EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 ❜
chapter no. 017!
𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘓 𝘊𝘐𝘛𝘠, 𝘌𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘏-𝘛𝘞𝘖
A WELCOMING DING SANG IN THE ELEVATOR AS IT CAME TO A STOP, THE DOORS SLIDING OPEN. Pushing the gold-rimmed glasses up his nose, Barry stepped into the CCPD. Similar to the outside world and S.T.A.R. Labs, everything sparkled with gold.
"Trippy..." Barry murmured, remembering what Cisco had told him earlier. Turning around slowly in awe, he marveled at how uncannily similar the department looked compared to the one at home. Reaching up to straighten his bow tie, he noticed a police officer dragging Captain Singh out of the elevator in cuffs.
"Get your hands off me." Singh snapped, glaring over at the officer as he yanked his arm from his grip.
Barry gasped quietly, his mouth dropping. "Captain?"
The man rolled his eyes, huffing. "Look, I don't know nothin', so I ain't sayin' nothin'."
Floyd Lawton looked up from the front desk and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, okay."
Growing more startled by the second, Barry stepped forward as he recognized the criminal in front of him. "Deadshot, wh—"
Floyd looked up, sarcastically laughing before glaring at the brown-haired man. "That's not funny, Allen. I hate that nickname. Okay, look, I know I'm not— I'm not the best shot in the department, but—"
The sound of laughter cut the man short as Iris West walked forward, her flared-out tan pants flowing around her ankles. "Not the best? Lawton, you are the worst shot in the department." Iris rested her hand on Floyd's shoulder, rocking it as she chuckled. Her voice was more profound than it usually was, and Barry furrowed his brows. "Hey, why don't you book Singh here, and I'll be in there in a moment?"
Floyd nodded and gestured to the officer holding Singh to follow him. "Come on. Oh, and just for the record, my marksmanship proficiency ratings increased by two points last month. All right? Two points." Floyd stated, pointing at the woman before shoving Singh into the office.
Iris turned her head to face Barry and walked forward, stopping short in front of him. "Allen, I saw the news earlier. Are you good?" she asked, and the speedster furrowed his brows.
"W-What do you mean?" Barry stammered, pushing up his glasses.
"I heard what Megan Markel asked you. I know you've been going through a rough time without knowing where Piper is, and I wanted to check in; see if you were okay." The West woman spoke.
Shrugging, he cleared his throat. "I-I mean, it hurts when people ask, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'll find Piper, and everything will go back to normal." Barry answered nervously, his eyes darting around as he spoke.
Iris frowned and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Erin and I are here if you need anything, all right?" Barry blinked, Erin's name catching him off-guard, and that was when he noticed the wedding band on the woman's left hand.
A set of heels clicking approached and the detective looked over Barry's shoulder to see her wife making her way over to them. "Speaking of the Devil herself," Iris mused, smiling at the woman with long, dark-brown curly hair.
It was odd to see Erin with long hair. The speedster was so used to seeing her with short hair that the sight of her startled him. A camera hung from her neck as her emerald green jumpsuit caught the attention of everybody within eye-shot. Coming up to Iris, she gave her a quick kiss, smiling as she turned to face Barry.
Glancing down, Barry found the matching wedding band on Erin's left hand, raising his brows slightly. He hadn't known that Iris was into girls. Well, on this Earth, she was at least.
"I saw the news. You okay, Barry?" Erin asked, looping her arm around her wife's waist, pulling her close as she stared at the boy curiously. He hastily nodded, pushing his glasses up again as he failed to formulate a coherent response. Both Erin and Iris's watches began whirring, along with countless people in the CCPD, as the elevator doors rang open.
"What's going on?" Barry questioned, and the lead detective looked up.
"The metahuman app is going— CCPD! Put your hands up!" Like everyone else, Iris swiftly pulled out her gun and held it up.
Barry turned his head to see Caitlin, who most certainly did not look like his Caitlin, and Ronnie, who was supposed to be dead. Long, icy white hair cascaded down Caitlin's back as she stepped forward, her dark blue heels clicking against the marble floor profoundly. "So, which one of you morons is in the wrong universe?" she asked; her voice held an icy tone to it and was amplified, the sound of it causing goosebumps to trail down people's spines. Ronnie was in his Firestorm form, his eyes glowing a flaming red color.
Caitlin pressed her cobalt blue lips together firmly, her bright blue eyes scanning the precinct. "Hmm? Show of hands. Don't be shy."
Ronnie glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the brown-haired man for a second longer before he looked to his wife.
"Is it you, deary?" Caitlin pointed to Erin, raising a perfectly arched brow. Iris quickly stepped in front of her wife, shielding her body with her own.
