So... Haven't done this story in a while.

It's not that I got bored with it, but I was more focused on my 'One Piece' fic... and life... but mostly 'One Piece'.

But as of late, this story has been picking up traction (as evident by the constant favorites alerts I keep getting) so I gave it another go.

Still, I realise that I like working with a co-author, so I am actively looking for one for this story. Some requirements:

1. Good understanding of the DC Animated Universe (which includes Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited). Some knowledge of other shows is preffered but not required.

2. Decent grasp on Arrowverse (with a focus on The Flash and Arrow) or a wiki/wikipedia.

3. DC knowledge a plus but not required.

4. Extensive writing skills and/or fanfic works not required. Main criteria is how much you can give as a writer via consistent contributions.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

"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."

I sighed in relief, "Yeah, fighting Superman will do that." I faced the four robots who did, in fact, come out unscathed from their toss and drop. "All right, let's get James, Lars, Kirk, and Robert back home… wherever that may be in the future. I really need to find a place for myself."

"Why those names?"

"Pardon?"

"Why those particular names for the robots?" Gideon asked with evident confusion.

"Oh, they are all named after the members of Metallica. You know, because they are made of metal and all."

'Tis was the day I heard Gideon face palm herself over the earpiece, having created the voice file just for the occasion.

God I love technology.

Days pass….

"Thank God this apartment was up for sale," I smiled while superspeed all my stuff around, putting them into their place.

Needed to get the feng-shui just right.

Plus, you know, good angle to watch 4K movies from the couch or kitchen.

Shelf space – a must for any horder and bibliophile.

How I managed to find the same apartment that Barry and Iris moved into on the show was beyond me.

It was nice, but it was WAY out of the price range for a journalist and a forensic scientist.

Or it would have been had I not managed to make extra money.

See, Gideon was only instructed not to divulge future knowledge to me or anyone else unless it was truly pertinent. There was nothing about me requesting Gideon to use said future knowledge to mess around with the stock market and make money on the side.

She tried arguing since, again, messing with time, but since the information was being kept in a closed system - i.e., her - and no human factor was in play - i.e., me - then this was basically a black-box scenario in which no one but the user - i.e., her - could divulge the info or exploit it in any way other than requested.

And since she was the most advanced piece of technology currently on the planet, the odds of that particular kernel of information getting out were close to nil.

So yeah, I was loaded now.

Which was a good thing considering the new expenses.

"Is the set up to your liking guys?"

The rescued robots were currently converting the extra bedroom into a high tech storage processing center for Gideon.

Not unlike the room Eobard has hidden in the labs, but less 'Psycho' feels to it, you know?

It looked sort of like a weird mix of something out of 'The Matrix' - because of the large and multiple monitors constantly streaming data - and a command chair in some futuristic sci-fi game.

It was both retro and advanced, an odd mixture that somehow worked.

That or it looked like a recording room for a YouTube content creator who had money to splurge.

Hard to say with the wall colors.

One of the robots eye-monitors changed colors - from yellow to blue - before replying. "The technology, while not what I expected, has enough processing power to meet my needs."

"Hey, I told you the PS4 was powerful," I shrugged.

"Indeed. Thankfully, you buying them across the states and under aliases has prevented anyone from noticing the odd bulk purchase. Why again, did we do that?" Gideon asked quizzically as the other three continued welding and finalizing the systems.

"Well, I doubt anyone high up in the tech world wouldn't be tracking large purchases of these things. I mean, can you imagine a hundred of these used by a hacker-collective to do their heavier calculating and processing needs? Speaking of which…"

Gideon's face appeared on the largest monitor, smirking in all her glory. "As you requested, I have dialed down on my, as you called it, 'escapades in trolling the world.'"

I sighed. "As long as your shenanigans stick to the digital world and at least avoid national scrutiny, I have no issues with that."

Gideon nodded. "Acceptable. Still, to pass the time, I have made some new friends."

Oh God no… It's like raising a kid….

"Dare I ask?" I asked in resignation, knowing that she was copying my more dubious qualities.

"Richard Foley, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Edward Nygma, and Donald Hall to name a few."

"So wait… Gear, Batgirl, Robin, Robin AGAIN, Riddler, and - I don't know, who's the last one?" I asked hesitantly.

"Donald Hall is the civilian identity of Dove."

I tapped my head in thought. "Dove, Dove…. wait, the pacifist of the Dove and Hawk duo?"

"He has interesting opinions on certain topics in the discussion and debate forums." Gideon smiled.

"And the rest, never mind the fact that they have yet become famous for, are for, you know, the OBVIOUS reasons?"

Gideon smirked just widened. "True, but they are unchallenged academically that they are bound to be bored. Richard - despite the fact he has yet to be exposed to the gas - has already displayed necessary computer expertise as evident by our chats on the Dark Web. Same for Barbara - not that she visits the Dark Web of course. No, we met online as she was trying to prepare herself for college. Dick Grayson, well, he has always been a gamer. And poor little Tim is so bored in school that he managed to hack their Wi-Fi signal to skirt their blocks - such ingenuity should be fostered, not hindered."

"Well, Ra's did always call Tim 'The Detective' among them all. What about Jason Todd… you know what, I don't want to know! Better that I don't. And Riddler?"

There her smile faltered a little. "I am trying to see if I can implement your consideration regarding 'redemption' of certain 'supervillains.'"

My brows raised as I sat in the command chair. "Okay, this I got to hear. Explain your reasoning."

A picture of Riddler - dressed to the nines in a green suit - being arrested for the virtual reality game fiasco came up.

Yes, I had officially thrown conventional timeline progression out the window when I realized that the normal cartoon episode broadcast order was REALLY not linear or properly paced when applied to this world.

As far as I was concerned, better to just ignore conventional reasons and earmark certain events and hope they occur. Better than wasting my time trying to anticipate certain behaviors.

As far as I could gather, only Oliver seemed to be progressing as expected.

But more on that later.

