EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 ❜
chapter no. 018!
𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘓 𝘊𝘐𝘛𝘠, 𝘌𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘏-𝘛𝘞𝘖
SHADOWS OF FINGERS DANCED ON THE WALLS IN HUES OF ORANGE AND A DUSTY BROWN, ILLUMINATING ENOUGH LIGHT SO NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHERE TO STEP. Although the abandoned train station was pretty large, four holding cells took up most of the room, offering limited space available for equipment, a small bed, food, and a mannequin.
Lying on the floor next to old spare tires was a motionless body. Underfoot, hidden in the dim light, laid the remains of what used to be a small blanket. Besides the noise of a soft tapping, the room was a silent concrete box. It could be anywhere.
Above, the only light source was an old-fashioned bulb on a bare white wire, and its switch was nowhere to be seen. Sitting in each of the four cells was a captive, there for a different reason than their neighbor— one for leverage, one for waiting, one for keeping, and one for speed.
Jesse Quick was hanging limply from two chains, her brown hair tangled and dirty, framing her face messily. Underneath her fingernails was built-up dirt and dust, her cheeks covered in mud and faint bruises. In the cell to her right stood a woman in a smooth, red button-up trench coat that hugged her frame perfectly. There was a hood attached that covered her head. She had long scarlet-red curly hair that was brought to the left side of her head, black streaks running through it. She held tightly onto a black bow in her right hand while a sack of red arrows rested on her back.
In the cell on the woman's right was a man dressed in all black. He was wearing a silver mask on his head and tapping with a small rock on the glass walls. Across from the man lay Barry Allen, who was just now gaining consciousness.
Sitting up, the brown-haired man looked around. Turning his head in every direction, he noticed that he was confined in a cell and immediately stood up. Barry turned around, and his eyes landed on Jesse in the cell next to him. "Jesse? Jesse! Hey, I'm here with your dad. We're going to get you out of here."
Jesse smiled weakly, his words not bringing any sense of comfort to her.
Looking around, the speedster's eyes landed on the woman in red. Gasping, his eyes widened. "Piper? Oh, my God, you're okay."
Narrowing her dark hollow eyes that had once been painted a soft chocolate brown, she stepped forward, tightening the grip on her bow. "You're the breacher Ja—" Her words were cut short as her cell glowed blue, Zoom now towering over her.
Glowering at the speedster in front of her, she drew back her bow, a red arrow resting between the two. "What did I tell you," he growled, "about your loose lips?"
"Get away from her!" Barry yelled, slamming his fist against the glass wall, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the redhead.
Taking a step forward, Piper pressed the tip of her arrow to Zoom's chest. "Get out of my cell before I shoot your eyes out and feed them to you." Her words echoed in the lonely train station. Zoom tilted his head, knowing that he wasn't fast enough to deflect or dodge her arrows. Her threat wasn't empty. It was very much true and held promise.
Stepping back, he fazed through the cell and into Barry's, his overpowering figure looming over the man. "You shouldn't have come here, Flash." Zoom mused, his dark voice causing goosebumps to trail up Jesse's arms.
"Step away from him, Garrick," Piper shouted, releasing her arrow and watching as it penetrated through the glass effortlessly, striking the speedster directly in the back. Letting out a growl of pain, Zoom backed away, yanking out the arrow and throwing it to the ground. The man in the silver mask began tapping on his cell wall frantically. "I said step away!"
The speedster then sped out of the room, leaving the four captives alone. Glancing down to the arrow on the ground and then back up at Piper, Barry let out a breath he'd been holding. "How'd you do that? And why did you call Zoom Garrick? Jay Garrick is back on my Earth." Barry breathed, confused.
"He's on both Earths. He travels between the two. After the particle accelerator explosion, Jay Garrick became both the Flash and Zoom. The man is obsessed with the spotlight and will do anything to be loved and hated by everyone. He enjoys wreaking havoc and then pretending to be the savior." Piper spat darkly, her blood boiling, avoiding his other question.
