"Barry Allen-" I ran after Barry in our loft.
He ran, sliding into the kitchen, a smile on his lips as he said my name, "Zee Allen."
"I'm gonna kill you-" I came in front of him, almost slipping due to the socks on my feet.
"If you're fast enough-" Barry grins, "I'm not even using my speed and you're too slow."
"You're a giant! I can't keep up with you-" I jump, trying to grab the case files he had stolen from me, raising them above his head, "Barry- give them back, I have to get those done-"
Barry laughs, "I told you I'd help you do them later."
I jump once more, my underwear being revealed with every jump due to only wearing Barry's sweatshirt, "Barry!"
The minute I jump again, he wraps his arm around me and holds me up, walking over to the dinner table, putting the case down, holding onto me with both arms now.
"Barry-" I drag his name, kicking my legs, "Let me go-"
"Nope-" He grabs my legs and holds onto me, smiling at me, "It's cute that you think you can fight me off."
"I kicked your ass yesterday. I don't wanna hear it-" I point at him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Barry pecks my lips, "You're right. I'm proud that my wife is a complete badass."
I shook my head, "Nah."
Barry presses his lips into mine, smiling into the kiss.
My hand grips onto his hair lightly, as he carries me up to our bedroom, letting out a small groan into the kiss.
I pull away lightly, "You're lucky that Nora's staying with Cecile or-"
"Shhh-" He silences me, falling onto the bed, climbing on top of me.
-
I was seated in the middle of the hall that lead to the cortex, dressed in an oversized black sweater which was slightly tucked into my ripped blue jeans, my hair straight, black heeled ankles boots on my feet, exhaustion filled in every movement.
I spoke on the phone, "Well, it's interesting that you say that, sir, since it's your company that's denying the Robertson family's claim."
He scoffs, "Do you have the contract right in front of you?"
I scoff in disbelief, "Yes, of course, I have the contract right in front of me-"
The sound of Barry's small scream fills my ears as runs in after running as fast as he could, holding the contract, and an iced coffee, jerking to a stop, stomping on the ground to kill the sparking between his feet.
He hands me the contract, letting out a breath, "And it says that animal attacks do not fall under Acts of God, and that includes gorillas. I'm sure the Citizen is looking forward to your statement."
I hung up, placing my phone in my pocket, "Your shoes were on fireee-"
"That's a strange way to greet someone." Barry grabs my hand, pulling me up.
I shot him a look, "I saw you two minutes ago-"
"Yes-" Barry held up the coffee, "For you-"
I dramatically gasp, putting a hand over my heart, "You got me a coffee?"
"Have you seen the bags under your eyes? You need it." Barry jokes, giving me an innocent smile.
I gasp playfully, hitting his arm lightly, wrapping my arms around his neck, "Considering you're the reason we're both tired-"
"Oh yeah?" Barry wraps his arms around me and keeps a hold on my coffee, "I actually really like the reason we're always up-"
"Oh yeah?" I laugh quietly, as he gives me a nod, connecting our lips together.
I held his face, Barry pulling me close and pressing me up against the wall.
The sound of Cisco's voice breaks us apart, our eyes watching him as he walked past us and into the cortex, holding his palms out to shield himself from us, "Oh god- no- no-"
I call out, "Sorry, Cisco!"
Barry kisses my head, "Are you ready to do this thing now?"
"Are you?" I looked at him.
"Hell yeah, we just got to find Nora." Barry breaks out into a smile, "It's her big day after all. You don't think she's too busy, do you?"
I shrug, starting to walk into the cortex with Barry, my eyebrows furrowing at the sight.
Nora slaps her palms against the desk, "Okay, people, think!"
Barry and I exchange looks, as we slowly approach them, Nora continuing, "We haven't seen Cicada since the rooftop fight, which means the only way to track him down is to figure out who his next meta-human target's gonna be."
"Have we double checked every bank robbery, every lab break-in?" Nora looks around to everyone.
"Yes, yes!" Sherloque huffs deeply, "We have looked at all of that, all right? And all the criminals that are in custody are simply mere mortals."
