Chapter 110: The Speed Force

Harrison Wells, owner and proprietor of S.T.A.R. Labs, couldn't help but frown as he watched the vertical television screen in his office. Just recently, the city had been in a panic due to being surrounded by an entire army of metahumans right outside the outskirts of the city limits. He had been called in by the mayor's office for consultation on how to repel such an army in case of its inevitable attack. But before he could even formulate an opinion, let alone possible counter-measures, a series of breaches opened right outside the city, and the army exited into them.

While the majority of the public breathed out a sigh of relief, Wells and others of similarly astute minds remained vigilant. Whatever happened to the army, there was no guarantee it wouldn't come back. Already, Wells was trying to develop a city-wide meta-dampening field to limit the army's advance in case they came back. While it would be a drain on the city's power grid for a field that wide, and being used to suppress the powers of so many metahumans, it might be the worth the cost if it meant saving so many lives.

Just then, an alarm sounded — a breach alarm, installed after a bad encounter with the metahuman Reverb. Wells shot to his feet and grabbed his gun, heading down towards where his watch was indicating where the breach was. It was the same room where he had helped the breachers from Earth-1 travel back to their home all those weeks ago. That could not be a coincidence.

He arrived at the breach, aimed his gun, and—

It was Reverb. Except, not Reverb. The suit was of lighter colors, the man didn't have Reverb's characteristic smug swagger, nor that ridiculous samurai haircut. So if this wasn't Reverb, then this was…

"… Vibe?"

Vibe nodded, looking fretful. "We need your help."

Barry woke up.

It was with a sharp gasp, eyes blown wide open. He sat up, clutching his rapidly beating heart as he looked around. The last thing he remembered was that blast of lightning from the sky, and the darkness and pain that followed. The experience had been invigorating in a way that was not enlivening.

He looked around, and—No.

This place was familiar. Far too familiar.

Barry got to his feet, eyes alert for possible threats. He tried to access his speed, but found that he couldn't. Not good. Not good at all. How did I end up here? He couldn't help but think. He was nowhere near this place the last time he was conscious. He was halfway around the world, in his home city, fighting Zoom—

Zoom.

Zoom had activated the Dark Matter Collector. The dark matter saturated the air, which formed the lightning bolt that struck Barry, the same kind of lightning bolt that had traveled halfway around the world to Nanda Parbat the night the Particle Accelerator exploded to make him a speedster in the first place. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that if he activated the Collector, caused the explosion, then that meant the metahuman army could attack Central City anytime, if they weren't attacking already.

I need to get out of here, Barry thought as he stepped outside the hut and back into the familiar wildlife of Lian Yu.

But how? He didn't have his speed, and without that, there was no way he could traverse the ocean fast enough. No communicator either. And there was no way he could just wait. Central City needed him. He needed to leave now.

Not to mention the fact that he had no idea how he got back here to begin with. Nor where his suit went, now replaced by a pair of black boots, combat pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, not unlike the outfit he wore when invading Fyers's camp. At least he still had his knives, hidden beneath his clothing. He'd feel naked without those.

What to do, what to do… Barry pondered, wandering around the familiar trails of his island home. Because as much as Barry sincerely hated this place, it was home in its own way. There were parts of him that would only ever truly be comfortable here, and he imagined it was the same for his adoptive siblings and father.

Unconsciously, he found his feet guiding down a familiar path that led to the graves they made for Yao-Fei and Shado. Perhaps talking to them, even if they wouldn't answer back, could help get him some clarity on what to do—

Barry stopped, discreetly drawing one of his knives, as he spotted an unfamiliar figure in a green hood standing in front of Shado's grave. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Why are you here?"

The figure turned around.

Barry nearly dropped his knife.

"Yao-Fei?" he gasped out.

Yao-Fei merely blinked, stepping forward with a neutral expression on his face. Barry let go of his stance, face pale. "I'm dead, aren't I?" he asked.

The image of his first mentor tilted his head, and then smiled. "No, you're not Barry. And to be accurate… We're not Yao-Fei."

"… and I saw him without his Flash suit on, standing in a storm of lightning, and I tried to call out to him and I think he heard me but I broke out of the vibe before we could talk and—" Cisco stopped, panting heavily, and then looked pleadingly at the man who shared his face with his evil former boss. "Am I wrong? Is he dead? Or is he alive?"

Harrison Wells observed Cisco for a long moment, before glancing around at the surrounding people. He recognized those who had involuntarily traveled to his earth and back, of course, along with the doppelganger of Rupture — no doubt Vibe's brother on this earth. There were a few new faces as well: an attractive brunette who tugged on her gloves every few seconds; another attractive brunette of African-American descent that toyed with a necklace around her neck; an African American man with goggles pulled up on his forehead; and a man with green skin who Wells was pretty certain was an alien.

But the three that caught and kept his attention the most were Barry's self-professed 'siblings' and 'father'. Oliver Queen, who was deceased on his earth; Kara Zor-El, a young, statuesque blonde woman; and the doppelganger of President Wilson, sans one eye. They were the most intimidating of the lot, for more reasons than one, and the most attentive to his answer. Wells tried not to shiver at their harsh stares.

