"So you think your psychosis made a friend of yours disappear?" Sharon Finkle asked in her office.
"Yeah, I mean, she's a really good friend of mine." Caitlin sat next to Anna. "Almost like a part of me."
"So your friend, is... she with us here right now?"
"Oh, no, I'm not schizophrenic, um... she's more like another personality."
"Dissociative identity disorder. That is usually caused by trauma, and from your history you've had quite a bit." Sharon wrote something down.
"Yeah, I did see my fiancé die. Twice. And then my next boyfriend turned evil." Caitlin noted.
"I actually meant childhood trauma. Tell me about your father."
"My dad? He was the best." Caitlin smiled. "Loving, supportive, always pushed me to get smarter."
"And how did you feel when he passed?"
Caitlin froze for a second. "I... He had ALS, he... was always hiding his symptoms from us. He never wanted us to see him suffer."
"Sometimes when we're young we repress things that scare us."
"Oh, I'm not repressing anything from my childhood. My missing friend just appeared a couple years ago." Caitlin and Anna's phones buzzed. "It's my adult life that's got me like this. I'm so sorry. I have to go."
"Do you charge by the hour?" Caitlin questioned. Anna rolled her eyes, already opening her wallet.
"For you and your friends, the quarter-hour."
"I got a tip about Fallout, but it's been scrambled by Kilgore's code." Iris explained.
"Hmm, not anymore. Consider it unscrambled."
"Devoe. Where's A.R.G.U.S. keeping Borman? Do we know?" Barry questioned.
"I-I can't ping Lyla, but I can try Dig." Iris suggested.
"I'll just go get him." Barry sped off.
"Uh..."
"Trash can."
"Ooh, how about the recycling?"
"Nope. I got it, I got it." Cisco noted the trash had holes in it.
"Really?" Anna handed him another one.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Sorry, man." Barry sped in with Dig, who vomited. "I'm sorry. Can we just... I'm sorry. I hate you."
"What is this about?" Dig grumbled.
"Neil Borman, the man we left with you, with A.R.G.U.S. Where you keeping him?" Barry asked.
"Barry, that's classified information. I'm not the director of A.R.G.U.S. I..." Dig muttered.
"Dig, we don't have time. Please."
"He's at a place called the Castle. It's a thousand miles away from anything." Dig said.
"Please. Can you check it?" Barry asked. Dig moved to the computer, clicking buttons.
"Okay, looks like everything's fine in A.R.G.U.S. except for me." Dig said. "Um... Says I checked in six hours ago."
"DeVoe can shapeshift. With Melting Point's powers, he can trick a DNA scanner and take over the building."
"Diggle. Diggle, Diggle." Cisco moved to the computer.
"10,000 rads and climbing. Borman's body's gone critical already. We can't save him." Caitlin explained.
"If that chamber hits 100k, it'll start generating nuclear fusion. Like core of the sun fusion."
"Infinite fuel."
"He's using Borman's body as a battery."
"That's the last piece of the Machine."
"Wait. A battery? Borman's containment cell is 10 feet tall." Dig said.
"And DeVoe has the power to shrink it down. He'll charge the satellites. All he'll have to do is launch 'em." Barry explained.
"How long do we have?"
"At this rate of fusion, we have... 12 hours until the Enlightenment begins." Cisco reported.
"Okay, Dig's back in Star City. Now, I'm going after DeVoe." Barry walked back in.
"Don't go storming the Castle just yet. You're looking at motion-activated electro-shock plates that A.R.G.U.S. installed in the facility." Cisco explained.
"70,000 volts? You hit one of those, you'll be knocked out for sure." Caitlin noted.
"So I'll avoid them when I go in." Barry said.
"Okay. Genius idea, if their placement didn't randomize every couple hours."
"So DeVoe's basically charging his battery for 12 hours, completely protected by A.R.G.U.S. defenses."
"And then he'll probably just jump into a pocket dimension, and he's out of there."