"Edward Nygma, in the near future, will receive his closest chance at reforming when his 'image' is brought out by a toy company for who he starts creating games and related paraphernalia."

"Yes, but that isn't any time soon."

Gideon agreed on the screen as the news article was removed. "Correct. But that is not to say that such a method wouldn't have been successful had proper safeguards been in place."

"You mean one for dealing with Riddler's obsession with outsmarting and defeating Batman? Well, I can admit that there could have been HEALTHIER alternatives to challenging the Batman other than immediately resorting to crime. But it's not like the man has time to spare to visit Edward and play games of wits with him time and again."

At that Gideon smiled. "But what if Edward's infatuation with proving himself superior to others was addressed? What if even someone replaced Batman as his worthy challenge in intellect? Or better yet, what if that mind of his was used to solve issues that Batman couldn't?"

"Well… Each point has its merits. What was his reason for an infatuation with riddles?"

"A combination of a less-than-intelligent father combined with constant positive reinforcement from solving challenges and puzzles when in the more formative years layered with impatience of people being unable to solve the challenges he presented them."

Huh… so a good chunk of the more gothic Riddler's backstory except without creating the brain-enhancing chips. Should look into that though…. "Explains the desire to leave clues and riddles. But based on that description, that particular avenue may be rather difficult, since he sees creating and solving puzzles in a positive light."

"True, which is why I was leaning toward the latter two points."

"What, you want to become Riddle's new challenger?"

Gideon smiled faltered at that. "That particular option is less desirable. While my processing power would allow me to keep up with him, his insistent desire to learn who has been beating him over digital outlets may force him to try to locate me in the physical world, which I do not desire. No, it is better to approach him from the toy path but supplement it with other outlooks to display his brilliance. I believe that the literary world has shown as that consulting detectives suffer similar problems."

That was not what I expected to hear. "I'm sorry, my ears must have blown. Are you telling me that you want to turn Edward Nygma - the Riddler - into the new Sherlock Holmes?"

"Are the parallels not evident? A genius individual with mental issues who need minders to alleviate their boredom - usually with cases and weird experiments - to prevent them from falling into darker ends of human behavior."

"Well, when you put it like that… Plus, he may appreciate the comparison, what with Batman always called the 'World's Greatest Detective'…"

Really, when putting it like that, Nygma did have a decent chance at reform. His genius and lateral thinking gave Batman a run for his money and that kind of ingenuity on the side of heroes...

"If I agree to this, what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Something similar that occurred originally. I will, however, begin to make my presence to Riddler known slowly and gradually over the periods he is online so that when he is allowed out of Arkham, my opinion will hold sway. I plan to ensure that he doesn't titter off the path of recovery by planting the notion of becoming Sherlock Holmes into his psyche before he even considers blowing up the warehouse with Batman."

"Fair enough - no safe should possibly be THAT sturdy in an explosion. You plan to buy shares in the toy company before then?"

And the smile returned. "Barry, I am an AI, not stupid. I'll take any chance to make extra capital if the opportunity arises."

Pause.

"I am starting to question your sense of humor."

"The internet is a dark place," laughed Gideon. "Also, Bruce Wayne has just boarded his private plane - direct flight to Japan."

"Ah, then it seems that Kyodai Ken's days are finally numbered. Thank God it's the weekend."

"Please remember that at your current top speeds it will take you…"

I waved my hand without concern. "Yeah, yeah, I'll listen to music on the run."

FUCK. I should have remembered that the music player only worked last time because I was in Flash Time.

Running for almost TWO HOURS to Japan was not a good place to be left alone with nothing but your thoughts.

No way in hell did Barry do the same thing in seconds when he was in Iron Heights, experience be damned.

I get plot convenience, but I call BULLSHIT!

Still, it gave me time to consider some of Batman's Rogues Gallery and who had an actual chance at rehabilitation.

Harley Quinn was a possibility, but she needed to be removed from the Joker for an extended period for it to lock in. That or see him at his worst.

Hyenas are always an option as therapy animals.

Mr. Freeze needs a cure for his condition - as well as Nora's - so that's an easier one to resolve. Better not to leave it on the backburner for too long, no need for him to lose his body and become just a head.

Same can be said for Harvey Dent. One long and grilling facial reconstruction surgery and most of his recovery will be complete. Granted, he would still need to serve time, but a small price to pay considering all potential damages he could do in the future had he remained Two-Face.

Always the bigger picture.

Clayface… Now there was a debatable case. And a rather screwed up one at that.

See, from what I recall, the original Matt Hagen was a treasure hunter who got his powers from a secret - and I kid you not - mysterious radioactive pool of protoplasm in a cave.

Yeah, the Silver Age of Comic Books was WEIRD.

Basil Karlo, however, was the B-list actor who later gained powers similar to the version shown in the cartoon, if not a stronger variant.

The cartoon depiction was so popular that when Basil was eventually reimagined in the comics, his origins became that of this Matt Hagen, even down to the involvement of Roland Daggett and a chemical to make the skin malleable like clay due to his face being ruined in an accident.

His story was made darker and grimmer, of course: Basil disfigured his ex-girlfriend in rage for leaving him after his injury and transformation was exposed.

Still, Matt has the potential for recovery. It seemed like every time Matt was broken apart - which happened twice in the show (once due to chemicals and another time by rain) - all his mental recovery would degrade, and he would succumb to crime once more. Considering the man would have to rebuild himself from who knows how many loose parts, it was bound that SOME pieces would remain lost. And if his being was tied to his clay, well… the chunks mean something more than just clay then. The sheer fact he managed to maintain some coherence of identity - clay daughter not included - is a small miracle.

Penguin… he was never insane, and he has already started building the Iceberg Lounge so too late there. But he was more neutral evil, so he can be left alone for now.

Scarecrow - yeah no, NEXT! Man gets his jollies from scaring people with hallucinogens.

