DC : The Template System

Barry and Thomas were deep in discussion, sketching out a plan to recreate the accident that gave Barry his powers, when Thomas suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He turned toward the doorway, eyes narrowed.

"How long are you just going to watch?" he asked coldly.

Footsteps echoed from the shadows.

A man stepped into view, clad in a black cloak adorned with red clouds. An orange, spiraled mask hid his face. His voice was deep and calm, yet carried an undeniable edge.

"Even in a different timeline—and a different Batman—you still maintain vigilance," the masked man said. "Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The name still stands. You are Batman."

Thomas narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Barry.

"Friend of yours?"

Barry shook his head, eyes wide. "His name is Tobi. A vigilante from the original timeline. We weren't exactly allies... but we never clashed directly either."

Then Barry turned to the masked figure, suspicion blooming across his face.

"What puzzles me is—how do you know about the original timeline?"

Tobi tilted his head slightly, as if amused.

"You really are stupid," he said flatly. "No wonder you messed up the timeline."

Barry flinched. "Batman just said you've been here a while. So you overheard us—makes sense," he added, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Tobi said nothing at first, just stared silently.

Then Barry's face twisted in confusion. "Wait... what do you mean I messed up the timeline? This is all Thawne's doing!"

"Do you have proof of that?" Max asked calmly.

Barry opened his mouth, paused, then sighed. "No... but it smells like him."

Tobi let out a dry chuckle. "Then let's walk through it together."

He stepped forward, slowly.

"Tell me, Barry... what was the last thing you remember before all of this?"

Barry frowned. "I remember running home—after stopping one of Thawne's schemes. He was trying to destroy the city."

"And before that, what did Thawne say to you?" Tobi asked.

Barry hesitated. "He said I wasn't fast enough to save the people who matter to me."

Tobi nodded. "And after that?"

Barry's eyes dimmed. "Next thing I knew... I was walking beside my mom. And she was alive."

Tobi's voice lowered, heavy with meaning. "So... the man who killed your mother taunts you about failing the ones you love... and right after, you're suddenly standing next to her?"

Batman's eyes narrowed, mind working fast.

"Wait... you're saying Barry caused all this?"

"Exactly," Max said.

"You felt guilty," Batman added, growling. "Guilt and grief pushed you over the edge. In your despair... you ran back in time and saved your mother. You messed up the timeline."

Barry looked stricken. "I didn't mean to... I just..."

"You can reflect later," Max cut in. "Right now, we need to get your powers back. The world's falling apart, and I have no intention of going down with it."

Barry stared at him, wary. "You're going to help?"

"Of course I am," Max said. "This mess puts me in danger too."

Batman stepped forward. "Can he be trusted?"

Barry hesitated, eyes flicking between them. "I don't know. But right now, we need all the help we can get."

"Then we move," Batman said. "There isn't much time."

Some time later...

Barry sat in the chair, wires and chemicals strapped to his back. A metal plate was fixed to his head—meant to conduct lightning directly into his body.

"This is a crazy idea," Batman muttered, arms folded.

"I know," Barry said with a shaky breath. "But it's the only shot I have to recreate the accident that gave me the Speed Force."

Max stepped forward, his arms crossed beneath his cloak. "Stop stalling and just pull the lever."

Batman shot him a glare but said nothing. With a grunt, he reached for the control and slammed the lever down.

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

Lightning flashed.

A bolt struck the metal rod above, arcing straight down into Barry's body.

Barry screamed as electricity surged through him, his muscles seizing violently. In an instant, his body ignited—chemicals reacting violently to the current.

"Barry!" Batman shouted.

But Max was already moving.

He flicked his wrist, summoning the Gunbai Uchiwa into his hand. With a single, powerful sweep, he conjured a controlled gust of wind that extinguished the flames in a heartbeat.

Batman rushed forward and began unstrapping Barry, dragging his barely conscious body to the ground.

Max followed, kneeling beside Barry and placing a gloved hand over his chest. A soft green glow radiated from his palm.

Barry's burns—angry and raw—began to fade, skin knitting itself back together at an accelerated rate.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "So... you're a magician?"

Max didn't even glance at him. "No. I'm just built different."

Batman's scowl deepened. "That healing... it's not natural."

"His burns were already healing," Max said coolly. "I just sped up the process."