"What if I don't avoid the plates? What if I hit 'em? All of 'em. I'm serious. I mean, if I go into Flash Time, I could use each plate's electric current as a fuel source. Then I'd be fast enough to follow DeVoe into his pocket dimension." Barry urged.
"You would get a serious boost."
"Again, another genius idea, if hitting the plates didn't cause an electrical explosion."
"Yeah, but I'd be through the pocket dimension before the blast wave, ready to blow up the satellite on the other side." Barry reasoned.
Cisco moved to a computer. "Satellite results came in. Okay. Oh, frell me." He cursed.
"What? What is it?"
"We got six plates and six heat signatures above them. There are A.R.G.U.S. agents still alive in there." Cisco explained.
"He has hostages."
"You can outrun an electrical explosion."
"They can't."
"How's he keeping them suspended like that?"
"I think I know how."
Barry and Anna sped into Cisco's workshop. "Hey. Did you guys send an alert?"
"We did. We think we've figured out how to stop DeVoe and save the hostages." Caitlin said.
"What... what is it?"
"Us."
"You bring us into Flash Time with you guys." Cisco explained.
"Look guys, that's great, you know, you want to help, but we can't split up in A.R.G.U.S. we're holding onto you the whole time." Barry explained.
"Well, survey says...you don't have to."
"Have you guys been researching us?" Anna questioned.
"At first we thought you were vibrating our molecules when we were in Flash Time, but that didn't explain why we were conscious."
"Which gave us this brain blast. When you run, you don't just tap into the Speed Force. You generate Speed Force around you."
"It's like you're creating lightning to protect you from the friction Like an aura."
"So when we bring you into Flash Time we're actually extending our Speed Force aura to you." Barry noted.
"And what if physical touch just focuses those powers?"
"I could let go. Share my speed."
"We'd only be able to last a few moments before we burnt out. Like 55 milliseconds of real time."
"And thanks to relativity, that gives us just enough time to rescue the hostages while you chase DeVoe down the rabbit hole, and Anna can stay with us, just in case." Cisco added.
"Guys, I mean... you know everything looks normal to us when we're in Flash Time, but it took us months to learn how to operate like that." Barry explained.
"Exactly. That's what makes you the perfect candidates for training. Train us." Cisco encouarged.
"I know it's a leap, Barry, but we're running out of time and I just think it might work." Caitlin said.
Barry, Anna, Caitlin, and Cisco stood in the Speed Lab, where a training simulator was set up.
"Okay. Ready? One second on the clock. Go." Caitlin pressed the button as Barry and Anna grabbed their shoulders.
"Oh, Flash Time, how I've missed thee."
"Here we go." Barry said, him and Anna taking a deep breath.
"Is that lightning about to hit me?" Cisco asked.
'You wanted to do this." Anna reminded as electricity surrounded the two.
"It's working."
"Thank you, Speed Force."
"Okay, here we go." Barry stepped forward with Anna.
"Just remember, when you're moving this fast it's not about running with your legs." Anna said.
"It's about staying calm, focused, centered. Otherwise you're gonna fall on your ass at Mach 3." Barry added.
"Yeah, okay, senseis, I'm just opening a breach." Cisco said as it flashed in and out. "It's a little harder than I thought. Maybe if I shift my weight." Cisco's leg started to surround in lightning.
"You know, you're burning up already. You okay?" Barry asked.
"I... I-I can't move my leg. My leg's not working."
"All right, stay calm. Remember, concentrate. You're slowing down." Barry explained.
"I can't really concentrate..." Cisco stammered. "I-I gotta, gotta keep it loose. I gotta keep moving, I've got to breach, I mean..."
"Oh dear god." Anna muttered.
"You gotta stay calm."
"Okay, well, I gotta get the leg to move. Now both of my legs are stuck."
"What?" Anna asked.
"My... my legs are stuck." Cisco stammered. "I'm working with two frozen drumsticks here."
"Okay, just relax."
"Okay. Now I'm falling. Ah!" Cisco fell to the floor as Flash time dissapeared around them.
"You okay?"
