Pedestrians rushing along the street froze in place as if someone had hit pause.
A car hung upside down in midair.
A grilled sausage flung from the vehicle.
And a Black girl thrown out of the car.
Scattered popcorn and cheeseburgers all hovered in the air.
Everything formed a grim tableau.
It seemed that something horrific would happen the very next second.
Crackle!
In the depths of despair, at the brink of disaster, a brilliant blue arc shattered the glass door of a convenience store. Barry Allen tightened his blue jacket and jeans.
The arcs dancing around him moved so quickly that they melted the shoes beneath his feet.
Jogging over to the girl, Barry gently caught her and carefully set her down on the ground.
"Not bad."
An abrupt voice sounded behind the boy.
"Oh, my God!"
Barry's eyes widened as he turned around in disbelief.
He saw a blonde young man in a neat, clean suit seated at a street-side table, holding a cup of coffee.
Huffing away the rising steam from the cup, Jino took a light sip of the coffee he had bought for a few bucks and smiled. "Central City's coffee is pretty good."
"Unlike Metropolis, where the fast pace means they use coffee grounds for brewing, your city uses hand-ground beans. It's bitter, but it has a nice feel to it."
"Y-you, you—!" Barry stared at the young man in the corner with shocked, seemingly enlarged pupils.
The other man's handsome features and all-too-familiar face even made Barry stutter. "Y-you're J-Jino."
"Jino." The young man interrupted the stammering boy. "Jino Luthor."
"Don't get so excited, kid. I'm standing right here."
Jino rose to his feet with both hands on the chair's armrests, and as he stood, time around them resumed its normal flow.
Whoosh!