Forward ϟ The Flash

Chapter 18: A Change in Direction

"This is stupid. You're stupid. This whole plan is-"

"Stupid?" Barry tried to finish Rose's sentence. Along with Cisco, the three of them stared down at the canyon that Barry was going to attempt to jump near the dam. It was probably over 1,000 feet deep and it made Rose's jump off a building seem less crazy. At least she could teleport herself to safety. Barry, not so much.

"I was going to say moronic, but stupid works here too."

Cisco turned, heading back to the tent. "Well, you want to get faster. Maybe plummeting to your death is the motivation you need."

Harry came to them, scribbling on a notepad. "So to reach escape velocity, you're gonna have to go... that fast."

Barry and Rose scoffed at the number. It was over Mach 3. How the hell it took less speed to open up a wormhole in their lab than it took to jump from one side of a dam to another blew her mind. Science was something else. "Well, that fast is impossible. I can promise you that."

"Ah." Harry shook his head as he flipped the notepad closed. "'Nothing in life is promised except death.'"

"Edgar Allan Poe?" she questioned.

"Kanye West."

Cisco joined them. "If it makes you feel any better, Evel Knievel cleared a line of cars that was twice this long, and he didn't even have superpowers unless you count that sweet-ass ride."

"Do you hear yourself?" Barry asked him. Rose put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What? Look, you're gonna be fine. I'm 80% sure of it. Okay. 76. Like, a strong 72. I can't stop, Caitlin, help," he begged.

"If you don't feel ready, you probably shouldn't do it," Caitlin suggested.

Cisco shook his head. "Not helpful."

"Look, Zoom's still out there. And once I find a way back to Earth-2, I have to be faster than him. And, I mean, right now... I wasn't even fast enough to save Jay. I have to try," he told them. Rose positioned herself close to where Barry was going to jump, ready to do with him what she did with Kendra.

Barry took up his position, both of them taking deep breaths before he ran. Everyone watched in anticipation as he leaped off the edge of the canyon, running in the air toward the other side. Caitlin yelled, "He's gonna make it."

Only he wasn't. The moment she saw him look down, Rose knew she had to get him. She ran and jumped off the cliff herself, hurtling towards him. Thankful that she had jumped at just the right time and way, she arced perfectly enough to be able to grab ahold of Barry as he plummeted to his death. She closed her eyes.

They landed back next to the van with a thud, rolling against the gravel road. They lay side by side, panting as the rest of the team ran to them. Rose turned her head to look at him. "You're not getting out of this relationship that easy, Allen."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Parker."

..............................

Rose finished getting dressed when Barry arrived back at the lab, getting back into his normal clothes as well. She walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. "You'll get it the next time, Bar."

"Hopefully," he said, keeping one arm over her shoulder as they moved into the main room of the cortex. Cisco made Jesse get up from her seat at the computer as the rest of the team came in.

"So how'd it go?" Jesse popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth.

"Well, he's not a red splat on the side of a mountain," her father answered.