9 Monkey Business
"*Boom!*"
"*Zap*"
"*Boom!*"
The sound of explosions from lightning could be heard from miles away with the focal point being uptown Central City. Buildings were turned into rubble while fauna was turned into ash. Cars were turned into scrap metal while civilians were turned into savages.
Things were in a state of disarray while sparks began to conglomerate in the atmosphere.
Among the crowd of rampaging civilians, there were thousands of people in dark gray uniforms
who further added to the shambles. Amongst this subgroup, the white-colored initials H and P were branded upon their chest signifying that they were all escaped convicts from the maximum-security penitentiary, Iron Heights.
These people ostensibly harbored ill will towards the society that had shackled and labeled them criminals. In turn, they acted the part and displayed the repugnant and animalistic nature that resided within the darkest depths of their subconscious. They looted and pillaged like destructive Vikings who forcibly planted their flag on new territory. That's not to say that the non-inmates were peaceful in comparison. In fact, in the majority, they were far worse.
Normal people of the working class who dressed in suits and ties had t-shirts on the daily walked around with bandanas and various other head garbs in attempts to hide their identities. With their faces shrouded, it gave them enough confidence to initiate the hostile and animalistic desires they strayed away from for the sake of withholding social status.
Blue collared individuals in mass would walk into office spaces, dragging out business owners and managers alike onto the streets despite their screams and desires for release.
Once out in the open, sed people of power, who for the most part were innocent and undeserving, were beaten and bludgeoned until on the cusp of death, with a minority receiving a grander amount.
Pedestrians defaced public monuments while others looted and pillaged.
Some ran and hid while others turned on each other and started to commit atrocious acts against their fellow man. Those who could be preyed upon easily became victims.
Often, these people were women and children who were victims exposed to the unforgivable to the detestable. Tonight, the worst of humanity was being showcased in the form of Central City's very own residence.
No one could have predicted that the city, which housed 1.39 million, would flip on its head so drastically. After all, it had only been an hour and a half since the superpowered terrorist had begun their attack.
The City's defense, CCPD, was in a state of near collapse.
With only 20,000 officers, their forces were severely outnumbered. In turn, this forced their hands into pleading aid of Columbus, Springfield, and Dayton's various task forces. The problem was that the city was a forest fire, and its people were fuel.
How were the other cities they reached supposed to assist them when Central City couldn't hold its integrity long enough for ground and air units to arrive?
'Hell.'
This single distinguishing word was what Oliver Queen used internally to recap the warzone he scrutinized from above. He had been injured heavily due to his endeavor in getting people to safety.
'How could this… happen.'
He watched on in utter disbelief. How could things transition so drastically when just minutes ago, he was investigating a relatively simple homicide case. Now, he was watching demigods bring down civilization.
'Who's the conductor?'
What was happening didn't make any logical sense. How did things erupt into catastrophe so quickly? It was as if the zombie apocalypse had broken out.
What was possessing the people to act this way, and why did a majority of them act in uniform?
It had to be something in the air, and it had quite literally for people to lose all sense on such a large scale.
Putting his hand to his earpiece, he attempted to contact his comrades.
"Felicity, Diggle."
"Yeah…It's not just here. I'm looking on my phone right now and I see online news articles being released in rapid-fire. Whatever this is, it's worse than what happened in Starling a year ago." Diggle replied.
Waiting a few seconds, a slight panic was set in Oliver's heart.
"Felicity."
"Felicity…"
"Felicity!"
After failing to gain his other partner's attention for the third time, simulations of the worst-case scenarios and outcomes started to play in his mind like a horror film.
After realizing the dastardly corner he had been pushed into, he concluded that he couldn't solve this hardship on his own. Unlike when Starlingcity was threatened by an unnatural disaster, he had no way of knowing where to start cleaning up the mess presented. He finalized that even if he were to somehow manage to get rid of the Metas, he would still have to worry about the thousands of prisoners who were running amuck. Among them, there was even a person capable of duplicating himself by the hundreds. Beyond them, he had the rioters who were technically civilians to worry about.
Although S.W.A.T and Police units began to make their appearance, no amount of tear gas could stop the waves of people that washed over the streets.
Oliver was just one man. A man in alien territory.
To stop a scenario of this scale was far out of his skill range.
For the second time today, he had felt an indigestible amount of weakness topped with a reflection of his own mortality.
The recent words of a person who had surpassed the shackles of humans had begun to ring in his head, almost hauntingly.
{"This world is bigger than you. There are more people out there just like me, and you need to realize this… Stop being a dickhead to people and maybe you'll be able to gain allies in the future that will help you in defeating people like me."}
His frustration had been sparked with the fuel of truth. Clenching his fist, he admitted to himself that he needed the help of another person for the first time since he had dawned the identity, "Arrow".
"Diggle."
"I can't contact her either."
"I know… We need Barry's help… No. Omen's as well. Especially Omen."
"We know that Barry was with Felicity at S.T.A.R Labs from what we're aware of. Omen should be there as well if I were to guess. How would we even be able to get their attention?"
"By trying. Look in the trunk and you should briefcase in a hidden compartment under the spare tire. Inside it, you should find a flare gun with 136 rounds of ammunition with a letter of the alphabet engraved on each round. You'll notice 32 specifically dedicated to S.O.S, but pay those no mind. The individual letters will flicker out morris code in the sky. Spell out Omen with them."
After two minutes, Diggle fulfilled Oliver's command and shot the flares into the air. Once reaching the skies, They began to blink in sync.
***
{Attention all units, attention all units. We have a city-wide 10-98. I repeat. We have a 10-98. All Iron Heights inmates have vanished from their cells in keystone city and have somehow managed to teleport into Central City. I repeat. They have escaped Iron Heights and have somehow managed to teleport into Central City. Be on high alert.}
With the words of the woman alerting all those who weren't aware, I could see the panic in all officers nearby.
"What?!"
"What?!"
Joe, Eddie, and all the others had facial expressions of panic.
"What's 10-98?" I asked.
"It means you need to go. Now!"
Joe shouted.
Urgently nodding my head, I got into a running stance. Before I could leave, Joe shouted once more.
"Wait! Look in the sky."
Turning around, I saw intensely white flares blinking in the sky like stars.
'Wait a minute.'
Out of all the impractical bits of knowledge I was given passively, learning morse code might have just proven itself to be the most beneficiary.
'O… M… E….N?'
Who was calling me? Why did they use such unconventional means to do so?
I had no relationship with the CCPD besides the fact that I would occasionally run from them when I wanted to avoid questioning. Was this their form of a bat signal?
'No. That's probably S.T.A.R Labs.'
Jue then ran up to me and whispered in my ear.
"I don't know where Barry is, but try to find him. Make sure he stays safe."
"*KRAKAKAKOOM*"
***
Blasting away in the direction of the signal, in only a matter of a second, I realized just how horrid the condition of the city was. Hellfire and disorder began to reign in the Newberg district. Regular people in the thousands, perhaps 10's of thousands range were fighting amongst one another and stealing from small family-owned businesses.
"*Zap*"
Speeding up my perception of reality, I began to think swiftly intensely while I had started incapacitating all those who were unlucky enough to enter the range of my sight. There was no hesitation or discrimination in my actions. Everyone including people who were completely innocent and hadn't done any misdeeds was on my hit list. It didn't matter their height, gender, or age. It was safer that I knocked them out and placed their bodies in safe locations.
With each person I crossed paths with, I gently began to poke the central fourth vertebrae hidden at the back of their nape. This specific action that I had to rapidly accomplish with the precision and accuracy of a laser had to be done so delicately that I couldn't even allow myself to presently touch the surface of their skin with my own. I allowed myself only to use the pressure of heavily diluted and modified gale winds created from momentum.
