Ch - 69 Green Arrow?

Just a few minutes after Barry left S.T.A.R. Labs to meet Iris as the Flash, Cisco, who had tapped into police communication channels, received intel about a police operation targeting the metahuman responsible for the bank robbery and the chaos caused by manipulating people's emotions. Upon hearing this, Swayam, who had been chatting with Caitlin, donned his Shadow superhero suit and quickly left the lab to get to the operation site in time and prevent the CCPD from falling victim to the metahuman's abilities.

After Swayam's departure, Cisco also contacted Barry, who was at CC Jitters having a conversation with Iris in his Flash suit. "Barry, you there?"

Barry, annoyed by the interruption, responded irritably, "What? What happened?"

Ignoring Barry's tone, Cisco quickly explained, "The police got a ping from the tracer hidden in the stolen cash. SWAT's closing in on the 1600 block of Pass. Sam's already on his way. You need to hurry."

***

When Swayam arrived at the 1600 block of Pass, he saw that the SWAT team had already begun preparations to ambush the metahuman.

Once the team was ready, they launched their operation, surrounding the area and moving in simultaneously.

Swayam didn't intervene immediately or capture the metahuman on his own because he knew that whenever Joe was involved in an operation, especially against metahumans, Barry would come to the rescue if Joe's life was in danger. He also had concerns that the metahuman's powers might affect him as well, potentially causing him to go on a rampage. If that happened, his cover would be blown, and Eobard Thawne would make him a primary target for elimination.

Despite his hesitation, Swayam couldn't stand idly by while the SWAT team and Joe were in danger, so he followed them from the shadows, ready to intervene if necessary.

While hiding in the shadows, Swayam noticed someone else lurking nearby—Oliver Queen, the billionaire-turned-archer superhero of Starling City, the Green Arrow. Swayam recognized him from the CW's *Arrow* show in his previous world, but he couldn't just approach him. They hadn't been formally introduced, and Oliver was known to be as paranoid as Bruce Wayne/Batman across the multiverse.

As Swayam considered his next move, the operation took a turn for the worse. The SWAT team ordered the metahuman to turn around slowly with his hands up, but they failed to notice his glowing red eyes. Certo, the SWAT officer who approached the metahuman to handcuff him, made eye contact and was immediately affected by the metahuman's powers.

Just as Certo, now under the metahuman's influence, raised his shotgun to fire at Joe and the other SWAT members, Swayam leaped into action. He jumped from his hidden perch and placed himself between Certo and Joe, taking the shotgun blast head-on with his impenetrable body.

If someone like Barry or Oliver had been in Swayam's position, they wouldn't have been able to withstand the shot. However, Barry and Oliver, unrestrained by the need to conceal their abilities, would have saved Joe and the SWAT team in their own ways.

As the unspoken task of rescuing the SWAT team members was divided among the three heroes, Barry, who had just arrived, perceived everything in his accelerated state. Knowing how tough Swayam's body was, Barry trusted that Swayam could handle the gunfire.

With their roles clearly defined, Swayam became the team's shield, protecting them from further harm. Oliver, meanwhile, took an offensive approach, firing arrows from a distance at the metahuman. Barry, seeing that the others had things under control, focused on relocating the SWAT members to safety at superspeed. Once the SWAT team was safe, Barry returned to the scene where Swayam and Oliver were cautiously observing the metahuman from a distance.

Rather than using his superspeed to apprehend the metahuman immediately, Barry approached the other two heroes, confused. "Umm, guys? What are you doing?"

Hearing the familiarity in Barry's voice when addressing the masked individual in front of him, Oliver relaxed slightly. Barry's words made it clear that the masked figure was an ally, not an enemy.

But instead of addressing Barry's question, Oliver remained focused on the situation. With a commanding tone, he replied, "We don't have time for chit-chat, Barry. The metahuman who controlled that SWAT officer is getting away. From what I've observed, he only manages to take control when someone makes eye contact with him. Now's our chance to capture him. Use your speed to handcuff him and blindfold him before he can affect anyone else."