Jack Kadere, refreshed and neatly dressed, emerged from the bedroom. He glanced at Laura, who had prepared breakfast, and said casually, "When you have a moment, teach her some physical training. Help her improve her strength and stamina."
Laura gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.
Thea Queen was unlikely to be up for a while. After Jack and Laura finished breakfast, they headed to the workshop to study the energy crystal left by the Reverse-Flash. Jack's plan was to modify it into a new power core for his armor and then integrate it with the workshop's energy matrix to see if he could achieve a self-sustaining, perpetual motion system. The ultimate goal was for the armor to automatically replenish its energy during flight and operation without needing an external power source.
This was incredibly advanced technology, and the modification process was far from simple, demanding a profound depth of knowledge and technical skill.
Jack's agenda was packed: he needed to research how to use the Speed Force for interdimensional travel and simultaneously overhaul the armor's energy matrix. Even with the Speed Force enhancing his cognition, these weren't goals he could achieve overnight, especially the former, which required extensive experimentation. Fortunately, the Speed Force accelerated his thought processes to an incredible degree, allowing him to fully analyze the energy-dense crystal in just a single day and successfully transform it into a stable arc reactor suitable for the armor's functions.
He installed the new arc reactor into the Iron Man Armor, replacing the original power source. The results were exceptional.
The weapon system's maximum output was now capable of leveling an entire city block with ease. As for operational endurance, it was a non-issue; the suit's performance had undergone a qualitative leap. The next day, Jack let Laura and Thea Queen familiarize themselves with the upgraded armor and test its functions while he set his sights on Mercury Labs.
After the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion forced its closure, Mercury Labs had quickly risen to prominence. Its director, Dr. Tina McGee, was a scientific genius on par with the original Harrison Wells. The two had once been close, but after the Reverse-Flash replaced Wells, their relationship soured into a fierce rivalry.
Both labs were hubs for extraordinary talent. S.T.A.R. Labs had the Flash, the meta-human Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow. Mercury Labs, in turn, had been the origin point for figures like the Bug-Eyed Bandit and the speedster known as Trajectory.
Standing before the towering skyscraper that housed Mercury Labs, Jack walked calmly inside.
The ground floor lobby was a bustle of activity. A security desk near the elevators required a keycard or visitor registration for entry. Not far from the entrance was a seating area, flanked by displays promoting various Mercury Labs products. Jack's eyes scanned the area, and then the Speed Force activated. Yellow lightning flickered around him as he began a high-speed reconnaissance, floor by floor.
"This color is still a little awkward," Jack mumbled to himself, the yellow lightning feeling unfamiliar. He suddenly slowed his perception of time to a near standstill. Everything around him froze. His eyes landed on a woman with blonde hair and black-rimmed glasses, wearing a white lab coat. She was storming out of an office, her face fixed in an angry scowl, holding a small box.
The furious expression on her face was suspended in time. Jack moved to her side and picked up the ID badge hanging from her coat.
"Bree Larvan?" he read. "The Bug-Eyed Bandit. A computer genius with a specialty in robotics." In a flash, he was gone again, locating her personnel file in the HR department and noting her home address before resuming his primary objective: the search for the tachyon particles.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!
He continued his methodical, high-speed sweep, floor by floor. Finally, on one of the top floors, he located a laboratory with a significantly higher security clearance than the others. The access control was state-of-the-art, and it was even guarded by a dedicated security team.
"This is it," Jack chuckled. His body began to vibrate rapidly. Adjusting his molecular frequency and feeling the raw power of the Speed Force coursing through his cells, he simply phased directly through the solid wall and into the secure laboratory.
In the very center of the lab was a smaller, reinforced containment chamber. Inside were the tachyon particles. Still vibrating, Jack phased through this final barrier, scooped up the valuable particles, and prepared to leave.
As he emerged, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside. Security guards, weapons drawn, burst through the main door.
"Put that down! Now!" one of them yelled.
"A silent alarm, huh?" Jack curled his lip in amusement and walked calmly towards the exit.
"I'm warning you, drop it or we will open fire!" Seeing Jack ignore them completely, the guards unleashed a hail of bullets.
The projectiles poured towards him. Jack was too lazy to dodge properly. As he walked, he simply waved his hand, using his super-speed to casually bat the bullets aside, sending them clattering harmlessly against the walls and equipment.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
Amid the storm of gunfire, Jack continued his unhurried stroll towards the door. The security guards watched, dumbfounded. As he drew near, a few lunged at him in a desperate tackle. Jack's body flickered slightly, and the guards passed straight through his vibrating form, tumbling to the ground in a heap. By the time they scrambled back to their feet, Jack was long gone.
The Workshop
After returning, Jack immediately began studying the tachyon particles. The potential energy output was far greater than the Reverse-Flash's energy crystal. With proper application, he could create an exceptionally powerful battlesuit.
The theft from Mercury Labs had not gone unnoticed. Barry Allen, fulfilling his roles as both the Flash and a CCPD forensic scientist, was quickly on the scene. His recently restored connection to the Speed Force had made him faster than ever, allowing him to easily capture the Mist the previous day—though his partners, Multiplex and the teleporting Peek-A-Boo, had managed to escape. He had hoped to use this time to figure out how to save his father, but now Mercury Labs had been hit.
There was virtually no need for an investigation to know Jack Kadere was responsible. He hadn't bothered to conceal his identity or disable the security cameras. The police department issued a warrant for his arrest, but Barry knew better. A simple warrant was useless against someone of Jack's power and would only lead to police casualties. He explained the futility of it to Joe West before returning to S.T.A.R. Labs, his mind racing. How could he find Jack, and more importantly, why did he need tachyons?
As soon as he entered the lab, he got his answer. Jack was already there.
"You…" Barry stammered, momentarily at a loss for words.
Jack ignored Barry completely. Instead, he was pointing at the tachyon apparatus and some scattered schematics, addressing Cisco Ramon as if he were a colleague. "The main issue is right here, see? I haven't stabilized the energy conversion process. Once activated, the energy output is too high, causing a massive thermal buildup that melts the surrounding housing. I've considered more heat-resistant alloys but haven't found anything suitable yet. Do you have any suggestions?"