The three of them eventually arrived at a large arcade.
Bright neon lights flashed from every direction while electronic music mixed with the sounds of machines, children laughing, and teenagers cheering over their games.
Rachel wandered off almost immediately. She had already claimed a basketball machine and was completely absorbed in trying to beat the high score.
Daniel watched from a distance with a faint smile. At least for the moment, her mind wasn't occupied by Trigon.
Beside him, Mera slowly looked around. Children ran between machines, teenagers competed over racing games, excited voices echoing throughout the building.
She blinked in surprise. "Is every place on Earth this... loud?"
Daniel chuckled. "Not really. You just happened to pick one of the loudest places around." He pointed toward the rows of arcade cabinets.
"Places like this are filled with teenagers, and teenagers are rarely quiet. Give them a game with a scoreboard and they'll spend hours trying to prove they're better than their friends."
Mera watched two boys celebrating after winning a racing game while another loudly argued that the controller was broken. "I can see that." She looked around once more. "It feels... strangely lively."
"That's the point. People come here to forget about school, work, or whatever else is bothering them for a while."
She turned toward him. "Did you come to places like this too?"
A nostalgic smile appeared on Daniel's face. "Yeah. My uncle and I used to come here whenever we had free time."
"We challenged each other in just about every game we could find — basketball, racing, shooting games. If there was a scoreboard, one of us wanted our name at the top."
Mera smiled. "Who usually won?"
Daniel scratched his cheek. "It was pretty even. I'd win one game, then he'd beat me in the next. We'd keep arguing about who was actually better until it was time to go home."
He looked toward Rachel, who had just scored another basket and smiled to herself.
"...Looking back, those were good days."
He turned back to Mera. "So... what happened to Orm?"
Her expression became more serious. "He was declared a criminal for trying to start a war with the surface. The council stripped him of his claim to the throne, and he's currently imprisoned."
"And Arthur?"
"King of Atlantis now." A faint smile appeared on her face. "He never wanted the throne, but after everything that happened, he accepted it."
"I can imagine. Being a hero is one thing, but ruling an entire kingdom is another."
"The responsibilities are endless, but he's managing." Mera looked at him.
"And things on my side are actually quite good. My father finally admitted that I was better at handling politics than he was."
She laughed softly. "I don't have to report every little decision anymore. If I want to visit the surface, negotiate with another kingdom, or handle diplomatic matters, I can simply do it."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "So nobody's keeping an eye on the princess anymore?"
Mera smiled proudly. "Not really. They trust my judgment now. As long as I don't do anything that harms the kingdom, I'm free to make my own decisions." She looked at him with a playful smile.
"So technically... I didn't need anyone's permission to come looking for you."
***
Inside S.T.A.R. Labs, silence filled the control room as Reverse-Flash's image appeared on every monitor.
Dressed in his yellow suit, Eobard Thawne stood inside the particle accelerator chamber.
A confident smile spread across his face. "You only have one option now, Barry."
"Help me get home, or I'll restart the particle accelerator. This time, it won't create another accident — I'll push it far beyond its limits until the explosion wipes Central City off the map."
Cisco slammed his hand against the console. "You're insane!"
Thawne merely laughed. "You can call Superman, Batman, or every hero on this planet if it makes you feel better. But once I activate the accelerator, it will already be too late."
Barry stepped closer to the screen, expression grim. "What exactly do you want?"
Thawne's smile disappeared. "I want to go home."
"When I killed Nora Allen and altered history, I stranded myself in this time."
"My connection to the Speed Force was damaged, and I no longer possess enough speed to generate the temporal energy required to return to the future." He turned to face Barry again.
"You, however, do. The particle accelerator can amplify the Speed Force generated by two speedsters. If you and I run together around the accelerator at maximum velocity, the energy output will become high enough to create a stable temporal wormhole."
Barry frowned. "And then?"
"Then I leave. I run through the wormhole, return to my own century, and you never have to see me again."
Nobody in the control room looked convinced.
Barry folded his arms. "You expect me to believe that's all you want?"
Thawne gave a small shrug. "You don't have to believe me. In fact, I'd be disappointed if you did." He tapped the control panel beside him.
"What you do have to believe is that this accelerator is connected to a dead man's switch. If anyone attempts to shut it down by force or remove me from this chamber, the reactor will immediately begin an overload sequence."
The monitors displayed a schematic of the particle accelerator. Several sections turned red.
"The choice is yours, Barry. Help me generate the wormhole and I leave this timeline forever, or refuse... and everyone in Central City dies with me."
The transmission remained active as Thawne calmly folded his arms, showing no sign of concern. He knew Barry well enough to understand one thing.
Barry Allen would never gamble with millions of innocent lives.
*****
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