Life was quiet in the world of Central City. All was calm, the roads were clear, the birds were silent, and the people were...gone. If anything, Barry thought it was a little too quiet in the city. So, he stood up from his desk on the top floor of the Allen Enterprises building, before running into the Team Guardian base located in a magically expanded broom closet.
"Barbara, what's our status?" Barry asked, only to find himself standing alone. Odd, he could have sworn it was Barbara's day on comms. No, it was. He moved over to the terminal, swiping through the satellite to find that his worst nightmare had indeed come true. There were no life signs on the planet...except for his. Barry turned around, before willing himself to wake up.
"You aren't dreaming Barry," He opened his eyes to find the person he hated the most. Not himself, but Eobard Thawne. "This is all real. Everyone you have ever loved is now dead. Your mother. Father. Joe. Iris. Caitlin. Cisco. Patty. Diana. Kara," Barry seethed in anger, running at Thawne only to pass through the evil speedster. "Oh, come on Barry. Do you really think that would work?"
"He's to dumb to think otherwise," Barry and Thawne turned to find none other than Hunter Zoloman leaning against the doorway. "I mean, he had to steal my move in order to defeat me. But, he forgot one thing. When a speedster becomes a speedster, a tiny piece of their essence is placed in a...failsafe if you will. While the Black Flash is running around in my body, I'm in the Speed Force, studying how to get faster and better,"
"So, that's where I am? The Speed Force?" Barry asked.
"You're the Level 20 intellect. You tell me," Zoloman said before speeding to Thawne's side. "You see, the two of us have had a lot of time to get to know each other, and hate you even more. So, want to continue where we left off Flash? The race of our lives?"
Barry grimaced, reaching into his utility belt before pulling out a small ring. He placed it on his finger, and ejected the suit inside, climbing into it, and stopping to reveal his blue 'Future Flash' suit. "Get ready Zoloman...Thawne. I might not have access to my godlike abilities here, but I've learned a lot about the Speed Force,"
"Let's see about that Flash," Thawne said, his voice vibrating and his eyes glowing red as the three of them got into running positions. "Ready...get set...GO!" With that, the three took off at Mach 15, tearing through the walls before landing on the ground, their lightning illuminating the roads as they moved through the city. Barry's was clear white, while Zoloman's was purple, and Thawne's was yellow.
"You can't escape us this time Barry," The scarlet speedster turned to find the god of speed Savitar running beside him. He dodged left, narrowly missing a wrist-blade that Savitar had swung. Barry moved aside, running up the side of a building, the three evil speedsters hot on his tail. He jumped high, only to be struck by a large pulse of blue, which sent him flying into Hunter Zoloman's waiting fist.
"Mr. Allen. I have been long awaiting for this visit," Clifford DeVoe said as he lowered onto the street, where Barry had landed. "You and Mr. Dibney worked well together as a team, but you are no longer in my mind, and you are all alone,"
"We'll see about that," Barry tried to run away, only to find himself without powers. He turned around to find Cicada's dagger embedded in the ground. The man himself was standing directly behind it, his arms folded as he smirked behind a mask. "Great. Now I don't have any powers. Well, thank god for assassins," He readied his fists, knowing that the other speedsters no longer have their powers. Pressing his boots, he flew high into the air using rocket boots. In mid-air, Barry pulled out a gun before firing it at the three speedsters, watching as four tranquilizers collided with Thawne, Zoloman, DeVoe, and Cicada.
Now that Cicada was unconscious, Barry landed on the ground, before speeding into Savitar, the two dealing punches all around. The two ran around the city, throwing lightning bolts around at each other before he was grabbed by a black gooey substance. "Barry Allen. Your existence is...peculiar," Ramsey Rosso aka Bloodwork said as he held onto Barry. "Maybe I should end it,"
Before Rosso could do anything, Barry phased through the goo, running at Rosso before landing an upper-cut into the villain. Rosso easily went down in his human form, his body landing on the ground in seconds. Barry sidestepped a blade, grabbing it before phase cutting it off of Savitar's arm. He span around in the matter of nanoseconds, driving it through Savitar's chest, and into the time remnant's heart.
