Running at high speeds was such a.....uncontrollable science at times. At times it was his best friend and other times his worst enemy. Unfortunately today would be one of those days for Wally West as he sprinted across the city with urgency. The hope of not being late again pushed him to go faster than most speedsters may call 'safe'. He had ran back in time once before to arrive in this era, but that was on purpose and this time his traveling through time would have consequences....

Zoom was on his case about being late when he had such gifts. So he pushed just a little harder as he ran across Los Angeles until he felt his body jolt forward and things around him began to blur even for his fast moving eyes. Before he knew it his feet were gliding over water. He wondered if he had made it to the great lakes somehow, but he could taste the salt in the air. Then his feet hit land once more and before he could react a portal opened in front of him. As he came out the other side he finally began to slow, although this time it was not due to his own decision making. 

As he slowed to a more manageable speed he noticed the flash of a muzzle....no make that plural....muzzles. The bullets began to fly before he could truly understand the whole situation so he made his way to the treeline and stopped behind a large stump. Once he was on the ground he pulled off his cowl and caught his breath. His body felt a bit strange, although he still seemed to be able to run at a good speed even for him. 

Just as he was about to peek over the stump at what he had just ran into a voice came echoing through the woods, "Hey! Whoever the hell you are, get out of there! The German artillery is going to start any second! I doubt the men in the front-line trenches missed your bright red costume!" 

Whoever he was, he was correct. The sound of artillery began to fill the air and Wally ran towards the voice. Just as he made his way into the foxhole the explosions began going off all around them. The three men inside the hole looked at Wally with confusion and curiosity, which he couldn't blame them for. A strange man in a red suit just showed up in the middle of their battle. He could tell by their uniforms that they were American, but definitely not the second world war uniforms. So he definitely hadn't run forward in time....

As the bombs stopped Wally took his chance to get some information, "So, uh where are we?"

The men looked at one another and laughed, "You gotta be kiddin me, right? We're on our way out of France as we push back those German bastards. You get hit on the head or somethin? What's with the outfit anyways?"

"Hard to explain....but is there anyway I can get some clothes to blend in a bit more?" Just as Wally asked the question he felt the need to speed up. 

Time slowed and he looked around him to see an artillery shell coming down on top of them, he grabbed the men and one by one he ran them further back away from the front line. They were all a bit dazed from the interaction and their gazes fell upon their newly found hero. 

"Hard to explain, eh? Seems like it. I wouldn't worry though, you seem okay in my book. I think command is going to want to meet you though." They started to motion for Wally to come with them.

"I really don't have time for that fellas. I need to be on my way once I get those clothes." Just as he began to try to get out of his current situation he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. 

The ground came at him quick....

As he came to he noticed a group of men mumbling to each other from across the medical tent. Wally felt uncharacteristically drained from what was only a bit of running compared to some of his days. Although time travel always did take a little bit more out of a speedster. The men noticed his eyes open and began to encircle him.

"How are you feelin son? We hear you have some extraordinary gifts. The United States military could use those gifts in our fight against the Germans." The man was clearly a high ranking soldier, but Wally wasn't quite sure how high up the chain he went. 

"Look, I really can't be here." The men looked at him with concern, "Although I could do some good here."

What was he saying? Fighting in the first world war? That could have major consequences to the timeline and he knew how fragile it was. A major world event such as this did not need the meddling of a speedster. Yet, Wally clearly wasn't at full power and needed some time to figure things out. What could a few days really do to the timeline? A mission or two and then he'd be on his way....

The plan was for days, but weeks went by and still Wally was fighting alongside his fellow Americans. After some time he became a ghost that was whispered about throughout the German lines. 'Der Rote Geist' is what they called him, or 'The Red Ghost'. In and out of enemy lines he would go with nothing but his vibrating hand as a weapon. Officers were his main mission, but every so often they wanted him to punch a hole in the German lines for their troops to get through. 

Recently he could truly feel his speed getting low and he even caught a bullet in his right arm. Thankfully his healing abilities weren't completely gone yet and the wound healed quickly. Yet this was what Wally feared, that waiting hadn't helped him get his speed back. The longer he had been here the more he lost. There was no explanation that he could find and eventually he knew he'd have to either leave the war or fight side by side with the rest of the men. 

Leadership knew of his depleting gifts and they hoped that he had already done enough to help them win this war. Even if they could no longer count of 'The Red Ghost' to help them in his usual ways. Eventually Wally could barely go more than 10 feet without having to stop using his powers. Although they didn't seem to be depleting any further, they were basically useless except to save himself in a dire moment. 

