A new day dawned under a blanket of thick, heavy clouds.
Barry Allen stepped out of his home, ready to report to the police station. He planned to head to S.T.A.R. Labs afterward if things were quiet. His training had been paying off—his speed had more than doubled since he first gained his powers. He was confident that if he ever faced Su Sheng again, he wouldn't be humiliated like before.
When he arrived at the station, Barry immediately noticed that something was off. The atmosphere was tense, everyone was rushing around with purpose.
"Barry!" Joe West called out from across the room, his tone urgent. "Glad you're here. We need you."
"Where to? What's the case?" Barry asked, already shifting into work mode.
Joe shook his head. "Not the case, Barry. We need you—the one who runs fast."
Barry understood instantly. Joe was talking about The Flash. He glanced around, making sure no one was listening, and lowered his voice. "Meta-humans?"
"And more than one," Joe replied gravely. "They've been causing havoc all morning. First, they broke a prisoner out of jail. Then they wiped out the core members of the Dubbin Rock crime family and killed a judge. We just got word that their next target is Simon Stagg!"
"The Simon Stagg? The one who won the Achievement Award for organ cloning technology?" Barry asked, surprised. "Joe, how do you know they're meta-humans?"
"Because they're not exactly subtle about it," Joe said, clapping Barry on the shoulder. "I don't want you to get hurt playing hero, but right now...you're our best shot."
"I'm on it," Barry nodded, determination in his eyes, and in the next second, he was gone.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Harrison Wells, Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow were already hard at work. They had managed to identify the four meta-humans causing the chaos. Cisco briefed Barry on the situation and the identities of the villains.
"They've formed a team and they're hitting their targets one after the other. It's clear they're on a mission," Cisco explained.
"Do they have any connection to each other?" Barry asked, puzzled. "It's too much of a coincidence that they all have powers and know each other."
Cisco sighed. "You're not going to like this, Barry. These four had no connections before, but they have one thing in common. From the first, Multiplex, to the last, Peek-a-Boo, they were all captured by the same person. We couldn't get a clear image of him, but I think you'll recognize the blur."
The screen showed surveillance footage, each frame smeared with a streak of red.
"Su Sheng," Barry muttered, instantly recognizing it.
"Exactly," Cisco nodded. "He's been too quiet lately. I think he's been planning this. On the surface, it looks like they're just taking personal revenge, but if Su Sheng is involved, it's bound to be more complicated."
Caitlin chimed in, "We tried reaching out to Su Sheng, but he's not responding..."
Harrison Wells, who had been silent, finally spoke up, his voice serious. "Barry, don't do this. You've improved a lot, but you're not ready to take on four meta-humans at once. Each one is dangerous in their own right."
Barry looked down, considering Wells' words. "You know I can't just stand by. I believe you'll help me take them down."
He stepped into the speed chamber, changing into The Flash suit. "Trust me," he said before speeding off.
"Barry, wait!" Wells called after him, but it was too late. Barry was already gone.
"Damn it!" Wells cursed under his breath. This was bad—Barry was heading into a death trap. If Barry died now, everything he had worked for, all his plans, would fall apart. Harrison Wells knew he had to act. He signaled to Cisco and Caitlin. "Get ready. We're going to help him."
When The Flash arrived at Simon Stagg's company, the four meta-humans were waiting for him.
Multiplex immediately created dozens of clones, flooding the area with identical figures, blocking off every possible escape route. Girder, his skin turned to steel, lunged at The Flash with a massive fist. Meanwhile, The Mist transformed into a poisonous gas and drifted up to the upper floors where Simon Stagg was hiding. Peek-a-Boo stood back, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The Flash was caught off guard by the sheer number of Multiplex clones. He dodged Girder's punch and countered with a punch of his own, but Girder's steel body didn't even flinch. Barry's wrist throbbed with pain from the impact.
Girder smirked and swung at Barry again. The Flash managed to dodge, but the space was too tight—Multiplex's clones were everywhere, closing in on him. Barry zigzagged through the crowd, trying to find a way out, but Peek-a-Boo suddenly appeared in front of him, delivering a swift kick that sent him crashing into a group of clones.
Barry was overwhelmed. The clones swarmed him, landing punch after punch. He struggled to break free, but every time he did, another clone would knock him down. Girder was waiting for him, his steel fist ready for a knockout blow.
Just as Girder's fist came down, Barry managed to free himself, only to be knocked out cold by Girder's punch.
"That's it?" Girder sneered, looking down at the unconscious Flash. "I thought he'd be tougher."
Girder clenched his fist, ready to deliver the final blow.
Suddenly, a streak of yellow lightning burst through the entrance, and before Girder could react, a powerful punch landed on his face, sending him flying across the room. His body reverted from steel to flesh as he crashed to the ground. The yellow blur didn't stop. The man in the yellow suit blurred his arm, vibrating it at super-speed, and plunged it into Girder's chest, stopping his heart instantly.
Girder twitched and then lay still. He was dead.
The sudden appearance of the yellow speedster shocked the remaining meta-humans. Multiplex and Peek-a-Boo stared at the newcomer in confusion. This wasn't Su Sheng. Who was this?
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Applause echoed from the far end of the room. Su Sheng emerged, a wide grin on his face. "Bravo, Reverse Flash. A guy like Girder doesn't stand a chance against you. But I have to wonder… Are you really here to save Barry? Or did you just blow your cover for good? At your current speed, you can't be in two places at once, so…was it worth it?"
PS: Just to clarify, the protagonist didn't copy the powers of the four meta-humans, including Multiplex's duplication ability.