2014.03.17 - FALSE START: Facing the Music

Cutscene: Manchester, Alabama
Impulse reaches the shed in the suburban house's backyard without being noticed. No one ever notices his arrival at that speed--well, no one except the house's resident, officially listed as one "Max Crandall," though to a select few he is known as Max Mercury, the Zen Guru of Speed. After his recent brief disappearance, Impulse knows he needs to explain himself to his mentor--who is also Max Crandall, uncle to Impulse's private identity, Bart Allen.

Bart emerges from the shed, dressed in jeans and a baseball T-shirt with a pair of his usual oversized sneakers, and hops the fence casually--he's done it enough times before--before walking around to knock on the front door. Somehow, he doesn't feel like he can just waltz in after finding out how worried about him everyone was.

When the door opens, Max stands there, looking down at Bart with that leathery, unreadable expression, though there's an unusual tightness around his eyes. "Bart," he says in a voice perhaps just a bit gravellier than usual. "School said you'd be home for the day."

Looking up at Max as he stands there on the porch, Bart tries to sort through the flurry of guilt, excitement, and general uncertainty that's gone all fizzy through his insides. You can just see the thought bubble where his torso has been replaced by a shaken up bottle of soda-pop. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Max, I--I'm really sorry," he begins, hesitant.

And Max's hand comes down, firm but affectionate, on Bart's shoulder, to give it a squeeze. "I'm gonna guess you messed up, kid. And you're gonna tell me all about it. But you're safe, you're home, and it'll be fine." He cracks a faint smile. "Right?"

Relief flood's Bart's features, and he fairly lunges at the old man, flinging arms around him in a reckless hug. He doesn't even say anything. Especially since it's totally uncool to cry over something as dumb as coming home after being gone for a day or something.

Steering Bart inside, Max chuckles lightly. "Come on in. I made lunch when I heard you were going to be headed here." And as the pair step inside, Max reaches to shut the door, adding in a casual but firm tone, "'Course, I think 'no video games for a month' is probably in order. Worried me sick, after all."

And as the door shuts, Bart's voice sounds positively stricken, "Aw, Max!"

Of course, he explains what happened--going to Genosha, being caught by Magneto, and the curiously anticlimactic finish to it all. But just maybe he forgets a few important details. And just maybe, no matter how sincere Bart is in his apologies or how glad he is to be home, he can't quite shake off some of what Magneto had to say. Maybe it'll even do him some good.

Or maybe there are consequences to all this that have yet to be seen.

Main Scene: That night, at the Academy of Tomorrow in New York City...
Wally West with Suzy sherman in tow is storming right into Bart's dorm after getting the call from Max that Bart is back like nothing happened.

"WHAT THE HELL WHAT EVEN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BART! what were you thinking you little jerk! Why would you scare me like that do you know what you put me through do you even care! I was worried sick about you I went to alabama! I got max we search the entire city for you! You ugh!" Wally shouts and scream and flails tears forming in his eyes. Wally had been in terrible panic the entire time the he'd been aware Bart was missing.

Since his return this morning, Bart Allen has been to Alabama to take his lumps from his adoptive uncle, Max Crandall, and returned some time after dinner. He's easily found, of course, in his dorm room.

Bart had been sitting at his desk, trying to catch up on his homework for class tomorrow, when Wally burst into his room, making the teenager literally jump in his chair, banging his knees lightly against the underside of his desk. Faster than a human eyeblink, he's standing there, staring wide-eyed at Wally. He cringes under the verbal onslaught, and when Wally pauses to take a breath, one might easily expect the usual--that Bart will fire back with his own frustrated volley of verbiage.

Except, that's not what happens this time.

Bart's features crumple a bit, and he hangs his head, shoulders slumping at his sides. Instead of arguing, all he says a quiet, "You're right. I'm sorry, Wally. I was... stupid. I was so stupid."

Suzy was just going to lean against the door and wait. She was going to remain cool calm and collected and not interfere. But when she hears those words, there is something that shatters inside her. "Like, It is totally none of my business but umm, like what WERE you thinking. I totally don't think you are stupid or anything like that. I am just totally curious about it.

