Chapter 40 – "Suit Up"
Barry sprinted through Central City, a streak of red lightning weaving between crumbling streets, overturned cars, and terrified pedestrians.
Ahead of him, King Shark roared—massive, primal, thrashing down a street like a beast out of a nightmare. The creature's jaws snapped down on a light pole and hurled it like a javelin.
Barry dodged, barely.
"Okay," he muttered to himself. "Definitely not from the aquarium…"
---
Back at STAR Labs, Dante leaned back against the Cortex desk, his expression as relaxed as ever despite the chaos unfolding on the screen.
He watched Barry get slammed into a wall, sparks flying off his suit.
Then he turned to Cisco.
"So... what exactly did you mean by Earth-2 and all that?"
Cisco blinked at him. Caitlin turned from the monitor. Ronnie even looked up from a console. The room went still.
"…Right," Cisco said. "You've been gone three months. You missed some stuff."
Dante raised a brow. "Define stuff."
Caitlin's voice was soft, almost hesitant. "You remember when Eobard Thawne kidnapped me and Ronnie?"
Dante's jaw tightened just slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah. That little episode where I burned half the world looking for you. Not my best therapy session."
"You went full rage mode," Ronnie said with a chuckle.
"Thermonuclear," Cisco added. "And then—when you found Eobard…"
Dante folded his arms. "I killed him. I remember. Punched right through his chest."
Cisco's eyes widened. "Exactly. But it wasn't just any punch, man. It was like—you ran from halfway across the world and came back around, and the speed… the impact…"
Caitlin continued, "It fractured reality. Temporarily. Like when Barry breaks the sound barrier—but more extreme. You punched so hard…"
"You broke the multiverse," Cisco finished.
Dante blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah. 'Oh,'" Ronnie said.
Cisco tapped a few keys and brought up a hologram—a map of dimensional rifts. "You tore a hole into Earth-2. Parallel Earth. Parallel people. Parallel metas."
"And parallel problems," Caitlin added.
"Zoom," Ronnie said grimly.
Dante stared at the map, absorbing the information faster than anyone expected.
"So what? This Zoom guy is another speedster?"
Cisco nodded. "He's faster than Barry. And meaner. He's been sending metas from his Earth to kill our Barry."
Dante ran a hand through his red hair, eyes narrowing slightly. "And this Jay Garrick guy?"
"A speedster from Earth-2," Caitlin said. "He came to help, but… he's recovering. Zoom took his speed."
"Cool. Evil speed demon from another world. Got it." Dante said flatly. "So the door?"
"Closed," Ronnie replied. "But only temporarily. Zoom figured out how to open more breaches. All across the city."
Cisco pulled up more visuals—blue swirling energy pockets scattered over a map of Central City.
"Jay said if we close them all, we can stop Zoom from coming through again. For good."
Dante stared at the screen, then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Multiverse crap. I leave for three months, and y'all tear space-time open like wrapping paper."
A thump echoed through the Cortex speakers.
"GUYSSSSSS—" Barry's strained voice cut through, followed by a groan.
They all turned to the monitors.
King Shark had Barry in a chokehold, tossing him like a rag doll into a parked truck. The vehicle crumpled under the impact.
Cisco winced. "That's gonna bruise."
Barry tried to get up, groaning. "He's too strong—he's not just a meta, he's like a freakin' kaiju in gym shorts!"
Dante sighed.
"Oh, for crying out loud."
He stepped back from the desk and rolled his shoulders. The air in the room seemed to get heavier.
"I'm going."
He started walking toward the exit—but Cisco jumped up, pointing at him like a scolding parent.
"No, no, no. You're not going like that."
Dante turned. "Like what?"
"Like that!" Cisco motioned to his black jeans and hoodie. "You've got powers. You've got a rep. You're our wildcard, man. You don't get to fight giant mutant fish in streetwear."
Dante tilted his head. "What, you made me a suit or something?"
Cisco grinned. "Duh. Of course I did. You just never bothered to look at it."
Caitlin smiled a little. "We didn't know if you'd come back."
Ronnie stepped forward. "But we hoped."
There was a brief silence.
Dante blinked.
"…Fine. Show me."
---
A few minutes later, the chamber doors slid open.
Dante stepped out slowly, now clad in a sleek, dark red and black suit—tailored and battle-ready. It wasn't bulky like armor, nor tight like Barry's Flash suit. It moved like a second skin, segmented and layered with matte and chrome finishes. His signature red eyes stood out even more against the maskless suit.
Cisco beamed. "Told you. Looks good."
Dante cracked his knuckles. "Still feels like cosplay."
Barry's voice crackled again through the comms. "Guys. I could really use a hand here!"
King Shark roared in the background, sending shockwaves through the speakers.
Dante turned, now fully focused.
"Alright. I'll handle it."
Caitlin stepped forward. "Be careful."
He gave her a soft look. "Always."
Then, in a red blur, he vanished.
---
Docks – Central City
King Shark slammed down another car, roaring to the sky. People had scattered long ago, but Barry was still weaving, barely dodging the monster's attacks.
The beast opened its massive jaws, teeth gleaming.
That's when the air cracked.
Dante arrived like a thunderclap, the wind around him rippling outward as his feet touched the ground.
King Shark turned—and froze.
Dante stood tall, calm, his eyes glowing like embers.
"You must be the ugly one from the family," he said coolly.
Barry groaned from the pavement. "Finally…"
King Shark charged with a roar.
Dante didn't move.
Not until the last second—then, in a blur of crimson, he twisted, dodging the strike with inhuman precision, and slammed his fist upward into King Shark's stomach.
The impact launched the creature off its feet—an eight-foot shark flying backward like it weighed nothing.
Dante followed, striking again and again—each hit calculated, brutal, exact. He didn't have Barry's speed, but his power was devastating.
King Shark roared in fury, swinging wildly.
Dante caught the creature's fist mid-air—and crushed it with a sickening crack.
Barry, watching from the ground, whistled low. "Okay… That's terrifying."
Dante didn't stop until King Shark collapsed, unconscious, crumpling the dock beneath his weight.
The silence returned.
Dante cracked his neck and looked at Barry.
"You good?"
Barry groaned. "I will be."
Dante offered a hand and pulled him up with one effortless tug.
"See?" Dante said with a half-smile. "Earth-level problem."
---
You can contact me through my official page on the following Accounts:
telegram:
miraclenarrator
tiktok:
miracle_narrator
instagram:
miracle_narrator