"Whoosh!"
Jack Kadere, wearing the crimson-and-gold armor he had designed, soared high into the night sky. The thrusters roared, pushing him higher as he tested the suit's limits—maneuverability, speed bursts, endurance, and stability under strain. He collected mental notes of performance data, analyzing both its strengths and flaws.
After about five minutes of flight, Jack angled downward and returned to his workshop.
"How is it?" Laura asked curiously, her arms folded as she leaned against the doorway.
Jack removed his helmet, smirking. "Just as I calculated. The armor works fine—it's stable and functional. But the energy drains way too fast. I'll need to refine it."
Without hesitation, he tapped into the Speed Force, zipping around the armor in a blur of crackling electricity. A moment later, he stepped back inside the suit, which looked the same on the outside—but the interior had changed. He had installed multiple charging conduits that allowed it to draw power directly from raw electricity.
For him, discharging energy into the suit was effortless. A few seconds of Speed Force lightning, and the armor's cells brimmed with power.
Of course, this solution only worked for him—or for anyone else who could generate energy like he did. But Jack already had another plan. He remembered an old project that might hold the answer.
Mercury Labs.
Not as famous as S.T.A.R. Labs, but still one of the top research facilities in Central City. If memory served, they had been working with tachyon particles—a key to manipulating energy and speed. In another timeline, Reverse-Flash had stolen a prototype tachyon device, sparking a chain of events that forced him to fight the very man he had impersonated: Harrison Wells.
If Eobard Thawne needed it, then it was valuable. And if it was valuable, Jack couldn't allow him to get it first.
"I'll pay Mercury Labs a visit soon," he muttered.
The Iron Man–inspired armor hummed as he powered it back up. No tests this time—just the thrill of flying. Jack took off again, the thrusters blazing, lifting him into the cool night air.
Though the armor's speed couldn't compare to the Speed Force, flight was a different experience altogether. Speed on the ground was one thing, but soaring through the clouds gave him an unmatched sense of freedom.
That's when he noticed it.
"Huh? Is that… Flash?"
Far below, a streak of yellow lightning cut through the streets like a blade. Barry Allen.
Jack frowned. "Did he spot me already? Wouldn't be surprising—S.T.A.R. Labs has ways of detecting anomalies. But… no, he's not after me. Looks like he's headed somewhere urgent."
Intrigued, Jack shifted direction and followed from above. His armor couldn't match Flash's speed, but trailing him from the air was easy enough. A few minutes later, Jack slowed as he spotted Barry skid to a halt in front of a young woman standing on a dimly lit street corner.
"Betty. Betty Sans Souci," Barry said quickly, stepping in front of her. "Don't run. Please, I just want to help you."
But Betty, tense and defiant, shook her head. She spun on her heel, ignoring his plea.
Barry sighed, his expression weary. "Does it really have to be this way?"
With a flash of yellow, he cut her off again, reappearing in front of her. Betty froze, eyes darting nervously, then suddenly jabbed a finger at the lightning emblem on Barry's chest.
"Take it off!" she blurted. "Take it off right now!"
Barry blinked in confusion. Before he could respond, the emblem began to glow ominously. Betty turned and bolted.
Barry cursed under his breath, tugged at the emblem, and sprinted a few yards away before it detonated.
BOOM!
Smoke erupted, tearing through the street. Barry was thrown forward, his suit shredded into fragments. He rolled, skidding across the asphalt until he came to a stop.
..
Barry Allen, wearing only a pair of shorts, crouched low on the ground, panting hard. His expression was caught somewhere between relief and irritation as he scanned the area for Betty. Before he could call out, the sound of thrusters cut through the air. A gleaming red-and-gold suit of armor descended from the sky, landing between Betty and the Flash with a metallic thud.
Betty froze, her eyes narrowing. "Are you with him?" she asked cautiously, her tone sharp as she looked at the armored figure.
The armor split open with a hiss of hydraulics, revealing Jack Kadere stepping out casually, a confident smile playing on his lips.
"'Him?'" Jack tilted his head toward Barry, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Ah, you mean the Flash?"
Barry's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the voice. "Jack Kadere!" he exclaimed, his tone a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What the hell—how do you have something like that? Why are you here? Are you after her too?" Panic set in, and Barry instinctively bolted forward, intent on stopping Jack before anything else could happen.
But Jack only smirked. Without moving more than a finger, he released a sharp crack of energy. A streak of electricity arced into Barry's chest, halting him mid-stride. The Scarlet Speedster staggered, groaning in pain, as if something deep inside him was being drained away. His vibrant blue lightning flickered, then dimmed to yellow before siphoning off completely, flowing from Barry's body straight into Jack's.
Barry collapsed to one knee, trembling. His connection to the Speed Force… it was vanishing.
Betty, standing only a few feet away, tightened her jaw. She bent down, grabbed a jagged stone from the ground, and focused. The dull gray surface glowed faintly in her grip, her metahuman ability reshaping it on instinct. Without hesitation, she hurled it at Jack.
Jack caught the stone effortlessly, but the instant his fingers closed around it—
BOOM!
The rock detonated in his hand, a concussive blast echoing through the alley. Smoke and fire engulfed him. Barry shielded his face, his heart racing, hoping it had worked.
But as the smoke thinned, the figure of Jack Kadere stood exactly where he had been, his arm still raised, his posture unchanged. His armor showed no damage. His skin, untouched. His calm smile only deepened.
Betty's breath caught. "You… you're not even hurt?"
Her gift had always been terrifying, a constant danger. Anything she touched could become an explosive, from a coin to a truck. And yet, this man had just shrugged off her best effort as if it were nothing.
"Don't!" Barry cried weakly when he saw Betty tense, ready to arm herself with more makeshift bombs. "He's too dangerous. You can't stop him that way."
Betty hesitated, torn between instinct and reason. Her gaze flicked between the powerless speedster at her feet and the enigmatic man who had just humiliated him. "I don't know who you are, or what you want," she said firmly, her voice low but steady. "But if you think you can drag me into this, you're mistaken. Stay away from me."
She took a step back, clearly preparing to leave.
"Wait—Betty!" Barry coughed, trying to stand. "Don't go yet, I can still—" His knees buckled again, and he froze, realization dawning. "My speed… it's gone. Completely gone." His eyes widened as he turned to Jack. "You… you stole the Speed Force from me?"
Jack chuckled, folding his arms. "Stole is such a strong word. Let's just say I borrowed it… permanently. Looks like you'll have to start from scratch, Barry."
Then he shifted his gaze to Betty, his expression more curious than threatening. "And you… which do you prefer? Plastique? Or Bombshell?" His words rolled off his tongue with mocking ease.
Betty frowned, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "Why do you care?"
"Because," Jack replied smoothly, "I didn't just drain the Flash's speed. I can absorb the energy that fuels people like you. That means, with me, you don't have to worry about accidentally blowing up everything you touch. That curse of yours—gone."
Betty froze, her breath catching. "You… you can really do that?" The thought of finally being free, of not living in fear of her own touch, lit a spark of hope in her eyes.
"Sharp mind," Jack said approvingly. "You catch on quick. So you see… the real question isn't whether I'm going to trouble you. The question is whether you're going to beg me for help. Because whether you like it or not, you didn't get your power from the military, or some twisted experiment. You're a product of the particle accelerator explosion—just like him." He gestured lazily toward Barry, still struggling to stay upright.
Jack's grin widened. "And in this city, in this world… I'm the only one who can offer you control over what you are."