The reason for me being so meticulous was straightforward. If I were to have recklessly dared to directly touch a target at the speed that I was moving with, even the most delicate of grazes, it would have been the equivalent of me essentially shooting a person point-blank in the back of the head with a 12 gauge shotgun. Not only was the particular juncture I had to skim essentially the proverbial off switch for a human being, but making the slight miscalculation of 5 micrometers would risk causing permanent brain damage. If I overdid it with strength, the blood flow in a person's brain would have halted for a minimum of 35 seconds which would lead to death.
'What the hell,' I thought as I realized a screaming shared detail almost everyone had.
'Red eyes with black veins… He's supposed to be dead.'
A few things bothered me about the current situation. The first thing was that the supposed dead Roy Bivolo didn't have the capacity to use his powers on such a grand scale. From what I knew, he was just an idiotic meta who abused his powers for his own benefit.
The second thing was that Roy didn't have the motive to flip an entire city on its head. Like a lot of other robbers, being inconspicuous should have been his priority instead of causing a commotion. Not only were the CCPD hot on his trail, but so was I and Barry so why would he change his MO.
'No… this isn't him. The effect that's being given off, it feels different than before. Modified.'
"*Sigh*"
'Looks like my theory was right… but… something is way off. The modifications made to Bivolo's abilities opposed to how they were before have changed for the worse. These people have no sense of sanity, but maintain a skewed form of will… The way that they all seemed to change in unison leads me to believe that there is either a hive-like mind that's forcing them into assault mode or a viral pathogen that spreads, similar to how zombie outbreaks happen in movies… But the problem with the ladder is that in theory, something airborne would take time to spread and wouldn't affect such a large group so instantaneously.'
While the world was paused, I couldn't help but pace back and forth.
'If I were to assume the former was the cause of the Rage-Outbreak, then what type of creature would have the power to bleed into the minds of all of these people all at once without an activation catalyst?' I ruled out the possibility that Central City's water supply had been tainted. If that had been the case, then the drastic change would have taken longer to occur. Also, there were people like Barry and Joe that remained unaffected.
I knew for a fact that these two drank from the tap but still remained uncompromised. In addition, if Barry had been affected, everyone in the next 5 cities would have been dead already.
'Since I already Thawne modifying King Shark, somehow managing to get a hold of Bivolo's Metahuman powers isn't out of the realm of possibility.'
With his genius mind, I couldn't doubt that it was possible for him to unlock the secrets behind superhumans, especially considering his future knowledge. If he did, he wouldn't allow the abilities that he stole to go to waste… With that being said, he was far too narcissistic and cautious for him to turn himself into a lab rat, but using others wasn't far out of his domain.
'These powers… perhaps to enhance them, he combined them with a person who already had the capability of mental manipulation. I mean, it would make sense… but who could he have gave Bivlol's powers to?'
This wasn't the Marvel world, where the abilities of telepathy and mental domination were given out like free candy on Halloween.
'From what I can remember, there are only about two people I know of who can start such a shit show. One being The Thinker, and the other being…'
"*Gasp*"
"The Simian!"
It wasn't a person who was doing all of this. It was an oversized shit-slinging silverback gorilla by the name of Grodd. Once this realization hit me, I knew that there was an easy way of stopping all of this. And I had a clue of the general location he was hiding.
"*Wosh-wosh-wosh-wosh-wosh*"
Committing to knocking everyone out at maximum speed and efficiency, I quickly made my way over to where I witnessed the morris code in the sky.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM*"
***
"*Wosh*"
Hurriedly clutching his firearm, Diggle was ready for the worst. He stood in a dark and abandoned alleyway watching the city destroy itself helplessly.
He looked beat up pretty bad.
"Relax. It's me."
I announced, retracting my helmet to calm him.
"Stop doing that! I could have killed you, man."
He said as he regained his composure.
"No, you wouldn't have."
I shook my head at his comment and continued.
"Why did you call me?"
"Well, because we couldn't get in contact with you or Barry. As you can see, the city's in pandemonium right now and the people, your people have lost their minds."
"I'm aware…"
"Then what took you so long." Oliver shouted from behind me.
"I was busy fighting a giant bullet-proof shark the size of a building that spoke English."
"..."
"..."
Diggle and Oliver gazed at each other with strange looks as if confused, but Oliver continued.
"This city needs you. I've done all I could to help, but this is too much for me to handle."
As Oliver approached, I realized that the streets had taken a toll on him. He limped over while holding his injured body parts. Taking off his hood, he had a sincere look in his eyes.
"You were right…"
"I know, but there's no time for me to tell you so."
"Agreed. While you were handling your situation, I've been working with CCPD and everyone else who could provide aid in diminishing the severity of this crisis. Those who were free of whatever "this" is, have been escorted to a safe haven that I and a few others are working hard on matining. They're currently taking shelter in a warehouse nearby guarded by swat units. Reports of the military aiding the situation have come in through the radio but in all honesty, this City is melting too fast for them to cool these fires.``
"I agree."
"Well… What's the plan?"
Diggle added.
"I theorize that there's a hyper-intelligent telepathic silver-back gorilla hiding inside of the sewers. He's responsible for this."
"..."
"..."
My words were apparently so powerful that they ravaged the minds of both Diggle and Olver with delirium. Oliver dropped the bow in his hands while Diggle had to take a knee on the ground in order not to fall over from shock. They knew that this wasn't the time for a joke they knew from my expression that I was dead serious.
"What… What happens once you find it."
Oliver asked while almost falling over to pick up his boy.
"Even if he was human, my answer would have been the same."
I bit my lip in regret.
"I saw a toddler thrown from a 5 story building today. By the time I caught it, it was already dead with a hammer impression on its forehead like a stamp… I'm gonna place his head on a podium." Solemnly nodding, the two couldn't help but agree.
"I understand… The things that me and Diggle saw today… They should never be talked about and deleted from history."
Nodding my head, I harden my heart for more hardship to come.
"Make sure you stay alive." I said while turning around and manifesting my helmet.
"Omen." Looking over my shoulder to Oliver, I nodded for him to proceed with whatever he was going to say.
"I take back what I said earlier… about you and Barry."
"It's fine. I could already guess from the way you operated in Starling that you had a habit of pushing people away. The only ill will I have right now is harbored by a potassium plundering Great ape, and the man it's working for." With a slight bow, I ran.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM*"
Before going into the sewers, I ran for the next 8 blocks taking down all those who got in my way. That was until I ran into a familiar face dressed in a prisoner uniform.
'Oh… I remember him.'
The man who had the misfortune of crossing my path was none other than the villain Cisco named Multiplex in mid duplication.
'At least I don't have to worry about finding the host.' I thought as I instantly caught up with him, tapping the back of his neck just like all the others.
At this point, I gathered about 1,600 prisoners and set up their own prison in the form of a building. I blocked off all the exits too, including all the windows below the 5th floor. Multiplex had just become another.
***
Traveling through the sewers, the lightning that I generated manifested as a torch that lit my path.
"*Wosh*"
Luckily for me, I couldn't smell anything due to my helmet filtering out any toxins that had intentions of piercing my nose.
"*wosh-wosh*"
Unfortunately, I never planned on going through the sewers of Central City so I hadn't bothered to memorize any maps or blueprints. Heck, I didn't even know where to get them from. Right now, I had to run through the interconnected tunnels as if I was Theseus making his way through the Labyrinth. Unlike him, It wouldn't take me nearly as long to find my way.
"*Wosh-Wosh*"
"*Wosh-Wosh*"
Encountering dead after dead end only fueled the vehicle I used, which was my body. The frustration of knowing that all of this was a plot against me pushed me to stomp my feet harder while pushing my arms stronger.