"He's alive," Wells finally said after that momentary stillness.

The tension eased out of the atmosphere as the people around exchanged joyous, hopeful looks. The 'family' in particular lost their harsh stares, hugging each other close. He saw Laurel tug at the arm of Queen, who wrapped his other arm around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Where is he?" Queen asked him after the small celebration died down.

Wells grimaced. "The Speed Force."

"The Speed Force?" Dante asked, raising an eyebrow, "What the hell is a Speed Force?"

"It's an extra-dimensional plane that exists outside of the multiverse," Wells explained, using his hands to help illustrate what he was saying, "that contains an infinite amount of inter-dimensional dark matter energy. It's where all speedsters, across every earth, draw their power from. Barry must have been transported there after he got struck by the lightning. The bolt must have been infused with dark matter."

"Like the lightning bolt that struck him when he first got his powers," Queen said slowly in realization.

Wells nodded.

Kara frowned. "But how did a lightning bolt transport him to another plane of existence?"

"Because it's sentient," Wells replied, stunning everyone. "Zoom told me as much when he tasked me with trying to find a way to steal another speedster's speed. It seems he had some experience with the Speed Force, and it wasn't happy with him, which is why he was so keen on making me deal with the research instead. The Speed Force must have used the lightning bolt as an opportunity to bring Barry to it and talk to him for whatever reason."

Glances were exchanged. Everyone was well aware that if it hadn't been for the recent going-ons for the last several months — hell, years— they would all be skeptical. But considering this explanation was coming from a man from an alternate earth, they had no choice but to accept it.

"Can you get him out?" Slade demanded, clearly not willing to accept 'no' for an answer.

"I can, but I'm going to need the materials at my S.T.A.R. Labs and an extra pair of hands."

"Cisco," Oliver said, and Cisco nodded, opening a breach for him and Wells to exit into. The moment they were gone, the atmosphere grew tense again.

"So what now?" Ronnie asked for everyone, directing his attention to Oliver.

Oliver crossed his arms, frowning. "Now, we plan. Whatever Wells and Cisco are doing, it's going to take time. We need to use that time to come up with a plan to counter Zoom's army, make contact with A.R.G.U.S. — whatever we need to do to prepare for the next battle and liberate Central City."

Hartley hummed, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I think I have an idea."

"The Speed Force?" Barry said faintly.

'Yao-Fei' nodded. "You came across information about us when looking over some of Eobard Thawne's notes, did you not?"

"I did, but…" I never thought I'd ever get the chance to meet you, is what he didn't say. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because we wished to talk you. We've been meaning to talk to you for a long time, Barry Allen."

"Really?" Barry hated how childish and lost he sounded.

"Don't tell me you didn't wonder why a lightning bolt made by the Particle Accelerator arrived halfway around the world to Nanda Parbat just to strike you."

Barry blinked. "You did that?"

"We did. You were meant to be our champion. We refused to choose anyone else."

The assassin took in a deep breath at that. That was quite the revelation to swallow. But… "Look, that's great and all, and it's nice to meet you, but I need to leave. My friends need me. My city needs me."

"You wish to leave?" Yao-Fei asked, though he—it—whatever, didn't sound offended.

Barry opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a something speeding past him, leaving an audible swish in its wake. He blinked again. "What was that?"

"Your ticket home," Yao-Fei answered. "Again, you wish to leave? You must catch that shadow."

Barry looked defiant, but figured it wasn't worth arguing about. It's not like he had any other options. Giving the image of Yao-Fei one last look, he turned towards the direction of the shadow, and ran.

The monitor flickered to life, revealing an Asian man who had a bag of ice pressed to the side of his head. "Slade?"

"Maseo!" Slade said in relief, the rest of the Justice League congregating behind him, with the likes of Bette, Oliver, and Kara next to him. "Thank God you're alright. Where's Amanda?"

"We don't know. After the prisoners escaped the Central City base and our agents managed to get it back under control, she was nowhere to be found. We think the prisoners took her with them to Zoom. She's either dead or being held captive by Zoom's men."

Curses answered that statement. As much as they all hated Amanda, and in the cases of some, wished her dead, the current situation made such thinking irrelevant. Amanda had resources and connections that would've been vital when they mounted their counterattack on Zoom. With her gone, things would be a lot more difficult.

"Look, Maseo, we've got a plan to knock out all the people Zoom brought over from Earth-2. But in order to do it, we need support in distracting the army from swamping S.T.A.R. Labs, not to mention infiltrating S.T.A.R. Labs itself. Can we count on you for that?"

Maseo paused as he thought that over. "I can. Amanda authorized me to act in her authority in case she was ever compromised or otherwise indisposed. I can contact the military, the coast guard, ask for their support, and activate some contingencies she had in place for a situation like this. But Slade, even if you all do knock out the Earth-2 metas, the battle won't end."

"We know. The A.R.G.U.S. prisoners—"

"Not just them. Right after he breached in his army, Zoom attacked Iron Heights prison with some of his men. He released the prisoners from all three wings and added them to his army."