Barry shook his head, frowning. The man that had come to his team telling them they were in danger, helped them take down meta-humans, taught Barry how to throw lightning, gave him advice, and was his friend, was the one behind it all. He'd been betrayed again. He'd been lied to again.
The scarlet archer watched as the man who was identical to the one she loved pieced everything together for himself.
"How do you know all of this? Why do you and the other Barry work for criminals?"
Jesse looked between the two, wishing that he hadn't asked.
A sick and twisted smile crept onto Piper's face. "Oh, there's so much you don't know. That you'll never know."
"How do you know all of this?" Barry repeated. "Piper, I need answers."
The sound of her name caused her face to darken, and she reached up to grab an arrow but stopped herself. "The name's Efficacy, doppelgänger. My husband, your counterpart, and I worked for Killer Frost and Deathstorm, who worked for Reverb and Zoom. A couple of months ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted more. More power. More control. So, we partnered up with the CCPD to discover the identity of Zoom. I pretended to date Linda Park, one of the only people who knew the face behind the mask. Finally, she told me after I'd gotten her to trust me. Right after she did, Zoom found out, took me, and then took her to Earth-One. I've been here ever since. Waiting for my husband."
"Worked? Waiting? Why work with the CCPD? Working with them would give you even less control of whatever it was you were planning." Barry pointed out, furrowing his brows.
Piper clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "You ask too many questions, handsome."
Jesse squeezed her eyes shut, counting to ten under her breath, trying to keep herself from losing it.
On the other side of Central City, confided in the golden walls of S.T.A.R. Labs, stood Harrison Wells and Cisco Ramon, their eyes locked on the TV.
"CCPN reports that Dr. Harrison Wells, the infamous founder of S.T.A.R. Labs who has uncharacteristically gone unseen for nearly four months, is a wanted man. These images and messages went up moments ago throughout Central City by Zoom." On the side of a building, the burning words being shown on the news were: 'Bring me, Wells.' Harry turned off the TV.
Henry, one of the employees, ran in, out of breath. "Have you seen channel fifty-two? You're not safe here, Dr. Wells. Zoom's looking for you."
Harry shook his head, and Cisco began packing their things, knowing that they were about to be on the move. "I know what he's doing. Alert security. Evacuate S.T.A.R. Labs. Lockdown the facility." Tossing the TV remote on a chair, Harry turned to Henry, who wore a worried-stricken face.
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me, Henry. Just get everyone out of here now. Now! Go!" Harry ordered, pointing to the door. Henry nodded quickly and left.
A sound came from behind Harry, causing the scientist to grab his bazooka and spin around, ready to fire. "Don't shoot!" Cisco yelled, pressing himself to the wall.
Sighing, he lowered the weapon. "Dammit, Ramon. I forgot you were here."
Cisco tossed the man a bag, breathing heavily. "Gee, thanks. Zoom didn't follow me from the precinct, so don't ask again. We need to find him. Now that he has Barry— Jesse and Piper's timetable just got smaller."
Harry groaned, slamming his bazooka on top of his desk.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" A voice called, and the two froze. "Okay, whoever's responsible for this, oh, ho— boy, we're gonna have words, the two of us, okay? This is... This is not okay."
Looking up, Cisco gave Harry a look. "Barry-two." The scientist walked around Cisco and out of the room, heading to what was one of the side rooms in the Cortex, back on Earth-One. Grabbing the rest of their things, the latter followed him quickly.
"Dr. Wells, this is really disappointing. I mean, the two of you should be ashamed of yourselves. You can't just lock someone in a room like this. How long have I been here?" Barry asked, rubbing his wrists that were previously handcuffed to a shelf.
Harry looked to Cisco, who shut the door behind him, shrugging. "Barely a day."