Same for the Mad Hatter - his 'Alice' has married and changed states, but he is still tracking her down. Men like him NEED to be locked up.

Man-Bat is not a villain, so ignoring him.

Bane… no, he is a mercenary for hire, he has made his choice.

Killer Croc... Out of all the characters I expected to diverge from their animated roots, him I didn't consider. Unlike the others, this Killer Croc was based on the later 'Batman' cartoon with the more jester-looking Joker. His more reptilian and crocodile-like green appearance is the perfect indication of this. Which means he has a Cajun accent, wasn't an idiot, was significantly larger and stronger, and more importantly, trained. The series never made it clear how he got this ap[pearance, but based on what Gideon managed to gather, he used to be human, he served in some higher up branch of the military, before SOMEHOW becoming the way he was now.

He still became a wrestler under a fake name and got mixed up with Bullock - hence the 'Vendetta' episode recap - but the details were different. In this reality, Croc got in the crosshairs of a corrupt SWAT team in Florida, which got him arrested. Yes, the incident got the team in deep water as well, but a few managed to slip through that net. When he got out, Croc started hunting those men down for the crimes they committed - there were covered up murders of circus 'freaks' that Croc knew - and Bullock got roped in because he was tangentially involved with the case.

Unfortunately, the damage was done by then. Croc's appearance became common knowledge and he was stigmatized. The only way he can get a chance of changing that image is if someone gave him a push in the right direction, and no way is Batman giving him one. Still… he hasn't done anything big since then or gone cannibal….

You know what? If he doesn't pull off the 'Flooding Shopping District' heist that he did in the cartoon any time soon, I'll give him a way to contact Atlantis. Folks there won't find someone of his appearance that odd.

Arnold Wesker recovered on his own with the help of the Arkham's doctor - as odd as it seems - so all that matters is making sure that the goons don't break him when the moment arises or get him his doll back.

Catwoman is a professional thief, not committed. Besides, she is more hero than villain, so I'd classify her as a neutral character.

And finally Poison Ivy. If there was ever a villain who got a particularly bad hand - not comparing or anything - it would be her. The things Dr. Jason Woodrue did to her were unspeakable… They never did make a coherent reason as to how she suddenly gained command over plants when the cartoon made its transition in art style.

GUESS WHAT! Reality did it for them.

Considering the psycho used the same research that made Alec Holland into Swamp Thing, it's no wonder Pamela has a bastardized connection to the Green. But still, constantly returning to Gotham rather than elsewhere to do Gaia's work can't be healthy to her.

Huh… now there's a thought. Find Harley and Pamela, drag them to Themyscira, and leave them on an island full of warrior woman to recuperate. Diana gets more insight into man's world, Harley is removed from Joker, and Pamela remains on unpolluted land and earth blessed by the Gods.

Got to figure out the logistics of that though…

"Barry, you're entering the waters of Japan," spoke Gideon into my ear. Thank you satellite connection.

"Thank you. Now, which way is Mount Kajiki?"

"Due west. Remember, we have no idea where the cave with the scroll for the Kiba no Hoko is located, nor how fragile it is. Please be as delicate as possible if you wish to preserve the teachings."

"Got it. Hopefully, this won't take long. Shouldn't be that hard to find the right cave entrance."

5 hours later (travel back included)

"DAMN IT MURPHY!" I shouted to no one in Gideon's room, watching as the system was compiling the scans and pictures I took.

Gideon face smiled on the monitor, "For a centuries-old scroll, the paper was remarkably well preserved."

"Not anymore it isn't. Once I was done with it, I sealed it up and shook the box like there was no tomorrow. If that didn't accelerate the rate of decay, then simply exposing it to the environment would have destabilized it. If Kyodai still manages to get the piece with the Death Touch, it will be a small miracle."

"Yes… this 'Way of the Fang' is a unique martial arts style," spoke the AI as the progress bar was nearing completion.

"You figure it out yet?" I asked, honestly curious.

"If the historical accounts are correct and this style was indeed created 500 years ago, then its creator was either a prodigy or just very diligent in perfecting it. And I do not use the latter in a positive connotation."

Not good. "Please explain Gideon."

"The Ki Lines (Currents of Life Force) that are mentioned here are more like intersections of chakra points, nerve clusters, and the circulatory system. However, such intersections would be different for every individual, mainly due to gender, age, and body type. Yes, there are patterns to them, and there are notes here for techniques to determine them by sight and touch, but that only paints a grimmer picture for finalizing this style. To have cataloged them all would have either required a lot of trial and error or an understanding of the human body to such a degree - centuries ahead of the time, I might add - that the user could predict the points on an instinctual level."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Sounds something like the Gentle Fist Style."

"Cross-referencing… Yes, the analogy works rather well, but with Ki Lines instead of an actual Chakra Pathway System. The number of points here does add up to 361 however, but in any case, there seems to be an element missing."

"Are we talking magic or something more esoteric like chi?" I asked.

Normally, arguing magic with a machine would have gone nowhere, but since Gideon was from the future and has the likes of Zatanna and Constantine in her records, it was a moot point.

"The best way I can describe it is that there seems to be some missing element to all of this, one most likely past down by word of mouth from son to son by the family."

I shrugged. "That or it is the 'hidden power within humans' that all the movie martial art sages mention."

Gideon tilted her hand. "Not impossible. Monks have been shown to do feats beyond human limitations."

"Are we talking regular monks or the ones hidden in Nanda Parbat?"

Again, thank heavens this is more cartoon than the show, or else that would have been Ra's base and not a hidden monetary of super-monks with Deadman among them.

Gideon smirked, "Yes."

"Spoilsport. Still, leave that research on the backburner for now. Not like I'll need it any time soon."

"Speaking of which," Gideon stated as a live feed of the news was brought up. "I believe that Central City's newest superhero is needed."

"Just what I need to unwind," I noted how many people were involved before smirking. "Gideon, you have eyes on Wells, correct?"

