chapter 1

"… please check your bags, the train will be arriving to Starling City within the hour."

I woke up in shock, covered in sweat, from what felt like a nightmare.

Flashes only – darkness, followed by a light, maybe a gate… a pale woman dressed in black, a girl with crazy hair and madness in her eyes… a man with a weird book in chains, shaking his head in annoyance… a few other figures behind them as well.

A strange being wearing a mask with multiple faces circling his head.

A wall in what appeared to be space made of some strange stone, with faces and bodies making it up, almost like they were guarding something.

A kaleidoscope show as I fell down a tunnel, floating through some storm, whispers in my ear.

Finally, a glowing hand reached out to me and… nothing.

I looked around, realized I was sitting in an empty booth on a moving train.

Trains were still a thing?

No one paid attention to my panicked awakening. Granted, most were busy doing things, like reading or working on their laptops.

My hand went to my forehead, wiping off the sweat.

Panic again – not my hair. Too short and spiky. I had longer hair, smoother.

Checked my hand – not mine either. Wrong calluses, fingers too long. Nails weren't chewed due to nervous tick.

Noticed the smell as well. Reminded me too much of a hospital room, what with the antiseptics and chemicals.

Looked down - clothing choices off as well. Too bright, I preferred neutral colors.

Wait – Starling City? Shit…

Hand in the left pocket – thank god, still right-handed - and checked the ID.

Nice, wallet filled with cash. ID, ID,… Found it.

Bartholomew Henry Allen.

Shit.

Noticed the face – I look like Grant Gustin.

Except I have blond hair and blues eyes.

Not the worst combination – definitely a plus in my corner. I wasn't a looker before.

Really odd when on Grant's face. Fits the comic book character though.

Wait, comic?

I checked the phone. No Apple logo – Wayne Tech. Huh, made sense. Is Steve Jobs still a thing though? What about Pixar?

Pin in the thought: did I override Barry or is this reincarnation?

As if on command, a memory dump of Barry's life went through my head.

Huh – I know chemistry and criminology now. Cool.

Must be what Neo felt like. Thank God Matrix is still a thing here.

Damn, was Barry a beta personality? Maybe becoming a hero gave him the personality boost he needed.

Popular culture mostly same here compared to back home. Big shots were still around. Thank God Kubrick and Spielberg were universal.

Stephenie Meyer is also around. What is she, death proof like her sparkling emo vampires?

The good TV shows and cartoons were also present, so plus in that corner. Don't think I can get rid of my addiction just yet.

Damn, no "West Wing" in this Universe. More seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" though. Got to remember to check what other differences there are.

Huh… Metropolis is in this universe. Not Arrow-verse then. Got to be careful then. I never bothered reading comics or paying attention to names. Big shots I knew, but small details and timeline? Not so much.

I blame the cartoons – they were more entertaining.

Shows were okay.

On the other hand, no legal issues about using all of the Justice League.

Superman has been active for slightly longer then Arrow. Means Supergirl is maybe a year or two away. Math works – alien invasion crossover was three seasons later for Arrow and Supergirl had to be active for a while before that.

Can't visit though, Manhunter would be an issue. How the hell do you explain this to an alien? Actually, is Manhunter in this reality? I mean, it looks like Arrow-verse, but could it be more in line with comic and cartoons where John is captured and experimented? Questions for later.

Oh, got to remember that aliens are the norm in certain parts then – unless it's different here. Damn, and here I thought I would find an alien bar in Central City.

On the other hand – meta aliens. Can that even happen? Sure, some aliens weren't exactly humanoid, but DNA is DNA and it's not like dark matter cares.

No Batman, however. Or is it?

Quick Google search for Gotham – yep, suspected sightings, but Harvey Dent is still DA. So before the timeline of the cartoon then, but he is active.

Is it weird Google is multiversal?

Don't care. Just be glad it exists. Maybe I should invest in Bruce's company then.

Okay, priority check. I am Barry now – memories, warts and all.

Thank god he wasn't a virgin before Iris.

That would have been disturbing.

More active in college then I expected though. Guess innocent, clumsy, and friendly does get you laid, even if you aren't the girl next door type.

And, eww. Yeah, that's changing right off the bat. How in the right mind did he not realize how weird it was to fall in love with your sister? I mean, sure, no blood shared but still. It reeks of incest and makes Barry look like a stalker.

Which he was – he found her diary more then once – if we consider his photo collection. Thank god they were all innocent family and friend gatherings only.

Got to remember to get rid of the unnecessary ones.

Thank god that's not going to be an issue. Always felt like she was a Mary Sue.

