CHAPTER 17: MIRROR, MIRROR
The Central City metahuman problem was escalating, forcing Barry to constantly adapt and push his limits. For Adam, it was a fertile ground for skill acquisition. His Minor Pyrokinesis had already proven useful for quick, tactical diversions and the occasional impromptu marshmallow roast. Now, his system was nudging him towards a new, elusive target: Sam Scudder, a metahuman capable of traversing and manipulating reflections, known to the streets as Mirror Master.
"Five deaths down, fifteen to go for the first major upgrade. And I need something subtle, something sneaky. Something that screams 'reconnaissance' and 'shenanigans.' Mirror manipulation. Perfect."
Reports of impossible heists and baffling disappearances filled the news, all pointing to Scudder. He was a master illusionist, using reflections to create duplicates, trap victims, and execute robberies with seemingly impossible ease. He was a slippery opponent, and Adam knew this would be a tricky one to orchestrate a death from.
In the Cortex, Cisco was furiously working on a new tracking algorithm. "This guy is a nightmare! He phases through mirrors! He creates mirror duplicates! It's like he's playing a game of peek-a-boo with reality itself!"
Barry, still a little rattled from his last encounter with the Reverse-Flash, looked frustrated. "How do you even fight someone who can be anywhere, and nowhere, all at once?"
Adam, who had been idly practicing making a tiny flame dance on his fingertip, chimed in. "Ah, Sam Scudder. Or, as my 'future insights' like to call him, 'Mr. Shiny.' Very elusive. Very reflective. And my insights are telling me he's going to target the Central City Art Gallery next. Specifically, the Hall of Mirrors exhibit. Because apparently, he has a flair for the dramatic. And irony."
Caitlin raised an eyebrow. "Irony, Adam? He's a criminal."
"Details, details!" Adam waved a dismissive hand. "Look, the point is, he's going to be surrounded by reflections. And that means he'll be at his most powerful. And also, coincidentally, at his most… convenient for me. My insights are telling me that someone on the team is going to need to get… absorbed into his world. Someone who's naturally good at being in the wrong place at the right time. Someone like… me." He sighed dramatically. "It's a tough job, but someone's gotta be the designated reflective victim. And I'm really good at it."
Barry immediately bristled. "Adam, no. We're not doing this again. This isn't a game. You almost got incinerated last time!"
"Oh, Barry, you worry too much!" Adam scoffed. "Incineration is merely a temporary inconvenience. And this is for science! And for the greater good! And for my system upgrades! Imagine the possibilities of Minor Mirror Manipulation! Instantaneous travel through reflective surfaces! Spying on villains from the comfort of a dressing room mirror! Creating dazzling distractions by making a million reflections of myself! The tactical applications are limitless!" He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Besides, think of it as… immersive research. Gotta understand your enemy, right? And my enemy is apparently not getting a new skill from a mirror-dwelling criminal."
Wells, who had been observing the exchange with his usual inscrutable expression, finally spoke. "Mr. Stiels, the acquisition of a skill from Mr. Scudder would be… unique. However, his abilities involve fracturing reality itself. The risks of such a death could be… unpredictable, even for your process."
Adam waved a dismissive hand. "Unpredictable is my middle name, Dr. Wells! Besides, what's life without a little existential dread and the occasional shattering of reality? Now, let's go catch ourselves a reflection-hopping rogue. And maybe I'll get a new skill in the process. Here's hoping I don't end up stuck in a funhouse mirror forever!"
The team tracked Scudder to the Central City Art Gallery, as Adam had predicted. The Hall of Mirrors exhibit was a labyrinth of reflective surfaces, disorienting and confusing. Scudder moved through it with terrifying ease, appearing and disappearing in flashes of light. Barry zoomed through the maze, trying to pinpoint the real Scudder among the countless reflections.
Adam, armed with a small, highly polished hand mirror (which he claimed was "for tactical reflection redirection"), positioned himself in a particularly dense part of the exhibit. "Alright, Scudder! Nice reflections! Did you get those from a discount funhouse? Because they're a little… fractured! Get it? Fractured? Because you fracture reality? I'm here all week, folks!" He then, with a flourish, threw his small mirror towards a larger one, creating a dazzling array of reflected lights.
