His rugged stubble, melancholic eyes, and muscular build carried an effortless air of confidence. Combined with his reputation as a billionaire playboy, Star City's "Cannon King," Oliver Queen's charm remained undiminished even here in Central City. Just as Barry Allen sat across from him, waiting anxiously for his reply, Iris West walked over, balancing two cups of coffee, her eyes bright with admiration.
"Barry, this is yours."
"Mr. Queen, here's your black coffee," she added, handing the cup directly to Oliver. Her gaze lingered on him just a bit too long.
"Thank you." Oliver nodded politely.
Iris turned to Barry. "Can we talk for a moment?"
"Uh… sure." Barry blinked, confused, before standing and following her a few steps away.
"Pop!" Iris smacked Barry on the shoulder, nearly spilling his coffee. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "You know Oliver Queen?! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I… I do," Barry admitted with a strained smile.
"Do you have any idea? He's on my list," Iris whispered, lowering her voice but clearly thrilled.
Barry frowned. "List? What list?"
Glancing back at Oliver, Iris leaned closer. "Three men I would totally sleep with. Eddie knows about it—he even accepts it. The kind of people who are practically untouchable. Oliver Queen is one of them. Oh my God, Barry, I can't believe he's right there. I'm freaking out."
Barry's chest tightened at her words. He had grown up under the same roof with Iris, believing they were destined to be together. But fate had been cruel—after the particle accelerator exploded, Barry had spent nine months in a coma. By the time he woke up, Iris was already with Eddie Thawne. Now, standing here, Barry could only listen as she gushed over another man.
"I… I should get back," Barry muttered quietly. He turned away, doing his best to hide the hurt in his eyes, and returned to sit beside Oliver Queen.
Almost immediately, Oliver looked at him and said, "I'll help with this."
"What? No!" Barry blurted out, still distracted by Iris's words. His rejection came out sharper than he intended.
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say no?"
"Ah—sorry," Barry stammered, realizing his mistake. "I was… thinking about something else. Yes, it would be amazing if you could help." He forced a smile, trying to recover from his slip. "The three metahumans we're tracking are dangerous. I can fill you in on the details."
Oliver shook his head. "I did my own digging before coming to Central City. If you really want to solve this city's problem, your priority shouldn't be those three metas." His tone hardened. "Jack Kadere is the real source of all of this."
Barry froze. Of course he knew Jack Kadere was at the center of everything—most of the chaos in Central City could be traced back to him. But Barry also knew the truth: even if he still had his speed, Kadere was not someone he could defeat head-on.
"But…" Barry hesitated, conflicted.
"Having power doesn't guarantee victory," Oliver countered firmly. "Isn't your team working on a way to restore your speed? Maybe we can use that as bait—lure Kadere into a trap."
Barry glanced at him, uncertain, but the conviction in Oliver's voice was hard to dismiss.
Although Oliver preferred to keep his vigilante identity hidden, the stakes were too high now. At Barry's urging, he accompanied him back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where he met the rest of Team Flash. The Green Arrow's identity was revealed to the group, and together, they began planning a strategy to take down Jack Kadere.
Oliver's tactical expertise meshed seamlessly with the team's scientific brilliance. Within three days, they had built what they hoped would be Kadere's cage.
"Will this actually hold him?"
The group stood in the S.T.A.R. Labs basement, staring at a raised platform with four tall pillars positioned at its corners. To the untrained eye, it looked like an empty space. But once activated, the pillars would project a molecular energy field designed to function as an electronic cage.
"Of course it will," Cisco Ramon said proudly. "We rigged high-capacity super capacitors to generate a molecular isolation field, synced with space-clearing harmonics, and—"
Oliver blinked, completely lost in Cisco's jargon.
"He means yes," Caitlin Snow cut in with a small smile.
Oliver nodded slowly. "That's all I needed to hear."
Barry Allen exhaled, folding his arms across his chest. "Then there's only one question left—how do we actually get him into the trap?" His voice carried a weight that pulled the room into silence.
That was the problem. What did Jack Kadere actually want? What did he care about? None of them really knew.
Know yourself and know your enemy—that was the rule. But when it came to Jack, there was no clear profile, no simple logic. His moves were unpredictable, and his motivations were buried under layers of chaos.
Then, Harrison Wells spoke. His calm voice carried a sharper edge than usual. "Reverse-Flash."
The others turned to him.
"He's fixated on Reverse-Flash. He thinks Eobard Thawne caused him trouble, and he's never let go of that. Reverse-Flash is the perfect bait."
Cisco blinked, then frowned. "But where exactly are we supposed to find Reverse-Flash?"
The second the words left his mouth, realization struck him—and the weight of his own mistake tightened his chest. His gaze slid to Wells. Caitlin and Barry were already staring at him, the same unspoken thought flickering across their faces.
"This is insane," Cisco muttered. "Way too dangerous."
Wells adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable. "Dangerous, yes. But necessary. Whether he's right about me or not, Jack believes I'm Reverse-Flash. And if that belief brings him here, then we use it." He turned to Caitlin. "Contact him. Make sure he knows."
Caitlin hesitated but gave a reluctant nod.
"Everyone," Wells said firmly, "get ready."
A few minutes later, the trap was set. Oliver Queen crouched in the shadows of the rooftop, bow drawn tight, eyes locked on Wells. His job was simple but critical—if Jack appeared, Oliver would fire an arrow with a cable to pull Wells out of danger before the energy fence was activated.
Cisco stationed himself upstairs, watching the monitors with nervous focus, while Barry stood by the control lever, his face set in grim determination.
The tension was suffocating.
Then Cisco's voice crackled through the comms. "Guys… he's here."
The words had barely registered when a streak of red lightning blazed through the building, too fast for the untrained eye to follow. A heartbeat later, the scarlet trail condensed into a figure standing inside the room.
The trap had drawn him in.
"I came in a hurry this time," Jack Kadere said casually, flashing a crooked smile. "Didn't bring you a gift, but I'll make it up to you twofold next time." His eyes scanned the room, sharp and calculating, before settling on Wells. "So, Caitlin tells me you finally admitted who you are? That doesn't sound like you."
Wells removed his glasses, his expression hardening into something cold, something far more dangerous than his usual carefully measured facade.
"You'll never predict my next move," Wells said, his voice dropping into a darker register. "Not you, not Barry, not anyone. Because no matter what you do, I'll always be one step ahead."
It was a performance worthy of the man Jack believed him to be.