POV — Barry Allen
There was no up.
There was no down.
There was no beginning or end.
Barry Allen ran.
The Speed Force stretched around him like an endless ocean of light, memories, possibilities, and motion. Every step carried him through fragments of time.
He saw himself as a child.
As a forensic scientist.
As the Flash.
He saw battles he had won.
People he had saved.
People he had failed to save.
And beneath all of it, he could still feel it.
The infection.
The tiny pieces of Derrick's biology buried within him.
They were quiet now.
Contained.
But Barry knew what they wanted.
Consumption.
He had seen the sample in Batman's laboratory.
He had watched it devour his blood and transform itself into something larger.
Something stronger.
Something that desperately wanted out.
Barry accelerated.
BOOM.
The Speed Force stretched around him.
Faster.
He pushed harder.
BOOM.
Time became meaningless.
He accelerated again.
But a thought remained.
I need to be faster.
Not merely faster than Superman.
Not merely faster than anyone on Earth.
He needed to be fast enough that Derrick couldn't react.
Fast enough that whatever Derrick was planning couldn't happen.
Fast enough that the virus couldn't adapt before Barry removed it.
But how?
Barry slowed.
The Speed Force responded.
Not with words.
With images.
Barry suddenly saw himself standing in the middle of an infinite storm.
His body was surrounded by lightning.
Then his body began dissolving.
Not dying.
Changing.
His physical form became energy.
His consciousness spread outward.
One Barry became thousands.
Thousands became millions.
Each version existed across different points in space and time.
Barry looked at himself.
"What are you showing me?"
The Speed Force answered without speaking.
Barry understood.
There was another level.
A state beyond simply running through the Speed Force.
A state where he wouldn't merely access the Speed Force.
He would become one with it.
Barry's eyes widened.
"No."
Another vision appeared.
The Flash running.
Running so fast that his physical body could no longer remain confined to one location.
His existence stretched across dimensions.
Across timelines.
Across the boundaries between physical reality and the Speed Force.
Barry slowly understood.
The Speed Force wasn't offering him a power-up.
It was offering him fusion.
A transformation into something closer to a true avatar of speed.
But there was a price.
His physical body.
Barry looked down at his hands.
"What happens to me?"
The Speed Force showed him.
His body disappeared into the lightning.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
It simply became unnecessary.
Barry's physical existence would become secondary.
His consciousness could remain.
His personality could remain.
His memories could remain.
But Barry Allen, the ordinary man beneath the mask, would no longer exist in the way he once had.
He would become something greater.
And something less human.
Barry stared into the endless Speed Force.
"So that's the cost."
The Speed Force remained silent.
Barry closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he thought about Iris.
About his friends.
About the League.
About Central City.
About every person who had ever believed the Flash would arrive when they needed him.
Then he remembered the black-red organism.
The thing inside him.
The thing that wanted to consume.
If that thing gets out...
Barry opened his eyes.
How many people die?
He remembered Batman's words.
Who else is infected?
Barry's expression hardened.
"I don't get to choose the easy option."
Lightning surrounded him.
"I'm the Flash."
The Speed Force surged.
Barry lowered his body.
Then began running.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
And faster.
And faster.
The universe around him began disappearing.
His physical body started becoming translucent.
His hands became streams of red lightning.
His legs became motion itself.
Barry screamed not from pain, but from effort as he pushed beyond every limit he'd previously accepted.
Faster.
His body became energy.
Faster.
His consciousness expanded.
FASTER.
Barry began existing in more than one place.
Then more than one dimension.
He saw Earth-22.
He saw Central City.
He saw the Batcave.
He saw possible futures.
He saw alternate timelines.
He saw himself running through all of them simultaneously.
His physical form continued dissolving.
Barry smiled.
"I'm still here."
The Speed Force swallowed him.
And for the first time
Barry Allen wasn't merely using the Speed Force.
He was becoming part of it.
POV — Batman
The Batcave remained quiet.
Bruce Wayne sat before the Batcomputer.
Barry's blood sample remained isolated behind several layers of containment.
Bruce hadn't stopped thinking since Barry left.
He opened a timeline of Derrick's activities.
Every mission.
Every assignment.
Every team composition.
Every person Derrick had physically interacted with.
Bruce began eliminating possibilities.
Who had prolonged contact with him?
He brought up the prison-break incident.
Derrick.
