Chapter 3

"So… just so that we are clear," Oliver started off – rubbing his forehead due to an oncoming headache - after the tale I told him and the Team. "You were exposed to some exotic energies released by the particle accelerator exploding via a condensed form of it in the shape of a lightning bolt."

"Yes."

"Which gave you super-speed."

"Yes."

"By connecting you to some extra-dimensional cosmic energy source called the Speed Force."

"Yes."

"Which is the supposed source of power for all speedsters – past and future – and is potentially the source of velocity and movement, as well as the thing that powers space and time forward. Which technically means you are not so much a speedster but more of a conduit for energy which translates in this plane of existence as speed."

"Yes, but that is debatable, mainly because I am new to this and because I haven't started messing around with it. However, standard weaknesses that apply to normal superhuman individuals who accelerate themselves to superhuman levels don't apply to me. This is because my powers are regulated by the Speed Force, which protects me by producing an aura that prevents powerful and devastating winds from forming when I reach high enough speeds. It also prevents friction from adhering to me and air particles from bombarding me to death under said speeds. Think of it as me having the required secondary powers that everyone else lacks."

"Of course, of course [you could taste the sarcasm]. Said Speed Force is also governed by some god-tier being – or beings - and have guardians that make sure no one screws with time."

"Yes, and they are called Time Wraiths. Completely justifiable, mind you: screwing with time is a big no-no. There supposedly also a Grim Reaper-like being who comes to… collect us… when our time comes, but I'm not sure if he exists yet. You know, what with time not being linear and all wibbly-wobbly in there- or is it out here? In any case, when you add in the fact that I can also hypothetically travel between realities, Multiverse Theory starts throwing the whole 'messing with time' concept out the window if each reality doesn't necessarily have one distinct linear timeline to follow."

"And you know all of this because…"

"I think the Speed Force is connected to me on some subconscious level. Has to be since I have no Earthly way to explain how I know how to use my powers and what not. It… whispers things to me. Tells me secrets and stuff. Things I shouldn't know, and things that I will or would know, some which should NEVER be mentioned unless extreme circumstances are met. Some stuff I just know, and some I have to think about to recall - like looking something up on Google. All in all, pretty neat – think of it like working for some top-notch government think tank with super benefits but with a VERY strict confidentiality contract."

"Wait, wait…You can see the future?"

I smirked. I was going to need a good excuse to explain away some of the stuff I plan to do in the future with the information I have.

The Madam Xanadu ruse will work here spectacularly.

"I mean, in the grand scheme of things, if every choice creates a splintered reality to one degree or another, it can't be called seeing the future since I am only seeing one of infinite possible futures. I think it's more along the lines of being aware of all the possibilities and determining the most likely one by checking the odds, but yeah, it – them? they? sticking with it - tells me things from time to time if I ask nicely."

"Like what?"

I decided to embrace the opportunity presented fully. Tilting my head to the side like an owl and allowing the Speed Force to glow in my eyes, I looked at Oliver.

Scared the shit out of everyone else.

Worth it.

"Moira betrayed you thrice over long before she betrayed the city. Samantha Clayton and Koizumi Hadachi… that is all I can say."

I turned to Diggle since Lyla wasn't there. "Sara Diggle or John Diggle, Jr. Choose wisely."

Diggle chuckled at that before the weight of the message settled, and panic hit him full force.

Next was Sarah. "Even one that is Black can become White, but not at the price of Lazarus."

That got a reaction out of her. Clearly, her League training exposed her to the information regarding the Pit. That or she was nearly one of Ra's casualties during his 'episodes' due to his semi-frequent treatments.

Next was Roy. I wasn't sure if she was a thing here, but better safe than sorry. "Beware the smiling jade Cheshire, for she brings you nothing but chaos."

Hopefully, that's enough to avoid Jade Nguyen. I know Roy Harper and her hooking up lead to them having a kid, but he has Thea.

Speaking of which.

"Beware of Al Sa-her, for even the mind is not out of reach for his magic hands."

That clearly got everyone here on edge for one simple reason: they never told me Malcolm's codename when he was in the League of Assassins.

Sarah regained her wits first after considering the applications of my ability. "Is there anything else you are… allowed to know?"

Good. She gave me an opening. Maybe I can screw with them a bit.

I tilted my head to the other side.

"The Kiba no Hoko shall perish soon by the hands of the Bat."

Surprised me a little when both Sarah and Oliver reacted to that tidbit of info. Guess their teachers mentioned the 'Way of the Fang' in passing.

