Note: I frequently have very vivid dreams. Some of these dreams play out more like movies in that I am more-or-less watching events rather than participating in them. I don’t typically write down my dreams, let alone publicly, but this one inexplicably starring The Flash seemed like it would make for a fun short story.
The Flash finds himself in a foreign place. His memory is hazy. As usual, he’s running, this time up the side of a sky scraper. When he get’s to the penthouse balcony, he see’s a familiar woman, but can’t quite place her face. All he knows is that he is here to bring her back. He can’t remember why and the woman clearly does not recognize him. She seems irritated and calls security. The Flash is forced to flee. He starts running back down the building, but something is wrong. He’s tired. He’s slowing down. The Flash falls.
He wakes up, not where he fell, but in an institution. Barry looks around. He’s not in a jail or hospital, as one might expect given recent events. It looks like a school, or maybe a college? He’s at a desk surrounded by other people his age. A woman from the front row is giving him a nasty look. Maybe he’s a student? That seems right, but something still feels off.
The professor comes in and starts the lesson. As the lecture proceeds, Barry is mesmerized by the fantastic animated illustrations that have come to life where the chalkboard would be. “That’s some impressive tech”, he thinks to himself. That’s when it hit him. Something is missing.
Barry excuses himself from class and is pleasantly surprised when no one stops him. He finds his way to the library, where he sees a large computer-like machine. The machine, it seems, is able to show news articles from various eras. As Barry navigates, he learns that personal computers were banned in the 70s. Shouldn’t he have known that already?
While researching, a man gestures to get Barry’s attention. Barry follows this man out of the library and into what seems to be an emergency staircase. The man is hurried to the point where Barry is struggling to keep up. The man disappears through the first floor exit. When Barry comes out, the man is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it’s the woman from class. Instead of a nasty look, she is smirking.
Everything goes black.
Barry wakes up. He’s in class again, but this time it’s more of a lab. A different professor is talking to a clearly upset jock-ish looking student. “Well he’s already hit 10,000,” he overhears the professor say. Barry excuses himself, but this time is met with resistance. Both the professor and students all stare at him. They expect him to stay, but Barry is certain he needs to run. Everyone seems to follow him in pursuit as Barry resourcefully parkours his way through the building in search of an exit. He sees the man from the library earlier and follows him. Barry doesn’t know why, but he trusts this man. The man leads him to an exit and tells Barry to keep running.