"What about the ones on the street?" Nora continued.
Caitlin speaks up, "Frost says that no new metas have shown up since Norvock went into witsec."
"Hey- honey-" I walk behind Nora, "I'm here- I can take it from here-"
"Yup-" Cisco points at me, "That's our Team Leader-"
"No, Mom-" Nora declines, "I got this."
My mouth drops, as I close it, looking at Barry who stood on Nora's other side.
"Are the satellites tracking for dark matter or meta-gene bursts or Element X?" Nora questions.
"Yes, yes, and yes." Cisco drags out, "They're scanning for everything."
Cisco looks at Barry and I, pressing his palms together, "Congratulations, you raised a menace."
"Your daughter, so energetic." Sherloque adds, being irritated with it also.
Barry scoffs in surprise, "This is pretty impressive."
Barry clears his throat after looking at the looks they were shooting us, "Um, and I know with the cure working, we're all ready to put Cicada to rest, but I'm sure he'll resurface soon."
"And then you're going to give him the chance to take the meta-human cure?" Nora looks at him.
"Yes, exactly." Barry nods, "Even Dwyer deserves a choice, we just got to convince him to do the right thing."
"Are you ready?" Nora asks, "This is gonna be one of the biggest challenges of your career as a hero. Do you know what you're going to say?"
"Oh, yeah- you know, yeah." Barry nods, "I've- I've got some loose thoughts."
"Oh, great. Well, that instills all of us with confidence, right? Loose thoughts?" Sherloque gestures, "What are you going to say? Hey, most bloodthirsty enemy! Stop."
I let out a laugh, covering my mouth instantly, Barry shooting me a look.
I clear my throat quickly, reasoning, "Guys, it worked for Marlize. Maybe not so much for Savitar, but-"
"I will figure out what to say to him, all right?" Barry stops me, "I got this."
"In the moment- it'll come to him." I nod.
"I know." Nora nods, "Which is why we need to try everything to try and find him. Okay? Maybe we should go on patrol?"
"Patrol, you say?" Cisco repeats.
Sherloque continues, "What this is, World War II?"
Barry looks at me, signaling for me to try and get Nora to leave.
I grab my phone, acting as if someone was calling me, stepping away from Nora, "Hello? Oh hey Captain- what? Oh no- yeah, I'll get there as soon as I can- back up? I'll figure it out- okay- yeah-"
I pull the phone away from my ear, and looking at my black screen, "Oh- man, it's on Cisco's app too- Wow, this is crazy."
"What, Mom?" Nora looks at me.
"There is something nuts going on at Jitters." I looked at her, "It looks- pretty serious-"
"Do you think it's a meta-human?" Nora questions.
I nod, Nora looking at Barry, "We should check it out."
Barry nods, looking at her, Nora not moving, Barry mimicking a movement where he starts to run, "Go!"
"I'm- oh!" Nora runs off.
Barry and I let out huffs, Cisco and Sherloque pointing at us.
"You two did this." Sherloque gestures towards us.
Cisco points at the both of us, "You made her."
"You are responsible." Sherloque finishes, walking out of the cortex along with everyone else.
Barry covers his face in her hands, as I walked over to him, hiding my face into his back.
-
"Okay, I thought something big was supposed to be going on down here." Nora looks at me, Barry getting Nora's coffee from the counter.
"Well- Barry and I think It's pretty big." I shrug, leaning back in my seats, playing with the sleeve of Barry's jacket that I wore.
"Feast your eyes on the newest addition to the Jitters menu-" Barry began trailing off, placing the coffee down, taking a seat next to me, uncovering it.
I clap, "The XS-presso."
Nora squeaks, "I got my own drink!"
"Pretty cool, right?" I laugh softly at her reaction.
Barry smiles, "Think of what could be next- an XS action figure? XS Day?"
"Guys, you are embarrassing me." Nora sips the drink, setting it down, smiling.
"We're just really excited." I admit, "More than I'd care to admit, but- we just haven't done a lot of things yet-"
Barry looks at me, grabbing out his phone, "Did you put karaoke on the list like I asked?"