Speaking of which…

Is Oliver dating Felicity yet? She dated him after Palmer, which was post Season 3. She even lived with him for some time when Season 4 started…

I get that this isn't the Arrow-verse but yeah, not letting Oliver stick his dick in crazy.

If crazy is defined as a hypocritical, commanding, inconsistent, ungrateful, and basically, undeserving person.

Suck on that Oliver-Felicity shippers!

Seriously, Oliver should have smacked her down hard every time she questioned his command or went against his orders or behind his back. He was in charge, damn it.

Unnecessary drama indeed.

Granted, Diggle and others didn't say anything either, but I think they were following his lead.

Still, anyone is better than Felicity. Hell, even Nyssa was a better option. Or even Mr. Terrific – he was literally one of the smartest men on the planet in the cartoon.

I think he works for Queen Consolidated somewhere in tech. Damn my spotty memory.

Granted, I was hoping Oliver would end up with Laurel. Nothing against Sarah – just sticking to continuity. Not going to be playing Cupid though: the heart wants what the heart wants.

Plus, she belongs with the Legends.

Just as long as it's not Felicity.

Wonder if I can snag her X-axis bi-numeric algorithm before Waller does?

Waller…

If she's skinny in this reality, I have no chance.

If she's large and in charge like the cartoons… maybe. Was she manipulative and borderline lawful evil? Yes. But at least the cartoon one had damn good reasons and was redeemable. Say what you will about the government, but at times, a deterrent is needed.

If she's skinny? All bets are off. Either Oliver gets her or I do when I become the Flash.

Now there's a thought. What to do with Thawne?

Never understood why Eddie had to kill himself to end Eobard. Was vasectomy really not an option? I get it was a TV show, but still, practicality and pragmatism is a better option.

Jesus, I am depressing. How the hell am I going to pass off as the chipper Barry?

Oh wait, got all his memories, can fake it for now and transition with time. Panic over. Plus, I am just considering all the potential ramifications of me replacing the overly trusting Barry.

Again, damn depressing.

Still… S.T.A.R Labs… Fuck, Gideon! That future seeing A.I will show that Harrison Well's impersonator that I don't – wait a minute.

In the show, Gideon revealed that she was built by Barry. She even prioritized his commands over Eobard's. I wonder… is time affected by though and choices here or are there fixed points?

Damn it… I doubt Eobard will care who I end up with since he needs the Flash, not Barry Allen-West.

Still…

Okay, I'll just remember and convince myself to program Gideon in the future to not tell Eobard if the future has changed. Either it works, or it doesn't.

Does his memory change though? Savitar's did when Barry tried to erase his own ow shit…

Speed Force time machinations don't follow the usual laws of causality and effect. Eobard is exhibit A, B, and Z.

Wait… not speedster yet. Magic? Act of God? Either way, I am a ripple in the bond, but a ripple that won't affect the memory of other time travelers.

Could that work?

It would freak out Well's.

Wonder if Rip Hunter will make an earlier appearance?

Will Savitar appear who has the other Barry's memories and become confused with what is happening? Could always pass it off as an alternative reality.

Well's is probably watching me anyway, so he knows I am going to Starling City, meaning I will meet the Arrow.

I still become the Flash after I come back.

Is that weird of me? I am somehow Barry Allen, meaning either the old me died and reincarnated, or someone is screwing with me for shits and/or giggles.

DC Universe does have some OP beings in it… is it wrong that I want to meet Dream?

Did I meet Morpheus already? Oh my god, I AM NEO! This is the Matrix!

Neil Gaiman be damned, I want to see the Endless!

Okay, back paddle here.

It's season two of Arrow so Brother Blood and Slade.

Yeah, not touching that with a ten-foot pole.

I don't have Speed Force given abs yet. No way am I tough enough to mess with the Terminator of all people.

Although...

I wonder how much damage I can do to continuity in a few days.

Arrow Season 2 Episode 8 and 9 later…

I was running out of time – the irony not lost on me.

It was raining cats and dogs, Linda Park was on the news talking about the accelerator being turned on.

Wait, Linda Park. In the comics, she marries Wally West, the 'fastest' Flash. Does that still apply in this universe? Probably not for much longer. I mean, I am going to be the progenitor of the Flash legacy.

I checked, no Jay Garrick in this timeline. That's sad.

Anyway…

And I have planted so many seeds in Team Arrow that I amaze myself with how easy it was.

Let's recap.

For convenience sake.

No bragging, just facts.

Quick detour…

Cyrus Gold was still given Mirakuru and still died from chemical exposure. Whether or not he becomes Solomon Grundy is up to the universe.

Now for the important stuff.

I stuck to my charming personality and kept to the script as close as I could follow – with some exceptions – since while I now have Barry's 'super brain,' no way can I recall line for line what happened.

