"Limited to ones' Imagination" - DC Fanfic

Cadmus Cloning Facility - The Basement

The air was sterile, the hum of machines echoing off the metallic walls as Amanda Waller strode through the restricted corridors of Cadmus. The heavy reinforced doors hissed open, revealing the cloning facility—a sprawling underground laboratory filled with bio-pods containing humanoid figures suspended in viscous blue liquid.

At the center of it all stood Lex Luthor, arms crossed, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. His gaze was locked onto one of the central cloning chambers, its contents obscured by the thick cryonic mist that had yet to fully clear.

Waller didn't waste time.

"What is it this time, Luthor?" she asked, voice sharp. "I was in the middle of another Task Force X meeting."

Lex turned toward her, his smile widening.

"We've done it."

For a moment, Waller was silent. Then, her eyes narrowed, her mind catching up to what he meant.

"…It worked?" she asked, a glint of interest flashing across her usually stoic expression.

Lex gave a slow nod.

"And how did you manage to pull it off so quickly?"

Lex turned back to the cloning pods, stepping toward the largest one at the room's center.

"We degraded our only sample of Alex's DNA but enough to make it stable."

Waller's brow arched slightly. "And then?"

Lex's eyes gleamed with something between arrogance and triumph.

"We discovered that—even degraded—it still retains its transformative properties, albeit barely. So all we had to do was—"

"—Mix it into the cloning process with Kryptonian DNA," Waller finished, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Lex chuckled. "Exactly."

They turned as scientists and technicians moved around them, carefully monitoring holographic readouts displaying the clone's vital signs.

Suspended in the pod, the figure remained obscured, but its silhouette was unmistakable—broad-shouldered, Kryptonian frame, yet with subtle differences that hinted at Alex's unique genetic signature.

The second Superman.

Their plan had just been accelerated exponentially.

Central City

The city streets blurred, streaks of red and yellow lightning illuminating the skyline as two speedsters raced through the city at impossible speeds.

Barry Allen—The Flash— kept pace, his focus locked on his opponent.

Ronald Thawne, another Reverse Flash, had appeared out of nowhere, demanding answers about his speed force being replicated.

The confrontation had escalated instantly.

Buildings shook as they moved at speeds far beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans. Glass shattered, and the very air distorted from the sheer energy radiating off their conflict.

"You think I care about whatever mess you're dealing with?!" Barry shouted, dodging a vibrating strike aimed at his chest. "You show up, talking about someone stealing your Speed Force, and expect me to care?"

Ronald gritted his teeth, narrowly avoiding one of Barry's lightning-laced punches.

"You should care, Allen," he growled, his movements erratic, desperate. "Someone or something is blocking time travel. I can't go back."

Barry hesitated.

That was… concerning.

The Reverse Flash's whole existence was centered around messing with time, yet now he was trapped in the present?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Barry asked, dodging another strike.

Thawne skidded to a stop atop a skyscraper, looking out over the city, his expression twisted with frustration. Barry followed, standing a few feet away, still ready for a fight.

"For the last twenty years," Thawne muttered, "Every time I try to travel past a certain point in history… I hit a wall. I thought it was a fluke, a mistake, but it's constant."

Barry frowned.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he admitted. "And honestly? I don't even know if I want to. But…" He crossed his arms. "I do know who might've used your Speed Force."

Thawne's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Barry smirked. "A guy named Alex."

Thawne's expression darkened. He had heard that name before. Whispers. Rumors. Someone unnatural.

"Is he the reason I'm stuck?" he muttered, almost to himself.

Barry shook his head. "No clue. But if even you are blocked from time travel, I don't think he's the one pulling the strings."

Thawne clenched his fists. Everything was wrong. He needed to figure out who—or what—was behind this.

For now, though… he had no answers.

His red lightning flashed, and in the next second—he was gone.

Barry exhaled.

"Yeah. That's not terrifying at all…"

Cadmus - Cloning Chamber

Back at Cadmus, the process neared completion.

Lex and Waller stood in front of the main cloning pod, the mist beginning to dissipate. The figure inside became clearer—muscular, Kryptonian physique, but with something… more.

Something unstable.

One of the scientists glanced at them, nervous.

"The subject is—"

A loud crack cut through the room as the clone's eyes snapped open.

Glowing red.

A warning alarm blared as the bio-pod's glass fractured.

Lex smirked.

Waller simply watched, her expression unreadable.

The second Superman had arrived.