"Barry!" Someone called in a very thick accent. Lex paused, storing the name 'Barry' in his memory under a priority file. He had already changed out of the Flash costume as it had drawn too much attention for his liking, and instead 'borrowed' a suit from a nearby clothing store. When he finally turned he was met with the gaze of a sceptical Japanese woman holding a bag full of groceries. "You haven't been back to the hotel yet?"
"O-Oh, no." Lex quickly regained his composure and attempted to act as inconspicuous as possible. "I heard you were shopping so I came to meet you here."
"Where did you hear that?" The woman asked with obvious confusion. She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him.
Lex gathered any panic that may have stirred in a less confident person and backtracked. "Sorry, what I meant was that I went to the hotel but you weren't there. I assumed you'd gone out shopping."
"Why would you assume that? You're always the one that does it."
"I hadn't noticed." Lex said, hoping that this would be enough to convince her. The expression she flashed him ensured him that it wasn't.
"Is that why you're always complaining about it?" She muttered lowly, eyes glaring into him as if she already suspected something. It were as if she could read his mind...but it wasn't as direct as that. It was more like she was particularly perceptive - she could tell that something was wrong.
"You're right. I'm a little out of sorts today...I got hit by a weird beam on my way back into Metropolis." He said almost too convincingly. "It's really effected my memory."
The woman frowned. Still not completely satisfied with this response. She had seen this on the news only seconds after it had happened...and Superman had visited asking if Barry was alright. "I heard."
"You did? Well, as I'm sure you'll agree, I need some time to clear my head. I'm going to wander around here a bit longer but I'll meet you back at the hotel later." He turned on his heel with a wave, hoping that this would end the uncomfortable conversation. He wasn't that lucky though.
"There's just one thing, Mr. Spock. You can't tell me that when you first saw Jim alive that you weren't on the verge of giving us an emotional scene that would have brought the house down." The woman called to him. It took a moment for Lex to realise what was happening. She was quoting Star Trek, and waiting for him to continue the conversation. This 'Barry' guy must've known each episode word for word.
Clever. Very clever.
Lex raked his brain for the answer. He had seen every series of Star Trek and could discuss it in depth...but he didn't know the dialogue as completely as Barry. He gritted his teeth. He knew the episode, he knew the season, he knew every character within it and what it was about...but he couldn't recall that quite at all.
Instead of giving up entirely, Lex flashed the woman a smile and chuckled. "Amok Time, season 2. That's a good one. I didn't know you could quote Star Trek."
The woman huffed. She didn't appear interested in speaking anymore to him. She had all the information she needed. Not only had he passed up an opportunity to quote Star Trek, but he had avoided saying her name at all costs...insinuating that he didn't know it.
"I'll see you later." She said, cutting the conversation short and finally allowing Lex to leave.
"Of course. See you then."
As Barry's body left, Mineko watched his every movement. He didn't even walk like Barry. His posture was too straight, his steps too calculated. Mineko reached into her pocket and took out Barry's phone, which he had left at the hotel with her. She tapped on Clark Kent's name, which was decorated with an emoticon of glasses, and waited for him to pick up. Clark answered almost immediately, which was rare for someone as busy as he was.
"Hey, Barry! How are you feeling?" His friendly voice sounded from the other end.
"This is not Barry." Mineko replied bluntly.
"Mineko? Did you find him?"
"That is a complicated question." She responded lowly, watching as Barry disappeared around a corner in the distance.
"What do you mean?"
"I found Barry, but it is not him." She replied so vaguely that Clark was sent into a whirl of confusion.
"Umm...explain?" Clark asked in obvious bewilderment.
"Barry is childish, awkward, well-meaning and intelligent. The man I just met only had intelligence in common with Barry. He was manipulative and sly and everything Barry is not."
"Well, he did take a pretty big hit earlier. He might've hit his head. Just give him time."
"Time will not help. That man is not Barry."
Clark audibly sighed and it caused a quiet sound of static to linger through the phone. "You really are as stubborn as he said you were..."
"Is there any one around here that has the ability to swap bodies with others? Is there someone with enough funds to hire or build something like that?" Mineko continued, paying no mind to Clark's previous comment.
"There's Lex Luthor, but I doubt he'd be interested in switching with The Flash."
"But he was not the original target." Mineko reminded and Clark fell silent. "Thank you for your assistance."
