บท 560: Data & Anomaly
Edward walked into the room where the team was waiting, including Kid Flash or Wally West, who had recovered his power a while back. He smiled and asked politely, "I'm assuming you've made a decision?"
No one answered him for a while before Barry said, "What exactly will you do as our supervisor?"
"We will first begin by taking data on your abilities: the ins and outs, lows and highs — we need to know the extent of your abilities— your limitations."
"For what?" asked Barry.
"Isn't it obvious?" chimed in Iris. "To deal with you in the future."
"Once again, you're seeing this in a negative light," calmly explained Edward. "We are just preparing contingencies in case something goes wrong. By then, we will have ways to neutralize the individuals involved without causing too much chaos."
"You have a way with words; you should write novels like me," sneered Harrison Wells. This version from Earth 19 was a writer instead of a scientist, so Edward reduced his threat level. Regardless, he was still being closely watched.
"What exactly do you mean by something going wrong?" asked Caitlin.
"The worst case scenario is that Barry becomes evil and uses his powers for nefarious means."
"Barry would never do that," immediately defended Cisco.
"He has saved countless lives—he's a true hero," added Iris.
"I am not attacking his character," continued Edward. "We are just preparing for many possibilities."
"But it seems like you were," countered Joe. "How many times has Barry risked his life to save this city? To save the world? Where was the government then? Now, you walked in here accusing him of turning evil."
"Calm down," said Edward calmly yet authoritatively. He looked at the team and said, "All of you seem to have ignored the events of Flash Point." The room immediately became quiet.
"In a moment of grief, he made a selfish decision to go back in time and save his mother; his actions altered reality as we know it."
"I have learned from my mistakes," argued Barry. "I know the consequences of messing with time and would never do it again."
"Really?" said Edward as he looked him in the eyes. "Tell me you would not make the same choice if you watched everyone in this room die — look me in the eyes and tell me you would not be tempted."
"I would never let anything happen to them."
"You didn't answer my question," Edward snapped back, so Barry moved his eyes away.
"Do any of you know the repercussions of Flash Point? Do you think his actions only affected Central City or the people close to him? No, lives across the globe were affected. Government entities worldwide created special units to deal with the aftermath of Flash Point, recording what was different from the previous timeline."
"How is that possible?"
"Do you think you're the only one who can notice the changes in the timeline? The world is vast, and Central City is just a small microcosm."
The room became silent as the previously built tension rapidly dissipated like a popped balloon.
"Now, turning evil is not the only scenario in which Barry could use his power for selfish reasons. Grodd's existence is proof that his mind can be controlled. If a meta-human with such ability shows up and we must face the Flash, the government wants to be ready."
"I still think it's a bad idea for anyone to have access to such data," added Wells. "Especially the United States government or military."
"Maybe you're right, but at this point, there is no longer any room for negotiations," said Edward before taking his phone out of his pocket. "My team is outside and will come in to begin the tests."
After making the call, close to a hundred individuals walked into the lab and began setting up equipment pieces.
"Wait, we have to be tested too?" asked Cisco as he looked warily at the man before him.
"You're a meta-human, too, aren't you? So, you are also on the list to be supervised," replied Edward while still on the phone. More than an hour later, everything was set up, and they began with Barry and Wally. They wore a special suit designed to monitor their heart rates and other bodily functions.
Then, they used a specially prepared Cosmic Treadmill that allowed them to use their full speed. Edward calmly watched Barry, and when a portal appeared a few meters before Barry's treadmill, his eyes secretly lit up.
'The entrance to the Speed Force,' he thought without any change in expression. The subsequent tests were his other abilities, like phasing through walls or releasing lightning bolts. The final test was to gather data while he ran through the Speed Force.
However, Edward did not stay around as he pretended he was supervising the others. He watched Cisco using his power of vibrations and his reluctance to show his Dimensional Portals. Meanwhile, Caitlin showed her power to manipulate ice, and Ralph showed how his body could elongate itself. The entire process took more than 6 hours before it was over.
"See? It wasn't so bad," said Edward, and everyone either rolled their eyes. "I will return in three days to proceed to the second step."
The team watched Edward, and as soon as he was away, someone spoke:
"What a terrible experience," commented Wally.
"I think I'm developing a disdain for bureaucrats," added Caitlin.
"Something is wrong," said Barry.
"What do you mean?" Iris held his arm, not hiding her concern.
"I have this bad feeling about this agent," he continued. "Cisco, check our systems to see if there is any problem. I will check the entire building for any bugs."
Swish!
Lightning flashed as Barry ran at unparalleled speed, searching every corner of the building.
"Found something?" asked Joe.
"No, nothing. Cisco, what about you?"
"I found something, but—"
"But what?"
"It didn't seem like they wanted to hide that they were going to monitor us," he replied; finding the hidden code in their system was too easy, and he did not believe these people were so incompetent.
"Let's talk in a more secure place," said Barry, and Cisco immediately opened a portal to Earth 19.
…
"What are they doing?" asked Edward, not moving his eyes an inch from the screens before him.
"As expected, they don't trust us," replied Morgana.
"That's to be expected," he replied casually. Today, he gathered significant data on Barry's connection to the force and the Speed Force itself. Now, he was confident in creating a clone capable of running fast enough to enter the Speed Force itself.
"We have a problem," suddenly said Morgana.
"What is it?" He finally moved his head away from the screen.
"The Tracking Spell we placed on Barry is gone after he entered the Speed Force."
Edward frowned, "Tell me exactly what happened?"
"I was receiving data but only briefly before something wiped it out."
Edward grunted, "What about the others?"
"We still have eyes on them."
"Did Wally also enter the Speed Force?"
"No, he's just waiting."
"Keep an eye on him and tell me if something changes."
Time was running out, so he immediately began his work. He created a new clone and sent it to the Speed Force to help him gather data. However, a few seconds later, something happened, and the clone died.
He summoned the recording from the latter's soul without hesitation right before its death.
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