Dr. Wells stepped through the force-field, and Charlotte immediately nocked an arrow on the bow string. She raised it up, aiming at Dr. Wells' chest.
Quiver
Chapter 43; Always One Step Ahead
The next day, Charlotte, Cisco, Barry, Eddie, and Joe were all down where Cisco's machine was. They were staring at the vibrating figure of the Reverse-Flash, even though it wasn't really him. It was a hologram.
The four were explaining to Eddie what Wells had done with Cisco's trap, and he was very confused. Charlotte didn't blame him. Cisco had used a lot of science and engineering jargon that a person who hadn't ever studied the terms would never know what that meant.
As the five stood in front of the hologram, Eddie was double-checking what he understood about Cisco's explanation to make sure that he actually knew what was going on.
"So, Wells set up a fake showdown with a fake opponent who was never really there?" he asked the group. Barry was staring at the 'Reverse-Flash' as he answered the blond.
"He figured if we saw both of them together it would prove that he wasn't The Man in Yellow," explained Barry.
"This all just keeps getting crazier and crazier," commented Eddie as the elevator door started opening. Cisco was quick to shut down the machine, but everyone visibly relaxed when they saw that it was Caitlin entering.
"I just talked to Dr. Wells," she informed as she strode into the room. "He's attending a lecture downtown - won't be back until 5:00."
"Alright, Cisco, you know when he gets here you need to be working on the trap so he sees you set off the hologram," reminded Charlotte, as she rested a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Just the soft touch of her comfort made him relax, but only slightly.
"Hold on," Joe cut in, "isn't that, in your dream, when everything went all..." The older man trailed off, gesturing towards Cisco with one of his hands to finish the explanation that he didn't know how to finished.
"Kali Ma. Temple of Doom. Yeah, that definitely happened. But this time, I'm ready for him. I originally designed the force field to keep a speedster from getting out," he started, walking into the trap. "But I've reversed it. Now it won't let one in."
Cisco pressed a button on his phone, and a red and white light lit up around the machine he was standing in. It quickly disappeared before Cisco used one finger to gesture to Barry to come to him. Barry ordered the others to back up before running at the Ramon man. Barry hit the force field and was sent flying in another direction. Being Barry, he had hit one of the only other objects in the room.
And it was metal.
"Barry, are you okay?" Caitlin asked as Charlotte let out a small laugh. She couldn't help it, but it was funny to her. When she realized that Barry was still on the ground, she walked over to make sure that he wasn't too injured.
"It works," groaned Barry, still lying on the ground. Joe gave Barry a hand to help him stand up as Cisco started talking to the group again.
"Okay, as long as I'm inside, Wells won't be able to get near me."
"And Charlotte and I will be in the Cortex, watching and recording everything that happens," informed Caitlin, earning a nod from the blonde.
"And as soon as we get the confession we need to free my dad, I'm moving in," Barry added.
Eddie looked between the other five before asking, "So what do I do?"
"Wells also threatened Iris," Joe told him, earning a shocked look from Charlotte. She had no idea about that. "If something goes wrong here, we need you to keep an eye on her until Wells in neutralized."
"I'll always keep Iris safe, Joe," Eddie deadpanned before leaving the room. Barry looked up at the ceiling as Charlotte sighed as his retreating figure.
"What?" Joe asked, looking between the two. Charlotte bit her lip before bringing Joe and Barry out into the hallway area. When they were walking around, Charlotte kicked Barry slightly with the side of her foot to get him to talk first.
"So, um, Eddie told us what happened, that you kiboshed his proposal," he started, rubbing the back of his head. Charlotte smirked because she knew that he did that a lot, but only when he's nervous or stressed. The Queen believed it to be the former.
"That was supposed to be between him and me," groaned Joe, getting more fed up with his partner and his relationship with his daughter.
"I so agree with that. A-a-and I - and I know that we have a lot going on right now, but I don't get it, Joe. Why did you say no?" asked Barry.
"Because if Eddie proposes to Iris, she's gonna get caught up in the moment and the romance, and she's gonna say yes."
"What's wrong with that?" Charlotte was surprised with Barry. She thought that he'd also agree with Joe because of how many years he had been infatuated with Iris.
"Because one day she's gonna wake up and realize she married the wrong guy. But she'll stay anyway because she made a promise. I don't want that kind of life for her. Or him."
"What do you mean by 'the wrong guy'?" Charlotte asked slowly, hoping that Joe wouldn't say that Barry is the right guy. He glanced over at her before speaking.
"He's not good enough for Iris, and I don't think any guy will be."
"Speaking of Iris," Barry interrupted, looking down at his phone, "she just sent me a 911 text. I'll -we'll - be right back." Barry picked Charlotte up bridal style before rushing off to the police station.