"I thought you would...never...kill," Savitar spat as he landed on his knees. He stammered, grabbing Barry by the shoulder. "W-Why? What...happened?" Barry sighed, phase cutting the helmet from his remnant's face, before looking at him directly.
"Life happened. Something you were going to take from me," Barry spat in Savitar's face, before kicking the remnant to the ground. "Ok, who's next!?"
"Hello Flash!" He turned around to find Leonard Snart in the middle of the road, with Mick Rory, Sam Scutter, Gorilla Grodd, Hartley Rathaway, Mark Mardon, James Jesse, Lisa Snart, Roy Bivolo, and Abra Kadabra, all lined up along the road. "The Rogues figured we would stop by! Maybe say hi!" Snart yelled, his cold gun in hand as he grinned mischievously.
"So, can one of you tell you where the hell I am?" Barry asked.
"No, Flash. Flash will be taught a lesson, then Flash will be sent home," Grodd echoed through his head. Barry sighed, before addressing Grodd directly. "What happened to being a hero Grodd?! What about our mindscape team up against Solovar?!"
"Grodd is not your Grodd. Grodd's conscience has been shifted many times!" Grodd exclaimed mentally. "But I must thank you Flash. Your duplicate saved myself and many others from the old Multiverse. So, in return...we will not kill you, but only teach you a valuable lesson...CHARGE!" The Rogues charged forward, Rory and the Snarts' guns firing off as Pied Piper began firing pulses at Barry.
He ran through the Rogues, easily disarming Lisa, Rory, and James Jesse of their weapons before coming to a stop. He easily dodged a pulse from Pied Piper, before slamming Roy Bivolo into a nearby car, swiping beneath Heat Wave, Golden Glider, and the Tricksters legs, before punching the three in the face. "Four down, six to go," He charged forward, sending a tiny pulse around him, shattering every mirror in the area, trapping Mirror Master in the Mirrorverse. "Five down, five to go,"
"Flash!" Barry turned just in time to dodge a blue lightning bolt soaring through the air, which then hit Hartley Rathaway in the gloves, frying them instantly, as well as knocking him out. Barry turned once again to find Mark Mardon and Abra Kadabra standing side by side. He charged forward, knocking Weather Wizard back as Abra disappeared in a blur of playing cards.
"Seven down, three to go!" Barry ran forward, grabbing Snart's gun, watching in slow motion as it blew up in an explosion of ice. He flew through the air, slamming into a car, before falling to the ground. "Come on Flash! What happened to you?!" Snart charged his gun, before firing, and freezing Barry's legs to the road. "You were a formidable foe back in the day, and now you're just...old,"
"Screw you Snart," He reached into his utility belt in a nanosecond, pulling out explosive gel before spraying it on the ground. In less than two seconds, the ground exploded into a heap, sending Snart and Abra flying through the sky before flying into a nearby building. Barry vibrated through the ice, smoke flying through the air as he looked around. Every Rogue was now unconscious, leaving only him and Grodd standing.
Grodd grimaced, charging at Barry before jumping into the air. Grodd slammed right through Barry, and into the ground. Confused, Grodd looked at his hands before being suddenly hit in the back by the power of a dwarf star, the gorilla being sent through a car, through a window, and into a nearby store.
"Ten down, zero to go," With that, he sped off, trailing through the city before coming to a stop in his old lab at CCPD, where his father sat. No, Jay Garrick sat. The man was the same as he remembered, grey hair, silver winged helmet, and the classic red suit with blue pants. "Jay?"
"Hello Barry," Jay replied, not prying his eyes from the board in front of him. The board was exactly like he remembered it, with pictures, newspaper clippings, and notes all about his mother's passing. "You know, when I met Joan, I always knew there was a connection, and then I was captured by Zoom. After you saved me, and told me I was your father's doppelganger, I knew deep down that meant something. Then...four years later...you told me why I thought so. Joan was your mother's doppelganger,"
"Umm...right," said Barry.
