(Y/N)'s eyes opened what felt like an instant later. Only, he wasn't in the same place as before. He was in a dark, castle-like building. The walls were black, with flecks of gold inside. Some sort of stone, no doubt.
He stood, taking in all he could remember. The flash of white. The hot, searing pain. Darkseid at the center of it all.
A deep chuckling came from inside the room.
He turned and saw a man. He was dark-skinned, with a short beard, wearing what looked like a purple robe.
"It truly is good to see you again, Superman!" The man said, smiling. "I have to say, I was expecting a... slightly different outcome. But it doesn't matter."
"Who are you?" (Y/N) asked threateningly.
"Oh, that is the question, isn't it? I've gone by many names. Some call me a warrior. A conqueror."
"I don't have time for riddles."
"Time! Yes, time. I almost forgot. I need to explain where we are. Or, rather, when we are. You see, I have this little... organization coming around. You're part of a little experiment I'm trying out here. This is a place out of time, or at the end of it, if that helps your perception. I am the one at the end. He Who Remains, so to speak. And I know everything that has happened and will happen. Like right about now, you're going to-"
(Y/N) cut him off as his eyes glowed red. "Get to the point."
"See what I mean? I knew you would do that. Just like I know who the two people are who are going to walk in after you. Now, back to the question of why you are here."
"Go on," (Y/N) said, his eyes still glowing.
"You're not the only (Y/N) out there."
-----
As the explosion from the Unity raced forth, Barry was able to access the speed force and save himself from the destruction. He intended to use his speed and reverse the damage done by traveling faster than light. But something else occurred, something unexpected.
As he ran towards the Unity, a bright white flash appeared. He heard a voice coming from somewhere, but he couldn't tell exactly where.
"We tampered with the stability of space-time... the multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little."
-----
"I'm sorry, what?" (Y/N) asked.
He Who Remains laughed. "Every (Y/N) I see has that exact reaction. It still gets me every time."
"Explain!" (Y/N) said, his voice yelling now.
"Alright, alright. I've been... messing with the timeline a little bit. Seeing what I could conjure up. You're my most recent experiment. A super-powered being put in a world of heroes, where he himself is stronger than any of them. And you didn't disappoint."
"So what?" (Y/N) asked. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No, no, no! I've never had to kill a (Y/N) before. I'm not here for that. I'm here to offer you a choice."
"Go on."
"I picked you from the moment the Unity was set off. If the timeline is reset, the damage will be reversed. However, you must select from among your companions who you wish to survive. They will be placed in an alternate spot in time. Everyone else will die. Your other option is to go back into your timeline and allow both yourself and everyone you care about to die. Slowly. They'll be saved from the initial destruction so you can have time with them, but they will inevitably die. The choice is yours. But we both know which one you're going to choose."
"Put me back in my world."
-----
Barry's eyes fluttered open. He was still in his red suit, but he wasn't in the same place he was when the Unity had triggered.
He was in a dark city, lying in a sort of dark alleyway. He slowly stood up and looked at his surroundings.
He just saw the world decimated by the Unity - where was he now?
He remembered something took him from the destruction. Maybe the destruction had only been limited to the area around the Unity.
No. Darkseid wouldn't let that happen.
Barry stood and looked around at the city around him. It was New York, no doubt.
Just not the New York he knew.
He noticed a clothesline coming from an apartment above him. He grabbed a shirt and some jeans, then took off his suit and traded it for the other clothes. He stuffed his suit in a nearby trash can.
"I've got to find (Y/N)..." He said to himself.
-----
Bizarro looked up from his containment cell. The destruction had happened well over an hour ago, and the compound was destroyed. His cell, however, was just fine.
He heard footsteps next to him.
"Goodbye?" He called out.
He turned and saw a towering, grey-skinned figure standing there.
The figure shot red laser beams out of his eyes and cracked the cell open. Bizarro stepped out. "And may I ask who you are?"
"Darkseid."
"Oh, yes, I remember you now. You see, I-"
He was suddenly cut off as he felt a piece of blue kryptonite enter his body.
"That doesn't matter now. What matters is how you factor into my plan."