A CHAT WITH BARRY

[A few days later]

Bruce and Diana came back from Nanda Parbat and heard everything that happened in their absence. He was glad that no one was hurt because that monster General was supposed to be an almost immortal being, but the news of them taking down that monster made him sigh in relief. Bruce also received a call from Selina, informing him about their situation in England. Constantine agreed to help June with her power and it would take some time to train her.

After that, Bruce had some office work piled up and had to spend the next few days catching up on his business, at the same time, scanning Gotham and Metropolis for any signs of nuclear weapons or any suspicious activities in the government facilities. He also asked the others to be vigilant since a catastrophe could happen at any given time. Besides that, he found out that the government brought a new guy to Waller's place after her death. His name is Cisco Ramon, and he was a newly appointed Task Force AD, having all the clearances necessary.

"Fuck! It just had to be this evil version of Cisco," Bruce cursed under his breath when he saw the name. He recalled the comics where Cicso became a government dog, working for them, and was somewhat worse like Waller. "Jarvis put Cisco under surveillance, and be careful. This guy is a pro."

[Affirmative] Jarvis acknowledged his request.

"Oh, and look out for Harley Quinn and Joker. Alert me as soon as you spot them," He added before leaving the lab.

Bruce then went on his day and reached Wayne Tower for some important work, after all, his empire can't run all on its own. So, he had to go to some meetings every now and then, only this time his mind was occupied with his private project that he could no longer postpone.

It was finally time to work on the clone program and create a new body for Skylar.

But, since Barry had already passed Floyd's tests and was ready, Bruce decided to keep his promise and tell him the truth about what happened that night when his mother died and about Reverse Flash. He called Barry one evening and both men sat at the mini bar in the base. Bruce prepared a couple of shots to ease the boy's nerves.

"You know that I can't get drunk. My metabolism burns off the alcohol before it hits my bloodstream," Barry said while raising an eyebrow as Bruce placed a couple of shots before him.

"These babies are not your regular alcohol. Give it a try," Bruce said with a mysterious smile on his face.

Barry found it hard to believe since he knew that he couldn't get drunk, but after seeing Bruce's expression, he knew that the bat wasn't lying. He took a glass and poured the content down his throat. In the next second, he felt the strong kick almost instantly. A feeling that he never thought he could experience again.

"Holy cow! This is incredible," Barry yelled in surprise.

"Well, you are doing better than Diana," Bruce remembered that night when Talia made Diana drunk with this specially brewed alcohol. It was a somewhat pleasant, yet awkward memory.

Barry took another shot and shook his head, "So, you getting me drunk... I guess, you are going to tell me the truth, right?"

"Yes. It's about time for you to know the truth..."

Bruce explained everything he knew about Thawne and his relationship with Flash. He told Barry about that night when his mother died and the reason Thawne was bent on destroying Barry's life.

Thawne replicated the accident that gave the Flash his powers but was driven insane and became obsessed with ruining the Flash's life upon learning that he was destined to become his greatest enemy–the Reverse Flash. Fueled by jealousy and hatred, Thawne travels throughout time to torment and destroy the Flash's life.

"No... that's- That can't be!" Barry almost collapsed, unable to believe what Bruce was telling him.

"Yup! Time travel, multiple realities, and the effect of trying to change reality through time travel... You see, Barry, there are countless alternate realities and in every reality, there are certain events that can not be changed, and if changed that could cause unknown side effects. I call them canon events that are bound to happen in every reality in one way or another. Places and times may vary, but in most realities, they remain the same," Bruce explained.

"So, you are saying that... No matter how many times he tries... I was destined to become the Flash and him to become the Reverse-Flash?" Barry asked, his eyes glazing as he learned the truth.

"That's correct. Not the exact events, but something similar..." Bruce gulped the drink after replying.

"And I was present back then... That night, there were two streaks of lightning... One was mine and the other was Thawne's. And my mother was destined to die that day. You are telling me that it's a canon event?" Barry stood up from the seat, the glass slipped from his hand. Bruce nodded in affirmation.

"The thing is the near future you've already run back to the past and tried to change your past. Yeah, you saved your mom but doomed the entire world. That's called Flashpoint," Bruce brought up the holographic display explaining to Barry about time travel and Paradoxes.

"And how do you know about all these things?" Barry asked as he understood the new concepts, though they were way beyond the known physics in the world, they were not complicated.

"Let's just say, I know, or at least knew some future events. But as I kept on interfering with the events, the future was also changing. So, right now, even though I'm not sure what is going to happen in the future, all I can tell is what could happen," Bruce told Barry what he wanted to know, and hid the important facts.

"Phew... Sighs This is just... too much for me to absorb at one time," Barry let out a heavy sigh, he rubbed his forehead to ease his headache before turning to Bruce, "How many times did I try?" he asked.

"Many... You traveled so many times in the past and future that you created multiple flashpoints and in many cases destroyed the multiverse. So, Barry, don't even try to run back in past or future unless the world is on the verge of extinction," Bruce gave a stern look at Barry. He understood that it wasn't easy for anyone to absorb such info so quickly.

Barry turned quiet after what Bruce just told him, he fell silent for quite a while and it looked as if he had a mental conflict of some kind.

Bruce continued after a brief pause, "I know how it feels, trust me. I sometimes wish to go back in time and change certain things, but the reality is harsh, there are consequences for messing with time. So, don't even think about going back in the past and stop Thawne. I trust you, Barry. Don't let me down," He trusted the kid and hoped he would do the right thing.

"I-I have a lot of stuff to think about. Thanks, Bruce. Can we continue this chat later?" Barry mumbled in a low voice, which seemed out of his character.

"Sure... Take all the time you want," Bruce gave a friendly pat on the boy's shoulder.

Barry ran back to his house.

"Haaa... Well, hope it was the right choice. He better learn the truth from me rather than from Thawne," Bruce sighed as he finished his drink.

..

..

Over the next week, Bruce didn't find anything suspicious, but he found Harley in Metropolis. To his surprise, she's keeping a low profile for some reason and stole six tubs of ice cream and a crate of raw meat from a shopping mall. The clown had been moving around the city in her mini ice cream truck and the scans show that she had two hyenas in that truck. But Joker's absence made Bruce worry, there's no doubt that a devil's plan was in the making.

But capturing her right now, might not be a good idea since she might lead them to the Joker. So, he asked Jarvis to monitor her 24/7. Bruce plans to capture the clowns together.

Next, Bruce and Pamela began to work tirelessly on the cloning project. It was a secret project that only two of them were aware of.

And as for the other ring, the soul woke up but refused to talk to Bruce. So, he just left it in Skylar's care and let her deal with that stubborn thing.

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Next, Ch: 156: A moment away from work & clone

Ch: 157: Pamela wants kids

Ch: 158: Beach holiday with 2 uninvited guests

Ch: 159: Diana and Kara

Ch: 160: Sex on the beach