To the outside world, Strader Pharmaceuticals had a power outage for no more than twenty minutes before the power came back online.

Nevertheless, the phenomenon didn't attract much attention.

While such was a cause for suspicion in Gotham, its citizens had already grown the habit of minding their own business.

There were no calls for break-ins or robberies, neither were there any distress signals, so presently, the issue hadn't even reached the ears of the police.

And so, despite having all of its available staff murdered in cold blood, the state of the medical facility remained oblivious to the outside world for the time.

As the lights in the whole building came back on, everyone within was startled.

“What the….”.

“.... Who is it?”

“On alert.....”. The guns aimed towards Batman's trio suddenly spread in all directions. They didn't have any other insiders, and none would turn on the power at this time if they did.

“Looks like you didn't come alone Batman”

Watching the power come back on, Deathstroke uttered in an indifferent tone. His expression was impossible to discern due to the mask on his face.

“But one more addition can't change anything, unless of course, you brought some actual backup instead of two kids.......”.

What truly worried Deathstroke was the appearance of Superman. Clark had already appeared in Gotham a few days ago. If the Man Of Steel suddenly showed up again, then this operation would equate to a failure.

This was highly unlikely, though. In all cities around the world, Gotham held Superman's lowest appearance record.

Of course, not when Superman came to visit Batman on his own but when it came to stopping crimes. Still, Slade didn't rule out the possibility.

“Whoever this is, she's not mine”.

However, The Dark Knight uttered words he didn't expect with a surprisingly calm tone.

“Here”.

Like many buildings, the inner areas of Strader Pharmaceuticals had numerous glass screens in many areas.

These indoor displays were usually meant to be used for advertising purposes for their products to potential investors.

Tonight, however, the white screens all turned red in the blink of an eye, converging into the form of a red holographic female.

“I would welcome you, but what you have done here tonight is not ideal”.

The screens everywhere all played the same picture.

“Well...... This is interesting”. Cheshire said with interest.

“I'll say”. Sportsmaster added, much to her slightly annoyance.

Slade frowned. This was beyond his calculations.

“Robin, what is this?” Artemis couldn't help but ask with surprise.

“I think....... Some kind of artificial intelligence”.

“Correct Robin. I am currently the world's most advanced artificial intelligence. You can call me A.L.I.C.E. Pleased to make your acquaintance”.

A.L.I.C.E

“Now please let there be no more fighting. It's not worth it, and I believe my master would like the building to remain the way it is. You're paying for that glass roof by the way”.

The words immediately broke the tense atmosphere.

“Oh!” Robin was stunned for a second.

“Ok! I guess”. The boy wonder was momentarily short of words.

Batman on the other hand, wasn't.

“What are you?”

“That cannot be explained in a short sentence. But all you need to know is that I take care of everything that runs within this Company”.

“And you why do you want us to not stop them?”

“Because as at the time you arrived, stopping them no longer had any relevance. All staff of this building have been murdered, including the acting C.E.O and the company doctors. There is no one left for you to save, and the resulting battle will bring nothing but more bodies and the possible destruction of the property grounds. Something I do not want to occur".

So not only was Batman's arrival unwelcomed, it was also an eyesore.

Batman's gloomy face, if possible, grew gloomier. Robin's body trembled slightly as Artemis mind shook for a second.

An aura of depression spread around, but A.L.I.C.E. didn't care.

Following which, she turned her gaze towards Deathstroke and his company.

The nerves of the goons tightened slightly. However, they did not expect the next set of words.

“Please do not fight or worry. I have not alerted the police, or any law enforcement agency, neither have I laid any traps for you when you escape. No members of the Justice League have been alerted, and neither will they be alerted until you leave Gotham. You can walk out without any hassle as long as you do not destroy anything else”.

Silence.

The atmosphere took a drastic shift.

Even Cheshire was dumbfounded.

“This ......”.

Sportsmaster's eyes carried equal surprise.

Was there really something so good.

Deathstroke on the other hand had his eyes narrow greatly.

An ominous premonition grew from the depths of his gut, telling him that he had just done something terribly wrong. Despite that, he didn't show it.

“...... That's unnervingly generous of…".

“You've got to be kidding me!” The loud exclamation immediately drew attention.

Everyone's eyes turned to Artemis, who had an expression of disbelief clouding her features.

"They just broke on, killed everyone and stole whatever it is that's in that case, and you're simply telling us to stop and let them get away with it?'

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Artemis couldn't understand.

Neither could Robin, but he chose to remain silent.

“...”. Seconds passed and The Red Queen didn't speak.

Just when Artemis wanted to say something else, she received her reply.

“Why should I try to keep someone who's already dead?”

The tone was confused, innocent, curious even. With the way this..... Thing sounded, Artemis felt like she was honestly expecting a reply to solve her doubts.

But it was precisely because she said it that way that Artemis felt goosebumps appear all over her skin.

Click!

The sound of clicking guns fell into her ears. The goons, Deathstroke's party reacted like a lion who just had its tail stepped on.

Slade included, all looked at the biggest screen that displayed the Red Queen.

“Are you threatening me?” Slade asked. His posture remained the same, yet his tone was grave.

Over the years, Deathstroke had taken on many dangerous tasks. This wasn't the first time he was being called a dead man.

“I don't see my words as a threat. Make no mistake, Mr. Wilson, you will die. Possibly after experiencing fates worse than death itself. And there is very little that can change that”.

Slade didn't speak. Neither did Cheshire nor Sportsmaster.

“What do you mean?” Instead, Batman broke the hostile atmosphere.

“Strader Pharmaceuticals was acquired by my owner weeks ago. In exchange for leaving the dirty secrets of the company as it was, the complete transfer of the original C.E.O's shares and an extra form of compensation”.

