Mirror Mirror

Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hi everyone! For some reason I felt nostalgic about my old fanfic I wrote years ago and decided to write this little shot I had in my head for a while that I adapted to what happened in the first 2 episodes of Season 7.

Please remember English is only my second language and I haven't written anything in english in over 1 and a half year (since my original fantasy novel is in french). Hope you'll enjoy it!

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-I'm telling you, Cisco, the math adds on, the multi-versal particles that Nash inserted into the AFS can serve as a replacement for the dark matter photons to open our portal.

Sighing, Cisco passed his hand in his long dark hair and took a glance at the tablet before taking a long hard look at his tired friend sitting on the chair, electrodes on each side of his head.

-Maybe, Barry, maybe, but...

-There's no but! You know it, protested Barry taking the sensors off his skin and getting up to point at the data himself. Look!

Twenty-two minutes, that's the time since they managed to reactivate the artificial speedforce. And, before Caitlin even had to time to come back down from the medbay, where she's been taking care of Iris since the speedster's wife came out seizing of our prison, Barry was already all in on his next move.

-Yeah, except in order for your theory to work, you would actually need to charge into the portal without knowing exactly the effect of the mirror zapping that energy off you would do....and then cross your fingers you'll still have enough energy left to get out. It's too dangerous!

Barry inhaled sharply, struggling to stay calm.

-We're running out of the time, I have to try before it's too late! He replied.

The way Cisco's fingers tightened around his device wasn't lost on Barry who knew him too well. What kind of boyfriend would he be to turn down a possible solution that could save the woman he loves? But, what kind of friend would blindly give the green light to let the other man recklessly risk his life without strong evidences it was going to work? In the worst case scenario, Cisco could lose everyone at the same time.

And let's not even start on how they would protect the city against Eva's actions that were undoubtedly coming sooner rather than later after robot-Barry wrecked her more emotional that she already was.

-Look, he quietly said, clearly struggling to keep his boiling emotions underneath, I have an idea but I need to check something first.

The engineer turned around on his heels and swiftly rushed out of the room, shouting back:

-Do NOT do anything before I come back.

I'm sorry Cisco, but I have to do this, thought Barry as he swiftly grabbed his own tablet and started typing while looking over his sore shoulder.

Sweat was dribbling off his face and he could feel it sticking against the interior of his suit as his internal temperature was building even faster than the uncomfortable sensation in his belly. Sometimes was definitely off with the Artificial SpeedForce they tried to reboot after Barry's lightning bolt messed it up.

Maybe it was just temporary, as his whole system was adjusting to all these changes between losing his powers, than having new ones, then none again, just before a whole new boost. Or, maybe, the new adjustments Cisco made in his attempt to turn it on again, without the whole none-emotional fallout, needed some extra work.

Either way, there was no time to waste. Kamilla and Singh were in very bad shape hours ago and they could be d.... No, they couldn't. Just the thought of it had Barry's head spinning and his stomach pinching, hard. In his Devoe-like state, he ruthlessly dragged his wife out and let his best friend's girlfriend and his former's captain to die alone in the insane mirror reality. If there were already gone, Barry knew he would never be able to look at his own face ever again, even if deep-down in his mind he knew his earlier actions weren't his fault, not exactly.

He had to act, now, especially before anyone would come bargain on him, including Allegra and Caitlin.

Sparkles of lightning ran along his fingers, increasing their motion as the man kept on working faster, approaching his goal.

-Got it, he whispered to himself.

Just. One. More. Button....

His index stopped right before he could touch the screen one last time. A shiver passed down his spine. For months, his wife, the real one, has been stuck into the mirror verse, no doubt turning every rock there was to find a way out to reunite with the man she loves, and now that she was finally back, he was about to leave again, before her eyes had even opens. Guilt froze him on the spot.

What if he was about to trop himself in that other world the same way Iris did? What would she think? At the same time, how would she reacts knowing the hero chose to sit by and abandon their friends?

-I'm so sorry Iris, I have to do this.

Before another wave of doubt could crawl into his brain, Barry pressed on the tablet and carefully watched the portal struggling to make a connection. His eyes closed, just like his fists, allowing his newly found power to spread from head to toes. Finally, he took a deep breath and stretched his long legs, sprinting into the thin unfolding veil.

Before he even knew what happen, an indescribable wave of pain shook his entire body and darkness overtook his mind.

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A/N: Thanks for everyone who read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Each one of them is deeply appreciated! Stories wouldn't exist if there wasn't anyone to read them :)