"*Wosh-Wosh*"
******
Crossing his arms while a holographic map shimmered before him, he watched the rapidly changing coordinance of his shadow adversary, Omen. Eobard Thawne couldn't help but smile as everything had gone according to his flawless plans. Although it was unfortunate that he had to murder a person he slightly cared about moments ago, he was in a greater mood than ever.
Since Omen's arrival in the timeline, Thawne had been observing him with every breath he took and every stride he trekked.
A little over a year and a half ago when he had first ignited the Particle Accelerator, Thawne had thought his plan to convert Barry into the catalyst for the Speed Force would play out as intended. With the anomaly announcing its presence via camera footage that Thawne hid beforehand, Thawne captured all the video he needed inside Central City Forensics to make preparations.
Innately after he watched what was recorded on December 11th at his base of operation, Thawne broke out in a fit of anger and frustration. He dreaded having to recreate the blueprint he had spent over 15 years crafting.
All he wanted to do was go home, but an anomaly mysteriously manifested itself in the form of Omen; A once fat and repugnant piece of mortal garbage that intercepted the lightning strike intended for Barry Allen.
Although he was frustrated, to begin with, he didn't act upon the instincts that screamed at him to get rid of the unpredictable remnant. No… Instead, a great mind like his own improvised in times of tribulation.
Once he discovered that Barry still managed to receive the Speed Force, his perception of the anomaly that he loathed shifted from nuisance to a potential amicable instrument. One that would allow him to gain his former glory far timelier than anticipated. After all, before Omen his original goal was to regain access to the Speed Force. Now he had an additional source to do so.
With the anomaly, a strategist such as himself had been gifted the opportunity for a backup plan. Fortunately for Thawne, Omen didn't change any events that were originally deemed to occur.
Omen had only amounted to a self-righteous vigilante, even though the anomaly had implied he was otherwise in their previous brief conversion.
Omen was most likely a time-traveler like himself that amounted to nothing more than a wannabe hero, Thawne concluded. Thawne theorized that it may have been him to wipe Omen from history.
Thawne's first hint of Omen being insignificant was Thawne's own lack of initial information on the anomaly he had. Eobard was probably the most knowledgeable of people in existence when it came to time manipulation and studied it for a lifetime. He knew of no Omen.
Thawne's second sign that confirmed his suspicion was that he could look forward hundreds of years in the future with the aid of the artificial intelligence, Gideon, who had an almost boundless well of knowledge, and yet, there was nothing recorded on him.
Omen was no match for him. Even though he was confident in his predictions, Eobard made sure to keep an eye on Omen. Thawne went so far as to inject a nano quantum chip capable of withstanding speed force energy into Omen's blood under the guise of blood work, right underneath the noses of his temporary companions, Caitlin Frost and Cisco Ramone.
The chip gave constant updates on Omen's biometrics ranging from his astronomically high numerical value of tachyons to the neurological mapping of his brain.
He had all the facts, with Omen being completely oblivious. Eobard had been an avid spectator of his since the moment they shared the same air.
He had watched Omen's activities of note on the daily, even tapping his every communication device with ease. Surprisingly, that only amounted to a cell phone with a dirty internet history, but to Thawne, the more control, the better.
Thawne reviewed most of Omen's conversations in S.T.A.R Labs and through the bug in his phone bug and deemed he gained enough information to summarize Omen's psychological foundation as a whole. Thawne was sure he knew Omen better than the anomaly knew himself and no one could tell him otherwise.
With Thawne's study of Omen's concentrated dark matter and tachyon pungently soaked cells, he eventually bound them to his own being after endless tests, allowing him to build a stronger connection with the Speed Force. One so strong that it rendered the use of the Negative Speed Force that was parasitic to the regular one, useless.
In his studies, Eobard originally ran into a problem. It was once that symbiotic process of molecular adaptation occurred within a subject, due to the quick metabolism of speedsters, the newly synthesized Speed Cells would only survive over a span of 60 days. They didn't have means of replication. A human's own blood cells were naturally replicated in the bone marrow, while Speed Cells weren't. He didn't have enough of Omen's blood so, reserving it, he stole large amounts of blood and spinal fluid from Danton Black.
Black's makeup allowed for him to be a universal blood donor. Anytime his blood entered another's bloodstream, they had the unique traits of assimilation and duplication, Skipping the process of hematopoiesis that occurred in one's bones. With the aid of nanotechnology, he, in theory, could replicate tachyon-rich Omen cells unendingly. After trial and error, he did just that.
Using Omen's blood as a means to access the Speed Force indefinitely, he no longer needed Barry alive. He could finally get rid of the person who was the origin of all of his hatred… But first, he wanted to seize everything from him including the Speed Force. He wanted Barry to feel what it was like to be absolutely useless, Similar to the way Eobard felt for 15 long years. He would do this by means of the Tachyon Siphoning Device he had stolen from Mercury Labs prior. He intended to do the exact same thing to Omen who was currently running in the sewers like a headless chicken.
{Grodd… He's realized that you're somewhere in the sewer system but can't find your exact location.}
{I am aware, Father.}
{Attempt to break into his mind.}
{I… I've been trying.}
{And?}
{I can't.}
Grodd's words were basically an announcement of Thawne's miscalculations. With everything that he had done in order to strengthen Grodd's telepathic abilities, he should've easily been able to dominate the mind of anyone… Especially with the Speed Force formula injected into the Gorilla's person.
{What do you mean you can't but I can't. That doesn't make any sense. Especially after your entire being was fused with Devoe.}
{I'm well aware of how I achieved my form…}
{Yet?}
{Yet still his mind is an unbreakable wall around him.}
"Hmm…"
{Grodd?}
{Yes?}
{Use the VX to temporarily increase your cognitive skills. Measure each probability and possibility while acting accordingly.}
{...As you command.}
Grodd replied with slight hesitation.
Grodd and Thawne often communicated through the telepathic link they shared. With Thawne sharing access to the Speed Force, Him and Grodd had the capability of condensing hour-long conversations to ones that lasted for a second.
With his Speed Force enhancements along with other modifications done to his body, Grodd was a being not to be reckoned with.
***
"*Wosh*"
"*splat*"
"AHHH! FUCK!"
Getting flung forward, all of a sudden sent me into a panic.
Along with my panic, I quickly realized that there was a rusted bacteria-laced iron rod that impaled my thigh.
I was propelled forward like a comet.
"*BOOM*
"*Crunch*"
"*BOOM*"
"*crack*"
"*BOOM*"
"*crunch*"
"*BOOM*"
"*CRUNCH*"
"*BOOM*"
"*BOOM*"
"*crunch*"
Flying through one fecal matter-coated wall after another, the sounds of every bone in my body echoed internally. I could feel that internally that my kidneys had burst while my liver had been torn to pieces as rocks and other debris entered me faster than any bullet ever had.
"Bleh!"
Briefly turning my helmet intangible, I vomited a puddle of blood so large that it was more akin to a pool.
My spinal cord had almost turned into dust while my arms had been ripped off as a result of protecting my head.
Every nerve ending screamed at me as if telling me that I was better off dying instead of continuing forward.
I had appeared at the destination that I had been probing for the span of a minute, which was a long time for me, a being that moved so fast humans couldn't capture me with their eyes.
Towering over me was the being that was only a fictional character until now.
His feet were so large that they would have been able to turn a person into powder. His thighs were so muscular that they were comparable to an elephant's rather than an ape's. His chest was so imposing it looked impervious to firearms. His head was so big that he could swallow a bovine whole.
Large and intimidating, I had landed right in front of Gorilla Grodd in his high-tech lair. In it, I could see different types of weapons on racks ranging from short swords and spears to bows and laser rifles. In the corner, there was a levitating table with a large chest board proportional to Grodd's size. In tanks…. he had what seemed to be adult humans incubating in a strange green fluid that held them in stasis.
