Chapter 11: Misstep in the Right Direction

"You're the Streak." Caitlin Snow whispered.

Barry shrugged, and his grin widened. "Guilty as charged."

Cisco discreetly took out his phone, only to jump back when it flew out of his hand, and landed on the floor, pierced by a knife.

Barry, arm still stretched out, wagged his finger. "Sorry, but I can't have you outing my secret."

"So, are you going to kill us? Like you did him?" Caitlin shrieked, pointing at the unconscious and bloody Tony.

Barry gave the piece of meat on the floor a small kick. "He's not dead." Caitlin blinked.

Cisco, having regained his courage, asked the question. "Why not? Didn't you kill the other two metas?"

The Streak smirked. "Oh? You guys call them that too? Anyway, yes, I did. The difference is, one of them was unstable, had just developed a god complex, and had created a tornado that was about to destroy the city. The other was a former hitman of the Darbynian Crime Family whose powers were explicitly lethal – to say nothing of the fact that he was already on death row and was supposed to have been executed the night of the Particle Accelerator Explosion."

He jabbed his thumb at Tony. "This guy? He's an asshole, a convict whose crimes date all the way back to juvie, and he made my life and the life of my best friend hell when we were kids. But he's not a murderer, just a thug, so I don't see the need to kill him for such petty crimes." Barry shifted his shoulders. "Of course, I just can't let him walk away, either, so this is where you come in." He looked at Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells.

"Why us?" Cisco demanded.

Barry smiled smugly. "I know you've been developing anti-meta technology. I could keep him in my own personal prison, but we're still in the process of building it and if I keep knocking him out eventually I will end up killing him, if only unintentionally. So, you guys are my best bet."

"And what makes you think we already have a prison ready?" Dr. Wells asked, speaking for the first time since he outed Barry's identity.

Barry gazed at him intently, the smile never leaving his face. "Because you hired me."

Dr. Wells returned his gaze with a stare of his own. "Caitlin. Cisco. Show Mr. Allen the Pipeline so he can deposit Mr. Woodward here. After that, go home and speak of this to no one. Something tells me that if you try, you'll only live to regret it. Mr. Allen, meet back here when you're done."

"You knew…that I knew."

Barry scoffed. "Of course. I'm not stupid, you know. You're a master of spinning lies, Harrison Wells, that much I can tell, but the thing is – so am I. Why else would you give a kid who never graduated from high school a job when you used to work with the most brilliant minds on the planet? Considering your tarnished reputation, if you had truly wanted to help me with a future career in scientific research, you would've stayed away as far as possible. To say nothing of the fact that you didn't even give me specifics for the job you wanted me to do. There was only one explanation." Barry then narrowed his eyes. "The only missing piece of the puzzle is how exactly you knew."

This time, it was Harrison's turn to smile. "I have my ways."

"I'm sure you do." Barry deadpanned. "Look, I don't trust you."

Wells tilted his head.

"I don't trust you, but for now, I need you. I'll give you the benefit of doubt. But don't think for one moment that I don't have my eyes on you."

Wells nodded. "Very well then. Then I assume you have already together the job I intended for you?"

Barry showed his teeth. "You want me to capture metas. Hold them here so you can figure out a standard blueprint for a prison to hold all of them."

"Yes." Wells confirmed.

"Fine. But only until the city can build its own prison. We're already breaking enough laws as it is."

"Don't you mean you, Mr. Allen? After all, I'm not the one killing people." Wells challenged.

Barry tsked. "Harrison, Harrison, Harrison. Here's something you should know – I know a fellow killer when I see one. And I'm not talking about casualties from a failed experiment. I'm talking about actual, intentional robbing of another's life. What do you think I see, when I see you?"

He's different.

Eobard Thawne watched the feed, feeling concern rip through him.

When he had refused to rescue Barry from whatever place he disappeared to all those years ago, he had given a thousand justifications as to why. Damage to the timeline. Insufficient information. Maintaining his secret identity.

But none of them were true. The truth was, Eobard Thawne had wanted Barry Allen to suffer.

Now, he was regretting his pettiness. This Barry was different, so very different from the one he once knew. This one was a stone-cold killer, a master liar, and skilled in ways that the other Barry wouldn't have once considered. He was an unknown variable, one that Eobard could not hope to bring to heel. He was manipulative, smart.

He was dangerous.

And against all rhyme and reason, Eobard loved it.

There was an extreme likelihood that he would be losing this game. That he would never see home again. But here and now, facing a Barry Allen that could no doubt go toe-to-toe with him, on every battlefield, thrilled him beyond belief. Had things gone to plan, had Barry Allen never gotten on that damn plane, things would've just been too easy. Eobard would've known all the right buttons to push, all the right words to say, and eventually Barry would've played into his hand with nary a protest. This Barry, however, wouldn't do that at all – he'd fight him every step of the way. He was a worthy nemesis, very close to the level of Eobard's original Flash.

The only thing he wished to know was how Barry came to be like this. It hadn't taken long to figure out who else had been with Barry on that island – Oliver Queen, and by the looks of it, Kara Danvers and Clark Kent, according to Gideon and the reports of the Girl in Blue.

Oliver Queen's years on the island were a mystery even in his time. Not his identity nor his exploits as the Green Arrow, though, after a psychotic hacker had deluded herself into believing the Green Arrow was her soulmate and started stalking him, releasing all the information right before she was jailed after he rejected her. But the hell Oliver Queen had gone through on the island of Lian Yu was knowledge lost to time and something told Eobard Thawne it was integral to how this Barry had become so…dark. To say nothing of the fact that Oliver landed on the island seven years earlier than he did in the original timeline and stayed there for much longer.