"Stand down, Killer Frost." The captain ordered; her stance was strong and confident.
Laughing, the woman smiled gleefully. "Ah, Captain West. It's so good to see you again. How's daddy dearest?"
Her words caused the detective to narrow her eyes, tightening the grip on her gun. "Dead. Just like how you'll be in the next five seconds if you don't stand down."
Barry's eyes widened at the mention of his adoptive father being dead. How many more surprises did this Earth have in store for him?
"Don't talk to my wife like that!" Ronnie shouted, his eyes glowing.
"Calm down, baby," Caitlin glanced over at him. "It's alright. I can handle myself." Turning her head back to face Iris, she held out her hands, which faded to a bright blue, glowing as an icy mist spilled from her fingertips.
Before she could take a step forward, Barry held his hand out. "Caitlin!"
The sound of her former name caused her to pause, her attention drifting to the brown-haired man that she instantly recognized. "I haven't heard that name in a long time," she replied, and her hands faded back to their normal ivory skin tone.
"But that is your name, isn't it? Your real name?" he asked, raising an innocent brow as he lowered his hand. The woman's guard lowered as memories of her past life hit her like a tidal wave, drenching her in grief and mourning. "Please, look... I know you. Don't do this." Barry pleaded.
Ronnie looked over to his wife, confused as to why the man before them was pretending to be on the good side. This was his chance to show CCPD who he really was.
"You're right. You do know me, Allen, and you also know that I hate the name Caitlin. I'm Killer Frost." Her fingers turned to icicles, and she hurled her arm back, propelling them. Iris and Erin dove behind the receptionist's desk, and everyone ducked. Firing again, one of the freezing cold icicles struck through an officer's chest, and many screamed. As everyone was distracted by the collapse of the officer, Barry darted and grabbed both Firestorm and Killer Frost.
Bringing them to Central City Square, he stood in front of them in the dark of the night. "Well, hello, breacher," Caitlin stated, a large smirk registering on her face as everything finally made sense. "I wondered why you defended CCPD when we gave you the perfect opportunity to make your mark. Now, it all makes sense."
Furrowing his brows, the speedster became confused. Clearly, his counterpart wasn't as good of a guy as he was.
"I don't want to hurt you," Barry called, and the two chuckled.
"Oh, trust me, you won't," Ronnie replied, his smile growing wider.
Caitlin's hand turned cobalt blue again, and she started shooting icicle daggers at rapid-fire speed. Ducking, Barry dodged them as he ran around Central City Square. Coming to a stop, he watched as the cold woman turned to her husband. "Kill him."
Fire erupted, thrusting out his hands, and Ronnie pushed himself off the ground. Grinning wickedly, he threw a fireball at the speedster, and he dodged it.
Sighing, Barry ran off, and Firestorm followed. The two of them raced down streets and around corners before they were back at the Square. Noticing the Flash statue, Barry grabbed the helmet from the head of the Flash, using it as a shield as Ronnie threw one last fireball. As the fire made contact with the solid metal, it bounced off and hit Killer Frost, sending her flying across the lawn.
Ronnie quickly walked over to his wife and picked her up before briefly glancing at the speedster. "This isn't over, breacher!" he called, flying away with Caitlin.
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"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Harry shouted as papers scattered everywhere, the speedster swiftly stopping.
"Iris and Erin are married; Joe's dead, apparently; I'm evil and work with Caitlin and Ronnie, and I think Piper's in real danger. S-Something doesn't feel right." Barry rushed out in one breath, his eyes frantically darting around the room.
Cisco dropped the goggles as his chin fell, his eyes widening.
"Killer Frost and Deathstorm," Harry stated, folding his glasses.
"You know them?" Barry gasped, eyes wide as he momentarily forgot about the other issues at hand.
Nodding, the scientist narrowed his stare. "More importantly, they know you now. They know that you're here."
Barry took off his glasses and tossed them to the side, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Every step they took forward on this Earth set them five steps back in their plan. This rescue mission was becoming more complex than expected.
Cisco leaned forward. "So, Caitlin and Ronnie's doppelgängers are evil?" he huffed before adding, "Those are some dope names, though."
Ignoring his comments, Harry turned around and stared at the speedster. "This was supposed to be a surgical mission, Allen. Find Zoom's liar. Rescue Jesse. Get in, get out, not get involved." His words caused Barry to look up, his temper on the verge of breaking.
"All right, look, I am involved, okay?" Barry stood up. "Zoom has Piper. Caitlin killed an innocent man."
Harry stomped his foot, aggravated. "No, she isn't. Piper Lita— your Piper Lita— is alive and safe on your Earth. So is Caitlin; so is Joe, and so is Iris. These people, Barry, they're mirror reflections. As far as your life is concerned, they don't exist! Killer Frost, Deathstorm, they know that you're here. Then it's not long before Zoom does too, and then my daughter's dead, and that's on you."
