25 Chapter 25: Prologue to Metahuman War Part 2

Barry pondered in his lab coat, contemplating the creation of a serum amidst the hum of the Cortex. "What kind of serum should I create?" he mused, stroking his chin, overwhelmed by the myriad possibilities.

'In this unforgiving terrain, I need to enhance my abilities,' Barry reasoned, considering the option of refining the Velocity serum, although he acknowledged his capability to naturally augment his speed. 'For now, I require a serum to push my body to its utmost limit.'

'Perhaps a variant of the Super Soldier serum would suffice,' Barry reflected with a sigh, recognizing its potential. However, his thoughts were interrupted as Caitlin entered the room, calling out, "Barry?"

Barry turned to Caitlin with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, is there something you would like to ask?"

"I'm glad you're okay," Caitlin said, embracing him in a hug.

Barry, taken aback by the unexpected gesture, responded, "Of course, I'm okay. I am the fastest man alive."

Caitlin playfully slapped his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why should I? Do you want my cover to be exposed?" Barry retorted.

"You mean you've known since the beginning?" Caitlin inquired, her expression one of disbelief.

"Yeah, from the moment I woke up. I knew he was the one who killed my mother," Barry confessed.

Behind a nearby wall, Cisco and Ronnie overheard the conversation, their expressions a mix of surprise and astonishment at Barry's revelation.

"So, you're not suffering from amnesia?" Caitlin inquired.

"Yeah, I was being extra careful," Barry confirmed.

Cisco entered the room, his curiosity piqued. "What about the new employee at Star Labs? That doesn't explain that."

"Well, this place is mine now, and I've taken it upon myself to revitalize and restore it," Barry explained. "I even repaired the Particle Accelerator."

Cisco, Caitlin, and Ronnie were taken aback by this revelation.

"You did what?!" Cisco exclaimed.

"I fixed it. It's not that difficult," Barry replied casually.

"It's not that difficult?" Ronnie interjected, joining the conversation with a hint of offense in his tone, feeling his hard work as one of the engineers on the Particle Accelerator had been belittled.

"Yeah, you guys should take a vacation. You don't need to worry, I can handle things on my own," Barry reassured them. "Go enjoy life and don't bother helping me anymore."

"Why are you saying that?" Cisco inquired, concerned.

"Because I won't be needing you guys. I already have knowledge in medicine and technology," Barry explained. "But another reason is I don't want to burden you all with worries."

Meanwhile, Clark roamed the streets, swiftly moving to observe every human he passed.

'Some humans deserve to be saved, while others need to be eliminated,' Clark contemplated silently to himself.

Suddenly, he noticed an old man nearly stumble and fall. Reacting quickly, Clark rushed to assist him, gently steadying the old man and advising, "Be careful when walking, sir."

"Thank you, son," the old man replied gratefully.

A warm feeling filled Clark's heart at receiving thanks from another person.

"I need to protect this kind of smile," Clark resolved within himself.

As the old man walked away with a smile, Clark made a decision.

'I'm going to become a doctor. Forget about being a journalist; helping people is more fulfilling,' Clark declared.

At the same time, Lex was in a meeting with government officials who were requesting weapons from him.

"I will provide you with weapons, but The Flash, the Martian, and Clark Kent will be under my jurisdiction," Lex asserted.

"We understand," the first official replied.

"I will equip you with the finest weapons to combat them," Lex assured them.

Internally, he thought, 'They will make excellent meat shields.'

"For Clark Kent, I have developed a Kryptonite blaster powered by the Kryptonite stone. Its firing speed is as fast as light. As for the Martian, we have several ray guns designed to neutralize Martian physiology. And for The Flash, I've engineered a freeze gun capable of shooting ice blasts, drawing inspiration from Mr. Freeze in Gotham," Lex explained.

In his mind, he added, 'I also have a force field as a contingency plan in case The Flash becomes too troublesome. Since he can phase through objects, I'd better prepare a backup plan.'

