but he knew that he had to be careful around the Flash since he looks pissed at the moment.

Barry's eyes were fixed on Myles as he spoke, his voice laced with anger. "How could you side with a killer like Snart?" he demanded.

Myles shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "He offered me a good loot," he replied.

Barry shook his head in disbelief. "The Tachyon I knew wouldn't involve killing innocent people," he argued.

Snart let out a cruel laugh. "You don't know Tachyon at all," he sneered. "Constantly robbing banks like he does, the crime syndicates are upping their weapons to kill him. It won't be long before there's a war."

Myles crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't care about your personal vendetta with Snart, Barry," he said, his tone defiant. "I'm just here for the loot."

Barry's jaw clenched. "You're not seeing the bigger picture, Myles," he said, his voice low. "If Snart gets away with this, it'll only embolden him and others like him to commit more crimes, to kill more innocent people."

Myles didn't flinch. "I'm not responsible for the actions of others," he said coolly.

Barry's eyes blazed with fury. "You're not just a thief, Myles," he spat. "You have powers, the ability to make a real difference. But you're wasting it, siding with scum like Snart."

Myles met his gaze, his expression unreadable. "I do what I want with my powers, Barry," he said calmly. "I don't owe anyone anything."

Barry opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, a loud alarm blared, signaling the arrival of the police. This distraction costs him as Myles grabs Barry by the neck and lifts him of the ground.

Myles feels the adrenaline rushing through his veins as he holds Barry up with one hand, the speedster's struggling only amusing him further. Joe enters the scene, gun drawn and ready to shoot. Myles smirks, knowing bullets won't do anything to him in his Mark I suit, and ignores Joe's constant shooting. He turns to Leonard, "Go. I'll meet you at the rendezvous point."

Leonard hesitates, looking back and forth between Myles and Joe. "What about you?"

Myles smirks. "I can handle myself. Now go!"

With a final nod, Leonard leaves the room, leaving Myles and Barry alone.

Myles begins to walk, dragging Barry with him. "Let's go for a walk, Flash," he says calmly.

Barry tries to struggle free once more but Myles' grip is too strong. They disappear into one of Myles' shortcuts, leaving Joe behind.

----

As they watched the monitor, Cisco's eyes widen in shock, "What the hell is happening to Barry?"

Caitlin looked at him with concern, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Cisco replied, "But according to the scanner, he's constantly appearing and disappearing all over Central City. He doesn't have the speed to do that."

Eobard in his Harrison persona remained quiet, but leaned forward in his wheelchair towards the screen, fascinated and worried at the same time.

"Cisco's right," Eobard finally spoke up, "Barry's not fast enough to do that. It's impossible. It's Myles."

"Myles?" Caitlin asked, confused.

Eobard nodded, "Yes. He's gained the ability of teleportation somehow. This changes everything."

As they continued to watch in horror and fascination, the scene of focus suddenly changed. The next thing they saw was Myles dragging Barry inside the speedforce, leaving the team at Star Labs in shock and uncertainty about Barry's fate.

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Myles drags a struggling Flash inside the speedforce, the hero managing to slip out of his grip for a moment before Myles overwhelms him with his incredible speed and teleportation abilities. Barry tries to fight back, but Myles proves to be too strong and agile, throwing him around like a ragdoll.

Flash is slammed into a bus, his body bouncing off the metal with a loud clang as glass shatters around him. Before Barry can react, Myles is on him again, hurling him towards a metal statue with incredible force. The statue topples over and Barry crashes to the ground, stunned. He feels a sharp pain in his ribs as he struggles to get back up, but before he can, Myles throws him across a field before appearing in front of him, delivering a swift kick to the face. Barry tumbles to the ground, his head spinning. Myles grabs him by the neck once again and drags him around like a ragdoll, throwing him against walls and structures as he pleases.

He's dragged across a dock, his body scraping against the rough surface as Myles continues to toy with him. Finally, he's dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as Myles stands over him, a smug smile on his face.

Myles asks Barry if he had enough, his voice laced with a hint of amusement as he looks down at the broken and battered hero. Barry grits his teeth, refusing to give up even in the face of defeat.

"I can do this all day," Barry responds through gritted teeth, his determination evident.

Myles laughs, shaking his head at the hero's stubbornness. "I don't have all day, Flash. This will be the last time I remind you as your friend. Either you get faster or you get left behind with everything you love stolen."

Barry's eyes widen at the mention of his loved ones, but he refuses to give Myles the satisfaction of seeing him break. "I'll never let you get away with this," he growls, struggling to stand despite his broken legs.

"That's the spirit. Good luck on stopping me, Flash." Myles chuckles, giving Barry a final mocking wave before disappearing in a flash of light. Barry is left alone on the docks, his body bruised and broken, but his spirit unbroken as he vows to stop Myles.