"The mechanical seeker of knowledge shall come to Earth soon, invited foolishly by the bald hypocrite, seeking to end the life of Metropolis's guardian."

That one was a little open to interpretation, but most prophecies usually are.

"The interest of Earth has risen in the galaxy. More and more visitors will come now, bringing with them whatever follows. But fear not, for the Guardians are watching and protecting."

Aliens are coming – not a big reveal.

"Someone's past shall come upon this city, for Brother Eye's betrayal will run deep. If you don't seek the aid of the Calculator's daughter, then search for Mr. Terrific during the time of charity."

Yeah, it turns out the Michael Holt of this reality was more in line with his comic counterpart than in the show. Don't recall if he was a freelance consultant-esque genius in the comics, but his wife and child have died already as did his disabled brother.

Don't know why they made him Curtis in the show, but he is as close to source material as he can get in this reality.

14 PH.D and all.

Yes, he has 14 Doctorates to his name.

Only third smartest man on the planet my ass.

Anyway…

"The Alpha and Omega shall combine once more, by the hands of Vitura shall events unfold."

A little up to debate since Malcolm doesn't have easy access to Thea to mind control her, but still possible.

The near catatonic look Oliver had confirmed he understood what I was talking about.

"Fear Cupid, for she has her eyes on the Arrow, and the Canary is in her way."

Carrie Cutter is still possible, and since Sarah is currently in a relationship with Oliver, it will be a catfight for the ages. Hopefully, the fact I said 'she' and not 'he' gives it away.

"Do not fear the A.T.O.M, for the knight that wears it is on the side of heroes if misguided by his nature."

Ray did get knighted by Queen Guinevere of Camelot, so it's a double whammy if Ray ever finds out what I said about him.

I noticed the confusion on everyone's face since they didn't hear the capitalization and didn't know Palmer yet.

"If the Demon's Head decides to come, then the Crescent Order's Lotus one should find. For only the cure to everlasting life shall guard against the killers' wrath."

Well, assassins are killers, but the Demon's Head reference gave it away to both Oliver and Sarah. Don't know if they know about the order, but hopefully, it's enough to satiate them… for now.

Still, I doubt that it will lead to Ra's death – too popular to die this early on.

"Vertigo, Vertigo, Vertigo… Just how many Counts are there to get my head so twisted and confused?"

This one was just for fun.

I checked, and it turns out that Princess Perdita of Vlatava was real, meaning that the 'DC Showcase: Green Arrow' may happen here.

Don't know who they will hire to assassinate her though.

Okay, I've given them enough to work with, time for the show stopper.

I turned suddenly – I was walking around in a trance before – looking directly at Team for this reveal, finger pointing ominously.

"Beware… Beware the Darhk man. The Heir to the Demon returns from hiding once more, his H.I.V.E at his beck and call. He has a Ghost at his command, one who is a wound for one of you. Seek out the occult dick when the time comes and not before, for only he knows how to stop his conquest."

That last line flew over people's head – for most of them. Oliver couldn't help but swear.

Oh yeah, he remembered Constantine.

To complete, I turned off the glowing eyes and staggered a bit. "Woah… that took a little out of me."

I even staggered into a chair to complete the illusion.

"That...was not fun…" I wheezed, whipping off the imaginary sweat out of my head. "Not doing that any time soon."

"Too tiring?" Roy asked in worry, looking pensive as if trying to recall if he ever met anyone in green that matched what I said.

Wrong version of green. But seeing as he works in a club named Verdant…

"No - just too much to see. You have to understand, even if the timelines don't necessarily work as advertised, just focusing on you lot gave me too many possibilities."

"How so?" Sarah inquired as she sat in the other chair. "And what do you mean not as advertised? You mentioned something about decision and multiverse, but that flew over my head."

Seeing the collective nods of everyone else, I decided to elaborate the best I could.

"Well… Do you know the basic premise of the Multiverse Theory? That for every decision there must be a reality where an opposite choice was made?"

Collective nods of understanding from everyone, even Thea.

"Well, while the Universe is infinite, the notion that every decision from every being from every corner of existence can be significant enough to warrant a whole other linear continuity is just ludicrous. Free will is one thing, but infinity – even in a hypothetical setting – is not a notion one ever wishes to push upon."

"So, what? Decisions don't matter in the whole scheme of things?" Diggle asked with amusement and undertone of worry.

I waved my hand side to side, "It is more reasonable to say that the truly insignificant decisions all coalesce back together into one string, kind of evening out and reducing on space. This is not to say that they completely merge - some MINOR difference do exist. However, there are situations where one minor change from one seemingly insignificant individual can have significant or even reality altering implications."