"*Grunt*"
Grodd puffed his chest out while towering above me triumphantly. Painfully lifting my head to look at him, I realized that he was in a strange-looking royal garb with a red cape draped over his shoulder. Atop his head sat a crown with a strange red glowing gem in the center.
"..."
For a brief moment, we stared at each other wordlessly.
With the agility training I had done up to this point, there was no way I would have tripped so mindlessly.
"*slick*"
With Grodd reaching down to pull the pipe out of my leg, a skin-crawling gushing sound could be heard which gifted him a sick smile of amusement while he watched me wince in pain.
His teeth were large and sharp enough to rip through steel. Anyone that would have snuck a glance at him would have forgotten that gorillas were herbivorous. I knew that I sure had.
"*Grunt*" Steam came from his nose as he exhaled as he observed me further.
"Human…"
His lips moved as if he had been speaking his entire life.
"..."
"You have a barrier that will not allow me to penetrate your mind, so I shall use my advanced linguistic capabilities to converse with you verbally."
"..."
"You and the individual known as Barry Allen have lost the war."
Just from a mere two sentences, I could smell the arrogance and god complex coming off of him.
As an individual with a god complex myself, I definitely didn't have a place in judging another person based on the arrogance they exuded… But just hearing Grodd speak made me angry. He wanted to intimidate me and probably thought it was working due to my silence, but that was far from the case.
"You should know this as well."
Taking two steps closer to me, he splashed blood onto my mangled legs.
I felt almost nothing from his presence. No fear. No discomfort. Only irritants.
"..."
"Every movement… Every advancement…Every action you took… They were all calculated by my father and me from the very beginning… From the moment you attempted to steal a power that wasn't yours Dating all the way back to December 11th."
"..."
"Yes… since the laboratory incident on the fateful day that affected so many."
"..."
Giving another toothy smile, he continued as if he had won already.
"While you're here with me, my father is only furthering his advancement in the Speed Force, making himself all the more powerful."
"..."
"All thanks to you."
"..."
"Ah… you must be terrified by this outcome. That fragile human psyche of yours must be on the verge of self-destruction."
"..."
"Allow me the honor of exhibiting to you where your blunders first began."
While I remained disabled, Grood turned his back to me and began operating his computer.
As he did, his giant monitor displayed the video of me knocking out Barry back when I was fat.
Looking back at my past self, it was almost hard to believe where I started.
Although it had only been over a year since I arrived in the world of Metas, in reality, with my sped-up perception, I was almost 50 years old.
If I were to be honest with myself, I didn't grow all that much as a person in the past 20 years. Selfcare wasn't my priority. My priority was focusing my time on studying the intricacies of the Speed Force. That, and learning trades such as architecture, carpentry, renovation, HVAC, electrician work, plumbing, botany, woodworking, metallurgy, automotive engineering, and the art of sewing. I downright refused to study specialties like science, biology, history, and predominantly politics. Those crafts were a very slippery slope.
I wanted to remain as ignorant as possible while also having skills that would become useful eventually.
Instead of those 3 things, I was far more interested in metaphysics like theology and philosophy. Philosophy was just a hobby that I enjoyed delving into without the aid of books or a teacher, more so experiencing life while my theology interest was based on the fact that I was now in a universe where there were confirmed gods.
was also something I strayed away from like the plague.
Other than that, I just spent the remainder of my free time fighting crime and talking with either Barry or Cisco to alleviate my boredom.
"That was exhibit A of why you were destined to fail upon the very inception in this timeline."
He then started to play videos of me saving people and stopping criminals.
"This is Exhibit B."
"We have all of your feats recorded. We are aware of your capabilities. Like deities, we have been observing you. Analyzing you. Allowing you to live freely."
Closing my eyes, I began to clear my mind, feeling for the external forces around me.
"*sigh*"
Taking deep breaths, I called to the Speed Force… No. It was better to say I summoned it from within.
"Exhibit C."
He then showed me a 3D diagram of what looked to be strands of DNA and Molecules.
"We call you, the Anomaly."
Then, a slideshow similar to the one Cisco showed me when I woke up from my comma started to play.
Grodd was so predictable. I had already guessed what he was about to say next before he could even utter the words.
"We even monitored you internally through a Speed Force resistance microscopic chip that was inserted inside of your body while you were comatose."
'Oh?'
I squinted.
"Is it live?"
I mumbled in a broken voice.
"Hm?"
"Is it live… Can you see what's happening right now?"
"The Chip gets uploaded through a cloud server. What you are seeing right now is a scan of your body 24 four hours ago… when you weren't on the verge of dying."
He chuckled.
"What about the tracking device… You knew that I was coming. How were you able to know my every move?" I asked with a sense of hopelessness.
"Ah… yes. It has a global positioning function that updates at the same rate that you can think. It's the only functionality capable of keeping up with your speed, not that it matters. After today, it will be brung to an abrupt halt as your heart ceases to pump."
"..."
'It's in my heart…'
This was my last known location. It is updated every 24 hours…
I had all the clues I needed.
With his back turned away from me, I began to activate my speed aura at maximum potential.
I began to pressurize each of my organs and began to coat them with deadly amounts of electricity. Ecencitallay, I began to create an internal lightning storm. Because of the protection of my Speed Force aura, theorizing that it would heal me quicker while additionally adding an extra effect that would have never happened if Grodd had killed me right away instead of monologuing.
"Moving on to exhibit D… All of the beings you and the Flash captured in the past became resources and have contributed greatly to my father's research and my own. This had give us the-"
I stopped paying attention to Grodd and tuned him out just like I did with my neighbors in my past world and began to concentrate on the otherworldly energy that I owned…. That I was.
"*sigh*"
'Nothing matters except for it… Things only matter because of it…
It is what stops… It is what moves… It's what takes my energy… It is my energy… It is what shackles me… It is what frees me… It is what takes from me… it is what provides for me…'
"*sigh*"
A tingling sensation could have been felt in the air around me.
If Grodd hadn't been so stupid, he would have been able to stop me in my tracks as he would have sensed what I was doing.
"*Sigh*"
'It is everything away from me… It is everything near me… It is the tangible… It is the ethereal… I can not get lost… Because I have been found.'
"*Sigh*"
'It is in wrath… it is love… It is pain… it is warth… It is nothing… It is purpose… It is inside of me… for I am it.'
"*Sigh*"
'It is the fuel… it is the ignition… It is the beginning of starts… and the conclusion of endings…'
'It is me… and I am it… It is Omen… and we are one.'
"*Zip-Zap- Crackle-pop*"
"*SIGH*"
'Give me pain… So that I may have a strengthened resolve.'
"*Zip-Zap- Crackle-pop*"
With my every heartbeat, living electricity was birthed into the world I provided it with.
With my every heartbeat, youthful electricity imprinted upon my being like a child to a parent.
With my every heartbeat, loving electricity hugged me tightly as if begging me not to abandon it.
With my every heartbeat, attentive electricity heard my call and bowed its head to the floor.
With my every heartbeat, electricity itself bent to my will, recognizing its creator.
From my toes to my heels.
From my ankles to my shins.
From my knees to my hips.
From my belly to my chest.
From my neck to my scalp.
Fervency flowed through me.
"*SIGH*"
With that final breath, I opened my eyes with the clarity I always received after my Speed Mediation. I had repeated this habit of habitually meditating since the day I had awoken from my comma.
Speed Meditation was beneficial in a vast multitude of ways. Through this practice, I was able to get slowly faster over time without exercising my speed, I was able to heal from life-threatening wounds, and my mind felt like it expanded in the sense that any form of head fog disappeared. The only downside was that when my goal was aimless, I noticed that the low of my perception of time would get very wonky. Sometimes, I would speed hours in the lotus position, and other times days. Sometimes, it would only feel like those lengthy amounts of time passed, but in reality, I only spent a few seconds in meditation. Needless to say, the skill that I discovered was very quintessential in my growth.
