The Tornado

"Barry, run counter to the tornado's direction to disrupt it. Use the opposing force to break it up. Run, don't just stand there!" Elon's voice was sharp and commanding, not accepting any notions of defeat.

Caitlin interjected with concern, "What? You're not serious! Barry, you'd need to exceed 700 miles per hour to disrupt it. Your body can't handle that; it's suicide."

Hearing both Elon and Caitlin, Barry hesitated but resolved, "I have to try."

700 miles per hour equates to roughly Mach 1, or 1,126 kilometers per hour—speeds that would require Barry to run at 340 meters per second to negate the tornado's force. With his current speed topping out around 90 meters per second, he would need to quadruple his velocity.

Elon, crunching the numbers, gasped. On the TV show, it seemed effortless for Barry to reach such speeds with Dr. Wells' encouragement. Now, the reality of the task weighed heavily on him—it was impossible, and even if it wasn't, it would surely break his body. Yet, in the realm of the show, the Speed Force protected him, defying all laws of physics. It was a force that could not be questioned.

The winds grew fiercer, and the tornado, painted gray with the dirt it had lifted, loomed larger and more menacing.

Barry took a deep breath, his body crackling with yellow arcs of electricity, and ran towards the tornado, which was now a towering pillar of destructive force. Mardon, lost in his madness, screamed, "Die, die, die... I will destroy you all!" His cries were lost to the howling winds that uprooted trees and scattered debris with abandon.

Running against the tornado felt like facing an onslaught of knives, the wind cutting at Barry's face, presenting an unprecedented challenge that he struggled to overcome. Mardon's control made the tornado increasingly powerful, carving deep furrows in the ground.

As Barry fought against the overwhelming force, he was eventually caught in Mardon's maniacal laughter and flung away by the yellow lightning.

Hurled through the air, Barry called out in panic, "I can't do it; I've been thrown! I can't stop it. Elon, when will you get here?"

The ferocity of the tornado struck fear into Barry's heart, leaving him feeling powerless and defeated. His recently bolstered confidence shattered as he realized he was just an ordinary man who could run a bit faster. Desperate, he called out to Elon, placing all his hopes on the one who had saved his life before.

Elon, exasperated with Barry's faltering will, knew he had to act. Without the usual encouragement from Wells, it was up to him to step into that role.

Elon's voice crackled through the communicator, a beacon of hope to the others. Barry listened intently, believing Elon would have a solution.

"I'm stuck at a third red light," Elon began, his tone seemingly detached. "Central City isn't mine. I don't care about it. I don't have loved ones here. No job, no dreams, no family. Even if it's destroyed, I can survive elsewhere."

His cold words sent a chill down Barry's spine.

"Elon, why—"

Barry was cut off by Elon's fierce interruption.

"You're The Flash, and it's up to you to protect your city, not some outsider. Think of your friends—Cisco, Caitlin, Wells; your loved ones; your father in prison; Joe. It's all on you to safeguard them. Do you have the conviction to be a hero? The determination to lay down your life if necessary? To protect this city and everyone in it? Tell me!"

Elon's roar resonated in Barry's ears, igniting a fire within him. A surge of determination erupted from his chest, fueling every cell in his body with a burning need to remember his father in prison, Joe, Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, Dr. Wells, and everything beautiful about his city.

With each memory that flashed before him, his resolve strengthened.

Barry responded to Elon's challenge with a roar of his own. "I have the resolve to die protecting it all. Tell me what to do!"

Elon's voice was deep and solemn, "Say goodbye to Joe, and then run for your life."

Cisco and Caitlin were taken aback by the grave tone, sensing a final farewell.

Barry turned to Joe, his gaze unwavering, and embraced his foster father—the man who had raised him for fourteen years, his closest kin. "Joe, I'll protect you," he whispered, his voice steady yet tinged with finality.

Joe, sensing a goodbye, held Barry tightly, tears welling up. "No, Barry... don't..."

With great effort, Barry pulled away from Joe's embrace and transformed into a bolt of yellow lightning, charging straight into the heart of the tornado.

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