PRESENTS

#4
FEATURING

Part 1
by Kell Carpenter (barchettaboy@yahoo.com)
in collaboration with Neil Gow (neil.gow@newcastle.ac.uk)

Jay Garrick shook his head. He was thinking about the strange affair with the Shade the other day*. Of all the times he'd tangled with the Shade, this had to be the strangest...

*It happened last issue; go read it now if you haven't already - Creative Kell

"Ah, a day to do nothing but relax. This is the life...!" Jay leaned back in his recliner and shut his eyes.

The phone rang.

"JAYYY! Telephone!" Joan's voice broke in on his nap.

Opening one eye, Jay called back: "Can't you take a message, hon? I've just started my nap..."

"Jay Garrick! You get out of that chair and pick up - it's Alan! You'd better MAKE the time to talk to him..." Joan had put her foot down.

"Okay, dear, I'll get it..." He sighed and picked up the cordless phone on the table by his recliner. "What's up, Alan?"

"We need to talk, Jay."

Jay was unnerved by Alan's abruptness. "What's up? You sound tense..."

There was a brief silence before Alan spoke next. "I want to talk with you about Molly*..."

*Alan learned of Molly's cancer last issue - Chronicler Kell

"Well, sure. Say, why don't we go on a trip? You know, like we used to do with Barry and Hal?" Jay was getting excited.

"I don't know, Jay..." Alan said.

"C'mon, I know JUST the place. Nothing but happy memories there, and we can be free from all our everyday routines and distractions to really talk. What do you say?" Jay waited for Alan's response.

Alan sighed. "I guess so. Where do you have in mind?"

Jay grinned broadly. "Why, only the site of my honeymoon - Las Vegas!"

Alan wasn't sure. "I don't know, Jay. I'm not up for any excitement..."

"I wasn't planning on going into Vegas itself, just camping out in the surrounding desert. C'mon, Alan, what could possibly happen...?"

Las Vegas:

The Bellagio Hotel was everything she'd imagined.

It had 3,000 luxurious rooms, one of the best casinos in the world, and it even had a regularly scheduled performance by Cirque du Soleil in an opulent setting. Her jaw had dropped as she made her way past the 12-acre lake that fronted the state-of-the-art palace. The sparkling monument to luxury and greed stood at the famous Four Corners of the Vegas Strip. She smiled at the thought of the Strip. She planned to do her grandfather proud.

This was going to be good...

Not too far away:

The man sat at the bar of Caesar's Palace. His hat was pulled down low to hide his face as he nursed his drink. His thoughts were not on the gambler's paradise of the hotel and casino, nor were they on the ridiculous amount of money that he and his partner would be taking with them when they left Las Vegas. Instead, he was lost in dark fantasies of the sweet revenge he would soon have. His hated enemy would pay for all the lost years he'd suffered. Oh, yes, he would pay INDEED.

This was going to be VERY good...

Elsewhere:

The misty shape of a man flailed his fists and howled his rage at what would soon be taking place in Las Vegas. The red mists swirled and darkened as he vented his furor. The viewing portals blurred as he continued to thrash and howl.

Finally he stopped, and the swirling of the mists gradually calmed to a gentle eddy of swirls. With great effort, he spoke in a garbled, ethereal voice:

"MUST NOT LET...GET HIM. MUST HAVE...REVENGE. ME...REVENGE. JAY...GARRICK..."

What passed for a face on the misty creature split horizontally into a misty grin, allowing mad laughter to bubble and spill forth, echoing throughout the endless red mists.

Jay arrived at the front door in a blur of red and blue to find Joan waiting there for him. She threw her arms around him and kissed him hard.

"You boys take care, Jay. I don't want to have to call in the JSA to rescue the two of you from 'Sin City'...!" She gave him an exaggerated wink.

He pushed his helmet back on his head. "Aw, you know we're going to be camping out in an old ghost town out in the desert. Honestly! After 50 years of marriage, you'd think my wife would be able to keep my itinerary straight for a change..." They both grinned and laughed.

Jay grabbed Joan's hand and squeezed it. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then embraced again.

"I'll see you in a couple days, hon. If you DO need me for anything, you know how to reach me. Love you..." Jay pushed his helmet forward onto his head and scooped up his bags. "Bye!" He was gone.

Joan smiled wistfully at the disappearing blur of red and blue. "You better get some rest on that trip, Jay. I plan to wear you out when you get home...!"