Joe looked at where the two were standing and let out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. He had no idea how those two weren't together because it was quite obvious that the two had very strong feelings for one another.
Charlotte slapped Barry's arm once they reached the C.C.P.D. She hated being rushed off like that, and he knew it, too.
"Why am I here?" she demanded, glaring at the brunet. He stared down at her in shock with his big, green eyes before explaining that Iris wanted Charlotte there, too. They walked up to Barry's lab where Iris was standing by his desk, peering out the windows. When she heard the footsteps of Barry and Charlotte, the brunette turned to face the two.
"What's going on?" Barry asked her as he and Charlotte walked further into the room.
"Look, guys, I know it's not a good time," she started, earning a nod from Charlotte. "I mean, lately, it never seems to be a good time, but I need you two to listen to me right now. Like - like, really listen to me."
"Yeah, of course," Charlotte told her, sitting down on the edge of Barry's desk. She was concerned about Iris. The latter seemed very nervous and jittery, and Charlotte didn't know if it was a bad or good nervous. "Whatever you need to tell us, I'm listening."
"Me too," Barry added.
"Okay, I mean, I know this is gonna sound really crazy at first, but... everything strange that's been going on in Central City, it all goes back to that night," she told them excitedly, shoving a folder into Barry's hands. "The night that the particle accelerator exploded. I have gone through every bit of information that I've collected since I started my blog - every tip, every rumor, every strange sighting. Nothing predates the explosion.
"Whatever was released into the atmosphere that night, I think it changed people - caused them to have powers. And I think that S.T.A.R. Labs knew about it." Charlotte bit down on her lip. Iris knew that the blonde worked there, and she wondered if it was a subtle dig at Charlotte. "I think the Burning Man worked there, and I think that that's how The Flash got his powers too."
Barry, who had been glancing through the papers inside the folder, started stuttering. He was very impressed by what Iris had figured out, but he was also worried. He knew that Iris would be safer if she didn't know about any of that stuff. He also knew that Joe would shoot him if she found out.
"So what do you think?" Iris asked the two of them with expectancy.
"I-I don't know," stuttered Barry. "I mean, it's - it's interesting. Yeah, it's interesting. It's there's there's just... a big hole in your theory." Barry looked over at Charlotte for help, who rolled her eyes at the male.
"As you know, Barry was affected by whatever was released by the explosion, and he doesn't have any powers," Charlotte lied to Iris. She felt bad, but she was used to lying for the sake of someone's safety; she had done it for years.
"Obviously," Iris chuckled, earning a smile from the blonde.
"Plus, I work at S.T.A.R. Labs, and I knew nothing about any of that."
"Look, I mean, I know that it's - it's really mind-blowing. I mean, I haven't even talked to Eddie about it yet, but -"
"You haven't?" Charlotte asked, cutting off Iris' ramble. "Is there something going on between you two?"
"N-no, we're great. Why?"
"Oh, well, I just assumed since you were talking to us about it that you would've spoken to him first," shrugged Charlotte. Barry, who had been listening to their conversation, interrupted the two of them.
"I'm gonna... Let me read over all this stuff, and we'll definitely talk about it later," he said to Iris as he shrugged his jacket back over his lean shoulders. "I promise. Just - I mean, this is crazy. Yeah, okay, just let me go through it, and we'll talk later, all right?"
Charlotte let out a sigh at his rambling, retreating figure. She then looked over at Iris who looked really upset. Charlotte touched Iris' arm, causing the latter to look up at her.
"Sorry about him. He's... got a lot going on, and he's not always in the right head-space," Charlotte explained. Iris nodded her head before the blonde gave her a hug. Charlotte waved to Iris as she left the room before catching up to Barry who was waiting downstairs by the elevator.
Barry rushed them back to S.T.A.R. Labs, as it was nearing five o'clock. He left her in the Cortex before rushing off. Charlotte sighed at him before taking off her jacket and joining Caitlin in one of the side rooms.
"Where were you and Barry?" Caitlin asked with a coy smile. Charlotte sent a glare at her friend before sitting down next to her.
"We went to go visit Iris. She had some pretty accurate theories about metas and the explosion of the accelerator." Caitlin's eyes widened before going back to what she was doing before.
"Yeah? How'd Barry answer that one?"
"He didn't," Charlotte told her. "I was the one that lied to Iris because he was stuttering and was too nervous to come up with a lie. And you know Barry when he's nervous; he starts rambling." Caitlin let out a chuckle before turning to face her friend.
"What would he do without you, Mrs. Allen?" grinned the brunette. Charlotte stood up abruptly, tightening her jaw at the joke. She knew Caitlin was only teasing, but Charlotte had not been in a good mood since seeing that article. She started to walk away before Caitlin grabbed her wrist. "Wait, Charlie. I'm sorry."
