The tear in the sky was finally shrinking.
Daniel kept his hands raised, forcing the warped space to fold back into itself while Barry continued running below — but just as the opening became small enough to close, a violent burst of energy exploded from it.
The blast hit Daniel head-on. "Fuck!"
He was thrown through the rupture before he could stabilize himself. For several seconds he couldn't tell which way he was moving.
Everything around him was darkness, then suddenly an image appeared directly in front of him.
Gotham. Except it wasn't Gotham. The city was burning, and Batman stood in the middle of the street surrounded by bodies. Bruce was laughing as the Bat-Signal flickered above the ruined skyline.
Daniel barely had time to react before the scene changed.
Metropolis appeared. Superman hovered above the city while the Justice League fought desperately below.
The Man of Steel looked completely different — there was no restraint in his expression as he used his heat vision against another hero.
The scene vanished. Daniel was suddenly standing over another Earth where Wonder Woman led an army through a battlefield while Batman and Superman fought each other in the middle of a destroyed city.
Another reality flashed before him. The Joker stood on the steps of Arkham Asylum, laughing while Gotham burned behind him. Batman was nowhere to be seen.
Another. Darkseid stood above a ruined planet while Superman and the remaining heroes attacked him from every direction.
Another. A version of Batman wearing unfamiliar armor fought through an army of monstrous versions of himself.
Another. A world where the Justice League had lost, entire cities reduced to rubble and survivors hiding underground.
Another. A planet where Superman ruled openly, soldiers patrolling the streets while the remaining heroes were hunted down.
The images came faster and faster. Gotham destroyed, Metropolis destroyed, heroes killing heroes, villains ruling worlds, entire civilizations disappearing, versions of people he knew making choices that had completely changed their realities.
Then it all stopped.
Daniel was suddenly back above Central City. The rupture had disappeared completely.
He looked around, breathing heavily. Barry was somewhere below him. The city was still standing. The sky was normal again.
"...Fuck." He rubbed the side of his head, feeling a sharp headache building behind his eyes. "What the hell were those?"
His balance suddenly gave out and he dropped onto the ground, one hand going to his head.
Barry rushed over and crouched beside him. "Are you fine?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Daniel shook his head, trying to clear it. After a moment he looked up at Barry with an irritated expression.
"And Barry, how many times have I told you to be careful with this stuff? Now look at what happened. You nearly tore a hole through space."
Barry opened his mouth but Daniel continued before he could answer. "Where the fuck is that guy? I'll just kill him and be done with it."
"He might have escaped," Barry said cautiously.
Daniel slowly raised his fist. Barry stared at it. "Ummm..."
"Don't talk." Daniel kept his fist raised while glaring at him.
"I'm this close to punching you, Barry. Just give me a minute to calm down. This headache is killing me."
Barry wisely said nothing.
***
Later, inside S.T.A.R. Labs, Daniel sat on one of the medical beds with an ice pack pressed against his head. Caitlin attached a monitor to him and watched the readings while Daniel leaned back, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Your pulse is high," Caitlin said.
"Yeah, I feel a headache," Daniel replied, pressing the ice pack more firmly against his temple. "Does it hurt anywhere else?" "No. Just my head."
She checked the monitor again before nodding. "Keep the ice on it for now. Whatever that energy did to you, your body is still reacting to it."
Daniel closed his eyes. "Great. Exactly what I needed."
After a few seconds, he opened them and looked toward Caitlin. Something was wrong.
For a brief moment, he saw her with white hair and a completely different expression — colder and more serious than the woman standing in front of him.
Daniel rubbed his eyes and looked again. Caitlin was normal, still standing beside the monitor, watching his readings.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Caitlin asked.
Daniel frowned. "Nothing." He pressed the ice pack against his temple. "I think something is wrong with me."
Caitlin's expression became concerned. "What happened?"
"I just saw you differently for a second. Then I blinked and everything was normal." He paused, trying to make sense of it. "Can you scan my brain?"
"Of course."
Daniel leaned back while Caitlin moved toward the scanner. "Something definitely isn't right with my head. If I'm hallucinating, I'd rather find out now."
*****
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