Flash: Rebirth #4 (2009)

When Barry questions Thawne's return, the villain acknowledges that he will be resurrected soon, thanks to a "good friend" of Barry's. As the empowered Thawne beats Barry and Max, he reveals that the red energy field the three are in is a "negative speed force" that is being created by the Reverse-Flash's kinetic energy. Thawne's negative energy is slowly starting to poison the normal Speed Force like a cancer. Thawne goes on to reveal the depth of his plan: after Barry briefly returned to aid Kid Flash against Superboy Prime during the Infinite Crisis, Thawne traveled back in time and sent a subliminal pulse into the Speed Force to draw back what was left of Barry's self-awareness. This eventually led to the hero's reappearance during the Final Crisis. Afterward, Thawne transformed himself into "a new kind of speedster" by re-creating the circumstances of Barry's origin with subtle differences, thus empowering him with negative speed force which would then both contaminate Barry and affect the other heroic speedsters. Before Barry can fight any further, Thawne fades away. In Fallville, Wally West decides to go into the Speed Force to retrieve his uncle. While cautioned by Jay and Bart, Wally cites his previous escapes from the Speed Force and maintains he will be fine as long as he has Linda. At the Wests' home, Wally's daughter Iris wants to help in the effort to save Barry. After an argument with her brother Jai, she runs downstairs and encounters the reappearing Thawne. At Justice Society headquarters, Hourman is tending to Jesse, who (since seeing her father) has begun repeating her father's speed formula over and over. As Wally ventures deeper into the Speed Force, Max reveals to Barry that it was Allen himself who created the speedsters' source of power. Just as Thawne creates his negative Speed Force with his kinetic energy, Barry unknowingly did the same throughout his career to create the normal Speed Force. Max reveals the Speed Force to be "the kinetic wall between the present and the time barrier. It's an electrical energy that exists in every dimension, every universe and every area. It touches ever part of reality. It contains the knowledge of every place and time. The Speed Force is the all-encompassing Flash Fact." Max tells Barry "you need to move create more fuel see iris lightning rod protect them protect Bart run Barry run". Barry then reflects on who he let the Speed Force control him and thinks to himself "If I'm the engine for the Speed Force, if the lightning does come from me I need to turn this engine over". Back at the Wests' home, Thawne seizes Jai and Iris and begins to mainline the pair's distorted connections to the Speed Force. Linda manages to contact the heroes, and Thawne is swiftly attacked by Jay Garrick and Bart Allen. The villain is caught by surprise, but quickly starts to overpower the two speedsters. In the Negative Speed Force, Barry breaks through it and reachs Wally. Max is unconvinced he can escape due to his lack of a "lightning rod." Barry manages to convince the older Speedster that he is family to them for acting as a father towards Bart, and the three begin their escape. Jesse Chambers, now crackling with Speed Force energy, stops repeating the Speed Formula. She reveals that she has finally solved the equation: "Jesse Quick. Max Mercury. Jay Garrick. Wally West. Bart Allen. Barry Allen. The Speed Force." As the heroic speedsters are recharged with energy, Barry, Wally, Jay, Max, and Bart charge towards Thawne.