"Barry- I think you're the only one out of all of us that can sing-" I told him, "Unless- Nora is hiding that talent-"
"You have a great voice- you just don't like to make it known." Barry nudges me, pulling up the list on his phone.
"Let me see this-" Nora took Barry's phone, "Okay, there are so many things on this list."
Barry shrugs lightly, "Well, I mean, we've got time."
My phone vibrates as I slipped it out of my pocket and looked at the alert on my phone.
Nora looks at me, "Okay, is that a real alert or another fake one?"
"No, this one's real." I looked up at them, "M-20 at CCU, Chemistry Department."
"A meta attack." Nora says.
Barry nods, getting up, "Yeah, let's go-"
-
"Nora- slow down." I told her after they had gotten back, "Say that again."
Nora explains, "There's a photo, it's in The Flash museum, of Flash and Cicada the last time they were ever seen confronting each other in public, and in the photo, by Flash's feet, the exact same burn mark left by the meta that we just fought."
"This acid meta was at their final confrontation?" Caitlin questions.
Cisco looks up, "He must be Cicada's final target."
"His final target before I vanish and he starts killing again." Barry crosses his arms.
"Why is Nora just telling us about this crucial meta now?" Sherloque looks at her suspiciously.
"Because a lot of the stuff from my timeline is unreliable." Nora quickly said, "You know, uh, different metas, different victims, different circumstances."
Caitlin stares at her, "But this time, everything's exactly the same."
"So far." Nora nods, "If Cicada goes after this acid meta, that means that today's the last day we're going to confront him."
"And our last chance to stop him." I sigh deeply, my hands on my hips.
Barry presses his palms together, "Yeah, all right, well, then, I gotta figure out exactly what I'm gonna say to him."
"You'll find the words, Dad." Nora smiles, "I'll help you."
"And I am going to start working on facial rec for this Acid Master." Cisco backs away, pointing at us, "Yup, that's what I'm going with. Always trust your gut, kids."
Caitlin looks at Barry, "And we'll figure out a way for you to talk to Cicada without him killing you."
Sherloque looks at me, "Well if it all works out, then looks like today could be the end of our journey."
"Yeah." I swallow, then run after Nora when she leaves the room, "Nora!"
She turns, "Oh, hey, Mom."
I stop in front of her, "I guess you might be going home tomorrow."
"Yeah, I guess so." Nora nods, "Um, mission accomplished."
"I can bring you guys some coffee later-" I offer, "You guys could use a coffee break."
"Yeah- that'd be great." Nora nods.
I go silent, looking down at my feet, knowing that we would never be able to finish that list after today.
"Actually-" Nora looks at me, "I have something for you."
"What?" I look up at her.
She runs off, then runs back, handing me some sort of flash drive, "Play this in the time vault."
"Uh- what is this?" I stare at the white device, looking up at her.
"It's a video- or well two." Nora told me, "You never got to see it in the future- and when I found them- I downloaded them on here. I want you to watch them."
I nod weakly, "Uh- okay? Yeah- okay."
"I just, uh, thought of something that's going to help Dad. I-I got to go." Nora runs off, leaving me alone in the hall.
-
I stood in the Time Vault, playing the first video of the drive.
The video flashes in front of me, my eyes landing on Barry. He was ducking, looking around, the sound of destruction in the background.
My eyes widen, my mind putting two and two together, already knowing what this video was.
"Nora, I don't have much time." Barry breathes, booming in the background, "If you're watching this, it means you're like me. You have powers."
Tears stung in my eyes instantly as I continued to watch, "It also means I wasn't there to help you learn how to use them. I wasn't there for a lot of things."
"Remember, my sweet Nora, always remember, I love you." Barry breathes heavily, "I always will."
The video switches, Barry in the same setting, covering himself, booming and distant shouts in the background.
"Zee-" Barry held onto the device he was recording on, "I am so sorry."