"Is your experiment delayed?" the second individual inquired.

"What do you think? I should've finished my experiment on time, but because of The Flash, my schedule has been pushed back," Lex replied with frustration. "I'm going to take matters into my own hands, as I'm certain you all won't be able to stop them."

"We appreciate your assistance," the third individual expressed gratitude.

Meanwhile, at General Eiling's base, three additional government officials were in discussion with General Eiling.

"You will support my Metahuman army plan?" General Eiling asked, surprised.

"Yes, but you must adhere to our orders from now on," the first individual stated firmly.

"What do I need to do?" General Eiling inquired.

"You will assist us in capturing The Flash, as well as two new heroes, Superman Prime and Martian Manhunter," the second individual instructed.

"Alright, what are my instructions?" General Eiling inquired.

"Tomorrow, we will initiate the plan. You will receive the details shortly," the third individual informed him.

As the government officials were strategizing, Barry continued his training regimen, this time inside the particle accelerator. Uncertain about which serum to create, he focused on honing his physical abilities, delivering punches and kicks that casually broke the sound barrier.

"Let's start with something conventional before considering more radical options. I'll create a Super Soldier Serum," Barry muttered to himself.

Summoning Gideon, he instructed, "Gideon, generate a base data for a Super Soldier Serum. I'll take it from there."

"Creating Super Soldier Serum database," Gideon acknowledged.

After several more hours of training, Barry returned to the lab and requested, "Show me the base data."

"Here it is," Gideon replied, presenting the base data for the Super Soldier Serum.

"Hmm, I should be able to create something akin to the Captain America Serum," Barry muttered, contemplating his approach. "Did you utilize the Mirakuru base data?"

"I incorporated every base data for the Super Soldier Serum," Gideon confirmed.

"In that case, Gideon, commence the creation of the Vita Rays chamber," Barry directed.

"On it," Gideon responded.

Within two hours, all preparations were completed. Barry swiftly perfected the serum, while also generating the base data for the Velocity Serum as a precautionary measure.

"Gideon, prepare the treatment," Barry instructed.

He proceeded to a room transformed by technology, its centerpiece being the Vita Rays chamber, ready for use.

"We are prepared to commence the experiment," Gideon announced.

"Alright," Barry affirmed, disrobing and consuming a dose of the Super Soldier Serum before swiftly entering the Vita Rays chamber. The robotic arms secured him in place as the chamber sealed shut.

Barry felt a surge of heat coursing through his body. "Initiate it," he commanded.

"Beginning," Gideon confirmed, initiating the infusion of additional Super Soldier Serum into Barry's system.

Barry's body began to vibrate at an incredible speed, the sensation accompanied by intense pain and a gradual increase in body temperature.

Upon the completion of the procedure, the Vita Rays chamber opened, and Barry emerged, his body covered in sweat. Despite the discomfort, he flashed a thumbs-up. "It's working."

Applying extra serum to augment his speedster abilities, Barry anticipated a level of strength surpassing that of a typical Super Soldier.

As he inspected his now muscular physique, resembling that of a dedicated bodybuilder, Barry noted the significant increase in size without becoming overly bulky.

"This should be sufficient, just in case I lose my connection to the Speed Force," Barry remarked. "Is the training room prepared?"

"Yes," Gideon confirmed.

Barry made his way to the training room, which appeared impressively vast upon his arrival. He headed directly to the punching machine to assess his newfound strength.

Taking a deep breath, Barry delivered a powerful straight right punch without utilizing his speed.

The machine displayed the result: "78,000,040 N."

"I wonder what would happen if I punch using my speed," Barry pondered, eyeing his velocity.

Vibrating his fist, Barry launched into the punch with all his might, but halted just before impact as a precaution. Nevertheless, the force generated created a strong gust of wind, accompanied by a resounding crack.

"I shouldn't have done that; I nearly destroyed Star Labs," Barry sighed with a wry smile.