Gotham City:

Jay arrived at the Scott household with a small sonic boom. He chided himself for the noise; this was a nice, quiet neighborhood and he shouldn't disturb anyone.

The front door opened before he could ring the bell. Alan was there with his own bags packed.

"Let's go, Jay. I don't want the neighbors to stare..." With that, Alan caught Jay up in a green bubble and they were soaring westward.

Jay was more than a little upset. "Say, what's the big idea just scooping me up like that? Couldn't you have given me a little notice?"

"Sorry. I just wanted to get going..." Alan returned to his stony silence.

Jay sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "This is gonna be a LOOOONG trip..."

Las Vegas:

The young woman left the Bellagio with a large grin on her face. The grin was a result of the two large briefcases filled with money she was carrying. She had broken the bank and the management was furious...but they couldn't prove she'd cheated.

The Pit Chief and Manager watched helplessly as she left, their careers all but ruined. What about the owner? What would he do now that he was broke? How would he be able to salvage his business and reputation?

"Who cares?" The beautiful young redhead sneered. Her smile turned nasty as the valet pulled up in her fast, expensive sports car. She took the keys and slid a folded bill into the handsome young man's hand.

He nodded and closed the door for her. As she pushed her way into the traffic on the Strip, he looked at the bill in his hand...and gasped. She had left him a $1,000 tip!

The beautiful young woman moved slowly down the Strip, smiling to herself. The valet HAD been rather handsome...but there was no time for that. This little trip was about money, power, and revenge. Time enough to go back for that little morsel when she and her partner had put every casino in Vegas out of business...

She laughed an ugly laugh and muscled her way into the fast lane, zipping in and out of traffic until she was clear and headed into the desert.

Her partner walked out of Caesar's soon after, carrying his own set of briefcases. His thoughts were no less callous than his partner's had been. He cared little, if anything, for the men and women he'd just ruined. All that mattered was that word of the duo's amazing spree would catch the attention of his hated enemy.

He smiled his own wolfish smile, the first since his partner outlined her plan. It caused several vacationers to step aside and involuntarily shudder or cross themselves - especially when the man disappeared leaving a high-powered wind in his absence.

He was laughing at the fools' reactions as he sped toward the desert for the rendezvous with his partner.

Alan set Jay down gently in the middle of nowhere.

Jay stretched and then pulled out a map from one of his bags. "Looks like we're pretty close. The place should be just over that hill, maybe a mile. We gonna hoof it or are you gonna snatch me up again?"

Alan was standing, staring at the ground, lost in thought. Jay tapped him on the head from behind. "Is there anyone home in there? Alan? You still with me?"

Alan turned, a confused look on his face. "What? I didn't catch that..."

Jay looked at his friend, concern etched on his face. "Alan, let's grab our bags and start walking. I think we need to talk..."

Alan nodded. He created a floating green box and Jay placed their bags inside and they began making their way toward the hill.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant, Jay. I'm having a bit of a hard time dealing with Molly's, uh, situation..." Alan rubbed the back of his neck. "I just feel so helpless; I tried using the green flame to cure her...but it failed..."

Jay nodded. "That's what I would've done. No sense beating yourself up about it though..."

Alan stopped in his tracks. "What? 'No use beating myself up'? For God's sake, Jay - what good is all the power I wield if I can't use it to help someone, ESPECIALLY someone I love?!?"

Jay put a hand on Alan's arm. "I know you're upset, Alan, but-"

"UPSET?! No, it's gone past 'upset' Jay - I'm ANGRY!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and flung bursts of green flame into the air as Jay watched. When Alan stopped, he looked at Jay.

Jay stood with his arms folded across his chest. "Are you finished? If so, maybe you'd like to talk some more..."

Alan was trembling. He put his face in his hands and began to weep. "God, Jay - I can't remember when I've felt this helpless..." Jay put a hand on his shoulder, but said nothing. "...I can't help feeling that I saved her from Neron just so I could lose her to cancer now." He wiped his eyes. "I can hardly bring myself to talk to her; the pain is just too much...I can't face losing her now that I've just gotten to know her..." He broke down sobbing once more.

Jay stepped up to Alan and embraced him. "It's okay, Alan. You're feeling the same things as Molly. Joan told me that Molly feelings of hurt, doubt and uncertainty." He let go of Alan and stepped back. "Alan, you two have to talk about this. It's the only way you're going to be able to beat this thing - staying close and being there for each other." He clapped Alan on the back.