I step back, hugging myself as I stared at my husband on the screen, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Why was he apologizing? He couldn't change fate. It wasn't his fault. He didn't need to apologize to me, present or future.
"I know what you're thinking- that I don't need to apologize to you." He said, as it felt like he was staring right into my soul, his voice starting to crack, "But, I do- I need to- because I promised you that I would come back to you- that I'd come home to you- but- I don't think I will this time."
My breathing became uneven, my eyes stinging hard, brimming with tears again.
"I love you- I love you so much." Barry had tears in his eyes, "And the thought of leaving you- alone- especially with Nora so young- it's killing me inside. But- stay strong for me. Raise Nora. I'm always going to be with you- through it all, in your heart. Remember that- I- I love you-"
The video cuts out, the screen turning black.
I gasp, covering my mouth, trying to hold back sobs.
I turn, ready to run out of the Time Vault, my eyes widening, my mouth dropping, stopping in tracks, Cisco Ramon in front of me.
His eyes slowly trailed from the screen, to me, pure sympathy shining in his eyes.
I broke, a sob leaving my lips, the pain in my chest increasing.
He engulfs me into his embrace, rubbing my back as I cried it all out.
-
"Nora." Barry sighs, "Amunet, Plastique, the list goes on and on. Nora, all- all of these times are are different. Cicada doesn't even care if he lives when this is over. What am I supposed to say that he'll care about?"
"You'll know." Nora told him, "The Flash always knows."
I walked into the Speed Lab, holding two coffees for Nora and Barry, a weak smile on my lips, correcting her, "Barry Allen always knows."
Barry turns towards me, a smile on his lips, "Hey-"
"Coffee break?" I hand him and Nora their coffees, "I picked these up-"
Barry stops me, his eyebrows furrowing, his eyes scanning over my face, "Are you okay?"
I looked at him, "I-"
"You look like you've been crying." Barry puts down his coffee, concern threaded in his tone.
Nora slowly nods at me, signaling I needed to talk to him, then leaves the room after speaking, "Thanks for the coffee, Mom-"
"I'm okay." I weakly told him, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Zee-" Barry grabs my face, making me look at him.
I jaw clenched hard as I tried my best to keep my tears back, but of course to my luck, my eyes stung with tears instantly.
His expression goes soft, "Zee-"
"I'm okay." I force a smile, holding his wrists, "I'm fine."
"Zee- you're not-" He began to argue.
He's cut off by Caitlin's voice on the comms, "Zee, Barry, we need you in the cortex, now."
I pull away from Barry instantly, turning, walking down the hall, wiping the tears in my eyes.
-
"We good?" Killer Frost questions through the comms.
Our plan was to have Killer Frost pretend to be Philip Master, Cicada to take the bait, bring Philip to safety, then have Barry talk to Cicada.
"Yes, Philip Master is secure in the pipeline." I told her, swallowing hard.
"Wait, Acid Master's real name is Philip Master?" Cisco looks down at me.
"Yeah." I barely laugh, as we did our handshake, one that was just high giving, followed by a snap.
"This is it." Nora says, "Just like in the photo. The last confrontation between Flash and Cicada."
"Oh, what's the matter? You don't have one of these?" Killer Frost mocks, then opens a breach, "Bye-bye."
Killer Frost breaches into the cortex, Barry's voice following, "Cicada!"
"How long does he have?" Nora questions.
"He has to hold that dagger for 60 seconds, maybe less." Killer Frost looks at us, "Flash better figure out what he's going to say fast."
"He will." Nora hopefully said, "I know he will."
"I don't want to fight." Barry said, "We have a cure."
Cicada's voice came in through the comms, "What are you talking about?"
"We have a way to cure meta-humans." Barry told him, "We have a way to take their powers away. We want you to take it."
"And why would I agree to do that?" Cicada spat at him.
Barry sighs, "Your legacy. I know how this ends. You keep killing, and you're remembered as a monster, not a hero. But we can change that together, you can have a different legacy. You just have to choose it."
The sound of grunting and glass shattering fills the comms, followed by groaning and coughs.
Cicada's voice was clear through the line, "I don't give a damn about my legacy."
