Zap! Crack! It almost tickled. The electricity that flowed through him when he ran. The instantaneous breath-of-fresh-air feeling he got as he raced past Star Labs. Nothing he had ever felt before. There was no amount of caffeine that could give him this much energy. There was no amount of alcohol that could make him shake like this. This speed.
The Flash. That’s what they called him. The newspapers would print blurry pictures of a red blur on their front pages. At first, The Flash was just a rumor. A lowly suspicion. And it was meant to stay that way. But getting caught saving the city was not a bad way of putting yourself on the radar. How do you hide such speed? How do you mask such power?
The wind pulsing through your hair with every sonic step. The force that carries you through the streets, past the cars, between the allies, around the people. Almost like floating in a current. A super sonic electrified current. He ran on pure electricity. Pure honest to goodness man-made power and it surged through his bones and his blood like it would through a wire. He zips past the Police Department. Once a simple chemist trying to take down the bad guys with pure genius.
Now he had the means and the brain. He sped towards the coffee shop. One of his favorite places to go. He ran right through the doors (Iris always kept them open) and up to the roof. She was there, waiting for him as she usually was. She had her pen and paper out, her voice recorder, her cute scarf. He raced around her and then stopped some ten feet away. She would say something and he would race around her again, only to appear somewhere else, somewhat closer.
He would get closer and closer and she would blush more and more. Until finally they were so close they could touch and then he would make his exit. He loved teasing her almost as much as he loved running. She didn’t like Barry Allen in the way that he wanted her too, but she loved The Flash. He had all the qualities Barry Allen did not. Confidence, humor, audacity, mystery, and good looks. Well Barry had the good looks. The Flash didn’t have a face as far as everyone knew. He was just a blur.
He zipped off. His feet pounding on the pavement, the cars moving by, so slow they looked like they were standing still. The Flash could outrun the rain. He could see every single drop the moment before it touched him and he would zip out of the way. Another thing The Flash had that Barry Allen didn’t. Charm. He imagined The Flash could woo any girl he wished. He didn’t want to woo just any girl though. That was one thing Barry Allen and The Flash had in common. Iris was the only girl for them.
It was time. The Flash was running low on energy. His feet were slowing down. He could feel the rain on his face as he raced towards Star Labs. His least favorite time of the day. Taking off the suit. Taking off The Flash. Of course Barry Allen still had the speed, but now he was just Barry Allen. The awkward, clumsy, almost timid, unpopular, twenty something year old, forensic scientist.
Morning came, and Barry Allen walked past Star Labs on the way to work. He stopped to wait for the light to blink and the cars to pass so that he could cross the road. He entered the coffee shop. His favorite place to go and laughed and smiled with Iris as she prepared his drink. His sister-her brother. They were almost family, old friends. There was nothing romantic between them. Barry collects his drink and heads to the Police Department where his boss yells at him to hurry up even as he is thumbing through papers.
He mounts the stairs and Eddie follows him. Everybody is wondering about his progress on the case today. Barry Allen sits down at his desk and thumbs through the newest stack of files. He pulls out a top sheet and stares at the picture. A red blur. A red arrow has been drawn circling the blur and pointing to the object of the case. Words that read, “Who is The Flash?” Barry Allen smirks. Who is The Flash? He is quicker than lightening, he strong as a hurricane wind, he is the hero of Star City.
Barry looks at his watch. Ah, almost time to go. He grabs his coat and runs down the stairs-but like a normal human being. He is off to his favorite place. The most exciting part of the day. Because he saved the city, there is no reason for him to hide. There is no reason to fly like a bat into the night. Star Labs. The suit comes on. And he is off in the blink of an eye. Barry Allen is no more. There is only The Flash.

How do you hide such speed? How do you mask such power? The simple answer is:

You can’t.