Chapter 4: The Glitch in Reality
The shock of Zoom's appearance lingered in Jack's mind long after the battle. He couldn't shake the feeling that Zoom had seen something in him—something that Jack himself barely understood. Barry's warnings about pushing himself too hard echoed in his ears, but he couldn't help but feel that he was on the verge of unlocking something more, something that would finally explain the glitches, the data streams, and the merging of the game file with his soul.
But for now, Zoom's words haunted him: "You're not like the others."
Aftermath
Back in Central City, the mood was tense. Barry had taken Jack to the Flash's hideout—a base filled with tech that would make any engineer or scientist giddy. There were screens everywhere, filled with data about the Speed Force, ongoing crises in the city, and more. Barry paced the room, clearly troubled by Zoom's appearance, while Jack sat quietly, trying to make sense of the day's events.
"Zoom shouldn't even know about you," Barry finally said, breaking the silence. "He's always been obsessed with me, with proving he's faster. But the way he looked at you…"
Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Do you think it has to do with the Speed Force? Or… the other stuff?"
Barry stopped pacing and turned to face him. "It could be both. You're connected to the Speed Force, that much is clear, but you're right—there's something else going on with you, and Zoom seems to have sensed it."
Jack nodded. He hadn't told Barry everything yet, and now, he wasn't sure he should. How could he explain the glitches, the status screen, the feeling that he wasn't just part of this world but something… beyond it? The game file merging with his soul was a concept that sounded ridiculous even to him, and he wasn't ready to reveal it.
But if Zoom knew something, that meant others could find out too.
"What should we do?" Jack asked, trying to focus on the immediate problem.
Barry leaned against the desk, his expression serious. "We need to figure out what Zoom saw in you, and fast. He's not the kind of guy who lets things go easily. If he thinks you're a threat, or if he believes there's something about you that could make him stronger, he'll come after you."
Jack clenched his fists. "I'm not scared of him."
"You should be," Barry replied quietly. "Zoom is dangerous in ways you can't imagine. He's faster than almost anyone I've faced, and his obsession with power makes him unpredictable."
Jack looked down at his hands, the faint trace of energy still lingering in his fingertips. He knew he had power, but was it enough? Could he handle someone like Zoom, a villain who could rival even the Flash?
"I want to help," Jack said firmly. "I can't just sit back and hide. If Zoom is after me, I need to be ready."
Barry sighed, but he nodded. "I figured you'd say that. Alright, let's get back to training. But this time, we're going to focus on controlling those glitches you've been experiencing. If you can harness that energy without losing control, you might have an edge."
Jack felt a surge of determination. The glitches were frustrating, but if he could control them, maybe he could use them to his advantage. Maybe the game file wasn't just a hindrance—it could be a tool.
Training: Mastering the Glitches
Over the next few days, Barry pushed Jack harder than ever before. They trained at night when the city was quiet, racing through the empty streets and practicing their abilities far from the eyes of curious civilians. Jack's speed had improved dramatically under Barry's guidance, but the glitches—the moments when reality itself seemed to fracture—were still a problem.
"Focus," Barry shouted over the rushing wind as they sprinted side by side. "You're letting the glitches control you! You need to control them!"
Jack gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder. His legs moved faster, the world blurring around him as he tapped into the Speed Force. But then, just as before, the glitch hit.
Everything froze.
It wasn't like slowing down—this was something entirely different. Jack could see the world breaking apart, pieces of reality fracturing into lines of code, like a video game suffering from a catastrophic bug. Buildings flickered in and out of existence, the ground beneath him warped, and Jack felt like he was falling into some kind of digital abyss.
And then, just as quickly as it had started, the glitch ended. Jack stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he came to a sudden stop. Barry rushed over, his expression filled with concern.
"You're getting closer," Barry said, his tone encouraging despite the obvious strain Jack was under. "But you're still losing control when the glitch happens."
Jack panted, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "It's… it's like I'm stuck between two worlds. One moment I'm here, and the next… everything's just data."
Barry frowned, clearly deep in thought. "We need to figure out what's causing the glitch. It's tied to your powers, but it's something more than the Speed Force. If you can find the source, you can learn to control it."
Jack nodded. "But how do I find the source?"
Barry placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "You keep pushing. We'll figure it out, but you can't stop now. You're getting closer, Jack. I can feel it."
The Glitch Deepens
As the days passed, Jack's training continued, but the glitches became more frequent. He could feel them bubbling under the surface, ready to break through at any moment. Each time they happened, the sense of reality slipping away became stronger, and Jack couldn't shake the feeling that the game file inside him was trying to communicate something—something important.
One evening, after another intense training session, Jack sat alone in his room, staring at his hands. His fingertips tingled with residual energy from the Speed Force, but there was something else, too—a faint hum, like static in the air. The glitches were getting worse, and he needed answers.
Jack closed his eyes, focusing inward, trying to tap into the source of the glitch. He could feel it, like a knot deep within him, pulsing with energy. He concentrated harder, pushing deeper into his consciousness, willing the glitch to reveal itself.
And then, it happened.
The world around him shattered.
Jack opened his eyes, but he wasn't in his room anymore. He was standing in an empty void, surrounded by streams of code and data. It was the same place he had seen in his dreams—the digital space where the game file resided. But this time, it was real.
The code pulsed and flickered around him, shifting and changing like a living organism. Jack reached out, his hand brushing against one of the streams of data, and he felt a surge of power rush through him. It was the same energy he had felt when he first unlocked his abilities—the same energy that had merged with his soul.
Suddenly, the status screen appeared before him, hovering in the air like a hologram. But this time, it wasn't just a brief flicker. The screen was stable, solid, and it displayed new information.
Name: Jack
Speed: Enhanced
Strength: Enhanced
Abilities: Speed Force (Level 2), Energy Manipulation (Unlocked), Data Stream Access (Unlocked)
Jack's eyes widened. "Data Stream Access?"
Before he could process the new information, the void around him began to shift. The streams of data twisted and reformed, creating a new image—a memory, something from his past. Jack recognized it immediately.
It was the moment of his death.
He saw himself sitting in front of his console, the Justice League game frozen on the screen. He saw the console overheating, the way everything had gone dark, and the searing pain in his chest as his soul was ripped from his body. But this time, he saw something else, too—something he hadn't noticed before.
A flash of light.
It was brief, but unmistakable. Just before his soul had left his body, there had been a flash of light—something more than just the malfunctioning console.
"What… what is that?" Jack whispered, his voice echoing in the empty void.
The status screen flickered, and new text appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Origin Event: Energy Surge Detected
Jack's heart raced. The energy surge—the flash of light—it was the moment when the game file had merged with his soul. But now, it was clear that something had triggered it, something more than just the game malfunction.
And then it hit him.
The flash of light… it wasn't from the console. It was from the Speed Force.
The realization sent a shockwave through Jack's mind. The Speed Force had been there from the very beginning. It wasn't just something that had happened when he encountered Barry Allen in the Speed Force. It had been there when he died. Somehow, his soul had been touched by the Speed Force even before his reincarnation, and that had caused the game file to merge with him.
"I… I was connected to the Speed Force before I even came here," Jack whispered to himself, the weight of the truth settling over him.
The void around him flickered again, and the status screen blinked out of existence. Jack was pulled back to reality, the world snapping back into focus. He was sitting in his room once more, but everything felt different. The glitches, the game file, the Speed Force—it was all connected. And now, he understood that the origin of his powers went deeper than he had ever imagined.
But what did it mean?