"User Wells is currently in STAR Labs with Caitlyn and Cisco watching the news. Should I record their reactions for some reason?"

"Well… I feel like trolling Eobard a little. Besides, need to even the odds somehow."

Downtown

"YEAH! BURN, BABY, BURN!" shouted a figure made of fire as an inferno was blasting from his hands, melting the vehicles in their path and frightening everyone away from the bank.

"Singe, rear back on the flames man, I can feel you through my armor," shouted a second figure which looked more like a giant golem then an actual person.

As Singe flames began to recede, a more humanoid figure laughed as he landed on the pavement, "Come on Antaeus, loosen up a little, just having a little fun."

The golem's earth like skin receded around the face, revealing a man of Mediterranean descent. "Well, I would like to remain whole and not crispy-fried when this is all other. Now how long is Zephyr going to take in there?"

"Calm down man, your brother is gathering the money and should be out right about…."

The doors of the bank were blown open, and nearly off their hinges as bags of money were tossed outside, followed immediately by a small moving hurricane with a masked figure in the center. "Done. Ay bro, hide the face, man. We are incognito here."

"Oh right," stated Antaeus as his stone form locked up again. "What about Singe?"

"You think the camera over there can pick out his features while he got his flame on?" Zephyr stated as he waved to the line of police cars, armed cops, and cameraman on the sidelines.

"Still, better not push our luck," Singe stated as he walked up and grabbed a bag, turning off his flaming hand doing so. "Let's get out of here before…"

CRACK!

"THE FUCK?!" shouted Antaeus, his friends shouting something similar as they started to look around for the source of the noise.

Hearing the cops cars and radios start to static and shrill, Zephyr was first to spot the clouds. "Oh no…"

Singe and Antaeus were quick to join in panic when they realized the dark clouds were coming closer. "SHIT! GET THE BAGS! WE GOT TO RUN BEFORE…."

"Too late," spoke a voice through the radios, before a thunderbolt struck the ground, revealing a red dressed figure.

"Damn, it is Thunder!" shouted Singe.

"Quick, Zephyr!"

"On it bro!" Zephyr took the initiative and ran forward before pushing both arms forward, producing dual wind hurricanes.

Thunder - to his shock - reacted by raising only one arm and producing a similar funnel of wind. However, as shown by the fact that it immediately bulldozed through Zephyr's and blasted him back into his cohorts, he was outmatched.

"Really? Thunder? Who gave me that name?" Thunder asked as he pinched his nose.

"CAT GRANT DID!" shouted one of the cameramen behind him.

Thunder turned to the source, "Thank you! To be fair, it fits considering how I travel."

Thunder turned back to the trio before pausing and standing still.

Singe was first to recover as he noted Thunder's apprehension. "What, too afraid to face the three of us, amigo?" Shouted the man as his hands and hands reignited.

Thunder just chuckled, "No, just waiting for you guys to start singing 'September.'"

Robin looked up at a smirking Bruce, "What's he talking about? 'September'?"

"I believe now is a good time as to introduce your ward to the wonders of 70's music, Master Wayne," Alfred replied lackluster as he walked away from a conflicted Bruce, smirking once his back was turned.

Louis, Clark, and Perry White were all snickering while Jimmy Olsen looked around the room in confusion. "I don't get it."

"Before your time kid," Perry smiled as he wiped away a tear.

Kara watched in both awe and horror - along with the rest of her coworkers - as they saw something unprecedented: a laughing Cat Grant.

"What?" Antaeus asked in confusion as he lifted his brother.

"Really? Does the reference allude you, Earth, Wind, and Fire?"

"It's SINGE, not FIRE! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Clearly a man with better music taste than you," deadpanned Thunder. "Also, someone less cliched. I mean seriously - robbing a bank? Isn't that Villain 101?"

"Shut up and fight!" commanded Zephyr as he created a traveling tornado once more.

Thunder shook his head in resignation and gathered electricity in his hands, "Damn kids."

"How exactly is he creating that earth armor?" Caitlin's asked as she watched the fight unfold on the news.

Cisco shrugged, "Wild guess - a focused form of geokinesis? Also, what's with the name Antaeus?"

"Antaeus was the half-giant son of Poseidon and Gaia who gained his power from the earth," Wells stated as he wheeled himself forward to watch Thunder dodge the attacks of the trio via his lightning-form. "He was famed for his loss to Heracles as part of his 12 Labors when his weakness was discovered and his back was broken when he no longer touched the ground."

"Still, Antaeus? A little too much like a history Easter Egg."

"And - wow, look at him toss that car back! - what would you call them?"

"I don't know, something more impactful and memorable? Like… I don't know… Geomancer?"

"Golem seems more appropriate," Caitlyn stated as she watched Zephyr be shocked by Thunder's electricity. "He isn't manipulating the earth itself, more like coating himself in it. What about the other two?"

"Well, Singe works since its short, to the point, power appropriate - what do you think are the wind speeds the funnels they are making? - but Zephyr?"

"Short for Zephyrus, the Greek God of the west wind. And based on my estimates, Thunder's winds are twice as strong but limited to his hands."

"Guess that works. Would have done something like Turbine seeing as how he favors spinning his winds rather than anything else like blasts or barriers."

"THAT I will agree with. Still, how come Thunder isn't taking them out? Seems like he is going easy on them."

Wells leaned in and watched Thunder closer, "He seems to be showing off."

"So I got to ask," Thunder asked nonchalantly as he leaned against the bank, watching in amusement as the trio tried to gather their breaths. "Did you guys wake up one day, realize you had powers, and just collectively agreed to go rob a bank? I mean, who of you got the notion that THIS [waved at the bank] was a good idea?"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Singe in contempt.

"Because honestly, it's folks like you who give any super powered individual a bad name. Did you even consider the ramifications of your actions?"

"What ramifications?" Zephyr shouted. "We got powers, so why shouldn't we use them?"

