Su Sheng, clad in his newly designed steel suit, flew through the sky of Central City, testing various functions and limits. The thrill of flying in the armor was distinct from the exhilaration of using the Speed Force—one was grounded, while the other soared through the heavens, offering vastly different perspectives.
After about five minutes of flight, Su Sheng returned to his studio.
"How was it?" Laura asked, curious about the performance of the armor.
"It's as expected—there's no issue with the suit's functionality. The only problem is the energy consumption; it drains too quickly, so I'll need to work on that," Su Sheng replied. After making some adjustments, including installing several charging devices inside the suit that could be powered by electricity, Su Sheng took off again. While this method was practical for him due to his unique abilities, he was already contemplating a more sustainable energy source—perhaps utilizing the energy matrix from the Discipleship.
As Su Sheng soared through the air, a flash of yellow lightning caught his eye below. It was Barry Allen, the Flash, racing towards something at incredible speed.
"Interesting," Su Sheng thought as he adjusted his flight path to follow the Flash. Although the Flash's speed outpaced his current suit, tracking Barry's movements was easy. After a few minutes, Su Sheng descended and landed on a street where he saw the Flash confronting a woman.
"Bette, please stop and listen to me. I'm here to help you," Barry Allen pleaded as he blocked the woman's path.
The woman—Bette Sans Souci, also known as Plastique—glared at Barry with mistrust and turned to walk away.
"Does it really have to be like this?" Barry sighed, appearing in front of her again in a flash. Bette, frustrated, slammed her hand against the lightning symbol on Barry's uniform.
"Take it off," she warned before turning to leave.
Barry barely had time to react before the symbol on his chest began to glow ominously. He sped away just in time as the symbol exploded, reducing his uniform to tatters. Now crouched on the ground in nothing but shorts, Barry looked back at Bette with a mix of frustration and concern—only to notice Su Sheng's red-gold armor descending from the sky to block Bette's path.
"Are you with him?" Bette asked, her voice low, as she eyed the imposing figure of Su Sheng's armor.
"He?" Su Sheng glanced at the disheveled Barry Allen before stepping out of the suit. "Oh, him."
"Su Sheng!" Barry called out in surprise from a distance. How did Su Sheng get that armor? And more importantly, what was he doing here? Was he also after Bette? Barry's mind raced with questions as he instinctively rushed towards them to intervene.
But before Barry could reach them, Su Sheng casually raised his hand, sending out a bolt of electricity that struck Barry mid-stride. Barry groaned as he felt something being siphoned from his body. The usual blue lightning that crackled around him turned yellow, flowing into Su Sheng. Nearby, Bette hesitated for a moment before picking up a stone, which began to glow in her hand as she hurled it at Su Sheng.
Boom!
The stone exploded in Su Sheng's hand, but as the smoke cleared, he stood unfazed, the armor showing no signs of damage.
Bette was stunned.
"You…" she began, but Su Sheng cut her off.
"You need to start leveling all over again," Su Sheng said casually, addressing Barry who had collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly drained.
"You just... absorbed my speed?" Barry asked in disbelief, his voice weak as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
Su Sheng smirked and turned his attention to Bette. "So, Plastique, which name do you prefer? I just absorbed the Speed Force from him, making him lose his super speed. So…"
"So you might be able to absorb the energy… the ability inside me?" Bette interrupted, her voice tinged with excitement as the realization dawned on her. "Could you really take away this power and make me normal again?"
"You're quick to catch on," Su Sheng chuckled. "So, now it's not a matter of me troubling you, but of you asking for my help, right? After all, your abilities weren't something the military did to you—they were caused by the particle accelerator explosion. And I don't see anyone else around here capable of helping you return to normal."
Bette hesitated, glancing between Barry and Su Sheng, the desperation evident in her eyes. The thought of finally being free from the burden of her powers, of no longer being a walking bomb, was almost too much to hope for. But could she really trust this man?