"Yep. Yep. My leg's just asleep, but I'm gonna get this. I'm telling you." Cisco assured.
"Okay."
"It's Joe and Cecile." Caitlin picked up her phone. "Do you think I can spare a minute?" She looked at Cisco.
"Just gotta walk it off." Cisco muttered.
"Yeah. We could use a break." Barry said.
"All right, just remember to stay calm this time." Barry said as Caitlin glanced at Cisco.
"Why are you looking at me..."
"I wasn't..."
"Both of you." Barry sighed, walking to the first hostage.
"All right. Take two. Yes! Brrrrat!" Cisco created a small breach.
"A little baby breach."
"That's right, Barry. A baby breach. And in time, she'll blossom into maturity, but for now, in Flash Time, she's... my little breachling." Cisco smiled.
"Okay. Cait." Barry nodded.
Caitlin's gun hummed. "Cold Gun's still not working, just like Killer Frost."
"We gotta find a way to off-set the friction." Barry assumed.
"Ah, damn it. My leg's stuck." Caitlin said.
"All right, just stay calm." Anna assured, moving closer.
"Hey, watch out!" Barry yelled before Caitlin fell to the floor.
"Caitlin?" Cisco called.
"What happened?" Caitlin said as she woke in the medbay.
"Training. You came out of Flash Time in midair."
"I think you got concussed. Then again, I'm not the team doctor." Cisco noted.
"I mean, I don't feel nauseous. Just hand me some acetaminophen, and get back to training." Caitlin assured.
"No, hold on." Anna said abruptly.
"We have to talk about what happened." Barry said.
"What do you mean? You just lose focus, right?" Cisco assumed.
"Yeah."
"No, it was... I don't know. Something pulled your focus." Ana noted.
"No, I'm fine."
"If this were the real thing, you would have died." Barry said sternly.
"I'm not a liability."
"I know. We are." Barry motioned to him and Anna. "We're putting you guys in danger doing this. I mean I-I realize you guys want to help, but We've got to stop training you."
"Barry, come on. Those hostages..."
"I'll find another way to save 'em." Barry assured.
"You have to let us help you. I mean, after everything DeVoe did to us... Killer Frost." Caitlin reminded. "Anna, you're on our side, right?" Anna crossed her arms.
"Barry's right."
"She's right. We're running out of time. It's worth the risk."
"We're not training you guys just to get you killed. I'm sorry." Barry said before exiting the room.
Anna sat in the medbay, staring at the wall quietly.
"Why won't you let us?" Caitlin came in.
Anna turned around. "Are we really going to have this coversation right now?"
"You risk your life everyday, Barry does, Frost does. Why can't I do the same for the 6 hostages in the facility?" She asked angrilly.
"You don't understand Caitlin."
"Let me understand!"
"Caitlin, the only reason I let them out there, is not because they have powers, because I know what they are up against, and I know i'll be there to save them if they need me." Anna ranted, standing up. "I don't care about them as much as I care about you. I want to keep you safe, and I want you to be safe. Losing my best friend and my future wife? That's what worries me the most."
"Anna."
"I cannot, I can't, I won't live without you. I would feel myself get more and mroe depressed if you left me. I would sacrifice my life for you, so many times, that even the world wouldn't comprehend." Anna said. "I would risk it all, just to have you back, even if it killed me."
As she finished, breathing heavily from all off her feelings dumped off, both of them stood in silence for a second.
"Sorry." Anna whispered.
"No, I pushed you." Caitlin admitted, pulling her into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too." Anna said before Caitlin pulled her into a short kiss before they heard shouting from the cortex.
"You go check that out." Anna muttered. "I'll be there in a sec." Caitlin looked at her once more before exiting. Taking a breather for a couple of minutes, she exited and found Cisco and Barry facing each other.
"And what about Ralph? Was he worse? You taught him that when his back was against the wall and the world was ending around him he could always make the choice. Make the choice to be a hero." Cisco lowered his voice. "We deserve that same choice. All we need is someone to show us how." Anna grasped onto Caitlin's hand.