Barry coughed weakly, eyes fluttering open. His body still trembled from the shock, but the worst of the damage was gone.

"Welcome back, Flash," Max muttered, standing up and letting the Gunbai disappear with a puff of smoke.

"I... I now remember things from this timeline," Barry said, sitting up slowly. His voice was shaky. "Like how Aquaman destroyed Europe by flooding it ."

Max gave him a steady look. "Your memories are starting to overlap," he said calmly. "And soon… you'll start forgetting the original timeline altogether."

Barry's eyes widened. "Then I need to go. I need to fix this—now."

"You won't be fast enough," Max said flatly. "Not with Thawne around."

Barry froze. "Wait—Thawne is here too? How do you know?"

"You said it yourself," Max replied. "He's the opposite of you. He's also connected to the Speed Force. So when you traveled back in time… you dragged him with you."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Then we need to find him—and terminate him."

Max turned toward him, a chuckle rumbling from behind his mask. "I like this Batman better.

Things are already starting to change because of my presence, Max thought as he stood silently, watching Barry recover. In the original timeline, it took him two tries to regain the Speed Force. But now... it happened on the first.

He narrowed his eye behind the mask, processing the implications.

I've already disrupted the sequence.

His gaze drifted slightly, though no one noticed.

I wonder what my clone is doing right now...

Before leaving the city, Max had created a Wood Clone— and sent it ahead with a single mission: find Thawne, and kill him if possible.

-----------------

Lois Lane sprinted down the ruined street, arrows whistling past her—one missing her by a hair's breadth.

"This is Lois Lane from the Daily Planet," she said breathlessly into her dying mic, "my battery's about to give out… and I might be joining it soon."

Behind her, armored footsteps thundered closer. Four Amazon warriors chased her, bows drawn and blades gleaming in the firelight. Behind them, something much worse roared—a massive three-headed beast: the Cerberus.

Lois dove over a jagged chunk of collapsed road and scrambled beneath a broken bridge, breathing hard.

There, leaning casually against the wall like he was waiting for a bus, stood a man in a black cloak covered in red clouds. His face was obscured by an orange spiral-patterned mask.

She froze. "Who are you?"

The masked man straightened, his voice calm and steady.

"An ally. Get behind me, Miss Lane."

Lois hesitated, but the urgency in his tone left no room for doubt. She stepped behind him as the warrior clone of Max walked forward.

Four Amazons appeared on either side of the bridge, bows raised. Then came the heavy stomping of the Cerberus as it leapt onto the shattered road in front of them, all three heads snarling with fury.

Max's visible eye shifted—morphing into the ominous red swirl of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He raised his hands into a Ram Seal.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the area.

Then—crackling into existence—a towering blue ethereal warrior formed around him and Lois, its translucent frame radiating power. The chakra construct smashed through the bridge above, sending concrete flying as the Amazons scattered in panic.

The Susanoo—complete with four arms, each wielding a massive glowing blue sword—rose to its full height, with Max and Lois suspended within its armored chest cavity.

"Amazons, attack!" shouted the lead warrior.

Arrows flew. Blades clashed. The Cerberus charged with a feral roar.

Max stared down at them from within the Susanoo.

"Brave," he muttered. "I respect that. But stupid… nonetheless."

The Susanoo moved.

With a single wide slash, two of its glowing blades swept across the battlefield—throwing Amazons through the air like ragdolls, while bisecting others in brutal arcs of chakra force.

The Cerberus lunged.

The Susanoo dropped one of its swords and clenched its free hand into a massive blue fist—then drove it forward with explosive force.

CRACK.

One of the Cerberus' heads crumpled as the beast was launched backward, crashing into a burning building with a deafening impact.

Max's clone moved through a rapid sequence of hand seals.

"Fire Style: Majestic Demolisher Flames!"

He puffed his chest and exhaled a raging torrent of fire, sweeping across the remaining Amazons. Screams echoed briefly before silence took their place. The jutsu faded, leaving scorched ground and blackened armor behind.

The Susanoo shimmered, then slowly began to dissipate.

Max and Lois floated gently back to the ground. Dust and ash filled the air.

Lois, wide-eyed and shaken, looked around at the devastation.

"…What are you?"

The masked clone glanced sideways at her.

"Like I said. An ally."