A fearful Flash investigates strange goings-on at an amusement park.
Walt Dempsey conducts one final inspection tour, of the Tunnel Of Terrors, before the grand opening of his newest theme park. Approaching the exit to the Tunnel Of Terrors, Dempsey is transformed into an "Ornitho-Man", an extinct creature that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago. Dempsey goes on a rampage, and begins to destroy his own theme park. The Flash responds to the trouble. The Flash engages Dempsey in pitched combat. Ultimately, in the Penny Arcade, the Flash triumphs over Dempsey. The blinding lights of a giant score board transform Dempsey back into a human being.
The Flash is all set to investigate the Tunnel Of Terrors when he is suddenly gripped by an all-consuming fear. Despite the insistence of the park's security personnel, the Flash refuses to enter the attraction. Undeterred by the Flash's sudden streak of cowardice, Picture News reporter, Iris West, enters the Tunnel Of Terrors. West begins snapping a series of photographs, documenting the attraction's interior. Unbeknownst to West, one of the attraction's monstrous plastic figures begins stalking her. Shaking off the grip of fear, the Flash enters the Tunnel of Terrors.
The Flash rescues West before she can be attacked. More of the attraction's plastic creature replicas come to life. The Flash carries West out of the attraction, then heads back in to confront the animated horrors. Believing that the flash of West's camera broke the spell of fear that had hold of him, the Flash uses West's camera on the animated creatures. The flash has no effect, however, and soon the Scarlet Speedster finds himself overwhelmed by the unliving monstrous figures. In a desperate, pitched battle, the Flash finally triumphs over his attackers.
Continuing to fire the flash of West's camera, the Flash encounters the culprit behind the shenanigans in the Tunnel of Terrors. Vardarr Varr, a scientist from the planet Koomool, had, millennia ago, established contact with the Ornitho-Men of Earth. Journeying to Earth to share their civilization's wisdom, Varr's ship was caught in a nuclear explosion. Varr's ship crashes on Earth, and was then encased in molten rock, as it solidified around the ship. There it lay for millennia, until the day Dempsey excavated the crash site. Varr's ship appeared as a strange gem, embedded in the rocks, that gave off an eerie glow.
Dempsey decided to build the Tunnel of Terrors around the gem, taking advantage of it's unworldly aura. Believing that it was the human race that waged nuclear war upon the Ornitho-Men, wiping them out, and destroying their civilization, Varr vowed revenge. The Flash uses his Cosmic Treadmill to travels millions of years into the past to learn the truth. Using West's camera, the Flash records the destruction of the Ornitho-Men's society, at their own hands. Opposing factions of Ornitho-Men waged a continental nuclear war upon each other, destroying themselves and their civilization.
It was this nuclear holocaust that brought about Varr's imprisonment. Having seen the error of his ways, Varr returns to Koomool, with an offer to resume communications with humanity. Dempsey's new theme park finally has it's grand opening, with West and the Flash his guests of honor.
Log in to comment