Two universes had begun to act simultaneously, each with its own plan to infiltrate the other.
---
DC Universe
Batman, as always, left nothing to chance. In the shadows of the Batcave, he issued precise orders:
"Barry, you and Atomman will be the first to cross into their universe."
Find out what's happening, gather as much data as possible, and immediately return using the teleportation device on your wrist."
"And remember, the teleportation process must not be interrupted or detected.
If they discover your passage, they could use it to enter our universe."
His voice was cold and authoritative.
DC had only limited data about the Marvel universe, there was just one issue of Marvel Comics they had found in the archives.
Far too little for anything substantial.
That's why Batman sent the duo of Flash and the second-generation Atomman, a combination of speed and microscopic precision.
Ray could shrink to subatomic levels, just like Marvel's Ant-Man.
"No problem," Barry said with a grin. "We'll go in fast and come back even faster."
As he spoke, he activated Godspeed mode, and together with the miniature Atomman, vanished in a trail of light.
---
Arrival in the Marvel World
The spatial-temporal distortion was intense.
After several seconds of turbulence, the two found themselves in another universe.
Barry looked around in disbelief.
"New York?" he muttered.
"Shouldn't this be Gotham City? Why is Gotham called New York here?"
He was confused.
Unlike DC, Marvel used real city names.
Gotham City from the DC universe was actually a metaphor for New York.
In reality, they were two sides of the same story.
Ray Palmer returned to normal size and slowly turned around.
"Same stench, same streets, same crime," he muttered.
"Except there are more ads and needles next to the trash cans."
"Stay here," Barry said. "I'll check the area."
But as soon as he took off, his leg tripped over itself, and a moment later he crashed to the pavement.
"Barry!?" Atomman shouted. "What happened?"
Flash slowly got up, trembling in shock.
"I... I can't run!" he said. "This universe doesn't have the Speed Force! I've lost connection to it!"
Ray's eyes widened. "What!?"
At that moment, the space in front of them lit up with a silver flash.
A shadow formed and then, at full speed, Quicksilver appeared, arms crossed, with a smirk on his face.
"Interesting," he said, observing Barry. "Judging by the outfit, you're a speedster too?"
His tone was slightly mocking, but not hostile.
"Raymond!" Barry shouted. "Go! Get back to our universe and tell them the rules are different! My powers don't work here! Some abilities can't exist in this world!"
Ray hesitated, staring at the silver-haired opponent before him.
The energy waves radiating from Quicksilver clearly showed how dangerous he was.
"Trying to run?" Pietro said with a half-smile. "Go ahead. It'll be fun to watch you try."
Ray took a deep breath.
"Barry, hold on," he said firmly. "I'll bring help."
And in that instant, he vanished.
"Pym Tech!?"
Quicksilver immediately sensed something was wrong. At the same moment, he turned into a streak of silver lightning and rushed forward to grab Atomman, but when he extended his hand, he caught only air.
Ray Palmer had shrunk down to extreme submicroscopic size, practically vanishing from reality. Even with Quicksilver's superhuman perception, he couldn't sense his presence.
"Hey!" Pietro shouted. "Red boy, how'd you do that?"
"I'm not a boy," Barry retorted. "My name is Flash, Barry Allen!"
"Alright, Barry," said Quicksilver with a grin. "I'm Quicksilver. And you've just become my prisoner."
Realizing he had lost one, he decided at least to capture the other. He seized Barry and vanished in a streak of silver light.
Moments later, Atomman reappeared, returning to normal size.
"I have to report this immediately!" he said, activating the teleportation device on his wrist and vanished into thin air.
---
Justice League
"What!? Barry's been captured?"
"How is that possible? At his speed..."
Every member of the Justice League stared at Ray Palmer in disbelief.
"They caught him," Ray said quietly. "Quicksilver. A speedster from the Marvel world."
"Speed?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean that man is faster than Barry?"
Cyborg fixed his gaze on Ray's data, and even Superman couldn't hide his shock. Barry was the embodiment of speed, and even Clark barely managed to follow his movements.
"Well... I don't know who's faster," Ray said.
"They didn't even get the chance to race. Barry lost his powers in the Marvel universe.
That's why I came to warn you. The rules of our universes aren't the same. Some abilities just don't work there!"
Those words froze the entire room.
Batman lowered his gaze, then suddenly turned toward Cyborg.
"Victor," he said, "you mentioned earlier that you analyzed that purple rock we found. The stone, right?"
Cyborg immediately produced a fragment glowing with faint light.
"Yes. The energy in this gem is infinite," he said seriously. "Even a small leak could destroy an entire planet."
Everyone fell silent.
That stone had been useless in their world, an inert crystal with no function. But now, with what they had learned, its meaning had changed.
"Bruce..." Diana looked at Batman suspiciously. "You're not planning to use it as a weapon, are you?"
Batman shook his head.
"No. I don't want to use something like that. But don't forget what Thanos said: their world has six of these gems."
"If they decide to use them all, they could erase our universe with a single move."
Those words tightened everyone's chest.
Superman was the first to respond.
"Bruce, that makes no sense. Those gems shouldn't work in our world. Our physical laws reject them."
"Are you sure?" Batman asked coldly.
Without hesitation, he threw the purple stone onto the metal table.
Crack!
The moment the gem touched the surface, the room flashed. A weak glow from the gem vaporized the table into dust!
Everyone flinched, shocked by the sight.
"See?" Batman said, looking at the bloody cut on his palm. "The universes are colliding, and their laws are blending.
The thinner the barrier between worlds, the more their energy adapts to ours."