I am just not that kind of guy – seeing the good in people unconditionally. Oh, I can be a beacon of light to Oliver's darkness, but some people are just unredeemable and/or not worth keeping around.

Doesn't mean I am going to kill anyone though, that not practical or good for PR. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, Batman has a point: killing is the easy way out and makes us no better then the criminals heroes go to capture. Is the justice system flawed on some level? Yes. But it's the best thing we have to legally put away criminals.

Doesn't mean we can't get close to the line.

Breaking an arm is an excellent negative reinforcer. It heals with time if set correctly and if not completely shattered, and criminals at least get the warning that you can do worse. Others follow after hearing about your actions.

Hanging someone off the roof or threatening them with super strength is also a plus.

Crippling someone seems like a last resort.

By that logic, Oliver and Batman have the right idea, but such tactics don't work on the super-powered and insane.

I wonder how many people experience a crisis of faith or a philosophical debate whenever the death penalty came up regarding supervillains that weren't clinically insane.

It's the only reason I figure as to how Joker remained alive in the source material.

This requires more consideration. I don't want to kill just because someone is going to be a more significant threat in the future – this is a different universe.

I've already made some changes in any case.

Big change is that I didn't romance Felicity. Don't care who she went to the gala with, or if she went at all.

Took advantage of the extra time to look into Sebastian Blood.

Father Trigon was real but human – wonder if Raven still exists in this world.

Coincidence be damned, I am in a comic book universe.

Can't remember her human name – damn.

Google search showed that Constantine is around, so magic is real. Can I do magic? Again, questions for later.

Speed Force is a tricky thing, and magic is technically a manipulation of energy, albeit in shall we say, a supernatural way.

I don't know if the series made the characters dumber or something, but finding out about Sebastian's mother – or his 'aunt' – was suspiciously easy.

Back to the case.

Sebastian Blood got off surprisingly easy.

For anyone schooled in forensics and completely unbiased, it was ridiculously obvious. I mean, I get he was from the Glades, but seriously? It was a father, mother, and son in one room, and the father was killed from a low angle. Was it so hard to believe the son did it considering the rap sheet daddy dearest had? That and abused wives are rarely the ones to pull the trigger, as it were.

I say rarely because some do break the mold.

Kept the info on the side for now.

Used Barry's hidden hacking skills – and wasn't that a surprise - and with the help of Felicity's set up – which she gave the password too while she tried flirting with me – I managed to quickly backtrack Cyrus's travel history and find the Church of Blood.

Added that to the folder.

Remembered to call Barry's boss to use some of my sick days to explain why I wasn't working. Singh gave me some grief, but Barry saved up quite of a few of those, so he gave him slack since I did, in fact, call in.

Where was I?

Sneaking in? Much harder. Had to do it in daytime – no one expects to get robbed during the day. Apparently, neither did Brother Blood. I mean, who expects to find a hoard of bodies hidden underneath the Zandia Orphanage due to failed experiments?

I'm just surprised there weren't any cameras there either. Granted, I used the back door, but with Slade being so paranoid in the show, I figured he would have done something along those lines.

There was a guard or two, but my teenage years of playing RPG and assassination games paid off.

A stun gun helped. Didn't use it, but it felt comforting carrying it. Odd how Barry had a stun gun but no gun permit. Something to consider in the future. Would Batman have a hissy fit if he realized on his superhero associates was carrying? Granted, I was 'technically' a cop, so I doubt he would disagree.

The goons they used were thick as bricks. Didn't even need to exploit the 'no one looks up' glitch.

Trust me, it always works. Ninjas were just the first to exploit it.

Found their indoctrination room easily enough. Boy was there a lot of blood on the floor. Just how low was the survival rate for the drug? What is this, Orochimaru's laboratory?

Reference works, 'Naruto' exist in this universe.

Where was I? Oh, right.

I stole a rack of Mirakuru.

A whole fucking rack.

There were 12 bottles.

I hyperventilated all the way back to my motel room, carrying them all, making sure they didn't crack or break.

Bought a special foam case to carry them back afterward. Drank a few shots of scotch in a bar down the street while I had the chance. Super metabolism wasn't going to let me get drunk after the storm.

Still got called in to save Oliver. Didn't act like some start struck idiot, managed to impress Diggle and Oliver. Set off something fierce in Felicity. Guess she didn't like it when she wasn't the center of attention.

Convinced him to catch me up to speed with what was happening. Made some recommendations about layer defenses and trick arrows if Oliver didn't want to kill people anymore. Made the domino mask too – gave to him before I left.

He actually considered the foam and knockout arrows I suggested. Boxing glove – not so much.

