Frozen Flashpoint

Chapter 24: Open eyes

Summary: The Snow-Allen family emerges from their trip to the Speedforce to discuss what they saw. DeVoe's next move is revealed.

Caitlin and Barry slowly shook off the daze vibing can cause once you come out of it. Though something felt different this time.

Once their vision cleared, both of them could see Lyra having a little harder time shaking the daze off, but she was obviously awake and was already being checked on by Jesse, while the both of them got the undivided attention of the resident engineer.

"Hey, hey, are you guys okay?" Cisco asked frantically.

Caitlin raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Why are you so worked up? We were just vibing, nothing you haven't done before."

There was a moment of silence when Cisco and Harry exchanged an uneasy look. Barry caught on to that and asked a little wryly, "Umm... guys, what's going on?"

Cisco looked uncomfortable? No, it wasn't that. Barry was having a hard time placing the expression Cisco had on his face, and his tone carried the same heaviness somehow. "Well, you were vibing for a long time, to the point I began to consider pulling you out, but just as we were about to make the choice, I felt you disappear."

Caitlin frowned at him and asked in a confused voice, "Disappear? As in our bodies were gone?"

Cisco nodded, and now it was confusion that was spreading over his face. "No. Not your bodies, your... presences." Caitlin began to look worried, so Cisco was quick to keep talking. "It's actually usual for that to happen when people I drag into a vibe leave. But until now, when that happens, the people usually wake up. You two stayed passed out."

Cisco's expression shifted back to that odd one Barry had a hard time placing, but now it was obvious to him—it was distress. Cisco's voice was filled with it as well. "I tried to vibe all three of you again, but I kept being blocked by some storm." Then his eyes shifted toward Barry, and he said, "The last time I felt something close to it was when..."

Realization fell on Barry, and a small grimace strained his face as he guessed, "You and Iris tried to pull me out of the Speedforce."

Cisco's eyes widened and he nodded. A side glance at his fiancée proved to him she managed to put things together as well.

"And how could you guess it, Allen?" Barry turned to see Harry scowling at him.

Caitlin let a small smile pass on her lips as she said, "Well, because it's sort of what happened this time as well."

Cisco frowned himself and asked, "Uh-huh, uh-huh... How?! Last time you just vanished after being struck by lightning again. This time you just transformed from vibing to a stroll around the Speedforce again?"

Barry shrugged, not sure what to say about that except, "What can I say, dude? We were inside the vibe seeing Lyra's past when suddenly all three of us were approached by the Speedforce and things went kind of weird from there, as per usual for the Speedforce."

Jesse seemed to jump from sitting next to Lyra, a pout on her face as she complained, "Wait... So all three of you were in the Speedforce for the entire time?" When she received a couple of nods from Barry and Caitlin, she complained louder, "Without me?!"

Barry chuckled a little sheepishly. "Well, it's not like we chose to..."

He was cut off when Jesse whined while pointing at Caitlin, "She isn't even a speedster! How is that fair?!"

Barry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly; he really couldn't say anything to that. But then again, it's not like he chooses who and when visits the Speedforce!