The scent of ozone and copper still clung to my skin from Apokolips. My thoughts hummed with the whispers of the Omega Core, still resonating through the creases of my mind. And yet, even divine wisdom couldn't ready me for the flash of red that flashed across the Watchtower's training room.
Barry Allen.
The Flash.
He arrived in front of me with a blast of wind that sent papers scattering and my coat flying. Hair mussed. Cocky grin.
"I heard you had a little trip to Apokolips," he said. "Wanted to make sure you're still grounded… or at least can be grounded."
I raised an eyebrow. "You think you can challenge me, Flash?"
"Not me, though." He gestured over his shoulder. "The team is observing. And really? We have to know your boundaries."
There they all were Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Zatanna, even Martian Manhunter observing from the observation deck.
Of course. A public challenge. No big deal.
Barry bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. "I don't want to fight you. Think of this as. stress testing. You and I. A race. A few rounds of sparring. Let's see if that fancy cosmic energy of yours can keep up with the Speed Force."
I cracked my knuckles. "Fine. Don't bawl when you come to the realization you're no longer the fastest thing alive, though."
His grin only grew wider.
We were shoulder to shoulder at the other end of the training facility, which had been altered for the test. Tunnels upon tunnels of twisted miles. Panels that manipulated gravity. Force fields as barriers. Speed dampening zones. The sort of challenge designed for gods.
Wonder Woman's voice came over the speaker. "This is a test of reaction, speed, and control. Don't murder one another."
Batman added almost immediately. "Especially you.
I didn't have to ask who you were.
Flash cracked his neck. "Ready?"
"Go."
He disappeared.
I didn't.
Not immediately.
Instead, I observed the Speed Force curve around him. Watched the world warp and compress in waves of kinetic time. Then I acted.
Not like lightning.
Like thought.
One moment I was still the next, I was on his neck.
Barry looked back halfway through the run and grinned, straining. Reality distorted. We blasted through chronal boundaries. My sight fragmented into milliseconds. Each movement cut a path through dimensions, but I kept my shape intact, running not only in space but in possibility.
We weren't running on the track anymore.
We were running across realities. Through reflected cities, stalled timelines, fallen histories. I glimpsed an Earth where I never reincarnated. One where Barry never became the Flash. One where we were foes.
He saw it too.
"Multiversal drag!" he screamed, voice shaking with Speed Force resonances. "You're warping reality!"
"You asked for a test," I bellowed back. "Try to keep up!"
He accelerated harder. His eyes blazed. Lightning seeped from his flesh.
But I no longer ran. I ordered space to curve with every step.
We crashed back into our own plane a millisecond before our energies caused the Watchtower to destabilize.
The training room exploded in light as we skidded to a halt, cutting trenches into hardened flooring.
We were both breathing hard. Grinning.
Flash clapped me on the shoulder. "You're not fast. You're terrifying."
I released a breath, cosmic power crackling under my skin. "You're not bad yourself."
Above, they were trading looks. Batman bore that look once more Measured distrust. Zatanna watched them with eyes impressed and also troubled. Wonder Woman… too long. Too focused.
Barry inched forward, bringing his voice low.
"Remember who you fight for. With ability like this? It has a way to corrupt everyone."
I didn't say anything at once. Because he was correct.
But the edge between ally and deity was already being smudged.