Clark was clearly about to say something else before Mineko hung up, but it didn't seem relevant to her at the present time. She needed to find this 'Lex Luthor', and she could start by asking around.
Meanwhile, over at LexCorp, Barry was sitting at a rather large and fancy desk with his feet resting on top of it. His hands were rested behind his head and the once spotless room was now filled with useless junk. Barry had spent the rest of his day attempting to put a dent in Lex's bank account, but no matter how much he brought it made little difference.
Mercy stepped through the door for the fiftieth time that day, holding a giant brass trumpet in her hands. It was completely custom made with diamonds encrusted on button. She passed it over to 'Lex' with a strange look on her face.
"Is there any particular reason you wanted this, sir? I wasn't aware that you could play the trumpet."
"Oh, I can't." Barry shrugged, holding it to his lips and attempting to play 'Hot-Cross Buns' on it. He had learnt it at school when he was younger on the recorder, and assumed it'd be the same on any other instrument. He was wrong. The noise that came from the trumpet was so brash and hideous that Mercy would've almost preferred if she was deaf.
"Do...you need anything else?" She said hurriedly, desperate to get away.
"Yeah, now that I've brought all this junk, how much do I have left in my account?"
"Around 17 trillion, sir."
Barry's eyes almost popped out of his head. He didn't know that anyone could ever make that much money in one lifetime...or even in ten. "T-T-Trillion? And...that's just the personal expenses account?"
"Yes, sir." She said without the slightest hesitancy.
Barry had been hoping to humble Lex a little by spending all his money, and ultimately making him less of a threat...that is if they ever got their real bodies back. It was apparently impossible though. Whenever he spent a large amount of it, he'd receive even more from the company.
Just as Barry was pondering buying a harp to go with his new trumpet, someone stormed through the building. No security guards were following, meaning he had somehow found a way to sneak past them. It didn't take Barry long to recognise him...it was himself, or his body at least.
Mercy rushed out and grabbed the man by his arm, twisting it around and pinning it to his back. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"
The man hissed through his teeth. "Its me. Lex."
Mercy tightened her grip on the man. "You're insane."
Lex nodded towards his office where Barry sat scoffing down a large spoonful of ice cream. He certainly looked like Lex, but he didn't eat like him. The dessert was practically dropping down his expensive shirt, so much that it was sure to leave large stains in its wake.
"You really think that's me?" The man scoffed. "I'm clearly paying you too much."
The woman's eyes narrowed. She couldn't deny that 'Lex' had been acting strangely all day. Almost like a completely different person. She couldn't turn on him without solid evidence though. Thankfully they had planned for such an occasion. "What's the code?"
"Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come." He said with perfect intonation. "William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Act two, Scene two, page two."
Mercy's grip on the man loosened. So many people quoted Shakespeare mindlessly, as if they had been forced to by a high school teacher, but Lex spoke it with unclouded understanding. As if every word was carefully thought through, and had been perfectly placed within the sentence. Even though his voice was someone else's, she could still hear the fire in his tone upon quoting it.
"Lex?... How did this happen?" She asked in absolute shock, still unsure whether to take him to the police or guide him into the office.
"I'll explain everything later, but first you'll take me to my body." Lex commanded and Mercy obeyed without question.
Lex had originally thought that having this body could work to his advantage but without knowing how to use his powers it was completely useless to him. To continue his plans he needed money, and that could only come from being Lex Luthor, not this 'Barry' kid.
The moment he had stepped into the office, Barry had sat up a little straighter in his chair. He looked him up and down then grinned. "Hey, good lookin'. How's it feel to have hair?"
"Very amusing." Lex said sarcastically. "Let's get to the point, Flash. Neither of us want to be in this predicament, so it's only logical that we reverse this...mistake."
"Flash? Pfft, I wish." Barry said, suddenly taking this situation a lot more seriously. He had to somehow convince this man that he wasn't Flash...but getting his body back felt like a natural priority. "I kinda like being rich, but all the evil meetings are a major pain. So, I agree. I prefer sitting at home and, you know, not being a complete ass."
Lex reached into his loose fitting jacket and took out the same gun from earlier. "I have no idea how this happened. This weapon wasn't designed to mess with body swapping. I wasn't even aware that it was possible."