The brown-haired man gasped. "A day? Oh, jeez, Captain West's gonna be worried sick. She probably thinks that Zoom took me too." His face fell as his mind traveled to the thought of his wife. Harry walked out of the room, Cisco right behind him. Barry scrambled to catch up.
"Look, Barry-two, we know you're evil. We know that you worked for or with Killer Frost and Deathstorm. Possibly even Reverb. So, cut the act." Cisco replied, holding his hand out to stop the doppelgänger from getting any closer. The innocent and stressed look dropped from the man's face. A sick and twisted smile laced itself on his lips, and he chuckled. "What's so funny?"
Shrugging, Barry's smile grew wider. "You've only had me for barely a day, and that's all you've learned? Wow."
Before anyone could comment, the proximity alert alarms blared, all the monitors flashing bright red. Looking down at the computer in front of him, Harry gulped. "He's here. Let's go, come on."
The three men sprinted out of the room, and Harry ushered them into what was the time vault back on Earth-One. The door closed behind them, and they gathered in the farthest corner. Cisco and Barry stood behind the scientist, who had his bazooka aimed and ready to fire. Standing anxiously, the three glanced at one another.
A black hand covered in blue lightning reached through the wall, and Zoom walked in, turning slowly. His eyes landed on a bare wall, cardboard boxes scattered around.
Narrowing his eyes, he phased back through. Harry sighed and let go of the button he had pressed last minute, the fake wall disappearing. "We need to move. We need to find a different place to hide and make a plan."
"I have a way to find Zoom," Barry blurted, curling his hands into fists. The two men stopped walking. "My wife and I work for Killer Frost and Deathstorm. They're the only ones other than Reverb who knows where his hideout is."
Cisco turned around, glancing at Harry. "Zoom killed Deathstorm and Reverb last night. We don't know if Killer Frost is still alive or not."
"She is. Zoom wouldn't kill her. She's the only meta that's ever obeyed every order he's given. If what you're saying about Deathstorm being dead is true, then I'm pretty sure I can use that to get her to take us to the hideout." Barry replied, clearing his throat.
Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "If she knows where his hideout is, then how come you haven't used her to rescue your wife?"
It was silent as Barry averted his eyes. "I've tried, but she nearly killed me every time I asked. They would have killed me instantly if I had even bothered to ask Reverb or Deathstorm."
Cisco eyed him before turning to Harry. "I believe him."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. Take us to her. I won't hesitate to kill you if this is a trap."
────
TAP, TAP.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
Drawing back her bow, Piper aimed her arrow for the spot on the ground next to the masked man's leg. Releasing the arrow, it penetrated through her cell wall and into his, landing next to his leg. Jumping, startled, the man turned his head and glared at her through the silver helmet.
"Tap that damn glass wall one more time, and I'll aim for your heart," she snapped, lowering the bow.
From across the station, Barry watched the redhead carefully. She was different from his Piper. Very different. Everything about her demeanor and presence was the exact opposite of what he was used to. Sure, she looked the same, minus the hair, but her voice, attitude, and eyes were completely different. The sound of her voice was deeper, and she seemed to be filled with a darkness that also clouded her eyes.
"I think he was trying to talk to us," Barry spoke hesitantly. Jesse and Piper looked over at him, raising their brows. "In some sort of code. It's not Morse."
Jesse frowned, "Barry, no, he isn't. There's no pattern."
"I know he's trying to tell us something," Barry stated, and the masked man tapped on the wall. Piper pulled back her bow, ready to fulfill her promise but was stopped. "Piper, don't do it! We need to figure out what he's saying."
The redhead turned her head and glowered at the brown-haired man. "The name is Efficacy, and if you don't want to be shot too, I suggest you shut the hell up. He isn't saying anything. Jesse's right: there's no pattern. He's just tapping." Piper groaned, lowering the bow and retracting the arrow.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
"You know, your dad, who I'm pretty sure is one of the smartest people to live on either of our Earths, told me the only person smarter than him was you," Barry stated, looking over to Jesse.