The military decided to give him the rank of Corporal and awarded all his hard work with a rifle and some rations. Without his gifts at full power they viewed him as expendable as any other soldier. No more special treatment. 

The one good thing for Wally was that they put him into a squad with the men who he had originally found on the front lines. Their names were Sergeant Angelo Martucci, Private Ben Anderson, and Private Johnny Redford. There were a few other men with them, but he'd never forget their names. The only reason he would have a chance to make it back to his own time would be due to their sacrifice. 

One day after another they fought on, through forests, towns, fields, and anywhere else they found the Germans. Wally eventually opened up to the rest of the men of how he'd gotten there and about his powers. Some of them said it was bullshit and some had seen for themselves what he could truly due before his powers depleted. 

Wally somewhat gave up on the idea of ever seeing Los Angeles again or the people he knew and worked with there. Maybe this was the life he was supposed to live. Serve out his days in the military fighting overseas rather than a life of crime in the mob. It would quickly become apparent that even with minimal powers that Wally was a crack shot with reflexes that no other man could match. That rifle quickly got exchanged for something with better range....

Wally and his three amigos would quickly become a special missions unit with Wally at the center of it. His new found talents with a long range rifle helped bring him back to relevance. Although he would now need a support team to help cover him and keep him alive on their missions deep into enemy territory. They collected enemy uniforms and other valuable supplies as they pushed deeper into Germany. Their main goal which was given to them by the higher ups was to disrupt German military operations. 

That meant assassinations, sabotaging equipment, and just causing overall mayhem for the Germans. Which was something they became quite good at during their weeks together. One day they found themselves in a church inside a German village. Wally and Ben were up in the bell tower, while Martucci and Redford stayed down below to hopefully keep anyone from coming inside. 

Today their target was a German General who would be passing through the village on his way towards the front lines. They had gotten the key information from somebody a bit lower down the chain of command and were hoping that it was true. They waited hours from dawn till dusk and nobody arrived. Although the weather was rainy and Wally hoped it was just a delay due to some sort of vehicle issue. So he pushed for them to wait till the next morning....

As the light flooded into the bell tower, Ben nudged Wally. His eyes took a second to adjust, but he noticed immediately that Ben was pointing at a convoy coming up over the hill just outside of town. This was what they had been waiting for....

Ben whistled down to the base of the ladder where the other two were sleeping and they quickly got up to see Ben motioning for them to take position. As the convoy entered town it made it's way slowly to a row of three houses where the vehicles came to a halt. Wally got into position and aimed down at the convoy trying to find his target. 

"Ah.....there you are." He adjusted as his scope fell upon the General. 

The man got out of the vehicle and fixed his coat as he looked up and down the street. There was no urgency in his movements at all. Wally looked at Ben who seemed calm as ever. Back to the target. The man still hadn't moved and he seemed to be sweating profusely. Something wasn't right....

"Why aren't you taking the shot Wally?" Ben had some urgency in his voice now. 

"I don't like it. Something isn't right. We should call it off." He began to slide back from his position so nobody would catch a glimpse of him at a distance. 

As he sat back and Ben looked at him confused, Martucci came up the ladder...

"So, why don't I hear any shooting? That convoy too far away? Too much wind? Not the right target?" He was clearly annoyed that the action wasn't kicking off yet.

"I don't like it Sergeant. I think..." Martucci cut him off.

"Less thinking and more shooting West. We aren't paid to think. Is the general down there?" Which Wally responded to with a nod, "Then get shooting. I don't want to be here another full day." 

With that he began to make his way back down the ladder and Wally made his way back into position. The General had moved to near the front door of one of the houses now. Still giving Wally a bad feeling, but orders were orders. He lined up the shot......took a deep breath....squeezed the trigger.

The front door of the house was splattered with blood as the bullet found it's mark and Wally quickly reloaded his gun to find the next target. But he found himself being grabbed by Ben once more to point something out. The convoy was to the north of them and from the east and west a few tanks and infantrymen began to make their way into the town. Men poured out of the trucks and vehicles in the convoy as well. It was all a trap....

The shot Wally took would have given away their positioning to anyone who was waiting for a shot to go off. They had no element of surprise here and now they were faced with enough armor to punch a nice hole in the American lines. Except this wasn't the American lines and there were only four of them to face off with these Germans. 

He looked left and right trying to find an exit strategy as Ben yelled down to the others to fill them in. Just as he finished and he looked back outside....

"Let's hope you weren't lying about those healing abilities of yours." Ben said abruptly.