The missing arms that were mangled stumps had regrown and pulsated with white and black electricity.
My once destroyed organs had convalesced.
My temper… It had returned.
"Even the time where you thought you slept… we were there."
"*Sizzle*"
Repairing my damaged suit with Speed Force Aura, I stood up and began to walk towards
Grodd.
"Huh?"
Finlay realizing what was happening, Grodd turned around in surprise.
"Wh-what?! How did you-"
"You stupid fucking monkey."
"*step-step-step-step-step*"
Rather than being fearful of my mending, Grodd instead looked intrigued with slight hints of frustration.
"You dare call me a monkey when you're a primitive species?"
"*Tsk*"
"The nerve. Just because you're able to mend yourself from your pitiful state, you have that level of confidence."
Walking over to his weapon wall, he tossed me a strange strange heavy spear that was slightly too large for my body.
I was by no means a weapon expert, though I intended to become one at a later date.
The spear that Grodd had tossed was almost twice my height.
"Use that as your weapon, human. Our weight difference is too great as separate species for this to be an even match."
"Did Thawne teach a monkey about chivalry?"
"My father has taught me a lot… apparently your's hasn't, seeing as you've continued to insult me even after I'd given you your only chance of defeating me. The weapon you hold in your hands has the capability of piercing through my skin which has been genetically modified to be tougher than tungsten."
He looked at his palm then clenched his fist.
"Even before my modifications, I was far more stronger and durable than other members of my race due to the Particle accelerator."
"What makes you think that I need a weapon to kill you?"
"Simple. My genetic makeup."
"*Wosh*"
With a trail of blue electricity following him, Grodd closed the distance between him and me in an instant.
"Through your blood, my father and I have managed to conduct an alternative way of using the Speed Force. A loophole, if you will."
"*Wosh*"
Zipping back to his spot, he folded his arms behind his back with a smile.
"Not only am I able to utilize the Speed Force, but I am able to utilize it in ways that a primitive can't conceive in their wildest dreams."
Crossing my arms, he continued to boast.
"You're curious… It's understandable. Your feeble human mind is probably barely able to keep up with the speed at which I'm able to speak." Pacing back and forth, he gave another speech.
"Listen carefully, Human, for I am about to give you knowledge you would have never been able to receive in 1,000 lifetimes…"
"With the Speed Force, it doesn't simply allow a person to run fast. It allows them to think fast as well. With it, I'm able to absorb information faster than any computing device known to man. With my complex mind, mathematical equations become trivial. This includes 3x2(9YZ)4A… The formula which allowed me to arrive at the apex. What allowed me to further understand the Speed Force."
"Interesting…" I uttered.
"*tsk* It is… But it's wasted on you and your trivial sarcasm."
"Fuck you, monkey."
"Lookie here… A primitive being that lacks awareness and uses vulgarities when cornered in discourse. I have never seen that before."
"*tsk*"
"You most likely don't even realize how helpless you are yet. Allow me to toss you a cookie of knowledge."
Pointing up, Grood smiled.
"The humans above are being controlled by me as we speak. All of their actions, all of their combined rage… I've directed them to follow their darkest ambitions to destroy the society I plan on building upon."
"This was done by using the human, Roy Bivolo, as you may know. With my will alone, I can make them build me a temple, possibly a city if I saw fit. With my mind enhanced along with my body, there are no limits to my capabilities."
Twiddling the spear in my hands, I began to wonder just how long he would speak for.
"And one day… I'll be able to overthrow my father becoming leader of this world. Once that happens, I'll be able to evolve all of the inferiors."
"Is that what you're doing to the people in those tubes?"
"Percicley."
"And you plan on betraying Thawne?"
"The lump of flesh between your ears appears to be working. Impressive."
I sarcastically nodded to his insult.
"My betrayal is only natural… He himself is part of the unevolved. If my plans proceed smoothly, humans should be wiped off of the face of the planet in a minimum of 4 years. They need to be. You need to be. He needs to be."
"You and your people are a scourge. A virus mistakenly made by mother nature. Destruction or conversion will be the only cure."
'So… Thawne's not here, obviously. Nor is he listening. This bag of flesh and fur wouldn't be speaking so much otherwise…'
I knew that Grodd was the one who had been controlling the Metas and the others outside. To have better management of the situation, I needed to use his mind control abilities after I beat him to the verge of death.
"Monkey."
"What, Primitive?" He spat with hate in his words.
"It's time for you to shut your mouth, you banana-eating shit-slinging fuck. You've been senseless rambling for way too long and I'm getting tired of it."
"*Hmph*"
"You preservative devouring- war mongering- dunce. To think that I considered pulling you into my ranks."
Taking off his crown and cape, Grodd rested his knuckles on the floor and hunched his back, preparing to charge me.
"*wosh*"
"RAAAAAAAA!"
Flinging himself in the air with blue lightning following behind him, Grodd jumped up 30 feet, ready to attack at a speed that rivaled my own.
As Grodd had been constantly underestimating me, from his perspective it looked as if I couldn't react to his speed. This very much wasn't the case. Especially since I gained a new clarity.
Waiting for the exact moment he would land, I hopped a few feet to my right to dodge the oncoming attack. This minor action had taken Grodd by surprise. Although he processed what was happening, he couldn't shift his body weight fast enough to cancel his attack.
Grodd's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, realizing his mistake. Before he adjusted himself accordingly, he had already landed on the ground and cratered the marble floors with his fist.
"*Boom*"
"Be quicker, dumbass."
I returned the same exact smile he had given me when I had been impaled.
"*SHLICK*"
Piercing through his thick forearm like butter, the spear was planted 5 feet into the base's floor.
"*ROAR!!!*"
Shrieking in agony, Grodd temporality lost composure.
Focusing almost all of my energy on my right leg, I pivoted off of my left to give Grodd a 12,400 mile per hour roundhouse kick directly at the bridge of his nose.
"*crunch*"
I could hear the sound of his cartilage liquifying underneath the pressure of my heel.
The force that I added was so strong that all dust in the vicinity lifted off of the ground and danced to the movement of my gale winds. In slow motion, his left forearm that had been pinned down divided in two creating a volcano of blood that splattered all over our bodies.
As I completed my rotation, Grodd was sent flying at such a velocity that it looked as if he was transmuted into a red, pink, and blue fireball that destroyed anything and everything in its path.
"*BOOM!*"
"..."
This was my first opportunity to exert my strength to its fullest potential.
I didn't even have the opportunity to do this in my earlier battle with King Shark.
For a few moments, I just watched as his body shrank more and more due to distance.
His durability was not to be underestimated.
"..."
'Honestly… I didn't think he'd go flyings so fa-.'
Before I could finish my internal thought, the ball of fare was already making its way back to me and rapidly increased in size, too fast for me to respond.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
A fist the size of my chest had enveloped my entire body sending me hurling backward with the same strength I previously displayed.
"*BOOM!*"
Shrouded in flames and Speed Aura, I was hit harder than I had ever been hit in my life.
Even as my impact caused an explosion, this meant nothing because the momentum I was propelled with was at such an extreme that I was basically a Meta shovel that dug through the dirt like a hot knife through room temperature butter.
"*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM*" My body melted steel pipes responsible for connecting to the main sewer lines causing wastewater to wash over my body.
Embedded into tunnel walls, I began to realize that if this fight continued, Central City would be torn apart by sinkholes.
The battle between Grodd and I was far too intense.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
After finally being able to gain my bearings, I ran back to Grodd's base with him welcoming me with a smile. What I hadn't realized is that I shared the same expression as him.
"HAHAHAHA!" Grodd laughed even harder than he did originally.
"HUMAN! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE FAR LESS DULL THAN WHAT I TOOK YOU FOR!"
His chuckle could burst eardrums.
