12:57 PM, 21th April, 1989.
Location: Central City, at a fast food stand Flash recommended.
"… and that's how I beat that Cold guy with a pickle." Flash explained, before taking another bite of his burger.
"Fascinating. And good to see you think on your feet." I praised.
A pair of passing teen boys paused to gawk at us, after spotting us.
"Naturally. I'm the Flash after all." He replied proudly. "So, what is it like living out in public without the mask to keep your private life private and your mind… I'd like to say sane… no I think I'll go with sane." He chuckled. "I kid. But I'm still curious."
"It's frustrating, some of the time. My only private time is at home or flying. Plus now I have some house guests, of the female persuasion… so I can't even spend time alone in my own home. Then there are all the cameras stalking me as I go to restaurants or do anything. Too famous, I'd say. I wish I'd managed to find a happy medium between being old news and relevant, but all the screaming girls that line up to see me as I head to scheduled events is headache inducing." I shrugged.
"I am so jealous of you right now, I swear." Flash joked. "Okay, I can understand the lack of privacy is a major thing with you. Heck any teenage boy wants time alone. But you're really tightly wound, ready to explode under pressure. This is all supposed to be your vacation and yet you're fighting a leechman, robots and a Weather Wizard. You don't have a way to stop do you? To unwind. You're working harder on holiday than you ever were at home. You're going to crash and burn."
"I'm not..." I argued.
"Crash. And. Burn." He said, looking me dead in the eye. Before taking a bite of his burger, not breaking eye contact.
"Uh… that's kinda creepy." I pointed out. "The whole staring and eating thing."
"Is it?" He asked. "I never would have guessed."
"Sarcasm Flash? The lowest form of humour possible." I commented.
"Deflecting much? Listen Bubbles, you need to make a clean break and learn how to separate business from personal life. You seem to be convinced you can't have both and mix them together." He sighed. "You'll burn yourself out or self destruct and hurt someone."
"That… may be why I am on holiday..." I rubbed the back of my neck, sheepishly.
"Holey moley, kid I take back what I said. You don't need to learn how to unwind soon, you need it this second!" He grinned. "Blink and you'll miss it."
A moment later I found myself in an arcade. The sounds of Galaga, Frogger, Space Invader and Pong coming from the machines that weren't pinball. In front of me was Flash grinning, having carried me here no doubt. Wait, is that Golden Axe I see in the corner?
"Now, let's play! I'll pay." He grinned.
"Sure, what's that machine in the corner?" I asked innocently.
"Y'know, I'm not sure, it looks new." He looked at me. "Highest score wins?"
"You're on." I chuckled. Poor Flash.
Muahahahahahaha!
I played the hell out of the original and the sequels.
"How did you do that?!" He asked, when I finally stopped sandbagging… a little. "You can ride those bird things?!"
"Wait… those little thief guys drop health and magic?!"
"You can ride dragons too?"
And now the big finale…
"What… you can use all the magic you stored at once?! That's why you were saving it!"
I was smug as I claimed the high score on the machine. By several thousand points.
Flash hung on with his reflexes for a while but the enemy patterns tricked him too many times, the mooks hitting him from behind. He also picked the dwarf character, who is the weapon attack specialist and possesses the weakest magic attack.
I drowned the boss in phoenix fire, as the sorceress. I had to dance around the enemies to get there, but get there I did. As the glass cannon.
"You've played this game before." Flash grumped, arms folded.
"I can honestly swear I have never played this game before in this lifetime." I replied smugly.
"Sure you haven't." He replied, sarcastic.
I shrug. "I wasn't cheating either, if I used my powers I'd just wipe the machine's memory."
"How about we make this interesting? I'll pick the next game and put my money where my mouth is. Loser pays for a movie ticket." I could sense the teeth of this trap. But what the hell, it's my holiday.
"You're on. With powers?" I asked, curiously.
"Powers, definitely." Flash agreed.
"So what are we playing, oh wise sensei?" I queried.
"Table tennis." He flashed teeth like a shark, as he seemed proud to have trapped me.
"You're on. But don't you dare think this is going to be a cakewalk, my garishly dressed friend." I shrugged. "Lay on McDuff."
Flash lead us around to the front desk of the arcade and absorbed a great deal of observation from the other people nearby as we emerged from the far end of the arcade at midday on a school day. The owner wasn't quite sure how we even got inside the arcade, since he was watching the entrance from the counter. He seemed to take us as harmless weirdoes, rather than reach for the shotgun under the counter. Having rented the ball and paddles, Flash walked back to the deep end of the arcade.
"So here is your… paddle..." He trailed off as he noted the dozen paddles I had fashioned from rust that hovered around me in a holding pattern. "I see, so that's how it's going to be." His mouth tightening as he took me seriously.
We stared at each other, waiting for that moment that would begin the frenzy… unfortunately I missed it, since it was faster than the eye could follow. But the tiny ball bearing I constructed inside the plastic ball told me where to move.
And thus I faced my toughest opponent to date, as we viciously smashed away at each other in a struggle for supremacy. And while I lost, I made Flash pay for every point and every strike with sweat from his brow and effort.
As that tiny, hollow plastic ball shattered my final paddle I faced defeat.
"Good game." I commended his serious effort. He was going all out and I still hung in there for a while.
"No, man seriously you're a demon at table tennis. I couldn't afford to underestimate you for a second." Flash replied.
"Thanks, I knew I couldn't take you but I could make you work for it." I nodded, agreeing. "So… movie night is on me? What are our options?"
"Field of dreams?" He offered.
"Pass. Not a fan of Baseball, but I heard good things about it. Superman is a sports fan, he'd appreciate it far more." I reply.
"Teen witch?" Flash suggested.
"Pass, I already know real magic users. I'll just spend the movie pointing out flaws in methodology." I shrugged.
"Real magic…? Seriously?" Flash asked, surprised.
"Yep, she can make a revolver out of nothing but thin air… actually I still have one of her charms… here rub this. When you want it to stop, rub it again." I handed him a rock, carved with runes.
The silence that followed was golden.
As Flash mimed his distress at being muted, like a television.
I pointed at the rock and made a rubbing motion.
"...okay, magic is real and scary." He finally announced, gingerly handing me the pebble.
"Stops sonic weapons like a… I'd say charm, but that is already what it is." I shrug.
"Well that puts me off Pet Sematary, I'll just be guessing what parts are really possible." He remarked.
"All of it." I remark, thinking of John Constantine.