"I know, but we're really still getting comfortable with each other. We haven't had fifty years to grow into a strong relationship like you two...." Alan stopped and looked away. "...and now it looks like we won't get that chance."

Jay grabbed Alan by the shoulders and shook him. "Look here, Alan Scott - you need to hear this and hear this well: you can't give up now. Not you, not Molly, not ANY of us. We have to pull together and fight with all we have. You know I'll do anything I can to help Molly. Anything, just tell me..."

Alan looked up at his friend and smiled. "Thanks, Jay. I knew you'd be there for us..." His face became serious. "Jay, there IS something I wanted to ask you for when I called."

"What? Say it, and if I can, it's done."

Alan looked at the ground for a moment, then into his friend's eyes. "I want you to use the Speed Force to cure Molly..."

Jay was shocked. "Alan, I don't know-" Before he could finish, the ground exploded around them.

They were blown apart, and before either of them could catch their breath, their unseen foes had set upon them.

Jay felt himself being hit thousands of times a second, unable to stop the hail of punches.

Alan fired out blindly with his green flame, hoping to keep their attackers at bay long enough for his eyesight to clear.

Jay managed to slip out from the blows and take in his surroundings. They had arrived at their ghost town without realizing it. The only problem was that someone had beaten them there...and had gotten the drop on them.

Jay tried to grab Alan and get them away from their assailants, but was still woozy from his beating and ended up running in a wobbly pattern around the main street. To his chagrin - and pain - he smashed headlong into a shiny sports car parked in the street.

The impact turned the car into a twisted wreck and sent him bouncing around the main street like a pinball. He had been running full-tilt and smashed into several of the buildings along the street, as well as some old junker cars that had long ago been abandoned. Hitting the last of the old cars, Jay collapsed in a heap, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Alan had almost cleared his vision when something hit him, hard, in the back. He landed hard on the ground, but managed to pull himself up and flare out with the green flame again to buy some more time. He would have succeeded, had it not been for wooden debris from the buildings Jay had smashed up. A plank from an old saloon sailed through the perimeter of mystical flame* and caught him in the head, rendering Alan unconscious.

*Alan's green flame does not work against anything made of wood - Keepin' the Faith Kell

Jay was seeing double, wondering who would be out here and why they would want to kill Alan and him. He felt rough hands grab him and hoist him up from the ground. Shaking his head, he focused his eyes on his attacker...and gasped.

"Y-you? But-but you're..."

His foe laughed. "Missing? Dead? Definitely the former, almost the latter. Not that you would've been sorry to see me go, eh Jay?" He smacked Jay across the face several hundred times. "Thought you'd seen the last of the Rival, hm?"

"C-Clariss? How...?" Jay muttered through swollen lips.

He hoisted Jay up by the collar, holding him off the ground at arm's length. "Why, with the help of a most beautiful and clever young woman...right, Hazard?"

The young redhead strolled over to where Alan lay unconscious. She wore an outdated and outlandish costume: a purple suit and hat, a bowtie and vest. She carried a derringer in her hand.

"That's right. I stumbled upon dear Mr. Clariss and we hatched a plan of revenge - revenge on both of you, as well as the city that led my family into ruin. We'll be rich beyond our wildest dreams AND rid of the two of you!" She nudged Alan with her toe, pointing her derringer at him. "Don't think his powers will save him, Flash - this derringer is loaded with bullets made of hardwood..." She smiled coldly and cocked the hammer.

Suddenly, a wind kicked up and a gold and green blur was heading for the group. Looking up, Rival and Hazard finally saw the two uninvited guests as they stopped, gaping at the scene before them. Standing there were Jesse Quick and Jennie-Lynn Hayden, a.k.a. Jesse & Jade.

"Well, what have we here then? Is this some sort of masked man exposition?" The Rival sneered at the two young women and then laughed a wild and maniacal laugh!

Before you read the next issue - Race over to Jesse & Jade #7 for Part Two of The Quick and the Green - The villains' plot is revealed! It's big hero action as Jesse battles Alan and the powerless Jade comes to blows with The Flash. Why? How? Keep reading! Neil Gow has all the answers, coming soon!

NEXT ISSUE:
Flash #5: The Quick and the Green Part Three - The fast-paced ending to the historic DC Heroes/All-Star 2000 crossover! Don't miss it!!

Fast Talk:

No mail this time - we're full with crossover fun! Come back next issue!