"And you're a lot more durable than I realized."
Grodd was mending his fingers that had been severed by my prior strike through means of the Speed Force.
"That costume… I should have realized it sooner… It's a Speed Force construct."
He asked after finally calming down.
"Right on the money."
"And here I was underestimating you. Perhaps you were right about my ramblings."
His hand was now completely healed along with his nose which was once non-existent.
"Looks like your clothes are a Speed Force construct as well, seeing as they're regenerating after that kick."
"Of course they are. Speed Force aura is quintessential… Isn't it?"
"Yeah… we would have both died just then without it."
"You have surprised me… to know how to circulate aura at that level… either you are inherently in tune with the Speed Force or you are more intelligent than you let on."
"I'm an idiot who just gets lucky sometimes."
"You must take me for one if you expect me to believe that."
"Believe what you want, monkey… I assume you realize what's going to happen if we continue to fight at this level, Right?"
"Yes… I am aware of the dangers. Although I am letting the children run amuck upstairs, I do plan on converting the primitive into the evolved after father is dealt with… Where do you want your resting place to be?"
"You know… you keep calling us primitive but your kind hasn't even broken into the stone-age yet."
"I call your kind primitive because of their treatment towards one another. My kind has never been suppressed or enslaved by their own, even though the large majority of us haven't advanced for the time being. That will change with time, and I guarantee you, we will hold the same sentiment towards one another, while the same can't be said about your people. We have always and will always see one another as equal while your people… Well, let's just say that 200 years ago, you and I would have both been thrown into cages due to our outward appearances."
"Someone's read a history book."
I stated condescending.
"Know your enemy."
Grodd retorted.
I couldn't deny his statement.
"*sigh*"
"Going back to your question, I think it's fitting to have your funeral in a desert in the middle of nowhere. I think it'll be poetic." I added.
"Oh? How does one as mentally inept as you arrive at such a conclusion?"
"Well, when I kill you and it becomes your final resting place, it'll be like a representation of your ambitions and life, for that matter. Burdensome, devoid, and dry."
"HA! Just like your wit. Go ahead, and guide the path."
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
***
"Dad!" Barry screamed with tears running down his face.
"Don't leave me. Stay with me. please!?"
Before him lay the cold dead body of HenryAllen in a gray Iron Heights jumpsuit.
"Barry-Barry-Barry…"
The man in the yellow suit had finally revealed his true identity.
"It really is a shame that you forced my hand."
The man that was formerly known as Harrison Wells stated while clicking his tongue.
Barry looked at the man known as Eobard Thawne with rage-filled eyes.
"Why? Why did you do this!? What could I have possibly done to you for you to take things this far? You killed my mother, and now you just took away the only parent I have left…Just… why?"
His eyes were puffy while his face was battered and bruised. His costume was torn into shreds while parts of his body were exposed to the elements.
3 of his ribs were broken along with his left leg.
He laid his head on his father's chest as if trying to feel a pulse that was no longer there. How could it have been beating when his heart had been ripped out and was currently being held in Thawne's left hand.
"*Tsk-tsk-tsk*"
"How pathetic."
Eobard frowned.
He, Barry, an unconscious Caitlin Snow and Felicity Smoke, and a motionless Francisco Ramone all were occupants of the Particle Accelerator tunnel.
"The you of the future would have never been reduced to such a pathetic state… Then again, I didn't kill his mommy and daddy…"
"Even so, I did kill a majority of his friends though. Yet, he still remained standing tall."
Thawne smiled while putting his free hand on a strange translucent orb-looking device that had a chair interior.
"Why!!!!" This time, Barry screamed slamming his fractured fist on the floor without concern for pain.
Thawne grinned and dropped Henry's heart on the floor and stomped on it causing it to burst.
"Give me a reason!"
Barry shook with anger. He was on the verge of losing all sanity and exploding on Eobard, not caring about his broken body.
Eobard approached Barry slowly and crouched down to him at eye level.
"I guess it's the least I can give you after you so graciously gave me your speed…" He said with a smile.
"15 years ago, Nora Allen was killed by my very own hands. But she wasn't my initial target…my original target was you."
"…"
With hatred now in his heart, Barry gritted his teeth intensely.
"Why was my goal to kill you, you may be wondering… That's a little more complex of an answer."
"Why…"
"Well, the short answer is, I hate you. More than anything."
"…"
"The long answer is, I hate the man you'll become in the future."
Confusion was riddled all over Barry's face which only caused further amusement within Thawne.
"Oh… you don't know yet, but with the Speed Force, the impossible is possible. The unachievable becomes archivable. Man revives the powers of a god… Time becomes an option… with it, one can access different parts at any point.
It's something that you of this timeline will never experience in its full potential… Anyway, your future self… He's a bad bad man. A very bad man who does very bad things to me eventually… things you will never get the chance to do."
"He was the only adversary who got in the way of my plans time after time after time after time. He endlessly meddled in my affairs which only strengthened my hatred for him more and more as time went on… so, one day, I got fed up. I was equipped with the Speed Force, and I could fix any problem that needed a solution. You being a major one."
"…"
"Traveling all the way back to march 18th 2000, I had a plan of killing you in your infancy…bet you'll never guess who got in my way."
"Me…" Barry whispered.
"Bingo. It was in fact you, Mr. Allen. It was in fact you… the you of the future had followed me like a wild bloodhound to your childhood home. When he arrived, he and I got into a heated débâcle and the scene that traumatizes you that you speak of so often transpired… I tried to stab you, but you had a guardian angel on your side… so I took the next best thing, your mother who you love so dearly."
"Technically, Barry. It's your fault that your mother is dead."
"I mean, think about it… if it weren't for you, none of this would have ever happened. Your mom and father wouldn't have died."
***
Grodd and I zoomed through city after city, state after state. In only 5 minutes, we arrived at the largest US desert located in the state of Nevada.
The moonlight danced upon Grodd's fur while it was absorbed by my armor. A soft wind swept the sand over our feet as we stood 5 meters away from each other.
"The Great Basin… what beautiful scenery."
Grodd stated while staring up at the peaceful and glimmering night sky.
There wasn't any bleed from city lights to shroud our vision. There were no civilians jeopardizing their lives by being in our vicinity. There were no buildings that were at risk of being demolished. There was just the wind, one man, and one ape for miles upon miles.
"Yeah…"
"…"
"…"
"Without the interruption of human civilization, the world could achieve this level of peace."
"Possibly."
"Mmm."
Grodd then turned to look at me while changing his body language.
"You and few others are obstacles that stand in the way of prosperity… defeating you will lead the world one step closer to evolution. A step that I will be taking."
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
Like rounds to a rail gun, Grodd and I ran towards each other with sonic booms following behind.
"*BOOM*"
Instantaneously, our fists collided in a battle of attrition.
From the sheer force of our knuckles punding, the sand floors beneath us were cratered, making it appear as if a bomb had exploded.
"*pfff*" Pushing off of one another, Grodd and I slid back like cars that were drifting.
At a distance, we bang to circle around the circumference of the crater, sizing each other up, both surprised by the opposing side's power.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
Running back at each other, Grodd made a chopping motion with his hand that was aimed at my head. Of course, his arm had been vibrating, making his hand a destructive blade. With an energetic flip, I avoided his slash and got behind him, hitting the back of his head with a back deadly elbow that cast him forward, seeming as though he was about to faceplant into the ground.
Unfortunately for me, this wasn't the case because as he fell forward, he caught himself with his outstretched arms, kicking the top of my head with an upside-down ax kick that had the capability of breaking necks and shattering skulls.
Realizing what was happening, with my back still turned, I leaned forward kicking his spinal cord with the poise of an MMA fighter.
Losing his balance, Grodd plopped down on his belly on all fours.