Killer Frost breaches back over quickly to help Barry, Nora looking at all of us, "That was it. That was our last chance."
-
"We ran citywide facial recognition scans and scanned for dark matter signals from Cicada's dagger." Caitlin said from her desk, as we all stood in the cortex in defeat.
"That was our last shot at confronting Cicada." Barry says from next to me.
"We don't know that." I swallow, barely glancing at him, "We're changing the timeline. That photo that Nora saw at the Flash museum, it could be different now."
Caitlin agreed with me, "Maybe it doesn't even exist."
Sherloque stares at Nora, "After all the timeline is malleable."
Nora sighs, "I just don't understand why our plan didn't work."
"Yeah, you guys did everything right." Barry took the blame, "The only reason it didn't work is because I couldn't convince him."
"Dad," Nora looks at him, "You're the Flash. When the Flash speaks honestly from his heart, people listen."
I lean over, my elbows resting on my desk, my hands folded, leaning against my chin, staring at nothing, my voice low, "Well, maybe he wasn't speaking from his heart."
Barry clears his throat, "Let's keep searching. I'm gonna check the Cicada files at CCPD. See if I missed anything."
Barry runs out, Nora starting leave, my eyes landing on her, "Nora."
"We just- we just need to create another window of opportunity, okay?" Nora huffs, "Dad couldn't convince Cicada to take the cure. He just- he just needs to find the right words."
-
[ barry's pov ]
"Bare." Joe walks into my Lab, my head snapping up, "What are you doing here so late?"
"We hit a wall at Star Labs tracking Cicada." I told him, "Thought a change of scenery would help, but-"
"Keep your head up, man." Joe came over to me, "We'll find him. We always do."
"Honestly, I'm more worried about what happens when we do." I told him, "Our whole plan depends on me being able to convince Dwyer to just take the cure. The last time I tried- I don't think I've ever struck out so hard."
"Wow, that's saying a lot considering your track record at the plate." Joe spoke, looking at me.
"I don't know-" I huff, covering my face, then running my hands through my hair stressfully, "Zee was upset and she didn't tell me about it- and I mean, I went right for Cicada. I couldn't think straight- and I screwed up."
"That's what love does to you." Joe chuckles lightly.
"It's like- when she's off- I'm off, and vice versa." I cross my arms.
Joe looks at me, "Wait, what exactly did you say to him?"
I sigh, "That he was creating a legacy of fear, one that would go down in history, but that we could work together to change that."
Joe chuckles once more, "That sounds like something the Flash would say."
"Well, I am the Flash." I shrug.
"Look, that man's a zealot." Joe spoke, "He sees you in that suit and all he sees is the thing he hates. Meta-human, superpowers, the thing that took his niece away from him. He can't see past the Flash, but what he doesn't know- there's a whole lot more to you than that. Be more Barry Allen. Human."
"Yeah, you're right." I nod, "Thanks, I'm gonna dive back in. I'll let you get back to running down Ambres."
"Actually, me and Cecile ran into a wall ourselves." Joe mentions, "We are uh, she- like, working together. I mean, ever since she got her powers, it's like she's a human lie detector."
I softly laugh, "How is that a bad thing?"
"You know I've always prided myself on being able to read people, right?" He says, "But Cecile and these powers, I mean, she puts me to shame."
"Well, you just got to remember that you guys are a team." I gave him advice, "That makes her strengths your strengths and yours hers. So, if you let her do what she's great at, it's only going to create more room for you to do more of what you're great at too, right?"
He smiles, "Well, damn. You're getting real good at these pep talks, Bare."
"Well, I had a pretty good teacher." I smiled at him.
The sound of footsteps approaching my Lab fills the room, Zee walking in, tears streaming down her cheeks, my eyes widening at what she had just walked into, jerking to a stop, her mouth slightly dropping, not knowing what to say.
Even if seeing her upset made my heart broke, I still wondered how she still looked stunning while crying.
"What's wrong, pumpkin?" Joe walks over to her, my eyes glued to her, as I got up instantly.
