Over three hundred people named Barry Allen?
The surname Allen ranked first on the United States Census Bureau's list, with 465,948 individuals carrying the name.
American names were incredibly complex. People from every corner of the world had brought their own surnames, creating an unparalleled diversity. The United States had the highest surname variation globally.
With over 400,000 people sharing the last name Allen, having 300 Barry Allens across the country didn't seem excessive to Bardi—in fact, it seemed surprisingly low.
But for there to be more than 300 Barry Allens in one Central City? That was strange.
"His mother is dead. She was either killed in a home invasion or died under other circumstances."
Saying this, Bardi poured himself a glass of vodka. The clear liquid swirled within the glass.
He rose from his chair.
This was the thirteenth floor, his office—not particularly high, yet from this vantage point, he could see the distant skyline of Metropolis. The city shimmered with lights, vibrant and prosperous.
Outside, the night sky was dark and overcast, void of stars or moonlight.
Bardi downed the vodka in one gulp. The pure alcohol burned as it slid down his throat, sending a sharp pain through his body, like fire spreading through his nerves. Yet, the pain left his mind exceptionally clear.
"Seven of them lost their mothers. None died in home invasions. Three died in accidents. One committed suicide. One perished in a fire. Two fell into the sea while traveling, their bodies were recovered, with no suspicious circumstances. It doesn't match the information we have."
"Conduct a full investigation. I want records on every member of Barry Allen's family, along with their ancestral history. Make sure nothing slips through the cracks."
Bardi's deep-set eyes flickered with doubt. From Batman's experience, he already understood that certain key individuals in this world seemed to follow predetermined trajectories—paths that would not easily change.
Some people, like Bruce Wayne, were integral to the world's framework. Their fates wouldn't be altered without reason.
He had personally witnessed the death of Thomas Wayne. If he had intervened at that moment, he could have prevented the tragedy. But he hadn't. And yet, Thomas Wayne still died.
This was a test—proof that some figures in history were meant to follow specific fates, no matter what.
Bardi's presence in this world was creating a butterfly effect.
That was precisely why he needed to accelerate all his plans and utilize every resource available.
Hanging up the phone, he instructed Leon to send over all current findings and continue the investigation.
The number of Barry Allens seemed abnormally high, yet at the same time, it felt oddly... intentional.
A single thought flashed through Bardi's sharp mind.
Misdirection.
Something—or someone—was deliberately obscuring the truth.
Even though he needed to focus all his energy on Jor-El, and could only spare an hour or two each day for these other matters, he was still able to sift through the data and uncover inconsistencies, subtle clues that pointed toward something unnatural.
He dialed another number.
Nasus.
Nasus was one of his most intelligent and agile subordinates, fast as a monkey, with supernatural abilities granted by Bardi himself. His sense of smell was 1,800 times more sensitive than that of a human, capable of detecting even the faintest traces that would be impossible to measure with precision instruments.
Nasus had been sent to Coast City to locate Hal Jordan.
By all accounts, Hal Jordan's background had remained unchanged:
His father was a test pilot who died during a trial flight of an advanced aircraft.
His lover, Carol Ferris, was his childhood sweetheart.
They both possessed Green Lantern and Star Sapphire rings.
Bardi was highly intrigued by these rings, artifacts capable of granting immense power through sheer will. If their technology could be studied and replicated, they could become the foundation for a mass-produced military force.
However, the report he received made his expression tighten.
"Boss, I'm compiling the data now and preparing to send it over."
"In Coast City, the man known as Hal Jordan, his father doesn't exist. No test pilot was ever recorded as dying in a crash during a flight test."
"Moreover, I searched for individuals named Hal Jordan within the city... and found over two hundred of them."
"I'm still sorting through the information!"
Bardi's expression darkened.
This was not normal.
There were far fewer people in the United States with the surname Jordan than Allen—so few, in fact, that it wasn't even listed in the Census Bureau's surname rankings.
Yet, there were two hundred Hal Jordans?
What was the meaning behind this?
A cold, uneasy feeling settled in his chest.
Someone was interfering. Someone was setting a trap for him.
And now, he could feel the net closing around him.
"Hera, where is Victor Stone right now?"
Victor Stone—better known as Cyborg—was someone Bardi intended to use as his own surveillance tool for Earth. He needed him to become Cyborg, to function under his control.
If the timeline remained unchanged, good. If not, Bardi had other ways of ensuring it happened. If necessary, he would orchestrate Victor's transformation himself.
If that failed? It didn't matter.
It was just one life.
He had already set plans in motion to monitor the most crucial figures in this world.
A holographic projection appeared in front of him, displaying Hera—her skin fair, clad in a flowing Greek white silk dress that revealed ample skin. Her voice was calm and clear.
"An hour ago, Victor Stone and his father boarded a Ferris Air flight to New York State to visit his aunt."
"Where is Bruce Wayne?"
Bardi planned to control the future Batman, either by altering his memories or by subconsciously implanting commands through spores. However, that would come after dealing with Jor-El and obtaining the Codex of Life.
To prepare, he had been maintaining contact with Gotham's underworld, tracking Bruce Wayne's location for four hours a day.
"The last confirmed sighting—we received information that his butler took him away from Wayne Manor. They traveled to Florida to watch a circus, likely to relax," Hera reported.
Bardi let out a low hum.
Coincidentally, this was the exact moment Bruce Wayne vanished from his surveillance network.
Afterward, Bardi expanded his investigations, questioning several key observation targets, including Billy Batson, the future Shazam.
Billy Batson had not yet acquired that name, but Bardi had already deduced his future location by analyzing orphanages and tracking the family that was destined to adopt him. The boy was still just a few years old. Bardi found him through certain means.
Similarly, the Jaime Reyes family—destined to give rise to the future Blue Beetle—was under Bardi's secret surveillance.
John Constantine, only thirteen years old at this time, was another target. Bardi planned to deal with Jor-El, secure the Codex of Life, and then recruit Constantine into his ranks, brainwashing and conditioning him to form the foundation of a magic army.
Beyond these, there were many villains with useful abilities. Some were merely mapped out; others were already being monitored, their locations logged, their developments observed.
Even with Bardi's extraordinary insight, combing through records yielded no abnormalities.
Which meant…
Only Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, Victor Stone, and Bruce Wayne had all gone missing or become difficult to track simultaneously. Either they were all out of his sight, or there were too many versions of them, making it impossible to pinpoint the real ones.
What did they all have in common?
They were all superheroes.
And more than that...
They were Justice League.
(To be continued.)
***
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