Speed Force

The Speed Force is the energy within the Microverse (aka the Quantum Realm) that allows the hyper acceleration of particles to move between two undefined points. As the distance within the Quantum Realm is infinite, the speed at which anything has to move requires a constant and measurable buffer to achieve mobility. It is the walls that hold the system together.

With a conscious effort, speedsters outside the Quantum Realm can use the Speed Force to greatly accelerate themselves relative to the rest of the world. Channeling this energy requires a conscious effort, and it cannot be sustained indefinitely. The faster a speedster goes, the more focus and effort is exerted. They experience something akin to a temporal shift, with the world moving around them at a glacial pace.

Those who can use the Speed Force can passively discharge friction heat back into the Quantum Realm. They must keep moving to ensure they can respirate effectively due to the sluggish momentum of the atmosphere in their area. If they exert a force on an object, their subjective resistance is a fraction of what the object experiences. Their heightened metabolism significantly reduces buildup of acid in the muscles and provides them with a great deal of extra metabolic energy; but, with caloric requirements an order of magnitude greater than a baseline human. The primary source of this caloric expenditure is not a factor of how fast they are moving, but how long they spend channeling the Speed Force, and to what extent of intensity.