Barry paused. "You guys really want to do this?"
"It's not a burden if we shoulder it together." Caitlin admitted, showing them her and Anna's clasped hands.
"We found her." Iris said, walking in with Harry.
"You found Marlize?"
"I think so. She's in England."
Barry walked over after talking to Iris, then came over to Cisco, Caitlin, and Anna. "Where're we at?"
"Borman's almost at 100,000 rads." Caitlin explained.
"All right, we got to go. Come on." Barry said.
Barry and Anna sped back outside from the facility, right in front of Cisco and Caitlin. "Perimeter's secure. Once we're inside, we'll have less than a second. I'll activate the plates, draw their charge."
"I'll lay the breachlings." Cisco reported.
"I'm backup."
"And I'll protect the A.R.G.U.S. agents from the blast using this...ice shooter." Caitlin held up the deivce on her wrist.
"Ice shooter."
"Do I have to call it an ice shooter?"
"I thought Frostbite sounded good." Barry admitted.
"Same."
"Guys, it solves the friction offset problem by shooting ice, therefore it's an ice shooter. You call it an ice shooter." Cisco repeated. "It's just not that hard." A sound came from the facility behind them.
"DeVoe must be shrinking Borman's chamber." Caitlin noted.
"We can do this." Barry noted, speeding them in with Anna. He garbbed the energy from the plate.
"I've got the charge."
"Breachling is go." Cisco said.
Caitlin shot ice above the breach. "He's iced."
"Five more to go. Remember, stay focused." Barry said before speeding off and taking all of the charges. They continued to do the same thing, breaching and icing, then Cisco breached all of them out.
"What happened in there?"
"All that matters is that you're all safe." Cisco assured.
"But DeVoe? Where's DeVoe?" The scientist asked.
"Hey. Hey, don't worry. Flash is on it." Anna said.
"Thank you." She said before walking off.
"What's wrong?" Cisco asked Caitlin.
"I need your help." Caitlin said, making Anna raise an eyebrow. "Back when we were training, I had this fragment of a memory. I think it's something that I've been repressing for a long time. I don't remember much, just that I was young and I was terrified."
"Caitlin, are you sure you want me to vibe you there? I mean, maybe your brain kept this memory under lock and key for a reason." Cisco doubted.
"I need to know what it was. I can handle it." Caitlin turned to Anna. "Could you come too?"
Anna gave a small nod. "Yeah."
"Then focus on it and hang on." Cisco extended his hand, which both of them grabbed, falling into a memory.
They stood on a street, a small girl, similar to Caitlin was on the floor. "Caity! Oh, no! Caity! Caity, are you okay? Stay still! We're gonna get you help!" Someone called out.
"That's me. Right there." Caitlin said.
"Caity... honey, don't!" The persons voice said as the girl looked into the mirror, her eyes a tint of blue and her hair white. The glass of the mirror froze and cracked as the girl screamed, the vibe ending.
"Killer Frost." Anna whispered.
"She was part of you even then." Cisco clairified, gasping for breath.
"The particle accelerator hadn't exploded. How is that possible?" Caitlin muttered.
Anna sped Caitlin and Cisco into the cortex as they studied the computers. "Barry shot down one of his satellites." Caitlin said with exitiment.
"He did-" Cisco was cut off when Barry sped into the room.
"DeVoe didn't seem to care." He said.
"I'll try and see if I can track it." Cisco said as an alarm started to ring. "I don't like that sound."
"This says a Star Lab satellite's been activated." Caitlin said, looking at the computers.
"DeVoe." Anna whispered.
"He's using our satellite to replace the one you destroyed."
"Well, can you stop him?" Caitlin asked before all of their screens turned a tint of purple.
"He's here." Barry sped out, running into the hall.
Anna sped Caitlin and Cisco out moments later, finding Barry on the floor.
"He did it." Caitlin said.
"The Enlightenment."
"What are we gonna do?" Anna questioned.
"I don't know." Barry admitted.