they're scars for a reason,
they don't hurt anymore
but they're there to remind you
of all the things you lived through.
the moments that almost killed you
and ones that made you who you
are. stay strong.
r. m. drake
This chapter is kind of emotional, beware
Anastasia pov
"You really shouldn't be running around," I told Stein as we walked to the basement.
"I know dear, I know," he smiled, damn you old man.
"it's not a pet, Cisco," Caitlin said as we walked in.
"No, it's a wormhole," Stein said.
"Professor Stein, what are you doing?
Your blood pressure is 147 over 82; you could pass out again!" Caitlin said as she walked closer to us.
"It's nearly a few points above the 140 average for someone my age.
Besides, I have a few ideas I'd like to contribute to this discussion: Dr snow." Stein replied.
"I tried to keep him in the room, but even Natalia was less stubborn than this old man." I smiled, and Garrick looked at me weirdly.
"And I would like to hear your ideas, professor; it isn't just a wormhole... it's my way home."
"Back to earth two." Caitlin agreed.
"Jay, do you think we can use this as some sort of bridge from your world to ours?" Asked Barry.
"Zoom uses the breaches. Why can't we?"
"Well, for starters, we don't know how," I said.
"She's right; everything I throw just bounces back." Cisco agreed.
"If zoom is using the breaches to transport people from earth two maybe it takes a speedster?" Barry hypothesized and ran away.
"He's not gonna..."
"Yeah, he is."
Barry ran into the breach and fell back.
"глупый спидстер." (Silly speedster.) I laughed.
"Maybe I'm not fast enough," Barry suggested.
"I don't believe your speed is entirely the issue Barry it might be the breach of stability or the lack of it," Stein said as Garrick helped Barry up.
"He's right we need to think of the breach as a door and on earth two there is another door and in between, we have a hallway, but the hallway is constantly shifting twisting collapsing upon itself." Garrick started.
"And the doors are moving with it." Barry continued.
"So, we stabilize the door, we stabilize the hallway." Cisco finished.
"And then I can jump through it." Barry smiled.
"Exactly it will serve as a kind of canon, a speed canon," Garrick added.
"Hmm, we should hang out more," Cisco said.
"Alright, no more tests today, all of you are leaving now, as am I,
Cherish the gift of youth as I will go Cherish my must-needed nap.
Clarissa is already on her way to pick me up." Stein said as he left.
"Alright, five Flashes," Barry said as he put the cups on the table and I took out a small bottle of tequila and poured some into mine. "Be careful they are super caffeinated." He added and I took a sip as iris looked at the tequila bottle. "Forst I have a day named after me, now I have a drink," Barry added.
"Well, all the good things you do, rebuilding this place, protecting people...everyone's appreciative, right?" Iris asked, "what I'd that tho?" She asked as she pointed at the bottle.
"Oh we forgot to introduce you, iris meet Ana's special coffee, mixed with tequila." Cisco laughed.
"Hey, you guys think professor Stein is okay, right? I mean Clarissa would call if there was anything wrong." Caitlin said after looking at the time.
"Yeah," Iris answered quickly.
"Alright I'm just gonna call to check in and I'll be back," Caitlin said and walked away.
"I don't see that call going well," Barry sat in Caitlin's seat.
"Young lady these repeated intrusions are interrupting what should be a speed..." Cisco's imitation was interrupted by someone walking into him, "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologize, you can bump into me any day Cisco." Who I now recognized as Lisa Snart said.
"Lisa Snart, here to double-cross us again? Or are you and your big brother holding up coffee shops now?" Cisco asked.
"I need your help,"
"I'm your dreams, sister cold, you know I can call the flash and he'd be here in two seconds probably one."
"Call him."
"Ohh, OK I'm gonna call him,
Mhm.
You really want me to call the flash?"
"I need his help too.
My brother has been kidnapped."
"Alright, so you really want us to just believe that captain cold was kidnapped?" Asked Barry.
"I saw it happen, last night Lenny and me and mick were knocking over the cashier cage at Central City racetrack." Lisa started.
"Does it physically pain your family not to rob people?" Caitlin interrupted.
"I never finished the job.
After mick torched through the side entrance I looked back for Lenny and saw him getting thrown into the back of a van." Lisa continued.
"And why didn't you and mick follow?" Asked Barry
"I would have. someone hit me from behind and knocked me out.
When I came to, Lenny was gone, and mick already made off with the cash."
"How do we know this isn't some kind of trap?" Asked Caitlin.
"If 'Lenny' wanted the flash dead he would have let the metas do the dirty job, and also she didn't play with her hair, she touches it a lot when she's lying." I went to stand by Lisa's side, taking another sip of my coffee.
"Don't you remember, flash? Lenny saved your life, you owe him a favor, I'm cashing it out."
"I do not like her." Caitlin said.
"Yeah, but she makes a point," Cisco said. "What? We should at least hear her out, right?"
"Even if we wanted to help how are we supposed to find him?" Barry asked.
