Thank you all for the support. Enjoy this update.
Anna's POV
I follow Barry into the Speed Lab where he's moping around. "Hey." He looks up at me and I can see how broken he is. "You want to talk about it?" He sits down and lets out a big sigh.
"I've just been struggling with everything lately." I sit down across from him.
"Why didn't you tell me, Kadabra was back?" I ask him.
"I knew you were with our kids and I didn't want to worry you when I thought I could handle it." He answers.
"Babe, you were facing one of our most dangerous villains who knows how to mess with your mind. You should never have to deal with that alone."
"You were willing to just disarm the bomb no questions asked." He throws back. "Did you even think about what could go wrong? How the kids and I would be if you..." He bites his lips and I know he's fighting back tears.
"We risk our lives every day to keep this world safe from those who wish it harm. We know we're never guaranteed to come home. I mean Oliver didn't. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us all and...his kids are living without him." I point out.
"I don't want that for our kids. I thought with Crisis being over we would just have a chance at normalcy."
"We will never be normal, but that's okay." I assure him. He keeps looking down.
"I just remember how he knew what happened to you in the future and how you lost your mind but he was willing to let us suffer and..." He bites his lip again. "I remember what happens to you in the future. How I wasn't there to save you from myself and...how much you suffered."
"That was one version of the future which is possibly not even going to happen because we've messed with the timeline so much who knows what the future holds for us." I argue. Barry just shakes his head.
"I have nightmares of that day." He looks at me again with tears in his eyes. "You were a shell of yourself."
"You can't worry yourself of what may or may not happen in the future." I try and reason with him.
"Nora made it more of a reality when she told us what happened to you. It's not something that is impossible. We know it can happen." Barry argues.
"Who knows what future we've made for ourselves by stopping Crisis and keeping you from vanishing." I remind him. Barry wipes more tears from his eyes. "What did you mean when you said that you were tricked again?" I ask.
"From the very first moment that those imposters walked into our home, I should've seen it. I should've known they weren't Damian or Iris." He admits. "I'm sorry that...I keep getting tricked by everyone. Thawne, Zoom, Savitar, DeVoe, Eva, and even you." He looks at me with tears in his eyes. "All I do is make mistakes in trusting people when I shouldn't and people get hurt because of it."
"Babe, what happened to Damian and Iris and everyone else that Eva hurt was not your fault."
"Then whose fault was it? I should've known they were complete strangers. Imposters. And if I had then we could've brought them back sooner, maybe we could've stopped Eva before she attacked and the whole city wouldn't be suffering right now."
"If I hadn't trusted Ra's when I was at my most vulnerable then maybe hundreds of people could be alive because I wouldn't have been trained how to kill them in the name of the League. If I didn't trust Adrian Chase then maybe William's mother could be alive." I lay out some of my most horrific sins for him again. "Trusting the wrong people is a part of being human. We didn't trust these people knowing they would bring harm to the world because that's not who we are. We had something horrific happen to us but look at the joy it's brought us. You have me always and forever. Our kids are happy and healthy. We get the pleasure of raising them together to watch them grow into amazing individuals. And you have to stop blaming yourself for something that was not in your control. I'm trained in deception and even I had no idea they were imposters so don't beat yourself up for this. You're an amazing husband, father, friend, son, and you have to stop thinking that everything that goes wrong in the world is because of you." Barry leans forward and kisses me.
"Every time I think I couldn't possibly love you more..." His smile falls and without me even thinking about it I can vividly see a memory he's having about telling Kadabra that he must have a family, friends, and people who he cares about trying to remind him that he must have a glimmer of hope. The memory changes when he was facing off against him in A.R.G.U.S. and Kadabra says he did find the glimmer of hope and that Barry took it from him.
"I know why Abra's doing this." Barry says.
"Because he lost someone he loved." I state and Barry looks at me confused.
"Yeah...how..."
"Ever since having Nora, my powers have been a little out of sync. I don't have control over some parts of them like I used to."
"So you can read my thoughts?"
"I've always been able to do that, I just choose to block them out because everyone's thoughts in the world hit me at once, but now I can focus just on one mind at a time." I explain.
"I have an idea." Barry stands up and holds out his hand for me. I teleport us back into the lab.
"Even if it is, it doesn't matter. We don't have time to find it. I mean, the human brain is essentially capable of storing trillions of bytes of memories. It would take us years to find the one we need." Caitlin argues with the group as we enter the lab.
"No, it won't." Barry chimes in. "I know how to stop Abra."
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3rd Person's POV
"Flash, Kadabra stopped at Tagaloa Plaza." Flash to Kadabra's location.
