"Is this the Flash you rescued from Grid?" Green Arrow asked, glancing at the figure on the lab table. "Wasn't he supposed to stop being a twin after you splashed hot water on him?"
Shin shook his head. "He's not a twin. That one over there is a Flash from another universe."
"Another universe?" Green Arrow rubbed his palms together, clearly intrigued. "Like you and your companions?"
"Not quite." Shin corrected him calmly. "The world he comes from is more aligned with what you'd call a parallel universe. A reality where there's also a Superman, a Batman, another Flash, and yes, another Green Arrow."
"That's wild," Green Arrow muttered, eyes widening slightly. He turned toward the red-suited newcomer. "So… you're also Barry Allen?"
"Uh, yes," the comic Flash replied with a friendly smile. "And you're Green Arrow. Oliver Queen, right?"
"You know my identity?" Green Arrow narrowed his eyes slightly. "So there's a Green Arrow in your world too? And I guess a Justice League?"
"Of course," the comic Flash nodded enthusiastically. "In fact, our Justice League's membership has exceeded a thousand at this point… Seems like you're still in the early stages?"
Green Arrow's face twitched. "Over a thousand members? Yeah, we're nowhere near that."
"You should be thankful," Shin muttered dryly, rolling his eyes. "The more heroes a world has, the more villains it needs to keep up. Imagine how many super-criminals must exist in a world with that many heroes."
The comic Flash scratched his head, suddenly unsure. He glanced upward as if tallying an internal list. "Not too many… maybe ten thousand?"
Green Arrow took a step back, eyebrows raised. "Ten thousand?! How is your Earth still standing? Are they just… weak?"
The comic Flash paused, his thoughts drifting to beings like Anti-Monitor, Doomsday, Trigon, Parallax, Nekron, and Darkseid, forces capable of destroying planets, timelines, or even the multiverse itself. Then there were the usual rogue galleries: Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, Gorilla Grodd...
"I think… maybe they're not that weak after all…" he admitted, voice low.
Now that he really thought about it, the only reason his Earth hadn't already exploded was likely due to the relentless efforts of the Justice League, Justice Society of America, Teen Titans, and countless other teams.
Or maybe it had exploded. Several times. Only to be rebooted afterward.
Of course, Green Arrow knew nothing about all that. But Shin understood well enough how chaotic the DC comic book worlds could be. Apocalyptic events like the last invasion of Apokolips or the current Brother Eye rebellion happened so often in the comics that they were practically monthly episodes. If it didn't threaten the entire multiverse, it wasn't even considered a major event.
Still, Shin didn't bother explaining that to Green Arrow. Compared to the comic world, this cinematic version of Earth was far more stable. At least here, superheroes occasionally had time to breathe.
Take Batman, for example. In this world, he could afford to take a night off.
In the comics? One day away from Gotham and the city would be in flames.
After that brief exchange, the comic Flash's attention turned toward his local counterpart, Barry Allen, who remained restrained and partially covered in Brother Eye nanotech.
"This is my alternate version, isn't it?" he said, stepping forward. "He's been compromised by Brother Eye's nanobots… I think I can help."
The comic Flash had dealt with Brother Eye in his own universe before. In fact, the comic version of the AI was far more advanced, capable of neutralizing most of the Justice League and even simulating superpowered beings. Its combat ability was nearly on par with Wonder Woman.
Compared to that, this version of Brother Eye was practically amateurish. The comic Flash could already see its structural flaws.
Green Arrow hesitated. He still wasn't completely sure if this other Flash could be trusted. But Shin cut in, speaking bluntly.
"Go ahead. We don't have any better options right now."
"Alright, leave it to me." The comic Flash smiled reassuringly. In an instant, his body vibrated, turning translucent. He became a blur, a barely visible phantom, and reached out toward Barry's wrist.
His hand phased through the nanobot layer without resistance. As the two speedsters made contact, a surge of Speed Force passed between them. The local Flash's body began to vibrate in sync, matching the frequency of the comic Flash.
With a sharp pull, the comic Flash yanked Barry's energy signature out of the nanobot casing, stripping away the remnants of the control layer.
"How do you feel, my friend?" the comic Flash asked, clapping Barry on the shoulder.
Barry blinked a few times, looking more alert. He shook his head as if clearing cobwebs, then looked at his savior. "How did you do that? I've thought about the molecular vibration technique for a long time, but I've never been able to make it work."
Though under the nanobot's influence, Barry had remained conscious. He'd seen and heard enough to understand where his alternate self had come from.
"It's simple," the comic Flash said modestly. "Once your Speed Force reaches a certain level, you start with cellular frequency—"
And just like that, the two of them slipped into a deep conversation. Vibrations, inertia control, dimension phasing—it was all speed science. They talked for quite a while, until a sudden growl interrupted the flow.
Barry's stomach.
He hadn't eaten since being infected by the nanobots. His body had been sustained purely by the parasitic energy input of Brother Eye. Now that the bots were gone, his metabolism kicked back in... hard.
"Let's go eat," Green Arrow said with a chuckle. "It's almost dinnertime. We'll head to the mess hall."
The four of them made their way to the cafeteria. By the time they arrived, most of the Justice League had already gathered. Shazam and Superman were still in orbit, but the others had returned. Shin's companions, Wanda, Pietro, and the Ancient One, were also present.
Diana sat near the center of the hall, tearing into a large tomahawk steak with gusto. Though revered as a goddess by some, she was still a warrior at heart, and her eating habits made that clear.
The Ancient One was sipping a cup of steaming black coffee, eyes half-closed in contemplation. Wanda sat nearby, poking absently at an omelet.
When Shin entered, Wanda looked up and smiled warmly. She waved at him.
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