Scudder, momentarily distracted by the sudden burst of light, snarled, his eyes blazing. He extended a hand, and the surrounding mirrors began to ripple, pulling the light and distorting the reflections. Adam, seeing his chance, deliberately moved into the path of a particularly large, ornate mirror that was vibrating intensely. The mirror glowed, and then, in a terrifying display of raw metahuman power, it shattered inwards, not into pieces, but as if pulling Adam into its fractured dimension. He felt himself being stretched, pulled apart, his body dissolving into countless, impossible reflections. The world spun, pain blossomed in a thousand places at once, and then, a profound, chilling silence as he became one with the reflective plane.
"Well, that was… trippy. Definitely felt like I was being turned into a Picasso painting. Hope I got the skill. Because if I didn't, I'm going to be very, very annoyed when I wake up."
SYSTEM MESSAGE: HOST DECEASED. SKILL ACQUISITION INITIATED. ACQUIRING: MINOR MIRROR MANIPULATION.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: REGENERATING...
Moments later, as Barry finally pinpointed and subdued Scudder (with a little help from Cisco's rapidly deployed light-based dampener), he sped back to the site of Adam's gruesome demise. Caitlin and Cisco arrived, their faces pale with shock and grief. The large mirror was still "shattered" inwards, a vortex of distorted reflections, with no sign of Adam's body.
"Adam! Oh my god, he's… he's gone!" Caitlin whispered, her voice trembling. Barry stared into the fractured reflection, his heart sinking with a mix of despair and horror.
Then, from within the warped, shimmering surface, a hand began to push outwards. Slowly, impossibly, Adam's form began to coalesce, reforming from the distorted reflections. He pushed himself out of the mirror, groaning, but otherwise perfectly fine, albeit a little disoriented. He rubbed his temples, blinking slowly.
"Ugh," he muttered. "That's going to leave a mark. Or at least, a very vivid, existential crisis. Who knew getting absorbed into a mirror was so… reflective? Get it? Reflective? Because I reflected on my life? I'm here all week, folks!" He pushed himself up, still a little wobbly, but otherwise miraculously intact. He flexed his fingers, and the surface of a nearby broken shard of glass rippled slightly, reflecting a slightly different, cleaner image of him. "And look what I got! Minor Mirror Manipulation! I can probably sneak into dressing rooms now! Or create really confusing escape routes! The pranking possibilities are endless!" He grinned, then winced as a phantom ache flared. "Though, honestly, I was hoping for something a little more… solid. Like, super strength. But hey, I'll take it. Less getting stuck in reflective surfaces in the future. Hopefully."
Caitlin stumbled back, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe, horror, and a growing exasperation. "Adam! You were… you were absorbed! Into a mirror! How can you just… do that?!"
"Just a little perk of the whole 'Immortal System' thing," Adam said, dusting himself off. "It's very trippy. And very dramatic. And it ensures I'm always ready for the next adventure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I just earned myself a very large, very greasy, non-reflective burger. And maybe a therapy session for my newfound existential dread. This immortality thing is exhausting."
Barry, still processing the surreal sight, could only shake his head. "You… you deliberately put yourself in that much danger again? For that?"
"Well, 'danger' is a strong word, Barry," Adam said with a shrug. "More like 'calculated dive into the looking glass.' It's all part of the plan, Flash. Gotta level up, gotta get those skills. And sometimes, that involves getting yourself thoroughly fragmented by a disgruntled metahuman. It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. And I'm really good at it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think we have a mirror man to lock up. And I really need that burger."
Wells, who had observed the entire bizarre spectacle from a distance, wheeled closer, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Mr. Stiels, your… dedication to your 'system' is truly remarkable. And your ability to acquire skills in such a… direct manner. The implications of this new ability are… vast." There was a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Adam met his gaze, a challenge in his own. "Oh, I'm sure we will, Dr. Wells. I'm sure we will. Plenty of time for vast implications. But for now, I think we have a reflection-maker to lock up. And I really need that burger." Adam subtly glanced at a nearby reflective surface, making his reflection wink at him. This was going to be fun.
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