Alice spoke casually without any scruples.

“Alongside the Pheno Drug which was Slade's true goal, that extra compensation is within that case”.

“Which is?”

“Mr. Waite was suffering from stage 3 cancer. Hence, he was given a cure”.

The words shocked everyone. Numerous pairs of eyes turned to look at the case within Slade's hand. Although no one could see her expression behind the mask, Cheshire's eyes were practically glowing at this time.

Slade was indifferent.

“And Lloyd?” Batman asked.

“Dead alongside everyone else. At the hands of Deathstroke in the lower levels where he stored it”.

“And You didn't stop them?”

“My master has been too....... Occupied to completely take over. Due to this, his plans to incorporate lethal security measures to prevent such situations were put on hold. Upon realizing their break-in, I released a signal to the Batcave which released a signal to both you and your sidekick, which is why you are here now”.

Both Robin and Batman frowned.

This AI had sent a signal to the Batcave. Batman's face grew slightly grave.

Robin also thought the same way, however the majority of his displeasure stemmed from the word Sidekick.

The Red Queen didn't care for their expressions and continued.

“Currently, my master is in another dimension, having completed the transfer of an entire race. And this matter will be taken care of by him when he returns. By then, not even death will be able to save them”.

The Red Queen fixed her gaze back on Artemis.

“So to answer your question. I feel no need to keep them here because of what they have done. While my master never intended to keep the majority of the current staff, your actions are nothing more than a slap on his face. The moment they killed the first security guard, their lives were no longer theirs”.

The atmosphere was frighteningly cold.

Those masked men all had their eyes widen in disbelief.

“What a story”. Cheshire's grip on her weapons tightened.

“So please do not try to stop them. They currently outnumber you. It is a pointless endeavor because even if you do capture them, put them in prison, lock them away in the watchtower, or banish them to the phantom zone, their end is inevitable. They will die, each and every single one of them”.

“And who is this master you speak of”. Slade asked coldly.

“The Deviant himself”.

“Amari”. Batman responded, his face unusually calm. Halfway into the conversation, he could already guess this far.

............

Meanwhile.....

Central City.....

Zoom!

A flash of orange light zipped through the streets. Moving between cars, trucks, and making constant turns along the way.

People who were having outside taking a walk, rushing somewhere or just plainly having a meal out would all turn to look as the streak of yellow lightning ran right past them.

The majority of their faces would light up with a smile of excitement as the orange blur was the thing Central City was most proud of.

The Flash.

And they were right. However...... This Flash, while he wore the red suit with lightning bolts decorated on the chest and everywhere else, wasn't the Flash of their earth.

'It's been more than a month since I came to this world'.

Rushing down a one road highway, Wally's mind was full of thoughts.

'Zoom is dead'.

'I've told the natives everything I know'.

His figure moved past a coffee shop.

'I've informed them on the situation of my world'.

'They know my earth is on the verge of destruction'.

'That a maniac has taken absolute control'.

An orange streak ran past the CCPD.

'So why don't they do anything about it?'

'It's been a month. My world only gets worse with each passing day'.

'Despite having one of their own on the other side. They still haven't taken any substantial actions. I can understand though'.

'This world, although not as bad as mine, is under great pressure'.

'Attacks occur seemingly every week. Cities face great destruction time and time again'.

Without affecting his movements, Wally ran up the tallest building in the city.

'They haven't discovered a way to travel through the breaches without super speed. And I'm nowhere near fast enough to make the travel myself'.

Looking at bright lights, the cars, the buildings, everything that seemed to be the exact opposite of his world, Wally's heart was full of complex emotions.

Although this world was beautiful in his eyes, it wasn't his. He had friends, family, loved ones on the other earth.

He came here to find a solution. But the progress made was too slow. At the moment, they had only discovered one way to make it through the breaches. That was using Super speed.

But he wasn't fast enough. And he could tell that the Batman of this world had no intentions of looking in that direction.

They were determined to find a way to get through the breaches, but unless there was no other way, they weren't going to invest any energy in making him go faster to do it.

Wally couldn't accept this. He didn't have time to wait for them to be ready.

Who knows how many more people in the resistance would die before he got back home.

And so, he began to think about other alternatives.

His Tachyons had run out, but a Mercury Labs also existed in this universe. Although he was told to get the Justice League of this earth, Wally knew that in the short term, that wasn't possible.

In that case, let's settle for the next best thing.

Kryptonite.

His world's Superman was all powerful. Simply because he had destroyed every last green stone on the planet.

Kryptonite existed here, but Wally didn't know how to get his hands on it.

BOOM!

While the speedster of Earth -1 was in deep thought, an explosion sounded in the distance.

It started a ball of orange energy appearing in the vegetation filled outskirts of Central City.

As time passed, the orange ball began to expand greatly until it occupied a space of two meters. Then, the accumulated energy within it burst open, spreading in all directions.

The vegetation in the surroundings turned to ash, and the earth in the radius of a mile was destroyed.

Dust and debris flew into the air.

In the two-meter space where the energy ball once was, a large hole with a larger diameter could be seen covered with dust particles.

Ten seconds passed and a streak of orange lightning appeared a distance away.

With an uncertain expression, Wally walked to the hole's edge and took a look. Three seconds later, his eyes widened.

Following which, he pressed his belt buckle and initiated a call to the watchtower.

“This is Flash reporting an anomaly, is anyone there?”

“Flash? This is Black Canary, state your report”.

“Well......”. His gaze moved back to the hole.

“You might wanna send someone down here”.

The body of a machine with half a human face lay within.

“I think I just came across your missing Leaguer”.