Young Barney Sands has lost his copy of Flash Comics #26. The Flash scours Central City for a runaway bear. The bear gets the drop on the Flash, delivering a powerful blow to the back of his head, before grappling with him. The Flash escapes with a super-speed created updraft. The Flash excavates out a large pit, to hold the bear until the proper authorities can take possession of it. Returning home, the Flash, as police forensic scientist, Barry Allen, has just enough time to get out of costume, before Sands enters his house. Sands returns Allen's portable microscope, then assists Allen with sorting through Allen's large, Golden Age comic book collection.
Sands finds his missing comic, in Allen's collection. Allen is puzzled at the discovery, as he has never had that particular issue. Allen asks Sands to leave the comic book with him, for further investigation. Allen returns to his den, where, right before his eyes, the comic book vanishes. Allen, as the Flash, attunes his vibratory rate to the energy signature which teleported the comic book, and follows it to a comic book convention. The comic appears among the collection of one of the dealers. While the Flash, as Allen, is negotiating over the selling price of the comic, two thugs dressed as the Golden Age Green Lantern, and Wildcat, steal it, at gunpoint.
The costumed criminals take Allen as a hostage, so as not to attract any undo attention. At super-speed, Allen escapes the gunsels, by ducking into a closing elevator. Allen dons his Flash costume, and tears off after the crooks. Catching up with the two thugs' cab, the Flash drags them out onto the street. When they refuse to give up any information, the Flash beats them into unconsciousness. The cab driver is overjoyed at his good luck, in finding the valuable comic book on the backseat of his cab. Before the cab driver can read the comic, a gun is placed at his temple, and he is ordered to hand the magazine over. A group of organized crime figures meet to discuss the comic book.
A deceased scientist, Professor Philip Denton, made huge advances in the field of telepathic teleportation, with the invention of Formula XCV-4. Denton doused the comic with the formula, then traveled greater and greater distances with it. Each time, Denton would ask his son to concentrate on the comic, which would cause the comic to appear before his son. Using the comic, the crooks intend to learn Denton's formula, so that they can remove the risk from theft. Before they can bid on who will take possession of the formula drenched comic book, it disappears, reappearing in the Flash's hand.
The crooks open fire on the Flash, only to find themselves being pinned to the walls by centrifugal force. The Flash ramps up the intensity until the very walls of the house collapse. The criminals, along with the comic book, are turned over to the proper authorites. The Flash, as Allen, presents Sands with a copy of the comic book. In their attempts to find the comic, the crooks had tracked down and purchased multiple copies of it. Sands and Allen both end up with mint condition copies of the comic book, to add to their respective collections.
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