Ethan stood at the entrance of the abandoned warehouse, his heart pounding in his chest. The cold air hung thick with dust, the silence of the space almost suffocating. He had chosen this place because it felt isolated—empty. There was no one here to see him fail. No one here to witness his uncertainty, his fear of what was about to come.
His breath was shallow as he surveyed the room, the metal walls and rusted beams stretching far in every direction. The floor was littered with old crates and debris, the remnants of a long-abandoned warehouse. It wasn't a perfect space, but it would have to do.
The air felt heavier than usual today, thick with the weight of expectation. It wasn't just the Speed Force coursing through him anymore; it was his own fear. His doubts. His desire to make sense of everything that had happened to him since that fateful day at STAR Labs.
I can do this, he thought, trying to calm his racing heart. I have to do this.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan flexed his fingers, feeling the hum of energy deep inside him. The Speed Force was there, but it was still a wild, untamed thing. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, to tap into the power that had been awakening inside him since the explosion. But controlling it, focusing it, that was the real challenge.
He glanced around the warehouse one more time, his gaze landing on a rusted metal pillar at the far end of the room. It seemed far enough, out of reach, but close enough for him to test his speed.
He clenched his fists.
Focus.
He shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, his legs slightly bent. His heart hammered in his chest. He could feel the energy pulling at him, begging to be released, but he didn't know how to let it flow without letting it control him. The warehouse, the walls, the clutter, the shadows—it all became background noise.
He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. You're in control, he told himself. Focus on the here and now. You're not just a passenger.
He opened his eyes. And then, without warning, he pushed off the ground.
The world exploded into motion.
His feet slapped the concrete floor, and in a blink, he was across the room, his body a blur of motion. He felt the rush of air against his skin, the sharp sting of wind whipping through his hair. It was exhilarating. The speed, the raw power—it was everything he had been craving. For a moment, there was nothing but the pounding of his heart and the pulsing rhythm of his movements.
He looked ahead, and for a split second, he realized he was barreling toward a large metal pillar, too fast, too uncontrolled. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to correct his course, but his body was already outpacing his mind.
"No, no, no!" He cursed under his breath as the pillar loomed closer, his body unable to slow down in time. Panic surged through him. He wasn't ready for this, he couldn't—
Then, as if responding to his fear, something inside him clicked.
A sharp, instinctual shift in his body. His legs bent, his muscles coiled, and just as he was about to crash into the pillar, he stopped.
The world snapped back into focus, the air around him abruptly still. Ethan stood frozen just inches from the rusted pillar, his heart pounding in his ears. He had stopped—barely—but it was enough.
He exhaled a shaky breath, his body trembling from the effort. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his hands clenched and unclenched as he tried to calm himself.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered to himself, still staring at the pillar he had narrowly avoided.
It wasn't graceful, it wasn't perfect, but it was something. His heart was still racing, his pulse quickened from the adrenaline, but for the first time since the explosion, he felt like he had control over his abilities—at least, some control.
His legs felt weak beneath him, the aftermath of the burst of speed still settling in. He had pushed himself harder than he intended, but the brief feeling of triumph was enough to motivate him to try again.
Okay. Let's go slower this time.
Ethan breathed in deeply, centering himself. He refocused on the pillar across the room. This time, he would pace himself. He didn't want to make the same mistake again, didn't want to lose control.
"Slow. Steady." The words echoed in his mind as he crouched down slightly, readying himself for the next attempt.
He pushed off the ground again, this time consciously resisting the urge to go faster. The world began to blur once more, the floor beneath his feet flashing by in a streak of gray and brown. He felt the power coursing through his body, but he held back, concentrating on the motion, on maintaining balance.
This time, he kept his eyes trained on the pillar, watching as it grew larger, closer. He could feel himself speeding up, but he wasn't panicking. His movements were smooth, fluid. The control was there, and he was finding his rhythm.
Almost there. Almost...
He reached the pillar, and just as he was about to zip past it, he adjusted his course, angling his body just enough to avoid crashing. He didn't stop completely, but he managed to slow enough to sidestep it with a fluid, practiced move. He had done it.
A smile tugged at his lips as he came to a stop. He stood there, chest heaving, sweat trickling down his face. But this time, the feeling was different. It wasn't fear. It wasn't panic.
It was victory.
"That was better," he said aloud, his voice a mix of disbelief and satisfaction. "Okay, I'm getting the hang of this."
Ethan stood still for a moment, allowing himself to catch his breath. The wind in the room had died down, and the sense of exhilaration slowly started to fade. But in its place, there was something more grounding. He had done it. He had taken control—for now.
As he let his breathing slow, a thought crossed his mind. Was that enough?
He glanced around the room. The space felt small now, almost too small for what he could do. He wasn't sure if the test was over yet. Could he push himself further? How much more control could he really gain?
Ethan glanced at his hands, still feeling the electric buzz of energy running through his veins. The Speed Force was still there, still with him. But there was so much more to discover, so much more he hadn't even begun to understand.
"I've got a long way to go," he muttered to himself, his voice quiet but resolute.
But for the first time since the explosion, Ethan felt the faintest glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to understand what it meant to be fast. To be more than just the brother of a hero. To find his own way.