"I-" She looks at him, "I need to talk to Barry."
"All right." He gave her a hug, kissing her head, then leaving the room.
"Zee-" I walked over to her, pulling her into my embrace, "What happened?"
"Nothing- I-" She sniffles, pulling away after a few seconds, "I just- need to tell you something."
"What? I'm listening." I lean against my desk, holding her hands.
"Nora- she-" Zee sighs deeply, "She gave me a drive- that had two videos on it. Two videos you recorded- right before you- died- in the future-"
I don't let her finish, pulling her into my embrace once more, holding onto her as tight as I could.
I stare at the ground, her sobs muffled in my chest, as I rubbed her back.
"I'm right here." I whisper, kissing her head, burying my face into her soft hair, "I'm here."
She sniffles, her sobs quieting down after a few minutes, her grip remaining tight on me.
I run her back, "I know- it must've hurt watching those videos. But- you need to focus on right now. How- I'm here, holding you. How we go home together every day- how we kick ass together."
She looks up at me, wiping her tears with her sleeve, sniffling, giving me a weak laugh, "You just ruined that with that last part-"
"I was trying to get you to laugh." I gently smile, placing a hand behind her head, "How I can do this-"
I lean in, softly pressing my lips into hers.
I pull away, the smile remaining on my lips, "I'm here. I'm with you."
"I love you." She bit her lip to hold back more tears, "I love you so much."
"I love you." I smile, holding her face.
"I don't deserve you at all." She admired, sniffling, "No matter how many times I say I love you- it wouldn't be enough."
I grab her hand, placing it over my heart, "But- whenever you say it, either way- no matter how many times- my heart beat always races."
"Because that's supposed to be like that, you loser-" Zee closes her eyes, letting out another laugh, the tears in her eyes slipping, "You're a speedster, your heart beat is supposed to be faster than a normal human's."
"I was trying to be cute." I told her, grabbing her face, wiping her tears, a soft smile on my lips.
She smiles, "You don't have to try."
My phone buzzes, Zee grabbing it for me, "Joe needs us-"
"Wait-" I stop her from going anywhere, "Are you okay now?"
She nods, giving me her best smile, starting to pull me along.
I grab my jacket, slipping it down, following her downstairs, holding her hand, walking over to Joe, "Yo, yo. I got your text."
Zee looks at Joe, "You talked to Ambres?"
"Cecile and I together got through to her." Joe told us, "She's going to show us where to find Dwyer."
"Joe, that's amazing." I smile.
"Yeah, Ambres told us something else. Dwyer's niece, Grace?" Joe looks at the both of us, "She's a meta."
-
[ zee's pov ]
"Hey." Nora's voice fills my ears, as she sat next to me in the Lounge, "Dad's back."
"I know." I swallow the sip of my martini, "I came with him."
"So- you know how Papa Joe's got news about Dwyer?" Nora questions.
"Yeah." I shortly say, setting down the glass.
"Mom- I'm sorry." Nora blurts out, "I didn't know you'd react- that way- well I had a feeling you would- but not that- intense? I just- felt like you needed to see them because you never knew about them in the future and-"
"Nora, it's okay." I looked at her, "You don't need to apologize."
"You know, I had a list too." Nora quietly mentions, "Your wedding, Auntie Jenna's baby shower, Jitters, The Enlightenment."
"Those were all the moments in time you wanted to go back and see us?" I question.
"Yeah, so I could have memories and experiences with all of you." Nora told me, "I've realized that I was so focused on making sure Flash beat Cicada, I forgot what I was supposed to really be focused on. You and Dad."
I stare at her as she continued, "You're the reason I came back to this time, not fighting big bads or getting my own XS-presso. So that I could spend time with my parents. My family."
"Nora-" I sigh.
She stops me, "I don't know how much time we have left together or how much of your list we're going to get done, but from now on, every moment we have left, we're going to make it a memorable one. I promise."
"Okay." I weakly smile, as she gives me a hug.
I pull away, "So- do you have a secret singing talent you're hiding from me?"