It was apparent that he was speaking to himself, but that didn't prevent Barry from pondering the idea. It was possible that the Speed Force, upon being hit with the beam, had created a push back that altered the ray. Meaning that as long as the rest of the energy stored within the gun would also have been changed. If he shot Barry with it again they'd be switched back.
Lex had the same thought, at least Barry assumed he had, because without another word he had aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. Energy shot from the nozzle and hit him faster than he could comprehend in his current state.
The force sent him flying off his feet and crashing against the wall behind him. Then, without any warning, the wall disappeared...and he was standing on the other side with a gun in his hands. He yelped and dropped the weapon, noticing that his hands were significantly less clean than before.
Barry gasped and let his eyes wander to his body. He was wearing loose clothes but this certainly looked like his body. The ring on his finger was the thing that confirmed that he was finally back in his own body. Barry fist pumped the air with a large grin stretching across his face.
"Finally! I thought I'd never-" He suddenly doubled over, clutching his rumbling stomach with a groan. "Jesus...have you not eaten at all since we swapped? God, I'm so hungry."
Mercy had attempted to help Lex up but he swatted her hand away and did it himself. He glared over at Barry who was still complaining about how he was starved half to death. His eyes then returned to Mercy and he nodded, signalling for her to commence with the usual plan.
Mercy pressed the communicator strapped to her ear and whispered into it. Within seconds a large group of guards had rushed in, all with weapons strapped to their hips. They surrounded Barry, and the boy gulped. He had been double-crossed...and he couldn't escape without confirming that he was The Flash. That was exactly what Lex wanted.
"I should've suspected this..." Barry huffed, glancing around at the array of security and grimacing.
"Well, you could always run out. You're the fastest man alive, after all. We wouldn't stand a chance." Lex smirked cruelly.
"B-But I'm not The Flash!" Barry exclaimed desperately.
"Then I'll just have you arrested for trespassing and attempting to steal my identity." Lex said with an air of triumph.
"Oh yeah?! Then I'll tell them about how you tried to kill Superman!"
"What proof do you have of that?" Lex asked and Barry looked down to where he had dropped the gun...but it was gone. His eyes widened. Mercy must've taken it while he was distracted and destroyed it. Lex rested his hands behind his back, amused by Barry's surprise. "You have nothing, but I have video cameras all over this building. I have evidence. You don't."
"B-But Superman was there when you shot me! He knows that you started this!"
"He knows that someone started it. He doesn't know that it was me." Lex shrugged. "The word of a witness that is unaware of the entire story is of little relevance, as I'm sure you learnt when your father was locked up."
Anger built in the pit of Barry's stomach but he tried to control it. He couldn't give anything away. "Why are you doing this?"
Lex sauntered towards him, eyes piercing into his soul and searching for any hint of weakness. "I'm not without pity, Mr. Allen. I'm willing to let this slide if you admit that you're The Flash."
Barry's jaw clenched. He couldn't do that. Lex had obviously done research on his life, and if he was positive of his identity then he'd never leave him alone. Lex would threaten his father and Mineko if he didn't give him information on Superman, Barry could already predict it.
"But I'm not." Barry finally answered in a fairly convincing voice.
Lex scoffed, grabbed onto his wrist and took the ring off his finger. He pressed the middle and The Flash costume unfurled from the tiny compartment and shot onto the ground. "How do you explain this then?"
"Oh, you like it? I made it myself to imitate The Flash's!" Barry said, somehow managing to hide the nerves that arose upon seeing it.
"Really?" Lex said not even a little convinced.
"Yeah! I'm a massive fan of him, but I'm not actually The Flash. I mean, I'd be telling everyone if I was!" Barry tried to stand his ground but it was difficult against a man as imposing as Lex. "I spent years getting the costume right, and even longer to get the ring to work."
"If you're not going to admit it, then you're of no use to me...yet." Lex said, clicking his fingers to signal the guards to take him away. "I'll let the police know that I've found an intruder."
Just as Barry was being pulled away, the door to the room flew open. Someone sprinted in, dressed all in black and with an odd mask obscuring their face. Barry recognised her almost instantly, mainly because her outfit was the one that Barbara Gordon had gifted to Mineko.
She bashed her way through the guards as if they were no challenge at all. Then stood in front of Barry defensively. She didn't say a word, likely because she didn't know what to say. She had thought Barry would be in Lex's body but the way he stood, his entire atmosphere even, wasn't even remotely like Barry's. The only logical explanation was that everything was back to normal, and that Barry was back in his own body.