Firestorm.
Black Canary.
Cyborg.
The others had remained separated from Derrick for most of the operation.
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
Firestorm had stayed beside Derrick for almost the entire mission.
Then there was something else.
Bruce pulled up Firestorm's recent medical records.
Nothing abnormal.
He accessed his energy readings.
Nothing abnormal.
Behavioral reports.
Bruce stopped.
Firestorm had been spending more time alone.
Avoiding social interaction.
Missing casual League gatherings.
Bruce leaned back.
That's not enough.
But Bruce Wayne didn't investigate coincidences.
He investigated patterns.
He opened Derrick's previous mission history.
Firestorm had repeatedly been assigned alongside him.
The probability began climbing.
Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"Too convenient."
He began comparing Firestorm's behavior before and after Derrick's arrival.
The difference was subtle.
But it was there.
Bruce stared at the screen.
If Derrick infected Barry...
His eyes moved toward Firestorm's profile.
...then Firestorm may already be compromised.
Bruce immediately began considering the implications.
Firestorm possessed incredible power.
Nuclear transmutation.
Energy manipulation.
Matter manipulation.
And unlike Barry
he didn't have the Speed Force.
If Derrick's biological agent had entered Firestorm's body, there was no obvious natural countermeasure.
Bruce's jaw tightened.
If he's infected, Derrick could potentially have access to everything Firestorm can do.
That possibility was unacceptable.
Bruce began typing.
He created a private file.
CONTINGENCY: DERRICK
Then another.
POSSIBLE INFECTED LEAGUE MEMBERS
He added Barry.
Then Firestorm.
Then stopped.
Who else?
Bruce remembered the microscopic spores he had previously discovered.
Derrick had demonstrated an unusual interest in proximity.
He didn't need to attack someone directly.
He could potentially infect someone without them realizing it.
Bruce's mind raced.
If the virus spreads through contact...
He looked toward the Watchtower security network.
Then everyone who's spent significant time around him is potentially compromised.
But Bruce couldn't simply announce it.
If Derrick was listening
or if the infected were being used as surveillance
then revealing their suspicions could trigger whatever came next.
Bruce needed a way to warn the League without tipping Derrick off.
He considered encrypted communications.
Too obvious.
A League-wide emergency alert?
Worse.
Derrick would immediately know.
Bruce began building a coded medical diagnostic protocol.
Every League member would undergo a routine health scan.
Nothing suspicious.
Nothing directly connected to Derrick.
Just a standard security update.
But Bruce needed someone else.
Someone whose powers might help detect the infection.
His thoughts went to Zatanna.
Magic.
If science couldn't identify everything, perhaps magic could.
And then there was J'onn.
Martian Manhunter.
Bruce paused.
J'onn can read minds.
But if Derrick's mental architecture was as complicated as Bruce suspected, J'onn might be vulnerable.
Bruce didn't like that.
He opened another file.
ZATANNA — PRIVATE CONSULTATION
Then another.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER — POTENTIAL CONTACT
Bruce leaned back.
His eyes remained cold.
First Barry.
Then Firestorm.
Then everyone else.
His fingers stopped above the keyboard.
How many of us has Derrick already touched?
POV — Derrick
Derrick's eyes suddenly opened.
He sat upright in his bed.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
A connection that had existed quietly in the background for months had suddenly disappeared.
Derrick reached outward mentally.
Nothing.
His consciousness attempted to follow the infected biological network.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Derrick's eyes narrowed.
"Come on."
He pushed harder.
Normally, the infected organism inside Barry would have responded.
Even if Barry was moving through the Speed Force, Derrick should have been able to sense something.
A trace.
A heartbeat.
A biological echo.
Anything.
There was nothing.
Derrick slowly stood.
He tried again.
Nothing.
His expression became increasingly serious.
"That's impossible."
He paced across the room.
The virus wasn't fragile.
Not anymore.
It had evolved through countless environments.
It had survived beings far beyond normal human biology.
Derrick had fused it with abilities from countless species.
It had adapted to magic.
Energy.
Extreme environments.
Dimensional instability.
Even his time within the void between realities had forced his biology to evolve further.
Yet now
one of his infected hosts had simply gone silent.
Derrick stopped.
His mind raced through possibilities.
Did Batman discover it?
Possible.
Did Barry destroy it?
Unlikely.