Deciding not to stay on the ground for long, he ran at me like the primal animal he was and tackled me to the ground.
Sitting atop my chest with his thousands of pounds, I was rendered immobile.
Pulling back his arms for a punch meant to take my head off, I vibrated my body, falling through the ground in order to free myself of impending doom.
While my body was embedded inside the ground, I could sense Grodd's precise location. Phasing my hands to the surface, I grabbed one of Grodd's legs, dragging him underground.
"*poof*"
Quickly popping back up to a surprising gorilla head, I readied myself to use his head like a football.
With enough energy pumping through my leg to cause a building to crumble, I attacked Grood with a hypersonic kick.
The moment my foot was about to make contact with his head, as if his head had turned into a hologram, my leg phased through him.
With the excess momentum of the hypersonic kick, I flipped 720 degrees in the air, landing in a running position while I stared directly into the eyes of the Super Gorilla who smiled as if he was enjoying himself.
Then, before I could attack him once more, he copied my method of escape by falling deeper into the earth.
"*poof*"
A few feet away, I saw an eruption of sand in the air as if a pocket of air had just burst.
"*poof*"
Turning around, there was another eruption behind me.
"*poof*"
"*poof*"
"*poof*"
"*poof*"
As if he was playing a life or death game of whack a mole, Grodd continued to make disruptions in the sand as if taunting me to find him.
It was then that I decided to do something drastic.
Squatting to the floor, I let the Speed Force coil my muscles.
"*Waft*"
Flying into the atmosphere, I began to rotate on a Z-axis at incredulous speeds. To anyone observing, I would have been easily mistaken for a flying saucer.
"*BOOOOOOM*"
Landing on the earth below, all of my nearby surroundings were launched into the air revealing the mole-gorilla hybrid who had a troubled expression on his face.
Not wanting me to have enough time to react, Grodd used his telekinesis to conglomerate the ambient sand that floated in the air to one location. That being, my body in an attempt to encapsulate me in a sand cocoon.
Quickly catching on to what he was doing, I phased through all of the sand he was controlling and launched a powerful jumping knee towards his head, which he blocked by forming the shape of an X with his forearms.
"*Crack*"
I could hear the breaking bones in his body crying out to me, informing me that their owner was in pain.
My knee was so strong that it sent Grodd flying backward once more.
Not allowing him to catch his breath, I sped in his direction preparing for an all-out assault.
As his body floated in the air, I ran beside him, giving him a volley of punches comparable to bullets of a fighter jet.
"*pow-pow-pow-pow*"
The sound of my continuous punches to his kidneys sounded like a sledgehammer hitting concrete at 3,000x speed.
"*pow-pow-pow-pow*"
Punching him 78 times in 1 second, he swung at me with his giant fist. But seeing as he still couldn't control his body while in the air, that prompted me to attack the side of his body.
"*pow-pow-pow-pow*"
"*pow-pow-pow-pow*"
This time landing 115 punches, Grodd finally succumbed to gravity, falling to the desert floor with internal hemorrhaging.
Even though I had done a significant amount of damage to him, by no means was he out for the count.
Quickly getting up, Grodd punched the ground so hard that for a moment, I lost my balance. In that brief moment, Grodd picked up a handful of sand and rushed towards me, grabbing me by my skull with the same hand, and slammed me into the ground with enough power to puncture 15 heavily armored tanks.
"*BOOM*"
Creating another divot in the earth, this time with my body, Grodd retreated a few feet as he coughed up blood.
Meanwhile, I was in the ditch he made, doing the exact same thing.
"*COUGH-COUGH*"
I could feel blood leaking down my back from my skull. Grodd had done a number... no... a few numbers on me. But the same could be said about reversing the situation.
Grodd was limped and fell over on his side. Not because he was finished, but because he needed a breather, just like myself.
"*Sigh*"
I got up and jogged out of the trench that I was in and plopped down on the floor. Seeing me do this, Grodd sat up and stared at me from a few feet away. Although he couldn't see it, both of our noses and mouths were bloodied.
Although we looked awful, we were healing at an extremely accelerated rate.
And just like that, A few moments passed and we were ready to go again.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
Our battle scene was something of a legend. Our lightning colors illuminated the night.
Swinging my left fist at his face, with a mythical dose of dexterity, he bent his body back 180 degrees, then sent his giant foot towards my head.
Before he could complete his kick, I wrapped my entire body around his massive leg and added to his trajectory, which made him lose balance while being lifted off of the ground and into the air, slamming into the sand food beneath us.
"*Boom*"
Grodd landing face-first onto the floor created sand erupted into the sky in a similar fashion to the reaction of vinegar and baking soda.
"*Swoosh*"
As I attempted to jump back a few feet to gain my bearings, for I was certain that Grodd had been slightly stunned, like splitting a waterfall, his right arm reached out grabbing my left leg and halted my momentum.
"*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM*"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
With herculean strength, he slammed my body from left to right with a brain-rattling battle cry that shook the earth.
While in incredible pain, I focalized my energy into my right palm.
"*ZAP*"
Throwing a bolt of lightning at Grodd's eye, he was sent tumbling backward.
"ARGH!"
His eye had exploded, leaking thick pink meaty fluid down his face.
Taking the opportunity to mend my broken bones together, I quickly ran to the still rolling Grodd and started to exert my destructive speed onto the environment itself.
"*WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH*"
Creating massive clouds of finely-grained sand into the air, I attempted to block his vision.
"*WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH*"
Creating a satisfactory sandblind, I then created two bolts of lightning in each hand and hurled them at Grodd's last known location.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
Like a machine gun, I kept firing bolts.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
As I threw more lightning, the sand in the air dissipated, revealing a field of blinding and reflective glass as a result of me melting the surface of the battlefield. Because I threw the bolts with so much force, sand sprouted upward and melted on the spot which promptly converted the impacted vicinity into a deadly flash forest.
"Where is-"
Before I could finish my sentence, I had sensed his connection to the Speed Force too late. Before I could move, a gigantic ape fist emerged out of the ground like a rocket and slammed into my chin, launching me into the sky while shattering all of my teeth.
"Hahahahaha."
I laughed uncontrollably.
What was wrong with me? Was I actually enjoying the pain that I was receiving? Was it the thrill of finally having a battle worth my time? I didn't know the answer. All I knew was that the amount of adrenaline pumping through me was unreal and didn't aid at all with the pain I was feeling.
Stunned and disoriented, my vision was blurry.
Coating myself with Speed Aura, I prepared for what was coming next.
Being launched hundreds of feet into the air, I looked down only to see Grodd with blood leaking from his nose being propelled in the air like a bullet with a smirk on his face.
Predicting his next attack was going to be, I raised my arms above my head in defense.
Within a blink of an eye, Grodd was above me, ready to slam me back into the earth.
"*CRACK*"
"*BOOM*"
Splintering my bones, I was set ablaze as the oxygen around my body combusted.
I was sent down to earth like an angel being banished from the heavens and sent to hell."
"*BOOOOOM*"
Impacting the sand and shattering more bones, I watched my body sink into the sand in slow-motion.
As it did, the sand around me moved like waves in an ocean. Then, once the waves absorbed the excess energy that bled from my body, they superheated and momentarily turned into waves of magma that were capable of melting through my Speed Armor.
"Hahahahaha!"
There it was again... the twisted laugh that I had no hold over. Even though my skin was melting, I was filled with happiness and joy.
From the skies came down a Gorilla who had a trajectory that was crashing towards my body like a nuclear bomb.
Barely managing to come to my senses, I began to phase my body through the ground, falling through the earth to avoid what was to come.
"*BOOM*"
I heard and felt the impact of where Grodd once was.
Making myself slightly tangible while phasing, I climbed out of the hole I was in, miles away from Grodd who stood in the crater my body caused.