"The point is...you and I were always connected Barry. There's a reason they say you're the next generation, or the new age. Golden, and silver," Jay mused. "You must be wondering where you are. Not the Speed Force, not another Earth, and not another dimension. No...you're in Limbo,"
"Oh no," Barry said.
"Yes. You're not dead, your conscience has merely been pulled here," Jay said. "I don't know who, but someone here wants to put you through some sort of...trial. A trial even bigger than your trial for god-hood. We've been working for a long time to figure it out, but they've held us back for years,"
"The Rogues?" Barry asked.
"No...much worse. The Terra-Demon's. They come down to the surface every five days, launching a full out attack on the surface. Burning down building after building, killing hero after hero, and city after city. They come out of nowhere, and wreak havoc for exactly two hundred and twelve seconds, or three minutes and fifty-three seconds. We don't know why this specific time, but I guess it's important,"
"Ok. So, we're in Limbo. Demon's terrorize the 'planet'. Cities and heroes are being terrorized. My old nemesis are coming out of nowhere, and we don't know who's sending them," Barry said, sighing as Jay nodded. "Can we get out?"
"Not that we know of," Jay answered before pulling a diagram out from under the desk, placing it in front of Barry before poking it. "I've had twelve years to study the Multiverse in full length, however...last year there was a cataclysmic event that fused hundreds of universes. Another event like this happened just six months ago," Jay said.
"The first was a catastrophe. Evig, an overpowered future version of Overgirl, the Earth-X Supergirl, spread her essence through the Megniverse, a collection of Multiverses," Barry explained. "She destroyed everything, and myself and a few others were the only ones left that could bring everything back...and we did. However, a week later, I was infected by an ancient and extraterrestrial bacteria, which split me into two halves. I fought my evil half until we were sucked into a black hole. I eventually...killed him, and combined my halves, before returning, only to find the timeline changed once again,"
"What type of changes?" Jay asked.
"Hundreds of other universes were added to Earth-Prime. The universe shifted back to 2012, having the catastrophe in January 2012 instead of 2013," Barry said.
"So you were involved in a larger than Crisis event, and a timeline change," Jay said, throwing the map aside before pulling out another paper, which contained only a circle. "The original Multiverse only contained 52 universes, with one unidentified earth. The new Multiverse consists of five thousand, four hundred and seventy-one universes. This Multiverse takes up thirty seven percent of the newly formed Megaverse," explained Barry.
"Wait...there is a way out of here," Barry mused, his mind drifting slightly as he thought. Less than a year ago, I was killed by Eobard Thawne, and sent to the Dream Dimension. After completing most of my trials, I had to use some sort of Path in order to travel through dimensions. On my way through the Path, I saw a specific building. It was...it was...Mercury Labs. If we can get to the Path, we can enter one of the dimensions, before moving through the Speed Force Wall,"
"Ok. So...we have a problem," Jay said. "Mercury Labs was destroyed by the Silver Banshee three years ago, and is practically nonexistent,"
"No problem," Barry sped off, running around in a tight circle inside the room, his white electricity bouncing around as he ran. Jay attempted to call for him, but Barry ignored the older man, his eyes sparkling with electricity as he ran faster and faster. Before either could blink, the scarlet speedster and crimson comet were slung back by a large pulse of energy. "What the hell?!" Barry asked as he stood up.
"The Speed Force isn't connected to Limbo, and the only way out is through Mercury Labs, which was destroyed. We're stuck, Barr," Jay said solemnly as he sat down, his head resting on his hands. Barry grinned before tapping on the table.
"There's always two lanes Garrick. In...and out. If Mercury Labs led to one Dimension, then there's most likely another exit that can get us out of here. So...there are hundreds of possible locations. Whoever it is that brought us here is most likely from the new timeline, so there are hundreds of possible locations,"
"Wait, is this Path green?" Jay asked.
"No...it's more of a whitish grey," Barry said. "Why?"
"Because on the other side of the moon is some sort of green strip of energy, which connects to some sort of energy source beyond Limbo," Jay explained. "So...maybe there's some sort of sub-Path's, which lead in and out of Limbo,"
"So. We go to the moon, enter the path, enter the main path, and then go home," Barry said. "Ok, how many do you have that we can take?" Barry asked.
