The air inside STAR Labs was tense.
Barry walked in through the corridor, slow steps, shoulders squared, eyes set like stone. The Cortex lights flickered faintly behind him as he approached the team. Caitlin was checking a screen. Cisco was fiddling with his gauntlet. HR sat casually in the corner with a tea mug. Jay—or what they all thought was Jay—stood near the map display, arms folded.
"I'm going to Earth-Two," Barry said without buildup.
Everyone looked up.
"Now," he added.
Caitlin blinked. "What? Barry, what do you mean?"
Cisco frowned. "You just got back from saving two metas yesterday. What's the rush?"
"I know who Zoom is," Barry said.
The room froze. Even the hum of the computers felt quieter.
HR slowly put down his cup. "Excuse me? What did you say?"
Barry turned. His eyes went cold as they locked onto the man in the corner of the room.
"Zolomon," he said. "Anything to say?"
The fake Jay didn't flinch, but his eye twitched. Barely. Everyone turned to look at him. HR stood now, confused and defensive.
"What the hell is he talking about? Who's Zolomon?"
"He's Zoom," Barry said, his voice low and hard. "He's been here with us all along."
Caitlin stepped forward quickly, her voice rising. "No, Barry, that can't be right. Jay's helped us, trained you, he even got sick trying to stabilize the Speed Force—"
"Stop." HR's voice cut her off as he lifted the small pulse pistol he always kept under his coat. Without hesitation, he fired.
The blast slammed into Jay's side.
He grunted, stepped back—but didn't fall. Instead, his hand reached up, grabbed the scorched part of his jacket, and tore it away. His skin underneath shimmered faintly, like it wasn't quite human.
"Why would you do that?!" Caitlin shouted.
Barry didn't react. He looked at Cisco.
"Vibe him. Now."
Cisco hesitated. "You sure?"
Barry nodded.
Jay—or Zolomon—watched them all with the same cold face. But now there was a sliver of tension in his jaw.
Cisco stepped forward, hand raised.
"This won't take long," he said.
And then it clicked.
Zolomon's eyes lit up. He blurred. Lightning exploded around him—blue, wild, cracked with raw force.
"You shouldn't have known!" he snapped.
Barry blurred too. Yellow lightning tore the air apart as he chased him out of the Cortex, through the hallway, and into the city.
---
Downtown Central City erupted as two streaks of lightning flashed through the streets. Zoom ran ahead, but Barry was faster now. More than fast. He was precision. Purpose. Every step was a calculation. Every turn was already mapped in his head.
Barry gained on him within seconds.
Zoom turned and sent a pulse of kinetic energy behind him—a shockwave of compressed Still Force meant to knock Barry off balance. Barry phased through it like smoke.
"You're not faster than me," Barry called.
Zoom turned mid-run, slashed his arm, and generated a crackling whip of dark lightning. He spun, trying to lash Barry back.
Barry slid under it, skidded on the street, then vaulted forward with a burst that shattered the pavement beneath him.
He tackled Zoom into a building wall.
They exploded through brick and steel. Sparks flew. Rebar snapped.
They crashed into an office lobby, rolled across the marble floor, then zipped back out through opposite sides of the building.
Zoom gritted his teeth. "You shouldn't know. I erased all traces."
"Doesn't matter now," Barry said, voice tight.
Zoom fired a blast of pure dark Speed Force energy.
Barry caught it.
Mid-run.
He absorbed it, spun, and used it to launch himself into a spiral kick that knocked Zoom into a bus stop. The metal bent around his frame.
Barry landed, chest rising slow.
"You're not him. You're a time remnant. One of many. Just a piece."
Zoom growled, teeth bloodstained. "And I'm still enough to kill you."
He ran.
Barry followed.
They zipped across rooftops, knocking tiles loose. Past bridges, across rivers, leaving lightning scars in the air. Helicopters tried to follow but couldn't keep up.
Zoom turned hard and tackled Barry mid-sprint. They tumbled across the freeway. Cars spun out, horns blared, but Barry grabbed him and flung him upward.
Zoom caught the ledge of a crane.
Barry appeared above him.
He drove both feet into Zoom's chest.
The crane bent. Sparks sprayed.
Zoom roared, caught Barry's wrist, and yanked him down.
They fell together.
Barry phased through the ground. Zoom slammed into it.
The villain rolled, dazed, but got up again.
Barry blurred into view, fists ready.
They exchanged punches now. Fast. Blinding. Each hit a thunderclap. Barry's strikes were sharper. Cleaner. Zoom's were wild. Furious.
Then Barry caught his leg, spun, and slammed him into the street hard enough to crater it.
Zoom gasped.
Barry stood over him.
"You're not going to hurt anyone else."
Zoom laughed, coughing. "You think this ends with me? You think you stop the storm by unplugging the lightning rod?"
Barry didn't respond.
He looked down at the fractured, flickering shell of a man who thought he could rewrite reality with speed.
"Goodbye, Hunter."
Barry vibrated his hand.
One quick strike.
Not through the heart. Not fatal.
Just enough.
He shattered the connection between the remnant and the Still Force.
Zoom's body convulsed. His speed was gone. Ripped from him like torn flesh.
The blue lightning in his veins went dark.
Barry stepped back.
The street was silent again.
The city held its breath.
Then, slowly, he walked away.
---
Back at STAR Labs, the team watched the aftermath through satellite feeds.
HR was speechless. Cisco sat in the chair, arms on his knees.
Caitlin... said nothing.
The betrayal hurt.
Barry walked in a few minutes later. Scorched shirt. Bleeding lip. Calm.
He looked at them.
"It's over."
They didn't cheer. They didn't collapse in relief.
They just sat with it.
Zoom was gone.
But trust?
That would take longer.
Barry didn't say anything else. He walked past them. Into the back lab.
He needed a moment.
Because even if he won...
He still lost something tonight.