"Bart I know you think I'm just a tool that's like super unfair to you, but do you really think i don't care about you? that I don't take seriously the fact that you are my cousin that Barry told me to look after you? Because guess what I do. I love you, you little turd! And imagine my surprise when I decided hey Bart's right I have been a little hard on him. So I got Gordon, and I bought us a ton of burgers from five guys and I came over thinking we'll have some food we'll talk it over talk gordon out for a run. You know hash things out. And you're missing. and no one has seen you for a entire day. And I loose my mind!" Wally says sulking with his head in his hand and face twisted by stress and emotions boiling over. "You got mad at me because I yelled at you and made you cry will guess what bart we've even I cried a lot last night."

Bart shuts his eyes tight, grimacing at this renewed deluge of emotional language from Wally. When a break comes in it, he answer Suzy's question in a quiet, almost listless tone, "I just--I get ideas sometimes. I don't think about them. I wanted to see if I could get--get onto Genosha. I saw it flying there, and so I got running and Jumped..." he trails off, then shakes his head, that wild hair of his floofing out from the motion. "In case it's not super obvious, that was a dumb idea. Magneto caught me, and he thought I was there to assassinate him or something."

He slowly lifts his head, trying to hold back the tears in his own eyes. "He captured me, but he didn't treat me bad. He got mad at me when I was rude, but when I was polite to him, he treated me really nice. He let me eat at his own table and all. And he listened to me talk about my problems and stuff." Bart scrubs the back of his hand across his eyes, sighing deeply. "And I still think you can be kind of--unfair, I guess--sometimes, Wally, but he made me realize that did't make it okay for me to be rude to you all the time. I should be more respectful."

Hanging his head again, he wraps his arms around himself, and says in a small voice, "So, like I said... I'm really sorry."

Suzy moves over and sits next to Bart. "You know, we both are like totally in the same boat if you think about it. I am like ultra new to the whole Super Hero thing, you seem to have some inexperience and stuff. So I totally got an awesome idea! We are both sorta being trained by Wally. So why don't we like look out for each other? We could totally like team up and stuff! What do you think?" The Cali girl smirks a little. "I totally ain't as ultra fast as Wally is but I got my own stuff that I can do!"

"You did what! you went where?!" Wally falls back on the wall and sides down till he is sitting on the floor. "Bart we need to stop this you know that. We need to bury the hatchet. I know you are gonna alway think i'm unfair and call me names but we need to fix this. You gotta trust me anough to let me know when you run off. and to not do things like this. please. I'm trying to be a good teacher and mentor Ask suzy I've been trying my best. Please give me a chance."

Bart offers Suzy a little smile and nods, saying, "I always like to make new friends." Then he sinks back to sit against the edge of his desk, his expression falling again. "I talked to Max about it, Wally," he says quietly, "and he says I don't have to be your friend. I'm... not really sure how I feel about you right now. I'm really, really sorry I upset you so much and worried you, though. And I promise to try to be more respectful from now on." Still staring down at his shoes, it seems that's all Bart has to offer for now.

Suzy looks up to Wally and smiles at him, "Maybe if we help each other out we can totally make thing easy," or more difficult, "for you! It would totally help each of out! Don't you think? It would be ultra cool! Besides it would totally help both of us out I think!"

Wally gives Suzy a smile. "I'd like the idea of you guys being friends and working together. I think it would be great."

"Bart" Wally sighs "Ok bart It's ok you're safe. you're alright you somehow didn't get yourself killed by sneaking into freaking genosha. It's ok we don't have to be friends even though I'd liked that. but we do need to start communicating more ok. and you gotta listen to me. I swear I'm not all bad and I have your best interests at heart. I always have." Wally get's up and offers Bart a handshake.

Bart just nods to Suzy, and he straightens up, standing to shake Wally's hand, lifting his head to look the older speedster in the eye. "Thanks," he says, quietly, and then releases the grip, looking back to his desktop. "I should really get back to my homework, though. I don't want to let my teachers down, too. I think I've done that enough this weekend."

Suzy smiles and pulls out a piece of paper. She quickly withdraws a pen from her belt and writes something down. "Here you go. Like if you ever need to chat or anything call me! I totally have my phone on me all the time!" She laughs a little and then smiles to Wally.

Wally smiles at Suzy and at Bart. "Okay Bartles I'll leave you be. you have a good night come on Suzy let's go I'll get you something to eat or something?" Wally says turning to leave.

Bart accepts the paper from Suzy, nodding, and says quietly, "Thanks." He also zwips over to the door, holding it open for Wally and Suzy as they leave. "Yeah. Thanks. You guys have a good night." His tone remains subdued, his manner somber. Clearly, he's at least thinking about the consequences of his actions.

Well. More than usual, anyway.

End scene.