"Well, myself, you, Gypsy, Tony Woodword, Atom-Smasher, Magenta, Grodd, Harry, Jesse Wells, Golden Glider, Plastique, Citizen Cold, Heat Wave, Rip Hunter, Martin Stein, Carter Hall, Tracy Brand, Julian Albert, Ironhide, Eddie Thawne, Ronnie Raymond, Nora West-Allen, and Henry Allen," Jay listed with a grin.
"Wait...Nora? As in...my daughter Nora?" Barry asked.
"Indeed. She's currently in Keystone trying to find a way out as well. She's been stuck here for seventeen years, and is very eager to get out," Jay said. "Your father was very happy to meet her, and the two have gotten together very well," Barry's face was filled with tears at the remembrance of his mother's, father's, and daughter's death.
"Ok...ok...ok," Barry said reassuringly as he wiped at his mouth. "Gather everyone at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in four hours. I'll be ready for you all then," Jay nodded, and with that Barry disappeared in a flash of white lightning.
"Good job Garrick," Jay turned abruptly to find none other than Barry Allen standing in the doorway. Jay stepped back in fear, clearly knowing the doppelganger. "You did well in getting as much information as you could from Barry. Good. Now, I kill him,"
FOUR HOURS LATER
The real Barry Allen stood hundreds of feet away from a large launch pad located near Kennedy Space Center. Occupying the launch pad was the largest rocket ever built by man...the Saturn V rocket. What would usually take up to five years to build by machines, Barry had built in the span of four hours with nothing but his bare hands and Flashtime.
He sped to the cargo bay, which he had fitted with a hundred seats, for the deceased heroes and any others. He had also reserved room for Ironhide, Jazz, and several other Autobots he knew had passed before the Battle of Chicago. Not knowing if Jay had called the others, he had called everyone ahead of time, just to make sure everyone would be there to load onto the rocket.
After half an hour, everyone but Jay, Nora, and Henry were on the rocket. Jay had yet to arrive, while Barry talked to both Nora and Henry. The reunion had been tearful, seeing as the three had not seen each other in over fifteen years. "It's so good to see you guys again," Barry said as his father and daughter entered the lift, which would send them up to the cargo bay.
"COME ON FLASH!" Barry abruptly turned at the sound of his superhero persona, finding several villains lined up in front of him. Thawne, Zoloman, Savitar, DeVoe, Cicada, Bloodwork, Captain Cold, Gorilla Grodd, Mardon, Abra Kadabra, and hundreds of Terra-Demons. Thawne moved forward. "Did you really think you could leave Limbo without a fight?!"
"No. That's why I brought backup!" The villains watched as Barry split himself into hundreds of different Flashes, white electricity bouncing around the rocket. The electricity ignited the boosters, sending the rocket into the air in less than a minute. "You want a fight?! You'll get a fight!" The Barry's speed forward, one however, ran up the side of the Kennedy Space Center, jumping off of the roof before landing on the in-air rocket.
Latching onto the hull, he sped forward, his Speed Force aura protecting him from the wind as he made his way to the cockpit. He phased through the side, before sitting down in the pilot's seat. He pushed down on the lever, the nose of the rocket leveling over as they ascended into the atmosphere. "Shit. Jay," He sped back into the cargo bay, before placing Harry Wells in the pilot's seat.
He sped around the cargo bay, willing himself beyond space and time before finding the Speed Force. He accessed it's power, and created a breach. Barry reappeared in the Limbo CCPD Crime Lab, instantly finding Jay Garrick slumped against the wall unconscious. He grabbed Jay, and entered the breach again. Placing Jay in one of the seats, Barry moved back to the cockpit, where he took the pilot's seat, while Harry took the co-pilot's seat.
As the rocket exited the atmosphere, Barry ignited the secondary engines early, rocketing them into deep space. He pressed a button above him, and spoke aloud. "All riders, it will take at least one hour, with the assistance of the Speed Force, to reach the Moon," He clicked off, before getting out of his seat before snapping his fingers. A blue portal surrounded the ship, sending them to light speed.