Diggle did throw in the notion of a sonic arrow to compensate.

I 'conveniently' showed him the evidence I gathered regarding Blood. During his shock, I explained how I found odd crimes interesting – gave him Barry's backstory about his mom's murder and Dad's conviction – so we had a bro moment.

We even hugged it out.

Oliver is a really nice guy when you get through his thick exterior.

Had to explain how the appearance of the Hoods was odd, followed by some back timestamped bullshit, curiosity in the sudden rise of Sebastian, and bibbity bobbity boop, I give him my theory about who really killed his dad.

The Father Trigon rumors helped.

The look Oliver gave Felicity was beautiful. So much subtext, so little time to explain.

But I will.

To sum up, if I, a simple forensic scientist managed to deduce this with information by hacking public and police force records, why couldn't Felicity have done it sooner?

Finishing move? I asked why only Felicity could hack and use computers, causing Diggle to jokingly say that Oliver used to be good with computers in the beginning.

Seeds planted.

Add in Oliver hallucinating from my treatment and his attack on Brother Blood – he didn't voice his suspicions about his identity, thank god – and Oliver's psyche was ripe for planting.

Pump-action shotgun moment.

I asked him if he always let Felicity lead the missions or if it was a onetime thing since he needed the layout of the base.

Felicity wasn't in the room when I asked, but Diggle was. I left afterward, but I think the duo had a chat about it.

Met Roy and Thea by chance since I was invited to the mansion this time around. Saw a picture of Oliver's parents. Made a joke about Thea's dark hair and everyone's light hair.

Made sure their mom wasn't around.

Oliver smiled, but I saw the thought go through his head. His mom was already in cahoots with Malcolm during the Undertaking, and his parents' marriage was never stable and steady.

It would hurt Thea, but Oliver will always love her, and she had Roy.

Her mom – that was up to the wolves. Or Slade in this case. I don't think Oliver will have much trouble killing her off for Thea when Slade will give him the choice.

The realization that Malcolm was her father wasn't going to ruin Thea this time.

And the pièce de résistance

I was there when Oliver was talking about Mirakuru – I already had it my motel room at this point in time – but I kept my silence. I waited till he stopped hallucinating and right before I left to ask him who else knew about the drug. I didn't ask him what happened on the island – I didn't force him, plus he just got to trusting me – but I did point out that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

Ergo, I asked him who could have possibly survived to know about Mirakuru from his past.

It wasn't a long list.

I left him my phone number and email so that he could call me and just talk about his problems. Based on how much I already 'helped' him out with my fresh outlook, I think he will.

One train ride to Central City later and the pilot episode case began.

Gave Iris the same spiel Barry did regarding what the accelerator can do for the understanding of physics, where the fecal matter was found to Joe (Mardon brothers), and went to the S.T.A.R Labs presentation with Iris to help for her article.

Chatted with Iris, listened to Well's speech, spotted DeVoe…

Now there's a thought.

Nah, left him alone. He doesn't become an issue until four seasons later, and he only gets dangerous after he starts body-hopping.

Moving on.

Went to the precinct after I tried playing hero, saw Eddie Thawne, might have jokingly told Iris to ask him out, got a weird look from her afterward.

Guess she noticed me pushing her away.

I hope this doesn't turn into a case of her wanting me more just because I don't want her anymore.

And scene.

I didn't get a call from Felicity like in the show. She's probably getting the stink eye from Oliver and Diggle right about now. I entered my lab, noticing the wet floor and storm outside.

The news was playing, showing how the accelerator was about to be turned on.

Wait, I said that already, so I am back on track.

And in my hand, I had a vial of Mirakuru.

I managed to hide the rest of the vials in Barry's secret porn stash – the one Joe knew about was a decoy – and brought one with me here.

Noted that Barry's sexual tastes were rather… diverse.

It's always the quiet ones.

Anyway…

Comics always make it out that people becoming heroes was their destiny, so why couldn't I add Mirakuru to the Speed Force mix?

Not like Speed Force didn't already throw the rules of physics out the proverbial window. Plus, I was here for a reason.

And the power went out.

"Showtime."

With great gusto, I prepped the needle and inserted it but didn't push the solution in just yet. As soon as I saw the explosion, I injected myself and grabbed the chains to the ceiling windows, making sure to tie them around my arms.

Turns out, the show was underselling as to how painful it was.

My inside felt like they were on fire, blood boiling, head in a vice, tears of blood.

It was so bad that I didn't notice the chemical mixtures starting to levitate; all my focus was on me holding the chains.

And then the lightning struck, propelling me into the chemicals when it connected to me.

There are no words to describe the feeling.

It wasn't euphoria nor was it nirvana or something along the lines of enlightenment.