Rushing towards his direction, he realized almost instantly that I was on the assault once more. Getting into some type of martial arts stance, he readied himself.
"*ZAP-ZAP*"
Seeing two bolts of my white and black lightning heading in his direction, he dodged and weaved as if unbothered.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
Flowing like water, Grodd moved freakishly smoothly and elegantly for a creature of his size, as if he was made from plastic.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
I began to run circles around him, creating a tornado of sand, glass, and lightning.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
With the most minimal amount of movement, he made dodging a natural disaster look easy.
Running faster, I made the storm rage on harder and harder, massively increasing its size.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
Gaining more and more speed, the cyclone was arriving at the point of being a nationwide catastrophe, but I continued to run even harder.
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
As I continued to throw lightning and as I continued to build the size of my vortex, Grodd only smiled as if wordlessly saying whatever I was doing was futile.
"HA! This lightning won't stop me! The winds you're making won't even lift me! You will not defeat me! Especially with your little sparks, Omen!" He exclaimed while laughing intensely… but as I continued to run, he realized I had no intention of stopping.
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
'EF-13.'
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
'EF-16.'
Every cloud that had been in the sky moments ago was now apart from my wafts.
Because Grodd was in the eye of my storm, sed wafts didn't affect him, but that wasn't my goal. Once he realized this, it created visible confusion within him. Not allowing him the opportunity to analyze my plans, I distracted him with the increase of my voltage.
"Just because you throw more doesn't mean that they are more effective!" He said with his voice amplified through the Speed Force, but I didn't listen.
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
"*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP*"
'EF-20.'
"Why are you…"
All of a sudden, the hyper-intelligent Grodd realized what was happening.
The Cyclone that he was previously making fun of was now inconceivably large in size. So massive in fact that it would easily devour cities if I ceased to conduct it.
Another thing that Grodd had realized was that my tornado was on fire.
With all of the lightning I threw at the sand mixed into the storm, it had converted into a boiling hot magma vortex that glowed brightly as the sun and melted everything that came into contact with it.
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
Creating as much speed aura as I could, I began to surf my currents, running along the sides of the tornado like an ant crawling up a jar.
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
Running around its circumference, I began to make my way to the top of the maelstrom and started to close it like a lid.
"*WOSH-WOSH*"
Panicking, Grodd, began to phase into the ground.
"ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"
He screamed in agony as he realized I had created a pool of magma underneath the eye of the storm.
When I created the tornado, I knew for a fact that Grodd would eventually attempt to escape after sensing danger. So without him realizing it, while he was doing his lightning dance, I was creating a deep and deadly magma mote that he would have difficulty phasing through.
Using Speed Healing instead of continuously attempting escape, Grodd halted in place while I condensed the fire tornado which intensely increased in temperature.
As it started to get smaller and smaller, I noticed Grodd's body start to vibrate intensely once more.
'What's he...'
It looked as if he was splitting in two...No! He was!
I watched as Grodd took a few steps forward, leaving behind a perfect replica of himself. Then, I saw that replica replicated. Then again.
The process continued until there were 10 Grodds.
'What the hell is going on?'
I thought as I continued running. As this thought occurred, All 10 Grodds looked at me simultaneously.
"I didn't think I would have to use this on you... I thought I would have to save it for my father... but I guess it's time to show you what the Speed Force is truly capable of." (10x)
The Grodds stated all at the same time.
'Did he get his powers too?'
I had only seen one Metahuman with the ability to duplicate in this world, and I had capacitated him a few minutes ago. Did Thawne give Grodd his abilities as well? If that was the case, then I was in big trouble.
While theories ran rampant in my head, the Grodds began to run in the reverse of my fire tornado.
"Shit."
Originally, I intended on turning Grodd into a glass sculpture, but it looked like my plans would have to change very soon.
Halting the process of my running as a whole, I jumped off of my vortex and landed in a safe zone.
I needed to figure out a plan ASAP. I could see the wind speed of my vortex rapidly dwindling.
'10 of them... I can barely handle one of them, but now I have to fight 10...'
"*Sigh*"
Doing a few quick stretches, I sat down, onlooking my downfall... That was until Grodd's words rang through my head.
'Wait... What was the Speed Force capable of?'
A memory from my past life flashed into my mind.
It was the memory of a man who was able to duplicate himself by splitting his quantity of Speed Force energy, subsequently allowing him to be in two places at once. That person was known by the moniker, Godspeed. The person who I modeled my suit after.
It was at that moment that I realized my odds of winning had increased tenfold. Not only against Grodd but Thawne as well.
*WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH-WOSH*
After waiting 4 minutes and 36 seconds, the Grodds had Finally dismantled my trap and cooled off all of the magma in the area, converting it to more glass.
Staring at all of them from the sideline, they looked to be exhausted, which confused me.
How were they so tired, yet I was perfectly fine?
Not thinking about the topic any further, I had a theory to test. A Speed Force Theory.
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
Running up to one of the Grodds, I made sure to summon all of the Speed Force Aura I could and summoned a bolt of lightning in my hands.
"*Shlick*"
Piercing right through a Grodd's chest with a lightning spear, I forced my Speed force into its body creating a link between it and I before the others could react.
Once I felt that our bond had been intertwined, metally, I pictured the image of absorbing golden energy particles from it, into my own body.
As if I was drinking the waters of eternal youth, I felt years being added to my life. I felt all of my senses become amplified while I felt my mind had been enlightened, stronger than the enlightenment I felt in Speed Force meditation.
Absorbing the Grodd's energy, I felt as if a long-lost piece of me had returned after many years of departure.
"This... This feels right."
I mumbled as an overwhelming euphoria had taken over my body.
Drinking all of the energy I could until the tap ran dry, I realized that the other Grodds had looks of horror in their eyes.
All at once, their flight instincts kicked.
"No..." (9x)
The grodds uttered in fear as their other had just been devoured without a trace.
"*Wosh!*"
Sticking my lightning spear into the next one, I repeated the same process, but unlike the first time, the second's absorption rate was far quicker.
"This... is delicious."
I had no other way to describe it. In fact, there were probably no ways to describe stealing speed.
"STOP IT, HUMAN!" (8x)
At once, all the Grodds attempted to pounce on me, but they had gotten significantly slower, while the opposite happened to me.
Dodging their attack, I condensed my bolt of lightning and extended it, impaling two monkeys at the same time.
"*SIGH*"
I finally felt like I could breathe after a long life of never experiencing what oxygen was.
The Grodds all fell to the ground and started to vibrate intensely as if they were beginning to lose structural integrity.
Like magnates, the remainder of them began to clump together, but before they could, I slammed my spear into another one of their heads, returning their Speed Force to its rightful owner.... me.
"*Buzzz*"
Grood had finally become one once more after I ate half of the entirety of his being.
"St-Stop! Stop this at once!"
"Why would I do that when I'm still hungry?"
"B-Because I'm more valuable alive than dead."
Fear wasn't a good look on the giant silverback... not a good look at all.
"Explain."
"You still need me to free the humans of my control. On top of that, you need me to put the convicts back in their cells."
"..."
Grabbing Grodd by his collar, I pulled his giant face towards mine and watched as his pupils shook in fear. Looking at him changed so drastically the moment his powers were taken away... It made me angry. Where was the arrogant silver-tongued monkey who pushed me to my limits a few minutes ago?
"What if I said that wasn't enough."
"Then I would say that I would help you in defeating my father as well. I'll hand you all the details necessary for your victory. I'll give you all information regarding his allies and data on his Speed Force capabilities."
"..."
"..."
Sweat was dripping down his face in panic.
From an ape king to a gorilla in peril. I had made Grodd fall to his knees.
"I want all that... and more."
"And you can have it. All you have to do is allow me freedom..."
"Alright... Let's go back to your base."
"*KRAKAKAKOOM!*"