Laurel paled. "So we've still got every prisoner in Iron Heights to deal with even after we deal with the breachers."

"Goddammit," Oliver cursed, and he wasn't the only one. Grumbling came from every mouth present. Things had just gotten even worse. "Sub-Director Yamashiro," Oliver finally said, collecting himself, "Amass up as much help as you can. I don't care who or what it is, as long as they help us liberate Central City while minimizing civilian casualties. We'll contact you when we're ready to mount our attack."

"Understood, Green Arrow. Sub-Director Yamashiro, out." The feed flickered off.

"Kara," Oliver gestured to his sister. Kara nodded and went to the main terminal, where she began typing in commands. When she finished, a churning sound was heard, and one of the walls collapsed revealed something that stunned everyone present: an armory.

A hidden compartment, with various sub-compartments, each filled with a new suit, similar in aesthetics to each member of the Justice League's usual suits. However, they were made of sturdier material, a flexible, armored kind that would allow for better protection. For some, like Black Canary's and Green Arrow's, there were various weapons and gadgets to go along with it.

And it wasn't limited to the Justice League either. Pied Piper, Firestorm, Vibe, and Deathstroke had their own sub-compartments as well. There was even a larger one with more generalized suits for the members of Task Force X. Barry hadn't left a single person out.

"Barry has been working on these for the past several months," Oliver said as the various members of the Justice League and their allies trailed over to their respective compartments, mouths gaping wide. "They were more-or-less finished about a month ago, and he was going to get each of your respective opinions for the last, personal touches. While the ones for Task Force X were made on Amanda's orders, these were meant to be gifts. Considering the situation, however, I think he won't mind if I hand them over a little early."

"How did he find the time?" J'onn asked, peering at the black bodysuit with his custom red 'X' symbol on it.

Kara shrugged. "He's a speedster and a brilliant one at that. And he's had practice already with our own suits. Combined with the technology of both the fortress and S.T.A.R. Labs, it wasn't as difficult as you think."

Slade lifted a black and orange armored mask, staring hard at it. "We'll have to thank him when he comes back."

Barry ran across the forest, dodging places where he knew traps and landmines were to be. Far off in the periphery, he could spot the shadow, zipping away, but always forever out of his reach. But still, he kept chasing after it. He had no choice.

Eventually, the shadow escaped from view, and Barry was forced to stop chasing it until he could catch sight of it again. He looked around to see where he had ended up, and grimaced. The beach. And from what he could see, not too far from their ill-fated attempt to commandeer the Amazo.

"Hello, Barry."

Barry whipped his head around and drew two knives, pointed one directly up at Anthony Ivo's neck. Ivo was completely unperturbed by his new position, simply raising an eyebrow in retaliation. "You," Barry hissed.

"Me?" Ivo sounded amused.

"You died too quickly."

"Perhaps he did," Ivo agreed. "But he's gone now, and he can't ever harm you or your family again."

And with that, Barry was reminded of where he was. Of who this was. Sheepishly, he pulled the knife away, drawing it back into its holster. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Your reaction is understandable. He was always the one you and your family hated most, right?"

Barry parted his lips at that, a little shocked to hear something so accurate and truthful out of Ivo's mouth. This was the Speed Force, yes, but Ivo was a liar. The worst kind of liar, the kind that twists the truth in a way that made it to hurt. There was no falsehood in those words, however.

"You always hated him the most," 'Ivo' continued, tilting his head. "Fyers had Wintergreen torture you and your brother, and murdered Yao-Fei, but in the end, he's also the one that brought your family together, binding you in a way that not even blood could. But Ivo… Ivo is the one that ripped that family apart, that ruined whatever good was left on this island for you. He's when 'hell' truly began."

"He tortured Oliver, killed Shado, separated all of you from Slade. He's the reason you and your brothers and sister landed in the laps of the League of Assassins. He's the reason you are the man you are today. Until Zoom, you didn't think you could ever hate anyone as much as you hated him."

The speedster had no answer. Every word was true.

"And yet," Ivo tilted his head, "he's also the person you fear the most. Or, at least, the person you fear becoming the most. Because he was brilliant like you, and he used that brilliance to mete out his own sadistic indulgences under the guise of science. And you fear that your time with the League has made you liable to do the same. That is why you have never fully embraced your gifts."

Barry stepped away. "How…?"

Ivo quirked his lips. "It's like we said, Barry. This is the Speed Force. We know you more than you could ever know yourself. It's why we chose you."

"But why?" Barry couldn't help but ask, blurting out the words. "Why me?"

Ivo simply smiled, and then the shadow once again sped past by. "Catch that, and maybe you'll find out."

Barry frowned, giving the image of his old enemy one last look before he began his chase once more. He had a shadow to catch, after all.

Yup. The Speed Force is Lian Yu for Barry. That's because, he's moved on from his mother's death, and ultimately his time on Lian Yu, despite being there for a shorter amount than in Central City, did more to shape the person he is today. And of course, the lesson the Speed Force is trying to teach him is different from the one on the show.

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