She turned her head slightly, raising her brows in mild disbelief. "He said that?"
Barry nodded and stepped forward, coming closer to his cell wall. "If that's true, we work together, all of us— I know we can figure this out. Worth a shot?" Jesse looked over to Piper, who was glaring at the masked man. Nodding, she glanced back over to Barry.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
"Well," Jesse started, "he never goes past five."
Piper looked up and furrowed her brows, "What?"
"He never goes past five knocks without pausing. Right? Listen." Everybody turned their attention to the masked man who was leaning against the glass wall, his fist up.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap, Tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Barry stood up from the ground, furrowing his brows. "Hey, you're right. I think— I think I know what that is. It's a five-by-five tap code used by P.O.W.s."
Jesse frowned. "That would only get us to twenty-five letters, and there's twenty-six in the alphabet."
Piper shook her head. "Not necessarily. Not if you combine 'C' and 'K.'" Barry couldn't help but look over at the redhead and smile. Although she wasn't his Piper, he couldn't help but still be happy around her.
Jesse drew the alphabet out on the ground with her finger and looked up. "Ready."
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
"Two down, four across," Barry noted.
Jesse looked down at the alphabet, "I."
Tap.
Tap.
"One and one, so, A."
Tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
"Three down, two across," Piper commented.
Jesse looked down again, "M."
The brown-haired man glanced at the two girls, frowning. "I am... Okay, keep going," he called to the masked man.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
"Two down, five across."
"It's J."
Tap.
Tap.
"One and one again, so, A."
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
"Five down, four across."
"It's Y. Wait, Jay? As in Jay Garrick?" Jesse looked up as the man nodded.
Piper narrowed her eyes, turning her head to look at the man. "If you're Jay Garrick... Zoom stole your identity, didn't he?" she asked, and before he could confirm or deny her assumption, Zoom returned.
Grabbing Jay, he slammed him into one of the glass walls, keeping him in a chokehold. "Maybe this time, you'll listen when I tell you to keep your mouth shut." He growled and vibrated his hand, shoving it straight through Jay's chest and ripping out his heart.
"No!" Jesse screamed, standing up from the ground and pressing her hands against her cell, tears running down her cheeks.
Zoom dropped Jay's body to the ground and his heart before phasing into Barry's cell. "Try something like that again, and I will kill both Pipers next. Maybe I'll just kill her," he gestured to the scarlet archer, "and keep your Piper somewhere safe. Somewhere you will never find her."
Barry scowled, his chest heaving up and down as he boiled with rage. "Touch either of them, and I will kill you." He seethed, and the speedster tilted his head, chuckling darkly.
"No, you won't. The Flash doesn't kill." Narrowing his eyes, Barry stepped forward, but Zoom threw a punch, sending him to the ground. Pulling his foot back, he kicked Barry before throwing punches like rapid fire. Piper quickly drew her bow, but Zoom raced out of the station right as the sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Barry? Barry! Are you okay?" Jesse called, and the redhead sighed, watching as the brown-haired man struggled to stand up. Grunting, he nodded slowly.
Multiple sets of footsteps raced in, and Piper turned her head to see Harrison Wells, a boy with long hair that she didn't recognize, Killer Frost, and her husband tumble in.
"Cisco," Barry gasped, trying his best to stand up.
"Dude, we made it," Cisco said, chuckling softly.
"How did you find this place?" the speedster asked, placing his hands against the glass to steady himself.
"Had some help." Turning his head, Barry saw Killer Frost and his counterpart standing there.
Gasping, the other Barry ran to his wife's cell, placing his hand against it as tears sprung to his eyes. "Oh, my God, Piper. You're alive," he breathed, and she pressed her palm to the same spot he was, giving him a watery smile. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Barry and Cisco looked over at the two, and the brown-haired man frowned. The way the two looked at each other was something he yearned for. A glow in both of their eyes lit up their faces, the corners of their lips twitching as they looked at each other like they were the only people in the world. Cisco glanced at his friend and noticed the look on his face.
