Of course…
Stealing the Speed Force was only an idea—an ambitious one, nothing more.
Alex wasn't sure whether it was truly possible.
But one fact gave him confidence:
Barry's speed had been stolen once already.
That proved that—at the very least—stealing speed was doable.
And even if he couldn't acquire the Speed Force itself, stealing Zoom's speed alone would be a massive power boost.
Speed amplified every form of strength.
---
"You know about Zoom too?"
Barry's voice trembled slightly with surprise as he looked at Alex.
Zoom's terror had always been confined to Central City.
For six months the blue-clad monster had sent metahumans from Earth-2 to kill the Flash.
Their battles never left Central City.
So how could someone from Smallville know Zoom?
But then Barry remembered—Alex was a speedster too.
Speedsters had their own world… their own circle.
Maybe it wasn't strange after all.
---
**"I know he's a speedster from another world.
Tell me everything you know about him."**
Alex wasn't lying—he did know the basics.
Because he had overheard Barry and Oliver talking earlier.
Barry nodded and began.
> "Six months ago, I fought Reverse-Flash—another speedster.
The fight created a singularity.
A breach opened to another world: Earth-2."
"Zoom came through that breach.
He's a tyrant—cold, ruthless, a monster who rules Earth-2 with fear."
Alex stared at Barry speechlessly.
Even he—who currently stood atop the food chain of Earth—felt a wave of disbelief.
The Flash really was a magnet for cosmic disasters.
Look at the rest of the future Justice League founders:
Bruce Wayne had only recently started as Batman.
He hadn't even met Joker or Bane yet.
Clark was still a clueless high school kid.
Diana rarely interfered with the mortal world at this stage—aside from the Crime Syndicate, who Alex had already wiped out.
And then there was Barry…
Who had already opened a portal to another universe.
Alex sighed inwardly.
Unbelievable.
---
"How fast is Zoom?"
That was the only part Alex truly cared about.
Barry straightened his expression.
> "Much faster than me."
"We couldn't calculate his exact speed, but based on our analysis… roughly 3,000 meters per second."
Three thousand m/s.
Alex nodded slowly.
Impressive—by human standards.
But to him?
Not enough.
Not even half of his own speed.
Even if the estimate was imperfect, Zoom's speed wouldn't exceed it by too much.
Team Flash wasn't incompetent.
And with that, Alex fully relaxed.
---
"Alright. You two can go."
He waved them away casually.
Oliver and Barry exchanged looks.
Neither argued.
They quietly walked out of Alex's house, expressions heavy and solemn.
Their mission had been a total disaster.
Not only did they fail to shut down Luthor's facility—they dragged themselves into a nightmare.
Barry's situation wasn't too bad; Alex seemed to be an enemy of Zoom as well.
But Oliver?
His entire team's lives were now in someone else's hands.
---
After the two heroes left, Alex fell into thought.
Smallville was now stable.
Luthor's research was progressing—slowly but steadily.
No major threat remained.
There was no longer any need for him to stay in this town.
With that conclusion, his next destinations became clear.
Star City and Central City.
He would let Oliver handle the synthetic kryptonite project.
But stealing Zoom's speed?
That required Alex himself to act.
It was far too important to leave to anyone else.
---
"That settles it."
After Oliver's task was set into motion, Alex would depart for Central City.
But before that…
There was something else he needed to do.
Collect Krypton's fragments.
It was a massive undertaking—but Alex had already drafted a plan.
And it required Clark's cooperation.
---
"You want to WHAT?!"
Kent Farm.
Clark stared at Alex across the table, jaw hanging open.
He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
> "Alex… did you just say you want to… bring Krypton to Earth?"
No wonder Alex had always been unusually invested in Kryptonian matters.
But this was too outrageous.
Too insane.
Alex rubbed his forehead.
> "No, Clark. I was exaggerating."
"I'm collecting all the remaining fragments of Krypton."
That was enough to make Clark reel.
---
"Why?"
Clark asked seriously.
Alex gave him a small smile.
> "I have my reasons."
"Just treat it as repaying the favor you owe me."
A favor?
Clark fell silent.
This was the man who had saved him.
Saved Smallville.
Stopped Zod's people.
Stopped Brainiac.
That debt could never be repaid.
Even if he didn't understand Alex's motives, he couldn't refuse.
---
"But… I don't know how to help."
Clark admitted honestly.
Collecting Krypton fragments wasn't something he could even imagine doing.
Alex waved casually.
> "I don't need you.
I need the Fortress."
> "More precisely—I need Jor-El."
Clark hesitated only briefly.
Then nodded.
> "Alright. No problem."
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