Cisco sucked in his cheeks, his head beginning to hurt from all the yelling. Glancing at Barry, he saw him leaning his arms against the table, looking down.
"Jesse still has time, okay? We'll find both her and Piper," Barry sighed.
"She is not Piper!" Harry shouted, throwing his hands in the air.
Barry's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with yellow lightning. "She is Piper! Okay, she is to me! No matter what world I'm in, she will always be Piper! My Piper!" It was silent as he breathed heavily, finally admitting how much he cared about the redhead.
Cisco frowned, his mind flashing to the purple speedster that'd become one of his best friends. The girl that stole his fries, laughed at his stupid puns, made superhero names with him, listened to his ridiculous tangents, and was his fake girlfriend. He'd do anything to protect her.
"I agree with Barry. No matter what universe we may end up in, Piper is family. We're going to find Zoom's lair and rescue them both. End of discussion." Cisco announced, the other men turning to look at him.
"Ramon—"
"I said end of discussion!" he snapped loudly, his tone and volume startling the two. "I'm tired of this petty bickering! We are finding both of them, and that'll start with finding Killer Frost and Deathstorm's locations. Barry and I are returning to CCPD, and we'll see if anyone has any leads. Let's go." Cisco grabbed a black case and stalked out of the room, motioning for Barry to follow.
────
"YOU KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS, RIGHT, LAWTON?" Detective Iris West questioned, strapping on her gun.
Fumbling with putting the bullets in his gun, Lawton looked up with startled eyes. "You've always had my back, and I've got yours," he pointed at her. The police chief raised her brows and continued to get ready.
Outside the office, the elevator doors opened, and Cisco and Barry entered. The long-haired boy marveled at the station, and Barry tugged on his sleeve, leading him towards Iris.
Noticing the detective, Cisco gasped quietly. "Oh, Iris."
Whipping out a taser, she spun and pointed it at the boy, raising a challenging brow. "Do I know you?"
Cisco recoiled and looked her up and down. "Does she know me?" he whispered, glancing at Barry, who was tapping his feet anxiously.
"Uh, this is Piper, and I's good friend, Cisco Ramon." Barry said, and Iris stared at him suspiciously.
Keeping her taser held high, she scoffed. "Good friend?"
"Yeah," he breathed. Iris lowered the small weapon. "Cisco works for S.T.A.R. Labs, and he has built a weapon he believes we can use to neutralize Killer Frost's powers."
"Great, thanks." Iris grabbed the black case in Cisco's hands, but the boy held onto it tightly.
"Uh, please, I should really take this." Cisco smiled awkwardly, prying it out of her hands, and she nodded slowly.
She directed her attention to the brown-haired man and placed her hands on her hips. "One of my snitches gave me a lead on Killer Frost and Deathstorm's location. We're gonna bring them in."
Barry nodded. "Okay, um, I'm coming with you, Iris."
"No, Allen." Iris shook her head, frowning. "If anything happens to you, what will I tell Piper? When we find her, she's going to need her husband. She's gonna need you to be there for her." The West girl's words rang true, and Barry sighed, a frown nearly identical to hers' forming on his lips.
"All right, well, Cisco's the only one that knows how to operate the device, so you have to take him," Barry stated, placing his hand on Cisco's back, and Iris hesitantly nodded. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. All she knew was that she needed all the help she could get.
The elevator dinged open right as the lights in the station flickered, grabbing everyone's attention. Police officers everywhere drew their guns, the sound of the meta-human app going berserk filling the building.
Barry froze, and Cisco reached down to open the black case.
It was silent before the precinct snapped to a dark black, leaving everyone surrounded in an endless pit of confusion.
Blue lightning flooded the building, whooshing and winding around every nook and cranny. "Zoom..." Barry murmured, his blood running cold. The lights flickered back on, and two bodies fell from the balcony outside the large office, landing in-between the two receptionists' desks. A deep red seeped through the cracks on the floor and trickled across the tiles.
Half of the force lowered their weapons, their faces turning white as they recognized the two people lying dead.
"It's Reverb and Deathstorm..." Detective West murmured, her brows furrowing together.
"Who?" Cisco asked, turning his head back.
"Deathstorm and Killer Frost work for Reverb, who works for Zoom," Lawton whispered, his gun shaking. Cisco and Barry shared a look.
Before anyone could move or approach the bodies, Zoom raced in, grabbing the scarlet speedster by the collar and vanishing from sight. Blinking rapidly, Cisco swirled around as everyone broke into a panic. "Barry!"