INT. CENTRAL CITY POLICE PRECINCT - NIGHT
The holding cell smells of stale air, sweat, and despair. The ragged snores of a drunkard rhythm the thick atmosphere. Slumped against the cold wall, THE FLASH opens his eyes with difficulty. His head is heavy, his vision blurry. He sits up, nausea twisting his stomach. He's in his Flash suit, but it's crumpled and dirty. Around him, three other men sleep or stare vacantly, their breath reeking of alcohol.
FLASH
(To himself,murmuring)
What happened...?I was... I was after a gorilla...
His memories are an impenetrable fog. The last flash: a simian silhouette, a bestial rage, then... nothing.
The jangle of keys. The heavy cell door grinds open. A POLICE OFFICER in his fifties, with a weathered face and a permanent scowl, enters. His mood is as dark as the bags under his eyes.
OFFICER
(Disdainful)
So,stooping to petty theft now? Didn't expect the Justice League to recruit from the pickpockets.
Flash blinks, stunned.
FLASH
Excuse me?Theft? You mean...
OFFICER
(Cutting him off sharply)
Don't play that little game with me,Flash. Who are you working for? The Wizard? The Organization?
FLASH
(Standing up,hands raised placatingly)
Listen,officer, I don't work for anyone! I was stopping a gorilla, and then I... I... damn it, I don't remember anything after that!
OFFICER
(Scoffing,humorlessly)
Ha.No. You're not pulling the amnesia bit on me. Too easy. You cleaned out S.T.A.R. Labs' radioactive isotopes. So, let's start over: who did you steal them for?
Flash's eyes widen, the news hitting him like a physical punch.
FLASH
(Startled)
What?S.T.A.R. Labs? I did WHAT?
The incredulity and confusion on his face are genuine. This isn't an act. He's completely lost.
---
INT. SOLOVAR'S HIDEOUT - NIGHT
The lair is sparse, set up in the bowels of a forgotten tunnel network. Maps of the city are pinned to the walls, circled with notes written in a simian language. SOLOVAR, imposing and dignified even in adversity, carefully holds a small metallic box. He opens it to reveal two strange, finely crafted headbands that seem to vibrate with a low energy.
SOLOVAR
With these,we will be able to resist Grodd's mental assaults. They create a protective psychic field.
UTOPIAN, smaller and quicker, observes the scene with a critical eye.
UTOPIAN
Good.How many do you have?
SOLOVAR
(Closing the box)
Only two.The required materials are... scarce on this world.
UTOPIAN
Two...That's slim. But before we think about defense, we need to find our ally. And I think I know where Flash has gone.
SOLOVAR
(Intrigued)
Really?
UTOPIAN
(Nodding)
Yes.Flash's disappearance, the theft of high-energy resonance isotopes... The pieces are fitting together. Grodd must have taken control of his mind to make him commit the robbery. He needs that power for something much bigger.
Utopian pulls a small communicator from his pocket, a device of advanced technology.
UTOPIAN
And if I'm not mistaken,it's time to ask the League for a little help. They should be able to locate Flash's communicator in an instant. We'll know exactly where to find him.