The team looked at each other warily, but Oliver picked up the baton. "Like what?"

"Well, real-life example? You killing Officer Daily would have created SIGNIFICANT differences, the least of which would be the city being significantly more destroyed."

"The LEAST of which?" Roy replied in shock. "The hell could have been worse?"

I gave him the 'haunted look,' "You don't want to know."

Thea raised her hands, "I think we are getting off topic here. The main thing we should be considering is - what now? What do we do with this?"

Everyone looked at each other, pondering the same thing.

Oliver gave me a look, and I just shrugged, "Allies who call on each other if a situation arises?"

"We stick to our towns?"

I smiled and put out my hand, "Deal."

Oliver shook on it, "Deal."

Sarah sighs, "Men."

Sometime later…

"Creator Barry?"

I looked up from the laptop monitor, "I thought we talked about this Gideon, just call me Barry."

"Forgive me, Barry, but I have a query?"

I moved away from the desk as I went to check his lab results on the Mirakuru I was testing. Being a forensic scientist in a police precinct had its benefits. "Shoot."

"Why have you asked me to monitor the 'creation' of villains but not do anything about it?"

I put down the beaker, "That's a rather loaded question but at the same time one that has a rather obvious answer."

"That being?"

"Free-will."

"Pardon? What does free will have to do with preventing the birth of super villains that can have devastating effects on their environment or world as a whole?"

That was a decent point… from a machine without a clear 'imaginary' understanding of the future.

The Barry that existed may have been good at coding and creating artificial intelligence, but the technological limitations of the time period would prevent Gideon from having the capability to 'think outside the box.'

"Okay, I guess I'll address the obvious elephant in the room: I don't want to mess with time."

Gideon's face - which was currently displayed on the monitor - looked at me in surprise. "But you have already…"

"Changed minor things. Altering small details people ignore as long as the main point is achieved? Sure. Preventing an individual from becoming a person who may or may not have a significant impact on the future as a whole? Yeah, no, not messing with that. Secondly, free-will is freedom of choice. Choices that people have made and will make again which define individuals. As such, knowing how they behave in the established future I can glean from what is available, I would rather keep things as close as possible to the original so that IF a situation arises where interference is necessary, I can plan and predict the outcome within reason. Does that satisfy your inquiry?"

Gideon looked conflicted. "That is… acceptable."

"You seem uncertain."

"These people still become - as labeled by the populace - supervillains, people who cause untold property damage and harm, even take lives of innocent civilians."

"As heartless and callous as it sounds, everyone dies eventually, and I can't save everyone. I also have no compunctions to play God and declare Death an enemy. But more importantly, can you honestly say that the villains that permeate the articles of news agencies are more dangerous than any other terrorist or individual who works from the shadows like Ra's al Ghul or Brother Blood?"

Gideon raised a brow. "Please elaborate."

I rolled back to the desk. "Certainly. Give me the recent supervillains that 'formed.'"

Gideon pulled up two news articles from Metropolis. "I have one Rudy Jones and John Corben…"

"Ah, Parasite and Metallo. Okay, they are supervillains in title only, never doing more than the minimum to maintain the titles. If anything, the two just happen to get the unfortunate luck-of-the-draw more than winding up in the roles."

Gideon paused, waiting for more.

"Okay, let's take Rudy first. Guy had one bad break after another, is convinced by Martin Lebeau to steal barrels of a purple chemical from the facility he works as a janitor for one reason or another. While transporting them in the back of a truck, the barrels weren't tied down and ultimately spill their contents all over Rudy and transform him into the Parasite, who nearly kills Lebeau with his new energy-draining abilities until Superman intervenes later on. Parasite then drains a substantial amount of energy from Superman and discovers that he got his powers, going on a citywide 'rampage' in a fit of somewhat joyful hysteria. Considering he was always looked down and 'stepped on' and now could suddenly do the 'stepping,' some childish glee – even if illegal – and rampage can be explained in his current state of psyche. Eventually, things happen and he gets arrested and locked in a room as a partial amnesiac, from which he has recovered and has not asked for anything more than some entertainment and meals."

"'Rampage' sir?"

I actually couldn't hide my anger from that. "How Louis Lane got away with that little lie is beyond me. If you look at the hard data from the days Rudy 'rampaged,' he did not kill anyone. Extensive property damage from his escapades and robberies - most covered by insurances and whatnot - as well as minor injuries from circumstances outside of his control within the sphere of events. If anything, Louis turned what most would consider a super-powered adult drunk or drugged out of his mind causing something akin to public indecency into what comes off as a possibly a deranged sociopath who enjoys carnage."

