Tony left the classroom and went right towards the restroom, he couldn't help but shake whenever he thought about those eyes, he had seen them before and didn't knew what to do about that. To think that Barry Allen, the small and frail kid he used to torment just for fun was actually... a... a...
He slipped and almost fell, thankfully he managed to hold himself on the sink. He looked in the mirror for a moment. He saw his face and lowered his head, why... why was he so weak, why is he forced to suffer alone!
He turned on the tap and wiped his face with water. When he lifted his head and looked in the mirror again his eyes opened wide.
"Tony! What a coincidence to meet you here in the restroom!" Barry smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"No! Get your hands off me, Allen! Don't get any closer!" Tony was shaking as he slapped Barry's hand off of his shoulder, he was taking steps back, one by one towards the door.
"Hoho, why are your legs shaking so much? Could it be that you actually know? Man... what a pity, does that means I'll have to make you disappear?" Barry stroked his chin as he raised his eyebrow. "Oh well, you know what they say, you gotta do what you gotta do."
"No! It can't be, you're really a... a murderer! You're just like him!" Tony turned his back to Barry and ran off towards the door, he pulled the doorknob and... nothing. "What!?"
"Are you trying to leave? Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I locked the door." Barry waved the restroom key he stole from the teacher's room at super speed.
Even though he was shaking, Tony bit his lips and steeled his will, at the moment he felt like there were only two choices, to take the key from Allen, or die trying to do it. But even then his mind couldn't wrap around the fact that Barry woke up as someone like that, he wondered if the impact on the head made him crazy.
Barry stopped for a moment and watched in amazement as Tony somehow managed to overcome his fear of him and tried to face him one-on-one. "Haha... so you do have guts, commendable, but will it be enough?"
He entered a fighting stance and wouldn't even use his speed, he knew the value of honor more than any other person, he still remembered the times he managed to challenge the gang leader for a fight even though tears were falling from his eyes due to the fear, at those times, although he could, the boss not even once used a weapon against him.
Tony advanced on Barry with a right-hand punch, however, his blow just hit the air. He tried again, each blow carried his full strength.
But somehow, Barry just wasn't affected by them, it was like trying to fight a professional, even if he was one with an unconventional style of fighting, one based on instincts, reaction, and experience in real life and death fights on the streets.
Was this then his end? Could it be that after so long, his actions were finally being punished, is that karma? Retribution? Tears started to fall from Tony's eyes, he could even accept punishment, but how could it be possible that a bastard who had caused pain for decades was fine while he, just a child who tormented others, was about to see his end.
Tony stumbled during a movement, and Barry used that moment to punch him in the face, causing him to fall on his back on the floor.
He tried to get up again, but Barry kicked his belly causing him to fall again.
"Damn you, Allen!" Tony held his belly as he tried to recover the air that escaped from his lungs, his face contorted in anger and fear, fear of what was approaching, somehow he believed he could feel the tight grasp of death's hands around his neck.
Barry smirked and crouched in front of him, he tilted his head to the side and looked at Tony for a moment. Their eyes fitting each other for a second, time seemed to have slowed down for a moment, and a single second felt like an eternity.
Tony looked towards Barry smile, the hair on his body standing up by the second, he could feel his whole body getting cold for a moment, it was as if he was looking towards the smile of a beast, but it wasn't so simple, if he really had to put into words, he would say that it was a vile, devilish, and yet genuine somehow.
"Tony, it must have been hard on you, people usually think that I'm a guy who runs alone, but for me, I'm always open to more friends by my side." Barry reached out his hand for a handshake. "You have fallen, you gave up when you hit a wall, but what if I help you deal with what troubles you? I can do it, but there's a condition."
"W-what is it that you want, Allen?" Tony narrowed his eyes and gulped.
"I want you to work for me, we will start small, but I assure you that the future is bright for both of us, I'll change you into something better, and soon every bastard in this city will know fear, what I failed to do previously, I will now succeed in, I'll create a power that can take on the darkest side of the world, a power so great that no matter where, here or in the other side of the globe, will make those who hurt the good people tremble with fear." Barry's smile slowly increased as he chuckled just thinking about the future.
"You... what the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that I'll will fight fire with fire, the ones I can't face on the light will be faced through the darkness, and if you didn't get that already, I'm creating my own faction, a personal army. It's time for a true hero to make an appearance." Barry stood up. He clenched his fist as he looked towards Tony, he still remembered his good old friend Bell, the man who inspired him to do what he did before reincarnating, his dream of wiping all those criminals and corrupt bastards from the face of the earth.
At that time he was only a kid trying to do some good for the world, but now, he had something to actually give him the upper hand. "Prepare yourselves, Central City, the cleaning starts here..."
Tony stood up and watched in amazement while Barry opened up the door, for a moment he felt like his back had increased in size, and that he was an ant looking to a giant, this imposing aura... this feeling of greatness... just what happened to Barry Allen, what could've changed that guy so much!? Was he still the kid who liked to draw in manga style? Was he still the same guy who despite standing up against him, never made a physical move?
"Let's go, Tony, we will make a visit to Mr. Woodward, I'm sure he is dying to get his lesson, and... I'm pretty sure there's something more in this story that I wasn't able to notice yet, otherwise, you wouldn't be so fucked up like before, today we will change lives!"
"Uh, I mean, yes, Allen... or should I call you... boss?" Tony lowered his head, and asked in confusion, he wasn't sure how he should refer to him now that he felt like he was part of a gang, although he was forced into this.
"Call me whatever you want, it doesn't matter now that we're friends."
Tony blinked his eyes as he looked towards Barry, for some reason, he felt like his weird smile now was much more friendly than before, and why did it look like there was a sun behind him... Hehe... perhaps he was seeing things, but this feeling in his chest can't be faked, maybe, this is really... happiness?
As Barry and Tony left the restroom, none of them noticed the boy who was shuffling through notepads in his locker wearing the red hood, when they walked past him, he took out a recorder and whispered.
"Y.B. case file #1, GCPD clues were right, the speedster causing troubles on Gotham was indeed living in Central City, the yellow blur who kidnapped Talia could and might be Barry Allen, however, no matter how much I searched, it seems that his speed is something recently acquired, further observations are required to understand the situation, now I'll start my infiltration... if you're hearing this, please, trust me, I promise I'll fix that mistake, and bring back her and your son! End of the record."
The boy touched the button and the device's red light turned off, he put it back inside his locker and for a moment his eyes fell on the round pin with an 'R' on it. To think that it would be six months already, once he finished this, it would be time to exact his revenge on the clown. "Talia... I owe you this, don't worry, this isn't just for him, it's my repayment for what you did for me."
Just as he was about to leave though, he heard someone watching the news on a cellphone and gasped as he heard what was happening. A woman wearing a blue dress with a white shirt was holding a microphone as she described the ongoing situation, the cameraman meanwhile struggled to keep the camera still.
"This is Lois Lane speaking from the headquarters of the Military on C.C., right now chaos has taken over the place as a giant Gorila broke through their gates, one witness said he was over four meters tall and was shouting the name of the veteran hero, General Eiling! We are not sure yet if the army will be able to take him down since bullets, and rocket missiles seem to have no effects on him!"