Kara Danvers was another surprise. Eobard knew for a fact that what happened with her was not his doing. Kara Danvers, or Kara Zor-El, was not supposed to arrive on Earth for another five years, and not debut as Supergirl until ten years after that. Clark Kent was at the correct age, though he was supposed to be raised by the Kents, who oddly enough were dead in this timeline in a fire twelve years ago.

And that wasn't the only discrepancy in the timeline. Bruce Wayne's parents were never killed. Diana of Themyscira never left her home to the world of man. Those three were the backbone of the future Justice League, the "Holy Trinity", as they were once called. Now, it seemed, a new Trinity was replacing them, one much more…driven in their pursuit of justice.

There was another player at work, he realized.

But no matter, he thought, whoever it is will be stopped, the moment Barry goes back to save his mother.

"Stay away from my son." Robert Queen snarled as he stormed into Malcolm Merlyn's home office.

"Why hello Robert, it's good to see you. It's good to see you too, Malcolm, how's your day been?" Malcolm Merlyn muttered sarcastically, cool as a cucumber in the face of his former best friend's rage.

Robert ignored him, glaring. "I saw you two yesterday, at The Palm. What's your game, Malcolm?"

"What, can't a godfather spend time with his godson?" Malcolm smirked.

"You lost any right to that name when you had your godson killed."

Malcolm conceded defeat, holding up his hands. "You're right, Robert. You're right. When the Undertaking is over, if it makes you feel better, I'll start distancing myself from Oliver."

"What about now?" Robert demanded.

"I'll continue socializing with him, if only to remind you and Moira of what is at stake should you defy me." Malcolm smoothly replied, dead serious.

Robert gritted his teeth, then crumbled. He collapsed into the chair in front of Malcolm's desk, tears leaking out of his eyes. Malcolm's face softened a bit – despite their relationship being tattered beyond repair, he still had a soft spot for the Queens, who had been his closest friends and confidants at one point.

"Robert."

"Please, Malcolm. He's my son. I already lost him once. I can't…I can't…"

"And you won't." Malcolm cooed. "Oliver will live, as long as you keep with the plan. And once the Glades are nothing more than rubble on the ground, we can put this all behind us. Alright?"

Robert stared at him. He wanted to shout, to scream, to hit Malcolm with everything he had. But it would do nothing to help. He deflated. "Alright."

"General." Astra jumped, slightly startled. She turned.

Non.

"Lieutenant." she returned his nod.

"What are you doing?"

"Surveillance."

"…it's her, isn't it?"

"What of it, Non!" Astra slammed her fist down, glaring at her husband. Non returned her glower defiantly.

"She is weak, Astra. Hardly a threat. Either as an ally or as an enemy." He retorted calmly.

Astra scoffed. "Regardless, she is the only fully grown Kryptonian on the planet that defies us, even if she is unaware of it currently. We must remain vigilant over her."

Non shook his head. "You still care for her. Do not let your feelings get in the way of your duty, Astra."

"Never." Astra ground out. "Now leave, Non. Consider this a direct order from your superior officer."

"Very well, General." He bowed his head and left, his steps echoing through the corridor.

Astra sighed and turned her head back to the screen. On it, Kara was currently conversing was a middle-aged woman, laughing at something she said.

The Kryptonian General knew she was obsessing over this. She couldn't help it – Kara had been the most important person in her life, and even after all this time that hadn't changed. Everything she had ever done, since the day Kara was born, had been driven by the love she had for her niece. That hadn't changed even when she thought Kara to be dead.

It was tempting, just to reveal herself, reveal everything to Kara, to try and convince her to turn to her side. But Kara had been living with humans for the last ten years, and before that was raised with the ideals of the House of El. She had filled her head with foolish notions of heroism, judging by her actions as this "Girl in Blue". She would never approve of Myriad.

No, Astra's best bet was to wait until after Myriad was activated. Once Kara saw the benefits, it was only a matter of time before she turned to their side. If not, well, Kal-El would certainly make a good bargaining chip, as would some of the humans Kara seemed to be especially fond of.

Astra would've felt regret, causing her niece so much pain. But Kara would not willingly turn to their side without some incentive, and once she did, Astra was sure she'd see things her way.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"Block all exit routes! Turn off the main power! Put this place under complete and total lockdown! Do not let that son of a bitch out of this building!" Amanda Waller commanded, an ugly look on her face.

"Ma'am, Ma'am!"

"What!"

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but judging by our scanners…he's gone."

Waller clenched her fist, and then grabbed hold of the nearest chair and threw it at the wall.

He ran. For seconds, minutes, hours, days – he didn't know how long.

It was only when his legs could no longer handle the strain did he stop, collapsing onto a nearby bench. On it, an old newspaper laid there. At the sight of the front page, he grabbed it, staring long and hard at the headline.

'OLIVER QUEEN IS ALIVE!'

He smiled.

I'm glad you made it out, kid. I just hope the others managed to make it out with you.

ARC I: SETTLING IN

END

NEXT: ARC II: FAMILY

And with that, I end Arc I. Arc II will be fully planned out once finals are over, and chapters should be released by next Sunday.

As for the "psychotic hacker" bit, yes, that was Felicity Smoak, and that will be the only reference to her in the entire story. If you're wondering what happened to her, she went to jail with Cooper Sneddon for that virus she made. Won't be released for at least another ten to twenty years. John Diggle and Lyla Michaels never divorced, and are currently living in another city with their son and daughter. Lyla never joined A.R.G.U.S. as a result.

And then there are the bits about the timeline. This was deliberate. It was to set up another arc in the story, one after Arc V. This where I deal with all the bits about the timeline.

See ya next time!