"That is not what is written…"

"But it is what is implied. The moment that the 'supervillain' label was written, she had reduced and stigmatized Rudy to a stereotype, one that he may never be able to escape from and that will force him to commit more heinous acts in the future because he will be convinced and forced by others to be so than out of free-will."

Gideon looked up the necessary files. "That… is what the future suggests."

I nodded. "Frankly, a good life coach and some meetings from a psychologist or two can turn him into a productive member of society since he has a chance at redemption."

"And John Corben?"

"Now he is a different story. He may be an unrepentant English criminal-for-hire, but you also have to remember that he was driven insane by the sensory deprivation induced by his android body, one which was specifically designed by Lex Luthor to combat Superman. The same Luthor who gave him the disease which caused Corben to seek out Luthor for treatment and led to his birth as Metallo. Yes, he is a villain, but one that can be significantly crippled if someone gives him another human body. Hell, he may even WILLINGLY surrender and turn himself in whenever he appears again just to gain a chance at normalcy."

"So… Metallo is a villain?"

"Yes, but not one by TRUE choice and one who can be rehabilitated in the best of circumstances, or at least defanged by the more technologically advanced and well hearted of individuals, such as Bruce Wayne," I concluded as I looked over the raw data from the chemical analyses of Mirakuru.

Gideon didn't ask anything for a long time after that, so I continued to work until she finally settled on a question.

"What do you consider a true villain then?"

"One who has absolutely no wish to repent or change their ways. Killing indiscriminately being the obvious prerequisite for a villain."

"Such as?"

"Well, personally? Top of my list would be the Joker."

Gideon nodded. "Agreed. You have made your point about him very clear. Is anyone in Arkham considered the same?"

"No, too many in Arkham are there for legitimate mental reasons that give them a CHANCE at redemption. Most, however, are just lucky they barely avoided the death penalty due to insanity."

And wasn't that a particular kick in the pants. You had to wonder how the hell someone like the Joker has avoided the chair or gas chamber so long since it existed in this universe.

Hell, when Clark Kent was 'killed' by a corrupt cop who framed someone else to the chamber, he got the chamber in turn when everything came to light. Clearly, the people in this reality aren't lax about sending someone to the gallows. Because seriously, unlike most of Batman's Rogues Gallery, the Joker has killed… A LOT… WITHOUT ANY REASON… OTHER THEN SHITS AND GIGGLES.

Really got to figure out where I stand in the future about that issue when questioned by the press.

Gideon's alarms went off. I looked in concern. "Something I should know?"

"Brainiac has betrayed Lex Luthor. He is currently flying his ship into the dessert…."

"To being gathering information on Earth to 'download.' Yes, I am aware of the details from your files," I stated as I got up and started to clean up my workspace speedily. "Now this here is an opportunity to make a change to the timeline without affecting it as a whole."

"I need your input here, Barry, for I don't see what kind of change can be made without affecting the timeline anymore then already…" Gideon started off before I interrupted.

"You have reports in which Superman stated that Brainiac had shown him a room full of information orbs of civilization he had 'downloaded,' right?"

"Affirmative."

"But the only one that Superman took was the one for Krypton - what about the rest? The ones lost when Brainiac's ship exploded?"

"They were… lost?" Gideon asked, having realized what I was planning.

"Fun fact – unless an account is specifically written about an event in the past, it is rather malleable to temporal shenanigans. While I doubt it's everything the AI has gathered, it's still a rather large collection of alien knowledge. Knowledge that can be used and won't be noticed missing," I argued.

Gideon considered this revelation of interfering with time without altering it. "Your explanation is acceptable. The risk is manageable. What exactly do you plan to do, Barry?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Why, a little high-speed robbery of course."

Later….

"Thank God we added the color changing aspect to this suit," I said more to myself then Gideon listening in as I stood on a mountain, watching Superman fly into Brainiac's ship. "Who knows how much I would have stood out in red."

"Please remember Barry, the suit can only blend into the environment so quickly by changing colors before it can no longer keep up with your relativistic speeds," Gideon said into my earpiece, something I made on the side.

While no more advanced than the usual thing given to agents and the like, the fact it operated on a completely untraceable frequency made it useful.

"I only need it before I make way into the ship. Speaking of…"

"I have managed to make my way into the ship's network," Gideon stated, strain evident in her voice. "However, I can not override Brainiac's control."

"But you can take control temporarily?"