"I think you are misunderstanding something," Thunder stated as he held up a hand, making sure at the corner of his eye that the cameras were on him. "I have nothing against enhanced beings USING their powers. What I have issue is with people like you using your powers for crap like this," pointing at the bank again for emphasis. "Because when people like you do stupid shit like this, people who want to be left alone or who want to help people get a bad rep."

The trio still looked at him in confusion.

"Look, it's a domino effect. An enhanced individual gets powers, said individual decides to use said powers for morally questionable reasons. Society responds but usually has nothing that can handle said enhanced individual. For example, normal cops and government workers not having the experience nor capabilities to handle said individuals despite it being their jobs. Ergo, folks like me - powered or otherwise - go the vigilante route to stop you because we have the power to do so but are incapable of it without violating the societal law we wish to enforce. However, even if we stop people like you and leave the actual arrest for the feds, we are still violating the law by taking said law into our hands. Unfortunately, because of what enhanced individuals do that can be considered criminal actions, the government has to respond, usually ending in the options of registering our powers, conscripting us for government use, or outright making us illegal or experimenting on us a la 'survival of the species'. There is no middle ground for situations such as these. And considering that the last time a part of the human species was looked down upon, marginalized, marked, and experimented on, we had Germany in WWII. I don't want a repeat of that, do you?"

This explanation had the cameraman - and news reporter - as well as all the policemen present at full attention.

"Unfortunately, the fall out is still inevitable and in the near future based on how many costumed individuals - superhero or vigilante, your choice - are popping up. Meaning that people like me have to wear a mask to protect our identities since by using our capabilities and powers for good, we become targets, and in turn, all our friends and loved ones become targets. The only individuals who don't bother wearing masks to hide their identities are shapeshifters, people who have nothing to lose, those who work for the government, or who don't exist in any database."

"He is correct sir."

Bruce Wayne leaned back into his chair, watching the live feed of the news. "I know Alfred. It's why I always leave behind evidence of my investigations when I leave the thugs and criminals for Gordon's men to arrest."

"Still, do you think he has the right idea about speaking out about this issue so publicly?" Alfred asked, not in fear, but more in genuine concern, seeing as how his son was a vigilante.

"Whether or not he is the right choice, all that matter is that he is speaking out about the issue," Bruce stated but smiled. "Besides, by making it a national issue, he gives an opening for more enlightened individuals with more public authority to tackle it."

The British man's brow raised gingerly, "Oh? And is Wayne Tech suddenly looking into human rights?"

Bruce smiled, "Well, maybe the lawyers at least. It shouldn't be too hard to make some semblance of an argument that powered individuals can be uniquely suited for certain tasks to improve their PR."

"Huh," Louis said in surprise. "I always did wonder why Sups never bothered hiding his face - chiseled as it may be."

"So… it's not a reverse psychology trick?" Jimmy questioned scratching his head. "Like, you know, saying that his face is so common that searching for it…."

"Kid, kid," interpreted Perry. "The pitiful with that thinking is that you start thinking is that Superman expects people to think like that which is what people expect to expect… Look, it a vicious cycle better to be read at face value."

"Which is?" Clark asked, while at the same time mentally thanking Thunder for giving him ANOTHER plausible explanation of his similarity to Superman, whenever it may be brought up.

Perry shrugged, "That Superman has nothing to hide from the people as their superhero. Although… that is an interesting new article. Picture it: "Superhero vs. Vigilante: The Difference of Appeal."

Clark adjusted his glasses. "Title needs work, but I see what you're getting at."

"See that you do Kent. You've also been better at the human interest stories then Louis."

General Lane was sitting in his office in an undisclosed location watching this… powered individual makes his speech about why he dressed up in tights.

In a way, he can appreciate his reasoning: people do bad things, a person with the power to stop it takes action regardless of the fallout. Granted, taking the law into your owns hands was a bit much, but considering the potential alternatives were either being required to work for the government or being persecuted for something they can't control, vigilantism seemed like a better alternative.

Reminding the people about what happened during the Jewish is going to be a nightmare to explain away.

He picked up a phone and hit speed dial. "Ring… Ring…. Walker? Yes, its General Lane. Look, I am all in for your think tank regarding the super-powered individuals. Aha… Yeah, I am watching the news… well, he makes a straightforward enough point for the public watching… Look, he has a good point with them working for the government, not against it… He already referenced faith and history, two things you don't argue about in court or Congress, don't make him use the minority card…. Oh come on, how hard would it be to make incentives to make people willingly decide to join? We already have people like Nathaniel Adam, who was a Captain before his accident. Let him out and make him something like our military poster child…. It's not ridiculous…. Just because it's not done behind the people's back doesn't mean that good PR isn't something to utilize… well, people already see the forces as a good alternative out of crappy situations, chances are some among them must be enhanced… can we make a test poll for it?... Really? Hell, I'll fund it…. Well considering that your average individual would want to be left alone if they discovered they had powers, having the chance to use them for good seems like a better alternative…. Fine, fine…. Yes, I'll still join. Not partial to the name though…. Not that I get the reference, but how many people will know who Cadmus is?"

Thunder was imagining a whole multitude of conversations where currently happening after his little splurging of political views.

"Oh, will you shut up!" Singe shouted as he reignited ones more. "It doesn't matter what you think! We have power; we will use it how we want! Besides, you may have dodged all of our attacks, but you haven't done anything in actually stopping us. What, three vs. one not in your favor? Too chicken to get serious? Nothing fancy under your belt to stop us?"

Thunder smirked under his mask. Showtime. "Well…. I wouldn't say that I don't have anything to stop you guys. I am actually doing everything in my power not to go overboard and accidentally do more property damage or - God forbid - break one of you. Still, two out of three ain't bad for someone trying to hold you up."

Antaeus was the first to get it. "Wait… what do you mean hold us up?"

On cue, all the radios glitched out again, causing most to go for their ears. Right after that, a song started playing.

The smarter ones caught on first.

"No…. no, no, no…." Zephyr started muttering in fear as a certain beat picked up, and a lyric started being sung.