Nora laughs, Barry walking in, a smile on his face, leaning into the counter next to me, "Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt."
"It's fine." Nora smiles, "We were just talking about your list."
"Any leads on Dwyer?" I looked at Barry.
"We have a location." Barry told us, "I'm going to head there any minute."
I fold my hands, "Does Barry know what he's going to say this time?"
He nods, adding to what I've been hinting to all day, "I'm just gonna talk to him, father to father."
Nora smiles, "That's a really good idea, Dad."
-
"Dr. Ambres told us where to find you." Barry's voice came through the comms, "I just want to talk."
"There's no more talking." Cicada snaps, "Every time one of you metas comes near the rest of us, good people get hurt. This is what you all deserve."
Barry sighs, then shot right back, "Does that include Grace?"
Silence follows, Barry speaking, "Ambres hasn't told you."
"Grace, she's a meta." Barry told him, "The night the satellite crashed, she was hit with a piece of shrapnel inflected with dark matter. That's that's why she's in a coma, and now it's changing her."
"That's a lie." Cicada snips.
"And that's why Ambres told us where to find you." Barry spoke, "She's afraid. She's afraid you're going to do the one thing you can't come back from."
The sound of Cicada roaring, followed by Barry speaking filled the line, "I know how much you care about Grace. You're trying to make the world a better place for her. She didn't choose to be a meta, but she is. Does that mean she deserves to die?"
"No." Cicada said, "I would never hurt Grace."
"Then you'd let her grow up in a world of fear." Barry says, "Where there's someone out there hurting people like her. The cure, it will heal Grace and you."
Cicada exhales, "And why should I believe you, Flash?"
The sound of rustling follows, "Because I'm a father too. My daughter, I love her more than I ever thought possible. I would do anything to make the world a better place for her. And I think you would too. So- do it."
-
Barry runs in with Cicada, the both of them unmasked, "We made an arrangement. We cure him and then Grace."
I stay completely silent, even if I wanted to say something about him revealing his identity.
"Why are we here and not at a hospital?" Cicada questions.
"We have to be sure that the cure is successful." Barry told him.
"We created it." Cisco spoke up, "We're the ones who know how it works."
Caitlin stares at him, "Once administered, the cure will take 60 seconds to eliminate the meta-human powers in your system. That means the wound in your chest will then open. You'll need me to suture it shut so you don't bleed out."
Cicada looks at us, "Why not Doc Ambres?"
I step up, "She's being held for questioning."
"No, it's Ambres, or we're done." Cicada instantly denied.
"All right, we'll get her." Barry agreed with his bargain.
"If anything goes wrong, or if you're lying to me, I'll kill every last one of you." Cicada stared at Barry dead in the eye, then points at me with his dagger, "Starting with her."
-
Caitlin and Dr. Ambres were in the Med Lab, Cicada laying on the bed, ready for the operation.
Barry, Cecile, Joe and I stood behind the glass watching.
"That rage of his, it's-" Cecile lets out a shaky breath, "Joe, I can't. Are you going to stay?"
"Uh, yeah, just in case." Joe nods, giving her a kiss, "All right, babe. Good job today."
"You too. Partner." She smiles then leaves the room.
Barry sighs, "We never could have done this without you guys."
"Well, I'm glad it worked out, but when this is over, he's going to jail, for a long time." Joe says, as we watched.
Cisco walks in, handing Caitlin the cure. They discussed amongst themselves for a few seconds, before using the gas mask to put Cicada to sleep, injecting the cure into him.
"Here we go-" I whisper, Barry grabbing my hand.
Cicada starts to shake, a minute going by, Cicada's dagger going dead, his dagger no longer lit.
"My powers are back." Barry looks at me, phasing his hand.
My eyes went crystal white, looking at him, "Mine too. Dwyer's powers are gone."
The lights start to flicker after a while, during the procedure, my head snapping towards Barry, "What happened to the power?"
"I have no idea." Barry told me honestly, looking around.
Suddenly, the alarm starts blaring, Barry looking at me, "Where's that coming from?"