"Another trespasser." Lex frowned. "Don't make me arrest you as well."
"What will you arrest her for Lex?" Came another voice from outside the window. Superman floated there, his arms crossed and brow furrowed.
Lex's expression darkened to something much more sinister. "What are you doing here?!"
"Just checking up on you, Lex. It's a good thing I did. Have you taken a sudden interest in kidnapping now?"
"It's hardly kidnapping if he's a grown man." Lex hissed. "And if you check the security footage, you'll see that he's the one that entered this vicinity completely uninvited."
"I did not!" Barry growled. "I was totally invited!"
Superman shook his head. "What interest could you possibly have with him?"
"You know exactly what my interests are." Lex's gaze narrowed. He pointed towards the Flash suit left scattered on the floor.
Superman's smile only widened. "Wow. That looks exactly like The Flash's costume. You've done well, Barry."
Barry, at first, was a little confused but it didn't take long for him to realise what Clark was doing. He flashed a massive, toothy grin and replied "Gee, really?! Thanks Superman! I've been working really hard on it, you think he'll like it?"
"He'll love it. I could barely tell you apart from the real Flash earlier today."
Barry made sure to glean brightly at these words, forcing a proud expression to cover his face. Lex gritted his teeth and roared. "Stop with this facade. I know who that man is, and you're not going to trick me otherwise!"
Superman tapped his earpiece and spoke "Hey, Flash. Can you make it to Metropolis? There's something I need you to clear up."
Barry internally hugged Superman for his quick thinking. He was so fast that he could, if necessary, run back and forth between two spaces and appear to be in two places at once. He used it so rarely that it hadn't even occurred to him until now.
Locking onto the Speed Force, Barry dashed back home to Central City and grabbed a spare costume before rushing back. When he returned no one had moved an inch. His image was still there, to them at least. Barry rushed between standing behind Mineko to the room's entrance, changing clothes in between each place. He was so incredibly fast that it looked as if there were two of them there, one in the Flash costume and one not.
"What did you need, Supes?" The Flash asked smugly. Lex stared at him in disbelief, then back at Barry who stood there wide-eyed.
"Oh god, its The Flash!" Barry cheered in admiration. "You're really here!"
"Just needed Lex to see that he hasn't found your secret identity." Superman replied.
The Flash looked to Barry and laughed. "That guy? No way...Uh, no offence."
Barry was still staring at him starry-eyed. He didn't even seem bothered by the obvious insult. "You're so cool!"
"Well, if there's nothing else I'll get going. Want me to take Lex to jail on the way?"
Superman shook his head, knowing very well that Lex would have a backup plan to keep himself away from prison. With that, The Flash vanished and left Barry in a state of awe.
"This...isn't possible." Lex's voice rumbled in anger. He believed them now though, it would be impossible not to after seeing The Flash in the same room as his suspect.
"Gonna let the kid go now?" Superman boomed, glaring down at him.
Lex's fist hit the end of his desk so hard that it rattled beneath him. He wasn't willing to risk jail for someone that wasn't a Meta. "Just get out of my sight."
Barry didn't need to be told twice. He hurried out of the building without Mineko, not wanting to reform any of Lex's suspicions, and headed back to the hotel as slow as any ordinary man. He waited there for a few minutes, which felt like a small lifetime, until Mineko finally returned.
The minute she walked through the door she was engulfed in a hug so tight she thought it might crush her. Barry buried his face into the crook of her neck but refused to let her go.
"I missed you." He sighed. "Being rich is hard work."
"I wouldn't know." Mineko replied, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to reach her lips. "I do not understand how you can miss someone that quickly. We were apart for barely twelve hours."
"That's more than enough time! It felt like years to me."
Mineko felt a chuckle arise in her throat. Though she wouldn't admit it, she had missed him as well. She had been terrified that he would never be the same...the thought alone was painful.
This entire experience was just proof that holidays, breaks, and trips were bound to be less than relaxing in their line of work. Something Mineko had told Barry when he suggested coming to Metropolis. 'Superheroes', though she despised that word, didn't take vacations. Not as long as crime didn't. Just being with Barry a few minutes of the day was enough for Mineko, far better than pretending as if they were a regular couple anyway.
—————————————