"Perfect timing, Flash." Kadabra compliments him. "You're just in time to witness the complete annihilation of Central City. And you'll finally understand what it's like when everything you love dies."
"You were right, Kadabra. We can't defeat you, which is why I'm not gonna try." Flash responds.
"Trying to pull a trick of your own." Kadabra chuckles at what he thinks is Flash playing a joke on him. "I wouldn't. Your 21st-century brain comes in a distant second to my 64th-century intellect."
"No, no tricks. Just listen." Flash slowly approaches Kadabra. "I know why you're doing this. I know why you're hurting."
"You don't know a damn thing about me." Kadabra fires back as he returns to complete his antimatter bomb.
"Yes, I do! Yes, I do!" Flash exclaims. "I also know killing innocent people isn't the answer. And it's not gonna change anything."
"Destruction is the ultimate catalyst for change. See, people in my century understand that."
"Also people from your century tend to live in the past." Amethyst appears next to Flash. "So not much has changed."
"Ah, you're still here." Kadabra claps his hands. "I see you're still in control...but for how long." He tries to get into her head.
"You may be from the future, but the reason that you're here...you're trying to change the past." Amethyst places down the MMR and a hologram of Kadabra's family is shown.
"No. Leave that alone." It's too late. Kadabra is faced with the life he's chasing after.
"This is your family from another timeline." Flash explains. "Only they're gone now, aren't they?"
"13 months ago, I started having dreams of a life I never lived, one where I was so...Happy." Kadabra shares as he stares longingly at his wife and child. "I had to know what was causing them. I ran every test on myself possible using 64th-century technology. What I found was that, somehow, I'd experienced a sudden increase in my somatic memory cells."
"Your memories were expanding." Amethyst states and Kadabra nods in agreement.
"More backward 21st century thinking. I'd been exposed to neuro-temporal displacement, the kind that's created when speedsters disrupt them." Kadabra exclaims. "With my clue for the cause, it led me to the Flash Museum. You're obsessed with the future, Flash. Not now, but...oh, you will be. I found so many interesting things there including to my surprise, Cisco Ramon's archaic memory device. It was damaged beyond repair. I fixed it easily."
"You used it on yourself, and it gave you those memories back." Flash says.
"From a time before everything changed. With my memories restored, I had proof that the family from my dreams, a wife and son that I never knew existed were real. They were erased from existence by what you did. You were supposed to vanish in your Crisis, Flash, not them! But when you didn't my future changed. They ceased to exist, and I lost everything. Just like you will now!" Kadabra goes back to his bomb.
"Wait!" Flash tries to stop him again. "Crisis destroyed countless lives. And yes some of us survived, and that's not fair."
"And while some of us have memories of people who we used to know or will never know we still have to keep living for those who didn't have a chance. We lost people too." Amethyst shares.
"I lost someone too. He was like a brother to me." Flash adds. "And ever since, I've tried to honor his sacrifice. You can do the same for your family." He tries to reason with Kadabra.
"You already tried to go back before Crisis and found out that you couldn't right?" Amethyst asks him and he says nothing. "That's because that past is from a multi-versal world that no longer exists."
"Killing me won't reset the timeline." Flash adds. "That future is gone."
"Liars! I will bring them back. And if I can't, then I'll take everything from you the way I lost everything. My pain is yours." Kadabra exclaims.
"That's why you wanna destroy the city. So you can make people suffer like you. Because you already know killing me won't work."
"Shut up!"
"You're a smart man Abra." Amethyst steps forward. "You've run every calculation..."
"You can't comprehend what I've done!"
"Yes, we can. We're scientists too." Flash reminds him. "So tell us: what are the odds that doing this will bring back?" He asks and Kadabra looks at the two heroes with tears streaming down his face.
"I haven't run a calculation on the timeline yet to where they return." He answers.
"And how would they feel if to get them back you had to kill millions of innocent people?" Kadabra says nothing. "I've killed for revenge and the high only lasts a moment but it will never fill the void you have." Amethyst adds. Kadabra looks back at the hologram of his family and with a flick of his wand, he deactivates his antimatter bomb. He looks at their faces one more time before turning off the MMR.
"Luca. That was my son." He shares. "Amelie, my wife. And your friend?"
"His name was Oliver." Flash shares.
"H.R. Sherloque, Harry, and Oliver." Amethyst adds.
"My name's Philippe. What am I supposed to do now? I can't go on without them."
"The people we love never leave us." Flash says. "Let that love help you find hope again in this world."
"I don't get it. We're mortal enemies in the future and you..." Kadabra looks at Amethyst. "I celebrate when you lose your mind. Why are you two doing this?"