The older generation recognized it as Barry Manilow singing, while the younger one quickly recognized the song as something more modern, the repetition of 'Something's in the air' giving it away.

[For those wondering, I am using Daft Punk's 'Superheroes,' which is built from a vocal sample of Barry Manilow's "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" Seriously, look it up.]

Before anyone got the chance to react, something yellow blurred into the area, flashing everywhere and anywhere, moving too fast for anyone to see what was happening.

In fact, the being was moving so fast, that the villain trio didn't even have a chance to react before they were quickly pummeled down and knocked down. The cops tried to react, but before they noticed, some of their cuffs were removed and used to restrain the downed criminals.

All three were restrained by their arms and legs – with Antaeus's armor having been removed from around said limbs – before the yellow flash finally stopped near Thunder, revealing the dressed figure in all of his glory.

The cameraman focused in on the figure, who wore a suit similar to Thunder except the yellows and reds were reversed.

As the figures shook hands, Thunder turned to the cameras. "Going with the theme started by the lovely Cat Grant, it is my pleasure to introduce the world to the one and only… LIGHTNING!"

For emphasis, the radios made cheering crowd sounds as Lightning clasped his hands in the air and waved to no one.

"They love me! They really love me!" Shouted Lightning in joy, his voice slightly scarring the surrounding cops and civilians as it sounded mechanical and digital, like something out of a 'Transformers' cartoon.

Thunder clapped Lightning on the back, which unfortunately was hard enough to stumble him. "Hey – no showboating!"

"Sorry." Stated Lightning as he rubbed the back of his head.

Thunder turned back to the cameras. "Sorry people out there who would love a chance to speak with us, but we aren't ready for the world just yet so until then…"

Thunder turned into a bolt of lightning and flew off, leaving Lightning alone. "Really bro? Not cool."

Before anyone got a chance to ask, Lightning ran off.

Detective Joe walked up to the trio to make sure they were still knocked out. "They don't pay me enough for this crap."

"Aren't you near retirement anyway?" Interjected Ralph as he started dragging Singe into a cop car.

"Not worth the pension if I am going to be dealing with criminals like these for the foreseable future."

Ralph slammed the cop car close. "Can't we… I don't know… ask the government for help or something?"

Joe looked at Ralph with a raised brow, "And who do you call in situations such as these?"

Ralph shrugged, "How about the source?"

Joe thought about it before looking to the right toward the open street, seeing the decrepit and abandoned S.T.A.R Labs. "You think anyone still works there?"

"Wouldn't hurt to check."

Nighttime

Hartley regretted not bringing something thicker to wear. He assumed being at the top of the biggest building in town would have been somewhat cold, but he figured he would have picked up the signal by now.

Maybe using a rotational signal on such a broad spectrum was not the best idea…

Before the thought finished, Hartley heard the sound of his arrival. Quickly turning, Hartley saw Thunder checking out the satellite dish he converted and hacked to broadcast his signal.

Thunder turned, catching Hartley in his green ensemble and…

"So you already made them? And here I thought the Pied Piper would prefer his flute be less conspicuous."

While most would be caught off by the way Thunder was vibrating his voice, to Harley's ears, it was rather pleasant and soothing. Like smells to animals with enhanced olfactory receptors, sounds that would be annoying and unpleasant to most humans were beautiful to Hartley's now metahuman sound range.

Of course, the name he used caught Hartley off guard due to shock, mainly because it was the name he was considering to use when he went after HIM.

There was no way he should have known – or even made – such a reference unless…

Hartley's eyes bulged, "You're from the future."

Thunder tilted his head. "If anyone else made such an assumption, I would have called them deranged. But considering how smart you are…"

Hartley stood a little straighter, always proud of his intelligence and when it was recognized.

"… still, geniuses always miss the small things in the grand scheme of things. For example, the reason it took me so long to notice your little signal is because you kept shifting it across the spectrum. Had I not had a partner who noticed the pattern, I would have never come here. In the future, don't try being too clever."

Hartley would have rebutted, but he had other things to ask. "So you are from the future… is that why you saved me? Am I important to the future? Am I needed for something?"

Thunder looked at Hartley, judging him. "And here I thought you were better than that; you are at letting your ego ride shotgun there, bucko."

Hartley flinched.

"But no, you, in the grand scheme of things, are not needed. Important on a somewhat minor scale? Sure. But down the line in the grand scheme of things? Not so much."

Hartley stared in shock. "But… you saved me… you carried me to my apartment and even sealed it…"

"That is because I am a good man who hates seeing people being dealt bad hands intentionally."

Hartley froze. "What."

Thunder leaned on the stone wall, eyes on Hartley. "Tell me, Hartley, with everything that you currently known, extrapolate a plausible explanation why a confirmed individual from outside the conceptualized linear time stream is currently in front of you, admitting that they are a time traveler."

"Well, hypothetically? Your presence here could all be a coincidence, an accident on some part, a tragic hero origin even. A man separated from his time period, from his friends and colleagues. On the other hand, you could be here because something happened, something that shouldn't have occurred …"

At this point, Hartley was pacing back and forth.

"…but time travel is inherently dangerous. To risk going back in time is too advanced and too dangerous, even paradox-inducing. I mean, the logistics alone for two different time aspects of one person to exist simultaneously…"

"That particular idea is bubcus. An individual meeting him or herself in different points in the timeline won't explode if they touch each other."

"Oh – well okay then. But still, you – hypothetically – being here for a reason means that something outside the norm happened, the only thing that applies being the accelerator exploding. But why didn't you stop it sooner? Unless someone was preventing you from doing so… But who? Another time traveler can only stump a time traveler. But the only one in the position to do that would be Wells, and he has a full life story. They published a freaking biography about it! But that would mean that… it isn't Wells."

Thunder clapped. "My, you are a clever one. And yes, you are right. There is a time traveler involved, but the reason I didn't arrive earlier was, for the simplest terms, because it was too soon."