Charlotte hesitated before sitting back down. She let out a sigh and ran her fingers up her face before entangling them in her hair.
"If you don't mind me asking," Caitlin started hesitantly, starting to type away on the computer in front of her, "why are you against being married to Barry?"
"It's not that I'm against it. In fact, I'd love to be married to Barry in the future - which apparently I am."
"So what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I know about it." Caitlin gave her a confused look before she elaborated. "I don't want to know about the future to come, especially when it's come to things like who I'm going to marry. Mine and Barry's future is no longer a surprise to me, and while I love the idea of being married to him... well, we're not even officially dating. It's a stupid reason to be frustrated and distant..."
Caitlin thought for a moment about what to say before she decided to be blunt about it.
"You're right. It is stupid. You and Barry are both extremely in love with each other. I don't understand why you two are not an actual couple. And is it really that bad to know that you two will be married? At least now you know that he's not going to ditch you for Iris if her and Eddie break up," Caitlin rambled before she realized what she said. Charlotte glared at Caitlin before turning away from her friend.
"You're as bad as Felicity when you ramble," she muttered. Caitlin let a smile slip before turning back to her work.
"I'm sorry for my comment," apologized Caitlin. "But, my point still stands. Is it really that bad to know that you at least have a future with Barry? I would've loved to have that with Ronnie." Charlotte looked down at her hands, knowing Caitlin was right. She was overreacting about the whole situation, and she needed to make it up to Barry for practically ignoring him.
There was a sound behind them, causing the two to turn in their seats. They saw Dr. Wells roll into the Cortex, giving them a chilling reminder as to what they were supposed to be doing.
"Hello, Dr. Wells," Caitlin stiffly greeted. Charlotte internally groaned at Caitlin's inability to be subtle and calm around him.
"How was your lecture?" Charlotte asked in a different tone - one that sounded more casual than Caitlin.
"Oh, boring, tedious," he drawled as he wheeled himself into the room they were in.
"Platitudinous?"
"Couldn't have said it better myself," he smiled at her which earned a smile back from the blonde. "Um, where - where's Cisco?"
"Uh, he is in the bunker," answered Caitlin as her and Charlotte walked over to the monitor area in the Cortex. "He thinks he finally figured out what went wrong at Christmas. You know, when we were trying to catch the Reverse-Flash?"
"Yes, I remember that night. Well, did he say what he's found?"
"Nope, just that it was important."
"Good for Cisco. Um... okay. Well, maybe I'll wheel on down there, see what he's got." As soon as Dr. Wells was out of earshot, Charlotte leaned over to the microphone that they were using to contact the group down in the bunker.
"Here he comes," she informed.
___
Charlotte and Caitlin were watching from the monitor screens what was happening in the bunkers using the security cameras that were down there. They watched as Dr. Wells stood up from his wheelchair and start walking towards Cisco, clapping his hands in mock applause.
"You've been busy," he commented with a chuckle. Charlotte's breathing increased as she watched the screen in front of her. "You really are incredibly clever, Cisco. I've always said it."
"You're him," Cisco muttered, staring at the man who he used to look up to. "The Reverse-Flash. Joe was right this whole time, wasn't he?"
"Good ol' Joe." Dr. Wells slammed Cisco's laptop shut. "Joe West had his doubts all along. Even from that first night in the hospital, Joe knew something wasn't right. Cops - as inconvenient now as they will be in a hundred years."
"You killed Barry's mother. I want to know why."
"It was never my intention to kill Nora. But from my perspective, she was already dead. It just happened sooner than it was supposed to." Dr. Wells had raised his hand and slowly backing Cisco up into the trap as he spoke. Cisco tripped, falling down on his bottom, before quickly standing back up.
Charlotte could feel that something was wrong. She quickly stood up and ran over to wear her 'Quiver' costume and weapons were. She enjoyed having them on display at S.T.A.R. Labs, even though she never used them anymore.
She grabbed her bow and put a few arrows in her quiver which she situated on her back. She ran downstairs to the bunker where she saw Dr. Wells chuckling at Cisco's invention.
"Oh, you're smart. You're smart, Cisco. But, you're not that smart." Dr. Wells stepped through the force-field, and Charlotte immediately nocked an arrow on the bow string. She raised it up, aiming at Dr. Wells' chest.
She let go of the arrow as Joe fired three bullets at Dr. Wells. Barry let out a 'no!' as he ran to save Dr. Wells. He didn't get a confession yet for his mother's murder, and he needed Dr. Wells alive for that.
Barry managed to stop the three bullets; but as he went to grab the arrow, his hand touched the force-field which launched him backwards. The arrow lodged itself deep into Dr. Wells' chest, and fell to the ground.
