132

[ ]

"What're you talking about?" Oliver questioned, staring right at Clark.

"Clark, it's us." I spoke up, "Barry and Oliver."

"Oh, I know who you are." He stepped closer, "Your confusion lies with me."

"Deegan." Oliver put it together, "The Monitor gave you the book back?"

"And showed me how to really use it." He chuckled.

"You can't just write yourself as a hero." I call out, "It doesn't work that way."

"Doesn't it, though?" He questioned, "You were struck by lightning. I was given the book by a higher power. Both random acts of chance. But this, this is my destiny. So much more than becoming the Flash was ever yours."

"People don't become heroes because of circumstance." My jaw clenched, "They become heroes in spite of circumstance."

"You're just a cheap knockoff." Oliver comments, just to piss him off.

"Oh, I'm anything but cheap." He scoffed, "And just wait till you see what other fun changes I've made. To your family, your friends. There is no safe harbor for you."

"This is no longer your world." The lasers shot out of his eyes, hitting the crane behind us, then stomping on the ground, sending us flying back, "It's mine!"

"Hey-" Oliver looked down at the gun between us, muttering, "I have an idea."

I nod, passing him the gun, stumbling to my feet with him, as he aimed the gun right at Deegan.

"Idiot, I'm bulletproof." The words seethed through his mouths due to what he thought was Oliver's stupidity.

"I know." Oliver shot the wires, the crane leaning back and forth, ready to fall onto a group of people many feet away from us, screams of fear leaving their mouths.

I swallow, "You wanna be Earth's hero? Save the children or stop us."

"Your choice, Superman." Oliver exclaimed, Deegan letting out a huff through his nose, flying off to go catch the crane from hurting those people.

Oliver and I took this as our chance to run for it, as we did, slowly stopping at some alley, hiding behind a truck, as I swallowed back a gag, my voice dropping heavy, "Being bad makes me feel bad, man."

"The crane gag was harmless." Oliver breathes, looking around for cops, "It would've landed in an empty parking lot."

"Still, man. I don't know. Just doing something like that on purpose,-" I could barely hold myself up, as I gagged, "I think- I'm gonna puke."

"I-" I gag, only to swallow back once more at the sounds of police sirens, police cars rushing right past us, "No, I'm okay, I'm okay."

"We need to find out how extensive this reality-change is, and we need to get off the streets." Oliver pats my back, then starts to run the opposite direction the cop cars went in, "Come on."

"I can't get anything coming up, I can't-" I follow him, retching, "Wait up, I have a plan-"

-

"Okay, we get Cisco, breach to Earth-38, find real Superman." I instruct as we walked up the steps in the building.

"That's the plan." Oliver nods, following me.

"As long as this Cisco's willing to help us. The last alternate version of Cisco I met was not super-helpful." We come to a stop in front of what was Cisco's apartment, 1A, "Who knows how he's been rewritten this time?"

I open the door, stepping inside with Oliver, only to be knocked into something that wasn't Cisco Ramon's apartment. We stood on some sort of silver platform, space surrounding us, the Monitor stood in front of us, "Gentlemen. It's time we talked about your destiny."

"Must confess my interest is piqued. You possess neither power nor abilities, yet still managed to outwit an opponent with the powers of a super man." He exclaimed, looking at us.

I spoke up not so relevantly, "It's just one word- Superman."

"What is this?" Oliver questioned, "If you're testing us, then let us get back to it."

"Oliver Queen, a man who channels his hubris and anger and calls it strength." Monitor stepped closer, "Are you truly that eager to die?"

"No, not eager." The Monitor tried to read off his facial expression, "But willing, ready to. Good. There might be hope for this universe yet."

I inhale, "If that's supposed to be a pep talk, I've had better."

"Self-sacrifice alone will not see you through this trial. Survival will only be found by knowing your true self, or this world will be doomed, like all the others." The Monitor stares right at me as he spoke.

"Okay, that's enough." Oliver fixed his jacket, and suddenly, we were right back outside of the door of the apartment.

"Well, that was very glass-half-empty." I breathed out.

"We need to find Cisco." Oliver told me.

"Okay, well, if us good guys are bad guys, stands to reason that our good-guy friend is now a bad guy-" I trail off.

"Sure. You're CCPD." Oliver mentioned, "Where do criminals hang out in this city?"

-

The strong aroma of alcohol filled my scent as Oliver and I walked through the bar, people slowly backing away from us as I mutter to Oliver, "Are they all afraid of us?"

"Go with it." He mutters back, as we continued to make our way through.

"This is a terrible idea." I look at him.

He looks at me, "You keep saying that."

"And yet, here we are anyway." I roll my eyes.

"We need allies and resources." He mutters to me as we get to the front, the bartender looking right up at us.

He scoffs in delight, "Oh, my God, the Trigger Twins."

A smirk takes up my lips, as he laughs shamefully, "Sorry, I'm just a huge fan of your criminal history. You guys are my heroes. Well, not heroes. Legends."

"Did you just say the Trigger Twins?" An all too familiar voice fills my ears, the sound of heels coming closer catches my eye, my wife, Zee Allen, walking right behind the counter, stood next to the bartender.

She was dressed in something I would never see her wear now. Her hair was curled and medium length, matte dark red lipstick painted perfectly on her lips, a slim cropped black v neck shirt on her upper body, cleavage slightly out, her hands in the pockets of the well fitted black cargo pants, a circle chain belt locked in the belt loop, her belly button piercing glistening in the light, black heeled ankle boots on her feet to finish the look.

"Oh man-" I mutter, eyeing her, Oliver stood next to me, in complete shock.

Her eyebrow arched, a smirk falling onto her red lips, her eyes glued to me, "Damn."

The bartender looked at her, "Seriously? The Trigger Twins come into your bar and the first thing you do is check one of them out?"

Oliver clears his throat, as I pursed my lips hard to hold back a smirk, my eyes repeatedly raking up and down her.