- Through him we shall send our warhead into The Source of Creation. Our poisonous tangle of paradox and pain.
The Flash (Volume 6) #6 is an issue of the series The Flash (Volume 6) with a cover date of April, 2024. It was published on February 27, 2024.
Synopsis for "Issue Six: The Gift"
Wally takes Linda on an "activity date", bringing her along on his adventures as the Flash. They both assumed that she has been feeling depressed because she misses being a superhero herself, but she feels almost nothing. They run to London where the "Meat Balloons", creatures from one of the different dimensional "vibrations" Wally has been visiting, have crossed over into their reality. Barry Allen is already on the scene, destroying the creatures. He and Wally awkwardly greet each other, and Linda can clearly see the tension that has arisen in their usually close relationship.
Wally tells Barry that the Meat Balloons are harmless but Barry replies that they are attacking the elderly and he saw one eat a man's fingers. Barry dashes off to destroy more of them and Wally follows. He tries to talk to Barry about how he's been acting and says that he's worried about him, but Barry retorts that Wally hasn't come to speak to him in months. Suddenly they sense a disturbance in reality and the Stillness appear. Wally demands that they explain what is happening but after some cryptic statements they teleport away again.
Wally gets a call from Mister Terrific warning him of another dimensional anomaly. Linda sees Wally briefly sag before forcing on a brave face. She wants to comfort him but for some reason finds that she can't. Barry runs off to Peru, the location of the disturbance, and they follow. Wally confidently expects they will arrive first despite Barry's head start as Wally has been conclusively demonstrated to be faster than Barry. However, when they get to Peru they find Barry already there and battling an Uncoiled. Linda sees how Wally's self confidence and very sense of identity are shaken by not being the fastest.
Wally warns that the Uncoiled are almost unstoppable but Barry relies that he is easily containing it using his Speed Force aura, again giving Wally a shock of self doubt. The Stillness appear again and tell them that the Uncoiled are not invaders, but simple parasites drawn to decaying time. The produce a weapon called a D-Brane which can destroy the Uncoiled, but when Wally tries to take it they insist on giving it to Barry, who kills the Uncoiled. Once again the two Flashes stand in awkward silence, and Linda feels her own emotions being muted, unable to reach out and help them resolve their issues.
Suddenly Jai teleports in, calling that he need's Barry's help. Wally is again disappointed that Jai came to Barry rather than him. Jai tells them that something is happening at the school and they all travel there. They find the school filled with ghosts from the "Realm of the Lingering Dead" and everyone, including Irey, frozen in place. Linda is terrified but Wally assures her that the stasis state is calming. However, Mister Terrific scans them remotely with the T-Spheres and claims that they are in mortal terror. Jai says that he can sense time "bleeding" through the Speed Force.
Wally inadvertently "sidesteps" and brings Linda along as she is touching him. They end up in a vortex of swirling colours and he says it is different than usual. Linda glimpses the Gallery of Moments, but Wally pulls them out, unwilling to share the tranquil realm even with her. When they return to normal reality they see the stillness again. Wally again demands to know what is causing the disturbances, which they claim are simply "ripples" that will fade, but more will come. Furiously Wally asks what is causing them, and the stillness imply it is him.
Barry suddenly gets a huge headache and runs away. The Stillness claim that Wally cannot catch him because Barry is unencumbered and he is "heavy". Linda tells him to go on without her and Jai, while they stay and wait for Irey to return to normal. Wally chases after Barry and they run fast enough to enter the Speed Force. Wally tells Barry he isn't acting like himself and they are supposed to be on the same side, but Barry claims that Wally and the world have abandoned him. Wally admits that he is struggling and he needs Barry's help, but he was ashamed to admit to his mentor that he was finding it hard live up to his legacy.
A miniature version of the anomaly in the park appears over Barry's eyes and his voice changes. He tells Wally that he is a failure and that he is poisoning the Speed Force just by existing. He is the "cynosure", the strongest conduit, and his imperfections are threatening all of reality. He stabs Wally with the D-Brane and Wally disappears into the Force. Suddenly the outside entity controlling Barry leaves and his headache disappears, leaving Barry disoriented and unsure of what just happened.
The events that occurred are watched by the Mirror Master, Grodd, the Folded Man and a hooded figure. They are all working for eldritch beings who have manipulated events up to this point to break Wally's confidence and allow them to turn him into the ultimate weapon to destroy the Source: the Crown of Thawnes.
Appearing in "Issue Six: The Gift"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Flash Family
- The Flash (Barry Allen) (Possessed)
- Irey West
- Jai West
- Linda Park-West
- Maxine Baker
- Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) (Voice)
- The Stillness
Antagonists:
- The Arc Angles (Behind the scenes)
- Abra Kadabra (Post-Flashpoint) (Cameo)
- Crown of Thawnes/Corona Contrarium (First appearance)
- Eobard Thawnes of the Multiverse (Unnamed) (In a vision)
- Folded Man (Edwin Guass) (Cameo)
- Mirror Master (Evan McCulloch) (Cameo)
- Mwenye/Gorilla Grodd (Cameo)
- Meat Balloons (Blobsphere)
- The Uncoiled (Destroyed)
Other Characters:
- Zombies (Realm of Lingering Death) (Only as spirits)
- Central City Police Department (Mentioned only)
- Ghosts (Mentioned only)
- Iris West (Mentioned only)
- The Source (Mentioned only)
- Wade West (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Omniverse
- The Curved Corner (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Hypertime
- Timestream (Behind the scenes)
- Multiverse-1
- Earth 0
- SpectraVerse (Unnamed)
- Gallery of Moments (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Blobsphere (Mentioned only)
- Realm of Lingering Death (Mentioned only)
- Speed Force
Items:
- D-Brane (First appearance)
- T-Spheres
Concepts:
- Strange Attractor
Notes
- This story reveals that all the incursions on Earth 0 from this volume are all part of Thawne and his associates' plan to use Wally West to launch an attack on The Source.
See Also