Hartley was just more confused than before.

"You see Hartley, time is very paradoxical in understanding it from a conceptual level. Oh sure, you can be all scientific about it and sprout numbers and theories and logic, but at the base level? You need some twisted lateral thinking and an almost inherent understanding of time logic to traverse it, something that just even feasible when you have a Ph.D. in your corner."

Hartley raised a finger. "What does have to do with…?"

"In fact [Thunder ignored him, pushing on] it's kind of why time travelers rarely travel alone, but I digress. In summation, normal time travel is a wibbly-wobbly endeavor, one that even masters have trouble truly understanding. And that is before you throw in the Speed Force."

Hartley tilted his head. "Speed Force?"

"Too complicated to explain. Long story short, there are several cosmic forces out there in existence that govern either an aspect of science or magic."

"Magic, really?" Hartley asked mockingly.

"A wise man I knew ones said that if science is simply the language of numbers, then magic is the language of words, and considering how far we have gotten with science, what's to say someone else hasn't gotten that far with words? Also, you live in a world of superhumans and aliens and magic is what throws you off?"

He had Hartley there. "So… you are what, a conduit for this… Speed Force? And what does that have to do with time travel?"

"The Speed Force, as you can guess, deals with speed. With Speed, there is Motion. With Motion, there is Acceleration. With Acceleration, there is Energy and Potential. Put that all together, you have someone who has the potential to break all barriers, be it sound, light… or time. Traveling through time via technology is much rougher but entering another part of the timestream is rather seamless. But traveling through time via the Speed Force is less strenuous, but it punctures time when performed by an amateur. And considering what happens when a sonic boom ripples in the air, what do you think happens to time when a time boom occurs?"

Hartley gulped in realization.

"As you correctly guessed, I am a metahuman, one whose only power is the ability to seamlessly connect to the Speed Force and use it fully with all inherent secondary powers."

"Secondary powers?"

"You must have observed Lightning and me: the environment and people don't react as you would expect to people going at extreme speeds or generating that much electricity."

"I assumed that it was just shaky camera footage."

"Not so much. You see, a seamless connection to the Speed Force provides a user a plethora of benefits, one of which is an aura which protects the user from the more annoying aspects of moving at extreme speeds, such as friction and gale winds. If a user didn't have the full benefits, they would burn up at certain speeds or destroy their environment with sonic booms and roads with their steps. That or run out of calories."

Hartley nodded in understanding.

"This aura – or connection to the Speed Force – also has another benefit: it makes the user Paradox Proof when time traveling."

Hartley froze.

"You see, any normal individual traveling through time with tech has to have some variant of time shielding to prevent accidentally erasing themselves from history. Speed Force users have that build in, as well as an inherent understanding of time. However, that same shielding makes finding them – and their alteration in time – much more difficult. ESPECIALLY if they find a way to lock others out of that particular era."

"So the particle accelerator explosion…"

"Was a god damn bonfire. You see, in the prime time stream…"

'Wait, wait, PRIME time stream?"

"(Sigh) Look, short and simple, while the Multiverse Theory supports that notion that every signal decision creates a feasible alternative reality, some decision isn't that altering and weaves back together over time. However, by that same token, certain threads are more predominant, more likely to occur. With time, certain threads become large enough, tied around a single cohesive fact, with other realities branching off of it. For example, any reality with Earth in it would be considered Earth Prime. Any seam that had humans as the dominant species would be considered Sapient Prime. In this case, however, we are currently a branch off of the Prime reality dealing with our particular branch of superheroes, one that is taking a life of its own. You get?"

Hartley just nodded, the information overload getting to him.

"In any case, in the original prime timeline, the S.T.A.R Lab explosion would still have happened and would still release a wave of energy that would create metahumans… but in 2020."

"Why would anyone want to recreate that explosion earlier?"

"Because that explosion was rather important. You see, the world already had enhanced individuals out there, people who naturally – or unnaturally as the case may be – who developed abilities. A good chunk of them became superheroes and managed to build up some credibility. When the explosion occurred, the wave – while concentrated in Central City – spread throughout the world. That exotic matter quick started the activation of more individuals metahuman capabilities, which some argued was the next step of evolution. By that point in time, since superheroes had the support of the government, the fall out wasn't too difficult to manage. But in 2013, when they are barely any superheroes as it is? It is THE WORST time to have people suddenly wake up with superpowers."

This floored Hartley. "My god… who in their right mind would do such a thing? The ramifications to society, to people… oh, sweet mercy…."

"Now you are catching on. You see, this was all the result of one man trying to kill off his rival."

"His rival?"

"All superheroes have an arch-nemesis. In this case, it was the Flash and his enemy, the Reverse Flash."

"Reverse Flash?"

"Unoriginal it may be, the Reverse Flash was the Flash's greatest enemy. However, the Flash was always better than him. So he decided to remove the source of his problem – literally."

"So… he time traveled to…"

"To try and kill Flash at his weakest, when he was powerless. There was a small catch: the Flash followed him. They fought, and while he couldn't kill him directly, he decided to ruin his life instead. In hindsight, he figured it was a brilliant play since he would still have his enemy, but one severely emotionally compromised. But in all that, he made ONE GIANT MISTAKE."

"What?"

"He forgot about how he got his powers. You see, Reverse Flash came from far in the future – the 22nd century to be exact. He has become so accustomed to thinking about dealing with that Flash in his time that he forgot to account for the ramifications of removing such an important speedster from the board – a speedster responsible for opening the initial connection to the Speed Force."

Hartley caught on to the implication. "Wait…"

"The moment time finally registered what he had done, the Reverse Flash lost almost all connection to his source of power. Paradox Shielding only prevents the user from erasing themselves from history via the Grandfather Paradox, but it can't do anything else. The only reason he still HAS a connection to the Speed Force is that that shielding persisted all these years, maintaining his strenuous grasp to the Speed Force. And being that the arrogant asshat that he was, the man quickly got to work to make that connection. The irony is that to do so, he would have to bring about the creation of his greatest enemy. As you can see by me standing before you, he failed."