"Affirmative. While his ship is more advanced than anything currently available on Earth, my infrastructure and intelligence outpaces him and his systems. I am currently in all of the ships major systems, hiding as background data, waiting for the chance to take over."

"Good," I nodded. For something supposedly only two decades ahead in Earth's future to state something like that means that Brainiac must have been getting by simply because he was an AI.

Say what you will, but having a computer for a brain is an advantage only for so long.

While I doubt that this universe had the same views on VI and AI as say the people in the 'Mass Effect' Universe, there must be a reason for how Brainiac managed to survive for so long and constantly rebuild his forces.

No way in hell is something like a machine destroying planets NOT get noticed by other space-faring civilizations.

Maybe the Guardians of the Universe prevented any more research into AI across sectors under their watch after the whole Manhunter fiasco? Feasible, and valid reason for cyber-security not being up to standard.

Seeing as Kryptonians were rather isolationist, it also stands to reason that they wouldn't be monitored as closely and had the window of freedom to create something like Brainiac, ahead of the galactic curve as it were.

Food for thought.

"Sir," Gideon interrupted me.

"Yes, Gideon?"

"Superman is currently tied-down and resisting Brainiac. Observation indicate that he shall soon break out and fight him."

Showtime.

I pressed the chest symbol, causing my suit to go into 'camouflage mode' as I readied myself. "Time parameters?"

"Minutes sir."

I sighed as I started spinning my hands and creating wind funnels, propelling me at speeds that I hoped wouldn't be spotted by Lex Luther's men or by Brainiac. "Gideon, at the ready. When the first explosion occurs, initiate full take over."

"Yes, sir. Your plans?"

I maintained decent speed as I was maybe yards away from the ship. "Make sure there is some sort of receptacle nearby in which I can store the spheres and remove them from the ship afterward."

Gideon paused. "Valid receptacle found. Everything being prepared. Superman resistance verified. Activity in 3...2…."

BOOM!

And the horses are off to the races, folks!

I quickly propelled myself into the ship, a door immediately opening for me to enter through.

Slipping slightly into Flash Time - can it be called that if I am only accelerating my perception of the world? - as I rapidly found the room. Having already gotten the directions from Gideon saved me the necessary seconds in the heist as I made my way into the giant chamber.

Lacking time to take everything in, I quickly spotted the receptacle waiting for me.

Or rather, receptacles.

Oh for God sake Gideon…

Floating in the air for me were four rather large robot torsos. On a secondary glance, I realized they looked like the robotic helpers that are usually found in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Considering that the Fortress is Kryptonian in origin like Brainiac, I was willing to bet that these robot designs were the norm.

These chassis, however, were militarized.

Question for later.

Noting their opening chest cavities, I started shoving the orbs into them, making sure to leave the Kryptonian one for Superman to save.

As I finished up, I called up Gideon. "Time?"

"Sooner… then later… Barry…. Brainiac has… noticed us…. resisting… cameras…." strained Gideon.

Shit.

"You four! Off the ship! Double Time!" I commanded.

Rather than fly off, the four compacted themselves as much as possible.

Why the hell… Oh right! Faster than them and easier to carry. I thought in surprise.

With no time to waste - more and more of the ship exploding around me - I barely had enough time to run back and forth from the gallery and my earlier entrance to toss the robots off the ship.

Hope they are sturdy.

I managed to leave the gallery with the last robot just as I spotted Superman entering from the other end.

Well, less enter and more like make another hole in the thick metal sheeting.

Sturdy headed bastard.

Still, I wasn't spotted, which is good and dandy.

I watched from the ground as the ship landed and exploded, producing a giant mushroom cloud in the distance.

"Gideon, fallout?" I inquired in worry.

"Negative. The ship used a nuclear fusion engine to produce a clean source of energy. No radiation fall out is detected. All systems whipped of code and short-circuited before I exited. Odds of any system remaining for study? Unlikely." Gideon replied.

"Good - small mercies. Did Brainiac download himself into the LexCorp computers?"

"Yes," Gideon said with hesitation. "Is this also part of your belief of maintaining the timeline?"

I nodded to no one, "Yes. Too many events in the future rely on that piece of Brainiac existing. Besides, we know where he is, and we know the actions he will commit since his behavior subroutines are hardcoded into his being. Unless something significantly changes in the future, he is a nonentity. However…"

"Yes?"

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" I asked with worry, not wishing to lose Gideon to his machinations.

I've grown fond of her.

"Do not fear, Barry," Gideon stated as she normally would, but even then the smile could be heard when she replied. "While he may have sensed my intrusion, I doubt he understood who or what I was, as he was preoccupied at the time."