Across the crisscrossing streets of the Twin Cities, Wally ran completely alone, darting aimlessly about.
One moment he was in Central City, the next in Keystone City.
Golden arcs of lightning crackled and surged around him frantically.
His speed wasn’t overly absurd—just a few hundred times the speed of sound…
Having failed to find Axel, he was forced to buzz around like a headless fly.
Within Wally’s shadow, Yuri quietly poked his head out, extending a hand that crept toward Wally’s back.
The lower half of Yuri’s body remained fused with Wally’s shadow.
Otherwise, at Kid Flash’s current speed, Yuri would lose sight of him in less than a blink of an eye.
With a thought, Yuri commanded the dial of the Omnitrix on his chest to sink into Ghostfreak’s torso and re-emerge on his wrist.
The third-generation Omnitrix was permanently bound to Yuri’s DNA and could not be removed by physical means; even if someone chopped off his arm, the device would remain attached to his wrist.
After transforming, the Omnitrix remained on Yuri’s body.
Since many alien species lacked arms, Yuri could freely decide where the dial manifested upon transformation.
Furthermore, he could use the basic functions of the Omnitrix while transformed, eliminating the need to revert to human form to activate Capture Mode.
Yuri maneuvered his extended hand, aiming the dial at Wally’s back before gently pressing it against him.
The dial shifted from green to yellow, indicating that the Omnitrix had entered Capture Mode.
The moment the device touched Wally’s back, massive streams of rapidly updating data flashed across the display.
Instantly, several bolts of lightning burst from Wally’s back and were absorbed directly into the dial.
A message written in the Galvan language appeared on the display:
[Captured unknown high-intensity energy.
Analyzing…
Estimated time remaining: 18 hours, 26 minutes, 47 seconds…]
As Wally ran, he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his back, like a mosquito bite.
Yet that was impossible.
Wally was currently connected to the Speed Force, enveloped in a protective Speed Force aura.
How could a mosquito bite him?
Mistakenly believing he was under some strange attack, Wally skidded to a halt.
He scanned his surroundings with vigilant eyes while scratching his back.
Knowing when to quit, Yuri realized that since the Omnitrix had successfully captured Kid Flash’s supernatural energy, there was no reason to linger.
Traveling through the shadow paths unique to Ectonurites, Yuri floated out from underneath the Rustbucket the very next instant.
With a little over two minutes left on his Ghostfreak transformation, time was plenty generous.
Yuri tapped the dial on his chest, manually deactivating the transformation, and landed cleanly inside the cabin of the Rustbucket.
Before Axel and the others had infiltrated the FBI branch, Yuri had parked the vehicle in a secluded, hidden spot.
After all, parking the Rustbucket too close to the FBI branch would have risked discovery, potentially exposing them all before Axel could even trigger the gravity alarms.
Even though the hiding spot was discreet, the enemy was an elite FBI squad led by James Jesse.
Finding it was only a matter of time.
The moment Yuri reverted to his human form, he drove the Rustbucket away from the hot zone.
***
Meanwhile, at the FBI Keystone City branch evidence room.
Following Axel’s chaotic breach, the room was now a complete disaster area.
Current FBI Director James and former FBI profiler Hunter surveyed every corner of the mess while team members fanned out, searching for any scrap of evidence or lingering clue.
“I doubt we’ll find anything useful searching like this,” Hunter sighed after observing the room for a while.
“Axel’s objective was extremely clear: steal the Network investigation files.
He wouldn’t waste time on anything extra, which leaves us with even fewer clues.”
James remained silent for a long moment, knowing Hunter was right.
“Let’s hope those captured suspects can give us something valuable…”
“Report, Director!
The unconscious man and the three attackers have awakened.”
Right on cue, one of James’s agents walked up to report.
James and Hunter exchanged a look, speaking in unison.
“Take us to the interrogation rooms right now!”
The FBI agents moved with sharp efficiency.
The agent led the way immediately, with Hunter following behind, leaning on his cane.
Four suspects, four interrogation rooms.
One was a former member of The Rogues, once the premier villain group in Central City, while the other was the most brilliant former profiler in the FBI.
Dealing with a few street punks fooled by Axel would be child’s play.
A short while later, James and Hunter stepped out of the final interrogation room, their expressions grim and dark.
“Hunter, what’s your take on their statements?” James asked.
“…I was hoping they were putting up a front, but I carefully observed every expression, eye movement, and micro-reaction,” Hunter replied, bowing his head with a heavy voice.
“Regrettably, they are telling the truth…
unless their grasp of psychology exceeds my own.”
“Damn it!”
James had prepared himself mentally, but hearing the conclusion confirmed by Hunter made it impossible to hold back his anger.
“How can they remember nothing?!
How can they remember absolutely nothing?!”
“The FBI investigated the Network for so long, and the hard-won intel was stolen just like that!
Years of effort flushed down the drain!”
“Blacksmith!” James gritted his teeth as he spat out the name of the Network’s leader.
“No, not all of it,” Hunter said solemnly, placing a hand on James’s shoulder.
“Do you know why the Network files were kept as paper documents instead of digital archives?”
James paused.
“As you know, I led the initial FBI task force investigating the Network,” Hunter explained in a low, heavy voice.
“At the time, I sensed that the Network might have infiltrated our ranks, meaning any files stored on computers could be erased or altered at a moment’s notice.”
“So I made the call to keep all investigation materials on paper only, guarded by people I trusted.”
Hunter’s expression turned grave as he lowered his voice even further.
“But that wasn’t everything.
In secret, I backed up all the data onto my private computer.
I am the only person who knows about it!”
Meanwhile, inside the underground base of the Network…
Axel stepped smugly into Blacksmith’s office.