Did the Speed Force interfere?
Derrick's eyes narrowed.
"...The Speed Force."
He didn't like that answer.
Derrick resumed pacing.
"If that's what happened..."
He stopped again.
His expression became colder.
"...then I'm running out of time."
His original plan had depended upon patience.
Infiltrate.
Infect.
Observe.
Grow.
Consume the strongest members when the opportunity presented itself.
But if Batman had discovered the infection
then his cover could collapse sooner than expected.
Derrick looked toward the door.
"I may have to accelerate."
His fingers slowly curled.
"I need more power."
Not because he lacked power.
Because he needed enough power to overwhelm the League before they could coordinate.
He mentally reviewed everything he had gained before arriving in this reality.
Viltrumite biology.
Mutant abilities.
Asgardian genetics.
Demonic energy.
Gravity manipulation.
Speed.
Teleportation.
Energy projection.
Regeneration.
Adaptive biology.
Dimensional movement.
And countless other abilities fused into his Blacklight physiology.
Derrick smiled faintly.
"I've been playing this too safely."
He turned toward the door.
He knew exactly who was currently in the Watchtower.
Black Canary.
Cyborg.
Hal Jordan.
Hawkman.
Martian Manhunter.
The rest were scattered around Earth.
Some were on patrol.
Some were at home.
Some were handling other threats.
Derrick opened the door.
He walked into the corridor.
His footsteps were quiet.
He reached the main recreational area.
Voices drifted toward him.
"...I'm telling you, he's been acting weird."
Derrick slowed.
Black Canary.
"Firestorm?"
Cyborg replied.
"Yeah. He's been spending a lot more time by himself."
Hal Jordan crossed his arms.
"Maybe the guy just wants some privacy."
Hawkman grunted.
"Firestorm isn't exactly known for being private."
J'onn remained silent.
Derrick listened.
A faint smile appeared.
They noticed.
Of course they did.
But none of them knew the truth.
Firestorm wasn't merely behaving strangely.
Firestorm was already part of him.
Derrick stepped into the room.
Black Canary immediately noticed him.
"Derrick."
She smiled.
"Hey."
Derrick returned the expression.
"Hey."
Canary gestured toward an empty chair.
"Come sit."
Derrick walked over.
He sat down casually.
Canary looked at him.
"So?"
"So?"
"How are you adjusting?"
Derrick chuckled.
"Still getting used to the whole 'Justice League' thing."
Hal laughed.
"Give it time. You'll get used to the weirdness."
Derrick smiled.
"I'm starting to."
Canary leaned back.
"Seriously, though. You okay?"
Derrick looked at her.
"Yeah."
He paused.
"Everyone's been pretty welcoming."
Cyborg smiled.
"Well... Except Batman."
The room became slightly quieter.
Derrick chuckled.
"Batman is just a crumpy guy, he'll come around one day ."
Canary laughed.
"That's one way to put it."
Derrick relaxed into the chair.
Outwardly, he looked completely comfortable.
A newcomer casually enjoying time with Earth's greatest heroes.
But inside—
his mind was moving at impossible speed.
Black Canary.
Potentially useful.
Cyborg.
Technological knowledge.
Hal Jordan.
Willpower.
Hawkman.
Durability.
J'onn.
Derrick's eyes briefly passed over the Martian.
Telepathy.
He didn't stare.
He didn't need to.
His mind was already constructing possibilities.
If I consume one, the League becomes weaker.
If I consume several simultaneously, they may not even understand what's happening.
His eyes returned to Black Canary.
She was still talking.
"...and honestly, I think you're settling in better than most people would."
Derrick smiled.
"Thanks, I get used to new environments very easily to be honest ."
But internally
he was calculating.
The fastest way.
His biological network quietly processed every possibility.
Who first?
How many at once?
How do I prevent escape?
How do I isolate Superman?
How do I prevent Batman from using whatever contingency he's building?
Derrick's smile remained perfectly natural.
He even laughed at something Canary said.
Nobody in the room noticed the change in his eyes.
Nobody noticed the calculation behind them.
Nobody noticed that the newcomer sitting among them was no longer wondering if he would eventually consume the Justice League.
He was now deciding how soon.
And somewhere far beyond ordinary space
Barry Allen was becoming something else entirely.
Something Batman hadn't yet realized.
Something Derrick couldn't sense anymore.
The race had begun.