"Hey, you should finally tell her how you feel when we get home. Who knows, maybe you guys will end up like that too. All in love and everything, even though you already are." Cisco commented, and the latter nodded slowly.
"Out of my way." Harry breathed, pushing past Killer Frost and rushing toward Jesse. Everyone watched as Jesse smiled, her shoulders dropping as her father approached her. Looking around, he saw a small button at the top of the glass cell and pressed it. The walls disappeared, and he grabbed his daughter, holding her tightly. One of her arms was chained to the ground, but she wrapped the other one around his neck, crying.
"I'm here. I'm here."
Cisco and Barry shared a triumphant smile. They did it. They rescued Jesse and Piper.
Following what the scientist did, the other Barry pressed the silver button. As soon as the cell had disappeared, Piper wrapped her arms around him, tossing her bow to the ground. Holding onto her tightly, Barry kissed the side of her head. They rested in each other's arms comfortably before pulling apart. Cupping his cheeks, Piper kissed him roughly.
"And you can kiss her too when we get back," Cisco added as he pressed the silver button. Barry rolled his eyes.
Looking toward Harry and Jesse, the speedster saw the scientist struggling to get the chain off his daughter. Harry turned his head towards Killer Frost. "Frost? A little help?"
The cold-blooded meta shook her head, crossing her arms. "Not part of the deal."
"Frost!" Harry yelled.
"Hey, hey, hey," Cisco jumped in, "bringing us up here wasn't part of the deal, either, but here you are. Something tells me you're not as cold as I thought you were."
Killer Frost narrowed her eyes, her heels clicking as she walked forward. "Maybe, maybe not." Stopping in front of Jesse, she grabbed the chain and squeezed it, turning it to ice, and it crumbled in her hands. Jesse looked at her, surprised as the woman walked away, wiping her hands clean.
"We're running out of time. Come on. Let's go." Harry nodded, and everyone started moving forward. The room flooded blue, and Zoom stood solemnly in front of the group, causing them to freeze.
Harry pulled out his bazooka while Cisco and the other Barry held out their guns. "You aren't going anywhere, Dr. Wells, and neither are any of you." The speedster growled. "Thank you for bringing them to me." Killer Frost nodded.
Cisco gasped as the grip on his gun tightened. "You double-crossed us? He killed Ronnie!"
Piper grabbed her bow off the ground, narrowing her gaze.
"Guess my heart is as cold as you thought after all," Killer Frost mused, and the boy gasped again.
"I can't believe you! Just so you know, you would be very disappointed in you right now." Cisco remarked, referring to her Earth-One counterpart.
The scarlet speedster walked forward, tossing his glasses to the ground. "Zoom. Let them go."
Harry joined his side. "All you need is Barry and me."
Jesse looked to Piper, standing close to her husband, watching vigilantly.
"You're right. I may not be able to kill you yet, but I can kill them." Zoom taunted, and Cisco moved in front of Jesse, shielding her. Piper quickly drew back her bow and fired without hesitation, striking the monster in the chest. Pulling out two more arrows, she fired them at both of his legs.
Screaming, he fell to the ground, his blue lightning fading due to the drug her arrows were laced in.
Everyone turned around to look at her, wide-eyed.
Cisco gaped. "Oh, my God. You're like, the hotter version of the Green Arrow."
The scarlet archer rolled her eyes before shooting Killer Frost in the shoulder, causing her to fall and pass out. Lowering her bow, she took off her hood. "Consider us even. Now, go back to your Earth before I change my mind and kill you myself."
Harry grabbed Jesse and ran out; Cisco smiled at her before following after them. Barry stayed behind for a second, his eyes locked on her. "Thank you. For that."
Piper nodded.
"Thank you as well, Barry. Without you, we wouldn't have found Jesse or Piper in time." Barry told his doppelgänger, who responded with a nod too.
"Barry, let's go!"