Dr. Wells was dead.
"He didn't confess!" he shouted at Charlotte.
"He was going to kill Cisco!" she argued back, putting her bow down at her side. Caitlin, who ran in just as Dr. Wells stepped into the trap, rushed over to Cisco.
"Cisco, are you okay?" she asked him, resting her hands on his arms.
"Yeah," he answered, staring down at Dr. Wells' dead body. "I'm never ever gonna sleep ever again, but, yeah, I'm okay." Caitlin looked down at the body before kneeling down. She placed two fingers on his neck to see if he was still alive, but Charlotte knew that he wasn't. Not where she shot him.
"He's dead," Caitlin announced, staring at the corpse of her boss. It was a horrifying sight, but Charlotte didn't feel remorse. Dr. Wells was a murderer, and he got what he deserved.
"He didn't confess," Barry whispered with tears clouding his eyes. Charlotte's heart broke when she saw the look on his face, but she had to protect Cisco. "This was it. My dad's gonna be in prison forever."
"Barry, I'm sorry," Charlotte apologized as tears sprung to Joe's eyes from the fact that Henry Allen couldn't get the justice he deserved and Barry's devastation to the lack of confession from Dr. Wells.
Cisco went to comfort Barry when Dr. Wells' body started to morph. Cisco jumped back as everyone stared at the dead body of Hannibal Bates.
"What the hell?" Cisco exclaimed.
"I told you this before," Dr. Wells' voice rang throughout S.T.A.R. Labs. "I am always one step ahead, Flash. Allow me to reintroduce to you Mr. Hannibal Bates and his incredible ability to transform into any person he touches.
"I knew that ability would come in handy. I did not expect it to come in handy this soon," he chuckled. Barry's blood was boiling. He was furious with Dr. Wells, and Charlotte was worried for how he was going to behave.
"You used him!" Barry shouted, his face scrunched in anger. "Like you used all of us!"
"Well, he served a purpose," came the nonchalant reply from the villain. "Didn't take much convincing. Just the simple promise of his freedom."
"You ruined my life!" Barry continued to yell as he walked out of the trap. "All our lives!"
"We stood by you after everything that happened," Caitlin added, also shouting Dr. Wells.
"I can see how this must be difficult for you to understand, but trust me, your lives now are so much better because of what I have done for you." Charlotte scoffed at the man and crossed her arms in front of her.
"You don't have to hide anymore," Joe told him. "We know you're not Harrison Wells. Just tell us who you are."
"A confession will get you nowhere. You've seen who I am. You know what I can do."
"You want to kill me, go ahead. I'm not gonna fight you. But, just tell the police what you did. Get my dad out of prison," Barry ordered with a shout. Charlotte frowned at his words. He didn't care if he lived or died, he just wanted his dad to be free. And she admired that.
Her and her dad were never close when she grew up. Sure he bought her a lot of dresses, jewelry, and other expensive items to try and buy her love, but it never worked. He just made her into a self-obsessed brat. It wasn't until after he died that she wanted to talk to him - to have a real father-daughter bond.
"I don't want to kill you, Barry. I need you. And..." he paused, letting out a chuckle, "I also did not anticipate, as difficult as the past fifteen years have been for me, how much I would come to love working with you. With all of you. And yet, that does not change what needs to happen."
"Then face me now!" demanded Barry, his face twisted with rage. It was a look of pure hatred that Charlotte wished to never see again.
"Oh, we will face each other again. I promise you. Soon. Very, very soon." A sudden sound from Cisco's phone caused him to look down at it. His eyes widened when he saw what was on his phone.
"He's in the time vault!" he announced. Barry quickly rushed off as Charlotte called out his name.
___
The four were in the Cortex as Barry sped into the room. He looked very determined which made the whole group wonder what had happened in the time vault.
"We need to find Iris," Barry demanded. Joe, who had been leaning against the table, stood up straighter and took a few steps towards Barry.
"Why?" he asked. He was worried about his child, as any good parent should be.
"Wells. He's been watching all of us. He has surveillance footage set up everywhere. Our homes, my lab at the police station, Central City Picture News. Cisco, call me when you get a location." Barry rushed off, leaving the empty mannequin behind him as he went to find Iris.
__________
unedited
a/n: sorry for the lack of chapters and the crappy writing. i've been rushing to get this chapter done because of how long it's been since i updated.
i apologize for the wait - my laptop screen broke and i haven't been able to use it at all so this was written off my ipad so if the chapter spacing is weird, that's why
(10.7.19) update a/n: hey guys! i figured out how to use my laptop with a cracked screen. i just turned the touch mode off so now i can update from here again. i hope the gif is working now :)