Absolute Flash #7 (2025)

Wally and Grodd are walking through a small town in Missouri, when a storm suddenly breaks out. Grodd is frightened by the thunder and tells Wally that this is not just a storm. He says that he wants to go home and Wally replies that he does too, but they don't have a home anymore. It starts to rain and Wally says that they need to get some food and find somewhere out of the rain. Grodd hides in Wally's backpack and Wally heads into a nearby gas station. As walks in he briefly looks in through the window. When he turns his head away his reflection doesn't move; it continues to look out at him and smirks. In the gas station Wally asks the cashier if she can give him some food as he has no money. She refuses and Wally runs through the store at super-speed, gathering up food. He apologises to the cashier and says he'll pay her back one day, but before he can run out he passes out from hunger. At Fort Fox, Thawne orders her men to kill Rudy, but decides to let him live when he says he just wants to help Wally and will do anything to help Project Olympus get him back. He asks Thawne what the aliens in the tanks are and she tells him that they are Project Olympus' "predecessors", the first to find "God". Meanwhile, fifty miles west of the Missouri state line, the Rogues detect Grodd in the eye of the storm. Captain Snart orders Harkness to fly their tank, the Prowler, into the storm. Wally wakes up in a police lockup. He tries to convince the cop to just let him go but he refuses, saying he's not doing anything until he talks to Wally's parents. He checks Wally's bag but Grodd isn't in it, just his costume. Wally tries to reach out to Grodd in his mind but can't hear his friend's thoughts. Suddenly the wall of the police station explodes and the Rogues burst in, knocking out the cop. They ask Wally why he hasn't escaped and he admits that his powers aren't working because he's so hungry. He also tells them that Grodd has disappeared. Captain Snart reveals that they can track Grodd and makes him an offer: they will help Wally find Grodd, and then they will all return to Fort Fox together. Wally reluctantly agrees and they Rogues free him, give him his costume and an energy bar to refuel his powers. However, once they get outside the storm has gotten so bad that they can't pass through it on foot or in the Prowler. The Rogues decide to just cut their losses and go, and Wally runs off without them into the storm to save Grodd. Wally runs into the storm, calling for Grodd in his mind, and is struck by lightning. He is knocked down and woozy for a moment, but is otherwise unharmed. Grodd appears and psychically yells at Wally to get up, repeating "Storm Man" in his mind. Wally looks up and out of the storm emerges a ragged, barefoot man with long hair and a beard and glowing eyes, lightning crackling around his hands. Wally asks if he's from Project Olympus and "Storm Man" yells that he's not going back and calls down lightning on Wally again. Wally tries to talk to the man and says that Project Olympus changed him too, but when he mentions Barry Allen, Storm Man flies into a rage, hitting Wally with lightning and gale force winds. As Storm Man can't be reasoned with and Grodd is too afraid to use his psychic powers, Wally has no choice but to fight him directly. He gets up and squares off with the madman, taking multiple lightning strikes as Storm Man yells at Wally to go down. Wally says that the lightning "hurts like hell", but it got him thinking: what if he doesn't just take it, but lets it in. Wally absorbs the next lightning bolt, restoring his powers to full strength and even erasing his hunger pangs. Fully revitalised, Wally runs at Storm Man and knocks him out. As soon as he falls unconscious, the storm lifts. With the storm gone, the Rogues drive up. Wally defiantly tells the Rogues that he and Grodd aren't going back, and Snart replies that they aren't either. The others are confused but Snart tells them that with the power they have now they don't need to take orders anymore. He says that they can do whatever they want and take whatever they want. Snart invites Wally to join them and asks if he's ready to "go rogue".