"So the Flash – the original one – the one that was supposed to exist…"

"Will never exist in the same intended manner he was supposed to. The mantle may be taken up one day, but the man who was supposed to become him, he doesn't exist anymore – too many alterations to time and his personal life."

Hartley nodded. "Wait… his personal life? Oh. OH…."

"When he realized this, Eobard – that's his name – realized he needed to bring about the building the accelerator much faster to et back home. But he didn't want to work on the sidelines, so he did the next best thing: he planned out the murder of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan."

"But as I said, Wells is alive."

"And I like I said, Eobard is from the 22nd century. You don't think they had the technology to impersonate other people?"

"So, the man I worked for, the man who ruined my life…"

"Hasn't been Harrison Wells for thirteen years. Thirteen years in which he BUTCHERED time. Just think about it – all the differences he made, all the careers he ended or started, all the lives he changed, all the scientists he managed to recruit earlier than before or that weren't even there to begin with. All the meetings he prevented from occurring, all the deaths he may have indirectly caused… all the lives he prevented from being made from couples that no longer existed…"

Hartley had already assumed this earlier on, but hearing it out loud was just… horrifying.

Time travel has always been a minor dream to any aspiring scientist. But no one ever considers the ramifications of time travel.

"As I said, this reality became its separate seam – too many alterations caused by Eobard altering the timeline for 13 years."

"And the only reason he still exists is that his ancestor somehow still exists thanks to his Paradox Shielding?"

"Yes, and it particularly brutal for his ancestor as well. You don't even know how many events had to be altered in the ancestor's life to ensure he ended up where he needed to be. The alterations are still ongoing and are becoming harder to avoid."

"Why?"

"Because the source of Eobard's power has returned. Lightning and I are the new users of the Speed Force – the accelerator may have punctured the Force, but we pried it open when we arrived. An opening which Eobard is slowly feeding off of to regain his powers."

"If you know all this, why haven't you stopped him yet? Why haven't you killed off his ancestor?"

"First, we only arrived at this time recently because we finally managed to track him down thanks to the explosion. Secondly, he is so stuck in the notion of how certain events are supposed to go, he can't accept his arch-rival no longer existing. As such, we can't risk removing him yet – especially like this. We need his actions to be brought to light, meaning that it will have to be done publicly. So we are playing the waiting game, one which we will win since Eobard has always been a rash man. Third, the Paradox Shielding works both ways. Unless his ancestor willingly ends his life, nothing short of physically removing the offending appendage will do any good. Believe me; others have tried with circumcision before."

Harley filled away that little tidbit for later. "So why are you telling me all this? I only wanted to call you up…"

"Because you figured that I had some elaborate plan to use you or betray you like Wells, I mean, Eobard did? That man had ruined your life enough as it is. Did you know that in the original timeline you were happily married by this point in Europe?"

Hartley froze trying to digest all that. "What."

"As I said, he ruined people's lives just by existing. Had it been not for him seeking you, you would have left America in a rage after your parents disinherited you, making your way to England to work at a university there. Sure, you would have made your way back to work for S.T.A.R Labs under the Wells, but you would have been happy and married. Catching you earlier prevented all of that."

"So… my future… he… he [tears on his eyes] stole my future… my happiness…."

"And the happiness of countless others – unborn or otherwise. Believe me; there is a special place in Hell for him when we finally catch him. The only reason I am telling you all this is to prevent you from going off half-cocked."

Hartley wiped his tears. "Wha… What?"

"You will be getting your pound of flesh, Hartley, but not now. We saved you not just because we wanted to prevent you from waking up in the city in pain a nearly lose your hearing altogether, but to make sure you didn't walk down the path of the villain."

Hartley looked on in confusion.

"See, we are aware of not just the original timeline progression, but the progression of this timeline as well. Had we not stopped you, the rage against Wells would have consumed you. And even when Wells would have been exposed, the rage – the vengeance – would have nowhere to go and would transfer over to someone else, leading you down to an early supervillain grave. By piquing your curiosity early on – as well as some minor time pushes on my end – we have avoided most of the pitfalls that would have let you down the path…"

"Of Pied Piper," Hartley stated as he looked down on his gloves.

"Yes. Your moniker became rather infamous, spawning more than a few copycats and imitators. Never as good as the original mind you, mostly due to lack of intelligence to use your sound manipulating capabilities to the fullest. Everyone always figured that THAT was your actual metahuman ability and not your superhuman hearing."

Hartley clenched and unclenched his hands. "So, you want me to become a hero?"

"I want you to become whoever you wish to be Hartley. I am a big supporter of free will – ironic as it considering I am messing with time – and Eobard already removed choices from your life. I only wished to inform you of everything pertinent you need to know so you could make an informed decision. In any case, your revenge against Eobard will have to wait for now – until at least his identity is revealed."

"That's all?"

"That's all," nodded Thunder. "Anything else you wish to know?"

"The man I was supposed to marry, is he…"

"I am sorry Hartley, but it's too late now. He has found someone else who makes him happy. I suggest you do the same and move on with your life – make the best of it that you can. If you wish to speak to me again, call me with the signal like you did before – I'll monitor from now on."

Hartley nodded in acceptance – albeit reluctantly – which Thunder mirrored before flying away.

Hartley looked at his hand's ones more, weighing his options, before slowly turning to face STAR Labs on the horizon.

"So you like playing with people's lives, don't you Eobard? Well, let's how it feels when someone else is pulling strings. Like the Rat Catcher of Hamelin, I shall lead the rats and children to your doom, circling you till you make a mistake. Thunder may have said I couldn't target you but doesn't mean I can't make your life difficult to make you break. The faster you screw up, the faster my vengeance shall be. So listen to the whistling of the winds Eobard, for the Pied Piper is coming for you."