"Cisco!" Joe shouts.
Cisco turns on the comms, "Hold on!"
I run into the Med Lab, Barry calling out to me, "Zee-"
"I can't see anything-" Ambres spoke, referring to the operation.
My eyes turn crystal white, as I used my white flame that lit in my hand to shine light over the operation so they could see.
"Cisco, we need power." Caitlin told him.
Cisco walks over with his tablet, showing Barry and Joe, "We got a much bigger problem."
Barry's eyes widen, "Cicada?"
Joe blurts out, "How the hell did that happen?"
Cisco spoke, "I don't know, but he's coming here and he looks pissed."
"We have to move now." Barry instructs.
Ambres looks at me, "I've got to keep patching him up."
I look up at Caitlin, "Frost, do your thing."
Caitlin's eyes turn blue, freezing up the wound, "There."
Cisco told us, "He's in the hallway."
I look at Ambres, "Get the hell out of here."
I follow Caitlin and Cisco out the Med Lab, as we all one by one grouped in the cortex, awaiting this new Cicada.
My fists erupted in flames, my eyes remaining crystal white, as we stared at the hall.
The minute Cicada walks in, we all start firing, using our powers against him, Joe shooting at it.
Barry runs around us, readying himself to throw lightning at Cicada.
This Cicada blocked all of our attempts with swishes of their knife, starting to take us down one by one.
Barry throws the lightening, Cicada only blocking it, then using their power to trap Barry on the wall, Barry trying to fight it.
Cicada takes Joe out, moving towards me.
I blasted Cicada with my powers, only to be thrown back by their powers, my body hitting the ground hard, my head hitting the hall.
And one by one, Cicada had taken Cisco and Killer Frost down, all of us on the ground in defeat.
To finish it off, electricity sizzled when Cicada used their power to destroy the entire cortex, glass shattering everywhere.
The last thing I saw was Cicada leaving the cortex and Barry falling onto the ground. Then my vision went black.
-
"Zee-" Barry's distant voice came closer, my eyes opening, my vision blurry, "Zee-"
"I'm up-" My voice was dangerously low, my eyes readjusting, landing on him hovering over me, his hands on my arms, trying to wake me up, as I slowly sat up.
"Are you okay?" Barry helps me up, his eyes landing on the cut on my forehead from the glass, one that was already healing, but bled a little, "You're bleeding-"
"I'm fine-" I blink, "It's healing-"
Barry nods quickly, running off to go see if he could find Dwyer and this new Cicada.
"Nope." Cisco hits the monitor, "They're all toast."
"Well, better the computers than us." I walked over to him and Joe.
Cisco looks at me, pointing at my wound, "Uh- except you- your forehead looks like toast-"
I shot him a look, "Since when is toast red?"
"I-" Cisco's eyebrows furrow, "Okay- I meant it's toast- damn- give me a break, I hit my head."
Cecile walks in, "Joe-"
"Are you okay?" Joe instantly asks.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." Cecile gave him a small kiss, "I'm a little bruised, but- everybody else?"
"Yeah, we're okay." I nod towards her, everyone slowly coming into the room one by one.
"Guys-" Caitlin looks at us, "Dr. Ambres didn't make it."
Barry runs in, "There's no sign of them anywhere."
"I don't understand what happened." Nora spoke up, her voice quiet, "I mean, we got Dwyer, we gave him the cure. If- if Cicada doesn't exist anymore, who was that?"
Sherloque looks up, his arms crossed, "Someone worse."
authors note:
oml sorry for the late update, netflix subscription got cancelled while i was writing, but it's okay cause i get it back this week * insert me hitting the woah *
but hey totally worth the wait, greaaat zee and barry moments in this chapter
comment looooads
i've also been updating my jace herondale book, which is also now published, which you should totally go read !!!
i really like writing it too sosksksksk
also grizzlyvisser and i really have had this full war about if zalec or zace is better so like y'all should go read it and comment your own opinions
SO YEAH PLEASE GO READ MY JACE HERONDALE BOOK PLS AND THANK YOU