"What are you...." Before Wally could finish Ben was shoving him out of the bell tower. As Wally fell he looked up to see the top of the bell tower explode with the sound of a tanks firing filling the village. 

"BEEENNNNNNN!" Wally screamed as he hit the ground with a thud and electricity filled him once more. He sped inside the building to where his last two friends were and again his speed dispersed from his body to minimal amounts. 

The other two had been waiting by the front door and were confused to find Wally standing in front of them in the entrance with all the rubble that now laid behind them where the tower once began. 

"What the hell happened!?" Martucci yelled at him.

"The tanks locked in on us and fired. Ben....Ben threw me from the tower in the hopes of saving me from the blast. Lucky for me the crazy bastard was right to do so." Wally leaned against the wall as the sound of footsteps and tank treads moved closer. 

"We're royally fucked." Johnny put his hat on and lit a cigarette.  

"Yeah we are. But Wally doesn't have to be." Martucci was staring at him, "You saved us that day in the woods from that artillery blast. Hell you're not even supposed to be here if you've been telling us the whole truth. We owe you one. Maybe this is time catching up with us. We should have died that day and now God is making sure that happens whether you want to save us or not."

Wally began to protest, but both men stood up and checked their weapons with smiles on their faces. These men were happy to die for their country and for their friend. They truly were American heroes. 

"Don't go tryin to talk us out of it West. We'll cover you and you get the hell out of here. I won't order you back to base, but I will order you to survive. Make it back to where you belong and have a couple drinks for us and Ben." The men patted Wally on the shoulder as they approached the front door. 

They looked at him and nodded, each grabbing a handle and preparing to open it for him. Something about this whole situation was almost....recharging him. Maybe something in what Martucci said was true, except it wasn't God. Perhaps it was the speedforce trying to counteract what he had done in traveling back and impacting the timeline. 

As the doors opened, time slowed down and electricity flowed through Wally once more. His feet began to move and the rest of him followed....

Once outside the doors he was across the street and then down the road.....and as he peered back he spotted his friends exiting the building. The building behind them exploded in a fireball of stone and metal engulfing them where they stood.

Wally's feet didn't stop moving until he reached a speed fast enough to carry him back across the front lines, then the rest of Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, and finally across the United States to Los Angeles. When he arrived there he collapsed and felt completely drained of the speed force.

With his powers depleted Wally knew he was most likely trapped there and now his only way back to his time would be the normal way.....by living life and waiting. It wasn't ideal, but at least he wasn't fighting a war anymore. If he laid low for a few years he could wait till the day he left and just take the place of his younger self.

It could get a bit confusing for the people he worked with, but they'd have to adjust. Unfortunately he knew Zoom would not be happy with him, but maybe there would be a way Zoom could assist him in solving his power issues. Only time would be able to tell....

Days went by, then weeks, and the years followed. He wasn't aging exactly the same as everyone else, which gave him hope that his powers were not completely gone. Perhaps they were just dormant like a volcano waiting to erupt. Yet the impact that time had on him was becoming more apparent as he got closer to the day he left. His hair was darkening and his skin showing a bit of age to it. He had spent a lot of his time working out which filled out his frame more. He was no longer the skinny speedster that he once was.

Each day he crossed off the date on his calendar until finally time had caught back up and he could come out of hiding to assume his life once more. He sat at a bus stop and watched as his younger self sped past on his way to fight in the war. He thought about stopping him, but decided against it. 

The bus took him across town to the corner next to the restaurant he was meeting Zoom at. It was a nice Italian place with some back room gambling and drinking. Through the window he spotted Zoom already seated and clearly getting impatient. Wally walked in and made his way to the table. 

Once there he removed his cap and jacket to place them on the inner part of the booth. Zoom looked up and was about to scold him when he noticed the changes....

"Oh what did you do this time Wally?" He seemed genuinely concerned. 

"Well, to summarize. I ran back in time. Killed some Germans. Lost most of my powers. Spent a lot of time working out. Now I'm here and I'm starving for some good Italian food." Wally grabbed the menu from the table and began to flip through it.

"Well, let's order something and then you can tell me more about everything that happened.....actually scratch that. Don't tell me anything about the timeline. Let's just see what we can do about those powers of yours. If you don't look older than me yet then I'm sure there is something still in there that you can awaken hopefully." They both sat back in silence as they browsed the menu.

Wally was already adjusted to life without his powers, perhaps it was better that he avoid getting them back. Being the fastest man alive truly came with rewards and consequences. He was content for the time being to just go at a normal speed.