Chapter 33: The Escaping Gorilla

Central City, Iron Mountain Prison, Metahuman Containment Zone. This prison was established after the particle accelerator explosion led to an influx of superpowered criminals in Central City. It was equipped with technology and devices provided by Star Labs, specifically designed for holding these metahuman offenders—individuals who had relied on their abilities and extraordinary combat skills, often wielding high-tech weaponry over the past two years.

At this moment, alarms were blaring throughout Iron Mountain Prison. All the on-duty guards were armed with high-energy shock guns and electronic force field shields, patrolling the facility in a precise manner, checking on each cell's status.

As the central command of the prison, Wenchester, the warden, observed his colleague at the control panel, whose forehead was dripping with cold sweat. This was a sign that the situation was serious.

"How's it looking, buddy?" Wenchester asked.

"Sir, it's not good. Lightning caused a short circuit in the first and third sectors, and we can't reboot through the control terminal. We need someone to go there and manually operate it!"

Upon hearing this report, Wenchester's expression darkened. As warden, he knew what kind of criminals were held in Iron Mountain Prison. Sending someone to manually reboot the system was akin to sending them into a lion's den!

"Are there any records from the first and third sectors? Pull them up!"

"Sir, the first sector holds the gorilla Grodd, while the third sector contains the group of gorillas that Grodd had experimented on."

"Damn it! Close all exits and activate the neural disruption device! Get the maintenance personnel back and notify the Flash!" Wenchester barked, immediately issuing a series of orders. The operator quickly complied.

"Sir! We've lost contact with the maintenance team!"

"Then just shut the gates! Hold out until the Flash gets here!" Though he felt the loss of the team members who had gone silent, Wenchester had to prioritize the lives of those who remained. He coldly ordered the closure of all exits.

The operator understood his superior's feelings but had no time for anything else. He pressed the red button on the control panel, and in an instant, the already fortified Iron Mountain Prison erupted with blaring alarms. Gates slammed shut everywhere, and guards who had planned to patrol each cell quickly retreated to their posts.

In the now-locked first and third sectors of Iron Mountain Prison, a group of two-meter-tall gorillas huddled together, their wild eyes glinting with a spark of humanity. They were staring at their leader, a white gorilla slightly larger than the rest, who had one hand grasping a guard's neck while the other was pressed against his forehead, eyes closed. The captured guard's eyes rolled back, his legs thrashing until he fell silent.

Casually tossing the guard aside like a rag doll, the white gorilla opened its eyes and looked towards the sealed gates. It pulled an ID card from the body of a fallen guard, swiped it, inputted a code, and the previously locked gate opened.

"Roar!" the white gorilla let out a deafening roar. As it gazed outside into the stormy weather, it sensed the taste of freedom.

"Pick up weapons! Let's go find the Flash and take our revenge! I, Grodd, will lead you to victory!"

The white gorilla—no, Grodd—bellowed in human speech. The gorillas behind him swiftly gathered weapons from the fallen guards, arming themselves as they followed Grodd, charging toward the distant Central City. Iron Mountain Prison had lost its intended purpose during this storm, trapping the guards within its own confines.

Central City, 156 First Avenue, East District. Barry looked anxiously at Wally, who lay unconscious on the counter, having been struck by lightning. The high temperature and pressure from the lightning could easily turn a person into a charred mass, so it was a miracle that Wally still had a whole body. But that didn't mean he was out of danger. In his panic, Barry forgot that the urgent task was to get Wally to a hospital, not to hover over him trying to perform first aid.

Crack! Just as Barry's fingers were about to touch Wally, a burst of yellow lightning shot out from Wally, jolting Barry to his feet. As he made contact with Wally, he felt a new consciousness enter the Speed Force space he shared with Wally. Realizing that Wally, who lay there unharmed but unconscious, seemed to have a similar opportunity as himself, Barry quickly connected the dots.

"You've got to be kidding me! Iris will kill me if she finds out!" As someone who had gone through this experience, Barry recognized the familiar scene. Wally appeared to have also been chosen by the Speed Force. If all went as expected, he would become a speedster just like Barry—truly a case of history repeating itself.

While pondering how to enter the Speed Force and bring Wally's consciousness out, Barry's phone on the table vibrated. Seeing the red lightning bolt icon flashing on the screen, he rushed over to open the notification. It was his friend Cisco's voice.

"Barry, hurry to Iron Mountain Prison! Grodd has escaped!"

Damn it! When it rains, it pours! Upon hearing Cisco's warning, Barry was reminded of this saying. His nephew was still lying there, uncertain of his fate. "Cisco, get over to my place quickly. I've got a situation here!"

"What's going on?"

"It's Wally! He's been chosen just like me! Damn it, bring Caitlin and keep an eye on him while I go after Grodd!" Barry finished speaking, activated his Speed Force, and dashed downstairs, grabbing a blanket to cover Wally. "I'm sorry, Wally."

After a quick apology, Barry donned the lightning ring resting on the table. With a swift motion, his metal Flash suit, utilizing spatial folding technology, flew out from the lightning-shaped ring piece by piece. A glint of lightning flashed in Barry's eyes as he became enveloped in light, fully dressed in an instant. He transformed into a streak of lightning, racing out of his home and into the dark streets of Central City, heading straight for Iron Mountain Prison.

Just as Barry left, a swirling void suddenly appeared in the attic, and a man and woman jumped through. The man wore goggles and gloves, while the woman had silver hair and sapphire-blue eyes that radiated an intimidating aura. Both were shocked upon seeing Wally unconscious on the floor.

"Oh my God, Barry wasn't joking! Wally really has been chosen by the Speed Force!"

"It seems so. Scans show that Wally contains a significant amount of Speed Force energy. It looks like he's become what he calls a Kid Flash." Caitlin stated, using a tablet to scan Wally's body, which was radiating yellow light in the model displayed on the screen.

"What's happening here? First Barry gets struck by the Speed Force and becomes the Flash, and now his nephew Wally is hit by lightning and becomes Kid Flash? Is there some kind of inheritance with this Speed Force? Is Barry's family becoming the Flash family?"

Cisco was a bit frantic. Although he gained seismic abilities from the particle accelerator, he would gladly trade that for the Speed Force Barry received!

"Who knows? Maybe Barry really was chosen by the Speed Force, and perhaps they really are becoming a Flash family. Cisco, you always have a way with words."

Looking at the unconscious Wally, Caitlin and Cisco were at a loss. Being chosen by the Speed Force meant that only the chosen individual could awaken their own consciousness. There was nothing they could do, even Barry had been unconscious for half a year—who knew how long Wally would remain like this?

What they didn't realize was that their constant mentions of Barry and the Flash were stimulating Wally's unconscious mind. His eyelids trembled faster as Cisco and Caitlin conversed.

"I think we should take Wally back to Star Labs. Once Barry handles Grodd, we'll need to come up with an explanation for Iris."

"Yeah, who would have thought that even Barry, as the Flash, has someone he fears?"

The two joked, and then Cisco bent down, preparing to pick up the unconscious Wally to take him back through the portal to Star Labs. Just then, Wally suddenly opened his eyes, startling Cisco, who was about to lift him. Before Cisco could react, Wally, just like Barry, transformed into a flash of yellow lightning, disappearing from their sight.

Cisco and Caitlin looked at the empty attic in disbelief. After a while, Cisco finally asked, "What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? We need to find Barry!"

Now realizing the situation, Cisco quickly pinpointed Iron Mountain Prison's location, activating the portal to teleport them there.

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 81 at patreon.com/Esei01