"I believe in second chances. I started off not being a good person. I was like you. I killed people and sometimes I enjoyed it even." Amethyst shares. "But someone offered me a way out. A way to start a new life and that's what we're giving you. A fresh start."
"So the next time we meet, maybe we won't be." Flash adds.
"Fair enough." Kadabra goes to shake his hand but the ground shakes. "This isn't me."
"I'm picking up enough seismic activity to rattle us back to the Stone Age." Cisco informs Flash and Amethyst.
"Detecting a massive biosignature." Caitlin adds.
"Barry, Anna whatever's causing these tremors, and it's heading right towards you both." Iris states. A ginormous figure comes out of nowhere and sends a punch at Amethyst and Flash sending them flying backwards. Flash hits a car while Amethyst crashes into a nearby building.
"You are an ugly one." Kadabra comments. "I've got this Flash." He points his wand at the monster. "Stand down, beautiful. Or I'll use every ounce of this antimatter bomb to blow you to kingdom come." Kadabra activates the bomb but the monster easily grabs it and destroys it while absorbing its power. "That's impossible. Fine. See how you like this trick." The monster hits Kadabra sending him flying before landing hard on the ground.
"Philippe?" Flash calls out but no response is heard. Flash sends a lightning bolt at the monster but it easily absorbs the attack. The monster grabs Flash and begins to crush him.
"Barry!" Iris calls out.
"Respiratory distress, elevated blood pressure."
"He's crashing." Amethyst sends a powerful kick forcing the monster to drop flash. The monster roars at her before jumping straight into the sky.
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The team gathers back at S.T.A.R. Labs mourning the loss of Philippe who was willing to make a change and his life was cut short before he could do it. "Philippe was trying to heal, just like the rest of us. This isn't right." Barry states in disbelief.
"He died a hero. That means something." Iris tries to comfort Barry.
"What was that thing anyway?" Joe asks.
"Death itself, maybe." Cecile comments. Anna holds Nora a little closer to herself just hearing the topic of death.
"Whatever it was, it absorbed the full power of an antimatter bomb. That means it's..."
"Unstoppable?" Barry finishes for Allegra.
"We've faced unstoppable before and we're still here and they're not." Anna reminds everyone.
"You're uh...you both are okay right?" Chester asks Barry and Anna.
"All good not even a scratch." Anna assures him.
"Yeah, since we rebooted the Speed Force, I'm faster than ever. So is my speed healing." Barry adds.
"Thank goodness." Iris states.
"So that means we can beat the shit out of you more and you'll bounce back faster?" Damian asks.
"Dude! Why do you have to ruin a good moment?" Cisco scolds him.
"It's a valid question."
"No, it's not."
"Great." Joe interrupts their arguing. "The brass is dumping a liaison from the Governor's Police Compliance Commission in my lap. I gotta go figure out how to explain all this to her."
"Well, I have lots of meta-clients that need my legal expertise. How about I drop you off at the station?" Cecile offers to Joe.
"So what do we do now?" Iris asks.
"Same thing we always do. Get to work stopping that thing before it kills again." Barry answers.
"Well, this sweet angel needs to get to bed." Anna announces.
"Rapunzel and I are hanging out." Damian declares.
"We are?" Cisco asks confused.
"Don't act like you don't like it." Damian messes with Cisco.
"Well, you're buying the food."
"Obviously since you're poor as shit."
"I hate you."
"Then why did you cry like a little bitch when I was gone?" Damian asks.
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Damian and Cisco settle into playing video games and eating food enjoying doing what they used to do. "Chester." Cisco lets out a big sigh. "If you're gonna be a part of Team Flash, then you have to stop beating me at Fortnite!" He yells in frustration.
"Pretty sure it's a rite of passage to beat your lame ass. A toddler could do it." Damian insults Cisco.
"Shut it Demon Spawn."
"Not my fault you suck in every aspect of life."
"I...you know I can't take this." Cisco rips his headset off.
"Cisco, Damian?" Caitlin enters the lab. "Thank God you're both here. Um, there's something I need to show you both."
"You still having those headaches?" Cisco asks.
"Is it because looking at Rapunzel's ugly face induces migraines?" Damian teases.
"Nope. Not anymore." Caitlin answers.
"Okay. Why?..." Cisco falls out of his chair as Frost walks into the room.
"Hello, Cisco and Damian." Frost greets them with a giant smile on her face. "How great is this?"
"Oh, this is going to fuck shit up in the best way." Damian exclaims with joy.
I hate when a bad guy switches to the good side they're easily defeated.