"Not a problem, see when I rebuild the cold gun I didn't have the time to place the tracker on it so I devised a method of locating it by borrowing some military technology.'Cisco said as he typed on the computer. "See the gun works the same as thermal imaging only instead of infrared heat signatures it's looking for ultraviolet cold signatures." Cisco said and the computer biped, "Whoa look at that.
The gun's UV thermal reading was last picked at 5th and Hoyt, 8 minutes ago."
"Alright." Barry sighed, "let's see if you're a liar." He said and sped out.
"Talk to me, what's going on?" Asked Cisco.
"Cisco! Snart hit me with his cold gun."
"His vitals are bottoming out." Caitlin said.
"I'm bringing the heat right now."
"What?
The suit, what's happening?"
"Therma-threading, baby.
It's a little something I added for situations like this one.
Please tell me that it's working."
"Yeah, it works, but Snart's gone, and Lisa has a lot of explaining to do."
"So your brother was not kidnapped.
He was pulling a job with your father." Barry said.
"What? No, Lenny would never do that." Lisa protected the older Snart quickly.
"Oh, just like he would never try and kill the flash with his cold gun?" Caitlin asked.
"Are you sure it was my dad?" Lisa asked and Cisco pulled a picture of him on the TV.
"That's him." Barry pointed at the TV
"Lewis Snart.
Convicted of larceny, armed robbery, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon." Caitlin read proudly.
"You have to believe me.
Lenny would never work with him, he's a bad guy." Lisa tried again to protect the older Snart.
" You and your entire family are criminals why should we trust anything you say?" Caitlin asked.
"I didn't get this car being criminal I got it being a daughter," Lisa said as she moved her shirt from her shoulder, and walked away.
"I'll talk to her," I said quickly and left.
I walked into the workshop and set next to where she stood.
"First time my father came after me, I was seven.
Second time, I was eight, that's when I learned that a bottle herts worst than the fist.
He used to say he was trying to teach us lessons, I must have been a slow learner because the lessons never stopped."
"I got this scar," I said and lifted my shirt from my stomach, "for being a woman, so I could be a soldier, a perfect one.
scars may not define us but they give us depth, deepness, differences, behind every scar we have there is a story of survival, a story that makes us what we are."
She looked at the ceiling sadly, "Lenny may be a jerk brother but he's the only jerk brother I have.
He protected me, now it's my turn."
"My... my fiancée, Natalia had a sister... the sister's name was Yelena, and Natalia loved her, she got beat up for her once or twice, siblings bond... it's amazing." I now looked at the ceiling as well.
"It is, isn't it?"
I set in front of my violin, I can do it, I can do it, I let my left hand find her way to the neck of the violin and held it shakily, my right hand grabbed the bow.
I stood up and placed the violin under my chin, and started to tune the violin.
The whispers of the strings reached my ears as I pulled the bow.
The notes formed as my hand flew on the neck, I moved with the melody.
A smile found its way to my face as tears of joy started to go down my eyes.
A knock.
A fucking knock.
I put the bow on the table and walked to the door, I twisted the key and opened the door.
"Caitlin, what are you doing here?
How did you get the address?" I asked as I walked back in to put the violin back in its case.
"We're going to show everyone the speed canon and I wanted you to be there, and Barry gave it to me.
You play?
Since when?" It was her turn to ask questions.
"Since 4 or 5 I think." I said and grabbed my bag.
"Shall we?"
"We shall."
"TA DA!
the speed canon." Caitlin said happily.
"Wow, look at that.
Dudes you actually built the thing." Cisco walked down the stairs.
"Mr Garrick, I... I am quite impressed by what you've accomplished during my recent wellness hiatus."
"Have you tested it yet, or are we just getting excited for no reason?" I asked.
"No, not yet.
You wanna do the honors?" Garrick asked Cisco.
"No no no now that I'm, now that I'm back to optimal health, please allow me," Stein said as he grabbed a bag and threw it. "Excelsior!"
"How did you stabilize it?" Asked Barry.
"CFL quark matter."
"Oh, negative energy density with positive surface pressure.
It's genius." Cisco said.
"You created CFL quark matter?" I asked.
"It's something we do perfected on my earth.
I'll show you sometime."
"You mean sometime in the next few minutes?" Stein asked.
"Oh, yeah, I guess this is it, huh?
Time for me to go back home." Garrick said.
"Right now?
I mean we still need your help with the breachers." Caitlin said
"My first priority is zoom.
I need to find out what he's up to, how he stole my speed."
"But you can do that here, and you know if you go back Then we can't get in touch with you when we need help, with zoom or... whatever else." Caitlin said.
"It would be nice to be able to pick your brain every once in a while, get some more speedster tips." Barry added.
"Okay... once we take care of zoom I'm going home."
"That's fair." Caitlin smiled.
"Good, because I could use a shower, shave, and some sunlight." Garrick laughed. "I'll... see you later." He said and walked out.
"So professor Stein, how are you feeling?" Caitlin asked.
"Well, ohh, it appears that a little rest heals all maladies.
I...I couldn't feel..." Stein's eyes got white and Cisco and Caitlin ran to him, "no, no, no, get back here!" Barry pulled them just in time before fire started to come out of his head and hands.
It turned... blue.
His eyes turned black for a second, then he fell to the ground.